Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism
Elke Morlok, Ze’ev Strauss
The Reception of Philo of Alexandria February 4, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198836223.003.0018 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key points | Argues that Philo exerted a concrete influence on medieval Jewish thought and mysticism, identifying Philonic concepts in Jewish Neoplatonism and parallels between kabbalistic notions of creation, revelation, and language and Philonic ideas, as seen in the Zohar and Gikatilla's works. |
Abstract
Abstract Using both primary and secondary sources, this analysis advances the claim that Philo exerted a concrete influence on medieval Jewish thought and mysticism. The first section focuses on scholarly evaluations made during the twentieth century of Philo’s impact on Jewish intellectual traditions of the Middle Ages. By exploring previous scientific assessments, we discuss viable ways of discerning Philonic concepts in Jewish medieval thought. Within the framework of Jewish Neoplatonism, we then point to Philo’s line of thinking in several sources as well as potential paths of transmission in this respect. In the last thematic section, we carve out salient parallels between kabbalistic notions of creation, revelation, and language and corresponding Philonic ideas. Drawing on the Zohar and Joseph ben Abraham Gikatilla’s works, we maintain that there are similar forms of esoteric knowledge dissemination in Philo’s writings, which also showcase a unique blend of Jewish and Greek conceptions
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |