Malleus Maleficarum: Part Two (Final)

            In addition to the papal bull, the University of Cologne, or more specifically, four instructors from the theology department of the University, wrote a letter of Approbation approving the use of the Malleus Maleficarum (Lovelace, W, 2006). “… granting them every faculty of judging and proceeding against such even with the power of putting malefactors to death, according to the tenor of the Apostolic bull, which they hold and possess and have exhibited unto us, a document which is whole, entire, untouched, and in no way lacerated or impaired, in fine whose integrity is above any suspicion” (Knowles, G. n.d.). As the preceeding quote shows, the Malleus Maleficarum supposedly had the full support of the theology department of the University and as such, from the Roman Catholic Church as well.

            Now, it must be noted that the letter of approbation was later believed to be a forgery and as such, should have little to no bearing on the scholastic arguments surrounding the text. Unfortunately, the letter of approbation has continued to play an important role in the debate surrounding the Malleus because no one has absolute proof that the letter is, in fact, a forgery. Those that do point out that the letter was a forgery oftento use the fact as proof that the writers were not as upstanding as is commonly believed while others ignore that the letter is a forgery and continue to present the letter as evidence of the acceptance of the Malleus Maleficarum by those in positions of authority. 

            More importantly than the above trifling arguments, however, may be the actual use of the Malleus during the Inquisitions. According to many historians, the Malleus was the most popular book of its time, second only to, or beating out the Bible, in sales at many points during the 1500s (Malleus Maleficarum, 2006). According to this school of thought, the book would almost certainly have been considered the authority on witchcraft during the time period simply because it was so popular throughout Europe.

            Again, however, other scholars argue that thought just isn’t true. While they do not contest the popularity of the book, they do argue that it wasn’t until the 1600s that the Malleus was put to wide use (Gibbson, J, 2006). According to Gibbson (2006), during the 1600s many of those running trials for the accused had never done so before and as such, it was only natural for them to use the texts that were readily available in order for them to complete their tasks. Because the Malleus Maleficarum of Kramer and Sprenger was the most popular of the various texts out there, it was only natural that it would be used as a guideline for running the trials of those so accused. 

            That particular argument only adds fuel to the belief that the Malleus did indeed play a role in the Inquisitions. No one seems to dispute the fact that the Malleus was used at one point or another during the 700 years of the Inquisition. Instead, the argument is when the Malleus was put to use and to what effect.

            As it has been widely agreed that the Malleus was used, we have to wonder if it was because of the Malleus that the Inquisitions continued to go forth as they did during the 1600s. By most accounts the hysteria had already caught and the Malleus was simply a tool to be used to go about trying the accused. At the same time we, nevertheless, have to wonder if the Malleus made things worse.

            According to the Wikipedia entry on the Malleus Maleficarum (2006), the book does, for the most part, agree with the beliefs that were held by a majority of people during the time of the Inquisitions and is eerily reminiscent of earlier works regarding the practice of witchcraft.  What the Malleus did though, was to compound those beliefs by tying them to heresy and inventing ways to torture the accused. Even this is disputed. According to Jenny Gibbson the Malleus is purely the imagination of Heinrich Kramer and does not accurately portray the commonly held beliefs in regards to the practice of witchcraft (2006).

            We may never know exactly what people did believe or why people believed certain things in regards to heresy and witchcraft, but what we do know is that many of the beliefs laid out in the Malleus Maleficarum in regards to witchcraft are still bandied about today. I will not attempt to argue as to whether that is because of the Malleus, however, it should be pointed out that many of these same beliefs have been recorded throughout history. Take for example, the belief that witches take part in infant sacrifice and are fly on broomsticks. These beliefs were laid out in the Malleus and are still commonly held by many today.

They take the unguent which, as we have said, they make at the devil's instruction from the limbs of children, particularly of those whom they have killed before baptism, and anoint with it a chair or a broomstick; whereupon they are immediately carried up into the air, either by day or by night, and either visibly or, if they wish, invisibly; for the devil can conceal a body by the interposition of some other substance, as was shown in the First Part of the treatise where we spoke of the glamours and illusions caused by the devil.

