Reassessing Castellio’s Legacy

Lecture by Odile Panetta, Doctor of Social Anthropology

How did the Italian Protestant diaspora of the mid-16th century perceive Castellio’s role in the development of the idea of tolerance? In the debates on the punishment of heretics, prompted by Sebastian Castellio after Michael Servetus’ burning at the stake in Geneva (1553), the contribution of Italian thinkers can open up a fascinating perspective that will be developed during the conference: on the one hand, the reception of Castellion’s thought among Italian refugees in Basel and beyond suggests that his influence was greater than generally thought, even if it was mainly exercised outside orthodox circles.

On the other hand, the vigorous criticism of Castellio’s ideas put forward by some orthodox Italian Protestants draws attention to the limits of one-sided accounts of the Swiss debate on the punishment of heretics. The Italian case thus opens up new avenues for a more nuanced picture of Castellio’s historical contribution as a tolerant thinker.

Conference in English