JEWISH 150 B.C.E. - 1200 C.E.

 

The Menorah and the Planets

 

Q. 75 Exodus xxvi, 32

 

Q. What were the six branches which went out from either side, three equally?

A. Since it is not in a straight line but obliquely that the Zodiac lies over and glancingly comes near the summer and winter solstices. He says that the approach to them is from the side, and the middle place is that of the sun. But the other planets He distributed three positions on the two sides; in the superior group are Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, while in the inner group are Mercury, Venus and the moon.

 

Q. 78. Ex. xxv. 33-36

 

Q. Why are there seven lamps on the Lampstand?

A. It is clear to all that the seven lamps are symbols of the planets, for the Holy hebdomad belongs to these things reckoned divine. And the movement and revolution of these through the Zodiacal signs are the causes for sublunary beings, of all those things which are wont to take place in the embrace of concord, in the air, in the water, on the earth and in all mixtures from animals to plants.

 

Q. 79. Ex. xxv. 37b

 

Q. Why does He say that the Lampstand shall give light “from one side”?

A. The planets do not travel around all parts and sides of the celestial sphere but only in one part, in the south, for their motion is, as it were, near our zone, whence the shadow falls not on the southern but on the northern side. For this reason He has said not ineptly that the Lampstand shall give light from one part, indications thereby that the revolution of the planets is in the southern regions.[1]

 

 

The Candlestick and the Planets

 

For the whole candlestick with its principal parts, six in number, consists of sevens, seven lamps, seven flower-patterns, seven candle-bearers. The six candle-bearers are divided by the seventh, and so also the flower-patterns by the middle one, and the lamps on the same way by their seventh in the middle, and the six branches which grow out of them by the main-stalk of the candlestick, which is the seventh to them. On each of these there is much to say, but it must be postponed to another occasion. Only this much should be noted. The holy candlestick and the seven candle-bearers on it are a copy of the march of the choir of the seven planets. How so? Perhaps we shall be asked. Because, we shall reply, each of the planets is a light-bringer (Phosphori), as the candle-bearers are. For they are supremely bright and transmit the great lustre of their rays to the earth, especially the central among the seven, the Sun. I call it central, not merely because it holds the central position, which some give as the reason, but apart from this it has the right to be served and attended by its squires on either side, in virtue of its dignity and magnitude and the benefits which it provides for all that are on the earth. Now the order of the planets is a matter of which men have no sure apprehension - indeed is there any other celestial phenomenon which can be known with real certainty? -- and therefore they fall back on probabilities. But the best conjecture, in my opinion, is that of those who assign the middle place to the sun and hold that there are three above him and the same number below him. The three above are Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, and the three below are Mercury, Venus and the Moon, which borders on the lower region of the air. So the Master-Craftsman, wishing that we should possess a copy of the archetypal celestial sphere with its seven lights, commanded this splendid work, the candlestick, to be wrought. We have shown, too, its resemblance to the soul. For the soul is tripartite, and each of its parts is divided into two, making six parts in all, to which the holy and divine Word, the All-severer, makes a fitting seventh.[2]

 

[The names for the planets in the Greek follows Plato; Phainonta, Saturn; Phaethonta, Jupiter; Pyroenta, Mars; Helion, Sun; Stilbonta, Mercury; Phosphoron, Venus; Selene, Moon.]

 

 

The 7 Branched Candlestick

 

But in the holy place he placed a table, like those at Delphi,...

 

Over against this table, near the southern wall, was set a candlestick of cast gold, hollow within, being of the weight of one hundred pounds, which the Hebrews call ‘Chinchares’; if it be turned into the Greek language, it denotes a ‘Talent’. It was made with its knops and lilies, and pomegranates, and bowls, (which ornaments amounted to seventy in all;) by which means the shaft elevated itself on high from a single base, and spread itself into as many branches as there are planets, including the sun among them. It terminated in seven heads, in one row, all standing parallel to one another; and these branches carried seven lamps, one by one, in imitation of the number of the planets. These lamps looked to the east and to the south, the candlestick being situate obliquely. [3]

 

 

Jewish Planetary Mysticism

 

Classic Rabbinic literature makes it clear that there was an esoteric doctrine in talmudic Judaism. It was concerned with two subjects - the Account of Creation (Ma’aseh Bere’šit) and the Account of the Chariot (Ma’aseh Merkabah). All study and discussion of these topics in public was banned. The Mishna rules that “the Account of Creation may not be expounded before two or more persons, not the Chariot before even one, unless he is a scholar who understands of his own knowledge” (m. Hag 2:1)...

