The World Bewitched, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. That the Witchcraft anciently Practiſed, and ſtill in uſe amongſt the Jews, proceeds from the ſame Original.
Sect., 1. WE have examined the Opinions of the Jews upon that matter, as much as they differ from the holy writ; for as far as their belief is conſonant to it, we receive and approve of the ſame. Let's now ſee what they practiſe as to Witchcraft, the Holy Scripture may fully convince us of the great inclination that People ever had for it; which doubtleſs proceeded. Firſt, from the practices they had ſeen in Egypt, and of which perhaps they had not abſtained, but had ſeen the continuation of them in the Country they inhabited, that was ſurrounded and intermixed with ſo many Nations addicted to that Art. 'Tis for that Reaſon the Law gives them ſuch frequent warnings to beware of it, Exodus, 22, 18. Levit. Chap. 18. v. 31. Cap. 5. v. 27. Deuter. Chap. 13, 8, 9, 14. Iſaiah, Chap. 6. v. 12.20. And that he threatned them ſo ſeverely, becauſe they could not reſolve to forſake that impious exerciſe, as may be ſeen, eſpecially in Manaſſeh King of Judah, 2 Kings, Chap. 21. v. 6. 2. Cron. Chap. 3. v. 6. That Sin became general in the midſt of Iſrael, or the Kingdom of the 10 Tribes, ſo that the Scripture ſays, that They uſed Divinations, and obſerved the cry of Birds, 2 Kings, Chap. 17. v. 17. In the Apoſtles time, there were Seven Sons of the ſame Father, one of the high Prieſts, who took upon them to be Exorciſts and to conjure Devils. Acts, 19. v. 13, 14. But all theſe things made no part of the contents of their Law, and on the contrary were the effects of their Rebellion, ſo that Judaiſm was not properly anſwerable for them, until they were taught by the Rabbins themſelves, and at laſt introduced to make up part of their Religion. Such are the Doctrines, which I have repreſented in the preceeding Chapter, to which the practices of the preſent Jews, are perfectly agreeable.
Sect. 2. The inquiſitive Lighfoot, has ſhewed by many proofs that the Jews at their return from the Babylonian Captivity, having entirely forſaken Idolatry, and finding they were deſtitute of Prophets▪ addicted themſelves by degrees to Witchcraft and Divination, about the time of our Saviours coming. The writings of the Talmud, that are full of Inſtructions for that purpoſe, and are nevertheleſs in great credit among them, give upon that ſubject a teſtimony not advantageous to them, eſpecially ſince, in the following times, they uſed the ſame Arts againſt Chriſtianity. Lightfoot aſſures us, That after the Deſtruction of their City and Temple, there were ſeveral Impoſtors amongſt tbem, who eagerly addicted themſelves to Magick, by which they got afterwards into great reputation, and that the expounding of Dreams was a pretence they made uſe of, to commit a vaſt number of Deceits and Villanies. We ſee, continues that learned Author, in the Book Maarſar Shemi, fol. 45. Col. 2, 3. That Rabbi, Joſeph, Ben Calpata, Rabbi Iſmael, Ben. Joſe, Rabbi Lazarus, and Akiba, made it their whole buſineſs, many of their expoundings are related in the place I have quoted out of Lightfoot, and from ſeveral things contained therein, it may be infer'd, that they inſtructed their Diſciples in thoſe Arts. In the Book Shabbat, fol. 3. Col. 2. mention is made of a Phantaſm, that appeared to one of their Bigots, whilſt he was meditating the Law, and fol. 8. Col. 2. fol. 14. Col. 3. all ſorts of Conjurations are treated of, ſome to cure Wounds, others againſt the ſting of Serpents, againſt Theft, and even againſt Enchantments; this I have Collected from the Second part of the works of Lightfoot, page 147. where many other things of that nature are to be found, but not neceſſary to relate, and much leſs to extract out of the own Books of the Jews.
