The symbol of Rebekah in the Zohar

• Autores: Sharon Koren
• Localización: Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, ISSN-e 1754-6567, ISSN 1754-6559, Vol. 6, Nº. 1, 2014 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Women's Creativity and the Three Faiths of Iberia / Reassessing the Roles of Women as 'Makers' of Medieval Art and Architecture), págs. 87-102
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The matriarchs play a major role in thirteenth-century Kabbalah. Biblical heroines are portrayed as historical figures, sefirotic symbols, and exemplars for proper behavior. Catalonian and Castilian Kabbalists' interest in the matriarchs is a new development in theosophical Kabbalah. I propose that this shift is in part a kabbalistic response to both external and internal stimuli: (1) the Jewish communities' battle with intermarriage and sexual licentiousness; and (2) the cult of the Virgin Mary. This article will explore how thirteenth-century Kabbalists polemicize against these threats by casting the matriarch Rebekah in a role that satisfied the need of the Iberian Jewish community