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Christian Knorr von Rosenroth (Composer)

Born: July 15, 1631 - Alt-Raudten (today Stara Rudna in Silesia), Germany
Died: 1689

Christian Knorr von Rosenroth was a Christian Hebraist. After having completed his studies in the universities of Wittenberg and Leipzig, he traveled through Holland, France, and England.

On his return Christian Knorr von Rosenroth settled at Sulzbach and devoted himself to the study of Oriental languages, especially Hebrew, the rudiments of which he had acquired while abroad. Later he became a diligent student of the Kabala, in which he believed to find proofs of the doctrines of Christianity. In his opinion the "Adam Kadmon" of the cabalists is Jesus, and the three highest sefirot represent the Trinity. Rosenroth intended to make a Latin translation of the Zohar and the Tikkunim, and he published as preliminary studies the first two volumes of his Kabbala Denudata, sive Doctrina Hebræorum Transcendentalis et Metaphysica Atque Theologia (Sulzbach, 1677-1678). They contain a cabalistic nomenclature, the Idra Rabbah and Idra Zuta and the Sifra di-Zeni'uta, cabalistic essays of Naphtali Herz and Jacob Elhanan, etc. Rosenroth published two other volumes under the title Kabbala Denudata (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1684), containing the Sha'ar ha-Shamayim of Abraham Cohen de Herrera and several of the writings of Isaac Luria.

A longer biography is available in Scholem (1974). An English translation of the Kabbala Denudata was made by S.L. MacGregor Mathers in 1887, and is still in print by several publishers under the title The Kabbalah Unveiled.

Source: Wikipedia Website (incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain)
Contributed by
Aryeh Oron (March 2008)

Chorale Melodies used in Bach’s Vocal Works

Title

Year

EKG

Zahn

Hat der Himmel gleich viel Wege

1684

6693

Links to other Sites

Christian Knorr von Rosenroth (Wikipedia)

Christian Knorr von Rosenroth (Kheper)

Bibliography

Jewish Encyclopedia Bibliography:
Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. iii.979;
Fürst, Bibl. Jud. ii.170;
Grätz, Gesch. x.267.
Scholem, Gershom G. (1974). Kabbalah. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House.
Mathers, S. L. MacGregor (1887/1992). The Kabbalah Unveiled. New York: Penguin.


Biographies of Poets & Composers: Main Page | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
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