PGM XXII b - Prayer of Jacob with Dream Oracles

This artifact consists of a weathered, light-brown papyrus fragment featuring several columns of Greek handwriting from the 3rd or 4th century CE. The text is part of the Papyri Graecae Magicae (Greek Magical Papyri) and exhibits significant lacunae, or missing sections, where the material has decayed over time. The script is a practiced Greek cursive typical of the Roman period in Egypt, used here for ritualistic and divinatory purposes.

As a key document in the Papyri Graecae Magicae (PGM XXIIb), this text represents the syncretism of Jewish mysticism and Hellenistic magic in Late Antiquity. It highlights how the figure of Jacob and the Hebrew divine names were integrated into broader Mediterranean esoteric traditions, serving as a historical precursor to the angelology and divine-name magic found in later Renaissance grimoires.