Adopting a comparative historical approach, J. H. Chajes uncovers a strain of Jewish belief to which scant attention has been paid. Between Worlds provides fascinating descriptions of cases of possession as well as analysis of the magical techniques deployed by rabbinic exorcists to expel the ghostly intruders.

Between Worlds
Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism

J. H. Chajes

2003 | 288 pages | Cloth $59.95 | Paper $24.95
Religion
View main book page

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The Emergence of Dybbuk Possession
2. The Dead and the Possessed
3. The Task of the Exorcist
4. Dybbuk Possession and Women's Religiosity
5. Skeptics and Storytellers
Arrival

Appendix: Spirit Possession Narratives from Early Modern Jewish Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments