analyzing the following passage from the Gospel of Matthew as evidence for understanding the historical Jesus.
Matthew 27:15-26 (NRSV) — Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
As historians of religion your analysis needs to evaluate the reliability of this story with critical questions: Where did the author get their information? Does the author have reliable sources of information? Whose interests are being served by this story? Do these interests undermine the reliability of this story as evidence for reconstructing the historical Jesus? What is the relation of myth and history in this story?
A good essay will interact with all relevant information from the readings and lecturettes for the course.
NOTICE: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code).
NOTICE: This material may be protected by copyright law ( Title 17 U.S. Code)
JESUS
THE
MAGICIAN
-;:;:
– – – – – – – – – i ( * ) I – – -_ _ __
MORTON SMITH
Ph.D., The Hebrew UniverJity; Th.D ., Harvard;
Pro/mor 0/ HiJlory, Columbia University
tfj
1817
Published in San Francisco by
HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS
New York, HagerstoWIl, Sail Francisco, London
y
r;
Preface
Vll
Evidence and Perennial
2. The Historical Framework
8
3. What the Outsiders
4. What the Outsiders
5, What the Outsiders Meant
68
6. The
ofa
81
7· The Evidence for
Practices
8. What the Evidence Shows
1.
© 1978 by Monon Smich. All
reserved. Primed in the
United Scates of America. No part of chis book may be used or reproduced in any manner
wha.rsocver without wriccen permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews. for information address
& Row, Publishers, Inc., 10 East
53rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10022. Published simultaneously in Canada by Ficzhenry &
Whireside Limired, Toronto.
JESUS THE MAGICIAN.
45
94
A. The Pharisees in the
B. Jesus vs. the
Notes
FIRST EDITION
2
\..atalogmg in Publication Data
JESUS THE MAGICIAN.
p.
Includes indexes.
1.
Christ-Miscellanea,
BT304.93.S63
1977
ISBN 0-06-0674 I2-1
1.
78
9
80
81
82
169
177
184
187
5
6
Smith, Morton, 1915
79
3
4
10
A
Tide.
232.9’01
207
208
Works and
221
8′ 7
6
5
4
3
2
Cited
211
·…
which
most ancient opponents of
that party of his followers
was the man whose words and ae
the Son of God”
were
We
and references,
in the works
of Christian authors. Hence modern scholars, trying to discover the histOrical
the k!osoellek!ends. have
the
and have taken
as their sources.
dence for
The bias of their work is understandable.
This book is an attempt to correct this bias by
the lost
from the
and related
has also 5″”‘-‘””
• that New Testament
with an account of the destruction of the evidence and consequent
life-the
it sketches the histOrical framework
facts that can be
even from the
with relative confidence
then collects the reports about
the ma£ician from the
3) and from
and pagan sources
the imolications of these
cian” meant in the ancient world-and in
for evidence that accords with the
which boch
the common core
and “Jesus the Son of God”_np””
the sources and
of this Core material.
This book has been writren in the belief that advanced research on the
life and
is a matter
concern and
interest
to educated men and women in all
as well as to orofessionals in New
V III
Testament studies. The attempt to
a text that may interest both
groups of readers has necessitated some concessions to each. Most of these
concessions will be
and
justify
but a few need
comment: References to evidence and discussion details will be
in the
Notes. To avoid
up the text with footnote
the notes have
and each note bebeen
by references to the pages to which
word or phrase
the
to which it refers.
full titles, etc., will be found in the
IX
Titus (1. 12) prove those works
pagan. The notion that Philostratus’
third century
was modeled on the
the study of
lowe much to his
H.D.
It IS a pleasure to conclude the revision of this work where Strauss’
tlons are
Demotic and Coptic). The attempt has
not to render the
accurately the sense of the passage. In
brackets ( ) frame
added to make the sense
square
…. L”‘~ ……. L” [], words I think
() are used. as
for
I have not
it necessary to mention inaccuracies in
translations
earlier
most often
and Preisendanz.
.
For
in a work of this sort presents
“the Son
God,” the Christian title.
the title was fixed some
followers
him a son of the
God, and he may have
himself either
“a god”) or “the Son” (a
and is hereinafter capitalized for
.” when
refers to the
Mosaic law. Citations of the
and New Testaments
the verses accordto
Hebrew and Greek texts; these sometimes differ slightlv from the
a note about some sources: The
were written in the last
quarter of the first century A.D., but are known to us
ftom
of the third century A.D. and later.
the
from the third century A.D. and
works some of which were written at least as early as the
references
no more prove Christian
or
in the
than the
of Ararus and Dseudo-Epimenides in Acts (17.
was writren, in the
the authorities of the
Stifr
I thank
Martin Hene:eI. Dean of the Theolopical F~rlllrv, for their generous
MORTON SMITH
96
Jesus the Magician
it possible to explain their heroes’ miracles as works of inherent divine pow ,
not of magic. But after the birth come the magi. Their srory was inspi
by
the visit ofTiridates and his train to Nero that culminated in their r
him as a god. Matthew ‘s tale belongs to a body of material th
t tributes to
Jesus titles and claims characteristic of the emperors and the i ult. People said
that Tiridates and his magi had initiated Nero in thei
ysteries and secret
initiation : he was the
meals; the gospel stOry implies that Jesus needed
predestined ruler of the magi, as well as o~the s ; but unlike the ignorant
Jews, the magi knew this. They understOod e star that signaled his coming
and came themselves to meet him, mak
eir submission, and offer the gifts
due their ruler. Moral: all magicians o uld do the same; Jesus is the supreme
magus and master of the art. Matt w also used the stOry for other purposes: to
reconcile the biblical prophec
at the Messiah should be born in Bethlehem
with the known fact that . us came from Nazareth, and to explain away the
report that Jesus went 0 Egypt and learned magic there (above, p . 48)
the magi’s coming ccasions Herod’s plot, which occasions the flight into
Egypt.
Like m
ancient biographies the gos pels and the Life 0/ Apollonius had
nothing say about their heroes’ childhood and adolescence except a story or
two a csting precocious powers and probably derived from the divine man
cy , though similar stories of precocity turn up in the lives of unquestionaly
uman heroes (J osephus, Vita 8f.). They have no clear connection with magic.
III
The report of Jesus’ baptism (Mk. r. 9) with which our knowledge of his
mature life begins is a simple statement of historical fact, but the story that
follows is mythological: “And then, coming up from the water, he saw the
heavens.split open and the spirit as a dove coming down to him, and a voice
from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved son, I am much pleased by you'”
(r. lOf.). No gospel says anything of any ritual, though the baptism must have
been accompanied by prayers and thanksgivings (possibly also by hymns) and
effected with some regular form of actions and formula of words. The omission
ofsuch elements here-in spite of their importance to the event-should warn
us that elsewhere the absence of reference to ritual does not prove that none was
used. We have seen that rituals and formulae were apt to be taken as evidence
of magic, and therefore to be deleted (above, pp. 83,87,92).
Even without reference to ritual the story of the coming of the spirit is
surprising because the event it describes is just the sort of thing that was
thought to happen ro a magician. Essentially, it admits the charge that Jesus
had a spirit and, as rold by Mark, it takes for granted that the reader will know
. The Evidence Jor Magical Practices
97
this is a good spirit, not a bad one. (This is one of many passages indicating
that Mark’s gospel ‘was written for readers who were already Christianor about
to become Christians.) Luke and Matthew identified the spirit as “holy” and
“of God” -surely to refute the charge of magic. Jesus’ spirit had led him to
crucifixion; the case for supposing it a demon that deceived and destroyed him
must have been plausible. Why should any of his followers have included a
story that could so easily be used to justify the charge of magic? John, for whose
theology of incarnation the story was an embarrassment, turned the whole
thing into a vision reponed by the Baptist (r ’32ff.), but his remodeling shows
that he knew a version like Mark’s (though probably independent of Mark) and
did not dare omit it, even though it did not suit his theology.
