Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Magic Bowls at #AARSBL15 in Atlanta

Magic Bowls at #AARSBL15 in Atlanta

Last updated on: November 16, 2015 at 1:23 pm by James F. McGrath

Magic Bowls at #AARSBL15 in Atlanta 2015-11-16T13:23:17-05:00 James F. McGrath

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

For those interested in Judaism, Mandaeism, Late Antiquity, ancient magic, Aramaic, and any number of other topics, there are two sessions at AAR this year that you ought not to miss. One is the Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity session, about which I’ll include details further below. But the other is a session which will feature some actual magic bowls on display. I’m concerned that some might miss this rather unique opportunity, and so I thought I should highlight it here on my blog. Here are the details:

A22-401

Arts Series

Theme: Arti-Facts/Divorcing the Demons: A Collaborative Gallery Installation and Storytelling Performance with Babylonian Incantation Bowls

Sunday – 8:00 PM-9:30 PM

Marriott-Imperial A (Marquis Level)

During Late Antiquity in Babylonia, under Zoroastrian-Sassanian rule, a variety of different faith communities shared a ritual to expel demons from their domestic environments. Although there are few clues as to the actual process, inscribed earthenware vessels were deliberately buried in thresholds, interior rooms, and cemeteries from the 5th-late 7th Centuries CE. Over 2000 examples of ceramic vessels with texts (almost all bowls, with an amphora and a goblet) have been unearthed since the late 19th Century. Thus far, only a few hundred have been translated and published.

The predominant script used on these “magic” bowls is Judeo-Aramaic, used mostly by the literate Jewish community of the time. Other scripts are also in evidence: Mandaic from the religious group, Mandaeans, and a few examples in Syriac from the Christian community. Also found were “fake” bowls that have scribbles instead of actual text perhaps indicating illiterate magicians and/or illiterate clients!

Once all of these groups lived together and shared a ritual that might just help today: expelling the demons that plague us all.

The bowl texts name specific clients, representing all of the religious groups, seeking respite from discord. In many cases, the inscriptions address specific demons suspected of causing strife The singular bowls were then buried inverted. There is another category of bowls that seems somewhat distinct. Two bowls of the same diameter and rounded on the bottoms, with similar texts spiraling inside each of the pair, were fixed together with bitumen (asphalt) and cord. The texts of these are curses requesting that the evil acts return upon the perpetrator. Dan Levene, a prominent British scholar working with these artifacts, hypothesizes that these are not aimed at demons, but instead at a particular human who was manipulating the evil actions at the client.

Past and present, human communities share similar anxieties. The list might include disease, dangers in childbirth, loss of livelihood, familial discord, war, famine. One might add arrogance, violence, senseless hatred, hypocrisy, stupidity, and malice to our contemporary anxieties. As artists and scholars, we view the ancient act of sharing a ritual across faith traditions as one worth reconsidering for the present. And so we present this exhibition and storytelling performance as a beginning of this reconsideration.

Panelists:

Laurel Robinson, Georgia Southwestern State University

Keaton Wynn, Georgia Southwestern State University

Daniel Rosenberg, Chicago, IL

And here are the details about the TELA (Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity) session:

A22-233

Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity Group

Theme: Bordering Others: Examining Religious Community in Eastern Late Antiquity

James McGrath, Butler University, Presiding

Sunday – 1:00 PM-2:30 PM

Hilton-211 (Level 2)

This session provides a place for a variety of papers and scholars to meet who are interested in the diversity of religious community in the Late Ancient East (Eastern Roman Empire through China).

Jennifer Hart, Elon University

Fixing Ritual to Fix Community: Using Orthopraxy to Define “True” Mandaeism

Scott McDonough, William Paterson University

“…And No Trace Left of Their Bones”: Conversion and Continuity in Early Armenian Christianity

Sara Ronis, Harvard University

Seeing the Other in Sasanian Babylonia

Christina Grobmeier, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Don’t Bowl Me Over: An Examination of Aramaic Curse Bowls and the Suba Cave Inscriptions

Todd Godwin, School of Oriental and African Studies, London

The Word “Tajik”/”Daqing” in Chinese Sources and What It Tells Us about the Islamicization of Central Asia during the Early Abbasid Caliphate

Don’t miss the two other TELA co-sponsored sessions too:

A20-200

Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity Group and IQSA Qur’an and Late Antiquity Group

