You shall not allow a sorceress to live.
Exodus 22:17
Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter to the fire,
or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, one who casts spells,
or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the
dead. For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to the Lord, and it is
because of these abhorrent things that the Lord your God is dispossessing
them before you.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "When Pharaoh speaks to you and says,
'Produce your marvel,' you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and cast it
down before Pharaoh.' It shall turn into a serpent." So Moses and Aaron
came before Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded: Aaron cast down
his rod in the presence of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and it turned into
a serpent. Then Pharaoh, for his part, summoned the wise men and the sorcerers;
and the Egyptian magicians, in turn, did the same with their spells; each
cast down his rod, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed
their rods.
Exodus 7:8-13
The Lord sent serpents against the people. They bit the people and many
of the Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned
by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord to
take away the serpents from us!" And Moses interceded for the people.
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a serpent figure and mount it on
a standard. And if anyone who is bitten looks at it, he shall recover." Moses
made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when anyone was bitten
by a serpent, he would look at the copper serpent and recover.
Numbers 21:6-9
New Testament Texts on Miracle and Magic
None of the rest dared join them [i.e.,
Jesus' disciples], but the people held them in high honor. And more
than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and
women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid
them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might
fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem,
bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were
all healed.
Acts of the Apostles 5:13-16
And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands
of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body
to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to pronounce the name
of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure
you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." Seven sons of a Jewish high priest
named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus
I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" And the man in whom the evil
spirit was leaped on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so
that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known
to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them
all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Many also of those who
were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a
number of those who practiced magic arts brought their books together and
burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the value of them and found
it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew
and prevailed mightily.
Acts of the Apostles 19:11-20
But there was a man named Simon who had previously
practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of Sama'ria, saying that
he himself was somebody great. They all gave heed to him, from the least
to the greatest, saying, "This man is that power of God which is called
Great." And they gave heed to him, because for a long time he had amazed
them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news
about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,
both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized
he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed,
he was amazed. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Sama'ria had
received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down
and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not
yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the
Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying
on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also
this power, that any one on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But
Peter said to him, "Your silver perish with you, because you thought
you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot
in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore
of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the
intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in
the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity."
Acts of the Apostles 8:9-23
Babylonian Talmud on Sorcery and Magic
Kishuf (sorcery) vs. achizat enayim (Òseizing the eyes,Ó illusion)
MISHNAH: A SORCERER, IF HE ACTUALLY PERFORMS MAGIC, IS LIABLE [TO DEATH]. BUT NOT IF HE MERELY CREATES ILLUSIONS. R. AKIBA SAID IN R. JOSHUA'S NAME: OF TWO WHO GATHER CUCUMBERS [BY MAGIC] ONE MAY BE PUNISHED AND THE OTHER EXEMPT: HE WHO REALLY GATHERS THEM IS PUNISHED: WHILST HE WHO PRODUCES AN ILLUSION IS EXEMPT.
GEMARA: ...Abaye
said: The laws of sorcerers are like those of the Sabbath: certain actions
are punished by stoning, some are exempt from punishment, yet forbidden,
whilst others are entirely permitted. Thus: if one actually performs magic,
he is stoned; if he merely creates an illusion, he is exempt, yet it is forbidden;
whilst what is entirely permitted? — Such as was performed by R. Hanina
and R. Oshaia, who spent every Sabbath eve in studying the Laws of Creation
[the Sefer Yetzirah, a mystical text], by means of which they created
a third-grown calf and ate it.
Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 67a-b