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You referenced Religion for Breakfast's coverage, but I feel like you're underselling your history of Kabbalah lecture series. I enjoyed the hell out of that over the course of several weeks of coffee time.
I know it may sound strange but studying on your channel really has helped me stay sober from drinking. I used to really crave alcohol but the distraction of learning has really opened up a door to healing inside myself. Thank you so much.
What a great video! I'm new to this channel and am so glad I found it. I had been listening to the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast and wanted to find some other scholarly resources that didn't require access to a university library. Thank you so much for all your work on this channel!
@@CptEtgar I commented using a Super Thanks.. It's indicated by a heart with a dollar sign in it. On the TH-cam app it's just to the right of the "Create" option.
love your stuff my grandfather was into it, he learned greek in his 70s to read more books. I was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by books. This is another level we have less access in south africa, but thanks to the internet and videos like this we can find more to read.
Thank you, Dr Sledge, for another fascinating video. One of the things I love about videos like this one is that it forces me to go back and learn more about things I thought I had a better grasp on (Sabbatai Zevi and Lurianic Kabbalah, in this instance). I will say this- what Nathan of Gaza was claiming, as part of his promotion/defense of Zevi, sounds roughly familiar to things I remember learning as a kid in Catholic school: the idea that, following the crucifixion, Jesus went to hell (because He carried the world’s sins), and there in redeemed the souls of the long dead patriarchs and others who, though righteous and followers of G-d, still died in sin. Years later, I would read similar tales, but relating to other ancient religions (the story of Osiris, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and in stories of Mithra. The theme is very much the same, the devil (literally, sometimes) is in the details. As one of my high school history teachers once said- “history doesn’t always repeat itself, but it rhymes a lot”.
much of this also seems vaguely reminiscent of gnostic beliefs e.g. that in order to rescue the fallen Sophia from the material plane and raise it back into the pleuroma, the Demiurge had to be tricked into releasing some of that divinity by breathing it into humans in order to give them life. The whole, "divine entity descending into an evil place and then committing some kind of trickery to get itself and the rest of humanity out" narrative is strong there too.
I am not Roman Catholic (my family left the church just before I was to make Confirmation). Since then I’ve been on a spiritual journey that took me into Protestant evangelical churches (where my family went after leaving the Catholic Church) to atheism to agnosticism, back to exploring the mystical elements of Judaism, to Gnosticism, and back to where I am now: Christianity, heavily influenced by Gnostic and mystical Judaism, without a “home” (though Eastern Orthodox has become appealing more recently).
Which stories of Mithra? Precious little is known of the the Roman mystery religion and the Iranian Mitra doesn't have a resurrection story I know of. The similarities between Christ and other supposed models is often greatly overstated. Osiris is perhaps somewhat close since he is resurrected, but it's not the direct plagiarism Zeitgeist types would have you believe. The actual mythology of each religion is far more interesting than the "gotcha" misrepresentations.
Wow Doc, densely packed information there. I love your videos. Have to pause frequently to search unfamiliar terms. Which is great because then I know them. My brain feels like a pigeon that ingested wedding rice!💥
I’ll be honest, I’ve avoided this video for a week or so because on the surface it didn’t seem as near to my interests as your material on Dee and Kelly, but this morning I’ve checked it out and within two minutes once again I am gripped! Thank you!
@@TheEsotericaChannel I'm the weirdo that loves leg day. I feel it's important to care for the body as well as the mind, both nourish the spirit in their own way.
I appreciate your academic presentation of these subjects wholeheartedly. I find myself having an emotional response from time to time but it's because of my perceptions. It is truly a great work! Thank you for putting this out for free on TH-cam
Can I just say, you're helping me define what I want in my next lover. :) Your irreverence, insight, and scholarship are positively titillating! Subscribed and looking forward to more of your takes on the things that interest me.
This has been my favourite video that you've produced, thank you so much. Your eyes tell the story just as much as your words. Your concise descriptions were eloquent!
Very interesting Episode Dr Sledge. The demons feeding on the soul of the pious part reminds me of the Xibalba brothers. Thank you for all the work you have done.
Another fascinating video. Half the watching will be in the rewatching. I got a lot out of your Kabbalah series - 10 pages of journal notes actually. Keep up the good work man.
Hi Dr. Sledge, the dragon of the abyss reminded me of Níðhöggr, the wyrm who chews on the roots of Askr Yggdrasils in Norse mythology. The similarities of their parasitic nature struck me. Love your work.
@@TheEsotericaChannel Have you heard of the chief magician of mystery Babylon? he's translated various sabbatean texts but I'm not sure how reliable it is. the dragon treaties is one of them.
@@TheEsotericaChannel Thank you for that. I looked at them and wholeheartedly agree with you. Once again confirming my impression that whenever "ockeltish" (paraphrasing Terry Pratchett) types use Mesopotamian names and titles for themselves and their organisations it's best to not bother in order to avoid that head --> desk feeling they typically inspire.
