A Christian Kabbalist is a Christian scholar or mystic who interprets Jewish Kabbalistic texts and concepts (like the Tree of Life and Hebrew letters) through a Christian theological lens, often seeking to find hidden meanings that support Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity or the divinity of Jesus, sometimes as a tool for conversion or spiritual insight. This tradition, prominent during the Renaissance, blends Jewish mysticism with Christian faith, reinterpreting esoteric Jewish ideas to align with Christian beliefs.
Key Aspects
- Origin: Arose from Renaissance interest in Jewish mysticism, pioneered by figures like Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Johann Reuchlin.
- Methodology: Uses Kabbalistic techniques like gematria (number symbolism) and notarikon (acrostics) to find Christian significance in Hebrew words and biblical texts.
- Core Belief: Seeks to find hidden Christian messages within Kabbalah, linking Jesus and Mary to the Sefirot (divine emanations).
- Goal: To demonstrate the harmony between Kabbalah and Christianity, sometimes with missionary intent, or for deeper spiritual understanding.
- Key Figures: Early Christian Kabbalists included Ramon Llull and Jakob Böhme.
How it Differs from Jewish Kabbalah
- Jewish Kabbalah focuses on understanding God's inner life through the Ein Sof (Infinite) and the Sefirot, often seeking to repair spiritual breaks in creation.
- Christian Kabbalah adapts these concepts to fit Christian theology, interpreting the Sefirot as aspects of the Christian Godhead and finding prophecies of Christ.
The interaction between Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) and the Christian church has historical roots, but some modern perspectives view its influence as a contemporary "infiltration" into Christianity, particularly within mystical, liberal, or New Age-influenced circles. This influence often manifests as a shift toward experiential spirituality, secret knowledge, and esoteric interpretation rather than traditional scriptural doctrine.
Here is an overview of how Kabbalistic ideas have intersected with or "invaded" the church:
Historical Context: Christian Kabbalah
- Renaissance Intermingling: During the Renaissance, Christian scholars became interested in Kabbalistic texts (like the Zohar), believing they could be used to prove Christian dogmas such as the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the Incarnation.
- The Cabalists: Christian thinkers like Pico della Mirandola, and later scholars, attempted to create a "Christian Kabbalah," adapting Jewish mysticism to Christian theology.
Modern Infiltration and Methods
- Esoteric Interpretation: Critics argue that Kabbalah has infiltrated the church by promoting the idea that the Bible has a "hidden" or secret meaning accessible only to an enlightened few, moving away from a strictly literal or historical understanding of scripture.
- "New Age" and Mysticism: The rise of popular, often detached, forms of Kabbalah (sometimes associated with celebrity culture) has introduced concepts like "energies" or "self-empowerment" into modern spiritual practices.
- Ecumenism and Liberalization: Some perspectives suggest that the push toward universalism or interfaith ecumenism has allowed Kabbalistic ideas to blend into Christian thought.
- Syncretism: Some contemporary Christian groups or individuals might mix Kabbalistic concepts (like the Tree of Life) with Christian faith, a practice that conservative theologians often oppose as "occult" or a deviation from the gospel.
Areas of Concern for Traditional Christianity
- Salvation through Knowledge: Kabbalah is often seen as a path to salvation/enlightenment through hidden knowledge, which contrasts with the Christian doctrine of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
- Deviation from Doctrine: Critics believe Kabbalah replaces the clear message of the Bible with mystical, occult, or pagan ideas.
While some scholars have viewed this interaction as a fruitful, albeit complex, exchange of ideas over centuries, others view it as a dangerous deviation from orthodox Christian belief.
THE FOLLOWING IS AN ARTICLE FROM GOT QUESTIONS.ORG
Kabbalah, also spelled Kaballah, Qabalah, or Cabalah, developed between the 6th and 13th centuries among the Jews in Babylonia, Italy, Provence, and Spain. The word “Kabbalah” means "to receive" and refers to revelation from God received by Jews and passed to succeeding generations through oral tradition. The word was first used by mainstream Judaism but later came to refer to those who believed that only a select few were given the secret knowledge from God as to the "true" meaning of Scriptures. Kabbalah uses occult practices and is considered to be a cult.
Kabbalah closely resembles some of the beliefs held by the Greek Gnostics in that both groups believed that only a select few were given deeper understanding or knowledge. Also, Kabbalah teaches that “emanations” from God did the work of creation, denying that creation was a creative act directly from God (Genesis 1). With each descending emanation, the emanation became farther away from God. The final emanation took the personal form of angels. This would be like God creating a lesser god, and that one then creating a lesser god, and this kept happening until the end result was angels. This directly contradicts God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible. In the Bible, God teaches that He is both separate from all of His creation (Isaiah 55:8-9) and yet is directly accessible to those who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Kabbalah does hold to the inspiration of Scripture but does not seek the plain meaning of Scripture. The Kabbalah approach is mystical and very subjective, using such things as numerology to find "hidden" meaning. Through this method, almost any teaching that one desires could be "found" in Scripture. This goes against the very heart of communication. God provided Scripture that He might communicate with mankind and teach humanity about Himself. It is obvious that Scripture is meant to be taken at face value and not interpreted by some mystical means. This can be demonstrated by fulfilled prophecy. God said something would happen, and it happened as He said it would. The greatest example of this is the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus Christ. There were hundreds of verses referring to His coming, and they were fulfilled literally (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 53). This is why the Bible should be interpreted literally or normally.