Sect. 3. However it will not be beſides the purpoſe, to add, what the ſame Lightfoot has gather'd from ſeveral of their writings, eſpecially from the Book Sanhedrin, concerning their Bathkol or the Daughter of the Voice, which is the name the Jews gave to the Echo, pretending it was an Oracle, that under the Second Temple, ſupplyed the want of the Ʋrim and Thummim, with which the Firſt Temple was honoured. This is known by all that are but a little acquainted with the Jewiſh affairs, and have read ſome of their writings, but here are proofs that ſhow they made uſe of Bathkool Divinations. Rabbi Jochanan and Rabbi Simeon, deſigning to conſult Bathkool, to go and ſee Rabbi Samuel the Babylonian, they paſs'd before the School, and heard a Boy reading what is contained, 1 Sam. Chap. 25. verſe 1. Samuel is Dead. They obſerv'd that, and found that the Samuel they ſought was Dead. Here follows another ſtory, Rabbi Jonah, and Rabbi Joſah, went to viſit Rabbi Acha, while he lay ſick, they ſaid let us hear what Bathkool will ſay, and immediatly they heard a Voice of a Woman that ſaid to her Neighbor, The Candle goes out, to which the Neighbor anſwer'd, Pray don't let it go out, nor extinguiſh the light of Iſrael, Lightfoot, Tom. 2. p. 167. It is as ſure that thoſe words proceeded from Bathkool, as it is certain, that Elijah is preſent at the Circumciſion of the Children of the Jews, as 'tis commonly believed among them and as all the learned know.
Sest. 4. But beſides thoſe ſingularities, we may take notice that all their Witchcraft is founded upon two grounds, the influences of the Stars, and thy apparitions of Spirits, the reaſon of the former ground is, that thô they eſteem not the Celeſtial lights to be Gods; yet they aſcribe to them a particular virtue, working upon, and influencing Human Actions, as well external as internal ſenſes. We have already heard Philo and Ben. Maimon upon that matter. 'Tis very uſual with them to ſay, The Planets make ſuch a one Wiſe, or Rich, as Buxtorf relates it in his Lexicon Talmudicum, out of the Books of the Sabbath, theſe are happy influences or Conſtellations, that are called Mazzal-toob, but Mazzal-ra is a malignant Star, under which one is born, or whoſe virtue influences him all his Life. Buxtorf ſays again upon the Authority of the ſame Book, That the Planet of the Day of ones Birth, influences him not, but only that of the Hour. And even, we find in that Book which is the Genius of every Man, according to the Planet under which he's born, He who is born under the Sun, will be handſom, free, not diſſembling, but of an unconſtant humour. Under Venus, he'll be rich and letcherous. Under Mercury, skilful and of a good memory. Under the Moon, ſickly, and unſtedfaſt. Under Saturn, unfortunate. Under Jupiter, juſt; and Under Mars, happy. Which is the ſame with all the other Conſtellations. In the mean while it is commonly ſaid, That there is no Planet in Iſrael, becauſe all the Jews ſeem to be born under one Planet, being all of the ſame Genius and Conduct; therefore we muſt conclude, that thoſe diſtinctions concern only ſtrangers, and that Iſrael has the skill of foretelling their good and bad Fortune. However they are much diſturb'd when the Moon is Eclipſed; becauſe they take that accident as an ill preſage to them, which is an evident proof of the unſtedfaſtneſs of the Jewiſh Nation.
Sect. 5. As to the Spirits, Manaſſe, Ben Iſrael, diſcovering the true ground of the Jewiſh Divinations, leads us to the wicked Spirits, ſaying, That ſome of them are skilful and ſhrew'd, and others fooliſh and dull. The moſt skilful, flying from one corner of the World to the other, ſometimes learn what is to happen. For this Reaſon he acknowledges page 18. That ſeveral Conjure up thoſe Spirits, and do wonders by help of the black Art. We read even in ſome Cabbaliſtical Books, as in Pirke Chalos, and Ratſiel, and in ſome others, the names of thoſe Spirits, and the form of the Conjurations uſed for that purpoſe, There are alſo to be found all the preſages that may be drawn from the various ſorts of Apparitions. If thoſe Sprits appear to a Man alone, they forebode nothing good; if they appear to two perſons together, they preſage nothing ill; but it never happens, that they ſhew themſelves to three in a company.
