The First Question in Order

Whether asserting that witches maleficos; individuals who perform harmful magic through a pact with the devil exist is so Catholic that to stubbornly defend the opposite is altogether heretical.

And it is argued that it is not Catholic to assert anything about them, according to the Decretals Referring to the Decretum Gratiani, the standard collection of Canon Law; specifically Case 26, Question 5, Chapter "Episcopi.": "Whoever believes that any creature can be made, or changed for the better or worse, or transformed into another species or likeness by anyone other than the Creator of all: is worse than a pagan and an infidel." Since such things are reported to be done by witches, therefore asserting such things is not Catholic, but heretical.

Furthermore, no harmful magical effect exists in the world. This is proven: because if it existed, it would be by the operation of demons. But asserting that demons can either hinder or cause bodily transformations does not seem Catholic, because if they could, they would be able to destroy the whole world.

Furthermore, every bodily alteration—for instance, regarding the procurement of sickness or health—is reduced to local motion. This is clear from the seventh book of [Aristotle’s] Physics, where the first motion is the movement of the heavens. But demons cannot vary the movement of the heavens. Dionysius Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, an influential mystical theologian says in his letter to Polycarp that this belongs to God alone. Therefore, it seems they can cause no transformation—at least no true one—in bodies, and it is necessary to attribute such transformations to some hidden cause.

Furthermore, just as the work of God is stronger than the work of the devil, so is His craftsmanship factura; the things God has created. But harmful magic, if it existed in the world, would certainly be the work of the devil against the craftsmanship of God. Therefore, just as it is unlawful to assert that the superstitious craftsmanship of the devil exceeds the work of God, it is unlawful to believe that God's creatures and works in humans and beasts can be corrupted by the works of the devil.

Furthermore, that which is subject to bodily power does not have the power of impressing itself upon bodies. But demons are subject to the power of the stars, as is clear from the fact that certain enchanters observe specific constellations to invoke demons. Therefore, they do not have the power of impressing anything on bodies, and thus even less so do witches. Likewise:

Demons do not work except through art original: "per artem"; in this context, "art" refers to the manipulation of natural forces or artifice, rather than the intrinsic power of nature. But art cannot give a true form. A certain author in the chapter on minerals says, "Let the authors of alchemy know that species cannot be transmuted." Therefore, demons working through art cannot induce true qualities of health or sickness. If these qualities are real, they must have some other hidden cause without the help of demons and witches.

But on the contrary, in the Decretals (Case 28, Question 1): "If by sorcerous and harmful magical arts original: "fortiarias atque maleficas artes", by the hidden just judgment of God permitting it and the devil preparing it, etc." It speaks of harmful magical impediments regarding marital acts, stating that three things concur: harmful magic, the devil, and God's permission.

Furthermore, the stronger can act upon that which is less strong. But the power of demons is stronger than bodily power. Job 40 says: "There is no power on earth that can be compared to him who was created so that he should fear no one."

Response: Here, three heretical errors must be attacked, after which the truth will be clear. For some, following the teaching of Saint Thomas [Aquinas] in his Commentary on the Sentences (Book IV, Distinction 34), where he treats harmful magical impediment, have tried to assert that harmful magic is nothing in the world except in the opinion of men, who attribute natural effects (whose causes are hidden) to witches.

Others grant that witches exist, but assert that they concur in those magical effects only imaginarily and fantastically imaginarie et fantastice; existing only as an illusion in the mind.

The third group says that the effects of harmful magic are altogether fantastic and imaginary, even though the demon really concurs with the witch.

The errors of these groups are thus declared and refuted. For the first group is noted for heresy by the doctors in the fourth book mentioned above, especially by Saint Thomas in article 4, where he says that such an opinion is altogether against the authorities of the saints and proceeds from the root of infidelity infidelitatis; a lack of faith or a denial of spiritual truths. Because where the authority of Holy Scripture says that demons have power over bodily things and over the imagination of men when they are permitted by God—as is noted from many passages of Holy Scripture—therefore those who say harmful magic is nothing in the world but in the estimation of men, do not...