Jewish love magic : : from late antiquity to the Middle Ages / / by Ortal-Paz Saar.

• Author: Saar, Ortal-Paz.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2017]
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English
• Series: Magical and Religious Literature of Late Antiquity 6.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (313 pages) :; color illustrations.
• Notes: Based on the author's thesis (doctoral) -- Universiṭat Tel-Aviv, 2009.

Jewish Love Magic: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages is the first monograph dedicated to the supernatural methods employed by Jews in order to generate love, grace or hate. Examining hundreds of manuscripts, often unpublished, Ortal-Paz Saar skillfully illuminates a major aspect of the Jewish magical tradition. The book explores rituals, spells and important motifs of Jewish love magic, repeatedly comparing them to the Graeco-Roman and Christian traditions. In addition to recipes and amulets in Hebrew, Aramaic and Judaeo-Arabic, primarily originating in the Cairo Genizah, also rabbinic sources and responsa are analysed, resulting in a comprehensive and fascinating picture.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Introduction -- What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Love (Magic)? -- Making Love, Making Hate -- Of Loviel and Other Demons -- A Time to Love and a Time to Hate -- You Shall Not Walk in Their Statutes? -- Summary -- Bibliography -- Indexes.