esoterica7 celestial ascent -...

Esoterica 7: Celestial AscentWilliam J. Hamblin

An important characteristic of ancient Jewish and Christian religion that is related

to the concept of the sôd of YHWH was the celestial ascent--when a human would ascend

into heaven, enter into the sôd of YHWH, receive revelation, and return to earth as God’s

messenger or representative. In the Hebrew Bible the idea that humans can stand in the

sôd implies the ability of the prophet to somehow ascend into heaven. In fact the two

concepts are mutually interdependent--you cannot participate in the sôd unless you

ascend to heaven, and the point of the celestial ascent to to attend the sôd.

Although sometimes transparent to readers not attuned to the concept, the motif

and mythos1 of celestial ascent is widespread in the Bible as can be seen from the

following lists of assent narratives that can be divided into five periods and categories:

1- Hebrew Bible; 2- Second Temple Jewish Texts (Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha);

3- New Testament; 4- Early Christian Writings; 5- Hekhalot and Merkabah Jewish texts.

Thus, ascent mythos and narratives can be widely found in all forms of Israelite religion,

and in early Judaism and Christianity.2 This commonality indicates that ascent mythos

was probably a foundational element in these religions. In the following pages I will

briefly list the major ascent texts in each of these five categories. (Some of these texts

are more explicitly ascent oriented narrative than others, which contain only ascent

motifs.)

Hamblin: Celestial Ascent 1 June 6, 2011

1 By mythos I mean the set of assumptions, traditions, beliefs, rituals, interpretations, sacred texts, and narratives of a religious community.

2 Ascent mythos and narratives are also important in the third Abrahamic religion, Islam.

1- Hebrew Bible

Enoch = Genesis 5:18-24 (cf. Hebrews 11:5; Jude 1:14-15; 1 Enoch 1:9)

Jacob = Genesis 28:12-22

Moses = Exodus 3; Exodus 19:3-25; Exodus 24:9-18 (with the Elders); Exodus 33-34

Micaiah = 1 Kings 22:1-40

Elijah = 1 Kings 19:11-18; 2 Kings 2:1-15; Malachi 4:5-6 (cf. 1 Macc. 2:58; Sirach

48:9-10)

Isaiah = Isaiah 6

Ezekiel = Exekiel 1; Ezekiel 10; (and perhaps Ezekiel 40-48)

Daniel = Daniel 7:11-14

Joshua the High Priest = Zechariah 3

Psalms 49 and 73


2- Second Temple Jewish Texts (4th century BC - 2nd century AD)

Adam: Life of Adam and Eve, 25-29 [OTP 2:266-8]3

Enoch

Sirach 44:16, 49:14; W. Sol. 4:10-11 (Apocrypha)

Enoch Pseudepigrapha

1 Enoch [OTP 1:13-89] (Main ascent material found in 1 Enoch 12-16, 70-71)

2 Enoch 3-35 [OTP 1:102-221; esp. 1:102-4, 1:110-61, 1:194-7]

3 Enoch [OTP 255-315] (Merkabah text)

cf. 1 Clem 9:3 [LCLG 24:23]

Abraham

Apocalypse of Abraham 9-32 [OTP 1:693-705];

Testament of Abraham 10-15 [OTP 1:887-93]

Moses:

Assumption of Moses [Charles APOT 407-24]

3 Enoch 15B:2-5 [OTP 1:303-4]

Christian

Clement, Strom. 4.15; Eusebius, Preparation of the Gospel 9.28

Hellenistic

Josephus, Ant 4.8.48 (325-6); Philo, Life of Moses 2.51 (288-92);

New Testament References

Mk 9:2-10=Mr 17:1-9=Lk 9:28-36 (Moses at Transfiguration);

Rev 11:1-13 (Two Witnesses, cf. Apoc. of Elijah 4:7-19 = OTP 1:747-8)

Jude 1:9 (= Assumption of Moses)

Levi: Testament of Levi, 2-8 [OTP 1:788-91]


3 OTP = Charlesworth, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, 2 vols. (1983-1985)

Elijah:4

Mk 9:2-10=Mt 17:1-9=Lk 9:28-36 (Moses at Transfiguration);