 

Despite efforts to keep Merkabah teaching secret, we are not entirely in the dark as to its contents in the talmudic period; some elements of it are disclosed...[4]

 

The Merkabah mystics came to be known as Yôredê Merkabah, “those who descend to the Chariot,” and in certain cases they appear to have been organized into regular conventicles.... Each group was gathered round a master who not only initiated his disciples into the mystical lore, but demonstrated the ascent to the Merkabah. The achieving of a “vision of the Merkabah,” either by the master himself or by another adept in the group, was probably the central act of a session of a conventicle.

 

The technique of the ascent had two aspects. First, preparation: For some days prior to the ascent the adept made himself ready by fasting, eating special food, or bathing. Secondly, there was the ascent itself. This was effected by the recitation of (1) Merkabah hymns or prayers, (2) magic formulae; or (3) invocations of God or of the archangels by magical names. These hymns, prayers, formulae, and invocations have one thing in common; they all involve the rhythmic repetition of certain words, or sounds, or ideas. Given the rigorous preparations for the ascent, the sense of anticipation and the aura of mystery and awe with which the act was surrounded, this repetition would have been potent enough to have sent the adepts into a trance. Its efficacy would have been magnified if, as Hai Gaon asserts, the mystics recited the hymns with their heads between their knees, in the manner of Elijah on Mount Carmel, thus constricting their breathing.

 

The Merkabah texts stress the dangers of the ascent: To reach the throng of God the mystic had to pass through seven gates guarded by awesome archangels. He must have the right ‘seals’ to show them and he must know the names of the angels. The sixth gate was regarded as especially perilous. The adept had to be marked by certain qualities and he had to make the ascent in a state of ritual and spiritual purity. Hekalot Rabbati 18:2 describes an elaborate technique for terminating a trance which was probably used when things appeared to be going awry.[5]

 

According to Hekalot Rabbati 18:4 the adept was expected to speak during the trance and scribes were placed to write down what he said, for his utterances were taken to be revelations of what was happening in the heavenly world... These vivid experiences clearly cried out for some interpretation, and this was supplied by attempting to correlate them with Ezekiel’s vision of the Merkabah...

 

A number of influential talmudic sages are known to have studied the Merkabah lore, so it would appear that the mystical movement was at home at the very heart of Rabbinic Judaism. The Merkabah texts as they stand may be described broadly as “orthodox” in that they remain within the bounds of monotheism and pay due respect to the Torah. However, there are clear signs that at least some Rabbinic authorities were uneasy about Merkabah mysticism....

 

In the first place, the practice of ascent to God’s throne is potentially dangerous to Rabbinic Judaism. It is not at all clear why the adepts wanted to make the ascent to the Merkabah. In some cases the motive may have been purely religious: they wished to view the glory of God... The adepts appear to have functioned on occasion like pagan oracles and the pagan and Christian prophets of late antiquity...

 

So long as the adepts confined themselves to pronouncements on non-controversial matters there was little danger. If, however, they had begun to pronounce on ultimate issues, they could have become regarded as channels of revelation on a par with the written and the oral law. Pagan theurgists certainly exploited mediums as a way of discovering ultimate truths, and the Christian Montanists apparently collected the oracles of their prophets into a sort of Third Testament, equal in authority to the Old and New Testaments. Just as the Montanist principle of continuous revelation posed a serious threat to the Christian establishment, so too the Merkabah mystics, by resorting to ecstatic experience, could have threatened the stability of Rabbinic Judaism with its commitment to the sufficiency of Torah.

 

It is not clear whether there was ever an attempt to impose an absolute ban on Merkabah mysticism in Rabbinic circles, but strong efforts were certainly directed toward containing it:...[6]

 

A large number of elements in the Merkabah texts can be paralleled in apocalyptic literature, and yet, despite these shared traditions, the ethos of Merkabah mysticism is rather different from that of apocalyptic. The Merkabah texts concentrate overwhelmingly on the mysteries of heaven and on the description of God’s throne:...

