Jewish Love Magic: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Jewish Love Magic: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages is a monograph by Dr Ortal-Paz Saar (Ancient History and Classical Civilization) dedicated to the supernatural methods employed by Jews in order to generate love, grace or hate.

Examining hundreds of manuscripts, often unpublished, Ortal-Paz Saar skillfully illuminates a major aspect of the Jewish magical tradition. The book explores rituals, spells and important motifs of Jewish love magic, repeatedly comparing them to the Graeco-Roman and Christian traditions. In addition to recipes and amulets in Hebrew, Aramaic and Judaeo-Arabic, primarily originating in the Cairo Genizah, also rabbinic sources and responsa are analysed, resulting in a comprehensive and fascinating picture.

Dr. Ortal-Paz Saar
Dr Ortal-Paz Saar

About the author

Ortal-Paz Saar (Ph.D, 2009, Tel Aviv University) is a cultural historian researching Judaism and its contacts with other religious traditions. Her publications focus on ancient and medieval Jewish magic, and she currently researches Jewish diasporic identity.