Kabbalah and Catastrophe : Historical Memory in Premodern Jewish Mysticism / Hartley Lachter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lachter, Hartley, 1974- author.

Series:

Stanford studies in Jewish mysticism.

Stanford Studies in Jewish Mysticism Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

History--Religious aspects--Judaism.

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (364 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, [2024]

Summary:

While premodern kabbalistic texts were not chronicles of historical events, they provided elaborate models for understanding the secret divine plan guiding human affairs. Hartley Lachter analyzes innovative kabbalistic doctrines, such as the idea of reincarnation and the notion of multiple successive universes, through which Jewish mystics sought to demonstrate that the misfortunes of Jewish history were in fact necessary steps toward redemption. Lachter argues that these works, mostly composed between the early 14th century and the generation affected by the Spanish expulsion in the early 16th century, enabled Jewish readers to make sense of the troubling misfortunes of their own time. Kabbalah and Catastrophe uncovers the remarkable variety of ways that kabbalists deployed esoteric tradition to argue that God had not abandoned the Jews to the inscrutable forces of history. Instead, they suggested to readers that Jews are history's primary actors, and that despite their small numbers and lack of military power, Jews nonetheless secretly push history forward. For scholars of Jewish mysticism and medieval Jewish history, Lachter articulates how premodern mystical texts can be crucial sources of insight into how Jews understood the meaning of history.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Terrors of History: Finding Order in a World of Chaos

2 Meaning in Exile: Kabbalistic Readings of History Gone Awry

3 The Shape of Time: History and Cosmic Cycles

4 Living across Time: Reincarnation and the Course of History

5 History’s Ends: Apocalyptic Secrets in the Present Tense

6 Shaping History: Kabbalistic Writing and Historical Agency

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Lachter, Hartley Kabbalah and Catastrophe

ISBN:

9781503640900

OCLC:

1453195712