Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion [Paperback]

Christopher A. Faraone (Editor), Dirk Obbink (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0195111400 | ISBN-13: 978-0195111408

This collection challenges the tendency among scholars of ancient Greece to see magical and religious ritual as mutually exclusive and to ignore "magical" practices in Greek religion. The contributors survey specific bodies of archaeological, epigraphical, and papyrological evidence for magical practices in the Greek world, and, in each case, determine whether the traditional dichotomy between magic and religion helps in any way to conceptualize the objective features of the evidence examined. Contributors include Christopher A. Faraone, J.H.M. Strubbe, H.S. Versnel, Roy Kotansky, John Scarborough, Samuel Eitrem, Fritz Graf, John J. Winkler, Hans Dieter Betz, and C.R. Phillips.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This excellent and thought-provoking book will be indispensable to all who study Gre k religion. It draws on a wealth of illuminating primary material."--The Classical Review

"To assemble these 10 pieces on various aspects of ancient magic was an excellent idea....To do justice to the wealth of material presented and the intriguing new ideas which emerge one would have to write another book."--The Classical Outlook

About the Author

Christopher A. Faraone is at University of Chicago. Dirk Obbink is at Barnard College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195111400
• ISBN-13: 978-0195111408
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #606,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Overview of Classical Magic, July 7, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion (Paperback)

A good introduction to the contemporary study of magic in the classical world. That this book is a collection rather than written by a single author makes it more valuable as it provides a variety of interpritation in an area that is undergoing large scale renovations. Scholarly and a bit dry this book has nothing to do with the usual new age kook authors that make serious research into mystical studies a pain and then some.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding collection, November 1, 2009

By 

Christopher R. Travers "Einhverfr" (Chelan, WA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion (Paperback)

This work is a collection of ten essays by different authorities on different elements of classical Greek magic and, in some cases its interaction with official religion. This will probably appeal to two different crowds: the academics and the occultists.

Academically, I think this work is entirely without equal. The essays are incredibly insightful and provide very clear descriptions of how magic fit into Hellenic and Hellenistic cultures. The material is extremely well documented with endnotes which provide not only references but additional points of discussion. This is a book which is simply the most important book on the subject I have ever read.

For magicians, those who follow modern Hermetic, Wiccan, and related traditions will find little or nothing of value in this book. However, those who follow reconstructionist traditions (Runic, Reconstrictionist Celtic, Reconstructionist Greek, etc) will find substantial important material which can be useful either directly or for comparative studies.

Christopher Faraone's essay on agonistic contexts of binding spells is a good example. The essay provides a great deal of insight into the motivations of those who put together the binding spells in the first place. For those trying to reconstruct Greek magical ways of working, this is directly applicable. However, as a Runic magician, I find the material valuable instead for points of comparison that help clarify two separate areas of my tradition (early references to battle fetters and late medieval Scandinavian magical charms for legal success, the aegishjalmr etc).

Highly recommended.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars magic, December 14, 2005

By 

L. Ferretti - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion (Paperback)

this book is excellent for the study of ancient greek cursing. it really helped with with my essay for ancient greek religion. it is also a very interesting read for people generally interested in magic or ancient greece.