According to Gershom Scholem, in On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism, "Toward
1180 the earliest Kannalist document, the Book Bahir . . . made its
appearance in southern France." Karen Armstrong's A History of God mentions
a branch of Jewish mysticism called "Throne Mysticism," which she dates back
to the second and third centuries C.E., and says was later incorporated into
Kabbalism during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. She also notes that
the classic texts of Throne Mysticism were edited in Babylon during the fifth
and sixth centuries. I don't know this information is of any help; I cannot
directly answer your question, and cannot find any sources that do.
Ron Ganze
Dept. of English
CSU Long Beach
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