Abelson puts the kabbalah into context as the outgrowth of a longterm evolution of jewish mystical thought, starting with the essenes and the merkabah chariot mysticism of the talmundic era. By the th century, jewish culture was ripe for a new breed of mysticism to flourish. List of books and articles about religious mysticism. Also, in what sense are the various phenomena that come under this heading really jewish. After the destruction of the second temple in 70 ce and the subsequent exile, sacrifices became impossible and jewish religious life turned to study of the scriptures and prayer in. In a thorough historical overview of the movements and trends in jewish mysticism, dutch scholar j. Though traces of jewish mystical traditions can be found from the late second temple period 536 bce 70 ce, most scholars begin their histories of jewish mysticism around the first century of the first millennium. Mysticism is the process of striving for an intense relationship with god, sometimes going so far as to achieve an altered state. It flowered in th century spain with the writing of the zohar, which was originally attributed to the 2nd century sage shimon bar yohai.
Topics include rabbinic concerns about mystical speculation, the ascent through the celestial chambers heikhalot, the book of creation, the relationship of jewish philosophy and mysticism, techniques of letter permutation, schematization of the divine body, the prominence of gender. Shop a range of traditional and modern designs at prices you can afford. Jul, 2017 working in jerusalem at the national library and, eventually, as a professor of jewish mysticism at the hebrew university, he revitalized interest in kabbalah, an esoteric tradition within judaism. Mysticism has influenced other religious traditions as well. This striving has the effect of adding energy and intensity to religious life. The zohar is a commentary on the torah, concerned primarily with understanding the divine world and its relation to our world. Today you have astrology, western religion, eastern religion, mysticism, religious fiction, selfimprovement, inspiration you name. Because of the nature of mysticism, firsthand objective studies of it are virtually impossible, and students must confine.
For those not familiar with jewish history, some of the lectures may be dense, but this challenge can also be a springboard for exploring more in jewish history and religious development. According to a tradition that goes back to talmudic times, there are in every generation thirtysix righteous men who are the foundations of the world. Other traditional jews take mysticism with a grain of salt. Understanding the covenant and alphabetic judaism vol. The influence of jewish mysticism on jewish contemporary artists. A study in the nature and development of spiritual consciousness by evelyn underhill, interior castle by teresa of. Academic study of jewish mysticism, especially since gershom scholems major. For many years, the kaballah religion existed as a carefully guarded oral tradition before it became systematized and dispersed in the middle ages. This may be the most important of his books, since it establishes the basis for his religious mysticism.
Merkavah mystics attempted to achieve a vision of the divine throne, or chariot merkavah. The merkavah movement is widely recognized as the first fullfledged expression of jewish mysticism, one that had important ramifications for classical rabbinic judaism and the emergence of the kabbalah in twelfth. Ma in mysticism and religious experience fall, 1997. Charles rosen, and rabbi zalman schachter, an occasional forum sponsored by the graduate theological union program for the study of new religious. Jewish sacred texts jews are known as the people of the book, an appropriate title. Survey of expressions of jewish mysticism from hebrew scripture through the 21st century. Matt, the encyclopedia of jewish myth, magic and my. Topics include the significance of context and crosscultural influence in shaping mystical traditions of a minority population living in christian, muslim, and secular environments and ways in which mysticism has served to empower. Dating back to the talmudic era and thoroughly multifarious, kabbalah is a mystical complement to jewish religious life, driven by linguistic and. An unprecedented annotated anthology of the most important jewish mystical works, a kabbalah and jewish mysticism reader is designed to facilitate teaching these works to all levels of learners in adult education and college classroom settings. Hence, mysticism has been defined by bernard mcginn as the ongoing search for a. Working in jerusalem at the national library and, eventually, as a professor of jewish mysticism at the hebrew university, he revitalized interest in kabbalah, an esoteric tradition within judaism.
For example, does the term mysticism mean the same thing here as in other contexts. Jan 07, 2006 there were a handful of religious books in mainstream stores. Study of torah preferably in its original language, hebrew is an integral part of a jewish childs education, and even jewish mysticism is focused on intensive textual study. The cabala by bernhard pick 19 a short critical introduction to the kabbalah. Jewish mysticism can be quite a puzzle to the uninitiated. A comparative analysis of the nature of mysticism, trans. Topics include the significance of context and crosscultural influence in shaping mystical traditions of a minority population living in christian, muslim, and secular environments and ways in which mysticism has served to. For those not familiar with jewish history, some of the lectures may be dense, but this challenge can also be a springboard for exploring more. Jewish mysticism kabbalah, is based on the public revelation at sinai, when the torah was given to israel. This was the case with the eighteenthcentury mysticism known as chassidism, though, as its name saintliness implies, it was innocent enough at its initiation. What gershom scholems take on jewish mysticism can teach us now. Sep 26, 2019 eleazar ben judah, who was born toward the end of the 1100s, was a jewish mystic and scholar whose books are still read today.
A book with the provocative title the origins of jewish mysticism requires some comment on the terminology used. Constructions of jewish culture and identity new perspectives on jewish studies prayer of the heart in christian and sufi mysticism the religious thought of hasidism. Eleazar ben judah, who was born toward the end of the 1100s, was a jewish mystic and scholar whose books are still read today. Scholems overview of the development of jewish mysticism in general and kabbalah in particular is magisterial. A volume in the jps anthologies of jewish thought series. The historical event of sinai attests to the divine source and nature of the torah and jewish mysticism.
