Sunday, August 27, 2017

Making the Zohar mainstream?

ZOHAR WATCH: Restoring Kabbalah to Mainstream Judaism. A new translation has made the Zohar—Jewish mysticism’s key work—accessible at last. Is that a good thing? (ARTHUR GREEN, The Atlantic).
Matt has made the Zohar into a readable work—for the first time in any language. Israeli scholars, writing in Hebrew, are consulting his notes. Students in college or seminary courses, lacking the linguistic tools to delve into the original, will now be able to prepare assignments on this previously closed text. Matt, along with a distinguished coterie of scholars associated with this project, is making the bet that the true radiance of the work will be enhanced rather than diminished by this translation.
For much more on the Zohar and on Daniel Matt's translation of it, start here and follow the many links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.