Daniel C. Matt, PhD, is a professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. He is best known for establishing the Pritzker translation of the book of Zohar and translating the first nine volumes of the twelve volume series. He is also author of God and the Big Bang, The Essential Kabbalah, Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment, and most recently Becoming Elijah: The Prophet of Transformation. His website is https://www.facebook.com/daniel.matt.16.

Here he describes the transformation of Elijah from a religious zealot who slays 450 prophets of the Caananite god Baal to a mystical angelic figure who brings enlightenment and connects humanity with the divine. He points out the influence of Elijah’s story upon Christianity and Islam. He addresses the enormous influence of Elijah upon the Kabbalistic writers. He also describes the false messiah, Shabbetai Tsvi, and draws lessons from this sad historic episode.

(Recorded on June 29, 2022)

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Published on July 11, 2022