key terminology Flashcards
1
Q
maleficium
A
- an “evil deed”
- by 1580 this was understood as an act of witchcraft
designed to harm
2
Q
sacrament
A
- a ceremony carried out to attain spiritual grace
- eg: Holy Communication
3
Q
devil’s mark
A
- a mark on the body of someone who had entered a
convent with the devil
4
Q
cunning folk
A
- general carried out good days
- eg: folk healers etc
5
Q
assize circuit
A
- courts that travelled around in six circuits around the
country, usually hearing serious cases
6
Q
justice of the peace
A
- a public official appointed to administer the law at local
level
7
Q
privy council
A
- private council of the monarch
8
Q
vagrant
A
- 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
9
Q
dissenter
A
- a member of the non-established church outside the church of england
10
Q
idolater
A
- someone who worships false idols
11
Q
non-conformist
A
- a protestant who does not conform to the established practices of the church of england
12
Q
calvinist
A
- a follower of john calvin
- protestant reformation, very strict
13
Q
heretic
A
- someone who disagrees with the teachings of the church
14
Q
polymath
A
- a person with wide knowledge and learning who specialises in a number of different subjects
15
Q
occult
A
- mystical, supernatural or magical powers and practices
16
Q
culture
A
- how people express ideas/beliefs that are important to them
17
Q
renaissance magus
A
- a man of deep intellectual and spiritual qualities, who was in possession of polymatic and occult knowledge
18
Q
familiar
A
- a demon supposedly attending and obeying a witch
- often said to assume the form of an animal
19
Q
diabolic pact
A
- a deal with the devil, according to traditional christian belief about witchcraft
- the pact is between person and satan, or a lesser devil
20
Q
sabbat
A
- a secret meeting between witches
21
Q
neoplatonism
A
- 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
22
Q
natural philosophy
A
the study of the natural world
23
Q
empiricism
A
the belief that knowledge can only come from experience - seek our evidence to formulate theories
24
Q
inductive reasoning
A
reasoning based on evidence
25
deductive reasoning
when a conclusion is made based on something already known or assumed
