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Bible Dictionaries
Sorcerer
American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
or One who practised sorcery; nearly synonymous with magician, soothsayer, or wizard. This was a class of persons who dealt in incantations and divinations, and boasted of a power, in consequence of their deep science and by means of certain rites, to evoke the spirits of the dead from their gloomy abodes, and compel them to disclose information on subjects beyond the reach of human powers.
They pretended also that, by means of certain herbs and information on subjects beyond the reach of human powers. They pretended also that, by means of certain herbs and incantations, they were able to expel demons, Acts 13:6,8 . Those persons also who devoted themselves to the general studies above mentioned, often abused their knowledge and deceived the common people, by pretending to foretell the destinies of men from the motions and appearances of the planets and stars, and to cure diseases by repeating certain phrases, etc. Of this class appears to have been Simon the sorcerer, mentioned in Acts 8:9,11 . Females who practised such arts were called sorceresses and witches, Malachi 3:5 Revelation 22:15 . See DIVINATION , ENCHANTMENTS , and MAGIC .
These files are public domain and are a derivative of the topics are from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary published in 1859.
Rand, W. W. Entry for 'Sorcerer'. American Tract Society Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ats/s/sorcerer.html. 1859.
