Magickal Judaism Academic Resources

Jewish Magic In Late Antiquity Reading List


General


Books

Aubin, Melissa, Gendering Magic in Late Antique Judaism (Ph.D. Dissertation, Duke University, 1998)

Dennis, Geoffry W., The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2007)

Gaster, Moses, Three Works of Ancient Jewish Magic (Chthonios, 1986)

Harari, Y.Early Jewish Magic: Methodological and Phenomenological Studies (Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation; Jerusalem: Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1998) [Hebrew]

Hunter, Jennifer, Magickal Judaism (Citadel Press, 2006)

Saar, O., Superstitions in Israel during the Roman and Early-Byzantine Periods, (Masters Thesis, Tel Aviv University, 2003 (in Hebrew)


Articles in Periodicals and Chapters in Books

Baron, Salo, “Magic and Ritual,” in Salo Baron, A Social and Religious History of the Jews: Vol 2, The Christian Era, the First Five Centuries (NY: 1952), pp 15-23

Benin, S., “Megillat Ahima’az u-Mekomah ba-Sifrut ha-Bizantit,” Mekherei Yerishalayim be-Mahshevel Yisrael 4:3-4 (1985), 237-250

Eisenstein, J.D., “Alpha Beta Ben Sira,” in Otsar Midrashim vol. 1 (NY: J.D. Eisenstein, 1915)

Hamilton, Gordon J., "A New Hebrew-Aramaic Incantation Text from the Galilee: 'Rebuking the Sea'," JSS 41 (1996), 215-249

Harari, Yuval, "How to Do Things with Words: Philosophical Theory and Magical Deeds," Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore 19-20 (1998), 365-392 [Heb].

Harari, Yuval, "If You Wish to Kill a Person: Harmful Witchcraft and Protection from it in Early Jewish Magic," Jewish Studies 37 (1997), 111-142 [Heb].

Harari, Yuval, "Love Charms in Early Jewish Magic," Kabbalah 5 (2000), 347-364 [Heb].

Harari, Yuval, "Religion, Magic and Adjurations: Methodological Reflections Aimed at a New Definition of Early Jewish Magic," Daat 48 (2002), 31-56 [Heb].

Harari, Yuval, "Power and Money: Economic Aspects of the Use of Magic by Jews in Ancient Times and the Early Middle Ages," Peamim 85 (2000), 14-42 [Heb].

Hildesheimer, E.E., “Mystik und Agada im Urteile der Gaonen R. Scherira und R. Hai,” in Festchrift fur Jacob Rosenheim (Frankfurt-am-Main, 1931), 259-286

Naveh, Joseph, “On Ancient Jewish Magical Books,” in A. Oppenheimer, I. Gafni, & D. Schwatz (eds.), The Jews in the Hellenistic and Roman World (Jerusalem: Merkaz Zalman Shazar le-toldot Yisra'el : ha-Hevrah ha-historit ha-Yisre'elit, 1996), pp. 453-456 [Heb]

Schafer, Peter, "Jewish Magic Literature in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages," JJS 41 (1990), 75-91

Schafer, Peter, “Magic and Religion in Ancient Judaism,” in Peter Schafer, and H.G. Kippenberg (eds.) Envisioning Magic: A Princeton Seminar and Symposium (Leiden--NY--Koeln: E.J. Brill, 1997), pp. 19-43

Scholem, Gershom, "Havdalah de-Rabbi Akivah: Maqor le-maroet ha-magiah ha-yehudit bi-tkufat he-geonim," Tarbiz 50 (1980-1), 243-281 [HEB]

Swartz, Michael, “Magical Piety in Ancient and Medieval Judaism,” in Marvin Meyer and Paul Mirecki (eds.) Ancient Magic and Ritual Power (Leiden: EJ Brill, 1995), pp. 167-183

Tobias Lachs, Samuel, “The Alphabet of Ben Sira,” Gratz College Annual of Jewish Studies 11 (1973), 9-28

Wolfson, Elliot R., “ "Phantasmagoria: The Image of the Image in Jewish Magic from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages,” Review of Rabbinic Judaism: Ancient, Medieval, Modern 4 (2001), 78-120


