11. Magic and the Early Church
The early Church was at times not unfavorable
to magic. Thus Origen, in his commentary on
Genesis (cited in Eusebius,
Prceparatio Evangelica,
book VI., chap. xi., Eng. transl., i. 280 sqq.,
Oxford,
1903), drew a distinction between divine and demonic astrology, and in his polemic against Celsus
ascribed a' certain reality and justification to the
power of those who healed through magic. It was
especially the Christian Alexandrians who expressed
such views, following, on the one hand, such Hellenistic predecessors as Philo, and, on the other,
such neo-Platonic philosophers as
Iamblichua and Synesius, one of the
earliest sources of this nature being
the philastrological dialogue known as
Hermippua (Anonymi Christians Her
mippus de astrologic dialogus,
ed. W.
Knoll and P. Viereck, Leipsic,1895), which probably
dates from the fifth or sixth century. The New
Testament, however, except for the reference to
the "wise men from the East," which was regarded
as the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy (Ps. Lzaii.
10, 15; Isa. Ix. 1 sqq.), was unfavorable to magic.
Thus the Samaritan Simon is characterized as a
false prophet, as is the Jew Bar-Jesus, who is termed
a "child of the devil"
(Acts viii. 9-11, xiii. 6-11).
The tractate of "The Two Ways" at the beginning
of the Didache (q.v.) and at the close of the epistle
of Barnabas contains an
explicit warning against
magic, which is ranked with witchcraft, idolatry,
drunkenness, impurity, and infanticide. After the
middle of the second century the Gnostics were con
demned by the Church Fathers as the representa
tives of accursed magic arts, and Irenaeus traced all
heretical Gnosticism back to Simon Magus. The
same charge of magic was made against Menan
der, the Carpocratians, the Marcosiana, the Elke
saites, the Ophitea, and heretics of every description.
Side by side with this gnostic magic ran the
ancient pagan belief in the power of witchcraft.
After the beginning of the fourth century influen
tial heads of the neo-Platonic school sought to ex
tend both theurgic and mantic magic, and the op
posing measures of such Christian emperors as
Constantine, Valentinian L, Valens, and Theo
dosius I. had but temporary efficacy. Even during
the centuries of the barbarian ware the aid of Tus
can magicians was repeatedly sought, despite the
fulminations of Church Fathers like Ephraem Sy
rus, Isaac of Antioch, Chrysostom, Augustine,
Gregory the Great, and Isidore of Seville.
12. Medieval Magic
magic pentagram, the
Shem ha-Mepho
rash,
and the Agla. Innumerable
ecclesiastical prohibitions failed to crush
magic, though the early disapproval of witchcraft
as a foolish superstition
gradually developed, after
the period of the crusades, into attacks upon a
crass belief in witches and the devil. With his
adoption of the later view Thomas Aquinas
prepared the way for the bull issued against witches by
Innocent VIII. in 1484 and for the Omnipoteruia of
Gregory XV. in 1623, which condemned magic resulting in death to punishment by the secular arm
and requited minor magic injuries with imprisonment for life. The freedom of thought and dootrine prevailing from the time of the Reformation
gradually destroyed belief in devils and demons,
while it developed medicine and surgery from the
magic art of healing and the doctrines of Paracelsus, sad evolved astronomy from astrology, and
chemistry and physics from alchemy and the hermetic art.
The term "black magic" has been applied, especially by the humanists and during the period of
the Reformation, to the practise of these occult
sciences which profess to invoke the
aid of evil spirits or to make a compact with the devil. The
