Malleus maleficarum in tres divisus partes

[65], 505, [7]pp., woodcut printers device to title, inhabited woodcut initials, paper flaw to ff E., early parchment with yapped edges, manuscript title on spine and lower edge of text block, 8vo, Venetiis, Antonium Bertanum, 1574

THE MOST INFAMOUS TREATISE ON WITCHCRAFT. 

“Malleus Maleficarum“, the comprehensive disquisition called “Hammer of the witches” is regarded as one of the most salient and authoritative works on witchcraft “it crystallized into a fiercely stringent code previous folklore about black magic with church dogma on heresy, and if any work could have opened the floodgates of the inquisitorial hysteria” this is the most infamous. The Malleus Maleficarum came at a peak point in European witchcraft accusations and executions. It was a foundation for treating witchcraft not as a superstition, but as a dangerous and heretical practice of associating with the Devil — and therefore, a great danger to society and to the church.

The oldest edition is probably the one published in Lyon by Giunta in 1484 and no less than 14 editions were published between 1487 and 1520 and at least 16 editions between 1574 and 1669. The text is made up of three parts, the first is about how to identify witches and where they might dwell; the second is how to identify and rectify acts of witchcraft; the third part is how to trial and sentence a witch. The influence of this work throughout time is indisputable and is corroborated by the countless quotes of its methods and examples in many other works. The text is often blamed for the worst aspects of the hunts.

The problem of the authorship remains an interesting issue as the current literature is not conclusive and most of the bibliographies refer to Jacob Sprenger (1435-1495) as the main author (Adams, Caillet, Machiels, Wellcome). Nevertheless, recent research indicates that Institoris or Heinrich Kramer (1430-1507) not only wrote this work alone but also used Sprenger’s name to promote it. In spite of the fact both were important theologians, their relationship was characterised by animosity and acrimony and the more powerful Sprenger used every opportunity to thwart Kramer. It is more than likely that beyond lending the work the prestige, Sprenger’s contribution was minimal (Broedel).

Likely written only by Kramer, it is based on his experiences at failed trials in Innsbruck. Helena Scheuberin was an Austrian woman who stood trial accused of witchcraft in 1485. She appears to have disagreed with the doctrine that was being espoused by Dominican inquisitors like Heinrich Kramer. She avoided his sermons and spoke out against him. Despite being quashed by the local bishop, Kramer used some of his experiences to write the Malleus Maleficarum as an attempt to justify this significant loss of reputation.

Although it was not popular where it was originally published, Malleus Maleficarum began to travel. As the work gets more removed from the context it begins to get taken more seriously.

This is partly due to another work it was often bound with, including in this copy. The famous bull of Innocent VIII “Summis desiderantes affectibus” (1484) authorised a formal inquisition against all witches in German church provinces. The two texts are separate but they travelled together and thus eventually became linked. After time passed it became thought that the Pope commissioned the Malleus Maleficarum. The ‘Summis’ gave eminence to everything Kramer had written. The veneer of time lent the Malleus Maleficarum a form of respectability that it never had when it was first published. The result was the witch trials were expedited.