I found this great review of a scholarly look at all the magical
shenanigans in the Bible. There are a lot of divinations and wonder
workings for a document that forbids magic so harshly. Joseph practices
oneiromancy, the divination of dreams, and he's the hero, so its not
forbidden. Moses has a wizard battle with the Pharoah's wizard's and
works the same wonders as the Egyptian magicians. Jesus does some faith
healing, some necromancy (raising the dead), and goes on to perform the
multiplying fishes and loaves, then closes with the classic water to
wine trick. Then he turns to the camera and says "all that I have done,
you shall do, and more!". There are many schools of Jewish and Christian
Occultism such as the Rosicrucians.
The five page article is here: FindArticles - Magic and the Bible reconsidered Judaism, Summer-Fall, 2005, by Alex Jassen
Here's a nice passage that sums things up:
"Deuteronomy 18:9-14, with its outright condemnation of magic,
divination, and necromancy, often serves as the starting point for the
study of magic in the Hebrew Bible and in later Judaism and
Christianity. The Deuteronomic prohibition of magic and all associated
phenomena, however, does not attempt to define any of these magical
acts. Later biblical texts are equally inconsistent in their
understanding of what exactly falls under the rubric of Deuteronomy's
prohibited magic. For example, 1 Samuel 28 narrates how Saul solicits
the aid of a necromancer in order to consult the now dead Samuel. In
presenting the actions of the necromancer, the text clearly identifies
her behavior as a flagrant violation of the Deuteronomic strictures. At
the same time, the stories of Elijah and Elisha are replete with
examples of many wondrous deeds that could easily be classified as
magical phenomena. For example, Elijah and Elisha raise people from the
dead (1 Kings 17:17-24; cf. 2 Kings 13:20-21), foretell the future
through the use of signs (2 Kings 13:14-19), and perform other
supernatural acts (1 Kings 17:7-16). Never, however, are Elijah and
Elisha condemned as soothsayers nor is their behavior classified as a
violation of Deuteronomy."
...
"D. Marguerat's study on "Magic and Miracle in the Acts of the
Apostles" demonstrates how Luke (the putative author of Acts) was very
aware of the sociologically dictated distinction between magic and
miracle. In the Roman world, Marguerat observes, supernatural healing
was often viewed as magical phenomena. Seeking to ensure that his
audience recognizes apostolic healing as a divinely inspired miracle,
Luke carefully structures healing narratives such that any confusion is
quickly dissolved by the clarifying apostolic word. This stands in
contrast to the apostolic opponents who are consistently identified as
magicians (see Acts 8:9-13, 18-24; 13:6-12)."
Originally posted by Ian Woolf
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