Christian views on magic

The Formicarius (Ant Hill) of Johannes Nider, written in Latin in the 1430’s, tells about activities in the Bernese Alps and other territories, based mainly on testimony Nider had obtained from a secular judge from Bern and from an inquisitor. (Levack, 2013) Nider also received testimony from a man from the Bernese territory who went by the name of Peter, a Benedictine monk, and an inquisitor from the convent at Lyons. Nider states that the judge from Bern told him stories about the torture of

In the three documents, “Bull Summis desiderantes” written by Innocent VIII, “The Ant Hill ”, written by Johannes Nider and Extracts from “The hammer of witches” written by Malleus Maleficarum, regarding the hunting of witches, the beliefs of witchcraft and the trail process for those accused of witchcraft all show a great deal of evidence that those accused of witchcraft had no chance at a fair trial. In the document, “Bull Summis desiderantes” written by Innocent VIII, sheds light on how the catholic

This text also goes on to state that Nider also met a Benedictine monk who, many years before their introduction, acted as “a necromancer, juggler, buffoon, and strolling player, well-known as an expert among the secular nobility.” (Internet History Sourcebooks Project) The most interesting story in the text however, is the recount of another young man, who was arrested and eventually burned after being found guilty of being a witch. This man and wife, who was also a witch, were previously arrested

helped to spark witch trials in Cologne in 1487 and 1491 and Trier in 1497 and 1501 . The Malleus showed very misogynistic views and until its publication men had been accused of witchcraft just as much as women . This suggests that the Malleus was a contributing factor to the number of women prosecuted as witches. However, was the Malleus a reflection of early modern views towards witchcraft, or was the text seen as extremist? The Malleus was divided into three separate parts describing the nature

During medieval times, there was a constant uproar when it came to difference in religions, as leaders preferred there be one sacred religion, Christianity. Around the 15th century, leading into the 16th century, in European countries, such as Germany and surrounding providences, witchcraft became the new practice, which was frowned upon. Anyone accused of being a witch, could not receive a fair trial, as they were persecuted, tricked into confession, humiliated, inhumanly tortured, and put to death

Trial Procedures: Questioning When analyzing all of the information provided in the two books, Witchcraft in Europe by Alan Charles Kors and Edward Peters and Magic and Superstition in Europe by Michael D. Bailey, there are a multitude of common themes that appear repeatedly in both pieces of work on the topic of witchcraft. These common themes vary in topic with some relating to the stereotypical appearance of witches, the actions witches performed, or even the legal procedures involving the conviction

guidebook for Inquisitors during Inquisition. With the help of this book they were able to identify and prosecute the Witches. It was written by the Dominican monks Heinrich Kramer and presumably also James Sprenger, who assembled many fairy tales and magic stories, nightmares, hearsay, confessions and accusations and put this all together as factual information. It is still not completelly confirmed, that Sprenger was actually one of the authors. Anybody could accuse anyone of witchcraft, even very

There are certain assumptions made by society that are likely to make a women accused of witch craft such as social status, age, and marital status. It is clear that the gender and sexual issues among men and women are a contribution towards those who were punished for witch craft. Women who were blamed for witchcraft had very little sway to change the minds of others once that seed was planted. Even though a woman may be poor or even unmarried these were characteristics that made a woman more likely

In 1487, two Dominican inquisitors Henirich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger wrote the Malleus Maleficarum, which in English can be translated to the Hammer of Witches. The Malleus Maleficarum was a one of a kind document, meaning that it was the first resourceful document for witch beliefs and was also the first document that was written for how to prosecute people who were believed to have used witchcraft. Kramer and Sprenger believed that women were more likely to be witches than men because they believed

Kramer's purpose in writing the book was to explain his own views on witchcraft, systematically refute arguments claiming that witchcraft does not exist, discredit those who expressed skepticism about its reality, claim that those who practised witchcraft were more often women than men, and to convince magistrates to use Kramer's recommended procedures for finding and convicting witches. Magic, sorcery, and witchcraft had long been condemned by the Church, whose attitude towards