Messianic Mystics

Moshe Idel examines the relationship between mystical experience and messianic consciousness across Jewish history, from Abulafia to Sabbatai Sevi, Hasidism and twentieth-century figures. He challenges Scholem's linkage of messianism to historical crisis, emphasizing personal mystical transformation. This Yale study is valuable for readers interested in Jewish messianism and mysticism. Its broad chronological sweep makes it a useful map of messianic movements and ideas across eight centuries.