Today

http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/zdm/zdm001.htm

Whence then did Kabbalistic philosophy derive its origin, For the resolution of this question we must go eastwards to Babylon, whither the Jewish people were transplanted as captives at the fall of Jerusalem, and where the t

were exercising a wide influence over the popular mind. What those teachings were we are able to judge from the sacred book of the Persians, the Zend Avesta, a copy of which was

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Joel Montgomery, Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Vandalia (2013-present)
Answered Feb 3, 2016
The Good

 if the Zohar and the Bahir were studied in secret circles, how could the Rambam write that all our knowledge of the mysticism of the Sages of the Talmud was lost? Is it conceivable that the Rambam, the greatest Torah authority of his day, did not have access to these groups or at least, from all his extensive traveling, know something about them? Was he not a great enough scholar?!