The Kabbalah: The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews (Forgotten Books) Book

Book Description: "This is a scholarly study of the origin and evolution of the Kabbalah. Originally published in French in 1843, with a second French edition in 1889, this book traces the origins of the philosophical concepts of the Kabbalah to the ancient Zoroastrians. Franck goes into fascinating detail about the doctrine of the Kabbalah, as expressed in the Sepher Yetzirah and the Zohar. He uses internal evidence to trace the origins of these texts many centuries prior to their first known publication in the thirteenth century [AD].Franck carefully compares the philosophy of the Kabbalah with Greek philosophy, the Alexandrians, Philo, and the Gnostics, and concludes that, although there are similarities, none of them can claim to be the source of the Kabbalah. However, he does find many more similarities with the ancient Zoroastrian beliefs. By this process of elimination, he comes to the conclusion that the doctrines of the Kabbalah had their origin during the Babylonian exile circa 500 [BC], which was also the time when Zoroaster was active in the same geographical region. This thesis is worth considering, and potentially adds more weight to the already numerous contributions of Zoroastrianism to world culture. " (Quote from sacred-texts.com)Table of Contents: Publisher's Preface; Diagram Of The Sephiroth; Summary Of Contents; Preface To The English Translation; Preface To The German Translation Of The First French Edition; Foreword To The Second French Edition; Preface Of The Author; Introduction; Part One; The Antiquity Of The Kabbalah; The Kabbalistic Books. Authenticity Of The Sefer Yetzirah; The Authenticity Of The Zohar; Part Two; The Doctrine Contained In The Kabbalistic Books. Analysis Of The Sefer Yetzirah; Analysis Of The Zohar. Allegorical Method Of The Kabbalists; Analysis Of The Zohar. The Kabbalists' Conception Of The Nature Of God; Analysis Of The Zohar. The Kabbalists' view Of The World; Analysis Of The Zohar. view Of The Kabbalists On The Human Soul; Part Three; Systems Which Offer Some Resemblance To The Kabbalah. Relation Of The Kabbalah To The Philosophy Of Plato; Relation Of The Kabbalah To The Alexandrian School; Relation Of The Kabbalah To The Doctrine Of Philo; Relation Of The Kabbalah To Christianity; Relation Of The Kabbalah To The Religion Of The Chaldeans And Persians; Appendix; EndnotesAbout the Publisher: Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, Esoteric and Mythology. www.forgottenbooks.orgForgotten Books is about sharing information, not about making money. All books are priced at wholesale prices. We are also the only publisher we know of to print in large sans-serif font, which is proven to make the text easier to read and put less strain on your eyes.Read More