The Enormity of
Witches is Considered, and it is shown that the Whole
Matter should be rightly Set Forth and Declared.
Concerning the enormity of crimes, it is asked whether
the crimes of witches exceed, both in guilt, in pain,
and in loss, all the evils which God allows and has
permitted from the beginning of the world up till now.
And it seems that they do not, especially as regards
guilt. For the sin which a man commits when he could
easily avoid it is greater than the sin which another
man commits when he could not so easily avoid it. This
is shown by S. Augustine, de Ciuit. Dei: There is
great wickedness in sinning when it is so easy not to
sin. But Adam, and others who have sinned when in a
state of perfection or even of grace, could more easily
because of the help of grace have avoided their sins —
especially Adam who was created in grace — than many
witches, who have not shared in such gifts. Therefore
the sins of such are greater than all the crimes of
witches.
And again in
respect of punishment: the greatest punishment is due to
the greater blame. But Adam's sin was the most heavily
punished, as is plainly proved by the fact that both his
guilt and his punishment are shown in all his posterity
by the inheritance of original sin. Therefore his sin is
greater than all other sins.
And again,
the same is argued in respect of loss. For according to
S. Augustine: A thing is evil in that it takes away from
the good; therefore where there is the more good lost,
there the greater evil has gone before. But the sin of
our first parent brought the greatest loss both to
nature and to grace, since it deprived us of innocence
and immortality; and no subsequent sin has brought such
loss, therefore, etc.
But the
contrary side: that which includes the most causes of
evil is the greater evil, and such are the sins of
witches. For they can, with God's permission, bring
every evil upon that which is good by nature and in
form, as is declared in the Papal Bull. Besides, Adam
sinned only in doing that which was wrong in one of two
ways; for it was forbidden, but was not wrong in itself:
but witches and other sinners sin in doing that which is
wrong in both ways, wrong in itself, and forbidden, such
as murders and many other forbidden things. Therefore
their sins are heavier than other sins.
Besides, sin
which comes from definite malice is heavier than sin
which comes from ignorance. But witches, out of great
malice, despise the Faith and the sacraments of the
Faith, as many of them have confessed.
Answer.
The evils which are perpetrated by modern witches exceed
all other sin which God has ever permitted to be done,
as was said in the title of this Question. And this can
be shown in three ways, in so far as they are sins
involving perversity of character, though it is
different with the sins that contravene the other
Theological virtues. First in general, by comparing
their works indifferently with any other worldly crimes.
Secondly in particular, by considering the species of
the superstition and into what pact they have entered
with the devil. And thirdly, by comparing their sins
with the sins of the bad Angels and even with that of
our first parents.
And first,
sin is threefold, involving guilt, punishment, and loss.
Good also is correspondingly threefold, involving
righteousness, felicity, and use. And righteousness
corresponds with the guilt, felicity with punishment,
and use with loss.
That the
guilt of witches exceeds all other sins is apparent in
this way. For according to the teaching of S. Thomas
(II, 22, art. 2), there is in the matter of sin much
that may be considered whereby the gravity or lightness
of the sin may be deduced; and the same sin may be found
heavy in one and light in another. For example, we can
say that in fornication a young man sins, but an old man
is mad. Yet those sins are, simply speaking, the heavier
which are not only attended by the more extensive and
more powerful circumstances, but are in their nature and
quantity of a more essentially serious sort.
And so we can
say that, though the sin of Adam was in some respects
heavier than all other sins, inasmuch as he fell to the
instigation of a smaller temptation, since it came only
from within; and also because he could more easily have
resisted on account of the original justice in which he
was created: nevertheless in the form and quantity of
sin, and in other respects which aggravate the sin the
more in that it is the cause of many yet heavier sins,
the sins of witches exceed all other sins. And this will
be made still clearer in two ways.
For one sin
is said to be greater than another in one or other of
the following respects: in causality, as was the sin of
Lucifer; in generality, as Adam's sin; in hideousness,
as was the sin of Judas; in the difficulty of forgiving
it, as is the sin against the Holy Ghost; in danger, as
in the sin of covetousness; in inclination, as is the
sin of the flesh; in the offending of the Divine
Majesty, as is the sin of idolatry and infidelity; in
the difficulty of combating it, as the sin of pride; in
blindness of mind, as the sin of anger. Accordingly,
after the sin of Lucifer, the works of witches exceed
all other sins, in hideousness since they deny Him
crucified, in inclination since the commit nastiness of
the flesh with devils, in blindness of mind since in a
pure spirit of malignity the rage and bring every injury
upon the souls and bodies of men and beasts, as has been
shown from what has been said before.
