In this beautifully realized study, Peter Sch???fer investigates the origins of a female manifestation of God in Jewish mysticism. The search itself is a fascinating exploration of the idea of a feminine divinity. And Sch???fer's surprising but persuasive conclusions yield deeper understanding of the complex but frequently intimate relationship between Christianity and Judaism--and of the development of religious concepts more generally. Toward the end of the twelfth century, a small book titled the Bahir (Light) appeared ...
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In this beautifully realized study, Peter Sch???fer investigates the origins of a female manifestation of God in Jewish mysticism. The search itself is a fascinating exploration of the idea of a feminine divinity. And Sch???fer's surprising but persuasive conclusions yield deeper understanding of the complex but frequently intimate relationship between Christianity and Judaism--and of the development of religious concepts more generally. Toward the end of the twelfth century, a small book titled the Bahir (Light) appeared in Provence. The first document of Judaism's emerging kabbalistic movement, it introduced a completely new view of God, one that included a divine potency that was essentially female. This female divinity was portrayed both as a mediator between Jews and God and as part of the Godhead itself. Examining Judaic history from the biblical Wisdom tradition to the Middle Ages, Sch???fer finds some precedents for the Kabbalah's feminine divinity. But he cannot account for her forceful appearance in twelfth-century southern France without reference to the immediate Christian environment, particularly the flourishing veneration of the Virgin Mary. Indeed, twelfth-century Jews and Christians were simultaneously rediscovering the feminine as an aspect of the Godhead after having abandoned it in favor of either an abstract, disembodied God or an exclusively male one. In proposing that the medieval cult of Mary--rather than eastern Gnosticism--is the appropriate framework for understanding the feminine elements in Jewish mysticism, Mirror of His Beauty represents a sea change in Kabbalah and Jewish-Christian cultural studies. It shifts our attention from the Byzantine East to the Latin Christian West. And in contrast to histories that treat the development of Judaism and Christianity in isolation, it leads us to a fuller understanding of Jews and Christians living in proximity, aware of each other.
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Very good in very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 336 p. Contains: Illustrations. Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern, 17. Audience: General/trade.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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New. Investigates the origins of a female manifestation of God in Jewish mysticism. Examining Judaic history from the biblical Wisdom tradition to the Middle Ages, this work finds some precedents for the Kabbalah's feminine divinity. Series: Jews, Christians and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World. Num Pages: 328 pages, 15 halftones. 1 line illus. BIC Classification: HRAB1; HRJ; HRLK2. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 231 x 159 x 21. Weight in Grams: 488. 2004. Paperback.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 328 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern, 68.
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This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. Clean from markings. In good all round condition. Dust jacket in good condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 700grams, ISBN: 9780691090689.