The jewish mysticism of recent centuries, in any case, has brought forth the hidden saint nistar, an enormously impressive type with a profound appeal for the common people. In scholems book devoted to this subject, published in 1960, there is hardly any mention of historical reality outside the texts under discussion. The origins of jewish mysticism offers the first indepth look at the history of jewish mysticism from the book of ezekiel to the merkavah mysticism of late antiquity. Critics of the term religious experience note that the notion of religious experience or mystical experience as marking insight into religious truth is a modern development, and contemporary researchers of mysticism note that mystical experiences are shaped by the concepts which the mystic brings to, and which shape, his experience. Academic study of jewish mysticism, especially since gershom scholems major trends in jewish mysticism 1941, distinguishes between different forms of mysticism across different eras of jewish history. The origins of jewish mysticism princeton university press. Mar 17, 2004 jewish sacred texts jews are known as the people of the book, an appropriate title. Abelson 19 the kabbalah in the context of the history of jewish mysticism. Early forms of jewish mysticism rachel elior i introduction the mysticalpoetical hebrew works of the first five centuries of the common era, known collectively as heikhalot heavenly sanctuaries and merkavah thronechariot literature remain on the whole a closed book to readers and students, although the first scholarly studies were published. This mysticism brought about profound transformations in the concepts of the world, god, and last things resurrection, last judgment, messianic kingdom, etc.
Hence if it is true, as is contended in a previous page, that the old testament contains mystical elements, then the startingpoint in any treatment of jewish mysticism on historical, or even semihistorical, lines must be the old testament. The main historical stages, personalities, texts, ethical doctrines, social teachings, and metaphysical doctrines from rabbinic to modern times. Kabbalah is the most famous form of jewish mysticism. Mysticism, the practice of religious ecstasies religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness, together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them. Nevertheless, jewish mysticism s own set of problemsabout the origins of the universe, humankind, evil. In his new work, a sprawl of radically various religious ideas and poems, translated into english from hebrew, yiddish and aramaic with an index of originals, ranging from anonymous hymns of the talmudic periods up to the secular mysticism of the 20th century, cole champions the accessibility of these writings. Mar 17, 2015 broadly speaking, kabbalah refers to jewish mysticism dating back to the time of the second temple, approximately 400 years before jesus christ. Mysticism is an integral part of chasidic judaism, for example, and passages from kabbalistic sources are routinely included in traditional prayer books. Religious mysticism definition of religious mysticism by. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. What gershom scholems take on jewish mysticism can teach. From the 12th through the 14th century, kabbalists interpreted jewish practices in a new light and so transformed them into mystical rites.
Charles rosen, and rabbi zalman schachter, an occasional forum sponsored by the graduate theological union program for the study of new religious movements in america, berkeley, ca, on june 7, 1978. Jewish mysticism differs radically from all other mystic schools. Broadly speaking, kabbalah refers to jewish mysticism dating back to the time of the second temple, approximately 400 years before jesus christ. Though traces of jewish mystical traditions can be found from the late second temple period 536 bce 70 ce, most scholars begin their histories of jewish mysticism around the first century of the first millennium merkavah mysticism was the main strand of early jewish mysticism.
In addition, many of the books on the subject are by occultists, and however valuable they are, tend to have their own agenda. Since judaism and christianity are companion expressions of second temple judaism, sibling religions that developed simultaneously within comparable historical contextures, the. Mar 14, 2017 in undertaking his study of the kabbalah, scholem conducted a herculean analysis of countless texts long viewed by jewish historians as nonsensethe mad, titanic systems concocted by religious. The kabbalah, or the religious philosophy of the hebrews by adolphe franck 1926 did the kabbalah originate from zoroastrianism. An investigation of the relationship between a religious tradition and creative expression. There were a handful of religious books in mainstream stores. List of books and articles about religious mysticism online. Kabbalah and jewish mysticism torah 101 mechon mamre. Jewish mysticism index internet sacred text archive. Jewish mysticism in america, occasional forum, sponsored by new religious movements in america, june 7, 1978 description. Contemporary mystics mysticism has continued to be a significant part of religious experience past the.
Rels126 intro jewish mysticism department of religious. Jewish mysticism, starting as an ascetic corrective to the conventional hedonism, lost its ascetic character and degenerated into licentiousness. The jewish sacred text is the tanakh, whose name is an acronym of torah, nebiim and ketuvim law, prophets and writings. The merkavah movement is widely recognized as the first fullfledged expression of jewish mysticism, one that had important ramifications for classical rabbinic judaism and the emergence of the kabbalah in twelfthcentury europe. The kabbala, a school of jewish mysticism that dates from the late 12th century, had an important impact on the subsequent development of judaism. Contemporary mystics mysticism has continued to be a significant part of religious experience past the middle ages and into the present day. Like most subjects of jewish belief, the area of mysticism is wide open to personal interpretation. Of these, kabbalah, which emerged in 12thcentury europe, is the most well known, but not the only typologic form, or the earliest to emerge. Some traditional jews take mysticism very seriously. Topics include rabbinic concerns about mystical speculation, the ascent through the celestial chambers heikhalot, the book of creation, the relationship of jewish philosophy and mysticism, techniques of letter permutation, schematization of the divine body, the prominence of gender and sexuality in. After the destruction of the second temple in 70 ce and the subsequent exile, sacrifices became impossible and jewish religious life turned to study of the scriptures and prayer in the synagogue. Merkavah mysticism was the main strand of early jewish mysticism.