This story seems to have been important in the tradition from which both
Mark andJohn drew. Evidently it was the accepted account of the beginning of
Jesus’ work. It identified that beginning as the baptism, followed by the
descent of the spirit on Jesus, and it described that descent as an objective fact :
theheavens split open, the spirit came down as a dove. This description may be
a complete fiction, or may report as fact an hallucination experienced by Jesus
himself, but in either event we should like to know its source. What could
have led Jesus to have had such an experience, or his followers to make up such
a yarn? No Old Testament prophets had birds roost on them. Rabbinic litera
ture contains nothing closely similar.
This leads us ro consider the extant acCOunts of how magicians got spirits
as constant companions and servants whom they could order abou.t at will so as
to perform miracles without elaborate rites or spells. These aCCOUnts derive not
only from the abnormal experiences of magicians, but also from their
neighbors’ experiences of the extraordinary powers of suggestion that certain
individuals possess and use to heal or cause sickness, excite love or hatred,
instill convictions, or even produce hallucinations and dispel them. Such
powers were thought magical, but the “magicians” were known to exercise
them without any magical rites . This was “explained” mythologically by
analogy from slavery: such magicians “had” spirits as slaves, always on call.
Hence grew a thicket of stories about ways to get spirits as servants.
These stories can be classified by the sorts of servants promised. One
familiar form is that in which a ghost, ” the demon of a dead man,” is evoked as
Jesus was thought to have evoked the Baptist. Most often such demons were
employed for single assignments, usually co harm enemies or to bring women
to would-be lovers, but the opinion reported by the gospels and the example
of Paul indicate that they were also thought co be available as constant atten
dants and to do miracles like those of Jesus, mainly exorcisms .
This indication is confirmed by the papyri. The “Magical Papyrus of
Paris” (PGM IV. r 930-2005) prescribes a prayer ro the sun god, “Give me the
authority over this spirit of a murdered man , (a pare) of whose body I possess
Jesus the Magician
98
. so that I may have him with me as helper and defender for any affairs in
which I need him.” The following section (lines 2oo6ff.) gives more elaborate
rituals for calling up such a spirit when one is desired, but concludes, “How
ever, most magicians take the equipment (objects inscribed with spells, etc.)
home, put it away, use the spirit as a servant (always in attendance), and so
accomplish whatever they want with all possible speed. For ( this method)
effects its purposes immediately, with complete convenience and without any
wordiness” (that is to say, spells) . After this come two short recipes and then a
long rite including the conj uration of a dead man ‘s spirit to be the servant of an
amulet, one of whose many powers will be to drive out demons. Directions of
the same son are given in SHR 1. 5 and some early Christians said that the
Samaritan magician, Simon Magus, did his miracles by such control of the
spirit of a murdered boy.
Thus the notion tbat Jesus “had” the Baptist was not, by ancient stan
dards, an impossible explanation of his powers. Nevertheless, it seems to have
been dropped rather early. Ie did nOt fit the facts well-Jesus’ miracles had
probably begun before the Baptist’s death and therefore could not all be
explained by use of the Baptist’s spirit. In any case spirits of the dead were
mainly used for harmful magic, while Jesus was mainly a healer. Moreover,
important groups ofJesus’ followers, and ofh is opponents, maintained that his
miracles were not done by a ghost, but by a supernatural being of a higher
order than men. His followers called it “the holy spirit,” his opponents “the
ruler of the demons” (Mk . 3 . 22 p., 29 p.).
Directions for getting such a spirit were available i-n magical texts. Here
is one from PGM 1. 54ff:
Having sanctified yourself in advance and abstained from meat (?) and from all
impurity, on any night you wish, wearing pure garments, go up on a high roof. Say the
first (prayer of) union when the sunlight is fading . . . having a black Isiac band over
your eyes . . . When the sun rises, greet it .. . reciting this (hereafter specified) holy
spell, burn ing uncut frankincense (etc.) . . . Wh ile you are reciting the spell, the
following sign will occur: A hawk flying down w ill stop (in the air) in fronr of you and,
striking his wings together in the middle (in front ofhis body), will drop a long stone
and at once fly back, going up into heaven. You take up that stone and having cut . . .
engraved and pierced it . . . wear it around your neck. Then at evening, going up to
your roof again and standing facing the light of the (sun) god, sing the hymn
(specified), sacrificing myrrh (etc . ) .. . And you will soon have a sign, as follows: A
fiery star, coming down, will stand in the middle of the roof and . . . you will perceive
the angel whom you besought, sent to you, and you will promptly learn the counsels of
the gods. But don’t you be afraid . Go up to the god, take his right hand, kiss him, and
say these (specified spells) to the angel. For he will respond concisely ro whatever you
wish (co ask). You, then, make him swear with this (specified) oath that he will
remain inseparable from you and . . . will not disobey you at all .. . And you set forth
The Evidence lor Magical Practices
99
(these) words for the god (co agree co) : “I shall have you as a dear companion, a
beneficient god serving me as I may direct, quickly, with your power, already while I
am on earth; please, please, show (granr) me (this), 0 god!” And y?u yourself speak
… in accordance with what he says, briefly . . . But when the third hour (of the
night-about 9 P.M.) comes, the god will leap up at once . Say “Go lord, blessed god,
whither you eternally are, as you wish ,” and the god will become invisible . This is the
holy (rite for) acquiring an attendanr (deity).
Know therefore that this god, whom you have seen, is an aerial spirit. If you
command, he will perform the task at once. He sends dreams, brings women or men
. .. kills, overthrows, raises up winds from the earth, brings gold, silver, copper, and
gives it to you whenever you need ; he frees from bonds .. . opens doors, makes
invisible . . . brings fire, water, wine, bread and whatever foodstuffs you wanr . . . he
scops ships (in mid voyage) and again releases them, stops many evil demons, calms
wild beasts and immediately breaks the teeth of savage serpenrs; he puts dogs co sleep
or makes them stand voiceless; he transforms (you) inro whatever form you wish; .. .
he will carry you inro the air; … he will solidify rivers and the sea promptly and so
that YOLlcan run on them standing up; . . . he will indeed restrain the foam of the sea if
you wish, and when you wish (he is able) to bring down stars and .. . to make hot
things cold and cold hot; he will light lamps and quench them again; he shakes walls
and sets them ablaze . ‘ :ou will have in him a slave sufficient for whatever (tasks) you
may conceive, 0 blessed initiate of holy magic, and this most powerful assistanr, who
alone is Lord of the Air, will accomplish (them) for you, and all the (other) gods will
agree, for without this god nothing is (done).
Communicate this to no one else, bur hide it, by Helios, since you have been
thought worthy by the Lord God to receive this great mystery . . . . (Here follow the
spells to be used in the preceding ceremony.) . . . And when you send him away, after
he goes, sacrifice to him . .. and pour an oblation of wine , and thus you will be a
friend of the powerful angel. When you travel he will travel with you; when you are in
need he will give you money; he will tell you what is going ro happen and when and at
what time of night or day . If anyone ask you , “What do I have in mind)” or “What
happened to me?” or “(What) will happen)” ask the angel, and he will tell you JOIIO
voce, and you say it to the inquirer as if from yourself. When you die he will embalm
your body as befits a god, and taking up your spirit will carry it inco the air with
himself. For an aerial spirit (such as you have become) having been united with a
powerful assistant will not go inco Hades. For to this (god) all things are subordinate.
