Medicine, Religion, and Magic in Early Stuart England

“A compelling study… . This volume informs the eventual separation of religion and magic.”

—G. M. Smith Choice

“A thoughtful and comprehensive intellectual biography of Richard Napier. The book will be of great use to scholars and students for its clear introductions to complex topics, such as early modern astrology and the occult. The book also illuminates the fascinating mental world of Napier, which offers rich insights into beliefs and practices of the age.”

—Olivia Weisser Bulletin of the History of Medicine

“A provocative intellectual biography.”

—Ryan J. Stark Renaissance Quarterly

“Hadass has performed an incredibly helpful service in bringing Napier and his records to light.”

—Gary K. Waite Canadian Journal of History / Annales canadiennes d’histoire

“Hadass successfully explores the interaction of astrological, magical, and angelic divination with theological understandings in the work of Richard Napier, providing for the first time a rounded view of this Anglican priest-physician and an invaluable guide to those wishing to use Napier’s uniquely rich collection of manuscripts.”

—Jonathan Barry, author of Witchcraft and Demonology in South-West England, 1640–1789

“Illuminating and effective, making a learned and worthwhile contribution to our understanding of early modern magic and its religious milieu.”

—Michael Hunter Journal of Ecclesiastical History

“Part biography, part analysis of Napier’s work, this volume is valuable for deepening our understanding of the ways authority and knowledge were conceived in the early modern period, and how this fed into both the theological and medical spheres.”

—Sarah Waters The Seventeenth Century

Ofer Hadass is Director of Technology at the Division of Health Insurances of Clalit Health Services and Research Fellow at the Center for Health, Humanism, and Society, Ben Gurion University of the Negev.