Prof Avishai Bar Asher – Conceptual Transformations in the Emergence of Kabbalah: Rethinking God, World, and Human Cognition
This talk will explore a series of conceptual turns in medieval Kabbalah, treating it not only as a theological system but as a transformation of underlying models of consciousness and knowledge. The aim is to focus on four main axes: shifts in ontology regarding divine and cosmic reality; the reconfiguration of the biblical text as a medium of knowledge rather than mere authority; the emergence of a theosophical view of divinity as a dynamic structure rather than a static unity; and a rethinking of the human subject as capable of mediated and partial access to divine knowledge.
Professor AVISHAI BAR-ASHER is the Sol Rosenblum Chair in Jewish History and an Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Department of Jewish Thought. Bar-Asher’s research focuses on various chapters in the history of Jewish esotericism, from the Hekhalot literature, through Sefer Yeṣirah, to Medieval Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, to later phases in the history of kabbalistic literature. He serves as the Head of the Program in Jewish Studies at the Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies. His book Journeys of the Soul: Concepts and Imageries of Paradise in Medieval Kabbalah (Magness Press, 2019) was awarded the World Union of Jewish Studies Matanel Prize for the best book in Jewish Thought.
Speaker
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Avishai Bar-AsherAssociate Professor of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Department of Jewish Thought
