▁this , ▁Christian ▁ideas ▁of ▁magic ▁were ▁closely ▁linked ▁to ▁the ▁Christian ▁category ▁of ▁pag an ism , ▁and ▁both ▁magic ▁and ▁pag an ism ▁were ▁regarded ▁as ▁belonging ▁under ▁the ▁bro ader ▁category ▁of ▁super st it io ▁( super st ition ), ▁another ▁term ▁borrow ed ▁from ▁pre - Christ ian ▁Roman ▁culture . ▁This ▁Christian ▁emphas is ▁on ▁the ▁inher ent ▁imm or ality ▁and ▁wrong ness ▁of ▁magic ▁as ▁something ▁conflic ting ▁with ▁good ▁religion ▁was ▁far ▁stark er ▁than ▁the ▁approach ▁in ▁the ▁other ▁large ▁mon othe istic ▁relig ions ▁of ▁the ▁period , ▁J uda ism ▁and ▁Islam . ▁For ▁instance , ▁while ▁Christians ▁regarded ▁dem ons ▁as ▁inher ently ▁evil , ▁the ▁j inn — com par able ▁entities ▁in ▁Islam ic ▁myth ology — w ere ▁perce ived ▁as ▁more ▁amb ivalent ▁figures ▁by ▁Muslim s . ▁ ▁The ▁model ▁of ▁the ▁mag ician ▁in ▁Christian ▁thought ▁was ▁provided ▁by ▁Simon ▁Mag us , ▁or ▁" Sim on ▁the ▁Mag ician ", ▁a ▁figure ▁who ▁opposed ▁Saint ▁Peter ▁in ▁both ▁the ▁Act s ▁of ▁the ▁Apost les ▁and ▁the ▁ap oc ry phal ▁yet ▁influ ential ▁Act s ▁of ▁Peter . ▁The ▁historian ▁Michael ▁D . ▁Ba iley ▁stated ▁that ▁in ▁medieval ▁Europe , ▁" mag ic " ▁was ▁a ▁" rel atively ▁broad ▁and ▁en comp ass ing ▁category ". ▁Christian ▁the olog ians ▁believed ▁that ▁there ▁were ▁multiple ▁different ▁forms ▁of ▁magic , ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁which ▁were ▁types ▁of ▁div ination .