Magic and Merkaba Literature


Books

Cohen, M.S., The Shi'ur Qomah: Liturgy and Theurgy in Pre-Kabbalistic Jewish Mysticism (NY: University Press of America, 1983)

Lesses, Rebecca, Ritual Practices to Gain Powers: Angels, Incantations, and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism (Harrisburg, PN: Trinity Press International, 1998)

Swartz, Michael, Scholastic Magic: Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996)


Articles in Periodicals and Chapters in Books

Alexander, Philip S., “Response,” [to Peter Schafer] in Peter Schafer and Joseph Dan (eds.) Gershom Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism 50 Years After (Tuebingen: J.C.B. Mohr, 1993), pp 79-83

Elior, Rachel, "Mysticism, Magic, and Angeology: the Perception of Angels in Hekhalot Literature," JSQ 1:1 (1993-4), pp. 5-53

Hermann, Klaus, "Magische traditionen der New Yorker hekhalot-handschrift JTS 8128 im Kontext ihrer Gesamtredaktion," Frankfurter Judaistische Beitrage 17 (1989), 101-149

Hermann, Klaus, "Magische traditionen der oxforder hekhalot-handschrift michael 9 in ihrem verhaltnis zu Ms. New York JTS 8128," Frankfurter Judaistische Beitrage 19 (1991-1992), 169-183

Lesses, Rebecca, "The Adjuration of the Prince of the Presence: Performative Utterance in a Jewish Ritual," in Marvin Meyer and Paul Mirecki (eds.) Ancient Magic and Ritual Power (Leiden: EJ Brill, 1995), pp. 185-206

Maier, Johann, "Magisch-theurgische uberlieferungen im mittelalterlichen: beobachtungen zu 'terafim' und 'golem'" in Helmut Birkhan (ed.) Die Juden in ihrer mitterlalterlichen umwiet (Bern: Peter Lang, 1992), pp. 249-287

Schafer, Peter, "Merkavah Mysticism and Magic," in Peter Schafer and Joseph Dan (eds.) Gershom Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism 50 Years After (Tuebingen: J.C.B. Mohr, 1993), pp. 59-78

Schafer, Peter, “Ein neues Fragment zur Metoposkopie und Chiromantik,” Frankfurter Judaistische Reitrage 13 (1985), 61-82 [=P. Schafer (ed.), Hekhalot-Studien (Tubingen: 1988), pp. 84-95]

Scholem, Gershom, “Esoteric Knowledge: The Heikhalot, the Ma`aseh Bereshit, and the Literature of Magic,” in G. Scholem, Kabbalah (NY: Meridian, 1978), pp. 14-20

Shaked, Shaul, "'Innen' und 'Aussen' in der religiongeschichte: Einige typologische beobachtungen," in J. Assmann (ed.) Die Enfindung des inneren Menschen (Görersloh : Göthersloher Verlagshaus G. Mohn, c1993), pp. 15-27

Swartz, Michael, "Book and Tradition in Hekhalot and Magical Literatures," JJTP 3:2 (1994), 189-224

Swartz, Michael, "'Like the Ministering Angels' Ritual and Purity in Early Jewish Mysticism and Magic," AJS Review 19:2 (1994), 135-167


Sefer Yesira


Books

Goldschmidt, Lazarus, Sefer Yetsirah (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1969)

Kalisch, Isador (trans. and ed.), The Sepher Yezirah: the Book of Formation (Gillette, NJ: Heptangle Books, 1987)

Kaplan, Aryeh, (trans. and ed.) Sefer Yetzirah: the Book of Creation (Northvale, NJ: J. Aaronson, 1995)

Kaplan, Aryeh, The Book of Creation (York Beach, ME: S. Weiser, c1990, 1997)

Kordo’ero, Mosheh Sefer Yetsirah: ha-Meyuhas le-Avraham Avinu: im perush Or Yakar (Jerusalem: Hevrat Ahuzat Yisrael, 1988/9)

