Editing Gnosticism (section)

==== Kabbalah ====
Gershom Scholem, a historian of [[Jewish philosophy]], wrote that several core Gnostic ideas reappear in medieval [[Kabbalah]], where they are used to reinterpret earlier Jewish sources. In these cases, according to Scholem, texts such as the [[Zohar]] adapted Gnostic precepts for the interpretation of the [[Torah]], while not using the language of Gnosticism.<ref>[[Gershom Scholem|Scholem, Gershom]]. ''Origins of the Kabbalah'', 1987. Pp. 21–22.</ref> Scholem further proposed that there was a Jewish Gnosticism which influenced the early origins of Christian Gnosticism.<ref name="Scholem Jewish Gnosticism">[[Gershom Scholem|Scholem, Gershom]]. ''Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and the Talmudic Tradition'', 1965.</ref>

Given that some of the earliest dated Kabbalistic texts emerged in medieval [[Provence]], at which time [[Cathar]] movements were also supposed to have been active, Scholem and other mid-20th century scholars argued that there was mutual influence between the two groups. According to Dan Joseph, this hypothesis has not been substantiated by any extant texts.<ref>[[Joseph Dan|Dan, Joseph]]. ''Kabbalah: a Very Short Introduction'', Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 24.</ref>

[[Moshe Idel]] however has argued that the Gnostic or esoteric ideas found in Kabbalah have Jewish roots from ancient times, though we do not have written records of them.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Idel|first=Moshe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=utWy5kz5K7IC&pg=PA30|title=Kabbalah: New Perspectives|date=1988-01-01|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-04699-1|pages=30–32|language=en}}</ref>