Sect. 6. The ways and means they uſe for their Witchcraft and Divinations, are to be obſerved in the Ceremonies of their Feaſts, and the whole courſe of their ordinary Life. Every one knows that Marriage is the lawful way to beget Children, which makes them believe one muſt needs know how to preſerve himſelf in that occaſion, from the wicked Spirits. There is none but has read the Book of Tobit, how he expel'd the Devil Aſmodee, by the inſpiration of the Angel Raphael, and how they took together a Fiſh, which as ſome ſuppoſe was a Pike, as to the Heart and Liver, ſays Raphael, if the Demon, or wicked Spirit diſturbs any Perſon, whether Man or Woman, he needs but make a perfume before him, and the party ſhall be no more vexed, Chap. 6. v. 7. When he was marryed with Sara, he remembred the words of Raphael, and took the Aſhes of the perfumes, put the Heart and the Liver of the Fiſh thereupon, and made a ſmoke with it, which when the Evil Spirit had ſmelt, he fled into the utmoſt parts of Egypt, and the Angel bound him there, Chap. 8. v. 23.
Sect. 7. If that Narration is eſteem'd Apochryphal by the Proteſtants, that of Joſephus deſerves not a better name, when in the Second Chap. of the 8th Book, of his Jewiſh Antiquities, he deduces the Original of Magick from Solomon, and lays the foundation of it, upon the wiſdom of that King, nay he aſſerts, That God himſelf had inſpired him with that Art ſo powerful againſt Demons, for ſays he, He has made uſe of Witchcraft to expel diſeaſes, and has left in his writings, forms of Conjurations, by which the Devils that moleſt mankind are ſo far baniſhed, that they never dare come back again. And that ſort of cure is now in great requeſt amongſt our Nation. It conſiſted according to the deſcription given of it, in the uſe of ſome certain Root, which they ſeal'd up, and put under the Noſtrils of the poſſeſſed. At the ſame time they uttered the name of Solomon, and the words of his Conjuration, and ſo was the Devil forced to flie. He declares to have been an Eyewitneſs himſelf of an operation of this nature, made in the preſence of the Emperor Veſpaſian and his Sons, on the Perſon of one Eliezer. We will examine in our 4th Book, how the ſight of Joſephus was then diſpoſed; but in the mean while, we could wiſh he had explained to us, whether this Root is the ſame with that he mentions in the 28th Chap. of the 7th Book of the Jewiſh Antiquities, which he calls Baaras, becauſe of the place where it grows, ſince he alſo aſcribes to this laſt, the wonderful virtue of expelling Demons; for according to his relation, one needs but touch the poſſeſs'd with it, and the Devil is forced to run away, but of this more in the 4th Book.
Sect. 8. Here follows how the preſent Jews are moleſted all their Life by the wicked Spirits, and how they beware of them. When a Child comes into the World, the terrour of Lilis comes with him, to ſeize upon the Spirits of the Parents, becauſe that Lilis intends to kill the Boys, within 8 days of their birth, and the Girls within the 21th. The remedy of the German Jews, to preſerve themſelves from that danger, is, To draw circular lines with Chalk or Charcoles, upon the 4 Walls of the Chamber, wherein the Woman lies, and to write upon each Circle Adam, Eve, let Lilis be gone, they alſo write upon the Door of the Chamber the names of the three Angels that preſide over Phyſick, Senoi, Sanſenoi, and Saumangelof, as Lilis her ſelf taught them, when ſhe hoped to drown them all in the Sea. This is related by Elias in his Book entituled, Thisbi, to which he gives no great credit, as he himſelf witneſſes. I cannot omit what Buxtorf ſays in his Lexicon Talmudicum, concerning the weapons wherewith they arm themſelves againſt Phantoms. A Vail ſpread over the Face, hinders the Phantaſm from knowing him that is frighted, but if God judges that he deſerves to be terrified for his ſins, he cauſes the vizard to fall down, that the Ghoſt may ſee and bite him.
