PUBLICATION No. 5 abylonian Oil Magic in the Talmud and in the later Jewish Literature BY SAMUEL DAICHES, PH.D. LECTURER IX BIBI.IC'AI. EXEGESIS AND TALMUDICS AT THE JEWS' COLLEGE ANN! LONDON 1913 I California Regional Facility PUBLICATION No. 5 Babylonian Oil Magic in the Talmud and in the later Jewish Literature BY SAMUEL DAICHES, PH.D. LECTURER IN BIBLICAL EXEGESIS AND TALMUDICS AT THE JEWS* COLLEGE LONDON 1913 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 3-6 Oil a mystic element in antiquity : (a) in the Bible ; (&) in Assyria ; (c) in Egypt and Greece 3 Oil in magic : (a) Babylonian 4 (6) Jewish .....5 (c) Egyptian 5-6 (d) European 6 Babylonian origin 4-6 A. TALMUDIC PASSAGES REFERRING TO OIL MAGIC, AND NOTES. Babylonian parallels ; Notes on }{? t| ")B> J D'JPS '">B>, magical power of oil; Babylonian origin 7-12 B. LATER JEWISH TEXTS, TRANSLATIONS, AND NOTES . . i3~4 2 B i. Texts in which oil is used as a part of the divination ceremony i3- 2 5 B 2. Texts in which the whole divination is made only through the oil .... . . . , . . .26-7 Notes ; Babylonian parallels ; Babylonian origin of the late Jewish oil magic shown 28-42 NOTES : 1. On fra np, sp np, 012 np, r6ra +W (JDP n) . 2 8- 3 i 2. On looking at the finger-nails at the prayer of Habdalah ; throwing away the parings of the nails ; cutting the nails on certain days and in a certain order . . . .31-2 3. On the magical circle (^UV) 3 2 ~3 4. On stones in magic 33-4 5. On Bwrt nicy / 34-5 6. On ' the sea and the three lights that are in the universe ' . 36-7 7. On divination through oil-formations; striking Old Baby- lonian parallels . - 39-4 8. On the use of oil mixed with water among the Jews in Babylonia about 1000 C.E 41 9. On Q^pnn Wiy& and its Babylonian origin .... 41-2 INTRODUCTION. OIL was regarded in antiquity as a mystic element. It was used for consecration and dedication. When Jacob wanted to hallow the stone at Bethel he poured oil on it (Gen. xxviii. 18). "When Moses dedicated Aaron to the service of God he poured oil on his head and anointed him (Lev. viii. 12, cf. also Exod. xxix). The Tabernacle and all that was in it was consecrated by being anointed with oil (Lev. viii. 10, n). Lev. x. 7, Moses says to Aaron and his sons: 'And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die : for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.' At the cleansing of the leper, too, oil was used. Four verses deal with the use of the oil for that purpose (Lev. xiv. 15-18 ; cf. also w. 26-9). Every action mentioned in those verses no doubt had its significance. Samuel, when selecting Saul for the kingship, pours oil on his head (i Sam. x. i). When David was chosen by Samuel to succeed Saul he was anointed with oil by Samuel (i Sam. xvi. 13). And so were the later kings anointed with oil, see especially i Kings i ; cf. also Ps. xlv. 8. In Assyria, too, memorial stones and tablets were anointed with oil. So Tiglath-Pileser I (end of twelfth century B.C.E.) says : naru P I - sd Samsi- % Ramman a-bi- ia Samne ap-sti-us, ' the memorial stones of my ancestor amsi-Bamman I have anointed with oil ' (col. viii, 47- 48). See, for more references, Delitzsch, Assyrisches Handworterbuch, p. 550. In Egypt and Greece also oil was used for dedication ; see Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. I, p. 101. Oil also played a role in magic. We know this from Assyro-Babylonian magical texts. In the Ritualtafeln A 2 2092440 4 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC published by Zimmern 1 oil is mentioned several times as an important element in magic. In old Babylonian texts, published by J. Hunger, 2 we find divination by means of oil. What importance there was ascribed to oil in Babylonian magic can also be seen from the following passage occurring in one of the incantations of the Maklu texts published by Tallqvist 3 : siptu samnu ellu samnu ib-bu samnu nam-ru samnu mu-lil-li sa Hani samnu mu-pa-as-si-ih ^bu-a-na sa a-me-lu-ti saman sipti a il E-a saman sipti sa # Marduk u-da-hi-id-lca saman tap-su-uh-ti sd il E-a id-di-nu a-na pa-as-ha-a-ti ap-su-us-Tca saman balati addika. ' Incantation. Bright oil, pure oil, shining oil, the purifying oil of the gods, oil which softens the sinews of man. With the oil of the incantation of Ea, with the oil of the incan- tation of Marduk I have made thee drip ; with the oil of softening which Ea has given for soothing I have anointed thee ; oil of life I have put on thee.' * Note especially line 34, in which the oil is called ' the oil of the incantation of Ea and Marduk ', the two great Babylonian gods of magic and divination. It is the object of the following pages to show that Babylonian oil magic in its various forms is also to be 1 In his Beitrage zur Kenntnis der babylonischen Religion, Leipzig, 1901 (to be quoted in these pages as Rit.'). 2 See J. Hunger, ' Becherwahrsagung bei den Babyloniern nach zwei Keilschrifttexten aus der Hammurabi-Zeit ' (Leipziger Semitistische Studien, I, i), Leipzig, 1903. 3 See K. L. Tallqvist, Die assyrische Beschwdnmgsserie Maklu, Leipzig, 1895. 4 See Tallqvist, I.e., p. 92, lines 31-8; and cf. Weissbach, Zur Serie in Bfiirage zur Assyriologie, Vol. IV, p. 160. INTRODUCTION 5 found among the Jews in the time of the Talmud and in later times. The parallels are striking, not only with regard to the use of the oil, but also with regard to the ceremonies and formulas connected with it. It will be seen that the Babylonian and Jewish documents supple- ment and throw light on each other. The passages re- ferring to oil in magic in the Talmud are very few and fragmentary. It will be seen how they become clear and intelligible with the help of the Babylonian texts as well as the later Jewish documents. I will deal first with the Talmudic passages (A) and then with the later Jewish texts (B). These later texts I divide into two groups: (i) one group (B i) consist- ing of those texts in which oil is used in course of the divination ceremony as a part of the ceremony so that the spirits may appear in the thumb-nail or in the hand or in the vessel and may be seen through the oil (|B> *>&>, 1-7) ; (2) the second group (B 2) consisting of texts in which the whole divination is made practically through the oil only, as through the formation of the oil (8) or through the reflection or non-reflection in the oil (9, 10). Text 1 1 does not strictly belong to this group. But in this text, too, the use of oil is important. "We find that oil also played a role in Egyptian magic. The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leyden, published by Griffith and Thompson, are full of oil divina- tion, and contain many striking parallels to Babylonian magical texts as well as to the Jewish texts published here. 1 There can be no doubt that this form of magic came to the Egyptians from the land of the Euphrates. The following passage from the papyrus mentioned will help to show clearly the Babylonian origin of Egyptian oil magic : {The spell] which you say to the oil to put it on the sting daily : ' Isis sat reciting to the oil Abartat and lamenting (?) to 1 Cf. Griffith and Thompson, I.e., pp. 21-33, 35> 49. I0 3i JII > JI 3> I2 3> 137, 139, *47i '55, 165, 169. 