Pico Della Mirandola's Encounter With Jewish Mysticism

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Pico della M irand ola s

Encounter with Jewish Mysticism

ublished in association with

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities





Pico della M irandola s

Encounter with Jewish M ysticism

CH I M W IRS Z UB S K I

Harvard Universi ty Press

Cam br idge M assachuse t ts and Lon don Eng land

1989



Co pyrig ht © 1989 by the President and Fellow s of H arv ard C ollege and The Israel

Academy of Sciences and Humani t ies

All r ights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book i s p r in ted on acid-f ree paper , and i t s b ind ing mater ia l s have

been chosen for s t rength and durab i l i ty .

Library of Congress Catalog ing in Publ icat ion Data

Wirszubsk i , Chaim

Pico del la M irand ola s enc oun ter wi th Jewish myst ic i sm /

Ch a im Wi r szu b sk i .

p . cm.

Bibliography: p .

ISBN 0-674-66730-1 (alk. paper)

1. P ico del la M irand ola , Giova nni , 1463-1494 . 2 . Ca bala .

3. Ca bal a an d Christ iani ty . I . Ti t le.

B785.P54 W 57 1988 87-24515

230 .2 0924—dc 19 C IP



oreword

H A IM W IRSZ UB SK I achieved h i s eminence am ong scho la r s by

virtue of varied accomplishments. He was steeped in the classics,

he was an interpreter of Jewish mystic ism, a scholar in the f ie lds of

Medieva l and Rena issance Hebra ism, and a dis t inguished teacher . He

himse lf , however , w ould prob ably have wished to be pr im ar i ly remem -

bered for the contribution he made to the study of Jewish mystic ism, a

subjec t to which his com mitm ent was pro fo un d. He sought to enhan ce the

stan din g of Jewish h istorical s tudies, to increase the f ie ld 's app eal to

students as well as to enlarge i ts horizons.

Wirszubski began his scholarly pursuits in the classics. This primary

interest manifested i tself in his f irs t book, Liberias as a Political Idea at

Rom e during the Late Repub lic and Early Principate (C am brid ge, 1950). As

the t i t le indicates Wirszubski set out to analyze both the concept of

Libertas and the various possibil i t ies for i ts realization. He presented the

history of the idea in a broad context and explored the impact of the idea

on day- to-day behavior . This book a lso demonstra ted Wirszubski ' s phi l -

ological skill and textual precision, an app roa ch he main tain ed in his la ter

wri t ings , am on g them his ana lys is of Cic ero 's Cu m Digni ta te O tiu m

(1954). Likewise, his translation into Hebrew of Spinoza 's Tractatus

Theologico politicus (1961) successfully com bine d high philolog ical preci-

sion w ith an idiom atic s tyle an d reflected his deep interest in the history of

pol i t ica l ideas and in Spino za 's bro ad back gro un d, inc luding the var ious

aspects of medieval philosophy.

Wirszubski was born in Vilna, Poland, in 1915. His earliest education

was at the local T a rb u t high schoo l. His init ia l s teps a t the University of

Vilna , where he pursued the s tudy of anc ient Roman Law, were in te r -

rup ted in 1933 wh en he emigrated to Palestine. At the Hebrew U niversity of

Jerusalem he continued his c lassical s tudies together with Jewish philoso-

phy an d Kab ba lah unde r the gu idance of P rofe s sors Ju l ius G ut tm ann and

Gershom Scholem. The la t te r ' s persona l i ty and schola rship exerc ised a

par t icula r ly pro fou nd an d decisive inf luence on the you ng W irszubski ' s

schola r ly deve lopment .

[v]



oreword

He thus brought to his s tudy of Giovanni Pico de l la Mirandola both

his own keen insight and his mastery of several scholarly disciplines,

comb ining a com m and in G reek and H el lenis tic ideas with his knowledge

of Ka bb ala h. His multifac eted interests conve rge in the presen t volu me . I t

is imbued with his devotion to exploring the meeting ground of various

trends bo rn in dif fe rent cul tura l and phi losop hica l t radi t ion s .

Prompted by his sense of the importance of the topic , Wirszubski

worked on this book for many years . He was ass is ted by Ms. Carmia

Schneider and by Professor Mo she Ide l wh o, a f te r W irszubski s u nt imely

dea th in 1977, brought th is volume to comple t ion, by a t tending to the

remaining lacunae and adding annota t ions and footnotes . On beha lf of

the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities , I wish to express our

gra t i tude to them.

I t was our good for tu ne tha t Pro fessor Paul Oskar K riste l le r of Colu m-

bia University took great interest in the work and generously gave his

advice and h e lp a t c r it ica l mom ents in the prep ara t io n of the man uscr ip t ,

mak ing poss ible the publ ica t ion of th is volum e in i ts present for m . W e are

all indebted to Professor Kriste ller for his lucid introduction, explaining

the significance of the present volume.

M r. Am ita i Spi tzer was kind enough to take upo n himse lf the pre par a-

t ion of the indexes for the book. His work and devot ion a re much

apprec ia ted . I am pleased to add our gra t i tu de to the Publ ica t ion s D epa r t -

ment of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities , directed by Mr.

Shm uel Re em, fo r the work a nd time they invested in the pr ep ara tio n of

this volume for publ ica t ion. F ina l ly , but not leas t , our s incere thanks to

Ms. Margare t ta Ful ton of Harvard Univers i ty Press for her guidance in

br inging this projec t to comple t ion.

N a t h a n R o t e n s t r e i c h

[ v i ]



Contents

Fore wo rd by N ath an Rotens tre ich ν

Introd uct io n by Paul Osk ar Kr is tel ler ix

Part One.

Pico s K abb alistic Studies

1. Th e Place of He brew in Pico s Ka bba lis t ic Studies 3

2. The Na ture and Chro nolog y of the Ex tant M anuscripts 10

3. T he Sou rces of the Firs t Set of Th eses 19

4. The Rang e and Progress of Pico s Kab balistic Studies 53

Part Two.

The Translations of Flavius Mithridates

5. Ka bbal is t Tra ns la tor 69

6. Lan guag e Symbolism and N um be r Symb olism 77

7. M aimo nides : Kab bal is t in Phi losophical Guise 84

8. Qu od libe t in Qu olibe t 100

9. Ch ris t ianizing Inte rpr eta tion s 106

10. M oc k M ysterie s 114

Part Three.

What Kabbala Meant to Pico

11. M ysteries of the La w 121

12. M ysticism an d M agic 133

13. M or s Oscu li 153

14. Th e Old an d the New in Pico s Kab balis t ic

Co nf irm at io n of Chr is t iani ty 161

15. Ca ba la D oce t No s Legere in Lib ro Legis 170

16. New Relat ionsh ips and Orie nta t ion s 185

[ v i i ]



App endices 2 1

Index of Na me s an d Sub jects 265

Inde x of Source s 286

Index of Scr iptura l and Rabb inica l Q uo ta t io ns 29

Index of Qu oted M anuscr ip ts 291

[ v i i i ]



ntroduction

Paul Oskar Kristeller

ICO della Mirand ola s Encoun ter with Jewish M ysticism, the fru it

of man y years of careful research a nd original think ing by

Professo r Chaim W irszubski , fi ll s a m ajo r gap in our know ledge of Pico

and of Pico s Kabb al ism. W irszubski was unique ly qua l i f ied to un der take

this s tudy. An excellent philologist and intellectual historian, he was at

hom e in both Heb rew and W este rn schola rship and h ad the ra re abi l i ty to

read, interpret, and compare diff icult texts in several languages, to make

judicious choices between subtle a lternatives, and to c larify the meaning

of passages that are often obscure and even abstruse but of great

imp ortanc e for the his tory of medieva l and m ode rn thoug ht and learning.

Wirszubski covers three major topics. The firs t is the history of the

Jewish Kab bala dur in g the Middle A ges , i ts d i f fe rent wri t ings , aut ho rs ,

schoo ls, and its doctrine s. This diff icult area has received m uch atte nti on

in recent decades, and its s tudy owes much to the la te Gershom Scholem

and his c i rc le , of which Wirszubski was a prominent member .

W irszub ski s secon d su bject is the C hristian Ka bb alism of the

Renaissan ce, an a rea that is less widely know n, bu t has a lso received mu ch

scholar ly a t ten t ion , espec ial ly f r om Joseph L. Blau, Fran ?ois Secre t , and

Wirszubski himself . There has been some debate about the origin and

history of Christian Kabbalism, but i ts s ignificance has been widely

recognized. The re is general agreem ent th at G iov ann i Pico della

M irand ola , Jo han nes Reuchl in , an d other imp ortan t th inkers were

involved in this movement and that their influence kept the movement

alive until the early e ighteenth centu ry. Pico s role w as especially

important because he used the Jewish Kabbala for the conf irmat ion of

Ch ristian theolog y and becau se he add ed K abba lism (as well as

Aristotelianism) to the universal syncretism envisaged by Marsil io Ficino

and thus associated i t with the currents of Platonism, Hermeticism, and

magic studied by Frances Yates, D.P. Walker, and their followers.

[ i x ]



Introduction

Wirszubski tends to confirm this view of Pico as the main founder of

Chris t ian Kabbal ism in the Rena issance .

The third major topic covered by Wirszubski is Pico himself , his

doc tr ine , and his sources . As an important and inf luent ia l th inker , P ico

has been the subject of extensive study for a long time, and his interest in

the Kabbala is generally known and recognized. Yet the precise meaning

of his Kabbalis tic doctrines and the specific Hebrew sources of these

doc trines h ave rem ained rath er vague until now . W irszubski f i l ls this gap

an d clarif ies once an d fo r a ll the con ten t an d th e sources of Pico s

Kabbalism, as well as the individual shape which Pico gave to these

doc tr ines .

The b oo k is d ivided into three m ajo r sec t ions , fol lowed by tw enty- three

appe ndice s. Th e firs t section discusses Pico s know ledge of He bre w and of

Kabbalis tic l i terature and describes in detail the content of the four extant

manuscr ipts which conta in the La t in t rans la t ions of many Hebrew texts

made for Pico by Flavius Mithridates, a Jewish scholar from Sicily who

had been converted to Christianity. Wirszubski a lso identif ies the sources

of the f irs t set of Kabbalis tic theses included among the nine hundred

theses, or Conclusiones, which Pico prepa red fo r the publ ic disp uta t io n

ann ou nced by him in 1486 and then prohib i ted by Pop e Innocent V III .

The second sec tion discusses the t rans la to r M ithr ida tes , the meth od and

style of his translations, and the scattered interpolations, partly personal

and par t ly do c tr ina l , add ed b y him to the Hebrew texts. Here and la te r the

Hebrew sources of a ll translations are c learly identif ied.

The third section discusses the role of Kabb alism in Pico s thou gh t a nd

analyzes in detail the second set of Kabb alis tic theses included a m on g the

n ine hund red Conclusiones, as well as the Kabb alis tic do ctrine s me ntio ned

or used in his other writ ings, especially the

Oration

(writ ten for the

projected disputation and best known by its la ter t i t le Oration on the

Dignity of Man , the Apology (writ ten in defense of the con dem ned theses

in 1487), and the Heptaplus (an inte rpre tatio n of the f irs t l ines of Ge nesis

and published in 1489).

Som e of the chap ters an d ap pend ices deal with specific an d significant

doc tr ines and his tor ica l connec t ions . W e learn tha t P ico s m ain

Kabb al is t ic sources were Ab ulaf ia and M enah em of R ecana t i , how magic

was involved in the mystic ism of the Kabbalis ts , and how Pico understood

some basic doctrines that a lso played a prominent role in la ter Christian

Kabbal ism, such as the E y n - S o f an d the ten sefirot. In te res t ing doc tr ines

x]



Introduction

an d sym bols such as the Ho ly Kiss , the fo u r senses o f Sc r ip tu re , an d

Pr ay e r a r e d i s cu s sed . W i r szu b sk i p r o v es w h a t h ad b een mer e ly su r mi se d

in the pas t ) tha t the doct r ine o f the th ree wor lds , angel ic , ce les t ia l , and

e l emen ta r y , a s ad v an ced i n t h e

Heptaplus

i s o f Ka bba l i s t ic o r ig in ,

a l t h o u g h i t ev id en t ly p r es u p p o sed b o t h t h e P l a to n i s t d i s t i n c t i o n b e tw een

the in te l l ig ib le and v is ib le and the Ar is to te l ian d is t inc t ion be tween the

ce l e st i al an d su b l u n a r . We l ea r n t h a t ev en Maim o n id e s w as i n t e r p r e t ed a s

a K a b b a l i s t b y so m e o f h i s co m m en ta t o r s , an d t h a t i t w as P i co r a th e r t h an

h i s H e b r e w so u r c es w h o l i n k ed t h e K a b b a l i s t i c t each in g s w i th t h e

Ch a ld ean O r ac l e s , w i th t h e O r p h ic h y mn s , w i th P r o c lu s an d Cu san u s , an d

ev en w i th R am o n L u l l . W e th u s a rr i v e a t th e co n c lu s io n t h a t P i co , an d n o t

h i s H eb r ew so u r ce s o r h i s Ch r i s t i an p r ed ece s so r s , l a id t h e g r o u n d f o r t h e

C h r i s t i a n i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e K a b b a l a w h i c h b e c a m e s o p r o m i n e n t w i th

Reu ch l in , E g id io d a V i t e r b o , an d o th e r s i x t een th - cen tu r y t h in k e r s . We

a l so co m e to u n d e r s t a n d h o w P ico , w i th h is s t u d y an d p r a i s e o f t h e

K a b b a l a , a d d e d a n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t d i m e n s i o n t o t h e P l a t o n i c s y n c r e ti s m

f o u n d ed b y F i c in o an d b ased o n an c i en t P l a to n i sm an d a l so o n t h e so -

ca l l ed A n c ien t T h eo lo g y th a t w en t u n d e r t h e n ames o f Py th ag o r as ,

O r p h e u s , Z o r o a s t e r , a n d H e r m e s T r i s m e g i s t u s .

T h e m a in co n t r i b u t i o n o f t h e b o o k to P i co s ch o l a r sh ip i s i t s d e t a i l ed an d

p r ec i s e s t u d y , n ev e r a t t emp ted p r ev io u s ly , o f t h e K ab b a l i s t i c t r an s l a t i o n s

m ad e f o r P i co , t h e i r co n t en t a n d so u r ces , an d a l l t h e tex t s an d d o c t r i n e s o f

P i co t h a t a r e d e p en d e n t o n t h e K ab b a l a i n b o th t h e i r co n t e n t an d so u r ces .

I t appear s tha t P ico , wi th the he lp o f h i s Hebrew associa tes , and especia l ly

o f Mi th r id a t e s , w as t h e f i r s t Ch r i s t i an s ch o l a r w h o a t t a in ed an accu r a t e

an d d e t a i l ed u n d e r s t a n d in g o f t h e K ab b a l i s t i c w r i t i n g s an d d o c t r i n es , an d

th a t h e p r o v ed h i s o r ig in a l i t y n o t o n ly i n t h e ch o i ce h e mad e amo n g th e

m an i f o ld a n d o f t e n co n t r a d i c to r y i d eas , s e l ec t in g t h o se t h a t su it ed h is o w n

bel ief s , ideas , and preferences , bu t a l so in the way he r es ta ted these

d o c t r i n es an d co mb in ed t h em w i th e i t h e r h i s o w n id eas o r t h o se d e r iv ed

f r o m d i f f e r en t so u r ces .

A s a ca r e f u l an d c r it i ca l s ch o l a r , Wi r szu b sk i l eav es m an y p o i n t s o p en o r

u n c e r t a in , b u t o n m an y o th e r s h e a r r i v es a t firm co n c lu s io n s w h ich sh o w

th a t man y co n v en t io n a l o r f a sh io n ab l e o p in io n s o n t h e su b j ec t a r e e i t h e r

to o v ag u e o r a r e o u t r i g h t mi s t ak en .

E v er y s e r io u s h i s to r i an o f p h i l o so p h y an d o f i d eas sh o u ld b e g r a t e f u l t o

Wi r szu b sk i f o r t h i s so l i d an d i n t e r e s t i n g co n t r i b u t i o n .

[ x i ]





P RT ONE

Pico s K abb alist ic Studies





1

T H E P L A C E O F H E B R E W I N P I C O S K A B B A L I S T I C S T U D I E S

The beginning of Giov ann i Pico della Mira nd ola s interest in Kab bala is

still a m atter of conjec ture, or largely so: we still do no t kno w fo r certain

when, w here, how, or throu gh whom he made his fi rst acquaintance with

K abb ala. On e fact, however, that can be stated with certainty has only too

often been subm erged by the posth um ous fam e of Pico s Hebrew erudi-

tion: contrary to what has often been assumed or implied, Pico became

interested in Ka bba la b efore he knew Heb rew . He states in his

Commento

and there is no reason to doubt or disbelieve his statement insofar as

He brew is conc erned , that he set out to study H ebrew an d C halde an solely

for the sake of K abbala.

1

He is in fact the first Ch ristian H ebra ist of note

known to have done so, and thus marks a watershed in the history of

Hebrew studies in Europe.

We hap pen to be fairly well inform ed ab ou t the early stage of Pico s

study of Hebrew. On 8 September 1486, Marsilio Ficino wrote to Pico

reque sting the retu rn of his Latin K ora n. Pico s un da ted reply, written

from La Frat ta, is extant:

Non poteras opportunius Maumethem tuum Lat inum repetere quam hoc

tempore , quo me propediem Maumethem ipsum, patr ia l ingua loquentem,

audi turum spero: pos tqua m en im Hebra icae l inguae , perpetuum me nsem ,

dies noctesque inuigi laui , ad Arabicae Studium et Chaldaicae totus me

1 Commento sopra una canzona d amore, bo ok III, cha p, xi, stanza 9, in G . Pico

de l la Mirandola , De Hom inis Dignitate, Heptaplus, De Ente et Uno, ed . Ε .

Garin (Flore nce, 1942) , p . 581 (hereafter c i ted as

Commento,

ed. Ga rin);

Iohannis Pic i Mirandolae,

Opera Omnia

[Basel, 1557], p. 920 [hereafter cited

Pico ,

Opera]):

El desiderio so lo del quale [del la Ca bala] mi m osse al l 'ass i -

duo studio del la ebraica e caldaica l ingua, sanza le qual i a l ia cognizione di

quel la pervenire e a l tutto imp ossibi le . A s regards the study of Ch aldea n,

Pico gave a different reason in his letter to Ficino ( O pe ra Omnia, Basle, 1557,

p. 367) . For another important piece of evidence concerning Pico's s tudy of

oriental languages see his

Oratio

in E. Garin, ed. ,

La cultura filosoflca del

Rinascimento italiano

(Florence , 1961) , pp . 23 8-2 39 .

[3 ]



Pico s Encounter with Jewish Mysticism

contul i , n ihi l in e is ueritus me profecturum minus, quam in Hebraica

profecer im, in qua possum nondum quidem cum laude , sed c i tra cu lpam

epis to lam d ic tare .

2

L a te r in t h a t l e t t e r , P i co w r i t e s : T u u s M au m ete s Pe r u s i a e e s t , q u o cu m

r ed i e r o ( ab s u m en im o b p es t is su sp i c io n em ) ib i t ad t e co n t in u o .

3

G i v e n

th a t P i co ' s l e tt e r t o A n d r e a C o r n eo o f 15 O c to b e r 1 4 86 w as d a t ed f r o m

P e r u g i a ,

4

w h er ea s h i s l e t t e rs o f 10 N o v em b e r 1 48 6 to D o m en ico Ben iv i en i

a n d t o a n u n k n o w n f r i e n d w e r e d a t e d f r o m L a F r a t t a ,

5

i t fo l lows tha t he

m o v e d f r o m P e r u g i a t o L a F r a t t a a f t e r 1 5 O c t o b e r . H e n c e h is u n d a t e d

r ep ly ex F r a t t a t o F i c in o ' s l e t t e r o f Se p t em b er is n o t l ik e ly t o b e ea r l i e r

t h an t h e mid d l e o f O c to b e r , 1 4 8 6 .

G r an t ed i t s d a t e , tw o th in g s emer g e f r o m th i s v a lu ab l e p i ece o f ev i -

d en ce , b o th o f w h ich a r e imp o r t an t f o r t h e s t u d y o f P i co ' s en co u n te r w i th

K a b b a l a . F i r s t , b y t h e mid d l e o f O c to b e r , t h a t i s t o say tw o o r t h r ee w eek s

b e f o r e t h e co m p le t i o n o f h i s

Conclusiones

e a r ly i n N o v e m b e r ,

6

P ico co u ld

w r i t e an ex e r c i s e i n H eb r ew p r o se co mp o s i t i o n mo d er a t e ly w e l l . Bu t t o

r ead a K ab b a l i s t i c b o o k in t h e o r ig in a l h i s mas t e r y o f H eb r ew w o u ld h av e

h a d t o b e o f an en t i r e ly d i f f e r e n t o r d e r w h ich w o u ld t ak e y ea r s t o ac q u i r e .

Wi th a t r an s l a t i o n a t h i s e lb o w P ico mig h t a t t h a t t ime h av e s t r u g g l ed

th r o u g h so m e easy p ag e s o f K ab b a l a , an d , b e t t e r s t il l, w h en M i th r id a t e s

h a p p en ed t o b e a t h i s s i d e , an y p a s sag e w o u ld n o t h av e b een t o o d i f f i cu l t .

7

But i t i s qu i te ou t o f the ques t ion tha t P ico cou ld a t tha t t ime have read an

u n t r a n s l a t e d K a b b a l i s t ic b o o k u n a i d e d . C o n s e q u e n t l y , w h i l e t h e p o s s i b i l-

2 F ic ino , Opera (Ba sle, 1561 ), p. 879; Pic o, Opera, p. 367; P. O . Kriste l ler ,

Supplementum Ficinianum,

II (Flore nce, 1937) , pp. 27 2- 27 3.

3 Pico,

Opera,

p. 368.

4 Ibid., p. 379.

5 Ib id ., pp . 382 and 384 -38 6 .

6 On 12 No vem ber 1486 P ico wrote to Giro lam o Beniv ien i : Disp utand a per

me publ ice dogm ata ante tuum a me d i scessum 700 is c laudebantur . P os t -

quam abist i , ad 900a excreverunt progrediebanturque, nis i receptui cecinis-

sem, ad mil le . Sed placuit in eo numero, utpote mist ico , pedem sistere ; L.

D ore z, Lettres inedites de Jean Pic de la M iran dole , Giorn ale storico della

letteratura italiana,

25 (1895), p. 358.

7

Liber Redem ptionis,

Vatican Library, Co d. Chigi Α .VI. 190, fo l . 286v: Pice

s iue irascaris s iue non quia sc io te non posse inte l l igere hoc et forte contin-

geret quan doq ue m e tecum esse et peteres a me expo sit ion em suam . et quia in

mea traductione lat ina non inte l l igeres earn sed ia hebraicos ideo scribo t ibi

earn hebraice totam l icet prol ixa s i t habeas pacienciam. cum non placuerit

mictere [mittere] ad docendum ne facias i l lud.

[4]



Heb rew in Pico s Kabbalistic Studies

i ty that Pico read som e bits of Ka bba la in Heb rew can no t and need not be

denied , i t is quite unlikely tha t he read any signif icant qua nti ty of K abb al-

istic texts in the original language before he wrote his Kabbalistic theses.

In othe r words, the range of Pico s acq uain tanc e with Ka bb ala in 1486 was

no t determ ined by his know ledge of He brew . He nce, even if he hap pen s to

quote or refer to untrans lated boo ks ,

8

we must not assume that Pico read

them unless he could read them in translat ion.

Second , the who le drif t of this passage, and in part icu lar the tenses used

by Pico in his desc ription o f his studies, show q uite clearly that his stud y of

Hebrew was a thing of the recent past at the time of writing, a matter of

weeks or months, not of years. Pico went to Paris in the summer of 1485.

He returned to Italy in March 1486. In May he was involved in a stormy

love affair in A rezzo, af ter which he ret ired to P erugia, whence he mo ved

to La F ratt a, where he rem ained t il l No vem ber. He then went to Rom e.

9

In

view of these circumstances it is the likeliest conclusion that Pico set to

study He brew in the sum me r of 1486. Th at sam e sum me r is the t ime when

the Kab balis t ic translat ion s ma de for Pico by Mithrida tes f low ed in great

profus ion .

I shall in due course consider the chronology of those translat ions in

greater detail. Here it will suffice to point out one fact. Almost all the

manuscripts of the translat ions of Mithridates that Pico demonstrably

used for his theses were demonstrably writ ten between May and

November 1486. None of the manuscripts is dated, but they al l date

themselves by their freq uen t references and allusions, inserted in the text

in paren theses, to Pico s love affair with M argh eri ta, the wife of G iuliano

M ariot to de* Medici of Arezzo. Tha t af fai r becam e comm on knowledge

and com m on gossip on 10 M ay 1486, when Pico m ade away fro m A rezzo

on horseback with Margheri ta in his saddle and was hotly pursued and

eventually caught by the lady s husb and and a com pan y of A retine

riders.

10

Since al l the manu scripts used by Pico — and they am ou nt to

8 The

Zohar,

for instance.

9 For the chr ono logy see E. Ga rin, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (Florence ,

1937) , pp. 24 -3 0; P.O . Kriste ller , G iova nn i Pico del la M irand ola and His

Sources , in L Opera e iipensiero di Giovanni Pico delta Mirandola nella Storia

deU Um anesino, C on veg no Interna zionale , 2 vols . (Floren ce, 1965) , I , p . 37 ,

n. 2.

10 See D . Bert i , Intorn o a G iov ann i Pico del la M irand ola, cenni e doc um enti

inedit i , Rivista contemporanea, 16 (1859) , 7 -5 6 , pp . 13 f f . and 49 f f .

[ ]




appro xim ate ly 3 ,000 pages in fol io — were consequent ly w ri t ten be tween

that date and the completion of Pico's theses early in November, i t is safe

to assume tha t the t rans la t ions of Mithr ida tes f lowed in grea t profus ion

during the summer of 1486. Thus is appears to be the l ikeliest hypothesis

that Pico set out to s tudy Hebrew for the sake of Kabbala a t the very t ime

when he could read Kabbala comfor tably in the La t in t rans la t ions of

Mithr ida tes .

Hebrew, i t is true, is indispensable for a serious study of Kabbala . But,

given the translations of Mithridates, was i t s t i l l true, and if so in what

respec t, tha t w i thout Heb rew and A ram aic it was ent ire ly imposs ible to

kno w K abb ala , senza le qua l i a l ia cogniz ione [de lla Ca ba la ] pervenire e

a l tu t to imposs ibi le ?

1 1

The answer is by no means self-evident, because,

as we shall see la ter , Pico learned a great deal from the translations of

M ithr ida tes , inf ini te ly more tha n he might o r could have lea rned f ro m the

Heb rew or igina ls , had he a t tem pted to read them with out t rans la t ions . At

the same time, i t is not a reflection on the quality of the translations of

Mithr ida tes to say tha t they kept reminding Pico he needed Hebrew in

order to unders tand the Kabbala he was reading in t rans la t ion.

The principal doctrines of Jewish Kabbala by themselves can be sta ted

as effectively in Latin as in Hebrew. But books written by Kabbalis ts ,

owing to the ir modes of thought and pa t te rns of express ion, a re not

equa l ly t r ans la tab le th roughout : the dominan t pos i t ion o f l anguage qua

language in Kabbalis tic symbolism renders much that is essentia l in

Kabbala inseparable f rom the Hebrew text of the Scr iptures and the

e lements of the Hebrew language . According to Gershom Scholem:

The process which the Kabbalists described as the emanation of divine

energy and divine l ight was a lso characterized as the unfoldin g of the divine

language. This g ives rise to a deep-sea ted paral le l ism betwe en the tw o mo st

important k inds o f symb ol i sm used by the Kabbal i s t s to com mu nicate their

ideas. They speak of attributes and of spheres of l ight; but in the same

context they speak also of divine names and the letters of which they are

composed . From the very beg innings o f Kabbal i s t i c doctr ine these two

ma nners of speak ing appe ar s ide by s ide. The secret wo rld of the go dh ead is

a World of language a wo rld of divine nam es that un fold in acco rdan ce w ith

a law of their ow n. T he e lem ents o f the divine language appear as the letters

of the Holy Scriptures . Letters and names are not only conventional means

of communicat ion. They are far more. Each one of them represents a

concentrat ion of energy and expresses a wealth of meaning which cannot be

translated or not ful ly at least into hum an lang ua ge. . . The proce ss of

11 See ab ove n ote 1.

[6]



Hebrew in Pico's Kabb alistic Studies

Creation , w hich proceed s from stage to stage and is ref lected in extra-divine

wo rlds a nd of cour se in nature as wel l , is not necessari ly dif ferent from the

process that f inds i ts express ion in divine words and in the documents of

Rev elat ion, in which the divine language is thoug ht to have been ref lected.

1 2

Almost a l l the demonstrable sources of P ico 's Kabbal is t ic theses use

symbolical language to a greater or lesser extent. The sole exception is a

smal l book (not qui te one quinternion in t rans la t ion) , Rabbi Azr ie l ' s

Quaestiones super Decern Numerationibus,

which is writ ten alm ost entirely

in nonsymbolical language. Al l o ther books resor t e i ther to symbol ical

in terpre ta t ion of the Scr ip tures , or to com bina t ion s of le t ters and isopse-

phic equat ions , or to both , as the case may be. They are not equal ly

dif f icul t books , nor are even the d if f icul t ones equal ly d i f f icul t through-

ou t. B ut, as rega rds tran slat ion , there is on e thing that ho lds goo d fo r all of

the m , irrespective of their diff iculty an d of the kind of K ab ba la they

represent : arguments or in terpreta t ions that are inseparable f rom the

letters of Hebrew words tend to become lost — to be l i terally invisible —

or become unintell igible in a plain translation, unless i t includes the

Hebrew words .

I t i s , for ins tance, a common view, and much older than Kabbala

proper, that heaven and earth were created with the letter

he.

The

scr ip tural author i ty for i t i s Gen. 2 :4 ( These are the generat ions of the

heavens and the ear th when they were created ) , where , however , the

word

behibar'am

(D xna ra) is interpreted as if i t read

behebra'am

(DX I3 ΓΟ );

according ly , the verse is assum ed to mean , Th ese are the gene rat ions of

the heavens and the ear th : God created them with

he.

One ca nn ot see the

force and re levance of the argument , unless the word behibar'am is seen

and under s tood .

1 3

Nor can one see isopsephic equat ions in an ordinary

trans la t io n . O Pice , M ithr idates rem arked in the marg in of Codice

12 G. Scho lem , On the Kabbalah and Its Symbo lism t rans . R. Manhe im (New

Yo rk, 1965), pp. 3 5- 36 .

13 By way of i l lustrat ion, I quo te Co dice Vati can o Ebraico 190, fo l . 176r:

et Ze est nom en eius in eternum ad ascon den du m , quo d sc il icet scribitur per

iod he vau he et legitur per aleph daleth nun iod, cum qu o creauit superiores

et inferiores ut scribitur [Isa. 26:4: D T J V I V n x mrr rra 'a] cum iod et he

dominus formauit secula . hinc habetur quod cum his duabus l icteris sc i l icet

iod et he creauit iod he vau he du o secula , seculum hoc et seculum venturu m.

seculum quidem venturum cum iod, et seculum hoc cum he, ut scribitur [Gen.

2:4] cum he creauit eos quod dicunt sapientes nostr i in dict ione behibarham

id est quando creauit eos .

[ ]




V a t i c a n o E b r a i c o 1 9 0 , f o l . 7 5 r , m a g n a s u n t h e c s e d i m p o s s i b i l e e st u t

in te l l i gantu r a t e n i s i in pro pr i i s Uter is e t verb i s heb raic i s . H e wa s qu i te

r i g ht . N o o n e , u n l e s s h e k n e w H e b r e w , w o u l d s u s p e c t , o n r e a d i n g i n L a t i n

e t q u e m a d m o d u m t r a d i d it il l a m in m a n u i n t e ll e c t u s a g e n t i s s i c t r a d id i t

i l l a m in m a n u I s r a e l , t h a t I n t e ll e c t u s A g e n s a n d I sr a e l w e r e i s o p s e p h i c

equ iva len t s , as in fac t they are in Hebrew: the sum s resu l t ing f rom the

a d d i t i o n o f t h e n u m b e r s r e p r e s e n t e d b y t h e H e b r e w l e tt e r s ^ y i s n b l O

(sekel happo el, i n t e l le c t u s a g e n s ) a n d ^ f W ( I s r a e l) , r e s p e c t i v e l y , a r e i n

each case 541 .

A n i l l u m i n a t i n g e x a m p l e o f w h a t c o u l d a n d w h a t c o u l d n o t b e s e e n

wi tho ut rec our se to the or ig ina l i s a f f or de d by the las t pa rag rap h of the

Liber Redemptionis, w h e r e t h e L a t i n t r a n s l a t i o n i s f o l l o w e d b y a q u o t a t i o n

o f t h e H e b r e w o r i g i n a l a n d a d e t a i l e d i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f i t b y M i t h r i d a t e s

( V a t i c a n L i b r a r y , C o d . C h i g i Α . V I . 1 9 0 , f o l . 3 3 2 r - v ( h e r e a f t e r r e f e r r ed t o

as C od . Ch ig i or the Ch i s ianu s) :

Dico ig i tur t ib i quod magna es t Cogi ta t io In te l lec tua l i s in Deo secundum

deb i t um p l us quam s it quecum que o r a t i o e t j e j un i um e t voc i f e r a t i o pe r

probat iones mani fes tas e t c la ras . nec es t dubium ut d ixi t doctor quod

quando f i t hec rel igio siue Cultus Cogitat ionis Intel lectual is in deo et in

propr ie ta t ibus e ius e t oper ibus e ius e t in nominibus e ius indicant ibus

omnia hec quod in veri tate hec est i l ia rel igio vera que debetur i l l i a

qu oc um qu e sapiente . E t hec dic i tur Cu l tus e t re l ig io que debe tur deo san cto

e t benedic to ex char i ta te . nec nom ina e ius sc i re poter i s nec veram not ic iam

e i us n i s i pe r combi na t i onem l i t e r a rum. i deo s i combi naue r i s t r i a nomi na

sua quorum unum a l t e r i addes ( cum ro r e )

1 4

et unum al ter i (cum heie)

inuenies in omnibus t r ibus necess i ta tem uel Causam Inuent ionis e t e t i am

ipse est Causa mundi et est Causa eius quod est et est secretum dei eterni .

H eb rai ce κχη η τχι (πνιχ) ητ rm VÜ) ητ bx ητ *p in u r o vm nw πεΛ ϊ; ηΊχι

.oViy Vx πιο Nim ixnrt η νπ κιηι nVirn a r n sin on DJ n x' sn n s v n Dn i^^ D

(A more p i c i vo l o dec l a r a r e hunc pas sum. ) C ombi na t i o e i us t r i um

n o m i n u m

1 5

ascendi t ad 177 e t cont ine t Cau sam e ius qu od es t que es t h i iub

amesiha, cuius numeri sunt 8.10.6.2.5.40.90.10.1.5. Collect i sunt 177. et

t o t i dem sun t numer i C ause mund i que d i c i t u r h i ubaho l am, cu i us numer i

su nt 8.10.6.2.5.70.6.30.40. Co llect i sun t 177 et tot id em su nt Cau sa eius

quod es t que dic i tur h i iyb amasui i ue l Causa que es t cuius numer i sunt

14 A s may be s een f rom t he H eb rew qu o t a t i o n ,

cum rore

is due to the var ia nt

bu

(tat)

for Vl?

( at).

15 The nam es a r e m i r (Y H W H ) , ' n x (A do na i ) and εγγΛ χ (E l oh i m) , t he num er i -

ca l equiva len ts of which are respect ive ly 26, 65, an d 86. He nce , co m bin at io

e ius t r ium no m inu m ascendi t ad 177.

[8]



Hebrew in Pico s Kabbalistic Studies

8 1 0 6 2 5 4 0 9 0 6 1 0 [ 10 ] Col lect i sunt tot id em Et tot id em sunt numeri dei

semp iterni qui dic i tur e lh olam quia 1 30 70 6 30 40 col lect i sunt 177

reliqua intelligas per te

What cannot be seen in the La t in t rans la t ion without recourse to the

original is the way in which th e tru th th at G od is the cause of a ll tha t exists

is d iscovered or ra ther recognized thr ou gh the com bina t ion of divine

names. But unless one can see how Kabbala discovers or recognizes truth

— a nd the ways of discovery or recogn ition are no t a lways the sam e — one

has failed to see the essentia l quality of Kabbala .

If we bear in mind tha t the t rans la t ions of M ithr ida tes a re shot th rou gh

with He brew w ords and p hrases an d, occasionally , as in this instance, with

who le passages in H ebre w, we can see no w that even th at mo dicu m of

Heb rew which Pico acquired in a m on th migh t imp rove his und ers tan ding

of Kabbala . I am not suggesting that i t removed or even eased all the

difficulties Pico had to face But i t certa inly help ed him to see in detail ho w

a Kab bal is t ic a rgum ent or in te rpre ta t ion proceed ed. This is a ma t te r of

imp ortan ce , because Pico s a t t rac t ion by the K abbal is t ic way of dis-

covering o r recognizing tr uth acco un ts fo r m uch that is entire ly new in his

Chris t ian Kabbala .

[9]



2

T H E N A T U R E A N D C H R O N O L O G Y O F T H E E X T A N T M A N U S C R I P T S

G ran ted tha t P ico s s tudy of Ka bba la was not an extens ion of previou s

Heb rew s tudies but tha t , on the contra ry , h is s tudy of Hebrew was f ro m

the outset s ubs idiary t o K ab ba la , it follow s tha t Pico did not m ak e his f irs t

acqua intance with Kabbala through untrans la ted Kabbal is t ic texts , unless

they were texts translated to him viva voce Nor is i t l ikely, on the other

hand, tha t P ico read much Kabbala in t rans la t ion before the t rans la t ions

m ad e for him by F lavius M ithrid ates began to f low in 1486. N ot that the

name and na ture of Kabbala were in fac t as unknown in the Chr is t ian

wo rld be for e Pico as Pico seems to imply.

1

The notion that Jewish esoteric

texts and doc tr ines co nf irm ed Chris t iani ty was beginning to spread so me

time before Pico and may wel l have been ga ining ground.

2

There was ,

however , not much Kabbala proper — whether genuine or adul te ra ted —

to be read in translation. Bits and pieces of both truly and ostensibly

Kabbalistic texts in Latin translations were certa inly in c irculation,

enoug h ap paren t ly t o ma ke Pico wish to kn ow m ore , but hardly enough to

satisfy his desire: w hat l i tt le is kn ow n f or certa in of truly Kab balis tic texts

1 Pico,

Apologia {Opera,

1557) , p . 175: V olo autem et a l iquid dicere lat ius de

ista Cabala . . . horrendum enim ist is patribus uidetur hoc nomen, et ex ipso

pene s on o t im end um , i ta ut forte s int ex ipsis , qui cabal ista s non ho m ines , sed

h ircoceruos pot ius ue l centaurum, ue l omnino mostruosum a l iqu id esse

suspicarentur. quinimo audi rem ridiculam, cum semel quidam ex e is interro-

garetur, quid esset is ta Cabala? Respondit i l le , fuisse perf idum quendam

hominem et diabol icum, qui dictus est Cabala, et hunc multa contra Chris-

tum scripsisse , inde sequa ces e ius dictos Caba listas . Ibid. , p . 180: H ae ce st

pr ima e t uera Cabala , de qua credo me pr imum apud Lat inos exp l ica tam

f e c i s s e me n t i o n e m.

2 See G. Scho lem , Zur Gesch ichte der An fäng e der chr i st l ichen K abba la , in

Essays P resented to Leo Baeck (L on do n, 1954), pp. 164 f f . ; F . Secret , Les

Kabbalistes Chretiens de la Renaissance (Paris, 1964), pp . 8 ff ; idem, L Ensis

Pauli

de Paulus de Heredia ,

Sefarad,

26 (1966 ) , 79 f f . ; Pico del la Miran dola

e gli inizi della cabala cristiana, Convivium , n .s . 25 (1957) , pp. 3 1- 45 .

[10]



Nature and Chronology of Manuscripts

in translation at that t ime would scarcely f i l l one quire in the manuscripts

of Kabbal is t ic t rans la t ions made for Pico by Mithr ida tes .

M ithr ida tes pe rform ed a remarkab le fea t of t rans la t ion: he t rans la ted a

small Kabbalis tic l ibrary. The extant autographs of his translations in the

Vatic an L ibrary — C odices Vatican i Ebra ici 189-191, an d Cod ex Chigi A.

VI. 190 — do not represent the entire body of Kabbala translated into

Lat in by Mithr ida tes . Three of the four manuscr ipts show subs tant ia l

losses, and a whole large manuscript which was seen and described by

G a f f a r e l

3

has not been recovered since. The extant four manuscripts in

their present s ta te of preservation amount to nearly 3,500 pages in folio.

The exten t of the losses can be app rox im ately estim ated at well over 2,000

pages of the same size . A corpus of some 5,500 pages with an average of

twenty-six l ines to the pag e and ten wo rds t o the l ine is roug hly the size of

Jus t in ian s Digest an d m or e tha n fifteen tim es the size of the Aeneid It is

not known, nor can i t be established for want of conclusive evidence,

whether Mithr ida tes t rans la ted a chance col lec t ion of Kabbal is t ic books ,

or books selected for translation, and, if the la tter , by whom the selection

was made. At any rate , this impressive body of Kabbalis tic l i terature in

Lat in t rans la t io n comp rises some for ty boo ks of varying size , qua l i ty , and

inte res t , wr i t ten by dif fe ren t auth ors , be longing to dif fe rent per iod s , and

represent ing dif fe rent types of K abb ala . Before we cons ider those t ran s la -

tions as sources, i t will be useful to consider them briefly as manuscripts

one by one.

Co d. Vat. Eb r. 189 originally con taine d a corp us of f if teen su nd ry

wri t ings usua l ly a t t r ibuted to Eleazar of Worms. The manuscr ipt los t i t s

beginning and end a lready before i t was borrowed f rom the Vat ican

Lib rary and was copied in i ts presen t s ta te of prese rvatio n by Egidio d a

Vite rbo in 1516. A no the r copy of this m anu scrip t in its presen t s ta te of

preserva t ion w as seen and descr ibed by Gaff a re l .

4

Three whole book s an d

the beg innin g of the fou rth are missing at the beginning , an d the f if teenth

bo ok , except i ts f irs t page, is missing at the en d. Th e firs t missing quire of

3 Iacobus Gaf fare l lus , Codicum C abalisticorum manu scriptorum quibus est

usus Ioannes Picus Comes M irandulanus Index Paris , 1651) , pp. 19 -41 .

Repr inted in J . Chr is topherus Wol f ius , Bibliotheca Hebraica, I Ha mb u r g

and Leipzig: Christ ianus Liebezeit , 1715) , Ap pen dix, pp. 11 -2 0. Her eafter

Index, pp.

1 1 - 2 0 [ 1 9 - 4 1 ] . )

4 See Flavius M ithridates , Sermo de Passione Dom ini, ed. C. Wirszubsk i

Jerusalem , 1963; hereafter Sermo de Passione , p p . 5 8 - 6 4 .

[11]




the f i rs t extant book (which is the four th of the whole corpus) and f ive

quires containing the missing fif teenth book are a t present embedded in

Cod. Chigi .

5

Together with the recovered quires the manuscr ipt now

conta ins twelve comple te books

De Anima

con t inuous ly numbered f rom

IV to X V, each bo ok havin g in additio n i ts ow n ti t le. Th e

fift nth

boo k is

stated in its incipit to be the last . Books eleven, twelve, and fif teen are

a t t r ibuted in the ir incipits to Eleazar of Worms. Whether , or to what

extent, he is a lso the author of the remaining nine extant books is a

question that need not be discussed here , because i t hardly matters for the

s tudy of Pico 's Chr is t ian Kabbala .

Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190 is complete , except that i ts last three quires are a t

present embedded in the Chis ianus .

6

It contains a mixed lot of eleven

sundry works by dif fe rent authors , but i t was evident ly wri t ten as one

continuous manuscript: only three of those eleven pieces begin at the top

of a recto page, and there is only one subscription, a t the end of the last

piece.

Since the recov ery, som e years ago, of the missing end of Co d. Vat. Eb r.

189 and the m issing end of C od . V at. Ebr. 190, i t is no longer a mat ter of

opinio n or infe rence tha t these two manu scr ipts a re t rans la t ions mad e fo r

Pico della Mi ran do la by Flaviu s M ithrid ates: this is plainly sta ted in their

subscr ipt ions .

7

C od . Vat. E br. 191 differs in som e respects fr om the tw o oth er Vatic ani.

The subscr ipt ion M ithr id a te Inte rpre te app ears s ix t imes ( fols . 34v,

107v, 121r, 208r, 287v, 335r), and in three instances (the first, the second,

and the last) i t is followed by blank pages. I t would seem therefore that,

unl ike the two other Vat icani , th is manuscr ipt was wri t ten piecemeal

ra ther th an co nt inuously . A no ther n otew orth y dif fe rence is tha t the sub-

scr ipt ions invar iably s ta te tha t Mithr ida tes is the t rans la tor , but none of

them ment ions Pico as the rec ipient of the t rans la t ions . The manuscr ipt

comprises twelve pieces and the beginning of a thir teenth. Some are

anonymous; a l l o thers a re by dif fe rent authors .

Co d. Chigi is a com posi te manu scr ipt put toge ther in obvio us disa rray.

8

5 See ibid. , pp. 55 -5 8.

6 See ib id . , pp . 52 -5 5 and 57 -5 8 .

7 Fo r the sub scrip tion of Co d. Vat. Ebr. 189 see ibid., p. 57; fo r that of C od .

Vat. Ebr. 190, ibid., p. 58.

8 See ibid. , pp. 55 -5 8. See also P.O . Kriste l ler , Iter Italicum I I L o n d o n -

Leiden, 1967), p. 478.

[12]



Nature and Chronology of Manuscripts

Ap art fro m nine quires, six of which original ly belonged to Co d. Vat . E br.

189 an d three to C od . Va t. E br . 190, the Chisia nus con tains seve ral

Kabbal i s t ic books or par t s of them. The

incipit

of the first piece, Joseph

Gicat i l la 's

Portae Iustitiae (Sa arey Sedeq),

m entio ns Pico as the recipient

of the t ra nslat io n. It was in fact tha nk s to this

incipit

that the m anuscrip t

was rescued from oblivion over forty years ago by P.O. Kristel ler.

9

Of all

the other pieces only one is complete but i t has no subscript ion. Most of

them, however, were demonstrably made for Pico, as wil l be seen in due

course.

All four manuscripts are wri t ten throughout in the same hand, which is

demonstrably the t ranslator 's own. Not being myself a t rained palaeo-

grapher, I have not at tempted a comparat ive study of the Latin and

Hebrew

1 0

hand s of those manuscrip ts and the Lat in and Hebrew hand s of

the au thentic ated aut og rap hs of M ithridates . I do no t , in fact , rest my case

for the authentici ty of the t ranslator 's hand on the comparat ive study of

his handwriting, but on textual criticism. In the text of several transla-

t ions, each in a different manuscript , I have noticed correct ions made by

the first h and of erro rs which are due to the misreading or misco nception

of Heb rew wo rds, som e of which are not even detectable as errors with out

recourse to the Hebrew original . Since such correct ions cannot be rat ion-

al ly explained except on the hypothesis that they are the t ranslator 's own

corrections, their presence in the text argues conclusively that the first

hand is the t ranslator 's . In the examples that fol low, double square

brackets indicate delet ions in the manuscript .

Co d. Vat . Eb r. 189, fol . 485r: Es t autem res po nd en du m ßco ntra-

dice ndu m ] adh uc non ne decern gene rat iones vix eru nt , etc. The first han d

wrote

respondendum

, then deleted that word and wrote

contradicendum

instead, then deleted the lat ter and restored the for m er by set t ing a row of

dots u nde r i t. I t was the t ransla tor, no t the copy ist , wh o wavered between

respondendum

an d

contradicendum

: the He brew phra se o n in the

original tex t can by i tself me an ei ther

est autem respondendum

o r

est

autem contradicendum,

but the for m er is wh at the contex t requ ires.

9 P.O . Kriste ller , Lecto r , Civiltä moderna 10 (1938), 334.

10 In a few instances there are wo rds written in Ara bic and in Gr eek. Cod . Vat .

Ebr. 190, fo l . 415v , has a marg inal note w ritten in Arabic characters , but the

languag e is a lm ost certainly H ebrew .

11 Bo dleian MS 1566 [Op p. 111] , fo l . 277r.

[13 ]




C od . Va t. Eb r. 190, fo l. 80r: et litere in dictio ne flches sedesfl , with

bam id est in eis written abo ve the l ine. Th e error is du e to the misreadin g of

the Hebrew word D2 (bam, in eis) as DD (kes, sedes), which is easily

unders tandable cons ider ing tha t the le t te rs beth a n d kaph are a lmost

indistinguishable in manuscripts , as are a lso f inal mem an d samekh. The

trans la tor a ppa rent ly cau ght himse lf e r r ing by the t ime he reached the next

sentence: e t continen cia om ni um est qu od A rb or vite in e is uiuit hes a iim

b a m h a i .

Ibid. , fol . 109v: e t intell ige qu od o m ne qu od est in sph era sine puncto

est sine a ni m a : the words in i tal ics were add ed by the f i rs t han d be tween

the l ines, an d in the ma rgin the sam e ha nd no ted : dee st in heb[ raice] e t

ego supl[e]ui quia mihi uidetur s ic .

C od . Vat . E br . 191, fo l. 20r: JRam id est excelsus qu od estfl D am id est

sangu is e t est ie led . Th e cancelled R am id est excelsus is und oub ted ly an

error ,

1 2

but i t cannot be the copyists error, because i t was evidently

occasioned by the text of the Hebrew original and not by the text of the

Lat in t rans la t ion.

1 3

Th e firs t ha nd in this instance is plainly the ha nd of the

trans la tor , w ho caugh t himse lf e r r ing soon enoug h to cance l h is e r ro r and

start again.

Co d. Chigi , fo l . 292v: Ve rum s i remo uer is i l ium ab om ni c orpo re i ta te

e t cogi tauer is e te rni ta tes suas e t sempite rni ta tem e t ant iqui ta tem suam

s ine mu ndo a l iquo , e t qu om od o [with vel quod written above the l ine and

non est added by the f irs t hand in the margin] [nomen entis] ibi aliud ens

[writ ten ab ove th e l ine by the f irst han d] pret er i l ium . Th us we have in the

last c lause the alternative translation non est f o r quomodo and the correc-

t ion ib i f o r nomen. The Hebrew original of this c lause is quoted in the

trans la t ion of fol . 293r in the form inVtt x x a j DW f x i . No w, in ordin ary

He brew wri t ing withou t poin ts (vowels) the wo rds fo r nomen (sem) a n d ibi

(sam)' look exactly the same, DU7, because they have the same consonants

with a diffe rent vow el. I t was obvio usly the tra ns lato r, and no t the cop yist ,

who misread the word W as sem, and then caught himself erring: hence

12 Because the Hebrew word ra m i s not the isopsephic equivalent of the word

ieled,

t^ , as the cont ext requires , wh ereas

dam

is.

13 For the present purp ose it do es not very m uch m atter wh ether the error wa s

occ asio ned by the presence in the He brew original of the faulty variant m

ram) beside the correct reading m dam) or , more l ikely , by the c lose

similarity of the letters 1

daleth)

a n d

Ί r esh),

owing to which m

dam,

sanguis) might be easi ly misread as DT ram, excelsus) .

[ 1 4 ]



Nature and Chronology of Man uscripts

the de le t ion of nomen entis and the superscr ip t corre ct ion ibi aliud ens. H e

also rea l ized that pNI ( e t qu o m o do ) in the H ebr ew or ig inal ou gh t to be

fXI ( e t non es t ) ; hence the a l t ernat ive t rans lat ion vel quod non est fo r et

quomodo.

Proving by t extual cr i t ic i sm that the manuscr ip t s are autographs i s a

r ou n d ab ou t m e t h o d , b u t i t h as i ts ad van t age s an d c om p e n s a t io n s . W h at

the internal evidence of the text here reveals is not only that the extant four

manuscr ip t s are wr i t t en in the t rans lator 's own hand , but a l so that they

were wri t t en whi le the trans lator w as actua l ly t rans lat ing the H ebr ew

orig inals in to Lat in . An d s ince they were a l l dem on strab ly wr i t t en for P ico

af ter 10 M ay 1486, it f o l low s that none o f them w ou ld qua l i fy for ident i f i -

cat io n w i th any of the three Ka bbal i s t ic bo ok s sa id to ha ve been t rans lated

in to Lat in befo re the death of S ixtus IV in 1484 , excep t of course on

Gaf fare l ' s hypothes i s that P ico , having fa i led to obta in the books t rans -

lated for S ixtus , had those bo ok s t rans lated aga in by the sam e t rans lator .

1 4

It i s, ho we ver , no t to o d i f f icu l t to see that Gaf far e l ' s hyp othe s i s , be ing the

c h i ld o f w i s h f u l t h in k in g , h as n o f ou n d at ion .

1 5

In three of the four extant manuscr ip t s there are numerous personal

notes writ ten by the f irst hand in parentheses in the text or , less frequent ly,

in the margins .

1 6

The except ion i s Vat icanus 191 , which has on ly three

14 See G affa rel, Index p. 9 [15],

15 No reader of Ga ffar el 's Index can fail to see that he was only too an xious to

prove that his three manuscripts were not only the manuscripts used by Pico

but also the three books translated for Sixtus IV. But, uncritical though he

was, Gaffarel was no fool: anybody can see that translations in which the

transla tor , on Ga ffarel ' s own showing, addresses Pico and a buses the pope

cannot be the translations made for Sixtus IV. Hence the hypothesis of a

second tra nsla tion by the same trans lato r . I t is just possible that Gaff are l

knew someth ing a bout Pico ' s ef for t to ob tain cer ta in boo ks f rom the papal

court through his fr iends in Rome. In a letter addressed to Niccolo Miche-

lozzi, Lorenzo's secretary, in Rome and dated from Florence on 17

Nov em ber 1489, Pico m ade the following request: Se voi potete con destro

m od o cavare dal M aestro di Casa del Pap a li l ibri di Mitr ida te, mi farete cosa

gratissima et ve Ii r im and aro in uno m ese; pa ga ro le vetture e gabeile et ogni

spesa: ma n on biso gna m ostra re di volerli per me che non ve li da reb on o. A d

vu i mi r acco ma ndo (Gar in , La cultura ftlosofica p. 276). Wha t those boo ks

were is not yet know n, nor doe s it m atte r for the present purp ose . Wh at does

matter is the date of the letter : almost three years

after

the publication of

Pico's theses.

16 Som e of the notes in Co d. Vat. Ebr. 189 were published by J. D uk as,

Recherches sur l 'h istoire li t teraire du XVe siecle, Bulletin du bibliophile et

[ 1 5 ]




short personal a llusions in parentheses and none in the margins. If Gaffa

re l s description of his f irs t manu script is correct, there were perso nal notes

a lso in the now los t t rans la t ion of M enah em Re cana t i s Comm entary on

the Pentateuch,

17

Most of the notes in a ll the manuscripts c learly identify themselves by

their phr asing o r con tents as note s address ed by Mith ridat es to Pico. Some

of them, however, could not be so identif ied unless we knew that the f irs t

han d is the t rans la tor s . Sometimes his remarks d o no t app ear to be

addressed to an ybo dy in par t icula r , bu t a re more in the na ture of e jacula -

t ions tha t re f lec t h is moods and preoccupa t ions . Considered as a whole ,

the notes are an invaluable source of information: they throw light on

M ithrid ates, on his re la tions w ith Pico, on Pico s s tudies. They also help to

da te the manuscr ipts in which they appear .

A remarkable case in point is Cod. Vat. Ebr. 189. Owing mainly to the

fact that Gaffarel described a direct descendant of this manuscript in the

seventeenth century, the works of Eleazar of Worms rank high in most

discussions of Pico s Kabba lis tic sources. But som e notes of M ithrid ates

reveal an unsu spected fact : wh en M ithrid ates was tran slatin g the extan t

twelve books De Anima for Pico, the la tter was already in Rome. The

shortest and clearest of them all appears in parentheses a t fol . 483r:

Et sunt multi sapientes et ingeniosi uiri et boni et dediti virtutibus qui

semper mendicant e t sunt pauperes e t v i l i s s imi omnium hominum prout

scriptu m est [E ccl. 9: 16] sapie ncia paup eris non repu tatur nec verba eius

exaudiuntur (Si picus esset pauper tot honores rome non haberet) .

As we can no t b e sure th at this large ma nus cript was delivered to Pico all in

one piece, I shall quote another note which appears in the f irs t extant

book, a t fol . 157r:

Quamvis enim mulier v i predata s i t l ic i ta Dauidi qui est rex non tamen

conueni t u t coeat cum concubin is su i s pos tquam co iu i t cum e i s Absa lom

du bibliothecaire,

42 (187 4), 342 ff. , an d by F. Secret, Qu i etait l 'orien taliste

Mithr idate ,

Revue des etudes juives,

16 [CX VI] (1957) , 96 -10 2 . An other

select ion of notes from C od. Chigi wa s pub lished by Secret , No uve l les

precis ions sur Flavius Mithridates maitre de Pic de la Mirandole et traduc-

teur de com men ta ires de Kab bale , in

L Opera e ilpensiero di Giovanni Pico

della Mirand ola nella storia dell Um anesino, Co nveg no Internaz iona le , II

(Flo ren ce, 1965), 169 ff.

17 See G affarel ,

Index,

pp . 5 - 6 [8] .

[ 1 6 ]



Nature and hronology of Man uscripts

postquam dicerent vir i seculi sua sponte fecerunt ut coirent cum eo propter

pulchritudinem suam (sicut f it cum Pico hodie propter cuius pulchritudi-

nem mulieres concurrunt u t coeant secum precipue Margar i ta quam unus

se offer t ho m o man e ducere earn usque R om am si voluerit Picus qua mv is sit

pregnans) .

M ar gar i t a i s o f c ou r s e t h e h e r o in e o f th e f am ou s ab d u c t ion or e lo p e m e n t

from Ar ezz o , as the case m ay be . I t i s no t necessary to assu m e a ser ious

pur pos e beh in d th is no te to see that it do es no t ma ke sen se , even as a j es t ,

except on the assumpt ion that P ico was in Rome at that t ime .

