15TH CENTURY WITCH THEORY AND WITCH HUNTING

I. The "New Crime" of Witchcraft in 15th century

   Fusion of:  Secular crime of maleficium with

                      Spiritual crime of apostasy (devil worship)

   Fusion of:  Popular image of the witch (malefica) with

                      Learned theory of witchcraft as diabolism

II. WITCH HUNTING BY KRAMER AND SPRENGER

    1481-1486    38 executed in German Rhineland

    1484: Papal bull of Innocent VIII  (“witch bull”)
            SUMMIS DESIDERANTES AFFECTIBUS

            authorizes Dominican Inquisitors Kramer and Sprenger
            to stamp out witchcraft (maleficium) and devil worship

    1487  MALLEUS MALEFICARUM ("The Hammer of Witches")

    Epigraph: "Not to believe in witchcraft is the greatest of heresies."

    Organization of book:

      Pt 1  Definition of Crime: 
                                Devil, Witch, Divine Permission
      Pt 2  Witchcraft
                             i. How it operates (diabolical pact)
                            ii. How it may be opposed (remedies)
      Pt 3  How to try a witch (judicial manual)

             W/C = CRIMEN EXCEPTUM (exceptional crime)

      Circulation:   1486-1520 = 13 editions
                             1574-1669 = 16 editions

MALLEUS MALEFICARUM: AUTHORITY & EXPERIENCE

Authoritative character of the work

1. Academic reputation of authors

            scholastic theologians at Cologne University
            Sprenger as University Dean

2. printed with book:

       Papal Bull "Summis Desiderantes" 1484

       letter of support from Theology Faculty at Cologne

Appeals to authority within the work

1. Textual authorities:
              Scripture, Church Fathers, Scholastic Theologians

2. Appeal to "experience" as evidence:

      a) their own and others' witch trial experiences
              especially witches' confessions

            (parallel to Nider's quotation of
              Judge Peter Von Greyerz / Stedelen trial)

      b) "common knowledge" about witches,
              including popular stories, jokes

3. Issues of reality versus illusion --   K & S decide

      for nightflying as real   (against Canon Episcopi)

      against "shape shifting" as demonic  illusion
      against  castration by witches    as  illusion