Papers by Ithamar Gruenwald
Maʿaseh Merkavah
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 2014
The Mystical Elements in Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 1980
Two Essential Qualities of Jewish Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 1980
Seper Hekhalot (3 Enoch)
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 1980
Maimonides’ Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy
Perspectives on Maimonides, 1991
This chapter details Maimonides’ quest beyond philosophy and prophecy. It has occasionally been n... more This chapter details Maimonides’ quest beyond philosophy and prophecy. It has occasionally been noticed that certain elements in the writings of Maimonides may be interpreted as testifying to the presence of a mystical thread artfully woven into the philosophical texture of his writings. It is particularly in Maimonides’ version of the (Alfarabian) theory of the elevation of the human, passive intellect to a state of utmost closeness to, or even unification with, the celestial Active Intellect that some resemblance to a mystical experience can be discerned. Some scholars have gone so far as to seriously consider the possibility that Maimonides actually had a prophetic experience of mystical quality. The chapter then assesses whether Maimonides considered the issue of the relationship between philosophy and prophecy to be a trap best avoided, and that he consequently attempted to find a way beyond these two modes of cognition.
Shjʿur Qomah
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 1980
Hekhalot Rabbati
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 1980
Rituals and ritual theory in ancient Israel
Choice Reviews Online, 2004
... made valuable suggestions. On behalf of Brill Academic Publishers, Ivo Romein showed that han... more ... made valuable suggestions. On behalf of Brill Academic Publishers, Ivo Romein showed that handling the production of a book can be a matter of friendly con-cern. Finally, a word is due to and about my family. My wife, Rachel ...
Concluding Chapter When Magical Techniques and Mystical Practices Become Neighbors: Methodological Considerations
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 2014
This chapter provides concluding remarks for the book Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism: Second,... more This chapter provides concluding remarks for the book Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism: Second, Revised Edition, which deals with Jewish Merkavah mysticism. It gives an example, assuming that the examples at hand and the manner in which they are presented have paradigmatic significance for a wide range of methodological issues. The vantage point in the chapter is that of ritual studies and ritual theory. In modern scholarship, the relationship between Merkavah mysticism and magic touches on three methodological issues. The chapter examines how the magical practices, done in the mystical and magical domains, are technically performed and to what extent they show similar structural forms of integration with a variety of spell-materials. "Theurgy" is often used to upgrade "Magic" in its application in the realm of mysticism. In essence, mysticism and magic evolve in experiential modes, which affect alternate states of consciousness.Keywords: consciousness; Jewish Merkavah mysticism; magic; mystical practices; theurgy
Social and Mystical Aspects of Sefer Hasidim
International Symposium held in Frankfurt a.M. 1991
Synopse zur Hekhalot-Literatur
Journal of Biblical Literature, 1984
3 The Mystical Elements in Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 2014
This chapter discusses the mystical elements in apocalyptic. Particular attention is given to tho... more This chapter discusses the mystical elements in apocalyptic. Particular attention is given to those apocalyptic books, which describe heavenly ascensions and contain relatively detailed accounts of visions in which God and His hosts of angels appear to the apocalyptic visionaries. Mystical visions had their antecedents in biblical literature. Apocalyptic is much too complex a phenomenon to be explained by an either/or-theory, that is, in the light of either Prophecy or Wisdom. Nor can justice be done to the phenomenon if only one central quality is selected as its more characteristic feature, and the one that allegedly can best explain it. Prophecy and Wisdom both had their respective share in the formation of apocalyptic, but there were also other factors, which contributed in their own ways to endow apocalyptic with its idiosyncratic shape and content.Keywords: apocalyptic; biblical literature; idiosyncratic shape; mystical elements; prophecy; wisdom
Physiognomy, Chiromancy and Metoposcopy
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 2014
The physiognomic and chiromantic texts of the Merkavah mystics raise a number of interesting ques... more The physiognomic and chiromantic texts of the Merkavah mystics raise a number of interesting questions. This chapter concerns the historical continuity of the physiognomic and chiromantic tradition in Judaism. The physiognomic tradition in Judaism is much older than Merkavah mysticism. The Responsa of Hai Gaʾon and his father, Sherira Gaʾon, supply the necessary documentary bridge between the chiromantic writings of the Merkavah mystics and the physiognomic and chiromantic passages in the Zohar; however, no such links are known to exist between the relevant texts of the Qumran community and the chiromantic texts of the Merkavah mystics. Admittedly, one finds in some of the rabbinic writings certain terms that are key notions in the chiromantic texts of the Merkavah mystics. However, these terms, as they appear in the rabbinic writings, indicate only very general physiognomic notions, whereas the Merkavah mystics were in possession of fully developed disciplines of chiromancy and metoposcopy.Keywords: chiromantic texts; Merkavah mystics; metoposcopy; physiognomic texts; rabbinic writings; Zohar
Hekhalot Fragments
Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 2014
The Ancient Community at Qumran
RAIN, 1975
Mysticism, Science and Art
Leonardo, 1974
This article considers visual or plastic fine art from the viewpoints of Western metaphysics and ... more This article considers visual or plastic fine art from the viewpoints of Western metaphysics and mysticism. Considerations of this type led the writer to similar conclusions as the one reached by the Spanish philosopher, Ortega Y Gasset, who spoke about the ‘dehumanization’ of modern art, entailing a new conception of the relationship of art to nature. The author points out that kinetic art produced by means of electric and electronic systems transcends the traditional definition of visual fine art in terms of form, since form need not be either static, or else, as it is in the kind of art to which Ortega Y Gasset refers, true-to-life. Furthermore, the prospects of man, art and technology will be brighter, the author believes, if new modes are found by which all the three can be brought to work together in harmony for the development of mankind’s intellectual and spritual resources. This hope is likely to materialize when the tools of modern technology are used by artists to extend their creative capabilities.
Ritualizing Death in James and Paul in Light of Jewish Apocal Ypticism
The Missions of James, Peter, and Paul, 2005
This chapter focuses on the manner in which our knowledge of Judaism in pre-Christian times becom... more This chapter focuses on the manner in which our knowledge of Judaism in pre-Christian times becomes relevant to understanding certain aspects of the Letter of James and the Epistles of Paul, Apocalypticism has to be brought into the picture. We are used to imaging a synthetic picture in which the whole life of Jesus and his death play constitutive roles in the shaping of Christianity. In Judaism, time cycles play an important role in shaping the ritual palette. Admittedly, New Testament Christianity shows an intensive activity that is easily described in terms of a thorough reshuffling of Judaic entities. All this happened in the wake of Hellenizing the East. However, the paradigmatic factors as described anchor Christianity in a Judaic harbour. As we have seen, the foundations of this paradigm cannot be fully assessed without having the apocalyptic setting in mind. Keywords: Apocalypticism; Christianity; death; James; Judaic harbour; Judaism; New Testament; Paul
God the "Stone/Rock": Myth, Idolatry, and Cultic Fetishism in Ancient Israel
The Journal of Religion, 1996
... Here the name of Ramban, Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman, comes to mind in the first place. ... 24 For... more ... Here the name of Ramban, Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman, comes to mind in the first place. ... 24 For a comprehensive overview of major scholarly positions taken in relation to myth and Scripture, see Frederick H. Cryer, Divination in Ancient Israel and Its Near Eastern Environ-ment ...
Judaic Studies At a Crossroads: Cultural Substance or Academic Framework?
Review of Rabbinic Judaism, 1998
Halakhah and the Study of Rituals: in Quest of New Perspectives in Religious Studies1
Review of Rabbinic Judaism, 1999
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Papers by Ithamar Gruenwald