Calling upon the Name of God

From Golden Doves with Silver Dots by R' Jose Faur, p. 37 ff:

6. Calling upon the Name of God

Magic presupposes a metaphysical system through which physical and spiritual phenomena are manipulated. Without such a system magic is inoperative. The “name” is the linguistic nexus between a thing and its “essence” or metaphysical dimensions. More precisely, the name is identical to the essence.’ Knowledge of the name gives unlimited power over the thing bearing the name. Even the gods are powerless to disobey those who possess their names. The Indo-European verb “to be” (particularly the copula “is”) serves to express the essential identity between the name (or other verbal attributes) and the thing. Concerning the copula Cassirer observed: ( Read more... )