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the Secret Knowledge
The origins of Kabbalah go back to the time of Moses. The Rabbis of antiquity believed that Moses was given the "Written Law" for the masses of the people, but that he had also been given a "Secret Knowledge" for the exclusive use of the priesthood. This knowledge was then handed down by word of mouth from Hebrew prophet to prophet.
It was not until around A.D. 600, that sections of these teachings were transcribed on parchment by rabbis in various parts of Europe. About 300 years later, a Hebrew philosopher and translator of the Bible composed a commentary on one section of the teachings, called the Sephir Yetzirah (The Book of Formation).
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After the teachings had been written down and other commentaries had become available, the study came to be known to scholars in Europe. Schools based on its teachings were developed in France, Germany, and Spain, but there were still many names for this "Secret Knowledge" and for those who studied its teachings.
Around the year 1200, in Provence, France, a mystical movement based on these teachings emerged. It was at this time that the term "Kabbalah" was first associated with their teachings. By the fourteenth century, the movement was almost exclusively known as "Kabbalah."
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