DIVINATION. The eastern people, and particularly the Israelites, were always very fond of Divinations, Magick, and the curious Arts of interpreting dreams, and enquiring by unlawful methods into the knowledge of what was to come: this was a consequence of their timorous and superstitious Genius. When Moses publish-ed the law of God, this evil was and had been for some time very common in Egypt, and the neighbouring Countries; and to cure the Israelites of their inclination to consult diviners, fortunetellers, augurs, and interpreters of dreams, &c. he promised them that the spirit of Prophecy should not depart from among them, and forbad them under very severe penalties to consult diviners, astrologers, and other persons of this Levit. xx. 27.kind. He commanded them to be stoned who pretended to have a familiar Spirit, or the Deut. xviii. 9, 10, 15.Spirit of Divination. When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer… God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, and to him ye shall hearken. The writings of the Prophets are full of Invectives against the Israelites, who consulted Diviners, and against the false Prophets, who set up to foretell things future, and by this means seduced the people.
There were several sorts of Divinations, by water, fire, earth, air, by the flight of birds, and their singing; by lots, dreams, and by the wand. We have said something of Divination by water in the Article of Joseph’s Cup. The observations of Thunder, Lightning, and Meteors, may be referr’d to Divinations by Fire, or Pyromancy; as also the operations of the Magi about the Fire which they kept up in their Inclosures or Temples, called Pyratheia. Into these, says Strabo, l. 15. they enter every day, and there continue for an hour practising enchantments, having a bundle of small rods in their hands, and wearing bonnets or tiara’s of hair, so large that they fall down to their very lips.