Leaf from Witchcraft Treatise (Formicarius, Bk. 7)
Leaf from Witchcraft Treatise (Formicarius, Bk. 7)
Printer
Anton Sorg
(German)
Author
Johannes Nider
Place of OriginGermany, Augsburg
Dateabout 1482
ClassificationPrints
Object number
1927.209
Not on View
DescriptionThis leaf preserves part of Chapter 7 of Nider’s Formicarius, one of the earliest printed works to treat witchcraft within a scholastic framework. The text juxtaposes the biblical Judith—who defeats the Assyrian general Holofernes through divine courage—with accounts of women deceived by demonic illusion. In Nider’s allegory, Judith embodies holy discernment, the capacity to resist Satan’s snares. The passage anticipates the treatise’s later chapters, where Nider records early witchcraft accusations in Switzerland, transforming exemplary narrative into moral case study.
Nizami Ganjavi
16th century
11th Century
19th century
Roman Period, 3rd century CE
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