The Reverse of the Numinous. Ahistoricism and Time in the Kabbalah of the Sefer Ha-Zohar
Revista Española de Filosofía Medieval December 20, 2018 DOI: 10.21071/refime.v25i.11636 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThis article examines the historical and temporal dimensions of medieval Kabbalah, arguing that despite its focus on the ahistorical numinous experience, Kabbalistic mysticism is not entirely separate from historical experiences. Using a hermeneutical approach that combines the history of ideas with close reading of texts from a specific time and context, the author investigates the connections between the emergence of mystical thought and the historical time of Spanish medieval Judaism.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | History Philosophy |
| Key finding | Argues that medieval Kabbalah, though often seen as ahistorical, is intertwined with the historical experiences of Spanish medieval Judaism. |
Abstract
In this hermeneutical approach to Kabbalah and the Zohar, from the double perspective of the history of ideas and the reading of texts that emerged in a given time and context, this article investigates the historical and temporal components of cabalistic mysticism. The medieval Kabbalah, itself an experience of the numinous marked by the ahistorical, is not completely alien to historical experiences. This is the search for a compression of the bonds that unite the emergence of the mystic and the historical time lived in the heart of Spanish medieval Judaism.