Scholastic Magic
Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism
Michael Dov Swartz(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 3. November 1996
Book
Hardback
260 pages
978-0-691-01098-4 (ISBN)
Description
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 scolasticism. 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 uncovered unfamiliar dimensions of the classical Judaic idea of Torah and the Rabbinic civilization that forged them. Swartz sets the stage for his final analysis with a discussion of the place of memory and orality in ancient and medieval Judaism and how early educational and physiological theories were marshalled for the cultivation of memory.
He then examines the unusual magical rituals for conjuring angels and ascending to heaven as well as the author's 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 religion in the ancient and medieval world, ritual studies, and popular religion.
He then examines the unusual magical rituals for conjuring angels and ascending to heaven as well as the author's 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 religion in the ancient and medieval world, ritual studies, and popular religion.
Reviews / Votes
"[Swartz's] translation. . . and commentary on the main texts of the `Prince of the Torah' tradition. . . are especially valuable and provide nonexperts with access to the important mystical-magical material under analysis. Especially significant is his emphasis on the ritual and ritual procedures outlined in these texts." * Choice *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
4 tables
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 197 mm
Weight
595 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-01098-4 (9780691010984)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Michael Dov Swartz | Michael D. Swartz
Scholastic Magic
Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism
E-Book
07/2014
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€49.99
Available for download