Origin And Short History Of The Kabbalah.*

" More Nebuchim , " in which he endeavoured to conciliate philosojihy with the Jewish religion , and which , consequently , bore a more than liberal character , caused to stir up a reaction . While he endeavoured to explain everything in the Jewish religion from a rationalistic standpoint , the reaction took hold the more to the mysterious . A Rabbi , Abraham ben David , died in Posquieres , in France ( 1199 ) , and his son , known by the name of Isac the Blind (

1190-1210 ) , wrote a commentary to a mystical book , " Sefer Dezira , " in which they laid the first stone to the building of the Kabbalah . Still they , as well as their book , w ere not known much , onl y that the } were opposed to the teachings of Maimonides . Still , the seed [ once planted on fertile ground grew . Esra and Asriel , from Gerona ( in Spain ) , brought some systematical order into that mysticism ; they were assisted by one Jacob ben Scheschet , also from

from Gerona , ancl by Jehuda ben Jakar , but though they travelled inuch , in order to make a propaganda , their efforts were in vain . Asriel was ridiculed and mocked at in Sevilla . At the same thne a book by the name of " Bahir " came into circulation ; nobod y knew by wdioni it was written , but it was thought to be very old , and this book did a good deal in assisting the efforts of Esra and Asriel . But all would have been in vain if not a man of great prominence had become attached to that secret mystical science . It was Rabbi

Mose ben Nachman , from Gerona . He is known by the name of Naehmani , or " Rambau . " He goes also hy the name of Bonnstouc de Porta . He was a physician , at the same time a great talismanical scholar . He was a warm defender of Judaism , but did not possess genius enough to follow the'flight of Maimonides ; he was his greatest opponent , and the leader of the anti-Maimonides faction—he lived between 1195-1270 . He has received great fame from a disputation which he held at Barcelonaagainst one monkPablo

, , Christian , compelled by Jacob I . of Spain , and out of which he went forth a victor . This Naehmani , in order to avoid the Scylla of Philosophy , fell into the Charybdis of Mysticism , and sanctioned , by his authority , the young Kabbalah . From now this new science spread over Palestine and Germany , and soon found a warm defender in Eleasar ben Jehuda , f roni Worms ( 1230 ) . But its greatest assistance it received in Toledo . There was-a man b y the name of

Todros b . Joseph Halevi Abulafia ; he lived between 1270-1304 . He was a favourite with Sandu IV ., and was honoured by the Jews with the name of Nassi . He became an ardent friend of the Kabbalah , and pretended to have had prophetic revelations himself . He himself , his sons , and some other friends , strengthened by their influence and their authority more and more his new abberration , and . tilled the ground for the " Sohar , " the greatest literary fraud that ever existed .

There lived about this time , m Spain , a man by the name of Mose ben Schemtob . He was born at Leon , about 1250 , and is , therefore , known simply by the name of Mose de Leon ( died in Arevalo , 1305 ) . He was a fluent writer , but no scholar ; he knew something of everything , but nothing thoroughly . He was a spendthrift , never caring for to-morrow , led a wandering life , lived in Guadalaxara , Biverro , Valladolid , and Avila . By-and-bye this man was drawn into the circles of the Kabbalah . He published several

books about it , but received neither money , nor fame , nor celebrit y by them . Then he conceived the idea of writing a book under another man ' s name , and in order to prove its antiquity , to write it not in Hebrew , but in the Chaldee idiom . So he wrote the " Sohar , " but he only claimed to be the copyist . In a preface he said that its author is Rabbi Simon ben Jochai , who lived at the time of Bar Rochba . This Simon ben Jochai had 6-12 disciles ; to him and

p his disciples God revealed the wonders of the " Sohar . " Simon ben Jochai dictated it , Rabbi Akisba wrote it down , and the other clisoifiles testified to it . This book , the " Sohar" ( splendour ) had been lost for a long period . Naehmani , while visiting Palestine , had found it , and had sent it to his son in Catalonia , but the ship was wrecked , and by a chance the book came to