Sefer ha-Razim

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The Sefer ha-Razim ( Hebrew ספר הרזים 'Book of Secrets') is a magical-mystical book of spells, probably originated in Palestine in the 3rd century AD, discovered or reconstructed only in 1963 among the fragments of the Cairo Geniza .

Similar to the Hekhalot texts , it depicts the seven heavens, gives the names of the more than 700 angels in them and ends with a hymnal praise of God.

The book offers magical recipes for every situation, dream interpretation, knowledge of the future, etc.

literature

  • Mordecai Margalioth: Sepher Ha-Razim: a newly recovered book of magic from the talmudic period, collected from Genizah fragments and other sources. Jerusalem 1966.
  • Michael A. Morgan: Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries (Texts and Translations 25th Pseudepigrapha Series 11). Chico, CA: Scholars Press 1983. ISBN 0-89130-615-3
  • Bill Rebiger, Peter Schäfer (Ed.): Sefer ha-Razim: The Book of Secrets I. Edition (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism 125). Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2009. ISBN 978-3-16-149781-0 Sefer ha-Razim: The Book of Secrets II. Introduction, translation and commentary (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism 132). Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2009. ISBN 978-3-16-149956-2