Magnificent work Dr.Sledge! I had to pause and rewind multiple times, stopping to absorb the wisdom you were emanating. It would seem as fast as your subscribers are increasing as is your intellect and connection to the Esoteric. Very happy for you Brother, eternal blessings 🙏💞🧠
Man.... This hit me hard, and I can't even say with any condifence why. It's so absolutely awful what time can do to warp understanding of something. This video plus your commentary on Zevi in your kabbalah series paints a picture of a movement that's fascinating, if flawed, and implies a reach for something far more profound than the typical squabbles of religiously minded folks. Even if it ended in disaster, even if it was a mistake, it leaves me saddened at the outcome; taken at face value, what Nathan of Gaza and Zevi were doing seems to be genuinely innovative, and it's videos like this that leave me absolutely ravenously hungry for more information. Thanks for the work you put into these videos, Dr. Sledge.
This is one of the most interesting entries in your Kabbalah videos yet, at least to me personally. The amount of parallels to a fictional setting that I am currently writing are a little staggering. Cosmic horror dragons at the bottom of Hell as the origin of evil, yo.
@@melissamoore521 It is more than possible that the comic series is influenced by it, given the pervasive Jewish hand in superhero comics (the vast majority of major superheroes had a Jewish writer, artist, and/or editor).
Thank you for this edifying lecture on such a truly esoteric subject (Nathan of Gaza is about as esoteric as you can get). Nathan of Gaza's Treatise on Dragons has fascinated me ever since I read a synopsis. The idea (if I understand correctly) that the divine is fundamentally divided on the question of whether it is better to be or not be is fascinating and a bit scary too.
Would you consider doing an episode on the maggid in the future? I have been reading Sabbatean Prophets by Matt Goldish and have found the figure of the maggid as discussed by the Kabbalahists prior to Nathan of Gaza fascinating. And thank you for all the hard work you put into your videos they are much appreciated.
I am truly privileged to have such a proficient and heighten intellect such as yours exploring these topics with much of the details I was always deeply intrigued in and were scarce in many other indirect sources who merely scrape off the click-batey surface, exploiting its intrigue and wonder, and leaving those wishing to be inspired with the work of a professor to sink any deeper into its mystery, having to decipher symbolism, bias proganda, jargon, and not the mention a large mountain of literature to even reach a fair basic summary of the topic. So having someone with the knowledge, skill, and passion to help ignite the potential seekers/students to give a dense-ified and digestible launching pad is truly a gift. Wish we had you sooner hahah, but glad your here now🙏
Thank you for another great lecture Dr. Sledge! I’m very happy you mentioned the beauty of Ladino music. I’m big fan of the ensemble Voice of The Turtle, and the singers Esther Lamandier and Judy Frankel, among many others.
I took a sneak peak at the description to see what books you'd recommend and I own all of them except one :) glad to know I'm familiar with the literature! I know this video will be awesome
I also want to say I had an email discussion with David J. Halperin and he's still working on his English translation of I Come This Day to The Spring and he's hoping to have it finished by next year.
Also one more book I would recommend not on your list is Matthew Goldish's Sabbatean Prophets, and the tangential but interesting Saturn's Jews by Moshe Idel
@@TheEsotericaChannel this is a very deep episode, and I learned new things even though I'm a well-read layman. I appreciate your work very much and I hope soon to donate to the channel even if it's just a little.
This is definitely a video I'll have to watch again, just to make sure I catch as much of it as I can. That said, I do have to agree with you- the only thing worse than a false messiah are the valueless grifters that come after. Keep sharing your insight and research, Dr. Sledge, we definitely appreciate it.
Gonna listen again. So much here. I studied this topic in my Jewish & Islamic Mysticism Class at the GTU in Berkeley. Another interesting element to this Savior Story is the Mass Hysteria aspect. Cheers Dr. J. Grateful!
Wow, I’m going to have to check out Nathan’s work; the basic cosmology of Kabbalah (their nondual explanation of the evolution from Ein/Ein Sof to physical manifestation, & especially the Lurianic notions related Tzimtzum) are some of the areas that interest me most in Kabbalistic philosophy (as in Neo-Platonism, Advaita Vedanta, & other traditions whose insights into the subject I have concluded are about as close to the truth of the matter as humanity has ever gotten, & today are given more & more credence by the picture which the body of evidence provided by contemporary physics is moving increasingly towards… Information theory, the holographic model, Klee Irwin’s Emergence Theory, the Pribram-Bohm Hypothesis, & other astonishing theories- which are highly compatible with a more idealist, nondualistic, & potentially even panentheistic conception of the Cosmos- seem more & more consistent with the evidence, while a rigid materialism seems more & more indefensible). From the very existence of force at a distance (which so baffled Newton in his “clockwork” mechanism picture of the universe that he simply called gravity an “occult force”), to quantum mechanics (which not only reveals matter to be as much dispersed & wave-like as it is concrete & particle-like, but has proven nonlocality to be a feature of our physical reality- implying, as Bohm put it, a deeper, one might say esoteric, “implicate order” beneath the exoteric surface appearance of 3+1D “material” spacetime that we observe & experience ourselves as living within day to day in normal waking consciousness- a deeper level on which every point in space & every particle/wave in the cosmos is connected such that faster-than-light interactions can occur across cosmic distances near instantaneously) to special relativity (which reveals many of the most seemingly concrete, objective, reliable points of reference which make “material” spacetime feel so fundamental & “real” & concrete- the distances between things, the rate of ticking of the clock with the perceived flow of time- to be relative, dynamic emergent properties of a more pre-eminent, more fundamental level of reality… The more empirical information we gain, the more the axiomatic assumptions which originally gave rise to mechanistic materialism as the hegemonic, axiomatic metaphysical orthodoxy of the scientific community (despite their insistence that they’re above metaphysics, we all brings assumptions to the table whether we are aware of them & consciously consider & challenge them or not, & certainly most atheistic/agnostic scientists from the Enlightenment until recent years have implicitly assumed that the universe is random, inert, not intelligent, that matter is primary (even as we’ve discovered more & more aspects of physical nature which aren’t made of matter in any ordinary sense, like spacetime, quantum fields, information, mathematical structures, perhaps dark energy & other such as-of-yet-not-understood phenomena). Anyway thanks for a great video about a subject I was completely unaware of! And it’s always nice to see content creators outside of strictly political media spaces call out the ignorance & hatred that drives anti-Semites & fascists to their atrocious, rationally incoherent ideologies (& their actual atrocities). “Esoteric Nazi” pseudointellectuals, f*** off!
