Magic In The Middle Ages Essay

The middle ages were a time in which the subjects of magic and witchcraft were widely prevalent and greatly influential. There are various factors that played key roles in shaping the structure of magic, and changed as time progressed. In David J. Collins Albertus, Magnus or Magus? Magic, Natural Philosophy, and Religious Reform in the Late Middle Ages, he illuminates on the studies of Albertus Teutonicus, a friar who was accused of witchcraft, and individuals that tried to clear his name. On the other hand, From Sorcery to Witchcraft: Clerical Conceptions of Magic in the Later Middle Ages written by Michael D. Bailey, emphasizes the impact of the clerical authorities on the practice of magic, and how the understanding of it changed based …show more content…
One aspect is fear. The practice of magic required a human to invite in demons which was a “threat to the stability and progress of Christian Society” (Collins 23). People became increasingly worried about the effects of the devil and demons in Christian society, and they were sure that the devil was most powerful through the practice of magic. This led to the belief that subjects in relation to natural philosophy such as alchemy, astrology, and divination were only possible with association with the devil whereas before, they were not believed as threatening. In Albertus’ time, the difference between necromancy and immoral manipulation of magic was deemed by the amount of contact with the devil, but this idea soon changed. The expressed concern resulted in a step toward heresy and apostasy, and also in combining the general ideas of learned magic with common magic laid the foundation for the idea of witchcraft. Witchcraft is considered the performance of magic in contact with demons and entails completely rejecting the faith and giving yourself up to the devil for dark powers. In the case of Albertus, he was accused and rejected in his time out of fear and lack of knowledge by the people of his