About the author
David J. Collins, S.J., is a Jesuit priest and historian at Georgetown University whose scholarship focuses on magic, witchcraft, and sainthood in medieval and early modern Europe. He edited The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West (2015), a collection of twenty chapters by specialists tracing the theory and practice of magic from the ancient Near East through the twenty-first century, and wrote Disenchanting Albert the Great: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Magician (Penn State University Press, 2024), a study of the thirteenth-century Dominican friar and teacher of Thomas Aquinas whose writings endorsed the use of magic without drawing the condemnation faced by other medieval figures associated with it. Collins's work treats magic and witchcraft as subjects of historical and religious analysis rather than as practice, situating figures like Albert the Great within the intellectual and institutional history of the medieval Church. His books are written for readers of academic and popular history rather than for practitioners.
📖 Where to start with David J Collins S J
💬 What our editors say about David J Collins S J's books
“This scholarly examination offers a rigorous look at the enigmatic legacy of Albert the Great, effectively tracing how his reputation evolved from early adoration to later attempts at disentanglement from superstition. The author…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Disenchanting Albert the Great: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Magician Collins S J, David J
“This monumental work is an impressive scholarly achievement, offering a robustly interdisciplinary approach that synthesizes diverse academic fields. However, it is explicitly designed for serious researchers and academics rather…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West: From Antiquity to the Present
