#Witch of Endor

[joemerl]

[flaxmanlow]

Salvator Rosa (1615–73),

‘Saul Consulting Samuel’.

Engraving by J. Taylor, 1813

from Wellcome Collection

[pansatyrical]

[givingchrist]

Biblical Stories of Being Raised from the Dead

On Easter we celebrate Jesus being raised from the dead, but the Easter story is not the only story about being raised from the dead. The Easter story is unique, however, because Jesus isn’t just raised, He is resurrected. This is a very different thing. Perhaps in the course of your lifetime you might be clinically dead. You may even experience leaving your body. But modern medicine will bring…

[connectparanormal]

Witch of Endor and the Ghost of Samuel

The tale of the Witch of Endor has captivated scholars and theologians for ages. The Hebrew Bible's First Book of Samuel records it. It offers a rare window into prehistoric ideas regarding the afterlife, the function of necromancy, and the intricacies of King Saul's rule. In this story, Saul, the first monarch of Israel, finds himself in a terrible state. Saul is pleading for direction as the Philistines get ready to fight Israel. But because of his disobedience, God has rejected Saul and left him without prophetic insight. Despite having already driven out all necromancers and media from the country in compliance with religious law, Saul searches for a medium in his despair.

Saul's quest leads him to the Witch of Endor, who is believed to possess the ability to communicate with the dead. At night, Saul disguises himself to avoid recognition and implores her to summon the ghost of the prophet Samuel. At first, the witch is hesitant because she fears punishment, but Saul reassures her that he would protect her. The witch looks shocked, as Samuel is called, as if she's seen a heavenly person. This response emphasizes how serious and unusual her acts were. When Samuel's spirit materializes, it presents Saul with an unforgiving reality. Samuel curses Saul for his disobedience and foretells his imminent defeat and death, along with his sons. Soon after, Saul and his sons lose their battle with the Philistines, fulfilling this prophecy. Power, desperation, and the paranormal are major elements in the Witch of Endor tale. It draws attention to Saul's terrible transformation from a king chosen by God to a desperate figure seeking out unapproved advice. His dependence on a medium betrays his inner turmoil and desperation, even though he knows it goes against religious law and his own directives. This story also raises interesting questions about the nature of prophecy and the afterlife in ancient Israelite society. It implies a belief in the possibility of communicating with the hereafter, even though it is taboo. The narrative of Samuel's ghost communicating with him after his death adds a level of intricacy to our knowledge of what life was like in biblical times.

The narrative also imparts a moral lesson about the perils of defying divine instruction and the repercussions of disobedience. Saul's terrible demise serves as a sobering lesson of the value of loyalty and the dangers of pursuing power illegally. A variety of literary and religious contexts continue to study and understand the powerful tale of the Witch of Endor. It portrays the moral conundrums brought on by power and desperation as well as the persistent human interest in the paranormal and ghosts.

[plong42]

Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Wisdom from the Witch of Endor

Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Wisdom from the Witch of Endor @Eerdmans -

Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Wisdom from the Witch of Endor: Four Rules for Living. Foreword by Adele Reinhartz. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2024. xvii+78 pp.; Pb; $12.99.  Link to Eerdmans This sermon was discovered among Frymer-Kensky’s papers after she died in 2006. She served as professor of Hebrew Bible and history of Judaism at the University of Chicago. She was known for In the Wake of the…

[tzipporahs-well]

My favorite supernatural thing in Jewish tradition is the witch of Endor and Shaul HaMelech. I can analyze that scene in great detail because there are definitely parallels to Eliyahu and Yonah.

judaism disappoints me because there is no magic. There is no walking on water. There is Moses and the burning bush and the splitting of the sea years ago. Any resources to find a positive perspective on Jewish history and suffering and lack of magic? The religion feels very realistic and I'm dying and how much it sucks. There are no gurus.

.

[gdzie-rosna-poziomki]

Jacob Cornelisz van Oostansen, "Saul and the Witch of Endor"(detail)

1526

Must be the season of the witch

[tuktukpodfics]

Chapter 12: Water II Part II A | While Mighty Oaks Do Fall

When faced with pain, his body had betrayed him, and he bowed.

Podfic of @a-witch-in-endor's Fire Sage Zuko AU: Chapter 12. Corresponds with the second half of Chapter 10 in the text version.

In which La is not a gentle spirit.

[whayjhey]

LUKE!! IS IT TRUE YOU WERE HIS SON!!! (someone please enlighten me why this idea wouldn't leave my brain!!! anyway here's star wars + wicked ft luke in a poofy dress)

[mysterious-secret-garden]

Kunz Meyer-Waldeck - The Witch of Endor, “La Ilustración artística”, 1901.

[givingchrist]

Honoring the Elders

When I am bored sometimes, I scroll through Instagram to find an interesting video. One caught my eye yesterday. It showed a man bringing out a mummified human from a grass hut in central New Guinea. Having a mummified descendent in their home was a way for this tribe to “honor their elders.” I clearly come from a different culture. I wasn’t that thrilled about having my parents over for a long…

[thefugitivesaint]

Kunz Meyer-Waldeck (1859-1953), 'The Witch of Endor', ''La Ilustración artística'', Oct. 28, 1901 Source

[tzipporahs-well]

I would love to see the shiur on Shaul and the Witch of Endor.

i drafted a little thing about the prayer elokai neshamah and the translation of the word taharah who wants to see :3

[kdmiller55]

Sovereign Over All

13 And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” 14 And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while…

[collinsportmaine]