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Occultwiki (talk | contribs) (Created page with "'''''Sefer HaBahir''''' or '''''Bahir''''' (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַבָּהִיר; "Book of Light" or "Book of Illumination") is an anonymous mystical grimoire, attributed...") |
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The historical critical study of this book points to a later date of composition. For some time scholars believed that it was written in the 13th century by Isaac the Blind, or by those in his school. The first sentence, "And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies" (Job 37:21), being isolated, and having no connection with what follows, was taken to be an allusion to the blindness of its author. However, modern scholars of Kabbalah now hold that at least part of the Bahir was an adaptation of an older work, the ''Sefer Raza Rabba''. This older book is mentioned in some of the works of the Geonim; however no complete copies of ''Sefer Raza Rabba'' are still in existence. However, quotes from this book can still be found in some older works. Scholar Ronit Meroz argues that elements in the ''Bahir'' date back to 10th century Babylonia, as witnessed by the acceptance of the Babylonian system of vowel points, which later fell into disuse, while other elements were written in 12th century Provence. | The historical critical study of this book points to a later date of composition. For some time scholars believed that it was written in the 13th century by Isaac the Blind, or by those in his school. The first sentence, "And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies" (Job 37:21), being isolated, and having no connection with what follows, was taken to be an allusion to the blindness of its author. However, modern scholars of Kabbalah now hold that at least part of the Bahir was an adaptation of an older work, the ''Sefer Raza Rabba''. This older book is mentioned in some of the works of the Geonim; however no complete copies of ''Sefer Raza Rabba'' are still in existence. However, quotes from this book can still be found in some older works. Scholar Ronit Meroz argues that elements in the ''Bahir'' date back to 10th century Babylonia, as witnessed by the acceptance of the Babylonian system of vowel points, which later fell into disuse, while other elements were written in 12th century Provence. | ||
Many scholars of [[Kabbalah]] hold that the ''Bahir'' adds [[gnostic]] elements to the older work. The question of how much gnosticism has influenced Kabbalah is one of the major themes of modern-day research on Kabbalah, see the works of Gershom Scholem and Moshe Idel for more information. | Many scholars of [[Kabbalah]] hold that the ''Bahir'' adds [[Gnosticism|gnostic]] elements to the older work. The question of how much gnosticism has influenced Kabbalah is one of the major themes of modern-day research on Kabbalah, see the works of Gershom Scholem and Moshe Idel for more information. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||