Beschreibung

This text provides a study of the relationship between Gnosticism and Merkabah mysticism. It includes an analysis of Gershom Scholem’s views on the subject, an analytical survey of other secondary literature and a focused examination of primary sources. The work explores a wide range of topics including myth, exegesis, ascent traditions and cosmology. Although the main focus is on western Gnostic traditions and Merkabah mysticism, the book also includes relevant material from Mandaeism and from later stages of Jewish mysticism such as German Pietism and Kabbalah.