The interdisciplinary seminar on the jewish roots of eastern christian mysticism is designed as the internet version of an ongoing research seminar of graduate students at the department of theology of marquette university milwaukee, usa. The areas of jewish thought that most extensively discuss these issues, kabbalah and jewish mysticism, were traditionally not even taught to people until the age of 40, when they had completed their education in torah and talmud. Kabbalism, the most important contribution to jewish mysticism, is a discipline and school of thought. Judaism, christianity, religious studies, and mysticism. I have not included links to the extensive resources on nonwestern traditions of mysticism. Apocalypticism and mysticism in ancient judaism and early. The book is intended for scholars and advanced students of ancient judaism and early christianity. Mysticism played an important role in the history of christian religion and emerged as a. In this first fullscale study of jewish mysticism from ezekiel to merkavah divine chariot traditions in late antiquity, he interacts with the hebrew bible, 1 enoch, the dead sea scrolls, philo, the talmud, and later esoteric teachings. The academic study of judaism, christianity, religion, and mysticism including search engines for the hebrew bible and new testament. Jewish mysticism index internet sacred text archive. Jewish mystical books and their christian interpreters harvard college library joseph dan on. Mysticism is an integral part of chasidic judaism, for example, and passages from kabbalistic sources are routinely included in traditional prayer books.
This book is a mustread for anyone interested in jewish, christian, islamic, and contemporary spirituality. Reading 10 pages from 21 different authors can give you some insight, but only from a historical point of view, in my opinion. The origins of jewish mysticism is the culmination of a lifetime of scholarship by one of the most important figures in the field. At times this book feels more like a detective novel than a scholarly work. Biblical christianity focuses on knowing god through his word the bible and. Although it is true that christians experience god, christian mysticism tends to elevate experiential knowledge and revel in the mysterious, focusing on mysticism for spiritual growth. Mysticism to be taught in christian and jewish seminaries education for deep ecumenism courses in the mystics, and above all courses that bring out the mystic in each minister, rabbi, or priesttobe, must be taught in our seminaries fox, p. Was adam, the first human in the hebrew bible, the first mystic. Mysticism, christian and buddhist by daisetz teitaro suzuki. Of these, kabbalah, which emerged in 12thcentury europe, is the most well known, but not the only typologic form, or the earliest to emerge.
Judaism and islam accord a central role to the book sent by god. Why does tradition hold that one should not study jewish mysticism known as kabbalah. In the hellenistic world, a mystikos was an initiate of a mystery religion. Mysticism in judaism, christianity, and islam by ori z. Western in this case includes christian, jewish, and islamic mysticism, as well as nonreligious mysticism from sources in modern europea and north america. Merkavah mysticism was the main strand of early jewish mysticism. Jewish and christian mysticism are inspired by biblical texts like the canticle of canticles or. Mysticism in judaism, christianity, and islam qantara. 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 origins of jewish mysticism christian book distributors. Mysticism is not so much a doctrine as a method of thought. The early jewish mystics did not even have a concept such as mysticism and never thought their experiences so abnormal as to require a special term.
Full of fresh and convincing interpretations, it is among the most significant works on jewish mysticism to appear in decades. This unique comparative overview begins with a definition of mysticism and a discussion of its place within religion as a whole. 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. Mysticism by evelyn underhill 1911 the classic study of the path to oneness, written by a leading student of mysticism. He explains how neoplatonism, gnosticism, christianity and other currents influenced and were in turn impacted by jewish mysticism. Such heresy eventually takes its stand in the centre of morality. Readers will find this accessible introduction reliably informed and authoritative. Larger questions about the relationship between hermeneutics and experience, as well as the relationship between mysticism and apocalypticism are also discussed, and a substantial bibliography of the field is provided. Mysticism is the sense of some form of contact with the divine or transcendent, often understood in christian tradition as involving union with god. What is early jewish and christian mysticism marquette university. The hidden tradition of christian mysticism carl mccolman. To learn more about christian mysticism, read the big book of christian mysticism. Interest grew among some christian scholars in the mystical aspects of jewish kabbalah. Some traditional jews take mysticism very seriously.
This book brings together the perspectives of apocalypticism and early jewish mysticism to illuminate aspects of new testament theology. Jewish mysticism differs radically from all other mystic schools. Indeed hebrew has no word for the mystical experience. Only heretics of a different kind would deny that faith without works is dead james 2. Philip alexander, university of manchester with great acumen and ingenuity. This section deals with the special nature and characteristics of jewish mysticism, the main lines of its development, and its role in presentday religion and culture.
