ABSTRACT

Using in-depth examples of 'magical' practice such as exorcisms, love rites, alchemy and the transformation of humans into divine beings, this lively volume demonstrates that the word 'magic' was used widely in late antique texts as part of polemics against enemies and sometimes merely as a term for other people's rituals. Naomi Janowitz shows that 'magical' activities were integral to late antique religious practice, and that they must be understood from the perspective of those who employed them.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

chapter |11 pages

Using Natural Forces for Divine Goals

Maria the Jewess and early alchemy

chapter |16 pages

Divine Power, Human Hands

Becoming gods in the first centuries

chapter |11 pages

“Even the Decent Women Practice Witchcraft”

Magic and gender in late antiquity

chapter |4 pages

Concluding Note

The legacy of the first centuries