Jewish Magic and Superstition

Jewish Magic and Superstition PDF Author: Joshua Trachtenberg
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812208331
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
Alongside the formal development of Judaism from the eleventh through the sixteenth centuries, a robust Jewish folk religion flourished—ideas and practices that never met with wholehearted approval by religious leaders yet enjoyed such wide popularity that they could not be altogether excluded from the religion. According to Joshua Trachtenberg, it is not possible truly to understand the experience and history of the Jewish people without attempting to recover their folklife and beliefs from centuries past. Jewish Magic and Superstition is a masterful and utterly fascinating exploration of religious forms that have all but disappeared yet persist in the imagination. The volume begins with legends of Jewish sorcery and proceeds to discuss beliefs about the evil eye, spirits of the dead, powers of good, the famous legend of the golem, procedures for casting spells, the use of gems and amulets, how to battle spirits, the ritual of circumcision, herbal folk remedies, fortune telling, astrology, and the interpretation of dreams. First published more than sixty years ago, Trachtenberg's study remains the foundational scholarship on magical practices in the Jewish world and offers an understanding of folk beliefs that expressed most eloquently the everyday religion of the Jewish people.

Jewish Magic and Superstition

Jewish Magic and Superstition PDF Author: Joshua Trachtenberg
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812208331
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 393

Get Book Here

Book Description
Alongside the formal development of Judaism from the eleventh through the sixteenth centuries, a robust Jewish folk religion flourished—ideas and practices that never met with wholehearted approval by religious leaders yet enjoyed such wide popularity that they could not be altogether excluded from the religion. According to Joshua Trachtenberg, it is not possible truly to understand the experience and history of the Jewish people without attempting to recover their folklife and beliefs from centuries past. Jewish Magic and Superstition is a masterful and utterly fascinating exploration of religious forms that have all but disappeared yet persist in the imagination. The volume begins with legends of Jewish sorcery and proceeds to discuss beliefs about the evil eye, spirits of the dead, powers of good, the famous legend of the golem, procedures for casting spells, the use of gems and amulets, how to battle spirits, the ritual of circumcision, herbal folk remedies, fortune telling, astrology, and the interpretation of dreams. First published more than sixty years ago, Trachtenberg's study remains the foundational scholarship on magical practices in the Jewish world and offers an understanding of folk beliefs that expressed most eloquently the everyday religion of the Jewish people.

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism PDF Author: Geoffrey W. Dennis
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 0738748145
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 563

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Book Description
Jewish esotericism is the oldest and most influential continuous occult tradition in the West. Presenting lore that can spiritually enrich your life, this one-of-a-kind encyclopedia is devoted to the esoteric in Judaism—the miraculous and the mysterious. In this second edition, Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis has added over thirty new entries and significantly expanded over one hundred other entries, incorporating more knowledge and passages from primary sources. This comprehensive treasury of Jewish teachings, drawn from sources spanning Jewish scripture, the Talmud, the Midrash, the Kabbalah, and other esoteric branches of Judaism, is exhaustively researched yet easy to use. It includes over one thousand alphabetical entries, from Aaron to Zohar Chadesh, with extensive cross-references to related topics and new illustrations throughout. Drawn from the well of a great spiritual tradition, the secret wisdom within these pages will enlighten and empower you. Praise: "An erudite and lively compendium of Jewish magical beliefs, practices, texts, and individuals...This superb, comprehensive encyclopedia belongs in every serious library."—Richard M. Golden, Director of the Jewish Studies Program, University of North Texas, and editor of The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition "Rabbi Dennis has performed a tremendously important service for both the scholar and the novice in composing a work of concise information about aspects of Judaism unbeknownst to most, and intriguing to all."—Rabbi Gershon Winkler, author of Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism

Jewish Magic and Superstition

Jewish Magic and Superstition PDF Author: Joshua Trachtenberg
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812218626
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
A classic treatise, available now for the first time in paperback, on the folk beliefs of the Jews, with a new introduction by arguably the most important contemporary scholar of Jewish mysticism.

