Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic
David Frankfurter (ed), Leiden: Brill, 2019
Description
In the midst of academic debates about the utility of the term “magic” and the cultural meaning of ancient words like mageia or khesheph, this Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic seeks to advance the discussion by separating out three topics essential to the very idea of magic. The three major sections of this volume address (1) indigenous terminologies for ambiguous or illicit ritual in antiquity; (2) the ancient texts, manuals, and artifacts commonly designated “magical” or used to represent ancient magic; and (3) a series of contexts, from the written word to materiality itself, to which the term “magic” might usefully pertain. The individual essays in this volume cover most of Mediterranean and Near Eastern antiquity, with essays by both established and emergent scholars of ancient religions. In a burgeoning field of “magic studies” trying both to preserve and to justify critically the category itself, this volume brings new clarity and provocative insights. This will be an indispensable resource to all interested in magic in the Bible and the Ancient Near East, ancient Greece and Rome, Early Christianity and Judaism, Egypt through the Christian period, and also comparative and critical theory.
(Text from the publisher)
Table of contents
Introduction
Ancient Magic in a New Key: Refining an Exotic Discipline in the History of Religions – David Frankfurter
The Plan of This Volume – David Frankfurter
Cultural Constructions of Ambiguous, Unsanctioned, or Illegitimate Ritual – David Frankfurter
Mesopotamia – Daniel Schwemer
Iran – Albert de Jong
Egypt – Jacco Dieleman
Greece – Fritz Graf
Ancient Israel and Early Judaism – Yuval Harari
Rome and the Roman Empire – Magali Bailliot
Early Christianity – Joseph E. Sanzo
Roman and Byzantine Egypt – Jacques van der Vliet
The Materials of Ancient Magic – David Frankfurter
The Greco-Egyptian Magical Papyri – Jacco Dieleman
Christian Spells and Manuals from Egypt – Jacques van der Vliet
Binding Spells on Tablets and Papyri – Esther Eidinow
Jewish Amulets, Magic Bowls, and Manuals in Aramaic and Hebrew – Gideon Bohak
Gems – Véronique Dasen and Árpád M. Nagy
Figurines, Images, and Representations Used in Ritual Practices – Andrew T. Wilburn
Textual Amulets and Writing Traditions in the Ancient World – Roy D. Kotansky
Building Ritual Agency: Foundations, Floors, Doors, and Walls – Andrew T. Wilburn
Dimensions of a Category Magic – David Frankfurter
Spell and Speech Act: The Magic of the Spoken Word – David Frankfurter
The Magic of Writing in Mediterranean Antiquity – David Frankfurter
Magic and the Forces of Materiality – David Frankfurter
The Magical Elements of Mysticism: Ritual Strategies for Encountering Divinity – Naomi Janowitz
Magic and Theurgy – Sarah Iles Johnston
Magic as the Local Application of Authoritative Tradition – David Frankfurter
Magic and Social Tension – Esther Eidinow
Link
https://brill.com/view/title/12555
