Re "Sorry, I'm just not finding any evidence that Kabbalistic teaching is "heavily influenced by Greek Neoplatonic and Gnostic influences."":
Here you go: From Wiki: Sefer Yetzirah is the title of the earliest extant book on Jewish esotericism. The Sefer Yetzirah is similar to various Gnostic systems. As the Sefer Yetzirah divides the Hebrew alphabet into three groups, so the Gnostic Marcus divided the Greek letters into three classes, regarded by him as the symbolic emanations of the three powers which include the whole number of the upper elements. From a Jewish studies journal: Both the early Jewish philosophers and the medieval Kabbalists were acquainted with and influenced by Platonic and Neoplatonic sources. However, while the medieval philosophers were much more systematic in their borrowing from Neoplatonic sources, especially via their transformations and transmissions from Arabic sources and also but more rarely from Christian sources, the Kabbalists were more sporadic and fragmentary in their appropriation of Neoplatonism. Though the emergence of Kabbalah has often been described by scholars as the synthesis of Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, I wonder not only about the role attributed to Gnosticism in the formation of early Kabbalah, but also about the possibly exaggerated role assigned to Neoplatonism. Not that I doubt the impact of Neoplatonism, but I tend to regard the Neoplatonic elements as somewhat less formative for the early Kabbalah than what is accepted by scholars. We may, however, assume a gradual accumulation of Neoplatonic. elements in some Kabbalistic circles over time, an accumulation that is dramatically increased during the Renaissance era by a renewed interest in Plato, Plotinus and Neoplatonism in general. From Wiki: Gershom Scholem (the leading scholar of the Kabbalah) was convinced that Kabbala is a medieval phenomenon. That is, while there are important works of Jewish mysticism composed before the Middle Ages, the metaphysics and cosmology we know as Kabbala emerges as a reaction against the rationalism of medieval Jewish philosophy that posits a distant and unapproachable God in line with the Aristotelian and Platonic (and Neoplatonic) schools. These kabbalists, while protesting such rationalism, were themselves very influenced by two dominant trends: Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism. In his Origins, Scholem traces both Gnostic and Neoplatonic influences on these early kabbalistic thinkers, viewing them as deeply embedded in their medieval context. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <punditster@...> wrote : "Kabbalah originally developed entirely within the realm of Jewish thought": > On 12/6/2014 8:21 PM, s3raphita wrote: > Sorry but that is total bollocks. Kabbalistic teaching is heavily influenced by Greek Neoplatonic - and Gnostic - teaching (both philosophical and magical). The Jews' contribution is twofold: firstly they added Hebrew prophecy and poetry into the mix (which makes their writings seem less "dry" for those who find philosophy hard work but have been brought up in a Christian culture) and secondly the Jews preserved a lot of the speculation of the Late Antique Greek spirit when it was regarded with suspicion by the Church in its war against heresy and schismatics. > Sorry, I'm just not finding any evidence that Kabbalistic teaching is "heavily influenced by Greek Neoplatonic and Gnostic influences." Apparently the esoteric Kabbalah preceded by centuries any Western esoteric tradition, dating back to the 5th century BCE. Can you site any scholarly references for your information? Thanks. Joseph Dan thinks the "Kabbalah originally developed entirely within the realm of Jewish thought, and Kabbalists often use classical Jewish sources to explain and demonstrate its esoteric teachings." These teachings are held by followers in Judaism to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional Rabbinic literature and their formerly concealed transmitted dimension, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalah http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalah "It is the underlying philosophy and framework for magical societies such as the Golden Dawn, Thelemic orders, mystical societies such as the Builders of the Adytum and the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, and is a precursor to the Neopagan, Wiccan and New Age movements." http://www.nanettemediumtarotreading.com/qabalah.html http://www.nanettemediumtarotreading.com/qabalah.html Work cited: Dan, Joseph. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, Chapter 1 "The term and its uses."
