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NEWBORN STAR
THE SEVEN HEAVENS
"In Talmudic tradition," David Rohl tells us, "there are seven heavens (Heb. rakiim)
which the deceased must pass through to reach the Throne of Glory (hence the phrase
'seventh heaven', meaning ecstasy).''4 That is exactly what we have already encountered in
the Egyptian netherworld known as the Duat. In both cases do we find the underworld in
question located in the sky and composed of seven heavenly compartments. In our
reconstruction, these seven compartments, normally understood as seven heavens, consisted
of proto-Satum's sevenfold spiral that eventually resolved itself into seven separate rings.
Thus, according to Jewish myth, having been created, these heavens "became fruitful and multiplied."1
1 A. E. Guinness (Ed.), Mysteries of the Bible (N. Y ., 1988), p. 18.
2 J. Strong, op. cit., p. 110. 3 C. McDowell, "Velikovsky & Christian Catastrophists," Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation
(December 1973), p. 142. 4 D. M. Rohl, Legend: The Genesis of Civilization (London, 1998), p. 59.
_230_
God is not only said to have "made firm the heavenly circle,"2 but, very much as
in ancient Egyptian belief, to have divided it into seven hekalot, or heavenly halls,3 or, as
elsewhere indicated, to have "created seven circles from inside ."4 More than that, these seven
hekalot were themselves explicitly described as having been nothing more than the seven
heavens said to have been created by God.5 These heavens were then said to have consisted of
fire and water,6 which fire was stressed not to have been of an earthly or physical nature.7 It is,
incidentally, in the seventh of these heavens, or firmament, that Yahweh was said to reside.8
Nor is this concept unique to Jewish lore. The planetary gods of Babylon also ruled "over
seven superposed starry circles."9
The. prominence of the number seven in the mytho-historical record could not have been
missed by mythologists, but the most-often offered interpretation of what lies behind it falls
completely off the mark, as notice the following by Peter Lancaster Brown:
"[This number] was significant to the ancients because the five planets plus the Sun and
Moon provided the most significant cosmic number. But there are also seven bright
stars in Ursa Major, Orion, and the Pleiades cluster." 10
So, likewise, with Peter James:
"The idea of 'seven heavens' and 'seven hells' is commonplace in Near Eastern
tradition, from Hebrew to Babylonian and must surely reflect the idea of a 'heaven' for
each of the seven planets, balanced by their opposites beneath the earth. The idea of the
seven gateways to the Nether World is common in the earliest Babylonian literary texts,
while the idea of 'seven heavens' is known from Sumerian documents." 11
The concept of the seven heavens, however, could not have developed from the seven
planets since only five of these bodies could actually have been seen with the unaided eye in
ancient, as well as modern, times. Uranus and Neptune were telescopically discovered much
later in time. In that respect, Brown was on better footing when he added Sun and Moon to
the five planets that could have been observed by the Sumerians, Babylonians, and other
ancient peoples. So, also, with Anthony Aveni,12 although just as wrong. Worse still, James
failed to clarify what he meant by the "opposites" of these planets "beneath the earth."
1 L. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, Vol. V (Philadelphia, 1968), p. 17. 2 The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, in W. Barnstone (ed.), The Other Bible (N. Y ., 1984), p. 5. 3 L. Ginzberg, op.cit., p. 11. 4 The Book of the secrets of Enoch (see above), foe. cit. (emphasis added). 5 Ibid.
6 Ibid., p. 7. 7 Ibid.
8 M.A. Morgan, Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries (Chico, California, 1983), p. 83. 9 U. Holmberg, Der Baum des Lebens (Helsinki, 1923), p. 123. 10 P. L. Brown, Megaliths and Masterminds (N. Y., 1979), p. 207. 11 P. J. James, "The Saturn Problem," Chronology & Catastrophism Review (2000: 1 ), p. 102, concerning which
he referred the reader to W. Horowitz, Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography (Winona Lake, Indiana, 1998). 12 A. Aveni, Conversing With the Planets: How Science and Myth Invented the Cosmos (Boulder, Colorado, 2002), p. 58.
_231_
But, as I usually say in such matters, let that be. And yet, even from a purely mytho-historical point
of view, has the concept of the seven heavens been mainly misunderstood as indicated in the
following by Deena Ragavan:
"The symbolism of the number seven in Near Eastern literature is widely
attested ... Several Sumerian examples ... utilize the number seven or sevenfold repetition
to mark divisions of the cosmos, particularly seven heavens ... There is little evidence
outside of the magical literature for the existence of seven heavens ... although lexical
texts do indicate the equation of the number seven with the Akkadian term kisfatu "all
totality," which may mean that it is a way to convey a large, complete, or innumerable
unit ... This would explain why it is only in texts with strong ritual associations that parts
of the cosmos are divided into seven."1
Let us, however, get a few things straight. First of all, the number seven, as will be seen, is
not only "widely attested" in Near Eastern literature, but in countries that could have had no
contact with the Near East in antiquity or even later in time. Secondly, but just as importantly,
kisfatu became understood as "a large, complete, or innumerable unit" by interpreters who
had absolutely no way of knowing how the mytho-historical prominence of the number seven
derived such widespread dissemination.
