Review of Sanzo, Ritual boundaries

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Ritual boundaries: magic and differentiation in late antique Christianity.

Joseph E. Sanzo, Ritual boundaries: magic and differentiation in late antique Christianity. Christianity in late antiquity. Oakland: University of California Press, 2023. Pp. 188. ISBN 9780520399181.

Review by
Daniel Vaucher, University of Fribourg. daniel.vaucher@unifr.ch

Of particular interest to PaleoJudaica:

In chapter 2, Sanzo examines the language of the amulets regarding the demarcation between Jews and Christians. Again, Sanzo fights against modern terminology that likes to resort to categories such as “syncretism” or “blurred boundaries”. What do we make of Christian amulets with supposedly non-Christian elements (e.g. the terms Iao Sabaoth, Adonai, Horus etc.)? Have the manufacturers of such objects not taken care of denominational issues, or have they adopted foreign terms in order to increase ritual efficacy through foreign-sounding names?

For a related podcast by the author, see here.

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