M y th ird exam ple , a t fo l . 269r , he lps to date the m anu scr ip t w i th greater

prec is ion:

et tr ibus de quibus non licet homini loqui et ideo abstineat ' -os suum ne

loquatur (et ideo dicitur in Luciniano

1 8

quod picus est carceratus in castro

sancti angeli quia voluit reuelare secreta non reuelanda asinis que non sine

misterio occultarunt sapientes) .

M it h r id a t e s ob s e r ve d on f o l . 173v: a s in os om n e s ( ap p e l l a t i on e q u or u m

inte l lig i tur M alfec ta cum card in al ibus su is ) . M alfec ta i s o f cour se

G io van n i B at t is t a C ib o , C ar d in a l i s M e l f i t e n s i s , t h e f or m e r p a t r on o f

M i t h r id a t e s ,

1 9

who, as Innocent VIII , succeeded S ixtus IV . S ince the

pub l ic deba te of P ico 's theses wa s mea nt to take p lace not jus t in Ro m e b ut

at the papal court ,

2 0

one c ou ld say w i th regard to that deb ate that P ico

wa nted to reveal secret s no t to be revealed to asse s , m ean ing by asses

the re ign ing po pe and h is card inals . P ico , i t i s t rue , was no t imp risone d in

R o m e , b u t h e h ad b e e n in d an g e r o f im p r i s on m e n t e ve r s in c e t h e p u b l i c a -

18 Cf. C od. Chigi, fol. 64r: Et hie est ager in qu o reuel antur turpitudi nes et

f iunt coitus il liciti (prope Lu cinian um u bi capt us fuit picus cum m arg ari ta) .

19 See Sermo de Passione p. 79.

20 See L. Do rez and L. Thu asne , Pic de la Mirandole en France (Paris, 1897), p.

114: Cu m nuper nobi lis e t magnif icus v ir dom inus Joha nne s Picus , Concor-

d iae comes, quam plur imas e t d iversas var iarum facul ta tum conclus iones in

Romana cur ia d isputandas i l lasque defendendas in p lur ibus locis a lmae

Urbis publice aff ixerit et imp rimi fecerit etc . See also the Bull of Innocen t

VIII cond em ning Pico 's theses: N up er siquidem , cum dilectus f il ius nobilis

v ir Ioannes Picus , Concordiae Comes, noningentas Conclus iones var iarum

facu ltatu m publice aff igi et in diversis locis publicis alm ae u rbis, in qua cum

Ro ma na Cur ia res idemus, e t a l iis mundi par t ibu s publicare fecisset , o f ferens

se, ut m oris est, con tenta in ill is in publicis des upe r habendis disp utati onib us

in eadem Cur ia substen tare ; G. Pico del la Mirandola , De Hominis Digni-

tate Heptaplus De Ente et Uno ed. Ε. Garin (Florence, 1942), p. 63.

[ 1 7 ]





T H E S O U R C E S O F T H E F I R S T S E T O F T H E S E S

Th e e l imina t ion o f Co d . Va t . Ebr . 189 leaves fou r m anu scr ip t s — three

extan t and o ne los t — as poss ib le sources of P ico s Kabb al i s t ic theses .

So m e of the wr i t ings inc lude d in the extan t ma nusc r ip t s P ico cer ta in ly

used: the

Bahir

1

( in the Vat ica nus 191) an d the

Liber d e Radicibus seu

Term inis Cabala Sefer ha-Sorasim)

2

( in the Va t ica nu s 190) . I t is als o

certa in that some theses

secundum opinionem propriam

argue P ic o s

ac q u a in t an c e w i t h t h e w r i t in gs o f A b r ah am A b u la f ia ,

3

two of which are

inclu de d in the Vat i can us 190 and on e in the Chis ia nus . But it s t i ll rem ain s

to be seen whether P ico a l so used other wri t ings inc luded in the three

extant manuscr ip t s , as we l l as the los t manuscr ip t of Menahem Recanat i s

Com mentary on the Pentateuch.

Ga f fare l , w ho saw and descr ibed the

m an u s c r ip t , s t a te s t h a t P i c o u s e d R e c an at i s c om m e n t ar y f or h i s K a b b a l -

i s t ic theses . Th is i s pos s ib le an d cred ib le , but no bo dy c an re ly on G af fare l

as the so le author i ty . Fo rtuna te ly , there i s no need to re ly on G af fare l : the

1 See Scholem , "Z ur Geschichte der An fäng e der christ l ichen K ab ba la," p.

167: "U nd wie so oft , lässt sich viel au s einem F ehle r lernen In den

conclusi

ones secundum propriam opinionem üb er Zoroaster und d ie Cha ldäer

d.

h. auf

Grund der sogenannten Chaldäischen Orakel) heisst es nämlich: 'Was bei

Zoroaster unter Ziegen zu verstehen ist, versteht, wer im Buch Bahir liest,

welches die Affini tät der Ziegen und welches die der Schafe mit den Geistern

ist. ' Nun steht keine solche Stelle im Buch Bahir, wohl aber ist sie unter

Stücken zu finde n, die in einigen Ma nusk ripten (wie Cod. M ünch en 209) auf

den Text des Bahir folgen. All diese Stücke befinden sich, ohne jede deutliche

Abhebung vom Bahir , und vom Übersetzer in derselben Zeile wie das Ende

des Bahir begonnen, am Ende der lateinischen Sammlung des Mithridates in

Cod. Vatic. 191, wo Bahir auf fol. 326r endet, aber das Zitat Pico's im

fort laufenden Text fol . 331v in der Tat steht "

2 See C. Wirszubski , "Gio vann i Pico 's Com panio n to Kabbal i s tic Symbo-

l ism," in

Studies in Mysticism and Religion Presented to Gershom G . Scholem

(Jerusalem, 1967), pp. 353-362.

3 See Scholem , "Z ur Geschichte der An fäng e der christ lichen K ab ba la, " p.

164,

η 1

[ 9]



Pico s Encou nter with Jewish Mysticism

Heb rew or igina l of the lost t rans la t ion is extan t , which can be con fron ted

with Pico s theses, and the evidence of the theses themselves sho uld decide

the issue, here as elsewhe re. Pic o s use of the

Bahir

and of the

Liber de

Radicibus

was established by the deriv ation of texts , or , in oth er word s, on

the intern al evidence of the theses themselves. This is indeed th e only way

to ascerta in w hich of the know n m anu scrip ts Pico actually used fo r his

Kabbalis tic theses.

Derivation of texts is a lso the only way to sett le another question. Can

we be reasonably cer ta in tha t those four manuscr ipts conta in a l l tha t

ma t te rs for the in te rpre ta t ion of Pico s Ka bbala ? The weal th an d var ie ty

of the texts included in them do not by themselves render this question

superf lu ous . I t i s of course t rue tha t no oth er Kab bal is t ic t rans la t ions a re

known to have exis ted a t tha t t ime . But the Chis ianus , unknown and as

go od as non existent until i t was discovered by Kriste ller not so long ago, is

a t imely remin der tha t , wh ere so much dep ends on the chances of preser-

vation and discovery, we must not assume as a matter of course that the

kno wn t rans la t ion s a re a l l tha t exis ted. M oreov er , some of his Kab bal is t ic

theses seem to a rgue Pico s acqua intance with bo ok s which a re no t

inc luded in the known manuscr ipts of h is Kabbal is t ic t rans la t ions , and

had not ye t been t rans la ted by the t ime he publ ished his n ine hundred

Conclusiones. T h e Zohar is a case in point.

A s ignif icant nu m ber of Pico s theses unm is takab ly re f lec t no t o nly

recognizable doctrines but a lso identif iable passages of the Zohar. Does i t

fol low tha t P ico read cons iderable par ts of the Zohar even i f no t the who le

bo ok ? The answ er , to my m ind, depend s ent ire ly on the der iva t ion of the

texts . If the theses th at argu e Pico s acq uai nta nce w ith the Zohar can be

sa t is fac tor i ly der ived f rom q uot a t ion s of the

Zohar

in the known t rans la -

t ions , notably in Recana t i , then i t wou ld be unreason able to infe r f ro m

those theses that Pico read a book which had not yet been translated and

which he could not possibly have read in the original. If , however, those

theses cann ot be der ived f rom qu ota t io ns in the know n t rans la t ion s , then

the conclusion that Pico read the

Zohar,

or parts of it, is inevitable, all

a rguments to the con t ra ry no twi ths tand ing .

If we want then to establish with reasonable certa inty whether, or to

wh at extent , the fou r kno wn ma nuscr ipts co nta in the texts tha t m at te r for

the in te rpre ta t io n of Pico s K abb ala , we must t ry to pinpo int the direc t

sou rces, o r at least the likeliest direct sou rces , of ind ivid ual theses . Th ere is

no oth er way: the inventory of Pico s l ibra ry, the nam es of the au tho rs

[2 ]



Sources of the First Set of Theses

Pico m entio ns, the t i tles of the bo ok s he quo tes, an d, as we have seen in the

prev iou s cha pte r, even a translatio n t ha t was m ad e fo r him m ay all lead us

astray. The only evidence that can be absolutely trusted is the internal

evidence of the theses themselves.

Pico w rote t wo sets of Kab balis tic theses: on e secundum secretam doctri-

nam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum, a nd ano th e r secundum opinio-

nem propriam.

4

Th e la tter theses ma y or ma y no t be original; the form er do

not even claim originality and, consequently, are not l ikely to be far

removed f ro m the ir sources . I prop ose , there fore , to cons ider the theses of

the former set one by one, in order to see whether they can be accounted

for without recourse to Kabbal is t ic texts not inc luded in the known

m anu scrip ts . If they can be satisfactorily accoun ted f or, there is no need to

assum e Pico s acqua inta nce with sources not inc luded in his ma nuscr ipts .

If not, we shall have to cast about for missing sources.

C O N C L U S I O I

Sicut ho m o et sacerdos inferior sacrificat deo anim as animalium irrationa-

lium, ita Michael sacerdos superior sacrificat animas animalium rationa-

lium.

Fo r w ant of a s ingle source, I suggest that this thesis was inspired by two

different texts and that i t combines two distinct e lements: (a) the l ikeness

between the archangel Michael as celestia l priest and the priest on earth;

(b) the sacrif ic ia l off erin g of hu m an souls by the archang el M ichael.

The relevant texts are:

Expositio Decern Numerationum, C od . Va t. Eb r. 191, fol . 78v:

et Michael est archangelus maior qui stat in hierarchia Diuinitatis a latere

dextro et procedit a pietate et ideo quaerit clemenciam pro Israel et est

sacerdos Dei altissimi

5

nihil enim est inferius qui [iic] non habeat suum

simile superius et hoc secretum manifestum in particula factum est die

octaua ubi dicitur [Lev. 9:4] quod hodie dominus apparet vobis hebfraice]

DD^K π κ υ nam litere nirah indicant hunc numerum 50.200.1.5. et tot

4 Conclusiones Cabalisticae numero XLVII secundum secretam doctrinam

sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum, Opera Omnia

Basel, 1557), pp. 80 -8 3;

Conclusiones Cabalisticae numero LXXIsecundum opinionem propriam, ibid.,

pp. 107-113.

5 Cf. Bab. Talm ud, Menahot, fol. llOr.

[2 ]



Pico s Encoun ter with Jewish Mysticism

indicant litere prtN id est Aaron, scilicet 1.5.200.50. similiter dictio D3

,I

7K

indicat numeru m hun c 1 .30 .10 .20 .40 . e t to t idem indicant l itere V w ö

[Michae l] scilicet 40.10.20.1.30. et hi du o A aro n et Michael docen t m erita.

6

R e c a n a t i , Comm entary on the Pentateuch Ve nic e, 1545; here after cited as

Rec anat i ) , f o l . 131va:

7

Ou r M asters, blessed be their mem ory, said in idrai Yelamdenu: this is [the

me aning o f] wha t Scrip ture says [Ps. 89:7] 'Π

1

? - p r p nt tO Ή Ό [ wh ic h is

here taken t o m ean ] F or w ho in the sky shall set [an offering fo r the L ord

— the Holy blessed be He says: If I were asking a sacrifice, would I not tell

Michael to offer a sacrif ice? And from whom do I ask a sacrif ice? From

Israel. You k now already [Rec anati goes on to say] tha t Michael is the H igh

Priest abo ve, because his pow er is fro m [the sefirah called] Ch arity , and it is

said in the Midrash that he sacrif ices the souls of the just l ike continu al bur nt

offerings.

C O N C L U S I O I I

Nouem sun t ange lo rum h ie ra rch iae quarum nomina Cherub im , Seraph im,

Hasmal im, Ha io t , Ara l im, Tar s i s im, Ophan im, Tephs ra im [Tephsar im] ,

Isim.

The unusua l number o f ange l ic h ierarch ies , n ine ins tead o f t en , and the

u n u s u a l f o r m Aralim, f o r Er elim, D ^XIN, help to ide nt ify the l ikel iest

d irect sourc e o f th is thes i s , nam ely Abr ah am A xelrad s

Corona Nom inis

Boni, C od . Va t. Ebr . 190, fo l. 177r:

Unde proced ere feci t lumen a d f i rm am enta qu an do d ix i t [Ge n. 1 :6] s it

f irmamentum qu od est Iehi et pos tea prol ong auit et tetendit in form ati on e

corporearum rerum ut d icunt sap ien tes nostr i decern verba sunt gradus

decern honorabiles, submisse a causa superiore procedentes et unus gradus

es t ' super ior a l io et tales dicuntur hierarchia celestis Quarum nomina sun t

haec: hisim, id est humani; Malachim seu tafsarim, id est angeli uel princi-

patus ; h ir in uel Tars is im; Aral im; xeraphim; ofannim; cherubim; a io th ;

chisse uel asm allim; et decimus est sanctus et est fu nd am en tu m denarii ideo

dix it quo d super iores creat i sunt c um jo d sci licet denar io . Jod uero tes ta tur

de unitate creatoris et subtili tate cogitationis que est sine imagine et sine

for m a de qu o scribitur [Isa. 40:25] et ad quem assimilabitis m e cui equari

possim?

6 Docent merita is a Hebraism — Γ Π D ' l öVö — mean ing they p lead fo r .

7 All trans latio ns into English are my own unless indicated otherwise.

[ ]




I t does no t rea lly ma t te r tha t fun da m ent um [yesod] de na r i i represents a

fa lse reading and ought to have been secre tum [sod\ d e n a r i i . W h a t

matte rs is tha t the tenth grade cannot poss ibly be taken to denote an

angelic hierarchy. Hence the obvious inference from this text is that there

are nine hierarchies of angels , whereas the usua l nu m be r in Jewish s ources

is ten .

8

This being so, the Corona Nominis Boni is the likeliest direc t so urc e

of Pico 's thes is , the dif fe rent orde r of the nam es notwith s tand ing, because

it accounts for Pico's notion that there are nine angelic hierarchies secun-

dum secretam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum (just as

there are nine celestia l hierarchies in Dionysius Areopagita) . The words

pr inted in i tal ics in the La t in quo ta t io n a re an inte rpo la t ion: they have no

counterpar t in the Hebrew or igina l .

CONCLUS I O I I I

Qu a m u i s n o me n i n e f fa b i l e

9

s it propr ietas c lementiae , ne gan dum tarnen non

est quin contineat proprietatem iudici i .

The direct source is

Liber Combinationum

Co d. V at. Eb r. 190, fol . 41r:

Et percipe de nomine essencie

1 0

quod es t nomen De i t e tragramaton , quod

quamvis vocatur apud sap ientes nos tros propr ie tas c lement ie cont ine t

tarnen proprietatem judici i .

I t is notewo rthy tha t th is passage is m arked in the margin w ith a perpe n-

dicula r l ine surmounted by two points p laced hor izonta l ly to each other .

Simila r marks appear a lso in other manuscr ipts known to have been

owned and used by Pico. Quite l ikely, therefore , Pico himself marked this

passage.

8 Cf. , e .g . , Code of Maimonides, bk . I, ch ap ii. § 7; the Zohar, part II, fol . 43r;

Ma areket ha- Elohut M antu a, 1558) , fo l . 194

12

.

9 Nom en ineffabile i s t h e Te t r a g r a mm a t o n , Y H W H .

10 Nom en essencie is a l iteral transla tion of m n DC (Sem hawayah), i.e., the

Te t r a g r a mma t o n .

[ 3]




CONCLUSIO IV

Peccatum Adae fuit truncatio regni a caeteris plantis .

The proh ib i t ion of the f ru i t o f the t ree of knowledge , or , more prec ise ly ,

G e n . 2 : 16 , A n d t h e L or d G o d c o m m an d e d t h e m a n s ay in g , e t c . , i s

in terpreted in the Talmud [Bab . ,

Sanhedrin,

fol . 56v ] and M idrash

[Beresit

Rabba, xvi . 16] as imp ly ing s ix or seven proh ib i t ions , nam ely , the wo rd

commanded

imp l ies the pro h ib i t ion of ido latry;

the Lord,

of b la s p h e m y ;

God,

of the perve rs ion o f jus t ice ;

the man,

o f b l o o d s h e d ;

saying,

of ad u l -

t ery; and so for th . The Zohar, part I , fol . 36r, take s up this interpr etat ion

an d restates it in a K abb alis t ic ma nn er in term s of the seve ran ce of the

p la nt s , that i s , the separ at ion of the seflrot:

Rabbi Yose said: as regards the saying of our teachers that God prohibited

to Ad am idola try, blasphem y, perversion of justice, blood shed , etc. , why

should all this be necessary considering that man was alone in the world?

But in truth all these proh ibitio ns con cern the tree because they are involved

in it, seeing that whoever partakes of it by itself causes severance ... He is

guilty of idolatry in respect of the great prefects; of bloodshed, because it

depends on that tree which is of the side of Geburah (Might) , and S amae l is

in charge of i t ; and of adulte ry because it is the wo m an and is called wi fe,

and i t is p rohib i ted to m eet a wo ma n alone, without her husb and, to avoid

the suspicion of adultery. All prohibitions were thus included in the prohi-

bition of that tree, and when he ate of i t he transgressed them all . R[abbi]

Yehudah says: certainly this is so and it is prohibited to consort with a

woman alone except in the presence of her husband.

H a vin g q u ot e d t h is p as s age f r om t h e

Zohar,

Reca nat i go es on to say

(19vb-20ra) :

Although i t is t rue that the seven commandments were en jo ined upon the

children of Noah, it is nevertheless true that they are implied in the said

mystery, for the prohibition of idolatry means that he must not sever the

plants , and likewise the proh ibition of blood shed , because he wh o separa tes

her [ the w om an o r w i f e , namely the Shekinah or Malkut (Kingdom),

the ten th

seflrah

] renders himself guilty of bloodshed. Also the prohibition

of adultery, namely that he must not unite with her alone.. . And as regards

the word say in g pax

1

?] , which was said to imply adultery, you will

und ersta nd this fro m [Isa. 5:24], the y have despised the wo rd [ m a s ] of the

Holy One of Israe l, and [Lam. 2:17] he

fulfille

his w ord . Hence you can

unders ta nd the meaning of the word say in g [ löN

1

?] in the whole of the

Law, namely that i t alludes to the Shekinah You may freely eat of every

tree of the gard en , namely when they are all unite d, for A bra ha m , Isaac,

Jacob, and David, who were the legs of the Merkabah (Div ine Char io t) ,

[ 4 ]




each of the m ate of the frui t of the Gard en of Eden an d their teeth were not

set on edge, because they ate the m w hen they were all unite d. Seferha-Zohar

[part I , fol. 35v]: '" Y ou ma y freely eat of every tree of the garde n' — he was

permitted to eat them all together , for we see that Abraham ate, Isaac and

Ja co b ate, a nd they rem ained alive. But this tree is the tree in which de ath

dwells, whoever partook of i t by itself died, because he partook of deadly

pois on, hence ' for in the day tha t you eat of it you die, ' because he severs the

pla n ts ." This means [Recanat i observes] that the prohib i t ion w as not on ly

that he must not eat of i t by itself , but that he must not sever the plants.

CONCLUSIO V

Cum arbore scien t iae boni e t mal i in qua peccaui t p r imus homo creaui t

deus saeculum.

The d irect sourc e i s Rec anat i fo l . 23vb qu ot in g the

Zohar

part I fol. 36r:

"The serpent said to the woman: With this tree God created the world . . .

Rabbi Yehudah observed that this was not what the serpent said, for if he

had said that God created the world with this tree he would have spoken

correctly. W hat the serpent said was that G od a te of this tre e." Be carefu l

[Recanat i a dds] to un ders tand the say ing of Rabbi Yehu dah. H e says that i t

is true that God created the world with this tree, because everything is

created by mediation, but God did not eat of i t , as the serpent, the seducer,

said

CONCLUSIO VI

Magnus Aquilo fons est animarum omnium simpliciter , sicut alii dies

quarundam e t non omnium.

The in terpreta t ion o f th is thes i s dep end s ent ire ly on the prec ise loca t io n o f

the source o f a l l sou ls or in o ther wor ds on the prec ise sym bol ica l

m e a n i n g o f

Magn us Aquilo.

Th e l a tt e r h o w e v e r c a n n o t b e d e t e r m in e d

with certa inty becau se Magnus Aquilo u n l ik e Aquilo is s t i l l unparalle led

in Kabb a l i s t ic sources . I do n o t myse l f th ink tha t the m ean ing o f Magnus

Aquilo i s be yon d probab le in terpreta t ion . But a prob able in terpreta t ion

is no t enou gh for the ident i f ica t ion o f sources . T he thes i s a s a wh o le m ust

therefore count a s s t i l l unexpla ined and unaccounted for .

[ 5]




C O N C L U S I O V I I

Cum dici t Sa lomo n in orat ione sua in l ibro Regum [1 Kings 8 :3 2 ,3 4 ,3 6 ,3 9]

Exaudi, ο coelu m, per coelum lineam uiridem debem us intell igere quae

gyrat uniuersum.

The green line tha t encircles the un ive rse is the third sefirah ( n u m e r a -

tio ) , which is no rm ally called Intell igentia , as may be seen fr om the Liber

de Radicibus, Co d. Vat. Eb r. 190, fol . 258v: p iT 1p Ca u hia roc h id est

l inea viridis uel l iuida uel pall ida, ut dicunt sapientes nostri quod Informe

\Tohü\ est l inea viridis uel l iuida que girat totum mundum, indicat Intell i-

gen t iam . A text tha t d i rec t ly bears up on Pico 's thes is is Expositio Decern

Numerationum

Cod. Vat. Ebr. 191, fols . 73r-74r:

eli superiores hec num eratio dicitur sic quia scribitur [G en. 1:1] In princi

ple creauit deus celos et terram. Iam enim indicaui tibi supra quod dictio In

principio indicat Sapienciam et celos indicat Intelligentiam ... et Tu ο cel i

exaudi. non enim dixit de celis sed o celi et sic habes quod nom en

celorum est nom en dei bene dicti , et est Intell igentia . . .

Linea liuida que

girat mundum

Rubedo et nigredo quando simul conjunguntur constituunt

colorem liuidum, et hec numeratio procedit a corona que est fusca et

obscura, et a sapientia que proprie habet colorem rubeum, et ideo vocatur

liuida et girat mundum quia est lex de ore nata.

C O N C L U S I O V I I I

Animae a tertio lumine ad quartam diem, et inde ad quintam descendunt;

inde exeuntes corporis noctem subintrant.

In the Kabbal is t ic sources with which Pico was acqua inted the preva lent

view is that souls descend f ro m Intell igence, the third sefirah, to Kingdom,

the tenth , th rou gh o ne or mo re in te rvening s tages which a re of ten e num er-

ated with greater or less detail . But regardless of the number of the

inte rvening sefirot thr ou gh w hich they pass, i t is a lway s fr om the tenth th at

the souls go out to be embodied in the sublunar world . Bear ing in mind

that the distinction between lumina an d dies as representa t ions , respec-

tively, of the u pp er an d th e lower sefirot

s

com m on, the re can be no do ub t

whatever th a t by tertium lumen Pico me ans the th ird sefirah. It is, however,

11 The ultim ate sour ce of this interpreta tion of

Kin gs 8:32 is the

Bahir

s 68 ed.

Scholem.

[ 6]




b y n o m e an s o b v iou s w h at h e m e a n s b y t h e f ou r t h an d t h e f i f t h d ays .

Con s ider ing that the sou ls , hav ing descen ded to the f i f th day , go out

from there an d s t ea l in to the n ight of the bo dy , the fi fth day ou gh t to be

the tenth seflrah but no kn ow n Jew ish K abba l i s t has ever ca l led the t enth

sefirah the f i fth day : in the sch em e of day s the tenth seflrah n o r m a l l y

( though not a lways ) counts as sabbath , whereas the fourth and f i f th days

represent e i ther the seventh and the e ighth seflrot or the s ixth and the

seventh, or e lse the f i f th and the seventh.

1 2

We are thus faced with the

fo l low ing a l t ernat ives : e i ther P ico 's t erm ino log y i s correct but h is thes i s

untrue secundum secretam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalista-

rum

or h is thes i s i s t rue but h is t erminology improper .

T o m ake the choice betw een th ese a l t ernat ives eas ier , it w i l l be use fu l to

ascerta in where P ico 's count of day s begins . Wh ere in fac t do the l ight s

end and the day s begin? Disre gar d ing n ice t ies , i t i s by and large t rue to

say that the ten

seflrot

can be d iv ide d in to upp er and lowe r

seflrot

in tw o

dif ferent ways: three upper and seven lower, or f ive upper and f ive lower.

A s there are seven day s of the week , it i s qu i t e ob vio us that the d is t inct io n

with in the t en

seflrot

b e t w e e n l i gh t s an d d ay s n or m al ly p r e s u p p os e s t h e

12 By way of il lustratio n, I qu ote Liber de Radicibus C od . Vat. E br. 190, fol.

241r-v : Q uo m od o autem attr ibu untu r sex dies geneseos ad num erationes est

disceptatio inter sapientes cabalistas antiquos et posteriores. Nam antiqui

d icunt quo d d ies pr im a indicat p ie ta tem [ four th sefirah] , dies secund a ind icat

timo rem [f if th] , dies ter tia tiphereth [sixth] , dies qu ar ta ete rnitatem [sev-

enth] , dies quinta decorem [eighth] , dies sexta fundamentum [ninth] , dies

sept ima d iadema [ ten th] cum conjunct ione fundamenti qu ia es t f i l ia matr i -

mon ialis eius [n il ΓΟ ], Posteriores vero dicun t quod dies prim a indicat tres

super iores sp iri tuales . e t respondent ad d ic tum sapientum ant iq uoru m dicen-

tium qu od in tr ibus superio ribus non cadit nom en diei, dicun t quod verum est

quod in aliqua tr ium superiorum per se non cadit nomen diei; in omnibus

autem tr ibus non est uerum. et postea dicunt quod dies secunda indicat

p ie ta tem , d ies terc ia t imore m, d ies quar ta t iphereth , d ies quin ta e tern i ta tem

dies sex ta decorem, d ies sep t ima fundamentum cum unita te t iphereth e t

r egn i .

The fourth and f if th days are identif ied, respectively, with the f if th and

seventh seflrot in Co d. V at. E br. 191, fols . 90v ff. an d lOOv ff.; an d in C od .

Chigi, fols. 142r and 143v. See also Liber Dictus Porta Secretorum Rabi

Theodori de Toleto ib id ., fo l . 218v: N otu m es t quod num erat iones d icuntu r

dies et voc antu r v erba, in tr ibus priorib us nom en diei non c adit sed bene sex

earum dicuntur d ies respectu d ierum Geneseos quibus omn ia educta sunt de

potentia in actum in superioribus et e regione illarum in inferioribus, septi-

mum autem sabatum es t domini quia in eo quieui t ab omni opif ic io suo .

[27]




conf igurat ion of three and seven. P ico , however , seems to have super-

imposed the d is t inct ion between l ights and days on the conf igurat ion of

f ive and f ive; hence wh at o ugh t to be the te nth

sefirah

cou nts as the f i f th

da y. Str ictly spe akin g this is an erro r . But the error , I ven ture to suggest, is

not P ico 's own.

In the fi r s t par ag rap h of Genes is 1 (v . 1-5) the wo rd l ig ht occurs f ive

times; l ikewise, w a te r occ urs f ive t imes in the second para gr ap h (v. 6-8) .

Here is Recanati 's comment (fol . 8va):

Y ou will f ind in this [the first] para grap h [parasah] f ive l ights an alo gou s to

the five upper seflrot, and in the second paragraph f ive waters an alo go us to

the five last seflrot.

Recana t i ' s Hebrew tex t has m u x won fo r f ive l igh t s , bu t D 'a

Π

fo r f ive

wa ters , which mig ht easily, alm ost impe rceptibly, becom e D'OTi or Ο 'ΰ ' Π ,

tha t is , f ive da ys . Th e prin ted edit ion s hav e the corre ct read ing CTO 'Π

(f ive waters) . But my suspicion that Pico's error might have been inspired

by a fa lse reading was corroborated by a chance lo t of f ive manuscr ip ts ,

two of which have the reading D 'a ' 'Π ( five days) wi thou t var iants .

1 3

This

being so, i t seems to me the l ikeliest hypothesis that Pico's misconception

of the symb olical me anin g of the f if th da y is du e to the false read ing f ive

da ys in the Heb rew manu scr ip t o f Recan a t i ' s

Commentary on the Penta-

teuch that Mithr idates t rans la ted and, consequent ly , in the Lat in t rans la-

t ion tha t Pico read. O n this hyp othes is , the fo ur th day in Pico's thesis is the

ninth sefirah, Yesod (F ou nd at io n) , and the f i f th day is the tenth sefirah,

Malkut

(Kingdom) .

A l i t t le fur ther in h is commentary ( fo l . 9vb) , Recanat i in terprets a

passage of the Bahir (§104 ed. Scholem) concerning souls :

The intention of this passage is that Tiferet [the sixth sefirah] , w hic h is

indicated by the spinal cord, sucks from the upper source, which is indi-

ca ted by the bra in . . . and the emana t ion o f b less ing [proceeds ] f rom there to

the Second Arbiter [otherwise cal led

Yesod,

Foundat ion] , which i s ind i -

cated by the [organ of the] covenant [of c ircumcis ion] . And the souls f low

from the said em anat ion. In the beginn ing their place is in Tesuvah [Return

or Penitence, the third sefirah, otherw ise cal led Binah, Intelligence], as it is

said [Job 38:4] W here were yo u when I la id the fou nd atio n of the earth?

Te l l me , i f you know

binah.

And it is from there that they [ the souls]

em ana te , as i t i s said [1 Chron . 4:23] they dwelt there with the Kin g for his

13 Bod leian M S Ca non . Or. 85, fo l . 6r; Sass oon Collect ion , M S 67 (pagination

invis ible in microf i lm).

[28]




w o r k . N o w Binah is called King, as it is said [Job 32:8] wenismat sadday

tebinem [which is here und ersto od as me aning ] an d the brea th [or soul] of

Sadday puts Binah in to them . And f ro m there they s l ip down to the

Foundat ion of the World [ the n in th sefirah] as it is said [H os . 14:9] I am

like an evergreen cypress, from me comes you r fruit. And f ro m there to the

Garden of the King's Palace [ the tenth sefirah]. An d fro m there they go out

and clothe themselves [ in bodies] in the inferior [sublunar] world.

I submit that this passage is the direct source of Pico s thesis , only that

Pico res ta ted the d octr ine o f h is source in d i f f erept t erm s which he used

improper ly through no fau l t o f h is .

CONCLUSIO IX

Per sex dies geneseos habemus intelligere sex extremitates aedif icii proce-

dentes a Bresith sicut procedunt cedri a Libano.

Cf. Recanat i , fo l . 14vb:

In the Zohar [par t I, fol.

3

lr] Rabb i Yose asked [Rabbi Simeon]: tho se six

days of beresit [creation] which we have been discussing, wha t are they? He

replied: they are as it is written [Ps. 104:16] ' the cedars of Lebanon which

He planted. ' As those cedars issue from Lebanon, so those six days issue

f rom Beresit. An d the six are specif ied in the verse [1 C hr on . 29:11] 'Thin e,

Ο Lord , is the greatness [gedullah] and the power [geburah] and the glory

[tiferet] , and the victory [nesah] and the majesty [hod] fo r all th at is in th e

heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom [malkut] Ο L o r d , a n d

thou ar t exal ted as head above al l . ' [Recanat i adds h is own comm ent] He

[Rabbi Simeon] ind icated that they emanate f rom Hokmah [Wisdom],

which is called Resit and that they are called plants.

Sex extrem itates aedificii

i s a co m m on technic a l t erm. By wa y o f i l lus tra -

t ion , I quo te the Kabb a l i s t ic g lo ssary Liber de Radicibus Cod. Vat . Ebr .

190, fol. 261r:

m x p W1D Xex Kesauoth , id es t sex ex trema, considerantur duobus modis ,

uel in universali uel in particulari. In universali quidem est Thiphereth

[sixth sefirah] solus, quia est orna tus et universalizatu s ex sex extrem is, et

hoc indicatur per il lud quod dicitur in textu [Eccl. 1:7] Omnes torrentes

tendunt ad mare, quia scilicet per Tiphereth tendunt sex extrema quae

dicuntur tor ren tes content i in eo ad Athereth [Diadem, the ten th sefirah]

quae dicitur ma re [cf. Co nclusio xxvii] . Si uero con side rantu r in particulari

sunt pietas [Hesed otherwise called Gedullah, the fou r th sefirah] potent ia ,

e tern i tas [Nesah Etern i ty or Victory], decor , fund am ent um secul i, e t d ia-

dema.

[29]




CONCLUSIO X

Rectius dicitur qu od parad isus sit totum aedificium quam quod sit decima;

et in medio eius est collocatus magnus Adam qui est Tipheret.

Cf. Recana ti fols . 17va-18r a:

An d the L ord Go d planted a garden in Eden , in the east; and there he put

the man whom he had for m ed [Gen. 2:8] . . . A garden in Ed en — the

garden is the cluster of trees which are the Greatness, the Power, etc. ...

An d there he put the man whom he had form ed . Superior Man indicates

Tiferet

and he is in the middle of the said garden. The garden [also]

indicates the Congregation of Israel [the tenth

sefirah

] as it is said [Son g of

Sol. 4:12] A garden lock ed is my sister, my bri de .

CONCLUSIO X I

Dictum est ex Heden exire fluuium qui diuiditur in quatuor capita ad

significandum quod ex secunda numeratione procedit tertia, quae in quar-

tam, quintam, sextam et decimam diuiditur.

Cf. Recan ati fol . 18va-b :

[Quo ting the Zohar, part III, fol 290v] A nd the world to come was created

by

yod,

as it is written [ Ge n. 2:10] 'A nd a river flowe d out of Eden to w ater

the garden.' What is 'Eden'? It is the Superior Wisdom which is

yod.

'To

water the gard en': this is waw. 'And f rom there it divided an d became fo ur

head s': this is

dalet

and it com prises everything in

yod

and f or this reason it

is called fathe r of all. Now a ccording to this saying [Recanati goes on to

say] Eden indicates

Hokmah

[Wisdom, the second

sefirah

], and Riv er

Binah

[Intelligence, the third

sefirah

], and G ar de n the First Arbiter

[otherwise called Tiferet, Beauty or G lory, the sixth sefirah], and the Fo ur

He ads the large

daleth

in the wo rd

ehad,

1

*

which indicates the Congrega -

tion of Israel [otherwise called

Malkut,

Kingdom, or

Shekinah,

the tenth

sefirah],

and this is the order of emanation [or influx] from

Hokmah

to

Binah,

and from there to the First Arbiter, and from there to the

Shekinah

. . . An d from there it divided : the word there [Sam] indicates the

Con gregation of Is rae l... and this indicates that fro m here begins the world

of separate beings, while up to this point everything was united without

separa tion at all. A nd it divided into fou r hea ds : they are the fou r cam ps

of the

Shekinah·,

we have already observed that they receive fro m the

Merkabah and they are indicated by the names of the rivers that are

14 In Deut. 6:4, He ar, Ο Israel: The Lord our God is one Lo rd, the Hebrew

word

ehad

(one) is written with a large

daleth.

[30]




mentioned [ in the text] before us, and they are the mystery of Gedullah

[Greatness , the four th sefirah], Geburah [Might, the f if th sefirah], Tiferet

[Beauty or Glory, the sixth

sefirah

], and

Malkut

[Kingdom, the ten th

sefirah].

CONCLUSIO X I I

Verum er it om nia pendere ex fa to , s i per fa tum , fa tum suprem um in tel lexe-

r imus.

The so urce o f th is thes i s can be e i ther o f tw o rem arkably s im i lar tex t s . O ne

is Re can at i fo l . 57rb:

A grea t mystery is indicated in the verse

[

Sa m . 1:10] an d she was bitte r of

soul and she prayed above YHW H ('alyhwh), in that Hanna prayed above

('at) Y H W H , a n d n o t to

Cel

YH W H; fo r , a s you know, above Y H W H is

EH YeH (Π 'Π Κ ), whom the Zohar calls mazalha-'elyon [Superior Fate] ,T his

is in fact wh at the Rabbis mea nt when they said that every thing depe nds

on fate, even a scroll of the Law in the shrine.

The a l t ernat ive source i s Joseph Gica t i l la Portae Iustitiae (Sa arey

Sedeq), C o d . C h ig i f o l s . 8 0 v - 8 1 r :

Scisne usque ad quern locum intendit Hanna in sublimatione orationis

sue? usque quidem locum fati superioris quod dicitur mazal ahelion quod

not um est in secreto tresdecim pro prieta tum clementie que fixe sunt in corona

superiore. A quo quidem fato superiore et in eo omnes res pendent etiam

liber legis, quia liber legis ipse idem haurit ab eo loco et ab eo recipit et hoc

est quod dicunt sapientes nostr i quod omnia pendent in fato Mazal etiam

liber legis qui est in ad ytu hech al V d t o m i n TDD lV>BXl V tm 'Λ η Van.

I taque qu an do in tendi t in orat ione sua ascendit usque ad locum fat i Mazal

supe rius su peri us, et hoc est secretum textus [1 Sam . 1:10] dicentis Et ipsa

erat amara an ima et o rau i t super dominum Jod he vau he. Considera

quidem quod non dixit ad dominum Jod he vau he sed [r i cod.] super

dominum. Iam enim nost i quod t r ia nomina quatuor l i t terarum sunt unum

superius, aliud in medio, aliud inferius. et inferius quidem est nomen dei

te tragram aton Aleph daleth nun jod 'Π Κ . In medio vero a l iud nomen dei

te tragram aton Jod he vau he mr t \ Super ius vero a l iud nom en dei te t ragra-

m ato n Aleph he jod he ΓΡΠ Χ . In secreto quidem ha leph he jo d he pendet

fatum quod dicitur Mazal et hoc est quod dicitur in textu et orauit super

m rr , equ idem sup er ipsum Jo d he vau he, scilicet ad nom en A leph he jod he

ΓΡΠΧ.

[ 3 1 ]




C O N C L U S I O X I I I

Qui nouer i t in Cab ala m yster ium po r tar um in tel l igent iae , cognoscet mys-

terium magni Iobelei.

The su bs tan ce o f th is thes is nam ely the no t ion tha t the year o f jub i lee i s a

myst ica l representa t ion o f the

sefirah

ca l le d Intel l ig enc e is by i t self a

K a b b a l i s ti c c o m m o n p la c e . Bu t t h e f o r m in w h ic h t h is c o m m o n p la c e i s

s ta ted — i f yo u kn ow the my stery o f the ga tes o f In te l ligence yo u wi l l

kn ow the mystery o f the Jubi lee — is character i s t ic and be ing character-

i s t ic can be t raced to a spec i f ic source . C om par e G ica t i l la Portae Iusti-

tiae,

C o d . C h ig i f o l s . 1 2 8 v - 1 2 9 r :

Et qui nouit secreta harum indictionum intelliget secretum textus [2 Sam.

22:37] dicentis dilatabit gressus meos sub me quod scribitur hebraice cum

nun con t r a morem yd iomat i s ub i d ic itu r t a rh ib saad i t ah ten i Ή ΪΧ 3Τ Π 0

'3Π Π Π cum deb uisset dicere taht ai ΤΙΠ Π sed quod sit nun sub me quia nu n

numero es t qu inquagin ta e t es t secretum quinquagin ta por tarum in te l l i -

gentiae et locus hie voca tur G eulla id est redem ptio qu ia ab hoc loco trahit

deus uiuus el hai et ideo debet conjungi redemptio ad orationem vel

philacterium quod dicitur teff illa. Si uero intellexeris secretum Iobelei et

secretum quinquaginta portarum Intelligentiae intelliges hoc misterium

intellectu perfecto. Et jam volo tibi declarare. Scias quod . . . Et scias quod

hec n um eratio voca tur Iobeleus et sic textus [Lev. 25:11] dicit Jobeleus est

annus quinquagesimi anni er i t vobis , equidem quinquagin ta quod es t

secretum quinquagin ta por tarum In tel l igent iae .

C O N C L U S I O X I V

Qui nouer i t p ropr ie ta tem mer id ionalem in dextra l i coord ina t ione, se ie t cur

omnis profect io Abraham semper f i t uersus austrum.

Either of the fo l lowing texts could be the source of this thes is . One is

Reca nat i fo l . 44ra :

An d A brah am journeyed o n , s ti ll go ing toward the Negeb [Sou th] (Gen.

12:9) indicates that Abraham adhered to the property [

middah

] of charity

[or mercy], which is the south of the world, and for this reason all the

journeys of A braha m our fa the r peace be upo n h im were towa rd the south .

The o ther i s Gica t i l la

Portae Iustitiae,

C o d . C h ig i f o l s . 1 2 1 v - 1 2 2 r :

Et similiter hec numeratio vocatur dextra et ab ea meruerunt Israel habere

legem in secreto textus dicentis [Deut. 33:2] a dextris eius igne legem dedit

[3 ]




eis. quia Abraam pater noster cepit trahere vir tutes, que oculte sunt in

latibulo superiore, inferius, quia tempore Adam primi hominis allectus est

justus ad perdictionem [cf. Isa. 57:1], Et venerunt viri diluvii et etas uel

generat io d iu is ionis l inguarum, e t cor rupe runt f luu ios e t syphonas e t ob tu -

rarun t omnes fontes , e t ascenderunt om nes numerat ion es sursum sursum

nemine querente et nemine investigante, ideo deus sanctus et benedictus

non erat no tus in mundo ex quo syphones habi ta tr ic is ob turat i sunt per

ma nus malo rum operum quae f iebant quousq ue venit Abraa m pater noster

et ordinauit syphonas ad hauriendum aquam uiuam ab intelligencia que est

secretum co ron aru m s upe rioru m. Et ideo scriptum est [Ge n. 12:8] et

transtulit exinde m onte m ex Oriente ad beth el hebraice ex Ke dem , quo d est

quod pro trax i t eas ex Kedem ad beth e l in tan tum pro trahaxi t per unum

syphon em qui voca tur pietas et est dextra et ideo omnes profectio nes ipsius

A bra am eran t ad dex tram et hoc est secretum textus dicentis [Ge n. 12:9] Et

profectus es t Abraam eundo et p rof ic iscendo ad mer id iem.

It is o f course poss ible that Pico read both texts . But while his thes is is

perfect ly explicable without the text of Recanat i , i t is not equally well

exp l icab le w i thout the t ex t o f Gica t i l la , because on ly the la t t er accounts

for the presence o f

dextralis coordin atio

in the thes is . I w ou ld ther efore opt

for Gicat i l la as the direct source in this instance.

C O N C L U S I O X V

Nisi nomen

1 5

A braam <0Π 13Κ >, id es t he addi ta , fu isset , Ab raam non

generasset.

Compare Recanat i , fo l . 46rb, where he quotes the ahir § 6 e d . S c h o le m )

a n d a d d s h i s o w n c o m m e n t :

The book Bahir [queries]: W hy did Go d add the letter he to the name of

Abraham rather than any other letter? Surely in order that all the limbs of

ma n m ay be worth y of eternal l ife: the edif ice was so to speak co mple ted in

him , as it is written [Gen . 9:6] 'F or in the image of God [beselem 'elohym ]

He made man . '

1 6

But [says Recanati] in truth [or according to the way of

15 This is the correc t read ing of the editio princeps and must not be interfered

with: editors who failed to realize that he ad di ta is ablative , not no mi na-

tive, ma de the text read Nisi nom ini A bra am he add ita fuis set, etc. He re

and elsewhere, I have filled the blank space that the first printer left,

obviously for want of Hebrew type, indicating these omissions with angled

brackets.

16 The Heb rew word s DTI

1

?« oVsa (beselem elohym, in the image of God) and

Dn-QX (Abraham) are isopsephic equivalents, each amounting to 248, which

is also the traditional number of human limbs.

[ ]




t ru th , that i s , by way of Kabbalah proper] th is

he

is the second

he

of the

Te t rag ra m m aton [YH W H] , and the r eason it was added i s t ha t wi thou t i t

Abraham wou ld no t bege t .

C O N C L U SI O X V I

Om nes an te Moysen p rophe ta run t pe r ce ruam un ico rnem .

T h e t h e s i s i s a c o m m o n p l a c e e x p r e s s e d i n u n u s u a l l a n g u a g e , a n d w h a t i t

s ta te s is me re ly that unl ik e the pr op he cy o f M os es (wh ich wa s insp ired by a

h i g h e r sefirah), the pr op he cy o f the Patr iarchs be f ore h im was insp ired by

the las t sefirah i n d e s c e n d i n g o r d e r . Cerua Unicornis, as I ha ve sugges t ed

e l s e w h e r e ,

1 7

is s imply

Ayalah,

the H ind , wh ich i s an ap pe l la t ion o f the

t e n t h sefirah. In the ex tan t trans la t io ns o f M ithr id ate s , ayalah is rendered

e i ther

unicornis

o r

cerua uel unicornis

,

18

T h i s a c c o u n t s f o r P i c o ' s u n u s u a l

e x p r e s s i o n . A n d a s f o r t h e n o t i o n t h a t a l l b e f o r e M o s e s , n a m e l y t h e

Patr iarchs , prophes ied by the tenth sefirah, s e e R e c a n a t i , f o l . 8 3 v a - b :

Though the prophecy of Moses was by the proper ty of Compassion [ Raha-

mim,

the sixth

sefirah,

com m only ca l l ed

Tiferet,

Glory or Beauty] , every-

thing was nevertheless by the

Shekinah

[ ten th

sefirah

].. . as it is w ritten [J ob

33:14] F o r Έ Ι speaks in [or by] on e, tha t is to say Έ Ι, o r the prop er ty of

Com pass ion , speaks wi th the p rophe t s t h rough the Diadem

['Atarah,

the

ten th

sefirah

], which is one of the

sefirot

. . . And al though the Pat r iarchs

conducted themselves each wi th the proper ty pecul iar to h im,

19

they pro-

phesied by the last .

17 W i r szubsk i, Gio vann i P i co ' s Co m p an io n to Kabba l i s t i c Sym bo l i sm , p .

357.

18 Co d. Va t. Eb r. 191, fol . 34v un ico rnis di le ct io nis DOHN nV'S (Pro v. 5:19).

Co d. Ot to b . Lat . 607 , fo l . 57r (Job . 39 :1): N um qu id nost i tem pus pa r tus

bechesteine in rupe? Do lores un icorn ium (mV'K) observ ast i? Co d. Va t . Lat .

190, fol . 227v: nV'X ai 'ala id est ceru a uel unic ornis u bic um qu e scr ibi tur in

genere feminino siue cum lictera he in fine ut nV'N ai 'ala siue cum lictera thau

in f ine ut n^'K ai 'eleth sem per indicat di ad em a. Fo r the tran slat i on of Jo b by

M ithr idates see C. W irszubsk i , G iov an ni P ico ' s Book of Jo b

Journal of the

Warburg and Courtauld Institutes,

32 (196 9), 171 ff.

19 Thu s, fo r ins tance, Char i ty or Love is pecul iar to A bra ha m (see Pico ' s

Conclusion xxxix , Fear to Isaac, Tru th to Jacob; cf . Micah 7 :20 .

[ 4 ]




CONCLUSIO XVII

Vbicumque in scriptura f it mentio amoris maris et feminae nobis mystice

designator coniuncto Tipheret et Chieneseth Israel, uel Beth et Tipheret.

Cf. R eca na t i , fo l . 171 va:

Th en the priest shall write these curses in a book , and wash them off into

the wate r of bitte rnes s [Nu m . 5:23], Hen ce you can unde rstan d the emi-

nence of the love between m an an d his wife: the Law tells to wash off Go d' s

name into the water , for their pair ing signif ies the bipersonal union, and

restoring peace between them is l ike building the palace on high.

And part icularly ib id . , fol . 212ra:

If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall

d ie , the ma n who lay with the wo ma n, and the wom an [De ut . 22:22]: I

have already made known to you that the secret of the union of a man with

his wife is the u nion of Tiferet with the Shekinah and whoever separates the

one fro m the othe r is called a whisperer sepa rating close fr ie nd s [Prov .

16:28], an d he causes inju ry on high . Th is is the secret of th e m an w ho lies

with the w om an , and the w om an s ignifies two wom en, the wom an

below and the woman above.

What the las t c lause means i s that the word woman con s ider ed as a

m yst ica l represen tat ion of the f ema le po ten cy in the go dh ea d s ign i f ies tw o

sefirot:

t h e w o m a n b e l o w , n a m e l y

Malkut

o r

Shekinah,

o r

Keneset Israel

( the Congregat ion of I srae l ) , the t enth sefirah , a n d t h e w o m a n a b o v e ,

n a m e l y

Binah

(Intel l igence) , the third

sefirah.

N o w w e ou g h t t o b e ar in

mind that P ico was fami l iar w i th t ext s in which the names of the sefirot

were som et im es represented by in i t ia ls on ly , as in the an on ym o us in terpre-

tat ion of the

tensefirot

in C od . Va t . Ebr. 191, fo l . 30r: D e tert ia qu ae est

2 . num erus t er tie es t 2 qu ia d ic i tur mater super ior s ine m ag nu s Iobe leus

hab ens qu in qua ginta portas e t e s t Th esu ua . O bvi ou s ly the figure 2

represent s the Hebrew le t t er beth, wh ich is the in it ial of Binah, the third

sefirah.

It sho u ld by n ow be qu i t e p la in that in P ico 's thes i s

Beth

stands for

Binah,

and wha t the thes i s s tates is that the love of ma n and wo m a n in the

Scr ip tures i s a myst ica l representat ion of the un ion of Tiferet a n d Malkut

or o f

Binah

an d

Tiferet.

[ 5 ]




C O N C L U S I O X V I I I

Qui media nocte cum Tipheret copulabitur , prospera er it ei omnis

generat io .

C f . R eca n a t i f o l . 2 1 3 rb - v a :

The proper time for the union of man with his wife is midnight, as our

M asters say in the treatiseKalah [ i. 1 ] with regard to ' Im m a Salo m, the wife

of Rabbi Eliezer [who, being asked why all her children were beautiful,

replied] , he [Ra bbi Eliezer] does not con sort with me except at mi dn igh t.

Ac cording to the plain mea ning, the reason is tha t then the heat ge nerated

by the food has cooled, and m an begets a clean seed. How ever, accord ing to

the truth [ the Kabbala] , the reason is that then the Holy Blessed be He

[conventionally identif ied with Tiferet] unites with his Shekinah etc.

C O N C L U SI O X I X

Eaedem sunt l i t terae nominis cacodemonis qui est princeps mundi huius et

nominis dei Tr iagrammaton , e t qu i sc iuer i t o rd inäre t ransposi t ionem

deducet unum ex al io .

C f. Com entum Sepher Iesire, Co d. Va t . Ebr. 191 fo l . 23r:

Et hie mundus creatus est cum litera he, que est quinarius, et iam indicaui-

mus secretum denarii ideo indicatur nunc secretum quinarii quia cum

denar io e t qu inar io dominus formauit secula .

20

quod sic patet per dictio-

nem sur Π Χ cu ius li tera vau con jungitur cum denar io e t qu inar io e t s ic es t

denar ius quinar ius e t senar ius qui es t deus t r iagramaton in ' qu i formauit

secula, scilicet duo, hoc et ven turu m . I taqu e ex hoc scies qu o mo do seculum

venturum creatum est cum de nar io e t seculum hoc creatum es t cum quina-

r io quos cum combinauer is inuenies in u troque quinar ium

senarium et

denarium quod est Ή η siue hoi 'IS quod indicat leticiam gemitum et suspi-

r ium nam he cum aleph id est nomen ipsius dei triagramaton quod est in ' cum

unita te com binato e t cum he id est quinar io cont inet in secreto cacodem ona

qui est princeps mundi huius in veritate sed non habet quicquam in seculo

venturo nec partem in vita eterna.

20 Isa . 26:4: D'BViJ? m x m n

1

ΓΡ3 'D. Cf. Midras Beresit Rabba, xii. 10 (pp.

107-110 ed. The odor-A lbeck ); see also Cod . Va t. Ebr . 191, fol. lr : Sec ulum

venturum creatum es t cum numero denar io ; seculum hoc creatum es t cum

numero qu inar io .

An easier Latin tra nsla tion of a similar passage is Corona Nominis Boni Cod .

Vat. Ebr. 190, fol. 176r, quoted below in Chapter 6, p. 82.

[ 6]




Comparison with the Hebrew or ig inal reveals that the t rans lat ion con-

ta ins two imp oss ib le read ings , an o m iss i on ( the fir s t se t o f i ta l ic ized

words) , and an in terpolat ion ( the second se t o f i ta l ic ized words) .

2 1

1 leave

i t an open ques t ion whether Mithr idates misread the or ig inal and then

interpolated the t rans lat ion , or t rans lated a fau l ty and in terpolated

H ebr ew text. In any case , the t rans lat ion no m en ips ius de i t r iagra ma ton

. . . c on t in e t in s e c r e t o c ac od e m on a q u i e s t p r in c e p s m u n d i h u iu s s u f f i -

c ient ly accounts for P ico 's thes i s , even i f i t l eaves one wonder ing whether

Pico in fac t knew prec ise ly how to deduce the name of Satan f rom the

nomen dei triagramaton

22

CONCLUSIO X X

Cu m fiet lux speculi no n luce ntis sicut speculi lucentis, erit nox sicut dies, ut

dicit Dauid.

Kabbal i s t ica l ly speak ing , th is thes i s s tates a t ru ism. To p inpoint the

source of a t ru ism i s admit t ed ly a hazardous undertak ing . Neverthe les s , I

venture to sugges t that the thes i s was insp ired by two c lose passages in

Recanat i . One is at fol . 83rb:

Our Masters say [Bab. Talmud, Yebamot fol. 49v]: All the prop hets

prophesied from a mirror that does not shine whereas Moses prophesied

21 Π Τ ϊ' Ί50 ur r ra , MS Par is , B.N. Heb. 768, fo l . l l r :

-nx Vir v i D'tp .craViy n x · ' ' m a ό ή n o n n s n m : ρ t v -no i : rm naa i

snn m m .x an aVism ητπ aViyn .d oV is p x ] mx > im a rum m » ds? o 'oViy

, τχι τιπ a r r w a xx an Dsnx nco i /n a xna : ητπ oVism a xnaa xan oVisn ' a

s i m

f ü n r t t io xxnn nu nn st ν π d s

s n n :m .ππ ικι nra iz ;

.x an oViyV pVn V? ρ χ ·?3Χ ,n a x a m n oViyn bv

The clause id est nom en ipsius dei tr ia gra m ato n quo d est ΊΓΡ is witho ut

equivalent in the Hebrew text and does not make sense: two letters, he and

aleph cannot poss ib ly be the Tr iagrammaton , in ' . Nor can the combinat ion

of yo d (denar ius) and he (quinarius) , in the previous sentence, result in Ή Π

(5+6+10) or Ή Χ (1+6+10).

22 The Hebrew or ig inal does not deduce Satan f rom the Tr iagra mm aton

(YH W ), but f rom ma (BYH), with which th is wor ld and the wor ld to come

have been cre ate d. Ge m atria ( isopsephy) need not always involve the full

numerical values of letters: it can be established

per numeros m inores

i.e., by

counting tens and hundreds as uni ts . Thus

ft U7

( S a t a n )p er numeros minores

amounts to 17 (3+9+5), which is equivalent to ma, 2+10+5. And see below

Appendix 22 note 5.

[ 7]




f rom a sh in ing mi r ror . You ought to know that a ll the ten sefirot are called

mirrors, and the tenth is called the mirror that does not shine . . . All the

prophets except Moses received their prophecy from the last [sefirah],

which is called the prop erty of Night, except Moses, wh o received from the

prop erty of Com pass ion, which is called D ay.

The other passage is at fol. 85rb:

In the Midras Smot Rabba [xix. 6 ] 'F or you shall not go out in has te ' [ Isa.

52:12]: Fo rme rly [says G od ] I and my c ourt of justice [ li terally, hou se of

judgment] went before you, as it is said [Exod. 13:21] 'And the Lord went

before them by day in a pillar of cloud . . . and by night in a pillar of f ire, '

[ that is to say] I and my cou rt of justice; but in the times to com e, I alone

shall go b efore y ou, as it is said [Isa. 52:12] 'F or the Lo rd will go befo re you,

and the G od of Israel will be you r re ar gu ar d. ' The mystery of this

Midrash

is , as I have exp lained, tha t in the redem ptio n fr om E gypt the Ho ly blessed

be He was w ith them in daytim e, an d his court of justice was with them at

night, but in the times to come the Shekinah will be like the curta ins of

So lom on [S ong of Sol. 1:5] as it is writte n [Ps. 104:2] w ho hast stret che d

out the heavens like a te nt an d [Ps. 139:12] an d the night is bright as the

day fo r dark ness is as light with thee , an d everything is with the pro per ty of

special Compassion .

CONCLUSIO X X I

Qui seiet proprietatem quae est secretum tenebrarum, seiet cur mali

demones p lus in nocte quam die nocent .

The direct source is mo st probably R ecanati fols. 7 vb -8ra :

A nd Go d cal led the l igh t da y [Gen. 1 :5]: the word cal le d here mean s

dre w and invi te d . Accordingly , the mean ing of the verse is: he drew the

property of the day to the day and the property of the night to the night.

And because the property of str ict judgment rules at night, i ts emissaries

roam the world [at that t ime], this being the reason why the dominance of

evil spir its is greater at night than in daytime.

