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Hellenism, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity
Papers collected in this volume try to illuminate various aspects of philosophical theology dealt with by different Jewish and early Christian authors and texts (e.g. the Acts of the Apostles, Philo, Origen, Gregory of Nazianzus), rooted in and influenced by the Hellenistic religious, cultural, and philosophical context, and they also focus on the literary and cultural traditions of Hellenized Judaism and its reception (e.g. Sibylline Oracles, Prayer of Manasseh), including material culture ("Elephant Mosaic Panel" from Huqoq synagogue). By studying the Hellenistic influences on early Christianity, both in response to and in reaction against early Hellenized Judaism, the volume intends not only to better understand Christianity, as a religious and historical phenomenon with a profound impact on the development of European civilization, but also to better comprehend Hellenism and its consequences which have often been relegated to the realm of political history.
Ancient Christians and the Power of Curses
Ancient Christians and their non-Christian contemporaries lived in a world of 'magic.' Sometimes, they used curses as ritual objects to seek justice from gods and other beings; sometimes, they argued against them. Curses, and the writings of those who polemicized against curses, reveal the complexity of ancient Mediterranean religions, in which materiality, poetics, song, incantation, and glossolalia were used as technologies of power. Laura Nasrallah's study reframes the field of religion, the study of the Roman imperial period, and the investigation of the New Testament and ancient Christianity. Her approach eschews disciplinary aesthetics that privilege the literature and archaeological remains of elites, and that defines curses as magical materials, separable from religious ritual. Moreover, Nasrallah's imaginative use of art and 'research creations' of contemporary Black painters, sculptors, and poets offer insights for understanding how ancient ritual materials embedded into art work intervene into the present moment and critique injustice.
Nemo non metuit
"Nemo Non Metuit": Magic in the Roman World has the ambitious goal of discussing some of the fundamental themes in the development of the idea of magic, in all its facets, in the long chronological span of the Roman world, between the 8th century BCE and the 5th century CE. At the same time, this volume is the result of a team effort that has brought together both accomplished scholars and young researchers at the beginning of their scholarly careers. Altogether, this ample work is the result of a synergy that brought together different approaches to the study of Roman magic. The broad content of this volume includes studies on magical gems of Etruscan, Greek and Phoenician background; curse...
Naturalism and Protectionism in the Study of Religions
How should we study religion? Must we be religious ourselves to truly understand it? Do we study religion to advance our knowledge, or should the study of religions help to reintroduce the sacred into our increasingly secularized world? Juraj Franek argues that the study of religion has long been split into two competing paradigms: reductive (naturalist) and non-reductive (protectionist). While the naturalistic approach seems to run the risk of explaining religious phenomena away, the protectionist approach appears to risk falling short of the methodological standards of modern science. Franek uses primary source material from Greek and Latin sources to show that both competing paradigms are...
Solomonica Magica
Solomonica Magica is the first comprehensive survey of 'Solomonic' or 'Holy Rider' amulets, collating and editing over 350 magical objects with Greek inscriptions, preserved on a wide variety of material supports.
Performative Adjuration Formula in Greek and Latin Inscriptions
The edited volume presents the rst comprehensive corpus of performative adjuration formulae collated from Greek and Latin epigraphical sources. The original texts-for the most part artefacts connected with magico-religious beliefs and practices of their users-are all translated into English and accompanied by a philological and socio-religious commentary. The international team of three specialists adopts a synoptic approach that tracks various classes of epigraphic documents to analyse permutations and developments in the syntactic structure of the adjuration formula, and its pragmatic function. This major study of the adjuration formula in Antiquity and its continued tradition in the Middle Ages will be of interest not only to the scholars of these linguistic traditions, but also to researchers working in the elds of Religious Studies, Ancient History, Theology, and Archaeology.
European Futures
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Fighting Communism from Afar
Formation of the council of free Czechoslovakia -- Early activity and the first split -- Attempts at reunification -- Truly united? -- Reforming the council -- Under new organization -- The nationalities issue -- The council and the refugees -- Participation in international organizations.
