Witchcraft
The doctrine of witches is the term used to describe the discourse that describes the supposedly real existence of witches and their mostly negatively portrayed work, as well as the methods that appear to be appropriate for combating them. The doctrine of witches was particularly important in the early modern period . Among them were the theologians of that time, who are now often referred to as witch theorists , as the main element of the devil's pact , which immediately with the contract with the devil also meant an apostasy from God and thus blasphemy . Closely related to this was the idea of the so-called devil's bond , i.e. sexual intercourse between a witch / sorcerer and the devil or an incubus or succubus . The third element mentioned was the Witches' Sabbath in connection with the flight of witches . The fourth element of the witch teachings presented the damage Magic represents.
This witch doctrine gained ominous significance in connection with the witch trials . While the devil's pact, the devil's bond and the alleged damaging magic provided the content for the compilation of the criminal offenses of alleged witches, the alleged presence at witches' sabbaths provided the justification for further use of torture - after all, it was a matter of squeezing out more witches who were on the Must have seen the Sabbath. The flight of witches, which was regarded as a symbol of the supernatural properties of witches imparted by the devil, gave a reason for the effectiveness of the witch bath . If the alleged witches swam on the surface with their hands and feet tied crosswise, this was considered a sign of their devilish lightness, which was often considered an indication of the guilt of the accused. If they drowned, as was to be expected of natural people, they were considered innocent. Unfortunately, one also had to take into account the objection put forward by Helmstedt Professor Hermann Neuwalt in 1584 that the devil could falsify this “judgment of God” by pulling the witch under water ... The witch doctrine is an early form of conspiracy theory .
Today the teachings of witches still occur in sub-Saharan Africa and among followers of the neo-pagan Wicca religion.
literature
- Wolfgang Behringer: Witches and witch trials in Germany . dtv 2000, ISBN 3-423-30781-1 .
- Heinrich Kramer : The witch hammer. Malleus maleficarum . dtv 2000, ISBN 3-423-30780-3 .
- Friedrich von Spee : Cautio Criminalis or legal concerns about the witch trials . dtv 2000, ISBN 3-423-30782-X .
- Brian P. Levack: Witch Hunt. The history of witch hunts in Europe . CH Beck, 2003, ISBN 3-406-42132-6 .
- Heike Albrecht: Faith in witches, witch persecution, witch madness in Germany in the early modern period - approach of a sociological analysis . Diplomica, 2002, ISBN 3-8324-5556-6 .
- Ulrich Molitor : Of monsters and witches. Original edition 1489, translated into German by Nicolaus Equiamicus 2008, ISBN 978-3-86608-089-8 .
- Thomas Hilarius Meyer: "Rod" of God and "shit" of the devil. Theological theory of magic and witches at the University of Tübingen in the early modern period, Hamburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-7323-5024-7 .
- Joachim Lehrmann : For and against the madness - witch hunt in the Hochstift Hildesheim '', and "A contender against the witch madness" - Lower Saxony's unknown early enlightener ( Justus Oldekop ). Lehrte 2003, 272 pages, ISBN 978-3-9803642-3-2 .
Footnotes
- ↑ Joachim Lehrmann : For and against the madness - witch hunt in the Hochstift Hildesheim '', and "A contender against the witch madness" - Lower Saxony's unknown early enlightener (Justus Oldekop). Lehrte 2003, 272 pp., ISBN 978-3-9803642-3-2 , pp. 194-242, pp. 61f. u. 227.
- ↑ On the witch doctrine as a conspiracy theory see Wolfgang Wippermann : Agents of Evil. Conspiracy theories from Luther until today , pp. 33–46, be.bra verlag, Berlin 2007.