And this,
indeed, is indicated, according to S. Isidore, by the
word. For they are called witches (maleficae) on
account of the enormity of their crimes, as has been
said above.
Our
contention is also deduced from the following. There are
two gradations in sin, a turning away, and a change of
heart. See our quotation from S. Augustine: Sin is to
reject the incommutable good, and to cleave to things
that are variable. And the turning away from God is as
it were formal, just as the change of heart is as it
were material. Therefore the more a man is separated
from God by it, the heavier is the sin. And since
infidelity is the chief cause of man's separation from
God, the infidelity of witches stands out as the
greatest of sins. And this is given the name of Heresy,
which is Apostasy from the Faith; and in this witches
sin throughout their whole lives.
For the sin
of infidelity consists in opposing the Faith; and this
may come about in two ways, by opposing a faith which
has not yet been received, or by opposing it after it
has been received. Of the first sort is the infidelity
of the Pagans or Gentiles. In the second way, the
Christian Faith may be denied in two ways: either by
denying the prophecies concerning it, or by denying the
actual manifestation of its truth. And the first of
these is the infidelity of the Jews, and the second the
infidelity of Heretics.
It is clear
from this that the heresy of witches is the most heinous
of the three degrees of infidelity; and this fact is
proved both by reason and authority. For it is said in
II. S. Peter ii: It has been better for them not
to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they
have known it, to turn from it. And it is reasonable to
suppose that, just as he who does not perform what he
has promised commits a greater sin than he who does not
perform what he never promised, so the infidelity of the
heretics, who while professing the faith of the Gospel
fight against it by corrupting it, is a greater sin than
that of the Jews and Pagans.
And again,
the Jews sin more greatly than the Pagans; for they
received the prophecy of the Christian Faith in the Old
Law, which they corrupt through badly interpreting it,
which is not the case with the Pagans. Therefore their
infidelity is a greater sin than that of the Gentiles,
who never received the Faith of the Gospel. But
concerning Apostasy, S. Thomas says in the Second of
the Second, question 12: Apostasy means a turning
away from God and religion, and this may happen
according to the different ways by which man is joined
to God; that is, by faith, or by the subjection of the
will to obedience, or by religion and Holy Orders. S.
Raymund and Hostiensis say that Apostasy is a rash
departure from the state of faith or obedience or
Religion. Now if that which precedes is removed, that
which follows from it is also removed; but the converse
proposition is not true. Therefore Apostasy from the
Faith is a greater sin than the other two forms of
infidelity, since in its case a precedent Religion has
been removed.
But according
to S. Raymund, a man is not to be judged an Apostate or
deserter, however far and long he may have strayed,
unless he shows by his subsequent life that he has not
though of returning to the Faith. And this would be
shown in the case of a cleric if he were to marry a
wife, or commit some similar crime. In the same way it
is an Apostasy of disobedience when a man wilfully
spurns the teaching of the Church and the Bishops. And
such a man must be convicted of his infamy, and be
excommunicated.
Now when we
speak of the Apostasy of witches, we mean the Apostasy
of perfidy; and this is so much the more heinous, in
that it springs from a pact made with the enemy of the
Faith and the way of salvation. For witches are bound to
make this pact, which is exacted by that enemy either in
part or wholly. For we Inquisitors have found some
witches who have denied all the articles of Faith, and
others who have denied only a certain number of them;
but they are all bound to deny true and sacramental
confession. And so, even the Apostasy of Julian does not
seem to have been so great, although in other respects
he did more harm against the Church; but we cannot speak
of that here.
But it may be
incidentally objected that it is possible that they may
keep the Faith in the thoughts of their hearts, which
God alone, and not even any Angel, can see into; but do
reverence and obedience to the devil only in outward
form. The answer to this seems to be that there are two
degrees of the Apostasy of perfidy. One consists in
outward acts of infidelity, without the formation of any
pact with the devil, as when one lives in the lands of
the infidels and conforms his life to that of the
Mohammedans. The other consists in a pact made with the
devil by one who lives in Christian lands, In the first
case, men who keep the Faith in their hearts but deny it
in their outward acts, though they are not Apostates or
Heretics, are guilty of deadly sin. For in this way
Solomon showed reverence to the gods of his wives. And
no one can be excused on the ground that he does this
through fear; for S. Augustine says: It is better to die
of hunger than to be fed by Idolaters. But however much
witches may retain the Faith in their hearts while
denying it with their lips, they are still to be judged
Apostates, since they have made a treaty with death and
a compact with hell. Wherefore S. Thomas (II, 4),
speaking of such magic works, and of those who in any
way seek help from devils, says: They are all Apostates
from the Faith, by reason of a pact made with the Devil,
either in word, when some invocation is used, or by some
deed, even if there is no actual sacrifice. For no man
can serve two masters.