 

Ma’aseh Merkabah forms one of the strands of apocalyptic literature prior to A.D. 70;... It is tempting to argue that Merkabah mysticism did not have a separate existence outside of apocalyptic till after A.D. 70 and that it was the events of the years A.D. 70 - 135 in Palestine which brought about a reorientation of the Merkabah movement just prior to the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. The destruction of the Temple removed a powerful, visible symbol of the divine presence and could have fostered the transcendent view of God that we find in the Merkabah texts...[7]

 

It can hardly be disputed that the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 created a profound crisis in apocalyptic, and it may have given an impetus to Merkabah mysticism, but we should note - in opposition to the view we have just put forward - that in the Angelic Liturgy from Qumran (4QSirSabb) we may have a pre-70 text devoted exclusively to classic Ma’aseh Merkabah themes. If this is so - and we cannot be certain since the text is so fragmentary - then it would seem that already in the period before the destruction of the Temple, Ma’aseh Merkabah had a literature of its own and was being treated as a subject in its own right.

 

Our sketch of the development of Merkabah mysticism would be incomplete if we were to see it only in the light of Jewish religious history. To do so would be to lose sight of the important fact that it displays a number of affinities with certain non-Jewish religious world views of late antiquity. Undoubtedly the closes parallels are with Gnosticism. Indeed Scholem has argued that Merkabah mysticism is to be regarded as “Jewish Gnosticism” (Gnosticism, pp. 2 - 3, 10)...

 

It has long been observed that there is a strong Jewish component in Gnosticism. In some cases the Jewish elements in Gnosticism can be found also in the Merkabah texts...[8]

 

It is far from clear how we are to explain these parallels between Merkabah mysticism and Gnosticism. Has Merkabah mysticism in its early stages influenced Gnosticism? Or have both systems drawn on a common ancestral tradition, such as Palestinian apocalyptic? Or has some third party, such as syncretistic magic, mediated between them and transferred ideas from one tradition to another? In the present state of our knowledge it is impossible to say... We should also note that in Gnosticism the ascent to heaven is made after death whereas in Merkabah mysticism it is made during life and can be repeated many times over. It must also be recognized that parallels to Merkabah mysticism can be found not only in Gnosticism but also in the Hermetic writings, the Chaldean Oracles, the magical papyri (such as the so-called “Great Magical Papyrus of Paris), and more remotely in Roman Mithraism and Neoplatonism. Even the paganism of late antiquity was closer to Merkabah idea than we may first might suppose...

 

When we consider Merkabah mysticism in the light of these non-Jewish religious world views of late antiquity we can see how completely it fits into the religious climate of its time. It is not a purely Jewish phenomenon, but has been shaped by forces generally at work in the political and social history of late antiquity.[9]

 

Merkabah mysticism has made a contribution to Jewish life and thought in three main areas: (1) the liturgy of the synagogue; (2) the mystical theology of the Haside ‘Aškenaz; and (3) the Spanish Qabbalah.

 

The synagogue liturgy

The Merkabah mystics had some influence on the development of a synagogue hymnology. Two synagogue hymns will serve to illustrate this point...

 

The Haside ‘Aškenaz

Merkabah literature played a central role in shaping the theology of the medieval German Jewish mystics known as the Haside ‘Aškenaz...

 

The Spanish Qabbalah

The influence of the Merkabah traditions on the development of Jewish mysticism in medieval Spain can be illustrated from the Zohar, the most important text of the Spanish Qabbalah (composed probably by Moses de Leon in the late 13th century A.D.) There is no doubt that the author of this work was acquainted with Merkabah traditions and that they helped to shape his thought. Thus in two passages he reworks, at considerable length, the Merkabah teachings about the seven heavenly places (Zohar Bere’šît 1.38a - 45a, and Pedqûdê 2.244b - 262b).[10] [see below, the Zohar, page 184]

 

 

The Book Of Enoch

 

Rabbi Ishmael said:

When I ascended to the height to behold the vision of the chariot, I entered six palaces, one inside the other, and when I reached the door of the seventh palace I paused in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be he;...[11]

 

On the Wings of the Šekinah

 

R. Ishmael said; The angel Metatron, Prince of the Divine Presence, said to me:

 

When the Holy One, blessed be he, removed me from the generation of the Flood, he bore me up on the stormy wings of the Šekinah to the highest heaven and brought me into the great palaces in the height of the heaven of ‘Arabot, where the glorious throne of the Šekinah is found, and the Chariot,...[12]

 

The Princes of the Seven Heavens

 

R. Ishmael said: The angel Metatron, Prince of the Divine Presence, the glory of the highest heaven, said to me:

 

There are seven great, beautiful, wonderful, and honoured princes who are in charge of the seven heavens. They are Michael, Gabriel, Šatqi’el, Šahaqi’el, Baradi’el, Baraqi’el, and Sidri’el. Each of them is a prince over a heavenly host, and every one of them is attended by 496,000 myriads of ministering angels.

