Cabala

ka-bal', a, the oral law of the Jewish rabbis, supposed to have been received by direct revelation and handed down from father to son by word of mouth. It is in reality a sort of occult science founded on the belief that every word, letter, and accent of the Hebrew scriptures contained some hidden meaning. The Cabalists--those versed in the cabala--claimed by interpreting these secret meanings they could perform miracles and foretell future events.