This week in Christian history: Salem Witch Trials begin, Ethelbert Talbot dies, pope issues decree on clergy taxes

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, February 25, 2024

Salem Witch Trials begin – Feb. 29, 1692

An 1853 painting by Tompkins Harrison Matteson depicting the examination of an alleged witch during the 17th century Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when the Salem Witch Trials, a series of trials in which several residents of Puritan Massachusetts were convicted of witchcraft and executed, began.

Spurred on by two girls who claimed to have experienced severe illness due to the spiritual practices of some locals, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and a slave named Tituba were the first to face charges.

“By the time the witch hunt ended, nineteen convicted witches were executed,” noted the website Famous Trials. “About one to two hundred other persons were arrested and imprisoned on witchcraft charges.”

“The witches disappeared, but witch hunting in America did not. Each generation must learn the lessons of history or risk repeating its mistakes. Salem should warn us to think hard about how to best safeguard and improve our system of justice.”