6 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC the true oil, saying, ' Thou being praised, I will praise thee, O oil, I will praise thee, thou being praised by the Agathodaemon ; thou being applauded (?) by me myself, I will praise thee for ever, O herb-oil otherwise true oil O sweat of the Agathodaemon, amulet (?) of Geb. It is Isis who makes invocation to the oil ' (see Griffith and Thompson, I.e., p. 131, lines 17-22). These lines read as if they were formed on the passage from Maklu, quoted above (p. 4), and show unmistakably the Babylonian origin of Egyptian oil magic. In Europe, too, oil has been known as a means of magical manipulations; cf., e.g., lines 129-30 in Coleridge's The Ancient Mariner: 1 The water, like a witch's oils, burnt green, and blue, and white.' The influence of the culture of the land of the two rivers upon the development of mankind has been very great, but not the least great has it been in the domain of magic and witchcraft. The more one examines the ancient literature the more one sees how the various forms of Sumero-Babylonian superstition spread to the whole of the ancient civilized world, and how many of these superstitions have survived up to the present day in East and West. A. PASSAGES FEOM THE TALMUD. IN Talmud Babli, Sanhedrin ioi a , the following Baraitha is quoted : JBD sbx ?TO b^ub jnm 0^3 nw fe> ns? pan -p'a^ T3P pp ^y ptwi^ pro ^33P jot? by pe>n6 .psraot? ,^Q3S> ptPD p3D pNi T3B> ptw ' One is allowed to ask of the princes of oil and the princes of eggs, only (one does not ask because ?) they lie. 1 One whispers a charm over oil in the vessel and one does not whisper a charm over oil in the hand ; therefore one anoints (oneself) with the oil in the hand and one does not anoint (oneself) with the oil in the vessel.' It is clear that we have in this Baraitha the use of oil in magic. In the first case (}P nt?, &c.) oil is used for divination purposes (fm htfB^). In the second case the oil is used for ' whispering a charm ', } w6, for magical healing. How the oil was used by the diviner the Baraitha does not state. Neither is it clear what Ht? means. Rashi explains that it refers to magical work with oil and that pe> nt? mean }ni3 nt? (' the princes of the thumb '). But this does not add much to our under- standing of the Baraitha. In fact, the phrase fB> ne> (as well as 0^3 nc?) appeared so obscure that some MSS. have 'W or TP. 2 The Aruch (ed. Kohut, Vol. VIII, p. 161) translates ne> by ' princes '. But from the explanation of the Aruch (see I.e.), which differs somewhat from that of 1 Some Commentators do not read N^N ; see the Besponsa of BQ"^ , No. 92, and cf. Rabbinowicz, D*n31D ''pHpl, ad loc., note 9. The meaning would then be that these inquiries are allowed because the ' princes ' lie. This is, however, unlikely. 2 See Rabbinowicz, op. cit., Sanhedrin, p. 306. Cf. also the attempt at explanation made by L. Goldschmidt in his translation of Sanhedrin, p. 443, note 530. 8 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC Eashi, it can be also seen that the real meaning of the Baraitha was by no means clear to those who attempted to explain it. We will see later how the late Jewish documents throw full light on this Baraitha. At present we will see what the Babylonian ' Ritual Tablets ' yield for the understanding of this passage. Rit., pp. 196-7, iii, opens with the following lines : (2) il Samas bel di-nim il Adad bel bi-ri anassi-Jc[u-nu-si a-Tcar-rab-ku-nu-si\ (3) samna ella samna mar il A-nim samna mar il Ea ... ' (2) Samas, lord of the judgement, Hadad, lord of the divination ! I bring to y[ou, I dedicate to you] (3) pure oil, oil, a child of Anu, oil, a child of Ea . . .' This prayer of the baru is concluded in lines 13-14 : (13) ina qiblti-jd nis qati-jd ina mim-ma ma-la eppusu (-su) (14) ta-mit a-lcar-ra-bu ina imni-su u sume- li-su "ket-ta lib-si. ' (13) In my supplication, my lifting up of the hands, in everything I do, (14) the inquiry I dedicate, in his right and his left l be correctness.' Lines 15-25 then contain the following prescriptions: (15) burdsa upunta i-sdr-raq samna ana sir-Tci ittanandi (16) mi-ih-ha inakJci(-Jci) samna ana me ma-kal-ti inaddi (-di) (17) il Samas u il Adad Hani rabuti i-sa-a-la (18) sum-ma tertu u samnu is-tal-mu (19) Hani rabuti izzazu-ma (20) di-nim Jcet-te u misari i-di-nu (21) ana sulum (-urn) sarri ana zaTcap nakri ana sulum ummani ana sa-bat all (22) ana epes(-es) arrati ana zandn same(-e) ana [ ] (23) ana libbi duhhudi (?) u mimma ma-la [ ] (24) ana dine ta-nam-bi ina dlni . . [ ] (25) mar am ' d bare ina me samna \i-na-ial\. ' (15) Cypress, fine flour he shall pour out, oil on the libation he shall put, (16) an offering he shall pour out, oil on the water of the vessel he shall put, (17) of Samas and Hadad, the great gods, he shall inquire. (18) When the omen and the oil are faultless (19) the great gods come near and 1 It is rather difficult to see to what these words refer ; see Zimmern, 1. c., p. 197, note b. Could they not refer to the person acting as medium (see below) ? PASSAGES FROM THE TALMUD 9 (20) judge a judgement of justice and righteousness (21) concerning the welfare of the king, the overthrow of the enemy, the safety of the army, the taking of a city, (22) the making of a curse, the raining from heaven, . . . (23) the making abundant of the inwards l and anything whichever . . . (24) for judgement thou announcest, in judgement . . . (25) the diviner shall look upon oil in water . . .' Here we clearly have a case of divination by oil. Although it seems, according to 1. i6 b and 1. 18, that it speaks here of lecanomancy, it must be inferred from 1. 2 b , 1. 3, 1. 17, and 1. 19 that the object was not only to get to know the future happenings from the formations of the oil (see below), but also and perhaps mainly from the gods themselves by means of the oil. Therefore, whether jot? in |B> ni? refers to lecanomancy or whether it refers which is more probable to a different use of the oil (see below), to ask of the }t? nt? means to inquire of the princes (the gods, the demons) through using oil what the future will bring or to ask them to fulfil a certain wish. Of. also the expression il amas u il Adad Hani rabuti i-sa-a-lu with jm hm6. That the \av np often ' lied ' (p2T3OB> ^B), even those who believed in those super- stitious acts will have known, as the ceremonies connected with those acts were so numerous and had to be most scrupulously and faithfully performed, and the least error brought about failure. For this reason the diviner prayed that he might be saved from mistakes, cf. 11. 13-14 of the quoted 'ritual tablet', also Hunger, I.e., p. i5- 2 1 See Zimmern, 1. c., note d. It means, perhaps, ' the making abundant of the heart '. 2 In the case of D^Jfl 3 ' imeon the son of Ba (says) in the name of Rabbi Hanina : He who whispers the charm puts oil on his head and whispers ; only he should not put (oil) into his hand or into a vessel. R. Jacob the son of Idi (says that) Rabbi Johanan (said) in the name of Rabbi Janai : he (the whisperer) puts (oil) into the hand or into the vessel.' 1 Here we have again oil magic. And we also learn here that ' the whisperer ' had to anoint his head with oil before he performed the act of ' whispering '. Exactly as among the Babylonians. In Rit., pp. 112-13, 1. 4, we read : ana libbi samni basdmi (?) Sam &LSI inaddi (-di)-ma ippasas(-&s). ' (The diviner) shall put Sl.Sl-herbs into sweet-smelling oil and anoint himself.' Cf. also pp. 114- 15, 1. 20 : Samna mahar mdkalti amsl bdru ena-su ipas$a. 1 About the differences of opinion see ibid., p. 43% and commentaries. For a parallel passage cf. Jerush. Ma'aser Sheni, ch. a, 3, foL 7*. A similar passage is to be found in Jerush. Shabbath, ch. 6, 5, fol. 22* : t?rr6i is>x-i rj? JDB> fm: TK t^cnnn NI^I n oea mm" 21 IOK ,^32 N^l 1*3 !? |n s K^ 13^31 ' He who feels pain in his ear puts oil on his head and whispers a charm ; only he should not put (oil) into the hand or into the vessel.' JDB> jniJ, &c., no doubt refers to the ' whisperer'. 12 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC ' With oil shall, before the (divining) vessel, the diviner anoint his eyes.' That magical power was ascribed to oil can also be seen from the following passage in Talmud Babli, San- hedrin ioi a : NraBw Ninr6 y^p xmo -a ^Kratr nn prw m rvjvrn p^ pS3 rpDNS TIE"^ n^ jps: sp turn xntj rr6 TI^N /DJTKI xn^n rrb mny N^n wm NP nom Npn mos NnrpK nn ' Eab Izhaq the son of Lemuel the son of Marta came to an inn. They brought unto him oil in a vessel. He rubbed himself (with the oil), (and) blisters appeared on his face. He went into the street (and) a woman saw him (and) she said : The spirit of heat do I see. She did something to him and he was healed.' References to the magical power of oil are also to be found in Talmud Babli, Shabbath io b and 66 b . From the Talmudic passages adduced here it is clear that the use of oil in divination, as well as in other kinds of magic, was known to the Jews in the time of the Talmud. The Babylonian parallels make it equally clear that the use of oil in magic was of Babylonian origin and that the Jews took it over from the Babylonians. We will see later that the Babylonians practised oil magic as long back as 2000 B. c. E. The Ritual Tablets, although coming from the library of Assurbanipal, no doubt also go back to that time. There can be no doubt therefore as to the