JlllillS AfricallUS

aIld tIle EarI)'T C:hristia11

View ot- Magic

hv,

Francis C. It rfhcc

J. C.B.

Mohr (Paul Siebeck) Tiibingen 19H4

-fhff, F"~J~d~ C. R.:

lulius
Africmus and the earlv, Chrlsd:fln 'i1~"'"
.
ofmJ:gjc;' by Fra.nds C. H. Thee. - TiibEngen:
Mohr. JW}4l
(Hl:'rmt=no:utisch(" Umcr!:iuch ungcn zmfht'oJogie;
'9)
ISl-lN .3-16-144552-X
IS SN 0440-71 80
NE:GT

J. C. B. Mohr (paul Sieb~<k) T(abingen L984.

Alle RcduC' \'orbchilltell. Ohne ;llls.rlrucklichc Gcnchmlgul1g de-Ii Verbg!> 1St es ;luch n.ich[
gC'!'if.:l [tel da~ BllI:h odcr T eik: ail filllS ;lU f photOl"ncchiifdscheHl Wegl' (Ilhotokol-'k'. .'.i'ho kQpic)
?u ....c;r ..id f.l]t&gen.
Printed ill German~" Satz una Druck: Gulae-Druck GmbH, Tubingcn. Emb2nd: H~inrich
I

Koeh. GroB buchbind-erei, Tlihingen.

To PauJ. and Yetta.

and
To Mary
end
Paul

TA13LE OF CONT!-1r!'S
Page:
Ll~"'1'

OF

ItL'!JS'.ttl't~'I'IOIm

ACKNOl'l'lZIXrv.ENTS

xi

INTRODUCTiON . . .

Statement of the Problem. . . . . . .

ABJle ct g o:f" the problem
Statement of the thesi~
Working Definition of Magie
Introduetion.

Definition, and related tenDs

Chapt.er
I.

THE STUDY OF JULIUS AFRICA1{US AND HIS KESTOT ~

11

and B,yzantin~ R~ference5 . . .

Greek and related ecclesiastica.1 sources
Syriac ecclesiastical sources

13

An~ient

Semlle.r sources
Surnma.ry
Early Studies . . . . . . .

n~

32

. . . .

Sixteenth to eighteenth centuries

Nineteenth a.nd early twentieth centuries
Recent Contributions . . _
.
A ne-" era

. . .. . .

.'

..

..

aPlJroach?

Variant vievs
other ~pe-cula:tions
Sta:t.U6 of the q'UeBtion

The new era renovated

F.esults of the nevera
Summary and Cone 1 usi ons .. .. .. .. .. ..
II.

TRAlfSL!\Tlm~

OF THE ICEST:Ql FRAG}.fENTS .. .. , ..

Si.gla . . ..

1;

Ke~tos

,IJI.

..

..

. 100

102

..
,.

"..

"104

105

The Kestoi Fragm~ntSt

The Kestoi Fragments t II; Ext~A~ts concerning Military
Matt.era .
+

"
+
+
..
The Kestoi Fragments, I II ; Ertr8.ct Ii concerning
lii.:ep1at.1"1 Cil.
+ 156
The Kestoi Fragroent B. I1l~ Concerning Weigllt5 and
Measures... . . . .. ......
+
,
...
. . 173
+

~,

.... i1

'WI

1'

"",.",'1'.

..

.,

...

It

viii

Contents

Chapter
II.

Page

The Kestoi Fragments tV: Pa.pyrus Oxyrhynchu,S 412. .

The Kest01 Fragments .. VI; KestQs 13 ~ Cha.pt'IH 22..
The Kestoi Fragments:> VIIi Concerning Cinnamon . . . .
The Kegtoi Fro.gmentl3 t VIII; Concerning Dyeing

180
183

The Kestoi Fragnlents

186
191

Appendix;
TIl.

Citat i on:e . .. +
Selected Frasmenta or the Chrobograpqy .
t

IX:

lB4

185

M'UCANUStg VIEW' OF MAGIC.

..

Pasaages to be Considered. .

. 193

From the

193

K~stoi

F:r-olIl the fhronogra.pl,rr

. . . . . . . ..

KnO'oi'l edge 0 f Mg,gi c ..

199

Pentagon paSS&g@"s
Zoological passages
Humat') t:iubst e.nces

Plant pas !;oages

Miot!ral and siJ!u.lar substances

Charms and rites
Gods and daemons

Other featlU'es
Pu!-pOSE!6 of theuaes
Summo..ry of Afrl c anus "s Knowledge of Nagic",
Areas of magi c
Types of" pro<: I!'dure51
Types of magic

Attitudes toward Th~se Procedures. . . .

Natu!"a.l processes
Non-religious (secula.r) outlook
World-view veetor !;Iumma..ry

IV.

'I'm: EARLY eRR ISTIAN VIEw

Or MAQIC.

..

300

..

309

316

Int.rod-uction + + '"

310
Apoatolic Fathers and Apologists . . . . . . . . 311
Apostolic tsthers
The a,pologists
Greek Polemic:ist6 .and Syaternat12.ers...

~6

402

..

..

lrenaeus
Clement of' Alexandria.

Or1gen
Hippolytus

Latin Polemicists and

Systemat1~ers. .

Tl!rtuJ.lian
Mino~
Sy~i8.c

Latin writeTs

Writers . .

1.ater Writer a +
L6.tin 'Ilriters
Greek vriters

..

.. ..

. . . ~21

~21

ix

Contents

Cha.pte-r
IV.

PB.g~

Apocrypha and Gnosis. . . . . . . . . .

437
.1:38

SUIIIm8.ry of Knowledge of J,(agic . . . . .

Des! gnat:! ons and d1 visions of magi c

Procedures: of magic

Involvement
Attitud~B

or

other areas

toward Magic . .

Types o magical operations

Re1at.ion to their
CONCLUSION:

b~lief'

ayste1!lB

THE PLACE OF JULIUS Ar''"RICAlffiS IN EARLY CHRISTIAIUTY.

4L9

R~latiOT\

of Africanus I s Views of Magic 'to Those of the

Early Church ~ ~ ~

Knowledge of magic
Attitudes towa.rd magic
Summa.ry:

Afr1canusand early Christianity

Add~nd\UJ):

Relation of Africanus's Views to Other Cont~porary Attitud~s . . . . . . . . . .

Conclusions . .
. . .
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

it

....... .

Index of Ancient and M~dievnl

1. Julius Africanus
2.
q

Index

R~feren~es

Bible .. including Apocrypha.

Christian 'Writings, includitl8
Secular and other Sourc e s
o~

Modern Authors and Works

I ndl!.X of Subj ect 6

~66

!.I 68
~93

I1fDEXES

3.

~65

.. . . _

t.93

i~eretics.1

513

515

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure

Page

Contenta . . . ..

KeG.o f -

2.

Su:nm.a.ry of' Af'ri eMUS t s 'weight S Ail.nd Meas urcs II

3.

Jt''J:othetical Recons1.ruC'ticn of' the Pentagon::; in the

Kest 0 i
.
~

Known

10

...

..

iI

iI

oj

103
..

118
190

P:rof'essoT ROMrt M. Grant first s.uggest.ed Af'ricfLnus and the

eoncent~ation of

the study' on the magic in AfrictLnus to me.

I hav.e

&J1preciated his advice--both positive fL.."1d negative,. vnether taken

immedia.tely or not-and hl.5 restraint over the years.

in

th~

final

processing of

th~

paper

~de

His efforts

possible the meeting of

th~

de~d1ines.

Professors Hans Dieter Betz and Bernard Me-Ginn deserve

special thanks for

consenting.~

on short notice,. to serve as readers

of "the paper.
Pw~fessor

3etz further

~uggested

this. serie's to me and kindly

rec::cmrnended this study- tc its pub1:'i sher all.G. the

xi

t~r:.bei'

editors.

INTRODUCTION
Stat~~ent

AS"p~ets

JUlius

A.fri~'anus

of

th~

Problem

of the Problem

suffers the peculiar fate of being, perh.a.})s,

best known today for his shortest 'Work. a letter to Origen ~vh1c:h

the ancie-:nts preserved mainl:y as a preface to OJ'igen'6 reply! while

his major vorks fell

victim~

in a

sense~

to their popularity, being

absorbed into larger works t and surviving solely as only partially

identifiable fra.gments.

This. at least, is one- way of describing the

fa.te o,f his ChrliJ11.ogratJhy-it built

!L

tidy edifice of Christian c!1ron-

ologjo' 7 but then 'lias dismant.led, to provide

built
th~

othel'V!s~

on his foundation.

~teriaJ.s

for those 'Who

Witb the Kestoi! though, perhaps

oPPo5ite is more true--here vas gathered s. grE!B.t

mass of ma.terials which shortly s.e..nk 'Under it.s

&~d

miscellaneous

DJiIn disord~red

lleigl1t:t

and so periahed. exce:ptfor a :few items picked out here and therE!
useful, or at least

cUTious~

matter, and. so preserved.

s,Q

:2

~ote especially Eusebius I oS Ch~onicor.J and the B)rzantine chronologists; on the latter see Heinrich Ge~zer7 ;Sertus Julius Afr1canus
Wl.d die
zo.nt i nische Chrono eo hie ~ 2 vols. in 1 {Leipzi s: J. C.

Hinrichs' s~h~ Buchhandlung ~ 1898

2.rhey are found mainly in the Byzantine collections of tact1c&1~ veterin.o.t'Y' ~ and agricultura1. vritera 11 with other fragments
else",bere, e. g., EUDOng the alchem.ical "in"1ters. The quiek demise of'
the Kestoi is illustrated by its Bole su:rvivlng direct f'ragment 1
le5s than a half century after thl!! ."Titing of the Kestoi, a r'rofesaionaJ.ly produced- copy bad been discarded. and cut up for more pra.cti~al
1

Tnt~oduc.:tion

As to the :man himself. certain clear tra.its app.ear from his

writings.
ieal

the

~~

vas a Cbristian of unquestioned Caitb. with keen crit-

abil1ti~s,

of broad wisdom and lea.:rning, versed 1nhis'tory!o in

Scriptures~ and

in the traditions of the Jevish

chur~h!o

especially

the .2.e-SPQ8yn:e~ on the other band ~ he was a. lnan of pur~ly pagan i:::J~
te:rests, of incre-dible cl"(!dUli.-t.y. and B. paragon of superstition and
supel":f1cial

peda.nt~,

especially magic.

steeped. in Hellenic traditions and literature,

The one side- o:f the portrait is 'that commonly

drawn fI'O!ll his UChristianl' writings (his letters To Origen and

!.

Aristides, and the Chronogr'B.ph;i)!o the other from the Kestoi.

But;, are

t.h~se

portra.itures dravn in too-broa.d strokes!

Me

the differences between 'the "Christian" and the rlsecu.lar M Atricanus

really so c1ea.:r-cut?
can be

produc~d,

background?

And" if a. properly bB.1anced

sket~h

how sharply does it stand out from it.s

of Africa:nus

Ch]'"istilL~

Specifically. how does thE! "magic-o.lu Af'J"lcanus blend

into the rest of the

portrai~?

Most recent. discussions of A:fricanus aSsU!De that a s:!rnthesis

i5

p05sible~

since it is

ne~essary,

but do not deal

ics ( Or sometimes, even refer to & problem J\ 1

~th

its specif-

Thos e 'IIho deal wi th

uses. of its bla.n..1i:. verso~ in the case of the sur'tiving fragtncnt!o a copy
of a. \1111; Ee-rnard P. Grenf'~ll and .Arthur S. Hunt. The Oph;mchus
PaPyri!o part III (Egj~t Exploration Fund: Gra~cD-Roman Branch; London:
Eg;r-pt Exploration Fund .. 1903)!o no. ~12l pp. 36-J:,,1 s and plate" t for
the !':r~ent, and part VI (1908) .. nc. 907 s pp. 2lJ7-53, concerning the
C:DP;:'~ of the will.

l~rlier studies (to be dealt "With in Chapter I,. t.he- history

of" the study of At'ricanus.) hB.d solved the pr-oble:m in v8.:rious l1'ays.
postull&t1ng WO ot' more Af'ricani., ,sttributing the Kestoi to A:f'ri-ca.nu.s r spt!l.gan youth. or to A p06tulat~d period of lapse. 0-1" s again.. ignoring it.

The Problelr..

the specifics consider only part of the problems as stated above.

The only two recent scholars to deal with Afrieanus to .any ex-

-tent are J. R. Vieillef'ond. and GudllJund BJ8rck:o with the former e,tandingeJ.one as far as individual atte-Irtion to Africanus is concerned.
BJ5rck." t.hough pril!Eienting some valuable ideas" de-a.lt vit;.. Africanus
extensi vely only as one part of one

stUd;~/; Vieillefond hQ-S

devot"d

over 30 years to Africanus" producing a. definitive edition of the

surv;'v.ing

fragments,. and an extensi ....e introductory study of

Ke~toi

the mtln hiI!Jsel:r.

But Vieillef'ond

hi~self

recogniz.es that his wo:rk is

incompl,ete; 3 and, concentrating as it d.Qes on the Keetoi a.nd the

H

sec ular 11 Africanus. it 8.tisu:mes" rather than reall:t, proves" that a

unified p1ctUl"e is

in some points:

poss1bl~.

Furth~!',

his

pi~t'\ll"e

may be ina.ccura.t.e

he argues, for example" fol" a Jewish background for

Af'ricanus and the Kestoi. ~

He does this ma1nl J' on the "b-asis of the

more recentl.y found fragments, especial.ly tha.t frorD Oxyrhynchus ~ set-

ting a.side tbe past inference from Africanus's other

writ1ngs~

and

frcqn Or1gen' 6 letter to him. 5

1Gudutund Bjorck..
11
Apsmus >' Julius Afric:anu6 et 1 , h1ppiatriq ue
gre~q ue, rr Uppsala lJniver sit et s Arsskrift. 194.10" no. 4 I e sp. chap. 2.

2Jean-Rene V1e111efond., Les HCes.tes,1 de Julius Africanus= Etude

sur 1 1 ens er.:ible des frapJll nt s e..vee ed i.tiQt1, traduction etcom:nen taires ..
PUblications de 1 1 Institute Fran~a1s de Florence. Iere Serie, no.' 20
(F'lol"enc:~: Ediz.iorJi Snnsoni AntiqU&!'iato, tl.nd Pa.ris7I:ibt'lIirie Y...arcel
D1 die-r" 1970); tJot~ eS p. the .. Intro due: t i on,'r pp. 5-9, and the 'lEt ude
g~n~rale"" pp~ 13-10.

His pUblications began with Jules At"l'icain =

Fragments dt:!Ei Ce8tes proven ant de J,a collection des tacticiens gre~s,.
Nouvelle collection de textes et documents p\Jbliee SOU5 le patronage
de l ' Association Guillaume :Bude (Paris ~ Societe d 'Edt tiOD uLes Belles
Lettres itt 1932).
h Ib J.d."
L
42.
pop. 41-

5Thi 8 matter vill be dealt with in the history of the

.African-u.s and his '-Titinss {Chapter I" be~ov).

stud~,.

of

Int"1'odlJction

A lnajoT element in the problem of reconciling AfricBJ1UB to

bimself and to hig background is the m&,gicl!'I.l" strain in t.h@: Kestoi.

This is not the "Whole problem-the Ke:stoi if!. vritten frQ1!l a consist.eontly seclUar .. pagan rlevpoint--but it lies near
pt'oblem and is fre-quently used as the

me-nt in characterizing the Kestoi.

lIlain~

th~

heart of the

or a"t least leading. ele-

Further" it provides

one~ f'airly

objective .. vay of marking off' a feasible- se-gJDent of the problem for

study.

For this reason the- present study lI1ll be concerned with ttJe

"magieal,r el~mente; in the vritings of Afric{L1'Jus and with th~ que-stitm

of' hO'W ttJ.ey compare to the a.ttitudes of t1:J;e early church tovard maBie.
But there is a. further problem:

ma.gic ig dif'fieult to

d~fine

gard to a part i cular culture.

e-xactly wha.t constitutes

or describe, either in

genE!ra1~

or in re-

For thi s reason:> the at tid,Y inclu,de 51 a

ffl..1rly extensive study of magic in the early Chris'tifLn vrite-ra,. 2 to

provide a background against 'Which t.o compare and assess the mtLgical
elebJents in Af'ricanus.

This .study is intended to define the segment

of their belief' systems relat1ngto magic, specifically to identify

1Starting vit'h S:lncellus (Q,eorg,ius Syncellus et :tlicephol'U5. CP ~

ed. Gui1ie:1.nJ.us Dindorfius.. Corpus Sc ri.pt..o!"WD Hi stor iae By zant i nae ..
ed. B. G. NiebuhriU5. 2 vols. LBofi.'1: Ed. W@ber, 1829J,. 1~676(=P359B (=ed.
Puis . . l6S2~ by .Jaeob Goarus)J, expanded in the Suidas (Suidae Lexicon ..
ed+ AdB. Adler t Lexicographi G.ra~ci, vol. 1 CLeipzig: B. G. Teubner"
1928) t part 1 t pp. UJ3-3~:> eontry nOoA46~7),. and continuing into the
mode-ron encyclopedia-e (most :r-I!centl;t in The :tl~ Columbia Encyclope-dia
red. William H. Harris and Judith S. Le-vI!'Y (NeW' York and London: Columbia University Press" 1975)::1 vhich con~ludes its article on uAfricanus)
Sextus Julius": "and.an anthology, mostly of materials on magic tt ) .
:;'or the purposes of this atudy, eon.tine-d to the group co;nm:;only
kn01.m as the 'Ante-Nicene Fathers, n repre'senting vriters contempora.ry

with Afric-anus .. and those oft approximatelYt the preceding and following c~nturies.

The

the

termS

tbey

what a.ctions.

USe

of magi.c, to

mat.e:ri~l,.

etc.

Problem

d~fine

"Wha.t they mean by them., to

not~

they associate vith the idea. to des-::rne

their attitude(s)tO'W'at"d magic. or the various specific- items iTlvolved. and to ()Qnsider,. briefly,. bO\oi' this element tits into their
total belief' system.

SiI!!versJ. part1&1 studies have been made in this

area) notably Ricba;rd GMschiniet~~ HHippolytos' Capitelgegen die

Magi er "r

and Gtu;rtave Bardy" IrOrige;o e et 1& :magi e ,. ,,2 but no eomplete

survey af the 'Whole area has

b~4!:n

made.

Preceding this l;;tUd..V,. but partially anticipating its results

as e. generfl..1 guide in identifying the magiCal elements 'Ii is a. s.tudy of

A:fricanus.

Ma.jor a.ttention is directed, naturally:o to the Kt!st.oi

(with a translation of' the full text,. as edited by Vie111etond"provided), but it inC:ludes a consideration. of r@"le.....antor questionabl,!
re:ferenees in his other 'Writings +

From. t.hi 9 a summary vie\;' of'

Afri~

canus.' s knowledge a."ld a.tt.itudes :1s dro:wn, and this is compared, in a.

~oncluding

cha.pter" to that of" the writer-s previQusly

m~ntioned.

State:ment of the Thesis

The dif'f'el"enee in the attitudes of the e'a..rly church fathel"s

and or

A.fri~anu.!3

tOllard magic is to be explained by the fact t.hat

t.hf.! former rf!ga:r-dedma.gic: as a religious ms.tter (1. e . as bein@: antireligious)., while A:t'ricanus !"@:garded the-items he p:r-esented as being,
ITexte unQ Unt er-suc:hWlgen vol. 39. no. 2' (1913).

Qf'te:r- a.s "IU ~ )

(Cited here-

~echerches de science reli&i~use 18 (1928):126-~2.

Introduction

'by and large"l matters of

sc1~nce

(or technolog)r-techne) and thus

unrela.ted to his religious belief's.

~2ifi~atio~
~

of

~atement

In terms of the overlapping areas distinguiahed by moderns into

Religion,. Magic. and

S~ienee

(vitb

~gi~

as

~ ~idd1e term so~etim~s

regarded as closer to thl!!: CIne, sometilnes to the other) t Afr1ca...nU5 l"egarded t.h e i teblS he presents a.s 'be i l'lg in the a.l"ea

YI~

'WoUl d call Sci-

e-nce t and thus r,lot rela.ted to Religion (except im.:ofa.r as each of

these areas", including Science" :might involve: SOme sort of I:IYsterio'Us,

transhumM f'orce) .w'hereas the ea.rly Christian vr1te-:!"s regarded most

such things as

Magi~t

and thus

r~lated

to Religion as its antithesis .

.Af'ricanus youJ.d probably take mue:h the same vie-II 0:1" ''Magie .. tt but
would differ in his oJ)inions as to vha.t Nt into that categol'Y.
Nelated aamtcts
T"ne st.udy wIll shOt( that the belief-systems of' AfrictLnus 8.lld
the

oth~r

'W'riters largely overlaps

but that

th~:r~

are significant

portions of his belief-system that lie outside the circle of Christian

beliefs.

These areas, hovever" while outside the

cil"~le

of' Christia.n

acceptance (and perhaps specifically rejected or even attacked by

them), eM be regarded as logicaJ.ly c:onsistent with (or even ~ derived

from) beliefs of Af'.ricl!lnus that h~ holds in cOD:IIII.on vith other

lThe apparent ~~~eptions are generally C~se3 in vhich A:f'ricanus,
as a litterBteur~ connected his pres~ntation with some aspect of' Greek
mythology.

20therwi se Africanusvould not have been I::onsid/!'r~d by hiIll.SC'lf

o.nd bY' others to 'be 6. Christian,. and especially woUld not have 'b4H~n so
highly rege.rded by h16 contempora.ries &nd later generations BlrlOng the
Chri5ti6.Il.s.

Tbe ProbleI::l

The major points of conflict are in their religious 6.nd

Christiana.

evaluation or

~oral

cert~in

items) Africanu9 holding as morally neu-

tra.l and/Qr as sci@'ot.ific&lly valUll.ble~ certain procedures or concepts which his Christian contempora.riesrega.rd as e.... il, fLnd possibly

demonic.

10 most of these cases a closer examibation vill show that

A1ricl!.llus can 'be intellectually justi:f'ied by coU!'l"e:nt views of (Le. ~

his belief-system vill be round to coincide- with mMy current b@lief

systems i!1 regard to) :physics ..
to his

ll:X)r~

ph1siolo~r,

liberal,. empiri c a.l approach.

etc.

~ any

F'l.li"t he r, .most {) f

items could probably be more accurately described as

Moe-til if not all,

or the

excess being due

the se

popularly super-

I't

anaterial in AfricMus that a.ppears to

be magice.l.. to men of toda.y (a.nd to m.e.ny of hie dELj') should be regarded

1 i t 'terB:t.eur ~ l end (2) a

f.rom t.he perspe et i ,,os of hi s writ i

ng

dilett.s.nte at empirical science.

Y'et 'his relation to it is in contrast

and~

as {l)

!l

indeed, in opposition to the attitudes of the church leadere of

his period, and of the centuries 1'tl:lDlediately

difference in

vie~

is in line vito other

b~fore

asp~cts

of

and after.

This

Af~icanus'e

think-

ing in regard to the relationa 'between Christianity and thecu.lture

l.while: Vieillefond' s strict.ures on Bj8rck' s viev of' the Kestoi

as a pastiche (Les Cestes, pp. 52-56) are probably CQrrect, it 51.ill
must hI\!' recogniz.ed that one of the goals of Africe.nu.s vas to entertain,~
and some of his statements may 'Well faJ..l into the tttal.l taJ.e ll category.
Bj5rck himself was probe.b~y justified in questioning Vieillefond IS
~il.r1ie:r reference to Africanus as "tooseille Ie plus serieusement du
.monde l~s inc6J1tations magi Ques ,. (Vi~illefond in Jule3 Africatn, p. X''/ ~
ci ted by 'BJarck~ i'APSyrtU5 ~'I p. 22}. W. W. Tarn notes this. chttrfJ.Cter1stic of Afr1canus in a review of Jules Africain {Classical Revie~ 46
[1932J:238), refe-rring to Hhis queer farrago of sense and nonsense,
history and tall stories."

In trDduc-ti.on

of' his day; it is a re:sUltof his

or-

th~ologi

p1"actical~

rather than philosophica.l

cal ~ bent () r mind.

Working

De~inition ~f

Magic

Introduction

There is no

un1v~:rsa1ly

accepted de.finition of Jrlagic,. or viev

of its rele.tion l on the one side,. to religion,

other..

There seems to be

01"

to science,. on the

grCliing consensus"hovever ll that. magic is

to be more closel.y l.inked v;i.th re.li,gion than wi t.h science ..

are freque-ntly de fined toget.her

Q:Jor C ompari son

e.nd/or

e.nd they

contrast.

Definition, and Related Terms

For the

pU1":pose~

of' tb1s stu.d:,', magic :La defined as the use of

~or magic,. this can 'be demonstro..ted f'rom ntUlJ.erous st.udies of

:magic, and f'rom JD.any of religion.~ e.g.: Edvard No~beck. Re-lir;.ionin
Pri m1 t ive Soc iety (New York: Harper .a.Jld Ro'll, 1961)!t esp ~ cha.pter s 1,.
:3 !t
and .4; the arli cle 5 on "Magic It by R.. R. Mf:L.l"l!!tt in EnCYC loped1a
of" Religion and Et.hics,. ed. Jues Ha.stings (Edinburgh: '1'. &. T. Cfa.r"k~
1925)" 8~245-5:2 (as well 0.8 t.ht!: area studies by Killg (BabylonianJ ..
Ga.rdiner (EgyptianJ .. smitb [Greek and Roman],. etc ., w-hich ~ollov it) ~
by N1J.l"' Ya.l.man in Interna t.i onal Ene c 10 edi a. 0 r t he Soc i al Sc i enc es.. ed.
David L. Sills (n.p.: Macmillan) 19
~ 9:521-2 ; by John F. M. Middle-ton in the Neov EncyelopaeditL:Brit~n."1ica, 15th ed. (197L) ~ Macropaedis.,
11: 298-302; a.nd Mu..rray Wa.x and Bosa,lie W'.ax~ "The Notion of Magic ~.,
Current Anthropolo"e;y J~ {December- 1963}: 495-518. Apparet~t ex-ceptions
are US'uI..ll...v cases in vhit:h the author attempts no d~:rit.lition~ assucing
a cOlI:EDon Ii."lderstandin,g of thE!' tenD. based on common speech usage, or
gIves his o.~ a~ ho~ def1nition~ frequently colored by vhs.t has been
termed rtr"';est ern ethncc entric vie".7s" {e. g. ~by Mi ddl etotJ.,. p. 298; c:f.
also rlorbeck .. pp. 4-13,. and Wax and Wax t P' 495)~ 'l'he Bame situation
obtains in regard to religion: note rtorbeck,. abovE:!, and Hans H.
PennE!r and Edward A.. Yonan"lo "15 a Science of ~eligion Possible?"
JOUl"nalof' Religion 52 {April 1972): 107-33.
2 Thus follOLl'i:ng SOttlellhat in the li.ne establist'Jed by Edward
Tylor (PTim~ ti ve Cultur.).~ and not that. of James Frazl!!:f' (Golden Bough).
All or the sources it.lthe first p&-rt of' the pre-et!ding note trace t,he
main linee in the development of the consideration of magic and its
place in the "WOrld.

Defini tiOti

Df'

lo1agic

irrations.l means to try to obtain (or compel)

9
Bom~

result." operating

by means 01' some presUlrJ.1!'d sUP~r'n6.tura.l (or transhwn.a.n) ca:ua.B..1 rel&-

tionship.

as

This rela.tionship (and the tl.ssociuted mea.ns) m.ay 'be vi@\i'ed

~xisting

in two, not necessarily exclusive, varieties, impersonal

or personal) re'sulting in a. possible distinction of "direct lf (compulsive, manipule..ti ve)" .and "indirect" (suppl1cative) magic.

(More

specific guldelineS t related to the areas being eonsidered. aTe given

at the beginning!:! of' Chapters III Bond. PI. )

Clos~ly r~lated

to magic is the use of cb.ams t used. here a.s a

general term to include both spells ("words'll" spoken or WTitt@on; if

~opies of Yrit~

spoken, inoantations); and amulet5 (objects" including

t en spells).

Charms are vi eYed al3 ef'fi c8.cious largely on the basi s

power.
Magic,

Mi

defined above" can thus be broadly distinguished

fr~

eclence and religion. tbough the distinction is not &1v8YS clear-cut.

Ie contrast to magic) science can .be defined" Tor the-present purposes,

as the use of

ro.tional~

na.tural (physical) cauee .and effect

ships, @it.her kno\rn. or hypotheslzed.

uses personal

.aFP~al bas~d

pover (deity) t.o obtain

the other hand"

ona relationship with the/a

(r~quest)

aup~rnatural

the desired result.

The pre-ced.1ng definitions are

pedia.

Reli,g,ion~ On

relation~

des1gn~d.

specifically tor the

lef.. Ki:r'by Flower smith. '''Magic (Gr!!!ek and Roman ),1' ~c:rclo
R~ligion rmd Ethics" ed. Hastings (1925), B. 279.

or

2Tbose hypothesized being supported by "rea.sonable, U explicitly formulated, supporting evidenC!!!5 and suggested rationale.

Introduc:tion

)0

present st.udy" and are not. neces:l8.!'"ily applicable to greatly differing

cultures~

It is alao recognized t.hat, even in 'their own area.s.

they a.re 5 OJDevha t loose +

VTit.ers studied, while

'Til i s 10"111 &1l.ow :for vari a.t ions 8lIlOng t.he

thes~

studies, in

turn~

will

produc~

the p06s1-

bility of" gTeater precision in de:f'ining the terms :for their culture.

Also, the preceding detinitiODs are expressed" necessarily. from the

:modem vantage point, especially in the use 01' the terms "irrationa.l"
and "ration6.l.," and "st.J,perJ:1a.tural. u

THE SroDY OF JULIUSAFRlCANUS

.AND HIS KE3TOI

The question of Julius

Afr1ea.nus~

llhile- not subjected to the

def"ir.Jiti ife studies such as the af':fairs of' many of the other churoth

:fathers hoa ve rec e i ved, has been consi dered and cont e sted and debs. tt'!'d

at varyi ng periods ove-r the

c:enturi~s.

In order to prepare tor

t~le

consideration or t.he p:t+oblem of the relation or A1'r1canus to magic"

an

atte~~t ~il1

tOr)'

be made to put it in perspective by tracing the his-

of' the discillis10n of Africanus hom t.he eB.!'lie::;t literary ref'er-

ences to him to the

d~v~lo:pment

of

So

;modern secl-.c:onsensus.

The dis-

cussion ...,,111 elJJphasize those itelJ!is relating to t.h.e magical .aspect of

the

qu~stion"

but 'Will not be restricted to it" especiall:>" in the ear-

lier periods.
Th~

discussion will begin ",.ith a :presentationi in historical

order, of' the references to Afrieanusin the ancient

sources

and~Jzantine

generally exclusive of t.hose llhieh only became known to

schola;rs in the la.ter sta.gl.!'s of the history of the problems.

Following this"

~on:sider8.tionvill be

to the appearance of Vieille1"Qnd IS ,Jules

given to studies prior

J\fri~B.it.J

in 1932.

These

early studies wi 11 be further divided s chronologically ~ into two

periods.

lishea

The :first p@riod spans the

Te~erence

dis~ussion

to Afr1eanus to the end of the

11

:from the first pubeight~enth

centur}p.

Study

12

During this period scattered

0f

Mric anus

cont~ibutions

were made to the

BtUdy~

largely in the farm of the publication of short textBlI or

th~

entation of sugg@'stions. as to a solution of tbe problem.

These!! items

appeared nlainly as sidelines to other studies,.. or

D..-s

surveying f!arly church histol"Y or Christil!l.n vriters ..

pres-

sections in 'Works
but~

despite

the occa9ionaloature of the refeN!nCeS ~ most. of the solutions that

hElve been suggested 1"or- the p!'oblem originated in this period.
second

pe:riOd~

from the early nineteenth century to the first decades

of' the t'llentieth, dif'fers from the

creased

The-

~phasi8 On

prec~ding

one

la.rgel~

in the in-

the discovery and pUblication of &1.1 possible an-

t:ient texts, and in increasingly self-conseious efforts to find a

pla-ee for Africa.D.us in the h1stot"y of h'llDlan thOught.

studies of various aspects of

new solutions 'Were suggested.

Mri~ElDUs

\(el"e

produ.~ed,

Neal" -thl! end of

th~

SOJne major

but co really

period"

th~

presen-

tation of these stUdies c:ann-ot be organized atrictly chronologica.lly ~

but1s partially

orgs.ni.~ed

according to major vriters vh.o dealt vith

t.he question ..

The final Sf!ction of this ch.apter deals with mor-e recent con-

t.ributions to the problem,. especisil-y the

long~r

studies by Vieille-

2
1
The former, in a. sense, sums up pl"'eviou!3 study
:fond l!I.nd Bjorck.
and present.s the closes.t approach to
8.

I!I.

consensus; the lattl!':t" suggested

largely new solution (though it too J"I.SA some

in earlie~ periods).
1

JulE!5 Afr1ealn ll ana: Ires Cestes.

2"APSyrtUS. If

~b:ryon1c &nticl:pat1ons

An~ient

and

Ancient

and

By~antine

~zantine

Greek and Related

References

13

Refer~nces

Eccl~si&Gtical

Sources

Other than in Origen's reply to the letter concerning Susanna:>

Afrieanus is not mentioned in extant literary sources bef'ore EusebiuE.

This., of cours e" i s

al.l"~ady .f!L

gap of tLppl"oximat ely a century be twee.n

Afr1CaJlw;l r eo lifetime and our major

SO'lrces t

but this is partIally

CQll:l-

pensated for by the loca.tion B.nd nature of this first source.

Eusebiu5
As a long-time resident of Caesarea in Po.lesti.r.le, Eusebiu5

vould have been 10 one of tbebest possible locations to have

~ccees

to cOpies of A:fricanus's lit.erary efforts; and tbe ref'erences in bis

own W'Titings seem to

ind1~ate

that he had ut.ilized the opportuni t.y.

His Chronicle htl.s as one of its 'basic

sourc~s

the ChronofU'"fi.Ph.Y, of

Africanus:> and he cites or names all the other llOrks attributed to

Africanus by modern scholars, 1. e., the letters to Origen and to
Aristides,. and tbe Kestoi.

In tl'le
In the

Chronicle~

Prefaee~

he lists

FusebiuB refers to Af'ricanus three tilD:l!.'s.

Atri~anU8 betwe~~

Clement and Tatian as

emong those who place M03es in the t.11Jle of Inachus,

fiTst year oC Macrlnus be e;ites, as an opinion
at thi5l point, ttAbgar, e. venera.ble

:nten

1.

BJld under the

or Afric.anus t.hat.
11

(tirsan~tug) ruled

lEusebiu5 Werke lIi.ebenter Band, Dil!' Chronik des Hieronymus,.

ed. Rudolf Helm. Die Griechischen Christlichen Schrif'tstelle!" der
ersten Ja.1lrlnmdel"te'lo 2d ed. (Berlin; Aka.d~mie-Ve:rlagt 1956) 'Ii P 7:>
lines. 10-18+ (Hereafter cited as Chronik, folloved by pag~ tlnd line
I

nut:nbet' 5.

Study of Africanus
Ede.Gsa."l

The third reference is more s'libstantiaJ..

lieliogabalus III (=an. Abr.

em.

2231, p.

At OlYlDpiad 250,. 1 t

22l) " Eusebius testifies,

In Palestine.~ NicQpolis, vhich was tortDerly called EmJn.aus J was

constituted iL (':ity t :a legation having been dilig~r.Jtl:y undertaken
for it by Julius A:fricanus, the chronological 'W"riter (scriptQl"e
t empp rum ). 2
Further infoI'lIlB.tion is providell in the !celesil!Lstical History.
Thl! moat 1l:lportan.t reference

OCC\ll"S

in

describes Africanus and his writings.

6.

31 .. where Eus~bius brien;;r

It occurs in the generEtl con-

text of the diacussion or the life) llOrks,. and aasociate5 of

{whiCh ext~nds through mc~t or book

6).

Orig~n

This chaptert headed "Con-

cl!'rning Af1"iciLnus,.'1 says ..

About this time also, AfrlcanuB t the writer of th~ work entitled Kestol bece.tDe knowlL A letter of' his . . vr1 tten to Origen t
is prese-:rved,. questioning whether the story concE!'rntng Susann.a
in Daniel is s.purious and fictitious. Orlg~n 'W"I'ote a most full
reply to this. .And of the same Ai':r i ea:nU5 a1 so fLnoth~.:r ;,rork ,the
fl'\1'@ in m.m'ber of the ChronoAr:fj,phia,. c elZle to u.s; an. a~-eurately
produce-c. l~bor. In it he ~aY!;l he himst!'lt undertook iii. journey to
Alexandria 051 account or the great t.ame of: Hera.clas (who inde~d
in philosophi.cal matters: and in th~ other Gr@ek learning really
vas 1!'.IOst dist.ingui;slhed J the oversigbt of tho@' church there being
put in hi s hands as we he.ve shown). And also eo further ~oIork of
thE! s.ame AfrleanuB is preserved, lI. ll!!t.ter to Aristides, concerning the a;pparent. di ssananc,e of th~ gemHl.1ogies of Christ in
Matthe~

and Luke.

In .an earlier

bOok~

IAn. Abr. 223~,

Englisb translation
present vriter.)

h~re ~

1. 6. 2 t Eusebiua mentions an o:piniotl. of

p. Chr. 218; Chronikl' 21b. 5-6. (The

el se\l'here in thi So c hapt er, is by t htl

and

2Chron1k, 214. 20-24. Bes.ides these,. Eusebius gives lo~g

extraets from Africanus' I:l ChrOn{)gre.phia in his Preparation for the
GQSpe-,l (10. lQ....-perioda or historybe:fore tbe Olympiads).. and in the
hoc r or t.he Go spel (8. 2--an extract from the- Fi fth Book, cone err-ing
Daniel~s p~phecy of the Seventy W~eks [Daniel 9~2~-27J). Eusebius
cites theSIS!' opinions vith :resp~cts though he goes on to differ 'With

them.

Ancient and ByzantiDe References

I)

A:f'ricMUS,. describing him in passing as I'not t.he ordinary historian ..,l

JerOUle produced a Latin edition of" Eusebius I s hronlcle

(which today fOr:ll:ls our major 80urce for it) ~ s..nd in addition refers

to Africa-nus in three paseages in his own vritings.

in one of his epistleEi.. (no. 7(;) Ad Ml1gnum., in section I~,
Jerome lists the "'Titers of the church from Quadratus to the Capps.docia!1Ei.

Aft.er naming Hi'Ppolytus e.nd Apollon1us .. he says, nThere:

are extant also Julius Africar..us' B books, whi-ch he ".l1"ote a history of

the times. II 2
lShortly thet'ea.fter, in 1. 7 .,Eusebiu5 gives a long extract
Africtl.J1us':s letter 'Ib Arist1des. This citation is- our major sou:r<:e
:for the text 01' that 1 et tel". Fu:rther sections o:f thi e 'Vo~k are prorlded in EusC?bius t sg,uaestiones evangelicae ad Stepha]]B.m~ a ....ork. whid!
part i allj' survi.... l1!'s in an @pit.ome. Here also ~ Eusebiu8 cit.es AtricanuS;J:i opinion. &svorthy of attention,. though he doe:sc.ot completely
agree with him.
Th.e section of" 'Io Aristides concerning Herod's origif,l8 "iia.5
cited about the seme t iI!le by Athan&:sius ('7) (n Athanas i i Alexandr i ni
ex interJITetatione in Matthaeum, IF in k.rn6.l"do de Mont fa:uc on ,. Coll~ctic
nova patrum et scriptorum GraeCOTU!lJ, :2 "1/015 [Paris; Claudius Risaud]o
1106J, 2~ 2"0. But this seems to b~ Athanasi1.1S'sonly reference to Africanus,. if' this 'Vork i 8 genuine; i.t. is quite possibl)' mediated
through Eusebiu.s. in ~ case, and. cot dir~ctly from. Af'Ticanus.
Possibly allout a half century later" Basil the Great..
in the 1J.e :; iritu. sancto, chapter 29 {sec:. 73)]1 defends the uSe of
the :phra.se~'with (Syn the Spirit n in doxologies bY' citing,. among
var-1ous earlier examples of its. use, su.eh a usage by uAfrican1.UI thE!
historiographer . in the 5th of the Epitome of the
TiJnes. "
Theque.es. ev. ad Stepb. 'Wl!'re first printed by Angelo Mai,
Scri .tOT'I.IIl ve:terum nova collec:tio e Vaticanis codic.ib\l.s, edits.! vol.
1 Horne = Typis Vaticani6~ 1825); the epitome begins on p . 1:. the
citation f';romAfrics..nus i6 in Quaes. IIII. pp. 21-2]. {In an 1831
reprint of this vol~e~ the enract is on Pl'. 17-19.)
frOIli

2Sancti Eusebii H1eron..vmi Stridonensis presb;ytet"i e:eerlJ1Q.,

tomu6 prima~ pa.rs pr1ms.,.ed. Dominicus Vala.rs,1us ~ editio altertl.
(Venice ~ G. Zerletti! 1766 L

16

Study of' Atrieanus

A more E!!rtens 1ve ace ount i a given ill hi s De vi ri s i llustribus.

chapter 63 ~
Julius Africanus,. whose five vol\UDes Cone-erning TimeS' a.re ~:x:
tant ~ under em.pE!!!"or Marcus Au:relius Antonius ri. e. ~ Elaga"ba.lusJ.~

'Ilhosucceeded Mac1"inus,undertook a mission for renl!''Wal o:f the

city of Emmaus llhieh af'terward was called Nicopolis.

From him

is a letter to Orig~n over the question of Susanna~ in which he

says this fable not to be contained in the Hebrell, nor the
line .!.'t10 t<;),11 prinou pr-isa::t tal ayQ tou 8chinou schisa,l to coincide with the Hebrew etymology; against wholD Origen wrotefl.
learned le-tter. Another letter of his, to Aristldes .. is extant,
invhich he argues at great length concerning the diaphonia
vhich appea..rs to exist lnt-he genealogies of' the Sa.viour according to Matthell tilld Luke. 1
Much of the De

vir~_

111. and

Co~.

Dan . references t probably

not unna.turally t seems ei:nIply to echo Busebius .. but '!lith some :sig-

nif'icant additions and de-letions.

Notably~

the Kestoi; this omdssiQn

dieapproval of either the work or

sugg~sts

its a.ttribution to Africanu5+

the wor-k

by

there is no ref'er-ence to

Eithe:r idea supposes some know-ledge of

Jerome.

Rufinus of Aguileia and Philip of

Sig~

dividual. liIod1ficat1ons.

In his translation of Eusebius's Church History,. Rufinu8

makes

on~

note.ble change, the omission of the reference to the Kestoi

ljf1eronmus Libel' de viri:s inl~stribus

10
edT Ernest.
14, nO. 1 (1896}:36~31.
Ir.J his C01tIDentary on Daniel10 lIook3t a.t Oaniel 9: 24 ~ Jerome
T

Cushing Ri{:h~dson~ TIJ

Also gives (o:r :repeats from Euse:bius

Proof' Go.sp. 8. 27) f1 lengthy
e:ctract concerning the "Se"tenty Weeks" from Afrieanu5' 50 fifth volu:m.e
Of" TiMs (compare Eus. Proof Gasp. 8. 2).

Ancient and Byzantine

in the chapter

Otl

A:fric:anus (6. 31.l}.

Philip of Bide" in

Q.

17

Refer~nces

The B~e considera.tions that

sUi'viving tr-o.gment not generally known

to modern scholars before its publication by de Boor in

1889.

1IlSkes.

a significant a.ddition to Eusebius's description of Africa-nus in

H. E. 1. 7 CEusebiua. T a ~o:mment fo!"IllS the e5sen-ce of its. first haJ.f) ~

Most 4!'.xcell~ntly Africa.nus 'Wrote: throughs letter to Aristides

conce:tnit_g the &ppar~nt. discord in th@! geneBlogy regarding the
generations by the evangelists Ma.tthe'W' .and also Luke-. But Africanus 'Was from .Elmnaus 'the vi~lage in Palestine into 'Which
Cleopas and those vith him j o'Urneyed. and whic h later rece1vi ng
the right of a city in accordance with the embassy of At"'rlcaD\l.s.~
va~ ren~d Nikopolis. 2
As the editor of the :fragment po1trts out

middle ground between the

re~erence

Hieronymus Chronicle {ct. also, th(!

the las.tsentence

fo;I"mS

to Emmaus in the EusebiusCh~onieon Pas:~ha.l~,

belcv) . . and

the report by Syncellus (see below also). 3

Moses of Chorene
In the fifth centllr"'J, in the ES$t but :rolloYine; 'the Greek
(Bus e biM) tradi t i on. Afr i can-us Q work vas utili zed by Mos @os of
lSee, e. g., Theodor Mommsen, ed.,. Die J.a.teitlist::hl! Ube:rset.t'U.tl..8
des Ru:fi[Jus~
included in Eusebius 'Werke, 7.veite:l" Ba.nd~ Die Kirchen.
,&eschichte .. ed.,. Eduard. Scbve..rtz.", Die Grie!:hisc'hen Christlichen
S.clrriftsteller der ersten drei JahrhUJlderte, 3 part;!; (Leipzig; J. C.
...

,-

Hinl"ichs'scheBuchhandlung" 1903-9),. 2~5a5.

2C de Boo~, HNeue Fragmente d~s Papias, H~g~sippusund
Pierius in bi!;lher unbe'ks.nnten 'Excerpten aus del' Kirchengi!'schichte
des Philippus Sidetea., n TO 5,. no. 2 (1889): 169.
3Ibid.,. p. 174.

In this same tradition~ a ~a1r of fifth century c::hurch historians,. Socrates Schol6.sticus (H.E. 2. 35) 6nd
So~omen SB.1aminus (H.E. 1. 1) ha.ve pas~ing references to Africanus,
classing M.lD Wllong the :m-ost learned of the earl;:..' Chr1s.tiar.l vri ters.

Study of A:fricanuB

18

Chorene in his History of' Aru:il!.'nio...

In book

2~

chapter 10, Moses turns

to a new source (the end of" che..pter 9 had announced. the t~rmina.tion

of use of" another aOlU"ce) ~ saying ~

We vil1 commence to deserib~ the events according to the

fltth book of Afr1Canus the Chrotlologist whose testimony is. confirmed by Josephus.. Hippolyt us , and :many other Greek wri t.el's;

for he exceTpted the documents and f/of?] the arcbives of

Edes-ss. ~ the..t i s U:rha 11 e..ll that cone ern~d the hi story .0 f our
kings (those books had been bro\~ht fr~ Medzpin); he also used
the histories of the templl?s of' Sino-pe of PcmtuB. rlo one should
doubt this,. fol' \Ie ourselves. ha.....e seen these archives with Oill~
0'IKn eyes Fl..U"ther te'stimony of thi s 15 provided by the Church
History of Eusebius of Caesarea.
in the first book, ~l1apt-er
7

13. , . .1
Thel'e is, Wlfort'lt."1ately ~ nQ fID'ther indication of' how closely ~ nor hOOt
far, Moses follollCd Af'ricanus.
In the folloving century) in the West, a ditferentkind of
refere-nce began to appee.r .-ith P'ulgentius..

This

Oe\oi

line of" tra.d.i-

t:(,on will be disC"\J.ss.e-d belov 10 under the heading HSecular Sources. 't
Me.e.nllhile.. the uEusebian H line t'ontinued also during this same

. _ 2
per-:Lott.

\iotse de Khore.ne. auteur du Ve siecle, Histoire dTArmenie.

TeAte Am.enien et traduction 'Fran~aise, par P. E. ~Vai~la::1t de
Flot'i val. .2 vols. {Venice: 'l'ypogr-aI>hie arnenienne de Saint-Laz.are.
18~1}" l:168-7l; Des Mosea von Chore:~e Geschichte Gross-Armerdens. aus
den Artrl!!mischen nberset2:t von Dr. l-L Lau~r (Regens'b1ll"g= G. J. Manz ~
1869 ), p. 70 ~ the Engli sh trs.n sIs t i on given here has be en rtliLde from
the Fr~nch translation eompared vith the G@r.man.

~e Chronograpnia or Malalas (later sixth centurj) continued

the tradition of dependence on Africanus (&lbei t in a. s.om.e\i'htLt corrupt to rm ) . Ext ant copi I!! S t hovever, gi ve no speei fi c data c onCE! rn i n g
Africarruss life., since they lack the period. ho:n tara-calla to
Valerian (Jofinnis Ha.lalae Chronograllhia., ed. Ludovicus D1ndol"fius,
CO~~g Scriptorum Histori~e Byz~ntioae~ ed. B. G. Niebuhriu5 CBonn:
d .. Weber t 1831).

An~ient

and Byzantine References

19

Cbron icon Pascbsle

The anonymous. seventh century work knovn as the East.er Chronicle (Chronicon ~Qschalft) has several re~erences ~o Afrlcanus.

lll.St, 'Which coo<:: ern s us most... se em.s to

Chronicle (an. Abr. 2237).

b~

derive:d

1~rom.

The

Eusebius s

Dated in the 250th Olympiad {A.D. 221-224J,

under Indiction lla" (ye'ar of theemperorJ

3 l during the consuJ.ships

1
of' Maxiltlus and Aelianus; [!:A. D. 223 J ~ :it says, ulakopol i;G of Pale stit.J1?~

previously Emme.us, was mad<t! a city t Julius Afr1co.nu.s J who wrot.e

a history of the ti..llies:J s4!rvine; .as amba.ssador

OIl

behalf of it and

being leader" ; the next year not.es the death of Ac'toninus Elagabalu.s
(this

plfI..Ce:m~nt

corresponds 'W'ith that of Eusebius). 3

Georgius Syncellus
Syncel1u9. of the late eighth end early ninth centuries in
Consta.ntin~le~

-J.

bgraphy.

has ;ntmlerOUS

refer~t:Idea

t.o A:t'rir::QD'tls in his Chrou-

'1'hese incl.ude One or the more .inf'ormat1 ve ones in this

period.

lEo J. Bicke:rman, Chronology of the Ancient 'World (Ithaca~

N.L = Cornell Universit.y Press .. 1969>.t, p. 189.

tOTlUJ!

Ed.

2Chronicon yaschale. ed. LudoviC:U5 Dindorfius ~ Corpus ScripHistoriae Byza.ntinae .. ed. B. G. tliebuhrius ~ '2 vols. (Bonn:

Weber~

1832)2

1~L99~

1ipes 5-1.

30ther references to A~ril;:8Jlus 'Which oc<=ur ~8.rlier in the

work relate to his vievson the dating of th~ :first 01ynIpis.d (ibid ...
p. 193),. a.nd on the Seventy Weeks of Daniel (pp. 301 and 311).
Later (ldn9,. 1-2), the ll1"iter notes th~ death of an Af"r1canus in
Olym. 231,. Ind. 15, (yr. of emp.) 11~ consulship of T~rquatus II
and Julio.nus (=A.D. 148),. but this'W'OUld have to be one of" thl!
numerous earli~l" Afrieani.

1.

Most of the referen(:es~ ho'Wever, consist of cit.l!l.tions of

de.t 6 (ranging i rJ length f'rOlII. B. short line to s e"Yer-al pages) taken
from Atr1 canus I s Chronogra:e.h;!. The s e cOll:llonly 8,1tern ate vith s upporting or contrasting opinions from Eusebius and/or other sources.

study of: At.'r il:anU6

20

FoID" referenC:4!s.

Atricanus.

or

to the life ant:1 times of'

The first two date his histot'ica.l writing to the time

Antonin'llll (Elagabalus).

reign

t'~late dire~tly

The third oe~u..rs in the account of' the

Septimi 'US Severus:

fl our i shed . .,

2'

or

IrAf'ricanus J

l!'L

Christian hiatori~~

The fourth SUI: h pas sage COil S ist5 of three paragraphs

partly derived hom Eusebiuss

Cbronicle (a.."l. Abr. 2237 and 223~1)

a.nd partly from some otter source:. pO!;lsi'bly personal knowledge.

It

reads t
Enn:n..aus, the village in Palestine .. concerningvbich report is
ma-de in the Holy Gospels,. vas g1 ven the honor to be named Nikopolis bY' th~ emperor Alexander, A:rricaous~ who 'W'rote the h1stori es in hi B fi ve book 'IIOrk, serving a.s amoo 5 sador ..
Ahieanus:to h~ving inscri b~d t.he pi.ne-book tr~a.tise of t.heKestoi, comprising formulae [powers'? .. prescriptions?J of :m-edi.cine .and. of tHlture: end of agriculture and of a.lchemy (m@tallurgy?J
dedi~ates it to this Alexandt!r.
Afr1-c8nus BayS that Abgar, tJ. d~vout man~ namesake of the
pre:vi.ously named Abg.a.r:to rules EdesslI. about these ti1I!es. 3
This passage oc:e'll:r:l;l oshortly after

8.

reference to th@'

ttL.k~over

01"

Pertiia by Artaxer.xeB (A .D. 226) ~ being gepEU"ated from i.t only by an

updating reference to the occupants of the bishoprics of Ro:m.e

(Urbanus), .Antic:x:h (Philetos Or Philippos, and Ze'be:nnus), and

J erus a,lem (Narc is sus) .

lGeorgius :rocellus et .Nic~horuB CPt ed. GuiliemuB Dindor:fiu.s. Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byz.8Dtinae, ed. B. G. Niebuhrius.
:2 vols. (Bonn: Ed. Weber. 1829), 1~:201 and .400. The second reference
specifies th~ third year of Antoninus as the terminus of Africanus's

ehronologic:Q1ea.1culations .

.,.

-Ibid., p. 669~ It is more c1oa~ly dated only by its position ~ immed.1a.t.ely :following references to Clement and Pant&enus:to a.PJQ
ilomediately preceding a refereDce t.o the r:oartyrdocn of .Le-onid&.s, father
of Origen.

3Ibidw:. p. 616.

Ancient and By:2antine Re:ferenees

A fifth

reference~ rro~

earlier in the

work~

21

gives insight

into Af:dcnnus 1 g literary interests.

Syncellus quotes Afr1canus' s

lists of the Egyptian dynasties.,

under the :fourth., Nemphitic:,

Mdt

djrnasty a.ppears the nota.tion:

2. Souphis,. 63 yea..rs, who raised the ,greatest pyramid, which
Herodotus sa."vs to have been dOne by CheopB. This man tL.1sobe.:::ame hl!l.ughty to'ilard the gods s.nd wrote thl!!:! boly 'book, wh1l;h!t as
a great value!t I p:roe:ured 'While in Egypt. 1

Photius
Some'llbat over a half' eentury la.ter, PhbtiUS., in his :Bibliotheca (or MYr1obibl.oi }!t describes the work.s of Africanus:

Afl"icanusi'g historical work was read. (This is the one 'WhQ

also co=nposed. the so-called Keetoi in l~ ae.ctiot1s.)
And it ls!n .fact tI. summ.fl.r::r.. but nothine; of the necessities
fail to be Tecorded. He begins ~th the Mosaicworld~creation,
and comes down to the appearance of Christ.. .And he c".u"so:rily
handles aJ.so the eve-nts fro!!! Chri:st until t.he reign of" Macrinus
the king o.f theRoma.n~. because vith him) as is said t this history vas also: completed t totalling 5723 years. The book is five

volUInes.

He also writes to O:rigen concerning the narrative about Susan.na. as ;:Jot being read by hitll a:ttlOng the Hebrew 'Io"ritings~ iLnd as
notfol10'\ring the Hebr4!'W etJ'l=lOlQg)'", neither theapototl, tJrinou
prisai n.or tht! a.p9 tau schinou s~nisai; which s.leo Orig~n having
received wrote in r~ply,
And Africsn'lls vrites aJ.so to Aorist-ides in which be adequatel)'
showed the harmony in t.he suppoe.ed dissonanc:e het'lleen r~atthe'W" o.nd
Luke concerning the genealogJ' of our Savior. 2

lIbid., 'P. 105. EusebiusPloditied this somewhat) according

to Syncellus' s report" "Who Ma.O h.a.~it"Jg becotlle naught:)' toward tbe
gods, when he had repent.ed., 'Vl"ote th~ holy book, which the Egy-ptlMs
treat as a grea.t trea.eure Pr (ibid. ~p. lQ1).
:2Codex 311 in Photius Bibliotbecue!t text establ. and tr&ns. 'by
Rene Henry~ Collection byz.a.ntinl!' pUbliee sOus le -patronage l'Association Gu111aUJDe Bude t 2 vols. (Paris; Socie.te d 'Editi on .tLes &lles
Let tX"e e:' 1959!t 1960}]I 1:19 , 20; Photl iBi'hI i otheca t ed .I:anJanuel'Us
Bekke~ 10 2 vols. in 1
(Berlin ~ G. E. Reimer. 182L. 1825)!t 1 :la..
On the relationehip of Photiu.s,. and also or thl!' Suidas,. t.o

Study of Africanus

Somevhat later]l Africanus appeoA.!"s

another 'WOl'k read

~r

&8

one of' the sources o:f

Phctius:

VindaniuB Anatolius B~:t'".rtus'5 collection of agr1~ultura.l

puraui ts 'Was read The book. vas a.ssembled by hiw. both out of
the paradoxa of: Democritus, and o:f Africanua]l and of Tarentinus,
and or Apuleiu8,. &:ad of Florentinu.s,. and of Vale-ns,. end. of Leon.
and of Pamphilus, and finally also out of Diophanes; and the
book is 12 volumes. l
Suidas

New .. though quite possibly

some'Wh~t

erroneous,. infot"llLfLtion is

providedbjr the tenth century Lexicon tha.t 'bears th~ name "Suidas."
Under the name "Africanus" a:ppea.rs th~ fOllowing entry;

styled Sektos,. a Libyan philoso~her. who wrote

They are a ki.nd of natural history ha:ving healings (remedies!) both from .",ords and charms Cspells?]
atld 'Writings of certain characters, and also :from other (sorts
of') operations. Against him Origeo Wl"otl! sUbmitting a. rejoinder
concerning the book of Susanna wbich is in Daniel. 2
Africanlj~s,.

The Kestoi in 24 books.

Some t.i b1e ll!l.te r a marginlL1 entry.. bas ed on thi s one,. was
adde-d;

"SlJsann6.~

Tha.t against Africanus Sextus ~ Origen M"t"ote

Jerome (and Eusebi'lls),. Bee GeQrg We-r.rtzel,. ,rDie Griechische Ubersetzung de!" .....iri inlustres de!3 Hieronymus," Ttl 13~ no. 3 (1895)~ esp. pp.
1-4,. a."1d ~4-46 . . He- suggests a commOn source behind Photius and the
Suidas .. ",1 til Photius I s .figure of l~ books varying only t~xtually from
the S\rldas' 2~ (p" h6 Lwent~el wrotl! 'betore the OxYrhJ"l':lchus Papyrus
dem.onstr.o.tl!'d 'Which was the corl"ect figure). l'hotiuskne'lol' personally

only Afrie.anus's f1History-" (pp.

~4-45).

lCode~ l63 (Henry, 1;lo3; Bekker~ 1:106b-101a). The lines

"out of the paradoxa of . . . If could be construed in otber ways.
Paradoxa could be taken as a peraone,l title ("out of the Admirabll!'s
(IllustriousJ Delnocri tus . . and . .11) .. or a.s the title of a 'Iol'o.rk of
only the last named Indi viduBJ. (,rout of Democ.rituB ~ . and finally
&1so out of Diophanes t Pa.r-.adoxa.").
2 Su:idae Le::dc:on (ed. Adl,~.r), part 1,. p. k33, line 30 to p.
11 34,. line 3]1 en try ~l:). A~ 617; or Sui dae Lexicon.. ed. Thomas Gaisford.
2 vola. (Oxford: ~jpOgrapheo Academica,. 1834)7 1:683B.

Ancient and
5ubmitting

B.

By~entine

Rererences

rejoinder concer.nine; t.hl;! 'book of

Su.~arma s

vhi.c:h is in

. 1 ..1
D aIll.e

Georgius CedTenus
In his SynoE-sis histol"ion", vhich comes down to the mideleventh

centtL~,

Cedrenus

provid~s

a fev references to

A~ricanus.

'l'he ma.j or on.e gooS. back to Eusebi 'Us as 1 t s bas i c sourc e, thoU8h it is

som.evbe.t conf'u.6ed it1 transmission.

In his acCOi.U1t of' the reign of Commodus, Ce-drenus cites

~Africanus the ChrOnOgTflPber

as placing "Clel1l~nt t.he Stromatist I' in

this time, vi th the follo\7ing cla'Use making Ori.gen a pupil of Clement. '2
The next paragraph;. describing the reign of' Pert.inELX, cites Euse'bius

.as

pla.~ing

the nQruit 8 of' Symma.c bus, Porphyry, and Afr i

eMUS",

and tbi!!

martyrdO!Il of' LeQt:idas s f'.e.ther-of Origen, in this reign. 3

lGaiSfOrd, 2:3374B, fl. marginal note on p. 3313 indicat.es its

questionable status (HHunc art. habet A in :margo om. V. Et male hue
illQ.tus 'Vid~tu.r ex. p. 683B H ); it 1s omit.t~d frmn t.he eritic6.1 text
of Adler. It may be noted that while t.he- original entry in MS A
still retained the form Sektos" the !Dllrgil:ia.l &nnotator understood it
as Sextos.

2Georgius Cedrenu5 IoannisScylitzue Ope" ed. I~ueluB Bekkerus,. Corpus Scriptorum Historiae :Byza.ntinae~ ed. B. G. Niebuhrius,
:2 voIr;. (Bonn = Ed. Weber'll 1838, l839), 1 :.441. Su.ch chronological .I:nisplacements were not \lJlusual: two centuries earlier,. Georgi US Ha.ma.rtolos (alias Monachus), in his Chronicon sJ~tomon~ erred in the opposite direction, putt.ing Afri.canus. t S floruit under l'Maximus and
Gordian It (b'k . 3... chap. 1 ~ 9, item 4) 11 a.nd:. along vith Cl el!lent thtf!
Stromatist.~

Gregory Tha.'l.miaturgus, and the presbyter Novatus, under

Decius (bk+ 3.. chap. 151, item 2) (J,.-P. Migne .. ed. to pat-rologil9.e_

curs us co~letU5 . . series Graec&, 162 vols. [Paris: Garni~r

Fratres ~ 1857-66; reprint,ed 1880-1901~J 1 vol. 110 11 cols. 5~;15 11 6:8,
and 551!552C" respectively ~ (This i1'ork is hereafter cited as PG LJ)
3Cedrenus" ed. IlekJter" 1~J,,41. These events a.re a.ll in~lu.dl2'd
in Eu.s. H.E . wok 6 (chaps. 17", 19) 31, 1, resp.). but without indication of the emperor; his Chro-niele: puts Leonidas' s ma.rt;yrrdom Uf)de:r

Stu~v

of Africanus

Ni cepho:rus Calli stus

iJ.'his

lin~

of trfLdition

~nds

as it be gsn--wi th Eus.ebius.

The

fourteent.h century Ecclesiastical History of N1cephoru5 presents Afin book. 5, c-hapter 21, a slight l'eB-TTangetrtent and l"e-vorkinB

~ic~us

Eusebius

g. 6.

He includes the-

or

31 (compare tl.1so Nice:phor'US 1. .11 and Eus~b.iu.a 1. 7).

r~rerefl<::t!

to the Kestoi, ";".nd he) being also the o.uthor

of the books entitled Kest.oi,

s~nt.

an offhand letter to Orige-n,"

but

gives it less prominence, having moved the references to the Chrono6raptly and t'O Herae-lea to a position before it.
Syriac

Ecclesia~t1C'al

Sources

In the East) a somewhat diff'erent line of tra.dition vas being

maintained or devo!'loped.

This view

cOIm!IentatQr and bishop (of Ernma.us}.

pr~s~.nt.ed

Afric&n'u'S Qsa biblical

Possible origins of these views

are noted in the discussions below.

This line of tradition relates only indi:rectlY' to the question

of Africanus1! the Keatoi, and magic,

B..S :etres~ing

the Christian B.Sp-ect

of his life and vritings, 4nd ignoring the secular side (from Yhich.

the questions arose).

Septimi us and diae:usaes Atric8.nus und!!r Cara.cil.11a.
El!Lrlier in his vO!'k Ced!'~nus had rdted Afl"i r:a.:nus , s opinion
regardi ng thein'terprl!!!ta:tion 0 r the til's t day of c r@"s,tion (Bekke-r,
1~7).

Other items (e.g.) t.he

des~r:iptlon

of 'the Di!:!ad Sea) a.re prob-

ably to be traced tQ Af'ricanus' s Chronography (c1". ~ e. g., the Yerba..l

agre~:ment. of the account regarding t.he DCiJ.d Se-a (Bekker) ~~51J 'With
that of Syncellus CDindorfius 10 1;188-189]), but are not ident.U'ied
as such by C~drenU9.

~ic:ephoTUs Ca11istus Xanthopulus EC'clesil!l.sti~ae historiac

5. 21) in Po 145~ C"ol. 1109C.

Ancient and

ByzantiD~

25

Ref"erenc(!l:;.

Mot; es Bar-Cepha

According to Assemani I S stmlll':l.9.ry, among the sources of the

first. pa.rt of the De pa.ra.diso eOlttJentari us ad lmatium Of Moses BarCepha {dil!::!d A.. D. 913} vas NJulius Commento.l". in Evs.ngelium Joa.nn1s. n1
ASgemani

&tt~mpts

to clarif)r this by reference to the testimon)T of

Ebed-Jesu and Bar-hebraeus,,2

Dionysi'l1::2 Ja.cobus bal' ~alibi (died 1171).. bishop of' Amidn t

provido/!'s

In his

0..

further testimony to knowledge of Af'ricanuB in t.he East-

co~entar)r

on Matthew, he cites

of 1=15 and 17., on the

getlea.l.ogies~

Afri~anus

in the discussion

and. of 17;9 t on the appeara..nce

of Moses on the Mo'U.')t of' Transfiguration.

In the discussion of" 1: 17 ~

Ai"ri.tanus ia listed (in tbe introductory paragraph but not in the

following discussion) along v1th Eusebius in
(possibly SyriB..C) so.urces.

~ontrast

to various other

3 The source of the e'ormtIe:nts on the first

tvo pa.ssages <1~15 end 17) is clearly the l~tt(!r to Aristides, that
11

for ~he third (17:9) is p05sibly the Chronogr~phy.

In all cases t

lJosePh Simonius AssemMi, BibliothecB. Orio/!'n'ta.lis ClementinoVaticana, 3 vols. in 4 (Rome= Typis SQ,crae Congregationie. De Propa-

ganda Pil1~, 1119-28), 2 (1721}: 129.

2

On both of thes e men ~ gee be low (esp. p.

26., n :2:1 ;re the 18.ttoer ) .

3 Dian;ysii bar Salibi Commentarii in evanaelica, tl"MS. I.

aided by L -:5. Chabot, '...-01. l} Corpus SeriptOl"U1n Chri stianorr...un OrientalilJ1ll., ed~ I.-IL Chabot t et ala t Scriptc:res Syri" Versio,
series secunda, tomus 98 (Romei KarolUs de Luigi, 1906; Leipzig; otto
Sedlac~k.

H~rrassowitz,

1906), pp.

Bibl. Or . 2~ 161-62.
ut~d

37~ ~4,

289.

on

1~17

see also

ABsemani~

~See belo\l) "p. 28 t with tt. 1, for 8. related Syria.~ item a.ttribto the "Scholia on the Gospel of Matthew" 'by Africanus.

Study o! Africanus

26
bar

~alibi

rerers to the

~~iter simply

as Africanus.

Bal"-Hebr-aeus
Gre:gory A'bl.l.' 1 Faraj
scl~lar

cal.led Bar-Heoraeu:3, a learned Syria.c

and ecclesiastic of the thirteenth centuryt utiliz@d the Nork

of Afl"icanus of

~us2 (and also of Pope- Julius)) ~ aJ:)ong many others

in his commentary on the Holy SCl"ipt'l..tre-s the Syria.c title of ",hich is

Latinized

a$

Horreum

~sterioruro (The GranarJ o~

Mysteries).

In tva

chro!"Jologies also attributed to him, the Chronicon Arabicum (orL:iber

D:;nastiartllD.) and the Chr.onicon SyriaclJI!l, AfricatlUs is us-edj, in the

1

Assemani .. ho......e ver,. probably e.s a ca..rry-oVel' fro;m his Ertud;r

of' later S)"1'iac vri ters (esp. Ebed Jesu) and the views of scholars of
his own time (cf. his discussions o:f the 6ource51 of'

Bar-Cepha~

2:129),

refers to bar Sal.ibi' 5 sources as inclu.ding flAfr;ica.nus EpisCOJlusE:mCo:mmen t. {n F>Ta.ngel. ,- (2: 158) . For t hi 5 reason bar Sal Hli is
f"req;uently cited (usue..lly vi tb a l'e fel"ence to A.a semani, a$ e. g .~ 'by
Vieille!"ond~L~s. Cestes, p. :22,. :11. 23 rth~ point 1~ emphas3,'2.ed by an
attempt to explain the origin o:f bar Salibi's errorJl as one of the
Syri ac ....7 1 ters vho :lIlake A:fri o:;:anus a b1 shop. It is ~ hov-evcl'", As semani .,
not bl!l.r $a.libi ~ spea..lting at thi s point.

IlU!:.US

~ilmot EB.!'"dley

W. Carr, trans. and ed.]o Gl"egol'"'i..Abu'lFa.raj)

Ccr::iJl:.onl..."y Called B!lr-llebracus., Co.tt:tlliental:{ on the Gospels from the Ho:rreurn. :t-~yst.e:riorum {London; SPCK, 1925)]0 pp. 1111 t and 6. The references to li..1'ricanus occur in discussions of r~a.tthe~,.,' s geneE'.lo~ of
Christ (p. 6, l02, 103, l05}, and, &t on~ point, Afl"icanu$ is r~
fe-rred to as "a c:ompiler of genealogies'l (p. 102). The last three:
references s~eiJl clearly to be from the letter to J\J"is,tidea.; the .first,
which concerns th~omiss1on. of the names o:f .Ahe.z.iah ~ Joash, aod Amaz1ah b~t Mo.t.the.r, ~ou1.d veIl be from 6 lost portion of the letter (or
from the Chronogr-aph.v).

3M;semani, Bfbl. Or . 2:283. Though he liats both~ Ass(!'mani

does not take suf"ficient cogn..i zance of the f'act t and e1Iie~here 'Wonders
whet-her Gregory do~s not cite the one WTite:r as both Af'ricanus and.
Julius in various passages of" the Ho.t'1"eum (2;1.29~ \i'"hi1.e di:acussing
uJ'ulius Co:mnentar. in EvangeliUJD Joannis" ....hich he f'inds as a sourCe!"
of' Bal'-Cepha - s dep~ad;i so).

21

By~antine Ret~rences

Ancient and

1atte:r, Af'ricanus (accordi"pg to theeva1ua.t1on of Assemani) is Uotten

(saepe ) ,. favorably ~i ted. 1

Ebed ..T eau

This line of' trfl.dition reaches its climax in the Ca.talogus

librorum omnium ecclesiasticorum of Ebed Jesu.
chapters on Clel:leflt of' Rome and
Episcopus RauJI.s.U9, I' saying ~
has: a

commentar.{

0.0

the

On

Chapter

6 t between the

Hippolyt'US ~ presents "Arricft..nu.z

uThe blessed Af'ricanu!3, Bishop of Emmaus ~

Mev Test8Jllent J

ana

a Chronicle. rr2

The two pec::ulie.r features of this line of tradition are the

identification of' Afrie-anus

Testament cOm!Dentary t.o him.
derive !'rom E\lsebi us t

~ib].

EO

a bishop and the attribut.ion of

fLS

B.

New

Gelzer specuJ.atea that the f'ortDer may

r~te!"ence

to him

a.~

proistalDenos,

though it is

Or., 2;310, 3139

2 Ibid ., 3, part 1 (1125)=14; c~. Jo. A1b~:rtus Fabricius, Bib110theca Gra.eca siv~ notitia. seri tQTl.l.I!I Y-ete!"'UlJI Graecorum. 3d ed. ,
l~ vole..
Hamburg: Ch:ristian Liebezeit, and Theodor. Christoph.
Felginer,. l7l8-28)~ '5 (1723): 270 {.Fabri~iu:e-Ha.rl~s, 4tb ed., ~ (1195]:
21& 5;

1!l!.Bl
3

lO: 1, 2D L

Gelz(!r, Sextus, l=lO~ re Eus~bius Chron1k~ an Abr. 2237,

Chronicon Li&schale, ed. Dindorf (L 499.6). It ~r be notred, bovcver ..
that the Latin compiler or translator of pseudo-Abdia.s (an EaS1:.ern~r'?)
nakes Africanus, the alleged transl.ator of the work. a bishop in one
re:ference (Celzer, Sextus .. 1:18~ and note 5). Anotber source of the
idea. tne.ybe confusioo 'With the I1Jtliius Episcopus u vho appears at least
onCe in the cate-na on John .. at 17=5 (see Balthasar Corderiu5 1o Catena
MtI"UttJGraecOrutn in sanctum Joannem [Antvel"p = Ex Officina Plantiniana
Ba.l.tha.saris Moreti,
16363 .. ' p~ i09). Ass,eltlani ~ in dle.cu5s!ng B8.rCe:ph6.~ identifies this catena item as from the supposed "Julius Commentu. in Eyangelium Joannis" 'IIhich he postulates a.s ~ne .of Africanus's
llorks {2: 1;29 h Gelz-er suggests it. as a scribal error for Julianus
(i.e ... of HalicarnB.6sus) (1; 18). Since ,. however, the passage e.nd quotation invol'led (John 11:5) d.e&l '\11th the relationship of the J)ersons

28

Study of Africanus

Boroet 1mes supported by Origen' s a.ddress ing him 8.S tTBrot hC!"t' ~ 'I in hi s

reply to the letter

~otlcerrJing

Susanng,.

The supposition of & New

Testl!'l1i!lent cotnmentary is probablj' baged on

from the prominl!!nt citation

or

OJ].

incorrect deduction

Africanus in other commentaries, i.e.

a.t Matthew 1 (and on a fev other passages besides).

Similar to this

suppo9i tionof a cOm:lD.entar:t' 'by Africanus t is the attribution of a

Scholiaon Matthew's

Gospe~

to him,

of' the Godhead, could this not p~rhaps be t"r0l!!i one of 'the- vritings of
Julius I, of Rome? .Ue va.EJ" after all t deeply concerned 'iliththi!;l veT'1
question 'note also the a.ppearance of "Julius Paps,t 8JIloOtlg the sour~es
of :Ba.r-Hebraeus [Assema.,.T)i, Bib1. Or.,. 2 ~ 283; see abovft t p. 26, with
fi. 3J}.
1

E. g... a chapt~r ~ .tCono er-ning the app euance of Moses and.

Elias to our Lord in the mo'Wl.tain; f'l"OliJ AfriCaDUS' s scbo1ig, . . . .h ich he
cO.lElpo:=.ed Qn Matthe-1,,"s GQspel," first published by Joar.ne:=. Bapt;i,oste.
PitrQ~ Analect6. sacl"EL spicilegio Sol~snJ.en.aiJ 8 vols+ (vtu'ious places)
1876-91; 1st ed., 4 \!'ols.t 1876-8' .. repu.blished, Farnborough t Ha.nt9.!
England: Gre gg Press Ltd., 1966 L. 2 (TJ'P is ruse ula.nis.. 188t-): 292.,. in
a. Latin translatiQti communicated to him by P. Ma..""tin Cas. froc Nee-d.
Syr1aco 15155 Musei Brltannici~ foL 56 a tl!rgo "'::01. 2"); it was republished in vol . .I, (Par-is: BxPubliea Galliarum Typograllheo 1883)"
with both the &.f!"iac text ('lex codice addi ti.onali Musaei :Bri tannic 1
121557 fol. 56 v9 col. 2") (p. 71) UJd a nw La.tin translation (p.
u

331 ).

In the West 10 Atricanus \tas utilized in various Greek catene.e

and. scnolia-. Pitre.. published t imm~d.iate.ly :following the Syriat:: item

Just noted .. iLt.I e.xsmple of the latter (2~292; !roo codex Coislinianus
276! .fol. 162, from a coIl ectanell. by J ohn ~ B..TJ unknor.m s ev~n th C eut ury
:tIlOnk (concerning Manassen t g r~pentance and escape]; cf'. Martin .Joseph
Ro'Uth~ Reliquiae s&'Crae~ editio altera.. 5 vols. (Oxford: L Tj'"POgrapheo
Act1:demico, 18G6-4BJ, 2~ 288, Afr. Clu'-on.. , trag. XL). As B...'l exa."IIp1.e
of th~ use in the catenae,. see: Spyr. P.Lambros~ Cfl.tfl.lo:il~ or Greek
}.{anuscriI!ts on Mount Athos, :2 vola. (Cambridge:: 'lini ....ersi ty Press,
1895, 1900), 2:99 re the <=ontents of the lviron MS 311; or .. Petrus
Lambe::: ius! Cotml".entfl.:r-i orwn. dt;!'Augusti ssima 1hI iotheca Caesa.:rea
V1ndobonensi,.. 8 voIs., ed. Adamus Franciscus Kollarius (Vienna.~ JOfln.
ThoI08.e Nob. de Trattnern, 1766~82)) vol. 3!O eols. 163--68:t re codex
Th. Gr. XLII (not@ ~sp. co1s. 16ij-65 and 167); both of thl!'!sl! are examples o:f catena.e on Ll.J.ke +
These, and other such items that. I h~ve seen. r'!'l-e.te to areas
of th~ Bible that are prominent amon8 the survivin8 fr6gments of AfriCfIJ1US l s knOVD. works; thus 10 they do not require the postul.ating of" aTI::"
other! loat" In''1tlng or- Africaous I either ~ommentary or ~choli a.

Ancient and Byzantine References

Secul ar Sources
A t.hird line of evidence, :mainly Greek" thQugh sometimes rep-

resented by transle.tions into other languages .. presents a. different

vi~\I

or

Africanus _

or

these, the authentic fragments :found i.n the-

various Ettzantine collections of mi1itary and veterinary writers form

the main ba.-s is of the sill"vi vi. ng fragments of

th~

dealt withE!'xt.ensi ....ely- in the :follmring chaptel'"s.

presented

rath~r

Ke stoi... a.nd are

'They 8.re therefore

summarily here.

In the middle of' the: sixth century .. 1n the West.

type of l"ef'erence to Africanus a.ppears in our sources.

B.

different

Fulgentius . .

in his M;ftholosr. bOok 3.. cha.pter 7 .. dealine: 'With the fti-ble of Peleus

and ThE;!t is. in the latter part of the -chapter ~ re:fers to the dipping
of Achilles by Tht::'tis.

In discussing the

significanc:~

gra.sped 'by the heel, Fulgentius rela.tes this to

vr:::in from the heel a:nd

to~

th~

of h!s being

ffl..Ct that. the

:runs to the kidne:;' .. thi,gh .. and ttIfI.1e

In sl)pportof this t he c.1tes

aJJ

Atrican:us 'lhiatrosofistes l1 :

&1so a stimulating Caphrodisiac?J plaster

~hieh

organ~.

"For

Africanus theprofes-

sor of medicine called stisiden:, he prescribed apFlyi['Jg "to the big

toe and heel.'

Asr 1 cuJ t ural and .... et erinary uri t

er'8

Phctius .. discussed above:, in his second item listed there ..

~abii

e r a . . . . . . ~d. Rudolf
He1cJ (Le1pzig~B. G. T~ubner .. 1898 , p. 11. In the t.~xtual notes ..
the edi'tbr suggests tha.t rtstisidec" ma:," relate to the- Greek styo.
Planciadis. Fulentii V. C.

Study of Africauus.

30

l"efers t.o Africanus s paradoxa ('1) as a Elource used b'J Vindonius

His \tor-x t in turn, was one of t.he princip.fl.1.

Anatolius Beryttls.

souree5 of the By%antine cQl!IP1lu.t1on commonly known as the Geoponiea ~

in vhich the
both at the

nam~

of Arrieanus

b~ginning

d1 vidU&1 chapters?

~igure~

in the

li~t.ing

oC sources,

of the work and in the headine;s of certain in-

Afric6.nus l' s ntLme turns up similarly in certain

toms of the B:na.ntine vete-rinary

collect1ot~ k.now~Il

1!1ll-

today as the

piatrica Graece, with some sligl)t overlap with 'the Geoponica.

There

are 5 hovever ~ textu.e.l probler;ns which raise questions as to t.he a!)-

tiquity and authenticity of tbe specific attributions in both collec-

tions, espe.:=:ially those in the Geoponica. 1

In both 'W'brks t A!'rictL"'lus':s

name is usual.1y conneet@d wi.th so-me of the more bizarre or question-

able remedies and procedures.

Su:idas

On Suidas, see the discussion above t under "Greek and

Rela~ed

EcclesifL.1:itical Sources.'

Milita.ry collections
The B'/zantine military collections contain,. s,s part of their
tactical sections, a number of chapters attributed to Africanus.
Vieillefond

and., espec:iB.lly., Alphonse Da1r~3 have throvn light on the

lNote the discussions of tbese colle~tions later in tbis chapter.

2'Jules Af:r1c&in .. p:p. xxxvi-xli; 'Adaptations et pa.raphrases du

Cormnentaire d'Enee le Tacticiel:'J," Revue de philologie. de litterature
et d t histo1re a.ncienn~s, 3rd series, 6 (58 of the-collection; 1932)~
24-36; Les Cestes, pp. 17-63,. 189-98.

'La. I'Ta.ct1gue

tl

de N1ce'Phore OUre.nos (Paris = Societe d 'Edition

IrLes. Belles Lettres:o ,. 1937); Sylloge Tact i COTUJII, quae o11~ nlneditB

Ancient
lines of descent and

31

~d Byzantin~ Rer~reneeB

inte:E'"re~at-ionships (;of

-the vl!I.1"Ylng collections.

The chapters involved here make up the buJ.k of the mat-erial traceable
to th~ Kestoi~ and, 1ndeed 7 is so attributed (specifically to Kestos
1)1 in some of the-manuscripts.

Psellus

In th,e eleventh centu-ry! Mich!l.el

Ps~llus~

in his "Concerning

paradoxical readings,rr devotes a. considerable proportion of his space

to

a s'I.l!nIrlfU'y or the curiosities de&lt ",i tll 'by Af:r1caTI.us in his

K~sto:L

Because of the length of the passage ~ a.":lli sin<::e the full text is gi vet')

belov (in Chapter

II)~

only a selection of lines is given here to il-

lust-rate Psellus's views;

God and natUi'"e p:roduce conception~ as I indeed believe, but

Africanl.lS says t.hat generation is 6. kind of craft ~ and oce '!liD
bi!'get in e. c:ra.f'tsmar~like manner .. if the man . . ~ a secret.
charm antipfithies . . IHlradox .. . paradoxes . by
certain

cha~s ~nd

enchantoents .

craftsmanlike~

or rather

and various ather such like things tnis man in

bis Kestoi te~ls as mQrvels and recounts in deta,11. 2
SQri::E!.l"o'Us

These three lines of tradition overlap:o but each has dist.inc-

tive

~eatures

vr1ters in it-.

corresponding to the cature of the interests of the

The :first line

discuase-d~

the Greek ecclesiastical t

LeQrJ'is 'TacticaU dicebatur (Pa.:ris: SocietedtEdi'tion "Les Belles Lettl"es1"19=~8.

Le 'ICorpus Pe:rd1tl,UD" {Paris; L ' Auteur, 1939}; also various p~riDdica1
articles and other works.

~iE!i~le:f'ond, Jules Africain",

p'P. :xxxiv-xxxvi.

2,Antonius Weste:r:mann~ nAPMOEOfPA'JOI--Scriptores rerum

Craec i (Brau."lsc hw~i g; Georgi U6 West e:nnann.. 1839; London:
Mack & A.rm.strong, 1839}t p~~s (and lines) 11l3.1L-lb~.2; 1~h.16-17,
20) 22; Ih5.3, 14 .. 17-18, 146.12-13.

:mi rabi Iium

32

Study of Afrieanus

deals larg@"ly ri th the

th~

interest of

ence of the

eccl~sis.Btical lj,Ti t1ng!;l

complet~ness

Kesto1~

of Af'ricanus. s but in

keeps alive the knowledge of the exist-

though vith varying degrees of evidence or per-

sonal knowledge of it.

Th~

second line" the SyriQc

eecl~sio.st.ical,

is

so1el;r coneerned vi th A'fricsnus r 5 ecclesiastieal 'Writings .. fl..nd,. as

Doted a.boVI!!" enlarges his ties 'With the eburch and the 5cope of his

religious wri tines" but bE!tt"8.,.,v no knowledge of the Kes:toi.

other side of the

ledger~

On the

the third line is concerned exclusive1y

with

Africa~us's

secular work, the Kestol, and

vith

spe~iali~ed

areas of information within it.

ev~n ~re eX~lusively,

The

~xc~ptions

are

the 'ilork of Phot1us ,and the Suidas'lo whi,ch provide links 'bet'Ween, the
~~O maJo~

Of

interests shown by linea one and three+

~hese

.lUost useful s as

three lines of trfidition" the first seems to be the

bei;ng~

rela.ti vel)'. the :most complete and a.ccurate"

bLrt. it is unbalanced without t'he evidence of the third line.

se~ond

The

line appears to nave little of value to contribute to a knowl-

edge or understanding of Africanus ~ apart. !"rom providing some f.raglD.ent.s of his letter to Ar1stides or of the Ch:rono:gre;phy.

Ear-ly
Th~ rere~ence5

writers

hav~

Studies

to Africanus by Eusebius and other early

kE!pt his name be:fare the literate vo:rld t and the variety

of 1.teme dralt'tl from his 'W'Ti tings vhjch appeared in Greek ma.nuscripts

knovn or :t"l!ported added to the int.rigul!! of the subject.

Thus there

was (and is) a pil!!renni~, though fluetuating" ir.Jterest in Afr1c:anus

and his. a.ffairs.

This vag fl!'d by

th~

persistent hope that 'lsoQnu

33

:Early Studies
the' world lIQuld. }lave a. complete publication of his works t gathered

from all the various sources.

Meanwhile t 'those who il :for what.ever

reasons came into contact '\lith 'the-

question~

did their best. to 11-

luminate the matter, either by publication of" fragments t or by specThe latter approach vas the most common.

u1f1..tion.

Sixteenth to Eightt:f!!lth Centuries

In the early centuries, these references, of vhateve-r :sort,.

were all inci.der.JttLl to]o or just a small part of; some more- important

or large:r task.
The first

print~

references

~o

Atricanus

Thf! ineidental Qa.ture of the references to Af"rice.nus

ill\1at!"t1.t~d

by the refereDces to him in hia

fi:r~t

ar~

'Io!'ell

centU!'Y in print ..

(These early ref'e-renees usually involved pul>lica:tion of' f':rtlgJtl~nts:t or

sUIIII:liari4:!s of po..rts:t of th4! KestoL)

Possibly the first appearance of the name
print iS J e.ppropr1ately enough, i.Jl a.
>

cetlt.u.ria prima.

In chapter

15~

'W'Orkentitl~d

o~

ASrieanus in

.M1scellaneoruID

coneernin.g the Syb&l"it.es.Politian

gives in Latin translatiQn a pEl.ssage eited fro.."II

Afri~a.nus

(= 'the first paragraph of' I. 11

in Vieillefond f

editions

in Cestis
01'

Afri-

canu-s) 1

This hope~ though n~ ~onside:rably advanced by the work of

Vieil1efond; stil~ remains unfulfilled in its entirety~
2Angel u.s PolitianU5 (Florence .. lQ89)~ reference to this first
edi tion trom Vieil1~fona, ~ules Afri.:;ain ~ :p. :xxv,. n. 2; the earliest
~dition tlvailable

in

(Paris~

to me vas the Omnium Angeli Folititlno operum (2 vols.

I. Badius Ascensiu5; 1512J).

Study of Africanus
About a quarter centu;ry later!lo Cal V'US de Ravenna. :publiabed
8.

Latin translation of a tract I DI? ponder!bus et mensuris I attribut.ed

to ARhricanus medicus~l which s~~ to be from the Kestoi.

{This

tractate was the object of frequent reference or citation of lines or

iaol.ated items in the fo1lOW'ing period.}

Af:riCarlus' So na.me

a.ppea.r~

tain added chapter!3 in

JQEIJ1.nes Ruelle.

cation of the

8.

It was

Gr~ek

1530~

Shortly thereafter.., in

. . apparently f&1sely ~ in connection with ce.r-

Latin tr"o..rH:ilation of the Hiwio,trica 'by

in~luded

text in

by Gryna.eus

~hich

the name

or

in 1537 t vith

Atricanus

6.

publi-

~ppears

only
2

a.t the beginning" in the list of' B.uthors used in the collection.-

Almost at the end of this first century .. JoaMe51 Lang published his Latin translation . . wi t.b. note5. of Nicephorus' 5 Ec:c1.esia.stica.l. Histoa.

In the

~l'ginal

note on the =ention of the Kestoi in

5. 21 .. Lang referred to the Suidas article on Africanus with no in-dica.tion Qf any question regarding the ascription.]

Developing
wu.lt i

th~ories;

Sl~estion5

of

p~e __authorship

The simplee.cceptance end publication of i tel::ls attrib'Llt.r.ed to

the- Kestoi continued in the next c(tntury

6.5

well, out along ;,rith this

\i.

Fabius Cal \'"US Rhavennatis t Hiypocratis CoL octogintat

Ba.~ e1,. 1526.. p, 411). c: i t ed in
Frid~ricue Hul'tsch 't MetrologicorU!tl. scriptorum religuia..e, '2 'l"ols.
(Leipdg; B. G. Teubner" l86~. 1866), 2~11.l" lI'1ttJ nn.l and 2.

TO

1'I..IlIlina (Reme!lo 1525), p. 691 ( ala 0

2jLeterinari&e medlc1n~ libri II (Ba31e); on this edition ~nd

the sources of the ~hapter8 ~ttr1buted to Africanus, see Vieillefond ..
Les Cestes, pp. 215, 216 .. andesp. n. 3..

1ticephorl Callist1 Xanthopuli: Se:r1ptoris vere Catholici.

Ecc1esiastic&e historiae 1101'1 decem et octo~ ed. and tra..ns. Joannes
Lfl.ng {Frankfurt: Impens:is Sigismundi Feyerabendii~ 1588) . . p. 250.

35

Early Studies

approach appeared a. greatel' attention to questions relating to Africa.nus a.nd his writings.
gestion~

This resulted in the presentation of sug-

on va.rious points .. the foremost. suggestion being that

th~re

was more than one Africanus involved.

Isaac Casaubon

in his

ll

Co~enta1Z

concerning 1M-terns tOr night-fighting,

on

SuetQnius~

used a p&asage

[th~nJ att.:ribute-d to Africanus1

whose "elegantiss1mum libr'Ullli de bel11co appare.tu" had not yet been

published.

He concluded the reference by stating his intention,. D. V. ,

of caref'ully considering elsewhel"e the writings of Af"ricanus "and

whether those mentioned by the ancients under

of one '!ii1"1ter or many ~ ,t

African1,J,~r!')

name!o vert:!'

(This is perhaps the first of' m.eny such

declarations of intent which followed over the next cen~uries.)

In the a.sm.e year as Ca.saubcn t s que-st.ion,. .a brief, but decided.

answer vas

pUbli~he:d.

Joseph Just.us

Scalig~rlt

:in explicit opposition

letted 6.S cha"Dter 70 (1:169 in tbe Thevenot-:Boivin edit.ion, to

be ];1resented be-10\l'), ~ne of a section of chapters which s<::h.olars from
Boivin to the present reject as non-Afrieanie.n.~
2originally, Geneva, 1595; republi shed in c. Suetonii Trangu111i opera:- Textu ad Codd. MSS? recognito cum Jo~ Aue:. Erne'stii animadversionibus nova. cura auctis emecdatisque et Isaac Ca.saubon1 Commentario, ed .. Fr1d. Aug. 'Wolfiu5. h vols. (Leipz.ig: lmpensis Casp.
Frits ell.. 1802)... 3: llil. in .,Jul i us Caesar,. ,. cap. 31, on the line H CUl!1
luminibus exstinctisdec:essisset via." Casaubon notes that Politian
had ref'erred to this york as the Ceetes in accord 'With an old codex
in the ro~ra:l library, but t ha.t hie .~ C odex (pure hased from Da.-T"!ILa.I'ius ~ )
caJ.ls it Polemon paraskeuai. Casauboll did return to the subject of
A:fricanus .. but not to solve the basic prQbl~ {Ae'n~ae vetustissimi
8criptoris Commentarius tacticus et Qbsidionalig guom~do_obs~ssum
resistel"e oporteat ... recensuit pub1icavit et notis . illustravit
Corig. publ., Paris" 1609], republished a..s ps.ge:s 361-600 0'1: vol. 3:
of ~ PolIbiiLycortaeF'. Historh.:rUCl quae e,uP4tr-ID!-"lt, 3 vols.
(Leipzig a.nd Venice: Ioann. Paul. Krau.siU!!l . 1763-6~J. 3 C1763J: 389.
393, and 493-550 passim). (Concerning Darmarius . . s~e Viei1lefond l
Les Cestes, p. 29,. continuation of n. 31.)

Study
to the testimony of Photi'Ua

o~

AricanU8

Xusebius t and

Suid~s~

denied the possi-

the I!li.uthor of' the Kestoi should have

bi1it.y of a unity of" &utho:rship:

been Sextus A:fricanus (Photius erred on this point., as 6"Uidas erred

in making

S~.xtus

the au.thor of'the Chronogtlphia. and the let.ter-to

Origen) .1
It, was over a ha.lf-century

in pri~t

by

jected or

1iLt~r

"M-fore thia idea was accepted

ar.other \h"it~l'j2 in t.he meantime t the idea ""as either re-

ie;nor~d.

Gerard Jan VoSs praised ScaH.ger's work on the

Cbronograp~, but questjoned th~

Petau (Petavius) alao

reJl!!:~ted

distinetion of authorship.3

Denis

Sealigers suggestioil 1o at one point

evel3 confusing the Kestoi with thl! ChronographY.

G8.bri el Naude inc 1uded a. paragraph or

SUII:Clary

from the Kestoi (trom vhat he believed. to b--e

A f'ew ye&rs later ..

of milita.ry {: ha:pters

th~fifth and sixth

IThesaurus t
orurn Eusebii P
c: 0ai chron1 corwn J:~anOtnlln Leiden: Thomae-~sen, 1

e PEJ.lestinae eni g; also, reprin~ed,

Osna.'br'ilck., Zeller,. 1968), part 2, 1fAnirn.adversione:s in chronologicl:l

.. 2b.
Eusebi1, " p. 2~
2Rob E!:rt Cardinal. Bellarmin 10 hovever ~ omf tted any ref"e1"~nce to
th~ Kes to! tr-O!I1 hi S S U1IIID8.ry of Af'ri canus s w:r1 tings in hi s D~ :a cr1ptoribus ecclesiasticS-s, libel' unu.s. (Coloniae Agrippin.ae: 1. Kalcovii.,
1645 (orig. publ. 1613J J,. pp. 53-54.
3ne historieis Graecis liber IV, ~ditio altera {Leiden: Ex
officini Joannis Maire .. 1651 [orig. publ. 162qj,), p. 237 (book 2,.
cha.p. 15).

4
Opus de doc trina. t.l!lI1.QOrum, 3 VOla. (Ant",e!'p: Georgi us Gallet t
1703 I: vol s. 1 and 2 orig. pUbl. Pari S:lo 1627; vol. 3 orig. publ + separately as Urarloloi\Jlll!ilive ss'tema variorum auctortOll '. . . varia..rum
dissrta.tion'U."I] libri VIII,. 1630j t 2~ 275 (book 12 ~ chap.liO), with
correction. 3:156 (bOok 8 10 chap. 2). The correction gives t.he originaJ. stat ement as book 12' 10 chap. 42, as doe s Fa.bri c ius ~ Bi bl.. Or.,
3d ed., 2~ 598 (but cQrrectly as 12, 40, in 5 ~ 269). The Cbnflliiion of
'Works 'lias due to 8 misreading of Photius, miss ing the parenthetical

nature

or

the reference to the Kestoi.

Early Studies

37

books) in his Synt.BJPI! de studio IIlilitarl,.l\lhile Saumaise (S&l..Ire.sius)

-cited v.arioUB passages from Afrlcanus mucb in thema.nner of t.he prt!!ceding

The citations were froel both the

c:~ntury.

ChronographY;

K~stoi

and the

in t.he :first inst.ance Saum8:ise i.dentifies the author

as Julius Afric8.D.us, else1lhere referring "to him :dllIply as A:f'ricanus.

In another c:ontext,. Sa.uma1se joined CalJ.Se.bon as identifying the De

bellico apparatu. extant in

man~scripts

as bt:!inf; part ofthl!!! Kestoi. 3

tiones~

tut thenet111 unpublished?

The same year a.s Ss.uttJa.ise 4 s Exercita-

Miraeus, in his comments; on .Ierome'.e .rDe 5criptoris eccles-

iasticis." cha.p.
sugsea.ted

63.

accepted the Kestoi as Af%"icanirm.

that the nB1l'..e c a.m.e either na deBe 111 i

'115

He f'u.rtber

!a.bulosa.e balthen, tI

or "8, pu.gilwn armis .,4

support :fOr part of Sefl.1.iger's theory came f'ina1ly in the notes
by Henry Valois to his

1659 edition and translation of' usebius t s

pp. 520-21 ~ cited

For the identification as
the fifth &nd sixth books, see Fabricius-l~rles, Bib}. Gr~~ ~th ed.,
4:21.1 (t:l-Ugne" PG .. 10. col. 38), 'Where t.he reference in Naude is.

1 (Rome, 1637), "book

2 J chaF.

in Vieillefond. Les Cestest p. 84 t n. 12.

given as

se~. 8)

2, ~.-Cap. 8. p. 520.

2Claude Saumaise., Plinianae exercitationgs in en-it Julii

Solini Po::tthi stora ('llraJ ~~t.i ad RhetJ1.tIT:: J ohannem vande Water., 1689
Corig. pUbl ..~ Paris., 1629J, 1 ;163bB, 327'bB, 417aG; 2: 689aF, 84laB ..
867aF~ 872a.E. The first .ri.ve- itl!'ms are from the fragment, peri metrorJ?
cited eit.her b~r that. designQ.tion or some varil!lJlt of it .. or si:mpl~r as
f"rom Africanus (in thefif'th ir..st-ance I 2: 8~7aB? the desig;nation is
more full .. being HAfricanuB in C~.stis, capite peri metron ka.i sathnJon
t 61<:)11). The last tvo references, from the Chronography .,relate to
the successors of' Belus in Babylc:m ~
3rd ed. ~

3Epist. 123 ad Isaacum Vossium; see FabriciU5~ Bibl. Gr.~

5 (l723) ~270.

4A.Ubertus Miraeus,. :Bibliotheca eccleaiastica s1 ...eno:mencla~

tore-s ViI. vet~re8 (Antwerp; Apud Je.-t:obumMeshlnl. 1639) t p. 21.

38

Stu.dy

r A...i't"ic 6.UllS

He would delete the words,. IPthe writer of

Ecclesiastical HistO.r:l,.l

t.he York t1tled Kest-oi" l'rom Eus e"b. H. E. 6. 31., bee ause they are not
ment 1OD ed by Ruf! nus or Jerome, be-e: BUS l!' it is 1'1 di cuJ..ous in dealing
vith a

~hu:rch

'VI'it.er to tt1ention first. a work of such a.. nature 85

Su.idas and Syneellus show the Ke-stQ1 to be (and the very title us.
VeneTis I::esto ita dieti ..
cause thE:!

bB~kgrounds

cOnfi:rms this charact.e1'),. and finally') be-

of the writers appear to be different ~

Af'ricanus

Ch:ronographus (called Julius Af'ricanus b~ Sctl.1iger) \fas frol!l Palestine {from EmmaU5. specifica.lly) end \jas

ill

C'hl"istie.n .. vhile Ai'rictLnus

Cestus (iIl.l:::onectly called S!'rtus Africanus by Scaliger) yas hom

Libya (as Suidas t~s'tities) and vas a "Gentile'" (as the topic of his
'book .s utf! ci ently sho'Ws).

In l"egard to t.he nue of the latter vri t.ot'%' ,

Scaligererred in interpreting Suidss' s sektos as Se:ctua; it should

be emended t.o Kestos as a
-called S'tre;tma.teus.

d~signtl.tion

of Afr:5.canus just e.s Clement va.s

:Pur'ther t Valois concluded, there 'Was a.nother

Julius Af"ricanu5. autho1' of' the De

be~lico

app;aratu known 'to him from

a manus cri.pt. i.n the royal 11bran" and by P,oli t ian. t .s cit at ion .

Valois

aS8UIt1es that it wa.s 0. Greek CUe-tOlIl to I::all such 'Works of'" diverse: ~Qt.l-

tent Kestoi

from its mee:.n.ing of variegated girdle" just as Cleml?nt r s

l Euse-bii P h i l i ccle'siasticae istoriae libri decem {PI!I.%'is~

A. Vi tre" 1659 ., nAnnotationes in Hist.oriam Eccles iasticB.!ll us~bii
Caesariensis t" 'P. 121" cols + lD-2B. H.B. 6. 31 appears on p. 230 of
the text sectiot1~ text and a:nnotations" are n'Wl'ibered separately.

2ViLlois .adds the eJCP1BIlation ,11 eo quod ~toria praeeipue

complecte-rentur," an explanatiotl not usually repea.ted by those vho
echoed the preceding dictum.

~ly

work wag called StroEna,te1 s .

Studies

The sugge st i on

39

0 f

a third Afri C8!1US

:found f'ev., it any, supporters'll but his other points have been adopted
in varying combinations by later scholars down to t.he present.
P~Ci81ly

frequently repeated were tbe derivation of the name Kestoi

a veneris

Es-

cesto t

"

the points of distinction between AfTicanus Chron-

ographu5 and AfrictLnus Cestus, and the elilendation of the Suidas' s

sektQs to kestos.
The next year Philip Labbe made a s.imi.lar sugge5tion concerning,

a Sektos-Kestosmetathesis.
consideration~

he

r~jectad

0.1' the lLn.cient tes.ti:m.onies +

But in the addenda to his work t after due

Valesius's other suggestions on

th~

basis

He fUrther 5uggested there t.hat the title:>

ton Kes'ton. is likely in aernulatione of Clement's t.on St:romateon.

Peter Lambeck (Lambecius) noted the ideB of a metatbesis as

part of' a

p~ces:s

of piling error on error following the original ncare-

1ess and e.bsurd n change of

2

S~kt(}s.

t.h~

EraenoUlen Sextos to the false c0Fgl0tllen

'rhus Lambeck favored Scaliger' 5 origi;oa.l suggestion concerning

this name, but Bot the same 'time rejected the distinction
and

sp~cifically

rejected V&lo1s' s

a.rg:l.Dnent~

or

authors

on this point) calling

attention to the fa.ct that Eusebius only sa.ys he- \las an ambassador

for Emma.us, not that it was his patTia, a..l1d tho.t the eaKia ne.turalis

~il. Labbe. Dissertationes p2rllologicae de scriptoribus

ecclesiastic1s uos atti :it Eminentiss. S. R. E. Card. Robertus
Bella-minus" 2 vols. (Faris: Seba.!;Itian Cramoi.sy, 1 0 ., 1=659~ 830.
~beck-K011ar~ Commentl!l:,rium. 1: col. .621., also col. 428,
witb note 2 (re cod. Gr. Phil. MS eXT, pa.rt 4, containing the de r~
m1Utari fr~ the Cestus). (Lambeck's first ol!!dition appeared 1665-

19; Bee Vieilletond ..

Les

Cestes, p. 312, n. 4.)

40

Study of Mricanus

in the Ce5toi shovs that hevQs a Gen~ile.l

Lambeck also argued that

the Kestoi contained only nine book5:> Photius' 5 14 ho"') being an

easy corrupt.ion from 9 {e"') ~ 'from vbich Suidaa f s 2~ vas e.. further de-

of th e error.

v~lopm.en t

Late r in the

BalIle'

vol ume Lambeck inc 1ude d

the text of Michael Psellus' s reSWlle of po.rt of the Kestoi. 3

J oba..rm Rudolf Wettst I!in, in hi s eM t ion

0~

Origen':s yorks ..

dealt with the quest.ion in connection nth A"fricanusTs letter to

After considering thE!' ancient re:f'erenCI!'S and the vie.....s of'

Origen.

Scaliger and Valois:> he vas

ninclin~d

'to beli.eve .. vi th Lambeck, that.

Se;:rl.us J'uJ.iu:!;l .Africanus vas that one and

t.han two. ,.1

H~

celebrated vriter rather

judged Ruf1nus' s omission of" re:f'erence t.o the Kestol

ns explainable ~flufinus may have either question~d the fact .. or he ma;y

have judged the york unworthy of Afrieanus.

conjecture in an

&ttemp~

5 Wettatein himse-lf

ad.ds a

to reconcile the statements of S,yncellu6

lr.smbeck-Kollar t Commentarium.? 7 ~ coL

~29.

Ibid. t cOls. 1026-:27; cf. also theinde>:: ~rttry for Sert.i Julii
Africani" col. 637t vhere t.h(!:'IIork 18 ca.lcled Enneabiblo. In the 8~e
ent:r:v the title is described rLS Itmetapllo:ra a. v&Ii~gQ.to Venel"is cingula
desumpta, tl similarly to V!l1ois I s statement.

3r..mnbeck-Kollar, COml"llentariumj. 7= cole. 476-78 (= 1st ed.~

vol. 7 t cols. 222f'f"). In ~9.rlier VQlu;mes 10 he also notes mtl.nuscripts
containing ot.her of' Afric&1LUS' S \1O:rks (1 = 25~-55; 3~ 103 t 167,202; a.nd ..
on 5: 623-2~, th~ falsely &scribed "NarratiO'. . in Perside-" L

Origen;is dia,loms contra M!!:.Tciohitas] slve De rec:t.& in Deum

:f'i de ; E~hbTta ti 0 o..d mo.:rtxrw ~ Respotls'I1m ad Afr i can i epi stolum de
historis. S ~nae . . . e.dd.itis notis . . . (B8sel: J. Bert-schius,
161h "Ifotae, cols. 1 9-54. It might be noted that he uses S~a.li
ger's recon:Eitrttl::t.ion tor Eusebius's Ch:ronicon and thus fale-ely credits sOme i te:ms 'to Euse-bi us; e. g ..~ Syncellus r s statement regarding
Emms:u.s an.d the Kestoi is credited to Eusl!:bius 'in Chronic15 pa.g. loll
{=Scalig~r, Thes. temp. 1" Greek Bect1on, :p. 70} (col. 151).

5Wett5tein. Origenis, l'Notae ll " col. 152.

Early Studies
(credi ted also to Eus:ebht5 ~ see preceding note);t that A:fricl91l'l1s l' S

emba.s sy was to AIexander ~ and of Eusebius in "Chron" Can. p. 204 n

(Le,

etc.

of' 6-caliger-lo TIles. temp I,. Greek sectioJ)~ followed by J@rome,

l'

the.t the embe.!35)'

VELS

under Elagabalus.

He proposes"

W'h~t i:f that Africanus tlIld~rtook two B ucc es give le-ga. ti ons.. first
to ElagabalUS to obtnin the building of the city, then to Alexander to give as thanks forbeneflt received the pre5entation of
the book [the KestoiJ. and to ask other 'benefits? This certainly

easily reconciles Euse-bius with himself and with the others. 1

I Baac VOS!3 continued and shlttpe ned the

After

I!L

discussion of the alleged

~pistl4!

"If ie'W"s

of hi s fa. ther

or Hadrh.n to Servianlls

(occasioned by a r~f'ere-nee to Ser6.pis in a poel:! of Catullus); he coo-

The

eludes that there iG no refL.son to make three Africani of one.

v.ri te:r of the Chronogra pbx 7 the Ke stoL and the strat egfka are t h@
same (indeed., extant :f.:ra.gments or the IfLSt ~onst.it.ute the sixth and
5ev~!.lt.h

books of" the Kestoi} t but h~ lia.S a Syrian of :E:llmlB.us.. not a

Libyan {Q mistake" d-u.e to his name Af'ricanus}.

Q. c:e-sto

Veneris.

~d.

this tit.s its contents, but nothing

rieanus from being a Chri.stian.

fL.rts~

hiTJder~

A:f-

"rhe- reported contents of the Kestoi

a.nd the Ad Servlo.num illuminate efL.ch other ~

dieted to magic

The Kestoi .!.. named

nativities; etc.

JI\S.fl.y

Christians vere ad-

In sum, pt!rsons bentioned, age.,

patri.a .. and the ancient testimonies .. all con:firm his identity.

lIbid~ ..

col. 153; see also the end of cOl. 1;1 a."1d top of 152.
Sce.1iger had attempted to 9o1ve the problem (eom-pounded by his fs.ilure
to clearly distinguish S:''ncel1uss testimony f'rom Eusebius's)t by
charging Eusebi us vith errQr (Thes"_ telWp. ,. 2 ~ IPAninlB.d..... ersiones, n p. 212),
the year of the end or the ChronograpA.V and of t.ht! elDb&ssy 1la.s the
third year of Elagabalu~2!B&aC Voss1us, CaJus

Val~ri'L1S Cat.ullus: Obse1"vatlones

(London ~

Isaac L1ttlebUl",Y" 1684)IP, 30. Some ~rea.rs ear11e1"~ in Justinibis.toriarum ex Trogo Pompeio lib. XLIV (AmeterdR.."lJ: Ex Officin& Elzeviriana ~

St~dy

of Africanus

About the e,ame time, Ducange presented a variation on this

view:

if' the KE!'stoi

1oI'fI.S

indeed dedics.ted to .a pagnn pri'Pce t it.s

pagan cbaracter, with no Christian

Collecti~ns

and

18 little surprise.

More theories

de~criptions:

William. Cave

marks~

pre~ented

n~w

theory .. but then 'Wavered.

He

s'I.1I'"V'e'yed tl1e infoI'Illl.t.ion availa.bloe a.bout AfricBnusts vritings,. including the ve.l'ious theories regarding the Kestoi, and asked if there was
not a middle

lItJ;y ~

"the work of our Africanus, but fro:m before he em~

bra.c~d the Christian faith?Ht...

After a.ctUAlly becoming a<:quainted \lith

t.he texts lo in Thevenot's edition (see next paragraph),. ]1;e doubted its
deri va.tion f'rot!lAfrica.ni n09t-.J:'i; it seemed mo!"~ recent (but he later

~~pped this suggestion}.3

Meanwhile,

th~

year before Cave's irst volume was published

in Geneva t a large po:rt.ion

Q~

the

~xtant

text of the Kestoi vas

1664}) p. 305 (book 2~ chap. lO), he had ~eferred to & supposed chapt~r of
A:fri canus (chap. 5 b ~ p~ri kryphis!a epistolon, actually from Aeneas)
&

lCarolus au Fre8n~~ b. du Cange .. ed. and trans. 10 nAl:X/uUON

S~U Chrcnit:on paschale (Paris: Ty'pographie. Regia, 1688);, p. 53Th.
Ducangets notes-are also reprint~d in Dindorfls edition or the
Chro~ieon p&s~hale (2~331 for this oote).
2Guilielmo Ca.ve, Scriptorum ec~lesi8..sticorum historia litera.ria
(Gene-va: Samuel dl!' Tourne5, 16gu) I p. 54. Though tbis is a. later
edition~ e.t least this part of the ten must be the- SBJDe &S the original
London eiition of 1688-89 11 for Cave kn-o'W5 of' tbe Kestci only in I11f:I.nuscripts in the libril.l'Y of Isaac Vossius and elsewhere.

3Scr!,pt.or'i.llll

~celesifl.5tlcorum historia. 1~ terario. t pus altera.

(GenevfL: Fr atres de Tourne s, 1699) I p. 29; omi tted :from tl~e combi ned
discussion in later editions (O::cfOid: Sheldon~ 1740-43; Basel = Job.
"Rudolph. 1m-Hoff., 17-41, 1745 L. 1 ~ll2.
(But these- later editions do
introducE! the Syl-ian line of tra.dition t adding 6. reference to Hebediesu
and ms.ki~Ht Af'ricaflUB a. city bishop [1 =110J. }

Early Studies
publi5hed~

as part or a larger production .. by Thevenot.

Illc1.uded

vas a. judieious. set. of notes on the Kestoi section by Joannes Boivin. 2

Boivin briefly stated the problem, tending to favor the identity of

authorship.

He baaed this

l&rg~ly On th~

t10n to .A:fricanus of Gl!o'Ooni~a 1 [i.e ...

f'rom Holy Scriptures CPs, 34: 8).

acceptance Qf the BB:cr1p-

1'. 11.1J which contains a line

Though tending to favor autho!"ship

by a single AfricflJ:rus, he suggested that the author va.s not entirely

orthodoX;

he-

liM

conde!DJ1ed Gelasia ps.ua (=

:nrl.ttl!'d integrom by the ancients.

6,

late add.ition to the

Further" in t.he notes on Pasithea,

etc. (...Vieillefond .. I. 17)" he eonsiders that the a.uthor could not

yet have been a Christian 1ihen he wrote this and a.WltLr things.:3

Boivin also suggest,'d good reasons to bel.ieve that, at most .. 44 of the

71 cbapters })ublishe:d actually came from the:

bl!!en

a.dd~d

K~sto1..

fro.1ZJ Aeneas and other" lQ.t.er, soU!"c es .

The Sf:LJD.e year .. Dupin ~ who

kn~

several ha.....ing

that the Kea.toi cl ted by Poli-

tis.n .sa "lately published, It denied tha.t it vas the aam.e as Photius
d~5~rib~d;

V&lesius

&8

and, in any case" he simply repeated the

~in

points of

his view. 5

\ielchisedech Thevenot" ed ... Veterum m.o.thematicorum

opera. (Paris: Typographia Regia, 1693) ~ pp. 275-316 (280-89 were
omit ted in the page numeration).

2Thid ... PPM 339-60.

~

Ibid.

]1

3Thid .,. pp.

339~

pp. 339 .. 353-55 {chs.38> 45,

t.6,.

340, 348-J.9.
and !.IS-59). and

357.

5L. Ellies du Pin .. Nou.velle bibliotheque des~u:teurs eccles-

ti9.ues .. 3d corr. end rev. ed&, 2.1 vols. (Paris: Chez; Andre Pra1lard

1693-1715) .. l:llT~ and note !..

Stu<tv of Afr ieanus

Tillemont took Dupin t s 'Word on the difference between the

works knO'lrn to Politian and to Photius,. but othel"\l'ise his conclusion

(a,s much

fL.S

he e&n1(! to one) vas more like Ca.ve ~ s: the l(E!s'toi must

ha.ve been written while Afrioanus was

l!l

p8.gan ~ though that elilDin-

ated the possibility of its dedication t.o Al(!-xa.nder St!-vl!:rw;.

Fabricius's Dl.8.ssive &ld ever-groving lUbliotheca Graeca provided a complete survey of the literat'Ul'"e to his day (i.t.!cluding many

manus~ripts}.2

For his

0"Im

parh he coul.d not accept Valois's and

Labbe's suggest ion to c h.ange the name from Sen u.s,. nor ScaJ. i gel"

and Valois' s
Africanus

~uggestions of' other Atri.c:ani J 3 but he did believe tha:t

'WilLS .fL

Syrian of Emmaus.

Th@ e'vide'nce-

vtl.1:i

too little to

allow a good judgme-nt on Af'ricanus' s Christian status ~but there yere

many Christian sects involved in various types of superstition t and

the Ps.aJJns Quotation in Geoponica 111. 5

(m)

supports his atatus as

a. ChristiSJI. 5

lrSeb&stianJ lenain de Tillemont, Memoires

our servir a
1 'histoire eccles1astigues. des Si.X:Efmiers s1ecles J 16 VQis + Paris:.

Charles P,obustel, 1693-1712), 1:682- 3 (the main discussion of Af"ri.canus is on pp. 25~-58, but the discussion of the Kestoi lI8rS be.nished
to the notes at th~ end of th~ volume).

~i1"6t~dition, 1105-28,. but vi th the 2nd a.nd 3d ~ds. over~

taking it (3d ed.,. 1718-28);2 (2nd ~d.?, 1116): 572,595-600
(=Lib. III, caps. 23,24.1-9); 5 (1123); 268-71 (Lib. V, cap .. 13) .. and sOble minor references at :3;213 (IV. 5. 20); 5;222 (V. 1. 26);
6:U2 (V. 4+ 28); 7i165~ 787 (v. 11. 10); 9~386 (V. 38. 9); 12~7T5
(VI. 8. 4); 13; 629 (VI. 10. 24. 14). (This 1lork was continued in a
4th ed.,. 12 vola. ted. Gottlieb Christophorus Har-les Uiambu.rg:
Carolum Ernestum Schn, 1790-1809J; an index vol., vol. 13 ,.W&S e.dded
in iL la:ter reprint of" this ~d.i tion [Letpz1g: C. Cnobloeh. 1838).)
3Fabric1us J lUbliotbec_a Gr&eca., 2" (1716): 591 and notil!.

4Ib1d ~ 5 (1123 ~ 266.

5Ibid~

l'

2 =598,

Early Studie!;l
With th~ !.ppearanc~ of the- se-~ond volume of Assemani'
liothec~ Or1~ntalis

Bib-

came the celebr&t1on of Africanus's elev&tion to

bishop and Ne'W' Testament cOElUl1entator.

The results of this

la~t

work vere sOon forthcoming, in 1725.

Basnage said there vere tvo conte.tIlporary A.fricani.,

on~

a. gen"tile from

Libya; v.riter of' the Cestis t the other s.. Christian frmn Nicopolis
(Emn:laU8 of th~ Gospels l t v:riter
im$)

or

the Chronicon,. f\rhom ma.."ly (p1ur-

make a bi6hop ...2

Lardner va.c111ated on the

qu~stio!J

of

tWQ

Africani,

t~ndins

to :favor the idea. .. but concluding it vas "01" no great. importance."

On the other hand t he was reasonably sure Africanus did not write any
Nell TestBlll~nt COlmD.ent.a.ries.
01; 'W'rit~ra

to

~.redit

He a.lso became the first in

Dionys1us

b1shop~ oiting Asse:mani 2~129

t

be.r-~alibl

nnd

~ 10ng

line

Y1th making Africanus a.

158~a5 evidence. 3

Other eighteenth century Yorks rf!"lated to Africa.."1us were mainlj'

1 2 (1721): 129, 158 ~ 283; see also ~ 3 (l7"25): l~ + In vol. l
(1119)~. Africanus app~fl-:rs simply &s the source concerning Edess.a ie
Eusebius's Chronicoll {p.39l1o
D. l}.
As Asse::mani notes (2;129),
however .. ''}.fasiua in Praefationl9" Bnd Fabricius had uread)' mentioned
one Or both of these points. Fabrici.us himself cites Cordier's Catena
in Joanne:::n as: I!l pr:i.or notice of' them (5 :270 In a note on Hebed Iesu).
He aJ.f3,O adds a ref'eren~i!" to Moses B&rce:pha and P.aul:l,.ls Colomesius..~
SCTiptoribu8 ~c:clesie.sticiEi btlralipomena (ibid.).
2Jacobu8 B&snage, Th~saU1"us Dlonu:nentorum ecclesiasticol'"1lID et
histor1cu:n] sivf:' Henrie! CM.1sii Lectiones antiouae ad saec~lol"uc)
ordinem digestae ve.riisgue opusculis auctae) QUibuspraefatiotles
h1storic6-s, animadversiones criticas,. et notas insin,gulos &uctores
ad,1ecit", 4 vols. (Antvel"p: n.p 1125)12;148 ("Jacobi Basnagii in
Anomrmi colle ct ionem c hl"Oflolog1 CSIlI obsi!'t""vo.:tior14!'s rI ) .

~e 'WorK.13 of Nath1a.niel Lartin~:r, vi th I!l Life by C,Andl"ev)

Kippis, vol. 2, Tbe C.redibili t of' the Go el Hieton , part 2 (London;
Yilli8m B6l.l. 183 ,p,P. 57-00 LCr~dibilit:y "a.s ol'"igina.11y published
as 2 volB. in l~. London ~ J. Chandler, 1121-55)}.

h6

Study of AtricQnus

concerned with
tbe Kest.oi.

public&tio~

of

texts~

most with

In 170h ~ Peter "Needham published

limit~d re1~tion
8.n

G@OlDonica which was re-edit@d by Nicolas in 1781.

to

edition of the
It included e. die.-

cu.ss1on of' authors C'ited 1oI'hich follows the a.ncient. testimonies con-

cerning

A:trico.nus~

the only unusual point by

N~edham

wa.s his accept-

&nee of the figure of nine books tor the Kesto!, attributing, this

.,

first to Eusebius and Syncellus:o and tben to Eusebius alone. -

Carolm:.

and Carol. Vincent. de 1a Rue published an edition of Origen's works

which incl.uded the exchange of letters v1tbAfricatlils.

duction to
riea..':li.

thes~ l~tters

In the intro-

they followed Scaliger's distinction of' Af-

This york was iri turn shortly reprinted in. GalleJldi ~ .. ho

followed their lead.

Near the :mid and three-quarter points of the century, there

.appeared two 'WOrks somewhat more u.seful:

JQB.nnis

M~u:r~ii. Op.e.ra.,

including

Giovsnni l.&mi' s edi.tion of

text of Af:r-icanus from the mili-

tary cOllections;3 and a paraphrase of certain chapter~ by Ch.

laeWetnicorwn eive de l"~ rust1.ca. libri :0: .. ed. and i11us. Jo.
Ni c cls:us lliclas, 4 vol s. (Lei p z.ig ~ Ca.spar hi tsc h ~ 1781), 1 : xlv, ::<1..." 1.

20rigenis opera . . . t originally published in 4 vols.

{Paris.. 1133- 59 h repr int.e d i [J Andreas Gallandi 'lo :8ibll. ot heca
veterUJr. patru.r:f1 antiguarumoue seri))tor"UlJl ecclesjastieorum Graeco-Latina
in XIV. tomos d i st.ri buta 11 edi t i 0 no,r) s (Venie e = _1\.1 b.r i t iana ~ rr 88
Eorig. ed . Venice., 1165-81J), 2=:;00:y1ii. In the nineteenth centur'.l
th i s line cont inued : the de La Rues' York vas aga i ~ or'!!: edi ted "by
Carol. Henrie. EdWl!"d. Lomm.o.tz.sch ~ 23 vols. (Berlin: &laude et Spen~r,
1831-47), vol. 17 (18q4); &nd both Gallandi and the- de La Rues rea.ppear in Migne .. P.G.!, 10= eols. 1.5-50; and 11 (eols. 37-42 for Af:t"i~tltms); respective:l.:tr ; as do~s Fabri.eius (P. G. ~ 10: eOlet. 35-~6L
\rol. l' (Florence!' 1746),
Les Cestes~ p. 85.

COJ5~ 897-980, cit~d by

Vieille"food,

Ear~y

Guischard.

Studies

Within this. period there a1.so s.ppe.ar~11

minor references to

Afri~a.nu.s.,

inc~uding

but

fI..

'Work. with only

one 'Which was to have

some effect on the diaeussion or the length of the Kestoi.

of Bandini':9

Ca.ta1ogu~

rent. Plut. LY, ,od.

Vol~~

notl!S the 'presence of "part of the Kestoi in Lau-

nr~

pp. 231-:2'h4.,

8.-")d

varns of" the danger of con-

fusing Julius Africanus, the author of the Kestoi and t.he ChronographY"
;,rith others of the Sar:Dene.me from

ear~ier

times. 2

Volume 3 prints a..

short ite!D; Ek tou AphrH::anou keston hoper esti keston ig p. 'ke.Eh. kb~
kathartiJca hapla; :from Laurent.

Pluto LXIV., Cod9 XX!II:. p. 204.

Finally; RoseomUller seemed to identify Julius Africanug as a priest

(Presby:ter Nico:oolitamls), fLnd mentioned Valesius' IS vi.ew J perhaps

f'&vorably. but concluded tllat the dispute was :foreign to his present
purpose.

~ritioue!3 et histo.ri ues

lusiers oints d'antiguite mili taire, vol. 3 {177 }, cited by V1eillefoDd:o Les Cest.es, II.
"88, n. 169 Vieille'fond here cOrrects a commonly repeated state:rn.ent
tha.t Guischs.rd1s work vas a translation. During this period at least
three a.ttempts at tr~p)alating Af'ri<::8Jl.us were made ~ 'but few were COCl::pleted and none were publ:ishe!:d (8ee the a.urvey in Vieillefond)Les
Cestes 7 pp. 86-89. 91, 93~99).
\1emo1Tes

sur

2AngelO Maria ~andini, Catal0!Ms codicum manuscriptorum bib110thecae medicea.e Laul"ent.ianae varia continens 0 era Graec:orwn t)a'trUll:.~
3 vols.- (Floren ce: Typi s Caesariis, 17 4; Typis r: egii a, 1 768, 1770;
repro 3 vols. in2~ ueip:dg; Zen:tru-Antiqua.riat der Deutsc:he-n 1)e.mokratischen Republit ~ 1961), 2 (1768): cols. 232~33.

Jroid ., 3 (1770): col. 127.

4Jo. Georg. RosenmUller:o Historia interpretat10nis librorum

~ac:rt.mJ

~cclesia

5 vols. in .II; {Leip2.ig: Jo. Got'tfr.

Hanisch .. 1795-1814 I:but orig. 'Publ. earlier; So German trans. va.s publ.
at Leipzig in 1 791J L Pars tertio. continens period!;Jf!J II. s.b Orisene
ad .10. ChryaostQl!l'l..?met Cxp:ria.no a.d Augustinu:m (1807L .p. 151 J with
in

Clttisti8J16"

note 1. He therefore con~entr&ted attention on Africanuss interpretational l.i'J"itings;t the l~ttl!':rs. In this context he penned the fuous
line of tribute to Atricanusts critical a.bility a8 ehmm in the

48

Study QC Arricanus

The f'ortunes of At:r-icanu.s, ancient encyclopedist" in this

period are somewhat

:r-eflect~d

by his :r-elatiom,lobip to

tution, thE! Encyclopaedia. Britannica..

two eM tions ~

(1791)~

&

modern 1nsti-

lie :fa.iled to make the .first

eJld when he finally- appl!!LTed in "l'obore I s Dublin ed. 1I

there was no reference to thl!!' Kestoi.

Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

As stat.ed above .. in the introduction to t.he

chapter~

this

period was especially concernl;!d with pUblicatiorJ of ancient frae;tnents

'The ea.rly

de~ades

Th.e c.entur'J opened rather slo'Wl;'r' in the t"ealm of Africe.:niana.

Routhts Reliquiae Bacrae made avai1able most of Africanus's Christian

'Wl"it.ine;s" but omitted the Keatoi aa semi-ethnicum

toris. 3

ana

incert.i &uc-

Then ,. neal" t.he qu.a.rter century cuk, Augustus Neander

epistle To Origen ~ uIn haec llnaEpiato1a.., qua.e "ix duabua paginis

constat,. plus est verae eruditionis exegeticae:> quam in omnibus
Origenis Commente.riis et :Homiliis1t (:3 ~161) This viev becB.nJ.e :somewhat standard for the next century . . and even to tbe present.

~il"sted. ~ 3 vols.

(Edinburgh, 1768-71); Zd ed']I 10 vols.

{EdinoUl"gh, 1778-83)

2Ei g."te en vol s . (Dubli D: J. ~fo.o:re, 1 791- 97), 1 (1791): 228..

This seems to be the SB.!De as the 3d ed. ~ 18 vol:9. (Edinburgh, 1797).
(The article also introdu~es Juliu5 Caesar (rather tha.n Je-sus Chr15t;
an incorrect expansion 01' an abbreviated ,tJ. C. ,,']] as the c'::linJax of

Africanus's 5500 year

~r&

from creation.)

3Second ed.. lo 2=502. Routh 1 s 'Work, prograJIIl!!atice,11y sub-titled

Sive auctorlJJD. "fere Jam 'p~rdH.orl..ur. secundi tertii-i'.1~ so.ec'tui post Chri:9turfl na:t\:otl quae SI.1per StU'! t" remB. ins in use in thi s so(! cond edition. It
was originalljr pUblished in four vol~eg at Oxford. 1814-18. Routh IS
cc11ec:tion still remains the
frag!llen t e

onl~r

real one .for the Chronogra.phy

Early Studies
presented a t:l"ibute similar to RoaenmUller t g to Africanus s critical

ability, and added what

Cave and Tillemont.

w~s

in @ssence a modific8tion of the view of

He suggested tho:.t tne di vere;,ent cbaracte:r of

the Kestoi was because

it vas probably written 'Qy Af:ricanus "'bef"or-e

his habits of' ttdnking had becO!Ile decidedly Chriati.an t11 (or nbef'ore

he had devoted himself to religious 6ubjects u 2').

Fragments of the Kestoi

In 1839]1 tbere appeared W'esterma.nn.I:s Parndox0Kt,8.phoi .. vhich
included Micbael P~ellt1s's peri paradoxon a.nagnosma,ton.

Psel1us t in

turn, had. included summa.ries o:f many of th@ mOre '-magical" items in

the Kestel. 3

\olest.e!'Jllilnn

!lccept~d the ancient t.estimonies as to

8.utho%"Ghip]l and further aceeptE!:d the s.tt::d'but.iot.J of various excerpts

in the GeoDonica to Africanuo notirlg that thej' llere tvin to those

in Psellus.

In 1841 and for several years thereafter t A. :J. )i. Vinc(!'nt

devoted part of his attention to the publication and explication of'

lGenera.l History of" the Christian Rel1ion andChurch~ 9 vols.

trans. Joseph Torrey~ rev. ed. (London = George ~ell and So~s) 1890}~
2 ~ .Ii "9 and note. (Th e fi rst German e di tiorJ appeared i.e 6 'V'ol'Ul'rtes ~ Hwnburg~ 18:25-'52). Despite the perpett1B::tion of 6. variant of this quotati on by the EnCYC lopaed.i a Br1 tan."1 i ea (see ne-rl note), thi s vel"si on
seems to be subject to the ,fIa!Ile disabili tjr as the origina..l suggestion
of Ce.ve and Tillemont: the Kestoi cannot be dated earlier the.."1 the
Chronor~h;..r, and certainly notth8tl:!lucb ea.rlier.
2EncyClopaed,i e. Brit-annica, 9th ed. (1875; a.nd continuing
through subaequent editions to 1969)., s..V. trAfricElmlS, Julius."
lwestcrmann t pp. xliii-xlvii, and

Thid., pp. x1:'Ti-:X1-vii.

1~J-46.

50

Study of Africsnus

ce-rtain of t.he Ke5toi texts,.

~specia11y

those rela.ting to g:jusic and

t.o e;eometry.l
In 1864~ Hultsch pUblished most o~ th~ peri metron kai stathmon
as two separate fragments going back to first century ( ?) Alexandrian
authcrs. one a J eli.
to Africanus,

A doz;en ye-ars

~ate1" t

fUll tens, with asc:r i pt i on

'Were- publisbed in :rapid succession by Duchesne and La.-

ga:rd~. 3

~LetteT to tile President of' the Academie des Inscriptions ~t

Belles-Lettres dePari:':>t L'Institut, IP~ section,. 6 (1841)= 173-15.
The! main part of t.he letter was a. trfl.Jlslation of 'Parts of chapters :2
(pentagon and musical n.otes in a poison recipe) and 76 (fire signal~)
of Thevenot's ~dit10n of the ~stoi. The latter chapter is no longer
credited t.cAfricl.nus and Vincent notes i 1;.5 questiona.ble status a.t the
end of tll~ letter. This lett.e:r +;las reprinted hrithout a P.S. included
in l' lnsti t!.lt } under the bee.diIlg "HistoiTe du Matheroa.tics,. U Comte5
rendus he:bdOOlada.~ es des seances de l' Acad.emie des Sciences Paris ~
~.4 lSL2 = 43~ljJ~ {and as -the last. i t~m in the fo!.lO\:ing work Th.e
full range of musical :signs in the Kestoivas di:9c:u~sed in "Extraits
rl
de~ Ceste3 de Jules It Afric:a5n
(part of a longer article,. rtNotice
sur 1.1"ois m..an.... scrits grec3 l"elatifs
180 musiqlJe,. avec une traduction
U
fran~aise et des commentaires ),. in Notices et ertraits odes man':lscrits
de in Bibl iothe ue du. roi et autre:!; 'bibliothe Ues, voL 1.6, part. "2
Pari s 2 1847 Cpa.rt 1 pub1 i shed in 1858 J : 3~~ 110-6 3, e.c companied by
nAddition: c-omDI'.miqu~e par f-L l~ Docteur Roulin relativ aux animaux
mentione par Jules llAfricain,.F1 pp. 561-64. 'l'his was :follcrwed by
'tExtl"fl.i t des Cest.ee de Jules l' Africa.in" (pEL..~ of t1Ertra.its des manuscrits relati fs ! ~I.. geooetrie pra:tiqu.e des Grecs" I. Notices etextraits
19~
part 2 Cl.858 [part 1 pUblished in lB62}); 407-15. Thi s
latter contained a text and translation of "'1'0 find tbe \otidth of :li
river or the height of a vall II (ch. 21.~ Thev~llot; Vieillefond. I. 15).

e.

2Fridericus Hul tsch~ l05etrologicorum script-orill!J religuiae, ;:

vols. (Lei~zig; B. G. Teubner, 186L~ 1866), 1=257-59 (no. 81), and
300-2 (no. 95). T,Jith introductory ttla.te:ria.l,. J)p. 20-21,. 80-81. 138-40,
156-61. Vol. 2 gave the Latin translation of Cal:vus de Ra.... enna (pp.
lL.2-~6, with introduction, :pp. 14-16, 39- 4 3).
3 L Duchesne~ 11111. Fra.gments metrologiques," Archivesde::s
missions scientl~iques ~t l1tteraires (Paris) 3d series. 3 1~876);
318-85; raul de Lagarde, SYmmicta 1 (G5ttingen: Die'terichtsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1877): 166-13.

51

Early Studies
R~ferJ!'nce

YOrks

Mean\,fhile, Afriean'lls received notice in various encyclopedia.s,

dictionaries,. and other Tef'eTence

works~

seculQr a.s 'Well as religious.

Generall;,', the nttmbe:r 01' books in the Kes'toi vas held to be nine (even
by those 'Who "ere'

13)"

a.'lrtar~

or thl!' katbartika ballla. fragment from Kestos

though sometimes the fI.1ternatives ,. 9,

Or

~4, or 2h ,.lo~re simpl:t

g1 ven.

The-preference for this figure

V6.S

mainly based on t\,fO 8.1"131.1-

ments:

the projection of Sy-n<:el1uss

enneabiblon back to Eusebius

(Ii la Sealiger) , lind a form of the f1lectio origina11s 11 text critical

~finont it :s~em.ed ealiJier

1<.5"

hom

1i

to explain the '1.15" a5 .an error f'rom e",. and

6""J than to l"ever s c tLn.:r{ part or the

vri ters B.Ccepted tbe unity of

autho~sf!i

SI!! q

u@ncII! .

Most

f the

of the Kestoi and the Chronog-

raphy and letters .. ' but several tried to put the Kestol in an earlie:r-.
lTh. Henri Ma.rtin .. HRecherches sur 180 vie et les ouvragee
d' HeTOn d f Alexandrie t H Memoires p:r~sente5 par di...ers savants a l' Ac E!..d~m1e des Inscr1 tions et Belles-Lettres de- l'Institut Imeria.l de
France .. preJtliere serie-;. tome:
Paris, 1- 5 ~ 3 3; H. Koehly andW.
Ru.:s.tow,. Griechische Kriegsschriftsteller .. zv;reiter Theil: Die Taktiker,
zweite Abtheilung: Des Byza."1t1ner Anon;ymus Kriegswissenschaf't. (Lt!!ipzig= Wilhe~ Engelmann .. 1855)~ p. T; Duchesne, p. 380; Georg~ SB.1!noo]o
"Ar-icanus J J'uJ.1'U5 .. " Dictiona
of' Christian Bio a h
Li terat-ure]o
S~c:ts and Doctrines, ed. William Smith and Henry Wac:e, 4 'loIs.
Boston:
Little;. Brown:; and Co,;, 1877-81),. 1; 56. Martin knE!"W 01' the ka:t.ha.r-t-ikahapla f'r>agment (p. 355 ,wi th n. 3) trOnl L!UIli.; and K5e hly and RUstov
spe~i:fic:ally reject anJrsign.i:fiea,nce for the boak nUlIJoer in llandin! t s
notit::e in dec:ifdOnEJ on the question (p. 1, n. 1).
2

LsmbeCK (Coaune:ntELEl,. ed. Kollar J 1: cola. 426-27) seems to

ha.....e been t.he f'irat to 50 argu~.

3.rhe exceptions vere: Ernst H. F. Mey~rt Oesehiehte der

Bota,nixjo4 vols~ in :2 (Konigsberg; Oebz-uder Borntrager,. 1854-5"'71 ..
2 11855) = 220-:26; J .B. Pi tra ~ Spicill2'gium Solesttlense ~omplecten5
Banc:toruIn o.trum scri to!"umcue I!!:cclesiasticorurn ane-cdota hactenus
o era selec:tfJ. ~ G:ra~cis Orientalibu.s ue et La.tinis eodic:1bus.
vols.
Paris ~ P. Didot Frat1"'e8~ 1652-58) J 3 (1855); 1\"i1 and :n. 9; Md
especially, J-bhn W' Clint-ock. and James Strong, Cyclot:J&e:dia of Bibli.cal,.

52

Stu.dy of Afl"icanus

pagan period of

A.f~icanus's

lite J even if this 1Deant giving up the:

dedication to Severu5 Alex..ander+l.

On e si gn i fl cant advance

WB.:B

co-::IIposit.e nature ot the milit.ary

separat.ion between
what s111Ular

ch~pters

cha.pter5~

the recognition by Mart in of "the

~oll.ect.ions9

This resulted in a

actually coming from

African~~

and

~O~e-

drawn more or less directly f'rOll1 earlier writ-

erg such as Aeneas Tacticu5, which

~bllowed

them in the manuscript

....
tradi tions and in the editiQt! b:f '.1'hevenot . .:;;
Opinion 'Was somewlUlt d.i vidc!d &s to Af'ri C&nus 1 s churchly conne~tions~

only

B.

:few writers &cce:ptinE!; the idea of an episcopal

status Ji but se'Ve:ral allowing for

fI.

possible presbyterate.

Opinion

Theolog,ical and Ecclesiastical Li terature.~ 10 vols. (Ive\o' York; Har~er

and 'Brothers., 1S"67-81)., 4~1092-93., s.v.- 1iJu.lius .t\fricanus. " The lQst
item dist1n~1shed oetloreen Julius A:fricanus and Julius Sextus (!).,
crediting the suggestion to Dupin.

thbdo:x.~"

~artin! "Re~berches gur Heron~n noting t.bat he was Hpeu o;r-

(p. 343) ~ dated it 2lo-rr, but vith the chapter on al"Ill9 ,Yhich
mE;lntions Peraia..'VJs rather than Parthians, tLdded btlt...,een 2:26 and 232 (W.
349-52); A. Sevest:re '" Dictionnaire de pQtrblogis... 5'.1015. (-Nouvelle
enc:;yclO'pedi~ theol.oEj,que) '\tols. 20-23 bis; Paris = J. -? J,ugne, l8'5155), :3 :22J (185~ ); cola. 932-37 ~ ILV. ;'Ju..1@s Africain tl ; L.-F~ Guerin,
Dictions-i.re de Phistoire universellede IIEglise, 6 'Vols. (=En~'yclo
reclietheolc"gig"ue, vols. 51-56-, Paris: J .-P. Migne .. 1854-73)!I< 5 [55)
~i865); 1:01s. 598-602, s. v. ,rJules Africain. tt Similarly ~ Th. Pressel,
nJuli us Af'ri c anus ," Rea.l-Encvkloplldi~fUr "PTotestantische 't'heoloRieund
Kirche .. ed. J. J. Herzog", 22 vole. (S1;.uttga,rt and Hll!li'burg: R. Besser:.
1854-68) 7 (1857): 155-56~ followed Neander's viev~
pp. 351-6~, eel". 355-61.
onl..y 37 chapters as. authentic ~ attributing the addition or t.he' othe.rs to the compiler- {vnom be tenta.tively called Hero
of' Constantinopl~ Cpo 361J). This view had been anticipated by Boivin)
~ho had denied certain ch~pt~rs to AfricanUS 2 accepting only Q4 as
ll..\lthenti c (s ee the disc 'l.1as i on a.'b ove 1n connec t i on with the pre aent-a-

Martin

~arti:n, HRecher-che's sur Heron~ "

r~ga.rded

t10n of Thev~not.ls edition). (See further ~lowt at the diEicussion

of Vieil1efond t Jules Africain) 1932).

Early studies

53

vas equall)' divided as to his homeland, Africa or Syritl..

of JrnO'llll!dge during this period ca.n ~
contrasting articles.

pe:rhap~"lo

The state

be represented by tvo

Sa..1J:!lon' s article in Smith and Wace is a tulJ.,

careful presentation (albeit 'With

BODle

oI!:rrors ..

8,S

e. g. ~ the DUlnber of

books in the Kestol, !Uld th~ likelihood of cOImDentaries by Af'%'ic&nus)

of se:bolarly knowledge to tbat time.

Mea.nvhile, the En.cIclopaedia

Bri t fl..Ylr.i{; a upde.t ed its aTt i cle s01De'\o"ha:t"lo but it vas st ill bri ef 10 general .. and inconclusive; tbe Kestoi was introduced tenta.tively and
this vas followed by (a di.stortion oft) ttt!'ander's suggestion.
latter article is proba.bly more b:roe.d.ly

of t'he t

rE!pr~sent8.ti ve

Th~

of the views

i~e.s.

The- dis<:uasion f'Or the next decades, beginnine; in 1880.. was

dominated by two names ."Heinrich Ge:h:.er .and Adolf He.rnack.
appeared on the scene

B.B

the author of

B.n

Aut.horitative

VQr}::

Gelzer
on Af-

ricanus (especially concerning the Chronography) .. '3 while Harnack i

So

lQ. Afric9.P1us t JuJ.ius. U

2

Encyclopaedi a. Bri tanni c a., 9t11 e d. (18'75), 1: 213. ( On

Neander .. ~ee above, p. 49 vith nfl. 1 and 2.) This article also
tentativelY introducE!d the by-nOJr:le Sextus (I1AFRICANUS, JULIUS, ca.lled
.also SEXTUS by Suidas t n), and. suggested that he vas probably e.

priest.
3aeiJll'i ch Gelz.el" , Sextus Jul.i us Afr1canus und diE! By:tantinhche Chronographie,. erster Theil: Die Chronographie des Julius
Africanus (Leipzig: B. G+Teuoner, 1880); z'Ile1ter Theil,. erste A'btheilung: Die Nachfolger des Julius Af'rieanus (Le1pz.ig: B. G+ Teu'bn~r,
1885); zveiter Theil. zweite Abtheilune;: Naehtr6fje (Leipzig: J. C.
Hinr1 chs I sche Bucbhandlung I 1898); also, an article,. IIZ U Af'ric:anus 1i tt
JahrbucherfiiX' RTotti!st:a.ntisch:e Th~o10Bie 7 (1881): 376-78.

St udy

0f

Ai"ric anus

posl tiotl was developed more alowlJr in a cont.inuing series of' articles

and studies.

Gelzer answered most of the critical questions of his day,

and his vievs became dominant in the f'ol.loving years.

There vas only

one Africanus involved, Senus Julius Af'ricanus, a Christian from

Latin Africa, associate of kings and emperors,

~ho acc~panied

Sep-

timius SeVe1"U5 on his Osrhoenian campaign, a milit.ary man .. not an ec-

~lesiastic. and a

widely 'travelled I!:I8.n.

The Kestoi, dedicated to

Alexander Se'ierus t vas probably eompleted in the first half of his

reign.

It \faS a sort of

;~ea..lencyclopiidie," though

not exclusively

natura.l science., especially chara.cteri7.ed 'by thaumasia, probably baving Pe.re.dQxe. as a sub-ti tl e .
is incorrect ~ ra.thel' 1 t i

t.o its

nllscella:n~-ous

Vale!3 i us l' a explanation of the main tit Ie

'Tapestry" or "Bbbroidelj'" 1''' in reference

(V'erttlls:::ht}

contents.

The number of.' books

""as e-ith~r 1,," or 24, Syncellus proba.bly having an incomplete copy,3

The

~ombinat1on

of

th~ sh~.

critical sense of the

lett~r

coneerning

Susanna, fI.Il.d the cre.ss superstition of the Kestoi is explainable in

~onte:ntporary

of Septimi ;1S Sever-us j Voss correctJ..y

l

' d'
I'
~
t o
Hm to tnat described in Ha rian a Ie-ttel".

cO'l~pared

it.

tbe si tua.-

Remains of the Kestoi.

-Beginning 'With the article ~ uJu:lius Af:ric&lus .. ~I in f:eaiEneyklopa.d1e fUr protestant.i 9~he Theologi~ und Ki:rche l ed. J-:--J: Herzog and G. L. Plitt, 2d ed ... 18 vo1s. {J..ei"pzig; J. C. ainrichs. IH7188)~ 7 (l88e): 296-98; and continuing to at least 1925.
2 Ge1 z. er , Se:ctus. 1:1-11.
~

Ibid ... pp. 16-17.

3Ibid.1' p .. 12.

Also, the pr12.ed book Africanus purchased

in Egypt was one of the Hermetic 'book.s (p. 4).

55

Early Studies

are found among the Byzantine tactical,

collections"

!lS ~1J.

asricultnTal~

and veterinary

as smile ether fragments, and in P9~llus t s ex-

cerpt .

The year follo\oi'ing the publiciltion

01"

his first volUll:;e I Gelze:r

published a brief a.rticle ampl! tying flJ1:d clarifying certain points ..

only

t\orQ

relating to the KestoL

The first docu:n:.ents the rejection of

the nine-book total far the Kee.toi (1: 12 L citing a. cOlI:IlIunication from
K. K. Milller regarding the :fragment from Keeton 13 (CQrrected by

Gelzer, as by others of his time to Keston l3); the second ~o.lled. a't-

tention to examples of nu:merous tnanus~ripts {of the milita17 vr1ters)

besides Codex Regius 2106 (e:it1!'d in

inscription Iouliou

Se-X'tUS

Af~ik.f1.nou k~stos

text of the Kestos 13

fra~ef.lt ..

zt. 2

1;13) ""bich included the

(X. K. MillIer pub1isned the

kathartika hapls.. 1.rith a German trans-

16:tion" in a later number of the same volwne. 3)

The later parts of

Gelzer's work are chiefly of inte.rest her-eo a.s announcing and then
poatponing plans for publicat.iQ.n of the fragments of Africanus.

Harnaek's
app~ared

in

rir~t systemati~ pr~sentation

1:1

eoncerning Africanus

same year as Gelzers first volume .. and agreed with

th~

Gel:ter in J!an,.v points (even suggesting the need f"or 5ucll a "basic

study as Gelzer was about to supply}.

Sextus Julius Africanus vas

lIbid.! pp. 13-16.

2"Zu Africsnus,,' Jah:rbucher fUr protest.antische Theolosie

{l8BI): 316-78.

3 rrZU Julius Af'rics.nus,,"

ologi!!.

Jahrbucher fi1r protestantische The--

7 (1881): 759-60.

1I.S~rtus

zwei t@:r 'Ibeil, E!Z'Ste Abthe i lung. p. vi.. and zore i t.~
A'btheilung .. p. 429., resp~cti "o+ely.
't

St.udy of Mr icanus

56
likely a Li oyan.

tLS

Sui das as sert ed,. ho.d contact s "i th various royal

houses 'Ii and vaB probab1y th~ author of th(i' Kestoi (a

Salnlnel'We-rkes"), but he vas also probably

[L

tr

re1cbhalt1gen

pl""esbyter. 1

Probably by

!I.

misprint ~ he ~red.it-!'d Syncellua wit.h r~:POrting !2. books (but follm.red

lI.

few lines later by t.he enneab;i"blon passage).

He :further credited

Du Pin with first. suggesting the: two Africanu5 hypothesis. .. .a vie-w he

bimself

~egarded a~ doubtf~1.

Gel-zer's first volume,.. Ra.:rnack

zer l

YieW' that Af'ric:anus va.s

of Sept imi1.15 Seve rus.

The following y@aT, in a

reported~
fI.. 1~~7

revi~

of

apparently apPl'o1riogly .. Gela former offi.cer in the forces

Eleven ye-ns later ~ Hs.rnack suggested two more i tetrJs for Africanu.a'

E;I

repertoire--he was atransla..to1' and medical writer.

Start-

ing f"rotn Gelzer J s argwnent that Afri <: anus k.new La tin,. baying us.ed

Sue:t.onius IS De regibus in his Chronography, Harnack argue:d for Africanus as the translator of

fL.

Greek version of Tert-w.litu'l. t s Apology

llbich lias apparently used by Eusebius.

Further,. Africalll.ls and the

translator fit -the same general place' and tUne,. and Afr1canus

ve.Ei

credited by late-r t.radition a.s a t!"9.nslatQr (from Greek into

Latin).

t.

His title to

8.,

place among the medical W'ri ters comes from

1"Juliu5 Africanus,u pp. 296 and 298.

A.fricanusts year and

pla~e of birtb were unkno"Wn ~ but 'he was still alive after 2bo (p.

Ibid.

296 L

p. 2'98.

~eview of Sextus Julius Africanus und die ltLzfl.ntiniscbe Chroni?1Q::a.phie, -er8t~r Thll!il t b~' li~inrich Gelzer. in Theo"togische Literatgzeitung 6 (1681): cols. 278-837 esp. col. 278.
!I'-Die griechische Ueberset-zung de5i ApOlogeticus TeTtulli61lus, II

1[ 8. no.

(1892}; 32-36.

57

Early Studies

the Kestoi. which fUrthl!!' serves to show the breadth of his interests,
iOUB y 'C he..re.ctel',

and tbeir sec:ulat', even super sti t

&longs.i de the the-

ological interests and critical abilities shown in his other works. l

Arri~g,nus

o.ppears tvice in

Harne.~k s

Geschlchte der alt-

chI:ist11chen .Li tteratl.:J.r bis Euse't!'ius, the first acco-unt by his assistant

E. Preuschen ~ the second by Harnac:k.

much
C'MUS

Preuschen' s vtevs are

him.s~lf.

same as Harnack r s, butl:!lore d.efinite

th~

Oll

some

point~.

Afr-i-

is 'Sextus (1) Jul.i US Afr1canus. eio Ar~t," and the Kestoi con-

tains 21. books.

The t'W'o AfrlcMu5 theory :i.8 tr.ace-d back to Sca.1iger

B.:!iC: Valois,. 'but both

it and the Itpre-con.....ersion" view are impossible.

Rather .. the Kestoi results f'ronl tne period of ex.cesa.ive syneretism i.D

which Africanu5 lived. 2

Preusch~n. also cited Roaenmll11er'g co~ariBon

of the critical a.bilities of Africe.fJUf' and Origen. 3

Harnaek t

theory of Afri canusa 9 translator

He also present.ed

t Tert ull ian T 5 AtJol0f\r ..

s.nd o.dded Pi.tro. I s tvo fragments (the Syria..:: "Caput~' concerning Moses.

QIld Elijah, and the Scholion

bondage) to the list of

ltB-'l'"DB.ck s account

~oncerning

}'1a.I1asseh t s escape fi"QI!I .Ass)rrian

pos5ib~e A~ri~~ian items. 4

appeare~

B,y

the ttme

in the second part of tbe vDrk,. Grenfell

and Hunt s discovery of the end of the

~ighteenth

book had set.tled

the question of the number of books in the Kestoi (thus Justifying

the conclusion of Preuse:hen),. but, besides the confirmation of unit:"

1"Medic1nisches aus der ~lte5ten Kirchengeschichte,"
no. ~ (1892) = 43-4~ (in part 1 .. 'Christlie:hc! Art r.e Ir ) .

roB,

Erster Theil: Dil!' Uber11 ef"erun,g und deL Bestand der al tchriatlichen Littera:t'lll" bisEusebius (Leipz.ig: J. C. Hinrichs' ache
.Bu~hhl9.nd1ung, 1893), Pi'. 50'7., 508 3 51l.

3
Ibid.. ., p. 51:2.

Ibid . ., p. 513.

Study of Africanus

56
of

authorghip~

nack here

B1~o

not otherwise affecting any of the conclusions.

suggested

Paradox~

which is char-Qcte-rized a9

r1

as a second title

H&r-

~or ~he Kesto1~

e ine Art. VOn tec-lmischer Enz.yklopidie l.l.Dd

KID'"iositatensaJllrllung ...1

Thi a. article also Tepeated and ampl i f"i e d

Gelz.er's suggestion that

S~xtus

Julius kfricanus vas a. Latin-spca.k.ing

officer vbo had B.ccompanied Severus on his Osrhoenian eX})edition of'

r Xl

A. D 195.

this connect ;ton,. Harnack Dot ed A:fri can us

having seen both

b'L..

~leged

2'

In

th~ ~W)time,.

Jon curygJ..Q..

prot~stantische
~ne:fit

Geschichte~

AfTicanusis
1

~l~rical

Zveiter
tur his Euse'bius,

una

Kirche

:from the Ox:!rr'hypchus d1sSaEe

as those

this included the introduction of the

reference to the Osrhoene campaign ~ vith date

and the qu.estioning of

statu5 J a poBsibility no longer

~ven~entioned in

Chronologie deraltch:tistlicn~n Litt~:ro.Band~ Di~ Chronologie der Litteratur VOn

Theil~ Di~
~weite!"

Ireno.eus his Eusebiu8 (Leip2.ie:~ J.

p. 91.

Theologie

but. otherwis(l' the views were ess.entiau..v the

'to appear in tht:!

0f

Harnack"" 8 revised. article in 'the third edi-

had a.ppeared tvo yf?ars too ea:rly to

3

report

si'tes of Noah s a.rk,. Mt. Are-rat and Cela.enae

tlon of the RealeQcyklgpadie fUr

covery,

s,

c.

H1nri:=hs'sche Buchhandlung, 1904) 7

2!bid . p. B9. The speci~ication of' the year of th~ campaign

in this connection (Gelzer gives the dat~ [Sextus .. 1:5J t but s.epal"ated
fram this part of the &CCOl~t (p. 8J by several pages of discussion)
is Harnack'a, addition .. and becomes characteris.tic for late-l" sm:I!Dp_ries
of AfricMus' is life. . (By eo. slip of the pen I Earna.ck transf'e!'"red
Ce:laen.ae :from Phrygia to Phoenicia.) Me.anvhile, Ge1z.e:r t Ei collection
of fragJ!le';nts had still not appeared. (pp. 90-91).

~ound.ed b~r .L J. Herzoe; ~ ed. Al bert )fauc k .. 24 vols. (I.e i P z ig ~

J. C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung) 1896-1913}, 9(1901}: 627-26,.

B.V.
IlJi1l1us Africanu!!I Se>::,\:.'tu.s' (sic).
This 'Wa.s followed by a date of
death
of 'tnach l~O" (but gt'llen correctly in the body of' the .arti-:=:le).

Early Studies
th~

Aricanus's lifespan ~as given as from about 160

later article.

-~.... er 2ho. 1
to soon I:L1
of: t.he K~stoi.

59

There was al.so e. somewhat

e Paradoxa

full~r

ehare.cteri20ation

e10e Art von En~yklQpadi~ der rea11stischen Wisaenscharten, der

angewandten Mathematik und d~:r Technik Sj::wesen :;!.u sein, z. T.
e.ngefiUlt mi t kuri5s (!'n.. llppi schen. mirak'Ul-os en t tL"ld lI.ns t3s s igen
Dingen (wesshalbA. o.ls Verfasser in Zvei:i'el gezogen ist). Ve:r-

5fent.licht sind bisber Abschnitte

zurTaktik, zur
Kunde

'IJ..

s. v. 2.

Med.i~in

Harnack s last

tban a decade and

vi e....~.

