Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Plates follow page -- List of Plates -- Preface -- Introduction -- I. Research and Method -- 1. Magic and the Study of Religion -- Evolutionist Theories -- Sociology of Magic -- Magic, Religion, and Rationality in Anthropological Research -- 2. Magic, Mysticism, Religion, and Society: The Study of Early Jewish Magic -- Magic in the Greco-Roman World: Aims of the Research -- Religion, Magic, and Mysticism in Judaism in Late Antiquity and the Early Islamic Period -- Concluding Remarks -- 3. Religion, Magic, Adjuration, and the Definition of Early Jewish Magic -- Magic-Mageia: Introducing the Problem -- Magic and Religion: A Case of Family Resemblance -- From Magic to Jewish Magic -- 4. How to Do Things with Words: Speech Acts and Incantations -- Speech Act Theory -- Speech Act Theory and Magic Speech -- Performative Utterances and Acts of Adjuration: Early Jewish Magic as a Test Case -- II. Sources -- 5. Jewish Magic Literature: Magical Texts and Artifacts -- Performative Artifacts -- Instructional Literature: Magic Recipes and Treatises -- Concluding Remarks -- 6. Angels, Demons, and Sorceries: Beliefs, Actions, and Attitudes in Nonmagic Literature -- Second Temple Period Literature -- Hekhalot and Merkavah Literature -- Polemical Karaite Writings -- The Response of Rav Hai Gaon to the Sages of Kairouan -- Maimonides' Writings -- Concluding Remarks -- 7. Knowledge, Power, and Hegemony: Sorcery, Demonology, and Divination in Rabbinic Literature -- Sorcery -- Demons and the Evil Eye -- Divination -- Dreams and Their Interpretation -- Astrology -- Concluding Remarks -- Epilogue -- Bibliography -- Index of Sources -- General Index.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.