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Malleus Maleficarum on the Nephilim

Malleus Maleficarum / Hammer of the Witches is a text designed to discern issues pertaining to witchcraft and how to go about prosecution of them. It was penned in 1486 AD by Heinrich Kramer.

Part 1, Question III is titled, “Whether Children can be Generated by Incubi and Succubi.” Incubi and Succubi are terms which referred to presumably male and presumably female entities that tormented and sought to possess humans often via sensual and sexual means.

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The chapter notes:

…Augustine, On the Trinity, III, says that devils do indeed collect human semen, by means of which they are able to produce bodily effects; but this cannot be done without some local movement, therefore demons can transfer semen which they have collected and inject it into the bodies of others.

But, as Walafrid Strabo says in his commentary upon Exodus vii, II: And Pharao called the wise men and the magicians: Devils go about the earth collecting every sort of seed, and can by working upon them broadcast various species. See also the gloss on those words (Pharao called).

And again in Genesis vi the gloss makes two comments on the words: And the sons of God saw the daughters of men. First, that by the sons of God are meant the sons of Seth, and by the daughters of men, the daughters of Cain. Second, that Giants were created not by some incredibly act of men, but by certain devils, which are shameless towards women.
For the Bible says, Giants were upon the earth. Moreover, even after the Flood the bodies not only of men, but also of women, were pre-eminently and incredibly beautiful…

…question arises in the Scriptures, where it is asked whether evil angels lay with the daughters of men, and thereby the earth was then filled with giants, that is to say, preternaturally big and strong men. But he [Augustine] settles the question in in [De Ciuitate Dei / The City of God] Book 5, chapter 23, in these words:

It is a very general belief, the truth of which is vouched for by many from their own experience, or at least from heresay as having been experienced by men of undoubted trustworthiness, that Satyrs and Fauns (which are commonly called Incubi) have appeared to wanton women and have sought and obtained coition with them. And that certain devils (which the Gauls call Dusii) assiduously attempt and achieve this filthiness is vouched for by so many credible witness that it would seem impudent to deny it.

Later in the same book he settles the second contention, namely, that the passage in Genesis about the sons of God (that is Seth) and the daughters of men (that is Cain) does not speak only of Incubi, since the existence of such is not credible.

In this connexion there is the gloss which we have touched upon before. He says that it is not outside belief that the Giants of whom the Scripture speaks were begotten not by men, but by Angels or certain devils who lust after women.

For reasons elucidate in Heinrich Kramer went wrong on this point by relying on Augustine as Augustine disregarded the original and therefore ancient Jewish and early church interpretation of the Genesis 6 affair and did so via mistaken notions about Angels.

The Bible knows nothing about devils collecting or transferring semen. Heinrich Kramer favorably cites Augustine’s view that the sons of God are sons of Seth and daughters of men are daughters of Cain. One question to ask of this misinterpretation is why only one gender from each lineage? Also, how would two human lineages produce a race of giants? Well, Kramer and/or Augustine claim, without much elucidation, that giants did not result, at least not directly, “by some incredibly act of men, but by certain devils” well, yes, “devils” who are the sons of God who are fallen Angels.

Note that Kramer and Augustine are aware of the, original, ancient and thus commonly known view that “evil angels lay with the daughters of men” but take the Sethite and Cainite view even though it is noted that Augustine “says that it is not outside belief that the Giants of whom the Scripture speaks were begotten not by men, but by Angels or certain devils who lust after women.”

For details on Augustine’s views, see the aforementioned Augustine of Hippo on the Nephilim.


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