Ecclesiastical Tribunals and “Superstition” in Early Modern Europe (Fifteenth–Nineteenth Centuries)

Dear Colleagues,

The editors of this volume seek to invite contributions about the ways in which Christian churches (both Protestant and Catholic) in Europe dealt with what theologians defined as “superstition”.

This is a term that cannot be included sic et simpliciter in our historiographical lexicon as it expresses a (necessarily relative) judgment of value: for Calvinists, for example, the adoration of the holy host is “superstition”, if not outright “idolatry”, while for Catholics it is a perfectly orthodox devotional practice. By "superstition", therefore, we mean the forms of religiosity judged to be out of line with the standards imposed on clergy and laity in the age of "confessionalization"—an age also defined as the Counter-Reformation when referring to the Catholic world. Regarded until recently as a symptom of a superficial Christianization (Delumeau) of the masses, or even of paganism, "superstitions" are nothing more than what historians and anthropologists have called, for lack of a better definition, "popular culture" (Burke) or " popular traditions ".

The first objective of the volume will be to focus on the differences in the approach to “superstition” by the authorities in charge of controlling the religious behaviors and beliefs of the Europeans. Editors will welcome contributions discussing the prosecution of "superstitions" for either doctrinal or legal reasons by all types of courts. This includes the Inquisition (Roman, Spanish and Portuguese), which has been overrepresented in recent scholarship, as well as the tribunals deriving their power from an "ordinary" authority (as defined by Catholics), such as those of the bishoprics, and other tribunals still, such as the secular courts tasked with this charge in the Protestant countries, often in in collaboration with the universities’ faculties of theology.

The second focus specifically concerns what the judicial sources document, often beyond their scope: trial records in fact reveal stories and descriptions of devotions, rituals, charms, spells, and exorcisms which are precious testimonies for scholars of popular traditions. Some of those customs were recorded eventually, with small differences, in the reports of nineteenth- and twentieth century folklorists who gathered them for purposes that differed totally from those of ecclesiastical judges (Ginzburg, "The inquisitor as anthropologist").

This is precisely the third focus of the volume: investigating the changes that turned the "fight against superstitions" of the early modern period into the "recovery of popular traditions" which began throughout Europe in the late eighteenth century. Even such recovery, however, did not exclude forms of repression of popular culture, albeit in the name of modernity and reason, as evidenced, for example, by the surveys of the Napoleonic administrations in the early nineteenth century.

Bibliography

Bailey, Michael. 2007. Magic and Superstition in Europe. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
Burke, Peter. 1978. Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe. New York: Harper & Row.
Cameron, Euan. 2010. Enchanted Europe: Superstition, Reason, and Religion, 1250-1750. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Delumeau, Jean. 1977. Catholicism between Luther and Voltaire: A New View of the Counter-Reformation. London- Philadelphia: Westminster Press.
Ginzburg, Carlo. 1989. “The Inquisitor as Anthropologist”. In Id., Clues, Myths, and the Historical Method. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Ginzburg, Carlo. 1983. The Night Battles: Witchcraft & Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth & Seventeenth Centuries. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Goodare, Julian, and Martha McGill, eds. 2020. The Supernatural in Early Modern Scotland. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Ostling, Michael, ed. 2018. Fairies, Demons, and Nature Spirits. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Stokes, Laura. 2011. Demons of Urban Reform: Early European Witch Trials and Criminal Justice, 1430-1530. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Tausiet, María. 2014. Urban Magic in Early Modern Spain. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Thomas, Keith. 1971. Religion and the Decline of Magic. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

Dr. Guido Dall'Olio
Dr. Matteo Duni
Guest Editors

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• religion
• superstition
• popular culture
• witchcraft
• magic
• folklore
• Catholic Church
• Protestant Churches
• inquisition
• tribunals
• ecclesiastical

Title: Unveiling Superstition in Vieste: Popular Culture and Ecclesiastical Tribunal in 18th Century Naples

Abstract: This paper aims to explore the shift from episcopal to state authority and the diminishing focus on magical phenomena in two trials of 1713 within the Diocese of Vieste, Kingdom of Naples. Analyzing cases involving magic, superstition, exorcism, and witchcraft, the objective is to understand ecclesiastical dynamics and societal beliefs during this transformative period. Rita di Ruggero's trial reveals complex interactions between state and ecclesiastical authorities, offering insight into the evolving ecclesiastical-state relationship. Another 1713 trial involving Angela Carella explores accusations of bewitchment, contributing to our understanding of enduring witchcraft paradigms. The study aims to illuminate dynamics between the church, magical practices, and the territorial context, providing insights into this less-explored period in inquisition history. It also highlights complexities in episcopal court proceedings in the Kingdom of Naples, where jurisdictional concerns often overshadowed efforts to combat superstition. Aligned with Ernesto de Martino's observations, the study underscores nuanced interplays between local beliefs, jurisdictional disputes, and the broader socio-political context within these ecclesiastical courts. Keywords: ecclesiastical tribunals; superstition; magic; kingdom of Naples

Title: Johannes Trithemius and Witches: Between Religion and Superstition

Abstract: The contribution reconstructs the reflection on witches by Johannes Trithemius, a learned German Benedictine theologian who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries and committed himself to spreading the doctrine of Malleus maleficarum (1486). Aware of the powerful and capillary spread of witchcraft, Trithemius promoted the need to eliminate evil women in order to avoid apocalyptic outcomes. The theologian presented the witchcraft issue in an original way, focusing more on the means available to common men to limit the expansion of devil-women and to remove the maleficia they perpetrated. The method adopted consists of analysing the theologian’s works written with anti-witchcraft intentions, namely the Antipalus maleficiorum (1505-1508), the Liber octo quaestionum (1515) and what can be known of the De daemonibus (1507-1514). A reading of these texts shows that Trithemius embedded the concern for witches in broader issues such as the gender question, the relationship between witches and children (e.g. sacrifices, proselytes, victims as heirs) and developments in exorcistic practices. In particular, from the theologian’s dissertation on maleficent women, significant elements can be deduced concerning the blurred boundary separating superstitious practices and religion and the difficulties in establishing criteria for discerning between the two.

Title: Before the Fire Burns: Trials for Superstition and Magic in Sixteenth-Century Bologna

Abstract: In 1559 the ecclesiastical tribunals of Bologna (that is, the Inquisition and the bishop’s court) asked the Roman Congregation of the Holy Office to approve the death sentence of four witches, even though these were first- time offenders. The Roman authorities agreed to the request, and the four witches were burned at the stake. This might appear as an isolated incident; the Roman Congregation wrote that its decision went beyond the letter of the law and that it had to be considered an exception. Indeed, no major witch-hunts ever took place in Bologna either before or after these trials. However, if we delve into the trial records of the Bolognese ecclesiastical courts, we find that the proceedings against magic and “superstition” (especially love magic, often performed by prostitutes) were very frequent. I argue that the “lower magic” found in those trials was the ground upon which the accusations of witchcraft grew, even though the sabbath was never mentioned. That the trials for superstition played such role appears clearly in a series of records from the years 1555-1557 (which are the core of this article), that is, shortly before the 1559 condemnations. In fact, we could say that “superstition” and love magic always risked triggering witchcraft accusations; if this never happened after 1559, it was because – with some exceptions –Church authorities, both central and local, followed a different policy.