Qabbalah by Isaac Myer?

by Al

For my thesis work, I’ve come across a book (well, actually, I’ve had it for some time but…) by one Isaac Myer, LL. B. It is called :

Qabbalah

The Philosophical Writings

of

Solomon Ben Yehudah Ibn Gebirol

or

Avicebron

And their connection with the Hebrew Qabbalah and Sepher ha-Zohar, with remarks upon the antiquity and content of the latter, and translations of selected passages from the same.

Also

An Ancient Lodge of Initiates,

Translated from the Zohar

And an abstract of an Essay upon the Chinese Qabbalah, contained in the book called the Yih King; a translation of party of the Mystic Theology of Dionysos, The Areopagite; and an account of the construction of the ancient Akkadian and Chaldean Universe, etc. Accompanied by Diagrams and Illustrations

This book was published in 1888 and seems to have been associated with the Theosophical Society in London. It was reviewed in their magazine, Lucifer, with this review contained in the introduction to the copy that I have. It is mostly translation and commentary on the Zohar but I have no idea of the background or credentials of Isaac Myer or his connection to Theosophy. The review from the magazine simply states that he is a resident of Philadelphia in the United States and a Mason. Given the remarks about the New Testament, I assume that he was a Christian as well but maybe a convert.

Given the timing and the connection of both MacGregor Mathers and William Westcott to the Theosophical Society, I do wonder if it influenced any of the early Golden Dawn work. Both Mathers and Westcott wrote articles on Kabbalah and gave lectures, often to members of the Theosophical Society, during the late 1880′s.

If any of my readers know much about this work, I’d love to hear more.