Magic, Demonology, Divination in Anciet World

In 1992, the experts of the World Health Organization decided to introduce a new diagnostic category. Possession Trance became recognized as a psychiatric disorder. The introduction of this new category prompted the clarification of its diagnostic criteria. In an unprecedented way, the authors of the 10th edition of the International Classification of Disorders (ICD-10) made the diagnosis of possession trance dependent on the cultural context of its occurrence making the diagnostician-clinician responsible for determining the relations between the possession trance and its cultural environment.

From 1st to 4th centuries AD Greco-Roman World had lived a transformation process in all social institutions including religion. Prayers and hymns in Greek magical papyri provides to know what people really thought and believed in conjunction with sensitive nature of the mageia. In this direction, it is possible to observe traces of “new religion concept” and cosmic system belonging to society of this period who lived in Roman Middle East. Texts show a great monotheist tendency and syncretism in the religious structure and in parallel with them, draw a new syncretic cosmic system before absolute domination of Christianity. Revealing characteristics of this structure including various monotheist and polytheist religious traditions will provide to enlighten this sophisticated period and throw light on cultural bases which Christianity had placed as a systematic body.

De Frédéric II à Rodolphe II. Astrologie, divination et magie dans les cours (XIIIe-XVIIe siècle). Textes réunis par J.-P. Boudet, M. Ostorero et A. Paravicini Bagliani, Firenze, SISMEL Edizioni del Galluzzo 2017 (Micrologus Library 85).

Depuis le XIIe siècle et à l’époque moderne, au sein des cours princières et ecclésiastiques, des savoirs situés à la frontière entre le licite et l’illicite, tels que l’astrologie, la divination et la magie, ont occupé une place centrale dans les pratiques et les représentations du pouvoir. De Frédéric II à Rodolphe II, les cours ont même été des laboratoires d’experimenta en la matière, comme aussi de rivalités multiples et de manipulations en tout genre. Cela n’a pas empêché le développement d’une répression de ces “arts”, dans les milieux de cour ou à leur proximité immédiate.