Scholastic Magic: Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism
5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
In exploring the social background of early Jewish mysticism, Scholastic Magic tells the story of how imagination and magic were made to serve memory and scholasticism. In the visionary literature that circulated between the fifth and ninth centuries, there are strange tales of ancient rabbis conjuring the angel known as Sar-Torah, the "Prince of the Torah." This angel endowed the rabbis themselves with spectacular memory and skill in learning, and then taught them the formulas for giving others these gifts. This literature, according to Michael Swartz, gives us rare glimpses of how ancient and medieval Jews who stood outside the mainstream of rabbinic leadership viewed Torah and ritual. Through close readings of the texts, he uncovers unfamiliar dimensions of the classical Judaic idea of Torah and the rabbinic civilization that forged them.
Swartz sets the stage for his analysis with a discussion of the place of memory and orality in ancient and medieval Judaism and how early educational and physiological theories were marshaled for the cultivation of memory. He then examines the unusual magical rituals for conjuring angels and ascending to heaven as well as the authors' attitudes to authority and tradition, showing them to have subverted essential rabbinic values even as they remained beholden to them. The result is a ground-breaking analysis of the social and conceptual background of rabbinic Judaism and ancient Mediterranean religions. Offering complete translations of the principal Sar-Torah texts, Scholastic Magic will become essential reading for those interested in religions in the ancient and medieval world, ritual studies, and popular religion.
Originally published in 1996.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Related to Scholastic Magic
Titles in the series (6)
Engineers of Happy Land: Technology and Nationalism in a Colony Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Regulating the Social: The Welfare State and Local Politics in Imperial Germany Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGibeon, Where the Sun Stood Still: The Discovery of the Biblical City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Social Bodies: Science, Reproduction, and Italian Modernity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Colonialism and Revolution in the Middle East: Social and Cultural Origins of Egypt's Urabi Movement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related ebooks
Jewish Mysticism: From Ancient Times through Today Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Concealment and Revelation: Esotericism in Jewish Thought and its Philosophical Implications Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism: Second Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Jewish Jesus: How Judaism and Christianity Shaped Each Other Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hasidism Incarnate: Hasidism, Christianity, and the Construction of Modern Judaism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsText and Artifact in the Religions of Mediterranean Antiquity: Essays in Honour of Peter Richardson Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll the Names of the Lord: Lists, Mysticism, and Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn Jewish Folklore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"Sefer Hasidim" and the Ashkenazic Book in Medieval Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSemitic Magic: Its Origins and Development Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Besht: Magician, Mystic, and Leader Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful Death: Jewish Poetry and Martyrdom in Medieval France Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings"Peering Through the Lattices": Mystical, Magical, and Pietistic Dimensions in the Tosafist Period Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tales in Context: Sefer ha-ma'asim in Medieval Northern France Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Iranian Talmud: Reading the Bavli in Its Sasanian Context Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sage Tales Teacher's Guide: The Complete Teacher's Companion to Sage Tales: Wisdom and Wonder from the Rabbis of the Talmud Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStudying Hasidism: Sources, Methods, Perspectives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMedieval Jewish Philosophy and Its Literary Forms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Guide for the Perplexed: Easy to Read Layout Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuide for the perplexed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBy Divine Design Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?: The Search for the Secret of Qumran Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Romance of Sorcery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOld Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Early Yiddish Epic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hermetic Arcanum - The secret work of the hermetic philosophy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKABBALAH - Selected Writings: The Essential Works of the Mystic Wisdom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Judaism For You
The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tanach, the Jewish Bible in English translation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs & Rituals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why the Jews?: The Reason for Antisemitism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Living a Jewish Life, Revised and Updated: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Practical Qabalah Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rational Bible: Genesis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rational Bible: Exodus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Sacred Texts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anne Frank Remembered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Bible Translation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Torah: The first five books of the Hebrew bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of the Jews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Jubilees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For This We Left Egypt?: A Passover Haggadah for Jews and Those Who Love Them Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I and Thou Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Zohar: Annotations to the Ashlag Commentary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rational Bible: Deuteronomy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kabbala: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism and Its Secret Doctrine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A History of the Jews: The Indestructible Jews, The Jews in America, and Appointment in Jerusalem Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tanakh: The Jewish Bible – The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kabbalah & Astrology: The Secrets Of Your Birthday Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Scholastic Magic
2 ratings0 reviews