[Avodah] Dating the Zohar

[Jonathan Baker]

RMi: 
> On Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 11:05:41AM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
> > I just noticed that the reference to the Amoraim is in capitals, i.e.
> > the translator's interpolation.  So the entire premise of the post
> > collapses.  There is no problem to be resolved.  Move along, nothing
> > to see here.
 
> However, the previous paragraph, Tzav 29, refers to "tannaim va'amoraim",
> so the unnamed rabbanim here who "pasqin lon bekhamah pesaqos" (30) and
> "kemah de'iqemhuha zeh chaser min hamishnah (31) are most plausibly
> the amoraim who came after "HAmishnah" (hei hayedi'ah emphasized for
> a reason) and who are recorded invoking CMVHK on that compilation.

Further, that previous passage is an explanation of the term Teiku.
Teiku appears 3x in the Zohar (thanks to Bar-Ilan via Spertus), here
and two other places, all in what are called the "later strata of the
Zohar" - here in Raya Mehemna, elsewhere in Tikunei Zohar and in the
Tikunim of Zohar Chadash.  Also, the word Amora does not appear at 
all in the Mishnah - why should it?  it's Aramaic, and the Mishnah is
a Hebrew text.

I suppose this would also support a middle ground, such as that espoused
by R Yaakov Emden - that certain passages post-date Rashbi.  Yaari's 
quote also comes from a Raya Mehemna section - also later than the main
text.  So none of this disproves R' Y Emden's approach.  But some, I guess,
believe the whole thing to be from Rashbi.

--
        name: jon baker              web: http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker
     address: jjbaker at panix.com     blog: http://thanbook.blogspot.com