Science and Specters at Salem

Matt Goldish (The Ohio State University, USA)

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Paperback

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English

Routledge
27 August 2024

Social & cultural history; Religion: general; Eclectic & esoteric religions & belief systems; Magic, alchemy & hermetic thought; Witchcraft

Series: Routledge Studies in the History of Witchcraft, Demonology and Magic

Most studies of the Salem witch trials focus on social history and the dynamics between accused and accusers. Science and Specters at Salem turns instead to the intellectual background of the judges to understand why they accepted controversial types of evidence.

The role of judges in a witch trial was central. Goldish argues that in Salem the judges' acceptance of questionable touch tests and spectral evidence was a result of their intellectual commitments. Several of the Salem judges were highly educated, and some of them were adherents of a particular philosophical school in England led by Henry More and Joseph Glanvill which Goldish calls ""the anti-Sadducees."" He demonstrates how the ideas of these leading thinkers, friends of Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton, could have led to the deaths of twenty accused witches in Salem.

This book will interest students and scholars of witch trials, American colonial history, Atlantic history, legal history and early modern Europe, as well as lay readers wanting a better understanding of Salem.

By: Matt Goldish (The Ohio State University USA)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 258g
ISBN: 9781032317892
ISBN 10: 1032317892
Series: Routledge Studies in the History of Witchcraft, Demonology and Magic
Pages: 130
Publication Date: 27 August 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction 1. The Court 2. Unusual Zeal, Touch Tests and Spectral Evidence 3. Spirit and Body 4. Return to Salem 5. Aftermath

Matt Goldish is the Samuel M. and Esther Melton Chair in History at The Ohio State University. His previous books include Judaism in the Theology of Sir Isaac Newton (1998), The Sabbatean Prophets (2004) and Jewish Questions: Responsa on Sephardic Life in the Early Modern Period (2008).