The progressive nature of Francis Mercury van Helmont's thought was based on his deep commitment to the esoteric doctrines of the Lurianic Kabbalah. With his friend Christian Knorr van Rosenroth, van Helmont edited the "Kabbalah Denudata" (1677-1684), the largest collection of Lurianic Kabbalistic texts available to Christians up to that time. Because the subject matter of this work appears so difficult and arcane, it has never been appreciated as a significant text for understanding the emergence of modern thought. However one can find in it the basis for the faith in science, the belief in progress and the pluralism characteristic of later western thought. The Lurianic Kabbalah thus deserves a place it has never received in histories of western scientific and cultural developments.
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'..".a welcome entrance into the world of Christian Kabbalah...an important study...offers a plethora of well-considered and detailed information...'
Dean Phillip Bell, "Sixteenth Century Journal, 2000.
'"This is a rewarding read for those interested in the intellectual, cultural, and religious contours of early modern Europe.'
Stephen D. Benin, "Religious Studies Review, 2001.
Dean Phillip Bell, "Sixteenth Century Journal, 2000.
'"This is a rewarding read for those interested in the intellectual, cultural, and religious contours of early modern Europe.'
Stephen D. Benin, "Religious Studies Review, 2001.
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The Impact of the Kabbalah in the 17th Century,
This review is from: The Impact of the Kabbalah in the 17th Century: The Life and Thought of Francis Mercury Van Helmot, 1614-1698 (Brill's Series in Jewish Studies, 9) (Hardcover)
If it is possible to draw parallels between periods, the seventeenth century has much in common with our own. Like ours it was a time of tremendous confusion, bitter conflict, profound questioning, and the rejection of traditional values. But the values that are breaking down in our time - the belief in progress, trust in science, faith in education, commitment to tolerance, and respect for the individual - are paradoxically the very values that appeared in embryonic form during the seventeenth century. Reading about the past cannot provide solutions to present problems, but to know how human beings once lived and thought and to understand the ambitions, fears and beliefs that motivated their actions throws light on our own behavior, if only by way of contrast.
These are the subjects explored in this volume. Since the unifying link between them all is Francis Mercury van Helmont, the book begins and ends with him. Additional reference: The Alphabet of Nature: By F.M. Van Helmont (Aries Book Series)
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