Malleus Maleficarum

The Malleus Maleficarum, or Hammer of the Witches, is a pamphlet on the prosecution of witches, written by a German Catholic clergyman, Heinrich Kramer, in 1487. A short three years after its publication, the Catholic Church condemned the treatise in 1490; although, it was still used by royal courts and contributed to the increasingly brutal prosecution of witchcraft in the 16th century, coming at the end of the Reformation. According to the Malleus Maleficarum, there are three elements to witchcraft: the evil intentions of the witch, help from the Devil, and the permission of God.

The treatise is divided into three sections. The first aimed at clergy and refutes critics who deny the existence of witchcraft. The section examines the concept of witchcraft theoretically by addressing the question of whether witchcraft is real or imaginary. The second lays the foundation by describing forms of witchcraft and remedies for it. Matters of practice, the powers of witches, and their recruitment strategies were discussed. It details how witches cast spells and tells how to help those affected by witchcraft. The third section is the legal part of the pamphlet. It offers a step-by-step guide to the conduct of a trail and the formal charging.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum
http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org

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