‎"BEKKER, BALTHASAR.‎
‎Die Bezauberte Welt: oder eine gründliche Untersuchung des allgemeinen Aberglaubens, betreffend die Art und das Vermögen, Gewalt und Wirckung des Satans und der bösen Geister über den Menschen, und das diese durch derselben Krafft und Gemeinschaft thu...‎

‎Amsterdam, Daniel von Dahlen, 1693. 4to. Contemp. full calf. Raised bands. Remains of rich gilding on spine. Titlelabel gone. Spineends reinforced. Corners restored. Front inner hinge reinforced. Stamp on title-page. Small woodengraved portrait on title-page. 40,144,270,(2),195,(3),308,(4) pp.. 1 engraved plate (Das Oldenburgische Horn). Light toning throughout, but clean and fine.‎

Reference : 54210

‎First German edition (De Betoverde Weereld,1691) of Bekker's best known work in which he examined critically the phenomena generally ascribed to spiritual agency. He attacked the belief in sorcery and ""possession"" by the devil. Indeed, he questioned the devil's very existence. He applied the doctrine of accommodation to account for the biblical passages traditionally cited on the issue. The book had a sensational effect and was one of the key works of the Early Enlightenment in Europe. It was almost certainly the most controversial. Bekker became a heroic figure defying an army of obscurantists.‎