ABSTRACT
The Kabbalah is not only an important tradition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian esotericism but also a nodal point in European history of religion, where alternative religious options are polemically contrasted with each other. The roots of the kabbalistic movement can be traced back to southern France in the twelfth century. By the second half of the thirteenth century kabbalistic ideas, now known as such, had spread in many districts of southern France and the Iberian peninsula. Jewish mysticism has decisively influenced the development of European esotericism again and again since late antiquity. Esoteric speculations can already be found in the Bible, for instance with regard to Enoch, in Ezekiel's visions of the heavenly throne and especially in the cult theology practised by the Qumran community. The Sefer Yetzirah divides the 22 consonants of the Hebrew alphabet into three groups, known as three 'mothers', seven 'doubles' and twelve 'singles'.
