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| Daniel C. Matt | |
|---|---|
| Name | Daniel C. Matt |
| Birth date | 1947 |
| Occupation | Scholar, Translator, Rabbi |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable works | Zohar translation and commentary |
Daniel C. Matt is an American scholar, translator, and rabbi best known for his multi-volume translation and commentary on the Zohar. His work bridges traditional Kabbalah study with modern academic methods, engaging readers from Yeshiva University-style circles to audiences at institutions such as Harvard University and Princeton University. Matt's scholarship has influenced research at centers like the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and has been discussed alongside figures such as Gershom Scholem and Moshe Idel.
Matt was born in 1947 and raised in a context that connected him to Jewish Theological Seminary of America traditions and Orthodox Judaism communities. He received classical training that included study at institutions influenced by Yeshiva University and mentors in the style of rabbis associated with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's milieu. For higher education he pursued degrees that engaged both Jewish studies and broader humanities disciplines, studying texts in parallel to graduate programs at universities such as Columbia University, Harvard University, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem scholars where he deepened his command of Aramaic and Hebrew.
Matt held academic appointments and visiting positions at a range of universities and research centers including University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, Yale University, Princeton University, and Stanford University. He collaborated with scholars from the Jewish Theological Seminary and participated in conferences at places like the Institute for Advanced Study and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His engagements connected him with researchers in fields represented by institutions such as Columbia University's Department of Middle East Studies and with projects linked to the Vatican Library's Judaica holdings.
Matt's scholarship has addressed the reception history of Sefer Yetzirah, the textual transmission of the Zohar corpus, and the interpretive traditions stemming from medieval commentators like Nahmanides and Rashbi. Major publications included monographs and articles interacting with the legacies of Gershom Scholem, Moshe Idel, and Arthur Green, and appeared in journals circulated through Brill and university presses such as Oxford University Press and Princeton University Press. He produced critical editions and essays engaging primary sources from collections like the Bodleian Library, the Library of Congress, and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and his bibliographic work intersected with catalogues from the British Library and the Vatican Library.
Matt undertook a multi-volume translation and commentary project on the Zohar, the central work of Kabbalah attributed in tradition to Shimon bar Yochai. His translation aimed to render the medieval Castilian and Aramaic text accessible in modern English, situating the Zohar alongside studies of medieval Spain, the Alhambra era milieus, and comparative work referencing sources like Sefer ha-Bahir and writings attributed to Isaac the Blind. The project engaged manuscript variants from repositories including the National Library of Israel and the Bodleian Library, and his commentary dialogued with the interpretations of Abraham Abulafia, Moses de León, and later figures such as Kabbalah of Safed proponents like Isaac Luria and Hayyim Vital. Reviews of his volumes appeared in forums alongside discussions of Hasidism, Lurianic Kabbalah, and modern movements studied by scholars at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University.
Matt taught courses and delivered lectures at venues ranging from the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew University of Jerusalem to secular institutions such as Harvard Divinity School and Columbia University. He led public programs at cultural sites including the Skirball Cultural Center, the Jewish Museum (New York) and the Brooklyn Public Library, and participated in radio and podcast conversations alongside guests from BBC Radio 4 and NPR. His outreach connected academic circles like the Association for Jewish Studies with community learning initiatives run by synagogues and institutes such as the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
Matt's work earned recognition including grants and fellowships from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the American Academy for Jewish Research. He received fellowships from institutions like the Institute for Advanced Study and awards linked to presses including Stanford University Press and Oxford University Press publication committees. His translation project was cited in award discussions alongside recipients of the National Jewish Book Award and referenced by scholars connected to Yeshiva University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Category:American translators Category:Kabbalah scholars Category:Jewish studies scholars