 

Michael, The great Prince, is in charge of the seventh heaven, the highest, which is in ‘Arabot.

 

Gabriel, Prince of the Host, is in charge of the sixth heaven, which is in Makon.

 

Šatqi’el, Prince of the Host, is in charge of the fifth heaven, which is in Ma’on..

 

Šahaqi’el, Prince of the Host, is in charge of the fourth heaven, which is in Zebul.

 

Baradi’el, Prince of the Host, is in charge of the third heaven, which is in Šehaqim.

 

Baraqi’el, Prince of the Host, is in charge of the second heaven, which is in Raqia’.

 

Sidri’el, Prince of the Host, is in charge of the first heaven, which is in Wilon.[13]

 

 

Merkava, (Merkaba) Mystical Ascent

 

It should have said; “Heaven was opened.” Why does it say; “The heavens were opened?” This teaches us that seven heavens were opened to Ezekiel: Samayyim; Shemi ha-Shamayyim; Zevul; Araphel; Shehakim; Aravot; and the Throne of Glory. Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yose of Ma’on; Rabbi Meir said; “The Holy One, blessed be He, created seven heavens and in these there are seven chariots [Merkava]....

 

Rabbi Isaac said; “It is a five hundred year journey from the earth to the firmament,... And God called the firmament heaven, Shamayyim.

 

From the sea to the Heaven of Heavens, Shemei ha-Shamayyim, is a five hundred year journey...

 

It is a five hundred year journey from Shemi ha-Shamayyim to Zevul...

 

From Zevul to Araphel is a five hundred year journey...

 

From Araphel to Shehakim is a five hundred year journey...

 

From Shehakim to Makhon is a five hundred year journey...

 

From Makhon to Aravot is a five hundred year journey...

 

From Aravot to the Throne of Glory is a five hundred year journey...

 

Therein is a great chariot (Merkava) upon which the Holy One, blessed be He, will descend in the future to judge all the nations, concerning which Isaiah said; “For, behold, the Lord will come in fire, and His chariots shall be like the whirlwind.” What is its name? It is: Chariots of Fire and Whirlwind.[14]

 

 

Merkabah, Litany of Angels

 

In the name of the King’s majesty,

the fourth sovereign Prince shall bless

with seven majestic words

all who walk uprightly. He shall bless all who lay the foundations of truth

with seven marvellous words.

He shall bless all the gods who exalt true knowledge

with seven righteous words

that they may obtain His glorious favours.

 

In the name of His marvellous deeds,

the fifth sovereign Prince shall bless

with seven words of His exalted truth

all who walk in purity.

He shall bless all who eagerly do His will

with seven marvellous words.

He shall bless all who glorify Him

with seven majestic words

that they may praise Him for ever.

 

In the name of the might of God of gods,

the sixth sovereign Prince shall bless

with seven words of His marvellous deeds

all who are mighty in wisdom.

He shall bless all the perfect of way

with seven marvellous words

that they may stand with them that live for ever.

He shall bless all who wait for Him

with seven marvellous words

that they may obtain the return

of the grace of His favours.

 

In the name of His holiness,

the seventh sovereign Prince shall bless

with seven words of His marvellous holiness

all the holy founders of knowledge.[15]

etc.

 

Planetary Spheres

The Seven Steps to the Divinity*

 

The angel said, “To that way are seven camps and seven steps to the Divinity, if I can make someone pass along it. Because the first lodgings are bad and wondrous;

the second fearsome and indescribable;

The third hell and icy cold;

the fourth quarrels and wars;

the fifth, then, investigation - if he is just, he shines, and if he is a sinner, he is darkened

in the sixth, then, the soul of the righteous man sparkles like the sun;

in the seventh, then, having brought him I make him approach the great throne of the Divinity, opposite the garden, facing the glory of God where the sublime light is.”

 

*Note k. ApPaul 14, 16 relates how the angels lead the souls to the presence of God. The idea of seven steps of ascent to the Divinity (which correspond to seven heavens) is widely known... The idea of the seven spheres that bear the planets and that form stages for the ascent of the soul is common Hellenistic thought, and these are sometimes described as the steps of a ladder;... The seven ‘lodgings’ here are comparable with the seven ‘ways’ or ‘orders of ascent of the soul’ after death in 4Ezra 7:80 - 98.[16]

 

The Fourth Book of Ezra

 

...such spirits shall not enter into habitations, but shall immediately wander about in torments, ever grieving and sad, in seven ways.

