Every culture makes the distinction between "true religion" and magic, regarding one action and its result as "miraculous," while rejecting another as the work of the devil. Surveying such topics as Babylonian witchcraft, Jesus the magician, magic in Hasidism and Kabbalah, and magic in Anglo-Saxon England, these ten essays provide a rigorous examination of the history of this distinction in Christianity and Judaism. Written by such distinguished scholars as Jacob Neusner, Hans Penner, Howard Kee, Tzvi Abusch, Susan R. Garrett, and Moshe Idel, the essays explore a broad range of topics, including how certain social groups sort out approved practices and beliefs from those that are disapproved--providing fresh insight into how groups define themselves; "magic" as an insider's term for the outsider's religion; and the tendency of religious traditions to exclude the magical. In addition the collection provides illuminating social, cultural, and anthropological explanations for the prominence of the magical in certain periods and literatures.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"[T]his book is both interesting and a valuable contribution to the study of magic in its relationship to learning."--The Heythrop Journal
"...The collection as a whole offers fascinating insights into the socio-cultural background of the upsurge of magic in definite periods"--The Journal of Indo-European Studies
About the Author
Jacob Neusner is at University of South Florida. Ernest S. Frerichs is at Brown University Program in Judaic Studies.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too academic,
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This review is from: Religion, Science, and Magic: In Concert and In Conflict (Paperback)
This is a collection of academic papers read at a conference at Brown university in 1987. While the speakers are obviously experts in their field, the problem with the book is that it wasn't written as a book but rather as simply a collection of papers, and there was very little (if any) attempt to transition between a paper and a book. What makes a good paper doesn't necessarily make a good book. Hence, the choice point is whether or not you are looking for a book or a collection of papers.
Looking at the papers themselves, they are spotty. Most have the academic digressions that we look for in graduate papers, and it can take pages before someone is able to get to the topic. Despite these negative comments, there are indeed pearls hidden among the academic trapings and I found the book interesting and informative.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: Religion, Science, and Magic: In Concert and In Conflict (Paperback)
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entheogens: Professional Listing,
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This review is from: Religion, Science, and Magic: In Concert and In Conflict (Paperback)
"Religion, Science, and Magic" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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magical papyri, elective center, theurgical operations, magical worldview, demonic image, modern occult, demonic form Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Jewish Magic, Babylonian Literature, Book of the Responding, The Demonic Image of the Witch, Dark Subject, New Testament, Cambridge University Press, Popular Practice, Holy Spirit, Middle Ages, Kegan Paul, Hellenistic Magic, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Blickling Homilies, Robin Horton, Spanish Kabbalists, Free Press, Yohanan Alemanno, Nina Epton, Emile Durkheim, New Haven, Englewood Cliffs, Jewish Thought, Early Christianity Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
magical papyri, elective center, theurgical operations, magical worldview, demonic image, modern occult, demonic form Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Jewish Magic, Babylonian Literature, Book of the Responding, The Demonic Image of the Witch, Dark Subject, New Testament, Cambridge University Press, Popular Practice, Holy Spirit, Middle Ages, Kegan Paul, Hellenistic Magic, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Blickling Homilies, Robin Horton, Spanish Kabbalists, Free Press, Yohanan Alemanno, Nina Epton, Emile Durkheim, New Haven, Englewood Cliffs, Jewish Thought, Early Christianity Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
17
books
cite this book:
See all 17 books citing this book
- Theology As History, History As Theology: Paul In Ephesus In Acts 19 (Beihefte Zur Zeitschrift Fur Die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft Und Die Kunde Der Alteren Kirche) by Scott Shauf on 4 pages
- Crying for Justice: What the Psalms Teach Us About Mercy and Vengeance in an Age of Terrorism by John N. Day in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Making Magic: Religion, Magic, and Science in the Modern World (Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion) by Randall Styers in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Founder of Hasidism: A Quest for the Historical Ba'al Shem Tov (Contraversions: Critical Studies in Jewish Literature, Culture, and Society) by Moshe Rosman in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science by Philip Ball in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 17 books citing this book
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