Himmelsbrief
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A Himmelsbrief, also known as a "heaven's letter" (Bilardi, 2009) or "heavenly letter" (Kerr, 2002), is a religious documents said to have been written by God or a divine agent. Their purpose is to protect the bearer or place from all evil and danger; however, there is a price for their protection. Bearers will only be protected so long as they abide by the moral covenants detailed in the letter (Bilardi, 2009).
They are often said to have miraculously "fallen from sky", claim protection for owners of a copy (encouraging memetic replication) and punishment for disbelievers.
Some authors reserve the name for Christian apocryphal documents, but similar pieces are found in Islam, Hinduism and pre-Christian religions.
Hippolytus of Rome mentions one in Refutation of All Heresies (third century), and the earlier full text is a Latin one dated in the 6th century.
While preaching, Jacob, the organizer of the Shepherds' Crusade (1251), held one which was allegedly given by the Virgin Mary.
Pennsylvania German
In the
See also
- The Roman ancile, Mars' shield said to have fallen from the sky.
References
- Bilardi, C.R. (2009) The Red Church: or the Art of Pennsylvania German Braucherie; Pendraig Publishing, Los Angeles, CA
- Herr, Karl (2002) Hex and Spellwork: The Magical Practice of the Pennsylvania Dutch; Weiser Books, Boston, MA
- Chain Letter Evolution Archived 2006-08-19 at the Wayback Machine,
- Hans Günther Bickert / Norbert Nail (2019): Das Wirtshaus an der Lahn: Der legendäre "Gasthof zum Schützenpfuhl" in Marburg und seine Gäste. Mit einem Beitrag über "Himmelsbriefe". Marburg: Büchner-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-96317-166-6