The Sefer HaRazim ( Book of Secrets / Mysteries) is an ancient Jewish book of angel magic dating to the 3rd or 4th century CE. It was discovered in the Cairo Genizah in the 1960's in fragments and was edited together over the course of three years by Mordecai‏ Margalioth. In the text we find descriptions of the seven heavens, angelic military formations, and magical spells corresponding to the various heavens and angels. Sefer HaRazim is an interesting combination of both Merkabah mysticism (in which mystics 'descend' to the throne of the Divine through the palaces of Gd) and the sophisticated technologies of GrecoEgyptian magic. This episode explores the text in depth, several of the spells, angelic names and the longstanding impact of this kind of angelic magic on later traditions of magical practice.

Recommended Reading:

Michael Morgan Sepher HaRazim: The Book of Mysteries 9780891306153
Margalioth, Mordecai Sepher HaRazim Jerusalem: Yediot Achronot, 1966
Medieval Latin Translation: https://histbest.ub.unileipzig.de/rs...

#angel #magic #judaism