Egyptian-Hebrew stream·The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch)·Book II — Book of Parables (Similitudes)·Chapter XLIII — The Stars as the Holy Ones
Each star a name; each name a holy one
Enoch sees the stars of heaven; each star is named, and the names correspond to the holy ones dwelling on earth and to the elect in the day of the Elect One.
Source context
- Theme
- celestial lights and the faces of the holy ones seen in heaven
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Merkabah mysticism (Jewish esotericism)The Hekhalot literature describes the luminous faces of angelic beings arranged in heavenly halls, a structural parallel to the Enochic vision of the faces of the holy ones shining like the sun amid celestial lights.
- Zoroastrian cosmologyThe Avestan conception of the Amesha Spentas as radiant, individuated divine presences associated with cosmic lights offers cross-tradition congruence with the Parables' imagery of distinct luminous faces among the stars.
- Neoplatonic henologyPlotinus's treatment of the Intellect as a plurality of luminous, mutually reflecting nous-beings presents a structural parallel to the chapter's depiction of individuated celestial faces as bearers of divine light.
Chapter XLIII
XLIII. XLIV. Astronomical Secrets.
CHAPTER XLIII.
1And I saw other lightnings and the stars of heaven, and I saw how He called them all by their names and they hearkened unto Him. 2. And I saw how they are weighed in a righteous balance according to their proportions of light: (I saw) the width of their spaces and the day of their appearing, and how their revolution produces lightning: and (I saw) their revolution according to the number of the angels, and (how) they keep faith with each other. 3. And I asked the angel who went with me who showed me what was hidden: 'What are these?' 4. And he said to me: 'The Lord of Spirits hath showed thee their parabolic meaning (lit. 'their parable'): these are the names of the holy who dwell on the earth and believe in the name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.'
Chapter XLIV
CHAPTER XLIV.
Also another phenomenon I saw in regard to the lightnings: how some of the stars arise and become lightnings and cannot part with their new form.
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