THE BOOK JEZIRAH. Mishnah 4. Three mothers, DN-in the year: fire, and water, and wind. Heat is created from fire, cold from water, and the moderate from the wind (air) that is intermediate between them. Three mothers, VDN—in the nephesh: fire, water, and wind. The head was created from fire, and the belly from water, and the body from wind that is intermediate between them. Mishnah 5. Three mothers, WD-He drew them, and hewed them, and melted them together, and sealed with them the three mothers in the world, the three mothers in the year, and the three mothers in the nephesh—male and female. (Now follows a further mystical development and application.) The letter He made King in the Spirit, and bound upon him the crown (this refers to farther mystical signs indicated in the Kabbalistic figure drawn on p. 438 of the History of the Jewish Nation'), and melted them one with the other, and sealed with them: in the world the air, in the soul life, and in the nephesh (living thing) body—the male He made King in the waters, and bound on it אשם the female with אמש with the crown, and melted them one with the other, and sealed: in the world earth, and in the year cold, and in the nephesh the belly-male and female, male in D, and female in NVD. He made King in the fire, and bound on it the crown, and melted them one with the other, and sealed with it: in the upper world the heavens, in the year heat, in the nephesh the head—male and female. PEREK IV. Mishnah 1. Seven duplicate letters, (it will here be noticed that we now proceed from the numeral 3 to the further mystical numeral 7), accustomed (habituated, adapted, fitted) for two languages (correlate ideas): life, and peace, and wisdom, and riches, grace, and seed, and government (the mystic number 7 will here be noted), and accustomed (fitted) for two tongues (modes of pronunciation) 693 APP. V the formation of soft and hard, the formation of strong-בב' גג' דר' ככ' פפ' רר' תת' and weak (the dual principle will here be observed); duplicate, because they are opposites: the opposites-life and death; the opposites-peace and evil; the opposites -wisdom and folly; the opposites-riches and poverty; the opposites-grace and ugliness; the opposites-fertility and desolation; the opposites-rule and servitude. Mishnah 2. Seven duplicate letters, ; corresponding to the seven outyoings; from them seven outgoings: above and below, east and west, north and south, and the holy Temple in the middle, and it upbears the whole. Mishnah 3. Seven duplicates, ; He drew them, and hewed them, and melted them, and formed from them, in the world the stars (the planets), in the year the days, in the nephesh the issues, and with them He drew seven firmaments, and seven earths, and seven Sabbaths, therefore He loves the seventh under all heavens. Mishnah 4. Two letters build two houses (here the number of possible permutations are indicated, see Ginsburg, The Kabbalah, p. 154). Three letters build six houses, four build twenty-four houses, five build 120 houses, six build 720 houses, and from thence go onward and think what the mouth is not able to speak, and the ear not able to hear. And these are the stars in the world-seven: the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars. And these are the days in the year; the seven days of creation; and the seven gates of issue in the nephesh: two eyes, two ears, and a mouth, and the two nostrils. And with them were drawn the seven firmaments, and the seven earths, and the seven times; therefore loved He the seventh above all that is of delight under the heavens. Mishnah 1. The properties of the twelve simple letters (or their attributes)— py vojon n—their foundation: sight, hearing, smell, speech, eating, concubitus, working, walking, anger, laughter, thinking, sleep. Their measurements twelve boundaries in the hypothenuse (points in transverse lines); the boundary N.E., the boundary S.E., the boundary E. upwards, the boundary E. downwards, the boundary N. upwards, the boundary N. downwards, the boundary S. W., the boundary N.W., the boundary W. upwards, the boundary W. downwards, the boundary S. upwards, the boundary S. downwards, and they extend and go on into the eternal (boundless space), and they are the arms of the world. Mishnah 2. Twelve simple letters, py von. He drew them, and melted them, and formed of them the twelve constellations in the world (signs of the Zodiac): Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces (these are expressed in the original in an abbreviated, contracted form). These are the twelve months of the year: Nisan, Ijar, Sivan, Tamus, Ab, Elul, Tishri, Marcheshvan, Chislev, Tebeth, Shebet, Adar (thus the number twelve is marked, first in the functions of man, then in the points of the compass, then in the starry skies, and then in the year). And these are the twelve leaders in nephesh (living beings): two hands, and two feet, and two kidneys, the spleen, the liver, the gall, the intestine, the upper stomach, the lower stomach (perhaps gullet, stomach, and intestine at