John Hale (minister)
John Hale (June 3, 1636 – May 15, 1700) was the Puritan pastor of Beverly, Massachusetts, and took part in the Salem witch trials in 1692. He was one of the most prominent and influential ministers associated with the witch trials, being noted as having initially supported the trials and then changing his mind and publishing a critique of them.
The Reverend John Hale | |
|---|---|
Title page of A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft by John Hale
(Boston, 1702) | |
| Born | John Hale June 3, 1636 Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony |
| Died | May 15, 1700 (aged 63) Salem, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Education | Harvard College |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Known for | Minister associated with the Salem witch trials |
| Spouses | Rebecca Byles
(m. 1664; died 1683)Sarah Noyes (m. 1656–1697) |
His book, A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft was published posthumously, two years after his death. The book provides an alternative Christian theory for what actually happened in Salem in 1692, with Hale theorizing that demons impersonated the accused and appeared in their forms to the afflicted. He most likely changed his views about those executed for "being witches" due to the fact that his own wife was accused as being a witch, though never prosecuted.