Meanwhile, just as the Egyptians did with their Duat, so did Jewish tradition fill the seven
heavens with all sorts of mystical objects and other monstrosities.2 In fact, the Book of the
Secrets of Enoch tells of so many tortures contained in the seven heavens reserved for the
damned that, in God's own abode, we actually catch a reflection of hell.3 And, in order to
clinch the matter, we find that Jewish lore describes hell, very much like heaven, as composed
of seven divisions.4 Moreover, hell was said to be situated, not beneath Earth, as in popular
Christian belief, but high above the sky.5
As Louis Ginzberg tells us: "In rabbinic sources the word ordinarily used for 'hell' is
Gehinom,"6 which was also the name given to the valley near Jerusalem where the god
Moloch was once worshipped. It therefore becomes evident that the name of this valley
derived from the Saturnian deity's celestial abode, evidence of which is also intimated
through the fact that Moloch's temple, or Topheth, consisted of seven compartments.7
Gehinom is also rendered Gehenna.8 In the Semitic-derived language of the Maltese
islanders, Genna, the same as Gehenna, does not mean "hell." Ironically enough, it means
"paradise." But then, in Jewish myth, paradise is also said to be composed of a sevenfold division.'
1 D. Ragavan, "Entering Other Worlds: Gates, Rituals, and Cosmic Journeys in Sumerian Sources," in D. Ragavan (ed.), Heaven on Earth: Temples, Ritual, and Cosmic Symbolism in the Ancient World (Chicago, Illinois, 2013), p. 206.
2 L. Ginzberg, op. cit., Vol. I, pp. 9-10. 3 Secrets of Enoch, VII: 1-3, X: 1-3, XVIII: 1-7. 4 L. Ginzberg, op. cit., Vol. I, p. 15 & Vol. V, pp. 11, 418. 5 Ibid., Vol. V, p. 19.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid., p. 20.
8 Ibid., p. 19.
_232_
Wallace Budge cautions his readers not to think of the Duat as a hell.2 But since, in the
minds of men, it eventually turned into a place of punishment for the wicked after death,3 the
comparison cannot be helped. As the abode of the god in the sky, however, it is more apt to
think of it as heaven.
THE SEVEN HEAVENS
"In Talmudic tradition," David Rohl tells us, "there are seven heavens (Heb. rakiim)
which the deceased must pass through to reach the Throne of Glory (hence the phrase
'seventh heaven', meaning ecstasy).''4 That is exactly what we have already encountered in
the Egyptian netherworld known as the Duat. In both cases do we find the underworld in
question located in the sky and composed of seven heavenly compartments. In our
reconstruction, these seven compartments, normally understood as seven heavens, consisted
of proto-Satum's sevenfold spiral that eventually resolved itself into seven separate rings.
Thus, according to Jewish myth, having been created, these heavens "became fruitful and multiplied."1
1 A. E. Guinness (Ed.), Mysteries of the Bible (N. Y ., 1988), p. 18.
2 J. Strong, op. cit., p. 110. 3 C. McDowell, "Velikovsky & Christian Catastrophists," Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation
(December 1973), p. 142. 4 D. M. Rohl, Legend: The Genesis of Civilization (London, 1998), p. 59.
_230_
God is not only said to have "made firm the heavenly circle,"2 but, very much as
in ancient Egyptian belief, to have divided it into seven hekalot, or heavenly halls,3 or, as
elsewhere indicated, to have "created seven circles from inside ."4 More than that, these seven
hekalot were themselves explicitly described as having been nothing more than the seven
heavens said to have been created by God.5 These heavens were then said to have consisted of
fire and water,6 which fire was stressed not to have been of an earthly or physical nature.7 It is,
incidentally, in the seventh of these heavens, or firmament, that Yahweh was said to reside.8
Nor is this concept unique to Jewish lore. The planetary gods of Babylon also ruled "over
seven superposed starry circles."9
The. prominence of the number seven in the mytho-historical record could not have been
missed by mythologists, but the most-often offered interpretation of what lies behind it falls
completely off the mark, as notice the following by Peter Lancaster Brown:
"[This number] was significant to the ancients because the five planets plus the Sun and
Moon provided the most significant cosmic number. But there are also seven bright
stars in Ursa Major, Orion, and the Pleiades cluster." 10
So, likewise, with Peter James:
"The idea of 'seven heavens' and 'seven hells' is commonplace in Near Eastern
tradition, from Hebrew to Babylonian and must surely reflect the idea of a 'heaven' for
each of the seven planets, balanced by their opposites beneath the earth. The idea of the
seven gateways to the Nether World is common in the earliest Babylonian literary texts,
while the idea of 'seven heavens' is known from Sumerian documents." 11
The concept of the seven heavens, however, could not have developed from the seven
planets since only five of these bodies could actually have been seen with the unaided eye in
ancient, as well as modern, times. Uranus and Neptune were telescopically discovered much
later in time. In that respect, Brown was on better footing when he added Sun and Moon to
the five planets that could have been observed by the Sumerians, Babylonians, and other
ancient peoples. So, also, with Anthony Aveni,12 although just as wrong. Worse still, James
failed to clarify what he meant by the "opposites" of these planets "beneath the earth."