~um

Landbau,

und Veterinar-Medizin t

pronounc~@nts

Messkunde t

2tir

~urGeheimmittel-

concerning Af'ricanus came more

half later, and. presented

6o~e

modif:ication of

They 'Will, there fore, be presented belov ~ a:f'ter

eOnS iderat i

on

of" other developE:ll;mts whic:h had occurred in the int.ervening period.

Gec"oonir:a and HipI2.itltrica
Tbe la.st t .., lO de cade 5 of' the n i net(!-enth cent u.ry saw d;i sc lUi-

sions concerning various suggested sources of additional

from. the Kestoi.

fr~en~s

The !!'lost :notable of sUch so\.U"Ces vas the Geoponica ..

lIbid., p. 627.

2Ibid . t p~ 628. An abbreviated :form of this article appeared

in Engli6h in The Nev Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia. of Religious Knovl~dget
ed. Samuel J'I..acau.ley Ja.ckson, 12 vols.. {Ne1II' York and London: Fl..mk &
1r
~agnallst 190B-12)t 6 (1910): 26~-65~ s.v. IrJuli'lls AfrieMus. Serlu5.
There is nO referenc~ t.o the OxyrbynChU8 papyrus, even in the BibliOgi'aphy. By!ln interesting mistranslation, this version als-o I!I8...X~S
Africanus E1 ",-riter on .rlitur-giolog:,' (for th~ original ''MesskWldeu - 1~nu-veyinglP). It also tones down t.he description of th.e Kestoi some-

\7ha:t, and eli.ttlinates 9. reference to Africanus as a. possible translator

of Ter-tullian &&-olo&:.
Harnack's Militia Christi: die Christliche Reli ion und d~~
Soldat~nsta.nd in den ersten drei JahrhlL"lderten TUbing,en:- J ~ C. B.
Moht't 1905) includes Africanus and the ta~tic!l.l sections of the K~stoi
aa (exceptional) ~X!Lmples of' involve:D,znt of early Christians 'With the
military (p. 13 lLnd n. 3), but does not contain any adVMCeInent of the

study of' the

K~Eitoi.

60

study of A1"ricanuB

on oce chapte:r of \fbich .. book

7~ chapter

1.la" interpreters since Boivin

had relied t.o ShOll the Christian st.e.tus of the author of the Kestoi.

In 1884 t Wilhelm Gemoll t vhile holding to 'the identity of' authorship"

argued that the compiler of the Geoponlca had not u5ed Af'rieanu5 di~~ct1y,

BO

that the chapter attributions were suspect. 1

But compari-

sons of Psellus and the-Thevenot-Boi rln text. lli th the Geopon1ca aleo

suggested thg,t

'Were probably in the Ge-opon1ca. nUlnerous it.ems

th~re

from the Kestoi not

50

identified and thus impossible to distinguish

noy. 2
Eugen Odei't though presenting a diff'e:rent view of' the

.all development of the- Geoponica,

last tva pointe;

reB.cb~d

the same

cOfi~lU8ion

OVeT-

on the

only one 'Passage is identl.f'ied in the text itself

as from Af'ricanus (Geop. 5. 45. 2), and compa:rison '\.li tb Psellus tLnd
The'V~not-Bo1vin

show:. contra Gelzer, that the passage9 ascribed to

Af'ricanus in the lelJllI:!ata co.nnot be accept.ed vithout questio.n; but

neither should

Afr1c&nu!;I.3
1dE!ntity of:

th~

Geoponica be

c~let~ly

eliminated as a source tor

On other points of A.frieania.na t Oder argued for the

a.uthorshi:p~

books n must. have been

aT.!

for 24 books in the Ke-sto1 (Syncellus'E fTnine

epitome:t and onewuld hardly mak~ a 9-book

~:ntersuehungef.lUb~rdi~ Quellen!l den Vl!'rfasser 'W'ld die Ab-

fassungs'ZE!'it. dt!l" Geopon:tca, Berliner Studien .fUr classische Philologie

und Archaeologie, ed. Ferdinand Aseherson (Berlin; S. Calvar:l,r & Co.)?

(188~):

85, 86, 91-92 .. 228 (a.lso pUbliShf:!d eepo.rll.tely by Calvary?

1883) + GeIBo11 also felt that the Thevenot-Bo-i vin tt!X1. va.s not. Just
from books 6 &.nd 7 of the Kestoi, but vas ~ e-xtrac"t frOlD the whole
york (p~ 86).
.
2

Ibid.:. pp.

81-92.

3lf.Beitrlge zur Gesc-hichte der Land\l'irthschaf't bei dt!n Griechen t"

Rheinig~bes Mus~um

tOr EbiloloBie n.s. 45 (1690): 82-83.

61

Es.rly Studies

epitome of a l.l;-book l1Or-k);lI divided into four divisions of six books

each, corresponding to the contents as given by Syncellus (i.e-.

iatrikon~

ph;rsikon. SeOrgikon, &nd Ch..:i,meutikon).1

Wbile thl!!

B(mrCe~

'Correctly connect the title paradoxa with the Kest.oi, this is probably

the tItle of one of the divisions (-the ("..eorgika) not a. second t1 tIe
of the vhole work a.s Gelozer Buggested..

.2

Ode:r mE!ntioned Gelzer' 5 pro-

posed edit.ion of the tragxnents of Africa.nus, 3 but in a. later addi tiQn

to the discu.ssion t he Ilott!d a. diviston of the

pUblice.tion~

the Kestoi

fragment.s would not be- edited by Gelzer .. but by K. K. MU1.1e-r in his

edit.ion of the Greek mili tfLry 'Writers (Kriegssc:lrriftBteller).

Oder t s vievs ""ere seconded by Max !hm, 'Who suggested that the

chapter ascriptions in the

co~ion co~ilationt

were as trustworthy as those

or

the H1py iatrica,

the Geoponica. were untru6tvorthy or

even fraudulent. 5
Antonius Baumstark . . in addition to presenting

iI.

st1.ll d1f-

ferent vie'lol' of t.he developltlent (and reconstruction of the text) of"

the Greek Geoponica, especially empha.aizing the role of the Oriental
'Versions, vas more sanguine a.bout the AfriclJ.nian ele:ments in tbe
~

2
Ibid ... p. 82. - I b i d . , pp. 81 ~ 82.

3Ibid.:> p. 82.
~

"Beltrage ~ur Gesehichte del" Lands'lK:1:rthschaft bei den

Gl"iechen. III,tt Rbeinisches Mu!!eUl!l fUr_Philologie n.5. ~8 (1893): 2~
in the continuat1onof note 1 fl-om p. 1.

5nDie H1ppiatr1ca t " Rheinisches Museum fUr Pbilologie n.B.

47

(1892)~

314.

study of Africanus
Ge9P9nica.

Hovever t he simply emphasized their

suggesting any real

~ethod

pr~5eoce~

rather tbab

of identifying them speeifically.

The study or the Geopon1ca. reached something of a plateau in

the following yen with the publica.tion of a nell text by

Though continuous1y

critici~ed

for a

too-narro~

Beckh~

:2

manuscript base

and

f"ailure- to adequately consider the evidence or the Oriental versions,

it has not been

r~placed.

Tvo years later Oder himself turned to the Hippiatrica. cell-

ing attention to add! tiona!. chapters credited to Af':!'"icanus in the

C~bridge codex of the Hippiatrica. 3

Alchemy
A year after GenLoll l s study ~ A:fricanua t S name turned up in
the history of' alchemy.

His

me~iber'!3hi:p

in this fraternity

vouched for by hig purch&se of the book of Souphis

by Suidas's
a.l~hemical

de~crlpt1on~

and

by

the

~ppearance

wnil~

""'~a5

c;

in Egypt,"

or his name in various

works 1 especially in the list 01' nthe phi1osoplJers of the

di nr,e knov ledge and art PI at the begi nni ng of an alehem t: a1 manuscript

lrtLucubrationes S~e-G:raecae,u Jahrbucher :fUr classisc'he Philolop:ie [Annalium Philolop:.ip01"UIDJ 21J" Sup:ple~entband (~894): 404-5.

2Geop-onica

i!iViE!

Cassiani Bassi seholastici de re rusticae ec-

logae t ed. Henricus Beckh (Leip~ig~ B. G. Teubner~

lB95).

hippiatricorum codice Cantabrigiensi:>"

Philolosie n.8~ 51 (1895): 57-58.

3Eugen1us Oder! I1De

Rheinisehe Museum
~

M[arcel Pierre Eugene} Bertbelot,

(Paris: Georg~3 Steinh~il, 1885).

~s

?Reported by Syne~llus (D1ndorf 1:105).

origines

~e It&lcheoi~

63

Early St.ud.ies.

vhich Berthelot studied at the libra.ry of St. Mark (Codex Marc. 299).1
Asi.de from this, Berthelot I s viev of" A.frieanus
he

"'8.S

\fBI:;

somevhat atypical ~

a Syrian,. vho composed geogra.phical works, &s'Ilell M a his-

tor:.. . o.f ArmE!"oia. dralm from the tabularia of Edessa, fl.nd eo m.ilitary
The latter ntune is analogous in meaning to the

"ork., the Kest.oL

....
word Hantliology. n":

Elsewhere Berthelot na:med Africa.r.Ius among the

pagan writers, oef'ol"'e going on to discuss the Christian nJaJority

among alchemical autbors.

~
J

AfTicanus also appearea briefly in Ber-

thelot and Rue-llets collection of alchendcQ.1

~itit':lgs.

There~

he

was dated as roug.lUy contemporaneous with the morepromi nent {Chri Ei-

tian) e.lcheeJical writer

ZOSiPl1l8.

as were the pseudonymous writings

~~

attributed to Souphi5 (CbeQpa).

lBerthelot~ Q.,rigines, p. 187. See also Catalogue des manu8e1'its alchim.iQuesf..r~!.., 8vols~ in 3 (Brus.sels: M. Lamertin ~ 192~
32) ~ 3 ( 19211 ~ it fo1' the fHl.~e list in an Oxford c.odex (Boil. Libr.
DrOr"ille 401 [Auct X. 2. q. 31) 1:17279], p. 126 o:f l-fS).
2

Origines. p. 3,8-7. The re"fere!:lce to /l.rmenia and Edessa suggests Moses. of' ChoTene a.s a partial source; the Ugeogra.phiea.l 'Works"
are perhape a reference to parts 01" the ChronographJ~. {Tile r~lat1on
of" Afrieanu3 to H1ppolytus r s "Liber generationian and t e:!;.p~cia11YJ
his "Diameri SlJl.OJJ tes: ges rt had been much discu,ssed in the p1"'e-ceding
two or three decades - )

3rbid., pp. 98-99.

LM(a.rcel Pierre EugeneJ Bertbelot and Ch.-~(il~) Ruell~,
Collection des B.J1ciens aJ,chimistes g:t~cs, 3vols. (Pal"is; Georges
St ei nhei 1 ~ 1886 ~ alSO., repr.. 3 vola. in 1, london; Holland Pre ss ~
1963),. 1:202. The Greek text t with fa.csimile of the St. Mark's MS
list of Nphilosophers u app-ear on pp. 110-ll (Figure 5--Pla.nche lIr)~
and a French translation of a second list,. a. ~ho.p1:.et' list not exactly
~o:r:rel;-ponding to the actual contents of tbe manuscript, is g1vE.n on
pp. 17~-15. Africanu5 a.ppears a.fte.:t Hermes., Zosirtltis, o.nd Nilus in
item. nO. 32 of' that list. Af'ric&nusts tl6Jlle also appeared in conneetion with brie-f statem.ents 1n the Greek text in vol. 2 (pp. 75 a..TJd
169, with t:ranslation in . . . .0 1. 3). (Also see below., Cbapter II,. in
the transla.tiot) or Vieil1efond 1:8 IX ~ 2 8.Jld 3.)

64

Study of .A:fTictlnus

Religious

vri~ings

In 1889.. de .Boor publisbed

Si de s

chur~h

6~veral

f'ragmenta from Philip

The f"i rat of t.hfml 'las the B.e count of' Ai'rie anus

hist.ory.

which vas pre-sent.ed earlier in this c:::hapte:r-.

~eount

the

As de Boor pointed out1'

stands mid-vay 'between tha"t of E:u.aeb1us (Ch!"onic<m,. Greek

text as refiected in the Chronicon p,,"schale) and SynC'~llus~

Ni~opolis

sents the changt! in sta.tus of'

Eusebi U:$
of

01"

(fiB.

village

somewhat

mor~

it pre-

clearly than

which later received the right (dikaia)

city," c:ompared to the "vas founded CektistheJ e. city" of

Eusebius ~ omitted b3r Syncellus)., but shares 'iilith Syncellus the double

error of identifying Emm.o.us. with tha.t of the

Gospel!;i.~

the change of the name to Nicopolis to th1:$ time. 2

Philip' a statem(!nt,
~us-Nicopolis

11V a.1iJ

'Was

B.nd of dating

At the same time I

from E!::nmaus u (apo EIomaous en), indicQted t.ha.t

A:f'ri~anus

direct support for Valesius

Ii

s hOOJe.

This seems to provid.e- the first

hypothesis. 3

The Suidas 151 statement

COTl-

c erning Atr i eMUS t s L1 cyan origin .1 s open to t.he Buspi cion tl"la. t 1t i s

a. lId sunderst o.nding., or af'alse deduction) from the n:aiD.e Af:ric anus..
Gel~er's

attempts to support it are not conclusive.

~d

ben assuming

A:frit:a.nus's knowledge of Latin,. this does not prove an origin in Latin

Knovledge of Latin by an

Afrit:a.

Ea.st~rner

is much less striking thnn

a 'W.e-sterner who wrote in Greek and knew Hebre'W' and Syriac.

tbis, his

1nter~st

Egj~tians4 is

ic

in

He~etic

k~eping with

books and the

visdom of the

the mystical-speculative interests of the

l11Neue FragmeI'lt e ~., p. 169.

3Ibid .
4

s~cret

Besides

:2 Ib 1d., p. 1711 +

This point, ho'Weve.r., lias only part of Ve.lois'g viev.

Cf'. Gel~er. Sextus, p. L+

Early

8tudi~s

Lacking some vitness besides the Suidas, or a:t least e;ome

East.

in Africanus';EI works showing an

exa~t

tr8.C~S

knovledge of' the West t the tr&g-

lIIent t S e"iden<:e for Emmaus as Africtl.Ilus I s birthplacesee:ms t.o be

authenticated.

CherIe's Cruttvell provides something of' the c:::olllbinat1on of

common s.ense &nd 'the absurd whicb is ch8.r&cte-ristic not only or AtriCElJtUS,

but of

'th~

study of him

He concluded 'that Afr1canus

'WaS

.e. pagan, about A. P. 170,. and t l!Lf'ter he'bec 8.tIJe a. ehri e t ian, vas

&

born
phil-

osopher ~ interested in acienti.fie subjects .. not a bishop nor .New Tes.tament c:oJl!!llent a.tOr .

T-hus there

'W'f!.S 110

reason to doubt Afrle fIJlUS S

authorship of the Kestoi .. though 1t uobrio'llsly" belonged to hi~ pagan

days.

Despite this conclusion, however ~ he findEi it "odd that the

mere fact of a book' So

~ontent.s

b-eine; of

8.

secu.lar kind should be evi-

denc etha t it vas not. YTit.ten by a. Christian. ,. 3

At the end of

th~ e~nt'U1"'"J,

Bratke finalized the separation of'

one 'Work .. the so-ca1.1ed "Persian Narrat1ve t 11 from Africnnus I s name

vith the pUblication of' the text, with a flJll study of 1'ts background.

L.

Of concern here is the- demonstration that the eonnection of the york

1

uNeue Fragtnecte)u p.

175.

2'

Charles Thomas Cruttwell,. Literarz-History of Early

.e.ni!:y'II 2 vols. (lLY~: Scribner's, 1893)) 2:514. 516.

C~~isti-

This atatement had been s.n.ti~ipat.ed in

the- Introduc:'tory Essay Cfon tbeeole ground that :1 t deals vith seculaJ"
topi~s," p. 1, n. l}.
Apart from the question of' whether C.ruttvell
could ho.ve made such a. statement if' h~ had read any of the Ke-stoi .. is
t.h~ further oddity 01" 8. ch.aract~:rGuf'ficient to clearly prove so~ething

3Ibid .

p~ 516,. n+ 1.

:pagan, but not to prove it non-Christian.

4Eduard Bratke

"Pas SogerJannte Religlol1!;1g~sprlch am HoI' der

t
Sasaniden. 'II[ 19 (n.s. b)~ no. 3 (1899).

Study

66

0f

Africanus

with Afr1{!MUS in some manuscripts vas the

result of .a misinterpreta-

tion of en t!!lr1ie-r a.bbreviation, Aphr

{for Aphroditianos).

oreo i ted Ua ener- wi th t'"1r at reeogni zing

th~

Bratke-

nat ure an d s oure e of the

error. 1
Oxrrbynchus and beyond

The

o.ns...,,~rs

to aeve-ral questions

wer~

provid.ec b:r s. 1903

Ii t: a;t ion I 2 though the results 'IoI'ere not alvays immediately

A fragment o:f the Kestoi,
vided

B..:."l

~ontaining th~ ~onclusiop

i!Il1I:.diate answer to toro

Africanus'lo not
vas 2 b not

Scalig~rls

Q.u~stions =

:pub-

a~pfirent.

of' :Book 18 .. pro-

the aut.hor was J'U1ius

Sext-!.l,!;lAfricanus, and the nUIriber of' 'books

Il~. 3 The fragclent

also provided further

e"iden{:~ of Af-

rice.n:us l:s varied inte-rest.s ~ here literary (HoP7leric) t:riticiSl!I and

magical incfI.lltu.tiQns ..

aut.hor.

li

as. vell

tl.S

persona.J intormation about the

The papyrus seems t.o confirm Gelzer'So view of AtricMUS I s

friendly connection with the

i~erial house~ ~resent1ng

Arricanus as

having l1arrangeotl a library in the: Pant-heon for the emperor. 5 A

lIbid ... p. 51, citing Usenet', t'Religionsge-sch1chtliche Unt.erUsener had earlier commun1c13.ted this
informe.tion to Gel:t.-er (see Gelz.er, u:Zu Afr1canus,1f p. 377).

suchungen lt (1699), Pt'. 32-31.

:2A minor" 'Part of :finds ot" EK'"Ptian 'Papyri tt.at have had major
eff'ects on ancient philoloID'", it vas published b~' Gre!l:fel1 and Runt ~
O;yrh;:''Tlchus Papyri 10 III,
papyrus no. 412, p. 36-41 J and plate
5. The preserved text consists of 2 columns number~d 35 and 36, the
latter con~luding ItIouliouAfrika.nou/Kestos!HL n The verso, the Will
of He:rmog~n~s10 vas pub11 sbed in pnrt VI (1908), pp. 2.11. 1-5 3.. as paJlJ'TUS

no. 901.

3Ibid . III ~ p. 36

4Ibid -.

5Ibid ., p. 37. A tr6J1s1at.ion in the notes to tbe terl usC's

the word IIdesigned" in relatiop to the library {p. hO). The text is

erchitektonesa (line 67).

67

LQ't'ly Studies

reference to "the ancient p!;tria" Aelia Ca.pitoline.. might sUggest a

Syrian origin :f'or Africanus" though the- editors were reluctant to
cont~av~n~

Suidas.

Thia fra8Jllent rekindled interest in Afr1canus t and various

articles appeared over the next deeade, many short i.tems suggesting
textual improvements of' the Oxyrhynchus fragment:> or other Africaniana..

Before the year was out .. Arthur Ludwfch contributed a. number of

g~stions

general

tovard the completion andunderstand1ng of the text. in a

f're.m~rk

of HOlZle:t'.2

of' comment an tra.ditions in the textual transmis.sioJi

In the second part. he defended. the credibilit:t of Afri-

canusts report of the

source~

of his variant

sharply contrasting picture of Africanu5 as

Some

months

tbe];eafter~

text~
0.

but presented a

critic. 3

in review articles"J Wei.l suggested an

Eg,.-pt18J1 provenance for the Odyssey interpolation.

a...nd Wilamowi tz

drew the conclusion that Africanus was from Jerusalem.

1

5ug-

Ibid.

pp.

Friedrich

~O_lll.

2"lulius Africanus und. die Peisist.:t'atos-Le-gende Uber Homer. PI

Berliner i-hilologi9che.Wqchenschri:ft 23 (1903,): cols. 1467-70 .. 1502-4.

3Ibid ., colQ. 1502-3.

r~ ....iew

1Henri Weil ~ "Tenes gr'ecs -trouvie recemm.:tnt e-n Egypte, rI a

-of The Oxyrh.vnchus Papyri ~ -part III. in Jaurnl!ll des Sfiv6ntS,.

n.s. 2d anne (19O L): 108.

5U~ v.. Wilamowitz-M511endorf. review o~ The Oxyrxnchos [sic)
PapYri, part Dl:> in Gottingische gelehrte Anzeigen. 166. Jahrgant,
t.weiter Ehnd (1904): 659-78. A brie:f review of Oxyrnynchus III e.ppea-red at the beginning. with Afric,anus on p .. 659,. n. '2. He: further
pict'UJ"ed Afr1canus as 6. man without culture; aupersti t.ious; but 8.polyh.istor vi th occasional admirable opinions:t and touC"hs (or ~'fitsrl_
Arn,ra.pdelungen ) of critica.l ability.

68

Study of Africanus

Blass r-ea.<::hed a
cinc;

~onclu.sion

similar to tbe latter 11 tbough

Africanus \tas a. Jew from

Je:rusalem~

other articles suggested completions

0)'"

corrections of individual

terpolation to e. more t.horough ~ s;ystema.t.i~ study.

added b,y

Arlcanus~

]).a

dead~

ports:

Od.ys.a~y

in-

Lines l~ and 21

dei (!'OBse.i legei), vhether

or marginal glosses taken over vith his manu-

scripta., indieate that whoever vrote thl!:m

of' the

core s-pe-

In addition J this and

points'll but in 1909. ll:H:ha.rd 'WUnsch Bubj ect.ed tte entire

of the fragment (htL del poi,esai ireken;

~ven

'Il&S

8,warethat invocations

like moSt. mag.ical operations ~ consisted of tvo major

Era.xia and ~'pQde. '3

The interpolation itself divides

~asily

into thrE!1!: parts~. lines 15-20, 22-36, a.nd. 31-~2 .. of 'Wl1i~h the first

and third are Hhollleric.1I 1th11e the middle- is entirely different

ij

like the magical or orphic hymns.

more-

'l'""ni sprovides :reasona.ble baaes

for :filling in the incomplete line beginnings of" the first colum.'1

or

the papyrus .. 5 as veIl as suggesting some basis f'or a. history of' the
interpolation.

Lines 13-20 and 37-42 fit veIl togl!:ther and repre-sent.

an older interpolation, in essentially homeric stj'le and freedom of

mrrt.ef't tha.t 6uggest the

pre-Christian era ..

by the insertion (lines

22-~6} of

6 This was later expan.ded

a. true mEl.gical comp::>sit.ion (ttein

l"Literarische Texte 1!dt Ausschlufii,s d.el' c:hristlichen,t1

Archlv fur PapYrusforschung und verwandte G~biete7 ed. Ulrich Wilcken,
:3 (1906): 255-99; item no. 250, "Pap_ O:xyrh. 412: t pp. 291-98", esp.

297.

.~

- HDe i 5 i daimoniaka.,M Archiv fUr R~1 i gi onslIis senseha.ft 12

(1909)~ 1-45; pp. 2-19 aTe d4;!voted to "n@r" Z.o.ubersang in do!'r Nekyis.
Homers .... t

3!bid. Ii. 3.

~Ibid.:>

5 Ibid., pp. 4 -l~.

6Ibid.) pp.

pp.

Ja~

6, 14.

15-16~

Early Studies
fertiger Zaube:rs&t'Jg unverindert tt ).l
ture and prosody suggest the first or

Its enremely syncretistic naBe~ond

centuries A. P.

2'

The

thirteen lines to be :found in the copy at Rome must be counted from

the beginning of' the 1nt~:rpoltLtion (line 15),. not from the! beginning

of tht! Odystll!'!'y citation., thus it runs through line-

28~

but lines 29-

42 are the saII)e in viewpoint and expression as the preceding, so

there is no rr;~a.gon to sepl!U'~te lin~s 22-36 into tva separate interpolations;

the Roman

copyist.~

for some reason t simply did not lt1-

elude the second half of the ~.3 The reference to Nysa in CariB
in line 62, a:nd a reading of Ka:rei

line 2910 :udght suggest Nt !;I a

EiS

e (ElS

an epi 1:.h et

f Hee at e) in

its plMe of origin, though Weil had

suggested Alexandria and 'this would fit the reference to euolokamos

Zeus katachthonios (line

24).~

In relation to other

fra~en.ts conneet~d

contra.sting opinions prevailed.

nection vith

&n.

vith tbe Kestoi,

AfricEmUB.Ei nflme appeared. in con-

ancestor of "Greek f'ire ~ ,. though the

i automatic

tire"

tert( Thevenot ' s chap. ~lt) waser edi t~d by the vri ter to a 18.t e

seventh centUI"'.1 interpolation into the Kestoi. 5

Conv'@rsel)',. the

lIbid ... p. 16. This seetion (lines 22-36) lat.er a:ppeared in

t,...o JIlajor collections of m.agical papyri: Theodol" Ho:pfner .. Griechis~h

AsYPt1scher Offenb~~ungs~auber~ Studien ZUT Palaeographie und Papyrus-

kunde sed.. Carl Wesse1y, vo1s. 21 and 23 t 2 'Vols. (Leipz.ig = H. H8.~ssel~

1921 'J 192~) t 2: 15~;2 (sees. 334-38 band Ks.rl Prl!isenda.nz ,. Ps:p:'to'Ti
Graecae Ma.icae; Die S2riechischen Zaube avri t 2 vols. (Leip~ig and
Be:rlin~ B. G. Teubner, 192 -31 , 2= 150-51 {Pxxiii).

2wiinsch, nnei sidaimoni aka.,." p. 17.

~

above~

Ibid'

1i

3Th 1 d.,. p. 18.

p. 19; also ~ p. lOt re Carian Hecate.

p. 67s and n.

On Well see

~.

5Edmund O. VQn Lippmann, Abbandlungen und Vortrige zur

Gesehichte der N&turwisgensch&ft~n.. 2 vols. (Leipzig= VeTI&g von Veit

Study of

le

A~ric&nus

excerpt.s :from Aeneas which followed Af"l"ica.nu!;i in the manuscript

tradition

o~

wr1~ers

the military

(published by Thevenot-Boivin)

were trea.:ted by 5cho-ene as gtmuine parts of the Kestot {derived

G.anschiniet~ suggested

from Aeneas by J\1'ricanus).l

Kest,oi~

viewed as

iL

'Whole. certainly (s i c h

ca.tegory of' magie.. natura11s.

r)

'that the

belong~d

to the

Meanvhile ~ the di vision of A:fricQ!1ian studies. into secw.ar

o.nd religious

~ontinued;

side continued much as

Ferhaps, some

l"~fel"ence

studies rel6.ted "to his mOre "religious"

~fore,

to

based essentie.l.ly- on

Preuachen-Harn~ck.

r,}eller~

loiith,

Reicbardt published

an edition of' the letters- vith extensive introduction.

Iication did not involve a.reas th&t 'Iolould require a

Such a pUb-

I'"~ference

to "the

Oxyrhynehus papyrus (or to the J(~st.oi at all)~ but included several

testimonials to Africanus's sharp critical ability.3

&:

Co:ap.~

Ducne$n~ts

19061' 1913), 1;130 (in chap- 9t "Z'UI" Geschichte des Schiess-

pulvera und der

t eren FeueT\>"'a:ffe:n t

pp. 125-89).

lRichQrdus Schoene .. Aeneae 'l'actici = de Qosi_dion-e- tolera.nda

commentarius,. Bibliotheca. Scriptorum GrL.o!'corWl! et Romanorum Teubneria.na (Leipt.ig ~ B. G. Teubner" 1911), pp. x-xi t xiv, 115-23. This
procedure 'WaS eontinued in Aenea~ Tsc:ticus .. AscleRiodotus J Ona-sander,
trans. Illinois Greek Club; Lol?b Classical Library (Cmbridge: Har-

....ard University Press. 1923; London:Wrn. Reinemann t 1923). pp. 20625s which also reprinted Schoene' a text rlth certain noted chang~s
from Boivin {po 206" n. 2); ~d by L. W. Hunter, AINFJJY nOAIOPKHTIKA;
A(!ne.(ls on Siep:ecraft. rev. S. A. Hanford (O:xford~ Clarendon Pre:t;s.

L,

1927
pp. 2L 0- 51.. ..Append i.x Is Jull us Af'!"ic &nUS . n (Concerning th eo
authe-oticity or these chapters I see the discUBsion of Ma.rtin ~ a.bove ..
Qnd~ especifl.1ly" of Viei~leto(]d, .Jules Africa1n~ 1932 t below.)

~ichard Gallschinietz, t1Hippolytost Capitel

1!! 39, no. :2 {3d series" 9.

Refut. }{aer. IV 28-42 s lP

gegen die Magiel":

f!.O. 2) (1913)~ 29.

3wELlt.er Reichardt, HDie Briere des Sextus Julius Af'ricanus

Arist1des und Origines,. If ru 3li1' no. 3 (3d series .. 4. IlO. ))
{1909). Note e.sp. pp. l~ 3~ 63; not~ 1, on the last page cit.ed, also
includes a quotation of Ros~amUllerT5 contrast of Africanus and Origen.
&n

Early Studies
history of the early church (first published in English in 1909~ but

rlt"h origina.l
tb~

pret'a~e dat~d 1905),. 'though incorporating deta.i1s from

Kestoi (fo1.1owing Gelz,l'rts 1ead but some'Whel.t

rr~b!'oidel"lngn

the

picture).l did not include re:ferenc-e to the O>:yrhynchus papyrus until

the second French edition (1906).2 Even then. only .a cc-upltl!' of biogra:pl1ical details

v~re

included.3;

The pict'UJ"e presented by Forte-seue

vas [!Jore coxnp1e-te; and general1;;" more res-trained t but essentially the

Sfl.:lne, follO\fing Ge1zcr and HiU"nack (and Jerane, with ",hom the article
concludes), but with no reference to Oxyrhynchu.s.

The state of k.':Io""ledge at this ti1!le (at least aIOO'ng the

11theclogical 11 writers) can again be approximated by the Encl-elon,ae4ia
l 1oui5 Duchesne, Early History of the Christia.n Chureh :from
Its. F'oundation to the End or the Third Ce:lt~llry t trans. fro::ll. th~ lith
ed., :3 v01s. (New YOTk~ Longman, Green &: Co. t 1909-2.1;),. 1: 333-34.
Africa.nus, "a great huntl?t't had s~oure-d 'the- forests" of Edes-l;il t
SiL'l.t "tbe rl!!:main5 of Noah's a.rk" (it.alics mine) at Apa:lIlea t and "obtained 6. copJr of the Hermetic books" in Ale-xandrie.. (p. 333L His
Kestoi contained "many thOUSM.d observa.tions a.nd precepts' (shades
Q f Pliny! L b1.J.t vas tainted by lJiIagi c an d Afri canus r So fami 1 i ari ty with
the: Hermetic: and si1!lilar "books (p .. 33Q).

2Ib1d .,. p .. xi~ note to the second edition regarding the added
tIlat el'ial ..

Aelie.~ and arrangem~nt bf

library neil%" the Pantheon" (ibid . F. 333; italics mine). A simila.r, but I!!ven more ex'tre:m.e eXSJII];lle occurs in ottQBard~nhe'Wer's Geschit:hte de!" e.ltkirchlichen Literatur, in which t.he only immedil!l.te erf~ct of the O~rhyn
chUB papyrus vas tbe settling of 'thee question of the number of books
in tbe Kestoi {2d ed~t 5 vals. CFre:iburg im Breisgfl..u; Herdersche Verlagshandll.mi:. 191:2-32], 2 [1914]: 267 a.nd 269). Otherwise Ba.rden~
hewer follovs ~~l~er.
3Birth at

4Aur~an
..lI~.
Fortescue,. s. v.

Ils.

.
.
Jul. i tiS A"'J.J.~eanus ,
The- CB.th 0 11 C ..,
.t:;p-

..

cc-lopedia,lo 15 'VClls. (Ne'W York~ App1tl!ton t 1907~12)t 8:5-65-66. He

do{!s) however, speak of the K:estoi o.s rrconstant1:'t quotil:!dand mucb e-steeQed by the Greek Fathers 11

~)

8: 565) .

Study of Af'riC&lua

72

Britannica in 'Which another,. slightl:r revised (a.nd again slightly expanded) article a.Pl'e!U"~d inth~ 11th edition (1910).

This arti~le

re"Verse-d the previous conclusion concerning Africanus':s priesthood ..

and otherwise essenti.eJ.ly f'ol101led the views of'G-elzer (and Harnack}.

The a:rt1(:le

~on~luded

with a. scant line and a. half referenci'! to a ne\t

tra.gtDentof tht! Kestol among 'the Oxyrhynebu6 papyrL

More 6.lcheEl,

In 1913 .. Lagercrantz published an alchemical papyrus 'W.h1ch

included tvo passages related to

Aphrit1a.nos.

r~servations,

~reing vhicb~~re at~ributed

In the introduction" Lage-rcrantz.

su,ggested~

to an

but with

the possible identifica.tion of At'ricianua. vith the Af-

rictl.nus of the list of alchemsts in Berthelot's ms.nusc:ripts (Cod+

Marc. 299):; already identif'ied by Berthelot vi th Sextus. Juli'U51 AfrjcII;mus5

3
The namE! Atr i

publication of

CallUS

&lso appears t 'hree other t im.e-s in a la.'t er

B1che:tni~QJ.mBJ'luEicripts.

In the first, Babylonio5 ho

. 1'1'h~ Encyclopa.edie._Br1te.nnioa~ 11th erl. {19l0) ~ 1: 361,

s.v. "Atrieanus;> Sextus Julius. 11 A fiVe line list of HAuthoritiea "
(Routh, .AlfF:> Gel7.er;> KrUger,. 8.t:ld Jl.arnack)1IB,s added. (The article
also continued the Lm1sJquotation o Nefind~r. )
This &rticle continuedvith only tninor changes througi) 1969;
it 'Was slightly condensed in the l~th edition (1929), and slightly re~
'V'is ed {hi rt. hplac e che.nged from Libya to Aeli.a Cap!t.olino.; Ha:rn~c:k
droIJped from. the UBibliograph::r 11" end Ox;y. PM? shi fted to it) i [] the
1960 edition.
:2 otto Lag~rcrantz) Papyrus Graecu~ Holmiensis (P. Holm.):: R~
e:epte fUr Silber, St~i[]e und Furpur (U!'psala: Aka.demiaka Bokbandeln t
19l3; Leip2.ig~ Otto HarraSS01iitz~19l3),. pp. 32-33 and 37 11 with translations on pp. 216 and 226. The first. is givl![] as from AphrikianQu
boubl~u, the second from Aphrikia:nou ~k. bou<b>lo'l1 " .

3Ibid.) P];I. 106-7.

Early Stuo1ies
Allhrikanosappea.rs

producing

0.

80S

t.he nut-horitl for a non-alchemico.l fragment "loS'

child. of the desired sex..

appears only in 1ists.

73

In the othe:t' 'two,. the name

Some nev views

Kroll's article in Pa'U1y-Wis5OVa. not only gave an easerJtially

complete sl.H!ImafJ' of scholarly views (and materials available) ~ but

suggested some important corrections to them. 3

S. Julius Africanus

origina.ted from Jerusalem, asshO'iJo"n 'by 0&. P.a;e. ~12, e.nd evidence
from thE! same source shovs the Kestoi to have been vritten after 227

{the date of the completion of'the Ubaths of Alexaf.lde:r1~ in Rome)", thu~

placing it
ha,,~

b~t'Ween

227 and 235.

Contra

connections 'With t.he royal house of

Gel~er:lo
Ede~sa

while Af'ril:anus did

during t.he time of

Septi1l:lius Severus, there is really nothing to connect bim with the

1

Catalogu.e des manuscrits alch1m1gues Brees 1 (1924 h 185-86.

2 Ibid .. ~

t.

and 3;1~. The former is the Greek text of' the

chapter list frOCl Berthelot's St. Markts manuscript,. the second is the
Oxford manuscript list or I'Iphilosophl!rs of 'the divine science and art"
(seeaoove ~ p. 63~ and nnw 1 and 4).

3w.

2~21

Kroll:- "5. Julius Africanus;> tI Pa.uly':3

Real~Encyclopadie

del'" classischen Altertums'L."issensch(ttt,. rev . . Georg Wissowa,. et al.,. 34

vols.in 66 HalbbKnder,
tvo series (plua supplements) {Stuttgart:
J. E. Met~lersche Buchhandlung,. 1893-1972; plus Supplements .. 1903-)
10 (1917): ~ols. 116-23 .. B .. v + .. "Juliu.s" (no. 1.17). Only s. referenc~

in

to LagercrQntz r e p05sible fra.gJrlents ~E!ems to be lB..~king. Kroll t S

acceptance oC the by-name Sextus (indicated by the S. in thE! article:
hea.ding) is ebIphasi 2.ed by the fact that ht:! even wonderl!!'Q i r t.he: Sextus
to vhan Neptunianus ded1c~te:d his Physiks. vas not. OUT Af'rie&nus (col.
121). (This york is hereafter identified by its common designation,.
Pll.u.ly-\rIiSBOVa.~ and cit.ed by i.ts abbreviElted ronal PW.)
4.Ibid.

cole.

11~17.

Study
1

Osrhoene campaign of 195.

0f

Africanus

Further" even if Africanus's use of

Suetonius 'We-re- est a.blisbed s 'this. vould not prove he knew Latin.
BurYe:,'

or extant Kestol fragments gi ve:s

the vork and the author.

Us further

1nformati-on about

The title indica.tes that. t.he- \fork is a

miscella.ny; Valesius;s explanation of it i5 correct. only in that

A~~i~anUB

probably did think of Venus's magic girdle when eeeking R

titl.e for his llork. 3

The work is

8.

mixture of sober pTinci:p~es and

magical rubbish. often Fresenting good old home-remedies

b~side

crass

supe:rstitions; man:,. belong to !:!If!.ia natural.is ~ but others can only

11
be understood as Jokes {Scher~).
The O~rhynehus tra~ent gEner~lly
preSl!nts Africanu5 in e. bad light:

he is either resFonsible for the

forged Homeric interpolation, or, even worse fOT his

tion ~ was ta.ken in by it.

~ritic.al

repu,ta-

His hu."l.ting tales sound much like ta.ll

stories (Jagerla.tein); and "though he ha.s a good rhetorical education.

he has put it to miguee. 5
~oncerned~

As far as Africanus's religious status is

the Kestoi GUst be regarded as a document of a completely

s.'Ilpe:rficia.l Christianity s' such as would be able to exist in proximity

to the il'!ll'erial court.

6 As far as texts Yere: concerned,. the situation

vas still in suspension,

G~l~er's

planned edition of the

Chr9nO&ra~hy

had not yet been reassigned, but K. MiUlerts collection of materials

IIbid., col. 116.

2Ibid .
vie\o~

col. 111.

This add9 further uncer~ainty to HaTnaek's

that Africanus translated Tertullian t 5 A:pologr into G:reek.

3 .
Ibld.,

001. ~20.

5Ibid ., col. 122.

Ibid., col. 121.

6Ibid . col. 123.

75

F..arly Studies

of the Kestol had been colJ1lllitted to F~ Mel~er~l

(J.

Sick~nberger

contributed a.

Bupplem~ntto

Kroll's article"

dealing . . . ith Africanua.'s letters" which e-mphasi7.ed the positive aspects of Africanus'a critical ability.2)

In the first half of the next decade- ~ Adolf Hal'nac'k made some
In v1ev of Afl'icanus t IS lit-

final suggest.ions concerning JI.f'rica.nus.

erary in~erest5~ Harna~k sUggested t.hat his work as arehitechton in

relation to the llZlperial library in Oxy. Pap. 1,12 wastbat of 1ibrar-

ian~ not architect. 3 This viev attracted a

certain amount of

atteD~

ti.on ove:rthe :rears ~ 'but. what is perhaps 1ia:rn.EL(:k s final judgment on

Africa.."lus hag been consid.erably leas influent.ial ~

siderably more substance.

Reversing the

~hough

it has con-

more-th~~-&-century-olddic-

tU!!l of RosenmUller, lfu.rnack asserted that Arric-anus B letter vas over-

rated and Origen ~ s answer undeITated.

Af:dtanus. was Tight ~ IIt.rOt.Z

seiner schnellfertigen .Beveisflihrung, "but the dogmatically bound

Ori gen '~hat ein .Mei 8 t erst Uck philologisch-hi :atol"ischer Gelehr a.8..!JIk~it ,
ja e.uch guter Methode geliefert.
1

tt

Ibid. ~ ~ol .. li8.

3 t'.JuJ, i us It.f'rikanus]o del" 131bl i ot.h 12ktil'" des Kai sers All2xander
AusatzeFritz Milkaugeliidlnet [ed~ George LeyhJ (Leipz.ig=
"
K:.ar~ ,L Hierse:tnann, 1921)~ pp. 14:2-46; note esp- p . 14~.
Along the
li!:le Harnack also specula.ted a.bout Africanus I s Christianity: vas
there a period in Rome in which he left the church, OT" ~as his
Christiani t J' of 8. ver-:r secuJ ar, liuperst1tious tY1'e7 (p. 1~4). The
idea of AfricanillL a..s librarian i1to.s taken up, by Gra:nger espec1allyll
in a series of IU'"ti~les in 1932-3~ (on llhich., Bee bel0\7).

Se:verus l

4
Adolf

von Harna~k"
''libel'' die S8.lIUIllung der B1"'1~fe des
Origenes und s~inen Br1ef'wechse1 mit Julius Africa.nus t" Sit~ungs
berichte d.el" Pre:ussischen Akademie del" 'WissenschaftefJ~ Philosoph1schHi stori sch~ Klass ~ ( Berlin) t 1925" p. 266.

Atricanu~

Study of

76
The religious view again
Meanvh11e~

articles on A:fricanus as a church writer vere 10-

corporating the more recent data.

Stab~in"

in his history of early

Chri.stian literature . . still relied heavily on Gelzer end Harna.ck,..

but included significant info1"'m.a..tion from the Oxyrhynchus papyrus and.

HarnB.ck 113 uBibl1othekar. ptl

While .Amann was not qui.te so up to date

bibliographieBlIy ~ he did include Qxyrm"T,lcnus in his data., and;. in

addit.ion ... presented something of" the

elusions cOr.Jcernlng A:1"ri<::anus i a

r8.tional~

~ite (e.

for the various con-

g., the idea of his presence

on the Osrhoeneo cBmpaign) .. not just repent.ing them on the authority

of

GeIzer~

Puech, like- Am.B.nn ...

p:resent~d

8.

discussion of Africanus,

whicb, though it presented much the cOlmilon vi,ew . . tried to sk.:!teh the
ratione.leg :for the various points. 3

In interests . . AtriefLnUB

...,e.s

characteristic of hi5 era; hE! gave himself' vi thout restra.1nt to the

cont~por~

interest in thE! occult

sciE!nces~

and to dilettantism in

lOtto StKhlin, Die a.ltchristliche i1"1echi sche Litteratur,

Sonder-Abdruck aus \01. v. Christ. t s Gesch1.chte d.er griechischen Li tteratur, sechst.e Auflage . . 2:.veiter Tefl . . zweiter Hilfte (Mu.nic:h: C. H.
Becksche Verlagsbuchh&nd.1ung . . Oskl!tr Beck . . 192~), pp. 13q6-l.8.
;;. .A.mann, "Jules Africs.in, n Dictionnaire de. theolop;ie cathollq'Ue~ l ' vols. in 23 (Parls~ Librairie Letouzey et AIle t 1903-50),
voL 8 .. part :2 (1925): cols~ 1921-25; note e~p. <::01. 1922, for the
biographical information.

3Ai nJ.@. Pueeh, His'toire de Ie. litter.atut'~. .BireS9.ue ehriih.ienJ.le

depuis Ie ori 6i ne-s ,1 usgu ' 9. 18. fin d u rv e ei ec let vol. :2 ~ .Le: II e
et le lIle s~ec:Le (Paris; So.ciete d' Edition hL-es Belles Lettl"es. ,t

1928),

pp~ ~65-16.

Puech' oS 8'1ll1mJar'.f was not, hO""rever. fla.v1ess: he spoke of

Afr1ca.nus as being sho'l.mthe :t"'-elilains. (les reBtes) of Noah '6 ark at
Apam~a (p. 467), and eredit.s this and other details to fragments of
the Kestoi .. rat.her than tb~ Ch:ronouaphy (i"bid,., fl. 2).

77

Recent Contributions
1

regard to historical curios1ties.

"!'he Kestol rl!:veals him as

un ce..ractere plus ou :.noins scientifique; mais

B.uss1

8:. 1& magie~ qui l!lp.lait ai largementt au. lIre

sleele. aux elements des s~1ences phyaiqu~sll et plus e-neore s.u.x
fasaent

Bipp~l

premiers t8tonnemente. de lachimie. 2

Af'rican:us Vo.S
clo:s~

6.

child of hi8

l"elo.tioDs vi th

pri.nc~s

01" Bdessa.. or a syncretistic

also) a.pparently t to

S4!~

8yn~retistic

timeEl,

B.b1~

t-o live in

favora.ble to Christio.ni t~r ~ su(:has Abgar

emperor such

as

one hostile to the

Alexander Sever-u.s 10 but

~h\ll"ch

such as

S~p

t.im! US :3everus.:3

Recent Contributions

.A.l:most three decades after the last. _jor a.dvance in Af'ricELnia.n studiesi' the publication of the Oxyrhynchus frag:t:Jent in 1903.

anothel" ad.vance, of: even greater

t.he long desired publication of

pot~tial
So

significan(:e, occurred:

tIle.Jor poTtion of t.he extant Afri-

in 1932.

canian~t

HN1neteen thil't;{-two ~!;I a vep" good yee:r rt

That. year ~ 1932:10

Kestoi

text.~

Ja

SB.V

not.

ODly

thea.ppe-fLl"1Ul ce of Vi@:illefond f

but also the debut in print. of'po::;s1bly the

n~xt.

So

most
r

important name in recent Afr1canian studies t that of Gudmund 'Bj5rck. ~

lIbi d.

pp.

466-61.

3Ibid .

pp.

475-76.

4
tiond~s

..

Jules Afri~ain =F'Ta ents de~ Gest.~Ei rovenant de lacollect.6.ctieiens grecs cit.ed elsewhere a8- Jules Africain).

5..Zum Corpus hipf1atricorum Graecorum s u Uppsala.. Tj[liversitets

Ar s skri ft

Fj losofi * Bprakvetenska'I! pch hi stori ska vet enskaper ~ 1932 11

Study of Africanus

78

It alsoaaw the ela.bora.tion of' some earlier theme!:!

in Vincent and

Abel's EmmaUs~l and the appearance of the first of a series of articLes

by Fl"ank Granger ~pinn1ng out variolJ,ij, rEU:!li:ficatior.Js of' Africanus f S

bypot.he:sized librarian1;lhip. 2
Vieillefond
After several centuries. or false stB!'"ts and unfulfilled prol:l-

ises, the

t~xt

of the lUljor erlant portion of the Kestoi appeared

r8:ther qUietly and une-xpe ~te-dly .

specifically- Paris, also

th~

Further, it appeared in Fran c e (more

pla.ce of origin of' the Thevenot-Boivin

edition} ~ rather than Ge:rmany. vhich ha.d held90~thit~g of a lead in

Afr'ic:ania..n
unde-rtoo~

of" Aime

stud.i~s

for the 'Preceding

the establishment. of'

Pu~eh~:3

l!!.

hB.1.t-centur~t.

J.-R. Vieillei'onc

text for Atricanus at the suggestion

beginning 'With the chtipters preserved in 'the Byzan-

tine military collections.

'!'he int:r.oductioD included. st.udies of the

no. 5., pp. 31 and ~ 1. Thi a first publ ic a.t ion J hovever ~ 5 imply not e d.
the appearance of Af.icanus iothe English hippiatric& manuscripts;
BJorckls major contribution came later, in 19q4.

~.-'H. Vin~ent and F.-.M. Abe1'i Emmaus,

EO.

basi11que E!t son

hist.oire CPar1s= Librairie Ernest Le:roux~ 1932)~ e-:sp. pp. 251-62,

331-41~
2

uThe Gree~{ Origin of the Pantheon ~ n g,ournal of t.he R,py8.1 Institute of British Arr:hitects 40 (1932) = 51-61, rlJuliua Af"ric6.fI.us and
the Library of the P~theon~H Journal of' Theological Studies 3L (1933):
15T- 61; and 10 "Julius Af!"! eMUS and th e 'We s te rn Text:' Journal of 'I'heologice.l Stud.ies 35 (193L)= 36l-68. This idea 'Was further elaborated
by Carl Wendel t '\rersuch einer Deutung del" H1ppolyt-Statue ~'I TheolDg1sche Studien und Kritiken 108 (n.s. 3) (1937-38}= 362-69.
~tudes

3Jule 5 Af"rica.in, p. v; also

grecques 4) (193:2): 441.

Pu~ch' s

revi ev of' it in tI evue de s

19

Recent Contributions

textual tradition of' thesevritinesl (carried on Joint1..v with Alphonse

Dair.!. both bef'ore and a.fter this publieation), and of Africe.nus s

life and

vrit1ngs~2 especially the Ke3to1. 3

Concerning Africa-nus,. Vieille:fond's vievs vere not ra.dicall)'

different from the current. views! es:pec:ie..lly as presl!:nted by Pueeh.

bu.t vere sOnLeWhat more l:autioUEi]o vith new views on
points.

Concerning Af'rice.nus' S

MlLIe,

(I

t~~rI

significant

Vieillefond a.rgued that the

Suidas's Sektos chrematisas should be taken at fa.ce value t as indieating an epithet;

n~en.

Sectus~

rather than being corrected int.o

prae-

This epithet he then interpret.e-d as n1 i em.ascul~. ttl.

sextus.

On the ot.her nand, the Suidas' 8 designat.ion of him

60S

a uLibyan

pl1ilQsopher" was an error deri....ing from the nar.n~ Afl"icMus; a..ctually 1he was born at Ael i a Cap i t.oli ns. (probably be!t.."we en 160 fL.nd 180). 5
The idea that

A:frice.nu~

Sept i.mi u.s Seve ru~ on t be

c:ifica.J.ly~

"Was

9.

tni.lil.o.ry officer \thQ aCCO::Dpani ed

OB!'"h01!'n~ C I!IJ!Jps.ign

was an officer in the engin@er

has no real supportw

On

of 195 ~ -or even more specorps~

is

rea.sonabJe~

'the contrary!> tb.e broad range

o~

but

contents of

his \lT1t1ng5 could just as easily make him a doctor, or a countryman .

.Besides, in his reports of mil1.tarj stra.tagems ~ he recounts no per-

sonal experienoes. 7

PineJ.ly~ tbe report of "the ll!i.ter Syrians,

IJules Africain. pp. :xxv-liv.

3Ibid .

2Ibid . ~ pp. vii-xvii.

:pp. xviii-xxv J and liv-lviii.

~Ibid.

p.vi1i.

5Ibid.) pp. viii-ix.

6

8.

Ibid.,. pp. 1x~ x-xi ~ th<:Hl.gh h~ const.ruct~d, or organ1z.ed,

11br&1j" at. t.he Pa.ntheon for the emperor (p. x, vith n. 2).

7Ib1d ~ p. xi.

80

Study of Africanus

Dionysius bar l?lU-i'bi and Ebed

stems frolll

&

JeBu~

that he was

tL

'bishop proba.bly

misapplication to Africanus ot E:use-biu8':e statement cOrJ.-

cerning Hl!racles- becoming bishop (H.E~

6. 31.

:2).

This ia preferable

to Gelz.er's and Puech' s interpre-tat1on of1t as amisundel"stand1l1g of

Euseb1uss p:r-oistmenos in his notice in tbl!! Chronic:on concerning

Af'rieanus's embassy for EDznaus.

The a.uthor 0 f' the Ke stoi Vo.s t he

s~e

as the author of" the

Chronogra.phy and or 'the lett.ers {wi tb the Keg toi coming between them).

He'll&s thus

EL

Christian,

8.S

stated 'by Eusebiue

etc.

i.t as is t.he attributions of authorShip in that work..

but the

C~-

More to the

point is a eomp.tirison to Afr1canus' s description of the Dead Sea in

th~

Chrono&:,tl.pby (Migne ~ !:Q., 10 ~ 69 ) :2

The title of Af'.riean\lst s secular ;fork, the

frOlQ the 'testos or Aphrodite, but in t.he sense-

lets. 3-

Further, each book vas. deaignate-d

&S

or

~s:toi'l

derivee

Talismans or Amu-

a Kestos, with 9.C'company-

ing number,. in an e-:cpl1c1t a.tthe end of each (note the end of ~.

Pap. 1.112);

thi.s arrangeZIJent expla.ins the

had pti z :z.le-d editors over the yeaTs. 5

fOnD

of the "titles" which

Wi thin the 'Work s

hoyeY~r 10

lIbido 'I p. xi s with notes :3 a.nd 4 (cont. on p. xii). (But

coneer-ning bar ~aJ.ibi8 a'l1ppoae:d evidence. see abov~, pp. 25-26,
'IIi th n.. 1 on the la.tt1!'l'" page. )

2'Ibid., pp. xvi-.xv11.

Ibid.

3 Thid ... pp. xiii-xiv.

pp. xxxv-xxxvii.

5The confusion ,goes at least

far back as the copyists of

Vieillef'ond' B "reeu!il A who om1tted the book number at the beginning
of the extracts :f'rOl:tJ Kestos 1 (Jules Africain ~ p. xx:xv1); Isaat: Voss
~ho attributed the mil! t&ry cha.pters to books 6 and l' or the Kest.ol
t1

!!IS

81

Recent Contributions

neither the o;rdering of t.he book5 1o nor of the chapters", was based on
logic, 'but followed

series of

th~

~Bsociations

subject f'or each book.

th~

author.. or an exceedingly 10Ctse

There was not even a particular

of ideas.

the 'Work is 'basically seientific in intent"

W'hil~
B

whim or

it 1s a.lso

"lit ere.ry n t"Torkc:haracteri :ted by vlU'ious :rohe-tori cal embelll shJ!lents . 3

It alsoconte.1ns distinctly magical. elements .. themselves apparently

chara.cteristlc of another side both of the author's age and Of his

wi de-ran ging personal 1 nte:rests h
In the

~us~ript

traditioD t besides

ters .. taken more or less en bloc

fro~

th~ ~ingroup

of chap-

Kesto5 1 .. there vaB .aemaller

group of cha.pters 10 partially overlapping the preceding t apparently

drawn (l!lJld in some cases condensed) f'rotD various parts of the Kest.oi.

Certain

e~eerpts

were alSQ included in late!" compila.tions of uTact1cs n

by pseudo-Leon and pseudo-Constantine. 5

On the other hand t several

chapt ers included in the edit ions. of Thevenot and

Qf' Lami vere to bit

is'

(Catullus 10 p. 30); and Martin and Gel.z.er who (:orrect~d Ke-ston

to
in the intl"oduction to thepurgs.ti1Tesf'ragm..ent (respe~
t1ve..t.y, Recherch"!"s :sur Heron t " 'P. 355, n. 3;snd "Zu Africanus" p .
~at~ni~'

376),
1

J'Ules Afri cain ~ p ~ ~

Ibid., PP+ ;xvii, JOCXl::t, Iv.

!bid., pp. JOOCVii.1' and liv-lv; a1so't lvii i.

Ibid., pp. xv-xvi ~

~x,

and 1 v-lviii.

5These tour groups make up the tvo parts and the "tYo appendices, res.pectively,. of Vieillefond'B text. Bee also the "Introducticm, If ibid'

lI

pp+xxxvi - xli.. and xlvi-lii! ..

Study

excluded on literary and

o~

Africanus
1

t~xtual grounds~

The folloving year. 1933, Vieil1efond :mad@ another contribu-

tion to the study of

A~ricanus

vith the

d~cipher.ment

and

pUb11~ation

of the text of' SIloth.er :f'ragmet"lt, that concerning cinnamon.

its existence had been

kno~~

som~

for

Diels!!, Die Ho.ndschriften der antiken

time (Vieillefond

Aert~e,.

~3 (1901) .. as first calling attention to

~ouraged

earlier

the fraglt!ent

p~blication.

f'u.rth~r

Though

~ntions

H.

II"er.ster Nachtrag, p.

it), 3 its condition bad dis-

Besides the matter in the text itself,

il1ust!"B..ted Africanus 15 broa.d int.er4!!sts and

critical abilities (in rejecting the account of the Origin of cinnamon

B.cceptE:d. by He:-odotus [3~ 111 J).

4 It

also provided personal

~iyin end Martin, as rtot~d above in the dis~usBion of ee.ch.

had q'llestione-d the authenticity or se\TeraJ chapters on the former
oasil3. Their conclusions were largely ba.sed on the t:::lose verbal ~or
respondences of certain chapters 'With ea.rlier writ~rs sueh as Aenl;!as
and Polyaenus, coupled vi th a le..ck o:f distinguishing Africanian stylisti~ chs.:ract.eristics in thl;!se chapters.
Vieil1efond recogniozedthe
torce, but &lso tbe limitations, o.f th~se e.:rgument.s, and so I tog~ther
with Alphonse Dain!> sought to provide W1 objective solution by delineating the manu$cript tradition ( 8) of the military col.lettioIH:i (Jules
Africain .. pp. x.:tix-xliii; f1Adaptations d'Enee t l l pp. 25-36; also
Les Cestes (1970) .. pp. 189-9B--Vi,ei11efond there add.ed two mOre che.pters to the excluded list.. The:V'enotts chaps. 35 and 36 t vhiC'h had appeared in Jules Africain B:S nDeuxi~me pa.rt1e. n chaps. :;. B.nd: 6 [Gee Les
Cestes, p. 191). For Dain IS vOrk see the note totbe pa..:ragraJ)h on .
the "t4ilitary Collections" (above, p.30, n. 3}", and.espE!'cially, Enee
k t6.cticieo:. Poliorcetique, te,rte ete.bli par JU.phonse Da.in; traduft
et annote Anne-}i{.arie Bon (Pa.ris: Soeiete d'Edi tion PrLes Belles Lettres,rl 1967), pp. xlii. i-l:l. v.
(OuQm'.lnd Bjo:rc-k :further US4!!:! t.he verbal
similarity argument in reJ~C'ting 6- che.pter hOIIl the htppiatl"ica trad.ition, Vieil1efond 1 s (1970J III. 1.1" as coming more or less directly
fro~ Aelian (rtApsyrtus t" p. 11J}.
2 rrUn

:fra.~ent

~6 (1933):

!!ecques
3

inedit de Julius AfricQnus, U Revue dee. etudes

197-203.

Ibid., p. 198, and D. 1.

4
Ibid., pp. 201-2+

Recent Contributions
informatiQD about AfricMua:

Af'ricanus chn.nged. He-rodotus ~ s t.ous

Arabious to tOUS..E.ar hemin, shoving tha.t he 'Iora.s nun Jt.siatique du

Sud-Est~"

and. thus corroborating the evidence of O?f:::t. Pep. 412 eon~

c,erning his birth .in Ae-lia Capi tOlina. l

Reviews and results
The reviews of Jules Africo.in served to underline- cert.a.in

views of Afrieanus:. 'both pro and -:;:on Vieillefond.

Ge-orges Mathieu

regret'ted the restricting of the text to the military extracts

(thoug'h recog:n1:dng its practical basis);

gra.ph, and it
'. t
t~ ng.
l.n'lH'eS'

queer

1~

Afrieanus

lOa-50

a. poly-

precisely the variety of his occupations "Which is

W. W. Tarn

characte~i~ed

Africanusls work as a

sense and nonaenset hi~tory and tall stories.

. oft.en both attractive and inter,esting" . . important
for 't)),e study of lU$gic,. ana gropee along a path which 1,i';a.s
to lea.d to poison gas and genn-~a:rr-ier5.3

In

fa.

f~rago o~

viev not really contrad:icto:rj" t.o the preceding, P. Chant.raiI\C!'

spoke of Africanus as being .. in all truth, Nun ecriva.in &ssez mediocr~,"

but vith his rhetoric and stylC' he1ng accurately evaluated

by Vieil1ef'ond i whoe.lso gave 0. precise ind1ca:tion 'Of the place of

magic in his york.

of the

JHI.l!le

On the other

he.nd~ V!e.illef'ond~s

interpretation

Sectus as ttl I emn.scu1~; vas not supported by any datUJrl.

1!b1d.

p]).

l~

202-3.

ReV! eor in R~vue de 6 et\ldes an.::! ennes 33 (1931 (-32 J ) ~ 307-9-in e~fect, had admitted this when he questioned [po ~i]
that Afrieanus 'lii'8.S an officer (p~ 309) ~

Vieillefond~

~eview
1J

in The Classical Rev1ev

Reviev in Revue
99 (1932): 199.

'C ri ti que

46 (1932): 238.

d' hi stoi re et de 1 i t tera.t ure,.

fj

.S

BL

St.udy of Africanus

Similarly., Aime

Puecb~

r~-asserted

preferen~~ rOT

his

in an

oth~!V1se

natura.11y favora'blf! review:>

the older interpretation of

Cestes as JIITissus brod@s:=II Varietes" iLgainst Vieillefond' Be Buggestion

of Talismans or Amulets.

Apart from the reviews t Viei11ef'ond I S "","ol"k

produ~ed

little

direct result in stimulo.t.ion of' :ru:rt.her Af'ricanie.n studies.

The

major exception ~ bowever t appeared i nthe tolloving year, in

by G-ust.ave Bardy entitled, "un encyclopediste chretien du

rIr e

study

si~cle.1f

Bardy sha.red with Vieil1efond a :shdlt1.r attitude ofrestra.int on

scure points 10 but

sOiQetitD.lI!~s

with contrasting preference.s.

ob-

He main-

tained t.he older interpr@'tatlon of Kestoi as meaning "Brod@:ries ,,3

1l

but al10W'edthe
S~Ct.C6

r~tLSonablen~ss

as a sobriquet.

of Vieillefond I s suggestion regarding

4 Born a.round

religious syncreti5lIl of' tis tilD.es,

Syria.n princesses. 5

His

18o~

Atriccll..nus reflected the

~specia1.1y

conta~ts 'With

that promoted by

the Edesse-ne court ma,y have

included acquaintance with .Bard-esane* with whom

~evie.s

th~

h~

Sharl!:d an interest

in Revue: des ftudesgrecques 45 (1932); 1141, n. 1.

2Rewe aWloget).que 56 (1933): 251-71. (There is nO r~f~rence

'to Vieilll!'fona t s York in either of tb~ two other articles de'l/oted to
Af'ricfLnus in the 19305 ~ E. H. :Blak~ney., uJuliu5 Africanus ~ A Letter
to Ori,gen on the Story of' SU$B.nfla.,n TheQIO, 29 [193UJ= 164-69; lI.nd,
Iel'.. Ier .. Kotsones, lHlf)(il1.oS ~ 'A,*,P1.~Q.v6s~
-np61'fOS XP\O:'[l(l..... ~S X~C\.lO... p~tOS/1 0QAOY{a.
CAthenl;iJ 15 [:1937J ~ 221-38.)
lrUn e:ncy c lopedi st.e ~ PI p. 2 51 and , esp.. p. 266 .~ ta.l i sroarl
or amulet is too restricted to ad@'qua.te1y represent the V"al"'iety 'Of
this work.

4Ibid - ~ p. 2;8.

5Ibid. ~ pp. 258-59.

Recent Contributions
th~ protQn~

in

sciences, though this is questionable.

He may have

been an officer", but there 1s no proo1' of this; vh&t is known is 11113

vide-ranging curlosi,ty--t.his curiosity brought him into conta.ctv:l.t.h

J:Dany places ~
K~stc:Ji]o

peopl.e~,

though a.lso

and sUbJects.

i~l'llstratedby

It is e-spec1ally shovn in the

the generaJ. topic:s and specific

dl!!velopnJentof' his other works. 3 More specifically" Afri(:anue seems

to hil..ve been a

rIls.n

of good f"amily and of much

leisur~ t

who travelled

:for bis awn enjoyment ~ and who had. an untirine; curiosity about every-

th.ing.

This inte-rest included not only na'tur&l science but also

~nts

thl:! r.easontor

Tlla. philoGophie des -choses.

,.5

But t de:sp1te

his scientific and historical interests .. and his prove::l c:ritical.

abilities~

Africanus did 'believe in magic.

ltiagical fortllula.e and invocations to

In

d~i t.ies 01"

th~

Kestoi",he reports

demons., and 'Uses

pentagons and bexagol;ls; but a. f11lly fI..ccurate evaluation of'

th~ K~st.oi

is prevent.ed by the fac't that lie only ha.ve frasments of it., fragments
chosen (and recorded) according to the special interests of other
Coll!ctors.
not by

th~

6 'The Kestoi was written

by a Christian (this is shown ..

Psalms citation in the Geoponlca t 'Which is proba.bly not

B.uthenti e, but 'by the order of Afri canUB 's vri t iogs ), 'but 11;. ha.s. no
apolog~'tic int~nt:

all the known fragments eou1d have- bel!'r.J n1 tten

Ibid ... P+ 260 t Md nn. 2 &nd 3~

Parthie..n called B&rde s ane .

Ibid ... pp. 2~63.

~Jbid.

10

pp. 262-63.

the fr.agJDent speaks of B.

3Ibid ., pp. 265,

26l-64~

5Ibid t pp. 263t 269.

6Ib1d . t pp. 266-68. Furth~:rt vhile the Kestoi haa be~n compar~d t.o an eneycl oped! at! t was one wi tbout orde-r p. 265).

86
by

Stud)' of Africanus
6.

pa.gan.

The writer loved life .. and 'I(as c'\.lJ"ioua; about all things;

he treated of sc i enc e f'Qr 1ts awn sake.

~ng

Thi 6 1e.!:It made him unique

the Christian writers of' his day ~ and :for long

a.rte:nt8.~d.

In 19~4 .. GudJuund Bjorek presented a. largely new suggestion

tovard the solution of'

th~

pastiche, "un veritable

Africanian problem:

traveBtiss~-ent.,3

also demonstrateo t on the score

veloped

o~

At the same

Africanus's

fro~ Vi~il1etond's S~~4 that

tbe Kestoi vas a

styl~

t~e, Bjorck

as further de-

several extracts credited

to Africanus in Codex Cantaor1giensls of' the Hinpiatrica vere as

authentic as any in the tacticians. 5
As to the origin
strange mixture
encie~

or

o~

the Kestoi~ Vieil1~fondls ~ppeal to the

ideas of Iii verse religions an.d contradictory

1:1 the third. ee-ntury

(Jul~:s

t~nd-

_Africa.in. p. xvi) is a.stordshi;ng:

ideas have: little pla.ce in the Kest.oi, e.nd religion none at all; it
vas not

B.

question of A!'ricanusts Christianity,. 'but of his good setls.e.

ThieL, pp. 269-70,

Ibid ... p. 270.

3PfApSy-rt.US~" pp. 22 t 24-25. Kroll bord.ered on this in some

statements in his article in P&uly-Wissova. (US. Julius Africanus, ,.
cols. 121, 122) but he never suggested it aQ, an bv~r-a.ll solution to
the problem.
4JtAPSyrtus," p. 15+ Its characterist.ics are: Itdl!s cla.usules
calculees (cretiques), des vocs.bles :rech~rch~s ~t des tournures 01"1'1.toires~ des compa.raisoos. des circon1.otut.ions et des 1"eflexions
souvent I!t.Ssez foreees, enfin des re:ferences 1JJYtbologique:s il!'t l1ttera.ires. t

5 Thid .

On the other hand, flone of' the Geoponica 1tl!'CDS,. at

least in their present Btate, can

canus {p. 18}.

6Ibid ... p.

20.

b~ ~ert&inly attribut~d

to Afri-

Recent Contributions
Similar-ly~

Vie:illef'ond's citation (Jw.es Africa.in .. pp. xvi-xvii) of

Africanugls description of the Dead Sea in the Chronography 1a point-

less:

that is a geographical euriosity in the ancient Hellenic bia-

torical tradition t it is nothing like the prescriptions of the Kesto!. 1

Following

tl

s1J:llIm.S.t'y refe::rence: to Africanus ' s procedures

fOT

poisoning the air and tor driving \l'o:rms from a. horse by sprinkling
111th 'W'ater (c i ted f1.1 so at more length before the preceding it.~.ms},.

BJ8rck concludes. "81 Af1"iCMU5 a compose 'le plus

mond!;!:' (VI.p XV) 1es Kc 01' 0 f que

de.....ant un

pastiche.

dil~e Insolub1e." 2

flOUS

eerieus~mt!nt

du

po ssedons, slot's nous so:mme s

the- Kest.oi is a

The solution:

Bei:Lide51 the two examples s.h'eady cit.ed .. 'Which represent

t.he zoological phs.:rmacopia of the magicians and the old popular medic: i ne-,

&

third pas s age) from. the phi lologi cal realm., ON' Pa:o. 1;22 ..

seentS to -confirm this result. 3 In it., "Nous reconnaia.!;lons l?e:s:prit

b i zar-re de notre auteur.. 1& contre f~on d" un j argon pseudos~i@'n'ti,fique:

poussEe jusqu' a 1a caricature I 18. precision detailH5e

d I un im.poste:UT . .,4

This passage sta."1ds in marked con,trast to his

serious discussion of the stolJ? or Susanna.

An author such as the

one who 'Wrote the letters and the ChTQnogra..:e,hy t

~speciall..v

look-out for falsifications, co'Uld bardlybe t.aken in by

8.

on the
uHomeric,1

lIbid., :p. 21. 'The linguistic ugument against tlle authentici ty of Susanne. in the iPistle to OriBoen is more tYJ)1cal of AfrieMUS as historian and theologian (p.23J.
:2

Ibid.

p. 22.

Ibid ... p. 23.

3roid.

study of Af'ricanus
incanta.tion

or- s,uc'h content and form.

propo!;lal hrlth vhich this discussion

or

Before coming to his final

BJ5rek' s v1ev~ vas begun),

Bj5rck posed a rhetoric&l question vhich he

to an E1wer :

admdtt~d

himself unable

di d Af'ric:e.nus intend hi s vork to be) !'rom en d to end ~ a

parody of the I!mpty polymathy of his day; vas part of 1 t more legitilll4te inst ruction;

VfLS

there

&n

e 1emeot

f "1' art po\U" l' art ," ac-

cor-ding "to the sophistic desire 'to present picturesq}.Je matter- in

at.!

astonishing fortll?2
Though earlier vriters (especially Kroll in Pauly-Wissoya,.

as noted) had cfl.lll?d Fl-ttention to the .facetious e.lem.ent in the Kestoi) BjQI'ck 'WaS t.he fiTst to suggeEit this as the explanation of e..ll.
or

l!U"g~

ptLrte of:' the work.

In a sense .. "this made hilIl a successor

of the views of Val@sius Bond of T111eIl'.ont, in that this viev also

would bave absolved the Chris,tian Af)-icanu8 of

and other cotcpletely secular belief's. 3

t'~a.l

a.dvocaey of magic

If his view had been

vind1~

cat ed! it wol.l.1d hQve dramati cally (: hanged t.he c o~l exion of' Af'ri can i an
st'Udi~s.

Farrington, 'Who considered

.Bj{5r~k' s

suggested solution

vorthy of more studY, noted that it vould tra.nsform Africanus "from a

bel.ievr in magi.c tl.nd. sUperstition to a Bubtle critic

o~

these

lIbido Again Bj8l"ck' s analysis has aimilarities to Kroll t s

(IPS. Juliua Africanus 1.1 col. 122), but developed ham a diri~@'r@'rl't
vievpoint and thus leading to different conclusions c:onC4!'l"ning Afrlcattuas good J;iense~

2' lrApsyrtue, n p. 24. Pe.l"'t of the 'Problem,. as Bjorck. El6'1l it:>

vas the tendency t.ovard parody vithin :magic 1. tselt'; f'or this be- refer a the reader to his l&ter discussion on p. 56

.3n,ou,gn)

of' cours@', the mot1 va-tiona vere di:fferent. Bjorck

vas atteKIPting to fit Africa.nus into 8. more na.t'Ul"al view of tbe development of human tnought (p. 22; cf+ also p. 2O)~ not to defend

his Christian status.

Rect!!tlt

errors.
130m@:

1r1

Contributions

On the other hand) LUdwig .Edelstein:o while conceding that

passages of t.he Kesto1 were not meant to be ta.K@t1 quite seriously,

rejected tbe idea that the Kestoi as a whole vas intcotlded as a parody
of superstitioD =

Afrlcanu5 adhered to neloUperstitious" beliefs:t l"el-

ished 11sacred" bOoks. .eoncerning the

Irsecr~t

histories.'

~stl!:ries:o and enjoyed relating

At the B&.!Ile time ~ Edel.stein Bee-DIS to concede

that BJ5rck ' g two prime exampl.es (poisoning air and sprinkling

against llorms) fall into the category of paign~a {practical Joke9}.

He concluded with the hope tha.tBjorck, vho

iiTot~

mas:ic in the last chapter of: hiS1i1;Jrk t would

so lucidly on

re~onsid~r

and allow

Af:r1canus to be "sensible" and .rsupe.ratitious" at the same time''ManY" of Julius'

eont~ori!U'ie-s were of like hue~.,2

Opposing vievs of the chara.!:te:r and. va.lue of Afric9Jlus

as by"-products of' two other worke of t.he thirties.

cent and Abel t s

~us ~

apIH~EU'E:!d

The first ~ Vi!1-

appeared the same: year as Vieillefond s. Jules

lB. Farrington, review of I'IAPSyrtUE, Julius Africanus et l'hippiatrique grecqu~, rr by GudJ:lund Bjo:rck .. in JQurnal of' Helleni.c Studies
61 (1944) = 121.
~evi~v of nAps.yrtus. Julius Af'ricanus ~t l'hlpp1a.triQue
gre:cque," by Gud!nund Bj8rck., in Nnerican Journal of Philology 6B
(1941):

~4~-t~5.

Snurin g the period aft er Vi ei11efond t Africanus !!U.s 0 fl.ppe a.red

briefly in a number of' other yorks. The chapterautgm.aton 'Pyx hapsai

earned him a place in several technical YOrkS1 R. J. Forbes! Bitumen
and Petrolewn in Antiqui.t.y (l,@:iden: E. J. Brill, 1936) ~ chap. 7 11
"Petrole'Um a.nd Greek Fi:re1n 'Wttf'tlre." esp. pp. 95-96,. and More Studi.es
in Early Pet-TolEnVi" HistorY (Leiden: E+ J. Brill t 19:9)!, chap. 4.. "Naphtha Goes to WQ!', It esp. p. 84 t and chart fa<::ing p. 80; and J. R. Part.ington t A. HiS.to~ of Greek Fire and Gunp~d~~ (Camb~idge: W. Heffer &
Sons]I Ltd']I 1960, pp. 7-9. 28 ~ 31 (but wi t h the ~ hapter regarded as
proba.bly a later interpola.tion Cpp. 7-8J).

Study of Africanus

90

It. pree;e:r;rted an expanded,. and somewhat speculati ve ~ pict'Ure

Africain.
of the

rol~

of

Af'ri~l!l.nus.

He was probably

influential courtier,. e. true

Christian~

ti.

wealthy,. travelled, and

though erobued with

maQY

of the

oec:u1.t interests of' his da:,r" who [Jot onlj' aeC:Ul"'ed]i but lLlso directed ~
the imperial
by birth.

r~storation.

of Emmaus-Nicopol1s. his home by adoption or

This restora:tion involved 5pecial attention to the

Christian qua.rte:r ~ including the building of a church there (compar-

able to the public buildings e1sevnere in the city).2

on the other hand,

conelud~d

that

Af'ricanu~

manifested the greatest

credulity, and th.at. at lefl.9t from the military

tlad uno roea! value in it se If' . 113

aetel" was. C"one erned ~

Oliver Spaulding)

viewpoi[]t~

the Kestoi

Furt her,. as far as Afrieanus':s c b&r-

":Nothing vas un! air in hi s vs:rfare; 'Without

apolOg'l .. tIe presents fonoulae tor poiso.ning everything- -veapon~,

forage,

ratiorJa~ water~

and aiT+ u4

Edga.r J. Goodspeed J s vie-.... of Africanus va.s essentia.lly the

Gelzer-Harna.ck C'OOSensus as updated b;y toe

OX".Irhyn~hue

papyrus; he

viewed the K4!'sto1 as a !lsort of' notebook 01" st.range pieces of curious

informat.ion . . . the miseel1.e.nie:s

inquiring

s.c~umu:18:ted b;)r

t:rave~led

and

mind~.,5 His Historv of Ear!." Christian Literature" though

lEmmaus t pp. 257-58,. 331-38.

2Ibid ., pp. 257-62, 338-41.
301 i ver LynJ.an Spaulding. t Pen and Sword in Gr eec e and Rome
(Princeton ~ Princ eton Uni vers i ty Pres s;> 1937), p. 99.
4

Ibid., .p. 100.

SA History of Early Christian Li~eTature (ChicagQ~ University

of Chicago Press, 19 42}t pp. 253-56 ~re devoted to Afric:anus?

Rec~nt Cont~ibutions

91

Jlubliijhed in 19 JI2 ~ re:f1.ected no influence or even real knowledge of

Vieille1'ond t S 'WOork..
no~

The- tt!'rt of this part of" Goodsp-eed T s History va.s

chanBed by GrQnt in his enlarged edition

o~ it (though Viei11e-

fond' s Jules Africain now appeo.:red in th~ Bibliograph"V'), 1 but Grant

had comm.en'ted on Afr1c:anus in tvo l!!'B.l"lier studies,

cal Criticism in the Ancient Church," he

cri't1c or HOI:!le-:r

45

vell

B!;I

p:tesent~d

In his I1Histo!'i-

Afric8Jlus a.s Na.

o:f the Old and New Testaments.,,2 While

adr!d.tting that A:f:rica.nus' s ilQrk in the first area (as evidenced by

the Oxyrhynchus papyrus 412) +,;ras not sat is :factory ~ Ci:r-ant

it for its vide ra.nging effort !Wd

best critic-al ~~thods o~ the day.3
entitled "PatristicB t

@videnc-~

of

~01IittI~nded

ac~ua1ntan~e

'With the

In one of a serie5 of short notes

he also suggested, in CODtr~5t to Vieille-

"

fond' s interpretation of Bekt.as, that the by-name in the Suid.:aa

shQu.ld "be understood

6.S

metathi!'s1s from Kestos.

t~

~obert M. Grant, ed. ~d r~v. of" Edgar J. Good.sp~~d, A

tOry ofEarlYOhristi~ Li~erature, rev. and enl. ed. {Chicago;
Unive:r-sity of Chicago
2

Pr~~s~

Journal of Religion

Hi s-

Phoenix BoPKB, 1966)t pp. 151-53, 209.

25

(l9~5)~

190.

3Ibid~"

p.19l. Apa:rt from the presUI!Ip'tion in Afri<::tLnus" s

favor cr4!'ated by his other e'fforts, even this lIi.Odest. cOmJIliment
might appear exc:e ss i ve . CArr icanu$ 5 cri.t ic tL.1 aci 11 t.y etll"tle-d him
only iI. qua.lified ~OnJ:Iendationt ill 9. single footnote .. in Carl Schneider t G~iBtes.eieschichte deB antik.en Cbri:stentUl:!lS ~ 2 \'01s. [Munich ~
C. H. Beck, 195~]t 2;37,. n. 1; [but. P0r:P-hy'ry and Celsus faired little

better (ibid.)J.)

4V.!g,iliae Chris"tianae 3 (1949)~ 227.

This vie'll vas perhaps

first suggested by V~esius (Eccl. hist., uAnn. n ) p. 127) eol. 2A;

followed by Dupin., Nouv. of b1io.:II 1: 117 and note oS), but had a hi story sepa.r8.te from the- rest of his th~ory. Ma..ny authors who distinguished the African! called the heathe:n vri ter Sextus Mric8.nus; "but
Labbe 'Who &l"gued fer a single Atriea.nus" e:fL.1l,ed hin: Ke-s1;.os (Diss.
I

philo}. de script., 1:659).

----

Study of Africe.nus
other Specu1.a'tione
F. I..emmert challenged tb~ line of thinking (begun a.t least

~li:max:ing in Vie11letond)1

with Boivin" elaborated by Martin, and

vnich restricted th@- number of chapters in the Gree);; tacticians th6.t

ver.e aeen

6.S

coming fran Africanus.

L~rt

follo107ed Schoene and

othel" editors of Aene-a.s in also crediting to thl!o Kestoi the cha.pters

from

A~r.J~ae

ations.

fl"~-ent.s

vhich :follow the Kestoi

Arguing

that fragments

or

in the- :military c o:rnpi 1-,

earlier writers may be found in

Afri car...us. t and that late r teJ'!lU. nology might be d'Qe to "modern1 z.at 1 on"
b:,' later editors .. he s.uggested tha.t the decision must be based on the

fa.ctUAl c::ontent of the

Specifical1y~

be

ehapt.~r$ (rather

argu~d

t.hat

~ba:pter

than s.tyle and vocabu.larJ). 3

12a (i.e ... th@' unnUJ:XIbered itetrJ

follO".ring C'hapter 72 in the Th~""enot edition) and the th:ree folloving chs:pters ~

despit~ sOllie

Byzantine voC'a'buJ.anr" vere by Afl"i-

J,
!:8.n:US

lBoivi f.I, in Th.-I!:venot~ VeteTum me.thema.tieol"'UD1, pp. 339, 353,

357; Martin ~ t1Recher~hes sur Heron,." pp. 3~4 -. 35 5-6l; and 1/i e illetond" Ju.les Afl"iNLin" pp. xxxix-xl.
2uJu1ius .A1"'rikanue;. und die
1sch~

Ze1tschr1ft

by~&ntinishe Taktilt,. PI Byzantin-

44 (1951): 362-69.

Lammert ineluded only Boivin

and Vieillefond=rn his discussion (pp. 362-63).

3lbid ., p. 363.

4Ibid ... pp. 363-69.

BotbMe.rtin

(rtRe-~h@rC'hes sur

:Heron,,"

p. 361) and Vieillef'ond (Jul~s Africain" IJ. xl} r-~gard these ~hap
ters &S coming frO!!) an unknoim, but late, sourc e, pe-rhi!Lps front tb~
CQmpil~~

himBelf.

Recent Contributions

93

In a d1f'f'erent a.rea, several vriters Bpeculated on Af:r-icanus's

Homeric text.

Odette

:Bouquia:ux~Si'P:lO:n ~uggested

that Atri.canu5 gives

evidence of t.he sa;me type oftendentiouB Homeri..:: text a.s that

entljr cited

by Lucian.

Fridolf' Kud.1.ien

\r~.rrt

e..ppa.r~

further" a.ttempting to

credi t another 'Work t.o AtrictLnus,. a lost ps eudo-Ga.~eni e "Concerning

Homeric Medicine.

n2

Finally '!I Vieil1efond mentioned

:ra~ora.hly

Bouqm.aux-Simon I S proposal in .a presentation concerning Atricanus I S

Ne:kyia t.ext as a. pB..!"t of the literary ancestry of" DSI)te':s Inferno.:3
MefLllwhile:o t'Wo other authors dealt vi th the seo:=ular :side of
some of Africanus' sreligious c:ont;acts.

Abra.h&nl. Sch&l.i t traced the

report that derived He-rod's family from Asca.lon (given. alI!O:ng others,
by

A:f'ric&:ous in his l1!tter to Aristides) back to an orj,gin9.l Jevish:o

anti-Herodianpolem.ic.

Later generations of'

J~8]1

unde-l' the later

Her-ods, dropped t.his polemic ~ and it survi.....ed only in Christian

sourc es .

Drij vers ~ in hi s

Btudy

o:f :8ardaisan]l ident ified hiJD vi th

A:f'Ti C8.nUS I s Barda.i san the Pa.rthian 1i fLnd so made use of' Af'r i canus t

te st iln.ony {a.."1 d ai 1ence-} cone erning :BiL:rdaisan I 5 life (and B.11eged

heres)r).5

13-1i.
2"ZUIII Thema ~omer und die Medi:t.in,.
Phl1ologie n.13. 108 (1965): 2'95-99.

3J .-R. Vie1l1efofld~

"De

la N,Wg!l

r rt

Rhein1.sches M1jsetJIj fUr

Homerique

a 1 tEnfer deDant.~

]11'

Revu~ des etudes itfl.1iennes D.B. 11 19-5); 439-53 (Af.r-icanusofl pp.

!;La-51; reference to -IIouquia'IJ.X-SittJon, p .1451, with n. 1).
~t

ft

'Di~ trlIhchristliche Uberlief'erung

nbe:::r die Herkunft der

FSIIIilie des Herodeg: Ein Beitrag z,u:r G~schichtl!!' d~r politischen Invekti ve in Juda.a i II Annual of tae Slll!dish Theological Institute (Jerusa.l~1:l]
~ (1960) ~ 109-60 ~ esp. pp. It..1-43.
- -.

5H. J.

w.

DriJvers J ~tdAisan of Edessa, trans. Mra. G. .

S'tudy of' Af'rica.nus

St.~tu.s

of' the Qu(::'stion

Johannes Quasten devoted slightly over two pages of his

Pe.tl"ology to a brief' sketch
Though he included

Vi(!il~efond

Afrieanus vas still

s i... s. 1

o~

Africanus' s 11 fe and vri tings.

in his list of' Edi tiona J his vie"iol of

ese~ntiB.l.ly

the

faII1i~iar Gelz.e:r-Ha:rnuek.

synthe-

The brief, ODi!'-pa.ge, discussion io Altanerts PatroloE;'l (which

appeared in English form in 196o),. did not tn.e..teriaJ.1y change thiB

vie"rI

(including te:nrd:oology- that at l~B.:St allo......-s" a.nd perhaps bug-

gests, H.o.rnfI..Ck s 1I1ibt'arian" thesis)" though it

of magic in the Kestoi to
..

ing it as "~y.ncretisr!l.n

annic& produced the

B.

ex:pa.nd.~c1

the

belief in nl!lB.gic and sorcery," explain-

In this same year, th~ Em:yr:lgp.aedis. Br! t-

~reviouslymenti~ned, slightly

revised version

o:f ita earlier article (making AfricSJ'lus's bir"tllplace Aelia.

l.iDB., but not

Thib article

ref"~ecting any literatu..~ a.f'te1'

~ontioued

~harge

C8.pito~

O;xyr]lynchus III). 3

through 1969, art~~ which it disappeared~

Neerlar.Jdicfl." no. 6 (As5e:n~ Van

Drijvers cited AfricaDus :from
Thevenot and Mi,gne, however> with no reference to Vieillefond's
text (p. 167~ D. 2).

Ba5.)"'en~Pape~ Studi!l. Semitica

Gorc\UIl, 1966)~ pp. 161 , 183~65.

van

Patrol0f\:'" vol. 2: The Ante-Nicene Literature af'ter Irenaeus

(Utrecht and Antverp: Sp-ectrum Publica.tions .. 1948) > pp- 137-40. In

a.ddition to his description> Quasten incl\lded lists of most of the
basic a.OUTces (Editions. Tran31e..tions, and Studie5 o:f each of' Af'ri-

canus's. works.) necessary for the study of' Af'ricanus ("but. on p. 138~
Bardy 5: article title should be '~n enc;')cl ope di ate C hret i en.
fI ~
on p. l39>the s.econd of Granger' s artiC~e6 should be J .Th.S. 34
[193JJ; and: on p. 140~ J. Stro~, "Zu Quintil~i.ap,," should be
omitted> it concerns a different Julius Africanus. )
2

Berthold Alte.ner, P8.trolop~t> trans. Hilda C. Graef !roc the

5th German ed. (Nev York: Herder & Herder> 196o)l p. 236.

3See

above~

. 1.
p. i2, n.

Recent
squeezed out betveen

B.

more lively uAfrican }.!usic Pr and an Wlyielding

With the advent or the

"Afri c;:an Violet. n

95

C~ntributionB

Ne~

Encyclopaedia Britan-

nics. in 1974:. IitAfrieanus:> Sextus Julius" reappeared t but in an oddly

distorted form=
Palestine~

be vas born

and 'Wa.s

lt

'I C

AD

IBo t u he "seLVed as prefect 11 in

reg ione.1 8.mbasssdor to Rome lt about

222~

Further"

the Kes.toi was not even m.entioned {nor. for that. !llB.tter:t the let.t~r
to 01"igen. cone erning Susanna)..l
T:.~e

In

1910~

He,. Bra Renovated

Vieillefond eapped off' the vork begun in 1932 'With

his full edition (;,."1 th French trannlation) of the fragments of the

Kesto1.

In accord with hia 'Previous ....iews, this included, in eight

sections,. the texte. frQIlJ all verifiable sources 3 (but excluding e.ny

texta from the Geoponica), and also included citations in a ninth

ae"Ction.

T11e ":Et1,lde generale"

(70 pages) 'iothich preceded the text

also continued Vieillefond's balanced J somewhat conservative approach

to the lire and 'WOrks or Aft"ic8.nus t but added s. ma..t or new element to

bis interpretation:

Africanus in the Kestoi was a. Jew

~iting

30 vols., 15th eo. {197~)"

Micropaedia 1:126, col. 1. (The date~ abOut 180 t is p~rho.ps a distorted ref1ectior.J of use of Vieille'fond, who gave. Africl9Jlus t s birthlTbe lie'll Encyclopaedia

Brit~.J1nica.,

date as 160-180 (Jule~ Afric61n. p. ix], or before 180 (t~s Cestes~

p. 18J .. thoush it might be from Bardy C'Un enC'yC'lopedi~t~,Pr p. 258J;
most other sour~es that hazard a date give i~ simply &S ~a. 170T)
2Les Ces~es de Julius Afri~~nus ~~1ted e1sevhere as Leg Cestes).

3Texts from Kestos 1 (from the military co11ec~ion5)~ other

texts from the military collections. ~ Hippiatricfl.. .. 'IIeights and measures 10 the Oxyrhyncbus ::f"J"agm.ent 10 purga.tives ~ concerning cinnamon ~ and
~Yeing.

Study of Afric:anuEi

96

especially tor- Jevs of the Diaspora.-

Vieillefond had indicated his belief in Africanusls Jewish

ortgin. in

&

po.sslng r-e:ferenee, in his study of the :Ne:kx.1a. and

2

DaDte,.. but had not elaborated or sup-porte-d 1 t . ..

His previously Sot at ed

view, preElented in his 1933 study of the "fra.gment Inedit~r concerning

cinnamon, had been thl! more genera.l {and more correct'?) vie"W of" Afrl-

as "en AsiatiqUl! du Sud-Est'- 'With Aelis. Capitolina. as his

Ca.rJ'US

birthpla.ce.

Vi.e-illef"ond supports the :mo:re specific conclusion by

a.ttributing it 'to Af:ricfLnus himself;

to the

4J2}

in a.

"ilork

addrC!:ssed

Jews. the expression tes archaias patrido5 . .

~ould

~ssentiallj'

. eQxy.

Pap.

only Clean "notre anc1enne patrie. . . . ..4

aS8umes the Jewish address of the Kestoi, a

attempts to prove later in his study. 5

~es

Ceates l pp.

point which Vlel1lef"ond

In terms of5rpecific:

l~, 17, 41~2.

.Bll!Lsa, 8.t lea.st., had pr~'1liously

suggeste d thi s ( 1ILi t ere.rische Texte ~ ~t p. 297). but the idea. seems
not to have be en taken up by loater wri te1"S .
2,rne lEl Ne-kyia)" p. 4148.

3 t'Fragment 1nedi t ~ -t p + 203.

~

Les

Ceste5~

p. 17.

This interpretation also means that the

phrase does not necessariljr indicate that Afrlcanu5 himself' was born
in Jeruss.lem (ibid.).
t;:

, But a failw:e to clearly ea.tabliah this leaves. the argument

essentially circUlar. It iso, at best" possible" and 8~ems to be in

eontlic:t with the indications from certain references by Af'ricB.nu!;I in
his other ~ork6, and by Origen to .Atricanus.
One of Origen" B c:~ents on Af'rica.:nuf3 5 1inguistic argUment.
agains.t SUsanfl8. might have e.igni.ficanc~ hl!'re: hI! says uYour :reason
to!' at.firming that th~re is not [a possibility of a.uc:h a paronoma.:sia
in the Hebrev language)" you yourself probably kno"'" (To A.fricQnI.1s 6
jo

This c.ouJ.d be Been 8.S a cQvert reference to Afr1c:anus's Jewish origin; but~ if' 80. the Question imJ!jediately arises, "Why ~overt"1n
In addition" the statement 15 quite ~B.6ily under6tood .as a politl;!'~
though el%lphatic .. questioning of the ~onc:luaiveneBs of the evidence.
Else"....her~ in the letter .. there i6 a consistent pattern of reference to
[l!!ndJ).

Recent

ContributiQn~

97

reference by Africenus 2 besides the OxyrhynchU5 and the tt,:)ncerning

cinn8JllOn if passages ~ in the cbapter on metrology (Les Cestea ~ Part IV . .
line 55)

tcnn.

20

he ref"ers to the ~on@, "'Which we- call cabos I" a :H~br~

In :ID.Ore gener-ill evidence, the l'!entagon and

h~xagon't

mentioned

l.n several of Af'ricanus l s procedures . . tt'e also especiallyconnec::ted

VJ,.t~
~I

. h
e'W:!.S

mlI.g i

~.

Vieil1efond l s basic l'r1nc1ple of' accepting only c1e8.l"ly attested items in the reconstruction of' the

~it.'e

of Afric:anus is now

the Jevs as l'them . . 1t not only i,n corJ'trast to Origen. but also to Af'ri-

car-us

(4; 5; 9;

12-l~).

This e~ pattern is f'ou..!ld t.hroughout Africa-nuB' fI. own vriti ngs = e . g., To Or i ger.J 4 2 n in the Daniel :ree e i ved emong the J eV9"
lef. Origen To Af:d.c.s:nus 9't 111n their Daniel"]; To Aristides't .,.
in
IsraelI th-e- nam.es of their genel"atior.rs, .. .. .. them, . . . they 20 11 a.nd
later, ". . . the genealogi e s of t he Hebrews . . . I Herod . . ~
burned the rl!gist.~l"s or t.heir fflJl:ii1ies (. Eus. H.!. 1. 1. 2 and 13~
re 8 p eetively ]; Chror:iQg,l"fl.phy.. Routh' s fragments X.. :O::II,. XLIX.. and L
(e8p. the- last.; within. it note ReI .. sacl". 2:297 20 301-2, 30~-5, and ..
I!:Sp. t p. 306 t line 3L
In &11 thC!:se pas serges , A:fricaI11:.l13 vrites of the J~~,.,s as a th.iTd
party,. distinct. hom himself and his intended read~rs (ba.sically
Chris titms)j Origen I 5 referenc es are C on5 i sten t. 'With thi 5 pattern.
This might be correlated with Vieillefond' s vieW' b:1 arguing that in
these cases Ml"icsnus, a Jewish. Christian, is here speaking as a
Cltti st1 fIJ'1I.. dl stinct from the J evs But 20 it so, why the neeo. for
Or1gen to allude to this covertly'? one vho would se.erlling1y ,=onc@oiLl
hi s J evi.s h backg:rQUDd when ,,"it i ng and be i ng '11 t ten to as a Chri.st.ian ..
'Would hardly vrite .ELS a Je'"rj to a Jewish audience (01" be acee-:pt.ed by
them a.a one). Such a situation would suggest a.s. great Bon "id~ntlty
~risislr fot' Af"ricatLus as I!l. ChristiOJl author a.;;; is usually seen fOT
him as a. seculat' one.
lLes Cestes,. :p. 111. (But ka.bos is not. exclusi"'el~' Hebrew
it a1 eo app ears in Arl!UIl4ic :[.9 aba' J l' and has ~ ognat!:s in other
Semi ti!: le.ngua,gil! S . The forc~ of this argument dep~mds to some e:rten t
on the loosti!ning of Ai'ric:tmus'a :residential ties with Palestine . .
which Vieil1~fond does. despite the other ~vid~nc~ fOl" his ties with
F.nnnQus especially.,)

r: 9ab J'.

:2

L~t; Cestes .. pp. 4z-J,la; but Vil!!ill@fond himself fo~lows this

by evidence of its wider uee (;ranging h'o."Il .ancient Ba.bylon and Egypt
to modern ItaliBJlee~n) (pp .. 4~-45, with n. 61 (continued on p.

46]).

Study of Af'ric:anus
~xtended

to tvo other

areas~

his residence and his profession.

Vieillefond questions the ties of Afr1canus to

Emm&us~

seeing it

basically as & client relation (Qr simply the introduction of its

!"epresentatives at court) ~ rather tb~ as his residence. 1

ing AfricfLnuss

hypothes1s

:prQregsioll~

Cont:ern-

Vieillefond rejects Harnackts "librarian"

{which he had lett open in

1932)~3 concluding that it is

best to assume that AfricfLtJUS was an architect .. but also interested

in other area.s such as s.cience, letters t philosophy.,. and theology-.k
Vieillefond rejects Bjarckis

-i b
b
~a5tce,ut

theo~

of

th~

. t h e discUSS10n
.
d escrloes
.~.
i t as B.
1n

Kestoi as a
t.
vor~

on

la ~hologie p~~~nne, 1a science plus QU moins scrieuse t

le bel esprit plus oU moinB humoristi~ue80 et la ~agie plus ou
IIloins Jui ve se mcnent et se superposent. .

He concludes tha.t for Africe.nus th(! Ke:st.Oi

IThid." p. 19.

\iEUi

Vieill@fond does not .rind. a resid.ence at

&:mla.us indicated in Eusebius t. s Chronik referenr::e (e-d. R~.l.mt PR 21lJ.}.

This is perhaps a. valid rejection of Vincent and AbelE reconstruc-

tion) but Beems t.o be e:n over-reaction. Besides its fail1.U""e to do

justic~ to the othtlr testimony besides Eusebiu5 (\fhich may 'be sotlle'What independent of" hilZl t e.g. ~ Philip of Side [see abo"e~ 'Pp. l7
and 64-65]) it leaves una~ked a basic question concerning Eusebius's
report = 'Lfhy such B. refe'renee at all'! Is it bel:a.use of the significance to Euse'bius of Africanus" or of E:m:r:tlaus? Or is it of the 'two
together, and together in a ao:mevhat substantial e.nd lasting relationship? (The ~ll!l;bora.tion of the question implies ~ OWIl answer.)
2Les C~stes, p. 21.

3Juleg Africain) p. x~ n. 2.

4Les

C~Btes~ pp. 21-22.

On p. 29 t continuation of n. 31 from
'P' 28. V1eillefond also :reJ ec:te-d Kudlien' g guggesti.on that Africanus
Wl"ote the pseudo-Galeni~ uHomeric Medic:ine u as r1bien arbitraire.'

5Les Ceste s., pp. 53- 55.

6lbi d.

p. 5JI.

99

Recent Contributions

une r.ect'ea t 1 On]o llne d.i s trac ti on ~ ou l' element 1udi que:> propre a
"toute creation intelleetuellE"]I nepeut guere B~ disa.oo1er de- tous
les autre's (fiene t sentiment d!util1t~ etc.) qui dete:nninent
I'oeuvre ecrite. 1
Th~ K~stoi

is not s properly

written from a purely pagl!W.

l1

gpeaking~

cl ass ic, n

gyncretistie, it is

..... ie\i"Point ~

On sent m.e~ qut Afri.canus se refus~ a superposer les registres

ps.ien et jUdee-chretien alors que pourtant des associations
d'idees 1 ':" conduisa.1ent naturel1ement~2

Though good taste is not the dominant quality of the

canus does not violate the
1~e

of

bound~

Ke~toi!lo

A1'ri-

betveen the sacred and the profane. 3

sources of the Kestoi were many and varied--the school

pseudo-Democritus~

brotherstet al.--but

Homer, fuclid:r Herodotus) theQ,uintl1iflj}.

u en

e;fneral Af'r1ca.nus aime

a soul1gner son

origi nal i te ~ .. 4
Res tilt s of the New Era.

The nev era t vhich began and" at present ~ ends 'With Vie-i11e-

tond, has provide-d. a good base f'or further a.d'lance in Atricanian

studies:> but it has !1.ot

questions.

:Eiolv~d

all the problems nor 8J'".IjJwered all the

Inde4!'d> it has raised fIJlOthe-r question .. the aLleged Jev-

ish ba.ckground 'of Af'ricanus 9.nd the Kestoi.

There 15 no longer an::,.

se:rious quest ion as to the fa.e t that the author

V8.S

a Chris ti an ,

though 'the problem of 'Wh&t kind of' Christian remains.

see:ms t.o be agreem.ent th8.t t.he Kestoi

1s~

There also

on the \fhole:o a serious

work ~ but. one vi th ent ertainment (and even humor,. in some parts) as

one 01' its

goa.l~.

lIbido

:p.

56.

3 Ib id . p. 58.

Ibid. ) pp.

Ibid.]I pp.

56-51.
58~60.

study of Af'.ricl..nuS

100

Su:nmo.r;r and Conclusions

Some of' the baste objec:t1ve questionB htLve been ansvered:

hOll

many books ~re there in the Kestoi, are there explicit Chriatian

(or

Jewish) refl!'renees in the Kestoi" vas the author from Africa. was he
So

bishop (or even

f1

priest)?

But others re:main:

what is the author's

n.a.tion&1 (and geograpbicsJ.) background; what else did the Kestoi

ta1n" &nd Nln further elements of it be!

r'l!"covered frOJ:!l

COl1-

known works;

Wh6t are th~ areas Q,f overlap betlleen "syncretistiC: Christianity"

and ttsyncrctistic paganism" in tbe Severo.n period, e.nd. bet1.reen an-

cient magic and ancient "Bcience"?

Thus,

d~s'pite

the p:r"ogress

the ba.sic probll?l%I still rl!'m!lins;

hmr is the Christianity of At1"icanus to be correlated 'With the Qon-

tent s and sJ)ir i t of' the Ke stoi '7

what do the

oC ont~n,t

C"nristiani ty of

The

Or.. perha:ps bet t~rl!!L.Sked eJlother vs.:t

jo

s and spirit of the Kestoi toeII us about the

th~t:i.ml!'

qu~st1on

of Mricanus 1

c:a.nnot be- solved

by

ignoring it (an approach

vhich goes back 60S ttl.!" as Ru1"inus, and continues into the present in

f'or example ~ the Nev En~2<::lOPaedia Britan.n.ica), nor by deny-ing it (as

attempted by Scalige!' and Va.lesius" and
by Bjorck).

contirm~d

in attenuated forn

But'l yhile BjSrc:k I S suggestion apparently will not stand ..

his oCl"iticisPlS do seem to undercut the a.t'tempts 1:.0 ans'W"e'l' the question as being simply due to

"syn~retic:i~tn

either

p~rsonal

or

eult we-wide +
OUr usual pieture of

~a.rly

Christianity is dra.lln from the

"orthodox M 8ide, ignoring the- depth pre-sentl!'d by the "heretical"

80uree 6 (as Bauer ~ e spec i ally]l bas show us in hi Ii Orthodoxy an d

101

Here.sy)

I
w

.But it is also dravn large-ly from s. view of the cl~ric&l

"lJeak~ ff vith little knCNledge of.

or interest in ~ the obviously much

broader (literally and figuratively) lay base.

In a.ddition, Qur

usual ide-a. of "state--ehur<:h" :rela.tions in t.he ea.rly (!entu.riea is

of MternfL.ting persecution and passive toleration or ignoring.
ric8.nus shows us the existence", a.t times at least,

ti ve toleranc e..
of

em-i s t ians

and

the poss i oi 1 i ty

~onstru~tions~

be

9.SEL

more aethTe int@,I'relB.tion

reminder of these

p~vides

At-

a m.ore posi-

and gover'f1menteJ., even 1mperi aJl, eire leE.

does Af'ricanus starJd

theDJ.

'Of a

Qf'

ODe

g~ps

in

OUl"

Not only

tlsU.fI.l re-

some information for partially filling

~alter B~mer~ Orthodo;:rHsnd Heresy in Earlie-st Christianity.

2d GeTm9D ed ~.. tran s,. by a team from the Phila.delphia Seminar on
Christian Origins; ed. Robert .A. Kraf't and Gerhard Krodel (Philadr?.lphia; Fortress Press ~ 1971),
2This emphasizes a. remaining need of a more objective sort.,
a complete edition of the rest of Africanus's work5~ especially of

the fragments of tbe- Chronogra.phy.

CllAPl'ER II

TRAJfSLATION OF THE KESTOI FRAGMENTS

The following pages contain a translation of the

th~ Keetoi as

f:ra.gm~nts

of

identif"1ed and edited by Vieillefond in toes. C~stes (pp.

The- nUlIlbers of tbe pag(!S of.' text in Vieillefond':8 edi'tion

103-323).

a.re given in the right margin vi th page ends marked in the text b J' a
double virgule

<II L

The end of every fifth line has been indicated

by a. .... irgule (omitted at paragraph ends} 11 as

of a translated text. .allov, vi th line

:margin.

nmnb~r!;l

e.>::igen~ies

included on the lef't.

Vieille.fond llWIlbers the lines by cinapter t not by page.

In the following

text

exactly as the

ar~ given by

chapt~r6

Viei1lefond

of this

section~ (in

stu~'t re.feren~es

Roman numerals),

to the
cbapt~rs,

and line numbers; where page numbers are given for quicker location
o~

references to scattered sections. they follow the others

I. 2.

tion

5~

p. Ill).

''vi.~'

is

For tbe sake of clarity

sOlr.eti:m.e~

fin~ brevity~

1970~ tl

and

'~Vi ...

1932" are used to dis-

tin~~ish bet~een Les Cestes (1970) and Jules Africain

~he translation~

l;I.ide of literalism.
'by

the abbrevia-

used in cross references; vhC!'r"e there are

di fferenc-es. the forms "Vi.

In

(e.g.~

(1932).

I have generally preferred to err en the

Occasionally. l1owe'\Ter, 1 have beea carried B.va:;l'

Af!'icanus's rhetorical eonceits and ha.ve tried to 'l!m'bellish

'translation similarly.

102

t~e

l03

Intl'oo~~tion

Figure 1

help~

to visualize the form of the Kestoi a.nd the

limj,tations of our knowledge of it.

2
Mordant ~ dyeing - PRole']. PI>. 32-33{? }.~ 37 eVi. VIII. 1 (?)"
2] (cf'. Berthelot-Ruelle" tincture [Vi. IX. 2 ~ 3:)1)

3 -

5
6

7 - Military matters (Vi.

!~

cf. also items in II and IIIJ

8
9
10
11

12

13 -

.; chap. 22:J kathartika ba-ola (Vi. 'ill]

IL
IS
16
11

18 -

19
20

21
22
~3

24

rCom:l.: J Ii te:-ary cri tic1sm of" E"OOleo:r (!Q.&:. ~~2) [Vi. vJ

Unplaceable sections:
Mise. mIl tary ma.t.ters - Vi. II

Hippiatrica- Vi. III

lTE:pl d'!llej.lCJ\i Kal JJET;l-41V - Vi. n

'1H:pl 1'00 K1VVD:lJW,lJOU - Vi. 'lII

Psellu5 (cf. Cat. I1JS5. ale. gr.) - Vi. IX. 1 t ~
Alchemy {Berthelot-Rueife" ColI. anc. ale. gr.}
- VL IX. 2:t 3

Geoponica - Vi. IX. 5

Fulgentius - Vi. IX. 6

Fig. 1. Ke:O"TOf--Knovn Contents

Tra.r.l 61at ion

104

1
Sigle.

Textual
[( J]

conje~tural

>

conjectural addition where there is no manuscript lacuna

<.

EJ
t

<:

restoration of manuscript lacunn

- manuscript passage to be

- corrupt passage not reasonably

>

as spurious

~xcluded

eOir~ctable

- conJec"tural. lacuna (not appearing &s such in exta.'1t manu-

scripts)

...

- lacuna in extant manuscripts

Manuscripts and Editions (Selected) 2

- yaticanus gr. 1164 {X-Xl cent.}

- :Barberin!anU gr. 276 (X-XI Cent.)

- Ca.ntabrlgiensis colI. manuelis. 3]1 19

{XiI cent~ )

of corpus
l'dppiatricorw:n

MSS

- Lond1nensis bib'. Sloania.nae 745

(X.LII cent?)
- Corpus h1ppiatrieorum gr~ecorum, 2 vole. (1924! 1927)
- Eugenius Oder and Carolus Hoppe) editors of C.H.
Hipp. Cant.

= r

(in cit&tions from C.H. 2)

'~agi cal

The

in

th~

11me..gi~al

Passag!!"s"

pa!lsages 11 discl.!ssed in the

!le"rt

chapter are

ma.rk~d

translation by dark vertical line5 in the right margin) and are

numbe~ed

for identification by

l~g~r,

bold

numbers {vith 5ubcivi-

sions fuTther identified by lower ~ase lett~rs in bold t~~e)~

IFollO'Wing Vieillefond IS sys.tem in Les CestE!s (p. 73).
2Ci". ibid.

105

Kest.03

The Kestoi

FTe.,gment~

I:

Kesto5

p. 103

<Table>

These are contained in the <7th> 01' the Kest.oi or Afiicanu:;:.;

I. Conce!"ning armor. - 2. Concerning

de8-tru~tion

of ene:l:tJieos. -

3. Rela.ting to combat.. - h. For surgery on the ..... ounded. - 5. For the

WOW] Ii

:from iron +

6. T8.J!liT.lg of a hor5 e. - T. That a. hQre,e may not

n@igh. - 8. For cat.a.rrh of" horses. - 9. Tha.t a. hora.E!

fied. - 10.

Concernin~

svittness of

hors~s.

- 11.

may

not bE! terri-

Horse-trouble~.

12. Against ruin of beasts of burden. - 13. For a kicking .mule. 14. Milita:r:tr~11ke hunting. - 15. To find the wi.dth of a river and

height

of

wall.

16. Theft of Bound. - 17+

the

Prod~cingvakefulness.

18. For fighting of' elephants _ - 19- Agricult'JJ"'al marvels. - 20. Con-

clusion:

Concerning arrovs.

<Proem).

The issues of de-t!ds--pl"oduction and deca.y 11 changes and remedies

--occur according to
to knov each one of

re8s0n

or

p~inc1ple

t.belil~ gath~ring

or fate

01"

chance.

It is good

:from each various trui'tful helps,

(either) treatment of ills, or B~(:r~t acCO\Ults t or beautiful expres-

sions.

These~

in my estimatioD J ha.ve been accOJI]plisbed to the best of

I ability both in the preceding and the

rollo~ing.

1.1

Translation
1. Concerning

It is good to

106

Armor

p.105

var also. among all other "things.

knO"lof

times 1 W"ondered both a.bout the Ca'Use of the

the amed battles,. and that" indeed, of
conquered bY' the Romans

cri~ieal

theae~

Yor many

difference of

the Greeks ha.d

and, the Persians by the- Greek.s.

b~en

But yet the

Persians have never been conquered by the Ro.t!:Iarls, but. ar(! overcon:fident
of freedoDl and have f'or<:=ed equality of honor \lith u.s) t.he na.t.ions of

So, pro....iding a rationale I to

5- inner Asia clatlti.

myself~

1 found tha.t

it is not superiority of s'tratagems nor the total militarj" !;:trength

<for J in war ~ no ac count i.s t a.ken
])reparat i on of the

For

th~

B..rIII.S

0f

numbers by t.h E!' val i ant- ), but the

and the "fon::. of the mili t.ary gear.

Greeks d.elight in

heavy~

full

art:'lOl'"~

tbey have a.

10 dou/ble helmet]o scaly brefLstplfite, a convex, bron'?oe-c:o'ni~:red roundshield, held b~f tvo handles (of 'Which the one is ar()und. the .forearm to
be of use tor shoving t the other being gra.sped b~r the band),
greaves~

a Javelin in the handa

~d

a close-fighting

sp~ar

thoge of 'the roy-a.! cavalry t and a 5vord .. broa.d, not long.

a~rt not much indeed .. but

15 ning witb this

as may be necessarj- for the

of the arrows
fought by

~o

in unisQJ:l anCi alone.

ing themselves many

as 'they

equal to
Rarely run-

sharplYt ani / of such

that the virtue of the soldier

~ns

double,

The:,. cut up the baTba.rilUl!il- iT! this

manne:r~

ti~:s

in the

sort

eager to arrive under the t.raJectory

They knew both hov to fight togetber, and ef\ch of

hims~lr,

20 by t.he- length

m~~

t\l'O

jO'llrney~

th~m

bo~h

rest-

80 as not to dull the l.eal

of" the road, by this meo.n5 they ......e re unwearied as long

r~:mained

in denger.

ThUs., using a sharp speed, they mad.e ef-

fort to ge-t inside the arrows 1 <range> .. the longer ranged missiles

Kestos 1

107
carrying over thetn,.

lUI

the:," Tsn in under the- traje-et0l"Y ~ and" because

foot~soldiers,11

of thl!' unarmored condition of the

~ha.rge

not endure the

25 sile!;l is

~t a

the opponents could

of such sort of a.rma.men"t; for "tbe forcE! of' mis-

distance ~ but I in the

is successfully

co~bat

1.1

maint~ined

Ql'~a

<:lose-1Jl ~ securitjt from the'

by the full armor.

Therefore,. in

order to suf'fer no'thing from afar .. the breastpla;te is proof against

all arrO....Ts by the overlap of' the scales; and the ca.p around the head

<consistine; of:> leather and another" additional .. co....ering of

~h&t is~

30

s11ng~

va.y;

one helmet on

anQth~r,

it suffices against

the outside she-II, indeed. being

50

d~nted

th~

shot

bron~e~
f'ro~ R

all around and giVing

that the thing discharged is not o.'ble to reach the inner co.....-

ering of the head.

But the :raee- ift 'baTe and the

le<>ki ng around everyvhe re unhi ndered.

n~ck

is free,. t.o allow

Then ~ wi t b the spe ars, the one

group checks the pixelT..en of the cava.lry who are probing ahea.d bef'ore

35 attackin@;; but the ot.ber91o haVing been stationed in more open I pha-

lanxeG

seFarating~

necessa.ry to atrell

take effect
helleb(l.:reJ~

&gain~t

The:tp

the barbarians (vhither it is

use both t.l"COPS and

~lingers

withOl.,lt danger, by nJeans of the vall of tbe shields placed in front

of' them.
~nd

In truth. even tbe hF.!'R"Y s'lrlords are USeful for dexterity

vehemence

But the
~O

blow.

o~

s\1cce~ding Ml!i.c~don1ans

altered :slightly a fev of these,

because o~ the I variety of battles, refitting the common arms both

against the bal'ba:riaJ'ls

~nd o.gfl.in~t

one another

As an

exsmpl~,.

t.he

vision of the fighters 'W'as unobstructed under ,the Laconian cap in the
Macedonian <armor,>; fIJld they eall t.hi5 usage and custom <t.ha"t> of

the soldier king

Indeed,. Al@xander

himse~:r

also

~otm"tlO.nded

the

p. 107

loB

Trl!Wslo.tion

Ll

L5 soldiers 'to shave the: beards, I and someone objecting to .cutting ofT'

the adornment of the f's.ce . . he 6ns'W'.:!red, IlDoubtless you do not know, 0

eivilia.."l,

fore

II it is not prudent

s'U~h arlDOr

tQ

take

9.

beard into battle."

"l."here-

p. 109

being near no one ,tha.t 1s, a b.I1rbe.rian t sbould be

able to stand firm . . however he shoUld have been fitte-d out.

50

But for tbe Romans . . a helmet of single material <leaving>

B.

11t tlf! opening for th eo fa.c e f"or both brea thi ng and sight, but coming

dovn risht upon the

shoulde~

blades. the neck bound tight; Dot turninB;

a chain-wrought breastplate; one grea.ve; the broa.dsyord. long;

long

shie~d

as a defense, being borne about

by the

ob-

hand (it. is less ef-

f1caciousfor the: body in fighting 1n close ord(!!']1 the soldiers Dot

being able to get the whole shouldl!r covered bY' tbe firmo:r); and their

55 spears vere / shorter than the Greekl;ll.

Still

~heY

fight

suc~~sstully

against the full

previously

~r

described; for they have security frm those nearly equal, and they
ga.in

a.."1

advantage 'by the agility) both f"or attack.s s.nd

and to assa,\ut

60 sword

high~r

or

the G~eeks . . Qy the

bloW' gaining the advantage of the close engagement.

0

r~t.l"'l!'at:s ...

pO!i.loitions swiftly J and in the u!;Ie of the broa.d-

prone tQW3~d / s~riking into the necks

clos e (: ol3lbat

f&cile

r front ranks

11

Also, for aJ..l

'they trained theme elves also in t.he gym-

nastic art, so that there was an eQ.U1i.lity of experience with both, but
they had an Bdvantage by the 11ghtnl!ss -or their equipment.

the keenness of theiT spears would not be

65

&9 saul t

f~lYt

du11!!d)~ nor

But, so

be broken by the

on the Grl!!4!k s' bt-east/pla t~s, h&vi ng plfl..e~d the weapons skillthey transfixed the scales by thrusting.
Therefore, the ones

who~

it could almost

b~ 8B.!d~

109

1..1

Kestos 1

ha.d always been victor-ious overtbe Greeks .seldom c:onquered 'tbos who
v~re

8ollf&.ya: conqu.ered by the Gr-eeks.

ure~

to be

eage~

in

runn1~g

The first.

.r~aSOD

was the <fail-

into tbe close eombat, in order not to

70 leave the pack animals I behind; <for> they vere always ehut in by the
square or troops of the army; BJ1.d they :fell to 1/ the knee- '" roofing
over the host by the holding
Parthians' arrows.

up of

the shields in di!!'sire to negate the

But tru.l..v such a habit isimpractica1 .. by which

also one stands untouched,. being distressed by sun and toil,. tbe bar-

15 barians in relay a..ttack.ing .and 'Wi th~Ta'Wing aga.in, / while by means of

att.a.cking euccessi'Vely,the nations

a.%'e

t.aking rest.

Yet 6.lso not

one Roman fights 'by himself, nor is there anyone 'Who excels in single
~am~t

against

crushing

th~

the~any;

and the things

~a~t

from a sling at the heads]

he.lmett!;link in; and avoiding the t.hro....-n missile is diffi-

cult because of the cutt.ing of the iron collar.

selected~

80 nothing ha.ving / been

for one

ch~ce-

But besides this.

thfrJ' .loosed the Jave-lins, spending ten

death, and they did not resist the &tt8.cking horsemen

vith pikes, (they being too} short.

If at lellet, then, sOJlli@'one might bestow a Greek breaatplate and

helmet on the Roman soldier, and give a longeT

pi~e,

and each one of

the spears be throVTI at a. particularaluk,. and he :rnig..ht tea.ch e&!:h one

85 to 1"i ght b'.f trims el f ~

<and:> sometime s he mi gh t &nang~ running so th&t

the charge against the enel:lJY might be quick to be vithin tbe anssile
trtl.Je~to!"Yt

the RoJnll.n.s.

the barbarians. ,being cut up, should not. be

&

match for

p"

111

1.2

110

Tra-nslation
2~

Concerning Destruction

One must nat contend

~th

o~ En~ies

the enemies entirely vith conflict

nor- 'ba.ttles t nor must one !nake Chance mistress of the entirety of
Fer the outcome () f war is uncert 6. in, and

a:ff"airs.

'IrlUC

his di :fferent

from expecta.tion; those, at any event,. better 'Preparing 'With iron and
vith

men~ ~eapans ~~d

eithe~

valls,

wind cheats many

tim~S,

<or> sun.

S position~ or stratagem, or sigllhts a.nd ~ppar1t1ons, the daemon Pan

persevering indeed in thf! grea.t defeats.

prepa.red in eve:t'"'l 'Way 10 did. not then
baving

Cl"O'W'll ed

war fled

~.rcm

The Phocians,. being better

t~e

the Tbe'bans; beholding them

themse-l ves with laurel" those vhohad not f"eared the

the

Fl8.lI:ini us 'lo and also ?aulu.s t contl"8.l")r wind

~:rown.

10 and sun for "the most part chea.ted.

Likewise Leo/nidas used 'the l1arrov-

ness of the Gates a.gainst tbe fifty n:yriads.

Athenians into

~1arathon

against "the

Xerxes froQ Greece by ruse.

Some

Pers1a.~g.

s~ear

Pan ra.n togetner rith the

Themistocles expelled

the arrows with

drllg!;l~

that

eveDo vound may be mortal ~ others placed their strength in f'orest.s.

r

15 So~e ~ fleeing.. destroy beforehand the pasturages; ~n...v poiaon the

llell~.

And Ale;x:andeT overpo'llered the Alans by graving be:l.lebore.

Thus it is nat by the

o~posinB

alone that one mus1. s.tta.ck. the

forces} but really must one order the battle against the

mies by many
"there .....a s

visib~e

suCh lo

observ~d

and also
by the

b)r

the unnoticed arts +

Ka.r~hedonifl.ns

en~

At a.ll events,

tbis old la.w,. that,. the

~o:m-

20 manders having t9.ken counsel, then the best ~ even though I not successfully ac:coI!lplishing. t.hey "honored. but they used to chasti.se those

undertaking anything rashly and

Bchieving~

not maKing the Judgment from

p.113

III

K!stOB

the chance but

Ulatthc safe

f'rOtD

the

l~a.der

!.2

and good also is

intent10n~

is more advantageous. in eVfnY

The arts of general-a, therefore, are

25 not On~ 'IoI'hich is unrecorded /
they may

not be done) ~

the anci~.nt

lilly

ver-se ..

than t.he rasb.

nUl'::l~rou.s,

s.nd there 1l;1

(for W'hlch tf.iere cor-responds t,eaching ho....

healthfulness of enc6JIlPtOents a.nd well watered

areas, p-oss:essing high<'!'r places; entrenchments, outposts,. night-

marches 1 out-ridf:rs ~ reconna.issances ~ alDbusce.des, spies, /1 'Wt:ll ma.in-

tained

forager5 and likewise

arQs~

suf~icient

tovard the enemies t before a.ll:to distrust-.

equipocnt for sleeping;

Indeed, the Mea.ns for tQF-

30 ping vhatevcr hart:l the:( I do are fl.pparent", I consider, and well

knO"n'n

to those acquainted with hist-orical ne.rr:atives; &oinking antidotes

for

veno~~us

beasts beforehand to

de~end again~~ ~ne

arrows .. b.. .o. .t also equa.lly a remedy for the corrupting

the dl'inkings of
tbe disgust of

brine~

~he

poison-bearing
o~

the waters;

on t.he othet' hand. we decline on account of

receiving by 'the many.

Also

~utt.ing.

the enemy,. preventing -the a.ntagonists from e!;lc::aping

35 order / to have no need for 'foreign

pB.sturag~,

down trees of

notice~

and .. in

the green rod.der being

brought a.long suffices t !is. well as such quant.ity of other things as

fLre estica'ted for the supply of the necessities for

8.

long cSJDPRigr.

and for- nothing difficult to be :managed by the enemies.

a

p~i~

exp10it t fot', comp&red to inflicting damage, not to

de.mo.ge is much
~O

This is

bettl!!'r~

al~c

su~fer

Pyrrhus. at any event, though gnitling an ad-

vantage over thll! Roman s ,. vas de st royed ~

By

time ",first.. and by pTe ssure and

~e.mine

and espe c: io.11:,'

destruction ~ one must vork against. t.he barbarians, with 'Whom the
sembling of the: army is oc::c!l:.sional

ana.

not a

la~tine f'o!"C4!,.

but

as~

p. 115

112

T.2

relying on booty trom raids.

For also, bearing provisions measured

for a certain number of days, and a precise number of arrows

f"ligbt is obvious when they are

1:5 ahl'ays

hasten to the en~

exh&ust.@d~

whom I,

Hunger eomes on them past due,.

ti~e?

provisions having

vainly consumed.

Com~

then, let

US not

will tbey

th~re:fore,.

being patient, would see

by their ovn appointed

be~n

Why,

also~

pursued
th~

few

entrust fleeing even to their being

r~-

ie,bed; let destruction .apart i'TOm iron pose,ess them., and dea.th apart

5C f'roJ:j

Let us conquer I them 'With allied air and assisting vater;

battl~.

vith the elements let us arm ourselves &gt:Linst them.

eo secret marshalling,. 1 use an uns-een wa.y of battle.

~t

of the enemies fo.l..1,. t.a..\ing breatb,. drinking, or eatiP.g;

things dangerQus to him.

b~

Let him .falllish

struck by plague that he

55 greatly desired.
Laceda.emonitl.tts,.

not flee-.

general of

ever;; one

/1 I

Let. us :produce a 'Wor'k

~th

the

the such-like condition mastered the Karchedon-

The

their peculiar gods.

make fI.11 p.JJ7

be shoul.d stay .. and let hilt

Populous Athe/DB was empt1ed y air tight.ing

and

ian:;; in Sicily.

Q&y

i:f

vi~torious

a.ttrib'Ute the "Wars of such kind to

'Those gods also ve vill imitate; spontaneo"Us

fortune wi 11 be pr-oduc ed b'.r our arts.

60

Food then thus:

day~

using

th~

animals1 vhich are

pentagon <1>, in

Qr

let us make loa....es which nourish the I last

vhich~

depicted~

placed at the end in

according to the linear

signs

form~ li~ th~

the proslambanomen~ of the Lydian mbde, zeta defective and tau

reclining.

Sealing Up bot.h together in aveJ:lsel, closing the cover

V and D add.~ Uforest frog or toad, Md viper ~

(Vie111~rond, Les Ceete5~ p. 1~7 mgy re line 6l).

\,ss

io

..

113

Kestos 7

"With clay, so as not to have aD air vent

65 'Within be-ing destroyed

1.2

the anima.ls which are

f'OT

by one anotber; then

leviga.ting I their remains,

drop it into the we.ter vith which the food is :mixed.

this, smeaT "the baking vessel \Tith this

this <presents ('1

sam~

And having. done

Juice; but certainly ~

.s. dAn8~r to those! cooking.

The sufficiency iI

therefore, of such food having pre-pared, furnish to the enemies in

'Wbat~1fer

\7f&Y you :can?

And it may be done unsuspeetedly, if

70 ling the
sirable

t~anspD~t ~arelesslyt
s~izure

~asy

Bo~one

should be hand-

for the enemies' attaek and de-

of the tbings b1!'ing brougllt by them; or if' someone,

pretending a. quick flight,. mi.s-bt give way to attacks t the camp having
been fortified by such sorts of'

death in one

d~r,

provi~ions.

These do not. produce

nor immediately remove the one using it; this one

75 also overt.akelS the one not eating t by means of plague; I it is mioglf!Q

among a.ll, and settles int.o thE! ConDWlity; into

Ii. house~

into an a.~r to int 0

Such a surfe it

It

n l!Lti on ;, the plot res ides.

:Rrin:rs intl"oduces to thetJ.

into a cit.y t

II

These are justrneals of l'eco:mpenlS(! against

p- 119

the barbarians, pouring out disea.se upon all t and mi shall inexorably
80 ove-:r-t8.king the enemies +

But. if we tear

le~t

we should have used such preparations

vainly, the loaves Dot being used eithl!1" thl"ough suspicion or this
matter baving been learned f:rom deserters, h6.ving enterta.ined the1Ii]
let us release toward them either the evildoers or the prisoners;
and those associating with them [the

85 with plague.

en~iesJ ..

tbey immediately infect

I send a treacherous benevolence to them.

We will give ther;:i drink likevise vith such Bort of loving-cup.

_- .)
1 .....

TrWlsla.tion

114
2

Three- kinds of animals vhicn lie in the second pentagon t with the signs
of the hypate of t.he hypatai ~ ga:mma. reversed and ga.mrna regular,

ChbP

up these so tha.t all becot:nes juice ~ and boiling vi th much vater 1,lJ'ltil
it takea up all the grease of' the things being seethed, pour in the

90 va t~r supply of the

e:n~mies.

I Tht! bodi e B of the men, and a1 so of

their

be~sts~

having drunk, will be purfed up; then swelling, with

pain~

will set upon them, and anyone seeing

hi~self

othertli s e ~ not Tee ogni 201 ng the pre s en t "form" and

in

eX'piring~

having become

~lo~,.,.

awaits the neighboring death; he will

in :fl i ght and

desi1"~

qui~k,

"r."arlike f1,'ttack. that he 1DllY ceQ.se both being punishe-d by the force of

95 the inflammation .. / and being hated by himself on accou."1t of the

odious a.ppearance, the

~r.mor

which had been U5ed by the body pl'e-

viously not having room for the pre$ent man; <so that>

h~

sets it

aside and even yet a.ppeB.1"s to stand in arms.

But also to spoil the vaters othervise:

tilling in

<the~ ~ells

'With refuse- and stones, and it' the 'Watter should be wide-spreading,

t~r

100 the rancid oil being poured I itrto thco !lnd by the sea-purIJ:le)
'Which makes

all/I

'Water undrinkable for a long time.

'Collection of v81;ers, or a lake,. wyrtle spurge being

it; t hu~ ve lnay fi r s t binder
should

~on:si.der t;h~

th~

~a5t.

en4:!mi es by tll.l? dr ink.

barbarians of

105 and th~y vOTk evil to th~ invaders

(PoisOning of 'Wine.J

For e:. greater

t.h~

p. III

in spoils

But. no one

east unlearned in these things;

I many times.

The Pha.risees pridd themselves on once

naV'it'lg k.illed e. phalanx of the Romans by feigning of flight.

as

For

~ss V and D add.. lie.. snake, the

6.10 S or aq,uati C'oh;{s,a;. . "..
(but the:,." .also omit the third item) (Vieillefond,Les Cestes,. p. 119
mgt re line 88).

Kestos

1.15

1.2

feeding vell,. as. appeared; they then 7rlithdre"", giving way t leaving behind the prepared l.unch.

110 liane quenched in it.

~ood, ~ith hemlock~

But -the "'7ine was

treach~.rous!!,

poisoned by

Wine is poisoned / 'Vi th fiI';hroni tron.

~T1 thoox-

and with similar means; for these things being

eaten in su:fficienc:.... nann. a.nd adequa.tely talte care of enenlles.

1{o-.r tben, IJiOreover", we have used -bo-th food and drink

lies;

comr:!~

l.et us al.so use ail" and rind &g(J;,inst them:

fL.::>

al-

one is able to

be guarded not to drink,. not toO eat (anything) from enemies, (but) ho"

115 is any to guard / breathing, ho'W' sho'Ul be lot:k '.Jp air?

Through thes.e

I will come at. t.hem.

tPoisoning

o~

air.)

Thrissos is a Thessalinn snake) red

colored!!, about equal to a drs.kontis in le-ngth, (and it is l!tJ.so common

in Asia; Syrian!;! c2!:.ll it fl:3atha."1er.at.ha.."luJ ",bich 1::. next written in 'the

third

pel'~te.gon

or

'Which tht!' signs ar-e of the 1!a.rh;.=p.ate of the OyPatai,

120 beta / defect! Vet andssmme. reclining; and leon is another serpent, of

various species? for these are both small and

~arge;

but really, the

:smaller is rather t.o be preferred tor this [and it is a..lso abundantly

produced in SyriaJ.

Let them both be shut up together in a

very securely watertigbt; and

125 sel-

Then~

le~

vesse~

the fiercest sun shine on the Ves-

whene'fer they are destroyed by eadl other,. and by the I

heat and the time, according as the eustomary wind also continuously

bears toward them, 1/ pla.ce the vessel ope:nt!d,. sO t.hat the foul smell
from it. vill go to'\ol'arQ the antagonists, bt!ing f[!'rried

into the breathing of t.hose plotted against..

power ~

by

the breeze

N01K, exa:m.ples of its

a hors e vill fall ",b i Ie runn1 ng by; and a nearby J:lB.n j. and a

130 bird ... not getting lover,

c~e.s

do","ll .from t.he air killed) overtaken

p_ 123

....

1 .::-

116

Tra.nslation

by fleeter wind vhl1e fleeing on the wi:rrg.

But 1:1\ by $orne- lDeans also 10 it shouJ. d come on us, either by a.

c=raft.y plot. of them .. or also from

edy

SOmE!

one of t.he elenle'nts J 'the relll-

for escape from the plague I have anticipated. setting it forth

135 in the preceding pages.

Themistoc1es

'the Medes"

b~f'ore

secU1"~d

the

for himself b-e:forehand

steal the slee'p of the

sle~p;

e.~enUes.

great also being this advantage

'to

The aneient !mp(!:!'a.tors of tbe ROc:lans

used the th ina; mos t baldly and e fiecot i vely, sending

140 cEIr.'lp of the

victory against

of t.he 'Jea battle, 'Whil1! the ge:t.Jerals

occurrenC'~

'IoI'e:re sailing around ......i thout

t.h~

I opponents both very

0'11 t

b:r

night to the

lightly a.rmed foot soldiers and \d th

them mmmtl!d trmnpeters, througb whom tbey accomplished tvo different.

things:
the~~

for eitber overcoming the more negligent out.post.ti and gu&r'ds,

destroyed those obstructing them, or in.1 ecting panic; some by

shooting boys and throwing javelins, and the others discharging

II

i"'J"om p. 125

lQ5 a. sl.ip.g~ hur1ing;vhen they .aboUld ~i8:s,again:st a tent I or a hors,e or

~or~

the din

al:wa...vs shoek.l?d

it that the

acc~1ishing more
b~..

fear.

~n~m1es

were

Bt.~

than the injuryt the one nearby being

the t!"UIIJPeter9 riding around were sounding

otre:~ing

to attack at any

mo~errt.

Then

IV and D read, "As a rem.edy l~t us .array .against it. thus;

kindling many and also grea.t fires round about the cmnpt between the!!!
'!We vill also make cens.ers, close-packed t ao that the (fumes) over us
~il1 fight against the pestilential breath/vind; and order everyone
to C!at ox meat very la.vishly and to set up tanning pits Qutside of
t.he full eamp and of the interval of' tbe rir~a, at the 'Way leading
out opposite the wind; that so~ least of" the camp,. botb of the leather
tanners and of the other merh will be harmed b)' the torrupted ait' even
as tllso I anticipated . . . . If (Vieillefond, L~s. Cestes ~ p. 123 mg,
re line 13L).

Kesto:s

150 during thf!' day they aent out the o.rmy" by every vay contriv/ing to

avoid C'ont-act ~ and the following night sending out l.ikevlse as pre-

viously thoae then resting at home ....1th cOttlpl.ete leisure by day .~or
by sending

othei"s; but they vere always being plotted against. tor

But who does not knov ho\/' difficult the results of

sleepl~ssness.

this are to deal 'W'1tb1

HeB.dacb~,

19.ck of appetite t enerv!I.:tion of the

155 body by desire to sleep no nJ.O.tter 'W'hat" "the s;am.e circUI:tJstance I suc~~!'ding

both night and day.

the eneJ!l

by

Doing this regularly t 'WE! iKill destroy

a mere sbout" they being enervated by sleeplessness.

3. Relating to Combat
The stones found. in the stomachs of the pllrE!-bre-d cocks" all

"ho are skilled in

tbes~

things praise, as cooperating in p,roducing

both excellence and victory; for "being worn ei t.her in leather a:mulets

or carried under the tongue

]0

(it) keep~ Boldi4!!"s and athletes and

gladiators steadfast and enduring and not thirst;1ng.

5 people ascribe a different

a~pearance

But different

I and color to them some as

t

crystalline and rou.gh" and the others, correct.ly ~ as black; but they
are found at the

sa.~rifi!:ing

of tbe victD:r,

f1.S

though pot the virtue

or the fowl but the natu:re of the stone! had been tlle ca.use of the
10 powerfulness.

Sin~e",

therefore" wheT! it is borne by mouth, or around

II the a:r:m"

th~ ~tone either falls out or- is clipped o~f by the op-

ponent"

must use it unseen and in a covering of great power.

on~

L.et the victorious

eaten

'Who~~ by

t.he

COt:'kJ

on~ fighting~

prepg,l"ed accoTd1ng to custom, be

so that all the f'lesh is stripped

'p. 127

11.8

Transla.tion

L3,i.I

off all round and the skeleton is kept

the meal, let it be pwged by fire.

~ntirc,. unbrok~n;

The bird is a messenger,. Dot only

15 of" da.y1' but of' cotIdng victOI""l.1 making the:

his own

invin~ibility,

then after

by which virtue

OnE!'

ea.ting

&

successor of'

he moves into the man.

NeokleB" son ~ fighting with the- Pe-rsians,. used t.he"

stor~e

and

the food; .and from this he established by law the fighting of cocks in

restored Athens .. and a.fter the Median victor'",f t thE!: Athenians brought
20 a

I victory-offering of cocks.

4. For Surgery 'On the 'Wou.nded

Since many are

CO\lflXdly

nec=essa.~.f

tWEU"d the

remedies t'rotrl

iron, :fearing the pain .f'r01D. t.he tre:s.tment more than the impending

harm fr01ll the t'ailure to be

trea.ted~

come, by all Irie'Qns,. let. us r:m-

coura.ge the one Bhrinking from pain .. rendering 'those distressed bolder

5 for the enduring of the ret:ledy.

Let. t.he healing ha.nd be light ~ that it may run easily over
t.he

incigion~

is painful.

and let the edge it beo.rs be! sharp;

But the assistant being

r~ady

for

tor the dullness

e~erything,

also sprinkle on the brick ~hlchl lieS in pentallgon

4,

let

hi~

in which,

according to the pyramidal .form, lie the signs, both vocal a.nd instrUIllental .. of the <liehanos of the> enhan:oonic l1::t]?S.tai 7 alpha. re-

10 clining and gamma

invertJ~d

~i!o.ding h4i"Oer

MSS hoper.

haYing a mark

Q~ter it~

'W'ith Vieillefond {and Boivin) .. rather than the

5
p. Il9

119

Kestos 7
5.

F'o!' t.h@' Wou:nd from Iron

Also, for the one "ilounded by 11"on, this is the cure of sut'f~ring:

into

it is fitting to anoint the 'W'Ounding iron, then to drive it

t.hevound;

<and> we Elbould say .rta tart thrice:> and io while at

the se.me time spitting out)

.fL

certain Latin expression which is in-

serted 'in the "'fifth'" pentagon set out, with the signs of the chl"cm.tic

":;ltchanos~,

al..Phtl <re-clining having a. mark a:fter it and WUIIIt;a>

5 in/verted having two marks after it.

The

~u~fering

and let the sons of the physicians treat the

~~und,

then "ill cease;

the one suffering

subjecting himself unflinchingly to thel!"tolich.

Seld~,

urnni::te-d.

Just as among men, so alao among horses, is virtue

For rDllliciow; evil is near the good ones, so tha.t the go/lod p. 131

should not a.ppear pure; one is eloquent." but not. a.ugust; and another
oC oc:l14.8.llding,.

bu't no't tempe rate; and one is manly ~ but s. braggart., oot

keeplnghis honor untarnished fo:r himself; and another in another va.y

5 'both gains a.dvanta.ge and t'alils.

hors es :
unruly~

Likewise also the good and evil in

fast) "but SlIlorous; hunte rs. 'but hard mouthed; 'trott.el"s. b-ut
some not receiving the

same rubbing along

wall~

riders~

and others throwing them off;

or trees, one group evil doers by nat.ure,

g,nothe1" having been made so by the ovners; they bite and kick Md shy
10

8.lI'Q.y

and rear / up, either hating or scorning the masters.

. -.

And I can

120

Tra.n sla:t ion

1.6,,7

speak concerning

many~

,Tariously killed by bQTSeS in dive-rse mishaps

and species 0' msi'ortunes.

Th~

therefo~eJ

arts J

of

hors~break~rs ar~

either to control or correct the evils:

of such a sort as

by small rations the unruly

15 ones, bjr castration the amorous ~ by mu:tzles

I the biters.

mouthed by sharp bits .. by blovs the disobedient.

But vhat may one do

against the one 'Whi.ch h9.s withdra'Wn a.."ld delibera.tely

obe di entin any \lay, t

tJ.n~'1; h ing,.

ne i ther

C olml'Vl.nds

the hard

~h05en

not to be

nor trainings?

For even as the most vila of bea.sts:lo having be.en taken as adu.lt!3 ~ i

not trained J

even if it may seem for a little to have become

b~t,

20 ma."lageable., all the saJIle the: previous II savagery has !lot been forgotten, tnus also
b~C'ome

thi~

very

cr~ature

1a

h~dto t~., e~il

having

chronic.
Seeing then, =oreover t poor result to such 60rt of blovand

threat and art and feed, "'let evil of na.ture by" art of nature be cor~
rected. t1

Let an inscription also tSJIle him, which he will not fear"

25 which he vill not suspect" whicb bearing,. he vi11 I be5ubdued.

the hollow of

th~

ds.y

old moon,

Roman prescription; the 1naCl'iptiocha.s a necessit.y Df

it liea in the 6th

or

In

hoof of the left front foot,. engrave vi:th the left

hand vi tb a. 'bronze pen, Wlder a si:rteen

30

pentagon~

B.

threat o:f

obedien~.e:

in vhich has been inseribed

~he

signs

the diatonic ~lil;::ha..nos('1);:.. of the hYE~ttd, phi ~nd dig.BJmll6.

7. That a Horse Ma:,' Not Neigh

Horses neigh, some bo&stlng and others only smelling tbe

p.133

Kestos
E1C'~nt

vhi<:b comes !'rom mares.

For 'When they

usefuL

But both

att~ck"

LT,8
t.h~i:r

noise and

8ilen~e

is

to incite fear J theY" are taught to cry

aloud with their fellow sol//die-rs .. but when they lie in vait .. with
th-em to be unnoticed.

Certainly this product of c!'B.ft either (the)

5 timeo! yeQr, or rather the erotic nature! dUll'S. I

DJ.enes the Messenian

det~cted

the

L~c~da(:.lJ1OJ:'iitl.ns

It1deed~

.Ar1sto-

lying in 'Wait ~ the

horses neighing to thelD ~ bec'tluse he was leading mares.

Again! he

established the ambush without danger 7 his horses having been

pelled to silence at & band

o~

cow~

the Spartan mares.

The tr-ick of the Messellian re:mains in reJ:em'brance.

10 therefore one vould pass through

B.

Whether

robber I infested region or vould

set a cavalry ambuQh for the enemies, let him practicevhat will be

set forth;. and not only is this a. deed of Greeks and an invention of
ancient generals ~ but indeed .. the Parthian!;! also lead their

hQrses thus being silent into

battl~.

O....." n

Th@ tail of the borse above

15 the hair is bound about with a yell twisted t:ord]l so tha.t the / band
sinks deeply int.o the surfa.ce; f'or b".f the: t.ension of the binding the

horse! is

pained~

he ke-eps the same spirit a..nd a.vi.f'tne-ss. be reatTains

only the

utt~rance~

even though time or love should be constraining.

8. For Ca.tarrh of'

H:ors~s

Homer report ed the Troj an horses svi ft 10 and he made ttl e The s-

salians oracular s and a hUI!la."l voice be gave to

daeJnCons indeed;> but e.

l~s~on

t.he-~"

reproving horsemen.

not pointing out

Therefo!'e t those

no", commanding need clc!arly to learn divining f'rom horses .. but they

5 are ineXperienced. II

p.135

1.8
Many things about a hQrse gives signs, both nod and look and
T"ne other matt.ers, t.hen t I ...-1.11 omit, of storms end of

silence.

oess in hunt and

gr~s.test

but the

o~

good seasons or rruit and of their own

p. 137

suc~

Qrf5pring~

is that the B.pproaches of the enemies they both

speak and point out; and they foretell killings also; and unseen
bands of robbers they exposed many times by tension of' ears ~ or by

10 hesitation

I in advanc1ng 1

<01'

And th~y showed not only

by> anorting.

e""'il men; believe me when 1 say they see even daemons:> and 1 know of
many neigbing

junctions.

a~d

falling and proclaiming by voice the threat. at road

But chiefly for the knowledge of such sorts those 'With

eyes of different color seem to be

distinguished~

despising both var

15 and appa.ritions... and / only being opposed by lions. for the kingship
aJOOng 'beasts.

Whether t thererore, it is a 'Work. of the so'Ul.,. or the

na.ture of' the eyes", both must be developed t the one b:; teaching and.
craftt the ot.her bj att.ention.

Horses t just as human athletes,. it is

:20

from

th~

d.o(!S

much cold

I tor

8.

[Tr~at.ment

t.reat~d

(the

~atarrh]

~nd

t~St

by the

baving been mixed with the

substance, use it &s a liniment two

su~~essive

omitting a.gain the succeeding day. let t.his bE! done

25

also

of hQrses suffering f'ram catarrh.)

having had the juice extracted

for~~nt.ion~d

SO

long time,. bringing on dripping", and to cough-

Lt?t either misfortune be

plant. of' Bacchus.

i~'

to restrain

sexu.a1. acts; this produces harm to the eyes; but

ing also.

For

nece~~ary

th1"i~e

days;

and Jt'Bny

until the horse recover the customary I [and) [oracular] ap-

~ar.ane~.

:But I do not begrudge tl1e treB.:tment also to t.he- animals

Kestos 1

123
sE!~ondary

to horses.

1.8,,9,10

And I use thl!' same sort for the cough; after a.

little you ....T ill find somethit.Jg lying vithin.

9. That a Horst!

f-5ay riot

/1

Be Terrified

A cure that the horses may not be terrified needlessly by

sights
~

01'

shadows is the

0. t

n~

tac hing to the right ear of the anima! of'

tail cut off of a living beast

itself; and it lies in pentagon

seven, above vhicb are placed the signs of the- h.vpate of the mesai;

10. Concerning Swiftness' of Horses

Horses - sw-irtness is dulled and increases; fwolf - antipathy each one is staJ'~d and his pair of feet grows stiff'!, but he is made

more svift than himself by a wolf .t

It

poss~s.sion much

desired by

horsemen is a wolfls feet; and alsO an aatragalos of the same beast

having been hWlg on strikes the 1IlOuth of one running.
is rare.. Bince it can result in

dQttl~ing

and 'bruis.ing.

5 found I a different way fOr the wolf to be able to

vi thout harm of' t.he horse.

This!, indeed.
But we have

~or.tribute s~iftness

For indeed the canine t.eeth

tak~n

from a

living one a.re worked into the neckbands and produce a double benefit,

oura.

lHippiatrica caddo Londinensis and Ca~t&brisiensis read ~(kou

2 In the second line t the translation rollows the transposition

and corrections of text suggested by Simone Foll~t, revi~ of J.-R.
\i'ieill~fond, Les .ICestes H de JuJi lit! Africa-nus!, ir. Revue de philoloi0.gue
L9 (1915) ~ 318-19T Vie111efond does not atte!Irpt to reconstruct ar
translate these lines {but cf. the line cited :fro!:! Aelian N.A. 1. 36
ir.. ~s Cestes. :p. 352.. n. 165).

18

124

'1'rans1ation
being an unsuspected o.id and an orna.JM-nt for t.he racillg bridles.

indeed, it is good if, ror a

Then 1

team, one might append it to

four-horB~

10 all? but. if otherwise) even the lead I horse alone having this necklaci! s uff'i ees to make t.he te-BJ:!IlIl&te 5 more sW'i ft.

II

11. Horse-troubleT

p.141

(There is) an account that the Sybari teos were once driven to
this by luxury. thdt
drinki ng party.

pai.r

or

atte~

dinner they brought the horses into the

Then, hetu"ing the f'l ut e musi c, they reared u.p on the

feet) llith the torefeet as i:f shadow-boxing,. and danced.

having been insulted,) a flute

5 had recently been beaten in

8.

pl~yer

But,

dE!se:'ted to the Krotonia.ns, vho

caval:ry battle'lo and he p:ro:mis~d to help

the league greatly 10 for he would hand. o\;er a.ll the Sybs,rite caval.:ry
captive; the Krot.onian!3 believed him and entrusted him to be generfl.1.
But he .. mustering the' flute players of th4!' eitt, demonstrated the 'tune ..

and when the time

enemy.

C8.llle,

ga.ve cOimna.nd

fOT

the expedition against the

.But as the SybfLl"1 t.es came togeth er in a very lar gF;!: group ~ some-

10 ~hat insolent

because of the superiority of their horse.

phalanxes engaged one

another~

and the

by a sign they all played the

and as

customary~ ne~ring

the sound,. the

ta;~bt

at home, threw the riders, all daneinB wit.h the Qusic,

hors~:S1

as they had been

as a result, the knights 'Were destroyed lying, and the

15 tB.k:en dancing. the

ac~ustcmed

rlute~

bor~)e5

Then ..
vere-

tunes raising them up.

But others prey .. being about to fight; and not only so, but
tbe:. also sac-rifice I having come 'to

th~

C'ontt!st I to Poseidon Horse-

11
a

125

Kestoa 7

But

troubler.

~Te

1.11

have found a drug sharper than prayer. greater than

tLnything whe.:tever that you

nI8.y

haye t of 'Which very thing the :form is

inscribed at the end in pentagon

B.

or

rho and Iiip;m.a reclining.

the parbYPate of the

mesai.,

above whi~h are placed the signs

20 intopus-extr&ctors / and given to eru-ry to l1ght-a:rmed

front

lin~~

so

~hat

of' the hoot rank.

pl""O'ioi'e'S S

they
Th~

ar~ position~d

It is put
in the

:m.'E!'l'l

easily under the proteetion

opponents then advance,

b~ing

emboldened by

and svittnes s and iron:lo and .rhether t hest! chance to be heavi ly

8.1"med. or othervise equipped J tbey hasten to the same

25 For when the coarge against the info.ntnr

COJneS.

1/

p.143

danger.

tbose a:Tray-/ed it'~

front beELr thoe attack by the ac:reen of the shields,. and those having
the

pU$-e~r~torij press

horses.

out the drug1 Into the

nostril~ or

(The juice is also very fefl.rful for harm to men.)

therefore the boraes sball

rec~ive

the
When

the scent of the evil stuff, they

are maddened and snort) l!'IJ1d suddenly rear up as if' frightened

bjf

the

30 exhalations of the ground 1:10 and (being) reare-d stra.ight up the:>" skip
about.

But the ri der.s fa.1.1

:f'r~

'the horses to the earth t ready for

capture and also alaughter, shac:k.led by their

O"iffi

unable to flee. being either stomped or stricken.

anDor eo

'to be

tt is possible to

make test of this drug at leisure also, and to marvel at

35

8.S

ho~

great

the power of thi6 ijtu:f:f is, and, in war, better than arrOllS.

A horse

~y ~a11

Qthervise, the nostrils having be-en be-

Bprinkled vith the bile of e:. sea.-turtle,. and being give:n up to his

own concerns:lo the gain is ours.

\tss
1J(3

iDg t

riC!

Indeed:. he \l'il1 be eaused to rear up

V and D re8.d, nthe euphorb-i on tI

li ne 27).

(V i e i lie fond,. Le 5 Ce 9 t es t p.

1.11.,12

if

126

Tl'iulsla'tion

should discharge saffron and myrrh, having been mixed

s~eone

equall)' '11th white lily,. at his muz:l;le; also

are caused to get up.

40 is exeeedingly

d~adly

But

also~ ind~ed,

to horse5. I They

muJ.e:~

vhich have fallen

the juice or white hellebore

~ay

die both from

~idov

spiders and salamander a.nd by falling foul of ivy sap and storax
Juice.

let

They" are also harmed by the smoke :from a tlIenstl'ual rag.

theg~

mc~iant

things be spoken of else'ilhe!'e.

But

\ b

!Ierltullidas the Lacedae-

bringing up an infantry phalanx against the horse of the op-

L5 :ponents., within the square of troops (have al'ranged it ba.ck t.o back fori
depth), he ordered those crouching in the bnc:k und.4:!:t' shields t.o dig

trenche s ",i th -the nand-weapon!3 y,n th all s:p eed ~ then he brought back
the hee.vy-a.:rmed troops into the r;ni.dst'i and "they were- ",ithin
for t.he trencl1es are most hostile t.o horsemen.

&

fenee,

1/

12. Against Ruin of Beasts of Burden

An ailing horse is an

impedim~nt

p.145

to a soldier; also a draft

animal bearing the arrtJor in var t and aback-pack! ng mul e carrying the

necessities; to all of

~h1ch,

mark YOU t one must apply the "treatment

for both pestilential misfortun.es and tor t.he- others.

[Treatment of a.iling beasts. J
x~stes; ~~d

up to a third of

l1nse~d;

Of

cele~'

seed J three half-

and of fenugreek the double of

5 t.he aecond; I and of (ground)veteh J :four t.imes as much as the

f"enu.greek~

these by

mei!'lS'Ul"e

but of B.11-hE!'u root and of Illyrian iris

and of juniper, the Sa.bin!! plant, each eight and f'orty

four times as lDl..IDh as the

~01II:bined

dra~hm.6.e~

and

veight. of' -the tr.ree of old ta.l1o'W,

127

Kestos

unso.lted"

And eacb of'

1.12

fore-mentioned", dr'J 11 is brayed by itself and

the

10 sifted and is sprinkled with old wine and

molded into l.ittle

fat ~ then having be~n

it is dried :Ln the

loaves~

Eiha.de~

Then) at

peed~

as mueh as n walnut in siz.e ('W'hi~h, actllfLllyll 'Weigh seven grSllllnata)

is emulsified vitb three: kyathoi of honey, then is dissolved in the

oldest and strongest \i'ine--a.'lid it should be one xeste:s--anG the beast

having taken it in advance for th.l'ee days each year viII not suiTer
15 the

I deadly

o~ win~,

in vater.

an

~isfortune of
~qual

beasts.

amount of these

For those already ailing, instead

thing~

as instructed 15 dissolved

If 8150 11 from the nec:es:!i1it.y of' the unhealthy constitution

there is need to use pine resin., 'because of' the

loaves~ inrus~

three pellets steeped in

20 tallD"iJ by itself.
thes~

vine~

absence

of the li'ttle

in vhich 'Way many infUBe

But those by vhom volv@.s are caught most easily)!

thus cure the pack animals of

fore-mentioned mishaps:

~be

12

stripping (the) broad ribs of lL wolf car-case of the flesh ll having

dried it, they cure it hanging up over

o.xen.

One :must

smoke~

just as ,.,e dQ those ,of'

II boil a.t need as 1t:Uch of' "these as

may be dissolved,

p.147

and oixing in tbe va.t~r 8.lso .a h6.1t'-xestes each of wine and oil, in25

t\.ll;le

each year.

But really also ~ a. he:ad cut off of a dead~ alread:;"

rotted, dog release-stheailing horse :"rom that dire

sUf'fering~

but

this will heal by the effluvium of the odor ....hile being smoked.
fA composit.ion more ms.nifold a.n.d

30

more mate-rifL1.s. J

indi!"ed., requiring most materials ~ whicb I ;m;yaelf bave'

But tbe

on~,

t~s'tl!'d,.

vhich the foremost 'Romans use,

&bout ei ght dl"achc:l.ae ~ pure

black and

r~quiri.ng

white~ < >

I isindispenEiBble to learn;

both of calamine a.nd

f ench pepper ~ bot.h

the double anount; three times as lI!.uch of

th~

12B

Tr&lslatiQn

1.22

les.f of both pelli"tQry and birthvort, flJld of 'W'ormwood a.nd of

hyssop, and of the untrimmed

1Tis~

then the fourfold 8mC;!unt of gen-

tian; a fivef"olrl. amount (obviously o.f the first a1iX>unt) of" spikenard

35 and of a.ro/rnatie t:al.amu.s" and a.longvith spignel" of pellitory ~ of

aloes. of

myrtle~berry" o~kOSt08.

of cassi&, of

ging~~"

of saf"fron

residue. and then, of saffron; of parsley" a.nd of: Aethiopie

c~1n~

Each of these is brayl!'d completely and sifted. "it! th an aromatics

~e i

ve; then taking up of' thes e vi tb three fingers, !l.nd:mi xing in one

xe.stes of b est vine.. and t o.king th(!l least b1 t .o'F o11;t tben scme\,ha.t
40 modera. t ely

I beat it

lett nostril t.hrough

draf't

a.niIJ)e.ls~

U;p.
So

Infuse the c=ompl~e mixture dovn 1 nt 0 the

horn. "both into the pack mules and. the mature

but to'!' horses the half" of the mix. and to

t.hr@e-j~ar

old mules" but to two-year-olds of the other beasts; to healthy ones ..

th.ricl! yearly ~ whenever it should be-" three
t.h~ ailing sn1ma.l~

45 also for

da}~g

in Buceession.

it likewise a.ids 'the deadly

the other diligent I::sxe being given to

th~

as is

and other sorts against the

(diaea.se)~

~ustoma.:ry;

is nec es sary to pro..... ide J"em.ed1 eS:t one so!'"t &gal nst the

But

l~s 8

:for it

er il1s s

trou'blesome~

[Cure of coughing horses.)