To the same
effect writes Blessed Albertus Magnus, where he asks
whether the sin of Magicians and Astrologers is an
Apostasy from the Faith. And he answers: In such there
is always Apostasy either of word or of deed. For if any
invocations are made, then there is an open pact made
with the devil, and it is plainly Apostasy in word. But
if their magic is simply a matter of action, then it is
Apostasy in deed. And since in all these there is abuse
of the Faith, seeing that they look for from the devil
what they ought to look for from God, therefore they are
always to be judged Apostates. See how clearly they set
forth two degrees of Apostasy, understanding a third,
namely, that of thought. And even if this last is
lacking, yet witches are judged to be Apostates in word
and deed. Therefore, as will be shown, they must be
subject to the punishment of Heretics and Apostates.
And there is
in them a third enormity of crime, exceeding all other
heresies. For S. Augustine (XXVIII, 1 and 2) tells us
that the whole life of infidels is a sin; and the gloss
on Romans xiv says that everything which comes
not of faith is sin. What then is to be thought of the
whole life of witches, that is, of all their other
actions which are not pleasing to the devil, such as
fasting, attending church, communicating, and other
things? For in all these things they commit deadly sin,
as is shown as follows. So far have they fallen in sin
that, although they have not lost all power of amendment
(since sin does not corrupt the whole good of their
nature, and a natural light yet remains in them); yet,
because of their homage given to the devil, and unless
they be absolved from it, all their works, even when
they appear to be good, are rather of an evil nature.
And this is not seen to be the case with other infidels.
For according
to S. Thomas in the Second of the Second,
question 10, Whether every action of an infidel is a
sin; he says that the deeds of the unfaithful which are,
of themselves, good, such as fasting, almsgiving, and
deeds of that sort, are no merit to them because of
their infidelity, which is a most grievous sin. Yet sin
does not corrupt the whole good of their nature, and
there remains in them a natural light. Therefore not
ever deed of theirs is mortal sin, but only those which
proceed from their very infidelity, or are related to
it. For example, a Saracen fasts, to observe the law of
Mohammed as to fasting, and a Jew observes his Feast
days; but in such things he is guilty of mortal sin. And
in this way is to be understood the above dictum of S.
Augustine, that the whole life of infidels is sin. That
Witches Deserve the heaviest Punishment above All the
Criminals of the World.
The crimes of witches, then, exceed the sins of all
others; and we now declare what punishment they deserve,
whether as Heretics or as Apostates. Now Heretics,
according to S. Raymund, are punished in various ways,
as by excommunication, deposition, confiscation of their
goods, and death. The reader can be fully informed
concerning all these by consulting the law relating to
the sentence of excommunication. Indeed even their
followers, protectors, patrons and defenders incur the
heaviest penalties. For, besides the punishment of
excommunication inflicted upon them, Heretics, together
with their patrons, protectors and defenders, and with
their children to the second generation on the father's
side, and to the first degree on the mother's side, are
admitted to no benefit or office of the Church. And if a
Heretic have Catholic children, for the heinousness of
his crime they are deprived of their paternal
inheritance. And if a man be convicted, and refuse to be
converted and abjure his heresy, he must at once be
burned, if he is a layman. For if they who counterfeit
money are summarily put to death, how much more must
they who counterfeit the Faith? But if he is a cleric,
after solemn degradation he is handed over to the
secular Court to be put to death. But if they return to
the Faith, they are to be imprisoned for life. But in
practice they are treated more leniently after
recantation than they should be according to the
judgement of the Bishops and Inquisition, as will be
shown in the Third Part, where the various methods of
sentencing such are treated of; that is to say, those
who are arrested and convicted and have recanted their
error.
But to punish
witches in these ways does not seem sufficient, since
they are not simple Heretics, but Apostates. More than
this, in their very apostasy they do not deny the Faith
for any fear of men or for any delight of the flesh, as
has been said before; but, apart from their abnegation,
even give homage to the very devils by offering them
their bodies and souls. Is is clear enough from this
that, however much they are penitent and return to the
Faith, they must not be punished like other Heretics
with lifelong imprisonment, but must be made to suffer
the extreme penalty. And because of the temporal injury
which they do to men and beasts in various ways, the
laws demand this. Is is even equally culpable to learn
as it is to teach such iniquities, say the laws
concerning Soothsayers. Then how much more emphatically
do they speak concerning witches, where they say that
the penalty for them is the confiscation of their goods
and decapitation. The laws also say much concerning
those who by witchcraft provoke a woman to lust, or,
conversely, cohabit with beasts. But these matters were
touched upon on the First Question.
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