Kabbalah in a Surprising Place: Joseph Smith's Engagement with Jewish Mysticism

A surprising feature of the Jewish mystical tradition known as Kabbalah is the degree to which it came to influence 19th century religious thinkers in Europe and North America. This talk will describe one important example of this phenomenon - the impact of Kabbalah on Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Dr. Hartley Lachter is an Associate Professor at Lehigh University, where he is the chair of the Religion Studies Department and director of the Berman Center for Jewish Studies. His research focuses on the relationship between medieval Kabbalah, Jewish historical experience, and Jewish-Christian relations. He also works on the role of medieval Kabbalah in some modern and contemporary religious thinkers. He is the author of, Kabbalistic Revolution: Reimagining Judaism in Medieval Spain, published by Rutgers University Press.