I love Jakob Wassermanns novel "The Jews of Zirndorf" very much. A tragic and powerful novel about Sabbatai Zevis activities as the messiah and his followers. You gave a wonderful introduction to us. Thank you! What do you think about a review of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, by Professor Daniel C. Matt (along with Nathan Wolski and Joel Hecker)?
Another great video. It's hard not to recall the Christian concept of the "Harrowing of Hell" that seemed to be an important idea very early on in Church history, and even seemed to be considered part of the actual process of redemption. But I don't hear the topic being discussed much these days. Also, based on other videos I've seen that take an academic, historical approach on the topic of Sabbatai, I anticipate you're going to get some passionate comments long after the video's release. But it sounds like you're well aware of that.
That theme of “The Harrowing of Hell” is still important in some Churches; less in others. It’s a pretty old concept that predates Christianity. It’s fascinating, and at times confusing (to me, anyway), how Nathan of Gaza uses that idea, coupled with ideas from Lurianic Kabbalah, to explain/justify/defend the actions of Sabbatai Zevi.
As an atheist I found this video to be very informative; the scientific like way these religious scholars went at understanding their god is fascinating.
Fascinating! I'm not sure if being well into a bottle of wine help or hindered my understanding of Sabbatai Zevi. But now I have a better reference to when he (and Nathan of Gaza) get mentioned in Esoterica.
Sometimes it pays to be blind. Then a person has to knock off the stoopid stuff. I disqualified myself not long after I was starting to be pointed out as a possible messianic figure. I knew there was much to come still in that Bible after I had left this body. It would be apparently highly accurate when that slow swiveling cloud showed up in front of me. Your page here has I think, the best amount of material I have seen, being I go by visions. Inspiring me to read more! Bravo man! That is an accomplishment TY. Yep. Does seem like a bunch of stuff starting to really get crazy.
@@TheEsotericaChannel Aw man I did it again. Apologies I wasn’t thinking about that. However if you’re sincere than the thanks is mine sir. I really mean that too.
This event is one of the most traumatic events to happen in the diaspora which we did to ourselves. I enjoy the way you tell of these subjects. In an academic way and not like some of what I've seen in the past. כל הכבוד!
Yes and no. The converso population was disproportionately given over to messianism and that population would never had existed as such without Christian hegemony.
@@TheEsotericaChannel I just imagine how painful it must've been to think the Messiah is here and the redemption of Am Israel is right around the corner and BOOM. Messiah turns muslim... He should've accepted martyrdom
@@TheEsotericaChannel I used to dream when I was a child that my own mother was a demon I was trying to escape from... If we don't overcome the trauma, if we are kept in low vibrations it is how the demons enter... My mother went through hell in past lives and in this life and never overcame it.. She recently tried to convince me that we should allow the evils of the world to continue because the Bible says 'there is another 700 years of this' 🤦
I'm smelling some gematria in your choice to air this exactly 366 years after that date. You've been on about Shabbatai Zevi for a hot minute. Can't help but feel like there was a reason you waited.
@@TheEsotericaChannel lol I won't go too hard on the "coincidence" rant I'm sure you're well accustomed to, but *insert extended mystical rant about how everything happens for a reason*.
33:27 I am the first generation in my family for over 500 years not to be taught Ladino. It is an absolutely beautiful language and there are even playlists here on TH-cam that encapsulate a lot of Ladino music.
I had to check whether of not the name Heretic Messiah was already taken by some heavy metal band, so anyone wishing to start a band called Heretic Messiah, here's your chance.
Ive been really enjoying your channel. Its deeply enriching thank you! If its not too much of a departure from your academic intention, it would be interesting to know what your personal philosophy and practice is like.
Most educational and entertaining video I watched in quite a while. It almost seems like he ended up in the Gnostic mystic side with that bit about Jesus. Lol, I'm in the same "nope club".
