Kabbalah is an exploration of the relationship between human beings and God.?? It is an attempt to understand the divine context of existence.?? It originated in Jewish communities.?? It draws on many ancient mystical traditions from the Middle East dating from the time of the late-Roman and Byzantine Empire.
A significant part of the content of Kabbalah is a vastly expanded conception of God.?? Most people of Jewish or Christian origin will have some familiarity with the Biblical God, the God of Jewish history.?? The Bible describes the relationship between God, the patriarchs, and the people of Israel.?? This relationship is described in the form of narratives, such as the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Noah, Jacob and Moses.?? God is an actor in the world, participating in the history of the Jewish people.
Kabbalah takes the view that Biblical narrative is the manifestation of a larger reality.?? The actions of God as the appear in the sacred literature of Judaism are the phenomena, the outward appearance of an inner realm of the divine.
- Professor: Dr. Conny Williams