Changes

The term magic was commonly used to describe ritual practices practiced outside of the control of state authorities, so that, for example, practioners of healing and exorcism in Classical Greek culture who were not associated with the temples of a Greek city state were commonly, as by [[Plato]], criticisized as magicians. Once Christian authorites were able to enforce their own concept of magic, rituals for any purpose that deviated from standard Christian practices, usually those of older folk religions, were commonly termed magic.

The term magic was commonly used to describe ritual practices practiced outside of the control of state authorities, so that, for example, practioners of healing and exorcism in Classical Greek culture who were not associated with the temples of a Greek city state were commonly, as by [[Plato]], criticisized as magicians. Once Christian authorites were able to enforce their own concept of magic, rituals for any purpose that deviated from standard Christian practices, usually those of older folk religions, were commonly termed magic.

The  term 'magic' derives from the name of the priestly caste of the Iranian religion, ''Magoi'' in Greek, which at the time of the Graeco-Persian wars in the fifth century BC were commonly beleived in Greece to have practiced religious rituals hostile to Greek Freedom and victroy in the wars of that time.

The  term 'magic' derives from the name of the priestly caste of the Iranian religion, ''Magoi'' in Greek, which at the time of the Graeco-Persian wars in the fifth century BC were commonly beleived in Greece to have practiced religious rituals hostile to Greek Freedom and victroy in the wars of that time. The Greek word μαγοι is the one used in the [[Gospel of Matthew]] to describe the three ''wise men'' who come to visit Jesus at his birth.  

[[Category:Religion]]

[[Category:Religion]]