Magie - Ingram Academic Otto, Bernd-Christian by Otto, Bernd-Christian

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Ceremonial Magic

Magie - Ingram Academic Otto, Bernd-Christian

Name: Magie - Ingram Academic Otto, Bernd-Christian
Price: 35.00 USD
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Rating: 4.6 (2 reviews)
Author: Otto, Bernd-Christian
ISBN: 9783110487992

Otto, Bernd-Christian

Reader rating

4.6

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Unravel 2500 years of "magic" through its shifting meanings, not its elusive essence.

For the first time, Bernd-Christian Otto meticulously charts the 2500-year evolution of the concept of "magic." Moving beyond stagnant academic debates, this groundbreaking study abstains from offering a definitive essence. Instead, Otto establishes a novel philological-historiographical approach, respecting the vast plurality of historical interpretations, valuations, and functions associated with the term. This work provides crucial insights into how religious norms, identities, and resulting strategies of inclusion and exclusion have been shaped within Western traditions.

Key themes

Magic's Evolving Concept A New Historiographical Method Religious Norms and Boundaries

Historical context

This scholarly work resides firmly within the academic study of Western esotericism and religious history, specifically addressing the historiography of magical practices. It contributes to the broader intellectual tradition of deconstructing how 'magic' has been defined and valued across two and a half millennia.

Otto, Bernd-Christian

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Jonathan Z. Smith · Geoffrey Samuel · Marco Frenschkowski · Historiography of Religion

⚜️ Ceremonial Magic

🏛 de Gruyter 📅 2016 📖 711 pages 📔 Paperback 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9783110487992

Fun fact

Otto's "Magie" is a landmark achievement, providing a comprehensive and rigorously academic genealogy of the term "magic." It excels in meticulous historical scholarship and a groundbreaking methodological approach, offering unparalleled insights into the concept's evolution. Those seeking practical spells or a universal definition will be disappointed; this work is squarely aimed at the serious academic or intellectually curious practitioner. It redefines the field, establishing a vital new direction for the study of magic in Western thought.

📝 Description: Magie - Ingram Academic Otto, Bernd-Christian

Was ist "Magie"? Diese Frage beschäftigte nicht nur Religionswissenschaftler der letzten beiden Jahrhunderte, sondern bereits antike Dichter und Philosophen, jüdische, christliche und muslimische Autoren, frühneuzeitliche Humanisten, Aufklärer, Romantiker sowie Personen, die sich - von der Spätantike bis heute - selbst als "Magier" bezeichnet und verstanden haben. Um der Vielfalt ihrer Meinungen gerecht zu werden, legt Bernd-Christian Otto erstmals eine zusammenhängende Darstellung der etwa 2500 Jahre umfassenden Geschichte des Magiebegriffs vor. Ottos konsequente Historisierung des Magiebegriffs stellt eine methodische Reaktion auf die seit langem stagnierende akademische Magiedebatte dar. Folgerichtig mündet die Studie nicht in der Identifizierung eines Wesenskerns oder einer weiteren Magiedefinition, sondern etabliert philologisch-historiographische Magieforschung als neues Forschungsfeld, welches der Pluralität historischer Bedeutungen, Wertungen und Funktionen des Magiebegriffs Rechnung zu tragen versucht. Gleichzeitig werden Bausteine zum Verständnis religiöser Normen- und Identitätsbildung sowie hieraus folgender Ein- und Ausgrenzungsstrategien im Kontext westlicher Religionsgeschichte geliefert.

💎 Expert review

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💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Otto delivers a meticulous charting of the term's evolution, respecting the plurality of historical interpretations rather than forcing a definitive essence. This is a rigorous academic text that prioritizes philological precision over narrative accessibility. It does not suit casual readers seeking practical magical techniques or simplified summaries of occult history. Those expecting a definitive 'what is magic' answer will be frustrated by its refusal to offer one. However, for those willing to engage with complex historiography, it offers unparalleled depth regarding the strategic valuations of magic in Western thought.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

This volume is essential for scholars and serious students who wish to understand the complex evolution of the concept of magic without being bogged down by stagnant academic debates. Readers interested in how religious norms, identities, and strategies of inclusion and exclusion have been shaped within Western traditions will find immense value here. Otto’s philological-historiographical approach offers a refreshing alternative to those seeking a single, elusive essence of magic. By charting shifting meanings over 2500 years, it provides crucial insights for anyone analyzing the intersection of religion, power, and definition in historical contexts.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're a serious student of esoteric history, a scholar of religion, or a practitioner keen to understand the intellectual genealogy of your craft, this rigorous academic inquiry into "magic" will profoundly reshape your perspective.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Otto delivers a meticulous charting of the term's evolution, respecting the plurality of historical interpretations rather than forcing a definitive essence. This is a rigorous academic text that prioritizes philological precision over narrative accessibility. It does not suit casual readers seeking practical magical techniques or simplified summaries of occult history. Those expecting a definitive 'what is magic' answer will be frustrated by its refusal to offer one. However, for those willing to engage with complex historiography, it offers unparalleled depth regarding the strategic valuations of magic in Western thought.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, this is an advanced academic study. It meticulously dissects the historical concept of "magic" through a philological lens rather than instructing on its practical application or offering spells.

Otto pioneers a unique philological-historiographical method, refusing to impose a singular, universal definition of magic. Instead, he reveals the term's evolving meanings across 2500 years, establishing a new framework for research in the field.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Magic's Evolving Concept

This volume meticulously traces how the very idea of "magic" has been understood, debated, and redefined across two millennia by ancient thinkers, religious scholars, humanists, and practitioners themselves, revealing its dynamic and multifaceted history rather than a static definition.

A New Historiographical Method

Otto introduces a pioneering approach that deliberately avoids defining magic universally. By focusing on the historical construction and context of the "Magiebegriff," the book establishes philological-historiographical research as a vital new field, honoring the diverse meanings it held throughout history.

Religious Norms and Boundaries

The study illuminates how the categorization of certain practices as "magic" has been instrumental in the formation of religious identities, the establishment of normative frameworks, and the implementation of strategies for both inclusion and exclusion within Western religious thought, from antiquity to the modern era.

💬 Quotes from the book

“The enduring question of 'magic' demands not a fixed answer, but an exhaustive journey through its historical appropriations and semantic transformations across millennia.”

“To seek a timeless essence of magic is to overlook the profound and deliberate processes by which societies have continually defined and redefined its boundaries, often for normative ends.”

📜 Historical context

For decades, academic discourse on magic has often struggled with definitional impasses, leading to stagnation. Otto's work directly addresses this, shifting the focus from an elusive essence to a robust historical analysis of the concept itself. This innovative approach positions his study as a crucial intervention in the contemporary academic study of religion and esotericism.

📚 Glossary

Magiebegriff
Philologisch-historiographisch
Ein- und Ausgrenzungsstrategien

📔 Questions to reflect on

Reflect on your personal understanding of "magic" before encountering this book. How might Otto's historical approach challenge or confirm your initial ideas?
Consider a specific historical period or culture you are familiar with. How might the concept of "magic" have been used within that context to define insiders versus outsiders?
If "magic" has no fixed essence, but is instead a historically constructed concept, what implications does this hold for contemporary magical or esoteric practices?