This work presents an in depth look at the history, doctrine and philosophy behind the Kabbalah, combining scholarly research and mystical tradition. Examines the origin of the Kabbalistic system, pointing out similarities to other ancient philosophies such as those of Plato, Pythagoras and the Hermetic School of Alexandria among others. Also looks at the kabbalah as a working system, outlining the Zohar's view on life, humanity and the divine, also looking at what philosophical implications the sephiroth have on the mind and soul of the practitioner. An interesting and authoritative work presenting a well rounded, intensive examination of the Kabbalistic system and the ideas and symbolism which underlie it.
Contents
Part One: The Kabbalistic Books
Chapter One: The Antiquity of the Kabbalah
chapter Two: The Authenticity of the Sefer Yetzirah
Chapter Three: The Authenticity of the Zohar
Part Two: Analysis of the Doctrine
Chapter Four: The Sefer Yetzirah
Chapter Five: The Zohar: Allegorical Method of the Kabbalists
Chapter Six: The Zohar: The Kabbalist Conception of the Nature of God
Chapter Seven: The Zohar: The Kabbalist View of the World
Chapter Eight: The Zohar: The Kabbalist View of the Human Soul
Part Three: Philosophic Resemblances to the Kabbalah
Chapter Nine: The Kabbalah and the Philosophy of Plato
Chapter Ten: The Kabbalah and the Alexandrian School
Chapter Eleven: The Kabbalah and the Doctrine of Philo
Chapter Twelve: The Kabbalah and Christianity
Chapter Thirteen: The Kabbalah and the Religion of the Chaldeans and Persians
Exerpts:
Kabbalah and the Chaldeans and Persians
"'The Devils,' says the Zend Avesta, "unite with one another and reproduce in the manner of man. But they also reproduce through our impurities, through the disgraceful acts of self-abuse, and even through the involuntary licentiousness provoked by a voluptuous thought during sleep. According to the Talmud, the demons resemble the angels in three respects, and in three other respects they resemble man. Like the angels they read the future, have wings and fly in a moment from one end of the world to the other; but they eat, drink and reproduce as man does. Furthermore, they all had their origin in the lascivious dreams that troubled the nights of our father during the years passed in solitude, and even today, the same cause produces the same effect in his descendants.
Man is scarcely dead, say the Zend books, when he is possessed and questioned by the demons. The Daroudj (the demon) Nesosh comes in the form of a fly, alights upon the head and beats him mercilessly. The soul, separated from the body, arrives at the bridge Chinevad, which separates our world from the invisible world; there it is judged by two angels, one of whom is Mithra, of colossal proportions, with ten thousand eyes and holding a club in his hand."
The Authenticity of the Zohar
"But most important of all is the intimate resemblance of the Kabbalah, in language and thought, to the gnostic sects, especially those which originated in Syria, and to the religious code of the Nazarene, discovered a few years ago and translated from the Syriac into Latin. Proof of this resemblance will be presented later in our study where the relationship or philosophical systems is explored. At this point, note that the doctrines of Simeon the Magician, Elcsaite, Bardesanes and Valentine are known to us only through fragments scattered throughout the works of a few church fathers, such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. Now, we cannot suppose that those writings were familiar to a rabbi of the thirteenth century who, in the very work of which he is the presumed author, proves himself a stranger to any literature, and especially to that of Christianity. We are forced to admit that Gnosticism borrowed a great deal, if not precisely from the Zohar as we know it today, at least from its traditions and theories."
The Zohar: View of the World
"It seems to us that the demonology adopted by the Kabbalists is only a personification reflecting the different degrees of life and intelligence which they perceived throughout nature. The belief in demons and angels had long before taken root in the mind of the people, like an entertaining mythology, as it were, alongside the severe dogma of the divine unity.
Book Format:
Octavo, approx 8.2” tall. Book is bound in purple cloth with gilt lettering to spine.
Pagination: 224pp;
Condition:
Good + condition. Some shelf wear to boards with some faded spots. Corners are bumped slightly. Lettering on spine has faded and spine has some spotting. Reverse side of rear board has some foxing. Interior is spotless with no foxing, yellowing or underlining. Binding is tight.