The first way, because they have scorned the Law of the Most High.

The second way, because they cannot make a good repentance that they may live.

The third way, they shall see the reward laid up for those who have trusted the covenants of the Most High.

The fourth way, they shall consider the torment laid up for themselves in the last days.

The fifth way, they shall see the habitations of the others are guarded by angels in profound quiet.

The sixth way, they shall see how some of them will pass over into torments.

The seventh way, which is worse than all the ways that have been mentioned...

 

Now this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they shall be separated from their mortal body...

 

The first order, because they have striven with great effort to overcome evil thought...

 

The second order, because they see the perplexity in which the souls of the ungodly wander, and the punishment that awaits them.

 

The third order, they see the witness which he who formed then bears concerning them...

 

The fourth order, they understand the rest which they now enjoy, being gathered into their chambers and guarded by angles in profound quiet.

 

The fifth order, they rejoice that they have now escaped what is mortal, and shall inherit what is to come...

 

The sixth order, when it is shown to them how their face is to shine like the sun, and how they are to be made like the light of the stars, being incorruptible from then on.

 

The seventh order, which is greater than all that have been mentioned... for they hasten to behold the face of him whom they served in life and from whom they are to receive their reward when glorified...[17]

 

 

Introduction to 3 Baruch

 

3 Baruch is one of a number of books concerning the visions of a man conducted through the various heavens. Similar visions are recorded in the Testament of Abraham, the Apocalypse of Abraham, 1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, the Testament of Levi, the Vision of Isaiah, and the Merkabah literature. Lists of seven heavens and their contents are also given in the Rabbinic sources. These lists are far from uniform, and different items occur in the various works.[18]

 

The Vision of Isaiah, from the Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah, in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, contains not only Isaiah’s ascent through the seven heavens, but also the descent and ascent of Jesus. The work comes from the early second century A.D. and is an interpolation on a Jewish apocalyptic. The element of the descent and ascent of Jesus is mentioned in various of the early Church Fathers.

 

Isaiah’s ascent (7 - 9) is straight forward through the seven heavens to contemplate the throne of God. However, Jesus’ journeys introduce a new element into the scheme of things.

 

Vision of Isaiah

 

And thus I saw when my Lord went out from the seventh heaven into the sixth heaven. And the angel who had led me from this world was with me, and he said to me: “Understand, Isaiah, and look, that you may see the transformation and descent of the Lord.” And I looked, and when the angels who were in the sixth heaven saw him, they praised and glorified him for he had not been transformed into the form of the angels there...

 

And I saw when he descended into the fifth heaven, that in the fifth heaven he made his form like that of the angels there, and they did not praise him, for his form was like theirs.

 

And I saw when he descended into the fourth heaven, that in the fourth heaven he made his form like that of the angels there, and they did not praise him, for his form was like theirs.

 

Etc., etc. for the rest of the descent of Jesus taking on the forms of the various angels. He is born to the Virgin Mary in a miraculous fashion,

 

...and suckled the breast like an infant, as was customary, that he not be recognized. And when he had grown up, he performed great signs... And after this the adversary envied him...and crucified Him...after the third day he rose and remained many days.

 

Now, the ascent.

 

And the angel who led me said to me: “Understand Isaiah.” And I saw when he sent out the twelve disciples and ascended. And I saw him, and he was in the firmament, but was not transformed into their form. And all the angels of firmament, and Satan, saw him and worshiped. And there was much sorrow there as they said, “How did our Lord descend upon us, and we did not notice the glory which was upon him, which we now see was upon him from the sixth heaven? And he ascended into the second heaven...

 

And he ascended into the third heaven, and in the same way they praised him...

 

And so forth for the rest of the ascent, the angels now recognizing the Lord in his glory.

 

And I saw how he ascended into the seventh heaven, and all the righteous and all the angels praised him. And then I saw that he sat down at the right hand of that Great Glory, whose glory I told you I could not behold.[19]

 

 

Qumran Planetary Mysteries

Eisenman, R. & Wise, M., The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, Element, Brisbane, 1992

 

This work is the First Complete Translation and Interpretation of 50 Key Documents Withheld for Over 35 Years. As first translations, for this reason alone, we should take an interest in these documents. However, why were they “Withheld” for so long, or rather, why were they “Withheld” at all?

