Reference: Magic, Divination, and Sorcery
Hastings
Magic, divination, sorcery, and witchcraft are all connected with belief in superhuman powers, and are methods whereby men endeavour to obtain from these powers knowledge of the future, or assistance in the affairs of life. Belief in magic and divination is most prevalent in the lower stages of civilization and religion. The arts of the magician and the diviner were founded upon the same logical processes as have issued in the development of modern science; but the limits within which deduction would be valid were disregarded, and the data were frequently imperfect. Accidental coincidence was often confused with causal sequence. (See Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, art. 'Divination'). Magic and divination were derived from attempts at reasoning which were very often erroneous; but from such crude beginnings science has slowly grown.
In their beginning these arts were associated with religion; and diviners and magicians were those thought to be most intimately connected with the Deity, and, owing to their superior knowledge of Him and His ways, best able to learn His secrets or secure His aid. Among the Arabs the priest was originally also the soothsayer; the Heb. k
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And as he was revolving the matter in his mind, behold, an angel of the Lord in a dream appeared unto him, saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary for thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
NOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, lo! Magians from the East came to Jerusalem,
And having received warning in a dream not to go back to Herod, they departed into their own country by another road.
And when thou art at prayer, use not vain repetitions, like the heathen: for they imagine that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees addressed him, saying, Master, we desire to see a sign from thee.
AND the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to him, and, to make trial of him, desired him to shew them a sign from heaven.
And all their works they do to be seen of men: they make their phylacteries broad, and deepen the fringes of their garments,
Then, as he was sitting on the tribunal, his wife sent a message to him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that righteous person; for I have suffered much to-day in a dream on his account.
But others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
Then came Jesus again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And there was a certain attendant on the king, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
But a certain man, named Simon, lived previously in that city, who practised magic, and astonished the nation of Samaria, giving out himself as an extraordinary great personage:
But Elymas the magician (for such is his name when interpreted) opposed them, seeking to pervert the proconsul from the faith.
Now it happened as we were going to the oratory, a certain damsel having a pythonic spirit met us, who produced for her masters much gain as a fortuneteller:
Then certain of the Jews, who went about as exorcists, attempted to make mention of the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
And many of those who practised magical arts brought the books, and burned them before all men; and they calculated the prices of them, and found them worth fifty thousand pieces of silver.
idolatry, magical charms, enmities, strifes, jealousies, animosities, quarrels, divisions, heresies,
by the body of his flesh, through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreprehensible in his presence:
But wicked men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and deceived.
and they repented not of their murders, nor of their magical arts, nor of their whoredom, nor of their thefts.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall pitch his tent with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their own God.