The Babylonian Talmud’s Night Demon and Sleep Passages
- Date of account
- Late antique redaction, c. fifth to seventh century CE
- Location
- Babylonia
- Source
- model_recalled_reference
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
Several Babylonian Talmud passages discuss night demons, dreams, sleep, protective practices, and extraordinary nocturnal experiences. These passages are useful for comparing rabbinic explanations of sensed presences with Mesopotamian and later Jewish traditions. They are layered discussions containing legal argument, anecdote, humor, and folklore, not standardized witness statements. Dating is complex because composition, redaction, and manuscript transmission differ. Researchers should consult critical editions and translations rather than relying on popular quotations about demons during sleep.
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