Ancient Magic and Ritual Power (Religions in the Graeco-Roman World (Reprint), V. 129)

This volume contains a series of provocative essays that explore expressions of magic and ritual power in the ancient world. The essays are authored by leading scholars in the fields of Egyptology, ancient Near Eastern studies, the Hebrew Bible, Judaica, classical Greek and Roman studies, early Christianity and patristics, and Coptology. Throughout the book the essays examine the terms employed in descriptions of ancient magic. From this examination comes a clarification of magic as a polemical term of exclusion but also an understanding of the classical Egyptian and early Greek conceptions of magic as a more neutral category of inclusion. This book should prove to be foundational for future scholarly studies of ancient magic and ritual power. This publication has also been published in hardback (no longer available). ANCIENT MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER......Page 4 Table of Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Selected Bibliography......Page 19 Part I: DEFINING MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER......Page 22 I. Jonathan Z. Smith: Trading Places......Page 24 II. Fritz Graf: Excluding the Charming: The Development of the Greek Concept of Magic......Page 40 III. Robert K. Ritner: The Religious, Social, and Legal Parameters of Traditional Egyptian Magic......Page 54 Part II: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST......Page 72 IV. Richard H. Beal: Hittite Military Rituals......Page 74 V. Billie Jean Collins: Ritual Meals in the Hittite Cult......Page 88 VI. J.A. Scurlock: Magical Uses of Ancient Mesopotamian Festivals of the Dead......Page 104 Part III: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY......Page 120 VII. Brian B. Schmidt: The "Witch" of En-Dor, 1 Samuel 28, and Ancient Near Eastern Necromancy......Page 122 VIII. Stephen D. Ricks: The Magician as Outsider in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament......Page 142 IX. Jonathan Seidel: Charming Criminals: Classification of Magic in the Babylonian Talmud......Page 156 X. Michael D. Swartz: Magical Piety in Ancient and Medieval Judaism......Page 178 XI. Rebecca Lesses: The Adjuration of the Prince of the Presence: Performative Utterance in a Jewish Ritual......Page 196 Overview of the Adjuration of the Prince of the Presence......Page 204 Part IV: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN GREEK ANTIQUITY......Page 218 1. Wartetext......Page 220 2. Apotelesmatikon......Page 222 3. Magical Formulary......Page 226 4. Christian Amulet (?)......Page 228 5. Sortes Astrampsychi......Page 232 6. Sortes Astrampsychi......Page 240 7. Horoscope......Page 242 8. Astrological Text: Zodiac?......Page 244 Notes......Page 249 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 251 XIII. Roy Kotansky: Greek Exorcistic Amulets......Page 254 XIV. Leda Jean Ciraolo: Supernatural Assistants in the Greek Magical Papyri......Page 290 XV. Christopher A. Faraone: The Mystodokos and the Dark-Eyed Maidens: Multicultural Influences on a Late-Hellenistic Incantation......Page 308 XVI. David Martinez: "May she neither eat nor drink": Love Magic and Vows of Abstinence......Page 346 XVII. Sarah Iles Johnston: Defining the Dreadful: Remarks on the Greek Child-Killing Demon......Page 372 Part V: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN ROMAN AND LATE ANTIQUITY......Page 400 XVIII. Oliver Phillips: Singing Away Snakebite: Lucan's Magical Cures......Page 402 XIX. Jacques van der Vliet: Satan's Fall in Coptic Magic......Page 412 XX. Jason David BeDuhn: Magical Bowls and Manichaeans......Page 430 XXI. Todd Breyfogle: Magic, Women, and Heresy in the Late Empire: The Case of the Priscillianists......Page 446 Conclusion: MYTH, MAGIC, AND THE POWER OF THE WORD......Page 466 XXII. David Frankfurter: Narrating Power: The Theory and Practice of the Magical Historiola in Ritual Spells......Page 468 PLATES: NEW GREEK MAGICAL AND DIVINATORY TEXTS IN BERLIN......Page 488 ANCIENT MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER 4 Table of Contents 6 Preface 10 Introduction 12 Selected Bibliography 19 Part I: DEFINING MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER 22 I. Jonathan Z. Smith: Trading Places 24 II. Fritz Graf: Excluding the Charming: The Development of the Greek Concept of Magic 40 III. Robert K. Ritner: The Religious, Social, and Legal Parameters of Traditional Egyptian Magic 54 Part II: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST 72 IV. Richard H. Beal: Hittite Military Rituals 74 V. Billie Jean Collins: Ritual Meals in the Hittite Cult 88 VI. J.A. Scurlock: Magical Uses of Ancient Mesopotamian Festivals of the Dead 104 Part III: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY 120 VII. Brian B. Schmidt: The "Witch" of En-Dor, 1 Samuel 28, and Ancient Near Eastern Necromancy 122 VIII. Stephen D. Ricks: The Magician as Outsider in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament 142 IX. Jonathan Seidel: Charming Criminals: Classification of Magic in the Babylonian Talmud 156 X. Michael D. Swartz: Magical Piety in Ancient and Medieval Judaism 178 XI. Rebecca Lesses: The Adjuration of the Prince of the Presence: Performative Utterance in a Jewish Ritual 196 Overview of the Adjuration of the Prince of the Presence 204 Part IV: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN GREEK ANTIQUITY 218 XII. William M. Brashear: New Greek Magical and Divinatory Texts in Berlin 220 1. Wartetext 220 2. Apotelesmatikon 222 3. Magical Formulary 226 4. Christian Amulet (?) 