Babylonian origin of these magical practices. To the Babylonians again these practices came from the Sumerians. What concerns us now, how- ever, is that the Jews in the time of the Talmud made the same use of oil for magical purposes and performed the same ceremonies as the Babylonians. The examina- tion of the later Jewish documents and the adducing of their Babylonian parallels will make the Baraitha in Sanhedrin still clearer and will show how much in- formation there has been preserved in that short Talmudic passage. B. LATER JEWISH TEXTS. The later Jewish, documents to be dealt with now come from the library of the Haham, Dr. Moses Gaster. In his magnificent collection of Hebrew manuscripts there are many with magical contents, and I am indebted to Dr. Gaster for having drawn my attention to the same. My thanks are also due to the Haham for having kindly allowed me to copy the texts reproduced here. 1 The first two texts are contained in Cod. Gaster 315, large 4 (a collection of prayers and magical prescrip- tions ; Spanish ; sixteenth and seventeenth centuries), ff. 53 a ~53 b . Texts 3, 4, 5 are from Cod. Gaster 443, 4 (nwoa-n ni^wo ; onea "n nao ' Book of the life of the flesh ' ; ' Remedies and Cures '. Written at Tunis in 1775. Copied from old Eastern and Western MSS. ; Oriental writing), fol. n b , No. 4, and ff. 13* and i3 b . Text 6 is from Cod. Gaster 1000 (niNttm R&tiD ; Oriental MS., six- teenth-seventeenth centuries), ff. 53 b ~54 a . Text 7 is from Cod. Gaster 214 (n&BD, Yemen MS., eighteenth century), ff. 2 b -3 a . Text 8 is from Cod. Gaster 128, 8 (rntna-n mbD, a collection of prayers, magical texts, and recipes; different handwritings ; Hebrew and Arabic. Written at Yemen, seventeenth-nineteenth centuries), fol. 45* (oldest hand- writing in the collection). Text 9 is from Cod. Gaster 464 (D'DUDl D'a* ni^ao ; Italian ; seventeenth-eighteenth centuries), No. 98 (fol. i8 b ). Among the authorities quoted in this collection of ni^JD Ibn-Ezra (twelfth century) is 1 It may not be out of place to note here that, if Dr. Gaster's wonderful collection of manuscripts could be made accessible to scholars, it would be found to be a veritable mine for Jewish science. 14 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC mentioned. On the last page there is the following note : Vw *nry PN Y'nmoa nao bv T na^nac crpnya nam ' and most of them (of the m^iao) have been copied from the manuscript of a book of our honoured teacher and master Rabbi Ibn-Ezra (the memory of the righteous and holy one be for a blessing) '. This note clearly shows that all the ' healing cures ' and magical prescriptions in these manuscripts are copies from much older originals. Text 10 is copied from Cod. Gaster 462, 4 (Italian; fifteenth-sixteenth centuries), fol. 2o b . Text n is from Cod. Gaster 443, No. 83 (fol. 25*). I have numbered the texts for reference purposes. The order in which I have put the texts commended itself to me, as will easily be seen, from the nature of their contents. Bi. TEXT i. inpe> p3D oy ypnpa hay new nya np .mnx ,jna Dp^n 'n npni npn nwiriB* ny WDM jna *?v me* fpni Ttrini bi3yn yvN2 'ran paon ypni ^T n>r iCB'a inxw wiissv n^o 5 ncN i?N nyntrnn HKT ursa B'nbn nnsi wiiasa atsn ny:n 'n po ^n rreny 'n PD ioyr D^ia iba* h pn B'ynn nn: nB^t? ^aeai o\n ^3B>3 pia* ne* na^y *JN yac^s noon ^oy na^on p na Nam nr piava pons linsn iN^anB> obya B^B' pb inin "nnty nnx n^traa yt? DK> iK3Bn vnay a^ wa^en ianm 'n^aiaa moa nc^ty DP wwi ni^a^i oio^an nao DB* wa^i D^rnoon rim |r6wn IDH^I naai? mnaa vintrai :nnnp no M3HB nyiatfn naoa DJW no bao nN IIDN^ p ca joy^ bi nabom -fron 15 .noan DW ^ i^y N^I nyan ina^a"^ jaisa nni? no doubt scribe's error for LATEK JEWISH TEXTS 15 TRANSLATION. The princes of the thumb. Another (prescription). 1 Take a young lad and make a circle in the earth with a knife, the handle of which is black, and prepare the nail of the right thumb until it becomes thin, and take four smooth stones and put (them) in the four rows of the circle, and put the mentioned knife in the middle of the circle and place the lad into it before the pillar of the sun and anoint his nail and his forehead with pure olive-oil, and the lad shall look well at his nail, and thou shalt whisper into his ear this spell : ' True God, at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation 2 ; the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly, the right hand of the Lord is exalted', 3 I adjure you, princes of the nail, for the sake (in the name) of the sea and for the sake of the three lights that are in the universe, that you should bring the king Mimon in this nail, and the queen shall also come with him, and that his * two servants shall come and that they shall bring there two lambs, one black and one white, and they shall slaughter them and take off their skin and cook them, and that they shall bring there three glass cups, and that the queen shall come on a white she-mule, and they shall put the table in the slaughter-house, and that they 5 shall bring there the book of the oath (of adjuration) ; and tell G (them) that they shall eat and drink, (and) they will tell thee all that thou desirest. And when thou wilt desire that they shall go (away), he (the lad) shall take off the 1 The preceding prescription is missing in the MS. * Jeremiah x. io b . Ver. io a has the words DION DTvN . s Ps. cxviii. I5 b -i6 a . This verse was probably chosen because of the importance of the right thumb in this magical performance. 4 Apparently the servants of the ' king Mimon '. 5 It is rather strange that ' the book of the oath ' was to be brought by the servants of Mimon. Perhaps this IfcOTtJH means ' and one shall bring ' ; see note 6. On the other hand, in magic everything is possible. 6 Or, ' he (the lad) shall tell '. The constructions are in many places very loose in these texts. l6 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC oil from his nail and from his forehead. And when he inquires of them he shall adjure them with the book of the oath, which he l brought, three times the king and the queen and all who are with them, also that they shall tell the truth concerning everything that he will ask of them in a manner that the lad shall understand it, and (also) that they shall not do him any harm. TEXT 2. rvnnn irao IT nt?oi mn HB>N IK mj IK nj np .eja ntr rpT fotja 'wn nyn T n&>on 3"nsi nin^n nemon "6nn 1331 mron 133 s n DW nos^i TH Tin nnsn ny^n }jp mi NOB> JTNI n^cya tan niDOT Tap -01 nKT xta noK OKI : nan mt? PKT DK nya DTap in nT K^> DKY miiwaa n^t? nya 10 OKI . jotrn y iT3 nan nKT ON iya KB" nnxi iyj n^3^ nnaa tjnsh ^ "ly^n ib noN 11 Dmn^ wd> B^N nion <33 bai l^ion nan ^nm Tn^fDD !> ^ li? IDK^ nnn^ai TD nnni ny3n ncK 11 ID "IHKI nysn yes in^i ibs^i K>na 'N ^ n^ni D^e6 Da^ia i^nty jvi?y pn 0^3 15 no ^a woo nyan btixm ne>y pi i^oo ^NITN^ no ^a ^ T-3^ cao jfP IT 3H33 13T D1tJ> b 3\TQW nxn Kin OKI VB3 ^ T3"1 jni obvk ^ i^ TDK* insi mwo ib N^O^I moSpni vim TEANSLATION. TAe princes of the hand. Take a young lad or a young girl or a pregnant woman and besmear his (or her) hand with black soot from under the saucepan and then anoint 1 Or ought we to read 1fcP3nt? ? See note 5 on preceding page. LATER JEWISH TEXTS IJ the hand of the mentioned lad with olive oil and place him on a stool, and the face of the lad (shall be turned) towards the east and towards the window, and he shall call l in his right ear three times TONDEIT, KEIT, HEIT and three times in the air above his 2 head and three times in the left ear. And then shall the lad look con- stantly into the hand, and he will tell him the name of his master if he sees anything. And if he will tell him that he does not see anything he shall mention the same names a second time just as the first time ; and if he does not see anything he shall mention them a third time as the second time ; and if he does not see anything (yet) he shall say in the right ear of the lad three times : I adjure you, ATOE, SATOE, SOMANI, ATOE ; three times shall he adjure (them) above the head of the lad in the left ear of the lad, and then shall he ask the lad whether he sees anything in his hand on the oil. And if he will see the figure of a man dressed in black the lad shall tell him : ' go and put on white garments and return at once ', and when he will return he shall tell him : ' go to thy kingdom and bring hither the king and all the sons (people) of his kingdom', and they will slaughter a lamb and they will eat and drink in the presence of the lad. And then shall the lad say to the king : ' I adjure thee in the name of thy supreme lord that you shall all go (away) in peace and thou shalt send me one of you that he may tell me all that I will ask of him.' And he will do so. And the lad shall ask of him all that he desires, and he will tell him with his mouth. And if he desires that he shall write for him anything in the writing of his hand he shall give him the parchment and the ink and the pen, and he will fulfil him his demand. And then he shall tell him : ' go in peace, and grace, grace unto thee, return to the sons of thy kingdom.' 