For a coughing horse, a cure is

brayed lentil; it is completely ground or powdered fine apart from

50 the pods.

It should be given

amount of the pulse

COr'

1/

to drink

~th

water; but as to the

each animal individually .. a :fourt.h of

p. 149

8-

xestt!B should be exa.C'tl~" suitable.

l"... ery beast exhau Bt.e d by to! 1 or a.t taeked by orthopnoea IUay

be

eur~d

thus =

give to drink lice or be-dbugs having been levige.ted

55 in vine) or rB.\l pitch with barley groats.

129

1.1:2 ,13,14

Kestos 7

But other remedies for other things ue not lacking in th.is

vet;{

-trt!t1.ti:ee,. being inserted here and t.here.

13+ For a K1ckingMule

But a healthy beast

o~

burden is of no benefit i it is un-

ltlaOageable,. either gen.era.l.ly disobedient., or even kicking.

Indeed,

13

therefore, the Latin expression for obedience of' horaes is giverl

above; but you 'Will stop s. kicking muJ.e by boilio8 oft the seed of the

box-tree and vater (::hestnuts I!lJld giving it to drink; and it will re-

5 Il!lain traeta.ble to You for 6 months.

lb. Military-like Hunting

But instead of

braveth~y

by

th~ a.:t'r1I;1,

a hunt <of lione.> may

Lions indeed overta.ke the fleet in quiekness,.

also be engaged in.

and the

exel'~iaes

overpower' in prO'ofI!'S So.

l3y use of' liiltrength 'then.,

indeed w no <me of men JDay take them livi.ng, but by time aI1d craft and

device; for whatever l!).B. nQt be done byf'orce"

a.ccomplished 'by intelligence.

1/ tl1ese tbings

ar-e-

Th4!l"etorethe most regal of" the beasts,.

5 the nim/b1e.s t and svi ftest all d mo at loi"Brl!ke" i 6 taken by var i OtiS
ways. of lIhich 10 in this verY cOlIIpo6it.ion . . I vill set Qut those

serviceable <to an
Wh~nevE.:r

a..r1II;y>.

the ~omlIltl.nd~l" is exercising with 'the anDY and should

think t.o hunt,. be le-tLds all the infantry into the chase', the ;military
10 equiJN]lent being

Yom.

rE:ported beforehand

I!I.

The trackers Qt t.he brave bea.sts rill ba.ve

(land )mark. where the lion lu:r.k s.

Quietly J for-

p. 151

130

that reason:o going forward J,

m&n

keeping close to

ma.ntthl!~r

are set in

a eircle, putting the shields around l joining both to one- anothe::r and

on one

anothel"~

ao that their overla.p has a. sem.blance of

15 trumpets sound yi gorou51y and the men shout together

this, the- disturbed beast

~eapg

tili~.

loudl~t.

The

At

f'ortb from the lair, and seeing both

the wall of amed men and lighted torches being exhibited {fOT the
men bear the6e inatead of spears), h~ is quieted and rem&ins, a.nd

Insofar as there

does not leap over the close a.rray of' the shields.

is moTe steepne3S to the region, a device is procured on which a wide

:20 EllJd spread out ce.g/e .sits, holding

B.

l3enind. the lioJl.. fu,1l-

kid.

aI'!llOred men ~ ha vi ng hi de:3 dr i ed and 'Whole I

sticks ~
and

th~

Wherefore he,

p.an,lc~str1cken by

B hout

out I beati ng vi t h

both the

~ound

and the :sight

shouting, hastens tovard the cage at a. run J both the armed

1:len behind the de-vice being laid dO".m and not easily seen by the
25 bee.st, 8Jld 'the

at"eaB a~ound

the cage

being walled by high timbers ..

so that thinking to escape by that way alone J he is conquered.

Therefo~et

this

~n~r

of hunting

i~

one or

'Phalanx; and the ot.hers I vill describe elsewhere.

15 .

e~ercisiog

II

To Find th~ Width 0 f a Riv-er

and <the Height> of a Wall

p.153

Those moderately skilled in the general educ&tion have

with the

nE14!!:m~nta'

the

of Euclid to some extent ~ as is likely.

deal~

It is

not difri~U1tit reall.y., through the first (book) to contrive this &1so~
to

m~asure

out the width of

riv~rs..

for bridging by introducing a

suita.bly-si:ted boat-bridge l tbe other bank being unreachAbl@ beelluse

!.15

Kesto.!, 7

131

of the eneJIW being

eBtab~ished

take the height of

I!l. 'Wal~

on it; and by the

SB1Il-t!

cotlllJutation to

:frOnJ a distance for t.he prod.ucing of an

equal-sized cit.y-destroying machine.

And this very theorem vil1 lead

to ease in learning the demon atrat ion :

IITf of' a -right-angled triangle one of the <sides> a.dJ il.cent to

the right angle should be bise'cted:o .and from the (bi}section a

<straight line;. should be extende-d at a. right angle lo and tJ1..rough the
10 :point at which it intersects the other side a para.llel

shall be

dJ"avn, the other sides of' the triangle are a2so biseeted. 1r
to'or let tber@' be a right-angled tri(r.ngle ABO ~ having a right

o.ngl e B.
dicull!l.rly.

And let tJ3 be bi sect.ed lo by D.

And through

E~

And let DE be drawn perpen-

let EZ be dra:"n parallel.

I say that also

15 <the> remo..ining sides of 'the triMgl!!' 8.:r-e biBect~d~ AG at E~ BG

Z.

For let DZ be Joined,

Then !ill 1s equa.l to DB <.and DB to EZ>;

therefore AD is equal and parallel to EZ.

And the connectors lo

and parallel to the s{lJD.e parts, are both equal and putdlel.

also,. DE ZG fol"Ill a

para1l~logram

20 But it ""r.as also (!qua.l to AE.

sine-e ea.ch of the (pairs) ED

G:EDZ.

<Therefore EO: is equel to At>

EZ~

~qual

But

DZ is therefore equal to EG.

.I

Again t

GE DZ is a parallelogram, DE II is

therefore equal to botb BZ and ZG; for it is. opposite.

a.nd ZG are equal.

I at

So .!Uso BZ

The demonstrations apply a.lso to all triangles.

p.155

Translation

1.15

In accordance with

thes~

measured from a distanC'e.

25

or

13:2

then, the width of &

riv~r

will be

Let there be ba.nks? the opposite one, that

'theen.emy, otlllhic:h is point I A,. and that 'toward us PH.

Fi:x a

divided aioptra. in the area which is to'W'&rd us, at 1, just so tha.t

the space f'rottl I to tbe bank of' tbe river toward us is greater than

the river; this is

~asil~'

to be

gue~sed

at.

At right angl.e!;l to t.wo

points are to b4! spied out.,. one on th'!' bank opposite,. either a stone

30 or a. bush or any other easily

other point toward

~S,. fr~

~~en ma/rk~

and let it

b~

A; but the

the other of the cross lines, Y.

And

FI---------...;......

------....;::a...

R ......

K
Y~

transferring the dioptra to

tri angle.

Let IY be bl se c t

KT be drawn,. II and

r spy out

eo at K~

fTo~ T~

A and

~'e

a right angled

And from K, IJ a.l"allel to AI let

parallel to

II?~.

Since therefore, of

35 the right-angled triangle AIY tl IY is bie,ected by K and TK is parallel

to A! <and TH to

n>,

,1\1 also is bisected at R.

tbe space fro.!Il 1 'to R.

A.

Theref'ore

tb~re

Measure,

therefore~

is given also that frOl!:i R to

Subtraet.ing from this that hom Jl to F ~ we \rill have t.he

retr~inder

40 also, this is the \oi'idth of the river.

But 1 f it is

de~m~d

to be di.fficul t to take the interval

p. 157

133

Kestos

standing further back on our

thB.t

'place~

'r

1.15

there being necessity of this at

s1de~

tne eight being interrupted <and> the thing

beingblU1'red~

lle may eagily 'take]l standing on the river bank ~ thegreatnes5 of the

For againt let. there be on the opposite part I a

45 river this vay.

selected point A. On 'the part t.ovard us let there be to.ken apo1nt Bt

BO

that liB 1s perpendicular to the line a,lotlg t.heba.nk ~ BG.

taken some point on

BG~

Dt at whicb leta rod DE be placed.

Th~.re

is

At the

unauPPol"'ted tip of" the rod let there be e. gnol:lon E",eo that if rod DE

50 should touc h t be- surfac e of' t.he water! I tn e Womon is upp-erro.ost.

Then let

th~

rod be carried along as. far as this perpendicular to BG t

1

UJ'I.til (a point} where, :from Bomeon~

bt! sie;ht.ed 'through a dio,;pt.ra..

to (iD thus AB to ED.

55

Ther~fore:

on the EC line" points EA shall

Thus it vill. be prollportionate! as BG

But the ratio of EG to GD has been given.

that of AIl to DE haa also been giv~n.

.And DE is given. /

ThereforI!' AB is given also.

By

t.he :S.a..ttle computation e.1so the he i ght

taken by t.he

:6tLml!!

figure set upright.

r a va.ll

Let. the top of the

'Wi 11 be
br~:a8t","Ork

J"ieillefond~ in 15''10! r-econstrueted the text at two points

to .read~ "perpendlcular<ly t to DE, > along BG ." and "some

<point, G>:> on . ." (I. 15]1 lines 51e.nd 52, Les Cestes, .p. 151).

p. 159

Transla.tion

be A. and the base B., and the line rro::n the wall to us. out of arrQ...
range'lo BG.

A dioptra is bung from a. pole ('Which actually is (:Itile-d

60 'f18m.p-titandPl) ilhich is
of the pole be 00.

fixed perpendicular

at G.

Now .. let the lice

Then, inc1ining the dioptra t I IiIpy out the top of

the vall., 'Which is A.

Going around to

th~

other sight]o on the same

s:tra.ight line I "take a point <E.

There vill be a tr i angl e> AEB,. and

Therefore" whatever ratiQ

to one of the sides t AB,. GD is parallel.

65 EG has to
given~

GD~

this EB haa to BA..

But the ratio of EGto CD has been

for each of t.hem. ha.8 been given.

been g1 V4!1l the <rat 1.0> of' EB <to AB.

vas den:.onstra:ted. on the river.
vas necess&1";)oT t<) demonstrate.

There:fore .. there has also

But El3 I:L1so has be-en given> t as

Therefore BA is also given, vhi!: h it

II

16. Theft of Sound

The MaUl"eto.n1an s se e mo st sharply

p.l61

f all]l a.nd fl.nyooe approach-

ing, they di s(: over from a.f'ar; and t.hey hear equa.lly, t bough the hearing is. more sloW' t.han the seeing5

tice and nature; for besides

But their vision is lo:og by prac-

th~se,.

the:;' exercisl!!! in the

COUI'~es t

in-

haliDg tbe lightest air. yet al60 abstaining from both everything hot

5 and

from salt .. as being causes of weak sight

I.

But so tha.t they

Ke!'ltos 1

135

1.16,17

should not 'be taken sleeping at some ti.t::le't and en attacK of the enemy

should not be undetect.ed by night t t.hese, lea.'"1;ing the neck on t.he

wood . . . .h ich is a 'bed to tbe-m:> leave the ear

they dig

6-

Ii ttle pit undernea.th and 'from

10 both s01.Uld and cries.

the e-ameth i ng also
should anyone in

!l.

I.

unhinder~d

~Doth

for hear-ing;

they hel.::" from a.far

I have h{!-a.rd the thieves of the western -Gaul. do

This hunting of' sound is ready to hand.

great camp wish t.o learn the plans of his own

Thus;
80l-

diers or the secrets of the enemy . . [Art of progncstication of cOJ!'.1ng

thingsJ digging a deep veil . . let whoever he wishes go down into it,.
covering

up t.he IDQuth vith an ordinary

ga:rment~

nothing \fill escape

15 the one sitting \l'itnin" but he will describe to you the I thinbs said
or the sounds. as one dl vi n i ng +

Let everyone trust. my \rord tone

cro1.J_ched dO'"..rn seeking for a distant- sound, another on a d.o.rk night

se~ki:rJg

t.O disco......e r .something of the hid.den things on the surface ~

nat.urally, vithout

6. .fire~

th ~ earth, per se:J d.!"i"Ie: r;

20 hearing by the clamour.

11.

For 'the bigher air

fJ.'lI1J.y

i~

fUll of' $ounds ~ a.-ld

the si ght by the d_en 6 it;:) and dull:s t.he

1/

P~oducing

p./63

Wakefulness

The poet.s lull Zeus to aleep,navinB be:en outwitted by Hera

and by

Sl~ep~

Heracles might
certain1y~

b;~{

that either the Hellenes should have respite or that

be

injured~

They &1so stay rivers ICMy time's.

we ourselves also have apprehended how the

stream is quiet

eight. that one mi ght claim t.o find the water sleeping

5- also, the ai:r-s of

th~ night are

But

Of vinds

more gent.le; / b:r sleep, therefore 1

p

1.17

136

Translation
fU'~

perhaps these also

soothed.

For Heroes,. superfluous to

been conquered b J' a 5'-Tooping dovn of Sleep.

m~n,

He

ha~ds

SQ.jr',

have

svay over all ..

birds .. plants, billovs .. winds... gods; all-subduing and limb-

relaxing, souls from the concerns of the body releasing.

15 Deat.h and his

aC:~OJnpli'CE!

to~sting

Toil,

14

His brother

to each other 1n turD the

10 evil rortunes / of thog~ about to sle~p.

lnde ed, t he Ilian chi ef expect ed to take t be Ac haian l1.i th

toil sated and a.lso with sleep

tion of that one.

but he withstood equs..lly t.he at'ten-

Hovever much the Thraciana.hono!'E!d

t.h~

sleepless-

nes-s of Rhesu5:> the noble king vas betrayed by ltl..bor a.nd sleep.

No

15 one vas panic-stricken bY' his / b(tfi.utlful armor, nor feaTed tne swift
horses; bu.t one hour i IS sleep mrert1ll"ned hOIJe of how great s-uccesse:s
also?

The stratagelti has descended thence to the- never i"o:r-ms;

they

abandon much wine in camp to the pursuing enemy by- tlPlJen.rance of

flight, that even if any vas; not. veary, ye-t if drinking might fall
2{)

.asleep; then others

com/i:rtg up from

rising up ....hile still asleep.

fi"om being fright ~ned in sleep.

else'W'he:r~ b)r

Pa.nic also many times occurs in a..nr.ies

The fort un es

a.ssua.ge the a.buses from untimely sleep

The Phrygian

~ing

found Silanos

night, destroy those

1/

~leeping

25 fort'I.IDa.te chieftain found a eat.yr.

0f

men we pit.y; let us

by a daE!m.on t s m.isfortune.

and bound

hi~; ~ld

another

I do no1; dee'tl:l myself I unvorthy

of the equality of privilege with them; they conquered earthbound

hUlJlble

~3'pirits

OOWld them:

who had f'allen asle.ep s I seek to ta};:e the

desire Sleep to- become subservient to my

with me alone this :!rlaster and all-subduer ma~f d.well.

~e

ODe

and

who

practice~

that

Let 'Wake vith

both king taking eotm.sel and general keeping '!latch,. and noble vho

b
p. /65

13.r

L17

Resto!:! 7

30 ie toiling.

J against you" Sleep;

! set myself

6-S

you a.gainst n11 ..

so also I against you will wage var.

There is

fJ,.

membrane....;vinged flyer, living in dusky places.. <:of

which alone> among the egg-laying wine;ed ~rea:..t1ll"es the offspring a.re
t"ed with milk.

35

l~B.the-r

The head

f t.bi:s ereat ure, dri e d and

B evn

15
it

up ina

fI.Iltiulet .. makes the I ont!' fastening it on sleepless a.s long as

he may wes.r 1't.

Let one, removing a whQl e 'Wi. ng from i t

vhil~

a.l1ve ,

use it as a. spoon for taking \1P liquids, a few times if' for a little

while, and .ll:Ia.ny times

Feriod of

and

1iakefuJ.ness~

'With both wings if'

h~

should d.es.ire a long

But if sQmeoneusea this drinking vessel

greedily" he will remain sleepless t.o eternity.

But if som.ehow also

you should ",ish to play a prank by indue ing sleeple s sne S 6" ;removing

1,0 the head of a. liv/ing one, sew it up in the pil:lo\l

toma.:ry for him to

fl.leep~

and be will not

!31~ep t

B.S

wh~re it

is cus-

i t he 'l.!'ere vea..ring

the whole c ;re:at we i tse 1 r; for all;! Q i t .ill keep 'the one vho vea:rs
it thus sleepless t.hrough everything.

Night s .son YOu are J

Sleep; night I s bird conquers you i

though ringed j'ou chance to be, even I forestall y-ou

45 Thus were the nuptials of Pa.sithea I to
,

sleeplessi' but a surety of" this by Hera

by

anoth.e-r \tltlg.

Sleep:E!"osinde~d.'Was
~l:tS

the theft of the ving.

And what wonder Hera. received even this from the Grallce:si for even
from Aphrodite she b.cnroved the embroidered girdle.

If in fact you knev from the signs the animal (tor it is not
50 set out obscurely

01"

hard / to comprehl!:nd}, you should .. :perha.ps t be

praised; but if otherwise t you '11111 find it lying a.t the @'r.Jd, in
l.rous ke stoua .

p_ 167

. '. - p

Tran sla.t ion

.1. I .!.O

138

pent.agon 9, with the signs o-r the <lichanos of the> enha.rmonic: mesai
of the "Lydian n:.ode

[it

:Ei

is ...... i th the l.a.st ones],

aJ)d sigma

inverted~

18. For Fi gbting of' Elephants

The ancients considered

th~ elep~mnts ~

tIes. to shock unaccustomed horses and

~en

great profit ror bat-

by the first sight; and

til ey wer e f'Jrni shed vi til a to""er to be a -c ause of" te r,:'or ; a!3 if a

wall were marching before the pha.1anx.

and their eharge unbearable.

Their

tr~etting

is sharp

For the tusks also are self-sufficient,

5 in any case. for overthrow of every multitude; but 'they 6lso used to I
fit out spears f'or thC.%D, proportionate to t.he

hugen~s9;

a.nd they 'bai"-

ricaded the greatest pfLTt 'l,;'i t.h broad corselets.; and they also gave
Javelir.s 1.0 the beasts to throw vith the trunk.

It vas a portable

Jlha1anx. a manifold ima.ge of military advantage; from men sitting. in

a. loft.y position., loosings of' many arro'Ws frono above., but those a.t

the feet una.ble to fight bac'k; and in front, ene:::n,y flights even.
10 "battle

va,5

necess~ry

The

not one of I!;!qu.al / opportunity; against the elephant it 'Was

to

~onduct

aiege operations.

The troops being rou1.ed--the

front rank al'W8.Ys ha....ing been brOken through--they 'Were easily yield-

ing

~o

ruin, the array

de~lished by

those opposing them.

if a ship having been shattered by a bronze beaked

va,ve, 'by

th~

lea.st shock ~ destr-oy-ed the ""'hole.

15 ve!ght of a cliff h.aving broken loose?

like a

mounta1n~

he upsets (likeJ,. h(!

It

~r1reme,.

~as

as

the rough

'Who will support t.he

A fighting elephant II is
oV~l"throws.,

he

shatters~

he

completely destroys; and he does not even overlQok the fallen one,
a habit of' noble beasts,. but being pulled in by the

trun"k~

bath

p. 169

139

Kestos. 7

LIB

horse:! and man and chariot, and brought down vith

for~1!'

and turned up-

side dO'lorn, he drags them right up to hi $ f'eet. ~ and be1 ng leaned

20 by the knee!;! ~ pressed dowr.l not only by its

but

th~n

Olin

UpOfJ

espe~ially ~

weight 7

.a.l!;lo :made more weighty by thiB addition of' the tower, SO that

one is not pr es be d by

on~

elephant 8l one 'Ii but is dea troyed by" a gre.a.t

assemblage of weight.
How may one ward off a beast difficult to fight, and fUlly
ar~ed

both by the great advantages ot nature

~d

by tbe arts

of~en1

25 He over/throws the one "Who makes a sto..nd" the one vho flees he over-

takes,. the fallen one he crushes 11 and he ala.n::ls the hars(!:man,. the

-charioteers he hits from a tower.

Fir'at then! B.gile men, both javelin

throvers and archer 5, JIlUst be set in oppos it i

alrJ set against

30

b',f

the hO!"ses'

th~!

<: fear>

BO

that the

ar~

On <: 9:lid)o

is not thrown into confusion

of the s't!'"fL.ngene-56; and the trum/peters a.N: to

sound fearfully" so that the

~in

of the

oppo~ing

blunt 'the trumpett1ng threatening of tbe- beast.

then~.

inst.ruments may

The light troops,

.aiming at 'the elephant t must. not e:tt.o..ck the target aiolessly t

ELr.Id let the archers shoot 'fire-bead.ng

the chance arrow

35

no longer ca. v-

'Whole~ for the

~ticking

in suff'ices

QIrOliS
fo~

o.:t tbe tovers.

For

the destruction of the

beast taking notice of' the flwe, and fearing the

danger of the fire, he shakes off the battlements set on him" and one
mig'ht compare it with a tower :railing in a city
l3ieged.

But if he

lIl8.jP

whicl~

ha.s been be-

be vounded. in the unarmored parts

heimme-

diatel:rp rear!;! the enemy 10 and t.urning upon the f'Tiends! hI!!! rages more
d&ng~roualy.

Fo:r like

8.

mountain flaIlle t or

I!L

st.eep vint/!:r stresm,

hO thus being angered, 1/ especially 10 he! kills ~ injures, take-sup.,

p.171

Translation
casts

do'Wll~

trBlDpS, a.."ld hates the dead themselves ~ heaping up corpses

and block i ng "the way s of the fleein g, a.s though reQ.u1 ting the 1'r1ends
"because he suffers these things on their account.

c~rtainly bette~

advise the

l~6.der

not to ""ith/stano the

elephl!1nt ~ nor, s:t "the: sB.I1Ie time; to g1 ve Ya.y to the much multiplied

da.nger", but to fl.ntieipate his threats,. his charges,. his ba.ttles, his
faIlings ~ for he will destroy many ~ having been 'encircJ.ed and fB.l.1ing.
il'on tribolo1 are forged; sho.rp, steady, heavy.

'rhe Ea e, .ace ordi llg to

tbe pa.th of' the beasts, are thickly cast r . '" )1 by those :feigning
50 retreat, and 'being I trodden on they halt the elephant, sinking into
~eight h~

the pads of the feet,. for by what

this he

bims~lr

tage of this is

~ined~

is

double~

treads on the otheiS, by

treading yitb his whole self.

for

~ith~r,

The advan-

being pained t be destroys the

ones soot-bing his incura.ble pain, <or>, not.

~ing

able to stand, he

55 utt.erly falls.
Really

then~

all the spoils of lorar are llorthy. but an elephant

presents the nlOst vorthy of' a1.1;for

So

captive living elephant t or

the choice spoils ot an elephant t is an honer to a victorious king

not comparable to

shield

o~

a general Qr a corselet

or

a slain

noble.

19. Agri eul t ural Marvels

Neither here

indeed~

agricultural matters be
1

nor

~here~

neglected~

for they

vill the Cair measure of

~ill

have some value even

"The:!" halt within ~" apparl!'ntly eo dittogra.phy from the ne:xt

line (see Vieillefonds- Les Ce5tes~ p. 3:47. [1. 124.

KeSt09

to those vho are making

1.19

It is good to till a land which is all-

va:t".

II

productive in time of peace, receiving variegated f'Tuit of various

se-aBons, picking, reaping, gathering in .. :receiving

region~

fro= one

5 dis/tant

hop~.

libe!'a~

p. 173

ve&1tb

not needing goods from roreigners, nor enduring a

But nov, <all

r~gions

do not bear> all tbings;

by an excess of cold) bear only grains;

others~

~ome,

being sandyJ gather

in vine or olive; but t.he much extended plaina rarely possess and
produc e thl!' 'l;j1ne) fIJld 1:.bose vhf ch 1IrIay, a. poor qUa-Ii ty only.

'!'heril!-

fore let us procure an al"tific.ial meaos for both = to 1'ind 'What is

10 not" and the changing of the poor into the betti!r.

Let there be ~ vi. th vater ~ a ten-told mea.sW'e' of vine; then

let it be boill!!d with a great. fire, until tbe tenth of the mixture

shall be spent;

th~re

is a loss of the

water~

but a gain of the vine

having beco:me better.. a virtue of' whi eh the: flame is mother.

15 this ~ the

a..r.lI~ients

Doing

reported that Fire delivered Dlo!nY5us at birth.

But all those \rho do not have vines, and have not obtai.ned
the fruit from these pll!U1ts,

hav~

imitated vine !TOP'! other things,,,

either from seeds or by a production from fruita or "by a !:ombina1:.ion

or

roots,

depr~c&ting

the drinking of plain water.

For, indeed,

20 Egyptians d:!"ink :!out-hOSt k~os Pa.e-onians .. Celta ker/'besia~ sik~ra BB.by-

loniana.
nothin g

For Dlonyeug forEJook thi!!!Jll, having been angered .. and. gave

Qf

vinic ul t 1,U'e to thos!' peopl es to reserving th e vic tor,r teast s

for only the Greek husbandmen [boastful

state~nt~).

Dionysus, let us present "to men the cup

or

25 grapes; I

MOV

Let us tmitate

friendship &part from

other vine-producing f'!'ui t.

(Preparing of vine. J

This then is a. preparation of wine ~

of'

1.19
dried

Tre.ng Iat ion

~igg on~ mna~

liquorice root.

of pure

sea-~~ter

three

Having brayed the :roote"

ehoe5~

twa bunches of

and putt.ing some of the figs

into a ja.r ~ thE;!ll again in 'turn, of the roots" a.lterna:tlling :for three:
times, and then -pouring in the sefl.-'Wate:r (and let there
vessel about

~vo

b-t::!-

bunehes ofhorse-fennelJ and alloy it to

p, 175

under the

b~

steeped

30 five dB)'s and pour I off' through a strainer [a.'Hi let it be: sveet);

then add fresh '\la.ter" the same amount, and a.lloW' to be a.t./!'ep@d five
days"

and filtering this" mix with the

aside in the ahade and i t will be good

But if ~ hav.ing
ateep~d sev~n

35

axe gs

pour~d

~ormer;

then covering J put

wine:~

it! vate%'t you3hould allow it to be

days, und having filtered

o~f

you shQuld put in the

from the j a,rs and having covered it I for ten days I: Preparing

of vinegarJ, you viII makt! ....i.negar [atld make it in 'WinterJ.

one :must not neglect 'the vinegar it:eelf.

ha'ting 'boiled

So

beet in

B.

chous of

~ater,

But a15o,

Vinegar i5 muJtiplied if,

you should add four drach-

.!!!!. of Hellenic nitron; with this. preparation is mi:x.ed to one part of

~O vinegar) the

I double

of 'Water.

But all vinegar is !;Itrengthen~dt if

there is m.ixed in !llso five drachmae of pepper and the equal of juniper to the tll:!phora.

t.ion or ';tine are

tI.

Thl!' vays, t.herefore1 which invol.ve: only (::o:rrup-

slow hope, and not desirable to a nusbandman; and

vinegar is turned quickly by all Borts of" :means I knoY t turnine:

.I.'; forthwith and changing
barley~

aoout in one I So hand.

For some put in scoTched

but others burned pottery'l .and others iron, many times

1s also put in.

hon~y

'But I produce natural vinegar, fI.I1d sv!'et, yielding

use and pleasure ~ apart from tl"te daln&ging of win@'.

atone" being squeezed out"

sUf~ices;

For the e;rape

together with the

squeez1ngs~

Kestos 7

they are \tell steeped in

~D

'Water~

1.1.9

the vater taking a quality as of

grape must; then being put into a

a fire is lighted under it I

k~ttle7

find it is boiled do'Wl'l to the half',. and also being

into another vessel.

Thererore it

~s

coo~ed

is poured

changed since it has been

with vater, but remains sveet like grapeJuice boiled

There may also be vinegar apart from

down.11
pitch last

grap~s:

55 year's whole pine cones with pitch and scorch until the pitch

be

co~letel~'

~ixed

p.177

I 6hall

'blJ.rned; then coat them .entiz-ely with honey:lo 'With a

Let there be water in a great tUb, and about ten pine cones

feather.

:for each ehous

of'va:t~:r~

castine; these .into the liquid .. heat so as

to ...... n.....'III it; but let 'the tub

b~

lacking six koti'la-

CO-oTering this

tightly ~ let it stand in the sun three da:yg; th4!fl) uncovering, take

60 B.way as much of' the vinegB.r as you vish and &dd / the equal aJ:lour.t of
water;

thu~,.

"for a great

while~

[Preparation of' oil. J

and dried :fenugreek,

~ of baked
Q

bav~

vinegar unfailing.

Of' cOllrge, the oil 15 also to be

The Iberian, this is how;

zealously.

65 IlJIlde into

you will

f'OW" d:rach:ma~)

of vild olive

leaves~

SOUBh~

a hendful t

8,nd one of 'Wol"lC\(ood and two drB.ch-

,...ine lees \ifhich Romans call ufekla .. H all brayed and be-ing

JIlaSS filling the hand ~ then / having ''';Tapped up in a rag~

drop into the jar

iI.fI d

after nine day a draw out f'or us e .

If you would ha\?e Istrian, having chopped up green lea.vE's of

bitter s,lmond and :ma.de a ball and put it into the vessel. stirrin,g

10 it

~~

and

th~n

leaving it alone to settle.

Mastic (-oil) is

pr~pa.redthl.Js:

t he ripe berry of the mastic

being put into a mortar, it is brayed vith a vooden pestle; tben it is

poured of't into pails--having been

ste~ped

f'or a long time 'With

1.19

14~

Translation

bQil1ng vater and haYing be@on takec up vith a strainer,. it is sQuee2.ed

out.

Some,. having brayed it and kne-aded 1 t with water.. put 1t away

75 in ovens until it should be boiled, and they press

Furthermore tbe
nulS tic.

terebinthin~

is

out thus.

similarly to the

But others... having chopped it up. put it into earthen pots

II then they boil

having a little- va.ter over it'!'

oily suostan.;::e "Whicb co-mes 1:.0 the top.

8rJ the bot.tOnt

0 f'

bE!~n

it and take off" the

(Uee:f'u1 oil set.tles out into

the jar,. if gre en dill Qnd sa..lt ha.ve been dropped in.)

You thus

hnV'ing

p~epared

i~

clari~?

baked,.

black and

b~ay~d,.

di~ty oil~

one litrn of litron

sifted,. cast it into tht'! jar.

If' you shQuld also ..ish to ttlB.ke H.

lik~

that from unripe

olives, braying bark and leav@'s of a vild olive tree,. make a maas and

85 ca.st a litre.

by weight into a jar.

But if you should wish to maKe what they :fort:lerly

call~d

the

Iberi8J1. lo vhic'h nO'W ve name trSpanish t" put well chopped lell.ves of 'Wild

olive, t.ied up in a. suitfl.ble 8JI1Ount of linen and suspended into comple~ely

clear oil of

allow to steep as many days as you wish;

Side~

90 and thus the Theri6.n. qualitY' is gained.

You may cure turbid oil, ha.ving poured it into a 'Wide mouthed

container and set it out in

amount of

roa~ted

fI.

stea.dy sun and sprinkled on a

salt until it

i~

warmed up; and

~s

gufrici~nt

soon as it set-

tles change into containers.

The foul-smelling
out the pi t s... put as much

thus~
&S

having chopped up green olives with-

a hal f -c'hoenix i r.J.to 1:.he 8L!IJlhora; I!lnd

95 he..ving set 1 t out in t he sun I a.nd hea.ted ito s utfic ient ly,.
out vhat vas cast in and POUl" into many

cont~in~rs.

th~rJ

take

p. 179

Kestos '7

T .19,20

Oil t odor l~s s bil e-ven tmRY come :from cELl r suet; put. <. ...

chous or picUine; brine int.o

fat in

So

Q.

copper <k~t.t1e) and ten ~ of th1!'

basket (a creelJ; &nd let it

h8.V~

e. weight so as not to float

100 on the surface ~ I a stone lying in ;it 11 and hea.t it. underneath with a
s.lmt tire;. and vha.t, boils up take a\ray ~ put i t at once into

emptied oil jar; and the

r~sidue

&

n~1y

of the fat which is melted out t

thoroughly filtering 'With a strainer,. pour d.O\rn. into th.e cont.ainer ..

and separating it, leave it for

t~enty

th~n

days;

thereafter use it.l/

But also garum frolll one part of P'I.ll"e brine and two of the I

105

sweet vine.

The best is from Lydia; but that named "sokk1Qs" is what

is praised more than all sauces.

bIion, U

and th~

S8.n1e

Ten :lCestea of the so-called "abdo-

BJII.Oun't of' Libyan aromatie sap tram Libya Felix

(which indeed the natives called rtuhri ton 11 )

1.10 hyssop. and the Roman apple {culled indeed

and a han.df'ul of Cretan

11

orbikla.ton H ) ; mixing

these witb sixteen kotylae of honey,. boil with a fig branch for t.hree:
days, or fOr -thre e hours ea.c h day t with a slO1l f'irl!:! and that kind

will :r-e s.ul t .

20. Conclusion:

Concerning Arrows

Now let this cooposition also be concluded by an old and instructiv@

tale~

corresponding to the things preceding, a tale 01' a

bow and of an tlrrow.

One- arro'W ~ f'lying for one- 'Whole nigbt and da.y ~ could go as

far as two tnyriad <B.t1d ive thousand);. stades .. if the motion

continuous.

Nov

cone~rning

the flight of the

arrO~t

it

Plis:htb~

~1~~t

be thus;

p. 18/

Transla.tion

1.20
m-en (some

target~1

pared.

S. ui table

number.. not more than ten) st2.!1di ng o'PPO 8 it e a

a plethron dIstance having been measured; having bows pre-

l~t

each

pla~~

an arrovupon the string, so

tha~~

when the

first strikes 'the te..rge-t]o a.t th&.t the second also immediately shoots
and the third in turn and tne others

10 lea.sing the shot when

l the arrov of

11ke~lse~

the

se~ond

always re-

the first 1mpact!a 'Iii th the target.

I sav certain ones trying itt and I have the account from experience.
The number of

tb~

stades is arrived at in this manner; a stade is

equivalent to six plethra, and onl! arrow

tI.t.Id
15

aho't f"or eaC'h ple-throI:l,

(~ow

were discharged in the hour.

consider the number

the arrovs and reckon it as the f"lig'ht of" one

I of

giving the iLtten-

!U'rO'W't

tion to the distance ~ not. to the nmnber of 'thos~ being discha.rged. )

Surely then one arrow {for let the mans

for tbe force of the dista.nce)

~easured

tr.Qvell~d

be considered one

six thousand plethra. from

'the beginning to the erJding of the hour. vhich makes a thousand

:But the distS.llCeS ~ of course s for

th~

night and t.he ds.y bl!!-

20 ing revolved into tventy I and four hours,

ar~

to be

stades.

myriad ELTId four thousand.

It. thoua~d

is

alEiO

f"ix~d

as tvo

added to these, being

allowed for the delay in tbe individua.l -preparation, so tha.t not

even the reactioll time should be

there is
indeed~

/1

arroW's for one hour being counted .. not more than six thousand

th~

arro~s

'Ws.Ei

al~ays

unac:count~d

for.

inequality in the hours of days and

considerable.

If

sOJl!Ieone~.

Yet doubtless

or

nigbts, and.

therefore, keC!'ping a standa.rd

:25 hours I might make the triaJ. of the shooting according to it]> tbe
5ts.des villturn out to him to be tvo

m.p"iad <and five thousand>.

Bot h Syrmos the Scyth i an and Barde s ane:3 th e Parthian made

p. 183

1.20

thi$ trial, and perhaps many others also.

I myself also

observ~d,

in

(the ~ourt) of' Abgar the king 10 Mannos his son tr:ri ng 1 t many time s ,

I instruC'ting.

30 myself

He was :so s~illfUl an archer that,. 'being on a.

hunt vith us once about ~idday (actually~ r ~sel~happened also to be

riding along~ not being any hunte-r, but a spe-cte.:tor

or

the hunt) ~ a

:forest bear starting up out of a certain lair, formidable to attack,.

so:ttlething terrible tQbehold .. impossible

fL.lS0

ana.

to shoot quickl:.r ~

35 everj'one being terrified and eeeking ways for fligbt,

Man/nos~

en-

couraging us to be bold, dissolved all thi! fea:r lo shooting tva arrows;

for shooting into the eyes of the befir.. he

render~d

it easily oVl?r-

come, not even seeing the hunters. II

But then .Bardesanes vas

So.

ski 1 f'Ul archer:t ever.. 1 f

different) and., I knoW', shooting a. man just like a painter.

40 way was thi s :

he once atoM a man

The

oppos i tE!: to him., a hands Ol!le an d

strong youth vbom an artist also might grov'Weary imit.ating; and

youth placed the buckler before himself .. for
this~

Ilardesan~s

d1spla;y1ng his skill to us spect.ators.

paintel'~

p_ 185

S omevhat

prescribed

But he .. like a. good

tra.nsferred the one holdine: 1 t onto the shield; first

~5 he drew the head, vi. th straight arrows

tb~

the"[~

I mimicking the circle of the

head, then the flashes of the e::~.. es. hannony of lips ~ symmetry of
che-~ks,

body.

and the-

r~st

of' the

maf.!.

:followed in the arre.ngement of the

He prided himself on composing a drawing by shooting. both

drQ.'1.ting '!With ahots

and shooting dl'a:wi.ngs; and

'V8.tchins, how the shooting va.s not

50

8.

8.

Bhield~

saw himself dra;m

Or!

while

varlike pursuit, but it was both

some",hat delightful and dan/gerous pleasure.

the

'We t!larvelled~

But he, putting dovn

his own shield. and he .,,"as pleased

Translation

1. 20"App.

ha.ving a. warlike port!"Q.it: this incident then 1l I

But SyrmosJ how mBY I

archer J not pe.inting vith

55

arrOw

des~l"ibe

!!Ii.l""ro'WS

to In.&k.e var with arro\l'.

lievable.

<he

va.8~

wit.h marvel.

SJ7roO~ al~o

him?

vas & skilled

as Bardes8.rIes 11 but cont!"iving for

The sight is novel, but not unbe-

saw e.rrov by arr<nl b-eing

sition ~ being equipped vitl1 the

re~.eJ.l

~onquered.

quiv~l'"

S,yTmOS took a po-

ana an a.rrO\f being readied,

p:repa:red to shoot; and there stood opposite him, at

~ontest

t!lin distance, another counter-archer; but the

was unequal; for the one :fought vi th an IU"lrIed60 with a. naked one.

a.rr~,

B.

cer-

of the archery

but the other

MQreover the go/al was to bring arrow together \lith

the other arrov; but the one vas coming only as an unarmed soldier
to meet a. fUll armed toe; and bold he was 11 <but the other> 11 'Which had

not been stripped, was shattering the onf;! meeting it, and it "as
dr agging 1t al Of) g~

1/

hang! ng upon 1 t~ lik~ an enlMBY pr-1 soner; but 'the p. 187

one that had been s:tripped" having

65

ro'W~

but an

arl"'OW' e,

b~en

seized, was no longer an ar-

apoil.

Julius Afr1canus's Kestos 7

[Append! xJ

Another 'WJ.y to dye <like:> ebony right through

Leeches having been boiled in sharp vinegQr. soak the wood
and it shall be <dyed> through tbe d.epth" and aft.er this polish with

oil in vh1ch leeches vere boiled 11kevise.

II

Military Extracts

xtracts

Con~erninEj

Military J.(e..tters

<Table>

p.201

1. Hml one lrIa,y 'Work t.hrough vine that those baving drunk are
put to sleep for

thre~

da,ys. - 2.

Con~erning

destruction of fields.-

3. Concerning destructi.onof trees. - 1.1. Concerning making horses

'Wlable t.o move out of the

6. Concerning
by poison. 8.

5~ p~s.~e.

- 5. Anointing 'for arro...-s. -

heaJ.th of the soldiers. -

8.

FOT

one to close the

7. For not being c.onquereQ.

You.nd

vi"thout suture. - 9. ?'or

hemorrhage dif:ficult t.o control. - 10. For

th~

horses not to be

ill. - 11.. To kindle fire spontaneously. - 12. Hunting of' sounds.

1. HeN One Hay Work through Wine That

Th08t!'

HQ.ving

Drunk Are Put to Sleep for Three Pays

The one not lackipg this sort of drug ie. t.o be- envied:

for

it he can DUU"Jage to prepare "'irlne from it, thoe.e 'Using this drink f'a11
asl ~ep, :so that those vho have- drunk a:re

Ove!'"coome by

theenemi e 8

while they sleep for up to three days; but they are roused if someone

anoints their noses with vinegar.

This is the preparation or- it:

01'

5 The-b/an poppy juice .. about two parts in amount ~ levigating these 'With
one pa.n of henbane Juit!1I! &nO having leviga.ted with vax from the right

ear of an ass 5 put it into the vine. II

16

Trans.lation
2.

t~mpt

Destr'uction of Fields

Con~erning

Sot!letimes~

150

p.10J

passing through hostile territory. you should at-

to destroy its

cultivating hellebore; for even Alexander

ields~

"the Macedoaian ~ making use of

this means ~ destroyed the Alans.

Fields

arc usO de a troyed by s.a1 t being both SO'lolD on them an d c overed over

5 by ploughs; this can render them entirely bad for a long time.

3. Concerning Destruction

o~

Trees

:Destroying the trees 'l,fbich 'bear fruit,

should seem good to

you~ 1$.0

&S

veIl as the fiC!lds,

that the enemies t being often at a loss

for provisions, vill not find the :rrui:t$ for provisiQn.

you viII Wrl up eVery tree

~x~ept apple~

gea ray into the root crovn of the

tr~e~

In any case,

17

if you fix the sting of the

The Quintilii assert that

5 the sheila of beans being put on their roots / dry them up.

But to

me, it is bi!'tt.er that. you amend all vhich has grovn well, cOJmDB,.nding
them t.o be cut do'Wl'l; f'or these having been handled tbus'l in the cut
areas! no e:nemy will be hidden;> no bird for their hunting will perch;

4. CQncerning Making Horses. Unable to

Move Oi.Jt of the Se.me Place
Whil@ industriously working on the production of the present
composition,. I read in the .rPhysical1 or-

Neptunianu~

astraga.los of the right 1/ .foref'oot being

tearJ) brings the chariot "to

I!l.

st.and.

~ast

that

8.

18

wolf'l$.

before a four-horse

If indeed therefore't four are

p.205

Military Extract6

151

IL'-,5,6

caused to stand, how l!luch betteX' would it be:, if J 1;7hl!:n in ba.ttle linf!)
we sbould give them individua1.ly to a. ffN slingers?

5 tbese into the-

en~

Theyi' throving

horse" vill not injure Just one horse: vith the

one astrQ,g,uos, but as many as happen to ride neal' it-

5" Anointing for Arrovs

The Scythians l;U1oint arro"oIS, the so-called "toxic" H for quick

destruction or

th~ op~s

wounded.

But by my inquiring into this, a

certain trustworthy man has given the following drug to &ccomplisb

and it is

the SaI!le operat:ion=

thi8~

wood spurge of the type which

gro\<,'S up into stalk-like branches--takiZ'lg this .. put into

5 eartheIlliue

pot end

8. nev~ma.de-

heat ".Ii t.h liater until all of its oil 1s dis-

charged into the hot ",-ater; th-en taking u:p the sta.lks of the plant

vhich vere put in" put other fresh ones into the same water; again
take up and:- puttins in others. heat until the Ya.te'r !"rom this juice

becmnes like

hone~'.

But I do not have confidence it it ha.G actualljo'

SoJ2Je of the Q.ncients say / that venom of vipers and asps,

10 been done.

and of salama.nders. is also infallible for this.

6. Concerning the

He~lth of the

That e.. physician in the

order that

8.

CaDfp

Soldiers

is good.. is undenia.ble; but in

soldier !Il&y not fa.1.l ill) being struck by sun i!lII.d toil"lo

tor this it is neeessary to distribute their provisions not just once

or twice,. bu.t rOr them to !l!'at many t1J:1@:s during the da.;,r, at short

pl!!:riodB, and I!!!speeially vhen not engaged in battle; for this is /1

II. 6" 7

152

Transla.tio~

5 salutarJ and

us~!'u1.

for digeBt.ioD.

It 15 necessary to take rue I and

marsb maJ.low boiled down and mixed yjth sour wine. in the midst of

the tIlealB; as also. mixing milk and water and pouring iJJ a small
amoun.t of

BOUT

rine, to take

befor~

to be done from the beginning

10 Again,

vO~wood ~ine

or

eating.

It is nec(!ssa.ry tor this

spring until

th~

or

the

~utumn.

is drunk for the same" not only / before a meal,

but also after a meal., and 'With tbe meal i tse.1:f.

haV!!!"

end

But if ve should not

the w-brmvood vine. ve would give vOl"m'Wood "'!Iit.h het 'Wa.ter.

the squill 'Wine does the same a.lso-

They o.lso

prepar~

But

squill .... in~-

Bar; but if one takes the squill vine, do it before eating t but if
the vinegar, 'With dinner.

'l'he marsh wine alsO,. i

15 in the I~sb-mea.dovs, is exceedingly healthy.

.e~.

what is 'produ.;::ed

The pan bread also;

simply f'onne-d a.nd dried in the sun, is most useful tor health.
alSO,. if the available-

wat~r

:But

should be un'lol'hol esome [should be pulse),

let it boil until the tenth of it is spent,. then let. it cool; &tid it
20 will thus be

ha.rml~s$.

7. tor Not Being Conquered

by Poison

In order that we may sUffer nothing rrom poison (for there

are

t~a

remedies,

b~ing

healed and

n~c~ssitY)t--every apy 11eation

leaves of ru.e,

t'110

be unae.sai lable by

th~.

dried

figs~

working so as not to surfer the

being fasting--if any will tak~ 20

e.nd nuts e-qual to the figs t he \;'ill

every drug; fLhd let

8.

lump

f salt be added to

Many t indeed, / testify by experience; but. 'those cOnJpc1.mdJng

ler. Pliny N.H. 23. lA9 (Mith~1date5 secret antidote or

IItheria-e n h see alao below, Ill. 23.

p, }.fJ7

153

Military Extracts

II. 7.8 .. 9

more prec1sely~ dou/lble the salt and the rue. and add 20 peppercorns. p.2~)
But the more cot:lplete, whi<;:h makes every drug unprofitable and which

i8 easily produced in tbe camp! is this;

of oily dried figs, and..

of kernels., the best looking, and 01' dry rue, and also of

lik~ise

10 ripe Juniper-!berry. and also of Lemn1e.n

grind 1n s. mortar aI)drDake

b~ls

u cert1f1ed ....

the 6iz.e of

equal amounts;

ha~el-nuts and

take one

each day.

8. For One to Close the Wound

'Ili thOllt Suture

Since in var :many times ind;i.1fiduaI.s are injured, the separatiO=-l t'rol:!l the- iron 'W"eapon b-eing large ~ they are usually handl.ed with

sutures.

For t.his we have found a :na.tural remedy capable o:f the clos-

itlg lrl thout suture; it is this. ~

havine; :pounded fine a. bulb

or

the

5 I!:dible type 10 lay it on, and it \rill h@.alby first intention.

9. Fc.r a Hemorrha.ge Difficult to Control

Taking

hUIIIM

blood either fram a

phle'Wt~

or :trom sOl!le

ot-her source, of vbatever E;.uch sort. as there may ehanee to 'be, .and
putt.ing into .a

'Wide-:mout.he~.

cont.ainer y d:ry it in the sun and on the

:f'irst day you will f'ind co1I1inS to the top a. ll&tery

is necessary to remove thia and to

to plaster it on and to bandage.

mak~ th~

subst.&nc~.

rest drjr, and

~t

It

need

Thus i 1:.. viII be stayed! even though

5 it I should ha.vE! b~en difficUlt to C'ontrol. II

Tra.n sla.t ion

10. For tbe HQrses Not to Be Sick

The horses will not be sick ir one tfLkes
deer

antler~

p_ 211

8.

sma.ll piece of

21

and .. making it liKe an ornament .. fasterls it around the

neck.

11. To
Kindle
FrE;!'JJar~d"

~ire

Kindl~

spontaneously

o.f thunder st one ~ 01:PYTite E;I

mortar ~ the sun being at the

black mulberry sap and

SpontB.n~ously

a1~o

by this

co~o8i~iorl;

of native sulfur ~ of rock salt

indeed .. thus:

an I!qual tlrOOunt of

?ire

~enith;

also

ther~

asphalt., liquid and

~"it.h

having it at

re8.din~s:s

to

in

8.

flow1rJ,g.,

~eal

But it is

the sun e..t the :tenith, and to

tbe f'ace, for it. ignites unexpeetedly.

nec~ssary

f'.re~

a.s to become sooty colored; then there

necessary t-o knead it care:fuJ.ly

gether., it is

ash~s,

is nixed toget.her

5 is Ordded to I the asphalt the least bit of quicklime.

prote~'t

of

POU1l ding equal a!D.Otmts .f'i ne ina bla.ck

ZB.~yntbian

each~ SO

it is

But.., 'being put to-

it in some copper

cQnt~iner" ~hus

box, and also no longer exposing it to

But at night, it' you should vish to enfl8J!le the armament

the sun.

10 of thl!: enemy,

S~tl.r- it.

on them or sooe other things ..

I but I;l.ecretly;

tor when the sur.! a:ppears., &11 vill be burned.

12. Hunt ing

f Sounds

1 read s01D.et.hing incredible to

on &Ccount
that

th~

or

mal1:r ~

a.nd doubted bY' me, but

the marvel, I brought this up also;

a.QlD.e peo]Jl.~

say

Mauretn.n1ans II (this iaB. na.tiotlJ lI resting their ne{:ks on

p.213

155
~ood,

Mi1itaryExtracts

leave the ear

free~

unhindered for hearing, digging a little

trench u,ndern4!'ath and lying dOlm.

5 Gaul also do the

to hand.

SlIlDe,

it

.n.12

But the thieves

I is reported.

or

the 'Western

This hunt of

sO'l.l:nds

1s ready

So if anyone in a great camp should wish to learn either

tbe purposes of hia own eoldiers (andJ or the purposes of the enemi e a ~ han ng dug

B.

de-ep vell,. let him send dovn whome'l'er he vi s11 es !

covering up the mouth v;l..th

fm

ordinary ge.rment.

liothing w:S.lles{:f\.pe

the one sitting within, but he will recount to you the things s&1d
10 or the things making noise as though I divining. II

156

Translation

Kes-tQi hsgm.ents, IIIi

Extr~ct~ Con~~rnin&

Hippi&trica

1. Concerning a. Horse Having

p.225

E1.ephantias15~

of AtricanU5

(C.R.
The liver of

borses su:ffering

2~1301

th~

f':rOI!l

Hipp.

Can~&

3. 1J

land hedgehog drie:d. in the Eiun cures the

elephantiasis.

2-. Of" Afr1canus: An Ophtha..1.nLie

[C.H. 2:~36-38, Hipp. Cant. 8. 6-9::1'

The swal10v bears

th~

juice of

So

certain pla.nt t from 'which,

it it should drop to the ground, from the drop an.ot.her plant is produced; which is natlled from the bird which let it fa.ll.

They come up

even if tll e: bird I s: young t partaking of it, excrete it ont.o the ground.
But this juice is a ltiELrVelous and tLCtive' drug for dim-eightedness,

5 and in a short vh11e it thins even the leucomas fram injuries a~d
stores the eye to the appearance of the uninjured.

re-I

But t.he: plant-

eoming from it is more ul azy '1 and only corrects 'Weakly; nevertheless ~
beins ground .. it keepa glaucomas
fol"mS entirely
10 to find

8.S

away~

1oI'ell as the former.

th~ firs~ p1a~t,

and. its ash, \lith vater ..

Indeed t if anyone had ohanced

he would have opened even

The tvo stones 'W"hich are

f01,1n~d

pe)"~

~he

blind eyes.

in the gizzards of the nest-

lings vhl!'n th4!!!Y a.re opo!'oe-d up v1th a sharp reed-f'or they. black and

white, are found in each--, after a. white dove has been

sac::ririC'~d

23
a

157

IT!.2

Hip1>iatric:s.

and Aphrodite herael:f 1nvoke:d,

~~

put int.o a. gold necklace and

k~ep

otr all ophthalmia.

An"J'WV .. cutting open the spring nestlings, one lights upon

15 stones in the

g1~:tQrds,

of vhich the one is. multi-colored and tbe

f'avn or calf' skin f'or the "gra.ndmn..l, tI and perhaps you will

at any rate, lessen the o/!'pilept1c seizure.

cur~,

p.227

or,

But for tl1is use" it is

wait to cut it open during the moon's beginning

nec~ssaryto
~reaEdng

II

There-tore, before they touclJ earth~ bind theru up in

other clear.

~d

in-

phl!'l.se.

They say the bile of a. pa.rtridget mixed vith Attic honey t is

20 a.1 so a cure

ThE! eyes of t.he vult:ure.,

to many.
t.o the

f dim 8i ght and 0 f cataract,

ey~s

i!ach day"doe:s riot pe.mit

will not even

tl.

'bo~.d

allOl(

9.

fact vhi ch i

a1 so kncnm

up in pure linen and applied

dim-~ightedness"

catarac.t to develop.

(Llld., truly"

But its eye 'being worn in

dog skin does not pend t ophthalmia. Its bile with horehound juiee

25 and A.ttic ho~ey~ / used

CiS

an ointml!nt, r~ves every darkening and

mist of the eyes and does not permit eatarac:t. to 'begin to :form...
The eyes of a li'Ving hog" l"eJJlOved and appended in a. linen
rCig~

yom on the left shoulder or the neck ~ guard the

30 and if i t should even be attached to one

Misfortune.
taken.

i.ttIaffe-cted;

it destrdys the I

But it is necE!ssaTyto release the frog vhere it was

1
Its bile a160 is used as an ointl:llent for eye 1rrita:tion and

cataract.
t1on~

5uffering~.

e~es.

But nothing is great4!t' than the :follo'Wing Cor eye irrite.-

having _de a sort of .e&1ve of iVy root" put it into a box

158

Traoalatior.J
of red copper with urine from a young 1nfa.nt, and tying it up se-

curel.v ~ bury in horse lI1allure for 40 days.

35 it off / on

8.

Then'li dra;wing it out. rub

whetstone and JIlS.ke like a sa.lve '\lith t.he 1iquid eon-

tained in it; you will be amazed at tbe action, and you will stop
cataracts even beginning.

3. Of AfricaIlus: Concerning Product.ion of Hor5ea

CC.H. 2~142J Hipp. Cant. 10. 8J
If .. therefore, you ahouJd 'Wish
horses toward the east, th!lt thoeY may

the vest bears

th~

B.

:m.ale to be borne 'Ii 'tUl"n the

El~e th~

sun vhile mating ~ for

females I e.s Mf.LtU'ousios the horse-raiser describes.

For aleo, as f I everyone reports" the sta.llions e.re harnessed by the

Sun, fL.nd the fltlml!! is

5 draw

l'aght~

24

~lieved

the:. say +

p.229

t{) be dl"avn by them .. but the ma:res

And properly, 1ndeE!'d, :for the Sun fo.'lors

birth of" males, but the Moon happens to be mother of t.hose of like
nB:ture.

4. Of the
[C.H.

Same:

Restoratives of Paver
Hipp. Cant + 10. 91

2~1~2-43t

The (sweet) c i ce1y is

6.

:pla.nt eDt i re 1y

!.L+

iJti lar to the hem-

lock except for the flowers .. 'Which indeed are aimiltu" to it, b'lltm1.l,ch

and most pleasant in the eating.

It is found in the ara.ble regicrts.

These, he.ving c aretully ground vbo1e, 1 t i

ne c-e 9 sar~r to put int 0

lThehippiatricd passages accepted by Bjorck aBbeing &uthentically African-ian ("Apsy-rtus ,n "pp . 15-16) are marked vitb the notation "M." fL.fter t.he title as fL.bove.

2S

III.~,5,6

HiDpiat.rica

159

5 pure, very well bOiled:) barley gruel I and to boil together]o stirr-ing
carefuJTy.

Then put in such a quantity or the

BlOst

f1"&grant wine as

nat to sa.turs.te the: gruel too nruch, and fasting. to 1nf'use+

~y

find

1L

lrlt"hout "the
th e

batter remedy than this for this purpose.

root~

having bOiled together pig1's

Ina.l"l'"OV:o

No

OTJ.e

But if be is
especially

pi nal, with gruel]o and adding wine s ittJila.r ly,. he will ha.ve a.

10 second l'e:medy for tha I

tor~gQing.

5. Of Africa-nus:

For HaNing Intercourse

Much a-nd 'Without Difficulty

CC.H. 2t145; Hipp. Ca.nt. 10. 15]

It is nec:eseary to in:f'use the- animal 'Wit.h skinkts flesh in

26

mixed vine. II

6. 1m Altogether Excell ent Ai d for :Birth

[C.H. 2:1115, Hipp. Cant.. 10. 16J
Pol;rgonum is a.
called

pl~t

!.1,+

abunda.n.'t. I!'veryvhe-re, which is a.1so

27

drosa:; 'Which, ha....ing bl!e-n bO\Uld in dog's afterbirth:) rubbed

with ointment and cleansed ae

eause of conception.

neces6ary~

and

app~nd~, b~comes ~

But in order tha.t the animal ttJay conce:ive wohat

you wish. either male or female, mercury and verve.in plants

ar~

con-

side-red to be male and female, the upright male, the spreading t.he

5 opposite. I Make the anima.l to we6..l:" theBe with the f'orJDer preparation;
if one rlshes to produee

8.

male ..

male~

if" e. temale~ f'erna.1.4!.

p,131

III. 7,8,9

160

Translation
j. Of' the Same:

(C.H.

2.1~5,

For Abundance of Milk

Hipp. Cant. 10. l7J

The XIIi lk stone- fastened around the udder of the an1.lnaJ. draws
down however T:!JUch milk is neededy

supply more milk t

infUs~

But in order that !ihe may also

the levigated milt

~tQne

itselC w1th vine

and watery

8.

Of the Same ~

For the Embryo ~lot toMis~&rry

CC.ll. 2~145-~6, Hipp. Cant. 10. 18J

Sa.ilors t taking the remora. fish, preserve it, using it as. a.

poW'erful dru.g both to prevent miscarr',fing and for conception.
being levigated.
the womb.

tb~

1/ But

ani:maJ. infused with 1 t keeps the embl")ro safe in

if one should also betLr it. living tD the belly Df

5 the mare when the stallion couples llit.h her, both t.hen s.nd
sh~

This

ther~a.f'ter

\rill c:oneeiv-e I and will no't su.ffer the foremen'tloned mishap.

y.

9. Of Afl"iCQDus: F'orEarache
[C.H. 2:149 t Hipp. Cant. 11. 123

that t hey may both

1 'Wi sh to ai d eaT 5 ina. double mann er r

c eaa~ be!ng pained.. and ceas i ng ~ may not be pained again.

~el'

the condition aroW1d the ear 1llaY'

bearing~

becoming like ulcers

~ots~

the pain around it

~~d

bec~

For when-

insufferable and pa.st

producing evil smellinB pus

beco~ing

~d

intQlerable, the pellitorj

5 plant ~ e-a.s 1.ly o'bta1 ned BJ'I.d gr"er1 ng everywhere,

~s

t.hough n& t

Ul' ~

gloried in its a.bundanc e. is chopped up thoroughly so t ha tit. pro-

duces much juice+

Then a little bit of Att.ic: honey Is taken t and

p.213

lfippiatrica.

:L61

not much atrong vinegar, and a small Cl.elOunt

Q fses.

Th~se ,

weed.

bl!'ing mixe"d and 'Ws,i"m@d t 'bee-ome e.e.l.....a ti on to the one atfl fet.ed ~

For Oz.aenas a.nd 'Polyps

{Concerning .a Cough)
rC.H. 2:151, Hip~. Cant. 13. 5J

10. Of AfricMU5:

Use

~he

root of the

~inter-~h~rr:~ mix~d ~qually ~ith

11. Of AfritHtnus:
[~. 2~161,

Conce-rning

DyS'Ill"f!a.

butter.

Hipp. Cant. 24. 6J

It the urine of a horse is held

back~

a virgin. having loosed

30

the girdle which she weare., let her strike it abou.t ttJe fa.ce wit.h
'the- girdle, and imI!lediately it will 'W'inate much and the pa.in will
(lease. II

12. Of Africanul;!.:

CC.H.

2116~-65J

FQr a Dropsi-cal Animal

p.235

Hipp+ Cant. 29. 2)

In:fuse crow fat with 20 O1JJlces of' heated "'Vine; or

jo

a hedge-hog

haViDg been burned? infuse the ashes with wine.

Conee-rning Color ot Horses

2:111-78, Hipp. C&nt. 4h. 5-6]

13. Of Af1"ic&nuG-;
[~.

Colors of horseS t alao t like

but color is

&l.!iO

th~1r

virtues, are different;

a. stroke of luek, and tbe })1"opel" hide gives

lBjorck, nApsyrtuS t~' p. 17, rejects this passage- specifically.

attributing it to Aelian
Bri~ish manu~criptg.

d.ir~ct1y,

despite the attribution in the

III. ~3.,14

162

Translation

stateliness to the anim&1.

Some of thet!l'll

others, cert.o.itl p@rsons change for the

indee:d~

bet.t~r:>

are natural'll but

working artfully.

Some of them are fashioned by drugs 11 but others embellished with

cauteries.

qy.

h~ving

pumi~~

Theref'ore, a horse from a tawny color may becOIIIe black

been plastered over by squill

stone

I;

and levi gated

~1th vin~gar

but wh1~e would result f~o~ the drug being ~Diled.

But ta...r.ny may come from vhi te, if .lime a.nd 11tha.rge emu1si:f1 ed i
water a.nd boiled un.til it becomes .a thick.

over it for two hours.

hour~,

g"LlIri

shoUld be

t'li

pla.stered

But if the ointment remains on for more

b.la.ck will result from the white.

Also t apart from colors:p

lO the fir@ forges the hair to a different appeara.'1C1!! on the animal'll

a..nd t.he horsets spott.edness 1& &itDu.l.ated.

the name: of a color] hor Be is
fired. round cautery t open
let~er 010

ard

th~

over this way:

having t.ak etlil.

horse~

which has been bound

fast~

alter-

Therefore the outer ring is black t

original color rema.1ning apart fr OlD tho.t I s imul.a.t es a 1 eop-

body~

neck.

A ~hi'tish-gray {This is

the middle, like: the roundness of the

applying and removing.

nate:ly

150 but

apply it to the

in

cark~d

bs'ving been suitably disposed on both t.hi! legs and the

You may see even its face like a vild

b~.aSt.1S~

But it is

good to mark a high-spirited horse this vay, that the sviftnes5 m.a:;'

match the

gk1n~

1/

14. Of Afric8.1lus:

A Dye for Hair Which

Flemains Pel"'l:ll8Jlent.l;Y
[C.H. 2;178, Hipp. Cant. 46. BJ
o~ win~

.lees t o:f black aeaciat or round alum, of true

p. 237

Hippiatrica

JDai denhai r:t each

6 ounces; or oak-gall:> 2 stat ( era. ) 6

k~l"D.t (ie.) ;

1 green nut; of black myrtle'llithout the Juice ~ 1 1/2 pound; of

lad.antlm) 6 ounces; of old dark wine., 5 pounds.

wine until it is boiled dovn to

6.

Boil all vith the

third) and, having cleansed the

baiT beforehand, dip. it three days and nights" a.nd you will be

5 s.mazed.

15.

or

Africanus
[c. H. 2 =189, Hipp. Cant. 51. 103

The body of

8.

eea-'W:'chin smeared on a body haYing

th~ ~ge

31

produc es SQundnes.s.

16. or

[C.H.

2;193~

AfricWlUS

Hipp. Cant. 62. 2J

Dog- s brain \Ul.ites a. f:r-s.ctu:re in 1.4 days" being smeared into

a

1ir.J~n

32

bandage and applied .. wool being .....ound over it.

11.

or

Concerning TUnlor s a.nd

Warts and Acroeordons
r: C H. :2: 198 ~ Hipp. Cant. 67. 1 J
Afr! canUEi- =

Irritating ..... arts aTe outgrowths of the body resebbling :r-ougb

studs; the-y occur to me.."ly ill many places.
~:r1D.~kiai,.t1

1/

They call the condition

"...hic:h nJ!Ul.y superstitious p4!:rsons also r-egard as signs

of' some:thing which ia going to happen t.o

is ma.ni :fold and proven by all.

t.h~ltJ.

p. 239

The relief fr-QlIl. thelD

Some, indeed, ws.tc hing for <a. dog":o

5 urinating on tbe ground, having mixed the dirt up '!leIl,. I put it on

33
a

IIT.17~l8,19't20

16L

Translation

the plOo{: e and sJ'lUt up t.he

C 8,use

in the c l~y .

But. others ~ having

b
cl"Ushed "the squirt ing cucwnbe:r and put it on, thus

o'lf~rcome

it.; or'i

cbicory flo-vcr, vhich is properly cl!U.le-d UHeliot;ropI!' ," pieldng before the rising of the sun <. > thrice circumscribe the place and

t.he vart will cease iTritAting.

18.

O~ AtTi~nnu5

iC.H. 2;199't Hipp. Cant. 67+

If you feed any

o~

t.he animals the

7]

ca~t

skin of a serpent

hidden ina dat e ~ you wi 11 c Ie fI.r &'Ws.:r hi 6 acroc or-dons.

19. Of Afric:a.nu9

[C.H. 2:203 11 Hipp. Cant. 70. 3J

To cast maggots out 'Wit.h a drench wit'hout d......-ugs, clear wate-r

$u1"f'ict!!s tor me .. being taken in t'his va.,.v:

having

drft.Vl1

35

it up with

the th'umb s.nd the 'physician's" finger drawn back, 'thrice besprinkle
"by a stream of pure vat.er" the place suf':ferlng t.he 'Worms.

5 all come pushin.g

on~

another out ll not on!!!' being left within. II

20. Of
(f..:1i~ 2:205~

AfTi~anus

Hipp. Cant.

p.241

70. ilJ

(" )The ass't of all the animals) bear'S neither lice

ticks. {.'}

They 'Will

nOT

16;

Hippio..trica

III.21~22.,23

Concerning Those Bitten by a.

21. Of Afri canUEl:

Mad Dog and Hydrophobic e.

and OtheT

Bites from Rept,iles

rC.H. 2:205~ Hipp. Cant. 71. 3)
The, present infusion has its composition froxn four things:
gent ian, myr'!'h:lo round birthyort]o and bay - berry.

Chop up and s 1 ft

equal amounts of the s e ~ mixing vi th raw honey.

The dose 1 s of the

:But for enakebites give in w.e.t.@::r" and

size of an Egypti!ln bean.

tor scorpion stings in first quality wine,

~or

three days.

22. O:f the Sa!D.e

iC.H. 2;206 .. Hipp. Cant. 71. to]

Treatment to'!" asps It

one bitten by

8.SPS~

many bedbugg.

by asps the

sl!:rp~nt

many bedbugs, being 'taken by the

are believed to be a great

ur1:oe being soaked up and

~th

bit.~s;

dropp~d

cure~

36

or tortoise

on the bite:> both by i tself

~d

Phobio5 gives to those bitten

But the

Pho'8i~ian

called

He-mol'"rhoig,.

eooking and leV'igating it

5 and soaking it in wine I, 8lld convl!:rsely, he said t.o make use likewise of the

80S]? tOl'"

t.hose b1ttl!'n by the h@morrho!s.

For he asserts

Inaron the Libyan to ha"re transmitted that they are a rel!Jedy of one

another. II

23. An EB.silyProe.ured Counter Measure:

of the Same
[C~H. 2:206. Hipp. Cant. 7l. 5)
Rue leaves, 20;

'1161nuts~

2; salt graTl'ule ,l 1; dried rigs., 2;

having been given beforehand in an ill:fUsion to a :faat1ng horse;, you

p_ 243

166

Trans1.a.t.ion

"'ill procure that it will be barmed by no drug or any other poi oson .

But for it not to be struck by a

SCOrpiOll

inscribe

abba.s

on

fL

tin

37

sheet and tie this around the throat of" the (1nimal.

24. Of Afric8nus: For the :81 t.e or Every .Beast

r.C~.fL 2;207 t Hipp. Cant. 11. 9J
H~ving

seed of this

levi gated

plan~,

nOS~-5martt

steeped and

plaster

l~vig~ted~

Oll

with linen; or the

put on in like manner

witt. linen.

2;. O~ the Same: For Checking Infl~tion

of" a Wound by Poisonous Aquati<: Ani~ls
CC. J1. :2; 207 t l1ipp. Cant. 71. 10J

Lemnian earth is suit-a.ble ::."or the 'Wounds froeD poisonous sea

crea.tures. being given with
"Witb

vinegar~

Yl'1iDe~ tLnd mountain {spotted) dea.d-nettle

plastered over. hea.1s similarly. II

26. Of

th~

Same; Praphylacti~ for Not ~ing

Injured by Any Poisonous Bit.~
[C.H. 2:201, Hipp. Cant. 71. 11]

Of oil from unripe olives, 2 pounds; of marrov

melt~d

all togetb@r and

27.

O~

the

CU.

strain~dt

Same~

p.. 245

or

a fresluy

use against all venomous thinss.

Concerning Scolopendrids

2~201,

Hipp. Cant.

71~

12)

The sc olopendri d inJ ures badly) but, by sme!l..ri ng t be &nti dote

ill:Eeiatrica

III. 27 ~28 ,29

Car the venoJllOUS bit eo one.ny :part, you ",.i 11 heal 'the ge.siled place.
The fruit. and t.he flovers of

fLsphodf!'l~

being drunk \lith

wine~

are

opposed to it. and the 6'1l1l1r.ler fruit of figs with vine and vetch15 having been plastered over 7 cause the suffering to cease.

28. Of the Same: Con~errling Spi.ders

[Q.Ji. '2 ~ 201-OS, Hipp. Cant. 71. 133

The kinds of spiders are many; but those of them that are
able to harm are

tyO ~ the

maddening a.nd the

cODper~

There:fore, 1"or

those bitten by the- ma.ddening type .. le.,igate 4 ounces, b a,tat{ers)l

of 'hyssop or of oregano" and an equal a.mou.nt of' roa.sted salt ~ and :;Jut
on with honey; or inf'use a. three finger pinch or cummin and an equfU.
amount of the rrui 't

o~

the agnus (cast.us) vith 3 ounces

0f

vine.

5 Also, gh'"e 'barley-cake iLnd I ga.r1 ic and t to.king by mouth 15

U5

e:f)D.t

<. .>. ! /

29. Of' the Same: For Bee-s

CC. E. 2 :206. Hipp~ Cant. 71. l~J

p_ 247

For the insects,""s.sps" bees, hornets, b\.U'roving wasps ..

bumblebees, and buzzing insects ,plaster overvith tbe lea:vea, of'
s",.eet-oQ",v, Or

8.lso

ofmallO\ot, or (vild) vater-mint, or of coriander.

Use

dung smeared over, and juice of the flg with leaves of 'tl1e

(:QW

mulberr,y or catnip or lentil smeared vith oil.

Roots of vild

unbitten~

5 ber having been boiled together with oil keeps the animals
1

-Vieillefond, :"ollc'J\dng ::'18 Cant.; Oder-Hoppe ~ C pH.

hex.ufj ( fa }

euc~-

reads

168

Translation
<. > whence it

i~ neces.-ea..n~

to anoint theIil witb galbanum Juice with

oiL

Likevise ~ this uso having been burnedbefor@- one opens the bee-

biv~,

he remains unharmed, or anointing with balm crushed vith

or b\U"o1ng cow (h.Ul8 or salvia.

oil~

Further .. every insect vhi-:=h h&s been

sprinkled "With oil is done B.VaJf" vi th.

Concerning t.he MpS-8oS

rC.H. 2:208, Hipp. Cant.. 11. 15J

30. Of the Same:

Thed1psas itself has many names also:

for:it is called

a. beast smaller than the vipil!!l" and I;II.Qre grievou!;l. For it produces

burning and an

5 from drinking.

intensifi~d

thirst in those bitten .. until one bursts

Nov J for the bite of the dips as .. a sedge in:ful s ion!

with vine and vater, helps; and ladanum .. levigated and given with
'ljdne;. and besides tbese .. the western fruit called

kitrion

given beforehand as a potion opposes it, and oeing given

as a pot i on g1ve a ai d ~ and especiuly the golden part

being

arterv~d

fit.

II

31. Co~eerning the ~~nes

rC.H. 2:209t Hipp. Cant. 11. 16]

p.249

The8erpe~t arx5:neEl! paasing his life- in 'the roots of oaks

e.."1d

T~ing

near other trees, thus also is inj'fi'1ou'8 for the destruc-

tion in an evil -r:n.anner t

as~

if' one

on it, the

t~l!'ads

coriated and swel::"'ings b-egio aftectiog the

strange:

it also anyone \fishes to t.reat

'Whol~

th~,.

fl!!l~t

legs.

his

beeome ex-

.And yet more

h~ds

also b.e-coliJe

l69
5 excoriated, /

Therefore the juice of the lea.ves of (manna.) ash is

very use:fUl., being illfusi!'d before- all rood. and drink.

32 ~ Of the Same = Concerning Various

~Bitee;>

and W'oWlde,
[C. JL .2 ~2G9-10,

Hipp~

Cant. 11. 11-19)

Spec i 1'i ca, then", fOr bites and stings, 01' the pois onous anilr.als
are what 'W'of!!"e gi v~n above ~ but some genera.l
b~ing drUP~

reme-die~

are these;

with vinegar, seed of Christ's thorn or juice

\iith '!,fine, ca:r-danUtt:l in

th~

SWlJe

way.~

iris

o~ ~Ttle

or fnrlt of the tuberous spurge

or of clover J 1/2 ounce;. asphodel root

:2 stat ~ers);

6 kerat( ia) ~

\fine; either juice of laservort or grains of' b&r1ey; 8.Od an infusion

5 of hu.l:.....o rt decoction; a.nd / centa.ury ~ Iii't t any, castor. rue.. sal vi a. 2

ce.tnip! agnue..

Be!;ddeB

for theSe also", plaster over afterward wit.h

bran 'With vinegar or vine", or with radishes,. or 'With bulbs.

having

~ntioned

these things already 1 prefer one to another, co:mmend-

ins t.he approved one by experience.

gests) juice

Many,

II of

But besides -the-se]l someone (sug-

leek to drink af"te::rward 2' but anot.her", ha.ving taken

10 out the brai ns of a 11yin g hen,

soaking vi t b 'l..trlmb:ed vine! ga'l(! to

the endangered one; another l!ldminiatered urine of a. child having 'been

mixed vith vine

also~

p.251
J

Ib

another, having ripPli!!d up a mouse .. put it on

the wound a.nd drew up the po i aon 1nto t 'he mouse.

But.. of the many", I

prefer that ver-y one which I Bet out for those- bitten by mad dogs a.'1d
Btung by scorpions ,. the secret Parthian retDe-dy, which is made from

15 four things equally ~

myrrh. birthvort, I gentian. bay-berry tcen.ttLill"y:l,

Therefore, llaving taken these:

tog~thel"

and crushed with vine and

;.s

IlL 32,33

110

Tra."lslation

boiled ~ in:f'us e .

The :most !'eadi ly procured ar-cthese:

goat f s milk

bei ng given 'by i tsel f or wi th 5 oun-ee So of' win e, f'rcgs boil.ed wi t.h

';iJine a.nd infused:!- both for all venomous beasts, and toa.ds.
20 igating

Also lev-

'W'onD"'olood 'With wine s and agaric lilte"i7ise and agnus'

1 ikerl ge; Et h.1op:lc: aj owaTI

or oak acorns being

Br.I d

ea.ten~

fru1 t

Itali an cummi n bei n e; infuse d with vi ne;

are suitable; and fruit of St. John's

wort; mandra);e roo-ts vito mixed honey.

2 5 bit e as 5i 5t and d:rav out.

Also leeches applied to the

Goo.t droppings j

with orega."lo e.ppl i ed to

the venomous wounds help,. and the dry dung of an elephant.

Also,

agnus r leave So b ei ng plastered over ~ barley-groat s

. . . 1th

l:IUst and

bitter "'''"ipe or

sea-water:t- b~ing

:lilt~i 51 e:,

lioor.ally infused, are

suita.bl.e- foX" all VenanJous anima1.s that de-:Gt.roy by chilling.

Then, voa.te\'er sort of anim&1 should bite, having ret:loved the

30 head apj 'fll.v it to the bi te-s, and ho..... in g fast en ed 1t on

without inflo..mmat1on.

scar1fieo it beforehand.

bite

and the fruit being

~~d

tb~

Juiote of' hyacinth

aga.inst all poisonous animalEi.

aTo~~d,

}""OU

wi 1l heal

Or, having burned the 'Wounding head t apply- the

asnes. Or 10 put crushed edden...-ort root. on

35

lIOunded pla.ce, ha.ving

/1

p,253

bl!'ing infused works

The root of t.he 'Ltild vine being hung

in~used~

is

suitabl~

for I every

anim~l

for stings.

33. Of Af'r1carms:

For Herds Ifot. to BI!! Harmed

D)' 'Bei ng :Blown 'U:pon 'b)- Toads b:,r Night or
Lurking in Dusk"Jf ?la.ees

(C.R. 2=212,

Hipp~

~.

Cant. 71 . 27J

The toad is a.ccustollli!:!d to bloW' on the herd most grievously",

it' he should esotspe notiee so::nevnere in the sta'tle by night

0)""

in

fI.

III. 33 ,3~

TIipplatrtca

171

,35

darkish spOt.) tIJ1d from it folIo..... diseases most pestill!'J1.tial to the

&nil:Dfl.ls and

tumors l!)Ost difficult to

everl aid for the sUffering.

5 can never do thus"

1.0

tr~I:l.t.,

so a.s to render useleS9

It is necessary, therefore, so that he

kindle

fl.

lasting fire in tllestabll:!s; I tor

this very s..rlimal) as though convicted by himself, :fears the fire.

3k. Of Atricanus:
flammation of

To the Soothing

Feet~

~o:f

In-

and of other Parts

[C , H. 2: 222, Hipp.. Cant. 80. 2b J

Seven 'figs, soaked be.for'ehand in S'IoI'eet wine until soft,

crush 'With sufficient rose oil so as to beyery smooth.

39

Then having

boiled equal tIltIounts of bees-vax and of fresh hog fat and of bread,
~ith

rose oil, pour in a little over the levigated tigs and mixing

in e. mor'tar, :maket:lo1st so a.s to

b~ lik~

a plaster, .and placing it

5 on the in:flar.mn..ation, you 'W'ill do avay 'With it immediatel;:,'.

II

~.

Of Africar.Jus: T.aming of Horsl!!:!s (See above..

I. 6, Vi. pp. 129-33}1

rC.H. 2:224-25 .. Hipp. Cant. 81. 8-l0J

35. Of Africanus:
Colies, O~
[C.H.
Th~

For

~he

Same>

tConc~rning

p.

Disease9 or the Colon]

Hipp. Cant. 105~ 5:1

~ather~

2~248,

right testicle of a swan

havihgb~~n dpp~nded,

the dis-

tre9S ceases.

lviei11efond omits this and t.be second it.ertl following f'rom this
Part because of their identity with the listed item .in Part 1. The
item following this one in the hi1:lpiatl":icB. (..:]i. 2: 22'5-26, Hi.pp-.
.
Cant. 81. 11) .. tIAnothe:r. of the same: .For stopping a kicking mule, tl is

substantially the

6ame

as the title and lines

L-5 of Vi. 1.

13~

F. 149.

~~~

L.t~]

40

111.36

172

Tra."1s1ation
For Horse s Not t.o Be Fright.ened

Of A:fric anus;

or Spooked on the Road

~9,

(S~e

above,

Vi. p. 139)

(C.H. 2:249-50) Hipp. Cant. lOB. 5J

36. Of Africanus;

Removal o:f Markings of

[C.H. 2;250 1 Hipp. Cant. loB. 8J

This is a
to

re~v~ th~

tbe~

marks

or valuable

b~and~d On

the

horse9~
bodi~s

Hors~s

changing the markings,

and to

hid~

the former

tokens by another color and to make unkno'LI"D to the 113.te owner.

thus:

pul~e

of" which the form is inscribed at

thee~-d

seven) being well bOileti t at the first lIlOOD t at the third

It is

in bexagon
hOUi't

plas-

5 ter or.. to llhat~v~r I part YOU shoUld wish to hide C1JIB.t:kberryJ. l

ulc:eratine; by "the burning t it

p:rQd~~5

1'01"]1

white hair; but if a.lso it. is

plastered on many places, the formerly solid color will be dappled.

Th! s art (vorks) against all other c: olors, exc I!pt 'Iolhi te only ~ bee :a.use
of the same natW'"e of thE! grovth of the hairs ~ it vill eradicate the

10

mark,

but will preserve the origina1 colQr.

lApparently a misplaced gloss misidentifYing the

i~em pic-

tured in the hexagon (see Vieillefond t Les Ce5tea, 'P. 36o~ n. 240.

41

173

W~ights

and Measures

Kestoi FrOtllents! IV ~

Concerning Weights I!l.nd Measures

From th4!! <Kestoi> 01' Africanua:

measures

Concerning weights and

1..

'Whereas i.n many places I have mentioned both ve1ghts nnd

:rD.E:!.QsureS,. a.nd it is necessary to be ex.act concerning the proportion

of

th~se!

:So that no person being mie,taken tn the quantity should

discredit the
show

V!U~;t

r~edies

compounded of them, of neceBsity I decided to

and what sort it is necessary to

differences from one another.

There

use~

and to set out. thei:r

in fact. in

1s~

5 the I Attic and the Italian. and by some, a Syrian

which is also called the HPtolemaic. M

to

~me

These~

CO~~n

a~d

an

use both

Egyptian~

then, one must campare

another.
2.

In general:l every talent as

(obviously of those

6.

whole has 60 :ume.i of its

aforem~f,ltioned) has

own, and every

t!ln8.

teres ~ and the

st.ELter ~ dradllll~i, thELt is. hoU::ai; therefore every

10 toJ.ent has 60 tn..'l.e.i, 1500 6tateres t and I 6000 drachmai.

ha.s 6 obols ,and the: 0001 .9 co:ppers~

25 sta-

The drachme

Th~ -cU-achm;; there-fore he.s ~8

coppers.
3.

But thi! At.tic talent is equivalent to the Ptolemaic: and

1 A.1 so publ i shed by

Duc:hesne., 11Pragment lne-tralogique 11 (1816},

381-65, '1.0. di f.r~r.e-nt 8.C' eount c: oncerni,ng measur es
. of Africanus. It) Para-graph mmiber6 given

pp. 318-85 (text, pp.

and. Tileights from tbe
in the translation ar~ trom Duchesne (they are not included in

Vi~ille:f'ord).

p. 267

174

Translation

to the Antiochian, and equal in

numb~r

in

ever;thing~ ex~~pt

in value;

according to c-urr-ent coinage, it 1s fo-urfold of the Ptolemaic, and

15 greater by a third than the S:triEm and .Ant.ioc:h1&n, I but equal to

the Tyr1,an.

Accordingl:.

p
,.

by the mentioned

differe.nce concerning the

for both mna from !!!!! and

talent 7 t'he others ;,;ill be used also:

stater from state-r and dro..chme troe dre.chme 'Will differ by the same

emount as the difference concerning the

~.~

2C

t~ll!'nt.

I a.l~o ]ql~ another 'Woodcm talent in Antioch which

60 ema.i. but in veight it is n4HI.rly six times

fl,.S

II has

much as that oi the

coinage; but the wooden one in Alexandria differs, exceeding the

fOrementionecr

5.

usag~

by a fiftb.

But the t6J.ent in HotrJer couJ.d be equated to t.he later

daric, as. is obvious from the prize5 of the gB.J:tJes for- Patroclus.
25 Sin ce for the
second

So

fi rst a ..'Oman and an i:mmen 5 ~ ealdron, and for the

mare in :foal vas set ns

tL

prize .. and for toe. third

of ~ measures; but for tbe fourth ~as set two gold talents.

eald.:ron

8.

<Which>

woUld not be if it. should be J:)Qre valuable that the first ones,
l' and of' the fifth 9. vessel
f1

t 'ifo-handled urn n <.

30 talent ~

.:>.

set further do-vn the 8calet ...rhich

'l,,"aS

tne

But the gold (de:ric) t hence 'the Hot:leric

weighs 2 Attic drachJne.i. 6. s c:ruple s, and, obvious l:{,

f'OUT

qua.rters +

6.
ence~

It does not e6ca:p~ me a..lso that there are many dif"f'e:r-

of drfl.ch:l::ia.1 ~ for tbe De11a.n and

Aeg~ne".fI.nl'

the <. .> is five times as muc'h a.s the

B..'1d the Rhodian and

Ptol~JIJa1c~

and 'What is

35 cB.11ed thE! "insular .. n six times as much.

7.

Therefore one must use the Attic for weight and coin,

p.269

175-

Weights and Measures

since it is

equal~value

and equal-veight to

TV

Italian which 15

~he

called I'denari us, Ir inast:tluch as man:,' no\( cOOUIlonly

8.

use the Itl!l.lia.n.

Tbe Attic !!lU!!. ha.5 25 stateres; and the Italian litra is

24 _st6te~es ~ 6-nd there are DJYl"iad differences. of tbe remaining ~

40 and none I Qecessary for us to present nov. 1/

The litra makes 12

9.

o~.mces ~

and t he

and the drachm: is 3 grammata; and ~ht!

gr~ (is) 3 thermDi~ the ~henn.os 2

gralmml

OunC~

8 drat hmai ;

p_ 271

has "2 obols; again the

keratia, thus the litl"a. consists

of 1728 ke~~~ia.

Additionally the denarius is divided

10.

acc~rding

to the

L5 Romans into I 1152 parts; for it has. two t.roMika,_ tour nOUl:loi:lo 16
a~ SaT i

a.; and the noumo5 contains an oune e by we ight

The

a.~ aarion

i!;l divided into a half", and t.hird, a.nd fourth .. and sixth, and eighth,

tIJ1.d ninths

t.~mth~

50 fortyeighth ~

t',fel.fth, sixteenth, tventyfou.rth. thirtysixth,

s.event.y-secoJld; and these parts have t.heir

O'Wn naJJ:-S

among the Roman accountants.

11.

The" !JUPhoreu6 of' vine', which t.he many 8.1so call

bas 2 bemiEUI!Fhoria. whicn they call

met.retes,

name, but

RQlt:.B.n5

fact they call

55 equal to
80

6 xestat (and

by common

and i t has 4 prouchoi, 8 chous-~ vhich in

urnas 7

cong1a..

kado1

but we c:a.ll
th~

ko.bol,

And the chous is

xestes I ~h~ Egyptians call

hinion};

the .M!Ehoreus is .1.8 xestai.

call

12.

But the Ant1och1an metretes is double the Italian.

13.

Then the xestes is divided into t"..-o kotylai 11 'Which

hem1nEl,.

the kotyle 16 di....ided into two o?:;,rbapha

"Je

-and t.he O~(

ba.phon is apli t into t.hree lQ"athoi and the l~~yathos ~ke5 ~ m;:pstra

tv

Translation

176

liatr1a many times;, and a

60 vhicb J in f'act are / called

ko~hl1arion

is the hut o.f the m;rstron .. and the xestes therefore is. resolved into

96

k~b'~ ia.rifl..

And those

-rOT

oil similarly .. except that 1 t begins

trOC'l what is calledk~r]'tenltriost

Also the oil

hich in f'act hag 100 litr.ae.

....

metretes is double thisj and the /1 other

measur~s

p.27J

65 agree; for 'What proportion the I1tra w~ight has to I the mna. ~ the
same the mea.9ured I1tra has to the kotYle or to the bemixeston.

1.4.

The Attic medimnos 19 equu t-o 6 Italian modii, and

the tnodius is called

hemiektfl. has

hekteus.

The modi us has two hemiekta .. the

ehoinixes, the choinix has tvoxe~~ait BO the medius

70 consists of' 16 xestai.

The / remaining m~asures of dry eubstaJl~es

are similar to the forementioned liquid.

15.

The ?tolemaic medimnos is one e.nd one half of the Attic

and ~onais.tl;l of' tvo of' the ancient aTta'bai:

f'o:r the a-...-tabe consistE:!:d

of ~ 1/2 Italian :modii.., but nov., because of the Roman usage) the

is artabe provides 3 modii.

16.

The Phoenician kol"oS 1s 30

~; the sa.ton is one

8..."H1

half modi i; there are a :felf different kinds of' sa-tao

17.

A three finger pinch is 2 drachma.i of a

18.

The

~J ~omposi-

tion.
ChOU6 15

the s1x-xestal mea.:s1...tt'e; the v~i~ht of' vim~

is 10 Ii., that of' 011 9 1Itrae:, and tho.t of honey hAS 15 11. ~ and

80 there are / many

di~:f"erences

in the veight

o~ all ~easured

substances.

19 .

The orUd a has 400 pepper!: orns ~ the 1 i trB. haa 5000 corns.

:20.

.But in Qrder that we should not. e:rr in the 'Whole., finding

something signified by a sYmbol in the

dis~overie9

of drugs.

whi~h

or

171

Weights and MeaBures

TV

the things which haYe been enumerated is manifested through each

one~

85 we viII subjoin.
21.

The- talent mue;'t be indicated by the letter l; ha..... ing a

li.ne- through the

V

II

middle (oe} 11 and the mna by the

placed ove:r it (~) (0. v' ~

l.J

is fifty mnas ~ but sOIIle:times p having

a I:Dark througb the middle signifies the ae1lle- +)

and the 11tl"&

by the lambda having the iota insert.ed or adja.c~nt (~;

90 onkia. by the .6@IUAe. having the

p. 175

baYing a

Ad

pl8.c~d oyer or under it I

a.nd. tbe
(r;

]b}; 1

and a lambda placed sideways having the horns to the right makes a
d1-achme ):t and half Of a drach.ln.e also has entirely the

Salrte

ap-

pearance, having been ttU'ned to the left (; o.nd the u having the
.

E:

placed over it signifies e. ID.etron (~); and the obol't the sixtb of

the( - ) 11

_.

dra.c}\.me~

e. sort of longish sigma.

(J )2 o:r

Bon

iota placed sideways

and t-,.ro obols the same lying opposi te (each other) (=); a.nd

95 the I t.hree-obol :piece the r baYing the top horn 'tilted upward (();
and it is called by
1

0
Or: y,

20r :

.....1

pub). ie.hed tex.ta.

Sor;:Je

cbera:rr.is.

.,.~~

! havel.':lot

fOWld the former a.t.tested for this use in

Listed 'by Duchest=le pe.ragraph nmnbe:r13 (sy-mbol-a included !rOO! paragraph 21):
H

-<

VEIGRTS~

2-

ta.lent ("E')
mna ( ~)

stat ~
0001 (

a.

~a

1i tl"Q.

--9.

= 25

60

f.

stat.

or - )

=8

( ~
\

A\ )

II

coppel"B

21.1 stat.

litra '" 12 onkiaillll 1728 keratia.

["1:1:

onkia ( ~

[=

yQ )

= 3,

=
th~rmoa

8 drac'hJn6.s
(2 000 150 : - )

3 thermoi
2 keratia.

2 tropaika.

nurmnus

onk1a. (W1.cla)

~ mmmrl.

fill

chous
12.

:f
~

(3 obols ~ ( )

UI

<)

= 16

a.ssaria.

vl!!lght
]/2 1/3 l/l~ 1/6 1/8 119 1/10 1/12 1/16

1n

asa&riori divided into;

~:

'I} ')

(carat~)

lIII

LIQUID MEAS1J1lE;

400 peppercorn5 {U

~
....

denaxi us
=

5000 peppercorns (pe.r. 19)]

gr~atQ (~crupl~s)

grwmna ;2 obo1!i1

11.

(1/2 drach.:::>- )

25 stat.

drachma

10.

mnas 1500 stat( era.) .' 60 drach(lJ\B,.t=l)

4 drae h. (= bol.kai)
) 6 obols 11II 48 coppers

::r

drB.chmB.

,---

II

1/2~

1/36 1/h8 1/12

fi}. 2 'hemiamphoria ('kadoi ,t I 11 urnas U )

~ prouchoi (j\~gs) ... 8 choes ('tkongia.r' rtkaboi") = 48 x~st&i

ampho1"eus (tnc'tret.cs;

=6

Antioch1an

xestai (xestes
metl:'"et~s

[=

96 kotyla.iJ

"hinion")

"'" 2 Italian

I-'

0;;

13.

xe stes

=2

kot.y le

=:

kotyla.i (1~h~minan)

kyatho6

~ I!OYstre.. (listria)

-...l
-..:)

1Il

3 kyathoi

1/2 ID,Ystron "" kochliarion

oil

i'-'

koc hliar ia

2 oxyo.apha

oxybaphon

kentenar.1os

Oil:

= 96

metr~tes

=2

["my5tr01l. 2: kochliaria]

100 litras

'=

kentenarioi

..
RE:L1lTION OF WEIGHTS A.ND MF...ASUFlES ~
litra ~ m:nu
litra : kotyle (hemdxeston)
(1. e., 24 sta.t. : 25 sta.t. :: 1/100 kent. : 1/96 amphor.J

..

DRY MEASURE:
ll~.
Att.ic medimno5

't:s""'"

6 Italian modi! (hekt0us)

2 h~~iekta ~ 16 xestai

mod1~s =

(."II"

lei

(p

p..

hemiekt.on ~ ~ ~hQinices

choioix = 2 xestai
other d.ry measures

p.I
~

liquid measures previously

1111

di~cus:sed

411
".U

1).

~olma.ic

medinmos

'old" e.rto.be

=4

III:

1 1/2 Attic med1mnoi "'* 2 tto ld 11 artabai

1/2 Italian modi i

artabe .. 3 modi i

16.

Phoenician koros

saton

=1

1/2

= 30

sata

mo~ii

HEIGHTS OF VAfllOOS LIQUIDS:

HL chou!; = 6 xestai: of' wine:: 10 11-; of 01.1 .. 9 11.; of honey

IIIi

15 Ii

C'

I-'

all, other measured substa.nces have many different

'Wei~hts

1"1,12;. 2. SU1l1J'IiI~I.:ry of Africattus' s '1""eights e.nd Measures 1'

rr-

Trfl.rl slat ion

Th~ K~stoi

rcol.
([But

~hen

Fragments,

i /

180

V~

),c]

byvowJs and prayers [to the]]

ho~t

of the dead,

HI had prayed,. J and) te.king (theJ) sheep, slaughtered it

(Cinto

thepit~J

and the dark blood [flowed]]:

and gathering the

Ctsouls frOTG benea.th Ere)Jbos . . of corpses having died,

5 [[;m.a.ids and youJJths and the much enduring aged

tender ([YirginsJJ late-mourned llhile in the prime of li:fe;
[(and many wJoundeCd by b)Jrazen pointed apears t

L(the muJ.tiJJtude beside the pit vandering about from place to place
10 [[\lith a",rJ Jul cries; but tile t

p&l~

fear sei:ted on.

( [Ilu:t J J I, d[ (1" J J &'Wing the sharp sword frQJQ by my thigb t

CCsat., nJJot allowing that any fleeting shade near to

((the blooJ Jd might come; and replying. the song

Bang:

(That vhich it was nec.essary tD ]Jerfo:rm~ he has said)

1

Grenfell and Hunt. Oxyrhyncbus Papzri~ III {1903}, pp. 36-41,

and plate 5.

I h&v~ followed Vie111eond'~ conv~ntion in using double

brackets to indicate missing portions of the pa.p~..rus ten t but \lhere
tbese are broken up due to changes of word order iD. the trtlns1ation.
I have used only single bra.ck.ets vithin the double sets. In the
prose portion at the: end (col. i1) ~ I have continued to give Vieillefond's line" n1Jrtlbers in the margin, but have added. in angle bra1::kets,.
the numbers of th@ lines in the papJ~u5 as given by Grentell end Hunt.

p.285

42

181
15 CCOfliveJJrs and Earth and Those

B/!'ne~th

who suffering

(tmeJJn repay, who are of oath forsworn"

((youJJ

a~e vi~n~sses,

fulfill our song;

[ [I came J J enquiring how I may come unto the land /

[[of

Telem)Jachu5~

20 my [(soJJn. n

whom J left on nursea lap,

For of

~uehlike

p.287

vas tbe most useful spell.

(Thatvr.:ich i t was neee-ssary 'to sing he uttered)

"[[H~arJJ m.e~

propitioU5 6.nd watchful" rich see([ded AnJJubis

. . . (ill~Jtible

line)

([COYDe Hl!rJJnJ.of's" thief; Hither .. fair-haired subterranean ZeUi.,

25 granting [( t.Q be sue cess J J ful, :fuJ.fil1 thi 9 s;pe l~ ;

[ [hither RfL.d) J es and Earth; 1JmnortaJ. Fire ,. Ti tan llel iot:l ,
[{ come alsoJ J Ya60 and Phtha and lalo~-5ustaining Phre,

nboth NepbJJtho lIIUch-revered and Ablanatho rich in blessings;

tCfierJJY-5erpent-glrded~ earth-tu:rning.,

30 [[ AbruJ Jas., fu- fSl!led god of e03Ilii c

dispensing t:CuisJJ and

r~volut1on

ibis-headed ..

t.I:t!ttTIe.

and cold light of' northe:rn B@ars;

rCeOIne- a:J:n~o" for 5el:f-~orJtrol mo5t excellent of all to ~C!, Phren" /1,
t . . . Ofi eu and pbBs! ~ and 81 syon

[ [~nd Bi J Jrth and Dee.th an Ii be auteol,l.S burn i ng Fire ..

35 [[ ~0lIlIE! lsi) J s eart.hly and he B,venly and dl'eBl!lS t

[CguardianJ)ess" and Sirius 'Who . . . . ."

rr..And

theilJe things" st.!Lnding beside the pit, 1 sang;

((for well)) 1 remembered Circe's stern admonishings,

[[who 80 many dlJruga. 'knovlih as broad Earth rears;

hO [Land there carneJJ a great v&ve of lion-fighting Acheron,

p. 289

Tra..nslat ion

182

C[Ko-kyt-us J J and L;th~ and lrii ght i e st Polyphlegetllon"

[(and a ghJJost army standing round about and 'side the pit;
a,( Cnd

first)] came the soul of our cocrrrade Elpeno:r"

[Col ~ 11 / ;\'''J
{B...TJ.Q so

on}

Whether then, thus having the overwrought part l' t.he Poet him-

45 :s eo.lf suppress ed the

~ est 0

nity of' the vork, or tbe

the invoca! t ion f~or the sake ()f t h~ dig-

P~i:sistratidest

<50>verses, detached these, considering

of tbe \(ork .. t over much I

~"l.ew

putting together the other

th~m fo~eigh

to the progression

llhich as a. very valuable conception

<55>of epic" I ~self haveiJ:Jserted here; J I you will find this vnole
50 pas B age depos i t.ed both in the arch! ve 6

of' the anci e~t. fat.herland t

-< 60> Colooi a.. Ae1 ia Capi toli oa of Palest ine, an d i 0 ~iy"s.a 0 r Cs.r iii., llad up

to the thirtee-nt.h in Rome near the baths of' Alexander in the beaut i-

<65>fUl library in the Pantheon which I myself designed for the Emperor,

55

Of Julius Africanus

Kestos

18
lGrenf'ell and Hunt rea.d epl:iJ po110[iJs egno-, Bond t.ransla.te,.
"1 should much like to know" (Ox::rrr..ynchus. Pl!l2j'Ti ~ III s pp. 39 and 40,
respectively). Vieillefond, fol~Qwing a suggestion of D~s~ousseaux,
in his notes on line 49 {Les Cestes, p. 289 mg), sl~gests reading

. . . ego on . . (ltsince I IJll occupied in many thir)g~ s I . . . ").

He omi t:3 the pa,3sag,e from his t..:ransla.tiorL on p. 2138.

p.291

Kestos

183

13~

Chapter 22

The Kestoi Fragments 1 VI;

Kf!'st.05 13, Cha.pter 22

From the Kestoi of A:fricanus

....h
~.at
15)

r Kestos
-

13 ~

",.- ~r~:
c:~

2<"1

p.297

1
Simple
" purac,'t-ives
~ ~,

43

CyclfIJC.en juice S1r:earen on the navel is an active purgative.

But a summer purge is this;

hav~ng

baving strained the juice .... ith

honey for purging.

linen~

drinking with

That more su.itable f"O'I' wint.er:

!l

little blended

having boiled

the white beet~ <depositing> into ~~otber, ne~ ve~sel. make a broth
5 f'rO:ln the-

.e.t~'I'

itself with a. little 8019.11;. also J bQilli!lg it; and

these t the beets. eat

broth .. drink.

brayed gourds in a mortar and

be~orehand ~ithout bread~

A painless evacuation for spring

then stirring the

silllila.:rly~ t~e

juice

of safflower seed be ing mixed vi t h whey f'rom milk and drun.'it.

~irst publisned. 'by Miller ~ tlZ u Julius Af'ri~a:nusPr (1881).

Also published by Max Wcllmann y MDie tY~IKA des Bolos De~okritos
und der to1agier AnaxilE!.os au'S Larissa. = Teil It" AbhandJ.ungen der
preussischen Akademi~ der Wissenscbaften, Philosophisch-histori5~h~
Klasse t no. 7 (1928), p. 70.

184

Transla.tion

Concerning Cinnamon
Concerning Cinnamon

From the Ke s to1 of Afi'i ~anus ~

But Herodot us 1 ndeed says t 'hat no one

produced; out the.t bird.s build
acceS::liible rock.:;;.

ne5t~

}mow5 hQl,.T

p.303

c i nnBl!lon is

of cinnamon on the tops of in-

The natives are not able to go up to t.he

p~a.k.s,

but those near us sa((crifiee:lJ lJIS1l.y ([.c:aJ Jttle and dismember them .. if

they believe these particular birds to be

5 out. .in sight./

earn1vorous~ r~leaving th~mJJ

The birds 'Carry the carcasses up "to their o;m dvellings

and fill them until they are bQrne down by theveight; and they take
e:way the

cinn~on

fable; but by

to sell.

exper1en~e~

Herodotus pridea himself on knowing this

I aS6ert the cinnamon plant to be similar

to a. bush and [<nJU1toi - branchi ~> ]

l'

and thil! tree appears C.:;mQ!;It>]

sim[ <il8.i" , on t.he one hand;.) to the agnus; but the height as :oruch as
10 thri(~ce.

It is stripped ot~J, on the one hand, entirely;/ but it is

di vid~d into E-:' f"i ve parts.

T"n@->:I first of it l' tha.t

itg t.op" [<t.he:n the

the->Jn the: rest. in order.

s~c::ondt

[~cut

off to'Ward> J

lOriginally pub11s:hed by Vl@!illefond as "un fragment 1nedit de

Ju.li us Af'ricanus.,1 That publication gave the text in 19 lines., folloytog the lines of the manU6cript (th~ de-tects are generally at tbe lett
edge of the original cOlumn). It 'Ilae accocpanied b)r the text and !l

trans!ation of llerodotus 3. 111. Besides other di~ferences in details~

Afriean1.ls changed He:r'oaotus t s " Arabians., ,1 to i'these bj" us. II
In Les Ceates (p. 303 mg, re lines 9-12), Vie1l1efond gives
tbe text of Theophrastu5 Hi~t. :pl. 9. 5, to vb1ch the latter :part of
AfricanuB I EI account 1a very edmilar. Based on this parallel ~ I have
conjecturally completed the text ~t .eeveral points (marked by the use
of &ngle br~cket.5 within the square brackets) which Vieillefond leaves
Qilen.

185

Cinnamon

Dyeing

The Kestoi Fragments, VIII:

Conc:er111ng

.:te:l.ng1

1 ,

1. 0 f Afr1 c i anus 't s Book ~ Produ'Ct i on of'

Bright Purple
[Po

Holm.

Taking the

KCl-

p.309

1-6; Lagercrantz t pp. 32-33)

mordant~d

wool, soak in 1 cho(inix) of

cr1mno$~

~ ella of' seaveed-s.:rter ho:vin@;boiledit-,Goakthe"'oola.ndleave

for

B.

l.ong tl:1I:1e-, il.ndtaking it out, wash it off in brine, then in

( tre::oll )vtr..t er .

2. Of Afr i ci anus t frof!l Book 3

[P. Holm. !( 6. 19-2 T; Lagercrant. 7.,. P
A mordant for every dye is this:

31]

first the aninIal or also

the fleece is v&shed well, for "thus it may a.dmit the (a.ction) of the
Then one must dissolve the al'Wll in villegar and Ei110int vbat-

m.ordant.

eve-r ntay need to be

~'ed.

Having dried in the sun t i t i!l vaahed well

and when entire1:,. treed of the moisture. it admi'is dye.

5

n~~essary

But it is

to keep the I thing being mordanted in the mordant a day

I!I.nd a night..
1

Otto L4gercrantz, Pap:"l"us Gre.ecus Holmiensis (Uppstlla: Aka.demiska Bo~)andeln~ 1913, and Leipzig: Otto H~irasso~itz. 1913).
I
have folloW'ed Lagercra.ntz and the MS in retaining 'the fOrtrl Afric1a.nu6

1n the heading .. rather than correct.ing to Afric6.DUS \Ii t.h Viei.llefond.

186

Trans,lation

Th~

Kestoi

Fra~nts,

p.3I7

Citations

IX:

1. Michat21 Psellus., Concerning Curious Readin.ss

(Westermann, ~d.t nAFAl!.O~OrPAOIt 'pp. 1.1::3-46::1

{Cod and Nature produce conception, as I indeea believe, but)

Af'ricanu5 says that generation is a. kind of" c:raft, and he "dll beget

in a c:rafts:manlike manner t if the

ma.l1

being about to e:nte-r into in-

teTcourse t should anoint the member with harers blood or

fat; but by the

This man both

fO'Y'Ill.er

dra:Wfi

~ith

goose

means a male'!) and by the 1a.tter a fe:na.le.

b.rea~ts by .fI.

lnilk from

craftsme.nlike: l!Jethod.; and t

5 theJr I 'being svollen after delivery 1- he dries -up vith a s,alye

(:opper.

44

He also makes a

1or"OlIlAn

appended to her; and it is

Ij.:f

sterile., a contracep.tive having been

a. ~Tog'S br~in

~nclosed

in a linen rag.

For those having difficult deli~ryt a jet stone being put into the
Je~t

hand, he

~auses

them to deliver quiCklY.

There is also made

by

10 him oth~T conception pr~otirtg eompounds and art1f1ces~ and child-I

begett i ng pla.st.ers.
boughs of mulberry t

There is by b 1211 a certa.in s typti c compounded c r

a:ppend~d

......h ill!' the stars are under the ea.rth;

and he vould gi1fe t.he po\!'er to it by a certai n secret 81Ji?11.

dyes hair 'lol'bite 'With powdered lith.arge.

fol" impro..."'1ng the voice

fro~

He a.lso

He also makeS a prepe.ration

1ria .and tragacanth; and he corrodes

25 even gol d with sal:i va. of a ma.ddene d dog.

I Be makes

a. re:lrledj.' fo)"

stings of venomous beasts 'With tbe 11two-fac:edu plaster ~ and he

lOr ~ tlnavel."

See the discussion in Chapt(!r III,. bclo'lol'.

187

IX.}

Citations

speaks a certain voJ'lde1" relating to

test ror

Be~r~t

He produces a certain

scorpions~

thieves. of ta.dpoles' tongues cut of"f' and preserved ..

then at need mixed up with groats and given in advancl!' to the ones
under suspicion of tbe purl/lotning ot the things being so~..ht.

20 <::laims that the one vhotook tbe thing stolen:>

I as

He

p.319

if" being in a

trQJl.ce .. clearly makes himself public; and be caJ.ls the tood 'Ithief-

convi cter. 1,
For

B.

Cone ern1ng a.gr:5. cuIture al.s:c t bi s man speaks marvels.

mulberry. he sa,ys .. vii1 bee.r

~"'''hi te

mulOeiriE!s having reeei ved

a. white popla.r implant; and a wh1 te poplar in 'Which there should 1}e

gra.l't@"d

B.

mulberry is &lso supposed to bear the same.

25 be inscribed the reddest.. if one inscribes

stone.

I the

Peaches will

kernel lying in the

He stops even pestilence, either by juice of busam, Or by

Joining t.he- evil SJ::lell of tii."lning in opposit.ion.

He prepares also

'1line of every sort .. one with heads :01" spikenQrd" another vith flower

of mastic .. and another wit.h $J1otht!'r drug.

30 stones an.d smaragdys t and sard.onyx.

He fonn.s

&180

byacynthine

He cures bites of asps a.nd mis,t /

of' eye-s t not by t.he known drugs, but by certain a.mulets and charms.
From droppings and. the urine of'
[!Jan to ellminnte and
e...~er he vis-hoes.

8.

~attle

that have :mated, be makes a

woman to urinate and to laugb

h~artily,

vheu-

A cra.:rtsm.anlike ~ or rathersorcerouB, fertility he

p:roduce-s in fields" abd the opposite barrenne-s8 by B.!lti:pathies.

He

1m

35 gat.hers the moon/stone f:rom thf!' de'll of 'Plants and the beams of the
m.o<;.n.

He ma,intai n s undrunken t.hose pas s;i ng the night 1Iith vi ne .

He
D

tells marvels of certain belps :from tortoises, f:rom bear pudenda t

and of other animals and bea.st5.
ing drug for excessive flesb.

There is made by him also a reduc-

He destroys the insects

in the

1.88

.1.0 vegetables, setting :forth certain ni!!'W vays I.

ine; the gorgoniwn.
8

This is a plBJ'lt, underground usually. but he

indeed , that if

a.y s,

He speak& a1.so concern-

I!l

girl ghoul d be in vol ved near 1't aec ordi ng

to Aphrodite's rule .. the plant raises up a.t 'toe sigbt- ar.Jd curiously
watches the goings on.

Most easily So by hUn! e1f@t1 the \loman who has 'beer1 in vol ved

t ions.

45 vith

He makes both eye shadow and esoteric prepara-

b1sny :men

is mo.dll!! a "Virgin again I.

He also puts a parasi'te to

p

sleep,. and the sequel 15 a. source of mirth to him.

He also stops

the having of dreams~ and most easjly he causes the after birth /1 to

be expelled and he darkens grey eyes.

There is by hi1n also a bar to

varicose vein!;! and some other night-shining thing..

q
p.321

He both kindles

s
and quenches loves+

He makes ..mite hair bl&c'k,. and makes the

ble.~k

And certain other I 5uch things as these this me.n tells as

50 white.

mar~~ls ~d

details in his Kestoi.

2. Zosimus in tfConcerning What tbe Art Has

Spoken 'Evel"')'Vhere concerning e. Single Dy'e l1
.[ Bertbelot-Ruelle.. CoIl. de!3 anc. aJ,cJ::t. _p. 2: .169 J
For
ized f'or

dy~

iJ]~ta.nce~

indeed l Africanu9 al5l-o :s,ays, tiThe Things util-

are B)etale and liquids. and earths and plants. If

3. Olympiodo:rns in nOn the 'Concerning

Energy' of 2.oa1mus- u

[Be:rthelo-t-Ruell~,

Coll~

But salt vas intended

des Me. alch+ 5!+ 2:75::1

by th~

not adherr!: to the glass cup, vhich

as.Ympot.on

I!I.nc1ents that the a.rsenic would

glfLS&

cup African'Us -etllled

4. Anonymous in MS P8.ris i nUS

[C~t8L

des

m~

Ale. EX.

As Africanus the Babylonian

a child t before

~om.ing

g!'a~cus

vol. 1 ~

'II

ed. Henr. Lebeque

d1J,~e

IX.4~5 . . 6

Citations

189

1&8

2286
Parisini~

pop. 165-86]
s~s

that if one

~ishes

to pro-

45

together with tbe ""Omal'l,. that is to sa..v ..

when he is about to 4!'rlter into intercourse, let him Moint hig mem-

bel" with hare's blood .and he will produce a roa.le child, but if he
anoints vi th goose fat he vill produce a. female.

5.

[5. 45.

(Peeudo-)Diophane~

2; ed. E.

~ckh, p~

II

in Gesmgnic&

163 t

~ines

p.323

13-15)

For the t'ollO'\o7ers or Demctrituli and Africa-nus say the grape

rell18.ins alt.ogether pertec:t only six da.y'St and not. more; if t therefore,. the stone is no longer transparent

green~

but

da.rk~

it is a

sign that it is ripe.

6. Ful gentius Mytho1ogy

I:F. P. Fulgentius t MitologiarUrtJ, bk. 3,. chap. 7;
in 9Pera~ en. R. Helm,. p. 71, lines 17-19J
The

atimulBti~g

plaster vhieh Africanus the medical

pro~essor

called ustiside:m"1 hi!' pres<=rib-ed a.pplying to the b.ig toe and heel~
lIn the ap-p 8.1'"a.t us , Helm suggest.s that. 'this may relate to the
(h-eek at;io (to ere~t), a suggl!!st1or.l further developed by Vieillefond
(Les C~st.es, pp. 322-23, note- a) .. who suggests an ori.ginal Creek
stysida ,from .a postula.t4!'d noW;- stysis.

Trtlllsiation

190

..

Figur~

Hj'pCtthetical Reeonstruction of the Pentagons in the Kestoi.

Chrono8rap~

191

Selected Fragments

Appendix:

o~

the

Chronograpku

46/1.

!louth, Fragment VII (first part)]1 (Rel. sa-cr. 2:2q]-42)

.. S:Jmce11l,Js ChronoBle.pbiB. (eou .. Dindorf 1 :3J~. 11-35. 6)
[= MIT' 6~13l, fra.gment 2.]

Of Afric:a.nus:

Concerning the "Watcher5 r!

461chr 1

Multitu.d.es of" men hELving become upon the earth, angels of

hea.....en CaJ!Ie together with daughters of: men.

In some copies

W~

find)

But it is being !"e~ounted, 1.5 ! consider lo :from

1the sons of God."

Seth, the sonG of God bein.g so called because those being traced!'rom

hi:m a:re both right.eous and patriarchs until the SELvior.

labels "those from Cain tlmen' s

!;>eed~"

eccou,nt of' evil of race . . and on

But

he

as having nothing divine. on

Ei.c~ou.."lt

of the lfl..wles.sness o.f tbeir

nature; they being mixed together) the vexation to God was produced.
But if he is

eonsid~~ed

to hold this concerning the angels, (it is)

of those C"onc erne d loti t.h lriagie &nd sore ery.. and more ) of pO'lW@"r of

nUl!lbers,. \i'ho deli ve-red o.....er to vomen t'h.e knowledge of c-elest1a.l plleno~~na;

from whom

~hey

produced children, the

the evil bavil1g come into

being~

g1~ts)

through

who~

God drt@:rmined to onli terate every

faithless kind of beings in a flood.

ITherest of th{! fragment in Rout.h (= 8. la.terpassage in

Syncel1us Le~L D1 rJ.dorf 1: 38. 9- 39. 5J ,
'Whic h be gins wi th the last
line of the preceding) reco'Unts also the landing or the ark. !t
notes. both thetr~ditional landing site. Al"o.:ro.t, "vhich ve knOTft' to
be in Pe..rthie. .. n a,.")d the 5ugg-ested altl?rnat(!',. Kelatmd of Phrygia, botb

of which

Afric~~us

says he bas seen.

App. =Chr

Txansldtion

192

41/2. Ro~thll frag,nent XI. Djrn. :rv . 6. (Rei. sacr. 2 =249-50 L

~ ~cellus (ed. D1ndorf 1=105. 8-11)

47/c:b.r 2
2nd - Souphis, 63 yea.:r:s:

Who raised the great4!'st pyroamid;

vhich Her-od,ot'Us say-a va.s produced by Cheops.

CBlDe

:But this ma.."l a.lso be-

haughty tovard the goda and composed the sacred book" which.. as

a. great value 10 bei ng in Egypt 10 I pl'ocUJ"ed for royse 1 f

48/3.

Routh 11 Fragment XL (ReI. aacr. 2: 28 B; cited from: ,. J oannes

Mona~hus in ~~. Paraliel~ lit. ~ tit. 7~ p. h63~ ed.
Le.quien 00. S. Joan Damase. U)

48/cbr 3
It is reco,rded by

A1"ricanus~

the.t 'Iothile

:MtLilas5~h'WQ.s

the ode" the oonds:l' being iron., 'Were shn.tte!".ed 1o and he- fled.

saying
2

le'. Eusebil1s'a accou,"1t" 8,a reported by Sync::ellus (Dindorf.

1: 107. 1- 3 ) ; "who alsO had be<: Ol!le supe rc 11 ieu!;! toward the gads s B 0
that,. hav!ng repented 10 he C::OIIIp'Osed the aac:::red 'book" which the Egyptians treat as: a great. t.reasure. n
(This pili.a~age is not. found in
either the Lati.n or Armenian ve-rsions of the ChrQoicon, wthii::h seems
to have begun its account several dynast.ies le.:ter.)

Compa.re the sli.ghtly longer form giv~n by Pi tra, Anl!l.lecta

aa.c ra., 2: 292 (from t:od~~ Cois.lian\tl; 276,. tol. 162" as f:rom. John,. an
unknown seventh century monk) ~ 11It is recorded by lIe.y of Africa.nus

that i'hile Manaeseh wag confessing. a.nd saying the ode spoker-J by" him.
hi~ bonds:lo bei,ng iron .. ",ere shattered .. and he escaped from tbe prison
o:f the As 5yri an s + ..

CHAPl'ER III

.AFRICANUS S VIE\rI OF MAGIC

In Afr1ca..nus" S 'Wl"itings

especially the Kestoi'll ve find .e.

considerably lli:fferent world :frOIQ that in the otber early Christian

...- ritings.

has a

The K4!stoi is 'Written :fronJ a di.ffel'ent perspective; it

secu1.8~t

li t~rQ:ry

a pag.an audience

(01""

appro~ch

C'ah

ifestihg

only
su~h

fine more

contents,~

a.nd is addreEised to

at least. a non-Chris.tian one).

his Qttitude toward them t

"hieli

and

A~ica.nug

b~regarded

Also, whatever

presents a number o:f procedures

by moderns a.s magi ce.l.

The pas a i:l;ges I!lan-

knowledge and interest must be studied in order to de-

prl!'~is~ly

"the na.ture of their

eot.lt~nts

and the viewpoint and

purpos i!!S of 'the aut.bor in prese-nt i ng 'them.

Pus-ages t.o be Consi.de'red

In the discussion of Afric6J1us' s knowledge of magic 10 a number
01' pl;i$sagee }:Qu.at be

considel"ed~

It is questionable whether sOLlIe bi'

lIt could also be characterized as "scientific" in intere!3ts.

Thi s cha:racte r i ~atiot:l.. hQ1lever. roe fe rs to the nat U!"e of' much of the
eontents; and the vr1 ter l s attitudes toward them) not ttltbe organi 1;ation of the vork. The latter is anecdotal rather than !3YQ.tel!lB.tic.
This viewpoint~, hovev-er ~ does not distinguish th~ Kestoi trom Af:rir:a.nus s other vritings. The Chronography and the le-tters, while vri ttenf'ol" a Christian audience a.nd dealing \ot!t.h largely Christian qu@st1ons .. E1till mani fest a basically "objective~" "5cient1:fic lt approa.ch
to th~ qu~stions addr~ssed.
2This is true even if' Vieillefond is correc't tha.t the author
is "In"iting for Dias);lOra Jews (.Les c;estes, li'P. 11, 4l-L2L even so. the
audience 'VOuld be one living in a largely pagan environment. (Note
also, ibid. "pp. .1,1. ;6-58. ),

193

194

Africa.."1us'S Viev

t.hem really relate to

mag1~,

pea:rance of doing

others are cleliU"ly magical..

50;

In the fOllcving

but they present at least a, surface ap-

pages~

a briet list of the Buspect passages

is pre-s f!:n1:.l!ld ~ to g1 ve an over..." i e'll of the11" natures ~

of' their appearance if.! the text. of Africa-nus. 1

an d of

the ol"de t-

This il!> followed by a

topicallY organi1;ed disCUSlSio!l2 of" these passages of pos5ible magical.

.

lmpO

rt 3

lThe pa.sa:age5 from the Kest.~i will be pre-sented first (in

th(!- order of Vieillefond s Les Ces.teg) s then those iTo:m Africa..r.us' 5
other major writing" the ChronOgraphy. (The l.et.te:rs have no such

pa.ssages.)
"..

~In the dis(:us5i~nt t .....o modern stu.dies 'besides'lieillefond 1 s

a.re especially used = BJorck, l'Apsyrtus'l; ~d !Hes:s, f1Abergl.e.ube .. "
PW~ 1, part 1 (lB93)~ cols. 29-93.
Bj3r~k, next to Vieille~ond. has
devoted toe ~9t attention to AfTicanus aroong modern studies; Riess's
eou;rvey vas. the on1~1 conrplC'te one 'lIp 1:.0 hi s time, 8Jld ~ a.s a broad
!aeale study-So has not been s.uperceded. (Though a very large proport.ion of Riesg1s eXQJDplEi come frotrJ Pliny, this really JIlakes it lOOre
valuable for comparison with the type' of materia.ls Af"rit:MUS preS~ntB. )

~e di vtliing line between the tvo categories of billgic and

supersti t i on is admittedly vague 10 'but an attempt. has 'been mad e to
distinguish tl)ose items which are actively magical from those which
are only pass 1 vely Buperstttiou.") So even if prov('!t) guilty of being irrational. Note Rie!33 s di,sti nction between supersti tionas f'olkbeliefs ~ 8.Tl.d magic_ a.s the (mis )use' of such 'b1!liefs in attempt-a to
gain JX'Wer over t h ing!3 ("Ab-erglaube:J" co1s. :U-32); he further distinguishes false beliefs, ideas bal:i'ed on el"rOtleOl.lS obsel"...~aticns or
nature .. from auperstiticn (ibid., ~ols. 32-33). This la5t area does,
however, prov1:ie a.nother source :f"o;r lJIagi.cal practice:s.
While stich eo distin~t1or.J is IJ-roper, superstition is not only
the- bedrock on which nlagi~ is :f'ounded ~ bu.t it also provide:s th.e quarr:,from vhith :m.a.ny of its building blocks a.re draV!J. For this reason
SOlIi.e s~rstitio1.1s item.s (l!U1d "rl9..1se beliefs") must be included in
t.he- di s cus 8 ion t even though there may be no o....ert procedures pres~ribed for their use.

Passages to be Considered

~95

From the Kesto i

1. 2. 57-69

- Imitating the gods; poisoning food: eni!nalG pentagon 1 with musical

~ign6

2.

Ibid.

86-98

- Poison

3.

Ibid9

111-35

- Poison a1r:sne.kea: - penta.gon 3 with 5igns.

~.

t. 3. 1-21

5.

I.

6.

L 5. 1-9

fl.nimals - pentagon 2' \fitb signs

- Stones and cocks

4. 8-11

- Plaque (~): pentagon 4 vith signs

- 'IHoplocri ama": Bpe11s

7 I. 6. 23-30

a.

drink~

I. 8. 6-18

Horse-taming: inscription

- pentagon 6 +"rith signs

- Div1n1n@, trom horses (seeing

da~ns~

color of

eyes)

9.

9.

l-~

pentagon 1
10.

1. 10.

~th

signs

1~12
te~th

11. e..

1. 11. 17-20

- Hor se:-tro'llbler : (drug in) pentagon 8 with aign Ii

12. a.

1. 12. 20-2B

- Preventive

veterin~~

mediciPe: smoked volf

flesh'i rotted dog B, head

(?

!II

b.

53-55

13. a.

I. 13. 1-3

b.

3-5

l.la. a.

1'r.

1-11

(mixtureJ i.nfused into left nostril)

tl

lie e or bedbug s

- U:omBnageable lfIules: cf. above (pentagon 6)

U

box :seed and 'Water chestnuts. (7)

- InsomD iac preparation s: HYI'no 5

lClted by part (in Rowan DUDlerft.1s) I chapt.er, and line of

Vieillefond 1 s edition or the text in Las Cestes.

Africanus's View

196
b.

22-32

- Insomniac pre:pl!l.r&t1ons: =.ythologicaJ. beck-

grounds (ct. lines 45-1..9)

15. a.

I. 17.

33-43~

tl

bat t shead aI:ld wings -

pentagon 9 vith signs

b.

16.

rl

II. lr 7

B~ll

and mythological support (?)

- Sleep producing compound: includes

:frcqr.

'\I8X

aas-s right ear

17.

II. 3. 1-6

- Destro;ring trees: 6ea-ray st.ing .. be-an shi!"ll..s

18.

II. 4. 1-7

- Stopping

19.

II.

5. 5

- Anoint ing 01" I!Lrrovs: heat in ne'W'-:m.a.de pot

20.

II.

8. 1-4

- Cloaing a WOUDd~ bulb plaster

21.

_.II. _.10. 1-2

22.

III. 1. 1-2
III. 2+

volf's astragalus (cf.

{? )

(?)

- Preventive for hQrses: deer 8r.It1er pendant.

- -

23. a.

ho~ses~

- For elephantiasi.s: sun-dried h!'dgehog liver

11-1~ - Ophthalmics:

b.

15-19

c.

20-27 _.

d.

28-32

e.

32-37

stones in tlestlings' gi:t.1;Uds

the Bame. for epilepsy

tl

partridge

rr

frog's eyes

tI

Ga1V'e of ivy root, infant urine,

ga~l~

vulturE! 'e

ey~:s

a.r:.rl.

g~l

~d g~ll

copper

211.

III. 3. 1-1

2;.

III.

4.

1-11

26.

III.

5.

- Frequl!nt,. easy interC'ourse: skink's fiesb in

- Horse breeding: p!"@-det.ermining sexes

Resto~atives

or

power

viDe
27 r I l L 6. 1-7

- Ala 1"or birt.h, det.enniD 1og l:iexe s

26.

IlL 7. 1-1.,

- For much milk: milk stone

29.

III. 8. 1-6

- Against miscarriage: rewora fish

Passages to be Considered

30.

III. 11. 1-3

SOA.

III.

191

- Dys1U"es.: virgin t eo gir-ell e

12. 1-2

(:!'Oli f'a.t~ hedg~hog

- For dropsy:

&shes

31.

III. 15. 1-2

32.

Ill. 16. 1-2

- Fracture: dog' IS brain in bandage

:3-3.

a.

IlL. 17. 1-6

b.

6-9

Bea-urchin body

Mange~

- Tumors and warts: dog urine clay

fI

plants

34.

III. 18. 1-2

35.

Ill.

19~

1-5

- Maggot s: pure water with "phys ic ian s fI "finger

36.

IIL 22.

1-8

- Asp bites: 'bedbugs'll torta ise ur in@" to I!:t c .

31.

III. 23.

3-5

- Apotropa1c against

Acrocordons~

serpent slough

BcorpionE;l~. tabbas"

on tin

sheet
38. a..

III. 32. lC-ll - Various bite-s and

stings~

brains of

fI.

living

hen
b.

11-12

II

urine of a child

c.

18-19

II

frogs boiled vith 'Wine!! (against beasts

and toads)

d.

30-32 -

Ii

hea.d ot bit.ing MlimfLl (fresh or ashes)

e.

31.-36

it

'Wild ifioe- 1"oot 8.pp-ended

39.

III. 3L. 1

- Soothipg feet:

40.

III. 35. 1

- Colonic: right t.E!st.ic1e of

4l.

III. 36. 4-6

- Horse

sev~n

figs

marking5~ pu1s~~

S'W'fltJ

in hexagon 7, at first

moon, third hour

42.

- OXyrbynChU5 papyrus

43. &.

VI, line 1

b.

~12:

nekyamanteia

- Purgat i ves: eye lamen jute e over n9:vt!"1

n

FJ,.

new ves se 1 . . .

198
4~.

Africanus's
IX~ l~

a.

PsellUS t Peri paradoxon anagnosmaton

lines:

1-4

Vie~

- Generation of sexes: hare's blood or

gODg~

.fat

b.

5-6

c.

6-11

- Contr&c~pt.i ve pendant: f~ogt 5 navel in

Bres.sts~

producing ttdlk or reducing

linen; birth and

d.

11-13 -

Styptic~

syc~ne

conc~ption

branches

aids

appended~

secret

:spell

e.

15

'.f.

15-16 - Antipathy to beast

- Rusts gold vi tb mad dog saliva

bite.!i1~

ntvo-:f'aced l l

plast~r

g.

16-11 - Scorpion p&radox

h.

17-22 - Kleptelencho?: tadpole tongues

i.

26-27

Stops Festilence: balsam

juice~

or

s~ell

of

tanning

J.

30-32 - Cures : amulets and charms

k.

32-3~

C~uses

elimination as a joke: cattle excre-

tions
1.

3~-35

F~rtility

&nd barrenness in fields: antip-

I!Lthiea:; (1)

35-36 -

Moanston~

n.

31-39 - Aids from

o.

h4-46 - Restores virginity

p.

h6-47 - Puts parasites to sleep

q.

117-~8

tortoises~

etc.

- Stops dreams t brings dO'"r1IJ afterbirth, darkens

Pentagon Passages,
~8-49

r.

- . . .

&~d

some

199

othe~

night shining thing

- Kindle.c; B;nd quenches loves

s.

50-51 - M&nY other sucn things thia man teratologei

t.

and expounds
~5.

ri. 4.

- Generation of sexes Lcf. Psellus. above.

1-li

no. 44a)
From the ChrQnogra:phy

46/ chr 1.

47/chr 2.
48/chr 3.

Rout.h to frag. VIt <a'> - I'Conce rn i ng t.he

"

\riatc herG It

, frag. XI, Dyn. IV, 8 - Souphis' s sa<:red boo}!;

't

frag. XL - Manasseh t

ode.a.nd broken che.ins

Pente.gon Pe.ssages

A numb-e-r -of the subject passages (or

ttmag1c~1 passages")

those 1 isted fL.bove a.s numbers 1., 2.. 3 5 1 6 1.. 9. 11. and 15 e. to are
li.nked together by references to pentagons.

Certe.in inforttls.tion

r~-

lating to the respective procedures is said to be found at the end

in 5uccessively numbered pentagonS2 or) in the

hl. 1 as

being round in hexagon seven.

cas~

of

&nOth~r't

mp

Besides the referenc~s to the

number of'the 'figure'lo and to the inf'ormation .found in. it,

tb~

penta-

goP series is also marked "by a pair of m.usical signs in each figure.
{Tni6 :fee.t'UJ'e is not l!Ien.tioned in th~ iole surviving h~x.a.gor.J eXtLD'lP1e.)

lThroughout the- dis~ussion, these ptLssae;~S .... ill be designated

their numbers in the preceding list., usually preceded 'by the abbreviatiOn "mprl {plura.l nmpp"), for "magicfLl passage .. " nmagleal procedure, 11
Md/or Mma.1n pa.s sage. n ..

b~r

Africanus's Viev

200

The f igt.lre 5
P'u.rpQSe'S

The foremost chQl"fl.cteristic of these paS5l:a.ges is the

to the pentagon (or hexagon} itself. 1

reference

These figures are located nat

the end t 1,2 but lfithout :specifica.tion of whethe:r of the vhole work or
of the individual Kestoi {e.g., of KestQs 7 for the pentagons}.

In

1932, Vieillefond noted the absence of pentagons from ancient literary . . and even magical, texts. 3
on ~e

He continued., "Pour 180 premiere fois . .

voit nettement decrit et. utilise. dans lea Cestes.

pl"ises . . " Jules Africain fa.it appel

d I une

mani~l"e

bien etr.a.nge .11

A sea

.A neuf' re-

vertues oe<::u1tes, et

4 Furtber study RJlpa.rently convinced him

that this statement vas too broad, tor, in 1960]0 it vas reduced to
"Afl"icanus fa.it un abondant usage de ces f'igures gEometriques _ A neuf
reprises

. 11 en appelle au pent~on(!:.n5 This redu.ction in the

introductory statement vas

a.ccompanied~

hovever" by a.n atteDJIlt to stow

a specific: magical. (:onne-ct.ion in theiruse=

1

The numbers assigned to each are sequen~ial and 5e~ to have

no significance other thBJl !;lerving to distinguish the s'U.cceBsi ve figures.

Besides this

th~ hElve v~lue

to us as providing the intonnatior:.

that references to (at least} si::<. other hexagons are apparen'tlr missing from our 80u.rC~5~
2speCifiCal1Y st.ated in passa,ses 1 .. 11 ..
ing pent~gons l~ 8~ and 9~ and hexagon 7.

15a~ and 41, regard-

3Jules ,l\frics.in~ p. 1'\1'1; this absolute assertion vas modified

1960" by provision o~ a fev examples of their occurrence

s~hat in

(Les Cestes, p. ~6t n.

63).

Julea Africain, :p. lvL In Q "Comrnur.icfLtion,1. "SUl'" deux

signes magiques'l {Revue des ftudes grecques 43 (1930): lix-lx.)"
Viei~lefond had asserted that Afr1canus "a recours a.ux pentagones pour
donner plus de force l 5~~ recettee magiques. U Cf. &lso, Bardyi' tl Un
encjr cloped1ste chretien," pp. 266-67.
I

5tes Cestes p. 46.

t

Pentagon Passages

201

Obeissant a ~a. gttmd.e: .1oi ms.gique sur '1 1 interdiction le vo~abu

lair'!!! "t et aftn de ne pas detrui re paT avance 1a vertu d.e.Is.
recette ~ Africanus ne designe point par leur nom les @tre-s ou
les choses reprSsent.es. . . .1
A. little later'lI he aS5U11lea that t.he pentagons .and hexiL80ns serve as
p:rop~vla~ti~

amulets! ar,.d thE'n

5p-eakS

of' their co-operating

&Chi~ve-:ment of the most diverse EU::tB (mil! tary uses!

etc.); but be provides no real evidence for

fOT

the

horse tr.aining 5o

~ither funct.ion. 2 In the

'background discussion 5o Vieoi.lle:fond has provided instances of the pop-

ularity of pentagons and heJP;:agans in the magie and superstition

simple decoration)

or numerous

but there is not-hi ng really

peoples

~ontpe.rab1.e

f:r~~

(and

ancient to modern times ~ 3-

to Af'ri (: anus 1 s use

0f

them.

Inde-<!d" they can hardly be said t.o be used at all by Af"ricanus! they
.

Just sit 'tber-e,

Key ing!"edients or phrases are listed. in

th~!

but

only as a. place to put them; the pentagons themselves e.re not otherwise used or even referred to (prophylactically or 1e any other manner}.5

The use of' the f'igure"s does not seem to b-e for pm-poses o.f

lIbid.

50

pp. 1.16-47.

2 Ibid . 50 p. 49. Tne only spe-cific exuple (for the forn.er~

propr-.ylactic WZ'lu1ets) is '1' usage habi tuel du scea\J. dE'! Se.lolPon. H

3Ibid ,pp. -42-45 .

.!,Contrast with this the figures ref'erred to In the London

Magical. Papyri which had

50Jll.e

close cocnectitm with th.e procedures be-

ing given (:eI,QfL,d. 121. 204 9" 918;. 122+ 109 note; the first 'Was to have
been found "at the beginning of the 'book"; the last occu.ra at the end
of the boQk l but immediately foll~~ng a reference to it;. F. G.
Kenyon [and H. 1. Bell)" Greek Pftpyri in the BT1tish Museum. 5 vols.
[London = BritiBb MUlH!um 5o 1893-191j), vol. 1 (ed. Kenyon, 1893J~ 92"
113~ 120; S~~ alao p. 116).

SUnless th~ir prop~rlacti~ function is seen as that of safe~

guarding tbese items, either in i"~spect to their secrecy (1) or their
potency; but Vie111efond t g discu6sion does not seer;n to be that specific as to i t.s !DeMing. Further! in the single instance where a

202

Af'ricanus I s View

r~al secrecy. In one inatance~ noted

by

beror~

info:nnatioTl 1 a given in t.be text t

inclusion in t.he pentagon (no. 3).

Vieil1efond,1 the

signiri~ant

t.lle refe-r-ence is nJa.de to .its

In another

case~

the

b8t~

the

identification is so self-e.. . .ident that small credit adheres to guessiog i t (lines 50-51 L

Since Africanus still proceeds to record the

information in the pentagons in these cases. there must be sOme other

purpose for doing so, but what?
a~oid

It doeSl'lot

rea~ly

seem t.o he to

dissipation of power b,y speaking them in advance, as

s'LI.uest.:s~3 since most

not involve

Thi51

t.he situat.iQns involving the pentagons do

type of charm and only one involves a. spoken apell

(pentagon five). ~

vention?

01'

V1eil1e~ond

'What

could be

els~

is

J!o~gible?5

a.ssumed~

SOnJe :sort of magical con-

but there are no

port it; that is part of vhf!. t makes the s e fi gures

pa.rB..11~ls
B0

to sup-

puz zl ing.

. . . .o uld 6.ppea.r that there is no blanke-t., mgico..l explanation that

It
S(!'C"ICS

to fit; but to arg1:Je for a d.i:ff'erent reason in ea.ch ca.se would he 'to
cr05~-reference to on~

of th~:se passages is extant (1. 13. 3~ p . lLg ~

referring to L 6. 27-28 t p. 133 {=pentagon sixl)t there is no melltiot:J
of the pentag0I1; rere:renC~ is made only to "the Latin exp:ression . +
gi YEm :above (prokei ta.i ) . n
1

Les Cestes~ p. 47, u. 6~. re the serpent thrissos (T. 2. 117-

21, .p. 121}_

21. 17. 33-34 lLIld 50-53. pp. 165 and 161.

Les Cestes, p. 46+

Spoken spe~lt 1. 5. 3-h~ p. 129, also on~ written charm (in

pe~tagon 6)t I. 6. 26-28, p. 133.
5Vincent seemed to assume tha.t they funct.ioned as some sort of
ta1 isman lo If vi th the 2IlUsie:!U signs :serving to Iii stinguish them~ t1 en
meme temps qu 1 i completer leurs vertus occultes n (nt~otlee sur trois
manusc1"its .. 1. p. 345), but he gives no proof or e1fl.boro.1..ion.
IP

Pentagon

resort to

~pecial

pleading.

in another realm.
t.he vrite-:r?

Pa~sages

203

Thus s perbaFs the reason should be sought

Is it perha.ps a Ii terar.rdevice t a "conceit" of

We 11'111

hav~ oCi::as!aD

to repeat this sUggestion

l&te:r~

Musical signs
In each pentagon ....as a pai r of' nms:1 cal s i g;rts .

Thes e signs,

the "voca.l" and lrinst.rumenta.1.1r signs for the sB.l!ie not.e; a.re descrihed
in the

t~xt

both b:t their function in the theoretical sca.le .. a.IJ.c! by

their form (variously positioned and/or modified l(!"tters of the alpn6.bet }.

Their positions in the :pentagons are variously described..

seem not. to be signi ficaJ1t+

but

The musicaJ.. vs.:lues of the notes se-em not

to be significant either, they are simpl;>r the first nine notes in

the-oreticiaos list of
erally those of the

th~

notes of the "Lydian mode."

di~tonic sca.le~

fI.

They are gen-

but they include a.lso two notes

of the enharmonic scale and one from the chromatic .. a. mixture that.

'WoUld not take place 111 a.ctue.l perfoI't!'lance.

Over a century ago ~ thi s
schola.rly

att~nt.ion

cerning the realm of

~us i

'2

cal ser i e s. had attraet ed. the

of Vincent, but. as pa.rt of

6.

broader notice con-

an~ient music. 3 Unfortunately~ this~ no core

tha.n tbe mor-e passing !"ftferences

b~. .

la.ter 'Writers ~ ~ does, not shed

any

lcrs.mmoeides enkeitai (pentagon 1); ~ra.moeides enke1tai (pentagon 1.1) j, e:r.lgegr,B.ptai (pentagon 6); ~erkeit &1 (i.e nta.gons 7 and 8).

they

2FUl"'tht'!l', s.s Vieillil!!fond points out (Les Cestes ~ pp.

~1-b8 L.

eaeh of the 't'Wo ~nhfll'mOnic notes is

musie./llly the same as the dia.toniC' note that pr~cedes it in the list .
involv~

duplications;

.3vince-nt, UNotice aU!" troili mauu5crits,' pp. 34~-59~ ~o-1l1.

and table facing p. 128~ a150~ briefly, Letter to the
President of the: Academi~, p. 1711.
73-74~ 100-9~

1J E.g ., Kroll, in his generally excellent discussion in Pauly-

Africaous's View

20~

significant light on these pae.sages .. serving

on~y

to set the notes

into their c:Ot':lt.4:!rt in ancient music theory.

"But perhaps tbis lack. of progress (or even attention to finding My specific :m.a.gical s1gni:f1cance of the notes) is i t.self iOignificant..

H:~re again~

tive use made

as "With the pentagons themsel VE!lJ ~ th@re is no Mor suggested :for 5 the notes.

o~:!!

only to further identif'y the

figu]"'ea~

This conclusion

ri v~d at by Ii. -I. M!l!"rou,. V ieille fond.' s :In~nto~ i

them (in Vieillefond swords) as

il

They seem to serve

'waS

also ar-

thi S &rea iI who saw

une :manIe:re de numerotation re-

cherchee E;!t savante. ,,1

Other features

Biological depic'tionG
The animals and plants depicted \fill bedis,cussed individua.lly,
belov~

Here it ma.y simply be noted tha.t those which can b1!!"

id~nti-

tied El2"e aJ.I such as have s.ssociation in hum8J1 thought with malevolent things

~ OT

at least are objects of &vl!rsion.

ADIong

ani~s

'Wissm.~a ~ devot.es tour lines to it ~ and his coments seeJll to S\l.gses't that
he had interpr~ted th~ge passages in Atric:anus 80S thoroU8hly fl..S he d1st:UlJsed them (US. Julius Afric:anus," col. 120, line 61-col. 121 .. line
2). D~spi te Kroll's .assertions J 10 chap. 6 (of Thevenot .,Vet. math.;
=Vieilli:!fond 5 1. 4),. the umus iJca.lisch :mystis<:=he Zeichen n is !!2l used
by the surg~onto steady his hand, and in chap. 23 (Vieillefond~ I.
11), :it is not the: musical sign (either alone or in association 'lith
the pentagon) lthich is 'the supposed means of causing Sileeple9s ness .
Unfortunately this tyPe of' hasty genE!:rfl.~ization is as typical in interpr~t!Lticmg of Africanus as it is a.-typical in Kroll's .:I1S-Cl,l,Ssion,

lLes Cestes,. p . .1,8. Vie-il1efond adds his. own suggestion:!! that

since t.h!s is a second numel'8.t1oD~ the note!3 were chosen c:hie1"ly ~
cause of "leur forme e::n.raordlnaire le lettres .. II connecting this vi th
the cab~listic uses of the alphabet (ibid.; and see also p. ~9). (Bu~
this seems to come <:lose to~egging the qu.e3tion" aga.in" assU!IIin.a.
tl1a t they trlUBt have ~ oct! uJ t 131 gni fi cs.n.c e. )

Pentagon Passages

205

there are: toads, snakes of va..riou!;'I types t medueae (I) t volyes and

bats; from

th~

hexagon).1

plant realm ~ eHPhoT'bi a {and an unknovnpulee ~ 1n the

Despite theit' generally 6UBpect ass o-c: iatiOI1$ ,. these

1 tems are not all used in

&. lIlB.gi~al

It is ne-c:easary to con-

manner.

eider thil! procedurea in wb1cb they &re used to detl!::rmine- this.

Operations involved
Three se-ts of' animals, those in the "first three penta.gons, a.re
u.sed for poisoning {of food,. vate-r,. Bond air).

theae JlTocedures (Cestes 1. 2.

The first and third of

60-69:0 p. 117, and 2. 1l1-32,.pp. 121

and 123) involve sealing the animals together in jars ~ un~il theJ'"

kill each other, or die otherwiae.

In the second (I. 2.

B6-98 .. p.

119) .. the anima.ls (suPPOSl!dly three in this case) are simply

chapp~

up together and boiled.

The sealing of the animals into ja.rs to either kill ea.ch

other (I. 2. 65 arid 125) or to di~ from. beat (lines 125-26; and ";from

'time, II line 126) or lack of air (lines 64-65) would seem to be to

mfl.Xi.li1i ze th~ baleful. ef'fects o:f the Temains( sort of bestial bia.io-

thanatoi ?).

This is p:robab1y part of

du:te, but is here presented as

quite nscientitic- n

Onf!.

B.

(m~tal11c?)

origina.lJ.y magj.cal proce-

rather t!I8.tter-o.f-f'a.et (though not

In the first case, the vessel is

plaque (p. 337, n.

b1~

subs'tanc~

see.l~d

(perhaps of v~g~t8ble
Vieillefond eoncludes it is some sort of

There va.s &1so an. unknovn

origin?) in pentagon fOUT.

SOCIE!

cf. his translation on p. 126).

But whatever its identity~ it would appear to have b~en some benevolent
substance (if of' biologica.1 origin Bomething 8ucha.s Com.frey, or one of
the All-heala? [or even on1oD, etc + '1 cf. II. 8. 4;. o:r, on the contrary,
dog brains? ~~. II!. 16. 1-2).

AfricanJ,..Js 1 8 Vie'\.f

206

The dati ve might c:oneei vably be t akefl as in stl'"Ultlent8.l or causati ve ,

"50 that there :[ s no exh.alat i an by/ fro~ the "Dea.sts ." ~ i. e.,
that none of their .epirit oX" virtue will be lost ~

better to take it
beasts"),

I!lS

QS.

but it would seem

a. dative of oovanta,ge (11 no air vent.

tELkea above.

sO

!2!: the

Linguistically ~ the ronnel" a:pproa~h would

be rather tenuous ~ 1 f that vere the meanin.g, it vould be le 5S wnbi guouslyexpressed bya genitive (perhaps v~th .~. also; and with an

6or...o- or ek-

cO!IIPound

sealing seems

instead of the d1e.- forn?). 3

deeign~d

to insure the QUicker

Procedurally 11 the

death of the captives;

and the operative element sought tor use is the liauified remains,
not the pneuma.ti C'

Then;o in the third pro.:: edure (line 6 117-32), for

poisoning air .. where the pneuma might be thoug..... t important ,'Ilhi1e

1As, for ex.ampl~ ~ i!l. the somewhat 51 irtIila.:r p1'oe ed'W"e cite d by
from Odei"-Hopp~l' C.H. 2~98, 12f'f"~ where the jill" Is sealed h;;tper
tou ~E!' diapneisthai ti.n energeian (1A:psYrl~t' p. 60). Africanus
vas apparently so und.-erstood by the l'edactoI" of t.h~ variant of tllis
procedure in the "Sylloge .. i s.ppendix 1 of' Vieillefond, Jules It.;f;ricain;
ho~ diexodQn me.eehe-in tina ten ton tberion ana~noCin (chap. 3 .. lines
3-t~; p. 68).
(~E!: "Ec1oge U [appendix 2 of Jul~s Africain], pro!"! to
sin~sthai ana~noen [chap. 2 .. I1neg 3-4; p. 78] agrees more closely
vi th the text given above hom 1+ 2.)
Bjorc~

me

~ieillE!fond so understands it; translo..ting:

ne- parvi~nn~ pas !LUX betes. l1 (Le50 Cestes t p. 116).

tl pour

que l t air

3B,)orck t s example might argue against this; but the "Sylloge-'

varifLnt does provide e.n ek in the preceding diexodon~ In &n)' case ..
is c: lax1 ty a nee es s.ary con s i derat.ion i f1 evaluat i ng Afri canus ?

And the death of both equally? Whate.. . er the BJ1ei~nt re.puta~

tion of the to~d (of whatever 6pecies), it vould appear to be at a
distinct d1.sl.dvantage in a guerre a outranee 'W"ith a vipf!r.
(Or is
the s~Q11ng so the viper will have no relief frotll the (poisonous]
breath of the toad?) Ee:side5 this,. the pot vas pTes,umably not to be
opened for Q.uite some timet ao 'Who would. know wbich had survived the

longest?

See Hugo Pl.omteUX t

"Lec-rapaud~ m.agi~

et maJ.efice: l propos

de quelqueg 1;oonymes italiens, n Rev-ue de 1inE.listique romaine 29 (1965):

ancient reputation of the toad, and its contin\ULtion into recent timeg.
132-~O, concern1Jlg tbe

Pentagon Passage$

207

close sea.ling is emphasized (lines 123-24) (a.nd is a.bsolutely require-d

by tbe na.t ur~ of' the "pr oduct 11 L the ma.i'P term used" stmon (line
l2~)J

technically suggests water-tigl1t, rather than air-:tight.

Also ..

the term used to describe the airy product (line 127) is n<me of the

pne (u )- forms ",but rather apophora. '"

The m.anners

or

tiS~Be

effl uvium lit fouJ smell."

of the products of t.hese t.t>..:re-e l"i"oce-

d'Ul"es seem fai:rl.v stra,lglLtfol'"Yard,

rather overblown.

though the results promised sound

These results--a. spreading plague that will Yipe

out a whole camp .. or city, or nation of enemies; :a slow poisoning

causing extreme svelling" pain, and desire for death; or

that will kill a running horse or knock

asm~ll

bi:rd from the

lIn the contra-procedure (Vieillefond, ks Cestes, p. 123 mg

re line 13L} provided by MSS V and D (presuma.blyfrom the earlier
pa.ssage mentioned in line-s 134-35}, the threat is referred to both a.s
to loimikon pn~utna (or simply toupn~umatos), and as tou aer05 rJotheuo~nou. The~Qu!1t~rin& 'barrier rhos a.nti.Itache:sthai) is te. hyph' hemon
gcnomenB.,. .1.e." from. the th.:tEia.t~ras. '1'111s wa.s to be aide-d by lo~at.
ins t.anning pits 'U.p~nd of the ~9.I11.p to intercept "the Hcorru-ptedB.ir.u

2In t.he first,the liquid remains are used in making bread

and .for coating the b&king ves.sels; in the s.econd,.. a. t'broth" J!llI.de
frOlL the chopped up (Uiiqui f1 ed") whole ani:m.als is p01ll"e-d into the
ene~r t S lIater S 'Ilpply; in the thir d. the ves se1 is opened U:uwind 0 f
the enemy camp.
If there is a.ny empirica.l basis for the f:Lrst t'lotO IlrocedU1"es y
it must "fi;'"volve some sort of a.nitnal toxins and not. a. germ-caused
plague (nor aba.cteria.l poison such as botuJ.i!un). Ba.cterial organisms
vould be destroyed by the heat in the Cooking process~8~ but some ani:ma.l toxins {sueb as tha.t. of' certain pui"fera [use-d it!. the Ja.panese ~
stewJ t geographically distant relatives of one ctl.ndida.te for the ph:rs a
1 f.I mp 2) do Burvi ve it
The sand viper, .a pos s i ole candidate for the
Thr15sos-Bathanerfl.than of mp 3. kills by a hematonn\lhich causes S:YIDPt.03IlS sOlr~vhat lilt~ those descri.b~d in mp 2 (of. section dis~ussing
ULand Allim.ale," bel.ow). On the other handy 'the spread of' thE:! plague
described in mp 1 (lines TL.-77, and 81-84, Vi-, pp~ 117 and 11.8} r-equiree.a commu.nicable or contagious disefl..seorganism~ (But we ehou1cl
not expect too much in the va:y of' "scientific lr accuracy and consistency
from tb1s sort of source. even i1' theint~nt shoulQ be non-r:!Iagica.1.}
(And does even e.eeking a rational exp-1.anation for such items put. the
seeker in the eEl..ltlE:! .;lB.sS as tbei:rautho.r?)
'0

AfricanUS'5 Viev

20B

slty"

-ar~

not

proc~du.re

det.a.ilg

espec1al~3 magieal~

though when

they~

and the <:ounter-

for the third,. are oonnf!cted with a. critical study of: the

of the means proposed to achieve thE!l:Il, t.hey tend to make- one

symp-athet.ic: to BJ5rck I s theory.

A fourth procedure in this series appears in

conn~~tion

vlth

pentagon nine (mp 158.1' above; Vi., I. 17. 33-~3,. 50-53,. pp. 165 and
The anlJ1)8.1 involved ther~ i So the bat.

167).

Though not named. 1 t i

indicated in such umlJistaktl,ble terms that e.l1IB.ll praise

recogni 1.1 ng it (~ine s

50- 51 ).

I!listakable--they are: various

tyPi!'S

UIl-

of' sympathetic ma.gical proce-dures:

or using the ving( 5) for cons1.lIming liquids ~

sleeplessness.

frol::J

The procedures inV'ol ve d are e..l 50

using the h'!'oo .in an 8JIl.ulet (or secreted in sC@eone l

prank)

COlI!.es

5
I!lS

pillOV &os a

a. means to

Though Sleep. personified, is featured in the con-

t.iguous account]l in p.assa..ge!;l that. could be taken as a magical umyth_

Ol.ogical car:re.t.ive" (mp lL

a and b; and cf. the latter part of 15b)~

1 It sort of magi cal commonplac e-? Cf ~ P:fi s t er, "Epode .. 11 P'l<i'.

supp. 4 (192b): col. 343. lines ~o-~4--br1nging down a flying eagle
with tl spell (cited from Philostorg!os, ArteJ;D.. P.as8io~ ed. Aca.de~.
1913, p. 161); but &s a variat.ion on t.he- legend of' Pyths..gorns comp~llint flo flying eagle to come to him (Pfister) ibid., lines 32~36}'

~or example, the: tanning pits upwind of' the CSl:Ip in the alltiprocedure to number three. There is also the question, unansverable
nov because of the incQmple-te nature of this item {if indeed .. it were
ever answerable}, as to ho'l: much warning the camp had tha.t an ox-eating
binge could be ordered., tanning pits set up, e!:tc.
(Or 'Was this supposed to be stands.rd C:=~P p::rooedure in !Suspect 8.re6.~? The "Eclog~U
clarifies this EIOfD@vbat.,. specifying tha.t lamps and eensers were t.o be
used when near tbe e-neIllY vitb an adverse .....ind blowing toward "us"
[Jules Afriea1Tl~ app. 2'~ ~hap. 1,. lines 24-26, p. 76). The tanning
pits .. positioned $onJ.4! dis'to.nce Capo J!U!krothen, line 33J from tb~ ~tLm.p
a.ppea.r to be establ:hhed a.s a Ilrecaution a.gl!Linst "blovb&ek~ Yhep the
fomula is USed and the pot opened [linea 30-)1). But this still does
not clarify the origin&1 context in vhioh the preventive bad "previously" b~en given by Afr1canus~)

Pentagon Passages

and as
part L.

&t.I

incanta.tion against Sleep (mp

they are not pre5ented as such;

classical and other allusions and

15b~

209

especially

direct 10 M imp er sonal magi c to not an

re:feren~es

personal (daemonic) f'orces.

l'

first.

they seem mo,re like the

wit.h

whieh Africa-nus.

the l.itt.~re.t.l!urt loved to embellish his &ccounts. 3

rt

th~

If this view is

indirect!1 use 10 world ng through

As a matter of tact)

'Wh~reAfric:anu$

lThey may have :GO functioned, at some s.tage in their life history (assuming tbat they had a previous history .. and a.re not Atricanus' s production entirely). According to Vieillef'cnd s 'Viev of the
meaning of Kestoi .. at le8.5t lines L1-49~ with "the re:ference to Aphrodite's Kestoi in line ~8:i must be an Africanian original (cr. Les
Cestes~ p. 39).
2This is a significant :point. If Africanus intends these
to be used lllagicl!l1ly) he must be fl.ssu.mi.ng that his readers ...,i11
so recogniz.e thenl. and knOI;,1' the proper prOeedlU'e6 (and saf'eguards) for
making use or them; 'but \!'ould his book be of any 'Use to such adepts?
An excerpter eM hard1.)r 'be bler;ned for this gap: (1) why woUld h~
keep the allusions while lea.ving out only the l!IRgic:al di.:rectiona for
them? (2) this is in one of the ~re fully preaerved a~t:ountB; if
there are such omissions here .. can we have confidence in the int.egrity of any passage'? Indeed~ this involves reading mo:reint.o the
worn. tOM even Il.1orek' B contra:ry view.
it~tt1s

3Note~ for eXaIilple .. the list or i;lource1:i, from Homer on, given

by Vieille:fond. Lea Cestes., p.59.

4ThOut?;h Sleep 1 spoken 01" in t.hf?se personal terms:

as sub-

j eet. to b~ing taken (labe-in . . . z.et.(3) L 1"1' ~ 2:7, p. 165) t il;!nsla.ved

and t tIlonopol iz ed ' ("tes ettJe s et!lp~ i. ri as hiH.onna 1 + par' emoi mon;;i . .
oikt.) lines 28-29), an:d varr~dagainst (anti tattomai . . st.ra.tegeso,

lines 30-32) . But the following procedures d.eal witb sleep~ not Sleep,.
with no indication oftLny .attempt to conq'.ler or contTol the latter,
unless possibly su~h appears 111 lines q.4-45 ("!(ight' 5 son you are. ()
Sleep; night t a bird C'onque't's you; .1'). IPJ.t this again a.ppears to
be rhetorical embellishment. with no eXJ:'1.i~itdirec:tions fort or
other suggestions of" real magical ~J.!3e; boasting rather than incantation (though possibly u3ing~ or pa.tterned after,. inca.ntation foms).
It may be noted tha.t 10 the O:w;;;. Pa;p.rra.gment, .such eX])li.cit notations of rn,g,gi~a.1 procedure are included. even vhen they interfere
with the progress of the narrati... ~ ft.n.d the poetic torm (Les Cestes,
part V, line-s lq and :21, pp. 285 .. 281). (WGnseh makes passing mention

210
d-oes refer to sucb daemonic rO:r~eB~ it is to oppo!;!.e (or exaJ.t himself over) them, not to invoke or othe~ise use them (this applies
ev~n

in hi s statement s to and about 61 eep ).

The procedures involved in

l!Ii xed.
o-~curs

th~

other pentagons are rather

!n conne ~ t i on 'W'i th pe-.nugon foUl" (I. It... 8:i' P' 1.27)

the utilizing of an

'UnknOlffl

there

jo

Bubstance or obje~t (identified

only in the C!llissingJ pentagon} in the treatment of' a wound.

V1e11-

lefond's text is epip~sat;; tj plinth? h@:pe:r . . . , 'which he translates as P'f'asse un.e

a:ppli~.ation de la p1aquette qui. . . ul

He

Eilig-

gests ~ but doe s not a.dopt. the ]Josa i"bil i ty the. t i t might inV'olve

sprinkling vitb the substance o~ some poYdered briek. 2

fond' 5

If Vieille-

pref'erl'ed interpretation i.s correc:t,. this migbt suggest a

magical 'PTocetlure I depending on th@o ne..t'lfi"e of the plaque:

material is it?

is it uninEcribed or inscribed?

with wh.at inscription?

a ftm.e d.i c: (1,1 11 )?i"oc: edure. 3

But even if he is

of' what

if the latter Jo

<:oTrect~

it still might be

Conver E: ely. if one of the other vi evs is

of these lines as evidence 01' knovledge:, on the part of tl1eir author,

of the t ......ofold division of P1c.st m.agi~a.l procedures [;tO e isida.imonis.ka,11
p. 3J.)
1.
Les Cestes, pp. 127, and 126; the l>'!SS read hoper.
2
. Ibid., n. 41' on p. 337

Alternately I if plinthos could be

taken in the s.ense of "linth1on .. it l;:ou1.d :ref.er to the bandage f'or the:
vo~"ld. to be sprinkled 'Ili th the designated 6 ubsta.'lC'e( cf. Eer.:tjr George
r..i ddell and Rebert Be ott.. COOIJl B., Greek-.Engl1 stt Len c,on, rev.
a!1d aUgm. Henry Stuart Jones iLnd Roderick M~Kenz:ie) 9th ed., vi'th a
supp.lement (Oxford: Cla.rendon F'TeEiS, 1968J, s.v. Hn:Af ....tll0V .. r1 sense 11,
3, 118, bandage, .n1Jl.PPD~etOVI Gal. 18[lJ. 798) cf. Heraclas &p& Orin.
~8. 13. l~ rt (Cited hereafter aa LSJ. J).

3Not.e, e.g.,. Pliny N.H. 34. 166 (cite:d by Vieillefond CLes

Cestes t p. 337~ n. 47J) concerning the medi<:a.l use of le.minae plun:.beae t though the UB~S listed there (and in th~ roll~ini sections)
al"'E!: for other pur],)oses (but. if.! sec. 169, ca.l~1ned lead is used for

211

correct, it :might still be :magical, though a medical intent. vould be

more likely.
A time-honor-ed trea;tment. l1hoplocrisma; tI the a.noi.nting of the
injuring

"fl"'~!lpOn,1

is co:mbined vith the use or t1lO "spells" {diecussed

belo'jl) .. along vi th

4.

prophylactic or apotropaic use of spitting .. in

c:onnectioc with pentagon flv-e (,n:p

6; 1. 5).

{But this is to relieve

tbe suffering; it is. folloved by a. directive to give the usual medi-

cal treatment to

thevo~~d.)

Fentagon seven held the key elel'I!ent in

I!:r.al points of contact vith magic.

b(!in~rrightened

p1"Oi;:edure vi th sei;-

An object to ]Jt'event a horse

frO.ltl

is to be :fe.stened to his right l!!'!ir ll the objeC't to

be used Is the "tail of .fL.!!Ell..

a~ima.l. 3 The

IlL

and this is to be cut off the living

ba.sic operation i!'i a fairly aimple a.ct" the t.ying of a

auitable, and .suitably prepared, prophyl.actie charm to the: sUbJe-ct. in

a

guitab~e

location.

The ear would provide a

hQndy~

even obvious

11

point ofatt&f::bment, as well as putting it near the eye. thus having

some possible connection with the causing of frigbt (the causes
heJWrrhage and to prot!Jote c1ca.tri~atian). In 33. B~, h@'a.lso recolngold .as an amulet for people suffering :from '"ttO\IJ1ds.

~end5

lef. Keitb Thoma~:>:Re11giorJ &l1d the D~cline of M&gic (Ne-'IoI' York:

Cha.rles Scribner' a Sons, 1971)" p. 190 and p. 191 ~ith

tL

1; tLlao p. 229.

~nidentified in the main tnB.nuscript trad.ition~ but specified

in a repetition of th~ chapter in the tirO British HipRiatr1ca MSS,.
LQndinensis and Cantabr1g1ensis. Vieillef'ond' E tL and r (Leg Ces'tes,
p:. 139 mg., on line- 2'; Oder-Hoppe, C. H. 2: 2Q9-50 ~ Hipp. Cant. 108. 5).
3These four factors ("right 10 I' "tail,," "valf,.n "living") ",ill
lP
be d1scu.ssed below) under thl!' uLand Animal.s' and '}.Uscellaneous
hea.dings. {On the last three fa.ctors" in various cOlnbinations, see
Vieillefond ~ Les Cestes ~ p. 340 10 n. 6l).

ment i oned are ai ght s and shadows ~ ratll er thBn sounds).

Sui table pr(!p-

era-tion her@ consists of cutting it off' the living a.nims.:1, which Is

not quite so simple a proC'4!dure .. bU1. no other conditions (or cautions)

are presc-ribed.

Thus it could be viewed as more passive,. u~mpet"sti-

tiou:s:o n than acti vely m.agical in llIlde-rlying belief5.

Wi'th pentagon ei ght. (1Ilp 11; 1. 11. 17-3l) the only readily
observable magical elemetlt is the pentagon itself.
(euJ)hor'bia~ according to MSS V and D) could
fLSC ribed

The drug involved

easilY have the effect

to 1t 3 and the :ma.nne r of usage (squirting Cor, Upufting tt J

at h.ore.es'nostrils from pus-ertractors)" wha.tever it.s :practicality

in actual bat.tle conditions t 1s not magical.

Pentagon oint!
fl.lrea~....

(mp 25; I.

been d.i s cussed s.bove.

11.

33-53)~

involving the bat". ha.s

Here 1 t JD:aY si:m:ply be not ed further

that. t.'WO of the procedures involve a. part. (a ving (lines 36-37:3 1 or

the head Eline-s 40-41J) taken trom the Ii ving ar.IiJILa..L
are no other

circumstances~ conditions,

or

Again there

prec&ution~l specified.

255) .. is aomevhat typi~al rjf the Africanian proce:dures (a.nd the pr~::itJ-

le:ms in studJ."ing them).

The substance represented, a 1eguIDe (o.sprion)

1s urJmovn , e.....e n an early copyist, \!'ho apparently had the figure,

misunderstood it and glossed the l'ds:sage: as l'blackberryr (baton).

The substance is to be used a.t

0.

specific: time l "at the first [==new'?]

moon, at the third hour" {line 5).

basis, but an attenrpt is

mad~

This woUld seem to ha.ve- a magical

o.t providing a Fhysica.l ro.tiona,le for

1.rhiS despite the fact that he is cballenging the da.~on who

IPholds s.... ay over 8.11,r Beeking to enslave and doro~sticate him.

Pentagon Pas.s ages

the operation

f the subs ta.!lC e (11 n ItS

213

6-7). Further-.. the procedure

1s designated a techtle (U art ," lIC:l'.aft lr ),. a term l,1sed both by magic
~vl!!'ryday

and by

technology (line 8).

Associ&ted spells and che.:nns

'!\to Jl'entagons" n'l.1l:nbers five and si~ (IIl]lP

6. 23-30}" invol.....e the use of apells or

In the .f'oTlllC?r, Afl'icanus

procedures.
II

double-voamm;y Pf:

6 and 1; I. 5, and

inscriptions along ",ith o'ther

pr~soCrl'b{ts

a sort of" double

"hoplocrisma.n 'Id th ~pitting, and tvo El.pells.

'l"oe

first. "spel11't a.ppeal's rather si.mple ~ Hta. ta H repea.tedthrl!'e tl.ces"

but the

rt

ta 'ta!t is similar to

fo~s known from ath~:r :.n.a.gical sources. 2

aDd repetition (double, triple, or even more; but especially triple)

is a. recosnit.ed means of rei nfo1"c i ug or multiplying the eff'ect of a
spell.

~heet.,

The ot.her spell is lost along'llith the rest of" the pentagon

but is ide-ntified in the text ase. Latin expression {Rhomaian

tend.ency in

magi~e.l.

circles to make use of the foreign, exotic; but it

a.dds a new variation in that it is not t.he ancient and lIIY9tel'ious,

but the

~odern

and powerful vhich i9

10

6~lected.

~e tlle.t a triple: ; he also .adds medical treatment and co01>eratio:n of the patient (lines i-8).
2

Sl!'e the discussion under f1Spells"H below~

3See the discussion o:f

u 1fUI!lber:s,,11

under HCharns and Ri tes ~ n

belov.

4This

f'QctOr (shared with pentagon six) \/ouldseem to be more

of an Brgum~nt tor Bjorckts view, questioni~g the seriousness of t.h~
author in theG~ items. than for Vi eillef"ond , 8 Vie'll of thei.r production

bY" a contempoTa.ry (though

foreign [specifica,lly" JevishJ) of'

t.h~

But Rome had had .a long history a.lready, and. some of their
early kings or adversaries (e.g~t Romu1us~ Numa ll TarQu1nius) vere
"nBJDe s to conj ure vi th" a1Jnost lite rally.

Romans.

A~ricanus'5

214

View

Zoological Passages
The importance of animals in Africanus' s procedures 1s 00vious .. even from the limited sample provided above in tbe pentagon

p.assa.ges.

This l:mpression is borne out by the range of animals, from

land .. 5ea, and

l!l.ir~

For purposes of:

presented in the other pa:rts of A:f:dca.m.Js' B york.

organiza.t.ion~

the discussion of the specif"ic specimens

i~ :separated into l&l.d o.nim&1s (including amphibia-ns). aquatic 8.Il.i~a ..

~d

birds.

In the procedures. these are not kept

arat e J items: from thes e di fi'er-errt groupinBs being either

or 6ubatitutable in some

proeedure~.

st~ictly

sep-

C olribina.b1 e

Whole or living animals

Genel"a1br these u5ages inV01VI!'

in several cases,

tb~

us.e

or

part of the animal, but

the vbo1e animal is specified or imp1ied--

in pentagon one .. the "remains n

65-66); in pentagon

som~

or

the two serpents are used (1. :2.

tllO .. the three animals &l"e to be chopped 'Up whole;

and in pentagon nine (mp 15a), while parts of the bat are specii'ied for

use. this 16 fol1Q'W"ed by a comparison to the results if it were worn

vhole- (living?) (1+ 17. 42-q3); in mp 29, the remora f1sh~ preserved

~or a. pOBs1ble exattJP1e of the former:lo note pentagon two ~

lIhich uses "a snake:lo a physalos Or aquatic ~ " (whatever the.t. may
beL and a. t..hird~ unJrno..m aninl&l (mp 2; I. 2.86-90, with p. ~19 mg).
The latter is il~ustrat~d by mpp 23 (b;c,d) and 38 with their various
~ure6 for eye troubles (stones from nestlicgs B gizzards~ in :taw. or0

eali' skin [~or epilepsy), vu~ture eyes in dog skin; frog's eyes-III. 2. 15-18, 21-25 J 28-31) and for bites and wounds (brains from a
living hen in vine; frogs boiled vith wine--Irl. 32. 10-11. 18-19).

Zoological Passages

215

the ashes of a hedgehog. pTesumably vhol~~ can be used (III. 12. 1-2);
and. in mp 31 .. the

t~ody

o:f the sea urchin is. specified (III. 15).1

A large number of procedu.res specify that 'the pa.rt is to be

taken froID the living e..nima.l:

mp 9,. 1. 9- l-I..--woU' s tail,. to pre-

vent horses from being frightent!d;. nrp 10 ~ L

lO. 5-l2--110lf':5 c:ani[;je

teeth for :sviftness of horses; mp 1580. 1. 11 _ 36-.h2--bat' (;\I'ing(s)

or head :for sleeplessness;:mp 23d~ III. 2. 2:8--31--frog's eyes for
protet:ting or cUTing eyes; 2

DJ;I

38a~

III. 32. lo-ll--brains 01" a. hen

soaked in wine~ for relier f"rom (poi$onous) bites. 3 Three other,

1

Besides these .. mpp 12b and 36 prescribe the ad:Clinistering

of lice and/or 'bedbu.gs--t.hes~ iIOuld preSillDably be used entire (I. 12.

53-55,

and I!I. 22. 1-2).

2 In this case it is additiona.lly specit'ied that the frog be

released "'''here i t vas taken (li ne 31). Thi B 'Vould :5 eem to ha...e th e
effect of' leaving nature U'lmdisturoed,," and of "~ealing of'f tl the nlivi Og" eyeB from ar-.y pos s i b.l e los s of power cons eq '.lent on the donor 1 s
death {UWOen last seen the: frog was a.live and veIl in his native habitat l1 )! or a.t least of knowledge of it ('lOUt of' s1ght~ out of ~ndlr;
u'Wh.s.t you don' t kno'W' von't hurt YOu" ~ et.c.). (Compare: the stingt'8.J'
vboSe sting va~ to be used as an amulet by a pregnant VO:ma.n twhich
vas to be ret~ed to the water (Pliny N.H. 32. 133]. See ~th~r
under the discussion of' "Ritua.ls .. Pt belov.)
This same principle could also apply in the Case or the
'.101f t s 1.8.1.1 or teeth ~ or the bat f s vi ngl;l. On the other hand"" in the
t:aSe of the baV s head~ or of the hen IS brains in the next it~ (.mp
36&; if it is really intended magically), death would. b~ an unavoida.bll! part of' tbe: procedure (and coUld thus be viewed as p1"ovi.ng t.he
signal pot~ncy of the part taken?). (The P'll1'');H,)se of the relea.se
lIrlght be lI. "scape-goat" idea ~ but such an i<lea T;lould seem to require
some direct ~ontti.ct betvee-n the s'LI.ff~re!" a.nd the &"limal [as, for example, In the use of the fish rhombus_ a.ga.inst disease of the spleen
(Rie-ssl' ;IAb~rglaubet" col. 76 J citing Pliny y. 32. l02}J.)

3The major possibly-magical ~lement bere is 'the specification

o f tb~ IivinE; hen; the- ba.s it: remedy t and those sur-rom dins itO, neluding possibly those- d~signs.t~d as mp 38 b .. c, d. e} are vell wi. thin
the reo,1..m of flhom-e :t'e-IDl!'dies" or va.r1ous types of empiric or sy:ro.pathetic
medication5 (including one [mp 38dJ of' the I1 hair of the dog" typ~, the
a.pplication of the biting head). (This last rV1. III. 32. 3~32)
vould als;opres'I.IJI1ably be cut immediately f'rO!n the living an.hllsl;. but
this is more incident&l/practical than prescriptive.)

:n6
Bpecial, eaSeB are pres~nted by mpp 29, l~ and 3.

29; III. 8.

~-6)t

(~he

the vhole Bnim&l

remora

In the first {mp

fish)~

living) is held

to the belly 01' a lIIB.l"e to prevent miscB.iI'ia.ge .. rather than some part
being used.

In tbe laa.t tvo (pentagons one and three; L

2. 61-65,

111-25 )) t.he pal r:s 01" animals invQl ve d are coni'i ned alive in pots ..
to kill each other or die othervise.

Pa.rts of' anWal s

As noted

~bove! ~oat

some specified :part of

or

these passages involve the use of

8.T! a.~im..al.

Closel:,.' related to these are the

uses of certa..in animal subs.tances. and/or the applying of" the p1'"oeedure to some apecified part.

The reason for the choice of a. par-

ticular part is fairly obvio'l,lS ic most cases" and can bl!! reasonably

second-guessed in others.

Three main eategories seem to cover the

greater nutnber of' these cases) the parts s'fI:cif1ed being either:
(l) the s,ame as t.he part a:f:fected

t tor

good ori 11) 'by the proposE! d

procedure; (2) representative, in e.Ol:Je way,. of' the "essence u of' the
specified animal (forwhatev~r reason it was chosen); and/or (3) in

some vay associated in concept

are J of course, not llJUtua11y

~th

the end desired.

exclusiv~.

Thes~

eategor1es

Under the h-eading of the part af'fec-ted ~ the :folloil'in,g may be

lIt must also b@' kept in lrIind that they are ~ssenti!L-lly post
fa~to ratiQnali~ations; in most caseS th~ ancient rationale has not
~en transmitted.
Riess'i in a more g@-ne-ral discussion (nAbergle.ub.e t " eols. 2993},. suggests seven types of Bupera;ti tious vorstellUDfen: {a.) 11:Binden t
&.nnen und V"er"ben:nen 11; (b) avoidanoe (close to "t:abu1F ~ (c=) tl"BJlsfer
and substitution; {d} s:>'lIIpathy and antipathy. (e) II~ TPa..,.:;lS j(Ql t6c;:lE"fo.\ 'I; (f) the ll.Y1llaturnlj and. (g) "Hinderungsaoe'rglaube" (prevention" or reversa1.~ of an adverse omen or ac't) {cole.. 33-36}.

Zoological Paasages
noted=
II.

4.

211

a f'oot or astrB.galus . . of" a wolf (mpp 10 and 18; 1. lOt 1-5;

.

1-7), eith(!'r to stop or to increase the speed of horses

(but these may rather be examples of the next ca.tegory:li represent.ative of the "esaenee n of the animal); eyes . . of" a vuJ..t1ll"e or of'

B.

f'rog

(III]J 23 c andd; III. 2. 21-25 t 28-31), to cure Dr prevent various e:"e;

problems~

aft.erbirth of a. dog (mp 21; III. 6. 2-3):> used to promote

conception by horses~ and t8.dpol~ tongues (mp L4h; IX. 1. 17-22) in

the kleptelencl10n prep:a.re..tion {to "loosen the tongue It of a thief'L
Man~t

more procedures

spe~i'y

parts 'Which see:III to rep:r-esent i.n

some way t.he "essence" of the anima.l used.

e lefU" exa.rapl.e 8
~olr

(mpp

SOme of th.ese are fairly

t.he tail or canine-t.~eth {i.~." the fangs) of e.

9 and lOt I. 9.

l-~

and I. lOp 5-Il, to

prev~nt

to increase s:pee d" respect i vely J; the head or vings of

fright and

ba.t. (mp 15a. ~

1. 17. 33-h3:t to cause sleeplessness) ~ the flesh {fat?}3 from the 1'3.0S

Qf a wolf (mp 12a; I. 12. 20-25, as a veterinar,y preventive m~dieine);

the liver.4 of a hedgehog {mp 22; III. L

lCf. Riess

1-2 1 tor

~lepha..Y1tiasis of

vho refers (col. 81) to the great Mtipathy of

horSe and volf~ and also to the effects on horses of wolf tracks and
the throving of an aatragalus at a four-horse t.eam; on 'these points he
~an ci t.e the snc:i en t test.irrn:lrt..'V 01" Aeli wt (y. 1. 36) and Pliny (]f. E.

28. 151).

2Riess (<::01s. 81-8:2 ref'. also~ Will Richter .. ttwolf~ If pw ..

supp. 15 (.l9l8) i col. 970) i.nc1udes tnt e procedure. citing Pliny
l'f. H. 28. 257. The 'lWol r -tall is also menti oned, but :for a di :fferen t ,.
though still protective) end (Richter, ioid.~ citing Geop. 17. l3. 2).

~1chter, tlWolf l' 11 col. 910: both ~at ana. f'lesh (vith di.fferent :manner and purpose of use for either t but still e.PQtropaic).

41 originally excluded this from the mp list. Bince the liver,

vi th its various e-nz,ynJes, might conceivably be of some actual medical
benefit, but Riessts survey of &':limal materials in superstition shovs
!So many uses of various livers .. that this no longer seeClS poe-sible.
This 1s especially true in vie"" or the vide v8.1"il!!t~r of usages which

210

It. fr:l. c:anus r 5'/1C"'i

horses); the ashes

of

8;.

hup

he~gehog

3OJ\; IlL 12. 1-2 ~ for dropsy

of horses); and poss i bly the foot, or a.s. tragal us.. of' a wolf (in th~
preceding paragraph).

some
the

o~

Othe:r- i terns might fit here a.1so) though in

them it may be the nature of the

con~rol1ing feature~

and the

ohdary, quali fy i n,g feature...

br~inR

substanc~ its~1f

specif'i~ation

'!'he se include =

of the

pi g

whicn is

~ima1

a sec-

marrow (3D]) 25 L,

(mpp 32~ 38a~4qc), skin (mp 23 b and c)~ blood ~p 448 and 45}~

fat (mpp 30A, 4~a and 45),. 'lU"ine (of a 'tortoise .. mp 36; of a dog. mp

33}, ~a..r-'Wa.x (:from a d.or.k~y, mp 16), and s aliva (0 f a mad d.og t

rtIp

4.l.i eo ) -

The third cQtegorj", concept association 'With the ~nd desired,

th~

may be the expll.n.Qt.ion of some of'

~~dine

list.

The

foll~ring

items in the innne-diately pre-

would seem to be so explainable=

(o!' paxtridge or vuJ. ture t vi th boney, etc., mp 23

C M

gall

d d) ~ agai n:St.

ca;ta:re.ct or 5imilB..'l" eye: problems; se-rpent slough (mp 311), to r-emove

warts (causing them t.o

t1

s 1-ough off tt ?); the head 01' the biting

seem ea.sier to link (usually by UantipathY'~n or ,rh,otrQsas u .U) with

tb~ ~nimals involved than ~ith the liver as such
(UAberglaube ~ n 70. 1; 71~ 20; 73. 3; 15. 1, 30-; T8. 22; 82. 56 (h~r~ ..
and in !;Iimila:r lists 0:1' exft..'Tlples la.ter. r::ita:tion is by Pauly-ttlissO'W~
c-olumn a~d line n~bersJ).

the natures of

lyith this can be compared JDF 38d. In that case the ashes are
equj valent t.o the frest! biting hea.d {thus representing its "essence'r).
But in that etJ.Se it is. the biting head and not the whole aninml (e.ne:
espe~i.e..l1y not Motber .. even of the :SfiUle type) .. hien is needed.
(Pliny.~
however, il1ustrat~s the point that some of these other variations were
possible; ~.g.t ~ither a different he~d may be ~~ed2 or the whole offending :serpent may be usteo:.med H {~. 29~ 69J.)

2Be~aue.e

its bitter t.aste and/or smarting sensation in the

eyes "JQuld suggest Jloten~y (Wl1ess this is of so:ne 6.ctus.l medi~B.l
value)? Galen prescribes a p~epa.raticn vhieh includl!!'s partridge bile
(among other kinds)! honey~ etc." for sharpness of sight and dispersE},':
of beginning cata.rg,cts (C'I audii Gal~ni O'tlera. omnia .. ed. C. G. Killin ~
Medicorum GTaecorum op~ra quae exstant ,vols. 1-20~ 20 vols - [l,.eipdg~ l821-33; repr. ~d~., Hildesheiln; Georg Olms Verla.gsOuchhandlung ..

Zoological Passages
anim&.1

(either f'resh or its asbe6:

219

m;p 38d);<:&t.tle excretions (mp

411k):II to ~-BUS{!, eliminB.tiolJ.

C@rtain

it~msdO

not present enQugb

evid~nce

a reasonable guess &t the rfl.tionB.1e behind the-;m:

of

B.

svan (:for d1 seas es of the <: olon;

speci fi ed ; 2mp 41m}.

to support even

the right ter;ticle

mp 1,0).~ 'be.arpudenda

{use un-

The hare t s blood and goose f"a. t in procedures

L4& and 1,5 (listen above as possibly repres~ntin8 the eSSences of the
an.im&ls involved) perhg,ps belong here also.
the flJ:llulets in proc:edu.res

15~ I;uui

The lefl..theror skit! or

23 1:1 and c would have-

9.

prilc:tic.e.l

basis, but the spec:ifico.tion of the types of' skins in the last pair
suggest some addi.tional reason besides this.
Besides "the derivation or on@ of' the materials (wax) in pro-

cedure 16 from the right ear of an ass, thre@ procedures specify that
they are to be applied to a particular part of the animal involved.
In mp 7 (1. 6. 23-3<:d" the horse-taming ins<:ription is to be engraved
in the hollow of the left :front bcof' ~

This part is closel:ior related

both to the easE!nc:eof' the animal and to its

on~

of the

it~m.s

with

'lihi~h

probl~!o

the hoof' bei.ng

it could manif'e-st its W1ruJ.:ineas (a front;

one as. being closer to either the head or the- heart of t.he

1964-65 J ~ 12: 219).

Among Pliny~ s p!'escriptions for eye cO!Ilp~aints EU"'C!'

nUl!lero'Us. ex~les involving ga.ll (e.g., N.H. 28. 167-72; 29~ 117-25);
note especially
29. 123
concerning vulture gall and 29. 125
~hich
includ~s partridga gall.

lThiS is an example of Riess" s fifth type of superstitious

-'
6) (
VorstellunEl: 1'1 ho trosas
ka:i- 1aBet-B~ It (.":Aberg1aube,n col. 3:seE!

8J.so p" 215 J n. 3't above).

2It eould easily be presumed that this would have some reproducti ve or other SI!'XUs,l use ,. in whic:h case thi Ii 'WOuld fit into thE!
third category abovew ~ut't however reasonable this ~y be" it is

still a conjecture baaed on

fL.

eonJeet.u.re.

2:20

animal s? ) . 1

On the other nar,ld. th e cure :for :fright in mp 9 (1. 9;

penta.gon seven) ie: to be atta.ched to the hOl'sel:s rigbt ear.

ear., while not the pat't 9.ffected., would be a handy point
ment very near the target area., the eye. 3

or

The

att.&Ch-

Slightly farther away. and

back on the left side., the frog's eyes as an ophthalmic (mp 23d;
III. 2. 28-,31} are to be a.ppended to the horse'!;! left. shoulder or
neck.

The lett .. a.s the dEmgerQus side, would also

b~

an appropria.te

place to put the defense, vhile the shoUlder or neck U'ould perbaps
be vulnerable points of attack in general.

Land animals
As noted above. this term is used here to cover both land ani-

ttIal.s and amphibians" with separa.te

fo,,'ls folloving.

dis~ul;l,sion

of aquatic animals aJld

The present section is di vide-d in terms of: modern

zoological catego::oiesa.nd presented in the order of prominenc:@ in

magi~al

ref'erences.

The

pr~sentation

th~

contains the folloving three

lL~ft (on '!,fhi~h see below) llould be most appropriate for a

1tthreat" ~il-e, I. 6. 28).
:2 Again, the right s i d.e- (see below also) "..' ould be quite appropriate ~Or & ben~tici&l operation.

