ALUMBRADOS (ILLUMINATI). — A designation used to indicate those Spanish pseudo-mystics who in the 16th and 17th centuries boasted of acting constantly under the influence of a direct and immediate “illumination” of the Holy Spirit. The term “iluminados,” understood in this sense, appears for the first time in 1494, in a letter written by the Franciscan Antonio de Pastrana to Cardinal Ximenes de Cisneros, his provincial minister.
The doctrine of the a. taught that man can attain here below to the vision of the very essence of God, that is, to the highest possible degree of perfection; once attained, this can no longer be lost and renders all external means of sanctification ineffectual, such as vocal prayer, the use of the Sacraments, the practice of charity toward one’s neighbor, any bodily sacrifice, etc. The perfect person is bound only to mental prayer, to the aesthetic contemplation of the divine essence, which unites him to God so intimately as to deprive him even of his own freedom and individuality. In this state of complete annihilation he becomes impeccable, in the sense that those very actions which in the imperfect would be grave offenses against God are not imputed to him as a fault, not even a venial one. Fully consistent with this last principle, the a. often abandoned themselves to the most unrestrained dissoluteness. The action undertaken by the Inquisition against such abuses was so rigorous that its condemnations also struck those who led a secluded and contemplative life: St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Borgia, St. Teresa, and St. Joseph Calasanz were accused of illuminism.
Supported by men of high standing, the a. spread rapidly, recruiting numerous followers not only among the humblest classes but also among educated persons, the nobility, and the clergy. They attained their greatest expansion in the dioceses of Cadiz and Seville, where they managed to survive until the middle of the 17th century. Their errors later resurfaced in quietism, MOLINISMO (v.).