So when you wish todosomething, say inro theaironly his name and “Come,” and you
will see him, and standing right beside you. Then tell him, “Do such and such” -the
work (you want done)-and he will do it ar once, and having done it, will ask you,
“Do yOu wanr anything else) For I am in a hurry to go back co heaven . ” If you have no
other orders at the moment, tell him, “Go, Lord,” and he will go . Now this god will
be seen only by you, nOr will anyone hear his voice when he speaks, except you only.
When a man (is sick) in bed he will tell you whether he will live or die, and (if the
. laner) in which day and which hour .. _ He will also give you wild planrs and (tell
you) how to perform cures; and you will be worshiped as a god, since you have the god
as a friend.
JeJUJ the Magician
The Evidence for Magical PracticeJ
Compare In. 15.15. Here and throughout this chapter gospel parallels ro
magical terms and phrases are given in the text only when they are isolated and
can be cited briefly; when, as often happens, there are large groups of them, or
they require some comment, they are given in the notes. The reader interested
in the general relation of the New Testament ro magical material should
therefore be careful in this chapter ro keep an eye on the notes.
27-4°>43) · Because he was ” a son of god” miracles attended his death (Mk.
15 ·38f.p.). By contrast, the gospels rarely attribute Jesus’ miracles ro “his
100
The preceding rite resembles the gospel story in five points: (I) It is an
account of an initial purification followed by reception of a spirit come down
from heaven. (2) The first manifestation of the supernatural power is a bird . (3)
The spirit enables the recipient ro perform miracles and (4) leads ro his being
worshiped as a god . (5) The rite, like the gospel story, is a mythological
attempt ro explain the origin of a social figure like the Jesus of the gospels . As
the miracles this magician is enabled to perform include most of those with
which Jesus is credited, it would seem that the social types behind these two
myths are similar if not identical. (“Myth” should not be taken to imply that
nothing of the sort was experienced. It refers solely to objective reality. Objec
tively there is no more likelihood that the Lord of the Air came down ro a
magician than there is that the Holy Spirit came down toJesus. But it is just as
likely that many magicians tried to carry out rites resembling the one de
scribed as it is that Jesus “was baptized in the Jordan by John .” And it is
equally probable that many magicians persuaded themselves that they- had
made friends with deities, and that Jesus thought the spirit had come down on
him when he came up from the water. One terrible trait of mythological
thought is its power to produce corresponding experience.)
The magical papyri contain several such rites to get spirits as assistants
and belief in this sort of relationship was widespread-for instance, St.
Irenaeus, in about 18o, explained the miracles of the heretic Marcus by suppos
ing he had “some demon as an assistant . ” But all these stories, and this type of
theory, fall short of the gospel myth in one respect: In them the spirit is merely
acquired as an assistant, in the gospels its descent is followed by a voice from
heaven declaring Jesus “my beloved son.” The srory strongly suggests that the
sonship is a result of the descent of the spirit. But what is the sonship?
Many would say, the messiahship. Mark equated “Messiah” (= “Christ”)
with “Son of God” and “Son of Man” (14.6If.). From then on the equation has
been customary. But “Son of God” was not, in Judaism ,a cusromary messianic
title, nor a common way of referring ro the Mess iah. Nor is it often connected
with the messiahship in the synoptic gospels . Instead it almost always appears
with miracles. As “Son of God” Jesus casts out demons (Mk. 3 . I I; 5· 7P.; Lk.
4-41), walks on the sea, and knows the Father (Mt. I I.27P; 14.33). Be
cause he claims to be “Son of God” the devil demands miracles from him (Mt.
4 .3,6 p.) and the Jews mock him when he is unable to perform them (Mt.
lor
spiri t” or to “the holy spiri tOO; this SpOrt of attribut ion is most conspicuous in
their reports of the charges of his enemies (who of course say “demon,” nOt
“spirit”). In most miracle srories no explanation at all is given; Jesus simply
speaks or acts and the miracle is done by his personal power. This trait
probably reflects hisrorical fact,-b~~-~11y-did(his’ factresult in Jesus’ being
called “Son of God”? The existence of a title implies a conceptual type-in this
case, ro judge from the usage, a supernatural being in human form who
performs miracles by his own divine power. (Accordingl y, Christians pre
dicted that the Antichrist, when he appears and claims to be a son of a
god-that is, a god-will be a miracle worker, II Thess . 2’3- 10 ; Didache
16-4).
Where did this figure come from? Why is he only a son of a god and nOt a
god? To answer these questions scholars have looked co Greek and Lat in
material; their findings have not been satisfactory. Sons of gods are plentiful in
mythology, but in real life the title “son of god :’ was rarely used except for
Roman emperors . While its use for Jesus may have been influenced by the
gospels’ tendency ro apply co him the imperial attributes , this is wholl y
inadequate co explain the gospel figure. (For example, emperors rarely did
miracles.) Consequently, we must look elsewhere, in this case to the Semitic
speaking paganism of first-century Palestine, and the semi-pagan Palestinian
cult of Yahweh from which Christianity sprang . In Hebrew and Aramaic “son
of” is commonly used to mean “member of the class of”; hence, “the sons of
god” is a regular way of saying “the gods,” just as “the sons of men” (com
monly translated “the children of men”) is a regular way of saying “men.”
Thus in Genesis 6.2 -“the sons of god saw the daughters of men” means “the
gods saw women.” A few other examples are scattered throughout the Old
Testament. Isolated survivors of monotheistic censorship, they indicate the
popular basis of the usage and justify us in supposing that when a Palestinian
demoniac said “Jesus, son of god ” he meant “Jesus, god.” The evangelists took
such expressions of Semitic paganism as portents and adjusted them to their
own monotheistic belief: this is why Jesus moves through the gospels as a deity
doing miracles by his own divine power, but in the synoptics is never explicitly
called a god. It also explains why the title “Son of God” appears before and
independently of the legends of divine patern ity. The legends were apologetic,
bur the title preceded the apology and determined the line it was ro take.
Thus “son of god” is explicable ; it means “god.” But the gospel stOry still
has to be explained: It tells of a man made a god by a rite of purification
followed by the opening of the heavens and the coming of a spirit . Where do
we find such scories’ In the magical papyri. For instance , DMP X. 2 3 f f. , where
jejus the Magician
102
a magIcian says, “Open to me, heaven! .. . Let me see the bark of Phre
descending and ascending . . . for I am Geb, heir of the gods; I make interces
sion before Phre my Father (for) the things proceeded from me . . . Open to
me, mistress of the spirits, . .. primal heaven!” Innumerable spells identify
the magician with the god invoked and reach their climax with the words “for I
am “followed by the name of the god . For example, PGM VIII. 2ff. : ” Come to
me, Lord Hermes, as infants in che wombs of women (Gal. 4 . I9) . . . For
you are I and I am you Un. 1].21) ; your name is mine . . . I am your image
.. . I know you Hermes, and you me .. .. Do all (I ask)” (IJ Cor. 9.8-15).
Witness also an invocation of the world ruler, the Good Demon (PGM XIII.
784ff. = XXI):
J3ut Thou, Lord of life, King of the heavens and rhe earth and all those that dwell
therein (III Macc. 2.2), whose righteousness is not turned aside, … who hast
irrefutable truth, whose name and spirit (rest) upon good men, come into my mind
and my vitals for all the time of my life and accomplish for me all the desires of my soul.
For you are I and I am you. Whatever I say must happen . . . For I have taken to myself
the power of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and of the great god-demon lao Ab
lanathanalba.