Rev 11:1-13 (Two Witnesses)

Isaiah: Ascension of Isaiah 6-11 [OTP 2:164-76]

Zephaniah: Apocalypse of Zephaniah 5-12 [OTP 1:508-516]

Baruch: 3 Baruch 1-17 [OTP 1:662-79]

Ezra

4 Ezra 10:25-59 [OTP 1:516-559]

Greek Apocalypse of Ezra [OTP 1:571-9]

Vision of Ezra [OTP 1:587-90, esp. 590]

Questions of Ezra [OTP 1:596-9]

Dead Sea Scrolls

There are numerous ascent motifs in various DSS. For a full discussion, see

Alexander, P. The Mystical Texts: Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice and Related

Texts, London: Continuum, 2007 and Collins, J. “A Throne in the Heavens,” in his

The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 2nd ed.

(2010), pp. 149-170.


4 Stone, M. E., and J. Strugnell. The Books of Elijah. (Society of Biblical Literature, 1979)

3- New Testament (1st century AD)

Hebrew Bible Background = Ps 24, Ps 82, Ps 110 (→ Acts 2:29-35, Mt 22:44),

Ps 139:8, Prov. 30:4

Jesus

Ascent sayings (only in John)

Jn 3:13-5 (teachings to Nicodemus); Jn 6:60-66

Jn 20:11-18 (with Mary in Garden)

Transfiguration5

Mt 17:1-9 ≈ Mk 9:2-10 ≈ Lk 9:28-36 (not in John)

Post-resurrection Ascent of Jesus6

Mk 16:14-20; Lk 24:44-53; Acts 1:6-12; Phil 2:5-11

Eph 1:20-1, 2:4-7, 4:8-10 (cf. Ps 68:1-9, 17-20); Rom 10:6-10

Heb 1:3,13, 2:6-11, 4:14, 7:26, 8:1, 9:11, 24; 10:11-12; 12:2

1 Pet 3:18-22; 1 Tim 3:16

Second Coming

Mt 24:29-31; Mk 13:24-7; Lk 21:25-8

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Paul7

2 Cor 12:1-9; Gal 1:11-17; 2 Cor 3:18-4:6; 1 Cor 15

Revelation

Rev 1:5-20, 4-5, 7, 11:3-13, 19:1-10, 21, 22:1-7


5 A synoptic parallel version is in the course material from Aland, Kurt, Synopsis of the Four Gospels, 9th ed. (German Bible Society, 1989).

6 See bibliography cited by F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles, 3rd ed. (Eerdmans, 1990), 104; ABD 1:472-4; see also later Christian traditions in Epistle of the Apostles 12-13, 51 (ANT 563-4, 588); Gospel of Peter (ANT 150-8)

7 Alan F. Segal, “Paul’s Ecstasy,” Paul the Convert. (Yale, 1990), pp. 34-71; Tabor, J. Things Unutterable: Paul’s Ascent to Paradise in its Greco-Roman, Judaic, and Early Christians Contexts, (Lanham, 1986)

4- Early Christian Writings

It is important to note that although Jewish Second Temple ascent texts (#2

above) were written by Jews, those texts were read, preserved, and transmitted almost

entirely by Christians from the second century AD on. Nearly all these texts disappeared

from the Rabbinic tradition after the second century AD, after which they were replaced

by the Hekhalot and Rabbinic mythos and texts (#5 below). Hence many of the Jewish

ascent texts became Christian texts, just as the Hebrew Bible became Christian texts.

Ascension of Isaiah;

Apocalypse of Paul;

Apocalypse of the Virgin Mary;

Apocalypse of Esdras;

Testament of Isaac 6;

Testament of Jacob 5;

Apocalypse of James;

Mysteries of St. John the Apostle and the Holy Virgin;

Apocalypse of Sedrach,

Story of Zosimus;

Apocalypse of the Virgin;

Book of the Resurrection by Bartholomew the Apostle 17b-19b.

