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The '''''Malleus Maleficarum''''', usually translated as the '''''Hammer of Witches''''', is the best known treatise on [[witchcraft]]. It was written by the Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer (under his Latinized name ''Henricus Institor'') and first published in the German city of Speyer in 1486. It has been described as the compendium of literature in demonology of the 15th century. The top theologians of the [[Inquisition]] at the Faculty of Cologne condemned the book as recommending unethical and illegal procedures, as well as being inconsistent with Catholic doctrines of [[demon|demonology]]. | The '''''Malleus Maleficarum''''', usually translated as the '''''Hammer of Witches''''', is the best known treatise on [[witchcraft]]. It was written by the Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer (under his Latinized name ''Henricus Institor'') and first published in the German city of Speyer in 1486. It has been described as the compendium of literature in demonology of the 15th century. The top theologians of the [[Inquisition]] at the Faculty of Cologne condemned the book as recommending unethical and illegal procedures, as well as being inconsistent with Catholic doctrines of [[demon|demonology]]. | ||
The ''Malleus'' elevates sorcery to the criminal status of [[heresy]] and recommends that secular courts prosecute it as such. The ''Malleus'' suggests torture to effectively obtain confessions and the death penalty as the only certain remedy against the evils of witchcraft. At the time of its publication, heretics were frequently punished to be [[death by burning|burned alive at the stake]] and the ''Malleus'' encouraged the same treatment of [[witch]]es. The book had a strong influence on culture for several centuries. | The ''Malleus'' elevates [[ritual magic|sorcery]] to the criminal status of [[heresy]] and recommends that secular courts prosecute it as such. The ''Malleus'' suggests torture to effectively obtain confessions and the death penalty as the only certain remedy against the evils of witchcraft. At the time of its publication, heretics were frequently punished to be [[death by burning|burned alive at the stake]] and the ''Malleus'' encouraged the same treatment of [[witch]]es. The book had a strong influence on culture for several centuries. | ||
The book was later used by royal courts during the Renaissance, and contributed to the increasingly brutal [[witch-hunt]]s during the 16th and 17th centuries. | The book was later used by royal courts during the Renaissance, and contributed to the increasingly brutal [[witch-hunt]]s during the 16th and 17th centuries. | ||
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==Content== | ==Content== | ||
The ''Malleus Maleficarum'' asserts that three elements are necessary for witchcraft: the evil intentions of the witch, the help of [[the Devil]], and the permission of [[Yahweh|God]]. The treatise is divided into three sections. The first section is aimed at clergy and tries to refute critics who deny the reality of witchcraft, thereby hindering its prosecution. | The ''Malleus Maleficarum'' asserts that three elements are necessary for witchcraft: the evil intentions of the [[witch]], the help of [[the Devil]], and the permission of [[Yahweh|God]]. The treatise is divided into three sections. The first section is aimed at clergy and tries to refute critics who deny the reality of witchcraft, thereby hindering its prosecution. | ||
The second section describes the actual forms of witchcraft and its remedies. The third section is to assist judges confronting and combating witchcraft, and to aid the inquisitors by removing the burden from them. Each of the three sections has the prevailing themes of what is witchcraft and who is a witch. | The second section describes the actual forms of witchcraft and its remedies. The third section is to assist judges confronting and combating witchcraft, and to aid the inquisitors by removing the burden from them. Each of the three sections has the prevailing themes of what is witchcraft and who is a witch. | ||