As Light Before Dawn: The Inner World of a Medieval Kabbalist
336
As Light Before Dawn: The Inner World of a Medieval Kabbalist
336Hardcover
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780804759137 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Stanford University Press |
| Publication date: | 06/29/2009 |
| Series: | Stanford Studies in Jewish History and Culture |
| Pages: | 336 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
As Light Before Dawn
The Inner World of a Medieval KabbalistBy Eitan P. Fishbane
STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Copyright © 2009 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior UniversityAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8047-5913-7
Chapter One
Perspectives and New Directions Reflections on the State of Scholarship
On the Anticipation of Audience
In its ideal state, scholarship should aim to converse with multiple audiences at once, accomplishing this most challenging goal through concentric circles of dialogue and learning. For if the innermost of these circles is a highly specialized audience (and this rigorous engagement is crucial to the advancement of knowledge), the outermost circle seeks to reach a much broader intellectual discourse, one in which scholars of diverse specialties and tradition-centers may discover lines of connection in their common quest for an understanding of the human phenomenon-the composition of a collective culture, insight into the intersecting threads of the imagination, the ritual of behavior, and the forms of creativity. With this in mind, I have set out to present my research in this book in a manner that will be of some productive interest to diverse scholars of religion and generally educated readers; such interest will be based on where in the spectrum of concentric intellectual concerns each reader stands. And so, while specialists in the literature of Jewish mysticism may find greater value in an array of textual and field-specific analyses, I hope that my attempts to locate specialized research matters within the larger landscapes of the history and phenomenology of religion will keep the doors of invitation opened wide to colleagues in a much larger panorama of disciplinary homes. Likewise, it is my intention that a general readership will find access here to a cluster of ideas and sources that have much to offer all students of religious culture, devotional practice, and spiritual creativity.
As the reader may discern from a perusal of the table of contents, this book centers on a series of issues that have much in common with other mystical traditions, on the one hand, and that share in categories central to the broader study of religious culture, on the other. In addition, the scholar of other subfields in the history of Judaism might appreciate the degree to which the topics and text-studies set forth here bear correlation to other (nonmystical) phenomena in the development of Jewish ideas and textuality. This shared intellectual concern is most evident in three recurrent threads of analysis discussed in the present monograph: (1) The representation and contours of contemplative devotional consciousness, and its situation within a typology of ritual practice. A major dimension of the present work, this category has much to contribute to far broader inquiries in the manifold regions of religious studies. (2) Perceptions of interpretive authority and legitimate meaning in the transmission of religious ideas-the interplay between the processes of spontaneous creativity and the articulation of received wisdom. (3) The dynamics of interiority and exteriority with respect to ritual intention, and the manner in which this polarity serves as the groundwork for greater understanding of the intersecting problematics of body, spirit, and religious experience more broadly. In addressing these and other threads of discourse, this work seeks to locate the thought of a prominent medieval Jewish mystic within several matrices of the study of religion and the transmission of knowledge. In offering a close reading of one kabbalist's creativity, my aim is to contribute to a broad interdisciplinary edifice: through the particular, we seek to clarify the more general nature of religious thought and practice.
The Subject
The late thirteenth century was one of the greatest periods of creativity in the history of Judaism. In the Jewish communities of Aragon, the Kabbalah of Nahmanides (the giant of medieval Jewish commentary) continued to flourish through his students and their disciples, while Castilian Kabbalah had reached the summit of its intellectual power and literary craft in the Zohar and related works. While the kabbalists of these respective schools were most certainly shaped by a concern with the mystical contemplation of God, the dominant character of their writings reflects an emphasis on symbolic meaning and an attempt to depict the inner reality and dynamics of Divinity. To be sure, as recent scholarship has demonstrated, the very process of symbol-construction and knowledge of God through the sacred text was conceived to be an event of illumination and (often) ecstatic-contemplative experience. That fact acknowledged, however, the contemplative orientation of these "western" kabbalists did not reach the same pitch of intensity as that of their "eastern" brothers from the other side of the Mediterranean. Indeed, the Jewish spiritual thinkers and practitioners of the East cultivated a distinctively meditative approach to spiritual practice and mystical thought. They were more heavily influenced by the piety and ideas of their Sufi neighbors in North Africa and the Mediterranean basin-a mode of religious life that was marked by an emphasis on meditative practice and a contemplative orientation. Yet perhaps the greatest difference between eastern and western Kabbalah was its relationship to the act of prescription and instruction. To be sure, we do find numerous examples of prescriptive mysticism among the kabbalistic writings of Aragon and Castile, but these pale in comparison (in this respect, that is) to the writings of the eastern thinkers. Best represented by Abraham Abulafia (a kabbalist who spent considerable time in the Land of Israel, as well as in the Greek islands and the Italian peninsula), the eastern kabbalists sought to present the reader (or disciple) with detailed guidance as to the nature and practice of the Jewish contemplative life. It is this overtly prescriptive element-combined with a vigorous focus on meditative matters-that most concisely embodies the distinction between the two kabbalistic approaches.
