Re-envisioning the Evil Eye: Magic, Optical Theory, and Modern Supernaturalism in Jewish Thought
Abstract This essay is a case study in the modern emergence of the “supernatural.” I argue that pre-modern understandings of the evil eye were predominantly naturalistic, based on extramissionist, haptic concepts of vision. The need to believe in the evil eye first arises when sight becomes universa...
| Auteur principal: | |
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| Type de support: | Électronique Article |
| Langue: | Anglais |
| Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | En cours de chargement...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Publié: |
2021
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| Dans: |
European journal of jewish studies
Année: 2021, Volume: 15, Numéro: 1, Pages: 30-59 |
| Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés: | B
Judaïsme
/ Mauvais œil
/ Le surnaturel
/ Magie
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| Classifications IxTheo: | AB Philosophie de la religion AG Vie religieuse BH Judaïsme |
| Sujets non-standardisés: | B
extramission
B Magic B Kabbalah B Evil Eye B Supernatural B history of science B Rabbinic Literature |
| Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (Maison d'édition) |
| Résumé: | Abstract This essay is a case study in the modern emergence of the “supernatural.” I argue that pre-modern understandings of the evil eye were predominantly naturalistic, based on extramissionist, haptic concepts of vision. The need to believe in the evil eye first arises when sight becomes universally understood as the result of light entering rather than emerging from the eyes. In the Jewish context, rabbis then begin to develop alternative explanations for its existence and efficacy. These novel etiologies were, for the first time, supernatural. Furthermore, an under-appreciated consequence of the emergence of the modern category of the supernatural is here revealed: rather than signifying the opprobrium of rejected knowledge, for certain religious communities, its embrace has come to represent spiritual conviction. |
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| ISSN: | 1872-471X |
| Contient: | Enthalten in: European journal of jewish studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/1872471X-11411098 |
