Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. XI, 1953 Sacred Scripture Post-Biblical Judaism

Shekinah

ŠEKHĪNĀH

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Also known as: German: Schechina; Shechinah, Shekhinah; שכינה; Italian: Shekhinah

SHEKINAH. - "Dwelling," a Neo-Hebrew term (from the biblical verb šākhan, "to dwell") that indicates the presence and abode of God in Israel, especially in the ancient Mosaic sanctuary. Associated with it is the concept of glory and splendor.

Š. occurs in the Aramaic versions of the Bible and in rabbinic literature around 70 A.D. In the Middle Ages Š. means the irradiation of the divine glory and is identified with the "Holy Spirit." The union of God with the Š. constitutes the true unity of God, which is placed beyond the diversity of his various aspects. The Zōhar expresses the concept of Š. with the symbolic expression "the sacred garden of apple trees."

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: J. Bonsirven, Le judaïsme palestinien, I, Paris 1935, p. 130 ff.; G. Scholem, Major trends in Jewish mysticism, New York 1946, cf. index p. 452.

Eugenio Zolli

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By Eugenio Zolli

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Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI (1953), col. 268.

More by Eugenio Zolli: "Šēma' Jīšrā'ēl" ("Hear, Israel") · Sephardim · Seder (Sēdher "Order") · Sequences · Siphrā, Siphrē

Cite this article

Chicago

Zolli, Eugenio. “ŠEkhĪNĀH.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, col. 268. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953. https://azioneromana.com/article/sekhinah.

MLA

Zolli, Eugenio. “ŠEkhĪNĀH.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953, col. 268. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/sekhinah.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec11_sekhinah,
  author    = {Zolli, Eugenio},
  title     = {ŠEkhĪNĀH},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {XI},
  pages     = {268},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1953},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/sekhinah}
}

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