~~~atever the theo~etical intent and rationale, the procedure

might work: a short time with anything flopping aroUJ1d and bobbing in
and out of the edge of t.he field of' vision should inure the horse to
~st ~~e~ected movements and sh&dovs.
4

This 'WOul.d be espec1a1l..y true if' this is an example of transferred h'l.tlJl.8n medical lore. Bjorck notes such transfer a.s a charac-teristic or the added materi9.la in the British hippj,atrica fMnUSCript5
("Zum Corpus Hippiatricorum, rI pp. 31-~~" and 'IApsyrtU5 .. lip. 13,. 'loti th
n .. 1)" 'but this seems to be a distinct se1'1es lo s.eparate fro.llJ the Africanian a.dditions. Tha.t} however .. 'Would agree with :BJorck's f&ilu:re
to accept this t!JCcerpt B.ti Africanlan (f' A.p:;;.yrt u 6 ~ If pp. 15-16}.

Zoo1ogical Passages
divisions:

221

reptiles (including turtles) and amphibians

j,

canines

( volves. and dogs); and other land aniilll.ls (generall.y pre sent~d. in the
order of their first BopP~fl.:rance in the Kestoi teX"ta)'.

Reptiles and amphibians

Snakes.

Not only is: this rather conglomerate

the largest group of

re:feren~es,

~lassification

but t within it ~ snakea a.re ODe of

the f'irst t and the most, me:ntione-d type of anic:lf1l in tbe magical procedures of the surviving portiollS of the Kesto1.

The discussion here

will be restricted to those in wbich these anioals are thelllSelves used

in the various procedures;

any

used against them 'Will be

discus~ed

be-

low in the: presentat.ions of the particular tnes of 'Procedures in.....ol V'ed..

The: 1"i.rst

thre~

pC!'nto.gon p.e.ssa.ges involve at least orJe snake

ea~h (one in the fi:rst 1 Bot

But

least one in the second, two in t.he third).

snake n is a rather general teTl!l which

tak~s

in numerous types; 2

this makes the identifica.tion of specific Individual kinds re.:the-r

te.nuous ~ even when Af'ricBlJuS provid@s some descriptive det.a.il (ass'lml1ng that the identi ficatic,ps in 'Vie:illefondfs

ms.nus~ripts

V and D are

In general re:fererJ(:es, it might be surpassed by the horst:',

eSJ!'ecially in vlev of the prominenee of t.he horse in the military sections ~ as well as in the h;i,pt:Jiatric6.i but sv.ch a consideration of nonTJlagica.l contexts vould then a.lso add numerou6 references tosna:o.es! in
snakebite treatments, etc.~ of a non-magical sort.
2Hein1 Hediger ("Introduction to Snakes, IrCrzimek T s JI.nilnal Life
Encyclope:dia, edi tor-in~ehief.. Be1"nhB.rd Grzimek; vol. 1; Lo..... er A."'lim.als;
vol. 2: Insects; voL 3; Mollusks and Echinoaerms; voL 4; Fishes I;
val. 5; Fishes 11 and Amphibians ; vol. 6: Re-otile:s; ....ols. 7-9: Birds III!; vols ~ 10-13= ~.s:mtnals I-I"J; 13 vola. (English ~dition):; (New York
l!'t al.; Van llost.:rand Rei nhold Compa.ny 5 196B-12 J; 6: 346 ) gives tbe
tigurl!!!B.s 2500 s;eecies; Roger Caras (Venomous Anisa.ls of t.he 'World
[Engle~....ood Cliffs;:t N. J.: Prentice-Hall ~ Inc. ~ 191 4 ), p. 157) suggests

2700.

Af1"icanus' 5 Vie....

222

AfricaniflJl w at least in essence).

In 'Pentagon one,. the second animaJ.

is identified e.s a viper (echis; Vi.~ T. 2~ p. 117 mg,. re line 61).

The tert!l "vi:per" in modern 2oo1ogi~al u&6.ge covers several species in

Europe and Asia t
being the

the most videspnad and familia.l" European types

add~r (Vi.lt~r-a berus)

a.nd. thea.s:p viper (Vi'DCl'ra aspis). 2

pentagon tw, the first a.nilmil is simply

t.hird pentagon presented two

sna.k~a

called Thrissos,

colored~

\oro.S

about as long as

flo

The

of' which we ha.v-e somevhe.t more

description w but ati1l no't enough to

t'irs:t

'Ia, snake" (ophis). 3

In

cl~a.rly

identified as
draeontis.

{:I,

identify

them~

Theasalian snake,

An added

not~,

The

r~d

(?)1.

regarded by

Vi(:il1efond .. proba.bly correctly,. as a. la.ter gloss,. indicates that it

vas also common in Asia,. and vas called. Ba.thane:rathan by the Syrians_

1 Bube l't Saint Girons, uAdder and Asp Viper," Grzimekts, 6:~~1
(in chap- 21~ uVipers !U1d r"it Vipers. 1t 6~439-81~}; cr. also, Gos3en
and Steier t "S(:hla.nge ~" P"W, ILI\ .. part 1 (-second serif!s, yolo 2, "part
1 (or~ ~'Zloi'ei te Reih~, d:titte Halbband '1 ) J (1921); cole. 494-557, esp.

cola. 537-38, 556-57.

2.rne genus name Echis is used only of the "S av-:s-e:il.led Viper'
(Echis earinatus and .E. colot"atus), "but vhilt! very ridely sprea.d in
lL:f'rica. and Asia, it is a des(!rt snake whose range seems to tou.ch the
Mediterranean only in Egypt a.nd Libya (H.-G. Petzold,. HFami1y~ Vipere.,"
Grzimek 1 a, 6; 453, "With fig. 21-12 .. a dis,t1"ibution ma.p for Echis carinatus). Gossen and Steier (HS c h1ange," ~oL 538) identify the E~h;::s
in -Gl"'ee~~. or Gre-ek-based, SOurCe-50 .as. the Sand .... ipel'" (Vipers. tuI1I=Iod;rt es).

3The second is fL ulD'sa.los (,r"pu:ff-toadn?) or !It.l aquatic phY:aa

(thus !?ithe-r l!UIIphibian Or a.quatic .. both discuss@"d below) j; the third
is not identif.ied (MSS V a.nd D t in Vi., .p. 119 me: ~ re I. 2. 88).
~

.
The specific color, pyrrbos, comes fYcm the pa,ra.pbrs,e.e in the1'Ta.c:ties" of pseudo-Cons't8J1tine (V1eillefond t s Ee-loBS [vi.~. p. 121 mg,
re line 117;JlJ1es Af:r1ca1n. app. 2~ p, 77, c:hfL.:p. 1,. line 10)). (In
Les Cestes .. p. 335:t n. 35, Vieillef'ond, 8.:pp8i'ent.lj' relying on his me.oory, adds the "Sylloge' to the nEcl.oge," but t.his seenJs to be incorrect~ this passage does not appear in the "Sylloge .. " thougll the companion passages concerning food and drink poisons do [Jules Af~icair.~
app. 1, pp.

65-14J.)

223

Zoological Passages
The second sna...lo:.e., Leon l' appeare din 'both ltlrge and small types ~ vith

tbe small pre!'e!rred; again,. an added note ind.ica.tes that it vas abundant in Syria..

Unfortunately,. all these a.dded descriptions a:t"4!' not

much help.
Thr iss Q9 1 s unknown and the at t et:lpts to explain 1 t are not

Roulin susses.ted a scribal corruption of dr1ssoa,. for

certain.

dr:{!ssos or dyrissos Q,r:'(InQs~. 1

attention tA)

8.

Bot.h Roulin and Vieillefond call

tyPe of" serpe-nt called Trissoa by liesychius J bu.t sin1;:e

the full text of the- entry is i'Trissos eidos o}::hecs~ If little more can
be done Yith it.

The identification

8.S

Thessalian is probably

COn-

di tione-d by the ancient. magical f,I,otoriety of Thessfl.ly. since the range

of a serpent wou.ld bardly be confined to so restricted an area (and

the gloss)

if corre-~t, proves othen.'1a.'f'!).

Re.th~r., it

indicates that

the range inl:luded :south~a.stern E\u~ope (or the He-llespontine area.).

The length cocparison is equally 1Jl:iprecise t since the drs.contis is
also 'l.midentif'iable. 3

The Syrian

n~e

l'

Bathan;rathan, was e..nalyzed b;-,'

l 1n Vincent t t'to;otice sur trois manuscrits" PI p. 563. (The

dry~nas does appear in Afri~anus~ in lII. 31~ but in a non-magical
account. Gossen and Steier jdentii'y it as the Vipera 'berus ("Sch1ange ,II
~o1.

537]).

:2RouJ.in ll in Vincent . . lI~lotice- sur trois

Vieillefond., Les Cestes . . p. 335t n. 35.

~a.nusc::rits,n

p. 563;

-'This form. which seems to be required by the genitive dra.kontidos in the text~ 16 not round in the lexicons of' a sp~ci~s of serpent 'Ii a..."1d its base f'Ol'!lJ ~ drakon, is as non-s,pecific as ophis. Gossen
and Steier identi~ th~ dra~on,~hen used of an individual species,
e.g referring either to the Indian python or to the Ae9cul.l!I.piu:s snake
(rtSchlange/' col. 532'). Of the tvo. only the latter wou1d 'be even
remotel)T possible here.
(Is the -id-3Uffix e. diminuative sugges.ting
thi 6? or does it Buggest a similar but still 6mall(!T snake?) RQulin
suggests SI) aural error (which he had also suggested as lying behind
the f'orm thrissos) for akontidos,. aJ\ontis (an unatt.ested form) being

Afri~anus's

Julian'Us Puchardus

from tbe

8S

H~'brev

View

or Syria-co .Ee-then raten . . pethel)

and r-aten signifying incM'tator; t.hu.s Bathanel"6:than meant. the same as

'tserpens incanta"tor."
~h~

This woUld seem to indicate

(and not & serpent vbich is charmed), or

guished by the sound it

makes~

Ef. ther

id~.!.\

B.

whi~h

serpent whieh

is dlst1n-

blight be suited to the

cobra (actually :m.any snakes are popularly credited vith the power of
pt

charming" or hy"pnot i z iTlg their prey-bi rde ~ frogs, et C'.

The

4!"roployed in:olace- of the usual 9.kontie.s. In f'il.VOl" of this view he can

e it ~ Aet ius (13 ~ 29) 8.S giving tht!! length of bot h the akont 1 a.s (or
kenchri tes") &..!Ild the::d..r;{fnus as being t .....o cubits (in Vincent, '1Notice sur
trois manuscrits .. H pp .. 563-6~). C-n the latter paget he fUrtber t:it.es
Lacepede's Histoire des reptiles (= HistQire naturelle des serpentEi,
17891} 805 equating dr.linus .. cenchr1te .. and -.aJCIlodyte .. and identifies it
as Hl a vipere a museau cornu .. ,. which has both the 11ld1~ate'd length and
color.
In a. survey of" the pertinent chapters of Grzimek I g, vol. 6 t assmning that \that was indicated vas fL venomous serpent, of moderate
e;.iz.e~ and searching for one Qf' reddish color. with So dist.ribut.ion range
which included both Thessa.lJ.r and Syria. I concluded that. the sand viper
(Vi per.a Slmlody'te6) seemed to beat f'i t the se spec i 'i t B.tion:'3 (~ee Pet zol d. ,
"Famil::t~ Vipera./ t pp. LL.9-51~ with fig. 21-6 .. on p. 1150~ a distribut.ion
map for the Sand viper). This seems to be the sa.me as Roulin I Go "vipere
.a muaeau cornu." This :fea.ture is something of' a proble:m} however; if
this was the intended gerp-ent~ why vas this distinctive item not inclu.de:d. in the- description'? Or is tha.t tht!' uhair H which might lie bebind
the form thrissos, if it is retained? (If' Gossen and Steier a.re correct about the Echis I this would be the same as the snake in pentagon

one [see p. 222, o. 2 .. aboveJ.)

lIn Boivin' s uAppendix' to his uIn JuliUlll Afr1ca:'l\1J1l. ~lotaerr
(Thevenct 5 Math. 'V~t .~ p. 360 [bote to p. 290.. co). :2, 1 ine 26 J) . 'l'he
Abbe ChairJII~, cOr.Jsul.ted b::r Vieillefond. on tbis point .. va.lide.tes the
possibility of Pu~haTd's analysis j, 'but this still leaves tne serpent
unidentified (LeG Cestes t p. 335, n~ 36).

2Th~ latter ideal that of 0. distinctive 50Wld .. lIIight augges1:.

some snake such as the Say-scaled viper (Echis c&rin&tus) .. but its
southerly and e-B.sterl:t rl!Wge seems to eliminate 1 t (see p. 222 In. 2.,
sbo"'l!) t as do its .smaller si.ze and its more ol'ovnish color range
(Petzold .. PfFa.mi1=r~ Vipera , rl p. ~53}.
3an this idea in the ancient vorld, note Clemens Zintzen,

Zoological Passages
r~d.dish

ing.

color, if correct ~ and the

r~ge

225

ClfI.y be somewhat

:mol'"ti"

reveal-

Thes e ~ together with a presum.ably venomous c:harac: te-r &nd mori-

era-tel:,' large size ~ lIQuld be met by the Sand viper (Y1pera ammodytes).

The seeond of the two serpents in penta.gon three, the: l@on, is

even lesB certain.

Roulin sUggested reading -the somewha:t :more

rorm [h)e1ean, which is

COlmDon

id~ntical with th~ skytali i~ Hesychius.

This in turn would 'b~ id~tir1ed ",it.h nl 1 ;~ryx turc, t1

which could 'be

on!!' of the Sand boas (perhaps the Ja.velin sand boa. Ervx jaculu5). 3

"Zaubel"ei. zauberer ~'t Der KleinePau1 :r:..e_~ JLon der Antj.ke., rev. and
ed. Konrat Ziegler and Walther Sontheim@~t 5 'Y'ols. Stuttgart: Alfred
Druckenmtuler Vel"lag f 1964-75). 5(1915): 1~6l; LSJ~ s.v. "6p6.~U1\1.n
(proba.bly derived from 06 f p lC:01J.::n.~ OPO-K E.t v); and Gos Sen and St-e1er ~
uS~.hlange,~' col. 533 ~ 1 ine5 26-28.
Ipp. 223-2L ,,1:1 3" above. Ac eo:rding t.o Pet ~old." thi s is
E'I.:l.rope' 5 JOOst dangerous snake' (though its ven.om is not. nea.rly as potent as tha.t of cobras or rattlesnakes } (like other vipers and pit

vipers CrattlesIlues" etc. J, its veno:m i.5 he:tDS.toxi~11 in contrast to

t.he nelJ:i:'otoxi.C' ve-r..O!D. of ~obras and l"elated species). It is up to 90
em. in l@'ngth, color variations range f'rom gra.y to brown to brick-red
and black-brown" and it ha.s a re.nge from sQutheastern Europe, across
Asia :Minor .. into northern Syria and the upper Mesopotamian are-a
(UFamily~ Vipera. u pp~ 4L9-50" 'With fig. 21-6).
2 In Vincent,

'~Not1ce sur trois :Dl$nuscrits" I'l p. 564.

A de-

ac:ript;ion he cites as from 1IThes.' (read tiTher." tt i.e., Nica.nder,

~63~ 414-11)
seems to support this~ since the Qnei~nts supposed the

pythofJ!3to suck tb~ blood "from their vie1..ims (or at least,. their elepha.ntine opponents) (-cr. Pliny N.. H. 8. J2-3~;. Aelian H.P.. 6. 21; the
de!3crip.tion i.o Gossen and Steier 1: PrScbla.ngc, 11 col. 533 ~ cf. 536:'1;
8l')d H. R. Scullard ~ The Elephant in the Greek and Roman World CAspects
of" Greek and Roman Li "fe. geh. ed. If. n. Scullard; n. p.: ThaJllieS and
HUdson ~ 1914J i pp. 216-17).
3Cf . Bernard Grzimek ~ Zdenek Vogel ... and Herbert Wendt,
nBoids ~" G1"~jmek'S ~ 6: 37t.... The E:r;yx .1aculu5 has an appropriate: ra.nge
(southeastern Europe,. Asia. Minor, and northern Africa.). and p05si.blelength (up to BO cm+) (ibid.). It is., however. not poisonous; but s.
snake vt.d.ehcrushedlts pr~ .....-oUld, perhaj).9" 'be .sufficiently 8.Vesome.
(Inde@:d~ fo~ s. "p,rocedtU"E! designed to uchoke H its victims it might 'b~

e. poait.i ve s.dvantage.) The ref@T(!nee to larg~ a.nd small t:l'1:Jes (Vi.!lo 1.

2. 121-22., p. 121) might b~ t& problem for this identification, hov-

~ver;

but. Atrioe:Bnus me,y be asslZI1ing a rather vide knowledge of snakes t

Af'ricanus's View

226

The result.s uromsed from these proceduree

agant, though it is not &bsolutely

~leQr~

a.~e

ra.ther- extrfl.v-

given the impreciaion of

ancient biological knowledge t that they ve1"e not expected to follow

From

from natural, ra ther than magi cal) causes.

such nfl..tu.r6.l ca.usation appears ilDpossible in at

cases.

The-

sible, if it

pr~edurl!
~ere

would. reQ.uire

0.

modern vi@:vpoint t

1~8.5t

t\to of the

involving pentagon one might be c:onsidered pos-

a case of

an ~pid~ic of plague

So

CI.

sim~le

poisoning, but Arricanus procises

2. 7~-77t and 8~).

bactl!ri6.l infection.

As noted above, this

Thus its I,Hlcc:ess is ruled out

by the baking process which vould effectively sterili2e the product.

ConverselYt since procedure t'W'O 15 a case of poisoning!, it might work,

thou,gh the description of the results is rather strong (1. 2. 91-98}.

'1'he

sv~lling .. p&i~ ~

etc.

might

b~

g~n~i"&1i7.o.tion

fro]:) the effects

of the bite or sting of the animals 'prescribed; for example) if the

snake yere a viper (as suggested above for procedure

1IfOu.ld involve a hematoxin .. producing blood poisoning.

cedure seems to require the assumption
le~t one of'

While at
~B.titm

the snake!il

VeL13

o~

three)~

this

The third pro-

some unnatur8.l causation.

po1so:nous (even on

th~ i.d~r1titi-

theoritoed aoove)~ and vbile certain smell.s ~l!W IPt.a.ke onets

incl~ding

the large Asian or

Afri~an boids

(see

p~ec~ding note).

CStrabo has a similar re~erence to Egy~ti&n asps~ they ar~ of t~o

kinds,. a larger and e. 81rIuler-,. vith the bite 01' the latter more quickly
atal (Ge05r. 17+ 2. 4).)
1

Note Petzold's d~scription of viper he~atoxic poisoning in

Gr dmek 's (Irp-amj ly ~ V1per-a, It p 41& 0 ) The symptQl:lS SOUll d lIIul;hthe sar::e
as those promised by Afric&nus~ thQugh confined more to the local area
of tbe'b1te. Internal consumption of an 'Is.mplified " (use Qr the entirl!
animal. J poiBon might have been expected to generalize and increase the
e{'~ect.
Ii" this is the true ration&l~,. this expectation would apply
a1$O to the effect of the other ingredients~ ~he second or which, the
Physalo~/aquatic physa 1B yet to be ~i5cus5ed.
T

Zoological. Passa.ges

227

breath e.vsy U almost 11 tere.lly {and!or be sa.i d to be

kill

B.

borse

r,

) "such

n st rong

eooUBh to

a poison could not be transmitted in B'Uc:h a man-

In a.ddition,. Arrie-anus aeems to be unclear a.bout the precise

nero

no..ture of the rE!:sul.ts, despit.e his gra.phic eXEl!lIpl.es (killing

ning horse. a nearby man, or a

f~ingbird,

B.

run-

I. 2. 129-32)*

e-xample-s suggest that it i5 like some sort of poisonous gas, killing

instantly; but in the next paragr-o.ph (and t.he antidotre preserved from

an earlier passage) it is presented as

&

'pestile:rtc:e" (loimos ~ 1. 2".

134; to loimikon pneuma' . . . tou. aeros t:lotheuoroenou" Vi.. p. 223 mgt

re: line 134), which might. also arise from

tOr.

one of the elements H (tino::i

Ir

stoichelon,. I. 2. 13q) t and t.ho(! onset of ..hich apparently tl.11o',ljled

time for count enne Ilsures .

All in all, the

p1~tur~

tha.t emerges is

one of vel') jumbled a.tt.empts at finding more potent empirical means

ot exploiting l'knOUTl't malignant agents.

One of the 50\U"ces of such

Irkno-..r1edgc" (both of' th.e agente and of thei.r manipu!l!l;tion) 'lofOuld

like-l:~

be magic! but the procedures

t.o operate

thems~lveeseem to

be an attempt

l with Souc.h agents--1jlhateve:r the ancelitry of their use--by

natural,. 'rat i onal PI means.

B:r'-passine: anotbe.r reptilian reference (;mp 26}

fOT

thetlloment!io

we find furtner possible magical uses of snakes. in procedures

3u and

II delibera.tely B.void an expression such. a.s "to transcend this

backgJ"ound and operate . . .",. since that 'Would imply that A:fricanus,.
unlike his C"ontempora.ries~ ha.d a fairly c-le~:r conception of ;magic as
distinct from natural science, and ~as self-eonscioualy trying to disentangle t.hem. lie doeB~ however" have some- app:recie:.tion for @'mpirical
procedure (I:e;perimental lro"Uld be too strong] cf'. the variouspei.rtonns, e .. g .. " I+ 1J+ 3~ (but SOl!lE!times \tith implied reservations, e.g. ~
II. 7. 6.. I II. ~ 7. ~; and esp. ! II. 32. 9)). He u.so r~cognizes the
exi atence of such a. category as deisid.ai;nQhia {cr. IlL 1 i. 3), thougl~
he ha.s ditfi cul ty recognl:ti ng actual example a. 01' it J I!:xcept in 1t.s more
i!rtreme forms.

Africanus's View

228

36 (III. 18 and 22, pp. 239 I!I.nd 241).

skin is hidden in &

d&t~

don~ a type of

wart.

and f@d to an ailing animal

In tbe

a tradition of InaTon the

In tbe former ~ a shed .serpent I $

agains~

latter~ a physician, PhobioB. following

Libyan~2 prescribed ~he serpent

for .asp bitea, and vice versa.

acrOCor-

HemorTbois

While this might involve the :magical

idea of antipathJi"" t Aj"l'icanus seems to eblphasi Z~ the- medica.l na.ture

and anc:estry of this preSeri}}t.ion.

Th.US

vhile allowing for

p05-

sible magical ~le:m.ents in its origin and/or u.ses (the ori.gins of: tJ.ne:i~nt

lnagic and medicine a.r~!Io att@'r all ,l very closely intertwined)!Io

it appeus more

11k~

a type of a.ncie'nt "allopathic" medicine. 4

~o:r a suggested rationale for thl!'se~ :l3ee the discu!3sion of

"Animal Pa.rts," a.bovl!. Sna.~eskin had. a regular place in veterinary
medicine (cr. Gossen &nd Stei~r, "Schlange-lit cols. 506" 5?7~ 542-43,
555); Viel11efond ealls attention to Pliny N.H. 30. 69, as pfl.r&1.1eling
its usagl!!'flguinst varts (Les Ceste!3~ p. 358 10 J). 211 ) (it is cot clear.
however, that a.ny but the last 1terI! in Pliny's list here applies to
wart remc)1:al, but sueh a usage 1!3 gi yen in 30. 6l).

~ieillefond indicates that these t'lJ'O personages are unknovn,

though there are s<mIe reference:!;: to So noted fifth century B.C. Libyan
prince,.. Inaron (Le$ Cestes, p. 359~ fi. 220) (cf. Thucydides 1. 104,
110; HerodotuB ~ 7. 7).
30ne could almost say he goes out of his vay to do SO~ exce-pt
tJ"!.at, Cor I!l literary name-dropper and embellisher such as Af'ricBnus,
it i 5 not rea.lly out 0-1" hi a way.

4AssUlrIing the

'lasp'ljI was an Egyptian cobra

5.""'.

(tla;t~

Cfo:r'lllerly

LSJ"
"r.cQl't{s~n der. II, and Gossen and Steier l
!'Schlange In col. 52!..) its venOlll \ol'Ould be ba.sica.lly- a neurotoxin (but

ColuberJ haJe:

[Jote Caras' see..yea t about the us e

f such terJris eVenomou5 Ani mal s, p.

198) l .. but vas credited by th~ anciet:lts ",-ith thickening the blood in
tbe arteries (Gossen a.nd Steier!lo coL 526, line 41). The "hemo:rrhois,1
conversely~ w.as named for its reputed causing of" hemorrhage in ita
victims. Ca:ras's de-script1on or t.be e!fe.cts of the bite of'the Savscaled, or ~arp@t!lo rlp@r (E~his earinatus){hemo:rrhagic f'actora resulting in e.evere {e,ometimes f'at&1J bleeding from gum.s.no~e~ and in kidnl!!ys I:p. 251J)!Io "Would suggest it as a ca.ndidate for the "hemorrhci~1r
(it i$ SO identi:fi~d by Gossen and Steie-r ~ 1::01. 521). Thus a. deductivl!! &pproae:h to medication would suggest th&t they should oppose each
other epoison .

Zoological Passages
Other r~ptiles.

229

Earlier in thE! pas5ag~ Just discussed (l:Ip

36,

III. 22. 2-.I;)! Afric:a.nus also prescribes tortoise urine, soaked up and
dropped

On

bit~, l!!i'the~

the

!llone or vith 'bedbugs.

The turtle:l' unlike

other reptiles" evokes e. consistently positive response f'rom

so'" not

surpr:ising1.y~

Urine also had

it

ht.mJAns~

hQs a cortespondiflg type of usage in ma,gic.

resular pla.ee in remedies to counter magic ~ 3 thus

the combinatiQn of the tyo seems quite a logical step in medical magic
theory.

1.1

This is: tbe

onl~'

extant example of the use of thl!! 'tortoise

by A::fricanUS t but Psellus seems to indicate that there were others

{"certain
38~ p.

belp~ rOp.beleiasJ f'rotti tortois~s, . ~ .": mp 4411; IX. 1.

319).
Procedure 26. by-passed above ~ introduced. a. tin6.l type of rep-

tiles in a different type of' usage:

mix.ed "'fine

80S

an infusion of' skink! s. flesh in

an a1 d for studs (I II. 5 2 p. 229).

The sk.inks,. 11 ke

INot e, e. g. iI the introductory remarks by Ma:r-i!tIl Mlynarski

and Heinz We~uthil 1IOrder~ Testudines,'11 G!'zimekis~ 6:75 (in chap.
"The: Turtle$ "," pp. 75-123).

3,

~ie!!ls, IPAbergla.u'be ," cOl. 17; Gof:>sen and. Steier "Scnild.kr5tl!',r' PW,. IIA,. part 1 (1921) ~ col.. 432. Nwn-erous influen~es may
iI

combine- in produ~inS thi.s reputation and the usage of' the turtle here
for snakebite ~ e .,g. , it,s non-aggressi vebeha.vior to\f'8rd man; its
similarities to, but yet obvious differef.l~e9 from.~ the anak~; its

relativepersono.l saf'l!'ty trom at-tack; etc.

~1ess:> nAberglaUbe~1't 0015. 85, 86. The (bed?)bug also had a

reputation for cOUIltering snakebite (ibid., 80-81; and Will Richte:r 2

1lya.n:z.e.:' 1''\'1\ supp. lL [1971.1]: col. 8211; citing, eep. , Pliny N.H. 29-

61 ).
4

Note Richter~ "Wan:z.e/' col. 82L. True, sn.akeb1te is not

explicitly magical ~ but any tyPe of danger could 'bl!! so regfLJ"ded, and
thus thl!! same principles can h@ applied without distinguishing betiofeen
"natural'f and "ms.gieal l1 evils.

Africanus's Viev

230

li2;tl.rds in genera1.vere anciently reputed as: aph!'odisiac.

8JDph1bian s .

The Bllcient Greeks ~ 1ike spe-Bkers of Englle;h and

other mode:rrt European languages 10 dis.tinguished

cboi) and toads (phrynoi).

bet'J..~een 1"rogs (btl.tr-a-

Yet they also recognize-d

8.

relationship

betweentheJD t whether it be rega..rded as sympathy or antipathy.

Af'ri-

.cg,nus illustr-ates both of these features.

In the first itlstanee of the a.ppearance of toa.ds or frogs,

pentagon one ,the scribe . . . h o transferred the contents of the penta-goD

into the text of the anc:e6tor of manuscript8 V and D

not dist.inguish 'Which

'!;,"QS

intended.

first an.i.mal as "a fOrest frog

line 61).

01"

apPfl..~ently

could

These manuscripts present the

toad

{I. 2 ",p. II"' mg~ re

In viev of t.he generally evil re-putation of the t.oad,

Roulin is proo&bly correct in arguing ar it, rather than the treefrog, as t.he:

~re-a.ture

inte:r1ded.:2

SeaJ.ed in a pot \tlth a 'riper .. it was

lSkinks = Ion E. Fulm! "T:'1e- Skinks," Grzimek' s... 6: 2]'9; lizards= Riess! HAberglaube~'1 col. 69 (citing Theocritus 2. 56). Vi@illefond calls attention to the: Dc::r:'IU"r.et:lce of another use of the skink
as aphrodisia.c ~ch app~ars ina paragraph preceding this pr~scri~
tion of' Africa,...rus in the cOrous hippiatricorum (LeE CesteEi, .p. 228, n"
b}. In t.hat case it invol'fe8 skink urine along with s~ve.ra.1 other ingredient.6 (Wer-Hoppe. C.E. ~ 2:144. 25-28}. Pliny l;Iaj':S the sk.ink is
en aphrodisiac: fOr bla.1eS(N.H. 8. 91; 28. ll9; see: also Dios~.M.M. 2.
66 (Pedanii Diosc:oridis Anmr'b~i de materia me-dica lib!'i 9uing~ ed.
Ma.x Wellmann J Editio altern. ex editione anni MCM'Y'II lucis ope expr~ss&", 3 vols. (~rlin~ Apud Weidmannos t 195B)J t al ... 2. Ii; in the
first referenCe in Pliny this use is secondary to its value as an
&ntidot~ to poisons).

2In Vincent .. "Notice sur trois ms.n~crits, ,t pp. 561-62; cf'.

Plom'teux. [fr..e Ct'apaud~ ~i pp. 132-33. on th~ ancient reputa.tion of the
toad. Fro8s shnred som~Jhat in this reputation though (M+ Wellm.ann,
1'Frosc h"~ pw.. i, part 1 [1910 J = eol8. 113-19.. e~p ~ 115).

231

Zoological Pa.ssages
~XpeC'ted

to be as fatal to the viper as the viper vas to it..

Pentagon tvohad as the second of its thre'e tmiJnfLls the phYsa.los or aquatic {liter&~l}'. u:river") :e!tysa (1. :2.p. 119 mg~ re line 88).
'The phvsalos (menti.oned by Lucia.n Ph110pseudea l2~ and DipS9.d~s 3)
was supposedly a
bursting

point~

t~tpe

or toad vhieh puffed itself u.p, even to the

8.nd had poisonoll.5 br<eB.th.

something of the ancient reputation of the

This serves to illustrate

toa.d~

but these references

in Lucian are the only support given by Li,ddell and Scott':s Lexicon

~or auch

a usage or this term.

Aelian used the

~~rd of a type of

lCOIt.-pare the discu.ssion above in connection with the pentaegp. :p. 206; n. 4. 'E"lis dangerouE! rellutation is. e-mphasized within
the AfricB.oian corpus i.tself in s. non-magical passa.ge: the hinpiatrica
f'ragm~nts include the provision to pro'te:ct cattle from being blown on
by toads {Vi., III. 33 t p. 253; k~eping & ~ire always burning in the
stab~e), since this \las expected to produce Hdiseases most pestilential to lLtlimals and t.umors most.. dif'fic-ul t to treat. so as to rend-er
useles5 every aid for the 3uff'ering' (lines 2-!.). Note also mp 38c
(discussed "below) in which toads a.re grouped with iobola as the obj ect soi" an B.."lt i dote using :frogs.
Th1.areputELtion might a.rise :fro~ t:....o sources (besides the
toads gene-rally !'epulsi ve appearance (cf. Plomteux J IILe crapa'Ud ~ l'
p. l33J}. Same f;rogs puff" theJUS e1 ve s up to a:pp~Qr IM"gerto try to"
discQ'Ill"age :lmakeS from trying to s\l.f1.1Iow them (cf. Walter Reinhard and
Zden~k Voge:l t uYs.mi1j'; COlubrid Snakes,.' G;rzil:l'Jek' s~ 6:390; also
GUnther E. Freytag, ''Modern Amphibia.ns ~" Grz1rnek r 5" 5: 298,. and color
pI at e ~ p. ~ 56) {Re inhard and Vogel sugge st that thi s beh&vi o}- or~ the
part of a toad may also lie behind the belie~ in anakes' hypnotic
powers [ibid. J). This is coupled vith the :fa.ct that :m&.:uy typ~s of
toads do secrete a type of poison f~om their skins which reDd~rs them
unappetizing (or even deadly) to so-me potem-tial enendes {Plomteux"
p ~ 133. n. 7; Cara.s; Venomous An 1:ma.ls.~ l34- 31; Hans Rudol f He-us ser ~
"l:I:igherRnurans. n Gr~i!'!Jek's, 5:419~ h22). Either from this or other
causes, they are sometimes regurgitated by snakes {Reinhard and Vogel,
p. 382; Hans Rudolf Heut3ser" HFrogs and Toads." Grzimt!'k~st 5;369) .
vhich yould certainly not l~sseo th~ir noxious !"e!put.ation. Wel1Jnar.m.
on the other hand .. explains the toe..d' B :t'~puta.tion by the tradi t1011 o:f
its undeT\o.Torld origin" confi:nned 'by its pale e:clQr a,nd th~ .supposed
toad-like appearanc e 0 f Hekat e (1 1Frosc h t U col. II 7)
gons ~

2 LSJ s.v.

"4'(jO~AOG.u

232
poisonous fish (N. A. 3+ 18 L. and this seems to 'be in accord vith the

.
1
second des i gnat i on of' the creatwe 1rJ tbe manuacr1Jlta.

In another

8~r1es

of' passages; various

used for ~U'1"a.t 1ve or prote~t1ve purpos e 51

&

In

r~08 aubst&nc~s

ODe

are

{mp 23d):Ii no1.~d

above in the disi::ussion of' .ILi ving Animals t "the eye.s f'roma living
frog are 'Used, tied in linen as a pendant, to
.
2
eyes of horses ( III. 2. 28--31) ,

p~otect

or cure the

Frog bile is also used as an oint-

nJent against eye irrittlticn 3 aDd cataract (III. 2. 31-33).4

'boiled in

wi, ne

Froga

are an lLn.ti dot e f'or venomous betLSta in general and toads

spec ific ally {:rrtF 38c; II I. 32. 18-19, p. 251). 5

Psellus &1so :t'l'!!'ports

l On this suggestion, see HAquatic Animals ~ tl below.

'2

A pair of similar usages is reported by Pliny N&H. 32.

7~.

~Qllowing Vie11lefond's suggestion contJernit)g tbe m.eaning of

oxxopiat rather than th~ usUEL1 n8harp~ightedness 11 (Les C~st~:!;; ,po 356,
n. 191 L But Jacque's Andre, in a. review of' Vie111efond' s Us CestE!:s'Ii
dete-nds t.he :former idea'll ttror cleB.T'n~ss of sight. n etc. (Bulletin de
l'Associat1on Guilla.ume BUde,. ~th sel'"., !lO. :2 {191l): 283).
liBi1e- ~eems t.o have been 8. popular Eiu~stancet both medicinally
and generally. Note t.he l,l,Se of partridge and vulture bile in the pre~eding paragraph (mp 23c:; III. 2. 20 and. 25). lHeas cites uses of
the gall of sevl!'re.l different eniZl18J.s (from Pliny, Pa.lladius t and the
Geopon1ca)~. but for various purposes generfLlly agricult.ural rather
'I

than medicinal (HAberglaube;n cols. 69. 30; 73. 26, 32; 76. ~2~ 4Q;
81. 29; 82. 62; two (13. 32! and 82. 62Ja.re vet~l"itl~ medicina11

Vegetiu5Iprescribes dog bile for swollen testes of .a horse (5. 7. lJ~

and B. mixture of goat bile and goat.m1lk for a ruptured vein in the
e-:,"e (6. 23. 10).

5Por the firet. ~ ai!i1 a. natural prey 0( snakes:Ii etc.!o ~gbt it

be tho~ht to uabsorb n thll! poison? And .. it) the case of toads! rather
than .as 8. prey!o as a Bort or "pos1tive" ant.1thesis'?
Pliny re-fers to the \lSe of frogs boiled in various substances
(N. H 32) i ncl tiding bo iling in old vi [Ie (32 + 118 t 1'01" d :roPE!~r) ~ un d
using for snake p.oisons (in a broth ~ 32. 48; &180, prep:9.redvith wine ~
a.gainst acorpion sting, ibid.), but he doee not combine the two ideas.
lU~anderal.so prescribes the f'lll!:ah of a f'rog t boiled or roa:sted~ Cor
toad poisoning (Al_ex. 573~74) It or boiled in vinega.r fOT snake poiso.c

Zoological Passages
two usages
used as

B.

o~

the frog.

~ont%'aC'~pt i

233

In one.~ frog's navel ('1)

ve pendant {DIP :4 ~ e ; IX. L

in a linen rag is

7-8 ) .. 2' The othe.r

prepa.ration is somewhat different, a.ndpresented at more lengtb,.

PBellus apparently reflecting :so1!leth1ng more of the Afl"ican1f1.fi style

bere (perhaps Pse1J.u9 himself was intrigu.ed by this one}.
frog I

tadpole tongue

WElS

Preserved

used (surreptitiously?) in groats .. as

Uthief-convicter lr (Uepte1enchon).. to get

fJ..

So

snea.k-thief to confess

lias if' in a trance It (:m:p 4~h~ IX. 1. 17-22 .. pp. 311.. 319).'I'he rea~on

for th~ USe of the tongu~ is fairly obvious .. 3 but t.he choic@ of t.be(' Ther. 6.21- 22 } See Wellmann 'to "Frosch;," <;! ols. 11T-19 ~ andR ie as ..
'Abel'g]aube .. I'eols. 70-71 .. 7b-75 , for various superstitious uses of

toads and frogs .

lvestermann I S ten (ILA.PAAO~OrPA~OI, p. 144.. line Ii 9-10) is
onrphalop:,. "na.vel .. U which Well..lnann .. "Prosch" (coL 118, lin!!' 51) understands as fr eye " (ophtha1ltlos),. but Vieil1efond .. folloving 0. reo.dine: of

a reported Paris manuscript (~!. Lea Cegt~s, p. 313), readsenkephalos,

"bra-ins. H "lffl.yel ll could have obvious relevance in a usage such as
tnt s. but frogs I na.vels are sc nrc' 1tems (1l v i VI!' Bj8rck- t ? )
Brains also do seelll to have had a rather ",ide reputation.
AfricanU8 reports two otheruses~ mpp 32 {dogfsbraina ~or B. :fracture)
and 38a (brains of a living hen for poisonous bites). Riess a.lso
not estvo exaD!ple 5 (frotll PI.i ny) in his B~ry 'to but of' prot.ect! ve
re.ther than med1c.al natures (JtAberglaube, f'I cola. 81. 36,. ~d 82. 31);
the differences suggest it is the- a.ni~ involved~rathe:r than the
nature o~ the brain, vhic'h is the controlling f~ctQr. (HOY this would
apply in the case of mp 4~c,. if it is brains that are 1nvolved t i:suncertain. )
2Judging from the examples cited by RiesEl,. animal. preparations
were not as popular for contra.ceptive purposes: as they ",ere for promoting conception and assuring 6. safe pregnancy and easy birth. H~
gives. only three prepa.rations as preventing conception or making impotent {I' Aberglaube 1 If ,C ols. 11. !.l6; 75. 39; 81. 111-43. (The sit U6 tion
in regard to Dlant pl"eparations [discussed belo'WJ is BODlev-ho.t different. )

3Rie !;ls presents a similar- use of "ho\U\dstongue~" though uncertain as to vbethel' it vas B. zoologieal or bot.Qni~al :rer~rence
(ibid. .. coL 73. 11-20 hand Wellttann (nFr05 cb , n col. 119" lines 3-9)
not.es th@' a.ppliea.tion of t.he tongue torn from a livIng frog to e.ssure
that- av:1fl!' spefl.ks the truth (citing DemGCr1tus,. in Plil".y N.H. 32. ~9).
PlJOt1d~6 gives a lengthy procedure f'or catt.dng a thi(!f vhich inVolves

231~

Afri canu50 I 50 Vie....

tadpole is less

obvious~

unna.tura.l or the :rare.

Pe:rh.a:ps it is an eX!Ullple of the use of the

Wh:U~

ta.dpole tongues e.re not quite in the

same e las s as ~'hen' s teeth" (or, f'rog I s nil.ve1), they are

ably leas obvious than those of mature hogs.

onsi de!"-

Canines

Wolves.

Wolves ~ a.lso .. appear f'i rst in the pentagon passages i

in penta.gon seven (nrp 9;

1.

9. 1-.4).

This 'pllS:HI,ge :> involving the

pending of' a wolf" s tail t.o prevent a horse being

r1

Elp-

spooked.," b&s 'been

diacussed pre"iou:Hy, both in connection vitb those pa.ssa.ges and itl

the conside-ration of th@ different 8.r.Jimal parts.

ing

thre~

references overlap to

El considelr'6bl~

'!\To of the re-main-

extent.

They both

presc~1be tbe use of certa.in wolf parts (especially the ast.ragalus.)

to affect the movement.s of horses.

a

COTTUpt pBSSB.g(!',

'VOl VI!S ib

Af'tiCiIllUS Dotes

In mp 10 (I. 10. 1-3, p. 139) .. in

sQ~thing

st~ing horses" but eJ.so in

about the effect of

t!1S.king the-m quicker. 3

For the

an invocation asvell as the giving o~ a pTeparation including frog f

tongu,e. (lines 172-201, 293-303, KenyoD s Groeek. P9:rri, 1:70-11~ 1b).

lSa.r::iu.e-l J. Holmes, ,TIle Biology of the Frog, 4th rev. ed. (New
York; Mac:=millan ComplL.:l'ly, 1938) '!I p. 123, refers to the tongue increa.s!ng greatly in !;Iize, as one or the changes in th@ m.etaJDOrphosis of
the tadpole. Othe~ thtm this t references tb the tongue are absent in
desc:riptions of tadpoles, even in thQ:s:e making sp~C'ia.1ril!ference to
their mouth formations <e.g ... Albert H.a2:E'n Wright and Anne. Allen
Wright, Handbook of Frogs and Toa.d sot the Unit ed States and Ca.nada ~
3d ed. [Ithaca .. .N.Y.: Comstock Pub~ishine: Associates,. a Division of'
Cornell University Press. 19~9J" :pp .b6-19 .. with Pla.tes XI!-xrol).

2"
Above. pp. 211 and. 217.

3The text g1...en by V1eillefond from the MSS reads,: lykos

antipathes hekaste 1sta.ta.l l'=.ai na.rKQ. to pode thatton de e.utOlJ ~hthoni
hypo 1:;"'1'\0"-1 g,igretai. FQllet, toev1ew or-Les Cestes:t pp. 318-~9) suggests transposing and corre-ctillS to; :!yko(u) antiRa(tesas) <chthani;:..
heka,st(Qs} iatatai kai narka. to pede) thatt(o)n d' he.au.tou LchthoniJ

ZOological Passages

235

~at.ter

he then 81ves a regular use of the volf foot or astragalus

(lin~s

3-5), but recammend5 rather the use or the canine teeth taken

from a l i vi ng

...ro}. f

.
(1 i n~Q

5-9).

po ss i oi 1 i ty ~ stayi ng ho1"ses tin

A:fric anUS deals vi th

!I1Ip

18 (I 1.

~ t pp.

th~

other

203, 205).

There

he cites the :hz.sica. of Neptunianu5 as authority for the assertion

that casting the astragalus frmn a volt's :tight forefoot before a
:four-horse team ...1ll bring it to a. sta.nd (linen 1_3).2 From this bi?
generalizes a militar-,f

line slinger-so

a.pplica.t1on~

giving them to some of'the i'ront-

In both passages, the items cited aeem t.o hfl.ve- 'been

fairly . . . .i dely held vieve (at. least in the circles lotith which Africanus
was. familiar) ~ hia contribution bl?ing th~i1" 'practica.l i1 adaptations.
In tht!' :former, he counsels 'Ilorking the tooth into tb.e bl"idle t as a
d~~orution;

in the other, he turns the astragalus

(~ram

a horse-

hYPo lykou Bignetal.

This 1s possible and dOes provide- a meaning for

t.he passage 'Which appears to be not too far from its intent..
The la.t.ter part (only) of tne passage might be C'onst1"ued more
simply by reading thattonte for thatton de (it w.e: ~ou1d assume e...,
Atticiz.ing fom. tha.tt~ for the somewhat rare thasso [this i~ not encouraged by LSJ) s. v. i1eatH'U111J}.. and ichnesi. ror chthani (cf. the
passage from nNeJ>ual1o~n cited by Vieillerond., Lg,s C.e:stes, :p. 352, n.
165 .. concerning II. 4; note also Plint N. H. 28. ~57 (and 263J;
Aelian Up 1. 36). Rut besides leavingt;;he firstptl.l"'t still unclarif'ied ~ this hs.sthe addi tiomLl disadvanta.ge of not providing any
reference to increasing of speed, whit:h is the main point o:f thi:schapt~r.

I er Pliny N.H. 28. 251:10 in sO]!!Jevhat similar terms.

2Cf". Aelian N. A. 1. 36, imme'diately :!ol~Olting the reference

to wolf tra~ks Dot~dabove (second note prec~dinB), but vithoutreference to a foot. IndE!~d:lo A. P. Schol:field translate!:! it Uvertebra"
(A~lian: On the Cha.~a~t~ristit:s of Animal!:!, Loeb Classi~&l L1brary~
3 vols. (Cambridge; Hl!ir'Vard University Pres.!;!., 195B-59; London:
Wil1iB.Il1 He.illemann, Ltd. t ~958-59J .. 1 ~ 55).

Afrief:Lf.Ius's Vie\o'

236

racing trick? ) into a front-lin~ veapon for doing d.ama.ge to the

er3emy on it. large scale.

The other ret'erence to "ilQlves (n:p 1280; L 12. 2o-2'5t PP'

l4i) is of' a ditr-e-:re-nt ne.tur~.

lq5~

The flesh frolll vol:f ribs, preserved

by drying and smoking.. is JDfI.de into a b:roth at'l.d. t mixed vith vin e and

oil,. is used a.s a. yearly veterlne.ry

pnv~ntiv~ med1cine. 3

Presumably

the: p'u....-pose of this vas to transmit the endura.nce (here interpreted as

"diaease resi51tanee t' ) of' the 'Wolf to the pack-animal.

Thus it is

than a magical operation.

Doe; 5

In the pas sa.ge just del 8CU.S sed (mp 12a; I. 12)... th~

pext lines (26-28) suggest an alternative . . the emoking of'the hea.d

ta..~e[)

f'rom a dead, alrea.o..v rotting, dog.

The cure vas to be produced

by "the continuous effluviwn of the odorl'l (ti tes

echei) during the smold!1g process.

chosen f'or any

1nt:r1n~ic

real;lon t

odmeg

apo'phor;. s;Z'n-

Thus th~ dog may not h&v~ bee-n

but :simp1:,' as being a relatively

\li1;hout t.he ea:tli~r contl!'X't, the original application is unce-rtain ~ but the USe of' the term. tet.raOrCS (= ,9"uad.rigae} nuggests
racing rather than va~as ~he more likely.

21n the in.'trodu.et.ion to the latter ~ be also calls attention to

hiBeffort (philoponon) in tlrese-archins" his voyo){. 'l'hus while the
orga.ni~ati-on of 'the K~Btoi is loose 11 it vas 1ntend.ed. as something
more than just a notebook of randomly acquired miscellanies:.
1l

3The use of volf flel3h for this purpose seems not to be otberwi se atteste d + But -volt f1e sb 'Was used for ot her purpos e 8 (e f
Riess, HAberglfl.ube," cols. 81-82; Richter t "Wolf. " <;:01. 910).. arid
Riess e&.115 att.ention to the preserving of a. boiled suckling pup f'OT
veterina.ry use (col. 73, lin~s 53-56 ~ citing Vegeti us 1. 18. 16).

~But Vieillefond calls attention to another use of a dog's

head in the hippiatr1ca {(Oder-Hopp-e~ C.H., 1:136. l~J Les Cl.:!'stes t p,
342, n. 18)~ Plin:y&lso presents a use :for 8. burned dog's head~ but
it is the end product . . the ashes-. which he prescribes {used interna.lly
or ext (!'rn&11j aga.:i D 6 t a maddog 01te t N It. 29 98).
&

&

Zoological Passages
common,

IIlOd~rate-si~~d

o.nimo.L

237

It may a1Eo be noted that it is not

the smoke. but the- smell .. 'Wbic:h is supposed to be efficacious.

The

;relative commonness of' the dog may aleo acc:oWlt for- the prescript.ion
or IlIud me.de fl"OCl f:resb dog (probably

bit.Ch} urine in mp 33 (III. 17.

the c&use1, (1:.0 fl.1t1on synape-

h-6" p. 239) .. for shutting

U])

~leisan~line 6) of' warts. 2

The rea5QIliS

for tbe choice or dog skin

for carl"Yi.ng the vulture eyes to preve:nt ophth:a.1Jnia (mp 23c; III. 2.

24-25,

p. 22'r) , and o:f putting dog's. brains on a bandage to speed.

3
knitting of' a fracture (DIp 32; III. 1.6. 1-2 !o p. 231), tLn.d the use of
:mad dog sal i va to rust gold (mp 4~e;

On the other hand, the reasons

eqU!l.ll) tr-ansptU"'enL

fOT

IX. 1. 15 .. p. 3l1) are not clear.

the remaining canine references arC!

In prooedure 27 (III.

6. 1-3, p. 231), dog's

lCompa1"e the plag:.le in mp 3 and its eJltidote <1. 2. 126-32!o

and p. 123:mg. on line 13~; see above. p. 207, .....ith n. 1" and p. 208).
The exact nature of the malad:;r is pot specifi.ell here. In line 27, it
is udire t' Cdeinos ), while earlier in the pas~age refl!'ren.c:e is made to
dead1.y (thanatesion~ lin~ 16)t and pestilential (loimikon, line 3)
ailments (this last provides another verbal contact. 'With mp 3).
':'

''l'he ani.rtlal is not. given in the text; Vieillefond Buppl.ies it.

from Dim:n~oride~ Eup. 1. 177 CD 168!o ed. W~11.1t1an:nJ10 and Ma.rcelllJ,!;l 19
65 (Le:s Cestes" p. 239 ID8, Md. especially" p. 238; note a). In note
.!o, Vieillefond. coalls at.t~n'ti.on to Pliny (y. 28. 223) who prescribE!s
the use or .ass's urinl!! {with its mud} aga.inst warts. Plin~. . N.g. 30.
81 is more dire-ctly po.rallel: fresh dog urine with its mud CUTeS all
kindl:i of wart.s.

Urine of all t.ypes see-ms to have had a widespread r~putation

in a.ncient medical prtLctice~ as well as in more superstitious b~liefs
(note .. for exa:c':lple, Pliny 26. 65-61 on it.s r~ported na.tural and supernatural uses).

3The common reputation of dogs as "yateh-dogs" might htl.'lfe s.ome

significance in relation to the f'ortDe-r, I!l ba.sically .apotr-opaie function. The latter might be related to the dogis ability to survive apparently Berioufj, injuries. See 8:.lso the use of' brains notl!!d a.bove in
the discU6Siof.l of' hogs (p. 233 ~ esp. n. 1).
'l'hese t'Wo idee.s wouJ.d
make the connection (and the supposed virt.ue or the subatance} doubl J'
strong.

Africa.nus I 8 Vie",.

238

afterbirth t sui ts."bly !lJ'\ointed and cleaned t is

ua~d

as a container

:for the pla.nt p,0+Y13onon ~ as an l!IJI'JU1et to promote easy birth.

Afte-r-

birth would be a natural choice for such a use ~ a..nd that of a. dog

vould be appropriate- from more than one standpo i nt..

The' dog 1 EI- relB.-

tively prolific y and this idea could be strengthened b,y a

of' the came ~;n with the verb

connectio~

go.

Other 1 and animals

prescriptions.

Most are mammals! the ot1)era arthropods.

Arthronods.

Among the artbropads! lice or bedbugs .. levigated

in vine, are prescribed 'for exhaustion Or .orthopnoia of pE!.ck ani.mals

(tDp 12b; 1. 12. 53-51..

p. 149) t or many bedbugs are to be tak~n for

asp bite (mp 30; III. 22. 1-2! p. 241), or may be 't..15ed 'With tortoise

urine in an external !lpplica'tion (ibid.

tions~

line!a ]-4}.

These prescrip-

especially the la5t t have close 'Parallels in ancient sympatbetic

medical idea.s.

Richter cites several passages sUPIX>rt.ing the reputa-

t.ion of bugs as an antidote !'or poi:i:iOnloespecially that. of" the

III!l;.Sp, n

including the uae of the- bedbug '!With tortoise blood or urine. 2

l{olle

of Richte-r 's eX8l!Iples quit.e matches the use for exhaust.ion or Gtrthop-

~ .. but s.everal of" the!D hl!Lvt!' various. points of simils:ity. 3

1

Pliny also prescribes

purpose (~. 30. 123).

&

use of dog afterbirth for the same

Hyan2e~ n coL 82:4; Pliny cites the :Magi as authorit.ytha."t

tortoise urine yag specific for asp bites, made more e~ficacious if
bugs (cimi c i bus) were adde d (~. li. 32 . 3L L

3 Ibid.; note the use in human =edicine fOT lethaTgia (taken

vith ~t(!:r); or their use (drunk in a. ....ariety of liquids; smoke inhfl.1.ed; rubbed &round the nogtrils) &ga.inst leeches in t"he throats of

Zoological

239

Passa~e5

Psel1us says t.hat AfricanuB relates

8.

cer-t:a.in

wond~r

(pfl.l"a-

doxa,.) relating to scorpions {mp 4~g; IX. 1. 16-11 J p. 317)" but there
is no fUrther evidence to indicate even v'hat type of passage 1"t vas.
Ma."'llmEI.ls.
ric6nus~s

Numerous :ma.ItlJ:::Jals bl!!sides the canines appea-r in AfBat~~

procedures.

the only ones exteneively

discussed~

have

been mentioned a.lreB.dy~ in the penta.gon pfi5sa.gee (pentagon nine, mp

158,.).

The otherme.rntnals appear only brie"fly ~ most in only one pro-

cedur~

eo..ch.

wax from 'the right ear of an a.ss

'They are ~

(mp 26;

I!. L 1; one ingredient of e. sleeping 'Potion in 'Wine); a. deer antler

pt:mda.nt (mp 21; II. 10. 1-2 ~ p. 211; a. veterinary apot.ropa.ic:);

or ~ alI skin (mp 23b; I I r. 2. 11 ~ p. 221; t.o hold the g",rallov

'h" ' 1 ac t1. C B.gfU.ns
., t
prop.......

f'awn

gtOI!l4:!

- epsy;
) U
.
I ivel" or ash es, ( mpp 22 an d
hedgehog

~p~ I

a::.iJl".a.16. Richter traces the :rationale for this 'Droc~dure to the repu1si ve sm-e-IJ. of the bugs (ibi d. ~ 1 i nes 62- 66 ) (~~i th thi s compare the

Totted dog's bead ia mp 12a [Vi. I. 12. 26-28J L

IThis could cover anything from a procedure against scorpions

(such 8,S Africar:.us gives in tnp 3'1) to tales about scorpions {such as
t.hat of: their communication and [!J"'lltual help recounted by ;>oCle of the
fatbers [e. g., Clem.. Al. Strom. l~ 21/1 43),. as \fell ~!J seculor vriters).
(See Chapter IV fer a pr~s~nt2.tio[] of' Clement and the s)'st.em of citation of his vorks,)
2Hopfner characteri~es the ass as being regularly r~g&rded
aa an l!lJlillla.1 of Hu."1heilvoller ~ja.cht.eu in a.ncient sU})e:rsti tion and
magic ('tz-1ageia/' PW .. l~~pa..-t l (1s;t28}: col. 318~ lines ~3-44}.

3ef. Geoponica 16. 1.. 17 and 16. 3. 6 ~ both as from 'Aps~rrtus.1

4neer and cattle' suOst.B.nces were used in va:riou's &pot.ropail:: or

preve:ntiv.e procedures (cf~ Riess~ nAb.e-r'glaube .. " colg. 72 and 16}. The
speeifiea.tion of the young animal might 'be in SJo"1llpat.hy vit.b the prob-

able youth~U1neSB of the victim at the first appearance or the dis~ase

(or or the sour!: e 0 f the stone s ; nestl in gs ); though it might not be
especially significant. Diosco1'1dee (!1:.1:1. 2. 56) ~ a possible source
o:f this pe.&SS.g~, -does not specify this element (see the discussion
under "Fowls t" belO\ol',. noting that this pa.ssage is not regard.E!das

certainly

au~hentic

by BJorck).

Afr1~anUS'5

View

30A; III. 1 and 12, pp .. :225 and 235; :for elepba.."1tiasis &nd dropsy);

pig

m&!"rov~

especially the spinal (mp 25. III . .4. 9-1.1" p. 229; an

o.lternative Bubstance to res-tore the virility of

B.

horse): hare's

blood {mpp 4~a and ~5; IX. l. :4 and 4.3" pp. 317 I!lnd 321~ to produ.ce
- ,,2

B. mal~~;

1e excret10ns
.
(mp Jc~k; IX. 1.. 32-34; to cause human

~a~t

elimination

!!i.S

a practical. Joke); a.nd bear pUdenda, and ot.her ani-

mals{' (On) (mp 44n; IX. 1. 37-38; "marvelou$ helps").

Four procedures

uti1iz~

or more specif'i.eally in at least

The second of the

(.mp 2;, 1. :2, p. 119 mg)

mi ght be

8.

thr~e-

\fe-50

whEtt are- pr-obably fl.quat1c 8.."1icals,

thr(!~

of' them mfl.rine anime.1s.

animals said to be in pent.e.gon t",o

tbe pbysa or "river" PhYse.los.

toad of some sort ae, di s cuss ed above ( "_hib1a.ns ,. ) 'i

it might be an aquatic

or

somE! sort.

OJ"

If it is the la.tter .. it might

be either a. "puffer" 01' som.~ tY'P-!- of medusa.

ers"

This

Va.rious types of Ifpu.t'.f_

(TetraodQntidae)" most. poisonous to some extent:lo are f'ou.'ld

around 'the globe.

Ont' eo pee ie-s, the Tetraoc('m tahaks." inha'bi ts the

lAelian N.A. 14. ~ (liver for elephantiasis); Pliny N.H.

30. 105 (dried flesh for dropsy}.
2The na.tural prolificness of the hare would sUggest its use to
14~4i6; per contra. t DiosoCorides
(~. 2. 19J preecr1be51 its renniE!t. as So cOlltraceptive L
Why it vould
be e,p~ci:fic:ally connected to the 1>roductiQT\ of fa. :male is unclear" but.
Pliny prescribes tb~ eating of significant parts of it by the \.I'oWl.n
for this purpose (~.H. 28. 248).

prOl:1lot@ C'oncl!:ption (as . . I!:.g., Galen

3 pres uma.bly by some

typ~

of' "sympatbet:s.c n connection.

(1LA.. 3. 18) dt!Ei~r1bes a. 'Poisonous fish. p1"'Jaa1os,

:fQund in thE;! Red Sea, which puffs itself' up. A 1''Pu:rfer'~ might be
intended. but many of' the d~tailB seem unrelia.ble.

4Aelian

Zoological PaBsages

24l

Nile and thua would tit Afri canus I B adj ectiyes potami os 10 li t~.ra.llj'

Severnl, &pparently llX>re poisonoUB t

globe' 8.1"e utili1.ed in Ja.pa.n

1~or

speci~5

on the other

the: preparation of

sid~

~ st~,

of the
a highly

regarded ~ but de..')gerous ~ dish. if t.he tisb &re icproperly prepared:

the poi son i nvol v~d ,. t et rad.oxin s survi ring the cookj n g pro(: es s. 2
t~rnately, !:l'I~1me

type of:

~dusa

may be: the animal intended.

AJ-

Roulin

suggests this t specifically the PhysaH.a t or Portuguese man-of-var.

The re~nJJ.t5 portrayed by Africanus (L 2. 91-98) have some s1Inilarities to there~rult5 of an attack by-tbis organism {and 'thus might have
'b~l;!n a5sum~d

ally).

11

f"or its properly prepareli re:m.ains.

~inistered

intern-

WhElte'l.er the ~o:t'rect identifica.tion of the creature, the roe-

s.ults promised f'rom the procedure seem to be based

view of its natu::oally poisonous

n.at'W:'~,

Of]

I!md an e-Xpl!ctlltion that they

could be "captured" and trBJl.snri.t.te-d,. in a.n tJ.ugD1~!1t.ed

proper utiliz.&tion.

As

an exaggeratE!:d

fOnD. t

'by their

no'ted in the previous discussions of thiel, pro-

cedure, this is not necessarily magical or even Buperstitious, but

~1lysa

(citing Strabo

1.s used of a Nile fish .according to LSJ ~

4~ and AthenaeU5 7. 312'b).

So

.v. ",OO"a"

17. 2.

'"'
&::Fran~ Y.,rapp'll "Puffers ~ rl Grzimek l 5,. 5; 252. Th.is poison, how'ever'll i5 very potent and relatively quick acting t killing by :r~:spira
tory pa:ralysis through depression of" the respira-tory center of the
brain (ibid.).

3 In Vine ent s ttNot1 ces sur tro! B manusc ri ts ~ n p. 562. lie also
regards them as the creature described b:;r Aelian (3+ 18) ~ but thi 8
identification seems harder to hB.r1ll.onize with the deacription than &
puffer + (Or Is Aelia.n perhaps conflating a description of the
physa.lia vi th the effe'c:ts of' eating 'the puff~:r' Who vou1.dattempt to
eat a physalia? Also. Aelian deacribes them as a Red Sea fish t but
t.he phxsal ia occurs e.lso in th~ Medi t.l!rranean, )

4
Conversely. the description of the s'Welling or tbe body
could be connected to 'the puffing up of the body of tne puffer when
disturbed.

Afr i canus I' S Viev

more ltd sdi l"ec ted ingenuity in the phy9 ic a1. ("s c::i ecti fic H 1) realm..

The other tbree- creatures al'e all

marin~

types and ca.n be

identified fairly confidently t at least by zoologica.l ord-l!l" (or sub-

order).

The first is the: sting-ray, 'Which .....a s 6rIciently credit.ed

'lrlth the

]:iO'We-l"

Africa-nus. a'tt:r-ibutes to it" the use of its sting in

killing treeS ([except apple] mp 17; II. 3. 2-4 .. p~ 203; cf. Aelian

N.A. 2. 36; 8. 26; and Pliny N.H.

9~

155, 32. 25).

The fish,

echeneIs t or remor~.. so called because it supposedly held ships

~
.
1
.la.st. hinderl.. ng them, thereby acquired a repute for holding other

This includes its uses for prevent.ing mis-carriage and pro-

things.
It!Oting

concept-ion

~ents (mp

of

8.n

a9

reported by Africanus in the- veterinary frag-

29; III. 8, pp. 231" 233).

The final item is the rubbing

animal with I:t18J1ge vith the body of a Bea urchic,J (probably 50m.e

species of E~hinidae) to produce soundness (mp 31; III.

15. p. 237}. 3

All these itetIlS,. if magical at all .. 'Would seem to fall into

the category of nature magic (magis, ns.turalis) 10 not the indire-et ..
daemon i c:> type.

s~ procedure~

or noted above:

involving

fow~1~

have alresdy been discussed

4

1IIP 23c" part ri dge ga1..l", and 'Y'U.1t ure geJl and eye 5

Arist. H.A. 50S

19 (2. 1h); Aelian

~+ 1.

36 and 2. 11;

Pliny N.H. 32. 2.

2Cf . Pliny N.H. 9. 19; 32.

(or, easing childbirth, ibid.

3Cf. Ae1ian ~. lh. ~ (a..lso Pliny N.H. 32~ 61:

.1 cum ea.rni bus Bui s crf:!:t'!19. t i
. .n )
~

its ash i

See above 10 p. 218" no 2" re partridge a.nd vu1 ture gB.ll.

UBe of appropriat.e vulture parts in such procedures would see-III.

The

Zoological Passages

24)

as opht.hfJ.1lnics; DIP 38n., het.! l:s bro.im. for poisonous bit.es;

swan

testic1e~

a5

8.

mp

~O:t

colonic.

Africanus proposes two methods for capitalizing on the

vir~

tue, a.nd vi ctory ~ of c-haJnpion ga:tIle-c oc:ks {DIp J.; 1. 3" pp. 1250, 12~n.

The one suppos.es the power to, lie in

c~rta.L.":I

stones found in the

13i~-

z,a.rds of the eocks vhen sacrificed .. rathe-}- than in the cock itself.
These stones were customarily 'Worn .. by soldiers and

amul.ets

or under the tongue; Africa-nus' 5 ovn

suggestion of" a more secure method

bJr svulo\,"ing it (line 11).

or

prepared~

~ontri'but.ion

is the

carrying the stone--apporl!'ntly

lli

is eaten by the

skeleton vhole. and then burning it+ 3

lie in th.e cock itself.

con~estant..

The

keeping the

This ritual, which 'Would seel!l

to be intended to keep the virtue inta.ct,. resUlts in the:

the bird's invincibility to the man. into whom he hag

wise (lines 12-17).

in

The ather method se~ to operate on an

opposi,te ass.umption:> that the virtue

cock; suitably

conteste.nts~

These two procedures; vhile

tranB:f~r

moved~

of'

virtue-

i~con:si.stent with

natural in viev of' its repute for disto.nce Bnd sharpness of sightPliny st=ems to ilJIply such a. rationale for the use of eagle ga.ll a.t
the beginning of N.H. 29. 123.
lBot n Hopfuer

(nM~1! ia t n col. 317) and Ort h {PI thUl11; I'

pw..

8.. ;plrt. 2 t

coL 2533} call attentIon to the signif'icance or the chicken ~ or at

least the cock" in prot.ective magic (esp. in hea.~ipg; col. 2533).

For chicken brtJ.in, note Nic6nder Ther. 551~58~ 562-63 b1Jter membranes
in wine) and Pli ny .li.Ji. 29 78 (in wi ne; Qr hen brain on 'Wound).
2

Pliny cites this as the practice of one notable champion)

Milo of' Crotona (N.H. 37. l44}.

3et . the partial parallels in other ritua.l contexts = e. g ..~

the burning of the remains-of Jewi sb BB.crif"icial fea6ts t ~sp@~iall)r
the P6..s.sover lamb (Exo. 12: 10). and the maintenance of vhol~ness of
the bones (though 1ndividually~ not 8.S a vhole skeleton) (Exo. 12:46 . .

as well as in the lforse tal es of ThQr I IS goats).

Af'ri canus 1 S Vie'iot

each othl!l" in their

vi~.s

of

vhe-~e-in

the virtue la.y., operate on &

a ilni lar- ~"eontagio-w; magi~" princlple.

They aSS\m:Ie some 80rt of

ptphysical" transfer of -the virtue to t.he one vho uses 'the power
Bouree in an appropria.te ms.nner ~

1.

Stone-s from bi~d t s g1 :uis:rds a1 so appear- in Mother po.i r 0 f

procedures ~ mp 23 a and'b (III.. 2. 11-1.9).

They follow a paragraph

d@'seribing the supposed origin and pOller of the "SwaJ.low-plant. 11

(chelidonion L

and thus presumably !'e.re~ to svallow9 also .. though

the sources e.re referredtQ only ~

"spring nestlings' (lin-e 15).

r1

n@st11ngs' (line 11) and

In thef1rst procedure," t'Wo stone!:!,

identified a.s being white and black ~ 2 found llhen the birds are opened
wi. th a. sharp reed,

&l"e used as an ophthalmic pendant.

This use re-

quires the sacrifice of a vhite dove., and the invocation of Aphrodite,

then tbe enclosure of tbil!" stone in a gold. oe'cklace ~

Th~se

a.ll suggest

1This passage tLl10ws Afric:anus se-veral rhetorical flights.

that concerniog the cock as ~essenger~ not only of d~y.
but of coming victory (linl! 15). It is also augmented by a. sui table
Irhistorical u prec:eodent. for both procedure-s: The1!listocles'victory
over the Persia.ns {lines la~21). 'l'his last is also presented in So
sui tably rhetQric"al manner.
e~cially

:;'ollOVing Vieillefo:nd' 51 interJ)retation; the references ~1ju1d

conceivably be to their being found in both color sval10vs (see
Goss ~n.. "Schwalbenund Segl er; M pw s IIA, part 1 (1.921): col. 169 ~
coneernins vhite as vell 8.5 the usual ble.ck [and 'Whi t~J swallows,
Aelian reports 10 Eie~ond-htLtId ~ the e;J:isti!nce of the foraJe:r [.!L.A. 10.
34 And 11. 20 J ).

3An example or the 8.voida..'lce of the use of iron? Cf. Bjorck,

ttApsyrtus .. t1 pp. 58-59 .. and Dela.tte (Her'barius 1:2<1 ed., 1938J ~ pp. 1333~) there cited; also Riess .. JlAberg1a.ube1o" cola. SO-51 (iron neutr-al.1zes ma.gic},and 1::01. 73. line 11 (&n ex.a.mple from Pliny N.H. 24. IT1).
b

The ~o.llov being dedic&ted to her {along vith other house-

hold gods}

(Ae-1iM N.A. 10. 34; this. and other references in GOfisen"

"Schvalben und Segle;::rr col. 175}.

On the re-lation of the dove and

2!~5

Zoological Passages
a ma.gi.caJ. (Bnd otherwise nOll-Christian) procedure~
s~ems.

to arise from the nature of" the stone &Id its

invocation 0 f' a Bpi ri t

mag i c 1

50urce~

but

th~

(Aphrodite) k.4!4!'P s i t from being purely n&ture

Th(! next puagraph (DIp :2Th; II r. 2. 15-19 )

:from another source,

The power still

co~s apparently

and tbe procedv.re fits in only by virtue of the

rl!'te-re'nee to the stones.

The source of the stones here is more s.pe-

c1fie~ th~ spring ne5tlings~3 the stones a~~ id~ntified as variegated

and cl ear in color 't and the use is di fferent" to CUTe or- 1.es s~n
..

epilepsy

J~ (

the preceding and following paragraphs,. and the chapter

Aphrodite .. see H. Hubert:l' I~agia.,." in Dietionnaire des antiquites

ID"ecgues et rOll'.iaines,. ed. Ch. Dare!:nb~rg and Edl:i. Sagllo" 5 volE). in
10 (Paris: Librairie He.chet.t~ e-t Citt., 1877-1919), vol. 3, part 2., p.
1520 (first col.)!1- citing Pap. Paris. 2891, and Pap. V. 1:. 91; VII. 2.

lIt should be not.ed that this is one of the hippiatri~a passages w:hi.cn BjQTCk does not inclua.e in his prQbe.b~yAfricania.:a list
("Aps;:,"rtU!;l:' pp. 15-16). The references to the sa.crifice and to
Aphrodite IIrlght support this (but note the referencE!' to sacrificing
[though not a part. of the proced:ure] in the last passage d1scuseed,
mp ~,Vl.
I. 3. T Cbut 'Wi th same textua.l U!lC E!!'tainty} }. ( Compare
also his mention of sacrifice to Poseidon-'J"ara.xippo& ~ which ia auper~ededb1 his ovnprocedure in mp 11 CI. 11. 16-18, p. 141).) While
Africanus I s literary embellishmenta also include mythological items,
his a.voidance of religious references (cf. Les Ceste.s., pp. 56-58}

ale 0 a:ppli e s large1:,' to pagan re 11 gi oua acts.

This passage would appear to be one of those that had it6
origins in human medicine (fe",.r horses. or s.imilar animals. WQruldrate
a gold necklace). This also llouJ.d argue against the accuracy of" the
Al"'ricani an 1I.t tr.ibut. i on (see above,p. .220, n. ~). (See the further
diacussions under nRites. tt a.nd 'IGods a.nd Daemons .. 1 below.)
2'In this case .. poasi"bly Dioscorides M.M. 2. 56 (ed. W~11m!!.rm) I
Bource lying behind it . . used also by Pliny (}L H. 30. 91), and
othere-. V1eillefond (Les Cestes, :p. 356 .. n. 186 {giving the DiQs~orides
ref'erence as 2. 60J) and Gosse-n (rrSeh'W'alben una Segler,." cola" 773-7 L..
and 769) cite thE!s.e end othe-r rttferen-ces.

or

fI.

~loscoridea BayS,.

'Ilh i ch GYallovs produC' e in

8.

"the first batching .. " i.e., of the t'W'o broods

year (Gos sen, nSc:hwal ben und Segle r ." c01.

169) .
h
Thi s passage also VQuld seem to derive froPi human medic:d.nl!'

ti tIe J cone ern the Ery"e-s}.

The procedure :for us ing them i

also di f-

the stones are not to toucl1 the: eaxth {a, common magical or

ferent:

superstitious proscription)t

skin {Diljsco1"ides:

1 they are to be bound in f&Yn or ~al~-

heifer or deer)) lIJld this must be: done durirlg the

beg! nning fLnd increasing phas II!

of the moon. 2

C1"OV fat in heated ~ine (with hedgehog ashes as an alternaFres~rib~d for

tive) is

Goose fat is. to be used

dr0P5Y of an animal (mp 30A; III. 12, p. 235}.

a~

an ointment to secure thE! conception of a

t'e!Il!l1e hnpp h480 and ~5; IX. l . 4 t a.nd 4. 14; the counterpart of the
h!lre's blood for production of n male noted above}.
:Iti!l.l'1jo'

Goose fat had

use5 in Greek and Roman Wl"iters t especially in the treatment of

female problems. 3
ass oc;: i ation vtth
s~ecific

These fit yell vith the goose' s.

WIDen ~

So

.closer

and it:$ aphr.odis iac c onpect iO.l:H;~ - but not its

use in Afrlcanus.

element in

~enera.lly

Indeed. Galen

1nclud~s

goose fat as one

l>repe.ra.tion :for the conception of a male. 5

(and thus may be non-Africanh.n).

the chapter; note.

e.g.~

the

us~

The same may be true of' tbe rl!!'st of

of partridge bile in Galen (see above).

lef. ~ C!. e: ... Riess. 'Aberglaube .. 1. col. ~4, lin~s 32-37"10 vith numerous I!xamples fol1owing~ cols. 61... 63 .. 64 1 73 1 75, 79 t 80 ~ 82 (all :from
F1it:ly); Lynn Thorndike. Hi5tor' of _
ic: and hDerimt!!ntal St:ie-!i~Ct B
vol s . (NeW' York e..nd London: Colull:ibi e. Uni veTS i ty Pre sa, 1923- 5 . . 1: 19.

.2

e...

I.
phase of the

a.pparently at the nev moon t or in the f"i r s t ~ 'Waxing 'I

(whether quarter ~ third t 01" half); e f. Foll4rt, re..... i e'W

moOT!

of Leos Cestes. p. 319., n. 2'10 contra. Vieillefond, Les Cestes, p. 356, n.

187. The 5igrJificanc~ of the l:IOon phase 'Would likely be bece.use of the
supposed JDOon rell!!:.ted

Or ~4w:;ed

nature: of the ma.lady being oppose-d.

301ck 11Gans t" F'W, 7 t part 1 (1910): cols. 119-20.

4
Thid. lI cola. 1'29-30.
5
.
Ed. K"uhlh 14;416;

to be u.se-d by the fel:llJ3,.le? (cf. the veterinary eoncep~ion-promoting pessarY . . ~hich contains bQth goose fat and

Hwnan

Substances

On the whole,.. theae ref"e:renees ha,ve a. distinct magieal

tion.
tion

This connection is
0

genera~ly

to r'nature magic ~., vith

f the i nvc<: at ion 0 f Aphrodi t~ .

t.h~

This l.at te r, however ~ is

what out of character with Africa-nuB 't 5 other

eonne~-

excer-

SOlllle-

magice.l 1 procedures,

and f'urther ~ is one of a nUlllber cfpasaages ","hQseA:fricania.n authen-

ticit;1,r is suspect. 1
HUIi:l.fln Substances
The

e8.llu.s' i;

nIDJIb~r 01'" C)ccurren~es

pl"oce-d'ltl"e~

is

of use of bum.a.n substances in Afri-

extrem.~ly li.mited~

and even smne of th-em are of

questionable authenticity.
According to Riess. spit and
aJ.ly po,,"Terful of h1JJl1a.fi Subs'tMces. 2

urip~

are among the most

The :former

DcCurS

t:lagic~

in mp 6 (1. 5.

;;; an ac compan1::nen t 0 f the sJ)ells in the 11hoplocri sma" r it uo.l )

hare rennet (among other thingsJ in Hipp. Cant. 10. 14 (Oder-Hoppe.

C.H. :?:1~~-~51). But the goose fat might. simply be the ttvehicl.e l1 in
GeJ.. en 1 s recipe. vitll. the other ingredient. ~ tu-rpentine, the e.ctive one.
IThis is not a case: or ruling out disr-uptive

evidence~

since

the passage is sus:pect on other grounds.: le.ek of' posit.ive Afrieanian

chEJ.i"tu::te-ristir:s (SE!:-e- .aJ6rck t "'Apsyr-tus, 11 pp. Ib-18) ~ a.nd transfer of:'
a (series of) prescription(s) (i.e. J most Qf" the items in III. 2)

from. hwna:n medil::ine (e-sp. Galeo), to hippiatr1ca. (c:f. Bj5rck" "Zum

Corpus Hippia.td.C'orum,11 pp. :U, ~o-4~1. rt IIIi ghtbe B..!"gued tbat AfriCanU5 was the medical sourc so converted. but this is unHkely
since Bj5:rCk t s analyses shm., that the redactor here used

8.

sO'l..a"'ce

which ha.d us.ed the major medical V1"1ters of th~ tittle (A@tius, P8.ul.los~
Oriba.sius, ~tc.) directly (ibid.]I pp. 32-hO).
2

.
..
.
Ril!'ss, '1Ab~!'"glaube't 11 eols. 85. 2:2-26; 86. 25-1.19) 61. 67-88.
hI; also, Bjorck, 'IApsyrtus, U pp. 57-58. On th~ use of animal \U"ine t
see above cone erni ng .l1Ipp 33 and 36 (us e 0 f' dog and torto.i:e eo urine).
The use of human urine as a medical substa:n~e continues d.o\m to modern
times; note the use of it in a mu.d plaste:r .for a wound by Tom Joad in
Jolm Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath (:Nev York~ Th.~ Viking Press]o 1939
(reprinted 1966J)~ chap. 16 (po 235).

Af'ricEUlU5' s View

24B

though it is

act of spitting rather than the spittle that appears

th~

to be significant there.
&1

infant.

Urine of a

potent kind." that of

occurs in. a. quest ioned p a.ssage t m:p 23e (III. 2. 32-31 }

e-ye-sa1ve)~

the greatest

SiClilarly,. urine of s. child is adt!Jinistered

~g~icst poisonou~

in vine

~pe-cially

bites (mp 38b ralso questioned]; III. 32.

ll-12, p. 251 L

Another potent

me.t~!'ial \lB.S

menstrual

negative or destructive uses. 2 According to

blood~

trip

the smoke] f'rom a ~nstrual rag injures horses.

generallJr for

lIb (1. 11. L2- h 3);

On the positive side.

a virgin cou.1.d use: he"!' girdle to ewe a hor-ge suffering frOlll

('!!:IP 30; III. ll).

dysu:r~L

This usage .. which is also of disputed a.uth~nticity..

is discussed :f'urt.her below. undeT "Other Factors" (10051ng)

or nRites. tl

Plant PassBges
The number or pla.nts mentioned by Africa-nus in his, various

procedure!;! far exceeds the number of' Bnimals named

passages
fOTlD.-er

~lasse-d

~ase.

1,

The -pum'ber of

as magical,. however, is :much smaller tban in the

This rtJay be somewhat the

r-~sult

of .a double st&Iltlard

lE;jarek., "Apsyrtus." p. 58; s-e4! tLlso Pliny N.H. 26. 65-67.

~gpeeially

65.

Riess ..

uAberglaube~n

(:ols. 85 . .41-86. 20.

3r-o!" other uses of Bm.ak.~ see the discussion above-(pr 207.,

...nth n. It and p. 206 11 'With n. 2) of mf' 3 :mg. s 'With its apparent refl@ction in mp ~41 (s~ke and i~~ense vs. plague}, and of mp 12a
(rott~d

dog's head" to Telieve

suffering horae) (Bbove~ p. 237 t n.

1)+ Th~se uses are ba.sica.lly apotropa1c; but apotropaics b:,' their nature are eome",.hfl.tneBative~ protl!'cting by countering some 'threat.

~A

sim11tsr disproportion is noted in Pliny by W. H.. S. Jones,

.rpopul,g,:r' Me-Meine in Ancient ltaly,. n in Pliny. Na:tural Hi story, trans.

H. Rack-ham, et al., Loeb Classi(:al Library. lOvols.

Harvard University Press~ 193B-63), 8 (1963): 513.

(Cembridge~

Plant Passages

but if

those

so~

it results from an attempt to restrict the discussion to

passag~s

zoological

lih1ch are :f'airly clearly magica1.

In the CfLse of the

l!Llmost a.l.l t.he procedure-s 'Were included .as po-

pB.55ages~

tential1y :magical; signfficflDt medical products fr'oo animal sources

are not a,s abundBJlt

fL.S

botan:5. e e.1 one 6 31 and are 'USually the produ.ct or

rather complex development and/or extrac:tion

1
procedill"~s.'

n'l..n&erous chem1ca:L sUbstances of medical aigni:f'icance

ream1y usable form in various plants.

their popularity in ancient times,

dow"n to 2IlOdern times t

:2

.e.r~

In contrast.

found in

This is evidenced not only "by

but by

their continuation in use

not only in the uherbals ti (which a.re experienc-

ine: sC4nethi ng of a re'li val of pop'Ul ari ty in Tee el1t year $

but. al S0

in their scient1fic~ ~edicina1 der1vativ~s.3 For this reasOn t only

those procedures which use

p~ants ~hose

supposed virtue seems clearly

based on some association of its n.a.me- or externa.l appeuance. or the

u.s~

of vhich tnani:f'ests other magical

cha.ra.cter1stics~

a:re considered

here.
1

As. for example 7 the e~raction or insUlin from animal pancreaSeS, and the production ~~d extraction of v~ious vaccines and
antive.nins. This is not a ur,d versaltruth t of ~ourse t some treatments.
such as the u!;Ie of TrIilk to soothe ulcers t require no specira.l prepa.ration~ only the recognition of their valu~ (cfa also the second note
following)
2

Perhaps e.lso partially 'because the misinformation in the area.

of plant culture and u.se we-a better orgattiz.e:d and preser'l,{ed (fIJld thus
more HrespectableH,?).

3Note for example .. Heber W. Y'OU1:lgk~n .. '1'ert Book-of P~&~ac0.a

ed." rev. and enL; Philadelphia: P..Blnkiston's Son&: Co .
1936). This work devotes one -chapter each to drugs of' 'Vegetable .a.'1d
of' animal origins. Chapter one~ uDrugs of Vegetable Origin~t1 covers
pag~s 51-811 10 'With chapter t'ilot"Drugs of Animal Orisin~1t occupying
only page-s 812-51'. In both ~h8.])tel"s. hovever ~ the mB.nner of use is
largely ~xpressed in termS of derived p:reparatiofHl rather than of th{!'
crude d.r'ugs. This shif't in DitlJ'lner of use correlates vith the medical
terminological shift from Hms.te:r1a medical! to "pharmacology."
nosy

(~th

250

Polygons and ancient medicanl.ents

'Two 01" the pRss6ges referring to the geometric figures, pcnt.e.gon ej,ght (mp l~&;

I. 11. l7-3D, pp. l4l" 143) .and t"he surviving

hexagon reference (heXB.80n seven,. mp 41; III. 36. 4-6, p. 255) .. in1
volv~ plant s

In the i'onner passage ~ any magi cal connec ti on is in

th~ use of the pentagon,. the drug specified, euphorbiU!!l

{~.lEhorbia

resiniferaL being capable of producing the resUlts promised.

tbe latter" the

c~e

is not so clea.r.

In

Since the plant (osprion,

"p'Ulse ,.1. ".a. legu:ne~') cannot be identified .. 1ts actual effectiveness

cannot be judged; but A.f1"ice.nus, at

lea5t~

Beema

to regard it as a.

natural" physical result, since he presents a rationale

~Qr

itsopern-

lIn addition, pentagon four {mp 5; I. 4. B-ll) involves some

unkno",-n GUbstfLfice which cou,ld be botanicaL

ct.
7l.

280 identified by MSS V ~d D, Vi~ p. lq3 mg~ r~ I. 11. 27;

che..p. 9" line 3 in .Jules Africain (e.pp. l)~ p.

algo~ 'tS~tlloge~"

3See DtArcy 'Wentvorth Thompson, HAncient Chemical Warfa.:re~"

Cla.s So i cal Re"V'i. ew 41 (1933) ~ 171-12. Thol::lpson. sugge st 1;1 that as a
pr?-ctical lL'Elsu:re the drug '[r..ust hO'...e 'b~en puffed in pmtdered form ..
rather tban squirted in liquid form.. (H~ illustrates its usage in
this form by certain lines from Rabelais) concerning one t Monsieur

Panurge. )
4Vi e:ille:1"ond, Les Ceste!3~ p. 255, lines 6-Tr ItPor scar:ring!
ulcerating by t.he blEning,. it yields 'White hair. U Whethe=- this i$
s.upposed to occur from the residual heat (the puJ.se 'Was to be ","ell
boiled a.nd plB.6te-r~d on), or frotll something (perhaps an e.~id? > in
the plant is not specified. It is diff'icult to il!l~ine 8. plant sub~t!3.J1ce V'i. th a. high enough specific heat; to ei'fe<::t B. resul 1;. similar to
B. red-hot 'brandi:ng iron; but if the plant is a legtmle" in tbe modern
sense~ none or the~ ~ould seem to have ~ 5u~~iciently aetive nature 7
acid or oth~~is~, to effect such a result.
In 8. :passage appee:ringl!'il:.r11er in the hi~piatTi(:6. excerpts
(Vi., III. 13. 5-6, p. 235)" Africanus prescrib~d boiled squill
(with vinegar and pumice? Cline 5J) to piodu~e a white coat. If' this
~ould be the plMt intendedti t might produce sonlething like the

251

Plarl t f'a3 sages

Even among 'thOse- p!l.ssae;es

if.l8y

piC'K~d

out as most magical a.ppear-

number seem to be at v.'Orst examples

fI.

of~

or variations on, ir-

:r6.tional connections in ancient med:ical practice. 1

are:

mp 23e (III. 2~ 32-31 .. p~

The tva ,c:learest

227), the "greatest" (ouden de meiz,ollli

line 32) eye-5al,... e~ compO.':ied of' i,vy root and infant. urine, combined
.-i th verdigris from the exterior of its copper eontain~r after it had

been b'lll"1ed in horse manure for LO da.ys;

and nIP 25 (III. J~" p. 229) s

stat@d resUlt. Accordi.ng to Grieve, the jui~e of the squill .. vhich

containS a signiticat.lt calcium ox.a.1ate cOtrJponent .. is hi@hly irritant
to human s k.i n (Mrs. M[ o.udJ Gri eve t A Modern Herbal.. ed. lJar s. C. 1" +
rHildaJ Leyel li 2 vols. [Ne~ York: Dover Publications, Inc+ 1911
{reprinted from the edit ion of Hare ourt ~ Brace.. &. C()Clpany~ 1931) J 11
2=761, secotHl tolum.'1; ~f. also t Youngken y Phtl.!'m!lc06t':0SY, p . It..8L
(There ma:{ be some quest ion 0 f its e ffi cae;:,r, however" since.. unboi.l ed ..
1 t produced the opposite :re sul t, a black color rv 1. ~ II I. 13. 5J
But in the one case it functions as a dye~ in the other as a bleach. )
A.'1other pos 9; i bill ty trdght b-e s orne var i ety 0 f oxali s (vooa
sorrel) ~ the eponym of oxalic acid {produced s~rnthetica11ys i t is
used as e.. bl each.~ metal cleaner ~ etc. ~ in modern ti:me-s}. Th~ruily
is ai~ilarin :o:.any vays to the leguminosae~ vitb seed pods or :eome'ilhat
:similar s.ppearance ~ and B.. slu~tch of tne ha.irj stems of some of i{.s
. .~ariet.ie-s (especially those sometimes separated into the subspecd.es
xaothoxalis) could be mi:staken .for the briars of' a. blackberry (as in
the :mispla.ced gloss:l Vi. 11 III. 36. 6). In the medieval herbal called
"A.gnus Castus," this herb "roatyd on co1 ys lr is credit@'d with the
'Poverto Jrfrete awey dE!d f'lesch. II (Costa Brodin .. ed. y Agzms Castus:
A Middle En,glish Herbal j. Reconstructed :frOID. Va.rious Manusc!"ipts. The
English Institute in the University of Upsala.; Essays ewd Studies on
English Languag~ and L1 tera.ture:l ed~ S. B. Liljegren, nO. 6 nJpsala ~
A.-B. Lundequistka Bokhande1n, 1950; Cope-nhfl.gen~ Ejnar Mu.nksgaard.
19,0; Camb ridge: Harvard Univers i ty Pre 55, 1950 J ~ p . 127 (s. v. "Alle1UYB n ; p. 164 ~ lines 1-6, of Stoc:khoh }ofS X 90~ the publication
1'

base)) .
101" perhaps 'W~ak or unreliable substances aba.ndoned by modern
medicine as usel~ss (or at lea.st not worth furtber s'tudy to see if~
or how they did fulfill any of the ancient claims).
l'

2Though this particular procedure is not. attested elaeil"here li

the key el/!'.Mnts in it are !lot unusual in ancient m~dicine. JV)r,.
vhether common ivy {Reder-a helix) or ground ivy ~GlechOllJa hederace-a),
had an ancient and oontinuing :reputation as a medical herb (c:f. Agnus
Ce.5tUS~ p. 153; MS X:. p. l84't lines b and 15)., including use as an eye:
medica.tion (Grieve,. Modern Herba.]~ 2~442~ ~~3). Ga.len prescribes for

AfTiCaJ1US 1 s View

252

aveet ci<::ely (M;yrrhls odorata) as a restorative of virility to

horses.

Ano-ther might fall into this category exce-pt for ita pe-

culiar lZlanner of use:

as

&

mp L3a {VI,. line 1 . . p. 297; disctlsSl!d below

"Sympathetic" operation} t the prescribed substance, cyclamen,.

having .a recogniz4!d purga.tive effect", and ancient (and/or folk) med-

icine sometimes using externala.ppliclltion to produce inte'rnal operationa. 2

SOJ!:e: other of the prl.!:scription!;l mtly possibly be of

even if

'i/alue~

but

the resUlts promised seem exaggerated (such that if really

SOt

accomplished. it could harilly be regarded as other than El'I8.gicfLl)

IT!

~ere

nd-

mp 12b (I. 12. 53-55), the wine in which the lice or bedbugs

ministered

ttdght

have

~ome

stimulating

~~fect,

while in thealterna-

tive prescriptioo t the barley groats should belp restore the strength

of an exhausted fl.nimal. .. eventual.ly ~ a='.ld the

~oreswhieh

are resistant to

treatm~nt

l"tI..'W'

pi t-ch. (.crud.:!' resin)

a preparation.

prc~uced

from

wine of a child a.nd cOPFer filings produced by '\oI'o.t'king it", over a

period of' days, in a copper mortar with a copper pestle ~ until both
mortar and pestle are vern away and the urine beco~es honeylike {ed.
KUhn t 12 =286-(7) (Gerard r~ports 'Ilhat mJJ.ybe a related pres~ription'"
ground ivy jui~e and veroigris, fOr :fistula.s and hollow ulcers CTP.e
HerbalJ:Io cite-d by Gri eve~ 2: 4 ~ 3).) Thus ~ howE!:ve:r 'We i rd or repul sive
such pr-escripti.otls may be to SCi~llti fic. b~,..gienic moderns ~ thE!:Y are

not therefor-e ;magical.

It maJ~ be noted that this passage: (Vi., III. 2; mp 23 a-eo}

is one of th~ hippie.tr1~a passages \;hose Africania.n status Ila!;!. not regarded as proven by Bjorrt:k (see the discussion above,p. 245~ n. 1).
The whole passage", \lith it.s various prescriptions. seems to be derived

from human .medicine.

~ieillefond r~port5 a similar de-scription of the plant in

Dioscorides (M.M. 1,. 114 C. 115., ed. 'WellmannJ) a.nd Pliny (24. l;Q
B.nd 26+ 108), but giving the virtue of the plant as against 'Phthisis
(Les Cestes., p. 356 .. n. 193L Grieye .irldlca.t~s the reputation of the
pl&nt as an apnrodisiac, as ~ell as a general tonic for old people
Qfl.d adolescent girls (M,odil"!rn Herba.l~ 1 =201-2) .
2

Cf. Pliny

the navel.

..
l:!.J!.
28.

ro3~

volf f

fa.t 'Iofi th ela.terium applied to

Plant

Pas~ages

253

could be of help in c~rta.1n respil"tLto:t'"y p:t'"oblems.

1'"01'

In the treatment

a kic:kirlg mu1e. mp 13b (I. 13. 3-5), the presc1"ipt1on ms:y be some

so,!'t of' 'tranquilizer.

but. even if so ~ theres,ulta could hB.rdly be

e;xpected to last six months.

In procedu;r~ 20 (II. 8 t p. 209} , closing

a 'looound without sutm-es, MriC:fl.nus 8.ppears at first sight to have

too far. even using one of the "code" 'Words

3)_

rOT

gon~

magic, physik-os (line

But thi 9 appearanc e is proba.bly dec ei ving; pbifSl.kos iss eeming1y

used here in the Sense of 'Inatura..l, ,13 and

bu.l"b of the edible type, I'. may have had

th~ s'l1gg~sted remedy ..

vo.lue~

fIe,

ellen if it did not pro-

duce a. miraculous (or ma.gicll1) closing of the wO'U."1d.

The bulb .is

identi fied by And:t'.e as Museari cO!=!osum ("purse tassel.," a. near rela.ti ve

~1tch fro~ various

pines, or its deriva.thres, 6.p:parectly has

some value as .a stimula.ting eJqle~torant (Grieve t }~odern He:tbal" 2 ~ 635
(coL IJ,. and 636 CcoL 2J,1o !;l.v. "Pine t n and "Pin(! U..Q.:t'"chJ.,f See
a.l S 0 Yo~..m gk en. PharroaC'ognosy~ PP' 95 and 1 03 10 S. v. npix :r:.ini U. S . p .
[Pine 'I'ar)" and "Oleu.m pini jJ1.m:dlionis U.S.P. (Oil of Drawf Pine
lfeed1.es J. ,.)

2Boxwood at l(!.'ast (At!'iC!UlU.S prescribes the seed) is said to

be narcotic and sedative (Grieve, ~odern Herbal, 1~121). The other
plant,tribolOs, e81trop, cannot be certainly :identified. :Both the
land (tribulus tel":rest.!""is) and the water (tre.:pa nate..ns) caltrop ;,rere
",ell kno,.rn to: the ancients; theternJ tribolcs ~ould be: Q.pplie:d to
other plant s 0. s ve 11 (see. LSJ. s. v ttl" P tSo)"o s., ) .
It 1s possible that the plants were chosen to!" thi!ir na.mes ..

as implying enclosure (boxing in} or damag~ to the toot (cf. the

rJdlitary caltrop) .. but the ,uanner of USe does not suggest such 8. connection. In viev of Africa-nus's rhetoriC'&l proellvit1e-s, one might
expect such 8. verbal connection .. ev~n if none ~::dst~d in the origineJ.
intent of' the prescription, rather than the reverse.

3As Vieillefond arguea (~s Cestes ~ p. 354, n. 172).

4What is

promised is

be made pose.i ble ~ but not

nh~B.ling by first intention"; this

~a.u.s@'d..

by

6.

good aJltlseptic materiaL

could

of tlgrape hyacint.bltL

by

Vieil~efond e.s

near related to both.' 11" the

the onion t

and garlic is

(III. 32~ 31a-35~

"Yild vine H of mp- 38e

p. 253) is bryony (Bryonia alba) ,li and i.f the appending

{pl!!ri~ptomene}

Is here taken &s referring to binding around the

this could be

vie~ed

vound~

as & medical prescription t being intended as a counterI:

But that invo~v~s a somewha"t extended series of conjec-

irrit&l1t . .,1

tures, ""ith th-e suggested

u.s

of perie:pto rat.her unlikely .

Polygonums and other "s;:.=mpathetics l1

In several procedures, the basis fOT the prescription is

fairl:,' c1ea:r t and c.learly based on the :prim:iple of"
~ost

The
with an

striking of them, mp 27 (TIT . 6. 1-7 t p. 231), begins

etym.o~ogica.1

Les

nS~"r:/j?a.tr.y .. "

Cestes~

'Connection.

Polygonmn ("t:n.tJ.:IlY-Joints"; knotgrass).

p. 208~ ~~d p. 354~ n. li3.

3In addition to the onion' s ancient reputation as .e. near pa..'1acea {ibid.}~ both it and ga.rlic (Allium cepe:. 8Jld A. sativo:E) ha"Ve a
significant antiseptic action 'Ilhich made them of.' ....alue even in I:Iode~n
wars {e ~ g ... 8,S r ec ent ly as World Wa.r I) (Gri eve, Mo dern Herbal ~ 2; 599 :>

e.nd 600,

rI.

1~ 1~31.12-4~;

E. p~ Dutton &

CO'

bsvid Conwa.y,. The Magic of He-rbs [New York;

~973],

p. 1(9).

See also PliJ1.:tr 8 d(!sC'l"'iptions of' t.he value of various bulbs.

(onions" leeks i "red bUlbs, n and bul1:)ine) in !:Jir 20. 39!; 47, 103,
and 107 ~ as vell as anilIJ8..l-proo.ucts valuable for similar~. . closing
vounds (eartllvonn.s. and horned 0\1'1 brains vi ttl goose grease) in If. H.
T

30. 115 and 118.

4

Cf. LSJ, s.v.

n(J1''''.f! ...)ll1~

2/f

tl

lJtlA l,P8pO\l..

Ii" .and "a-1JjI't~OS,

2.. 3."

5See Grieve, Mode-rn HerbaJ., 1:133 (col . 2)t :for use of the
root of

ac1osel~f

rel.at.ed species"" .Bryonia diQica..!; as

B.

sk.in irri-

tant. The berries also at'1!' 1!metic and possibly poisonous (ibid.
Ceol. 1J), and thus ~ou1d h&ve been vie~ed as & counter-poi~on to
anima1 toxi na ~

255

Plant Fassl:1.&es

"Wit.h the na.me- appa.rently interpreted 8.5 meaning 'prolific 1.,1 and

strengthened by a nickname:, drosa ('rdoer") 't is prescribed as a pendant. to prQ[!]ot I::! eonc ept Ion {line s 1- 3 }.
gn

To ensUTe the product i on of

o.nimal of the desired sex, the e.P'Pl'opriate gender of merc:w:-y (~-

euri.o.lis annua and/or pereflnis"!j, or of' vervain {Verbna officina11$

and supi. na1) shoUld be add(!d to the pendant (lines 3_7).3
/L:fl'i~e.nus

s.ttribute-s to

t.!l~

Quint ill i ..

the vi ev that

shells, put on theioots of trees,. dry them up (mp l7; 11. 3 . 5-6,.
1

It is described as being "abundant e'V~t'J"1oi'heren (line 1; cf".

the similar opening of Grieve's description of it, u'I'h(;! Knotgrass is
abunda.nt everyVhe:re~ p ' ~ n [Modern Herbal., 2; ~51]. This similarity
is probably not entirely coinciden~al; note the description in ~nus
Cas.tus .. Ir[thJis her"be groTN,;!,ri:tbJ ny oue::-ELl" (p. 1.l.:4; s.v. "Centenodiurr.,"

MS X.. p. 171.. line 5J).

2

It is to be appended

i~

dog's

att~rbirth,

discussed above.

n,A\~U~OvT16,
,~r'"
",. UEPI0,~p~w~
. re.
~ _ I~" antt.
On mt!:re:u.ry ~ see also: Riess .. "Aberglaube, n col.

3 Cf LSJ ~ B.T.
111lEp

lC1iEP10V.,

II.

II

60, lines 8-12, tIJld, esp., cols. 63. 68-64. 5; Grieve, Modern Herbal,
2; 529- 30 ('Me~~'Ury.. Dog t s," and "Mercury "A..mual PI ) Mercury may be
dioecious Ok" monoeciotls (Grav f s r~an\lal of 13otS:J1Y" i11us., la:rg,ely rewr.

b:;,r Merritt

lyndon Fennald,. 8th LCl!'nt.e(lt.Iifl.lJ eel. CNe.... York;

American Book Compa~r ~ 1950J" p. 960), usually the former ~ 'but the
8..l'I.d eX]).

d:ifferen<:E!'5 a.re not such a,sto be not<::d e-xcept b~{ a very ca.re:ful observer {~athaniel Lord Britton a.nd Addison Brol."r:I .. An Illustrate:d F' ora
of" t he' Northern Un:i ted Stat~s &"l d Cana.da... 2d e d ., rev. and e:tJi., 3
vols. C!fev York: Dover P>.lblieations" 1910 (rep1". ed. of .An rJ,.l~st:ru'ted
Flor6. of tbe Northern United States, Cl.nada. MQ t,he~ritjsh Possessions l
Cha~'les Scribner's Sons, 1913) J t 2; 460), and they ~ertainly se(!1D no't
to be t}1..ose intended by J1.frica.n'Us P s de-scription. The distin~tio[)
here, asvith the vervain ,would Gee~ to be betve:en t~.rO different speciea of each of the n~d genera (cr. Diose. M.M~ ~. 59~ 60, l89
rWellmannJ conc:e-rning thevS1"i~tie-s of these plants, esp. 189. 2 concerning the female and mele varieties of linozQsti:3 and their c:orrespondillg uses).

4V1 eillefon d trac eg t hi 8 vi,e\;' to TheophrElstU5 C. Pl. 5. 15. 1

(Ires Cestes y p. 352 .. n. 16la; see also n. 163~ reo the Quirttilii). The
Quintilii appear after Af'ric8Il'Us a.rn.ong the 5ta.ted sources of the Geoponica (book 1, pref.).

p. 203).

This ccould be connected \lith the general assoccifl.-tion of the

bean 111 th death a.nd funerary rites (cf.

pl:l~r

N. H. 18. 118).2

{Af"-

r1 canus f s ovn :pTe:ferre d met.hod is much nlOre utili t a:rian t though in

its own way a.s unrealistic

60S

the J::IJethods it replaces:

eut e',erythlng

dOlm (lines 6-9" concluding:> Ntbis indeed is a. perfect. destl"uctlon u J.)3

In the procedures against va...-rts

sents

(m;yrmekiai).,

t\!'o 'Which involve p1ants (mp 33"0; 111.

11. it B).

Africanu!;1. preThese may be

based on a IIs~at.het1cPI conn>t::ction, &1.though 'their basis cOuld beempirica.l.

In the :first (li!)~ 7), crushed squirting CllcU!Dber {Ela-

terium) is put on,. ove:rt:oming the '\ota!'t.

The habit of this p~ant

or

its ripe seeds might eause it to be regarded as having an

E'!je~ting

expulsi'V"e pOlier 'ilhich could be turned to good use (or the- .!l:pparently

irritating 5ubstances in the plant

a. -counter-irritant).

might hQve caused it to be used as

In the second botanic itel!l here, the pl~nt may

be of eome B.~ttia.l value, wheth~r it is c."hi~Qrj (Cichori'l.lnlintxbus) or.

poesib.l..'V t pimp-ernel (An,Mallis s,J;:"Vensis) .'5

Bot.h plants have been used

lThis follows t.hc- suggested \1.5e of the sting of

(II. 3. 4-5):t discussed above.

sting-l'a~..s

2Riess t ItAberglaube, H co.1. ,3~ note tLlso i ts use~ cited there"

against nut trees (Geop- 10. 61. :3 Lactually 'the "\thole o~ chap. 67 is
d~voted to the subject .. but se-c. 3 involves the oW"ia.1 of" the bean:)),
or to prevent untimely loss among olives (Geop- 9. 121 (both th~se
items are ci"te d by Geoponic:a as from uDemocl" tt us n )
3if'his po.rticular bit of advice t lthich relates specifically t.o
1"ruit trees, Yould seem to B.l'gue against & Jev1sh "backgroWld for Af'ri-

eanus (~f. Deut. 20;19) 20).

(The ~berration could .. of course~ be

B.ttributed t.o his "Christianization. I')

ct.

Gri~ve, Mode~n

5Aecording toLSJ,
M. !-~. 2. 1 78

Heroal t 1:241.

8. v.

lI~tX~PlOV,"

it is so used in Diosc.

257

Plant Passages

against

inf1amma.tion~

freckles ..

eno

other Elkin conditions.

On the

other hand. if the plant intended is really t.h(!- heliot.rope (genus

Hel1otropi urn;, cf:. line 8 L. it has explieit. encient use agaiDst warts . .2
The precise identification of the plant. may be

since the proeedure

appe~Ts

pointleg:s~

hove..... e:r,

to be more magical then therap@'utie. 3

T:'le flO'-'er is to be- picked before

sunrise

11

(so its eontracted, or

sun-avoiding t pO'IoI'el"s will be at maximum .. to be transferred to 'the

wat't"1),. and

t.h.e a.ffected sJ)Ot (topos) is to be

( t ri So per1gn~.''Ohe-)

j,

thri~e

eircumscribed

this viII ,.qui et U( pau.!;l eta.i) t.h~ \ttI..:rt.

Both the

circumscription and a three:fold repetition art!' recognized !IlSgical

procedures. 5
ey~l8men

prescribed as a purgative+

juice is

cYclamen has a long history of use

~or

IGrieve~ Modern Herbal,. 1:198-99" 8.t.Id 2~633~ .eJ.ao,. re pi:rnpernel t Conway ~ l~agic t P' 131. Both also have a ttheliotropic:" ehQ.1"8.Cter
(Grieve, 1:l97~ and 2;632; Conway, p. 131).
~ieillef'ond, .tes

Ces.tes .. p. 358,. n. 208 (citin,B Pliny 22. 61;

Marcellus 19. 611; and Dioscorides Eup+ 1. 116 r.167,. WG'1...1m&nn; note
esp. 161. 2]). (But iu Pliny i.t is the root,. and ir.! D1oscor1d,e5 the
:fruit, :ra.ther than thetlwer~ which 1e Bp~c:!fied,)

3Un1.~BS the eircumscription actually involvt!'d more than a to:ken,

light ~ont ail:: t 'With t.he skin. If.1t1 nvol.ved. sOll1e pressure so t hat the
Juice :from the f'lQ\l'er (augb1e[']ted b;)f dew from the pr~-da'\n'li picking?) vaS
expressed on th~ skin around. the 'Wart in the pl'o~@as, it could coJ)<:::eiva.bly have value,. if t.he plant prescribed vas re6.11y efficacious
(in the: case of the ch::l.t:ory 1tvas material frOm t.he :t".loller or leaves
which vas uaed CGrieve, Mod,~rn Herbal ~ 1; 198-99:1).

L-

er. Plill}" N.H. 2,. 1115: fIJlagal,lis hali a spe-~iti.l power if'
dug up and exprese.ed before sunrise.
5Cf Bj8rck t "Apsyrtu,s 10 JI pp. 58~59 and 65. See also the discuss,1or.! of th~se feat.ures in th~ r~l&ted sections belovo

258
this

purpos~ t

to the navel.

but African-us pres,t::rioes t.hat it be applied e-xternally t

This seems a sing-..J1.a.rly

by some sympathetic rationale.

in~pt

way of using

but this ",as the method also used by

late E"ill"Ope-Bn herba1.ists, not only for purging the

appli~d

it. except

bowelB~

but also . .

over the- bladder, tor increaaing u.rination. 3

Tbe use of mulbet'ry boughs aa a st.yptic penda.nt in
11~13t p.

44d (IX. 1.

317)

has ancient precedent (Pliny

[unripe berries], 136 (twigs vith 1.lfIripe berriee.J).

styptic might b-!' bo.st!d on an analogy with the

berry sap.5
t h e s t tLrs

procedur~

N.H. 23. 137

This use

milky nature-

I!I.S

or mul-

Africanus reportedly directed that they be appended while

v~re

. 6
un der the earth.

reference to tbe

s~eret spel~)

Thia feature ~ as vell ag p ae.llus , s

will be eonsidered in theperlinc::nt se-c-

t10ns be low.
In prooedu:re 4~i (IX. 1. 26-27, p. 319) J bals&llI juice is an
1

Note Vieillefond w Les Cestes~ P+ 296 w n. ~ (Diose. M.M. 2.

193 1:194]; 1W2. 16~, 3.65 .. Wel1JI:.a:ud; Grieve, }'{:)der:l Her'ba.:;', 1:2JI5
2Cf

Riess, t1Aber-gla.ube} H col. 65 .. lines 23-26., for itst!lagBut toe exe.mples ghTen there are as t:o\1."1t.ers to

ical reputation.

harmful Dagic w}ucb is not the use here.

3Grieve .. Modern Herbal. 1 =2h5.

See also Pliny N. H.28. 203;

the use of volf's fat with elaterium noted above.

1,

Cited. by Poiess, nAbl!rglaube/' col. 61. According to Pliny.

tbey must not touch the ground., and for the latteruse~ th~r must be
picked at the 1"ull moo.o.
50!"

b~cause

the Uo"lripe fruit

(a~

in Pliny's uses) are still

Or, the la.teness

"restrainingn the bloody juice of 'th~ ripe fruit?

of its budding suggests its IIrest.raint tt ?

6Line 12.

Vieillefond treats this as a separate atateme:nt ~

nan amulet of the stars found under toe earth' (cf. Les Cest.es; p.
31.6L. but gives no explanation of rationale,. or of (:onnection with

the preceding reference to the mulberries (from which it is separated

only by a I:o;mnm).

Plant Passages

alte!"nB.tive to the

u!'Ol;J!

259

smell of tanning" (proba.bly an allusion to

the counter-procedure to n:rp 3, discussed above) for the stopping of

pestilence.
exc~pt

The re..ti-onaJ.e for it woUld presumably- be much the s9J!le ~

th9.t it overcame by the good odor rather than the evil one.

Due to the:! !lature and value of the substa.nce 1i

on

& small (almost individual)

Numerics and other susEicious

its use must hs..... e been

scale. 2
pro~eedinge

As noted a.bove .. in proced'.l.t"e 330 {IlL 17. 9~ Jl. 239}~ tbe

wart is to be thrice circumscribed with tlle specified :flo".rer.

ttTIrr1ce it

alone is not enough evidence to cOIivi.ct of magic, but together with the

other

~lements

in tbe procedure .. and other USeS of signi i'i cant numbers.

it l':"aises the .1;nJ,spic:ion of magical intent.

another .. other""ise rather pro:s-a;ic t largely
39 (I II. 311. 1, p. 253) t 3 also

!UB.y"

Th(! use of
bota.~ica1

nUIC.b~r.

in

prescriptioni' =up

sugge s t some: magical c onnec ti on =

1A:ppfU"ently ~lm of Gilead/Mecca Balse.1:tJ:I' t.he resinous juices

or oil from the juice, of th~ ,om1lliphora .opoba'i SWllU!!!J (&~~ t me~canensi s)
{c:f. Grieves Modern Herbal .. 1: 78T.,
2Since the- first part of the counter-procedure involved. the use
of' censers ( t!!,yr:ti atere s ~ VL 't L 2 ~ po. 123 mg t re Ii ne 13~) t i.t is COncei vable tha.t this is Psellu5' s count-er-part. to that part of the pro~edure.
Opposed to t.hat is the question of the prB.Cticali ty or fumigat.ing a whole military camp 'With such a substance, and thetestimot.ly

of the "Ecloge~n which refers to the gmoke also 80S be:ing dy:sodias
(Jul~8 Afric:a.in lo s.pp. 2, chap. 1, line :28~ p. 78). (The "Ecloge" is
not too clear here~ tb~ smoke is to be produced by m&ny grea~ torches.
vi tb incense Cthymiamata] provided in a.ddition .. to provide smoke to
tight against CantimachesthaiJ the smoke coming from [ptL:rtJ us (ibid.,
lines 28-30). Th~ reda.eto:t"" perh8ps thou.ght of the inc~nae !!LS providing relief frOlD the smell of the protective smoke s.el'l!e-n t ba.ving mis'Ul'tderstood th~ original ta l)Yab t hiimOn e;~nomena as th~ obje~t. of the
infinitive antima.ehe-sthai rather thl!U1 a.s its "subjet:t. ")

~e genuinen~$S of t.his and

(Vi. ~ III. 2 and 32) is not regardi!'d
(UApsyrtus, H pp. 15-16).

th~
80S

next tvo items

discua5~d

d~ter-minable by Bjorck

260
th~

m.ain ingredient or s. formula :for soot.hing inflammation of horses'

l"e-et is $ellen figs.

This is really the only suspicious. part of the

passage t and apart .from other such

can-us, 'Would be "Unexcoept1oDable.

nUIll.el"olQgic~

references in Af"ri-

Another somewhat 5tispicious item is the use of a

reed

sh~~

(kalamos) to open th~ gi2.z.ard of the sllaJ.lov nestling inmp 236. (IlL
2. 12, p. 225).2

This might be simply

conventional

directive~

but

in viev or the inefficiency of 5ucb an implement tor such a task, it

suggests a ritual avoidance of the use of a meta.llic instrument. 3
The appending of' the root of the wild vine (or bryony ~ see

above) in DlP 3Be (III. 3:2. 34-35) is quite likely magical in origin.
While this

it~:nl

comes at the end of a long

pa~sage

of

miscellB.I1~ous

remedies; most of 'Which seem intended medically (vhatever their

tual virtue s )" there s.r~ a. muriber of' probably magic ~l' i t~nI.

B..C-

mixed itl

(1.e., mp 38 a~ b~ t=" and d .. hen bra.ins" infant urine" frogs~ .and

reptile heads,. all discussed B.bov~).

Ps e llus include s three other i tem.s that may 'be mentioned

here t thougb the f'1 :rat is not really bo'tani.c al, tbe se C ond i
1

IS

not

See the discussion of" "tfumbers" ., below.. for ancient examples .

:2Asn oted above., this pa.ss flge i a questioned by Bj orek .

30n the ritual non-use of" iron, note BJ5rck .. llApsyrtlJs~n

PP. 58-59; Bnd re both iron and bron-ze~ Riess t nAberglau'b-e," eols.
50-51; cr. SL. 6~; 60. 56 (use wood hoe .. then no irOJl ne!l:.r h 61. 62 ~
65. 10 (no meta~); 73. 11. See also Pliny N.H. 20. 3; 2~. 111; 29.
114 ~ for t.b4!' use of a reed for cutting or opening; alae 30. 102 ~ eutting Qutvi thO'llt iron .
.Ia efT R1 e s So" "Abe:rgla ube.~" col. 66 t line s 58-60.. reo the vine
counter-magical, and t more spec:if'ice.1l..v, 61. 13.. for -the use of the
wi ld vine as an amulet (ci ti~g Pliny N. H. 23. 20).

6.S

Ple...'1t P a s s a g e s z 6 l

strictly magi<: al.~and the- t.M. rd is not t'erts.inly identi fiable . 1

Af-

rics.nus i8 Bl!rld to gather the moonstone (!:'e.hrose1enon) from plant

dew o.nd moonbeams (mp 44m; IX. 1. 35-36 .. p. 319).2
(lines

~1-44) ~

A fev lines la.ter

hE!! isas.id to hB.\re spoken of' the- gorgonium.

No

usage is mentioned, b'l..tt the: account. given by Psel1us vould fit well

as an

Afri~s.nian

an4!"t:'dotal. embroidl!l"j7 of' an aphrodisiae prescription,

since eryngo had a

l"~put&tion

the mi SoC: ellaneous i tettlS

varicose veins is

tI. t

in such usages.

the end

A little later. am.ong

f Psellus f S summary.. a l"'e~ dy f'Qr

paired~tb 8. reference

thing (ti allo nyktiphaes)" (ibid." line

to "some other night-Bhining

49, p. 321).

This item

C6..n-

not "be identified eyen probably; it mig.P].t refer to somet.hing like the
night-lantern credited to Atricanua by Casaubon ..
c~iva'bly

be!!

8.

5 but it could -eon-

re-fe-re-nce to "the paeony. which had such

B.

!"'I!:put.ntton.

lBesides these references in Psellus, "Zo.l;lit!JUs quotes Af'r1cMus

as 11 st i ng plants as a fourth item" along vi'th metal B, Ii quids, and
earths, among the substanc es "Used as dye a ( in a.J.c hemy? )( Vi. ~ IX." 2.
p. 32~; Berthelot and Ruelle ~ CQ.ll~ction" .2; 169) .
2 Cf . Hopfner, ''Mageia" U coL 312, lines 43-48

...

.:):E:rY!!l5i

um.

cret_~cum/C8!ll;e,e5tre:

LS.r, s. v. "yopy6\:o1. 0....

11

u~p;:h"'os."

4Gri eve, Modern HerbEU, 1 =!.JoB (s. v. ItHolly" Sea.') (t his pa.s :sag~
also note~ the l~rge size of t.he roots" esp. of :E. maritimum); Riess t
I'tAbergl8,ube,'1 col. 54:0 lines 32-39 {lines 36-39 note it.s use in lo\"e
IIIfl.gic "eiting Pliny 2'2. 20) . P l im' Ii des cript i one onnects this usage
wi th the supposed she.pe of the TOots of som.e specimens.

5C. Suetoni i Tra.ngui 11 i Opera" ed.. Wolf! us" 3, : 141 <"In I u1 i um

Caesa:rem~l1 ca.p. 31). {But the: item cited is che.p. 69 1.11. Thevenot' 6
edition of kfricanue in Math.'It~t." one of tbe chapters not nov c:omlIIonly rega.rde d as authent i c. )
This general approaeh is favored by Vieillefondls transla.tion
(Les Cest!'5 s p. 320).
6Visible only 'by night, by 1X'on11ght: Hopfner" "Mageie.,u col.
324 ~ lines ~2-.46 (the follorlng quarter C01UJD.!1 of text describes l)re-

c:a.utions for digging, &nd uses of.. the plant; note" e.g.
14. 27).

Aelis.n 7LA.

262

The uses of

vine~

tion

sine-ell des.pit-e tlleir

e..oove~

oil) and linen have been excluded

f~om

considera-

in superstitious and 1B8.gicll.1.

USE

pra.ctice:s ~ and til@' h"e.nti-ma,gical" reputa.tion of tbe first ..

not a.ppear to be

generally :so

Us~d b~t

of oil and vinE! are as vehicles

tOl"

as active agents in themselves.

At'ricanus.

other

L1nen~

fL

use

!I;

they do

Africanus I s uses

substances~ ~ot

while specified

~s

t~rial ~or seYeral pendant~ <~.g.~ mpp 23 c; d t and ~4c) ..

the usuaJ. material for suc})

prims.:ril..v

the maseems to be

and it is specifica.tion of some

other ma.teri a.l vh i ch 1 s noteworthy.

Mi.ne-ral and Silllilar Substances

Stones and
.A]J

n e tones"

of: the operations involving stones seem to be bfl..Sed on

types of S.ympQthetic
SOlU"ce (mpp

4, and 23

(l!Ipp 28 an d 4h c ).

the

giz~ards

princ:-iples~possibly

B.rJd b) t

or

contagion, based on their

formal, based on 'their appea.re.nce

In mp ~ (r. 3. 1-11]0 p.. 127) ~ the a tOfles f'o'.md in

of cocks are probably t.rue minerals.!' Sll1B-ll stones or

gravel picked Up in their feeding and x-eta1ned in

th~

giz2:a.t'd.

It

can easily be:! si!?envhy dif:ferent descriptions \O"ould. be gh'".efl of their

tenure and color (line~ 5-6); but according to Afri{:tLnUS ~ they (the

potent ones?)

a.r~

black.

is from its own na.t.ure;

Also .. in his

vie'il~

the virtue of the! stone

the victory of the cock only demonstrates

~ieS5. ptAbergltl.ub~,.t1 <::01. 66!1;

line 56; note also col. 62,

linea 59-67 t concerning oiL

2

See: IrFowls" ff above

next paragraph +

!I;

tor a contrll.:ry theory in Afr1canus T S

Mineral and Similar Substances

263

it does not give~ the virtue to the atone (lines 6-9).

The stone,

thus ident1fied t transmdts its virtue to man also, if properly

,car~

ried (lines 2-5) 9-11).

Similarly, "st.ones n found in the gizz.ards of swallow nest-

lings",

properly obt6.1ned end, used" have transferrable power (mp 23

a and b~ III. 2. ll-l~,

15-19).

Probably because of the r~putatlon

of' swallows (especially associated nth the plant

ch~lidonia,

de-

sc:ri'bed in the precediI18 pa.!"asraph of the passa.ge)" the stones in the-

first instance

(238~

lines 11-14) are used to

prote~t

fram ophthalmia.

In the second instance (23b; lines 15-19) .. spring nelJtlings" t.he :p:roduct of the :first of' the swallOW's two yearly broods, are e.pe-cif'ied.
In this case theY a:re to be used .as

9. ~ure-

ftJr e-pilepsy.

For this

use t.hey lJ1Ust be p1"o<:: ur~d. at the prope-r phas t! 0 f t be moon. and mu.st

not touch the ground.

tic: 8.t i.on. of'

'the

The !'onner requirement (as well as the speci-

spring nestlings?) 'Would seem to be associa.ted vi th

their use against

moon related malady; the latter is a. common rau-

persti tious/magice.J.. preca.ution againat the loss of" "power. IF

In the other two passages which specif'y uses, tht! uses

to be based on the appearance of the-stone.

S~of!:nJ.

In:mp:28 (III. 1, p.

231 L the milk a.tone, a.ppare-ntly ao called because it gives e. milk;>'

1

In thilJ caae t aince the birds are nestlings, t.he "stones"

type of sto:uy concret.ion, a bez.oar, rather than

true mineral. If' 1;1;011 this might provide 8. morl!!" prosaic rea.son for
the use of' a reed to open the bird--a. metal knife-, du. to its hard-

Yould seeIll to be some

I!l

D,e-SS t eould d.amage the I' stones .11 (Thus proving the deleterious ef'teets of iron ~or such use?)
But Pliny ;regards them as true stones; he says that S'val101rr6
V{!<["~ repljrt~d to give a. bit of st.OIle to each cohick B;t hatching (N .H+

30. 91).
2 See further the dis,c.u5sion aDd examples-above ~ under rlf'Oloi'ls."

AfricMuslS Vie;;

264

color to water",

is to be used to

iner~ase

production of milk.

Two

di fterent wa.ys of use are gi V'~n, fast II! ning l!U"ound the- udder 11 or pov-

dering and adJn1nistering in a wine and vater mixture.

In tbe other

passage? in Psellus (mp ~~C'; IX. 1. 8-9~ p. 317)~ a gagate:s "stone"

(jet 1l or possibly lignite)2 is to be uaed 'to ease and qui~k(m

'ficult birth.

dii"-

If the material is Jet, ita slick s.ppearanoee and feel

ri::ou1d suggE!l;it s.u~b a

of the- subject,

&

use.

othe~se

The stone is to

be put into 'the

no special procedures are

left hand

directed~

:Besides these- pl!l.ssage-s, Psellus BJ.so refers! as noted above,

to Africa.nus's gathering the JII.Oonstone (&.2.hrosel;non [selenit~1:J)
from the dew of plants and the be.fLJ:IS of the moon (IX. 1. 39-LO). 3

HI!

does not give f\u"ther indication of method or of purpose ('though it

would be easy to suspect Bome

~gical intent).4

MettLls
Afri~anUB

has possibly threE references to

(e:halkos, k:z::erinos).

bron~e

or copper

The :f'it'!;lt is the clearest .Br,Id is. ~learly mag-

leal, not just gupel"st:1tious.

In the sixth IrpC!'nto.,gon passage" (mp

I"ieillefond, Les Cestes) p. 357]1 n. 196; LSJ ..

So. v.

HyoJ"O:"::Ti'Tns.'

2Both are types of' coal, and thus of organic origin .. not true

udnerals.

(M.M.

5~

~ioscorides says selenite

141 .. Wellmann).
4

is found in moonbeams, by night

Psellus &1.80 tells u.s that Afrlcanu!3 fOTme,d va.rious stones ..

hyacynthine. smaragdys., .and sardonyx (Vi. I IX .. L 29-30 .. p. 319). This
SOWlds like some alchemi!:al feat,. but ye are not provided with fI..:fl}r
further details. Pliny reports that there were: various yorks vhich
told hov to simulate these very stones :from crystals I etc. (y. 37.
797 197). Note also P~. Holm. 6.27-tc.29 {ed. Lagercrantz. pp. a-2~;
see a1ao pp. 92 and 100-3 f.

Z.jineral and. Similar Substances

265

7 ~ I. 6 + 23- 30,. p. 133 L. A:f"rican:u,9 preacrfbed 'a threElt. of RomtW prescription, It to be- engraved in th@ proper hoof of

st-uboorn horse ~

is.

under proper conditions 11 vith a bronze pen (line 27).

bronze

Tl1e use of

for the pen tEl- :fuJ.ly in keeping with tbe otber magical ele-

m.ente of" the 'P8.s:sage (whi~h vill. be more :fully dealt "With b(!lo'l,l' in
the discussion

or

rrCha.:r.ms and Rites')"

pE!-r, both of whiCh involve-a salve,

tli.t't!

T"ne otber re!'erenc~s toC':op-

less clear.

In the

one~

the

eye salve of ivy root, ete. (~p 23e, III. 2. 32-31), besides the
que-stion
of the

of Africanian origin, there is the questio:n 'Of' the nature

re~dyll

magical or medical.

On tbis

questiorl~

it is the use

of copper filings ll with infant or child urine, whieh is most clos.ely

s-i[!lila:r to the Galenic parallel

present~d

a.bove.

In the case of the

other sa1ve (IIlP ~L.b; :CL 1~ 5-6), Psellus notes that in addition "to
prOducing milk. by a craf"tsrr.an) ikt! method (te~hniki methodQ, Le ...