It is when this divide in medieval Kabbalah (particularly with respect to geography) is clarified that the significance of our topic emerges into sharper relief. For the figure I propose to study in this work-Isaac ben Samuel of Akko-is first and foremost remarkable as an example of a bridge between these two relatively distinct modes of Kabbalah. His work reflects the dominant influences of both the Nahmanidean Kabbalah of sefirot and the Jewish-Sufi/Abulafian-inspired Kabbalah of the East. This unique blend-which also reflects Isaac's geographical migration from the northern Land of Israel to the Iberian peninsula in the 1290s-is most evident in Me'irat 'Einayim, a putative meta-commentary to Nahmanides' Commentary on the Torah. In Isaac's later work-most notably in 'Ozar Hayyim-the eastern kabbalistic element is far more dominant, and the Kabbalah of Nahmanides has been set on the periphery. Yet in general, and especially in Me'irat 'Einayim, Isaac emerges as one situated on the borderline of two distinct religious trends and creative mentalities. Me'irat 'Einayim is dominated to be sure by the genre of [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] ("clarification of the secrets of Nahmanides"), but is nevertheless permeated with passages that transmit kabbalistic teachings on contemplation in prayer and meditative focus. It is a profoundly prescriptive work with respect to the contemplative life, and seeks to function as a reliable conduit for prior teachings pertaining both to a sefirotic interpretation of Scripture and to received traditions on the methods for contemplation of Divinity. 'Ozar Hayyim, on the other hand, is marked by a first-person testimonial discourse of creative process and hermeneutical discovery-a rhetoric that may be contrasted with the prescriptive mode dominant in Me'irat 'Einayim, and one that reveals the dynamics of self-perception. As we shall observe in some detail, Isaac's later work presents a model of autobiographical Jewish mysticism and spiritual life-writing-a modality that is rare in kabbalistic literature, and one that provides insight into an alternate dimension of this mystic's inner world. This testimonial discourse also documents Isaac of Akko's deeply contemplative orientation, lending further texture to our understanding of his devotional practice and concerns, to the manner in which a posture of meditative consciousness is cultivated. Given the pivotal position of this kabbalist in the history of medieval Jewish intellectual culture, it is clear that a comprehensive examination of his work is necessary for a full understanding of Jewish mystical trends in the Middle Ages-a fact that stands in marked contrast to what has been conducted hitherto in the way of research.
A note to the comparative scholar and the general reader:
In order to do justice to the important research upon which my own work seeks to build, I shall now enter into a detailed (and somewhat technical) assessment of the scholarship completed to date as it relates to our topic. It is through this narrative that the reader may come to appreciate what is new about my own research. That said, however, the nonspecialist may wish to skip this survey of scholarship, which is chiefly intended for the innermost circle of concentric audiences and centers on matters of relatively narrow concern. The broader discussion resumes with the last section of this chapter, devoted to the directional aims and methodological considerations of the present study.
The State of Research
Relative to the considerable attention given to other important kabbalists of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Isaac of Akko has not been a major subject of scholarly study. While two short texts and one voluminous (as well as influential) treatise have been published in critical editions by modern scholars, a large portion of this kabbalist's writing still remains in manuscript. The content of his writings has only begun to be explored, and the significance of his unique cultural position still requires sustained and comprehensive treatment. Despite this fact, valuable advances have been made in several subareas of scholarship, and this chapter will be devoted to a critical examination of them. This discussion will aid in the contextualization of my own research into the subject matter, and will aim to clarify the topics that remain undeveloped and in need of elucidation. The scholarship that has been completed to date may be divided into the following general categories: (1) critical editions and textual/philological analysis; (2) Jewish-Sufism and Abulafian Kabbalah as sources of influence on Isaac; and (3) preliminary analysis of Isaac's contemplative and hermeneutical approach. Additional categories will be treated in subsequent chapters in accordance with specific themes as they arise.
