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Laws prohibiting various forms of witchcraft and divination can be found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These include the following (as translated in the Revised JPS, 2023 : Exodus 22:18 – "You shall not tolerate a sorceress [ Biblical Hebrew : מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה , romanized: mək̲aššēp̄ā ]."
The Bible sometimes is translated as referring to "necromancer" and "necromancy" (Deuteronomy 18:11). However, some lexicographers, including James Strong and Spiros Zodhiates, disagree. These scholars say that the Hebrew word kashaph (כשפ), used in Exodus 22:18 and 5 other places in the Tanakh comes from a root meaning "to whisper".
Witchcraft is the use of alleged supernatural powers of magic. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic or supernatural powers to inflict harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. [1]
The Malleus Maleficarum, [a] usually translated as the Hammer of Witches, [3] [b] is the best known treatise about witchcraft. [6] [7] It was written by the German Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer (under his Latinized name Henricus Institor) and first published in the German city of Speyer in 1486.
In 1 Samuel 28:4–25, Saul consulted the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:7), [3] who lived in the village, on the evening before the Battle of Gilboa, in which he perished. [ 4 ] According to Psalms 83:9–10 , it was the scene of the rout of Jabin and Sisera [ 4 ] after being defeated by Barak and Deborah in Judges 4–5 .
The Witch of Endor (Biblical Hebrew: בַּעֲלַת־אֹוב בְּעֵין דּוֹר, romanized: baʿălaṯ-ʾōḇ bəʿĒyn Dōr, lit. 'mistress of the ʾōḇ in Endor '), according to the Hebrew Bible , was consulted by Saul to summon the spirit of the prophet Samuel .
In modern stories or fairy tales, the idea of "white witchcraft" is often associated with a kindly grandmother or caring motherly spirit. The link between white magic and a Mother Earth is a regular theme of the practitioner Marian Green 's written work.
Although most victims of the witch trials in early modern Scotland were women, some men were executed as warlocks. [9] [10] [11]In his day, the Scottish mathematician John Napier (1550–1617) was often perceived as a warlock or magician because of his interests in divination and the occult, though his establishment position likely kept him from being prosecuted.