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Practices of divination (1)

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05 Scientific knowledge and scholarly lore



05 Scientific knowledge and scholarly lore



05 Scientific knowledge and scholarly lore



Keywords
omens
physiognomy
weather
Period
2nd century CE
4th century CE
Byzantine Empire
Roman Empire
Channel
Christian-Roman philosophers and scholars
Christian-Syriac poets


Text
Ephrem enumerates the books and divinatory practices of his time, which are also well known from the ancient Mesopotamia. The same practices are hinted at in the other contemporary sources as well.

Ephrem Syrus, Hymns against Heresies 1.14:
(Involuntary) movements of the body parts, divination concerning the (appropriate) times, the books - the Book of Thunder; another, the Book of Secrets, the Book of the Troops (of Ghosts, sfar ṭulqē), (the Book) of Zodiacal Signs.

pseudo-Justin Martyr, Quaestiones et Responsiones 29:
Wenn die Divination aus den unwillkürlichen Bewegungen der Glieder zu den von den Frommen verbotenen Dingen gehört, warum vermögen sie die Frommen trotz aller Anstrengung nicht zu beseitigen?

Julian Novel (Syriac):
Und der Zauberer schlug das Zauberbuch (sfar ṭulqē) auf, in welchem die Namen aller bösen Geister stehen.


Sources (list of abbreviations)
Ephrem Syrus, Hymns against Heresies 1.14
Julian Novel (Syriac)
pseudo-Justin Martyr, Quaestiones et Responsiones 29

Bibliography

Beck 1957, 5Beck, Edmund. Des Heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen contra Haereses. Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium 170. Leuven: Durbecq 1957.

Amar Annus


URL for this entry: http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/database/gen_html/a0001407.php


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