1 Change from second to third person. 9 Read 1 8 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC TEXT 3. Ha pxa ,-6uy icy npjn niim? xnpn Dy enn pan np 1 ,nnnN i>Nr> T new DW 'BD runs mya IN nyj oy naina 3B*i> pn ioa K^ Dni> -inrni nanD ta linen rvr JDB> oy jno nnx 5 sint? no $>a by naiaa nav^n b n^ni nyan ni i-ma by aan nnx QIN nsn* nyjni a"a nos^ nr !?ai nya 'n Dtra san nna a*a ib ici ja^ 0101 ; arb T'niB'oi' mvm mono IK mnsno inw a^j ^a i^ ION>I i^aN^ \rhw Tiy^i 10 7K*nnS 7^^DiD oca y"NO a": IONH nnptro nn ? no yim nn mn TRANSLATION. (prescription). Take a new knife with, a black handle and make with it a circle in the earth so that you can sit in it with a boy or a girl less than nine years (old), and anoint the left hand of one (either) of them with olive oil and the black (soot) of a pan, and warn them that they should not look outside the anointed place, and then whisper into his right ear : I adjure you (in the name of) B&KT, K Katriel, MI, Maeniel that you shall appear unto this lad, and you shall give him a proper answer to all that he asks for me, and all this he shall say 1 The preceding prescription (on fol. n* of MS.) is headed by the words JVnvX nB'yO ' Performance with a flask ' and deals with a similar ceremony, in which, however, oil is not used. The spirit invoked in that prescription is called JVnvJ? "1{? ' The prince of the flask '. 2 DCO left out here by mistake. In a prescription similar to this (on fol. i2 b of MS.) the same spirits are invoked, and there D55Q is written before flpB'a. DpB'a is evidently one of the mystical names. 3 In the prescription referred to in the preceding note the name is written LATER JEWISH TEXTS 1 9 three times. And the lad will see a man riding on a white mule or on a white horse, and he shall say unto him three times : Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord, 1 and he shall say unto him : it pleases me that thou shalt go down from the mule or the horse, and thou shalt com- mand thy servants to bring a lamb, and he shall slaughter it and roast it and prepare the table for him to eat it, and he shall tell him everything three times. And after they have eaten ask your question. And if they lie thou shalt say three times: I adjure you in the name of Sansniel, Patchiel, &akiel that you tell me the truth, and whisper also three times into the ears of the boy and also in his head &DI, &ID, MSH, TEIT, KIT, and you will know what you desire. TEXT 4. npyn IPS nn *pn np o^npii cpn "jina ucw '*ia 2 .mnK nn pea Dr6e> po* V rwui np run *6e> mya w nya np Ursa B>inh mno "v& nrnnsn pbn naa -yan icym nano hv s^pa n^a^ Daina V.T mon I^NI 1JJ TO 1D^ niDB'n ^K D^a a"a s"j Dioxn 3"nNi ' nc^ja anan IUID cnix DIS nsn DN ny^ bxun ^NDB> ursa s'a a'ai nn OKI B^bl pHl [il l^n? 33 enn nsn |j ICN^ a^B^iwi TD aran n^ai> mix ni?vi inw eintn ^33 *ani nvni nuenm nsa 7^ "inaa ^w yB' no b a33n H^ nNi^ niDN naM pay by sin 1 Cf. Ps. cxviii. 26*. 2 The preceding prescription (on fol. ia b of MS., see above, p. 18, note a) deals with D13 ^IB'. But oil is not mentioned _in it. 3 So in MS. H no doubt a mistake for N. B 2. 20 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC I^NI IOK ncn aan DB> n^y ninai n:a^> np rra 233n nsi roan DEO TIDN p^nnp^ pun -jin ruata Den IpP! 1HX 1&3 i 5 iconn ^TUI ooin i>3 ni? Dr6 o^ioon nnx D: aan DP ova nhysn npyni mntsi n^yn ^nsn B'ae^ mjjn nnn^ ny n^'n n\nn 'ran ot^n ^ n^nni TRANSLATION. -4wo^er (prescription). In order that they should come into the hand, and they are called ' the princes of the hand '. And this you shall do : Take a boy or a girl that has not seen a pollution and anoint their right hand with olive oil and the black soot of the pan, and put the boy opposite the open window towards the east, and whisper into his right ear three times these names: SATU, KARU, NANU ; and these names shall be written before you on the parchment of a deer, and read them from the writing in one breath, and afterwards you shall also say them three times behind the neck and also three times into his left ear, and ask the boy whether he sees a black man, and if he says that he does not see he shall also l whisper in the reversed order WANUN, "WARUK, WATU&. And if he sees a man dressed in black tell him that he should put on white garments and return at once, and when he returns he shall say unto him : I command that thou shalt go at once to thy kingdom, and thou shalt bring a lamb and slaughter it and roast it and eat it, and after he has eaten he shall tell him : I command thee with the power and permission and command of my master and in the name of thy supreme master and by the command of thy king that thou shalt show me all that I ask clearly so that I should understand. And if it is concerning a theft tell (him) that he shall show you 1 It means, ' thou shalt also ' ; cf. above, p. 15, note 6. LATEE JEWISH TEXTS 21 the thief and the place where he has hidden the theft. And if the thief has fled take a brick and write on it the name of the thief and the name of his mother, and these names BATU, ZATU, HAIU, and put the brick into the fire, and when it will become white hot say : As the name of the thief has been burnt, so shall you, who are appointed to make hot the heart of every robber and thief, make hot and burn the heart of that thief, and you shall not give any rest unto him, and the burning of your fire shall go in him until he will return the theft to N., the son of N. And this requires fasting and purifi- cation, and you shall do the work l on the fourth day (of the week) and the rvn of this name 2 shall be a humped rv"n. TEXT 5. JVT jB>3 vy 31TD1 n>m np spo ny in) etna vr TOW DW 'r J3 TJ npi v&ypK ( s "3) *?*yfx T *3 by 3Bm ITS DIBJTI nrwcn Dipon n3 nbnan D H 5Jn yavN a 122 IJTN ns^B' }QiN2 ^niaT pa iy:n n^en n-bn 'a 5 onb IDKI D3 HKTI n^oys ye> my 110x1 ' DIN 103 xb DM nsnnt? no onb rau 333 *D IN *3ie *an s n^nK' ^^ pp>33 ^3Ni 10 piyo s n^3 r DV3 njr "p"^ nt ">3n nisryb mnnn TRANSLATION. Another (prescription). And they are called ' the princes of bdellium '. Take bdellium and write upon it with olive oH AUVGIL (or 3 ) AUNGILEIA, and take a boy seven 1 i.e. the whole performance. 2 It probably refers to the name Ipn. 3 Literally, ' another version '. * So in the MS. 22 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC years old and anoint his hand from the top of the thumb to the end of the finger, and put the bdellium into his hand in the anointed place and seize his hand, and you shall sit upon a stool of three legs and put the boy between your loins so that his ear shall be against your mouth, and you shall turn your face towards the sun and say in his ear : AUNGIL, I adjure thee in the name of the Lord, God, God of truth, God, Keeper of the Hosts, ALPHA, AIDU, that thou shalt send from thee three angels. Then the boy will see (a figure) like (that of) a man ; and say twice more and he will see two (figures), and the boy shall say unto them : Your coming be in peace. And then tell the boy that he shall ask of them what you wish. And if they will not answer him shall the boy adjure them and say : KASPAE, KELEI 'EMAB (or) BLEI- TEISAE, the master and I adjure (you) with a second adjuration that you shall tell me that thing or who has committed that theft. And know that he who wants to do this thing must do it on a clear, cloudless day, and in winter time at midday. 