During the Reformation period, witchcraft trials were held throughout Europe by officials of both the Roman Catholic Church and the newly emerging Protestant faiths. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII issued an official order, called a papal bull, that ordered the eradication of witches and other heathens. Although many such documents had previously been released, the Papal Bull of 1484 was aided by the printing press, which rapidly spread information about so-called witches throughout Europe. The printing press also facilitated the mass publication of more than thirty scholarly works on witchcraft...