Two magical texts of th is SOrt in the “Magical Papyrus of Paris” are of
special interest because of their resemblance to the gospel story. One-PGM
IV. 475-83o-preserves the beginning of a rite to attain immortality by
ascent into the heavens. After seven days of rituals and three of purity, begin by
saying the following spell :
Sptrlt s
First beginning of my beginning, a e e i 0 u 6, first source of my source.
spirit, first (element) of the spirit in me . . . fire .. . first (element ) of the fire in me
.. . (etc. water , earth) . .. perfect body of me (name) molded by a powerful arm and
incorruptible right hand in a world dark and enlightened, lifeless and enlivened.
may it seem right to you .. . that 1 should participate again in the immortal begin
ning . . . . . . that I may be reborn in thought (J n. 3. 3ff.) . . . and that the holy spirit
may breathe in me . .. that I may marvel at the holy fire . . . that I may behold the abyss
of the east, the fearful water . . . and may the lifegiving ether poured around me hear
my (voice) . . . since I -a mortal born of a morral womb, strengthened with immor
tal spirit . . . -shall behold today with immortal eyes the deathless Aeon and Lord of
the fiery diadems-I, hallowed by holy rites, a holy power having replaced briefly my
human, psychic power which 1 shall aftetwards receive back . . . undiminished, I,
(name) . . . . Since it is not within my power while a morral to ascend with the golden
rays of the immortal luminary . . . be still , (my) corrupt mortal body, (while I leave
you), and again (receive) me safe after (1 have satisfied) this unavoidable and pressing
need,for I am the Son, 1 surpass the limit of my souls (?), I am (meaningless letters).
With this the magician inhales the rays of the sun, leaves his body behind, and
rises into the heavens .
the Evidence for Magical Practices
I03
Here we have deification by the gift of the holy spirit which transforms
the recipient into “the Son,” a supernatural being who by declaring his iden- ‘)
tity is able to work a miracle, specifically, to ascend into the heavens-a ./
miracle with which Jesus was credi ted after h is death and perhaps before. HoI y (
spirits, with and without the definite article, are familiar in the magical ‘:
papyri . “The Son” as a distinct supernatural being is rarer, but does appear,!
again in a Demotic papyrus where a spell concludes, “Let (that which I have
asked) come co my hand here today ; for I am he who is in the seven heavens,
who standeth in the seven sanctuaries; for I am the son of the living god.”
Compared to the gospel stOry the most conspicuous element lacking in
the preceding rite is the bird, but even that appears in a similar text, PGM IV .
f54- 2 2 f, which reads (beginning from line f7o :
At any dawn you wish , when it is the third day of the moon, going to the roof of a
high building, spread on the earthen (floor of the roof) a clean sheet. Do this with an
initiated expert. Then you yourself, wearing a wreath of black ivy, after eleven o’clock,
when the sun is in the midst of the heaven, lie down naked on the sheet, looking
upward, and order that your eyes be covered with a black band. Then, wrapping
yourself up like a mummy, closing your eyes and keeping your face toward the sun,
begin the following prayer: “Powerful Typhon, sovereign and ruler of the realm above,
God ofgods, King .. . thou who scatterest the darkness, bringer of thunder, stormy
one, who dazzlest the night, who breathest warmth into the soul, shaker of rocks,
earthquake-destroyer of walls, God of foaming waves and mover of the deep …. I am
he who searched through the whole world with thee and found the great Osiris, whom
I brought to thee a prisoner. 1 am he who fought as thine ally . . . against the gods. I
am he who locked the double doors of heaven, and put CO sleep the invisible dragon,
who stayed the sea, the tides, the Streams of the rivers, until thou mightest subdue this
realm. 1, thy soldier, have been defeated by the gods. I have been cast down because of
vain wrath. Raise up, 1 beseech thee, thy friend, I entreat thee, and do not cast me on
the earth, 0 King of gods . .. Fill me with power, I beseech thee, and grant me this
grace, that, when 1 shall order one ofthose gods to come, he shall at my spells come and
appear to me quickly.” . . . When you say these things thrice the following sign of
your union (with the god) will Occur, but you, armed with your magic soul , should
not be terrified. For a sea hawk, flying down, will strike you with his wings on your
body, by this very sign indicating that you should arise. You, therefore, arise, clothe
yourself in white garments, and burn uncut frankincense in drops on an earthenware
altar, saying as follows, “1 have been united with thy sacred form. I have been
empowered by thy sacred name. 1 have received the effluence of (thy) goodness, Lord,
God of gods, King, Demon” . . . When you have done this, descend, having attained
that nature equal to the God’s which is effeered by this ritual union.
Here not only the bird as messenger of the god, but also the notions of
salvation as resurrection from death, of the believer as the god’ssoldier and
friend, doorkeeper of the heavens and at war with the gods of this lower world,
1°4
jesus the Magician
of union with the god in form, of the gift of power by the god ‘s name, and of
the believer’s achieving a nature like the god’s are all paralleled in New
Testament texts.
From this evidcnce (and from thc lack of any cvidcnce nearly so similar
from any othcr source) we conclude that the srory of how a spirit descended on
Jesus and made him a “son of god” resembles nothing so much as an account of
a magical ritc of deification. The ritual details and spells (prayers and hymns)
navc been omined, as in the preceding story of the baptism, bur thc essential
acts and rcsult are therc. While John’s baptism and Jesus’ subsequcnt experi
ence can hardly in fact have constituted such a rite, the story shows how they
were understood in the very early Palestinian Christian circles from which
Mark derived his matcrial. Whoever thus understood them had an imagina
tion shaped by stories if not by actual expcrience, of magical rites.
IV
Aftcr Jcsus’ baptism and deification Mark says, “And at once the spirit
drives him our into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty da~s,
being tempted by Satan, and was with the wild animals” (Mk. I. I2f.)
C This fits the panern of a magician ‘s life, especially a shaman’s . e{mpare
. ,tliad’s rcporr that a shaman, at thc beginning of his carccr, com ~only “with
draws into solitudc and subjects himself to a srricr.regime of.self-torture .”
He is supposcd to bc tcstcd, subjectcd to terrible ordeals, or/cven killcd by evil
or initiatory spirit;, but is helped by friendly spirits whO’ appear in the forms
of animals . The statement that the spiri tdrove Jesus i!J,to the wilderness accords
with rabbinic reportS of demonic com pulsion arid suggests that Jesus was
“possessed,” although elsewhere it is claimed tblt he “had” the spirit. We have
noticed in other srories about him this al;?riG.tion between “possessing” and
“bcing possessed,” and have rcmarkcd Chat it is characteristic of shamans in
general.
What purpose such potentially discreditable material served in the life of
Mark’s church, and what valu~ark found in it that decided him to include it,
the text does not indicate )liooks like a plain statement of historical facts as
interpreted by a man who belicved in spirits, and as reported by one who
want cd to give an o~rfne of Jesus’ career beginning with his baptism. Critics
who find Jesus’ cal~er embarrassing, and therefore want ro minimize Mark’s
interest in histo{y , inclinc to suppose that these verses are “the rudiment of an
originally ~rc cxtcnded (tcmptation) legcnd” of unknown function . They
may bC;,(g ht: thcrc is indepcndcnt cvidcncc that Mark intcndcd his stories
bc supplementcd by instruction bascd on his church’s oral tradition and pe
h’}ps on documcnts kcpt sccrct from thc ordinary bclievcrs. If so, the tempta
/ion lcgcnd must bc much oldcr than thc Gospel according ro Mark .
