Whether the Belief
that there are such Beings as Witches is so Essential a
Part of the Catholic Faith that Obstinacy to maintain
the Opposite Opinion manifestly savours of Heresy.
Whether the belief that there are such beings as witches
is so essential a part of the Catholic faith that
obstinately to maintain the opposite opinion manifestly
savours of heresy. And it is argued that a firm belief
in witches is not a Catholic doctrine: see chapter 26,
question 5, of the work of Episcopus. Whoever believes
that any creature can be changed for the better or the
worse, or transformed into another kind or likeness,
except by the Creator of all things, is worse than a
pagan and a heretic. And so when they report such things
are done by witches it is not Catholic, but plainly
heretical, to maintain this opinion.
Moreover, no
operation of witchcraft has a permanent effect among us.
And this is the proof thereof: For if it were so, it
would be effected by the operation of demons. But to
maintain that the devil has power to change human bodies
or to do them permanent harm does not seem in accordance
with the teaching of the Church. For in this way they
could destroy the whole world, and bring it to utter
confusion.
Moreover,
every alteration that takes place in a human body - for
example, a state of health or a state of sickness - can
be brought down to a question of natural causes, as
Aristotle has shown in his 7th book of Physics.
And the greatest of these is the influence of the stars.
But the devils cannot interfere with the stars. This is
the opinion of Dionysius in his epistle to S. Polycarp.
For this alone God can do. Therefore it is evident the
demons cannot actually effect any permanent
transformation in human bodies; that is to say, no real
metamorphosis. And so we must refer the appearance of
any such change to some dark and occult cause.
And the power
of God is stronger than the power of the devil, so
divine works are more true than demoniac operations.
Whence inasmuch as evil is powerful in the world, then
it must be the work of the devil always conflicting with
the work of God. Therefore as it is unlawful to hold
that the devil's evil craft can apparently exceed the
work of God, so it us unlawful to believe that the
noblest works of creation, that is to say, man and
beast, can be harmed and spoiled by the power of the
devil.
Moreover,
that which is under the influence of a material object
cannot have power over corporeal objects. But devils are
subservient to certain influences of the stars, because
magicians observe the course of certain stars in order
to evoke the devils. Therefore they have not the power
of effecting any change in a corporeal object, and it
follows that witches have even less power than the
demons possess.
For devils
have no power at all save by a certain subtle art. But
an art cannot permanently produce a true form. (And a
certain author says: Writers on Alchemy know that there
is no hope of any real transmutation.) Therefore the
devils for their part, making use of the utmost of their
craft, cannot bring about any permanent cure - or
permanent disease. But if these states exist it is in
truth owing to some other cause, which may be unknown,
and has nothing to do with the operations of either
devils or witches.
But according
to the Decretals (33) the contrary is the case. “If by
witchcraft or any magic art permitted by the secret but
most just will of God, and aided by the power of the
devil, etc . . . . ” The reference here is to any act
of witchcraft which may hinder the end of marriage, and
for this impediment to take effect three things can
concur, that is to say, witchcraft, the devil, and the
permission of God. Moreover, the stronger can influence
that which is less strong. But the power of the devil is
stronger than any human power (Job xl). There is
no power upon earth which can be compared to him, who
was created so that he fears none.
Answer.
Here are three heretical errors which must be met, and
when they have been disproved the truth will be plain.
For certain writers, pretending to base their opinion
upon the words of S. Thomas (iv, 24) when he treats of
impediments brought about by magic charms, have tried to
maintain that there is not such a thing as magic, that
it only exists in the imagination of those men who
ascribe natural effects, the cause whereof are not
known, to witchcraft and spells. There are others who
acknowledge indeed that witches exist, but they declare
that the influence of magic and the effects of charms
are purely imaginary and phantasmical. A third class of
writers maintain that the effects said to be wrought by
magic spells are altogether illusory and fanciful,
although it may be that the devil does really lend his
aid to some witch.
The errors
held by each one of these persons may thus be set forth
and thus confuted. For in the very first place they are
shown to be plainly heretical by many orthodox writers,
and especially by S. Thomas, who lays down that such an
opinion is altogether contrary to the authority of the
saints and is founded upon absolute infidelity. Because
the authority of the Holy Scriptures says that devils
have power over the bodies and over the minds of men,
when God allows them to exercise this power, as is plain
from very many passages in the Holy Scriptures.