Kabbalah even has a pantheistic characteristic. Pantheism is the idea that God and His creation are one. This, of course, is not what God has told us in the Bible. God created all that exists from nothing (ex nihilo in Latin) (Genesis 1:1). Kabbalah says that creation is one of God’s emanations, exhibiting the pantheistic quality of Kabbalah.
Kabbalah, like all false doctrine and religions, denies the deity of Christ and the necessity of faith in Him as the only means of salvation (John 14:6). Jesus is God in the flesh, and He came to die for the sins of all who would believe in Him. If an individual trusts in Christ—that He is God (John 1:1-3) and paid for sin (Romans 8:3)—then that person is forgiven and becomes a child of God (John 1:12).
Kabbalah closely resembles some of the beliefs held by the Greek Gnostics in that both groups believed that only a select few were given deeper understanding or knowledge. Also, Kabbalah teaches that “emanations” from God did the work of creation, denying that creation was a creative act directly from God (Genesis 1). With each descending emanation, the emanation became farther away from God. The final emanation took the personal form of angels. This would be like God creating a lesser god, and that one then creating a lesser god, and this kept happening until the end result was angels. This directly contradicts God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible. In the Bible, God teaches that He is both separate from all of His creation (Isaiah 55:8-9) and yet is directly accessible to those who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Kabbalah does hold to the inspiration of Scripture but does not seek the plain meaning of Scripture. The Kabbalah approach is mystical and very subjective, using such things as numerology to find "hidden" meaning. Through this method, almost any teaching that one desires could be "found" in Scripture. This goes against the very heart of communication. God provided Scripture that He might communicate with mankind and teach humanity about Himself. It is obvious that Scripture is meant to be taken at face value and not interpreted by some mystical means. This can be demonstrated by fulfilled prophecy. God said something would happen, and it happened as He said it would. The greatest example of this is the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus Christ. There were hundreds of verses referring to His coming, and they were fulfilled literally (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 53). This is why the Bible should be interpreted literally or normally.
Kabbalah even has a pantheistic characteristic. Pantheism is the idea that God and His creation are one. This, of course, is not what God has told us in the Bible. God created all that exists from nothing (ex nihilo in Latin) (Genesis 1:1). Kabbalah says that creation is one of God’s emanations, exhibiting the pantheistic quality of Kabbalah.
Kabbalah, like all false doctrine and religions, denies the deity of Christ and the necessity of faith in Him as the only means of salvation (John 14:6). Jesus is God in the flesh, and He came to die for the sins of all who would believe in Him. If an individual trusts in Christ—that He is God (John 1:1-3) and paid for sin (Romans 8:3)—then that person is forgiven and becomes a child of God (John 1:12).
WHAT IS THE ZOHAR?
FROM GOT QUESTIONS.ORG
The Zohar is a commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures and the primary source of the beliefs of Kabbalah, a mystical form of Judaism. According to Kabbalah, this text was written in the 2nd century AD by Shimon bar Yochai. Supposedly, bar Yochai was inspired by visions from the angel Gabriel to record secret, powerful knowledge about interpreting the Torah. Unlike other Jewish commentaries on the Torah, known as the Mishnah or Midrash, the Zohar is heavily mystical and borders on an occult- or witchcraft-based approach to spirituality. Kabbalists believe that Jewish leadership during the Roman era considered such knowledge to be too powerful for the common man, and so they suppressed it.
According to the Zohar, God’s message in the Torah is meant to be understood at four levels: literal, allegorical, Rabbinic, and secretive. In other words, the more powerful and truthful purpose of the Torah is only accessible to those with special knowledge and insight, per Kabbalah. This places the Zohar and Kabbalah firmly in the sphere of Gnosticism and mysticism.
The text of the Zohar was unknown until first published in the 13th century by Moses de León. De León claimed the writings to be traditions passed down from Shimon bar Yochai many centuries before. However, most modern scholars, Jewish and otherwise, believe that de León himself actually composed the Zohar’s content. De León’s publication came from a place and era when Gnostic concepts were in fashion. Also, no mention is made of the Zohar or its contents in any midrash known prior to de León’s publication of the Zohar.
Mainstream Christianity considers the Zohar and Kabbalah to be false teachings in the same vein as other Gnostic and mystical cults. The same is true of all major sects of mainstream Judaism, although some Jewish scholars see the Zohar as useful for gaining insight into Jewish thinking, and some use the Zohar to provide additional opinions on the meaning of the Torah.
According to the Zohar, God’s message in the Torah is meant to be understood at four levels: literal, allegorical, Rabbinic, and secretive. In other words, the more powerful and truthful purpose of the Torah is only accessible to those with special knowledge and insight, per Kabbalah. This places the Zohar and Kabbalah firmly in the sphere of Gnosticism and mysticism.
The text of the Zohar was unknown until first published in the 13th century by Moses de León. De León claimed the writings to be traditions passed down from Shimon bar Yochai many centuries before. However, most modern scholars, Jewish and otherwise, believe that de León himself actually composed the Zohar’s content. De León’s publication came from a place and era when Gnostic concepts were in fashion. Also, no mention is made of the Zohar or its contents in any midrash known prior to de León’s publication of the Zohar.
Mainstream Christianity considers the Zohar and Kabbalah to be false teachings in the same vein as other Gnostic and mystical cults. The same is true of all major sects of mainstream Judaism, although some Jewish scholars see the Zohar as useful for gaining insight into Jewish thinking, and some use the Zohar to provide additional opinions on the meaning of the Torah.
This Rabbi in video below whom I personally
believe has all the signs of a Christian Kabbalist, discusses the following:
Rabbi Reveals FORBIDDEN Kabbalah Secret: How to Perform Miracles and Bend Nature to Your Will! 😱
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