The Magic of Law: Exorcism, Excommunication and Rabbinic Authority in Late Antique Judaism

In the study of late antique Judaism, law and magic are often treated as distinct domains, with law regarded as elite and magic as popular. This paper challenges that dichotomy by exploring the overlap between legal and magical practices in both rabbinic texts and magical artifacts. I argue that ancient Jewish sources do not clearly separate the two, suggesting that following these modern scholarly distinctions may obscure aspects of late antique Jewish law. Belief in supernatural entities and the view of rabbinic law as a binding force capable of confronting them were integral to the rabbinic legal framework. Moreover, incantation bowls containing invocations of rabbis to confront demons through legal means demonstrate how rabbis were seen as authoritative figures beyond their immediate circles. These conclusions may challenge traditional definitions of rabbinization, which typically focus on the spread of legal norms.