IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON May 26, 2008 Issue

ONE ADVERSARY WITH MANY TACTICS, ALL DEFEATED

BENJAMIN F. GLADDEN

THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE, necromancy is condemned, often strongly. It is generally understood to be the practice of consulting with the spirits of the dead to obtain information about future events. The belief that such spirits possessed knowledge about the future was common in ancient cultures. However, necromancy's broader meaning simply refers to the practice of magic in general.

As I studied this week's Bible Lesson, titled "Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism, Denounced," I noticed that every section included a Biblical story illustrating how individuals overcame and defeated adversaries who deceived people through their "many inventions" (Section I, citation 2, Science and Health). By relying on spiritual understanding, these people gained freedom for themselves and others. The phrase "many inventions" may allude to a verse in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes: "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (7:29).

The Hebrew word translated adversaries in much of the Old Testament refers to "enemies" or "opponents." Although the adversary is sometimes named "Satan" in these texts, the root meanings of the terms used suggest a generic appearance of opposition, resistance, or vexation, rather than a person.

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