Page 442 - שערות לילית וקרני אשמדאי / נעמה וילוז'ני

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Abstract

During Late Antiquity, a rich, well developed corpus of mystic literature flourished in
Palestine and its surroundings and in Babylonia. This literature was accompanied by
fascinating figurative and decorative iconography, unique in style, appearing most
frequently on Babylonian incantation bowls. The Jews, like their neighbors, believed
that the world was populated by supernatural beings having the power to harm or protect
humans and that humans could control them through particular actions. During the fourth
to the seventh centuries CE there was a significant change in Jewish magic, as part of a
range of religious and spiritual transformations which Jewish society underwent during
this period, including an increase in the use of figurative art. In the field of magic, this
is expressed in magic activity in texts, in the kinds of associated artifacts and the way
they are decorated. Figurative art appeared as part of Jewish magic practices in Babylonia
and in Palestine. Magic activity was common in both the Jewish communities, although
expressed differently in each. While in Palestine amulet sheets bearing identifiably Jewish
magic texts, mirror plaques, and figurines protecting one from the evil eye have been
found, in Mesopotamia a Jewish magic tradition arose centering around clay bowls bearing
incantations against demons.

The texts are very significant for the magic of Babylonia and Palestine, and are central to
research of ancient magic. Scholars of magic have tended to focus on the texts, disregarding
the accompanying art. Yet a large number of magic artifacts incorporate motifs of human
figures, animals, and decorations. This book examines the art of the Babylonian bowl
paintings and the artistic expressions of magic which were also widespread in Palestine
during this period. The aim of the book is first and foremost to shed light on figurative art
as an important aspect of magic, one which has not been researched until now.

The book is composed of five chapters. Each of the first three chapters deals with the
Babylonian artifacts. The first chapter analyses the various styles of painting and their
specific characteristics, defining the principles and beliefs guiding the artists. The second
chapter evolves from the first, and discusses the iconographic significance of the paintings.
Particular, characteristic elements in the figures are analyzed as well as elements which
reflect the geographical and cultural environment in which they were created. The third
chapter discusses the essence of the link between the incantation text and the paintings
on the artifacts, and deals exclusively with incantation bowls bearing inscriptions in
Babylonian Jewish-Aramaic. The fourth chapter deals with the magical objects found in
Palestine. The fifth chapter serves as a summary of the four preceding chapters. Its first
part deals with characteristics of magic art as they emerge from the research, as well as