Reincarnation in Jewish Mysticism and GnosticismEdwin Mellen Press, 2003 - 146 עמודים This study demonstrates that the rabbinic belief-system regarding the afterlife and the human soul was the paramount influence on the development of the doctrine of reincarnation that was crystallized in the Sefer ha-Bahir (The Book of Clarity/Illumination) a 12th-century work written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Prior research has noted the great impact Gnosticism had on early Jewish mysticism in general and the Sefer ha-Bahir in particular. The analysis of the talmudic and midrashic sources presents a broad spectrum of ideas concerning the eternity and immortality of the soul, the nature and characteristics of the soul and the notions of the resurrection of the dead and reincarnation. These ideas, brought together in the study as a systematic theology, reveal a fairly developed tradition that was probably known to the author or editor of the Sefer ha-Bahir. |
מונחים וביטויים נפוצים
Abraham Abrams aeons afterlife ancient Babylonian Talmud Bahir Bar Hiyya belief biblical blessed Book Bahir commentary concept of reincarnation creation dead Death and Afterlife described Deuteronomy discussion divine doctrine of reincarnation Early Christianity earth eternal existence Genesis Rabbah Gershom Scholem Gnosis Gnosticism Greek ha-Ganuz heaven heavenly Hebrew Bible Hellenistic Holy human soul Ibid ideas immortality Isaiah Jesus Jewish mysticism Judah Judaism Kabbalah kabbalistic Land of Israel Maimonides manuscripts medieval Mekhilta Mekhilta de Rabbi midrashic midrashic literature Mishnah Moses Moshe Idel Nag Hammadi Nahmanides nefesh Nehunya ben ha-Kanah neshamah notion origin parable passage philosophical Pleroma process of reincarnation Provence reincarnation Religion resurrection righteous root Rudolph Saadyah Gaon Sages Sanhedrin scholars Sefer ha-Bahir Sefer Yetzirah Shabbat soul's sources spirit symbolism talmudic and midrashic theodicy theory of reincarnation Throne of Glory tion Torah Tosefta tradition trans transmigration University Press verse Vilna wicked Wolfson word yibbum York Zohar