Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (1941), draws distinctions between different forms of mysticism which were practiced in different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in 12th-century southwestern Europe, is the most well known, but it is not the only typological form, nor was it the first form which emerged. Among the previous forms were Merkabah mysticism ( â 1000 CE), and Ashkenazi Hasidim (early 13th century) around the time of the emergence of Kabbalah.
Kabbalah means "received tradition", a term which was previously used in other Judaic contexts, but the Medieval Kabbalists adopted it as a term for their own doctrine in order to express the belief that they were not innovating, but were merely revealing the ancient hidden esoteric tradition of the Torah. This issue has been crystalized until today by alternative views on the origin of the Zohar, the main text of Kabbalah, attributed to the circle of its central protagonist Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in the 2nd century CE, for opening up the study of Jewish Mysticism. Traditional Kabbalists regard it as originating in Tannaic times, redacting the Oral Torah, so do not make a sharp distinction between Kabbalah and early Rabbinic Jewish mysticism. Academic scholars regard it as a synthesis from the Middle Ages, when it appeared between the 13th and 15th centuries, but assimilating and incorporating into itself earlier forms of Jewish mysticism, possible continuations of ancient esoteric traditions, as well as medieval philosophical elements.
The theosophical aspect of Kabbalah itself developed through two historical forms: "Medieval / Classic / Zoharic Kabbalah" (c. 1175 â 1492 â 1570), and Lurianic Kabbalah (1569âÂÂtoday), which assimilated Medieval Kabbalah into its wider system and became the basis for modern Jewish Kabbalah. After Luria, two new mystical forms popularised Kabbalah in Judaism: antinomian-heretical Sabbatean movements (1666 â 18th century), and Hasidic Judaism (1734âÂÂtoday). In contemporary Judaism, the only main forms of Jewish mysticism which are practiced are esoteric Lurianic Kabbalah and its later commentaries, the variety of schools of Hasidic Judaism, and Neo-Hasidism (incorporating Neo-Kabbalah) in non-Orthodox Jewish denominations.
Two non-Jewish syncretic traditions also popularized Judaic Kabbalah through their incorporation as part of general Western esoteric culture from the Renaissance onwards: the theological Christian Cabala (c. 15thâÂÂ18th centuries), which adapted Judaic Kabbalistic doctrine to Christian belief, and its diverging occultist offshoot, the Hermetic Qabalah (c. 19th century â today), which became a main element in esoteric and magical societies and teachings. As separate traditions of development outside Judaism, drawing from, syncretically adapting, and different in nature and aims from Judaic mysticism, they are not listed on this page.
<imagemap> Image:Chronology of Israel eng.png|center|760px default Jewish history rect 658 156 833 176 Periods of massive immigration to the land of Israel rect 564 156 647 175 Periods in which the majority of Jews lived in exile rect 460 156 554 175 Periods in which the majority of Jews lived in the land of Israel, with full or partial independence rect 314 156 452 175 Periods in which a Jewish Temple existed rect 196 156 309 175 Jewish history rect 26 102 134 122 Shoftim rect 134 102 265 121 Melakhim rect 146 83 266 104 First Temple rect 286 83 418 103 Second Temple rect 341 103 392 121 Zugot rect 393 103 453 121 Tannaim rect 452 102 534 221 Amoraim rect 534 102 560 121 Savoraim rect 559 103 691 121 Geonim rect 691 102 825 121 Rishonim rect 825 100 940 120 Acharonim rect 939 94 959 120 Aliyot rect 957 65 975 121 Israel rect 940 62 958 94 The Holocaust rect 825 62 941 100 Diaspora rect 808 61 825 101 Expulsion from Spain rect 428 62 808 103 Roman exile poly 226 82 410 82 410 92 428 92 428 61 226 62 Assyrian Exile (Ten Lost Tribes) rect 264 82 284 122 Babylonian captivity rect 283 103 341 121 Second Temple period poly 26 121 17 121 17 63 225 63 226 81 145 82 145 101 26 101 Ancient Jewish History rect 58 136 375 146 Chronology of the Bible rect 356 122 373 135 Common Era desc none </imagemap>