Overview

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. In Ritual Boundaries, Joseph E. Sanzo transforms our understanding of how early Christians experienced religion in lived practice through the study of magical objects, such as amulets and grimoires. Against the prevailing view of late antiquity as a time when only so-called elites were interested in religious and ritual differentiation, the evidence presented here reveals that the desire to distinguish between religious and ritual insiders and outsiders cut across diverse social strata. The magical evidence also offers unique insight into early biblical reception, exposing a textual world in which scriptural reading was multisensory and multitraditional. As they addressed sickness, demonic struggle, and interpersonal conflicts, Mediterranean people thus acted in ways that challenge our conceptual boundaries between Christians and non-Christians; elites and non-elites; and words, materials, and images. Sanzo helps us rethink how early Christians imagined similarity and difference among texts, traditions, groups, and rituals as they went about their daily lives.

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9780520399181

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Reviews

""Sanzo’s prose is refreshingly accessible. Therefore, anyone interested in religious identity, ancient ‘magic,’ and ritual practice in late antiquity would benefit from this thought-provoking work."" * Religious Studies Review * ""This study adroitly engages not only the most recent work on magic and material culture but saturates its analysis in relevant theoretical approaches that enrich, nuance, and broaden the conclusions Sanzo reaches. The book is richly documented, carefully argued, theoretically astute, and includes beautiful full-color images of the featured artifacts. It will become an indispensable contribution to the study of Christian magic, lived ancient religion, and debates over parting of the ways."" * Review of Biblical Literature * ""Essential reading for researchers of ancient religion in general, and especially for those who engage in the study of magical objects."" * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *

Author Information

Joseph E. Sanzo is Associate Professor of History of Religions at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and author of Scriptural Incipits on Amulets from Late Antique Egypt: Text, Typology, and Theory.

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