Ancient magic in a new key: refining an exotic discipline in the history of religions

This introductory essay attributes the preoccupation with defining magic in the study of ancient religions to Morton Smith’s provocative Jesus the Magician (1978). It proceeds to argue that truly “insiders’” (emic) approaches cannot use the word “magic”; that the materials we use to characterize “ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Guide to the study of ancient magic
Subtitles:Introduction
Main Author: Frankfurter, David 1961- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill 2019
In: Guide to the study of ancient magic
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:This introductory essay attributes the preoccupation with defining magic in the study of ancient religions to Morton Smith’s provocative Jesus the Magician (1978). It proceeds to argue that truly “insiders’” (emic) approaches cannot use the word “magic”; that the materials we use to characterize “magic” (like the PGM) must be examined for how they arise and function historically, not as illustrations of our own fantasies; and that uses of mageia, khesheph, and so on tend to fall into broad discursive patterns (reflected in Part 3). Still, there may be ways that “magic” can be used to discuss ancient ritual practices and materials.
ISBN:9004390758
Contains:Enthalten in: Guide to the study of ancient magic
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/9789004390751_002