1 TEXT 6. buy npjn "urn? ipmai i^ T n^tr pan np ,pn i PDBTI iM 3Bi mn row IK nyam nn u 2,^ Sovw HD nyjn po 11 T nt?i in 102 ptsa anjn n^rnon hyv nintrn mm oipon p pn e^n 11 N^ iji^nrni wxm nw nioy^ 133 D3j na 13? jwnM fxnjo tn^DnQ K'iDn DBQ Mpai -01:0? *nin:u 1 Fol. 14* contains the beginning of another prescription : I| "1J}> , nn pa T 1 ' nnB^DK' inx i>y'3 xnn^ni? T i nv loyyn nim , . , "TOKO Hiyi '^non An I^N win? inNi An nN-w ny jnapn ia ^ai pnN pr by pipn rrrw opai prn potj^oa QBE y'N yaws 10 3 aci Ka^ minni nsnn n^ njB*o uan ns warn no bi Ti^pai nfe niB>j6 vn^ i^o pina snn rpaa an DV iwi 12^ n iwaai D^OHK onaai naa^ mna ^y aan ixn n a^nxi m 1 "! rmarra nn~>i? n,^jo ao ^ "IICN a^nw a*a INU 15 nwa na NDO Kani> nni? noo nosn imn^a na npi anan by D'aiocn oia np pa^by wyapx yaeni np IKI be> nnya 'a nn'ao ' 't?ai n"a n'^n DBQ JWIPD ^3^0 baai nsnni nsbya Dian aaa o WKini? finty spa sp nn^ ppo SIJN p^ &aa aas .n^noN njo wixini \aia*n p D^noK onNty nt^a aa'abtr naaan n^a by nnis ^an^i myp by Dian jnw 7i in 11 IN a'B "ION^ a^nxi anyan -ibac 11 ! '"b ian inb nioro noib nnin t^Dtrn *aa TEANSLATION. Princes of the cup. Take oil (which is called oil ot sesame 1 ) and anoint well the cup from inside and from out- side and on its edge, and take a candle of wax and kindle it and stick it to the edge of the cup in front of two boys who. have not seen a pollution, and adjure : I adjure you princes of the cup who are appointed on the cup above and below and in all kinds of drinks in the name of HVIH blessed be He and in the name of the ten Sefiroth, 2 in the name of AGP, NGP, &GP, AGP, MGP, &HP, AGP, NGP, &HP that you shall show me who has stolen the stealing (the object) from N.,the son of N. As you are true so you shall answer us and show us a true showing. He shall say (it) nine times or more, and it is necessary that he shall place the cup on a dish and turn it on its mouth towards the sun, and it is necessary to say ' A Psalm of David. Give unto the Lord', &c., 3 and the lads shall dip themselves in water and then he shall adjure. * M * I * 1 For ,j JlssJ^ sesame ' see I. LOw, Aramdische IJlanzennamen, p. 377 ; see also ibid., p. 426. 12 v a no doubt means oil. Sesame-oil in con- nexion with magic is also mentioned several times in the Sword of Moses, ed. Gaster, p. xiii and p. xv (pDtPlS? Ht^D). 1 On the Sefiroth see Jewish Encyclopedia^ o\. Ill, p. 474 f., and Vol. XI, p. 154. 3 Ps. xxix. 26 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC B 2 . TEXT 8. !>y ruop ynvNn nn fop pao 'a n spam D-D 013 np ipaia a"a rw pi nns span taa-in ^K-nip a' 7 ! nam nao ha .nw xi> n!>y N^ lypty DNI n^n* i~6jn ma-tan TRANSLATION. For pregnancy. 1 Take a cup of water and drop into it three drops of olive oil with the small finger, (and) at every drop (he shall say) three times: Kutiel, Harbiel, and drop one (drop), and thus he shall do three times. If the drops cleave to each other and it (the oil) goes up he (the child) will live, and if they sink down and it (the oil) does not go up he will not live. TEXT 9. np D'oixy n^nna nnvrn newi ^yoa *n %c no n^n QN nyni> ns nwn N\T DN naira n^a rvnni na 11 p^ ns^o nnyp ns^o myp np no Kin DNI .no tx\n }vh DMI tayo rn jm pawB> D^ nsijo nenn mnp yin ot^i pi^i IBW b nna ynn^i a^ta njn jc '23 n^an p 7 7 va n TRANSLATION. To dn'^e owf a demon from a person. He shall say the psalm, '"Why, Lord, standest thou afar off' &c., 4 over a new pot filled with drawn water, and put into it a little olive oil, and say it nine times, and he shall wash in it 5 his whole body, and he shall concentrate his mind on the name that comes out of it, 6 and he shall say : May it be thy will, H^K, that thou shalt remove every illness and every demon from N., the son of N., from now and for ever. And the name comes out: 'N from 7 ^s n?N '7 from sD'Nab'r^ 'o from 9 D < "i3y, 'p from 10 pxn p 1 The man and woman are here addressed, therefore Wtftt. would have been better. But see above, p. 15, note 6. s So in the MS. for Dil. 3 MT has pirTfl. The writer was apparently not particular about an accurate rendering. He also writes VD instead of IfVB (so MT). * Ps. x. 8 In the water with the oil. 6 Of the psalm. 7 Ver. 7. 8 Ver. 10. Ver. 17. 10 Ver. 18. 28 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC NOTES. TEXT i. Line i. jra nt? 'the princes of the thumb'. "We see already from the heading fro nt? 'the princes of the thumb' that the thumb plays an important part in this divination. Then we learn (1. 2) that the diviner has to make very- thin the nail of the right thumb of the lad, that he has to anoint this his nail (and his forehead) with pure olive oil (1. 4), and that the lad has to look at his nail (1. 5). The spirits that are to bring the king Mimon are called pis* nB> ' princes of the nail ' (1. 7). The king Mimon has to be brought in that nail (nr piavn, 1. 8). And when he wishes that they (the king and queen) should go away, the lad has to take off the oil from his nail (and his fore- head, 11. 10-1 1). It is thus clear that a great magical power is ascribed to the nail of the thumb, if prepared, anointed, and looked at in the proper, prescribed way. The very bringing of the spirits is possible only through the nail. , And it is only natural that this prescription should be called ' the princes of the thumb(-nail) '. Now, this 'thumb-nail' is also to be found in the Baby- lonian magical literature. In Hit. there occurs three times the phrase bel supur ubani annie, p. no (b), 1. 3, p. 216, 1. 44, and p. 218, 1. 2. The last passage leaves no doubt as to whom this phrase refers, namely, to the bdru, the diviner. Why is the baru called bel supur ubani annie? Zimmern translates : 'der, von dem dieses Nagel- zeichen herriihrt', and remarks in a footnote (p. 1 1 1, note b) : 'Bezieht sich wohl auf eine Tafel, auf welcher die Anfrage an das Orakel aufgezeichnet wurde, und auf welcher der Betreffende, wie auf den sog. Kontrakttafeln, seinen Fingernagel an Stelle eines Namenssiegels eindriickte.' This explanation is unsatisfactory. Why should the tablet be called ' finger-nail ' ? And even if this were LATER JEWISH TEXTS 29 so, what sense does it give ? It is obvious from the note of Professor Zimmern that he also felt the difficulty. Now, I have no doubt that bel supur ubdni annie is to be translated 'the master of the nail of this finger', and that the whole phrase is a designation for the bdru. Why ? Because the bdru divined by means of his finger-nail in the way shown in these Jewish texts. How important the nail-function was we see from the fact that on p. no the bdru is called only bel supur ubdni annie. The bdru divines by ' looking' at shining objects (of. below, p. 31). Divining by means of the finger-nail with all that belongs to it is therefore originally Babylonian. The bdru most probably used his own nail. But even had he used a boy as a medium, as he no doubt did at times, he would have been called bel supur ubdni annie, as he, as the magician, had the power over the nail. It is thus quite obvious that the jm nE> were of Babylonian origin. 1 It is probable that plDX ncy represented certain ' princes ' that had their origin in the Babylonian pantheon and perhaps adopted in the course of time, in the minds of the Jewish magicians, vaguer forms (perhaps of angels and spirits in general) ; cf. also the following notes. Now there can be no doubt that these jPQ HE* are included in the )E> HE* mentioned in the Talmud (see above, pp. 7ff.). JDE> HE* was the general name for the various ' princes ' invoked by means of oil-magic. In the texts published here we have |rn HE>, *p ne>, D HE', and 1 It would be tempting to say that bel supur ubdni annie meant ' the lord of this finger-nail ' and represented a spirit . thus being the exact equivalent of }i"Q "IE*. But in view of the context (see especially Bit., p. 218, 1. 2) this seems impossible. According to the interpretation given above, the ' princes of the finger-nail ' are, of course, presupposed in the Babylonian divination, as we know now, through the Jewish texts, what r6le the nail played in divination. Another question is whether ubdnu in the passages in Rit. means ' finger ' generally or ' thumb '. The word ffQ in this text would almost indicate that ubdnu means here ' thumb '. This would support the theory that ubdnu meant originally only 'thumb '(cf. Schrader, Zeitschr.f. Assyriol., I, pp. 460-1). 