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Cabalistic formulary and book of remedies : manuscript.
ספר קבלה מעשית ותרופות.
Library at the Katz Center - Rare Book Manuscript CAJS Rar Ms 682
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- Format:
- Book
- Manuscript
- Language:
- Hebrew
- Judeo-Arabic
- Judeo-Persian
- Persian
- Subjects (All):
- Cabala.
- Amulets--19th century.
- Exorcism--Religious aspects.
- Jews--Khanate of Bukhara--19th century--History--Sources.
- Jews--Uzbekistan--19th century--History--Sources.
- Genre:
- Codices (bound manuscripts)
- formularies.
- gouaches (paintings).
- illuminated manuscripts.
- Penn Provenance:
- Formerly owned by Joseph Preres [...], with place of ownership in Cyrillic charachters (smudged and blackened; f. 32v).
- Sold by Winner's Auctions (Jerusalem), Auction 140 (21 February 2023) lot 107.
- Formerly owned by F.T. Dent, London (stamp, f. 77v: ספרי דענט", F.T. DENT COLLECTION LONDON").
- Physical Description:
- 128 leaves : paper, ink, watercolor, illuminations ; 20 x 12 cm.
- Production:
- [Bukhara? Uzbekistan?], [1850?-1899].
- [בוכארא? אוזבקיסטן?], [1850?-1899].
- Language Note:
- Text mainly in Judeo-Persian, with some Persian, Judeo-Arabic, and Hebrew.
- Summary:
- Cabalistic book of remedies, incantations, and lots, likely originating in Bukhara or Uzbekistan (language and provenance), including remedies for childbirth (such as those on f. 30v-31v), demons (such as f. 25v, להוציא השיד מגוף האדם, exorcisms for a possessed body), incantations and remedies for the sick (beginning on f. 55r), angelic formularies for the days of the week (beginning with f. 47v). Charts of devotional or meditational letters, the so-called angelic script (such as f. 51v), and some Persian characters inside tables (such as f. 51v, 87v, and a guardian table, called מזוזה, covering an entire folio side on f. 112r), and instructions on how to compose amulets (f. 61v). Illuminated at the end with a snake, with a rosette, colored in gauche (pinks and reds) on f. 127v, and a donkey carrying a pail in its teeth below a caption of תמחה שם עמלק כי מחה ימחה את זכר עמלק מתחת השמים לא תשכך (the donkey as a metaphor for a kelipah (a cabalistic "husk", a symbol of evil), as Amalek embodies in the Cabala). Written in an Oriental cursive script, with opening words and captions in an Iranian square script; paper brittle, and some folios are loose. Bound in a 19th century full leather binding, with two raised bands on spine; blind-tooled boards; "קמיעות" written on spine.
- Notes:
- Title supplied by cataloger.
- Local Notes:
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Elis & Ruth Douer Endowed Fund.
- Cited as:
- Cabalistic formulary and book of remedies. (UPenn CAJS Rar Ms 682). Library at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania.
- OCLC:
- 1418867939
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