SUPERSTITION

SUPERSTITION. In the context of the Orthodox Church, superstition can mean at least two things: 1) the survival of specific pagan beliefs and practices, particularly in rural areas, for example the dual-faith (q.v.) of Rus’ with analogs throughout the Balkans and Asia Minor (qq.v.) often expressed through a reliance on magical practices designed to manipulate the environment of the practitioner, thus the fascination with astrology and even black magic in the Byzantine era (q.v.); 2) the transference of magical or generally pagan attitudes to Christian practices and ritual objects, for example the understanding of icons (q.v.) as themselves divine, the manipulation of sacraments (q.v.) for magical purposes, etc.