;>’
The Evidence for Magical Practices
lOS
Matthew and Luke do supplement Mark’s report with a long Q story of
Jesus’ temptations (Mt . 4· I-I I; Lk. 4.1-13), but it would bc risky to sup
pose that this story is what Mark knew and left OUt . The Q story is
apologetic-told to show why Jcsus did not perform the miracles cxpcctcd of a
messiah. Why did he not come flying through the air, turn stones into brea.,d ,
provide food for everyone, and conquer the world? The gospels imply an
answer. These things could have been done only by a magician. This ,GrId is
the realm of the devil (Lk . 4 .6) and anyone who wants to rule over It must
worship the devil, in other words, become a magician . Since Jesus did nOt rule
over it, he was not a magician, Q.E.D.
Flying through the air and turning Stones into bread were typical feats of
magicians. This was ·pointed Out by the grcat Norwegian scholar, Eitrcm, who
first recognized the purpose of the story . He also pointed out that Psalm 9 ,
1
quoted by the devil to persuade Jesus to jump from the temple and fly through
the air (Mt. 4· 6 p.), was famous for its magical use (here discredited by
attribution to the devil). Further, the report that after thc temptation the
angels served Jesus attributes to him the success magicians strove for-to bc
served by supernatural beings-bur makes the additional point that magicians
are servcd only by demons, Jesus, because he reje.cred magic , was served by
angels .
Eitrem also intcrpreted thc report of Jesus’ fasting and the offer to givc
him “all the kingdoms of the world” as rrai ts derived from magic, bur for these
he had no close parallels. The Greek magical papyri mention “fasting” only as a
condition for eating, drinking, or doing something, as we speak of “fasting
communion.” Rabbi ‘Aqiba’ (martyred in I34) thought one could get an
“unclean spirit” (dcmon) by fasting and slecping in a gravcyard (8. Sanhedrin
6Sb). Presumably the fast involved lasted overnight. This is interesting be
cause Jesus’ rejection of fasting was one of the points in which he most
conspicuously differed from the Baptist, and for which hc was most criticized
(Mt . 11. I9p ·)· His disciples began fasting only after his death (Mk. 2.20).
Mark says nothing of his fasting in the wilderness. The forty-day fast before the
temptation was modeled on those of Moses and Elijah and was probably
invented to pur Jesus in thcir class and distinguish him from magicians. In
fact, by rcjection of fasting, hc resembled magicians more closcly than this
storyteller liked to remember. Furthermore, the Greek magical papyri contain
no spell by which a man can become a king, and they never promise a magician
an earthly kingdom. The devil’s offer to give Jesus “the kingdoms of this
world” comes from the Jewish messianic tradition . Irs appearancc here is an
apology for Jesus’ failure ro satisfy the demands of that tradition-to have
dqn~ so, to have accepted an earthly kingdom, would have been tantamount to
the practice of magic, the worship of “the god of this aeon.” Jesus’ kingdom
was “not of this world” On. 18.36. Compare Lk. q.20).
Jesus the Magician
19°
[Notes to pages 90-96]
JESUS A COMPANION OF GOD: Eusebius was not quite orthodox in his opinions about “the
Son of God;” he thought him inferior to “God the Father.”
EUSEBIUS’ ARGUMENTS AGAINST APOLLONIUS: The main ones used to prove him agoeJ will
be found in chapters 10, II, 14, 15, 17(.,22,23 , 24(.,26 , 27,29,31,35,37,39,40.
EUSEBIUS’ PRIMARY ARGUMENT AGAINST APOLLONIUS’ DIVINITY: On Phi/OJlralIlJ
5-7·
Eusebius conveniently overlooked the fact that Jesus got relatively little attention during the
~rst century after his death.
EUSEBIUS’ BELIEF IN MAGIC: Sec, for example, his proposed explanations of Apollonius’
miracles, On Phi/OJlralllJ 3 I, 35.
PAGE 91
CRITERIA TO PROVE APOLLONIUS A MERE MAN: Inconsistency: On Philostratus Chs. 10,
I I, 14, 22, 24(., 29· Ignorance: Chs. 14, 15, 24, 29, 37· No miracles before visiting
Brahmans: Ch. 23. flattery and deception: Ch. 39, and often.
CRITERIA TO PROVE APOLLONIUS A MERE MAN: Inconsistency: On Phi/oJlralllJ Chs. 10,
I I, 14, 22, 24f., 29. Ignorance: Chs . 14, 15, 24, 29, 37. No miracles before visiting
Chs. 24(. Accusations of magic: Chs. 26, 40. Predictions: Ch . 3 I. Cures: Ch. 3 I. Other
miracles: Ch . 35. Magical d ev ices: Ch. 40. Peculiarity of accusations: Ch. 40.
CHAPTER VII
PAGE 94
$320,000: That is, 50,000 sil ver pieces (denarii), worth 64 asses each. Sec the notes
to p. 72.
CHRISTIANS ACCUSED OF MAGIC: For example, Hippolytus, Phi/oJophumena VI. 7 ff. , 39ff.;
V11.32; IX.I4ff.; X.29. Compare Origen, Agaiml CelJlIJ V1.40; etc.
CHRISTIAN MAGICAL PAPYRI: Greek: PGM, vol. II, nos. I to ~4; Coptic: Kropp, Zauber
lexle.
EXAGGERATION OF MIRACLES: For example, Matthew, taking over Markan miracle stories,
sometimes doubled the persons cured: Mt. 8.28ff. (vs. Mk. 5. Iff.); 9· 27 ff. and 20.29ff. (vs .
Mk . 10. 46ff.).
MINIMIZING THE MIRACULOUS: Fridrichsen, Prob/eme. Hull, He//eniJlic Magic 116-14 I
has shown that this tendency is particularly strong in Matthew. Compare the preceding note.
That contrary tendencies arc conspicllous in the same gospel shows how complex the problem of
tradition is .
PAGE 95
CLEMENT ON GNOSTIC PRAYER: Edogae prophelicae 15 (cd. Stahlin-Fruchtc\, III. 14 I).
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR FAITH HEALERS: Mk. I 1.23P.; Lk. 17.6; “con~dence” is com
monly mistranslated “faith,” but the Markan form of the primary saying shows that the “fai th”
in the parallels means “confidence.”
TRANSLATIONS IN MAGICAL TEXTS : For example, PGM XXXVI. 3 1 5ff. where the Coptic
command “Open for me, open for me, bolt,” is immediately translated. Similarly, Coptic
papyri translate Greek formulae, sec the passage cited by S. Eitrem, Papyri I, p. 116.
PAGE 96
THE MAGI AND TIRIDATES: Dio Cassius LXII1.5.2; Dio says they returned by a route “in
which they had not come” (LXIII.7. I). This resembles Mt. 2.12, “They returned by another
toad,” but the resemblance is probably coincidental. The statement in Dio reports historical
fact; the one in Matthew’reRects magical convention: after a meeting with a supernatural being
you should go home by a different road, SHR 1.5 end.
MAGI INITIATED NERO: Pliny, Naillra/ HiJlory XXX. 17, quoted above, pp. 71 f.
[Notes to pages 96 -99J
Notes
19 1
JESUS THE SUPREME MAGUS: This interpretation develops that of Origen, Agaiml CelJm
1.60 (where themagoi, though distinct from the Chaldaeans, are unmistakably magicians). See
also Chrysostom, Homi/ieJ on Mal/hew VII. 1 and 3; VIII. I (for the antithesis to the Jews) . So
Clarke, “Rout”; contrast Hengel-Merkel, “Magier” (ignorant conjectures).
BETHLEHEM VS. NAZARETH: The prophecy, Micah 5. I ff.; the fact, Mk. 1.9; Mt. 21. I I;
Lk. 4· I6;Jn . I-45 f.;Jn. 1.45f. proves the contradiction was a SOurce of embarrassment.