The historical event of sinai attests to the divine source and nature of the torah and jewish mysticism. Christianity christianity history of christian mysticism. Jewish mysticism explained exploring kabbalah youtube. This work could easily become an essential introduction to mysticism in judaism, islam and christianity. Although the essence of mysticism is the sense of contact with the transcendent, mysticism in the history of christianity should not be understood merely in terms of special ecstatic experiences but as part of a religious process lived out within the christian community. No other book of its type until the appearance in 1946 of aldous huxleys the perennial philosophy met with success to match that of her bestknown work, mysticism, published. Elior, the concept of god in hekhalot mysticism, in j. An introduction fills a longstanding gap in the available literature. Merkavah mystics aimed at understanding and experiencing the vision of the divine throne discussed in the first chapter of the biblical book of ezekiel. 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.
It is in effect making christian practical, applicational, livedin. This volume explores the subject by examining both the hebrew and aramaic tradition dead sea scrolls, 1 enoch and the greek philosophical tradition philo and also examines the christian transformation of jewish mysticism in paul and revelation. The last book in the new testament canon, yet in fact one of the oldest. In my opinion it has had far too much influence on the development of modern christianity. Sefer yetzirah is a brief book that had an enormous influence on future jewish mysticism. Christian mysticism refers to mystical practices and theory within christianity. Other traditional jews take mysticism with a grain of salt. The persistent core of early jewish and christian mysticism is the belief that god or his manifestation can be experienced immediately, not just after death or eschatologically on the last day. Kabbalah and jewish mysticism torah 101 mechon mamre. Heresy arises as a pained outcry to liberate us from this strange, narrow pit, to raise us from the darkness of letters and platitudes to the light of thought and feeling.
For anyone interested in the mystical quest in the wests three great religions, this book is a necessary read. Kabbalah is well known as the foundation of the jewish mystical tradition, but. He shows the common quest for transcendence in jewish, christian, and muslim mysticism from antiquity to the present and brings the three traditions into dialogue with each other, something they could not do themselves. The problem is that is not actually what the kabbalah is doing. The term mysticism applies to the attempt to establish direct contact, independently of sense perception and intellectual apprehension, with the divinea reality beyond rational. The attributes and means by which christian mysticism is studied and practiced are varied. The first forms of jewish mysticism emerged in the early centuries of the first millennium.
This book only exists because there is a market for people who teach classes on christian mysticism. This belief appears to me to be the consequence of at least two aspects of. The essential guide to contemplative spirituality by carl mccolman. The system of the kabbalah claims to be based on jewish mysticism.
Mystical referred to secret religious rituals and use of the word lacked any direct references to the transcendental in early christianity the term mystikos referred to three. Christianity history of christian mysticism britannica. Sharon faye koren demonstrates that the male rejection of female mystical aspirations is based in deeply rooted attitudes toward corporeality and ritual purity. What christian mysticism is really concerned with is that our christianity be experiential, not merely notional. Academic study of jewish mysticism, especially since gershom scholems major trends in. Christian mysticism, like jewish and islamic mysticism, has always implied the transformation of the sexual energy of ers as a way of attaining god. Jewish mysticism kabbalah, is based on the public revelation at sinai, when the torah was given to israel. The latter book gives a detailed account of each day of creation, embellishing the narrative found in genesis 1 with, among other things, a description of gods residence in the upper worlds. Mysticism and mystical experiences have been a part of judaism since the earliest days. I must admit, however, that i am truly excited about recommending john shelby spongs newest book, the fourth gospel. Mysticism is derived from the greek, meaning to conceal, and its derivative, mystikos, meaning an initiate.
Discover book depositorys huge selection of judaism. The premise of those who study the kabbalah is that they are reading an ancient series of books, usually containing hidden knowledge about the bible, and about the universe. Matt, the encyclopedia of jewish myth, magic and my. Soltes, 9780742562769, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. This book addresses a central question in the study of jewish mysticism in the medieval and early modern periods. Merkavah mystics attempted to achieve a vision of the divine throne, or chariot merkavah, described in the first chapter of the biblical book of ezekiel. Indeed, we might say that erotic transformation is even more important in christianity in so far as christian mystics. Judaism, christianity, religious studies, mysticism teaching about religions there is now consensus agreement in the united states that public, taxpayer funded schools should be educating students about religions. Avoiding the pitfalls common to other popular works in this fascinating field, it provides a thorough grounding in the subject and offers helpful pointers for further study. The book is the result of ten years of work of the early jewish and christian mysticism unit of the society of biblical literature. It has often been connected to mystical theology, especially in the roman catholic and orthodox christianity both the eastern orthodox and oriental orthodox traditions. 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. Schafer won the 2007 distinguished achievement award from the mellon foundation. Gnostical movements had a lot of influence on jewish mysticism jones pg 157.