From: "Daryl F. Jefferies" <djefferi AT students.wisc.edu>
To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
Subject: Re: Qumran and magic (Eduardo)
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 23:34:31 -0600
Eduardo and Jason,
This is an interesting (and technically off-topic discussion) Armin
Lange summarizes the Essene use of "magic" as both limited and
"either sanctified by the Torah or by priestly traditions" (see Armin
Lange, "The Essene Position on Magic and Divination," in Legal Texts
and Legal Issues [STDJ 23; Leiden: Brill, 1997, pp. 377ff.]). That
"magic" found in the scrolls is not necessarily what we might
consider "magic." Their practices were probably not that
exceptional for their time.