The 'Malleus Maleficarum' and the Construction of Witchcraft: Theology and Popular Belief - Ingram Academic Broedel, Hans
Stock reported in the catalog; fulfillment is confirmed with your request.
Broedel dissects the Malleus Maleficarum, revealing how theology and rumor forged the modern witch.
This pioneering English study dismantles the Malleus Maleficarum from its mythic pedestal, arguing it was never representative of late medieval scholarship. Instead, author Hans Ingram Broedel demonstrates how the text synthesized existing popular superstitions with specific theological anxieties to construct a potent, enduring narrative. By analyzing the intellectual framework of its authors, Institoris and Sprenger, this work clarifies why this idiosyncratic manuscript survived while contemporary alternatives faded. It serves as a vital key for decoding the conceptual architecture behind the witch trials, offering scholars a nuanced understanding of how fear was systematized into law.
This scholarly work sits within the historiography of early modern Europe, specifically addressing the intellectual and theological underpinnings of the witch trials. It challenges established narratives by examining how specific texts synthesized popular superstition with ecclesiastical anxiety to shape legal frameworks.
📝 Description: The 'Malleus Maleficarum' and the Construction of Witchcraft: Theology and Popular Belief - Ingram Academic Broedel, Hans
💎 Expert review
📖 Why choose it
Why this book is worth reading
Scholars, historians, and serious students of religious history will find immense value in this rigorous deconstruction of the Malleus Maleficarum. Broedel offers a crucial corrective to the myth that the text represented mainstream medieval scholarship, instead revealing it as an idiosyncratic synthesis of rumor and theological fear. Readers seeking to understand how abstract anxieties were systematized into concrete law will appreciate this nuanced decoding of the witch trials' conceptual architecture. It is essential for anyone wishing to move beyond surface-level narratives and grasp the specific intellectual mechanisms that allowed one manuscript to endure while others faded, providing a vital key to understanding the construction of the modern witch.
⭐ Reader reviews
Reader rating
Broedel delivers a pivotal academic intervention, effectively dismantling the mythic pedestal of the Malleus Maleficarum. By analyzing Institoris and Sprenger's framework, he clarifies how fear was codified into law through specific theological anxieties rather than universal medieval consensus. However, this dense intellectual history is not for casual readers or those seeking sensationalist tales of supernatural horror. It requires patience and an interest in historiography. Those looking for accessible popular history or narrative-driven accounts of individual trials will likely find the focus on conceptual architecture and manuscript survival too dry and specialized for their tastes.
❓ Frequently asked questions
📖 Who should read this
Academics and history enthusiasts seeking to understand the intellectual mechanics behind the witch hunts, rather than those looking for sensationalist accounts or practical magical advice.
🎯 Key themes and symbolism
Theological construction of evil
Popular belief vs. learned doctrine
Historical legacy of persecution
💬 Quotes from the book
“To understand the Malleus, one must also understand the contemporary and subsequent debates over the reality and nature of witches.”
“Its arguments were powerfully compelling and therefore remained influential long after alternatives were forgotten.”
📜 Historical context
📚 Glossary
- Malleus Maleficarum
- Institoris and Sprenger
- Conceptual Word
📔 Questions to reflect on
- How does the construction of a 'monster' in historical texts reflect the specific fears of its time?
- In what ways do modern myths function similarly to the 'conceptual word' of the witch?
- Consider how a single text can override broader scholarly consensus through sheer rhetorical force.
🏛 Books from this publisher Manchester University Press
All books from this publisher →
88
90
82
You might also like
See more →
90
88
87
82
80
