Sefer Shimmush Tehillim - Buch vom magischen Gebrauch der Psalmen

Sefer Shimmush Tehillim (the Book of the Magical Use of Psalms) is a popular Jewish manual in which biblical psalms are assigned magical purposes. Its redaction began in the area of Egypt and Palestine in late antiquity, and its complex history resulted finally in the first printing (Sabbioneta 1551) and in the Sephardic recension. Bill Rebiger has edited manuscripts from the Middle Ages and early modern times as well as the first printing from a synoptic perspective. He has also translated the first printing and the Sephardic recension into German. In the commentary, he discusses the relationship between the text of a psalm and its magical use as well as the relationship between the different recensions, the history of text and tradition, magical parallels and the ritualistic aspect of its magical practices. A general introduction, including the history of research, as well as various indexes complete this volume.