The Malleus Maleficarum and the Construction of Witchcraft: Theology and Popular Belief

Studies in Early Modern European History

by Hans Peter Broedel

The Malleus is an important text and is frequently quoted by authors across a wide range of scholarly disciplines. Yet it also presents serious it is difficult to understand out of context, and is not generally representative of late medieval learned thinking. This, the first book-length study of the original text in English, provides students and scholars with an introduction to this controversial work and to the conceptual word of its authors.

Like all witch-theorists, Institoris and Sprenger constructed their witch out of a constellation of pre-existing popular beliefs and learned traditions. Therefore, to understand the Malleus, one must also understand the contemporary and subsequent debates over the reality and nature of witches. This book argues that although the Malleus was a highly idiosyncratic text, its arguments were powerfully compelling and therefore remained influential long after alternatives were forgotten. Consequently, although focused on a single text, this study has important implications for fifteenth-century witchcraft theory.

This is a fascinating work on the Malleus Maleficarum and will be essential to students and academics of late medieval and early modern history, religion and witchcraft studies.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Witches, Reference, Psychology, Feminism

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Marko Bojkovský · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baš zanimljivo čitanje. Knjiga prikazuje kompleksan i mukotrpan proces konstrukcije verovanja u veštice u Zapadnoj Evropi kasnog srednjeg veka.
Posebni akcenat se stavlja na "Malj veštica"centralnu knjigu, priručnik za, pre svega, suđenja vešticama objavljenu krajem petnaestog veka.

Mnogo toga zanimljivog se ovde može naći, od recimo samo još jednog istorijskog primera da čisti legalizam sam po sebi ne znači ništa i čak može da služi u korist najokrutnijim, najsvirepijim primercima ljudkse vrste ili da bude ruglo sebe (kao što su na primer nacisti poštovali nemački zakon koji propisuje peć u svakoj zatvorskoj baraci (ali nije pisalo da mora da bude upaljena vatra u pećima) ili da svaki zatvor mora imati bolnicu (koja takođe u konc. logorima nije radila ili je služila za razne eksperimente, ali je bila sagrađena)...

Takođe, pokazuje svu izvitoperenost i besmisao teologija (konkretno hiršćanske) i njihovih stalnih sudara sa realnošću, kao i sa živim (mističnim) iskustvima puka. Kako teizam i određene zbrke na teološkom planu - konkretno ideja Tome Akvinskog da đavola podigne makar privremeno iz htonskog u solarno carstvo i da mu moć da se značajnije i direktnije meša u svet ljudi može vekovima kasnije stvoriti teološku podlogu koja će učene i ljude od moći da gurne u organizovani progon veštica.

Dalje, tu je zamašni deo koji možda i bez konkretne namere autora studije, prikazuje veliki problem hrišćanskog sveta (o kome kao takvom već posle Velikog rata maltene više i ne možemo da pričamo) a to je potiskivanje ženskog principa u mistici, odnosno stupnju "duhovnosti" koji je pre čiste genonovske ili vedantske metafizike koja ne razlikuje polne ili bilo kakve drugačije dualnosti. Konkretno, stranice i stranice posvećenje fenomenima koji su se dešavali evropskim ženama srednjeg veka (vantelesna iskustva, vizije i snovi letenja sa boginjom Dajanom, odlazak na "crne sabate", klanja dece i orgije) i nemogućnost muškog sveštenstva da to ikako razumeju drugačije no kao, u najboljem slučaju, budalaštine i zloupotrebu tih žena (jer su one sklonije tome) od strane đavola. Tek mnogo kasnije, pojavom Frojda, a posebno Junga možemo ove vizije malo bolje čitati.
Ono što su autori "Malja" promenili jeste to što su zapravo u potpunosti stavili akcenat na čoveka, odnosno ženu, koja je glavna odgovorna za sva zlodela. Tako je postepeno stvorena (klimava) teološka osnova za progon žena, koji se u početku zapravo nije primio ponajbolje, ali vremenom, kako je "Malj" dobijao na starosti i autoritetu, a sinteza učenjačkih ubeđenja i narodnih verovanja postajala sve jača... na kraju smo dobili progon kakav nije zapamćen pre ili nakon tih mračnih decenija.

Knjiga u dobroj meri, samo još jednom, razara suludu ideju o konstantnom progonu žena i njihovoj potlačenosti kroz istoriju, posebno kao nešto što je specifično za hrišćansku tradiciju, jer konstantna mizoginija srednjeg veka je pre svega narodna, folklorna, a tek onda sveštenička (iako je izvorno hrišćanstvo emancipatorsko učenje, koje nažalost nije nadvladalo kako mizoginu osnovu starog zaveta, tako i patrijarhalno društvo čitave antičke evrope). najveći greh je u tome što su žene odvojene od mističnog života, svojih spoznaja, svojih istina, svojih traganja, što im je nametnut apsolutni ideal Majke Bogorodice (koja je osakaćena Majka Zemlja, osakaćena baš za svoju mračnu, htonsku polovinu). Potisnuta realnost ženskog bića izbijala je u ranije spominjanim snovima, delom sigurno i u magijskim delovanjima (koji zaista nikad ai nisu nestali u potpunosti, čak ni u današnje doba, čak i među ženama koje su od drevnih predaja i tradicija odvojene generacijama), kojima su teolozi davali sve veći značaj, te teologe čitali su i mali, lokalni sveštenici... i ono što je bila narodna mržnja prema mračnoj strani magije (dok su takođe verovali u korisnost veštica, dobrih duhova, Dijane) je u očima sveštenstva moralo ostati samo zlo, jer oni nisu bili u stanju da prihvate moralnu ambivalentnost,kao ni magijski/duhovn iautoritet koji nije njihov. Sveštenstvo je počelo da sluša narodna verovanja, ali pritomda ih posmatra svojim sektaškim očima, i počelo da uzima ozbiljno svedočanstva o vešticama i čak i da ih shvata ozbiljnije od samog pučanstva i da dalje širi ta verovanja, sada sa mesta vrhunskog autoriteta. Krug se zatvorio. Počelo je nasilje.