Lambert, Mayer (trans. and ed.) Commentarie sur le Sefer Yesira de la creation, par le gaon Saadya de Fayyoum (Paris: E. Bouillon, 1891)

Menaham Mendel ben ha-Rav Barukh be`ndet me-Shaklav, Sefer Yetsirah: `im hamishah perushim [Rabad, Ramban, Saadya Gaon, Eliezer me-Garmaziya, Moshe Botarel, Gaon Eliyahu me-Vilna] (Grodno: 1806)

Moucka, Ladislav, Sefer Jecira [Czech and Hebrew] (Praha: Pudorys, c1991, 1993)

Papus, Gerard Encausse, The Qabalah: secret tradition of the West [complete translation of the Sepher Yetzirah] (Wellingborough: Thorsons, 1977) [translated from the French]

Pincherle, Mario, Fonti Archeologiche della magia: il Sfr Isire, primo libro dell’umanita (Ancona: Filelfo, 1977)

Sefer Yetsirah [heb and eng] (New York, NY: L.H. Frank & co., 1877)

Sefer Yetsirah: ha-Meyuhas la-Avraham Avinu: ve-alav kol shilte ha-Giborim ha Mefarshim ha-Mekubalim….Sefer Yetsirah: mesudar bi-Shelemut ‘al pi nusah ha Ari Ashkenazi, zal: im perush ha-Gera. Yatsa le-or me-hadash (Brooklyn: NY: 1987/8)

Sefer Yetsirah: ha-Meyuhas le-Avraham Avinu: ve-‘alav kol shilte ha-Giborim ha Mefarshim ha-Mekubalim (Jerusalem: Yeshivat Kol Yehudah, 1989)

Sterning, Khut (trans. and ed.) The Book of Formation (Sepher Yetzirah) by Akiba ben Yoseph (New York, NY: Ktav Pub. House, 1970)

Toaff, Gadiel (ed.), Sefer Yezirah: il libro della creazione (Roma: Carucci, 1979)

Vainshtok, Ben-Tsiyon Mosheh Ya’ir (ed.) Sefer Yetsirah ha-Shalem (Jerusalem: ha Makhon le-hotsa’at kitve yad ve-sifre Maran ha-Mehaber ha-Gaon ha-mekubal ha-tsadik Rabi Mosheh Ya’ir Vainshtok; New York: Li-fenot-nekhed ha mekhaber Sh. A. Vainshtok, 1982/3)

Vaynshtok, Bentsiyon Mosheh Ya`ir (ed.) Sefer Yetsirah ha-Shalem (Jerusalem: Defus S. Vaynfeld, 1965)

Westcott, W. Wynn, The Book of Creation: with a Bibliography of Modern Translations (Cambridge, England: I.A.M., 1978)

Westcott, Wm. Wynn, The Book of Formation and the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom (London: Theosophical Pub. Society; New York: The Path, 1893)


Articles in Periodicals and Chapters in Books

Ben-Shamai, Haggai, "Saadya's Goal in his 'Commentary on Sefer Yezira'," in Ruth Link Salinger (ed.), A Straight Path: Studies in Medieval Philosophy and Culture (Washington D.C.: Catholic University Press, 1988), pp. 1-9

Chaze, Micheline, "De l'identification des Patriarches au char divin: recherches du sens d'un enseignement rabbinique dans le Midrash et dans la Kabbale prezoharique et ses sources," REJ 149:1-3 (1990), 5-75

Dan, Joseph, "The Language of Creation and its Grammar," in Dan, Joseph (ed.), Jewish Mysticism I (Northvale NJ: J. Aaronson, 1998), pp. 129-154

Dan, Joseph, "Three Phases of the History of Sefer Yesira," in Frankfurter Judaistische Beitrage 21 (1994), pp. 7-29 [appears in Dan, Joseph (ed.), Jewish Mysticism (Northvale NJ: J. Aaronson, 1998-1999), pp. 155-187

Diamond, Jeffrey, "Sefer Yetsirah--el Libro de la Creacion," El Oliva 39 (1994), pp. 21-27

