19/09/2024
Like many other paranormal investigators, I’ve faced criticism from certain Christian groups in the surrounding area regarding my work. These individuals often claim that what we do is contrary to the teachings of the Bible, and I’ve even been urged to repent. Today, I’d like to address this by analyzing the concept of necromancy as understood in the Hebrew Bible and comparing it to modern-day paranormal investigations.
Before we dive in, it’s important to set clear parameters for this discussion. The meanings and interpretations of certain practices evolve over time, and that includes necromancy. In this analysis, I will focus on how necromancy is presented in the Tenach (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) and how that compares to what we do in modern paranormal investigating—not on today’s broader or modern definitions of necromancy. With that in mind, let’s explore.
Necromancy is explicitly mentioned and condemned at least eight times in the Hebrew Bible. The key passages are as follows:
• Deuteronomy 18:9-12
• Leviticus 19:31
• Leviticus 20:6
• Leviticus 20:27
• 1 Samuel 28
• 2 Kings 21:6
• Isaiah 8:19
• Isaiah 19:3
By examining these passages, we can attempt to reconstruct how the ancient Israelites understood necromancy. It’s clear that many occult practices, including divination, were considered forbidden, and necromancy was often grouped among them. The primary purpose of necromancy, as depicted in these texts, was to seek hidden or forbidden knowledge, often to predict the future. One of the most notable examples of this is found in 1 Samuel 28, where King Saul consults the Medium of Endor to summon the prophet Samuel’s spirit.
From the Israelites’ perspective, the problem with necromancy lay in the fact that it sought to bypass God’s will. Divination itself wasn’t necessarily prohibited, as it was acceptable when done through God’s direction and permission. For example, divination via the Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8) was seen as legitimate, because it sought divine guidance directly from God. Necromancers, by contrast, were thought to be seeking wisdom from the dead—wisdom that the Israelites believed only God should provide.
Necromancy, in its ancient context, involved the conjuring of the dead. This was understood as calling forth the spirits of the deceased from Sheol (the underworld) to gain hidden knowledge. A clear directive against this is found in Isaiah 8:19, where the people are instructed to reject necromancers and instead inquire of God. This reinforces the idea that necromancy, in the ancient Israelite worldview, was fundamentally about bypassing divine authority in favor of illicit spiritual insight.
Now, let’s compare this to modern-day paranormal investigations. In all my experience and research, I’m not aware of a single instance where paranormal investigators attempt to conjure the dead in the way necromancers did. Conjuration, as traditionally understood, involves summoning a spirit, entity, or supernatural force—often through ritualistic means like incantations. Paranormal investigators, on the other hand, do not engage in summoning rituals or seek to control spirits. Instead, we use technology, such as EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recordings, video equipment, and other tools to collect potential evidence of spiritual activity. The goal is to gather data that suggests the presence of unexplained phenomena, rather than seeking knowledge from the dead to manipulate the future or uncover divine secrets.
While ancient necromancy was about conjuring the dead for guidance or prophecy, modern investigations are more akin to documenting unexplained occurrences. There is no invocation of spirits, no rituals designed to compel the dead to appear, and no attempt to gain future knowledge from the deceased. Our work is grounded in observation and analysis, not in bypassing any divine source of wisdom.
In essence, while some may claim that paranormal investigating is akin to necromancy, the fundamental purposes and practices are vastly different. One sought power and knowledge outside of divine authority, while the other simply seeks to understand unexplained phenomena through observation.
