RishonimThe Land of Israel / Spain; the world of Kabbalah
The Zohar: Who Wrote It?
Kabbalah
- Tradition and criticism; textual authority; the history of the Zohar
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Podcast episode · The Zohar: Who Wrote It?
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The Zohar: Who Wrote It?
The Zohar Controversy: Liebes, Moses de León, and Isaac of Acre
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Core Concept
Beyond "who wrote it": how a text becomes canonical, and the responsibility of interpretation where tradition and history meet.
Biography
The controversy over attributing the Zohar to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai against claims of a later author, and what the question means for the authority of Kabbalah and the reading of the text.