Ancient Christians and the power of curses: magic, aesthetics, and justice
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...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Book |
| Language: | English |
| Subito Delivery Service: | Order now. |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| WorldCat: | WorldCat |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY
Cambridge University Press
2024
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| In: | Year: 2024 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Early Christianity (motif)
/ Curse
/ Ritual
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| Further subjects: | B
Matter
Religious aspects
Christianity
B Blessing and cursing (Rome) B Aesthetics Religious aspects Christianity B Rome Religion |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | 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. |
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| Item Description: | Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 04 Jun 2024) |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (xxi, 318 pages), digital, PDF file(s). |
| ISBN: | 1009405780 |
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/9781009405782 |