Chapter 6: A Biblical History of Wizards

Today we talked about the great "wizards" of the past that founded our houses and some of the spells, magic, and wonderful things that they have done. 

Moses

Returned to Egypt to free the Israelites, God turns his staff into a snake and Pharaohs magicians do the same thing, but God's snake eats them.

Curses and plagues. "Transfiguration" of water and blood. The curse of death was over everyone, but there was a way out if they put blood on there door.

Snakes show up everywhere in Harry Potter.

In C. S. Lewis' The Silver Chair, the sorceress is a green and silver snake (just like Slytherin.) 

Elijah

He was a prophet. Has a showdown with the prophets of Baal. Raises people from the dead.

Dumbledore and McGonagall both dislike divination. Divination is VERY different from prophesy. The difference lies within the source of the power. Divination is trying to pry truth away from the universe. Rowling is very negative about divination over all.

St. Patrick

Drove the snakes out of Ireland. Showed the power of God to the druid priests. Had visions.

St. Anthony

The founder of monasticism.  Ironically, leaves his sister at a convent so that he can go and start monasticism. Numerous encounters with the demonic. His biography was a favorite of St. Augustine.

Paul

Well-educated, survived stoning and snakebites, divine encounter with God, and many other things. 

Peter

Seen as the leader of the disciples. Walked on water (briefly). Healed the lame and sick. Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy power from Peter, and then Peter condemned him, but this actually brings about Simon’s redemption. Peter also had visions. Goes to Cornelius’ house and has to explain how Gentiles now have the Holy Spirit. (Almost like Muggles suddenly becoming magical)

Elisha

Parted the Jordan River. Purified water by adding salt. Cursed those that made fun of his baldness. The widow’s oil and flour never runs out. Floating axe head.

Rowling bases much of her magic from the Biblical prophets.

A prophet (“Nabi” Hebrew means “gusher” you can’t ever shut them up) is not teller of the future. God said that telling the future was the sign that God would use to show that they are true prophet.

Prophecy have 3 forms. Shot term (within a few years), medium term (a few generation’s later), and long term (usually dealing with the coming of Jesus and the end times) prophecies.

For a long time there has been a movement to try to prove a logical reason for all the miracles in the Bible, but they always fail or are hung up on one thing or another. One explanation is that God only intervenes if it is a matter of conversion, but if that were the case, Elisha's axe head miracle makes no sense. 

Divination

Important around the world. People wanted to know what is going to happen. Through the years there have been many methods of divinations. The Bible doesn’t say that divination and necromancy can’t be done, it says NOT to do it.

Rowling has a lot to say about the dead and always says that trying to call up the dead is a bad idea. (This is different from the Hogwarts ghosts, but we will cover that later)

Canaanites

Believed the gods wanted human blood. They would drink the blood of their first-born child to gain the power from the god, cook the child and then eat it. 

God tells Abraham to have nothing to do with the cult, but then asks him to sacrifice his one and only son, but then God intervenes and provides a lamb. God is always limiting sacrifice more and more until there is just one sacrifice to atone for all sins.

Israelites are constantly drawn back to this Canaanite cultic worship and God has to continually punish them for it. 

Basic elements of the historical Gospel (pre-1910, since then the “gospel” is seen as something different)

1. Creator God (if you don’t accept that, nothing else makes sense)

2. God spoke through the prophets (this is what makes the Bible    

    different from all other holy books, the fact that it has prophecy 

    and they come true)

3. Jesus is fully human and fully God incarnate.

4. Jesus died for our sins.

5. Jesus rose from the dead.

6. Jesus is exulted to the right hand of God.

7. Gift of the Holy Spirit

8. Second coming

The prophets didn’t do the miracles under their own power, but with the power of God. That is what makes miracles different from black magic.

We start talking about the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone next week! 

- V. B.

Dr. Poe quote of the day: “A house divided against itself cannot stand. And see! You are all sitting!”