Research source

Roman witchcraft--continually reinforced from the Orient--grew in importance as faith in the greater gods…

Date of account: Published 1908
Source: The book of witches
Reference: The book of witches · selected passage 149
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

Roman witchcraft--continually reinforced from the Orient--grew in importance as faith in the greater gods decreased

Published source text

Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.

Source passage

Source text · mention only

Roman witchcraft--continually reinforced from the Orient--grew in importance as faith in the greater gods decreased. Frowned upon by the police, as being contrary to public order, it was thus liable to be confounded with Christianity--which was forbidden on similar grounds--both alike being practised in secret and penalised if brought too prominently into public notice. Christianity, as being the more aggressive, was more severely repressed--and was accordingly destined to more success. And it was reserved for the successful Christian to prove upon his former companions in misfortune the utter uselessness of persecution. Just as we may thank the pagan persecutor that we now live in the Christian era, so the mediæval--and modern--witch owed much of her existence to the persevering efforts of the early Christian towards the suppression of witchcraft and the witch. It was natural--and indeed praiseworthy--that the prominent features of paganism should be relegated to the realms of darkness by the successors to the pagan empire--the god of one religion inevitably becomes the devil of its supplanter.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This is a historical account assembled under the reporting and publishing conventions of its period. It may preserve testimony, hearsay, retelling and editorial interpretation together.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

A modern comparison can identify recurring descriptions and possible explanations, but the account is not treated as independently verified evidence merely because it appeared in print.

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