From "The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology"
by Robbins / Crown / 1959

BIBLE  WITCHCRAFT.  One of histories ironies is the justification 
of  witchcraft  on  biblical  texts,  written  originally  for  a 
religion  which had no devil.   Catholics and Protestants  quoted 
Exodus xxii.  18,  "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."   But 
the  Hebrew  word  kaskagh  (occuring twelve  times  in  the  Old 
Testament  with  various meanings) here means,  as Reginald  Scot 
pointed out in 1584, "poisoner,"  and certainly had nothing to do 
with  the highly sophisticated Christian conception of  a  witch.  
Yet  the  domination  of  Holy Scriptures  was  such  that  these 
mistranslations  fostered the delusion.   After the execution  of 
Goody Knapp at Fairfield (Kent) in 1653,  a neighbor said "it was 
long  before  she could believe this poor woman was a  witch,  or 
that there were any witches,  till the word of God convinced her,
which saith, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
 Another  text which changed the Hebrew meaning--"a woman with  a 
familiar  spirit" for "pythoness"-- occurred in 1  Samuel  xxvii, 
the miscalled Witch of Endor.

  Writers  who tried to expose the witchcraft superstition,  such 
as  Reginald Scot or Thomas Ady,  had to clear up two  fallacies: 
(1)  The numerous Hebrew words, uniformly translated by veneficus 
or  maleficus or witch,  covered many different practitioners  of 
the  occult,  from jugglers to astrologers.   To refer to all  of 
these  different classes by one word (witch) was  inadequate  and 
erroneous.  (2)   The defination of witch based on the pact  with 
Satan,  transvection,  metamorphosis,  sabbat  and maleficia  was 
neither  implied or defined anywhere in the Bible.   That the Old 
Testament did not deal with witchcraft is hardly surprising,  for 
witchcraft depended on a Christian demonology.   Thus Sir  Walter 
Scott observed:

   It cannot be said that, in any part of that sacred volume [Old 
 Testament],  a  text occurs indicating the existance of a system 
 of witchcraft,  under the Jewish dispensation,  in  any  respect 
 similar to that against which the law-books of so many  European 
 nations have, until very lately, denounced punishment.... In the 
 four  Gospels,  the  word,  under  any sense,  does  not  occur.  
 (Letters  on Demonology and Witchcraft)
 
Lea  suggested  the biblical denunciations against  sorcery  were 
directed almost exclusively against divination.
  In  fact,  therefore,  while  it may discuss magic  and  occult 
customs,  the Bible has nothing to do with heretical  witchcraft.  

