Author: Scott Noegel
Publisher: Penn State Press
ISBN: 9780271046006
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 274
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Book Description
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.
Author: Paul Allan Mirecki
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004116764
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 496
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Book Description
This volume contains a series of provocative essays that explore expressions of magic and ritual power in the ancient world. 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 focussing on taxonomy and definition. The concluding essays apply contemporary theories to analyses of specific test cases in a broad variety of ancient Mediterranean cultures. Paul Mirecki, Th.D. (1986) in Religious Studies, Harvard Divinity School, is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas. Marvin Meyer, Ph.D. (1979) in Religion, Claremont Graduate School, is Professor of Religion at Chapman University, Orange, California, and Director of the Coptic Magical Texts Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity.
Author: David Frankfurter
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004390758
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 817
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Book Description
This volume seeks to advance the study of ancient magic through separate discussions of ancient terms for ambiguous or illicit ritual, the ancient texts commonly designated magical, and contexts in which the term magic may be used descriptively.
Author: Paul Mirecki
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004283811
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 496
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Book Description
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.
Author: Jennifer Reif
Publisher: Citadel Press
ISBN: 9780806522005
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
A scholarly history of the Wiccan religion from Paleolithic times to the present, as well as complete instructions for casting spells inspired by Morgan Le Fay, half-sister of King Arthur and the sorceress-witch who learned her craft from Merlin.
Author: Fritz Graf
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328
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Book Description
Ancient Greeks and Romans often turned to magic to achieve personal goals. Magical rites were seen as a route for direct access to the gods, for material gains as well as spiritual satisfaction. In this survey of magical beliefs and practices from the sixth century B.C.E. through late antiquity, Fritz Graf sheds new light on ancient religion. Graf explores the important types of magic in Greco-Roman antiquity, describing rites and explaining the theory behind them. And he characterizes the ancient magician: his training and initiation, social status, and presumed connections with the divine world. With trenchant analysis of underlying conceptions and vivid account of illustrative cases, Graf gives a full picture of the practice of magic and its implications. He concludes with an evaluation of the relation of magic to religion.
Author: Ed Fitch
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 9780875422305
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 164
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Book Description
Now you can get the collection of rituals and wisdom that has helped start thousands of people on a Pagan path for over thirty-five years-Magical Rites from the Crystal Well by Ed Fitch. "The Crystal Well" was a small magazine that was published at a time when little information was available on Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism. Because of this, the rituals from that magazine circulated far and wide. Today, decades later, they are still popular. Why? Because they're some of the most beautiful, magical, and lyrical rituals ever written. These wonderful rituals have been collected in a beautifully illustrated book. Among the many rituals and techniques you'll find in Magical Rites from the Crystal Well are: - Rites for all of the seasons, including Midsummer, Lammas, Winter, and more. - The Rite of Calling Down the Moon - The Ceremony of Cakes and Wine - The Feast of the Full Moon - Storm Magic - Magical Dance - Building an Astral Temple - Pathworking - A Handfasting Rite - Rite of Dedication and Protection for an Infant Each rite includes complete instructions, with every word and every action clearly explained. The book also includes Pagan lore, such as the Rede of Chivalry, tips on forming a Pagan training group, how to tell if your pet is also your familiar, and much more. Almost every page has an elegant illustration. This book is not just filled with important ideas and rites that you can use, it's also beautiful to behold.
Author: Pauline Campanelli
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 0738745391
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 272
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Book Description
Pauline and Dan Campanelli's classic companion to Wheel of the Year is back for a new generation of readers to enjoy Celebrate the seasons of the year according to the ancient Pagan traditions. Ancient Ways shows how to prepare for and conduct the Sabbat rites, and helps you harness the magickal energy for weeks afterward. The wealth of seasonal rituals and charms within are drawn from ancient sources but are easily performed with readily available materials. Learn how to look into your previous lives at Yule. At Beltane, discover the places where you are most likely to see faeries. Make special jewelry to wear for your Lammas celebrations. For the special animals in your life, paint a charm of protection at Midsummer. Most Pagans feel that the Sabbat rituals are all too brief and wish for the magick to continue. Ancient Ways can help you reclaim your own traditions and heighten the feeling of magick all year long. Praise: "A delightful, joyous guide to celebrating the seasons and festivals with homespun magic." —Scott Cunningham, author of Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs "A delightful book that beautifully complements the authors' Wheel of the Year." —Ray Buckland, author of Practical Candleburning Rituals
Author: Marvin W. Meyer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691004587
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 430
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Book Description
This thought-provoking collection of magical texts from ancient Egypt shows the exotic rituals, esoteric healing practices, and incantatory and supernatural dimensions that flowered in early Christianity. These remarkable Christian magical texts include curses, spells of protection from "headless powers" and evil spirits, spells invoking thunderous powers, descriptions of fire baptism, and even recipes from a magical "cookbook." Virtually all the texts are by Coptic Christians, and they date from about the 1st-12th centuries of the common era, with the majority from late antiquity. By placing these rarely seen texts in historical context and discussing their significance, the authors explore the place of healing, prayer, miracles, and magic in the early Christian experience, and expand our understanding of Christianity and Gnosticism as a vital folk religion.
Author: Lauron William De Laurence
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Magic
Languages : en
Pages : 484
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Book Description
