Magic and Paganism in Early Christianity

Many forms of magic and paganism were practiced at the time of Jesus. What were these practices, and how did the first Christians react to them? Hans-Josef Klauck, an expert in the cultic practices of the region, describes this world into which Christianity was born and relates to it the many experiences of the first Christians recorded in Acts. Peter, for example, encounters the Samaritan magician Simon; Paul meets the Jewish magician Bar-Jesus; the people in Lystra want to offer a sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas; a soothsaying slave girl is the occasion of conflict in Philippi; in Athens, Paul finds the city full of idols but also discovers an altar to an unknown god; in Ephesus, some burn their books of magic formulae, while other provoke a riot in the name of Artemis. Professor Klauck provides an account of these phenomena and their significance for Christianity historically and today