Book contents
Chapter 15
from Question 1
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2015
Summary
NEXT, that demons and their disciples can cause such acts of sorcery in stirring up lightning, hailstorms and rainstorms (the demons receiving the power from God and the demon's disciples receiving His permission) is attested to by Holy Scripture in Job 1 and 2. There, immediately after receiving the power from God, the demon brought it about that the Sabaeans took away five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she-asses, that a fire then fell from heaven and consumed seven thousand camels, and finally that his seven|sons and three daughters died when a strong wind made the house collapse (it was always many boys, that is, servants, who died, with the exception of one to announce the event). He also brought it about that the body of the holy man was stricken with a very bad sore and that his wife and three friends caused him great annoyance. Here, St. Thomas says in his note on Job [on 1. 16], “It is necessary to confess that with God's permission the demons are able to cause a disturbance of the air, to stir up winds, and to make fire fall from heaven. Although in taking up forms, bodily nature obeys neither the good nor the evil angels' bidding but that of God alone, nonetheless bodily nature was born to obey spiritual nature in movement in location. An indication of this is seen in man. By the mere command of the will, which exists in a subjective sense in the soul, the limbs are set in motion to carry out the work arranged by the will. Therefore, whatever things can be done through mere movement in location can be done through natural virtue not only by the good but also by the evil, unless they are divinely prohibited. Since wind and rain and other such disturbances of the air can be made through the mere movement of vapors released from the earth and air, the natural virtue of a demon is sufficient to cause such events.”
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- The Hammer of WitchesA Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum, pp. 380 - 386Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009