Ascent to Heaven in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism

201 Pages·2011·22.733 MB·English

by  Algis Uzdavinys

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THE MATHESON MONOGRAPHS
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ASCENT TO HEAVEN
IN ISLAMIC AND JEWISH MYSTICISM

A S C E N T T O H E A V E N
I N I SL A M I C A N D
JE W I S H M Y S T I C I S M
A lgis U zd avin ys
T H E M A T H ESO N T RU ST
For the Study of Com parative Religion
C O N T EN T S
Introduction ix
1. The Path of D escent and the Path of A scen t ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ1
2. The M eccan Sanctuary ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ8
3. Each Prophet has a H aram ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ13
4. Superiority of M uham m adＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ19
5. The Flight to the H eights of H eaven ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ26
6. Even H ere is the Garden of ParadiseＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ33
7. N eoplatonized Israel and re-Abraham ized GnosisＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ40
8. H erm eneutical D escent into the W om b-like ChariotＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ46
9. D ivine Vision in the Garm ents of Ligh t ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ53
10. The Sufi M otif of A scension ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ61
11. A bu Yazid and the H ekhalot T h eu rgistsＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ64
12. The Elevating Power of Divine Sp eech ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ69
13. Between Poverty and A b u n d an ce ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ75
14. Prostration before the Face of G o d ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ80
15. Two Powers in H eaven: Enoch-M etatron and the
M uham m adan L igh t ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ85
16. The Assyrian Sacral K in g and Khalifah of G o d ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ89
17. Etana: the Journ ey on the Eagle’s W in g ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ92
18. Touring the Boundless Sk ies ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ95
19. The Sufi D hikr as Im itation of the Celestial L itu rgy ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ98
20. The Ascending Prophet and his D em onized O pponentsＮＮ102
21. The Journ ey Through the D ivine N am esＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ106
22. H erm etic Practices in the Context of Islam ic and Jew ish M
yth ologiesＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ110
23. The Legions of Angelic Singers ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ117
24. The Glory W hich Shines through the H eavenly Curtain . 122
25. Access to the Glorious FaceＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ130
26. M essianic H eroes in the Eschatological Jew ish Kingdom 134
27. The Philosophy of D ivine Speech and W ritingＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ138
28. Analogues of Yom K ippur in Christianity and Islam . .. . 141
29. Shining like the Stars for A ll EternityＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ145
30. H eavenly Struggles for the Rom an Throne and for the
Jew ish T em p le ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ149
31. Esoterism and Secrets of the T em p le ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ153
32. The Apocalyptic W ars between the “Sons of Light”
and the “Sons of D arkness” ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ158
33. F rom the Second Tem ple M essiah to the Im am -likeKhalifah
of G o d ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ164
34. Third Tem ple Judaism : from Jerusalem to M ecca ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ168
Bibliograph y ＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮＮ175
In trod u ction
The m ythical garden of tradition is a closed and blessed
system from which the contem plative does not w illingly
depart in order to becom e involved in the cold and neutral
space of an “exact science”, such as “com parative religion”.
Frithjof Schuon
The m otif of ascent to H eaven m ay be view ed as an archetypal
topic of exceptional m etaphysical im portance in the history of
religious and philosophical discourse. Those contem porary
scholars w ho faithfully and rather blindly follow M ircea Eliade
try to relate the ascent to the “m ystical experience” of archaic
spirituality with a clum sily labelled “sham anism ” (this term
sounds m uch less attractive in Russian than in English).
Putting aside this universalized scholarly construction
(nam ely, “sham anism ”), we entirely agree with Jerem y N aydler’s
apt observation that “the m ystical ascent to the sky is as central
to the H erm etic tradition as it is to both Egyptian and Platonic
m ysticism .”1
Starting with the ancient Egyptian Pyram id Texts,2 the
ascent to H eaven of various royal and priestly heroes is prom i­
nent in N ear Eastern and M editerranean cosm ological, litur­
gical and soteriological system s, w hich sim ultaneously cover
political, juridical and socio-m ystical dim ensions.3 This m eta­
physical and literary topos of ascent is fundam ental for the
1 Jerem y Naydler, “Plato, Sham anism and Ancient Egypt,” Temeiios
Academy Review, vol. 9, 2006, p. 92.
2 See W hitney M . Davis, “The Ascension M yth in the Pyram id Texts,”
Journal ofNear Eastern Studies, vol. 36, no. 2,1977, pp. 161-79.
3 See Algis Uzdavinys, Philosophy as a Rite ofRebirth: From Ancient Egypt to
Neoplatonism (W estbury: Prom etheus Trust, 2008).
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