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Characteristic of the opinion of post-scholastic theologians is the
socalled "Hammer of Witches", a handbook on how to discover and punish
witches.
H. KRAMER and J.
SPRENGER. The Malleus Maleficarum (Lyons 1486), here Dover Publications,
Reprint, New York 1971.
A typical excerpt from this book shows
incredible prejudices against women! The prejudices led to thousands of
innocent women being executed as witches.
The influence of the Hammer of Witches
First
printed in 1486, the book saw innumerable reprints in German, French, Italian
and English and was responsible for bringing thousands of innocent women to the
stake.
It may
be objected here that the “Hammer of Witches” was an exceptional book
and that quoting from it may prejudice us unfairly against post-scholastic
theologians. The truth is that, in spite of its monstrosities, the book was
universally accepted as containing good theology and sound Catholic doctrine.
One of its authors, Jakob Sprenger, O.P., was Dean of Cologne University. The
other, Heinrich Kramer, O.P., was prior and spiritual director in many places.
Both men were appointed inquisitors for Germany by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484.
Both wrote many theological treatises.
We
quote from the introduction: "There can be no doubt that the Malleus
Maleficarum had in its day and for a full couple of centuries an enormous
influence. There are few demonologists and writers upon witchcraft who did not
refer to its pages as an ultimate authority. It was continually quoted and
appealed to in the witch trials of Germany, France, Italy, and England; whilst
the methods and examples of the two Inquisitors gained an even more extensive
credit and sanction owing to their reproduction (sometimes without direct
acknowledgement) in the works of Bodin, De Moura, Oberlal, Cicogna, Peperni,
Martinus Aries, Anania, Binsfeld, Bernard, Basin, Menghi, Stampa. Clodius,
Schslharmer, Wolf, Stegmann, Neissner, Voigt, Cattani, Richardus and a hundred
more" (Ibid, pg. XXXiX).
In a
preface to the book written on October the 7th 1946 (!!) Fr. Montague
Summers has some amazing things to say. After asserting that the writings of
the two authors, "are well approved by many learned men, Pontiffs, Saints, and
Theologians alike’’, he praises the virtues of the "Hammer of
Witches":
“One turns to it again and again with edification (!) and interest. From
the point of view of psychology (!), from the point of view of jurisprudence,
from the point of view of history, it is supreme. What is most surprising is
the modernity of the book. There is hardly a problem, a complex, a difficulty,
which they have not foreseen, and discussed, and resolved...with the greatest
clarity, with unflinching logic with scrupulous impartiality (!) (Ibid,1948
Preface, pg. ix-x).
Yet,
this is the book which describes in the most lurid details imaginary sexual
orgies between penis-toting devils and human witches (all proved from
Scripture, of course). This is the book that sanctioned limitless torture to
extract confessions from the accused. It is a book full of superstitious
belief, sadistic cruelty, bigotry and hatred for women.
It
is sad to reflect that while so many harmless books were put on the "Index" of
forbidden books, a book of this nature was continuously reprinted with an
approving Bull of Innocent VIII (1484 AD) to give it ecclesiastical authority.
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