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Previous scholarship on 1 Corinthians 5.1–5 has primarily used parallels from the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) and curse formulae (defixiones) to understand Paul’s instructions about delivering a sexually immoral man over to Satan. This paper diverges from such an approach, instead looking at apotropaism in Second Temple Jewish literature and a parallel found in the Damascus Document that concerns a man excommunicated from the community due to sin done while in a state of spirit-possession. Obedience is often viewed in Second Temple Judaism as a method for repelling evil spirits and Paul seems to adopt a similar view. Additionally, the author(s) of the Damascus Document differentiate(s) between states of disobedience and apostasy. While apostasy incurs the death penalty, disobedience to Sabbath observance results in excommunication with the hope of remediation back into the community. Paul too seems to accept this dichotomy between apostasy and disobedience, but remediation is not possible for the sexually immoral man. Rather, his death serves to protect the spirit of the community from moral degradation and the ongoing threat of hostile spiritual forces.

Previous scholarship on Luke 24:36–43 has concentrated primarily on features such as manuscript differences, post-Easter theology, and the development and sources of the Gospel writer, among other issues. Little attention, however, has been given to some of the more peculiarly “magical” features of this passage Luke’s mention of Jesus appearing as a spirit/ghost and his desire to consume a piece of broiled fish alerts the reader to an apotropaic reading of this scene. In addition to contributing to an anti-docetic apologetic, this story also demonstrates that Jesus was not an evil spirit This article explores the apotropaic function of fish within Luke’s narrative by comparing it with the apotropaic use of fish in the Jewish book of Tobit and the Greek Magical Papyri. This apotropaic reading of the text allows for Luke’s subtle narrative strategy to implicate the disciples for their unbelief and further demonstrates the author’s knowledge of Greco-Roman religious ideas.