any rate, three organs connected with deglutition and digestion). He made them like a land (province), and set them in order like war, and also—this as against that, ordered God. Three mothers, which are three fathers, because from them issue fire, wind, and water. Three mothers, and seven duplicate, and twelve simple ones. Mishnah 3. These are the twenty-two letters with which the Holy One has founded (all), blessed be He, Jah, Jehovah Zebaoth, the Living God, the God of Israel, high and lifted up, dwelling eternally, and holy is His Name, exalted and holy is He. PEREK VI. Mishnah 1. Three fathers and their generations, seven subduers and their hosts (planets ?), seven boundaries of hypothenuse-and the proof of the matter: faithful witnesses are the world, the year, and the nephesh. The law (statute, settled order) of the twelve, and of the seven, and of the three, and they are appointed over the heavenly dragon, and the cycle, and the heart. Three: fire, and water, and wind (air); the fire above, the water below, and the wind (air) the statute intermediate between them. And the demonstration of the matter: the fire bears the water, is silent, ♥ hisses, and is the statute intermediate between them (all these have further mystic meaning and application in connection with words and ideas). א Mishnah 2. The dragon is in the world like a king on his throne; the cycle is in the year like a king in his land; the heart is in the nephesh like a king in war. Also in all that is pursued God has made the one against the other (opposite poles and their reconciliation): the good against the evil; good from good, and evil from evil; the good trying the evil, and the evil trying the good; the good is kept for the good, and the evil is kept for the evil. seven are divided, three as against Twelve are in war: three loving, The three loving ones: the heart, Mishnah 3. Three are one, that standeth alone; three, and the statute intermediate between them. three hating, three giving life, three giving death. the ears, and the mouth; the three hating ones: the liver, the gall, and the tongue— HISTORIC THEOLOGY. and God a faithful king reigning over all: one (is) over three, three over seven, seven over twelve, and they are all joined together, the one with the other. Mishnah 4. And when Abraham our father had beheld, and considered, and seen, and drawn, and hewn, and obtained it, then the Lord of all revealed Himself to him, and called him His friend, and made a covenant with him and with his seed; and he believed in Jehovah, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. He made with him a covenant between the ten toes, and that is circumcision; between the ten fingers of his hand, and that is the tongue; and He bound two-and-twenty letters on his tongue, and showed him their foundation. He drew them with water, He kindled them with fire, He breathed them with wind (air); He burnt them in seven; He poured them forth in the twelve constellations. The views expressed in the Book Jezirah are repeatedly referred to in the Mishnah and in other of the most ancient Jewish writings. They represent, as stated at the outset, a direction long anterior to the Mishnah, and of which the first beginnings and ultimate principles are of deepest interest to the Christian student. The reader who wishes to see the application to Christian metaphysics and theology of the Kabbalah, of which Jezirah is but the first word, is referred to a deeply interesting and profound work, strangely unknown to English scholars: Molitor, Philosophie d. Gesch. oder über d. Tradition, 4 vols. English readers will find much to interest them in the now somewhat rare work of the Rev. John Oxley: The Christian Doctrine of the Trinity and Incarnation (London, 1815, 2 vols.). The principles laid down in the Book Jezirah are further carried out and receive their fullest (often most remarkable) development and application in the book Sohar (Splendour '-the edition used by us is the 8vo. edition, Amsterdam, 1805, in 3 vols., with the Amsterdam edition of the Tikkuné Sohar; other Kabbalistic books used by us need not here be mentioned). The main portion of the Sohar is in the form of a Commentary on the Pentateuch, but other tractates are interspersed throughout the volumes. 5. Dogmatic Theology.—This is fully treated of in the text of these volumes. 6. Historic Theology.