Finkel, Asher, "The Exegetic Elements of the Cosmosophical Work, Sefer Yesirah," in

Gruenwald, I., “A Prelimimary Critical Edition of Sefer Yesira,” IOS 1 (1971), 132-177

Gruenwald, I., “Some Critical Notes on the First Part of Sefer Yesira,” REJ 132 (1973), 474-512

Hayman, A. Peter, "Qohelet and the Book of Creation," JSOT 50 (1991), 95-111

Hayman, A. Peter, "Some Observations on Sefer Yesira: 1. Its Uses of Scripture 2. The Temple at the Centre of the Universe," JJS 35:2 (1984), 168-184; 37:2 (1986), 175-182

Hayman, A. Peter, "The Doctrine of Creation in Sefer Yesira: Some Text-Critical Problems," in Sed-Rajna, Gabrielle (ed.) Rashi, 1040-1990: Hommage a Ephraim E. Urbach. Congres Europeen des Etudes Juives [IV, 1990] (Paris: Cerf, 1993), pp. 219-227

Hayman, A. Peter, "The 'Original Text': a Scholarly Illusion," in Jon Davies, Graham Harvey, and Wilfred G.E. Watson (eds.) World Remembered Texts: Essays in Honour of John F.A. Sawyer (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995), pp. 434-449

Hayman, A. Peter, “Sefer Yesira and the Hekhalot Literature,” Proceedings of the First International Conference on the History of Jewish Mysticism (Jerusalem, 1987)

Hayman, A. Peter, "Was God a Magician? Sefer Yesira and Jewish Magic," JJS 40:2 (1989), 225-237

Hermann, Klaus, "'Feuer aus Wasser': sum Fortleben eines enbekannten Sefer Yesira Kommentars in der hekhalot-Literatur," Frankfurter Judaistische Beitrage 20 (1993), 49-95 Herrera, R.A. (ed.), Mystics of the Book: Themes, Topics, and Typologies (NewYork, NY: Peter Lang, 1993), pp. 45-55

Jospe, Raphael, "Early Philosophical Commentaries on the 'Sefer Yezirah': Some Comments," REJ 149:4 (1990), 369-415

Kiener, Ronald C., "Saadia and the 'Sefer Yetzirah': Translation Theory in Classical Jewish Thought," in Biderman, Shlomo & Scharfstein, Ben-Ami (eds.), Interpretation in Religion (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992), pp. 169-179

Kuyt, Annelies, "The Haside Ashkenaz and their Mystical Sources: Continuity and Innovation," in Ulf Haxen, Hanne Trautner-Kromann, & Karen Lisa Goldschmidt Salamon (eds.), Jewish Studies in a New Europe: Proceedings of the Fifth World Congress of Jewish Studies in Copenhagen 1994 (Copenhagen: C.A. Reitzel, 1998), pp. 462-471

Lacerenza, Giancarlo, "Il sangue fra microcosmo e macrocosmo nel commento di Sabbatai Donnolo al 'Sefer Jesirah," Atti della VI Settimana di Studi (1991), pp. 389-417

Langermann, Y. Tzvi, "A New Redaction of Sefer Yesira," Kabbalah 2 (1997), 49-64

Loewenthal, Elena, "Per una rilettura della premessa di Shabbetay Donnolo al commento al Sefer Yesirah: un capitolo inedito," Henoch 9:3 (1987), 345-352

Necker, Gerold, "Warnung vor der Schopfermacht: die Reflexion der Golem-Tradition in

Pines, Shlomo, "Points of Similarity Between the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Sefirot in the 'Sefer Yezira' and a text of Pseudo-Clementine 'Homilies': the Implications of this Resemblance," Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities: Proceedings 7:3 (1989), 63-142 [= Warren Zev Harvey & Moshe Idel (eds.), Studies in the History of Jewish Thought by Shlomo Pines (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1997)]

Scholem, Gershom, “Sefer Yesira,” Encyclopaedia Judaica (Jerusalem: Keter, 1973), Vol. 16, pp. 782-788

