The problem with having a Rare Books Book Club is that by definition the books are rare and so copies are expensive 
For single copies, though, my library system has so far had a copy somewhere of almost everything I’ve wanted to read. And with my borrowing privileges at through various institutions I haven’t even had to ILL stuff.
I just finished reading Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power edited by Marvin Meyer and Richard Smith (1994, Harper SF) and it was useful enough that I bought myself a copy. Maybe my review here will help you determine whether to borrow or buy it for yourself as well.
REVIEW: Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power
Ed. Marvin Meyer and Richard Smith (1994, Harper SF).
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TL;DR: If you wanted to try and reconstruct early Christian magical practices, this is a primary text you would use to do that.
Who is Writing?
Co-editor Marvin Meyer (now deceased) made his name translating (and putting into context) many of the Nag Hammadi library of texts. In fact, Meyer’s name is so intertwined with the study of Coptic translation, early-B.C.E. magic, and Gnosticism that he has his own Library of Congress subject heading — because it’s just easier to find “related books” by looking for whether he’s had his hand in their publication.
He’s not just on this book as a big name to make it sell more, though; he was heavily involved. He did the pluspart of the translating as well as authoring many of the chapter introduction pieces which provide cultural context and interpretation for the texts.
But while he was THE scholar working in translation of early Coptic texts, when I read his opinions about, or suggestions on what he has translated in this and other publications it became obvious to me rather quickly that he was probably not a magician. Linguist, yes. Ethnographic historian, yes. Magic user? … doubtful.
I come to that conclusion because Meyer, and his co-editor Smith comment in bewilderment in several places, unable to imagine why the spell-speaker would do things such and such a way, or at times proposes reasons that seem unnecessarily complicated to me. I keep finding myself rhetorically asking, “What makes you think that?” On the other hand, he also almost never contributes speculation about any putative “rest of the ritual” beyond what is written down in the texts (although occasionally he gets guest translators or guest commentators to do so). Together, these things convey to me that Meyer and Smith do not practice ritual or ceremonial magic. Which is frustrating to the reader who is reading for other than academic reasons, but perhaps also freeing as it leaves the black box of historical practices largely up to the reader’s imagination.
The editors assume an academic audience interested in questions like, “what was it like to live in the communities of this region at this time?” and “can I find evidence here that these peoples cared about sheep?” and “what was early Christian magical practice like?” Not, “how did they (or how can I) perform this?” which is somewhat frustrating.
For example, there are numerous references to “ring signs and drawings” made in the manuscripts but they are most often not included, because the editors expected the academic community wouldn’t care.
What’s in the book?
The book is English translations of (and commentary on) then previously unpublished Coptic text codices from private collections and museum caches that were taken from Egypt either as part of the Nag Hammadi findings or in other discoveries*.
*And by “discoveries” we usually mean “the forced expatriation or theft of national treasures” just to so we’re clear.
The editors’ goal is to present a fair translation of the texts with minimal commentary so that other scholars can investigate the texts and put them in context, speculate about them, and share their conclusions. The editors flag anywhere they do emendations, idiomatic glosses, or speculations about what filled the lacunae.
Texts were included when they have some relationship to both magical practice and Christianity – and the authors very responsibly get into the complexity of how you know it fits those criteria in the introduction to the book, but erred on the side of inclusion. The editors grouped texts together based on what they suspected was the purpose of the spell, so there is a chapter on curses, one on healing spells, etc.
The texts range from the 3rd to the 10th century. That is, linguistic information and historical corroboration about the style of writing and normative practice place the timing of the content within a particular time in that window, although the paper it was written on is often newer. Many of the works tend toward the earlier dates, which is important because …
What’s important about this publication?
… Prior to this publication, it had been known (at least to academia) that magical texts from late antiquity often include Christian trappings – holy names and myths to draw power from, but usually these names were thrown in alongside those of two or three other pantheons. The Jesus cults were worth appropriating from when you’re a mage Working a thing that needs All The Gods thrown at it.
But this book is evidence that Christ-centered magical practice was normative for everyday Christians in late antiquity. It was pervasive and commonplace. This book is the mic drop on the question of whether Christians do magic because it demonstrates that both the workers and the clients of magic transactions were Christians. Priests serving Christians used these theurgic incantations. Midwives tending women in labor used these healing spells that draw imagery and names exclusively from Christianity. Christians patronized their community mages for these curses against their business rivals and for these apotropaic amulets against same, and some seem to have requested that the amulets deal only with Christian texts, names, and stories.
Christian magic was also varied in structure. The breadth of techniques surveyed shows that these magical practices were not limited to techniques Christianity is typically famous for such as exorcism, blessing, and warding, but also included cursing, erotic coercion, and necromancy, which seats Christianity as a “religion of the people” of late antiquity, in stark contrast to the elitism that characterizes its later periods.
But beyond its dramatic socio-historical significance, this book is also a great resource to have for the Christian magical practitioner today. If you wanted to try and reconstruct early Christian magical practices, this is a primary text you would use to do that; it connects readers with source texts of authentic ancient magical practices grown from within the Christian tradition. But the traditional practices need not stay unmodified. As was the case with much magic of late antiquity, the Christian magical formulae are plug-and-play, meant to adapt as situations called for, and these serve as stable templates for modern use.
But is it “Christian” to, say, bind your crush to unending spiritual torture until they sleep with you? Because there’s a recipe for that in here. Well, just because Christians did it does not make it ethical. Christians also did landgrabs through massive slaughter and slavery and are the authors of many present-day humanitarian crimes. Use your good judgement about whether a given practice is appropriate and please magic responsibly.
Yes And Further 