Sect. 9. But what terrour ſoever the Devil cauſes to them, they nevertheleſs believe, that if they take their opportunity, they may prevent his endeavours without trouble. To this the choice of days is of great uſe, and they have ſo great a regard for them, that they do no longer deſerve the reproach, that was caſt upon them, of Not underſtanding the ſigns of times. The ſame Buxtorf, in his School of the Jews, will ſupply us with a ſpecimen of that Cuſtom, At the great day of propitiations, they appeaſe Sammael with a preſent, for on that only day in the whole Year, he is allowed, by a compact with God, to accuſe Iſrael of their transgreſſions. Beſides, they believe themſelves ſo cunning as to cheat the Devil. The Firſt means they uſe for that purpoſe, is to blow upon the Corn, withall their ſtrength, from morning to night, fancying to make Sammael forget the quality of it, by the fright they caſt upon him. The Firſt Day of the Year is alſo fit to put another cheat upon him, for as on that day, God ſits in judgment for the examination of Sins, they endeavour to hinder their Enemy from bringing his accuſations againſt them, by concealing from him the date of the Day. The ſubtilty they uſe in that occaſion, is that they forbear to read, either the begining or the end of the Law, as Sammael ſuppoſes, that they ſhall do that Day, and thus they never fail to catch him. They alſo abſtain as much as they can on the 17th day of the Month Tammus, that anſwers to our June, and the 9th of the following Month on which falls their Second faſt to go from home, and eſpecially avoid to make any journey of 4 or 5 Miles, or to appear in a Court of Juſtice, becauſe that time is the reign of a wicked Spirit call'd Ketelmeriri, bitter Deſtruction, a name drawn from Deut. Chap. 32. v. 24. Where Moſes however ſpeaks of quite other matters.
Sect. 10. The Cabbala chiefly uſes ſuch Witchcraft, as is made by numbers and Letters, and is in great requeſt amongſt the Jews. It even teaches to apply to it the ſacred word of God, and withal ſome ſentences and diſcourſes, or only ſome proper words and particular names, to which the Jews aſcribe a great Virtue; whether they attribute it to the power of the apparition of abſent bodies, or of incorporeal ſubſtances, or whether they preſume to effect by that means, ſtrange and wonderful things. Malka Scheva, or the Queen of Sheba, that went to viſit King Solomon in his glory, has been often conjured up, as they fancy, and has appeared to the ſuperſtitious, In ſhort, as to what concerns the other extraordinary effects, which they boaſt to produce, they are held for great forcerers, even by Chriſtians, over credulous in this point; for there are Germans, who look upon them as Men, that can ſtop conflagrations, and quench Fire, by throwing upon it ſome bewitch'd things; that can draw two or ſeveral ſorts of Wine out of the ſame Veſſel, and are capable of producing many other wonders.
Sect. 11. To ſpeak of the other uſes, they make of names in Witchcraft, it muſt be granted, that they make no more difficulty to mix the name of God with it, than that of the Devil. The famous name of foreign that which we uſe to read Jehovah, when punctuated, is multiplied by their Doctors, by 12, 42, and the 72 Letters, which they diſpoſe and make words of them, and apply them to Witchcraft. For that Reaſon, they call it Shem Hamphoraſh, a name explained or divided. They believe it to have a great Virtue; by him Moſes kill'd the Egyptian, by him Iſrael was preſerv'd from the hand of the deſtroying Angel in the Wilderneſs; and by him Jeſus Chriſt expel'd wicked Spirits. Thus they blaſpheme the Second Perſon of the Holy Trinity, not being able to deny his power. It is eaſy to be inform'd of all theſe things in their own writings, and by their own conſent. The name of the Devil is likewiſe of much force to his great loſs and ſorrow. That force proceeds from the 4 Hebrew Letters, that compoſe this name, with the Article perfixed to it, foreign Haſſatan that make up juſt the number of 364, that is, of all the days of the Year but one. Now the Jews pretend, that by Reaſon of the Virtue of that number 364, included in the name of Haſſatan, he is deprived of the right of accuſing them during a like number of days in the Year, and therefore he has but one remaining, in which he may do it, ſo that if he chance to neglect that day, or to be then deceived or puzled, he may well be ſorrowful, and the Jews very glad, all this is grounded upon the paſſage of Zacharia, Chap. 3. v. 2, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.
Sect. 12. They alſo pretend to find a great Virtue in the reckoning of Letters, and their diſpoſition into ſeveral different orders▪ They write on the forepart of Houſes, and the Walls of Chambers, ſome ſtrange Characters of no leſs extraordinary names, which they uſe to give to thoſe Angels, that are eſtabliſhed over the plague, ſuppoſing by that means to be ſufficiently ſe…ure from the burning darts of that conſuming ſcou…ge. The word foreign Diriroon is likewiſe an infallible preſervative againſt the Peſtilence, when 'tis written 22 or 23 times, that is as many times as there are Letters in their Alphabet, of which they put one every time before that word, beginning with the firſt Letter, and ending with the laſt. They have likewiſe excellent remedies againſt Agues, the word foreign that is made up of Six Letters, being written 6 times in as many different files,foreign leaving out a Letter of every file on the left ſide, is, in their Opinion, an excellent remedy againſt the quartan Ague, the ſtumbling block of the Phyſitians. By this any one may perceive how great Virtue the Jews aſcribe to Letters, Characters, and Names. Here you have another Myſtery taught in the Book Aroda Zara, 'Tis dangerous to drink at Night, foreignwhy? becauſe that makes People blind, but if one be dry and he drinks, what then? here is the remedy. The Hebrew word foreign Shebriri, that is, loſt ſight or ſudden blindneſs, being written as it is here in the Margent, and hung about the Neck, cauſe the blindne… to go off, as much as we ſee decreaſe the firſt Letters of this word, untill they be altogether vaniſhed, and the blindneſs gone. Thoſe Inſtructions are to be found in the Lexicon Talmudicum of Buxtorf.
