The Role Of The Devil's Powers In The Arras

Manu Khosla

Sara Butler

10/5/2017

History 3247

The Scope of the devil’s powers in the arras witch treatises

The Arras witch trials was a time where people were fearful of a fictional practice known as witch craft. People were slaughtered, tortured and persecuted because they were accused of being heretics. The manic time known as the Arras witch trials was influenced by the belief in the devil and his mystical powers. This influence brought on by the catholic church plagued many societies during this time. The church’s perception of the devil was accepted by people, making the devil’s existence feel very real. God is the creator of all things, including the devil. All things created by god were seen by the catholic church to have purpose.

He can transport human bodies over long distances. Often doing so when he wanted to gather witches and demons. He can transport any size or amount of bodies over any kind of distance, “with the permission of God” (gow 23). The concept of the devil’s transportation abilities being regulated by god is supported by the creatorem coeli et terrae. This article states that the created order leads back to god. God made all things with a certain defined order, in which both the good and bad angels, because they’re spiritual creatures, deserve the first and foremost prestige. It is common for the devil to transport witches to meetings that are far away. When a witch is first introduced at these meetings, regardless of gender, they are presented to a demon. The witch will also reject god and Christ and vow to reject Christian practices at these meetings. In return, the devil will offer, “some grace or special faculty” (gow 39). It was believed that after a witch renounced their faith, they would offer themselves to the devil who would then fornicate with their body. The devil also has secret treasures that he sometimes shares as a way to lure people from Christ, but has often been known to falsely promise rewards when one makes a deal with him. The devil is a master of illusion and is notoriously known for manipulating

He may deceive in one of four different ways by pretending to have powers that angels do not possess. The devil is incapable of manipulating the heavens in any way, shape or form. He is incapable of altering the patterns of the sun and moon’s orbit and cannot advance or delay their usual schedule. However, he can manipulate the air and skies by creating coarse clouds which can block the view of the heavens, but this is just an illusion and does not alter heaven in anyway. Changing a species into another species is also beyond any angel’s capability. Philosophers in this time period believed, “one thing cannot be made of any other, but it is necessary that each thing made by a natural transformation be made of a specific and particular material” (Gow 131). God is the only thing capable of creation, all other things are made as a result of altering another. The devil is also unable to make objects pass through closed doors. Any object with any kind of weight cannot be passed through a closed door by an angel or devil. The devil is capable of making the air appear to look like objects formed. It is through this trick that he is able to deceive people into believing he is capable of creating from nothing. He is distinctly different from humans. They are incapable of replicating bodily functions of the living body. The devil may emulate a body, but