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Mary Schweidler was the daughter of the Reverend Schweidler. Schweidler was purported to be a 17th century pastor of Coserow, in the Island of Usedom, famous for his fire and brimstone sermons. Meinhold was urged by his church leaders to publish The Amber Witch as an instructional tool.
When it first appeared almost all of the German critics believed it to have been an authentic historical document. It is only in a later edition that the author admitted it to be entirely a work of imagination.
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The author's intention was "as a trap for the disciples of David Straussand his school who pronounced the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, to be a collection of legends from historical research assisted by "internal evidence".
In a direct challenge to the "modern documentary critics" he writes:
"This I have done with much trouble, and after many ineffectual attempts; but I refrain from pointing out the particular passages which I have supplied, so as not to disturb the historical interest of the greater part of my readers. For modern criticism, which has now attained to a degree of acuteness never before equalled, such a confession would be entirely superfluous, as critics will easily distinguish the passages where Pastor Schweidler speaks from those written by Pastor Meinhold." (From the Introduction to The Amber Witch)
The work met with the most complete success, the book was received with high commendation as a medievaldocument happily brought to light. It soon attracted critical interest; a sharp argument soon arose as to the extent of Pastor Meinhold's "editorial additions" and which passages were original and which only good imitations. The discussion soon became a literary tempest in a teapot.
Meinhold observed a strict silence for months; then he abruptly announced that "Maria Scweidler, the Amber-Witch" was a total fabrication and that he had written the whole story. It is interesting to note that Meinhold's confession was at first rejected although he soon proved the story to be indeed a result of his scholarship and quaint imagination.
He had desired to prove to the learned Biblical critics of the date (it was the time of the attacks of Strauss and Bauron the authenticity of certain books of the Scriptures) how untrustworthy was their reasoning, from purely internal evidence, as to the sources of the Canon.
Meinhold did not spare them when they fell into his snare and made merry with the historical knowledge and critical acumen that could not detect the contemporary romancer under the mask of two centuries ago, while they decide so positively as to the authorities of the most ancient writings in the world.
The book was originally written and printed in German. It was translated into English by Lady Duff-Gordon and republished in 1861.In fact, the translation was so well done that she was credited with authorship of the story and the existence of the German original denied. Thus resulting in a double deception.
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