This course focuses on two Jewish mystical movements of the early modern era, namely Lurianic Kabbalah – a form of mysticism that developed in Ottoman Palestine during the sixteenth century, and the Sabbatian movement – the followers of the Ottoman messianic pretender, Sabbatai Zvi – whose claims affected Jews, Christians and Muslims throughout the Islamic and European worlds. The course addresses the relationship between messianism and mysticism, taking these two movements as case studies. Students will explore both the mystical teachings, cosmological-mythical constructions, and practices of both communities, and the relation of those teaching to messianic aspirations by members of both. We will explore the development of prophesy, especially on the part of women, and the eventual presentation of a female messiah in the Frankist movement as part of a continuation of the ideas in Lurianic and Sabbatean Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism).
Requirements for the Course.
BA and MA Students: Teilnehmer CPs.
1) Do the readings listed for each meeting. MA students are expected to do more of the voluntary readings than the MA students.
2) Come to class prepared to discuss those readings
3) Post comments on the week’s readings on the online discussion forum on Moodle Thursday before class (comments accepted up until midnight)
4) Note, that you will be evaluated on the quality of both your oral and your online participation. Students may have no more than 3 unexcused absences or classes/inputs before it begins to affect your chances of passing your Teilnehmer CPs. Those who miss half or more of either the in-person discussions or the online discussion will not pass the class.
For BA students wishing to obtain the full, graded credit, they must write a Hausarbeit/Research paper of approximately 16 pages in length, not including the bibliography. Guidelines for a good research paper will be posted on Moodle. Due: October 1, 2026. Plagiarism or unauthorized use of AI will result in failure of the paper and the class.
For MA students wishing to obtain the full, graded credit for the course must write a Hausarbeit/Research paper of approximately 32 pages in length, not including the bibliography. Guidelines for a good research paper will be posted on Moodle. Due: October 1, 2026. Plagiarism or unauthorized use of AI will result in failure of the paper and the class.
- Kursleiter/in: Alexandra Cuffel