Research into the writings of Isaac of Akko, with an emphasis on the editing of manuscript materials with critical annotation and some analysis, was inaugurated by Gershom Scholem in 1956. In that year, Scholem published a very short section of text (fewer than twenty pages) by Isaac of Akko in which the latter commented on the first section of Sefer Yezirah. It does in fact seem that this text was originally part of a longer commentary by Isaac on Sefer Yezirah, and that this complete text was known to the Spanish exile Abraham ben Solomon Adrutiel. Regardless, however, Isaac's exegesis on part 1 of Sefer Yezirah is all we have. As Scholem states in his brief introduction to the text, Isaac of Akko's work was clearly based on and influenced by the earlier such commentary by Isaac the Blind, one of the very earliest kabbalists in Provence. Nevertheless, Scholem asserts, there are significant differences in approach and ideas between these two commentaries. The very fact that a commentary was composed with such visible influence from Isaac the Blind's laconic and enigmatic text, however, reveals the prominence that the latter's text enjoyed among kabbalists several generations subsequent to its writing. Like Isaac the Blind's Commentary on Sefer Yezirah, Isaac of Akko's text is deeply contemplative and demonstrates the broad scope of his intellectual activity. At this juncture it is most important to take note of Scholem's own exhortation regarding the importance of Isaac of Akko for a thorough understanding of the history of Kabbalah. He indicated the need (as he did with many other kabbalistic topics) for the pursuit of research on this topic by future scholars-a prescient remark that has been fulfilled by the work of numerous contemporary scholars, and it is a guiding motivation for my own research.
A second contribution to textual study bearing on our topic was undertaken by Georges Vajda in an article published at the very end of that same year. The most important element of this work for our purposes is the appendix of fragments authored by Isaac of Akko, published from manuscripts by Vajda. These fragments are mystical comments by Isaac of Akko on the writings of Judah ben Nissim Ibn Malka, particularly Ibn Malka's Commentary on Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer. It is noteworthy that Ibn Malka's commentary was composed in Arabic, showing Isaac's competence in that language. Vajda has performed an important service to scholarship on Isaac of Akko, insofar as significant mystical passages composed by Isaac are now more accessible. There is not a great deal of commentary or analysis in this article, and its primary value is located in the publication of the Hebrew text along with an annotated French translation. In this regard, let me also acknowledge Vajda's French translation of an important passage from Me'irat 'Einayim on the harmonization of conflicting ideas (a theme that I deal with at some length in Chapter 3) in an appendix to one of his major works of scholarship.
As this study will give considerable attention to evidence garnered from Isaac's Me'irat 'Einayim, it is fitting to devote greater attention to the extensive research on this text performed by Amos Goldreich some twenty years ago as a doctoral dissertation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is no exaggeration to state that the critical edition of Me'irat 'Einayim prepared by Goldreich transformed the scholarly study of Isaac of Akko, and presented an exemplary model for the systematic and scientific study of medieval Jewish manuscripts in general. As Daniel Abrams noted in an article surveying and analyzing the development of critical text research on Jewish sources, Goldreich's doctoral work was a pioneering effort in a crucial area of scholarly research. Establishing a reliable text that closely represents the original work of the author is of paramount importance for the study of medieval Jewish sources. Without this foundational work, technical as it may be, all inquiries into interesting thematic religious issues rest on dubious ground. In completing his work, Goldreich collected an enormous amount of bibliographical information with respect to the many manuscripts of Me'irat 'Einayim that are found scattered among the great libraries of the world, consolidated in the microfilm collections of the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem. With an eye for minute detail, Goldreich demonstrated that Me'irat 'Einayim was copied in a wide variety of scripts and corresponding geographical locations. Dominant among these scripts were the 'Ashkenazic, Sefardic, Byzantine, and Italian methods-a strong indicator of the widespread dissemination of this work. Although Goldreich himself does not reflect in a sustained way upon the fascinating cultural implications of these scribal and paleographical facts, it may be observed that the text's Rezeptionsgeschichte (reception history) is ultimately illuminated by the diversity of handwritings and manuscript copies identified. What is revealed through the range of manuscript sources that Goldreich analyzes is an intriguing picture of a text that exercised powerful influence and enjoyed a prominent cultural life in the hands of the Jewish educated elite in the Middle Ages and beyond. Indeed, in the scholarly world prior to the invention of the printing press, the very quantity of surviving manuscripts indicates the degree to which a certain text was distributed and read by members of the scholarly community. Not least among the reasons for this extensive reception was the purported and self-proclaimed goal of Me'irat 'Einayim, that of metacommentary to and mystical clarification of Nahmanides' immensely popular and virtually canonical Commentary on the Torah. I shall have much more to say about this aspect of Isaac's work later on.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from As Light Before Dawn by Eitan P. Fishbane Copyright © 2009 by Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments....................ix1. Perspectives and New Directions: Reflections on the State of Scholarship....................3
2. The Wandering Kabbalist: Historical Profile and Context....................20
3. Receiving Tradition, Constructing Authority....................49
4. Intentions and the Recovery of Meaning....................77
5. Seeing the Secret: Creative Process and the Hermeneutics of Insight....................101
6. Contemplation, Theurgical Action, and the Presence of God....................125
7. Techniques of Mystical Contemplation: Kavvanah and Devotional Experience....................178
8. Asceticism, Prophecy, and Mystical Union....................248
Conclusion....................283
Bibliography....................285
Index of Names and Book Titles....................303
Index of Subjects and Terms....................307
Index of Works Quoted....................319