Only a Christian Deals in Absolutes

Abstract

This thesis will explore the moral status of planetary spirits which have been appropriated from Jewish and Islamic magic traditions into late medieval Middle English manuscripts that deal with necromancy. Through an analysis two manuscripts from that period, this thesis will conclude that late medieval necromancers considered these originally morally grey spirits to be definitively good or evil.

Key terms: Spirit, necromancer, necromancy, angel, demon, daemon, celestial, planetary, magic, ritual