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Jesus and Kabbalah
Was Jesus a Kabbalist? Certainly not in the modern sense of the word. First of all, He neither taught a detailed metaphysical system nor explained the details of heaven (much less did He explain the supposed "three higher worlds" above our own to his followers). He never taught that God's hidden essence was revealed through ten sefirot (attributes) and that human nature was "parallel" to the sefirotic structure of the universe. Though He taught the fall of man and preached teshuvah (repentance), He never taught that people were "shattered vessels" that needed to be reabsorbed into a World Soul called "Adam Kadmon." Yeshua never taught the preexistence of the soul nor reincarnation, just as he never taught pantheism, i.e., that all that exists (including evil) is ultimately God. He never taught that man could ascend to God through speculative or mystical means, or that the soul has a direct link with God... And Yeshua certainly never taught that human beings have power to influence God or to "affect His disposition" by performing various rituals. Yeshua was apocalyptic in his eschatology and never taught the idea of tikkun olam (repair of the world) through self-effort. He rather taught that He alone was the Savior of the world (מוֹשִׁיעַ הָעוֹלָם) -- that salvation, life, and the ultimate healing of the world would come solely through Him...
All that said, it is certainly true that Yeshua was a mystic who taught in parables and used metaphors to convey spiritual truth. He said, for example, that he was "the Door," the "Bread of Life," the "Living Water," the "Good Shepherd," the "Light of the World," and so on. None of these descriptions were intended to be taken literally, of course, and his followers were expected to use analogical reasoning to see the higher truth in His words (Matt. 15:15-20; 16:5-9). "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). Likewise His many parables were intended to be mystifying to those who were not sincere in their passion: "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand" (Matt. 13:13). Yeshua said that the "Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21) and was fully conscious of God at all times: "I am the Father are one" (John 10:30).
. . . WORK IN PROGRESS . . .
This section is being written. Please check back later for updates.
Christian Mystical Traditions
Christian Kabbalists
Pico della Mirandola
Christian Knorr von Rosenroth
Moses ben Aaron of Cracow
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