MA in Jewish Studies

TH 9170, The Mystical Tradition in Judaism

Credits:  				30

Course Lecturer:  	Prof. Philip Alexander 

e-mail:					MFRSTPA@fs1.art.man.ac.uk

Course  Aims:			To give an understanding of the nature of 
							mysticism in general and of Jewish mysticism 
							in particular. 

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course unit you should:

1. know what are the major forms of Jewish mysticism from late antiquity to modern times;
2. have learned how to read with understanding Jewish mystical literature;
3. understand the place of mysticism within Judaism, and how it relates to other modes of religious discourse such as philosophy and law;
4. know how Jewish mysticism relates to non-Jewish mysticism.

Brief Description:

This course-unit will begin by considering the 'canon' of Jewish mystical literature, starting with Heikhalot mysticism and Jewish Gnosticism in late antiquity, proceeding chronologically to the Qabbalah (Zoharic, Abulafian and Lurianic), mediaeval German Hasidism, the Jewish Sufis of Egypt, Shabbateanism and its offshoots and modern Hasidism, and concluding with an investigation of the vitality of the mysticial tradition within Judaism today. In this survey special emphasis will be placed on reading and analysing primary sources in English translation, especially from the Zohar. The second part of the course will consider the origins of the tradition sketched in part one. It will look at evidence for mysticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls, in Jewish apocalyptic of the Second Temple period, in the writings of Philo of Alexandria and in the Bible itself. The final part of the course will be devoted to an attempt to arrive at a definition of Jewish mysticism, to place Jewish mysticism within the context of mysticism in general, and to determine the importance of the mystical tradition in the historical development of Judaism.

Basic Reading:

Weekly					36 hours lectures (Tusdays 9-11, A215)
							6 hrs seminars (Mondays 1-2, SG13) 

Taught in: 			Semesters 1 and 2

Assessment:			3 x 3,000 word essays

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e-mail: Bernard.Jackson@man.ac.uk