Papers by John MacMurphy
The talmudic dictum "as above so below" which echoes across western occult sources -- most notabl... more The talmudic dictum "as above so below" which echoes across western occult sources -- most notably the enigmatic Emerald Tablet -- depicts a direct relationship between the physical and the transcendent. These correspondences serve as the basis for kabbalistic theosophy and practice. This study explores the concept of ‘embodiment’ as it pertains to healing and its interconnectedness with kabbalistic practices -- such as ecstatic meditations, sexual mysticism and fulfilment of the commandments – all of which aim to lead the practitioner toward a direct encounter with the divine. Focus is placed on the medieval and early modern corpus of the prophetic schools of Abraham Abulafia (1239-1291), the father of ecstatic kabbalah, and Isaac Luria (1534-1572), the founder of Lurianic kabbalah. This research demonstrates how these works and others were influenced from earlier sources such as Tikkun Midot ha-Nephesh (The Repair of the Measures of the Soul) and Fons Vitae (The Source of Life) by Solomon Ibn Gabirol (1021-1058), the neoplatonic Spanish poet, philosopher and esotericist, better known in the West as Avicebron.
Throughout history certain beliefs and practices of Jewish esoteric thinkers deviated from main s... more Throughout history certain beliefs and practices of Jewish esoteric thinkers deviated from main stream Judaism. In the case of occult sciences such as magic and astrology – referred to as kishuf (sorcery) or avodat kochavim (worship of the stars) – the praxis was forbidden by Jewish law. Moreover, in the case of prophecy, the matter is more complex as the tradition of the prophets was a prominent feature within the faith and, as such, could not easily be dismissed. Nevertheless, the practice was discouraged by the Jewish authorities decreeing that the full power of prophecy had ceased with the prophets of the Old Testament. Regardless, such restrictions did not dissuade determined practitioners. This paper explores the conflation between some of these prohibitive methods, namely, the history and practice of the seventy-two letter name of god as it relates to prophecy as well as its connection to magical operations. Focus will be placed on Jewish sources such as Sefer Raziel (The Book of Raziel), Sefer Shimushei Tehilim (The Book of the use of Psalms) and the works of Abraham Abulafia (1239-c.1291), the founder of ecstatic Kabbalah. In addition, the parallel Christian tradition will also be analyzed examining works by such thinkers as Johann Reuchlin (1455-1522), one of the most highly regarded humanists of his time, and Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), one of the most noted intellectuals of the 17th century. In particular, this research argues that through the advent of technology and new age trends, the fusion of magical and prophetic practice is becoming more radical as in the case of Merkaz Nofach, a kabbalistic learning center in Israel which utilizes techniques of divine names with sigils from the famous Renaissance grimoire Clavicula Salomonis, also known as, Mafteach Shlomo (The Key of Solomon).
The connection between the soul and eros within Jewish esotericism has been well esta... more The connection between the soul and eros within Jewish esotericism has been well established in the academy by scholars such as Moshe Idel, Elliot Wolfson and more recently Charles Mopsik. However, although frequently compared with eastern tantric schools, the praxis aspect of kabbalistic sexual methods is still shrouded in mystery. By examining Talmudic, Heichalot texts, and zoharic references, as well as medieval and early modern kabbalistic sources from the schools of Abraham Abulafia (1239-1291), Moses Cordovero (1522-1570) and Isaac Luria (1534-1572), this paper explores for the first time what may be the forgotten sexual school of mysticism within Jewish esotericism. Moreover, this paper examines not only the role of the soul within the sexual act itself but also the enigmatic intentions behind its operations. Finally, this paper argues that while the original aim behind these procedures was to produce theurgic results, modern occultist thinkers within western esotericism such as Paschal Beverly Randolph (1825-1875) and Julius Evola (1898-1974) utilized the same theurgic methodologies and reappropriated them into magical applications.
