Table of Contents

Note on Translations of Sources
Introduction
Appendix: 'Essenes' or 'the Priests, Sons of Zadok'

1 The Merkavah and the Sevenfold Pattern
2 From Temple to Merkavah: From the Chariot Throne of the Cherubim to Ezekiel's Vision
3 The Solar Calendar as Pattern of Sacred Time
4 Enoch Son of Jared and the Solar Calendar
5 The Sin of the Watchers and the Lunar Calendar
6 Covenants, Oaths, Sevens, and Festival of Shavuot
7 Ezekiel's Vision and the Festival of Shavuot
8 Priests and Angels
9 The Secessionist Priesthood and Rabbinic Tradition
10 Heikhalot Literature

Glossary
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Rachel Elior is John and Golda Cohen Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Jewish Mystical Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and has been a research fellow and visiting professor at University College London, the University of Amsterdam, Oberlin College, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and Princeton University. She is the author of numerous works on Jewish mysticism and hasidism. In 2006 she was awarded the Gershom Scholem Price for the Study of Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Reviews

HEBREW EDITION
‘Rachel Elior’s broad historical perspective on mysticism and the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls demands that the reader grapple anew with the essence of Jewish tradition.’  Joseph Dan, Ha’aretz
ENGLISH EDITION
‘Very readable . . . This is only the second of Elior’s many Hebrew works to be translated into English. Hopefully, it is the harbinger of many more. I recommend this work for inclusion in all academic and theological collections.’  Daniel J. Rettberg, AJL Newsletter
‘In this major work, senior scholar Rachel Elior demonstrates her sure command over a broad swath of ancient esoteric texts, examining together sources usually treated in isolation . . . Elior has put forward a series of incisive . . . arguments that are sure to provoke discussion.’  G. Spinner, Choice
‘This very worthwhile work deserves praise for its breathtaking scope, its bold courage, and its brilliant creativity.’  Andrea Lieber, Journal of Religion
‘Elior succeeds in her attempt at answering the question constantly discussed in the scholarship on early Jewish mysticism, by and for whom the poetic descriptions of heavenly palaces were written . . . What makes her exposition exciting is its reversal of the existing view . . . Rachel Elior’s sketch of a different picture of early Judaism, which is written with much verve, has opened up many new problems for research. Her book does not merely deal with the origin of Jewish mysticism, but with the foundations of Judaism and thereby, even in its method, breaks down disciplinary barriers.’  Gerold Necker, Judaica
‘Innovative . . . This is an important book for anyone interested in the Qumran sectaries and in the origins of the Jewish mystical tradition. It is well written, lays out its arguments clearly, and can be highly recommended.’  
Morris M. Faierstein, Religious Studies Review