Occult Theocrasy ‐ Judaism (p. 84) - theofficialurban/public-notes GitHub Wiki

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In the context of your description of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the terms "Hebrew," "Israelite," and "Jew" appear to be symbolic designations for stages or states of initiation within the mystery rite, rather than direct references to the ethnic or religious groups typically associated with these terms in a historical or biblical sense. The Eleusinian Mysteries were a Greek religious tradition, not inherently connected to Jewish culture or theology, so these labels likely represent a later interpretive overlay or a creative reinterpretation by whoever composed this particular framework. Let’s break them down based on the definitions you provided and their probable symbolic meaning within the Eleusinian context:

1. Hebrew - "The initiated Candidate who had passed through all the degrees of the mystery"

  • Meaning in the Eleusinian Context: Here, "Hebrew" seems to signify someone who has completed the full journey of initiation. In the Eleusinian Mysteries, candidates progressed through stages—starting as mystai (initiates) in the Lesser Mysteries and advancing to epoptai (seers) in the Greater Mysteries after witnessing the sacred rites. Labeling this stage "Hebrew" suggests a fully initiated individual who has experienced the entire process, from preparation to revelation.
  • Symbolic Interpretation: The term "Hebrew" (derived from the Semitic root ʿbr, meaning "to cross over") might metaphorically imply crossing a threshold—perhaps from ignorance to knowledge, or from the profane to the sacred. This aligns with the transformative nature of the Mysteries, where participants were said to gain profound spiritual insight.

2. Israelite - "God-seer, purified from all guile"

  • Meaning in the Eleusinian Context: This term likely denotes an advanced spiritual state, building on the "Hebrew" stage. An "Israelite" here is someone who not only completed the initiation but achieved a higher level of purity and vision—able to "see" the divine or comprehend the sacred truths revealed in the rites. In the Eleusinian Mysteries, the epoptai (those who "saw" the secret objects or visions) held a privileged status, and this could parallel the "God-seer" idea.
  • Symbolic Interpretation: The name "Israel" in Hebrew tradition means "one who struggles with God" or "God prevails," but your definition emphasizes purity and divine perception ("purified from all guile"). This might reflect the Mysteries’ goal of cleansing initiates of worldly illusions to perceive a higher reality—possibly linked to the myth of Persephone’s return or Demeter’s divine order.

3. Jew - "The God himself, or the mysterious perfection and deification of the human character"

  • Meaning in the Eleusinian Context: This is the most exalted designation in your list, suggesting the ultimate goal or ideal of the Mysteries: a state of perfection or even apotheosis (becoming godlike). In the Eleusinian framework, this could represent the initiate’s complete unification with the divine essence revealed in the rites—perhaps an identification with the deities (Demeter, Persephone, or the unnamed "subject of the drama" you mentioned).
  • Symbolic Interpretation: The term "Jew" here diverges significantly from its usual historical meaning (a member of the tribe of Judah or follower of Judaism) and instead seems to symbolize the pinnacle of human potential. The idea of "deification of the human character" resonates with Greek mystery traditions, where initiates sought communion with the divine or a transcendent state beyond mortality. This might echo the promise of a blessed afterlife, a key tenet of the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Broader Context and Interpretation

These terms—"Hebrew," "Israelite," and "Jew"—don’t appear in ancient Greek sources about the Eleusinian Mysteries (e.g., from writers like Plutarch, Pausanias, or inscriptions at Eleusis). Instead, they suggest a later syncretic or allegorical reinterpretation, possibly influenced by Judeo-Christian terminology or esoteric traditions that blended Greek and Semitic ideas. In the original Eleusinian rites, progression was marked by terms like mystes (initiate), epoptes (seer), and roles like Hierophant (revealer of sacred things), which you also listed. The use of "Hebrew," "Israelite," and "Jew" might reflect an attempt to universalize the Mysteries or map their spiritual hierarchy onto a different cultural framework.

  • Hebrew: The fully initiated, having crossed all stages.
  • Israelite: The purified seer, elevated by divine insight.
  • Jew: The perfected being, embodying the divine itself.

The whole type of what may be made of human nature by cultivation of mind, which is the conditional promise of paradise, or kingdom of heaven. This is the revelation of all the mysteries.

Carlile further states "We are prepared with historical disproofs of the existence of such a people as Israelites or Jews as a nation. They were a religious or philosophical sect, who had been made adepts in the higher Pagan Mysteries : a sect among nations ; but not a nation among sects."

Judaism sanctions Gnosticism which is further elaborated in their books of the Cabala. For further study of this subject we refer the reader to Chapter XIII.