Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah: New Insights and Scholarship

by Frederick E. Greenspahn (Editor)

Overview

Over the past generation, scholars have devoted increasing attention to the diverse forms that Jewish mysticism has taken both in the past and today: what was once called “nonsense” by Jewish scholars has generated important research and attention both within the academy and beyond, as demonstrated by the popular fascination with figures such as Madonna and Demi Moore and the growing interest in spirituality.  
In Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah, leading experts introduce the history of this scholarship as well as the most recent insights and debates that currently animate the field in a way that is accessible to a broad audience. From mystical outpourings in ancient Palestine to the Kabbalah Centre, and from attitudes towards gender to mystical contributions to Jewish messianic movements, this volume explores the various expressions of Jewish mysticism from antiquity to the present day in an engaging style appropriate for students and non-specialists alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814733363
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2011
Series:	Jewish Studies in the Twenty-First Century , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Frederick E. Greenspahn is Gimelstob Eminent Scholar of Judaic Studies at Florida Atlantic University.  He is the editor of The Hebrew Bible, Women in Judaism, Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah, and Contemporary Israel, as well as author/editor of numerous other titles, including When Brothers Dwell Together.

Table of Contents

Preface  Introduction: Reading Mysteries: The Origins of Scholarship on Jewish Mysticism Hartley LachterI. Jewish Mysticism Takes Shape 1 Ancient Jewish Mysticism  Michael D. Swartz 2 The Zohar: Masterpiece of Jewish Mysticism Eitan P. Fishbane 3 Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia and the Prophetic Kabbalah Elliot R. Wolfson 4 New Approaches to the Study of Kabbalistic Life in 16th-Century Safed Lawrence FineII. Becoming Modern 5 Mystical Messianism: From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment  Matt Goldish 6 Hasidism: Mystical and Nonmystical Approaches to Interpreting Scripture  Shaul Magid 7 Christian Kabbalah  Allison P. CoudertIII. Contemporary Concerns 8 Kabbalah at the Turn of the 21st Century Jody Myers 9 Gender in Jewish Mysticism  Hava Tirosh-Samuelson Epilogue: Kabbalah and Contemporary Judaism Pinchas Giller About the Contributors  Index 

Editorial Reviews

"Libraries serving religion and Judaic programs will want to add this volume."-S.T. Katz, CHOICE

From the Publisher