Beholders of divine secrets : mysticism and myth in Hekhalot and Merkavah literature /
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| Author / Creator: | Arbel, Vita Daphna. |
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| Imprint: | Albany : State University of New York Press, c2003. |
| Description: | xii, 250 p. ; 23 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Subject: | |
| Format: | Print Book |
| URL for this record: | http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/5035227 |
| Summary: | Beholders of Divine Secrets provides a fascinating exploration of the enigmatic Hekhalot and Merkavah literature, the Jewish mystical writings of late antiquity. Vita Daphna Arbel delves into the unique nature of the mystical teachings, experiences, revelations, and spiritual exegesis presented in this literature. While previous scholarship has demonstrated the connection between Hekhalot and Merkavah mysticism and parallel traditions in Rabbinical writings, the Dead Sea Scrolls, apocalyptic, early Christian, and Gnostic sources, this work points out additional mythological traditions that resonate in this literature. Arbel suggests that mythological patterns of expression, as well as themes and models rooted in Near Eastern mythological traditions are employed, in a spiritualized fashion, to communicate mystical content. The possible cultural and social context of the Hekhalot and Merkavah mysticism and its composers is discussed. |
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| Item Description: | Based on a doctoral thesis submitted to the Hebrew University, Jerusalem in 1997. |
| Physical Description: | xii, 250 p. ; 23 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-235) and indexes. |
| ISBN: | 0791457230 0791457249 |