The Scandal of Kabbalah is the first book about the origins of a culture war that began in early modern Europe and continues to this day: the debate between kabbalists and their critics on the nature of Judaism and the meaning of religious tradition. From its medieval beginnings as an esoteric form of Jewish mysticism; Kabbalah spread throughout the early modern world and became a central feature of Jewish life. Scholars have long studied the revolutionary impact of Kabbalah; but; as Yaacob Dweck argues; they have misunderstood the character and timing of opposition to it. Drawing on a range of previously unexamined sources; this book tells the story of the first criticism of Kabbalah; Ari Nohem; written by Leon Modena in Venice in 1639. In this scathing indictment of Venetian Jews who had embraced Kabbalah as an authentic form of ancient esotericism; Modena proved the recent origins of Kabbalah and sought to convince his readers to return to the spiritualized rationalism of Maimonides. The Scandal of Kabbalah examines the hallmarks of Jewish modernity displayed by Modena's attack--a critical analysis of sacred texts; skepticism about religious truths; and self-consciousness about the past--and shows how these qualities and the later history of his polemic challenge conventional understandings of the relationship between Kabbalah and modernity. Dweck argues that Kabbalah was the subject of critical inquiry in the very period it came to dominate Jewish life rather than centuries later as most scholars have thought.
#554084 in Books Taves Ann 2016-11-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x .90 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 0691152896384 pagesRevelatory Events Three Case Studies of the Emergence of New Spiritual Paths
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. I was pleased to return to the world of Reality and to ...By William H. SchabergWhile I came to this book for its take on Alcoholics Anonymous; I found it much more fascinating; thought-provoking and informative in its focus on Mormonism and A Course in Miracles.All of these spiritual movements grew out of what some might describe as hallucinatory experiences – although Joseph Smith’s method of ‘translating’ the Book of Mormon and Helen Schucman having A Course in Miracles dictated to her by “The Voice†both strike me as several steps removed from Bill Wilson’s ‘white light’ experience in Towns Hospital (which led to his continuous sobriety).I found Taves approach to these three events impressive and even-handed. It is tremendous testimony to her scrupulous method and her thoroughness that my typical knee-jerk skeptical reactions were gradually alleviated as I moved deeper into each of these stories and was forced to ponder the real-time acceptance of these phenomenon by the people who were directly influenced by them.In each of these three cases; Taves starts with contemporary historical records which she clearly describes and sources. Using these; she then builds the ‘story’ behind each of these events as seen and understood by the people involved – with a special emphasis placed on what they thought was happening and why.Having done all of this with consummate skill; she then returns to each series of event in turn and looks at possible “naturalistic†explanations for the underlying beliefs that these three movements were being actively guided by “a suprahuman presence.†Having been so deeply immersed (and; eventually; enjoying) the story of how these new spiritual paths originally emerged; I was pleased to return to the world of Reality and to a more judicious; clear-eyed and naturalistic approach to these phenomena.The book is based on solid scholarship – both historic and scientific – and is relatively jargon-free. I found Taves talent for blending the old (historical) with the new (scientific) convincing in the extreme and her insights provided much food for further thought about Man and his understanding of his relationship with the Divine. “Revelatory Events†was; for me; consistently fascinating; never condescending; and a useful tool in letting at least some of the “scales fall from my eyes†in relation to these three movements which are so clearly believed to be based on some sort of “suprahuman†involvement.