It’s wonderful to see an actual scholarly approach to this topic, Dr. Sledge. Once more, your balanced approach shines through the glitz of the snake oil hucksters who use the worship of Serpents as a justification for their own malefactions and misleading information campaigns. I watch one such channel, because it has some information as to the historical context of toxic doctrines, but it’s so basal, that it’s extremely, Extremely difficult to watch at times, because it’s just the absolute inverse of anything remotely holy. Esoterica is important to develop our understanding, but we must Honor the Concept of G0D.. not Use or Exploit It. These days, that’s quite a Tall Order. One which you adeptly Fill time and time again, dear sir. Many thanks for being an ever steady hand at the helm! Blessings & Much Love!
Could you possibly type out some of the transcription for the video that aren't english for proper translation? Would be very helpful, one of my favorite videos, thank you.
Thanks for this excellent refresher course, I'm flashing back to grad school when I had the great honor of studying Kabbalah with Lawrence Kushner and did a paper using the Idel book. One thing that I'd like to go back and research further was a chapter in Patai's The Jewish Alchemists which discussed some kind of alchemical text written by a Shabbatean, maybe Nathan? Do you know anything about this? I can't help but compate the sorta depth psychology resonances with Boehme and Milton.
@@TheEsotericaChannel If anyone awoke to the truth they were executed, burnt at the stake etc....or in the modern era they are thrown in the loony bin and drugged to their eyeballs. You must go through hell on earth ..trauma, persecution (smear campaigns) and come out the other side.. Why do you think they say cats are interdimensional.. because of their vibrations/purring. Why do you think they discovered that if you had a cat in childhood you are more likely to develop 'schizophrenia' as an adult? The most important thing to take away is love, joy, peace all vibrate above anything else.. Peace to you ❤️
Thank you for shining some light into Nathan. I read the book of Olga Tokarczuk on the Frankizm and figures of that movement, yet I missed the background into the base of the revelations. As always thank you for helping me get this inside :)
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You referenced Religion for Breakfast's coverage, but I feel like you're underselling your history of Kabbalah lecture series. I enjoyed the hell out of that over the course of several weeks of coffee time.
Thanks! I think rfb's coverage was solid and compact for anyone new to the subject
I genuinely looked forward to their weekly release.
It was a fun one to teach
@@TheEsotericaChannel That series is probably my favourite thing on TH-cam. Always sending people to watch them.
I cannot agree with this comment enough.
I know it may sound strange but studying on your channel really has helped me stay sober from drinking. I used to really crave alcohol but the distraction of learning has really opened up a door to healing inside myself. Thank you so much.
Try some shrooms
Or 🌵
You should try shooms
Not to brag, but I understood at least 15% of this.
What a great video! I'm new to this channel and am so glad I found it. I had been listening to the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast and wanted to find some other scholarly resources that didn't require access to a university library. Thank you so much for all your work on this channel!
@@CptEtgar I commented using a Super Thanks.. It's indicated by a heart with a dollar sign in it. On the TH-cam app it's just to the right of the "Create" option.
🙌
love your stuff my grandfather was into it, he learned greek in his 70s to read more books. I was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by books. This is another level we have less access in south africa, but thanks to the internet and videos like this we can find more to read.
As a staunch Christian this is still a very interesting channel to watch. Keep up the good work.
My first time this this channel this my first video on the channel, I’ll let u kno my thought after it’s over ✌🏽
@@wanderer2375
There do seem to be parallels with certain heretical currents within Christianity.
Thanks
ESOTERICA is the BEST CHANNEL ON TH-cam. great work:)
That is flattering and definitely not true ;)
Thanks!
Thank you, Dr Sledge, for another fascinating video. One of the things I love about videos like this one is that it forces me to go back and learn more about things I thought I had a better grasp on (Sabbatai Zevi and Lurianic Kabbalah, in this instance).
I will say this- what Nathan of Gaza was claiming, as part of his promotion/defense of Zevi, sounds roughly familiar to things I remember learning as a kid in Catholic school: the idea that, following the crucifixion, Jesus went to hell (because He carried the world’s sins), and there in redeemed the souls of the long dead patriarchs and others who, though righteous and followers of G-d, still died in sin. Years later, I would read similar tales, but relating to other ancient religions (the story of Osiris, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and in stories of Mithra. The theme is very much the same, the devil (literally, sometimes) is in the details. As one of my high school history teachers once said- “history doesn’t always repeat itself, but it rhymes a lot”.
much of this also seems vaguely reminiscent of gnostic beliefs e.g. that in order to rescue the fallen Sophia from the material plane and raise it back into the pleuroma, the Demiurge had to be tricked into releasing some of that divinity by breathing it into humans in order to give them life. The whole, "divine entity descending into an evil place and then committing some kind of trickery to get itself and the rest of humanity out" narrative is strong there too.
I am not Roman Catholic (my family left the church just before I was to make Confirmation). Since then I’ve been on a spiritual journey that took me into Protestant evangelical churches (where my family went after leaving the Catholic Church) to atheism to agnosticism, back to exploring the mystical elements of Judaism, to Gnosticism, and back to where I am now: Christianity, heavily influenced by Gnostic and mystical Judaism, without a “home” (though Eastern Orthodox has become appealing more recently).
Which stories of Mithra? Precious little is known of the the Roman mystery religion and the Iranian Mitra doesn't have a resurrection story I know of. The similarities between Christ and other supposed models is often greatly overstated. Osiris is perhaps somewhat close since he is resurrected, but it's not the direct plagiarism Zeitgeist types would have you believe. The actual mythology of each religion is far more interesting than the "gotcha" misrepresentations.
