Shared Symbols and Religious Boundaries in Late Antiquity: A View from Personal Experience and Late Antique MagicRitual boundaries are complicated. Rituals mean something by their actions. They are often open to quite different interpretations depending on their framing. The meaning of ritual "magic" is especially elusive and provocative.Shared religious symbols do not necessarily mean weak or blurred religious boundaries. Christian ritual texts that combine anti-Jewish rhetoric with names for God often labeled “Jewish” show that cultural sharing and sharp religious differentiation could coexist. This calls for more care in how scholars interpret religious identity, boundaries, and “mixing” in late antique lived religion.
See also Ritual Boundaries: Magic and Differentiation in Late Antique Christianity (University of California Press, 2024; open access).
By Joseph E. Sanzo
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Center for the Study of Lived Religion
July 2026
For more on the book and the author's work, see here and here.
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