Originally posted by standingfirminChrist:
Amazing!
Witchcraft started back in the 20th Century? Then Saul did not have a witch summon up Samuel? And why in the world was a witchcraft mentioned in the Old Testament?
There have been pagan idols, gods and goddesses spoken of by the prophets throughout the Old and New Testaments, yet I guess they never existed either.
SFIC, did you read what others said explaining my post?
There is no Hebrew word for witchcraft because such a concept did not exist then - the Hebrew words translated as "witchcraft" usually meant poisoner, enchanter, or diviner. Those Hebrew words do not translate one on one into English because the cultural practices of the occult sometimes vary and overlap.
The words used for "witchcraft" refer to generic occult practices. In other words, for a long time, the word "witch" meant someone who practices occult arts (and in some culture, the word is still used that way today), not a religion.
However, the modern religion of Witchcraft started in the 20th century. Those who started it claimed they were reviving the ancient religions of witchcraft, but no such ancient religion existed.
The worship of gods and goddesses did exist in the OT - but that was not the same as modern Witchcraft though there is similarity in that both often worship many godes. The concept of the Triple Goddess came about in the 1940's as I explained.
So we are talking about 3 things here:
1. OT pagan worship of many gods
2. The generic practice of witchcraft, which means various occult practices (casting spells, magical potions, spirit contact, etc).
3. The modern religion of Witchcraft (also called Wicca) which started in the 20th century. Although modern Witches do practice some occult practices, what is identified today as the religion of Witchcraft, along with their symbols, did not exist as such before the 20th century.
It is confusing and I hope I explained it.
