THE
MALLEUS MALEFICARUM
PART I.
QUESTION XII.
Whether the Permission of Almighty God is an Accompaniment of
Witchcraft.
Now we must consider the Divine permission itself, touching which four
things are asked. First, whether it is necessary that this permission should
accompany a work of witchcraft. Secondly, that God in His justice permits a
creature naturally sinful to perpetrate witchcraft and other horrid crimes,
the other two necessary concomitants being presupposed. Thirdly, that the
crime of witchcraft exceeds all other evils which God permits to be done.
Fourthly, in what way this matter should be preached to the people.
Concerning the third postulate of this First Part, namely, the Divine
permission, it is asked: Whether it is as Catholic to affirm the Divine
permission in these works of witches, as it is quite heretical to contradict
such an affirmation? And it is argued that it is not heretical to maintain
that God does not permit so great power to the devil in this sort of
witchcraft. For it is Catholic, and not heretical, to refute such things as
appear to be to the disparagement of the Creator. And it is submitted that
it is Catholic to maintain that the devil is not allowed such power of
injuring men, since to hold the opposite opinion seems to be a disparagement
of the Creator. For it would then follow that not everything is subject to
the Divine providence, since the all-wise Provider keeps away, as far as
possible, all defect and evil from those for whom He cares. And if the works
of witchcraft are permitted by God, they are not kept away by Him: and if
He does not keep them away, the God Himself is not a wise Provider, and all
things are not subject to His providence. But since this is false, therefore
it is false that God permits witchcraft.
And again, to permit a thing to happen presupposes in him who permits it
that either he can prevent it from happening if he wishes, or he cannot
prevent it even if he wishes; and neither of these suppositions can apply
to God. For in the first case, such a man would be thought spiteful, and in
the second case impotent. Then it is incidentally asked: As to that
bewitchment that happened to Peter, if God could have prevented it, and did
not do so, then God is either despiteful or He does not care for all; but if
He could not have prevented it even if He wished, the He is not omnipotent.
But since it is not possible to maintain the opinion that God does not care
for all, and the rest, therefore it cannot be said that witchcraft is done
with the permission of God.
Besides, he who is responsible to himself and is the master of his own
actions is not subject to the permission or providence of any governor. But
men were made responsible to themselves by God, according to Ecclesiasticus
xv: God made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his counsel.
In particular, the sins which men do are left in their own counsel, according
to their hearts' desire. Therefore not all evils are subject to Divine
permission.
Yet again, S. Augustine says in the Enchiridion, as does also
Aristotle in the ninth book of Metaphysics: It is better not to know
certain vile things than to know them, but all that is good is to be
ascribed to God. Therefore God does not prevent the very vile works of
witchcraft, whether He permits or not. See also S. Paul in I. Corinthians
ix: Doth God take care of oxen? And the same holds good of the other
irrational beasts. Wherefore God takes no care whether they are bewitched or
not, since they are not subject to His permission, which proceeds from His
providence.
Again, that which happens of necessity has no need of provident permission
or prudence. This is clearly shown in Aristotle's Ethics, Book II:
Prudence is a right reasoning concerning things which happen and are subject
to counsel and choice. But several effects of witchcraft happen of necessity;
as when for some reason, or owing to the influence of stars, diseases come,
or any other things which we judge to be witchcraft. Therefore they are not
always subject to Divine permission.
And again, if men are bewitched by Divine permission, then it is asked: Why
does this happen to one more than to another? If it be said that it is
because of sin, which abounds more in one than in another, this does not
seem valid; for then the greater sinners would be the more bewitched, but
this is manifestly not so, since they are less punished in this world. As it
is said: Well is it for the liars. But, if this argument were good, they
also would be bewitched. Finally, it is clear from the fact that innocent
children and other just men suffer most from witchcraft.
But against these arguments: it is submitted that God permits evil to be
done, though He does not wish it; and this is for the perfecting of the
universe. See Dionysius, de Diuin. Nom. III: Evil will be for all
time, even to the perfecting of the universe. And S. Augustine in the
Enchiridion: In all things good and evil consists the admirable
beauty of the universe. So that what is said to be evil is well ordained,
and kept in its due place commends more highly that which is good; for good
things are more pleasing and laudable when compared with bad. S. Thomas also
refutes the opinion of those who say that, although God has no wish for evil
(since no creature seeks for evil, either in its natural, or its animal, or
in its intellectual appetite, which is the will, whose object is good), yet
He is willing that evil should exist and be done. This he says to be false;
since God neither wishes evil to be done, nor wishes it not to be done, but
is willing to allow evil to be done; and this is good for the perfecting of
the universe.
And why it is erroneous to say that God wishes evil to be and to be done,
for the good of the universe, he says is for the following reason. Nothing
is to be judged good except what is good in itself and not by accident. As
the virtuous man is judge good in his intellectual nature, not in his animal
nature. But evil is not of itself ordained for good, but by accident. For
against the intention of those who do evil, good results. In this way,
against the intention of witches, or against the intention of tyrants, was
it that through their persecutions the patience of the martyrs shone out
clearly.
