{"collection":"Paganism & Neopaganism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/pag/mm/mm01_01a.htm","path":"pag/mm/mm01_01a.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/pag/mm/mm01_01a.htm","text":"Whether the Belief that there are such Beings as Witches is so Essential a Part of the Catholic Faith that Obstinacy to maintain the Opposite Opinion manifestly savours of Heresy.\nWhether the belief that there are such beings as witches is so essential a\npart of the Catholic faith that obstinately to maintain the opposite opinion\nmanifestly savours of heresy. And it is argued that a firm belief in witches\nis not a Catholic doctrine: see chapter 26, question 5, of the work of\nEpiscopus. Whoever believes that any creature can be changed for the better\nor the worse, or transformed into another kind or likeness, except by the\nCreator of all things, is worse than a pagan and a heretic. And so when they\nreport such things are done by witches it is not Catholic, but plainly\nheretical, to maintain this opinion.\nMoreover, no operation of witchcraft has a permanent effect among us. And\nthis is the proof thereof: For if it were so, it would be effected by the\noperation of demons. But to maintain that the devil has power to change\nhuman bodies or to do them permanent harm does not seem in accordance with\nthe teaching of the Church. For in this way they could destroy the whole\nworld, and bring it to utter confusion.\nMoreover, every alteration that takes place in a human body - for example,\na state of health or a state of sickness - can be brought down to a question\nof natural causes, as Aristotle has shown in his 7th book of Physics.\nAnd the greatest of these is the influence of the stars. But the devils\ncannot interfere with the stars. This is the opinion of Dionysius in his\nepistle to S. Polycarp. For this alone God can do. Therefore it is evident\nthe demons cannot actually effect any permanent transformation in human\nbodies; that is to say, no real metamorphosis. And so we must refer the\nappearance of any such change to some dark and occult cause.\nAnd the power of God is stronger than the power of the devil, so divine works\nare more true than demoniac operations. Whence inasmuch as evil is powerful\nin the world, then it must be the work of the devil always conflicting with\nthe work of God. Therefore as it is unlawful to hold that the devil's evil\ncraft can apparently exceed the work of God, so it us unlawful to believe\nthat the noblest works of creation, that is to say, man and beast, can be\nharmed and spoiled by the power of the devil.\nMoreover, that which is under the influence of a material object cannot have\npower over corporeal objects. But devils are subservient to certain\ninfluences of the stars, because magicians observe the course of certain\nstars in order to evoke the devils. Therefore they have not the power of\neffecting any change in a corporeal object, and it follows that witches have\neven less power than the demons possess.\nFor devils have no power at all save by a certain subtle art. But an art\ncannot permanently produce a true form. (And a certain author says: Writers\non Alchemy know that there is no hope of any real transmutation.) Therefore\nthe devils for their part, making use of the utmost of their craft, cannot\nbring about any permanent cure - or permanent disease. But if these states\nexist it is in truth owing to some other cause, which may be unknown, and\nhas nothing to do with the operations of either devils or witches.\nBut according to the Decretals (33) the contrary is the case. \u201cIf by\nwitchcraft or any magic art permitted by the secret but most just will of\nGod, and aided by the power of the devil, etc . . . . \u201d The reference here\nis to any act of witchcraft which may hinder the end of marriage, and for\nthis impediment to take effect three things can concur, that is to say,\nwitchcraft, the devil, and the permission of God. Moreover, the stronger can\ninfluence that which is less strong. But the power of the devil is stronger\nthan any human power (Job xl). There\nis no power upon earth which can be compared to him, who was created so\nthat he fears none.\nAnswer. Here are three heretical errors which must be met, and when\nthey have been disproved the truth will be plain. For certain writers,\npretending to base their opinion upon the words of S. Thomas (iv, 24) when\nhe treats of impediments brought about by magic charms, have tried to\nmaintain that there is not such a thing as magic, that it only exists in the\nimagination of those men who ascribe natural effects, the cause whereof are\nnot known, to witchcraft and spells. There are others who acknowledge indeed\nthat witches exist, but they declare that the influence of magic and the\neffects of charms are purely imaginary and phantasmical. A third class of\nwriters maintain that the effects said to be wrought by magic spells are\naltogether illusory and fanciful, although it may be that the devil does\nreally lend his aid to some witch.\nThe errors held by each one of these persons may thus be set forth and thus\nconfuted. For in the very first place they are shown to be plainly heretical\nby many orthodox writers, and especially by S. Thomas, who lays down that\nsuch an opinion is altogether contrary to the authority of the saints and is\nfounded upon absolute infidelity. Because the authority of the Holy\nScriptures says that devils have power over the bodies and over the minds of\nmen, when God allows them to exercise this power, as is plain from very many\npassages in the Holy Scriptures. Therefore those err who say that there is\nno such thing as witchcraft, but that it is purely imaginary, even although\nthey do not believe that devils exist except in the imagination of the\nignorant and vulgar, and the natural accidents which happen to a man he\nwrongly attributes to some supposed devil. For the imagination of some men\nis so vivid that they think they see actual figures and appearances which\nare but the reflection of their thoughts, and then these are believed to be\nthe apparitions of evil spirits or even the spectres of witches. But this is\ncontrary to the true faith, which teaches us that certain angels fell from\nheaven and are now devils, and we are bound to acknowledge that by their\nvery nature they can do many wonderful things which we cannot do. And those\nwho try to induce others to perform such evil wonders are called witches.