2 3

23 In Gen. 1:14, A nd G od said, Let there be lights in the f irm am ent of the

heav ens , the word for l igh ts , me orot, is spelled without waw, namely

Γ Π Κ Ο (m rt) in s tead o f rm x a (m wrt) . Now, insofar as the spelling of the

Scriptures is i tself the subject of anagogical interpretation (cf . Conclusio

xxxiii), the defective spelling of the word

me orot

poses a problem, because

whereas ΓΠ1ΝΏ with waw, can der ive on ly f rom the roo t Π Χ , mean ing l igh t ,

t h e w o r d m x n , w i tho u t waw, might derive fro m the roo t HX, me aning

curs e . Two shor t f ragm ents f rom Recana t i ' s long in terpreta t ion of Gen .

[ 8]




CONCLUSIO XXII

Licet f ia t mult ip lex coord inat io cur ruum, tamen inquantum at t inet ad

phylacter iorum myster ium, duo sunt cur rus ord inandi , i ta u t ex secunda,

ter tia, quarta, quinta f iat unus currus, et sunt quatuor phylacteria quae

induit V au; et ex sexta, septim a, octa ua et non a f it secundus c urrus, et sunt

phylacteria quae induit ultima He.

The ult imate source of this thes is is the Zohar part III , fo ls . 262 r-2 63 r. I ts

d irect source , however , i s Recanat i , f o l s . 86rb-87vb , where the

Zohar

is

q u o t e d in extenso. There is n o need to quo te Recanat i s long in terpreta t ion

of the myster y of phyla cteries in ful l ; three short pass age s wil l suf f ic e:

I t shall be as a ma rk on your hand and front lets between your eyes [Exod .

13:16], You ought to contemplate the mystery of phylacteries and its

meaning . The four parasiyot [lessons or port ion s of the La w] include d in the

phylactery of the head indicate four sefirot: Wisdom [the second sefirah],

Intelligence [the third], Greatness [the fourth], Might [the fifth] ...

And it is with those four sefirot that the Beauty [or Glory] of Israel,

indicated by the letter waw of the Tetrag ram ma ton , is crown ed, and i t wears

the m ; an d this is the mystery of the verse [D eu t. 28:10] th at yo u are called

by the name of Y H W H, the name YH W H sensu stricto. And it has been

taught [Bab. Talmud, Berakot, fol. 6r] R ab bi Eliezer the Grea t says: these

are the phylacteries of the he ad . But the

four

p r iyot

that are [included in

the phylactery wo rn] on the arm indicate Beauty [ the sixth sefirah], Eternity

[the seventh] , Majesty [ the eighth] , and Foundation [ the ninth] , and by

them is crowned the Congregation of Israel, which is indicated by the

second he o f the Te t r ag rammaton .

[Quoting the Zohar.] Rabbi Isaac taught: One holy superior chariot are the

fou r houses

2 4

of phylacteries which

waw

wears, as it has been stated;

1:14 (fols. 1 0 va -l lr b ) are pertinen t to Pico 's thesis. Fol. 10vb: W he n

prim ordial l ight recedes and is hidd en, the property of judg m ent is harsh ,

being deprived of blessing, and is called ΓΠΝΟ [m rt], wi thou t waw ; it is the n

full of 'the w aters of bitterness tha t brings the curse ' [Num . 5:18] and fro m it

emanate all the powers and spir its that cause harm at night to children and

also to adults if they are alone, as the Rabbis said: 'whoever sleeps alone at

night is seized by Lilit ' ; an d all ma ladies ind uce d by spirits at night com e fro m

there . Fo l .

1

l r a - b : No w acco rd ing to the Zohar [part I,

fol

19v], the wo rd

mXD [m rt] is spelled without waw, because waw indicates the property of

clemency; thus [without waw] the word indicates the property of judgment

which rules at night, and it is that t ime that i ts emissaries roam the world.

24 Batey tefillyn. In the extant translations of Flavius Mithridates this expres-

sion in usually translated domunculae o r casulae phylacteriorum. Hence my

t rans la t ion houses .

[ 9]




anoth er ho ly char io t are the o ther four [ hou ses of phylacter ies] that are

united together and are worn by the second

he ,

as it has been stated.

CONCLUSIO XXIII

Supra propr ie ta tem peni ten t iae non es t u tendum uerbo d ix i t .

Cf . Recanat i , f o l . 6rb-va :

Our masters of blessed memory consider in the Sefer ha-Zohar why say-

ing was not expressly mentione d with regard to the f irst word [beresit, in

the beg innin g ] despite the fact th at i t is one of the ten

logoi

[with which the

world was created].

25

The reason is that say in g may not be appl ied above

Penitence, or Return

[Tesuvah,

the third

sefirah}.

I t i s no teworthy tha t Tesuvah i s no t exp l ic i t ly ment ioned in the Zohar

passa ge to wh ich R ecanat i re fers . H enc e , P ico s d irect sourc e i s no t the

Zohar i t self , but Rec anat i .

2 6

CONCLUSIO X X I V

Cum dixit lob [25:2] qui facit pacem in excelsis suis, aquam intellexit

australem et ignem septentr ionalem, et praefectos il lorum, de quibus non

est ultra dicendum.

This interpretat ion of Job 25:2 is tradit ional: i t is incorporated in the

Ar am aic vers ion o f Jo b and a lso in Rash i s b ib l ica l com m enta ry . P ico

25 Cf . Misnah , 'Abot, v. 1; Midras Beresit Rabba, xvii. 1 (p. 151 ed. T he od or-

Albeck) ; Bab . Talmud,

Ros ha-Sanah,

fol. 32r;

Megillah,

fol. 21v.

26 Cf. the Zohar, part I , fol. 16v, English translation by H. Sperling and M.

Simon, I : 68-69:

And God

said

Let there be light; and there was light.

F r o m

this point we can begin to discover hidden things relating to the creation of

the world in detail . For up to this point the Creation has been described in

general, a nd lower dow n the general description is repea ted, so tha t we have a

combination of general-particular-general. Up to this point the whole was

suspended in the void in direct dependence on the limitless. When, however,

energy had been extend ed th roug h the superna l palace alluded to in the nam e

Elohim,

the term 'saying ' is used in conn ection w ith it , in the words 'An d G od

said . ' F or to t hat w hich is beyon d n o detailed saying is ascribed ; for altho ugh

the word bereshith is a creative utterance (ma'amar) , the actual words 'and

said ' are not used in connection with it .

[ 4 0 ]




cou ld read i t in three of h is manuscr ip t s : in the Chis ianus which once

c on t a in e d t h e w h o le o f De Proportione Divinitatis (Ma areket ha- Elohut),

fol . 194v ed. Ma ntu a, 1558; fol . 25 8r ed . Ferrara, 1558; in Co d. Vat . Ebr.

191 , wh ich inc lu des the

Bahir

( §9 ed . Scholem) ; and in the los t t rans lat ion

of Recanat i , who quoted th is passage of the

Bahir,

loc . c i t . , at fol . 4vb . A s

the f irst and the third trans lat ion s are lost , I shal l refrain fro m sug ges t ing

wh ich of the three wa s P ico s d irec t sour ce . I qu ote the on ly extan t

trans lat ion mere ly by way of i l lus t rat ion .

The Bahir, C od . Va t . Ebr. 191, fol . 289v :

Quid est [Eccl. 7:14] etiam hoc e regione alter ius fecit elohim? Creauit

formabile [bohu ] et posuit locum eius in pace . Creauit info rm e [tohu] et

posuit locum eius in malo. Formabile quidem in pace, quia scribitur [Job

25:2] faciens pacem in excelsis suis. Docet q uod Michael archa ngelus dextre

dei sancti et benedicti Aque et Grandinis, et Gabriel archangelus sinistre

eius et ignis, posuit pacem inter eos, Arbiter est. Et hoc est quod scribitur

faciens pacem in excelsis suis.

CONCLUSIONES X X V a nd X X V I

Idem est bre sith , id est in princ ipio cr eau it, ac si dixisset in sapientia cre aui t.

Quod dixit anchelos chaldeus becadmin, id est cum aeternis uel peraeterna,

tr iginta duas uias sapientiae intellexit .

Notwiths tanding the fac t that the f ir s t thes i s i s an anc ient commonplace

u l t im at e ly d e r ive d f r om t h e A r am aic

Targum Yerusalmi

an d recurring in

several Kabbal i s t ic t ext s , the t rans lat ions of which are inc luded in the

extant Vat ican i , i t s eems to me the l ike l ies t hypothes i s that both theses

der ive f rom Recanat i , f o l . 2ra:

And our Masters also said in the book Bahir [§3 ed. Scholem] that resit

[beginning] is in fact hokmah [wisdom]. It is for this reason that in the

Targum Yerusalmi the word beresit [in the beginn ing] is rend ere d behokmeta

[with or by, o r in ) wi sdo m ]. . . Also Onqelos t rans la te d

beqadmin

alluding

to thir ty-two paths of wisdom, and it is for this reason that he did not

t rans la te beqadmita.

21

27 Qadmita being singular , qadmyn plural.

[ 4 1 ]




C O N C L US IO X X V I I

Sicu t congregat io aquarum est ius tus , i t a mare ad quod tendunt omnia

f lumina es t d iu in i tas .

Cf. Recanat i , fo l . 9va:

The gath er ing together o f the w ate rs is

Yesod Olam

[ F u n d a m e n t u m

Saeculi , otherwise cal led

Saddiq,

Iustus ; see Pro v. 10:25]; i t dra ws al l beings

to i tself , and thence [ they flow] to the

Shekinah,

as it is w ritte n [Eccl. 1:7]

Al l s t ream s run to the se a . The

Shekinah

is cal led Sea beca use i ts wate rs

are sa l ty , ind icat ing the proper ty of judgment , and a lso because the

She-

kinah

is in the west w hich is called

Yam

[sea],

Sefer ha-Zohar

[pa rt I, fol .

33r]: ' the gath ering tog ethe r of the w ate rs ' : this is the hou se of asse m bly of

the waters f rom above, fo r i t i s there that a l l waters gather together and

thence they f low and i ssue. Ra bbi Hiyya sa id : ' the gather ing of wa ters ' ; th i s

is

Saddiq,

the R ighteous , fo r when the gather ing of wa ters is reached i t i s

wr i t ten [G en . 1 :10] 'A nd G od saw

Ki tob

[that it is good], ' and it is [also]

writ ten [Isa. 3:10] Tell [un der stoo d as cal l] the r igh teo us

Ki tob.'

T h e Zohar acc ou nts for the f i r s t ha l f o f the thes i s . But i t do es no t a cco un t

for the s econ d ha l f , wh ereas Reca nat i does . It fo l lo w s that Recana t i is here

Pico ' s d irec t source .

C O N C LU S IO X X V I I I

Per uo lat i le quod creatum est d ie qu in ta , debemus in te l l igere angelos

mu n d an o s , q u i h o min ib u s ap p aren t , n o n eo s q u i n o n ap p aren t n i s i i n

spiri tu .

While the u l t imate source o f th i s thes i s i s cer ta in ly the Zohar, the very

e x p r e s s i o n m u n d a n e a n g e l s p r o v e s t h a t P i c o ' s d i r e c t s o u r c e i n t h i s

i n s ta n c e w a s R e c a n a t i , f o l s . l l v b - 1 2 r a :

O ur M asters o f b lessed me mo ry in terp ret th i s verse [Gen . 1 :20] as concern -

ing angels. Here is what they say in the

Zohar

[ pa rt I , fol . 34r]: 'a n d let

birds f ly above the earth ' [Gen. 1:20]: these are the messengers to the

world

2 8

w ho appe ar to m en in actual h um an shape , as it is wr i t ten ' to fly on

earth, ' because there are others who are not visible except by the spir i t

p roper accord ing to the in te l l igence of men .

28 The read in g in Re cana t i ' s quo tat io n of the

Zohar

is

HO^V

w o r l d , w h e r e a s

the text of the

Zohar

i t se l f has J 'xVy, su pe rna l , i .e . , messenge rs f ro m above.

[ 4 ]




CONCLUSIO

X X I X

Nom en dei quatuor litterarum quod est ex mem sade pe et sade regno

Dauidis debet appropriari.

The s t rang e na m e fSX ö MS PS is not a mean ingf ul Heb rew w ord , but a vox

mystica o r magica: i ts four e lements, mem sade pe sade are the substi-

tu te s fo r the four e lements o f the Te t rag ram ma ton ,

Y H W H > o J

he waw

he according to the method of subs t i tu t ion commonly known as the

sequence atbash wanx. This method cons is ts in the subs t i tu t ion for each

letter of a given word or phrase of the corresponding le tter in the inverse

order of the alphabet (hence the name of the sequence): X aleph the first

le tter) is substi tuted for Π (tau, the last letter), or vice versa; 3 ( be th , the

second le t ter ) for

Ό (sin,

the last but one), or vice versa; and so on

th roughou t the a lphabe t , a lways p roceed ing boustrophedon:

n n ^ u n u D

When th is method of subs t i tu t ion is appl ied to the Tetragrammaton, the

resul t i s yssn .

As re gards the thes is as a whole , I subm it that P ico infer red his conclu-

sion fro m

th

Bahir §SOed. Sch o lem ) ,Cod . Va t . Ebr . 191 , fo l s. 305v-306r :

Sedit Rabi Aholai et inquisiuit quid est Π1Π

1

rex est, ΓΠΓΡ regnauit, mrr

regnabit in holam vahed? hoc scilicet xem amphoras de quo conceditur

licentia memorari et referri ut scribitur [Num. 6 : 2 7 ] Inponent nomen m e u m

super filios Israel et ani [=ego] benedicam eos. et est duodecim litterarum

sicut in benedictione sacerdotum sunt 12 , benedicet te dom inus etc. qua e

sunt tria et sunt 12. eo rum quo que pu nctatio est talis hiafaal, hiafoe l, iphol

V v ? ,

sd

^, Vys? . . . At uero

[hiafaal]

siue m n[ ]3 ], ViiD [hia foel] siue

n^rtT, Vv

d

1

[iphol] sive Π

1

Π

,

1 repraesentant tria nomina dei oculta in textu

dominus rex est, dominus regnauit, dominus regnabit et sunt in dictione

m rr id est dom inus rex est, fB X a m asope s. In dictione ΠΊΓΓ id est

dom inus regnauit, f DXO id est masp hes. In dictione ^Vq

1

n m

1

id est domi-

nus regnabit est f B X ö [msapes]. Et omnia continentur in corde celorum.

From his reading of the Liber de Radicibus P ico wou ld have know n tha t

cor celorum denotes the tenth seflrah usua l ly ca l led Kingdom or Diadem,

and sometimes also the kingdom of the house of David. But i t is not

necessary to insist on Pico s acqua inta nc e with the symbolical mean ing of

cor celorum in or de r to see th at the text of the Bahir which conn ec ts M SPS ,

in three dif fe rent voca l isa tions , wi th G od s kingship present , pas t , and

[ 4 ]




fu ture , su f f ic ient ly accou nts for P ico s thes is . I t i s no t ew orth y tha t P ico —

a careful and precise writer — says debet appropriari, a n d n o t appropriatur.

Th is m a y b e b e c a u s e h e w a s a w a r e t h a t M S P S w a s s o m e t im e s u s e d

di f f erent ly .

2 9

C O N C L U SI O X X X

Nullus angelus habens sex a las unquam transformatur .

T ho ug h the u l t im ate source o f th is thes i s is un do ub ted ly the Zohar, pa rt I,

fo l . 34v , there is no need to look for i t s im m edia te source be yo nd Rec anat i ,

fo l . 12va, where the

Zohar

is qu oted :

Ra bbi Yose says: they all have six wings an d never chan ge, an d this is why it

is written [Gen . 1:21] an d every winged bird acco rding to its kin d. W hat

does acc ordi ng to its ki nd me an? Ac cordin g to its kind on high. I t is these

who f ly and glide through the world observing the doings of men and

repo rting th em abov e, and of them it is written [Eccles. 10:20] fo r a bird of

the air will carry your voice or some winged creature tell the matter .

C O N C L U S IO X X X I

Data es t c i rcumcis io ad l iberat ionem a u ir tu t ibus immundis , quae in c ir -

cu i tu ambulant .

Cf. Recanat i , fo l . 47va:

You ought to consider the mystery of uncovering the glans penis, as our

Masters, blessed be their memory, said [Misnah,

Sabbat,

xix.6] Circu mc i-

s ion without uncover ing does not count as c ircumc is ion . Because the

foreskin th at su rrou nds the coron a is a f igure of the pow ers of im purity , as it

is written [Ha b. 1:4] F o r the wicked sur rou nd the r igh teo us, nam ely the

Righteous sensu stricto, an d it is wr itten [Ps. 12:9] In circuitu impii

a m b u l a n t .

29 The nume rical value of M SPS (40+90+80+90) being 300, it is equ ated with the

letter sin, which som etimes denote s Intelligence (see Co d. Vat. Eb r. 191, fol.

52r), or with the word Ο 'Β Π ΙΠ (with clemency or com passio n), which den otes

the sixth

seflrah

(Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190, fol. 182r).

[ 4 4 ]




CONCLUSIO X X X I I

Ideo ci rcumcis io f i t octaua d ie , qu ia es t super ior quam sponsa uniuersal i -

zata .

Recanati, fol. 47vb:

Circumc is ion takes precedence over the sabb ath beca use i t is abo ve the

sponsa ornata vel universalizata

an d i t is fo r this reaso n tha t circumc ision is

performed on the e igh th day , in order that a sabbath should in tervene; for

there can be no span of e igh t days wi thout a sabbath .

I have tak en the liberty of including in my translation the La tin rendering

spon sa ornata vel universalizata for the Hebrew nVlVsn nVs, not

because I wished to fo llow Pico, but because I feel quite certain that I am

following Mithridates, the author of the lost translation that Pico read.

We can infer from his extant translations how Mithridates translated the

phra se nVf?Dn nV3 into Latin. T hus the

Liber deRadicibus

Co d. Vat. Ebr.

190, fol. 245r:

Van ρ nVlVDH n ?D cha lla ac hlu lla m in ac ho l id est sp on sa o rn at a uel

universal izata ex omnibus uel ex chol ind icat d iadema,

Diadem being the tenth

sefirah.

i0

W hat is meant by circumcision being ab ove the universalized bride is

simply that in the hierarchical configuration of the ten sefirot the ninth

sefirah Yesod the fou nd atio n of all creative pote ncies, represented by

the phallus, is above the tenth.

CONCLUSIO X X X I I I

Nullae su nt l i t terae in to ta lege quae in formis , coniu nct ion ibus , sepa rat io -

n ibus , to r tuos i t a t e , d i r ec t ione , de fec tu , supe rabu ndan t i a , m ino r i t a t e ,

m aio r i t a t e , co rona t ione , c l ausu ra , aper tu ra , e t o rd ine decern num era t io -

num secreta non manifes ten t .

This is a word-for-word quotation from Recanati, fol. 48ra:

Now al l the le t ters o f the Torah — in thei r forms, and thei r conjunct ions ,

and their separat ions, and in inclined let ters, and in twisted let ters, in

missing and superfluous, small and large, crowns of let ters, closed let ters,

30 See also ibid. , fol . 261r: [T iph ere th] est orn atu s et unive rsal iz atus ex sex

ex t rem is .

[ 5]




open letters, and the ir ord er — are [ indicative of] the ordina tion of the ten

seflrot.

See also Recanati fol 113vb where howe ver the crow ns of letters are not

mentioned.

CONCLUSIO X X X I V

Qui intellexerit cur sit dictum q uod M oyses absc ond it faciem sua m , et quo d

Ezechias uertit facies suas ad parietem, seiet quae esse debeat orantis

habi tudo et d isposi t io .

Cf. Recanati fol. 48vb:

A nd A bra m fell on his face an d Go d said to hi m [Ge n. 17:3]. As regards

prostration, there is a great mystery in it which I shall touch upon deo

volente w hen I com e to the verse He ar, Ο Israel. Ac cordin g to the plain

meaning , i t [Abram's pros tra t ion] was in order to make h imself ready for

prop hec y. Also to indicate tha t which is written [Exod . 3:6] A nd M oses

hid h is face , namely to do homa ge to the Shekinah and it is for this re ason

that af t er A bra m fell on his face it is written an d G od said to hi m . A nd in

the Sefer ha-Zohar [part III , fol. 260v]: T he prayer tha t m an pray s to Go d

ought to be so intended as to be a supplication. This we can gather from

M oses, as it is written [D eut . 3:23] 'A nd I beso ught the L ord , ' for this is an

excellent prayer. He who is praying ought to cover his eyes in order not to

look upon the Shekinah. It is said in the boo k of the Gra nd Old Ma n Rav

H a m n u n a :

3 1

He who keeps his eyes open during prayer and does not look

dow n to the groun d has tens h is own de ath , because cer ta in ly the Shekinah is

prese nt be fore him; it is said accordingly [Isa. 38:2] 'The n H ezek iah turn ed

his face to the wall [and prayed to the Lord] . '

CONCLUSIO X X X V

Nulla res spir itualis descendens inferius operatur sine indumento.

The direct source is Re can ati fol. 50ra:

All spir itual things that operate and go on a mission in this inferior world

are all of them clothed as the occasion requires, and afterward they are

str ipped and leave off their clothes.

31 A my thical f igure in the Zohar.

[46]



Sources of the irst Set of Theses

C O N CL U SI O X X X V I

Peccatum So ddom ae fu i t per t runcat ione m ul t imae p la n tae .

C f . R e c a n a t i f o l . 5 1 r a - b in t er p r e tin g G e n e s i s 1 8 : 2 0 - 2 1 :

Scripture here reveals that although by the measure of [str ict] judgment

they [ the Sodom ites] were guilty, G od in tended to judg e them now with an

adm ixture of mercy . . . I will go dow n to see , with mercy , w het her they

have done a l together accord ing to the outcry which has come to m e by the

me asure of [str ict] jud gm en t; and be cause the sin of the Sodom ites was that

they severed the last plant, therefore. . .

C O N C L US IO X X X V I I

Per secretum orationis antelucanae, nihil aliud debemus intelligere quam

propr ie ta tem pieta t is .

Cf . Rec anat i fo l . 52va :

An d Ab raha m went early in the morning to the p lace where he had s tood

before the L or d [Gen. 19:27], Hence the Rabbis say that i t was Ab raha m

who instituted the prayer at dayb rea k, because it is written wh ere he had

stood b efore the Lo rd and s tanding mean s pray ing . . . Now the secret o f

the prayer at daybreak is that i t indicates the property of Hesed Charity or

Piety.

32

C O N C L U S I O N E S

X X X V I I I

a n d

X X X I X

Sicut extr insecus timor est inferior amore, i ta intr insecus est superior

amore .

Ex praecedenti conclusione intelligitur , cur in Genesi [22:12] a t imore

laudatur Abraham, quem tarnen scimus per propr ie ta tem pieta t is omnia

fecisse ex amore.

W hile the form er thes i s can equa l ly wel l der ive f rom e i ther o f the fo l low ing

tw o texts the phra sing o f the lat ter thes is recal ls the first text rather than

the second .

32 Pietas is used by Mithr idates more of ten than Charitas as the Latin trans lation

of Hesed.

[ 7]




Recanat i , f o l . 55rb:

Fo r now I know that you fear G o d [Gen . 22 :12], S ince we know that

A bra ha m loved G od , as it is written [Isa. 41:8] the offsprin g of Ab rah am

who loved m e, i t ma y be per t inent ly asked why d id he not praise A bra ham

for his love but praised him for his fear , notwithstanding the fact that

A bra ha m did everything ou t of love, and love differs fro m fear l ike light

f rom darkness . You ough t , therefore , to know the say ing of the Kabbal is ts

that there are two manners of fear

[yir ah]·.

internal fear and external fear .

The external fear is below love, and the internal is above love . . . And it is

with respect to the latter fear that i t was said fo r now I kno w that you fear

G o d .

G ic a t i l l a , Portae Iustitiae, C o d . C h ig i , f o l s . 3 8 0 v - 3 8 1 v :

Timor au tem h i rha [yir ah] duobus modis consideratur uno modo quod s i t

t imor hirha intr insecus et alio modo timor hirha extr insecus. Timor vero

hirha extr insecus inferior est quam Charitas, et t imor intr insecus maior est

qua m Charitas et ideo hie timo r hira superior est qua m prop rieta s cha ritatis

. . . Propter hoc autem scriptum est quia nunc noui quod timens elohim es tu

[Gen. 22:12]. Et hie est t imor intr insecus hira propter quem Abraam pater

noster . . . meruit ut de eo diceretur [Isa. 41:8] Abraam amicus meus.

CONCLUSIO X L

Quo tienscunque ignoram us prop r ie ta tem a qua est in f luxus super pet i t ione

quam pet imus, ad dominum nar is recurrendum es t .

W hile the no t ion o f prayer to the ma ster o f the no se u l t ima te ly der ives

f r o m t h e

Zohar,

part III , fo l . 130v, the direct source of Pico 's thes is m ight

be e i ther o f the fo l lowing two t ex t s , bo th o f which quote the Zohar.

Recanat i , fo l . 65ra:

In the Sefer ha Zohar [loc. cit .] : W he n Rav H am nu na the Old wished to

pray he would say, I pray to the ma ster of the nose, I beseech the mas ter of

the nose . . . The mat ter is this [Re canati explains]: He said to the master

of the no se and not to nose , becau se [ the fulf il lm ent of] his request

depe nded on the prop erty of jud gm en t. He therefo re asked the cause of all

causes to infuse that property with His blessing so that the request may be

fulf il led.

Com mentum Voluminis de Proportione Diuinitatis, Co d. Vat . Ebr. 191, fo l .

53v:

Dominus nasi id est ens ultimum attr ibu itur in hoc nom ine et dictio dominus

signif icat vir tutem id est quia ens superius vir tus est ab ente ultimo et

[48]




propter hoc intendit rabi symeon f il ius Iohai quando dicebat domino nasi

preces eff un do . Verum esset attr ib uere do m inu m nasi unitati et 40 il luc

enim nos preces effun dim us quia est fons scaturiens qui nu nq ua m cessat et

ad hoc in tendebat sap iens qui hoc ad ject iuo u tebatur .

3 4

CONCLUSIO X L I

Omnis anima bona est anima noua ueniens ab Oriente.

The source of th is thes i s , as Gershom Scholem pointed out to me , i s the

ahir

§1 04 ed . Sch olem ) , Co d . Vat . Ebr . 191 , fo l . 312v:

Septimum namque est tamquam oriens seculi et inde venit semen Israel

quia f ilum spine est trahit a cerebro hominis et venit ad fontem unde est

semen, et scribitur [Isa. 43:5] ab Oriente educo semen tuum. qu and o Israel

sunt boni et ex hoc co ram loco educ o semen tuu m et inn oua bitu r t ibi semen

nouum. Quando uero Israel sunt mali educo a semine quod iam uenit in

m un du m , ut scribitur [Eccles. 1:4] gene ratio vad it et gene ratio venit . Doc et

quidem quod iam venit.

CONCLUSIONES X L I I and X L I I I

Ideo Ioseph ossibus tant um sepultus est et non co rpore , quia eius ossa erant

uir tutes et milit iae arb oris superioris uocati Sadich influen tis ad terram

super iorem.

Ideo Moysis sepulchrum nemo nouit, quia exaltatus est in Iobeleo super-

iore, et super Iobeleum misit radices suas.

T h e

Zohar

, part I, fol . 21v, co nsid ers the qu est io n why it wa s that , wh ile

t h e w h o le b od y o f Jac ob an d t h e b on e s , t h ou gh n o t t h e b od y , o f Jos e p h

were bur ied in the Holy Land , ne i ther the body nor the bones of Moses

were bur ied there and no m an kne w the p lace of h is bur ia l . Th ese d i f f eren-

ces in respect of their burial are then interpreted as representat ions of the

d i f f erent grades of

unio mystica

at ta ined by each of them . Reca nat i quo tes

the Zohar in fu l l and recap i tu lates the lon g passa ge , thou gh us ing s om e-

33 M ithri dat es tran slat es a false read ing, D X, instea d of D N, i.e., Ensoph

34 TXinnn o sn n, which the au tho r invariably uses in the sense of sapiens

supradictus

Mithridates failed to grasp this peculiar usage.

[ 9 ]




wh at d i f ferent terms . Hi s recapi tu la t io n , fo l . 75rb , in so far as i t conc ern s

J o s e p h a n d M o s e s , r e a d s a s f o l l o w s :

As for Jose ph the jus t

[ha-saddiq]

his bon es were bur ied there [ in the H oly

La nd ] bu t no t h is bo dy , because h is bones were the powe rs and hosts of the

Sup erior Tre e, which is cal led

Saddiq

and which in f luences the Sup er ior

Ear th . Moses was ra i sed to the Super ior Jub i lee

[yovel

] , an d he sends ou t

h is roo ts by the s t re am [Jer . 17 :8 ; the wo rd for s t rea m ,

yuval

wi th o u t

po in ts , can be read a lso as

yovel

jub i lee] . Though he was the man of God

and the serva n t o f the L ord , tha t i s , the husb and of the Royal Lady , and the

serva nt of the grea t L ord in his l i fet ime, no m an kn ew the place of his buria l

after his death and he was raised higher than al l of them.

G ive n that ne i the r the Sup er ior Tre e no r the Su per io r Ear th no r Jer .

17:8 appears in the

Zohar

pa ssag e , the ir presen ce in Pico ' s theses arg ues

conc lus ive ly that the d irec t source o f these theses i s Recanat i , not the

Zohar.

M ore ov er , the trans la t io n o f Jer . 17 :8 in the fo rm e t super

I o b e l e u m m i s i t r a d ic e s s u a s s h o w s t h e t o u c h o f t h e s a m e e x p e r t h a n d t h a t

trans la ted the

Liber de Radicibus,

C od . Va t . Eb r. 190, fo l . 241r , s .v .

YW BL : iobe l id e s t Iob e leus , uel Co rn u, ue l R iu ulu s , indicat Inte l l igen-

c ia m . H en ce , P ico ' s d irec t source i s Rec ana t i in the tran s la t ion o f

Mithr idates .

C O N C L U S I O X L I V

Cu m an ima co mp reh en d er i t q u i cq u id p o t e r i t co mp reh en d ere , e t co n iu n -

getur an im ae super ior i , expol iab i t ind um ent um te r ren um a se , e t ex t i rpa -

b i tu r de loco suo , e t con iungetur cum d iu in i ta te .

The d irec t source i s Recanat i , fo l . 78a-b:

Know that just as the frui t when i t is r ipe fal ls off the tree, not being any

longer in need of conjunction with i t , so is the conjunction of the soul with

the bod y: fo r when the sou l has com preh end ed wh at i t is capa ble o f

comprehending and adheres to the superior soul , i t wil l divest i tself of i ts

ter res t r ia l garment , wi thdraw f rom i t s p lace , and adhere to the

Shekinah.

And this is

mytat nesiqah [mors o sculi}.

[ 5 ]




CONCLUSIO X L V

Sapientes I s rahel , pos t cessat ionem prop het iae per sp ir i tum, prop heta runt

per f il iam uocis.

C o m p a r e R e c a n a t i , f o l . 8 3 v a - b :

Know tha t prophecy proceeds f rom the Atarah [Diade m, the ten th sefirah]

and is divided into three parts [divisions or degrees]. The first part is called

Nebu ah [Prophe cy] an d it was attained by the pro phe ts. The second part is

called Ruah ha-Qodes [the Holy Spir it]; i t was attain ed by Da vid, S olom on,

Daniel, and other pious men, and it is below prophecy. The third part is

called Bat Qol [the Daughter of the Voice]; it is below the holy spirit and it

was attained by the wise men of Israel af ter the cessation of prophecy.

CONCLUSIO XLVI

Non puni tur

3 5

Rex terrae in terra , quin prius humilie tur milit ia coelestis in

coelo.

What th is thes i s s ta tes i s no t , s t r ic t ly speak ing , a spec i f ica l ly Kabba l i s t ic

v i e w , b u t a c o m m o n p la c e o f t h e M id r a s h , w h ic h i s s o m e t im e s q u o t e d o r

a l luded to in Kab ba l i s t ic bo ok s . Quite l ike ly , P ico s d irect sourc e i s

R e c a n a t i , f o l . 8 9 r a - b :

Know that when God wishes to extirpate and humiliate a nation, He f irst

hum iliates its prince in heav en, as our M asters said [ in Midras

Smot

Rabba,

xxi. 5] A n ati on do es not fall unless its princ e falls first, as it is wri tten

[Isa. 24:21] O n th at day the Lord will punish the host of heaven , in heaven,

and the Kings of the ear th , on the ear th .

An a l t ernat ive source i s Gica t i l la ,

Portae Iustitiae

Cod. Chig i , fo l . 74v:

Scias quidem q uod qua ndo deus benedictus uul t ex t i rpare a l iquam gentem

uel humiliare earn, non humiliat earn nisi prius humiliaret Archangelum

eius in celo sicut dicunt sapientes nostr i nunquam aliquis populus ruit

inferius nisi eius archang elus r uat priu s superius ut scribitur [Isa. 24:21] In

die ilia puniet dom inus Iod he vau he superius miliciam celi in celo et postea

reges terrae in terra.

35 This is the corre ct rea ding of the editio princeps. Later ed i t ions read ponitur.

[51 ]




C O N CL U SI O X L V I I

Per dictionem AMEN o rdo habe tu r exp ressus quomodo numera t ionum

procedant in f luxus .

Rec anat i a f fo rds a l l that i s nee ded fo r the in terpretat ion o f th is thes i s . H e

in terprets the wor d

amen

twice: in his

Com mentary on the Pentateuch

fol .

93va) and in h is Com men tary on the Prayers. Bo th in terpretat ions be ing

almost ident ica l , I shal l c i t e the most pert inent passages f rom the la t t er

text in the Lat in t rans lat ion by Mithr idates ,

De Secretis Orationum et

Benedictionum Cabale, Co d . Vat . Ebr . 190 , fo l s . 31 8v -3 19 v:

Sequitur Am en s it nom en eius bene dictum etc . Tenetur omnis qui audi t

respondere amen cum to ta sua in ten t ione e t in tendere ad pro trahendum

process ionem a vena inf luencie pr ior is ad nomen magnum predictum. De

expositione autem amen dicunt sapientes nostr i Cabale quod signif icat

sap ienciam deoru m et sap ienciam Salomonis . Amen quidem indicat adon ai

elohim . . . Dict io en im amen indicat process ionem seu pro tract ionem que

pro trah itu r a peda gogo qui dicitur jTDN emu n

3 6

siue connutr ito qui nutr it

om nia sine aliqua intermission e, et sempe r intencio benedice ntis est effu n-

dere et diff un de re bened ictionem ad propr ieta tem que indiget i lia .. . Qui-

dam autem alii dicunt quod in dictione amen continentur tres lictere Aleph

men nun. et Aleph indicat i l lud quod cogitatio nequit comprehendere. men

vero quia est apertum indicat i l lud quod scribitur in textu dicente [Deut.

28:12] aper ie t t ib i dom inus thesaurum suum T ob , id es t bon um . nun

longum indicat contin enciam masculi et fem ine. Sunt aut em q uida m alii qui

exponunt quod amen der ivatur ab emun, id es t connutr i to quod d ici tur

pax et est nomen sanctum quod invenitur in libris sapiencie huius que

dicitur pars nominalis , et sapientes periti sciunt il lud et vir tutes eius.

Quidam autem dicunt quod amen indicat trinitatem trium superiorum in

unitate una que dicuntur i n s ΓΠ Π ' m r r m r r id est dominus dominus domi-

nus unus est . . . et intencio est quod qui respondet amen confitetur quod

deus benedictus fuit ante creationem seculi.

The i ta l ic ized words are w i thout equ ivalent in the Hebrew or ig inal .

3 7

36 Ra th er p i x , omen.

37 Fol . 35v: n n s n '3 χτι m r a m ιπ χ ' •> • ' nViy 'a n a p x Ό Ο 'Ϊ Π Β Ώ m

oVirn n x n a o n p rr>n TP χ τα η Ό r m » p x

[52]



T H E R A N G E A N D P R O G R E S S O F P I C O S K A B B A L I ST I C S T U D I E S

The figure of Pico th at p resen ts itself to the rea de r s min d, when his

Kabbalis t ic theses are read without acquaintance with the texts that

directly inspired the m , is as puzzling an d parado xica l as the theses them -

selves. Young Pico seems to be moving with ease and assurance over the

slippery ground of a vast and strange l i terature, quite at home in a

tradit ion which he neither inheri ted nor l ived long enough to acquire.

What looks l ike a paradox is merely the distort ing effect of a false

perspective; and i t is not the least important outcome of the preceding

inquiry into Pico s sources that it cou ntera cts that distorting

effect

and thus

enables us to see his Kabbalistic studies in their true dimensions. The

following list summarizes the findings of that inquiry.

Theses Sources

I Expositio Decern Num erationum (V at. 191) +

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

X I

XII

Recanati , fol .

3

Iva.

Corona Nominis Boni (Vat. 190)

Liber Combinationum (Vat. 190)

Recanati , fol . 19va-b

Recanati , fol . 23vb

?

XIII

Expositio Decern Numerationum (Vat. 191)

Recanati , fol . 9vb

Recanati, fol. 14vb

Recanati , fols . 17va-18ra

Recanati , fol . 18va-b

Recanati , fol . 57rb, or Portae Iustitiae (Cod. Chigi) ,

fols . 80v-81r

Portae Iustitiae

fols. 128v-129r

[53]





Pico s Kab balistic Studies

The unrivaled predominance of Recanati among the sources of the f irs t set

of theses stands out as c learly as one can wish. Recanati a lone is

dem on strab ly the direct source of some twen ty-five theses an d the l ikeliest

source of anoth er d ozen, whi le a ll o ther bo ok s be tween them accou nt fo r

ten theses.

Pico could no t have had a be t te r guide to Kab balah secundum secretam

doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum than Recanati . A well-

mean ing, pa t ien t , and som ewh at long-w inded ec lec t ic and a grea t adm irer

of the Zohar, Recana t i was except iona l ly wel l sui ted to make Kabbalah

unders tandable to a would-be Kabbal is t : h is Comm entary on the

Pentateuch i s a rich s torehou se of auth ent ic Ka bb ala co mp etent ly

presented by a genuine Kabbalis t . As he goes along following the order of

the Scriptures, Recanati discusses a great varie ty of subjects , a lways

quot ing and inte rpre t ing ear l ie r texts . He quotes midrashim, p re -

Kabbal is t ic esote r ics , and par t icula r ly Kabbal is t ic wri t ings , notably the

Bahir a nd more o f ten the Zohar. I t was f ro m Recana t i , not f rom the

bibl ica l commentary of Moses ben Nahman of Gerona or the wri t ings of

Eleazar of W orm s, tha t Pico learned tha t a ll peculiarit ies of the M aso rah

represented mysteries of the ten seflrot (Conclusio xxxiii). It was likewise

in Recanati , and not by his own wits , that Pico found the shrewd

com bina t io n of texts tha t broug ht out some par t icula r poin ts , such as the

pro pe r a tt i tud e at pray er (Conc lusio xxxiv). A nd , abov e all , i t wa s because

he read i t with the eyes of Recana ti that Pico und ers too d the Zohar so well.

W e have seen not only th at a ll such theses as argu e Pico s a cqu ain tan ce

with the Zohar can be derived from Recanati , but a lso that about half of

them ca nno t be der ived f rom the Zohar i tse lf , because they pre sup po se th e

text of the Zohar as i t is quoted and interpreted by Recanati .

The im porta nce of Recana t i s


fo r the

interpretation of the f irs t set of theses can hardly be overrated. If a ll the

extant translations of Mithridates had been lost , i t would sti l l be possible

to account satisfactorily for forty-three theses from Recanati a lone. If a ll

the extan t tran slatio ns h ad n ever existed, a few theses could n ot have been

written, but the set as a whole would be very much the same. Without

Recanati, however, the first set of theses is entirely inconceivable in its

present f orm : there a re no a l te rna t ive sources in the extant t rans la t io ns fo r

nearly half the theses, including all but one of the theses that ult imately

der ive f rom the Zohar.

Moreover , the dominant inf luence of Recana t i can be seen not only in

[ ]




the subject matter of individual theses but a lso in their arrangement. I

have add ed pag e re ferences to R ecana t i in my l is t abov e so tha t anyo ne can

see fo r himself th at the ha ph aza rd ord er of Pico s theses quite of ten

reflects the meanderings of his principal source. In particular three blocks

of theses, namely vii i-xi , xx xi-x l, xli i-xlvii , in which the individ ual theses

follow each other in exactly the same order as their respective sources

fol low each oth er in Recana t i . W hat can no t be seen f ro m merely scanning

the consp ectus of source s is th at the loca tion of indiv idual theses seems to

be determined sometimes by the incidence of cognate subject matter in

Re canati even w hen th e direct sou rce of the theses is in a ll l ikelihoo d no t

Recanati . Conclusio xxix, which was inspired by the Bahir, is a case in

poi nt . I t t rea ts of the prop er appl ica t ion of the nam e M SPS an d is loca ted

betw een tw o theses bo th of which treat of angels . Th e sour ce of Co nclu sio

xxviii begins in Recanati a t fol . l lvb, and the source of Conclusio xxx at

12va. The name MSPS is discussed in Recanati a t fol . l lva . Thus i t

appears that while the phrasing of Conclusio xxix was inspired by the

Bahir, i ts location reflects the arrangement of the subject matter in

Re canati . A no the r case in poi nt is Co nclu sio xli . I t treats of new souls an d

its source is the Bahir, e i ther direc tly or indirect ly thro ug h the quo ta t io n in

Recanati a t fol . 9va. I ts location is remarkable: i t is inserted between two

blocks of theses a ll of which derive from Recanati seriatim. The source of

Conclusio xl, the last of the first block, is Recanati,

fol

65ra. Th e source of

Conclusio xli i , the f irs t of the second block, is Recanati , fol . 75rb. Now,

ha lfw ay be tween fols . 65 and 75, Reca na t i d iscusses t ransm igra t io n of

souls , old souls , and new so uls , and quo tes pa rt of the passage of the Bahir

which is the ult im ate sou rce of Pico s thesis . So here again , while the

phrasing of the thesis was inspired by the Bahir, i ts location certa inly

reflects Recanati .

The sources of the f irs t set of theses in Recanati are not distr ibuted

equa l ly throughout his book: most of them are in the commentary on

Genesis and Exodus. At the same time, the principal sources of

Conclusiones xvii and xviii are two close passages in the commentary on

Deuteronomy: one a t fol . 212r and the other a t fo l . 213r-v. We must

therefore reckon with the possibi li ty tha t P ico read the whole com m enta ry

for his f irs t set of theses, even though he may have skipped or made li t t le

use of most of the commentary on Levi t icus and Numbers .

I shall now con sider the oth er sources on e by one . Jos eph Gic atil la s

Portae Iustitiae (C od . Chigi) is the likeliest direct so urc e of at least two

[ 6 ]




theses (Conc lusione s xiii an d xiv). Co nseq uen tly, i t is highly p rob ab le ,

and, in fact, a lmost certa in, that Pico read i t . The t i t le of the book in the

Lat in t rans la t ion is Saare Sedech Id Est Porte Iusticie seu de Diuinis

Nominibus. As fa r as I am a ware there is no manu scr ipt auth or i ty for the

subtit le , and the possibil i ty that i t was meant to recall the De Divirtis

Nominibus o f pseudo-Dionysius Areopagi ta cannot be ruled out . At any

rate , the subtit le is not improper: the book discusses the names of the

sefirot. M oreo ver, i t is an essentia l feat ure of Gicati l la s K ab ba la that he

considers the whole Torah as an explication of the name of God in the

sense that the w hole text of the T or ah is in fact a texture of diffe ren t divine

epi the ts which a re themselves var ia t ions of the name of God.

1

W e mus t recko n w ith the possibil i ty th at Pico also used, or a t least read,

th e De Propo rtione Divinitatis (Ma areket ha- Elohut), the begin ning of

which survives in the C hisian us. Th e bo ok is an alternativ e source in one

instance and a possible a lternative source in another instance. In both

instances, however, the decision between the alternatives is primarily a

decision between alternative Latin translations of a lmost identical

He brew texts . Mos t of the L atin tra nsla tion of this bo ok bein g lost , we are

not in a posit ion to decide which is the l ikeliest choice, so that the

possibil i ty that the lost translation of the De Proportione Divinitatis was

the direct or the l ikeliest direct source at least in one instance cannot be

ruled out.

I come now to the sources included in Cod. Vat. Ebr. 191. This

man uscr ipt begins with fou r dif fe ren t com men tar ies on the Sefer Yesirah

( the Book of Cre a t ion ) and an un kn ow n sh or t in te rpre ta t ion of the ten

sefirot inse r ted be tween the th ird and the fou r th com men tar ies . Th a t Pico

read them, or a t least two of them, is quite certa in. In a le tter adignotum

amicum, da ted 10 No vem ber 1486 f ro m La Fra t ta , P ico wri tes :

nuper legi in commentari is l ibri quem pater antiquus Abraham de Creati-

one edidit , dum enim duas i l las et tr iginta portas , quarum meminit ,

authores interpretantur, dicunt numerum i l ium ex decern numerationibus

ac duabus et uigint i l i t teris conflari . Rel iquas autem l i teras quae sunt mem

tzade pe caph et nun quae

2

duplices dicuntur quarum characteres sunt

<|> 1 f ab episcopis s iue perfect is additas fuisse .

3

1 See Scho lem , On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism p. 42.

2 Nun quae is my correc t ion o f the nonsens ica l nun quam , which i s obv ious ly

a printer's error.

3

Opera

p. 385.

[ 5 7 ]




What Pico read is quite c learly not the Book of Creation i tself but

commenta r ie s on tha t book , and wha t he quo te s i s a f amous rabb in ic

dic tum which appears in one of them, and in one only, namely the

commenta ry on the Sefer Yesirah by Rabbi Moses ben Nahman of Ge r -

ona , known a lso as Moses Gerundinens is .

4

Th at com m entar y is the las t of

the four I have mentioned. I t begins a t fol . 39r:

Incipit Comentum Sepher ies ire

Triginta duabus viis:

unde procedunt

decern numerationes et viginti due litere • | f η

[mem nun sadhe pe kaf]

Speculatores uel episcopi dixerunt eas

The second commentary is the direct source of Conclusio xix:

Eae dem sunt l i t te rae nominis cacode mo nis , qui es t pr inceps mun di h uius

e t nominis de i Tr iagrammaton, e t qui sc iuer i t ord inä re t r anspos i tionem

dedu cet unu m ex ali o. I t is rem ark abl e tha t the only thesis in the entire

firs t set which deals with names and transpositions of le tters without any

reference to sefirot derives from a commentary on the Book of Creation.

It is certain that Pico read the

Bahir

: Scholem proved i t beyond doubt .

5

But of the three theses that reflect recogn izable passages in the Bahir only

one (Co nclusio xxix) derives in a ll l ikelihood fr om th e Bahir itself whereas

the other two might equa l ly wel l der ive f rom quota t ions of the

Bahir

in

Recana t i ' s Comm entary on the Pentateuch T h e Bahir is the pe nul t im ate

piece in C od . Vat. Eb r. 191. I t is the earliest extan t text of Kab ba la pro pe r.

Old G no stic e lemen ts dwell in it s ide by side with the incipient the oso ph i-

cal doctrine of the sefirot

6

I have a l ready m ent ioned tha t the Vat icanu s 191 was pro bab ly wri t ten

piecemeal. Hence, the fact that Pico certa inly read the beginning and the

end of the manusc r ipt does no t warr ant the conc lus ion th a t he read a l l the

intervening pieces. His theses, however, afford evidence of his acquain-

tance with the anonymous Expositio Decern Numerationum The book is a

systematic discussion of the symbols of the sefirot

4 The Hebrew original of this text was pub lished by G . Sch olem in Kirjath

Sefer

, 6 19 29 -3 0) , 401 -4 10 . In the Latin translat ion the text is an on ym ou s. I

owe i ts identif icat ion to Scholem.

5 See abo ve, Cha pter 3 , note 1.

6 For a detai led discu ssion of the

Bahir

see G. Scho lem,

Ursprung und nfänge

der Kabbala Berl in , 1962), pp. 42 -1 74 . The text is avai lable in Ge rm an

trans la t ion wi th commentary by Scho lem, Das Buch Bahir 192 3; reprint,

Darmstadt , 1970) .

[ 8 ]



Pico s Κ abba I s t ic Studies

Finally, the V atican us 190. Th e firs t piece included in this m anu scrip t is

t h e a n o n y m o u s Liber Combinationum. Pico certainly used it fo r his first set

of theses: i t is the direct source of Co nclu sio i ii . The b oo k, in Sch olem s

op in ion , i s a four teen th-cen tury pop ula r ve r s ion o f Ab raha m Ab ula f ia s

combina t iona l and ph i losophica l Kabba la .

7

I t is a lmost certa in that Pico also used the Corona Nominis Boni (see

Conclus io i i ) . The author of th is book, Abraham Axelrad of Cologne ,

moved f rom Germany to Spa in, and his Kabbala blends the numerologi-

ca l specula t ions of the German Hasidim with the Spanish Kabbal is ts

doctrine of the ten

sefirot}

The de m on stra ble source s of Pico s f irs t set of theses are seven bo ok s:

Men ahem Recana t i s Comm entary on the Pentateuch

Josep h Gica t i l la s

Portae Iustitiae

(Cod. Chigi)

Comentum Sepher Iesire

(Vat. 191)

Expositio Decern Numerationum (V at. 191)

The Book

Bahir

(Vat. 191)

Liber Combinationum (V at. 190)

A b r a h a m A x e l r ad s Corona Nominis Boni (Vat. 190)

I can envisage that as a result of further research or new discoveries of

manusc r ip t s the

De Proportione Divinitatis

m ight be securely established

as a source of the first set of theses, or that the Corona Nominis Boni might

d ro p ou t fro m the l is t of sources. I can also envisage certa in m od ifica tion s

concerning the poss ible or a l te rna t ive sou rces , and a few read jus tm ents of

the ba lance be tween Recan a t i , on the one han d, and a l l the other sources ,

on the other. But, with more than half of the theses demonstrably deriving

directly from Recanati , his posit ion as the dominant source of the f irs t set

of theses is not likely to be challenged. Thus the salient facts that the

inquiry into the sources of the first set of theses has revealed are the

unr iva led predominance of Recana t i , on the one hand, and the l imited

number and modes t par t of the subs idia ry sources , on the other .

A significan t enlarg em ent of the range of Pico s sources is noticeab le in

the second set of his Kabbalis tic theses, the Conclusiones Caba listicas

7 G . Sch olem with the ass istance of B. Joel , Catalogus Codicum Hebraicorum in

Bibliotheca Hierosolymitana Part I: Kabbala in He brew ) Jerusa lem, 1930),

pp. 50 ff .

8 See Scho le m, Ursprung und Anfänge

p 392

[ 5 9 ]




secundum opinionem propriam. I shall cons ider those theses an d th eir

sources in due course. A few essentia l facts will suffice fo r the p resen t

purpose . I t must not be expec ted tha t what was done in the previous

chapter for the f irs t set of theses will or might be repeated for the second

set. I t is impossible to pinpoint the direct sources, or to identify the

likeliest direct sources of all the theses of the second set, simply because

m ost of them have no direct sources. They are fo r the m ost par t Pico 's own

speculations which cannot be traced to identif iable sources, even when

they s ta r t f rom recognizable pr inc iples or doc tr ines . Some theses , how-

ever , suff ic ient ly numerous to form a s ignif icant body, can be shown to

derive either from identif iable direct sources or from possible a lternative

sources. Among the identif iable direct sources Recanati is s t i l l important,

thoug h no longe r dom inan t . The Portae Iustitiae a n d Proportione Divinita-

tis are in some instances l ikely alternative sources. But i t is not the

alterna tive sources that prim arily affect the re la tive im po rtan ce of Reca-

nati as a source of the second set of theses. Other influences make

themselves fe l t throughout tha t se t .

I have id entif ied six diff eren t bo ok s which are direct sou rces of some of

the mo st im po rta nt theses of the second set. They

iffer

fro m each other in

authorship , form, and subs tance . But the s ix have one thing in common:

all are included in one manuscript, the Vaticanus 190. One of them, the

Liber Combinationum, is also used on ce in th e first set of theses. Th e oth er

five are never u sed in the f irs t set . The fo llow ing lis t reflects the or de r of

their appearance in Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190.

Sum ma Brevis Cabala Q ue Intitulatur Rabi Jeude (fols . 120v-132v),

A bra ha m A bu laf ia ' s epis tle to his d isciple Yehud a Sa lm on, in which

Ab ulaf ia def ines his own K abb ala in contrad is t inc t ion to

cabala

numerationalis, or K abb ala of the sefirot, n umera tio be ing the s tand-

ard La t in render ing of sefirah.

Qua estiones super Decern Num erationibus cum Responsionibu s Suis

(fols . 165 -173), by R abb i Azriel of G ero na . In seinem Scha ar

ha-Scho el, das be i spä te ren Au tore n 'Erk lä ru ng über die zehn

Sephiroth' heisst, besitzen wir einen Katechismus, der die Sephiroth-

lehre in Frage und Antwort unte r Benutzung neu-pla tonischer

Logik vor t räg t .

9

9 Ibid. p. 330.

[60]



Pico s Kabbalistic Studies

Liber de Radicibus vel Terminis Cab ale ( fo ls . 222r-275r) , an e labo-

rate glossary of the Kabbalis tic symbols of the ten sefirot.

10

Liber de Secretis O rationum et Benedictionum Cab ale (fols.

275v -336r) , M enah em Recan a t i s m yst ica l in te rpre ta t io n of the

prayers .

Liber de Secretis Legis ( fols . 336v-469v + Cod. Chigi, fols .

232-2 61) , the las t i tem in the collec t ion, is A br ah am Ab ulaf ia s

myst ica l in te rpre ta t ion of Maimonides Guide of the Perplexed

Thus i t appears, on the internal evidence of the theses themselves, that

the prin cipal repositories of the direct sources of bo th sets of P ico s

Kabbalis tic theses are two manuscripts: the lost Latin translation of

Recana t i s Com mentary on the Pentateuch and the extan t Va ticanu s 190.

The salient facts concerning those two sources are , f irs t , that Recanati is

the dominant source of the f irs t set of theses and an important, though no

longer d om in an t, so urce of the second, while the Co d. Vat. Ebr . 190 is

about the least important source of the f irs t set and an outstandingly

important source of the second. Second, whi le the whole commentary of

Rec anati w as in a ll l ikelihood used fo r the f irs t set , the whole of C od . V at.

Eb r. 190 was used only f or the seco nd set, whe reas for the f irs t set only tw o

writings were used, both of which are in the f irs t half of the manuscript.

These f inding s a re par t icula r ly im po rtan t , because what l i t tle is kno wn

ab ou t the chrono logy of the t rans la t ions used by Pico does not encou rage

the assu m ptio n tha t P ico firs t read all the tran slatio ns and the n set to write

his theses. I t will be remem bered th at a ll the m anu scrip ts used by Pico for

his theses were writ ten by Mithridates in his own hand between May and

November 1486. Mithr ida tes was admit tedly a fas t worker : he once

rem ark ed t ha t he work ed at the ra te of two quin tern ia (40 pages in folio) a

day .

1 2

Even a t th is h igh ra te he wo uld have needed mo re than three m on ths

to produce upward of 3 ,500 pages of t rans la t ions . In the parentheses of

10 Cf . W irszubsk i, Giovan ni P ico ' s Co m pan ion to Kabbal i s t i c Sym bol i sm ,

p p . 3 5 3 - 3 5 4 .

11 For the correct order of leaves in this translat ion see m y discus sion in Sermo

de Passione

, Ap p e n d i x II , p p . 5 2 - 5 5 , 5 7 - 5 8 .

12 In the iber Redem ptionis (C od. Ch igi , fo l . 310r): I taque septim a pars v ite

hominis s i t in delectat ione et quiete a labore et fat igat ione quam non potest

euadere nec maior nec minor (praecipue ego nunc ad duos quinternos in

d ie ) .

[ 6 1 ]




Mithr ida tes which a re sca t te red throughout his manuscr ipts there is

enough evidence to show tha t he worked away f rom Pico and sent in his

translations successively.

13

This being so, it seems to me the likeliest

hypothesis that Pico read the translations as they came in and wrote his

theses as he went a long.

W e do no t kn ow , it is true , which theses in each set were writ ten f irs t and

which last . No r can we rule ou t the possibil i ty that Pico began w ork on his

second set of theses before the f irs t set was quite complete . But while we

can no t assu me tha t a ll the theses of the second set are invariably la ter th an

all the theses of the first, it is nevertheless true that the first set and the

second set, each con sidered as a wh ole, represent tw o successive stages of

Pico s K abba lis tic s tudies. I t follow s, in view of the f ind ing s conce rning

the relative imp ort an ce of Pico s princip al sou rces in each set of theses,

tha t tho rou gh a cqua intanc e with Cod . Vat . Ebr . 190 m arks the main

differen ce betw een th e earlier and la ter s tages of Pico s Kab balis tic s tu-

dies. I ho pe I shall no t be misu nd erst oo d. I t is no t the only differen ce, bu t

the main difference insofar as i t can be expressed in terms of wider

acq ua inta nc e w ith K ab ba la; no r is i t the differen ce between the successive

sets of Kab balis tic theses, but between the successive stages of P ico s

Kabbalis tic s tudies.

Ac quain tance w ith the Vat icanus 190 me ant in pa r t mee t ing old

acqua in tances : Recana t i s Com mentary on the Prayers is no t diff ere nt

f rom h is Commentary on the Pentateuch, and the Liber d e Radicibus

iffers

only in fo rm , no t in substanc e, fr om othe r discussions of the symbolism of

the ten sefirot. At the sam e time, Co d. Va t. Ebr. 190 is a lso the princip al

source of a different Kabbala , c learly and vigorously presented in the

wr i tings of Ab raham Ab ula f ia , whose p rophe t ic Ka bba la b lends me ta -

physica l in te res ts inspired by the Aris tote l ian phi lo soph y of M aimo nides

13 C od . Ch igi, fol. 286v: Pice, Siue irascaris siue no n quia scio te no n po sse

intel l igere hoc et forte contingeret quandoque me tecum esse et peteres a me

exposit ionem suam; et quia in mea traductione lat ina non intel l igere earn sed

in hebraico, ideo scribo tibi earn hebraice totam licet prolixa sit habeas

pac ienc iam cum non p lacuer i t mic tere [mi t tere ] ad docendum ne fac ias

illud . Fo l. 227v: Ex libro de radicib us fil ij eius. Pice hie allega t et po nit circa

tres cartas ex l ibro i l lo sed quia habes i l ium translatum nolui transferre

iterum est enim a principio l i tere aleph usque ad i l lam psalmi f i l iorum Corhe

com ple ta m . The passage re ferred to appears in the

Liber de Radicibus,

Cod.

