Contents

Acknowledgements xi
List of Abbreviations xiii

1 Introduction: The Self and the Mystical Experience 1

1 Prefatory Remarks 1
2 The Self and Self-transformation 3
2.1 The Study of the Self 3
2.2 Components of Self-transformation 6
2.3 The Mystical Experience 14
2.4 The Mystical Text 18
3 The Status Quaestionis 20
3.1 Scholarly Interest in Self-transformation 20
3.2 Jewish Mysticism and Self-transformation 20
3.3 Moving Forward 27
4 Outline of Study 28
4.1 A Note on the Structure 28
4.2 Chapter 2 28
4.3 Chapter 3 29
4.4 Chapter 4 29
4.5 Chapter 5 30
4.6 Chapter 6 30
4.7 Chapter 7 30
5 Concluding Remarks 31

2 Aseneth the Anti-eve: The Re-created Self in an Egyptian

Jewish Tale 32
1 Prefatory Remarks 32
1.1 The Present Chapter 32
1.2 Overview of Joseph and Aseneth 34
2 Conversion and the New Creation 37
2.1 The Anthropos and the Pure Aseneth 37
2.2 The Promise of Transformation 43
2.3 Aseneth’s Holistic Transformation 45
3 A Meal of Gastronomical Significance 49
3.1 ‘Bring Me Also a Honeycomb’ 49
3.2 The Honeycomb as the Spirit of Life 51
3.3 Aseneth’s Transformation and the New Creation 57

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 viii Contents

3.4 Aseneth Radiant like the Angels 60

3.5 Whom Does Aseneth Represent? 62
4 Concluding Remarks 66

3 Philo’s Bridge to Perfection: De opificio mundi and the

End of the Self 68
1 Prefatory Remarks 68
1.1 The Present Chapter 68
1.2 Philo Judaeus and De opificio mundi 69
1.3 Overview of De opificio mundi 144 74
2 The Created Ontological State 76
2.1 The Divinity of the Mind 76
2.2 The Self as a Blending of Mortal and Divine 78
3 The Liminal Ontological State 85
3.1 Betwixt and between 85
3.2 Engagement with the Body 91
4 The End of the Self 93
4.1 Telos and Assimilation to God 93
4.2 Assimilation in Plato, Galen and Philo 95
5 Concluding Remarks 102

4 God’s Anthropomorphous House: The Self-constructed Temple

at Qumran 103
1 Prefatory Remarks 103
1.1 The Present Chapter 103
1.2 Overview of Serekh ha-Yahad 107
1.3 1QS and the Sectarian Movement 108
2 The Living Temple in Serekh ha-Yahad 109
2.1 The Community as the Temple 109
2.2 The Communal Experience of Unio Angelica 113
2.3 The Community as Dwelling Space 117
2.4 The Human Temple in 4QFlorilegium 122
3 Self-construction in the Sabbath Shirot 125
3.1 Overview of the Sabbath Shirot 125
3.2 Constructing the Living Temple 126
3.3 The Fusion of the Sectarian Self 134
4 Concluding Remarks 137

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 Contents ix

5 When Disciples Enter Heavenly Space: Self-transformation

in Bavli Sotah 49a 139
1 Prefatory Remarks 139
1.1 The Present Chapter 139
1.2 The Bavli and Tractate Sotah 144
2 Bavli Sotah 49a and the Mystical Experience 145
2.1 Encountering God in His Celestial Temple 145
2.2 The Plight—A World in ‫ דחק‬150
2.3 The Solution—Occupation in Torah 152
2.4 The Reward—Having One’s Prayer Heard 155
3 Self-transformation in Rabbinic Judaism 163
3.1 Change and Satisfaction in Bavli Sotah 49a 163
3.2 Eating God in Early Judaism 167
3.3 When Disciples Enter Heavenly Space 173
4 Concluding Remarks 174

6 Transformed by His Glory: Self-glorification in Hekhalot Zutarti 176

1 Prefatory Remarks 176
1.1 The Present Chapter 176
1.2 Overview of Hekhalot Zutarti 178
2 Ritual Technology and the Descent Within 180
2.1 The Purpose of Hekhalot Zutarti 180
2.2 Making Use of Divine Names 181
2.3 Technologies of the Body 183
3 Self-destruction and Self-glorification 187
3.1 Hekhalot Zutarti 348–350 187
3.2 Transformed by His Glory 189
3.3 Transformation via Death 196
3.4 Descenders as Superhuman Creatures 205
3.5 Able to See God 207
3.6 The Mimetic Body 211
4 Concluding Remarks 212

7 Conclusion: Towards a Mimetic Anthropology of Early Judaism 213

1 Prefatory Remarks 213
1.1 The Foregoing Study 213
1.2 Our Approach to the Self 213

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 x Contents

2 The Results of Our Study 215

2.1 Summarising the Results 215
2.2 Chapter 2 215
2.3 Chapter 3 217
2.4 Chapter 4 218
2.5 Chapter 5 220
2.6 Chapter 6 221
3 Concluding Remarks 223
3.1 Towards a Mimetic Anthropology 223
3.2 Limitations and Implications 225

Bibliography 227
Primary Texts 227
Secondary Literature 231
Index 289

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