As an Asayriologist I am curious how you associate good old Gilgameš with this.
Wow Doc, densely packed information there. I love your videos. Have to pause frequently to search unfamiliar terms. Which is great because then I know them. My brain feels like a pigeon that ingested wedding rice!💥
I’ll be honest, I’ve avoided this video for a week or so because on the surface it didn’t seem as near to my interests as your material on Dee and Kelly, but this morning I’ve checked it out and within two minutes once again I am gripped! Thank you!
You'd be surprised what interests you might develop
Your knowledge and delivery of complex subjects are superb. The imagery, texts and artworks are beautiful. Great talk.
This drops just as I'm getting to the gym. It's going to be a good leg day
Not skipping leg day - well done
@@TheEsotericaChannel I'm the weirdo that loves leg day. I feel it's important to care for the body as well as the mind, both nourish the spirit in their own way.
Ditto I'm about that lifting life
literally watching this as I do 'leg day'
Doooooo it!
I appreciate your academic presentation of these subjects wholeheartedly. I find myself having an emotional response from time to time but it's because of my perceptions. It is truly a great work! Thank you for putting this out for free on TH-cam
Yes me on TV . . . my response to this presentation reaches my hear too.
It is really cool that you realize your "emotional responses" are birthed from your own perceptions! A lot of people don't realize they do that. 😁
"Every Messiah needs a hype man." Hear, hear.
Another wonderful episode, thanks for your work
Can I just say, you're helping me define what I want in my next lover. :) Your irreverence, insight, and scholarship are positively titillating! Subscribed and looking forward to more of your takes on the things that interest me.
your series on kabbalah and jewish mysticism got me back into studying the zohar and even beyond it. i love it, thanks
This has been my favourite video that you've produced, thank you so much. Your eyes tell the story just as much as your words. Your concise descriptions were eloquent!
Your videos on Kabbalah are always my favorites
Very interesting Episode Dr Sledge. The demons feeding on the soul of the pious part reminds me of the Xibalba brothers. Thank you for all the work you have done.
Yay! The awaited day when Esoterica would cover Sabtai Zwi has arrived! Cool graphics.
Man, this channel is something else. I just started from the top and have been watching for days.
Another fascinating video. Half the watching will be in the rewatching. I got a lot out of your Kabbalah series - 10 pages of journal notes actually. Keep up the good work man.
Hi Dr. Sledge, the dragon of the abyss reminded me of Níðhöggr, the wyrm who chews on the roots of Askr Yggdrasils in Norse mythology. The similarities of their parasitic nature struck me. Love your work.
Yep, folks love evil dragons
👏👏👏
@@TheEsotericaChannel Have you heard of the chief magician of mystery Babylon? he's translated various sabbatean texts but I'm not sure how reliable it is. the dragon treaties is one of them.
They're rubbish.
@@TheEsotericaChannel Thank you for that. I looked at them and wholeheartedly agree with you. Once again confirming my impression that whenever "ockeltish" (paraphrasing Terry Pratchett) types use Mesopotamian names and titles for themselves and their organisations it's best to not bother in order to avoid that head --> desk feeling they typically inspire.
Thanks for your sharing of all this wisdom.. Truly a Blessing and a True Wellspring of Knowledge....
Thanks for taking the time to explain it as you understand it . That is a lot of education. Quite amazing
An absolute banger 🔥
Truly fascinating guy, but you really appreciate the wisdom of pumping the brakes on Kabbalah after all this
Magnificent work Dr.Sledge!
I had to pause and rewind multiple times, stopping to absorb the wisdom you were emanating. It would seem as fast as your subscribers are increasing as is your intellect and connection to the Esoteric. Very happy for you Brother, eternal blessings 🙏💞🧠
THIS CHANNEL AIN'T CALLED ESOTERICA FOR NOTHIN 🔥🔥🔥
Doc I'm glad you covered this well.
Been eagerly awaiting for the one :-)
It's fascinating stuff
Gosh I’m so grateful for this channel
Man.... This hit me hard, and I can't even say with any condifence why. It's so absolutely awful what time can do to warp understanding of something. This video plus your commentary on Zevi in your kabbalah series paints a picture of a movement that's fascinating, if flawed, and implies a reach for something far more profound than the typical squabbles of religiously minded folks. Even if it ended in disaster, even if it was a mistake, it leaves me saddened at the outcome; taken at face value, what Nathan of Gaza and Zevi were doing seems to be genuinely innovative, and it's videos like this that leave me absolutely ravenously hungry for more information. Thanks for the work you put into these videos, Dr. Sledge.
This is one of the most interesting entries in your Kabbalah videos yet, at least to me personally. The amount of parallels to a fictional setting that I am currently writing are a little staggering. Cosmic horror dragons at the bottom of Hell as the origin of evil, yo.
Yea! I got a stab of 'Constantine' the old movie... Perhaps we remember the Powers more than we think we could...
@@melissamoore521 It is more than possible that the comic series is influenced by it, given the pervasive Jewish hand in superhero comics (the vast majority of major superheroes had a Jewish writer, artist, and/or editor).
WOW, first time Kabbal has been interesting for me.... thaks your style is especially impressive.
