Anathema Maranatha

Far from being a religion defined by rituals of peace, and love and salvation, Christianity has a dark side which historically embraced the imprecatory arts –rituals of cursing and malediction. Beginning with God’s curse upon Adam, Eve, the Serpent, and their descendants, the religion of Jesus Christ embraces a rich tradition of cursing and bringing evil upon others, even if unacknowledged. The magic of hate and harm also had a special place amongst the learned clergy, whose traffic with angels and demons is also known through the historical genre of grimoires, the so-called ‘Black Books’ of European necromancy. Drawing upon the Bible, as well as non-canonical scriptures and folk traditions, Anathema Maranatha examines the rich history of Christian malediction, from curses to blight farmland to magical operations meant to cause a building to collapse, to invoking the Saints against one’s enemies.