Therefore those err who say that there is no such thing
as witchcraft, but that it is purely imaginary, even
although they do not believe that devils exist except in
the imagination of the ignorant and vulgar, and the
natural accidents which happen to a man he wrongly
attributes to some supposed devil. For the imagination
of some men is so vivid that they think they see actual
figures and appearances which are but the reflection of
their thoughts, and then these are believed to be the
apparitions of evil spirits or even the spectres of
witches. But this is contrary to the true faith, which
teaches us that certain angels fell from heaven and are
now devils, and we are bound to acknowledge that by
their very nature they can do many wonderful things
which we cannot do. And those who try to induce others
to perform such evil wonders are called witches. And
because infidelity in a person who has been baptized is
technically called heresy, therefore such persons are
plainly heretics.
As regards
those who hold the other two errors, those, that is to
say, who do not deny that there are demons and that
demons possess a natural power, but who differ among
themselves concerning the possible effects of magic and
the possible operations of witches: the one school
holding that a witch can truly bring about certain
effects, yet these effects are not real but phantastical,
the other school allowing that some real harm does
befall the person or persons injured, but that when a
witch imagines this damage is the effect of her arts she
is grossly deceived. This error seems to be based upon
two passages from the Canons where certain women are
condemned who falsely imagine that during the night they
ride abroad with Diana or Herodias. This may read in the
Canon. Yet because such things often happen by illusion
are merely in the imagination, those who suppose that
all the effects of witchcraft are mere illusion and
imagination are very greatly deceived. Secondly, with
regard to a man who believes or maintains that a
creature can be made, or changed for better or for
worse, or transformed into some other kind or likeness
by anyone save by God, the Creator of all things, alone,
is an infidel and worse than a heathen. Wherefore on
account of these words “changed for the worse” they
say that such an effect if wrought by witchcraft cannot
be real but must be purely phantastical.
But inasmuch
as these errors savour of heresy and contradict the
obvious meaning of the Canon, we will first prove our
points by the divine law, as also by ecclesiastical and
civil law, and first in general.
To commence,
the expressions of the Canon must be treated of in
detail (although the sense of the Canon will be even
more clearly elucidated in the following question). For
the divine in many places commands that witches are not
only to be avoided, but also they are to be put to
death, and it would not impose the extreme penalty of
this kind if witches did not really and truly make a
compact with devils in order to bring about real and
true hurts and harms. For the penalty of death is not
inflicted except for some grave and notorious crime, but
it is otherwise with death of the soul, which can be
brought about by the power of a phantastical illusion or
even by the stress of temptation. This is the opinion of
S. Thomas when he discusses whether it be evil to make
use of the help of devils (ii. 7). For in the 18th
chapter of Deuteronomy it is commanded that all
wizards and charmers are to be destroyed. Also the 19th
chapter of Leviticus says: The soul which goeth
to wizards and soothsayers to commit fornication with
them, I will set my face against that soul, and destroy
it out of the midst of my people. And again, 20: A man,
or woman, in whom there is a pythonical or divining
spirit dying, let them die: they shall stone them. Those
persons are said to be pythons in whom the devil works
extraordinary things.
Moreover,
this must be borne in mind, that on account of this sin
Ochozias fell sick and died, IV. Kings I. Also
Saul, I Paralipomenon, 10. We have, moreover, the
weighty opinions of the Fathers who have written upon
the scriptures and who have treated at length of the
power of demons and of magic arts. The writings of many
doctors upon Book 2 of the Sentences may be consulted,
and it will be found that they all agree, that there are
wizards and sorcerers who by the power of the devil can
produce real and extraordinary effects, and these
effects are not imaginary, and God permits this to be. I
will not mention those very many other places where S.
Thomas in great detail discusses operations of this
kind. As, for example, in his Summa contra Gentiles,
Book 3, c. 1 and 2, in part one, question 114, argument
4. And in the Second of the Second, questions 92
and 94. We may further consult the Commentators and the
Exegetes who have written upon the wise men and the
magicians of Pharao, Exodus vii. We may also
consult what S. Augustine says in The City of God,
Book 18, c. 17. See further his second book On
Christian Doctrine. Very many other doctors advance
the same opinion, and it would be the height of folly
for any man to contradict all these, and he could not be
held to be clear of the guilt of heresy. For any man who
gravely errs in an exposition of Holy Scripture is
rightly considered to be a heretic. And whosoever thinks
otherwise concerning these matters which touch the faith
that the Holy Roman Church holds is a heretic. There is
the Faith. |