The Hammer of Witches

[TT] THIRD, the same truth is explained through the Devil's workings on the male member, and in order for the truth of this matter to become more evident, it is asked whether sorceresses are able to take away male members really and truly through the virtue of demons or merely through an appearance caused by conjuring.

[AG 1] It is argued by an a fortiori argument that they can really and truly do so. Demons have greater powers, such as that of killing people or moving them in location, as was explained above in the case of Job and the killing of the seven husbands in Tobias. Therefore, they can also really and truly take away the limbs of a man.

[AG 2] Also, the gloss on the passage “inflictions by evil angels” (a psalm [77:49]) says, “God punishes through evil angels” in the same way that He often punished the people of Israel by really and truly inflicting various debilitating diseases on their bodies. Therefore, he can also inflict such illnesses on that member. If someone says that he has this power by God's permission, then in that case it was said in the preceding questions that God gives greater permission for the power to procreate to be affected by sorcery because of the first corruption of sin that descends to us through the act of begetting, and therefore He also gives greater permission concerning the member used in the faculty of procreation, so that the demon takes it away entirely.

[AG 3] Also, the transformation of Lot's wife into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19[:26]) was a greater act than that of taking away the male member, but that was a real and true change and not a merely apparent one, since that pillar can still be seen, as is reported. This transformation was performed by an evil angel, just as the people felt the compulsion of the good angels, who had previously struck them with blindness, in order that they would not be able to find the door of the house.