The Non-Jew in Kabbalistic Literature by the Circle of Sefer Ha-Temunah and Its Influence in Eastern Europe
Over the centuries, the religious images and discourse that shaped the image of the Other affected the intricate web of relations between Jews and non- Jews, generating a range of attitudes toward non- Jews in various periods and locations. Interestingly, several eastern European kabbalistic homil...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University of Pennsylvania Press
2024
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| In: |
AJS review
Year: 2024, Volume: 48, Issue: 1, Pages: 201-225 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Cabala
/ Judaism
/ Europe
/ Alphabet
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| RelBib Classification: | BH Judaism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Over the centuries, the religious images and discourse that shaped the image of the Other affected the intricate web of relations between Jews and non- Jews, generating a range of attitudes toward non- Jews in various periods and locations. Interestingly, several eastern European kabbalistic homilies reveal a moderate approach toward non- Jews, arguing for an essential spiritual partnership. Their authors adopted esoteric traditions that diverge from the radically polemical, negative attitude of the Zohar and the kabbalists of sixteenth- century Safed, according to which the non- Jew is the ultimate Other: evil, impure, and even demonic. Despite the important role of the Safed traditions in molding kabbalistic thought, these kabbalists propounded ideas found in works by the circle of Sefer Ha- temunah. These texts served as the basis on which some eastern European kabbalists justified a new attitude toward the surrounding non- Jews, making them spiritual partners in the messianic process. |
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| ISSN: | 1475-4541 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Association for Jewish Studies, AJS review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/ajs.2024.a926090 |