Der Teufel, Die Hexe Und Der Rechtsgelehrte

"De la Demonomanie des Sorciers" (1580) may not be the most famous work of the great French state theoretician Jean Bodin (1529-1596), but it certainly is the most controversial. In it, he discusses the nature of witchcraft and gives a guide to the rigid prosecution of the crimen magiae. Although a genuinely legal work, the text has not been subjected to thoroug researched from a legal perspective. The study investigates the role and significance of legal normativity in Bodin's witch manual. It shows the connection between Bodin's world view and his legal concepts, sets out the design of the alleged fact of witchcraft in its individual elements of crime and explains the procedural special law brought to bear against witches.