 

The suppression of these particular documents seems to be selective. From their content, much of it Mystical, something can be judged of the attitude of the suppressors.

 

Among the documents in the present collection are several of the most sublime and incredible beauty. The Hymns and Mysteries in Chapter 7 are examples, as are the visionary recitals in Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5. In fact, the visionary nature of the Qumran corpus is much underestimated. Texts of this kind border on what goes on in Judaism under the name of Kabbalah, and indeed it is difficult to see how there cannot have been some very direct relationship albeit an underground one. In addition the allusions and ideas contained in the documents of this collection hang together to an astonishing degree. Correspondences are precise; vocabulary clusters, regular. The ideas and images move so consistently from document to document as to awe the investigator. Everything is so homogenous and consistent that there can be little doubt that what we have before us is a movement and the archive, its literature.[20]

 

The Birth of Noah (4Q534-536)

Noah is, therefore, one who is involved in Heavenly ‘ascents’ or ‘journeying’ or at least one who ‘knows’ the Mysteries of ‘the Highest Angels’.

 

This emphasis on ‘Mysteries’ is, of course, strong again in Paul, who in 2 Cor. 12:1-5 speaks of his own ‘visions’ and of knowing someone caught up into the ‘Third Heaven’ or ‘Paradise’. One should also not miss the quasi-Gnostic implications of some of the references to ‘knowing’ and ‘Knowledge’ here and throughout this corpus.[21]

 

The Words of Michael (4Q529)

This text could also be referred to as ‘The Vision of Michael’, clearly belongs to the literature of Heavenly Ascents and visionary recitals just discussed regarding the birth of Noah and alluded to by no less an authority than Paul. Such recitals are also common in the literature relating to Enoch and Revelations. They are part and parcel of the ecstatic and visionary tendencies in the Qumran corpus that succeeding visionaries are clearly indebted to, including those going underground and re-emerging in the Kabbalistic Wisdom of the Middle Ages and beyond...

 

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In the Islamic tradition - a later adumbration clearly owing much to the tradition we see developing here - Gabriel serves as the revealing or dictating Angel co-extensive with what Christian tradition might otherwise be called the Holy Spirit. Here, whatever else one might say of him, Gabriel is the guide in the Highest Heaven - traditions about Muhammad too are not immune from such Heavenly Ascents - not unlike the role Dante ascribes to Virgil and finally Beatrice in his rendition of a similar ecstatic ascent and vision.

 

Here the Archangel Michael ascends to the Highest Heaven. Some practitioners of this kind of mystic journeying speak of three ‘layers’ (again see Paul in 2 Cor. 12:2), some of seven, and some of twelve. He then appears to descend to tell the ordinary Angels what he has seen,...[22]

Text

[(1) The words of the book that Michael spoke to the Angels of God after he had ascended to the Highest Heaven.[23]]

 

The Reference to ‘Miraculous’ or ‘Secret Mysteries’, and the study of the seemingly forbidden subject of ‘Being’ or ‘Existence’,... relate to a whole genre of literature of this kind like the Sefer ha-Razim (Book of Mysteries) and other magical texts from the first few centuries AD with a mystic tendency so frowned on by the Rabbis and yet so much related to the Kabbalah  and the development of medieval and modern Jewish mysticism...[24]

 

Pseudo-Jubilees (4Q227)

The preserved portions of these two fragments appear to contain information about Enoch similar to the Book of Jubilees 4:17-24. A good deal of interest centring around Enoch, as we have noted, was connected with his assumption alive into Heaven and the mysterious allusion in Genesis to ‘walking with God’. This allowed him to be seen as a mystery figure conversant with 1. Heavenly Knowledge - in particular ‘Knowledge’ of an esoteric kind, and 2. scientific knowledge of the kind alluded to in this text - knowledge of the heavenly spheres and their courses. Since he had been there, he could actually measure them.[25]

 

Enoch also becomes one of the precursors of mystical Heavenly journeying or Heavenly Ascents.[26]

 

In Graeco-Roman antiquity, astrology and divination counted among their devotees the best minds of the age. The foremost philosophical school in Rome, the Stoics, were astrology’s strongest advocates. Among Jews, too, astrological ideas had penetrated to the very heart of the Temple in Jerusalem. Josephus informs us that the seven branches of the menorah there symbolize the seven planets[27] then known (among which were counted the sun and moon). He adds that the twelve loaves of the bread of the Presence embody the signs of the zodiac. Some of Jewish writers of the period, such as Artapanus and Pseudo-Eupolemus[28], went so far as to ascribe the discovery of astrology to the patriarch Abraham. Likewise 1 Enoch makes Enoch himself the discoverer and revealer of this kind of knowledge.[29]

