The Sword of Moses

Unknown

Before 1038

In the name of the great and holy God.

[There are] four angels who are appointed over the sword given from the mouth of ’H WH YH WH HYH, the Lord of the mysteries, and who are appointed over the Torah, and they observe the depth of the mysteries of the lower and upper [realms]. And these are their names: ŠQD ḤWZY, MRGYW’L, and HDRZYWLW, ṬWṬRYSY.

An…

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The Hebrew and Aramaic work called the Sword of Moses (Ḥarba de-Moshe), a collection of magical traditions, centers on a mystical “sword” of words brought by Moses from heaven. This work is an assortment of magical recipes that teach the reader how to manipulate the “sword.” Another prominent feature of this work is the adjuration of divine and angelic names, many of which remain indecipherable. The Sword of Moses begins with a lengthy theoretical introduction, excerpted here, that lays out some of the angelology surrounding the sword. Elsewhere, the text presents uses of the sword in prayer. This work is first mentioned by Hayya Ga’on (939–1038) and may date from several centuries earlier.

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Related Guide

Early Medieval Magic and Divination

6th to 12th Century

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