In reading the Malleus Maleficarum I was really taken aback by the language of the work and its obvious "hatred" of woman. The over arching message that I translated from the work is that women and the devil and a single entity. All the qualities associated with womanhood at the time are nearly indistinguishable from the of a woman so it is easy to assume that they are the embodied of wrath and evil. I've only heard this work referenced once before and have never actually read it myself. The context from where I heard it before was in a movie so I don't know how reliable the source can be. However I could assume that it was associated around perceived witchcraft that were perpetrated by woman. Another aspect of this work that I find interesting is that high pedestal that men are placed upon. Every state of the male being is in conflict with the devil therefore it could not be men who adhere to the same practices as women.
Questions:
1. What was the main motivation for the charges laid forth by the men of society against women?
2. From what I understand, this message came from the church. Was the church threatened by a changing idea of womanhood?
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