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Sefer ha-Razim (the Book
of Mysteries) (Jewish
magical text)
YUVAL HARARI
Sefer ha-Razim (the Book of Mysteries) is the
earliest Jewish magical treatise known to us. It
was composed in fine Hebrew, probably in
Egypt or Palestine, during the second third of
the first millennium. Its sources, however, may
have been much older. The book is rooted in the
Jewish culture of the Greco-Roman world. Its
author combined Jewish cosmology, angelology,
and magical technology with elements of Helle-
nistic magic. Many of the technical terms as well
as the professional ceremonies offered in it are
of Greek origin, as one can discern from
parallels in the Greek Magical Papyri.
Although the text is assumed to have been
successfully reconstructed by Mordechai
Margalioth, there is no single manuscript that
preserves the text in its entirety. Its earliest
fragments were found in the Cairo Genizah
and are relatively late (see CAIRO GENIZAH, LATE
ANTIQUE JEWISH TEXTS FROM). Based mainly on
them, an eclectic edition of the book was first
published in 1966.
Sefer ha-Razim is a fine example of the
literary stage in which scattered magical infor-
mation, apparently gathered for practical
reasons, was embedded into a well-structured
treatise. The compilation leads the reader
through seven heavens, starting with the lowest
up to the seventh heaven, where God dwells.
This tight structure is prefaced by a short intro-
duction that enhances the authority of the book.
It indicates the heavenly origin of the book, its
delivery to Noah through the angel Razi’el as
well as its earthly chain of transmission, from
Noah to King Solomon, and describes the main
fields in which it might be used.
Starting with the first level of the first heaven
the Book of Mysteries moves from one heav-
enly sphere to the next, indicating for each of
them: (1) the names of the angels that dwell in
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, First Edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B. Champion, Andrew Erskine,
and Sabine R. Huebner, print pages 6112–6113.
© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah11211
that sphere and the names of their officers,
(2) the nature of these angels and the range of
their authority, (3) the objectives that can be
achieved through the adjuration of the
angels and the exact ceremony required for
that. No magical rite is suggested in the seventh
heaven, where God is continuously glorified
and praised by the surrounding angels.
The range of aims mentioned in the Book
of Mysteries is very broad. Achieving each of
them is supposed to result from the per-
formance of a certain, detailed ceremony.
Typically, these ceremonies combine the reci-
tation (or writing) of an adjuration addressed
to specific angels with the ritual use of various
plants, minerals, liquids, and animal organs.
Bound by the spell, the angels should react
immediately and fulfill the adjurer’s request.
Sefer ha-Razim probably gained great
popularity during the Byzantine period and
the subsequent centuries. Near the turn of
the millennium it was mentioned by Karaite
leaders as a paradigm of the “Rabbanite books
of magic.” It was repeatedly copied in both
Europe and the Muslim world and was par-
tially embedded in the most influential magic
compilation Book of the Angel Razi’el.
SEE ALSO: Magic, Jewish.
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS
Alexander, P. S. (2003) “Sefer Ha-Razim and
the problem of black magic in early Judaism.”
In T. E. Klutz, ed., Magic in the biblical world:
from the Rod of Aaron to the Ring of Solomon:
170–90. London.
Bohak, G. (2008) Ancient Jewish magic: a history:
170–5. Cambridge.
Harari, Y. (2010) Early Jewish magic: research,
method, sources: 215–20. Jerusalem.
Margalioth, M. (1966) Sepher Ha-Razim:
a newly recovered book of magic from the Talmudic
period. Jerusalem.
Morgan, M. A., trans. (1983) Sepher Ha-Razim,
the Book of the Mysteries. Chico, CA.
Rebiger, B. and Schäfer, P. (2009) Sefer ha-Razim
I/II – Das Buch der Geheimnisse I/II. Tübingen.