Join me for a livestream interview with Dr Gal Sofer on the complex histories of Solomonic magic, learned magical literature, and the transmission of esoteric knowledge across Jewish, Christian, and Arabic-speaking contexts. We will explore what it means to call a magical tradition Solomonic, how texts, images, and ritual technologies travelled across languages and cultures, and why the history of magic is far more intricate than simple questions of authenticity or invention.
Dr Gal Sofer (MD, PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of the Arts at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses on the history of science, magic, and Kabbalah from the late Middle Ages to the present, in both Jewish and Christian cultures and across multiple languages. His work examines the transfer of knowledge between languages in Europe, the visualisation of scientific and religious knowledge, and the visual aspects of learned magical literature. His first book, Solomonic Magic: Methodology, Texts, and Histories, was published by Brill in 2025. His second book, Conjuring the Arab Magician: Intercultural Histories of Magic, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2026.
CONNECT & SUPPORT
MY COURSES https://drangelapuca.com/courses
WEBSITE https://www.drangelapuca.com/
BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE https://drangelapuca.com/services
SUBSTACK ️ https://substack.com/@drangelapuca
BECOME MY PATRON! https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca
SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca
ONE-OFF DONATIONS https://paypal.me/angelasymposium
JOIN MEMBERSHIPS https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join
MY PODCAST https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86
MY MERCH https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/
FOLLOW ME
– YouTube (@drangelapuca)
– SUBSTACK https://substack.com/@drangelapuca
– Instagram (@drangelapuca)
– TikTok (@drangelapuca)
– Twitter (@angelapuca11)
– Facebook (Dr Angela Puca)
MY SET-UP ️
– Canon 90D camera https://amzn.to/3yQclh0
– Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS
– Teleprompter ️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB
– Shure SM7B Microphone ️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK
– Microphone stand https://amzn.to/3FueJOn
– Lights https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1
– DJI Wireless microphones https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ
️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ️
Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!
00:00:00 Introduction: Solomonic Magic, Grimoires, and Gal Sofer’s New Book
00:02:20 Who Is Dr Gal Sofer? Academic Background and Solomonic Magic Research
00:05:54 The Key of Solomon, Grimoires, and Mafte’ah Shelomoh
00:07:25 Christian Verses in Jewish Solomonic Seals: The Puzzle Behind the Book
00:09:36 Reading Manuscripts Like a Physician: Diagnosis, Traces, and History
00:12:27 Methodology: Lachmannian Stemmatics, Digital Phylogenetics, and Textual Genes
00:13:27 Why Digital Phylogenetics May Mislead Textual History
00:18:34 How Textual Genes Help Trace Solomonic Magic Manuscripts
00:21:40 Is Solomonic Magic Really a Corpus? Textual Networks and Unstable Categories
00:24:58 The Problem with Defining Solomonic Magic as a Linear Tradition
00:31:21 Should Practitioners Still Use the Term Solomonic Magic?
00:36:10 Joseph Peterson, Stephen Skinner, Daniel Harms, and Practitioner Editions
00:37:21 Rejecting the Hygromanteia as the Greek Origin of the Key of Solomon
00:41:21 Practitioners, Academia, and the Changing History of Magic Studies
00:47:37 Faith Claims, Historical Claims, and King Solomon Attribution
00:49:56 Primary Sources and the Hebrew Clavicula Salomonis
00:52:37 So What Is Solomonic Magic? A Clear Answer from Gal Sofer
00:59:00 Solomonic Magic as an Unstable but Useful Term
00:59:36 How to Analyse Grimoires and Manuscripts Using Sofer’s Method
01:02:07 Don Karr, Christian Kabbalah, and Accessible Esoteric Scholarship
01:03:28 Does Solomonic Magic Come Directly from Solomon?
01:05:50 The Testament of Solomon and the Development of Solomonic Magic
01:10:04 The Hygromanteia Thesis: Why Sofer Rejects a Single Origin Theory
01:11:50 Renaissance Italy, Mediterranean Magic, and the Key of Solomon
01:13:21 Italian Witchcraft, Segnature, and Dr Puca’s Book
01:16:02 Ancient Hebrew and Aramaic Sources Behind the Key of Solomon
01:18:28 Folk Magic, Court Records, and the Problem of Historical Evidence
01:21:22 Final Reflections on Methodology and Solomonic Magic
01:22:01 Where to Find Gal Sofer’s Research and Publications
01:24:16 Join Angela’s Symposium and Continue Learning
Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568
Published on May 4, 2026
Join me for a livestream interview with Dr Gal Sofer on the complex histories of Solomonic magic, learned magical literature, and the transmission of esoteric knowledge across Jewish, Christian, and Arabic-speaking contexts. We will explore what it means to call a magical tradition Solomonic, how texts, images, and ritual technologies travelled across languages and cultures, and why the history of magic is far more intricate than simple questions of authenticity or invention.