For many, this is enough to solidify their belief that the Malleus was indeed true to the beliefs of the majority in regards to witchcraft. For others, this fact only strengthens their belief that the Malleus created beliefs outside of those commonly held at the time of its writing.

            Another common controversy surrounding the Malleus is the torture itself. It is agreed that the torturing of the accused had been common practice for years before the Malleus was written. Nevertheless, the Malleus does lay out, in detail, how to go about torturing the accused and many of these methods were indeed used from the 1600s to as late as the end of the Inquisitions in the 1800s. Many believe that much of the torture see during the last 200 years of the Inquisitions would not have taken place had the Malleus not been in use by those trying the accused (Lovelace, W, 2006). Others again argue that the Malleus is not to blame, but that the torture and the book itself was merely a product of the times (Gibbson, J, 2006).             

The method of beginning an examination by torture is as follows:   First, the jailers prepare the implements of torture, then they strip the prisoner (if it be a woman, she has already been stripped by other women, upright and of good report). This stripping is lest some means of witchcraft may have been sewed into the clothing--such as often, taught by the Devil, they prepare from the bodies of unbaptized infants, [murdered] that they may forfeit  salvation. And when the implements of torture have been prepared, the judge, both in person and through other good men zealous in the faith, tries to persuade the prisoner to confess the truth freely; but, if he will not confess, he bids attendants make the prisoner fast to the strappado or some other implement of torture. The attendants obey forthwith, yet with feigned agitation. Then, at the prayer of some of those present, the prisoner is loosed again and is taken aside and once more persuaded to confess, being led to believe that he will in that case not be put to death.

Regardless of what one feels about the use of the Malleus and the arguments surrounding the book, most do agree that the book is horrifying and serves as a reminder of just how quickly things can go from bad to worse. Whether the book was a product of the times or a cause of many of the horrors seen, we may never know for certain. We may also never be able to put to rest the controversies surrounding the beliefs and the use of torture laid out in the Malleus. History, like people, has a way of changing over time. Fact becomes rumor and rumor turns to legend. Maybe the Malleus Maleficarum did make things worse; I believe that in some ways it did affect the time, both then and now, regardless of the sanity of the authors and the debates about the contents. For me however, the one thing the Malleus Maleficarum will continue to do is serve as a reminder of just what can happen when religion meet politics and those in authority get swept away in the fervor that ensues.  

References

Malleus Maleficarum . (2006). Retrieved April 17, 2006, from Wikimedia

     Foundation, Inc. Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum

Gibbons, J. (n.d.). The Malleus Maleficarum. Retrieved April 24, 2006, from

     http://www.summerlands.com/crossroads/remembrance/_remembrance/

     malleus_maleficarum.htm

Lovelace, W. (2006). Malleus Maleficarum of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger.

     Retrieved April 17, 2006, from The Malleus Project Web site:

     http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/

Cathars. (2006). Retrieved May 24, 2006, from Wikimedia

     Foundation, Inc. Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathars

Inquisition. (2006). Retrieved May 24, 2006, from Wikimedia

     Foundation, Inc. Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition

Medieval Inquisition (2006). Retrieved May 24, 2006 from Answers.com. Web site: http://www.answers.com/topic/inquisition

Malleus Malleficarum (2006) Retrieved May 24, 2006 from Hanover History Department. Web site: http://history.hanover.edu/texts/mm.html

Summers, M. (1948,2006 ). Malleus Maleficarum of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger online translation. (Part II, Question I, Chapter III) Retrieved April 17, 2006, from The Malleus Project Web site: http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/part_II/mm02a03a.html

Knowles, G. (n.d.). The letter of approbation. In Malleus Maleficarum. Retrieved May 7, 2006, from http://www.controverscial.com/Malleus%20Maleficarium.htm#Approbation