Lodovico Sinistrari

Abstract

Lodovico Maria Sinistrari — a Franciscan monk, professor of the University of Pavia and a famous theologian — wrote De Daemonialitate during the last years of his life (1622–1701) when the wave of persecution had already receded. Though equally preoccupied with the question of sexual temptation, he is much less worried about disease and shows no signs of the obsessional fear of the devil and witches, which is so conspicuous in the writings of the earlier demonologists. Indeed, in contrast to them he makes the consorting with the incubi and succubi into a rather venial sin, albeit he does not disavow torture and other horrendous practices. What is important from the viewpoint of the explanation is that there is no trace here of any influence of the progress of enlightenment: Sinistrari is just as gullible and superstitious as the earlier demonologists but is less afraid and less bloodthirsty. His translator into English, Montague Summers, writes in his Introduction: The thesis which Sinistrari sets forth in detail may be stated as follows: There are in existence on earth rational creatures besides man, endowed like him with a body and a soul; they are born and die like him; they are redeemed by Our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore are capable of being saved or being lost. KeywordsEvil SpiritPassionate LoverMoral TheologianRational SoulSmall CardamomThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.