Page - 46 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/01

46 | Alisha Meininghaus www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/1, 45–65 merous illustrations of zodiac signs catch the eye. These illustrations belong to an old tradition that is not limited to groups marginalized as heretics. The long list of astrological references in Jewish art and literature includes, for example, illustrations of the zodiac signs on mosaic floors of synagogues in ancient Israel, astrological texts in the literature of Qumran as well as in the Babylonian Talmud, and philosophical discussions about astrology among Spanish scholars from the 12th century onwards.2 This article interprets the depictions of zodiac signs on birth amulets from Jewish printing houses of the 18th century in German-speaking countries.3 So far, studies of Jewish amulets have been mostly philological, and a compre- hensive analysis of woodcut prints – embracing the visual dimension and the material history of the prints – remains a desideratum of research.4 Therefore, this article is located within a framework of “material religion” and “visual religion”5, and will supplement previous approaches. The term “amulet” is a translation of the Hebrew word kame’a (עימק) and denotes objects which are supposed to have a protective function. The term can be misleading, because in everyday language it implies objects which are worn directly on the body, which was not the case with amulet prints. Fur- thermore, the term “amulet” can evoke the assignment of these objects to the category “magic”. However, the concept of magic in the study of religions is highly problematic, and it is deliberately not applied in this article.6 Neverthe- less, the term “amulet” allows a connection to previous academic discourses and is therefore used in this text. Early modern Jewish amulets from German-speaking regions can be divided into prints, manuscripts, textiles, and metal amulets. The prints this article focuses on have been attributed an apotropaic function, primarily the protec- tion of women in childbed and their new-born children against the demoness Lilith. There are five types of prints: (1) prints with illustrations of the 12 zo- 2 See Leicht 2006 and Fishof 2001. 3 The considerations presented here are the first results of research for my dissertation on German-Jewish amulets in the 18th and 19th centuries. They represent a work in progress that can be confirmed, supplemented, or corrected by future research. 4 See, for example, the excellent philological analysis by Folmer 2007. For studies on the visual elements, the work of Shalom Sabar is groundbreaking, see for example Sabar 2015. 5 See, for example, Beinhauer-Köhler/Pezzoli-Olgiati/Valentin 2010. Kiyanrad/Theis/Willer 2018 can be cited as an example of interdisciplinary examination of images of “magical” objects, while Feuchtwanger-Sarig/Irving/Schrijver 2014 shows Jewish Studies’ growing interest in visuality and materiality. 6 See Otto 2011 and Meininghaus 2021.