Guide to the study of ancient magic / / edited by David Frankfurter.

• TeilnehmendeR: Frankfurter, David, 1961-
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2019.
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Series: Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 189.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (817 pages).

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.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Copyright page -- Dedication -- Preface -- Illustrations -- Abbreviations -- Notes on Contributors -- 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 -- Introduction / 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 -- Introduction / 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 -- Introduction / 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 -- Back Matter -- Index.