After the Pope Nicholas III heard this man was attempting to convert him, the Pope planned to have this man executed, though Nicholas III died shortly before this figure’s arrival. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name this Jewish mystic who wrote extensive commentaries on Maimonides’s Guide for the Perplexed. This person claimed to be a Messiah and came up with a four-step process to purify consciousness via meditation.
ANSWER: Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia
[10m] Abulafia founded a “Prophetic” branch of this tradition. The Zohar is the foundational text of this tradition that describes emanations of the Ein Sof.
ANSWER: Kabbalah [or Qabbala; prompt on Jewish mysticism]
[10e] Abulafia arrived to convert the Pope on the eve of this holiday, which serves as the Jewish New Year and is the first of the High Holy Days.
ANSWER: Rosh Hashanah [or Yom Teruah]
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