I've always loved your channel and admired your work, man! Thanks and keep it coming!
Thank you for covering this bizarre and fascinating episode of Jewish history.
Thank you for this edifying lecture on such a truly esoteric subject (Nathan of Gaza is about as esoteric as you can get). Nathan of Gaza's Treatise on Dragons has fascinated me ever since I read a synopsis. The idea (if I understand correctly) that the divine is fundamentally divided on the question of whether it is better to be or not be is fascinating and a bit scary too.
Your depth of knowledge, references, and chosen imagery are truly fantastic
Dr. Sledge, you’re absolutely wonderful. Thank you for the hard work you do! You should do a video on Jakob Frank and the Donhme.
I really like your channel. There’s a lot I don’t know and a lot that I hear that is misty and hard to decipher. Glad you lay it out so well
Indeed an insightful exploration of Torah as Dr Sledge says in context of
History, Philosophy & Religion.
Would you consider doing an episode on the maggid in the future? I have been reading Sabbatean Prophets by Matt Goldish and have found the figure of the maggid as discussed by the Kabbalahists prior to Nathan of Gaza fascinating. And thank you for all the hard work you put into your videos they are much appreciated.
Yep!
I love this channel. Thanks for all your hard work
Thank you!
I have beeen hoping for an episode like this.
How am i just finding your channel 😭 thank you for your service kind sir
this is interesting, thanks for sharing Big Dog
I am truly privileged to have such a proficient and heighten intellect such as yours exploring these topics with much of the details I was always deeply intrigued in and were scarce in many other indirect sources who merely scrape off the click-batey surface, exploiting its intrigue and wonder, and leaving those wishing to be inspired with the work of a professor to sink any deeper into its mystery, having to decipher symbolism, bias proganda, jargon, and not the mention a large mountain of literature to even reach a fair basic summary of the topic. So having someone with the knowledge, skill, and passion to help ignite the potential seekers/students to give a dense-ified and digestible launching pad is truly a gift. Wish we had you sooner hahah, but glad your here now🙏
Thanks for this kind comment
Thank you for another great lecture Dr. Sledge! I’m very happy you mentioned the beauty of Ladino music. I’m big fan of the ensemble Voice of The Turtle, and the singers Esther Lamandier and Judy Frankel, among many others.
I took a sneak peak at the description to see what books you'd recommend and I own all of them except one :) glad to know I'm familiar with the literature! I know this video will be awesome
I also want to say I had an email discussion with David J. Halperin and he's still working on his English translation of I Come This Day to The Spring and he's hoping to have it finished by next year.
Also one more book I would recommend not on your list is Matthew Goldish's Sabbatean Prophets, and the tangential but interesting Saturn's Jews by Moshe Idel
Forgot that one!
@@TheEsotericaChannel this is a very deep episode, and I learned new things even though I'm a well-read layman. I appreciate your work very much and I hope soon to donate to the channel even if it's just a little.
Yeah the theology of the movement doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves
Cool! Always wanted to know more about Shabbat Tzatziki.
"Shabbat Tzatziki" yes. this.
This is definitely a video I'll have to watch again, just to make sure I catch as much of it as I can. That said, I do have to agree with you- the only thing worse than a false messiah are the valueless grifters that come after. Keep sharing your insight and research, Dr. Sledge, we definitely appreciate it.
Gonna listen again. So much here. I studied this topic in my Jewish & Islamic Mysticism Class at the GTU in Berkeley. Another interesting element to this Savior Story is the Mass Hysteria aspect. Cheers Dr. J. Grateful!
This is the only video I've found that actually goes in depth in explaining the details of his kabbalistic beliefs
Excellent Presentation, bravo.
Thanks for this!
Best channel on youtube
This video was amazing
Wow, I’m going to have to check out Nathan’s work; the basic cosmology of Kabbalah (their nondual explanation of the evolution from Ein/Ein Sof to physical manifestation, & especially the Lurianic notions related Tzimtzum) are some of the areas that interest me most in Kabbalistic philosophy (as in Neo-Platonism, Advaita Vedanta, & other traditions whose insights into the subject I have concluded are about as close to the truth of the matter as humanity has ever gotten, & today are given more & more credence by the picture which the body of evidence provided by contemporary physics is moving increasingly towards… Information theory, the holographic model, Klee Irwin’s Emergence Theory, the Pribram-Bohm Hypothesis, & other astonishing theories- which are highly compatible with a more idealist, nondualistic, & potentially even panentheistic conception of the Cosmos- seem more & more consistent with the evidence, while a rigid materialism seems more & more indefensible). From the very existence of force at a distance (which so baffled Newton in his “clockwork” mechanism picture of the universe that he simply called gravity an “occult force”), to quantum mechanics (which not only reveals matter to be as much dispersed & wave-like as it is concrete & particle-like, but has proven nonlocality to be a feature of our physical reality- implying, as Bohm put it, a deeper, one might say esoteric, “implicate order” beneath the exoteric surface appearance of 3+1D “material” spacetime that we observe & experience ourselves as living within day to day in normal waking consciousness- a deeper level on which every point in space & every particle/wave in the cosmos is connected such that faster-than-light interactions can occur across cosmic distances near instantaneously) to special relativity (which reveals many of the most seemingly concrete, objective, reliable points of reference which make “material” spacetime feel so fundamental & “real” & concrete- the distances between things, the rate of ticking of the clock with the perceived flow of time- to be relative, dynamic emergent properties of a more pre-eminent, more fundamental level of reality… The more empirical information we gain, the more the axiomatic assumptions which originally gave rise to mechanistic materialism as the hegemonic, axiomatic metaphysical orthodoxy of the scientific community (despite their insistence that they’re above metaphysics, we all brings assumptions to the table whether we are aware of them & consciously consider & challenge them or not, & certainly most atheistic/agnostic scientists from the Enlightenment until recent years have implicitly assumed that the universe is random, inert, not intelligent, that matter is primary (even as we’ve discovered more & more aspects of physical nature which aren’t made of matter in any ordinary sense, like spacetime, quantum fields, information, mathematical structures, perhaps dark energy & other such as-of-yet-not-understood phenomena).
