This is Patreon Book 1. That means, this is a book bought entirely from the funds raised on my Patreon Page, so apart from my merits of waiting in line for 45 at the post office to claim it, which are basically null, I have to thank Tony, Renee, Oana, M., Julio, Clifford, Alexander and Akilah for their support.
No, Yuval Harari is not that guy with Sapiens and Homo Deus (whom I read with similar interest and pleasure) but an expert of Jewish thought and magic at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva, Israel.
You can find more of his articles on his Academia Profile.
A portion of the work can be found HERE.
Contents:
Besides the Introduction, Preface, Plates, Indices and luxuriant Bibliography, the book is structured in two main parts: I Research and Method and II Sources.
I. Little by little we are introduced in the current theories and methods of study on magic as viewed from the academic anthropological point. Chapter 1 deals with Magic and Study of Religion as conceptually akin concepts and their function and relevance coupled with the concept of Rationality. In my view, only this chapter alone should be a mandatory read for any researcher or for that matter, anyone who could begin an exposition on magic in the 21th century. Subsequent chapters deal with Jewish Magic more specifically, touching upon historical views of magic and mysticism in Late Antiquity (chapter 2), proper delineations and definitions of magic is in the Jewish paradigm (chapter 3), concluding with a study of the process of adjuration from a speech act theory perspective (chapter 4). Needless to say, a required reading for any student of magical verbal performances, from Aramaic incantations to Quranic magic, being a solid theoretical foundation.
II. We are gently and carefully introduced into the praxis, by means of the historical sources. Chapter 5 deals with the inner sources (instructional literature is a very adequate term for magic books or recipe collections) be they document or artifact produced by the practitioners as the amulet pictured beneath, chapter 6 draws on the outer sources on magic, angels and demons to further clarify external attitudes on magic while chapter 7 is an in-deapth study of the rabbinical sources dealinf with sorcery and divination.
Characteres on a Cairo Geniza Amulet (Cambrige University Library T-S K1-137, fig.17).
Minus points: unfortunately, the binding. Although the cover is indeed hardcover, it`s simply a plastic coated paper over cardboard. The joint will give some time in the future. The pages are not sewn, but glued (perfect binding) so upon frequent opening or forced manipulation, it will crack. A cheap binding for a precious book is always a pity, but I do understand that these choices are made not in contempt of the book`s value, but in the wish of making the book more accessible to the public.
Plus points: besides being a perfect book to show dilettante esotericists and Dan-Brown-reading-conspiracy-loving-armchair-magicians that kabbalah is not a 2000 year old system that permeates magic? And besides the fact that it's a great and comprehensive read? Well, the 21 figures therein are extremely clear, the structure is rigorous enough to be considered academic but accessible enough to be read by anyone interested in the subject and of course, 64 pages of bibliography giving you one of the best reading lists about Jewish magic published to date, so you can delve deeper into hunting that elusive info you want on Amazon or in libraries.
All profits from this page`s Patreon account will go into new books needed for research and they will have a review as well.
I will try my best to review every book that I receive. Authors that send their work will be automatically added to my patron list.
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