Jewish magical papyri
Encyclopedia
Jewish magical papyri are a subclass of papyri with specific Jewish magical uses, and which shed light on popular belief during the late Second Temple Period
and after in Late Antiquity. A related category of contemporary evidence are Jewish magical inscriptions, typically on amulets, ostraca and incantation bowls
.
magicians appear in the New Testament
, Acts of the Apostles
, and also in Josephus
, such as Atomos, a Jewish Magician of Cyprus (Antiquities of the Jews
20:142).
Jewish magical papyri supplement the evidences for angelology found in early rabbinic material, for example in identifying the existence of a national angel named Israel.
The character of Jewish magical papyri is often syncretic. Some "Jewish magical papyri" may not themselves be Jewish but syncretic invocations of the Jewish god by non-Jews.
and the inscriptions analysed by Dan Levene (2002).
in the late 19th Century, and subsequent interpretation and cataloguing, primarily during the early 20th Century, has been followed by incorporation into academic research which has allowed Jewish magical papyri and magical inscriptions a supplemental role to major sources such as Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha
, Dead Sea Scrolls
, Philo
, Josephus
, the New Testament
, and the Talmuds.
Second Temple period
The Second Temple period , in Jewish history, is the period between 530 BCE and 70 CE, when the Second Temple of Jerusalem existed. It ended with the First Jewish–Roman War and the Temple's destruction....
and after in Late Antiquity. A related category of contemporary evidence are Jewish magical inscriptions, typically on amulets, ostraca and incantation bowls
Incantation bowls
Incantation Bowls, also known as demon bowls or devil trap bowls, are a form of early protective magic found in modern-day Iraq and Iran. Produced in the Middle East during the Late Antiquity from 6th to 8th century AD , the bowls were usually inscribed in a spiral beginning from the rim and moving...
.
Jewish magic
Although magic was forbidden to Jews in the Hebrew Bible, it was widely practised in the late Second Temple period and particularly well documented in the period following the destruction of the Temple into the 3rd, 4th and 5th centuries C.E. Jewish and SamaritanSamaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
magicians appear in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
, and also in Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, such as Atomos, a Jewish Magician of Cyprus (Antiquities of the Jews
Antiquities of the Jews
Antiquities of the Jews is a twenty volume historiographical work composed by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in the thirteenth year of the reign of Roman emperor Flavius Domitian which was around 93 or 94 AD. Antiquities of the Jews contains an account of history of the Jewish people,...
20:142).
Papyri texts
The language of the papyri may be:- Aramaic, as in Bodleian Heb.d83, a small fragment intended for placement in a metal magical amulet, found in OxyrhynchusOxyrhynchusOxyrhynchus is a city in Upper Egypt, located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo, in the governorate of Al Minya. It is also an archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered...
with twelve lines with an invocation "by the eye of Shemihaza" "for a dog to bite someone". - GreekGreeksThe Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, as a subset of the Greek Magical PapyriGreek magical papyriThe Greek Magical Papyri is the name given by scholars to a body of papyri from Graeco-Roman Egypt, which each contain a number of magical spells, formulae, hymns and rituals. The materials in the papyri date from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD...
catalogued by Karl Preisendanz and others. - Hebrew, as Louvre E7020, which relates to Jewish chariot literature and angelic liturgy.
Jewish magical papyri supplement the evidences for angelology found in early rabbinic material, for example in identifying the existence of a national angel named Israel.
The character of Jewish magical papyri is often syncretic. Some "Jewish magical papyri" may not themselves be Jewish but syncretic invocations of the Jewish god by non-Jews.
Amulet and incantation bowl inscriptions
Although not technically "papyri" inscriptions on amulets and incantation bowls offer context. Jewish incantation bowls were collected most notably by Shlomo MoussaieffShlomo Moussaieff
Shlomo Moussaieff may refer to:* Shlomo Moussaieff , one of the founders of the Bukharan Quarter in Jerusalem* Shlomo Moussaieff , Israeli born millionaire businessman....
and the inscriptions analysed by Dan Levene (2002).
Importance for research
The discovery, primarily during the heyday of Near Eastern archaeologyNear Eastern archaeology
Near Eastern Archaeology is a regional branch of the wider, global discipline of Archaeology...
in the late 19th Century, and subsequent interpretation and cataloguing, primarily during the early 20th Century, has been followed by incorporation into academic research which has allowed Jewish magical papyri and magical inscriptions a supplemental role to major sources such as Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
, Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
, Philo
Philo
Philo , known also as Philo of Alexandria , Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, Yedidia, "Philon", and Philo the Jew, was a Hellenistic Jewish Biblical philosopher born in Alexandria....
, Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, and the Talmuds.