Amulet

Amulets are protective objects worn to ward off illness or danger. The Greeks called them phylakteria (φυλακτήρια), while in the Orient they were known as talismans. These objects could take various forms: whimsical images (like the scarab in ancient Egypt), pieces of parchment, copper, tin, silver, or specific stones inscribed with characters or hieroglyphs. This superstition stems from an excessive attachment to life and a childish fear of anything that could cause harm. Christianity only managed to eradicate this practice among the faithful. From the early centuries of the Church, the Church Fathers and councils condemned these pagan practices. They depicted amulets as an idolatrous remnant of the trust placed in supposed genii (guiding spirits) governing the world. The priest Thiers reported numerous passages from the Church Fathers on this subject, as well as canons from several councils. Secular laws also condemned the use of amulets. Emperor Constantius II forbade the use of amulets and charms for healing diseases. This law, reported by Ammianus Marcellinus, was enforced so strictly that Valentinian I had an old woman executed for supposedly curing fevers with charmed words, and a young man beheaded for touching a certain piece of marble while reciting seven letters of the alphabet to cure stomach ailments. However, to provide safeguards for the misguided, who always constitute the majority, ways were found to circumvent the law. Amulets were made with pieces of paper inscribed with verses from the Holy Scripture. The laws were less rigid against this custom, and the priests were left to moderate its abuses. Modern Greeks, when ill, write the name of their ailment on a triangular piece of paper which they attach to their bedroom door. They have great faith in this amulet. Some people carry the beginning of the Gospel of Saint John as a protection against thunder; and, remarkably, the Turks also trust in this same amulet, according to Pierre Leloyer. Another question arises as to whether it is superstitious to carry relics of saints, a cross, an image, an object blessed by the prayers of the Church, an Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), etc., and whether these things should be classified as amulets, as the Protestants claim. We acknowledge that if one attributes to these things the supernatural power to protect from accidents, sudden death, death in a state of sin, etc., it is a superstition. It is not of the same kind as that of amulets, whose supposed power cannot be attributed to God; but it is what theologians call a vain observance, because one attributes to holy and respectable things a power that God has not attached to them. A well-instructed Christian does not view them in this way; he knows that the saints can only help us through their prayers and intercession with God. This is why the Church has decided that it is useful and praiseworthy to honor and invoke them. Now, it is a sign of invocation and respect towards them to carry their image or their relics; just as it is a mark of affection and respect for a person to keep their portrait or something that belonged to them. It is therefore neither a vain observance nor a foolish confidence to hope that in consideration of the affection and respect we show to a saint, he will intercede and pray for us. The same is true of crosses and Agnus Dei. Thyraeus recounts that in 1568, in the Duchy of Julich (Juliers), the Prince of Orange condemned a Spanish prisoner to death; his soldiers tied him to a tree and tried to kill him with arquebus shots, but their bullets did not hit him. He was stripped to ensure he did not have armor under his skin that stopped the blows; an amulet bearing the figure of a lamb was found. It was removed, and the first gunshot killed him instantly. The old chronicle of Don Ursino tells that when his mother sent him, as a small child, to Santiago de Compostela, she placed an amulet around his neck that her husband had taken from a Moorish knight. The virtue of this amulet was to soothe the fury of wild beasts. While crossing a forest, a bear snatched the little prince from his nurse’s arms and carried him to her cave. But far from harming him, she raised him with tenderness; he later became very famous under the name of Don Ursino, which he owed to the bear, his wild nurse, and he was recognized by his father, whom legend says he succeeded on the throne of Navarre. Black people believe strongly in the power of amulets. The Bas-Bretons attribute to them the power to repel the demon. In Finistère, when a child is taken to be baptized, a piece of black bread is placed around their neck to ward off spells and curses that old witches could cast on them.