Demons in the Details: Demonic Discourse and Rabbinic Culture in Late Antique Babylonia

The Babylonian Talmud is full of stories of demonic encounters and laws to regulate them. Sara Ronis' book explores how late antique rabbis imagined, feared, and controlled demons in the cultural context of Sasanian Babylonia, placing rabbinic thinking in conversation with other religious communities.

Format: Hardback
Length: 316 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

The Babylonian Talmud is a rich tapestry of tales that delve into the realm of demonic encounters, and it also encompasses a plethora of laws aimed at regulating these supernatural interactions. In her captivating book, Sara Ronis takes the reader on a captivating journey through the rabbinic canon, delving into the imaginative, fearful, and controlling perspectives of late antique rabbis regarding demons. Ronis contextualizes the Talmud's thought within the vibrant cultural tapestry of Sasanian Babylonia, placing rabbinic thinking in dialogue with a diverse array of texts, including Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Syriac Christian, Zoroastrian, and Second Temple Jewish sources, to explore the intricate communal context in which the rabbis established boundaries between the human and the supernatural, as well as between themselves and other religious communities.

Demons in the Details unravels the diverse ways in which the rabbis engaged in broader discussions with their neighbors, fostering a profound Jewish demonology that emerged from these interactions. Through this exploration, Ronis sheds light on the intricate web of beliefs, practices, and cultural influences that shaped the rabbinic understanding of demons, providing a deep and insightful perspective on this captivating subject.

Weight: 544g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520386174