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Medieval Europe also saw magic come to be associated with the Old Testament figure of Solomon; various grimoires, or books outlining magical practices, were written that claimed to have been written by Solomon, most notably the Key of Solomon. [11] In early medieval Europe, magia was a term of condemnation. [12]
European witchcraft can be traced back to classical antiquity, when magic and religion were closely entwined. During the pagan era of ancient Rome , there were laws against harmful magic. After Christianization , the medieval Catholic Church began to see witchcraft ( maleficium ) as a blend of black magic and apostasy involving a pact with the ...
Europe's Inner Demons: An Enquiry Inspired by the Great Witch-Hunt is a historical study of the beliefs regarding European witchcraft in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe, with particular reference to the development of the witches' sabbat and its influence on the witch trials in the Early Modern period.
The Malleus Maleficarum, [a] usually translated as the Hammer of Witches, [3] [b] is the best known treatise about witchcraft. [6] [7] It was written by the German Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer (under his Latinized name Henricus Institor) and first published in the German city of Speyer in 1486.
The two are usually combined in medieval beliefs about witchcraft. Etymology The first known appearance of "black magic" in English is Edmund Spenser 's epic poem The Faerie Queene , where he anglicizes the contemporary term "nigromancy", derived from Latin nigromantia, a medieval variant of necromantia " necromancy " influenced by Latin niger ...
The 1647 book, The Discovery of Witches, soon became an influential legal text. The book was used in the American colonies as early as May 1647, when Margaret Jones was executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts, [66] the first of 17 people executed for witchcraft in the Colonies from 1647 to 1663. [67] lithograph depicting Salem witch trials, 1892
Those who were literate might use a Book of Hours, which adapted the daily monastic liturgy for use by laymen. [54] The most important part of the Mass was the elevation of the host, allowing the congregation to adore the body of Christ. It was a common belief that to gaze upon the host protected one from sudden death for the rest of that day. [55]
Forced conversion of minorities was against the law, and so was the belief in the existence of witchcraft, oracles or similar superstitions. In general, all "people from the book" were permitted to practice their own customs and religions as far as they did not attempt proselytizing on the Christian population.