The Early Christian mysticism

Study of magical practices in popular Christian religion.

Abstract

The present article proposes an analysis of some Christian papyri preserved in the Greek Magical Papyri, a collection of Egyptian documents dating from the first centuries of the Common Era. These texts provide insight into Early Christian popular religiosity, highlighting its syncretic and mystical practices. This study seeks to shed light on the magical customs of popular Christian faith, which have often been marginalized by academic rationalism and the established narrative of Christian orthodoxy. In an effort to move beyond a linear approach to the origins of Christianity, this research proposes a more plural and dynamic interpretation of the construction of Early Christian beliefs.

Keywords. Popular Christian Religiosity. Early Christianity. Magic. Christian Papyri. Amulet.