The Magic of the Sword of Moses

A Practical Guide to Its Spells, Amulets, and Ritual

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Imprint: Weiser Books
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“The spells in this text are as relevant today as they were 1,500 years ago when they were written. . . . I have probably learned more about Jewish magic from The Magic of the Sword of Moses than from any other single book I have read in the past. Apart from the translation of the text itself, and the modern applications that Harold suggests, the context that is given is extensive and delicious. I particularly appreciate the passages detailing the thoughts of different rabbis on magic and the relationship between angels and humans. Ancient works of magic are sometimes difficult to use in the modern day without significant changes, but the Sword of Moses can be wielded by anyone willing to follow the instructions and put in the effort.” —Jason Miller, author of Consorting with Spirits and Protection and Reversal Magick
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Book Details

Pages

192 Pages
Size

6 x 8
Format

Paperback
Pub. Date

08/01/2022
ISBN

978-1-57863-726-3
Publisher

Red Wheel Weiser

Authors

Harold Roth is among the foremost authorities on plants within the modern occult community. The author of The Witching Herbs, he teaches classes on botanical magic and witchcraft. Visit him at haroldroth.com.

A practical guide to the famed medieval book of pre-kabbalistic Jewish magic, freshly interpreted and revealed for the first time with instructions on how to use the spells.

The Sword of Moses is one of the earliest Jewish magic books, which describes a rite for adjuring angels to assist in controlling and wielding the "Sword of Moses" for magical purposes. The rite involves a short period of purification and then the adjuring of four sets of angels, each higher than the last. These angels in turn give the magician the power to control the Sword through a series of divine names that work as magical spells. The spells, 137 in all, have a wide variety of uses, including healing, harm, love, sex, exorcising demons, divination, and more.

This work was first translated by Moses Gaster in 1896, but he removed many of the spells, making the text unusable for magic. The Magic of the Sword of Moses is the first book to show in detail, exactly how a magician can use the Sword—how to do the purification ritual, adjure the angels, and pronounce and use the divine names for each spell.
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“The spells in this text are as relevant today as they were 1,500 years ago when they were written. . . . I have probably learned more about Jewish magic from The Magic of the Sword of Moses than from any other single book I have read in the past. Apart from the translation of the text itself, and the modern applications that Harold suggests, the context that is given is extensive and delicious. I particularly appreciate the passages detailing the thoughts of different rabbis on magic and the relationship between angels and humans. Ancient works of magic are sometimes difficult to use in the modern day without significant changes, but the Sword of Moses can be wielded by anyone willing to follow the instructions and put in the effort.” —Jason Miller, author of Consorting with Spirits and Protection and Reversal Magick
“What a fascinating book, a treasure trove of both history and spells.  More than any purely scholarly or purely magical text, The Magic of the Sword of Moses brings ancient Jewish magic to life in all its uniqueness and power.”—Rachel Pollack, author of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom and A Walk Through the forest of Souls
 
“In The Magic of the Sword of Moses, Harold Roth presents a well-organized, insightful, and informative guide to an important first century Jewish manual of magic, a critical edition of which was recently produced by Joseph Peterson, who contributed the foreword here. This is an excellent addition to any modern grimoirist’s bookshelf, outlining as it does the history, background and, above all, use of the Sword of Moses. This significant work enables us to understand the use of the Sword in the past, while encouraging and assisting active engagement with it by practitioners today.” —Jake Stratton-Kent, author of The Encyclopedia Goetica
 
“Harold Roth provides a coherent, digestible, and wonderfully entertaining guide to the Sword of Moses. The perfect tome for any Jewish magical practitioner or occultist, it is a treat to live in this exciting time when authors like Roth are making new sense out of such seminal grimoires and ancient magical texts. There are several things from this book that I have already adopted into my own study and practice.” —Cooper Kaminsky, professional diviner and teacher of Jewish folk magic
 
“The Sword of Moses is one of the most intriguing examples of Jewish magic from late antiquity. In this work, Harold Roth not only contextualizes the material through its sources, development, and influence, but also makes it accessible to the modern reader. In a lucid and scholarly style, the author opens the door to practice of the magic of the Sword today. This is an excellent book and a welcome addition to the literature on Jewish magic and grimoires which I wholeheartedly recommend.”  —David Rankine, author of The Grimoire Encyclopedia
 
“Harold Roth’s interpretation of the medieval Jewish grimoire, the Sword of Moses is a must read for anyone interested in Jewish magic or the broader grimoire tradition.  Providing a great deal of useful cultural and historical context, it walks the reader through the straightforward preparatory rituals, and then provides a dazzling assortment of spells which can be used as-is, or as inspiration for the development of personal methods. I cannot recommend the book highly enough!” —Sara Mastros, author of The Big Book of Magical Incense
 
"Harold Roth expertly shares a system of magic unfamiliar to most of us who have worked with the usual grimoires. He explains both the historic and magickal context, as well as how to put it into practical use, a feature missing from most modern editions of classic texts. A true magical scholar, Roth both educates and inspires, sharing from his experience." —Christopher Penczak, author of the Temple of Witchcraft series