Mark Verman is Jay Phillips Chair in Jewish Studies at St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota.

• Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction to The Book of Contemplation, The Fountain of Wisdom, and The Book of Unity Jewish Prophecy and MysticismHistorical OverviewMedieval Jewish Mysticism in Western EuropeTradition, Esotericism, and Pseudepigraphy 2. The Books of Contemplation and The Fountain of Wisdom Symbols Used in the ApparatusContemplation-ShortThe Fountain of WisdomContemplation-LongContemplation-Thirteen PowersContemplation-StandardI am R. HammaiThe Book of Unity of R. Hammai 3. Cosmological Theories of the "Circle of Contemplation" The Cosmology of The Books of ContemplationThe Cosmogony of The Fountain of Wisdom 4. Historical Dimensions Scholem's Historiography of Early KabbalahScholem's Historiography and R. Isaac Cohen's LegendsThe "Circle of Contemplation"Linguistic Evidence 5. Historical Connections R. Azriel and The Books of ContemplationThe Hasidei 'Ashkenaz and the "Circle"R. Meshullam the Zadokite Appendix I The Book of Contemplation's Subtexts 3:1 Midrash of R. Simon the Righteous3:2 Commentary on the Thirteen Attributes3:3 Thirteen Powers3:4 The Secret of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy3:5 Pseudo-Rabad's Twelve Attributes4:1 Contemplation-Burgos4:2 Contemplation-J.T.S. 18844:3 Contemplation-Standard/Inner Attributes4:4 Contemplation-Standard/Magic4:5 R. Hasdai's Book of Contemplation Appendix II Textual Relationships Selected Bibliography Index

Verman discovered that the 'Circle of Contemplation' produced a series of distinct treatises, each entitled The Book of Contemplation and attributed to the same fictitious author. These treatises, embodying one of the most intriguing puzzles of medieval literature, are included here. The author concludes that these writings were a product of thirteenth-century Spain, not France, as claimed by Gershom Scholem. His conclusion engendered a critical evaluation of the premises of Scholem's historiography of early medieval Jewish mysticism.