Life
Born in Berlin, Scholem emigrated to Jerusalem in 1923 and taught for decades at the Hebrew University as its professor of Jewish mysticism. Before him, scholars had largely dismissed Kabbalah as superstition. Working from manuscripts, he traced its history from early throne mysticism through the Zohar and Lurianic Kabbalah to the Sabbatean movement, establishing Kabbalah as a serious field of study. His Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (1941) remains the standard introduction.
The system
- Kabbalah studied historically and philologically.
- A map of the main periods and schools of Jewish mysticism.
- Mysticism as a force renewing religious tradition.
Key works
- Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (1941)
- Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah (1957)
- On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism
Where to start
- Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, starting with the first lecture.
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