\nAnd because infidelity in a person who has been baptized is technically\ncalled heresy, therefore such persons are plainly heretics.\nAs regards those who hold the other two errors, those, that is to say, who\ndo not deny that there are demons and that demons possess a natural power,\nbut who differ among themselves concerning the possible effects of magic and\nthe possible operations of witches: the one school holding that a witch can\ntruly bring about certain effects, yet these effects are not real but\nphantastical, the other school allowing that some real harm does befall the\nperson or persons injured, but that when a witch imagines this damage is the\neffect of her arts she is grossly deceived. This error seems to be based\nupon two passages from the Canons where certain women are condemned who\nfalsely imagine that during the night they ride abroad with\nDiana or Herodias. This may read in the Canon. Yet because such things\noften happen by illusion are merely in the imagination, those who suppose\nthat all the effects of witchcraft are mere illusion and imagination are very\ngreatly deceived. Secondly, with regard to a man who believes or maintains\nthat a creature can be made, or changed for better or for worse, or\ntransformed into some other kind or likeness by anyone save by God, the\nCreator of all things, alone, is an infidel and worse than a heathen.\nWherefore on account of these words \u201cchanged for the worse\u201d they\nsay that such an effect if wrought by witchcraft cannot be real but must be\npurely phantastical.\nBut inasmuch as these errors savour of heresy and contradict the obvious\nmeaning of the Canon, we will first prove our points by the divine law,\nas also by ecclesiastical and civil law, and first in general.\nTo commence, the expressions of the Canon must be treated of in detail\n(although the sense of the Canon will be even more clearly elucidated in the\nfollowing question). For the divine in many places commands that witches\nare not only to be avoided, but also they are to be put to death, and it\nwould not impose the extreme penalty of this kind if witches did not really\nand truly make a compact with devils in order to bring about real and true\nhurts and harms. For the penalty of death is not inflicted except for some\ngrave and notorious crime, but it is otherwise with death of the soul, which\ncan be brought about by the power of a phantastical illusion or even by the\nstress of temptation. This is the opinion of S. Thomas when he discusses\nwhether it be evil to make use of the help of devils (ii. 7). For in the\n18th chapter of\nDeuteronomy it is commanded that all wizards and charmers are to\nbe destroyed. Also the 19th chapter of Leviticus says: The soul which goeth to wizards\nand soothsayers to commit fornication with them, I will set my face against\nthat soul, and destroy it out of the midst of my people. And again, 20: A man, or\nwoman, in whom there is a pythonical or divining spirit dying, let them die:\nthey shall stone them. Those persons are said to be pythons in whom the\ndevil works extraordinary things.\nMoreover, this must be borne in mind, that on account of this sin Ochozias\nfell sick and died, IV. Kings I. Also Saul, I Paralipomenon,\n10. We have, moreover, the weighty opinions of the Fathers who have written\nupon the scriptures and who have treated at length of the power of demons\nand of magic arts. The writings of many doctors upon Book 2 of the Sentences\nmay be consulted, and it will be found that they all agree, that there are\nwizards and sorcerers who by the power of the devil can produce real and\nextraordinary effects, and these effects are not imaginary, and God permits\nthis to be. I will not mention those very many other places where S. Thomas\nin great detail discusses operations of this kind. As, for example, in his\nSumma\ncontra Gentiles, Book 3, c. 1 and 2, in part one, question 114,\nargument 4. And in the Second of the Second, questions\n92 and 94. We\nmay further consult the Commentators and the Exegetes who have written upon\nthe wise men and the magicians of Pharao, Exodus vii. We may also\nconsult what S. Augustine says in\nThe City of God, Book 18, c. 17.\nSee further his second book\nOn Christian Doctrine. Very many other\ndoctors advance the same opinion, and it would be the height of folly for\nany man to contradict all these, and he could not be held to be clear of the\nguilt of heresy. For any man who gravely errs in an exposition of Holy\nScripture is rightly considered to be a heretic. And whosoever thinks\notherwise concerning these matters which touch the faith that the Holy\nRoman Church holds is a heretic. There is the Faith.\nNext: Question II If it be in Accordance with the Catholic Faith to maintain that in Order to bring about some Effect of Magic, the Devil must intimately co-operate with the Witch, or whether one without the other, that is to say, the Devil without the Witch, or conversely, could produce such an Effect.","title":"Malleus Maleficarum Part 1 Question I","type":"page"}