Academic study in the field of Jewish esotericism has been focusing on three main schools of Kabb... more Academic study in the field of Jewish esotericism has been focusing on three main schools of Kabbalah, namely, theosophic, ecstatic and magical. However, the perception that these categories are mutually exclusive has been shifting in the academy since they were identified by Gershom Scholem (1897-1982). Scholars such as Moshe Idel, one of the foremost authorities in the field, demonstrated how Abraham Abulafia, the father of the ecstatic trend, utilized the doctrine of Sefirot which is associated with the theosophical stream. In addition, Jewish philosophy and mysticism scholar Elliot Wolfson not only employs a similar strategy but also goes a step further by showing how the zoharic literature associated with the theosophical school contain ecstatic elements. This paper explores for the first time the overlap between the kabbalistic schools as distinct categories, such as ecstatic theosophy and ecstatic magic. For example, the concept of the Klipot in theosophical Kabbalah refers to the demonic realm as it relates to the divine cosmology while in ecstatic theosophy, as I argue, they function as perceptual barriers that the practitioner has to overcome in order to effectuate the mystical experience. By exploring the kabbalistic literature, as well, as Jewish alchemical manuscripts, this study argues that these new classifications have their own unique flavors and identity which merit further research in the academy.
Current academic research in the field of Prophetic Kabbalah (Idel, Wolfson and Hames) – which ex... more Current academic research in the field of Prophetic Kabbalah (Idel, Wolfson and Hames) – which explores the kabbalistic practices for inducing altered states of consciousness, gnosis or divine union – revolves almost exclusively around the school of Abraham Abulafia (1239–1291), sometimes called the 'Father of Ecstatic Kabbalah'. Up until now, Sefer ha-Zohar (The Book of Splendor), the largest and the most influential kabbalistic corpuses, has been associated primarily with the theosophical lineage - with the ecstatic aspect receiving little to no scholarly attention. By examining the zoharic literature, the Abulafian corpus as well as works by other kabbalists such as the Lurianic texts, this paper argues that ecstatic elements not only exist in the Zohar, but were also recognized as such by other kabbalists.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), the Swedish scientist turned mystic, is one of the most influenti... more Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), the Swedish scientist turned mystic, is one of the most influential figures in Western Esotericism. Of the many scholarly discussions surrounding this prolific, enigmatic figure is the question of innovation. At the heart of this discourse is the debate between Marsha Keith Schuchard, who contends that Swedenborgian doctrines have a direct affinity with the kabbalistic tradition, and Wouter Hanegraaff, who opposes this thesis and defends the originality of Swedenborg's thought. By examining the evidence behind the Schuchard-Hanegraaff debate, this paper interrogates the issue of Swedenborg’s access to kabbalistic knowledge and his putative anti-Semitic sentiments which, I argue, did not prevent him from pursuing Jewish-based teachings. The evidence suggests a direct derivation of his well known Doctrine of Correspondences from Hebraic sources; moreover, light could be cast on his allegedly unique biblical exegesis methodology through a review of Or Ne’erav (The Sweet Light) by Moses Cordovero (1522-1570), the father of Cordoverian Kabbalah. Finally, I show that previous comparisons by scholars such as Jane Williams-Hogan of theosophical Swedenborgian concepts like the Grand Man with the kabbalistic concept of Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man) failed to consider other parallels, such as the concept of Adam Ha-Rishon (The First Man). I conclude by emphasizing that the ample evidence that suggests a connection between Swedenborg and Kabbalah should not detract from the originality and innovation of this illustrious esoteric thinker.
