Spells, Sorcerers and Spirits: Magic and the Occult in the Bible

Cultures, for as long as we have had history, have had some sense of magic. This book contends that some of it, at least, is real; it describes what that is, and why the Bible is so negative about it. However, to say 'magic is real' in our contemporary culture could be very misleading. In fact, wrong. For what our culture thinks of as 'magic' - as vague and diffuse as that is - is likely to be very different from what was practised in the Ancient Near East (the things that modern English translations of the Old Testament call, for instance, sorcery or witchcraft) or in the Greco-Roman world (what the New Testament calls magic). It also may be very different from what is called 'magic' or 'witchcraft' in animistic or ancestor-worshipping cultures today. This book unpacks the background and explores the implications of the biblical teaching about the supernatural. There is a supernatural world, and it contains more than just God in Trinity; but Christians should not be afraid of it. Kirsten Birkett is a theological writer and author of numerous books and articles. She previously lectured at Oak Hill Theological College in pastoral care, church history, philosophy and ethics. Kirsten has been a Research Fellow with the Latimer Trust, and Associate Minister of an Anglican parish in London. She is the author of several books, including The Essence of Darwinism (Matthias Media, 2001), The Essence of Feminism (Matthias Media, 2003), and Living Without Fear (2022). She lives in the north of England.