Kabbalah in Italy, 1280-1510: A Survey
Moshe Idel
Abstract
This sweeping survey of the history of Kabbalah in Italy charts the ways that Kabbalistic thought and literature developed in Italy and how its unique geographical situation facilitated the arrival of both Spanish and Byzantine Kabbalah. It analyzes the work of three major Kabbalists—Abraham Abulafia, Menahem Recanati, and Yohanan Alemanno—who represent diverse schools of thought: the ecstatic, the theosophical-theurgical, and the astromagical. Directing special attention to the interactions and tensions among these forms of Jewish Kabbalah and the nascent Christian Kabbalah, the book brings t ... More
This sweeping survey of the history of Kabbalah in Italy charts the ways that Kabbalistic thought and literature developed in Italy and how its unique geographical situation facilitated the arrival of both Spanish and Byzantine Kabbalah. It analyzes the work of three major Kabbalists—Abraham Abulafia, Menahem Recanati, and Yohanan Alemanno—who represent diverse schools of thought: the ecstatic, the theosophical-theurgical, and the astromagical. Directing special attention to the interactions and tensions among these forms of Jewish Kabbalah and the nascent Christian Kabbalah, the book brings to light the rich history of Kabbalah in Italy, and the powerful influence of this important center on the emergence of Christian Kabbalah and European occultism in general.
Keywords:
history of Kabbalah,
Italy,
Kabbalistic thought,
Byzantine Kabbalah,
major Kabbalists,
Abraham Abulafia,
Menahem Recanati,
Yohanan Alemanno,
Jewish Kabbalah,
Christian Kabbalah
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2011 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300126266 |
| Published to Yale Scholarship Online: October 2013 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300126266.001.0001 |