2
mas:ic, at least in Psellusts view ), Africa.nuB dries up breasts
s~"Ollen

after childbirth by

So

" 'Copper ce-re.te " (. kerot.;

- - - Erm:,in.,t
-) .. 3

iOn the 'R)B.gicaJ significance of copper and/or bron~e., note

Riess .. "Aberglaube, IF col. 51 ~ and Hopfner,. "Ma.geia.,." coL 326; also t
Vieillef"ond" Les Cest~s~ p. 132, nctl! 'b.
2 In line 31., .. at least 11 he equ.ated Arrieanus f

technike vi th

!oetike.
3The act1 ve i ngredit:!'nt. mi ghtbe: tht'! :,plant kypros .. henna,.
rathe:r than copper; b1Jt whilf! he-nna vas used in some skin conditioning
salvea (cCGl'ieve:, MQ~~rn Herbal,. 1~~05),. its real reputation la.y in
other d"irections. (But according to 8. modern presentation of' a9trological berbalis.m,. perhaps it should work. As 8. member of' the loosestrife family [l,;Y'thraceae). it might be,. with loosestrife itself", a
moon herb,.fIJ1d thus effective for brea.st complfLints [C'onwa.y,.Magi(:~
pp. 22-23J.)

266
The context seems tQ indicate
as sore ero'Qs .

Psellus regarded the procedure

the~

The t'irst,1i part. of the suspect

Two p&ssages involve gold.

p&ssage 238 (III. 2.

ll-l~~

p.

specifies the use of a gold

'~rwa.11ow-stones' a.gainst

ne{;:kle..ce for wearing the

sec ond t again from Fa ell us. (mp

matic~ly

225)~

4~e;

ophthalmifl..

Ix. l. 15, 'P. 311), not es eni g-

that Africanus corrodes gold vi th :mad dog saliva..

tended use is not specified.

In

t\lO

final passa.ges" each questionable for its

~.

243) directs the use of an

ti ed e.round tbe throat

stings.

The in-

Africanus mlJ.y specify the use of some type of plaques.

(III. 23. 3-5,

The

inscri~ed

O\r'TI

reasons t

Passage 37

tin sheet,

f' an ani:oal l to prot ect 1 t from scorpion

This passage 15 not accepted by BJQrc'k as being proven Afri-

can1an t 3- and, as Iloted below, the insc ript.io:t:J it a-eIf :f'u:rt.her supports

this dOUbt.

In t.he other

passag~

(mp 5,. pentagon

four~

I.

~.

127) t 't.he doubt attfL.Ches to the- na.ture of the thing applied.

8 p.
1

Wa.s ita.

pl.a.que of some sort., perha.ps of metal (Vieillefond compares it. to

P1i ny t s

referenc~

to the use of lead PlaQUeg),4 applied to

th~

sur-

gical incision,. or 'Was it some other Bubstance sprinkled on"

lIt couJ.d. however't "have been originally intended a.s a. medica.1

procedure. the dryness of the copper (presumably pONdered) being suppos-ed to p1"odu~e the desired effect.
2perhaps as a ~'e or tinting substQnc~? Cf. Berthelot and
Ruelle. Collection't 2:170 (Zosimu6 3. 18. 2 .. quoting Ma.ri~ the J~iless]o
ItConc erni ng the o::d d1 zed matel" tal frOlil 6i 1"'fer]i lead and iron").
311Apsyrtus, n pp. 15-16.

~L~S Ceste~t

p. 331 1 n. 47 (citing Plin)'

~~ 34. 166).

267

Charm5 and Rite!3

(epip&Sato.) 'the wound or tbe bandage?1

Charms and R i t(! s

This

tOpi~

is probably

th~ ~ost signific~~t

magical views of Africa.";rus a.re coocerned.

as

~ar

as the

lir'hile tht! group of passa.ges

here -considered is perhs.ps not a.s spectacular 10 over-all,.

8.S

the pen-

tagon se'rles (with which it overlaps in sev~~a.l. pro<:edltres) .. moat of

the Fassages involved here can only b(!l regarded a.s magica.l in inte!!lt
an~

fom.

The only real. que s t ion i:s wha.t. type of .magi c :

Africanus guilty?

of ..hat is

and is it something completely inconsistent with

the views of his Christian colle-agues?

Spells a..'ld in!3criptions

Spells
Along wit.h the manipul9.tion of the 'IlOunding iron in DIP 6
(1. 5'10 p. 129) 5 t 'WQverbal pronouncoement s a.reto be used.

One is the

triple repetition (see belo'W on this element) of the sounds IIta taFf;

the other is the

pentagon f"j"e.

USe

of" a Latiil expression

which

vas

'to be found in

Tbe le.tte-r is now lost; the fomer cannot be exact 1::.'

p8.1'alleled 3 but is quite: similar t.o various JrJS.gical ma.l'lipulations of

sound 1rn701 ving com.bitJat.:ions of vowels'lo 01' o:fvowels and

"Plant

lSee the d.is~ugsions tL'bove under "Pentagon Passages" and Wlder

"Polygon a. and Ancient MedicEUflents,n

Pa:ssa.gest1~

The next c.hapter in Kesto ~ 7 16 C 10:6ely 11 nked to thi s ex8Jl1.ple-, in invol';ing 8. Latin prescription" as well as being the n.ext
IJenta.go~l pas sage (pentagon si x 10 mp 7; T ~ 6. 23-30, p - 133). B\1t it
involves an inscription r6.the-r than 8. Gpoken spell .. and e,o is considered 'belw+
3Cf . Vieillefona .. Les Ceetes" p. 337,

tirs~ par. o~ n. ~8.

Africanus's View

268
consonants.

Mp 1Sb (I. 17.

~4-~9t pp. 165, 167) cont~ins a

rhetorical address to Sleep:> follo'lled by

count.

.fL.

rether

'brief mythological ac-

This might be a. e.pell:. but AfricMus gives no direct-iona to

use it. as suc-h, so it is mol""e likely l;;.imply another of Af'l"ico..nus

literary embellishments ~ beginning

Thl!! most e-xt!!nsivC'

285-89; 0& . PaE. 412).

h~re

~X8JD.p~e of a

with an apostl"opne t.o Sleep.

s:J.I<e"1l2 is in mp 42 (V,. pp.

Thi s is the iI.llr'J?lified vers ion of Odys se'J.5 '

nekyomanteia. vh1ch Afr1cfUlus reports having found in HOOIeric

socripts in three widely separated libraries +

cont.:tibut~d to

J:IIaJlU-

Nu:merQus studie:;;l n.a.ve

the clarification of" indi.....idual points in t.he text, 3

and have indicQted the spiritual ancestry and

the

interpol~tion process,~

mechanic~

aspects of

but have largely left the question of

Africanu5I's relation to it unsolved.

The opinions which vere e;-:-

pressed on this point vere regula.rly derogatory to Af"ricE;'....' lus.

He vas

lNote the Vai"ious Ir_a." fot'IUS in th.e- JDagical papyri e. g ...

PLonq ~7. ~5 (Kenyon~ Greek Pa.pyri t 1;83).
Variollspos5libilities f"or its origin could be sU88csted. It
could be B. variation (or corruption) of "tatai n &5 an expression of
pain (tSJ t St.."plement t S.v. rrTcn:aill) sthl! performer 1iaosor'b1ngU the
pB.i 0 or the s u.tt'erer and then .5!J itt i n g it out (c f.. line 3) or COlJ."lte ract.ing it with the Latin formula.. It might be a corruption or developDl.ent of t.he tripl.y repea.ted na.ttJe, "Tat, Tat t To.t n 'Which appears. for
"I

example~ in DMP xvii-Iff; v. 15ft; vii. llf"f (cit~d by Morton Smitb t

[San Franc is co I Harp e~ &: Rov ~ Publi shers ~ 1978], p.
132.. 'lifith. note on p. 206 L It might be .. func'tionally, a sort of soothIng or distracting sound while the weapOD. is "driven i.bto {eDik:::-ousa,i}

J eSU!3 the l~a.gi c ian

the wound. rt
2Expli-oitly identified as such in lines 20 and 21 (e-paoide ..

and ep~sai. respectively).

3See the diBcussion~ IIOx:y-rhynChus and ~yond)" in Cha.pter I.

above; and the:diacus6ion by Vieill(!-fond .. Lea Cestes .. pp. 280-83.

4Not-ably WGnscb~

nn.eisida.i:moniaka)" PI>.

2-19.

Charm.s and Rites

charged with either forg@'ry!, or.

a forgel"Y.

eV~!n

269

vorse, being taken in

bjr

such

There Is no question about the magical D.fI.ture: of' the

compoaition reported by Afri eMus, an amalgam of Egyptian.. Greek 11 and

Hebrev

e~etr)el1t.s;

but hov and why" he report s 1 t are les s clear.

Its

location, hawe...er t suggests that it is a sort of grand finale for the

f!!ighteenth .Kestos!
ch~ry

tales

rhetorit:al literary flourish similar to the ar-

whichconelud~

Keatos 7.

His st.ated reason for

in~luding

it is that it is a very valuable conce-ptionof e'pic (krema [poJly-

tetlJeaterof.l epik[eJs~ l.ine 49~ p. 289).

This appears not to be be-

cause he is under arcr illusions

literary

~s

to

1t~

quality~

he has

just deseribed it a.s "overwrought lf (perier-goD t line ~5) ~ not in accord

llith the dign.ity (axiOma, line L6) of the work, n:roreign" (a.11otria. ..

line ~7) to its progression.

But despite- this ~ he seems to entertai.D

no question about its &uthenticitYj the only two theorIes suggested

ttl

aCCOUf,lt

f'Ol'

its a"bsence are o-missions by the Poet b1:nself" or by

the PeiaiBtrat1des in their supposed revision (lines 45-48)+

no hint of' tbe: possibility of a l&ter interpolation.

There is

Such a lapse on

the part of" the critic vho attacked the 8.\l.thentic i ty of' Susanna is

hardly credible.

I~

is almost enough to drive one to the

alternatives~

Ie f.

Lud,wi ch.. co-is. 1502- 3 (not e. :forger. but a Jloor cri tie) ;
Kroll ~ "5. Julius. Africanu,s 11 PI coL 122 (if' not a forger:. a very poor
critic).
.
It m&y be Clott:!d" in defense of Africanus against Ludw-icb' s
cha.racteri:z.atioll of him as udem Durchstoberer &1ter Pe.pierkorbfetzen U
(col. 1503) ~ tha.t it was not Afrit:&nus but 1IIOde-rn s~hola.rs who found
this s(:ra.p while going through'li8.ste pape:r. At:ricanus tells us that
he found it on the shelves: in respectable I1brerif!!'s.
:2See Vieil1efond,Le-s Ci!"stes ll p. 281 {and the studies ~ited
there, &,;; yell eos the othere ~it~d above), andp. 288, note ]a (cont.
00

p. 290).

:27Q

/l;fricEl.tlUS I s View

either a torgery or a joke.

There are" however t at. least tvo other

possibilities, though neither of them neceasarily

the preceding two.

"very

either of

It is possible tll8.t in designa.ting the passage

valu.ab~err Africanus is thinking of

historically or for current

and could coincide with
possibility is that

~xclude5

practice~

~ithel'

pe:r-haps

90S

!is

its magic contents, either

or bot.h.

This is not impoasible t

of the preceding two views.

Thl2' other

being a:ware of numerQUS aberra.tions in

the Homeric text. t Afrit:u.nus has coml2' to regard them as variant lines
from a common
er8.l.

vide~"

source~

aDd thus, finding th1a passage attested in sev-

di5tribute-d manuscripts:> had no reaaon to suspect their

au.thenticity.2

This vie-v wou1.d

J!.Qt

be inconsistent with an ironic

intent is his evaluation 0' the lines.

8m

rather inclined tOlo-a.rd

including the ironic t.\tist", but a historical regard t

this last

viev~

at least

:for the :magical contents of t.he lines is not ha.rd to inw.gine

of the- vriter of same of' the other passages preserved under Africanuss
lef. Kroll" 'S. Julius Ai'ric!l.nus, it col. 122. lines 37-.41;
and Bjorck, I1ApsyrtUStll pp. 2L-25.
;2

Crant (UHistorical Cri ti-cism .... p. 191) ~:r-itici zes Africa-nus s

failure to take sufficient cognizance of the diffil!rences "b-etileen the
Rotnan manuscript and tbe others. On the other hand, Louis Robert C'J.,a.

bib110theque de N:o;a de Carie." Hellenica 1 (19LOJ: 1~Q-q8):I :followed

tentatively by Viell1efond (Les Cestes, pp. 281-82), suggests that the
three ma.nuscripts were related (thus, de-spite their geographical dist.ribution t they :r'@'Pi"esented only one vi tne-ss, 0. factor not S\l.:l;rpected

by Afric-anus).

{VieillefondTs major reservat.ion is concerned with the

.ques.tion of hO'iot Q copy of the 'Work vould have gotten to Jerusa1-em (p.
262). Might it be that a transcript vas made from tbeRoman ex.amplar
for tbe libra.ry of [or some individual int or~ lIho went toJ the new
colony of Ai!!lia? 01" eve-n that an e:xistine; copy of the Jtde-viant II manuscript wa.s deelared sm-plu8 and disposed of in this manner? [How we-re
lib:rari~s 4!'sta.blished and stocked in Roman colonies'!).)

Charms
name.

~~d

Rites

2l!.

But a more posit 1ve:t act i ve eva.l ue.t.ion

possible.

f the magic is. not 1m-

Since ve dQ not h&V'e .A.f"l'iCanUS'B introduction to the passage-

to indica.te his purpose in using it and his att.i tud.e to\mi"d. it.!t our
final decision can only be a subjective judgnJent based on consistency
vtth the reading of' the

oth~r

Passa.ges 44 d and

ps.s.ss.ges.

(IX. 1. 11-13

give Ps ellus' 5 ansveron t'W'O such Items.

~nd

30-32, pp. 317

3L9}

In the former.. the mulberry

bough styptic was given its power by a secret spell

aporrhetQt line 13).

&ld

(epQdjt~ni

The latter attributes certainhealings of poison

bites and eye problem!;! to

~e.rtain

pendants and u enc h8.D.tments"

{ewmasin, 1 it'l.e 32).

The third pB-ssage- cited t:r--om thl!' Ch!"ono"grap& (mp 48/ch:r 31-

Routh" fra.g. XI...), con:sidl!:r~d simply in itself, migbt be :regarded as

referring to

iL

magi cal spell (Ode:).

Sine e, hovever:o the i t.em re ferred

to is lrnovn .. the 5Q-called Prayer of Manasseh ..

incident seem!'J to be ruled out.

this conception 01' the

Ita dee-1gna.tion as a "song" is a re-

.flex or its poetie rorm~ not really a synon:...m for epOde t "spell" or

ltt:harm. rr

Th~ only argument. for tb~ latt.er vould be

clBSsifieation of" its "miraeulous" reault

tLS

fL.....

autol:J8.ti.c

evidence of Hmagice.l n in-

tent..
1

This vould be especially true' of" such items a.s ropp 14 ,,23a ~
and 35 (I. 17; III. 2. ll-lQ; and III. 19) ~

2This id~ntlfieQ.tion ie strengthened by the reference to the

fetterB being iron (ta. desma. . . Bid-era. onta L They are soidentified in Fr. Man. 10 (des;mti s1d~rou) .. while the Hebrew text of the Old
TestM".ent refe-rence., 2 Chr. 33 ~11]o SU8Sif."ste- that they vere bronze
(nahustayim}. (Pitra suggests 'that this passa.ge pTQvides o\U" earlil!!'sttestimoniU%ll to the Prflye:t'"' CAna.leeta saC";ra~ 2:292J.)

272
Inscriptions

The first, and most significant ,. use of an inscription in the

preserved fragments is closely associated 'With the f'irst spell example

as noted a.bove in connection '\lith the discussion of' it.

clea.rly magical

Both involve

indeed .. the present passage .. mp 1,

procedure9~

penta~

gon six (I. 6. 23-30. p. 133),. is introduced a.s an Uart 01' nature"
(tee-nne

is to be

horse~

a.t

.&.

pby~eOs,.

1ine 2.4}.1

insc~ibed

particulw- time-, in

horse.

The inScription) to tame

vith

th~

bronze

p~n,

bOttom of' the

in a

l~tt

Bll

unmana.gea.ble

~&rticU1ar manner~

hoot foot. of the

It has a 'necessity of obedience ll (ananke:nechl!'i t1eitbarchias.

line 28) ~

This inscrip'tion, "a threat of Roman pr@seriptiofi ll ,1 which

'Was to be found 1.n the sixth. pent&gon, may be preserved for us in a

c:ryptOgz"Bm

equal lines

Kccro/~ct';

in the

C~bridge

~ithin

a. lozenge

hippl6,trica codex.

Arranged in faur

UIl-

OT diamond form, i~ reads M~~/6Q~~\1

under it is the line

"~~A~XOaW~AV.n3

Using & system de-

scribed by Gardthausen .. '1iei1lefond deciphers the last line as

1 E:1 ther element of this expression could be used as a Ircode-'
\lord for ll':Iagic.

Compare and contrast the ~'P9taktikon charm given in f'Jpnd

121. 926-39. It vas to be engra.ved with a bronze pen on a lead~n
f'le,ke frOJD a mule yoke and placed under the er.ole of the left foot of
the person desiring the power. The inscription, sur:roWlded by I!I. squ.o.re
and various s:rrobols . . occupies lines 931-39 (Kenyon ... Greek PapYTi,. 1:11314). Note also another charm of the same type to be worn in the right
sandal {Plpnd 124. 29-3L. followed b)r approxi1l1B.tely .10 lines c:ont.a.ining
four columns of names; ibid . pp. 122-23).
3Oder-Hoppe . . C.H. ~ 2 ~225; Vieillef"ond, Les Cestes, :po ~33 mg.
(re line 28). and p. 132, note c (cont. on pp. 134 . . 136. 138). OderHoppe r~ad th~ ll!l.st l~ttil!!" as Q. or .!!. rather than !!..

213

Charms and Rites

'le~O'UAalC1'O\l.,.1 The lett~rs in the figure have not yet been l;J&tisf'a~torily

expla.ined.

A.."'1other inscription occurs in :mp 31 (III. 23. 3-5 J p. 243).

the prescription of' a tin :shel!!!t pendant e.s
from scorpion a.ttack.

prot.ection of an an1:mal

The in5criptiQD is. the \ford nabbal;J."

fond points out tbe Aramaic background of thi.s wQrd,. 3 vhic:h

support his viewo! AfricBJ1us's Jewish Qrigin (thOugh he

Vieille-

~ou1d

do~s. not so

Les Cest e s ~ p.. 138 (cQnt. of' n. .). The syst'(!ll!l in Gardt hausen is a r.11.Jmerical variation of' athbash. It uses 'the Greek alphabet
includi.:lg the three older letters: retained as. numeri!:l!I.l symbols, divide-d into three ~hcrter seriea of' nine ll!:t:ters efL~h, ~-a,. l-~, and
()........ (unit.s t tens, hundrE!'ds),. vi th the center letter of each s eri eB ,.
E,. .... "
and '*' t remaining un~hanged in the cipher (V. Gardthau,e,en ~

Griechiscb(!' PalQeop;ra.Dhi~, 2d ed ... 2 vols.

~ Comp., 1911-13J, 2:311).

rLe1p~1g:

Verlag von

'l/~it

2,rli~illef'ond suggests that it is a. transla.tion of Afriea.nus's

Le-tin fQnnula (ibid.). In addition, ve ean p~~h&ps regard the theophylaJtton as a. 6cribal ~ue to the pToc~durE! rather than as an original
part of the formula ( such e. rer~renc:c 'W'ould seem. to run cO~"Jter to
the non-tneolog1 ca..l strain .in the Kestoi noted above) . 'With certain
other aS8U!11i'tio:la t thismi.e;ht furnish

0.

solution to the cipher.

'The

i~sC1"iption tan be transliterated into the FtOC'la-:tl alphabet as nF'EI

DOLEl/lCESO!FEE. n An nd hoc cipher co.n therJ be set up usipg th~ 24
l~tt~rs of the ROmfltL lLlphabet., having tvo grOU-P.!;l of" 9 E!'8.ch,. as in tb.e
original t and then using the remaining 6as e. final group: A-I, K-S"
ar.l.d T-Z. with E and 0 central and unchangea.ble in thl!' first t'YO
gz-oups. Using this cipher:> the letters decode as "DEfOREASEKODEE. It
Could this have been intended to represeC"Jt aomethibgsuch as "defore
fl.se.o de e (quo) It interpreted as "to be about to b~ i'antingJ fail ~
cut off from (being?) a horse"'] The solution does not necessa:ril::r~
ha.ve to be good Latin. only such as a tyro ndght ha.ve produced. This
'Would be true 'Ilhether Afri c anus got the "presc r iptior/' fr O~ someone
else or concocted 1 t himself'. The latter is not outsid~ th~ realm 01"
possibility; if Afric:o.nus can be suspected (even if innocent} of CO!JIposing the nekyoma.nteia it"Jterpolation!il,. such an item as this is e'J'en
mo~e likely (es]J~cia11~l if' the possibility of regarding such ttems .as
prf:L.Cti<:6J. Jokes is kept 8,S a.n open option) .

3Le~ Ceste~~ p. 359, n. 22~. The s~e note 6ttributes to

th~ ob~ervation that this is" in effect~ a palindrol:ie (though the term is not use d); s peei fie ally" one 1 nvo.l vi rl g the
first tYO lette~s of the a~phabet.

A.-M. Desrou5seaux

A;fri~arms's Vie'Ll

214

use it).

ticity,

This pa.ssage is not rJ.cc(!pted by Bjorck as of pro"Jen n.uthenhow~ver.

The precise form of the inscription,. "tl.bba!..," un-

less it has sui'fere-d 11') the transc;J:!ssion,,1 would suggest this l.atter
suspicion; a person :from a Semi tic background 'IIould presumably not

have used sucb a form.

11gious

backgro~~d

of

Ferha.ps eVen mort:!' to the

th~

wOrd cited by

New Testament passages 'Which he

gi"'t~s.

po1nt~

Vi~il1efond}

tbe very t'e-

emphasized by the

vould also see-m to argue

against the Afl"icB.Jlian origin of the Prescriptian.

Also, the use of

an Aramaic: phrase as a magical charm, by soml!'on1! from an area. where

th is was one

0f

the

~O.l!mJ.on

ably not unprecedented.

ll!:Lnguage s., 'WOuld be unusu.al .. 3 though prob-

A number of" Africanus I s :procedures fa.ll 'U."1der the hea.ding of

amulet s. a tJo-'lle of' prot I!'ctil1e item kept on or nea;r the

body ~

One or

two of" them are cha:nns (Le.) their poyer comeli from a. wTitte-n spell

engraved on them), the others involve some type Dr s~athetic 04 apQ-

tropaic:

prin~ipl~.

IThis is not unlikely since the l!I.ddl?d !. does destroy" the symmetry of the palindrome, tL.."ld is lik~ly to h.tLv~ b~en added in the Greek
tradition once its original Ar.ama1c significance vas lost from sight.
(Or is it possibly Jlot B.n e::tpflllsion of ~" but 0. truncated torn of a
corruption or Abl"Q.s.o..x?)
2
Note again Vieillefond. Lea CeBt~s~ pp.

56-58.

3See the discussion of "Foreign tJ.nd Strange Elements." beloW'.

The use of such an item in a. charm vould be in a dif'fel'ent category
from the use of Ar~ic (or other native) names in common prescriptions or-

n~r1"a.t1ves.

vould ae~ to req'Jdre eome sort of

In Afrlcanus's case this 'Would
come from. its Christian use, which 'LI'ould strengthen the objection a.bove.

qBut such a use in

&

ch~r.m

Nnuminous tt quality in its background.

Charms and Rites

275

Amulets andcharrns
Airi {! anus i
lets {peria,atoi S

sai d, to

C1.U"'e asp

bi tee. and m1 et s of eyel3 by

and incantations {Psellus; Vi.

319}, and two of the

1t~s

mp 4, and th ~ vi there d. ba.t

IUIIU-

IX. 1. 30-32 10 p.

he prescribes 10 the stone found in a cock,

T

hea.d,. mp 15a, 1 IDR)rbe

~o:rn in

a. leather- amulet (1. 3. 3,. p. 125,. and I. 17. 35,. p. 165).

other passages prescribe a cham to b(! borne on the bod,y:

Roman prescription for BnUJ1,Il!anageable horse. and
a.ble tin eharm against ,scorpion stings.

!IIp

37 ~

B,

skI.ti s ,
Two

mp T. tJ1e
th~

question-

The .former may not be

strictly an amulet, but it is borne on the body (in the hoof) as a

"proteetive l , device.
oth er pendant!3

A number of Af"ricarlUsr s other procedures involve lLttaching

the pres eribed

t.ems to (literally

around,. n usually i nvolvinge.

f'Ol'"l:!

of pe~iaEtQ)3 the sUbject, usually on or n~ar the specific part of the

body i nvol ved ~ if any ~

wo.rn

Th~se pro~edurE!'s

are

mpp:

10, volf tail and

lIn place or the bat's head~ fipparent1y the whole bat might ~
(L 17. 4:2).

2'I'hough Atri(::B.nus sugge-stsfl. more secure container (apparently

body} for the former (r. 3. 11, p. 121). (The ston~
might lI.1so 'be carried in, th~ mouth, under the tongue (lines 3-.t. and 9J.)

the

contes~antls

3This also applies to mp 15a i above (1. 1 T. 36 .and ~2). The

exceptions are mp 10, where Africanus refers to nnet:kl8.t:ea fl {peridera.io1s ~ and 12erithema., L 10. 8 and 11); mp 23 a and b, which involve
a gold necklace (horm.Q., III. 2. l~) and a skin container (vi th no spe-

cific order to wefl.r the la.tter (or the fO'I"Irle'r t fo!' that matter)); a.nd
31 .. in vhich the tin sheet is to be "tied aroWld u (peridesmei,
III. 23. 5) the animal's thro.at. Note .also mp ~, 1J~ri br.Q;;::hioni
Pllorouroenos (I. 3. 9-10).

mp'

J,

'Itet:!s in parentheses aTe h!ppiatrica

Bj8rck.

1'a.S6~es

questioned by

Arricanus's View

276

teeth; 21. deer antler ornament; (23 a and

b~ s~allow

stones in

gold necklace and. in favn or- c::alf' skin); (23 c and d~ vulture eyes in
1

dog skin

or :frog eyes in linen); 27, l!.2J.ygonum in dog's !:L.fter'b1.rth;

frog'S navel (brains?), and d" the mulberry bouah styptic.

Foreign or strange-

e-l~~nts

One of the fairly

~onstant

is the foreign or

elements in most

or ex.a:m-

atrain in the various proce-

pies of

masi~

dures.

This fe-at-ure is somewhat minor in

~xoti~

sys't~ms

Af'~ieanu8t

etlces de5pite the f~t that he is something of

9.

magical refer-

ftnarrn!!-dl"opp.errl and

retailer of e~oti~ (and/or esoteric) in~ormation in his general narrative.s.

Famous

magic~

Three
DIp

areas
passag~s

involve names or places noted in

anci~nt magic~

3" a Thesselie.n snake (,.,ri tb e. Sy!'ian name also given. though per-

haps a. gloss); mp 42. the nekyomarItfda vith its mmlerou5 magical nwes;

and mp 41!chr

2~

the book by an ancient

!sypt~an

king. Souphis.

In

addition, another- passage invol....es a near neighbor of the EI!J1)tian5,

the Li'ovan In.aron in mp 36.

Roman prescriptions
Three
ter in

pa.s:sages~ mpp 6~

13a~ involv~

lIn

7,. and the cross-ref'erence to the lat-

prescriptions

attTibut~d

to the Romans (ct. also

addition~ vulture eyes in linen may b@ applied ~o

the

~res

daily" though apparently not ~rn continuously (mp 23c; III. 2. 21-2~~
p. 227).

Charms and Rites

the- ref'er~nce to the Quintilii in mp 11).

This is so~ething or a

J;lu-"'"Prisl!, since the ROInans were not. a dista.nt

raCE! in

th~

days of their empire.

2Tf

or especially ancient

But the fact of their dominanetl!',

t.ogether '\lith their relative dista.nee from Paleetine, &nd their rela.tlve antiquity (approa.ching a millennium). might a.ccount for their

inclusion here.

01) theothil!r hand t a5 noted above a.tthe end of the:

disClJ,9Sicn of' the npentagon Passages,,11:2 the-s~ referl2'nces do not eontribute greatly to belief in Africanusfs seriousness, at least a.t

these points. 3
:t'..agi cal clas s es "!
lTTnose by whom "IlOlve s a.re ~ &ught most ea-s ily t1 (mp 128,), and

sailors {mp 29) may be nfWled only because tbey are those who 'Would
ha.ve access to and possess knowledge of' the :remedi~8nBlD.ed h/olf
:fl e Soh ~

and the r'el!Ora}

The:-e might be sOliIe tendency. however 10 to

:regard them a.5 having i:iopecia.l l::nQ1l1edge of' magic in e;eneraL

The

fonne r ~ a!;l. i nhe.bitants of' more r~te 'icB.cC es sf bl,e} or dis taot (Wlc i "il i zed) areas (1. e ~ ~ paga.ni or barbaritJ.ns) might 'be so regal'd~d.

Sa.ilol"S" regarded as a superstitioub lOt., nde;ht, by reflex" be regil.rded a.s ha..,ing special knQwledge or pO\o7@'rs in su..ch areas; or they
might be so regarded as having contact with distant. exotic s places.
lTh i s sam,e di snbili 'ty woul d also apply to the ArAmB. i ~ tl.bbas.
in mp 37, if it is r@g&Xded 6.S coming from either a Palestinian resident (a cO:lmlon viev or Af'rice.nus) .. or a Jew \ITt ting for Jews s I!!'venin
t.he DiasporfL (as in Vieillefond's view).
2

n.2

00

Above, p.. 213 ,vitb n . hi.

~ote thE!' other question5 abOut

the latter page'.

lIIjJ

1 {above, pp. 272-73 10 with

278
~ites

A nwnber of' the pl"ocedurcs in....olve the perfol"Il!ance of cer-

tElin actions) or the observance of

e~rt.B.in :restrictions

(limitations)

or requ.irem.emts of behavior" in lIhich 'the actions seem to be of sig-

nifi cane e in themsel ve s; they are

manipulate

th~

51 ot

substances prescribed.

s imply acts neC:eSi 6.....ry to use or

Th~se

involve the U5e of a

certain Bide (right or lil!!ft) for some function t the observance of

proper times) the use of
"ta.bus . II

~ertain

numbers, or other requirements or

'l"hes(! factors- 'Will be c:onsidered belOW', clil:D.a.xed by a con-

$iderat1on 01' I::ertain

pas.sa~s

which present combinations of"them in

extended. rituals.

mOTe

Right or

~eft

Several passages

spe~ify

in vol',e s a part from a (: erlai n

5i

that a particular procedure uses Or

de 10 or is per tormed vi ttl a certain

hand..

Four passages invol.... e the right side:

'the 'Wolf tail to pre-

vent fright in horses is attached to the sUbjectls right ear (mp 9);
the

sl~eping

potion for use in wine inl::luded wax from the right ear

of a donke:,' (mp 16); it ye,s the :r-ight. astragalus of" e.. wolf W'hieh was

supposed to stop a four-norse

te~

(mp 18); and the right testic~e of

a 5~~n ~e..s to be applied to aid colon dis~r~ss in horses {mp 40).1

These seem to be explainable by the idea

or

the right as the :more

lThis ~B.!3t procedUl"e vas not f1.ccepte-d by Bjorek,. "Apsyrtus~f1

pp. 15-16+ The report of the procedure in th~ h:ippie.tric:-a is shnply
too short to provide any atyli6tic criteria to support its claim.
There seem to be no particular reasons based on content to ~ither
oppoBe or support it.

271
potent 1 and/or the positive
difrl!rotm~eJ

g1d~.

There seems to be no

5igni~icant

ho..... ~ver~ betveen the wolf "tail to pre"Tent fright

"ilhich is

attached to the right side. l!ll'I.d the frog eyes to protect from opht.ha..l.mia {mp 23d} which are attached to thl:!: 1e-:ft

shQulde:r~ 01'

the 11.g-

nite stone- to aid birth (mp 44c) which is put in the left hand.

The

choice of side seems to be rather arbitl"Q.!'Yt at the unconscious whim

or fQrtlutous

r~tiona1e o~ th~

Ope~ations

involving

originator.

th~

left side occur a little more fre-

In mp 7 there are t\,o such rei'erences: the taming inscription

quent.ly.

is to b2 engraved in the left front

t

be 1 e rt hand.

of

~y

foot~

and it is to be done vith

A veteri nary presc r iptlon gi yen bet,,e en i terns a and b

12 is to be infused into the lett nostri1 of the ailing beast

(1. 12. ql, p. ~~ 7)

eyes as

As not ed in t he pre-cedi cg paragra.ph ~ "the frog's

a."1 ophtha1=Di C' (ltIp

(mp 44c) arC! to be used

against vorms (mp

35)~

Or)

.2 3d} fl.ll.d the 1i ~i t e ston e "to a.i d bi rt h

the left side.

Also;. ifolthe sprir.k.ling

the left band is used.

These cases of att&ch-

ment (or placem~f.Jt) on t.he left :side can perhaps be explained as an

apotropaie: f'Ll..'nction .. since- the lett vas regarde-d as the side of ill-

ottlen (colCpElTe the reverse .ra.tionale- for the designation of it. a;s
E!UOnynlc9)

The uses of the left hand. in the first and la.st proce-

dures. abo"!!:, are- probably to be explained by lIiess s suggestion that

it is t.he unusualness of its use which conveys the

Guppos~d

power.

This ndght also carry over to such a "pass1ve,t use as the.t in mp 4Lc
(ligni te s"tone).

The fact that the

frog~ s

~ieS6, "Aberglaube,. 11 cols. 83-84.

2 Ibid .

~ol+ 8~,

linea 46-50.

eyes in mp 23d could be

Africanusts View

280

worn on the left shoulder or

n~~k

some'W'hat arbitrary nature- of the

(JIL :2. 29) seems to co-nf"irn the

.epecifi~ation

of.' a :side.

Times.

Five passages specify times at which the procedures must be

Three of these specify days in relation to the moon ~ and

perfoTr:led.
thr~e

speci.fy a. time of day.

In the

form~r

grouPJ the taming

inscri:p~

tion (mp7) is to be engraved at the sixte~tlth de.y of the moon lo perhaps because this JtI&rks the beginning of th.e moon's .....a.n1ng lo iLnd thus
could carry
mp

a"."l 1mpli~d

23b are not

mrJOn t
this

thre-n:t 'to the anieal.

cut open until the new or waxing pha.se of the

1.0 be

the performer vaiting

ti~

The spring nestlings in

(epide~hom~non, II!. 2~ 19~ p. 221) for

The <:lolor-t:hanging plaster

to do so.

0:'

horses in

1!Ip ~l

(hexagon ~even; III. 36 t p. 255) specifi~s both a da~ and ti~~ for
its use=

the :first
1

See

above~

day

p.

of the coon.;:? at the third hour {line 5).3

2~6.

with D. 2.

~olloving Vleillefonds transls.tion, Les C~stes, p. 25~.

The text as given by Vieillefond (rol~owing Oder-Hoppelo C.H. 2;250.
15) reads prot' selene . . .. This could !Dean the "first month J"
but the specification of the hour ~avor~ Vieillefondls int~~retation.
A reference to the day might haVe droppl!'d out~ or be as.sumed, but this
~u1d Testriet its use to once a y~a~.
(SUCh a ~estriction would, of
course ~ help 'tQ count~ract anyefi<::ourage~nt the :f"O:nnulamight give
to horse thievery, but that does not .se~ to concern the authoi" .)
Alternately, follO'Wing the London mMuscri:pt s p~os t;
sele:ni (Ode r-Eopp eo;o C. H., 2: 2'50 mg, re 11 ne 15 n-ss C i"ea.ds II 'It: i th
B. supers.cript 2])]0 the timE! might 'be conceived to be l'before the
JilOon [:1. e., on a moonlit night) at the thIrd hOUl'H (of the night .. or
after moonrise).
30n the phases of th~ moon in Guperstition see Ri~ssJ IfAbergla:ube .. n cols. 39-41.
Thorndike~

On various times, ibid., col:;. 38 t l.i~-~6;

H1stoEYt 1~91. ~iess pro\~des nucerous other @xamples of

both factors t especially in his discussion of superstitions involving
plants (cols. 51-68).

Charms and Rites

281

The hoUl" of vhat is not 5pecified .. but in view of the reference to

the moOD, and the type of operation which might 'be involved (hors~
theft). it might be the third hour of the night.

non-day) is clearly

spe~irie-d

Night (or at It!:a.st ..

in anoth'!!'!'" operation:

th~

ehicory!

"heliotrope" to be used against warts is to be picked before sunrise~

The final operation of this sQrt 15 USO 'U.'Oclear in its specification
of time~

The mulberry styptic (mp ~4d) is to be a.ppended vhi1e the

phosters are under the earth {IX. 1. 12~ p. 317).1 If this is inter'Pre~ed

simply

as

11

star s , If it wo,.ud

apparentl~r

light hours ~ but ......o uld seem to be a ra.ther

have to mean the

~umberl;lOl!le

d.ay~

vay of express-

ing the id~a (unless it is taken e..s a. definite pl!lrod..v of such magical

pre !il cTipti-ons ).

Pt!!:r'haps ~ especially in vi~ of' his Semitic a.nd/or

Bi.blical ba.ckground ~ A:f'ricanus ia us.ing the term to mean tbe two

major nsta.:rs" (the Utvo great lights Jr of Genesis), the

l:lOo:n~

:::'

If

BO~

"the dark of

SUD

and tbe

this 'Would. then mea.n a moonless night, specifically,

t.h~ moorJ. n

Numbers
Ai"ricanus inclu.des the

Itpower of nUJ:Qbers"

(arithmOn kines~os)

as, along wit.b magic .and sorcery (mageias kai Boete1as)~ ainong the
thi n gs taught to VOmen by

I!rte.in ange ls (mp

~ 6/ c hr

I}. 3

Such a

l.viel11efond makes a. s.eparate clause of this ~ Uamulett.e des

astres qui s e trouvent sou!:! 1& terre n {p. 316) ~ but gi ves no e-xplanation of ho'" the Itsta..r'l a."IIUlet r~lat.es to the muJ.berry styptic:.
2Cf + LSJ,. B. V' + u,*,WCli I1P

t 11

roe Hot oGo 4J.

tl.

3Routh .. Rel.sa.c:r. 2:2lil-~2 (Fragment VII~ first pa.rt; Syncellus l: 34-35 t! ed. Dindorf). The preceding context indieates SOIDe
uncertainty on Af'ric:8.nus t s part concerning thl?se angels. Tbe uncerta.inty seems, ho'lotev~r, not to be a.bout th~ir ~xigtence o:r- acts~ this

tainted origin of the mowledge concerning these thinB,s would not

undercut be-lie-f' in th~ir objective realit.y.l

Thus it is not surpris-

ing to fied several passe.ges from the Restoi which re:flect this idea

Several passa.ges involve the mUltiple repetition of some pro. a1h

ce d ure; J.n
l t.. e

.
Af'r~ca.."1ian

Pita ta" in mp 6 i

to be t hri c e

th~ic~ ~i~e~ciibed~

example-s

.. are tr i pIe. 2

the~

repeat~ d,

Tbus the

the vart in mp 3.3b is

and the maggoty SQre in mp 35 is sprinkled

three t.imes.
Three other passages involve numbers
specified for their

sUPJlO~ed

~h1ch ~ayhave

been

power t rather than established on a.

be se-ems to a.SSill'D.e &s ~stfJ.blished <cf. I EnoDh 6-10). The \IDcertainty is whether the-y should be identified vi tll the tl 50ns of God" of
Gen. 6:2,. 4. Africo.nus rather doubts this (ei . nooito ,
in contrast to the earlier bos oimai . . = Routh 2 =2~2. 3 !l..Dd 24l.
19-20; Synce11u.s 1: 35~ 1 and. 3~. ~4) in contrast to mast early Christian and contemr..o:ra.ry Jewish opinion (and I Enoch}. (Amcng t.he efirl.j'
church fathers 1:sE;!e Cha.pter rl~ below] these fallen engels'iJC'!"1!!: C:Ontmonly identified as the source o~ magic; pagan ~orship~ etc . and~
identified as the "soPs of' God," 8.S the progenit.ors of the da.emons.)
If this identifie:a.tion is mn.de" At!"iean1.11i still sees the progeny only
&S gi~ts (Rout.h 2;2~2. i; Syncellus 1:35. 4}~ not as demons.
1

No~ ~ oer:essaril;)' ~ of 'their moralit:rl.

Ma.ny of the other
:fathers included various pra~tical arts (e.g., cosmetics; metallu.rgy;
mining) BJtIong those taught by the angels. To t;he~lI this made lrlOst of'
the 8 e thi ngs :~rusper: t ethi c a.lly" bu.t.. di d not affect be l i ef in th ei r

effectivenees.
IC on~ were looking for any available proof of Africanus's
philosop~ica.l acumen ll he coUld say th~t Africanus here refuses to fall
into t he trap of the 11 ge net.! c: fallacy. 11 (But cred \1.1 i ty i So really di fficult to transmute into Fhilo8ophic insight.)
2The use of multiple (~speciallY triple) items or repetition
of peT'f"ormances 1e ?ddespread in magic ~ ct'. Riee.s" It Abe l'glaube: r eels.
J19. 38-5Q. lO! vith nUlDerous illus~rat1on6 in the :fQl1ov1ng disr:U9SioIL
of plant.s, ~ols. 5l-68j, I!j3rc-k~ ,tApsyrtus ~ fI p. 65 (citing a tert from
He-im, ,. Inc atrtame:r.Jt &0," p. 551'); Thorndi k e! Hi story ~
1 : 91-92; Hubert. ,
"MagilL, ,t p. 1519 (col. :2).

CharmS and Rites

The eye 5alve preparation is to be buried in horse

praetico.l bfL.sis.

dung for forty days: (mp 23e),. the dog brain rrylaster n on the baJ1dage
will heal a fracture in fourteen dfL-ys (mp 32) t and the :foot trea.tment
in 'Pi"ocedure 39 starts torith seven figs.

Otherto"iae!t as noted a.bove l.n

the diBcussion of each, these procedures, though

bi~arre, ar~

not too

:far removed from ancient medical (folk.-med1cal t at lea.st.} pra.ct.ices.

Several other reatures noted in the various procedures discussed in the preceding

i.e.

actions significant in

could come under t.he heading of rites,

pfl.gCs

the~5elves.

The victorious cock from "Which victoIJ-gi.....ing stones are to

be used is to be eaten

50

as to leave the skeleton 'Iothole, a.nd then

Three:: or the "ophtha1.ln.1c rr proced\ll"es in mp 23 involve ritu-

p. 2113).

a.1s of' great.!!'!'" or lesl$~r extent.

most ela.borate,
seems to

,and

confir~

'I

invol.. . . es a f'oe:ature (eacrif'ice to Aphr-odite) wh1cl1

Bjorck's omission of this

list,- the .svallov stones are

the

n~s'tling

In the first (Z3a), whicn is the

fo~d

pass~ge

from his authentic

and used in an elaborate

manner~

is opened wito a sharp reed, a .bite dOve is stl.erificed

and Aphrodite is invoked, and then the stones are put into a gold necklac!!:.

In the other- two items,. "the stone f'rom the s'W'allov nestling in

231:1 ttoust not touch earth before use,

and

th~

frog :from vhich the eyes

lUApsyrtus~1't pp. 15-16; lJee sbove', p. 2~'St \rith n. 1.

2

See above t p. 246, n. 1.

28~

Africanuli f s View

are taken in 23d must be released where it vas takl!n.

Th~

passage

desi gnated as ntp30 (I II. II ~ p. 233) ~ 1 :f it is retl11y Afric.anian ~

would probably fit into 'this eategory.

a. virgin .. having loosed (11860580) her
the face with it.

To cure

gi!"dle~

f!,

2'

horse of 2a,vsuree.. ..

should strike him a.bout

The ke)r element here would appear to be

virgin probably being specified because of' a cOl!lIllOn magica.l

l.oosing~

beli~.r

in

thei:r "pot-ency,,.3 and the st.rik.ing a means or transferring the power

1

See &oove, p.215, n. :2. Thorndike suggests that this type of

procedure may come under the head of nma.gictrBilsf'~r'l of dif.lei!'i!;l.c
(Histor;v.
1 ~88-89) . This interpretation 1tfLS avoi.ded 1.n the previous
discussion. since there is no fLctual contaetbet'Ween the diseased pereon and the releasedani:m.al. Perhaps a Hma.gic transfer of bealth ~ It
might be a better description., the release of the frog serving only as
a way of disposing o'F an "unsightlytt by-product of' the opera.tion. The
I:;p~cifica.tiontbl!l:t it be relea.sed 'vhere it waa taken would S~~l!J an
urme:ct::'ssElrY detail if' the anima.! need onl;r carry the disease away; it
seems to i:IrIply a :r~-int~gration or th~ ~T~Ei.tur~ into nature, f!, maintem:wce) as much as possible, of the "wholeness n th"-t its .eyes symbolize. (It could" hOl1eYer~ b~ a precaution that the Mimal does cot
remain in or .return to the vicinity of the su.rfere:r~ thus threatening
to return the dise6rSe to hirn, or to die: leaving the disease where it
could return to b1m~ or where helZ'dght "ru.n aCToss tt it aga.in.) Jones
(ItPopular Medicine.," p. 514) suggests that such an EUm.Uet ,ra~sorbs 1'1
the illne5!!1O and 'transfers it to the mutilated ani:nu;0. ~ its death taking along the illn~ss. This sounds reasonable .. but vould restrict the
usefulness of theEUBUlet tet:lpOrally+
2Bjo;rck specif'ica.lly rejects the authentieity of this pieqe

because of' the grea.t extent of" its v~rbal coincidence vith A~liB.rl ti.
11. 18; it is more likely to be ~ 5criba.1 or redactional ~d~ptation
direetly .froln Aelian thana passage co:rning through a \n"i ter such uS
Af'ricanus (I1Aps.yrtus;, N pp. l7~18). This is the sa:ne type of' evide:nc'l!
~ed by other etudent:3 of Africanus in rejecting :m.any o:f the otner

chapters credited to Afr-icanus in the manuscripts and 'the printed

editions of Thevenot and Lami. oe:cauae of their close repetition 01'"
adaptation of the texts of Aeneas 'I'acticus ~ et al. V1eillefond aFparently does not accept Bjorck' B reasoning on this pa~HLage~ since he
included it in his 1970 edition, but he did not answer the objection
on this point+
3Eg ., Rieas~ nA'berglaube~n ools. 58. 61; 72. 39; 85. 5; 86. 5.
All of th~se passages
exeecpt 86. 5 inyolve aome type of he~itl:g or a.potropaic proced'lJ.1"e.

9; of. also, 80. 9 and 86+ 4~ (an innocent boy).

Charms and

285

Rfte~

of the looaed gird1.e to -tbe- animal which. is in need of."

ing.

The strik.ing

~ou1d,

hOll,eve-r t be:

8.

sort of

1008-

as a means of driving

vi~ed

out or subduing some hostile force; such

Q.

force could most natura.lly

be vi ewed as "personal t I' but need not be.

Two further passages

invo1ve ritual prescriptions.

Circum-

scription or the &!fe-eted place- (8. wart) is one procedure prescribed

in mp 33 (III. 11. 7-9.p. 239).

As sugg(!sted above in the discU5-

sioT.! of plants ~ if thl! Stib8t&nC~ prescribed, flowers of chicoryr'he:liotrope," hali some medicinal value ~ this. might be a. pra.l::t.ical YS::l of

tureEi of the proc@dure-, picking

be-f'or~

sUtir-ise a.nd

th~ t~eefold

tion, suggest that the i::ircUIri5eription itself' is a ritual.. act.

sprinkling vith

~at~r against maggots (mp

Hphysicianta flng't"r lt (III. 19.

involved.

2~

p. 239).

35)

~as to

aeThe

be donevith the

'W'he.tever the precise finger

its designation suggests tbat it has cowe to ha....Te some

special use in connection with healing .. and thus the simple use of
that finger provides :l;Iucb a virtue to an act p~rrormed vith it.

{Two other items ~ if they are magieELl, or even superstitious.

l."ieillefond~ Les

Cestes t p. 358]0 nT 209; BjorcK. t'ApsyrtlJs/'

p. 59~ cf. @'x.aJD.ples inF:iess., "Aberg}.aube. 1t cols. 61 .. 20-21; 62.16.

2Eitber 'the ind(!x finger (as tra.nslated by V1e111efond .. Les

238; but vi th re-s erYB:tiot) S:Ji see hi 5 note 213 ~ p. 358), or
the ring tinger- (ibid .. ; st'!e also Bj5rck~ "Aps:yrtus ~~. p. 20, cf. also
p. 60; both C'ite the 'brief note by R. Ga.nszyn1ec ~ 11Welches 1st dertCl'tp'll(bs 66.K'tUhOe:?", .y7..a.ntinisch-neugriechische Jahr"biicher 1 (1920):
C~s tes, p.

3h2). Ganszyniec- sho......s tha.t the lat.teris 1teo reference .. at lea.~t in

some Vi'"!ter-s and passages. Ri~ss euggests that the term was appli(!d
sometimes to the middle finger" Bometil:les to the ring finger (nAber~

81aube)N col. 64" lines 62-65).

286
a.t al.l,vould proba.bly {lome under this "heading.

Th~y

are the speci-

fi cat i on of' the us e of a ~ pot in mpp 19 (neO-l..U?ge Ii J a.nd. o43b ()t~ i non]

5,

elI. 5.

p. 205~ and VI~ line h~ p. 297J, ~nd the specification of

a. black It.Orlar f'or r:!1i tin g theautom.e.ton pYr [II. 11. :3

a ne-w pot

]My

varning:

p. 211) .

But

merul no more than one tbat 1e: clean", or l.U1:contaminated in

the 11 te ra1 sens e

signi ficance

and t.he color of the mortar mi ght have p:ract i.::: al

in a delicate procedUl"C' 'Which must be perf'ormed under a.

Ifgua.rd the facet for it kindll!:s

sUdd~Il1y]on

lines 6-oJ.)

Extended rituals
Se.... erB..l of the procedures involve the

pe1"fOL"m&lCe

of

is.

con-

neeted series of signif'i.Cant acts.

One of the most ie:Jpress1ve of

thes~

series is the rlhoplocrism.a u

passage (mp 61' pentagon ~ive; I. ;. 1-9. p. 129). the anointing of the
wounding ve-apOn. 3

In this proc:edUJ"'e:lo the 'Wounding iron is to be

anoint.ed and thoE!'n struck. onto (or~ driven into'? repikrous.ai~ line 2J)

the 'Wound.
t a", 11

d
fLt':!,

This is t.o be act:ompanie-d

..
'II hi 11! sJl~tt.:J..ngt

4 tie
h use

by

a. triple repetition of" uts.

f
the
LB..t~n

e;xpre$~iQn

(Rhomaie.n
-

lef. Bjo:rck~ "Ap.8yrtus~" pp. 60-61.

?

~No'te Vieillefondls parenthl!tic cOl!tDent"

Les Cestes l p. 355 1

3See the discussion above:t .p. 211 t .Ii th n. 1 and the

re~erences in Thomas, D~clin~ of MBgic~ cited there.
hOn spitting s.s a.n apotropsic (o:r medical) procedU%'e ll note
Bj crck 11 "Apsy:rtus . . 11 pp. 51- 58; Ri.e-ss... " Abe);"glaub e t Ir c: ols 87-86 1 vi th
other eX6.!IJples 65. I . . 11; 85. 22-2~; iiieillefond . . !.e:; testes.~ p. 337 ..

n. 48 (citing Pliny N.H. 28. 35 6Syroviding numerous examples of its

use in medicine); Thorndike, Histopr~ 1: 62-83, 92-93 (spi tt.ing thrice)
{all re Pliny); 1 T4 (Galen); no1:.e especially Pliny .N. H. 28. 36,

Charms and Rites

.

..

257
This ela.borate proced'UI'e

is to allevia.te the suffer irlg from the vound 11 it must still be treate d
by the medical aides (iatron paides~ line 7).

The following procedure {mp or 11 pentason six; L

l33} is perhaps even more elaborate.

icullyl stated l!Iagica.l progrS1Ilt1l.~~

It is

introdu~ed

6.

23-30~ p.

qy the rhetor-

'Il et evil of" na.ture by o.rt of na.-

ture be corrected" (kakia oh:rrseos techne 'Ohyseos, diorthoustho .. line

?I~). 2 A t8.!!ling

inscription, of RonIal'i orie;in:- is to be engra.ved in the

1e:f't frOnt hoof, "'''i t.h the left hEI.J"Jd:l with a br on z!:. stylus 11 'Under
sixtE:!e-n-da'V-01d :moon (lines 24. 26-27).
:ful elements,.

fl.

wi "th such e.n array of' pawer-

it is not bard to see hO'\or the inscription coUld be de-

chias . . . . . lin~ 28)11 apart from the question Qf wheth~r its preserva.tion in a pentagon (see tbe discussion of" the I1Pentagon Passages 1

above) was of real :tnil.gical significance.

Considerably lesselaoorate) but s'till quite striking" is a

Bpi tting on the ground three times as tl customa.rj ritual in using any
remedy, and 30. 108, tTiple B,~tion {eircumscription} acC'ocpanied by
triple spitting by both parties.

lSee Vieillefond~Les Cestes, II. 130~ not.e~, on tbe rhetori~al character of the first paragraph of this chapter (lines l-13~
pp. 129 ~ 131).
The lines describing the inscription provide opportunity for
:f'u.rthe r rhetori cal di 5 play; hen ou phob- . . . h:t;n cueh hypopt- .
hert pho-ron (line 25); cheiri e-- encharatte ,g,raphip ehalkO 1
(lines 26-27).
2

..

On Ifnature by nature, I' se~ Le.ge:rc:ra.nt~ ~ Pap. ho1Jr:l . pp~ 90-9).

vi th n. 3 (re '&:rthelot and Ru.elle ~ Col1ectio~,. 2; 5'7. 3-15). and pp.
109-10 (Til:! Berthelot a.nd Ruelle} 2;43. 22-53. 15); an the Itart of nfl.ture l l (= alchemy), see Berthelot and Fluelle ~ 2~ 272. 3-~. See-also:lVieill~ro[Jd, gs Cestes.. p. 132, note!. (plIysikos in the senSE! of
U

DJagiq1.le ll ) , I!Intl the title of IX. 2 10 P' 321 (again ~

&1chemy).

288

Africanus's Vie'l,i'

prooedure for driving maggots from a. sorl!'l1 gf ven in mp 35 (III. 19 ..

Clear water .. tflken up rith the thUJ::lb and curled back uphy_

p. 239).

sicia.nts" finger or the left hand, is sprinkled three times on the

infected place.

Whi~e

no spell is
t.......

scribed by a poetic line:

is that. the maggots

vater 1s de-

oy a stl"l!:!:am of pure vater.

em~l'ge,

left behind (lines 4-5).

prescrib~d.. th~

..1

The res\lJ.t

f'ollO'iling one another out, not one being

It is difficult to see how such & procedure

could be presented seriously .. unless something crucial has, been left.

out i.n the conde-nsati.:>n or transmission.

A more elaborate procedure

could be proteeted :from apparent failure' by charging failure in some

detail of its

pe~formancet

vhat would not be

disproof.

but such &

B Nlre ~onditiQn..

s~pl~

procedure .. involvicg

seems too vulner-ab1.e to empiric

Gods o.nd Daeltlons

or

A number
daemons.

Mos.t

or

various I'JIagical

p~Bsag~5

in Africanus refer- to pagan gods

these ref'e:r-ences occur in connection with tbe

proc~dures,

yet few if any of them are directly in-

vol. ve din the proc ~dU1""eEi the;ms elve 5.

cal

pro~edures,

L~d/or

including

In this

th~ in~antations

iI.Qj'..

A:tri canue! S lI1.&gi-

and charms .. are 50mevhat

~leillefond, Les Cestes~ pp. 358-59 .. n. 21L; ]j5r~k~

16.

.rApsyrtus .. I' p.

2This argument could apply~ o~ course l to its transmission in

the ~us(lript t~adition~ but once an item entered the t~adition. unde~
the ~:uspi-ces of some nautho;ri ty liP it seems to ha.v~ been passed on by
the successive scrlb~g with little real thQught of its rationale. But
the original authority, presumab1Yl would shov a little more c~on
scose:.

Gods and Daemons

Invocfl.tions
This atyPicB.1. character is illustrated by the references to
invocation of tne gods in Africa.nus.

'T'h@-:re- are possibly tour s.uch

references . of' "Which one (prelude to mp ll~ prayer to Poseidon Horsetroubler; 1. 11. 16-17) p. 141) is only that ~
pagan practice in that.

r~g8.rd.

B.

The relation of

(passing) reference to
th~

other three to

Africa-nus' s beliefs is 4!fLCh uncertain in a. different '\,fa.Jr.

first.~

The

the ad,dre39 to Sle-ep in mp 15[> {r. 1 T. 4~-4S!< p. 165} "even if it

should be

tt10Tr:!

than a rheto1"ical. apostrophe. is re:.tber a challenge

than an .invocation (cf.

alsO!lIJl

l!lb; ibid." lines 30-32),. and \l'ill

t.hus be considered in the nl!tX't sect.1on belO'il+

The s4!cond.

6n

1nvoca-

tiOD of Aphrodite in eonnection w:Hb the use of stones from s:walloll

neatlings (mp 23&; III. 2. 11-1~}:I!

authenticity, and .is itself

practice

3S

80

OCC'Ill"S

in a passage of suspect
Afri~anus's

out of keeping with

to provide support :for the.t suspicion,

The

usual

th1:rd~

:PIP

42 J the Oxyrhynebus fragEent of 't.he end of Kestos 18,. is definitely

part. of the Africanian corpus. but tbel'e is question as to

of its inclusion:

th~

in'tent

is Af:ric:anus recommending it ase. magical

IThere is a ref'erepc(! to the sa.crifice of tl- victorious cock

in mp 1 (I. 3. 7-8. p. 125), but OtLq in desc~ibingthe finding of
the stones. There is no :refer~:uce 'to the invocation of e.. god .. nor
any indica.t.ion that the sacrifice plays any part in the virtue of the
atone. In the second procedurE!! (lines 12-1T~ p. 127}) there appears
to beso:me sort of ritual. including the burning or the bones" but
het'!!!! there is not even a. specific reference to the procedure as sacrifice.
In mp 1 (L 6.23--JO~ p. 133, with me.:rgina.1 note on line 28),
if the t.heophylakto!J should be part o:f the o:tigino.l "Le.tin expr~gsion.. ,.
it still would not exactly be an invocation (and .need not be in re~
erence to e. pagan god (though orlgipa11~t so .. if from Afric8.f.lus I s

time?J.)
2

See above,., p. 245:.

~d

n. 1.

290
procedure~

O~

simply including it only as a

litera~J cmbellishment~

Homeric novelty rediscovered by his own sharp

eye~

Rivaling the gods

The goal of

mn~Y

ancient magical rites seems to have been the

attainment of divine Dr Be.r:ni-c.ivine

id~ntitying

way.2

or

~asoci~ting

oneself

po\i'~r

~ith

by union . . . ith a god, or

by

a god (or the gods) in some

This is an ambitious procedure .. rele.ted in B,oroe ways to the

e.cquiring of a 1'farniliar, It e.. :eyedro5.

be rea.d as refle-cting this latter

'I"..ro lines in Africanus might

goal-~'II

desire Sleep to become

subservient tD 11tY' practice ~ that vi til me alone this master and allsubduer may dwel1 u (Elp lLb; 1. 17. 27-29 t p. 165)3_-bu1. Africa.nus's

basic att.itude to\iards the godsiLnd spiri'ts seems to be- entirely otherwise.

Rather t.han se~king union ~itb such spirits (or even their

8ervil~

subse''Tvience}, he sets hittlSelf against

them~

he seeks nothing

less than equalit.y (self-achie'l,i'ed) 'With them~ or even hOGtile

1

. See .e.bov@'11 pp. 268-71.

Note, ~.g,; Morton Smith~ Cleme~t of Alexandria and a Secret

Gosnel of Mark (Cambridge: Harvard University Press~ 1973), PF. 220-23
Tincitiding p',Jr~ nr. 15 ~ - 221~ on p. 221) not.e es]). p. 222.. '~fany JDagi C 801
operations 'Were designed to produce s'Ucll incarna.t.E;! deities; . . . n,
and p. 226, 11Cl ailtJing to be fl. go d or a son of' a god; OT un i ted wi th
some god or superna.tural entity. . . I'; also hia argUI!lentra and eX8lI:.ples in Jesus the Magician. pp. 96-106, esp~cia.lly the rites which
cla.im or are designed to achieve identity or 'Wlion vith a god! pp.
98-99 (rot-1 1. 511ff) ~ and PT 103 (PGM Til. l1Q-221), Note 8.1 so , Bjorck)
nApsyrtus~n p. 6h (this occurs in the di6cussion of his passage nco
1; and cites p&ssage no. 9 11 on pp. 67-68), and compar@ the various
"ego eimi'; fonnE; in ~ 46,. e.g ... lines 108-9. 113~ 145-~6 ('With
not e ),. 151, 154- 55, i '56-, 236 (wi th note}, 240; 472 ~ J.76-17 (Ken~.. on s
Greek Pa~rri, 1;68-80).
'I

3But sucb an interpretation ofthes~ lines is probably excesseem to b~ only rhetQri~al e~aggeration of a personification of sleep (ct. the rel~ted lines from 15b and 14b discussed just
Blve~ th~se

above)

Gods and Daemons

doodnance of the:rr:a.

of th-e- first

01"

This attitu.de is shovn in

our magical

pa~sages:

291
tb~

introductory lines.

"The victorious a.t.tribute t.he

lIa.rs of such kind to theirpe(:uliB.l' gods.

These gods a.lsQ "We will

1mi tate; spontaneous fortune by our art s will "be produced~' (I. 2. 57-

59" p- 117).

This attitude of' d~:tian~e toyard the gods is. further

manifested in regard to the horse-troubler drug (mp 11; I. 11. 17-20,

m.e.r~ make 1:.0 Pos(!oidon

(lines 16-1'1").

It is also shown in the "sleep-

lessness rr pa.ssage- reterred to Just above.

There (mp l~b) the element

Of elmUfl.tion--"I do not d.eel:1J n1y'Self lln'W'Qrthy of" the equa.lity of priv~

ilege with theI!lU (1. 11. 25-26, p. 165)--is directed toward EDen, but
ltIen who had gained advfi.ntage over daimcnia/ -es t -earthbound and humble

to be 5we (line 26), but daicone-.s none the less.

challenge is not to the men who conquered them,

bu~

Further t his real

to the one

~ho

had

really bound them~ Sleep .. t'he a.ll--conquering one (Merx kai pandamat6.r,

lines 28-29).

Thi 5 is the set tins for th e a.po s"trophe s to Sleep in

t.he follOYi ng line 9 (30- 32) and in mp 15b (line s Q.4-~ 5 )

ar~

probably

& literary

really conceives of

device, but if it is held that

Sl~ep

Thes e lines.

Afric~~u3

as a daem::mic being t his attitude of de-

fiance and concl!!'it (outright

hybris~ in f's,ct) is even

more striKing.

1 This is not !'"eally parallel~d by the desired pover to command

various gods in th~ passages cited by Smith (~.g., Clement of Alexan-

.9r1&,

p. :221) t or the: attitude of fear1es.sness toyard the gods gained

during the 'tz.!ithras Liturg,'," lines 555-73 {Marvin W. Meyer, ed. and
trans. 1o The ''Mi;t,hras Li twsv .. n The Society of Biblical Litera.ture Te;xts
&nd Trt1t.lsla.tiorHl Cno. 10) ~ Graeco-Ro-man Religions Series (no. 23 ..
ed.it.ed by Hans Dieter Betoz; and Edward N. OrN~il (Missoula., Montana:
Scholar S?ress, f'o:r- the Society of Biblical Literat'l.U'e,. 1976):0 pp.
8-9). II~ t."hose pas,sages the statue 1s gained by the protection and
nsponsorship" of' a bigher pO\ler (TyJlho,. God of gods, king, and King

Africanus'sView

292

This theJIle of imitation of or contempt for th(! gods appears

in t\io other :references.

In a

vhich, de-spit@ its

late~ eha:pt~rt

title., Georpj.n.s :earadoxa, is not magical., Africfl.nu.:s proposes to imitate Dionysus-vho had given vine aT.Id vines to the Greeks--by pro-

viding alternative friendship eups 1"Tom othe-r pl"oduce (T. 19. 21-25 ..
p. 113).

From another source 1 mp .l:7/c-hr 2 5 'We

l~arn

that Souphisl'a

book.. :pri zed by A:fri c anus, resu.1 t. ed f:rom Souphis' 9 hauteur or s uper-

cil10usness (h'z:p~:ro"tltes; RO~.ltb 2 :250+ 2~ Syncellus 1: 105. 9, ed.

Dindorf) toward

~he

gods.

~holoBical na~rat~ves
Anoth~r

characteristic of magical

proe~dures

of various ages

and are.as is the use of" e. narra.tive prt!"s~nting a IImythological' back-

ground,

fL

sort of" preternatlU"al precede-lit, for the: result proposed.

ael"E: 6.l80, AfrieRnus has passages t'hata.ppe.a.:r close to t.his t but Yl!!'t

Mpp 14 a 5 and "b ..and l5b, 6.l rea.dy noted :in

.are not really the same.

the preceding tV'O

pair ~ Africanus gives

associates of

Sleep~

fi

Sleep

.e.l.ree..~r

I!~

~uch

items.

III the former

rhet.oricELl del;lcript!on of the

and then

'Who bound 511an08 .. and

7-11:11 and 21-25).

present

di.scussions~

eit~s

anoth~r

o~

the cases

the

infll.,]en~e

Ph~'gian

or

king

hero 'Who found a satyr a.sleep (I. 11.

the latte:r t l5b ~ besides the apostrophe to

discuss.ed, he adds

&

comparie<m to an enigJnatic event

relating to the nuptials of Pasi'thea and Sleep (1. 17. ~ 5-4 7 ~ p. 165).

of gods . . in Sndth; Helios Mithras:II :in the "Mi thro.s Lit.urgyn (e1". lines
~8o-8~, p'p. 2-3; or some even higher power? 1inf!s 639-~3t pp. 14-15)}

while

African~s

1s

a~@d

only with a dead bat.

lSee. e.g.: Bj3rck t IrApsyrtus .. " pp.

r'Ma.gia.~ p. 1507 (col. 1).

6~-65,~ 69~

Hubert,

Gods and
it.~8is

None of these

tual magicaJ.

op~r&tiQn

Da~ons

293

presented as being used in any vay in the 6.C-

in 1580 (lines

33-43)~

and .fit. into the cha.pteT

simply as literary embellishments such as those found throughout these

cha.pters.

This

S'I!!ClIlS esp~eio.lly

true in the one o:f these pa.ssQ.ges

'Which has the greates,t maeicaJ. appearance (lines, 1:.15-41, in 15'0).

D~5pite

their obvious strengthening of the potentially

~ymp8.thetic

or association8J. elements. in the precE!ding apostrophe (Night's Bon-

Night's bird (line .1a4);'W'ingl:!u-a. vit.lg [liir.les 4J..-45J),they a:r-e given

a literary turn by the reference to Hera, leading rather to

B..ll

a.ut.hor-

1a1 "'conceit, If the ref'@renc~ to "the Kestoi" (line 48~ p. 167 L th~

to a magical applieation.

A reference to the birth of DionySliS, vitb

Fire as midvife (I. 19. 15-16~ p. 173}~ is not uaed) for example~ to
@"nha.n.c:e the- power of fire and/or vine in

be a. literary embellishment.
Africanu.s

a~serls is explained

BO[!]e

ritual]! but appears to

It is presented 6.S an aDoeient idea which

by the improvement of wines by boiling.:2

In mp 2~ (III. 3 ~ pp. 227, 229), also,. the myt.hological :references

provi de a. "na.t ural tt rationale for the procedure.

'lthe uni vers8.11~,.

reporte-d taet that the Sun/the Flame is dra.vn by st.allions, and

Night/the

MOOn

b:,' mtLres 3 explains

why facing

horses to the ea.5t or

l E . g ., in this very chapter~ ~ine-s 1-5,12-15;

8.150.,

1.2.6-

16; T. 3. 18-21; I. 7. 6-9; I. 11. 1-15~ 1. 20; II. 4. 1-2, Ja-5; III.
22; IV. (5). 2~-30; VIr. The other I>8.ssfl.ges discussed in this section
(esp. I. 9. 15-16} also illustr~te the point 3 insofar as the evidence
concl!'rning them is convincing, and is independent of the conclusions
concerning this pas.sage.
2But despite the rationaJ.istieexplantltion given to the myth,
t.here does seem to be some ttsuperstitious" ph~.. sics involved in tht'
procedure, as if the fls.me impEl.r'ted some of its quality to the vit:le
(lines lL-15).

3It is not clear that this reference indicates that AfricWius

294

Africanus's

vest wile 'bre-eding produces male or

It is a sympa.thetic type

oper8.tion~

Vi~N

f~:lII.ale

orrs.pring .. respective!)'.

not a. verbal one.

The drench

aga.inst :m.aggota (mp 35; III. 19. p. 239) seems to require something
more, and t.he poet i cline. "by a. str~alII: of pure 'lKB.te r ," could be
pa,rt of' E1uc:h a. narrative to provide i t

poten~y.

nothing in the text as i.t standI;! to BUpport such

elusion

si~ly

.as

fI;.

But there is, again ~

8.

use.. and its 1n-

lite:rary ornB.IJJentation wo'Uld be consistent with

Africanusls style as sho-r,m in the preceding pa.ssages.

The Oxyrhynchus

:f'ra.gn:.ent (mp 112; Vi. ~ V) might be- considered an extensive exe.mple of

su~h

a narrative, intermixed vi to supportin.g incantations:> but we do

not :rCfLl.ly kno'W'

Why

Africa-nus was citing it.

What we do ha"e of' his

s.tatements about i t suggest purely liter6.:rY (1) and antiqua.rian interests.

Da~on5

Besides the occurrence of the designation daiman for th~ gods

or simi.lo.l" pers.onages in some of the pas~.Qge8 discussed above (!!IF
1) 1. 2. 6;

t!I]J

l~'b ~ 1:. 17+ 26.; DIp

1.2, V. 30), the:,' appea:r in one

believes in this

personi~icatiQn of the Sun and Night, it may be

1311:1])1)' B.."') ad hominem argurJlent to sbow that the malenesl2. of the sun and
the fema.leness of' the :m:oon is comr!Jon knowledge.
Is this rationale a.lSQ given because Afric~rms is consciously
giving & syst~m which differs from the commonly accept~d ones1 The
usual -oa.ttern f'or male-fe:nale dete1'l!linat1on \I'B.S a distinction of'
right ~r let (e.g+~ Pliny ~+ 30. 1 49; Lactnntlus, De OF. dei 12. 3}~
or of north and south (e.g. ~ Aeli&1. U. 7. 27; Pliny N.H. 10. l8o).
Was JlSr i canus 'a 6YS t em (f1. t tributed to an unkn O'lln "Ma.urcu s i O~ ~ the
borse-breeder tl ) just different (pl!!:r-haps another attempt at improvenumt 1'} 0'1" 'lImS f't a. parody of the common system?

ICC the "meJ.e tt and I'te:.male- n pl&n:ts in blp 21 (III.

p. 231).

6 _ J.-5 ..

:2 95

Gods (uld Daemon 5

other pe..ssa.ge~ mp 8 (1. 8. 12 .. p. 137; cf. 8.1so line 3~ p. 135).

In

this passage it is used of crea.tures mort:' like the Christian concept

of

d~ns ..

invisible,. malignant beings ~ but bei[]gs whic:l;J Bl"e

~s-

pecially associa.teo .. in accord vit.h popular belief,witb road June-tuxes (tTiodos. l.ine 13). ~

Horses,. especially those with diff"erent-

coloTed eyes {heterornmatos~ line 15},2 can see them and give warning
of the danger {ape11en.

line 14).. byv.a..rious acts and SQunds.

Of

this A:fTicanus. il;> certain (pisteusoTi legonti, . ka1 oida pollou5

. ..,. line 12),. thQugh

he is u.ncertein of' the Free is e

It ma:,' be a. product or the

abili ty.

~ines 16-17).

SOUl,.

or it

1Il8.j

rea 5 on for the

be due to the

';,"hic'hever it is .. he seel:lls to regard 1 t &6 a noatural

phenom~nontone which can be

f"urthel' developed (ssketeo-n. line

ei th~r by teac:nng and

or by attention, respecti velj' (t.a men

ski~l

17)~

didaskalin kai tecfu;e, ta de ~hrontidi! lines 17-l8) (~r. also lines

L-5:

ttthose now connnanding clea:rly need to learn divining trOll!.

horses., but they a.re inexp.erienced n (as:Gl;th~_i_s]). 3

lE.g ... the: evoca.tion 'Of "the old se1'Ving voman of" Apollonius
of Tya~af' was to be performed at a spot beside a river or a lake or a
triodos (PLond 125. 1- 4 , Kenyon~ Greek Papxri .. 1~1~3-2~). Compare
also 'the eU5tor-l of erecting I'herms" and other shr1ne$ at crossroad$.

Perhap.s regarded as significant because of their "unnatura)"

character (ef. Rie-ss's sixth category of superstitious belief.s ["Aher'" )
glaube~ n col. 3fJ
3Numerous things which horses IIdivine" are given in lines 611 10 probably derived from folk beliefs; but they are at most superat i t-i QUS, not actively magical. Some of' them are pure ly natural reactions to sounds or smells inaccessible: t.o human senses,. but they
s.r e i nt eTirii xed vi th the Buperst i t ious beli I!!'f's 'iii tno1lJt dist i neti on.

Otber

Featur~s

Designations of'" the I-art"

on at least

Arricanus~

nature" (ef. also mp 8; L

~ne occasion~

Tefers to the procedure

8. 18 = dl vine.t1on developed by te-at=bing

andte~hn;J).. quite proba.bly in the sense of "magical a.rt. HI. The word
tecbne may be uSed in this sense in

lIij).

41 (III. 36. 8; p - 255 [ef.

111. 13.3--technoo?J; though it may simply be used in the general

sense there); and in

seve:t"~

1ine-s in hi 5 s,UI:Ilary'l Psellus

adJ eet.ival f'orm, teehnike ,. to de GcTi be aom~

ha.ps re.rl~c'ting Afric8.nus t s

CMl

usedth~

the proce dure s, pe-r-

tenni:no10gy2 (IX. l~ 2., 5, 34; e.lso,

technikos, line 3; and te~hnaSltla, line lOt though tbis le.st perhaps
in

&

ge-ne:r-al sense .. "device, Ii "artifice").

r1canus uses 'the t.erm simplY in the general

(Elsewhere .. however" Afs~nse

of cra:rt" or

nskill. .. 3)

Africanus also

us~d

the

term~eiTia

to describe bis pro-

cedur~ for ov~rCQmirJg ~leep (JI!.p 14b; 1. 1 T. 28. p. 165).

lSee above J 'P. 287. with tt. 2; also p. 265! with n. 2 .. and
p. 272. n. 1.
2Sinee kfTicMUS uses t.he tonn

t!!:chth~nB.i

of generation (ot

desired sex~s) in III. 3. l~ p. 227, it may be that this and/or related fo~s_shculd be assumed as lying behind Psellus's 5ennes1s
and sennethesi:!'tai in IX. 1. 2. This ,"ould provide a. neat rhetol'i~eJ.
counterpoint. of the t:,.-pe favored by Afr1eanus, to the t.echnike.

3E g . ! Vi'

1.2.19.. 25; I. 6.23 (the line preceding the

first ulI:I8.gieal " usage cited above); I - 1. 5 (-te~hn;;tos); III. 13. 3

(technoo) .

Other Features

297

Antipathies
Various forma of the te~ UantipathyJr .are used 'by Africanus

1D

~,

sev~r~

pa~sfiges.

one mam1Script

The a.d.jective form~ antlpathes 10 .appears- in

in the textually uncert.ain line 1n

DIp

10 (I. 10. 1;

concerning the wolf and the borse) 10 in the title of III. 23 (m.p 37,

th~ apotropai. c

against.

8 corpi

on s) :. 3 an din mp

~ 1~ f

(IX. 1. 15).

In

this last passage) Psellus uses it to d@scribe Afrfcanus's use of

the Jttwo-faced plaster li {te di'Oroso'OO ewlast!.2 rfbid.
against 'W'ou.nds :from poisonous beasts.

vell be in tne gene'!:"al

(01'

line 1.6J1&

In this case the Bnti.po.tl'Qf may

medical) rather thB.J1 the IDElgical sense

(th.ough Fsell.u.s does not seem to regard it so).

In

6.

later lice

{35; mp 4~1) ~ Psel1us also use-s the noun form, o..nt.ipiI:theion

ricanus I

ltIeans of yrodueing barr-e-!1D.esS i.n fields.

ll

of Af'~

This hI. in con-

trast to t.he technik.ID!J or ra.ther, B,oetiken. productivity he vaS

sa.id t.o produce ~

!JO

presume.bly Psellus regards this operation as

being in the .eame category. 5

(The ve:r-b font. is also used in two

On the ot.her hand. \i'hil{! aev@ro..l passages seem to invol'l,l'e

"eympathet1c 1, procedures ~ t.he term is not used by Africanus to d@scribe any o:f them.

Lauren'tianus

Vieilletond's L (Leg

Cestes~ p.

139 mg).
3The title prC!:sU!IIEI.'bly 'Was supplied bY' the (:o1!l'piler~ but could
veIl come from the introduc'tOr)r lines of" thl!! abstrs.c:te-d t~xt. The
pa.ssage, however, is one of uncertain authenti~ity.

~A plaster of' such a. name i8 described by Galen (11~127~

KUhn ) t but t1Jtj.'! not be- thr:!! swne + Galen s pll!lst~r (al so cal~ed ~
ch:r-omous) vas so-n&med because the material used in it (some type of
iron c orxlpound?) appe.nrl!:d gr8.)l' on the surf'ac e,. but va s or'ange vi th1 n
when it 'l,tQS C1"'.Hi he d.
5Vieill(!fond {lies Cestes:lo p.. 363 tn. 270}., hO".rever,. cOri:lpares
"this ba.rrenness to II. 2' (p~ 2'03) ~ which t though partly enigmatic", is

pass-a.ges .. Ill. 30. 8" and III. 32. 34 , but apparently in the general
sens/!

or

a counter-remedy [but the IfJ..'ttE!:r' is ]Jnrt o:f

DIp

38eJ}.

Ancient books

The EgyptIi1.n book a.ttributed to Soup'his,. 'the

gods (.!riP L7/chr

2L,

of the

vblch Africanus purcha.se-d in Egypt, is Quite

likely to have been a

vo~k

it as one of the nercetie

evidence available.

COntliUler

of oceult

lore~

but the

ident5~ieation

of

~O:r'ksl is probably too speciric ~or the

AfricMus apparently had no suspicion abO'Jt the

authenticity of' this vo:rk, for he also attributed books, an anatomical

'Work ~ to an even earlier kine;, Atbothis .. the second king of tbe First
Dyny.st~r

of Egypt, apparently regarding them a.s being still ertant. 2

This provides an fiddit.iona! datwn to be ta.k4!m into

con5idera~1on

in

evaluat.ions of AfricMus'.s critical abilities (and respect for tradi-

tion?) and the likelihood and/or 'Ireasonab11i ty" of his B.ccepta..""Ice of

the

nekyo~nteia

interpolations as really Homeric.

Purposes of USES

The ends proposed for fiChievement by these means cover the

not especially magical. A~ricanus tbere prescrIbes the cultivation of
hellebOre (citing Alexander and the Alar.s as historical precedent [cf.
also l r. 2. 16]) J or the 5C'W'ing of fields vith salt. The la.tter is a
traditional destruct!ve technique long pra~ticed by both the Romans
(cf. the treatment o~ Cartbage) and the Je'Ws (.rudg~5 9 =45)" though :mo~e
.as symbolic (pel'p~tl,lal desolation on the sites of enemy cities) t.han on
a large s~Qle as a strategic devic~ in &n ongoing caDPaign.
1

E. g. I by Seal i ger (Anim.e.dv., p. 251, cited and r~ j eet~d b:!.'

Goar in his "&Jendationes et-Annotationes" as rep::-inted by Dindo~r,

Syncellus, 2:385)10 and Routh (Rel. s~cr. 2:386" note to 250. 2 r~it
i08 also S~aliger, Not. in Or. Ells., p. 412]).

~outh, f'rag XI (Rel. sacra 2:247.3-5); SYf.lcellus 1:101"

e-d.. Dindorf.

Purpoa.ea. of Uses

299

B..l"eas of specia.l concern in magical operations t i.e-. ,

f"uJ.l rang.e of hUJll.ElJl concernl;i..

ha.rming Md helping,

and~

prett~r

much tht!

They deal with procedures for both

in the: latter area. with both passive

(protecti ve) and act! '1ft:' ID~8.rH; (healirlg. empowering ~ etc.).

The procedure:s f"or banning are onl.y

fL,

small minority of: th{!'

pas s a.s;es ; :mainly occurring in the tnili tary sect1Qn+

The:>r include

poisoning of ma.n and b~a5t hnpp 1) 2, 3), k.illing of' .....egetation (mpp

17 and ~J~])" 6topping or maddening horses (mpp 10 .. 18.. and 11), tausing sleeplessness or sleep,. either fOr S(!riOU5 h~ or as a joke {mpp
15a; 16 ~ and lIJ~p) I causing eli:tnin~tion (mp 4J~k},. changing the color

of horses as. a frau.d (mp 11), possibly

so~~ ca6es of' kindling 01"

ql.1enching love (mp 14s) .. and ca.us-ing a. thief' to convict himself (cp
I

14h [harmful to the

thief~J)+

The F-rotec1j.iv~ pro~edures include cou.."ltering plague hnpp 3

mg. and h~~i); and protecting from fright (mp 9). :from scorpions (rop
37 (cf. 411g?J), from ~cnception (QP 4~c) or mi~carriage (mp 29)~ from
ai~kne~s

lep~y (mp

or veaknesa (mp 21),

specifically~

from eye trouble or epi-

23 a-e [or, to heal one already suffering)) or varicose

~ei~s (4~r

[or is this healing?J).

S~e

of the procedures gave

tning or to control events.

These

poYer~ ~i~her

in~lude;

to achieve SQme-

giving aid/victory in

battle or contests (np ~}, eontrolling unmanageable animals (1 and

13

B.

and

bL

giving easy birt.h (L4c), controlling dreams (4hq).

kindling or q uenc: hi ng l-ov~ Ei

( 4~ s

L.

detel'llli.ni ng of sex cone ei ved ( 24 ~

21 ~ 448., and 45) ~ .and taking advantage of a. horse' s natural divinatory

Jlowe:rs (8).

Arri~anusI

300

s View

The. largest nU.aibil!r of procedures are concerned ".i th tbe cure

of illnea se-s ~ vound.s, or other phy B1(: a.l problems;

cure

Oi

help t in genera.l (12

So,

wounds ~ frae-

b; 21; 44n); eye trouble (23 a. ~ c ~ d t

I!!:; Jabj) ~ g~ne-!'atiol'l" C'onc-!:ption. birth~

etc. (27. 29, 4~ band q; cf.

also ~4c~ above); dy5Ul"'ea (3D (if Afric.Q.."liaoJ); mange>; 'Iltl.:rts, and

maggots (31; 33, 3q; 35); soothing feet of horses (39); bavel problems) actual

po"t~n1;.ial (40. 43);. bleeding,. and .....a ricose veins

01"

(4.lo d and to); andre-storing virginity

(h~o).

SUlI!IIlA.r;;'( of Afri-cunul!I' s Knowledge _of Magic

While the preceding studies have lett some items undetermined.

several aspec.ts of A!'ric:anus' S JDagica.1.
i nt 0 rather clear focus.

proeedur~s

have been brought

The se inc: lude items :r-elated to the a.reas

of ma,gical operation.. the type:a of proced\.U"es prescribed, and a.1.so

the general type of

~1Q&l theo~/vhich

.lies behind the

procedure~

given by Africanus.
Areas of Ma.gi c

The a.reas of' human endeavor and CODc:el"n for vhich Af'ricanU6

provides prescript.ions cover

.mtLny

of those

pr~sented

in the-

Vs.riOUB

sources concerned with magic]o vhether tbose makillg charges of magic:lo

lcompare th~5e vitb Bj5rck's list of conditions most susc:ep-

tibl4!!! of attempted magical. 'trea.t.nl.ent: bleeding, VenOIUOUS bitlJ!s,

childbirth) and choking (,tApsyrtus 1''' p. 66). All if!xeept the last e.r~

fairly vell represented in Afric8.nus's procedures.

~!lgi9. >" p. 1495 (c 01. 2 ).

g1 ven by Hubert

Cf. also the- list

2p11ny refers to s. procedure {using f\Ulles or jet) to detect.

attempts to s1mulatl!' viJ"gini ty (y. 36. 1~1).

SUIJmla...-ry of Knowledge

301

or those giving :magical prescriptions.

Magic was JIliainly of concern to the ancient 1t!'ga.l systems only

as it involved charges ot 'harmful acte"

malef'i~ii ~

a.nd/or as t.hey in-

volved 5ubvera.ion of affection,. especially in the erotic realm.

In

other are as of pri vat elite t medi c i tie, agri cult ure , etc., it

gen-

ignor~d fL.:S

erally

b-t!-ing

VB..S

pra.ctical question s not a legal One.

8.

Hs.ming!helping
Several of A:fricsnus'
v~ll

'be:

ba.sis.

~lass@d

proct\dures a.re of the type that could.

as male!'icii if they were practiced on an individWl.l

Most of them, however .. are prescribed 'for military use against

oppos ing armie s; and thus perhaps. can escape that label.
clude procedures l .... ::3, lJ., 16-19,. a.nd possibl)r 44.!..

passed oft tLs pr.actictll

Jokes (e.g+~

158. and

~4k

These in-

So-meot-bers are

rand

p?J)~

or har=

only ind.irect-ly, 'by providing an extra (Wl.faiJ:') advantage to

(~ ~d

the user

10).

Only another step removed hom this last is the apotropaic

f"unction~

helping by &vert1ng

SOl:lle

threatening evil.

Most. of these

are nl.edieal; possible examples of non- or only send-medical apetropa.ic proc:edures are:

the eounter-proced"Url!!! to poison air (mp 3 mg),

and mpp 7" 9 ~ 13a., 29, 31

and 44 c and L

Love magic
Psellus says "th&t A:f'rieanus kindles l!lIld quenche~ love (mp h4s.~
IX. 1. ~9).

His ~~reren~@ to Atr1c6nua.'e restoring o~ virginity (mp

J,4o) is somev'hat. :reltlit~d to this area) but the D~e.rest examples of

th16 type of' procedure are a :few "aphrod.1sia.c" prescriptions in th~

302
~ragments,

veterinary
relatip~

to generation

e.g., mpp 25 and 26.

a.~a

{The other prescriptions

birth are medical rather tban erotic

~ro

cedures.)

Medical

(a~dv~terinary)

The

l&rge~t

magic

single type

o~

Africanian procedures is the

~ed

leal one (and .....~thin that, the vet~rinn.ry). :Besides the ..... hole group

of fragC'Jents from the hippiatricfi (most of the procedures from 22 to

1,1) .. there are 6everal in the other <:hapters that relat.e to either
human (mpp 5 t 6~ 20 t 43 t 44 ~d, f .. j~ q and ~5) or veterinary medici~e (mp:p

12 and 21).

Agricultural magic
Psellus also tells
:r~r't.ility

~~

that Africanus produces a

sorc~rous

in fields (lDP 4l l]J t as vell !:LS various other mBr\"els find

recipes about agricultural matters (IX. 1. 22-26~ 27-29 Lef. I. 19J~

and 40}.
ponica~

There are probably examples of thet!l preserved. in the ~

but they can no longer be certainly identi:fied.

On the

other

side. the "agril:u1tura.l" references in the preserved portions :from

tbe other :l:iou.rces do not fit this category--they .are only magical
uses of bottLnical items for otber purPoses (especially m!dical), Or
a.re net magical a.t a.ll (e. g. I. 19" the chapter of "Agricul. tural
Pa:rado~es n )

Other

fLl" eas

Several procedures dQ not. fo.ll exact1.y into aP-Y of

t.h~

gories n6D)ed above:to though the:Jr are- closely related to t.helIJ.

ca.te-

Most of

Summar'! ot Kno1l1edge

303

theOl ar(! exa.mples of "harming, tr "proteeting t " or

those given in the preceding

not

pr~cisely

a~ction

11

g iving power" (cf' +

IrPurposes. of Uses l l ) vnith are

-examples of' tDEueticii or apotropa.ics

Types of Procedures
Magical operations
mani pulation of tbe

rt

in

can~

~ ubj tect n to be

geneTal~

be performed by direct

af'fec"ted ~ by vocal h:a t ions {i n-

C'antations]o et.C'.), by gr@lphie representations or po'W'erful vordE l

it ems, etc., and/or by the us eo

f spec ial su'tJ ::>tanc es .

receive their reputation by syc:Jpathy or antipathy,.

01"

The se last
by

SOlJ:e

may

other

sort of association vith the subJect or the condition to be achieved

or removed.

Africanu~'s

procedure5 present examples of all these types =

di T'e~t lTJ9.n:i pulat1on--mp:p 6,. :20 { '? }.. 35 ; inc antati on 5-6 ~ l5b ( 1), 42,

ql d and

j ; inscriptions--7

and 37.

The Use or

sp~cial subst~ces

is illustrated in l!Jost of the procedures, including several of those

just listed.

Besides these factors, Af.ricfL.11us's procedures also involve

other considerat1ons l such as right/left, time a , and numbers {see

the discu9sions of' these areas in the preceding

pages~U11der nChart!lS

Type s of Magi c

Magic is frequently divided into dir@'ct (or impersonal) and

lCompa.re the discussion by Hubl!rt (l~~l!lgia., PI pp. 1501 (col. 2)1509 Ceol. 1)). though he presents the items in an order Bomeyhat the
TeVerse of this 7 and derives the otbers, in ~sBence, from the sympathetic principle.

indirect (or personal, demonic) types.l

to which this distinction

~ght ~ot apply~

as to the t:ype represented

it

9.pp~a!"s

The-re are som~ 81tuations

m.i~bt

or in Which a decision

not be possi 01 e ~ but. 1n general t

to be a va.lid d1 stinction

one that. is productive 'When

I!l.nd

applied to the Afrieanian examples.

In the-se

t.~rm9) A.f'ric~us'e

1I!Ia.gical proced'llres are essen-

tiall;Y. if not exclusively,. of" thi!! impersonaJ. type.

"While a fiUJ:)ber

of procedures are ambiguous, of such a nature tha.t they cannot be

de-finitely assigned to either

ca.t.~go!'Y,

otherS are clegly of the

impersonal type (eJ1d the very 8m.'biguity tends to f'avo;r

personal

int~rpretation

Only

proach seem to be

direct ~ im-

of mO!3t of the others;, if de:monS or other

per sonal beings 'Were i nvo.lved ~ some expl ic i t..

beexpected)~

e.

r~ferenc

e to the-m \rould

in a feY cases does an indirect. personal ap-

presented~ ~d~

as noted in the discus310ns above.

there are questions that arise about each

or

th~se

cases.

Direct magic
At the very beginning of Africe.nus' s

I~.e.e:i{:a.lnpa..ssages,

in

lines which torn tht!" pre-lude not oc1y to mp 1, but also to 2 and 3.

~ g .) Kirby Flower St:!Ii t n,"Magi c (Greek and ROlMn)." p.

279 ~ Hubert ~ ''Magh. ,n p. 1506 (c 01. 2).
:2

Either 'because both factors :might be mixed toget.her in a

system, or because t.he 61 tuat.ion proved to be even more
complex. 'Norbeck. :for example ,.in disc lJ.!3sing tbe- distinetlon of

pa.rti~ul&r

Re-ligion and Magic. suggests that besides the Personal pO'We'r-I:trIpersona! power pair (vit.h the Impersonal approximating the concept of
mana), there coUld alSQ be added a concept of Automatic. or Mech~n
ICiI,. e-fri~ieney. This concept he regarded as approximating to the
concept of cause and eff"ect seQ.uences in science (Religion, pp. 4851). If such a f'urther distinction is Justi:fied~ Africanus's position :lnight be closer to the thl'rd category.

Summary

0r

Knovledge

305

Af"ricanus p!'oPO~iI!:S to irnitB.tl!"! the god5! producing nautomati~ t()rlun~"

by his "arts tt {!,utoms.tos tyche hypo tea hemeteras technes Binetai ~

2. 59 .. py1l7).

Vi." L

The poisoning pro~edures which follO'W' eonfi1"'l!i

this impression 01' an impersonal .. au'tom8.t1c operation,. not involving

per6ona2~ spiri~ual mediati~n.l

In mp 4 t de6pite the reference to sacrifice in the first
para.graph! and the ri tua.l burning of the cock skeleton in the second t

the

.ra.t1onf!.1~

presented to!' tho\! operation of the stones ia! in the

one case .. the nature of th~ stone

p.

~25), and in

in

:tDp

6. 28,

(tea

physeos tou lithou, I. 3. 8 ..

the other the cock's "virtue '1 of Hinv1.ncibili'ty'1

1 ho.s a necessity of obedien.;;:e (ananken ecbei Rei tharchitl.s! 1.

p. 133).

This could :fi t in to the "pera onal' type opel"Qti on ,

but 1 t is not spoken to a spiroi t, but vri t:te-rJ in the

8Jl:icl&l1 5 hoof.~

and there is no hint of any other pa.rties to the action than the inscriber and the animal vhose hoof" is1nscribed..

The preceding lines

also refer only to 'him; n the recalcitrant hor5e, vith the sol~ c:ontrol instrumentality being the inscription.

139:

by th~ us~

Similarly, in mp 10, it

of h1s teeth) (cf" .. also mp 18 {Jl.

~, p.

205):

the wolf' B astragalus to stop a team).

Again in

tDp

11" despite an opening

r~f'e:re:nce

to prayer and

saerifi.;;:e, Africanus's procedure is presented as in (:cntrast (and

lEven the counter-action to procedure 3 is presente~. not in

terms or .spirits in conflict t but in terms of tUliles counteracting
Hpestilential vind' (pneUlD8), Or rather "corrupted aiTtt (Vi. ~ p.
123 mg).

sUp~rior)

to such

juice (or dust)

The procedure presC'nted~ uae of euphorbium

lIIeans,A

18 clearly udir-ect II in ope!"a.tion,. so much

only connection vi th

.ttJ&giC

8, .p. 209) ..

tbat its

is t.be placement of 1 ts identif'icQ.t-ion in

on~ of' the pentagons (pentagon eight ~ L

(II.

20

if" it 1s magical at a.1.1 t

11. 16-20, p. 141}.

is 01'

&

Mp 20

simils;r nature.

The active principle ir.. the sle~plesstlesS paragra.phs (mpp 14

and 15) is the

"s~'mpe.theticlr

operation of parts of the: ba.t

(~ 15a;

I. 11. 33-4 3, p. 165) the s\~rounding referen~es to Sle~p beingap-

parently rhetorical embellishments <see the discussio.n or these pas(Note also the mp 23 series ;:23

sages above" Md f'lu"thel',. below).

b-eJ:t vhich" even if AfJ"icenian,.

ar~

basically sYlf.;pa.thetic procedures,.

onlY the opening item,. 23a, having any indirect connection.)

The ttsympathetic H principle, based on et.ymology or similaritj'

of

6.ppefU"ance~

etc., on an earthly planes n.ot involving

any mediation

through a higber realms appears in mp 21 t pg1.ygonl..Ur. in dog's a.:fterbirth, with the possible .addition of ''male'' or ufemale 1' pla.nts (111.

6, p. 231}; mp 26, milk stone

eehene~s

01"

remora (III.

as.

(III.

7,

p. 231); and mp 29, the fish

pp. 231 ~ 233).

Its counterpart, a."1tip-

Qt.by. may be involved in the latter part of mp 36~ the use of asp &)d
hemorrho!s as counters to ea.ch other's poison (III. 22. ~-1 s

In passage

~ls

]J.

241).

Africanus attempts to provide a. physical ex-

ple.nation of the procedu:re io "ulceration 'bY the burning lt (III. 3c.

p. 255)

6.

and in an earlier p6.ssage~ mp 8; specl.lliL:ted about. such a

bas iss. t"he "nature

1

01"

-the ~Joe s ,tr for a ho'I'se'

No~e Vieille~ond, Les

pt'obably does not

IDE! a.n

magi c .

e.bi Ii ty to se e demons

Cestes,. p. 35q,. n. 112;

p~~sikos here

Su::rone.ry of Knollledge

0.8. rrl' P' 137L

In Psel1us's

307

l$umma:~r (trip 4h; IX.

1" pp. 117-;21),.

about ha~f of the items aTe "t:uri08ities" or "paradOX~5,." se-v't!ral of

them similar to items in the

Eveo in the

.magical

ite!IJs~

than strictly

Geoponica~ r~ther

m&gic~.

nothing sugge!3ts the use of "sp1:ritual"

int~~diaries.2
Indirect (daemonic) maBie?
The various passages in vhich Africanus's
n~eted

proced~es

are con-

io One was' or another with spiritual. beings hELve been dis-

cussed above in the section

head~d

"Gods and. DtLelDOns, rf and thus ne~d

only be recap! tu1.ated. and sU!J:I.Il!arized

h~r(!:.

Africanus believed in tbe existence of spiritual

of ..... bom, at

1east~

least~

were evil,. and with somet at.

spirits call.ed daemons (!lip 46/chr It a.rtd mp 8).

being5~

some

of thel$e evil

These same passages

indit::ate that. t.hese beings could (ar ~ in t.he pagt,. had) come into con-

taet ....nth :mankind", but that the resultQ; of those cOhtacts "ere evil
{in

!lIp

46, 4!til resUlting in the

(1.8. 13~14 ~ p. l37J).

~&tB.cly"sJ!J; in mp

At the same time, the former passage pre-

sents these beings, th~re deseribed as tlangels

Despite these

8 ~ "the threat n

beliefs~ hovever~

as related to ma.gic

there are no examples of the

lEvert the alternative Buggested, B. "vork of the soUiJ 11

{~-

ches e~gon~ lines 16-17)t 15 not necesgarily diferent, and he re-

garded it as capable of development by teachiog and craft (lines 17-

IB).

2Unless 'the ref'erenceto incanta.tions (eJ29d{;, line 13~

epe.smasin .. line 32) is held to ne-c,essariljr involve tbat idea i but
is an untenable position.

tha~

308
1n... ol vetnen't

ced'Url!'s.

or

Such b@'ings in the

accomp~1shment

of Afrieanus' spro-

Although such beings are named ratber prominently in a. num.-

b4!r of the passages (mpp 14 a a.nd b, 15b.. 24 t and 1&2),. t.h~ are not
called upon in any actual

proeedurepre~ented'by

any directions given to utilize them in

asrh~torical Qr

litl!rary embroidery

or

way..

B.ny

Th~ 8.pp~ar

the accounts.

lis.o to IlIP 42 d.espit.e its clear ~haractel" as

B.

I!U"~

Af'rit:anus,. nor

:re.ther

This applies

1Dag1ce.l invocation.

Though Afric8.nus presents i t at. rather great length .. hepresenta n-o

'Programme for puttin.g i t to lIlB.8ical use.

His only surviving

r~fer~

@-nces to it aTe eon.cemed vith its literary and Inanuseript Bncestry.

This leaves only DIP 23a., the invocation and sacl'if'icl!! to

Aphrodite t as a possible
&bove~

this

pass~

exe.mpl~

of daemonie magie.

'Butt

QS

noted

is not accepted as of" prove:n a:uthentic:ity by

Bjorck,l and the very reference to Aphrodite and the sacrifice seem
out of' charat:te.r with the Afr-icanian outlook
toi itself:

point is

it preaents.

5trength~ned

&

8.S

revealed in the

genera.lly "seculal"11 a.pproach.

Ke~-

This

by the tact that this pASsa.gestands essen-

tial.ly alone as an example afdirect .t;1.aeznon1c involveml!'nt in Afri-

canus I S magical :proc eduree;

th~am'bigu.ity',

or lack.

0 f'~vi denc e

tor

it s appearanc I!' ela e1lrh ere weaken s t be- c 80S ~ tor It s appeal"anc e bere.
On the other hand, if this passage should be

thereby inerease the likelihood that such

be

B@en

authentic~

it doe6 not.

daemoni~ involv~ent

should

in some of tbe other passages above oM invocation of

InApsyrtus /' pp. 15-16. The fa.ctor 'Wlder diseUSB10n may,

bowev-er, hav!' influenced Bj5rek t s evaluation here. Exc:ept in oneinstance 1 he provides a rationale only for thOBoe pl!l.esages which he

accepts.

Attitudes toward ProcooUl"es

309

Aphrod.ite would be hard to correlate wit;h AtricB.nus I s Chrlstianrepu-

tat1on,. but it would be. on the surface at least" 1dolatrow;L s not

me.gi-cs.l.

('What~ver else Psellus ma,y- think OJ:' 8ay

about Africanus]i

he does not charge him v1th that.2')

Attitud~s

tovard

Thes~

Procedures

At:dcilllllil'S progrt:lJmi:1e, at least for Kl!:stos

1',

8.S

sketehed in

the 11proem '!'l to 'that book .. is an amalgfl.lll of the utili tarian ~ the eso-

teric" and t'he aesthet1c~

t1

gathering fruitful. belps; (either}

j

treatment of ills, or secret a.ceounts, or beautif'ul expl"e.6sions . . . n

(1. proenl. 3-~, p. 103).
som~t1.IDes

This mixture &pp~ars throUghout his york!,

in incongruous forma:

med1c8.1 prescriptions and military

accounts are decorated with rhetorical flourishes and augmented "With

i.dea5 carefullyeearched out or fortunately &t:quired; snd fond ml!'m-

oriea of" marvelous sights are gent!'rol,l.81y Bh&r-~d., or a. "long lost"

(magica.l) passage is presented as an epic prize.

But ov~rBN:hing &1.1 this is the pl"o.c:tical intent ~
fr-uittul b~lps."
proc~saes,

of a

These

h~l:ps

are

:pres~nted 80S

t1

manifold

natu:ral]i Utechnical rt

~ecular natur~.

Natural Processes

Afrlc&nWi I S gene:ra.l. l!I.ttitude tOl1ud hiE!- procedures 16 Bhown

~a tever

1ts o1"1g1 n 11 it appears to be more (: losely psrBl1~1e-d

by the 56.(!:rlfic~s to Poseidon (in the prelude to mp ll) 11 or to the
custom&;ry sacrifice of the victorious cock (referred to in JaP ~) t
than to the invocation in the ne:k;yom.arrteia. (mp 42).
2

Aphrodite doea appear in Psel1us, but only in the euphemism

in the ae: ~ount of the sorgon! on (Vi., IX. 1. .la1-4b, p. 319). Thia reference itself provides a para.llel to A:!'ricanus's "literaryPl' use of
pagan religious tercdnology~

3~O

by the tel'llL1nology US ed to describe them ~

.fOrmE

He uses va:r i o'U:s 'te<: hn-

B.nd &1 so desc rlbes them as "natural It (phys-).

ha.'/l~ been

Thes e us ages

presented above (under "Designa.t.ion.s of the IArt 1") and

need not be repeated here,

It is su:ftic1en't simply tOJ:Jote a.gain

that he usee the aame termi.nology tor magical and non-magical it~ttls.l

(sometinJ.esin the sazn.e. pu sage 5.. e. g.!Io I. 6 ~ 23 t c f

also 1. 2'. 19t cf. line 59).

11 ne 2h; note

Thus he appl!ars not to draw B.,*' real

distinction between the procedures 'he pr-esente (to have done so would
ha.ve been to mani fest a. "modero" distinction betveen .magi<! and sc:i.ence/technology)~

Not only in the use of the tenns!lo but alao in presentation

of procedures)

non-ma.gical.

Af'riC-MUS

alternatee. ~ or intermixes.!Io the ma.gical and

Thus the three poisoning procedures in I. ;2 alterna.te

vith definitely
non-magical suggestions, and sound (though not neces.,
sarily profoUtld) medical or surgica.l advice precede-a mp 5 and fol-

lows mp 6 in I. 4 and 5.
The type of "physical" explEUlAtion that

Afl"iCe.nU6

provides

for some of his magical pl'ocedu.i"ea is also provided for non-magical

ones (e.g.!Io I .. 16. 18-20! p. l6l--the attempt to explain why his

"t.hert of Bound" procl!:dure should york).

253), h@ pro1fid~s.

atI.

Furth~:r;; in III.

ue-thie&ln explanation of' the toa.d's avoid!LnJ::e of

the light, and in part VII (Vi., p. 303), he presents

eount of' the origin of cinnBJ:tlon.

last

~xplanation

33. 6 (p.

8.

botanical a~-

The only thing that sepa.ra.testhiEi

from 'the others, yhether lfJElgi c a.1 or non-magi c::al. t is

~ote also the same variation in thl!

tipat:ttyu {a.bove}.

U8~ of the teI'm lIo.n_

At.titudes to'llard Procedures

311

t.be fB.ct t.hat. in this inat.fl.r.l.ce he ha.ppens to be correct.

Non-religious (Secular) Out.look

Pagan references

Afri.canus makes a number of references to pagan gods or

heroes'\l but they are mainly, i:f not entirely. of a lite:t'EL.I":fs not a

religious. nature,
sics.

~uch

like those of a modernetudent

o~

t.heclas-

A nUll!iberof thet!J ha.ve be-en discussed above from various "iev-

points, these a.re;

the reference to pra.yer Md sacrifice to Poseidcn

Horse-troubler before !'tI;,ces (to vhich At'ricanus presents mp 11

6,S

better alter-nat! ve); the references to Hypnos., as yell as. various

associates., and to legendB.ry flgUl"es (the P'hr'Jgian king and S11anos;

another chieftain and a satyr) ill mp 14 a. e.nd b .. and to Night. s H:''Pnos t

Pasithea.

Eros~

Hera. aPd Aphrodite 1nmp 15b; an appeal to t.he mEJ.le

and female gender and use of' corresponding horses by Sun{:FlalD.e ond
.Night/Moon inmp 2~; I!lnd, e-speci&1.ly, the l-engthy roll-call of dieties
and. P0'l(~l"S from .as.t:lorted baekgrounda iIi the Nekyoma.nt.eia. (mp 42).

There are also references to Pan and a possible reference to Erinya

in the context of mp 1 (I. 2. 6]o12~p.1l3.. andline78~'p. 119).

'rhe

references to these figures illustrate especially clearly the literary nature of this, type of reference in Af"ricanus; they are sillIply
pe~sonificat.ions

is

alBO

of the corresponding concepts.

Besides

th@s~,

there

the reference to Dionysus a.s giving vine' a.nd 'Wine to no

peoples but the Greeks (I. 19. 17-25 .. p. 173).

VleillefQnd po1nt.s

this out as an eX8m:ple of the pagan inspiration of Afr1canus.

ILea Cestes. p. 51.

While

312

this 1s true,. it is jU5t as true that it. is a pagan literary, not

pagan

fL.

religious~ re~erence.

Anti-pagan references
Some of these 6amepassages, along, with others, contain references vhich in

on4!!

yay

pagan gods and be-liE'lfa.

Or

another are actu.ally derogatonr of the

In mp 1, Af'rica:nw:l will 1eimitate these

god.s1~

who are credited ~th gi~ingvictorie6 (I. 2~ 5e-59~ p. 111), and in

mp 11 (I. 11. 17, p. 1~1), considers the drug he presents as sharper

"than praye-r ( t

they

~y have~

Pose i don" e:peci fi cally), or greater than whatever

Th~ refer~nc~

to

th~po~te.

lulling Zeus to sleep (I.

17. l~ p. 163) is nothing that iIJly pagan literary man could not have
SElid, but would probably find its closest parallels among the CbristiM 6.pologetirt

ltriter~.

To these E!xalIIples

.also be added the

functionalistic explanation of t.he mid'Wife at Di 0 n.Y' sus , s birth, in

1. 29. 15-16 (p. 173).2 Souphiglg book, which Africanus prl~ed~ yas
vritten aa .a contemner of" the gods t1 {mp 47/chl" 2).

World-vieW' Vecto:r Summery

'While Afr! eanus 11 s

eomplet~

the surviving fragmetfts, I!Lt lel:l.s't

world. vi ev cannot be dt!duc ~d :from

th~

ana.in outline-a

or

those areElS

~ost of the sepas sage s ha.ve been noted aoove und.er the beading uRi "al.ing the Gods. I't
2Africanuss challenge to Sleep (mp l~b; 1. 17~ 30-32 1 p. 165)~
as di seuss ed pr~vioua.ly'Ii i sprobably rhetorical pers onif"ic ation . I.f it
is held

to

be

r~S~ntat 11ft'!: 0 r

:P1Or~

than this'll it would still be more

8Ybr~6

than r'ep-

!Ion anti-p.agan atti tude. ( If it 1 s such.) th1 B at tit l1de

[h:ib:dsJ might be b&E1ed on confidence in the magical procedure. but a
procedure relyin8 eolelY on the D:J8.terial involved, not 0.:1 some othel"'
spirit) fO'rcontrol of' and def'"entie aga.inst t.h~ on~ Challenged.)

Attitud~5

tovard Procedures

313

vhich border on magic can be sketched.

Spi:ritueJ. realm
A~rlcanua

believed in the exiatence of a spiritual realm,

inhabited by at least ..!.. God (the Judaeo-Cbristian God), e.nd 'by lesser
spir1 tuaJ, being!;! ~ B.f,Igels (good and bad L, and daemons.

cerned. with good and evi1 (mp46/ chi' l}.

God is co~

Thet'e are numerous refer-

ence-s to other gods, but it is uncertain vhl?ther 'they o.re vielled as

having more tha.n a literaryexistencf!' (fIJld if' so. wha.t their relation
to other spiritual entities might be) ~

The evil angels were rela.ted

in some va;,r to 1JIagi c and sorcery s and taught vomen other oc(: u1tarts;
from thei:r- liai'Son rlth 'Women, gh.nts
nes~

bringing God t

v~re

'born, resulting in vicked-

judgment in the flood (ibid.).

It is not indi-

cated if their spirit.s survived and/or if the:r have connection "iiith

the daem:::;.ns.
a.c~ord

DaeC'lOns do evil., bowever, and are a danger to

wlth ancient view-I;!, t.hl!!y hElve sOme

crossroads (mp

5pe~ial

IIl;S.p;

in

eonneot1on 'With

8).

P1:li> s i ca.l realm

r

Besides the- no!":J:tLEil amount of infor.mation and misinformat.ion

about nat.ure ~ animals

etc.

whioh Afric&nus shared with the &.."'lcieot

llo!'ld, the!'e are I!lspeet.s of his beli4!'f which are especially connected
'With occult or magical
&nd antipe..thj.r,
sense~

b~lie.fs.

H~

believed in the power of sympathy

though not necl!'ssarily in a.n exclusively magical

this principle vas

vi~\led

by the ancients asoperat1ng in !DB.Tl.Y

area50 (~dicine'l physics s etc.)" and is even utili zed by aafle of the
churcb :fathers in explanations Q:f physical. or biologi-cal phenomena..

lLhic-anus's View

314

Insof'ar as rrcontagion'N oan be distinguished frol1J "sYIOpathy .. " Africanu.a

apparently believed in 1 t also:

power CQuld be acquired tr.r certain

atones from the birds in whicn they were found

(or~

had

alr~ady

trans-

mi tted power to them); and the power 01' th~se stones ~ and of other

suOs'ta.."lces. ~ cou1.d in turn be imlHlxted to other beings by binding them

to 'Persons or animals.

Such pover could be .inc:reased by observation

of' ce-rtain appropriate times in their acquisition o.ndlor U$e.

Also,

certain vords {or sounds}~ eitner spoken or vritten, had pOwer to

cOmJIel results i'f u.aed in proper ways

plicit indications

.ar~

At least as 'far aso.ny ex-

concerned. this result

II"e.S

expected to follow

Q..utomatical1y. without int.e-rvent.iotJ of a spirit intel"'I&ediELl"j".

Civil and. social aspects

Since the main bOdy or Afriean1an "Cle..terial.s are :military strat-

a,ge:us, and many of the others a.re medical (veterinary or human J in

nature, they vould be re-lati vely immune to legaJ. enqui}j'. even .at a.

period

wh~ll

magic might be regarded

not true in Atricanus ' day).

ag

Perhaps

actively criminal (vhich was

QP~V

in the cases

o~ hQTSe-

thievery (DIp .41) and tampering vith affectionS (mp 44s) might such a
charge lie.

.Afr1canus does not appear to be in any disad.... anta.ged

political group, at leastinso/ar as this 'Work (the Kestoi) is concerned.

Soeially, o.lso, Africanus does not appea:r to be of

disad-

vantaged status" eo his interest in magio cannot be explained by such

a sociological factor.

Not oruy a.re tbe-re the va:-ious persona.l

1Except; perhaps" under Vieille::fond i Ei view of hiIl'l as a. Jew

W'ri t ing for Diaspora. J eWE> ii 'but that view is que at i on~bl e .

315

Attitudes toward Procedures

re.ferrmees suggesting circulation in the higher eoc:it1l.. ci.rcles" even

hl!l.vine: personal contact vitb the emperor, but the nature of

\oral'

but to sportine; events &150:

the stone froJ:ll cocks (:mp 4), and

the aids for horses swi:ftness (top lO;c:f. also mp h1). 1

reference to para-8ites (putting to sleep:

modere..tely high sociaJ. level.

AbO\lt tbe only

of

T'w'o of them are applicable not only

his procedures suggest this tLlso.

to

SOlll.e

mp ~4p)

Further, the

would suggest

8.

vi~oint

t:r-om ;,;hieh AfriC&nUS ca.n be regarded

as a me:nJ.bei" of a disadvanta.ged or p~rl~ss class {and thus in ne~d

of magi cal ai Ii to redl"e s s the balanc e} would be trom that of hi s human
conditiQn 1o 3 p010rerless bef'ore the .forces of nature (or supernatlU'e)subject to poor crops1o

diseas~~

generation andhere-dity , etc.

wild beasts t the uncertaintlesof

Inthe.Bc Boreas 10 his procedures could

be seen as an attempt to take up aOt!1e' of' the sla.ck in the nebulous

rein5 of

~'s

control of his own tate.

Does th.e lat.ter passB8e suggest that he JIloved in circles

where making a.vay vith a good horse vas vie'INed more a.s a "dirty tric:k H
than. 9. c:rinL4~1

2Thus indicating tha.t he was on a level compatible 'With the

hmleiis it is viewed as a. procedure 1'01" embart'l!los:sin@: rivals,

;'hosta lP
but there is nothing to suggest tbis).

30r~ possibly, as a. provincialt 8ubs~rvie-nt to Rome. But he

seems to have had (or :JI18.de) ad.equate persoIlit:11 compensa.ti.ons fOT any
pressures from that Area. {Or was be possibly tL nouveau bOlmle whose
relation to the emperor was an ultimate- ~ompensation for ea.rly disadvanta.ge? His r.e-t@'recces to places seen, :r-e:1ation to the court of
Abgar" etc:." seem to suggest not.)

CHAPTER IV
THE EARLY CHRISTIAN VIEW OF MAGIC
Introduction
In order to

est~bl1sh

an early Christian background. with vhic:h

to c:.om;pare fLnd a.sse!3s t.he magical ideas in AfricamJ.s t it is nec:essa..ry

to COllai del' the na.ture and extent of' the knowledge of t1Iagic. eJld the
attitudes toward its among the

'Purpose of the

preQ.~nt

eaT~

Christia.n writers.

That is the

chapter.

In the considera.tion of magic: in the early fa.thers. s the folloving general order of discussion is observed.

The DLajor part is a

consideration of the kno.....ledge of magic: sho'loln by the various

individUfl.lly or by groups.

fathers~

This area is introduced by a survey of

their references to :magic" to suggest t.he seneral attitude and i"tLnge

of knowledge of the part i cu.la.r

~ider~tion

"ill' i

ted s ) j, thi 9 i

So

followe d by a

C on-

of any passages in which magic Qr rel&ted areag are dis-

cussed; then follows a consideration of' additional

re~erences

lu.s1ons to items or areas vhic::h a.re probably related to magic:.

and all

Within the discussions, theorde-r of items and the emphaeds Y8.ries

~efe1"enC:l!!s

to pas.sages in the fath@":r's are given in in-t.ext

c: 1tl9.t ions . Titles. or Greek works &r~ usually give-n~ and abbrevio.ted ~
in English translation; in the <:=ases of a f"e-w especially vell kno'Wn
works the traditional. :I.6.tin t'OI'IrlS of the title fLnd their abbreviatiQns
s.r~ r~ta.iJ)ed (e. g." Irenaeus Ad"lf. he.er.. ; Or.igen.Q.:.. and De ,pr. ).
Titles of Latin yorks. are regula-rly used in t.heir La.tin forma (exce'ptiona are those with obvious English counterparte, such as Apology).

316

317

Apostolic Fathers
eom.evhe.t') tic eording to the emphasis

se~tion

1tnmlledg~

s~lf

thepartic: ular'\.ITiter .

Some

are included at significant points in the presentations_

s'l..rlIll1lB:ri~s

and the

Dr

is eoncluded vith an over-a.J.l s1.lllllZlarY of the 'ba.:sic

o:f magi.c on the- pfl.rt 0' the early fa.thers.

then concludes vith

l!L S'l.DDlnary

1'h(! chapter i t-

of the e.ttitud~{s) of the fa.thers

to''Ioi'ard t.hese 1tems) and a considera.tion of ita

r~lati(Yn

to their be-

lief system(s).
In deciding lol'hat items to include in the presentation:o a broa.d
This includes the various areELI;i de-

interpretation of UlB.gic is used.

Cined or listed in the

Introduction~

modified and amplified in aceord

with the emphases pf" the various writerE;i discussed.

In

g~nera.l,

fLnY-

thing c:a.l1ed magic 'by the tathers, and any items closely rela.ted to it
i~ th~ir

discussion) are included.

A,postolic Fathers and Apologists

Apostol ic Fathers
Pfl.ss1ng

r~ferenees

rere-r~nc@"

Direct
r!L.ther

to magic

11:rait~d.

Most

'to magic by the vri'ters of this period is

su~h :r~rert'nces

are of an incidental nature,

occun-ing 4!ither &lone or in lists, supplemented by some mentions or

dis cus s:5. ons of related

Single

a~l!'a.s.

rererenc~s

In the

a.~eB.

oflG:olated

froo tbe- birth or Christ

n every

ref~reDces.

Igna.tius asserts that

sorcery and

ever~..

s.pell (pasa mB.geia.

Early Christ.ian Yiev

318

kai PQ.s de SlI'';oS J vas dis sol ved"

(~.

som.ewhat idealized, anticip8.tion or- a

apologists:

19. 3 )
t.he'.m.~

Thi s 1 B a :mir.or, and

developed by the lat.er

the superiority of Christ/Christiacs to JD.a;ic&1/demon1c

poyer.
Igna.tius !Uso exhorts Polycarp to 'Flee evil nts,. or rather
hold thou discourse about these"

(Pol. 5. 1 L

Tht!"t~rm used here ~

kakotechni.a, may be a reference to magical pra~tic~s,3 though 1i~~tfoot concludes ttJat it i5 pI'Qbab1y the deaigna of fa.1Ge teachers as in
PbiladeJph1sns 6. 2, ~ and t.hl? eonte-xt ( to .....h1ch it is only loosely
connected on e-ith~r o,t these two nell's) might Bugges.tthe.t it has ref-

ere pee to adult~ry or i t.s a.l11ed viles ( 'Which, of e ourse t would

lPdssages f'r00l the Apostolic Fathers are quoted (with occasional DJOdifications) f'ro~t.he translat.ion of J. B. Lightf"oot, ~
Apostolic Fa.ther:s~ ~dited Uld cOmJIleted 'try J~ R. Harmer (London: Macmillan and Co:mp any , 1891; reprint ed.:> Grand, lIapids; .Ba.ker Book Hou5e~

1956)
2 In t.his chapter Irevel"t to the usual ~rpell.ing I demon, in
contraat to daemoc which .....as used in connection vith the Greek "liev
in which tt is a.t least partially synonymous 'With theos.

3See I e. g., Rob~rt M. Grant, ed.:I The Apostolic: Fathers: Ii. Nell
Tran!;llation 8..?ld Commentary I vol. 1: AP Introduction~ by gobert M.
Grant; vol. 2: 'Firat and Srtcot'Jd Clement" by-Robert M. Gra.nt &nd Holt E.
Grah~; vol. 3: Barnaba~ and the Didache .. by Robert A. Kraft; vol. L:
Ign;atiusof Ant.ioch, bt Robert M. Grant.; vol. 5: Pol::tc~:r:e.J Martyrd~
of Polycarp:l Fr;amerlts. of Papias't by William 'R. Schaedel; vol. 6: ~
Shepherd or Hermas t by Gra.ydon F. Snyder; 6 vols. (New York [before
1966J ~ a.nd Camden t N.J.: Thomas Nelson &: Song, 1961~-68), 4: 133; and
Gerald G. WB-lah, "The- Let.te-rs of St? Ignatius of Antioch t liThe A.ostolic: :F'athers t tr'8r.s. Fran~i& X. Olimm 1o et al. t Tbe Fo.thers of the
Church, ed.LuChotig Sc:hopp [vol. 1J (New York i erMA .Publishing Co

Ine., 1947)t p. 126.

4

J.. B. Light foot., The AM stol1 c FathE!rs t 2 parts in 5 vols.

(London and New York; Mat:tni11i!Lt'l and Co ... 1889-90) t p~ '2= S. Ignatius 2
S.F'clycan>,. 2: 3L6-.!lI.

Apostolic Fatnera

319

not completely ~xclude magic-).l

Listings
The Dida.cbe ha.s three pB.55F1gee. in 'Which maBie Wld related
practices appear as po.rts o:f longer lists of various evils:

Jltho'U

shaJ.t-not deg,1 in ma,g1c, thou shalt do no sorcery (ou mageuseis, ou

pha:nr.akeuseisJ., thou sha.lt not murder a child by abortion

kill

COl"

them llb-en born . *.r (:2. 2 h '~fy child" be no dealer in om~nG

(oionoskopos) ~ since it. leads to idolatT)~'lo ncr an enc-ho.-tJter nor- a.n

astrologer nor a magician (I!lede~aoidos melieme:the:rnatikos mede

- 2 ),

p~:dkatha:l.t'on

n~ithet'"

be 'Willing to look at them; for from all

thes e thing s idolatry is engendere dl' (3 ~ 4)

is this. . . idolatries

1iB1.Jt

the ....$1y

of death

m.aglcal a:rte., witchcrafts [mM;eiai

makeia-iJ .. plunderings "(5.

l)~

In

th~

f'irst

phar-

o:f these 'p(J,ssages.

the reference to a.bortic'n might be base-d on a conneet.ion oflt wit'h

ma.gi c/ sore ery ,a 5 its most li k~ly means (though it mo..Jr be s imply an

ampl i fi cat ion of'

Teferenc:~s

to mur-de rand lLdul tery II vh1 ch 'have pre-

ceded these it,ems in the l.ist.; the vhole 'pM sage is an interpolation
and expansion of tfie Ten COZlIliJandD:ierits

3 J The latter two passages

lCOlIl]Ja}""l!' t.h~ aattle'W'hat more general view of' P. Th. Camelot t

Martyre de Po:!Yearpe ..
SourcC's ch:r"~ti(!nn{!'s:) I!'!d. c. Mondesert~ no. 10; ~th ed., r'l!'\!'. and corr.
(Paris; Les Edi,tioDS du Cerf, 1969) .. p. 150 .. n. :2 t 'tpl\l,tot de metiers
int cordits !tUX Chret:1 ens:) So pee i&1ement de If: eux qui
i en t pIus ou
moins entaehes de Jtl8.gie.
Ii
Ignace d t Antioche" Pol.vcarpede ;3mY].:ne j Lettres

e'ta

2Com.,p.are Wilfred 1.. Knox. 11JiEPI]iJl.0AIPP.,N (Didadle iii~) /1

JournoJ. of Theologica.l Studies ~O(l939): 146-49~

3Grant ~onsiders the refeTenc~ to ttagic to be an expansion

of the commands not to commit adU1.te:ry or steal {Apost.olic Fathers.

l~lOl) .

Early

320

Chrlsti~\

View

cited illustrate a common theme: extensivi!:!!ly developed by later writers,

the

~lose ~onnE!t:t1on..

or even identity, of magi<: and pagan worship

(idolatry ) ~

The ;pistle of Barnaba.s. bas a close parallel to the las.t

passage above in his version of t.he

Qf th1!' .Black One

t't'110

'Wa..vs" document:

"!Iut. th~

1la,y

. 'Ilherein a.re . . idola.try . . witcher-art,

magic~ ~oyetousness

..

~"

(Barn. 20. 1).

While be gives idolatry

greater prominence" putting it at the head of his l.is't, he thereby

plaj,rs dow.n the connection with it of magic t

the

~nd

~t<::.,.

vhich come near

of the list of vices.

In contra.st to these two 'Vl"ltings, Herma.s, though h.@' hQ.s seve-.ral lists of evils similar to the preceding {e.g.

[M~. 6~

36. ,. and 38. 3..

2. 5 and 8. 3, 5)~ and 65. ,. 5 (81m. 6. 5. 5J)t dOe"s not

include Dlfl.8ic or rela.ted items in any of them.

to soothsaying/-erg in a dilacus!;don

or

Apart from referenoes

t.rue and false prophe{;y (dis-

cussed below).. Herme.s has no interest- in magic; apparently 1 t pre-

sented no perceived danger to hjjn or hi s. church.

Discussions

o:fmag;i.~

Tllere arC! no

and
r~a1

r~lat.~d.

tLreas

discussions of magic in the Apostolic

Fatheora, the clo.ee!;lt thing bl!!'ing the assertion of the connection of

ma.gic and idolatry in

DidQ.<:h~

of courSl!', various other

:3 and 5.. referred to abovE!'.

r~feren.<;!e5

The:re ue.

to idola.try {.as,. tor example ..

2 CleM. 1. 6 and. 3. l} .. but none of them make any explicit connection

of it vith magic:

it is

~ejected

!;limply &s irrational.

There is, hO'Ll'ever .. a fairly erttIJnsive diBcussiot.l

or

& related

Apoato11c Fa.thers

area. t sooth-ss.ying, in Herm.as (43 [Man. 11J) .1

noted iothis passage.

There is, here

also~ 8Jl

321
Fo u.r points may be
emphaa.is on the t.ie

between such (magical) practices and pagan wor-ship (ftidolatry,. 11 sec.

4).

Second,. there is an attempt. to find objective criteria for d.is-

tinguishing false frcan true.

The an.aver to this is pre5ented as tvo-

fold) vith 'the first part itself double.

Thl!re is first the personal

conduct of t.he pr-ophet t but incorporated into t.his is the qu(!stiotl of'

submission to the divine5QVereignty in contrast to a "5pecific,."

lThe discussion there com::erns falae-propbets; but is a sort
of sequ~l to the discussion of double-mindedness in Man. 9 (39}. The
false-prOphl!:t corrupt.s the-minde of the servants of God; but only of
the double--mioded t not of" the :faith:f'ul {43. 1 [Man. 11. l}. They come
to him s.s to a soothsayer (manti~) and as~ concerning thei.r :future;
he, not ha.....ing t.he:!' pO'loter of" the Di V' ine Spi1'1 t, speak 8 a.ccording to

their requests and 'Wicked desires (sec. 2). He i6 empty and speus
empty l!lJls'lotl!!:rsto empty m@n, but some true verds, tor the devil tills
him with his spirit t to try to break the righteous (:3). The strong
in fo.l th re.fr.a.in from :such Gp iri ta ~ ''but as :many as a.re doubt e-rs. and
frequentlJl' change their minds t :practice- soothsaying [ma.nteuontai J like
the Gentiles,. 6.nd bring upon themselves greater sin by their idola.tries.
For he that consul teth a faJ.5e :prophet on any matter is an idolater
and emptied of tbe truth and senseless" (.Ia). This is so because the
Spirit from above is not cons~ted, bu.t s.peak1; by the Di'dne initia.tive( 5 ) J vhi le the spi ri t tro 1c h repl1 es. to Quest ions.. according to ~nr s
desires . . is earthly and light (6).
But hOll does one tell the dif":fel'ence7 By their livl!s (7 and
16) . The true prophet is !D~ek . . etc. '10 not e-pe-aking by himse-lf', but
'io7hell God nshes (8), eape<::ia.11y in meetings of right.4!'ou:s me.~ where the
"angel of' the prophetic' lipirit t 'Who is att.ache-d t.o him. t filleth the
:tIIaIl t a.nd the man . . . speaketh . . . a.s the Lord villeth" (9).
The
on!'! vi th the earthly spirit I on the other hand" exalts hi:mseH\ e-tc ...
lives in luxury" &CC1!'pts r~rds, a.nd does not :prophesy 'Without them
(11 & 12). He also shuns the assembly of righteous men, but ncl eaveth to the doubtful-minded &nd empty .. and prophesieth to them in corDers" (13). When he comes to 8.t.I 6.Ssem.bly of righteo'Us men who ba.ve
the Spirit of d~ity, l!md intercession is made from them, the man 16
emptied and tbel!'&l"thly spirit fll!es from him in fear (1t.). "But. do
thou trust the Spirit that eometh from God, and hath power; but in the
earthly andempt;:,r spir1 t Jlut no trust at all; for in it there 15 no
power, tor 1 t cotn(!th f'rom the devi 1" (17).

Early Christian Vieli

322

"goal-directed .. 11 uiodi.. . '"!d\.la.1." ,. "instrumental" approa,ch to prophec)

(or divination).

Then,. therl? is also the religious conduct of the

does hE!' at tend fLlld join in J or :shun;o the meet ings 01'

pro-phet ;

righteous. men?

This question leads to the thirdnote\i'orthy point:

the one who e.huns does sO for good reason" tbe ea.rthly spirit rill boe
driven out bjr such metl.

the idea. of the-

~xor(:ism

Though Herm.&s d.oes not use the llord;o t h i 5 i

of e'lfil spit-its 10thich is m.uch relied on by"

later writers as a :proof of t.be pow~r (and t.ruth) of Christia.f.lit~r~

Finally, th1a. spirit is not just I!arthly, it. is devilish (sees. 3 &

11)" and.

the!"~to:re ~sp(!:e1fLlly

da.nl3erous .. for it thus presents Bome

true' 'Words (3).

The idea of exorciso among the Clu'isti9J1 pra.ctices finds some-

thing of a.n anticipation in the passage- cited above fro:D Ignatiua. that
all Bore ery waS di ssol "Ie d

iL t

Chr-ist 1 G birth

(~.

19. 3).

References and allusions to related area.s

Drug.

Hermas 'P rovi des one possible allusion to this area..

let. the eleven point polar distinction or relie:ion I!Lnd m.e.gic

given "by Willie.m J. Go()d~, Religion among the Primitives (Glencoe,
Ill.; The Pre e- Press., 1951) t pp. 53- 54'11 espec ia.l.1y points 1.- 5, 8" 9,
.and 11.

2Tho u,gh the ~onnec:tion is rather relIlOte. it ia: 'Possible to

eJi!!e the apposite of" this <1. e., a eurse or binding . . instead 01" a deliverEL1lce) 1n Clements's warning to his readers= "But if certain.
be disobedient . . let them understand thB.t they will entangle:
th~E:!lves in no slight transg:r~ssloo and danger~ but we should b@
guiltless of' this sin' (1 Clem. 59. 1,. 2). The concluding line and
the fOllowing p~ayeT seem to ipdic&te~ however . . that this is simply
a. 'li"arning of' potential divine judgment l not a ClU"se (ef. 14. 2').

Apostolic Fathers

&dm.onishing

th~

323

church rulers to .'be- not ye like lIDto tl1e 50Tcerers.

The sorcerers [pha..l"'III.S.k.oi J indeed

Cl!l.rry

their drugs Cpharma.ka.J in

boxes . . but ye carry your drug and your poison Cl2lHu1II.akon kB.i . . . ion)

in your heart" (rr. 1 CVis~ 3. 9+ 7J).

Ignatius cmnpare-s those who poison Christian truth with beresy

"to those who IrfLdmiDister a deadly drug in s'\(eet wine" (Trail. 6. 2).
This could refer to

ComrJOEl

poisoning and is not specifically magical]i

though the lexicons support

cery B.nd drugs which is

th~

(:.lose

refl~cted

conne~tion

of the ideas of sor-

in t.he translation of the preceding

passage in Bernas.
Spi1"1 t ual b e-ings and ,p,o:-ers .
the limited

ref~rencC'!a
e~mnec't

explicitly

t.o

magic~,

As might be expected. in view

or

none of" the Wl"i ters in. this. group

ma.gic and the spirit vorld.,

They do, hoveter,

present a 'View of that wo:r-ld which t in other hands, ~ could easily be

so connecte-d t either

aB

a basis for

magic.~

or in a polemic: against it.

Ignatius presents an infonnal hierarchical l.ist of' po-orers on

t.he pOsiti.... e side.

He names "the a.rrays of' angels a.nd the musterings

of the prim::ipalitles 'II th ings vis! ble rind things i

Elvis i

ble ,. as among

tbe I1h@a\t'E!!:n!y things" he cOE:IIprehends {Trail. 5. 2) t a.nd sa.ys concerning

I'Ibea.venly beings and glory of fLngels a.nd rulers <'."ia i ble andi nvis ible"

if

th~ b~lieve

no,t in the blood of C1U"ist .. . t judgment B.vaiteth

them also" (Ss)rm.

6. 1).

The eaTl:y homilistto the Corinthians (?) 1s pot reall:J.r con-

cerned \rith
polarity s

Bu~h

abstruse, oecult m&tters, but he does apeak of' a ba.sit:

thi s world and the next are two ene:m.ies u (2 Clem. 6~ 3) t and

tr

t.hen la.ter refers to the spi r i t ue.l opponeD t. the devi.l (18. '2; vi t h

32Q

Early Christ.ian Vie"..

t.hi s c: ompare Ign . TraIl.

BlJ.rnabaB pre-sents

4. 2).
B.

glimpse 01' eo. wider fie-ld 01'

n~sati"Ve

powerB, speaking of the h~a.rt.., -\Ie-fore veo belil!'Ved on Gnd

"a temple truly built by hflJlds~ for it.
house- of demons . . . II (16. 7).

'W8.5

,l

tl

8S b4:!ine:

f1Ll.l of idola.try and vas a.

He further reters to their leader as

"the Black One" in introducing theeecond of' the 11two vaysn (20. 1))
8.

WBY which, as noted tLbove ..

in~~'Ude51dolat.ry,

witchcra.ft, and magic.

Hermas" in a pair of ref'erenceB which seem t.o go beyood si:mp:le

1
person1 f" 1ca.tlon,

t s anger an.d

pre~en

e.Ol"rOV

( or beac.h as b eJ.ng
elng

the result 01'1) the most evi.l spirit, vhich chok~s or CTUshes the Moly
Spirt t if a.llo1led entra.oce into the heart (33, 34 [~. 5. 1" 2J,

and 40+ 2 (10. 1. 2J, r4:!spectlvely).

He further presents the d~vil

as continUfLl1y tempt.ing eve:r-y man, but not able to overCaIle those

aided by the uange:l of repent.an<:e H (41-49, especially 47. 6 [~. 1.2.

4-6 J especi.a11y 4. 6J).

This ltLtter figure is

of course .. a prominent

one in the Sbepherd ll and also seems to go beyond e. JIlere personificfl.tion

or literary

de~ce.

In short y the 'Vi ellS in thi s area are simp.ly an

~xtensi

On of

those presented in the New Testament 'V!"1tingB, with only :slight,

ulativl! development.

Most of themvou1.d not be noteworthy in a dis-

cussion of magi!: were 1 t not for development ot these

Christian

sp~c-

tli'@'f!..S

by later

~iterg.

l:But note Man . 6. 2. Iff (36. l:ft) fLnd 9. 11 (39. ll) and the
4:lomments on themby' Snyder ,Hermo..i {-A:g,osto1.1c Fath~iS, edt Grant. 6},
pp. i8~ 79, and 83. Snyder presents tbis as anthropology ratb4:!r than

demonology.

325

Apostolic Fa.thers

Related field

Astrology.

The onJ.y spec! fie reference in this area i.s

t.htl.t

of Di.dache 3 t1 cited above., where "a,strolog;y-" is included in th~ list

of" evil practices

~I!!'ading

en1y bodies a:re or

to idolatry.

Other reteren.c:ea to

B stri~tly rhetori.~B.l nature.

Cll!m~nt

th~ h~a.v

speaks of

the order of creation, 11th' sun and the moo:n &rid the dancing stars ac-

cording to His appointment circle in haT1tJony vithin the bounds assi.gned

to them J without any swerving asideu (1 Clem. roo 3)

19ntltius waxes

eloquent in deseribing the nativity of Christ and spe~s of 1'0.11 the

th~

rest of

into

0.

eonste11ati.ons .",.ith the sun and :!DOon f'onn[ing] themselves

chorus about 'th@: star"

(~.

19. 2; he then follows tb.ls with

his assertion concerning the dissolving of sorcery and spells [19. 3)).

At ti t '!ide s :reV'eued

The discussion h1!'re .is

~:x:c e 5sive:

eBp~ciB.1ly

c reduli ty, or of its a.bsenc ~

con<:erned 'With evidence of

All sut: h eX&l:llple s must be

judged t of' cours e, in terms ot anc it.:!pt. knovledge: a.nd.'WorId-views, not

of"

mod~rn

ones.

S,gpe.r.st.it.ion1i Jete.

beginnings of aom@ such

The Mart)"rdorn ot PoJ,)rcar:E, reveals: tn,e

att1tud~Gw

Chapter 13 refers to the ueaire

on the pa.rt of the fai t-hful. to touch Polycarp' s f"lel3.h even ber-ore his
ma.rt~"l"do~ (13. 2) J and this continut!::S :following hi a d~ath (116 1) ~

Though thwarted in obta.i ning bis body (17. :2; 18. 1) 5 the- Christians
Ita:fter",o.:rds to.ok up hi:; bone.s which are lIIOre Y8.1uable tban pre<::ious

stones and f1n4!"r than refined gold . ." (l~L 2).

probably

don~

Altbough this was

:from vorthy motive's a.nd was given an edifica.tory

Ear1y Christian Vie'll

326

explanfl.tion (17. 3; 18. 3)t it was from souch roots that the cults of
saints,

ma.rtyrs.~

M.d

:t'elicB~

witb their magical overtones and UB&ges,

(This a.ttitude la.ter ertended even to the accoW71t of' tbe martYJ"-

grew.

dom itself (22. 3).)

Some or Herm&8 t
9~

B tat ement s, C onc!'rning

16. 3-1J) could oI!ll-sily

e-f'f'ect~

l~ad

bapt ism (93. 3-7 10 [Siln,.

to a magical viev of its opere.tion and

thoU8h that 'Was not his meaning,

O~d

Testament and Ne'll Testament miracles.

Thel;le are.as became ~

in the later apologists and polemicists,. sort of test

~ases

butta.l of eharges of ;magic levelled at Christianity.

In this period.,

hQvever, they were simply

as:sUID~d

in the re-

with little explicit citation of

~xamples.

In the Old Testament areL.,

Cl~nJ.~nt

cites a.t length the case

of Aaron's budding Tod {I Clem. 43), but to r~i~tor~e the idea. o~

unit;:,' a.round God-appointed lea.d.ers, not as
connotations.

tL

pol@mi.c against magical

He fwther utilizes the signs and wonders worked 'by

Moses (the prim.ary O. T. example used by later vri terti ) ~ but only t.o
prov~

t.he danger o~ recalcitrance (51. 3-5).

P~pias

(in afraBment preserved by Philip of Side) makes the

some"'hat enigma.tic comment that uthose wbQ vere raised from. the dead
by ehr is t

. . . survi V'ed

ti~l the

t:i.me of" Hadri an .. ,1

'l'h is i

So

POS s i bly

to be expla.io.ed by the sole surviving fragment from tbe Apology of

Quadratus (who lived tmder Hadrian) vhieh appeals to the fL.bidine;

lIncludil!d by Lightfoot'i Apo!i:lto:li<:: Fa:thers ~ In his "rra.gments
ot Papia5 t ,. no. 5 ~ and &G fragment XI. 2 by SChoedel, Polycarp ~
Papias: <-Apostolic Fathers,. e-d. Gra.nt, 5), p. 1~9.

Apostolic Fathers

327
aS5~rting

character of Christ's works to prove their reality,

thos@ healed or resurrected not only survived ...hile Christ

l!l.

6om~

considerable ti:me after t

in Eusebiu6 H.g~

4. 3.

2).

that

lived~

but

even dQ'Wl') to his Olm times (pree-erved

The evidence we ha.ve suggests a.

worldvi~..

not materially

different frol!l that of' later Christil!Ln '\triti!rs, so that,. if the vriters
in tbia period ha.d been forced by circumstances 11 they would probably

have arrived at much the same positions as their Buccessors, or, if

presented with

s,'Uch Vi~8, "WOuld hav!!'

not em confronted.

accept;ed them.

But they 'Were

The small nwnber of references to JI1agic and re-

late'd a.;reas ~ and the rhetori c:al u.s I!' of' them \lhen they do appear to

les.ves the impri!'8sion that .t!lRgic vas ba.sica.lly an alien "fa.ctor .hich
was regarded as presenting some danger to the church ~e~bers (as having

S~

great~st

attraetion to them), but was far

being the church's

vorry, and 'Was of no other interest to them (except to pro-

. . . ide an occasional
Also

fro~

rhet~rlcal

flouris;h t eit.her positiv~ or nega.tive).

the lWre specific passages occur iQ \that a.re probably among the

latest vorita ill this group, Henna.a and 'the Didache.

In addition, as.

noted above 11 Hermas'!l especi-a11.y, ha.s .little rea.l. concern about magic.
lSchoedel {PolyCal"p, . . . Papias, p. 119) sugge~t.:s that it is
simply a misattribution to Pa-pies (who appears in fulL H.E. 3. 39~ 9}
of (notes on?) the statement of Qundratus given i.n H.E~. 3+ 2.

2Asauming B. mid-second centW"Y date for the Didache in its

present form.. This dating is supported by Kraf't 11 Earna.ba.5 and the
Didache (~.APQStol i ~ Fath,;,.rs '!' 4!d. Grant 11 3 L p. 76. Ot he!' s 'Would dat e
at least parta of' it up to a ha.lf c-ent;ury earlier.

Early Christian View

328

The Apologists
In the pe!"iod of the apolQgists we find more c:-onsclous o.t-

tempt,s to "explain n magi e ~ but most ot the: passa.ges o.re st illrelatively brief.

Passing references to magic

The apologists see a close and va:rioual;:,- manifested conne:et.ion

between maa,ic 6Jld 'pagan

worship~

This is

those who do not discuss tb4!' mat"ter,

ill~tratf'.!d cl~a:rljr

even by

In three pa.sso.ges in his dis-

c"USsion of' Greek religion .. in his ApoloW7 Ar1stides connects the

pbar.makeia in a list

or

.actions or eh&!"o.cte!"istic:s vhich the Greeks

represent the i r gods as di spla:dng .

In

6.

la.ter", lndi vidual listing

of gOd-5 7 Hermes is presented as .. among other thi~gs!l- a :magos (lO. 3).

Sil:)j,larJ,y:t the Syria:c p:eeudo-Melito o!;'iE;l.serts

($5

part. of' B. E'Uhc!!meTis~

tic explana.tion of idolatry) tha.t t.he inJages of" Nebo a.nd liadrELn .at
l-l~bug a~t1J,ally repres:ent (as t.he priests kno'W') Orpheus and zar-adusht,.
Thra~ian

and Persian

a.rea (ApologO

~gQi~ respe~tively~

who bad praeticed in the

this passage is di!;lcU5sed f'urther,

h~lol.t).

TatiB.n t in the opening rebuke of his Discourse against the Greeks.

lists various things as among the

ins~itutions

of the Greeks which

lB. P. Pl"fLtt(!fl .. t:ra..,s~ .. HRemains of" the Second and Third Ce:lturies 11 H Ante-Nicene 'Fathers: Transla.tions of the Writings of the
Fathers Do'lNl'l to A~D. 325 .. ed. Alexander Rooerts and James. Donaldson,
rev. A. Cl evela.nd Coxe.. Ameri can ed., 10 vols. (New York: Chri st ian
Literature Compan.,v ~ 1885-8T j reprint ed., Grand Rapids: W!:I. B. Eer-d..mans
Publishing Comp~~!1- 1951) 8;752-53. (Cited hereafter as ANF. Tran9lators of var.ious portions are identified in first references- Cinsof'ar
as thl$ information is ~rov1ded b;r the ~ditors::i; subsequent rer~!'4:!nc::~s
are included in the doc'il.."TIentation in 'the te>.."t .. cit~d as .Al1F vit.h voluroe
EUlO 'Page n~bers. )
--

329

Apologists
they have derived from

th~

The first. listing is:

Barbariansa

The most t.-rust'llorthy of' the T'1I!H'~ssians di-scove-rll:!d divination

(mnntiken) throu,gh dreams; CfI.:rians ~ prognostication by stars;
by flights of birds:> Phrygians !II'ld the most ancient I saurians ;

sacrificial.

Cy])riat1s~

to astronomize-, Babylonians; to use

m.agi(:~

Persi6.ns; geometr!. Egyptians; the instruct-ion througb letters:>

Phoenicians (Disc. l~ p. 1 .. lines b-6).1
All

-ex~ept

the last tl.tO of t.hese have definitl:!

m.agi~al

connotations t

though Tn. t hm, for the m.a:oen t, t rea t s t hem neutrally J s iClpl)r Ii st1ng
them

6.5 ~ng the Hillstitutions N (epitede\UIle.) of" the Greeks.

Anot.her use of' tee term ,Imagic .. " a.s a simple pejorative ~ is

il.lustra:ted in the Epist.le to Di9AAetua.

ori ~ s of

",s.r iOllS

philosophers

9.9

The author s'WnS up 'the the-

to th~ n&t.ure

or

-God (fi re , \ ( 8 .tel'.

etc?) by saying, "But these things are only tbe quackeries and deceits
o~ the magiciana M (terateiakai

plane

~angOeton)

(8. 4).

Di sellS s ions of' :magi c and. :related areas

Tw"o writers in this group! Justin and 'Fe.tia.n! discuss ma;;ic

(and r~lB.ted.

areas) a:t

sOm~

length.

other related

arl!:8.S

eome in for

less e-xtensiYe c:onsideration by some of the other apologists.

Justin
Mfi,l)iC.
pra~tices

Justin seems to accept the r ea.1 it)' of" magic and

without question.

relat~d

He even appears to class himself with

those who fonnerly used JIl&gical arts (Apol. ! 14. 2).

accepts its real1 ty! he does not approve of it:

nut ~ t.hough he

its operat.ions, as

lCited according to page and line 01" Eduard Schw'&rlz. ed.!

Tatiani.. ora:tio ad Craecos,"IU J~ t pa.rt 1 (1886). The translatiolls of
the apologi at Bare ll:lY0Yn.

Early Christian View

330

lIell as its origins, are thorousbly

control of

2Den~

de~:mic.

Demons attempt to gain

so:metimes 'by ap-pearancef;l in d!"ea.ms ~ sometimes by mae;-

1c::al impostures (dLa. magikon gtrophqn) (llJ. 1); it 1$ de:mons who have
put forward various

he-~~tica~

especially Simon and Meno.nder ~ support-

1:og their teaching by great ;marvels 'WOrked by cagle art (:nagH:.e techne)
(26. 2,. 4; 56. 1); the devil and his angels work in i1!'lita.tion of miracles.. especially' in Egypt at the time of the E:xodus ('!'ry;oho 69 - 1;

79. h);

and the Magi had been Mheld as spoil ~or the doing of all evil

deeds by the energi '2ing of that demon" (but they revolted froJI:: his do-

main by coming to \l'orship Christ) {jB. 9).

did not origin&te with the

del!lOr.Js.~

Strietly

speuing~

magie

-nut ...... i th the fallen angels 'l,jho

fathered. them (Apol. II 5[4J. 2-~) t s.s one of their 1D.ee.ns of -enslaving
mankind

{5.

4).2 but the fallowing lines indicate their close connee-

tion--the fallen angels end the demons become tbe goda and their offspring of the poets and l!IYthOlogists

(5. 5)-and

elsewhere Justin does

not ma.int.ain this termicoloe;ic:a.l distinction. 3

lBut in one pa.ssage he does p)"eaent s4!!"\t"~ra.l means of divina-

"tJ.on t al.ong vitb de-moni fI.C s or lIJadne ss t as '\;'i tne s s to the i:on:norta.li ty
of the hUIDEUl soul (ApoL I 18. 2-5).

2
Another of their means vas tea~hing man to offer sa~rifi~es~
ine~t1sc t a!:)d libfLtions (5. 4).
(Passages in Apology II are t:ited by
traditional chfL.pters fQllorlng the manuscript order t but th~ alternate
ehapt~:r- r.rumer-ation resulting f"rom Gra~ t S transfer o~ chap. 3 to a.
position after chap. 8 :are included after them in 'P-B.rentheses/square
brackets at the first reference to each. )

~ote especially Trypho 79t in vhich Old

ferring to angels ~ the devil ~ and demons are all
angels sinned and revolted; and 85, in 'W'hi~h the
empbatically identified as the angels iLnd powers

Test&ment texts reused to sho\l that some

demons of' sec. 3 are
in sec. lao

Apologists
Related areas.

331

Justin does not discuss the theory of

magic~

other than attributing it to the operations or ene,:rgi zings (strophon,.

A~ol. I 1~. 1; ener6e1n~

e.g., 26.

2~

4}

of spiritual powers.

These

p01lers a.re usually preser.lted as demonic. but in Apologr I 18 10 they ELre

apparently the

60uJ.S

of dead men.

He does,. however !to give some :In::for-

Pla-tioD regarding divination in "the passage Just ment10ned t 8.!)d regard-

ing exorcism in tvo

~8ter

passages,. Apology II 6 and TrYPho 85.

The passage r.el!i.ting to divination (-which is introduced as

te-s'timony to 'the iJmiOrtali toY" of' the soUl} nBlIle:s its !!Il8.jar divisions ..

which serve as a sort of catalog of its pre<:e-duree ~

necromancy

(nekyomanteisJ ~ divination (epopteusia) by u.ncorrupted children, in-

vok!ng (:k1.es;iE) of h'l.1JZlall souls,. 'those ca1.led dream-senders find ilssist-

an:ts (oneirol:lO:mpoi k.at naredroi) by the Magi (para tois mae;ois) ~ and
wha:tevc!!!" is dooe by thosl!!' "..ho knO\!' these things (Atlol. I 18. 3~ see

also Trxpho 105.

.1J]O

5).

The following I1ne5 add ttthose who are

sei zed and flung a.bout by the souls of those 'I,Iho have died iI ",hom all

(I\nol. I 18. ~ L

Ju~tin

then concludes his examples "by re:ferring by

name to classic Greek oracles (mantela) and

authoTS~ especia1~r

Homer's description of Odysseus'B trench and descent to inspect

(eis . episkepsin) these things (18. t~ .5; and see Odyssey l1.

23 - 50~ etc.).
1

by

_ .

In addition, he regularly u.ses techne and dn>amels {modified

magiketai).iI but this is standard terndnology and reveals nothing

about the actual pTocedures end resUlts. The one minor e:xc:e:ption is
in regard to Christ's VJiracle6 'Which th~ opponents a.ssert~d to be
phan'ts.si.!D-mf!iken ~ aecord1ng tQ onE!' paasag~ (T.rypho 69. 1).

Early Christian Yiev

332
In

th~ ~ontinua~ion

a passing, rather

or

his discusaion t

non-commjttal~ r~r~rence

Ju~tin

also

includ~s

to the Sybil and Hystaspes

(JLpol. I 20. 1).

Justin is also awa.re of" va.rious procedures uaed in exorcism.

In ApoloftY I I 6( 5 ) t he ref'er g to sue ces El fUl Chr1 st ian exorc is IZ] t

8 i!:Opl~r

in t.he ntJ.me of Jesus Christ t in contra.st to the uns'Uccess:ful ef:forts

o.f "all the other exor-cist.s and ~nchanters and soreerers tl (eDorki stan

1';;ai epsston ka.t Eharme.keuton) (kool. II 6. 6).

This li.sting is ampli-

fied in Trypho 85 where Justin is a..rguing the 5uperiority of Christ

to Judaisrn.
'but the Jevs'

The Christians exorc15e successfully in his na."ll.e (B5. :2);

SUC(:E!$S

is que-st.ionabl~. Exorcism b~t any of' their great

nemes, whether ldngs I righte-ous me.o, -prophets, or patriarchs, vill

fa.11; but if anJr of them should exorcise in thi'! n8.ltle of the God of

Abraham t of" Isaac .. and of" Jacob. be might perhaps (isos) succeed.
Butt in general~ the Jewish exorcists (epork1stai) use the aame craf't
( te t bne) as the Gentil es vhen they eXQTc1 se 10 employi rig both

f'1,m:U. ga-

tions and. incantations (kai thumi8.IlUJ,.si k~i };;atade5moi5 chr9n:tai)

(85. 3).
Magic is regarded 'by Justin as .an integral part of pa.gan. reli-

gicm and of' the heresies 1oespeciall;)r since all three are demon inspired tmd empovered.

The ref'erences to magic- in AE"olo5.Y.. I 11.1 are

part o.f the pr~ceding argument against idolatry (chaps. 9-1L}.

connection is f'Urth(!i

~mphasized

This

in ApologY II 5vhere the- f&llen

I!Ltlgels introduce not only 1IIB..gic, but also sac1"if'ice ,.

ln~ens~)

8.nd

11bations ~ in order to subdue the hu:me.n ra.ce to th~.l!lSe1 ve e (5. 1+);

fLfid tbey and their- dell10n offspring

ar~

directly identified vith the

Apologists
pagan gods (5. 5, 6).
demo~s

ward. by

333

The variQusheresies result from men put for~

and gaining recognition by magic J even to the extent

of being 'iiOl"shipped, even by the pagans (Apol. I

T!:Y;e.ho 120.

26+

1-4;

56.

1. 2;

6).
IfPla81c does produce- mighty vorKs , albeit by d.e-

Mi.racles.

monic: power, what is the status of ChriBtian miracles?

and anavers thi.s

qu~st.i()nt di~ec-tly:t

Justin raises

in relation to Christ's workeo.

lLIIid indirectly (and perhaps lDOre

signi t'i c ant l.y ), in regard to con-

temPQrary Chr1 stian act i vi t iii! a

The quest i.on vas 1"aised. sp@c i fi cll.lly

in Apology I 30, ''what prevents that the one who ia co.lled Christ by
us. being a man fr(l!I! menjo did what we ca.l.l his mira.cles by magic art
tm.agiki techni,> and appeared from this to be Son of God Of"

He ;reeog-

ni~es that mere assertion 18 inadequate. and propoees a proof

(ten

apodeixin) vhicb he thinks vill appear even to his readers as the

greatest and truest proof, the- so-called

"

proof frQln prophecy u : 2

things ha..ve happened and are happening as f'o:retold.

~ha.pters

elaborate this assertion.

T'he devil hB.s also

feit.in.g tht' things

B.p:paI"~ntly

prediete-d~

prof! t~d from prophecy. cov.nter-

though the very count.erfeiting 1s a

test iltiony to the unde-rly i n.g truth ( s) (Trxpho 69. 1).

1

If'he folloW'iag

The nat ions

Note a.l.so Apol. I 9. I--nalilea and forms of' id.ols; 66. ~--

bread and cup in Mithraic ini tiat10na demonic 1m! t.a.tion of the Eu-

charist; TrYpho 69~ To--var1ou5 ~ablee and the Mithra.ic ~steries

d1 abol ic imi tatiorJ.s of prophee i e l;

~tt!V~:t" the common JIl.od.ern assessment o:f this proof ~ it. vas
apparently deci sf "I~ tor Just! rl p~rSOiJW.lly (Trypho 3-8) and be he.re
expe-c t 51 it to be bi 8hly regarded even by hi 8 pagan read ers . I t was
aleo used extensively by other apologists and later Christ.ian
vritera.
I

Early Christian View

w'-:ill ultimately believe; but as to the Jews who had the propbecies
when they vere fUlfilled,. "those seeing the.se tbings bein.g done asser-tedi t to b~ magical a.rt (:E,hantasian magiken)..

to call 'hi:m a :magician (mason) . . H {69. 1}.

fOT' th~y

even dared

In this passa.ge Jus-

tin simply amplifies his previous ans......e r to the charg~:

the

11

proo f

from prop:he-cy~1 still stSIlds de-spite the counterfeiting, Md is even

enbElnced by it.

