Category:Curious arts

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Curious arts - (Acts 19:19), magical arts; jugglery practiced by the Ephesian conjurers. Ephesus was noted for its wizard and the "Ephesian spells;" i.e., charms or scraps of parchment written over with certain formulae, which were worn as a safeguard against all manner of evils. The more important and powerful of these charms were written out in books which circulated among the exorcists, and were sold at a great price.