The Cabala 1.0


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The Cabala
by Bernhard Pick

A short critical introduction to the Kabbalah.

1913. Although the Cabala belongs to the past, it demands our attention on account of the interest taken in it by such men as Raymond Lully, John Reuchlin and others. Contents: Name and origin of the Cabala; development of the Cabala in the pre-Zohar period; Book of Zohar or splendor; the Cabala in the post-Zohar period; most important doctrines of the Cabala; Cabala in relation to Judaism and Christianity.

This is a short monograph on the Kabbalah, written from a purely academic and somewhat critical point of view. The literature about the Kabbalah in the public domain in English is very limited. Most of the key texts and scholarly studies are in Hebrew, German, and other languages. So this well-crafted review of the literature is a real find.

Pick traces the origins and background of the Kabbalah to Jewish scholars of mediaeval Spain. He does not attribute any deeper roots to it historically, nor does he examine the roots of Jewish mysticism except for a brief mention of the Merkabah. Pick represents the Kabbalah as a backlash to the rationalism of Maimonides. He also discusses it as if it were purely of historical interest, ignoring the ongoing and lively popular interest in this belief system even in his day.

Chapter I. Name and Origin of the Cabala
Chapter II. The Development of the Cabala in the Pre-Zohar Period
Chapter III. The Zohar
Chapter IV. The Cabala in the Post-Zohar Period
Chapter V. The Most Important Doctrines of the Cabala
Chapter VI. The Cabala in Relation to Judaism and Christianity
The Cabala



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