The Scandal of Kabbalah: Leon Modena, Jewish Mysticism, Early Modern Venice

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The Scandal of Kabbalah is the first book about the origins of a culture war that began in early modern Europe and continues to this day: the debate between kabbalists and their critics on the nature of Judaism and the meaning of religious tradition. From its medieval beginnings as an esoteric form of Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah spread throughout th

Reviews

Finalist for the 2012 Best First Book in the History of Religions Award, American Academy of Religion Honorable Mention for the 2014 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award in Medieval and Early Modern Jewish History, Association for Jewish Studies "In this excellent monograph, Dweck situates Modena's literary activity in the polarity between print and manuscript, paying critical attention to the reading and writing practices informing these polemics... This is a meticulous work of scholarship, from its careful examination of ligatures in handwritten manuscripts to the nuanced ways in which Dweck outlines broader intellectual currents, such as early modern skepticism and the emergence of historical criticism."--Choice "Dweck's meticulous and illuminating study has itself breathed new life into the Ari Nohem. It gives one reason to hope that it will finally become available in an English translation and that Yaacob Dweck will make the publication of such a volume one of his future projects."--Howard Tzvi Adelman, Jewish Review of Books "Dweck is to be commended for a sophisticated and readable study that greatly enhances our knowledge of the relationship between mysticism and philosophy, and print and manuscript, in early modern Jewish culture."--Daniel Stein Kokin, Renaissance Quarterly "The Scandal of Kabbalah is a valuable study. It situates Modena's work in a wide variety of contexts, each of which enriches and challenges our understanding of Ari Nohem. Clearly written and highly readable."--Michela Andreatta, AJS Review

Author Bio

Yaacob Dweck is assistant professor of history and Judaic studies at Princeton University.