Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist

Abraham Abulafia über den Messiah “The term mashiyah (משיח Messiah) is equivocal, [designating] three [different] matters; in truth, first and foremost the Agent Intellect is called the mashiyah…and the man who will forcibly bring us out of exile from under the rule of the nations due to his contact with the Agent Intellect—he will [also] be called mashiyah. And the material human hylic intellect is called mashiyah, and is the Redeemer and has influence over the soul and over all elevated spiritual powers. It can save the soul from the rule of the material kings and their people and their powers, the lowly bodily desires. It is a commandment and an obligation to reveal this matter to every wise man of the wise ones of Israel in order that he may be saved because there are many things that oppose the opinions of the multitude of the rabbis, and even more differ from the views of the vulgus.” (Moshe Idel, Messianic Mystics, p. 65 )

Der Messias in jeden Mensch “This more ‘ordinary’ vision of the Messiah as a hylic intellect assumes in fact that the Messiah is not only a transcendent transpersonal power available to everyone, in the form of the Agent Intellect, but also an intellectual power inherent in each person. In other words, everyone possesses the Messiah, at least in potentia; the Messiah is a dimension of man qua man…The Messiah is therefore dormant in every person, and this capacity should be actualized. The above texts conspicuously seek to disseminate a spiritual model of messianism in which the object of redemption is the human soul…and not necessarily the nation or even a certain group of people…The spiritual forms of messianism are expressed by the first and third meanings of the term mashiyah, which consist of intellectual processes that occur within the human soul and not necessarily on the stage of history.” (Idel, MM, pp )

Die messianische Erfahrung laut Abulafia “And it will appear to him as if his entire body, from head to foot, has been anointed with the oil of anointing, and he was ‘the anointed of the Lord’ (משיח יהוה) and His emissary, and he will be called ‘the angel of the Lord’ (מלאך האלוהים); his name will be similar to that of his Master, which is Shadday, who is called Metatron, the prince [namely the angel] of the [divine] Face. (Idel, MM, p. 72)

The Mantua Haggadah

The Book of Splendor first published in Mantua in 1558

Pico della Mirandola, Christian Kabbalist

Jewish and Christian Messianic Interactions in the High Renaissance Elijah Menahem Halfan: In the last twenty years, knowledge has increased, and people have been seeking everywhere for instruction in Hebrew. Especially after the rise of the sect of Luther, many of the nobles and scholars of the land sought to have thorough knowledge of this glorious science (Kabbalah). They have exhausted themselves in this search, because among our people there are but a small number of men learned in this wisdom, for after the great number of troubles and expulsions, but a few remain. So seven learned men grasp a Jewish man by the hem of his garment and say “Be our master in this science!” Nevertheless, at this time, according to the will of God, who stirred up all flesh to come to worship before him in/with this glorious science which is above all wisdom. (JTS MS 1822, f. 154v)

Castel Sant Angelo in Rom wo der Messias herumlungert und wartet

Shlomo Molcho’s Kleid (heute in Prag zu sehen)

Shlomo Molcho’s Fahne (heute auch in Prag)

Shlomo Molcho’s Unterschrift