Anyway thanks for a great video about a subject I was completely unaware of! And it’s always nice to see content creators outside of strictly political media spaces call out the ignorance & hatred that drives anti-Semites & fascists to their atrocious, rationally incoherent ideologies (& their actual atrocities). “Esoteric Nazi” pseudointellectuals, f*** off!
This is a great comment. I'll have to reread it in the future!
Not all Kabbalah teaches he same stuff, your poet doesn't represent all Kabbalah
Incredibly informative. Your work stands apart in this area of study.
thank you for another amazing video!
I love Jakob Wassermanns novel "The Jews of Zirndorf" very much. A tragic and powerful novel about Sabbatai Zevis activities as the messiah and his followers. You gave a wonderful introduction to us. Thank you! What do you think about a review of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, by Professor Daniel C. Matt (along with Nathan Wolski and Joel Hecker)?
The Pritzker is a truly amazing work of translation and commentary.
Sounds interesting, might read.
It took a few guesses at the spelling but finally managed to search for the meaning of Has Vehalila / Chas V'chalila.
That's a useful expression.
yeah, not sure I went for that one and not 'chas v'shalom' but that's what came out. Wasn't feeling super talmudy I guess.
This video bangs so much thankyou 😭😭😭😭
Another great video. It's hard not to recall the Christian concept of the "Harrowing of Hell" that seemed to be an important idea very early on in Church history, and even seemed to be considered part of the actual process of redemption. But I don't hear the topic being discussed much these days.
Also, based on other videos I've seen that take an academic, historical approach on the topic of Sabbatai, I anticipate you're going to get some passionate comments long after the video's release. But it sounds like you're well aware of that.
I think 'the harrowing of hell' is a great analogy to all of this. And, yes, the tidal wave is coming :)
@@TheEsotericaChannel Didn't take long.
That theme of “The Harrowing of Hell” is still important in some Churches; less in others. It’s a pretty old concept that predates Christianity. It’s fascinating, and at times confusing (to me, anyway), how Nathan of Gaza uses that idea, coupled with ideas from Lurianic Kabbalah, to explain/justify/defend the actions of Sabbatai Zevi.
@@chrisradzion2148 "Underworld Rescue Mission" does seem to be one of those recurring stories.
@@chrisradzion2148
It's interesting to see the idea cropping up in modern fantasy such as Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series.
As an atheist I found this video to be very informative; the scientific like way these religious scholars went at understanding their god is fascinating.
Your videos are fascinating! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Wonderful video! I very much enjoyed listening to this lecture. Thank you.
Fascinating! I'm not sure if being well into a bottle of wine help or hindered my understanding of Sabbatai Zevi. But now I have a better reference to when he (and Nathan of Gaza) get mentioned in Esoterica.
Hello there sirñor just wanted to say thank you for talking about topic which fulfill my soul
Sometimes it pays to be blind. Then a person has to knock off the stoopid stuff. I disqualified myself not long after I was starting to be pointed out as a possible messianic figure. I knew there was much to come still in that Bible after I had left this body. It would be apparently highly accurate when that slow swiveling cloud showed up in front of me. Your page here has I think, the best amount of material I have seen, being I go by visions. Inspiring me to read more! Bravo man! That is an accomplishment TY. Yep. Does seem like a bunch of stuff starting to really get crazy.
Awww I missed the stream. I am excited. Cheers Dr. S.
There wasn't a stream today
@@TheEsotericaChannel Fair enough. I have been extremely busy, cog dis is real with a disabled vet lol
Thanks for your service.
@@TheEsotericaChannel Aw man I did it again. Apologies I wasn’t thinking about that.
However if you’re sincere than the thanks is mine sir. I really mean that too.
This event is one of the most traumatic events to happen in the diaspora which we did to ourselves.
I enjoy the way you tell of these subjects. In an academic way and not like some of what I've seen in the past.
כל הכבוד!
Yes and no. The converso population was disproportionately given over to messianism and that population would never had existed as such without Christian hegemony.
@@TheEsotericaChannel I just imagine how painful it must've been to think the Messiah is here and the redemption of Am Israel is right around the corner and BOOM. Messiah turns muslim... He should've accepted martyrdom
Hard for me to judge, tbh. But yes, real trauma though I don't think that SV even understood the extent.
