Overview
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. Contributors are: Magali Bailliot, Gideon Bohak, Véronique Dasen, Albert de Jong, Jacco Dieleman, Esther Eidinow, David Frankfurter, Fritz Graf, Yuval Harari, Naomi Janowitz, Sarah Iles Johnston, Roy D. Kotansky, Arpad M. Nagy, Daniel Schwemer, Joseph E. Sanzo, Jacques van der Vliet, Andrew Wilburn.
Full Product Details
Author: David Frankfurter
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Volume: 189
Weight: 1.624kg
ISBN: 9789004171572
ISBN 10: 9004171576
Pages: 800
Publication Date: 04 April 2019
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
This volume deserves a wide readership, and, far more than most edited collections, it repays being read from start to finish (...) the volume as a whole develops an argument of considerable sophistication, guided by a strong framework and editorial vision. - Michael D. Bailey, Iowa State University, Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 15:1, 2020. I enjoin you to get access to the Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic. [...] a guide to magic and more-to material culture, to ritual, to the negative space that produces a definition of religion. The book is an evident labor of love from the editor; it is a tour de force, a treasury and treasure. - Laura Nasrallah, Yale Divinity School, Review of Biblical Literature, 22 May 2020 Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic analyzes magic expansively, including a wide range of traditions and methodologies (...) Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic is an excellent volume for a detailed overview of studies of magic in the ancient world. - William Brown, in: The Biblical Review, July 2019 The Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic works well as a reference volume, and this is particularly evident in its three-part structure (...) [it] is yet a critical resource for its efforts at suggesting what magic could be, yes, but more importantly, for highlighting what ancient magic certainly was not. - Shaily Shashikant Patel, Virginia Tech, in: Journal of the American Academy of Religion 87.4, 2019 Few collections can boast such a number of authorities as the copious Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic (...) Provided that one accepts a wider definition of magic, there is a great deal to learn from this book, which will be particularly useful to expert readers who are already familiar with the topic. - Leonardo Constantini, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg, in: The Classical Review 1-3, 2019 The book will perfectly serve as a general introduction to the field and can be recommended due to the fast scope of covered material. - Pavel Horak, Czech Academy of Sciences, in: Religious Studies Review 45, 4. December 2019 Die Kombination von historischer, philologischer und archaologischer Perspektive erlaubt verschiedene Zugange zur antiken Magie, wahrend der vierte Teil des Guides konzeptuelle Fragen aufwirft und zu weiteren Studien anregen wird. - Daniel Vaucher, Universitat Bern, in: Vigiliae Christianae 74.1, 2020 Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic analyseert magie uitgebreid, inclusief een breed scala aan tradities en methoden (...) een zeer goed en leesbaar boek over magie in de Oudheid. - Mark Beumer, in: Kleio-Hiostoria 11, 2020 This volume contains numerous valuable insights, and the editor, David Frankfurter, deserves much credit for gathering so many informative essays on this provocative topic. - Markham J. Geller, University College London, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2020.03.37 Der umfangreiche band kann als ein sehr hilfreiches Arbeitsinstrument fur das Studium auf dem weiten und umstrittenen Feld der Magie dienen. Vor allem die beiden starker empirisch ausgerichteten Teile 2 und 3, wo wesentliche Bereiche des einschlagigen Materials abgedeckt und eine Fulle von wichtigen Informationen und instruktiven Erkenntnissen zusammengetragen sind, koennen einen geeigneten Ausgangspunkt fur das zukunftige Forschungsgesprach bieten. Aber auch im letzten Teil finden sich wertvolle Beobachtungen. (...) Und Register erhoehen die Brauchbarkeit dieses umfassenden Werkes. - Dietmar Wyrwa, in: Theologische Literaturzeitung 146 (2021) 4
Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic analyzes magic expansively, including a wide range of traditions and methodologies (...) Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic is an excellent volume for a detailed overview of studies of magic in the ancient world. - William Brown, The Biblical Review, July 2019. The Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic works well as a reference volume, and this is particularly evident in its three-part structure (...) [it] is yet a critical resource for its efforts at suggesting what magic could be, yes, but more importantly, for highlighting what ancient magic certainly was not. - Shaily Shashikant Patel, Virginia Tech, Journal of the American Academy of Religion 87.4, 2019. Few collections can boast such a number of authorities as the copious Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic (...) Provided that one accepts a wider definition of magic, there is a great deal to learn from this book, which will be particularly useful to expert readers who are already familiar with the topic. - Leonardo Constantini, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg, The Classical Review 1-3, 2019. The book will perfectly serve as a general introduction to the field and can be recommended due to the fast scope of covered material. - Pavel Horak, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Religious Studies Review 45, 4. December 2019.
Author Information
David Frankfurter, Ph.D. (1990) Princeton University, is Professor of Religion at Boston University. A scholar of ancient religions, Frankfurter is the author of Religion in Roman Egypt (Princeton, 1998); and Christianizing Egypt (Princeton, 2017), as well as many articles on magic and popular devotion.
