Since practically the beginning of time, as early as 9 C.E. there has been the belief of God. Along with that belief, there was the belief of the Antichrist, or the Devil and his minions, commonly known as Witches, warlocks, and sorcerers. These words have many different meanings attached to them, however each basically mean that they are a group of people who share a common belief system which opposes that of the Roman Catholic …showed first 75 words of 814 total…

…showed last 75 words of 814 total…hunts whole heartedly. This support has been clearly documented in several written documents, particularly in Summis Desiderantes, which was written by the pope in 1484. It clearly states the pope's blessings and an encouragement to witch-hunting. This document alone was not enough for German inquisitors, therefore they composed a handbook which stated the code of procedure for detection and persecution of witches. It was published in 1486, under the title Malleus Maleficarium, or The Hammer of Witches.