Scholastic Magic: Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism - Couverture rigide

Swartz, Michael Dov

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0691010986 ISBN 13 : 9780691010984

Editeur : Princeton University Press, 1996

Synopsis

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.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

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 scholasticism. 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 uncovers unfamiliar dimensions of the classical Judaic idea of Torah and the rabbinic civilization that forged them. Swartz sets the stage for his analysis with a discussion of the place of memory and orality in ancient and medieval Judaism and how early educational and physiological theories were marshaled for the cultivation of memory. He then examines the unusual magical rituals for conjuring angels and ascending to heaven as well as the authors' 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 religions in the ancient and medieval world, ritual studies, and popular religion. Originally published in 1996. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original t

Biographie de l'auteur

Michael D. Swartz is Professor of Hebrew and Religious Studies at the Ohio State University. His books include Scholastic Magic, Mystical Prayer in Ancient Judaism, Hebrew and Aramaic Incantation Texts from the Cairo Genizah (with Lawrence H. Schiffman), and Avodah: Ancient Poems for Yom Kippur (with Joseph Yahalom). He also served as Judaica Editor for the second edition of The Encyclopedia of Religion.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Princeton University Press
• Date d'édition: 1996
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0691010986
• ISBN 13: 9780691010984
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 260
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible