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The Authority of the Zohar
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This chapter assesses the various manifestations of the Zohar's increasing authority and the historical and social contexts that finally led to its recognition by most Jewish communities in the early modern period. Declarations concerning the exalted status of the Zohar's protagonists, mainly of R. Shimon bar Yohai, are found in the zoharic literature itself. The choice of R. Shimon for the leading role, his comparison to Moses, and the proclamation of his superiority granted the secrets he conveyed paramount importance. The chapter explains that the purpose of the proclamations made by the kabbalists outside the Nahmanidean circle regarding the importance of the Zohar was to subvert the Catalan school. It then examines how the perception of the Zohar as a sacred and authoritative work increased the cultural power of the elite circles of the Spanish exile and advanced Sephardi cultural dominance in their new settlements and beyond.
Title: The Authority of the Zohar
Description:
This chapter assesses the various manifestations of the Zohar's increasing authority and the historical and social contexts that finally led to its recognition by most Jewish communities in the early modern period.
Declarations concerning the exalted status of the Zohar's protagonists, mainly of R.
Shimon bar Yohai, are found in the zoharic literature itself.
The choice of R.
Shimon for the leading role, his comparison to Moses, and the proclamation of his superiority granted the secrets he conveyed paramount importance.
The chapter explains that the purpose of the proclamations made by the kabbalists outside the Nahmanidean circle regarding the importance of the Zohar was to subvert the Catalan school.
It then examines how the perception of the Zohar as a sacred and authoritative work increased the cultural power of the elite circles of the Spanish exile and advanced Sephardi cultural dominance in their new settlements and beyond.
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