heaven. There is an uneasy tension between the orthodox cosmogony of the book and the unorthodox praxeis embodied in these magical rites; the book has obviously been edited by a rabbinical scribe, but the "popular religion" contained in the book is more or less intact. Some of the rituals purport to facilitate healing, prophecy, an attack upon one's enemy, and gaining good fortune. The number seven, the importance of divine names, and the prevalence of sympathetic magic all have significance in the literature of Middle Eastern magic. The text demonstrates strong syncretism of Jewish and Greek traditions; an example is a prayer to the sun god Helios to invoke him at night: The prayer is preceded by instructions to call on several angels 21 times as well as the name of the sun. The reader is told to perform the ritual in white garments. The Mandaean uthra (angel or guardian) Ptahil is mentioned in Sefer HaRazim, listed among other angels who stand on the ninth step of the second firmament. References Sources Levy, B. Barry. Sepher Ha-Razim, Unpublished manuscript and English translation, McGill University. Margalioth, Mordecai. Sepher Ha-Razim. Jerusalem: Yediot Achronot, 1966. Morgan, Michael A. Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1983. The majority of the information for this article is from this book. Rebiger, Bill; Schäfer, Peter (eds.). Sefer ha-Razim I und II. Das Buch der Geheimnisse, vol. 1: Edition, vol. 2: Einleitung, Übersetzung und Kommentar. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2009. Angels in Judaism Jewish grimoires Kabbalah texts Hebrew-language names