Hebrew Literature Part 34

"For He Himself and His whole holy company come, so that with joy they may hear the concealed words, and the praise of Him, the Most Holy Ancient One, the Concealed with all Concealments.

"And He separateth Himself ever more and more; He is separated from all things, neither yet doth He altogether separate Himself, seeing that unto Himself all things adhere, and that He Himself adhereth unto all; HVA, _Hoa_, He Himself is all; He the Most Holy Ancient of all Ancients, the Concealed with all Concealments.

"He hath been formed, and yet as it were He hath not been formed. He hath been conformed, so that He may sustain all things; yet is He not formed, seeing that He is not discovered.

"When He is conformed He produceth nine Lights, which s.h.i.+ne forth from Him, from His conformation.

"And from Himself those Lights s.h.i.+ne forth, and they emit flames, and they rush forth and are extended on every side, like as from an elevated lantern the rays of light stream down on every side.

"And those rays of light,(796) which are extended, when anyone draweth near unto them, so that they may be examined, are not found, and there is only the lantern alone.

"So also is He the Most Holy and Ancient One: He is that highest Light concealed with all concealments, and He is not found; those rays(797) (proceeding from Him) being excepted, which are extended, which are revealed, and which are hidden.

"And they are called the Holy Name, and therefore are all things One.

"Which truly our companions have said in former books, that certain paths have been created by the Most Holy Ancient One, who is revealed through them collectively and severally; since they are the conformations of the Most Holy Ancient One, concerning them now there is not time for examination.

"I have spoken concerning them in the Holy a.s.sembly, and I have beheld that which before I did not understand in such a manner, and I have hidden the matter in my heart.

"But now I alone will describe these things before the Holy King, and all those a.s.suredly just men who have a.s.sembled to hear these words."

Chapter II: Concerning the Skull of the Ancient One, and Concerning His Brain; and Concerning the Three Heads, and the Hair, and the Discriminatory Paths

The skull of the White Head hath not beginning, but its end is the convexity of its joining together, which is extended, and s.h.i.+neth.

And from it the just shall inherit 400(798) desirable worlds in the world to come.

And from this convexity of the joining together of this White Skull daily distilleth a dew into Microprosopus, into that place which is called Heaven; and in that very place shall the dead be raised to life in the time to come.

Like as it is written, Gen. xxvii. 27: "And Elohim shall give thee from the dew of heaven."

And His head is filled with that dew, and all the place of the apple-trees distilleth therewith.

He, the Most Holy Ancient One, is hidden and concealed, and in that Skull is the Supernal Wisdom concealed, who is found and who is not found.

For a.s.suredly in Him, the Ancient One, nothing is revealed save the Head alone, seeing that that Head is itself the Head of all heads.

The beginning of that Supernal Wisdom which also is itself the Head, is hidden therein, and is called the Supernal Brain, the Hidden Brain, the Tranquil and Calm Brain; neither doth any man know it, save He Himself.

Three Heads have been formed forth, one within the other, and the other above the other.

One Head is the Concealed Wisdom, which is covered and is not disclosed.

And this Hidden Wisdom is the Head of all things, and the Head of the remaining Wisdoms.

The Supernal Head is the Most Holy Ancient One, the Concealed with all Concealments.

The Head of all Heads, the Head which is not a Head(799)-namely, that which is _in_ that Head-neither knows nor is known, because it cannot be comprehended either by Wisdom or Understanding.

And therefore is it read, Num. xxiv. 11: "Fly thee in thy place;" and Ezek. i. 14. The _Chaioth_, living creatures, are said to run forth and return.

And therefore is the Most Holy Ancient One called AIN, _Ain_, the Negatively Existent; seeing that back from Him dependeth the AIN, the Negative Existence.(800)

But all those hairs and all those locks depend from the Hidden Brain.

And all are calm (otherwise, are disposed) in the Equilibrium; neither in any manner is the neck seen (_i.e._, because of the locks which overshadow it).

Because He the Most Holy Ancient One is in an unvarying condition of joy, neither changeth He from mercy forever.

But in the thirteen measurements(801) of mercies is He found, because that Wisdom hidden in Him is divided into three(802) paths in a quaternary, and He Himself the Ancient One comprehendeth them, and through them doth He reign over all things.

One (path) which s.h.i.+neth in the midst of the hairs going forth from the Skull, is that path by whose light the just are led into the world to come.

Like as it is written, Prov. iv. 18, "And the path of the just s.h.i.+neth as the Light."

And concerning this it is written, Isa. lviii. 14, "Then shalt thou delight thyself in Tetragrammaton."

And from that path(803) are all the other paths illuminated which depend from Microprosopus.

He the Eternal Ancient of the Ancient Ones is the highest Crown among the Supernals, wherewith all Diadems and Crowns are crowned.

And from Him are all the Lights illuminated, and they flash forth flames, and s.h.i.+ne.

But He verily is the Supreme Light, which is hidden, which is not known.

And all the other Lights are kindled by Him, and derive (their) splendor (from him).

He the Most Holy Ancient One is found to have three heads, which are contained in the One Head.(804)

And He Himself is that only highest supreme Head.

And since He the Most Holy Ancient One is thus symbolized in the Triad, hence all the other Lights which s.h.i.+ne are included in Triads.(805)

Moreover, the Most Holy Ancient One is also symbolized by the Duad.

And the division of the Ancient One in the Duad is so that the (one form is) the Highest Crown of all the Supernals, the Head of all Heads.

And (the other is) that superior Head, and It is not known.

So also all the remaining Lights are mystically divided into Duads.

Furthermore, the Most Holy Ancient One is symbolized and concealed under the conception of the Unity, for He himself is One, and all things are One.

And thus all the other Lights are sanctified, are restricted, and are bound together in the Unity or Monad, and are One; and all things are HVA, _Hoa_, Himself.