Essential Papers on Kabbalah - (Essential Papers on Jewish Studies) by Lawrence Fine (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- An essential volume of 12th to 17th century papers on the Jewish mysticism of Kabbalah As recently as 1915, when the legendary scholar of Jewish mysticism Gershom Scholem sought to find someone--anyone--to teach him Kabbalah, the study of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah was largely neglected and treated with disdain.
- Author(s): Lawrence Fine
- 552 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Judaism
- Series Name: Essential Papers on Jewish Studies
Description
About the Book
While there are many definitions of Kabbalah, this volume focuses on the discrete body of literature that developed between the 12th and 17th centuries. Collected here in one volume are some of the most central essays published on the subject, which provide the reader with a sense of the historical range of Kabbalah, as well as examples of recent approaches.Book Synopsis
An essential volume of 12th to 17th century papers on the Jewish mysticism of Kabbalah
As recently as 1915, when the legendary scholar of Jewish mysticism Gershom Scholem sought to find someone--anyone--to teach him Kabbalah, the study of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah was largely neglected and treated with disdain. Today, this field has ripened to the point that it occupies a central place in the agenda of contemporary Judaic studies. While there are many definitions of Kabbalah, this volume focuses on the discrete body of literature which developed between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries. The basis for most of this kabbalistic literature is the concept of the ten sefirot, the complex schema depicting the divine persona, and speculation about the inner life of God. It maintains the conviction that all human action reverberates in the world of the sefirot, and thus influences the life of divinity. Proper action helps to restore harmony and unity to the world of God, while improper action reinforces the breach within God brought about originally through human transgression. Collected here in one volume are some of the most central essays published on the subject. The selections provide the reader with a sense of the historical range of Kabbalah, as well as examples of various kinds of approaches, including those of intellectual and social history, history and phenomenology of religions, motif studies, ritual studies, and women's studies. Sections discuss mystical motifs and theological ideas, mystical leadership and personalities, and devotional practices and mystical experiences.Review Quotes
"Brings together a coherent and consistent body of literature on a topic that is often relegated to a single chapter or afterthought in similar books and edited volumes...."Adolescent Boys" challenges the limited and often skewed male images perpetuated by the media, superordinant male groupings, and Western men by giving voice to adolexcent boys growing up in diverse cultures of boyhood." -"Harvard Educational Review",
"Empirical research on the lives and behavior of adolescent boys from a variety of ethnic and class backgrounds."-"The Chronicle",
"The volume explores the experiences of boys who have been excluded from previous developmental research and also challenges the existing stereotypes about boys."-"NYU Today",
"Way and Judy Chu have put together an excellent book on explorations into the lives of adolescent boys. The essays are rich in diversity, not only in the populations of boys studied, but also in research methodology and theoretical perspective."-"Choice",
