HSTEU 305 DISCUSSION
Nider's Formicarius 1435 , pp. 155-159
Important early description of peasant maleficia in its various forms and of the early
witch trials in Switzerland and the Alpine areas of Italy (Como)
Pope Innocent
VIII, Summis desiderantes affectibus 1484 (K&P #33, pp. 177-180)
The widespread peasant belief in various forms of maleficium makes it into a papal decree
which spreads knowledge of these beliefs among the literate clergy and other judicial
officials.
.
How do the crimes
attributed to witches here differ from those referred to in earlier papal bulls
included in Kors & Peters volume?
Are the people in Germany supportive
of the Inquisitors’ activity What kind of opposition does the Pope anticipate?
Malleus on how to conduct a witch trial: K&P, 204-229
Note that K&S approve of this crime being tried in ANY court, whether church courts or
secular courts, because it is a "crimen exceptum" - an "exceptional crime" that
doesn't fit under one or the other definition.
Which parts of witch beliefs fit better as "criminal" acts, and what are the "spiritual
crimes" that make it also an Inquisitorial matter?
How does procedure in witch trials differ from that in ordinary criminal
trials?
What special problems do witches present to the judicial system?
What steps do Kramer & Sprenger suggest that judges take to deal with these
problems?