Ono što sam ja ponajviše izvukao iz ove fascinantne knjige jeste još jedno podsećanje na moć koji nosi izrečena, a posebno napisana reč, na to da sva velika zlodela dolaze od učenjaka, da oni menjaju svet na dobro, ali i na zlo i to nekada i vekovima nakon svoje smrti, čak i sasvim slučajno. kako oni, tako i u čak većoj meri njihovi sledbenici, oni što dolaze nakon velikih ljudi i nesposobni da im priđu svaku ideju pretvaraju u užasnu parodiju, potpunu suprotnost, na posletku u pakao na zemlji.

[Patricia Woodruff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the minds of Medieval scholars who came up with the Malleus Maleficarum. It actually would be a great book to illustrate the psychological concept of Cognitive Dissonance. You can see where the monks are holding two contradictory concepts and completely twist their logic into convoluted knots to justify their torture and slaughter of (mainly) women. It does a good job of looking at the various schools of Christian theology at the time and their rationale.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating study places the Malleus Maleficarum within the social and theological world of its authors, Heinrich Institoris and Jacob Sprenger. Through extensive comparison of the text of the Malleus with the argued opinions and anecdotes of its authors' contemporaries and intellectual forebears, Broedel reconstructs the theoretical principles, argumentative strategies, and quasi-ethnographic methodology by which Institoris and Sprenger constructed their idiosyncratic, yet ultimately highly influential, definitions of witchcraft and the witch. What made their particular formulation so intellectually satisfying to learned prosecutors and the maleficium-wary public alike, Broedel argues, was their successful synthesis of notions of witchcraft culled from the heterogeneous and contested field of learned discourse, with those grounded in the inquisitors' own first-hand experiences amidst the accusations and suspicions of village-level witch trials, suffused as they were with socially-predicated speculations and the unsystematized lore of folk-life.

[T.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, interesting read on the construction of medieval belief in witchcraft, focusing primarily on everyone's favourite, The Malleus Maleficarum, a book so oddly out of step with today yet so seemingly appropriate for the oddness of the Middle Ages its absolutely compelling.

[Clark Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hans Peter Broedel’s The Malleus Maleficarum and the Construction of Witchcraft is an insightful and meticulously researched exploration of one of the most infamous texts in history. This book not only unpacks the theological and cultural foundations of The Malleus Maleficarum but also places it within the broader context of medieval beliefs and societal fears.

Broedel’s writing strikes a balance between academic rigor and accessibility, making it an excellent read for both scholars and casual readers interested in the history of witchcraft. He delves into the motivations behind the creation of The Malleus, the interplay between religious doctrine and popular belief, and the ways in which the text shaped the persecution of supposed witches.

What stands out most is Broedel’s ability to humanize the subject matter. By shedding light on the societal anxieties and institutional structures of the time, he reveals how fear and power intertwined to create a devastating legacy. This book doesn’t just analyze history—it challenges us to reflect on the enduring impact of collective fear and prejudice.

Recommended For:
Anyone fascinated by the history of witchcraft, theology, or medieval society will find this book both enlightening and thought-provoking.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📜 A compelling deep dive into the intersection of faith, fear, and societal dynamics that shaped one of history’s darkest chapters. Perfect for history buffs and anyone curious about the cultural roots of witchcraft lore. ✨

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rather glad I read this along side the Malleus itself as it provides some very useful insight and context to the Malleus that would've otherwise have been lacking. Broedel provides a narrative on the overall context of the Malleus and it's authors, including how their views overlapped and deviated away from the norms of the time, which in itself is rather insightful and shows a deep seated personal agenda to the formation of the Malleus. Each chapter of this book deals with a different aspect starting with its origins through the formation and defining of what witchcraft was (is?) until the final chapter where the importance of female sexuality comes into play far more than was normal for the time. Broedel shows how Institoris and Sprenger may have claimed to be reflecting the ideals and beliefs of the time but there is definitely something more sinister going on in the background, something that not only drove hundreds of years of discrimination, terror, and death, but also remains clinging on to this day albeit in a slightly (but only slightly) less obvious form.

[Chris Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is very disturbing to read how Institoris and Sprenger were able to influence almost 400 years worth of the Great Witch-Hunt with their book which defined what witchcraft was and how to legally fight it. Talk about misogynists. I have to assume these guys were rejected by a lot of women, and decided to get back at them by saying the entire sex was likely to succumb to being witches.