Origins of the Kabbalah (Princeton Classics Book 79) by Gershom Gerhard Scholem (PDF)

Description

With the publication of The Origins of the Kabbalah in 1950, one of the most important scholars of our century brought the obscure world of Jewish mysticism to a wider audience for the first time. A crucial work in the oeuvre of Gershom Scholem, this book details the beginnings of the Kabbalah in twelfth- and thirteenth-century southern France and Spain, showing its rich tradition of repeated attempts to achieve and portray direct experiences of God. The Origins of the Kabbalah is a contribution not only to the history of Jewish medieval mysticism, but also to the study of medieval mysticism in general. Now with a new foreword by David Biale, this book remains essential reading for students of the history of religion.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐A good read and, owing at leas to up-to-date scholarship working with recent archaeological findings, is perhaps. a better introduction to Kabalah than the Kabalah itself.. Glad I have a number of very good dictionaries for, despite a good classical education and many years of wide reading, I ran into a number of words I had never seen before..

⭐Another of Scholem’s ground breaking works on mysticism- sterling effort in his attempt to bring the ideas to a wider audience in english and rejuvenate interest in the study of kabbala in general; a goal in which he succeeded.

⭐Gershom Scholem, what more would I have to say. I have every one of his books and they are the most perfect books for those who must knowkabbalah. It is the mystic wonder you will never forget.

⭐Super interesting, but super academic, probably come application examples would be nice

⭐Great

⭐Interesting read.

⭐Not to be recommended as so difficult and poorly edited (a glossary, for example, would have helped). Esoterica in the extreme, but an historic attempt to approach the Kabbalah at its invention and to reconstruct a lost story.

⭐In my mind, this is one of the most important books written in the twentieth century. Strong words, I admit; please allow me to make my case. This book helps to remove much of the confusion concerning the Kabbalah which is a rich tradition of repeated attempts to achieve and portray direct experiences of GOD. In the words of a disciple of Isaac the Blind (1165?-1235?), “The essential thing in the divine service of the mystics and those who meditate on His name, lies in this : ‘and cleave to Him.’ [Deuteronomy 13:5] And this is a cardinal principle of Torah and of prayer, that one make one’s thought conform with one’s faith.” One of the most important scholars of the twentieth century, Gershom G. Scholem (1897-1982) opened up a once esoteric world of Jewish mysticism, the Kabbalah, to concerned students of religion. The basic thesis of this book is that the Kabbalah originated in one chronologically limited time-span (13th century) and in one geographically limited area (Provençe, France and Gerona, Spain). The editor, R. J. Zwi Werblowsky who worked closely with Scholem, writes “in many way’s URSPRUNG UND ANFäNGE DER KABBALAH (1962) [Origins of the Kabbalah] is the most impressive of all [of his writtings] for here Scholem dealt with a major yet enigmatic phenomenon in the history of Jewish spirituality.” For Scholem, the oldest literary document of the Kabbalah is the book Bahir. He presents historical evidence that it is a product of Oriental sources combined with purely gnostic tradition (e.g. Merkabah literature) distilled in German Hasidim to arrive in Provençe sometime between 1130 and 1170. Scholem continues with the fascinating history of the Kabbalah with a study of Isaac the Blind, one of the greatest early interpreters from Provençe. Isaac’s many new contributions included combining the Bahir with new ideas, thoughts and terminology. In the mid-13th century, the trail continues to the city of Gerona as the centre of the contemplative Kabbalah in its most complete development prior to the Zohar. Scholem writes, “The Kabbalah appeared in Gerona in the fully elaborated form of a contemplative mysticism that sought to draw all domains of Jewish existence into its sphere of influence and to embue them with its spirit.” I honestly hold to the conviction that this is a book for everyone, regardless of faith, or disposition to esoteric mysticism. From the first edition, Professor Scholem writes, “Once the ice of ignorance has been broken and the charlatanism that dominated the field has been overcome, the way will be open to further fruitful research. Jewish studies as well as the history of Oriental and Western religions will benefit equally from a more penetrating study and discussion of the problem of the Kabbalah.” If you are interested in a spiritual relationship, this book with be interesting to you.

⭐Comprehensive and masterful analysis

⭐It’s a must have book for all those interested in the Kabbalah, very well documented and wrote with a lot of references about such old books as the Bahir and Sefer Yesirah.

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