A Guide to the Zohar

by Arthur Green

Overview

The Zohar is the great medieval compendium of Jewish esoteric and mystical teaching, and the basis of the kabbalistic faith. It is, however, a notoriously difficult text, full of hidden codes, concealed meanings, obscure symbols, and ecstatic expression. This illuminating study, based upon the last several decades of modern Zohar scholarship, unravels the historical and intellectual origins of this rich text and provides an excellent introduction to its themes, complex symbolism, narrative structure, and language. A Guide to the Zohar is thus an invaluable companion to the Zohar itself, as well as a useful resource for scholars and students interested in mystical literature, particularly that of the west, from the Middle Ages to the present.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804749084
Publisher:	Stanford University Press
Publication date:	12/11/2003
Series:	The Zohar: Pritzker Edition
Edition description:	1
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	282,853
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Arthur Green is the Philip W. Lown Professor of Jewish Thought at Brandeis University. A historian of Judaism and also a theologian, Professor Green is the author of a number of works on Jewish mysticism and Jewish spirituality.

Table of Contents

	Diagam of the Ten Sefirot	ix
	Preface	xi
Part I	Introduction
1	Prologue	3
2	The Kabbalistic Tradition: A Brief History Until the Zohar	9
3	Teachings of the Kabbalists: The Ten Sefirot	28
Part II	What is the Zohar?
4	The Zohar: Midrash on the Torah	63
5	The Zohar Narrative	71
6	Mysticism of the Zohar	77
7	The Zohar in Historical Context	86
Part III	Selected Themes Within the Zohar
8	Creation and Origins	101
9	Between Worlds	109
10	Evil and the Demonic	116
11	Torah and Revelation	122
12	The Commandments	126
13	Avodah: The Life of Worship	134
14	The Tsaddiq and the Life of Piety	145
15	The Jewish People, Exile, and Messiah	151
Part IV	The Zohar as Text
16	Special Sections of the Zohar	159
17	The Question of Authorship	162
18	The Language of the Zohar	169
19	Editing and Printing of the Zohar	174
20	Influence and Canonization of the Zohar	178
	Bibliography	189

Editorial Reviews

"This is more than a useful corrective for the pop-Kabbalah fantasies that have become fashionable among some spiritual seekers—it is also a serious aid to anyone seeking a serious encounter with Jewish spirituality."—Tikkun

"...[Arthur Green's] 191-page introduction [to the Zohar] is so lucid and thorough that one almost does not notice how capably it has synthesized and presented the material."—The Forward

"This is now the best introduction to the Zohar in English..."—CHOICE

"...a succinct study that in distilling half a century's research, including Green's own, proves unflailingly lucid and illuminating: he is equally skillful at explicating ideas and at explaining their historical context."—Times Literary Supplement

"This work can stand on its own as an excellent introduction to the Zohar, the central text of the Jewish mystical tradition. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in Jewish mysticism and would make an excellent text for undergraduate courses."—Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher

"This work can stand on its own as an excellent introduction to the Zohar, the central text of the Jewish mystical tradition. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in Jewish mysticism and would make an excellent text for undergraduate courses."

Religious Studies Review

"...a succinct study that in distilling half a century's research, including Green's own, proves unflailingly lucid and illuminating: he is equally skillful at explicating ideas and at explaining their historical context."

Times Literary Supplement

"This is now the best introduction to the Zohar in English..."

CHOICE

"...[Arthur Green's] 191-page introduction [to the Zohar] is so lucid and thorough that one almost does not notice how capably it has synthesized and presented the material."

The Forward

"This is more than a useful corrective for the pop-Kabbalah fantasies that have become fashionable among some spiritual seekers—it is also a serious aid to anyone seeking a serious encounter with Jewish spirituality."

Tikkun