The book became notorious in German Renaissance magic, named together with Picatrix as among the most abominable works of necromancy by Johannes Hartlieb. It features an elaborate angelology, magical uses of the zodiac, gematria, names of God, protective spells, and a method of writing magical healing amulets.īook six of the Liber Razielis is based on Sefer haRazim, with various additions including the "Prayer of Adam" of Sefer Adam. The printed version of Sefer Raziel is divided into five books, some of it in the form of a mystical midrash on Creation. There are multiple manuscript versions, containing up to seven tractates. It draws heavily on Sefer Yetzirah and Sefer HaRazim "Book of Secrets". The likely compiler of the medieval version is Eleazar of Worms, as Sefer Galei Razia, which developed to what we have now as Sefer Raziel HaMalakh, including more writings written by people of various theological opinions. Critical historians regard it as a medieval work, most probably originating among the Ashkenazi Hasidim, as citations from it begin to appear only in the 13th century. The title itself is mentioned in another magical work of late antiquity, The Sword of Moses. The tradition around the book attributes it to have been revealed to Adam by the angel Raziel. Like other obscure ancient texts such as the Bahir and Sefer Yetzirah, the work has been extant in a number of versions.
The book cannot be shown to predate the 13th century, but may in parts date back to late antiquity.
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