Vat . Ebr. 190, fo ls . 222v -22 5r . Co d. Vat . Ebr. 190, fo l . 415v: ego no lo ut

scias hec secreta nis i am bo fuerim us. Ibid. , fo l . 445r: In ho c pass u habui

l i teras tuas quod Petrus Leo noluit accomodare l ibros .

[62]




with methods of combina t iona l Kabbala ul t imate ly der ived f rom the

Book of Crea t ion.

1 4

Recan a t i s myst ica l com m entar y on the Pen ta teuch

and Ab ulaf ia s myst ica l com m entary on M aimo nides represent two qui te

dif fe rent or ienta t ions , and in fac t two qui te dif fe rent k inds of Kabbala .

Reca na t i s Ka bb ala is mainly concerned with the ten sefirot as divine

em an atio ns , an d its vehicle is a sym bolical exegesis of Scripture as the w ay

to unravel the mysteries of the sefirot. The Kabbala of Abulaf ia is con-

cerned, not with the sefirot, but wi th the name, or names , of God, and i t

resorts to combinations of le tters as a spiri tual discipline by which man

can a t ta in union with God.

The Kabba la secundum secretam do ctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum

Cabalistarum as reflected in Pi co s first set of theses is alm os t exclusively

Kabbala of the sefirot. I have alread y observe d th at in the entire f irs t set

there is only one thesis , derived from a commentary on the Book of

Crea t ion, which would n ot f i t in to the Kab bala of the sefirot. By con tras t ,

the second set begins with the distinction between Kabbala as scientia

sefirot a nd Kabba la a s scientia semot (nam es), the la tter being conceived of

as speculative Kabbala . This distinction, as Scholem saw long ago,

1 5

der ives f rom Abulaf ia . Commentar ies on the Book of Crea t ion (which is

the foun ta inhead of combina t iona l Kabba la ) and the Liber Com binatio-

num

are , it is tru e, id ent ifiab le source s of isola ted theses in the first set. But

the findings co nc ern ing Pic o s use of his source s in bo th sets of theses

argu e stron gly, even if they do not pro ve, that i t was not until Pico read th e

writings of A bu lafia tha t he fully realized the difference between tho se tw o

kinds of Kabbala and in par t icula r the specula t ive charac te r of combina-

t iona l Kabbala .

Pico s s tud y of the ma nu scrip ts tha t are the sources of his K abbalis tic

theses was adm ittedl y brief , having begu n on ly some five or s ix m on th s

befo re the comp letion of the theses. W ith so m uch crow ded in to so sho rt a

time it is too much to hope that we may recover more than the main

outlines of the prog ress of Pico s s tudies. But as regards the sources of the

seco nd set of his Kab bal istic th eses, the eviden ce of the theses themse lves is

qu ite un am big uo us , even if it is no t as com plete as w as the case in the f irst

14 See G . Scho lem, Abra ham Abulaf ia and the Doctr ine o f Prophet ic

Ka b b a l i s m, i n

Major Trends in Jewish M ysticism

( Ne w Yo r k - J e r u s a l e m

1941) (hereafter

MTJM .

15 G. Sch olem , Zur Ge schich te der A nfä nge der christ l ichen K abb ala, p . 164,

η 1

[6 ]




set. The identif iable direct sources of the second set of theses are the lost

t rans la t ion of R ecana t i s Com mentary on the Pentateuch an d six pieces

included in the extant Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190, namely:

Liber Combinationum

A b u la f i a s Summ a Brevis Cabale

Azrie l s Qua estiones super Decern Num erationibus

Liber de Radicibus

Recana t i s Liber de Secretis Orationum

A b u la f i a s Liber de Secretis Legis

Probab le add i t ions a re A xe l rad s Corona Nominis Boni in Cod. Vat. Ebr.

190 and the anon ym ou s Com mentum Volum inis de Propo rtione Divinitatis,

in Co d. V at. E br. 191, as well as G icati l la s Portae Iustitiae and the ano -

n y m o u s De Proportione Divinitatis, both of which are in the Chisianus.

The lis t is incomplete and likely to remain so even if some probable

additions are made; the nature of the second set of theses and the losses

tha t the C his ianus and C od . Vat . Ebr . 191 sus ta ined render comp le teness

una t ta inable . But the prec ise number of the ident i f iable sources mat te rs

much less than the fact that they have been identif ied on the internal

evidence of the theses secundum opinionem propriam. This is to my mind a

fac t of ca rdina l impo rtance fo r the in te rpre ta t ion of Pico s own Ka bba la ,

that is to say the Kabbala Pico made his own.

Pico is the f irs t Christian by birth who is known to have read an

impress ive amount of genuine Jewish Kabbala . Tha t Kabbala passed not

only through La t in t rans la t ion, but a lso through the c rea t ive mind of a

Chris t ian th inke r who was t ra ined in the schools of phi loso phy . As m ight

be expec ted, Kabbala was t ransformed in the process . But the Kabbala

that Pico read is s t i l l recognizable in the Kabbala that Pico wrote . At

times, i t is tru e, wh at is recognizab le is no m ore tha n jus t Ka bb ala , vague,

un iden tif iab le Kab ba la; a t oth ers it is precisely the Ka bb ala th at Pico rea d.

W hereb y is i t recognizab le? Primarily by Pico s Kabb alis tic vo cabu lary

and usage.

The pr inc ipa l K abbal is t au tho rs wh om Pico read inc lude severa l dar ing

religious thinkers who share the common lot of a ll thinking men at a ll

t imes: they a re sometimes divided by a common language and a common

trad itio n. Precisely for this reason the identif ica tion of Pico s direct s ou r-

ces helps a lot . I am not suggesting that sources sett le interpretation. Far

from it . I can see no conceivable reason why a man who refused to be the

[6 ]



Pico s Kabbalistic Studies

doci le fol lower of any par t icula r phi losopher should be cons idered the

doc i le fol lower of any par t icula r K abbal is t . But , granted th a t P ico t rans-

formed Kabbala to suit his own tastes and ideas, i t helps a lot to under-

stand what Pico is saying, if we can trace back to where he picked up his

language . P ico s appro ach to K abb ala is adm it tedly unh is tor ica l . But

Kabbala has a history, in the course of which similar doctrines and

identical concepts were differently treated in different schools or by

diff eren t autho rs. I t is precisely fo r this reaso n th at i t m atte rs a great d eal

for the correc t in te rpre ta t ion of Pico s own Ka bba la to kno w as exact ly as

possible whence derive the doctrines that loom behind the succinct

phr ases of Pico s Kab balis tic theses.

[6 ]





P R T TW O

The Tra nslation s of lavius M ithridates





K A B B A L I S T T R A N S L A T O R

N o studen t of Pico s encou nter w ith K abb ala can a ffo rd to ignore the

translat io ns th at Pico read, and n o reader of those translat ion s can avoid

their auth or, even if he wo uld: Flavius M ithridates is rarely un obtru sive.

Nor is i t only through his numerous parentheses and marginal notes that

his presence makes itself felt in his translations. He was a competent but

arbitrary translator , and his opinions, prepossessions, at t i tudes, and

whims show in his translations no less than his skill and learning. Until

quite recently Mithridates was known only as a dist inguished teacher of

or iental languages and t rans lato r f rom G reek, Arabic , and H ebrew.

1

New

evidence has brought to l ight an unsuspected fact: the translator whom

Pico employed to translate Ka bba la fo r him was in a sense Pico s fore-

run ner as regards the lat ter s notio n th at the esoteric tradit ion of the Jews

confirmed Christ ianity.

2

The translat ions through which Pico made his

acquaintance with Kabbala are thus neither the products of mere l i terary

drud gery no r the works of disinterested sc holarship. Th ere are s ignif icant

differences of substance, emphasis , and presentation between the extant

Latin transla t ions a nd the Heb rew o riginals of Pico s Kab balis t ic sources.

Not al l the differences are equally important . Some of them, however,

bea r in one way or anoth er on the interp retat ion bo th of individual theses

an d of P ico s view of K ab ba la a s a wh ole. F or th is reaso n, it will be usefu l

to consider the transla t ions in some detail befo re we ap pro ach Pico s

Conclusiones Cabalisticae secundum opinionem propriam

M ithridates is the f irs t kno wn tran slato r of Ka bba la on a large scale. He

had to f ind out for himself how to translate Kabbala in intel l igible form.

1 See

Sermo de Passione

Appendix I I , pp. 49 f f . I t i s no teworthy that he

trans la ted the so -ca l led Aurea Dicta o f Pyth agora s , and that h is trans la t ions

fro m Arab ic inc lude an as tro log ica l trea t i se . On the He brew an d A rabic

trans la t ion o f the Aurea Dicta see M . P lesner s art ic le by that nam e in

Eshkolot 4 (1962) , 68 .

2 See Sermo de Passione, pp . 2 5 - 2 8 .

[69]




By an d large he acqu itted himself of this difficu lt task rem ark ab ly well.

His skil l as tran slato r and his know ledge of K abb ala com bined to p rod uc e

read ab le, literal tran slati on s of a large bod y of texts few of which are easy

and some of which are uncom mo nly

difficult

To the latter class belon g the

writ ings of Abraham Abulafia, who, next to Recanati , matters most for

the interpreta t ion of Pico's Ka bba la. I t is note w orthy th at the translat ions

of those diff icult texts are — interpolations notwithstanding — remarka-

bly goo d translat io ns. A bula fia may well have been the tran slato r 's favo r-

i te. M ithridates, in his paren theses, t reats everything and everyb ody with

reckless disrespect . The only exception I have noticed so fa r is A bra ha m

Abulafia. Near the end of the second part of his De Secretis Legis,

A bu lafi a writes (C od . Vat. Ebr . 190, fol. 445v): E t qui direxit me ad eu m ,

formator inquam omnium, ad scribendum tibi que l icuit mihi scribere,

dir iget te ut peruen ias ad hunc g radu m et scies quia [G en. 24:1] 'dom inu s

benedixi t A braa m um cum om nibus , ' quo d est bac ho l . W hereup on

Mithr idates rem arks : Scias Pice quod non intel ligi t A bra am um patr iar -

cham solum sed et iam se ipsum quia s ic vocabatur et vere magnus homo

fui t . The incipit of the Latin translat ion of Abulafia 's book is also

no tew orth y (fol. 336v): Inc ipit liber de secretis legis que m co m po suit

A bra am (Mihi videtur abulh afia) super 36 secretis , etc. The correct

ident i ficat ion of the autho r ' s surname presupposes previous acquaintan ce

with the au tho r and his wo rk. I t s tands to reason tha t M ithridates s tudied

Abulafia with his father , Nissim Abul-Farag,

3

in Sicily be for e his co nve r-

sion. He happens to mention that he was acquainted with local tradit ions

about Abulafia in Palermo. In the De Secretis Legis (fol. 458v), in the

course of his discussion on the que stion w hethe r the world was created or

preexistent , Ab ulaf ia s ta tes , am ong other things , that num erus an no rum

ann oru m eius [mundi] apud nos hodie sunt quinque mil ia e t quad raginta

an ni [A.D. 1280]. In the m arg in, M ithrid ates note s: E go scio qu od hie

auctor feci t mul ta mirabi l ia Panhormi hoc anno et celebratur in monu-

ment is Heb reorum Pan horm itano rum in Sicilia mirum in m odu m et scio

que sun t .

What makes the writ ings of Abulafia uncommonly diff icult is his

associative thinking and allusive, in fact cryptic, style: he thinks and

expresses himself in scarcely indicated isopsephic equations. What makes

3 See ibid., p. 12, n. 2.

[70]



Kabbaiist Translator

t h o s e w r i t i n g s r e a d a b l e i n t r a n s l a t i o n i s t h e t r a n s l a t o r ' s b u i l t - i n i n t e r p r e t a -

t i o n s o f s p e c u l a t i o n s f o u n d e d o n g e m a t r i a o r i s o p s e p h y . T h e r e a r e

h u n d r e d s o f t h e m i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s o f M i t h r i d a t e s : m a n y , i t i s t r u e , a r e

e a s y a n d tr iv i al ; s o m e , h o w e v e r , p r e s u p p o s e s p e c i a li s t k n o w l e d g e . M i t h r i -

d a t e s p r i d e d h i m s e l f i n h i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f i s o p s e p h i c s p e c u l a t i o n s , a n d I

b e l i e v e t h a t h a n d l i n g g e m a t r i a w a s i n f a c t h i s f o r t e . W h a t f o l l o w s i s h i s

m o s t e l a b o r a t e s h o w p i e c e , w h i c h I q u o t e i n f u l l f r o m t h e

Liber Redemptio-

ns

C o d . C h i g i , f o l s . 2 7 3 r - 2 7 4 r :

I taque s ecretum nominis f i l i i

4

q u a d r a g i n t a d u a r u m l i t e r a r u m c u i u s s i g n u m

es t dominus in e i s s ina i in sancto . hebra ice Adonai bam S ina i baccodex

C H p 3 T D D 3 'Π Κ ( D i c o t ib i P i ce q u o d n o n e st p o s s i b i le i n u e n i a s

hominem qui i ta opt ime in terpretaretur hec que cum non sunt in te l l ig ib i l ia

vix in hebraico red<d>it ea intel l igibi l ia in lat ino, ideo s i intel l igis refer

grat ias M ithr idat i . e t exper iare h oc cum a l i i s e t inuen ies es se veru m, vo lo

scr ibere pr ius hebra ice e t pos tea t raduct ionem ut v ideas d i f f i c i l l ima fac i -

l ia) dici tur quidem s ic '31K

1

? 2 niD l» Τ T D Ό BH p3 Τ Ο DD 'Π Χ

m d s n a n V dd ' x m d 'V d d o n w m r r V m V s d x m w ' n x V a m r r

1

? m

o w n V ud o w n 'Χ Π Ό S I T η η ν π

DS

' x m D H i n a - m o . D o m i n u s in e is s i n a i in

s a n c t o , q u i a s in a i S e p te m n o m i n a s u n t d u o d o m i n i e t q u i n q u e d o m i n i

d o m i n i d o m i n i d u p l i c a t i e t q u i n q u e d o m i n i d u p l i c a t i i n d u p l u m e t

d i m i d i u m e t m e m e n t o c u m h o c t e m p o r i s e t t e m p o r u m e t d i m i d i u m

t e m p o r i s q u o d sc i as e t i a m q u o d n o m e n

5

d o m i n i e s t a d t o t u m n o m e n . ( v i d e

t u s i s e c u n d u m h a n c t r a d u c t i o n e m d e v e r b o a d v e r b u m i n t e l li g i s. )

( D o m i n u s i n e i s q u o d d i c i t u r D 3 b a m c u i u s n u m e r i s u n t 4 2 q u i a b e t h 2 et

m e m 4 0 c o l l e c t s u n t 4 2 S y n a i i n s a n c t o q u i a n o m e n s i n a i c o n s t i t u i t S e p t e m

n o m i n a q u e s u n t ΓΠ Γ Ρ m r p Π

1

ΓΠ ΓΡ Π 1Π ' T J X ' Π Χ p r o b a t u r q u i a n u m e r i

S y n a i s u n t T D s a m e c h 60 , i o d 10 , n u n 50 , i o d 10 , c o l l e c ti s u n t q u o t n u m e r i

d o m i n i t e t r a g r a m a t o n s c r i p t i p e r a l e p h d a l e t h n u n i o d d u p l i c a t i s e m e l q u i a

a l e p h

1,

d a l e t h

4,

n u n

50 ,

i o d

10 ,

c o l l e c t i s u n t

65

d u p l i c e n t u r s i m p l i c i t e r s u n t

130. e t t o t n u m e r i s u n t s y n a i q u i a 6 0 , 1 0 , 5 0 , 1 0 , c o l l e c t i s u n t 130. e t t o t i d e m

s u n t n o m i n i s d o m i n i t e t r a g r a m a t o n i o d h e v a u h e d u p l i c a t i b is q u e s u n t

q u a t u o r n o m i n a i o d h e v a u h e e t d i m i d i u m e i u s q u o d e s t i o d h e IT p r o b a t u r

q u i a i o d 10 , h e 5, v a u 6 , h e 5, c o l l e c t i s u n t 26 . d u p l i c e n t u r s u n t 52 . fiat

d u p l i c a t i o b i s e t s u n t

104 .

6

A d d a t u r

ill i d i m i d i u m n o m i n i s q u o d e s t h i a

q u o d q u a m u i s sit d i m i d i u m t a n t u m v a l et q u a n t u m t o t u m n o m e n . p r o b a t u r

q u i a

ΓΡ

h ia n u m e r o s h a b e t

15

q u i a i o d

10

h e

5,

s c r i b a t u r p l e n u m Χ Π I V h a b e t

n u m e r o s 10, 6, 4, 5, 1 c o l l e c t i s u n t 2 6 q u o t s u n t l i t e r e t o t i u s n o m i n i s . i t a q u e

h a b e s q u o d n o m e n i p s u m d u p l i c a t u m b i s e t d i m i d i u m s e h a b e t q u o t n o m e n

4 Th is i s a l i tera l render ing o f a He bre w id io m. Nom en filius xlii litterarum

m e a n s s i m p l y

nom en xlii litterarum.

5 I t ou gh t to be

dimidium nominis.

6 Th e M S reads sunt 54 p a t dupl ica t io b i s e t sunt] ]. I hav e res tored the

correct text .

[ 7 ]






M i t h r i d a t em q u a n d o v u lt ex e rcere i n g en i u m s u u m . P i co r e l a te s , in

No v em b er 1 48 6, t h a t M i t h r i d a t e s h ad r e fu s ed t o t each h im C h a l d ean u n t i l

h e p ro mi s ed o n o a t h t h a t h e wo u l d n o t i mp ar t t h a t l an g u ag e t o an y o n e .

1 1

M i t h r i d a t e s h i m s e l f , s o m ew h a t ea r l i e r in t h e s am e y ea r , m ad e t h e i n s t ru c -

t i o n i n Ch a l d ea n co n d i t i o n a l o n t h e a r r i v a l o f a h an d s o m e b o y : l i n g u a

Ca l d a i ca (q u am n u mq u am P i cu s s e i e t n i s i v en e r i t n aa r i a f e ) .

1 2

There i s

en o u g h ev i d en ce t o s h o w t h a t M i t h r i d a t e s co n s i d e red h i ms e l f i n d i s p en s a -

b le . But i t i s uncer ta in whether h i s barga in ing pos i t ion was in fac t as

s t ro n g a s h e t h o u g h t i t was . He n ce , n o t w i t h s t an d i n g t h e f ac t t h a t P i co was

t au g h t C h a l d e an b y M i t h r i d a t e s , it r ema i n s u n ce r t a i n wh o g av e i n : P i co o r

Mi thr ida tes . L ikewise , the in terna l chronology of the t rans la t ions o f

M i thr id a te s i s s ti ll too un cer ta in to adm i t any conclus ions as to w heth er

th e

na ar iafe

an d Lan c i l o t t o o f Fae n za ( s o me t i m es r e f e r red to a s

lancea

o r

lancea faventina), w h o w a s puer Mithridatis, are o r a re no t the sam e boy .

At any ra te ,

na ar

is a rec ur re n t them e in h i s pare n the ses , and m ore of te n

t h an n o t M i t h r i d a t e s is q u e ru l o u s o r i n d i g n an t .

Few b oo ks t ra ns la ted by Mi thr id a tes a re as d i f f i cu l t as the

Liber

Redemptionis,

an d few passag es in tha t d i f f i cu l t bo ok are as d i f f i cu l t as the

passage we have jus t seen . I have quoted tha t passage , no t as a typ ica l

example o f accura te t rans la t ion wi th bu i l t - in in terpre ta t ions , bu t as ev i -

d en ce o f t h e t r an s l a t o r ' s ex p e r t k n o wl ed g e o f Kab b a l a . An o t h e r s t r i k i n g

exa m ple o f w hat M i thr id a tes w as capa ble o f do ing when he was a t h i s bes t

is a f f o rd ed b y h i s t r an s l a t i o n o f J o s ep h G i ca t i l l a ' s

Portae Iustitiae (Sa arey

Sedeq), C od . Ch igi , fol . 114:

Et scias quod om ne opus geneseos et secretum decern num erationu m sigil-

latum est cum nom ine elohim a principio et usque ad finem quia secretum

principii combinationis literarum est in creatione mundi et puncto scilicet

medio, quia omnis literarum combinatio super quam numerat dominus libri

Sepher iesire est secretum aleph. Et abraam pater noster notificauit illud

quod in eo scriptum est omnibus intrantibus in mundum prout scribitur et

vocau it ibi in nom ine ado nai Jo d he vau he dei seculi dViS

?K

Π ΙΓΡ Dtt>3. E t

hoc est principium omnibus cognominibus coniunctis cum deo benedicto.

et quando memorabis apud nomen el secretum decern graduum ad

numerationes quia scilicet decern verba quibus mundus creatus est inuenies

duodeeim ab his usque ad decern (Domine Pice non possum non facere quin

etiam corrigam tibi librum hebraicum. vide quomodo scribitur in hebraico

iV^n 3 Ti DNxan Dîyn n-d: Draw nnnxn ' '3 et est secundum

quod transtuli supra. Sed magnus error est quia debet dicere quia decern

11 Pico, Opera, p. 385.

12 Co d. Vat. Eb r. 190, fol. 344v.

[7 ]




verba quibus m und us creatus est inuen ies continer e e n l i teras , he iod m em ,

que sunt secretum decern numerationum ab aleph usque ad iod. I taque

quando con iunges apud e l VX ipsum DTI fiet e lohim DTIVK. quod autem sit

i ta pro bo quia secretum 10 num eration um est 55. nam aleph 1. beth 2 . g imel

3. daleth 4. he 5. vau 6. zain 7. heth octo teth 9. iod decern, collige il ia et

erunt 55. numera autem literas he que est 5. et iod 10. et mem 40. sunt 55. et

sic ab aleph ad iod est

D T

et coniunctio cum el facit e lohim

•

,

Π

1

7 Ν

ergo

textus hebraicus deberet dicere , et nota i l lud gra[t ia] mithry[datis] ,

i v i s n η

1

?««

DTI

D s s o n ) .

The correc ted reading sugges ted by Mithr ida tes does exis t .

13

We mus t

therefore reckon with the possibil i ty that i t might have appeared as a

textual variant in the manuscript he was using, or e lse that Mithridates

simply remembered it , having seen it before . However, what I set out to

il lustrate was not the crit ical acumen of Mithridates, but his acquaintance

with Kabbala . There is no need to assume that he arrived at the correct

readin g by his ow n wits in ord er to see tha t the convincing arg um en t w hich

proves his correction to be true proves also that he knew Kabbala .

Joseph Gica t i l la , whose Portae Iustitiae I have jus t qu oted , was a pupi l

of A bra ham Ab ulaf ia . Yet Gica t i l la s Kab bala is no t the com bina t ion a l

Kabbala of Abulaf ia , but the Kabbala tha t , in contradis t inc t ion to his

ow n, Abu laf ia cal led

cabala numerationalis,

th at is, K ab ba la of the

seflrot.

The la tte r kind of K ab ba la is s trong ly repres ented in the tran slatio ns of

M ithr ida tes , and to tha t k ind of Kabba la be longed a lso the los t t rans la t ion

of Pico s m ost inf luent ia l source , Recan a t i s b ibl ical co mm entary . The

principal vehicle of that Kabbala is not isopsephy but symbolical interpre-

ta tion of the Scriptures. I t is therefore a matter of great importance that

Mithr ida tes as a rule t rans la tes sc r iptura l quota t ions Kabbal is t ica l ly , tha t

is , h is t rans la t ions embody the symbolica l in te rpre ta t ion of the quoted

text. Speaking of the symbolical language of Kabbala , Scholem made the

remark tha t d ivine language has no grammar.

1 4

What th is means in

practice is that the symbolical interpretation of the Scriptures by Kabbal-

13 In Co d. Mo nac . Hebr. 248, fo l . 122v. The corrupt reading in the He brew text

quoted and translated by Mithridates is identical with the reading of the

Vatican MS Barb. Or. 110, fo l . 67r . I owe this information about the Hebrew

manuscripts of the

Sa arey Sedeq

to the kindness of my col league Professor

Ephra im Got t l i eb .

14 G . Scho lem , The Nam e o f G od and the Linguis ti c Theory o f the Kab bala ,

Diogenes, 79 (1972) , 177-178; idem, Tradi t io und Ko mm entar a l s religiöse

Kategor ien im Judentum, Eranos-Jahrbuch 31 (1962), 34.

[7 ]




i sts d is regards gr am m ar — p ar ts of speech, accidence, syntax, and vocal i -

zation — because the whole text of the Scriptures is conceived of as a

texture of divine names.

15

H e n c e , any word in the biblical text, regardless

of i ts form a nd l i tera l me aning , might be conceived of and c ons true d as a

myst ical symbol . Mithr idates had a f la i r for the symbolical language of

Jewish mystics . This is one reason why his translations are valuable as

Kabbala, even if they might sometimes cause a mere Hebrais t to raise his

b rows . C um denar io e t qu inar io Do min us fo rm aui t s ecu la

1 6

is a K ab ba-

list ically imp eccab le l i teral tran slat ion of Isaiah 26:4. Similarly, Q u a nd o

igitur sunt in Israel intell igentes et scientes qui sciunt secreta nominis et

gloriosi et eleuant manus suas s tatim exaudiuntur ut scribitur [Isa. 48:9]

'Az uoca bis e t dom inus exaud iet , ' s i enim Az uoca uer is Dom inu s exau diet

s ta t im .

1 7

The adverb az ( then) is t reated as a proper noun. A in hec

numerat io [Corona suprema, the f i r s t sefirah ] dicitur ain [= non ens] quia

nul lum esse habet ob suam ocul ta t ionem, e t ab ea procedi t numerat io que

uocatur sapiencia et secretum eius est in textu [Job 28:20] dicente et

sapiencia ex a in uen iet . '

8

The adverb

me ayin

(whenc e) is interp reted a nd

t rans la ted as a p rope r noun , Ayin, with the procli t ic me, m e a n in g f r o m .

Similarly, E t qui intelligit ho c intelliget secretu m qu om od o et qu are

vocatur hec proprietas [Intell igence] em id est mater . Et s ic textus [Prov.

2:3] dicit quia m atre m intell igentiam voc abis qu od sc ribitur chi him labina

t icra Ν Ίρη ΓΟ Ό

1

? DK Ό cuius pun cti n on d eb ent esse per hir ic ut dica tur im

sed per seri ut legatur em. '

9

A goo d i l lus t ra t ion of th is m an ne r

s

the sus ta ined use of the dem ons tra-

t ive p rono un zo t (haec) as a symbolical representation of the tenth sefirah

in Gicat i l la ' s

Portae Iustitiae,

Co d. Chigi, fol . 29:

Hec autem propr ie tas Zoth spec ia l it er vocatur Zoth Π Χ Τ de qua scr ib i tur

[Deut . 33:1] et Zoth est Bracha id est benedict io qua benedixit Moises vir

elohim. Et similiter in alio textu [Gen. 49:28] scribitur et Zoth est de qua

locutu s est pater eorum ad eos et bened ixit e is . Et s ignum h uius rei indicatur

in textu [Ezek. 44:30] dicente ut reliquatur bracha id est benedictio ad

do m um tuam . Et s ic indicatu m est in textu [G en. 2:23] dicente Z oth

15 See Scho lem On the Kabba lah and its Symbo lism p p . 4 2 - 4 3 .

16 Co d. Vat . Ebr. 191 fol . 23r; see the discu ssion of C onc lusio xix abo ve in

Chapter 3.

17 Bahir, Cod. Vat. Ebr. 191 fol. 310r.

18 C od . Vat. Ebr. 191 fol. 64r.

19 Co d. Chigi fo l . 371v.

[ 7 ]




vocabitur isca quia ab his WN id est viro capta est Zoth . et ho c est

secretum magnum de secretis fidei quia fundamentum seculi vocatur Ze

Τ

et regnum vocatur Zoth.

2 0

The competence of Mithridates as a translator of Kabbala shows in

his transla tion s, an d the qu ality of his tran sla tion s is reflected in Pic o s

Kab balis t ic dox ogra ph y, th e f irst set of his Ka bbalis t ic theses. F orty-th ree

of the forty-seven theses ofthat set are Kabbalis t ically impeccable. This

high pro po rtio n of Kabb alis tically imp eccable theses, m ost of which deal

with specif ic points of detai l , is an index of the prep on de ran t accu racy and

remarkable intelligibility of the translations. But, as I have already said,

there are s ignif icant differences between the Latin translat ions and the

He brew originals of Pico s Kabba lis t ic sources, the prep on de ran t accu-

racy of the former notwithstanding. The differences that matter for the

presen t purp ose are rough ly of two kinds: difference s bo rn of transla t ion

or presen tation , and differences bo rn of interp olatio n. Th e form er will be

considered in the next chapter , the lat ter in the subsequent chapters .

20

Ze

is masculine

zo t

feminine.

[76]



6

L A N G U A G E S Y M B O L I S M A N D N U M B E R S Y M B O L IS M

T h e s ym b o l i c a l l an g u age o f K ab b a la , an d in p ar t i cu lar t h e s ym b o l i s m o f

the ten sefirot, is som et im es t ran s form ed in the t rans lat ion s of M ithr idates

a lm os t b e yon d r e c ogn i t i on : n am e s d e n ot in g d iv in e m an i f e s t a t i on s or

prop ert ies are rep laced with wh at look l ike sym bol ic a l num bers . A s tr ik -

in g in s t an c e o f t h is t r an s f or m at ion i s a f f or d e d b y th e an on ym ou s De

Proportione Divinitatis (Ma areket ha- Elohut),

w h ic h i s a c om p r e h e n s ive ,

sys temat ic t reat i se on the symbols of the t en sefirot. Th e pass age I shal l

qu ote by wa y of i l lus t rat ion i s f rom the f i f th chap ter , D e N om in ibu s

A e q u a l ib u s , w h ic h t r e a t s o f s ym b o l s r e p r e s e n t in g t w o or m or e

sefirot.

Th e g is t o f t h a t passage in the He bre w or ig inal i s that three d i f ferent sefirot

are each ca l led

Mispat

(Jud gm ent ) , nam ely the th ird

sefirah

( c o m m o n l y

cal led Intel l igence) , the s ixth

i f ere t

Beauty or Glory) , and the t enth

( Atarah, D ia d e m ) . S im i lar ly , t h r e e sefirot, Inte l l igence , G lory , and M ercy

or Char i ty

(Hesed,

the fourth

sefirah)

are each ca l led

Rahamim,

C le m e n c y .

W hat fo l l ow s is the Lat in t rans lat ion of that pass age , Co d . Ch ig i , f o l . 221r:

Simil iter quoque sept ingentenar ius et oct ingentenar ius voc antur com mu ni

nomine misphath U01PÖ idest ius uel iudicium et hoc quidem quando

iudicant de clemenciis prou t scribi tur in textu [Gen 18:25] dicente n um quid

qui iudicat tota m te rram non faciet mispa th? et iudicium cum clemencia? Et

pro septingentenario dicimus nos in decern diebus penitent ial ibus Regem

iudicii cum dementia DDU>nn

η^ηη . Et s ic exposui t magnus doctor Rabi

Moise filius

filio

MS] Naaman Gerundinensis quod est rex qui est misphath

DDlPDn Χ ΙΠ ΙΡ Ι̂ Ο Π idest iudicium cum d em en tia , octingen tenariu s v ero

vocatur misphath prout dicit textus [Ps. 89:15] Sedech, idest iusticia, et

misphath, idest iudicium, cum clemencia est habitaculum sedis tue, quia in

hoc textu sedech indicat septuagenarium et misphath indicat octingente-

narium. octingentenarius quidem sedes est septingentenarii , et uterque dici-

tur mispath . Et iam oct ingentenar ius e t sep tuagenar ius d icuntur hoc no-

mine mispath quia mispath ad elohim pertinet Kin DTI^N

1

? BSlPan Ό .

Similiter etiam Septingentenarius et octingentenarius et octonarius

secundus dicuntur Rahamim idest clemencie uel vulve, sed differunt quia

septing enten arius dicitur rah am im g em urim O lTOJ D Dm idest clemencie

uel vu lve absolu te , octonar ius vero secundus d ic i tur rahamim Gedolim

[ ]




D'VTU D'arn idest clemencie maiores vel vulve magnifice. Et de eis testus

[Isa. 54:7] dicit Et cum clemenciis magnis congregabo te. Octingentenarius

vero dicitur Rahamim mezugim D'inö

Ο Ό Π Ί id est c le me nc ie vel vu lv e

1

temperate.

The H ebrew or igina l leaves no ro om fo r do ub t as to which fo ur

sefirot

are

ca l led unheard-of names in th is t rans la t ion: septingentenarius is the third

sefirah, octonarius secundus the four th , octingentenarius the sixth, sep-

tuagenarius the tenth . But i t is not only the Hebrew or igina l tha t w arran ts

these iden tif ication s; the translat ion of the previo us chap ter aff or ds a key

to the symbolica l numbers .

The four th chapte r of the De Proportione Divinitatis, D e Serie No mi-

num Pro pr ie ta tum , p re sen ts the names of the t en

sefirot

in ten successive

sections (particulae) , each section dealing with the names of one sefirah.

Eight of the ten sections end in the Latin translation with short remarks

about the numerus or numeri, as the case may b e, of the sefirah concerned.

Those r em arks a re without co un terp ar t , even if no t withou t the semblance

of a wa rran t , in the Heb rew Source . I sha l l quote th em a l l; they a ff ord the

unique oppor tuni ty of watching the bir th of newfangled symbols out of

sc r iba l convent ions .

First sefirah·. numerus eius est 205 m n (fol. 139r).

Second sefirah: numeri eius proprii sunt du o primus octona rius et

tricentenarius quinarius rr w n (fol. 139v).

Third sefirah . habet autem num eros proprios binarium et septingen-

tenarium quod indicatur per litteras xin et tau rv'lfln

(fol. 141r).

Fourth sefirah : numeri autem eius sunt primus trinarius et secundu s

octonarius j (fol. 14lr).

Fifth sefirah·. numeri eius sunt secundus trinarius et octogen arius qui

indicantur per

SÜ (fo l. 142r).

Sixth sefirah: ex numer is vero habet du o thau Π Π q ua ru m n um eri su nt

octing enti [400 + 400 ] (fo l. 143r).

Eight sefirah: ex numeris vero habet quinarium abso lute (fol. 143v).

Tenth sefirah: num erus eius est 70 (fo l. 150r).

To unders tand the genes is of those numerica l symbols we ought to

reckon with the sc r iba l convent ions of Hebrew manuscr ipts no less than

with the t rans la tor ' s pen chan t fo r num bers . F i teenth-centu ry ma nuscr ip ts

1 The Hebrew words for clemenliae and vulvae consist of the same co nson ants,

so that in ordinary writing without vowels they are indistinguishable from

each other.

[ 7 8 ]



Language Symbolism and Numb er Symbolism

teem with abbreviat ions , and the Hebrew manuscr ip t of the Ma areket

ha- Elohut used by M ithr idates was dem ons trably no except ion. The La t in

t rans la t ion af fords some gl impses of the actual form of the Hebrew

or ig ina l : No m ina vero que sun t com mu nia qu inquage nar io e t qu inar io

seu etern itati et deco ri sun t, etc. Th e tran slatio n clearly reflects a text in

which the Hebrew words for aetem itas et decor, namely T im Π Χ ] (nesah

we-hod), were n ot spelled out in full bu t were abbre via ted in the usual fo rm

r r u (nwh ) ; hence quinquagenarius et quinarius, 50 being the num erica l

value of the letter

nun,

and 5 of

he.

At fol . 142r Mithridates writes:

Se pt im um es t SaZ IS (nescio in te rpre tar i ) . Eventual ly he real ized, or

ra ther thought he had real ized, what TX meant, for at fol . 214v he writes:

et 97

T

(Dici t Mitrydates quod SaZ

T

uid etu r s ibi s ignif icare iusticiam in

ma scul ino genere . e t hoc amo re Pic i ) . I t does not very mu ch ma t ter fo r

the present pu rpo se that M ithr idates is fo r once wrong: the le t ter

sadhe

is

here the initial of sa d ( IX) , s id e , and not of sedeq (p TX), ju sti ce . W ha t

m atte rs is tha t his original presen ted the wor ds Ί3Τ tx {sad zakar, the

male s ide ) in the com mo n abb reviat io n T X, and M ithr idates , thoug h he

was aware that those letters were the init ials of tw o Hebrew words ,

represents them in double f igures as 97.

Bearing in mind that the names or designations of the ten sefirot were

of ten abbreviated in the Hebrew or ig inal and that Mithr idates t reats

abbrevat ions as numbers , we can see whence come the numeri or numeri

proprii of the ten sefirot.

First

sefirah:

205 = m n = Π []11ΓΝ]1Π the f i rs t

Second

seßrah·.

(1) p r im us octo nar iu s = Π = [Π Π 3]Π ,

Hokmah,

W i s d o m

(2) 305 = rV'ttTt = n n i w n , the se con d

Th i rd

seßrah:

( 1) b i n a ri u s = 3 = [ n r p ,

Binah

Intelligence

(2) 700 n tt>n =

η[

,

Β Γ '?]ΐΡΠ , the th i r d

F o u r t h sefirah·. (1) pr im us t r inar ius = I = [ n V n ] J , Gedullah, Grea tness

(2) secundus oc tonar iu s = Π = [10 ]Π , Hesed, Mercy

or Char i ty

F i f th

sefirah

: (1 ) secund us t r inar ius = J = [Γ Τ ϊημ ,

Geburah,

Might

(2) octoge nar ius = D = [1Π ]Β ,

Pahad,

Fear

Sixth sefirah: duo thau = 800 = ΓΓΠ = npN S]n , Tiferet, Beauty or Glory

Eighth sefirah·. qu inar iu s abso lu t e = Π = [Τ1]Π , Hod, Majesty

Ten th sefirah: 70 = V = [ m t ) ] S , Atarah, D i a d e m

The names of two

sefirot, Hokmah

a n d

Hesed,

begin with the letter

heth\

hence the former is primus octonarius and the la t ter secundu s octonarius.

Similarly, the names of two sefirot begin with the letter gimel: Gedullah

a n d Geburah·, hence primus trinarius fo r the fo rmer and secundu s trinarius

[ 9 ]




for the la tter . I t is in particular noteworthy that, in his notes concerning

th e

numeri proprii

of the third and fif th

sefirot,

Mithridates explic it ly

reverses the true order of things: he sta tes that the numbers are indicated

by le tters , wh ereas in po int of fact i t is the nu m be rs th at are no m ore tha n

numerical representations of le tters .

The subs t i tu t io n of num bers f or the nam es of the ten

sefirot

in the L atin

trans la t ion of the Ma areket ha- Elohut is noteworthy in par t icula r

because in tha t same t rans la t ion the Kabb ala of the sefirot is given a twist

toward magic . In the Hebrew or igina l of tha t t rea t ise Kabbal is ts a re

usua l ly ca lled m aste rs of w ors hip {ba aley ha- avodah);

2

in the Latin

trans la t ion they a re m aste r prac t i t ioners of the a r t :

dom ini operantes,

dom ini operantes in hac arte, dom ini qui operan tur in hacsap ientia etagunt.

He re is , fo r instanc e, the begin ning of the f if th ch ap ter,

fol

150v: Nomina

au tem equ alia uel equip ollentia dic un tur xem oth axa uim D'UPH Et

qu idem sun t numera t iones qu ibus u tun tur domin i qu i ope ran tur in hac

sapient ia e t agun t vocantes eas un o et eodem no m ine . The fac t tha t the

ma ste r pra c t i t io ner s use nam es is not in the leas t obscured, but , as we

have seen, the names they use app ear in the La t in t rans la t io n as nu mb ers .

Con sidered as a whole , the t rans la t ion of the De Propo rtione Divinitatis

i s ce r ta inly extravagant , but not unique : in i t ia ls and abbrevia t ions a re

treated similarly in several other pieces. Moreover, the tendency to treat

le tters as repr esen tatio ns of nu m be rs is a lm ost universal in the tra nsl atio ns

of M ithrid ates. T her e are countless instance s of le tters being replaced with

their numerical values even in contexts that are entire ly unaffected by

num erologica l specula t ions . This holds goo d for symbolica l and com bina -

tional Kabbala a like. A sustained shift of emphasis from letters as e le-

ments of language to le t te rs as representa t ions of numbers thus makes

itself fe lt in the presentation of Kabbala by Mithridates. This shift of

emphas is f rom language symbolism to number symbolism is a mat te r of

s ingula r impo rtance in view of the pa ram ou nt place tha t language as such

holds in speculative and practical Kabbala , that is , in Kabbalis t mystic ism

and Kabbal is t magic .

With reg ard to the texts with which Pico was dem ons trably acqu a inted ,

i t is , I think, true to say that in Pico's Kabbalis tic Hebrew sources the

medium of c rea t ion and of the magica l appl ica t ion of Kabbala is lan-

guage . This dom inan t view is by no mean s obscured in the La t in t rans la -

2 a . Scho lem MTJM p. 349 n. 8.

[80]



Language Symbolism and Number Symbolism

t ions. A nd yet unless I am m istaken there is a s ignif icant dif ference

between the Hebrew originals and the Lat in translat ions in this respect .

The H ebre w texts leave no ro om fo r do ub t that the letters the comb ina -

tion s of which recreate or recapture the creative energ y of the Crea tor are

elem ents of langu age wherea s in the translat ions the very sam e let ters

tend to b ecom e rep resentat ions of num bers. By way of il lustrat ion I shall

qu ote a text that bears directly on the mag ical app licat ion of com bin at ion s

of le t ters . The Book of Creat ion

Sefer Yesirah)

i s the foun ta inh ead bo th

of com bin ator y K abb ala and o f a great deal of Kab balist mag ic . It wil l be

remembered that P ico read and quoted commentar ies on that book.

3

W hat fo l lo w are two adjacent passages fro m the second chap ter of the first

com men tary Cod . Vat . Ebr . 191 fo ls . 5r -6v:

Sic igitur xxii litere fundantur in rota per ducentas viginti unam combina-

tiones, per revolutionem rote ante et retro hoc modo: scilicet ab unitate

in tr igenarium — ante; a tr igenario in quadringenten arium — retro, et sunt

ipse linee apud omnes per con trarium . et hoc est signum. unitas et quad ra-

genarius in bo num . et pro batu r tarn in bonum quam in creando cum eis, si

secundum ordinem processeris. si vero per contrarium corrumpes et in

puluerem reduces, puta per discursum a tr igenario ad quadringentena-

rium. et hoc est quo d in bono nihil est sumu m b onu m m aius voluptate que

est per septuagena rium quinqu agena rium et tr inarium et per li t teras dicitur

oneg ain nu n et gimel, quo d est voluptas vel delectatio. Sumum vero malum

nihil est maius tristitia vel dol ore que fit per qu inqu age nariu m trinariu m et

septuagenarium et per literas dicitur nega idest nun gimel ain et sunt ambo

contraria honeg et nega idest voluptas et dolor uel tristitia ... Et intellige

hunc amphor ismum, et fundamentum precipue uni tat is quadragenar i i et

tr icentenarii quomodo potes convertere eas ad bonum vel malum, ad

dam nan dum vel ius tifk an du m . et pron untia cio lingue que etiam se habet ut

lingua lancis iudicat tanquam arbiter . Si enim creare volueris masculum

considera pronuntiacionem unitatis quadragenarii et tr icentenari.

4

Si vero

feminam unitatis tricentenarii et quadragenarii. At vero si volueris

utrosque corrumpere et ad pulverem reducere considera pronuntiacionem

tricentenarii quadragenarii et unitatis. et sigilla per sex sigilla anulorum

nominis dei Tr iagramaton Iod he vau, quo conu er tuntur omnes

r s

senarie.

Numbers sometimes prevail over the e lements of language in the

symbolical interpretation of Scripture. Isaiah 2 6:4 , D a V iy Π Χ m r r ΓΡΠ Ό ,

is a case in point. The verse is interpreted in the Midrash

5

as a mystery of

3 See the discussion of Con clusio xix in C hap ter 3.

4 Aleph mem and sin: ttrax.

5 Midras BereSit Rabba xii. 10 (pp. 107-110 ed. Th eodo r-Albe ck).

[ 8 ]




crea t ion: God crea ted the worlds wi th the le t t ers y o d a n d he. T here are two

translat ions of this verse by Mithridates . One is in the Corona Nominis

Boni, C od . Va t. Ebr . 190, fol . 176r:

et Ze est nom en eius in eternum ad asco nde ndu m quo d scilicet scribitur per

iod he vau he et legitur per aleph dalet n un iod cum quo cre auit superiore s et

inferiores ut scribitur [Isa. 26:4] cum Iod et he dominus formauit secula.

hinc habetur quod cum his duabus licter is scilicet Iod et he creauit Iod he

vau he duo secula, seculum hoc et seculum venturum, seculum quidem

venturum cum Iod et seculum hoc cum he, ut scribitur [Gen. 2:4: Diaana]

cum he creauit eos. quod dicunt sapientes nostr i in dictione behibarham id

est quando creauit eos.

The other translat ion is in the

Com entum Sepher Iesire,

Co d . Vat . Ebr .

191, fol. 23r:

Et hie mundus creatus est cum litera he, que est quinarius, et iam

indicauimus secretum denar i i ideo indicatur nunc secretum quinar i i qu ia

cum denar io e t qu inar io dominus formauit secula .

6

quod sic patet per

d ict ionem sur Π Χ cu ius li tera vau conjugi tu r cum de nar io e t qu inar io e t s ic

es t denar ius qu inar ius e t senar ius qui es t deus t r iagram aton in ' qu i form auit

secula, scilicet duo , hoc et ven turu m . I taqu e ex hoc scies qu o mo do seculum

venturum creatum es t cum denar io e t seculum hoc creatum es t cum

quinario . . .

In l ike manner, numbers invade the symbolica l interpretat ion of the

eminent ly important t ex t Job 28 :12 . What fo l lows i s a quota t ion f rom the

De Proportione Divinitatis, fo l. 139v:

Pr imum nom en huius [ ter tiae] num erat ionis es t In te l l igent ia , Bina Π Γ3 , de

hac enim extat textus in agiographis ubi dicitur [Job 28:12] et unitas et

denarius sunt locus intelligentiae, hebraice ve<ei>ze mecom bina. Et venio

ad exponendum quod i l lud quod d ici tur nra Dlpa

Τ

'ST. ubi

1

N indicans

unita tem et denar ium indicet numerum ducentenar ium quinar ium et

tr icentenarium quinarium, quia uterque numerus scilicet 205 et 305 sunt

locus intelligentiae.

Fina l ly , a f ew in terpo la t ions in the second commentary on the Book o f

Cr eat io n in Co d. Vat . Eb r. 191 may w ell be du e to the transla tor s bias

t o w a r d n u m b e r s .

Fol. 12v: Se d via vera ap pare bit per verum modum pro edendi huius textus

per numeros et indicat iones .

Fol. 13v: et tot um hoc coegit auc torem h unc per hun modum pro edendi

per numeros indicare nobis secretum formationum quod es t secretum

6 See the qu ota tion and not e 20 in Ch apte r 3.

[82]



anguage Symbolism a nd Number Symbolism

scient ie natural is et phis ice quae dic itur opus geneseos per viam trium

nu[merat i ]onum de qu ibus loqui tur .

The i tal icized clauses are without counterpart in the manuscript of the

Hebrew original .

We oug ht to recko n with the possibil ity that the shif t of em phasis fro m

linguistic symbolism to numerical symbolism which makes itself felt

throughout the translat ions of Mithridates is reflected in Pico's theses.

Sicut caracteres sunt proprii operi magico, ita numeri sunt proprii operi

cabalae, m edio existente inter utrosque et approp riabi l i per decl inat io nem

ad extrema usu l i t terarum.

7

Unless I am m istaken , Pico's notio n tha t num eri sunt prop ri i operi

cab ala e is for the most pa rt out of tune with the Heb rew originals of his

Kabbalis t ic sources, but quite in keeping with their Latin translat ions.

7

Conclusiones Magicae secundum opinionem propriam

No. 25 ,

Opera

pp.

1 0 5 - 1 0 6 .

[8 ]



M A I M O N I D E S : K A B B A L I S T IN P H I L O S O P H I C A L G U I S E

Rabbi Moses ben M aimo n, the prince of Jewish rat ionalis t philosophe rs,

whom medieval Latin C hristendom knew as Rabbi Moses Aegyptius, was

sometimes claimed by Kab balists to be one of themselves.

1

A s far as I am

aware, he is nowhere tran sform ed into a Kabb alist mo re

effe tively

than in

M ithridates ' Latin translat ions of Ab raha m A bula fia 's mystical com me n-

taries on Maimonides' philosophical masterpiece, the Guide of the Per-

plexed. I shall consider these translations one by one with a view to

i l lustrating the mechanism of this rem arkable transf orm ation , which left

its mark on Pico's Kabbalistic theses and, through them, on all Christian

Kabbala.

The first to claim our attentio n

is

the hi therto unkno wn Liber Redempti-

onis extant in Cod. Chigi.

2

Its beg inning is missing owing to th e loss of at

least one quire, but its name and nature are clearly indicated in the

concluding paragraph, fol . 332v:

Et hie inpon o fin em tribus partibus libri redemptionis quarum un a vocatur

m o re s ed ac a η ρ ΐ χ Π Π Ώ d o ct or u el o st en d en s iu st ic ia m q ue ha bet m a n um

plenam T . secunda vocatur more misphat UDU7Q Π Π Ώ id est doctor iudicii

uel ostendens iudicium contentum in libello repudii qui dicitur US. et tercia

que vocatur more hesed 10Π m m id est doctor pietatis uel ostendens

pietatem que descendit ut pluuia super vellus Tl Vs. Et nomen inposui eis

more ob reuerenciam doctoris qui in eis reuelauit secreta more, vale et

speculare. Finis.

The H ebrew w ords Ρ, OX and U represent the nu m ber s of the secrets

or mysteries contained in each part of the book, namely 14,

3

12, and 10,

1 See G. Scho lem, M aimon ide dans l'oeuvre des Kab balistes, Cahiersjuifs 3

(1935), 103-112; translation from the Hebrew in Tarbiz 6 (1935), 334-342.

2 Readers wh o kn ow Hebrew and are interested in details are referred to

Proceedings of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Huma nities

Hebrew series,

3 (1970), 135 ff.

3 The first eight secrets of the first part are lost. The ninth secret begin s on the

recto page of the first extant leaf. Henceforth the translation is continuous

[84]



Ma imonides: Kabba list in Philosophical Guise

m akin g a total of 36 secrets . The st ruc ture of the bo ok is a lso explained in

simple langu age at th e end of the f irs t pa rt , whe re i t is s ta te d, amo ng oth er

things, that the Guide of the Perplexed

continet secundum reuolut iones suas ad omnia misteria capitulorum eius in

summa 36 secreta . Et sunt hec . prima que continentur in parte prima sola

sunt 14 secreta et in parte secu nd a sunt 12 secreta et in parte tercia sun t

decern secreta. Et noli tu putare quod non sunt in eo secreta magis

part icularia quam hec sed quod sunt multa al ia preter hec sed bene

un um qu od qu e i l lorum est pars ex his necessario uel ex specie prop inqu a uel

ex specie remota uelut primum principium sexcentorum et 13 preceptorum

4

que non sunt nis i decern verba tantum sed partes eorum ascendunt ad

numerum sexcentorum et tresdecim et inte l l ige i l lud.

5

Thus, i t is perfectly c lear that the Liber Redemptionis i s a com m entary on

the 36 ma in secrets assum ed to be conta ined in the Guide of the Perplexed·,

i t is divided into thre e parts , corre spo nd ing to the three pa rts of the

Guide,

which c onta in 14, 12, and 10 secrets , respectively. Th e general s tru ctu re of

the bo ok is there fore ident ica l wi th Ab rah am Ab ulaf ia s kno wn com me n-

taries on the secrets of the Guide, which a lso con ta in in te rpre ta t io ns of 36

secrets an d are divided into thre e parts , con tain ing 14, 12, and 10 secrets ,

respectively. M oreo ver, the t it les of the 36 secrets an d th eir ord er in

Ab ulaf ia s kno wn com men tar ies a re ident ica l wi th the t it les and ord er of

the secrets in the Liber Redem ptionis.

Two commentar ies by Abulaf ia on the secre ts of the Guide a re known

and extant in many manuscr ipts . One , t i t led Sitrey Torah (The Mysteries

of the To rah ) appears in the La t in t rans la t ion of M ithr ida tes as De Secretis

Legis. The other com men tary is t i tled Hayyey ha-Nefes The Life of the

Soul). A compar ison of the texts proves beyond doubt tha t the Liber

Redemptionis

is neit her the

Sitrey Torah

nor the

Hayyey ha-Nefes

unde r

an ot he r na m e, bu t an entire ly diffe rent bo ok . Yet despite a ll differen ces in

detail , great or small , between the commentary on the thir ty-six secrets of

the Guide of the Perplexed in the Liber Redemptionis, on the one han d, and

the commentary on them in the Sitrey Torah and the Hayyey ha-Nefes, on

and comple te . The

Liber Redemptionis

is at present preceded in the Chis ianu s

by thirty leaves 23 2- 26 1) which , thou gh written by the sam e han d, evidently

do not be long to it . A s have sho wn elsew here, they original ly form ed the last

three quires of Cod . Vat. Eb r. 190; see Sermo de Passione p p . 5 7 - 5 8 .

4 The trad it iona l num ber o f a l l com m and m ents conta ined in the Law of Moses

is 613.

5 Co d. Chigi , fo l . 284v.

[85]




the other, the Kabbalism of the Liber Redemptionis show s all the distinc-

t ive characteris t ics peculiar to the prophetic Kabbala as represented by

Abulaf ia ' s known commentar ies on the secrets of the Guide.

According to the typological classif ication formulated by Abulafia

himself , one ma y say that the K abba lism of the L iber Redemptionis s the

know ledge of G od by the pa th of the twenty-tw o let ters rath er tha n the

know ledge of Go d by the pa th of the ten je/?roi . W ha t is peculiarly

characteris t ic of the Kabbalism of the Liber Redemptionis is th at it com -

bines premises and opinions derived from the rat ionalis t ic philosophy of

the Guide of the Perplexed with a contemplative method based on the

combination of let ters expounded in the Sefer Yesirah. T he Liber Redemp-

tionis,

not unl ike the known commentar ies of Abulaf ia , contains the

doc tr ine of the Active Intellect as the prince of the divine pre sen ce (sar

ha-panim) whose name is like the name of his master, with all that is

involved in tha t identific ation and with all th at it implies with reg ard to th e

actualization of the human intellect, its adherence to the active intellect,

an d its un ion w ith the latter in the sense tha t he is his m aster an d his

ma ster is he (Sin i n n i m XW). Likewise, i t con tains the doctr ine of the

com bina tion of let ters as the only true path to the at tain m en t of prop hetic

i l lumination, the lat ter being conceived of as an emanation from the

Active Intellect to the rational soul.

6

By way of illustration, I shall quote

the conclusion of the last secret , the secret of the Worship of God from

Love, which is said to be ult im us finis om nium finium in form atio ne

ho m inis , the ult imate end of the creation of m an . He re is wh at the au th or

says (fol . 332r-v):

Dico ig itur t ibi quod magna est cogitat io inte l lectual is in deo secundum

debi tum p lus quam s it quecum que o rat io e t j e jun ium e t voc i ferat io per

probationes manifestas et c laras . nec est dubium ut dixit doctor quod

quando s i t hec rel ig io s iue cultus cogitat ionis inte l lectual is in deo et in

prop rietat ibus e ius et operibu s e ius et in nom inibu s e ius indicantibu s o m nia

hec quod in veritate hec est i l ia re l ig io vera que debetur i l l i quocumque

sapiente . Et hec dic i tur cultus et re l ig io que debetur de o sancto et ben edicto

ex charitate . nec nomina e ius sc ire poteris nec veram notic iam eius nis i per

combinat ionem l i t erarum. ideo s i combinauer i s t r ia nomina sua quorum

unu m alteri adde s cum rore) et unu m alteri cum heie) inuenies in om nib us

tribus necess i tatem uel causam inuentionis et et iam ipse est causa mundi et

est causa e ius quo d est et est secretum dei et em i

7

. . . Et iam poteris intelligere

6 See Scholem, MTJM, pp. 136-138.

7 Fo r the interpretat ion of the num erolog ical argu me nt see Cha pter 1, page

8. The reading um rore obviously represents the variant Vo for bs .

[8 ]



Maimonides: Kabbalist in Philosophical Guise

ex his tr ibus nominibus mirabi l ia cum secutus fueris sc ient iam ocultam

mis ter iorum suorum

This passage contains in a nutshell the Kabbalistic method of the entire

bo ok , which proceeds from rat ionalist ic premises supported by isopsephy

and by the combination of letters.

While the Kabbala of the Liber Redemptionis thus shows an essential

resemblance to the proph etic Ka bbala of Abulafia as we know i t from his

commentaries on the Guide there is a marked difference in literary form

between the Liber Redemptionis in its Latin translation and Abulafia's

kno wn c om me ntaries. W henever the first person is emp loyed in the Sitrey

Torah and in the Hayyey ha-Nefes i t is Abu lafia himself who is spea king.

In the

Liber Redem ptionis

on the other h an d, there are two speakers, both

of whom employ the first person: one is the author and the other is the

author's teacher. Moreover, the author repeatedly mentions the fact that

he is writing wh at he has learned fr om his teach er, as, fo r instance, at the

end of the second p ar t (fol. 317r): hec sunt qu e dixit mihi et hec dico tibi.

Et sic perfici tur secunda pars secretorum mihi t radi torum ab eo.

Usually, though not always, it is easy to distinguish between what the

author says and what his teacher says, because the teacher's words are

usually introduced with the phrase dixit mihi or its equivalents. This

phrase occurs on nearly every page, sometimes several times on the same

page. O nce it is explicitly said at the en d of the tea che r's wo rds fol. 332r):

he c su nt q ue dixit mihi et que collegi ab eo de ore in o s (these are the

things he told me and I received them from him by word of mouth). It is

part icularly noteworthy that apart from passages in which the author

quotes his teacher, he also mentions in two occasions questions which he

himself had asked with reference to his teacher's words, and adds the

latter's answers. In another place he mentions several points discussed by

his teacher which were no t sufficiently clear to him until he reconsidered

them after his teacher's death. The Liber Redemptionis it is true, is not

entirely presented as a direct quotation of the teacher's words. Many

things — and it seems to me that these constitute the ma in bulk of the bo ok

— are w ritten in a form tha t leaves no dou bt th at the auth or is speaking his

own mind. At the same t ime, there can be no doubt that the

Liber

Redemptionis is, or at least purports to be, a book in which the author

interprets secrets he has received directly from his teacher. Hence in

determining the identi ty of the anonymous author of the Liber

Redemptionis in its extan t Latin transla tion ,

we

are in fact dealing with two

[87]



Pico's Encounter with Jewish Mysticism

in te rconnec ted prob lem s. Fo r if we assum e tha t A bulaf ia is the au th or ,

then the ques tion arises as to wh o is A bu lafi a 's teacher? A nd if we assu me

that Abulafia is not the author, might he be the teacher who disclosed the

secrets of the Guide to the author?

