Biblical teachings about Witchcraft
Many conservative Christians believe that the Bible contains many specific condemnations of Witchcraft. Further, some believe that these denunciations apply to Wicca today.
One frequently quoted verse from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) is Exodus 22:18. The original Hebrew manuscript uses the word "m'khashepah" -- a woman who uses spoken spells to harm others typically by causing their death or loss of property. It is mistranslated:
* In the King James Version as "Thou shalt not allow a witch to live."
* In the Revised English Bible as: "You must not allow a witch to live."
Unfortunately, the word "Witch" has at least 19 different meanings -- some mutually exclusive. In North America, the term frequently refers to Wiccans -- the followers of the Wiccan religion. According to the Scofield Reference Bible this verse was written in the year 1491 BCE. This is some 650 years before the origin of the Celtic people from whom the oldest elements of Wicca were taken. So Exodus 22:18 can hardly be referring to Wiccans.
Unfortunately, the translators of the Revised English Bible did not appear to care about any potential injury that their translation might cause to Wiccans. They inserted many footnotes on the page where this verse appears, but none clarify the meaning of Exodus 22:18.
Other mistranslations include:
* The Good News Bible. It lets men off the hook by using the phrase "woman who practices magic."
* The New Century Version uses the phrase "evil magic"
These are also poor translations because of the ambiguity of the word "magic" in today's world.
Most modern translations use "sorceress" or "evil sorceress." But the King James Version remains in very common use by conservative Protestants and thus continues causes grief to some Wiccans.
Clearly, the term "evil sorceress" would be a good translation into today's English. It is found in most of the dozens of other English translations of the Bible not mentioned above.
Another verse in the Hebrew Scriptures that contains "m'khashepah" is Deuteronomy 18:10-11
Two similarly mistranslated passages from the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) are Galatians 5:19-20 and Revelation 21:8. The Greek word that is translated here as "witch" is unrelated to Wicca. It would be better translated as "one who concocts potions to kill people," or simply "poisoner." Such activity by Wiccans is, of course, clearly prohibited by their Wiccan Rede which does not allow believers to harm, manipulate, control or dominate other people. So the references to "witch" in some translations of the Christian Scriptions cannot refer to Wiccans.
Conclusion: It may be safely concluded that references to Witch and Witchcraft in some English translations of the Bible are unrelated to Wicca.
Downloadable books (free):
Allen Putnam - Mesmerism Spiritualism Witchcraft And MiracleBjarke Folner - Theoretical Foundations Of Witchcraft And Demonological Development
Summers Montague - The History Of Witchcraft And Demonology
