Abraham Miguel Cardozo: Selected Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality) [Paperback]

Abraham Miguel Cardozo (Author), David J. Halperin (Translator), Elliot R. Wolfson (Preface)

Book Description

Series: Classics of Western Spirituality | Publication Date: September 2001

Here is a fascinating and unusual addition to the acclaimed Classics of Western Spirituality™series. Abraham Miguel Cardozo (1627-1706) was born to a Marrano family in Spain and raised as a Catholic. After fleeing Spain at age 22, he returned to Judaism and educated himself in rabbinics and Kabbalah. A physician by trade, Cardozo became a believer in the self-proclaimed Messiah Sabbatai Zevi. In later years he thought himself a truer Messiah, one who would redeem the Jewish people and the entire world.

A subtle and lucid theologian, Cardozo combined rabbinic learning, his Catholic training and a budding awareness of Eastern religions into a remarkable theory of comparative religion that he set forth in his treatise, This Is My God and I Will Praise Him, which appears in its entirety here. Included as well are slightly abridged texts of his apology for Sabbatai Zevi's apostasy (Epistle to the Judges of Izmir), and his lengthy autobiographical letter written near the end of his life, and the magical and messianic portions of his treatise Israel, Holiness to the Lord.

An introduction provides rich background information on Cardozo's life and travels, and the meaning and context of his writings. Never before translated into English, or any language, Cardozo will hold great appeal for persons interested in Judaism, mysticism and early modern history, as well as for spiritual seekers, particularly those looking for some unorthodox variant of their current tradition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. David Halperin, trained in Semitic languages at Cornell University, in Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and in rabbinics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is retired from teaching in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and three novels.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Paulist Press (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809140233
• ISBN-13: 978-0809140237
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars story of a nutcase, June 22, 2009

By 

Michael Lewyn (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abraham Miguel Cardozo: Selected Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality) (Paperback)

Cardozo was born in Spain as a Catholic to a family that had once been Jewish but had converted to Christianity to avoid persecution (so-called "conversos"). In his 20s, Cardozo escaped to Venice and converted back to Judaism. In the last half of the 17th century, Cardozo underwent a bizarre spiritual journey: first becoming a devotee of the false Messiah Sabbatai Zevi, then adopting a kind of quasi-polytheism distinguishing between the "First Cause" and the "God of Israel", and then in his old age having messianic delusions about himself.

This work is a biography of Cardozo and an anthology of his writings. The writings are of interest only as unintentional humor.

The biography is more interesting; the author suggests that Cardozo's Christian background, when combined with kabbalistic mysticism, may have predisposed him towards some of his ideas (for example, Cardozo argued that Zevi was Messiah precisely because he was disowned by many Jews- just as some Gospels suggest Jesus was).