A (Different) Kind of Magic: The “Ways of the Amorite” according to Tosefta Shabbat 6–7

Doering Lutz

Forschungsartikel (Buchbeitrag)

Zusammenfassung

This contribution discusses forbidden magical practices and their place in social space of family, house, and workplace. Unlike the “statutes of the Gentiles”, which is a wider category and not limited to magic, the “Ways of the Amorite” as addressed in tShab 6–7 are deemed forbidden due to their association with idolatry, demons, and mantic rituals. The magical practices in tShab 6–7 labelled “Ways of the Amorites” are not performed by foreign nations settling in and around Palestine, as the designation “Amorite” might suggest. They are rather practiced by the Jews themselves. As a result, the category “Ways of the Amorites” is to be considered a powerful rhetorical category with which the rabbis retained the sovereignty of interpreting magical practices in their hands.

Details zur Publikation

Herausgeber*innen: Doering Lutz, Schumann Daniel
Buchtitel: Tosefta Studies: Manuscripts, Traditions, and Topics
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
Verlag: LIT
Sprache, in der die Publikation verfasst ist: Englisch
Veranstaltung: Zürich