Magic in Malta : Sellem Bin al-Sheikh Mansur and the Roman Inquisition, 1605 / edited by Alexander Mallett, Catherine Rider, Dionisius A. Agius.

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2022]

xviii, 593 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm.

One facing page translation with Italian on the versos and English on the rectos; commentary in English; supplementary texts in Italian and Arabic.

"In this volume, a microhistorical approach is employed to provide a transcription, translation, and case-study of the proceedings (written in Latin, Italian and Arabic) of the Roman Inquisition on Malta's 1605 trial of the 'Moorish' slave Sellem Bin al-Sheikh Mansur, who was accused and found guilty of practising magic and teaching it to the local Christians. Through both a detailed commentary and individual case-studies, it assesses what these proceedings reflect about religion, society, and politics both on Malta and more widely across the Mediterranean in the early 17th century. In so doing, this inter- and multi-disciplinary project speaks to a wide range of subjects, including magic, Christian-Muslim relations, slavery, Maltese social history, Mediterranean history, and the Roman Inquisition. It will be of interest to both students and researchers who study any of these subjects, and will help demonstrate the richness and potential of the documents in the Maltese archives"-- Provided by publisher.

Online version: Magic in Malta Leiden,The Netherlands ; Boston : Brill, [2022]

English; Italian; Arabic

October 04, 2022

Islamic history and civilization, volume 185.

Includes bibliographical references and index.