The Art of Metoposcopy
A Study in Isaac Luria's Charismatic Knowledge
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12013128 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lawrence Fine, Lawrence J Fine (Indiana University Bloomington, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1986 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 79-101 |
| Publication date | 1986-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AJS Review The Journal of the Association for Jewish Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0364-0094 • E-ISSN: 1475-4541 |
| Publisher | Project MUSE (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0364009400001525 |
| OpenAlex | W2109713386 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 5 |
Amongst the most important roles which Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the preeminent kabbalist of sixteenth-century Safed, played in the lives of his disciples was that of physician of the soul. Before they could practice rituals which were intended to enable them to bind their souls to the divine realm, and to “repair” that realm in accordance with the teachings of Lurianic mythology, his disciples had first to mend their own souls, to cleanse and purify them of all imperfection No individual whose own soul had failed to achieve a certain level of perfection could hope to engage successfully in the intricate and elaborate contemplative rituals-such as the Yiḥudim -which Luria devised. A person had to undergo a period during which he cultivated certain spiritual and moral traits and atoned for whatever sins he might have committed. Luria, in fact, provided his followers with highly detailed rituals of atonement by which they were to mend their souls. These penitential acts were known as tikkunei avonot (“amends of sin”) whose purpose, in the words of Hayyim Vital's son Shmuel, was to “mend his soul"”and “cleanse him from the filth of the disease of his sins.” Hayyim Vital (1542–1620), Luria's chief disciple, himself introduces the tikkunei avonot with a discussion of the relationship between one's soul and sin
Aesthetics · Charisma · Contemplation · Mythology · Penitential · Perfection · Realm · Soul · Theology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.05 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1988 - 2014 (27) |
| Highly cited | No |