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TMP - 20255 Groezinger1987 1103228301 PDF
TMP - 20255 Groezinger1987 1103228301 PDF
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KARL ERICH G R O Z I N G E R
' n a m e ' the texts read ot or otiot ('letter' or 'letters'). For instance in
phrases like weyazqir 'otiyot she~lo yitnazzeq* — " H e should say letters
so that he will not be h a r m e d " — we find in a comparable text both
' n a m e ' and 'letter' next to each other, as a kind of variant reading. 9
that a single letter can be considered as the minimum of letters which can
pass for a name. The letters are the basic element in this thinking, the
names being 'only' components of them. This is the impression one gets
by sentences like these:
3 Enoch 13 (Odeberg p. 3 4 / 1 8 ; Schafer §897).
He wrote with his finger with a flaming style upon the crown of my
head the letters by which were created heaven and earth, the letters
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THE NAMES OF G O D
Since the basic characteristics of such a name are conveyed in the series
of letters, it seems that the addition or omission of one letter is relevant
and meaningful even when a change of meaning in terms of conven-
tional language is not perceptible. From that we realize that it is useful
11
The names thus depicted seem to have the further peculiarity of being
subject to permutability and changeability by means of gematria and
temurotP This ontological capability of alteration grants them a
dynamic element, which is all the more important when one considers
the different powers of each distinct name, that is, that the permuting
change of the succession of letters causes at the same time a change of the
forces and powers which are dormant in the names. I shall specify this
further o n .
14
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THE NAMES OF G O D
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spirits of the stars have their n a m e s ; t h u s arises the impression of a
c o m p r e h e n s i v e o n o m a t o l o g i c a l c o n c e p t i o n which seeks to embrace all
celestial b e i n g s .
This o n o m a t o l o g i c a l c o n c e p t i o n , which evidently constitutes a totally
a u t o n o m o u s v i e w o f the celestial world, s e e m s in a large part of our texts
to have b e e n s u p e r i m p o s e d o n a n older traditional a n g e l o l o g y , leading
to the a m b i v a l e n c e of the p e r s o n a l and o n o m a t o l o g i c a l w a y s o f thinking
in our texts. T h i s process of s u p e r i m p o s i t i o n c a n be observed particu-
larly well in the f o l l o w i n g small M e t a t r o n - p i e c e in the Re'uyot Yehezqel:
Temirin 1, p. 128
T h e Prince dwells n o w h e r e but in Zebul...
A n d w h a t is his n a m e ? K i m o s is his n a m e .
R. Isaac said, M e ' a t a h is his n a m e .
R. Inyanei bar Sisson said, Bizbul is his n a m e .
R. T a n h u m the elder said, 'Atatyah is his n a m e .
Elazar N a d w a d y a s a i d , M i t a t r o n , like the n a m e of the P o w e r .
T h o s e w h o m a k e use o f the N a m e s a y , K a s Bas Bas K e b a s is his
31
n a m e , like the n a m e o f the Creator of the w o r l d .
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THE NAMES OF G O D
Schafer §586
Every d a y I have p r a y e d e a c h o f the five prayers with their n a m e s ,
during the descent a n d the ascent, a n d all m y limbs b e c a m e
disburdened.
Schafer §397
T h i s is H i s e m i n e n t n a m e , which w a s given to M o s e s at Sinai from
the lips o f the faithful and h u m b l e G o d .
A n d f r o m the lips of M o s e s it w a s given to J o s h u a a n d from
J o s h u a t o the Elders a n d from the Elders to the P r o p h e t s , a n d
f r o m the P r o p h e t s t o the m e n of the G r e a t A s s e m b l y a n d from
t h e m t o Ezra, a n d f r o m Ezra t o Hillel and f r o m Hillel o n w a r d H e
41
w a s h i d d e n until R. A b b a h u c a m e .
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Schafer §384
Blessed art T h o u O L o r d , our G o d , K i n g o f the w o r l d , w h o h a s
sanctified us with H i s c o m m a n d m e n t s a n d has c h o s e n us from all
n a t i o n s a n d has revealed H i s secrets t o us and has taught u s , t o
4 2
k n o w His e m i n e n t a n d aweful N a m e .
Schafer §676
While praising Y o u r N a m e the secrets o f w i s d o m will be revealed,
a n d w h i l e c h a n t i n g the praises o f Y o u r N a m i n g , the secrets o f
44
secrets a n d the g a t e s o f insight will be o p e n e d .