228 5. Sortes Astrampsychi 232 6. Sortes Astrampsychi 240 7. Horoscope 242 8. Astrological Text: Zodiac? 244 Notes 249 ABBREVIATIONS 251 XIII. Roy Kotansky: Greek Exorcistic Amulets 254 XIV. Leda Jean Ciraolo: Supernatural Assistants in the Greek Magical Papyri 290 XV. Christopher A. Faraone: The Mystodokos and the Dark-Eyed Maidens: Multicultural Influences on a Late-Hellenistic Incantation 308 XVI. David Martinez: "May she neither eat nor drink": Love Magic and Vows of Abstinence 346 XVII. Sarah Iles Johnston: Defining the Dreadful: Remarks on the Greek Child-Killing Demon 372 Part V: MAGIC AND RITUAL POWER IN ROMAN AND LATE ANTIQUITY 400 XVIII. Oliver Phillips: Singing Away Snakebite: Lucan's Magical Cures 402 XIX. Jacques van der Vliet: Satan's Fall in Coptic Magic 412 XX. Jason David BeDuhn: Magical Bowls and Manichaeans 430 XXI. Todd Breyfogle: Magic, Women, and Heresy in the Late Empire: The Case of the Priscillianists 446 Conclusion: MYTH, MAGIC, AND THE POWER OF THE WORD 466 XXII. David Frankfurter: Narrating Power: The Theory and Practice of the Magical Historiola in Ritual Spells 468 PLATES: NEW GREEK MAGICAL AND DIVINATORY TEXTS IN BERLIN 488 Marvin Meyer, director of the Coptic Magical Texts Project, Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, and Paul Mirecki, associate professor religious studies at the University of Kansas, have assembled top scholars from around the world to examine magic and ritual power in the ancient world. Experts in the fields of Egyptology, ancient Near Eastern studies, the Hebrew Bible, Judaica, classical Greek and Roman studies, early Christianity and patristics, and Coptology these scholars tackle the tough questions of defining and describing magic and reconsider past definitions and descriptions from the vantage point of "empowerment," specifically ritual power. A strategy of evaluating the language of magic reveals its role in polemics and suggests that the classical Egyptian and early Greek conceptions of magic are a more neutral category of inclusion. This book, for the first time in paperback, has already proven to be foundational for scholarly inquiry into ancient magic and ritual power. Marvin Meyer, director of the Coptic Magical Texts Project, Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, and Paul Mirecki, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Kansas, have assembled top scholars from around the world to examine magic and ritual power in the ancient world. Experts in the fields of Egyptology, ancient Near Eastern studies, the Hebrew Bible, Judaica, classical Greek and Roman studies, early Christianity and patristics, and Coptology tackle the tough questions of defining and describing magic and reconsider past definitions and descriptions from the vantage point of "empowerment," specifically ritual power. A strategy of evaluating the language of magic reveals its role in polemics and suggests that the classical Egyptian and early Greek conceptions of magic are a more neutral category of inclusion. This book, for the first time in paperback, has already proven to be foundational for scholarly inquiry into ancient magic and ritual power This volume contains a series of provocative essays that explore expressions of magic and ritual power in the ancient world. The essays are authored by leading scholars in the fields of Egyptology, ancient Near Eastern studies, the Hebrew Bible, Judaica, classical Greek and Roman studies, early Christianity and patristics, and Coptology.Throughout the book the essays examine the terms employed in descriptions of ancient magic. From this examination comes a clarification of magic as a polemical term of exclusion but also an understanding of the classical Egyptian and early Greek conceptions of magic as a more neutral category of inclusion.This book should prove to be foundational for future scholarly studies of ancient magic and ritual power.This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details. Annotation This volume contains a series of provocative essays that explore expressions of magic and ritual power in the ancient world. The essays are authored by leading scholars in the fields of Egyptology, ancient Near Eastern studies, the Hebrew Bible, Judaica, classical Greek and Roman studies, early Christianity and patristics, and Coptic and Islamic Egypt. The strength of the present volume lies in the breadth of scholarly approaches represented. The book begins with several papyrological studies presenting important new texts in Greek and Coptic, continuing with essays focusing on taxonomy and definition. The concluding essays apply contemporary theories to analyses of specific test cases in a broad variety of ancient Mediterranean cultures This work presents a collection of essays which explore expressions of magic and ritual power in the ancient world. The terms employed in descriptions of ancient magic are discussed, with the aim of providing a clarification of magic as a polemical term of exclusion.