30 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC r6na ne>. All these ' princes ' had the general name of fop na>. It is worthy of note that Rashi actually explains |OB> HB> by JH3 nt?. On the passage in Sanhedrin ioi a (see above, p. 7), Rashi remarks: DHB> riB>yn B JOB >"}&> .pi ne> wm ?&> n& ir6 npi ?DB> T $>y pi>NW ' " The princes of oil." There is a kind of magical work (lit. work of the demons), wherein one inquires through oil and they call them "princes of oil ", and that is " princes of the thumb ".' We see from this that Rashi (eleventh century) knew of the existence of magical work through fro nB>. That Rashi was fully acquainted with the meaning of jna 'IB', and the details of those magical performances, we also see from a remark in his commentary on Sanhedrin 6j b . Commenting on the saying of Abayya TSpi ne> NJDK, Rashi says : "m mfth *?& uw ^an ^y TBpnp jnn na> jus "in inixb *ixnn ba N^n .rp3r i'B' DW paiw Dia nen 'He who is particular about the vessel (by means of which he divines), that he cannot do anything without the vessel that is required for that thing, as, for instance, the " princes of the thumb ", for which they require a knife, the handle of which is black, or the '' princes of the cup ", that they require a cup of glass.' ' A knife, the handle of which is black,' exactly as in our text ! For the ' princes of the cup ' see text 7. It is interesting to see that Rashi, who lived more than half a millennium before the time of the manuscript of this text, uses the same words as employed in this prescription. ' Thumb ' magic is also mentioned by D. Kimhi (twelfth and thirteenth centuries) in his com- mentary on Ezekiel. Commenting on Ez. xxi. 26 b , ^\>h\> run D'Bina ^KS? onma, Kimhi says: 'pyoo nr bi pines? Nim b\b\> n'oa vb Kim 103 ^p anTDi nopn nopn *!>j?a ia pm INC "wo n^n-'B* ny pi ^03 DW1 |31 plD'-Vn tMd^ p!DV3 .nnna i^ B*P n333 DWI pi ' And all this is of the work LATER JEWISH TEXTS 31 of divination, and the explanation of ^P is as that of N1H1 h\h\> O'aa N^> (Koheleth X. io a ; ' and he do not sharpen the edge '), and that is that they sharpen and polish the surface of the iron of the arrow until it is very bright and the diviners look into it just as they look in the thumb of the hand into the nail because of the brightness of the nail, and so they look in the sword and so also in the mirror and so they look in the liver because it has brightness.' It is clear from this passage that Kimhi knew all about thumb-nail magic. He also tells us distinctly why the nail was used for these divination purposes: because of its brightness. The nail has a bright surface, and when well polished and prepared (see this text, 1. 2) its brightness is increased, and because of its brightness the diviner can look well into it and ' see ' the spirits. The same reason applies to the other objects of divination, as iron, mirror, liver, or glass cups and bdellium. It is important to know this, as it helps us to explain the meaning of the word DDp (' to look-at certain objects' ,' to divine by looking-at certain objects' ); see my article 'Die Bedeutung von DDp' in the forthcoming Festschrift in honour of David Hoffmann. This note makes it clear that the thumb-nail divination which was common in Babylonia 2,000 years before the common era (see for the date of the ' Eitual Tablets ', Zim- mern, I.e., p. 82, also above, p. 12) was in vogue among Jews in the times of the Talmud as well as in the time of Rashi and Kimhi and was still practised in the seventeenth cen- tury. It is still being practised in the Orient at the present time ; cf. Thompson, PSBA., 1906, pp. 84-5, where the description of a thumb-nail divination ceremony wit- nessed by the writer is given. Thus we see how magical practices wander from generation to generation almost untouched by the hand of time. Thumb-nail magic can, as we see, look back upon a period of 4,000 years. 1 1 The custom of looking at the nails during the prayer of Habdalah at the outgoing of Sabbath (see Shulhan 'Arukh, Orah Hayyim, ch. 298, 3 ; 32 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC ypnpa Say HEW ' and make a circle in the earth '. The magical circle was indispensable, as it was supposed to protect the magician from attacks from the spirits. For details about the magical circle, see Thompson, Semitic Magic, pp. Iviii ff. "What the use of the circle was we can see from a ' blessing ' quoted by Thompson, I.e., p. Ix. After referring to the work of mysteries to be begun the magician pronounced the following ' blessing' : ' "We, therefore, in the names aforesaid, consecrate this piece of ground for our defence, so that no spirit whatsoever shall be able to break the boundaries, neither be able to cause injury nor detriment to any of us here assembled, but that they may be compelled to stand before this circle and answer truly our demands.' This protective circle we also find already in Babylonian magic; see Thompson, I.e., p. Iviii; cf. also Rit. t p. 192, 1. 46 and 1. 58. This passage may be quoted : il Samas see also the compendium on festival and other ritual laws by Isaac ibn Ghayyat nth century published by I. D. Bamberger, Fiirth, 1861-2, under the title Dnyt? HND in his book nnCB> nytT, Parti, pp. 15 and 16; cf. also J. Miiller, Eirileitung in die Responsen derbdbylonischen Geonen, p. 216), for which different reasons are given (see nflCS? I| "1VB > , Part I, p. 16 ; also Tur Orah Hayyim, ch. 298), may also be connected with this nail magic. The attribution of magical powers to the nails and the supposed appearance of spirits in them may also be the reason for the old prohibition of throwing away the parings of the nails (see Talmud Babli, Mo'ed atan 18 a, and Niddah 178). The reason mentioned in the Talmud is probably only a secondary one, which again may be connected with the reason given here. The accident to the pregnant woman (see T. B., 1. c.) was probably supposed to have been caused through the wrath of the ' princes of the nail '. Various other customs with regard to the cutting of the nails (as the days on which and the order in which they should be cut ; see Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. IX, p. 149) have probably also their last cause in nail magic. So may, for instance, on certain days the cutting of the nails have been regarded as being less harmful because on those days the nail-spirits may have been supposed to have less power of inflicting injury on the person. The same may have applied to the order of the nails to be cut. If the nails were cut in a certain order the demons had no power to do harm. All this would tend to show how deep-rooted nail magic was, and what an importance there was ascribed to the LATER JEWISH TEXTS 33 bel di-nim '* Adad bel M-ri u-qat-tar-Jcu-nu-si '? erina ella Jci-is-ra sil-ta za-'-a tdba ki-is-rat *? erini elli na-ram Hani rabuti usurtu ilu-ti-Jcu-nu rdbl-ti u-qat-tar sa-ba-a *'? erina erina lis-bu-ma qat-ra-a Hani rabuti a-na di-ni da-a-ni ta-as-ba-a-ma di-ni di-na il Samas u il Adad i-ziz-za-nim- ma ina qiblti-jd nls qati-jd ina mim-ma ma-la eppusu(-su) ta-mit a-Jcar-ra-bu Tcet-ta lib-si (11. 56-61). ' Samas, lord of judgement, Hadad, lord of divination, I make smoke to you pure cedar-wood, . . . . , good ....... of cedar- wood, to the favourite of the great gods, the (magical) circle of your great deity, I fumigate. Satiate yourselves at the cedar-wood. At the cedar- wood may satiate them- selves as a gift the great gods, so that they may deliver judgement. Sit down and deliver judgement ! Mamas' and Hadad, draw near ! In my prayer, in the lifting up of my hands, in everything that I do, in the inquiry that I make, there may be correctness.' We thus see that the gods of divination are asked to enter the circle (usurtu), to sit down there and then to deliver judgement. Of. also Kit., p. 198, 1. ii ff. ; p. 200, 1. 22 ff.; p. 204, no. 88, 1. 13 ff.; p. 210, no. 95, 1. 32 ; p. 212, no. 97, 1. I ff.; and p. 216, 1. 48. We thus see that the Babylonian usurtu is the later Jewish i>uy. That the 'circle' was an important element in the ceremony we also see from the fact that the miracle- worker Honi mentioned in Talmud Babli, Ta'anit 19* and 23* ff., was called i>ay, 'the circle-maker', after the circle which he used to make and in the midst of which he used to stand when he adjured God to grant his request and to cause rain to fall. Honi's actions showed a curious blend of pure monotheistic belief and faith in the efficacy of magic (see also Blau,Z)as altjildische Zauber- wesen, p. 33). Lines 2-3. D^3X D^n'i 1 ' four smooth stones'. Four kinds '1 for DVH n^lN 'T ; see for the Hebrew of these texts, above, p. 15, note 6. 