Europe’s Inner Demons
The Demonization of Christians in Medieval Christendom
9780226113074
Europe’s Inner Demons
The Demonization of Christians in Medieval Christendom
Europe’s Inner Demons is a fascinating history of the irrational need to imagine witches and an investigation of how those fantasies made the persecutions of the middle ages possible. In addition, Norman Cohn’s discovery that some influential sources on European witch trials were forgeries has revolutionized the field of witchcraft, making this one of the most essential books ever written on the subject.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Prelude in Antiquity
2. Changing views of the Devil and his power
3. The demonization of medieval heretics (1)
4. The demonization of medieval heretics (2)
5. The crushing of the Knights Templars
6. The reality of ritual magic
7. Demon-worshipping magicians that never were
8. The society of witches that never was
9. The night-witch in popular imagination
10. How the great witch-hunt did not start
11. How the great witch-hunt really started (1)
12. How the great witch-hunt really started (2)
Note on the Illustrations
Bibliographical Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
1. Prelude in Antiquity
2. Changing views of the Devil and his power
3. The demonization of medieval heretics (1)
4. The demonization of medieval heretics (2)
5. The crushing of the Knights Templars
6. The reality of ritual magic
7. Demon-worshipping magicians that never were
8. The society of witches that never was
9. The night-witch in popular imagination
10. How the great witch-hunt did not start
11. How the great witch-hunt really started (1)
12. How the great witch-hunt really started (2)
Note on the Illustrations
Bibliographical Notes
Index