Geniza Lab

Recto/verso:

Section:

A bizarre treatise entitled Mar'e Ha-Ofanim, referring both to the angels of Ezekiel's vision and to the circles described in the treatise. It gives instructions for drawing up sundry circles within circles with magical or divinatory properties. In this section, each entry is prefaced with the name of a category (e.g. "meals" or "Gentile sages") and two rivers (one "outside" and one "inside"), and then the entry consists of specific elements from that category paired with a biblical prophet and the number of a verse ("Bread, go to Ezekiel verse 1"; "Bartholomeo, go to Elisha verse 25"; etc.). Each entry concludes with a list of significant numbers.