Overview
Angelic beings can be found throughout the Hebrew Bible, and, by late antiquity, the archangels Michael and Gabriel were as familiar as the patriarchs and matriarchs; guardian angels were as present as one’s shadow; and praise of the seraphim was as sacred as the Shema prayer. Mika Ahuvia recovers once-commonplace beliefs about the divine realm and demonstrates that angels were foundational to ancient Judaism. Ancient Jewish practice centered on humans' relationships with invisible beings who acted as their intermediaries, role models, and guardians. Drawing on non-canonical sources—incantation bowls, amulets, mystical texts, and liturgical poetry—Ahuvia shows that when ancient men and women sought access to divine aid, they turned not only to their rabbis nor to God alone but often also to the angels. On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel spotlights these overlooked stories, interactions, and rituals, offering a new entry point to the history of Judaism and the wider ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern world in which it flourished.
Full Product Details
Author: Mika Ahuvia
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.80cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.544kg
ISBN: 9780520380110
ISBN 10: 0520380118
Pages: 270
Publication Date: 08 June 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
"""Ahuvia not only commands impressive knowledge of a large body of texts and artifacts and related secondary literature, but also manages to survey this expansive and diverse collection quite succinctly. Mastering this material is accomplishment enough, but, remarkably, Ahuvia manages to do it without leaving anyone behind."" * Reading Religion * ""A comprehensive survey of angels in our surviving Jewish sources would require a multivolume effort, and Ahuvia should be lauded for the diversity of textual products and cultural contexts that she brings to light in her study. . . It is an important contribution to the broader study of how human cultures experience the world as filled and animated by different classes of beings."" * AJS Review *"
Ahuvia not only commands impressive knowledge of a large body of texts and artifacts and related secondary literature, but also manages to survey this expansive and diverse collection quite succinctly. Mastering this material is accomplishment enough, but, remarkably, Ahuvia manages to do it without leaving anyone behind. * Reading Religion *
Author Information
Mika Ahuvia is Assistant Professor of Classical Judaism at the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle.