—To describe and criticise the various works which come under this designation would require the expansion of this Appendix into a Tractate. Some of these compositions have been referred to in the text of these volumes. For a general account and criticism of them I must again refer to the 'History of the Jewish Nation' (see especially the chapters on 'The Progress of Arts and Sciences among the Jews,' and 'Theological Science and Religious Belief in Palestine'). For the historical and critical account of Rabbinic historical works the student is referred to Zunz, Gottesd. Vortr. d. Juden, ch. viii. The only thing which we shall here attempt is a translation of the so-called Megillath Taanith, or Roll of Fasts'; rather, a Calendar of the days on which fasting and mourning was prohibited. The oldest part of the document (referred to in the Mishnah, Taan. ii. 8) dates from the beginning of the second century of our era, and contains elements of even much greater antiquity. That which has come down of it is here given in translation: 1 1 All the glosses on and in the text have been omitted. The edition of the Tractate in its present form used by us is that of Warshau, 1874, and consists (with comments) of 20 octavo (double) pages. For the criticism of the work see specially Grätz, Gesch. d. Juden, vol. iii. pp. 415-428, and Derenbourg, Hist. de la Palest. pp. 439-446. A special tractate on the subject is Schmilg's inaugural dissertation, 695 APP. V APP. V MEGILLATH TAANITH, OR ROLL OF FASTS. These are the days on which it is not lawful to fast, and during some of them mourning must also be intermitted. I. NISAN. 1. From the 1st day of the month Nisan, and to the 8th of it, it was settled about the daily sacrifice (that it should be paid out of the Temple-treasury)—mourning is prohibited. 2. And from the 8th to the end of the Feast (the 27th) the Feast of Weeks was re-established-mourning is interdicted. II. IJAR. 1. On the 7th Ijar the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem-mourning is prehibited. 2. On the 14th is the day of the sacrifice of the little (the second) Passover -mourning is prohibited. 3. On the 23rd the sons of Acra 1 issued from Jerusalem. 4. On the 27th the imposts were removed from Judæa and Jerusalem. III. SIVAN. 1. On the 17th Sivan the tower of Zur was taken. 2. On the 15th and 16th the men of Bethshean and of the plain were exiled. IV. TAMUS. 1. On the 14th Tamus the Book of Decisions (aggravating ordinances') was abrogated-mourning is prohibited. V. AB. 1. On the 15th Ab the season of wood-offerings (for the Temple use) of priests (comp. Jos. War ii. 17. 6)—mourning is prohibited. 2. On the 24th we returned to our Law. VI. ELUL. 1. On the 7th of Elul the day of the Dedication of Jerusalem-mourning prohibited. 2. On the 17th the Romans withdrew from Judæa and Jerusalem. 3. On the 22nd we returned to kill the apostates. VII. TISHRI. 1. On the 3rd Tishri the mention of the Divine Name was removed from public deeds. advantage of the marginal notes and correc- 1 We abstain from giving historical notes. For the different explanations of the commemorative dates the reader is referred to the books already mentioned. TRANSLATION OF THE MEGILLATH TAANITH. VIII. MARCHESHVAN. 1. On the 23rd Marcheshvan the Sorigah (a partition-wall in the Temple, supposed to have been erected by the heathen, comp. 1 Macc. iv. 43-46) was removed from the Temple-court. 2. On the 25th the wall of Samaria was taken. 3. On the 27th the meat-offering was again brought on the altar. IX. CHISLEV. 1. On the 3rd the Simavatha (another heathen structure) was removed from the court of the Temple. 2. On the 7th is a feast day. 3. On the 21st is the day of Mount Garizim-mourning is prohibited. 4. On the 25th the eight days of the Feast of Lights (Chanukah) beginmourning is prohibited. X. TEBETH. 1. On the 28th the congregation was re-established according to the Law. (This seems to refer to the restoration of the Sanhedrin after the Sadducean members were removed, under the rule of Queen Salome. See the historical notices in Appendix IV.) XI. SHEBET. 1. On the 2nd a feast day 1-mourning is prohibited. 2. On the 22nd the work, of which the enemy said that it was to be in the Temple, was destroyed-mourning is interdicted. (This seems to refer to the time of Caligula, when, on the resistance of the Jews, the statue of the Emperor was at last not allowed to be in the Temple.) 3. On the 28th King Antiochus was removed from Jerusalem (supposed to refer to the day of the death of Antiochus, son of Antiochus Epiphanes, in his expedition against the Parthians). XII. ADAR. 1. On the 8th and the 9th, days of joy on account of rain-fall. 2. On the 12th is the day of Trajan. 3. On the 13th is the day of Nicanor (his defeat). 4. On the 14th and on the 15th are the days of Purim (Feast of Esther)— mourning is prohibited. 5. On the 16th was begun the building of the wall of Jerusalem-mourning is prohibited. 6. On the 17th rose the heathens against the remnant of the Scribes in the country of Chalcis and of the Zabedæans, and Israel was delivered. 7. On the 20th the people fasted for rain, and it was granted to them. 8. On the 28th the Jews received good tidings that they would no longer be hindered from the sayings of the Law-mourning is prohibited. On these days every one who has before made a vow of fasting is to give himself to prayer. (In extenuation of the apparent harshness and literality of our renderings, it should be stated, that both the Sepher Jezirah and the Megillath Taanith are here for the first time translated into English.) This feast seems to refer to the death of King Herod; that on the 7th Chislev to the death of King Jannæus. 697 APP. V |