The Hammer of Witches

...he was often struck. And they call them "maleficial" maleficial From the Latin "maleficium," referring specifically to harmful magic intended to cause injury or death effects when a demon operates through witches and through mages. They are like natural effects, which arise from the influences of celestial bodies the medieval belief that the stars and planets influenced physical health and the environment upon these lower things, such as mortality, sterility, the fertility of lands, hailstorms, and similar causes. And between these effects there is a great difference. Therefore, since Job was struck by a demon with a natural plague and not a maleficial one, it is not relevant to this argument.

If anyone were to search into these matters more curiously—as this material often suffers from curious instances raised by the defenders of witches, who are always beating the air at the outer husk of words and never penetrating to the marrow of the truth—he might ask: Why was Job not struck by a demon through a maleficial effect, as he was by a natural one? To these curious questions, it can be answered that Job was struck by the devil alone, and not through the mediation of a male or female witch. This is because this kind of superstition was either not yet discovered, or if it had been, divine providence willed that the power of the demon should become known to the world—so that his snares might be guarded against for the glory of God—since he can achieve nothing unless permitted by God.

Indeed, regarding the time when the first kind of superstition was discovered—and I mean the first kind regarding the invocation of demons, not regarding pure idolatry—Vincent Vincent of Beauvais, a 13th-century Dominican friar and encyclopedist says in the Mirror of History original: "Speculum Historiale", citing many doctors, that the first inventor of the magic and mathematical arts was Zoroaster original: "Zoastres", who is said to have been Ham original: "Cham", the son of Noah. According to Augustine in The City of God, he alone laughed upon being born, and this was only by the help of the devil. He, when he was a king, was eventually conquered by Ninus a mythical king of Assyria, the son of Belus, who built Nineveh; or rather, under whom the kingdom of the Assyrians began in the time of Abraham. Note also that Ninus, because of an inordinate love for his father, had an image of his dead father made, to which anyone who fled was free from all due punishment for their crimes. From this, men began to worship images as gods. But this was after the "first age" of the world, because during that time there was no idolatry due to the fresh memory of the world's creation, as Saint Thomas says in the Summa Theologica original: "secunda

secunde", Question 94, Article 4.

Or perhaps idolatry began with Nimrod original: "nebroth", who forced men to worship fire. And so, in the second age, idolatry began, which is the first kind of superstition; divination is the second kind, and observance the superstitious practice of observing omens or rituals is the third. The rites of witches, however, are reduced to the second kind of superstition—namely, to divination—which is done through the express invocation of demons. Of this, there are also three types: necromancy, the use of planets (or rather, "mathematicians" in this context, "mathematici" refers to astrologers who predicted fate via the stars), and divination through dreams.

I have set these things down so that the pious reader may understand that those new arts were not discovered suddenly but through the passage of time, and that it is not absurd to assert that there were no witches in the time of Job. For just as the "science of the saints" grew through the increments of time, as Gregory says in his Moralia, so too did the harmful arts of the demons. And just as the "earth is now filled with the knowledge of the Lord" (Isaiah 11), so too now, as the evening of the world declines toward its setting and the malice of men grows and charity grows cold, every iniquity of witches superabounds.

Yet Zoroaster himself, while he was intent on those acts and solely on the consideration of the stars, was set on fire by the devil. It was touched upon above regarding the time when witches are read to have come together with demons to inflict harms. This is found in Exodus 7 regarding the magicians of Pharaoh who, with the assistance of demons—just as Moses performed many signs through the ministry of good angels—wrought many wonders during the plagues of Egypt. From this, the Catholic truth is concluded: namely, that for a maleficial effect to occur (though not for a natural effect), a witch must cooperate with a demon.

The response to the arguments is thus twofold. For regarding the first: it is not denied that natural effects which are visibly seen upon men, cattle, and the fruits of the earth, and which often proceed from the influences of celestial bodies, are also brought about by demons with God's permission. For Augustine says in the third book of The Trinity original: "iij. de ci.", likely a scribal error for "De Trinitate" that fire and air are subject to demons insofar as it is permitted to them by God. This is also clear from the gloss on that passage, "Inflictions through evil angels," which says: "God punishes through evil angels." From these things, the response to the second argument regarding Job is also clear.