LECTURE OF THE KABALISTS.
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Pike, Albert
Qu Why did you seek to be received a Knight of the Kabalah?
Ans To know, by means of numbers, the admirable harmony which there is between nature and religion.
Qu How were you announced?
Ans By twelve raps.
Qu What do they signify?
Ans The twelve bases of our temporal and spiritual happiness.
Qu What is a Kabalist?
Ans A man who has learned, by tradition, the Sacerdotal Art and the Royal Art.
Qu What means the device, Omnia in numeris sita sunt?
Ans That everything lies veiled in numbers.
Qu Explain me that.
Ans I will do so, as far as the number 12. Your sagacity will discern the rest.
Qu What signifies the unit in the number 10?
Ans GOD, creating and animating matter, expressed by 0, which, alone, is of no value.
Qu What does the unit mean?
Ans In the moral order, a Word incarnate in the bosom of a virgin—or religion…. In the physical, a spirit embodied in the virgin earth—or nature.
Qu What do you mean by the number two?
Ans In the moral order, man and woman…. In the physical, the active and the passive.
Qu What do you mean by the number 3?
Ans In the moral order, the three theological virtues…. In the physical, the three principles of bodies.
Qu What do you mean by the number 4?
Ans The four cardinal virtues…. The four elementary qualities.
Qu What do you mean by the number 5?
Ans The quintessence of religion…. The quintessence of matter.
Qu What do you mean by the number 6?
Ans The theological cube…. The physical cube.
Qu What do you mean by the number 7?
Ans The seven sacraments…. The seven planets.
Qu What do you mean by the number 8?
Ans The small number of Elus…. The small number of wise men.
Qu What do you mean by the number 9?
Ans The exaltation of religion…. The exaltation of matter.
Qu What do you mean by the number 10?
Ans The ten commandments…. The ten precepts of nature.
Qu What do you mean by the number 11?
Ans The multiplication of religion…. The multiplication of nature.
Qu What do you mean by the number 12?
Ans The twelve Articles of Faith; the twelve Apostles, foundation of the Holy City, who preached throughout the whole world, for our happiness and spiritual joy…. The twelve operations of nature: The twelve signs of the Zodiac, foundation of the Primum Mobile, extending it throughout the Universe for our temporal felicity.
[The Rabbi (President of the Sanhedrim) adds: From all that you have said, it results that the unit develops itself in 2, is completed in three internally, and so produces 4 externally; whence, through 6, 7, 8, 9, it arrives at 5, half of the spherical number 10, to ascend, passing through 11, to 12, and to raise itself, by the number 4 times 10, to the number 6 times 12, the final term and summit of our eternal happiness.]
Qu What is the generative number?