.AIso!o by

th~

nature and the greatness ofh is 'W'Orks:o

Christ importuned (~QYsopei) tho~e who

Salt

them (69. 6; these- ..rorks

are presented here &s a fulfillment of' Isaiah

pre~eding s~etion).

35:1~7~

quoted in the

But this Uproof" tlpplies a!e;o to the future;

Christ;' S lIorks stand ae a. persuasion to those who will later believe

(tous
vill

@pt

I!I..lso

auton uisteuein mellontas):

even it ~imed in b~1y .. they

be raised "Up vl101e at the second coming (69. 7).

Justin does not

pr~sent

a discussion Or

def~nse

of

Christi~

2
mi rae les (i. e '!o exorc: isms ) ~ rather t he B.Gsumes them aavell knOlrn:>
both to pagens and

J~s,

Bnd argue'S :from them for the power of the

name of Jesus and the v ali d1 ty of t'he Chri stl a.n faith {Awl.. II
Tmho 85. 1, 2; sce- also II'Jpha 30. 3; 16. 6).

6. 6;

In the tvo cain

l.wbil e hope i 5 not proof, it e an be hi ghly l' e-r s ua.s i ve Note

aJ S,Q,. in cor.mt!!c:tion wi th the D(!rt topi c, that he env i sages the ir
l'eatoration as taking place at the !"~surrect1on, not in the present.
2ThOUgh J'll6tin refers to '~ighty vorka (dyg.aIt1e-is) even now being d.one t.hroue;h Hi s name" (TryphO 35. 8) 11 exor~ i ams land the wor ldvide spread of thE: Gospel. e. g., Trypbo lIT. 5; ~21.. 2, 3) are the
only 6peci:fic examples he give5~ The reference to healing in !D'Pho
39. 2 is not Jl~cesa;!U"ily an. exception to this since Justin uses this.
term in relation t.o !:!~orC'1sms in Apol. II 6. 6. On. the apread of the
Gospel. .1\'001. I 50. 9 eOnne ats the givi rJ.g of power to the apost lea. to
their being sent and tes.cohing the nations (cf~ a.lso 31.
"to pUb-

lish these things").

'1

Apologists
refereDce8~

335

he implies that his readers will themselves have been ab1-e

to observe Bueb l and. further contra!;lts the Christiansl'

use of'the name of Jesus,

by the-

Jewish exorcists using

6.

5~

~he

0 th~

simply

success~

fe.i lure- of the pagan and

various traditional techniques (Apol. 11

6; Trypho 85. 1, 3!1' on which see the discussion a.bove \Utder

"Related Areas''').
.area is not

Justin'sempb.asis on Christian activity in this

a.cc:ideJ)ta2~

it lies at the beart of' his soteriology;

ChristTs <coming was "in behalf" of believing men, and for destruction

of the d.emons" (Apc'. II 6. 5).

Further t f'rODl. his perspective,. such

acts need no defense against chal"g@'s of mo.gi-c since they" are directed
at tbe de!llcm forces which lie 'behind magic.
by the c aBe or

the Magi, who

c)

Th1.s point is emphasized

by coming to Chri st t

had revolted from the powi!:!r 'W'hich hE!ld. them

Ei how~d

~a.pti'Ve)

that. they

captive 'to every

evil dt!t!'d b:,' t.he energizing of nthat dt'fllx>n lf (Tx..vpho 78. 9; cf. also

88. 1).
The st.atUEi of the Old Tes"tfil:lent miro:.cles is

p.resented rather a..mbiguously.

unintentiona.ll~r

In 1ioe w.! th the rest of his teaching,

Justin represents them as imitated by t'he demons (e.g+:; Trypho

69. 1

and 19. 4 t tb~ Egyptian :magic1.ans), but as ultimately non-probative.

He l"ep:resants the old man \7ho bad. bee-n instrumental in converting him
~ile 'this could 'hI!" regarded as the use of a "name of power,"
such use diff~rs from th&t represented b J' Justin and other Christian
vriters . The "nam(! of' po'W'er" :funct.ions either from simple knovledge
and use of the nam~ or (B.nd) by preYiously gaining in:fl.uence ov~r t.he
Hpover 11 by proper rites, etc. IrJ Justin it is only Christ1ans 'Who can
use the- name (though Justin does not mention it. hevould probabl:,.. .
agr-@'e with the transmitter of'the "sons of" S~evan story .Acts 19:11116 ). Further) to Justin, 1ts use represents not po..... erCtve r the One
who bears the Name, but submission and obedience to Him.

Early Christ1anViev

336

as arguing t.bat the prophet.s did not lJ,se del!X:mstration (Trnho 1. 2);
yet they we:r-e \lorthy of 'belief because 01' the- miraeles (.wameis)
whi<::h they did.

But this was becaust:!' their rnira.cles glorified 'the

Creator and proclaimed: Christ:l in cont:r-6.st to certain ones vorked by"

falsE!' prophets (filled vith deceptive and unclean spirits) for the:

n.ttIB.zement of men I!I.Jld the

mons.

g~or1ficlltion

of deceptive spirits a.nd de-

This presentation va.s folloved by

6.

prayer for his enlighter.-

ment t vi thout which no one can under8tand theaethinge (7. 3).

The

end result of this seems to be that miracles are a vitness to the

truth, but this vitness cannot

Jnent o...s to the t:ruth.

b~

understood vithout an enlighten-

This 1.8 one manifestation

dilemma. confronting all apologetics:

amenable to ra.tiQnal p:t"oof or e.ttack.

dilelmD4 by

th~ app~a1

the

ge-n~ral

bo.sit::-belief'systems are not

Justin tries to escape this

to prophecy J but this

t.ies .as he s.hows inT}'YPho 76. 6;

or

al80

.c-ont"'ronts difficu1-

the p:t"Ophecies could cot be under-

stood unt.il clarified by Christ.

To.t.ian

The views of Tatian

al"l!: e-ss~ntie.l.ly

the same as those of his

m&Ster Justin,. but more intense., and less broad in presentation.

Magie.

s1nce J for

hi~.,

It is not easy to delineate Tatian' s idea of lmagic 10

it 15 all of one piece with the almost total demDnic

dotDination of all things eartbly alld material {not.e especia.llY" Disc.

On belief-systems 6.5 closed S.ya.te1DS nDte = Thomas 11 Religion ..

p. 641; and John M. Frame 11 "God and BiblicBl Langue.ge: Transcendence
&nd Imm.ane-n~@," in God-. In:e,r:r.;:tnt Word: An Int~rna.tione.l S;rmposium on
the Trust.... orthine;;l:; gr Q:cripture J ed. John WtL-:r-wick MontgomeZ}r {Minne&poli&~ BethanJ' Fello","shipJ 191Q)1o pp.. 166-71 ("Basic Colmtlitlllent Langu&g~").

Apologists

337
1

7,. 9, 11 .. 15 ["p. Ii. 2-~J" find 16 tp. 18. 2-qJ }.. including ~edicine {espec16J.ly cha.p. 18" but a.lso, inter
16 .. and t.he opening of chap.

~ia, the

1.7 (p. 18. 6-12 ..

end of chap.

23-2~ J ).

Chapter 17 ..

hO'\feve.r, is t.he essence 01' his at.ta.ek on magic:, eapeeia:lly as repreayst.~

sented by the
18. 13-1~).

of aympathies and antipathies of

D~critus

(po

Apart hom its content .. this chapter is connect~d vith

tnagic: by a refeTence to De-mocr1tus

80S

"the one llho boasted in the

.Magian Ost.anes u (line 17) and bya th1"@at that Tathm' 8 auditors .. if
they continue mocking.~ ''vill enjoy the sfI.ale vengeance a.sth~
gl,ers/sorcerers~ (go.etes.) (lines 18-20).

Jug-

In the u.tter of a. fev

lines of' chapter 11" Tatian refle(:ts a broad spect:rwn of JIlagical congoala (bealinS J pp. 18. 23-2~, 25, &nd 19. 10-1.1; Imte J pp.

eerns:
l~L

25 J and 19. 8-9; ha.te .. pp. 18. 25. and 19. 9-10; venge6nC6', pp.

16. 26 and 19. 21-22) tmat~:ril

(11 an

l~ather

tipath1es ,,11 :p. 18. 23;

amulets:Jo p . 18. 211 10 roots, p. 19. 2 10 12; ainevs aDd bones"

p. 19. 3;

herbs, p. 19. 12; human rems.ina,. especially of one vho died a. most
pitiable death" p. 19. 19, 21-22), and~ above all, not so much its

theory, as eo co-unter-theory--de:monie conspiracy (pp. lB. 26-19- 5)

The various ~aterials do not have
~)

just

Wi.y

effe-ct of t.hemselves (p. 19. 3-

but. the da"OTJa have dete:rmi.ned a purpose for each (p. 19. 11-5),

men inve:n'ted tbe alphabet (pp. 18. 27-1.9- 2).

fLS

goal of

magi~t

The demonic

as of all their operationS t ia the enslavement of

lAs noted&bo,,~.. nto:re p:rer:::ise references are cited by page

a.nd 1ine{s) of S~h'Ws.rt7., in addition to t.ra.ditional chapter-so
"

2NeurOn
- t@ kai osteon
- ~ralepseis;
11
eit.herapp11cation
of
01' "the juncture of. . . . 11

Early Christian View

338

mankind (p. 19+ 6-7; c:.f. chap. 18" p. 20. 15" re

b1~dicine;

15~

chap.

p. 1"1". 1-5. and chap. 16~ pp.1T. 11-12 and 18. 2-3~ re the soul and
IlI8.tter) ~ and the t.ur~ins of man frOllli God (po 19. 11-12).

Related a.reas.

Though

he cannot completely

deny

the efficacy

of medicine {cl1ap. 20~ p. 22. 9, and. chap. lB, p. 19. 26-28).

Tatian regards it as essen-til!U.ly the same as magic.

Chapter 18

opens,

But medicine (th6..rma.keifl.) and ever.{thing in it ig a c-ontri vance

(epite c hnes eos of the Bame f"Ort:!l. As harmful compounds ar e

material ~in the same manner thos~ 'Which hea.1 &re of the same
substance. (P. 19. :25-26~ 28-30)
The chapter t::onclud.es with a. presentation of tbe demonic operations;

they

poSS(!SS lb

man, causing

sicknes~ ..

and then .. vhen satis.fi4l!d, lea.ve

t.he man, &p:pe-il..:ring 'to cure the sidmess ('P .. 20.

15,.

19-2~; cf. also:-

chap. 16~ p . lB. 6-10).

Simi1 a:;rly " oracles and divina.tion are the 'Ilor.k of' demons
(chap. 12 ~ p. l~. 6- 'j' ~ "the t.:dckeries of frenzied demons"; and esJle~ially chap. 19, p. :21. l~-p. 22. 2).

is port of the

S9JD.e

The discussion in cha.pter 19

di scussion of the work of' demons

B.1i

of ma.gi.;:: in chapter 17. and divination is present.ed as

b8.siC6.11~t

thesfI.I!Ie hwnan des1l"ea aQ does ttl.iI..gic;

t.he- discussion
c.at~ring

to

war (p. 21. 15; p.

22. I)~ lust (p. 21. 16-17), and cure of illn~3s (po 21. 16) .. as well
e.g

greed (p+ 21. 25-26).

dreams~

stare,.

~lightB

of

The means of divinf'1.tion known to Tatian are

birds~

and s&erifiees (chap.

IRe also asaoeiates it vith ~ bit

or

1)~

from the

ancient animal lore=

'W'h..v ignore God and uae@'k t.o curE! yourself .. like the dog by graBS,

and the stag

by"

viper~

and

th~

pie: by the river crabs t and the lion

by the ape?f'I (chap. 18, p. 20. 8-12).

339

Apologists

Babylonians and ora.cular oaks (chap~ 12); by a.ome woman frenzied by

drinking; vat.er and by :fum-e-s of" f'ranltincense t and again,. 'by an oak,
and birds <ch&p. 19 t p. 21. 19-20, 22-23).
Astrology~ especial1y~

is rejected by Tatiarl as being a key

part of a major de1llon1c !3che:me,. the introduction of" the doctrine of

Fate to ensnare man by giving him an excuae for 'his (evil) acts--

i.e., tha.t he iG not ril!!s:ponsible for thetll--(chaps. 8 and. 9, l!!!:specia.lly

1

the openi.ng lines of @'6.Ch ), and to lead Cbim into :furt.her sibs (chap.
8~

p. 8. 15-18).

As sucb t

a~trQlogy'B

connection ..... ith

prognoBti~ation

is nLin-

i.ma.1 in Ta ti B.Il 8 pr eser.l't!l t i.on, appearing only bri l!fly {an d obl iquely )

in

th~ pr~...- ious1y

discu.$sed r4!ferences in chapters 1 ("prognostieation

by tb~ stars, If 1fB.9tronomy" ) a.nd 12 (lrthe Babylonian prognost.icfl.tion 11 ) .

Similarly, vitile Tatian ....as impr~ssed by the: Scripture prophets (chap.

20, pp. 22. 29-23. 3; chap. 29 t p. 30. 4-16), his major interests
were elsevhere than the argument from prophecy (note especially the imltledie.t.e context of the passa.ge in ~haF' 29).
Religion and magic.

In rl!gard to the relation of magic and

roe-ligion, '1'atiBll does not directly ide-ntity pagtln 'pra.ctices and

lnElgic; both, ratber, are subsumed under the grea.ter s:rstem of d.emonic

domination.
to

t\h.""n

He

do~s.

men from

t.h~

hO\l'ever .. present magic as specific:a.11y

design~d

true God,. and as a. perversion of Hi s good c;:rea-

tion (cha.p. 11,. p. 19. 11-17).

He a1so lists the: pagan gods vith the

divinatory practicl!'s presented in chapter 19 (p~ 21. 16. 17 .. 18 t 21"

lChaptl!'r 8 t in line v1th Tatia.n's doctrine of" free~w111t a.ho'l.s

tha.t. J:rJan himself beat's responsibility for this res.ult .. but chapter 9
goes on to indicate its underlying demonic fOQndation.

Early
~egard1ng

26; p. 22. 1),

greJ. part of pagan

these

Ch:ri~tian

View

practi~~a, &s

th@y

v~re~ as

an 1nte-

r~11gion.

Convereely .. while he bas much to say about the 'Contra.st be-

tween pagan (d~monic) religion and Christian beliefa~ Tatlan has littIe t-o say about ChristiWlm1:racles.
t.o exorci am:l<

A!iingl.e passage;leems to refer

so:m.etim.ea vhe-n delllODS have di a-

but is not quite clear:

tur'bed a human body, "being stricken

by

the 'Word of thl!

po'W~!'

of God,

terrified, they depart t and the' suf'f'ere!' is healed" (cha.p. 16, p. 18.
Basically, th~ defeat of the demons is not by combat ~ but by

10-12).

quiet disengagement:t

reje~ting

them and the matt!ria.1 realm that they

have usurped (e. g., ch~p. 11, pp. ~l. 25-1:2. 11'; ~ba:p. 16, p. 18.

3-.4-- f 'should anyonevish to conquer them, let him deprecate matter 't ~
chap. 20" p. 22. 18-19; chaps

,j

29 and 30. p. 30. 11-21).

Other apologists
Quadratus I:s re:ference to the-

savior implies

non-eontinuing~

continuing~

:real w.orks of the

insu"bstan1.ial 'WOl"ks by some other per-

son(s); these might be 1IIB.gtcianl3, or other 'W'onde-r-vot-kl!!!'s:I or they

might be the 'Work of some l"ecogni!.ed pagan

In any

of

ca$e~

deity such as Aesculapius.

the abiding nat..u:re of the vorks is acclaimed a.s a test

g~nuineness

in a

CODt~st

of miracles.

Me.lito, in a highly rhetorical p&9sage in his hOOlily On

Baptism .. pietures Ir1s as "fil1[in8J the

invoked by a vater-

.
There are also r~ferenees to ~urning
to God for healing i n
18 (e.g+~ p. 19. 27-2B; p~ 20. 8-10, 14).

.1
chapte~

rivers~

Apologistfl

le&ding

spirit~H

Though this

~pp~ars ~~

be based on the traditional

(pagan ) religious language" it is olose to magic8-1 ideAs.

Coincidentally,. the clearest reference to magic in pseudoMelito' s Apol0Jt'l, aJ.so involves 'Water, etc.
Zaradusht (respectively..

6;.

It pict.\ll"@s Orpheus and

Thracian and 8- Pe-.t"sian magus)

B.S

pr&c-

tieing lXI8.gic at a vell in a wood nea.r "1abug where there.,.,as an unThis .spirit int.er'fered with those passing

clean spirit.

by"~

so

these Magi .. in acc:ordanee with what va-eo .a m;;'{l3tery in thei.r Ma.gian

system bade Simi, the da.ughter o:f Hsdad, to dra,,~ water from the
sea and pour it into the vell, so that the spirit should not cOme
1J..P Md commit. ass Qul t. (ANF'8 ~ 153 )

While this is a.ppl!l.rently tradi t.ional ma.teriB.1, th(!: a.pologist

accept it as authentic" sinCe it. is part of his

true origi fiS

e~ltm9.t.ion

se~s

to

of the

the pagan gods.

Ref'ereo.ces B.."ld allu!;!iQml to relatedPlS.tters

Athenagoral;> bas nothing to say dire:ctly about

~gi~J

does present. el@,1DI!nts of' the st.tLndard Christ.itI.IJ. demonology ~

but

he

Some of

the angels created by God to exercise providential care over creation,

led by one special one, the spi.ritor ruler of matter .. fell into 1m-

pure love,became subjected to the flesh. and begat the giants {Flea
211. 2-6; cf.. also TatisllDisc. 7,. pp. 1- 19-8. 3~ re:thiEl- preemin~nt,Mfil"st-bol'"D-" angel).

The:se angels

andth~

soul.s of the

air s:nd!or eB..'r'th ~

to t.heir appetites and natures; mankind is

~hus

B.C tac

eordi ng

move-d hither and

lC1ted f'TornRobert M. Grant, ed.~ Se-cood-Centurz Christianity;

A Co:l1ection of Fra.g.ments .. Translations of Chrietian Li terature, seorie.s

6~ Select Passag.es (London: SPCK, 1951), p. 73.

Early Christie.n Vie",-

342

thither b)r their operation, caught b-e-tveen the tendency of' matter and
the aff'inity fo'r the

has no

order~

d.b'ine~

so that SOme have concl\l.ded the universe

being dr1vec by 1rrat1ono.l chance (Plea. 25. l-~).

Further.. the dellX)ns.. eagel" for the blood of sacriticE!s! dray :men to
idols t vsing tor the gcds the names oT bistorical men, but aeting according to theil" own natures {chap. 26).

These OeD'.ons vho I1hover

about matter. greedy of sa.crificial odours and the blood of

vic-

t1ms]I and ever ready to lead men into error l1 {27. 2)1 take advantage
of un..\.r!io1oiledgeable souls.

They take possc!ssion of' tbeir thougbts to

pour in empty visions (phantasi8..l;I) t or take c!"edit .....hep the soul .. of

itself. as beicg immortal and moving

i~

conformity with

rea$on~

either predicts (promenyousa) the futuro!' or attend5 (the:ril.p~uoU8a.)

the present (ibid.).

This latter would appear to be eo reference to

either oraclC!!s or (ar.Jd) the Asclepieions.

This oC:onnection of pagan wo!"ship with masic and/o!' demo::!!;: is

also ref'lected by other apologists.

8.bove

Aristides, in the !JflSsages cited

at the o!'-t!'ning of the discussion of the apologists]o

r~buked

the Greeks for connJ!"et1ng the gods W'ith magic, and pseudo-Melito not

only identified

t'\lO not~d

id-ols as Mcient Magi, as noted above, but

a little later in the: Ap~logy describ~d the pagans.. "severed frolll the
ltno'oIledge of the living God .. It as llwo.llov[ing) on the ground before tie-

mons and shadows" (ANF

8=154).

PlnallYt in contrast
re:r~rences

to the

demonic 'forces, there are also

to an angelic hierarchy eou.."1t.erpo1aed and &r:lt.e.cedent to it.

Quoted from the translation of B. P.

Athena-goras) rr A..W :2'= 143.

~atten~

"Writings

or

Apologists
.But the a..":Igelic ra.nks, ...... bile e}tercisiog pro-videntifl.1 C6.J"e for

(e.g.,. Athenagoras

Pl~a

~ind

10. 5, and the passage from 2h. 2-6 cited

above), are Dot open to h'lmla.n contact a.nd manipula.tion.

Though the

angels tunction as God's messengers .. basically He de.als directly vith

For

l%IM..

~kind,.

eXOJ:lple~

vhen He ......ished to make His great revelation to

He sent not by Ira. subaltern, or a.rJgel ~ or ruler, or one of

those that direct the e.f:fail's of earth"

01"

one of' those ent.rusted

with the dispensations in heaven, but the very Artificer and Creator
Ei,oself" (Diognetus 7. 2).1
C&L2Se

of' their f'a.11 are no longer a.ble to

inter6ct \lith ma.nkind

The
6ElC:e

It is on1:( tb! eyil

at~i tl,.;;des

regUlarl~r

ri:s~

8.Cge~s,

vho be-

to heavE!r:.ly things, ....ho

(cf". Plea 25 . . etc.).

tovard r:::.agic a::nong the apologists are ml.::ch the

as those in the pre...-iolJ,S period,. 'but a.re-

expresse~

lI:.-or~

explic-

itly, due to the ou'tvard orientation of the apologe-;ic task, and in

C)Core detail t bltcaUSe of the grea.ter length of the 'Works in'.-ol ved,
The proportion of space

tha.n in the Apostolic

de\~ted

to

zagi~

Fat.h~:t"s--magic

is not

is st.ill

sigcifi~antly

on~

greater

of their lesser

cOrlcerns.

Within tbe grOUI:" the vie\i's of the a.pologists o.re

the same

e5seotial~'

'but 'W"ith the individual emphases \lhich cha:t"aeterize their

'Works in general

such as Justin's 1!::Itphas1s on

th~

"pro-of :from proph-

eoy" 8nd 'Tatian's ~xt:reme reJ e~tion of t.he pre-s~nt rnat.iI!!.rial vorld.

~rom Lightfootts translation,. in

Fa.thers t P' 255 ..

Lightfoot-Har=er t Apostolic

Early Christian Vie..,.

The dominant terms for magic/magician are the: va.rio'lis ~.a

for1tl8, vi th oc cun-enc:es

0f

pharmaJl:- .forms in the senSe

Or

mag icd ian ) ~ n

II

"sorcerer/-y11 in Aristides l' &nd $oe:t- in Tatian and Diognetus..

Various forms and compounds of mant.ik- uso a.ppf!'a.r,. tlJ..ong with some

general

s:r'1l0nyllU:l.

The powers seen 'behind magic tLre usua-Illr referred

to as denx>os (commonly- dailJlonia t but several times daimon) .. but they

are USO ref~rl"'l!"d to as (uncl@an) apiritS t or

a$

The last term is also used to

their aets t or to

to

eith~r

The \fOrd techne occurs many times:> botb a.s a

Christian miracles.
gene~al

r~~~r

]lO'Wera (dynameis).

term and also as specifically conneetedvith magical pro-

eed.ure.

In the a.reasof praetices and m9.terials, Justin provides

several. indications of the

proc~dures

in two related &rE!as t divina-

tion CA.po1- I 18) and exorcism (AP91. II 6 and Trxpho 85)?

provides some ex8ll!ples of the ltoater1als used (Disc. 17) +

Melito also provides

8.

Tat.ian
Pseudo-

partial example of a magical procedlU"e.

While all these are regarded as evil, th{!-y a.re also seemingly

regarded u

actual effects (except for the nOrl-Christian exorcisms

mentioned in Justin).

The reason for this 16 the underlYing theory

or detnonii;: poller behind 6uch acts t

vhi~b

is moat clearly outlined by

Tatian (especially in Disc. 11).

In the area of' the oveTls.p between :IIlAgic and religion", 1:.wo
probl~ms are ra~edt th~ relation of magic to Christian miracles (in-

cluding thO:l:H!! of t.he Old TestaJIlent) .and to pagan t'eligion.

f01"rll~r

In the

8.l"efL, no elearcut ansver appears J though both Q.ua.drat-us and

Justin address

it~

Quadra.tus suggests continuing results as

.flo

test

Apologil;ots

(a test 'Which does suggest

SQID.@

of non-Christian operations).

question of th~ rl!a.lity of the res-w.ts

Justin, ap&rt from an empirical answer

(this. exorcisT!! works t that dOe~m tt)

proof =

rev!!:! lation, i.

e.,

is forced back to an unp:ro"l11l.ble

the "proof" from prophecy PI and d1v1nl!! i'iI!'n_

Ii e:htep.Jne:nt. iP
In the latter area, the apologists see no essential distinction; both magic and pagan religion are manifestations of

po'l,l'er and activity.

dof!'S

s~em

Y~t.,

th~

del1lonic

in t.he demonic interactions ..... ith man, there

to be some distinction maint.ai.oed.

In one type of .action

the demons impose on men as dQminant beings from behind the faeade 01'
idols

directing the a.cts of men (including answering then-.) for their

own benefit.; in the other type .. they let men think that they are

~on

trolling e....ent s (c f. Tatian ~. 11):> though it 1 s st i 11 all part of'

the demonic plan.

These two area.s .. which could be described in modern

terms as -the "sup:plicati...~e~ and the "manipulative, If are ba.siea.lly the

.apOlogist.s P pictures of pagan religion and of magic (and~ for Tatlan ll

of medi cine) .
In essence, magic did not Ufit" in the Christian wQrld-vi~
vhile it vas a natura.l counteT]lart of' the pagan religion.
tbe pagans: (e.g.

some

or

l"ejected the other al50.

the philosophers) who

rejl2ct~d

ThO{;~

fLmong

one commonly

Early Christian View

Gre~k Pb~ici5t5

and

S~st~matizers

!renaeus

~e~erences

to magic

An accusa.tion of' masic is a :fairly standard item in Ir~na~u..'3':B

id~ot1-rication

of the variou,6 heretics and heretical systems which he

COl:lba.ts (agai ns t M.e.rc us in Ad,,~. b,aer. 1. 13. 1, et ~ .; Simon ~ 1-23- 1;

Simon's

foll~~rst

Ba.silides, L

2~1.

~, Menander~

1. 23.

1.

23~

5; the rQ110vers

o~

5; Ce.rpocrates. and the Carpocratia.ns, 1. 25. 3; but

not expressly .at least .. ind1cB.tl!'d of Saturn1nus, 1. 2~. 1., and of

"Tar i ous othe r- S t L

26- 31 L

It. s.1so appear s as e.. regular appell at i on

added to the names of Marcus "the MagicitLn u and Simon Magus in suose-

quent references to them (e.g., 2. praef. 1; 2. 9. 2); and is commonly

used as the sole designation for

Mar~us

in the lengthened

dis~u,ssion

of his system (e.g., 1. 13. 5. and 1. l4. 3).

Discussion of magic and related areas

SUch a
gibUS

charg~

of

~gic

is probably to

b~ ~xp~cted

in a re11-

conflict in ...,bich each aide cla.ims superna.t.u.r!L.l validati.on. but

in t.hese

case~

giouspolemic.
OpJloneot.s,.

t.h~

in

Irena.eus~

If !;renaeus

it se-ems to go "b-eyond conventional relicorre~tly r~pr!!Se(Jt8

the practices of his

charge of ma.gic 'WoU1.d seem to be s1Jstained.

Magic

Marcus, vho ie presented

f1;rst~

15 also descr-ibed at greater

~e chapter and section Teferenc~s are given according to the

system of 1~a.5SlJ:et (and Stieren) a.s given in PO 7 .. and in ANl-'" L
{The
book num.b~re go back to Irenae-uB hims~lf. )

length ~ ",.i th the later sys tem.~ compared to his.

Marcus is fiTS t

introduced as ua. perfect. adept in magicaJ. impost.ures n (rna-gikes . .

kyb~~as

emneirotatos) (1. 13.

l~

ANF

1:33~)~

as is Menander after

hi1n (1. 23. 5) , 'While Simon was especia.l.ly" named tor his lD.8.gical

powers {l. 23. 1).

Behind

Iren~eusJ5

derogatory

pictur~

there appears

to be e. showman of' cOJlsidera.ble ability (note especially 1. 13. 1-3),

but Irenaeus has nothing good to

~ay

Qr bim

expli~i~ly.

At least SQme

of Ma..rcu~' so results (prophecy 2 specifically) ar~ attributed to a de1:).')oic f8lIli.liar (kai d2.it:lOna. tina pare:dron e:chein, 1. 13. 3}:a and his

IT.Qtives are entirely base (1. 13. 3,. 5),. as 8.1"e those ofhi.s disciples
(1. 13. 6) and later groups (Simonle..ns, 1. 23~ ~; Basilid.~:s~ 1. 24,. 5;

Carpocratians. 1. 25. 3.

~).

To ~her his immoral ends. he com-

'PDunas ph il ters and love pot ions (ph i 1 tra. k~li_ agoe;ima.. 1.. 13.. 5) ~ a
<;:hsrge also made: against 'the SimorJ.ians (1. 23. 4) and the Carpocra.-

tians (philt.ra .

et che.:ritesia .. 1 .. 25. 3).

lrenaeus t

disparaging

picture of' Marcus is s~~d up (ana amplified) in same poeti~ lines

quot.ed from a cert&in 1~divine elder':

he is a nPLaker of" idols and

inspeator of portents I Skilled in seotrology a.nd the magica.l er'ts"

(magikes techne:s.) .. he uses tricks and signs, Jrundertakings of apostate

"through an angelic power .. Azazel" (1. 15. 6).

But MlI.:reus t s venders were perfort!Jed in

phetic

contexts~

BB.Cr~rl't9.l

or pro-

o.nd were, of CQurse,. not regarded by his followers

EIlglish translation fro:nCAlexand~r Roberts, et a.1. 5 J

nIrenaeus :I! Jr
1 ~ 307- 578; Greek and Lat.in ten s are 81ven a.c cording

to PG 1.

E:a.rly Christian Vie\i'

as maBie, 'but as mira.cl-!'s (1. 13. 1; set: also 2. 31. 2 .. re Simon and

Carpocrates ) just, as Sirn.oo I s acts broU,ght him honor.. not as a magi-

cian! but as a god (1. 23.

l~

Simon, noted alre-l!I:.dJr

c.t. Justin Apo1. I 26).

8.8

a magician ~ gave himself more zeal-

ously to studying the "whole magic art n (un! v.ereamme.gicam) after hi s

cont.a.ct vi th the apoa.tles.

Be8ides the philters a.nd cha.rms already

notl!!d, hie :f'o1.1ow1"s '\itere i::ha.rged 'vith using ejlorcis:ms and inca1:JttLtions t "familiars n and "dreoB.m-se:nders" (par-edr! et oniropot!ll}i), and
vh8.tl!'ver other curious art8 ('D~rierga.) t.here are {L 23. 4).

Simi-

larly, the Ba1iilld1.&.ns us@' images, inc8.0t.ations, invocations, and

every-other kind of ~urious art (reliqU& uni V~l'"sa perierga) (1. 24. 5) ~
while the C&r1X>c:rat1.&ns vere accused of the whole composite liBt (l.
3~

25.

6).
Most COIIm:::.nly these- things

this-worldly &ct1vities

8.r~

mentioned in (:on.I1oect.ion 'Wit.h

(~spec1ally r~cruitment, r~1nforceEent

loya.lty, and seduct 1 on of fQllo'Wers., e .. ,g

of

1. 13 1-6).. but J in at
T

least oce case J Irenaeus also applies the term magic to their othervorldJ.y acts. or te&chings:

Menandert for eXl3.!!lPle t was said to a.ff'inu

that the magic (!!!6ian.) he ta.ught enabled one to overcQIae tl1e angels
~ho

or

made the

wo~ld

(but even t.his

death) (1. 23+ 5).

h~s

Si~ilar ideas

a t.his-worldly goal--evasion

vere represented by the other

grOUp8 ~ though Irenaeu6 uaes, at EIlOst~ the term uinvocation '1

(~pilc.l;5i8) in oeser! bing thee! (e -S..

'!I

Ma.rcus .. l'e prophesying .. 1+ 13.

3i Marcosians. re deliverance from "the judge'1 or various principalities and povers~ 1. 13.

CB1mp~r

tade eipoie~J and 1. 21+

5).

I:t"enaeus
Theory e.nd praxis
Irens.~us

basic ally regards magi c a.s a demoni c a(:t i vi ty .

has a. demonic fwniliu ((laimona

pa.l'edron) (1. 13. 3, ef. also

sees. 4 and 6) .. s-tr'Jd the Simonians and Carpocratian.s operate with t.he
"familiars' and 'dream-si!nding" spirits Doted above (1.. 23. Ji and

25. 3; SE!e .also 2. 31. 2 ~ 3 for ot.her demonic a5sociations of these

two groups).

At the end time, the second bea.st Qf' Revelation (13:11-

17) ",,111 uso do YOliders (si.gna) "by the working of' magic [magic&.

operationeJ

..

since the demons and apostate spirits are at his

service" (5. 28. 2, A1fF 1; 551).

But

Irena~us

thesf! things.

seems to be SQJDelol"hat divided in mind rega.rding

tf'l"hi1e he recogni'lies the: ef'fecti veneSs of Marcus's

activit.ies~

propagandiz.ing and seductive

and vhi1e allo\ling the like-

lihood of' delDOnic \tOr-kings, he seems to haye aome re:servat.ions about

the reality of t.hese things.

r-'arcus 'Join[s:! the buffooneries Cpaiggia)

of Anaxi1aus to the ers.ftiness [panourgiaJ of tbe Magi" (1. 13. 1 ..

ANF 1: 334); Simon ,. Carpocra.tes, and others "are said to perf'cH."m

miracles" (virtutes operari dicuntur). but they" are "by

:Ill8.gi cal

and they

deception a [ntagi ~.!ls

~annot

elUl~ i one s J ~ an d

free from any

d~moQS

m~ans

of

yi th uni ve:rsal deceit .. ,,1

exoept from thOSE! they themselyes

send ~ if' even this much (:2. 31. 2,. see also 3; cf'. also 2. 32. 3
in f'Act they have accomplished 8,r.J:rthing by" magic [per magicamJ

11i 1"

U
).

1AIr? 1: 407 . The charge of fraud and deceit could arise from
the fact that tbese are del!Onic .. ra.ther than di....ine J acts t bUt.
Irer.Jaeus's ~6J1ing seems to go beyond this to the questioning of the
real! t:r of the acts themselves.

350

Early Christian View

In a.dditiQn, tbe effects prod\1ced are illusory (phantasmata; phantasiodos) and trans it ory (stat 1m ce EJsant:5. a ). not real and perm8Ilt!!!nt (~t oe

qu idem at i I I i c~ d,io te.rne.Qr1 B ..ReTseverant la) (:2 32. 3 t t.I).

The rete-rene!!:s to incantations and. cha~s \lould support tbe

demonic explana.tion of the magic

means,

fI. uch

a,s- drugs ~

a~t.s,

'but -the- use also or physical

be impl i ed by' Irenael.:l.s' s use Qf the terms

philtl?:t"s and love pot.ions (?, ~ha.rms?).

or

the two specific pro-

cedures which Ir-ena..eus de-serf bes, one, cha.nging the color of a liquid ..

seems to be checically based {i.e., drugs, Eharmaka)" and Hippolytus,

at

lea6t~

explains tbe other t fillies a larger cup from a

5~11eT~

in the game vay (1. 13. 2; ct'. Hipp. Ref. 6.. 35).

f1elated ueas
Irenaeus does not

di~eU~9

collateral occult areas, but, in

the lines quoted 'from "the elder~'1 ~fa:rcus 1a ac:c\1.sed of observing

portents (teratoskopos). i. e. ~ di v-:ina.ti on, and ast rology (astrQ1 ogi-

kes . technes).

This is perhaps a variant manifestation of Mar-

cusls prophetic interests which Irenaeus does elaborate on (1. 13. 3 t

4)

The Basi1idians are represented

the mathematicians, Le., astrologers

ology,?) (1. 211. 7).
etc'

lI

a5 following th~ id~&s of

(01"

is it some kind of

m~er~

The speculation concerning the various Haeorls .. It

with the prevalence of the numbers seven and twelve 'Would also

other systemB, but

support astrological interests in the

var1o~B

Irenaeus does not develop this &rea.

Besides this, in the general

description of the heretical

op~r&t1ons

in hi5 second book,

Iren~eu9

351

Irena-ens
refers to what is some
boYs,.l

{pUI!!:TOS

typ~

or

divinato:cy practice involving "mere

investes} whose sight is deceived by an exhibition of

phantast!Js (ooulos deludentes " . " phantasmata ostendentes) (2. 32'. 3;

cf. Hipp. Ret'. ~" 28; a1.ao Justin ApoL 1 18. 3; contrast Tertullian

Apology 23, and Us. lLE. 7. 10. 4).

Magic

6.ll.C

other

religion~

Due to hi Ii pri:ll'.arily polemic:lo rat.her- than iLpologet-ic. pw-

p.?ses ~ Irenaeus "had li.ttle to

a.~'

.about pa.go.n religion.

He thus has

nO occasiOn to conneet it vith matic as do his predecessors and conte~orar1es, exce~t

ror the assertion that Simon Magus vas honored

as a god be cau.s e of hi s act i vi ti e 8 (L 23. 1).

assert a strong

tices.

~onnecticn o~

He does.. however ~

magic and heretical beliefs and prac-

In addition~ Marcus is idetJtifie-d 6,G Hthe magician" in cOn-

nection vith bis proph~tic activities (l~ 13. 4) and after the expoaitiQ~ o~ some of his esoterie doctrine {the body of A1ethei~} (1. 14.

3); the ~arcosiB.ns use various "Hebrew" words B.Ild ot.her in...'Ocations

(1. 21. :3 5 ~ 6.lso ~ 1 3. 6 h t.'h~ Bas i 1 idians, a.l.ong 'Wi t.h the-i.r magi cal

:pl"ftctices. coin names as if of' the angels (1. 24. 5 L follow the practiees of the uQ.theIDB.tici:ans 1" and na:tll.e their chief Abra.xa.s (1. 2~. 7).
Menander~

also, is :said to

r~pr@sent

t.bat by the magic he taught the

ang~lB vho mlI.de the world ~ould be o,vereome (l. 2]-

5).

The hereticB are I'said (dicuntur)11 to perform mil'ac1.es

1

Compare on 'this pn.ssage (and Justin ADO!. I 16. 3) the para11~1 ancient and (relati.... ~ly) modern descriptions of' divination b J
boys in John M. Hull, H~ll~nistie Magic and the Synoptic Tradition
St udi I!!: S :1 n Biblical Theology, 2d ser +,. no. 28 (lfapervi11e.. Ill. =
Alec R. Allenson" Ir.Jc., 1911:)" pp. 2l-2h ~ eap.21-22.

&:Lrly Christian Vic'!,;'

352

(vi rtutes >.t, but Irl!'nae~s c hall~nges them

8t.I.~ th~i!"

reau.1ts +

Or:J

the basi 51

the 1 r r'~a1. i ty

01'

They are magie8J.. deception and dec~it (magicas

elusiones, @'t universe. fraude) (2. 31. 2)~ error. mislea.ding influence
(seductio), magical illusions (magica. phantasia) ~ deceit

demonica.1

working (ope1"atiOtH~ demoniaC'a), phantasms of idola.try {phanta.smo.t.~

idolatriae) (2. 31. 3)~ phantasms t.hat instantly cease and do not
endure (phantasmata

{2. 32. 3).

.0

5ta.tim C'essRntia. et

Those who vo rk such things

n~

&

perseverant-in)

strive de<: e 1 t fully to lead

fooli sh people tLstray' ( 2. 32. 3 ~ /IJW. 1 ~ 408 ); thes e thi ngs axe all
done for the benefit of those doing

the~Jo

not for their

fol1o~cers.

The meth{)d{s )e:m.ploye-d bjO the heretics had been preserrted at

length in 'book one; in :2. 32. 5., I:renaeus

denying tha.t the t:hurcn lUles any of' them.
r~ ang'li~

invocations:t

01"

5 u:rnma.rizes

thes e methods,

The church does not W'ork

in(!antat.ions, or by any other wicked

curious art n (nee religuapre.va curiosi tat.e); ahe 'WOrks !"tl.t.her

prayer in a.
p~e4

"pure~

by

aince-re-, and atl'aightforward spirit [m1.lllde.l et

et manifeste orat1onesJ, calling upon the

~ame

Christ~ H and this name "ev~rJ no'\07 ~onfers 'benefits

rI

of our Lord Jesus

(2. 32. 5:t AllF'

This S~erns close to the- modern su.ggestions, based on Fra2.oe:r s

1: 409).

of supplication in cont.rast to manipulatiQn/coropulsicmas one possible

distinction between
1

r~ligion

a.nd

mag1~.

Such a. distinction had also

James George FTaz.er, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic 6nd

Religion, 3d ed7,Pa.:r:t; I: The ~~ae;i~ Art :!iind tbe Evolution of Kings,
2: vols. (Zlev York; The Macm1118.r.l ComptLny, 1951 [1910J, 1~22t,. 225.
See o.~eo, Goode, R~ligion, 1'. 53, item 2; and Misoeha T:it1ev Jo uA Fresb
Approa.~h to the Problem of Magic and Religion .. H Sout.hwestern Journ(L1 of
Anthrollo1ogy 16 {1960): 292-98~ reprinted in Reader in Comparative
Religiotl, ed. William A. ~:ssa. a..nd Evon Z+ Vogt .. 3d ed. {:New York: Ha.rp1'"
&; Row, Publ.ishera., 1972L pp. 430-33 (B~e pp. h30 and 431).

353

Clee.ent o:f Alexandria

b~en

explici tlyapp11ed previously in Irenaeus I s reJ~et.lon of Marcus's

prophetic

. . it

~ctlv1ty:

will

:follav t.hathe who cot:nnands is greQter and of higher authority than

the prophetic spirit" thoush he is but a man. which is impo.Eis1bl(!.
But such spirits. . are eart.hly and
IF

"Wea.k.~

8.udo.eious and impudent

1. 13. ~). 1
Anoth~r

ence ~ IF is

idea or Frs,:ze-r Is, the connection of magic and I'sci-

posgiblyillustra.t~dby

Old TestEllDent

exam'pl~,

Ireoaeus 1 s t.reatment of e.

Mos{!os tLnd thl!!: Exodus.

~ommofl

Due to unbelief" Phar-

oah IS hea.rt 'Wa.s hardl!!ned]o so nvhile seeing that it was the finger ot

God,;' he still believed 1Ithe exit was accomplished by magical

[p(!']" ma,gicam operationemJ ~ . . .

Jlot

pO'Wl!!!:r

by "the ope-rat-ion of God that the

Hed Sea afforded a pa.ssage . . bu't

by merely natural cau~eel'

(sed n&t'l.U"a.lit~:r sil: se habere) (oh. 29. 2,

A!tE. 1=502).

Unles8 Irenae-uS

is distinguishing be-t'Ween the Exodus as eo vhole complex of events lL."ld

'tb'!' specific evt!'nt of the opening of the Red Sea. ~ be 'WoUld a.ppear to

'be equating opera.tions by

"~1cal

power

(~ca.m)"

s.nd "na."turu

causes (ne.tura.liter)" in some 'WaY + 2

Clement
Clement's 1ntereats
Irenaeus.

or

Alexandria

ar~ cons1d~rably

'While tbe latter deals

Bpe~ifi~s.lly

against various heresies. Clement has no

1

different from those of

",,1 th cha.rges of magic

dire-~t

discussion of ma.gic;

Comp6.l"e Hermas' s d.i st inetion of true and f&lse prophets

(Shepherd ~:3 ~.. 11 J, esp.8 ec 5. 5 I!lrld 6), disc UJ!i s@'d above Ji pp.
321-22.
2

sense?

Or 1s naturallter a

tran~lation

of Ehysis in

5Qroe

magical

~"
3 ,..i.I

Early Christian View

howev~r~

numerous allusions to related areas are scattered through-

out hi s 'WOrks.
Refertmces to magica.l ite:rns

Clement manifests no real vorry about magic, using rererences

to magical itelIls

rather freely for rhcotoric:al purposes, even~ on one

occasion~ specit"ically of Christian

prayers ((.D.S. !n. 5, I'lthe

magi -e of' fQJll.i 1 i e.r 11 tan i e s n [A~W 2: 60 3] } ~ Though he be gins hi s Exhor-

tation to the
vork.~d by

H~athen

with

running account of' the fabulous things

music and BOon introduces such tenns as " c ha:rred.,r (the-lgee-

Pdais kai epQdais; 1/3. l)~ Clement Is using these ter~ rhetorically~

his target here is pae:.an 'Worship and the poet:-J which caters to it
(Ex..~. 111.

1-3. 1; note also pharmakOtl. .. of the 1cnarm1 of the COWl-

'tering 6 t ra.in in 2 ~ 4). 3

He tn9.k I':s var i ous U8 eS of.' the idee. of charms

~ageia., etc. ~ occur only fI. ft!'\l timi!'s. (magois, Exh. 2/22. 2~
am::-ng EleLJsinian celebrants ~ and se'le:ra.l times of the Magi, as i03trul:tors of' the Greeks, etc., Exh. 5/65. 4); Clement generally pr~fers
t~e ev~n rtlOl"e pejorative goeteie. o.nd related forms.
He USO !!lakes
some- USe of eJQdi;!epaoide. but genera.11y uses 'JI)'.)l'e com:mon Dr rhetorical designations in preference to 'technical terms.
2

English translation by William Wilson .. et

Alexandria." ~. :::'; 163-6o~ .

8l..~

nClement of

3The Gre~k text and more precise re:ferences:) "Where needed.,

are given according to the edi tiop or Otto Stahl1n, C1emens Alexandrinus ..
Griechischen Chri5tlichen Sehrittsteller der ersten drei Jahrhu~
derte (vols. 12~ 15, 17 .. 39); .b ....016. (2d ed. of vol. l) (Leipzig~
J. C. Hinrichs sche Buchhandlung~ 1906-36 L They are cited as St
'With volume .. page,. and line nu::mbers; when eo cited they follow the
(book~} cha.ptel', and section numbers.
wnere the lon8~r 'Chapt.ers. of
the olde:r editions have been broken up into Bhorter sections and paragre.phS ~ both BjPstems axe given t s@'pal"'a.tedb;)' a virgule.
Di~

355

Cletnent of Alexandris
2/6. l}; t.be "1ove- c harm u (philtra) which causes God to love

311. 3);

'Wi thin JJJlLn (1.

1nQ.fi

is

m.E\.[J

cnn only dl1!f'eat the serpent of weo.lth

"by the char:m of the WOrd" {3. 6/35. l}--and negat.ively, of being bewitched ([(~) goetelJesthail-einJ not by ph11osophy~ but by ples.sure;. by the sentences of' the Sophists,. Strom. 1. 2/20. 2;

la/Q7. :2, respe(:tively:; and .again io 2. 20/120.

ure). 1

3~

8/ 1.2 . .~;

in dremns

bjP

Plee.s-

He- further suggests t.hat a numbe:r of the noted Grf:ek phil-

osophers learned f1"ol7l the Me.,gi) and some also f:rOC!'.l the secret teach-

1ngs of the Egyptians (Strom. 1. 15/66. 2;

6~L

6L

and that philosop~r

itself" first flour.ished among the barbariar.n3 and such groups as the
R~'1)tian uprophets ~ ..

(1.

15/72. 3-5; also,.

the Chalde-am;: ~ the Druids, the Magi ~ and: others

Exh .

~}.

5/65.

He reverts to the idea of charms (epQde,s) again in Paedagogus

3.

4/28~

3 (but this tim' in a li tel:"al senij.e) along with various ether

practices ('sacrificing and practicing divination . . . fortune tellers . old llives whisperings
Cph11tra

+ ..

bearing charms and incantations

kai epOdasJ from soothsayers CaoetonJu ANF 2=278) in

vhich many women 1lr:iproper1y

~ngage.

Another

li~t

of metbods of divin-

ation (\fith their be..roaria..n origins; apparently related in some 'W8J" to

Ta.t ian '5 1 i st COi s c. 1 J.. but expanded and modi fi ed) appears itL

Stromateis 1.

16f7~.

1-5, 'While in 2. 1/2. 3, Clement identifies tbe

Greeks I bOasted "highest ~eiences" as "a.strology, &nd :m..athemat1cs ..

and magic,. and sorcery + ..

be also uses the t~!'m thElu:m.atQE,oioi) but of

those who "tumble on ~vords vith a c@rtain dexterity" (Strom. 7. 11/
lOn one

66. 3;

occasion~

A~W2=5~1).

Early Christian View

356

;Q,iscussion of magical theory and praxis

In~lUJtations

C1~ent eit~s

Plato to the effect that tbe gods have a dia-

l@ct, this idea being derived from dreams and

oracles~

from demonia.cs ~ who speak the language of the

po~i!;Je6s.ing

than their
fo~

01ffl

a theory of

topic~

(Strom. 1. 21/1lj.3. l).

in~anta~ion~

and, espetially)
de:l!lOn ra.ther

Thig hs.s posEiible- implications

though Clement is not considering such a

his interests here are hi5torical and linguistic.

ae

does,

however, -assert in the next paragraph that the 'first and gen~:t"ic

barbaro'Us dia.lects have terms by nature,

p:r~fers uttered

MW 2: 333) .
ma.g:l.c~ 13.

5in~e

alac men

~onfess

that

in a barbarian tongue are more powerful" (1. 2l/143. 6 ..

This is an idea with obvious potentia.l coonection to

connection which Origen makes explicit .. as we sba11 see

later.
Incantations (epao1dais) are named as

the

mee.ns by vbich the

Magi compel the dell:lOtls to ~erve them in b::horta.ti on .4 (58. 3).

In

two pass,ageB" Clement re:fera to the IIso-(:alled toE.Phl!'si.an Let.ters.

In

In the :fir.Eit" he at t ributes thE!i T i nV'E!,Ot i on, a.1ong 'With numbers in

music, to the IdB;.ean Dactyli (Strom. L

15/73. 1), 'While the second

suggests that they have a symbolic import, &nd illustrates this by

r:ertain examples (5.

B/~5.

1-3),

But they are" perhaps. better

clas-sed

as amw et s: rather than ~s incant a:tions (L e ... as being W1"i tten :magi c ,.
r~t.h4!":r

than spoken).

Chal'm1l: and amu1l!'t a

Besides the refe.rences in the previous discussions and the

Clemet1t of
referenc~s

357

Al~andria

to 'the "Ephesian Letters ~ U Clement mentions charm.s in

other r:onnectiops.

The first speaks of

P1 c ha...""IlJ,s

of healing" (4!'!',Qdas

taB hygieis) as being derived f'rom the Thrac:ian:s: (Exh. 6/10. 1).
'The second t'etersto IrBlDulets and ~h8.rmsn (!!. Reria;pta. ka1 tas

epaoid.as), received frOID necromancers "to ward off evil" (b2s

soterioU5 ), ~omparing these to "the heavenly Word, the Saviour,

God's ownch 8.rtDn (epQde) "Whf ch men ref'use (Ex:'). 11/115. 2, PJW 2 ;20~ )

Spirits
Some people, holding that i'plague ~ and bail stoI1:lS :10 (Lnd tem-

pests .. and the like, arevoT'st to take place:lo not a.lone: i.n c::onsequerJce
of

~aterie.l

disturbance, 'but also throUgh ane;er of demon:::; and bad

angels ,.," asserted that the Magi. c:ouldaverl impending ha.il by incantatiof.ls and saCr i:fi ees. (Strom. 6.

3/31. 1-2, Am' 2 ~ ~87 ).

B.1:soooast ed. th6.t the demons were the1 r min i Sot ers
th~ir

The Magi

reckoned amocg

household eel"vants J the :tI.e.gl "by their cbarms Cepaoidaisj <::om-

pelling them to be their slaves" (~.L/5B. 3~ Al'fF 2: 188).

This fits well into the larger pattern of' Cl.el1ll!mt s view of

the spiritual reaJJn.

speculations (cf". 1

He held the

vie"il", derived from Jevial1

Enoch 7 and 8),., that :f'a11l!n angels revee.l.ed

secret5 to wome~ (Strom~

and 7. 2/6.

cOJ:!lIlOn

5. 1/10. 2;

~ regarding the

~f. 1.

16/80.

origin of philosopb;>'),

5~ 1. 11/81.

L;

These angels ha.d

originally been pa:rtof a gre-ater hiera.rchy .. which still existed,

ordered verticallY]I from. God down to us (Strom. 7. 2/9., 3), e.nd

horiz.onta.lly", 'With various re-gime-nts over ne.tians

~d citi~a,

perhaps, 1ndividutl.ls (6. 11'/151. 5), as well as some being

Si!!'t

&nd.

over

358

Early C1tristian Vielol'

th~ pls..ne-t s

of di ,,'iDe

Theunf'all ~ a.nge Is f'unc t1 on as agents

(5. 6/31. 2).

providence~

having co-operated in the :production of' things

below (ibid.) end, so continue .. bestoving good things on the IIGnostic"

(6. ~ 7/161. 2), being 3aved and saving (i.

'1'h~

2/9. 3).

evil spirits liM receive sacrif"ices may be <::o'll4!'tl gods or

angels {Strom. 6. 3/31. 4L, 'but they ~ daemons. and may i.nclude
souls of the dead" empowered in consequence of" the purity of their

life (in the vie""" of "their "HQrs-hippers) to vanderoeu i:he ea..~h to

minister to men (6+ 3/3l. 5).

This opinion is held .. "tor they lme.....

'that some souls were by nature kept. in the bodyl' (ibid.

While these beings are

~~leb~at.ed

A.W 2= 487) .,

by the Greek poets, so far is their

vorship from tbe truth that David not only did rtot celebrate them in
his songs .. but actually dro'le them
......hee

pI ague d by a det:X>n (Exh 1/5.

6-V

a.y by his music, curing Sa:ul

J~).

'These spirits also operate in prediction (St.rom. 1. 21/135. 2).

Discussion of related fields

Oracles and divination

The abiding hum.an interest in 'the future finds

and unofficial outlets t and Clement ...... ~E

of t.n~.

In Strom&teis 1

a~are

(16/7h. 2-5)t he

Ta.tian r Ii already lIIentioned:

~a.ny

of'f"icia..l

of a very large variety

gave the list similar to

astrology (credited to the Egyptians or

to the Chaldeans). folloved by prognostication by the stars {from the

Carians), then attention to the flights of' bird5~ haruspicy, &ugury~
and d1 vination b)r dreams (each derived f'rotn some barbarian nation or

tlle otber).

In the second chapter of the Exhortation; he lists the

C~e~en~

359

of Alexandria

noted pagan (mainly Greek) oracles (man1;eia; ch:r;st~:ria.l of various

types and places,

f'ollOloted by other more individual varieties ~

e!!X-

pounders of prodigies, augurs" dream interpre'ters (teratoskopoi,

oionoskQw1 .. oneil'on kritai) ~ as well

by

a9,

those divining bj' flour or

barley {.aleuromWlteis, krithomanteis)" the ventriloquists (engastri-

nJYthOUS) yet honored by many; 2 be;l;1.des the secret shrines (ad.yt.a) of the:

Egyjl:tians, and the- Etruscan Elec:romancie~s (nekyoJIl.6.nteiai) (11. 1-2).

Thes~

are all insane devices (manika; the second 'Use of this sam(!

paronom&sia In the passage) .. but they reach their ~l!max (or antl-

cllmax) in the us e

f goats and crows (11. 3; t.he .lat.t~r ~ along vi th

the ja.ckdaw, is a.lso ridicuJ.ed in Exh.

This situa.tion results from

8;

~O/104.

2).

sup~1"stitious drel'J.d of" "ira.scible-"

(euorgetous) gods that causes l!:Ien to 1;JIlS.gine all events as signs and.

causes (se!lleia . . kai ait.ia) of e"il (Strol:l. 1. 4/214+ 1,. A.NF

2: 529) .

But it is not only the igno:rant who observe such things.

CleJJ'..ent can present a long list of Gr-eek. philosophers. and thei:r

decessors t who were invol....e,d in divInation.

pr~-

Jlotevorthy SJ!long them

B.r~

Fjo1:.hagoras, ""he- t1fLlwa.y3 applied his mind to prognostication,t Zoroaster the Mede ,. Empedocles 01" AgrigefltUl!l,. and Sotrll.ti?s with his inner

l:Besides 'these he also knows, apparerl'tly 1"rom. Plutarch Caesar

19 (c:ited by StRhlin, Clemens,. 2:146, notes on lines 1~1~}~ that among
the Germans ~hirloools and eddies and the noises or streams ~ere observed to predict-the f'uture (Strom. 1. 15/72. 3); and, from Aristo'c1e
Pol i ty of the Phocians (now lost),. that ExecestuB" the F'hocian tyrant,
wor~ tvo enchanted rings and judged propitious times by the sounds
the:,.' mad.e g,gainst ~.ach other ~ but .. despite their ws.l"[']ing~ vas Dlurd.ered
by treachery (Strom. L 21/133. 4) +
2As not ed above., idle women sac-ririe eo Mtl practi c:e di vin6 t i or.
&.>1d ~onsortW'lth fortune tellers (,Myrtai} l!lnd goetes~ f'ro:m the 1a.tter
-of whom they learn charms and incantations (phil trs. . . kai t!'oodas)
(~.

3. 1,/28. 3L

Early Christisn

360
voice-; Aristotle 1l

bov~ve-r

appar~mt1y

Vi~~

ha..d, :reservations about such

.
1
things (Strom. 1. 21/133. l-~ J !ill[ 2: 330).

These pt'e-dict1ons are produced by various means.

TheY' come

to%' the most part t'rOll:i observations and pro'babill ty) just as physiclans and sootbsa;rers Judge from natural edgns 11" but others ~ome f'ro~

demons .. or from disturbances by water t or

tum.oQ's

or e.ome sort

or

air

21/135. 2, ANF 2': 331; all thi 5 inc ont l"tLs t to "t he: Hebrew

(St.%"01II.. L

prophets vho were moved solely by' th~power and inspiration of God);
other pr~~titioners judge people by their Coreheads (meto~oskopOg)
(Paed~

3. 3/1;. 2).
The Sibyl(s) again receive spe<:ial mention.

Sibyls 11

fL.l"t!! a.mong

The "host at

the Gl"eflk diviners that Clement passes 1['] review

'Wit.h onlJr me-ntion of the names (Strom. l~ 21/132. 3; nine are then
~cif'ied, 'by
conn~ction

natne [St. 2:82. 16-18:3), once the Sibyl is mentioned in

vith Hyst~spe-Q (in an alle:g~d, quotation from th~ apostle

Paul. in Strom. 6. 5/113. 1)" and once she is identified as

E!t.e!;ls of the Hebrews H (!) (EXh. 6/71y .4).
eotly have .a pbys1 cal base of some sort:

nt.b~

proph-

But oracular powers fl.pparthe origi r.tal Sibyl. 'Who s at

be!;lide the oracle of Delphi, still divirJes" at lea.st accordirJg to

S~rapion

the

'po~t..

At her

d~&ths

he sayS1l i t vss her vocal powers

which proceeded into the air ~ but her body vas changed to earth. the
earth naturally produced ,grass, and the beasts which chanced to feed
on it ", exhibit~d to lllen an &eC1U'8:te knowledge or :futurity by their ent~ails.' , ,

So Im,l,ch :for the Sibyl" (Strom. 1. 15110. J, ~ Am' 2: 316).

See the second

not~ ~reced1ng.

Cl~(:Ult

361

of' A.lex9.ndria.

Ast-roloe;y
This othe-1" meat.Js of knoving the :future-

in

thean~ient

works.

vorld t and has left several

A number of

refer~nces

1l&S

also very prominent

imp~essionB

a.ttest to lts

QD

Cl~ent'6

ride~pread innlli!"n~e

and

ancient origine..tiof:l:> two express its theory" and a fev suggest its 1nfl uenc e

at le est rhetori cal t on Chri s t ian thought.

While astrology

and magic are sometimes opposed in modern theoretical

d1seussions~

Clement preaents astrology as closely related in places of origin end

in 'theory t.o the tradit.ional vievs of magic.
Wit.h such a not.eworthy art t various cla.ims as to the D.onor of
its origina.tion a.re- to be-

e~ected,

and Clement obliges us.

In One

passage . . app.tl.rently of compound origin, he attributes: "astrology" to

the Eg:)'"ptians, and "similarly also tbe ChaldeaD3 t

PI

while some said

"prognost.ica.tion by the st.ars" va.a invented by tbe Carians {Strom. l.

16/7L. 3).
events

\f&S

But o'bs.:!r,,-at.ion 01 t.he heavenly bodies to predi~t. fut.ure:

a.lso p:raetic~d by the: Indian holy met]. (3. 7/60. 4).1

wha.tever its or1.gins, it he..s been thoroughly takrm

O"Ve!"

Eut,

by the Greeks y

they "prat.teJ loftily of thE!' heavenly bodies in the PJUch v,e:u.ntE':d scienCe of' a.strolQgY' ~ not astronomy"

(!!h. 6/67.

2 .A!fF 2: 191 L and boast.

of astrology; mathematics, lllagic . . and sorcery ~ as the grea.test sciences (megistais episteroais)( Strom. 2. 1/2+ 3}.

As to
du~~s

it 'Works" the mechanism is sympe..tby.

tvo philosophers, one in the

~inomi5

who knev

Plato introth~

course of

1!ll.1 gen eration. vhf ch oec urs by the i nstTUmentali ty- of the planet e. ~ and
1

One Qr both of the flTst two claimants are supported by other

refe-renees if] Clement; thE': Chaldeans and the Egyptiana t Strom. 1.
23/153. 3; th~ Egyptians t 6. 4/35. 4.

F~rly

362
another ~ Timaeu,5 ~ who

11

Christian Viev

as an astronomer ~ Jr.new the motion ot'

th~

stare

B.T1d their 6j'1!1pathy and association (sxp;!.Eatheias tekai koinoni.a$) vi th

one' another (St rom. 1.

and

aff~cts earth~y

25/166? 1).

Thi s "sympat.hyu a1 sO ext. ends to

thingg, as Clement asserts in suggesting

th~

sy.m-

bolisJII of "the n'l.lIllbe!'" seven (while discussing "the fourth commandment).

According to the mathema.t1cians, the planets a.re seven ~ and

t h~ ChaJ. deett$ thi nk

I'

all which cone erns mortal. 1 i f'e is ef'f'ect ed

through sympathYt in consequence of which

things :r-esj)ecting the future II {Strom.

Magi~

b:." them

th~y

also undertake to tell

6. 16/143. 1,. ANF 2~ 513).1

and religion

In the openins chapter or the

E~hortation;

Cleoent presents

the pagan religions as intl"oduced.. a.."1d propagated by the poets:; poets

famed in stOrtI and song f'or the magical povers of their musiC' (1/1.

1-2. 1}:o men possessed by a spirit of artfUl sorcery (entechnQ tini

goete i 11 daiClonon te-S ):t anti c:ing manki n d to i dols ~ 5 ubj e-c t ing them to
the yoke by their songs .and incantations (~da.ii3k.ai eROda.is) (3. 1).

In

chapte~ t~o:t

the official religious oracles are indistinguisbable

~rom the popular ones

(2/11. 1-3}t and the ~steries contain hidden

sorcery (goete:la; 12. 1) and are .full of deceptive 'Wonders

kai terateias; lL. 1).

the

f'ig~rative

sense or

{apates

While goeteia is quite probably used here in

tri~ke~' O~ ~raud:t th~

vhole

r~int

is that

these beings .and their arts are less than divine t and there is something strange about their b4!'ing 'Worshipped.
t~r tYa (esp. sees. 24-39)

is devoted to the demonstration of this

lOn uSYI!lPathy. I' compare tbe

cine .. tt belovo

Most of' the rest of chap-

di5cu~sion of "j3iolQGY and Medi-

Clement of Al.exandr fa

point in st.and.ard apologe'tic patterns.

The concluding sections of thE!

chapter turn to those asserted to be in second rank to the gods, t.he

These are gluttonous and impure

demons.

any con.;::ern for man, it is: b:e-cs,use

u like

our Ii ve-li hood, tLllured by the SlEIOke n

(~O.

l} t and if" they have

flatterl!"}-s, they approach

q.l. 3).

Chapter three develops

thisrurther;, ell3Phas!z1n.g t'hat sup~:rstition (deie:id.aj,monia), prl!!.ached

by men led asotra;)r by demons; became the source of'

wi~kedness

and re-

sulted in the multiplitationof demons (3/4~. 1-3).

The Magi, tbeeponym,s of: magic, whM the Greeks

as their

Ol.l'l)

---

teo.cherl> in many areas (Exh. 5/65. 4; etc . . ) .. were originallY a r.e-ligious group .. but now employ their

Cba-l"lQ5

to enslaye

servants (~. lJ/58. 3) .. or use 1ncante.tions

hail (StrQJI!.. 6. 3/31. 2).

demons

as t.heir

and sa~rifices

to avert

Astrology- is of a piece 'Ilitb &11 these.

cons idering the un!verse, or the st~s t as gods (Exh. 6/61. 1 ,. 2).

Having originated with the Egyptians (or the ChtLld(!'ans) (Strotll+ 1.

16/74.

2}t it continues to hold a place in their worship (Strom.

6.

4/35. 4).
'!'he idle vomen in Paedagogus 3. 11 are pictured vithout. distin~tionas

sacrificing and pr&cticin,g divination from

templ~

to

temple', and spending time with fortune tellers and learning .;::harms

and int:antQtionfi (for immora.l purposes) from soothsfl.yers (3. 4/28. 3).
It makes no d1:tfe'!"ence whether the spirit.s tovhom s.acrificea a.re offered to avert evils are called gods or angels (Strom. 6. 3/31. 4;
and a fev lines earlier they 'Were identified as demons or evil

31. 1).

a.nge18~

Further, "Buperst1tiouLi drea.d of those irascible [gods.J It

leads to these other a,upel'stitiouEl attitudes and acts:

a constant

Early Christian View

364

looking out :f'o:l' signs .and portent5) dread of inscriptions, and fear
of &11. sorts of' things (vool,aa1t lumps, torche!;l:t squi1115, 1!lDd. Bulphur) "be'llitched by sorcerers ~ in certair.J impUT@ rite-s of ~xpiB.tion'l
(Strom. 7. 4/2~. 1; 26. 1 ~ 2',. 4;

l!m:.

2 ~ 529).

Cl~!!'nt further illu.s-

trates thig vith linee fro!!! a comic poet ll Diphilus 'Who repeats the
lo

last three items of' the list,. and also adds asphalt (26. 4, St.
10-18).

3~19.

Apparently such purifications were required by religious

scruples~ but

were perrormed by

sorce~~rs (goetes,.

Stl'om. 7. ~/26.

ThU6 J while he does not discuss it I!!xplieitly, it is quite:

~lett

frOll1 these items that Clement se,es r..O line of division bet'Ween

the ~gan religious. and magical p~actices.

(On the othe-r band ll coa-

trary to Irecaeus's views, he seems to regard the heretical sects as

deviB.ting mainly in intel1.ectua1 and ethical
in rna,gic ~

view~,

not as engaging

Indirectly related areas

Clement includes allusions to or

dis~usaions

of other !l.reas,

Which, though not directly magical. manifest. a sow:Iewhat analogous

&t~itud~1

Afric.anus ~

or

~e

related to items

o~ eigni~icance

for the

5tu~'of

The -types ofi tems V1U"Y from specimens of actual lIlisinfor-

ID&tio'Q or .Bupera.tition to what 15 simpl;:rpoor1y understood na:tura.l

.science, and. range from natill"al history to medica.l

to music.

(H. E. 2. 15 ~ 1) the ~rt ingui shing of

along yith hi~, possiblY ~rom
Clement's !!.ypotypos~s, book 6 (St. 3: 197. 32-198. :2); but. tbis episode probably belongs to the conclusion of H.E. 2. It" the story from
Clement being only tbat i::once:r-ning the writing or the gospel of Mark.
Simor. seems to 'be of no conce-m .at 8.ll to Cleme-nt.
lEusebius does

Simon's power 6nd its

r~port

pl"!lctic~

d~struet1on!

365

Cletnent of Alexandria

Thl!' nlisunderstfLr.ldings,

bo'll~ve!',

could

l~ave

one

OP(!tl

to thee &<:ceptance

of other,. less trustvortb}r, ideas.

Phys io sand na.tUl"fI.1 hi story
Clement knows of the touchstone

(he ba.:sanos lithos) or Lydia.n

stone.. bute.pparently i e llna.. . .a re or it B na.t u:r@! or mf).nne!' of UBe Jo 1

since~

though. using it as

fLn illuS1.;.ration~

he- only reports its supposed

power of di.stinguishing spurious from. genuine gold (Strom. 1.

He also lrnows of the

po~er

touted stone t" Strom. 2.

914L. 2).

of magnetite to attract steel (Hthe CDuch-

6/26.

2.; "the Heraclean Btol1e ,"

'through afTinity (dis. 5;yngi!!neian) 2.

6/26. 2} artd

T. 2/9.

4)

its spirit ('Pne:tJ:I1Iat_i)

even 'When diffused oyer- rna.ny .steel rings (7 ~ 2/9. 4; t.bis illustrates

how the virtuous,

attrfJ..~ted

[helkooenoiJ by tbe Holy Spirit:> are added

Loikei"ountai J to the first abode [mor:;.J j "iDf'luen-ced by .an 1ndefir.l8.o1e

Carrhetos] apiri t .. tI 2. 6/26. :2).
also aware of the

pO'W'el'

Along llith me.gneti sm, CleJD.ent is

to 1n:f~uence (helkein) of' eta-tic electri~ity as

manif~st~d by the po~er of the amb~r drop (d&k;)'on soucheion), or of

th@ piece of amber (~ll!:~tron),. to attraC!'t. <~pispa.e1n) t'Wigs e.nd move

(anakin.ein) chfl.ff

(ibid. ).

Naturally, he ha.s no concept of the

modern notio.tls of such things, tor him 'thl!'Y a.r@ simply examples of the
power of t be: spirit.
Blo1ogy and me di eine

Clement has. ~ app arent.ly, at rone; interest in t bes e ueas;t and

according to the atands.rds of that day. a fairly bro&d,. &ccurate
1

See LSJ ~ s. v.. n 84 "a:l)o S l' rr l'T.l'1 ~ 15 1. 0 S" {W-d1 8; Iith-os ), or

'I1TCCPO:TP{~. tt

Early Christian Vi~w

366

In the lat.ter part of Paedagogus 1. 6 {36. 1-51. 3) .. he

kno'lliedge.

presents various b101ogi'Cul. items--mill:.a.nd

nutriment EUld digestion

it~

relation to blood:lo

and blood and its relation to other bodily

elements--all to prove that "children" (in various llew Testament

pl!lasQges J es:pecialJ.y PauJ.ine l does not m~an "ehildish '1 and uninst.ructed.

MeawHhile t Clement ia sure

th~t

soft beds are bad for diges-

tion {Paed. 2. 9/77. 2}t vine does te~r1ble things to adolesc~nts

(Paed.

2/2.0. 3-.1&), beans caus e bal"renne 5S, whether

;2

trees,l or birds (Strom, 3. 3/211.

@pil~psy

(Strom. 7. 6/33. h).

2~3)t

2Ilank i nd

0f

and goat meat contributes to

Th~!;le i t~s have

t.o be

t a.k.en more

or

less on faith, and/or personal observation, but some ot'herl3 !;Ieem to

l."'e

based on the lDedical c:=ounte-rpart. of the magical ideaa of Sj-mpe..thy and

antipathy.

Honey,

b~ing s\l'eet~

generates bile, but :mustard lessens

i t (~. 1. 11/96. 2), while bitter roots arrest eating s~reg (1.
C1e~nt

9/83. 2).
jurioua .. or

is also aware of the properties~ be:ne~icial, in-

d~~gerous:lo o~

various

flov~rs (so~ sho~~

by the et~~l

ogy of their names [connections based on associations of ideasJ),

and of' vllr-ious unguents made "from thelZl (2.

8/61:.

Q~

66. 1-3; 70. 3;

71. 3-5; 76. 1-4),

Clement also ref"era sevel"al times to the dif'f'erent. 'treatment5
used by phys1ci81HI (bh. 1/8. 2; Paed+ 1. 8/61~. 4-65. 2; Strom. l.

27/111. 2), end

a1.60

to 'th@' different systems or schools of }}hysi-

clans (StranJ.

7. 15190. 3-4), especially

seems to

the name only by hearsay t and defines it

);,nOll

cian who has had large

4!"xperien~1!to 11

the nempiric" (except that he

Strom. 1. 9/

4~.

I!lB

1"

ler. Afrieanus, mp 11 (V1.~ II. 3. 5-6,. p. 203).

"the physi-

,A1lF'

2: 310) .

Origen
other atti.tudes

Br!-sidoes.

th~

"e!'iticELl creduJ.ity" llbich Clement revee.ls in the:

various e.reas presented a.bove;, he ms.ni.fest.s!o a.long vith his conte-mporaries:I! both Christ1an

and pagan", a deep interest in number symbolism.

This is shmm especially in Strolflateis 6. 11 (81.-88).. dealing explic:-

itly

vith proportl~n, ratios, and mue1c. and 6. 16 (133-1~a), dealing

with the Ten Com:m.a.ndmerrts.

In 'the latter discussion, note espe-cie.l1y

the introductory ~aragr~pn on the Dumber ten (133. 1). and the d1scus-

sion of' the' num.ber seven (and otber rf~'bers) in 'bie. consideration of

Or.igen
Origen believed in magic:

hend ~ or

~s

not justM fraud or sleight of

a s.ystem of detnOn1c responses ~ but

existed., based in the nattU"e of things.

8,S

something that really

But it 'Was .. equally. some-

thing 'that Christians (at least retLl. ones) did not pra.ctice, did not

need.

There was fraud. in its :purpose (to deceive and lead from the

truth)~

but not n~ces5arily in its ~eans (in the true cases); it in-

volved demonic workirlgs, 'but this

'Was,

grounded in the ;no.ture of things t

not in a pre-determined system of signs which

th~

demons themselve3

had es.tablished (as Tatian ha.d argued).

l.

Note ~ e. g. 10 BarI]. 15 ~ on thE!: days of creation and the s.g@s of

the llorld lo e.nd rrenaeus Adv. haer. 5. 28. 3 3 on the same topic,. 8.l."ld
the end o~ 5.28.2, on the numbeT 666. (c~., also, A!ricanus,.mp
~6/ cbr 1., "power of Dum.'bers''l)
2See alsO,. BaTOy", 'Oris~ne et 1& tDagie." A review of Be.rd,yt s
article VllS dl!liberately avoided while thisstudJr ve.s in pro gre-ss, 60
the 1:\10 studies differ in o!'g.anizat.ion and emphases, but the C'onclu.sions are essentially the same.

Ear1y Christian Viev

368
In

~ost

detaila. Origen's views &re quite similar to those of

Clil:!lIlent ~ but expressed more syst.ematically and on a grander sc-B.1.e.

Discussions of
'What is

l!I~ic:

magi~?

In generfl.1 11 Origen a!J!3UJ!1es a. lr..nowledge of the meUl.1ng of the

terms, for magie (Jnageia and relat.ed terms,. espe<:ially the goe- and
manaan- groups), and an und~rsta.nding of what tbey involve; but in a

fev passages ~ he lists

SO:tD.e

such items

01"

corrects

misund~r1i;'ta.ndings

of what he conce1vesto be their true ;pleaning.

'Near the end of" Contra. CelsUlIl
favoring of Egyptian

b~lief"s

at

O:rigen reacts to Celaus's

l'egQl"ding the deoons over Christia.n1 ty ~

asserting that this is tantmount to rec.o:llmltending magic and sorcery

(.=m.an~
.. :cg~a~n.::::e=ue=in:.:...- .:...-=...-=-'..J:ka=i=-...l:g:.:;o;;;;;eo.;t;;;;;C!'!;,;;u:.;:e;.::1~no...:;,~-=-.;

&.. 6 59'J

lDIJ.Oeia in line 9, the openi.ng of cha..p. 60).

lL 2; 276. 2; aJ. 50 ..

CelBus, b0\7~ve-rt recog-

ni':l:es this als.o t and ca.utions "that it should not be

overdon~;.

6:t most

the demons can onl.y hee.l the' body, or foretell :fortunes, or other

thlnga re1~ting to this life {8. 6o~ K. 2: 276. 11-14, 18-20).

Origen

is not fully eonvin~ed tha.t they can do e... en this (lines 33-3'5) ~ but
in the next chapter details the whole ~omplex (whicl1 he has named
timagic: Me! sore ery" just a.bove) &s bel ng n cur i ously i nquis i ti ... e: l!l.bout

lOris.enil:!s Werke,. erster Band : Di_4!" Schrift vom }.{arty:riUlll;' Buch

I-IV g!"!gen Ce-lsus; zvelter Band: Buch V-VIII ,gegen Celsus i Die Schr.ift
yOm Gebe:t; f'iinfter Band ~ De Prl~cipi is CnEPI .AP.Xnrn; ed. Paw. Koet.scbau. ..
Die Griechiechen Christl1chen Schriftsteller del" ersten drei Jahrhunderte [vols. 2 11 3~ and 22J (Leip~1g~ J. C+ Hiorichssche Buchhandlung~
1899,. 1913). (Cited as K~, :followed by volume~ paget aDd 11n~ number3~
wh",re more precise ref"e::rent:es than the traditional books and. chapters

l!I.1"e desirable.)

Origen

369

thil!name-s o:f demons, their powers and !Seney" the 1 ncantations I the

herbs pl"Oper to them t and the stonesvith inscriptions gr'Etven on

th~II1

corresponding syaibOl ically or othervi se to their traM'tionAl sba.pes. . . n

(6.

6.1~.ANF 5;662-63 (italics

p!'1()~

to

a.ddedJ, K. 2::2'71. 7_10).1

this, aft.er correcting

C~lsus 011

Some tittle

the matter of demonic

nBllles

Wld.. further .. obliquely blaming him for confusing matters concerning

magic
.....
Co 5-. )

.2

eJ)

d sore ery (ph.yron t a a.po

Ori ge-n

q'llot~srol:lJ

hi

te smagi ke 5

:In a.noth~r

goeteias, 6. 39" K. 2: 108 .

list, of magical opera.tions {ap-

parently a.ttribut~d by C~lsus -to Christians:>

&II

a:ttrlbution li"hich Ori-

g~n ~phaticall1 denies).3 These proeedures in~lude "methods of purification., -or 4!!~iatory hylrtns (lyterious QdasJ .. or spells for averting
~vil [aP9ppm-oimous

phOna'S ] l' or (the mfllt.i n g of') lll)8.ges,. or re:siI!!mblanees

of demons, Or t.he various sorts of antidotes against poison {to be

foun.d} in .clcthes~

0'1:'

in numbers t or Qtones) or plants, or roots'lo or

generallY in all kinds of t.hinBs rr (6. 39 t ~ 4 ~ 591" K. 2: 108. 29-109

3).

El a f!'Jthere) ho'Weve:r"

t.hese things as sorcer'j.

Orig~n

Even

ha.s obj ected to cons,1 de ring man)' of

grant1~g

tb.a.t serpents a.nd e-a.g1es are

acqus.inted vitn prophylactics for poisons Md diseasest and. the virtues

221-669.

lEnglish 'translation frOJl!. Frederick Crombie~ "o:r1gen t

ANF

L:

2He is similarly taxed in C.C. l. ,8 {K~ 1:109. 22-25) for

not be'ing ab.1e to keep the ma.goi and the Ch&ldaioi correctly dis'tinguis.hed. Or1gen hi1!lSelf present5 tbia distinction in 6. 80 (K. 2: 15120-25)" but he does not do the- same fOr his understfl.nding of ma.geia and

KOete1a.
"The denial is reinforced by B. re-tusal to tr~o.:t th~ matter f1.u'ther + Sine e Ori gen does not dodge hard .1 s sues @lse"i7here t there voul d
appear to be no reMon to question his inge-nuousness her!'; he is Dot
pleading ignorance: to avoid an e-mba.TraBsing Q.u~stion. St!@ Origen 'l s
disclaimers at the end of 6. 26. and in 6. 28~ 32~ fil!tc::.

Eo.rly Christian Viev

370

of various stones to preserve

th~

young,. these are not evid.ence' of sor-

ce:ry (goeteia)as it. is commonly underetoo-d (4. 86, K. 1=357. 7-10).

Those from whom Celsus

d~rived

his

a~cusations

against the Christians

(Ophites .. etc.).. are ther::lSelves confused,. "f,leit.her understanding ma.gic

[ta mageiasJ .. nor discriminating the meaning of holy Scripture~" and
have Hthrcvn everything into conf-usion [pant' ephyranJ, 11 having '1bor_

roved from magic the names of' IaldabEtOth ~ and As'taphaeus. a..")d Horaeu:!iI'lo
and from the Hebrew Scriptur~s" various other n~s (6. 32, ANF ~: 588 ..

K. 2~102. ll-21).1
Th~

v9.lue of Celsus' i arguments are ambig:u.oU5 (and their refu-

tation more difficult) .. since CelsuB does not

does he believe his examples of Bupernatural

ma~e
po~e'r

his own
or not? 2

vie~

clear:

If not,

then he should ad.ln.it it., and &.i"gue openly as an Ep1cureaJ'l .. opposed to

the dominant Gr~ek view (vhich would put the Greeks on Origen' s side

in the question

!"~gtl.1"ding supernaturalism~

an apologetic coup); or, if

so, then he has fLdmitted at least the basi!'! of' the Christian view of

ehr i st (.&..

3 ~ 35;0 K. ! ~ 231. 12-29).

no danger frOl:!l an a.ttempt t.o

revers~

Or1g~n,

on 'the other hand, is in

the dilem:na; he a1rea.d:,..r admits the

lE(f,.l"lie'r in the cha.pter Drig~n :speaks of them as "aorcerers 11

(p;oetes) ~ho ttdelude those _ho are easily ca.rried away b".r the glitt.e.r
of n~e.sn (tez ton or.JoJt.aton ph~T1tas ias {AlW ~: 588 ~ K. 2 :102. 11 ~ 12}.
The vhole passage serves to suggest. that Or1gen regarded magic as a
distinct 'body of k.nowledge and practice: (going back to the Persian
l:!!4B.oi?),. not as itself 'being s. confused amalgam of remnants of old~r r-e1igions,. as frequently regarded today. Tha.t this is Or1gen's vie.. . . seems
to be confirmed by the totality of his references to magic+ (Note espe~ially :3. 35, vhic:b follows in the t.ext above.)
2Cf . also e.c. 1. 68 (K. l=l22. 11-20), here Origen ecores
against Celsus's ad hominem argument 10tbieh seems to allow the existence
of magic: .. while he 5 as apparently an E);:Jicurea n , did not r~a.lly 'believe
in it. (Modern scholars reverse Origen's verdict on Celsus's Epicurean
vievs. )

371

Origea
ex:1 stene e of demons t only denyi ng them

high st a.t us.

iI.

How doe s i t work. (i n general)?

Names.

Origen vieW's magi c as a conal gtent

certain thine;, for the

r:!aJ!JeS

sy~t.em ~

of the demons in various languages a.re

those appropriate to the dem::tns of t.hose countries.

view at some length in. d:iscu.ssing the

natU!'~

tant. to distinguish these nan:aes properl.J

pert in

nLagi~

not an u.n-

fl.S

lIe expands this

of mlJnes.

It is i:mpor-

the va.rious nations ex-

knm.r; the~e nl9.m~8t pronounced in the right set of cir-

languAge of his area, have grea.t

pOll'~r

12; cf. also, Q.&. 5. ,65 and 6. 39).

(c.C. 1. 2.4, K.

1~74.

18-75.

He develops this idea. further,

ill the next chaptert by arguing that incantations are vitiated by

'trans1atiofi t it is "pot the things signified,. but the qualitie$ and

pectU i ar i ti es of wrdsvhi ch p-os Ses.s a

25. AUF

c:!!'rt~i n

pm."e-r

Ir

h~406-7, K. 1:76. 16-22; re'peated i~ C.C. 5. 45). 3

viev is presented in the-

~ortation

to

Marty:rdom~

(C. C. l.
The same

the demons. or

other povers sumDloned, hA"Ould not respond to .an &::rbitrary t convent.ionallJ'

lOr i gen t s exp1 i c it point her.e- is Wi argument !roo the 1 es se r
to the greater (if it is so of d~na t hOW" mu~hmor~ care should be
used in the na.m.es of' God); but he .accepts t.he :reality of the lesser
trOl!J wh i ~h he argues. Not e al ao De pr. :3. :3. 2, 3. 'Where the 1\ris dom
of the rulers of this yorld" (occult 1rlsdom) is not something they impose on mankind deceptively, but something they themselves believe.
Uld believe a.s beings appointed t.o rule the ve.rious nations (K. 5:257-

60 esp. 258. 15-21).

y

2In a.ddition t.o C.C. 1. 2qt Bffrl"dy cites Selects. in Genea. 17.
5~ In Num. t ho:m. 25. 5; fuIesu lfa.vt!'t .!!2El. 23. 4 ("O:rig~ne et Ie. :m.agie, Ir
p.. 134 t continuation of n. 27); also t In Ies1J. Nave. hQEl. 20. 1 (ibid. t
p. l35~ ~ith n. 34).
:3Age..i n, thi s ti~ems not t.o be an ad hoollnem argument. but Origents real idea of t.he nature of things.

Early

372

Chri5ti~

Viev

a.ss i gned (thes ei, I t ef;.henta) name, but they do eom-e qui ckly at the properly pronounced Bounds i' as by gome: UXlobaerva'b1e na.tural 'force {phYs~i
atneoret~) (Exh. Mar-.

46, K. 1:42. 10-1i).

Those vho knov the appro-

pri.ate naJnes ma.y thus use thel!l ef'fectively, vithout a true lmovledge

of th.e being which is n8JD.ed.

This i

B Sho'lo'71 b;:pr

-e::<pressiona such aE;l. "the God or Abraham,rt or

Ja.coO~

l'

It

tbe videspread use of"

or Ab!'uham,.

Isaa~~

and

in tb~ conjura.tion or exot"cism of d~on5 and in other incanta-

tions and magical rites

by the Egyptians,. and in treatises on magit

found in ~y pla.ces (H,. 1. 22, K. 1:72. 21-73. 1; C.C.. h. 33, 3~,

K. 1; :303. 31-304~ 4,. and 30~. 22-30).
AlJ&!n' and di vinati0 r1 and divinatio.n;

the-

d(!DI.OfiS

A aiJIlilar situation f!x.!sts in a.ugury

responsible for it have enterl:!!d into the

sever&! speeie:s of animals, "each speciea of demo~ ..... Lseeming] to

pos sess a c ert8.1 r.J affinity 'With e. cert e.in specie!iJ of' animal' (C. c. L.

92,. 93 [quotation from chap. 93

Am:.

4~539" K. 1:366.

1.4-153).

Further, in an argum.ent to Sl,lpport the repre eentat i V~ na.ture

of Christ's death by the use of the variol"ll;.lo Creek and barbarian acCO'IIDts of self-sacrifice for public advantage ~ Origen suggests that it

is "proba.ble u (eikos) tbat "in the na.ture of' things (~n

toe

physei ton

lop;ous) which are di ffi c'Ul t to be under5 tood by the mult.i t. ude., [there

isJ such a virtu.e [phvsin toiB:utenj that one just. :J:tIan,. dying

E!.

vol'Wl-

t8.1j7 death for tbe common good,. might. b(! the Dlea.ns of removing vieked

~ote

also

&.. 5. 45.

preesions: by the natiQns in

and the use of SCl"ipture names and e;lC-

th~ir

l2Jagic in In

J~su

Ns,v(!- ~ hom. 20. 1.

Origen
spirits, vhich are the cause

373

(..:...

of plagues ~ o,r . . ."

1.. 31, ANF

1,:409 .. K. 1:82. 26-30).

Row does it work. (s]Jells, incantations

While the specific

and spirits)?

mecbani~sof magic

are in

60me myst~rious

ror~e:t the operative means are 1ncanta.tions 1 vhich in s01De

V&y

~ontrol

the demons who are 'the operative power behind it.

The Mo.gi, on famil-

ia.r terms with evil spirits, worked s'Uch things

t.he supernatural

&8

strength of: the spirits ~ou1d accomplish by using spelle (epQ:de) vhieh
invok~d the

spirits (c ~ C. 1. 60, K. 1 ~110 .. 23-26).

Magic and sorcery

"deri V~ th(!ir- power t'rom evil clemons:t vbo are spell~bo'UJld by elabo:rat~

ioc-a.n.tat.ions, &I1d

'be-CO:ll1e

subject to sorcerers u (k~takl.;5esip(!:riel"goig

thelg,om~noti kai o.nthr.opois goesin hypakouonton) (C.C. 2. 51, Am' 4:~51,

K. 1~17L. 13).
O";oll)

Similarly the demons &re led by in.....oc&tions, or their

inclinationa~

01"., 1001' e

in certain operEltiona (C.C. 7. 61, K.

IiJpe-e if" i cally t they a.re ea.lled u.pon 'by

1i

2~216.

2Q-21}t

e bantls" {phi 1t:r--ois ~.

to induce them to do the-wish e-s of the one invok i ng ther. (c ,_C. 7. 69,
K. 2: 218. 22-26).

This includes the dedication or famous temples ac-

complished by n~u:rious magical inca.ntations'" (kEltakliseis pe-riel"gous)

b'-,f those who zealously served the demon vith magical arts {1:IlB.nganeion}

(ibid.; lines 30, 32).

1II0l'l5

Elsewhere t Origen simila.rly speaks of the de-

beingattachedto-. or rel:lloved to t specific pla.ces ttoy a eort of

m&gie 61 torce n (or rites and 1ncan tat ions,. teleot

on . . . ka.i

manganeion)

lBardy ealls Bpec=iB.1 att.ention to In Ies.u Nave I hoaJ. 20. 1.

W'hieh lists various tbings the pagans aceoIllplish by eh&3"'nls, incantations li and use of nflmes ("Origene et la nLagie,," p. 1:32~ l!lnd ~. 23)?

374

or by their awn evil

prerer~nces

(C.c. 7-

5~

K. 2;157. 1-3; iIUld 3. 34,.

K. 1:231. 3; also 7. 6!J:a K. 2:214.10).

'Who does it"?

The Magi are the prototype practitioners of nmgic, but 'to O.ri-

gen they a.re only historicl!IJ.. figures (C.C. 1. 58 and 6o).

For him,. and

"for CelsuB also .. the main contemporary adepts seem to b-e 'the Egyptians

their :m.e.rve11ous powers of incantfl..tiotl (tais.....R-Q.radoxoiJ;. ex epQdon

dynamesi) (1. 30

j;

K. 1: 81. 19-2O):Ii and t.he: books of" magi c vhi ch in-

elude the :names 01' Abraham. Is8.8.c ~ .B..!I1d Jacob ~ ar-e found in

places" (4. 33 t K.. 1=304 .. 2).

suggests that

~r

of

tho~e-

"~r

The picture which Celsus gives further

'Who have learned from the Egrptians then

travelled about giving public demonstra.tions and teaching their kno'!Jl-

edge to anyone for

8.

fe", <:oins (1.

68~

K.

1;~2'2

.. 5-13).

Is it I'true'?

Aa noted above (page 367), Origen believed in the :r-ea..lit.y of

ma.gi c: ~ and he even scored Celsus for seemingly doubting it, yet he

spbk~ usa

of: the

refuting (or convicting, elenchtheises)l of the so1'-

eery of the demons done for the Magi

one

ehapt~r

(c.C. 1.

6o~

K. 1~111. 4-5).

alone he refers to Udoing tr1cks l1 (tera.teuesthai)

times (2. 55", K+ 1=178. 10

In

thr~e

179. 8 and 11; plus one oecurrerlce- of

terateia in the same chapter [179. 1-2) and on(! oceurl"ence each of the

~ut paired with katalrtbeises .. and 60 -perhaps simply a f&ctu!ll

statement rather than a moral j'U~nt. Henry Chad.. . . ic:k transla.te's
.rconfuted (Origen = Contra Cels'Um [Cambridge: Univ~rsity Press, 1953J,
:p. 5~).
.

315

01"igen
noun and the verb in the next chs-pter [179. 30 and 180. 23J).

He uses

the pejol"Qtive t1!ms goes ~ go_ete:ia, goeteuein. regu;J.arly. along with a

liberal .sprinkling Q1" mangane1a. J man6a.neuein.
which appear,. howe...~ert ahow tha.t it is ll.ot

volved.
se~nLS

In some cases. that Plight be the

not to think

BO.

sp~cifi~ il!"xampl~s

The

si:mpl~

fakery tho.t is in-

~xp1at1Qtion)

though O.rigen

EXBl!Iples of this 'Would 'be the pl"oduction of

banq ti~t s vi th no real existenc e 'but only e.n

app~i!).ra.nce ~

and the caus-

ins. of non-li.... ing things to move,. haying only an appearance of life

(l~ 68~ K. 1:122. 10-13; these are quoted from Celsus~ but Origen ap-

pel?..rs to accept theo as true &ccounts).

While Origen would seem to .flgl"ee \ti1:.h the I'Jev" or Celstis that

many '\.~ho practice such juggling tricks" (teratl2'ues'tbai)

do so to de.

~~i"'re and !D!!ke gain (:2.

55; AJW 4 :.453-54.. lC

a.gre~s as to the nature

or the decepti on.

ferred to is the

pr~diction.

and

1~179.

7-12) t he dis-

The specific "trick" re-

~restatioD

of a resurrection.

tb.e di scussior.J immediat.ely fo11oving,Orige-n ba.sically

utili~es

In

an ad

hominem argJ.lment again:!;:t the "Jew tl (2. 55-58, K. 1 ~ 179. 5-182. 5), but

he returns to the question later (3. 26) using a more revealing line

of' .argu.ment.

Such reports mus.t be 4!ither

(Rlasmata) (3. 27

K. 1;224.

tion, they must haVe-

.a~tual1y

l6);

t~ra.t~iQ

or

inv~r.Jt.io[']

assuming that they are not inven-

ha.ppene:d throUgh the cooperation of: aome

demon (3~ 31, K. 1: 228. 13-15,. re Abaris the ltrp~rborean)~ or a de-man

contrived that the
"the

Cla~OllJ.en1an";

r~port should be eommitt~d

in this

C6.Se

to ~riting (3. 32,. re

Origen does not believe the

d~mot)

could actually contrive for Stich things to bappen [K. 1: 228. 26-28J),
or the d~oo oaused people to think they saw it by a dec~ption (au~te)

Early Christian View

376

(3. 33 .. K. 1:230. 12-1L~ roe Cleome:des of Astj'IJalaea), or effeets 'Were

produced b J tbi!' ftmaBical arts tlnd rites of the :Egyptians" (manganeias
7

an Aigrpt100 tai teletas) who s~t up a. demon to impersona.t.e the d.eified

person ,proph e:e:ying and healing
1 ~ :232. 13-20, re Antinous)..

02:"

punishing (3. 36:10 A.W ~ =~ 7B~

In the la:st case ~ gome: test.imony i

J{.
6

lyi ng

(ks.tapseudontai) by t.hose whO ma.y gain, sO:ttle lIit.noesses a.re det:eived

(apatomenoi) by diE!!m.ons" and other5

HWe

1lL1"'e

misled bY' their

ak," asthenous) consciences (3 .. 36:10 K..

O'Wll

guilty (or

1~232.20-24).

Thus'l vhf.le there is human fraud involved ~ at least some is

demonic.~

coneisting of the p:roduet.ion of deceptive' appeEll'aII.ces:to etc ..

The .l2lS.jor duplicity,.

turn thl!'!lI fran God (7..

hovever~

is in the purpose:

5:11 K.. 2 =151. 5-6 [in contl!!rt

monic use of poyers of prophecYt but it is

actsJ; 8. 5h y K. 2;210. 1-271. 17).

1;1.6

to deceive men and

thi a ~e fers to de-

appli~a.ble

to all their

This constitutes the vbole system

ttdeceptive" irr~specth~e 01' the queation of possible frauds among

hum.an practitioners.

It ends in the corruption and

de~truct1on.

of all

who use it {6. flo. K. 2:151. 22-25) ..

Discussions of. theory Bond prs.xis.
There is t in@vita.blYt a grea.t deal of' overlap between the preceding d1scussi-on and that

tended to identify

~ote

\ojhi~h

Or1g~nls

rolloW's]I but the preceding vas in-

basic ideas of magic and thewagicians y

6~ h5-the

devil him5elf' aids Antichrist to simulate

good ~ do l~ting miracles 11 etc .. ., -fl,id far surpas!Jing that vhieh 'th~ demons
give th~ sorcerers (tous goetlLS) who deceive men for the lowest purposes (ta pha\tloterta.; (K. 2; 116. 21-30).
C.. C..

JT7

Orlgen
while that vhich follows concentratfts

Oil

its

methodologf~

both the-

oretical and pr&ctiC'8.1.

Names and

in~antations

The key to magiC' in Origents view is demonic fl.ctiQn (which will

be- dis~ussed below) .. and the key to demonic action is the proper use of
mmes and assoc1t1.ted incant a.t ions .
Nature of names.

Nl;ll!les are

derived~

like language in

g~neral,

oot from humM convention or invention ~ but f'ro:m nature its-elf (fLgree-

ing more closely with t.he- Stoic, and, somewhat.

names ~ 'than with

c .C.

1. 24).

th~ .kristot~lian,

Eaeh nat i

On

nam.e s i t

'but not quite bO'U.D.d to them either;

own gods

(6. 39).

expresses most accurately t.ht! n6.ture of 'the demon5

spe:ak it (..:.Q. 1, 24; 5~ 45).

vielis of

theEpicw:-ean~

and each la.n.gus.ge

k,")QWl1

to those \i'h(;J

The same applies to the nam.es and func-

tions of angels (vho are cs.lled by various names ~ approp:riately to the

du ti el!i the-y perform a.c cording toGQd I a wi 11 ) t and also to Cbri st Vhose

nalii.e hfl.spre-em!r.ent pover

QV~r

de;JJl.Ofl.s (c .C. 1.

The delOOns respond quickly (tacha.) to

25, K. 1: l6. 8~15). 2

t.b~ir properly pro:n.oun~ed

:IlB.l:lleti

as thou,gh led by a certain unseen ni!'lt'1ll'al poyer (tin! ph;rsei s.the-oretg)

(Exh .r-58.T + 46> K. 1 ~ ~2. 14-11).

This is a very deep and Bubtle l!ItLtt.er

(prap;mateia. bathytat.e ka1 anakechorekuis., Rxh .t-!ar. b6 ~ K. 1: 42

lO-ll;

in~. 1. 24 it is logo? b~thys ks.; s.Dorrheto5~ K~ 1:74. 11).

1 Though i.ncantations are t'r~qllently

. ref'erre d to by Ori gerJ,
namt!'s see:m to be the potent ~lements in them.
2compare also his distinction betveen belieV'ing in Jt!'S'Ils" nSJUe
and believing in Jeaus ~ snd their results in Co:mnentaq on John (10.

44/[28J.

301~ 310~ 31~).

318

Early Chri stian Vit:!....~

Incantations.
repor-ted.

In tlle use of inc.fI..ntations lo the

6~

result is

They are of' f'orce (energesai) only in their p1"op~r la.ngu.e.ge-s t

and are .. ine-ff'icac:iou6 and feeble (atonon k.ai ouden d:mam.~ninJ" if t!"ans-

1ated.

thus it is t:lot the thing said but

ties of vords Chai

to~ ~honon

Itth~

pgiotetes kai

qualities and pecul1a..:ri-

idiot;tes~whieh posses~

certain power" (c. C. 1. 25! ANF' 4: 2107 5 K. 1 =161' 16-22).1

Origen re-

ports 'this as from utbose who are 5killed in the use of inca.ntations
[hoi .
ill

epodon deiJi:oi J" but does not r;oeem to question its va1idi t~r

its. oWD realm, though he den i e!;l that Cnr i sti B.nS are inval.... ed in

these areas (ibid., lines 16-17),

Christians are so far :from this, that, eontrary to Celsus ' s
charges (e.g~,. c~c~ 6. 32~ Lo; T. 40), the::.' do cot even use the precise Scriptural names of God..
God hears them all
3-~3

-- those

(e.c. 8. 3r,

&<::~E!Ptable

but :pray each in his

Olo"n

lal'lguage!

sin~e

K. 2:252. 18-28; cf. 8. 6l, K. 2:217.

to God are 'thOse who trust lii.ltl t not t.hose-

curiou'Sly inquisitive about de-mollie

!1~es!

etc.).

Spirits
The domnant

e1em~nt

in Ol"igen" s theory of l!IS.gic is one that

~ote also hi semphas i g on tlle proper SOU-"ldi ng of n.e.:m.e-s !i.e cording to the numerous 11sted variables of' pronunciation in Ex}), r~ar. 46
(K. 1~~2. 14-15).
2This despite th~ fact that Origen elsevhere has argued agaicst
a.ss~l'tion of th~ indifference of the divine designation, a.nd
attributed P0\l'(!-l" to Sabaoth or Adona.i whir:h their translations vould
not ha'Te (c.e. 5. 45, K. 2:50. 1-5; of. also L 2~ . . K. 1:75. 12-1~).
In 5.45, hOYev~r~ Origen is referring to magical ~ses of these and
ot.her nBIIJea in incanta.tions (which he appea.rs to assume to ~. really
~ff'ect1v~). In addition, in both these pasaages~ Origen is speaking
so:ne"n"hat pedantictl.lly,. while: in 6. 32 he is desr:ribi:ng actual vo:rs.hip
practices of the unschooled (and the contrast doe~ further empba.size
the non-l:D&gical \'i~ of pra.y~r).

Celsuss

379

DrigEm

irJtegrate~

it f'Ull.y into his whole 'World-v1ew--his theory of spirits.

The spiritual

rea~~..

~rve.si.ve,

versally

of which man is a lCW'-leve1. component, 1:8 unihighly organiz.ed, and at least partially 6ubJe-et.

to human under standi ng lUld l":ontro1.

The origin,. but not. the char6-Cter .. of spirits is in the cre'a-

t10n

of' God; t.hey cfIJJle

(r~be:llion).

to their preeent

statuses as

al"esult of sin

The most guilty are demons, those 'With slight of'fense

are l!l.ne;els of variQ1.~e orders" 'etc. (f.=.. 4.. 65; De pr. 1. praef'. 6;
1.

7. 2-3" 5; 1. 8. 1, 4; this includes the sun'!'

whi'Ch EU'e se!1tient) volitional beings ..

c. C.

;. ll).

pr.

2~

moon" llnd stars

11.. 7; On Pra.;yer 7;

In this matter. the ma.in emphasis is on 'l,he detl)Onfl-

they are evi1't daimOll is not a neutre.1'term (c.c. 5.5; T.

69~

8. 25;

respectiyely, K. :2: 5. 15-16;218. 10-11 .. 16-20; 24,2. 1-12 }l__but Ori-

gen'B controlling belief in fl'ee-vill required tha.t .o.ne;e11c status

a..'ld po sit ion also be determi ned by de sert (De pI'" + 1. 8 + 1

K. 5: 94 .

16-22; in

g . 8.

of God).

Th.e de:mons (and angels) are assigned to, or ~hoose, their

various areae.

or

25 t therE! are BI'lgels of the devil as veIl as angels

influence:,. geographical or othe:rvis.e, o..cC'ording to

their chara.cter!:! (De pr. 1. 5. 3; 1.

5. 29-30).

8.

1 and ~; 3. 3. '3; cf .

..:...

In addition, 'the natures of' demons lDaY bring 'them into

Hom. in Num.
2

But this

is subject t.o ce-rtain restraints: only the

angel5 are assigned positive power over the good things of human life
(air, crop-a" e'tc.);tbe d~ns can a:f'fect them only negatively. as.
executioners of' di .....ine judgments or discipline (C.C. 6. 31).
pOW'~r

Early Christian

380

Vie~

I;Lpe:c:ia1. relations with varioue anim6J.s (as in divination) (C+C+ ~. 92,

93).
The demons ha.ve great pO\l'er which is availa.ble' to th-ose: 'Who

The Magi had such contrO.1 (G. c. 1.. 60;

can eor.rtrol them.

~t c +

ae

),

did the Egyptians and those taught bY"th~m (e. g ..~ 1. 68), and the
pra.cti c:e

I!ems to have "become videsprl!!&d ( ~ . 33 , K. 1 = 304. 2).

In

the .first reference, OTigen puts no lim! t to the demonic poyer in or-

dinary

eir~u:mstanc:e-5,

but in the second he seems to imply tha.t the

work3 are ess enti &lly f'rQudul.ent ~ appearances only.

CQntra. Celsum 8.

6o~ he

pictures

C~13us

Further, 1 n

&s backing down

1~

claims~

his

e.llggesting, in the final analysis, that. the eartlfbo'lmd (p(!Tigl!i~n)

demons

re5PC'!1sibl~

for l1188ic ,can only hea.l the body,

for@-t~ll

the

tutur!!:, e.nd do other things; related to morta.l existence (K. 2~276. 1520 )) but. Origen i

E;l

not :fully ready to concede tbe real i t;'{ of even

these acts (lines 33-35).,

~Othel" a-:::ts--deceptive resurrections

etc. - - have been discu.e.sed above.)

The: appropria:te control is aehi,ove-d

by conjuration of the spirits using the proper names and. othe:r appro-

'Priate forms in the spells (as~oted above und.er t.he dis.cussion of

na.mes).

Especia.lly powerful (and videlll!Jl"elld) !U'~ those involving the

"God of AbrahamH or

o f' Abre.lHlm t Isaae ~ andJ.aeob rt (C. c. 1. 22, K.

1't

1:12. 27-73. 1; see also 4. 33, 34; 5. 45).

Other "barba.ric nB.2lleS

of demons" were aJ.so used by pr.actitioners t O.rigen again holding that

tbey

mUij;t be kept

t.he sattle

distinct ~ the dl!!:lDOns of the varlotis nat ions

(6. 39,.. K+ 2:108. 1-23).

aT@!

not

Celsus -:::h!U'ged that Christians

......ere inV'ol"'ed in this kind of a-ction ll citing (:ertain I1p:resbyt~r5" VhOCl

he found using ba.rbarous books containing the names of delllons and

Origen
marvels. whicb they pro:fessed to use- tor no good purposes., but to ha.rm

ma.nkind

(6. 40, K. 2:109. llt-1B; Orige-n replied

by popule.r knowledge

The' demonic

or

by a denitl.1 !Supported

Chri stl fIJ] character) . .

power~ hovever~

is

~vo-sided~

and the hu=an may be

the one controlled (possess~d) by 'the- demon {e. g_, De pr. 3. 3. 4-6}.

For this r@'a.aon 1l even magic provides for the exorcis~ {exelauneitl} of

d'!!mons in its repertoire (C.C. 1. 68, K. 1:122. 9; a l'l!Ltionalization

of their seeming success is pre,sent@d in ConmJ. Mt. 13. 6) _ Further ~
even when the human go;tes appear to 'be- in cont.rol ~ the c3.eJ!Ql1ic ends,

the t'urtheranee of evil, &re being served (C.C.

6.

~5,

K. ;2;116. 23-

28).

In the ease of oracles, a prominent agency of the dl!:mons (8. 541 ..

their

~ontrol

becomes obvious (1. 3 .. 14).

There Is thus. no real boundary between magic- tmd 'pagan worship.

In general, the same demonic forces are behlnd both (C.C. 3. 3L .. 36,
31). and specifical.ly, the demons are bound to certain ple.ces or
i.ma.ges b~...

IP!"i t~s

&.nd itlcanta. t:5. ons It (tele:ton

.K:eLi manganeion) (3.

3h t K~ 1;231. 3; ef. also 1., 5~ 6~, 61 .. 69 .. l'espectiyel.Yt K. 2:157.

2,. 214. 10.. 216. 20 11 218. 30- 3:2)

Fto1eII:iY" sima.ge- of Sera-pis ~ for

pecially attracted by the: smoke, blood., et.C'., of the sa.crifices,.

which they need to survive

1; Exh.Mar.
llourieh@d

45).

angels in

~~

~. 32; 7. 5;

8. 611> 6).; De pl'. 1. 8.

Angels apparently she.re this need,. they a,re not

on materia1 bro!'8.d

l.wot e

ec.c.
(On

Prayer 27. 10J ~ yet they were attracted

&lso 'the wa.rning in. Origen" B ar-guments against invoking

5. 5.

r~rly

Christian View

to the altars of Israel and there were nourished [De pro 1.

B.

It K.

5:91. 8-11).)
On the

the Christian.

oth~r bide~

angels

&r~

associated vith the worship of

They are at his side as he 'Praya, even llhefl unasked

(lI.kletoi) aiding him against the demons (C. c. 8. 64);

they hear and do what tbey

Can

&G

he prays t

for him as having received a

gen~ral

cOJ:!lJland (to minister to ma.rd (On Pr~yer 11. ~),. and a1so pray with
hi.ttl (11. 5).

(They are. howe ver, nli sten1 ng in, n t ht!!! pI-ayers are Dot
1

addres sed to them. )

The vorshippers and the att ending spi r1ts form

a double e.ssembly, ~eJ1 and angels {OJ;! Pr&er 31. 5), but if the l!len

become lax and sin:fu1, they may be ac:c-Oi1t.Panied

b~' lLn

assembly of'

wicked a.ngels (31. 6~ 7).

Celsus charged that Christians also worked by the

demonic nQ.ll1es a.nd incantations (ke.takelesesi)

(c.e.

1.

US~

of

6, K. 1: 59.

8-10).. as Jesus had 'Worked by sorcer:f (goeteie.) (lines 21~22).

reply, Origen state!illo t:tl.at the Cm-istiB.n:ll: use only t.he name

!n

o~ J~sus t

a.!ong vi th th~ r~eital of the narrll.t1 yes concerning him (tE!S s:otLnPjelias

t_on

historion) {ibid ... lines 12-13 L 2

Further, bj1}.fLssing for

lS~~

the furtber :pictures of angelic aid and. accompo.nicent of

worship in C.C. 5+ ~ and 53 and the irrationality of invoking them in
the latter chapter.
2This Dould be seen as the IJI!Lgic&1 use of a narrative (see,.
e. g., Alan H. Gardi ner" rtMag.i c t Eg;pt ia.n] ,it Encyclopedi a. of :R eli gi. on,
&nd Et hi C' s ~ ed, HB. s ti ngs.. 8 ~ 26 5; c:f. lIrotl i s 16"" }~a1 i novski, "Magi c
Seie:oce fl.II.d Rel1gion,.n in Science :Religion and l1~ality,. ed. Joseph
Needham Of ell York ~ Macmillan Compa.."lY t 1925),. p, 69),. but need not be.
This is especia.lly so in vie\l of Origen IS intellect:ualist bent, it is
more likely to Tefer simply to a narration of Christ's pO\ler, to enlighten the subJ ect and produce faith. This seems ~spe~ially probable
in view of tbe context~ If' Origen had considereo any ma.gical inte!"preta.tion of the matter likel.y" he voUld hardly have introduced it into

Origen
the molrll!nt the S01U'ce of Jesus I yorks ~ it is clee.r

that

thl!" Cbristians

do not employ spells (I!!Jiidon), but th.e name of Jeaus and

which are
The

pove~

r~lied

o thel' vords

on e.eeording to the divine 5cript'l.U"e Pi (lines 28-32).

of Jesus' name is such that

~ven

wicked men nave on occasion

us~d it successfully for auch purpose-s (lines 16-17).

It has alrea.d)r

dri ven myr i ads of demons; from thE! souls and 'bodies of men 'lo
power (energe:sa-I'))( c. C. 1. 25,. K. 1: 76. 13-15.;

&150 1

~x.e-rlins

On Prayer 12;.

and 22. 3) i and not only so, but even from anl1J'.al:s

(c. c. 7. 67,

2: 216. 28) andfronJ ilnag~s (8. 43., K" :2: 258. .20).

C'hri st ians need not.

K-

fear t h~ t!'t::Uni ty 0 r the demon s (to.. . . .a rd the hUtt!'An rae e ,7. 3; B. 26) '\!tho

try to destro)" Chri stian i ty ( 3. 29; h. 32; 8. 27 ~ 43) '10 they ar~ pro-

tected by the supreme God

(8. 27, 36).

The death of Christ has re-

due ed the demons t.o im'potenc e (7 - 17; B. ~ 3; ComtrJ. J n. 1. 32/37 ).

But this also

S~~1:i

to be founded on a general principle,. a sort of"

natural 1a....., ; the dee.tb of' ChTist is uniqu.I!' t but there ue ana10gies

to it in those """'ho have

di~d

'to re-n:ove

0.

d.a.nger to their country:

"For it is probable that. the-re is in the nature of things (en

ti

physei ton pragm.ator.JJ ~ tor certain mysterious re-asorJ.s which .are difticult to be understood Ckata tines aporrhetous kai 4.Ysleptol..J.s

...

the discussion;. seemingly gratuitously (cf. also, c.c. 7. 67). Henry

Cha.d:wi ck ' B notes on C. C L 6 S up:port thi 8 vi I!!W in gene :t6ol, but do
note the other possi"b111ty {Orig~n,. p. lO~ notes 1 and 4).
... lOr;1gen elsewhere speakS of a Bort of "natural B.ttre..ction" (tina.
E!?Ysike holk~) of faith and the divine power (.omm. Mt. 10. 19;

Robert Girod, Origene:

Co:mn;,~nt&ire

sur

llEvangil~

sclonMa.tthieu t vol.

1: Livres X et XI t SQurl::~S -c:hret.iennea, no. 162 [Pa.ris~ Les Editions du

Cerfo 1910J lo p. 230'10 l1nes2C-23)" tnougb perhaps mutuB.l interrelat.ion
vould be ~ better description; either is limited without the ot.h~~
(ibid. '10 p. 232'10 lines .I(3-~6).

Earl::.' Christian View

logousJ qy the multitude, such a virtue [physin to1autenJ that one
Just man, dying a voluntanr dea.thfor the common good, might be the

means

o~

removing Capotrop!asmoua empoie1nJ wicked spirits y which are

"the CELuse of plagues y or barrenness to or tempesta, or similar calami"ties;'r

(C.C.1. 31, AlW

4;409, K. 1;82. 24-30; alGo, Conzn. In. 6.

54/36. 216-81" vhere tbe death ormartyrg,

in~luding J~phtha.h's

daugh-

te!"', has sind1ar powers}.<-

Materia l:nB.,gica
Origen T 9 main cOncern wi"tb magic is in the areas of' .names (ineluding in~antations) and spirits, but he does~vidence some knovledge

cone er-ning the physi cal materials

'US~d

in ma.gic.. but vit-hout i nforma-

tion as to their specific manners of use. 3 I~ two passages he gives

abbreviated lists of itas.

The first occurs in

tl

quota.tion from Cel-

sus" of' which Origen equivocallY denied the accuro.<:y, aCid unequivocally
denied the apfllieability t.o "us,r~

Jttypous J, Qr res e:nblanc~lS (e eh;;t::111t iSII:ms]

:ime.ges [or~ noises:

typous!

of demons. 0 r "the va.rio~iS

1(5ee above B.1so~ p. 372.) A similar usage appeare in 1:11!,:;,dern

.rapol oget i c" 11 terat UTe, but. vith &n emphasi s on its u.ni que cess, in C.
S. Levi 6 9- chapter title, "De-ep~r M~gi c tram Be-fore the Da.wn of' Time"
(The Lion" tl1e 'Wit~h+ ani the Wardrobe [London~ Geoffrey Bles, 1950;
Nev York~ Me.cm111an~ 1950; reprint ed . New York: Collier Books, 1970:3,
ehap. 15).
;2

A further i ntere st ing example of e. sp eci aJ.i zed po...~el', on~ a..1.so
nega.ted by Christ to is that of thl!! pr~sumed angel vtJo i:$ hostile to'W'ard
"the JevEJ (and &11 who wor-ship th~ Creator) but has power only to h!i:nll.
thoB@ of them vho are not circ-umc1sed~. a power aboliahe:d with Christ I s
cire:umeisioc (C. c. 5. 48 L
3 In a.ddition to the :pas e.6ge s below:to note also Selectaln Exod. ~
cited by Btlrdy (1'Orig~ne ~t 18. mag1e, rt p~11t2,. n. 55 {POt 12~ col. 28GBJ),
llhe-re 11..0$ es is sa i d to USf!' hi G hB.t'l.d &"1 d VOle e t not only hi So a tarr t so
:!os not to &110'1

b~11et'

t.hat

h~

worked by

me.gi~a1.pro-cedu.res.

385

Origen
sorts of antidotes
or

bers~

eton~s,

poison (to be

fOlmd) in

clothes t or in num-

or plants, or rootS J or

gen~~&l1y

in 811 kinds of

aga.inst

tbi Ilgs '?. (C. c. 6. 39" AlfF 4: 591, K. 2; 109. 1-3 ).

The second refers

to those who are "curiously inquisitive" a.bout the demons, including]

the plants a.ppropriate (botanas oikelas) to them and

stones

wit.h in-

5cri.ptions (glyplJas) c Ol"t'espond ing to thE! ir t rad!tions,l forms ,,'Whether

symboli e or othe:rvi s~ (C. c. 8. 61, K. 2; 271. '7 -10).

is probably related.

h~re

A 'third pas sage

abo ~ though p\tt'E!ly medicinal pOW'ers ma...v be

eont ext. inel ude-s both natural and supernatural i t~ ) ~

be&nt( the

among the things Paul (and any other Christian) vill learn after dl!:i!l.t.h

is tithe reasons certe.in properties are aseoeia.ted 'With certain :roots

or herbs"
.avert. :

~nd

other herbs o.nd roots, on 'the contra.ry. repel

depe11unt.ur] I'l (De pr ~ 2. ll. 5. K. 5 ~ 188. Zb-26 L

[or~

Further ,.

Origen hQ.s read in Num.enius the Pyth.aBore-an that the Sera-pis image
ptJ..rt.ook of
ture

thel!!~H.ences

C:... 5.38 ~

or all 'the anim.a.ls and plants governed

K. 2: ~2 .26-29) .

by

n&-

This statement is conne~t~d vith

the aecount of its prepara.tion bymago1. etc ... noted abOve (p .. 3Bl).

Origen denied that knOWledge of natura.! i!!ntidotes and prophylOi.ct1cs by animals (specifically serpents .and ~Bg1es) constituted
knowl edge of sor(: ery by them, but he does not den."v t heir power (C. c.

~. 86).

He:
1

esp@:~iallY

Along with

tEl:t:1ons( lines 7~8).

nJ.entions (K. 1:357. 5 and 20)2 the "eagle-

~heir

nal!le!'s" pavers ~ deeds, and appropriate inca.n-

2.rhe a.lleged use or :fennel b:"r serpents {lines 14-15) is pore

physie than magic. Th(!se items y,!'re presented a.s eX8,l:!Ip1es of the kind
of things. knovn to &n11DalB by inst.inct (ph:[sis) or experience vbieh
men learn only bY reason and understanding.

386

Early Christian 'lie."

stone I" which Siupposedly p:r'eservea the Y01lnS of the eagle in the
nest.

Discussion of related fields!

O!'scles and divi.nat1on

Origen, like his apologetic

predeces50rs~

i tants ot the ancient world. was 8,lle.re of e. large

for learnirJg the future.

tion (manteiai):

by

and all other inha.bnumb~r

ot' procedures

The na.tions employ- numerous mea.ns of d1 vina-

portentEl 1 o~en51 birds ~ ventriloquists" :professors

oionot1 . . orni t.hen . . . engastri..m;ython . . . ton ten th,ytiken

f!pangellomenon
1: 87. 26-29).

Cbalde..ion genethl1e.1ogou.nton)( C. C. 1. 36, K.

These are besides the

(chr:e5teriai~ theoprORriai), the

Branchidae, and in A:mnJon, and

18-20; repes.ted at the ends

or

B.

I:Iu;DlerOUS

established oracles

Pythian t Dodonie.n, Clarian~ in

myriad oth.e-rs

i. 6 atld i).

Or1gen I S msJ.n point in the

t'110

(c.e. 7.

3~

K. 2:154.

preceding passs.ges (~specially

"the- fO:rll1er),. is a contrast of pagan -divination to Hebre'll prophecy.

~s.ides the major areas exaIQined below, the field of music

appears in t'W'O incidental ref~rences. One of Celsus's info:t1l1ants regB.!'ding I!lagicwas B.n Egypt.ian musician 'to Dio!1y"51us {c .t. 6~~1 t K.
2 :109. 2h). Tlu!!n t in his d.iscussion of Mithraic m;ysteri~s,. C~ls.u.s allegedly added musical reasons for the order of the stars given by the
PerEian theologyll and then &dcied a second set ~
nections (c.e. 6. 22).

al~o

vi th l!JusiclLl con-

2 C. C. 8. 45 (K~ 2: 259. 23-28) indica.tes s. vide Yariety of v8..,.VS

in vhich these oracll!:s l1light be g1ven+ De pro 3. 3. :3 includes 6. referenCe to th~ use of boys as r~c:ipientB of" a spirit (here a poetic:
one) t a.pparently e. eomlb::m magical operation (cr. ~ ~. g. ,.the :references
to this in Justin and Irenaeus [see esp. p. 351, vith :D. 1,. above]).

Origen
The

shM'ed in the normal human &nxill'!ties about th~ future (K.

Je'IlS

1 ~87. 30-31). and

80 7

to keep them from polytheism and pa.ga.n pra.c-

tices ~ God instituted propheey among

to give predictions about events of

t.hem~

DO

all.olling the prophets even

.importance eC.C. 1. :36, note

e9p - K. 1: 87. 14-20 and 88. 2-4).

But this concession is altttost the only point of si.m.le..r1 ty

between pagan divination and Jevish (and Christian )propbec:y +

The

or-ac:l(!& at'e the produ.'ct of viek.ed spiri tiS, who enter the bodies of

their spo.ke Ii perBans t

overpovering the ir :minds ~ claud! ng tbeD1 an d

causing loss of self-control (C.C~

156. 10-12 regtLrding the eff"ect on the 6ubj eet ).

spiration of the divine

epil"it~

2~155.

7. 3-5 7 esp. K.

hoYever t should have then t.he grea.test

This is the case

'Wit.h the Jewish prophets (7. 4, K. 2:155. :32-156. 9).

eith~!'

and

Those under the 10-

clarity (dioratikoteron) (7. 3~ K. 2;155. 29-30}.

were

2~-25

In fact, they

\rise men, or 'Were made vise J and were chosen beca.use- of

the virtue of thef:r lives (7.

5. 42 7 K+ 2:46. 19-22}.
tenBe t in De pro

7. K. 2:159. 1-6 .. 160. 5-8; see 8.l.so

This contrast was developed" in the present

3. 3. 3

{K.5~259.

18-260.

2)~ but in

C.C. 7.

8~

Origen asserts that there are no sia.nifieant2 prophecies sm::mg the

heard Bome persono.1ly in Phoenicia. and Pal.eetice.

Orig~n

also provides a rationale for divination. one in keep-

ing with biB other views expressed above.

If there 13 anything to

l1:n g, :Joost una eeJJUY JIlanner 1n the ~aae 0 f the Pythian prl es tess, Ori~n has heard (C.C. 7. 3'1 K. 2=155. 12-23).
2:But he does allowhima.e11"
ichne

a.utou

Dar"

SOIne

le~y;

Oligols (K. 2: 160. 26-27).

pl

en

kat nun et i

E~rly

388

Christian View

divination by birds and other animo.ls(a prior question that eelslUl

ij;hould have established before arguing froM it =

1: 360. 13-14, 360. 22-361. 3) t

C. c.

4. 86,. 89, K.

it is du.e to the llork. or d@lmons.,. not

because birds a.re more- intelligent or more divine than man.

into the future ,. indicate it by

r,nore

~ntering

The dl!'-

the 'bodies of the lover or

avage ani.m.a.ls and d1:ree tine: the1 r lD;)vemerit s ( C.. C b" ~2; e.lso

repe-e.ted at the end of' 4. 97).

:But the demons also work directly on

man,. ~ith~r by possession a5 in the noted oracle's (C. C.

just above)

~3

or through

influe[](~i ng

dreams (C . c.

5. 6:Jo

The J evs recogn1 z.ed th1 S B.nd reject ed. 8l.l eli vi nat1 on

Q.S

1'. 3,. etc.,.

K. 2; 6. 1-2). 4
val n (mat en) ,

In any case. foreknowledge is non-proba.ti.ve I sioce it (like

the pover of heoJ.ing) is neutral (me.:=:-on), n~i the!' good nor evil in

itself (C+C+ 3. 25~ and. h. 96,. K. 1:221. 5-10" snd

368. 23-369. 3).

Astrology
Orig~

nlan.if'esta

littl~ int~~e8t

in the somewhat ma.gically

lB'I1tthat wal;: Celsus'e responsibility, ~ot Origents, so while

pointing out that ther~ were good ar~~nts On both sides) he bypM ses it, as So uming the existenc= Ii'! of" divinat i On tOl:" the sake of the
argUll:lent (C. c. L * 90, K. 1: 36:2. 11-19).

ere theological

v~rsus

But, ~si{:al.J...v:lo th~ arguments

testimonial (lines 14-19).

2As testimony ~t tbis, th~ unclean animals of the Mosaic legialatlon a.re- ~spec:ially thl! d1itinatory t diffe.re.nt species of d.emons
being simi.lar to different. apeeie-s of animals, eyeD weasels (!)
(:.. J,. 93).

b;y'

3Some are possessed trom their earlie~t years, even from

a Fython1c daemon CDI!' pro 3. 3. 5" K. 5=262. 1).
~

b1rth~

This occurs in a quotation from. Celsus .. but Origen makes no

spec1fic objection to this element of the quotation.

O:rigen

related area of' ast.rology.

This laek of' interest. i3 despi.te his b.e--

lief in tbe "personality"ot the SWl] moon, and stars (De pr. 2. ll.7;

etc.; see: above under "Spiri ts") .. a..1).d despite ae.sertioos of his belfl!!'f in it by later detrl!u:::tol'S.

This Oo:ttitude is", hovever- So :fully in

keeFir.tg vi th his ~mphasis on free-viII {cf. De pT. 1. prae:f.

He is, of course .. not unavare of" it- and its tbeory.

5}.
He re-

bukt::s Celsus for calling a "most. divi nel;). inspi:r~d nation" the Chal-

dea.ns 'hom vhom the deceptive c-asting of nativities (senethli.a1ogia)

C~

to use by men'

(c.c. 6.

BOt K. 2:151. 20-22).

He also classes

''tbe ae.trology of t.h~ Chaldeana and Indians (Chaldeortm'l astrol0f\!a et

Indorl,un)" as part of the "visdom of the 'l"uJ.ers of this 'W'or1.d t
(De pro

P1

3. 3. 2 So K. 5:251. 271.
This visdom t ho'Wt!'ver .. is onevhieh these "rulers" believe (De

E. 3. 3. 3 t K. 5: 258. 15-21). and t presumably, !lct in accordance vi'th.

This \louldgive sometrelative color to the chargeo:f Theophilus that

foreknowledge of events So he . . . attributes, to the motions
of the ste.ra. n~ly t that f:rom the-ir courses and the variety of
their :forms daemons can t~ll the future .and eit.her bring thi;ngs.2
to pa.ss or else require them to be brought to pB.85 by tbe star::;;
!.rheophilus

or

Alexa.ndrlfh and chat"ges quoted 'by an Illlonymous

in P'hot.ius (cited by Koetschau~ OTigenee Werke .. 5:259. on De pr. 3.

3. 3).

2CODlpo.re Origins view of deniOnic: operation in divination,.

a.bove-. This impression 1s not veaK'I!n@'d. b~;, the (somewh&t lyrica.l)
e-xpres s ion s in On Prayer 7,. to 't he maN: h and move-me [It of" the stars.
that fits in w.i th all the UDi VeTS e . .
the free vill of t.he stars
that dance in the heavens for the good of the universe" (K. 2:316.
6-'7, lo-ll~ trans.latitm from John J. O'Meara., Pra,:r"er:EJcltorto:tion to
Martyrdom .. Ancient Christian Writers:> ed. Johannes Qu,as'ten and Joseph
C. Plum..pe", DO. 19 [Westminster Md.: The NeVll!laJl Press So 19511., London =
Longmans .. Green and Co. t 195q J So p. 36), though these expressions probo.bly refer only to the grand benef:1c1~nt ordeTing oral! thine;s ~ not
to individual influences by .~ympathy or whatever. Further, does .~
w

:t

Early Christian View

390

{Theoph11us Alex. Ep .Synod~ ..2; cited in 1(, 5=259, at De pr,

3. 3. 3Ll
Origen does attribute significance (direct OT indirect) to
tvo possibly astrological itf!blS, establishing

th~

on an ecpiTice..l

Comets (such as the "star" at Jesus' birth~ C.C. 1.

basis.

to appear .. a.s

obs~rva.t;ion

shows, at til!les of gr@'at ee.rt.hly changes ~

signifying either ba.d or good things

(c.c.

1. 59 .. K. 1=110. 3-16),

On a more mundane level ~ nlunacj.r:' as phy::;icians a.ttest by

cUBsions. is eonnected to the moon.

~ver,

the

Contra~

a..""i

b~t

sympathy

irnpUl"'e sp i:r i t 'W"hi eh obs erve s th~ phas ~s

and varies his influence

moo~

their dis-

to their theories .. hoy-

it 1.5 not caused by moist. humouxs in the head moved

'Wi th the moon. but by

58) tend

accordingly~

to mislead men.

0f

If

tbis 15 so, then vhy not other spirits operating in phase vith the

other sta.rs?

So"

It is 't."Qrtb llhile ~ then. to listen to the <lasters of nativities

(ton genethlill.logonJ, lIho refer the origin 01" I:w~ry form of' llladne!;J5 6Jld every demoniacalpossession to the phases of the
6]1 AlW lO;~78t KL 10:195. 13-1~) 2

moon. (COtmn. Pot. 13~

E.' l.p1"aef.5 t leave open the possibilitY" that some things, those outside our freedom of" viII,. arE!' due t.o the course and :motion of' the
stars (K. 5=13]1 3-5)7 Note also Origen'g discussion in his commentary on Genesis (in Eus Prep . Go~.l? 6. ll).
1

....G. W. .Butterworth, trans.,. Origen On First Principl.es (Londo~;

Society for Promoting Christian Know-ledge,. 1936; reprint ed.,. Ne'lot
York; Harper and RoW', Publishers .. Harper To:rchbooks, The Cathedral
Lfhr!U'Y~.

1966), IJ.

225~

n. ~.

2Eng11sh t.ranslation by John PatricktUOrige:n's Commentary on

the Gospel of Matthev, It ANF 10: 409-512; Greek text, Erich lG.oster:nant1 led., Origenes Werk.e, zehnter Band = Origenes Mat.t.h1iuserklaruno;l I: !}ie
Griechisch erhalten~n TOl!IQi~ unter Mitwirkung von Erf16t Ben7.~ Die
Griechiscben Chr1stlichen Scp.riftiSteller der ersten lire1 Jahl"hunderte ..
vol. qO (.Leipzig = J. C. Hinrichs fiche Buc:hh6ndlung ~ 1935) (c1 ted as
lCL. followed by volume [ot Origenes. Werke]; pae:e:o anli line(s]}.
~

391

Origen

Other

r~ligions

as magiC

Pagfin religion
Orlgen s.aw no sharp line- dividing pagi!lJ1 o,.ro::rship from.

The pavers invoked in magic were

th~

same as those worshipped,

4. 32; 7. 52

i.e.~

Th~y &:ie 8.0.-

demons {C. C. 8. 61; 1. 61; also .. 5+ 46 .. K. 2:51. 2-3).

dieted to the blood .. etc.

m9.gi~.

of' sacrifices {:Exh. l'..a.r. 45; c.c. 3. 37;

6 (proof from HOIl'..e-r J and J5; De- p:r. 1. 8.

1 L and they

can be inf"luenced, their .favOr purchased by sacrifices (e.g., C.C.

8. 61! K. 2: 277. 23-26:10 probably switching fa.vor to the offe.re:r of

the e;reater so.cri ff c es ).

!tot onl:.... so, but various.

(mllnganeiai) are involved in the

3. 3h, 36

LAntinousJ t

S. 38

e~tablishc(;!nt of

CS~rapisJ;

u lt8g i

cal H rites

such "o::rship (S.

7. 5).

1:I.er~sles

Q-rigen parried some of Celsus' g

tians by attributing

th~

c!:Jarg~s

of magie 9.QOne: Chris-

to heretics or heretical groups.

In the

past, Si:mon the 8a.mari tan magos w1sbed to aed uce some by magl c

map:.eig} (.:+ 1. 57,. K. 1=109. 6)

(li

because he and DositheU9., like

Celsus ~ thought Jesus simply did 'Wonders (tera.teuestha.i) .. and so

tried the same means to gain nm.stery over m.en
14-19) -

(e.c. 6.

11. K. 2=61.

These groups ~ hoW'e..... er~ ax~ obsolete,. ~1,lrrentl:{ having either

none 2 or not even thirty ~e~b~rs &&Ch (1. 57, not likely even thirty
Simonie.ns in Palestine and none else1lhere;

6.. 11,. no Simonians,. and

1He did,. hove...e:r, ri!'cognit.e a distinction between th~ broad

areBS of re-li gion and nla.gi C!o as toe. g.. hi s seeming vi ev 0 f magic: as a
distinct traditi.on in C.C. 6+ 32 (K. 21102. 17-19)!o and a slight distinction between beine carried 8,Va...v 'bY magic, or by demons in 6. 41

(K. 2:110. 12-13).

392

Early Christian Viev

not thirty Dosit.hl!!'Bns total h the current group that Origen (end Cel!;Ius) seeIr. to know best is t.he Ophites.

(ewe. 6. 3J. s 32; 1.

They are sorcerers (soe:te-s)

~O; K~ 2:100. 28; 102. 11; 190. :22L, who profess

a. sort of mngicnl sorcery {map;lkin tina goet!t:l.a:h 6. 3B~ K. 2:107.

23-2b) ~but t.h4!",Y scramble together elements {nam~Q) :from magic and
Scripture in their s)'stem (6w 32~ K. 2:102. 17-19).
doctrin~

seems to be a set of

s~t:ret

keepers of the various gates in

th@

The heart of their

charges to be addre:lsed to t.he

h~avens

(H. 6. 31 and 7 .

.laO).

Christian practiees
Origen~ natural1y~

ha.ving

.QJ3)'

did not consider Chrietian practices as

relation to magi C'" but Celsu5 did.

There are thus

6.

fi'l..tlll.ber

of explicit discussions of the question.

Origem is emphatic on the point the.t Chri5tian miracles are
done b)? thl! pover of' God (.:.Q.~ 1. 38; 2. 9, '51; 3. 5 to 24). by the nMle

of Jesus (1. 6; 3. 2.1.1; etc.) not by mae;ical means or

38;. 2. 9, 16; 3. 5) or demonic poyer {I. 6; etc.).

a:rry

sort (1. 6"

But vhat

(!..

idl!nce

1s there to support these assertions?

Wha.t

distiI1guish~s

mdracles/marvela?

Christian miracles from magic or ot.her-

Origen's

~irat

stat.ed criterion is the non-use of

let. Morton 8m!th s li st {Jesus the Mag! c ian 10 pp. 83 and 92}.
Note aleothe thre-e charges against mi:r-acle wo:r-kers discussed by
Anitra Bingham Ko1enkov~ irA Problelll: of Pover: Ho... Miracle Doers Count!!!'" Charges of Magic in th@ lielleni stic Wo:r-ld," Society of Biblical
Literature 1976 Seminar Pa1Jers (Missoula" Mont. = Published b:)' Scholars Pre!;! g for the Soc1 ety of Bib1i cal Li terat urI! '" 1976) ~ p. 107 ~ '!'he
three charges a.re: 8ubvel"sion, use of power for evil purposes

(maleficia). and use of miracles to gain riches or other power.

393

or-igen

9 ~ 10 J 30} or oth~r sueh means (hoiasd;pot e hodo'U ~ 2. 49 ~ K. 1: 11 L 1;

peri~:rp;O kai mo,gikQ

also 2. 51).

e Dh!U'm~~eJlt1kQ p:ra.gmati

7. 4, K. 2: 156. 14; note

Ori gen 1 a next c:ri'teri a are hi 5 most tul.ly developed.. a

series of interr\'!!:lated mo:r1U arguments.

The character of life (and

death .. in 2.~4) of the one(s) performing the works (1.

3. 5 ~ B. 61 L

moral changes {c.e.

1. ~3s

67, 68; 2.

4~J

'thei r re sul"tins

51; 3. 27't 42; 4. 5; 8. 41-

L8} are a.ll :pi'oofs the. t thes e 'Wor.ks are not t be result

0 f

magi c 2

t.hl!ir diVine origin is confir-med by ha.ving been previously

prophe-si.ed
COIlJ:Il.

2. 32~ 51;

the teachings connected with then (.l. 38, 68; 2. 8 ..

and

~4. 49; 3. 5 []>1osai claws J; also ~ Comm. Mt. 12. :2) &l1d

Furth~:r-So

68;

(.:...

2. 14, 55-56; De pro 4. 1- 2~ Comma In. 2 .. 3l.i!C28J;

Mt.. 12. 2).

The- re:nuts of such works are a crucial test (C.C.

2. 50" 51), and .. 'besides tbe moral. results in the indiYi.dual, other
results also distinguish Bib1it:s.l and Christian miracles
'the e.x1stence of' churches full ot i::onVert.s (1.

fr~

magic:

61). tbe founding of'

( eo) new nat i on {s} (2. 51 So 52) ~ curing of di sea.s es not curable by mn.n
or daemon (3. ;2Q}.

t.oe churches
1

In contrast to these resuJ;tsand to 'the reality of

:mir.Q.cl~s.

is the unreality of the yorks of' :magicians and

This criterion ha.s been frequen.tly s.tt.B.cked (e.g." Hull . .

H(!:llerdstic MMic l' pp. 54-55; and most ~l!:~ently by Morton Smith.
Clement of Alexandria .. pp.222-23,. and J4!'SUS the Ma.gician. pp. 7~-15)~
but ,a.part from his dh;tinction concerning of' 'Wha.t and how mira.cles
are an attestation of III teacl1~rJtefLching (C.C. 2. 52; :3. 2B and ~6;
8. 47-48; note aJ.so his distinction bet.ween belief in Jes1J.s r name and

belief in Jes~s .. Comm. In. 10. ~4/(28). 301-14,. cf. C.C. 1. 68,. end}"
it may be noted that Origen almost eeems to anticipate some Bucb obJectiQn: in .&. 1. h.. he especially notes that it is the 1d1ots.i who
commonly are involved in ,exorc 1 sms.

2As a matter of fact ~ they &r~ conne'Cted with the teaching

of thereject10n of magic (C.C. 1. 38} .. and even the multitudes know
the Christiane. are notco:umitted to the doing of evil (6. Lo).

Early Christi&) View

similar deceivers {l.

68,

K. 1 ;122~ 11-13~ quoted :from Celsus l' but

tni s part apparently ace epted ,no te line 20, e i

But

th~

ultimate test 1s, by what power a.re tb ey done'("

the r esu.1 t of d.1 vine :power

It

al:Jode1xeos.; 2.

Mi rae Ie 8. are

magi osl re s 1.11t s come t'roms oce other

'Source; to t.hi a all other te sts a.re only support i 'Ie {C. c. 2. 51; al so

HippolytU5
A nev dimeosion in tbe attack on w.agic is emphasi zed by H.ip-

polytuEi--the concept of magic

(/,5

fraud.

This idea.

lo"E1.S

net.

~nti.relj

lacking in the earlier vri terfi ,- iIIJ'.Ld HippolytuG does :1:10t. entirely

abandon the den:onlc eJqJlana.tion of his pl"l!!dece'!'ssors.,. 'but t.he:r-e is

fI.

major shift to an a.ttempt at. a rat.ional explQ.nQtion of the phenontenft..

Ma.gi ~ a'S fra.ud

Though HippoJ.y'tus begins his Refutation of All Heresies ..Tfth e..
surv~y

of t.he an~ient pbilosophers (including the Brachma.ns,. the

Druids ~ and Hes1od)

many

1othOSe

idea.s underlay 1;:urrer]'t religious error.,.

of' \l'l1ich touched on magic-,2 his IIl!Ljor cont:ribution to the

lIs Hippolytus. here perhaps following up a lead of' his teache:r-~

lrenaeus. vho accused Ma.rcus of adding the nburfoon~ries [paigniaJ of
A:laxila\:ls to the cr.e.ft1n~ss [pa,nourp;iaJ of the .ln8gi n (Ad"'. haer . l.
13. 1.,. AIiF 1: 33'-1)?

2Ref. 1. Note especiaLlY the following chapters; 2~ Pythagorus touched on IP6,gic ~ 3) Empedocles taught many things about the
natUf"1!' of' demons; 4 10 Heraclitug's vievs vere similar to ~edoclesr.
he ta.ught that the regiot.l around us, as f6.1'" as the moon, va.s full of
evil things; 11~ Demoeritus studied vith tea.chers of the various occult sciences in India. Egypt, and Babylo~; 16,. Plato tau8ht the existen~e of' demons;; 11:1 Aristotle ta.ught that evil is sublunary; and

395

HippolytlJ,5
discu6sion is in book four.
Jtmagi~a.l."

He ther- attempts to e:xpla.in various.

phenomena. a.s being the result of fraud.

The methods range

fro:m fa.irly si:Q!iPle sleight. of' hand~ or eimi~ar trieks,,2 to rather

large-scale proauctions t 3 some in.. . .o lving at least

edge of various aspects of physics

Hippolytus seems not to have gotten

01"

cbemistry.

50ID.e

the fault may be more in his sources than

Other

of

aspe~t~

eJl

1.,

empiri~e.l kno'Wl-

Unfortunate-ly,

of them qUi tl!' c:.1l!'arly, but

~ith

btmself.

ma~ic

General references to tnagic:

(especiallY incantations)
As noted a.bove t Hippolytus t S opening survey of philosopher's
sho'Ws that they also

"e'r~

til.ined with magic and related ideas.

The

22, the Druids also resort to roa.g1~a1 :riV:!s (ta:U8ht by ZamolJC.il;l.).

(The Bra(':hmans are discussed in 21,. and Hesiod in 23.)
1

See tne JDaJor discussion of' these cha.pters by Gansc:hinietz ..

HHippo~ytos'

Ca.p1tel gegen die Magie!" ~ Refut. Hae:r.

rl

28-42."

2 E g ... invisible vritings and speal';1ng tr..rQugh hidden tubes

CF:e~. ~. 28),. and reading s~aled letters (~. 3~).

3.rhe di vination by a cauldron,. and various illusive .appearances (4. 35-38).

~

Such as the ~nvisible writing and tri~ks with incense and

coala in lj.. 28. Note also MarClJS'5 displaYs vith Eucho.ristic cups in
6. 39 and LO r3lj. and 35J (cf. Iren. Adv. haer. 1+ 13~ :2). These were
suppoa edly ~xpl9.ined in a preceding bOok (= bk. 4), but are not in the
erts,nt portions or it. (The chapter nu:mbers in brackets are those given
in .A.NF 5=9-153 [nTheR~fut8.t1on o"r Al~ He!'esies~1t trans. J. H. Mac]l1ahonJ.)
5Causing an I!'Qrthqu&ke sensation (vertigo in the observers'?) by
burning wea,se1 dung vi'th Q. magnet on coals (L. 39; cf. GQnEiehiniet~~
"Hippolytos I CB.p1t~lt l' p. 13). AlSO,. in th~ ri!tU:m. of biolog,T, the
killi,ng of a goat by put'ting Y&X in ita ee.l"S EO it ~annot breathe

(q. 31).

Early Chl"istiW1. Vie",.

396
heresies

:from them folloW' this lead t and Hippolytus follo'lots

dev~loped

the lead of Irenaeus in geneTally

t!%'S

and magicians.

lab~1l1ng

The disciples of'

the

he~~siQrchs

Si~Qn ~s

use magical rites

kai.epB.oidag)~ love

a.nd inca.ntations (mageias epitelollsi

as SOTcer-

spells: and

charms (~hiltro. te kai agQ,g,ima):t and demons vho s-erJ.d d:r-eams (tOllS
le,gomenQUS olleiroP9JlWous da.imonas):o as well o.s those (:al1~d .Ps.redroi

!Q.16~

(Ref. 6.20 (15];

3;3226A}. 2

The CarpoeratianG are similg,r1y

The Elchasaites fO::UO",T the teachings of these

described (7. 32 C20J).

mathematicians t astro1ogers t and mlI.,gi~iarJs {matl1;mat1kois kai. astrologiko15 kai magikoi:~;;},3 teaching certain incantations and formularies
(epaoidaste kat epi1o&OU5 tinas), espec:d.a.1J.y :for those bitten by dogs
or de!llOn posse-ssed (Ref.

9. 1J. C9J; PO 16.,

3~3390C;

ct. 10. 29 1::25];

see Uso ~ 9. 15-16 10-11) for ex.a.mple~ of their procedures in th~se

and other C'l!I.ees).

But the truth is not to be f"o'Ulld in the wisdom of

the Greeks, nor the tenete (dof5!!l&t.a)

ofth~ Egyptians . . nor

the re-

aU].ts of thecuriosl ty of the Cha..ldeans, nor the operat ion of' demons
in the irrational fren7.y of' the 'B6.bylonians (alogistQ :man!. udi' ene1"gei{l.5 dai1llOnon)

(Rtl.. 10. 50 (lJ; PO 16 .. 3: 341~A/B).

~ef. 6. 2,7, 9, 19~ 20 LcoD.tents, 2; 4" 14" 15J, .re Simon;

6. 5, 39 {cont.er..ts, 34J re Marcus.; 7. 32 [20J .. re the Carpocra.tians;
t

9. 14 ['9J t 10. 29 (25], re t.h~ Elchasaites. S:iJn11a.rly .. the Peractics

were devoted to astrology (5. 13 [8J; etc.).
2Greek text cited fi--omPG 16,. part 3: eols. 3011-3454 (pu.blished as Origents Phi1osoph-oum;;a t ed. enmanuel Miller rOxford,. 1851J).
(Cited in tbe text by vol'l..lttle t pa.rt, and column of' PCL)
3 Note als 0 9. 11 r: ~ont ents J : E1 cbasai d~"otes himself t.o the
tenets of th1!' Gnostics, or even the a.strologers . . and the: arts o:f SQt"eery (!!'8:Seias).

391

liippoly"tu3

Spirits
Though li!ppolytus treats magical displays btLSic&.11y as

he does not entirely reject the idea of demonic activity.

and

Hera.~litus ~p(!cu1ated

concerning the nature and

(Le., sublunar} (Ref. 1* 3t~;

Ariet.ot.l~).

r::fa

fraud.~

Erupedocles

~ocs:tio!l

of deaons

.a1so 1. l6 and 17, Plat.o o.nd

Though the invok.ing of Pb.!'yn (or, Phrin;

m 16,3: 3090C

o"nd 309lA, respec t1vely) or ot her demons in 4 ~ 28 1s part of the

Marc~s.

fr.a:ud.

for eXe;BJple. operates only partly 'by sleight of' hand

(dis,kYbeia~k;ibeuon)., it is also partlythrougb demons (Ref. 6.39

a.nd 41 t34 and 36); pc; 16" 3 =3:258A end 3259B) +

ever~

what operations the

and his fol-lowers.

d~ns

It is not clear; how-

perform otter tha.n1nspiring Marcus

Sim11arJ...v; it is not cl@ar if HippOlytuS B.ct:epts

t.he actual i ty of the ac'tivity of the demons c: aIled one! rODOm~oi and

pal'ed.roi whDse use be chELrges on the Simonians and Caryocratian.s (Ret'.

6. 20 I: 15 J and 7. 32 C20 J L
operated 'by both.
ipg his

SilDOn hilnself t hov~v~r, seems to ha.'Ie'

He vas adept at sorceries (mageias ~.E.eiros)~ ,,"ork-

villai;niea (uaiu.a) partly" by the art (te:C'hn~n) of Tllras:y11ledes,

as "explained above ~ n 8J1d p.artly &lEO by the Q,Ssiste.Y1ce of decnons.

he was; a che:s.t (.S2~e) &nd :full of folly (Ref.

16" 3: 3206D).

6. 'I

But

[2J ~ IuW 5: 74; PC

In 6. 20 [15J, the demons are "said to be 'senders of'

dreams. ," and in i .. 32 (20)" tbe naming of' those de'lI1ons is tollo'Rl'ed
by reference to Nthe :regt of the tricks l1 (tEL loiQB. kako'.Jrgemata .PG

16. 3=3339A) of sorcery.

On t.he other hand. a. demon., while Wlable to

c8.ll ba.ck the d.ead, could have conjured up the fom of

Samuel~

further l

398

Early Christian Vie....

while the demon could infer Sa'Ul's fate, 11;. could not really foresee

it.

The Egyptians c:laim to cure

name 'iDe i ty

I'

(to theos)

b)r

the use of an. amulet l(ith the

numerologi cally det. ermine d (ps epn i s.as) vri t~

ten on it,. or by an herb deter:nined s im.i lar ly (Re:f.

ro
are

16 t 3; 31D1C!D).
l~ss

I~. 41~ ~ M."F

5; ~ 1 ;

Other referent:es to drugs (and possibly UJrtUlets)

In 9. 12 (7], among the- followers of Ca1-

.;:=learly occult.

Ii st us (bi shop a f Rome, Hi ppolyt us t s rival) are vomen who resort (for

immoral purposes) to variDus birth-control or acor~ive procedures~

us ing drugs ( 'OhEi..i"'IlLS.koi s

and n gi

Tar i ng J

the:nse 1ves round

meisthai) (- amulets, or som.e t:r"P~ of press'lU'e bal'1dage,?).

dif~erent c~tegories,

Ess~ni sho~

the

great curiosity

'I ep eri des2

In ra.ther

ab~ut ~lant9

and stones (pam~ de wriergos exousi 'tier! botan8.5 kai lithotis) ~ 'b'llsying thttmsel'toE's I::once:rning the1J" operative povers (~erie:r:goteroi ontes

pros tas touton eneTg~ias), arguing that they were not created in va~n

2.

8. 6 [Greek

G~C. 136j)~

seet VQuld possibly be

th~se

Sucb interests on the part o~ a Jewish

~~lated

to the tales of

Solo~n's

know1edge in

areas s tales concerning "IoI'hich another reference in Hip-polytus

pro.... ides a va-ria-nt.

Solanon wrote of t.he 'physiology of plants, ani-

mals ~ and of the cure of

d.is~ase:s ~

but Hezekiah destroyed them

be~a'ilse

lyragme-nt of a tractate "On the Sore ~rl!'s S" Dr nOn Saul and
the Wi ten," AJW 5 ~ 169-70 (8. D. F. Sa1.mond, trans. t u'I'he Extant Work s
and FragmentS'Of Hippolytus t" ~ 5 :163-258) (PG 10 :605-8}.

m.. 5:131

(vit.h n. 8); PO 16, 3:3381A.

Hippolytus
the people looked to them t and not to

J99

God~ for heali~g.l

Those '1,;110 attempt to prophesy 'by calcula:tion and nwnbera (R~f.

4. 14} a~e closely related in Hippolytus's presentation to the P,rthag-

orea,."l calc ul at ionti ( L. 13).

To Rippolyt us,

fa.tte:m.pts fI. t

divine..ti on

(sf-eei f'ically th6t by examination of foreheads) was rather madness

(4. 15 ta

m~~tein/manifi, paronoIDasia,

cr, Clem.

A1e~. Exh~

but the pursuit of the idea led directly into astrology.

2/11. 2-3J);
SilfJi1arly,

the Elchasaites, \tho claimed to have the "pover of presci'ence t

were

cba.rg(!dwi tTl lIbustling activity (Beso'b~nta.iJ in reglU"d 01' a.strological

and: :mathematical science t' (as well as sorcery ~ magikois)

0n1~,T

(Btl.

10. 29

Essenes he.1fethe one interest

('t,pra.ctice o:f prophe~y and :prediction of future events, 1'l [tJ? pl'opheteuein kai prolegein ta esomenaJ~ Ref. 9. 21 (22J;

E 16.

3;3406B)~

withot."t specific contamination with the: other, a.t lef-st in Hippolytus f s.

ac~ou.nt.

:2

l:-ragment uO n the Song of Songs," cited as found HIn Ga.llandi~

from Ana.stasi'tJ.s 6in,ai ta:lo qua.est 41 ~ P 320 tl (.A1f.F' 5 :176; PG 10: 621-30
C629BJ>. Possibly a garbling of the tales of Solo~onta occult knovledge with 2 Kings 18:41

2Though both Pythagoras and the Stoics derived (pa.rts of) their
them (Ref. 9. 21 J, and they show special r-everence tor
the S'Un {9. 2.5 [20Jr Joseph\1!i1 makes the point stronger; they prophe ay by" reading the holy book s 11 by purifi ca t i on, a.nd :rami li&l'" i ty yj,th
the discourses of the prophets (JOB. ~.J. 2. 8. 12; Gr. sec. 159).
However, J05epbus also attributes to them a strong belief in Fate
(.&rt. 13. 5 9; Gr~ see. 172 L whic'h :rits in with the discovery at
Qumran (Ca'"e nr) of a work containing horoscopes (A. Dupont-Sommer ~
The Essene Writinss from Qumran, trans. G. Ve:rnJes {Cl~v!:l&nd and. New
York ~ World Publishing Compa.ny' ~ MeridiB.[] B::>oks, 1967),. p:p. 52 and
338)
EYst~s from

Early Christian View

Astrology itself l'eceiv~s I;lpecial e:ttention .from. Hippolytus, 1

inc:=ludingseveraJ.

magic.

ri!"fe~ences

connectiog its practice with

According to Hippol:rtus, the Peratics1!

their doetrineB from it, their

as their eosmogony/coBmology
thetic principle

"as a.bov~,

sO

especlally~

anthropo~ogy ~~d

being 'based

belo'W'"

On

b~lie:f

50teriologj'

in

derived
a~

variations of the-

well
Byt!!pa-

(ReX, 5. 13.. 17 [8 ~ 12)).3

Alt@rnate views as magic

Probably a.t lea.st partially due to the nature of his survh"i.ng
~"Prk5~ lHppolytus

does. not. connect paga.n religion and magic as do his

fellow Christian w:rite::rs.

As noted above {uGeneral Referenc\!'s to

Magic," &nd "Spirits t1 ) , he does~ however., drs-OW" a direct cO:rJ.neetion be-

tlJrE!en many of the

h~resie5

a.nd ma.gic:=.

This in turn is related to e.

contam.ination or eVen Creek philoso!Jhy by it.

Many of

th~se

philosoph-

ers, in t.urn:to had (oceult,c) ~ligious roots (note, e. g . , ~. 1. 2., on

Pythagoras)

lEe.peciallY in book four where i.t dominates the first tventyseve-n ~ hapt.ers and appears aga.i n in chaps. 46-50 .
29

~ef. 6. 39 C3bJ ~ with 55 [50J-Marcus; 9. 14 [9J J and 10.

[25]-':Eiohasai te-s (cf" . .al.50 1. ll--Democritu,l;l,).

3The pover of I;l,ympatr"y is suppo:rte-d. by the analogies or naphtha "d:ra......1ngU fire So and of magnetism and static electricity ~ in 5. 17
[12J (the- magnet &ttr~~tB iron aJ.one; tbe backbone of" 6. se& fa.lc:on ~ gold
alone; and chaff is moved by amber). This latt~r triad was also us~d
by the Naaaenes {5. 9 r~J and the Sethians (5. 21 (16J) in e'xplaining
tbe nm~~hanicsl't of the-ir Boteriologies. (Naphtha (Indian naphtha:! appears aga.in in 1e 25 [13J in Basilides' illustration of th~ natu.r@ of
the Son of the Great Arc:hon.l
4Besides the rfd'erences tbere:to note

a1soR~:r.

the Great Archon of Basilides is Abrasax; 7+27

Jesus 'Was instr-ucted 'by sages in Egj."]Jt..

