John Duffy - Reactions of Two Byzantine Intellectuals to the Theory and Practice of Magic (Byzantine Magic Excerpt) (929.0 Kb)
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This is an extract from: Byzantine Magic edited by Henry Maguire.This paper will address the issue of Byzantine intellectual attitudes to magic in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and will focus mainly on two figures, Michael Psellos and Michael Italikos, with an eye to the two aspects of theory and practice. If Psellos receives a somewhat larger share of attention herein, it is not only because he was a lion he also contributed to the survival of, and commented on, an important body of material that is central to the ... More >>>Book can be downloaded.
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This is an extract from: Byzantine Magic edited by Henry Maguire.
This paper will address the issue of Byzantine intellectual attitudes to magic in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and will focus mainly on two figures, Michael Psellos and Michael Italikos, with an eye to the two aspects of theory and practice. If Psellos receives a somewhat larger share of attention herein, it is not only because he was a lion he also contributed to the survival of, and commented on, an important body of material that is central to the topic under review. For Byzantine literati of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the world of Hellenic magic and mysticism was part of their cultural heritage, and they felt obliged to take account of its existence in one way or another. Acknowledgment did vary, ranging, for example, from the nodding acquaintance of an Anna comnena to the intimate familiarity of a Michael Psellos.