Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism: Knowing God From the Prophets to Hasidism

3 credits · Undergraduate

Mysticism can be defined as direct experience of the divine, a fulfillment of the longing to know God. Deeply rooted in the history of religions from Islam and Hinduism to Christian and indigenous traditions. Within esoteric and occult traditions, Kabbalah has often been the source of the greatest fascination. This class introduces students to the main texts and ideas of Jewish mysticism, including real Kabbalah manuscripts and how mystical poetry is recited. We will examine its earliest sources in the Sinai revelation of Exodus, the visions of the prophet Ezekiel, and esoteric interpretations of ancient love poetry in the Song of Songs to the hymns of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the cosmic power of language and the gnostic visions of God's body in late antiquity. The key documents of Kabbalah emerge in the middle ages with the Zohar, a commentary on the Torah that is itself a remarkable work of poetry, storytelling, and religious thought, which stimulated great responses from Christians as well as Jews. We will conclude with the most influential Jewish mystical movement of modern times, Hasidism. PREREQUISITES: Recommended for students in at least their second year with at least 24 credit hours of classes plus at least 2 2000-level or above courses in any combination of History, Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, Classics, SOSA, Esoteric and Occult Traditions, or permission of the instructor. CROSSLISTED: RELS 3033.03