Clergy, Discipline, and the Salem Witch-Hunt: Popular Stereotypes vs. 17th Century Ecclesiology

Abstract

ABSTRACT The so-called “Salem” Witch-hunts of 1692 involved 141 accused from 23 different New England towns. That year 20 were executed for witchcraft (19 hanged, and one crushed to death during torture/interrogation). This article will examine two types of excommunication performed in 1692: one imposed as a punitive act by the Salem Village Church's minister and the other as a voluntary protest by three petitioning church members. The Puritan Church's disciplinary processes in fact led to exoneration and restitution.