PAGANS AND GNOSTICSAs it was used in this cult, the story of Adapa's rise to Heaven, where
he was served the food and water of life, anointed with oil, and dressed
in splendid robes-all rites performed at the coronation of Sumerian
kings-gave ordinary people the hope of sharing such royal honors,146
This theme survived as the gnostic ascent of the soul, which contributed
materially to the Manichaean theme of the investiture of the prophet
in Heaven. The idea that release from a curse heals the soul appears
on Mandaic incantation bowls, where its immediate inspiration was
probably gnostic.^147
Ideas about redemptive, therapeutic magic were shared by Magians
in a highly developed form. Ahriman used disease as one of his weap-
ons to corrupt the creation of Ohrmazd; therefore sickness and health
were equated with evil and righteous prosperity, respectively, and had
cosmic significance. In the Yashts, prayers and spells secured victory,
healing, and good fortune, and many of the Avestan deities and beings
were called "healer." In the Videvdiit, holy words performed a healing
magic against disease, death, sorceresses, and sorcerers; this was the
highest form of healing because it cured a righteous person on the
inside (the Middle Persian commentary states, "even if it does no good,
it does no harm"). In the later literature, such as the Denkart, the
"physician of the soul" was a virtuous, intelligent teacher who mem-
orized the Avesta, studied the Zand, meditated on the yazdan, and
was able to heal the souls of people from sin and their bodies from
sickness, and could cure the world through Den,148
The demonic theory of illness as well as the means to deal with it
were available to Jews through the Bible, but in Iraq this was probably
reinforced by local pagan tradition. The Talmud supports the practice
of therapeutic magic with Biblical quotations such as Eccles. 10:11,
"If the serpent bites because no one uttered a charm," and refers to
the practice of mumbling the verse, "I will put none of those diseases
upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I the Lord
am your physician" (Exod. 15:26) over a wound.^149 Rabbi Ashi (d.
ca. 427) spoke of a spirit (Heb. rualJ) or demon of leprosy, and a
difference of opinion existed between Rav (d. 247) who claimed that
sickness was caused by the evil eye and Samuel (d. 254) who said that
146 Widengren, Mani, pp. 14-15.
147 Yamauchi, Incantation Texts, pp. 175, 179,269.
148 Bailey, Zoroastrian Problems, pp. 13-14, 42, 87, 159; Bishop, Videvdiid, pp.
205-6, 213-20, 248-58; de Menasce, Denkart, pp. 190-91.
149 Rodkinson, Talmud, VIII, "Taanith," 17; idem, XVI, "Sanhedrin," 265.