1 L. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, Vol. V (Philadelphia, 1968), p. 17. 2 The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, in W. Barnstone (ed.), The Other Bible (N. Y ., 1984), p. 5. 3 L. Ginzberg, op.cit., p. 11. 4 The Book of the secrets of Enoch (see above), foe. cit. (emphasis added). 5 Ibid.
6 Ibid., p. 7. 7 Ibid.
8 M.A. Morgan, Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries (Chico, California, 1983), p. 83. 9 U. Holmberg, Der Baum des Lebens (Helsinki, 1923), p. 123. 10 P. L. Brown, Megaliths and Masterminds (N. Y., 1979), p. 207. 11 P. J. James, "The Saturn Problem," Chronology & Catastrophism Review (2000: 1 ), p. 102, concerning which
he referred the reader to W. Horowitz, Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography (Winona Lake, Indiana, 1998). 12 A. Aveni, Conversing With the Planets: How Science and Myth Invented the Cosmos (Boulder, Colorado, 2002), p. 58.
_231_
But, as I usually say in such matters, let that be. And yet, even from a purely mytho-historical point
of view, has the concept of the seven heavens been mainly misunderstood as indicated in the
following by Deena Ragavan:
"The symbolism of the number seven in Near Eastern literature is widely
attested ... Several Sumerian examples ... utilize the number seven or sevenfold repetition
to mark divisions of the cosmos, particularly seven heavens ... There is little evidence
outside of the magical literature for the existence of seven heavens ... although lexical
texts do indicate the equation of the number seven with the Akkadian term kisfatu "all
totality," which may mean that it is a way to convey a large, complete, or innumerable
unit ... This would explain why it is only in texts with strong ritual associations that parts
of the cosmos are divided into seven."1
Let us, however, get a few things straight. First of all, the number seven, as will be seen, is
not only "widely attested" in Near Eastern literature, but in countries that could have had no
contact with the Near East in antiquity or even later in time. Secondly, but just as importantly,
kisfatu became understood as "a large, complete, or innumerable unit" by interpreters who
had absolutely no way of knowing how the mytho-historical prominence of the number seven
derived such widespread dissemination.
Meanwhile, just as the Egyptians did with their Duat, so did Jewish tradition fill the seven
heavens with all sorts of mystical objects and other monstrosities.2 In fact, the Book of the
Secrets of Enoch tells of so many tortures contained in the seven heavens reserved for the
damned that, in God's own abode, we actually catch a reflection of hell.3 And, in order to
clinch the matter, we find that Jewish lore describes hell, very much like heaven, as composed
of seven divisions.4 Moreover, hell was said to be situated, not beneath Earth, as in popular
Christian belief, but high above the sky.5
As Louis Ginzberg tells us: "In rabbinic sources the word ordinarily used for 'hell' is
Gehinom,"6 which was also the name given to the valley near Jerusalem where the god
Moloch was once worshipped. It therefore becomes evident that the name of this valley
derived from the Saturnian deity's celestial abode, evidence of which is also intimated
through the fact that Moloch's temple, or Topheth, consisted of seven compartments.7
Gehinom is also rendered Gehenna.8 In the Semitic-derived language of the Maltese
islanders, Genna, the same as Gehenna, does not mean "hell." Ironically enough, it means
"paradise." But then, in Jewish myth, paradise is also said to be composed of a sevenfold division.'
1 D. Ragavan, "Entering Other Worlds: Gates, Rituals, and Cosmic Journeys in Sumerian Sources," in D. Ragavan (ed.), Heaven on Earth: Temples, Ritual, and Cosmic Symbolism in the Ancient World (Chicago, Illinois, 2013), p. 206.
2 L. Ginzberg, op. cit., Vol. I, pp. 9-10. 3 Secrets of Enoch, VII: 1-3, X: 1-3, XVIII: 1-7. 4 L. Ginzberg, op. cit., Vol. I, p. 15 & Vol. V, pp. 11, 418. 5 Ibid., Vol. V, p. 19.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid., p. 20.
8 Ibid., p. 19.
_232_
Wallace Budge cautions his readers not to think of the Duat as a hell.2 But since, in the
minds of men, it eventually turned into a place of punishment for the wicked after death,3 the
comparison cannot be helped. As the abode of the god in the sky, however, it is more apt to
think of it as heaven.