Dr Gal Sofer (MD, PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of the Arts at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses on the history of science, magic, and Kabbalah from the late Middle Ages to the present, in both Jewish and Christian cultures and across multiple languages. His work examines the transfer of knowledge between languages in Europe, the visualisation of scientific and religious knowledge, and the visual aspects of learned magical literature. His first book, Solomonic Magic: Methodology, Texts, and Histories, was published by Brill in 2025. His second book, Conjuring the Arab Magician: Intercultural Histories of Magic, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2026.
CONNECT & SUPPORT
MY COURSES https://drangelapuca.com/courses
WEBSITE https://www.drangelapuca.com/
BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE https://drangelapuca.com/services
SUBSTACK ️ https://substack.com/@drangelapuca
BECOME MY PATRON! https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca
SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca
ONE-OFF DONATIONS https://paypal.me/angelasymposium
JOIN MEMBERSHIPS https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join
MY PODCAST https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86
MY MERCH https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/
FOLLOW ME
– YouTube (@drangelapuca)
– SUBSTACK https://substack.com/@drangelapuca
– Instagram (@drangelapuca)
– TikTok (@drangelapuca)
– Twitter (@angelapuca11)
– Facebook (Dr Angela Puca)
MY SET-UP ️
– Canon 90D camera https://amzn.to/3yQclh0
– Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 https://amzn.to/3JjU1BS
– Teleprompter ️ https://amzn.to/3linWCB
– Shure SM7B Microphone ️ https://amzn.to/3Jm5IYK
– Microphone stand https://amzn.to/3FueJOn
– Lights https://amzn.to/3Zdk8k1
– DJI Wireless microphones https://amzn.to/3NWAVVQ
️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ️
Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!
Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568
00:00:00 Introduction: Solomonic Magic, Grimoires, and Gal Sofer’s New Book
00:02:20 Who Is Dr Gal Sofer? Academic Background and Solomonic Magic Research
00:05:54 The Key of Solomon, Grimoires, and Mafte’ah Shelomoh
00:07:25 Christian Verses in Jewish Solomonic Seals: The Puzzle Behind the Book
00:09:36 Reading Manuscripts Like a Physician: Diagnosis, Traces, and History
00:12:27 Methodology: Lachmannian Stemmatics, Digital Phylogenetics, and Textual Genes
00:13:27 Why Digital Phylogenetics May Mislead Textual History
00:18:34 How Textual Genes Help Trace Solomonic Magic Manuscripts
00:21:40 Is Solomonic Magic Really a Corpus? Textual Networks and Unstable Categories
00:24:58 The Problem with Defining Solomonic Magic as a Linear Tradition
00:31:21 Should Practitioners Still Use the Term Solomonic Magic?
00:36:10 Joseph Peterson, Stephen Skinner, Daniel Harms, and Practitioner Editions
00:37:21 Rejecting the Hygromanteia as the Greek Origin of the Key of Solomon
00:41:21 Practitioners, Academia, and the Changing History of Magic Studies
00:47:37 Faith Claims, Historical Claims, and King Solomon Attribution
00:49:56 Primary Sources and the Hebrew Clavicula Salomonis
00:52:37 So What Is Solomonic Magic? A Clear Answer from Gal Sofer
00:59:00 Solomonic Magic as an Unstable but Useful Term
00:59:36 How to Analyse Grimoires and Manuscripts Using Sofer’s Method
01:02:07 Don Karr, Christian Kabbalah, and Accessible Esoteric Scholarship
01:03:28 Does Solomonic Magic Come Directly from Solomon?
01:05:50 The Testament of Solomon and the Development of Solomonic Magic
01:10:04 The Hygromanteia Thesis: Why Sofer Rejects a Single Origin Theory
01:11:50 Renaissance Italy, Mediterranean Magic, and the Key of Solomon
01:13:21 Italian Witchcraft, Segnature, and Dr Puca’s Book
01:16:02 Ancient Hebrew and Aramaic Sources Behind the Key of Solomon
01:18:28 Folk Magic, Court Records, and the Problem of Historical Evidence
01:21:22 Final Reflections on Methodology and Solomonic Magic
01:22:01 Where to Find Gal Sofer’s Research and Publications
01:24:16 Join Angela’s Symposium and Continue Learning
Published on
