‎Dana Eichhorst‎
‎Kabbalah from Medieval Ashkenaz and Renaissance Christian Theology Eleazar of Worms (c. 1165c. 1238) and Egidio da Viterbo (c. 1469- 1532)‎

‎, Brepols - Harvey Miller, 2025 Hardback, Pages: 223 pages, Size:156 x 234 mm, Language(s):English. ISBN 9782503618449.‎

Reference : 67757

‎summary The preoccupation of Christian theologians and scholars with the Hebrew language and sources at the dawn of the sixteenth century resulted in the transfer of a vast corpus of medieval Hebrew texts into Christian intellectual discourse and networks. These Hebrew sources were meticulously collected, copied, translated, and subjected to rigorous study. These collections include texts that originate from medieval Ashkenaz, the majority of which can be attributed to Eleazar ben Yehuda of Worms (c. 1165?c. 1238). Rabbi Eleazar was a prominent Jewish scholar of his time and a member of one of the most prestigious families in Jewish communities of the German Rhineland and Palatinate. However, the history of medieval Ashkenazic writings has been neglected in scholarship, which has favoured other Jewish (primarily Sephardic) sources in tracing the influence of medieval Jewish mysticism on Christian theology and Kabbalah. This book takes the hitherto disregarded Ashkenazi Hebrew sources as its point of departure. It focuses on the work of Eleazar as a main representative of the ?aside Ashkenaz, and on his magnum opus Sode Razayya, which discusses all matter of the divine and the mundane sphere. The book explores how Eleazar?s work was a potentially interesting source for a Renaissance Christian Kabbalist like Egidio (Giles) da Viterbo. Kabbalah from Ashkenaz is distinguished by its emphasis on the Hebrew letters and language, along with the divine word and divine speech (dibur). This central motif of the Ashkenazi sources found resonance with certain Christian theologians and Kabbalists in the context of Christian logos theology, which is similarly anchored in the divine word (verbum). This book thus challenges scholarly traditions about ?Jewish mysticism? and the sources of humanist Hebraism. It demonstrates how Christian Kabbalah enables a new perspective on Ashkenazi sources, and equally how Ashkenazi sources help to illuminate Renaissance Christian theology. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction The Sources Perspectives on Kabbalah Kabbalah from Ashkenaz and Early Christian Kabbalah The Complexities of a Para-Disciplinary Approach Chapter 1. The Medieval ?asidic Masters: Construction of a Myth Historical Background: Jewish Communities in Medieval Germany The ?aside Ashkenaz Sefer ?asidim ? The Book of the Pious ?aside Ashkenaz and the Secrets of Wisdom The Foundation Legend ? Construction of Ancestry The History of the Kalonymides Between Narrativity and Historicity King Charles in Lucca and Narbonne Abu Ahron?s Secrets ? from Babylonia to Ashkenaz Summary Chapter 2. Kabbalah from Ashkenaz Eleazar of Worms and the Secrets of the Secrets Content of Sode Razayya The Transmission of Divine Knowledge Unlocking the Divine Secrets Compendium to Sode Razayya Summary Chapter 3. Challenging Definitions of Kabbalah The Beginnings of Modern Kabbalah Research Reflections on Esoteric Thought and Practice Western Esotericism, Magic, and Kabbalah Outlines of Christian Kabbalah Construction of a Myth of Perennial Wisdom No Origins but Beginnings of Kabbalah Summary Chapter 4. Magical Twists of the Creational Myth Logos, Sophia, and Creation The Language of Paradise: Lingua Adamica Lingua Adamica and the Jewish Golem Tradition Summary Chapter 5. Early Christian Kabbalah, Hebraism, and Egidio da Viterbo Christian Hebraism Intellectual Exchange between Christian Hebraists and Kabbalists Egidio da Viterbo (1469?1532): Biography and Hebraic Studies Egidio?s Literary Work Access to Jewish Sources Christian Perspectives on Kabbalah Egidio?s Approach to Kabbalah Summary Chapter 6. On the Meaning of the Word: Egidio da Viterbo and Eleazar of Worms Kabbalah and Pious Philosophy Verbum and Dibur Egidio?s Curriculum of Jewish Sources The Raziel Complex Sefer ha-Temunah and its Connection to Sefer Raziel Sode Razayya and the Raziel-Tradition Salvation through Scientia Semot Conclusion Bibliography Index of Names‎