Answer. This question is as difficult to understand as it is
profitable to elucidate. For there is among the arguments, not so much of
Laymen as of certain Wise men, this in common; that they do not believe that
such horrible witchcraft as had been spoken of is permitted by God; being
ignorant of the causes of this Divine permission. And by reason of this
ignorance, since witches are not put down with the vengeance that is due to
them, they seem now to be depopulating the whole of Christianity. Therefore
that both learned and unlearned may be satisfied in each way, according to
the opinion of the Theologians, we make our answer by the discussion of two
difficulties. And first, that he world is so subject to the Divine providence
that He Himself provides for all. Secondly, that in His justice He permits
the prevalence of sin, which consists of guilt, punishment, and loss, by
reason of His two first permissions, namely, the fall of the Angels and that
of our first parents. From which also it will be clear that obstinately to
disbelieve this smacks of heresy, since such a man implicates himself in the
errors of the infidels.
And as for the first, it is to be noted that, presupposing that which pertains
to the providence of God (see Wisdom xiv: Thy providence, O Father,
governeth all things), we ought also to maintain that all things are subject
to His providence, and that also He immediately provides for all things. And
to make this clear, let us first refute a certain contrary error. For taking
the text in Job xxii: Thick clouds are a covering to him that He
seeth not us; and He walketh in the circuit of heaven: some have thought that
the doctrine pf S. Thomas, I, 22, means that only incorruptible things are
subject to Divine providence, such as the separate Essences, and the stars,
with also the species of lower things, which are also incorruptible; but
they said that the individuals of the species, being corruptible, were not
so subject. Wherefore they said that all lower things which are in the world
are subject to Divine providence in the universal, but not in the particular
or individual sense. But to others this opinion did not seem tenable, since
God cares for the other animals just as He does for men. Therefore the Rabbi
Moses, wishing to hold a middle course, agreed with their opinion in saying
that all corruptible things are not individually entirely subject to Divine
governance, but only in a universal sense, as has been said before; but he
excepted men from the generality of corruptible things, because of the
splendid nature of their intellect, which is comparable with the of the
separate Essences. And so, according to his opinion, whatever witchcraft
happens to men comes from the Divine permission; but not such as happens to
the animals or to the other fruits of the earth.
Now though this opinion is nearer to the truth than that which altogether
denies the providence of God in worldly matters, maintaining that the world
was made by chance, as did Democritus and the Epicureans, yet it is not
without great fallacy. For it must be said that everything is subject to
Divine providence, not only in the general, but also in the particular sense;
and that the bewitching not only of men, but also of animals and the fruits
of the earth, comes from Divine and provident permission. And this is
plainly true; the providence and ordinance of things to some end extend just
so far as the causality of them itself extends. To take an example from
things that are subject to some master; they are so far subject to his
providence as they are themselves under his control. But the causality which
is of God is the original agent, and extends itself to all beings, not only
in a general but also in an individual sense, and not only to things
incorruptible. Therefore, since all things must be of God, so all things are
cared for by Him, that is, are ordained to some end.
This point is touched by S. Paul in Romans xiii: All things which are
from God were ordained by Him. Which is to say that, just as all things come
from God, so also are all things ordained by Him, and are consequently
subject to His providence. For the providence of God is to be understood as
nothing else than the reason, that is, the cause of the ordering of things
to a purpose. Therefore, in so far as all things are a part of one purpose,
so also are they subject to the providence of God. And God knows all things,
not only in the mass generally, but also in the individual particularly. Now
the knowledge which God has of things created is to be compared with a
craftsman's knowledge of his work: therefore, just as all his work is subject
to the order and providence of a craftsman, so are all things subject to the
order and providence of God.
But this does not provide a satisfactory explanation of the fact that God in
justice permits evil and witchcraft to be in the world, although He is
Himself the provider and governor of all things; for it would seem that, if
this is conceded, He ought to keep away all evil from those for whom He
cares. For we see among men that a wise provider does all that he can to
keep away all defect and harm from those who are his care; therefore why
does not God, in the same way, keep away all evil? It must be noted that a
particular and an universal controller or provider are two very different
matters. For the particular controller must of necessity keep away all the
harm he can, since he is not able to extract good out of evil. But God is
the universal controller of the whole world, and can extract much good from
particular evils; as through the persecution of the tyrants came the patience
of the martyrs, and through the works of witches come the purgation or
proving of the faith of the just, as will be shown. Therefore it is not God's
purpose to prevent all evil, lest the universe should lack the cause of
much good. Wherefore S. Augustine says in the Enchiridion: So
merciful is Almighty God, that He would not allow any evil to be in His
works unless He were so omnipotent and good that He can bring good even out
of evil.
And we have an example of this in the actions of natural things. For
although the corruptions and defects which occur in natural things are
contrary to the purpose of that particular thing (as when a thief is hanged,
or when animals are killed for human food), they are yet in accordance with
the universal purpose of nature (as that man's life and property should be
kept intact); and thus the universal good is preserved. For it is necessary
for the conservation of the species that the death of one should be the
preservation of another. For lions are kept alive by the slaughter of other
animals.
Page 1 of 2
Question XII Continued . . . .
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