Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Book for 2001
The highly-acclaimed first edition of this book chronicled the rise and fall of witchcraft in Europe between the twelfth and the end of the seventeenth centuries. Now greatly expanded, the classic anthology of contemporary texts reexamines the phenomenon of witchcraft, taking into account the remarkable scholarship since the book's publication almost thirty years ago.
Spanning the period from 400 to 1700, the second edition of Witchcraft in Europe assembles nearly twice as many primary documents as the first, many newly translated, along with new illustrations that trace the development of witch-beliefs from late Mediterranean antiquity through the Enlightenment. Trial records, inquisitors' reports, eyewitness statements, and witches' confessions, along with striking contemporary illustrations depicting the career of the Devil and his works, testify to the hundreds of years of terror that enslaved an entire continent.
Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Thomas Hobbes, and other thinkers are quoted at length in order to determine the intellectual, perceptual, and legal processes by which "folklore" was transformed into systematic demonology and persecution. Together with explanatory notes, introductory essays—which have been revised to reflect current research—and a new bibliography, the documents gathered in Witchcraft in Europe vividly illumine the dark side of the European mind.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Revisions have made this anthology stronger and even more essential."—Choice
Praise for the first edition:
"Comprehensive, original, scholarly, philosophically searching and meticulously prepared. . . .The volume, copiously illustrated, reveals the shocking impact of the belief in witches on Europe's Middle Ages, and examines the struggles of thinkers . . . to confront the phenomenon on rational terms. This is a major work in the genre."—Publishers Weekly
"Anyone prepared to come to grips with man's most bloody assault on his domestic enemy should read with care this learned, handsome—and sickening book."—John F. Benton
"An indispensable source book."—Choice
About the Author
Alan Charles Kors is Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Atheism in France, 1650-1729 and (with Harvey A. Silvergate) The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America's Campuses. Edward Peters is Henry Charles Lea Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. Among his books are The First Crusade, both also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More source documents than you can shake a stick at!,
By "ethelberga" (Kent, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History (Middle Ages Series) (Paperback)
I thought nothing could surpass my previous favorite reference book -- the first edition of Kors and Peters' tremendous work. It should be no surprise, then, that it is this, the second edition, that now occupies the seat of honor in my collection. This collection of source documents is, in my opinion, the best available for the study of European witchcraft persecutions. The documents included are specifically edited to highlight relevant sections. I find this extremely valuable; I'm not always up to searching through the writings of Acquinas to find a particular passage. This expanded, second edition provides even more of what I've grown to rely upon: a coherent collection of source documents tracing the development of witchcraft in medieval psychology, through the "witchcraze" in early modern Europe, and concluding with the skepticism developing in the 17th Century. If I'm ever stranded on a desert island, I hope I remembered to bring this book with me.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection,
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This review is from: Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History (Middle Ages Series) (Paperback)
This book is a collection of source documents, arranged in roughly chronological order, relating to the development of the medieval views on witchcraft and the witch craze. It ends with later, more skeptical voices such as Reginald Scot.The book begins with excerpts from the works of St. Augustine, eventually works its way through the writings of Thomas Aquinas, the Malleus Malifacarum, witch trial testimony, and even dissenting opinions in verdicts. It shows clearly the development of the image of witch from misguided pagan through diabolical child-killer and the eventual triumph of skepticism in the wake of dangerously self-fulfilling witch hunts.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!,
By Gordon Redthorn (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History (Middle Ages Series) (Paperback)
this book is a compendium of the words of the people who were involved in the witch trials. In it we find the Accusers, the Accused and those who fought against it. All sources are cited, and additional reading on each subject is suggested.This book was the first where I read about what it was that caused so many clergy to be so rabid in their pursuit, procecution and execution of so many men and women. I highly recomend it to anyone who is serious about Medieval thought.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
THE GREEK, LATIN, AND HEBREW ideas and terms designating various kinds of what may generally be called magic, whether practiced by men or women, reach back into a distant past and were all transformed by the Christianization of the Roman world and the later experience of early Europe. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
diabolical sorcery, diabolical sorcerers, appointed fast days, seduced person, manifest heresy, diabolical witchcraft, witchcraft theory, heretical depravity, impenitent heretic, witch persecutions, witchcraft persecutions, witch beliefs, witchcraft beliefs, praestigiis daemonum, convicted witches, witchcraft prosecutions, other witches Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Canon Episcopi, Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas, Master Jehan, University of Pennsylvania, Julian Cox, Suzanne Gaudry, Council of Basel, Jehan de la Case, Jesus Christ, Pope Alexander, Isidore of Seville, Martin Luther, Claude Tholosan, Martin Le Franc, Pope John, Caesarius of Arles, Early Modern Europe, Holy Ghost, Holy Office, Reginald Scot, Burchard of Worms, Jacopo Passavanti, Johann Weyer New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
THE GREEK, LATIN, AND HEBREW ideas and terms designating various kinds of what may generally be called magic, whether practiced by men or women, reach back into a distant past and were all transformed by the Christianization of the Roman world and the later experience of early Europe. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
diabolical sorcery, diabolical sorcerers, appointed fast days, seduced person, manifest heresy, diabolical witchcraft, witchcraft theory, heretical depravity, impenitent heretic, witch persecutions, witchcraft persecutions, witch beliefs, witchcraft beliefs, praestigiis daemonum, convicted witches, witchcraft prosecutions, other witches Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Canon Episcopi, Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas, Master Jehan, University of Pennsylvania, Julian Cox, Suzanne Gaudry, Council of Basel, Jehan de la Case, Jesus Christ, Pope Alexander, Isidore of Seville, Martin Luther, Claude Tholosan, Martin Le Franc, Pope John, Caesarius of Arles, Early Modern Europe, Holy Ghost, Holy Office, Reginald Scot, Burchard of Worms, Jacopo Passavanti, Johann Weyer New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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1
book
cites this book:
- Damned Art: Essays in the Literature of Witchcraft by Sydney Anglo on 8 pages
- Medieval Handbooks of Penance by John McNeill on 4 pages
- The Discoverie of Witchcraft (Dover Occult) by Reginald Scot on 4 pages
- The Devil, Heresy and Witchcraft in the Middle Ages: Essays in Honor of Jeffrey B. Russell (Cultures, Beliefs and Traditions. Medieval and Early Modern) by Alberto Ferreiro on 4 pages
- The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints, Vol. 1 by Jacobus de Voragine on page 81, page 82, and Back Matter
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