"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (Exodus 22:18)

[Pythagoras]

Discuss.

[guacamole]

Well. Whenever I play wargames I tend to go for the spell casters and support units first. Usually I spill pop on the battle field after that because I get excited.

Hows that? Maybe if you directed the discussion a little more?

[flipper]

It was a grammatical error. A more accurate transcription of the text would be:

"Thou shalt not suffer, a witch to live." It's a Hebrew saying that's the equivalent of "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

Guacamole is right, however. Especially in games like Warcraft. You don't want to leave those undead spellcaster units alone for long, or you'll quickly come to regret it.

[technomage]

Guac, Flipper, you two are great! Pearls to you both!

[studyhound]

Discuss.

It means get the green wood......:burn:

J/K

[yxboom]

Guacamole is right, however. Especially in games like Warcraft. You don't want to leave those undead spellcaster units alone for long, or you'll quickly come to regret it.

WhosYourDaddy

[technomage]

OK, jokes to the side.

Pure and simple, the Israelites were not to tolerate witches in the Covenant Community. Witch (haKashaph) comes from a root meaning "To murmer or to mutter"--ie, to cast a spell.

[yxboom]

OK, jokes to the side.

Pure and simple, the Israelites were not to tolerate witches in the Covenant Community. Witch (haKashaph) comes from a root meaning "To murmer or to mutter"--ie, to cast a spell.

the smiley in your sig doesn't seem to murmur very well.

[technomage]

the smiley in your sig doesn't seem to murmur very well.

He's practicing for the ventriloquism contest next month. See, he can murmer all day ... and his lips never move!

Justin

[Heathen Dawn]

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (Exodus 22:18)

Discuss.

Which literally translated is:

“Thou shalt not leave a sorceress alive.”

As for the decree, well, what can I say? Just as the world is chafing under the yoke of the inhuman decrees of the Qur’an, which are the source of all the veilings and stonings and terrorist attacks, so too humanity has yet to dislodge itself from the view of such scriptures as infallibly authoritative. It’s one of the reasons why I hold to nulla scriptura.

[Sacrificial Ram]

Which literally translated is:

“Thou shalt not leave a sorceress alive.”

As for the decree, well, what can I say? Just as the world is chafing under the yoke of the inhuman decrees of the Qur’an, which are the source of all the veilings and stonings and terrorist attacks, so too humanity has yet to dislodge itself from the view of such scriptures as infallibly authoritative. It’s one of the reasons why I hold to nulla scriptura.

I believe it actually refers to someone who fortune tells by contacting the spirits of the dead.

[guacamole]

Well, as long as we are offering out pet interpretations of the passage:

I think it refers to "witchcraft" as the practice of erotic magic as an essential part of temple prostitution as practiced by various near eastern religions at the time- especially fertillity based religions.

fwiw
guac.

[technomage]

I believe it actually refers to someone who fortune tells by contacting the spirits of the dead.

Hi, SacRam,

That's a completely different word in Hebrew--"'esheth ba'alath," or "woman who owns a spirit."

I think it refers to "witchcraft" as the practice of erotic magic as an essential part of temple prostitution as practiced by various near eastern religions at the time- especially fertillity based religions.

Hmmm ... Not really. The closest word I can think of to Kashshaph is the Babylonian "kispu," which is translated as "curse" in the Code of Hammurabi.

The AME concept of "witch" was not a negative concept in and of itself: the "witch" (could be male or female) worked magic, which could be beneficial or malefical. This magic was performed by incantation and a variety of props ranging from mud disks with writing or sigils on it to bells, incense, or clay poppets. A large part of the "beneficial" magic that witches did was related to exorcisms for disease or ill fortune.

There was no "sex magic," per se--that was a later invention that came to Europe from the Far East during the Colonial Age. There was ritual sex as part of certain temple rites, but this was not "magic," and most especially was not "witchcraft." "Harimtu," the Akkadian word for prostitute, is not related to the practices of the witches or to the ritual sex of the temples.

Indeed, the term "sacred prostitute" is more than a bit of a misnomer: ANE sources do not cite sacred prostitutes. Harimtu (and similar words in related languages) frequently worked from taverns or the like.

Justin

[Pythagoras]

Here's more:

Dt. 18:10

"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interpretes omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, ...."

Dt. 18: 14,

"The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so."

[spl_cadet]

Seems pretty simple to me. Find a witch, have a bonfire.

Though I suspect the EPA would be upset if anyone tried to carry out such a thing