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The Misogyny of WitchcraftMain MenuIntroductionHeinrich Kramer (1430-1505) and Malleus MalleficarumMalleus Maleficarum and MisogynyA noble science?The beginning of the endList of works in the exhibitionFurther readingSue Luftscheinc3da4f338cfb5c3d980919bd84c8fb083c380bd6
Witchcraft and mental illness
12022-09-28T15:14:01-07:00Sue Luftscheinc3da4f338cfb5c3d980919bd84c8fb083c380bd6414017plain12182272025-01-09T12:37:33-08:00Sue Luftscheinc3da4f338cfb5c3d980919bd84c8fb083c380bd6Both Agrippa and Paracelsus established theories, adopted by their followers and students, that identified witchcraft as evidence of disease rather than of demonic possession. One of Agrippa’s students, Johann Weyer, would become the most outspoken advocate for the new theory of witchcraft as a manifestation of mental illness. While most medieval Christians viewed mental illness as a struggle between God and the Devil for possession of one’s soul, and often as a threat to the social order [see the work of Joseph Glanvill, also in this exhibit], Weyer developed complex theories about mental illness that would eventually make him a target of theorists like Jean Bodin.