Chapter Five of Witchcraft in Europe deals with Diabolical Witches in history. This is a very interesting title to me because it gives a clear picture of how witches were thought of in the 15th century. To me, it does not indicate that the witches gained anything other than infamy. This chapter has several articles that deal with how practitioners of witchcraft were viewed at the time, and not necessarily a lot about what they did differently from their predecessors. Another aspect that adds to the subjective nature of this chapter is that every passage regarding their actions seem secondhand in terms of source. The author never describes what he/she saw. For instance, on page 157, the author describes how an inquisitor told him of a witch's actions. The two things that stand out to me in this passage are the secondhand (and therefore questionable) nature of this information and the source of the information. Inquisitors often acquired information through extreme methods of interrogation, so they often received confessions from innocent suspects that were trying to avoid torture. Another significant aspect of this Chapter deals with a possible Christian agenda. On page 160, the author assumes that every practitioner of witchcraft is being "seduced by the devil, the enemy of every rational creature". The church viewed Witchcraft as not only blasphemous but inherently Anti-Christian. But, in doing so, they blurred the line between condemning a blasphemous act and perpetuating their own ideals. The devil, or Satan, is a part of Christianity, so anything that concerns the devil also relates to Christianity. The church was under scrutiny at this point in history, with many sects forming and many people disagreeing and clamoring for reform. The church would need to take the focus off of itself while also perpetuating its ideals. The witchcraft problem was the perfect opportunity for the church to shirk the blame it had been handed. It provided a scapegoat for negative religious happenings and provided a way for the church to "explain" the problem in its own context.
That's a great point, and I agree that in many instances throughout history magic has been a scapegoat for misfortune, but isn't it ironic that in the witchcraft the Church accused so many of, inadvertently reformed the Church? Because when you think about it, prior to all this witchcraft drama, the Church hadn't seen very many big changes. What or who do you think would have been the scapegoat if witchcraft hadn't come up? Women, Jews, the poor?
ReplyDeleteFirst off I love this title. Also I agree with Olivia's comment. If not witchcraft, than it probably would have been women. But looking into the future, all three groups were discriminated against and the focal point of certain time periods.
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