|
|
(Larger Image)
|
Keys to the Kingdom: Jesus and the Mystic Kabbalah
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications,U.S. (2004-09)
ISBN: 0738705934
EAN: 9780738705934
Dewy Decimal #: 248.22
Paperback: 240 pages
|
Customer Reviews
|
Good beginning, simplistic middle part, slightly flaky ending
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-01-03
The majority of the book was interesting, covering the history of Jesus and the early Christian church, and also introducing the basics of Kabbalah. The author draws some interesting correspondences between the teachings of Jesus and the Tree of Life, and discusses the potential Kabbalistic origins of the Lord's Prayer.
However, some of the author's views are very simplistic and unsophisticated. For example, she says that the teaching of Jesus which says "Unless you will be like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" means that children have trust in their parents and similarly we have to have faith in God. This is a very simplistic view, and I've previously seen this teaching discussed in a much more sophisticated way in relation to the Buddhist principle of "The Uncut Block". The author seems to be unaware of the deeper meaning of this teaching and has taken a very shallow surface-level view of this and other teachings.
The last part of the book is where things get a bit flaky; the author suggests rituals reminiscent of what one might read in Wicca books aimed at young girls, the sort of thing where the practitioner wears floaty white robes and lights candles, and draws down the Moon by praying over white wine which is then ceremonially drunk. Until this point I thought the book was quite a serious piece of research, so I was disappointed to find these fluff-bunny sort of rituals being suggested in all seriousness.
Overall the book was still worth a read, it provides a good introduction to Kabbalah and Christian history and suggests some unique interpretations of Christian ideas. If you want to read more about Christian history I can recommend "The Jesus Mysteries" by Freke and Gandy. For more information about Kabbalah, "A Garden of Pomegranates" by Israel Regardie is a good starting point.
|
|
Keys to the Kingdom
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-10-07
Keys to the Kingdom: Jesus and the Mystic Kabbalah looks at the basic tenets of the Kabbalah and its intrinsic interconnections to Judaism and Christianity. Judaism is to Kabbalah is to what Christianity is to Judaism, the foundation on which these religious beliefs were built upon. In the time of Jesus, the ancient knowledge of Kabbalah was preserved as secret knowledge taught only to Rabbis as part of their religious training. This specialized training insured that all religious teachers fully understood the underlying nature and interactions of all symbolic aspects of the Jewish belief system. Strict restrictions, in regards to whom could learn this secret knowledge, ensured that only those willing to fully commit themselves to the full understanding of these aspects could gain the valuable insights that Kabbalah could provide.
Jesus was born a Jew and raised as a Jew. Moreover, he even taught principles that in his time were described simply as a sect of Judaism. In this way, as a Jew and as a teacher of Judaism, Jesus would likely have had to adhere to certain restrictions and would have been privy to certain aspects of the Kabbalah. Keys to the Kingdom: Jesus and the Mystic Kabbalah explores these aspects comparing them to biblical accounts and comes up with some very intriguing ideas.
Keys to the Kingdom: Jesus and the Mystic Kabbalah is an extremely well written book. The author has provide a well researched and expertly presented information on the Kabbalah, compiling information that one usually only finds after reading dozens of rather complex and difficult to understand texts on the subject. Moreover, the author poses some very intriguing and important questions about the life of Jesus and the nature of our biblical accounts.
|
|
Retail Price: £8.99
Amazon.com's Price:£2.68
That's 70% Off!
 |
|
|
|