Thanks, everyone -- this is very thought-provoking and illuminating, just the kind of thinking I was looking for to help make that bridge.

We need more in-depth studies looking at how such concepts are experienced in vernacular religions!

Best,
Sabina

Sabina Magliocco
Professor
Department of Anthropology
California State University - Northridge
[log in to unmask]
________________________________________
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of emma wilby [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 4:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Information on Sin Eaters

That's really interesting - this almost materialist concept of sin seems to have continued on a popular level into Western Europe in the medieval/early modern period. Here the Church constantly lamented the fact that people thought they could just remove sin or its effects through some form of religico-magical technology, as if it were a 'thing', without the requisite internal spiritual struggle necessary for the proper pursuit of 'better-person-hood'. Hence the tirades against hollow and superficial pilgrimages, offerings, indulgence-purchases, masses for the dead etc etc. Emma
________________________________
From: Aaron Leitch <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Fri, 8 April, 2011 9:50:32
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Information on Sin Eaters

Actually there is good historical evidence for the concept that sickness = sin.  If you go back to Mesopotamia (Sumeria/Babylon) - where our concept of sin developed - you find that it is directly linked to sickness.  (You can start with "The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia" by R.C. Thompson and move right up to the Testament of Solomon.)  According to this cosmology, if you fell ill it was because you broke a taboo and got your Patron God angry at you.  The exorcist's job was to figure out which God you had offended and find out how to make things right (aka "atonement").

I'm not saying this is how the Celtic shamans saw things - but it is no leap to relate sin and sickness in Western culture.  The idea that sin = "being a bad person" is relatively modern in comparison.

LVX
Aaron

--- On Thu, 4/7/11, Magliocco, Sabina <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

> From: Magliocco, Sabina <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Information on Sin Eaters
> To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011, 3:28 PM
> Thanks for that, Emma.  Yes, I'm
> familiar with non-Western traditions in which healers suck
> out illness and/or transfer it to someone/thing else --
> usually not themselves, though.  But it's a lot of
> leaps from that to assuming that Celtic healing traditions
> worked the same way, and that sickness = sin, and that
> somehow the two traditions merged.  Possible, but I'd
> love to have some evidence.
>
> But of course we don't know what the book actually
> says.  Kimberly?
>
> Best,
> Sabina
>
> Sabina Magliocco
> Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> California State University - Northridge
> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> ________________________________________
> From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>]
> On Behalf Of emma wilby [[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>]
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 11:42 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Information on Sin
> Eaters
>
> Hi Sabina,
>
> I haven't read the book , but guess it may be something to
> do with the idea that a shaman (as represented in many
> contemporary anthropological sources) can heal by taking a
> person's sickness onto him/herself - and then either dispose
> of it or live through it (or even pass it on to someone
> else!). Shamans often literally 'suck' the sickness or bad
> spirits out of a person - or draw it out in some other way.
> I'm not aware of any direct evidence, however, linking such
> practices to Celtic shamans - although its not beyond the
> realms of possibility that IF they were part of Celtic
> shamanism they may have merged with Christian explanations
> for misfortune and morphed into sin-eating .....?
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Emma
>
> ________________________________
> From: "Magliocco, Sabina" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thu, 7 April, 2011 18:30:06
> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Information on Sin
> Eaters
>
> Just curious: how is sin-eating presented as Celtic
> shamanism in this publication? It seems to me that the whole
> idea of sin, and the rite to displace it from the dying
> person to a designated sin-eater so the deceased can enter
> Heaven, is heavily influenced by Christian concepts.
> I'm not saying this is a part of official, scripted
> Christian doctrine; it's clearly a part of venracular
> religion.  But what's the Celtic part?
>
> Best,
> Sabina
>
>
> Sabina Magliocco
> Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> California State University - Northridge
> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> ________________________________________
> From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>]
> On Behalf Of Kim Hunter [[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>]
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 10:04 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Information on Sin
> Eaters
>
> Interesting synchronicity for once...I've just finished
> this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sin-Eaters-Last-Confession-Traditions/dp/0738713562
>
> ________________________________
> Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 02:53:35 +0000
> From: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Information on Sin Eaters
> To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>
> Hello all...  I am one of those non-academics with a
> keen interest in occult, paranormal and metaphysics.
> I am looking for information on the origin and practice of
> sin eating..
> Any thoughts?
>