Mesopotamian Witchcraft: Toward a History and Understanding of Babylonian Witchcraft Beliefs and Li Terature (Ancient Magic and Divination) (Ancient Magic and Divination)

Abusch (Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, Brandeis U.) presents 14 essays on Mesopotamian witchcraft and the witchcraft series Maqlu , the longest and most important and complex Mesopotamian text against witchcraft. The essays deal with significant aspects of the history, literature, ritual, and thought associated with the subject matter. All of the essays have been previously published, or are awaiting publication, in other scholarly journals and books. Indexed by Akkadian and Sumerian words, gods and demons, and lines of the Maqlu ; does not include a more traditional subject index. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Abbreviations 12 Preface 16 Part I: Mesopotamian Witchcraft 18 Chapter 1: The Demonic Image of the Witch in Standard Babylonian Literature: The Reworking of Popular Conceptions by Learned Exorcists 20 Chapter 2: Witchcraft and the Anger of the Personal God 44 Chapter 3: Considerations When Killing a Witch: Developments in Exorcistic Attitudes to Witchcraft in Mesopotamia 82 Chapter 4: Witchcraft, Impotence, and Indigestion 96 Chapter 5: The Internalization of Suffering and Illness in Mesopotamia: A Development in Mesopotamian Witchcraft Literature 106 Part II: The Nature and History of Maqlû 114 Chapter 6: The Nature of Maqlû: Its Character, Divisions, and Calendrical Setting 116 Chapter 7: An Early Form of the Witchcraft Ritual Maqlû and the Origin of a Babylonian Magical Ceremony 130 Chapter 8: The Ritual Tablet and Rubrics of Maqlû: Toward the History of the Series 180 Chapter 9: Ritual and Incantation: Interpretation and Textual History of Maqlû VIII 58-105 and IX 152-59 202 Chapter 10: Water into Fire: The Formation of Some Witchcraft Incantations 214 Part III: Meaning: The Religious and Intellectual Setting of Maqlû 234 Chapter 11: The Socio-Religious Framework of the Babylonian Witchcraft Ceremony Maqlû: Some Observations on the Introductory Section of the Text, Part I 236 Chapter 12: The Socio-Religious Framework of the Babylonian Witchcraft Ceremony Maqlû: Some Observations on the Introductory Section of the Text, Part II 266 Chapter 13: Ascent to the Stars in a Mesopotamian Ritual: Social Metaphor and Religious Experience 288 Chapter 14: Maqlû: A Schematic Summary 304 Bibliography 310 Indices 324

This volume is about the history, literature, ritual, and thought associated with ancient Mesopotamian witchcraft.
With chapters on the changing forms and roles of witchcraft beliefs, the ritual function, form, and development of the Maqlû text (the most important ancient work on the subject), and the meaning of the Maqlû ceremony, as well as the ideology of the final version of the text. The volume significantly contributes to our understanding of the Maqlû text, and the reconstruction of the development of thought about witchcraft and magic in Mesopotamia.

This volume is about the history, literature, ritual, and thought associated with ancient Mesopotamian witchcraft. With chapters on the changing forms and roles of witchcraft beliefs, the ritual function, form, and development of the Maqlû text (the most important ancient work on the subject), and the meaning of the Maqlû ceremony, as well as the ideology of the final version of the text. The volume significantly contributes to our understanding of the Maqlû text, and the reconstruction of the development of thought about witchcraft and magic in Mesopotamia. This volume is about the history, literature, ritual, and thought associated with ancient Mesopotamian witchcraft. With chapters on the changing forms and roles of witchcraft beliefs, the ritual function, form, and development of the Maqlu text (the most important ancient work on the subject), and the meaning of the Maqlu ceremony, as well as the ideology of the final version of the text. The volume significantly contributes to our understanding of the Maqlu text, and the reconstruction of the development of thought about witchcraft and magic in Mesopotamia