Divination, Magic, and Healing

Divination, Magic, and Healing PDF Author: Ronald H. Isaacs
Publisher: Jason Aronson
ISBN: 9780765799517
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
To find more information on Rowman & Littlefield titles, please visit us at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.

Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism

Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism PDF Author: Gedalyah Nigal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Thoroughly researched and annotated, Professor Gedalyah Nigal's work examines such phenomena as the baalei shem - the individuals who by their knowledge of the "holy names" were able to perform great feats; kefitzat ha-derekh - the ability to traverse great distances in very little time; the transmigration of souls; dybbuks, possession, and exorcism; demons and their marriages to humans; the battles against forces of evil; the power of amulets; and journeys to the Garden of Eden and back.

Jewish Magic Before the Rise of Kabbalah

Jewish Magic Before the Rise of Kabbalah PDF Author: Yuval Harari
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
ISBN: 0814336310
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 524

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Book Description
A comprehensive study of Jewish magic in the late antiquity and the early Islamic period—the phenomenon, the sources, and method for its research, and the history of scholarly investigation into its nature and origin. "Magic culture is certainly fascinating. But what is it? What, in fact, are magic writings, magic artifacts?" Originally published in Hebrew in 2010, Jewish Magic Before the Rise of Kabbalah is a comprehensive study of early Jewish magic focusing on three major topics: Jewish magic inventiveness, the conflict with the culture it reflects, and the scientific study of both. The first part of the book analyzes the essence of magic in general and Jewish magic in particular. The book begins with theories addressing the relationship of magic and religion in fields like comparative study of religion, sociology of religion, history, and cultural anthropology, and considers the implications of the paradigm shift in the interdisciplinary understanding of magic for the study of Jewish magic. The second part of the book focuses on Jewish magic culture in late antiquity and in the early Islamic period. This section highlights the artifacts left behind by the magic practitioners—amulets, bowls, precious stones, and human skulls—as well as manuals that include hundreds of recipes. Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah also reports on the culture that is reflected in the magic evidence from the perspective of external non-magic contemporary Jewish sources. Issues of magic and religion, magical mysticism, and magic and social power are dealt with in length in this thorough investigation. Scholars interested in early Jewish history and comparative religions will find great value in this text.

Ancient Jewish Magic

Ancient Jewish Magic PDF Author: Gideon Bohak
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521180986
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Gideon Bohak gives a pioneering 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, to reconstruct a historical picture that is as balanced and nuanced as possible. 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. Throughout, the book seeks to explain the methodological underpinnings of all sound research in this demanding field, and to highlight areas where further research is likely to prove fruitful.

Messianic Mystics

Messianic Mystics PDF Author: Moshe Idel
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300082883
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
One of the worl'ds leading scholars of Jewish thought examines the long tradition of Jewish messianism and mystical experience.

Lilith's Cave

Lilith's Cave PDF Author: Howard Schwartz
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0195067266
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
Tales of terror and the supernatural hold an honored position in the Jewish folkloric tradition. Howard Schwartz has superbly translated and retold fifty of the best of these folktales. Gathered from countless sources ranging from the ancient Middle East to twelfth-century Germany and later Eastern European oral tradition, these captivating stories include Jewish variants of the Pandora and Persephone myths.

The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West

The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West PDF Author: David J. Collins, S. J.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316239497
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 897

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Book Description
This book presents twenty chapters by experts in their fields, providing a thorough and interdisciplinary overview of the theory and practice of magic in the West. Its chronological scope extends from the Ancient Near East to twenty-first-century North America; its objects of analysis range from Persian curse tablets to US neo-paganism. For comparative purposes, the volume includes chapters on developments in the Jewish and Muslim worlds, evaluated not simply for what they contributed at various points to European notions of magic, but also as models of alternative development in ancient Mediterranean legacy. Similarly, the volume highlights the transformative and challenging encounters of Europeans with non-Europeans, regarding the practice of magic in both early modern colonization and more recent decolonization.