From ‘Old Wives’ Tales’ to Sacred Objects: the ‘Christianization’ of the Phylakterion-Amulet in the Ancient Church

Abstract

The use of the so-called ‘charms’ (phylakteria in Greek, ligamenta or ligaturae in Latin) is a longstanding magical practice, from Antiquity to the present day. Originally condemned by ecclesiastical authorities and Christian intellectuals who consider them of a demonic origin, however, its use became quickly widespread in the Christian world, where they underwent a process of ‘Christianization’. Both pagans and Christians, whether they were intellectuals or common people, believed in their effectiveness as apotropaic devises. This article analyzes the process leading from the condemnation of these magical practices to their acceptance by the Church that considered amulets as mere objects. It is also intended to show that, as men of their time, some of the most relevant Christian thinkers, as Origen, John Chrysostom and Augustine, shared with the