Doctor Who Series 11: 10 Huge Questions We Are Asking After The Witchfinders
8. What Was That Book?
King James is, of course, most famous for commissioning the King James English translation of the Bible. A fact referenced at various points in the episode. But he also wrote an influential manual on the devil and his evil hordes entitled Daemonologie. The Doctor spots that very book among Becka’s possessions. She gives a quizzical look which doesn’t really go anywhere. Perhaps it’s an editing failure or a foreshadowing of something to come, but for the viewer unaware of the historical significance of the book it might have seemed a rather odd detail.
The book offers a fascinating insight into the theological justification for the witch trials in the seventeenth century and outline some of the methods that could be used to identify a witch. James goes into great detail about the various types of demons that could be let loose on the earth and one could be forgiven for thinking he believed more in the existence of the devil than of god.
The book also includes references to other mythical creatures of popular folklore, from vampires to werewolves. All of them are believed to have satanic roots, making this an ideological assault on any non-Christian traditions. It’s with no small irony then that the Doctor uses his own Christian beliefs against him by citing the New Testament call to ‘love thy neighbour’.