Naomi Janowitz

Fascinating account of Jewish, Christian and pagan uses of "magic" (a term the author criticises, but which seems to have been imposed by her publisher) in the first three centuries. Could draw wider connections in places.

The volumes of other academics I read on this topic makes this book all the less spectacular. The author was honest about her intent - to delineate Jewish magic of late antiquity. It has elements of Christian magic, while Heathen (non-Abrahamic) traditions are grossly misrepresented, so far as to claim Master Iamblichus' snobbism in the tradition of whiggism (interpreting the past from the current perspective. I understand that Janowitz flirted with Jewish magic to no effect herself and thus show more with no success discarded all the traditions as a whole with a rather half-hearted approach to the represented topic. Now, I prefer to read scholars that live up to the task - for example Hans Lewy and "Chaldean Oracles". Iamblichus was in a neoplatonic underground, as all theurgists and hieratics, Plotinus was primarily a philosopher, but also of excellent daimon. Gematria is misrepresented, it was a Greek invention (trivia, the Star of David, hexagram, was belonging to Pythagorean Corporae of Symbols, not a Jewish one). The dating of most of the texts of Jewish provenance is inadequate, Enoch lived in 3rd century B.C.E, the traditions of mystic books and the Jewish gnosis started circa 2nd century B.C.E. However, what I owe to the author is one trivia: I had no idea what Targums were, now I know. Generally a good read for those well-versed enough in traditions of middle and late Antiquity to discard the pickiness of the author. Thank you. show less