Early Jewish and Christian Magical Traditions in Comparison and Contact

This article discusses the project Early Jewish and Christian Magical Traditions in Comparison and Contact, a research initiative funded by the European Research Council under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Starting Grant 2020–2025; Grant Agreement 851466; Principal Investigator: Joseph E. Sanzo) and hosted by Ca’ Focari University of Venice. This project constitutes the first large-scale comparative study of Jewish and Christian magical objects from late antiquity (ca. III–VII C.E). Accordingly, it will significantly improve knowledge of ancient magic and early Jewish–Christian relations in lived religion (i.e., religion as it was actually practiced in everyday life). This interdisciplinary project examines the local and global features of these objects – and the social contexts behind them – through a synthetic and innovative interpretive framework, which draws upon various academic fields including religious studies, sociology, and art history. The project’s illumination of the late antique lived contexts of early Jews and Christians will help rewrite the history of two of the world’s most prolific religions. The project will eventually include five team members: 1 Principal Investigator; 2 Junior Researchers (Ricercatori a tempo determinato di tipo A [RtdA]); and 2 PhD fellows.