Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Reuchlin on Kabbalah techniques/names

Reuchlin KBL

305
So you see the three names of essences in the Tetragrammaton. The ineffable
name denotes the first essence. Eheih denotes essence in things. Yah denotes
essence in merit. They are predicated in the word "what," called in Hebrew
Mah. The Tetragrammaton, written out to give the full names of the Hebrew
letters, signifies Mah through numerical equivalence, since both add up to 45.

Tria igitur noi_a essentiam in rebus, & Iah essentiam in meritis, & p_dicant
in eo quod quid est, Idque appellatur [Mah] .i. quid. Nam Tetragrammaton ____
per aequalitate_ numeri significat [Mah] utrunque em_ continet xlv.

In Kabbalah another method frequently used is reversed order.
Est au_t in Cabala freque_s ordinis conversi usus.

309
Next is the ministering spirit of Sadai, Metattron, so called because of the
numerical equivalence of the two words. He is said to be a leader and guide
on the way.

Est praeterea ipsius Sadai ministratori spiritus Metattron per aequalitatem
numeri sic nominatus, qui dux & mo_strator viarum.

There follows another name Sabaoth, in Hebrew SBAVTh, which refers to military
hosts. The first is the host of completely separate intelligences and angels,
the second is the host of orbs that cause motion and the powers that assist by
them, and the third is the host of souls that give form to bodies. The word is
only found after the Name of God.

Accedit alium nomen Sabaoth quod hebraice sic legitur ____ & ita dicitur
exercitus, quorum primus est intelligentiarum omnino separatum & angelorum.
Secundus motorum orbium & assistentium virtutum. Tertius animarum corpora
informantium, & non invenitur nisi post nomen dei.

Now you have heard the rules by which the first part of Kabbalah is regulated.
It consists totally in the changing round of sacred words, and, since any word
may be changed in two ways, we have to admit that there are two separate methods
in this part, one of which is the transposition of syllables or words while the
other is numerical equality.

Omnis igitur primae partis Cabalae status qua procedat institutio_e au divistis.
Nam cum totus in sacrorum verborum commutatione consistat & quaelibet verba
bifariam alter entur, necessario fatebimur ei parti duas subesse species,
alteram quae sit syllabarum aut dictionum transpositio, alteram numerorum
aequalitas.

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