Early Christian Magic and its Discourses

In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses early Christian magic and its discourses. They explore how early Christian polemics against magic set the stage for ideological approaches to magic. The context and evidence base for early Christian magic are primarily derived from texts found in Egypt, including papyri and metal objects. The speaker also highlights the overlap between older Greek and Demotic Magical Papyri and later pathological documents in Greek and Coptic. They note that many of these texts were copies of much earlier compositions and spread through manuscript traditions in various languages. The speaker struggles to define the boundaries between magic and Christianity, acknowledging the complexities and the blurred lines between the two concepts. They also discuss the challenges of determining what is considered magic and what is considered Christian within late antiquity.