'A Corpus of Magic Bowls: Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity' and 'Curse or Blessing, What's in the Magic Bowl?'

'A Corpus of Magic Bowls: Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity' and 'Curse or Blessing, What's in the Magic Bowl?'This book 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. 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 modern day Iran and Iraq of the fourth to seventh

This book 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. 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 modern day Iran and Iraq of the fourth to seventh centuries A.D. These magical texts were individually commissioned by people whose names are 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.

To this reprint is added Levene's general introduction, 'Curse or Blessing, What's in the Magic Bowl', making this an ideal volume for any wishing to study Late Antique Jewish magical literature.