Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/868

* CABBALA. 764 into an actual Being, capable of manifesting it- self. The manifestations of its Being are of two kinds — as thought and as word. As thoiight it is the general intelligence; as word it includes the general as well as the specific ideas, dis- tinguished from one another and expressed by combinations of the letters of the alphabet. The teachings of the Sefer Jezirah niaj' be summed up as follows : ( 1 ) There are four fundamental principles, one always the emanation of the other, (a) The first is the breath of the living God, without beginning or end; (b) breath of breaths, a condensation of the primeval breath ; (c) primeval waters, an emanation of the breath of breaths; (d) primeval fire, .arising from the primeval waters. (2) Everything in the universe forms an external circle. Prime- val elements are combined and again dissolved. (3) In all manifestations the law of contraries prevails. These doctrines are more fully devel- oped, considerably amplified, and set forth in great detail, in the Zohar, which has been prop- erly designated as the Bible of the Cabbalists. The name is based on Dan. xii. 3, with which verse the book begins. The Zohar is in the form of a homiletical commentary on the fifty-four divisions into which the Pentateuch is, according to Jewish tradition, divided. The Old Testa- ment characters and events are not interpreted in a literal sense, but everything is viewed as symbolical. IMystical thoughts are woven into the sacred name of God, each letter being spe- cially taken up, and even the vowels and accents do not escape this process of interpretation. There are various older books than the Zohar in which the Cabbalistic doctrines are set forth, and numerous later ones: but there is none which enjoys such authority among Cabbalists. In its developed form, and on the basis of the various works which, besides the Sefer Jezirah and the Zohar, may be regarded as authoritative sources, the religious philosophy of the Cabbala may be suumiarized as follows; (1) In regard to God, the Cabbala teaches that He is the original principle of All Being, with- out end and without limitations. Hence the common designation of God in Cabbalistic works is Kn-Sof — i.e. without end. He is absolutely perfect and unchangeable. Human wisdom can- not fathom His Being, and hence no definition can be given of Him nor any conception be formed of Him. He is the Secret of Secrets, the First of the First, the Oldest of the Oldest, the Ultimate Principle. (2) Creation, according to the Cabbala, is a process of emanation. There are ten divine emanations, known as the ten Sephiroth (lit. eniuncrations). The first four (as above set forth). Breath, Breath of Breaths or Air, AV'ater, Fire, one eman.Tting from the other. Upon these four Sephiroth follow six directions of space — height, depth, cast, west, south, and north. Besides being called Sephiroth, they are also designated as tools used by God at crea- tion. Out of air the intelligence in the universe is formed ; out of water, the material world ; out of fire, the spiritual ini verse (angels and the divine throne). At this point, however, dif- ferences of opinion among Cabbalists and con- siderable confusion of ideas arise. It is not made clear whether these ten Sephiroth repi'e- sent real acts of creation or merely emanations CABBALA. by means of which His essence becomes clear to us; and, again, it is uncertain whether the Sephiroth are independent beings intermediate between God and the material world, or merely manifestations of the Divine Being himself. The ten Sepliiroth in the developed Cabbala are de- nominated: (1) Crown, (2) Yisdom, (3) In- telligence, (4) Love, (5) .Justice (also called
 * Might and Fear), (6) Beautv (also called

ilercy), (7) Victory, (8) Splendor, (9) Foun- dation, (10) Kingdom. These ten Sephiroth are variously subdivided as Sephiroth of the world and Sephiroth of construction, or into three groups as metaphysical, spiritual, and physical Sephiroth. The Sepliiroth were com- monly pictured by the Cabbalists under a human fonn, and the ten emanations divided among his various organs and limbs. Crown rep- resenting the head. Wisdom the brain, and In- telligence the heart; while Love, Justice, and Beauty corresponded to the right arm, left arm, and breast respectively, with Victory, Splendor, and Foundation symbolized by the right and left thigh and the genital organs respectively. 'King- dom' rests luuler his feet, wliile God towers above his head. (3) Thei-e are two classes of Sephirotli : (a) Heavenly or Sephiroth of light; (b) Sephiroth of darkness and wickedness. The Sephirotli of darkness produce the evil demons, at the head of whom stands Samael. Tlu'ough the demons,, the work of creation is constantly threatened with destruction. (4) The end of the powers of evil can be brought about through the triumph of morality and goodness among men; and that again is dependent upon the supremacy of the spirit of jnan over his desires. Wlien the mind of man is in full control, the Messiah will appear and restore the world to its original perfect state. (5) JIan himself is a type of a divine heaven- ly man known as Adam Kadraon. He re]uesents in liis person the whole scheme of creation, and is, therefore, a microcosmus. All parts of the human body have, therefore, a symbolical sig- nificance. ( G ) Asa means of penetrating into the di- vine secrets, writing was revealed, and hence words, letters, vowels, and accents all symbolize certain teachings, the secrets of which are only revealed to those who can jienetrate beneath the surface. It is in the coml)ination of letters and endless meanings attached to the munerical value of such combinations that Cabbalistic writers indulge, each one trying to outdo the other in mystical interpretations. From this rajiiJ survey it is evident that various factors arc involved in Cabbalistic teach- ings. The theory of emanation that lies at the basis is an echo of the Idealistic philosopliy of Plato, in combination with Neo-Platonism. Christian Gnosticism represents a second fac- tor that accoimts for some of the m_ystieal aspects of the Cabbala, while in its developed form traces of mystical ideas in Islam may be detected. The infiuence of Cabbalistic teachings on Judaism was fraught with serious consequences. It led to divisions, and to the formation of new -sects, which shut themselves from the influence of cul- ture and were hostile to reasoning that did not conform to Cabbalistic teaching; and wlieu the Cabbala spread to the Christian world, its influ-