The people of Salem, Massachusetts, like centuries of populations before them well believed in the power of witchcraft.
The early Christian church, such as any ruling body that seeks to control persons under its jurisdiction, realized the necessity of learning all that was possible about its enemies. Throughout the centuries what ever form of Christianity was in power at any given time had various enemies. However, all sects of Christianity had one major enemy, the devil. And all were compelled to learn all that could be known about this common enemy.
The Puritan who settled in America and later established Salem Village, Massachusetts were different in only one way from their religious predecessors. The people of Salem Village had a vast wealth of previous devil research, as well as believed devil myth and legends, to draw up on. Much of this knowledge was constantly being shouted at them from the pulpit by theologians like Cotton Mather.. This accumulated "knowledge" they well used when, in 1692, a group of young Salem girls began accusing persons of witchcraft.
What They Knew or Thought They Knew
Much of what the Puritans of Salem believed about the devil is still considered true today. The devil "was believed to carry on his war against heaven" by using humans to do his dirty work. The Puritans believed that the devil did his work by tempting "weak souls" by presenting them with visions of "wealth, power, and success." It was well known that he could, and did, trick people as well as lie to them. It was believed that the devil could even endow some persons with his own supernatural abilities, which allowed them to perform Magic.
The Devil's Helpers
It was believed that the devil commanded the assistance of numerous helpers called demons. The recorded study of these demons reaches back into the sixteenth century, and surely further, when a French scholar, after careful and extended study, announced that there were 7,409,127 demons. Ten years later, another French scholar declared that there were only 7,405,920 demons. And yet, a year later, another scholar stated that there was "one and a fraction of demons for each member of the human race."
Recommended Reading:
Possession by Demons: Which Witch Was It?, available on October, 16, 2006.
Cotton Mather Condemns Witches: Salem and Boston.
Growing Up in Salem, Massachusetts: Rebelling Against Adult Rule.
Sundays in Salem, Massachusetts:Droning Sermons and Hard Benches.
Children Beware of Demons: Cotton Mather Gives Warning.
Source:
Jackson, Shirley. The Witchcraft of Salem Village. Random House, New York, 1956.
