Page images
PDF
EPUB

with me; fear not, for that which you see approaching amidst many voices is the glory of the Primeval One who loves you, but himself you do not see. But let not your spirit grow faint at the loud cries, for I am with you to strengthen you."

XVII.

He was still speaking, when behold, fire surrounded us, and a voice was in the fire, as the voice of many waters, and the sound of the raging sea. And the angel bowed with me and prayed. And I was about to fall upon the earth, for the high place upon which we stood reeled and trembled. He said: "Only pray, Abraham, and repeat the song which I taught you." Then I prayed saying the song. Then he said: "Speak without ceasing." Then I spoke and he himself uttered this song with me:

Primeval, Almighty, Holy El, God, Sole Ruler, SelfCreated, Incorruptible, Spotless, Eternal, Immortal, Faultless, Self-Perfected, Self-Enlightened, with no father, no mother, Unbegotten, Supreme, Glowing, Upright, Loving Mankind, Benevolent, Kind, Bountiful, Watchful of Me, Long Suffering and Most Gracious El, (That is my God) Everlasting, Mighty, Holy, Sabaoth, Most Lordly, El, El, El, El, Iaoel! Thou art he whom my soul loves, Protector, Eternal, brighter than fire, more full of light, whose voice is like thunder, whose glance is like lightning, Many-eyed, who acceptest the prayers of those who revere thee, and turnest away from the petitions of those who comprehend thee by their passions; thou who resolved the confusions of the world caused by the godless, contesting with the righteous in past ages; thou who renewest the æons of the righteous! Thou, O Light, shinest before the dawn upon thy creatures, so that from thy countenence there is day on earth; and in thy heavenly abode, no other light abideth save the inexpressible glance of the light of thy countenance! Accept my prayer and be glad therein and in my offering prepared for me by thine own self, because I sought thee. Accept me, show me, teach me, and cause thy servant to know as thou hast promised."

XVIII.

As I repeated the song, the flames of fire arose, and I heard a voice like the raging of the sea. And as the fire was lifted, I saw beneath the fire a flaming throne, and around it, many-eyed beings repeating the song, and beneath the throne, four fiery, living beings singing, and all looked alike, each of them had four faces,-one was like a lion, one like a man, one like an ox, and one like an eagle; four heads were upon their bodies, so that the four animals had sixteen faces, and each had six wings, extending from their shoulders, their sides and their thighs. The wings from their shoulders covered their faces, the wings from their thighs covered their feet, but those of their sides were spread out as if for flying. And when they finished singing, they viewed one another menacingly. And when the angel who was with me saw them threaten one another he left me and ran to them and turned the face of each creature away from the one opposite, so that they could not see one another's threatening faces.

And he taught to them the primeval song of peace. And as I stood alone and looked, I saw behind the living beings a chariot with fiery wheels; each wheel had many eyes around about it; and above the wheels I saw the throne covered with fire flaming around about it. And behold an indescribable light encompassed a fiery multitude. And I heard their sanctified voices, like unto the voice of one

man.

XIX.

And a voice came to me from the midst of the fire saying: "Abraham, Abraham," and I answered: "Behold, here I am." And it said: "Behold the expanse under the plain upon which you now stand. There is no other in all space, save Him whom you have sought, and who loves you." And as he still spoke, behold the expanse opened itself, and below me the heavens. And I saw upon the seventh firmament upon which I stood, a spreading, fiery light, and dew, and a multitude of angels, and a power of invisible glory over the living beings besides whom I saw no one else there.

And I looked downward from the mountain upon which I stood, upon the sixth heaven, and saw there a multitude of spiritual, bodiless, angels who fulfilled the commands of the fiery angels who dwelt upon the seventh heaven. And behold also upon this firmament was no other power except that of the seventh firmament, nor were there other shapes than the spiritual angels. And the voice commanded that the sixth heaven should disappear, and I saw the powers of the stars of the fifth heaven whom the elements of earth obey.

XX.

Then the Primeval, the Strong One spoke to me: "Abraham, Abraham," and I answered: "Behold, here I am." And he said: "Behold, from above the stars which are beneath you. Count them for me, and tell me their number." And I replied: "How can I? for I am a man, dust and ashes!" And He said to me: "As the number and power of the stars shall I make your seed to a nation; yea to a select and chosen people, separate from the inheritance of Azazel." Then I said: "Primeval One, Almighty. Allow thy servant to speak before thee, and let not thy wrath be kindled against thy chosen one. Behold, before thou didst lead me up, Azazel derided me, why now, since he abideth not before thee, hast thou established him, and given him a place?"

XXI..

He said to me: "Now look beneath your feet upon the plane and recognize the pre-formed creature upon this firmament, and the beings thereon; and the æons prepared before." And I saw below the plane of my feet the fifth firmament and what therein was, and in it the earth and its fruits, and all that moved upon it, and its spirits, and the power of its men, and the wickedness of their souls, and their dispensations of righteousness, and the beginnings of their works, the abyss with its tortures, and the lowest, and the destruction therein. And I saw there the sea, its islands, animals and fishes, the Leviathan and his possessions and his home

and his lurking place and the world which lay upon him and his movements and the disturbances of the world for his sake. And I saw rivers, their sources and their courses; and I saw there the garden of Eden, its fruits and springs, and the river which flows from it, its trees and their blossoms, and those who deal honestly. And I saw in the garden their

food and their salvation. And I saw a host of men, women, and children, one-half on the right side, and the other onehalf on the left side of the picture.

XXII.

And I said: "Primeval One, Strong One, what is this picture of the creature?" And he said to me: "This is my will in relation to that which has a being in the Council, and it became pleasing before me, and then afterwards I commanded them to be through my word. And it came to pass that as many as I had authorized to exist, before portraid in this picture, and had stood before me pre-created,-as many as you

have seen."

And I said: "Ruler, Strong One, Thou Who Wast Before the World, Who are the multitude in this picture, on the right hand and on the left?"

And He said to me: "These upon the left side are the multitude of former generations, and those to come after you. These for judgment and order; those for vengeance and destruction at the end of the world. But those on the right side of the picture are the people chosen for me, separated from the peoples of Azazel. These are those which I have prepared to be born through you and to be called my people."

XXIII.

"Behold also in the picture him who led Eve estray; and behold the fruit of the tree; and know that which is to be, and the numbers of your seed among men at the end of the days of the world; and that which surpasses your understanding, I shall make plain to you, for you are pleasing before me, and to you will I make known the secrets of my heart.”

And I looked about in the picture, and my eyes rested upon the side of the Paradise, Eden, and I saw there a man, very tall, broad and matchless in appearance, in embrace with a woman who equalled the man in growth and physique. And they stood under A Tree of Eden, and the fruit of this tree was like unto the grape of the vine; and behind the tree stood a being like a serpent in form, having hands and feet similar to a man, and wings on its shoulders, six on its right, and six on its left; and they held the grape of the tree in their hands; and they whom I saw embracing loved each other. And I said: "Who are those who mutually embrace? Who is the one that exists between them? What is the fruit which they eat? O Strong One, Primeval One!" And he said: "This is the council of men, this is Adam, and this is their desire on earth, this is Eve, but that which is between them is the wickedness of their act leading to destruction, that is Azazel himself." And I said: "Primeval One, Strong One, why hast to destroy with such effectiveness the generations of mankind? thou imparted to this being, in his works upon the earth, power. And he said to me: "Hear, Abraham, those who desire the Evil, and as many as go against my will, and practice evil, over them have I given him power to be loved by them." And I answered and said: "Primeval One, Strong One, why hast thou so planned that Evil should be desired in the hearts of men, since thou indeed art angry over that which thou intended, and with him who by the decree doeth the useless thing?"

XXIV.

And he spake to me thus: "Being angry with the nations because of you, and because of the chosen people, and the mission of your generations which you behold in the picture, I show unto you what shall come to pass in the last days. Look now upon all things in the picture." And I looked and saw there that which had been before me in creation. I saw like as if it were Adam and with him Eve, and with them the Evil Enemy, and Cain who had through this enemy become a transgressor, and the slain Abel, and the destruction which was

« PreviousContinue »