NES 1927

FWS: Gods, Demons, and Angels in Jewish Magic and Mysticism

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

In this class, students are introduced to Jewish mystical and magic literatures spanning from the ancient to modern era, with a particular focus on the belief in supernatural demons and angels. Readings in this class include introductory-level secondary essays by leading experts in the field, as well as short primary source texts. Included among the latter are biblical passages, rabbinic sources from Midrash and Talmud, extrabiblical sources such as 3 Enoch and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Aramaic magic bowls from late antique Persia, as well as Hekhalot texts such as Book of Creation (Sefer Yetzirah), Book of Mysteries (Sefer ha-Razim), Sword of Moses (Harbe de-Moshe), medieval masterpieces like Book of Splendor (Zohar), Book of Illumination (Sefer Bahir), and Sefer Hasidim, and, finally, the writings of early modern mystics, including Moses Cordevero, Isaac Luria, Abraham Abulafia, Moses Chaim Luzzatto, the Baal Shem Tov, and others. Through a close reading of these texts, students will learn about major themes and questions in the Jewish religion, such as the problem of evil, humanity’s role in repairing the world (Tikkun Olam), visions of ascending to the heavens, the practice of mindfulness and meditation, the concept of exile, among other key ideas. In addition to this course content, students will be walked through the step-by step process of writing a research paper on course-related topic of their choosing, using the manual “Little Red Schoolhouse” published by the University of Chicago Writing Program.

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