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Libra Esoterica

As light before dawn

the inner world of a medieval kabbalist

by Eitan P. Fishbane

  • First published:
  • 21st century
  • Language: English

Description

Description from Gegnir/Leitir — Icelandic Union Catalogue (opens in a new tab)

As Light Before Dawn explores the mystical thought of Isaac ben Samuel of Akko, a major medieval kabbalist whose work has until now received relatively little attention. Through consideration of an extensive literary corpus, including much that still remains in manuscript, this study examines an array of themes and questions that have great applicability to the comparative study of mysticism and the broader study of religion. These include prayer and the nature of mystical experience; meditative concentration directed to God; and the power of mental intention, authority, creativity, and the transmission of wisdom.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Consciousness, mysticism, and metaphysics and Kabbalah and Jewish esotericism.

  • Kabbalah and Jewish esotericism

    Controlled discovery queries from gegnir and harvard matched “Kabbala” and “Kabbalah”. Retained metadata contains “Cabala” in the subject metadata and “Kabbalah” in the subject metadata.

    • “Kabbala”· via Gegnir/Leitir — Icelandic Union Catalogue
    • “Kabbalah”· via Harvard LibraryCloud
    • “Cabala”· in subject
    • “Kabbalah”· in subject
  • Consciousness, mysticism, and metaphysics

    Retained metadata contains “mystical experience” in the description, “Mysticism” in the description, “Mysticism” in the subject metadata, and 1 additional metadata match(es).

    • “mystical experience”· in description
    • “Mysticism”· in description
    • “Mysticism”· in subject
    • “mystical experience”· in edition notes

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Links to ISBN 0804774870; other editions may be cheaper. WorldCat shows libraries near you that hold a copy.

Editions

One edition cataloged here.

the inner world of a medieval kabbalist

1st ed

1 online resource (337 p.); Description based upon print version of record; Dewey classification: 296.1/6; Includes bibliographical references (p. [285]-301) and index; pt. 1. Context. Perspectives and new directions : reflections on the state of scholarship -- The wandering kabbalist : historical profile and context. pt. 2. Reception and transmission. Receiving tradition, constructing authority -- Intentions and the recovery of meaning -- Seeing the secret : creative process and the hermeneutics of insight. pt. 3. Contemplative practice, mystical experience. Contemplation, theurgical action, and the presence of God -- Techniques of mystical contemplation : kavvanah and devotional experience -- Asceticism, prophecy, and mystical union; Publication place: Stanford, Calif; Stanford studies in Jewish history and culture

c2009Stanford University PressEnglish
  • 9780804774871
  • 0804774870
Catalog record

Subjects

9 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Cataloged from

Catalog id
gegnir:991014353962306886
Edition coverage
Multi source partial
Retrieved