Sed, Nicola, "Rashi et le Pseudo-Sefer Yesirah," in Sed-Rajna, Gabrielle (ed.) Rashi, 1040-1990: Hommage a Ephraim E. Urbach. Congres Europeen des Etudes Juives [IV, 1990] (Paris: Cerf, 1993), pp. 237-250

Smirnov, Andrey V., "The Universe as a Phenomenon of Language: Sa`adiah Gaon's Commentary to the 'Book of Creation'," in Raphael Jospe (ed.), Paradigms in Jewish Philosophy (Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; London: Associated University Presses, 1997), pp. 87-111

Wasserstrom, Steven M., "Sefer Yesira and Early Islam: A Reappraisel," JJTP 3:1 (1993), 1-30


The Sword of Moses


Versions

“The Sword of Moses,” in M. Gaster (ed.) Studies and Texts (NY: Ktav, 1971) [Vol I pp. 288-311—Introduction; pp. 312-337—English Translation; Vol III pp. 69-103 Hebrew Text]

Gaster, Moses “The Sword of Moses,”JRAS (1896) 149-198

Gaster, Moses, The Sword of Moses (Edmonds, WA: Near Eastern Press, 1986, 1992)

Gaster, Moses, The Sword of Moses (London: D. Nutt, 1896)

Gaster, Moses, The Sword of Moses (NY: S. Weiser, 1970)

Harrari, Y., Harba de-Moshe: Mahadurah Hadasha Umekhor (Jerusalem: Akedemon, 1997)

Schafer, Peter, Synopse zur Hekhalot-Literatur (Tubingen: 1981), 598-622 [Text]

Schafer, Peter, Ubersetzung der Hekhalot-Literatur (Tubingen: 1991), Vol. 4 pp. 1-17 [German trans.]


Studies


Harari, Yuval, “If You Wish to Kill a Man: Aggressive Magic and the Defense against it in Ancient Jewish Magic,” Jewish Studies 37 (1997), 111-142 [Heb]

Rohrbacher-Sticker, C., “From Sense to Nonsense, from Incantation Prayer to Magical Spell,” JSQ 3 (1995), 24-46


Sefer ha-Razim


Books

Margalioth, M., (ed.) Sefer ha-Razim [The Book of the Mysteries] (Jerusalem: 1966)

Morgan, Michael, (trans. & ed.) Sefer ha-Razim: The Book of the Mysteries (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1983) [SBL, Texts and Translations 25: Pseudepigrapha Series 11]

Niggemeyer, Jens-Heinrich, Beschworungsformeln aus dem 'Buch der Geheimnisse' (Sefer ha-Razim): zur Topologie der Magischen Rede (Hildesheim--New York: Olms, 1975)


Articles in Periodical and Chapters in Books

Dan, Joseph, "Sefer ha-razim mahadarut Margalioth," Tarbiz 37 (1968), 208-214

Lightstone, Jack, “Christian Anti-Judaism and its Judaic Mirror: The Judaic Context of Early Christianity Revised,” in Stephen G. Wilson (ed.), Anti-Judaism in Early Christianity. Vol. 2: Speratation and Polemic (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1986), pp. 103-132

Maier, J, “Das Buch der Geheimnisse: zu einer neu entdecken Schrift aus talmudischer Zeit,” Judiaca 24 (1968), 98-111

Maier, J., “Poetisch-liturgusche strucke aus dem buch der geheimnisse,” Judaica 24 (1968), 172-181

Merchavya, Ch., “Review of Margalioth, Sepher ha-Razim,” Kiryath Sepher 42 (1966/7), 297-303

Merchavya, Ch., “Sefer ha-Razim,” Ecyclopaedia Judaica (Jerusalem: Keter, 1973), Vol.8, pp. 1594-1595

Sed, N., “Le Sefer ha-Razim et la methode de ‘combinaison des lettres,”REJ 130 (1971), 295-304

Sznol, S., “Sefer ha-Razim: El Libro de los Secretos: Introduccion y commnetario al vocabulario griego,” Erytheia 10 (1989), 265-288

More:

Jewish & Ancient Magic Bibliography - http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/bibmagic.html