 

Brontologion (4Q318)

But James the Just... was also reckoned as one of these primordial rainmakers. This is described in a notice from the fifth-century AD historian Epiphanius, probably based on a lost work about James which he mentions - the Anabathmoi Jacobou (The Ascents of James; Haeres 78:14. Note too the possible allusion to the Mysticism of Heavenly Ascents).[30]

 

Second Ezekiel (4Q385-389)

This text again recapitulates the themes we have been encountering in this chapter. Beginning in Fragment 1 with a more or less familiar vision of Ezekiel’s Chariot.

Text

[(5) the vision that Ezekiel saw... (6) a radiance of a chariot and four living creatures; a living creature.[31]]

 

The Chariots of Glory (4Q286-287)

We call this text, which contains some of the most beautiful and emotive vocabulary in the entire Qumran repertoire, the Chariots of Glory to emphasize its connections with Ezekiel’s visions and Merkabah mysticism. It is a work of such dazzling faith and ecstatic vision that it fairly overwhelms the reader. Of course, it completely gainsays anyone who would challenge the literary audacity, virtuosity and creativity of those responsible for the Qumran corpus.

 

This work, which has obvious affinities with the already published Songs of the Sabbath Service, found at both Qumran and Masada, is a work of what goes by the name in Judaism and Kabbalah of the Mysticism of the Heavenly ‘Chariot’ or ‘Throne’ - so cultivated in the Middle Ages and beyond. If it is not the starting point of this genre, it is certainly one of the earliest extant exemplars of it.[32]

 

Text:

[Manuscript A Fragment 1 (1) the seat of Your Honor and the footstools of the feet of Your Glory, in the [h]eights of Your standing and the ru[ng] (2) of Your Holiness and the chariots of Your Glory with their [mu]ltitudes and wheel-angels, and all [Your] Secrets, (3) Foundations of fire, flames of Your lamp, Splendors of honor, fi[re]s of lights and miraculous brilliances, (4) [hon]or and virtue and highness of Glory, holy Secret and pla[ce of Sp]lendor and highness of the beauty of the Fou[ntain], (5) [majes]ty and the gathering place of power, honor, praise and mighty wonders and healing[s], (6) and miraculous works, Secret Wisdom and image of Knowledge and Fountain of Understanding, Fountain of Discovery (7) and counsel of Holiness and Secret Truth, treasurehouse of Understanding from the sons of Righteousness...[33]]

 

These “Uncovered” documents demonstrate the early Jewish acceptance of the ‘planetary ascent’ and the importance of ‘Gnosis’ in the Mystery of the Knowledge of both one’s self and God.

 

Text

[Now, hear me, all my sons, and I will speak about that Wisdom which God gave me... (2) For He gave me the Knowledge of Wisdom and instruction to teach all the sons of Truth.... (18)Bring forth the Knowledge of your inner self...[34]

 

A Knowing man will bring forth Wisdom.[35]

 

He will make known to you His great Name and you will know Him,..[36]]

 

These documents obviously deal with a ‘Heavenly Ascent’ and a ‘Knowledge’ of ‘Secret Mysteries’ similar to the Planetary Ascent and Gnosis of the Gnostics. Indeed, in these may be the “starting point of this genre” or at least an early testimony to the Jewish planetary and gnostic mysteries. Why were they “Withheld” for so long? What was the problem?

 

What was the problem in Qumran studies that these [the authors’] efforts were aimed at rectifying? Because of the existence of an International Team, giving the appearance of ‘official’ appointment, the public naturally came to see the editions it produced... These editions contained interpretations, which themselves came to be looked on as ‘official’ as well. This is important. Those who did not have a chance to see these texts for themselves were easily dominated by those claiming either to know or to have seen more.

 

This proposition has been put somewhat differently; control of the unpublished manuscripts meant control of the field... Anyone opposing the establishment was dubbed ‘second-rate’; all supporting it, ‘first-rate.’

 

Whatever the alleged justification, no field of study should have to undergo indignities of this kind, all the more so, when what are at issue are ambiguous and sensitive documents critical for a consideration of the history of mankind and civilization in the West.[37]

 

The “International Team’ were nearly all Catholic Christians of the Dominican order. These are the same people who brought you the Crusades against the Cathars and other heretical Christians of Europe and the book-burnings throughout the middle ages and after. Suppressors of thought should never be allowed to have exclusive control of the very documents they have an history of suppressing! It is like putting the wolf in charge of the lambs. That these documents even survived destruction is a miracle in itself. But, there is still the question of what else is currently being suppressed from mankind?

