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A Corpus of Magic Bowls - Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity is a unique collection of Jewish magical texts from Late Antiquity - These consist of spells for protection against a wide variety of supernatural entities, demons, ghouls and ghosts, that were thought to be the cause of humanity's misfortunes. Texts in this collection include spells for the protection of the unborn and new-born baby, afflictions of the region of the head and belly, evil spirits in general as well as human enemies. The magic bowls from which the incantations in this book have been transcribed are a form of amulet which was peculiar to the Mesopotamian regions of modem day Iran and Iraq of the fourth to seventh centuries AD. These magical texts were individually commissioned by people whose names arc usually mentioned within the texts. After having been written by sorcerer-scribes on the inside of earthenware bowls these were buried upside down under the floor of the client’s house. These texts are an early testament to Jewish magical textual traditions. elements of which can be traced throughout history to modern-day practice. Levene's book makes available new and exciting material from an area of which little has been published so far.
Dr Dan Levene is a Lecturer in Jewish history and culture at the University of Southampton.
More information about the Kegan Paul Jewish Studies series can be found here.
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| Format: 234 x 156mm
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| Binding: hardback
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| Pages: 236 pp
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| ISBN: 710307268
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| Illustrations: 39 plates
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| Subject:
Judaica, Kabbalistic Studies, Assyriology,
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| Series / Library: Jewish Studies
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