Every reader of books knows the enchanting power of the word. Verbal enchantment, and often a subsequent disenchantment, is here presented as a model for understanding religious texts from Plato to Thomas Merton, from the Orphics to contemporary cults, from the Hebrew prophets to the Zen masters. Of particular importance are the fresh portrait of Jesus and a new look at the conversion of St. Paul. Enchantments shifts the focus form comparative religion to the spiritualities these religions allow.