The Bedevilment of Elizabeth Lorentz

Download or read book The Bedevilment of Elizabeth Lorentz written by Peter A. Morton and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2018-11-23 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elizabeth Lorentz was a young maid servant in early modern Germany who believed herself to be tormented by the devil, and who was eventually brought to trial in 1667. The trial grappled with the question of whether Lorentz was a willing accomplice of the devil or suffering from melancholy as a result of her previous sins. To provide readers with historical context, Morton includes an introduction to the early modern issues of demonic pact, possession, and spiritual melancholy, and as a supplement, a contemporary record of demonic possession of another young woman. The Bedevilment of Elizabeth Lorentz provides excellent insight into the complexities of Protestant attitudes to melancholy and the Devil, and into the circumstances of young women in early modern Europe.