1. In the period between the Middle Ages and modern times, that is from the 14th to the 18th century, superstition, which is present under the surface in all religions, took the particular form of hysterical witch-hunting which was to lead to the death of several hundred thousand victims.

There was a conviction, irrational and therefore difficult to counter, that wicked people could establish contact with the devil and make a pact with him and that they were then able to harm others through secret powers (maleficium, evil spells). Thi…