Qabalah & Gnosticism

[Frater Yechidah]

Tying in with, but diverging slightly from, the "Hermeticism & Gnosticism" thread in this section is a discussion centred around the links between the Qabalah and Gnosticism.

Here I think I can state that I believe there is quite a bit of backing to believe that the Kabbalists of the Middle Ages (Lurianic Kabbalah in particular) "borrowed" quite a bit of their ideas from older Gnostic sources (but transformed them into one of the most beautiful and complex [and fairly complete] systems of esoteric thought ever to grace this planet).

To begin things I'll post a quotation and link:

Many of the ideas and themes of the Lurianic Kabbalah are also present in systems of thought (Indian philosophy (http://www.newkabbalah.com/Indian.html), Platonism (http://www.newkabbalah.com/plato.html), Gnosticism (http://www.newkabbalah.com/gnos.html)) that, according to many scholars, antedate the Kabbalah, and (at least in the case of Platonism and Gnosticism two) seem to have impacted upon the development of Jewish mysticism.

From: http://www.newkabbalah.com/newkabbalah.html

Hegel also writes about the links between the Qabalah and Gnosticism, as seen in this article:

http://www.wbenjamin.org/hegel_kabbalah.html

Let's get this discussion started. I'll post some of the links I've found in my next post.

LLLSHJ,
Yechidah.

[deviadah]

:thumbsup:

This could also be useful: What is Kabbalah? (http://www.templesanjose.org/JudaismInfo/tradition/kabbalahindex.htm)

:cool:

[Frater Yechidah]

Here are the few points of comparison I posted in the old Hermeticism & Gnosticism thread:

1. God is conceived of as beyond the Three Negative Veils of Existence, as Unmanifest. It was common Gnostic principle to define God in negative terminology.

2. While the above is true, God was also seen as part and parcel of the entire manifest universe, while also being beyond the Three Negative Veils. This is called panentheism, believing the universe to be part of God, but not all of God, which is in stark contrast to pantheism. Of course, there were many Gnostics who claimed definitively that the world was not in the least bit divine, but there were also many others who believed otherwise - the Valentinians in particular. They shared a predominantly panentheistic view.

3. The process of emanation in the creation process ("emanationist cosmogony") is part and parcel of, at the very least, Sethian and Valentinian belief. It is a typical point that, in a sense, defines Gnosticism (though, of course, not all Gnostics adhered to this, but this is pushing the term to its most open and inclusive). At the very least, the Sethians called themselves Gnostics, and since they believed this, it is the most definitive source, in terms of scholarship, for defining the belief. The Kabbalah shares this cosmogony, with emanating Sephiroth instead of Aeons. Indeed, the Aeons often numbered 10.

4. God of the Manifest Universe, either seen in Chokmah or Kether, is not the "Real God" - you see a beared man in Chokmah (traditional "man in the clouds" god), or a bearded man in profile in Kether, showing you can only see one side of God. This is very similar to the conception of God throughout Gnostic myth, with the God of Chokmah or Kether (depending on your source and personal inclination), who is the "Creator God", being equated as the Demiurge.

5. Gnosticism espouses a belief in a divine spark in Man. Kabbalah also espouses this belief (via the Yechidah, etc.).

There are countless more points, but we'll leave that to start off with.

LLLSHJ,
Yechidah.