Studies in the Syriac Magical Traditions

Marco Moriggi (PhD 2003, Università di Firenze) is Associate Professor in Semitic Philology at the Università di Catania. His research interests include Syriac incantation bowls, Syriac language, Aramaic epigraphy in late antique Mesopotamia and the Gulf, and Aramaic dialectology. Siam Bhayro (PhD 2000, University College London) is Associate Professor in Early Jewish Studies at the University of Exeter. His research interests include the Bible, Semitic languages, medicine in the Christian and Islamic orient, and Jewish magic.

• PrefaceList of FiguresNotes on Contributors1 Syriac Studies and Magic: An IntroductionSiam Bhayro and Marco Moriggi2 Syriac Magic: An Overview of Previous Approaches and Prospects for the FutureAbigail Pearson3 Syriac Magic and Medicine: A Near-Eastern Paradigm of PriestcraftSiam Bhayro4 Syriac Incantation Bowls and the Mesopotamian Context: A Glimpse into Christian-Jewish Cultural InteractionsMarco Moriggi5 More on the ‘Book of Protection’ and the Syriac ‘Charms’: New Texts and Perspectives for the Study of Magic and ReligionMichael Zellmann-Rohrer6 Traces of a Storied Universe: Biblical Figures and Motifs in Late-Antique Syriac AmuletsNils H. Korsvoll7 Soundings in the Textual History of Syriac AmuletsDavid Calabro8 Syriac Magic and the Contemporary Christian Milieu: Continuity or Discontinuity?Gaby Abousamra9 A Mandaean Lamella and Its Parallels: BM 132957 + BM 132947 + BM 132954Matthew Morgenstern and Ohad AbudrahamIndex of SubjectsIndex of Texts

"This book thus fulfills a long-standing need for comprehensive and nuanced scholarship on this topic, surpassing expectations with its depth and the variety of research questions it addresses. The volume is therefore not just a timely intervention but a significant advancement in the field. Consequently, it has become an essential reference for any scholar engaged with Syriac magic, offering invaluable insights and setting a new standard in the study of this rich and complex subject." - Anna Cherkashina, Tel-Aviv University