HKB
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Often appears with: religious persecution and toleration · miracles and divine intervention · magic, witchcraft, and the occult · witches and charms · the nature and attributes of God · the fear of death · spiritual substances · sortilege · sin, guilt, and repentance · saul · samuel · prestigiation and mock apparitions
Usually: censure (3) · narrative (2) · skepticism (2) · argument (1) · dialogue (1) · list or catalogue (1) · confronting death (1) · crisis of belief (1) · temptation (1) · curiosity (1)
“In such wise witches, and in such mad medicines, have many fools a great deal more faith than in God.” Sir Thomas More, Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation · observation
It says Saul sought a necromantic woman to raise Samuel’s soul, and that Saul later died with his sons after the Hebrews were overthrown in battle.
With The Philistines Desired A Necromantic Woman To Raise Up The Soul Of Samuel To Him; And How He Died, With His Sons Upon The Overthrow Of The Hebrews In Battle. FOOTNOTES: To The Death Of David.
On whether heavenly bodies act on demons, Thomas rejects the idea that demons are merely forces of the stars or bodily-air animals, concluding demons are spiritual substances not subject to heavenly influence, though they may use bodily conditions.
Whether Heavenly Bodies Can Act on the Demons? Objection 1: It would seem that heavenly bodies can act on the demons. For the demons, according to certain phases of the moon, can harass men, who on that account are called lunatics, as appears from Matt. 4:24 and 17:14. But this would not be if they were not subject to the heavenly bodies. Therefore the demons are subject to them. Obj. 2: Further, necromancers obser…
In Art. 3, Aquinas distinguishes several species of divination: demons explicitly invoked (necromancy), observation of movements and signs (augury), and investigatory occult practices (sortilege), including dreams, geomancy, and necromantic rites.
Whether We Ought to Distinguish Several Species of Divination? Objection 1: It would seem that we should not distinguish several species of divination. Where the formality of sin is the same, there are not seemingly several species of sin. Now there is one formality of sin in all divinations, since they consist in entering into compact with the demons in order to know the future. Therefore there are not several spec…
At Glubbdubdrib’s palace, Gulliver is presented to the magician governor whose necromancy dismisses attendants instantly as spectres, and Gulliver dines and stays days, increasingly acclimating to commanded ghost-servants.
dead, and commanding their service for twenty-four hours, but no longer; nor can he call the same persons up again in less than three months, except upon very extraordinary occasions. When we arrived at the island, which was about eleven in the morning, one of the gentlemen who accompanied me went to the governor, and desired admittance for a stranger, who came on purpose to have the honour of attending on his highn…
Anthony gives examples of seeking help outside God—Saul consulting a witch, and sick people trusting charms and “wisewomen”—arguing such practices bring harm and reflect lack of trust.
they galped up the ghost. And what game they came then to, that God knoweth and not I. I pray God it were good, but I fear it very sore. Some men are there also that do as did King Saul, and in their tribulation go seek unto the devil. This king had commanded all those to be destroyed who used the false abominable superstition of this ungracious witchcraft and necromancy. And yet fell he to such folly afterwards him…