Fluch und Gebet: Magische Manipulation versus religioses Flehen?: Religionsgeschichtliche und hermeneutische Betrachtungen uber antike Fluchtafeln

This study touches on the vexed issue concerning the relationship of magic and religion. Ancient Greek and Latin curses written on lead tablets reveal a demarcation in terms of legitimacy and illegitimacy between two types. One type betrays characteristics that modern readers would associate with the notion of ?magic’. The other type is clearly marked by a mentality that we would range among the category of pious religiosity. They are submissive prayers for divine punishment of an unknown per…