Mujeres, lecturas y alumbradismo radical: Petronila de Lucena y Juan del Castillo

The article deals with the Alumbrados heresy of the twenties and thirties of the Sixteenth Century from a fresh perspective and reflects on the reading and writing habits of a young "alumbrada", Petronila de Lucena. Her trial by the Inquisition showcases her extraordinary argumentative capacity and her gradual understanding of the Inquisitorial methods which will lead to her, partial, absolution. The article, moreover, highlights the unique position of Petronila's brother, the Greek scholar Juan del Castillo. In bis thought Lutheran influences seem to intermingle with the peculiar eclecticism which flourished in Spain through the existence of the three religions, and there emerges the idea of a universal salvation and a revelation common to Christians and Muslims.