Azriel of Gerona
Azriel von Gerona , also Azriel ben Menahem ( Hebrew : עזריאל בן מנחם) (born 1160 in Girona ; died around 1238) was a rabbi and one of the most important Kabbalists of the Catalan city of Girona north of Barcelona in the 13th century when this one was an important center of the Kabbalah movement. He was the teacher of the leading figure of the Kabbalistic community there, Nachmanides .
Azriel was the most important student of the mystic Isaac the Blind . His writings revolved around topics such as the Sephiroth and dealt with the mystical interpretation of the Jewish liturgy and the Aggada . He tried to integrate the philosophical work of Solomon ibn Gabirol into the 10 Sephiroth.
While his teacher Isaac the Blind taught that the Holy Thought was the first supernatural quality to emanate from the En Sof (or Eternal Being), Azriel declared the Holy Will to be the first emanation. Accordingly, the act of will and not the act of reason would be the first manifestation of God's eternal being.
According to Gershom Scholem, his teaching inspired the Protestant theosophist Jacob Böhme .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kaufmann Kohler, Isaac Broydé: Azriel (Ezra) Ben Menahem (ben Solomon) . In: Jewish Encyclopedia . Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved October 8, 2006.
- ↑ Shelomo Ben Yehuda Ibn Gabirol . In: Sephardic Sages . Retrieved October 8, 2006.
- ↑ Gershom Scholem: Origin and Beginnings of Kabbalah , Berlin / New York 2001, p. 386 ( online ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Azriel of Gerona |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Azriel ben Menahem; עזריאל בן מנחם |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish rabbi |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1160 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Girona |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1238 |