The Cabala Of The Jews.

Jews of Alexandria under the first Ptolemys . In the book of Simeon ben Schetach it went to Palestine , where it at first was little heeded ; but after the destruction of Jerusalem it gained importance , ancl then Rabbis Akiba and Simeon ben Jochai extended it . It is indisputable that Aristotle had been studied by the writer of the Sepher-jezireh , the oldest known book of the Cabalists . The Cabala went afterwards with other learning to Spain , and that

part of it at least which deals with Hebrew anagrams cannot be traced to a time earlier than the eleventh century . Many rabbis—Abraham ben David , Saudia , Moses Botril , Moses bar Nachman , Eliezer of Garmiza , ancl othershave written Hebrew books for the purpose of interpreting the system of the Cabala ; but it was perhaps not before the eighth century that it had come to receive very general attention from the Jews . " The Cabala consisted of two portions , the symbolical and the real ; the symbolical Cabala being the means by which the doctrines of the a-eal Cabala were elicited .

In the Hebrew text of the Scriptures , it was said , there is not only an evident , but there is also a latent meaning- ; and in its latent meaning are contained the mysteries of God and of the universe . It need scarcely be said that a belief in secret wisdom has for ages been inherent in the Oriental mind , and in the Scriptures , it was reasoned by the later Jews , all wisdom must be of necessity , contained . Of divine authorship , they cannot be like ordinary works of men . But if they were taken onlin their natural sensemight it

y , not be said that many human works contain marvels not less surprising and morality as pure . No , it was said , as we have entertained angels , and regarded them as men , so we may entertain the words of the Most High , if we regard only their apparent sense and not their spiritual mystery . Ancl so it was that through a blind excess of reverence the inspired writings were put to superstitious use .

The modes of examining their letters , words , and sentences , for hidden meaning , in which wholly consisted the symbolical Cabala , were three , and these were called Gemantria , Notaricon , Themura . " Gemantria was arithmetical when it consisted in applying to the Hebrew letters of a word the sense they bore as numbers , letters being used also for figures in the Hebrew as in Greek . Then the letters in a word being taken as numbers ancl added upit was considered that another wordof which the

, , letters added up came to an equal sum , might fairly be substituted b y the arithmetical gemantria . Figurative gemantria deduced mysterious interpretations from the shapes of letters used in sacred writing . Thus , in Numbers x . 35 , 2 means the reversal of enemies . This kind of interpretation was known also by the name of Zurah . Architectonic gemantria constructed words from the numbers given by Scripture when describing the

measurements of buildings , as the ark , or temple . " By Notarican more words were developed from the letters of a word , as if it had consisted of so many abbreviations , or else first and last letters of words , or the first letters of successive words , were detached from their places ancl put side by side . By Themura , any word might be made to yield a mystery out of its anagram ; these sacred anagrams were known as Zeruph . B

y the same branch of the symbolical Cabala three systems were furnished , in accordance with which words might be transformed by the substitution of one letter for another . The first of the systems , Albam , arranged the letters of the al phabet in two rows , one below another ; the second , Athbath , gave another couple of rows ; the third , Athbach , arranged them by pairs in three rowsall the pairs in the first row being the numerical value tenin the second

, ; row a hundred , in the third a thousand ; any one of these forms mig ht be consulted , ancl any letter in a word exchanged for another standing either in Albam , Athbath , or Athbach , immediatel y above it or below it , or on the right hand of it or the left .