Jacob Sprenger facts for kids
Jacob Sprenger (born around 1436 or 1438 – died 1495) was a Dominican priest and teacher. He is mainly known for his link to a famous book from 1486 called Malleus Maleficarum. This book was a guide for people who investigated witchcraft. Sprenger was born in Rheinfelden, which was then part of Further Austria. He taught at the University of Cologne and passed away in Strasbourg in 1495.
Contents
The Dominican Order
Becoming a Dominican
Sprenger joined the Dominican Order in Rheinfelden in 1452. He was very dedicated to improving the order. In 1474, he started a group called the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary in Strasbourg.
A Respected Teacher
Jacob Sprenger became a Master of Theology, which is a high degree in religious studies. In 1480, he became the Dean of the Theology Department at the University of Cologne. He was a very popular teacher there.
Working as an Inquisitor
In 1481, Sprenger was chosen to be an Inquisitor for the areas of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne. An inquisitor was a church official who investigated religious crimes. This job meant he had to travel a lot across a very large area.
Connection to Malleus Maleficarum
Jacob Sprenger's name was mentioned alongside Heinrich Kramer in a special letter from Pope Innocent VIII in 1484. This letter was called Summis desiderantes. It was later printed again in the well-known book Malleus Maleficarum. After 1519, all new versions of the book listed Sprenger as a co-author with Heinrich Kramer.
Some people have said that Sprenger was not actually involved in any witchcraft investigations himself. They also believe that he and Kramer did not get along well. Some experts now think that Sprenger's name was added to Malleus Maleficarum mostly because Kramer wanted his book to seem more official and important.
Friedrich Spee's View
In 1631, a writer named Friedrich Spee wrote a book that disagreed with Malleus Maleficarum. Spee's book focused on the idea that many accused people were innocent. He said that "Jacob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer" were the authors of Malleus Maleficarum. Even though Spee was a Jesuit (a different religious order) and wrote his book much later, both he and Sprenger were theology professors in Cologne. They also traveled in many of the same regions. Some of Spee's fellow professors in Cologne were upset by his book. They thought it should be banned. This suggests that the book with Sprenger's name on it did become quite influential among Catholic teachers in Cologne.
Influence on Witchcraft Beliefs
The book Malleus Maleficarum was very influential. For example, Increase Mather, who was the President of Harvard University and a Puritan leader, mentioned "Sprenger" when talking about Malleus Maleficarum. He did this in a book he published in 1684 that supported witch-hunting. He also mentioned it in another book from 1692, the same year as the Salem Witch Trials. Mather wrote, "Witches have often (as Sprenger observes) desired that they might stand or fall by this trial by hot iron, and sometimes come off well." This shows how Sprenger's name, linked to the book, was used to support beliefs about witchcraft.
See also
In Spanish: Jakob Sprenger para niños
