The Sepher Bahir: Book of Light, Paperback/Nehunya Ben Hakanah

The Sepher Bahir remains to this day one of the principle Kabbalist texts ever created. Ascribed to ancient times, it was first compiled in its general form in the 12th century in Provence, compiling disparate texts which had been part of a loose and sometimes oral tradition in times prior to that same era. It contains five sections, expounding (through rabbinical scholars it is in turn ascribed to) various scriptural truths regarding the nature of the cosmos, of the deity spoken of, and explaining its way through parts of the Torah by virtue of both metaphor and scriptural comparison. The material is not entirely linear, being compiled from other sources, which may indeed have come from various dates beforehand. It interprets a slightly different story of Adam and Eve, and often dwells upon concepts which may well have been influenced in some way by Gnosticism, or by scholars who had encountered it. Whatever its true origins, it remains a priceless compilation for those studying the mysteries and occult tenets of the Torah.