Yaacob Dweck
Ph.D. Candidate (ABD)
ydweck@sas.upenn.edu
Education
B.A., History, Columbia University (2002); M.Phil., History, University of Cambridge (2003)
Fields
Early Modern Jewish History, Medieval Jewish History, History of the Book
Research Interests
Bibliography, Jewish books and their readers
Dissertation Topic
Leon Modena's Critique of Kabbalah, "Ari Nohem" Leon Modena's Ari Nohem, a unique text in the history of early modern Judaism, offers a polemic against the study of Kabbalah and a critique of the antiquity of the Zohar. Originally composed in Venice 1639, it was printed for the first time Leipzig two centuries later. Several issues inform my study of Ari Nohem: its relation to Modena's other writings, Jewish life within the Venetian ghetto, the history of medieval and early modern Jewish thought, and the study of Kabbalah by Christians. Building upon several recent studies of Modena, I situate Ari Nohem in the context of his other writings, including his sermons, polemics, and responsa. In addition, I study Ari Nohem's relationship to other texts written by his contemporaries, including Jacob of the Levites, Joseph Hamiz, Menahem Azariah of Fano, Joseph Delmedigo, and others. I analyze Modena's use and manipulation of medieval and early-modern Hebrew texts in the construction of his argument. Finally, I discuss Modena's response to the Christian appropriation of Kabbalah, in particular the writings of Pico della Mirandola and the printing of the Zohar.