W ith the help of the Latin tr ans latio n, I was able to identify a con-

siderable pa rt of the Hebrew original of the Liber Redem ptionis in a miscel-

laneous manuscript of the University Library in Leipzig (B.H. fol. 13/1).

8

Th e Hebre w original is headed by the phr ase I shall begin to write do wn

the secrets of the Guide, without any mention of the t i t le Sefer Ge'ullah

(The Book of Redemption). However, the t i t les of the three parts of that

bo ok , m entio ned in the list of secrets preserv ed se parately (in fol. 59v), are

exactly the same as the titles of the parts of the Latin translation: Moreh

Sedaqah, Moreh Mispat, Moreh Hesed

10Π Π Ύ 1» Γ Π ία , η ρ ί χ m m ) .

These t i t les afforded the f irs t c lue for the identif ication of the book. Only

the f irs t ten leaves (fol. 1-1 0) of the He bre w original of the Liber Redem pti-

onis

survived, and even these are fragmentary, because the copyist , as he

says at the beginnin g of the text, wr ote dow n wha t he could perceive and

un de rs t an d in his exem plar , and whenever he could not un ders t and he

left a blan k space, in case he or some on e else wo uld f ind ano the r copy . The

aut ho r ' s n am e is not men t ioned in the headin g of the Hebrew or igina l . B ut

elsewhere in the Leipzig M S, on fol. 58v, we find a su bs cri pt io n which

begins with the follow ing wo rds: H ere w ith are con clude d the secrets of

the f irs t pa rt of the

Guide of the Perplexed

w ri t ten by Rab bi Zerakh ia , who

revea led his name a t the beginning of his b oo k. On the fol lowing page

(59r) we find five verses inscribed: T he verses with which R abb i Z erak hia

prefaced his bo ok . They conta in , indeed, an acros t ic which spel l the

name Ze rakh ia .

9

Fo r textu al reaso ns which I can no t discuss here , I am n ot sure wh ethe r

Rabb i Z erak hia ' s verses appe ared a t the beginning of the ma nuscr ip t f ro m

which the f irs t ten leaves of the Leipzig manuscript were copied, and,

consequently, I am not sure of the precise meaning of the copyist 's

s ta tement . I f , however , we assume for the sake of a rgument tha t the

8 For a detai led descrip t ion of the M S see F. De l i tzsch , Catalogus Librorum

Man uscriptorum qui in Bibliotheca Senatoria Civitatis Lipsiensis Asservantur

Grimma, 1838) , no. 39, pp. 301 f f . My thanks are due to the director of the

Karl Marx University Library in Leipzig for his kind permiss ion to have a

microf i lm of the MS made avai lable for my use at the Jewish National and

Hebrew University Library in Jerusalem.

9 See De l i t z sch ,

Catalogus,

p. 301.

[88]



Maim onides: Kabba list in Philosophical Guise

copyis t meant t o say tha t the auth or of the Liber Redemptionis wro te these

verses and that his name is spelled in their first letters, then, I suggest, we

must conc lud e tha t the auth or of the Liber Redemptionis concea led, ra ther

than revealed, his name at the beginning of his book.

I am saying this because i t is quite certa in on internal evidence that the

Liber Redemptionis was written in the year 5033 fr om the creation of the

world, that is ,

A.D.

1273.

10

Hence i t s tands to reason that the Liber

Redemptionis is too early to be reaso nab ly attr ibu ted to any on e but

Ab ulaf ia him se lf . Af te r a ll , the Liber Redemptionis is a com me ntary on the

secrets of the Guide the fo rm and co nte nts of which are identical with th ose

of Ab ulaf ia ' s know n com men tar ies : the same secre ts, the same orde r , the

same references to the Guide of the Perplexed, the same pecul ia r combin a-

t ion of the ra t iona l is t phi losophy of Maimonides with the le t te r -

combina tory me thod of the Sefer Yesirak, everyth ing is the same as in the

two known commentar ies , both of which a re la te r than

the Liber Redemp-

tionis. In addi t ion to the ident ica l sys tematic s t ruc ture , one f inds form ula-

tions and ideas in the Liber Redemptionis which app ear a lso in Ab ulaf ia ' s

Sitrey Torah, written seven years la ter . Th e au th or of the Liber Redem ptio-

nis says of his bo ok th at it is l iber nat us ex tr ibu s pa rtib us l ibri m or e. In

l ike manner , Abulaf ia , in his in t roduc t ion to the

Sitrey Torah

(Cod. Vat .

Eb r. 190), says, a t fol . 336v: qu ia pes eo ru m pes rectus est in expo sitione

libri secretorum legis quem quidem librum genuit e t peperit director

perple xoru m qu i dic i tur idest mo re an eb uc hi m . An d aga in , a t fo l . 342:

Dividitur hie l iber a nobis tamquam fil ius l ibri More sicut i l le in tres

par tes s ic e t h ie in t res par tes seu l ibro s . Fu r the rm ore , the au tho r says

about the t i t le Sefer Ge ullah (nVxi) that i t expresses in one word the

import of the entire book, so that i t could not have been sta ted more

succinctly. He explains that the f irs t le tter , J , s tands for the three parts of

the Guide, while the le tters s tan d fo r the 36 secrets includ ed in the m .

To p rov e this he refers to the Scriptures: e t adh uc extat auct orit as e ius a

textu dicente hoc . '

1

T he text referred to is no t qu ote d, bu t w hat he has in

10 Co d. Chigi , fo l . 296r: Et sup put at io que habetu r in ma nibu s nostris hod ie ab

e o t a m s ec u n d u m o p i n i o n e m r a b i I es u e d i c en t i s q u o d i n me n s e te xr i [ Ή ί ρ η ]

creatus est mun dus qu am secun dum opin ionem rabi E l iezer d icent is quod in

mense nisan creatus est mundus sunt anni quinque mil ia et tr iginta tres

h o d i e .

11 Ibid. , fo l . 26 8r -v: continet totam intenc ionem libri in un o verbo qu od non

est possibi le manifestare i l lam breviore intentione quam hec. Et est sc i l icet

qu od lictera prim a est gim el indica ns tres parte s libri M or e, et relique sunt eile

[89]




mind is Leviticus 25:31: iV Γ Ρ Π Π nVxa, the pronoun iV being, of course,

conceived of as the numeral 36.

The identification of the scriptural text is quite certain, because the

same them e is taken up again in Ab ulafia s long introdu ction to his

De

Secretis Legis at Cod . Vat. Eb r. 190, fol. 34 0r- v:

et dice m us q uod s um m a secretorum in universal i est 36. et qui app one t

an im um suum super e i s ad sc ienda ea per specu la t ionem e t comprehend ere

intencionem ex e is ut dixit disc ipulus i l le qui recepit in l ibro redemptionis ,

quod redem pt io eri t e i hebra ice Ge ul la t ih ie lo , iV Γ Ρ η η n^KJ quo d g imel

contine t tr ia que sun t tres partes deind e aleph unu m , lam ed 30, he 5 , col lect i

sunt tr ig inta sex quotus est numerus I

? lo, idest ei , nam lamed est 30, vau 6.

It thus ap pea rs tha t Ab ula fia s idea of redem ption in its spiritual sense —

namely th at he who contemp lates and un derstand s redeems himself by his

true knowledge of the divine secrets — is not only found in the Liber

Redemptionis, bu t is even hinte d at in the title of the bo ok , a title which

contains, so the auth or avers, the whole impo rt of the bo ok in one word.

Finally, there is one elem ent in the Liber Redem ptionis which, unless I am

mistaken, is characteristic of Abulafia himself, even if not of prophetic

Ka bb ala a s such. W hat I have in mind is his interest in Christianity.

12

The

author of the

Liber Redemptionis

explicitly refers to Christian dogma. In

one place he refutes at some length the view that the unity of the knowl-

edge, the knower, and the known is identical with the Christian dogma of

the Trinity.

13

Elsewhere he says that the Christians told him that Shefa ,

tha t is, em an ation , is called the Son.

14

To sum u p: it stands to reason that a

bo ok which co ntains all this, and was written in the year 1273, was written

by none other than Abulafia, the name Zerakhia in the Leipzig MS

notwithstanding.

15

nVx quorum numeri sunt 36 . . . Et adhuc extat auctoritas e ius a textu dicente

hoc .

12 Cf . Scho lem , MTJM p. 127, an d in part icular his m im eog rap hed He brew

lec tures on Abula f ia ,

The Kabbala of Sepher ha-Temunah and of Abraham

Abulafia (Jerusalem , 1965) , pp. 1 12 -11 3.

13 C od . Chig i, fo l. 292r: et dixit de m isteri o intellec tus et intelligen tis et rei

inte l lecte quod hec tr ia in deo sunt unum et unde habet ipse quod Nazareni

non dicant s imile huic et vocant inte l lectum patrem et inte l l igentem f i l ium et

rem intel lectam spir itum sanctum.

14 Ibid., fol . 294r: Et sic Ch ristiani dixeru nt mih i qu od ilia influ entia est que

vocatur filius.

15 Th is con clus ion squares with everything we kn ow ab out Abu laf ia 's l i fe and

work. He was born in the year 1240. In one of his books he mentions that he

[90]



Maim onides: Kabbalist in Philosophical Guise

Granted that Abulaf ia i s the l ike l ies t author of the

Liber Redem ptionis

we m ust no w con s ider h is teacher . F or , as I hav e sa id , the Liber Redem ptio-

nis

in i t s Lat in t rans lat ion i s , or purport s to be , a book whose author

reveals secret s that were han ded on to h im by h is t eacher . The a utho r 's

t eacher i s ment ioned once by name. In d iscuss ing the secret o f the Crea-

t ion of the World , the author says that , a f t er having heard h is t eacher say

that on e sh ou ld no t rack one 's brains for th is qu es t ion , he dec ided that in

th is ma t ter it wa s preferab le to acc ept the op in ion o f a fa m ou s and re l iab le

sage , cu ius m od i es t apu d no s M oise s leg is lator nos ter , e t Ra benu M ox e

Et cu ius modi es t doctor ipse rab i Moises super qu ibus t r ibus s i t pax qu ia

sunt tres Moses f ideles testes sapientes et Cabalis te qui d ixerunt nobis

m u n d u m e s s e i n n o u a t u m . '

6

Rabbi Moises , the fa i th fu l and re l iab le w i t -

n e s s w h o s a id t h e w or ld w as c r e a t e d , i s n on e o t h e r t h an M aim on id e s . T h i s

necessar i ly fo l lows f rom dozens of p laces in the Lat in t rans lat ion of the

Liber Redemptionis whe re the t eacher quo tes , or br ie f ly m en t ion s , h i s ow n

w or d s f r om h i s

Guide of the Perplexed.

A s an exa m ple I shal l qu ote on e

p as s age f r om R ab b i M oi s e s on t h e s e c r e t o f t h e W or s h ip o f G od f r om

Lo ve (C od . Ch igi , fol . 33 lr) :

Et iam manifes tau i t ib i hoc in mis ter i is v ir tu tum anime memoratarum in

octo cap itulis que prep osui in libro de patr ib us nec opo rtet ut repetam illud

spent the third decade of his life wandering and studying the Guide of the

Perplexed. In the year 1271, when h e was thir ty-one, a chang e came over him,

which he describes as follows: W he n I was 31, in the city of Barcelona , Go d

woke me fro m sleep and I studied the Sefer Yesirah with i ts commentar ies ,

an d the hand of Go d was upon m e, and I wrote ΓΠ 03Π T [book of wisdom]

and w ondrou s books of prop hec y . I do not know whether the cor rect

read ing here is ΓΠΠ 3Π 1D0 or 1Ύ ΙΏ 3Π 'TDD, (Bo oks of W isd om ) as in an ot he r

bo ok by Ab ulaf ia, where he says that until the year 1279, which is the ninth

year since the beginning of his prop hec y, he did not write any book w hich he

regarde d as pro phe tic, altho ugh he wrote man y other ΙΠ 03Π 'TDD, som e of

which dealt with the secrets of the K ab ba la. At any rate, the Liber Redempti-

onis as the auth or explicitly states at fol. 268r, is a mDDn Ί30: I ta qu e not um

est omni intelligenti quod ego qui conveni vocare hunc librum p er hoc nom en

pro priu m , postq ua m in notue rit ei quo d est l iber sapiencie [ΓΠ 03Π T ] e q s .

Hence it is highly probable that in the Liber Redemptionis we have a sefer

hokmot f rom the ear ly per iod of prophet ic K abbal ism , apparen t ly wr i t ten

while Abu lafia was stil l in S pain, or , at any ra te, before he cam e to I taly. This

book is an early version of a commentary on the secrets of the Guide of the

Perplexed using methods based on the Sefer Yesirah.

16 C od . Chig i, fol. 296r.

[91]




hie .

1 7

Et quid em intentio m ea est hie A d not if ican du m t ibi i l lud qu od dixi de

misterio culture dei in capitulo 32 et est quod memini dixisse quod

impossibi le est exire de uno contrario in al iud contrarium subito et propter

hoc imposs ib i l e secundum naturam hominis quod re l inquat i l ia in quibus

est assuetus subito .

1 8

Is it necessary to adduce further proof that the teacher Rabbi Moises is

Maimonides?

It is possible to accou nt fo r the no tion tha t Maim onides was the teach er

of the auth or of the L iber Redemptionis, al though he died abou t thirty-five

years before Abulafia was born. It should even be possible at a pinch to

ma ke out how the auth or was able to record some saying directly from his

teacher, the meaning of which, as he tells in one instance, he did not

thoroughly understand unti l after the teacher's death. What has to be

accounted for , however, is not the conclusion that the auth or's teacher is

M aimonides, bu t rather the text of the Latin t ranslat ion f rom which this

conclusion follows. For the Latin translation and the Hebrew original,

thou gh at one in all other m atters, do no t tally precisely in those passag es

where, according to the translation, it appears that the teacher himself

disclosed the secrets of the Guide to the auth or. Instead of the phrase dixit

mihi,

which is repeated time and again in the Latin translation, the

correspon ding passages in the Hebrew original read the teacher (or the

Guide) sa id, and this ph rase is som etimes followed by a reference to the

relevant chapter in the Guide of the Perplexed. Similarly, whenever the

teach er's w ords app ear in the translation in the first per son , such as dixi, ut

iam dixi, ut ibi memini, the correspo nding passages in the original app ear

in the third person , namely the teacher said , as the teacher said , as

the teacher recal led. Mo reover, in that part of the Liber Redemptionis

which can be compared with the Hebrew original, we often find in the

translat ion phrases to the effect that the author heard secrets from his

teacher; some of these phrases refer to what the teacher said while others

are direct quotat ion s of is sayings, but non e of them can be fo un d in the

original.

To give some idea how the Liber Redem ptionis was transformed in the

Latin tran slation , I shall quo te the beginning of the tenth secret, which is

the Secret of the Adjective (Cod. Chigi, fols. 262v-263r):

17 Eight Cha pters — tamaniat fusulin the Arab ic original or semonahperaqim

in the Hebrew translation — is the title of the short treatise on ethics which

M aim onides pre f ixed to h is com men tary o n the trac ta te

Abot

of the

Misnah.

18 Cf . M aim onides ,

Guide,

part III, ch ap . 32.

[92]




Nomen autem qual i ta t is s iue ad iect iuum not if icatum es t in capi tu lo 20

quod est in prima parte. Et considera bene illud quod dixi in eo. Et forte

diff icile t ibi videbitur sermo meus quem dixi ibi de magnitudine gradus e t

excellence et celsitudinis

19

...et dixit mihi lege totum illud capitulum vicessi

mum et videbis clare misterium hoc. Secundo dixit mihi Et hoc secretum

prolixius de misterio nominis qualitatis dixi in decern amphor ismis quos

adduxi unum scilicet post alium in prima parte et sunt hi.

C o m p ar i s on o f t h i s p as s age w i t h t he c or r e s p on d in g H e b r e w or ig in a l

reveals that the t rans lat ion i s heavi ly in terpolated: the i ta l ic ized words

have n o counterpa rt in the H ebr ew or ig inal .

2 0

A c c or d in g t o t h e H e b r e w

original i t is perfect ly c lear that the author of the

Liber Redemptionis

is

qu ot in g h is teacher s wor ds in on e chapter of the Guide and referring to ten

other chapters of that book . The t rans lat ion , however , makes i t equal ly

c lear that the author i s repeat ing what h is t eacher actual ly sa id to h im.

An oth er rem arkab le exam ple of the t ran s form at io n of the t ext i s to be

found in the Secret of the Substant ive , which i s the e leventh secret o f the

firs t part . T he speak er is the auth or and he re fers to the words o f M ai m o-

n id e s ( f o l . 266v - 267r ) :

Et ego dico tibi quod dixit mihi indicasse ea hoc est per no m ina e xtrane a et

remota. Et quidem ita est. In il l is nominibus sunt indicia remota et

profunda nimis et oculta que nos non possumus intelligere de his que ipse

me mo ravit in libro suo quid intelligere voluit per ea et que fu it intencio sua

in eis nisi i l lud quod dixit manifeste de nomine quadraginta duarum

licterarum quod indicat comprehensionem divinam .. . Et verba eius clara

sunt modica speculat ione secundum mis ter ium suum in nomine substan t ie

quo d ipse indicavit quod illud nome n est pro priu m sive peculiare om nibu s

nominibus divinis. Et Veritas est hec et ideo non oportet ut sim longus ut

scribam tibi circa hoc aliquid secundum viam more, sedbene dicam tibi illud

quod circa hoc dixit mihi in secreto sub his verbis. Et qu idem ego secundum

mo dum meu m cabale seu recept ion is de nomine non es t poss ib i le quod non

indicem tibi mentem me am su b brevitate pro ut feci hoc in nomine

qualitatis .

The i ta l ic ized c lause i s an in terp olat io n w hich b reak s the con t inu i ty of the

text , thus changing i t s meaning . The Hebrew or ig inal l eaves no doubt that

the autho r i s abou t to exp la in the secret o f the subs tant ive acc ord ing to h is

ow n K ab b a l i s t ic m e t h o d , a s d i s tin c t f r om M a im o n id e s p h i lo s op h ic a l

m e t h od in t h e

Guide

where as the t rans lat ion creates the im press ion that

19 Cf. ibid., pa rt I, ch ap . 20.

20 The text of the Hebrew original is quo ted in Proceedings of the Israel

Academy, He bre w series, 3 1970), 143.

[93]




the au th or will proc eed to re la te things secretly revealed to him by M aim o-

nides, as distinct from the la tter 's explic it doctrine. This impression is

streng then ed by the sentence which app ear s on the next pag e (267v): ne c

propte r eos re l inquam ego necess i ta tem hanc qua cogor secundum i l lud

quo d dixi in l ibro m ore quin manifes tem t ibi mis te r ium suu m . Since no

one but Maim onides can reasonab ly say secu ndu m il lud qu od dixi in

l ibro mo re , one can not bu t infe r tha t the wo rds imm edia te ly preceding

and fol lowing this phrase a re Maimonides ' . As a mat te r of fac t they a re

dem ons t rab ly Ab ula f ia ' s : the pe r son of fe r ing the Kabba l i s ti c in te rpre ta -

tion of the Secret of the Substantive refers a little later (fol. 268r) to the

Liber Redemptionis a s th i s bo ok and h is own work .

2 1

The d if fe rence in l ite ra ry for m be tween the or igina l and the t rans la t io n

of the Liber Redemptionis is quite plainly the result of delibera te in terp ola -

t ion. And the cumula t ive e f fec t of the metam orp ho sis w roug ht by the

inte rp ola t io n th rou gh ou t the La t in t rans la t ion is equa l ly pla in: the myst i -

ca l in te rpre ta t ion of the Guide was thereby made to appear as Maimo-

nides ' own inte rpre ta t ion, and Maimonides was made to appear as a

genuine Kabbal is t in phi losophica l guise .

Unlike the Liber Redemptionis, M ithr id a tes ' La t in t rans la t ion of A bul a-

f ia ' s Sitrey Torah (De Secretis Leg is) was not subjected to a sustained

tamper ing with i ts l i te ra ry form. But the tendency to make Maimonides

appear a true Kabbalis t is a lso perceptible in the la tter translation, r ight

from the beginning (Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190, fol . 336v):

Incipit l iber de secret is legis quem composuit Abraam (Mihi v idetur

Abulhafia) super 36 secret is que

reuelauit

Rabi M oises

tempore sui obitus.

22

In nomine domini dei Israel intendo scribere exposit ionem triginta sex

21 Liber Redem ptionis, Co d. Ch igi , fo l . 268r: "Et voc avit scriba no m en pro-

pr ium notum e t mani fes tum omnibus l ibrum i l ium innovatum s i innovav i t

eum ex sua sapientia et non est de his qui transferuntur. Et convenit vocare

nomen suum grat ia exempl i l ibrum redempt ion is secundum nomen huius

l ibri . I taqu e notum est om ni inte l l igent qu od ego qui con ven i vocare hu nc

l ibrum per hoc n om en propr ium ." The cont inuat ion o f th i s passage i s quoted

above, note 15.

22 Cf. Co d. Vat . Ebr. 190, fo l . 340r: "Inc ipiem us nunc ad scriben dum adhu c

sum m am secre torum que inven iuntur in il lo l ibro secund um q uod recep imus

de ore sapientum huius generationis et etat is doctorum meorum quos vivere

faciat deus

qui receperunt de ore [ad] os per successionem a rabi Moise

reuelante tempore sui obitus.

The i ta l ic ized c lause has no equivalent in the

oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew original .

[9 ]




secretorum que ocultauit sapientissimus Rabi Moises f il ius Maimon in suo

libro uenerabili qui dicitur More per viam caba le et licet dixit ea ibiper viam

philosophie alibi innuit ea esse per viam cabale uncle voco librum hunc de

secretis legis.

M a n u s c r ip t s c o n t a in in g t h e H e b r e w o r ig in a l o f A b u la f ia s

De Secretis

Legis can be co un ted by the doz en . I have no t seen them a l l , nor does i t

mat ter . What mat ters i s tha t none o f the o ldes t Hebrew manuscr ipt s o f

A b u l a f i a s Sitrey Torah wh ich I have seen con ta ins the equiv a lent o f the

i ta l ic ized c lauses in the Lat in quota t ions . Moreover , i t i s no t on ly the

negat ive ev idence o f manuscr ipt s tha t proves the i ta l ic ized c lauses to be

interpo la t ions : what those c lauses s ta te i s demonstrab ly a t var iance wi th

Ab ula f ia s im age o f h imse l f a s a Ka bba l i s t . Ab ula f ia , i t i s t rue , d id no t fa i l

t o a c k n o w le d g e h i s d e b t t o M a im o n id e s , a n d , a s w e h a v e s e e n , h e d e s -

cribed his Sitrey Torah as an of fs pr ing of the Guide of the Perplexed At the

same t ime, wri t ing as he d id wi th a sense o f urgency born o f h is po ignant

awareness tha t the advent o f the Mess iah was near , Abula f ia cons idered

himse l f the prophet or apos t le o f a l ibera t ing and sav ing message d isco -

v e r e d b y h i s o w n e f f o r t s . Th e f o l l o w in g q u o t a t io n f r o m t h e De Secretis

Legis i s f o u n d a t f o l s . 3 4 7 v - 3 4 8 v :

due necessitates coegerunt nos eodem iureiurando ligatos et vinctos

23

ad

revelandum illud quod revelabimus in hoc libro et in aliis l ibris quos

scripsimus. qua rum una est quia iam incipit appr op inq ua re f inis dextre

24

et

influencia fortif icab itur et vag ab unt ur m ulti et m ultiplica bitur scientia.

secunda es t ad sciendum om nes quod nos exci tab imus corda dorm ient ium

in pulvere et rebus terrenis et elevare ea ad res sublimes et celestes ...

quamvis tarnen to tum non v idebunt revelatum sed par tem eius tan tum,

dicimus bene quod quam pr im um incepi t revelar i hec sap ien t ia per orbem

scient omnes quod prope est tempus f inis redemptionis, ut scribitur [Dan.

12:9] oculta remanebunt omnia et sigillata usque ad tempus f inis hebraice

kes pp idest adventus messie . . . I taque he due necessitates coegerunt et

compulerunt me Razielem

25

filium Xamuelis Abulaphie, cuius memoria sit

semper in bonum, necessitate naturali ut scriberem illud quod scripsi de

misteriis huius sapiencie apertissime et revelare ex ea quedam secreta in

23 This interp olatio n harks back to the subject touch ed upo n at fol 347r: et hie

quidem unus oportet ut sit talis qualis fuit i l le cui magnus magister rabi

Moises qui scripsit More reuelauit secreta sua sub vinculo coniurationis et

iur is iurandi , qu od quidem ius iuran dum scia t ind icasse ipsum magnu m mag -

istrum in princip io tercie partis l ibri praedicti M ore . Cf.

Leguide des egares

ed. S. Münk, I (Paris, 1856), 23.

24 The t rans la to r s l ipped: qes hayyamim here mean s the end of day s .

25 Raziel (VNTI) is the isopsephic equivalent of A bra ham (D im x) — 248.

[ 9 ]




scripta quod nullus ante me ita manifeste ausus est facere . . . Sunt autem

decern iam ann i quib us separavi m e a loco nativitatis mee scilicet ab opi do

Tudele que est in regno Navare in provincia Ispanie, et migravi de loco in

locum, non peperci corpori nec laboribus solum ut invenirem tradentem

mihi secreta sapiencie huius et ocultamenta eius. Et tandem quod quesivi

inveni. Et in tanta perfectione quam nemo crederet me potuisse habere.

The presence of in terpolat ions in the Lat in t ext of the

De Secretis Legis

to

the e f f ec t that Maimonides h imse l f revealed the secret s conta ined in h is

Guide

sho uld n o long er be a ma t ter of do ubt . No r is the pur pos e of those

in terpolat ions ( shown in i ta l ic s here) so le ly a mat ter of in ference and

conjecture: the in terpreter inadvertent ly af fords the dec is ive c lue . Imme-

d iate ly af t er the passage I hav e jus t qu ote d , A bu laf ia go es on to say ( fo l s .

348v f f . ) that he has fou r d isc ip les , and that they ap pro ach ed h im with the

request to interpret for them the secrets of the

Guide

( f o l . 349r - v ) :

adste terunt coram me deprecantes e t g rat iose peten tes , e t quesiverunt a me

ut declararem eis secreta libri more que revelavit Rabi Aloises discipulis suis

et in e is cont inerem quandam par tem ocul torum leg is de h is que in manu

nostra sunt ex misteriis profundis, ut esset eis probatio quedam quod etiam

in libro more Cabala est et in meritum et Interpretern et patronum contra

omnes obloquentes

Of the three i ta l ic ized c lause s which h ave n o cou nterpa rt in the o lde s t

H e b r e w m an u s c r ip t s , t h e s e c on d is u n d ou b t e d ly t h e m os t r e m ar k ab le :

f irst , because i t s tates f lat ly that Abulaf ia interpreted the secrets of the

Guide

in order to prov e qu od e t iam in l ibro

more Cabala est

; s e c on d ,

b e c au s e t h e n o t io n t h a t M a im on id e s w as a K ab b a l i s t is s t a t e d expressis

verbis

in a br ie f no te that F lavius M ithr idates wrote in the margin o f the

De

Secretis Legis, at f o l . 461 v , b y w ay o f in f e r e n c e f r om A b u la f ia ' s c om m e n -

tary on the

Guide

in the course of h is in terpretat ion of the

secretum de

opere currus.

Secunda es t qu ia veni t ad not i f icandum nobis per earn quod prophete

prophetan tur e t locuntur per nomina comunia e t equivoca e t per nomina

derivata ab il lo quod indicant intenciones prime et veniunt ad indicandum

per ea intencion es alias, ut ocu ltent i l ia a multitud ine vulg ari et etiam ab ill is

doctis vir is qui vocan tur rab ani m qu i non sunt cabaliste et non tra du nt ur eis

secreta legis cuius modi sunt legiste) . Et m em init par tem ex il lis , et adh uc

indicavit ea in capitulo 43 in parte secu nda et ibi me minit m irabilia per que

nos possumus considerare per fect ionem doctor is hu ius e t po ten t iam

sapientie sue etiam in his que pu tan t hu ius docti viri ignorasse. Et ibi dixit

verbum tale quod volo scribere sub his verbis, dixit et mirabilius hoc est

quod f it excitatio per unum nomen et l ictere nominis i l l ius sunt l ictere

[96 ]



Maimonides: Kabbalist in Philosophical Guise

alterius nom inis per mu tationem ordinis licterarum tan tum , quam vis non

sit ibi derivatio inter ilia duo nomina nec conveniencia seu comunio vel

equivocatio misterii inter ea.

26

In the margin, against the sentence et mirabilius hoc es t . . . per m utat io-

nem ordinis licterarum ta ntu m , there appe ars a note wri t ten in the hand

of Flavius M ithridates: ex quo est clarum qu od rabi moises fuit cab a-

lista. It is no t too difficult to see why this par ticular pas sage in the Guide

was assumed to prove that Maimonides was a Kabbalist : the interpreta-

tion of S cripture by m eans of transp ositions o r sub stitutions of letters was

almost always considered to be Kabbala par excellence. This being so, it

will be well worth looking a t the interp retation of the Guide part II, chap.

43, in the

Liber Redemptionis.

T ha t cha pter is referred to in the co ncluding

secret of the second p art of the Liber Redemptionis name ly the secretum de

confusione religionum et idiomatum (fols. 277r ff.). In the course of that

secret the mystery of letters is touched upon, and Maimonides is made to

say (Cod. Chigi, fol. 280v):

Et tu qui non curas ad comprehendendum aliquid de misterio intentionis

divine contente in forma lictere illius et non in nomine suo, nec in numero

suo quod secretum earum est VtiS, aleph mem sin, in signis suis vel DIPS,

aleph sin mem. ideo non curabimus nos te ad notificandum tibi hoc, nec

etiam intend imus tibi contradicere nec etiam volum us te cogere ut recipias

aliquid verbum ex tota sapiencia cabale. Et hec est causa principalis quare

nullo modo voluimus in libro more cabalistice procedereP

The last sentence is a downright interpolation. It is noteworthy that,

notwithstanding the assurance that Maimonides did not by any means

wish in libro M ore cabalistice pro ce de re , he is m ade to say som ewh at

later (fol. 284v): E t iam non po tui me abstinere quin dixissem hoc

manifeste

in capitulo 43 in parte secunda

in misterio

conversionis

l i terarum ban in ^rn.

This text, too , is interp olated : the corr espo ndin g passag e in the He brew

original states only an d the ma ster had already hinted at this in cha pter

43 of the second pa rt in respect of the conve rsion of the letters into

V m .

2 8

Thus i t app ears that the interpolator of the Liber Redemptionis and

the glossator of the De Secretis Legis see eye to eye. This is a fa ct of som e

26 For the Hebrew original of this passage see

Proceedings of the Israel Academy

Hebrew series, 3 1970), 148.

27 For the Heb rew original see ibid., p. 144.

28 See ibid., pp. 144 -145 .

[97]




importance, because the Liber Redemptionis is explicitly refe rred t o in the

interpolated text of the preface to the Latin De Secretis Legis, but not in

the Hebrew original of Abulafia 's Sitrey Torah. The passage I have in

mind has already been quoted but will bear repetition in view of its

impo rtance (C od. V at . Eb r. 190, fol . 340r-v ):

et dicem us qu od sum ma secretorum in universal est 36. et qui appon et

animum suum super eis ad scienda ea per speculationem et comprehendere

intencionem ex eis ut dixit discipulus ille qui recepit in libro redem ptionis,

quod redemptio erit ei hebraice Geulla tihie lo, l"? Γ Ρ Π η nVxJ.

The interpolated clause (in italics) makes it clear that the interpolator of

th e

De Secretis Legis

considered the author of the

Liber Redemptionis

a

disciple. He does not explicitly say whose disciple, nor does it matter.

W hat ma tters is that the difference between the fragm ent of the H ebrew

original of the Liber Redemptionis and its Latin translation consists pre-

cisely in this, that fro m the forme r the auth or appe ars to be a K abbalist

writer in his own righ t, whe reas fro m the latter he app ear s to be a disciple

who writes secrets revealed to him by his master. The interpolator of the

De Secretis Legis

and the interpolator of the

Liber Redemptionis

evidently

see eye to

eye

They might well be the same pe rson . The identity, to be sure,

cannot be positively proved on the available evidence. But nobody mind-

ful of Occ am's Razor should disdain the econom y of assum ptions: ent ia

non sun t m ultiplicanda pra eter neces sitatem . And if i t is conceded that

the same hand interpolated both translations, Mithridates is the likeliest

choice. Be that as it may, what matters most for the understanding of

Pico's view of Kabbala is not the authorship of those interpolations but

their effect. The latter can be seen in the sixty-third Ka bbalistic thesis

secundum opinionem propriam,

which states:

Sicut Aristoteles diuiniorem philosophiam, quam philosophi antiqui sub

fabulis et apologis uelarunt, ipse sub philosophicae speculationis facie

dissimulauit, et uerborum breuitate obscurauit, ita Rabi Moyses A egyptiu s

in libro, qui a Latinis dicitur Dux Neutrorum, dum per superficialem

uerborum corticem uidetur cum philosophis ambulare, per latentes

profundi sensus intelligentias mysteria complectitur Cabalae.

29

Pico, it is true, was of the opinion that there were mysteries everywhere

beneath the plain meaning of all great documents of religion, philosophy,

29 Opera, p. 113.

[98]



Ma imonides: Kab balist in Philosophical Guise

and poe t ry .

3 0

Moreover , he was demonstrably famil ia r wi th the Guide of

the Perplexed

31

and ra ted Maim onid es as the forem ost phi losophica l

inte rpre te r of Scr ipture amo ng the Jews.

32

A t the same time, the fact a lone

tha t C od . Vat. Ebr . 190, which includes the De

Secretis Legis

prov es to be

one of the tw o principa l reposito ries of Pico s Kab balis tic sou rces, is a

forceful wa rning aga ins t the assum ption tha t P ico s image of M aim onid es

as a Kabbalis t in philosophical guise is in fact secundum opinionem pro-

priam in othe r w ord s, is in fact his ow n conclus ion fr om his readin g of the

Guide. The balance of evidence is definite ly in favor of the alternative

view, namely tha t , except ing the compar ison be tween Aris tot le and

Maimonides , P ico owed this image of Maimonides to the La t in t rans la -

t ions of Ab ulaf ia s myst ica l com men tar ies on Maim onid es phi losoph ica l

classic.

T h e

Guide of the Perplexed

was trans lated in to Latin and left i ts m ark on

scholas t ic phi losophy long before Pico.

33

S ince Rabbi Moses Aegypt ius

was known to be an outs tanding representa t ive of the appl ica t ion of

Aris tote l ianism to Jewish theology, a com me ntary tha t linked M aim o-

nides with Kabbala eo ipso l inked Kab bala w ith the Per ipa te t ic t rad i t ion.

Precisely fo r this reaso n it is no t the least rem ark abl e feat ur e of the L atin

trans la t ion of Abu laf ia s De Secretis Legis tha t it l inks Kabb ala a lso with

Pla tonism, though not pr inc ipa l ly through Maimonides but in an a l to-

gether different way.

30

Commento

bo ok III, chap, x i , s tanza 9 , p . 580 ed. Garin,

Opera

p. 921. See

a l so E. Wind ,

Pagan M ysteries in the Renaissance

(L on do n, 1968) , p . 17.

31 Pico's

Conclusiones

include three theses

secundum M oysem Aegyptium\

see

Opera p. 71 . A manuscr ip t o f Maimonides ' Dux Neutrorum (Vat. Lat . 4274 )

with a note in Pico's hand was identif ied by Giovanni Cardinal Mercati ,

Codici Latini Pico GrimaniPio

Studi e Testi 75 (Citta del V atic an o, 1938), pp.

21 -2 2, n . 72; cf . Kriste ller , Pico della M irand ola and His Sou rces , p . 120.

32 Pico,

Apologia Opera

p. 178: Trop o log icus [mo dus exponen di Bib l iam]

dic i tur [apud Hebraeos ] Seche l , quem sequuntur Abraham Abnazra . . . e t

Leui Bengerson et mult i a l i i , e t ante omnes Rabi Moses Aegyptius .

3 3 J a c o b Gu t t m a n n ,

Die Scholastik des 13. Jahrhun derts in ihren Beziehungen

zum Judenthum und zur jüdischen Literatur (Breslau , 1902) , pp. 85- 12 0.

[ 9 9 ]



8

Q U O D L I E T IN Q U O L I E T

The t rans la t ions o f F lav ius Mithr ida tes are no t a lways o f the same s tamp.

At t imes they are so l i tera l and accura te tha t they might be pro f i tab ly u sed

for the t ex tua l cr i t ic ism o f the H ebr ew or ig ina ls . At o thers they br im w ith

s u r p ri s es . Th e p r e f a c e t o A b r a h a m A b u la f ia s e Secretis Legis b e lo n g s t o

the la t t er sort . Some o f the surpr is ing in terpo la t ions conta ined in tha t

preface we have a lready seen in the prev ious chapter . Others , no t a whi t

les s important than the former , w i l l be cons idered present ly . Cod . Vat .

Ebr . 190 , fo l s . 341 r-34 2r:

Nunc vero incip io auxi l io dei exponere unam qua m que rem secundum ver i-

ta tem suam et scr ibam quodcumque secretum in loco suo quod conveni t

ei . . . Set ubi forte acciderit aliquod secretum quod erit magis occultum

quam unum aliud et oportebit verif icare il lud per demonstrationes et

probat iones a l ienas a mente i l lo rum qui ph i losophantur a l i is modis

dem onstran di e t p rob andi hoc est quod ver if icabo i llud dem onstra t ion ibus

et probationibus cabalisticis quibus procedunt sapientes nostr i in lege et

sunt in qu ibus cont inetur combinat io l ic terarum et secretum eorum que

quidem demonstra t iones e t p robat iones non ver if icabuntur apud i l los qu i

philosophice speculantur ex quo non pervenerunt ad ocultationes et secreta

eorum nec e t iam ad percip iendum al iqu id ex e is quomodocumque s i t . e t

qu idem ver if icabuntur d ic te demons tra t iones e t p robat io nes ap ud i l los qu i

intelligunt cabalam divinam et qui procedunt per vias suas et sunt i l l i quos

direxit intellectus dir igens om ne tortu osu m intellectus inqu am a gens ille

qui notif icauit nobis f inem sciencie veritatis per earn. Quod si aliquis

obiceret nobis et diceret quomodo nostis vos qui sequimini cabalam et

modum procedendi eius quod intellectus agens notif icauit i l lam et quod

non habuit originem a mente hominum et non ab eius scilicet intellectus

agent is revelat ione? quia per hunc mod um procedendi ves trum faciam ego

multas demonstra t iones e t p robat iones que probabunt e t demonstrabunt

falsum et mendacium et distans a veritate? quia secundum quod dicunt

Cab aliste in suis primis principiis quod quod libet es t in quolibet e t nihil est

extra se et secundum hunc modum modus procedendi per combinat ionem

continebi t bon um et ma lum ver i ta tem et men dacium

que sunt quodlibet in

quolibet et hoc modo ego os tendam vobis per v iam probat ionum et

demons t r a t ionum ves t r a rum quod

Veritas

est falsum et falsum est

Veritas,

bonum er i t malum et malum er i t bonum et tandem unum contrarium erit

[100]



Quodlibet in Quolibet

reliquum quia duo contraria oportet contineantur sub uno quod dicatur

quodlibet. Et s ic non es t bonus modus procedendi per combinat ionem

secundum veritatem nec etiam per reliquos modos suos ut possit praecise

verif icari per i l los aliquid aut discernere verum a falso seu bonum a malo

sed quod potius omnia erunt confusa et sine distinetione aliqua. dicemus et

respondebim us ei nos quod verum est haben pro primo prineipio apud nos et

omnes cabaiistas quod quodlibet est in quolibet et nihil est extra se sed non

erit aliquid il lorum quod contradicit veritati . non enim domini veritatis

sunt de summa i l larum sectarum quae conver tunt v ias e t modos

propheticos et cabaiistas in alium sensum quam illum quo intelligi debent.

Iam enim pro ill is qui hoc faciu nt dixit proph eta : ve il lis qui dicunt bo num

esse malum et malum esse bonum qui ponunt tenebras in lucem et lucem in

tenebras qui faciunt am aru m dulce e t du lce am arum et generaliter qui

dicunt unum contrarium esse aliud sed bene novimus in veritate per tres

modos demons t r and i apud sequentes sapienciam divinam cabale qui sunt

apud nos demonstra t ions absolu te e t s ine a l iquo dubio ver iss ime in

summa claritate et certitudine que sunt demonstrationes sensibiles et sensu

percep t ib i les e t e t i am demons t r a t iones in te l l ig ib i les e t in te l lec tu

perceptibiles per ea intelligere et pereipere possunt homines primis inquam

pr ineip i is humanis . Et demonstra t iones cabal is te ab ore archangel i

praefect i super h ierarch ia angelorum qui d icuntur h is im qui d ic i tur

in te l lectus agens s ive M atta tron reeepte quo d quiequid ascendit ad m anus

nostra s conclusive ex m od o proced endi p raed icto est i l la res que inducit nos

ad d iscernendum verum a fa lso non solum in hac scientia cabale que in se

nullam falsitatem continet nec aliquod mendacium quia divina est et deum qui

non habet contrarium sequitur sed etiam in omnibus aliis scientiis hic modus

procedendi in idiomate nostro semper faciet discernere verum a falso et

bonum separare a malo et per unum contrarium cognoscetur reliquum quia

hec scientia universalis de omnibus considerat et hec est veritas inventionis

mo di procede ndi qui dicitur Sirruph idest com bin and i. Scias aute m quod

ideo inveniuntur contraria in quolibet quae dicuntur quodlibet ad exami-

nandum per ea corda e t an imos e t ideo vocatur h ic modus procedendi

in hac sapientia sirruph idest examen quia est masreph idest examen

scientiarum et opinion um et est experiens cord a et renes sicut facit deus . de

quibus am bob us d ix i t tex tus [Prov . 17 :3] Argen tum exam en habet e t au rum

par i ter exam inatur vel p ro bat ur e t deus exam inat corda e t an im os. De hac

aute m sciencia dictum est [Ps. 18:31] loquela seu dictio vel verb um him rath

domini examen es t defendens omnes qui sperant in eum. Itaque et nos

faeimus licet mod us proced endi sit universa lis et contineat duo contraria

bonum scilicet et malum nos ex eo reeipimus bonum et malum autem non

reeipimus. Sicut testatur scriptura dicens [Job 2:10] bo nu m reeipiemus a

deo malum a utem non reeip iemus? Qua mvis creator utriusque sit utscribitur

f Isa. 5:7] faciens pacem et creans malum et ideo sequemur de um per hunc

modum procedendi

et postquam est i ta sperabimus in eo et ineipiemus

procedere in hoc libro.

N on e o f the ita l ic ized wor ds be ing warranted by the He bre w or ig ina l i t

fo l lows tha t the doctr ine o f the co inc idence o f oppos i t es was super im-

[ 1 0 1 ]



Pico s Encoun ter w ith Jewish Mysticism

posed by way of interp olation u po n A bu lafia 's exp lanation of the dialecti-

cal nature of his ars combinandi.

The rem arka ble phra se qu od libet est in quo libet et nihil est extra se,

which is said to be on e of the irst principles of Ka bb ala, app ear s again in a

similar context at fol. 363r:

Nec seducant te verba fa tuorum et non habent ium inte l l ec tum d icent ium

t ib i non esse procedendum per combinat ionem l i c terarum

ex quo quodlibet

est in quo libet et nihil est extra se

quod i ta possint f ier i consequentie s ive

probat iones

[pr obatione

M S] vere s icut false et per con seq uen s qu od

scientia hec non est vera que probat duo contraria quorum unum oportet

esse fa l sum secundu m m entem eorum et op in iones no n veraces apud f idem

eorum falsam. quia de his omnibus iam pridem t ibi responsum est et

cau tum et m on ui iam te de i l lo nec oportet ut hie repetam sed ut revo cem in

me mo r i a m.

Qu odlibet est in quo libet in the Latin t ranslat ion of Ab ulafia 's De

Secretis Legis argues the transla tor 's acq uaintanc e — not necessari ly fi rst

hand — with the De Docta Ignorantia of Nicolaus Cusan us.

1

At the same

time, acquaintance with Cusanus alone wil l not account for the second

half of that rem arka ble ph rase , et nihil est extra se . Why extra se and

no t , as one wou ld expect,

extra Deuml

And what does

extra

se

mean in this

context? The phras e nihil est extra se occu rs elsewhere in the trans la-

tions of M ithridates . It will be well worth the eff ort to consider the oth er

instances.

I have already m entioned in C hapter 2 that the same manusc ript —

Co d. Vat . Eb r. 190 — which contains the Latin t ranslat ion of Ab ulafia 's

De Secretis Legis contains also the Latin translation of Rabbi Azriel 's

short treatise Quaestiones super

ecern

Numerationibus. I have also menti-

oned that the manu script was continuously w ri tten from beginning to end.

The De Secretis Legis begins at fol. 336v, while the Quaestiones super

Decern Numerationibus begins at fol. 165r. Hence it is a safe assumption

that Mithridates t ranslated Azriel 's t reat ise short ly before Abulafia 's

boo k. This point of chronology would no t be worth know ing were it not

for the fact that Rabbi Azriel of Gerona happens to be the outstanding

thirteenth-century Jewish exponent of the doctrine that all opposites

coincide in God.

1 Chapter V o f

De Docta Ignorantia

is t i t led Q uod libet in Q uolib et . I t begins:

Si acute iam dicta attendis, non erit tibi difficile videre veritatis i l l ius.

An axago ricae quod libet esse in quol ibet fundam entum fortass is a l t ius An axa -

gora . Cf . Die l s , Die Fragm ente der V orsokratiker, An axa gor as, fr . 4 .

[102]




In the opening paragraphs of his treatise Azriel discusses what Kabbal-

ists call Eyn-Sof;

2

it is , in his op inio n, the un diff eren tia te d and limitless

uni ty an d noth ing exis ts ap ar t f ro m i t i :q d f i n I 'XI . This Heb rew ph rase

exact ly corresp ond s , as Scholem pointed out ,

3

to Jo hn the Scot ' s pra e te r

eum nihil est . M ithrid ates, how ever, tran slate d i t in the fo rm nihil est

extra se .

4

What matters for the present purpose is that the second half of

the ph rase qu od lib et est in quo libet et nihil est extra se in the inte rpo -

la ted t rans la t ion of Abulaf ia ' s

De Secretis Legis

is unintell igible w itho ut

the La tin tran slatio n a nd th e Heb rew original of Azriel 's treatise . If this is

conc eded , i t follow s as a matt er of course that in this instance the trans la-

tor and the in te rpola tor a re the same person.

An oth er conc lus ion fol lows, less obviou s than the form er but not a whi t

less important: the sentence which is said to sta te a fundamental principle

of Kabbala consists of two elements, one of which derives from Nicolaus

Cusanus and the other from Azriel of Gerona. I t is diff icult to see why

Mithridates put them together, unless he realized that they went together

well. If this is true , it follow s th at, th ir ty years bef ore Jo ha nn es Re uch lin 's

De Arte Cab alistica, Flavius Mithridates realized that the doctrines of

Nicolaus Cusanus and Azriel of Gerona were similar , or a t least re levant

to each other , insofar as concerns the coinc idence of opposi tes in God.

5

The texts I hav e discussed so far are no t the only instances of G eron ese

Kabbala showing through the La t in t rans la t ion of Abulaf ia ' s work. Soon

after the passage in which he warns his readers against the objection that

his ars combinandi is not a re liable method because i t involves paradoxes,

Abulafia interprets the mystery of creation ex nihilo. He begins by cons id-

ering the mystery of a famous phrase in the New Year 's l i turgy, hayyom

harat olam (hodie conceptus seu geni tus es t mundus) . To tha t phrase he

retu rns a t the end of his long discussion. I shall qu ot e the con clud ing p ar t ,

2 See Ap pend ix 14.

3 Scholem

Ursprung und Anfänge,

pp. 387-3 88

η . 154.

4 Co d. Vat. Ebr. 190, fol. 165v: Et si est sine term ination e no n est extra se.

Fol. 166r: quod om nes num erationes ipse procedant ab ensoph extra quem

nihil est. Fo l. 168r: et propter hoc igitur non est dicend um quod fuit

innov atio sc[ient]ie apud eum quam vis non sit extra se quicq uam . Fol. 169r:

Quis coget me credere in ensoph quod non cadit sub imaginatione quanto

minus in sermone qu amvis habeat indicium in unaq uaque re qu od non est

extra se. Fo l. 169v: et testis qui testatur qu od no n est extra se via licterarum

est ehie aser ehie.

5 Scholem, rsprung and Anfänge

p. 389.

[103]




omitting the detailed isopsephic calculations which were obviously added

by Mithridates, in fol. 366v:

Et aperi oculos tuos et tui cordis leb [aV = heart] et vide et intellige et

cons idera super quem lap idem tu s tas ne t i tubes seu commovear i s . Quod

nihi l a l iud est quod hodie dic imus haiom arath holam id est hodie

conceptus vel genitus est mundus non al i ter ac s i d iceremus quod hac die

J 'Sö

IP

TVQ DIM aio m mesaier ies m eain id est hodie fo rm at ens ex non ente

s icut pate t per numerum l ic terarum que sunt to t idem quot super iores

6

. . .

Scias autem frater m eus qu od secretum DVn id est hod ie haio m est J

1

ain

7

. . . et intel l ige i l lud bene et ex eo intel l iges secretum textus dicentis [Num.

6:27] et pon ent n om en m eum super f il ios Israel qu od est 'ölD xemi id est

nomen meum, vaani ^Xl id est et ani benedicam eos . et hoc quidem quia

cum coppulaveris xemi id est no m en m eu m cum 'IN ani id est ego

intelliges secretu m te xtus [Isa. 42:8] dicentis OX ani id est ego io d he vau he

est 'DIP xemi no me n m eum , cu ius secre tum es t f x a W h ies mea in

8

id est ens

ex non ente vel sapientia a corona.

Vel sapient ia a co ro na is wi tho ut coun terpa r t in three of the oldes t

ma nu scrip ts of the He brew original. N or is i t only the negative evidence of

the Heb rew man uscr ipts tha t a rg ues th is c lause to be an inte rpo la t ion.

Abula f ia looked down upon the Kabba la o f sefirot as a kind of in t rod uc-

tory study; he was not l ikely to resta te a glorious achievement of his own

combina t iona l Kabba la in t e rms of sefirot. But while the equ atio n of ens

ex non ente with sapientia a corona is quite ou t of keepin g with Abu lafia , i t

i s a common doc tr ine in the Geronese school of Kabbala .

9

It is thus

dem onstra bly t rue tha t ve l sapient ia a co ro na is an in te rpo la t ion in the

text of Abulafia . At the same time, i t is impossible to say at the present

sta te of research whether in this particular instance the interpolation

reflects solely the enterp rise of M ithrid ates, or a schoo l tradit ion . N either

the transmission of Abulafla 's writ ings nor the way they were studied in

subsequent generations has yet been made the subject of detailed study. I

happen to know, in par t on good author i ty and in par t by autopsy, tha t

there exist f i f teenth-cen tury man uscr ipts wri t ten and a nn ota te d in I ta l ian

han ds. U ntil they are sif ted an d studi ed, the que stion I have raised m ust

6 The ident ity o f the Heb rew phrases for hod ie concep tus e s t m und us and

hodie forma t ens ex no n ente rests on isopsep hy, 812 in each case .

7 Both wo rds are isopsep hic equiva lents , each am ou ntin g to 61.

8 The wo rds 'DIP (ego nom en m eu m ) and J'X» W (ens ex no n ente) consist of

the same six letters.

9 S c h o l e m,

Ursprung and Anfänge

p p . 3 7 3 - 3 8 1 .

[104]




rema in u nan sw ered , and I have only raised i t in the ho pe tha t it might

catch the interest of some competent scholar who studies the history of

Kabba la f rom pr imary source s .

Whoever may be the in te rpola tor in th is ins tance , the in te rpola t ion

bears directly upon the study of Pico's encounter with Kabbala , because i t

involves an eman at ionis t in te rpre ta t io n of c rea t ion, or , to be mo re prec ise ,

the in te rpre ta t ion of c rea t ion ex nihilo ens ex non ente) as the em anat io n of

the second sefirah, ca l led Wisdom, f rom the f i rs t sefirah, called Crown

sapientia a corona). Some years ago, I drew attention to the fact that in

Jo b' s praise of wisdo m (2 8:12 -28 ) Pico rew rote the f irst hemistich of verse

20 so as to m ak e it m ean Sap ient ia ergo ab ain uen ie t and inte rpre ted the

first hem istich of verse 12 as tho ug h it m ean t A tt am en sapien tia

ab ain

es t.

10

1 pointed out tha t P ico 's in te r l inear correc t ions involved an em ana-

tionist inte rpre tatio n of crea tion . At th at t ime I was no t yet suffic iently

acqua inted with the De Secretis Legis to poin t out the touch of irony in the

fac t tha t the most outspoken equa t ion of ens ex non ente with sapientia a

corona that Pico can be shown to have read is due to interpolation in

Ab ula f ia ' s mys t ica l com men ta ry on M a im on ides .

An emanat ionis t in te rpre ta t ion of c rea t ion ex nihilo and the coincidence

of a ll opposites in God are in themselves neither Jewish nor Christian, but

mystical and Platonic .

1 2

Precisely for this rea son , their sup erim po sitio n,

by way of in te rpola t ion, upon Abulaf ia ' s myst ica l commentary on the

Guide of the Perplexed is a mat te r of importance . What an extraordinary

fea t of t ransformation was wrought by Pico 's Kabbal is t t rans la tor within

the conf ines of Abulaf ia ' s pre face to his De Secretis Legis: Ma imonides

becam e a Kabb al is t , and coincidentia oppositorum a fun dam enta l p r inc ip le

of Kabbala .

10 W irszubsk i, Giov anni P ico ' s Boo k o f Job , pp . 193 -194 .

11 Perhaps I oug ht to point out that i t i s co m m on pract ice to equa te Ayin (non

ens) with

Keter

( Co r o n a ) . Th u s

Liber de Radicibus,

C od . Va t. Ebr. 190, fol.

226r: Ain id est no n ens indica t coro na m de qua scribitur et sapie ntia ex ain

invenitur et sapientia ex ain veniet .

12 Cusanus ,

Apologia Doctae Ignorantiae,

fol . 64: Cu m nun c Aristote l is secta

praeva lea t , quae haeres im putat e s se oppos i torum co inc ident iam, in cujus

adm iss ione es t in i tium ascensus in my st icam theo log iam . Cf . E. Cass irer ,

Individuum und Kosmo s in der Philosophie der Renaissance

(Leipz ig and Berlin

1927), p. 12, n. 2.

[105]



9

C H R I S T I A N I Z I N G I N T E R P R E T A T I O N S

Som e f ive years befo re he prod uce d his Kab bal is t ic t rans la t ion s for P ico ,

Flavius Mithr idates preached his

Sermo de Passione Domini

before the

pope and cardinals in the Vat ican.

1

In tha t s e rmon Mi th r ida tes adduced

wha t he presen ted as secret Jewish evidences f ro m a pre-C hr is t ian o ld

T al m ud con f i rmin g the myster ies of Ch r is t ' s Pass ion.

2

Bear ing in mind

how of ten and how def t ly Mithr idates contr ived in the course of h is

sermo n to m ake his Lat in t rans la t io ns say wh at even his m ade -up He brew

qu otat i ons do not a lways me an, it i s hardly surpr is ing that in terp olat io ns

and notes des igned to l ink Kabbala wi th Chr is t ian dogma occur in h is

Kabbal is t ic t rans la t ions .

One interpolation of that kind we have already seen in the text I have

qu ote d a t the end of Cha pter 3 to il lus t ra te the myst ical in terp reta t ion of

the word Amen in the forty- seve nth thesis of the f irs t series , namely

Recana t i ' s

Com mentary on the Prayers De Secretis Orationum etBenedic-

tionum Cabale),

C od . Vat. Eb r. 190, fol . 319v:

Quidam autem d icunt quod amen indicat trinitatem trium superiorum in

unitate una que dicuntur INS MRR MRP ΓΠΓΡ id es t dom inus dom inus

dominus unus est et probant hoc per numerum l i terarum . . . . et intencio est

quod qui respondet amen conf i te tur quod deus benedic tus fu i t ante

creat ionem secu l i . . . . Quidam autem a l i i roborantes hanc expos i t ionem

dicunt i ta esse ex quo l i tere fuit est et erit unus habent in numero tantum

quantum habent l i tere amen.

The italicized clause has no equivalent in the printed text of the Hebrew

original . I ts purpose is qui te obvious : to make the Tr in i tar ian in terpreta-

t ion an integral part of the text, which, in i ts original form, is not at al l

conce rned w ith the uni ty of the three super ior sefirot, but with the eternity

of God.

1 The serm on was preach ed on G oo d Friday 1481; see Sermo de Passione pp.

11 and 79.

2 Ibid. pp. 15 -28 .

[1 6]






dif fe rent keywords beginning with the le t te r mem. Similarly, the words

habet eas et tunc can not represent a genuine var iant because (cons ider ing

tha t the p ronoun eas can refer only to the three potestates) they link the

in c o n g r u o u s homo with what went before i t as well as with what comes

af te r i t , thus prod uc in g a con t inu ous text out of severa l d i f fe rent entr ies in

the glossary. Q uite plain ly, the text as i t s tan ds in the L atin tran slati on was

tampered with .

