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COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OSLO LIBRARY PAPYRUS COLLECTION (P.OSLO I 5/P.OSLO INV. 303)

CHRISTIAN MAGIC. This fourth-century A.D. amulet combines Christian and pagan elements. The text consists of a binding spell and a Christian doxology, meant to protect a house and its inhabitants from evil. Christian symbols, such as a cross flanked by the letters alpha and omega and the word “fish,” appear on it. This papyrus is currently housed in the Oslo Library Papyrus Collection.