34 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC of stones are also mentioned in King, Babylonian Magic, no. 12, 11. 11-13. -kl. 2-15 of that text contain directions for various ceremonies, and one of the ceremonies con- sists in offering (or putting somewhere 1 ) four kinds of stones : alabaster (M parutu}, gold ( abnu hurasu), lapis- lazuli ( ajmu uknu), and a seal ( M kunuklcu). 2 In the course of the incantation the following reference is made to these four stones : klma abnu parutu nu-ri lim-mir i-dir-tam ai ar-si (1. 69) . Jiim abnu uknu na-pis-ti ina pani-Jca li-Tdr li-salc-na ri-e-mu (1. 70), Tclma hurasu ili-jd u ilu istari-jd lillmu(mu) itti-jd (71), ina pi niseP^ ana damiqti(ti) lu-ub-si (72), Jctma *? Tcunukku lu-ni-is-su-u limneti P l -jd (73). ' Like alabaster may my light shine, may I never have afflic- tion ! (1. 69). Like lapis-lazuli may my life be precious in thy sight, may mercy prevail ! (1. 70). Like gold may my god and my goddess be at peace with me ! (1. 71). In the mouth of the people may I be blessed ! 3 (1. 72). Like a seal may my evil deeds be torn away ! (1. 73).' 4 Another reference to these stones is made in 1. 104 (I.e., p. 58). We thus see that to these four stones a certain magical power is ascribed. No doubt the four smooth stones in our text stand in some connexion with the four stones in the Babylonian incantation. Various kinds of stones are also mentioned, together with oil, honey, and butter, in Rit., p. 138, lines 2-4, as necessary ingredients for the ceremony of the asipu; cf. also p. 112, 1. 12, and p. 116, 1. 28. Stones were thus used in magic in Babylonia at a very early period. Line 4. vns&n Tioy vsb ' before the pillar of the sun '. The expression of BTDBVI nicy was no doubt formed after the 1 Meaning not clear. s Cf. King, 1. c., p. 60. 3 Cf. Kit., p. 126", 1. is. 4 My translation of these five lines differs in parts from that of Mr. King (cf. I.e., p. 62). Lines 71-2 give, I think, a satisfactory sense according to my rendering : his god and goddess may be at peace with him, and the people may bless themselves with him ; cf. Prov. iii. 4 31C3 syff\ }n LATER JEWISH TEXTS 35 phrase intrn TiEy ' the pillar of the morning-dawn ', which occurs in the Mishna instead of "int? (cf. the first Mishna of Berachot, where "inuri iioy occurs five times with the verb r6y ) and has the same meaning as "W : ' the dawn of the morning' (see Levy, NHW., pt. 3, p. 660). As IIDJ? stands for "int? so here BWn niy stands for PDKVT TiBy *:sb thus certainly means ' before the rise l of the sun'. From this we see that the ceremony had to be performed early in the morning before sunrise. Exactly as in the Babylonian divination. In JRit. we read several times that the various offerings, which were a part of the divination ceremony, had to be offered and the various other preparations had to be made before the rise of the sun ; cf. Sit., p. 100, 1. 69 f. : arad-ka pulpul (?) ina il $amas sa-at-tu-ri niqe liq-qi *? erina lis-si-ma ana mahar % Samas lizziz(-ziz] ' Thy servant so-and-so shall offer an offering in the morning-hour, shall take the cedar- wood and stand before Samas" ' ; cf. also 1. 55 ; also p. 102, 1. 101 (and see Hunger, I.e., p. 16), and p. 104, 1. 127. On p. 112, 1. 3 we read that the diviner has to wash him- self at the dawn of the morning before the sun rises. Cf. also p. 130, 1. 33 ff, p. 142, 1. 19, and p. 106, 1. 4. Cf. also Hunger, 1. c., p. 10 and p. 15. See also my article ' Balaam a Babylonian baru ' in Hilprecht Anniversary Volume, p. 61 f. So here again we have entirely the Babylonian method. IT rvr pea inrcn imsv nt?i^ 'and anoint his nail and his forehead with pure olive-oil'. See note on }m nc?, and cf. also for the anointing of the forehead above, p. n. Line 5. 'lai nyatynn DNT 13?N2 t?r6n nnsi^' and thou shalt whisper into his ear this spell ', &c. The spell consists of verses from Jeremiah and Psalms. The Babylonian sor- cerer, too, used hymns and psalms as spells ; cf., e.g., Hit., p. 126, and passim, and King, I.e., passim. And in the Babylonian tablets, too, are often only the first lines of those is perhaps to be supplemented after S 3S?. C 2 36 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC prayers quoted ; of., e.g., Rit., p. 124, 1. 22 ; p. 126, 1. 38 ff. ; p. 166, 1. 15, and passim. See also Rit., p. 91. It is interesting to note that the Jews did not take over the magical prayers from the Babylonians. This would have clearly been against their monotheism, and they substi- tuted their own psalms and hymns. They could adopt the obscure magical ceremonies and formulae, of the real (religious) meaning of which they were not quite con- scious. But they could not plainly worship Samas and Marduk; see also the following note. For fuller notes on the use of psalms as spells see below, p. 41 f. The root B>r6 is also used in Babylonian magic ; see Rit., p. 39 f. Lines 7-8. D^jn tw nro PIB^P ^3t?a DTI taea ' for the sake of the sea and for the sake of the three lights that are in the universe '. This is a very interesting line. "What is the D ? and what are the nru W&0 ? There can be no doubt that DTI represents Ea, who plays a great role in Babylonian magic ; see Rit., p. 98, 1. 42 ; p. 158, 1. 4 ; p. 160, 1. 4, and passim. The ftarw-knowledge is called nisirti Anim Bel u Ea ' the secret of Anu, Bel, and Ea ' (see Rit., p. 89). Wherever Ea is mentioned together with Samas and Marduk Ea is mentioned in the first place ; see Rit., p. 158, 1. 4, and p. 160, 1. 4 and 1. 13. Of. also Surpu in Zimmern's Beitr. z. Kenntnis d. bab. Religion, p. 8, 1. 149 : il E~a lip-tur sdr apse ' Ea may solve, the king of the ocean ' ; and 1. 150 : apsu lip-tur bit nimeki ' the ocean may solve, the house of wisdom '. Ea was the god of the deep sea. And instead of saying Ea the Jews said ' the sea'. The real meaning of it was, as it were, made obscure. DTI is therefore Ea. The 'three lights', nro PW^V, no doubt represent the three Babylonian gods, Sin (the moon), ama (the sun), and Marduk (also the sun). 1 Samas" and Marduk played a great role in Babylonian magic; see Rit., passim. 1 See KAT. 3 , p. 370. LATER JEWISH TEXTS 37 And Sin is also found in connexion with magical cere- monies and prayers ; cf., e. g., Bit, p. 128, 1. I ; p. 140, 1. 10. Sin is also called bel purusse ' the lord of the decision of the oracle ' ; see KAT. Z , p. 362. So we have in this text, in a disguised form, four Babylonian gods: Ea, Sin, Samas, and Marduk. Cf. Bit., p. 140, 11. 10-11, where these four gods are mentioned in the same order, only with the addition of Adad before Marduk. Line 8. Mimon, no doubt the name of a principal 'spirit', perhaps also represents some Babylonian deity. His ' queen ' reminds us of A-a, the consort of Santas' (see Bit., p. 102, 1. 104). His 'two servants' remind us of Bunene, ' the messenger (suTckal) of Mamas' and A-a ' (ibid., 1. 105). The lines which follow, and in wKich we read of the slaughtering of two lambs and of preparing them, of bringing three cups (of wine ?), of placing a table in the slaughter-house, and of inviting them (the ' gods ') to eat and to drink, have their striking parallels in the Baby- lonian divination ritual ; cf. Bit., pp. 98-110, and passim. There we have the same ceremonies with much fuller details. The following passage may be quoted : ina ba-lu qlsti u 7cdt-ri-e mar aml1 bare a-sar di-ni la i-te-ih-hi *> erina la inassi(-si) ta-mit pi-ris-ti ul i-ta-mu-su. ' Without gift and offering the diviner shall not come near the place of judgement, (otherwise) they do not announce to him the secret utterance' (p. 104, 11. 117-19). All those offerings were therefore a necessary part of the ceremony, whether performed by the Babylonian bdru or the Jewish diviner. 1 Line n. nyOKTi nan was no doubt the book in which all the magical prescriptions were contained. Lines 12-13. Here we see again that the oil was the principal element in the divination ceremony. "When 1 For Egyptian parallels see Griffith and Thompson, op. cit., p. 31 and P-33- 38 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC the oil was removed all the ' spirits ' left. "Without the oil no ' reflection ', no ' seeing', no ' divining '. Lines 13-14. D'cya ntfo ' three times '. The number three was very important in Babylonian magic ; cf., e.g., Rik, p. 170, no. 56, 1. 