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Schafer §392
Y o u are p r e c i o u s a n d Y o u r N a m e is precious
Y o u are powerful a n d Y o u r N a m e is powerful
Y o u r are f l a m i n g a n d Y o u r N a m e is flaming
Y o u are s w e e t a n d y o u r N a m e is sweet...
46
Y o u are bearing a n d Y o u r N a m e is b e a r i n g . . .
Here, the e q u a t i o n o f n a m e a n d c h a n t i n g c a n p e r h a p s be u n d e r s t o o d
in the f o l l o w i n g sense: G o d manifests H i m s e l f as a s o u n d i n g or c h a n t e d
n a m e ; or e v e n m o r e , H e H i m s e l f is a s o u n d i n g n a m e ; a c h a n t e d s u c c e s -
sion of letters — o f letters, o n e s h o u l d bear this in m i n d — b y m e a n s o f
w h i c h h e a v e n a n d earth c o u l d be created!
If m y o b s e r v a t i o n s s o far are correct, w e have the right to say that in
the H e k h a l o t texts we face the forerunners o f the later mysticism of
language o f the k a b b a l a , t o w h i c h G e r s h o m S c h o l e m dedicated his great
49
essay " D e r N a m e G o t t e s u n d die Sprachtheorie der K a b b a l a . "
In c o n c l u s i o n , I w o u l d like t o refer t o a p o i n t w h i c h m a y be inter-
preted in the light o f m y a r g u m e n t s . T h e fragm ents a n d splinters o f
tradition o f the Hekhalot-literature tell a b o u t celestial p o w e r s w h o s e
authority falls o n l y a little b e h i n d the a u t h o r i t y o f the supreme G o d -
h e a d , a n d w h o are e v e n ascribed a share in the w o r k o f c r e a t i o n , as in the
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case of A n a f i ' e l . Primary a m o n g t h e m is E n o c h - M e t a t r o n who,
according to several texts, h a s b e e n e n d o w e d with extraordinary fullness
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12. Here, one should mention again the theories of letters and numbers of
Marcus the Gnostic (Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses I, 14, 2), which Moses
Gaster noted in 1892 as a gnostic parallel for Shi'ur Quomah in which the 12
limbs of the "soma tes Aletheias" are inscribed with the 24 letters of the
Greek alphabet in the manner known as the AT-BaSH from the Hebrew
sources; cf. M. Gaster, Das Schiur Komah, MGWJ(1892), now in Studies
and Texts, (New York, 1971) pp. 1330-1353; cf. G. Scholem, Gnosticism, p.
37 and M.S. Cohen, The Shi'ur Qomah (New York-London, 1983), p. 24f.
The latter's discredit of this reference might be debated in the light of the
above findings, as here too, with Marcus, there is a counting of letters to
define names: the Universe is a name of 30 letters, likwise the Bythos,
Aletheia with twelve times two, the first Tetras has 24, the name of Arretos
has seven, Sige five, Aletheia seven and Christus six: "But when the name of
six letters was revealed, and when this one, who has in himself the six and
the 24, became flesh... then [mankind] lost in the knowledge of him their
ignorance and came from death to life, because this name became a path for
them, leading to the father of truth," Adv. Haer I 15, 2.1; and cf. F.
Dornseiff, Das Alphabet in Mystik und Magie (Leipzig-Berlin, 1925 repr.
Leipzig, 1980), pp. 6Iff., who refers to the common custom in the Magic
Papyri to give the number of letters of a magic name, for instance in the 8th
Book of Moses: "dein siebenbuchstabiger Name nach der Leiter der sieben
Klange," p. 37.
13. In particular, the aforementioned alterations of the letters of the Tetra-
grammaton; and cf. further §513: "And this is the Name of fourteen letters,
that is the one behind the Mezuza, opposite [the words] wehaya (Deut.
11:13): KWZW BM [W] KSZ [KWZW] [Temura for YHWH 'LHNW
Y H W H , cf. Trachtenberg, Jewish Magic and Superstition (New York,
1974), p. 92] and he goeth forth in fourteen ways in particular (biferat) and
by arithmetic [you get] the general of it (kelilotaw)... and you should be an
expert to give the general of it, from which ta'am and from which miqra he
will bring them forth in 72 ways...;" cf. BHM2, p. 114. The different forms
of names seem to be accordingly a result of the midrash ha-torah, an art
that was taught to Moses by Yefefiya, cf. Ma'ayan Hokma, BHM 1, p. 61;
cf. M. Idel, "Tefisat ha-torah be-sifrut ha-hekhalot we-gilguleha ba-
qabbala," Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought (1981):28; J. Dan, "Hadre
merkava," Tarbiz 47 (1977/8):53, notes an identity of midrash shir ha-
shirim, shi'ur quoma and the highest experience of the mystic before the
throne of God; and that shir ha-shirim, particularly in its physical descrip-
tions, is nothing else than the names of God. This connection of highest
mystic experience and the exegesis-like combination of different letters into
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Surya the Prince of the Presence show to those standing to the left.
