All the Names of the Lord: Lists, Mysticism, and Magic. By VALENTINA IZMIRLIEVA.

Abstract

The practice of listing the names of God is widespread in antiquity and is not confined to the monotheistic religions. Classification is a way of imposing order, although such lists of divine attributes may have a wide range of uses. This book is an in-depth study of the way that lists of divine names are used in two Christian texts: the sixth-century Divine Names of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and a thirteenth-century Slavonic amulet, The 72 Names of the Lord. While the first of these has been studied extensively (although not from this aspect), the amulet has barely been studied at all, which is why this is such an intriguing exercise. The texts illustrate two alternative ways of listing the names of God: the Divine Names is an open-ended list; The 72 Names of the Lord is a closed list. While open-ended lists are associated with orthodox Christian theology, the closed list occurs where divine names are used magically, to ensure well-being and protection. Both are about imposing social control, but they result in two different visions of Christian order, and hence of Christian behaviour. The first is about overcoming our limitations in order to effect a radical transformation, while the second is aimed at safety and material well-being. These two models of Christian life, metaphysical desire and existential need, may seem incompatible, but are in fact complementary. Contrary to popular assumption, this implies ‘that Christianity does not propose a single, unified vision of order’.