4ff., and passim. Line 14. DON no&PB> ' that they shall tell the truth '. Cf. Rit, p. 104, 1. 126. TEXT 2. This text is similar to no. i. Only in this text the divination is done through the fp 'HP instead of the jm nt?. The oil is therefore put on the hand. Line i. For the reason of taking a small boy or girl for divination purposes, see Halliday, Greek Divination, p. 161. There can be no doubt that the innocence and purity of the child were supposed to make him or her a more effective medium. In the pregnant woman it was no doubt the unborn child that was the main factor. Lines 3-5. Cf. Rit., p. 170, 11. 12-13: a-na libbi uzne imni-su u sumeli-su III-ta-a-an tu-lah-Ms. ' Into his ears W V to his right and his left three times thou shalt whisper.' Line 4. The names used here, as well as the names in 1. 9, are difficult to explain. For a fairly full discussion of this kind of magical names see now James A. Montgomery, Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur, pp. 57 ff. TEXT 3. Line 2. In this text it is prescribed that the left hand should be anointed with oil. In no. 4, 1. 2 we read that the right hand should be anointed with oil. In no. 2, 1. i, it is only said ' the hand of the boy '. Lines 3-4. This line is interesting, as it shows that magical power was only in the anointed place. LATEE JEWISH TEXTS 39 TEXT 4. Lines 4, 7, 14. See above, note on no. 2, 1. 4. Lines 5-6. Cf. King, Babylonian Magic, p. 59, 1. 116: ina Jcisadi-su tasakkan(an}. TEXT 5. Line 3. The seizing of the hand was important in magic; cf. King, I.e., p. 55: kat amsl marsi subut-ma ' seize the hand of the sick person ' (and recite that incan- tation). TEXT 6. Line 7. arm IN n&nna IN Tim ' by speech or by sight or by writing'. A passage from Rosenmiiller, 'Das alte und neue Morgenland', quoted by Hunger, op. cit., p.4, is of interest for this line. Speaking of cup-divination by the Persians, Rosenmiiller says that through the adjurations the diviner compelled the demons to give an answer either through an audible voice or through the constellation of the signs on the little stones or through the images of the persons concerning whom the inquiry was made. This threefold answer we have undoubtedly here in "ini, nsno and aro. Cf. also Hunger, op. cit., p. 5, bottom. Lines 21-22. Here we see again distinctly that the ceremony had to take place on a favourable and bright day. TEXT 7. In this text the divination is done through the DID ne>, and therefore the cup has to be anointed with oil. A candle of wax is also used. Instead of one boy two boys are employed. Interesting is also the phrase D13 nt? JIWWD wo ^33) nwirni r6y3 own ^y D^IODH cf. above, p. 29 f. TEXT 8. In this text we have divination through the various formations of the oil when poured on water. Most striking parallels to this text are to be found in the 40 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC two Old Babylonian texts published by Hunger in his Bechencahrsagung (pp. 38-58). In the Babylonian texts sometimes oil is poured on water and sometimes water on oil : cf. 1. c., p. 18. For very close parallels, cf. especially A 32-6 (p. 42), and 72 (p. 48), and B 10-14 (pp. 48-50). One or two paragraphs may be quoted. A 34 : samnum me-e i-na na-di-e-ka ip-i'u-us-ma i-tu-tir a-ve-lum li-im-ra-as li-is-ta-ni-ih i-ba-lu-ud. ' If the oil, when you pour water on it, breaks through and again goes up, the person, be he ill and may he sigh, will recover.' A 72 : samnum me-e i-na na-di-ka id-bu mar-zum i-ma-at. ' If the oil, when you pour water on it, sinks (to the bottom of the cup) the sick person will die.' B 10 : samnum a-na me-e i-na na-di-ia id-bu i-si-id Jca-zi-im is-ba-at-ma u la i-li-a-am mar-zum i-ma-at umman & a-na harrdnim il-li-ku-u u-ul i-tu-ur-ra-am. ' If the oil, when I pour it on water, sinks down, seizes the bottom of the cup and does not go up (again), the sick person will die ; the troops who have gone in the campaign will not return.' In B 10 we have, exactly as in our text, divination through pouring oil on water and through observing whether it sinks to the bottom without going up again, or rises again to the surface. For the sticking together of the oil-drops (ma'Dn ipTU) B 14 is interesting. In any case our text presents a striking example of the longevity of Babylonian superstition. It reads almost like a paragraph from the Old Babylonian oil-divination texts translated into Hebrew. TEXT 9. In this text we have another form of divination by means of oil. The result depended upon whether the face could or could not be seen in the oil. Honey (1. 3 if.) also played a role in Babylonian magic, see Rit., passim ; see also above, p. 34. LATER JEWISH TEXTS 41 TEXT 10. In this text we have the same mode of divination as in the previous text. TEXT ii. Lines 1-2. We find that oil mixed with water was used among the Jews in Babylonia about 1000 c. E. for anointing a mourner at the end of the seven days of mourning. There, too, various Biblical verses were recited over the cup of oil and water. See Bamberger, op. cit., Part II, p. 74 (quotation in Ibn-Grhayyat from a responsum of the Gaon Hai) ; see also J. Muller, op. cit., p. 253. For the use of oil and water in connexion with magic, see also the Sicord of Moses, p. xiii. This text is of special interest because of the use made in it of psalm- verses. We know that the Bible was used for magical purposes ; see Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. Ill, p. 202 ff. The most favoured book in that direction was the book of Psalms ; see I.e., also Vol. X, p. 204 f. Books were written which contained prescriptions as to how the psalms were to be used for magical purposes (B>1DB> D^nn). For an extract of the D'Sin BMB>, see I.e., p. 203 f. We also know that the Christians made the same use of the Psalms ; cf. Kayser, ' Der Gebrauch von Psalmen zur Zauberei ' in ZDMG., Vol. XLII, p. 456 ff. But from the cuneiform inscriptions we learn now that this custom al- ready prevailed among the Babylonians. The Babylonians made constant use of hymns and psalms in incantations. As a matter of fact, most of the Babylonian hymns and psalms have come down to us as parts of incantations. For the use of Babylonian psalms as incantations, see, e.g., Bit., p. 126 f. and p. 132 A beautiful prayer as an incantation we also find in PSBA., 1912, p. 152 ff. Cf. also Zimmern's interesting article, 'Zu den Maqlu-, urpu- und Su-ila-Beschworungen ', in the Zeitschr. f. Assyrio- logie, 1913, p. 67 ff. Cf. also the hymns and prayers to 42 BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC 6ama in Schollmeyer, ' Sumerisch-babylonische Hymnen und Gebete an Samas ' (in Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des Altertums, Paderborn, 1912), and see ibid., p. 26. See also Schmidt, ' Gedanken liber die Entwick- lung der Eeligion auf Grund der babylonischen Quellen ' (in Mitteilungen der Vorderasiatischen Gesellschaft, 1911, Heffc 3), p. 88 : 'Denn es ist keine vereinzelte Erschei- nung, dass eine Hymne wie eine Beschworung betrachtet wird, fangen die babylonischen Hymnen doch nur zu oft mit Siptu ( = Beschworung) an und werden Uberhaupt ganz wie andere Beschwb'rungen gebraucht.' The differ- ence which Schmidt makes between Babylonian and Sumerian hymns cannot be maintained ; see about Sumerian incantations, ibid., pp. 92-104. We thus see that the use of psalms and hymns for magical purposes was an old Babylonian practice which the Jews no doubt took over from the Babylonians together with the rest of the magic. The Semitic Babylonians inherited this custom as well as most of their superstitions from the Sumerians who were the fathers of all superstition and magic in the ancient civilized world and whose influence is still felt among the nations of Europe. J3JJJS& 00306 781 .- A 000 048629 University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. 10JM1S USJII OCT 1 6 1995 SRLP QUARTER LGA REC'O LD WR 1 3 19! lttRl'4 QUARTER NOV '-2 2001 SRLF 2 WEEK, LO A HAY ' J 8 ' > Oxford : Printed by Horace Hart at the University 1' Universit Southe Libra