This post contains a good critique of the late Marvin Meyer's attempt to replace "magic" with "ritual power." I used that term for a while. That taught me not to be an early adopter.
"Magic" it is, until someone comes up with something that we all agree is better.
Shaily Patel also has a recent good essay in AJR on the same topic. And I have also discussed it here (scroll to the end).
Today is Controversy Day at PaleoJudaica. I didn't plan it that way. That's just how it turned out.
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