Zohar is a very late medieval text that could well be influenced by diffused notions of reincarnation (and certainly not representative of first century AD Judaism)....but I'd want to see the texts for myself too....
Is reincarnation a Bible Theme?
by Gill 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Leolaia
There was also a Greek belief on the transmigration of souls, which bears some similarity with reincarnation...which could even be thought of a form of reincarnation, tho different from other (e.g. Eastern) reincarnation traditions. This notion was influential in some forms of gnosticism....see the material on Simon Magus and Helena in the early apologists, for instance.
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Gill
12. The Talmud relates that second century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Elazar fled to a cave to escape Roman persecution. For the next thirteen years they learned all day and night without distraction. According to Kabbalistic tradition (Tikkunei Zohar 1a) it was during those thirteen years that he and his son first composed the main teachings of the Zohar. Concealed for many centuries, the Zohar was published and disseminated by Rabbi Moshe de Leon in the thirteenth century.
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Leolaia
Similarly, the Testament of Moses (written in the first century BC or AD) presents itself as concealed in jars in a cave since the days of Moses, but that doesn't mean it was really written in the thirteenth century BC or what not. The majority of scholarship regards the Zohar as containing some relatively early and genuine mystical traditions, but view the work itself as quite late and an outgrowth of traditions in place in late antiquity.
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Gill
Leolaia - OK Skeptically viewed.
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JosephMalik
No! Not in the way the term is commonly understood. In a very narrow and restricted context you may use this word to describe some texts and specific events prophecied or demonstrated in scripture.
Joseph
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Narkissos
As to the late Jewish doctrine of "reincarnation" in the Zohar and other qabbalistic works, search for "gilgul (ha-)neshamoth". Of course every stratum of Jewish tradition traces itself back to Moses, but this has to be appraised critically...
The problem with "apocalyptical" Judaism is that the "return" of ancient (historical, legendary or purely mythical) figures like Enoch, Melchizedek, Moses or Elijah is not consistently "explained". Sometimes it seems that they are mere "men" taken to heaven, but some of the earthly characters (especially Enoch and Melchisedek, and to an extent Adam) can also be construed as earthly manifestations of angelic / heavenly figures. Another pattern (under Persian influence) is the notion of the heavenly "double," existing simultaneously as people on earth, as perhaps reflected in Matthew 18:10 ("their angels in heaven...").
But I don't think there is any unambiguous evidence for a doctrine of reincarnation stricto sensu (in spite of the possible influence of Greek metempsychosis) before the late middle-ages.
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Santisimo
Job said that G-d will raise a man from 'the pit' three times if He sees fit to do so.