Tales of Faustian-like episodes are not limited to the past couple of centuries.
Accounts of men signing deals with the devil have been recounted since before
the Reformation. Most of the time, the party accused of associating with the
devil was forgiven by God and not sentenced to fulfill his contract. It was
believed by some, that to conjure up a demon that could be controlled through
Jesus was an act of faith- and as such could be used for noble purposes. The
first Christian era account of a man courting the help of Satan occurred during
the 4th century. According to legend, Senator Proterius of Caesarea needed
Satan’s help to gain his master’s daughter’s hand in marriage. Fortunately
for him, his soul was saved by the prayers of St. Basil. Another account of a
deal with the devil occurred in1200’s. Theophilus worked in the Episcopal
Church. When the bishop of the church died, the new bishop fired Theophilus. In
order to get revenge, Theophilus entered a pact with the devil, with the help of
a Jewish sorcerer, and renounced his allegiance to Jesus, Mary, and the church.
He later repented- Jesus forgave him and Mary retrieved Theophilus’s IOU from
the devil. He died in peace 3 days later. The Faust legend of the sixteenth
century took place during an era of exploding scientific knowledge; polarization
of good and evil; the fragmentation of Christian unity; the dying of the
medieval world, and geometrically escalating uncertainty. During the early part
of the 16th century, Johann Sabellicus, also known as George Faust, was a noted
magician throughout the German lands. The earliest record we have of him can be
traced to a letter written by Johannes Trithemius of Sponheim in 1507, in which
he was accused of molesting several boys while teaching at Kreuznach. He was
described as a blasphemous, con man who should be whipped. Records from 1509
indicate Faust may have next gone to the University of Heidelber. After studying
the magical arts in Cracow, he surfaced in Erfurt in 1513. In 1516 he stayed in
the Maulbronn monastery with Abbot Johannes Entenful, possibly by promising the
gold he would produce in an alchemist’s lab. A few years later, Faust was a
popular lecturer on Homer, using such tricks as a magic lantern or a camera
obscura. In 1520 the Franciscan friar Dr. Klinge tried to convince Faust of his
sinful ways. Faust rejected the monk’s offer to repent and admitted to signing
a pact with the devil in blood. The monk assured Faust that he wold go to hell
for refusing his help. In 1527 Faust moved to Wittenberg, but was expelled for
his bad reputation. In 1528 he was kicked out of Ingolstadt and in 1532 he was
refused safe conduct in Nuremburg. Although many references were made to his
extraordinary gifts, his rejection and alienation increased, as he was labeled a
Satanist, blasphemer and heretic by Catholics and Lutherans. A couple of
positive notes about Faust- Leonhart ThurnmeiBer von Thurn called him a “true
philosopher who had the ability to effect genuine transformations and to
transport people across great distances and times.” The Waldeck Chronicle
reported that Dr. Faust had correctly predicted that the forces of the Bishop of
Munster on the night of June 25, 1535. Interesting note- Martin Luther is quoted
as saying that he was not afraid of the sorcerer Faust “with God as” his
“protector”. & Although he did have a bad reputation, it is reported
that many of the great minds of his day sought his acquaintance. In 1539 Faust
was referred to, by the City Physician of Worms, as an arrogant swindler; but
the very next year Phillipp von Hutten wrote that Faust had been correct in his
predictions concerning Philipp’s expeditions. Faust died in 1540 (or 41)
probably in Wurthenberg or Regensburg, contrary to legend’s account of his
terrible end near Wittenberg.

Bibliography
The Ecole Initiative: Pacts with the Devil: Faust and Precursors. June 24,
200. 6:34 p.m. http://www.usao.edu/~facshaferi/FAUST.HTML