RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
Archeology has found enough charms, amulets, magic spells, dolls, and references in ancient literature that we can say for certain that magic had a central part in the belief system of ordinary people in the New Testament world.They used spells for many different purposes, such as winning a court case or a chariot race, attracting a lover, obtaining business success, recovering health, etc. Despite its popularity, the Roman Empire prohibited magic, and philosophers such as Plato and Pliny disapproved of it.
The magical papyri, a collection of incantations and formulas that dates back to the first through fourth century AD, as well as other similar surviving documents, are a valuable source for understanding the worldview behind magic. Magic refers to those practices that sought to manipulate supernatural forces for illegitimate or evil intentions. The concept probably arose in the aftermath of the Persian wars. The word for “Persian priest” (magosand its derivatives) became increasingly associated with such practices as incantations, sorceries, spells, invocations of the dead, as well as with fraud, charlatanism, and illegitimacy.
The accusation of magic, or related practices, became a common form of attack against the credibility of adversaries in legal and political arenas. Nevertheless, what was magic or sorcery for some, represented a miracle for others.Thus, opponents often accused Jesus of practicing sorcery (Mark 3:22; Matt. 9:34; 12:24; Luke 11:15; John 8:49, 52; 10:20; Origen, Against Celsus). The difficulty in distinguishing magic from religion, compounded by the syncretistic environment of Greco-Roman society, has often caused confusion and made its historical research difficult.
An analysis of ancient sources suggests that magic is different from the miracles described in the New Testament in that it presupposes gods and spirits with limited power who can be manipulated to do what the magician wants for personal benefit (cf. Acts 19:13-16). Instead of praying for God’s will to be done, magic believes in the use of special formulas to force a specific result from the gods. Neither Jesus nor the apostles, however, performed miracles to satisfy their own ambitions or to seek personal wealth or status. Instead, their miracles were for God’s honor and glory (John 11:4) and to help proclaim the gospel and the kingdom of God (Matt. 4:23).
A pagan worldview, however, remained a constant temptation for the early church. While early Christian writings condemned magic (e.g., Didache 2.2; 5.1; Barnabas 20.1),Christians still often had amulets with biblical texts on them such as the Lord’s prayer and Psalm 91. In fact, John Chrysostom referred approvingly to “women and little children [that] suspend Gospels from their necks as a powerful amulet, and carry them about in all places wherever they go” (Homiliae ad populum Antiochenum19, 4 [PG 49, 196]).
The Bible speaks clearly against magic and divination (Lev. 19: 26; Deut 18:9-14), not only because of its distorted representation of God but because it involves playing with the enemy (Acts 13:8-10). Also, Scripture declares that we cannot manipulate God (James 1:13) and that we are subject to His sovereign will (Rom. 12:2).
Arnold, Magical Papyr.
Aune, “Magic in Early Christianity.”
Aune,“‘Magicin Early Christianity and Its Ancient Mediterranean Context: A Survey of Some Recent Scholarship,” 229–94.
Dolansky, Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Biblical Perspectives on the Relationship between Magic and Religion.
Kee, Medicine, Miracle and Magic in New Testament Times.
Marguerat, “Magic in the Biblical World.”
Reimer, Miracle and Magic.
Roukema, “Early Christianity and Magic,” 367–378.