“A Life for a Life”: a Jewish Anti-Abortive Technique in Early Modern Italy and Its Many Inter- and Intracultural Ramifications

With this article, I seek to demonstrate how the analysis of Jewish magical texts may aid in the identification of hidden aspects of premodern Jewish women’s everyday life and material culture. I do so by focusing on the interplay between magic and childbirth among premodern Italian Jews. I analyze...

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Autore principale: Bellusci, Alessia (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
Verificare la disponibilità: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Pubblicazione: 2025
In: The journal of Jewish thought & philosophy
Anno: 2025, Volume: 33, Fascicolo: 1, Pagine: 151-171
Altre parole chiave:B Jewish culture in premodern Italy
B Jewish women
B Jewish childbirth rituals
B Jewish magic
Accesso online: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Riepilogo:With this article, I seek to demonstrate how the analysis of Jewish magical texts may aid in the identification of hidden aspects of premodern Jewish women’s everyday life and material culture. I do so by focusing on the interplay between magic and childbirth among premodern Italian Jews. I analyze a magical recipe for avoiding a stillbirth preserved in a Hebrew codex of magical interest penned in central Italy at the end of the eighteenth century. Along with providing an edition and English translation of the recipe, I reflect on the trajectories of the circulation and transmission of this childbirth tradition both at an inter- and intra-cultural level.
ISSN:1477-285X
Comprende:Enthalten in: The journal of Jewish thought & philosophy
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/1477285x-12341369