Immediately Dahabi'el the Prince, who is the head of the gate of the first
palace... and Tofi'el the Prince... seize you, from your right and one from
your left until they guide you and deliver you... to Tofihi'el the Prince who is
the head of the gate of the second palace..."; a.cf. §236. 413-417. 229. 204.
586. One can find a similar procedure in the Books of Jeu, for instance ch.
39: "When you come forth from all these places, say these names which I
have said to you, with their seals, so that you are sealed with them. And say
the names of their seals while their cipher is in your hand, and the watchers
and the ranks and the veils are drawn back until you go to the place of their
Father," Nag HammadvStudies XIII, ed. McL. Wilson (above, no.21), p. 89
and cf. pp. 90,119 ff. 127 ff.; cf. P. Schafer, "Engel und Menschen" (above,
n. 2); K.E. Grozinger, Musik und Gesang, (above, n. 18), p. 308f.
23. §302-303, 586, 568-569, 570; cf. Schafer, "Prolegomena ... (above n. 2)
24. §566, 568, 569, 499; cf. above, n. 8.
25. §337, see below; a name for everything, even reviving the dead, §512,511;
against forgetfulness, §336, 340; and particularly the Harba de-Moshe
§606ff., and cf. Sefer ha-Razim, ed. M. Margalioth (Tel Aviv, 1966).
26. § 8 2 6 - 8 2 7 , 6 2 3 , 5 0 1 .
27. §948-951,480-482,483,695ff;cf. M.S. Cohen, The Shi'ur Qomah (above, n.
12), p. 99ff., where he points to the appellative of Isis as myrionymos or
polynomos. Cohen believes that "The motivating factor in the development
of these traditions is probably the assumption that the magnificence of the
divine calls for a surfeit of names." In my opinion, here it is more the
intrinsic logic of the onomatologic thinking that must give the pleroma of
names to the supreme Godhead, as is the above cited (n. 14) Marcosian
reasoning: "Et si une seule lettre est a ce point immense, vois quel 'abime' de
lettres suppose le Nom entier, puisque... c'est de lettres qu'est constitue le
Pro-Pere." The assignment of specific names to specific limbs of the Shi'ur
Qomah should then be seen in a functional coordination of the name and
the respective limb (i.e every limb has the power of its name), rather than in
the urge to have to assign a plethora of names to a single deity, as Cohen
believes (p. 102).
28. §629ff, 59, 373, 78; BatM2, p. 354. M. Idel (above, n. 13) even observes a
kind of identity or at least extreme closeness of the names and Shi'ur
Qomah, pp. 39-40.
29. §57, 78, 79; BatM 2, p. 355.
30. §66, cf. Odeberg, 3 Enoch (New York, 1973), p. 25 of the index, s.v. heaven;
cf. the fragment of a Midrash Ma'ase Bereshit in MS Paris, Bibl. Nat. Hebr
711, p. 2b, published in Ozar Nechmad, 3 (Wien, 1860), p. 59; Arugat
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Ha-bosem, 2, ed. E.E. Urbach (Jerusalem, 1947), pp. 184,187; K.E. Grozin-
ger, "Ich bin der Herr dein Gott, FJSt 2, (Frankfurt a M.), p. 288; and
Mahzor Vitry, Horowitz, 1922/3, pp. 323, 325, 324; Grozinger, op. cit., p.
290.
31. Temirin 1, (Jerusalem, 1972); P.S. Alexander, "The Historical Setting of the
Hebrew Book of Henoch," JJS 28 (1977): 156-180;cf. Scholem, Gnosticism,
p. 46, 47: "We may, accordingly, speak of two stages through which the
traditions concerning the seven heavens have gone. The first knows nothing
of Metatron and, forming a part of teachings not confined to the esoterics
alone, do not mention secret names that may have magical connotations.
The second stage, however, introduces these magical elements and puts
Metatron in the place of Michael." That there is a step-for-step superimpo-
sition of the onomatology on non-onomatologic texts seems again to be
corroberated by an observation of Cohen: "It should be noted that the
assignment of names to the divine limbs is characteristic only of section D ,
the text ascribed to R. Ishmael, and section F, the text attributed to R.
Nathan. The Aqiban text has no names for the limbs." Shi'ur Qomah, p.
