03-20-2003, 06:31 AM
Hail Pete,
As we are not blessed with the situation of us both being able to read an original (Hebrew) scroll to confirm the details, we are forced to rely on the translations of betters. Now, my sources in past studies on this topic have been split, but I believe only a few actually went to a Hebrew scroll for theirs. I believe one of them was Scot (Discouery of Witchcraft), who presented the translation "You shall not suffer anie poisoners," which is more of a reference to what we would more commonly refer to as `Black Witches'. Sorcerers were also not tolerated (quite rightly), but there is no specific reference to White Witches; I do not recall anything about Kabbalists being put to death for being an abomination in the eyes of God either, but as my knowledge on them is limited I could very well be wrong.
If you have ever read The Hammer, you would be aware of the definitions presented there. A recent translation of the Maleus Malificaum says (Black) Witchcraft "blashphemes the Creator and edevours to the upmost to profane Him and to harm His creatures, for all other simple heresies have made no open compact with the devil, no compact, that is, either tacit or exactly expressed, although their errors and misbelief are directly to be attributed to the Father of errors and lies. Moreover, witchcraft differs from all other harmful and mysterious arts in this point, that of all superstition it is essentially the vilest, the most evil and the worst, wherefore it derives its name from doing evil, and from blashpheming the true faith." In the Inquisition, this definition separated the Black and White Witches, as per Callidus' reprimand of the Church, that "Magia ought not to be called maleficium, nore Magi malefici."
Sure, a document published likely thousands of years after the original text we are speaking of, but these were based on the original. What were the Inquisitors doing? Burning Witches. Why? Joh 15:6: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forthas a branch and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. However, it was the belief at the time that it was witches they should not let live. Scot stated "the common people have been so assotted and bewitched, with whatever poets have feigned of witchcraft, either in earnest, in jest, or else in derision; and with whatsoever tales they have heard from old doting women, or from their mother's maids, and with whatsoever the grandfoole their ghostlie father, or anie other morrow masse preest had informed them; and finally with whatsoever they have swallowed up through tract of time, or through their owne timerous nature or ignorant conceipt, concerning these matters of hagges and witches: as they have so settled their opinion and credit thereupon, that they thinke it heresie to doubt in anie part of the matter; speciallie bicause they find this word witchcraft expressed in the scriptures..."
Of cause, the common people of Latin Christendom would not have been reading much of anything, let alone Hebrew texts, so they would only be going on what they had been fed by others. The witchhunts have often been attributed merely to the depaganisation of Christendom, and truly enough the common people would have had their information - and fear - originating from the local cleric. After all, who else knew more on such matters than the learned cleric, yet again who else had the most to gain of converting all people - and removing those who would not convert - than the clergy? As such, a small twist as not clarifying the difference to the common people would prove quite advantageous for them, and ensure many innocents were killed alongside the `poisoners'. Oliver (Analysis of Magic and Witchcraft) puts the deaths in the thousands, though if you read Boulton (A Compleat History of Magik, Sorcery and Witchraft) you'll find records of Inqusitors who alone could tally up tens of thousands, quite indiscriminantly killed. Then we can throw in the cases of good old Ergot poisoning that caused innocents to be slain in the name of `witchcraft'.
Truly, the Bible said one thing, and the people did another. The Bible did not want people letting Black Witches (Poisoners) to live - not because they were necessarally in any contract with `the devil', and the Church believed, but because they were an affront to all that Judeo-Christianity stood for. White Witches, and unlucky Christians, were the innocent victims caught up in the Medieval/Renaissance anti-witch madness.
Sorry if that's a little long: you happened to hit a topic I am interested in ;)
As we are not blessed with the situation of us both being able to read an original (Hebrew) scroll to confirm the details, we are forced to rely on the translations of betters. Now, my sources in past studies on this topic have been split, but I believe only a few actually went to a Hebrew scroll for theirs. I believe one of them was Scot (Discouery of Witchcraft), who presented the translation "You shall not suffer anie poisoners," which is more of a reference to what we would more commonly refer to as `Black Witches'. Sorcerers were also not tolerated (quite rightly), but there is no specific reference to White Witches; I do not recall anything about Kabbalists being put to death for being an abomination in the eyes of God either, but as my knowledge on them is limited I could very well be wrong.
If you have ever read The Hammer, you would be aware of the definitions presented there. A recent translation of the Maleus Malificaum says (Black) Witchcraft "blashphemes the Creator and edevours to the upmost to profane Him and to harm His creatures, for all other simple heresies have made no open compact with the devil, no compact, that is, either tacit or exactly expressed, although their errors and misbelief are directly to be attributed to the Father of errors and lies. Moreover, witchcraft differs from all other harmful and mysterious arts in this point, that of all superstition it is essentially the vilest, the most evil and the worst, wherefore it derives its name from doing evil, and from blashpheming the true faith." In the Inquisition, this definition separated the Black and White Witches, as per Callidus' reprimand of the Church, that "Magia ought not to be called maleficium, nore Magi malefici."
Sure, a document published likely thousands of years after the original text we are speaking of, but these were based on the original. What were the Inquisitors doing? Burning Witches. Why? Joh 15:6: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forthas a branch and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. However, it was the belief at the time that it was witches they should not let live. Scot stated "the common people have been so assotted and bewitched, with whatever poets have feigned of witchcraft, either in earnest, in jest, or else in derision; and with whatsoever tales they have heard from old doting women, or from their mother's maids, and with whatsoever the grandfoole their ghostlie father, or anie other morrow masse preest had informed them; and finally with whatsoever they have swallowed up through tract of time, or through their owne timerous nature or ignorant conceipt, concerning these matters of hagges and witches: as they have so settled their opinion and credit thereupon, that they thinke it heresie to doubt in anie part of the matter; speciallie bicause they find this word witchcraft expressed in the scriptures..."
Of cause, the common people of Latin Christendom would not have been reading much of anything, let alone Hebrew texts, so they would only be going on what they had been fed by others. The witchhunts have often been attributed merely to the depaganisation of Christendom, and truly enough the common people would have had their information - and fear - originating from the local cleric. After all, who else knew more on such matters than the learned cleric, yet again who else had the most to gain of converting all people - and removing those who would not convert - than the clergy? As such, a small twist as not clarifying the difference to the common people would prove quite advantageous for them, and ensure many innocents were killed alongside the `poisoners'. Oliver (Analysis of Magic and Witchcraft) puts the deaths in the thousands, though if you read Boulton (A Compleat History of Magik, Sorcery and Witchraft) you'll find records of Inqusitors who alone could tally up tens of thousands, quite indiscriminantly killed. Then we can throw in the cases of good old Ergot poisoning that caused innocents to be slain in the name of `witchcraft'.
Truly, the Bible said one thing, and the people did another. The Bible did not want people letting Black Witches (Poisoners) to live - not because they were necessarally in any contract with `the devil', and the Church believed, but because they were an affront to all that Judeo-Christianity stood for. White Witches, and unlucky Christians, were the innocent victims caught up in the Medieval/Renaissance anti-witch madness.
Sorry if that's a little long: you happened to hit a topic I am interested in ;)
May the wind pick up your heels and your sword strike true.