ADOLESCENT PRECOCITY FROM DIVINE MAN: See Bieler, TbeioJ aner I. 33 f.
f
OMISSION OF RITUAL: This was facilitated byrhe tendency of oral tradition to abbreviate.
Such factors arc complementary. Rabbinic literature customarily omits references to ritual in
reporting both magical operations and miracles performed by holy men; Blau, Za/lberwmn 3 f.
2
PAGE 97
SPIRIT IDENTIFIED: Mt. 3· 16; Lk. 3.22; The charge is in Mk. 3.22, answered in 23-3 .
0
That “the Holy Ghost” belongs to demonology rathet than to angelology is recognized by
B6cher, ChriJIIIJ 19, 27, 40, etc.
2f
jN . I. 3 f.: John’s remodeling also served his purpose of subordinating the Baptist and
making him testify to Jesus.
BAPTISM THE BEGINNING: SO in many lines of Christian tradition: Mk. 1.1 ff.p.; Lk.
I6.I6p.;Jn. 1.6; Acts 1.22; 10·37; 13. 2 4′
STORIES OF WAYS TO GET SPIRITS: Preisendanz, “Paredros,” is not satisfactory. It extends
the meaning of paredrOJ to include almost any SOrt of supernatllral helper and obscures the
distinCtion between conjuring a demon for a single operation and getting one as a permanent
assistant. The word paredroJ commonly refers to a permaneTJt assistant.
JESUS EVOKED THE BAPTIST : Above, pp. 34f. and notes.
PAGE 98
SIMON’S SPIRIT: Clemenline Recogniliom II . 13. (The author did not believe this explana
tion, but claims that Simon did , III.49.)
JESUS MAINLY A HEALER: This Supposes that the stOries selected by the gospels represent
approximately the range of those that circulated in Jesus ‘ lifetime. In fact, the selection is
surely biased in Jesus’ fa vor. Stories of persons blinded, struck dead, etc., presumably circu
lated about him as they did about his disciples (Acts 5.5 , 10; 13 . I I; L Cor. 5. 3 (‘; L Tim.
f
1.20), but the only rhing of that SOrt that has been preserved is the blasting of the ~g tree
(Mk. I I. I2f(‘, 20f(.p.).
BAPTIST THEORY DROPPED: We hear nothing more of it after the two references in Mk.
f
6. I4 (.; 8.28, and their transcriptions by Matthew and Luke-a reason for thinking Mark’s
report of it comes from early tradition .
OMISSIONS IN TRANSLATION : In this section there are considerable gaps in the text due to
breakage of the papyrus. I have followed Preisendanz’ restorations in the readings, and the
example of the evangelists in shortening the text by omission of much of the ritual.
IN FRONT OF HIS BODY: Preisendanz thought, “in the middle (of the tOof), ” bllt when a
star stands “in the middle of the roof” a few lines later, the roof is speci~ed, and a different
construction is used.
ANGEL: Or “messenger” -the original meaning is “messenger,” but in imperial times the
word has come to mean “supernatural being,” so that the “angel” here is the “god” in the’
sentence after next. The magical papyri often use “angel,” “spirit,” “demon,” and “god” as
interchangeable.
KISS HIM: Compare Judas’ recognition of Jesus, Mk.
14.45p.
PAGE 99
KNOW, TH ERE FORE: Read ing ginoJke loi for gilloJkelai and bOil for boo
THE LORD OF THE AIR:
Ephesians 2.2.
This spirit is identi~ed as ” the ruler (aioll) of this world” in
19 2
Jesus the Magician
[Notes to pages 99- 10 r]
RECEIVE THIS MYSTERY: Compare Mk . 4. II, “To you ( his close associates) has been given
rhe mystery. ”
(you ) WILL NOT GO INTO HADES; Compare Perer on Jesus, Acrs 2 . 3 1 .
ALL THINGS SUBORDINATE TO THIS GOD: [Cor. 15· 27·
ONLY YOU WILL SEE OR HEAR HIM ; SO Paul’s Jesus, Acrs 22·9; 26.14; versus 9· 7·
PAGE 100
JESUS’ BAPTISM; Mk. 1.9. On irs hiscoriciry sec above, in the notes on pp. 8 an,d 97.;
0
RITES TO GET SPIRITS: PGM 1.1-42; and X[a, perhaps also [V·1717- 18 7 ; atld
14-95 in which sratuettes of Eros arc animated . Nore I· 39f. where rhe god will speak to his
host (in bed) “mouth ro mouth,” as rhe writer of [[ In. 12 and [ll In. i4 will speak to his
disciple. Did the wrirer of rhe epistles rhink, like Paul (Gal. 2.20) that he was an embodiment of
Xll~
Christ and rherefore a god co his disciples?
IRENAEUS ON MARCUS: AdverJII! haereJeJ I.vii.2 (ed. Harvey).
SON or- GOD AND MESSIAH ; Luke jl\srified “Messiah,” which means “anointed,” by refer
18
ence to rhe sequel of the baptism; God anoinrcd Jesus with rhe spirit (Acts 10.3 8 ; cf. 4. ).
Clearly homileric reflection.
“SON OF GOD” NOT A COMMON MESSIANIC TITLE: Dalman, Worre 223· For the conrin
2
uing argumenr sec van [ersel, Sohn , 3-26; Pokorny, GO//eJJohn, especially pp. 27-4 . The
fact is clear .
“SON OF GOD” COMMONLY CONNECfED WITH MIRACLES: Above, p. 39 and nores .
PAGE 101
JESUS’ MIRACLES RARELY ATTRIBUTED TO SPIRIT; Jesus makes rhe claim in reply co his
enemies in Mk. 3. 2 9p. and Mt. 12.28; Mt. 12.18 and Lk. 4.18 contain biblical verses
supporting it, conrribured by Marrhew and Luke; Luke’s prefarory remarks in 4· 1,14 represent
rhe victory over thc temptation and the ministry in Galilee as the work of the spirit, and in
10. 21 he represents Jesus’ secret knowledge as the work of the spirit. None of these references
occurs in a srory of a particular miracle. Theonly gospel stOry in which a single, specific miracle is
perhap! amibuted to Jcsus’ spirir is that ofthc healing ofrhe paralytic in Mk. 2 . Iff., where 2.8
lIIight be takcn to mean rhat Jesus, “by his (familiar) spirit ,” knew his opponenrs’ thoughts.
Marrhew and Luke omitted the rcfetence to the spirit. In Lk. 7.8 rhe centurion evidently
supposes Jesus will send a spirit to heal his son, but this is the opinion of an ignownt outsider.
OPPONENTS ATIRIBUTE JESUS’ MIRACLES TO DEMONS; Mk. 3·22p. ; Me. 9·34; 10. 25 (by
implicarion); 12.261″; cf. In, 8-48 , 52; 10.20. These observations, and those in the preceding
notc, correct my former opinions CArctalogy,” and Clement 219f.)·
“SON OF GOD” IN GRECO-ROMAN USAGE: Smith, “Prolegomena,” 179ff. On Origen,
Agaim/ Cel!II! VII.9, sec below p . 117·
PALESTINIAN PAGANISM; Above, pp. 68 and nff. and nores; further , Smirh, Partie!,
especially chapter [V .
2
“SONS OF GOD” = “GODS”; Dt. 32.8,43 (LXX); Ps. 29· I; 89· 7;Job 1.6; 2. I; Dan. 3. 5.
SYNOPTICS NEVER CALL JESUS “GOD”: John is less inhibited and calls him “Only Be
gottcn God” (a tirle) as distinct from “God” (the Father), 1.18; see Merzger, Textllal Commen
/ary. Most English translations follow inferior texts.