 

The Christians had fifteen hundred years to search out and destroy any and all documents with which they disagreed. By lucky chance the documents we are considering were hidden from the book-burners over the centuries. What have they destroyed? Obviously anything about the Planetary Mysteries which the early Church opposed. They were afraid the Planetary Mysteries might become more popular than the earthly message of the Church. In their fear they struck out at both the philosophers and their books, driving the mysteries underground [literally].

 

 

The Zohar - Devachanic Spheres

 

Said Rabbi Abbi: “The higher or celestial world with its accompanying spheres, though invisible to mortal sight, has its reflection and analogue, namely, the lower world with its circumambient spheres, according to the saying ‘as above, so below’ The works of the Holy One in the celestial world are the type of those in the terrestrial world. The meaning of the words, Brashith, bara Alhim is this, brashith, i.e., the celestial world gave rise or origin to Alhim, the visible divine name that then first became known. Thus Alhim was associated with the creation of the world, as Brashith was connected with the creation of the celestial or invisible world, that being the type,...The heaven on high produced and gave rise to the earth below.”

“It is written, ‘And the earth was without form and void’ (Tohu va Bohu)...[38]

 

Said Rabbi Hiya: “The word Bohu denotes the earth, Gia, whilst the words, ‘and the spirit of Alhim moved upon the face of the waters,’ designate that of Thebel, which is nourished and sustained by the spirit of Alhim, as is also Aretzs, our own abode of earthly existence, which is circumscribed and surrounded by seven spheres analogous to those of the celestial world, all of them being under the domination and control of their particular lords and guardians. The seven spheres of the celestial world are prototypes of those that surround our world and are inhabited by angelic beings who sing the praises of the Holy One, and use their own individual form of worship their rank and order are indicated by the sphere they occupy.

 

“The first of these higher or celestial spheres and nearest to the earth is altogether void of light and is the abode of angels who are like tempestuous winds, never seen but felt,.. They are wholly without form or shape. Its chief and ruler is an angel named Tahariel,...[39]

 

“The second celestial sphere is distinguished from the first by the possession of a modicum of light, and is inhabited by angels appointed to watch over humanity and guide it into the path of uprightness whenever there is danger of its falling into error and wrong doing... Their chief and ruler is called Qadmiel.

 

“The third celestial sphere is pervaded and filled with fire and flame. In it the fiery river Nahar Dinur takes its rise and flows into Gehenna overwhelming and engulfing in its course those mortals whose lives on earth were given up and addicted to evil and wrongdoing... the abode of Samael

 

“The Fourth celestial region is splendidly luminous,... Their chief and ruler is called Padiel...

 

“The fifth celestial sphere... Their worship takes place at midnight.. a chief called Qadashiel...

 

“The Sixth celestial Sphere is nearer to the kingdom of heaven... Its denizens are under the rule of presidents, the chief of whom is named Uriel, who enter on their official duties at certain fixed times. When the time arrives for the ships to go south, Michael is their ruler; and when they go north Gabriel assumes authority and direction; as these two archangels occupy the right and left sides of the Merkaba, [40]  or celestial chariot. When, however the ships sail eastward, Raphael rules, and Uriel when they go westward.

 

“The Seventh Celestial Sphere is the highest and accessible only to souls of the greatest purity and thus qualified to enter into its joys and delight None other are found there. In it are laid up treasures of Peace, blessings and benefits.”[41]

 

As a postscript to the Merkabah mysticism it is interesting to notice that both Parmenides and Empedocles use a “Chariot” to ascend to the truth.

 

First Parmenides, from his poem On Nature, which is divided into two parts, The Way of Truth and The Way of Opinion. The fragment below comes from the Prologue:

 

The mares that carry me as far as my heart may aspire were my escorts;

They guided me and set me on the celebrated road

of the god which carries the man of knowledge.

There I was carried;

for the wise mares were carrying me,

straining at the chariot,

and maidens were leading the way. [42]

 

Now, from Empedocles’ poem, also called On Nature:

 

And you, Muse of long memory, white armed maiden,

I beseech; what it is right for mortals to hear,

send to me, driving the well-reined chariot of piety.[43]