"Idolatry and reprobate infidelity": divination before the Reformation -- "A hellish trap": divination in early Reformation theology -- "Unchristian and devilish crimes": soothsaying and early Lutheran disciplinary efforts -- "Heathenish and forbidden abominations": condemnations of fortune-telling during the wars of religion -- "Born under an unlucky sign": cunning folk and their clients in an age of witch-hunting -- "Superstitious activities": elite skepticism and folk magic in Enlightenment-era Germany.
Summary
"The Devil's Art explores the Lutheran clergy's campaign to root out popular divination among their parishioners in the wake of the Reformation and why these efforts ultimately failed"-- Provided by publisher.