@@TheEsotericaChannel I used to dream when I was a child that my own mother was a demon I was trying to escape from...
If we don't overcome the trauma, if we are kept in low vibrations it is how the demons enter...
My mother went through hell in past lives and in this life and never overcame it..
She recently tried to convince me that we should allow the evils of the world to continue because the Bible says 'there is another 700 years of this' 🤦
I'm smelling some gematria in your choice to air this exactly 366 years after that date. You've been on about Shabbatai Zevi for a hot minute. Can't help but feel like there was a reason you waited.
It's a hilarious coincidence - I just got the primary texts in from Israel a few weeks ago.
@@TheEsotericaChannel lol I won't go too hard on the "coincidence" rant I'm sure you're well accustomed to, but *insert extended mystical rant about how everything happens for a reason*.
Yeah, if only I were such a cool hipster that I could be a crypto-sabbatean
@@TheEsotericaChannel nah I just figured there might be a clever kabbalistic joke hidden in there, but sometimes a document is just a document.
I'm incredibly interested in this subject and I just stumbled into this video, thanks!
Wonderful! Jesse
Thanks Dr. Sledge!
Please do one on Nathan of Gaza Treatise on the dragons. You are a gem, can't get this anywhere. Thanks
This episode is that.
33:27
I am the first generation in my family for over 500 years not to be taught Ladino. It is an absolutely beautiful language and there are even playlists here on TH-cam that encapsulate a lot of Ladino music.
It's beautiful - I've been watching some soap operas where it's spoken
I had to check whether of not the name Heretic Messiah was already taken by some heavy metal band, so anyone wishing to start a band called Heretic Messiah, here's your chance.
It’s pretty bad ass
It’s a bit close to Bowie’s/Metallica’s Leper Messiah
Great lecture as always! Thank you.
Banger
Yeeeeoooo🤘☺️🤘
Beautiful thank you sir
Take a drink every time Dr Sledge says the word "but"!
Ive been really enjoying your channel. Its deeply enriching thank you! If its not too much of a departure from your academic intention, it would be interesting to know what your personal philosophy and practice is like.
Excited to be comment 365. Love your videos
Hello, will you make a video about Jiddu Krishnamurti? I really enjoy watching your channel 😊👍
I like how he calls out Robert Sepehr without naming names.
no1 knows the nameless...
time stamp?
Wait until you find out Robert Sepehr is also Jewish.
it starts about at 5:21but he does not use his name.
Ironic since Robert's dad is a Persian Jew who directed a Holocaust movie if I remember.
Most educational and entertaining video I watched in quite a while. It almost seems like he ended up in the Gnostic mystic side with that bit about Jesus. Lol, I'm in the same "nope club".
Glorious intro!
It’s wonderful to see an actual scholarly approach to this topic, Dr. Sledge. Once more, your balanced approach shines through the glitz of the snake oil hucksters who use the worship of Serpents as a justification for their own malefactions and misleading information campaigns. I watch one such channel, because it has some information as to the historical context of toxic doctrines, but it’s so basal, that it’s extremely, Extremely difficult to watch at times, because it’s just the absolute inverse of anything remotely holy.
Esoterica is important to develop our understanding, but we must Honor the Concept of G0D.. not Use or Exploit It.
These days, that’s quite a Tall Order. One which you adeptly Fill time and time again, dear sir.
Many thanks for being an ever steady hand at the helm!
Blessings &
Much Love!
Could you possibly type out some of the transcription for the video that aren't english for proper translation? Would be very helpful, one of my favorite videos, thank you.
Thanks for this excellent refresher course, I'm flashing back to grad school when I had the great honor of studying Kabbalah with Lawrence Kushner and did a paper using the Idel book. One thing that I'd like to go back and research further was a chapter in Patai's The Jewish Alchemists which discussed some kind of alchemical text written by a Shabbatean, maybe Nathan? Do you know anything about this? I can't help but compate the sorta depth psychology resonances with Boehme and Milton.
I'll have to check it out - I have the Patai book on the shelf.
My father (Gd Bless His Soul) studied with Lawrence Kushener, I believe at Hebrew Union College in NYC.
@@fighttheevilrobots3417 awesome yeah I remember he used to be in NYC. Sadly the Graduate Theological Union canned him becauae he didnt have a phd
True sage that ye are sir !
Similar to Gandolf the Gray going down with the monster, and coming back up from the depths of the abyss as Gandolf the White?
yes. ...kinda
@@TheEsotericaChannel If anyone awoke to the truth they were executed, burnt at the stake etc....or in the modern era they are thrown in the loony bin and drugged to their eyeballs.
You must go through hell on earth ..trauma, persecution (smear campaigns) and come out the other side..
Why do you think they say cats are interdimensional.. because of their vibrations/purring. Why do you think they discovered that if you had a cat in childhood you are more likely to develop 'schizophrenia' as an adult?
The most important thing to take away is love, joy, peace all vibrate above anything else..
Peace to you ❤️
i love this
Thank you for shining some light into Nathan. I read the book of Olga Tokarczuk on the Frankizm and figures of that movement, yet I missed the background into the base of the revelations. As always thank you for helping me get this inside :)
Is there an english translation of Treatise on Dragons by Nathan of Gaza?