Ritual boundaries : magic and differentiation in late antique Christianity /
Sanzo, Joseph E., 1980-
Ritual boundaries : magic and differentiation in late antique Christianity / Joseph E. Sanzo. - 1 online resource (188 p.). - Christianity in Late Antiquity ; [14] . - Christianity in late antiquity (North American Patristics Society) ; 14. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Ritual boundaries in late antique lived religion -- Religious boundaries in late antique lived religion -- Words, images, materials, and gestures -- From torture to triumph : the crucifixion of Jesus in early Christian lived religion -- Conclusion.
"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 magical evidence 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 the Christian and non-Christian; 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"--
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons [CC BY-NC-ND] license. To view a copy of the license, visit
9780520399198 9780520399181
2023038219
Magic--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Church history--Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.
Electronic books
Ritual boundaries : magic and differentiation in late antique Christianity / Joseph E. Sanzo. - 1 online resource (188 p.). - Christianity in Late Antiquity ; [14] . - Christianity in late antiquity (North American Patristics Society) ; 14. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Ritual boundaries in late antique lived religion -- Religious boundaries in late antique lived religion -- Words, images, materials, and gestures -- From torture to triumph : the crucifixion of Jesus in early Christian lived religion -- Conclusion.
"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 magical evidence 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 the Christian and non-Christian; 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"--
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons [CC BY-NC-ND] license. To view a copy of the license, visit
9780520399198 9780520399181
2023038219
Magic--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Church history--Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.
Electronic books
