In this Book
- Circle in the Square: Studies in the Use of Gender in Kabbalistic Symbolism
- Book
- 1995
- Published by: State University of New York Press
summary
This book deals with the issue of gender in Jewish mysticism showing the thematic correlation of eroticism and esotericism that is central to the kabbalah. This book deals with aspects of the gender imaging of God in a variety of medieval kabbalistic sources. It provides the key to understanding the phenomenological structures of mystical experience as well as the thematic correlation of esotericism and eroticism that is central to the kabbalah. The author examines the role of gender utilizing current feminist studies and cultural anthropology. He explores the themes of the feminization of the Torah, the correlation of circumcision and vision of God, the phallocentric understanding of divine creation as a process of inscription mythologized as an act of sexual self-gratification, and the phenomenon of gender-crossing in kabbalistic myth and ritual. Collectively, the studies explore in great depth the androcentric phallocentrism that is characteristic of medieval Jewish mysticism.
Table of Contents
Additional Information
ISBN
9781438424378
MARC Record
OCLC
42855358
Pages
268
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No