The rise of magic in early medieval Europe
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The rise of magic in early medieval Europe
Clarendon, c1993
- pbk
Available at / 1 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Originally published: Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991
Bibliography: p. [409]-437
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This is a study of magic in western Europe in the early Middle Ages. Valerie Flint explores its practice and belief in Christian society, and examines the problems raised by so-called `pagan survivals' and superstition'. She unravels the complex processes at work in the early medieval Christian church to show how the rejection of non-Christian magic came to be tempered by a more accommodating attitude: confrontation was replaced by negotiation, and certain practices previously condemned were not merely accepted, but actively encouraged. The forms of magic which were retained, as well as those the church set out to obliterate, are carefully analysed. The `superstitions' condemned at the Reformation are shown to be, in origin, rational and intelligent concessions intended to reconcile coexisting cultures.
Dr Flint explores the sophisticated cultural and religious compromise achieved by the church in this period. This is a scholarly and challenging book, which makes a major contribution to the study of the Christianization of Europe.
Table of Contents
- PART I. INTRODUCTION: THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY
- PART II. THE MAGIC OF THE HEAVENS
- PART III. THE MAGIC OF THE EARTH
- PART IV. THE MAGUS
by "Nielsen BookData"
