Multiple Receptions of Jewish Kabbalah in Renaissance Italy

During the 15^th and 16^th centuries the increasing interest in Jewish Kabbalah by non-Jews triggered a profound concern with this discipline among Italian Jews, who reshaped their traditional readings of their lore according to the milieus in which they were active. Some focused on the adaptation of its hermeneutical rules and contents to the daily prayer. Some others accepted the traditional interpretations of different Kabbalahs, by stressing their philosophical re-readings in order to better suit to a larger intellectual milieu which comprised non-Jews. On the other hand, Kabbalah could be accepted by Christians for several reasons: it could be used as a hermeneutical device to peruse the secret meanings of the Scripture; as a touchstone to better understand other forms of thought, that had been received by means of divine revelation; some scholars finalized their kabbalistic search to a better understanding of the relations between the written and the oral Torah, whereas others aimed to demonstrate Christian truths. These major concerns with Kabbalah caused the production of a wide array of texts among both Jews and Christians. At times it was a source of dialogue, at times of opposition and harsh criticism of the other’s faith. In my paper I will try to overview the main reasons why Kabbalah became so popular in Renaissance Italy, how it was studied and who were the main figures responsible for such developments.