Page - 110 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

110 | Thomas Hausmanninger www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 105–121 the decades in between, they also created something unique among superhe- roes: a character with temporal displacement. The cryo-hibernation in effect extracted Captain America from his present and placed him in a completely dif- ferent time. it was as if he had died in the 1940s and been reincarnated in the 1960s. the process in the movies is very similar, but with a time gap that at almost seven decades is even more extreme. the temporal displacement of Captain America bears striking resemblance to the Judaistic concept of gilgul, the transmigration or reincarnation of the soul. the same can be said of Brubaker’s reintroduction of Bucky as the Winter soldier in the 2000s and the movies’ adoption of these comics. the concept of gilgul first appeared in an affirmative form in the book Bahir, which was re- dacted in the 12th century.21 it then became part of the Kabbalah, especially in the teachings of yitzchak Luria (1534–1572) and the writings of his disciple hay- im Vital (1543–1620). Via the Kabbalah, reincarnation took root in hasidism and it remains a presence in contemporary Kabbalistic, hasidic and Jewish mystic circles.22 in the Zohar and the lurian Kabbalah the transmigration of the soul is intensively interwoven with cosmology, whereas hasidism focuses on spiritual destiny and development of the individual.23 the common principal reason for reincarnation lies, however, in the need for the purification and elevation of the soul.24 After the Zohar and from the 14th century on, chains of reincarnation were constructed, connecting biblical persons.25 Expanding Judaistic moral anthropology, which differentiates between the wicked, the mediocre and the just, two reasons for incarnation are given – while the mediocre are sent back into another circle of earthly life to be given another chance to purify and elevate their souls (the wicked are sent to hell, gehennom, for purification), the just may also return in order that they might assist others and for the betterment of the world.26 hasidism, in particular, developed sto- ries about famous spiritual masters, tsaddikim, who return after their deaths to other bodies. Reflections on a past life or past lives became important, pro- viding the starting point for theories about reincarnation that explained, for example, the seemingly pointless suffering of children as a form of retribution for their sins in another life. even though the soul normally has no recollection of its past life, detecting that past life began to function not only as an explana- tion for present sufferings – not unlike the Hindu or Buddhist concept of karma – but also as a vital basis for overcoming such suffering and leading the soul to 21 eylon 2003, 89–124. 22 Pinson 1999, viii; Weiss 2005. 23 Grözinger 2005, 463–682; 805–808. 24 Pinson 1999. 25 scholem 1956, 75–76. 26 scholem 1956, 73–74.