The Early Kabbalah (Classics of Western Spirituality) [Paperback]

Joseph Dan (Editor), Moshe Idel (Designer)

Book Description

Series: Classics of Western Spirituality | Publication Date: June 1986

In the late twelfth century, at the height of the Middle Ages that saw the flowering of the mystical element in Christendom, the Rabbinic Judaism of southern Europe was transformed by the eruption of new, Gnostic attitudes and symbolism. This new movement, known as Kabbalah (literally the 'Tradition'), was characterized by the symbol of the ten sefirot. By means of the sefirotic imagery, virtually the whole of everyday life was linked to the cosmic dimension in a novel and highly original fashion that stressed the dynamic, evolutionary element of the Godhead and the synergistic relationship between the human will and the action of God on earth. During a century of creativity, a detailed system of symbols and concepts was created by the author of the Sefer ha-Bahir, the Kabbalists of Provence, the Iyyun circle, and the mystics of Provence and Castile that set the stage for the great Kabbalists of the Zohar generation.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Hebrew (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Paulist Press (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809127695
• ISBN-13: 978-0809127696
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to the Kabbalah, August 11, 2000

By 

Michael P. McGarry (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Early Kabbalah (Classics of Western Spirituality) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful introduction to the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. Prof. Joseph Dan is one of the leading Kabbalah scholars alive today. In this book, he presents selections from the "early Kabbalists", those of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, before the publication of the *Zohar*. This anthology contains brief and heavily annotated selections from the `Iyyun Circle, the Book Bahir (*Sefer ha-Bahir*), Rabbi Isaac the Blind of Provence, Rabbi Azriel of Gerona, Rabbi Jacob ben Sheshet of Gerona, and the Kohen brothers, Jacob and Isaac. These are the men who pave the way for the glories of the *Zohar*. These selections are rich in the symbols that later became prevalent in Kabbalah. This book is a particularly good beginning for someone who wants to study Kabbalah in its historical unfolding.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro Section. Tough Reading on the Balance, November 25, 2010

By 

Edward J. Barton (Tukwila, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Early Kabbalah (Classics of Western Spirituality) (Paperback)

The book extracts several writings and provides background on what the series refers to as "Early Kabbalah" - which would be the 11th through early 13th centuries. The premise is that Kabbalistic thought, which is defined in the book as the development of a specific area of Jewish mysticism, arose at that time as a result of Moorish, Western and Jewish philosophical thought in an environment of oppression. The extracts themselves are dense, and difficult to understand without interpretation. The book is one of a much larger series by Paulist Press on Western Spirituality. I would recommend reading the introduction for a great discussion and background, but the rest is a tough sled run without help on interpretation.