Customer Reviews

The Kabbalah Unveiled: Containing the Following Books of the Zohar: The Book of Concealed Mystery, the Greater Holy Assembly [And] the Lesser

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As a student of religon I found this book a useful. The translater keeps personal opinions to a minimum. With all the junk out there, it is nice to find a book that focuses on the actual texts. It contains the first three books of the Zohar but at times makes reference to the texts that aren't in the volume itself. The introduction is informative. Mathers does succeed in presenting the material in a clear and academic way. I recommend this book. All and all, its a handy tool for understanding the Kabbalah and how it can be used.

A newer release of the 1968 publication (see my more extensive comments under ASIN= 0877281033), it's a translation of 3 Zohar portions, commentary on the Book of Concealed Mystery, & notes on the Greater Holy Assembly & Lesser Holy Assembly. Mathers did Kabbalists a service rendering these into English almost a century ago, but the later Simon & Sperling version (2000 pages long, ASIN= 0900689390) is more complete. Mathers version occasionally reflects his Christian occultism, but mostly provides useful observations & cross-cultural parallels. While his comments are helpful, they only scratch the surface of the deep symbolism. He shows parallels with alchemy & (as Jung approached alchemy), meaning emerges with extensive reading/study. However, Mathers': archaic language, spelling (e.g. words with excess letters), incorrect use of I vs. Y, & retention of Latin passages (based on Knorr von Rosenrath's somewhat suspect, `Kabbala Denudata') make the work less accessible to modern readers. It also contains some errors & omissions (e.g. Gematria 18 = Hebrew "life").

The 3 parts translated here are perhaps the most occult in the Zohar, seemingly a commentary on the Shi'ur Komah literature's symbolically physical description of God. It's an extremely esoteric work. Some of its significant points are:

1) Male & Female are equal in Kabbalah. "Where there is unbalanced force, there is the origin of evil."

2) 4 completes 3 = Carl Jung's Quaternity = Mathers' quaternary--"The trinity is always completed by & finds its realization in the quaternary."

3) "For commencement denotes end, & end denotes commencement; how, then, in the Absolute can there be either? Nevertheless, in the Absolute must we seek for the hypothetical starting-point of life." This is quite similar to Tibetan Buddhist ideas of origination or (more accurately) lack thereof.

This translation is incomplete and contested by modern latin authorities. Their protests, however, are minor compared to the requisite nature of this text. It provides countless perspectives on the nature of the Kabbalah, and presents it in clear (if dry) language.

During the 19th and early 20th century Kabbalism was seen by many as the only legitimate interpretation of the Old Testament. Kabbalism was thought to be ancient mysticism. Through the works of Gershom Scholem and others, we now know Kabbalism was a product of the rabbinic schools in France and Spain in the 11th and 12th century , written as if it dated to the earliest dates of Judaism. This book is an attempt to show how Kabbalism supports and proves Christianity. He has taken sections of the Zohar and for each section adds his mentary on his opinion of the significance. If you are interested in 19th century thought concerning Kabbalism, it is a good reference. If you are interested in Kabbalah history, theory and practice, I would recommend books by Gershom Scholem.

If you're looking to understand Kabbalah, this is not the book for you. The translation is OK, but there are better versions available. This is like reading stereo instructions in French and you only speak English.