The Witch of Endor: from the frontispiece to Sadducismus Triumphatus by Joseph Glanvill

In the Hebrew Bible, the Witch of Endor of the First book of Samuel, chapter 28:4–25, was a witch, a woman "who possesses a talisman", through which she called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of Israel. After Samuel's death and burial with due mourning ceremonies in Ramah, Saul had driven all necromancers and magicians from Israel. Then, in a bitter irony, Saul sought out the witch, anonymously and in disguise, only after he received no answer from God from dreams, prophets or the Urim and Thummim as to his best course of action against the assembled forces of the Philistines. The prophet's ghost offered no advice but predicted Saul's downfall as king. The Witch of Endor, from Sadducismus Triumphatus by Joseph Glanvill File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Witch of Endor, from Sadducismus Triumphatus by Joseph Glanvill File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In architecture, a frontispiece constitutes the elements that frame and decorate the main, or front, door to a building; especially when the main entrance is the chief face of the building, rather than being kept behind columns or a portico. ... The Witch of Endor: from the frontispiece to Sadducismus Triumphatus by Joseph Glanvill Sadducismus triumphatus: or, Full and plain evidence concerning witches and apparitions. ... Joseph Glanvill (1636-1680) was an English writer, philosopher, and clergyman. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum This article discusses usage of the term Hebrew Bible. For the article on the Hebrew Bible itself, see Tanakh. ... The Books of Samuel, also referred to as [The Book of] Samuel (Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל), are (two) books in the Hebrew Bible (Judaisms Tanakh and originally written in Hebrew) and the Old Testament of Christianity. ... This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ... A ghost is an alleged non-corporeal manifestation of a dead person (or, rarely, an animal). ... A prophet is a person who is believed to communicate with God, or with a deity. ... This article is about the Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. ... Saul (שאול המלך) (or Shaul) (שָׁאוּל Borrowed, Standard Hebrew Å aʾul, Tiberian Hebrew Šāʾûl) was the first king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel described in the Hebrew Bible. ... Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes: The Dream, 1883 A dream is the experience of images, sounds/voices, words, thoughts or sensations during sleep, with the dreamer usually unable to influence the experience. ... For the ancient city of Urim see Ur. ... The historic Philistines (פלשתים Hebrew plishtim) (see other uses below) were a people who inhabited the southern coast of Canaan around the time of the arrival of the Israelites, their territory being named Philistia in later contexts. ...

The Witch of Endor may be seen as a survival of archaic Canaanite religion, similar to a sibyl. Endor was a village of Canaanites probably located on the Hill of Moreh (Jebel Datii). ... The word sibyl comes (via Latin) from the Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess. ...

Saul sinned further in consulting this woman; the practice of necromancy was forbidden by the Torah. Sin has been a term most usually used in a religious context, and today describes any lack of conformity to the will of God; especially, any willful disregard for the norms revealed by God is a sin. ... Necromancy (Latin necromantia, Greek νεκρομαντία nekromantía) is the alleged divination by which a Necromancer uses a Spirit of Divination or an Operative Spirit to practice magic for them and thereby achieve a desired effect much more easily. ... Torah (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ...

Interpretations

In Judaism, some rabbis taught that the spirits of the dead hovered around the body for a year after a person died; this made the spirit of the dead person amenable to being truly summoned during this time, and indicated that the spirit so summoned truly was Samuel, and that Samuel was indeed supernaturally summoned by the witch. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished, (in knowledge). In the ancient Judean schools the sages were addressed as רִבִּי (Ribbi...

The Church Fathers and some modern Christian writers have debated the theological issues raised by this text, however. If you take the Bible literally, it would appear to affirm that it is or was possible for humans to summon the spirits of the blessed dead by magic. Medieval glosses naturally suggested that what the witch actually summoned was not the ghost of Samuel, but a demon taking his shape. Christian author Hank Hanegraaff argues that although it is impossible for humans to summon the dead, Samuel did appear before Saul and the witch by a sovereign act of God. Hanegraaff interprets the passage to mean that the witch was surprised by these events. The (Early) Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It can also refer to the study of other religious topics. ... The Bible (tanak/h in hebrew language) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity... The ancient symbol of the pentagram is often used as a symbol for magic. ... A gloss is a note made in the margins or between the lines of a book, in which the meaning of the text in its original language is explained in another language. ... St. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being ascribed by monotheistic religions to be the creator, ruler and/or the sum total of, existence. ...

Regardless of the reality of the witch's power, the story can be seen as a satire on Saul. Once Saul was the righteous king who upheld God's law by his sword; having fallen from God's favour, he is reduced to participating in forbidden rituals. He is given no counsel from the ghost of Samuel, who instead appears to confirm his doom. Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... Another article treats canon law, the codes of law of the Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches. ...

The tale of the Witch of Endor is likely the inspiration for the name of Endora, Samantha's mother on the TV series Bewitched. Compare also Shakespeare's Macbeth. Bewitched was an American situation comedy starring actress Elizabeth Montgomery, broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972. ... William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... Scene from Macbeth, depicting the witches conjuring of an apparition in Act IV, Scene I. Painting by William Rimmer This article is on the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Bible, English, King James, 1 Samuel#Chapter 28

• Saul and the Witch of Endor: text in KJV
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Witch of Endor; the tale deftly retold and set in context