The nature of beneficial magic (1)

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It is a misconception that the Talmud, like the Bible, was opposed to magic. What is being opposed in all systems of magic was witchcraft and black arts, which were considered odious in biblical, talmudic, and Akkadian systems of magic. Witchcraft, however, is only one form of magic, with the bulk of magic being protective and therapeutic, and hence beneficial. The systems of magic have much in common, namely that illness and misfortune was conveyed by demons on sufferers, who may have been liable to demonic attack in some instances by transgressing some taboo or custom. Other agents of magic, such as the evil mouth and evil tongue, are commonly cited in both Akkadian and Jewish magic. The evil eye denotes a fear of envy, and the evil tongue refers to gossip and slander, both of which feature in magic as manifestations of black magic and witchcraft, in which the patient feels himself to be victimised by another person, and against whom an incantation was thought to be effective.

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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