I do n ot th ink I might have divined the purpo se of th is in te rpo la t ion had

not Mithr ida tes himse lf a f forded a va luable c lue , quot ing Matthew 28:18

in the margin of

fol

250r: D at a es t mihi om nis potesta<s> X P C . We can

now see tha t the in te rpo la t ion mean t to l ink ho m o id est t iph ere t h with

Jesus Chr is t , to whom a l l power was given. The inte rpola t ion is note -

wo rthy for the in te rpo la tor ' s grea t skil l: he achieved his a im with rem arka -

bly little interference with the text.

Quota t ions f rom the New Tes tament appear once or twice not only as

margina l notes , but a lso as textua l in te rpola t ions . Thus De Secretis Legis

( A b r a h a m A b u la f i a ' s Sitrey Torah), Co d. Vat. Eb r. 190, fols . 363v -36 4r:

Quod si philosophi etiam gencium peruenirent ad huiusmodi nominis

cog niti on em liberabuntur et ipsi ab inferis in veritate quia pii gentiu m seculi

habent p artem in venturo seculo et est eorum pietas cum seruauerint septem

precepta de quibus iussum est filiis Nouehe que quidem septem

correspondent illis et valent quantum precepta omnia nobis que sunt ad

similitudinem septenarii hoc modo: sex per se et unum per se constituunt

septem que hebraice dicuntur

Π Χ

W sex unum , quoru m secretum est ad

equivalenciam THS garti id est habitaui quod est numerus preceptorum,

quo d sic probatur sin 300 sin 300 aleph unu m, heth 8, daleth 4 collecti sunt

613 qu otus est numerus garti quod sic probatur gimel 3, rex 200, thau 400,

iod 10, collecti sunt 613 ad numerum preceptorum, et numerus omnium

tarn nostrorum quam septem de quibus iussum est eis, equalis est numero

literarum decalogon que sunt 620. nam 613 et 7 faciunt 620. et quando isti

duo coniungentur simul erit unum ouile et unus pastor sub licteris decern

preceptorum.

The whole sentence in which the quo ta t io n un um oui le e t unu s pas to r

(Jo hn 10:16) is emb edded has no coun terp ar t in the Hebrew or igina l .

In l ike manner, Kabbala and St. Paul are l inked in the translation of

Gica t i l la ' s Portae Iustitiae, Co d. Chigi, fol . 7v:

Quod autem dixit deus sanctus et benedictus ad A braam [Gen. 12:3] et

benedicentur seu piscinabuntur per te omnes familie terre, per se

manifestum est quia septuaginta populi seu familie concatenate sunt seu

dependen t in Abraam et significat verbum 13 Π 21 venibrachu, id est et

[108]



Christianizing Interpretations

benedicentur, inserentur

sic oleaster inseritur

et verbu m principale e ius est

p a n i d e st i ns er er e fe c it q u o d e s t 3 Ό Ί Π i d e st c o m p o n e r e f e ci t p e r

numerum l i terarum nam hibrich habet numeros 5 .2 .200.10.20 et tot sunt

hirchib id est composuit uel col l igauit quia 5 .200.20.10.2 . col lect i sunt quot

superiores (Paulus ad Romanos [11:17 and 24] habet ad l i teram).

The Hebrew text speaks of grafting, but i t does not use the simile of the

wild olive sho ot: s ic oleaster ins erit ur is an inte rpo latio n.

The qu ota t i on f ro m Jo hn and the a l lus ion to Paul a re by themselves too

vague to affect the texts in which they occur. Yet the attempt to l ink

Ka bba la with the sacred docum ents of Chr is t iani ty may wel l involve m ore

than at f irs t meets the eye. Kabbala as conceived of by all Christian

Kabb al is ts is anc ient , pre -Ch ris t ian, and divinely inspired. Con sequen t ly ,

the agreement be tween Kabbala and John or Paul might imply not only

tha t Kabbala conf irms or foreshadows Chris t iani ty but a lso tha t the

apos t les were fam il ia r wi th Ka bb ala . Tha t the la t te r implica t ion o ugh t to

be reckoned w ith is bor ne out by anoth er rem arkab le in te rpo la t ion w hich

occurs in the La t in t rans la t ion of Abraham Abulaf ia ' s Summ a Brevis

Cabale C od . Vat. Eb r. 190, fol . 125v:

propter hoc amice not i f ico t ibi quod domini Cabale numerational is tenent

unitatem dei sub denario numero non sub tr inario . qui numerus fugitur ab

omnibus sc ient ibus Cabale . est bene verum quod sunt Christ iani qui sunt

fundati super hac sciencia inperfecte quam vis auctores eorum perfecte earn

nouerant dicunt deum esse tr inum et unum. et Trinitatem esse unam sic

quidam domini Cabale credunt et dicunt quod diuinitas est denarius seu

decern numerationes et denarius est unus.

The italicized clause is an interpolation: there is no trace of it in the

Hebrew manuscr ipts of Abulaf ia ' s epis t le .

While there is no reason to suppose tha t Mithr ida tes innocent ly t rans-

la ted an inte rpola ted Hebrew text , the not ion tha t the founders of Chr is -

t ianity were Kabbalis ts is certa inly not his own invention. In fact, that

notion is a ttested long before his t ime and forms, as Scholem observed, a

nega t ive Jewish counterpar t to Chr is t ian Kabbala .

4

In the Jewish versio n,

Jesus and the disciples were admittedly Kabbalis ts , only their Kabbala

was vit ia ted by errors . Mithridates, as might be expected, redresses the

d isapp roba t ion o f Chr i s t ian Kab ba la : auc tore s eorum perfecte earn

n o v e r a n t .

4 Scho lem , Zur Gesch ichte der An fän ge der christ l ichen Ka bba la, p . 177.

[1 9 ]




Mithr ida tes sometimes notes lacunae in his Hebrew or igina ls . Such

notes a re par t icula r ly f r equ ent in Cod . Vat . Ebr . 189. At

fol

255v he fi lls in

a lacuna , wi th a noteworthy resul t :

Rursus Fac iamus hominem ad imaginem e t s imi l i tud inem nos tram [Gen .

1:26] hebraice 13Π 1 ?13 ua 'jx a D1K Π Κ 75/3 indicat qu od futu rum erat q uo d

(hie deleuit Ab raam m ultum . Eg o aute m lego hec verba ) (heret ic i nostr i

facerent ex deo plura principia et dicerent numerum trinarium in eo per

obliquum quem ad modum i l le l i tere nun sunt torte et non directe hue

usque) propter hoc quod scriptum est faciamus in plural i non autem dixit

fac iam.

The controversy be tween Jews and Chris t ians concerning the plura l

fo rms of the noun

elohim

and the verb

na aseh

in G en esis 1:26 can be

traced f rom the M idrash to R am on M art i , Alfo nso de Val ladol id (Ab ner

of Burgos), and Ramon Lull . We can see in this particular instance that

M ithr ida tes , on his own show ing, in te rpo la ted a Chr is t ianiz ing

inte rpre ta t ion. But i t does not by any means fol low tha t a l l the

interpolations I have discussed in this chapter are in fact Mithridates ' : the

authorship of in te rpola t ions cannot be sa t is fac tor i ly es tabl ished by

inferences f rom one inte rpola t ion to another .

Jewish conver ts to Chr is t iani ty who sought conf i rmat ion of the ir new

fa i th in Kabbala exis ted long before Mithr ida tes , and Chris t ianiz ing

interpolations in Jewish texts were not unheard of. Precisely for this

reaso n it is necessary, in or de r to ma ke sure wh ethe r M ithrid ates is in fact

the au tho r of a l l the Chr is t ianiz ing inte rpola t ions th a t occur in his t rans la -

t ion, to es tabl ish the authorship of each s ingle in te rpola t ion independ-

ently. At the present s ta te of research this cannot be done: neither the

transmission of the Hebrew original versions of Pico's Kabbalis tic sources

no r the apo log etic l i terat ure created by Jew ish conve rts is suffic iently well

known to warrant valid conclusions in each particular case. Nor is i t

possible , in view of the incomplete preservation of the translations, to

establish the extent of Christianizing interpolation in the texts that Pico

read. G affa r e l , wh o read the lost t rans la t ion of Reca na t i ' s Comm entary on

the Pentateuch, states tha t the messias iam dud um venisse asser i tur in

e iusdem voluminis par te pr ima parasc ia nona contra per t inac iss imum

q u e n d a m C a l l i r u m .

5

I have no mean s of judg ing wh ether G affa re l ' s

s ta tement is r ight or wrong. But the possibil i ty that he is r ight must be

reckoned with: i t does not require much ingenuity to translate the said

5 Gaf fare l , Index p. 7 [11].

[110]




passage in Recanati as if i t meant that the Savior has a lready come.

M ithr ida tes , to judg e by his Sermo de Passione Domini, was quit e capa ble

of fa r more remarkable fea ts of t ransformation.

W hen reading the t rans la t ion s of M ithr ida tes one is of te n reminded tha t

the sam e Hebrew word s carry dif fe rent over tones depending upo n

whether they are read by Jews or by Christians. This is true not only of

highly charged words, such as masiah (messias) or ruah ha-qodei (spir i tus

sanc tus) , but a lso of the humble pronoun ze , which in ordinary human

speech means hie o r iste. To a Jew w ho is read ing , say, Gi cati l la s Portae

Iustitiae, ze i s e i ther a demonstra t ive pronoun or e lse , when occas ion

offe rs , the nam e of the ninth sefirah. W hen in the La t in t rans la t ion of tha t

b o o k

ze

is not translated but transli terated, i t has ceased to be a pronoun

and has been fixed as a symbol which a Christian Kabbalis t would

conceive of as the name of the ninth sefirah (commonly ca l led Iustus o r

Fundamentum and at the same time as a mystical representation or

pref igura t ion of Jesus Chr is t . The Chr is tologica l in te rpre ta t ion of Ze is

a t tes ted long be fore the bir th of Ch r is t ian K abb ala and can be t raced f rom

th e Pugio Fidei to the Sermo de Passione Domini and to the Conclusiones

Cabalisticae secundum opinionem propriam.

Conclusio xxi:

Qui coniunxer i t d ic tum Cabal i s tarum dicent ium q uod i lia num erat io quae

dic i tur ius tus e t redemptor d ic i tur e t iam Ze cum dic to Thalmut i s tarum

dicentium qu od Isaac ibat s icut ze porta ns Crucem suam uidebit qu od i l lud

qu od fuit in Isaac praef igu ratum fuit adim pletu m in Ch risto qui fuit verus

De us uendi tus argen to .

6

Bear ing in mind the Chr is tologica l in te rp re ta t ion of Ze, we can see wh y in

Mi thr ida te s t r ans la t ions Ze is used symbolically more often than the

Hebrew or igina ls e i ther warrant or demand. Two examples should suffi e

to i l lustra te this point.

Gica t i l la s Portae Iustitiae is a system atic inte rpr etati on of the ten

sefirot in ascending order. I ts guiding principle and central theme is the

ascent of man to the vision of G od th rou gh the sefirot. To m ake sure of the

ascent i t is necessary to know the gate through which to enter; hence the

title Portae Iustitiae. The know ledge of tha t gate was gran ted to the

pa tr ia rch Jacob ( fols . 6v-8r) :

6 Pico Opera, p. 109.

[ I l l ]




Postquam igitur notif icaui tibi hec universalia principia debes scire quod

secretum huius sacre por te quam merui t e t d ignus fu i t Iaacob

comprehendere es t secretum numerat ionis decime que vocatur xechina id

est habitat r ix uel diuinitas Π ΤΟ ΙΡ quod ha bet ur in textu [Deut . 33:28]

dicente et habitauit Israel confidenter solus oculus Iacob ad terram. Et

qua ndo c omp rehendit Iaaco b Ze po r tam hec quidem fu i t habi ta tr ix que

vocatur sedec p is e t tunc tex tus vociferatus es t p roclamando d icens [Ps .

118:19] aperite mihi portas Iusticie Sedech intrans per eas gratias agam

domino . . .

7

Postquam uero et hec nosti debes scire quod ilia porta que

uocatur sedech per quam itur ad e quamuis heredi tau i t Abraam i l lam

numerat ionem non tamen nouit por tam donee ueni t Iacob et aperu i t earn

.. . Et scias quod ab illo tempore quo Iaacob nouit hanc portam et accepit

dauern in manu sua non es t a l iqua creatura in mundo que habet v iam

intrandi ad nom en Iod he vau he benedictum nis i pe rm an us ips ius Jac ob et

f iliorum eius hoc est qu od e ff ician tur proselite et sint circumcisi et in trab un t

sub alis diuinitatis

ad e

que quidem diu in i tas os tendet e is locum et por t am

per quam intrare poterunt ad portas iusticie Sedech. Et propter hoc dictum

est quod omnes gerim siue neophiti veri sunt gere id est proselite seu

neop hiti in sedech. quasi diceretur qu od om nes gerim predicti qui intran t ad

adytus domini Iod he vau he intrant per manus portarum iusticie seu

Sedech. et hoc est secretum venibrachu id est et benedicentur quod inserti

erunt in te seu plantati in te de novo et hi dicuntur neophiti .

T h e s y m b o l i c

Ze

appears in both short in terpolat ions (g iven in i ta l ic s ) .

Bear ing in mind that Mithr idates was demonstrab ly fami l iar w i th the

Chris to log ica l in terpretat ion of Ze, we ought to reckon with the poss ib i l -

i ty that these in terp olat io ns h ad a purpo se: i f Gica t i l la i s un de rs to od as

saying that through the gate Ze m an e n t e r s u p on h i s a s c e n t t o G od , an d

that that gate leads to

Ze,

it m ake s pos s ib le a sym bo l ic in terpretat ion of

the whole passage to the e f f ec t that the ascent of man to God i s through

Christ to Christ .

M y seco nd e xa m ple i s the render ing of the ta lm udic phrase kazeh re eh

weqades

(see the m o on l ike th is and san ct i fy) as Ze v ide e t san ct i f ica in

A b r a h a m A b u l a f i a ' s

De Secretis Legis}

I wil l no t de ny that a translato r

wo rk in g at the rate of du o qu in terno s in d ie i s l iab le to be co m e thou gh t -

les s and inat t ent ive to deta i l throu gh has te , wear ine ss , and sheer b or ed om .

At the same t ime , we ought not to lose s ight of the fac t that for F lavius

Mithr idates , as h is

Sermo de Passione Dom ini

c le ar ly s h o w s ,

Ze

was the

7 The par t om itted here includes the passage in which the interp olatio n sic

oleaster inse ritur occurs; see abo ve, pp . 108-10 9.

8 Co d. Chigi, fols. 256 v-25 7r: et dicit unicu ique de nostr is imit antibu s ha nc

sapienciam ut Ze vide et sanctif ica.

[ 1 1 2 ]




symbol not only of the ninth sefirah but a lso of him w ho carried his cross

on his shoulder.

Mithr ida tes , in his t rans la t ions , sometimes quotes whole passages in

Hebrew. O ne such qu o ta t ion a f fo rd s the oppor tun i ty to see how , th rough

the omission of a single letter, agnusdei takes the place of the ram tha t wa s

sacrif iced instead of Isaac (Gen. 22:1-13). What follows is the conclusion

of the misterium temptationis in Ab ula f ia ' s De Secretis Legis, Cod. Chigi ,

fol. 245r:

Et s icut mutatu s fuerit pop ulu s transiens per mare per aridam sup er aqu as

superiores in populum sumersum in mari rubro in abyssis aquarum

inferiorum et hie salvatus est et hie perii t s ic mutab itur agn us in agnu m dei

qui voc atur Se el ?X HIP et est agn us ultim us. hie quide m im olab itur ad

sacrif ic ium et hie l iberabitur et memorabitur in bonum.

But there a re no cou nterp ar ts to agn us de i and agn us ul t i m us in the

Hebrew or igina l , which Mithr ida tes quotes in extenso at the end of the

passage ( fols. 245v-246r) . T he H ebrew text reads

V

«

ntP (agn us aries and

als o j n n x V>X Kim (et est aries ul t imus) . Ag nu s de i thus proves to be

here the t rans la tor ' s invent ion or mis take .

[113]





Mock Mysteries

Et scias quod hec est porta per quam intratur ad videndum faciem regis

dom ini Iod he vau he .. . e t hec est por ta om nium nu me rat ionu m postqu am

homo intrat per regnum Ze est porta ad dominum Iod he vau he iusti

in trabunt per earn . Et postquam comprehendi tur homo in h is duabus

num erat ioni bus , hoc est in regno et fu nd am en to , iam ipse ascendit usque ad

coro nam suprem am . . . multe nam que por te sunt que d icuntur xear im, sunt

enim porte fundamenti, sunt etiam porte intelligentie que est directa et

ord inata in lege. Et postquam homo in tra t per fundamentum ( lancee

fauent ine) [ th rough the bo t to m of Lanc i lo t to da Faenza] , qu ia h ie est

locus iuramenti , non habet inpedien tem nec prohibentem et hoc es t quod

scr ip tum es t de por ta fundamenti Ze es t por ta ad dominum Iod he vau he

iusti intrabunt per earn.

The context in which na ar m ak es i t s — or perhaps I sho u ld say h is —

fr ivo lou s in trus ion in to K abb ala i s a m od es t d iscuss io n of the my ster ies of

vocal izat ion , but the in trus ion i t se l f , in

Liber Redemptionis,

Co d. Ch ig i ,

fol . 2 8l r , is in gran d style:

Et similiter a dextra in dex tram et a sinistra in sinistram . A dextra qu idem in

de xtra m ut a b a in a velut TWV hasa idest fec it. A sinistra in sinis tram velut

ab a in a pun cta tio cum pa tha velut in dictione (vide m agn um misterium

Pice quod nahar punctatur cum patha quod est aperire quia debet ei aperir i

nnn).

W hat on e needs in order to unders ta nd th is m oc k m ystery i s l e s s acq uain -

t an c e w i t h K ab b a la t h an ac q u a in t an c e w i t h n on l it e r ar y H e b r e w , in w h ic h

the adverb

tahat,

b e lo w , i s a l s o u s e d s u b s t a n t ia l l y t o d e n o t e t h e

but tocks or the anal or i f ice , accord ing to c ircumstances .

Where there i s one mock mystery there might be another . Near the end

of S e c r e t u m d e C o n f u s ion e R e l i g ion u m , w h ic h c on c lu d e s t h e fir st p ar t

of h is

De Secretis Legis,

Ab ula f ia wr i t es , Co d . Vat . Ebr . 190 , fo l . 415v:

Tu vero cum caueris t ibi a confusione stabiliet te dominus sibi in populum

sanctum et v idebunt om nes popul i ter re quod n omen dom ini inuocatum est

etiam super te hebraice sem adonai nikra. (et dicit Mithridates chaldeus

quod etiam videbunt inimici tui et confundantur) et videbit te dominus in

caput e t non in caudam (absorbendam ut malfecta e t J . Jacobus) e t er is

semper sursum supra .

M ithr idates norm al ly inc lude s He bre w wo rds or phra ses in h is t rans lat ion

w h e n t h e y ar e s ym b o l s o f

sefirot

or the subject s of i sopseph ic equ at ion s . In

this instance i t was certainly with an eye to gematria that M ithr idates

inc luded part of the Hebrew or ig inal o f the verse , quoted by Abulaf ia , in

h is Lat in t rans lat ion , beca use he note s in the ma rgin cu ius numeri sunt

ae r p u t r e s c et in q u o i ll e e s t. m i t h r id a t e s . . . S o m e w o r d s t h a t f o l l o w e d ar e

[115]




comple te ly blot ted out . I cannot say whether the ink with which those

words were blotted out is or is not the same ink in which the text and the

no te are writ ten . But as regard s the m ean ing of the note we m ust rec kon

with tw o possibili t ies: thos e wo rds were blott ed o ut e ither in the cours e of

writing or not in the course of writ ing. In the former case we must reckon

with the poss ibi l i ty tha t M ithr ida tes changed his min d and, co nsequen t ly ,

the punc tua t ion a f te r

es t

is a redundant survival. In the la tter case the

pu nc tu a t ion m ust s tand . Accordingly, the note can mean e i ther Th e a i r

will be fou l wh ere he is wh ose num be rs these are . M ithrid ates . . . or e lse

Th e a ir wi l l be foul where he , whose nu mb ers these a re , is M ithr id a tes .

I t is no t necessary to insist on the la tter read ing of the no te in orde r to see

tha t Mithr ida tes has himse lf in min d. M alfec ta e t J . Ja co bu s a re Inno -

cen t VI I I and h i s m a jo rdo m o Giang iacomo Sc la fetano . Th roug hou t h i s

t rans la t ions , Mithr ida tes heaps abuses on Innocent VIII , h is former

pa tro n, who m he appa rent ly cons idered to be his a rchene my . G ran ted

tha t inimici tu i , in the f irs t paren thesis , are the enem ies of M ithrid ates ,

i t is notew orthy tha t Mithr ida tes t rans la tes De ut . 28:10 qu od no m en

domini invoca tum es t etiam sup er te . I t is diff icu lt to see why M ithr idat es

adde d e t iam unless he thou ght or wished to imply tha t he too was ca lled

by the nam e of G od . We can see tha t the person cuius num eri su nt mu st

be Mithr ida tes regardless of the punc tua t ion of his note .

Cuius numeri sunt is a phrase f requent ly used by Mithr ida tes to in t ro-

duce or explain gematriof, the modusprocedendi is th us qu ite certa in . But

in order to proceed by gematria one needs Hebrew words . Um ber to

Cassuto conjec tured long ago tha t Mithr ida tes ' name before his conver-

s ion was Samuel .

3

It was not possible a t that t ime to sett le the question

beyo nd do ub t or d ispute . But the reasons adduc ed by Cassuto a re weighty

enough to make his conjec ture highly probable . On the hypothes is tha t

Mithridates ' Hebrew name was VxiQtt? (Samuel) , a ll parts of the j igsaw

puzzle fall into place. VxiW can of course be read as bx Wltf (his name is

G od ). M oreo ver, the num erical v alue of a ll the le tters of that n am e is 377,

which is the equivalent of the sum resulting from the addition of a ll the

nu m be rs rep resented by the le tters of the word s K1p3 m n

1

(Adona i nikra),

which can be taken to mean he is ca lled Y H W H .

This gematria

ffords

an unexpec ted con f irm at ion of Cas suto 's br i l l iant

3 U. C assu to, Wer war der Oriental ist Mithridates?

Zeitschrift für die

Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland 5 (1934) , 23 0-2 36 .

[116]



Mock Mysteries

hypothes is . I t a lso af for ds half the solut ion of anoth er puzzle , namely the

equa t ion o f Ad ona i E loh im wi th M i th r ida tes et P icus . I quo te f rom the

trans la t ion of Gicat i l la ' s

Portae Iustitiae

fol . 44r: Po st xem vere aliq uo d

et ad Tiphereth quia th iphereth es t l inea media que conect i t omnia in ter

hymnum et xem ad s imil i tudinem adonai e lohim scr ip torum per has

literas . DT^N m m (M ithrid atis et Pici) . Seeing th at the

letters

of the divine

nam es A don ai E lohim are sa id to be M ithr id at is e t P ic i , i t i s obv ious

tha t equa t ion by

gematria

is me ant . W e kn ow already how the na me of

Mithridates f i ts into the scheme of divine names. And once the principle

and m etho d are kn ow n i t is no t too dif f icul t to puzzle out how P ico 's nam e

fits into the same scheme.

Pico 's Chr is t ian name, Giovanni , der ives u l t imately f rom the Hebrew

Yo han an ]3ΓΠ \ P la in

gematria

will not help; but

gematria

need not be

plain; i t can be applied together with temurah subs t i tu t ion . One common

fo rm of subs t i tu t ion is the sequence D3 p'X. Mithr idate s k new it well . He

explains the proc edu re as fo l lows: sem per cum per uni ta te , den ar io , et

c e n t e n a r i o p r o c e d e n d o .

4

Perfectly correct: you substi tute letters the

value of which are units for letters the values of which are tens, and the

latter for letters the values of which are hundreds, or vice versa, thus:

13 Π I 1 m J 3 H

Χ Β V 0 3 Ο b 3

r s j o p n c M p

If this m eth od of sub sti tu tion is applie d to the letters 3 3 Π V (Yohan an) the

result w ill be

Π Π D D

X, the num erica l equivale nts of which am ou nt t o 151,

which is a lso the sum resul t ing f rom the addi t ion of the numer ical equival-

ents of the letters

ö

Π V Χ

' Π Χ ( A d o n a i E l o hi m ). W e c an n o w se e t h a t

M ithr idates has to h imself the inef fable Te tra gra m m ato n, whi le P ico is

o n l y A d o n a i E l o h i m :

proximus sed longo intervallo.

The latest instance that I have noticed of this equation occurs in Cod.

Vat. Ebr. 189 at fol . 99r. Mithridates soon changed his mind: Pico could

not be called elohim but only isc m an . The r eason P ico was thus

demoted is noteworthy (Cod. Vat. Ebr. 189, fol . 257v):

Et rursus om ne tem pus qu od non fuit m issus ad Israel a l iquis , v ir dictus est .

at vero post qu am dixit ei et tu nunc hie sta apud m e, prohib uit e i uxor em et

4 Co d. Vat. Ebr. 191, fol . 20v.

[117]



Pico's Encou nter with Jewish Mysticism

dictus est elohim prout scriptum est ecce constitui te elohim ad ph araonem

(et ideo Picus non potest dici elohim sed isc).

W ha t a pity Po or Pico is told to say go od by to his divinity bec ause he

didn ' t or wouldn ' t leave women alone.

The same page in Abu la f ia ' s De Secretis Legis that car r ies the notes a nd

parenth eses in which M ithr idates is equ ated w ith the inef fable na m e of

G od , car r ies a lso anoth er rem arka ble parenthes is . I have publ ished and

explaine d i t elsewhere,

5

so I can be brief here . In touch ing upo n Ch r is t ian-

i ty Abulaf ia remarks among other th ings that the Law cal led Jesus

elohey

nekhar

6

(fol. 415v):

et lex vocav it eum elohe nechar id est deum extraneum , hebraice 133 TiVx.

Et intellege illud nimis nimis quia est secretum valde magnum (et dicit

Mithridates [chaldeus written in the margin by the first hand] quod si

addideris aliam dictionem que sequitur ad elohe nechar id est deum

extraneum scies etiam maris amaritudinem que sua spuma genuit Eneam in

mo nte Ericino. et intellege hoc nimis nimis quia est secretum m agnum plus

quam illud quod dixit auctor).

Th e gist of this paren thes is is th at if you a dd to

elohe nechar

the word that

follows this expression you will know also the "bit terness of the sea." By

the la t ter Mithr idates undoubtedly means D ' la , Mir iam, which is here

represented by "bi t tern ess" (1Ώ ) an d "s ea " (D

1

) . Now the word that

fo l lows elohe nechar in Deu t . 31:16 is ρ κ π (ha'ares) "of the land," the

numer ical value of which

(296)

is equivalent to that of the word

•Ή Ώ Ί ,

"and Mir iam." Hence a remarkable fact emerges : a lmost twenty years

af ter h is convers ion, Mithr idates is parodying Abulaf ia ' s s ty le and a t the

same t ime repeat ing an ant i -Chr is t ian in terpreta t ion of the "s t range gods

of the land" as a pref igurat ion of Jesus and Mary.

7

I am not suggesting that the parentheses discussed in this chapter

warrant c lear -cut conclus ions about the t rans la tor ' s fa i th or unbel ief . But

it is no t necessary to s train th e evidential value of his pa ren the ses in or de r

to see that they evince both ski l l and extravagance, and thus match to

perfect ion his Kab bal is t ic t rans la t ions , w hich, cons idered as a whole , are a

s t range compound of accuracy, extravagance, and make-bel ieve.

5 Sermo de Passione, pp. 39-41.

6 Deu t. 31:16.

7 Cf. Secret, L'Ensis Pauli de Paulus de He redia , p. 101.

[118]



P A R T T H R E E

W hat abbala M eant to Pico

Die Philologie e iner mystischen Disziplin wie der K abb ala ha t e tw as

Ironisches an sich.

G. Scholem

Zehn unhis tor ische Sä tze über Kabb ala I .





1 1

M Y S T E R I E S O F T H E L A W

A n en th u s i a s t i c y o u n g p h i lo so p h er i n s ea r ch o f t r u th s e t o u t t o acq u a in t

h imse l f w i th a ll so u r ce s o f k n o w led g e . H i s e f f o r t s i n c lu d ed K ab b a l a . T h e

r esu l t s a r e emb o d ied i n h i s

Conclusiones

w h ich s t a r t ed K ab b a l a o n i t s

l o n g ca r ee r i n t h e Ch r i s t i an w o r ld . F r o m th e s t an d p o in t o f mo d er n

scholar sh ip i t i s o f course t rue tha t P ico , unaware o f the t rue h i s to ry o f

J ew i sh my s t i c i sm , l au n ch ed K ab b a l a i n to t h e Ch r i s t i an w o r ld u n d e r a

my th i ca l f l ag . T h e my th , h o w ev er , w as n o t r emo te an t i q u i t y , b u t d iv in e

o r ig in : K ab b a l a , a s P i co mean t t o p r e sen t i t a t t h e d eb a t e o n h i s n in e

h u n d r ed t h eses , w as t h e d iv in e ly r ev ea l ed t r ad i t i o n o f t h e J ew s . T h e r e a r e ,

o r s eem t o b e , tw o n o t ew o r th y ex cep t io n s , w h ich I sh a l l co n s id e r p r e s -

e n t l y . B u t , n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g s u c h e x c e p t i o n s , t h a t K a b b a l a w h i c h P i c o

c o n s i d e r e d t o b e p r i m a e t v e r a c a b a l a a n d w h i c h , o n h i s o w n s h o w i n g ,

w as h i s J ew i sh w i tn es s t o t h e t r u th o f Ch r i s t i an i t y , emer g es f r o m P ico ' s

d i s cu s s io n o f t h e n a m e an d n a tu r e o f K ab b a l a a s t h e o r a l l y t r an s m i t t ed

tw in r ev e l a t i o n o n Mo u n t S in a i .

J ew i sh t r ad i t i o n a l i sm th r o v e o n t h e i d ea t h a t a l l t r u e t r ad i t i o n i s u l t i -

ma te ly r ev e l a t i o n .

1

T he c lass ic exp ress io n of th a t idea i s th a t the wh ole

b o d y o f O r a l L aw , a l l n i ce t i e s an d e l ab o r a t i o n s i n c lu d ed , h ad b een

r e v e a le d t o M o s e s o n M o u n t S i n a i . T h e t h e m e re c u r s t h r o u g h o u t p o s t -

b ib l i ca l Jew i sh l i t e r a tu r e , in t h e T a lm u d an d M id r a sh a s w e ll a s i n M aim o -

n ides and in the wr i t ings o f medieval Jewish mys t ics . There are , to be sure ,

d i f f e r en ces o f d e t a i l , s t y l e , emp h as i s , an d o r i en t a t i o n . Bu t t h e u n d e r ly in g

id ea is a lw ay s t h e s am e . P i co ' s en c o u n te r w i th K ab b a l a i s t h u s an e n c o u n -

t e r n o t o n ly w i th sp ec i f i ca l l y K ab b a l i s t i c t r ad i t i o n s , d o c t r i n es , an d

meth o d s b u t a l so w i th t h e t r ad i t i o n a l J ew i sh v i ew o f t r ad i t i o n i t s e l f ,

n am ely t h e i d ea t h a t al l t r u e t r ad i t i o n is o r a l l y t r an sm i t t ed r ev e l a t i o n o r

1 See Scho lem , Tradi t ion und Ko mm entar a l s re l ig iose Kategor ien im Juden-

tum , pp . 19 -4 8; publ i shed as Reve la t ion and Tradi t ion as Re l ig ious Cate -

gories in Ju dais m , in

The Messianic Idea in Judaism

(N ew York, 1971) , pp.

2 8 2 - 3 0 3 .

[ 1 2 1 ]




divinely revealed O ral Law . The form er are the keys to Pico s K abb alis tic

theses; the la tter is the key to his discussion of Kabbala in the Oration on

the Dignity of Ma n a n d Apology.

An even tful year in P ico s l ife passed between the Oration and the

Apology, an d, as a result of the intervenin g events , each was written fr o m a

different s tarting point and with a different end in view. The difference

shows also in the discussion of Kabbala .

W hat is a t present know n as the Oratio d e Hom inis D ignitate was meant

to be P ico s op ening add ress of the publ ic deba te of h is n ine hu nd red

theses. And the discussion of Kabbala in the oration was evidently

intended to in troduce his Kabbal is t ic conf i rmat ion of Chr is t iani ty to the

Chris t ian audience .

2

Venio nunc ad ea quae ex antiquis Hebraeorum mysteri is eruta ad

sacrosanctam et cathol icam f idem confirmandam attul i , quae, ne forte ab

his qu ibus sunt ignota comment ic iae nugae aut fabulae c ircumlatorum

exist imentur, volo inte l l igent omnes quae et qual ia s int , unde pet i ta , quibus

et quam Claris auctor ibus confirm ata, et qua m reposita , qua m divina, qu am

nostr i s homin ibus ad propugnandam re l ig ionem contra Hebraeorum

importunas ca lumnias s in t necessar ia . Scr ibunt non modo ce lebres

Hebreorum doctores , sed ex nostr is quoque Esdras, Hilarius , et Origenes ,

Mosern non legem modo quam quinque exaratam l ibris posteris re l iquit ,

sed secret iorem q uoq ue et veram legis enarra t ionem in m on te d ivinitus

accepisse .

He then goes on to explain that the divinely revealed interpretation of the

Law was not m ade pub l ic , and tha t it is ca lled Ka bba la ,

receptio,

because it

was hand ed on by w ord of mo uth in un bro ke n success ion unt i l i t was se t

do w n in w rit ing in seventy bo ok s at the t ime of Ezra. I t was in the bo ok s of

Kabbala , which Pico says he had acquired at great expense and studied

with indefa t igable exer t ion, tha t he fo un d a re lig ion mo re Chr is t ian than

Jewish and, in addi t ion, P la tonism and Pythagoreanism.

This is how Ka bba la wo uld have been presented to the Chr is t ian w orld ,

had Pico delivered his opening address. But, as we all know, the address

was not delivered.

3

The Church inte rvened, the deba te never took place ,

and Pico was summoned before an ecc les ias t ica l commiss ion appointed

by Innocent VIII to examine the theses . Thir teen of the nine hundred

2 Pico,

Oratio

in

De Hom inis Dignitate Heptaplus De Ente et Uno

e d. Ε .

Ga rin, p . 154 hereafter Oratio ed. Garin); Opera p p . 3 2 8 - 3 3 0 .

3 For the re levant docu m ents see Do rez and Thu asne , Pic de la Mirandole en

France pp. 114-144 .

[ 22]



Mysteries of the Law

t h e s e s w e r e c o n d e m n e d b y t h e e x a m in e r s . N o n e o f t h e Conclusiones

Cabalisticae

was con de m ne d. But Ka bba la is invo lv ed in on e o f the

th ir teen condemned theses , namely the mag ica l thes i s which s ta tes tha t

nulla est scient ia qu ae no s m agis cert if icet de div in itate Christ i qua m

m a g ia e t c a b a la . Th e r e a s o n it w a s u n a n im o u s ly d e c la r e d b y t h e e x a m in -

ers to be de v irtute ser m on is fa lsa , erron ea, sup erst it io sa et here t ica

4

is

not far to seek: the thes i s seems to se t mag ic and Kabba la above the

ev idence o f the Gospe ls . I t was the condemnat ion o f th is mag ica l thes i s

tha t occ as io ne d Pico 's Qu aes t io qu inta de m ag ia na tura l i e t caba la

H e b r a e o r u m i n h is Apology

5

Quar ta conclus io per is tos damnata fu i t haec

Nulla est scientia quae nos

mag is certificet de diuinitate Christi quam m agia et cabala. Hanc

conclusionem ego declarando dixi quod inter scientias quae ita sunt

scientiae quod neque ex modo procedendi, neque ex suis principiis , neque

ex suis conclusionibus innituntur reuelatis , nulla est quae nos magis

certif icet eo m od o quo de hoc certif icare possun t scientiae hu m an itus

inuentae quam magia il ia de qua ibi ponuntur conclusiones, quae est pars

scientiae natu ralis , et pa rs i l ia cabalae, q ua e est scientia et non est theolog ia

reuelata .

Pico w as tra ined as a philosoph er in Padua and Paris , the celebrated

s trongho lds o f Ar is to te l ian ism. Faced with a d i f f icu l ty , he prompt ly

p r o d u c e d t h e g o o d o ld s c h o la s t i c t a l is m a n

distinguo

H is

declaratio

and

sub sequ ent defen se o f the con de m ne d thes i s res t ent ire ly on the d is t inct ion

between revea led and nonrevea led sc ience .

Quam autem in se sit ipsa conclusio uera profecto euidentissime potest

declarari , l icet enim nulla sit scientia humanitus inuenta, quae nos

certif icare possit de diuinitate Christi , quia certif icationem de diuinitate

eius, ut in praecedenti diximus conclusione,

6

non habemus n is i ex modo

faciendi mirac ula q uae fecit , qua e m iracula et esse facta ab eo et esse taliter

facta non nisi ex testimonio scripturae scimus. Tamen, si quid ad hoc nos

possunt adiuuare scientiae humanae, sicut et adiuuant in cognitione

multarum uer i ta tum supernatural ium, nul la es t quae magis nos poss i t

ad iuuare quam magia e t cabala quas d ix imis . Ad hoc en im u t miracula

4 Ibid. , pp. 130-131.

5 Opera pp. 166 f f . In a l l quota t ions f rom the Qu aest io Q uin ta , I have

checked the text against the Ap olog y's editioprinceps ([Rom e], 1487) correc t-

ing misprints, but retaining the spelling of the Basle edition.

6 Nam ely, M irac ula Christi non ration e rei fact ae, sed ratio ne mo di faciendi

suae d iu in i ta t is argum entum cer t iss imum sun t ; ConclusionesMagicaeNo. 8,

Opera p. 105.

[123]




Chris t i nobis suam tes ten tur d iu in i ta tem opor te t cognoscere pr imo quod

non potuerunt f ier i in vir tute naturali sed solum in vir tute Dei. . . In primo

nulla scientia humana nos potest adiuuare magis quam ilia qua

cognosc untur u ir tu tes e t act iu i ta tes agent ium n atu ral i um . . . e t qu id pos sunt

u ir tu te propr ia e t qu id non . Hoc au tem in ter sc ien t ias humanas magis

cognoscit is ta sc ien t ia quam ego uoco magiam n atura lem de qua po si tae

sunt conc lusiones et i lia par s cabala e qua e est de uir tuti bus c orp oru m

coeles tium . . . Et ad p len iorem h uius conclus ionis declarat ionem pr im o es t

sciendum quod s icu t supra d ix i per han c conclus ionem non in tendo

comparare magiam et cabalam ad scien t ias reuelatas qu ia non accip io in

conclusio ne scientiam generaliter sed pr o scientia quae neque ex m od o

proce dend i nequ e ex suis principiis nequ e ex conc lusionib us innit itur

reuelatio ni neque etiam in praesen ti conclusion e loquo r de certitud iae

scientiae habitae ex reuelation e mod o prae dic to sed de certitud iae scientiae

inuentae uel acquis i tae per demo nstra t ion em non a pr ior i sed a poster ior i

per effectus scilicet quare intendo dicere quod si aliqua scientia humanitus

adinuenta et non reuelata certif icet de divinitate Christi per miracula eius

hoc maxime facit scientia qua cognoscuntur uir tutes et actiuitates agentium

natural iu m et eorum appl icat iones ad inuicem et ad sua passa natura l ia e t

per quas cognosci tur qu id possunt agen t ia natural ia u ir tu te propr ia e t qu id

non . . . Cum ergo talia maxime cognoscat i l ia pars cabalae quae est de

uir tuti bus corp oru m coelestium et i lia pars scientiae natu ralis qua m ego

nunc voco magiam n aturalem . . . ideo non haeret ice non superst i t iose sed

scientif ice sed uerissime sed catholice dixi per talem mag iam et cabala m

adiuuar i nos in cognoscenda d iu in i ta te Chr is t i .

7

The d iv ine ly revea led Kabba la o f which Pico spoke in h is Oration is by no

m ean s ignore d; on the contrary , i t i s res ta ted with grea ter prec is ion an d

elabo rat ion . But — and th is i s the essent ia l d i f f erence betw een the Oration

and the Apology — at the end o f h is long d iscus s ion o f d iv ine ly revea led

Kabba la P ico returns to the in i t ia l d i s t inct ion between revea led and

non-revea led Kabba la , or , a s he puts i t here , between Kabba la in i t s

pr im ary sense an d Ka bba la in i t s t ransu mp t ive sense .

Relinqui tur ergo u t haec Hebraeorum doctr ina cu i doctores cathol ic i ex

Hieronymi tes t imonio tan tum deferunt e t quam adeo approbant s i t i l ia

quam ipsimet nostr i doctores fatentur et credunt a Deo Moysi et a Moyse

per successionem aliis sapientibu s fuisse reuel atam et est ista qua e ex hoc

m odo trad endi d ic i tur Cabala quam saepe e tiam uideo a nostr is auctor ib us

hoc m od o designari dicendo ut dicit ant iqu a tradit io. Hae c est prim a et uera

Cabala de qua credo me pr imum apud Lat inos expl ic i tam fecisse

m entio nem et est i l ia qua ego uto r in meis conclu sionibu s qu as cum

expresse ponam contra Heb raeos ad conf irm atione m f idei nostrae nescio

qu om od o isti mag istr i habere pot uer unt p ro suspectis in f ide. Verum q uia

7 Apologia Opera pp . 167-168.

[124]




iste modus tradendi per successionem qui dicitur Cabalisticus uidetur

conuenire unicuique rei secretae et mysticae hinc est quod usurparunt

Hebrae i u t unam qua m que scien tiam qua e apud eos hab etur pro secreta e t

abscondita Cabalam uocent , e t unumquodque scib i le quod per u iam

occultam al icunde habeatur d icant haber i per u iam cabalae . In uniuersal i

autem duas scientias hoc etiam [my i ta l ics] nomine honor if icarunt . Vnam

quae d ic i tu r <ηηχπ ΠΏ3Π [hokmat haseruf]> idest ars combinandi et est

m odu s quid am proced endi in scientiis, et est simile quid sicut apud nos tros

dicitur ars Ray m undi licet forte diverso m od o pro ced ant . Aliam q uae est de

uir tu t ibus rerum super iorum quae sunt supra lunam et es t pars magiae

natural is suprema. Vtraque is tarum apud Hebraeos etiam [my italics]

d ic i tur cabala propter ra t ionem iam dictam et de u traque is tarum etiam

aliquando [my italics] fecimus mentionem in conclusionibus nostr is . I l ia

enim ars combinandi est quam ego in conclusionibus meis voco

alphabetar iam reuolu t ionem. Et is ta quae es t de u ir tu t ibus rerum

super iorum, quae uno modo potes t capi u t pars magiae natural is , a l io

modo ut res distincta ab ea, est i l ia de qua loquor in presenti conclusione

dicens quod adiuuat nos in cognitione diuinitatis Christi ad modum iam

declaratum. Et licet istis duabus scientiis nomen cabalae ex primaria et

propr ia imposi t ione non conueniat , t ransumptiue tarnen potu i t e is

applicari.

8

M y exc use for qu ot ing fami l iar t ext s at such length i s the ad van tage

th is g ives of present ing the cruc ia l pasa ge , beg inn in g In un iversa l i

autem du as sc ient ias in i ts t rue contex t . The whole dr i f t o f the Qu aes t io

Q uin ta sho ws qu i t e c lear ly that P ico 's l ine of defen se requ ires the d is t inc-

t ion between the Kabbala which i s the foundat ion of h is

Conclusiones

Cabalisticae an d t h e K ab b a la w h ic h i s in vo lve d in t h e c on d e m n e d m ag ic a l

thes i s . H enc e the d is t inct ion betw een pr im a e t vera cab ala , on the on e

hand , and , on the other hand , two sc iences , ne i ther of which i s Kabbala

ex pr imaria e t propr ia impos i t ione , but both are also cal led Kabbala by

the Jews themse lves and are

also

m en t ion ed in P ico 's theses . Th e nature of

these tw o sc iences and the ir re lat ion to t rue Ka bba la w i l l be cons idered

later . I t is essent ial f irst to make sure we know as exact ly as poss ible what

w as P i c o ' s ow n v i e w o f K ab b a la .

There exists , in Pico's Com mento sopra una canzona d amore di Giro-

lamo Benivieni

, a rema rkably short and accurate def in i t ion of Ka bbala : la

loro (deg l i ant ich i Ebrei) sc ienzia nel la quale la esp os iz i on e del l i astrusi

e t ascondi t i mis t er i i de l la legge s i cont iene Cabala s i ch iama.

9

If th e

my ster ies of the La w were no mor e than yet ano ther ins tance of P ico 's

8 Ibid., pp. 180-181.

9 Commento book III , chap, xi, stanza 9, p. 580, ed. Garin =Opera p. 922).

[ 1 2 5 ]




v iew tha t there are myster ies everywhere , in a l l grea t documents o f re l i -

g io n , tho ugh t , and poetr y , I wo uld ent ire ly agree tha t there i s no t h in g

more to be sa id . But this is not the case. For one thing ,

sitrey torah,

myster ies o f the To rah , i s a fami l iar no t ion tha t appea rs in the Ta lm ud ,

in M aim on ide s , and in Ka bba la . Fo r anoth er th ing , myster ies o f the

L aw are the heart o f the d iv ine ly revea led Kab ba la a s i t eme rges f rom

Pico 's d iscu ss ion in the Qu aes t io Q uin ta , and tha t d iscu ss ion beg ins

with a rec i ta l o f i l lus tr ious Hebrew names:

Est ergo sciendum opinionem esse non solum rabi Eliazar , rabi Moysis de

Ae gypto , rabi Sim eon Benlagis, rabi Ismael, et rabi Ioda « et rabi N ach/wan,

et a l iorum quamplur ium ex sapien t ibus Hebraeorum, sed nostrorum et iam

doctorum, u t in f ra os tendam, praeter legem quam Deus dedi t Moysi in

monte e t quam i l le qu inque l ibr is contentam scr ip tam rel iqu i t , reuelatam

quo qu e fuisse eidem Moysi ab ipso De o ueram legis exposition em cum

man ifes ta t ione omn ium mis ter iorum et secretorum quae sub cor t ice et rud i

facie uerborum legis continerentur . Denique duplicem accepisse legem

Moysen in monte lit teralem et spir italem. il lam scripsisse et ex praecepto

Dei populo communicasse . de hac vero mandatum ei a Deo ne ipsam

scriberet. . . Ex quo modo tradendi istam scientiam, per successivam scilicet

receptionem unius ab altero, dicta est ipsa scientia scientia Cabalae, quod

idem est quod scientia receptionis. . .

Quod autem ita sit ut supra diximus, quod Deus Moysi praeter li t teralem

legem quam ipse scripsit dederit etiam et reuelauerit mysteria in lege

contenta , habeo ex nostr is qu inque tes tes Esdram, Paulum, Or igenem,

Hi la r ium e t Euange l ium. . .

Sed praeter has li t teras tradita sunt eis eloquia Dei, de quibus merito

glor ian tur , quae n ih il a liud sunt quam quod a pud H ebraeo s d ic i tur Cabala

id est uerus legis sensus ab ore Dei acceptus, unde et apud Hebraeos

qua ndoq ue uocatur Π 3 7Ϊ2 Π Π Π

[torah be alpeh

] qu od idem est qu od lex de

ore nata, quae propter il lam successiuam receptionem deinde dicta fuit

C a b a l a . . .

Quod autem et ista secretior et uerior de mysteriis legis expositio omnibus

passim non publicaretur . . . testatur etiam Origenes . . .

l 0

The model from which this image of Kabbala was ult imately drawn is

ev ident ly the idea tha t Ora l Law was revea led to Moses on Mount S ina i ,

a n d t h e n h a n d e d o n in a n u n b r o k e n s u c c e s s io n f r o m M o s e s t o J o s h u a , a n d

from Josh ua to the Elders , and f rom the Elders to the Judges , and f rom the

Judges to the Prophet s , and f rom the Prophet s to the Men o f the Grea t

A s s e m b l y .

1 1

At the same t ime , there i s a rem arkable d i f f ere nce betw een the

10 Opera,pp. 175-177.

11 Mishna,

Abot,

i . l .

[126]




mod el an d the copy, the dif fe rence be ing due not only , nor even pr im ar i ly ,

to the ad apt a t io n of the copy to the s ta tem ents in 4 Ezra , but to a dif fe rent

concept ion of the subs tance or contents of the twin reve la t ion on Mount

Sinai.

The precise content of any revelation is admittedly a delicate matter ,

an d the precise con tent of a twin revelation is do ub ly so. Nevertheless, a ll

shades of opinion n otw iths tand ing, Jew ish Ora l L aw is f i rs t and fo rem ost

the inte rpre tatio n of the Law w hereby Jew s live. As such it exists in bro ad

daylight and is meant for everybody. To be sure , there are exceptions.

Cer ta in mat te rs coun t as my ste r ies of the La w , sitrey torah They may

not be discussed in public , and their transmission is hedged about with

restr ic tions. The precise extent an d relative im po rtan ce of those m yst er-

ies of the La w is a ma t te r of emp has is and or ie nta t io n. One thing ,

however, is quite certa in: none of the Jewish authorit ies whose names

head Pico's discussion ever suggested that Oral Law and the explanation

of the mysteries of the Law were coextensive or interchangeable . By

contrast , in Pico's discussion of Kabbala the la tter is conceived of as both

the divinely revealed expla natio n of the m ysteries of the Law , an d th e

equiva lent of Ora l Law . At a s t roke , Kabb ala has become the sole embo di-

ment, or a t least the heart , of the divinely revealed tradition of the Jews,

an d M oses, the M aster of the Prop hets , is a lso, if I m ay say so, princeps

cabalistarum

I do no t myself think tha t this image of K ab ba la is du e solely to Pico 's

inabi l i ty , unders tandable in the c i rcumstances , to dis t inguish be tween

qabbalah in the general sense of Kabbalism and as the true interpretation

of Ora l Law , nor to his equa l ly und ers tan dab le unwil l ingness to adm it the

Talmud into the scheme of t rue t radi t ion.

1 2

What makes me think of an

inte rvening Kabbal is t ic source be tween the Ta lmud and Maimonides , on

the one han d, and Pico, on the oth er , is the un err i ng jud gm en t tha t s ingled

ou t the my steries of the L aw as the hea rt of K abb ala . A nd if there is

indeed such an inte rvening source , Abraham Abulaf ia , the pr inc ipa l

exponent of prophe t ic Kabbala , is the obvious and only choice .

12 Apologia O pera p. 180: Talm uticos allegari ab antiquis doc torib us nostris

non est credendum, tum quia Clemens et mult i a l i i qui Hebraeos al legant

fuerint ante com po sit io ne m ipsius Talm ut, quae fuit pos t Christ i m ortem

plus quam per 150 annos, tum quia doctrina Talmutica est total i ter contra

nos conficta ab ipsis Hebraeis iam contra Christ ianos pugnantibus.

[127]




I n C h ap t e r 7 I b r i e fl y c on s id e r e d A b u la f ia s m ys t i c a l c om m e n t ar y on

the pr inc ipal th ir ty- s ix secret s or myster ie s that M aim on ide s i s sa id to h ave

revealed in his Guide of the Perplexed. T h at c om m e n t a r y i s e n t i tl e d Sitrey

Torah (De Secretis Legis). I n h i s l on g p r e f ac e A b u la f ia s ta t e s s u m m ar i ly

d iverse po in t s of m eth od w hich he pro m ises to exp la in la ter (C od . Vat .

Ebr . 190 , fo l s . 3 43 v-r ) :

quemadmodum probabimus infer ius de eo quod reuelau i t magnus doctor

Rabi Moises f il ius Mainion in compositione sua sermonis honorabilis l ibri

More Anebuchim idest dir igentis perplexos vel perturbatos. In quo intentio

expositionis eius e t Veritas esse eius fuit ad revelanda secreta eius

intelligentibus tantum. Et in medio eorum continuit et manifestavit ac

etiam revelavit secreta legis quemadmodum tenent sapientes nostr i

cabaliste. nec plus nec minus. Et propter hoc vocaui ego expositionem

horum secretorum, que ipse revelavit in dicto libro et tradidit ea discipulis

suis, l ibrum secretorum legis . . . Quod autem ipse doctor excitauit nos per

omnes hos modos indicasse, scilicet uel per mesalim idest allegorias vel

syr ruph oct io th idest com binat ione m l i terarum et omnes a l ios m odo s quos

super ius nominaui , lege l ib rum suum more e t l ib rum madah ides t de

scientia et capitulum helech quod exposuit, et invenies ipsum usum fuisse

modo p roband i pe r omnes hos modos .

T h e n , a f t e r a s e ri e s o f e xam p le s , A b u la f ia go e s on (f o l s . 34 5r - 3 46 r ) :

n

Simili ter d icam de ma gno doctore rab i Moise fi lio Na ham an Gerundine nsi

qui dixit in principio legis expositionis quam ipse commentatus est in hec

verba:

1 4

habemus in manibus nostr is t rad i tum a sap ien t ibus cabale ips ius

veritatis quod tota lex est plena nominibus dei sancti et benedicti et

angelorum ordinis sacri celestis et ut dixit ipse idem in dictionibus brexith

ba ra elohim [ ΰ τή κ K13 ΓΡ27Χ Ί3] qu od ibi sint qu atu or

1 5

nomina que sunt

3JV Χ Ί D

,

n ?S Barox iatha b ra elohim , quor um expositio est in capite

sedit et vidit deos. et hec est intencio verborum eius sed de illo dubitandum

non est quia hanc sapientiam profitebatur. I taque ex h is duo bus sap ien t ibus ,

per omnes has res et similes per hos quoque modos et vias asconderunt

omnia secreta legis sapientes nostr i , considerare potes. precipue ilia que

testantur super secreta mesihuth idest essencie vel entis in veritate. deinde

revelare et tradere ea dignis et idoneis tantum. et ideo lex nostra dicitur

sancta et l ingua sancta quia in ea omnia predicta nomina in lingua hac

13 Th rou gh ou t this passage italics indicate interp olati ons.

14 The quotat ion is f rom Moses ben N ah m an s preface to h is Commentary on the

Pentateuch.

15 This oug ht to be an unnece ssary an d im prop er add ition by M ithridat es.

Neither M oses ben N ahm an nor A bulaf ia says that there are four nam es, and

the o bvio us division is into th ree : DTtVs Κ Ί3Π

1

I t loo ks as if the wo rds

were not clearly divided in the Hebrew original used by Mithridates.

[ 28]




oculta sunt et que faciunt comprehendere et esse in corde et animo

intelligencium comprehensiones divinas, et precipue quod res sunt

profunde et quanto magis profunde sunt tan to magis ocul tande sunt a

vulgari populo et ab ignaris qui perdunt dies suos in cultura corporis sui

quod colunt cibo et potu et voluptatibus (malfecta

1 6

malfecta) sine vita

al iqua e t aman t res f in i tas e t consumabiles e t od io habent perpetu i ta tem

etern am nec curant utru m scientie et me ntes et opiniones eo rum sint debiles

vel fortes, et ideo pascendi sunt cum rebus grossis in quibus ad

perpetu i ta tem et durat ionem tempor is ocul tande sunt subt i les . Et qu ia

Moises magister noster erat in summa perfectione perfectus, et erat

princeps et pate r in lege, et princeps et pat er in sapientia , et princeps et pa ter

in prophetia induxit eum influentia superior , in qua coniunctus est, ad

recipiendum legem a deo sancto et benedicto similiter per duos modos,

quorum unus es t modus sciendi legem secundum in te l lectum suum ad

sensum literalem secundum misteria sua et precepta sua cum expositione

recepta et tradita que est de ea composita et est quam dicimus Talmud

secundum se to tum et qu icquid imita tur modos e ius procedendi quod d ic i

possunt speciei sue. Secundus vero modus est sciendi legem secundum

intelligencias suas cum suis secretis et ocultamentis in misterio scilicet

secretorum nominum div inorum conten torum in ea e t in ra t ion ibus

precepti sui quod ore ad os traditur quod vocantur secreta legis, et hoc

quidem ut proficiantur in ea et per earn due species hominum que in

pronuntiacione non differunt sed bene in orthographia scilicet per sin et

samech. (hoc volo declarare ego Pico quia ipse non intelligeret. homines

quidem docti hebraice dicuntur sechalim et scribuntur •

,l

7Dt£> per sin.

homines vero ignari dicuntur sechalim et scribuntur per samech hoc modo

D'ÔO. In pronuntiatione non differunt sed bene in orthografia, modo

in tel ligere potes . ) Et h is qu idem d atur secundum opin ionem suam qua ntum

sufficit eis secun dum ima ginatio nem eo rum , velut eis cibus lactis infantu lis ,

h is vero a li is datu r secund um opin ionem eorum qua ntum suff ic i t e is

secundum intellectum eorum, ut est potus vini ad senes.

Th e idea that the true interp retat ion of the Law is de sce nd ed fr om

M ou nt S inai can b e p icked u p anyw here in He bre w l i terature; and the idea

that K abba la i s the in terpretat ion of the my ster ies of the Law can be foun d

in a var ie ty of Kabbal i s t ic books . In Abulaf ia s De Secretis Legis (and in

no other book which P ico i s known to have read before he wrote h is

Apology those two ideas are coupled in the same context w i th two other

ideas of cap i ta l im porta nce for the in terpretat ion of P ico s theses , na m ely

that the myster ies o f the Law are con cea led in d iv ine nam es , and that on e

can unrave l the myster ies through combinat ions of l e t t ers .

16 M alfe cta is a f requen t n icknam e in the t rans la t ions of Mithr idates for

Innocent VII I , Giovanni Bat t is ta Cibo , who as card inal of Molfet ta was

Mithr idates ' patron .

[129]






c o n t in u a t o r o f h i s m y s t i c i s m .

1 9

Smal l wonder tha t he conce ived o f the

myster ies o f the La w a f t er the ph i lo soph ica l ma nner o f the Master:

Secreta legis nota sunt ex parte tercia ex principio premisse que ponitur in

tercia parte eius. Circa misterium secretorum legis dicendum est quod iam

considerasti et vidisti i l lud quod dixit doctor in premissa il ia nobilissima.. .

Et intendit in ea dirigere ilium quem dilexit. et intencio sua finalis fuit ad

illud quod notificavit in verbis suis primis ex ea. et dixit nobis quod

articulus seu principalis intencio eius in libro suo fuit ad dec laran dum illud

quod possibile fuit declarari de sapientia naturati et de sapientia divina

20

ad

illos qui intelligunt intelligenter, et dixit quod hoc est de summa et

continencia secretorum legis. Et dixit i l lud quod dicunt sapientes nostr i

cabale quod secreta revelanda non sunt, et intellexit per secreta il lud quod

intelligunt sap ientes nostr i qu od sunt secreta legis et sapientiae ca ba le

2 1

. . .

