Volume 2

A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood.

Date:
[between 1890 and 1899?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/1016 (page 1075)
    these arts were still brought into the service of heresy. He caused wine mixed with water, which he consecrated in the Eucharist, to appear purple and red (i.e. we presume, like venous and arterial blood); and again handing a small cup of wine and water to a woman, he ordered her to consecrate it; which done, he filled from it to overriowing a much larger cup (ibid. i. 13, § 2; Epiphan. Haer. 34, § 2). Magic, under one name or another, professed to heal by various means. It was represented to the sick, “ If you would send for that praecantator, you would be well at once; if you were willing to hang such written charms (characters) on you, you could soon recover health. . . Send to that diviner; forward him your girdle or stomacher. Let it be measured, and let him look at it; and he will tell you what you are to do, and whether you can get over it. . . Such an one is good at fumigating : every one to whom he has done it, has become better at once... Come secretly to such a place, and I will raise up a person, who will tell you who stole your silver or your money ; but if you wish to know it, take care not to cross yourself when you come to the spot. . . Women are wont to persuade each other that they ought to apply some charm (fascinum) to their sicK children” (Caesarius, A.D. 502, Serm. 79, § 4). As we proceed, we shall see that astrology, storm-raising, sortilegy, etc. all come under the same general head of Magic. II. The belief that there was something real in these arts was appai’ently universal. Even Celsus alleged them as a set-off against the miracles of Christ (Orig. c. Gels. i. 68). St. Peter was accused by the heathen of magic (August. de Civ. Dei, xix. 23). The Christian regarded it as evidence of the power and intervention of evil spirits in league, with the wonder-worker. “ By visions in dreams,” says Justin Martyr, A.D. 140, “ and by magic tricks do they lay hold of all those who do not strive at all for their salvation ” (^Apol. i. 14). It was said that they could be made to “ obey mortals by certain arts, i.e. by magical incantations ” (^Recog. Clem. iv. 26). The truth of this is assumed both by Celsus and Origen, A.D. 230 (c. Cels, vi. 39; viii. 60-64); and it is a first principle with Tertullian (de Animd, 56). Lactantius, A.D. 303, says, “ Astro- logy, the arts of the aruspex and augur, and what are called oracles themselves, and necro- mancy and the magic art are their inventions ” (Div. Tristit. ii. 16). Minutius Felix, A.D. 220 : “The Magi also not only know the demons, but whatever of the marvellous they pretend to perform, they do it by the aid of demons ” (Octav. viii.). St. Augustine affirms the same thing: “ All such arts, whether of a trifling or of a noxious superstition, from a certain pernicious association of men and demons . . . are to be altogether renounced and eschewed by the Chris- tian” (de Doctr. Christ, ii. 23, § 36; see de Civ. Dei, viii. 19). He distinguishes bet^veen “miracles of human and magic arts jointly (that is, of arts of demons working through men)” and miracles of the demons themselves wrought by them- selves ” (de Civ. Dei, xxi. 6, § 1). His theory was that there were certain things which attracted and gave pleasure to evil spirits according to their several natures, as animals are pleased by the food proper to their kinds. As spirits, they took delight in certain properties “ in the various kinds of stones, herbs, woods, animals, in charms, CHRIST. ANT.—VOL. II. and rites ” (ibid.). He thought that they made their peculiar tastes known to their followers: “ For if they did not teach it themselves, how could men learn what each of them craved, what he loathed, by what name he was to be invited, by what compelled ” (ibid.). Some affirmed that human souls served the magician: “They are invoked who have died an untimely or violent death,® on the ground that it seems probable that those souls will be most helpful to violence and injury, whom a cruel and untimely end hath by violence and injury torn from life” (Tertull. de Anirnd, 57; Apol. 23; comp. St. Chrysostom, de Lazaro Cone. ii. 1). Simon, in the spurious Clementine books, is made to confess that he murdered a young boy, and by terrible adjurations bound his soul to assist him in his magic practices (Recog. ii. 13; Horn. Clem. ii. 26 ; Gest. Petr. xxvii.). Justin Martyr speaks of “ necromancies and the inspection (of the entrails) of uncorrupted boys (see Dionysius Al. in Euseb. Hist. Eccl. vii. 10 ; so Eus. of Maxentius, viii. 14; Vit. Const. i. 36 ; Aug. de Civ. Dei, xviii. 53) and the invoca- tions of human souls (Apol. i. 18). It was denied, however, that a departed soul could be brought up, and alleged that the magician was deceived by the demons who really came to his call (Recog. iii. 49). St. Chrysostom : “ This is a pretence and deceit of the de’wl: it is not the soul of the dead man that cries out, but the demon who makes those answers, so as to deceive the hearers ” (Horn. 28 in Matt. viii. 29). A particular spirit (5aip.u>u irdpebpos) was in many cases supposed to attach himself to the sorcerer. Thus Justin M. (u. s.), “They who among magicians are called dream-senders and TTctpeSpot.” Irenaeus says of Marcus, “ It is probable that he has also a familiar (daipovd riva wdpeSpov), through whom he appears to prophesy himself, and causes those women to prophesy whom he deems worthy to partake of hia grace ” (Haer. i. 13, § 3). Elsewhere he speaks of “ paredri and dream-senders ” (ibid. 23, § 4 ; Sim. Euseb. Hist. Eccl. iv. 7). Tertullian : “ We know that magicians, to explore secret things, call up (the dead) with the help of catabolici (spirits that seize and cast men down) and paredri and pythonic spirits ” (de Anirnd, 28). HI. An opinion prevailed widely in the early church, derived from Jewish sources, that magic was first cultivated w'hen the children of Seth intermarried with those of Cain and that Ham, who had addicted himself to it, dreading “ Biaeothanati. He uses the word twice in the same chapter. Cassian (Instit. vii. 14; Collat. ii. 5) and others (Lamprid. in Heliog.; Bede in Martyrol. June 27; Passio S. Andr. in Surius, Nov. 30; Julius Firmicus, very often. See Gazaeus, note d, on Cass. Instit. u.s. and Rocca note e, on Sacram. Greg. 0pp. Greg. v. 275, ed. 1615) use the less correct form hiothanatus. Another occurs in the preface of a “ Salis et Aquae Benedictio ” in the Vatican Ins. of the Gregorian Sacramentary, pub- lished by Angelo Rocca, in which the water is adjured to drive away “ omnera umbram, omnem satanam, et omnes machinationes spirituum, immundorum, sive bithonatum sive errantium ex invocatione magicae artis ” (0pp. Greg. u.s. 239). [Biothanatos, I. 2(j7; Faithful, 1.658.] For this interpretation of Gen. vi. 2, see Euseb. Emis., A.D. 341 (Fragm. Exeg. in Pentat. Op. p. 185), St. A ugustine (de Civ. Dei, xv. 23, $ 2), St. Chrysostom (Horn' 22 in Gen. vi. 1, $ 3), Theodoret (in Gen. Quaest. 47), etc. 69