Going Down...? :)
Sept 29, 2014 19:35:23 GMT
Post by Goldenfleeced on Sept 29, 2014 19:35:23 GMT
Well, now... let's talk about 'heaven' and 'hell,' or 'ascending' and 'descending,' maybe... I've been meaning to get to this, but had other things come up... which is pretty much how it goes... but today, there are three more stories that I'd like to tell you, in relation to that, and Jacob's Ladder, which is implicated in the phrase, This place is terrible...
The first story is from the texts of the Cathars, and it is titled, "The Vision of Isaiah." This will only be an excerpt, of course, but even so, it will be fairly lengthy, in order to include the important points of the story... this is another text that you have been mostly deprived of, for what will become fairly obvious reasons, I think.
This is an apocalyptic work of great antiquity, probably dating to the first century and manifesting Gnostic influence. It evidences Cathar access to transmissions of early Christian literature lost to orthodoxy.
From Chapter IV...
...Then the angel who conducted me said to me, 'Adore Him and sing.' And I adored Him and sang. And the angel who conducted me said to me, 'He is the Lord of all the glories which you have seen.' And I saw another most glorious one, like unto Him in all things, and the righteous approached Him and adored Him and sang, and I sang with them and I was not transfigured into their aspect. And the angels came with them and adored Him, and I adored Him and sang.
And again, I saw the other in great glory. And while walking, I questioned the angel, 'Who is He?' And he said to me, 'Adore Him, for he is the angel of the Holy Spirit, who speaks in you , and in all the righteous.'
And after that, another indescribable and ineffable glory was revealed which I could not behold with the opened eyes of my spirit, nor could the angel who conducted me nor all the angels whom I saw adoring the Lord. But I saw the righteous only in great glory beholding [His] glory. And my Lord approached first and then the angel of the Holy Spirit (angelus spiritualis). And they adored Him and the two sang together. Then all the righteous adored Him, and with them Michael and all the angels adored and sang.
Chapter V
Thereafter I heard a voice there and the song which I heard in the six heavens rose up and was heard in the seventh heaven. And all glorified Him whose glory I could not behold. And the song of all six heavens was not only heard but seen. And the angel said to me, 'He is the One Living Eternal, living in the highest eternity and resting among the holy ones; we cannot endure to name or see Him who is praised by the Holy Spirit in the mouths of the holy [and] righteous.
And after that, I heard the voice of the Eternal saying to the Lord [His] Son: 'Go forth and descend from all the heavens and be in the world, and go even to the angel who is in hell; transfiguring thyself into their form. And neither the angels nor the princes of that world shall know thee. And thou shalt judge the prince of that world and his angels, and the rulers of the world, because they have denied me and said, "We are and without us there is no one." Thereafter, thou shalt not transfigure thyself as thou ascendest through the heavens in great glory, and thou wilt sit at my right hand. Then the princes and the virtues and all the angels and all the principalities of the heavens and of earth and of the lower regions will adore thee.'
And I heard the Great Glory commanding my Lord. And then the Lord went out from the seventh heaven and descended into the sixth heaven. And the angel who guided me said to me, 'Understand and see the manner of His transfiguration and descent.'
When the angels saw Him, they praised and glorified Him, for He was not transfigured into their image, and I sang with them. When He had descended into the fifth heaven, there at once He was transfigured into the form of those angels and they did not sing to Him or adore Him, for He was of a form like theirs.
And He descended into the fourth heaven and appeared to them in their form. And they did not sing to Him for He was of a form like theirs.
Moreover, He came into the third heaven," and into the second and the first, transfiguring Himself in each of them. Consequently, they did not sing to Him or adore Him, for He appeared to them in (a form) like theirs. And He showed them a sign (characterem).
Moreover, He descended into the firmament and there gave the signs (signa), and His form was like unto theirs, and they did not glorify Him and they did not sing to Him. And He descended to the angels who were in this air as though He were one of them. And He gave them no sign, nor did they sing to Him.
gnosis.org/library/Cathar-Vision-Isaiah.htm
Do you see what happened there...? Nobody recognized 'him'... neither men nor angels, evidently...