103.
32. K.E. Grozinger, Musik (above, n. 18), p. 323ff.
33. Cf. §57, 636, 79, 841; BatM 2, p. 350 f.
34. §205; cf. §586, 568, 570.
35. §424. It is worth noting that Irenaeus, too, knew of changes of only a single
letter in a name to express a different active power in God: "En effet, le mot
4
Eloe, en hebreu, signifle le 'vrai Dieu'; Elloeuth, en hebreu, signifie ce qui
contient toutes choses'. Le mot Adonai" designe T'lnnommable' et l"Ad-
mirable'; avec un double delta et une aspiration, c'est-a dire sous la forme
Haddonai, il designe 'celui qui separe la terre d'avec les eaux pour que
celles-ci ne puissent plus envahir la terre'. De meme Sabaoth, avec un o long
dans la derniere syllable, signifie 'celui qui veut'; avec un o bref, c'est-a-dire
sous la forme Sabaoth, il designe 'le premier del'. De meme encore, le mot
4
Jaoth signifie la mesure fixee d'avance', tantis que le mot Jaoth signifie
'celui qui fait fuir les maux'", Adv. Haer. II, 35, 3, A. Rousseau and L.
Doutreleau (above, n. 14).
36. § 4 7 0 , 2 0 5 , 3 1 9 .
37. §106; cf. Grozinger, Musik, (above, n. 18), pp., 308-315.
38. This might even be concluded from the parallelism of the tradition by Hai
Gaon, MGWJ 37, p. 23: "the one who wishes to envision the Merkava...
puts his head between his knees and whispers many chants and praises
toward the earth" and the one in HZ, Schafer §424: "everyone who wishes
to study this Mishnah and wants to read(lefaresh) the name as it is written
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(be-ferusho) should put his head between his knees... and whisper to the
earth."
39. Cf. Cohen, Shi'ur Qomah, p. 69: "It seems, from all this, that the Shi'ur
Qomah was composed as a mystic meditation (incantation would be,
perhaps, too strong a term) on the Deity, the recitation of which was meant
to yield practical physical and metaphysical results... The Shi'ur Qomah is
thus at once liturgy and theurgy..."
40. §306, 334, 168, 564; Griinwald, "Qeta'im," Tarbiz 38 (1969): 365.
41. Cf. §341, 340, 598, 676.
42. Cf. §392, 393, 469, 470.
43. §302f. 404, 318, 651, 279, 310. cf. §656.
44. Similar statements: §580, 571, 564; the ability to name the angels itself is
regarded as wisdom, §581.
45. Cf. the discussion of the "Moses-Apokalypse" in my "Ich bin der Herr dein
Gott" (above, n. 30), p. 134ff.
46. The complex interrelation between this scene in the Shi'ur Qomah pieces in
Merkava Shelema, pp. 39b-40 (Schafer §957-961; 729; Cohen, Shi'ur
Qomah, Sect. Jx, p. 230-31), and the traditions in Schafer §396ff, 389-390,
473,733-736,385,486 need further investigation. It seems however that the
Shi'ur Qomah pieces are mainly a combination of traditions about the
name of Metatron that was given to Moses (cf. §473-474), and of the
tradition pertaining to the heavenly liturgy in which Metatron utters the
name of God (§389-390) with the effect that the differentiation between the
names of God and those of Metatron were (intentionally?) blurred.
47. Cf. Cohen, Shi'ur Qomah, Sect. Lx, p. 243.
48. Cf. the above cited §972 and §557: "for His Name is in His strength and His
strength is in His name, He is His might and His might is He, and His Name
is in His Name ASB WGG..." Also R. Elior stated in her edition of Hekhalot
Zutarti (above, n. 13), p. 5, that the Deity in Hekhalot Zutarti is not
conceived as an idea but as a series of names, and that the essence of the
Deity is identical with its Name. A similar idea is found in the so-called 8th
Book of Moses, Dieterich, Abraxas, p. 194, in which the Name and the
Deity likewise seem identical: "Stored up in it [i.e. in this book] is the
powerful name, which is Ogdoas God, who orders and administrates
everything; under his command are the angels, archangels, demons, demo-
nesses and all that is below in creation. There are four names at hand, the
one with nine letters and the one with 14 letters and the one with 26 letters
and the one here...
The one of nine letters; aeeeeioyo and the one of 14 letters: ysaysiayeiaoys,
the one of 26 letters:... (?)"; cf. Scholem's discussion on the Hebrew variant
of the Ogdoas in Gnosticism, p. 65ff., particularly pp. 69, 70.
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