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"Spells for a Good Singing Voice": Magic, Liturgy, Divination, and Monastic Traditions in Late Antique Egypt.

This article explores a cluster of late antique Coptic magical papyri commonly referred to in scholarship as "spells for a good singing voice." Based on detailed analysis of the discursive practices, gestures, and material media employed in their ritual procedures, I argue that these texts emerged f...

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Published in:Studies in Late Antiquity Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 338 - 362
Main Author: Scarlassara, Michele
Format: Article
Published: University of California Press Fall2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        10.1525/sla.2026.10.3.338
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        atl: "Spells for a Good Singing Voice": Magic, Liturgy, Divination, and Monastic Traditions in Late Antique Egypt.
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        au: Scarlassara, Michele
        affil: Ca' Foscari University of Venice
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        Coptic
        divination
        Egyptian monasticism
        liturgy
        magic
        ritual
      ab: This article explores a cluster of late antique Coptic magical papyri commonly referred to in scholarship as "spells for a good singing voice." Based on detailed analysis of the discursive practices, gestures, and material media employed in their ritual procedures, I argue that these texts emerged from monastic contexts. References to visionary-apocalyptic motifs, as well as to preparatory acts designed to facilitate communion with divine intermediaries, support this claim. The ritual mechanics of these spells hinge on the invocation of celestial beings upon a chalice infused with a concoction of potent substances (e.g., water, oil, honey). This ritual dynamic bears striking affinities to the Eucharistic epiclesis, the central prayer of the Christian liturgy, while also drawing upon ritual strategies operative in the Graeco-Egyptian "rituals of apparition." The latter involve summoning supernatural intermediaries to assist practitioners in obtaining certain benefits, either through human intermediaries or material media such as lamps, bowls, or similar vessels. On these grounds, the article argues that the "spells for a good singing voice" reflect the creativity of monastic ritual experts that adroitly navigated the intersections of magic and liturgy, adapting elements of the Eucharistic epiclesis to preexisting ritual frameworks concerned with divine manifestation. As a result, these spells illustrate the creative ways in which Christian ritual experts engaged with inherited ritual technologies and readapted them to the emerging Christian discourse. By situating these spells within the broader cultural landscape of Egyptian monasticism, this study aims to contribute to broader discussions on the complex interplay between liturgy and magic in Late Antiquity.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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