The revenge of Abraxas

"Ancient Christian Magic" is a collection of magical spells, charms and rituals from ancient Egypt.

Or not so ancient, since the translated texts are from the Roman period, or the Early Middle Ages. The real shocker is that the magic is...wait for it...Christian. Or at least nominally Christian. In reality, the magical papyri included in this volume are a syncretistic blend of Christianity, Judaism, Gnosticism and good old fashioned Egyptian paganism. Osiris, Isis, Anubis and the inevitable mummies are featured alongside Abraxas, Yao, Jesus, Gabriel, and what have you.

Some of the spells and incantations are quite humorous. One is a homosexual love spell! We also learn that the magician is supposed to write his spells on a piece of papyrus, visit a rock tomb at midnight, and place the papyrus in the mouth of a corpse. Please stay clear of the jackals! The book also includes an extended version of the apocryphal correspondence between Jesus and king Abgar of Edessa.

Still, the volume feels a bit disappointing. The introductions deal mostly with the issue of whether "religion" and "magic" are really two different things, or why the phrase "ritual power" is better than "magic". Yawn. I'm sure this is very interesting...to assistant professors at some sleepy comparative religion department. Personally, I would have appreciated a longer essay on the syncretism. How are we to interpret this blend of Christian, pagan and "heretical" elements?

But above all we want to know: CAN THE MUMMY REALLY WALK?