Christian Knorr von Rosenroth facts for kids
Christian Knorr von Rosenroth (born July 15 or 16, 1636 – died May 4, 1689) was a German scholar. He was born in a place called Alt-Raudten, which is now in Poland. He was known for studying Hebrew and a special mystical tradition called Kabbalah. He believed that Kabbalah could help explain Christian ideas.
His Early Life and Studies
Christian Knorr von Rosenroth went to universities in Wittenberg and Leipzig. After his studies, he traveled a lot. He visited countries like the Netherlands, France, and England. In Amsterdam, he met many interesting people. These included a prince from Armenia, a chief Rabbi named Meier Stern, and important scholars like Dr. John Lightfoot and Henry More.
These meetings inspired him to learn more. He studied languages from the East, chemistry, and the mystical Kabbalah. When he returned home, he settled in Sulzbach. There, he became a special advisor to Count Christian Augustus of Sulzbach. He spent a lot of time studying the Hebrew language. Later, he became very interested in Kabbalah. He thought he could find proof of Christian beliefs within its teachings.
His Important Works
Christian Knorr von Rosenroth helped with many important projects.
- He worked with Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont. Together, they translated and published the chemistry writings of Jan van Helmont into Latin.
- He also translated a very long book by Thomas Browne. This book, called Pseudodoxia Epidemica, was about science and journalism. It had over 200,000 words! He finished this huge task in 1680.
- Besides his scholarly work, he also wrote many hymns. Some of his famous hymns include "Jesus, Sun of Righteousness" and "Morgenglanz der Ewigkeit" (which means "Dayspring of Eternity").
Understanding Kabbalah
Christian Knorr von Rosenroth had unique ideas about Kabbalah. He thought that a Kabbalistic concept called Adam Kadmon was actually Jesus. He also believed that the three highest sefirot (which are like divine qualities in Kabbalah) represented the Christian Trinity.
He wanted to translate important Kabbalistic texts, like the Zohar, into Latin. As a first step, he published the first two volumes of his big work. It was called Kabbala Denudata, which means "Kabbalah Unveiled". These books came out in Sulzbach between 1677 and 1678. They included many important Kabbalistic writings and explanations. He later published two more volumes of Kabbala Denudata in 1684.
Because of his important work, Emperor Leopold I made him a Baron. This meant he was given a special title of nobility.
A part of his Kabbala Denudata was translated into English in 1887 by S. L. MacGregor Mathers. This English version is still available today under the title The Kabbalah Unveiled.
See also
- Christian Cabala
