Renaissance Christian skepticism and demonology

Giovan Francesco Pico della Mirandola

1470 – 1533

Giovanni Francesco Pico della Mirandola was an Italian nobleman, philosopher, and nephew of the famous Giovanni Pico, who authored Examen Vanitatis Doctrinae Gentium (1520), the first systematic presentation of Greek skepticism in the modern era, and Strix (1523), a rigorous defense of witch-hunting written after presiding over trials that executed ten accused witches. A devoted follower of Savonarola, he subordinated philosophy entirely to Christian scripture, making his work essential for understanding the Renaissance nexus of humanist learning and witch persecution.