| Description |
As it has already been shown, indiscriminately using ”magic” as a label does no justice to the learned and sophisticate specter of the manifold occult practices for which the literary and material Byzantine sources testify (such as astrology and astrological geomancy). Indeed, the inclusive phrase ”occult practices” is more appropriate for referring to, for example, both astrology and charms for exposing a thief. This course aims at discussing certain examples of such practices from Late Antiquity to the late Byzantine period, for illustrating the way in which the Church authorities approached them. The general picture will reveal ambivalence, which manifests itself on two axes: vertically, in the difference between the view held by common faithful as compared to the one of particular ecclesiastical authorities (like the 12th century canonist, Theodore Balsamon); horizontally, in the way the attitude of the ”orthodox establishment” towards these practices shifted over times. Additionally, at times the attitudes of ecclesiastical figures and of the emperor diverged (as in the case of astrology during the reign of Manuel I Komnenos – 1143-1180). The discussions will require brief references to Western sources. |
| Literature |
Magdalino, Paul, and Maria Mavroudi (eds.). The Occult Sciences in Byzantium. Geneva: La Pomme d’Or, 2007.
Maguire, Henry (ed.). Byzantine Magic. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1995 |
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