Magic was widespread in the ancient world, and its practitioners could be found in many places... but early Christian groups had uneasy relations with magicians.
Early Christian writers and leaders wished to draw a sharp line between magic and Christianity. Words like "sorcery" and "heretic" served as labels to marginalise practices and practitioners. Early Church manuals advised screening or interrogating potential converts to weed out magicians.
However, the historical evidence indicates that this distinction may have been largely in the minds of those few leaders. Boundaries were blurred, or perhaps non-existent in some cases. We hear of baptised members and even bishops practicing magic. Many magic amulets were inscribed with biblical names, and magic spells evoked such names.
We suspect that many people saw no problem in combining membership in early Christian groups with the practice of magic, astrology, and spirit work. Some may even have thought that such a combination increased their spiritual power. For them, spirituality was inclusive rather than exclusive.
In this livestream presentation, we will look at evidence from the first seven centuries of Christianity. You will encounter new and surprising things.
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This talk will be recorded. A link to the full video recording will be available for replay to all those who book.
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Previous participants say:
"Really interesting and presented with academic rigour. Full marks."
"This was a very informative and enjoyable talk and I look forward to receiving the presentation to take the time to study it more carefully and look up some of the references."
"Very clear presentation with great depth of insight into this topic."
"Dr. Steven Muir presented the content very clearly with a lovely flow and thoughtful sequence. He is very knowledgeable, and I felt that he stayed in tune with us, his 'audience'. I really enjoyed it. Afterwards, I was eager for more learning. I'm very happy that I attended. I'm a newcomer, this was my first 'event' / talk at The College of Psychic Studies."
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This talk will be live in our online classroom
All you need to take part is a good internet connection and a computer with a webcam, microphone and Zoom.
On booking this talk, you will receive an email with the Zoom link to access it. Remember to check your spam folder if you don't receive this confirmation email in your inbox.
Please send us a message if you have any questions. We hope you enjoy the talk!
About Dr Steven Muir
Dr. Steven Muir is a Professor of Religious Studies at Concordia University of Edmonton (Canada). He received his Ph.D. in Early Christian Studies at the University of Ottawa (1998). Read more about Steven
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