The Rise of the Holy Spirit in Sixteenth-Century Kabbalah

This article examines the development and transformation of the holy spirit within Jewish mysticism. It begins with a brief analysis of primary trends concerning the holy spirit in biblical, rabbinic, and medieval Jewish texts that served as crucial material for the holy spirit’s ascendence in sixte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Harvard theological review
Main Author: Afṭerman, Adam (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge Univ. Press 2022
In: Harvard theological review
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Holy Spirit / Cabala / Judaism / Mysticism / History 1500-1600
RelBib Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BH Judaism
NBG Pneumatology; Holy Spirit
TJ Modern history
Further subjects:B Jewish Mysticism
B Holy Spirit
B Moses Cordovero
B Ḥayyim Vital
B Pneumatology
B ruaḥ haqqodeš
B Elijah de Vidas
B Jewish Thought
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Summary:This article examines the development and transformation of the holy spirit within Jewish mysticism. It begins with a brief analysis of primary trends concerning the holy spirit in biblical, rabbinic, and medieval Jewish texts that served as crucial material for the holy spirit’s ascendence in sixteenth-century Jewish mysticism. Following, it examines the writings of leading Jewish mystics: Moses Cordovero, Elijah de Vidas, and Ḥayyim Vital, who resided in the remote Galilean town of Safed. These luminaries each developed the concept of the holy spirit along a spectrum of pneumatic, fusionary, mystical, and revelatory experiences. Ultimately, they transformed the holy spirit into the peak experience of Jewish mystical life— experienced as prophecy, sanctification, and embodiment. This article highlights an important, yet understudied, Jewish mystical phenomenon.
ISSN:1475-4517
Contains:Enthalten in: Harvard theological review
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0017816022000153