Sect. 13. By this ſhort Specimen of their Witchcrafts, may be ſeen the Relation that there is, betwixt the Practices and Doctrines of their Rabbins, contained in the fore-going Chapter, from which, doubtleſs, thoſe practices take their Original.
Firſt, Their opinions of the Materiality, as I may ſay, of good and bad Spirits, Chap. 12. Sect. 8.10, 14, 15. was the cauſe that they aſcribe to them, external and viſible ſhapes, with effects of the ſame nature, as they have been deſcribed, Sect. 6.8. For material Cauſes act materially, whereas Spiritual things are for thoſe that are Spiritual. 1 Cor. 2.13.
Second. It was no hard matter that the ſt a…ge Thoughts they have of Sammael, Prince of the Devils, and of Lilis his Mother, according to ſome Chap. 12. Sect. 13, 14, ſhould carry them to practiſe Conjurations, by which they hope to put Mother and Son to flight, or at leaſt to turn them off. Sect. 7, 8, 9. Whoever is ſo credulous in that point, is very apt to miſtake in all others.
Third. Their great and general eſteem for the Cabbala, that aſcribes ſo much power to Letters, Names and Numbers, is the original of all the ſorts of Witchcraft, that are performed with Letters, Numbers and Characters. Sect. 10, 11, 12. And 'tis no wonder that a Nation, who has loſt the vivifying Spirit of the Letters of the Holy Writ, ſhould now ſo curiouſly, and with ſo much trouble, ſeek the help of thoſe Letters deſtitute of the Spirit of Life.
Fourth. It muſt be obſerved, that being antiently uſed to Propheſies, Viſions, Ʋrim and Thummim, they now bethought themſelves of the empty ſound of Bathcole, and the influences of the Stars, to ſupply the want of the advantages they had loſt.
Sect. 14. When we recollect all thoſe things, we eaſily perceive, that thô the Jews are not partakers of the Pagans Idolatry; yet they have a near Relation to them, as to the Opinions and Cuſtoms they have not drawn from the Holy Scripture. Nay, they go farther than the Heathens, and are in a more Diametrical oppoſition to the Principles of their own Doctrine, than the Heathens with thoſe of their Religion; for the Jews conceiving plainer than they do, that there is but one Creator and Director of all, ſufficient to himſelf, and having ſuch a ſtrong prejudice againſt all the Gods invented by Men, and againſt whatever has any nearneſs to Idolatry. 'Tis not eaſie to forgive them their dependency upon the Stars; their fear of the great Devil Sammael, nor their Faith for the virtue of Words, Letters, Characters and Numbers; ſince the Heathens were obnoxious to thoſe faults, only becauſe they had not a ſufficient knowledge of the Supreme Deity, and did not relye ſo much upon him as they ought to have done: whereas they truſted too much upon the Creatures, which they had Deify'd themſelves. However, our amazement will diminiſh, if we obſerve that all theſe Doctrines have been drawn from Paganiſm, and have been received amongſt them, only by an effect of the natural inclination and eagerneſs of that People, for ſuch Fables and Inventions, without conſidering, whether or no they were agreeable to the Rules of the Law. But the utmoſt blindneſs is to perſiſt in them to this very day, without reflecting upon the State, in which the Divine Juſtice has put them, by an entire deſtruction of their Common-wealth, and ſcattering of their Nation amongſt the Heathens. In the mean while I deſire the Reader to obſerve, that hitherto we have met with nothing, of whatever is called Witchcraft, Phantaſms, or Diabolical Apparitions, but it draws its Original from Heatheniſm.