HIS389H1 Lecture 2: Lecture 2 Sept 16.docx
Document Summary
18th century decided no actual crime of witchcraft can only be charged with pretending to be a witch. The supernatural in late medieval and early modern life: definitions: Supernatural: things that are beyond ordinary workings, that which is above nature, transcends nature, the marvellous and extraordinary. Natural: the ordinary and physical part of god"s creation (according to late medieval or early. Preternatural: a younger word, does not come into english language until 17th century, not a long life, do not hear it much anymore. It is a word you can use to label phenomena that you think are natural but nobody has yet got a natural explanation for them. It is something not supernatural yet we do not know how it works. By thinking about demons intellectuals shrink supernatural world and expand natural world creating a grey area of where we are not sure how they do it.
