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Zohar

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The Zohar (, 'Splendor' or 'Radiance') is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology. The Zohar contains discussions of the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, redemption, the relationship of ego to darkness and "true self" to "the light of God".

AI overview

The Zohar is a foundational Jewish mystical text that provides mystical interpretations of the Torah while exploring deeper spiritual topics like the nature of God, the structure of the universe, and the human soul. It matters because it became a cornerstone of Kabbalistic thought and influenced how many Jews understood mysticism, spirituality, and the hidden dimensions of their religious tradition.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Book · Open Library

Author
Gershon Scholem
First published
1949
Editions
13
Subjects
Commentaries, Cabala, Bible, Versions, Early works to 1800, Zohar, Prayers, Cabala--early works to 1800

via Open Library

Key facts

Religious text.religion
Judaism
Religious text.name
Zohar
Religious text.image
Zohar.png
Religious text.caption
Title page of the first printed edition of the Zohar, Mantua, 1558
Religious text.author
Moses de León
Religious text.language
Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew
Religious text.orig_lang_code
he
Religious text.native_wikisource
ספר הזהר
Religious text.wikisource
Zohar
Religious text.period
High medieval

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

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Zohar.png
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Commons category
Zohar
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~33 min read

Article

26 sections
Contents
  • Language
  • Zoharic Aramaic
  • Zoharic Hebrew
  • Authorship
  • Initial view
  • Late Middle Ages
  • Enlightenment Period
  • Modern religious views
  • Modern critical views
  • Influences
  • Contents
  • Printings, editions, and indexing
  • The ''New Zohar'' (זוהר חדש)
  • Structure
  • Influence
  • Judaism
  • Christian mysticism
  • Commentaries
  • English translations
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links
  • Zohar texts
  • Links about the Zohar

The Zohar (, 'Splendor' or 'Radiance') is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology. The Zohar contains discussions of the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, redemption, the relationship of ego to darkness and "true self" to "the light of God".

The Zohar was first publicized by Moses de León (c. 1240 – 1305 CE), who claimed it was a Tannaitic work recording the teachings of Shimon ben Yochai (). This claim is universally rejected by modern scholars, most of whom believe de León, also an infamous forger of Geonic material, wrote the book himself between 1280 and 1286. Some scholars argue that the Zohar is the work of multiple medieval authors and/or contains a small amount of genuinely antique novel material. Later additions to the Zohar, including Tiqqune hazZohar and ''Ra'ya Meheimna'', were composed by a 14th century imitator.

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