Solomonic Magic

Methodology, Texts, and Histories

Series: 

Author:
Gal Sofer
Solomonic magic has captivated imaginations for centuries, yet its definition remains elusive. Is it a specialized branch linked to King Solomon, or a broader classification of practices attributed to him? This book explores the mysterious world of demon subjugation, examining previously unknown texts in multiple languages (Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and more) to reveal the historical evolution of this magical tradition. Divided into three parts, the book presents analyses of key manuscripts and examines the historical influence of Hebrew texts on later traditions. Featuring many unpublished manuscripts, this book challenges previous scholarly assumptions and offers a new perspective on the textual network that shaped medieval and early modern magical works.
Copyright Year:
2025
E-Book (PDF)
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-73078-6
Publication:
19 May 2025
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-54677-6
Publication:
12 Jun 2025
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Gal Sofer, MD, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the Department of the Arts at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He has studied medieval and early modern magic and Kabbalah, focusing on knowledge transmission and transformation across linguistic boundaries.
Preface
List of Figures and Tables
A Note on Hebrew Transliteration

Part 1 Methodology



1 Philology
 1 Genes and Scale Shifting
 2 Textual Networks

2 Solomonic Magic: A Term in Flux or a Distinct Tradition?
 1 Defining through Polemical Discourses
 2 The Anatomical Anomaly of “Solomonic Magic”

3 From Micro(s) to Macro: Multi-Sources and Scribal Strategies
 1 Practitioners’ Confessions
 2 Genesis Narratives

Part 1: Summary

Part 2 Texts



Clusters and Nodes: A Brief Introduction

4 Liber Bileth (LB)
 1 Liber Bileth: Fusing Two Texts into One
 2 The Book of Spirits
 3 The Marvelous Ring
 4 Liber Bileth: Preliminary Intra-Clusteric Genetic Analysis

5 Clavicula Salomonis (CS)
 1 Italian and Latin Claviculae: The Clavicula’s Ritual and Six Methods
 2 An English Clavicula: The Return of Bileth Son of Aned
 3 French Clavicula
 4 Hebrew Claviculae
 5 Clavicula Salomonis: Preliminary Intra-Clusteric Genetic Analysis

6 Sapientia Salomonis (SP)
 1 A Consecrated Catalog of Demons
 2 Liber consecrationum
 3 Ḥokhmat Shlomo: The Hebrew SP s
 4 Sapientia Salomonis: Preliminary Intra-Clusteric Genetic Analysis
 5 Liber centum regum
 6 Intra- and Inter-Clusteric Analysis

Part 2: Summary

Part 3 Histories



Introduction: Beyond the Solomonic Veil

7 The Babylonian Background
 1 Ḥover Ḥaver—The Reception of a Biblical Term
 2 Babylonian Jews and Demons—Expelling or Gathering?

8 Sefer Haqqevitza
 1 Gathering Demons in Fustat—Sefer Haqqevitza and the Four Elements
 2 Sefer Haqqevitza—A Babylonian Component of the Solomonic Network
 3 Solomonic Attribution
 4 Where Are You, Arabic Sources? Some Short Notes on a Great Lacuna

9 Binding Demons in Medieval Ashkenaz and Provence
 1 Ashkenazic Ḥasidim and Sefer Haqqevitza
 2 The Chiefs of the Teli
 3 The Demonology of the Kohen Brothers

10 Binding Demons in Medieval Spain—The Astral Turn
 1 Moses of Burgos and Nachmanides
 2 Liber Razielis
 3 Berit Menuḥa

11 Berengar Ganell and Liber Theysolius
 1 The Magisterium and the Summa
 2 Repositories of Names: The Case of Liber Theysolius

12 The Age of the Clavicula
 1 Clavicula Salomonis: An Italian Reaction to Information Overload
 2 SQR Genes in the Early Modern Period
 3 Abraham Colorni and the Untold Story of the Hebrew Claviculae

13 Curating Wisdom—The Art of Knowledge Cataloging
 1 Making Catalogs I: Demons
 2 Making Catalogs II: Pentacles

14 The Greek Myth
 1 Rethinking the Hygromanteia Hypothesis
 2 Catoptromancy and the Solomonic Network

Part 3: Summary

Solomonic Magic: Final Thoughts

Bibliography
Index
This book is intended for a diverse audience, ranging from experts to non-experts in the fields of magic, religion, philology, Jewish studies, interreligious encounters, demonology, and Renaissance studies.
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Publisher:
Brill
Language:
English
Pages:
xvi, 360 pp.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004730786

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