The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
By Ariel, David S.
Pub Date: 08/88
Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.
Binding: Hard Cover, 256pp.
ISBN: 0876689284
Our Price $30.00

Related Books: Judaism and Kabala

Annotation
A lucid, accessible introduction to the esoteric mystical tradition in Judaism known as Kabbalah. "The first comprehensive history of Jewish mystics to make its ideas accessible to the nonspecialist. Readers, Jewish or non-Jewish, with an interest in mysticism will find much knowledge here."--Publishers Weekly.

Publisher
The Mystic Quest is a lucid, accessible introduction to the esoteric mystical tradition in Judaism known as Kabbalah.

Jewish mysticism is a rich and varied tradition of secret teachings and practices that has been a part of Judaism since antiquity. Ariel locates the Jewish mystical tradition within the context of Jewish history and traces its evolution throughout the ages, concluding with the role of mysticism in contemporary Judaism.

David S. Ariel is president of the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies.

Library Journal  
Ariel discusses the nature, history, character, and principles of Jewish mysticism. He also details number symbolism, reference to the feminine aspect of God, the idea of Torah as God's emanation, destiny of the soul, religious life of the mystic, and modern Jewish mysticism. The book is useful for general readers and specialists, but it does not oversimplify. It is an excellent, comprehensive study. Highly recommended for seminary and academic libraries; large public libraries should consider.
 

Publisher's Weekly  
The Jewish mystical tradition is unknown to most Jews today, yet for centuries prior to the French Revolution mysticism was an important current in Judaism. Rabbis in second-century Israel practiced visualization techniques and meditation. Kabbalists, beginning in Provence around 1175, deciphered the ``ten numerals''God's personal aspect. To the early Jewish mystics, God's wisdom ( Hokhmah ) prefigured everything that might come into existence; each person possessed a higher and lower soul; and God's feminine, caring aspect ( Shekhinah ) was locked in holy marriage with his masculine component. Jewish mystics' detailed deathbed visions, as reported here, bear direct comparison to modern parapsychologists' accounts of after-death experiences. Ariel's ( Eastern Dawn of Wisdom ) brilliant study is the first comprehensive history of Jewish mysticism to make its ideas accessible to the nonspecialist. Readers, Jewish or non-Jewish, with an interest in mysticism will find much knowledge here. (August)
 

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments
	Introduction
	A Note to the Reader
	Transliteration Rules
1	Seekers of Unity: The Nature of Mysticism	1
2	Bridging the Abyss: The History of Jewish Mysticism	17
3	Living with the Abyss: The Character of Jewish Mysticism	39
4	The Hidden and the Revealed: The Principles of Jewish Mysticism	51
5	The Calculus of the Divine World: The Teaching of the Sefirot	65
6	The Shekhinah: The Feminine Aspect of God	89
7	Language and Being: The Torah as God's Emanation	111
8	The Oneness of Being: The Destiny of the Soul	123
9	The Mystic Drama: The Religious Life of the Jewish Mystic	139
10	Uplifting the Sparks: Modern Jewish Mysticism	163
11	Jewish Mysticism and the Mystic Quest	191
	Notes	205
	Glossary	219
	Bibliography	223
	Index	229