Ancient Jewish magic: a history

Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

Abstract

Gideon Bohak gives an account of the broad history of ancient Jewish magic, from the Second Temple to the rabbinic period. It is based both on ancient magicians' own compositions and products in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek, and on the descriptions and prescriptions of non-magicians. The main focus is on the cultural make-up of ancient Jewish magic, and special attention is paid to the processes of cross-cultural contacts and borrowings between Jews and non-Jews, as well as to inner-Jewish creativity. Other major issues explored include the place of magic within Jewish society, contemporary Jewish attitudes to magic, and the identity of its practitioners. --From publisher's description.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationCambridge, UK
PublisherCambridge University Press
Number of pages483
ISBN (Electronic)0521874572, 1316341097, 1316341747, 1316341941, 1316342344, 1316342743, 9780521180986, 9780521874571, 9781316341940, 9781316342749
StatePublished - 2008

ULI Keywords

  • uli
  • Jewish magic -- History
  • Magic in rabbinical literature

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