I taqu e in veritate cum specula tus fueris in specu latione cabale intelliges

secreta ipsius Torae idest legis vel iudicii et in veritate comprehendes per

illam non solum ex secretis legis tantum sed etiam ex rebus naturalibus et

mathematicis et universaliter de omnibus scientiis divinis et humanis

manifestis et ocultis .

22

19 See above, Ch apte r 7.

20 This distinction between sapientia naturalis (hokmat ha-teva , natural science)

and sapientia divina (hokmat ha- elohut, theology) is a restatem ent in differe nt

terms of the distinction between ma ase beresit and ma ase merkabah, as may

be seen from the discussion at fol.

6 lv:

D ue autem sapiencie ille sunt

sapiencia naturalis que apud eos dicitur phisica et alia est sapiencia elahuth

que apud eos dicitur metafisica, que continent totum esse entis in quantum

ens. Que quidem due sapiencie sunt duo membra huius nostre divine sapiencie

Cabale. quorum unum vocatur mahase brex i th ides t opus geneseos , a l iud

vero vocatur maase m erchaba ides t de opere cur rus . Dif feren t ia au tem que

est inter nos et eos est duplex una in modo procedendi quia nos procedimus per

principia sapiencie nostre cabale alia vero est quo d nos vocam us has sapiencias

nom inibus ta libus quibus ind icatur novi tas rerum creat aru m , e tc . The

sentences printed in italics are interpolations.

21 De Secretis Legis, fol. 447r. The contin uati on, (fols. 44 7r-v ) is also no te-

wo rthy: E t dixit in prim a parte etiam in capitulo 34 pro fect o verba per

descr ip t iones e t a l legorias more sap ien tum n ostroru m et quom odo d is tare a b

eo d icuntur . Et que es t f [or ]ma et mater ia qua l i ta tum que a t t r ibuun tur deo e t

quomodo dicuntur non pertinere ad eum et similiter verba de creatione sua

quam creavit et in qualitate regiminis sui in seculum et quomodo et qualiter

est Provid entia sua in alio a se et misterium volunta tis sue et co mp rehen sionis

eius et sciencie sue de omni et quocumque quod seit illud. et similiter

misterium prophetie et quomodo et qualiter sunt gradus eius. et que sunt

mis ter ia nom inum suorum indicant ium de uno . Et si sunt nom ina m ulta .

om nia hec sunt m isteria pr of un da nimis et quidem su nt secreta legis et secreta

caba le .

22 De Secretis Legis, ibid., fol. 362v.

[131]




Pico s thes is tha t Ma im o nid es w a s a K a bb a l i s t in ph i lo so ph ica l g u i se

a r g u e s t h a t P i c o w a s a c q u a i n t e d w i t h A b u l a f i a s m y s t i c a l c o m m e n t a r y o n

th e

Guide of the Perplexed.

Th is be ing so , i t i s no t in the least sur pris in g

tha t there i s a rem a r ka b le a f f in i ty be tw ee n the co nte nts o f the d iv in e ly

r e v e a l e d K a b b a l a , a s u n d e r s t o o d b y P i c o , a n d t h e m y s t e r i e s o f th e L a w , a s

u n d e r s t o o d b y A b u l a f i a . P i c o , i t w i l l b e r e m e m b e r e d , m a i n t a i n e d t h a t t h e

d i v i n e l y r e v e a l e d K a b b a l a w a s h a n d e d o n in u n b r o k e n s u c c e s s i o n f r o m

M o s e s t o E z r a , b y w h o m i t w a s s e t d o w n i n w r i t i n g i n s e v e n t y b o o k s :

Que de re qu i mih i non credunt , aud ian t Esdram ipsum s ic loquentem:

Exact i s quadrag in ta d iebus , locu tus es t a l t i ss imus d icens . Pr io ra quae

scr ips is t i in palam pone, legan t d ign i e t ind ign i , nouiss imos au tem

septuagin ta l ib ros conseruabis , u t t radas eos sap ien t ibus de populo tuo , in

his enim est uen a intel lectus, et sapientia e fon s, et scientiae f lumen, a tqu e i ta

feci . Haec Esdras ad uerbum. Hi sun t l ib r i sc ien t iae cabalae , in qu ibus

mer i to Esdras uenam in te l lectus , id es t

ineffabilem de supersub stantiali

deitate theologiam

sap ien t iae fon tem, id es t

de intellegibilibus angelicisque

formis exactam metaphysicam

et scie ntiae flumen, id est

de rebus

naturalibus flrmissimam philosophiam

esse clara in prim is uoce

p ro n u n c iau i t . . . Ho s eg o l i b ro s , n o n med io cr i imp en sa mih i cu m

com par asse m , sum m a d i l igen t ia , indefessis labor ib us cum per leg issem, uid i

in i ll is tes ti s es t Deus) re lig ionem non tarn M osaic am , qu am Ch r is t ian am ,

ibi t r ini tat is mysterium, ibi uerbi incarnatio , ibi Messiae diuini tas, ibi de

pecc ato or ig inal i , de i ll ius per C hr is tum expiat ione, de coeles ti H ierusale m,

d e casu d aem o n u m , d e o rd in ib u s an g e lo ru m , d e p u rg a to r i i s , d e i n fe ro ru m

p o en i s ead em l eg i q u ae ap u d Pau lu m e t Dio n y s iu m,ap u d Hie ro n y mu m e t

Au g u s t in u m q u o t id i e l eg imu s .

2 3

Pico s no t io n tha t the J ew s we re in p o s ses s io n o f a d iv ine ly rev e a led

m y s t i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e L a w w a s u n h e a r d o f i n t h e C h r i s t i a n w o r l d

a t tha t t im e , a nd , to judg e by the h i s to ry o f Chri s t ia n K a bba la , i t s e f f ec t

w a s o v e r p o w e r i n g w h e n i t f i rs t b u r s t u p o n a n u n s u s p e c t i n g p u b l i c .

23

Apologia Opera

pp. 123 and

Oratio

ib id . , pp . 329 -330 = pp . 158-160 ed .

Gar in ) .

[ 1 3 2 ]



12

M Y S T I C IS M A N D M A G I C

Two concept ions of Kabbala , one myst ica l the other magica l , emerged

fro m the discussion of Pico 's Qu aes t io Q uinta de Mag ia Na tura l i et

Ca ba la He br ae or um in the previous chap te r : Ka bba la as the divinely

revealed interpretation of the mysteries of the Law, and Kabbala as a

science

de virtutibus rerum superiorum

which is the supreme part of

na tu ra l magic . To jud ge by Pico 's Qu aes t io Q ui nt a , the Kab bal is t ic

witness for Christianity and the Kabbalis tic a lly of natural magic are two

dif fe rent th ings he ld toge ther by a com m on nam e. This presen ta t ion of the

matter is quite in keeping with Pico's l ine of defense. I t does not by any

means follow that i t is a lso in keeping with Pico's own theses. Pico began

his Kabbalis tic theses secundum opinionem propriam by draw ing a dis t inc-

tion between speculative and practical Kabbala . He then defined each. In

the f i f teenth century, prac t ica l K abb ala comm only deno ted Ka bba la

applied to the practice of magic . I propose therefore to consider Pico's

divis ions and def ini t ions of Kabbala in order to f ind out whether they

mig ht shed som e light on the rela tio nsh ip between mystic ism and magic in

the Kabbala tha t P ico made his own.

Pico's Kabb alis tic theses were writ ten as mysteries, ex ant iqu is

Heb raeoru m mys ter ii s e ru ta ;

1

and mysteries, by definit ion, are not

me ant to be pla in: nec my ste r ia quae non occu l ta .

2

This being so, our

best guide, in fact our only guide, to the interpretation of Pico's Kabbalis-

t ic theses is h is own vocab ulary. Un for tu na te ly , it does not hap pen to be

the kind of vocabulary that can be looked up in dictionaries. Hence, in

order to understand and explain Pico's theses i t is sometimes necessary to

trace the descent of h is vocab ulary throu gh the La t in t rans la t io ns to the

Hebrew originals . In his f irs t Kabbalis tic thesis

secundum opinionem pro-

priam he says:

1 Pico, Oratio p. 154 ed. Garin = O p e r a p. 328).

2 Pico , in

De Hom inis Dignitate Heptaplus De Ente et Uno

ed . Ε . Gar in , p . 172

hereafter

Heptaplus

ed. Ga rin) =

Opera

p. 2).

[133]



Pico s Encou nter with Jewish M ysticism

Conclus io i :

Quicquid dicant caeteri Cabalistae, ego prima diuisione scientiam Cabalae

in scien tiam Sephiro th e t Semot, tan qua m in pract icam et speculat iuam

dis t inguerem.

3

T h e K a b b a l i s t au t h or s w h os e w or k s P i c o r e ad ar e n o t m u c h g ive n t o

c la s s i f y in g an d d e f in in g K ab b a la . A b r a h am A b u la f ia is a lm os t t h e on ly

e x c e p t i o n .

4

Pico's b ipart i t e d iv i s io n of Kabb ala in sc ien t iam seph ir oth e t

sem ot i s in fac t descen ded , as Scholem no t iced ,

5

f r om A b u la f ia ' s re m ar k -

ab le le t t er to h is d isc ip le Yehuda Salmon, which appears anonymous ly in

Co d. Va t . Ebr. 190 ( fol . 120v) as Summa Brevis Cabalae Que Intitulatur

Rabi Ieude.

Fol. 122r:

Dico igitur nunc quod hec sapientia cabale oculta quidem est a multitudine

doctorum nostrorum qui exercentur in sap ien t ia a l ia nostra que d ic i tur

Talmud, et dividitur quidem in duas partes in universali , que sunt scientia

nominis dei te t ragramaton per modum decern numerat ionum que vocantur

plante inter quas qui separat dicitur truncare plantas.® et hi sunt qui

reuelant secretum unitatis . Secunda pars est scientia magni nominis per

v iam vig in t i duarum l ic terarum a quibus e t ab earum punct is e t ab earum

accentibus composita sunt nomina et Caracteres seu sigilla que nomina

invocata sunt que locuntur cum prophet is in somniis e t per hur im et tum im

et per sp ir i tum sanctum et per prophetas .

3 Pico, Opera p. 107-108. Scientia cabalae is the equivalent of hokmat ha-

qabala, as can be seen from Pico 's Apology Opera p. 176, where he explains

the not ion scientia cabalae as fo l lows: Ex quo mo do t radendi is tam scien-

tiam per successiuam, scilicet receptionem, unius ab altero dicta est ipsa

scientia, scientia cabalae, qu od idem est quod scientia receptionis, quia idem

signif icat Cabala apu d H ebraeos , quod a pud nos recept io . Scientia receptio-

nis is a literal translation of hokmat ha-qabbalah. The H ebrew p hrase is one of

the many designations by which Jewish Kabbalists denote their mystical

discipline.

4 The oth er instance which I have noticed in Pico 's know n sources is in the

Libellus de Secretis Legis Manifestandis C od . Va t. Eb r. 190, fol. 209v: Se d

cum in sap ien t ia Cabale t r ia considerantur unum es t de numerat ion ibus ,

secundum vero de merchaba idest curru, ter tium vero de nominibus dei et

a n g e l o r u m .

5 Scholem , Z ur Gesc hichte der An fäng e der christlichen K ab ba la , p . 164, n.

1.

6 Cf . Conclusiones Cabalisticae secundum secretam doctrinam sapientum

Hebraeorum Cabalistarum iv: Pec catu m A dae fuit trun cati o regni a caeteris

p lan t i s , Opera p. 81.

[ 34]



Mysticism and Magic

Fol. 124r:

Ante me en im nul lus ho m o Cabal i s ta inventus e st qu i com posu isse t a l iqu id

in misteri is Cabale nec l ibros c lariores quam ego composui secundum

utrasque species eius predictas tarn in ipsis numerationibus tam in ipsis

nomin ibus . e t omnes probat iones e t demonstrat iones meae [meas MS]

edificate sunt secundum secreta legis tam Scripte quam legis de ore nate.

Verum intencio mea in hac epistola . . . est quidem ad indicandum ei [Rabi

Ieudae] et not i f icandum ei et cuicumque videnti earn quod ego iam recepi

partem scient iae prioris numerational is predicte ante quam recepissem

partem secu ndam , non en im inven i tur pars secunda n i s i pos tqu am inventa

fuerit prima, quamvis s i t inter utrasque communio maxima tal is qual is est

communio anime Vital is cum rat ional i .

The two pa rts into which Kab ba la is divided at fo l. 122r, nam ely scientia

nomin is dei t e t r agram a ton pe r m odu m decern nu m era t ion um and

sc ient ia magni nom inis per viam viginti du aru m l ic te ra rum , a re re fe rred

to at fo l. 124r as ut ra sq ue species eius [cab alae] pre dic tas tam in ipsis

num era t io nibu s tam in ipsis no m inib us . The superpo s i t ion of the re la-

tively la te distinction between speculative and practical Kabbala

7

u p o n

the bipar ti te division of K abb ala into the science of sefirot and the science

of nam es pro du ced Pico's f irs t division of K ab ba la in scientiam sephi-

roth e t semot tanquam in prac t icam e t specula t ivam.

The th eurgic or mag ical use of divine na m es in Juda ism is olde r th an the

earliest kn ow n instance of the ten sefirot. Th e do ctrin e of the ten sefirot as

it developed in the Kabbala of the thir teenth and fourteenth centuries ( to

which th e ma jor ity of Pico's identif iable sources belon g), is a mystical

theolog y. Viewed against this ba ckg rou nd , Pico's f irs t division of K abb ala

in sc ient iam sephiroth e t semot tanq uam in prac t icam e t specu la t ivam

is by an d large correc t. W hat rem ains to be seen is wh ether tha t division is

in fact as neat as is sometimes assumed.

8

I shall consider this question

la te r . At th is s tage I would only draw a t tent ion to a remarkable dic tum

which, in my opinion, is well worth bearing in mind. Few Kabbalists were

as conscio us as was A bu lafi a of the difference between the Ka bb ala of the

7 Scho lem , Kab balah in

Encyclopedia Judaica

(Jerusalem , 1971), X, 633

(hereafter E J[1971]); repr inted in Kabbalah (Jeru salem 1974), p. 183 (here af-

te r

Kabbalah .

8 E. An agnine , G. Pico della Mirandola (Bar i, 1937), p. 110, obse rves with

regard to Pico's f irst thesis: Ora tale sc ienza comp rend e, sotto la me desim a

d e n o m i n a z i o n e ,

due

scienze diverse: la prima puramente

speculativa,

l'altra

pratica ο teurgica, che dir s i vogl ia , che non vann o con fus e .

[135]




sefirot and the Kabbala of divine names. Precisely for this reason it is

note wo rthy tha t he descr ibed the re la t ionship be tween them as co m m u-

nio maxim a ta lis qua l is est com mu nio anim e Vital is cum ra t io na l i . I am

not sugges t ing tha t Abulaf ia can solve our problems for us . What Pico

tho ugh t abo ut the re la t ionship be tween specula t ive and prac t ica l K abb ala

must be sough t in Pico. The qu ota t i on f ro m Abulaf ia is a mere rem inder

that, if we wish to f ind the correct answer, we ought to avoid begging the

ques t ion by assuming a nea t separa t ion be tween sefirot and divine names

in Giovanni Pico 's Chr is t ian Kabbala .

The biparti te division of Kabbala in the f irs t thesis secundum opinionem

proprium is fol lowed by the qu adr i par t i te d ivis ion of speculat ive K abb ala

in the second:

Conclusio i i :

Quicquid d icant al ii caba li s tae ego partem specu la t iuam Cab alae

q u a d r u p l i c e m d i u i d e r e m c o n r e s p o n d e n t e s q u a d r u p l i c i p a r t i t i o n i

phi losophiae quam ego sol i tus sum afferre. Prima est sc ient ia quam ego

uo co a lphabetar iae reuo lut ion is conresp onden tem parti ph i loso phiae

quam eg o phi loso phiam catho l icam u oco . Secunda tert ia e t quarta pars

est tr iplex mer chiaua conr espo nde ntes tr ipl ic i ph i loso phi ae particulari de

diuinis de mediis et sensibi l ibus naturis .

This quad rip arti te division of speculative K ab ba la is less com plicated

than i t seems: the second, th i rd , and fo ur t h par ts a re jo in ed toge the r u nd er

a common name. Specula t ive Kabbala thus appears to comprise two

c o m p o n e n t s : alphabetaria revolutio a n d triplex merchiava.

Merchiava (merkabah) , consid ered as a mystical term or sym bol, is th e

Divine Ch ar i ot . The la tte r can deno te dif fe ren t th ings . Hen ce , as regards

the interp retatio n of the second thesis , ou r prin cipa l task will be to f ind o ut

precisely what Pico meant by

triplex merchiava.

As fo r the o the r com po-

nent of speculative K ab ba la , P ico sta tes in his Apology tha t what he meant

by alphabetaria revolutio w as ars combinandi, the art of combining le tters .

I t is in fact the most prominent feature of Pico's second thesis that the

Divine Char iot and the a r t of combining le t te rs form in i t one whole —

speculative Kabbala . I shall begin the interpretation of this thesis by

consider ing i ts most prominent fea ture .

In the entire corpus of Kabbalis tic translations used by Pico for his

theses, there exists only on e bo ok in which

merkabah

and comb ina t ion of

le t te rs a re inseparably l inked: Abraham Abulaf ia ' s De Secretis Legis.

Unlike mo st o ther K abbal is ts of note , Ab ulaf ia was not too shy to speak of

[136]



Mysticism and Magic

himself . In his autobiographical digressions, in the epistle I have quoted

an d elsewhere, he singled out tw o rem ark abl e boo ks as the ance stors of his

own prophe t ic o r e c s ta t i c Kabba la : Moses ben Ma imon ' s Guide of the

Perplexed

and the anony mo us

Sefer Yesirah,

the Book of Cre a t ion. A bula -

f ia ' s De Secretis Legis is a mystical interp reta tion of the Guide by mean s of

the le t te r -combina tory method der ived f rom the Book of Crea t ion.

Maimonides discussed m a aseh merkabah, the work of the ch ar i ot .

To him i t meant metaphysics . Abulaf ia , h is myst ica l commenta tor ,

treated the same subject a t great length in the second secret of the third

par t . The incipit of tha t secret is Se cret um op eris curr us dicitur maas e

m e r c h a b a .

9

O ne rema rka ble feat ure of his discussion is th at the work of

the Ch ar i ot , the a r t of revolving or combin ing the le t te rs of the Law, and

the Book of Crea t ion a re l inked by me ans of gematria, a me thod in which

Abulafia excelled (Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190, fol . 422r):

Et qu idem cont ine t e t iam opus currus Revo lu t ionem leg is seu spheram leg is

a qua poter is in te l l igere secre ta omn ia sua . prob atur qu ia numer i u tr iusque

c o r r e s p o n d e n t n a m m a h a s e m e r c h a b e u t d i c t u m e s t c o n t i n e t n u m e r o s 6 8 2

[ Γ 0 3 -Ι » n t p s a = 4 0 . 7 0 . 3 0 0 . 5 . 4 0 . 2 0 0 . 2 0 . 2 . 5 . ] . E t t o t c o n t i n e t sp h e r a s e u

revo lu t io leg is que d ic i tur Galga l a t tora probatur qu ia rmnn VJVJ

3 .30 .3 .30 .5 .400 .6 .200 .5 . co l lec t i sunt 682 . Conf irmatur ex l ibro venerando

sepher ie sire qu i inc ip i t Ab raam pater nos ter pr im um verbu m d ic i tur

bixloxim, ides t cum tr ig in ta DTP^W cu ius numer i [2 .300 .30 .3 00 .1 0 .40 ]

representant maase mercha ba nec a l iud in te l lex i t per voc abu lum b ix lo x im

idest cum trig inta nis i opus currus divini .

The exp ress ion revolutio legis is the result of th e exigencies of isop sep hy . It

means combination of le tters (fol. 438r):

pr inc ip iu m a utem e ius qu od operaturus e s in com pre hen s ion e super ior i hac

d iv ina es t quod sc ias revo lvere legem secundum hanc formam in scr ip t i s

qu am v ides EHpn nvr nx hoth io th aco dex id e s t l i tere sancte . Inc ipe autem

revo lvere has decern l i t eras e t con iunge omnes eas pr imo s imul secundum

n u m e r u m c o m b i n a t i v u m n a t u r a l e m q u o d p e rt i n et a d e a s . . .

I t there fore make s sense to assume tha t P ico 's alphabetaria revolutio in the

sense of ars combinandi was mode led on Abula f ia ' s revolutio legis by

m eans of which a ll the myste r ies of the Law can be un ders too d ( con t ine t

. . . opus currus revolutionem legis . . . a qua poteris intell igere secreta

om nia sua ) . On this assum ptio n, both the universa l charac te r of alphabe-

taria revolutio, which is bro ug ht out by the fac t tha t i t corres pon ds to the

9 C od . Va t. Ebr. 190 fo l . 420r.

[137]




ca th ol i c pa r t of phi loso phy , an d i ts specula tive charac te r , which is

br ou gh t out by reason of i ts being the f irs t division of speculative K ab ba la ,

become perfectly intelligible (fol. 362v):

Itaque in veritate cum speculatus fueris in speculat ione Cabale intel l iges

secreta ipsius Tore idest legis vel iudicii et in veritate comprehendes per

i l lam non solum ex secret is legis tantum sed et iam ex rebus natural ibus et

mathematic is et universal i ter de omnibus sc ienci is divinis et humanis

manifest is et ocult is .

While Pico's direct acquaintance with Abulafia 's

ars combinandi

suff i -

c iently accounts for the speculative and universal character of alphabeta-

ria revolutio as well as for its asso ciati on w ith the M erkabah, I do not th ink

tha t i t a lso acco unts fo r the not ion of triplex merchiava. A bu lafi a , i t is tru e,

treated of three visions of Ezekiel and three stages of being. But his

e labora te in te rpre ta t ion of the

M erkabah

omits the

sefirot,

without which

in my opinion triplex merchiava cannot be sa t is fac tor i ly in te rpre ted ad

mentem Pici. Pico's f if tieth Kab balis tic thesis s ta tes: C u m dicunt cabalis-

tae a septima et octau a peten do s fi l ios, i ta dicas in m erch iau a inferio ri

acc ipi , e tc. S ince Ete rni ty and Majes ty ( sept im a e t oc tau a ) a re sa id by

Pico to be in me rchiav a inferi ori , i t follow s (a) tha t

merchiava,

as

unders tood by Pico, embraces sefirot, and (b) tha t the sefirot form more

than one merchiava. Hence I conc lude tha t triplex merchiava is a triadic

conf igura t ion o f

sefirot.

Pico's thir ty-seventh thesis bears out my conclusion:

Qui intel lexerit in dextral i coordinatione subordinationem pietat is ad

sapient iam perfec te in te l lige t per u iam Cab alae qu om od o Abr aam in d ie

suo per rectam l ineam uidit diem Christ i et gauisus est .

1 0

Seeing that

Pietas (Hesed,

the four th

sefirah)

is subordina te to

Sapientia

(Hokmah, the second sefirah) in dex t ra l i coord ina t ion e , and septima et

octaua are in merch iaua infe r i or i , i t i s inevi table tha t the con f igura t ions

of the

sefirot

are a r ranged as fol lows:

Co r o n a

Intel l igentia Sapientia

[Potent ia ] Iud ic ium Pie tas [M agn i tudo ]

Glor ia

Decor Eternitas

F u n d a m e n t u m

R e g n u m

10 Pico Opera, p. 111. A de tailed interp retation o f this thesis is fo un d in

Chapter 14.

[138]



Mysticism and Magic

This is in fact the common pattern of the tr iadic configuration of the ten

sefirot. I t i s, fur the rm ore , notew orthy tha t ma ny Kabb al is ts conce ived of

these three tr iad s of sefirot as represen ting or emb racin g the three stages of

being, namely Intellect , Soul, and Nature .

1 1

T h e

locus classicus

is Azriel's

Quaestiones super Decern Numerationibus, C od . V at. Eb r. 190, fo l. 168v:

Quest io nona est s i adderet petens ad interrogandum Quod est nomen

earum, quis ordo et quis locus earum? dicendum est quod nomen spir itual is

virtut is voca tur sapientia quia est principium intel lect ionis in se . tercia vero

vocatur inte l l igencia et hue usque extenditur quod vocatur seculum

Intellectus.

Th e rest of the text is m arre d by omissio ns. Bu t the crucial po int is resta ted

at fol . 170r: e t to tum h oc quid em esse no n potest sine nu m era tio nib us et

ordine earum sensibil i ter , naturali ter e t intellectualiter [be-murgas, uve-

mutba', uve-muskal].

In her Giordano Bruno and the Herm etic Tradition,

12

Frances Yates

conjec tured, taking her cue f rom Scholem, tha t triplexmerchiava w ith i ts

a l lus ion to the three worlds . . . would presumably correspond to the Pa th

of the Se ph irot h . If my argu me nt so fa r hold s goo d, her conjec tu re is

borne out both by Pico's theses and by his identif iable sources.

W ha t has emerg ed fro m the preced ing discussion of Pico's second thesis

is that speculative Kabbala , as understood by Pico, comprises two distinct

things: the art of combining le tters and the doctrine of the ten sefirot.

Pico defines practical Kabbala in his third thesis:

Conclusio i i i :

Scientia quae est pars pract ica Cabalae, pract icat totam metaphysicam

formalem e t theo log iam in fer iorem.

Ac cord ing to Pico's own division of K ab ba la in scientiam seph iroth et

semot tan qu am in prac t icam et specu la t ivam , the prac t ica l pa r t of Ka b-

bala is scientia semot, the science of (sacred or divine) na m es. This m uc h is

certa in. Nor is i t surprising that Pico related practical Kabbala to meta-

physics and theology: the connection between theurgy and theology is

a lmo st as old as Neo pla ton ism i tse lf , not exc luding Chris t ian Ne opla to -

nism.

1 3

But we are left wondering what are metaphysica formalis and

theologia inferior, w hich a re sa id to be pra c t ic ed by prac t ica l Kabb ala .

11 Scho lem,

EJ

(1971), X, 571 (=

Kabbalah

, p. 107).

12 F. Ya tes,

Giordano runo and the Herm etic Tradition

(L on do n, 1964) , p . 95.

13 See E. R. D od ds , Theurgy and I ts Re la t ionsh ip to Ne opla ton ism ,

Journal

[ 39]




Pico's writ ings elsewhere afford valuable a ids to the interpretation of

this thesis. In his Oration an d Apology, Pico interp reted 4 Ezra 14:47 to the

effect tha t the divinely revealed K abb ala com prised three things: ine ffa b-

ilem de sup ersub stantia li deita te the ol og iam , de intell igibil ibus angeli-

c isque form is exac tam m etaph ysica m , and de rebus na tu ra l ibu s

f i rmiss imam phi losophiam.

1 4

1 would sug gest, as a work ing hyp othe sis a t

any ra te , tha t theologia inferior was conceived of by Pico in contradistinc-

tion to ineffabilis de supersubstantiali deitate theologia, and tha t metaphys-

ica formalis was me ant to denote the same thing as de intelligibilibus

angelicisque formis exacta metaphysical

So far , so good. But intell igible and angelic forms are , in terms of

Kab ba la , the sefirot. He nce a prob lem : is it at all likely th at th e sefirot are

involved in the practice of practical Kabbala as understood by Pico? All

K ab bal a was divided , in the f irs t thesis, in scientiam seph iroth et sem ot

tan qu am in prac t icam e t specu la t ivam . We have seen fur t her m ore tha t

triplex merchiava, in the second thesis , was the tr iadic co nfig ura tion of the

ten sefirot. Is it likely, in view of the first an d seco nd theses, tha t the sefirot

mig ht b e involved in the practice of practical K ab ba la as it is define d in the

third? Before we att em pt a solut ion , it will be useful to consid er Pico 's ow n

alternative definit ions of the specific function of what he calls opus

cabalae.

In his twenty-fif th magical thesis Pico sta tes:

Sicut caracteres sunt proprii operi magico, ita numeri sunt proprii operi

cabalae , medio existente inter utrosque et appropriabi l i per decl inat ionem

ad extrema usu l i t terarum.

1 6

Two undisputed facts are essentia l for the interpretation of this thesis .

First , a ll Hebrew letters are a lso numerals . Second, speech, creation, and

the nam e of G od a re inseparably l inked in Kabbal is t ic ontology.

1 7

Given

of Roman Studies

37 (1947) , 55 f f . ; J . Va nnes te , La theo logie my st ique du

p s e u d o - De n y s l ' Ar e o p a g i t e , Studia Patristica V, part III (Berlin, 1962),

409-410; I . P . She ldon-Wil l iams , in

The Cam bridge History of Later Greek

and Early Medieval Philosophy pp. 458-459 and 463 .

14 Pico,

Opera

pp. 123 an d 330.

15 See also Ap pen dix 19.

16

Opera

pp. 105-106 .

17 See G. Scho lem , Der Nam e Go t tes und d ie Sprachtheor ie der Kab bala ,

Eranos

39 (1970) , 243-297 (= G. Scho lem,

Judaica III; Studien zur jüdischen

Mystik [Frankfort ο . Μ . , 1 9 73 ] p p . 7 - 7 0 [ H e r e af te r c it ed as udaica 3] .

[14 ]



Mysticism and Magic

these two facts i t sho uld n ot be too diff ic ult to see tha t P ico's noti on s tha t

num bers a re appro pr ia te for the wo rk of Ka bb ala and tha t le t te rs media te

be tween Kabbala and magic a re qui te in keeping with his not ion tha t

prac t ica l Ka bba la is the sc ience of na m es . Nam es , le t te rs , and num bers

square with each other, because in Jewish Kabbala they all belong to

language myst ic ism, or to language and number myst ic ism.

A par t f r om th e twen ty-f i f th magica l thes is, there exists ano the r def ini-

t ion of the pro pe r o r specific fu nc tio n of K ab ba la , in the twen ty-firs t

Orphic thesis of the de modo intelligendi hymnos Orphei secundum magiam:

Opus praecedent ium hymnorum nul lum es t s ine opere Cabalae , cu ius e s t

propr ium pract icare omnem quant i ta tem formalem cont inuam e t

d i scre tam.

1 8

The con text of the Orp hic theses and, in par t icu la r , the nou n opus and the

verb practicare leave no room f or do ub t tha t P ico has prac t ica l Kab bala in

mi nd . Practical K ab ba la , as we have seen again and ag ain , is scientia

semot the science of names. Names can of course be quantif ied, that is ,

they can be expressed as num be rs by way of gematria. Neve rtheless, i t do es

no t seem to me likely that quantitasform alis continua et discreta was meant

to be a quant i f ied name, in other words a number . Numbers , to be sure ,

a re quant i t ies . But a number is quantitas discreta

19

whereas we need

som ething which is quantitas formalis continua et discreta. I suggest tha t, in

terms of Kabbala , this is middah used as a synonym of seflrah.

Middah as a rule, is proprietas both in the t rans la t ions of Mithr ida tes

and in Pico 's theses . But there a re some noteworthy except ions . One

occurs in the Liber Redemptionis Cod. Chigi, fol . 265r:

Et pr imum [nomen] quod es t magis prop inquum at tr ibu i tur ad i l lud

proprietas c lemencie . Secundo vero quod est remotius attr ibuitur e i

proprietas iudic i i . Et secretum huius vocabuli proprietat is quod dic itur

mida est mensura seu quantitas .

Another is found in Recana t i , De Secretis Orationum et Benedictionum

Cabale Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190, fol . 283r:

lam en im in hoc so la auctor i tas e s t sap ientum nos trorum qui vocant

nomina sancta midoth id est proprietates vel mensuras.

18 Opera, p. 107.

19 Simplic ius ,

In Aristotelis Categorias Com mentarium Com mentaria in Aris-

totelem Graeca, V III , B erlin , 1907 , p . 124, line 14: ό δ έ α ρ ι θ μ ό ς π ο σ ό ν

δ ι ω ρ ι σ μ έ ν ο ν .

[141]




We can now see two things that bear directly on the interpretation of

Pico 's concept ion of prac t ica l K abb ala . F irs t , the pa rad ox of quantitas

formalis continua et discreta ma kes sense on the assum ption tha t quantitas

is

middah

used as a synonym of

seflrah

: the

middot

are ten distinct entit ies

which form one whole and must not be separa ted f rom each other .

2 0

A s

such they par take both of cont inui ty and of individua l d is t inc tness .

2 1

Seco nd, ther e exists a c lose rela tio nsh ip between divine na me s an d middot.

This re la tionship, which recurs again and again in Pico's Kabbalis tic

sources, is treated ex professo at great length and in minute detail in the

a n o n y m o u s De Radicibus an d De Proportione Divinitatis as well as in

Gica t i l la ' s Portae Iustitiae. W hat mat te r s mo st fo r ou r pu rpo se is tha t i t

can be seen not o nly in the bo ok s Pico rea d bu t a lso in the theses he wro te .

Con sider the th ird and tw enty-ninth Kab bal is t ic theses secundum secretam

doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum:

Quamuis nomen ine f fab i le s i t propr ie tas c lement iae , negandum tamen non


Nomen dei quatuor l i t terarum, quod est ex mem, sade, pe , et sade, regno

Dauidis debet appropriari .

The re la t ionship or correspondence be tween the ten sefirot and divine

nam es is to m y min d the m ost prob able l ink be tween the f i rs t and third

Kab bal is t ic theses secundum opinionempropriam. In th e first the sis scientia

semot is the counterpart of practical Kabbala . In the third thesis we are

told tha t the prac t ica l par t of Ka bba la prac t ica t to t am metap hysicam

form alem e t theologiam in fe r io rem . I t wi ll be remem bered tha t , accord-

ing to Pico 's in te rpre ta t ion of 4 Ezra , Kabbala comprises among other

things de in te ll ig ibi l ibus ange l ic isque form is exac tam me taphy sicam .

2 2

Given that in Pico's Kabbalis tic sources the sefirot are sometimes called

forms ,

2 3

it mak es sense to assum e, even if i t can no t be prov ed, th at, viewed

20 In the symb ol ic language o f Kab bala , truncareplantas den otes the separ ation

of the

sefirot

or

middot

from each other; cf . ab ove , no te 6 .

21 Iambl ichus apud S impl ic ius ,

In Aristotelis Categories Com mentarium

p. 135,

l ines 10 - 21 . Cf . Germ an trans la tion by S . Samb ursky , Phä nom en und

Theor ie . Das phys ika l i sche Denken der Ant ike im Licht der modernen

Phys ik , Eranos-Jahrbuch 30 (1966) , 3 35 -3 37 ; see a lso p . 325 (reprinted in S.

S a mb u r s k y , Naturkenntnis und Weltbild [Zu rich, 1977 ], p. 37).

22 See ab ov e, p. 140.

23 Recanat i , De Secretis Orationum et Benedictionum Cabale Cod. Vat . Ebr.

[142]



Mysticism and Magic

f rom the s tandpoin t o f Kabba la , metaphysica formalis an d de intelligibili-

bus angelicisqueformis metaphysica embrace sefirot. Co nsequ ent ly , it a lso

makes sense to assume that

practicare totam m etaphysicam formalem

and

practicare omnem quantitatemformalem continuam et discretam

denote the

same kind of Kabbalis tic practice .

I f my inte rpre ta t ion of quantitas formalis continua et discreta is con-

ceded, i t follows that the ten

sefirot

are somehow involved in Pico's

conception of practical Kabbala . I am aware that this conclusion is a t

variance with what for want of a better designation might be called the

comm unis via cabbalistarum. It also is, or seems to be, at var ian ce with th e

neat division of a ll K ab ba la in scientiam seph iroth et sem oth tanq ua m in

prac t icam e t specula t iva m. Never the less , I do not th ink tha t my inte rpre-

ta tions of quantitas formalis continua et discreta and of triplex merch iava

are mu tual ly exclusive. M ore ove r, I sub m it tha t, Pico's f irst division of

K ab ba la n otw iths tan din g, they are quite in keeping with w hat Pico says in

plain Latin about that Kabbalis tic science which he considered to be the

supreme par t of na tura l magic .

Pico, i t will be rem em bere d, arg ued in his Apology tha t , apa r t f rom wha t

he calls pr im a et vera ca ba la , two sciences were also ho no red with the

name of Kabbala by the Jews themselves:

In uniuersal i autem duas sc ient ias hoc et iam nomine honorif icarunt . Vnam

quae dic itur <[hokmat haseruf\> idest ars co m bin an di . . . Al iam quae es t de

uirtut ibus rerum superiorum quae sunt supra lunam et est pars magiae

natural is suprema.

2 4

The second, unnamed sc ience can be ident i f ied. In the for ty-e ighth Kab-

balistic thesis secundum opinionem propriam Pico outlined the complete

correspondence be tween the ten

sefirot

and the ten spheres. In an earlier

par t of the Apology the Kabbalis tic a lly of natural magic is referred to

190, fo l . 292r: Misterium autem sacrif ic iorum cot id iano rum vocatur Cor-

ban id est Sacrif ic ium vel appropinquatio ex quo appropinquare facit formas

sanctas u nam sci licet in a l iam , et iam volun tatem inferioris ad vo lunt atem

superioris . et per sacrif ic ium siue appropinquationem i l lam descendit et

unitur in form is sanct is . The source is the

Bahir

(§78 ed . Scho lem) , Cod .

Vat . Ebr. 191, fo l . 304v: Quare vocatur C orban id est app ropin qua tio? quia

appropinquare facit formas et v irtutes sanctas ut scribitur [Ezek. 37:17]

Carab id est appropinquabis eas unam ad al iam et s int t ibi arbor una.

24 Apologia Opera pp. 180 -181 , quoted in fu ll abo ve , Chapter 11, pp . 124 -125 .

[143]




as the sc ience de vir tu t ibus corp oru m coe les t ium .

2 5

Hence I conc lude

tha t the science de vir tu t ibus re rum super iorum quae sunt supra luna m is

the equivalent or counterpart of the doctrine of the ten sefirot. If this is

conceded , i t follows that Pico's un am big uo us definit ions in his Q uae stio

Q uin ta ho ld good bo th fo r combina t iona l and fo r numera t iona l

Kabbala :

I l ia en im ars combinandi e s t quam ego in conc lus ion ibus meis voco

alphabetariam reuolut ionem. Et ista quae est de uirtut ibus rerum

superiorum, quae uno modo potest capi ut pars Magiae natural is , a l io

modo ut res dist incta ab ea, est i l ia de qua loquor in praesenti conclusione

dicens quod adiuvat nos in cognit ione divinitat is Christ i ad modum iam

dec laratum.

2 6

Pico sta tes, as c learly as on e can wish, that th e other science, nam ely th at

which is de vir tu t ibus re rum su pe r io ru m , can be com preh end ed in two

dif fe rent ways: in one way i t can be un der s too d as par t of na tu ra l magic ,

in ano the r way as som ething dis t inc t f ro m i t .

2 7

If it is tru e, as I th in k it is,

tha t wh at Pico me ant by the sc ience de vir tu t ibus re rum sup er ioru m quae

sun t supra lu na m was scientia sefirot, it follow s th at in Pico 's op inio n

scientia sefirot can be conce ived of both as the supreme par t of na tura l

magic and as something dis t inc t f rom i t .

But — I can alm ost h ear th e obje ction — if this is in fact Pico's op ini on ,

why did he s ta te it in a rou nd ab ou t way? He ment io ned the or igina l name

of one science; why did he leave the other un na m ed ? The reaso n, I th in k, is

th at in his

Apology

Pico could n ot s ta te his views clearly and can didly , even

if he would. As far as I am aware, i t is not a lways realized that the

dis t inc t ion which Pico drew in his Qu aes t i o Qu in ta , be tween Ka bb ala

which is revealed theology and Kabbala which is a science invented by

man, sens ible though i t sounds to the unini t ia ted, does not make sense

from the point of view of Kabbala , Jewish or Christian alike. This is

becau se tru e K ab ba la w hich is a science inven ted by m an is , on Pic o's own

showing , a con tradic t ion in te rms. Given Pico 's s i tua t ion and the purpo se

25 Ibid. , p . 168: Cum ergo tal ia m axim e cog nos cat i l ia pars Ca balae , qua e est

de virtut ibus corporum coelest ium, et i l ia pars sc ient iae natural is , quam ego

n u n c u o c o Ma g i a m n a t u r a l e m.

26 Apologia Opera p. 181.

27 Yates , Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition p. 96, missed the true

meaning of this sentence: her English paraphrase in the text is inconsistent

with the Latin quotat ion in the footnote .

[144]



Mysticism and Magic

of his Qu aes t io Q ui nt a there is an obvious difference f ro m Pico 's point

of view, between the art of combining le tters and the doctrine of the ten

sefirot: the la tter , quite unlike alphabetaria revolutio o r ars combinandi is

c lear ly involved in Pico 's Kabbal is t ic conf i rmat ion of Chr is t iani ty . Con-

sider the following Kabbalis tic theses secundum opinionem propriam.

Conclusio xxi:

Qui con iunxer i t d ic tum Cabal i s tarum d icent ium quod i l ia numeratio [my

ital ics] , quae dic itur iustus et redemptor, dic i tur et iam Ze, cum dicto

Thalm ut i s tarum d icent ium quo d I saac ibat s i cut Ze portans crucem su am ,

uidebit quod i l lud quod fuit in Isaac praef iguratum fuit adimpletum in

Christo , qui fuit verus Deus venditus argento.

Conclusio lxii :

Qui profunde cons iderauer i t nouenar ium beat i tud inum numerum de quo

apud Mattheum in Euangel io uidebit i l las mirabi l i ter conuenire nouenario

n o u e m numerationum [my i ta l ics] , quae sunt infra prim am , qua e est

inaccess ibi l is diuinitat is abyssus.

Pico a rgued tha t the Kabbala he was us ing for the conf irmat ion of

Ch ristianity against the Jews was the divinely revealed pr im a et vera

caba la , whereas the Kabbala he had in mind when he s ta ted tha t no

science afforded greater certa inty of Christ 's divinity than magic and

Ka bba la was a sc ience ca lled Ka bba la by t ra ns um pt ion . I t is there fore

only to o obv iou s that he could no t possibly identify the science de

v i r tu t ibus re rum supe r io rum quae sun t supra lun am as scientia sefirot, or

the l ike, because no sooner had Pico done so than his distinction between

revealed and nonrevea led Kab bala , or be tween Kabb ala ex pr im ar ia et

p r o p r i a im p o s i t i o n e a n d K a b b a l a b y t r a n s u m p t io n w o u ld h a ve v a n -

ished into thin air .

I have a rgued th a t middah used as a syno nym of sefirah shows th rough

Pico 's quantitas formalis continua et discreta. It will be w ort h ou r while

to cast a brief glance at sefirah itself. The ten sefirot made their f irs t

appea rance in the anonymous and unda ted Book of C rea t ion ,

2 8

in a

context tha t was des t ined to resona te throughout Kabbala in endless

varia tions. This influentia l l i t t le treatise , which inspired metaphysical and

mystical speculations as well as magical practices, begins with the sta te-

men t tha t G od c rea ted the wo rld with th ir ty- two w on dro us pa th s of

28 Cf . Scho lem ,

Ursprung und Anfänge

pp . 22 ff . =

Kabbalah

, p. 23).

[145]





Mysticism and Magic

I w i l l say to the north , Give up [Vulgate :

da],

and to the sou th , D o not

w i t h h o ld [noli prohibere]. In h is for ty-e ighth Kabbal i s t ic thes i s P ico

ou t l in e d t h e c or r e s p on d e n c e b e t w e e n t h e t e n

sefirot

an d the ten sphe res ,

which exp la ins the conc lud ing part of th is thes i s .

How does one pet i t ion the seventh and e ighth

sefirot

fo r chi ldren ? I can

sugges t o n ly on e wa y to f ind the answer: to look at the or ig inal con text of

the d ic tum P ico is quo t ing . W hat fo l l ow s i s a qu ota t ion f ro m Gica t i l la ' s

Portae lustitiae (C od . Ch igi , fol . 80r-v) :

Et omnes qui veniunt oratum coram deo sancto et benedicto pro f ili is

petendis iuxta eternitatem et decorem debet intendere ille qui orat, ad

p ro t r ahend am v i r tu tem ad nomen Adona i cum aleph da le th nun iod Π Κ a

quo omnes Sabaoth id est milicie celi et terre protrahuntur secundum

species suas. Et ab eis venit influencia omnibus ideis ad germinandum et

nasci faciendum unamquamque speciem secundum mister ium suum. e t

liber generationis hominis in hoc loco pendet seu liber nativitatis hominis

hebraice sepher toldoth ad am 01N n nV n TDD. Et pro pte r hoc qu an do

coniun guntu r e tern i tas et decor iux ta funda m ent um [n in th seflrah] e t apud

regnum [tenth seflrah] ex hoc latere tunc intendunt omnes qui veniunt ad

petendum a deo sancto et benedicto f ilios.

30

It is not by chance that the verb

intendo

occ urs in this pa ssag e twice:

m edi tat ive con centr at ion in prayer is kn ow n in Ka bbala by the nam e

Kawwanah, the l it era l me anin g of which i s in tent ion . I t wa s by m ean s of

Kawwanah,

as Sch olem observ ed , that Jew ish my st ics t rans form ed the

trad i t ional l i turgy of the community

into a symbol of the mystical way and the w ay of the cosmos i tse lf . . . In the

words of the liturgy, as in the old Agg ado th, the Ka bbalists fo und a way to

hidden worlds and the f irst causes of all existence. They developed a

technique of meditation which enabled them to extract, as it were, the

mystical pray er fr om the exoteric praye r of the comm unity th e text of which

followed a f ixed pat tern . The fact that this for m of prayer was conceived not

as a free effusion of the soul but as a mystical act in the strict sense of the

term, as an act, that is to say, which is directly linked with the inner cosmic

process, invests this conception of Kawwanah with a solemnity which not

only approaches but also passes the border of the magical.

3

T h e H e b r e w w o r d Kawwanah do es no t app ear in e ither set of

Kab bal i s t ic theses . But , g iven the nu m ero us po in t s of con tact b etween

30 See also A ppe ndi x 11.

31 Scholem, MTJM p. 33.

[ 1 4 7 ]




Kabbala and Pico's magical interpretation of the Orphic Hymns, i t is

no tewor thy tha t

animi intentio,

which is the exact equivalent of

Kawwanah, appears in the second Orphic thesis .

32

Moreover , P ico 's

Kabbalis tic theses secundum secretam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum

Cabalistarum argue his acquaintance with the mystic ism of prayer:

Conclusio xl:

Quot ienscunque ignoramus propr ie ta tem [middah] a qua est inf lux us super

pet i t ione quam pet imus, ad dominum naris recurrendum est .

Conclusio xlvii :

Per d ic t ionem AMEN o r d o h a b et u r e x p re s su s q u o m o d o n u me r a t i o n u m

procedant inf luxus.

Kawwanah is kno wn to be consiste nt with the ob tai nm en t of practical

ends , such as o ffspr ing , hea l th , and sus tenance .

3 3

Nevertheless, as far as I

am aware , Kawwanah was not ra ted as prac t ica l K abb ala by Jewish

Ka bba lists . B ut i t is a fact not to be lost s ight o f th a t mystic ism of lan guag e

and myst ic ism of prayer a re by no mean s incom pat ible , and the t rans i t ion

fro m the one to the other is easy. A remark able exam ple of the t rans i t ion

f r o m

Kawwanah

to com bina t io n of le t te rs is a f fo rde d by the ano ny m ou s

Tractatus de Revolutione Ducentarum Triginta U nius Portarum Alphabeti,

which is includ ed in Co d. V at. Eb r. 190, fol . 139v, between A bu laf ia 's

epistle to Yehuda Salmon and Azriel 's Quaestiones: prayer , in tent ion

{Kawwanah), com bina t ion of le t te rs , an d the op era t iv e use of the

Tetragrammaton fol low each other in c lose success ion:

34

Dixit auctor quamuis intencio men est loqui de misterio huius orat ionis

tantum non debeo praeter ixe mis ter ium magnum qunte hoc e s t . e t ideo

loquar mod icum in mis ter io comb inat ion is cum p arvo nutu . pr imu m es t

aleph et thau hec dic itur prim a com bin atio . . .

35

32 Nihi l ef f icaciu s hym nis Orphei in natural i m agia , s i debita mu sica anim i

intentio et ceterae c ircumstantiae quas norunt sapientes fuerint adhibitae ,

Opera, p. 106.

33 See the qu otat ion from Gica t i l la 's Portae Iustitiae above , page 31 .

34 See A pp end ix 11.

35 The original He brew version is fou nd in Brit ish Library, M S. Or. Ad d. 16407

fo l . 73v (G. Marga l iouth , Cata logue o f the Hebrew and Samari tan MSS in

the Brit ish Museum [London, (1915) 1965] , III , no. 743, cf . no. 751) .

[148]



Mysticism and Magic

The intrus ion of magic into the mystic ism of pra yer can also be seen in

the Latin trans latio n of Reca nati s mystical

Commentary on the Prayers

Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190, fols . 286v-287r ( i ta lics indicate interpolations):

Et propter hoc debes sc ire quod quamvis sapientes nostri dixerunt quod

deus c lementiss imus cor tantum curat habere et i l l i intendit nihi lominus

debet homo educere res de potentia ad actum per verba benedict ionum et

orat ionum et doctrine legis . Vide quod dicunt sapientes nostri in l ibro

sepher Azohar et nota illud bene quia est de articulis seiende Cabale et

mu ltum prodest in misteriis orationis d icunt en im quo d quicquid h om o

cogitat et quicquid considerat corde suo nihi l facit nis i produxerit i l lam

cogi ta t ion em per verba lab iorum suoru m i l lud quidem verbum quod educ i t

dividitur seu effunditur per aera et i t ascendens et volat per orbem vel per

mundum et f i t ex eo vox. I l lam itaque vocem capiunt domini habentes alas

et adducunt coram rege et introducunt earn in auribus suis hoc est quod

scribitur [Deu t . 1:34] et audivit deus voce m verboru m vestro rum et propter

hoc omnis orat io et omnis pet i t io quam pet it homo a conspectu dei sanct i et

benedict i debet verba educere et pronunciare cum labi is suis . Si enim non

educit n ec pron unciat labi is orat io e ius non est orat io nec pet i t io e ius pet i t io

dicitur. postquam autem verba exeunt pronunciata dividuntur diffusa per

aera et ascendunt et volant et fiunt vox et capitur ab his quibus est capienda

et unitur corone sancte in capite loci regis haec ibi Intellige autem hunc

sermonem bene usque ad flnem eius et intelliges causam multarum

operationum que fiunt per verba non solum via huius sanctissime seiende per

nomina sancta et purificata sed etiam per viam artis magice que contrariatur

illi in qua sunt nomina inmundicie

I have not s tudied the man uscr ipts of Reca na t i s Comm entary on the

Prayers and con sequent ly have nothin g to say abo ut the aut ho rsh ip of the

inte rpo la t ions . But the ir auth orsh ip is not the present point . The poin t is

tha t the second inte rp ola t ion , app ear ing as i t does in a com me ntary on th e

prayers, i l lustra tes the transit ion from the mystic ism of prayer to the

theurgic use of divine names, and even to demonic magic .

Th e intrusio n of mag ic into the mystic ism of pra yer in Pico s Ka bb alis-

t ic sources helps us to understand two facts that bear directly on the

inte rpre ta t ion of the l ite ra ry resul ts of Pico s encou nter with K abb ala .

On e fact is tha t the dividing line between the sefirot o f specula tive K abb ala

and the semot (names) of practical Kabbala is by no means as r igid as

Pico s f irs t K abba lis tic thesis m ight suggest. P ico s ow n divisions of

Kabba la no twi ths tand ing , sefirot an d divine nam es are insepa rably l inked

both in the Kabbalis tic books that Pico read and in the Kabbalis tic theses

tha t he w rote . P ico s own theses, as will be seen in Ch ap ter 15, suffice to

prove tha t both sefirot and divine names are involved in his Kabbalis tic

[ 49]





Mysticism and Magic

a s ingle formula : the Kabbala tha t P ico encountered in his books cannot

be reduced to a uniform doctrine or system either, because — as Scholem

wa rned us a ll — so etwas wie

d ie

Lehre der Kabbalis ten gibt es nicht.

3 8

The varie ty in the Kabbala Pico read is reflected in the theses he wrote .

The upshot of this long chapter is that the re la tionship between mysti-

c ism a nd magic in Ka bb ala , as i t emerges fro m Pico's ow n theses, does n ot

quite ta lly with his neat division of K ab ba la in scien tiam sep hiroth et

semot tan qu am in prac t icam e t specu la t ivam . Ka bb ala , be ing a myst ica l

discipline, has never been plain sail ing; to be baffled and co nfu sed by it is

no reproach to anyone. At the same time, i t seems to me that three

considera t ions he lp us to unders tand the background of the incons is ten-

cies and confusions that show in Pico's view of Kabbala .

First , Pico 's Kab balis tic theses were no t w rit ten as a kin d of ars cabalis-

tica ordine geom etrico demo nstrata. It is a m atte r of som e interest that

none of his Kabbalis tic theses from the i th to the seventy-second p resu p-

poses the distinctions, divisions, and definit ions of Kabbala given in the

f i rst fou r . Bear ing in mind th a t the Kabbal is t ic con f i rm at ion of Ch r is t ian-

ity (which is the declared purpose of Pico's Con clusiones Cab alisticae

secundum opinionem propriam does not begin until the fifth thesis, we

ou gh t to re cko n with the possibil i ty that the f irs t fo ur theses were ad de d at

a t ime when th e oth er theses, or m ost of them , ha d already been written in

a haphazard way.

Second, the t rans la t ions of Mithr ida tes , owing to the in trus ion of

nu m bers in to the symbolism of the sefirot and the intrusion of magic into

the mystic ism of prayer, invite confusion of the rela tionship between

mystic ism and magic in Kabbala .

Th ird , P ico viewed Ka bba la f r om an ent i re ly new s tandp oint : he is the

first Christian who considered Kabbala to be simultaneously a witness for

Christianity and an ally of natural magic .

If my derivation of Pico's conception of practical Kabbala is conceded,

we have to face another problem. I have a l ready pointed out tha t Kaw-

wanah is compat ible with the obt a inm ent of prac t ica l ends . As fo r the ars

combinandi, A bu lafia s ta tes — in the Latin transla tion at any rate — th at

38 G. Scho lem , Zur Kabbala und ihrer Symb olik Ziirich, 1960), p. 120 =

Eranos-Jahrbuch 17 [1949], 291). Cf. On the Kabbalah and its Symbo lism

New York, 1965) , p . 89.

[151]





13

M O R S O S C U L I

The Death o f the Kiss

(mors osculi)

is the m ost poet ic , perhaps the on ly

tru ly poet ic , mot i f tha t the I ta l ian Rena is sance borrowed f rom Ta lmudic

legend . The pr inc ipa l media tor was P ico 's

Commento sopra una canzona

d amore di Girolamo Benivieni, wh ich i s P ico 's out s tand ing con tr ibu t ion to

the Rena is sance ph i lo sophy o f love a s wel l a s the on ly surv iv ing example

o f h is poet ic theo logy .

1

The passage immedia te ly pert inent to the present

pu rpo se i s the in terpreta t ion o f Ben iv ien i ' s verse in S tanza 4 , Ard e

m or en do e l cor , ard end o cresce . In h is in terpreta t ion P ico dw el l s on the

d i f f eren ce betwe en t wo k inds o f dea th: separa t ion o f the sou l f rom the

body , and separa t ion o f the body f rom the sou l .

Puö dunqu e per la pr ima mo r te , che e separazione so lo del l an im a dal

co rpo , e non p er l opp osito , vedere lo am ant e l am ata Venere celeste e a

faccia a faccia con lei, ragionando della divina immagine sua, e suoi

purif icati occhi felicemente pascere; ma chi piü intr insecamente ancora la

vuole possedere e, non co nte nto del vederla e udir la , essere degna to de suoi

intimi amplessi e anelanti baci, bisogna che per la seconda morte dal corpo

per totale separazione si separi, e allora non solo vede e ode la celeste

Venere, m a c on nod o indissolubile a lei s abb racc ia, e con baci l uno in

l a l t ro la propr ia a n im a t rasf und end o, non tan to cambia no quel le, qua nto

che si perf etta m ente insieme si unisc ono , che ciaschedun a di loro dua anim e

e am bedue un a so la an im a ch iamare s i posson o.

Ε no ta che la

p iü perfetta e

intima unione che possa l amante avere della celeste amata si denota per la

unione di bacio, perche ogni altro congresso ο copula piü in lä usata nello

amore corporale non e licito per alcuno modo per traslazione alcuna usare

in que sto santo e sacratissimo am ore ; e perche e sapienti cabalisti vogliono

molti degli antiqui padri in tale rat to d intelletto essere m orti , troverai

appresso di loro essere morti di binsica che in lingua nostra significa mo rte

di bacio, i l che dicono di Abraam, Isaac, Iacob, Moyse, Aaron, Maria, e di

qualcuno altro. . Ε ch i e l predet to nost ro fondamento non in tende mai la

loro intenzione perfet tamente intende; ne piü ne loro libri leggerai se non

che binsica cioe mo rte di bacio , e qu an do l anim a nel rat to intellettuale

tanto alle cose separate si unisce, che dal corpo elevata in tutto

1 See W ind, Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance p. 155.

[153]




l 'abbandona; ma perche a simil morte tale notne convenga non e stato da

altri , per quanto ho letto , insino ad ora esposto. Questo e quello che i l

divino nostro Salomone nella sua Cantica desiderando esclama: Baciami

co' baci della bocca tua. Mon stra nel primo verso Salo m one la intenzion e

totale del l ibro e l 'ultimo fine del suo amore; questo Platone significa ne'

baci del suo Aga tone e non quel che mo lti , riguardando in se stessi Platone ,

cred ono di lui; ne piu oltre che al bacio vedrai mai andare ne Salo mo ne ne

Platone ne chiunque d'amore parlando del celeste ha ragionato.

