Ostorero, Martine and Machielsen, Jan  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8492-0263
2026.
Promoter of the sabbat and diabolical realism: Nicolas Jacquier's Flagellum hereticorum fascinariorum.
Machielsen, J., ed.
The Science of Demons: Early Modern Authors Facing Witchcraft and the Devil,
London:
Routledge,
pp. 36-49.
(10.4324/9781003476153-4)
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Abstract
During the first half of the fifteenth century, the development of the concept of the witches’ sabbat helped spread belief in the reality of a demonic conspiracy. Both male and female witches were believed to have obtained their maleficent powers through a pact with the devil, after having denied God and the Christian faith. The witch did not, however, operate alone – they were a member of a secret sect which gathered at the devil's direction. Witches constituted a form of anti-Church – frequently called a sabbat or synagogue, reflecting strong anti-Jewish sentiments in the late Middle Ages – with the aim of blaspheming and abusing the Church's sacraments. Together, they sought to destroy Christian society and the Church through the most infamous and reprehensible acts imaginable (infanticide, cannibalism, and unnatural sex). Inevitably, this new discourse on the witches’ sabbat had a lasting impact on judicial practice with deadly consequences. Those accused of participating in the sabbat risked death by burning at the stake.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Global Humanities |
| Publisher: | Routledge |
| ISBN: | 9781003476153 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Sep 2026 13:30 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189355 |
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