19 III 2026: Korshi Dosoo (Paris), Magic by the Psalms in the Coptic Tradition

The Psalms have long held a central place in the Christian tradition, used as songs of worship, as meditative aids, and as educational texts in the acquisition of literacy. One lesser known use is their appropriation in private ritual acts of a type usually known as “magic”. Texts prescribing the “magical” uses of the Psalms are attested in many languages – Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Ge’ez, Latin, Italian, and (in the Jewish tradition) Hebrew. Until recently, however, the Coptic evidence, which represents some of the earliest evidence for the systematisation of Psalm magic, has been entirely unknown. This talk will trace the history of magic using the Psalms in Egypt, concentrating on Collège de France Coptic codex 3, an eleventh-century manual prescribing uses for over seventy psalms ranging from protection from demons, disease, and the dangers of travel, to curses to destroy enemies. We will examine the relationship of this manuscript to older devotional practices using the psalms, other manuscripts in Coptic and Greek, and to the Copto-Arabic tradition of Psalm magic which survives in Egypt to the present day.