Arabic Language and Literature
Subject: The Commandments in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism in Medieval Spain
Advisor: Dr. Michael Ebstein, Dr. Avishai Bar-Asher
Abstract: My PhD thesis will focus on the attitude towards the commandments among Jewish and Muslim mystics in 12-14th centuries in Spain, considering heritage of Neoplatonic Arabic literature shared by both mystical streams. In this framework I will examine the mystics' rationalization of the commandments, their attitude towards religious law and antinomianism, theurgy, the attitude towards religious authority, and more.
Bio: Yinon Kahan holds a BA and an MA from the Department of Arabic Language and Literature and the Department of Linguistics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Yinon’s research focuses on comparative mysticism in medieval Judaism and Islam in the 12-14th centuries in Spain\al-Andalus, with a special focus on Zoharic literature and the writings of Muhyi al-din ibn al-Arabi. Among his other fields of interest are Judeo-Arabic literature and Islamic philosophy.
Publications:
Yinon Kahan, “The Spiritual Garment in Medieval Islamic Mysticism and Kabbalah: A Comparative Study of Zoharic Literature and the Writings of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn al-ʿArabī (1165-1240),” Medieval Encounters (Forthcoming).
President Scholarship 2022/23