Lucid Dreaming, or the ability to become aware that one is in a dream state, has been the subject... more Lucid Dreaming, or the ability to become aware that one is in a dream state, has been the subject of a growing scientific inquiry since the late 1970s. Empirical research heralded by prominent researchers such as Ogilvie, Hunt, Sawicki ,McGowan and later by LaBerge, demonstrates that this phenomenon occurs during the REM sleep cycles and can be entered either from the ordinary dream state itself or directly from a state of wakefulness. In addition to the experience itself, certain techniques have been developed and refined over the years in order to help induce this state for further study. This paper explores the connection between lucid dreams and the ecstatic experience as depicted in mystical and esoteric texts. Initially, accounts by prominent western esoteric thinker Giovanni Baptista della Porta (1535-1615) will demonstrate that certain ecstatic states experienced by practitioners can be viewed as sleep-like states to an onlooker. Moreover, During a Wake Induced Lucid Dream (WILD), as described by LaBerge, certain visual, auditory and somatic effects such as visual lights, loud noises and somatic vibrations are experienced. While these characteristics are believed to occur universally when one enters the sleep state, it can only be perceived and remembered by people who are conscious during the transition into the dream state. These occurrences also appear to coincide with certain depictions of mystical accounts where the practitioner enters an altered state of consciousness. For example, in the works of Abraham Abulafia (1239-1291), the father of ecstatic kabbalah, the sensations that surface during the mystical experience, as analyzed by Moshe Idel, one of the foremost authorities in Jewish mysticism, are described as vision of lights, tumults and bodily tremors. In prophetic kabbalistic literature, these manifestations are correlated to the biblical account of Ezekiel’s chariot and are represented as encounters with the Klipot (shells), which come from the demonic realm in kabbalistic cosmology. These act as perceptual barriers which the mystic has to overcome in order to reach the state of Hashmal (The Speaking Silence) – the state of prophecy. Furthermore, this paper argues that certain mystical or theurgical procedures designed to influence the divine realm are similar to the techniques which were developed to induce the lucidity effect by the disruption of the sleep cycle. One example of such method is the wake-back-to-bed technique (WBTB), which was developed by LaBerge, where one awakes and then returns to the sleep state within a certain interval of time. The kabbalistic practice of Tikkun Hatzot (The Midnight Repair) appear to follow the same principles. This ritual, which was developed by Isaac Luria (1534-1572), the father of Lurianic Kabbalah, involves waking up at midnight to recite certain prayers, meditate until dawn and then return to sleep. The idea behind this method is that through the intentionality of the kabbalist, certain sefirot, or divine qualities, will be repaired – slowly recovering from the divine catastrophe of the shattering of the vessels. The paper concludes by proposing that our current understanding of certain mystical experiences needs to expand and allow for their interpretation as dream-like states even though they are implicitly or explicitly reported as being experienced in wakefulness.
The mysterious origins of the western esoteric tradition of Christian Kabbalah, a trend which was... more The mysterious origins of the western esoteric tradition of Christian Kabbalah, a trend which was not only influential in the West but also in central and eastern Europe, has over the years been the subject of scholarly debate. Although, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) is still considered by most as the father of this phenomenon, certain events and figures have emerged which demonstrate that the inception of this trend may have commenced a lot earlier. This paper will undertake the difficult task of delineating the criteria that constitute the term ‘Christian Kabbalah’ by exploring current criteria as set forth by Gershom Scholem, the father of modern academic study of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, and Romanian born scholar Moshe Idel, one of the most respected scholars of the history and philosophy of Kabbalah. Bringing the criterion of tutelage to the foreground, this paper’s focus is on Abraham Abulafia (1239-1291), the father of ecstatic kabbalah, whose European influence not only inspired western Christian authors but also shares an affinity with eastern European schools of mysticism such as the Carpathian based Hasidic movement of the Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760). More specifically, this paper explores the enigmatic reference in the Hebrew based Abulafian corpus of a twenty-eight day period that Abulafia spent with members of the Franciscan order and, as I argue, provided them with first hand knowledge of his unique ecstatic kabbalistic techniques and methods – thereby fulfilling his messianic quest to usher in the birth of the age of redemption. The paper then concludes that this event could be considered as one of the earliest milestones in the emerging trend we refer to today as ‘Christian Kabbalah’.
