Hi, All -
For an example of the "more positive attitude" toward
angelic magic that Mogg mentioned earlier, see Raphael
Patai's "The Love Factor in a Hebrew-Arabic Conjuration",
in *The Jewish Quarterly Review*, New Series, Vol. 70,
No. 4, April, 1980, pages 239-253.
Below is an excerpt :
" The tenor of Hebrew incantation texts is, as a rule,
one of command, of overpowering influence, of mastery,
of compulsion. The conjurer performs his magic acts and
recites the magic formulae, and thereby forces the spirit
or demon whom he adjures to do his bidding. The spirit
or demon is regarded as basically antagonistic to the
conjurer, just as he is to men in general.
But the magic power wielded by the conjurer leaves the
spirit no choice, and he is forced to obey. This is how,
in Talmudic legend, King Solomon and his emissary Benaiah
subdued Ashmodai, the king of the demons, with Solomon's
magic signet ring and forced him to fulfill Solomon's
desire.
And this remained the basic relationship between conjurer
and demon through the ages, as illustrated, e.g., by
the late medieval Sefer Mafteah Shelomoh ("Book of
the Key of Solomon"), the Hebrew original of which was
published in facsimile by Hermann Gollancz.
Hebrew MS 214 in the Bavarian State Library in Munich
contains on folios 154a-58b a medieval incantation
text which, while similar in its technical details to
the run-of-the-mill adjurations, differs from them in one
significant respect : in addition to prescribing the acts
to be performed and the words to be recited in order to
force the demon to appear, to answer, and to do the
conjurer's bidding, it endeavors to establish an
atmosphere of friendship and sympathy between the demon
and the conjurer. "
The introduction is followed by the complete text of the
conjuration, translated into English by Patai.
And for some discussion of in-period debate upon the
dubious ethics involved with coercing / threatening /
enslaving sentient beings, see Kevin LaGrandeur's
*Androids and Intelligent Networks in Early Modern
Literature and Culture : Artificial Slaves*
http://tinyurl.com/kxlnl2n
( Free Preview @ GoogleBooks )
Cors in Manu Domine,
- Khem Caigan
--
"Heat and Moisture are Active to Generation;
Cold and Dryness are Passive, in and to each Thing;
Fire and Air, Active by Elementation;
Water and Earth, Passive to Generation."
*Of the Division of Chaos*
-Dr. Simon Forman
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