Jewish Accusation of Sorcery
Passages in the Babylonian Talmud refer to a figure named “Yeshu” (or “Yeshu ha-Notzri”) whom most scholars and traditional Jewish sources identify as Jesus of Nazareth, and they explicitly accuse him of practicing sorcery (kishuf in Hebrew).
The key passages are:
Sanhedrin 43a: Describes the trial and execution of Yeshu. It states:
“On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu the Nazarene. … because he practiced sorcery (kishuf), incited [others to idolatry], and led Israel astray.”
The text says a herald went out for 40 days seeking witnesses in his favor, but none came, so he was executed.
Sanhedrin 107b and Sotah 47a:
Tell a story of Yeshu as a wayward student of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachiah who “practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy.”
Gittin 56b–57a:
Contains a passage about “Yeshu” in a story involving Onkelos summoning spirits, where Yeshu is depicted as being punished in the afterlife by being boiled in excrement for “mocking the words of the Sages” (an offense linked in context to sorcery and heresy).
Penalty for Sorcery
The Torah prescribes the death penalty for various forms of sorcery and witchcraft:
Exodus 22:17 (22:18 in Christian numbering)
מְכַשֵּׁפָה לֹא תְחַיֶּה
“You shall not permit a sorceress (m’khashefah) to live.”
Accusations from the Jews
The accusation that Jesus performed miracles (including healings and exorcisms) by the power of Satan (or Beelzebul, the “prince of demons”) appears in the Synoptic Gospels. The clearest and most direct instances are:
Mark 3:22–30 (the earliest written account)
“And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.’”
Jesus responds with the famous saying about a kingdom divided against itself and the warning against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 12:22–32 (Matthew expands Mark’s account)
After Jesus heals a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, the crowds are amazed, but the Pharisees say:
“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
Jesus again replies that Satan cannot cast out Satan, and repeats the warning about the unforgivable sin.
Luke 11:14–23 (Luke’s parallel)
After Jesus casts out a demon that caused muteness, some in the crowd say:
“He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.”
Grok
Here’s a clear, sourced answer to each of your three questions:
1 – Does the Talmud teach that Jesus was a sorcerer?
Yes, several passages in the Babylonian Talmud (compiled ca. 3rd–6th centuries CE) portray a figure widely identified by scholars as Jesus of Nazareth as having practiced sorcery (kishuf in Hebrew). The key texts are:
Sanhedrin 43a: Describes the trial and execution of “Yeshu” (Jesus) and states: “On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu the Notzri… because he practiced sorcery (kishuf) and enticed Israel to apostasy.”
Sanhedrin 107b / Sotah 47a: Tells a story of “Yeshu” who learned magic in Egypt (an allusion to Exod 7–8 and the Egyptian magicians) and used it to mislead Israel.
Gittin 56b–57a: Contains a cryptic story about “Yeshu” (or “the sinner of Israel”) who used sorcery to fly or perform miracles.
These passages are late (post-200 CE) and polemical; they reflect rabbinic counter-narratives to Christian claims about Jesus’ miracles. Modern Jewish scholarship usually acknowledges these texts refer to Jesus but treats them as defensive responses rather than historical accounts.
2. Does the (Hebrew) Bible prescribe death for sorcerers?
Yes, repeatedly and explicitly:
Exodus 22:18 (22:17 in Hebrew numbering): “You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (מְכַשֵּׁפָה לֹא תְחַיֶּה).
Leviticus 20:27: “A man or a woman who is a medium or a sorcerer shall surely be put to death; they shall be stoned.”
Deuteronomy 18:10–12 lists various forms of divination and sorcery as “abominations” that warrant expulsion or death in the broader context of Israel’s holiness laws.
The Talmudic rabbis understood these verses as requiring capital punishment for certain types of sorcery (Sanhedrin 67a–b).
3. Does the New Testament show that one of the reasons Jewish leaders targeted Jesus was because they believed He performed miracles by the power of Satan (Beelzebul)?
Yes, this accusation appears several times and is presented as a major reason for hostility:Mark 3:22–30 (paralleled in Matthew 12:24–32 and Luke 11:15–23):
“The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.’” Jesus responds with the famous “house divided” argument and warns about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 9:34: “But the Pharisees said, ‘He casts out demons by the prince of demons.’”
John 8:48: The Jews answer Jesus, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
John 10:20–21: Many say, “He has a demon and is insane; why listen to him?”
The Beelzebul controversy is one of the clearest instances in the Gospels where Jewish opponents attribute Jesus’ exorcisms and miracles to satanic or demonic power rather than to God.
Summary
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a, etc.) explicitly calls the Jesus figure a sorcerer and says he was executed for it.
The Torah mandates the death penalty for (certain kinds of) sorcery.
The Gospels repeatedly record Jewish leaders accusing Jesus of performing miracles by the power of Beelzebul/Satan, and this accusation is portrayed as a central reason for their rejection and eventual push for his crucifixion.
These three bodies of literature therefore present a consistent ancient Jewish polemical charge: Jesus’ miracles were real or not were illicit sorcery, not divine acts, and that charge carried a biblical death sentence.
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