[dangus]

A magic charm reveals ancient Christian practices? Either the description, “magic charm” is shockingly inaccurate, or the practices ain’t Christian. Idiots.

[Rebel_Ace]

I find it amazing that many of the EARLIEST Christian historical records are still some 400-500 years after the events they describe.

Imagine if someone TODAY were writing about events that occurred in say, 1650 AD. How accurate and/or complete would their account be? What details would be lost or embellished? What missing pieces would be "filled in" by the author's own expectations or prejudices?

Makes you think.

[boycott]

” ..... written on a recycled piece of papyrus ... “

At least they recycled.

[dangus]

Both idiocies: The “Christian” charm was found way up the Nile in Egypt, home of Gnosticism. And yet the author also writes, “Dr Mazza said that some Christians still use passages from the Bible as protective charms, so the amulet marks the beginning of a trend in Christianity.”

What they actually found was not a charm at all, but a bible passage that the author asserts would have been folded up and placed inside a locket. Sounds like this “charm” was closer to a Christian “phylactery,” similar to the Hebrew “Tephillim.”

The idea of a Christian phylactery was to keep the Word of God close to one’s mind, heart and hand at all times, to protect oneself from sin. The protection isn’t magical, but mental and spiritual: it’s a reminder of the presence of God as one faces temptation.

The actual significance is that it demonstrates the very literal interpretation of the “body of Christ” in an area very remote from Roman influence.

‘Fear you all who rule over the earth.

‘Know you nations and peoples that Christ is our God.

‘For he spoke and they came to being, he commanded and they were created; he put everything under our feet and delivered us from the wish of our enemies.

‘Our God prepared a sacred table in the desert for the people and gave manna of the new covenant to eat, the Lord’s immortal body and the blood of Christ poured for us in remission of sins.’

Does anything in that even remotely suggest “magic?”

[Alex Murphy]

...a 1,500-year-old papyrus has been identified as one of the world’s earliest surviving Christian charms. The ‘remarkable’ document contains some of the earliest documented references to The Last Supper and sheds new light on early Christian practices, experts say.

I can think of four additional references that are even older.

[GreyFriar]

And interesting article.

And I will comment that the “Charm’s” use could possibly be an ancient version of what is now done with wearing a St. Christopher’s medal.

Or similar to the Jewish practice of wearing a piece of scripture as part of one’s clothing; unfortunately I do not know the proper name for this item/practice.

[Buckeye McFrog]

It has laid largely unstudied in a university library for more than 100 years.

The students were all busy reading Das Kapital