 According to Morton Smith both are explanations for very similar phenomena.If so this shows the convenience that using the term "magic" had in the Roman Empire – in delineating between what "they do and what you do".However Barry Crawford, currently Co-Chair of the Society of Biblical Literature's Consultation on Redescribing Christian Origins, in his 1979 review of the book states that "Smith exhibits an intricate knowledge of the magical papyri, but his ignorance of current Gospel research is abysmal", concluding that the work has traits of a conspiracy theory.