But 'he' showed them a 'sign'...
The first story is from the texts of the Cathars, and it is titled, "The Vision of Isaiah." This will only be an excerpt, of course, but even so, it will be fairly lengthy, in order to include the important points of the story... this is another text that you have been mostly deprived of, for what will become fairly obvious reasons, I think.
This is an apocalyptic work of great antiquity, probably dating to the first century and manifesting Gnostic influence. It evidences Cathar access to transmissions of early Christian literature lost to orthodoxy.
From Chapter IV...
...Then the angel who conducted me said to me, 'Adore Him and sing.' And I adored Him and sang. And the angel who conducted me said to me, 'He is the Lord of all the glories which you have seen.' And I saw another most glorious one, like unto Him in all things, and the righteous approached Him and adored Him and sang, and I sang with them and I was not transfigured into their aspect. And the angels came with them and adored Him, and I adored Him and sang.
And again, I saw the other in great glory. And while walking, I questioned the angel, 'Who is He?' And he said to me, 'Adore Him, for he is the angel of the Holy Spirit, who speaks in you , and in all the righteous.'
And after that, another indescribable and ineffable glory was revealed which I could not behold with the opened eyes of my spirit, nor could the angel who conducted me nor all the angels whom I saw adoring the Lord. But I saw the righteous only in great glory beholding [His] glory. And my Lord approached first and then the angel of the Holy Spirit (angelus spiritualis). And they adored Him and the two sang together. Then all the righteous adored Him, and with them Michael and all the angels adored and sang.
Chapter V
Thereafter I heard a voice there and the song which I heard in the six heavens rose up and was heard in the seventh heaven. And all glorified Him whose glory I could not behold. And the song of all six heavens was not only heard but seen. And the angel said to me, 'He is the One Living Eternal, living in the highest eternity and resting among the holy ones; we cannot endure to name or see Him who is praised by the Holy Spirit in the mouths of the holy [and] righteous.
And after that, I heard the voice of the Eternal saying to the Lord [His] Son: 'Go forth and descend from all the heavens and be in the world, and go even to the angel who is in hell; transfiguring thyself into their form. And neither the angels nor the princes of that world shall know thee. And thou shalt judge the prince of that world and his angels, and the rulers of the world, because they have denied me and said, "We are and without us there is no one." Thereafter, thou shalt not transfigure thyself as thou ascendest through the heavens in great glory, and thou wilt sit at my right hand. Then the princes and the virtues and all the angels and all the principalities of the heavens and of earth and of the lower regions will adore thee.'
And I heard the Great Glory commanding my Lord. And then the Lord went out from the seventh heaven and descended into the sixth heaven. And the angel who guided me said to me, 'Understand and see the manner of His transfiguration and descent.'
When the angels saw Him, they praised and glorified Him, for He was not transfigured into their image, and I sang with them. When He had descended into the fifth heaven, there at once He was transfigured into the form of those angels and they did not sing to Him or adore Him, for He was of a form like theirs.
And He descended into the fourth heaven and appeared to them in their form. And they did not sing to Him for He was of a form like theirs.
Moreover, He came into the third heaven," and into the second and the first, transfiguring Himself in each of them. Consequently, they did not sing to Him or adore Him, for He appeared to them in (a form) like theirs. And He showed them a sign (characterem).
Moreover, He descended into the firmament and there gave the signs (signa), and His form was like unto theirs, and they did not glorify Him and they did not sing to Him. And He descended to the angels who were in this air as though He were one of them. And He gave them no sign, nor did they sing to Him.
gnosis.org/library/Cathar-Vision-Isaiah.htm
Do you see what happened there...? Nobody recognized 'him'... neither men nor angels, evidently...
But 'he' showed them a 'sign'...
