Barlow Sculp

SEPHIROTHS, or CELESTIAL SPLENDORS, SUPERIOUR denote the THREE HYPOSTASES

IVINE ESSENCE; and afford indubitable evidena ncient Hebrews had those notions of a TRINITY, denied, or forgotten, by their descendants.

from Basnage.

CHAPTER IV.

The remarkable Teftimony of PHILO JUDÆUS. The Sentiments of the ancient Jewish Rabbi, as given in the two famous Books, the SEPHIR JETZIRAH and the ZOHAR. Decifions of other celebrated Rabbi on the Subject. — The hieroglyphic Symbols by which the Jews ancrently defignated the Mystery of the Trinity. The first Symbol the SEPHIROTH, or Three Great Splendors. Strictures on the ancient CABALA. The ancient Symbolical Method of writing the Name JEHOVAH, viz. by three Joos, enclosed in a CIRCLE. - In the ancient myftical Character, fuppofed, like the DEVINAGARI Character of India, to bave been revealed by ANGELS, the JOD, the first initial Letter of that Name, accompanied with • TRIANGLE.—The three Perfons in the DIVINE ESSENCE fometimes compared, by the Rabbies, to the three collateral Branches of the Hebrew Letter SCHIN. The fymbolical Manner in which the High Prieft gave his folemn Benediction to the People, reprefented by an Engraving. The most important and ex

profice Symbol, the Hebrew CHERUBIM.— Its Origin and Purport extenfively investigated, and Philo Judæus and Jofephus referred to for an Explanation of the National Sentiments on that Subject.— The Refult of the whole preceding Difquifition is, that the Doctrine of the TRINITY WAS certainly, though obfcurely, known to the ancient Jews.

FTER bringing before the view of the

A reader the of

reader the preceding solid body of evidence, which, fummed up together, amounts to little lefs than demonftration, especially when it shall be confidered from what high authority no inconfiderable portion of that evidence is derived, I might stand excufed from citing the teftimony of Philo, were not that teftimony too pertinent and too important to be entirely omitted. To the objection, that Philo's mind was deeply infected with the prevailing philofophy of the times, or, in other words, that he Platonifed, it will be fufficient for the prefent to reply, "that, if Philo Platonifed, Plato, long before the age of Philo, Judaifed, as will be amply evinced in a future page. His opinion of a certain plurality existing in the Deity has been noticed before; as well in that remarkable paffage preferved to

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us by Eufebius, (for, the original does not appear in any edition of Philo's works now extant,) relative to the deurspov eqv, or fubordinate God, as in the quotations recently adduced to establish the divinity of the third Sephirah. I shall now likewife add, that Philo is as express as words can enable him to be on the limitation of the number of those perfons to THREE, as is evident in the following paffages, well known, and frequently referred to, for the illuftration of this fubject. I have not room to infert them at length, (though the purport of them all is much elucidated by the fentences which immediately precede and follow,) but shall faithfully give the substance. In the first of the remarkable paffages alluded to, which occurs in the tract on the Cherubim, Speaking of the eternal ENS, or ov, he afferts, that, "in the ONE TRUE GOD there are two fupreme and primary Auvaμes, or POWERS, whom he denominates Αγαθότητα και Εξεσίαν, that is, GOODNESS and AUTHORITY; and that there is a THIRD AND MEDIATORIAL POWER between the two former, who is the Aoyos."* In the fecond, which is that in his differtation concerning the facrifices of Abel and Cain, Philo

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* Vide Philonis Judæi Differt. de Cherubim, p. 86, F.G. + Differt. de Sacrificiis Abelis et Caini, p. 108. B.

Philo is ftill more explanatory; for, fpeaking of the fame appearing to Abraham, he acquaints us, that "He came attended by his two most high and puiffant powers, PRINCIPALITY and GoODNESS ; εις ων ο μέσος τριτας φαντασιας ενειργάζετο τη ορατιχη ψυχη; HIMSELF in the middle of thofe POWERS; and, though ONE, exhibiting to the difcerning foul the appearance of THREE." In a third passage he is ftill more decifive; for, he says, Пaτng μe των όλων ο μέσος, "the FATHER OF ALL is in the middle;" and, as if to prevent any poffibility of those POWERS being mistaken for mere attributes, he affigns to each of them active perfonal properties, and denominates one the POWER CREATOR, and the other the POWER REGAL. He then adds, the POWER CREATOR is eos, God; the REGAL POWER is called Kupios, Lord.*

I am now to demonftrate that the ancient Jewish rabbies absolutely, although not publicly, profeffed the doctrine of a Trinity, by a more particular examination of their various allegorical allufions on the fubject, and the fymbols by which they typified it. Thofe fymbols, fo far as objects in the animated world were concerned, muft neceffarily be very

• Differt. de Abrahamo, p. 287, F.

few