Hebrew Bowl

B2963

From: Iraq | Nippur

Curatorial Section: Near Eastern

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Object Number B2963
Current Location Collections Storage
Provenience Iraq | Nippur
Date Made ca. 200 BCE
Section Near Eastern
Materials Ceramic | Ink
Inscription Language Aramaic
Description

CBS Register: terracotta bowl,7 fragments, 11-12 lines, divided. traces of Bitumen around rim

Complete-7 Frag/11-12 Line Divided

Levy: "This bowl is directed at protecting the household of Ardoi bar Hormizduch from the angel of death, who takes husbands from their wives, wives from their children, and children from their parents. Its medical focus is clear from the first line, which begins with an appeal to the "master of healing." The bowl concludes, "May the Lord rebuke you, Satan; may the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? [Zechariah 3:2] Amen. Amen." This verse's strongly worded reference to God's attacking Satan led to its being the most popular biblical text in the magic-bowl literature. The illustration was interpreted by Montgomery as an armed and shackled demon. Given the contents of the bowl, one might conclude that it is a representation of the angel of death."

Credit Line Babylonian Expedition to Nippur I,1889
Other Number PBS III: 3 - Other Number

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