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).
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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.