Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World (Magic in History)

In the religious systems of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean, gods and demigods were neither abstract nor distant, but communicated with mankind through signs and active intervention. Men and women were thus eager to interpret, appeal to, and even control the gods and their agents. In Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World, a distinguished array of scholars explores the many ways in which people in the ancient world sought to gain access to -- or, in some cases, to bind or escape from -- the divine powers of heaven and earth. Grounded in a variety of disciplines, including Assyriology, Classics, and early Islamic history, the fifteen essays in this volume cover a broad geographic area: Greece, Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Persia. Topics include celestial divination in early Mesopotamia, the civic festivals of classical Athens, and Christian magical papyri from Coptic Egypt. Moving forward to Late Antiquity, we see how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each incorporated many aspects of ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman religion into their own prayers, rituals, and conceptions. Even if they no longer conceived of the sun, moon, and the stars as eternal or divine, Christians, Jews, and Muslims often continued to study the movements of the heavens as a map on which divine power could be read. The reader already familiar with studies of ancient religion will find in Prayer, Magic, and the Stars both old friends and new faces. Contributors include Gideon Bohak, Nicola Denzey, Jacco Dieleman, Radcliffe Edmonds, Marvin Meyer, Michael G. Morony, Ian Moyer, Francesca Rochberg, Jonathan Z. Smith, Mark S. Smith, Peter Struck, Michael Swartz, and Kasia Szpakowska. Published as part of Penn State's Magic in History series, Prayer, Magic, and the Stars appears at a time of renewed interest in divination and occult practices in the ancient world. It will interest a wide audience in the field of comparative religion as well as students of the ancient world and late antiquity.--Publisher website Cover......Page 1 THE MAGIC IN HISTORY SERIES......Page 3 Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late AntiqueWorld......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 List of Abbreviations......Page 10 List of Figures......Page 14 Introduction......Page 16 PART I. LOCATING MAGIC......Page 34 1 Here, There, and Anywhere......Page 36 PART II. PRAYER, MAGIC, AND RITUAL......Page 52 2 Thessalos of Tralles and Cultural Exchange......Page 54 3 The Prayer of Mary in the Magical Book of Mary and the Angels......Page 72 4 Hebrew, Hebrew Everywhere? Notes on the Interpretation of Voces Magicae......Page 84 5 Magic and Society in Late Sasanian Iraq......Page 98 PART III. DREAMS AND DIVINATION......Page 124 6 The Open Portal: Dreams and Divine Power in Pharaonic Egypt......Page 126 7 Viscera and the Divine: Dreams as the Divinatory Bridge Between the Corporeal and the Incorporeal......Page 140 8 Stars and the Egyptian Priesthood in the Graeco-Roman Period......Page 152 9 Divination and Its Discontents: Finding and Questioning Meaning in Ancient and Medieval Judaism......Page 170 PART IV. THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE STARS......Page 182 10 Heaven and Earth: Divine-Human Relations in Mesopotamian Celestial Divination......Page 184 11 Astral Religion and the Representation of Divinity: The Cases of Ugarit and Judah......Page 202 12 A New Star on the Horizon: Astral Christologies and Stellar Debates in Early Christian Discourse......Page 222 13 At the Seizure of the Moon: The Absence of the Moon in the Mithras Liturgy......Page 238 Contributors......Page 256 Index......Page 260 Cover 1 THE MAGIC IN HISTORY SERIES 3 Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late AntiqueWorld 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 List of Abbreviations 10 List of Figures 14 Introduction 16 PART I. LOCATING MAGIC 34 1 Here, There, and Anywhere 36 PART II. PRAYER, MAGIC, AND RITUAL 52 2 Thessalos of Tralles and Cultural Exchange 54 3 The Prayer of Mary in the Magical Book of Mary and the Angels 72 4 Hebrew, Hebrew Everywhere? Notes on the Interpretation of Voces Magicae 84 5 Magic and Society in Late Sasanian Iraq 98 PART III. DREAMS AND DIVINATION 124 6 The Open Portal: Dreams and Divine Power in Pharaonic Egypt 126 7 Viscera and the Divine: Dreams as the Divinatory Bridge Between the Corporeal and the Incorporeal 140 8 Stars and the Egyptian Priesthood in the Graeco-Roman Period 152 9 Divination and Its Discontents: Finding and Questioning Meaning in Ancient and Medieval Judaism 170 PART IV. THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE STARS 182 10 Heaven and Earth: Divine-Human Relations in Mesopotamian Celestial Divination 184 11 Astral Religion and the Representation of Divinity: The Cases of Ugarit and Judah 202 12 A New Star on the Horizon: Astral Christologies and Stellar Debates in Early Christian Discourse 222 13 At the Seizure of the Moon: The Absence of the Moon in the Mithras Liturgy 238 Contributors 256 Index 260 0271022574,9780271022574,0271022582,9780271022581 Pennsylvania State University Press 2003/07 Here, There, And Anywhere / Jonathan Z. Smith -- Thessalos Of Tralles And Cultural Exchange / Ian Moyer -- The Prayer Of Mary In The Magical Book Of Mary And The Angels / Marvin Meyer -- Hebrew, Hebrew Everywhere? Notes On The Interpretation Of Voces Magicae / Gideon Bohak -- Magic And Society In Late Sasanian Iraq / Michael G. Morony -- The Open Portal : Dreams And Divine Power In Pharaonic Egypt / Kasia Szpakowska -- Viscera And The Divine : Dreams As The Divinatory Bridge Between The Corporeal And The Incorporeal / Peter Struck -- Stars And The Egyptian Priesthood In The Graeco-roman Period / Jacco Dieleman -- Divination And Its Discontents : Finding And Questioning Meaning In Ancient And Medieval Judaism / Michael D. Swartz -- Heaven And Earth : Divine-human Relations In Mesopotamian Celestial Divination / Francesca Rochberg -- Astral Religion And The Representation Of Divinity : The Cases Of Ugarit And Judah / Mark S. Smith -- A New Star On The Horizon : Astral Christologies And Stellar Debates In Early Christian Discourse / Nicola Denzey -- At The Seizure Of The Moon : The Absence Of The Moon In The Mithras Liturgy / Radcliffe G. Edmonds Iii. Edited By Scott Noegel, Joel Walker, And Brannon Wheeler. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.