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'''''De praestigiis daemonum''''', translated as '''On the Tricks of Demons''', is a book by medical doctor [[Johann Weyer]], also known as Wier, first published in Basel in 1563. | '''''De praestigiis daemonum''''', translated as '''On the Tricks of Demons''', is a book by medical doctor [[Johann Weyer]], also known as ''Wier'', first published in Basel in 1563. | ||
The book argues that [[witchcraft]] does not exist and that those who claim to practice it are suffering from delusions, which should be treated as mental illnesses, rather than punished as witchcraft. It was influential in the abolishment of witchcraft trials in the Netherlands. | The book argues that [[witchcraft]] does not exist and that those who claim to practice it are suffering from delusions, which should be treated as mental illnesses, rather than punished as witchcraft. It was influential in the abolishment of witchcraft trials in the Netherlands. | ||
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Weyer's reason for presenting this material was not to instruct his readers in diabolism, but rather to "expose to all men" the pretensions of those who claimed to be able to work [[ritual magic|magic]], men who "are not embarrassed to boast that they are mages, and their oddness, deceptions, vanity, folly, fakery, madness, absence of mind, and obvious lies, to put their hallucinations into the bright light of day." Weyer's source claimed that [[Hell]] arranged itself hierarchically in an infernal court which is divided into princes, ministries and ambassadors. | Weyer's reason for presenting this material was not to instruct his readers in diabolism, but rather to "expose to all men" the pretensions of those who claimed to be able to work [[ritual magic|magic]], men who "are not embarrassed to boast that they are mages, and their oddness, deceptions, vanity, folly, fakery, madness, absence of mind, and obvious lies, to put their hallucinations into the bright light of day." Weyer's source claimed that [[Hell]] arranged itself hierarchically in an infernal court which is divided into princes, ministries and ambassadors. | ||
==Publication== | |||
''De Praestigiis'' was first published in Basel in 1563. It has been translated into English, French, and German. | |||
==Reception and legacy== | |||
Weyer’s book challenged the views of his contemporaries, and it was not well received or understood by his peers. The majority of established academics criticized and rejected ''De praestigiis Daemonum''. Weyer was told by his friends that his book must be destroyed or rewritten, while his enemies speculated that he was a lunatic. | |||
[[Jean Bodin]]’s famous 1580 book about the dangers of witchcraft, ''[[De la démonomanie des sorciers]]'', includes a lengthy rebuttal of ''De praestigiis'', arguing that witch trials are necessary and providing methods for testing [[witch]]es. | |||
However, the contemporary view toward Weyer's theories changed dramatically along with the development of psychology and psychiatry from the 1800s onward and the book is now considered "a precursor of modern psychiatry." | |||
Early editions of the book are extremely valuable and often sell for thousands of dollars at antiquarian auctions. | |||
==See also== | |||
* ''[[Pseudomonarchia Daemonum]]'' | |||
[[Category:Books]] | [[Category:Books]] | ||