The Concepts of the Divine in the Greek Magical Papyri

Abstract

Eleni Pachoumi looks at the concepts of the divine in the Greek magical papyri by way of a careful and detailed analysis of ritual practices and spells. Her aim is to uncover the underlying religious, philosophical and mystical parallelisms and influences on the Greek magical papyri. The author starts by examining the religious and philosophical concept of the personal daimon and the union of the individual with his personal daimon through the magico-theurgic ritual of systasis. She then goes on to analyze the religious concept of paredros as the divine?assistant? and the various relationships between paredros, the divine and the individual. To round off, she studies the concept of the divine through the manifold religious and philosophical assimilations mainly between Greek, Egyptian, Hellenized gods and divine abstract concepts of Jewish origins. 0Eleni Pachoumi Born 1975; studied Classical Studies; 2007 PhD; worked as a Lecturer of Classical Philology at the University of Thessaly, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the University of Patras; currently holding a research Fellowship in Classical Philology at the School of Ancient Language and Text Studies of North-West University in South Africa.0. Preface -- List of abbreviations -- Introduction : the Greek magical papyri -- General character -- Modern editions and translations -- The history of Greek and demotic magical papyri and magical handbooks -- Defixionum tabellae and magical amulets -- Characteristics of the Greek magical papyri -- Greek language -- Hymns -- Categories of spells -- The magical operation -- The focus and methods of the monograph -- Magic : definition -- The concepts of the divine in the greek magical papyri : chapter Description -- The religio-philosophical concept of the personal daimon and the magico-theurgic ritual of systasis -- Introduction -- The PGM spells -- "Systasis with your own daimon" (PGM VII.505-528) -- Untitled spell for dream revelation (PGM VII.478-490) -- Untitled spell concerning your own shadow (PGM III.612-632) -- "The erotic binding spell of Astrapsoukos" (PGM VIII. 1-63) -- Conclusion -- The religious concept of paredros -- Introduction : the basic concept of paredros -- Paredroi as daimones -- "A daimon comes as an assistant" (PGM 1.1-42) -- "Power of the bear constellation that accomplishes everything" (PGM IV. 1331-1389) -- Paredros as the resurrected spirit and body of the dead -- Scholarly discussion -- The issue of the resurrection of the dead in the spells -- "King pitys' spell that leads over any skull cup" (PGM IV. 1928-2005) -- "Divine assistance from three homeric verses" (PGM IV.2145-2240) -- "Pitys' spell that leads" (PGM IV.2006-2125) -- The purpose of reanimating the dead in the magical rite -- Paredros as the god eros -- Paredros as the spell itself and as a god, or goddess revealed as another entity -- "Spell of pnouthis, the sacred scribe, for acquiring an assistant" (PGM 1.42-195) -- "Spell to selene" (PGM I.147ff.) -- Untitled spell to acquire a divine assistant (PGM LVII.1-37) -- The "lunar spell of klaudianus and ritual of heaven and the bear constellation over lunar offerings" (PGM VII.862-918) -- "The old serving woman of apollonius of tyana" (PGM XIa.1-40) -- Paredros as divine assistance from homeric verses and an object -- The relationship between the paredros and the magician -- Conclusion -- The concept of god through manifold religious and philosophical assimilations -- Introduction -- Helios -- "Spell to bring the god" (PGM IV.985-1035) -- Helios the greatest god, lord horus harpocrates -- Helios holding the reins and steering the tiller, restraining the serpent -- Helios : praised, Iao -- "This is the (consecration) ritual for all purposes : spell to helios" (PGM