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Libra Esoterica

Science and specters at Salem

by Matt Goldish

  • First published:
  • 21st century
  • Language: English

Description

Description from K10plus Union Catalog (opens in a new tab)

The court -- Unusual zeal, touch tests, and spectral evidence -- Spirit and body -- Return to Salem -- Aftermath. "Most studies of the Salem witch trials focus on social history and the dynamics between accused and accusers. Science and Specters at Salem turns instead to the intellectual background of the judges to understand why they accepted controversial types of evidence. The role of judges in a witch trial was central. Goldish argues that in Salem the judges' acceptance of questionable touch tests and spectral evidence was a result of their intellectual commitments. Several of the Salem judges were highly educated, and some of them were adherents of a particular philosophical school in England led by Henry More and Joseph Glanvill which Goldish calls "the anti-Sadducees." He demonstrates how the ideas of these leading thinkers, friends of Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton, could have led to the deaths of twenty accused witches in Salem. This book will interest students and scholars of witch trials, American colonial history, Atlantic history, legal history, and early modern Europe, as well as lay readers wanting a better understanding of Salem"--

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Alchemy and Hermeticism, Demonology, angelology, and possession, Occultism and esotericism, Ritual magic and grimoires, and Witchcraft and folk magic.

  • Occultism and esotericism

    Retained metadata contains “esoteric” in the subject metadata.

    • “esoteric”· in subject
  • Ritual magic and grimoires

    Retained metadata contains “Magic” in the subject metadata and “Magic” in the edition notes.

    • “Magic”· in subject
    • “Magic”· in edition notes
  • Witchcraft and folk magic

    Controlled discovery queries from k10plus matched “Hexerei”. Retained metadata contains “witches” in the description, “Hexerei” in the subject metadata, “Witchcraft” in the subject metadata, and 1 additional metadata match(es).

    • “Hexerei”· via K10plus Union Catalog
    • “witches”· in description
    • “Hexerei”· in subject
    • “Witchcraft”· in subject
    • “Witchcraft”· in edition notes
  • Alchemy and Hermeticism

    Retained metadata contains “Alchemy” in the subject metadata and “hermetic” in the subject metadata.

    • “Alchemy”· in subject
    • “hermetic”· in subject
  • Demonology, angelology, and possession

    Retained metadata contains “Demonology” in the subject metadata, “Satanism” in the subject metadata, and “Demonology” in the edition notes.

    • “Demonology”· in subject
    • “Satanism”· in subject
    • “Demonology”· in edition notes

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Buy or borrow

Links to ISBN 1003311350; other editions may be cheaper. WorldCat shows libraries near you that hold a copy.

Editions

One edition cataloged here.

K10plus union-catalog record

ix, 129 Seiten; Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 114-122; Routledge studies in the history of witchcraft, demonology, and magic

2025RoutledgeEnglish
  • 9781003311355
  • 9781032317885
  • 9781032317892
Catalog record

Subjects

32 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Cataloged from

Catalog id
k10plus:1886004188
Edition coverage
Multi source partial
Retrieved