APOLOGETIC LINE IN BIRTH STORIES; The allegation of divine paternity, as opposed, for
instance, ro mere vindication ofJesus’ legitimacy (that would also have been possible within rhe
gcnerous limirs of evangelic veracity).
DMP x , 23 ff.: Repeated in XXV[1. 1ff. Compare In. r. 51, where Jesus promises a disciple,
“You shall sec the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on rhe Son of
2
Man.” For the Son’s intcrcession before the Farher on behalf of his creatures, sec Hebrews 7. 5.
On having/getting/becoming a god, in magical and other texrs, sec Hanse, Goll.
[Notes to pages 102-104]
Notes
193
PAGE 102
YOUR NAME IS MINE; Phil. 2·9f.; James 2·7; Rev. 3 . 12; 14.1; 22·4,
I AM YOUR IMAGE: Phil. 2.6; [[ Cor. 3· 18.
I KNOW YOU, AND YOU ME;Jn. q.25;Gal. 4.9; [Cor. 13 . 12.
THE WORLD RULER; The “PanrokratOr” -an epithcr of Yahweh frequent in the LXX .
LORD OF LIFE; In. 11.25; Acts 3 . 15; Eph. 4,18 ; [In. 5.20; Rev. I r.11; Ecclesiasticus
23· 1,4 LXX .
RIGHTEOUSNESS NOT TURNED ASIDE; Ps . 118.142 LXX; [so 51.6,8 LXX.
WHO HAST . .. TRUTH; In. 14 · 6 , 17; 15· 26; 16.13; I In. 4·6; 5.6.
GOD’S NAME/SPIRIT ON GOOD MEN; [So 42.1
Mr. 12.18; [so 61. I
Lk. 4.18; Num .
=
=
6.27·
GODT.O ENTER THE ORANT ; [[ Cor. 1.22; Gal. 4.6; Eph. 3.17; etc.
lAO ABLANATHANALBA; lao is Yahweh, the Israelite god; Ablanathana[ba is a magical
palindrome (word that can be read backwards) of uncertain meaning. for the idea of rhe
preceding scnrence, compare Acts 1.8; 10. 38; [Cor. 5.4; [I Cor. 12.9.
PGM IV.475-830: Often misnamed “the Mithras liturgy.” The technique for aScent inro
the heavens, here presented, was known in a widely variant form in Judaism. Sec my “Obser
vations,” I 42ff. , and Clement 238ff.
.
A EEl 0 U 0; The Greek vowe[s, often taken as represenring the essenrial clements of the
world, bur also used as a resonant “magical” word to excite the celebrant. Most magical terms
will henceforth be reduced to three dots.
“I SURPASS TH E LIM JT”; Read ingprol/cho t( on) horon for procho proa, but the [eIters may be
magical gibberish .
PAGE 103
JESUS’ ASCENT TO HEAVEN; After death, Acts 1.9; before, sec Smith, Clement 243ff.
HOLY SPIRITS IN MAGICAL PAPYRI; 1.313; ll1.8,289,393, 550; [V·5IO; Xll.174; etc.
THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD; DMP XX. 31 ff. “The living god” is a familiar Old Tesra
menr figure (joshua 3.10; Hosea 2. I; Ps. 42.3,9; etc.) who had a great success in the New
Testamenr (Matthew, Acts, Paul, the PastOrals , Hebrews , [ Peter, and the Apocalypse). Mt.
26. 63 makes the High Priest usc him in conjuring Jesus to declare his identity, and Peter in Mt.
16.16 idenrifies Jesus as “the Son of the living God.” Neverthe[ess, “the living god” could
equally well be Osiris, and the spell in the Demotic papyrus begins by identifying the magi
cian with a group of Egyptian deities, so it seems safest to suppose thar both “the living god”
and “the son” were international magical personalities. [n PGM XXXVI.10,15f. the magi
cian declares himself the son of the god Typhon-Seth (who was ofren identified with lao, sec
above, p. 62).
BIRD AS MESSENGER: Sec also Psellus, 01/ the W ork of Delllon! 15 (cd. Boissonade, p. 24),
cired below, in the nores to p. 121.
PAGE 104
NEW TESTAMENT PARALLELS TO PGM Iv.154ff.: Mk. 1.10; II Cor. 10·4; In. 15.15;
Mr. 16.19; [ Cor. 2 .8; [[ Cor. 3 . 18; Phil. 2.6; Acts 3.16; In . 5,18.
NO OTHER SIMILAR EVIDENCE; Compare Bultmann, GeJChichte· 263ff. Bultmann con
cluded from Mk. 14.61 rhat rhe story reports Jesus’ election as Messiah -in spite of the fact that
it docs not menrion the Messiah. He paid no attention to rhe peculiar us~ge of “son of god” nor,
of course, to its Semitic meaning. Because Dalman reported that in rabbinic literature “the
spirit” cannot be used for “the holy spirit” without some distincrive addition , Bulrmann
supposed thar rhe same was true in Jesus’ time and circles (neg[ecting Num. I r. 2 5ff.; [ Kings
22.21; Hosea 9.7; etc.). Hence, the story must have come from his favorite datadump-“the
he\lenistic community . ” He explained it mainly from Acts 1 O. 38; Since it was believed Jesus
194
jesus the Magician
[Notes to pages 104-105]
had been made Messiah (i.e. “anointed”) by being anointed with the spirit, and since baptism
was suppOsed to give the spirir, the appointment of Jesus as Messiah was located at his baptism
and the story of that event was told to suit this purpose. (Christians however-and Acts with
special emphasis, 19.1-7-denied that the Baptist’s baptism gave the spirit!) Finally Bultmann
does notice that “Mark, as a hellenistic Christian of the Pauline sort, already saw Jesus as the
preexistent Son of God” (p. 270) and that the Story of the baptism seems to contradict this, but
he thinks Mark was so dumb that he never noticed the difficulty (ibid). Admittedly, one must
be careful not to exaggerate the intelligence -of the blessed evangelist, but when he included . .
material that seems to contradict his own views we may charitably suppose he did so under some
compulsion, most likely because he found it in an authoritative source, or knew it as a revered
clement of oral tradition . (That he was not willing to follow ttadition all the way is shown by hi~
avoidance of Jesus’ complete deification .)
.
ELlADE’S REPORT: SblllaniJIII 108, cf. 64f., etc. Ordeals 33-66; spirits/animals 88-95′
POSSESSOR/POSSESSED : Above, p. 32. Cf. In. 7.20 versus 8,48; Mk. 3.21 versus 22.
Midtash Sifrc, sec. 318 end, on Dr. 32.17, says, “What is the common practice of a demon? It
enters into a man and compels him .”
THE LOST TEMPTATION LEGEND: So Bultmann , Gescbicble’ 270.
MARK’S STORIES TO BE SUPPLEMENTED: Smith, Clenlenl 446; Secrel GOJpei 15·
PAGE 105
FLYING THROUGH THE AIR: As the Son of Man, equated by Christians with the Messiah,
is to come. Mk. 13.26p . ; Dan . 7.13.
FREE FOOD: A favorite feature of “the days of the Messiah .” Lk. 6.21; Irenaeus V. xxxiii·3
end, cd. Harvey; Ps. 22.27; 72.16; Enoch 10. 19·
WORLD CONQUEST: Apoc. 19 . 11-20.6; Is. 42.4; 45.1-14; Ps . 72.8-11. The facts in
this and the two preceding notes were overlooked by Fridrichsen, Probfeme 85ff.
