Magicians, Healers, and Holy Men

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 3831

Magic was part of everyday life for most people in pre-modern societies. Casting spells, fashioning voodoo dolls, wearing amulets, ingesting potions, and reading the stars are just some of the activities performed by individuals at every level of society. This course examines Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Jewish, and ancient Christian magical practices. We will study astrological manuals that teach how to read the stars, curse tablets that bring harm on enemies, and spells that make people fall in love, heal the sick, lock up success in business, and more. We will also look at what is said, both in antiquity and in contemporary scholarship, about magic and the people who practiced it, and examine the complicated relationship between magic, medicine, and religion. This course is open to first-year students
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM; AR HUM