1+ 26 [14),.

(15J~ Basilid~s

says

401

Hippo l.yt US

While Hippolytus took a critical a.ttitude tovard ma.ny of t.he

''magical'' displays: o:f the heretics!i he apparent.ly cou.ld not explain

them all; and he

\laS,

aft!!!" BolL" still a participant in the culture

and beliefs of' his times.

H~

thus accepted the possibility of de-monic!!

as ve11 as di'Vine .. W"orkingf>.

This ambiguity is visible in other areas also. While

fested. e. faiT smo1,U1t of at least l.iterary t empirical

h~

knO'lll~dge

mnniof

"scientific" ma.tters (Ref'. 4), he ~ou1d e..lso retail animal lore such

as thoBe con.cerning the dee-r and the bird!i "'cemphuli, Pf in his Cocmnentarv on Proverbs (1: 22; AlW 5:113).

Also, while ridiculing the

numeric&l f&ntasies of Pythagoreans and Marcosians 2 and the astronom-

ieal

or

labo~s

such as Archimedes .. he seems to correct the latte1"'s

figUl"es on e. Platonic b~is, because 'tThat . . . they should not be in

harmony and sYlD]lhony this 11:' inrpossible" (~. 4. lO .. ANF 5 ~29;
vith his ovn calc\lJ.ations in. t.he next chtLpter)..

It may be that tbis

i san ad hom! ne1n argum.ent) pitt fog philosopher against philosopher (un-

less it. is

&

e:ounte-r-presente.tion of Ptolemy's view; ptolem;y

s.ppe~s

sudc1e:nly" previously unannounced, in chap. 12)!! but Hippolytus mani-

1
fests a similar sort of number myat1cisI!I elsewhere.
lIn his discussion of Christ'a birth, he conclud~d that it
must have been in the year 5500, for t.he dimensions of the ark of
the C OVen6Jlt add up to 5 1/2 cubi t.s; f'u:rther, the end wlll e ome at
6000 .. the Bixtb day (On Daniel frag. 2. 5 and 6; cf. also 2. 1I C.AHF
5 :119) +

Early Christian View

402

Latin

Polemic~6t6

SY8temati~ers

and

Tertullian
Tertulli6.n'

viev of JZIagic i:8 t!lUc'h like Origen s:

there is

6.

certain real i ty to magi c ~ yet it is a. fr a.ud; 'but this 1 s a de:moni c

:fra.ud upon mankind (including the ltItlgicians t etc:.) .. not human fraud.

The demons operate by various dell,lsh e means to turn men frO'lll God.
p

Introduction
Tertu11ian

mak~s

reference ton brQad range of magical cate-

gories and relo.ted. areas ~ viewing them all as bad.

Agtra~oge:r and.

soothsayer (haruspice~) and .augur and magus are all eqUAlly consulted

regal"ding Ca.esa.:r's life]o l!L."'ld all equally involve a.rts originated

angels who sinned

(a~ange1is

things l!'l.re perversions;

desertQTibus}

'by

(ApolQSJ~ 35. 12).1 These

tho-u.gh God ci"iI!!6:ted such t.hings asiroo,

herbs, and demons (ange1i) .. He is not rerrponsible :for their use in

znurd.er by iron ~ poison., or magical enchantment (ferro
d~uinctionibu!3) (D~s'pec.

\~e!1e!10,

magicis

2. 8; Bee also De pud~ 5. 11 for further

references to murder by pQisone-rs and magicians,.. uene.nQ.l"ii Dl6.p;i)

Di5~uss!ons

of ma.gic

Origin and

op~rations

Magic originated from fa.llen s.nge1e . . . h o taught various occult

1The Latin text bas usually been given from 9Hinti S~timi
Florentis Tertull1ani Opera 7 Corpus Christi&norum~ Series Latina~ vcls.
1 and 2', 2 vols. (ifurnhout: 'I'ypographi E:repols Edit-ores PontificU 11954) 'lo but the traditional d1viaions of Terttlllian t s texts are- short
enough that ~ore precise reference has not b~~n deemed ne~essarJ in
most cases. {~~ere needed]o cited as CCSL 10 with ~olume, page~ ~ld line
numbers. )

~03

'rert ullian

arts (meta..llorwn 0:e:.era. . et herbarum

in,g,~nia .

. . tot inCfLnta.tionum

uires e.t...Q.mnem curi9sitatt~ ~Q..ue ad st.e1.larlllIJ. interpretationem,

CCSL 1 =344. 6-9} to 'WOmen <De eultu feJ!i. 1. 2. 1; cf. 2. 10. 2 i 3;

uso Apol. 35. 12l.

idol. 9. 1.)

(Astrology

8J.BO

comes fro1!l the Ba.me source, De

But besides the u1.timate de.JtlOnic origin, there are usc

traditional human o:dgin9.t.ors of magic;

Ostanes ~

Typhon~

Da.:rdanus,.

Dsmigeron ,Nect.abis, and Berenice: (De anima 57. l).

The operations carried out by means of magic include producing

appa.ritions (specifically 2 of Castor),. carrying va.ter in a si.eve,. pull-

) 2

ing a ship by a g1rdle~ reddening a beard by a touch (~. 22. 12 ; .

in short,. apparitions and .... arious pr(!tended miracll!:!s by juggling 11Iusion (cireulatorii~ praestigiis, Ap1. 23. 1, CCSL 1 :130. 3).
th~re

But

is an I!:'lfen darker side; they produce supposed soUls or the dead,

p~haps

(tV'et'J kill boys fo:r o1"acular purposes ~ and.,. at tbe least, York

by the 6.id of demonic assistants to send dreaIllS.,. or dl'V'ine: by goats

at.Jd tables (~. 23. l}.

Magic is also credited with e.ome :pov~r in

relieving scorpion stings (SCOrE' 1 . .2) t and, in general, in exorcism

tuld healings of various types (Apol. 21. 17
Jesus facts] j see also Ad..... Ma:rc.

[= Je'lol'ish ~xpla.nat1on

of

3. 6. 10). 3

ITertullian is aware that t.he Book of Enoch on vhichtbis is

based ~ vas :not universally aC~E!:pted, 'but he argues for at least partial
a.cceptance: of" it (De cultu :rem. L 3. 1-3).
2

2 At least e.ome of: these a~(!: apparently not "purely' magical;

MinuciusFelix connecte. the :first. and third with pagan religious rit.es
(Oct. 7 and 27. 4; c f'. also Lactant.i us Div. inst. 2'. 1).

3T~rlulli&nalS0 r~f"er9, in two passages .. to the idea of

tascinatio (the "evil ~y@11l, but rather ambiguousl;:,'.. In the on~ case
he pree:enta it in a sort of 8d hoJt:d.nem argtJJn.ent I 8:!;I a pagan idea yhich
at. ll!ast. served to reinforce his ideas; about virgins wearing veils {~
V'i.r g. vel. 15. 1,. :2}. In the- other, be quote 5 amon g Marc ion s

Early Christian Viev

There were variQUS sub-divisions, and eollo.:tel"&l fields). of
t.hes~

magic:.nl.

The calline;, up of the aboros and b1e.eothan-

oper9:tio~s~

atos 5eemedto be for using t.hettl as f'amiliars (De BJIil!la 57. 1 and 3) l'
while the supposed calling up of those 'Who died. naturally a.nd veTe
properly buried (57. 2 and 6) vas either for show

divining or both (like 'mOdern eeances).

or for purposes of

Elsevbere Tertullian divided

magic:, not too (:learly~ into astrology (e.strologis and me.thematicis.

alternately. throughout the c:hapter) and "the other epecie$ vhich 0F-

er.ated by- nJjra.c~es" (De idol. 9. 1 and 6), and eo.pped it by list.ing
Vi!U"ious groupe. "Which appeared in the Gospels only to 'b4! cond~fIUted~

sophist, Cha1dea.n~ enchanter, diviner (confect-ores), and magicia.n

(nJagos} (De idoL

9. 7).

Spirits
The angels)
:2. 8) ~ but

SOr:le

lik~ &1l ereation~ o~iginated ~om

Gad (De

~pec.

of them fell through dt'!sire tor earthly VO~n (De

virg. vel. 7. 2; Apol. 35. 12, Adv. Me.:rc. 5. 16. 14; De idol. 9. 1;

cr.

also De cultu

rem.

1. 2. 1; 2. 10. 2, 3).

ds.em.ons~ properly speaki ng )

13. 19).

ve:re

pl"OOUC ed

From this union the

(Apol. 22. 3; Ad na.t. 2.

The daemons a.re thus. il1-di sposed toward God, a.nd work for

t.h(!- ruin of' mankind ~ trying to turn them from God (lwol. 22. 4;
hapt.. 5. .l.i; Ad nat. 2. 13. 19).

12.t

Besides this ~ the evil spirits (both

ob..1 ections t.oLu.ke s accounts of Jesus natiyi t.y the remark, nLet the
old woman [lmnaJ be silent .. lest she bewit~b Cf'asc1netJ tbe child"

(De carne

ChT.

2. 2).

lBecause of this distinction 'by Tert'Ullian hil:Ds~11"t I have retained 'the spelling of 11d&@:III.on lr vhen this group of s:piri ts is specifically in view.

!~05

Tertul1.ian

angelic and d.a.~onic) desire the fvJnes (nidori:;:d a.nd blood of" sac:rifi ces for f'ood (ABol + 22.

6; 23. llJ;

Ad Scap. 2.

8).

Their acts and ma.nner of 'Working ar(!' conditioned by t.hil!> origin.

,eM

As spirits., they do not ha...e bodies of' such a nature tha.t they
directly affect. men phys1call.y (AWl. 22. 5 and 6; et. Adv. }.'.arc.

3. B. h;. not.e also Tenull ian s simi lar view {) f the soul:> Re!3. mort.
17. 2 ; Adv,. Prax.. 7. 8) c f. De an ima 5. 5, th~ :soul

Ir

sympa:tb i

') 1 but they can,. and do ..

viththe body [passion1.U'!l communioneJ.,
diEiIl!!a.s~s &D.d

46.

12;

47.

Zf-S Jt

~8.U8e

distresses (Ap,ol. 22. ~-6), ar.Jd I!!Ost drefIJD5 (De anima

l~ ARol. 23. 1).

All spirits~ angels or daemons t are

'W'ing,ed and thus can be everywbe re in a =nomen t

(over e..llearth or up

to the hee,vem;:)t and thus are tlbll!' 'toa.weal" to divin~ (Af'!?l. 22.

Further) theY ca-use diseases so they can then appea.r to re-

and 10).

Ii evt!' them miraculously, by "new or con-traTJ' remedies" ( 22 .11),. and

they :perform the vario'Ul;i otber decePtive, mtl.gic6-1 a.cts llioted above
(22. 12 ~ 23. 1).

In the case of Pj"thagoras s recognition of Euphor-

bus's shield, Tertullian suggests various natural "Ways Pythagoras

could ne.ve ga1r.Jed the necessary knowledge, but then goes on to gbre a

magical explanation (Scimus etiam roagiae licer~exp1orandis oeculti~

CCSL 2; 825. 48) which he seems to pr e:f'e:r .

There ue vaX' i ous type-s

spirits ~ catabolir:os and paredros and m.honicos; perhaps the sue

daemon lih1 c h ha.d be en :in Euphorbus inhs.bi t ed Pythagortls (De ani.m.a 28. S).
It is" however, only e. question of the level of

Bucb

oper~tions"

th~

frl!l..ud ~ all

explicitly magical or otherYise, are simply deception

On the oth~r hand,. angels ho.vethe

form temporarily (De carne Chr. 6. 9 ~ lO}.

pow~:r-

of assuming 'bodily

Early Christian

406

by t.he spi:r-it.s {D~ anil'flB.. 51 .. 2}.1

~ie~

The various categories of spirits

invoked s whetb.e:rahori or biaeotbanati (51. 2 and 3} t vbether appearing

as decea.sed relatives, gladia.tors,. bestill.rii, or
even proph@'ts {s.ec s. 1 and
(falla.ci~/-ae; sees.

81, are a.ll

2 and 6).

god:9(~ec. 5)~

or

f allf1..CY. impt:lst.ure s of daemons

But their true nature is

re:v~aled in

conflict. vi th the ChriE;tla.ns ;W'hen exorcised they Confess t.hat

the~r

.are daemons (Apo1- 23. 4).. even though they had previously pr~sented

themsel V(!s; as deceased 1"elat.ivee, etc. (De anima. 57. 5).

do vhen invo.ked is what they

thl!!nlS~lves

What they

do or desire t.o do na:tut'al.ly

Incantations .. etc.
Tertullian does not

gen developed.

2'

h!lv~

a theory of' incantation such

1l;J bis> discussion he simply

relating to this area..;

~J:;le5

8,S

Ori-

various common terJt.9

incanta.tionum, incsntatore:s (De cultu fem. 1.

2. 1; De idoL 9. T), f!'voeaturam~ _1nvocM'tur (Dtt anilIL8.

51. 2 s 3).

edunt. ~ invi tatorum (A:E0l. 23. 1; c:f'. De anima 57. 2, in\ritatoria oper~--

a).

tione), and de"l"iTlction1'bus (De spec:. 2.

In those

CQ,S@S ....h~re

the

context. :J:rAkes the action <:leo.:r (e'xeept the two incant;- passtLge~, in

vhich it is still a reasonable a~sumption). these ref~r to tne ~alling

upon or tne calling up iJt spirits. s Le.

to

the incantations do not work

IThe deception extends even to imitation of divine things, e.g.,

the special conn~ction of unclean spirits \i,"1th vario-t.::s types and bodi~s
of vater (in malic ious imi tati on of' bapt ism) (De bapt.

5. 3- ~ )

2:rndeed ~ his thcwry of demor.aic names. is the oppo.site:

they

lac-ked nar:nes unt-il superstition provided empty names of gods vhich

they couJ.d s eh:.e on (De- idol. 15. 5 11 6).

Tertullian

directly.

OJ."

"automati e&1.1y ," on

l1

407

na t urI!' ," but \lork indil'ectly ..

through spirits.

Related fields
Drugs and medicine

In the area of medicine and healing, Tertullie.n ag-ree6 vito

'the general Christian view, Qgninst
~a.use diseas~s

(ApD~. 22.

Ta.tian~

that while the demons can

and t.hen wi thdrav tbePl to gain

~redit

for ben.ling power

fLnd~ esp. ~ 11} .. there are other t gCDd, :sources of heal-

ing (remediis naturalis t

and medicina [alongside magiaJ in ScoIP+ 1. 2,

guished in the.t .. in generu .. pllysiciBns t!l:tIfIloy k'emedies \lith like

properties (quod feme pares adhibet gualitate-s medellaru:ro aduersus

I'homoiopathi~" tLp.p!"Mch to medicine).. while the de1l'..ons ~ommand

remedia . . . nou& siue contrar1a (Apol. 22. lit CcSt 1:130. 51-52;

... "antipathies"? or just contrary to accepted

exar:!Ple of' the lat.ter 'WOuld be

th~

practic~?).

popular ('n re~dy

fb:t'

A possible

epilepsy

(corni t i ali morbo) ~ drinki ng 'the fresh-flo'!,fi ng blood of 8. critnine..1

slain i.n tbe arena

(AF"~l.

9. 10}.

The powers of her06 (herbarum ingenia.} are alDong the t.bings

the fallen angelg taught wom~o (D~ ~u1tu fem. 1. 2. l)~ but the herbs

theMselves are a creation of God t so their use :for evil (in potsoning,

lSome'i1hat related to this idea 'Would be the reme-dil!!s natural~'

kno\j"n to varioua sr.Jimsls (~ pM!. 3~ De a.nimA2~; De D.aen. 12) .. ,apd
a160 the e:ffecta of thl!! ~:dous materials of whiCh 'WTe8.ths 'Were c01l!!lH;mly
made (De'~or. 7. 2-5).

!:arly Christian Vie'W

408
etc.;

De Spl!'c. 2. 8; De pud. 5. 11; Apol. 43. 1) ~ is .a. misuse (con-

versa ;De spec. 2. 6 and 8).

Oracles, divination, s.nd a'Strology

Foreknol,dedge.
tttte ~

8.S

having

SOl!Je

TertuJ.l i an regard s t be soul, by its very na.-

limited po-ole:rs of divination (~H ulnatione:1lJ :inter-

dUlI! t De anime. 22. 1; di ui n.a.t ri cen!, 22. 2; of nn infant

habenda, 19. 8; of ~very man:

praesElgeun animam

ominis aut ..:eericuli aut gaud!! augW"e1I!i, 24. 10"

Recogi ta. in lrre,e!3itg1 i
IIi eenJ.

Un t em, i n

o~ i

Mirum, si . 0.1uinsre ']

lines 12-13).

SUa..J:l

prae s chms

sentit taut

ceSL 2:818.

bus s.u.gu.rem, 112

79-8o~

e-u~ti bus

pros-

Test. an. 5. :2 ~ CCSL 1:180-Bit

Th1Bis distinct from the special gi.f't of prophecy

(E,rotJhet.ia ;De aniIr...a. 22. 1), more &"]alogous to the- general qua.li ty of'

intelligence (De anima. 19+ 8; 22. 2; and Test. an. 5. 2)" especially
enab1 ing the soul to knOll God (Test.
ra.th~l"

complico.ted rela.tion to this

a.t.I.

5. 2" )

~bili ty

Dr~ l'I..I:!lS st and in

of the soul.

Most

if};

d.r~e.ms

are eaused "b;:pr demons, even though sometimes they are true and fa.vorable

(De anima 1.17. 1 ~ fO.llO"..ing ext1!nd~d examples in chap. 46) ~ but some ~
comparable t.o prophecy.,

appa.:rent.ly

cr~ated

eirc~tance5

C01!ie

from God (1&1. 2) t and a third ~lB.:Ss

aTe

by the soUl itself, tor itself, from attention to

(ex intentione c~Icumgt&ntlar~., ~1. 3).

The possibility

of s.u.ch action by the soul \tas not full)1" settled in Tert'Ullian 1 !3

lJIind~ 2

1 Equ.s.lly a misuse is the use of various mineral or other compounds to change the hu:ma.n appearance or even tbe color of ~lothing
(De cultu fern. 1.

8. 1-3; 1. 2. 1, 2. 6 and lO).

~ote also t-be tinal eentence of De ani~ q8. 2: dreams are

under the control of a. man! 1;1 yill.. if they Can b@' controlled at all.

~09

Tertullian
so he hesitates and suggests

&noth~r, "e~staticH

possibility (!47. 3,

4) '" but the third category lIol...lid seem to be consistent with hie, view
o:f' the

"dj vina.tory"

ca.pB.<:ity o.f tbe soul.

In W1Y ease,. Terotu111an' s vie'il of fo:re.knO'W'ledge lieems to fall

into these same three categories.

Besides the limited natural :fore-

sight of" the soul t and the 6peci&l divine gifts of prophecy s. "there is

the moTe visible l widegpread

ti on .

pheno~enon

of demonic oracles and divina-

The 5 e la.t to~!' .act ually overlap vi t 11 dreams {not.e 1 e.e;., De anima.

46 1 esp. sees. 11, 12, and l3; also l

~.

23. 1).

In the

A~ologY,

Tertulli.an presents the actual operations of the demorJ.s in divination

(eha.p. 22) followed by their ostens1 ve procedures (chap. 23).

It

originatef; w.ith certain fal1et1 angels o.:nd their daetoon offspring {22.

3; also 35. 12} ~ 'Who, because of their ubiquitous nature ~ can know and.
rep':)n events anyvbere in the world (:22. 8).

They lmo'W something of

the pUl"poses of God from t,heproDQ\Ulce:ments of the pl'opheta., 1 and so

plagiarize His d1vinatiot1 {dum f'llrantur diuinationem~ 22. 9 L

ing in the air and clouds l

th~y

sense the: processes of the upper re-

sions and go prom se Tal n (22. 10).

vith

~icians~

Publi ely t however,. they Coope'Tate

appl!:Etring as phantasmats.., or as souls of' the

operating in oracular

r~sponses

INell-

dead~ 2

obtained through boys sle.:ughtered tor

1 But apparently they cannot read~ since they must have heard
them, of old, from t.he prophet.s l or from tbeir vrit1ngs as they hear
them read {et tunc rotJh~tis contionfl.ntibus excenerunt et nunc lect10nibus re-sonantibus carpunt; Apol. 22. 9~ CCSL 1 :129. 0- 1
2 AS noted earlier, they appear as Mori and biaeothanat.i, or
oth@1" t1@ad (n~ anima 57. 1-3 1 6), or as catawlic,. :2.aredra.l~ or
pvthonic spirits (28. 5).

80S

Early Christian Viev

410
that

purpose~

sending drit!ams

when invoked) or making r.JtLnnY-goats

and (sacrificial?) tables divine (23. 1; Tertul11an then adds the

Bow much :tn.or-e pmrerfuJ.ly vill they operate when

rhetorical question:

they do these same things for their o'lotn ends and vil.l?).
The i r human
aria prOC~dl.U"e3:

PI

controls' (or ~ a.gen t S) Appe a:r wi th varyi::lg nBL!les

flStrologos et haJ"'J.spices et

35. 12, CCSL 1 :11~6. 59-60:

haruspices

harioli

thOB~ consulted aboltt

1!lB.thematic1

all';';u.r~s et ma..gos

(Apal.

Caesar' slife);

(43. 1; 'With :magi:lo -etc:.!lo those vho

can JU50tly COmplAi!~ about. Chr1stia.ns). o:t') at the end of' a list of
the early teachers of man vho wore the mantle t

~t

Qui ste'larem

coniectat et gui uolaticSJn spectat (De pfl.1l. 6. 2, CCSL 2 ;75-0. 14-15).

In the public or9.cles J acts indistinguishable from madness appear
(~. 23. 3.

5; also De

a.~ima

28. 5 .. re Phere-cydes), perhaps

induc:~d

b Jr the bre'ELthing of' :fumes frOl:l the altar (All0l. 23. 5).
AstrolQE:r.

A$trolo~r,

which appears in the lists in the

p:re~

ceding paragraphs under thxee different designations, not only shares

a place witb magic in t.hose-

~istl;l ~

but in De idololatria is explicitly

classified by Tertullian as a spe~ie5 or magic

inter se eocietatem).

~lso

9.

3~

It shal"~s vith magic botn its deltiionic" origin

and apostolic condemna.tion (9. 1-2, and 6-7~

~gela.

(9. 1; note

see also De cu.ltu. rem. 1. 2. 1:

en its origin from fallen

stella-rum interpretationero).

lef. the on (e)iropompoi of Justin (A~ol. I lB. 3) and Irenaeus

{Adv. he.el'. 1. 23. ~}. The vhole of Apol. 23 appears to be a. somewhat
garbled (and non-comprehending?) ~xpfl.nsion of Justin Apol. ]; 18. 3-4.
2 The ho.rus'Dice appea.rs also, in concert with the undertaker
(di 58i matore j, as duobus . . aTbi t!'"i S tlt."1 ~rum et 6 e.c rorum... a 1. t heatrical e.xhibitions (De spet=. 10. :2, CCSL 1 ~236. 6-8). (Is this :perhaps a gruesomepla.y on the meanings of dlssignatore~ IImaster of ceremoniea lo " .and 'funeral director,I?)

h.ll

Tertull ian
Such origin means that this knowledg.e is evil:to and Chr i lit.1 tIJlS , as a
-matter of' :ra~t ~ do not hJ1V~ reCOUl'se t.o it (A,ol. 35 .. 12 L. but Ter-

tullian does not clearly indicate vhethe-r he believes i t u;nt.rue.

He

can ridic:uJ.e the astrologer for not seeing his own danger in t.he stB.i"sJ
and :for abusing the

heaV'~nE

."rith bis finger or rod (diRt tus

autradiU!..~

De idol. 9. 8) ~ and ridicule Mar cion' 8 god in B..st.rologiDfl..1 terms ,and

charge the MaTc:ioni tes n.ot only vi t.h addiction to astrology t but also

with supporting

th~selv~s by

the Creator's stars

(Ad~.

Marc. 1. 18.

1),. but he also uses the pl"a(:ti~e ot the- anti~n't astrologe-rs (ueteres
6St~ologi)

as

aDima 25. 9).

1I.

proof' of the origin of the soul at conception (De

On the other hand", there is no question as. to

T"ne SibyL

tull ian" s attitude tOYai'd tbe 8i byl ~

T~r-

she is "our 'p!"ophete5 6 11 who se

nar:ie bas lH~en usurped for tl1e prophets/propheeil?s of

your " daemons/gods

tr

(Ad ne.t. 2. 12. 35; AtJol. 19. 10 [Fr!fQl1entum Fuldense", in CCSL 1:11920J)

Relation

o~

other

beli~fs

to

~gic

Faganism
Tertullian does not e;x:plicitly equate pagan beliefs and magic

as did some of his

pr~decessors10

but the same general attitude is

lThis is t of course 10 s.omething of" an ad hominem argur.nent, and

relates to a point (the time of origin of the soul) rather peripheral
to the main body o.f astrological beliefs. Further ,the practice of' the
MOO i ent ast rologers 1n determinin g the- nB.ti vi ty {geni t uram) :from conception vas in opposition to the COllUl:iOrJ p,ractice of' casting the horoecope f"rom birth. This l~tter vas ~ praetical necessity, as HippolJ~us
argued (Ref. ~ + 3), though everl the ti~ of'this va.eimpo!3-f)i ble to dete-rmine ~urat ely (4. 4) +
.

J~12

Early Christian View

apparent.

The demons who manifested themselves in magic- as part of

the!!" operations to dl!'!ceive man

religiot':l

atr:," as a

are especially operative in pAgan

l!Uld the whole pagan eult 'U:l'"e

r~sUlt

of' the 'WOrk of' evil spiri.te to entra.p the human r6.ct!

(D~ ani1tla 39. 1-3).

various demons!

Men are born to and 'With ido1-

SO

Everyday practice is saturated vith 'W'Or$hi]) of

it is ilnpossible for a Christian to marry

wi thout continuous danger of c01ltP1"omise (Ad ux. :2.

occ:upatio!l:S are BO

~losely

ar~

pagan

1), and numerous

involved with idola.try that they are iIe-

proper for Christio.ns (De idol. 5-11).

De spectaculis

6.

a.

The vhole of De idolalatr1o. and

actua.lly related to this quest.lon.

The same

f8.l1~n

angels who introdue ed magic (De cul tu ff!'m. 1. 2. 1 ~ Atl.ol. 22. 2.. 3)
opera:te b-ehind 'the idol s (~o.l. 22.

6).

The decept i ve operations

named by Tertu.llian (Castor apparitions, etc-., Apol. 22. 12) are perha.ps part of Bome religious r1.tua.l, rather than pure magic..

ta1nly the
out

op~rations

di5tin~tion

and eer-

described in ARQloSl 23, either oscillate with-

from magic to religiou.s ritet or describe magical opera-

t10ns in connection with religion.

Besides

these~

there

be noted

the various passages discussed above linking haruspices, etc., with

magic in one yay or another.
b~en

Furthe-r, a.

not~d

ma.gicia.n., Simon. had

honored by the Roma.ns vith a. statue and the ti tl~ Sanct1 Dei

(ApoL 13. 9; cf. Jus:tin Apol .. I 26~ 2, and

56.

2~ Iren. Adv. haer. 1..

23. 1).
1.lndeed the @;odti' f,lBJIles 'Were empty until the demons B;eized on
them and began operating under- the~ (De idol. 15. 5:).
2Note the use of tvo of them (Castor &pparitions and pulling a
e.mall ship by e girdle) in such & pagan religious: ~ontext by Minucius
Felix (Oct. 7 and 27. 4) .. and the fUrther recounting of a.ll of tbem by
Laetantius (Div.inst. 2. 7).

Tertu.llian
Heresies
The rel&tiolJ of the heresies to magic is stfL.ted
and emphatically.

Not only are various

ally, notable- a.s 1!lRgicians 1l

her~tical

but, as a group, the

ex:pli~it.ly

teacherslIindividu-

hereti~a

are notable

for eommerc~ vitb magicians .. charlatans lI and ast.rologe-rs. '(besides

philo.8ophers! ), because of their ded1~ation to t:urio'lls matters (commercia. . . . cum magis . . . circuJ.atoribu8 . . astl"ologis .
,E;":J.i los.ophi 5 ] curl os i tat i

CCSL 1=222. 1-3).

sci li c~t et dedi t. is, Prae:3. adv. h&er. 43. 1 :I-

Their sup'port.ers~ of course ll ~la.im that they de-

serve to be rega..rded as a.postles since

the~' hail~

done the

SaJtLe

things,

raised the dl!!:9.d, he-aled the: sick , foretold t.he future (L~. 5); but.
such great miracles. (uirtutes OIa.ximas) in support of deceitful, eor-

rupt p.rdf1chlng vas foretQ1d~

eal

t~aching

SJ1 d

proves nothing (~b.

disproves itse1f=Menander clfL.imed

6).

The beret1-

biQbapti~m

gfL.ve

1~~

mort&.1ity (De anima 50~ 2):; but no one can c1aiID for magic: such power

as 1;.0 exempt from death {Necms.gi 8,{!' tIDlturn dab it oui squam, \it exime.t

Christian practicl!s tJ:.nd magic

ChargeE against Christ and Christians

The
him as a

Jells~

magici~

being convinced that Jesus vas only a man, regarded

bec&use of the power he manifested

(~agumexistimarent

lSilnon IrIlI.e;t!!., Apc!. 13. 9:> .~ anima~ 34. 2'.. Pr.e.es. ad". 'hfLer.
33. 12; ManB.nder~ De anima. 50.2:0 4; Carpocrates, ibid., 35.1; "the
:IIl.agicil!l.n MtiIJ""cus I" Adv. Va.l. h. 2; also MtLrcion :and the )f.a.;rcionites as
astrologers ~ Adv. Mare ~ L 18. 1 .. cf. De idol. 9. 3 = UA5trology (matht!!sis) today cooceros Chriet ~ theetars-preach Christ, not saturn ~
Mars . . . u; note a.lso Ps.-Tertu.11ian Adv. om. haer. 1+ 2 .. 3, r(! Simon
end M.ttr1flnder.

'Early Christ 16,:n. View

de potest.e..te}, expellibg demons. per-fonDing v-IU"ious heaJ.ings) re.;ising

tbe dead CApol. 21. 11; ct. A.dv. Mare. 3.
eristim.a.ba....TJt).

6.

lO~ pl&ium

in signis . - .

This idea VfL.S l'11!:1"uted by Christ. f s act=:; and teaching:

he rebuked dem.-ona, but tdshighest. glory was not de=:;troyin,g demons"

but s6ving

mankind~

an attitude be viLl"Jted the disciples to share

(Advo_ Marc. 1.. 7. 13; se:e a150 h. 8. lL.. 5~ 7, and 4. 20. 1 a...:u;l ~.

pOYoIer over wind and

larly, hlJ:!

rai~ed

~ve,.

as vell a.s over legions of' demons); simi-

the dead. but to teach men of a future resurrect.ion ..

not as a simple exercise of pO'lol'er; t.o raise m.e'o to die again is no great
thing (De res. ~ort. 38~ 1. 2).1
The P&gB.ni$ take a similar fL.ttitude:

i.f a Christian should ex-

pel the demon trom a possessed or ecstatie person, will they not Beek
to explain it as ~ic or some sort of trick (maEia aut eJiqua eiusmodi.falla~ia fieri dic~tis . . ~

.~ Apol. 23.

7, CCSL 1;l31. 36-37);

and, o.s tor Chri st, 1'1 s he (not) an ordinary man ~ a sore erer. one
whose body vas st.Ol.en?1t (si homo communis eondic1oniB 3 si magus; 81

o~

23. 12, eeSt 1;132. 62-63}.

Denial of" magic and rl?lated pra.-etices.

The various ;,rork5 .. f'rom astrology through r:tlBgic, a.re forbidden

by God~

and Christians

do

not consult them even about their own af-

fairs ~ let alone the lif~ of someone else (theemperol") {AxoL 35. 12).

Further 10 B.6trology should not

e'il(m

be spoken of' (De idol. 9. 1).

But

\tarcionts Chriat~ on the other h6.nd~ lll!"icS such B. 1"igure.

t.:ricking, deceiving) misl~B.d1ng the -eyes :and senseI; (fallit. et decipit
et circumue:n1 t on:niun:. ocu)os o~1um sensus) ~ not God-vi th-ntan! bl)t a
I

mag:i.cian ~ a conjurer (ms..gwn b.ornine:m _ _ spect6culi ar-tificem) (De

carne Chr. 5. 10, CCSL 2;882. 64-8S3- 71)~

Tertullian
'this maJf be something of an ide-ill ~ the equally taintl!:!d idol-Jna?cers ~

for

example~

who sbould not even be admjtted to the

cbos~n even for church of~ices

vere

b~ing

(7. 3).

Astrology cannot 'be defended

astrolog~r::;n

chU1'ch~

b~{

reference to the "Magi and

in the- Gospels; astrology htLs not nov become Christian

(De . idol. 9. 3.. in contrast to some: group that asserted that it had;

perhaps 'the Marcionites. cf' .Adv. Marc. 1. 16. I?), the m.agi .ere
Co'!TJTJ)R n

de d to return another ve.y, i. I!:

not to Y.fI.lki TI their old vay s

Astrologers hllve no p~t in thekingdOJD of heaven

(De idol. 9. 5).

(9. 8).

']1

The other species of magic ~~ich operated by mira~les (9. 6)

was equally condemned b"J. the o.postlef: and Gospellil (9. 6-7).

This negative a.ttitude extends to most 8os-peet.s of pagan cuJ..t.ur~

(!::Jote the various proi'essions forbidden to Christians, De idol.

5-8), es:pecie.llJ the

P

son5~

th~atre, whi:::h \Ti'o.s opened b::.r t ......o

ill-Oli:Iened per-

the undertaker and the soothsayer (d~!3sig:na.t.ore et harusp1ce ~

De spec. 10. :2 ):lI tmd 'Was cla.imed by a del!lOn as hi Ii s:pec i al territor:,.

(:::: 6+ 1 tat its

eXOrei 8m froo. a. "Christian II ...oman. ",ho be came pog se ss.ed

at a thea.tre J).

'!'he hostility, and

oth~r d~m.oni
Thi~

ig

anima.~

n~.

of Christianity to m!Lgic and

c works is shown by the ehr i st ians' power over demons.

present~d

this

51uperiority~

De\<

in the most sweeping terms at the beginning of De

visdam of the Bchool of heaven does not introduce:

gods or demons t but expels (depellens) the old ones (1. 6).

Early Chri6t:ien Viev

416

Tertu11ian gives (even) less into:nns.t.ion about the a.ctual pro~

Origen~l but

cedures t.han did

II!!ral. picture.

reminding

th~

The-

b~sic

proc:e-dure is naming the

n~..Jne

demons of their impending divine fate

Judge {Apol. 23. 15).

~.

'What he does say presents the sa,m.e gen-

8. 3); w;.d

1l

of Christ 3' and

ny

Christ as

This might be reinforced by fast.s in ba.tt.ling

in genere.l1! singleness 01' purpos~ nnd devotion to

spirit.ual things {as of one no longer having a. vife) give, for example ..
greater self-confidence .if a.djurit'Jg a demon (si daellxmem adiurat ~
1

This is .. of course., characteristic ot the ~arly Christian

fits well with their contention that iluch things ""ere

vrite:rg~ and

simple acts of' f'aith. the manifestation of the poyer of the- true God,
not magi c Some 60rt of fOl"C:lal pat terD may have been developing but
there is no e-vidence of' it t ot.her tha.n the fairl)' conatant fefLture of
the use- of the ~~am.e ~ et al.: even the uf;le of the t1gign~' is .not specifically brou.g?1t. into thi 5 connection by 'l'ertuJ.liall. The a.ccou.TJt in
De spe~T 26. 1 ~ reter to afonnal. act in the churcb,. but such a
setting vas not necessary; a. c:ourt:rOOl:Q,. or any ot.be-r settin~h 'Would
do (cf. l!Pl.. 23. 4 and 15).
1

This, also,. ha.s similarities to the magical. use of I1myth_

ologi cal narrfl.t ive 1. (c f. a'bov@',. 1'. 382. n. 2}.
The next section might suggest another proced\U"e, "At our
touch and breath (contactu dl!'9u~ a.f'flatu) . . . the demons leave, it
though the "breath" may be simply a graphic: r~f'e.rl!'nce to the words
of the previ~us s~ction. Compare Ad ux. 2. 5. 2 bis, i~dum flatu
e;x;plodis" MdDe idol. 11. 7, t'tt!:nante-s eras d~s>JU:J?t et exsuftlabi t.;
'Ur~fortuna.tely the fo:rmer is wit.hout context, and t.h~ latter could
easily be interpret.ed a.s I!lp.hysics..l qu~nching of the :f'il"e On a"l incense altar. But the blowing)H.ke th~ spitting~ could ho.ve .e. SynJbelie signifi-eMce 90S 'Well B.s tI. pn:o:;ieal ~f't~ct. n~ert!Te-rtu.llil!l.n
and his confreres becoming mill taDt ttanti-smokers't?J Francis<:us
OehJ.er interprets. both the spitting and blo'Wing out as expressions
of cont.empt. ( :inti Setimii Florentis. Te:rtulliani ua,i;! su ersunt
o:rnniEL, 3 vols+ [Leipzig: T. OT Weigel .. l851-5hJ .. 1 1853: 85 ~ note
!l (on De idoL 11. 7; cr. P+ 690, note a~ on Ad WC. 2. 5. 2J).

417

Terlu11ian
De exh. ca.st. 10. 2).

eonf"itU:t sib1 :

in Ad Sea]. L. 5, but. this i

So

(Anoint1ngis also

m~ntioned

proba.1>ly to be connected vi th eure of

disease in general:> and not specifically with exorcism.)

Miracle~

and prbphecy

Tertu11ian l"ega..rds 'the power to heal

&5

tty of Christianity (be91des the reference9 to

also Scorp. 1. 3" ~; Ad Scap~ 4.

a proof of" the va.1idexorci51!1~

above, see

5-, cf'. also De or. 29. 2

'Ii

3).

He

also :reports cl!'rtain :marvels. in support of his vie'Ws abou.t the nature

of' the sOUl (De anim~ 51.

objeeti vl!'ly.

6,. 7}, but he views these tbings someWhat

I! nllraele-s aril! not

fl

suf.ticient proof for Marcion' 8

Christ (Adv. Marc. ]. 3. 1) .. and .. as a.lready

ShOV11,

various apparitions

and vonders do not prove the truth of the magi cians,then

holdE;!. true :for Christianity.

th~

same

wr.dle signs may be useful in argw:nent,

they cannot control our vie'" of nature (~!..~i,QfID~.::.1~s_~

.....:=....
. .....:=.....LJ~n~a.!!.:t~ur~am:::::
. =--=f":.,:B..:=c;=e:.:,.r.=..e
non .E-ossunt: l'e anima 51. 8), and even Christ's deeds needed the
port.

r- pr0.phe ~y

passim).

ij,UP-

to c:ont.i 1'1:1 them (Ad V'. M&l"c. 3. 3. 1 ~ and bk. 4,

Even beyond 'this., mi.r&cl~s are overshadowea by the teaching

1,7i th vhic hthey are conne cted., the-

S 6.1vat 1 on

of mankind (Ad v . MarC'.

4.1.13; cf. a.lso 4.8. 5).

I La tel' in the chapt er,. Tertullian report ed a prophecy 0 f
?rises. furt.her exalting the pcn"er of purity" though there the result
va.s visions and other revelations (DiI:! eXh. cast. 10. 5).
2 In general t Tertul11,an use6 the IFproot from prophecyn 1IIUch
th!Ul hia Greek predecessors" using it EJl.a.inly against the JeW's a.nd
Marcion in his apQlogies .against them (Adv + Jud. and Adv. Marc.).
There is limited utie of it. in Apol. 18-21.
l~ss

Ea~ly Chri5ti~n

418

View

Minor Latin Writers

Minuciu9 Felix

The Octavius

or

M1nucius

Feli:x~

rathl!'r nElturally., do!!'s not

breadth of references to magic as do the writings

include the

S~e

Tertu11ian~

but such rererences aa do occur in Minucius agree

o~

ba~icEllly

wi th the vi~vs of Tenull:i an .

The actual

GUCce~ses

of auspices and auguries or oracles are

26. 1-7);

not due to chance

C~.

lJpirits,

de~aded

from hea.venly

{26. 8);

the~e

their vonders

rather~ in5inc~re

vigor~

the.m:p

The Magi work

t.hou.gh Hostanest th! first of 'the-

Beribed the true God and angels and

~ande~ing,

sl!'i!:!k also to de-grade others

a.re th~ daemons or the poets (20. 9).

by

and vandering

~a1d

the daemons

M8.gi~

de-

~ere earthly~

and hostile to ~ankind (26. lQ-ll)t a~ Plato also spoke of

fingels and daemons (26. 12).

Thes~

daemons vork through

ro~ks~

en-

trails ~ etc. (27. l):p and produc~ disease and. other evils that they

may a,?pear to cure the:t:l when they release those a.1flic:ted (27. 2).

They produce other marvels .. such as apPi!:!a.rances of the Cast.ors on

hor5es~

(27.

and pullinB a ship by a woman's girdle,

4~ al~o

chap. 7).

Not only are these

~d

~vents

other vonders

connected in one vay

or anothe.r ilith the pagan religions (as are the del!lOn-inspired auguries

B.J1d oracleEi) t but toe lllJrths piotture the gods themselves as using :Ill.ilgic
and subJeet to it (22/23. 4~ Jupiter enticed by the girdle of Venus).
1

Here also, the perfortnJ.nces are "refil n (objective) yet fraudul~nt--9ui~9Uid miracYli ludunt . . . ; 1111s adspirantibus et infundentibus :ro.esti ias edunt vel Q'U.S. non slmt .... ideri "Tel ua.e sunt
non videri Oct. 26. 10; text from Alo1s1us Va.lma.ggi~ ed. t M. M1nucii
F~licis Octavi~s. Corpus Scripto~ Latinorum Paravianum, (5] [Turin;
10. Rapt. Paraviae et Sociorum (19l6)J. p. 34).

l~inor

Latin ',;'ri ters

But many of the Romans knov these things lo sin(:e the daemons confess

theil'" fraud when exorcised from their victims

by

the

Chrlstis.!le.~

dri ven out I'by the torment of our lo'ords and the fire of' our prayers

I"

flying frOlr.i the Christians when near 8.t hand (27. 5 nnd 7); even pre~
tended sods confess their t:z-ue nature (27. 6).

Co~odi.e.nus

The Instructions of CO"CIlllodiar.Jus t.ouch briefl:; on tlle sane

major points as noted in

Minucius~

their connection to o:raeles.

the origin of I!:vil spirits a..'1d

The of'fspring of the sinning angels s.nd

They taught the arts, d,.veing of yool t

lI0Clen were giants.

h10

~tc.;

and

after dNl.th t condeJr.J1ed never to be resurrected. they wandered a.bout,

subverting manYt being worsbipped and prayed to as gods (In~tr. 1. 3).
They are active in various types of augu:ry and portents (1. 22~ lines

1-8;

~f.

also 1. 18, 19), God

~ing

pleased to allow the daemons to

vand~r the world for our discipline (1. 22~ lines

9-10).1

Pseudo-Tertullianica

The anonymous Adversus

magic against the
2 and 3).

hereti~s

The :poet i c

'1 r"i iJ'e

O!Dl')es

haereses continued the charge of

Simon Magua

and Menander after him (sees,

Books 1n Reply to Mare i on" (Carmen aduersus

Mnrcionem) added Cerdo 8.Ild Marc tiS (bk. 1:10 lines 157-58. 165-67~ rCSL

2:lh2L-2S;

~~ ~:l~~~

aga.inst the latter

lines 198, 208-10).

It amplified the charge

along the line:s devlt!lopl?d by Jrenaeu5 =

Mo.:rcus

lCol!E!lod1anus also bE!l.i~v~d il1 the 6000 year dl.U'ation of the

earth: 2. 39/00. 8) ~ and perhaps alludes to t.h~ argument from prophecy
in 1. 6. 13~ JtTherevas none that predicted his [Jupiter~sJ previous
birth" (Rob~rtEr:neatWa11is, tra.ns. ~ "Co:c:rnodie.nus/' ANF lj,; 204).

Early

420

Cl~istian

View

used :rtI&gic a.rt <in magicae:formam; line 166) for iJJm".oral purposes .. and
also taught tl'lat he changed tbe Cup to blood 'by prayer (line 167).

The

~fartyrdom

suspicion of

magi~

of Pemetua and Felicitas illustrs.tea the pagan

on the part of' Christians:

thl!' tribune, apparently

inc1ted by informers, at first feared that they would be 'Wi thdraw'tl frcnJ
the prison by some 5Qrt of magic incanta.t.ion (subtraherentur . . . in-

, 5. 3/16. 2).1

cantatiop.ibus aligu1bus magicis,

th~

The writer of

I!I9.rtyrdom bimself holds. a. 60IDe\l'Mt similar belief s tbat poasibly

a wo=an

su~h asP~rpetue

villed it)

could not have been slain

b~catise she was :feared

unl~ss

by the impure spirit

she herself

(6. 4/21T 10).

Certain metrical York.s,. t.rtmsmit.ted also along with Terlul-

Dead SE!B. which, though not magical, relate SOI!Iewhat to Africanus's

references to that region.

Th~ "Sodom. aPPle",.2 :mentioned in Jonah

(CSEL 3,. 3; 297 .3--5; "lines 4-5 in ~ ~ :127)., 3 is smpli:fied in SQdon:.

'to include all

fruits growing in thefL.1"ea (CSEL 3" 3 :295. 133-:31;

.Am: 4: 131" 11.n1!!Ei

182-90).

The latter also includes,. inter alia" the

lText from Herbert Musuri110 , The Acts of the Christian f-fa,)"torrs; O;w:ford EfLr-.ly Christia!1 'Texts, gen. ed.,. .Henry Chadwick (Oxford:
elaren don Press s 1972),. p. 124" 1 ioes 9~10. ( C1te d by trad i ti onal
cha.pter and paragraph nU1l1b!'rs, s.nd. tQl10wing a virgule, by continuously
numbered pa~agraphs~ ~ith numbered a~ctions.)
2

Cf. Africl!Wus s in

Syn~f!llUSt

E!d. Dindorf, 1:188. 17-18; e.nd

Cedrenus, ed. B@Xker, 1: 51. 13-14.

3Gui l@:1J:nus Hartel,. ed., S. Thase i Caeci 1 i Cypr ian1 opera. omn i e. s
Corpus scrip:to~ ecclesiast.icorurn La.ti.noTUI!I s vol. 3.. parts 1-3 . . 1 vol.
in 3 pe.rts (Vi.enna: Apud C. Gerold! Filho:n Bib11opolwn Academiae, .
1868-71) tc1'ted a.s. CSEL, fol10w~d by volume~ ptLrt, page" and 11ne(s)
in precise referencesJ; A.NF !li12T-41 t "Appendix" (to '.l'ertullianl.
trans. S. Thelv&11.

Syr la.c rtIriters

idea t.ha t

8.

1 i,ghted torch :float.s,. but sinks if extinguis he-a

( CSEL

Syriac .Writ.ers
The- major Syriae YOrks thil.t hav(! s\trvived from the

Ante~Nicene

period do not show an..v gr~&t interest inllJa.,gic, 2 thOugh they hB.(~ some

borderline val.U4::- in this 8.rea.

One of Bardaisan'a great interests vaS in the correlation of

Fate vi th divine providence and hUIll&n tr'eedom., in a Christian system .

He thu.s has some info:nns.tion about astrology'i and refers t.o the books
o:f the Be.byloninns and the Egyptians, but has no references to magic.
Ipdeed:o hif: allocation of causality for h'l..\1l1tiT.l experiences between Na-

ture,. Fa.te,. and human Freedom

'would seem to leave li.ttle room" or

n~ed.

for magicaJ. manipulations.

Late!" Writers

Lat.in Writers

Cypria..n a.nd his circle of correspondents do not 6peek directly

1

cr.

Syncell1l5 , l; 188. 14-15; Ce-dreTLUs, l: 51. 16-17.

2Themost direct references to magic fl.re found in the Apology

of pseudQ-Melito. includl!'d above with the Greek apologi.st.s. This york
pe:rha.ps originated in the third century in Osrhoene (J. B. Segal .. Ed~ss.B.
tThe Blessed Cit-y I rOxford: Clarendon Press" 1970J:Io p. 35).

3"BardeBan ~ The Book of the La:ws of Divers Countries, r1 trans.

B. P. Prattep" A}lF' B~i2T-29; H. J. TN . DriJvers, Barde,1san of Edessa,
t.~a.ns Mrs. G.~van :Ba.aren-P6.pe., studia Semit1ca J~ee;'landic8., no. 6
(As sen : Van Got'"cum, 1966), p.. 219.

~22

Early Christian Viev

of m.a.gic, though that may be largely because of more pressing problems.

What they do say about demons presents the s&.m.e basic vievs

found in the earlier writers.

Sinning and apostate angels taught women forbidden arts (De

habitu virginum

l~~ th~ugh

metiC5. etc.).

A demon 1nspir~d or possessed person ~y pretend to

r=ause an earthquake

in tbis case the

~tB are those of cos-

thbugh in Actuality i't is only-foreseen by the

demon; it cannot CiLU.s~ such a physical event

{!E..

75. 10 [F'irmilian to

C'/pria..'l) }.1

The one

a.~a.

"'here Cyprian goes beyond his predecessors ~ and

colle!l.gues: (cf Fir.m.ilian t ~. 15. 10) ~ is in the rhetorical descrip-

tions of exorc isms.

Alnplif)ting e.

them~

au.ggested by Minucius

.Felix~

Cyprian pictures the demons as being forced, hO'illing and groaning, out.

of t'hei r vi ctit:nS t

69. 15,

.8 courged

and Ad Dem. 15).

and roast e d vi th f1 re (Ad Don. 5; also

The rhetorical nature of' this pictill"e is

empha.siz.ed by the fa.ct that all this is done

c:a1.m1:.' t

simple voice (castite sobria, mente integra,

VOC&

soberly., with a

pura; Ad

CSEL 3 .. 1 ~ 7. 12-13); it is B.(:complished b~r the- hUJ::!IB.n voice

power (!Q.. 69. l5; Ad Dem. 15).

Don~

5)

a.nd divine

:Besides tbese exceptiooal cases,. ex-

orcism is & regular prelude to baptism t especially

case of heretics

Ea?-

ne~es~a~r

in the

(repeatedly ~phasized in the prono~~~ements of

various. bishOPli at the S.e-venth Council of' Carthage).

\rith thig is possibly to be co~ared the de-::::eita and tricke~ies

(praes t 1.&1 as . . . et 1"allac ias.. CSEL 3 ~ 1 ~ 362. 5-) con fes sed by the
da.e:nons,. the heathen gods, at their expulsion by Chrie.tians (Ad Deltetl'ianu.m 15).
2
hereti~

Th~ deIl1on~possess~dl'proph~te:s8 U in
(possibly a Montanist) (~. 75. 10).

Firmi1 h .n s letter was a

Later

423

~'riters

Pseudo-Crprianic:a.
Several 01' the treatises tranmRitted with
and sometimes

The

tl'a~tate-

und~r

th~

ilo1"ks o:f Cyprian ~

his nome .. do s.peak. !:l'pecifically -concerning magic.

On the Vanity of

{Q.uod idola dii nOD S1ct},. in

Ido1s~
&

or That the Ido19 Are Nat Gods

p9.ssage (cl'.aps. 5-7) based largely on

Minucius. Felix (Oct. 26 and 21),. wnp1ified (in chap. 7) from Cyprian
5~

(Ad Don.

3~

and Ad Dem. 15; compare esp. CSE!.

1;1. 19-20 vith 25.

6-1. a.nd more generally 361. 18-22 'Iofi'th 25. 4-9L, presented the

~pirit::;

as misleading and deceiving and using tricks (!allit et decipit et

praestigiiS, CSEL 3. 1=2). 10-11) to oppos~ the truth; by them the

Magi have power

f'OT

haI'l!l or :m.ock.~ry (,Quod idols. 6).

They hide behind

(sub) statues and imag~s and cause the different e:ffects of the various
ty"pes of'

a"Ug-~

and ELuspices. but

adjured by the trtl.e God:> they are

driyen out or pos s e ssed bodi e s, tortured, et ~

speech 0", hi.dden ro.aje5t Jt

P
"

by

t1 0ur

voi ce and

('1uod ido.lQ.. 7: nostl"'8. uoce et oratione

maJestatis occultae,. CS.EL 3) 1;25. 5-6).

The treat.ise: De

reba.:ptisma.t~

monic acts or tricker!, and of

for the

ne~elisity

also presents the themes of de-

exorcia~.

Some

of fire at baptism a.nd

~laim

is unsure abOut this;

heretic~l

groups contend

to have it.

it may possibly be effected by game

The e.uthor

such

trick~

as thnse of' Anaxilaus, pe-rhaps 'by some natural means; or perhaps they
only think they 6ee it; or pl!'rh&ps "the 'Work and magic:al poison of
some malignant being

595 ,

c:an

force fire frOm thl!!' ...:ater rl (ehfLp. 16.

/l,lW

lEnglish tr611.s1a.tion by Ernest Wallis .. nCyprie.n'l" ANF 5;261" .~ bJ.(1.

~ t pp. 651
. . - 7. +

~,. xppen
~
d U. ,
Bnu.

Early

111i puta:nt

Cln"istia...~

Vie'll

, . sf ue Mli &11 cpus et Qlasicum ui M.JS ign em 'Dote'stin

!9Ue. expritDere:

CSEL 3 1 3: 90. 5-8).

The e,ignificance- 01' invocation

of" the nillDe of Jesus is shown by the fa.ct that in that name

a~l

kinds

of poyers (in~lUding cast.ing Qut demons t Mat.t. 7: 22),. are tu::custOllled

to be- 10fQrked (uinutes omnes Bolent fieri):o somet1m~s even by those
outside; even evil doers may possibly do good \iOrks by the super-

abounding energy of the n8lQ~

(lHl':r' nlmitlJD .

uirtute-:tn nominis) (chap. 7:1

On the other hand., the m.racles of Christ, done-with commo.nd-

ing word and voice euerbo et uocis imper-io), c::aused the! Jews to regard
hiln as a so:reerer (erlstimabant mtigunil (Quod i dola 13. CSEL 3 t 1: 29. 10-

15).

The interests and vievs

of the Greek apologists of a

in regard to his

vie~s

or f..rnob1 'Us are much the sa:me as thosl!:

c~nt.u:ry

earlier.

of magic and related

This is I!!'sped.al.ly true

area~.

Magic goes back to ancient times, in

th~

East.

In a

g~eat

conflict bet'lleen the AssyriWlS and the Bact-ria.ns,. under Ninus and

Zoroa.ster, not only s'WOl"'ds and physical poyer J but. also the "magicians
and tbe mysterious learning of the Chaldeans" (Ma,gicis et Cbaldaeor'llln

@ox l'econdi tis discipli:nis) were engaged in the struggle (Adversus nll.tiones [or Adv. gentesJ 1. 5,. CSEL

~:7. 15-18),1 The

Magian

Zoroaste~

lAugustus Reiff~rsc::he1d, ed., Arnobii 8duersus nationes, libri

VII, CSEL,. vol. h (Vienna; Apud C. Ge~oldi Filium B1bliopolam Academiae~
1875).

J~25

Later Writers
appears alsoB.e one of

sevlI:!!'~

bl8,gicia.DS naml!'d 'Who a.re challenged to

g1 ve Jlm7er to any (B:S Christ. did)' t or e:ven to actuaJ.ly 'Work themlH!l ve~

(1. 52 L

Among t,he effects of Christ' G name are tbe overcoming of

evil spirits ~
:titus

.p.

8Qothsayers~

a:ugurs ~ and

l!Iagician~ (}.

46;

nox1os spi-

uatibus haruspic:es . . . > ad1'Qga!ltimn ma.&,orum . . . ac-

ti ones ~ CSEL 4 ~ 31. 6-8).

Theory and praxi a oj" magi ~

One of'Ar-no'biu8 t s longest passages on magic occurs in the

text of a. discussion. of the various
hi s mi racl es .

~ea.m~

Christ did not

Chri st vas as eerte d to be a magus vno

USe

\l'ork~d

~on-

in working

'by secret

a.rts t having stolen the ;names of' angels of' po'Wer :homE,gyptla.nshrines,
but were his deeds re-&1ly t.he t.ricks of

arts?

(Adv. na.t. 1. 43:

daemons 6.Ild sports of'

magi~al

daemonum.. . pre..estigia..e et magicarum

nr-ti'Ul::l ludi?.. CSEL 4 ~ 28. :25~26).

Are there-

8-'1y

magi 'W'ho did anything

the lea.st similal'~ working vithout inl::'anta.t.ion (~a.nn.inum.).. or jui~e

of herb or grass (herbaru.m et "graJ:r:iJl sucis),

'Ilithout rega.rd to sac-

rifice .. libation~ or season (S.Flcrorum l.ibaminum tep!porum?}~ {ibid.

CSEL 4~28. 29-29. 1).2

In 1. 52,. he also vill allow any challengers

to use their own rites vitb 'vbatever noxious

~h!lteve:r

h~rbs [~efici

pO'W'l!:l"S (uirium.J tbose muttered vorda and

gramin1sJ

a.c~ompanying

lIn the area of materia.1 means,. A:rnobil.1.S elsewhere refers to

tl1e IMll'Ilina..esold by Psylli .. Marsi,. and others (apparently as protection againstanakebite):> e,ppa:ently ineluding Christians 8.mQng their
users ( 2 . 32 }
2The o~nir.lg lines of' ehl9.pter bh reemphasiz.e that Christ
'Worked vi tho\lt afJ)'thingto assist t and vi thout observing any t"ite or
rul~ (CSEL lj; 29. 13-1~; sto/!' ullius ritu5 obs~ruatione uel lege CliDe
llj J )

Early

Christi~ Vi~T

spells <:,>:,ntA; n I:freltJOr ille uerborurn a.tRue ani unct;.a.e canninunJ)r, {JlNF

6: ~26; CSEl. 4; 36 . 2-J..). 1

43~ A1~ob1u5

class:

Follovi ng the brief 11 st

also gives a list of the

p~oSes

0 f

ma:teri Us in 1.

of yorks of tbis

to know the future; to inflii:t disease; to seV'e:r affections,

or impW"e love; to open loc:ks or seal lOO'lJ.th.s; OJ' in chariot raoces

'\i'~n.ken 10

incite,

0:1

retard

th~

thing usefU1 3 to do it not b,y

(~otestat~} of those

to

horses; or. if' the;r snould a.ttempt an:,.rthe1~

they invoke (I.

own force {ui), but by the

q3~

CSEL

4~29.

pov~r

4-13).

But such invocations (inuocfl.ti) vo'UJ.d have to have a certa.iJ:J

fOl"oce thel:!lselves:!, i:otDpelling the gods when sUI!nII.oned fa-cciti) by their

o;,m nemes by di vim::r.s (t~. 11).

Even Jupiter himself ...." as

5uppos~dly

drag,g.l2:d dOT.m (tre.-etu:m.) by cr-.arms and spells (et Quae-nan:. - '. auoc.(J.:d
~

I?

et

no~inuw terribili~ tre~~res1

the latte-r,. CS3L 4:11;. 27-176. 1).

summoned 'pO'l.rer is the

livers

(4.

12)?

o!~e

. . . ; 5. 1 and 3 J esp.

.But hov is it

knO'W11

"that "the

'Who operates in the e-ntrails, or lungs and

The ~t ~ho aTe brothers to the sooths~rers, say

that at their incantations (acci tionibus) pretended eods .frequently

slip in instead of: those s'l..lWtlOned (pro accS. tis) (ibid.).

it knoioln that

th~i"e

Or,. how is

is not one onl;,' who comes in place of' all who 8.re

If anyone doubts this, he can as-x the Egyptians .. Pel"sian:s . .

invoked:?

Indi&1s, Chaldeans t Artnenianr;, iLtld a.ll others

1

acquainted with the core

Hamilton Bryce and Hugh Ca.Jt:pbell, t~e.ns., "Arnoc.ius .. 11 AUF

6~h03-5~O.

ZEls~here Etruria is specially noted in the origination of

divination and a.ugury (2. 62; 6. 18; 7. 26}.
The Etrusenns, together ~ith the previously mentioned Psy11i
and Marsi (2. 32) .. repr~sent vestern (Roman} expansions of the traditional eastern (Greek) liBts of ancient~ ~sterious r~ces credited with
o~cult knovledge and poller.

427
secret arts (:inter1oribus. . . . artibus) (4. 13).
Spirits

The pas sages i ntroduc ed a.bove al.l show the pl ac e

in magic and related practi.ees.

r sp i r1 ts

In addition .. the Magi .assert. that

they ha.'J"e prayers which can llin over certain povers and mP..ke access
to heaven ea.sy for SQuls {ibid . 2. 62; this is perhaps. aimilar t.o
certain mystit: rites llith a similar

purpos~

referred to earlier" '2.

J3}.

O~acles,

divination, and astrology

Va-riou8 t:lasses of

fortune-teller~-au,gu.rs
..

dream. interp.rl!!'-

ters" soothsayers! 'PTophets" enthusiast5 (baruspices . _ . ~ coniec-

tore's harioli uates e:t . fanatic1, CSEL

4;16. 2-4)--are pit:tured

in

Adv. nat. 1. 21~ e.s extorting contributions :from. the devotees of these

arts ~ a liveli.n.ood threatened bY" the increase of Christianity.

'They

defend themselves as a part of fft.im.e-honoured rites of institutions

once sacred" (sacrorum. auondam uet.err1:m.i ritus, ibid., line 6) (ANF

6 ~L19) ,I

l,Tarious sources of' omens are

discussions =

pres~n.ted throughout P.rnobius ' So

the e,ky Or :points of spears (2. 67)" tlru..."lderbol ts or

veins of'sacrifices (2. 69), or their entr~ils,. lungs) or liver (~- l2}.
In a passage vhieh eredi ts the

the meaning in the fall

or

tbunderbolts.

EtruSC6.Tl.
~d.

Tages ,d th discovering

in tlle veins of stlcri-

fices,. Arnobius also makes Thell.tis, the- Eg{ptiEU1, the beginning of

1A

following chapter presents something of' a roll-call of

the clasaic oracles: (Trophon1us ?), Jupiter of Dodona t or Apollo,

""bethel' Deli an t Clarian" Did:t1lleM .. Philesinn. or Pythian (1. 26; ANF
6:~19, with n. 3; CSEL 4:11. 12-17! "iIith mg. re line 12L

Early Christian Viev

knowledge of (the meaning of?) the motion of the st.ars and the ~al.c:ulation of nativities (ratio . . g~nethliQ.c:tl" CSEL 4:104. 3) (2.

other than this" Arnobiu3 makes no

69).

slgnifi~ELnt re:ference to

s,$trol0eY" af'ter his having presented it as being,. i t true. one of

s~veral

possible explan8.tiona

f:Jt the evils of' the world (l.

8).

Further,. Arnobius seems to lend some support to the idea tha.t

divination/astrology have no logical ~onnect1on ~ith magicT

discussion concerning the Numa-Jupiter

~i~ode,.

In his

he questions the ap-

prop:rio,t.eness of Jupiter-appointed means whereby ,.hat be ha.s determined may be avert~d" and npass ava.y idl...'V through tht! force of these

rit.es" (5. 2 t AJ.W 6:490~ CSEL 4:119. 19-2!J).

Magi~

and pagan re1ig1on

'l'he l-iagi are still at least partially religious personages for

.Arnobius.
are

imil&r

Part

or

'C oncerns

2. 62,. cf. 2. 13).

~o~cerns

their art

the :fate of

:2

souls~

and

th~re

in na.t i V'e religions,. e. g 10 of Etrut'i B:. (Adv

Ce-rtai n

nat.

f thil! Roman rites of avers ion Yel'e obtai ned

by l(tml8. by ebaI'JDi ng JUPiter 11 dro,gging hi m down vi tb spell s ( 5. 1). ~d

the priests have introduced relies {rellqua.) eonnected with the Ma.sian
arta (magonrm. cohaerentia disctplinig) into the :ee-cret la:l,ls or the

Bs.cr~d :t"ites CT. 2J, .. CSFL

.Ie. 257 . 9-11) ,3

Augury and omen-",.-o,tching (and

IBesides bl&m1ngthem on the Christiana.

2
.But they ean soften and soothe only the lesser powers 10 not
th~ true God (ZT" 62).

3A large part o~ this section o~ book a~ven is de~oted to

questioning t.he r&t.ionality of 'lfB.rioul3 aspectr; of the pagan rites.
This would have some implication that they are in essence Buperst1tious
(magieal) .. rather th8Jl religious J 'though this is never made explicit.

Later- Writers

fl29

averting) have-been regular parts of public service (e.g., 2. 67~

though Arnobius is here arguins that times hs.ve changed).

In 2. 12 11

Arnobiu5 refers not only to the practices of kingNuma and the super6titioua observances of
Though Simon Magus had

blasted by

th~

~tiquity,

tru:st~d

but also to an arch-he:reti(:) Simon,

infuse- gods, his chariot bad been

mouth of Peter, naming

th~

name of Christ, and

h~

had

fa1.len from the &ir, abandoned by th.em in theiTterror .

On the 'Whole, Arnobius' s attitude tova;rd the paga.n gods is

not clear-cut.

They

exist t 'but if' so, they 8.re beings

to the Supreme God, and so

(e. g.

3. 2-1; 7. 2-3).

or I!vl1 spirits)

~ill

Su.bordinat~

not desire worship belonging to lbUn

Thus Amobius has Iittle to se.y about dem<:>ns

the IJ'llssa..ge cltt!'d in the preceding paragraph (2:. 12)

'bei ng sOlllewba t unusual.

Christian beliefs and

practic~s

Arnobius s~ems to include himself and other Christie.ns 3 among

tho'S e vho us e 'the plate s (lMmlinae; -amuJ.ets?) ~old by the Psyll i ..
Marsi, &nd othi!"rs (Adv. nat. 2. 32~ CSEL ~

Thl!;!re is)

however~

:14. 19-23).

a large ad hominem @"le:m.ent in these paIJ:;;ages.

2 ThuS , tor exnmple t the suppo s ed giant s' bon~:s found in di f fe-rent places are t.!tken il.S proof of the bette;retate of' lIl~rJ in ancient
times (2. 75); there is no attempt to connect the.BI vi to the 0 ttsprin g
of t.he :fallen a."l8c!ls whose souls becam.ethe de1nQr:Js in the 'theory of
other ap-ologi,sts. (Su.ch B. connection was made by the \7l"iter of the
Clementine :Recognitions [1. 29;, PC 1 :122313).) The approach of Arnobi US
provides a. pa.rallel to the reconstruction, abo',e, of Africa.nus s view
of the offspring or the f6l.1en PJJ1.gels 8.S being only giantB (not demon.s) ~
8. reC'ons tructlon based pe.r'tiallyoD :8 il~nc @
3 HWe "li.pparentlY in contrast to t1 you" in the preceding and following passage~, though here it. may be all "'We mortal, and injury-liable

h1..lmS.ns i l in generaL

Early

Chri~tia~

View

He is Q,'I.i!lre that Jesus was charged 'With being a magician

(spec:if'ically one who YOl"lted by means of names of angels ofmigbt

stolen i'rom Egyptian shrines> follo.ins a. religious system of'

mote eountry s 1.

Ch..ri st worked vit'hout material means or 1n-

(:a.~tB.tion5 (1. 43, 4~)" by audible and intelligent words (1.

1
work 'Was benef'ici.al to

mtLP'J,

to shw 'them thE!' na.t1.U""e

display (1. 41 ).

t a true god, not to

Further,

his work

ooa. st

h imsel:f in

continued, his inherent

ma.gicians (1. ~6).

and augurS7 and

In

S'WD ~

empty

pO'loier vas

to others (1. 50,. 52); 2 he even n.O'iI ap-

pears to righteous men .and his name causes evil spirits to

sCDth5~ers

45) .. his

:not hurtful (1. 4t). to eonyincemen and

sueh that he could g1 V"~ po'iorer

re-

~3), but be denies the- charge) atte-mptillg to refute

i t by several arguments.

lences

So

~strates

the

~ftorts

fl~e"si-

of arrogant

ATrtobius holds that the:r-e is Unothing

magical, nothing h'l.11Jl.8n, nothing deceptive (praestigioswr.) or c:ra.i'ty

(subdolumJ, nothing of .fraud in Christ II (1. 53).
of the acco'U.'1ts of his deeds. is t.hat tbe
such a religion in gO short .a time (1.

",hol~

The ultil:nate proof

.... orld vas filled ",ith

55).

La-etanti u.s

Lactnntius, the sometiiD(! student of Arnobius, exhibi'ts 'the

lArnobiusts knowledge of the Gospel miracles is ~athe1" broad

(note t.h~ various items in 1. ~5-47]1 50; an.d 2 ~ 11) )bu"t in 1. J.6 he
1neludes so~e items that seem to be garbled accounts of the Da~r of
Peotecos't and the transfiguration .. unless t.hey come frOttl othervl.sE'! unknow. apocryphal I!l.ccounts.
2Magicians cannot really effect~ by the aid of their gods~
what unlearned (rustic:i s) Christians have ort~n 8;.(:complished by as 1mple cO!llIll&nd {i 'IlSS i onibU!3 nudis) (1. 52 t CSEL 4; 36.5-7 ).

3A great example of' thill poyer 1las the conf'Tontation between

Simon Magus and Pete~ ~itnessed by the Romfins (2. 12).

Later Writers
sene~al attitude- of

toward magie;

b31

Christians (a.nd many others) 01' thefLtlcient 'World

sorcerers (uenefici) are to be classed with various

groupings of lowest types (Div. 1nst. 5. 1. 2--sac~ilegious and

traitors; 5. 19 C20J. 30--gladiators t robbers,

thieve5~

poisoners t

harlots; 6. 2. lO--assQssin, adulterer, parricide}.l

Discussions of

magi~

Lacta.ntius .. in def"ending Christls works) distinguishes them

from the things worked by

magic al tri~ks [nraestigiis ~agicis),

II

vhich display nothing true and sUbstantial," the nut of ma.gic {~

reagica} haYing skill of (lva.il only for l'deceiving tbe eyes" (ad circum.'ScribendoE oculos) (Div. ins.t. ~. 1.5.

n. 1]; CS'EL 19 =330. 2.. 3314.. 1 .. 2 J .2

q ~ 19; AlY'? 7 :115, and 116 [with

Or.

th~ contl"iC.ry ..

Chri st -."Orked by

(apparently it) contrast to the elaborate incantations and lists ef

The Jells .. beside!3 callieg these the ",,"orks of a magician (magum s

4.

15. 1), attr1 buted thetD to demoni&eal power (l~. 15. l2).

The e.sso-

cie;tion of these ideas is natural ~ the a.rt and po",er of the Magi

~efeTences ar~ given !roc the Latin text; where the cha.pter
numbers dif'fer in the English version (Div. inst. 2 and la.ter chapters
of 5. and in the Epitome), these appear in the first ref<!"rence to each.
in brackets art~r the Latin chapter numbers.

I'

2En.gliSh transla.tion 'by William Fll!:tchcr-, "LBctantiu5. A::W

7~1-330; Latin text 1"ro:m Samuel Br:a.ndt and Georgius Laubmann .. eds.,.
L. Cae:U F1,}"t=lj,ani Lactanti opera omnia, :part 1: Divinae insti t;;uti One S
et epitol!le divioarum. institljtit>nwn. ed .. Samuel Brandt~ pnrt 2 .. f"as~icle
1 : Libri de opHLicio d~i et de ira. <lei * canrine. i':::-Bgmenta, vetera de
lac ta,."lti.o te 8 t imo)1i a,. ed. SM:lue 1 Brandt; CSRL) vols. 19 and 21 {V i enna
an d Prague; F. Tempsky, 1890,. 1893; Leip zi g: G. Fr@ytag.. 1890 t 1893).

Early

432

Chri~tian

View

consist in the inf'luellcea (adspirationibus) of the demons <2. 1~(15J.

10). 'When Invokt!d Unuocati)

the d(!D]ons deceive the sight of men with

deceptive illusions (:e..ra.estigiis obeaecantibus) t

SO

they "do not see

those things. vllich exi13t'll and t.hinkthey set:!' thOS<l! things wnic:h do not
en a.t n (ibid.

ANF

7: 6~; c:L EpitoIl!le2JI: 28J. 6),

These demons had

&sstoned the names of t.he a.neient kings., or whof!l they had. caused
to bl? mn.de; but lI:iagici6ns t and thQse whom

th~

i.mag~s

people truly ca.lled

malefici! .. in the practice of t.heir arts (cum arte-s suas . . . exercent) ..

"call upon thelD. by their "true nfLrtles,. those heavenly ne.mes 'Ilbich are

Magicia.ns (maRl) know tha.t

50uJ.S 8.r~

certain incantations (caminibJ:s)

human

ey~s,

and speak J

f{)r~tel~ing

130

ca1.1ed from the 10'W"er regions b~t

that they are at. hand. seen by

future events (thisiE;; presented

8.3

a clear, convincing proof to t.hose E;l.ceptica.l of the eteornality of the

soul) (Dh. inst. 7. 13. 7).

Divination of' various so.rts is pre-aentedas close-ly allied to

magic.

They all--a.gtrclogy,

soothsaying .. divination end Qracles ..

I!IB.gic art,. and whntever else besides, whether

done openly

or in

s~cret--

were invented by fallen a.ngels/daenJOns t.o delude maM1nd (Div. inst.

2. 16.

1-2;~. 23. 5-9).

.A1so,aa noted abo-veto part of t.he \ol'crk

of' magician.s involves calling up souls who to~et~ll future events.

lAstrology r~ee1ve6 only passing attention here and elsevhere

in Lactentius. Eve::l if' the stars should hold the ef':ficacy of &11
things (vhlch .Lac=tantius a1lOW"s p1"ovisior.lal1y only so as not to delay
th~ main discussion), atill it is God (vho made and ordered the stars)
'Ybo does a.ll things (De op. del 19. 7) +
A refe;rf!:nce in De ira dei to
the oth~r heavenly bodies ( 1 ~e." besides the sun &nd moon) 'II at rising
and E;l.etting .. 6up.PlYi.ng favorable times by their fixed positions (13. 5) ..
seems to refer to their marking of various seasons, and not really to
astrology.

433

Later 'Writers
The daemons (or angels) themselves pra.ctice deception. especia.lly
through ora..cles; having a. presentiment of God'!'l arrangements (since

they had been His: mini st e-rs ),. they" interpoae" that they may appeaf' to
them~

do

making promises or threats t and pretendirJe; to avert dAngers 10

or contriving that the unavoidable dMgers may- appear to happen through

disrespect shO'Lm toward them (Div. 1nst. 2.

16.

lO~

l3-19t ref'erring

esp. [2~ 16. IlJ to the series of prodigies (p~odigia, CSEL 19=169.

9-10) given pre.... io,usly,. in. 2. 7[8::1. 7-23).

dre~ (cf'~
O;'l God

als-o De m9rt. per!;!.

~~.

5).

These examples include

In general,. d1'eflJning 'Was given

f'or the sake of' resting th@ body in sleep, but

H~

has reserved

to Himself' the pO'"... er of teaching men :f'utUl:"l!!eVl!!'nts by mf!"tLns ot dreIJ:IS.

an iIlllll:ediate and remarkable

fulfil.lme~tI

true. nor alwa.,.vs false (De op. dei

though dreaJllS are not s.l:.. . .a ys

18. 10-11).

Spirita
Like his predecessors, Lactantius astribes the

o~igin

of' the

evil spirit.s in the- 'World to the fall of certain angels; sent by God
to

prot.e~t

and improve ltIe'n,. theY" had b!:@n eorropted and had bad inter-

eourse yith \.romen.

ses.
own

Ther-e are, hOlleve-r)

&om~

differences ill his et!J!lha-

He a.t.tribut.es their fall to the 'Work of Satan ~ not

~1U5t to

their

degenera.tion and lust, and he regards only tbe daemons. t the angels'

offspring, as the active &e:ents in the evils befalling me.n

(Bi!.-

1 The tniddJ.e part of :2. 7 provides details on severa.l items

r~ferre-d. to by 'l'ertu.llian (Apol. 22. 12) and Minucius Fe-lix (Oct. 7
&Wi 21. 4).

43Lj

Eel'ly Christi ~-n V:i e......

It is thl"ough them that the Mil.gi 'Wo%"k,

inst. 2. 14. 5).

invoking

them (ibid. sec, 10}!t cal-ling Upon them by tbe1r true names (2. 16~
~) ~

neJ::Ies which they confess" along vi th their true nature t when ad-

Jured by the name of' Chris.t (2. 15(16J. 3; ct:. also" J 21 .. 2~ and 5.

21[22J. 5).

Their sole purpose

5) is to injure

:man~

(li~e

that of their

leader~

2.

l~. l~

since they can not ha..r:m God (2. 16. 9; cf'. 5. 21.

6).
Magic and

pae~~

The
having

EL

religion

R~

religion recognizes magic, at least to the extent

goddess 'Who

or

over infMts. keeping off' witchcraft

~at(:hes

(fascirluri,. CSEL 19:T7. 20) (Div. inst. L :20. 36).

The

sEUnC

powers

through whom the Magi work also represent themselves as the &..cmil,. re-

cE!'ive

libations~

and are 'llorshipped a.s gods and a....erlers of' evil,. evil

th~J the~~elve5 caus~

(Div. inst. 2. 1L. 10-13; 2.

2. 1 j(18]. 10; cf. Ipf t. 23. 8; 2sr 30J. 1).

ventors

or

astrology. various

such arts (Div. inst. 2.

SO~S

16. 1;

The pagan rites are

or

frequ~[)ted

They a.re, ind~ed, the in-

divination~

~. 23.

l6~ 3-5~ 9-20~

magic J and other

5-8),

by ELll varieties of the 10\1,

evil classes (niv~ inst. 5. 19. 30), Rnd the gods give aid to ~hoever
feeds them, whatever he may be (6. :2. 10).

Sorcerers (uepefiei) a.p-

pear in both of' these lists.

Christian belit!-l'B and practices

In a(:cord with Mao belief in the

had been

&~tions

of the daemons,

lAPpropl"iatelyenough. since m.agic, like astrolosy. etc .

invent~d by them (2~ 16. 1).

La:ter Writer s

especially their inciting of pe)"'sec:ution o:f Christians, Lacto.ntius

give spromin4'!nc e to exorc i sm among Chri 8 t i an pr.aet ic e s :
the da.emoos are put to flight b)+

th~

when tl;dJ ured,.

divine name, crying out and c:on-

fessing their true nature {Di1f. 1nSt.. 5. 21. 5; apparently ba.sed on

Cypria.n (Ad Dem. 15, Ad Don. 5; cf'. Min. Fel. Oct..

5; 1 note also.

2~.

Div. inst. 5. 22[23). 23}.

}fot only the -eo."'1lmands of Chri stians 10 but also their
cro~s

.sign of' the

p~rs.

ot t.he

has this e:ffect,. even to the extent of interfering

vi th pagu.n !'it~s (Di v. inst. 4. 27. 1,. 3, wi th~.

and De mort.

us~

.1.I6E: 51 J. 6-8;

10. 2).

The great proof of tb-eo truth of" Christianity, howeve::!", is not

such vorks,

01'

even the 'WOrks of Chri,gt,. but the fa.ct that t.hey had

been previously announced

by

tlle prophets (Div. in:st. 4. 5. 4:;11. 15.

4 1 12; 5. 3. 18,. 19). 2

Chl'ist vas: regard.ed by
~orking

by

t.h~ Je'W's o..s

d~monia~al pov~rs (Div. inst.

this, apart hom tlle uproof

being a magician (magu;n):p

h. 15.

:rr~ prophecy,. n

l~

12).

The answer to

is t:r.:tee-fo1d:

(I) his

......orks were real ("true and substl!l::nti ve- n [ue:ri ac solidi'],. by implica-

tion),. (ibid.~ e,e~. 4); (2}"he did. not. use elaborate r1tes~ but 'Worked
"by a single vord and in a aingle mO.IDent n (i.bid., sec.

6 t M!E. 7: 115);

lBcth Minucius and Cyp~ian (Ad Dem.~ specifically). as wel~ as

Tertullian, V@,ri!' knmrn and us~d by L&cta..ntius (Div. inst' 5. 1. 22-24~
and 5. ~. 3).

~ain.1y

the Hebref"t p:rophe1:..s" but 'to some extent even th~ pagan
prophets, the Sibyls and Hermes (Diy. inst. L 6~ h. 6-'7~ 9~ 13-1~;
E~it. 5. 1-3; 37[42J. 2-8),. Sibyls and Hystaspes (D1v. inst. 7. 15.
1 -19), Hystaspes,. Hermes .. SibJrls (1. 180 2-3 t 5; cf. pit. 68(73J. l}t
w1th prophecies of various Sibyls scattered th~OUghout the following
c'htl;pters of Div. i~s:t., bk. 7 (alSOl' briefly.!2!i. 65[70). 6}.

Early Ch!"is,tian Vic,,'

436

and (3) it is 10gica.lly 'Contradictory--1f' he vas really ~ vondervorking magician (~gus . . . "q-uia. mi:r-abilja t'ecit, CSEL 19;J,08 ..

9-10)" sllch

6-S

Apolloniue: or ApuJ.ei us s then he vas an uns.kiltul one'!'

since be did not es.c-ape .as Apollonius did (ibid., 5. 3. 1 .. 9).

On the -whole 10 Lacta.J1tius I s vie\l's &re much the

his predecessors.

S6Jll.e 0.8

t.hose of

Compa:red t{) A:rflObius .. he exhibits greater Biblical

end theological knov1edge,but this is balanced by losses in the area

otphilosophyl and science.

In.a notable example, he !"etreats from

Arnobius' 8 mo:r-e advanced view of th~ universe (Arnobi U5 Adv. nat. 1. 2

and 2.

58 .. eonrtb revolving r:CSEL

L:~. 11-13" and 94.

3-11:1; use of "orb"

for t.he earth in 1. 52 [" CSEL .4: 35. l8 J, r~ f@:I'tmce to the heavens as
conv-!>x. in 1+

55 resEt ~:31.

14]),,2 returning to a ridiculing of a round

efLrt.h a.nd the consequent idea of antipodes (Div. Inst.

~.

3,

2~. 1;

34(39). 2).3
G.reek. Writers

The ApostOlic: Constitutions, Which .. though a. later vork,. refl~cts

and develops ideas developing al.;ready in the Ante-Nicene period ~

lThough Arnobius spoke sarcastica.lly of the pride o:f the phi1o!3ophe:rs (e. g ... Adv. nat. 2'. 50) and of their confliC'ting opinions (2.
9-10)!t he could also us~ vbat he viev@-d as positive aspects of their
teachings 1;0 support his own vievs {e,g.,. 2. 13-14 j, note especially his
eval.uation of' Plato in thf! latter of these two chaptl!:rs L
~;

2 011 the idea of a round earth" aee also Athenago1"as Plee..

8.

13. 2; 16. 1 (e&rl.h in center, with vaul.ted. heaven, in 13-:-2T.

:2'19,

3But ;, as ThoMldi"ke not e S]i P1ut arch di d the earne (Histor'i ~ 1;

fl..

6. citing De :f~cie in or-be 1unae,. cba.p. i I: 92JI AJ1.

Apocrypha and Gno si s

include 5 wi za.rds, (p haTJl18koue) among those brought. t.o t!'ilL1. even before

secular courts (CQf19t. apost. 2. 6. 52) ~ w'hile enchantments (epo..oidAs;

incant-at.iones) J "Ifa!"ious t.ypes of divination, a.nd neeromancies and in-

vocations (.epitlhoneeeis) tlre among the

a.vo1 ded (2. 8. 62; 1Q. 1:152B ) .

indec~nt

The e anon attributed to Paul E!:xe~ude~

frOl:! considera.tion for the church any who is a

astrologer .. diviner t wil d be ast

spectacles to be

chartDer~

magiciaJl.~

u:endic ant t char lattln, lDaker

01' Q!Ilulets) ~ha.rm.er, aoot.hsB,yer, e'te. {magos, ~Fao-idos

ma..t:ltis

enchant~rt

astroloB,Qs,.

therepOdos J lot6.x, ochlo.gogos J periamma.ta po1o.n ~ perikatha.iron,

o1anistes, . .)

(8. 4.32; E!:!. 1 :1l29A/B).1

other than the-5e ref"erence-a t magie does nOt.

l"e~~i.....e

grea-t o.t-

tention in the later Greek. writings of" the Ante-Nicene period., 'but
same- general 'World view co;ntinues.

Methodius~

'th~

according to Photius,

vas in agreement with Athenagoras regarding the fall of certain angels

who were emunoured with the daughters of men (Di~cua8ion on the Resur-

rection

~ragment 3. 1. 7 (ANF 6~370]~ f"rom

A~oeryph8

PhOtiU5 Bibliotb. 234).2

and Gnosis

Th~ a:poc-ryphal and heretical \fr1tings 'including the pS4!udoC1e-mentin~s and t.he Nag 'HJumM.d1 11bra:17) manifest all shadea of' beli~f,

ranging from thoe@: of the fa-thers themselves to those of' the "heree1~su

lConst. apost. 7. L 3 ~ 6, 18, also repeat the prohibition

against magic from the .D1da~he.
2'About the:

S6llle

-period JI tbe Latinb1 ~hQp JI 1/1 c-tor:5. nUS

or

Pe-ta.u.

credits magicians with vorking'Wonders (e.g.tfiTe :fl"o:m hea.ven, Rev.

13:13) by the aid of 5u-eb apostate .e.n..gels "even to this day" (On the
A:oocalypse, CSEL 49:128. 4-5; 129. 8-11 CJobannes Hause-lelt@r. e-d ...
'lictorin! .ep:iscopi Petavio-nens1s 0Ee-ra. CSEL,. vol. 49 (vjenna: F.

Tempsky, 1916;

~ipzig: G.

Fre-ytag t 1916))+

438

Ba~ly

they at tack(!d.

Christian View

13ut." as such, they represent only morE!

of the-views already presented a.bove, and

explicB.tion.

50

d.evelo'p~d

f'Qrms

do not require further

This is especially true- sinee tbese develo~nts (as

with most of t.he vie'lol'sthemselves) are in the directions ot

~11efs

a.nd attitudes 9.ppe.rently not. held by Africanus.

Sugnarx of Knowle:dgf!' of Magic

Designation~and

Divisions of' Magic

Terms used fol" magic

In their- discussions of magic

us4!'d by the fathers genel"fl.l1y

a.!'e

the desigJ1a:tions most

those of the ~- group (map:eia.,

lZiElgeuein. magos, ~gikos}]I but ."ith a. prominent use also of

(ao4ite 8:, goe teia, goet ~ue1 n ) .

of these writers present

COIQ:!lonl~'

goe-

forms

As noted aoov~ in the .:li 6C 'USS ions]I two

e~ce.ption1:i

to this general rule:

Clement of

Alexandria reverses this pre:f"erence, giving greater prondnence to the

more pejora.tive 5,oe- forms) and Origen c: OttIIIJ.Only s ubst i t ut~s the :more

demeani ng rnanga.:l- grQUp.

Besides these terms)

t.h~re

are &

f~

occurrences of the use- of

techne a..'1d derived forms (esp~ci&1ly in Justin and the other apologists 10
&l1d by Clement of Alexandria, a.nd H1ppolytus)" as either general or

spe-c i:fi c des igna.t 10mi of the art.

There is also a. rather frequen t use

of th~ phannak- group (-@-itl ll -euein~ -::.,. -on)" a.s either

or a. eub-iliv1sion

o:f~

the mag-

8.

synonym for,

l"ealm~

All these tel'!!ls ,. exc:@pt the techne fo:nns. have a somewhat negative connotation vhen used in this sense; of them, only the te~hne

Summary of Knowledge of' Magic

forms vere used by Africanu.5 in a similar senEJe.

Divisions and correlates of magic
'Within~

and around, t.he- rea1J::l of mage-ia. more specialized

Prom--inent among these: 'W"ere

areas vere also sometimes designated.

pharms.keia; th~ making or use of love chams or potions (philtra and

AA0,lljima); and the uses of cha1"lll!3 and encbantments ( .....a.rious of the

epaoid- forms ~ as veIl as a fev compOU11ds of -kl;sisfl..nd -kelesis;
a.lso the use of Eer1apt- forms by Clement of

A1~xandria

and peri-

de smei s tha.i in Hippolytu!3 )

Areas \(hich the: fatllere relate to

as well as modern philosophical a.:I1d

ms.gi~,

logi~EL.l

despit.e some ancient

obJections"

VElTe

the rea1JIls

of" astro1.ogy (variousl.Y d~5igna.ted as o.strologia .. senethlia Cin Origen;

ct. also the ps~udo~Cle:mentines]) and mathematikos), and divina.tion
(ma.rrteia:t mant1k~ ~ and va.rious synonyms and Bpecia.li2:.ed types).

The

varieties of this latter rea1JJ:l es:pecially are dl:!tailed &nd. attacked by

the fa.thers. from Justin on.
Procedures

Certain of" the fathers

or

Magic

mani:t,~st

a. fair amount of knowledge

about ma.,gical procedures ~ though. their knovledge would, in mo9t cases ~

probably have to be described .as

broa.d.~

rather tban deep.

lArnObiUS, for example~ Bets the id~f:L'S of' portents~ and their
aversion, in opposition to one another. Bardaisan, who bas &
nlajor place for Fa.te in his systel:i of causali t.i~s, hs.'S no allusions to
nJagi~ {at least in the!! preserved fragments}.
magic~

440

Early Christian View

Goals
Two of thE! early fathers Jc Tat-ian and Arnobius ~ provide- lists

of the gosJ.s sought 'by :magical operations.

Tatian' :I3somevbat informtl.l

listing includes heBling and 'Works of' lov~, hate . . ano ve'Pgeance

1"0. Arnob ius .. 8 I!!ore

(n!!.

extended 11 at 1nvolves forek:rlo'W'l~dge; inf11 cti on

of dis.ease; severing affections or caueing impure lovea; op@ning, locking,

01"

sel!'lJ..1ng mouths ~ veiLkening,

the chariot rB.celil;

01'.

inciting~

or ntard1ng horses in

occas1ooolly,. 'Use:ful things, but by oc:cuJ.t

powers (Adv. n~t. 1. ~3).1

The sa.:u.e t\tO pe.SJ;l,age!;. just cited, especially Tat1a.n's .. also

prov!d@; 1ililtings of mat@riala used (Tat1a.n:

"antipathies, fl lea.ther

amulets.. :rOot s, sin ews and bone s, b erbs,. human remain!'!; .krnobius :
juice of herb or gtoass,.
52,. IIno;cious herbs").

~acrifice"

or libation; ct. alSO., Adv. no.t. 1.

other, overlo..wi ng, 1 i sts are provided by Origen

(clothes,. numbers,. st.one5-~ plants .. roots, all kinds, oC things:

6. 39;

herbs~ ston~s

5); B.Dd Hippolytus

with ingcriptions:

(!~~f.

8. 61;

cr.

e,c.

also De pro 2. II.

4. lJb; 9. 22).

Methods

The predoJiJinant type

o~

methodology otthe 1tIagiciails Is

list has nmll..~rous points or contact vith th~ prot:edures

illustrated di":rectly by the e'xtant portions of Africanus;o or- :t"!'p-orted
by Psellus to ha.vebeen originally included.
Thia type of listing .:reaches its extreme in the paeudoClel:llent1nes, in the naming of the va.rious 'WOnders eithercla.imed by or

l....rh15

reported of Simon Magus (Reeog. 2. 9~ 3. 117, 57; 10. 6610 g . 2. 32.,

This list, however,. vas specially designed to demonstrate the
empty and non-beneficial nature of Simon's displays of pover.

.Jl,).

4~1

Sunsmary of Knowledge or Magic

oper.ations wi th/thTOugh demons.

Christian writers vho
trOlD Justin on.

ref~r

Thh: 1s a constant theme of all the

'to mag1-e nth any deta.il&t all .. at least

This factor iB dealt vith 'be-lOW" in "be diacusBion of

"Types of Magic."
Specifically, these operations involve the use
and .. still more specifically ,the

trol thl!'se demons.

Theth~ry

UEi~

.:..

incant.a.tions,.l

of ne.mes, to summon Q.udlor con-

of names

16 especially emphasized and

discussed in Or1gen as part of hiB- general

magic (note espec: ially

or

th~ory

of inca.ntations and.

1. 2Ji -25; 5. ~ 5; 6. 39; Exll. Mart. 46).

Involvement of Other Areas

Inevitably . . the

d.is~ussion

of these points overl.a.pped nth

other areas (as they atill do in modern diecussions), especially the

realms of science and :religion ..

In the realm of t'science, -, illust.rations. vere dTaill1 from physics (e:!;lpe~ia.lly l:IIS.gnC"tislJ) and stat.ie ele-otrici ty; e. g~, by Clement} ..

biolos:r (various wonders.:

medicine.

Clement, jtjppo.J.yt.us,. Tertullian), 3 and

They 'W(!'re used .as illust.ra.tions of spiritual lessons .. but

INote the: co!"t'E:sponding sections of: th~ discus~ions of the

Didacbe, Justin! Irene.eus. Clement of'Alexandria.,. Or.igen~ Hippolytus~
and TerttU..lian, a.bove ..

2Cf .also t t.he reference by Irenaeus to the USe of "foreign'T

words and the coining of names by Y&rlous. Gnostic groups (Adv. h:!iler.
1. 2L 3 ~ 5; 1. 21J. 5 ~ 7).

30rige-n,. on the other hand]! denied Celsus's at.tempt to use

cert&in exuples. from this area
animals (C.C. ~. 86)~

&!!i

proof' of knowledge of magic by

Clement of Alexend.:da Bl!e-msespec:ially to haVe!! been rE!lf1.t.i vel~r

knovledgee.ble and inter~at.erl. in this last area (o:::f. the discussion of
his view of' rtBiology .and Medi~ine 'Ii n above). Tatian,. hO'llever'li vas 8.

642

Early Christian V1ev

\titb no real distinction of then! .from. other unexplained or uneXllla.inable wonders 'Which 'Ilere viewed as megicaJ. or demorric.
This lack- of distinction is made especially apparent 'by the
vfl.riety of refi'"~nces "to the idea of' 5-j'"Clpathy and/or antipathy.

It

is viL.!'iously vie"'"ed a:9 a natural principle explai.ning such a range of

items as that from phyeicEU. properties of magnets and the "medical H
properties or plants (in Clement) to 1.thate.. . er tru.th lies behind the

cla.ims of the e.strolog~r8 (Clement 8J1d HippolytU5h 01" as the very

essence of the demoniC' systil!!m (Tatie..n Pi!.. 1 r). 1

Of

eou:rs~, during

this whole period (a.nd for centuries before and after it)) this view

vas one of the dominant theories

o~

calli> at ion J a maj or element in the

Slphiloaophy 0 t sci enc e I' of the day.

Various aspects of" relig.ion ~ both pagan and Christian ~ wer-e

also coop8red. to magic in these wr1 'tings.

Christ or Cb.!"istianity vi th
more than just denial.

ma~-ic

was r

Any real connection of

ne.turl1-~ly.,.

denied; but it..

Extensi\te attention 'Was devoted to various

aspects of this topie by Justin, Origen .. Tertu.l1!an, ArnQbius

lacta.nti U5.

VEls

Ii. l!l.rge part of their argumentation inv-ol"'ed the

and
80-

called Uproot from prophecy,.n but it vas alsQ dealt 'With extensively
frQIiJ the vie",,-point of the nature,. :m.otivation .. and results of the procedures involved.

In all

Christia.n

and magic.

p:r-a~tice

th~se-

areas, a. distinction vas seen be'tveen

sort of D~gative ndevil' s advoca.te" in this realm,. actually class! tying all medical practices a.s demonic, and on a par with ~gic (Disc.

18).
1

P'!"rhaps comparable h~re ie Tertullia.n's :t'~ference to the

Ircontraljl' rettledi@-slt cormr.a.nded by the daemons (&01. 22. 11).

Attitudes tovard Magic

Conversely.~ B.1most all aspects of pagan

religion (and various

heresies) 'Were attB.<::ked as being e'asentiallythe :same as magic.

Their oris1.ns and bases were the

8el1Je,

demonie:5.nspiration, e.nd their

methodologies and goals cou.1d not be distinguished.

'Th~

volved irrationa.l acts t ritl!!s, &nd words.; the

'Was connected

l&tt~r

former in-

'Wi th the fulfillment or base or irrational h'lllI!l!l.n de-sires .. ov,ertly f'or

the human pra.ctitioners J covertly for the demonic po'Wers reeJ.l;)r op.erat.ing, behind them.

Typ-es of Magical Operations

lPdirect (daereonjc) mtLp,ic
In terms of the broad typology of magic used in
of the preceding

~hapter--direct/imperaonal/automaticcontrastedvith

1ml1rect/persona1/d.tu~monic--thetype

of :magic discussed and rl!J ected

by the tat.hers is 8JJI:Iost exclusiv@:ly the latter" the

type-.

th~ eon~lusion

The only exception would be: in the ca.se of

p~:rsQna.l,

sOble

daemonic

of Hippolytus I s

ph"V's!cal eXI"l6nations (and some other charges of' f'raud, eo. g ... by

Irellaeus), and those woul.d probably be classed t even by Hi:ppoly"tu5I and

the fath~rs, as trickery" rath@:T thfln magic (insofar as th~ t'Wo conce'Pta were distinc:t in the ancient vorld~ .5.,oeteia lo for ~xMJPle,.!;Ie~ms

to ha.....e

b~en

used for both vitllout a clear intent to distinguish the

two meanings).

'While various materi&1s and proced.ures were noted by

the fathers i.n other

tbe demons (or ..

areaa~

theY vere connec:tedW'ith ttI8Jlipulations of

demonicmanipulations)~

not as working directly to

Ea~ly

441.1
achieve the

Christian View

desil"~d end(s) by nE!.tural,. pby:sica.l ~ausation.

'l'heori es of' p r&Xis

Wi thin the b:ro.a.d category or daeJ!lonic magic.. there \/'ere, hO\f-

ever!' t.\70 ma.jor competing interpreta.tions of' the actual tlro.xis.

The

first ~ which may be called t.h~ Ta.tianle. from. its major (or, sole)
~xponent '!I

a.cts, 'Iolords:II etc

been

~'cons'piracy

vasa type of

.flc~orded

JI

theorylr;

the various materials,

had :no si.gnlfieance in themselves; the:,. had Bimply

meaning in an arbitrary system pre-determin4!d

demons themselves.

This v.a.s part of their

man from" and againQt'!l God.

Their system

ov~r-all
~:rt.ended

oy

the

strategy to turn

far beyond magic,

8.l"e~

t.aking 1npagan religion, me-dicine, and,. pot.entiall)', all

0'

life.

The second theory of' magica.l pra.:x;is !l\a.y be tel"m.ed the Orie;en-

istic , trom its

cle&r~Bt

enunciator.

vie-'Ll' of the nature of thinge. J Origen a.rgued that the

the cle.i:ms of the

certa.in

.E;lounds~

ma.gi~ians

certa.in

ra.~tors

were- grounded in the "nature- of

'VQrd~

and nmes.,

producing resul.ts in sucb usages.

FQllo'W'ir.ag an essentJ.all.y Platonic

wer~

underlyine;

things"~

potl!'nt t and capable of

This vas because the;>r ~ like &J.l lan-

gu.a.ge (s) 'II were essentiuly 10 "naturfl.lly, n correct as the designation of

the things designated.

1
2

Origen bimse1f called i t the Stoic vie'W, in contrast to the

Epicurean and

Ari5tot~lian

(C.C. 1. 24. K. 1;

7~.

10-15. 1).

The other lathe!':!;: do notrea.:lly sp~a.k to such a question,. but

in general!, Beem closer to the OrigeniBtic, n a.t ural , theory, tban to
the Tatianic conGpira.~y theory. ~ d-evil9..tions fro~ this position
\i'Ould probably bav4! be-en
1.0 the direetion of a more Aristoteli.an,
arbit,rary-s)"l%lbolizing-1n-general view J than t-mtard the mor~ specifiC'!,
Gpec:i&1-daemonie-sign-S,ystem vit!V of To,tian.

Attitudes tovard Magic

Rela.tion to Their Belief Systems

Spiritual realm
The fathers fairly uniformly view the spiritu.a.l realm as
sani~ed

Ol"-

in a sort or hierarcny of three basic levels, but vith several

variations at the middle leveL

At the top is God, the Creator and

Lord of all else" in.comparablY greatC!!r

int<!rmediB.tl!! le-v!!'l o.re &n@;etlic beings

in types, as well as in natures.

thatth~ l~r

levels.

At the

nwnerous both individual1y

and

At the lovest leve!.,. at least at.

present. are the human spirits.

Tbe angelic beings are nov divided in no.ture into the good

and the evil {the la.tter either identified or loosely associated "With
the demons) 1 thoug.\:l thiij; is tbe resUlt of their ovn cho.ice; they were
j

not c:reated so.

able by their

They are also 'typa.ble into various ranks distinguish-

po~er

and/or

spe~ial int~rests

or areas of concern or

responsibility; this typology applies in general to both the good and

the evil ranks.

The nature and the extent of the variations fL.t. this

level are capable of' numerous variations..

to multiply them, and to

~xpand the~

dOlm to 'the 1I1s:teria,1 r-e-a.lm.

The Gnostic groupe tended

into a continuum runnipg from God

The northodox t' vri ters tended to set!' a

sharp g9.p On @-e.ch aideo! 'this level.

Within the 'orthodox H grO'L."P!

Origen speculat.ed the- most. about the extent and cause of the varia.t.ions,

lTh@ dat!mons were frequently identified as the souls or t.h~

gi.8nts, the offspring of th~ fallen angels and hUltlBJJ :femal.es. The
distinction of t~!"minology was not a.lways conaistent-ly mainte.in~d,
however, eve-n by thoee 'Who explicitly presente-d this view; so[!]etim~s
the fallen angels. 'Were also called daemons.

Early Christian Viev

but still
ma.n~

maintainedth~

gaps separating the angels trom God and from

The hu:rna.n l;ipirit, \(hile on a lower

than the angels s at

1eve~

least at. the present time. is not subordinated to them. but bas direct
~!3ponsibility to

God,

and

the possibility of M!"ect communication with

' 2
Hl.tD.
Thus.. though the angels and de1:lcms "ii'cre higher than man in terms
o:fthe HspirituaJ." nature

or

their existence .. they were not gve:r them in

terms of po... el' ororgani z;a t i onal structure.

They c tlul d ha.ve lim tee

cont a.c ts vi th ma:n. but only as penni. t te d or direete d by God.

Magi c:

could 'thus be viewed (as it was e~licitly 'by O.rigen)3 as a breaking of

the divine order 'by

e.tt~mpt8

lo"'~r

( us uall.y the demons) tor personal,. trequen t ly

level

So pi :z-i.t!3

t his-\lor1d"-ly., ends.

to control, or enlist the aid of, the

Such acts were also usually regarded as being

the result of' deception bj' the demons; they a:::"e Actually the ones in
contrcl~ despit~

the beliefs

~r

the practitioners&

Ma.terial realm

Insofar as magical or oomparable

proeedur~~

were

vie~ed

as

~But he tended to narrow th(! intel"oal gap between the 1'gQod"

and the I!!:vil engels., :regarding the angels fl..S only re1.at1 vel)' less
guilty tban the demons &t the time or the prima'1fal rebellion (De pl".
1. praef. 6; 1.. T. 2-3, 5; 1. 8. 1, 4 L
t hi S

G~'stem.st

e.g . ., Laetantius (Div. inst. 2 .. 10-11", 15-17).

s ta t us was Son 01'1 gi mu. ~ause of' the ang~l i c ~ 1. e., diabol i c: a.nd
:2 In some

demonic s jealousy and rebellion.

3Note C,C. 5. 5 (compare

also the discusaion in the preceding

chapter of' th~ helpfUl, but limited", intermediaIJo functions of' angels
in relation to prAyer and other aspects of hl..lllW.n li:fe: and vorship).
p

At t i tudes toward Magic

havi rig e.ny Teali ty (apart "from l'rauduhmt proc edure-s ), they were

usually attributed to sympathetic

principles~

This principle vaSt or

course, not viewed as restricted to the realm. of 1!:Iatter, but 'the vis-

ible {and less religiously suspect.}

~xamp~eg

of it come froln this

real~.

Physics
Some- prime exwnpl4!s of this principle of s:nl:lpathy are t.he

I:tl&g-

netic stone; 8ZDber 8lId chaff,. and SQ~ relat-ed items (sta.tic electri<:ity) ~
and the mutual attraction of fire and naphtha.
in Clement

o~ Alexandria~

but

others~

All these items appea.r

either individually or in various

]Jai.rsor triada, app!!:ar in other vrit.ers, both orthodox and here-tical

(~.g.,. both Hippolytu.s and various of the grouplil combatt.ed by him--

Naa.senes, Sethians, Basilidea:ns).

Crigen suggests a. connect-iori of

celestial bodies 'With earthly eveets (e. g.

a.nd

luna~Yt

.2 seem

the re:ll1.tion of the moon

which sUggest.s other possibilities of influence; and comets

to prec~de- sign i tic e.nt event s ) .

Biology
The app.lication of the principles of s:.,rmpathy and a.ntipa.thy in

the biolo&ical realm is i11ustrated also by Clement, especiall:r in his

e;xplanation of the e:ffects of certain of the flovers

Another way of viewing biological

in

Orige:tJ~

ph~nomena

is

01"

ointments.

pr~sented

by one

paS5ag~

thougll it. a.eelnS to a.llov tor (and aetually overlap) the

IPsympatheticl1 e~lanation in its uSe of the: '-eagle-stone' fl.S an ex-

at:IP1e.

In the passa.ge in question., C. c. L ~ 86, Origen rejects Cel-

sus t s use of

c:~rtain

i toe:ms a.s proof of knowledge

or

sorcery

br

certain

~48

Early Christian View

birds and animals-these things are simply re:m.ediea knQwn by inst.inct

(hYsi s), not sore ery

Summary

EssentiaJ..1y the same explanatory- options for

uncanny " phe-

nomena 'WerE! available to the ancients as eu-e available to

pt

]!);)d~rns;

spi:ri t ual.' causa.t ion, fraud t or poo!"'ly understood "natural rr eaUB a-

tion.

The major

d1fferen~~s

would be in the greater number of phe-

oomena falling into the "uncanny" C'ategory in ancie-nt times, and the
grea.ter tendency 'to propose the first. e-.xplanation", compared to its

almost tote.1 neglect by moderns in favor of the last explana.tion.

But tbese differeDces in attitude and emph&sis must not obscure the
ra~t

that

~he

last option wa.s available to the

&nci~nt

Christianvrlt-

ers, and, f'urther, vas utilized by them on occasion.

lSimila.rly) Tatian, while rejecting such t;ypes of remedies
ar;l beneath h'l.IllLao dignity a.nd the divine r~sour~es ava.ilable to man,
dD~S not seem to include them B.9p&..':I:"'t of his rrdE!mo.ni~ C'onspiracyt
(Disc. 18).

"-

CO~CLUSI0N

THE PLACE OF JULIUS AFRICANUS IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY

The pre 51 ent e hapt~r concludes theprece ding st.udy with an at-

tempt to

plaC'~

Christh.nit~~.

Julius Africanu5 vi thin the SPl!ctrum of belief's of early

Its main part is a deeeriptive style comparat.ive study

of' -the rela.tion of tbe viewB of' AfriC8.nWl concerning magic with those

.of the other early ChristiQ.tli vr1ters pre5ented above.

'This study-

parallels t.he c:onc:lusions of the two preceding chapters (foll.o'W'ine:

generally t.he order of topics in the coneIus ion of Chapter III,. 'where

the two orders d-iffer).

It cOtt.bine's a.nd compares their results iJl the

areas of knowledge of magic::: and attitudes to'W'ard it.

Rela.tion of Afric:anus's Views of Magic
to Thgse of' 'the- Eo.rlr Church

Knowlei!ge o:f Magic

Desi,gnations of the 8.l"t

Pi'here Afric.anus uses a. speeial term to des cribI!' his :procedures

it is usually the term techn;l & term whicbhe Beems to use 7 at most l

only in a semi-technical s@'nse.

Africanus himself' d~s not

in the Chronogra.ph::t (mp

'!lSI!

~6/chr

While Psellus u:ges th(! tem goetiken

8J1y of the go4;- or ~- forms

except

1; Routh 2:242 .. 4; Syncellus 1:35 2 t

Conclusion: '. Af'ri-::::anus in Early Chri.stianity

In this pBs sage he use ~ the terms :f. n a negat1 ve sen se

ed. Dindorf).

in accord with their

These ot.her

usag~

'W']"itel"s~ hovev(!-r~

the preceding chapter,

regu1~~ly

aa noted

ill the eon(:lusion

magl~~

of

use these and other pejorative terms

They do make sOJ!Ie use of the techn-

by preference.

nation of

in the other early Christian vriters.

but rather infrequently.

f'O:t"'IllS 60S

a. desig-

On the other hand 7 they

make rather f'requt!'tlt e.nd pejo-rati Vf,! use of' the lJhe..rnak- group.

The useMd

nClo-use

of' these terms by Africanu5 is consistent.

v1th the vi.e'Ws su,gge:sted in the thesis of this study.

the term
his
or

techn~ as

procedures~

goe-

forms

a positive .. Or at least neutral

but avoids any use in

~hich

uses) a.s pejorative.

conne~tion

he. like his Christian

Africi!lnus uses

tl!rm,

to

des~ribe

with them of the oa5-

~olleagues.. regards (aod

On the other hBJI.d. the ph:2:rm..ak- group" whill2

1iS~d pejoratively by the fathers:!, is not necessarily Souch {and is not

al.'ways so u.s ed even by t.h~), and so Mric anus has nO he 9i ta.nc e in the
use of pharmak- f'o~s (pba~on~ pharmaxis) in and o~ hia prescrip-

tions ..

~~en

using them or tbe destructive ones.

Divisions and correlates

Besides phart:!lB..keia, preaented Just
1ccluded such a.reas as love

~hBnDS 01"

and enchantme:Jts .. in the magical

above~

the early f'ath.ers

potions, and the

pra.cti~es

US~S

of charms

vhich the]r opposed.

The

sp.eci:fic terms used of the former, philtra and e.goSil:lEl. ~ a.r-e not us~d
by Af'ricanus t but Psellus (though not usine; th~5e te:n:ns either) does

suggest this type of' operation in mp 44s {'kindles and quenches loves:!, 11
Vi.., IX. 1. ~9) (ct. llliiO the dil;l,cussion o.! '-love mtigic 1 in the SUl:Dllllry

Relation of Vie.... s to Early Church 1 s

of Africanus' 5 kno'llledge of bIlLgic in Chapter III ~ above).

1151

In 'the area

of chan:ns and. enchflJltments, 01" sp.l!'lls ~ in general ~ tva of" the term-

groups 'Use-d. by the fathers" the epaoid- and 1l'r1a.rt- stems It a.re used
exp11ci tl.v of Afrlcanus' s pro~edures
3l-32~

~eriapt~is. .

enadi) .

by

Psellus (mp 1,4j~ Vi. IX. 1.

. kai e~asmasin; aee also mp L4d~ line 13;

In the pres(!t"'ved

passages)

fonns of his own proee-dures,

Af"Tic::anus dQes not use the tlJaoid-

but he \Jses Eer1apt- forms, both verb

and noun (and other peri- forms) :frequently in his prescriptions. 2

Besid.es this t the term epikletheise e appears in

13:1

:p. 225). the invocat ion of Aphrodite.

mp

23a (Vi.~ III. 2.

As not ed in the d.1 scuss ion

of this whole passage {mp 23 a-e; and Vi' 1 III. 2 in its entiret)r} in

Chapter III, its authenticity 18 uncertain.

This uncertainty1s in-

crea.sed by, b"u.t not based solely on, this particular procedure.
is authentic, then it illustrates the father-s" charge of

If" it.

ine:!3~apa.ble

tias of pagan \/'orship to 1I$g1c; but it also changes the pr-oblenL concel'ning A:fric:a.nu5 hom one of magic alone., to one of active promotion
of' a. pagan religious act.

The fathers also

nected .nth 1'!Jagic..

thes.e

a1"eas~

vi~

astrology and divination as closely con-

Mricanus has no major references to either of

andowohat he does say does not directly connect. them with

IBu:t two rorms do appear in the Oxyr~rnchu5fra.gment: Oxy. P,ap.

41.2 (Vi V J, lines 20 and 21--epaoide and e sai ~ and the whole interpolation is described as t:esenirrhe~eos lines L5-46) in Af1"1canus'g
folloving comments. Elsewhere he uses the general tel"Rl rhesin in the
Qne instance where such an item is explicitly identified by him (mp 6;
Vi. 1. 5. Q. p. 129). ~sides this, as noted in Chapter III, under
nIns~riptioDSlln he employs similar items in written fOnD.
2See thediseusaion of IrAmull!ts" in Chapter III ~ above.

Conclusiort:

A:f'ric.anua in Ea.rly Christianity

Hia views, of them are"

:D:I8.gie.

hoW'ever~

lI':i&81C'aJ. t.ype items he presents.

similar to his views of the

Inso:far as there are other than na't-

ural senses involved1n his discussion of diYining fron horses (Vi ... L

8~

IIIp

8 and the

planation of 1t.

pre~ eding paragraph).. Afric!Lfius I!ltt eltlpt:3 a natural e'x-

He does use the "WOrd astrologos io at. least one

refe-renee, in the ChronographY (Routh t frag. XXIV:

astrologos t

vheo~e

but it is not

i.nt~rest

6n

aristos

bisreputat.ion of bearing the hea.vens was der! 'Vi!'d) 't 2'

~lear ~hat

in terms of modern

Atlas a.s

he means

~quivB.1ents.

&strolog~r r~ther

than astronomer,

Elsewhert!! the only evidence of 'his

in this are-tI. is the specification of eerta.in tim@s", usua.lly

in relati,on to the moon", tor some actions.

Metho~ologie.Ei

o:fthe art

Area.s clea.rly within tbe rea,1ID of magicoal I:oncern

may

be con-

sidl?r-ed trom the vie'W'point.s of the goals of the proeedures--the a.reas

or

hUlnan concern to'\o!'hieh they correspond--a.nd

th~ a~tU8.1

methods and

ma.t.~r-ials

or

the procedures used--

used in the opera.tions.

Goals
As noted i.n the "S'IllmII.a.ry of'
ceding chapter, the goals of

among the fathers

Knov1edge~t

~agical

at the end of' the pre-

operatiQns l as stated

~Arnobiust ~or~eBpond ~oughly ~th

the

~st.

fully

eonc~rns

rep-

resentl!!d by Afr1cSJ1u!3' 8 magieal passages t especially as summarized by

Psellus.

The maJority of th@ proco@"dures in Ai'rieanus" hovever, rela.te

1As he does in the reverse- situation in I. 16 (MT'hef't or Sound"),

in which th~ :t'esuJ.t of his non-magica.l prQr::edu:re (provided with a "physical 11 @x,plan&tion) is compared to th'!' resUlts from divina.tion.

~el.

Sac:t'.

2:218. 22; S}~cellus" ~d. Dindorf. 1:28].

453
to the :more neutral areas (at le8.st socially .. if not strictly legally
or ethically) of medical. and agricu1turil.l magic. and the destructive
procedures are pl"e!3ented in a. military context, thus preserving the
appearance~

at least, of respectability.

Methods
Arnobius,. in the 1.;n;troductioD to the pas-sag!!' just mentioned:lo

also gives several methods of the magicians (Adv. nat. 1. 43).

T!lo

of' these me-thods:lo incQntations and juice of herbs,. ,are. compa.:rable to

some of Mric-&nus t s proee-dures .. though the latter does not neeessarily

&ppear in any

or

his really magical operationa.

On the other hand,

t.he method .1rI0st stressed there by Arnobius:j. the caret'Ul

obs~rvance

of

divina.tions of various tjrpes to aecertainth~ f'utill"e (and thus .appear

to cause it}~ doe.anot appear in Afrieanus.

aboYe,

rl!f~rencesto

Indeed. as dil;lcusse-d

divination are 1"e.re in the Kestoi.

'T'he ma.in t.ypl!!S of proc edures u5edby A.fr i cartus :10

among the things speeifically noted by various of

at.t.aeks on mtl.gie.

1 however ~ are

th~rath~rs

But other of his procedures (for ~xample~

in their
the

right/left. distinction" eSFecial.ly in :relation to the productiOrt of

sexes; tbe significance of certain

tim~s;

the signific:anceof certain

numbers) can be eq\Ja.J.ly parallell!'d i'rom the general views of tbe

t~orary

CQn-

Christian writers.

\1an1pulatiof.l,. vocali z8:tion , graphic representations. and use

of a.pecial substances (see under the "Summar/ of Knowledge" in Ch9.pt~r
III" above).
2

E.g. ~ the times fo!"' pra.yer in Hippolytus Ap. Trad. 36/1:1 t

espec:18,lly the "bl;YthologicaJ. "'basis provided fo:r prayer at midnight .

Conc lusion ~

An"ic anus in Ea.rly

Ch~i$ t.la. nity

Mate rials

All of: the main tyPes of mate rials menti oned

fathe rs in

the1~

denu nciat ions of magic are

by

the

v.a~i oug

r~pre sente d by Afri~ anus' s

proce dures ~ with thee xc ept 1on of: the "huma n rellla ins r
me-nti oned by
ratio.. n (~. 11). and possi bly the sacri fic-e s and
libat ions of"

Arnob ius (Adv. nat. 1. ~3)

&

Other wise .. in the anima.J. realm .. there

8.!""e'

examp lea of' the leath er .8J!IUlets .. the 'bones (even if

not "the sinew s) ~

find hu::na.tl substo.ncelil (thou gh not Prt'emains n

ar-e the

roots ~

plan ts,

herbli ~

);

in the plant rea-a t there

or juici1!s; of mine rals, vario us, typ@s

stone s .. thoug h none insc: ribed , and espe ciall y none

names

O~

ins~r i.bed

of'

with the

symb ols of demons {but tbere are some inscr iptio ns .. one
on

thing s" (C.C. 6. 39):

numb ers ..

"a.ntipathies~1~ and cloth es (Ol'" at

least cloth s).

Again ~ hovev er~

it

.~

be noted that many of these thing s ap-

pear in pr-es cripti ons wbich are separ ated only

line-s t if at all

ll

worst .. int.o Ries s's "fals e belie f rl

or

the narro west of

frOID othr.!:t" presc riptio ns in Ai'ric6.JlUS (or even so:me

'Of the anima l '\lond ers in the fathe r a ) .

C'ha.ract~:tistic

by

f!'heE:le
1

categ ory~

othe~

c-ases fall ~ at.

and are reall y more

Af'ric anus than t.he m.a.git::al proce eding s.

T;,']les of oJ?er ationa

Di~l! ct/in d:ir~ ct magic

As n'Oted in the

conC' lusio ~s o~

1 1 A.berg lfl.ube t" col. 32 ~

i1.. .

the

t~o

prece ding

f&1s chelD glaub en.

'UIlgeniigender und irrig er Natur beoba chtun g. It

chapt ~r8~

the

Aus

Relati.on of Vie'rlli to Early Church1s

other early Christi.aJl vriters uniformly class magic as
ation~

It is an indirect

proced'Ur~ op~r~ting

fI.

den:.onic oper-

through 'the intercession

or compulsion of demons, of one piece with the other deconic activiti~s)

including pfJ.g6.n religion.

Africa.nus ll on the contrary) while

manifesting a silllilar belief in the existence of demons, and of their

connection with the origins o~ magic, seldom, if ever t
with the operations

h~

connects them

prescribes.

'Theory of Q,raxis
In terms of the theori.es of magical praxis presented by the

te.;the:E"s, AfricanU9 ~:s vie'll 'Ilould, not wmaturally. be closer to that. of

Origen than to that of

TatiM~

He goes "beyond Origen)

eliminating the dae'll!l)f)ic role, eVl!'n to

th~

howe'Ver~

in

I!'xtent of elillrlnating them

from an,.v active pa.........-t in t.he procedures 'Iorhich he prescribes.

argued tha.t, "i.n the []ature of things," there was some

po"'~el'

Origer.

in words

and sounds tha.t compelled demonic obedience; Af1"iCMUS 't!3 view seems
to be a sort of extension of that vie\l' to the inanimate reaJ.m t eliminating the: anim.a.te (daemoni.c) "midllle-l:I.lan n f'rom at least s. conseious
part in his system.

eyate:m would be

It couJ.d ..

(log.ic~lly)

perhaps~

be validly argued. that su.ch

B.

defective" but tilis is no I!l.rg'Ul!lC'nt against

t.he possibility of" tbe existence

or

such a system of

the prevailing belief in IIsympath;:,p ~ .. etc.

'beli~f.

Given

and th(!' pressur<=s fr-om his

Christian belief's "for the eliminat.ion of' a.D.=r' idea of ccmn::erl::'e with the

IThequ,estion here is largely that of' the I!l.uthenticity of mp

23 and the chapter in which it OCCu.:rs) Vi. !II. 2. The main poit.lt.s in
regard to the significa.nce of thi!3 question) and the evidence coneerning
it:. ha.. . . e been presented above:.lrl Cha.pter III) under t.he discussions
of' "Fovls)" "Rites,r .rOods. and DaelllOos ~" and rtlndir~c't (Daemonic)
MagiC? II

456

Conclusion:

daemonic forces:lo

8uch 80ll

Africanus in Early Cbrigtianity

intermedia.te- link coUld ea.!3ily be Buppressed

frOlQ at lee.st conseious consideration.

Giv~n

also the incipient and

tent&t.ivl!' nature of observation-based scientific .knowledge l!lnd. the

tenuous nat.ure of ancient knO"Jledge of physical (chemical .. etc.)
causal links:lo such a E1u.apension of

not be view,ed

&::1

emph~s.is

an intellectual dishonest.y.

on daemonic causation r:leed

Mricanus was not the

modern ideal of the scientific observer .. l r~solutely resisting the

:formul{l,tion of inadequate tbeories till o.ll the:

~videnc:e

neither does be appear to be the credulous dabbler in

'Was in; but

th~ oc~ult

that

he is som~t~es presented ~ being. 2

A.t

tit udes toward. 1-C..agic

Religious/non-religious
As

implied i.n the preceding discussion of

HT:fpI!S

of

Operations,.'~

the early Christian 'Writers (including Africanus) considered u:n.a.gic" to

be

rela~ed

to

religion~

and of direct religious concern.

pagan religion:lo it was essentially the

S~;

and in

~r

Compared to

cases actually

overla.pped with it; but compared to true r@ligion. the true 'Worship of

the true God! it vas antagonistic.

But. this antithesis vas because they

both belonged easentially to the same thought realm. accepting most of

lBu't then 10 this modern id@a.]. is still only an "ideal t1 even in

modern times.
2 ACt u.allY" he may have been sOr::Jething of a Itnut,t though: he
at le~st :mildly egotistical) II ntI.DI~ droppe-r:lo a dabbler in oneupsmanship" {whatever the topic:lo Almost, he eoUld think up .. or h.ad
heard of, an improvenJ.ent). But 'Why 'WTi t~:Io i r he di d not think be had
something to off~r?

V8.!3

~51

"the same basic

At

th~

but e v s.1uating them differently.

vlews~

same time., hO\feve'l", Afrieanus se-e-ms to have regarded

his procedures as outsid,e this

religious; they were,

trasted to the pagan

1"ather~
gOd6~

real~..

neither religious ~ nor yet anti-

non-religious, secular.

as, in mp Ila. it vas as

not as .an oppos i og force vi thi n tb e s.ame system.

This t.opi,c hU!i already

b-~entoliche:d Of]

8.

Even when concompeting

system~

in the discussion

above. and thus: the main lines of the position presented belolf are
at least tbose concerning the spiritual and the

fairly ob..-"ious ~

physical/material rea.lJns 5 and s to s.n extentt their civil and social

involvement.

Only the last area 50 poas:ible functional

va~ues

o.fthe

Bpi ritu.e.l realm

The views of Africanus and hia fello'V Christian vriters are

eseentia.1ly the same in this area+

Insofar as there vas a consensus

of Christian thougbt in vfl.rio\IS poss1bleramifications of tb1s .area,

Africanus appears to be as close to the center

In fact, he was closer th8J1 some,

al
i c..

the

I'ant l.-maglc.
.
1
If

p~raonality

an~

01"

even

8.S,

t'l..~
u~n

.&8

any of the others.

for exwnple, Tatian, the fanat-

n.-i
....... gen.

Vl. t"
H

hi. B spec ula tlong about

of the stars and the causes of the differences in

~e a.pparent exception to this~ IDpp 14a and 15b s are really

rheto:deal flourishes 50 personif1caticm and apostrophe 5o :not actually
~hallenge-s to a gOd conceived of as trUly exist,ent.

Conc:lu.sion ~

Af'ricanus in Early Christianity

the ranks of spiri tUBl beings.

Physical/material realm
The vie'W's of A'fTic6Jlus a,nd 'his fello.",. Christians Bepar&te

sOJrie-what. here" but a.gain ~ not more than do those 'Ilithin the ranks of
the other -'W"riters the:ou:;elves.
in these refl.1ln..9 tha.n

ll&S

A'fricnnus vas not much l!Jore interested

Cle.rr.ent of

Al~xandria.

and in some asuects

of their stuQy, perha.ps less Yell versed than Clement or Hippo1yt.us.

The

dif~erence

thei~

vriting;

is mainly one of the area of

Cle~ent,

re~ders;

for

H1ppolytus, ana the otheTS gave iTst consid-

ere.tion to t.hos.e items from. which

for their

con~entration cho5e~

th~y

could dra'll spiritual berJefit

Africanus was concerned

tellectual befief"it (including some concern

.~th
rOT

their material or inf'entertainltlent value'}.

6-omc of the closest pt!r'$-llels betweer. A:frice..nU5 and the other

Christian 'I;f1"i t(!rS come
magit, in

tb~ir

ho"'''ever]i outside the

discussions of

biolo~TI

Or

i'a.th~!"6 r

physice~

discussions of

or medieinc) etc.

In connection with this point, it may again be noted what &

relativc~Y

sme..ll proportion of Afrieanus' s sur..... i ...r ing fragmer.. ts are aettJ.a.lly concerned .... ith magic, &nd that. even in those passa.ges]i be .frequently

tries to

p~ov1de

Civil and

so~ia1

physi~a1 expl&~ation

of the

proc~dures.

areas

All the Christian vr1ters by

~lication~

and

eo~e~

such &s

La.(:tantius, explicitly, classed magic and magicio..n:l; vith the crioinal,

1

This unit.y) of cours~]i is not GurprJ.sJ.ng, since much or the

basic viewpoint \7S.S held in common with most of the ancient '\iOI"ld.
The dif:ferences appear largely in the differetl't conflgurations of
various el~nts in the systems ~ and in the- "ethical tt evaluations of

them.

Relat.ion of Views toE!lrly Church 1 fl

01"

at least the

lower~

ci'oril authorities.

elements of society, Justly punished 'by the

Magical type operations

'WE!'r~

a.ssociated with per-

aons -of considerable- status.!> le-aders of religious groups .. both pagan

&rid hel"eticB.1.; but. auch op#;!!rations \roe-roe p:rf!'sented as proof' or the real
culpa.bility and error of

persons or doctrines associated "rith

th~

them.

A:fricanus ,inaofo.:r a.s

h~

speaks explici t1.y of magic, seems to

share such e. general viewpoint. ~ but he doe's notrege.1"dhis prescrip-

tions as falling into these

knowledg~~

or handy

catego:ri~s.

t~i~k8, orev~n

There is nothing cl"i.l!d nal or lov

triotic advice.

SQllI,e of" the

They fl..re ue.eful

pra~tical

valuable tactical procedures.

~ las e

here". only good pract ic al. ~ pa-

procl!dur~:s

:Iliight "be rega.rded as a bit

ribald". or subj ec t to mi suse ~ but shoul d a.n author be blem.ed to"!' t.ha.t?

His Christian colle6.gue-s \ir"Quld have ob.'ected to this type of

mtl.t.eria.l~

but :from a Christian v.iewpoint; from a

6e~u1.iLr

find/or Ii ter-

ELry 'Vievpoint ,M'ricanus' s presenta.tions were re:latively mild "by the

standards of that (or- almost any other} age.

m~dica.l
jokes~

nature of

mu~h

of the

m6teria1~

ConsiderIng the semi-

only the excretion

pra~tical

and the horse-theft disguis(ts, are :really at issuE!' it.! stich a

discussion.
Ftir:lctionB.1 values

Whl!'l.tever funct.ions .ma.gic" including divination, 2IlAY ha.ve perfomed in the 50ciaJ. e)'at.ems (pags.nistn., Gnostic1sm~ etc.) which the

early Christie.n writers attacked--guidance in ambiguous situations,

l"einforcer:IJent of resolve in t.hreaten1ng situations. 'help in si tUB.t.iom~

1460

Conc lusion :

Af'ric anus in Ear.ly Chri stian ity

of' "help lessn ess .. " reass uranc e that. every thing poe.s ible
had been done
in si tuati one of I!lctul!Ll Or poten tial loss? --vou ld
have been met ill

the-ir own conte xt by Chris t and/o l' the churc h.

Thus magic

'Il&S

not

peede d (and/ or TWas; attac ked or reject~d as pe.nd ering

to eV"'il dc-si res).

Those who we-re "I!'nanared n

by' the be-re sies which

af't.er wards r~tu:rned to the chur~h did

So

used mtl.gic and '1100

becau se the "mag ical dis-

plays " we:t"~ not .reall y funct ional f'rom the persp ectiv
e 01" their 'WOrld
viev.

In sOllie cases they were actua lly "dysf uncti onal .. U servi
ng only

to lead thOSe

"ensnared'~

into .situa tions . of' deepe r conf lict, espec ially

in relat ion to their syste m of ltIoral. vaJ.u es. 2
Af'Ti<:8nU1h on the other hand, 'W1"ote alway s from a
lay posit ion"

and. in the Kesto i

(ron! a

secul ar on@.

It is in the

K~8to i

tha.t. any

posit i ve m.a.gic appea rs J in contr ast to the latl!n t "mag

ical Y01"ld-viE;!",~H
OCC1.lsion&11y glimp sed in the Chron ouap! &' (and sha.re
d ,n.th Afric& rJus by

his Chris tian colle ague s).

In the situa tion addre ssed by the Kestoi~

ChriB t was not a viabl e funct ional

solut ion~

that. vas ruled out by t.he

terms of the "con tract U (to borroW" a struc tural ist term)
.. so At'ric anus
tries to prese nt funct ional solut ions from the "scie
nce" of his spher e
of acqua intan ce.

In such circu mstan ces" Chris tian .. 3 or other

Concl!!:rn1ng t.his last type of' sltuQ .tion T note the exC'uses
for
the U8e of amule ts'lrlt hich are comb atted at the end
of the next centu ry
by Chrys ostom (Ad CoL ~ ~. 8. 5; F'G 62d5 7-58 ).

2E~g.~ lrena eus Adv. haer. 1. 13, ~-5. But such conf licts v~re
f:lot .always recog nized llm'Q .ediat ely; one such victim was
recon verte d only
after uno stnall diffi culty rt (ibid . ~ sec + 5).
3Chr ist1 ani ty vould be

viabl e funct i on.e.l optio n only f'OT

But su~h perso ns need apolo getic
or oth~r missi onary type pre~entat1ons, and that Afr1eB
.l:1U5 le&ve~ to
other '\on' i ters or vri ti I'l8s . In his Chron ogr aphy ~ he
had made some con'tr1bu
8.

those .at lea.st open for conve r6ion .

tion of his own

to

that ta:sk" but that 'Was not the Tole of the Kesto i.

461

Relation of' Vie'\ots to Early Church t 5

specifically supernaturalistic. solutionsvould have been dysfunctionQl,

they would ha.ve lost hitD tbe audi ence the. t he tb i nks he

C fI.I1

bene!! t by

his accumula.tion of 11fru1ttul helps."

S'lmlmELry ~

Africanus and Early Christ.iani ty

Persone.l status of' Af"ricanus

Three of the ltIore

s:~euJ...ative

thinkers of early Christianity,

Af'rica....'lus,.. Origenl and Bar'daisan,.. were contemporaries.

Of these

three, Bardaisan vas rejected by the Ugreat church" even innis ovn
li.trti~e,

and. Origen vas eondeJnn4!d by a later generation; only A..tri-

canus escaped.

~'hy

should this

b~

sO I especially in vif!1i of" the types

of material attributed to tbe Kestoi?

Perha.pQ. it is lB.Tgel:,. beca.use his "non-Qrthodox" vievs v!"e
exp~s!;l ed

mai nly in a separable part of hi s works.

Due to its

I secu-

lo.r"topics, a.pproa.ch,.. and a.ddress it circuls:ted largely t.o a diff'eretrt

s.udi~rJce

tl-.an his religious YOrks.

Further", it seems not to have

circ-u1ate-d 'Widely, and to have peri:ehed quick1y; and it was

B.

'Which Dlos'treaders in 1lJ.ter genera.tions did not (or- would not)

work
~onnect

vi t.h the "most \t1 seu A:f"ri eanus of Ehnnaus.

But. the secular and. transitory no..t:u:re of the Kesto1 is probably not the full explanfl.tior.; s.ome8.11owance must also be made for

Africanus 1 8 la.y status +

As a lay vri ter,.. he'vould be subject to less.

stringent inspection and Btanda..rds of judgment.

Further,. even if ac-

cused,. and judged defect.hre ~ not much could have been done in such

8.

1'1' .
.
his i8 a fact of hUlOB.n existence vhl.ch the Apostle JUles vas
neither th~ first ~or the laBt to observe (cr. James 3~1).

462

Conclusion:

AfriCfitlUS

in Early Christianity

case anyva.y (and especially in the case of an ind.ividue.l such as he?

Or of a work euch as this,
sented y to the

dedi~ated~

and perhaps pergonally pre-

~mperor1).

Procedural igplicationa
To repeat

~or

early church studies

mlIjor qu(!ogtion left unanswered by the hist.ol:j' of

fL.

the study of A!'ricanus:

Wha.t. do the contents fWd spirit of' the Kestoi

tell us about t.be Christianity of the time of Africa.nus?

are, Little, and Much.

nothing~

The answers

Explicitly, the Kestoi tells us lit.tle or

but pot.ent.ially and by implication, it can provide a great

deal of intorme.tion.

As pointed out above!, much

of"

the Kestoi, &nd

thus .lJlo.ch of' the evidence, lies outside the bOW1.ds of magIc, and thus

outside the bounds of this

,justified

h~re.

Thus only a :fev suggestions are

E;ltud:rr.

Since .. ho-wever, the question o:f magic lies close to

the other aspects of the

p~oblem,

these

gugg~stions

appear to have a

much broader field of application and validity.

As the denunciations of the Old Testament

pr-oph~ts

to read Israelis history in too ideal a light, as if in

formi t.y to the lo.ws as promulgated in the
teuch;

sO

variou~

warn us not

g@ne~al

pa.rts of the Penta-

the sermot"lS and tracts of the :fathers should have warned us

not to rea.d ea.rly Christi-8n h:lstory in too glowing a light .. asin unirorm

very

correspond~nce

~emonstrances

to the ideals

~ey

p~esented

thougb

in the Gospelg.

The

(De Corona) and boasts (Apol. 31. 4) of Tertu1lio.n,

for exa.mpli!'! ,. sholor us tbat -there

~le.

con-

a.lso tell ue of the

Christians in the army, for e);,-

presene~

of Christians in some close

contacts with at lee.st t.he Severan emperors (e.gat Ad

Sca.p~

1J~

5-6),.

Relation of

View~

to Early Churchls

but +,tould we take this seriously vithout Africa-nus'll

Africanus presents us

v1~h

evidence or a ChristiQn in the

higber governmental and social circles of the empire, under at least

the later Sevel"aJ1s, and possibly under Severus himself.

We also Bee

him not only surviving, but appa..rerrtly prospering, presu::nabl;y vi th bis

Christianity essentially

inta~t.

Africanus might. be

uniqu~

in such a

positionl' but the absence of I!!:Xplicit. evidenc,e of' others is not

6.

PJ"oot' of that fact,. a.."ld such hint.s as we do have suggest 'that he was
not.

Also, we have no .evidence to su,ggest that he secured his sat"ety

b;r any dishonorable :means,. but the survivB.1 of' one so high in the c:ir-

cleB of" presumably greater da.nger lI:Iay suggest thatve should :read ;in
a nev light ehB.!'ges or warnings against various types of eVasion or
~scll.:pe

from arrest a.rld martyrd(;lltl.

(Appare-n'tly Gome in the church

thought they 'Were justifiable rand 1I1!re acting accordingly?).}

In the time oj' Septimius t.h.erevas an intellectual circle

{with a.t least mildly philosophic-religious tendencies}3 \thich gatbered

around Julia. DomnEl..

Did such a. circle contin\,li:! und!?!" the- succeeding

lActually, even ",ith Africanus .. do ~t:!' accept them as at least

or \fl"ite them off as rbetori~al exaggeration (esp.
in vie,,", of their association with tbe assertion of the Christ.ian edueas~ntis.lly valid~

~ation of' Caracalla.

~. 4. 6)1

and of the stOrjr of the uThundering Legion . . "

2E. s .,. the Ad SC&Rulam references; or the later picture of

the court of Diocletian in l.&ctanti us De l'nort .pe:rs. 10. 1. 2; 11. 3;
15 + 1-2; cf.

al60

11. 1-2.

3N'ote Philostra:tusts Life of ApoUonius of TYana.. both Cor the

existence of this circle (1. 3), and something of its religious orientation.

464

Africanus in Early Chris'tfa.nity

Cooclusion~

AUgUstae,.. especi8J.ly Mammaea?

Kestoi

6.n

circle ~ or
01' the

It

se~l!lS not unlikely.1

If

SOt

vas the

attempt by an "outside:r tt to ,ga.in status vi th 2uch an inner

~ven

to gain admission to it?

inte~lectual

Or

c:apacit)r of' a. Christian ..

WI!I.S

01'

it \iTi tten as a proof

even", of Christianity:

in a sense t a def'ens.e O'f Chri!;ltian intellectual reBpec:tabilityt

former pcssibili ty lI'Q'U1.d

S~e:m

individuB..1i~tic chara.cter

lI10re in

k~e-ping

o:f the KestQ1 ..

T"ne

'Wi th the tone and the

but the tvo ideas tlre not

~tually eX~luBive.3
ArJothel'

consideratio~

raised in the discussion of

is related SOQewhQt to the questions

Atri~anUB'S

l&y status and secular outlook;

de-spite the strong moral emphasis in Christianit.y ..

of

de-".ie.t1o~lS

ology?

in

pr8.~ti~E!

Extt'eme 1'orms" of

leS!;Ier deviations,

and

\l'~l"e

eertain types

less objection&ble than devia.tions in theeOU1"se~

would not be tolerated. 'but. 'Would

espe~iflJ...ly

simply vritten discus.sion of them

lAlexander's religious and l1te;rary interests would seem to

m.ake such 9. circle at court proba.ble; but the narn~s t.hat actual~y come
to us are more those in the politieal and legal fie-ld (~t . .Tean Reville,. La re-l~gion a Rome sous les Severes CParis:Ernest Leroux.,
188SJ, pp. 262-63, 27h).
2 But in addi t.ior.l to its specula.ti ve nature 30 stIch fI. specific
idea of the purpos~ of the Kestol "~u1d f'it better ~~th Vieillerondls
viev of' Africanus as essentially 8. t:osmopoli tan courtier t t.han 'With
the more traditional viE;!"W of him as basically a. widt!ly t.r-a"lelled Pal~stinian (of ~hatever original n~tionality).

~t! 18.tte:r view might appear farfetched., but it is not outthe rea.lm of possibility, if theeXP11citly pagan p.assagee. are
T.lon-authentic t IIU1d the stri~tly aecu.lal' literary and Ui;lcientific" na.ture of the Keatoi is kept i:n mind
~ide

.l.I~thil3 both assumes and provides a :further support 1'01" a nega.t:1ve decision on the auth~nticity of mp 238 (and its containing chapt.er~ Vi., III. 2). Belief in d~ns vas" and ia t part of the official
teaching of the ehurch t an~thus magic t or aQ~e other sort of traf~ick
ing vi th evil t vas theQretically possible (c:f. Bardy) "Origel)e et la

Relation to Cootemporary

Addendu:m~

(even posit1 ve ones) J be overlooked?

is no evidence that his

theo~ogiC'a.l

Vie'l;o.~s

In the c,ase o:f

Afri~anus, there

bil'liefs dev1fl.te-d fiignificantly

from those of the- other :fathe.rto", yet. he was involved in some type of:

magic.

further,

sOme:

of his prescriptions (both m.e.gical and non-

magical) i.nvolve area.s that (some of) the others spoke strongly
aga.inst ~ e.g.

abortive-a, and love charms ~ and possiblyhorQe-raeing

a.nd gladiatoriQJ.. eOClbats +

In some ways .. the ethical

~crip.tions

q\l~stionB

ra.ise:d .. su.ch a.s his pre-

concerningwarfa.re (of the most unrest.ricted kind) and

horse-thievery (at least aiding and a.be-tting) .. ue me-re prob1eEla.tic:

than the qUi!'st.ions ra.ised by the t:.rpe of

mag ic" which he apparently

propa.gat~d.l
Relation of' Africanue' B Vie-wt;
to Other Contempore,ry At.titudes

Addendum~

The examples
Af'rica.m18

VELB

~it~d

in the

discussion~

net alone in his vie-ws.

above ha.ve shown

Me..:ny of h1$ ideas and procedure3

ha.ve explicit. parallels, either in vholeor in variQus

contempora.ry writers.

~hat

p~tsJ

in roughly

If the circle- is extended to include influential

writers from the 'Preceding ce.nttn"ies of 'the Christian era, especially

magie~"

p. 142.

la~t

para.graph; also .. creede.l testimonies to the exist-

en ce of' ange1 s lend s upp ort to bel i e f i rJ the i r evil counte rpfl.rts ) But,
such trafficking haB ~ I think ,. never been viewed a.s a :mino!' devia.tion.
If anyone in the ee.rly ~hurch actua.lly read the Kestoi,. they must have
rea.d it BE presenti ng so~thing other than l1dael!lonic" magi C'

lperha1lS the resolution of this dileIllmS. in rel&tion to A.f'ri~OilUs

is found in th~ " sep l!U"o,ble 1C nature of the Kest.oi and his other vritings.;
late-r ge-n~rat1ons, beginning at least 'With Ruf1nus and Jerome . . con~

deJ::lned tbe 'Irork %'lLther tha.1I) the man.

466

Conclusion:

Gl!l1en and Pliny" :most of

Africanu5 in Early Chrlstiatli"t.y

Africenl"u~'5

ideas can be so

parallel~d.

These p.arallels inc111de not only the types of i terns,; 'but also m'LI:ch of

the spirit of the \oTitings.

This la.st vas especially the desire to

present pi"actic-al information, coupled "With the wish not to be gullible,

but e.1 50 not "to omit poten tis.ll.y us ef"ul matters.

this a goal similar to that of his

near~r

sire to do it in a pleasing literary torm.

Af'ri c:anU6 adde d to

contemporarj, Aelian--a de-

Concl'USions

The precedine; studieS seem to justify a slightly

rest.atement of" the beginning thesis

~re

precise

The difference in the attitudes

of Afr-icanus and the early church fatbe.rs tolll!lrd magic is due to their

views of what constituted it.

They seem to agree that m.agic

i~

evil,

and is a religious IIJ.atter (a.s 'being anti-religious)" but Af'ricB.nus

does ["Jot regard bis procedures as fiLlline; into 'the

ca.t~gory

of religion

(i. ~." B.."1ti-religion) .. but 1"8.thei" as being a t!la:tt.er of' tested pra~til;:aJ.
remediea:

techne..i in the cOll:imon, rather t.han t.he "techni.;:~l' (i. e. ,

magical) sene-e.

This justification of tbe thesis t.hus exte:Jds also to

the "AmplU'icatiorJ of the Sta.teliient, If 'WhiCh f'ollmtB it ~

the kind of'

Umyst.erioua ~ transhuman fOi"ce" vhich Af'ricanu8 . . . ould see lying b~hind

some of his procedures should also be characterized as Un on-personal. "

The "Related Aspects l1 present.ed

unde~

Thesis1t seem also to be validated in p;eneral.

tit the

d~s~ription

lCOI!lpllX'~

gIven there

Aelian

~. A_..

a~tually

the nStat.e.ment of the

Most of the items vhich

fall outside the area of

"Epilogue ~" 8.'1d Afric6.n'lls t s "Proe1:l 't to

Kestos 1 (vi.., I. proem,.. P:-103). Contrast with this Pliny's boasted

plainness of style {N.B. pref. 12-13).

Conclusions
possible magical

ered a.bove.

involvement~

and

50

bfive not been extensively consid-

In general .. however, the tLl"'eas of conflict are

the realm of moral eval.ua t ions than

In $Dother

~e&1m)

it has been

~Qre

in

f theo logic a1 belie fa.

sugg~sted

in the

discussions

above that several o.f the questiocsb1.e passQ8es in Af"rice.:nus are ex-

plainable as products of his literary interests and/or h1sdabblings

in empi ric e.1 sc i enc e'l (at. 1ee.st from 8. 11 t.erB.T'Y or t heore't ic a1 (: or :>

speculational J approach) not an fl..Ct.ual experimental one).

Fina.l1y, it may be

remark~d

that the inhe.bi tants of the age

of computer horoscopes .. syndicated pro!phet(esse)s~ and archeplscopal

seances

C8.n hA:r~'

look dovn too much on Africe.nus and his age.

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nIDEXES

A page number f'o11ow@d by a.'1 !!. indieates &. refer-enc:e to the

note( s) on the sp.e-c1ried page; a. nun;ibf!!" tol1olled by a vtrgula and U

(e.g. 42!n)

indicates

fI.

ref'e:r-ence to th&t p8.E:e and its note(s}.

Index of Ancient and Medieval References

1.

J\uius Afrieanus

to: Introduction through

Kestoi (Cestis)t lin, 2, 3.4 t 5, 13,
Chapter 3 paasim t 364 t ~20/n, ~29n~
1&, 1frt 20; 21 t 22 t 24, 31, 32.
~38, ~39, h~On, ~49-h67 passim
33, 36/0, 31/0. 3S t 39, LO, 41,
~2/", ~3, ~h/n, h5, ~6, ~7, 48.
Letters, ~ln, 15, 80, 81, 193n
~9/n, 50!n, SIt 53, 54, 55, 57.
58, 591n, 60, 61, 63 .. 65/n. 66_
--To Origen, 1, 2, 13, 14, 16, 21~ 24)
69, 70, 1l/n t 72, 13, 14 , 76n,
28, 36]1 1:0, ~6]1 48n]l 54) 15, 84n]l
17, 18, 19, 80-82, 85/n, 86, 87 t
87=1, 95;
88) 89. 90]1 92~ 94. 95) 96. 98,
~
97n
99 .. 100.. 102-190 passim .. 103~ IB8,
Referen~es

--To Aristides, 2, 13.

1~,

17, 21~ 2;; 260_ 32; 93

Scholia;

Appearan~e

Elias, 28n;
2B~,

of

190., 193/n., 19hn, 195-99. 209n,

b53,. L60/n, b61, ~6b,. L65n;

15n, 16_

MOS~B

72n,. 185

Book 3

'1Books 5 and 6 11 36, 31ll

and

On Manasseh's Eseape,

51, 192, 271

Chronography: 1.. 2]1 13,. l~, 15. 16]1

19/n,. 20, 21 t 24/n t 25,. 26n. 27,
32, 36, 37/n]l ~lJn]l 43 t ~5/n, ~7,.

48n, 49n, 51, 53, 56, 63n, 7~,

16n, 80, 87) 970_ 101n,. 193n,

194n,. 199, ~60/n; description of

Dead Seal SOl 87. b20/n-~21/nj
Book 5
15n _ 16n. 18
--Routh's Fragments
X
91n
XXII
91n

'1BoQkoso

K~9tos

6
7

and

r 11

41, 60n]l BOn

31, 55, 80n. 81.
95n, 103, 105,

148, 200
Chapter 54
Chapter 70

(-69,

~. 20 .

35/n

The~enot-Boivin)

Kestos l3, chapter 22

{=Vi., VI)
41, ;l/n, 55,
81.tJ, 103, 183
.De ~111co !ppQ!"t1.tu.

Strat;gik&
--~d.

35, 31, 38
41

Thevenot-Boivin; froln Books

1
600

XXIV

452

XLIX

91n

chap. 2'
chap. 6
chap. 21

50n
203n
SOn

23

202~n

91n
VII., XI, XL, see at end of'
Kestoi listing below
L

e.t.ld

ChB]).

cha.p.

35

8211

286,
303,
120,
213,

300, 3-02,
31.0, l'joln
199,. 202n~
219, 265 ~
267n,. 272, 27~'!

cbap. 36
82n
'Chap. Lk (lSVL" 11.11)
~ns.p.

69

69

351'}$ 2610

92
92

chap. 12A
chaps. 13-15
chap. 76

50n
Mp

Vi~i11efQnd

--ed.

c~ded

b,y

(references predesignations rr~

the present vor}l;;.

11EE.

8=r.8.6-18

299, 306, 3tn ~

313, 452
123, ~99, (211-

listed,

195-199; abbreviat.ion t 199n)

I (Kestos 1)

103,

r. proem. 3- b

200 .. 269
309, Q66n

12), 215/n, 217,.

l05-qB:J

220, 23 4 , 278,

299, 301
123-2J~, 215hJ,
217, 234/n~ 275/n t

T.1
(52n )
Mpp 1-3=1.2.51-135 J2asJL1ro
112-fg~ 310
1.2
(5On), 310
!,~

1.2.16
l~I. 2.57-69

(*l)

291,

r.ll.para. 1

112-13, 119~
200n, 2Q5~ 207!n~

}~

-,*2 )

299. 301)

30L~ 311, 312

226
113-1L, 199:0 205206, 207/n, 21Ln,

118-=1 I .11. 11-20

I.11.34

22~21), 216~
301, 30~

Mp 5~I. ~. 3-11

(;lLi)

1.5
tl.p 6.21. 5.1-9
(* S,)

221n

23'9:1, 2h 8n ~ 277,

299,

31i.lg (=Vi., 1:23Jng J reo 1. 2 .13~ )

116n, (207n L
208/n, 227~ 237n,

I.4

305 , 30,;"fIl, 311,

312
12t~ -25:t (21?),
2 50 ~ ( 291 L lJ 51

11~I .11. 41-43 12f t 24B

(222, 226, 231) ~
Mp 1~I.12.2o-28,53-55
2~O, 299" 301, 3cl;
127-28, 2!9~ 302
(87}t 115-16~ 199,
12a=I. 12. 20-2B 121, 211~ 236~

202, 205, 206-?/n,

!J=!.3.1-21

33

212, 245n, 289,

:291, 299,. 301,

216, (222-25:0

J~p

301,

MJl ll-I.1l-11-20, ~1-43

(.8)
124-26,. 199, 200n,

(214), 216, {222,

226, 230}, 291,
1.2.721- 77, Bli
2=1.2.86-98

299~

305-, 325

2980

29li J

216, 21'1n, 279,

280,. 289ns 296 t
301, 303, 305
122, 295, 296,

'1 I. 12 . 41
12"tFL1253-55

13b:I.l3. 3-5

1.15
I.16

300

129, 202n, 216 lo

301
129~

253

5(;"}1

1~5~JI
~3 2 20~ln

I~11

Mp IheI.17. 7-11 10 22-32

136-37~

14a=L17 . 7-11

118~ 199~

20lr::n,
{210}, 250n, 266,
300, 302, 310

lL'b=I.~1.22-32

l{p

~5=L17.

33-53

271n, 306

13t:> 208, 2-92,.

308, 3]1, 457n
136-:n, 208, 209n t

2H9.
292.

310

119, 199, 2020,

211~ 213, 2b1lo
267, 276, 282 ~

128, 21.5n, 238,

252~

.rq: 13a=I.13.1-3

2L8n, 259/n, 299,

301, 305n
117-18, 243, 2!15n,
262 t 275/n,283,
2890, 299, 301,
305~ 3090, 315
310

300
128, 2'r9

3C"8_,
1 31

290,
29~ ..

291,
296,

3.~.~..
1 ] :;) -'0:0 ~9't'n2. r.). ,
fJ _ t-

212, 306

Ancient and Medieval

216~

15a=1.17 . 33-43:>50-53
131-38. 199, 20On~

(*9)

202r~~ 204n~ 208,

21~ .. 21:5/n,. 217,

300

23d;:;III.2'.28-32 157, 215/n, 217"

218/n~ 220, 232.
262, 216, 279 ..

306

1.19
I.19.21~25

1.20

II (Mi12tary

137~

208, 209/n.,
26.8 .. 289, 291,
292, 293, 303,
308, 311. Q57n
302

Mp 2~=I1I.3.1-1

292
269

Mp 25=III.~.1-11

e~raets)
103, 1~9-155
1~9, 218, 219,
239. 278, 299~

284~ 300
157-58~ 248, 251~

265, 283, 300

Mp

Mp 1&=11.4.1-7

297n
150.
277.
366r.J
150.
278,

242, 255.

Mp

26-1I1-5.1

Mp

27!:!III-6.1-7

19=II.5.5

II. 1-6
Mp 20=II. 8 .l-~~
Np 21=11.10.1-2

II. 11 {(t.. Jlyr) 69, 89b, 2E6

III (Hippiatrica extracts}
103, 156-72
Mpp 22-41&111_1-36 Ea~si~

300
16J;. 21 4 , 218,

~~

III .13.5-6
31-!lI.15.1-2

III.2
!'-1p 23=111. 2.11-37

23a-e

Mp

3~IIL17

330.;;:111.17.1-6

455n~

330;;111.11.6-9
Mp

31.=111.18.1-2

1153-

23a:;::III.2.11-11J 156-57, 2hli, 260,

262, 263.266 ~
271.n, 275n, 216)
~64t1

23b-d

{87'", 1611.., 2T1n ..

279, 2.!)2, 285 ..

288, 29 21 , 300.
303
Mp

36ll!1II- 22.1-8

214n

23b-~

306
23b=IIL 2.15-19 157. '218, 219,
239, 24.4, 245,
262,. 263; 275n,.

163-6~, 218, 231,

2h7n, 285, 300
163-6Q, 227n,
(2]"(, 2li7n)
16~, 256, 259 ..
282, (285)
16~, 218, 227-28,

300
}-tp 35:III.19.1-5

283,. 289 .300.

306, 308. L51,

163~205n. 218,

233n.. 237, 283,

156-58, ~55n

252n, 283,2'99,

2;0

163" 215., ?L2.

300

*451, 211. 239L64n

~56,

2J~O, 2~f6

300
Mp 32=III.16.1~2

156=-{2 pasSim,
Mp 22=111. 1. 1-2

159, (221), 229.

302
l59~ 217, 237,

~~ 30A~III.12-1-2

153, 2C5n,. 253,

302, 303, 306
154 , 239. 276,.
299. 300. 302

302

fo'P 3C=IILl1.1-3

Mp 2f3:;::;Tll.1.1-~

211. 235",
299, 3Dl~

151, 286, 301

227n

276 ~

254, 216, 29~t:J,

299, 300) 306
160, 262, 263.
306
160, 214, 216,
242. 2T1, 299,
300. 301) 306
161" 2~8.. 28~1,

299. 301,.

305
Mp

158, 293. 299

311
158-59, 218, 2LO,
251,

301

11.2
11=11.3.1-6

218/n~

219. 2320, 237,

2~2. 262, 2'1"6/0,.

219 .. 239, 2T5/n,

293, 2'99, 301,
15b:l~17.4~-49

280, 283

23c:;::;ITI. 2'. 2{)-21 157. 217,

Mp 37~III.23.

3-5

165, 215n. 218,

229-/n, 229, 238,
247n .. 276, 300,.
306
166" :e>39r.. 266,
213 t 215/n. 217n,
291~

299.. 300,

Indexes:
301~ 303~ 454
III. 329
221n
Mp 38=lI1. 32. 1 ~ 36 .e.s,sill1

38a=III. 32. lD-11

169-70~ 21~n

VIrI {Concerning dyeing)

95n ~ 103, 185
VIL 1 and 2
(72/n ) 1 185
IX.l (Psellus)
103, 186-88

169t (214 ~, 215/11 ~ Mp 1l~"IX~lr1-51 passim

218, 233n l 2~3)
103, 186-88,
260
(296)~ 307
215~
~~a=rX.151-~
186, 216. 219.