Q.E.D.: This fallacy is of the “undistributed middle term” type , that is, even if we grant
the premise (all who rule the world must be magicians), it does not follow that all who become
magicians will rule the world. The devil might default.
E1TREM’S OBSERVATIONS: ” Versuchung” 9ff. For Aying magicians he cites Maspcro, Conies
37 ;PGM XIII. 284f. (add I. 119; XXXIV. 9); Lucian, Lover ofLies 13; theAcll1! Pelri cum Simone,
end; Philostratus, Life 111.15,17; VI. 1Of.; lamblichus, De mYJteriiJ 111+ For changing stones
into bread, the stories of Cinderella and the magicians of Egypt (Ex. 7.12) exemplify similar
transformations, and the stone, wooden, and pottery “food” commonly found in Egyptian
tombs was to be changed into real food for the dead by magical c’e remonics, sec Smith, Egypt 29,
67, 95f. Christians madc the magician Simon claim to perform these miracles and use them as
proof of his supernatural (magical) powers, Clementine RecogniliollJ 11.9; IIl ‘4 7; Homilies II. 32.
MAGICAL USE OF PSALM 91: “Versuchung” Ilff.; PGM 17 . 15; T2 verso; Schrire, Hebrew
AmulelJ 127f., 133 .
SERVICE BY DEMONS / ANGELS: “Versuchung,” 14. on Mk . 1. 13P . , cicing as examples of
demons scrving magicians, magical tcxts now in the PGM V.164ff. ; XII.40,48f.
EITREM ON FASTING AND KINGSHIP: “Versuchung” 15ff. His passages for fasting actually
refer only to keeping oneself in a state of ritual puri ty, and possibly to abstaining from meat and
fish. Lk. 4.2 is explicit, Jesus “ate nothing.” Similarly, Eitrem’s passages on political powcr say
only that magic will make one “a friend of” rulers, “great” and “glorious,” etc. (This is
interesting. The magical texts arc nOt entirely products of free, wishful thinking, but show
awarencss of actual · limitations of the magicians’ circumstances.)
FASTING IN PGM: 1.235; 111.334,412,427.
NO FASTING IN MARK: Mk. 1.13. That MaJk says Jesus was in the wilderness “forry days”
docs not imply fasting. “Forry days” (or “years”) is an Old Testament locution for “a long time.”
FORTY-DAY FASTS: Mr. 4.2P.; Ex. 24 . 18; 34.28; Dr. 9.9,25; I Kings 19.8.
KINGSHIP IN THE PGM: XXIIb, “A Prayer of Jacob,” records (not quite accurately) that
[Notes ro pages 105- 10 7J
Notes
195
the god addressed gave “the kingdom” to Abraham, but it asks only for direction, wisdom,
power, a heart full of good things, the status of an earthly, immortal angel (i.e. aJewish “divine
man”). PGM III. 540f. identifies “the kingdom” with “the three-cornered paradise of the
earth,” and says the magician has the key to it. All othcr “kingdoms” in PGM are supernatural
(XIII . 18 7,5 0 9; cf. IV. 26 3; V·448. Similarly,DT 22-43f.,46f.; again 24; 29; 3 0 ; etc.). Most
uses of “king” refer to gods. Human kings appear in nine instances as patrons, in four as
proposed subjects oflnagic, and in four as magicians (IV. 243,255,19 2 8; XII.202), but in three
: of these last instances they are legendary figures, and in none is there any suggestion that they
. became kings by practicing magic.
THE GOD OF THIS AEON: Lk . 4. 6f.p.; II Cor. 4+
PAGE 106
THE CHALLENGING TEMPTATIONS: Mr. 4. 3P” 6p.; “If you arc the Son of God,” perform
; this (proposed) miracle. (The difference between the first two and the third in the Matthaean
order argues for the originality of that order against Luke’s).
APOLLONIUS’ ATTRACTION OF FOLLOWERS:
V. 21; VIII. 2 I f.; etc.
Philostrarus, Life I. 19; IV . I, 17 ,31 f., 47;
LOVE CHARMS: PGM VII. 973ff.; XV-3- DMP XXI. 2 7-43′
JESUS’ FOLLOWERS WHO LEFT HOME, ETC .. : Mk.
10.29P” cf. Lk . 14. 26 p.
CONVERSION BY LOVE SPELLS: PGM LXI.29f., cf. IV.327f., 2757 ff.; XIXa . 53f.
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EX-DEMONIACS AMONG JESUS ‘ FOLLOWERS: Lk. 8. Iff.; Mk . 15’40P.; Lk. 23.55 . Spells
to bring women to men and vice versa are very common. PGM IV . 1716ff.; VII.3 0 0 ff.;
XIII. 238f. ; etc. The men whom Apollonius saved from demons became his disciples, Life IV. 20
end, 25; VI.28 (the same Menippus) .
SPELLS ETC., FOR EXORCISM : PGM IV. 1227f., 2170, 3007ff.; V. 9 6ff.; XIII. 242ff.;
XXXVI. 2 75 ff. Cyranides (cd. de Mely-Ruelle) p. 47 , lines 22ff.; 69. 26f.; 7 I. 9f.; 101. If., 14 f .;
10 3.9; II I. 10; 112.2. Tamborino, DaelllOniJnto 18f.
EXORCISM IN PHILOSTRATUS, LUCIAN, CELSUS: Philostrarus, Life III. 3 8 ; IV. 20. 25; Lu
cian, PhilopmtdeJ 16 (quoted above, p. 57). Lucian’s words JUSt prior to the section qUOted
imply that such figures were common, as do Origcn’s, Agaiml CeIJuJ 1.68 (quoted above, p.
83)·
JESUS ‘ EXORCISTIC SKILL: Mk . 7·24frp.; 5.8ff. p. The relation of the Marcan exorcism
stories to magic was demonstrated by the classic srudy of Bauernfeind, Worlf, and has been
studied in much detail by Bacher, CbriJluJ, supported by the material collected in his Damo
nenfurchl.
SPELLS ETC. FOR CURES : PGM I. 190; VII. 193ff., 218ff., 260fr; XII. 3 0 5f.; XIII.
244ff.; XVIIIa; XX; XXlla; XXXIII. DMP XIX; XX. Iff., 28IT.; XXIV. 27f.; Veno IV. I off.;
V; VI (?); VIII-XI; XX; XXXIII. Cf. SHR I. I; II. 6; II. 12 .
AMULETS FOR CURES: Bonncr, Siudies, thinks “perhaps most” amulets are medical, p. 21
Pp. 5 1-94 of Siudies are devoted to “Medical Magic.”
CURES IN LITERARY MATERIAL: Philostratus , Life 1I1.38ff.; IV . I,IO; V1.43; Lucian ,
Philopfeudes II, 18f.}. Sabbal XIV.4( 14d); B. Sanbedrin lOra; CyranidfJ (cd. de Mcly-Ruelle)
11.0.6 (p. 69,26f.); III.rjJ.2 (p. 101 , 14f.); Pliny, Nalural HiJlary X1. 20 3; XXI. 166, 176;
XXII.20,5 0 ,61; XXIV.156ff.; etc.
CURES VS. EXORCISMS: The attempt of Bacher, ChriJIIIJ 7 0ff., to represenr all healings as
exorcisms, is refuted by the fact that the gospels do not do so. We must nOt impose theoretical
clarity on evangelic confusion.
“PU.GUE AND FEVER FLEE” ETC.: Bonner, Siudies,
sion, 67f.
no. III, p. 27 1 and plate V; discus
FEVERS CAUSED BY DEMONS : PGM IV . I 528ff. , 154Iff., 2487ff., 2 93 0 f.; VII.4 7 2 , 99 0f.;