Stuart B. Schwartz, All Can Be Saved: Religious Tolerance and Salvation in the Iberian Atlantic World

Whenever one picks up a book stating it’s conception was based on a humorous evening spent reading Carlo Ginzburg’s microhistorical classic The Cheese and the Worms they can be sure they are in for a treat. All Can be Saved: Religious Tolerance and Salvation in the Iberian Atlantic World lives up to this expectation and provides its readers with an in-depth exploration of religious tolerance among the rustic peoples of Iberian society. Based on a popular medieval expression that claims: “Cada uno se puede salvar en su ley” (Each person can be saved in his or her own religion), Yale historian Stuart B. Schwartz examines and proves that this sentiment was common among a vocal minority during a period ranging from the 16th to the 18th century. The main argument of this book is that the concept of religious tolerance, born in convivencia and medieval attitudes, was prevalent throughout rustic Iberian society. It was therefore not the common people, but institutions such as the Inquisition and secular government that bullied these relatively tolerant individuals into adopting counter-reformation ideals of a homogeneous Catholic Iberian world. It can be further extrapolated that it was these institutions, and their intolerant policies, that set the stage for the “Black Legend” advocated by many Northern European historians.

Due to the inherent biases of official ecclesiastical and secular writings associated with the study of Iberian tolerance, it comes as no surprise that Schwartz chose to use inquisitional transcripts from which to base his research upon. Through the study of these records, Schwartz is able to weave together hundreds of microhistorical examinations and in the process create an intercontinental web of tolerance uniting the Iberian Atlantic world. This methodology, which Schwartz refers to a “serial microhistory” is a groundbreaking approach that both celebrates and expands upon the ingenious work of the previous generation of microhistorians such as Ginzburg, Darton, and Davis.

While this approach to uncovering and interpreting patterns of religious tolerance is revolutionary, it must be taken into account that it falls prey to some of the weaknesses inherent in microhistory. While the serial microhistorical method eliminates issues associated small sample sizes,  it’s Achilles Heel is the possibility that these tolerant individuals brought before the inquisition were an extremely vocal minority, unwilling to compromise on their personal beliefs. Other microhistorical works, specifically The Cheese and the Worms have been criticized for this and unfortunately serial microhistory cannot claim exemption.

Even though All Can be Saved cannot definitely prove that the individuals brought before various Iberian Inquisitions were not representative of the greater rustic society, it still stands a potential future classic. Through excellent research, dedicated scholarship, and creative inferences Schwartz has provided the historical world with a book that is applicable to students studying topics ranging from the Counter-Reformation to the colonization of the New World. It’s innovative and ambitious serial microhistorical approach will be sure to delight adherents to previous microhistorical scholarship. Who knows, maybe the next great evolution in the microhistorical genre will be conceived during an evening of reading All Can be Saved.