38~e

38b-III.32~11-12

2~O, 2k6, 299~

302

169, 248, 260

38c~III.32+18-19

110., (21~rdlo 23ln,

232/n, 260
38d=III.32.3Q-32
110,. 215n, 218n,
219~ 26o~ 276
3a~III.32.3~-16

170. 254~ 26o~

III.33
III. 33. 6

Mp 39=I1I.3li.1
Mp 4~III.35.1
Mp 41III.36.~-6

(.7)

298
2310

310
171. 259t 2B3,
300
111~ 219, 2~3.

216, 278, 300

112., 199, 20On~
212,. 250, 280,
296~ 299, 306,
31L ~ 315

IV (Tileight B and measure::

34 , 37n,. 5~,

95n,
91. 103,. F3-77 ~
178-19
V (Keatos 16; Oxy. Pap. ~12)
57 ~ 66/n ~ 95n ~

97 7 103~ :-80-82,.
269, 289~ !..5ln

Mp 42=V {N@kyia)

93~ 96~ 1&.C~82~

197, 2Q9n, 268.

276, 289 1 291.1,
303, 308, 309n,
311

Np

VI (Keatos 13" cbap. 22= Kathartika) b1, 51" 55, 95n~

l03~ 183

~3=VI

~3a=VI,
~3b=VI,

183~

line 1

302

183.. 252, 2'51.

300

line ~ 183~ 286

VII (Concerning cinnamo~)

62, 95n, 96,

9"( .. 103, :51~~

310

~~b=IX~1.5-6

186. 265, 300 7

302

4~c=IX,1.6-1l

186, 218~ 233Jn~

262, 264, 216~
279, 299., 300~
301., 302
44d;IX. 1. 11-13 186, 258., 211,
276., 281., 300.
302., 103, q51
~4e=I~.1.15
186, 218,. 231,
266, 297
1I~:f:=IX.l.15-16 186. 297. 300.
~4g=IX.l.16-17

302

187. 239, 299,

300

44h~IXr1.17-22 187, 217, 233,

299

4Li-IX. 1. 26-27 187, 248n t 258,

299, 300 ~ 301
IX. 1. 29- 30
264n
44j-IX.l.3Q-32 181, 271, (275),
300, 302., 303)
451
~4~IX.l.32-3~

laT~ 219,. 210.

299 ~ 301
~4l=IX. L 31.-]5 181 ~ 299; 301 ~
302 .. 4~19
~4m=IX.I.3;-36 187 t 261
~4~=IX.l.37-39 187t219~ 229,

IX.l.~1-4L

~bo=rx. L ~4-b6

~llp=rx.1.t,6-~~1

2~O,

300

309n
IB8,. 300, 301
lBB. 299, 30l ..

315
~4q=lX.1.~7-~8 188, 299, 300~
302
J.br=IX. 1. h8-~9 188. 299, 300
h14s=IX.l. ~9
l8B, 299, 301.,
314, L5"0

4htgIX.1. SQ-51
IX.2

188
2610

IX.2, 3 (Alchemy)

103

Ancient. atld .to'.edievfL1

Mp L5:;;:IX.4~ 1-14

(T3L 103, 189~

218 .. 219, 240~
2b6~

299, 302

IX5 (Geoponica)
l03

IX.6 (Fulgentius}

lIS::t l1oge U (O:Viei llefond , 1932,

Appendix 1)
222
Chap. 3
2060
Chap. 9
250n
l

103

From the Chronogra.phy (e11. :Routh)

Mp~6/~hr l~frag.

Ec loge,. (,;Vie i llef'on d , 1932,

Appendix II)
222n,. 259n
Chap. 1
Chap. 2
206n,. 208n

Vll<a>
191,. 19910 281,

301~ 313~ 3670,

~~9
lo!p ~7Jchr ~fro.g. XI,. Dyn. IV~ B
192~ 199, 216,
292~ 298 10 312
Mp ~6/chr 3Efrag. XL (-Scho11on On

Manassehs Escape,
1.9:2,

2.

~arratio in Perside

attributed

199, 271

Bible,

inc1udi~g Apoe~ha

Apocrypha

Ce;n.esil:

262n

~03n

!no~h

6-10
7 and 8

!xodus
12:10.. 46

282n

351
13 J 14~

Susanna

16 . 21. 22,

23~ 28. 54 t 84n t

87/n~ 95. 96n i 269

Deute:ron~

20: 19, 20

(mistakenly

to Africanus)

4On, 65-66

~ee $bove)

Old Tes:taJ:Dent
6~2,.

Pseudo-Afri cani an 1

2560
Pr~:yeT

of Manasseh 271

10

271n

298n

2 Kings
18=~

Chronicl~s

33;11
Psall:DS
3~=8

lJa .. J.6. ~7l 21,

25/0,. 26n1! 'J8/n

Matthev

399

271n

1;15~

BO, 85

~ 3, ~ ~,

(80, 85)

11

28
25

7~22

~2~

17~9

25

Mark

Isaiah

35:1-7
Daniel
9~2~
9=2~~27

Luke

19n
16n
11m

John
17~5

1.~~

16.. 17,. 21,

28n

25 ~ 26n, 27n. 45n

21n

Indexes

Acts

Re~l8.tloti

19:14-16

335n

13: 13-17

349

13=13

~31n

,James
3~1

~6ln

39
AnonymOUS.

Christian Writings t inclu.ding Eleret1ca1

See Cyprian) PS1!udo-,

'l'ertulltM,. PseudoApo:!lto1ic Constitutions

2.6.52

Q37

2.8.62
7.1.),6,18

~37

8.4.32
Apostolic Fathers

13T7
Arnobius

317-27) 318n

328. (342)
328, (3 212)
328, (342)

1.24

1.26
1.43

~. 11
~1.12
~.13

1I27
~26.

,.2

Q28

5.3

~26
~26n

6.18

t:2~-~30t ~36/n.

7.24

7.26
Athenagoras
Plea
6. J,

436
42L

~36n

~28
~27

10.5

3h3

13.2
16.1

la2 in

436n

2~.2-6

1~36n

3~ 1 , 311 3 , (J137 )
3~3

25, etc.

2. J+l~

i:l25, 426, 430~

L~C, 453, ~514

L25n. 430

25.1~4

342

26

2.45

h30

L45-L7
1.46
1.47

4300

27.2

342
3JI2

1.50
1. 52

L.25~ ~301n

Bar-Cepha..

430
L30/n
"~25,. !,30!n ll

li36,.

See Moses Bar-Cepha

Bardesane- ( s ) 1= erdai san

2.9-10
2.11

~30

~30~ h36
~36n

L30n
1.;29,. 430n

2.l2
2.13

1.27, b28

2.13-14

436n

8J~,

85n,

g3')lJ~6, lL7-q8,.
112"1, ~39rl .. L61

~~JIO

1.53
1.55

428

1.129
1,;28/0
426n

72-3

h52

loB

.427 .. ~28
112%
429
426
426, 427

5.1

Ad.., .. lfat.

1.5

Q26n. 427 :>428jrl

1~27 .. b29

3.2-L.

L 39n, .4 !J 0 , JIJ. 2,

1.2

~36n

436

2.69
2.. 75

4370
l37

Apolo.&.

10.3

4250, .Io26n, 429

2.67

Aristides

8.3

2.32
2.50
2.58
2.62

"J:!c<:,k ijf the

Countr ie-s"

La\(:;;

of Di vel":>

42lrl

Bar-Hebraeua ~ G-:'egcIjt Abu 1.1 lo"ara.j

26-27, 28n
Horrel)JJl

m.yst~;iOTI.m:.

26ln

Ancient and Medieval

Chronicon Arabicum

2/22.2

2b

Chronicon

SYr13C~

362

2/40.1
21~1. 3

363

3/~4.1-3

4/58.3

Barnabas, Epistle 0'

15
16.1
20.1
~a1ibill

:Bar

361n

5J65)~

3211

6/67.1

320]1 32~

Dionyslus Jacobus
25-26/n~

45, 80/n

Conm. on Mat.t.

a4..l..2..

363

363
356, 351. 363

354f1~ 355~ 363

363

6/67.2

361 i

6/10.1
6/11.4
10/104.2
11/],152

357
36Q

25
25

11:19

Paedy.ogus
L2/6.1

1. 3/7.3
L 6/36.1-51.:3

Basil
De SpiT i t u sa.ncto

29.13

1. 8/6.4. q-65. 2

15n

Cedrenus.

See

1.9/83.2
L11/96.2

Georgius Cedrenus

2. 2/20. 3-L

2.8/64.4
Chronicon Paschale 17.. 19/fJ. 27n .. 6L
(edt Dindol"t)
1:193]1 1st 01yYnpia.d

2.8/68.1-3
2.8/10.3
2.8/11.3-5
2.8/76.1-~

1911
1~301,

311
190
1 ~ L99. 5-1 ~ 250th Olympia.d, !ndi~tion 14
19~ 27n

2.9/'71.2
3.3/15.2
3.h
3.4/28.3

3.6135.1

ChrysostOl!l
t

359
35"

~60I1

Strome.teis
1~2/20.2

Clement of Alexandria.

23 .. 38, 3;3-61,.
3541) 2 368. 436~

1~ln/n~ bh2. J~L7.

.Exbortation
1/1.1-2.1
1/1.1-3.. ~
1/2.1,1,
1/3.1

1/5.4
1/8.2

35 4n
354-55
355

366
366
366
366
366
366
366
366
366
366
366
360
363

355. 359n, 363

355

hom.

8. 5

laSS
3Shn

362
354

354

351~,

362

358

366

1.8/~2.1~
1. 9/t~JI.l

l.9/~L. 2

392
355-

355
366
3t.r:::...
w"'

1.10/47.2

355

1.15/696

355

~.15/66.2

1.15/70. ~I
1.15/71.3-5
:L 151'72. 3
1.1.5/73.1

355

360

355
359n
356

1.1.6/r4.~-5
~.16/74.2

355
358

363

2/11.1-2
2/ll.1-3

362

1.16/74.2-5
1.16/74.3
1.16/80.5

2/11..2-3

399

351

2/11.3

~.17/81)"

359
362

~.21/132.3

1.21/133.1-~

360
360

362

1. 21/133. J~

35911

2/12.1
2/14.1

363

1:15~17

Ad Col.

35kn

2/24-39

358-59
359

36~

35"[

35~n

Ir.Jdexes

500

1.21/135.2

358 t 360

1.21/l~3.6

356
36ln
362
366

1.21/1~3

1.23/153.3
1.25/166.1
1.21/111.2
2.1/2.3

239n~ 356

355~

2.6/26+2

365

2.20/120.3

355

3.3/24.2-3
3.7/60.b
5.1/10.2
5.6/37.2

366

5.8/~5.l-3

6.3/31.1
6.3/31.1-2
6.3/31.2
6. 3/32.4
6.3/31.5

6.4/35.h

~37, ~39~ U,On

361

357

1+29
2.9

L29n
b40n

3. ~1 ,51

t~~IOn
~JI On

COlIlJlodianus
InBtru~tions

363

6.5/h3.1
360
6.11/84-88
367
0.16/133-48
367
6.16/133.1
367
6-16/138.5-141.6
367

6.1.7/157.5
6.l1/16L2
i.:2/6 .~
7.2/9.3

44an

10. 66

358

362

H.omilies
2.32,34

Recosnitions

358~ 363

6.16/1~3.1

320
323

Clement ine s ~ Ps eudo-

361
357
358
356
363
357
363

36ln~

3.1
6.3

~19

1.3

1.6.13

hl9n
h19
419n

1+18~19~22

2.39/80.8

See Apostolic Con-

Conat+ A:p2st.

stitutions
421-22~ ~35n

Cyprian

Ad Donatum. (al.!> ~. 1)

.. 422, 423, 435

358
357
351 1 358

De

7.2/9.11

365

Ad De:metiro.nilltl

1.4/24.1

15

7.'4/26.Q

359 1 36J.J
361:
36ll

366
355n

15

1.11/66.3

7.~/26.1)21l:

7 .6/33+~

1.15/90.3-~

366

habitu virginum
422

l~

b35n

~22/n" !.I23 .. ~ 35

E1?i stle 69 (e.1.. 75)

~22

J;pistle 75 {al." 7~)

10
~22/n

Q. D. S.

hI.S

Clement 01" Rome

111.2

Cyprian, PseudoQuod idola

5-1

t~20, ~23-:2~

h23

361m

Lz23

7
27

13

~23
42~

322n

20. :3

325

De

43
5l.3-5

326
326

h24

16

)~23

591,2

322n

l'ebaptisma.te

Carmina.

~e Tertul1ian~

'2 Clement

1.6

320

DQ-creturn Gel as i aul,Jlll

b3

Pseudo-

Ancient and Medieval

501

~.3.2

327/n

320:; 325

6.1,.17,19
6.31

14 .. 2JJ:; 38

3.4

319

6.31.2

80

320
319

7.10.4

351

327/0, ~37ll

Didac~

2.2

319

5.1
Diometus

23r.a

gp,aes. ev. ad Stephanam

Quaes.llII
15n

Epistle to

Georgius Cedrenus 23
Synopsis historion (ed. Bekker)
23,. 2hn
Dionysius.

Se~

1; 5L13-1~
1: 51.16-.17

BB:r--Sa.llbi

Eaa"ter Chronicle.
Pa:scr..l:'lle-

S~

Ebed-Jesu

26n, 27, 42n,

45n,. 80

librorum omnium
eecles1asticQrum
chap. 6
27

Georgl~s

Hamartolos 23n

Georgiu8

Sync~11us

ctu'onicon/Chronik
In .. 13~ 15,. 17~
21/n .. 23n-24n)
4 On ~ 1illn ,. 45n ,
6L~

13-1)1, 20

21Q.ZG-24 B 01.250,1;Hel.III,anT
Abr.2237,p.Chr.221
lQ,. 19) 20, 271n,
(39, 6~, 80)] 98n

1:3b.l~

262n

1=35.1,.11

282n

l~35.2

~49

1~38.9-39.5

19ln

1:10,

2t/n~

1:107

292
:2lu ,192

1:188.14..15
1;188.17-18
1;188-89

2 Jtn

20/n

1;400

20/0

1~669

20/rJ

~52n

20, (56 .. Go,.

61:0 64)

Gre,aory Abull FaraJ.

St!'e Bar-Uebraeul3

Proof of Gospel

14n] 16n
H~rmas

Historia ecc1esiastica

Ib

1.6.2
1.1
1. 1. 2,1.3

lJ~-15
15n~ l1,.

L13

18

2.14
2.15.1

36~n

3.39.9

327n

91n
36~n

2q

327

Shepherd
17.1(Vis.3.9.7) 323
33. 3~1M':"5 . 1 ,2' ) 32h
36.JffTM.6.2.1ff)
324n

36T5(M.6.2.5)

320

38.3~5(M.8.3,.5) 320

39 (M.9)

39.11b~. 9.11)

62/n)

~21n
~2On

1;201
1:283-

1:676

Prep. for Gosp.e-1

6.11
390n
10.10
1Ln

8.2

11~ 19-21~

Chronogrtl.,ph:i. (ed. Din dor r)

19-2l,. 41.n
J. ~ 3~ .11-35.6
19l

80,. 192n

13

2lq.5-~Maer.I.an.Abr.223q,.

p .. Chr. 218

4n.

38:; ~O/n-~lln ..
~.6, Sl,. 54 J 56,

60 .. 61,. 64

13, 23~ 25. 36,.

39, lil. 46~ 5l

7.1G-18sPref*

~2ln

Clu'onicon

Cat61o~s

EusebiuSJ,

~2On

32ln

324n

192~

Indexes

502

qO.2{M.lO.l.2)
~3 (M~ll)

32~

6~40(35)

32l-22 2 35ln

6.41(36)
6+55(50)
7.25(l3)

~3 .1-11{M.ll.l-11)

321n
~3.~(M.I1.4}

~3. "5,6(M.ll. 5 J 6)

47-J490~.12.

321

32~

396n~ b38 t h39,

~41, 4L2., 443~

394.

394/n

458

L
1..1-27
1&-3
1,.4
4 . 10

395/0,

l~ .12

11.13
11.14
~.l5

q.28
~.31

Q.34
L.35-3C!
L . 39
L..4b
4 .l~6-50

5. 9( ~ }
5.13(8)

5.11(12)
5.21(16)

6.2{Ccntent.s)

6.5{Conten'ts)

6. 1 (2)
6. 9PI)

400n

915-16(10-11 } 396
922(17)
398~ ~40
9.25(20)
399n

927(22)

399lt1
396
396/0, 399" ~I oOn

lO.5(1)
10. 29(25)

Traditions
3 l~lL53n

nLib~r

1.2
400
1.2,.3)1tll~l6,l1
39~n
1. 3,.4
391

400n

396Jn~

~~OBtOli~

396~

1.ll
1.16 .. 11
1.21 .. 22,.23

397

398

91~(9)

5 t 15, 18, 27 10
3911- 401,. 395n,.

Re~tatiQP

396/n~

396n

912(7}

326

b47~

~oOn
~oOn

9.1J(Contents)

65.5.5(8.6.5.5) 320
93.3-7{S.9.16.3-1)
Hippolytus

400n

1.27(15)
T.32(20)

4-6) 32]1

J~oOn

7.26(l~}

353n

47.6(M.12.~.6}

350. 395n
397

generationis"
630

1IDiamerisrtJon te.s ges"

63n

391
395n

Fral3!.ents
J~oOn,

401

400n

41ln

"an

l.Ill.n
~Ol
~Ol

C~et.Jtary

399
351. 395n~ 391
395n
395n
395n
395n
398) LLO
hoOn
400

qOO/n
bOOn
396n
396n
396n, 397
396n

6.19(24 )

396n

6.20(l5)
6.39(3 u)

396ft! ~ 397
395~.

on Pro.. . erbs

ad loc 7:22

399

",-OOtl

the Song of Songs 11

399

399

40Dn
396.Il~

"On tbe Sorceress'

39Bn

396n. 397,

~Ol

Otl Daniel

frag.

2.4t5~6 4010

Igna.tius
gphesians
19.2

19.3

325

318) 322) 325

TralliM5

Ii.2
52

32J.
323

6.2

323

Philadelphians

6:"2

:Ue

SII';yrneam:

6.1

323

Ancient and Medieval

Jstles

To Polycm

70

318

5~1

1.23.1

:L:13 .1-3
1.13.1-6

3~9! 39t~n
3~7
3~8

~.13.2

350> 395

1.13.3

3q7, 348,. 349)

350

Comm. on Dfmiel
BIt. 3 {on Dan. 9: 2h)

100
Latin translation of Eusebius
Chronicle
Justin f1i.artyr

3~9J 350~

353., (46an)
3h7 J L60n
L
3 7., 3~a~ 3h~\

AE210pY I

1.135
1.13.6

1.15.6

351
31c 6., 351
3111

1.213
1.21. 5
l. 23.1

351~ b~ln
3h8~ 351, 4~1."1
346~ 3~7, 3~8.

3J~9,.

1.235

3J~6:t

'41011

3u7,

3J~8 >

351

24. I
1.24.5
l.

1. 24.7
1.25~3

1.25.4

1.25.6
1.26-31
2.praef.l

332
330" 331

18
18.2-;
18.3
18.3-L
18.4
18.5
20,,1

26

346! 31J7, 348 >

26.2

351,

26.4
30

4~ln

347
348

2.31. 3
;2-.32.3

3L9 J 352

3Q8, 349, 352

349., 350 J 351,
352
350

5.28.3

3610

Apology II
5
5.2-Q

5.4
5.5

5~6

352
353

3t~9>

509
56.1
66.~

3~6
3~6

5.2.6.2

3Lr

56k2

3~6

J 29.2

333n

11;

26.1-h

2.9 .. 2
2.31. 2

2.32.5

332

3J,6
350, 351., 4hln
346, 347., 34B~
3119

361n

6.5
6.6

De viris
chap. 63

331, 34~
:33On
331, 351/n., ~lOn

410n
331
331
332

3M3
333
330, 331.~ ~12
330. 331

333
33~n
33~n

330, 333
333 J 412
333n
33011

333
330
330!n., 332
330~ 332
333

331.3< 332, 3L4

335
332~ 334/n t 335

15. 17:t 38. 41;

3-8

333n

11~ t~65fl

1.2
1.3

336
336

30. 3

33J~

35k8

33Ln

illu~tribu5

16., 31

b~2

329

D1a.lop:!Jevi th Trypho

Jerome

I~J~l~

9~l

1~.2

346> 3~n, 3J~8.

329-36~ 3 1.13,

9-14
1.1,.1

351. 1.112

17

1.39,.

351.

3~6.,

15~

3.~h-J~5 ~ b38.

1-13.h

Lib - 3

sec.

364. 396.

419-20. J~~3
316n
346. 3h1,. 348)

Adv.. haereses

~ Magnum.).

15

3h6-53~

Irena-ens

503

Indexes

504

392
69

334n

69.~

330~

333, 335

69.6
69.1

33ln, 334

70

333n

76.6

33~

33~,

18.9

330~

79

330n

79.4

85

330~

331~
334~

~31
~35

4.15.19

4.::n.1

333n

J~.

~3lt

27.2

4.27.3
336
335
335

332. 3~~

h35
!,31JJ

5
51.2

la31
436
435

5.3.7,9
5.3.1a~~9

5.19(20).30
5.21(22}.5
5.21. 6

431, 434
43 4 , 435
43~

435
431, 434

331

5.22(23).23
6.2.10
7.13.7
7.15.18-19
1.18.2-3,5
i.19ft

120.6

334n
333

334n

~itome

121.2,3

85.1
85.2
85.3

33On, 332, 335

B5.h

33Dn

88.1
105. ~, 5

ur.5

La~tantius

335

332 t 334

335

~3O-36J ~3ln~

1142.. 458

Divi.ne Institutes
1.6
t35n
1.20.36
L34

23(28),5-8

51-3

43~

235-9

432

23A6
23.8

ll32

25(30) .1

43~
~3~

3~( 39).2

436

2.7

403n .. ~12nt 11330

37 (~2) .2-8

2.1(8).7-23

b33

2~lo-11

1J6{ 51). 6-8

65(70).6

h46n
~ 3J,

68(3) .1

~33-34
~32, 434
~34
~34

De ira dei

2. 14{15 ) . 1
2.1~.5
2.1~.10
2.1~.1O-13

435n

4310
435n

~3ln

432

435n
435tl

435n
435
435n
435n
~32n

135

2.15(16).3
2.15-17
2.16(17).1

~q6n

12.3

134/n

29~n

2.~6.1-2

1133

432

18.10-11
19 7

2.16.3-5
2. 16. ~

2.16.9
2.16.9-20

~34
Q32,
~34

4 3!l

Df!" op1fieio dei

~32n

De moTtibus peTs~eut~rum
lO.lG63n
10.2
L35, 463n
11.1-2
1I63n

2.16.10,11
2.16.13-19
2.17(18).10

1,34
433
b33
b3h

IJ.. 3
1;.1-2

1.;63n

3.24.1
4+ 5. J.

~36

b~.5

~33

1135

4~6-7

~~aless

~.15.1

~35n
~35n
~35n

435

4.15.4
4.15.6
4.15.12

b31, 435

Mart J7dom of

4.9
4.13-14

431. 435
431, k35

~63n

Josnn~S

Chronogranhia

5.3/16.2

6.h/21.10

18n

PerF!tu~

andfelicitas

L20!n
~20
~20

505

McieJrt and Medieval

Origen

Mart;rrdom of polyea!p
13
325
13.2
325
17+1~2
325
17~3
326
lB.1~2
325
lB. 3
326

22.3

~4~/n. Q~5-~61

~h7t b55~ 457 1

t~61

326
To Africa-nue,

h,5
328"

341~ 3~2,

3L4. ~12L~

Methodi.uB
Discussion on tbe Resurrection
trag. 3.1.7
137

Minucius Felix
Oetavlus
1

97n

Contra Celsilln
1.6

316n

1.22
1.24

382, 383n.. 392

372, 37~. 380
371/n, 371. 378n,
~41" L44

J~03n, 1I12n,

1.25
418 J
1.31

418

1.36

418

1.38
1.41

26.12

418n
418
JaB

27.1~2

418

27)'

4030, 412n" 418.

J;33n
~19} 435
419

26.10-11

S'7n
96n
97n

26 .. 27
26~8~9

15

12-110

26.1-1
26.10

3. 13, lb, 16,

6
9

]~ 33r1
.ln8
1:21

'22/23~~

l~

21. 22, 28,. 1~6J

Me-llto of Sa.rdis
On Baptisl:tl
Melit.o , PseudoApology

5, 1h, 23" 46 ~
Lan} 57" 356.
361-94 ~ 368n.
~02, 406. 416~
LJ8, ~39. 4L2 1

1.28
1.}('

1.57
1.56
159

371" 371. 318 1

383,., ~~41
373

374

373~ 38~

366, 381
374, 392, 393/n
393
391
369n~ 3T~1

390

390

1.60

373 1 37J~. 380

1.67

393
3TOn, 37~, 375 ~
380 1 381) 393/n~

1.65

394
Moses Bar-Cepba
25 .. 26n, Q5n
De pa:radiso COct'fl. ad Ignatium
25) 26n
~~aes of

Chorene
1i-18
Hist.ory ofA:rme-nia
2

IS"

2.10

18

2.8

393

2.9

392

2.1~

2.16
2.32
2.H
2.119
2.50
2.51

393
393
393
313. 392,., 393,
39]t

l{a.g HMlmadi Library

1437
Cal1istus
Eecleaiast1cal History
1.11
2~
5.21
2~, 34

Hic~phorus

393
392
393

2.52
2.55

393/n
374. 375

2.55- 56

393

2.55-58
2.56
3.5

375

3.2~

392, 393

315
392, 393

Indexes

506

3.25
3.26
3.27
3.28
3.29
3.31
3.32
333
3.3~

335
3.36
3.31

3.42
3.46
k.5
4.32
4.33
4.34

4.65
~.86

~.a.8~89
~.90
~.92
~.93

~.96

4.91
5.4

5.5

5.6
5.11
529,30
5.38
5.~2

5 ~5

5. ~6
5.48

6.11

38e
375

7 .. 3

3152 393

73-5
1.~

393n

383
375
375

1.5

316

1.6

374,. 381,. 391

310/n
376~ 381:t 391
381~ 391
393
393n, 39~

393
381, 383, 391
372, 37~, 380
312, 380
379
3TO~ 385,. 4L1/n,
4L7

388
388n

372.,. 380, 388

372 t 38B:n
388

388
3820, 4!l6n
379) 38m) 382n,
L46n
388
379
379
381:> 385, 391
381 388
371, 372n; 371,
318n, 380, t~ J~]
391
38Ln
391
:t

6.22
6.26
6.28

3860

6.31
6.32

392

370~ 378/n~

391.n,. 392

6.38
6.39

6~41

6.q5
6.80

391

386 2 387
387

383

391
378 t 392
371~ t

3~h

319
383
383
3T9r.J

8.31

383
318

8.t~1-L8

383
386n
393/n

8.36
8.~3
8.~5

8. 5~
B.59
8.60
8.61

368

376, 381. 394

368
36.8; 380

369) 378.,. 381,

385) 391.,.
~40

393~

8.63

381
382

De prine i.]:.i i s
1.praef.5
1.pra.ef. 6

316n
389, 390tt
379, 4L6n
379
379, 4~611
379, 4~6n
3T9~ 381, 382,
39~, 4q6n
319, 46611
385, 4I.Jc
319, 38g

8.6~

1.5.3

1.894
2.11. 5
2.11~1

381, 393n
386n, 39ln
316n, 381
369n.,. 376. 389

386~

8.25
8.26
8.21
8.31

3.3.2
3.3.2,3
3.3.3

~5J.

:t

7.69

371, 377,
380.,. 385. 4 QO,

369~

39~

31h :316:t 381:>

391

373, 381., 383/n,

391
373, 379" 381

1.61

392

L~l,

6.40

ia6~

1.7.2-3
17-5
1.8.1

369n
369n
369.n~

7.7
7.8
7.17
7.35
i.bO

381) 383) 386,

3811D] 388
381
381, 387, 39.3/['],

389

3.3.4-6

311n
31ln, 379, 386n.
387, 389/n.,. 390
381

3.35

388n

4.1.2

393

Ji.n~ient

to

ExhDrt&~ion

l~rty!dom

381~ 391
371-72, 377 ~
318n~ 441

L5

q6

507

and Medieval

Polycarp, Marty:r-dom. See MaxtyrdoltJ

of Polycarp
P5e.llus, M1 c hael . See under Sec"!JJ. a.:r
and other Source S:II 'below

On Prayer

319)

Pseudo-

11.11
11. 5

382
382

Quadratus

12
22.3

383

383

21.10
31.5

381

31.6,7

382

i~

Genes.
371n

384n
In liUItl<::To S.. hom.
13.L~5,6
319n

25.5

311n

in Jesu Nave,

.l:!2!!.

20.1

311n:> 372n, 373n

23-. ~

311n

P.apias
frag.5{ro~

Side}

or

34~

frag. (trOll:; Eu,~ .H . E. ~ .3.2}

326-27, (3~O)

RufinU6 of' Aquileia

16--17 .. 38, ~O,

100" Q65n
Trans. of Eusebiu!3 P.ist. Eccl.

6.31.1

11

Scholasticu!3

11. E. 2. 35
Sozo~en

lIn

Salaminus

H.E. 1.1
Syneell1J8.

lIn
See

Tatian

Georgius SynceJ.lu5
336-~o,

3113:>

3Q4. 367, Qll.O,

~~Jt/n,

Ja55~

q51

Discourse

Selecta in Exod.

Philip

Pseudo-

340,

A~logy

SOCl"a:tes

CctIll::le'ntary on John
1.32/37
3Bj
2.3~/28
393
6.54/36
216-81, 38Q
10.L4/28
307, 310 1 31~t
377n, 393n

17.5

_,

382

Commentary on Uattbe'll
10.19
383n
12.2
393, 394
13.6
381) 390

Selecta

Philip of
326

Side

De Boor' s fragment
17, 6~-65, 98
frawnent 5 or Papias
326
Photius. See UII.der Secular and
Other Sourecs, below

7
8

328-29, 338 t 339

337 ~ 341
339/n

11

331~ 339/n
337 t 340

12

'338, 339

15

3:3'1; 338
337, 338, 3~O
331 .. 33~, 339 ..
34J.; 31~5 ~ .4~c.,

16
17

18
19
20

29
30

"I"ertu11ian
Ad nationes
2.l2~35

2.13.19

!~b2t 454
331, 338/n,
4h2n, 448

3~On)

338" 339
338" 339, 3~IO
339" 340

3J;0 -

402/n.. hl1, ~18~

L.35n.. l!~Ll, !ll2
~11
~04

lodex~s

508

AP910gr

56, 57, 14

De ol"&tione

9.10

!J07

29.2,3

13.9

412~ ~13n

18-21
417n
19.10 (Frag.Fu1d.)

De bapt i

b17
Sl:IO

5.3-4
5.~

411

406n
ho4

403, 414

21.17
22
22.2
22.3
22.4

22.4-6

L09

De: p!eni'tentia

~12

12

1.101. b09. h12

h04~ ~of
405

D~ c:::ultu fem.in8.rUJJI.
1.2.l
L03, b01.l~ 406~

h07 t 1408n~ 410.

405
405, .1,12

22.5
22.6
22.6
229
22.10
22.11

405~

j~~2

409

1.3.1-3
L8.1-3

409/n
L05, 409
L05, 401,

~~2n
~03, L05, t.12~
~33n
351, ~09~ 410n ~

2"2.12

23

412

403, 405, 406,

407, 409, 410
410
406, 4100

2.3.1

23.3
23.~

23.5

~lO

23.1

~114

~l~
~o5

23.12
23.1~

Jn6/o
.402, ~03~ bOh:l

2315
35.12

Ii09, Ino~ J'll.

114
462

37.4
43.1

b01n

2.6~lO

2.10.2,3

4030

408n
408n

L03, 1I04

Ad uxorem

2.5Zb18

2.6.1~

416n
J..12

Adversus Marcionem

tno

1.18.1
3.3.1
3-6.10
3.8.4
L
L.7.13
~.e.LJ5t7

14.8.5
4.20+1l~

5.18.14

411;1 413n, 415

~417

~03~ lll~
~05

tn7
ln~t
~11J

~17

1J14
404

408, 410
De pallio

De

anirdie

te~timonio

LoB'"""

5.2

6~2

Adversus. Valentinianos

Mi!:!reticorU1ll

til3n

33.12
~3.1

~13

l;Q.5

hI3

4~.6

1.13

4.2

kl3n

De anima

415

1.6
5~5

De speettLculis

422

2.8

!I 02

2.6

19.8

~o8

408

~10n,

40~?

hI5
L1.5, 4.16n

22.1 t 2
bo6.

24
2!1.10

415
~05

408
406
~01n
~oB

259
28.5

~nl

3~.2

u13n

35.1

Ll3n

t405? b09n

lao

509

Ancient and Medieval

9.8
11.1
15.5

.1,11,.

15.5,.6

~o6n

.1:05 . . t.08

Ad. S.::apulam

1,63n

408, 1409

~62

~63n

412
LOS,.
409
.405,
Ja09

391-3
!i6
~6~11

q6.12

q6.13

47.1
41.2
41.3

~O9

~O9

40B

b1.1J

~o9

21B.2

!108n

b.6

50.2
50.4
51. 6 1

~13/[J
~13/n

51.8
57.1

L11

~O5
~11

~11

403.

4o~

~.09n

57.1-3

572
575
51.6
57.7,8

ql2n

2.8

4.5
4.5-6

~l5

JI1611

401.. 406, 407

406
4o~,

406, h09n

De

virginibus velandis

7.2

40~

15.1,2

b03n

De jeJunio

8.3

L06

De carne Christi

416

De ,pudi c 11.1a

2.2

~04~

5.~O

~14~

6.9,10

405n

5.11
Adversus Judaeos

1111n
De

re s,uITect.ione

17.2

3a.l~2

moJ"t.uorum

405

Tertullian. Pseudo-

Llb

Adversus omnes hae:rese5

1. 2,.3

exhortatione eastito.tis
10.2
~17
1D.5
411n

413n. Q19

De

Carmen adversus Marcionem

Bk.l.,lines 151-5a~ l65-67

2119

De

lines 166. 167

COrOtl8.

7.2-5

~07~

420

Cannina.:

Scol"J.;.iace
1.2
1.3

De JOlla.

403. 407

lines 3-5

h07. 417

l.~

~17

Sodoma

5.8

401

lines 133-31
lines 16~62

De idolola.tria "12
t.15
5-8
~12
5-11
L15
7.3
L03. ~04,. 41~
91
bIG
9.1-2
~lO. lJ.l3n, ~15
93

95
9.6
9.6-7
9.7

~15

Theophilus of Alexandria

IDJ.
2

Synod.

389-90

Vict.orinus of Petau
On the A:poca.l;:Qlse
(On RE!v. 13;13) L31n

40~. ~l5

410, 415
40~,

h20
1;21

4Q6, 110

510

Indexes

Aelian
82n, 16m.. 466
De natura animaliUIl1

2.l78

1230~ 217n~ 235n~

1.l.59~60
~ .1l5(ll]~}

2J~2n

L.l89

2.l7

21~2n

21;2
232-33,. 24011,
24ln
225n
294n
242

~.189.2

2.36

1.36

3.~6

6.21

127
8.26

244n
284n

10.34
ILIa

24On~ 2~2n

1~.4
1~.27

:2610

ri.20

2~4n

Epilogue

1a66n

Aeneas Tecticus

42n t ~3~ 52~

70/n, 82n, 92,

284n
Jleri krYpbiti:!:. epi8tolbn

42n

Aetius
13.29

5.1Ll

256n
255n
252n
255n
25Sn
26J;n

Euporistofl
1~1.61

(al.176} 257n

1..161.21.168( 117)
Euclid
"Element s rt
!look one

Fulgentius
l-1Y!hology

257n
2371.1

99
:130

]8 103
7

3.1
Galen ( ed. KUr..n )
~1:121

121279
12;266-61
14 ;~76

466
291n
218n-219o
25ln-2.52n
24 On , 246/tJ

Galen,. Pseudo-

Asaus Castus (ed. Brodin)

p.16L .1-6
25ln
p.J.T7.5
p.164.4~15

Arist.otle:
Hi s~oria

'~.HO%Deri<:: !~dic:inelr

93~

255n
251n

30. ~67 ~9,

Ge0I!9nica

59-60 ~ 61-62 ~
80~ 85~ 86n~ 95.
103. 1B9 ~ 302.

Wi imaliurn

505 19(2.1L)

2~2n
1,p~'ef

Athenaeu5
7.312b

5.~?2

7.lq

Democritus, Pseudo-

99, l89, 256n

Diophanes. Pseudo- 189

98r.

307
255n
60~189

43,. {4 h L 60,.
(80. 85)
256n
256n

9.]2
lO.67
10.67.3
256n
14.S(sic;read 7.14}

44

D1os(;:crid:es (ed. Wc-llmann)

:tI~teJ"ia medica
2.19( aL21 ,
24 On
:2. 56{60)
239n~ 2450
2.66(71)
230n
2.16ll ~l65 (193<19~1
258n

16.1.17
l6.3.6
~7.]3~2

Herodotus
3.111
17

239n
239n
211n
21 t 99, 184, 1%',
82-83, 18Ln
22&

Ancient
Hesychius
s.v."trissos"

and

225
223

Hipp1atrica. Graece 30" ('3h), 61, 62~

78n, 82n;> a6;

95n, 103;> 104,
123:0,. 15~12~
252n~ 218n, 302

511

Medieyal

Nicander
Theriaca

463

41~-11

225n
225n

557-58,562-63

2430

AJe:dpharms.c a
573-7~

232n

Corpus Hippiatrico!1lln (ed.

Mer an d Hoppe)
2: 1~~-J~5{Hipp.. Cant. 10. 14 )
247 In
2:225
272.n

2:2Q9-50(Hipp.Cant.loB.5)
211n
2~250
28 On
Homer

Odyssey

67 J 9l, 99, 103,

121~ 174, 182,

209fi, 269, 391,
61, 68, 69,.

( 180-82)
lL 23-50, etc.
InterpOlat.ion

331

61, 68-69.
(180-82 )

Jos~phus

18

Antiquities

13.5.9 (Gr.see.172)

Olympiodor\~s

l8B

(PiLp:,,'ri) Demotic Magical Papyr:41:i

69[1

PapYl"S Graec:us
Lagercrsntz.)

Eo~~iensis

{ed.
72,. (73n). 103;

185
6.27-10.29

264n

KI)..1-6

165
185

ICO .19-27

Papyrus Londinensis

46.108-9, 113~ 1~5-b6/n~ 15l,

154-55. 156 7 236/n t 24o~ 472,.
~76-77

290n

46.172-201, 293-303
233n-234n
268n
41.45
20ln
20ln
2T2n

39911

121.249
121.918

2.B.6(136)

398

121.926-39
:l:22.109n

2.8. 12{159 }

39911

12L. 29-3~

2720

12S.1-Q

295n

B-ellum Judaic'llllt

20ln

Lucian
Philcpseudes
12

Di,psades
3

PapYrus Oxyrhynchus.

72!n,. 73~ 7L7 16;

77, 90., 9J.~ 95n,

231
Pap. ~12

Marcellus

19.64
19.65

2n; 3, 2:2tl~ 59n,

66-69, 10, 71/n.

231

2570
2370

Mithras LiturBI, (ed.Mey~r)

4ao-Bt

292n

555-73

29ln
292n

639-~3

of Cborene. See under

Christian loi'riters ll above

Y~ses

2n, (22n), 66/n.

15, {76 .. 17}. 80,
83, 8T, {90}~ 91,
( 95n ) ~ 96 J (97 ),
103 ~ 180--82 ~ 191.

?09n. 268~ 289,

29~,> Q5ln

Pap. 90J

2n.66r.t

Phi10 strittuB
Life of Apol1cnius of 'l'Yana.

1.3
Ne-ptuniunus Physika 7311.., lSO, 235

97

463n

Inde~es

512

21/n-22/n t 29-30~
32. 36/0, ~O, 4~

Photius

Bibliotheca
Codex

j.L

Codex 163
Codex 234

PI i ny

21 ~ (1;0)

22/n t (29-30)

q37

7m, 194n" 233n,..

266, ~66

30.31.105

2J;On

30. 39. 11.5 , li8

30."3.123
30. 53. lij9

254n

32
32.1. :2

232n

32.1.6
32.12.25

2h2n
2Q2

32.l~.34

238n

30.3~.108

287n
238n
294n
2~2n

historiae
pref.12-13
466n
8.11.32-12.34
225n
8.39.9l
2300
9.~1.19
2420

32.l8. 48
32.18.49
32.23.61
32.24.7b

9.72.155

2h2

10.83.180

29~n

~.32.102

18.30.118

256

32.46.133

215n
232n
215n

20.2.3
20.20.39

260n

33.25.8b

2ll.n

254n
25qn

3~.166
3~.169

2lOn

~aturalis

20.21.~7

20.hO.103
20.1,1.107
22.9.20

25~n

22.29.61

254n
2610
257n

23.l5.20

260n

23rl1.131,138
23.17.149
24.154

258

2~.171

25.92.145
26.108
28.7.35,36

28.18.65
28.18. 65-6'{
2B.30.119
28.44.157

28.47.167-72
28.58.203
28.223

32.32.118

232n
233n
2~2n

232n

21On~

36.34.1b1

300n

37 19

264n
243n

31.75.1.91

264n

31.5~.:l;~

Plutarch
De fQci~ in orbe lunae
ch.7(92r;A)
1I36n

152n

252n

2~4nJ 260n
257n
252n
286n-287n

2~8n
2~8n

Caesar
19

359n

Psellus, Michael

55, 60, 103,

232-33, 258,

296/n,. 297. 301,..

302,. 307. 309/n,

231n

~40n.

2j~On

L51 ~

28.78.257
28.81.263

217n, 235n
235n

29.11.61

229n

29.21.69
29.25.18

218n

29.12.96

236a
260n
219n
219a, 2h3n
219tl
228n
228n, 237n

29.3B.l25
30.22.69
30.23.81
30.27.91
30.30.102

26an

bh9; ~I SO,
JI52

Paradoxagraphan anagnosmaton
.

31~ GO. Gg. 186188~ 198-99, (229),

(232-33/n)

2h3~

2~5n~

229~
259n~

26l~ 26~Jn, 265/0266/n, 211~ 275~

230n
211n, 235n
219n
252n, 258n

28. 7'1. 2~8

29.36.l1#
29. 38. l17-25
29.38.l23

266n

For specific references

263n

s~e

under

Julius Africa-nUB Ke:stoi IX.1 ~Mp

HOI etc.). aDove

St:rabo
GeograRhy

17-2.&
Suetoni.... s.
De regibus

226n, 24m

Modertl, Authors

513

22-23 t 3:2 t 36,

38~ 39s ~O, 56,

Thucyd1dea
1.1oh
1.110

l'Af:r i eanUB"'

22~ 34 t (40 t 56~

6~~ 79)

"Susanna"

22-23/n

Vegetius
De 8.l"teveterinaris
1.18~16
236n

62 ~ 64-65 t 67,
79~ 91

Theo.phra.stu5
De e.fl. usi s ,plante..:ruJn

,.15.1

255n

22&
228;n

;.7.1

2320

6.23.10

232n

6J/n
188,

Z05imI~

:fragme:nt.a

261n~

266n

Hiatoria plantarum
g: 5
184n

Index of .f.bdern Authors. and 'Works

.Altane.r., B ., 9~
Amami ~ E ., 76
Andr~~

J.~

AlIT, 191,

Ass ema.n i

Cru:tt\tell, C... 65

232n, 253

328n

~ J ...

25, 26n t 27n t

Bandini ~ Po., l~ 1
F~~dy~

G., 5.,

B~) 9~D,

~5/n

95n,

200n~

361n, J7ln, 373n, 384n, 464n

Baumstark, A., 61
M':I! and Ruelle, Ch. -Em. ,

63/n,. 103, 188. 26m, 266n~ 28in

Bj~rck, G., J/n, 1n, 12, 77, 82n,
86-89, 98 t 100, 158n, 16ln" 19l n)
206-13 'DBsaim. 220n. 233-92
passim, 300n, 30B/n; abbrev.

158-72

~&ssim

BlaBs, F... 68 ~ 9bf,l

Boivin .. J." h3. 52n t 60/n~ 69-70,

18, 82fl t 92/n,118n.

'l'hev'I1not) M.
Bo~J.qu i aux-Simon, 0.. 93

B.ratke, R.

See als.o

65

Caras,. Ii., 22.1n, 228n, 23l.n

Casaubo~~ 1.) 35/n~ 37~ 261
Cha1ne~ Abbf, 224n
Cat. mss. ale. gr., 73/0, 103, 189
Csve t OW., h2/n, ~4. 49
Chad..,dc:k, H. ~ 31qn

Raven~a

46/n

(Rbavennatis)t C.

34,

5Qn
Desrousseaux, A.-M.
Diels, H. 82
Drijve-rs. R., 93

182n, 213n

CaDge- ), 42

Berthelot,. M., 62n, 63 t 72, 13fl

Berthelot~

A., 30, 79, 82n

Ducange (Carolus d'll Fl'esne 2 D. du

62. 189

Beckh., E .,

D8i~,

de .Boor t C,) 17/n, 6.1,

de 14 Rue, C. and C. V.,

de

Easnage, J. t ,1& 5
Bauer, ttl., 10~Ol

~?

P., 83

Chantrain~)

Duchesne]o

t.

50, 1D-11/n., lY3n,

178

Dupin (Du Pin),. L... 43-b~, 520, 56,

91n
Ede lste in.. .L. ~ 8,9
EncyclQpaedia ]ritannica~ ~8, 49n,
53/n, 7~-'72/n, 9h-95. See also

Nev

Bncyclop~edia

Britannica

Fabriciu8 .. J~, 27n,. 36n~ 4~/nt q5n;

Fab.... iclus-Harle.s .. ZTn, 1,4n

Fa.rrington, B. 88

Follett .. S. ~ ~23n,. 231Jn, 246n

Fortescue" .A., 71/fJ
Frazer, J . 8n t 352
Go.llsndi. ~ A., 46/n
Ganschinietz, Po., 5,10, 395n
Gan szyni ec, Po., :285n
Gardtbausen .. V. ~ 272-13/n

Indexes

m,

27" 53-56,. 58/21,.

60-61, 6~" 66~ 70,. 71~ 72" 73.
74]i 76 t 80, 81n~ 90:. 9J,

Gelzer, H.,

Gemol1, W., 60/n

Girons, H. S~., 2220
Goode" W., 322n,. 352n
Goodspeed, E... 90- 91

Gossen, 244n,. 245n

Gossen and Steier, 2220, 223n,
224nll 225n,. 228n, 22911
Gr~ge:r .~ F. t 75n, 78, 91
Grant, R. t 91, 270n t 318n

.n

G.retlf~ll,

E., and Hunt, A.,

66n, 180n, 182n

Grieve, M., 251-62
265n

notes

2n,. 51.

pa~sim,.

'311 / n
Grzimek,. 139' 22ln
Gui~chard,. C.,. ~7/n

55-59/n,. 70, 71,

72,. 14n. T5/n. 76. 90, gL,. 98"
A.~ 53~

Hediger. fl.,. 221n

5e~~ R.,. 29n" 189/n
Eopf"ner,

239n:lo 24 3n ~ 261n ..26;n

H., 2 L50, 28211 .. 292n" 3000.

Hubert. t
303n t 30~n
~u.ll,

35ln, 393n

J.,

:Eultsch .. F., 50
1M, N.

w.

Jones,.

2~an.

28hn

A., 392n
j(roll t 'Pi'.; 73/n-75" 800,. 88,. 203n20~n, 269n, 27011
Kudlilm, F']i 93, 9Bn
Kol~nkowt

Labbe" P., 39. ~h

Lagarde, P. de, 50
Lagercrantz t 0., 72/n. 73n" {PBolm.,

103), 185/n, 281n

Lambeek {Lambe~ius}, P.,

39, JIO .. 51n

G., 1;6, 81, 284n

F9' 92/~

l~rt]i

tanst

J., 3!4

!.lL1"W1e-r,

n.,

La Rue.

See de La Rue

~qu.ien1o

Meul"s, J., .1.J6

Migne, J., 23n,. 9~n
"Miraeu~.. A.,. 31

M.Uller,. K.,. 55,. 61,

7t~

183n

ria.ude, G... 36

100
NicllLs, ~']i ~6

Norbeck. E., 81, 304n

Oder, E.. , 60, 62
Oder; E., and Hcp~, C., l~~; 167;
206n I 272n, 28On; C. H., 256- 'r2
Oeluer .. F., ~16o

226n
:P1"ister,

Kenyon, F.t(and Eell) .. 20ln

LaltJi ...

~ErrOUt H.-l' t 204

Mnrtin t Th., 51n t 52!n, 610, 820,
92:/n
Matbie-u]i G., 83

Petavlus, ~+,. 36
Petzold". H.-G." 222n .. 22~n" 225n~

61

255n, 25621 .. 26bn, 268n, 281n

Lightfoot, J +, 318/n
Ludwi~h, AT, 67, 26%

N~ander, A." Q8-L9,. 52n" 53, 72n

Ueedha.m, P 1~6
lfev Columbia Encyclopedia ~ 4n
Nev Encyc20paedia BTitannica,. 95/n~

G~"nMUS ,.

Harnack.

J..5J .. 225n~ 228n, 235n, 2410, 253n".

2.J5

19:2

Levis" C. S . 384n
Liddell, H']i and Scott,
Jones, H. 2100" 231

n.,

and

2C.!"n

Pitra, J' t 28n, 57, 192n, 27~n

P10lnteux t H., 206n.. 23On. 231n
Poli t ian, J\., 33, 35n ~ 38, 10- t~ ~l
Pressel, T., S2n
Pre\~sche:tJ,. E., 57, 70
Puchardu.s,. J., 224
?~ech. A." 16/n, 78, 19 t
QUB.5ten~ J."

Bo, B1

9b/n

Reichardt, W.) 7D!n

194n, 2l5n, 216n t 21Tn s

2190,. 229-65 oot~s passim, 279-

Reiss~

86 notes passim .. 295n, 454in

Rhavenoatis. See de Ravenna,. c.
Ri~hter, w.~ 217n" 229n,. 236n,
238, 23%
Robert,. L., 270n
flQsern::Uller. J ... 41/n, L9. 5T,.
TOn, 75
Roulin. M. Ie Docteur, SOn. :223,.
224n,. 225,. 230, 241

Modern Authors -

Routh,. M., 28p~ ~Bln, 97p, 191/n,

192, 199~ 271~ 28ln~ 2820, 298n
Ruelle, J., 3b

SU~jects

515

Vale-sius (Valois}, H..

~01 ~3,

37-38. 39,

b4, 41, 54. 51, 64, 74,

88, 93.n,. 100

3n. '5 ~ 1n, 11,

12, 30. 35n:; 77-84, 86., 87, 92/n ..
93, 91a, 95-99:; 102-04, 112n, llhn,
116n; 1180, 123n, 125n, 1330, IkOn.,
167n,. 1710, 1120, 173n, 180n,
182n,. IB~n, ~B5n, 189Il~ 200!n,
201-286 passim, 291n, 306n, 3l1,

Vieille:fond, J. -R.,
Salman, G., 51n, 53
S~um&ise (Salmasius), c.~

37/n
S~a1iger,J.~ 35-36~ 38, 39, 40,
~l/nJ 1:4., 46. 51, 51,. 100, 298n

Schalit, A. ., 93
Scho~ne ,.

R. 70!n, 92
Scu11ard, U... 225n
Slckenber.ger. J., 75
~ith~

lI

31bn~ ~6Lm
Vincent~ A~~ ~9-50/n, 202n, 203
'Ifinc:ent 7 L., a.nd. Abel, F., 78 .. 69-

M. 268n. 29On, 291n, 392n,

90, 98n

393n
Spaulding, 0., 90
Stl:i.hlin. 0., 76
Steinbeck ~ .J., 2k1n

Voss, G. (father of I.), 36

Voss, I, (son of G.), bi/o, ~2n, 5k

'r'aTn, W., 7n, 83

Thevenot., M., ~3, 52/n, 60/0, 69-70,

Weil, H.,. 61, 69

Well:mann, l.f.. 18 3n.~ 230n, 23:i..n ~ 233n
Wendel. C., 7Bn
Went20el" G., 22n

78, 81, 92 .. 94n, 20~n, 26ln,

284n. See also Boivin, J.
Thomas, K.~ 21ln .. 286n, 336n

Westerna.;,n, A. ~ lIn, 1: 9, 186. 233n

Wettstein, J., 40
Wi1amovitz-MB11endorf, IT., 67/n
T~"'Un5ch~ Fl . .,
68-69, 209n) 268n

Thompson .. D., 25011

Thorndike. L.;
2840, 286n~

2.~cn, 280n,

282n ..

~36n

Tillemont, S. E,ellain de, 44/n .. tg,

88
':'y10T, E.,

8n

Ind~x

cf

SU~Jects

315
Abb~5, 166~ 197, 273, 27 h , 277n
Abbreviations, 102,. lO~, 158n.
A'baris the

H:~rperborean,

199n, 328n

N., 158n

Acrocol"dons, 163. 16b., 228

add~r (Vipera berus), 222, 2230

Ad.iUl"&t, ~16

Adjuring. 416~ ~23jo q3L

Abdias,. pseudo-, 27n

.Adona1~ 318n
Ad Servianuru; of Ha.d.1"ian. In

AbdQl'Zlian, 1~5

Adyta. 359

-~ :

A.t~:F ~

3281'2;

Abgar ~ 13,. 20~ 77, 141

--court of, 3150
Ablanatho, 181
Abortives, 398~ b65
Abrah~~$ Isaac t and Jacob, 332, 372..
373, 380
Abrasax,

2.,l.tn~

4000

Abraxa.s Jo 181, 351

Accitionibusjo ~26
Achaj8n chief, 136
Achel"on. 181

Ae-genean d.rac ma. 11 ~~

Ae-113 Capitolipa., 61 ~ 1ln, 79. 83,

94 .. 96, {Colonia} ~82~ 270n

A.e-li6.n. 820, ~6ln
A~neag.
See under Ind~x of Ancient
and Medie~al Ref~r~nces
Aeons, 350
Aesculapius, 3~O
Aethiopic c~in~ 126
A:f.fi~ity~
AfriC'a~

53

365

Indexes

516

Al't-icanus .. backgrounds = 'rarious, 3,

19~ 83~ 85, 90~ 95; Jewish.
3,. 9.5- 96/n" 99 ,,256n, 273,. 277n.
31kn; Palestinian,. 464Di Sebrltic:,. 274,281; Syrian, 111
--homeland; 3, 17, 22, 38, 39. ~~,

66,

~4, ~5~

53, 5., 56, 63,. 6b, 65,

67, 68, 13, 83, 90, 94 .. 95-96/fl~
98. See also L1~a
-byname; 39" 66" 79]1 83. 91;
Cestus!Kestos, 38,. 39. Chronographu6.. 39; 13-e-ct'Us ,. 83; sek.to 51
Se;xtus .. 38; Sextus .. 22. 3b; ~Ot
114,. 55 ~ 51:p 73/n

--character and inteTe~ts: be1ie~8;

2, 6 (8e~ also --his yiews,.
belo~);

character,. 2, hn, 8,. 21,

52n, 60, 65, 66, 61 /n~ 74, 76,

77, 79. 81. 82. 83,. 85, 86 .. 87n ..
88, 89, 90, 91, 98, 276, 456n;
interests, 65, 66, 79. 81, 82,.
85. 98
--Chri~tian character/status: 6n ..
~~, 7~~ 75n. 90.. 99; not fully
orthodox .. 43; pagan, k2. 63;
not pagan .. 650
--cleric and re.ligious V!'iter=
'bibli:e:a1. comcentator. 24. 25~

26n,. 27/n,. 28~ 45~ 53; cot a

co~entator, ~5, 65; bisho~,.
{of' .F.:o:nnaus) 2q t 26n" 27 In,. ~2n:jo
45, 52; not bishop, 65~ 80;
pries't,. 1:1) 52,. 53~,56; not
p~iest,. 5~,. 56) 58, 72; s~ho
1iast, 25n t 28/n, 57; ~rans
1ator, 27n,. 56, 51~ 59n
--critical ability; 2 10 57, 611n,.
70,. 1 4 , 15" 82, 91/n, 298;
RosenmUller's tribute to,. ~7n,
~9

--dilettante, 1; dabbler in empi~ica1. :scie.nce~

467; lit.tera.-

teur, 6n,. 1,. 209; credibility)

90

65; pre-conversion rejected, 57

--a 1 e.yIDS.n .. t.l6l" J.611

--literary interests and style: 21.,

228n, 2~5n .. 268~ 309n, ~61; rhetoric. 83, 88, 209n1' 253n, 287/n;
rh-e-tQric ability, 14

--and magic., 2., L., 83~. 85,. 193 ~

3~09

passim., 4L9-65 passim

98; architect,. 98;
g~Qgrapher smd/or histori6J1, 63;
librarian, 75/n,7B,. 9.4" 98;

--pro~ession~

:m.-ecical l:lan,. (hiatrosofistes) 29,

(~~@dicus) 3Q 7

56

51, 189 ~ mili-

tary of~icer7 5~~ (retire~) 56,.

58,. 79,. 85; 95; 'Oct rnili tary.

79
--secular; 2,

~6~

or fragments: Geoponica,
22 .. 30; Hippiatri<:E:L, l58n
--style~ general) 83, 86/n, 203;
209n, 2~ ~ n, 2h 5n,. 261~ 268-69 t
276,. 281/n. 294, 311; anecdotal
e:... n'br-oioi;!,TY. 261; 1 iterary arid/or
rhetoriea..l embe11i.shments, 289-90,
293, 106) 308, 309Jn~ 31l
--superstitious, 57, 75n) 89, 90
--trao51ations (modern), 47n
--... i~:,"o1s ~ his .. 6/n) 1:> 8. 193, 457;
of his pl"Ocedures .. 459; concerning him. 15. lTn. 24 31. 32
--sourc~s

268-69
--MTitings: Chronography and letters ..
2~ 13-28 passitrs .. 193n; diSFuted
'WOrks ~ 3;. llDn; De be1lico appe.ratu/Stre.tegi.kEt~ 35. 37 s 38 t I.!.
s;;-also Julius A:fricanus in the
lnd-e.x of Ancient and Medieval

neferen<:e-s
=Africanus the Babylonian, l89
~Atricanianus; 185/n; __ IS book,
book 3~ 185

Arricani: other~ 190. h7, 94n;

daag1!'r of conf'using~ 47
Afterbirth; dog,.. 2~7 ~ 238,

255n~

--Kestoi by a different: 2n 3L-36;

306
38 , 11 2,. 45, ~6, 50) 52n, 9ln;
Agcg1Zlia, 3Q'{ ~ 396 ~ ~ 39. ~I 50
by a. third OUt 38 10 39; multiple
Agricultural magic~ 302,. L53
authorship denied, 37, 39,. ~O,
Agricultm-al marvels. 105 .. 11.10-45
41, 43, ~~ l 56) 57; unity of'
Agricultural vriterS i In .. 22, 30.
authors .fLss(!rted, 49, 51, 5~~
55, 59
51, 60; 65~ 66, 80; uncertainty
A&E!ai, 359n
of authorshi.p, 48
Ahoros/-i, ~oh" -606, 409n
--period Kestoi vritten: pre-conver- Aid for birth, 159
sion, (or llLpse) 2n, 42) L3,. hq,
.Air; poisonir..g t 205, 206
l

Subjects
llan~,. liO" 150.. 298n

de:J'llOr.J5,

Alch~,

In, 20 .. 62-63, 72~ 103,

188-89, 254n, 28Tn
Aleuromanteis, 359
Alexander,. baths of .. 13, J82
Alexander (the Great), lOT-08~ liO,
150" 298n
llexe:nde:r (Seve1"us), 20. Ql .. J,~,
52,. 54, 13, 11 .. iSz .. 464n
Alexandr1a(n ) ~ lll" 69, 1ln, 11!:l ~
a.uthors." 50
All-heal, 205n
Alpha.bet~ cabcJ. i st ic use of', 20hn:j,

letters of, 203

oracle in, 386

Ammo~;

Amphibians, 220 .. 22l-3~

JunuJ.et(sL 9 .. 208,. 21m, 238, 243 ..

26On, 27b-76 ..

429, 437.
--lea~her

33~r,

hbO~ ~6Cn

356-51. 398 ..

(or akin)= 219, 45h;

prophylactic, 201
Anaxilaus, 3)"9 .. 394n, .!J.23
Ancient 1::ooks, 298

ANF, 328]]
A.nge1. = bestile to J e.... s, 384n
--of repentance) 324
;....~gelic: beings, L45; hieraTchy ~
34 2; invocat ion s.. 352; :pover
(evil) .. 3~7

Angelis desertoriQu~. ~02

Angels, 191, 2lh, 2~2n. 313, 323,.
343.. 317, 379/n, 3E2, 40L, 405,
416, 4b6/n, .65n
--: demon offspring. of: 332, ~33;
devil t s 2 330; evil, 34 3, 357,
358, 363~ 382; fallen~ 282n~ 307 ..
330, 332~ 3~1, 357 .. ~C7, 409.
410, 412 t 429n) L32~ ~33 . ~h5n;
sinning, 2102) ~19 . ,;"p..nd apostate)
422; so called .. 363; unfallen ..
358; who made NCrld, 348
--ne",lhes co ined,. 35.1; na::Jes or"
425~ ~30

lore, ~Ol; mate~ial~, 45 Q;

parts .. 216-20; prol!:par-ations,
contraceptive and cc~ception
promoting, 233n; sut~tances, 216;
toxin6, 20Tn
animals; 204, 205, 2l4-41, 380~ 383,
385. 398
--aquatic, 240-42; land, 220...;40;
ii'fing, 2.1~-l6; .....r..ole .. 21J~-16
--di.... ination by~ 3So; -r-e::lJedies.1':r.ol","n
to, ~07n; species linked to
aniw~~

517
372

Anointing: ~n T; poi. son .. for arrows ..

1~~9, 151

Ant iebri st .. 316n

259n
Antinous t 376~ 391
Antlochian: talent" 17 JJ ; metretes.
115, 178
Anti-pagan references., 312
Ant1patheic"n, 297
Antipathes, 297
Antipathies,. 331,. ~07, ~I~O ~ 45q
Antipathy, 123~ 217n~ 218n, 228,
230, 291, 3C3. 306, 3lOn, 313]0
Ant~ehesthai,

366, ~1~2., lilt"?

Antipodes. ~136
Antler pend~~~~ 239
Anu.bis., 181
Apmnea., Tin

T6n

Bab;,donios ho, 72-73

Aphrildano a, 72
Aphrodisia~(B), 29, 230!n, 2h 6,
252n. 261. 302Af.lhriks.nog.~

Aphrodite (venu:~;); eo, 137 .. 157;.

l88,209n, 309n, 311
-invocation of', 2ll h .. 245. 2h7.

289, 309,

~51; sacrifice

to,

283, 3CB
A~hronitron~ 115
A.,hrosel enon, '262... :2 6!~
Apocrypha, L3T' See P'-l so Bible

section of Ince~ o~ Ancient and

Medieval J1e~erences
A~ollots {varioUS}, ~27n
Apollonius .. J~36
Apolloniu8

Dr

I)'ana., evocation of

the old serving vooan of, 295n

Apo1ogi st.s = 318, 326. 328- ~ 5.. 3J~ 0 ,
h38; Gr~~k~ L21, ~2L
Apophor8.~ 207~ 236
Anostolic fathe1"s.. 317-1
Apotropaie(s}, 211, 239~ 2108n,, 274 ..
219, 291. 301, 303
Appending. 25~, 260
Apu.leiua .. t~36

Aquatje

~~imals= 2~O-42;

poisonous;

166
Aqu.a.t i e php;a, 2: Ln" :2 22n, 226n;.
231
P.rabiaos, 181~n
Ar~ic;

97n;
273, 271n

phra~e>

Ararat, 191n
Archimede::;, ~ 01

27q; vord,

Indexes

518
Arc:hon .. the Great, 400n
AristOlllE!ne s ~ 121
Aristote1ian vi~, 377~ ~44n
Aristotle .. 359n> 36o~ 39~n, 397

.A:rmenia(ns), 63/n, 426

Annor ~ 105; ~O6-09

Arrows: ~05; 111~ ~45-~8; poison
anointing for~ 151
Art (or cTatt).. 213
Art (the): 188, 296) 4h9~ =astro~bgy, 361; magic) 330~ 333~ 420 ..

q31~ 432
--of na;ture ll 120 .. 272 .. 287 In. See
also .Arts
Arthropods~ 238-39
Arts: curious, 348, 352; evil. 318;
from angel s. 402; Magia!] .. .1.;28;
magical; 329~ 334, 347, 313, 425;
occult~ ~03; pra~ti~al, taugbt
by angels, 282n; secret, h27.

Se~ al so Art; Techne

--our (AfTicanus's), 112

As c: eu.c-n , 93
Aaclepeions, 342
Ashes; hedgehog, 215) 218 .. 239. 216;
of biting head. 218n, 229
Asia(ns)lI 106. 115~ 222
Asp; 228/n .. 306; bite(s)~ J.65. 238,
275; Eg",vpt ia.n, 226n; vi per
(Vipera aspis) .. 222
Ass: right ear. 239; wax of. 219
Associaticn~ 9.. 362. 385; concept.
204, 216~ 366; of appearance.
.2~9; of r18.1t1e ... 2J~9; 'iofith subject
or condition .. 303; with end
desired .. 218-19
Assyrians" q2J.
Astaphaeu l!i, 370
Ast!"a.galus, 235
--wolf; 123, 217, 218, 231. .. 305;
right .. 218
Astrologer, 31.9 " t~ 02., ~ ~1 ~ 437
Ast~ologe~a3

350, 396/n, h13/n, 415,

442, lt52

Astrologi) ~11

432/n, ~3Jt .. ~39, q51

Astronomerts) .. 362 .. 401
AstronolElizing.. 329
Astron0ltiY,. 339
As:r:mpoton,. 1M

Athen{ian)s, 110~ 11:2, ~1.8

Athotis, 298
Attic honey, 157, 160
Attic weights and Ineasures: i73;
taleut, 113; drl!1.-chm9., ~ 74; mna,
175; medimnos, 176, 179
Attitudes toward magic) ~66
A.ttraction. na.tural, 363n
A!$ures, 408,. 410

Augurs, 359,. 402,. 42" 427, k30

AUgury, 358; 372 .. Q18 .. 4l9~ 423 l
~26n ~ ~12'8

Augustae,.

AUMari,

~6!~

~26

Auspices, 428, 423

Authe~ticity=

28~n,
Se~ also

questions of J

289) 306, 454, 455n.

Kestoi; authenticity o~ ~art~

disputed
Automa.tic; fire 1 69, 89n, 286;
fortune. 305; magic, .L43~ operation .. 305~

314

Autooatica11y~incanta.tions

not

vork, ~ICT
Automa ton....m.,

286

A-version: lt39n.; of e';il, 363.369;

rites of, J~2a
--obj ects of ;204

A-voidance: of iron. 2Un ~ of metal,

260; of bronze, 260n
A7.az~l, 3~7

Babylon. 970. 394n

Bahylonian= prognostication, 339;
irra.t ional f'TiI'!:nzy:J. 396
EaOylonians, 141) 329~ 339, 42l.
See also Chaldeans
Eabvlonios ho Aphrikanos, 72-73,
~89

Bacchus~

plant of .. 122

Astrologia~ 389 1 h39

Bactrians,. h24

Astrolofjike(s), 350
Astrologikoi, 396
Astrolo61s, ~04, 4~3
Astrologos,. 410, 437, 452
Astrology, 325 .. 339" 347, 350. 355,
358, 36~-62 .. 363., 388-90, 396n,
399-4GO~ 403, ~04, 408, 110-11,
~13n" 41~, Q15 .. ~2l. 427-28,.

Balsam jUice/oil .. 258, 259ft

Barbarians .. ~06., ~O1' ~c-8. 109, 1l1.,.
l13~ ll~~ 329. 355, 356,. 358"
10

372. 37~
Barley groats, 252

Barrenness, 366. See also Beans

Basi11des, 3 L6, 34 7, ~OOn
Basilidians.~ 346, 34 8, 350, 35: ..

4t~7

519

Subj('!cts
202~ 205~ 208, 212. 214" 215~
217" 239. 29:2n, 306; head", ;;"7 5 ~
wings:- 212, 215ln, 217
BatheJ1erathan, 115 ~ 222:io 223~ 224
Baths of Alexander" 182
:Batracn.oi, 2.30
"Beans ~ 256" 366
Bean shell s ~ 255
Bear pudef.lda, 219" 2~O
Be~ar s... northE!rn, 181

Bat:

Bea.s'ts

f bu:rde~l" 105, l26-29

Bedbugs; 215n" 229/n, 238, 252

Bees,.~t(:. ~ 167-68
Belier systeros, 336,. 455
Benevolent substance. 205n
Berenice {an originator of r:Ja..gic) ,

403

3e""i t<: hoed ~ 35 5~ 36q.~ 386, 404n

.:aewu~ 263n
Bi&eothatla.to5/-i~ 40t.~ Lo6" 409n

.Bl aiothana..toi, 205

lUle; frog .. 232; partridge.

dog, goat, 232n; boney

366.. See also Gall

'rol~'.rr-e,.

generates~

Binding" ~n4

Biologicw. rroateriale, {~onr.Jec'ted llith

pent agon s ),. 204, :2 05n
Biology, 365-66~ 39511; l;41~ L11 7.
~58

ln6n
Bronz.e: non-use of" 26On;procedures
using, 26L-65~ pen,. 265. 272, 287
B:ryony, 254
By~tine collections, 30
By~antine vocabulary .. in Kestoi, 92
Cabos,

91.

165;

asp .. 165~

238/n; poisonous, 166~ 215. 21 3,

248; beast" 166
Bites and vounds" 169-70
Bl&Ck'berry {baton), 212 .. 251n

Black mortar t 286 .

Blood; ani~). 218; h~~e, 219 .. 2LO ..
246; tortoi~e; 238; mengtrual~ .
2h8
Bones~ 331, JI54

Book: sacred" 89, 192/n; Souphi s I ,.

192. 292;a~cient.. 298; magical,

3Th; barbarousjo 380

Boy: ~ere/innocent, used in diyi~
tion, 284n., 351/n, 386n; killed
for U5e in oracles, 403, ~09.
See also Child:r-~n
Brachmans" 39 4 , 395n
Brains; an imfl,1 , 218 .. 233n; dog,.
205n, 231; hen, 2lqn T 215/n~

See also Ka."bos

Ca.1f skin, 214 n , 239 ~ 2Jlt.

See Skin
Canines,. 221.234-38
Canine teeth:' wolf ~ 21.5, 217,. 235
Caracalla., 24n~ 1,63n
Cari.a:t 69, 182
Carians~ 329. 358~ 361
Carminum. 425", 426, 432
Ca.rpocrates~ 346" 3~8 .. 3~9
Carpocra:t ian s:lo 346 ~ 32n) 348, 3L9 :396.~ 397
Case: d~tive, 206; genitive, 206
Castor(s), 403, 412/:0 .. ~lB
Catabolic :spi:rits, 409n
Cataboli~os, 405
CatlU'B.{'t. 218, 23?
Cata:rrh, 105, 121-23
Cattle: excl'etipnsjo 219, 240
Celenae,

3irds; s~one$ in" 314; divinaticn

by" 338, 358, 386, 388; lore,
401
Bi:rbh (personified), 181
Bir-th; a.1o~ 159, 238; control .. 3.;"8
Bite; ttlM dog .. ett'.,

2tO .. 260; frog, 2lL&n, 233n

Bl"ancb1dae.. oracle in; 386
Breatb~ demons flee at Christians'"

58/n

Celsus, 368-82 llessim, 4Lln, ~.4"(

Celts, 141
Censers .. 259n
Cerdo,. 419
Chald.aioi, 369n
ChaldeslHI; 355~ 358,. 361, 362, 363,.
386. 3B9" 396" 404,. La l q26
Chal'kos. 26~
Chance {per90nified)~ 105 .. llO

Charitesia~ 3~7

Charns:9, 202/n, 213 t 267, 211"

214-15~ 3b8, 350~ 35~, 355, 356359n~ 363~ 373, 396, 426~

57,

450-51
--prophylactic,. 211; in Ke5toi~
261-11; healing~ 351; love" Q39,
450 .. ~65
Chel.idonia, 2M~ ~ 263. See al.so
Svallov-plant

Chemistl"Y, 350" 395" 1.;56

Cheops ~ 21, 6 3~ 192. Be't Scuph1s
Chicory~ 256. 281~ 285
Children, uncorrupte:d: divination
b:,r, 331
Chrest~ria,.

359, 386

:Indexes

520
Cbr~matic (seale)~

G.ht-onogrn.pby,

119) 203

Afrieanusls~

selected

f'ra.,gments, 191-92
Cburch-state

rela.tior~s,

~ut.ikon, 61
Cinn~otl" 103, 18L

17, 101

Circe", l81.
Circumsc~ibe thrice, 257, 259, 282
Circumseription, 251) 259, 282) 285
Clarian~ oracle, 386; Apollo) L27n
C1azo~enian, the~ 375
Clement the Stramatist IStro~teus~
23, 38
Cleamedes of Astypelaea, 376
CobT.a~ 22L~ Egyptian (~aja haje),

Corpus hippiat1"1-cocl1I!I. See Hippiatrica in lnde~ of Ancient and

Medieval Referen~e~
Craft'!' 296
Crartsmanlike ~ethod,265
Cr-rlan hyssoJ!, 145

eros sroa..[Is , 295., 313

Cross, sign o~" ~35
Cro'W .fat, 246. See s.l so Fat
Cryptogrem::) 272

Cure" curing, 300, 393

Cutting do.n trees. III
Cyc1~en) 252" (juice} 257
Cyprians., discovered sacrificial
divination, 329

22Sn

Cock= gi~~ards~ 262; Yictorious,

263, 289n; skeleton) 305; stone
from, 315. See al~o Stone(s}
Cocks) 111-18, 262, 215, 283, 289n,
305, 315
Codex; Cantabrigiensis (hipp.),
a6~ 123n; Londi~ensis~ 123n;
t~rc. 299, 63/0,72, 73/n (see.
also St. Jlfark' S II"..anusc:ript);
Regius:no6, 55. See also
r::snuscr ipt s
Co:Lies.. 171

diseases or r~edies.. 171,

2!j3
Colonia Aelia Capitol ina. See
Aelia C~pitoJina
CQlop~

Color

o~

borses, changing; 16l-62,

280
Co~ba~,~elating
Co~!'rey,

C~ets,

to, 105, l17-18

20Sn

390, 447

Co:::mlandment. ( s ); Ten, 367; fourt h ~

362, 367
COU'"&:lodu.~ 11 23
Cc nce ption ll of desired sex, 2k6.

See al$o Sex, pre-determining

Conception, promoting, 2330, 2L2,
255
C'ot1se" 97
Conjuratio~, 372~ 380, LILn
Conspiracy, demonic to ~u8.gi<:E1.1" 337.
See also Tatianic conspiracy
theory
Contagion, magical~ 262, 31~
Contagious magic, 9 t 241, 262, 314
Contraceptive: pendant, 333; preparations, 233n. See also Pendants
Capper, 252n) 264, 265

Daemon, 307) 358, ~G5., i~22n, 425

D~emoD{s),
29 Ja -95)

136, 212n, 2820, 288,

3l3, 31.en, 3 89, 393 ..

~04/n) l~05]o

2106) J.,09, )f18,. ~l9,

425" 432" 433. t34,

435~ 4~;n.

See alsp Demon(sJ

Daef!lonic f'QrCe8: ...m rking through;
209) 220,. 291; role in ~agic,
455; 456
Daemanic. magic, 2q2. 307-09; k43~
14k, 4650. See also Magic~
types of
D~ons/gods, 411; L22n
D~e~on5: hor-~c~ see; 122; off syring
of a.ngels~ 409
Daimoo t 291,. 29~,. 3~4, 34 7" 34 9.,
379, 381, 396
Dai:ntonioleptoi~ 331
Daimonion" 291, 31.4
Datmonontes, 362
Da:ILigeron, 403

Dante, Inferno) 93, 96

DardanU6 (an originator of rnegic~ ,
403

Darmarius:> 35n

Dative case, 206

Days: foTty, 251,. 28 3;. specific:,
280; first l' of" mo-on, 280; f"ou~
teen .. 282
Dead Sea, {description o:-} 2qn. 80,.

81,

~20

Death (peraoni~ied). l36~ 181

De be11ico &n-nal'atu of Africanus,.
35, 37, 31. See ~15o A~ri~anus,
above; Julius Af'ricanus. in Index
of .l\ncieI~t and Medie.... al Reference!'!
D~ception:> in magic~ 329" 349/n,

Su.bjects.

521

352, 375, 405 ~ ~,22n ~ 423, u32

Di vinatory: capac i t.y of so\~l ~ h09 ;
practice-a. 33911 351, ~153
Deisidaimonia, 2270, 363
Diviners, {{";reek) 360, ~ OJ" q26 ~ J~ 37
Deli,an ApoiIO~ ~27n
Divining: ~ 011.. J'05., 410
DelJ)hi, oracles of s 360
Democritus~ 22, 99, 183n~ 189, 256n~ --from hors es., 121-22 ~ 295/n, ~152;
by f'loul" or ba.rley,. 359; by
337, 394n, 1000
goats and tabl.es; ~03
Demon (,s), 295,. 30~1:. 30-6, 318n, 324,
Dodon18,n oracle, 386
330-416 :eassim, 422, ~29/n, ~32,
411l, 441.; kL5, 41;6/n ~ 454 ~ 46~lfI
Dog: b:ra.i~1S, 205n,. 237; skin ~ 214n t
Demon {s); e~]"cism, 312; L21& (see
237; efterbirth, 211, 238 t 255n;
s.1so E:tol'cism); intercession or
urine, 218, 237; sa1iva~ 237
Dogs, 221, 236-38
compulsion of, J~55; manipulation
Donkey ea::r~wa.x) 218, 2J.9 .. 278
of ~ L43

ik:moni~ ~

394~

magic and 'Womle:rs, 301.,

4hZ,

~Q3; ora~les,

409;

3Jl ": " , ."='l90":1

. r.;, '3'1
[4
, q\ .4J1 ;
operat.iQos/act:I>.'ities, 338,. 34 5,
3 1';9,. 352, 367 s 377, 397 ~ ~Ol,
41'5,. 423, L55
Demonic conspiracy, 337, 339, J~1l2,
, )
p:)?N"ers

3~8
..::.,

J.~8n

Demon possessio~, 353, 396, ~221n

De~11em;;,

415

Derkullida.s, 126

Desposyne, 2
Destrutlt.ion:, of enemies, 105 ~ 110-

lY; of" fi~ld:ss 1 49, 150;

tr(!<!"s, 149, 150

of'

Deui~ctionibus, b02

Devil, 32ln, 323,. 330~ 333 s 376n}

379
Devil i sh spirit, 322
De".dnc~~ionibu5, 406
Dev, 261.. 261
Diatonic (seale) .. 120~ 203!n
Didj"1ll.ean Apollo,. l.;27n

Dio~~sus, 14l .. 292. 293~ 311, 312

Dio:pt:ra., 132.~ 1.33, 13~
Diphilus (comic poet} I cited by
Cle!lent, 361.
Dipsas, J68
Direc:t (pe:rsonal) magic , 209~ 303 ..

30 L-07, 1.~13~ ~5!L

Diuina1"e, 408
Diuinationem, h08; L09
Diuinatricem, 408

Divination: 296, 322, 329, 331 .. 338,

3b~s

350, 355, 358-60, 363, 372,

380, 386-88,. 389n, 395n, 399,
40S s 409, 426n, q2T-28~ 432, 434,

437, ~139, 4$1, 453 .. 459/n

--by dreams, 3 58 ~ by f'lour and barby bi~ds, etc.~ 388~
by goats and. tables ~ 403

ley, 359;

Dos i thean 5, 392

Dositheus., 391
Do-...re:t \l'hite~ 241:, 283
Drachmai,. various kinds s 114
Dr~ontJ.5j draconti e t 115 <' 222,.
22 3/n . See also Se-r~ents ;
Snakes

Dream interpreters, 359, 42'7

Dreams ~ divina.tion OJ', )29, 358;

demons send, 396, 4Q3

Dream-scmders t 331, 348, 3 f4 9 .
S@(!' also On{ eHropOOlJ?i
Drops:r~ 161, 218 s 232n, 240., 2.46

DrcsiI., 159, 255

Drug{s). 212~ 322-23, 350,. 398, ~OI
Druid5, 355~ 39~,. 395n
DtJ'i~es~ 168-69, 223
D::te( ine:) ~ 72, 103 .. 148 ~ 185
Qye= for wcoc:t 148; for hai~s 16263; a single,. 188
Dynarneis, 33ln, 33~n, 336, 31.11~,
311~

Dmaneos, 31:.17
Dyscdias, 2S9n
D'Jsurea.,. of horses,.
;;ar~ ache,

160;

161, 2~8, 281

'218 , 219. 239 s

278; :rigbt, 211, 219., 220,. 239,
lofaJI:.,

278
Early Ch:ristia.nvriters, 4Jn, 5, 6,.

193, 2e.2n

312, 313~ 316-4~8

passilll

Eartb, 181
E:a.rt h s not tone h, 2~j 6 , 283
!::ast.

293
s 242, 306

Echene~s

Ecbis,. 222!n
Edessa, 14, 18, 20) h5n, 63/n, 71n ..
13~ 17
Ede s senC! cou:r-t, 8JI
Ef'flu'V iU!!l., 236

lndexes

522
~1't ( ian ); 2.l/n, 62)

330,
276

39~n,.

67" 97n ~ 298 t

~agica1

427;

place,

Egyptian ~ 'bean:l' 165; veighta and

Epicurean t 3rO!n, 317, ~h4n

~heBian let~ers" 356~
~ik1esia~ 3L8

357

Epiklethe1ses, 451
measures, 173; hinion; 115;
f?pikrouse.1, :268n" 286
book) 1.92n; 298; l:tJQgic(ians),
Epilepsy; 21~D" 2~5. 263. 366) ~07
269,. 335; s~cret teaching~ 355;
--propnylaetic against, 239
prophets; 355; beliefs" 368;
Epinomls, Pl ato ' s; 36l
rites .. 376; tenets, 396; shrine!3 t ~ipe.sa.to;. 267
-'425, ~30
~tphoneseiB~ L31
Egypti:ans ll 6~" 1Q1, 329,. 358 t 359,.
~itechneseos~ 338
h
~de, 272. 30rn; 35 4/n, 355, 357,
361" 363" 372" 37 , 380" 398,
421; 426
359n. 362, 373, 37~, 378, 383,
Elagahe.lus,. 14) 16,. 19, 20!n, 41
392~ ~51.
See also Euaoide
Elchasai(tes), 396/n, 399, QCOn
ID2,orkistai. 332
E1ectricity~ 3tatic, 365, ~oOn"
Epo;ki at an, 332
4lt l, 4~7
~ebo:s" 180
Elder, the, 347, 350
Erinys., 113~311
Elements of Hue lid ~ 130
Eros, 137, 311
Elephantiasis, 156, 217, 240
Eryngo, 261
Elephants t flghtin~, 105, 138-40
Ess~nes, 398, 399
Essence of animal, 216, 217~18/n. 219
:Eleu.s.inian celebrants, 35~n
Et~iB., L26n) .428
Elijah/Elia.s t 28n ~ 57
El.1minat i on, hlmlan, 240
Etr-US<:M ~ 359, l26n, ~~27
=:lr:-enor .. 182
Euclid} 99 1 13C
Euhemeristic exp1ane.tio:it ~ 328
anbryo. not misce.rry" 160
E:nmaus:26,. 21,38, 39" ~1.; 18)
EuoTlJ']!'!os,. 279
Eu,hQrbion: 125n; -ie.) 205) 212,
80.. 9in" 98/n .L61
4
-ium, 250., 306
--/Nicopolis, 1 , l6,. 11. 19,. 20"
EvoeatUra."II, 1::06
2~ .. 45. 6~" 65" 99
Excretions .. ~attle. 219. 240
~edocle5 .. 359 .. 394n. 397
Ebpeir-iB.,.

296

Exelaunein., 381

Ebperor: 182, ~62; Ferso~a1 contact

vit.h, 315
EnC'hantF.!r,

319.3:32) 401::, L37

271, 402, 437, L39,

Enehant~ents,
450~ 451

!nemies, 105,

110~17

Rnergeia~ 398

Ener-gy, Concerning,
FngQ.Stri.m.y'tho~.ls,

lea

359

Engraved: 265~ 279~ 287, spell, 27~

~nrmonic (scale), 118, 138, 203!n
Fnneabib1on .. 4On" 51, 56
=::nterta:.i:nment value (in Kestoi},
rn~ hS8

E'paoid- 'orm.e~ 1439, 451

Ep~oide,
268n, 35 4n, 356, 357~
381;. ~96J 437~ 45~. See also
EIJijde
EDaoidos, 319. 431
Eo~sai, 268n, 451n
Ept~a5in, 271. 301~" 451
':)o,ston, 332

Exodus, 330, 353

Exorcism, 322. 331, 332, 33W!n,
340, 344 .. 345, 3h 8) 372, 381)

393n, 403~ Lab; 115-11, 419)

422, ~23, 42 b , 435

Exorc i at s: eJ.l otl:e:r (than Christ),.

332; pagan ane Je-,.;riah) 335
Exotic: element in ~B.gic; 213, 276;
places .. 217
E)r-e(g): 211; 217; 220:!' 2~6; f:rog ..

2l4n" 215) 217~ 232) 283; vulture" 214n .. 217; 237,. 212
--problems., 211) 218; irrita.tion,
232; cure of, 232; mists of) 215
Eyeg,. dif~eren~ co1ored~ 295
:Eye salve,. 248" 251; 265) 283

Fakenr,. 375

False belie~s, (as distinct from

magic and superstition) 19~o~
45~

Fa.."J1il iar (s ): 2 90 ~ 3 L8, J~ ol~; derr..on ic ,

Subjects
3~7, 3~9

Fasc inatio = 1: 03n; rase in et ~ bOhn ;

fase inum, ~ 34
'Fastening aro-und, 26b. See also
Appending; P(!:ndant; P~ri-~ etc.
Fat: 218; goos~, 219, 246; crov ,
2L6
Fate, 10'5 .. 339 10 399n, 121, ~39n
Fa.\oi'D e,kin .. 21~n, 239, 2~6
Feet:o soothing 1n1"llUrt!11ation, 17J.
nFekla", 1~3
Fef!laJ..e plant! 306
Finger ulaed. 285
Fire: 141,. 161 10 293; to kindle
spontaneously- (i'a.utomatic fire'"),

l49,

l5~~

286

Came-cQcks. 243.
Stones
08.1"11 c,. 254

Flame., 293 10 311

Flaminius, 110

See also

Co~ks;

Ga:rum 1o 11:;5

Gates. the, 100

Gaul,. vestern, 135, 155
Genealogies; in }.1:att.he'W 13..':111 Luke,
14,16 10 11, 21~ in Matthew. 26n
Generals, e.nci.er::t, l21
Genethl h.; 439" gen ethliac a, .I. 28 ;
e;enethlialogia. J 389; genethlia.390 j genethlialoe;ounton ..

;Bios]o

Genii, 43 1;
rreniti~e caseJ
Ge~etry,

Firat day of' moon, 280

206

50

Geoponiea.

See in Index of

P~cient

end l1:edie',ELl Rei'erenc e s

Flesh 10 ~rlOlf" 10 217 ~ 236

food, poisoning of, 112, 205

Foot, ~olf', 217, 218, 235
Foreign elements, 2l3't 276
Foreheads.~ examination, 399
Foreknowledge, 389
F'or~tell, 366~

523

380

Fortune tellers, 355 .. 359n., 363.

1:27
Forty da;ys, 251. 283
Four-hcrse team, 278
Fourteen days.. 282
Fowls., 21~:2_Jl1
Fral1d:~harge of. 3490
--in/by rna,gic .. 362., 36'7. 316 .. 380,
39q~95? 397. 402.
4~3 .. 441~ 446

405, 418n, 419,

fraude~ 352
nesh bit.ing head~218n
:righ~= to prevent 10 172~ 215, 217;
cause of~ 21l
Frog(s): 2l~n~ 215n, 230 10 232-3 L,
260; eyes, 21~n .. 215.,217~ 220 ..
232 ~279. 283 ~ bl'a.ins.. 214n,
233n ;ta.dpole tongues. 217, 2333h/n; "bile, 232;n8vel:o 233/n
Fugu stew, 207n 10 21~1

Fumes, 339, 360 10 ~05, 410

Fumigations, 332

Gaga-tea 't 261.

Gal en 't ps eudQ-, 93, 98n

G&11: pa.rtridge, 218, 242; vulture ..

218, 242; of various animal a ,.
242n . See also Bil e

Georgi:e.s paradoxa, 292

Geo:rgikotl) 61
G~!"I:Jans. 359n
Gia.nts~ 282n .. 31~l:o 4l9. q4;n
- bon~s, 429n
Girdle = o~ Aphrodite/Venus {=Kes-

toiL 137. 428; of virgin ~'"248,

28L

Gizzards~

2b4; n~stlings, 21~n~ 260,

262; (g()l!le-)cocks, 2 4 3 10 262

Goe.ls of magic. 337. 41.1 0.. q4 3. 452

Gnoa~ic/Gnosti.cism.~ 351, 396n, 437 10

4l'.aln. ~45. ~59
God: JUdB~O-Cht'is t ian, 186 ~ 313;
a., 3l:8; Sin:on 2.,351

-un i OJ:l 'With ,290; r lva.lling., 29092; t:he.11enge to, 457n

Oods; 112, 136 ~ 313, 34 2, 35 6 , 356 ..

359 i 363 .. 377, 406~ 415, L18,

426,

~34

--imitate/rival, 305~ 312; contemn.

312
--pagan/heathen, 311, 422n .. 429;
pretended/false, J~19, q26 ~ 429
-and daemons, 288-95, ~1.1 ~ ~.nd
tbeir offspring t 330
~-narne~ of, L06n, ~12n

Goe- fo:rm~, 368, b38, 41~ 9 11 1~ 50

Goe-s, 375~ 376~ 397

~-: 3~JI; goetei EL" 281. 35;"/0 i
362, 369/n~ 370, 375, 382. 392,
h38, 443; goet~s]o 329, 337, 355,
359n, 36~, 31On, 373 .. 376n~ 381,
392. L38; .gaeteueOin, 368 .. 3',5.
138; go~teue sthai, 355; ,goet ike,
265n ,29<'.. 4h 9

Gold: 211n~ 266; rust, 237; necklace .. 283

Goose fat. 219~ 246
Gorg01lium: 188~ 261; -ion~ 309n
Graces, 137
Graphic ~rese~tation5, 30 3,

453
Gras s, 425'l .4 t..-o
G~eek~ ecclesiastical sources l 132h, 31; t~~dition concerning
Aricanus, 17; third line or~
29; A:pologistsl 421n, 1.124; apologetic pred~cessors of ~ertul
lien" 417n
--fire, 69 ~ husbandroen, 141. "'Titers

(merllcaJ." etc.) .. 2~6~ ideas of

magic" 269, 342; lists of ma.gica.l races, 426n
-gods" 328, (connected \fith magic),
3Q2; oracles and diviners, 359]
360

--institutions ,. 328] 329; poe-ts ..

359; philosophe1"'s/phi1osoph"v 1
359] 370, JWO; self-sacrifice ..
372
.
Greeks, 106, l08, 109 .. 110~ 121.
230~ 292, 311, 355 .. 361, 363.

396
Ground, not

touch~

263

Hadad, 31~1
Hades (personified) .. 181

He.dra.n, 328

Hadrian: 326; Ad Ser~ianl~,

Hare 'blood" 219 ~ 2h 0" 2L 6

~1) S~

HJ~,Tioli,. ~lO, h2T

Harming, 299, 301, 303

H~ru.~pices, ~02, ~13 O/n, ~12, L15,.
ti25, L27
Ha.ru.6picy~ 358
Hate: goal. 0 f magic, 337
Head~ 'bat" 212, 215!n .. 217, 215;
of bitine: Mirrtal, 2J.8!n~ of rotting dog, 236; reptile, 260
Heal ing = goal

0 f'

magi e,. 337

Health of soldiers, 149, J.51-52

Hebrew: language- {Africanu5 knell!
used}~ 16, 6L 1 96n,. 97 In; 'Word
:play" 16~ 21, 96n
Hebrew ~ magical e:lements, 269;
vords (used b1 MarDosians), 351;
Scriptures {names

bQrro~ed tr~),.

370
-propbetl'l/pJ:ophecy .. 360. 386 .. 4350

--proptetess {Si~'l}, 360

HerlBehog~ ashes. 215_ 218. 239,
246; liver. 217. 239
Height of Vall .. finding th~~ 105 J
130 ,. 133-3~

HeliQs, Titan. 181

Heliotrope:. 16.4. 251', 281,285
Hellebore~

ll0, 150

Hellenes, 135. 142

Helping; magical gosJ.,. 301
Hematoxin~ 207n. 225n$ 226/n
Hemorrhage,. 249, 153
Remorrho!s, l65. 228/n~ 306
Hen~ brains, 21~Zl, 215/n, 2 l 3" 260;
living. 2l5n
Henna, 265n
~ra~ 135. 137$ 293, 311
Heraclas (of A1exand~ia) .. 1k, 24 1

80
Heraclean stone} 365
Heracles (Hercules)~ 13'5
Herac11tus~ 39 4n, 391
Herb(s): 337" 369" 385, 39a~ 402.
Q07, 625, 1.140, ~5~
--Juice of, 4ho, h53
Herbals, 2,49
HerbE.TUm, kO?
He:rds, not harmed "rJy toad 5, 17 O~I'l
HI:!!:n:!I(!:5~ G3n~ 181, 328 1 ~35n
Hermetic books, 5!J n ~ 61., l1n. :29B
Herod, l5n, 93
Herodotus. See in Index of Ancient
and Medieval References

Heroes, 136} 311

Hesiod, 39 h , 395n
Hetercrornatos, 295

Hexagon; 172n, 200. 2al~ 205

--seven, 172, 197, 199~ 2DOo.
250~ 280

2l2~

He'Zekiah, 398
Hiatrosofistes, 29
BinioD,. li5,. l'l"8
Ri:ppiatrice Graec!'!. Set! in !l:)dex
of Ancient ~~d Medieval
References
Hippiatrica manuscript{s)= BritIsh,
l61n, 211n, 220:11; CMbridg~ ~ 10L,
272. See aJso Manuscri~t(s}
HippiatrlcEl sectio:r:J.s~ 156-T2~ 221_
231n. 250n, 252n, 302. See a1so

Veterinary

fragments~

Veterinary

WTite~s/collections

Home-i.

See in Index of Ancient and

r~ediC''If.u1

References

Subjects

Hotneric: lite-rarycriticism, 66
91~ l03~ 182, 269~10; interpolations) 68, 81-88, 268-70, 298;
style in incMtation .. 68, 81-88;
$

med1cine~

98n;ta.lef.lt.

11~

-manuscripts ~ 182, 268 .. 210; tendent ious t ext of" 93

floney, 218
"Hoplocriama", 211, 213~ 2b7, 266
Horaeu~~ 310
Horo6cop~e ~ 399n ,1:l1n, 11.67. ~
a1:s~ Astrology; G~ne:th1i&;
Jiativit.ies
Horse{s) ~ 211,215, 221n; 297
HOl'sE! racing, 235-36/n~ 278" ~65
Hors;es: divining 1Itom ~ 121-22;
a.bility to se~ demons, 122,
306
-taning of (u.sing pentagon), 105,
119-20, 111, 201, 212, 275; not
to neigh, 105, 120-21; U!Hlble to
move, 1~9,. 150-51, 2}4" 440; not
s:pooked. 123, 112, 234; made
swifter, l23-24, 217~ 23 4 -35;
ret aTdi ng, 4h 0
--various ~~edies~ lOS,. 121-23,
156-72; not to be ill, 1 49, 154;
~~re eyes, 232; cure dysurea~
2b8 .. 284; restore virilitY:t 252
-removal or markings ~ 172; theft
of, 172;. 31~, ~65; ~olor of,

1.61-62, 112

--nostrils, 212; right ear, 220;

left shoulder 01" neck" 220;
ma:tlure, 2')1. ; f'eet" 260.; hOOf,
265
Eors~ thieve-ry; JIb, Q65
Horse- t roub:ler (drug). lO 5, 124-26,
291. See Poseidon

Hostanes~l8
Hour; thi rd, 212.~ 280
Human: subs.tances 1 2hl-~8;. l/5.b;
remains, 337" 4~Ol 45k
Ruw..an ~nedi cine., 24 5n J 2]lln t 252n
Rumor, B6,. 88,. 98 10 99. See also

.Jokes
Hybri s, 312n
Hydro:phobic8. 165. Se~ also Dogs;
Mad dogs
Hymn::;: expiatory; 369

Hrpate!-ai" 114, 115, 118, 120" l23

Hy'pno~, 311.
See also Sle-ep
Hystaspe$~ 332 1 360, t35n

525

lIme/my; 105-6, 111-13~ 116/n~ 182

Ialdaba.oth, 310

Idaen Dactyli" 35:6

Idolatrys 319" 320... 324. 325, 328,
332 . 352, 1412
Idols~ 3~2, 3h5 .. 360; 412, 423;
makers of:" 31~ "(. 415
Image{s), 369" 381~ 383 1
~23, ~32

384, 385.

1m!tate the gods... 305 I 312

lmpe::ratol"s, a:nci~(lt Roman, 116
Imperial hm.uJEi and Afrieanus" 66,

74

lmpersonal~

magic .. 303, 304, ~~3,

466; operation,. 305; power" 304;
procedure.s .. 466

Ina-ron (Libyan), 165" 228/n, 276

Incan~-: ~06; ineantatio~

403; Lo6,
420; h37; ineantatores" ~o6

Incantations; 9,275, 294, 303,

301n, 332 1 348-63 passin:. 369-85

tfl.SSim, 395, 39 6 ,. ElO~-01 '. 420,

25 2 L26, ~30, 431, Q32;. b41,
L53. See als~ ~aoid-~ete.

--non-use ot, 392

India{ns), 361,
Indirect~

magic.

389~

394n t 426

See Magic

--....orking ,of incantations" 407

Infant urine" 260
Infla."IUIUit ion: of' vound.. 166; of

feet; 171; soothine, 260

boy. See Boy (;5 )

:rnna<: ent

I(lse~ibet

266 ---

It.1.seription: 210.. 213;. 266, 279,

280, 30 5; hQrse tan:ing, 219" 281

Inscriptions, 267/n. 272-.14, 303.
31h, 364 .. 369, 385, 140" h5~
Invitatoria= h06; -um, Lo6
Invocantu:r: 406; inuo-cati, ~26, 11.32
Invocation(s)= 85, 289/n, 3hB. 351;

352, 313 ~ L24, ~26, 1(37; of d.ead,

68; of .A:phrodite t 2L. Q l 2~I1 ~ 451;
of a. s pir it., 2~ 5; magi cal; 308;

in

ne~omanteia,

3090

Invok~:r 373" bo6, lno. ~26 ~ L3-2 t 43~

Iron: 119,. 402; bonds, 192/n~ 27m;
non-use of, 26On; ,;rounding t 267
Isaurians (divination) .. 329

181$, lSI
.
Ttal ian: 8 eamen (and pentagons),
9in~ c1lJ'llmin;. 170; veights and
mee.su.res, 113; dracl':lJr.a./dena.riuB,
l'f5 ~ litra., 175; metret.ea, 115 ~

178; JI:;odlus, 116, 179

Ivy: 251n~ 252n; root; 251,

265

Indexes

526
da.ue:hter~
Jerusalem, 96n ~ 27On.

JephthM's

384
See also

Kestoi of J'.l1ius lL:fricanu5 ~ a.bsence

of reference in Jerome and RufiflUS ..

Aelia Capitol ina

Jesus Cbrist {Julius Caesar confused tor),. 48n

Jet (stone)? 26h
Je.. ."iij,h: Christian6,. 2') 97n" 99
--backgT01.md of AfTicaflus and

16

--authenticity of parts

disputed~

52/n) 7On, 2 41/n, 248? 252o?

2 81~ll, 289 ~ 308, 451,. 451:. 45 Sn ,
46!1t'l; distinction of sQurces.

52/n; disputed ch~pters. 34,

35/n, 1~2n,. 1~3, 50n!o 52/n" 60?
61~ 69-70/n, 80, 81, 82n3' 85,.
of ~eri metron~ 50
86n, 92? 95,. 16ln, 252~
--magic .. 91; "polemic against Herod?
93; e-xorcistelexor-cism .. 332" 335; --~ a Christian,. 85; pre-~onver
sio:n .. 20,. !19, 51-52; or ]J-criod
sp~culation regarding ansels,
of
lapse, 2!l; syncretistic, 86,
357; prophe,c~{ '~ 387 (s ee- also
L
9 ; ~ot syncretistic, 99; Jc~ish
Hebrew proph et s); explane.t ion of
Jesus' acts~ ~03
origin; 3".a? 96,. 193r.a,. :213n;
pagan, ~. ~8~ 99, 193, 460!n;
'\;ew 11 of eels us" 375
pagan
litcrar,y not pagan reliJew~: 93~ 91n, 298n~ 334, 381, 38B,
gious references, 312; non-reli~13, b17n, ~2~, h31, ~35
--Kestoi addressed to, 96
gious character? 308, 311-12;
secular vi~wpQint and apprao-eh ~
Jokes; 7D, 1 k , 211, 288; practical,
4 193' secula:r na.t............-";':t ":108
300J'''
89~ 273, 301~ u59
J
3ll-12,
460,
461
Juice; berb~ L25 t 440, 453; pl~~~,
--origin and meaning of na=ne, 37,
45 JI
38,39, wOn, ~110 54 10 63 .. r4~ 8e,.
Julia DOlr.1l09., 1.63
811; na.ture, L, k, 31, 35, 39.
Ju1ius~ 'Pope, 26, 28T1; 'Epi5cop'us~
40, ~l, ~2, 56, 51~ 58, 59/n,
2'7n; I .. of Ro:ne, 28n
--other Julii? 26~
63~ 70, 88, 90, 94 " 99, 193,. 309.
11.60, 462; nature and organizaJuli us Afri canus. Se e Afri<: anus ,.
tion? 61, 80-81; nillnber of books,
abov~; and Index-~f Ancient and
22n,
Jq, 5J., 53, 54, 55, 56, 57,
M~dievallReference9: 1. Julius
60~ 66~ =nine books, 20, ~O, L6;
A'fricanus
net fourteen or twent:;r-f'our, LO;
Julius Caesar (r:onf"used for Je'i!us
fourteen books, 21; twenty-four,
Christ) t b8Li
22.. 57, 60, 66
Jupiter; 418, 426, L28; of Dodona"
L21n
--cont~nts. 01, 86~ 103, 193, 162
--cha.:ra-cter~ '4/n, 2"2, 48? .49, st.,
7L, 71, BO, 53? 55? 86,. a8,. 89~
Kabos: 91/n; kab~i, 175. 178
98 ,. 99, b66; purpose,. lj,6 J./n;
Kakotecbnia, 319
magic in, 4, 94; gupe~~tition
Kal~os. :260
in]o 5~; scie:ntif'it: intent, 81,
Kamos~ 141
86; a. )'Ia-stiche', 8-6, 81, 98; a.
Karchedon1an~. 110, 112
parody, 89; h'UJ:IIor in, 7n;, 7J.,
Katadesl'Ooi, 332
89, 99 (see also Jokes); ironic
Katakle5eis, 373) 382, 392
intent, 270; va1u~, 90
Katakliseis, l73
--and military ~ol~ectiQng,52n, 55
Katep~ontes, 392
--ij,tyle, 92, 87, 457; rhetorical
Katha.rt i ka h!Q.1 a, 103.
See 13.150
embel1isr-.ments ~ 81; literary
Purga.tives
n~ture, 1931' 312, 459 10 k61n~
Kel ainai, 191n
1~66~ ~67.
See also Africanu~~
K~lou~, 381, 3aB
style, etc.
Ke:rbesia,. 1~1
--vi~oint: liter2L~? 193, 312,.
Kestoi; Aphrodi~es, 209n, 293;
Se~ elSD Girdle
459. 46~n, 466,. J,67; scientific,
81 10 86; secular .. q, 193~ 30B,
K~stoi?

3,

68~ 96~ 213n;

author

'I!

-:.

:I

Subject.s
3~1-12~ 460~ 461; secular,
litera.ry, (seienti'fi~).. 311-12,

309,

:159.,. 1.l6kn
See also Africanus
Kestous, ~ous.,. 131n

Ki{:~"{i.r.g mule) 105,. 129., ~71n, 253

King: Phrygian. 136

Kitri on, 168

Klept~~enchon/t~ief-co~victer,

187,

Klesis~

b39

198~ 217~ 233

331;

235

-klisis/-k~l~sis,

Kokytus, 182
Krith~~~teis.,

159

Kroto:rrl~~s, 126
Kybrde s ~ t...v bcu5n ~ 391

Kyon--kyo.,. 238
KYprine: 265, kJ~~inos, 26~
~rp:ros.,. 26Sn
Li1cedaeinonill.ns~

Laconian

ce.p~

Linen; frequent use ()f'~ 26:2; pendant t 232.,. 233

Lin02ost.1s, 255n
Li.terary interests, etc. See
AfricatlllS; Kestoi
Liv~r: 217n-2l8n) 2GOn; hedgehog,
217, 239
Liying: ani.:m.al, 211,. 212,. 2111 -16;
frogfs ~~es, 232; woJftG tail~

112, 121, 126

Li2El1"dS., 230
Loosing, 2B4
Love ~ goal of maeic,. 33"'"(
-magic, 301; :pet ions., 3J~ 7,. 350;
ch.arms.,. 355, la39,. 2J50,. 465. See
also Agoe;irna.; Charitesia; Cha:nns
Luke. See in Ind~x of f,n~ifrnt and
Medieval Reterepces~ 2. Bible
Lydian~ mode,. 112 .. ~38, 203
~-gf1rum, 1~5; st.one. 365/n

107

?t.ac edoni an (s)") 101, 250

Lamminae '" !~25n,. ~129
Macrinu5, 13~ 16~ 2l
Langl~age(s), 356, 371, 377.,. 4~4
?o!a.d dog: "hi te s, 165; sal i ..... 2.., 218 ~
Latin ~ Africanu6 lme'il, 58,. 64, 1t~
237,,266
--traJlsJ.e.tion of Afric~urus., 56
Hadnes8, 410
--exp-:-ession, 119,. 1:29, 190, 2Q2n,.
213, 267,286,289; prescription, }{ag- ~orms, 34L , h38, 4L9, ~50
!:!!s~ia{ i) 281, 311, 319, 35 4n,. 368-,
261n~ 273n
Lead: 210n;. plaque; 266
369n~ 370, 391, 396/n, 397~ 438,
439
~tt:: ~id~, 220; 278. 279-80. 303;
Mageuo, 319,. j~ 38
frcr.~ hoof, 219, 272, 219, 281;
:-iagi ~ 330, 331, 335, 337; 34.1, 31:2,
shoul~er.,. 220, 279; hand, 264,
279, 288; with left hand.,. 287;
3b9, 354n, 355, 356, 351, 363,
313 t 374, 380, 415, 418, ~23,
nostril, 279
Leg'.J.rle, 2J.2
427, ~28 .. 431., J.3b; },fagien! 3.41.,
42Q
Lem.nia... J.; l'certified'l, 153; earth,.
166
rja.gia~) 348,. ho" 1I07, 413, Ql~
t-jagi a nat lJ.ral is, 39 ~ 70 ~ 74 , 242
Leon (snake)") 115. 223") 225
IJeoni des.. 110
Magic: 6, 8/n, 9 .. 193-315 Eassi~
301~n ~ 316-Q1H 'OassilD
.
Lethe, 182
k
---:iefinitiotl, Bt 19 n; distinguishIdbe.ti.ons, 425 .. 45~
~d from supe~stition, 19~n,
Librarian. See Africa-nus: profesattitud~s tOward, 5, 466
sion, librarian
--tjo'"P~s of: 209; indire<::t/:supplicaLibre.:ry: i::l Rome, 66,. 71n,. 75, 79n
182; of Aelia, 270n
tive/personal/da~onic~ 9, 209")
l:~3~ 45", ~65n; d1re~t!itnper
Libya: A~ricanu8 from, 22,. 38 .. hI")
son all autO!:lati c, 9, 209, 4~ 3 ,.
~5. 56 .. 6iJ.~ 79
1;511 ; c(X!Jpulsive, manipulative,
--Felix, 145
-..-=nagical 'pla~e~ 216
9; sympathetic~ contagious.,. 9
T..ibya.....l:
aro:natic sa1J:t lL5
--theory of: 337. 349, L25-27, LQ4,
--r.::la~oZ1 th~,

165. 228/0
Lice, 164., 215n. 238, 252
Licha~os, 118,

119,.

Lignitc-; 264, 279

120~

138

455;

Origetlls t

376-86

--natur!! and origin: 247, 3700;

spe.c:ies ot~ uah", 410; a.strology.,
.410; a.rea-a of .. 300-03

Indexes

528

-internal pa.rody in, 88n

--goals of, 337, 41 0, hL3. ~52;
mate-l'iala of~ 3!:Q, 45~; methods.
l~~3, ~53; pl'o~edures, 3.1;~ ~ ~53

--JeW'ish.. 91
--and pagan religion, }J28-29, J'32.1

--and
--and

S~ience"
scrce~.

353
191
areas iilld peQples, 276.

r~e.gleQ.l:
~:26; classes,

277; composition ~
68; in cant at ion s, 66; fomulal2"
85; operations, 6B, ~03
--passages (MpJi) , loL, 195-99/n
--pres'Cri~tions'lo 465; procedures.
~39, 446; practices .. h 50~ ....~on
ders, 442; "TorI d.-view, ~ 60
--t~xt:!3,

:pentagons aba~nt from, 200

--treatment, conditions susceptible

to .. 300n

Magician{ So}. 319. 3~~~ 'I 3 218, 376;

393 .. 396. 402 .. 401, ~09, h12~
1Il3 .. 41!m ~r(, ~2~ .. 425. b30!n,
'I

431; 432, 436 ..

h31/~

.. 4Lo, 444,

458; 53!:.

Magicus, 3k 9. 352, 353; Q02. Q20.

424; 425, 431
Magikos. 330, 3310" 333; 3~7, 369,

Mannos. flon of Aogar, 1~7

Manteia; 331, 359 .. 386" ~39;
mania/manteia paronomasia,
399; -manteis" 359; ~~~teuontal, 321n
--Mantix- = 34~ ~ ma.n:tiko8, 329, ~39
Mantis, 321n 11 !137
Manure ~ hQrse, 25l
Man~script(a)= lO~, lI8n; MS C (=r),
lOb .. 28On;=MS Cantabrigi~nsis
(CoIL R1nanue11s 3 t 19), 62, 102"

161n, 272; MS L (~ll.; ~Londinen

sis bibl. Sloanianae 145), lOQ,

28On, 297n; MSS V and D~ lOQ~

l12n, 11~ln. 116n, 125n.. 221.

250n
--Laurent. ~ V ~4 11 29'{n; vl,4 a.'ld
LXIV .. 23, tn
Marathon, l10
Maxciofl t ~03n~ 411) 4l3n, 4~4n;
230~

417/rJ; 419
t~at'ciot1itel. b11~ 413n, L15
M~cus (the Y~ieian)'lo 3L6,

347.

34 8, 3Q9) 350, 351" 353, 395n,

391, J~oOn, ~13n, ~19

l"arcosians. 34B. 351,

l~a:re, 216

i~Ol

Marie the JeweBs, 2660

Marine animals ~ 240
11.88 0
32~, 331, 334 ~ 354n 'lo 369n~
Markings of horses: removal, 172
3 l~ 385, 391, 404~ ~10, 437
?~~S/-i~ h02 t 413, 41h/n, Q2 L, 1.:-, .. Marrow: pigs 218, 240; spinal, 2LO
MArs, 180, 413n
26~28, JI31, J~32, J~35" 436
Marsi. L25n, 426n, 429
Maggots) 16b, 282, 285t 288, 29~
Ma~elG~ 417, 418] Q20~ agriculif,a.gpets Imae;net i 3m/magnet i e stone,
tural, 105. lLO-~5
365'lo 4oOn, ~41, ~h2, ~lq
Materi6~
magica, 38~-85~
l:{ainomenoi,. 331
medica, 249n
Malefieia: 392n~ -1i) 301, 303, h32
~'e:tel"iel: re.sgical. 337. 34 Q" 384"
!~e plant,. 306 --426, ~qO, La 5J~
?'~e.lolent things, 201~
Math~atical
aci~nce. 399
l'1amm.aI!El (Julia), 46L
Mathematicians {=astrologers}. 350,
Mammals .. 238~ 239-40
351. 361, 396
~an8sseh's= es~ape) 57, 192/n;
Me.thematice; h04~ 410
r~p~tance 28n
Mathematics, 355; 361
}.1angan- = 368 ~ 438; mangan~ia(
319, 396, Q39
Matbematikos,
313 ~ 315; 376, 381; 191; ms...'1!1B.th~sist 413n
ganeuo; 368, 315
~
Matthew. See Index of A11cient and
l-fange" 1(;3" 2~2
Medieval References; 2. Bible
~1ania: J'96; ma.nia./manteia Faral1O!!le.Mauretanians,
134]1 15J~
5ia. 399
t1aurousios the horse-breeder, 158 ~
MMika.. 359

392, 396, 399, b38

8,

'I

267" 303; 3u5; 352,

It 530; --/compulsi<)n, 352;
angels not open to, 343; of
demons, h~3

Menipulation~

294n

Maxlrous and Gordian ~ 23rJ,

ftieight.s S-I')d ~!ea.aUTes
Mede(s). Median~ 116, 118~ 359

Measures-

Subje{:ts

Medical magic, 302~ 453

f'.1eo.i-eal products (Of animal/botanical orisins}, 2G9
Medical treatmerJt, the' usual, to
r
folloW' f'hoplcc1"15ma " 211

Medical vriter, Af'ricanus &t 56

Medicine; 313, 31 Q, 331, 338 , 36566,. JW7, ~J'l, ~58
--am:: i ent,. 252
Medusae,. 205, 2~W .. 21~1

Menander, 330,346, 347, 3h6 t 351~

b13/n, 419
Menstrual blood, r.e.g 'lo 246
Mesai, 123, 125, 138
Metal ( s); 205n, 26h-65 , LSL; avoidance of, 260
Methods of heretics (~agicalt etc.),

352
~fethod6 of ma.gic, 4~ 3, L,53
Met5pDskopost 360
Military: ~napt~rs, 36, 221 .. 299;

collections, ~6.

52, 55. 78, 81,

82n, 92, 9'5n; extracts, 83, 149~

55; ~atte~s, 103, 314; WTit~rs,

In, 29, 30, 55, 59. 61, 70, 86

--magic, 201, 301~ 453

Milk. :milk e.tone, 160, 263, 306
Min I?ral s :> 262-66, ~GBn, 1~5~~
Miracle::lr 333, 336. 3 2l 8, 413, ~1. 7,
125; biblical/Christian, 326,
334 , 335 t 360, 34l , 392~ 393,
h30n;. Christ's. 331. 42Lt; fals(! ~
330, 376n, h03; heretics' t 34 9,
351~ magical, 404, 415; true~
39 j , ~ use to gain riches. 392n
Mira-culi,. ~18n
~fi6carriage. pre.... enting l 160, 2q2
Mi8eth~Dis.,

373

Mfthraic i~iatiQn/mysteries2 333n~

386n
Mithrida.tes I secret. a."1tidot~~ l52n.
169
Montanist, q22n
Moon {p~rsonified}, 1513, 281, 293,
311
rokJon: 212, 246/t:!, 325, 379, 389.,

390, 394n, ~~7, 452

--dark of, 281; days of, 280, 287;
ne'll/\i'axing (ill'] waning, 280;
pbases, 263, 280, 390; sixteend8.y~old, 281

Moonbeams t 261., 26L

M~onstone, 261,. 26L

Mordant,. 103,. le5

529
t/.osai claws, 388n, 393V~ses, l3 t 25, 280, 57 .. 326, 353 ..
38 1m
}oft. Aratat, 58
~,~,
abbreviation explaine-d,

19911

Mul~rry

bough styptic t 258, 271,

281
~hlle:

k.icking,

105, 129, 17ln, 253

351~ .. 356~

Music:, 50,

362.,

36~

notes or aigna, 5On:> 1.99,

~~usica1.

202n t 203-01/ n r1:irt1l~k1ai, 163, 256

t"'.Ist eri es~ 362

items, in Kestoi t
268; narr&tiye ~ in magic,

l~fthological:

2~~5I1.

208, 292-91~
Mythologica.l be,.si s (for pT~'er at
midnight), ~ 53n

:t-1;ythologi.sts and :po~ts ~ 330

:t-{ythology, 21 ~ 29, 37, 36, 39:> ~On,

41,

~3,

69, 98, 189

~aasene5 .. ~OOn, ~47

~hur.e; of Jesus/Christ, 332 ~ 3311 ,
335/~~ 35 2 , 382 .. 383~ 39 2 , 393n,
~16, 42~, b25, 129, ~34;

or

pOlle:r\ 335n; great, e:xorcism

b-.f, 33-2
~&~e(s}: of God~

378/n t 416n

I{arnes: 370/n ~ 371-72, 377, 380 ~

38~t 392
--use of, 4Ll; theory of, ~Ibl;
potency of, 441..
--coined, 351; Scripture. 'Used in
magic~ 3720; lists of~ ~31
--of demons, 369. 382, 406n; true'.
of demons, 1032, ~34; of angels,
1~25,

Ino

~larrative:

use of in magic:, 292-94 ~

382/n. Ll6n
Nations: .. ariOUB., 311, 386

Nativities~

428.

386 t 389, 390, Q41n J

See also

Genethlia
Na.tural = ca.uses, 353; po""rer]l 371';

law, 383; attraction 383ni

designations, ~~h
Natural histQry, 22, 3614. 365
Nat1.1ralite~,. 353/n
Nature; 186 1 313~ 377,. 4:21
--magic" 247 ~ of animal ~ 2180 ~
of things, 367~ 372
Navel; of fro8J 233/n; applica.tion
to, 258

IndeJCes

530

lieander' a description of AtricEillus

and the .Kestoi~ b9~ 53
Uebo~ 328
Necrom~~~ers,

351

Necromancy:lo 331, 359, '137.

Ser?

also Nekyomanteia
1,e-ctabis, 403
Ne 'omante1a, J 9~I, 268,. 273n ~ 276 ~

2 ,309n, 311, 331,. 359

Nephtbo .. 181
T{ept\mia.TIU8, 73n .. 150,. 235
Nestlings = gi2~ards of, 214n, 260;
sval1ov,. 2hL, 260,. 263, 283;
spring, 245~ 263~ 280
Neurotoxin,. 225n~ 228n
Ne\t pot) 286
Night: 281; personified, 131, 158.
293, 311; -'s ~on, 293
Nile:lo 2lcl
Ninus" ~2~
Nitron, 1.42
'Noah's ark., 700
lioon-t!ay sun, 286
Nbn-pe:rsonal procedures.

Oionon, 386
Qionoskopos ,. 319., 359
Old Testament; 271n" 32o, 330n~ 353,
Ja62. See also Index of Ancient
and Med1e'fal References: 3ible
-..-.miracles:t 335" 3~14. See a.150
Miracles
Oneir5n kritai~ 359
Oneil'opompoi :=331 .. 39,. 397 .. 11100
Onion" 205:n? 251~

Oniropom.E!,. 348
Op~rations = invol......ing pcmtagona,
205-13; magical, 369,. 403,. ~59
Ophis~ 222

Ophites, 370, 392

OpbthaJJn1a, 237) 263, 266
Ophthalmic: 150) 220~ 243~ 24L) 283
--procedures, 283
Oracle of Delphi, 360
Oracles: 331, 338, 3L2, 356, 358-60)
362,. 381 .. 386-88, 399" 408, 410,
~18" 419, 427-28, ~32~ demonic)
~09; elas5i.~,. l~27

See }fagic:, Oracula.r: oeks 11 339; :pC\;'er, 360 ~

types of
purposes. 403
NQr.-r~l.igious vieirtpoint in Kestoi,
II Orbikl aton ", 1~ 5456, 457~ L66. See also AfriOrig(mistic the:orj' of' magic ~ L~4/n
CallUS;
Kestoi
Orpheus,. 328, 3~l
Not touch earth,. 2h6,. 263, 283
Orphic hymns, 68
!-hllaa, 428,. ~29
Orthopnoe6c= 128; OrlhOtl~lOia.) 238
~)xmb~r(5)=
259,. 218" 281-83. 303,
Osprion,. 212) 250
350,. 356, 362, 361. 369; 385;
OsrhoerJe~ 121; c8tIlpaigr:.~ 5~~ 58/n,
399,. ~Ol, L~O~ liS3, ~54;
1~, 76, 79
-~a.ymboliBm, 367; ltIyet.ic1 sr:: , Lei
Ostanes, 337) 403
Numenius the ~~bagorcan~ 385
Oxali.s t 251n
:~umeric5Jnu.meJ'olog:,. 2,9 ~ 260, 350 l'
O;y~]ia~ 1570, 232
398~ 401
C'Jxyrhynchus papyrus. See Papyrus
:-IY"ktj'Dhaes,. 261
Oxyrhynch\l.e in Index of Anci.ent
n;s~ 10f Cnri a), 69, 1 82 ~ 27-Dn
and Med1e'ral Re~e'['ences
Ozaena8,. 161
Oc-::'I.dt ~ 20h [I, 398- ~ ItOO, 402, ~ID5 ..
Paeonian8~ l~l
~56;
~reaT 350~ wisdom, 371n;
Pa.eony~ 261
knowledge, 426n. ~~er~ h26n,
Pagan = divination; 386; exorcists,.
q~O
335; gods, 333 .. 339 .. 340, ~29,.
Ode (Manasseh's); 192!n
451; ora~les~ 359
~1e, 271, 35 L,. 362, 369
~-character of Africanu5 and Kest.oi~
Odor .. good,. 259. 8e~ al so Smell
2~ ~1 qO~ 42~ 4L, 63. 98, 99~ O~'sseus's trench, 331
Q-dysseyint.crpolation. See Hc::ne~
in I:rl:dex of AA.cient e..."ld ~'!edicva.l

311) 46~n
Pagani (maF;icaJ. c1a.ss).. 2'(7

lfete:rences
Oil; reason not diseusscd. 26~;
prep~ring, lL.3-Ls
.

Pagan religion:

Oionistes ~ 437

paSeni~. ~11-12 11 159

2~Sn,

332,

3~O.

342,.

351,. 362, 36~,. 391" ~GO, ~G8,

1J~2 .. ~~~13, 41.)1 .. 455 .. 1.56; related

Subjects
to JnBgic.,. 320~ 321 .. 328., 339,
342~ J44~ 3~5, 381 .. ~ll, h28-29.
q"3~ .. 451 J h59
Pagan rites, l~03p.~ h28n, h3 4 , 435
Pa,gans; MOV Chri:;.tion miracles,
33~; suspect Christians of magic~
41Q) J~20

Pa1gnia, 89, 3L9 .. 39~n

Paixa.s, 397
Palest>i.ne~

Eusebius re!3ident of', 13;

Africanus from, 95, 97n. ~64n;
Colonia Aelia Capito11na of 182;
7

531
Pentagon{s)~

one-eight. 195; onethree t 205, 221-23; one,. 112,

200n .. 203n, 205 .. 21k, 216:0 222~
22~n .. 226, 230; two, U4,20;,
21~/n't 222, 231, 240; th!'ee,. 202,
205, 216 t 222~ 225; rour, 118,
203n" 205n, 210 ,25On '!' 266 ; five,
119,202,211,213, 261) 286,
281; six,. 120, 202n .. 203n,. 213/n,
26L ~ 267n, 212, 287; se',en, 123 t
203n. 211., 220, 23~; eight, 125,
:200n, "203n, 212, 250, 306; nine J

Remans distant from" 277; pro-

138 l 196 ~ 20On. 208 ~ 2].2,

phets. in (Celsus), 387

239

Pen, 110 .. 311

ranou.rgia. 349
Pa.ntheon ~ 1 i "brary in. 66.. 71n, 1911,
182
Papyrus Oxy1"'hynenu5 ~T2 (==Vi., V).
See in Index of Ancient. and

~!edieva.l References
Pufldox8.) 22/n. 30,. 3l.,. k9, 54, 58,
59, 61, l86~a8, 239, 292
Paradoxes, 30~l
Parad.oxoo!apboi, 186
Parasites~ puting to slee~, 315
Pa1"edpal spirits, 409n
Paredri. 31::8
Paredr08~ 29C~ 31 7, 349, Q05~ -oi,

331) 396, 397

Parhrpate, 115, 125

--.

Part) of animal: 21~, 21b~ 215,

216-20, 23 t ; a.pplication tOt 219
Part,. of body, 21'5

Part affected 216-27

Pa:rlhia, 191n

Parthian{g). 52n, 850; 93, 109~ 121,

1146. See also Persian(s}
Farthian remed)' ~. secrrl:t 152n) 169

Partridge gall, 218. 2~2

Pasithea.,. 1.3, 1Tt:t 292. 311
Patr-oclus, 17 14

Paul (apostle}: 360. 385; canon

attributed tc~ h37
Paulus", 110
Peir- forms, 227n
Peisistratides, l82~ 269
P~leus and Thetis, 29
Pendant{s): 232, 233 .. 255, 262", 271~
215; contrCiceptive, 233; ophthalmic, 24~; styptic:. 258; deer
antle~ .. 239; tin 5he~t, 273
Pentagon passageG) 119-213, 214,.
2~~, 239, 26~, 267/n, 277

21~,

--bypothetical 'TE!'COT.lEitruct.ion~ 190

Pentagons~ sOn, 199-213; 250; and
hex~gan5~ 85; 97n
P~rat i cs,. 396n. too

Peri- forms, 451

periBJI!.[ja:ta~

1:.37

!~_riatt- form:s~ L39, li51;

::eeria.Dto,
25 ~ 215; ueriaptos, 215) 357,
451

Perid.e smei sthai, 398,. ~139

Peri:erg.os: 3L6 ~ 37"3, 39~,; ]er1ergos,
398; per1ergoteroi. 398
Perika.'thairOn. 319, ~3'r
Pel"p~tua, :r; 20
Persi~~ "20
Pers i 8:t.I. ~ m.a..:s~i ~ 3"28, 3701\; magus,
3~1; th~ologj'~

386n

persian(s), 52n~ lo6~ 110 .. 118,

2l 4n; 329, Q26. S~e als~
Pa~thi a."l ( S }

Personal~ magic. 30~, ~43; ~ower~

304n; s~irituft1 oedifition~ 305

Pertins..x, 23
Pestilence,. 221, 259

Peter (apostle}. k29, b30n

Phantasia: 331n, 33 L, 342 .. 352;
phantasiodos, 350; phantasr:uata..,
350, 351, 352 .. ~09
PhQl"Qob) 353
Ph&r'isees~ 114
Pha.nl1llcologJ', 2b9n
Pharmak-: ~orms~ 316 , L50; group,.
-eill, -euein ~ -os, -on, le8
Pha~eia, 319, 328, 338, ~39, 450

Pha:nnakeu3, 319
Fha.rmakeutikos) 393
Pho.nnakeutes, 332
Pha...T1JIakon,! -~ ~ 323 So 350,. 3511., 1450
Pha~ko3/~oi, 323,. 328, 3S1, 398~
437

--

Indexes

532

Poet (the) .. himself, 182. Se~ also

Maaer jp Index of Anci~nt and

Pha-maxi s, ~ 50
PhilesiM A.pollo, 427n

Philte1"st 341, 3~8 .. 350

Philtra, 3~7, 355, 359n .. 313~ 396)

439, ~50

Pnobios (pbysician), 165, 228

PhocianB., 1.10
Phoenicia) 381
Phoenician korol3 ~ 1.76; 1.79
Phoenicians:> 329
Phi5st~r, 281
Phre, 181
Phiii1 ~ 181, 391
Phriton, 1h5
Phrygi a, 58 In ,19m

~18

Poison; vel1s, liO; arrows. I l l ;

gas, 221
~-not being conquered by 10 149. 15253; antidotes against, 369, 385;
nJUl"der by".. J~ 02

Poisoning: 323,. ~Ol

--of tood/1oaves. l12; of vine,

114-15;

Phrygian 'king, 136, 292, 311.

Phrygians, 329
Phryn (or Phren), 391
PhrY1)oi ~ 230
Phtha., 181
Ph;[sa", 207n
Phyaa(lo~), 11~n, 214n, 222n, 226n,.
231, 2J~O
Physa1:.a, 241
Phys- i".o:rt!Js, 310

365, 395 . .

159", 254-55, 306

PolygonUID I

Polygons, 250.

See .al so Pentagon

p{)l;(phle~thon) 182
Portentg~

36b, 386, h19, L39n;

Fort. ug@Se man ~of -war ~ 2 ~ 1.

Physician(s), 228, ~01

"Physi{;ian I s f1n~er" ~ 16~, 197 ~
~158

of food, vater, and air, 206;

sloW', 207
Poisono\1S = aqua tic an imals ~ Hi 6 ;
bites, 248; heasts .. 297
Polyaenus, 82n
Polygaaon, 238

Marcus observed, 3~7, 350

by Ar~ic~~us)t Q58
flPhysi ca.", 150... 183n

Physica, 313,

115-16 , 206;

of a.ir,

Poljrps, 1 1

Physic-al e.xplane:tion (of procedures

28 5, 288

Medieval References

Poetic line l in Africanus . . 294

Poetry,. ca.ters to pagan 'Wo:rsbip ~ 354
Poets, 135, 312, 330 t (Greek) 35B ..

~47~ ~56,

Pgysikos: 253, 306n; ~hyl3ikon .. 61

Pgysis, 353n, 372 . . 383,. 384, ~~8
Pig marrow, 218, 2hO
Pimpernel, 256
Pitch, raY, 252~ 2:53n
Plague,. 201!n, 226
Planets; 358,. 36l~ 362
Plant passages, ZL8-62
Plante ~ 201~, 205, 2h8~62!1' 369? 385,
398~ ~40J L~2, bS4

PoseidoZ1: Horse-troubler/Taraxlupos,
12~-25, 245n, 289, 311, 312;
sacrifice to, 291, 309n
Possessed, demon-., .414, 1(22
Pot Bm.ios 2101
Potency resto~ati~es., 158-59
Potions . . 3117., 350. 439 .. (lo':e) h50
Power; dissipation of 201 .. 202;
procedur~

to give~
from stones, 31~

299,

Powers; edettlon So, etc . ., 344, 369,

~2T; of demons . . etc., 38;n. 426~
=miracles, 1024
Practical illl0wledge: KestQi as, q59.,
~66

lead. 266
Plaster~ color changing, 280;
t.'lio-faced, 297

Prae$eiens, 108
Pr~er: to Poseidon,

305~

Presas8Jll.= L08;

1:08

Plato,

Prisca {V.<>ntanistT:" h17n

Plaque~

356, 361, 394n,

397~ ~OlJ

41B. ~36n
Platonic viev of things, 444
Plinthos, 210
Plin.:.- See in Index or Ancient
Medieval References
PneUl'Da.. 206
Poet CSeral'ion the):t 360
r

PToced~re=

-iis~

3l1, 312

sympathetic magical",

magical, 34~, ~39, ~53

ana

303~

208~

Prodigies: ~xpounders of, 359;

listed by Lanctm1tius, ~tc., t33
Prognostic:I'_tion: by va.rious means,

329, 358,.

Proistamen~s,.

359~

361

27, 80

Snbjects
Prom.enyous a." 3q 2

Prophecy = 320, 322 ~ 333,. lL 08., L. 09 ,

411" ~17
--M3r,:::u5'~ 3~7]

348, 350, 351~ 353;

Jewish!liebrev" 386, 381~ Essene,

399
--proof f~, 333~ 334 ,. 336" 339,
343, 34 5, 393, 417n" 419n, 435~
t~42

--d~onic use of" 316

Prcmhetess of Hebre'lls Sl)d Chl'"istians, Sibyl a, 360~ .!.Ill
Pro:phet(esse)s: sJ'1)dica.ted~ 467
Pronheteuein: 399; proiJhetia, 408
Prophets=t.1'1l1! and false, 321n, 336;
among fortune te11~rs, Q21
--Old Teet.ament, 336, 339 .. 387" ~09~
h35; Bgyptian, 355; Hebre"' .. 360,
386~ 387, 435n
Prophyla<:tic= a,gainst pois.onous
bites~ 166, ag3inst epilepsy,
239
--amulBts/ch&ntls, 201, 211; use tlf
penta..gons" 2fJl./n; spitting. 211
Proscription: :supc=-rstitioul;I or
magical, 21.16
ProslMl.banomeh~,

112

Protc:ctivepl"oeedures" 21;, 299,

303
Psy11i, J. 25n , 4260,. 4:29
ptolemai c: 'Weights en d measure So ,.
173~ talent, 173; drachma, 17~;
rnedimnos ~ 11'6, ~ 79
Ftolemy (scholar) .. 1~01

pto1e~'s

533
Qumra~=

Cave IV

MS~

399n

Racing: hor::;e]o 236/n; chariot, ~~ 0

Rare, use of the,. 234
Red Sea, 353
Reed= sharp, 156 .. 244, 260, 283
Release vher-e taken .. 215n
Religion = 6,. SIn .. 30~n 1'412, ~56 ..
b66; deflnitjon~ 9-10
--and magic" 339, 34L~ 362-64, 391n,
~12,. L56, 466; and science, ~21l

--pagan, 391, (and Christian) J~142.

443~

natjve,. 428
Religious matter,. magic a...

466

5~

~66 t

:Religious refer(:nces, a.voidance in

Keatai, 245t}

Remora.,. 21~ .. 216, 242, 271, 306

Repetition of' an a~t .. 213, 282
Reptile~ bites .. 165; heads,. 260
Rept ilea ~ 221-3 i l
Restoratives r 158~59; of l r i r i1i ty ..
252; (jf exhausted animus, :2 .52
Results promised by magic" 201
Rh esus, 136

Rheto-rieal flourishes in Kestai ..

457tl
Pohetorical ,~se of magic, etc. t J27"
35~ ,. 361,. 422
Rhodian dre.c}>.ma.. 114

Right; 278-19, 303; --/1eft~ 10 53

--ear .. 211, 219, 220, 239, 287~
Mtragalus .. 2'35" 278; testicle,
219

itnage. of Serapis,. 381

Rites; 261, 218-88, 313, 316.. 38l~

391,

Pudenda, bear, 219,.240

Puffers, 207n" 211.0

396~ ~12, ~25~

b43

--ancient.. J~27; of aversion (Ro:ma.n) ,

Purgat.ives, 103, 183, 252, 257

4~8; magical, 372; mysti(!~ L27;

l"eligiou~,

Purposes (ofroagi co), b 26. See

a1.s:o Goals of Magic; }.{3p;ic

Ritual(s)= 2L3 .. 286-B8,. 289n, 305

Pursl.!:: tasseL, 253

River physalos.

Purple~ production of, 185-

Pus-e:ctrlLctorS,. 21:2
Pyrl'hus" 111
P',-thian: Apollo, 427n; oracle .. 386;
priestess,

3a7n

Pythonic1 daemon, 3a.Bn~ spirits,.

2109n; pythonicos, 405
P",{thagoraG, 359, 39 h n" 399n , ~I 00,
I~05

Pythagorean(s), 399, hOl

Qab{a), 97n. See also

Cabos~

Q.uintilii, 99 ~ 150", 255, 277

Kabos

412

--avoidance of metal. 260

See Pl1Ysa(los)
Raman: eopyist, 69";exemplar of
Homer, 270n
--pr~scription, 120, 265, 212, 215,
216-77, 281; t.hreat, 212
_l"reUB.", 143; appl~, ))15
-- divisions of denariu9 .. 115~
Ul"[J:8.S, 175; usage (art.abe)", 176
--a.version rites, ~28;religionll k34
Roman(::;); 21, l061' 108" l09, Ill,
114 ~ 116, 2J.3n ~ 2'77" 2980,. J~12,
~19, LEon" 1.:30n
--foremost., 121; "Titers, 246

Indexe~

Rome, 69, 13, 95, 182~ 213n,. 315n

Roods}; 251, 337 3 366, 36 9,. 38 5"
L40, ~5h; ivy. 251
RosenmUllertg tribute to Afrieanus,
t..7n,. 1.9,. 51 .. 75
Rusticis, !.I30:1

425, L27, b5b

Sailors (magieal class), 277

Saliva, mad dog, 218, 237, 266
SMd boa .. 225
Sand vip~r, 201n~ 222n, 22~n, 225
Satan.. 3.G7, ~33
Saturn, L.13n
Sat'llrninus, 346
Saty:r, 292, 311
So.ul~ 358, 398
Saw-scaled viper, 222n .. 224n 3 228n
Science~ 6,. 8, 5~, 59 .. 65,. 71, 98,
36l~ 10 J.OI, 1136. 1:oL2:l- 456 ~ 460,
~67; defi~ition, 9-10; of
Greeks. 355; and magic, 353;
and religion, 411

Scientific natura of

Af~icanus

and

Kestai, 85, Q64n

Scolopendrids~

283
Seventy 'W~e-ks of Daniel t IJ~n, IGn ..
1%
Severan emperors: 462; later
SeyerEmS ~ L63
Severu8,. Sc-ptiIniU5. See Septimius

Severus Alexander.

Sacred book(s), 89, 192!n

Sa~ri~i~~: to Aphrodite .. 2a3~ 308;
to Poseidon,. 291 .. 311
- -di v iniLt ion "by,. 338
Sacrifiee(s). 2r.~ 3 245n) 28%, 30 5,
332,. 3~2, 355. 357~ 358, 363)
405~

166-67

255~

S ~xt!.l S "

Sc~i~tural

names of God .. 378

Sc~hian(s), 146~ 151
SeQ, urcnin,. :ns . 21.2
Secular vie~ of Africanus and the
Kestoi. 2. ~ .. 57~ 311-12,457,
~61, ~64n

91

Sektos-Sextos error, 23n 3 39

S~ptimius Severus, 20 ~ 2qn. 5~. 56.

58/n. 73,

77~

79. 463

Sera.plon t.he poe-t, 360

Serapis image, 381, 385, 391
Serpent, 125. 202n~ 21~" S~e also
Sna..lte ; Vipe-r
Serpent skin { slou@.n} ~ 218 ~ 228
Seth, 19l

Sethian~!,

4DOn ,

~)17

Alexander

29 h /n, 453
See Af:d eMUS i byna.:mes

Sibyl{s}, 332, 360, hIl. ~135n

Side, oil of 3 144
Sigla, lab.
Signa, 3~9
Sign of cr05S~ 416n .. 435
Signs~ 359, 36~9 ql1
Silano8, 136, 292. 311
Sikera~ 1.1;1
Simon (Magus) ~ 330 t 346, 347, 3~18.
34 9; 351. 36hn ~ 391, 39 6 , 39'j ~
tn2. 41.31 ~ ~1.9 ,L29, 1a3On, ldJCn

Simonians; 346 3 347, 349~ 39l, 397

S ina:vs.. 331
Sirius~ 181
Skeleton, 11H, (whole) 2~3
Skin; anima.l. 218;amul@t, 219,
237; dog, 21 1m, 23'1; fawn or
ca.lf, 2]lITl, 239,. 24 6; se-:rpent,
228/n
Sk i ok. (flesh) :2"29, 230n
Sleep~ 135~ 136~

131, 208, 209/n ..

2l0. 268, 289; 290, 291~ 29 2 ,

1:03

Sektos-K~atos metatheBis~ 39~

Sekto~-sectus connection. 79

See

(Severu!'; )
Sex.. prt!"-d~tentlining, 13, 159, 2~16 ..

Sk;rtis, 2-/5

Scorpio.E)::> ~ 239 t 266, 273, 275. 29"1,

LS9, L60,

362, 367; figs, 260,

Severu~

Saba.oth, 318n
Sabin~ plant, 126

381, 391,

S~~en~ 350!'

306. 312n

Sleepi~g potion, 1 L9, 239. 278

Sl~eplcssness, Dausing, 201n , 208,

215,217,29],306

Smell: fOul, 259.

See a3so Effluvi um.; Odor

Smoke ~ 2b.8n, 363, 361; f'rom rott.ing
dogts head, 236; :from menstrual

rag, 248

Snake(s), 115, 205~ 21~n .. 221-28/u)

2290 ~ See- al$o Serpent; Viper
II

So"kki os;" ,. 11~5

Soldiers; health of, 1~9. l51-52

Solomon"s seal, 201n
Sololtlon's "'Titing ...enerated, 398
Songs and incanta.tions, 35L ~ 362
Soothing infl~ation, 171, 26~
scothsQYei(s}~ 320, 321/n, 355, 360,

535

Subjects

363.. 402, Jn5

L30 ~ 437

425, bZ6, 1~21 'II

Sootllsaying, 32D. 321/n, Q32

Sorcerer(s), 323 .. 332, 331, 344~

36~~ 3iOn, 373 .. 316n, 39'2, 396 ..

397, 414, ]12q ~ 431, b3!l
Sorcerous procedures in ~e5toi .. 266
Sorcery, 281, 307, 313. 311,.319,
322, 323, 325, 34h, 35~, 355~
361, 362, 368, 369, 370~ 313,
37~ 'II 382., 385,. 392, 3$16n.. 399,.
4L7, ~48
Sowld, theft/hunting o~, 105, 13~
35, 149; 154-55
Souph1s {Cheops), 21, 62, 63, 192,
276, 292,298, 312
"Spanish 10 ,. 1.1:4

Spartan... 121
Spe cie:s of magic ~ a.strology a ,Ia 0 ~

the other~ In.5

Spell: s:POken, 202; Eecret, 258 ..
271; written,. 214; nOlle, 288
Spells, 9, 2~1. 213, 267-71.,. 272 ~
31~, 317 325, 369~ 313; 380~

383" 396

426't L?H,

ll51

Spiders: 167; spider bites,. 161

Spirit: invocation of., in j(e:sto1,
2J~5

--int.ermediaries; not. in Aft"ieanJ.l.5.

307~ 31L
--of magnetic stone; 365
Spirits~

gods and: rivalled by

Af!'icanu6, 290
Spirits: connected with magic, 373.,
384, LZ7 ) ~h6
-~eYil~ 322~ 32~, 358~ 373, 3B~~

387, L04-6, ~12~ 419, L25]o 429,

L30, 433; unclean,. 336) 3.1.1 ~ 31.~~"

390, 2120; deceiving, 336, ~23;

Q~~st&te, 34 9; ~artbly, 353;
'Wandering, InS
--vievs of~ Africsnus, 290, 307~
313, 314 ]0 J557-58 (contrast 2~ 5) ;
Apostolic Fathers, 323; Justin,
331; Athen8.goras l 341; Clement,
357-58; Origen 7 318-Bh; Tertullian, 4o~-6; Arnobius, 427
Spiritual pO"Jlers: demon~ or souls
of dead (Ju3tin)~ 331
Spiritual rea]m: ear~v Chrlsti~~
viell~ J..~5; Africanus and early
Cb~istjan view~ ~57-58

Spitting, 21), 213,. 241, 2Q8, 286

spittle, 2118

Spooked: ho~ses not to be, 172,. 23~

Spring n~stling5, 263~ 280
Sprinkled~ thrice, 282, 285~ 288
Squill .. 25On; 25ln

Squirting (:ucUIJj,ber (E~aterium) ~ 256

Stars:

325~

338, 362,.

363~

379,.

389/n, 390/n, ~13n~ q28,. 457

-prognostication by, 339,. 358; 361
--under the earth~ 258
Static eJ.ectrieity, 365, 40On, l.l41)

441
St.aying horses, 234. 235
Stingray, 215n, 242
Stiside1n~ 29/n y 189
Stoie(s}, 317 ~ 399n~ bL4n

156-57, 2MI 7 2Q5,

262-6~~ 305. 369~ 370, 385 .. 386,
398, JlJio. 1ts4
--from s'lTa11ows .. 239 .. 2Q~. 266~ 283.

stones; 111, lIST

289; from co~ks, 243, 275) 283.

289n, 315; ~ birds~ 314

Strangen~s~~

276

St:ruc'k onto: 7,.realJ0f.! ~ 286

Styptic p~ndant ~ lD.!JI'ber:r.r, 258 ~ 271)
281
Substances: antmal, 2l6; use of
special't 453n
Su'tJ... ~rsion]o charge 01", 392n
Suetonius; Africanus use of? 56,

7q
Suide.s; rela.t ion to JerI.llli.:, 2Jn

Sun: 281, 325, 319. 389, 399n;

Sun

( personifi ed). 158. 293]0 311.

--noon-day, :286
Sun-avoiding, 257
Sunr1 ~e.. befQre., 251, 281, 285
SUperstlticn: definition, '1,9hn ;
distinction free magic} 194n,
212
__Ri~$S1S (seven) types or Vorstel1ur1Keo ~ 216n, '2J9:o, 295n
--character of Africanus' ideas, 2~
5~1 ~ 57 . . 71:,~ 212, 293n; AfrictUlu-s
a believer Or critic, 88-89; in
contrast t.o magic, "1. 212, 293n
--ear)y Christian, 1.21, 3:25
Superstitious essence of rites. 359,.
363. ~2aIl, J'29

Supplication, 3Q5 t 352

SUl"gery y 105, 118
&"rallov: m:!"st11ne;, 244, 260 .. 263,
280, 283~ 289; -p1ant~ 2hh;
- 5 toties.
See Stone s ~ from swallows

536

Indexes

2'19) 2~~3
Sw1ftnessr of horses t l05 t 123-24 3
Swan

test1cle~

305. 315

33 t 124
SJ'!llbols ~ for weights and mel!:l.Sures ~
176-77 t 118-79
Sympathet1 c = magic, 9, 208; medical
ideas, 238; connection, 24011,
256" 258; principles) 262, 27~t
306" 337) J, 00) JJ ~1; procoou!"e,
294, 297n. 306
SY1JlpB.th~ 230, 25~~ 303 t 313 t 31l.i~
337~ 361~ 362/n, 366, 389n, 390~
400n" .1a~2,. ht~7., 455
Sync(!llus (Georgius) confused ror
Eus~bius. ~On)

ijl/n., 46, 51

Syncretism .. 4l ~ ~~I., (54) ~ 57:11 69,

74 71, 84 100
t

.Af'ricBnus t s homeland) 53,

61-; a magical place, 276
Syria(n) = snu@' .Bathanerat.han., 115 ~

Syria;

223; snake r.eon~ 223~ 22.4

Syriac; Af'i"icanus knew .. 6~; fragment.s/scholia or Africanus. 28n.

57;

eccle5ia~tical

sources,
28, 32., ~2n, 79-80, 121
Syria~

2~

sources of Bar-Se.1ibi ~ 25

Syrian veights and measures: 173;

talent ..

17~

Syi'mOS ~ 1J~6.

Table: of

](e:stOg

T~letai" 313.. 376" 381

TelmesBians, 329
T~n., 367
Tera.teia, 329, 362:11 37 JI. 375
Terateuesthai, 374, 315., 39l
Teratosko~os,. 350,. 359
Tetraodont1dB.~" 240

Tetrado::dn, 241
Tetrao1"Os (Quadr!gae l 236n
Terrified . . not to be, 105 I 123.. 172,
23J~ . See oJ.50 Hors e
Testicle: swan .. right, 219,. 2L3, 278
Thauma..'3 i a;> 51
Theban(s): 110; poppy juice~ 149
sound~

Thet: of

105,. 134-35;

horse" 3lJi
The1go, 354" 373
Themi:;tocle!;l, 110, 116, 24~n
Theo~lakt.on~ 213n ~ 289n
Theopronriai 386
Theory or magic: 33l~ 33i~ 349 ..
ll

L25-27~

4L4; 455

--Tat1an f s, 337, 444/ n , 44Bn;

Origenrs, 376-86~ 44Q/n

Thel"i8.C t 152n
Thes EnLl ian ; 115, 121
--snake .. 222, 223

7.. 105

Militar,y: collections and ~iters

Tact i ca.~ proc edure-s 4;9 - Tadpole tongues, 217, 233-3!.l/n
Tages.,I,,27
Tail: wolf, 211~ 215/n, 217 .. 23Q
$

va~ious kinds of,

l13-7Q

Te.lisman . . 202n
HTa tan, 119 ~ 213~ 261. 282, 286
Tatianic conspirncytheory., 337,.
J~~4/n ~ ~48n

Tecnn- forms . . 310 . . 450

Tecbnasma.., 296
'1'echne. 213" 212, 287, 296, (t~
ke} 330. 33ln" 332, 333~ 3 ,
3r1., 350 . . 397 . . 438 t ~49, 450~
J~66

Technmos 10 296n

Technia" kaJco-., 318

Technik~,,~, 296/n~ 297

T";chnoo t 2.96/n

Tel6na,chus, 181

There;PQdos) 437

1!f8

Ta.bus... 218 Tactical colle~iona/vr1ters. See

Talent,

Teeth (canine): volf, 215/n, 217 . .

235) 305

Sybarites~

222~

Techth!nai, 296n

Thesse.ly~ 223) 224n; t:iagiciLl place,

276
Theti8

~~d

Peleus, 29

!!'h~tis. ~27

nThie f -cony i ct.er 11/~.le.Etel enchon ~

181, 198 T

2l7~

233
horse, 31 J

'!'l~ i every ~
Third hour, 212. 280

Thracian(s}~ 136~
magus, 3~1

357;

m~~Qi~

32B;

Thrasymedes. 391
Threat, or Roman presc r ipt i. on , 265~
212
'1'hree t1mes/thric~ t ll9 .. 213, 259.
288
Threefold. Se~ Th!'ice; Triple
Thric~: circumscribe, 251, 259;
repeated", 282
'rbrissos/bathanerathan, 115" 202n t
207n; 222 t 223/n
.
Throat: of B...'1imal.. 266
Thymia.tere!3/thytniamata; 259n ~ 332

SUbj~c:ts

Thundering Legion,

~63n

Ticks, 161Tied nrour1d:t- 266. See also

Appended.; Peri ]t~
TittJe( s): 218" 280- 1., 303, 3111;
speC'ific, 212, !~52 .. 1.53/11 ~

or day, 280

Tin sheet cham, l66~ 266? 273,,275

Titan Hel1os, IBl
Toads, 170-71, 205~ 206n, 230.
231!n~ 232~ 240" 310
Toil,. 136

Tongue: tadpole, 217, 2J3

Tortoise: 229; urine, 218, 238ln;
blood~ 238. See also Turtles
Touchstone-" 365
Toxins r lInimal't 207n. See also
Poison; Poisoning; Poisonous
Tracks: voIr, See Wolf
Transfer ~ magical ( of disease.'
health),. 28~n
Treatiaes on magic~ 372

Trees: 366; cutting dovn, 111

Tricks/tric:kelj': 423; magical? 431;
in Kestoi,. q59
Triple repetition, 257. 261,262"
285. 286
'l':riodos, 295/n . S~e also ero s sreads
Trojan horses {oracular)) 121
Trophonius, oracle of, 427n
Troubler]o horse-, 105, 12U-z6, 291
Tumors .. 163
Turtles, 221, 229/n.

See also

Tortoise
Twelve .. 350
Typhon, 403
Ty"rian talent .. ITh

Uates, L08, ~25~ 427

Uenefic!, ::(3-4

Ui, L26

mrium, ~25

Uii"tutes" 1.:13, ~24

Un-e anny phenoroen a. , LL8
Unite 0. trae:ture. 163
Unnatural~ use of the, 23L
Urine: 218, 237n, 241; tortoisc~
218~ 229, 238/n; dog? 218~ 231;
anin:r:al" 2~1u

--bUJ:!J8Jl ~

247n; ini'ant ~ 2q8, 251:i260, 265; child" 248, 265

"Us, Those- byu, 184n

Us age

~ JIltl...'1ner

of, 207

537

-.

See also UVaricose veins ,261

Vegetable substance, 205n.

See

also f'lants
Vengeance,. 337
Venomous b~asts, 232
Ventriloquists, 359, 386
Venus: 38, bOn, Q1, 71~; girclle o:f 11
hla. See also Aphrodite; Kestoi
Verdigris, 25l. 252n
Vervain.~ :255
Veterina.ry: items in Kestol, 242,
302, 3111
--me-dicine,21T, 232n, 236; apotropaic~ 239; magic? 302
--\.irite.rslc-ollections, In,. 29'10 30,
55~ 59.
Se4! also Hippiatric3 J
aoove; Hippiatrica Greece in
Index of Ancient and Me-dieval

References
(a.bbre"iat ion).~ 102
Vindanius .Anatolius (Ber-,ylus)" 22,

Vi,

30
ViDe:

h,rild) 251~. 260n

Vinegar, preparing, 1h2-h3

Viper; 206n~ 222~ 226, 230-31;
SMd (Vipera atm'II.odytel;), 207n ~
222p~ 224n, 225; sav-sca1ed
{Edtis-carinatus), 222n .. 224n ~

2280; carpet~ 228n

Virgin. 2~8. 28h
Virility of horse .. 2~O
Virtue (=r-o....Ter) ~ 2~]1,. 369, 37~l 3Bh;
of" c:o-ck,. 2~3 'I' (=invincibility}

305; of stooe-9, 262-63, 28%;

of finger, 2B5
Virtutes:jo 3q9~ 352.
Uirtutes

See y.so

Voca11z~tion, ~53tl
Vulture; 2~2u; eyes, 2l~n]o
2 1.2; gall ~ 218, 2'~2

217, 237,

Wake fulnes 5: producing, 105, 135- 38

See a1$0 Sleeplessness""Ta.rts ~ 163-66 ~ 218? 228/n, 231,
256~ 251~

Ttlat chers.~

259, 282

.191

Water: 288 ~ 31n ~ 360, llo6n ~ poisoning, 205~ pure/clear, 164, 288

We (use by Africanm::;),. 113, 1111,

~15 .. 115. See also I/f1Je!my
WeiF,.bts ami =neasureE: discussed ..
i03,. 113-77; table of 178-79;
Attir;. Italian ~ Syrian, Egyptian

538

Inde;xes

(FIPtolemaic1'
West,. 29!J

L..

173 1 114

'j.j'l101e: anirIlI:il .. 2~4-16;

skeleton; 2lJ3 1 283

Width of river. 105; 130-33
Wild vin~, 260!n
Wine; pr~pari~g oft lLl-42
--~eason not discussed, 262
Wings; bat, 212, 215/n, 217

Witchcraft, 319, 320; 32Q, 43~

Wolf: 123, 127, 150, 205, 221,
23 ll-36, '277,. 297, 305
--tail,. '211. 215/n,211~ 278 .. 279;
teeth; 215/0; flesh,. 217; tracks.

2l7n;

~oot/astraga1us,.

~onders,. ~~explained,. 4~2

217,. 218

Words: muttered, ~25; pow~r in; ~55

See a.l so Names
World.-\'i~\j:

Afr-ieEl.nus I S ; 3l2-15 ..

160; ~ar~' Christian, 327, 3Q5~

compEl.~ed, q 57~61
WOlJ.."id: t~e-ating .. 105-. n.8 .. 119, 16970; to close w1tho~t sutlir~; l49.
153, 253; checking inflammation
cf', 16f.
Written s~ell) 27~
Xerxes. 110

Yaa, 181

Zacyntr.ian asphalt; 154

Zamolxis, 395n
Zara{lusht t 328, 341
Zeus: 135, 312~ "sul::-terraneo.n l1 ; 181
Zoological passages, 214- 47; 2q9
Zoroaster. 359 .. ~ 21:

'Zuthot:i, 14:1