Coptic Apocalypse of Paul; (Nag Hammadi)

Paraphrase of Shem (Nag Hammadi)

Zostrianos (Nag Hammadi)


5- Jewish Hekhalot and Merkabah ascent narratives (1st to 6th century AD)

For full Bibliography of major translations and studies of Merkabah and Hekhalot texts,

see http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/Biblios/mmhie.pdf.

5.a Ma’aseh Be-Reshit (“Work of Creation”) Literature (ODJR 431)8

Genesis Rabbah (ODJR 268)

H. Freedman, M. Simon, Midrash Rabbah, 2 vols. 3rd ed. (Soncino, 1961)

J. Neusner, Genesis Rabbah, 3 vols. (Atlanta: SBL 1985)

Baraiyta’ de-Ma’aseh Be-Rashit

Meltzer, Secret Garden, pp. 3-20

Merkavah Rabba (“The Great Chariot”)

Midrash Qonen

Midrash Tadshe’

Sefer Yeṣira {3-4C} (ODJR 618)

Hayman, Peter, Sefer Yeṣira, (Tubingin: Mohr Siebeck, 2004)

Kaplan, Ayreh, Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation, 2nd ed. (Weiser, 1997)

5b. Ma’aseh Merkavah (“Work of the Chariot”) Literature (ODJR 431-2)

Ma’aseh Merkabah

Janowitz, Naomi. The Poetics of Ascent.

Re’uyyot Yehezqe’l

Jacobs, Louis. Jewish Mystical Testimonies. (Schocken, 1997) Chapter 3

Eliezar ben Yehudah of Worms, Sod ha-Merkavah (“Mystery of the Chariot)

Sefer ha-Bahir {late 12C} (ODJR 615)

Kaplan, Aryeh (tr.), The Bahir: Illumination, (Weiser, 1989)

5c. Hekhalot (“Temples”) Literature

Hekhalot Rabbati

chapters 15-29 in D. Blumenthal’s Understanding Jewish Mysticism (Ktav, 1978)


8 ODJR = Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion

http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/Biblios/mmhie.pdf

http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/Biblios/mmhie.pdf

Hekhalot Zutarti9

3 Enoch = Sefer Hekhalot (ABD 2:522-6)

OTP 1:223-316

Odeberg, Hugo. 3 Enoch or The Hebrew Book of Enoch. (Ktav, 1973)

Sefer ha-Razim {4C} (ODJR 616)

Morgan, Michael. Sefer ha-Razim. The Book of the Mysteries. (SBL, 1983).

Shi’ur Qomah {6-7C} (ODJR 638)

Cohen, Martin (tr.), The Shiur Qomah: Texts and Recensions, (Tugingen, 1985)

Sefer Razi’el (ODJR 616-7)

Savedow, S. (tr.), Sepher Rezial Hemelach: The Book of the Angel Rezial, (2000)

Implications

From these lists it is obvious that the ancient celestial ascent mythos was

ubiquitous in Israelite religion, early Christianity, and early Judaism. Furthermore, a

careful analysis of the texts of all five of these traditions demonstrates that in many of

these texts the temple was a crucial part of the ascent mythos, either with the the temple

as the place from which the ascent occurs, or with the celestial temple as the goal of the

ascent, or both.10 There is thus frequently an intimate connection between celestial ascent

and temple. This is quite clear in Revelation, when John ascends to the celestial temple,

where his entire vision takes place in the sôd of God, with God, Jesus, and the twenty-

four elders as members of the divine council in the temple. In this context it is important

to emphasize that, at its most fundamental level, the LDS temple endowment is an ascent

ritual and drama, with the goal of the covenanter to ritually pass into the presence of God

in the celestial realm.


9 Trans. C. Roland and C. Morray-Jones, The Mystery of God Early Jewish Mysticism and the New Testament, (Brill, 2009), 265-302.

10 R. Elior, The Three Temples: On the Emergence of Jewish Mysticism, (2005), and throughout much of the bibliography below.

Introductory Bibliography on Celestial Ascent

Abegg, M. “‘Who Ascended to Heaven?’ 4Q491, 4Q427, and the Teacher of

Righteousness,” in C. Evans and P. Flint (eds.) Eschatology, Messianism, and the

Dead Sea Scrolls, (1997).

