David J. Collins, S.J. (ed.), The Sacred and the Sinister: Studies in Medieval Religion and Magic. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2019, 304 p., 6 b/w ill.

Abstract

This wide-ranging collection of essays was inspired by the work of Richard Kieckhefer, best known for his research on medieval magic, but it serves as a festschrift celebrating his contributions to the field and reflecting his varied scholarly interests. Kieckhefer’s broad engagement in many aspects of the Middle Ages and the effort of the editor, David J. Collins, to express properly that diversity has resulted in an intriguing selection. In order to give coherence to this volume, Collins and the contributors elected to focus on Kieckhefer’s concern with duality (holy and unholy, magic and science, vision and possession et cetera) and his conclusion that these “oppositions” are simply two sides of the same coin. This tension and its resolution create an effective tread knitting these somewhat disparate chapters into a cohesive collection.