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- Title
על 'ספר הזקן' והרקעים לכתיבתו.
- Authors
משה אידל
- Abstract
The present study deals with an anonymous treatise published recently by E. R. Wolfson, as ‘The Gates of the Elderly Man’, which has been attributed to a circle of Kabbalists active in Spain in the 1280s, thought to be related to the emergence of the Zoharic literature. The examination of its nomenclature shows the impact of ecstatic Kabbalah, although the theosophical interpretation offered to one of the Gates proves to be problematic, and I propose decoding it with reference to astronomical-astrological terminology. I also examine more passages in this anonymous treatise and suggest that it shows an affinity with the writings of R. Isaac ben Samuel of Acre and the Book Yessod ‘Olam by R. Abraham Esquira. For these reasons the date of the composition should be placed later, at the beginning of the 14th century. Likewise, I offer reasons to doubt the historicity of the descriptions found in the Gates, as they are exaggerated and cannot be confirmed historically.
- Publication
Tarbiz, 2022, Vol 88, Issue 2, p221
- ISSN
0334-3650
- Publication type
Article