Theme: Towards a “Long Late Antiquity”: Continuities from the Pre-Islamic to the Islamic Era

Michael Pregill, Boston University, Presiding

Friday – 1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Marriott-M104 (Marquis Level)

Emran El-Badawi, University of Houston

Law and Tradition in the Long Seventh Century (570-705): Between Qur’an and Church Canon

Walter Ward, University of Alabama, Brimingham

The Pre-Islamic Image of the Word “Saracen” and Its Implications for Early Christian and Islamic Interactions

Cecilia Palombo, Princeton University

“Why Do the Rabbis and Religious Authorities Not Forbid Them from Uttering Sinful Words?”: Qur’anic and Late Antique Attitudes towards Religious Scholars

Mushegh Asatryan, University of Calgary

Is Ghulat Religion Islamic Gnosticism? The Shi’ite “Extremists” of Early Islamic Iraq

Dylan Burns, Freie Universität Berlin

Is Ghulat Religion Islamic Gnosticism? Syro-Mesopotamian Gnostic Traditions

A23-237

Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity Group and SBL Religious World of Late Antiquity Group

Theme: “Christianization” and “Islamization”: Terminologies, Categories, Case Studies

Wendy Mayer, Australian Catholic University, Presiding

Monday – 1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Marriott-A702 (Atrium Level)

Nathan Schumer, Columbia University

Disaster and Christianization: The Earthquake of 363 CE and the Christianization of the Cities of Roman Palestine

Adam Bursi, Cornell University

“Sprinkle the Place with This Water”: Christianization and Islamification of Religious Space in Late Antiquity

Rebecca Falcasantos, Providence College

By the World Forgot: Sabbatians and the Manipulation of Memory in Fifth-Century Constantinople

John Zaleski, Harvard University

Forming a Muslim Understanding of Celibacy: The Case of al-Junayd al-Baghdadi

Jessica Lee Ehinger, University of Oxford

Living and Dying a Christian under Islam: Martyrologies and the Islamification of Late Antique Palestine

Magic Bowl

American Academy of Religion

Society of Biblical Literature

American Academy of Religion

Society of Biblical Literature

Syriac

traditions

Previous Post

November 16, 2015

Six Elements of Denialism

Next Post

November 17, 2015 Nones and Mystics

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy academia Acts of the Apostles afterlife Akhaten Alcatraz American Academy of Religion Amos Anglican Arabic Aramaic archaeology art artificial intelligence astronomy atheism atonement Babylon 5 Baptists Battlestar Galactica Bible Biblical Studies Carnival biblioblogging Black Mirror Blade Runner Book of Job book review Buddhism Call for Papers China Christianity Christmas Christology Chronicles Coptic creation Daniel Deuteronomy Doctor Who Dune Easter Ecclesiastes economics education Eldad Keynan Enoch Seminar Ephesians eschatology Esther Evangelicals evolution Exodus Expanse Ezekiel Ezra fantasy Fringe fundamentalism Galatians games Ge'ez genealogy Genesis Gnosticism Gospel of Jesus' Wife Gospel of John Gospel of Judas Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Peter Gospel of Thomas Greek Harry Potter Hebrew Hebrews Hinduism historical Jesus history Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Holidays horror Hosea humor incarnation India inerrancy information literacy inspirational Intelligent Design Ireland Isaiah Islam Israel Italy James Jeremiah John the Baptist Jonah Joshua Judaism Jude Judges Judith Lamentations languages Latin Leviticus libraries literature Lord of the Rings LOST Mandaeans Mandaic memes Methodism Micah monotheism morality Mormons movies music mythicism NASSCAL Nehemiah new perspective New Testament news Numbers Orthodox paganism panentheism pantheism Patheos Paul and his letters Pentecostals Philippians Philippians 2:6-11 philosophy physics Planet of the Apes podcast politics Progressive Christianity Protestantism Proverbs Psalms pseudoscience racism religion Revelation Roman Catholicism Romania Romans Ruth scams science science fiction Secret Gospel of Mark Society of Biblical Literature Song of Songs Star Trek Star Wars Stargate Swahili Syriac Taoism technology Terminator The Handmaid's Tale The Hobbit The Matrix theodicy theology theory Timeless Titus tomb Torchwood travel TRON Uncategorized United Kingdom Westworld X-Files young-earth creationism Zechariah

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 February 2007 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz