Mysticism and its Results Part 6

[27] Sir William Jones, vol. i., p. 92.

[28] Heeren's Politics of Ancient Greece: Am. ed., 1824, p. 64. Also Bryant's Ancient Mythology, ii., 390.

[29] Encyclopaedia Americana, vol. ix. (1835), p. 118.

[30] Gen. x. 8-12. This is adopting the marginal for the text reading of the pa.s.sage, and the reason for it is this: The above is a clear historical account of those who journeyed to the plains of s.h.i.+nar, which were only the descendants of Cush the father of Nimrod; though a.s.shur is said to have gone and builded the city of Nineveh, with the others mentioned in the text--which a.s.shur was one of the sons of Shem, who perhaps was blended by marriage, or other connections, with his relations the sons of Ham, unless it can be shown that there was one of that name in Ham's descendants as well as Shem's son. It was something particular (if correct) that Moses should bring in a.s.shur into his account of Ham's issue, because he was very strict in giving such relations of j.a.pheth and Shem in their own places.

Would Noah, who was so much disgusted at his son Ham as to curse him, permit the children of his other sons, whom he blessed, to have any communication with his children? Bishop c.u.mberland, in the last century, took some pains to unravel this, and concluded that the marginal translation in our bibles is the right one--that in the text being, "Out of that land went forth a.s.shur, and builded Nineveh", &c.; that in the margin, "And he [Nimrod] went out of that land into a.s.syria"--for a.s.shur generally in scripture signifies _the a.s.syrian_, excepting only in the genealogies: and in support of this he brings forward many authentic testimonies. (See Parsons's Remains of j.a.pheth, p. 15: London, 1767.)

[31] Encyclopaedia Americana, t.i.tle "Mysteries," vol. ix., p. 118.

[32] Deut. xviii. 10.

[33] Livy, iv., c. 22.

[34] 1 Sam. xxviii. 19.

[35] Eccles. xlvi.

[36] Lib. v., c. 92.

[37] Isaiah xxix. 4; also viii. 19.

[38] Alcestis, 1127.

[39] Oedipus, Act iii., 530.

[40] See Rufinius, i., 155.

[41] Phars., vi., 670. This writer proposes hereafter to publish an essay on the intercourse between the living and the dead, as connected with natural magic, even to the present day.

[42] Lib. i., El. ii., 45.

[43] Heeren. Politics Anc. Greece; Am. Ed., p. 68. See also page following.

[44] Rees' Cyclop. vol. vii. voc. "Chaldean Philosophy."

[45] Daniel ii.

[46] The true G.o.d, JAH, was G.o.d over the false deities, Baalim.

[47] Daniel v. 6, 7.

[48] Acts vii. 23.

[49] Disq. Hist. de variis modis occvlte scribendi, Helmstadt. MDccx.x.xvii.

pp. 23-26. "Illud memorandum, quod Kabbalistarum antiquiores etiam ex figura quatuor linearum, quae inuicem sese intersecant, & in medio quadratum efficiunt, occultum scripturae genus excogitarint sequentem in modum. In singulis sectionibus tres collocant litteras a dextra ad sinistram. Quando igitur primam extribus intelligunt, figuram sectionis istuis, in qua reperitur, c.u.m vno puncto scribunt; si alteram, eandam figuram c.u.m duobus punctis; si tertiam, rursus eandem c.u.m tribus punctis."

[50] "Illorum philosophia sublimis, quam _Kabbalam_ vocant, diuersas sub se complect.i.tur species, quarum quaedam huc pertinent. In famossissimo illo libello magico Rasiel, quem Kabbalistae in magna veneratione habent, tria imprimis secreta alphabeta leguntur, quae a communi Ebraicarum litterarum forma & ductu in multis abeunt. Primum vocatur scriptura coelestis; alterum scriptura angelorum sive regum; & tertium scriptura transitus fluvii.--_Disq. Hist._ &c., _ibidem._

[51] Herm. Von der Hardt, celeberrimus aetatis nostrae philologus, duorum etiam singularium alphabetorum meminit, quibus Judaei in amuletis suis conficiendis utuntur. Primum est, si proxima semper pro proecedente subst.i.tuitur littera, nimirum [Hebrew: B] pro [Hebrew: '], [Hebrew: G] pro [Hebrew: B] & sic porro. Hoctegere dic.u.n.tur confessionem suam de vno vero Deo, quam quotidie mane & circa vesperam recitant, & de qua sibi persuadent, quod effica cissimum contra idololatriam proesidium sit, quo quasi proemuniantur, ne a veritate ad falsam religionem desciscant. Alterum alphabetum occultum in eo consist.i.t, quod ordine elementorum in uerso vltimam litteram [Hebrew: T] c.u.m prima [Hebrew: '], & hanc c.u.m illa vicissim permutent, & sic etiam reliquas: quam inversionem [Hebrew: 'TBSH]

dicere moris est. Ex hoc maiusculis litteris in n.o.bilioribus amuletis conspicuum symbolum [Hebrew: MTSPTS] conficiunt, quod nihil iterum aliud, quam nomen Dei [Hebrew: YHWH]. HIERONYMUS, non incelebris primae ecclesiae pater contendit (hereinafter quoted) prophetam _Jeremiam_ hoc scribendi genere vsum fuisse, &, ne regem Babyloniae adversus Ebraeos irritaret, pro rege [Hebrew: BBL] dixisse [Hebrew: SHSHK]. Quin etiam sunt inter Judaeos, qui verba illa apud Danielem [Hebrew: MN' MN' TQL WPRSYN], quae super caenam regis Belsazaris e pariete per miraculum ad stuporem omnium prodibant, eodem modo scripta fuisse, atque iccirco hanc artificiosam litterarum transpositionem a Deo ipso primam originem suam trahere existimant. Sed incerta hoec & transeunda.

[52] Tom. iv. Oper. comment. in Jerem. cxxv., 26, p. 286, edit. Coloniens.

de an. 1616.

[53] See Conf. Lud. Henr. Hillerus, in praefat. mysterii artis stenographicae nouissimi Vlmae an. 1682 editi.

[54] Breithaupt, Disq. Hist., p. 25, notis.

[55] 2 Chron. i. 12.

[56] Ezra vii. 1-6.

[57] Heb. ix. 4: and hereto agree Abarbanel on 1 Kings viii. 9, and R. Levi Ben Gersom.--Prideaux Conn. i. 297.

[58] Deut. x.x.xi. 26: Or, as others interpret it, "by the side of the ark."

_Mittzad_. 1 Sam. vi. 8. 2 Kings xxii. 8. Prideaux i. 297.

[59] Prideaux i. 297.

[60] Vide Buxtorfii Synagogam. c. 14.

[61] 2 Maccabees ii.

[62] 2 Chron. x.x.xv. 3.

[63] Prideaux i. 303-'4. It were well to call to the reader's attention here, the remarkable subterranean discoveries made this year (1856), and still going on in Jerusalem, under the Austrian authorities there.

[64] Prideaux i. 285.

[65] Vol. i., Connex. pp. 383, 384.

[66] Isaiah xlv. 5-7.

[67] Prideaux, Con. i. 389.

[68] Page 25.

[69] Prideaux i. 338-'9.

[70] Plato in Alcibiade i. Stobases, p. 496. Clem. Alex. in Paedagogo i. p.

81.

[71] Prideaux Con. i. 395.

[72] Cicero de Divinatione, l. i. Philo Judaeus de spec. leg. Plutarch in Artaxerxe.

[73] Prideaux i. 404-'5.