Daniel C. Matt - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Daniel Chanan Matt (born 1950) stands as one of the foremost contemporary scholars of Jewish mysticism, particularly renowned for his monumental translation and annotation of the Zohar, the central text of Jewish mystical tradition. As a professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, Matt has dedicated his academic career to making complex Kabbalistic concepts accessible to modern readers while maintaining their profound spiritual and intellectual depth.
Matt's scholarly journey began in the 1970s at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he studied under Gershom Scholem, the pioneering figure in academic Kabbalah research. This foundational period shaped his approach to Jewish mystical texts, combining rigorous philological analysis with a sensitivity to their spiritual dimensions. His early work, including "Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment" (1983), demonstrated his unique ability to bridge the gap between academic scholarship and spiritual seeking.
The crowning achievement of Matt's career is his eighteen-volume Pritzker edition of The Zohar: The Original Aramaic and The Complete English Translation (2004-2017), a project that spanned two decades. This unprecedented work represents the first translation of the complete Zohar directly from the original Aramaic into English, accompanied by extensive commentary that illuminates its historical context and mystical meanings. The project has been hailed as a masterwork of Jewish scholarship, making the esoteric wisdom of Kabbalah accessible to English-speaking readers while maintaining scholarly rigor.
Beyond his work on the Zohar, Matt has authored several influential books that explore the intersection of Jewish mysticism with contemporary concerns, including "God and the Big Bang" (1996) and "The Essential Kabbalah" (1995). His writings have contributed significantly to the modern understanding of Jewish mysticism and its relevance to contemporary spiritual seeking, environmental consciousness, and scientific inquiry. Matt's legacy continues to influence both academic studies of Jewish mysticism and popular interest in Kabbalah, demonstrating how ancient wisdom can illuminate modern questions about consciousness, reality, and the nature of existence. His work raises intriguing questions about the relationship between mystical experience and rational inquiry, inviting readers to explore the depths of Jewish mystical tradition while maintaining critical scholarly perspective.