Alexander, P. The Mystical Texts: Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice and Related Texts,

London: Continuum, 2007.

Boustan, R. and A. Reed, Heavenly Realms and Earthly Realities in Late Antique

Religions, (Cambridge, 2004)

Carlsson, L., Round Trips to Heaven: Otherworldly Travelers in Early Judaism and

Christianity, (VDM Verlag, 2008)

Collins, J. “Journeys to the World Beyond in Ancient Judaism,” in Apocalyptic and

Eschatological Heritage: The Middle East and Celtic Realms, ed. M. McNamara,

(Dublin: Four Courts, 2003) 20-36

Collins, John, and M. Fishbane (eds.) Death, Ecstasy, and Other Worldly Journeys,

(SUNY 1995)

Collins, J. “A Throne in the Heavens,” in The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in Light

of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 2nd ed. (Doubleday, 2010), pp. 149-170.

Culianu, I. Psychanodia I: A Survey of the Evidence of the Ascension of the Soul and its

Relevance (Leiden: Brill, 1983).

DeConick, April, Paradise Now: Essays on Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism, (SBL

2006)

Dean-Otting, Mary, Heavenly Journeys: A Study of the Motif in Hellenistic Jewish

Literature, (New York: Peter Lang, 1984)

Gooder, P. Only the Third Heaven? 2 Corinthians 12.1-10 and Heavenly Ascent, (T&T

Clark, 2006)

Gruenwald, Ithamar. Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1980.

Halperin, D. The Merkabah in Rabbinic Literature. (1980)

Himmelfarb, M. Ascent to Heaven in Jewish and Christian Apocalypses, (Oxford:

Oxford University Press, 1993)


Lindblom, J. “Theophanies in Holy Places in Hebrew Religion,” Hebrew Union College

Annual 32 (1961): 91 - 106.

Morray-Jones, Christopher, “Paradise Revisited (2 Cor 12:1-12): The Mewish Mystical

Backgroudn of Paul’s Apostolate, Part 1: The Jewish Sources” Harvard Theological

Review 86 (1993):177-217; “Part 2: Paul’s Heavenly Ascent and its Significance”

Harvard Theological Review 86 (1993):265-92 Roland, C. and C. Morray-Jones, The

Mystery of God: Early Jewish Mysticism and the New Testament (Brill, 2009)

Nickelsburg, G. Resurrection, Immortality and Eternal Life in Intertestamental Judaism.

(1972)

Roland, C. and C. Morray-Jones, The Mystery of God Early Jewish Mysticism and the

New Testament, (Brill, 2009).

Schmitt, A. Entruckung-Aufnahme-Himmelfahrt. Untersuchung zu einem Vorstellungs

bereicht im Alten Testament (Forschung zur Bibel 10. Stuttgart: Katholisches

Bibelwerk, 1973).

Segal, A. “Heavenly Ascent in Hellenistic Judaism, Early Christianity and Their

Environment,” in H. Temporini and W. Haase (ed.), Aufstieg und Niedergang der

Romischen Welt (1980) 2/23/2:1333-94.

Smith, M. “Two Ascended to Heaven—Jesus and the Author of 4Q491,” James H.

Charlesworth, Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, (Doubleday, 1992) 290-301.

Tabor, J. D. Things Unutterable: Paul’s Ascent to Paradise in its Greco-Roman, Judaic,

and Early Christians Contexts, (Lanham, 1986)

Widengren, Geo, King and Savior 3: The Ascension of the Apostle and the Heavenly

Book, (Uppsala: Harrasowitz, 1950)

Wright, J. The Early History of Heaven, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).

Yarbro Collins, A. “The Seven Heavens in Jewish and Christian Apocalypses,” in Collins,

Y., Cosmology and Eschatology in Jewish and Christian Apocalypticism, Leiden:

Brill, 1996 = Yarbro Collins, A. “The Seven Heavens in Jewish and Christian

Apocalypses,” J. Collins and M. Fishbane (eds.) Death, Ecstasy, and Other Worldly

Journeys, (SUNY 1995), 57-92


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