É. Apor (ed.): Jubilee Volume of the Oriental Collection, 1951–1976. Papers Presented on the Occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Oriental Collection of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
A. FODOR: The Use of Psalms in Jewish and Christian Arabic Magig
71 refer to social distress. It cannot be a mere coincidence that, judged by the frequency with which the theme occurs, people are so eager to find favor with the powerful or to take courage when they have to appear before a tribunal or the Sultan. Neither is it by chance that advice on how to escape from prison and how to defend oneself against thieves and enemies appears frequently. If we consider this personal and social background we cannot help but come to the conclusion that, notwithstanding all the differences, the Hebrew and Arabic versions must have come from the same social milieu. Putting this in other words, we may rightly assume that in a given society the remedies proposed to cure a concrete social or personal disease may differ from individual to individual or from one religious community to another, but on a practical level these remedies belong to a well-defined group and number just as do the disease they are intended to cure. Indeed it would appear that remedies and diseases are actually common responses offered to common challenges. And when we realize that Muslims make use of the Koran with the same technique for the same purposes[12j , we find that we are dealing with a popular religion which has been shared in many aspects by Jews, Christians and Muslims in spite of differences in the official religions. Notes 1. 'The Jewish Encyclopedia' III, New York-Eondon 1902. pp. 202-205, s.v. Bibliomancy. See also J. TRACHTENBERG, Jewish Magic and Superstition. New York 1939. pp. 104-113. 2. Ibid. , X, New York-London 1905, pp. 240-241, s.v. Psalmomancy. For the efficacy of the recital of Psalms see also H. SCHWARZBAUM, Studies in Jewish and World Folklore. Berlin 1968, pp. 8, 45, 83, 449, 457. 3. M.GRUNWALD, 'Bibliomantie und Gesundbeten': Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft fiir jüdische Volkskunde 10(1902) pp. 81-98, see esp. pp. 91-95. 4. See Ch. В. FRIEDBERG, Bet Eked Sepharim П1. Tel-Aviv 1954, p. 1017, no. 1707 and A. FREIMAN, Union Catalog of Hebrew Manuscripts and their Locations П. New York 1964, p. 416, no. 10553. 5. C.KAYSER, 'Gebrauch von Psalmen zur Zauberei': ZDMG 42(1888) pp. 456-462. 6. D. SIMONSEN, 'Ein Nachtrag zu der Abhandlung Ober "Gebrauch von Psalmen zur Zauberei": ZDMG 42(1888) pp. 693 f. M.WEISZ, Néhai Dr. Kaufmann Dávid tanár könyvtárának héber kéziratai és könyvei. Budapest 1906, p. 92. The material of the MS is paper and not parchment as Weisz states. 8. A.KHATER, 'L'emploi des Psaumes en thérapie avec formules en caractères cryptographiques': Bulletin de la Société d'Archéologie Copte 14(1970) pp. 123-176. 9. N. H. HENEIN - Th. BIANQUIS, La magie par les Psaumes. Le Caire 1975. 10. For this invocation cf. J. LEVY, Neuhebraisches und chaldaisches Wörterbuch IV. Leipzig 1889, pp. 461 f, refû à. 11. See e.g. A.SZÖRÉNYI, Psalmen und Kult im Alten Testament. Budapest 1961, pp. 232ff. 12. See e.g. A. FODOR, 'Notes on an Arabic Amulet Scroll': Acta Orient. Hung. 27(1973) pp. 269-289. For a list of the required aims see inter alia the table of contents in al-BÛNÏ, 'Kitäb Shams al-ma cärif'. Cairo, n.d.
