CHAKMS AND AMULETS (Christian)

C H A R M S A N D A M U L E T S (Christian).—t.
Historical survey.—Christianity came as a religion
of the spirit into a world given over to superstition
and magic. To these Christianity set itself in
strong opposition, expelling with irresistible power
the illusions under which the religion of Nature
had held men's minds in bondage. Ac 1913 relates
that, as the result of St. Paul's missionary preach­
ing in Ephesus, magical books to the value of fifty
thousand pieces of silver were publicly b u r n t ; and
it would be wrong to suppose that, while burning
the books, the people retained their belief in magic.
Ancient Christian preaching went the otheT way
to work, and dealt with thoughts first, and things
afterwards. This temper lasted long. The more
the Christians felt themselves inspired by the Holy
Spirit and gifted with miraculous powers, the less
willing or able were they to believe in the magical
power of lifeless things. The belief is mentioned
m ancient Christian literature only to be attacked
as an error of heathendom, especially Phrygian
and Celtic (Gal 5 Μ φαρμακεία, ef. 3 1 βασκοίνιν;
Didacht ii. 2, iii. 4, v. 1; Justin, Apol. i. 14;
and, still later, Origen, Peri Archon, II. xi. 5 ;
Euseb, Dem. Evang. iii. 6, 9f. ; cf. 2 Κ 21 s , 2 Ch
33 s , Asc. Is. 2s). I t is from the pen of a Christian
(Hippolytus, Eefut. iv.) that we have the most
powerful refutation of the artifices of astrology
and magic; and Apuleius found more than his