Yes, I have.
It was pretty interesting, actually. Basically, it looks at what the average Jew or gentile might have thought about Jesus. The model that they all seem to fit him too is that of a Magus (a Median priest who knows how to conjure up the demons who make the world work and get them to do what he wants) or in a disparaging sense a "goetes" (a street magician) who makes a show of conjuring to impress the crowds, and shows them some tricks, in exchange for the coins that they might throw to him. These latter kind were also known to dupe people by promising them riches, the love of someone they want, etc, and going to great lengths to lead them on with the show, hoping for-and frequently getting, a suitable fee. Even the pikers often felt that the whole magic thing was quite real, and that they were students learning to master it.
Smith gives quite a few examples from Greco-Roman literature and from the magical papyri to illustrate how several things the gospels and Paul attribute to Jesus had magical analogues. If you can find a copy, see
The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation-Including the Demotic Spells (ed. Hans Dieter Betz, 1986). My copy implies that there was supposed to be a companion volume with the Greek and Demotic original texts, but I am not aware of such a thing having come to fruition, as they were already available in critical editions. There is a copy of this too on Scribd, but the OCR scan is not particularly good, as I suspect is also the case with the Scribd version of Smith's book.
I often find my hardcopy volumes of works like these by searching for remaindered books as well as visiting shops that feature used books (not trade paperbacks, but real books). They are not always cheap, but then there is the library and copy machines if you cannot get them any other way, as long as you adhere to the copyright laws of your country, which frequently make exceptions for cases of personal study and research.
DCH
toejam wrote:Morton Smith's 1978 classic "Jesus the Magician" has just been reissued, with a new forward by Bart Ehrman.
http://www.bookdepository.com/Jesus-Mag ... 1571747150
I've had this on my 'to read' list for a while. But up until now, copies have been hard to track down at a reasonable price. So the reissue is welcome. I haven't read any Morton Smith before, but I've heard he's an ... shall I say ... "interesting" character - possibly even a little dubious - but supposedly a heavyweight scholar for his time. So it should make for a fascinating read. Anyone read it? Thoughts?