Throughout the ages, the biblical account of the enigmatic Urim and Thummim has been a source of ... more Throughout the ages, the biblical account of the enigmatic Urim and Thummim has been a source of fascination among scholars and mystics alike. While shrouded in mystery, the Urim and Thummim are best known for being associated with the Efod and Hoshen, the priestly garment and breastplate containing precious stones that acted as a form of a communication device with the divine. At the heart of this procedure was the engagement of the High Priest in letter permutations designed to decipher the divine message. During the 13th century, Abraham Abulafia, the father of ecstatic and prophetic kabbalah, developed his own brand of kabalistic practice. While others practiced what could be described as the “kabbalah of the sefirot”, Abulafia’s version can be regarded as the “kabbalah of the shemot” – the holy names of God. His approach was one of the main kabbalistic sources of inspiration for Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, the father of Christian Kabbalah, and in turn, for the field of Western Esotericism from the Renaissance to the present day. At the core of Abulafia’s prophetic methodology was his own practice of letter permutations which I argue parallel the ecstatic practice exercised by the High Priest in ancient Israel. Prior research about Abulafia heralded by top Jewish Mysticism researchers such as Elliot Wolfson and, in particular, Moshe Idel, fails to consider the direct relationship between the two parallel approaches - thus reducing Abulafia’s own references to the Urim and Thummim to the prophetic experience itself rather then the means of attainment. By exploring the biblical and talmudic primary source texts which were available to Abulafia, the views of the Urim and Thummim from his kabbalistic contemporaries, such as Nahmanides and Bahya Ben Asher, and the Hebrew primary sources of the Abulafian corpus itself, this paper draws connections between the Abulafian method and the procedure employed by the High Priest. In particular, the paper focuses on the possibility that Abulafia may have directly reverse engineered the earlier methodology in order to produce his own equally effective technique.
CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, COLLOQUIA by John MacMurphy
In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of R. Hayyim Vital (1542-1620), the Goldst... more In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of R. Hayyim Vital (1542-1620), the Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Ben Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East, and the World Union of Jewish Studies will hold a three-day conference via ZOOM dedicated to Vital and his world.
Vital is known first and foremost as the chief disciple of R. Isaac Luria. Luria himself wrote little; Vital is thus responsible to a large extent for what is now known as “Lurianic Kabbalah.” As a paragon of the sixteenth-century Safed renaissance, many aspects of Jewish life in Palestine and Syria are imbricated in his life and thought in this critical chapter of early modern Jewish history. Alongside his immense and singular contribution to the development of the Kabbalah, the breadth and diversity of Vital’s interests are evident in his rich corpus of writings. These are devoted to a plethora of topics and express the variegated aspects of his activity over many decades in Safed, Jerusalem, and Damascus. The study of Vital’s life and work may thus shed light on many facets of contemporary Ottoman Jewish society.
The fifteen sessions of the conference will cover many aspects of the activity of Vital and his contemporaries, as well as the history of the reception of his intellectual legacy in the modern and early modern periods.
Sessions include:
Safedian Modes of Fashioning Prominent Figures | Crossroads in the Formations of Kabbalistic Knowledge | Vital, Between Cordovero and Luria: A Reappraisal | Vital’s Book of Visions and Its Early and Later Contexts | Safedian Praxis and Its Contexts | Safed Beyond the Text: Reality and Imagination | Metempsychosis and the Fate of the Soul | Vital the Doubtful Messiah | Safed’s Culture of the Book | The Formation of Lurianic Kabbalah Across Regions | From Vilna to Jerusalem: Reading Vital in Modern Times | Vital in a Philosophical Tone
Papers will be delivered in both Hebrew and English
For details (including list of English papers), see: https://sites.google.com/view/vital400/en | For further inquiries: 400vital@gmail.com.
