77856 - History of Jewish Thought: Philosophy and Kabbalah

Learning outcomes

The course aims at offering to the students the essential tools (historical and critical literature) in order to tackle the principal manifestations of Jewish thought, particularly in the Middle Ages. At the end of the course the students will dispose of the fundamental information which should enable them to locate a philosophical or mystical text in its epoch and in the cultural environment it reflects. Moreover, they will dispose of the necessary competence to further their reasearch and to articulate critical comparisons with parallel phenomena in other disciplines, such as Greek thought, Islamic religious philosophy, modern philosophy of religion and exegetical methods of the sacred text in other monotheistic religions.

Course contents

- Jewish Philosophy in Antiquity; Philo of Alexandria (summary)

- The Birth of Medieval Jewish Philosophy

- Moses Maimonides

- Levi Ben Gershon

- The origins of Kabbalah

- The Bahir

- The Kabbalistic Centre of Gerona

- The Zohar

- Kabbalah in Italy between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

- Christian Kabbalah (summary)

- Philosophy and Kabbalah at the dawn of modernity

Readings/Bibliography

- Colette Sirat, La filosofia ebraica medievale secondo i testi editi e inediti, Paideia, Brescia 1990.

- Mauro Zonta, La filosofia ebraica medievale. Storia e testi, Laterza, Bari 2002.

- Gershom Scholem, Le grandi correnti della mistica ebraica, Einaudi, Torino 2008.

- Gershom Scholem, L'idea messianica nell'ebraismo e altri saggi sulla spiritualità ebraica, Adelphi, Milano 2008.

- Gershom Scholem, La figura mistica della divinità, Adelphi, Milano 2010.

- Gershom Scholem, Le origini della kabbalà, EDB, Bologna 2013.

- Gershom Scholem, La kabbalah e il suo simbolismo, Einaudi, Torino 2001.

- Moshe Idel - Mauro Perani, Nahmanide esegeta e cabbalista, Giuntina, Firenze 1996.

- Moshe Idel, Maimonide e la mistica ebraica, Il Melangolo, Genova 2002.

- Moshe Idel, La cabbalà in Italia (1280-1510), La Giuntina, Firenze 2007.

- Moshe Idel, Qabbalah. Nuove prospettive, Adelphi, Milano 2010.

- Giulio Busi, La qabbalah, Laterza, Bari 2009.

- Joseph Dan, La cabbalà. Breve introduzione, Raffaello Cortina, Milano 2006.

- Giulio Busi - Elena Loewenthal, Mistica ebraica. Testi della tradizione segreta del giudaismo dal III al XVIII secolo, Einaudi, Torino 2006.

Teaching methods

Traditional

Seminarial discussion

Assessment methods

Oral exam

The candidates will have to choose two titles from the bibliography and study them carefully. At least two questions will concern the contents of these books. 

Teaching tools

More bibliographic tools and personalized suggestions for further research will be offered during the course.  

Office hours

See the website of Saverio Campanini