Magic in the Roman World : Pagans, Jews and Christians - Naomi Janowitz

Magic in the Roman World

Pagans, Jews and Christians

By: Naomi Janowitz

Hardcover | 21 June 2001 | Edition Number 1

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This volume demonstrates that the word 'magic' was widely employed in late antique texts as part of polemical attacks on enemies - but at the simplest level it was merely a term used for other people's rituals. The study begins by analysing Jewish, Christian and Greco-Roman uses of the term in the first three centuries AD. The author then turns to a series of in-depth examples of 'magical' practice - exorcisms, love rites, alchemy and the transformation of humans into divine beings, examining how such rituals were thought to work. The book ends with an exploration of issues of gender and magic, looking at the reasons behind the over-representation of women on charges of using magic. Professor Janowitz's lively and accessible work illuminates the fact that activities denounced as magical were integral to late antique religious practice, and shows that they must be understood from the perspective of those who employed them.
Industry Reviews
"This is a lively read that provides an engaging introduction to a complex topic, and its notes and bibliography would provide a good beginning to further study." -Kim Paffenroth, Iona College "Religious Studies Reviewn

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