key terminology Flashcards
maleficium
- an “evil deed”
- by 1580 this was understood as an act of witchcraft
designed to harm
sacrament
- a ceremony carried out to attain spiritual grace
- eg: Holy Communication
devil’s mark
- a mark on the body of someone who had entered a
convent with the devil
cunning folk
- general carried out good days
- eg: folk healers etc
assize circuit
- courts that travelled around in six circuits around the
country, usually hearing serious cases
justice of the peace
- a public official appointed to administer the law at local
level
privy council
- private council of the monarch
vagrant
- a beggar or someone who would wander looking for
work - by the 17th century it was someone who could work but chose not too
- could be punished by whipping etc
dissenter
- a member of the non-established church outside the church of england
idolater
- someone who worships false idols
non-conformist
- a protestant who does not conform to the established practices of the church of england
calvinist
- a follower of john calvin
- protestant reformation, very strict
heretic
- someone who disagrees with the teachings of the church
polymath
- a person with wide knowledge and learning who specialises in a number of different subjects
occult
- mystical, supernatural or magical powers and practices
culture
- how people express ideas/beliefs that are important to them
renaissance magus
- a man of deep intellectual and spiritual qualities, who was in possession of polymatic and occult knowledge
familiar
- a demon supposedly attending and obeying a witch
- often said to assume the form of an animal
diabolic pact
- a deal with the devil, according to traditional christian belief about witchcraft
- the pact is between person and satan, or a lesser devil
sabbat
- a secret meeting between witches
neoplatonism
- a body of varied, and in some way contraindicatory elements as a way of thinking and helped foster the acceptance of reality of the spiritual world
natural philosophy
the study of the natural world
empiricism
the belief that knowledge can only come from experience - seek our evidence to formulate theories
inductive reasoning
reasoning based on evidence
deductive reasoning
when a conclusion is made based on something already known or assumed