Academic Committee: Prof. Boaz Huss, Prof. Bracha Sack, Prof. J. H. Chajes, Dr. Hanan Harif, Prof. Ronit Meroz, Prof. Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin. Committee secretary: Dr. Assaf Tamari
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Papers by John MacMurphy
CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, COLLOQUIA by John MacMurphy
Vital is known first and foremost as the chief disciple of R. Isaac Luria. Luria himself wrote little; Vital is thus responsible to a large extent for what is now known as “Lurianic Kabbalah.” As a paragon of the sixteenth-century Safed renaissance, many aspects of Jewish life in Palestine and Syria are imbricated in his life and thought in this critical chapter of early modern Jewish history. Alongside his immense and singular contribution to the development of the Kabbalah, the breadth and diversity of Vital’s interests are evident in his rich corpus of writings. These are devoted to a plethora of topics and express the variegated aspects of his activity over many decades in Safed, Jerusalem, and Damascus. The study of Vital’s life and work may thus shed light on many facets of contemporary Ottoman Jewish society.
The fifteen sessions of the conference will cover many aspects of the activity of Vital and his contemporaries, as well as the history of the reception of his intellectual legacy in the modern and early modern periods.
Sessions include:
Safedian Modes of Fashioning Prominent Figures | Crossroads in the Formations of Kabbalistic Knowledge | Vital, Between Cordovero and Luria: A Reappraisal | Vital’s Book of Visions and Its Early and Later Contexts | Safedian Praxis and Its Contexts | Safed Beyond the Text: Reality and Imagination | Metempsychosis and the Fate of the Soul | Vital the Doubtful Messiah | Safed’s Culture of the Book | The Formation of Lurianic Kabbalah Across Regions | From Vilna to Jerusalem: Reading Vital in Modern Times | Vital in a Philosophical Tone
Papers will be delivered in both Hebrew and English
For details (including list of English papers), see: https://sites.google.com/view/vital400/en | For further inquiries: 400vital@gmail.com.
Academic Committee: Prof. Boaz Huss, Prof. Bracha Sack, Prof. J. H. Chajes, Dr. Hanan Harif, Prof. Ronit Meroz, Prof. Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin. Committee secretary: Dr. Assaf Tamari
Vital is known first and foremost as the chief disciple of R. Isaac Luria. Luria himself wrote little; Vital is thus responsible to a large extent for what is now known as “Lurianic Kabbalah.” As a paragon of the sixteenth-century Safed renaissance, many aspects of Jewish life in Palestine and Syria are imbricated in his life and thought in this critical chapter of early modern Jewish history. Alongside his immense and singular contribution to the development of the Kabbalah, the breadth and diversity of Vital’s interests are evident in his rich corpus of writings. These are devoted to a plethora of topics and express the variegated aspects of his activity over many decades in Safed, Jerusalem, and Damascus. The study of Vital’s life and work may thus shed light on many facets of contemporary Ottoman Jewish society.
The fifteen sessions of the conference will cover many aspects of the activity of Vital and his contemporaries, as well as the history of the reception of his intellectual legacy in the modern and early modern periods.
Sessions include:
Safedian Modes of Fashioning Prominent Figures | Crossroads in the Formations of Kabbalistic Knowledge | Vital, Between Cordovero and Luria: A Reappraisal | Vital’s Book of Visions and Its Early and Later Contexts | Safedian Praxis and Its Contexts | Safed Beyond the Text: Reality and Imagination | Metempsychosis and the Fate of the Soul | Vital the Doubtful Messiah | Safed’s Culture of the Book | The Formation of Lurianic Kabbalah Across Regions | From Vilna to Jerusalem: Reading Vital in Modern Times | Vital in a Philosophical Tone
Papers will be delivered in both Hebrew and English
For details (including list of English papers), see: https://sites.google.com/view/vital400/en | For further inquiries: 400vital@gmail.com.
Academic Committee: Prof. Boaz Huss, Prof. Bracha Sack, Prof. J. H. Chajes, Dr. Hanan Harif, Prof. Ronit Meroz, Prof. Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin. Committee secretary: Dr. Assaf Tamari