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The Demonic Virus and Qumran Studies: Some Preventative Measures1

The Demonic Virus and Qumran Studies: Some Preventative Measures1 THE DEMONIC VIRUS AND QUMRAN STUDIES: SOME PREVENTATIVE MEASURES1 W.J. LYONS AND A.M. REIMER University of Sheffield I. Introduction Douglas L. Penney and Michael O. Wise, in an article entitled, "By the Power of Beelzebub: An Aramaic Incantation Formula from Qum- ran (4Q560)" open with the following: The era of the Second Temple was a magical time. A wealth of indirect evidence proves that, on the popular level, magic was often of greater practical signi- ficance than were many aspects of the Law of Moses. The intensity of the un- seen spiritual battle to which the common man might easily fall victim appears in Rabbi Huna's well-known exegesis of Ps. 91:7, "Everyone among us has a thousand demons on his left hand and ten thousand at his right." Against these invisible legions of demons, magic offered a tangible, material defense whose potential benefits a prudent individual could not afford to ignore. Thus an under- standing of magic is indispensable for a proper appraisal of Jewish civilization in these years.2 The footnote for this last statement points the reader to David E. Aune's ANRW article on "Magic in Early Christianity" for a further defi- nition of magic.3 3 While http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Dead Sea Discoveries Brill

The Demonic Virus and Qumran Studies: Some Preventative Measures1

Reimer, A.M.; Lyons, W.J.
Dead Sea Discoveries , Volume 5 (1): 16 – Jan 1, 1998
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1998 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0929-0761
eISSN
1568-5179
DOI
10.1163/156851798X00217
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE DEMONIC VIRUS AND QUMRAN STUDIES: SOME PREVENTATIVE MEASURES1 W.J. LYONS AND A.M. REIMER University of Sheffield I. Introduction Douglas L. Penney and Michael O. Wise, in an article entitled, "By the Power of Beelzebub: An Aramaic Incantation Formula from Qum- ran (4Q560)" open with the following: The era of the Second Temple was a magical time. A wealth of indirect evidence proves that, on the popular level, magic was often of greater practical signi- ficance than were many aspects of the Law of Moses. The intensity of the un- seen spiritual battle to which the common man might easily fall victim appears in Rabbi Huna's well-known exegesis of Ps. 91:7, "Everyone among us has a thousand demons on his left hand and ten thousand at his right." Against these invisible legions of demons, magic offered a tangible, material defense whose potential benefits a prudent individual could not afford to ignore. Thus an under- standing of magic is indispensable for a proper appraisal of Jewish civilization in these years.2 The footnote for this last statement points the reader to David E. Aune's ANRW article on "Magic in Early Christianity" for a further defi- nition of magic.3 3 While

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Dead Sea Discoveries – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1998

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