Agla

views updated

Agla

A word from the Kabala formerly used by rabbis for exorcisms of the evil spirit. It is made up of the initial letters of the Hebrew words, Athah gabor leolam, Adonai, meaning, "Thou art powerful and eternal, Lord." Among superstitious Christians it was also a favorite weapon with which to combat the evil one, as late as the sixteenth century. It is found in many books on magic, notably in the Enchiridion ascribed to Pope Leo III.