IV.1596-1715) -- Helios : the gracious good daimon -- Helios : sabaoth adonai, the great god -- Helios : the cosmokrator, the thalassokrator, heaven as Helios' processional way -- "[Systasis to] helios" (PGM III.494-611) -- Helios : the image, the whole of the cosmos; forms and names -- "Systasis with your own daimon" (PGM VII.505-528) -- Helios : the mixture of the cosmic nature -- hymn "to helios" (PGM IV.939-948) -- Helios : ... or ... -- Eros -- "Eros as an assistant" (PGM XII.14-95) -- "The sword of dardanos" (PGM IV.1716-1870) -- The creator-god -- "Prayer of Jacob" (PGM XXIIb. 1-26) -- "Oracle of Kronos demanding, called little mill" (PGM IV.3086-3124) -- "[Systasis to] helios" (PGM III.494-611) -- "The sword of dardanos" (PGM IV.1716-1870) -- "A little ring" (PGM XII.201-269) -- The use of ... -- Aion -- "Divine assistance from three homeric verses" (PGM IV.2145-2240) -- "God, gods; a sacred book called monad or eighth book of moses about the holy name" (version A. 1-343 from PGM XIII. 1-734) -- "A little ring" (PGM XII.201-269) -- "Stele" (PGM IV. 1167-1226) -- "Another way" (PGM V.459-489) -- Chrestos -- "Releasing from bonds" (PGM XIII.288-295) -- Orthographical and interpretation issues : the scholarly discussion -- Analysis of the spell : influences and religious assimilations -- Chrestos as the creator -- Chrestos as "the one who created compulsion and punishment and torture" -- The "release" and "open up" formula -- Chrestos "biaios" : mechanisms of appropriation and integration -- Dionysus-osiris -- Osiris -- "Pitys' spell that leads" (PGM IV.2006-2125) -- Dionysus -- Explicit references to dionysus -- Untitled spell (PGM XIII.734-1077) -- Allusions to dionysus -- "A daemon comes as an assistant" (PGM I.1-42) -- "Excellent philtron" (PGM VII.459-461) -- "Cup spell" (PGM VII.643-651) : Dionysus-osiris assimilation -- "This is the (consecration) ritual for all purposes : spell to helios" (PGM IV. 1596-1715) -- Hekate-selene-artemis -- "Prayer to selene" (PGM IV.2785-2890) -- "Erotic spell that leads" (PGM IV.2441-2621) -- Hermes-thoth-hermes trismegistos -- Hermes-thoth -- Hermes trismegistos -- The religious and philosophical assimilations -- Untitled spell for revelation (PGM V.370-446) -- "The erotic binding spell of astrapsoukos" (PGM VIII. 1-63) -- "Lamp divination" (PGM VII.540-578) -- Typhon-seth -- The symbolism of the blood of typhon-seth -- The religious and philosophical assimilations -- "spell to restrain anger and to subject" (PGM VII.940-968) -- "Nephotes to psammetichos immortal king of Egypt" (PGM IV. 154-285) -- "Spell to restrain" (PGM XXXVI. 1-34) -- Untitled spell (PGM XIVc.l6-27), "Spell to cause 'evil sleep'" (PGM xiv.675-694) -- "Separation spell" (PGM XII.365-375) -- Sarapis -- Untitled erotic spell (PGM XIXa.1-54) -- "Oracle of sarapis" (PGM V.1-53) -- "This is the (consecration) ritual for all purposes : spell to helios" (PGM IV.1596-1715) -- "Another way" (PGM V.459-489) -- Isis -- "The erotic binding spell of astrapsoukos" (PGM VIII. 1-63) -- Untitled spell to acquire an oracle (/"great Isis the lady") (PGM XXIVa. 1-25) -- Untitled spell for protection ((...)) (PGM VII.490-504) -- Untitled spell to acquire a divine assistant (PGM LVII.1-37) -- Aphrodite -- "Erotic spell that leads" (PGM IV.2891-2942) -- "Aphrodite's name" (PGM IV. 1265-1274) -- Bes(as) -- Spells : "Request for a dream oracle from Besas" (PGM VII.222-249) and "Request for the dream oracle of Besas" (PGM VIII.64-110) -- "Stele of Jeu the hieroglyphist in his letter" (PGM V.96-172) -- "A restraining seal" (PGM IV.2125-2139) -- Divine Epithets and Identities -- Conclusion -- Epilogue -- Appendix 1 -- Appendix 2 -- Appendix 3 -- Appendix 4 -- Appendix 5 -- Appendix 6 -- Appendix 7 -- Bibliography -- Index of Greek words -- Index of sources -- Index of modern authors -- Index of names and subjects.