Heinrich Kramer

Malleus Maleficarum - The Hammer of Witches (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Malleus Maleficarum, also known as The Hammer of Witches, emerges as a seminal work of the late 15th century, authored by Heinrich Kramer alongside Jacob Sprenger. This treatise is notorious for its detailed incitement against witchcraft, exploring the theological, judicial, and societal ramifications of witch hunts during the European witch craze. Divided into three distinct parts, the work combines instructive narratives, exegeses of scripture, and procedural manuals for conducting witch trials, employing a didactic yet alarming literary style that reflects the fears and superstitions of a turbulent epoch dominated by faith and fear. Heinrich Kramer, a Dominican friar and inquisitor, draws upon his experiences in the ecclesiastical courts, which were rife with growing tensions surrounding heresy and witchcraft. His role in advancing anti-witchcraft theories can be contextualized within the broader movement of the Reformation period, driven by anxieties about moral decay, societal disorder, and the influence of women in a patriarchal society. This background shaped Kramer's views, compelling him to interlace theological doctrine with legal imperatives against perceived witches. Malleus Maleficarum remains a critical text for understanding the complexities of early modern European society and the historical context of witch trials. Scholars of witchcraft, gender studies, and religious history will find the book invaluable, as it dissects the intersection of fear, governance, and superstition, offering a chilling glimpse into the psyche of an era where the very fabric of reality was questioned in the face of the supernatural.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: DigiCat
• Seitenzahl: 402
• Erscheinungstermin: 13. November 2022
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 8596547392378
• Artikelnr.: 66416987

Autorenporträt

Heinrich Kramer (1430 - 1505), also known under the Latinized name Henricus Institor, was a German Dominican friar and a notorious inquisitor. His most infamous contribution to literature is 'Malleus Maleficarum' (The Hammer of Witches), a guidebook for the identification, trial, and extermination of witches, first published in 1487. Kramer wrote the work in collaboration with another inquisitor, Jacob Sprenger, although historical debate questions Sprenger's involvement. The 'Malleus Maleficarum' is considered one of the main texts that fueled the witch-hunt hysteria in Europe during the late 15th and the 16th centuries, leading to the persecution and execution of thousands of accused individuals. Kramer's literary style in the 'Malleus' is punitively pedagogical, with legalistic and theological underpinnings aiming to educate magistrates and ecclesiastical authorities on the 'wretchedness' of witchcraft and the means of combating it. The work is often characterized as misogynistic, reflecting Kramer's belief in female susceptibility to demonic influences. While the 'Malleus Maleficarum' was not officially sanctioned by the Catholic Church, it nevertheless became widely influential and continued to be reprinted well into the 17th century, demonstrating the pervasive and persistent anxieties regarding witchcraft during the early modern period. Kramer's legacy is deeply tied to this treatise, which remains a disturbing yet historically significant lens into the witch trials that spread across Europe.