2

T h e p a s s a g e I h a v e j u s t q u o t e d m i g h t w a r m t h e h e a r t o f a P l a t o n i s t w h o

be l i eved tha t t he Song o f So lomon was d iv ine ly insp i red . For i f i t i s

a s s u m e d t h a t t h e D e a t h o f t h e K i s s i s t h e s e p a r a t i o n o f t h e so u l f r o m t h e

b o d y i n a s t a t e o f i n t e l l e c t u a l r a p t u r e , a n d t h a t t h i s is w h a t So l o m o n s t a t e s

i n t h e v e r se L e t h i m k is s m e w i t h t h e k i s s e s o f h i s m o u t h , a n d , f u r t h e r -

m o r e , t h a t t h e wh o l e i n t e n t i o n o f th e So n g o f So l o m o n i s p r e s e n t e d in t h i s

v e r y v e r se , t h e n t h e c u m u l a t i v e e f f e c t o f t h o s e a s su m p t i o n s is t h a t t h e

d i v i n e S o l o m o n a n d t h e d i v i n e P l a t o s e e e y e t o e y e . Ne e d l e s s t o s a y , t h e

D e a t h o f t h e K i s s o r , t o b e m o r e p r e c i s e , t h e a l l e g o r i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f

t h e De a t h o f t h e K i s s is t h e li n k b e t w e e n P l a t o ' s Symposium a n d t h e S o n g

o f So l o m o n . S i n c e t h e a l l e g o r i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f th e De a t h o f t h e K i s s a s

t h e a d h e r e n c e o f t h e h u m a n s o u l t o G o d w a s a t t r i b u t e d b y P i c o t o t h e

Ka b b a l i s t s , I h a d b e t t e r s a y a t o n c e t h a t t h e K a b b a l i s t s d i d i n f a c t e m b r a c e

t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , b u t t h e y w e r e n o t it s o r i g i n a t o r s . I t b e g a n w i t h M a i m o -

n i d e s , a n d r i g h t f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g i t wa s c o n n e c t e d w i t h t h e a l l e g o r i c a l

i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e S o n g o f S o l o m o n .

M a i m o n i d e s m a r k s a t u r n i n g p o i n t i n t h e a l l e g o r i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f

t h e S o n g o f S o l o m o n .

3

T h e S a g e s o f t h e T a n n a i t i c a n d T a l m u d i c p e r i o d s

a s w e ll a s t h e m e d i e v a l c o m m e n t a t o r s R a s h i a n d I b n - E z r a c o n c e i v e d o f t h e

So n g o f So l o m o n a s p r i m a r i l y a n a l l e g o r y o f G o d ' s l o v e f o r I s r a e l a n d

I s r a e l 's l o v e f o r G o d , t h e T o r a h b e i n g t h e s u r e s t t o k e n o f t h e f o r m e r , a n d

m a r t y r d o m t h e s u p r e m e e x p r e s s i o n o f t h e l a t t e r . S i n c e M a i m o n i d e s , a

d i f f e r e n t c o n c e p t i o n o f t h e a l le g o r y is n o t i c e a b l e , t h e m a i n d i f f e r e n c e

b e i n g a c h a n g e o f o r i e n t a t i o n a n d s h i f t o f e m p h a s i s f r o m t h e c o m m u n i t y ,

a s e m b o d i e d i n t h e sy n a g o g u e , t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l so u l .

You know the difference between the terms

one who loves [oheb

] and

one

who loves passionately \hosheq\\

an excess of love [

mahabbah

], so that no

2 Pico,

Commento,

boo k III, chap, viii , Stanza 4, pp. 557 -5 58 ed. Garin.

3 The subject has been adm irably treated by G. Vajda,

L amour de Dieu dans la

theologie juive du Moyen Age, Etudes de Philosophie Medievale, XLVI (Paris,

1957), pp. 44 ff. and 126 ff.

[ 54 ]



Mors Osculi

thought remains that is directed toward a thing other than the Beloved, is

passionate love [ ishq].

Th e philosop hers hav e already explained tha t the bodily faculties impe de in

youth the attainment of most of the moral vir tues, and all the more that of

pure thought, which is achieved through the perfection of the intelligibles

that lead to passio nate love of Him , may H e be exalted . . . The result is that

when a perfect man is str icken with years and approaches death, this

app rehe nsion increases very pow erfully, joy over this appr ehen sion and a

great love for the object of app rehen sion beco m e stronger, until the soul is

sepa rated fro m the body at that m om ent in this state of pleasure. B ecause of

this the Sages have indicated with reference to the death s of Moses, A aro n,

and Miriam that the three of them died by a kiss . . . Their purpose was to

indicate th at the three of them died in the pleasure of this app rehen sion due

to the intensity of passionate love. In this dictum the Sages, may their

memory be blessed, followed the generally accepted poetical way of

expression t hat calls the app rehe nsio n that is achieved in a state of intense

and passionate love for Him, may He be exalted, a kiss, in accordance with

its dictu m: Le t him kiss me with the kisses of his m ou th , and so on.

4

The re is a bas ic a f f in i ty betw een Pico s and M aim oni de s v iews o f the

De ath o f the Kiss . At the sam e t ime, there are en ou gh s ign i f icant d i f f eren-

ces betwe en them t o ru le out the poss ib i l i ty tha t M aim on ide s was P ico s

d irect source . P ico , i t i s t rue , was d em ons trab ly fami l iar wi th the Guide of

the Perplexed

.

5

But I can see no con ce iva ble reason to dou bt or d isbe l ieve

Pico s s tatement that , as regards the Death of the Kiss , he is report ing the

v iews o f Kabba l i s t s . Moreover , P ico s forty - fourth thes i s

secundum secre

tam doctrinam sapientum H ebraeorum Cabalistarum a f fo rds the c lue for

the prec ise ident i f ica t ion o f h is Kabb a l i s t ic source . Tha t thes i s , a s we h ave

seen in C hapter 3 , der ives verbat im f rom Reca nat i s Comm entary on the

Pentateuch.

Th e passag e in Rec anat i f rom w hich P ico s thes i s der ives i s

wel l worth look ing in to : i t i s a remarkable d iscuss ion o f the Death o f the

Kiss .

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding h is sons , he gathered

up his feet into the bed , and yielded up the ghost, and was gathe red u nt o his

peo ple [G en . 49 :33 ]. . . This verse signif ies that the dea th of our P atr iarc h

Jacob . . . was with a kiss, as our Sages, may their memory be blessed, said

about the famous six r ighteous ones over whom the angel of death had no

power , namely Abraham, Isaac, Jacob , Moses , Aaron , and Mir iam . . .

And consid er the great mystery tha t I shall disclose to you in the dictum of

4 Maimon ides ,

The Guide of the Perplexed,

ed., trans. , and ann. S. Pines

(Chicago, 1963), part III , chap. 51, pp. 627-628.

5 The philosop hical part of the Conclusiones includes a set of three theses

secundum Moysem Aegyptium.

[ 55 ]




our Sages the Patr iarchs died with a Kiss. Fo r when the pio us an d

pr ac tic al [Httwa 'tt^SI D'TOrt] were in solitu de enga ged in high my steries,

the im aginative faculty of their thoug ht m ade things ap pe ar as if they were

engraved before them. And when they united their soul with the superior

soul, things were increasing, and drawing blessedness, and appearing of

themselves fr om whe re thoug ht gives ou t, as if a man ope ned the locks of a

pool and the water ran h i ther and th i ther . . .

6

And our Sages said in the chapter Eyn Dorsyn

7

that Ben Azzay was seated

expoun ding [ the Law] and f ire was burn in g around h im. Rabbi Akib a cam e

to him and said: Ben Azzay, why is today unlike other days? . . . Ben Azzay

replied: I sit and study, and the things come down and rejoice before me.

The reason is that when his soul adhered to the superior soul the

trem end ous things were engraved in his hea rt and he imagined th em as if a

man put words into his mouth, because through the adherence of his

thought to the emanation that he was drawing to himself the things were

increasing and multiplying and were revealing themselves to him with

rejoicing . . . Th e influx of proph ecy w as in like m an ner , when the prop het in

solitude was directing his thou ght upw ard , and ac cordin g to [ the degree of]

h is adherence the pro phet foresaw and knew the fu tur e , and th is is [Deu t .

13:5] Ye sha l l . . . cleave unt o h im. An d the prophe ts d if fered f rom each

othe r in the degree of their adherence . . . And know tha t just as the fruit

when it is r ipe falls off the tree, not be ing any longer in need of conju ncti on

with it , so is the conju nct ion of the soul with the body: for when the soul has

com prehen ded what i t is capable of com prehending and adheres to the

supe rior soul, i t will divest i tself of its terrestr ial g arm ent, w ithdraw fro m its

place, and adhere to the Sekinah. And this is the death of the Kiss.

Sefer ha-Zohar. . . . Th e com panions had not yet depar ted f rom that

assembly when Rabbi Yose . . . and Rabbi Hizkiyah, and Rabbi Yisa died,

and the comp anion s saw that they were borne by holy angels to the ca no py

.. . So you can see clearly tha t owing to the intensity of the adherence of their

souls to the superior soul they died the death of the Kiss. Sefer ha-Zohar.

While they were inebriated with those things the souls departed with a

kiss, attached themselves to the canopy, and were carr ied by the angels on

high .

8

The text of Recanati accounts for Pico s statement that in the opinion of

the Kabbalists Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and some

others died the De ath o f the Kiss. It also accoun ts for Pico s opinion that

6 Rec anati is here quotin g Azriel of G ero na ; cf . Scholem , Ursprung und

Anfänge, pp. 268-269.

7 Eyn Dorsyn is the second chapter of the tractate Hagiga in the Talmud.

Re cana ti 's reference is imprecise. His direct source is prob ably Azriel 's

Comm entary on the Aggadot (Perus ha-Aggadot), ed. Isaia Tishbi (Jerusalem,

1945), p. 40.

8 Recanat i , Comm entary on the Pentateuch (Venice, 1545), fols. 77va -78 vb.

[156]






Kabb al is ts say tha t the Pa tr ia rch s , M oses , A aro n, and M ir iam died with a

kiss , wh ereas R ecan ati , in the H ebr ew origina l, s ta tes as c learly as one can

wish th at this is the view of the Sages. I do n ot pre sum e to kn ow wh at the

lost Latin translation of this passage actually looked like. Yet the Tal-

mudic dic tum tha t Moses , Aaron, and Mir iam died with a kiss is a lso

quoted in Rabbi Levi ben Gershom's Comm entary on Canticles. As a rule ,

G erso nid es ' L atin tran slati on is l i teral an d accu rate . But there are som e

exception s. Th e inte rpre tatio n of the verse Le t him kiss me with the kisses

of his m o u th is a case in poin t :

De oscu l i s or i s su i , sc il ice t quo d coniungeretur cum eo secundu m posse ,

oscu lum enim s ign i f ica t con iun ct ionem e t appl ica t ionem , e t hoc est d ic tum

cabalistarum de Moyse Aar one e t Maria qu od mortu i sunt per oscu lum id

es t quod quando mortu i sunt con iunct i erant cum ipso deo .

C ab al i s ta ru m is an in te rpola t ion of the kind which can be seen else -

where in the translations of Mithridates. I t is possible that the lost Latin

translation of Recanati was interpolated in l ike manner. But, given the

trans la t ion of Gersonides '

Comm entary on Canticles,

it is not even neces-

sary to assume an inte rpola t ion in Recana t i ' s d iscuss ion of the Dea th of

the Kiss in order to see that the translations Pico read account for his

notion that the Death of the Kiss as a representation of the soul 's f inal

adherence to God was a Kabbal is t a l legory.

The main out l ine of Maimonides ' theory of prophecy — the union of

the human intellect with the Active Intellect — is s t i l l recognizable in

Rec anati 's a llegorical inte rpre tatio n of the my stery called the De ath of the

Kiss. Small wonder that the la tter squares so well with the Neoplatonic

phi losophy of love , except tha t Recana t i does not draw the t radi t iona l

dis t inc t ion be tween the two dea ths . This dis tinc t ion, unk no w n, as fa r as I

am aware, in Pico's Kabbalis tic sources, appears in his e leventh Kabbalis-

tic thesis secundum opinionem propriam.

Modus quo rat ionales animae per archangelum deo sacrif icantur, qui a

Cabalist is non exprimitur, non est nis i per separationem animae a corpore,

non corporis ab anima, nis i per accidens, ut contigit in morte oscul i de quo

scribitur [Ps. 116:15] Praeciosa in conspectu domini mors sanctorum eius .

T he aggadah of the sacrif ic ia l offering of ra tional souls to God by the

archangel Michael, which was the theme of the f irs t thesis

secundum

11 Ibid ., fo l. 19r.

[158]



Mors Osculi

secretam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum is here inter-

preted in the l ight of the Platonic distinction between the two deaths, or

the two s tages of the soul ' s ecs tat ic com m un ion with Go d. Ordin ar i ly , the

sacrif ice of ra tional souls is the separation of the soul from the body, in

other words ecs ta tic rapture an d n ot dea th , the la t te r be ing the separa t ion

of the bo dy fr o m the soul. But ecstatic rapt ur e can result in de ath , as in fact

happens in the Death of the Kiss.

Pico's in terp retat ion of the sacrif ic ia l off erin g of the soul to Go d as the

ecstatic sep aratio n of the soul fro m the body af fo rd s a glimpse of an

identif iab le varia tion of the my stic way: mystic ism of pra yer. Re cana ti , in

his Commentary on the Pentateuch, po inted o ut the possibil i ty tha t the

sacrif ice of the souls of the r igh teou s by the archang el M ichael was allud ed

to in Leviticus 1:2: if a m an will sacrifice of y o u . H e also m ad e it qu ite

clear that sacrifice is prayer, and that the mystic 's sacrifice is an act of

se lf - immola t ion through which his soul draws near to God.

1 2

The next two theses consider the conditions of operariper Cab alam and

the results of operari in Cabala. It is in con necti on w ith the la tter tha t the

Death of the Kiss appears again, and for the last t ime, in Pico's thir teenth

thesis secundum opinionem propriam:

Conclusio xii i :

Qui operatur in Cabala s ine admixtione extranei , s i d iu erit in opere,

morietur ex binsica; et si errabit in opere aut non purificatus accesserit

deuorabi tur ab Azaze le

1 3

per proprietatem iudici i .

Mori ex binsica soun ds aw kw ard but presents no prob lem : i t means to die

the Death of the Kiss. I wish the meaning of operari in cabala sine

admixtione extranei were half as certa in. Giv en that the De ath of the K iss

is , on Pico's own showing, the second death ( that is , the separation of the

body f rom the soul) , i t fo l lows tha t operari in cabala sine adm ixtione

extranei brings about that s ta te of intellectual rapture (namely the f irs t

dea th , or the separa t ion of the soul f rom the body) which according to

Pico's definit ion of binsica precedes the Death of the Kiss.

12 Rec anati , fo ls . 127ra and 129 vb- 130 ra. F or a translat ion of the texts , see

Appendix 12.

13 Az aze l is Sa m ael, that is, Satan ; cf. C od . Vat. Ebr. 191, fol . 332r: Et ex hoc

poteris inte l l igere secretum Azazel is de quo recepi quod est Samael . S ic

quoque legitur in amphorismis magni Rabi Hel iezer . Et vocatur s ic propter

perpe ndiculu m quo d habet super se a proprietate iudic i i d if f ic i l is . For

Samael see Scho lem, EJ 14 [1971] , 719-722 (= Kabbalah , p. 385 ).

[159]




What kind of Kabbalis tic operation creates the sta te of intellectual

rapture which is the init ia l s tage of the soul 's union with God? Three

undisputed facts suggest the answer to this question. First , the twelfth

thesis s ta tes : no n potes t oper ar i per pu ram C abala m qui non est ra t ion a l-

i ter intellectu alis . Secon d, the Dea th of the Kiss, bo th in Pico's sourc es

and in his Commento, is the crow ning achievem ent of a con tem plativ e l ife.

Third , P ico was acqua inted with two var ia t ions of contempla t ive Kab-

ba la , bo th of which aspire to myst ic unio n, bo th of which shade into w hat

Scholem called the magic of inw ardn ess, bot h of which are cons istent w ith

the not ion of operari: Kawwanah is one , Ab ulaf ia ' s ars combinandi the

other .

1 4

Hence , a l though the prec ise modus operandi of pu re K abb ala

eludes identif ication, i t is , I think, true to say that Pico conceived of

operari in cabala sine adm ixtione extranet as a con tem plativ e activity,

inasmuch as in the long run it brings about the highest reward of a

con tem plativ e l ife — the D eath of the Kiss, th at is , the indissolub le un ion

of the soul with God.

14 Scho lem,

MTJM

p. 142. For

Kawwanah

see abo ve pp . 147-14 8 and

Ap pend ix 11; for Ab ulaf ia s

ars combinandi

see Ch apter s 12 and 15 an d

Appendix 22 .

[160]



14

T H E O L D A N D T H E N E W I N P I C O S K A B B A L I S T I C C O N F I R M A T I O N

O F C H R I S T I A N I T Y

The co nf irm at ion of C hr is t iani ty , which is the dec la red purp ose of Pico s

Conclusiones Cabalisticae secundum opinionem propriam i s not touched

upon until the fifth thesis.

1

N ot every thesis fro m the f if t h to the seventy-

second is imm ediately p ertin ent to that pu rpo se; in fact , only abo ut half of

them are . I t is nevertheless true tha t the conf irm atio n of Ch ristianity is the

hea rt of Pico s C hristian K ab ba la , even if i t is not the sole pa rt for which

Ka bba la was cas t in Pico s n ine hu nd red theses. I pro po se there fo re to

cons ider how Pico handled the conf irmat ion of Chr is t iani ty f rom the

foundat ions of Jewish Kabbala .

I t is not my intention to consider each single thesis separately: many of

them are too vag ue for prec ise in te rpre ta t ion . There a re , howev er , enough

significant theses which are suffic iently precise to make us realize what

they involve, a lthough the uncertainty remains as to how Pico himself

wo uld h ave argu ed th em . I can well imag ine, fo r instanc e, an interm inab le

deba te concerning the ques t ion how Pico might , could, or would have

argued a thesis l ike the seventh:

Conclusio vii :

Nul lu s Heb raeu s Caba l i s ta potes t negare qu od nom en Iesu , s i eum

2

s e c u n -

dum modum et pr inc ip ia caba lae in terpretemur , hoc to tum prec ise e t n ih i l

a l iud s ignif lcat , id est deum dei f i l ium patrisque sapientiam per tert iam

1 The head in g o f the secon d se t o f Pico 's Kab bal i s t ic theses reads: Co nc lu s i -

o n e s C a b a l i s ti c a e n u m e r o L X X I < I > , s e c u n d u m o p i n i o n e m p r o p r i a m , e x i p si s

H e b r a e o r u m s a p i e n t u m f u n d a m e n t i s C h r i s t i a n a m r e l i g i o n e m m a x i m e c o n -

f irmantes . Th e f if th thesis states: Qu il ibet He bra eus Ca balis ta sec un du m

princ ip ia e t d ic ta sc ien t iae Caba lae cog i tur ineu i tab i l i t er concedere de tr in i -

tate , et qualibet p erso na diu ina, patre , f i l io , et spir itu sanct o , i l lud praecise

s ine add i t ione , d iminut ione , au t uar ia t ione , quod pon i t f ides ca tho l ica

c h r i s t i a n o r u m .

2 N . B . :

eum

n o t

id .

See a l so App end ix 7 .

[161]




diu in i ta t is personam quae es t ardent iss imus amor is ign is naturae hum ana e

in unitate suppositi unitum.

I t i s no t , however , necessary to reach agreement on the po int a t i s sue in

order to see that what this thesis involves is quite dif ferent from what is

invo lved , for ins tance , in the twent ie th:

C o n c lu s io x x :

Si in terpreta t ionem suam aduer ter in t Cabal is tae super hac d ic t ione

T X >

[ az], quae s ign if icat tunc, de t r in i ta t is myster io multum i l luminabuntur .

3

The essence of the dif ference is this: the lat ter thesis involves a Trinitarian

interpreta t ion o f an ex is t ing Kabb a l i s t ic symb ol; the form er , a K abba l i s t ic

in terpreta t ion o f the second person o f the Tr in i ty .

T w o pat terns o f Chris t ian K abb a la can in fact be d iscerned in P ico s

theses : Chris t ian iz ing in terpreta t ion o f ex is t ing t ex t s and Chris t ian iz ing

a p p l i c a t io n o f r e c o g n iz a b le d o c t r in e s , s y m b o l s , a n d m e t h o d s . W h a t f o l -

low are s ign i f icant examp les . M y f irst exam ple cons is t s o f fou r success ive

theses , a l l o f a s imilar stamp.

Conclus io xx i :

Qui coniunxer i t d ic tum Cab al is tarum dicent ium quo d il ia num erat io , quae

dici tur ius tus e t redemptor , d ic i tur e t iam Ze, cum dicto Thalmutis tarum

dicentium qu od Isaac ibat sicut Ze po rta ns crucem suam , uidebit quo d illud

quod fu i t in I saac praef igu ratum fu i t ad im pletum in C hr is to , qu i fu i t uerus

Deus uendi tus argento .

Conclus io xx i i :

Per dicta Cabalistarum de rubedine Esau, et dictum illud quod est in libro

Bresit Rhaba quod Esau fuit rubeus et rubeus eum ulciscetur de quo dicitur

Quare rubeum uest imentum tuum, habetur expresse quod Chr is tus de quo

nostr i Doctores eundem textum exponunt il le er it qui ultionem faciet de

uir tu t ibus immundis .

4

Conclus io xx i i i :

Per il lud dictum Hieremiae

5

Laceraui t uerbum suum, secundum exposi t io -

3 Fo r detailed discussion of the sources, see the beginning of Ch apt er 9.

4 The direct source is in all l ikelihood Rec anati , fol. 58. The Midras Beresit

Rabba (p. 696 ed. Theodor-Albeck) is quoted in Recanati .

5 The verse Pico has in min d can only be La m . 2:17. Pico com bined two

interp retatio ns: (a) imDK VS3, G od rent his pu rpl e,

Midras Wayyikra

Rabba on Lev. 6:5 (p. 140 ed. Ma rgaliot) an d Midras Rabba on Lam. 2:21 (p.

120, ed. Buber). and also the Zohar, pa rt I , fol. 61v; (b) m a x as a symbol of

the tenth sefirah.

[ 62]



Kabbalistic Confirmation of Christianity

nem Cabal is tarum

6

habemus in te l l igere quod Deum sanctum et benedic-

tum lacerauit Deus pro peccatoribus.

C on c lu s io xx iv :

Per responsionem Cabal is tarum ad quaest ionem quare in l ib ro Numero-

rum coniuncta est particula mortis Mariae particulae uitulae ruffae et per

expositionem eorum super eo passu ubi Moyses in peccato uituli dixit

[Exod. 32:32] Dele me et per dicta in libro Zo ar super eote xtu [Isa. 53:5] Et

eius liuore sanati sumu s red arg uun tur ineuitabiliter He braei dicentes non

fuisse conue niens ut mors Ch risti satisfaceret pro pecca to hum ani generis.

7

Th e detai ls vary fro m thesis to thes is but the pattern of the fou r thes es is

substant ial ly the same; they al l s tart , explic it ly or tacit ly , from exist ing

in terpretat ion s wh ich are then in fused with a new m eanin g . Th is pat t ern i s

fami l iar . A lm os t exact ly two hundred years befo re the pub l icat io n of

P ic o s t h e s e s , R aym u n d u s M ar t in i s Pugio Fidei s e t an example of a

Chris t ian iz ing in terpretat ion of rabbin ic t ext s , notab ly the Midrash and

t h e T a lm u d ( b u t n o t K ab b a la ) . T h e in flu e n c e o f t h is vo lu m in ou s w or k c an

be t raced far and wide . The common pat tern of P ico s four theses w i l l be

e as i l y r e c ogn iz e d b y an yon e ac q u a in t e d w i t h t h e

Pugio Fidei

C o m p a r e t h e

firs t o f these fo ur theses w i th the fo l lo wi ng passag e , whic h I qu ote verba-

t im, omit t ing on ly the Hebrew text s , f rom the

Pugio Fidei

(1687) , p . 851.

In ereschit minori talite r scrip tum est sup er illud Gen . 22 v. 6 Et accep it

Abraham ligna holocausti et posuit super Isaac f il ium suum: jsiütt? Π TD

1ΒΓ 03 lai bx sicut isle qui fer t crucem sua m humeris suis. Simile huic hab etur

in libro Beracot Jerosolymitano in distinctione Maimatai Korin Et fuit cum

absolvisset Salomo precari precationem, et supplicationem istam, surrexit

de conspectu altar is Domini procumbens super genua sua, et manus ejus

erant expanse ad coelum. N am sicut iste

crucifixus

vel in cruce exp ansus erat

stans. Istis duobus apte subjungitur quod in libro Menachot, distinct. Col

Menachot taliter scribitur Deus sanctus benedictus vocatus est m

[ze] iste

6 The notio n that mDN (verbum ) deno tes the tenth seflrah is a Kab balistic

commonplace. For example, Liber de Radicibus seu Terminis Cabalae Cod .

Vat . Ebr . 190 , fo l . 227r : Π Τ Β Χ amira , ub icum que d ici tur d ic t io , p rou t in

textu ΊΟ Κ 'Ι vaiom er idest et dixit dom inus , et alibi cho IDS am ar ado na i idest

sic dixit dominus, et alibi

ΓΠΏΝ

idest dictio dom ini exam inata est, et alibi quia

cus tod ierun t jm as imra thech idest d ic tionem tuam, e t a libi ΓΠΏ ΝΠ Ή Ν ΠΚ

eth adonai eemartha idest eth dominum dictionasti hodie, et generaliter in

quac um que d ict ione ubi es t rad ix t rium l ic terarum ΊΟ Κ , que der iverantur a

verbo d ix i t , s ign if icat d iadema.

7 Th e direct sourc e is Re can ati, fols . 183v, 120r, 207 -20 8r. Th e Zohar part iii,

218r is quoted in this Conclusio.

[163]






charac te r s , the four teen th , namely

nun,

is r ight in the mid dle. We can n ow

see that the combinat ion of the le t ter beth cum pr ima l i t t e ra is 3 Κ ab

(pater ) ; the combinat ion of beth c u m m e d i a is p , ben (filius); the

combina t ion o f

beth

cum u l t im is is ro w ,

sabbat.

What we see here is not an in terpreta t ion of Kabbal is t ic d ic ta but an

appl icat ion of the Kabbal is t ic ars combinandi. Th e m et ho d by itself is, of

course, neutral; but i ts application need not be. I call this a Chris t ianizing

app licatio n, becau se for Pico, even if not f or a Jewish Ka bba lis t , the results

car ry eminent ly Chr is t ian connotat ions . Ab ( fa ther ) and ben (son) are t oo

obvious for words . As for

sabbat

, here is what i t meant to Pico:

Conclusio xvi:

Ex mysterio trium litterarum quae sunt in dictione Sciabat id est <I OW>

possumus interpretari Cabalist ice tunc sabbatizare mundum cum dei f i l ius

f it hom o, e t u l t im o futurum sabbatum cum hom ines in de i f i l ium regenera-

buntur.

Unless I am mis taken, what

ex mysterio litterarum interpretari cabalistice

means in this particular case is not combination of letters but letter

symbolism. I t is indeed a fact that Pico resorted to letter symbolism more

of ten than to combinat ion of le t ters .

Conclusio xiv:

Per litteram <1P> id est sein quae mediat in nomine Iesu significatur nobis

cabal ist ice , quod tum perfecte quieuit tanquam in sua perfect ione mundus

cum Iod coniunctus est cum Vau, quod factum est in Christo qui fuit uerus

dei fi l ius et homo.

Conclusio xliii:

Per mysterium duarum l i t terarum Vau et Iod scitur quomodo ipse messias

ut deus fuit principium sui ipsius ut homo.

Behind Pico's symbolic interpretation of the consonants yo d and waw,

which are the f irs t and the last let ters of the Hebrew name of Jesus, looms

the symbolic in terpreta t ion of the Tetragrammaton. P ico 's use of le t ter

novem sci l icet quod continentur in se ter novem, nam ter tr ia sunt novem et

ter novem sunt 27 secundum hunc modum

u n t i m n n

X D y D 3 Ο V 0 '

1 ] I

ι η iff Ί ρ

[ 65]



Pico's Encounter with Jewish Mysticism

symbolism as a vehicle of Trinitar ian interpretation is in fact inconceiv-

able wi thout the equat ion of the Tetragrammaton with the second person

of the Trinity.

Conclus io v i :

Tria magna Dei nomina quaternaria,' quae sunt in secretis Cabalistarum

per mirabilem appropriationem tribus personis trinitatis ita debere attribui,

ut n om en <Γ Ρ Π Χ > [alefli, he, yod, he] sit patr is , nomen <Γ Π Γ Ρ > [yod, he, waw,

he] sit fi li i, nomen o n x > [aleph, daleth, nun, yod\ sit spiritus sancti, intelli-

gere potest, qui in scientia Cabalae fuerit profundus.

Conclusio xv:

Per nomen Iod he uau he, quod est nomen ineffabile, quod dicunt Cabalis-

ta e

10

futurum esse nomen Messiae, euidenter cognoscitur futurum eum

Deum dei filium per spiritum sanctum hominem factum, et post eum ad

perfectionem humani generis super homines paraclytum descensurum.

I have argued in Cha pter 12 tha t

sefirot

an d divine nam es are as insep ara-

bly l inked in P ico s Chr is t ian Ka bba la as they are in h is Hebre w sources .

The s ix th thes is is a superb examp le . I do n ot presum e to know how Pico

would have argued this thesis had he been given a chance to do so. All I

know is that the h ierarchical order of the three four- le t tered names

presupposes the equat ion of the name

Ehyeh

(Γ Ρ Π Χ ) w i th the Super ior

Crown ( the f i r s t sefirah), o f the name YHWH wi th G lory iferet the

sixth

sefirah),

and o f the nam e Ado na i ( Π Κ ) w i th K ingdom ( the t en th

sefirah).

I t does not require much ins ide knowledge of Kabbala to know

these equat ions : they are Kabbal is t ic commonplaces .

Le t te r symbol i sm an d the Te t rag ram ma ton b r ing to mind the Allocutio

super Tetragrammaton

o f A rna ldo de Vil lanova.

1 1

Co ns idered as a fo i l fo r

Pico s theses, the Allocutio is no ne th e less use ful fo r being entirely devo id

of Kabba la p rop er : the a f f in i ty be tween Arna ldo s and P ico s T r in i t a r ian

interp reta t io ns of the Te trag ram m ato n sets of f the unp reced ented novel ty

of P ico s K abbal is t ic in terpreta t ion of the na m e and pe rson of Jesus .

9 This is the reading in the editio princeps. Later edition s read quaternarii.

10 This dictum appears in the Babylonian T almud (Baba Batra, 75v), the

Midrash (e.g., on Ps. 2 ,MidraS Tehillim, ed. Buber[W ilna, 1891, p. 178] and

Lam. i:51), the

Zohar

(part II, fol. 59v), and the

Pugio Fidei

, pp. 653-655.

11 See Joaq uin Carreras Artau, La Allocutio super Tetragrammaton de

Arnaldo de Villanova, Sefarad, 9 (1949), 75 ff. See also Scholem , Zur

Geschichte der

Anfän ge der christlichen Kabbala, pp. 171-7 3.

[ 66 ]




Moreover , whereas Pico 's Chr is t ianiz ing inte rpre ta t ion of the symbolism

of le tters is foreshadowed by Arnaldo, there is no trace of the Kabbalis tic

ars combinandi in the Allocutio or indeed anywh ere in Ch r is t ian l i te ra ture

before Pico.

A par t f ro m divine nam es , le t te r symb olism, and com bina t ion of le t te rs,

I would in par t icula r draw a t tent ion to the appl ica t ion of the symbolic

language of Kabbala to the Kabbal is t ic in te rpre ta t ion of the sacred

doc um ents of Chr is t iani ty . The thirty-seventh thes is secundum opinionem

propriam is a choice exam ple in tha t it aff or ds a rare op po rtu ni ty of seeing

how Chris t ian Kabbala is c rea ted through the superpos i t ion of the sym-

bol ic language of Jewish Kabbala upon an eminent ly Chr is t ian text .

Conclusio xxxvii:

Qui intel lexerit in dextral i coordinatione subordinationem pietat is ad

sapient iam perfec te in tel l ige t per u iam Ca balae qu om od o A braam in d ie

suo per rectam l ineam uidit diem Christ i et gauisus est .

In the symbolic language of Jewish Ka bb ala , d ay as a rule deno tes

sefirah. Fu r the rm ore , i t is a com mo npla ce of the theosop hica l Kabb ala of

the ten sefirot tha t A bra ham is s ingula rly connec ted with the fo ur t h

sefirah, Hesed,

Pico 's

Pietas.

Hence there can be no doubt whatever tha t

Ab rah am 's day i s the four th sefirah. But which sefirah is the day of Ch rist?

As fa r as I am aw are , the day of the M ess ia h

yomo sei masiah)

is

unins tanced in the symbolic language of Kabbala . Dies Christi in Pico's

theses der ives f rom Jo hn 8:56: Y ou r fa th er A bra ha m re joiced to see my

day and he saw it , and w as gl ad . Bear ing in mind the t r iadic con f igura -

tions of the ten sefirot, one result of which is th e sub ord ina tion of Piety

to Wisdo m in the r ighth and fo rm at i on , we can see wh at Pico had in

mind: Abraham looking up in a s t ra ight l ine saw the day of Chr is t , and

was glad. The da y of C hr i s t is W isdom , the second sefirah.

Pico , i t i s t rue , a t t r ibu ted the Te t ragrammaton , YHWH, to the Son .

The a t t r i but io n of the ineffable nam e of G od to Jesus Chr is t is a ma t te r of

pa ram ou nt imp ortan ce for the history of Ch r is t ian Kab bala , as readers of

Reuch l in ' s De Verbo Mirifico can see for themselves. At the same time,

a l though the ineffable Te tragrammaton as a rule represents the s ixth

sefirah, G lo r y if r t), there are several theses which clearly presuppose

the identif ication of the Son with Wisdom. Two of them, the seventh

( deu m de i f i l ium pa tr isque sa pien t iam ) and the s ixty-f i rst , ( idem f i l ius

qui est sapientia patris ) , I have quoted in full earlier in this chapter.

[167]




Another , the th ir ty-seventh, I have discussed jus t now. Two more a re

variations of the same theme.

Conclusio xli i :

Scitur per fundam enta Cab alae quam recte dixerit Iesus [John 8:58] An te-

quam nasceretur Abraam ego sum.

Granted tha t Abraham i s the four th seflrah, Jesus cannot be ante r ior to

Abraham unless Jesus is one of the uppermost three

seflrot.

Pico assigns

the first sefirah (Super ior Cro wn , or the nam e Ehy eh) to the Fa t her . We

are thu s left with a choice between th e second a nd th e third .

1 2

T he choice is

made easy not only by the seventh and sixty-firs t theses but a lso by the

thir ty-ninth:

Conclusio xxxix:

Ex hac conclusione et trigesima superius posita sequitur quod quilibet

Cabalista habet concedere quod interrogatus Iesus quis esset rectissime

respondit dicens [John 8:25] Ego sum principium qui loquor uobis.

Pico, to judge by his twenty-fif th thesis secundum secretam doctrinam

sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum,

was perfec t ly aware tha t

principium

a n d

sapientia

were in te rchangeab le symb ols . So we have here ye t an oth er

ins tance of the symbolic language of Kabbala brought to bear upon the

inte rpre ta t ion of Jo hn s G ospe l .

I do not wish to create the impression that we can establish with

reasonable cer ta inty how Pico would have a rgued his Kabbal is t ic theses

in each particular case. Nor am I suggesting that a c lear-cut distinction

be tween the in te rpre ta t ion of Kabbal is t ic texts and the appl ica t ion of

Kabb al is t ic m etho ds is a lways poss ible . M y pu rpo se has been to show tha t

two dif fe rent pa t te rns can be discerned in Pico s Kabbal is t ic con f i rm at ion

of Christianity: Christianizing interpretation of existing Kabbalis tic texts

and Chris t ianiz ing appl ica t ion of recognizable Kabbal is t ic methods . The

form er was kn ow n and prac t iced befo re Pico; the la t te r is bare ly foresh a-

dowed before his t ime.

Pico s appl ica t ion of Kabb al is t ic metho ds to the con f irm at ion of Chr is -

t iani ty marks a turning point in the his tory of Chr is t ian Kabbala . Chr is -

t ian Kabbala was the l ineal descendant of the

Pugio Fidei

and inher i ted

from i t both a purpose and a method. The purpose was to use Jewish

12 The third seflrah, Π Γ 3 (Binah , is sometimes interpreted as Γ Ρ ρ {Ben Yah).

See below, Chapter 16.

[ 68]



Kabbalistic onfirma tion of hristianity

interpretat ions of the Scriptures as proofs of Christ iani ty. And the

method was, in the main, a Trini tarian or Christological interpretat ion

superimposed as a kind of supercommentary on carefully selected texts.

We can see this traditional pattern in the

Zelus hristi

of Petro de la

Cavalleria,

13

in the Ehsis Pauli of Paulus de H eredia,

14

a nd a lso in Pico s

Ka bbalistic theses. But side by side with this kind of Ch ristian K abb ala, a

different Christ ian K abb ala emerges from Pico s theses, a Christ ian K ab-

bala that is by no means a Christian interpretat ion of Jewish Ka bba la, b ut

a mystical confirmation of Christianity by the same methods that Jewish

Kabbalists use for the discovery of hidden truth in the documents of

revelation. Unless I misjudge the fa cts, it is fo r this very reason that Pico s

theses, chronology notwithstanding, mark the beginning of t ruly Chris-

t ian Kabbala.

13 Tractatus Zelus Christi contra Iudaeos, Sarracenos, et Infideles, A b illust.

doc t . Petro de La Cava l ler ia , H ispa no ex c iv itate Cae sarang usta, ann o 1450

compositus (Venice, 1592), especially fols. 34r, 90r, 91v, 92r, 108v, 109r.

14 See Secret, L

Ensis Pauli

de Paulus de Hered ia ,

Sefarad,

xxvi (196 6), pp.

7 9 - 1 0 2 an d 2 5 3 - 2 7 1 .

[ 69]



15

C A B A L A D O C E T N O S L E G E R E IN L I B R O L E G I S

The a rgument of the previous chapte r led to the conc lus ion tha t a new

Chris t ian Kabbala was born when Pico se t out to conf irm the t ruth of

Chris t iani ty by the same methods and procedures tha t Jewish Kabbal is ts

used for the discovery of hidden truth in the documents of divine revela-

tion. Pico, i t will be remembered, defined Kabbala as the science of

explaining the mysteries of the Law.

1

It is noteworthy that the l i terary

for m of Pico 's mo st inf luent ia l sources is the myst ica l com me ntary , Reca-

na t i ' s Com mentary on the Pentateuch and Abula f ia ' s com men ta ry on

Maimonides , in other words , the explana t ion of the myste r ies tha t a re

concealed in the writ ten Law.

2

Ho w are they concea led, or ra the r , how are

they thought to be concealed? The question is well worth asking, because

the way mysteries are concealed is

eo ipso

the correct way of interpreting

them. To interpret a given text anagrammatically will make sense only if

you assum e tha t the mystery contain ed in i t is concea led in an ag ram s. By

the sam e tok en, if you tho ug ht th a t the myste ry was disguised as a pa rable ,

you would as a matter of course resort to a llegory for i ts interpretation.

This correspo nden ce be tween concea lmen t and explana t ion m akes it well

wo rth ask ing wh at Pico tho ug ht a bo ut the way in which divine myste r ies

were concealed in the writ ten Law. He touched upon this question in

several texts, which I shall now co nsider o ne by on e.

On 10 November 1486, while he was preparing to leave for Rome in

ant ic ipa t ion of the for thcoming deba te of h is n ine hundred theses , P ico

wrote a reply to an unknown correspondent . The le t te r conta ins in te res t -

ing evidence concerning Pico 's assoc ia t ion with Mithr ida tes , which has

been quoted t ime and time again. But i t contains much else .

1 A b o v e , Ch ap t e r 1 1.

2 O n th e co m m en t a ry as th e l i t e ra ry fo rm o f K a b b a la s ee G . S ch o lem, D er

S in n d e r T o ra h in d e r jü d i s ch e n M y s t i k , in Zur Kabbala und ihrer Symbolik

p. 50 (= On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism p. 33).

[170]



Legere in Libro Legis

Et u t ad ea u en iam q u ae d e Ch a ld aeo ru m He b rae o ru m q u e Uter is d es id e ras ,

percunctatus sum ego saepe e t [in l ib r i impress i ] Mi thr idatem et mul tos

He b raeo s d e h is q u ae ap u d H ie ro n y m u m in Ga lea to p ro lo g o l eg u n tu r , u b i

i lle scr ib i t eosdem o l im fu isse Sa m ar i ta no rum et H ebr ae oru m chara cteres ,

Esd ram au tem p o s t i n s t au ra t i o n em t emp l i su b Zo ro b ab e l a li a s ad in u en i s se

l i t teras , quae nunc sun t in usu , nescios se hu ius mutat ion is omnes praed i -

can t , et q u o d es t ma iu s ) p ro co m p er to h ab en t i isd em q u ib u s n u n c u t imu r

in Hebraica l i tera tura ap ic ibus usos e t Mosern e t Pat r iarchas an t iquos

om nes. Cui sen ten t iae , u t nun c mih i sub uen i t , f idem ma xim am faci t sc ien t ia

Ca bala e , cu ius scr ip tores , qu i cum ipso Esd ra in syn odo fue run t , sub ips is

l i terarum character ibus e t f igur i s , qu ibus nunc legem descr ip tam habemus,

d iss imulasse Mosern d iu ina myster ia , e t uo lun t e t p robant : quod nu l lo

modo esse posset s i a l i i s Moses ab h is qu ibus nunc u t imur character ibus

usus fu isset .

3

The decisive point for the present purpose is that Pico, St. Jerome's

statement no twithstanding , agrees with the view of his Kabbalist autho rs

that M oses conce aled divine my steries sub ipsis literarum characteribus

et figuris, quibus nunc legem descriptam hab em us. Letter sym bo lism is

in fact one key — thoug h by no means the m aster key — to the interpreta-

tion o f the mysteries o f the Law . Pico was familiar with the no tion that the

forms of the Hebrew characters and the peculiarities of the Masoretic

spelling represented mysteries. In the thirty-third thesis secundum secre-

tam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum he states:

Nul lae su n t l i terae in to ta lege, quae in fo rm is , con iu nct ion ibus , sepa rat io -

n ibus , to r tuosi ta te , d i rectione, defectu , supera bunda nt ia , minor i ta te , maior-

i t a t e , co ro n a t io n e , c l au su ra , ap er tu ra , e t o rd in e d ecern n u mera t io n u m

secreta non mani fes ten t .

Moreover, his own theses afford a remarkable example.

Conclusio xli:

Sci r i po tes t in Cabala per myster ium Mem clausi , cur post se Chr is tus

mise r i t p a rac ly tu m.

The so-called closed mem — as distinct from the open mem — is the

character

mem

as it is written in a final position. But in Isaiah 9:6 the

closed

mem

appears — the only instance in the entire text of the Old

Testament — in a nonfinal position. This irregularity, as might be

expe cted, did no t pass unn oticed: it is treated in a variety of texts.

should

be hard put to it to prove which o f them touched off Pico's ow n specula-

3 pera 1557), p. 385.

[171]




t ion . But the prec ise source , i f any , i s no t the present po int . The po int i s

that Pico 's forty- f irst thesis i l lustrates the v iew that div ine mysteries are

con cea l ed sub ips i s l i t erarum character ibu s e t figuris . Co nse qu ent ly ,

let ters as such are invaluable keys to the mysteries of the Law.

About two years a f t er tha t le t t er P ico wrote h is Heptaplus.

4

Ka bba la i s

avo ide d in the m ain bod y o f the trea t i se , wh ich i s perfect ly und ers tan dab le

g iven tha t the Conclusiones were st i ll ba nn ed at that t im e.

5

At the end of

the seventh in terpreta t ion P ico adds a myst ica l in terpreta t ion o f the f irs t

H e b r e w w o r d o f G e n e s i s . H e r e , t o o , K a b b a la is n o t e x p l ic i t ly m e n t io n e d ,

but the in terpreta t ion i s eminent ly Kabba l i s t ic and bears d irect ly on the

re la t ionsh ip betw een the wri t t en L aw and the myster ies tha t are con cea led

in it.

Sum amu s, grat ia exempli , p r im am par t icu lam l ibr i Geneseos , u idelicet ab

exordio usque ad locum ubi est scriptum: Et uidit Deus lucem quod esset

bon um . Est to ta i lia scr ip tura t r ibus e t cen tum elementis coag me ntata quae

eo m odo d isposita , quo ibi sunt dictiones con stituu nt qu as legimus nihil nisi

commune et tr iuiale prae se ferentes. Corticem, scilicet, conflat hie li tera-

rum ordo , hoc tex tum, medullae in ter ius abdi ta e la ten t ium myster iorum , a t

4 Fo r the date see Ga rin, G. Pico della Mirandola p. 39; and G. Di Napoli,

Giovann i Pico della Mirand ola e la problema tica dottrinale del suo tempo

(Ro m e, 1965), pp . 200 -202 .

5 Heptaplus pp. 178-180 ed. Garin (= Opera p. 4): D e his i tem qua e vel

Ionethes vel Anchelos vel Simeon antiquus chaldaice tradiderunt vel, ex

Hebraeis au t veteres Eleazarus , Aba, Ioannes , Neonias , I saac, Ioseph , au t

iun iores Gersonides , Sadias , Abraam, u terque Moses , Salomon et Manaem

conscr ipserunt , nu l lam nos in praesent ia me ntionem hab ebim us. S im eon

ant iquu s who wrote in Ch ald ean ( that is , Aram aic) is obviously Rabbi

Simeon ben Yohay, the reputed au thor of the

Zohar.

Neonias is Rabbi

Neh unya ben H a-Q ana , the reputed au tho r of the Bahir. Sadias is of course

Saadya Gaon. The mispr in t Sardias which appears in later editions of the

Heptaplus might have been consigned to oblivion, had it not occasioned an

impossible identif ication; see Anagnine, G. Pico della Mirandola pp. 88-89 .

Ute rque M oses are of course the phi losopher Moses ben Maim on and the

Kabbal is t Moses ben Nahman. Manaem is Menahem Recanat i . See a lso

Heptaplus p. 246 ed. Garin (= Opera p. 23) : Cu m autem de hac natu ra

angelica et invisibili ab Hebraeis veteribus multa, multa item a Dionysio

trad ant ur , era t consil ium Moseos verba exponere iux ta doctr ina m utr iusque

famil iae . Sed quoniam quae ab Hebraeis d icuntur , cum s in t inusi ta ta apud

La tinos, intelligi a nostr is hom inibu s facile non p osse nt, nisi a gem ino (q uod

aiunt) ovo exorsi, plurima et fere omnia veteris disciplinae Hebraicae gentis

dogmata enar raremus, cogi tav i d if ferendum donee de h is a l ib i la t ius

scr ipser imus.

[ 72 ]






At mysteria secretiora, et sub cortice legis rudique uerborum praetextu

Iatitantia etc.).. .

. . .praeter legem, quam Deus dedit Moysi in monte, et quam ille quinque

libris contentam scriptam reliquit, reuelatam quoque fuisse eidem Moysi,

ab ipso Deo, ueram legis expositionem, cum manifestatione omnium mys-

teriorum et secretorum, quae sub cortice et rudi facie uerborum legis

continerentur.

8

A non com mit ta l t r ans la t ion o f sub cort i c e legi s rud iqu e ve rbo rum prae -

tex tu or sub cor t ice e t rudi fac ie verb oru m legis wou ld be som ethin g

l ike ben ea th the words o f the La w. But a non com mit ta l in te rpre ta t ion

of Ka bb ala is rarely i l lum inatin g, if a t a ll , an d least so wh en the K abb alis t

wishes to be ambiguous . Words as a rule have meaning and, a t the same

time, consist of e lements of language (that is , le tters) . I t is therefore

poss ible for a Kabbal is t ic in te rpre ta t ion of a given word or Scr ipture to

start e ither from its meaning or from the elements of language of which i t

consists . Hence, to s ta te that mysteries are concealed sub rudi facie verbo-

rum legis can mea n bene a th the me anin g , o r bene a th the l e t t e r s , o r

both. P ico 's Kabbal is t ic conf i rmat ion of Chr is t iani ty a f fords s t r ik ing

examples of each.

We have seen in the previous chap te r tha t Pr inc ipi um and

Sap ien t ia a re in te rchangeab le symbols . Hence , insofa r a s Deifilius est

sapientia patris,

Jesu s could say of himself

Ego sum principium qui loquor

vobis. On the oth er h and , in his twent ie th K abbal is t ic thes is secundum

opinionem propriam Pico argu es:

Conclus ion xx:

Si interpretationem suam aduerterint Cabalistae super hac dictione <TK>

[ az] quae significat tunc, de trinitatis mysterio multum illuminabuntur.

The Kabbal is t ic in te rpre ta t ion of the word az is well documented in the

trans la t io ns th a t P ico read. I t does not s ta r t f ro m the me aning tunc ; in fact

i t d is regards th a t m eaning a l tog e ther . M ithr ida tes was qui te r ight when he

trans lated Isaiah 58:9 A z vocab is e t do m inu s exau diet, s i enim Az

vocaver i s dom inus exaudie t s ta t im . ' The Kabba l i s t s t r e a t the word az

not as a par t ic le meaning tunc, but as a name, or, to be more precise , as a

symb olic representa t ion of the ten sefirot in which the f irs t e lem ent, aleph,

represents the super ior three sefirot, and the second e lement , zayin, the

8 Opera, pp. 329 and 175 = p. 156 ed. Garin).

9

Bahir,

Cod. Vat. Ebr. 191, fol. 310r.

[174]




remaining seven. I t is worth recall ing at this point Scholem's memorable

d ic tum, Die Sprache Go t te s ha t ke ine G ram m at i k — d iv ine language

has no grammar, i t cons is ts ent i re ly of names .

1 0

I do no t by any mean s wish or in tend to deny tha t K abbal is t ic in te rpre-

ta tions of Scriptures or rabbinic dicta can be, and sometimes are , a llego-

ries. The most famous single theologoumenon tha t goes by the na m e of

K abb ala in the I ta lian R enaissanc e is the allegorical int erp reta tio n of the

Death of the Kiss (m ors osculi . At th e sam e time , it is only fair to ad d th at

this mo st fa m ou s piece of K ab ba la is no t a typical piece of K ab ba la , being,

as we have seen, a phi losophica l a l legory descended f rom Maimonides .

There is , to be sure , no dearth of a llegory in Kabbala . Nevertheless, a ll

asser t ions to the con tra ry notw iths tan ding , a l legory is not typica l of

Ka bba la . No w ord s of mine need res ta te the poin t which was se t tled long

a g o b y S c h o l e m .

Hither to I have cons idered what Pico sa id about the concea lment of

divine mysteries in the writ ten Law. But the mysteries were concealed by

M oses , or indeed by G od ; the bus iness of K abb ala is to expla in th em .

K ab ba la , a fter a ll , is the science nella q uale le esposizione delli astru si e

asco nd iti misterii della legge si co nt ien e. '

2

It is ther efo re qu ite in keepin g

with i ts pr inc ipa l fu nc t io n tha t K abb ala is sa id to teach us how to read the

Law.

Conclusio lxxii:

Sicut uera astrologia docet nos legere in l ibro Dei ,

1 3

ita Cabala docet nos

legere in libro legis.

10 Scho lem, Tradi t ion und Ko mm entar a l s re l ig iöse Kategor ien im Juden -

tum , p. 34.

11 Judaica 3 , pp . 82 -8 5 (= On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism p p . 5 2 - 5 3 ) .

12 Pico, Commento p. 580 ed. Garin.

13 Since it i s astro logy that teaches us to read the bo ok of G od , liber Dei is

obviously the heavens (cf . Isa . 34:4) . But i t could easi ly come to mean the

w hole o f creat ion, in the sense o f the created wor ld, as in fact it do es in

C am pan ula ' s l e tter where he touches u pon the d i f ference be tween h imse l f

and Pico: Ec co dunq ue i l d iver so f ilosofar m io da quel di Pico; ed io imp aro

piu da l l 'anatomia d 'una formica ο d 'una erba ( lasc io que l la de l m on do

mirabilissima) che non da tutti Ii l ibri che sono scritti dal principio di secoli

sin a mo ', do p o ch'im par ai a filosofare e legger il l ibro di Di o: al cui

esemplare correggo i l ibri umani malamente copiat i a capriccio , e non

seco nd o s ta ne ll ' un iverso l ibro or ig ina le ; To m m aso C amp ane l la , Lettere

ed. Vi ncen zo Spam pa na to (Bari , 1927) , p . 134.

[ 75 ]






(or Peni tence) — with form and mat te r . There was no agreement as to

which was form and which mat te r . Tohu conceived of as formless matter ,

was identif ied by some Kabbalis ts with the second sefirah· others identi-

fied it with the third.

1 6

It is the la tter view th at occasio ned Pico 's s ta te me nt

cum audis Cab a l is tas pon ere in Thesu<u>a inf orm ita te m , e tc.

Conclusio xxxii:

Si duplex Aleph quod est in textu [Gen. 49:10] Non auferetur sceptrum etc .

con iunxer imus ad duplex Aleph quod es t in tex tu [Prov . 8 :22] Deus

posse dit m e ab init io , et ad dup lex A leph qu od est in textu [G en. 1:2] Terra

autem erat inanis , per viam Cabalae inte l l igemus ibi Iacob de i l lo Messia

locutum, qui fuit Iesus Nazarenus.

I do not know, in the sense that I cannot c ite chapter and verse , whence

comes the inspiration of this thesis . But the underlying principle is quite

simple. The le tter aleph occurs twice in the Heb rew text of Genesis 49:10,

twice in Proverbs 8:22, twice in Genesis 1:2; ergo the three verses are

linke d. F ro m Pico's poin t of view, the l inks between these three verses are

by no means as tenuous as they might seem at f irs t s ight. They are l inked

by association of ideas ra ther than by the twice repeated le tter aleph. It is

com mo nplac e of Chr is t ian apologe t ics tha t N o n aufe re tur sceptru m de

J u d a was fulf i l led by the coming of Jesus Chr is t . Th e second Scr iptu re ,

D eu s possedi t me ab ini t io , is pa r t of the discourse of W isdo m, an d

W isdom , for Pico, is the Son of Go d, wh o is the Fa the r ' s W isdom .

1 7

As fo r

the third text, there exists in the Midrash an interpretation, quoted in the

Pugio Fidei to the effect tha t the spiri t of G o d in the verse an d the spiri t of

G o d m oved up on the face of the wate rs is the spir it of the Mess iah. We

can no w see tha t the duplex a leph is no m ore than a kind of code nu m be r

or punched card by means of which three different verses are l inked, each

carrying la tent mess iological con no ta t io ns tha t cor rob ora te each othe r , or

seem to do so, by sheer juxtapos i t ion.

Conclusio xxxiii :

Per hanc dict io nem <WX> quae scribitur per Ale ph, Iod , et Sein et s ignif i -

cat uirum) quae Deo attr ibuitur, cum dicitur [Exod. 15:3] Vir bel l i , de

tr in i ta t i s myster io per u iam Cabalae per fec t i s s ime admonemur .

This thes is a f fo rds a rem arka ble i l lus t ra t ion of the dif fe rence be tween a

myst ica l in te rpre ta t ion which s ta r ts f rom the meaning of a word and a

1 6 S c h o l e m,


p. 379.

17 See abo ve, Ch apter 14.

[177]



Pico's Encou nter w ith Jewish Mysticism

myst ical in terp reta t io n which s tar ts f r om i ts le t ters . The m eanin g of the

divine name (assuming i t i s a name) Is (Vir) br ings to mind incarnat ion,

and i t i s in fact in the chapters on Incarnat ion and the Pass ion that the

texts concerning

Is

as an appellation of God are discussed in the

Pugio

Fidei.

l

Pico, however , cons iders Is as a reminder of the mystery of the

Tr ini ty . W heth er P ico mea nt to in terpre t the word tP'X as an acrony m ( for

ins tance, Π 'Π Χ , m n \ ra w ; cf . Con clus iones v i and l ix) , I do no t kno w, nor

does i t m a t t er . W ha t m at ters is that i t i s only by the three le t ters , aleph,

yod, sin,

and not by the meaning

vir

that we are perfect ly rem inded of the

mystery of the Tr in i ty .

Conclusio l i i i :

Cum fieri lucem nihil sit aliud quam participare lucem, con uenien s est ualde

ilia Cabalistarum expositio, ut in li

20

fiat lux, per lucem speculum lucens

intelligamus, et in li facta est lux speculum non lucens.

The sym bolism of the m ir ro r that sh ines and the m ir ro r that does not shine

is u l t imately descended f rom a famous Talmudic d ic tum in which the two

mir rors represent two degrees of pro phe t ic i l lumina t ion: Al l the prop he ts

prophes ied f rom a mir ror that does not shine, whereas Moses prophes ied

from a mir ror that sh ines .

2 1

In the symbolic language of Ka bba la the two

mirrors represent two

seflrot,

the s ixth and the tenth. As such they

represent not only two degrees of prophet ic i l luminat ion but a lso two

stages of the

processus Dei ad extra

th roug h the t en

sefirot.

Th is is precisely

the s i tuation which is envisaged in Pico's thesis . Pico s tarts from the

18 Pugio Fidei, pp. 665 and 846.

19 In the Bahir, §84 ed. Scho lem (Cod . Vat. Ebr. 191, fol. 306v): [Da s W ort

für Mann] isch ist ein Merkw ort. See also ibid., §18 (= Vat. 191, fol. 291r)

and Recanati's Commentary on the Prayers De Secretis Orationum et Bene-

dictionum Cabale), Cod . Vat. Ebr. 190, fols. 315 v-3 16r : Do m inu s vir belli

secundu m qu od exposu erunt sapientes nostri in libro Sepher Abahir [§ 18 ed.

Sch olem ] quo d dictio his WN indicat tria encia prima et sic dicunt ibi Alep h

que est prima lictera que scribitur in dictione his est principium sive caput.

Iod secun da ab eo hies idest ens continet totum mu ndu m qu od scribitur de eo

Tesuua. At vero secundum quod sapientes nostri dicunt in libro sepher

azohar sin indicat fundamentum seculi.

20 Li is the definite article. Cf. Liber de Radicibus, Co d. Vat. Ebr. 190, fol. 248r:

D'nVsn nun macte ahelohim id est virga deorum cum articulo he. ly virga

indicat regnum. ly deorum indicat intelligentiam. In li is therefore like έ ν

τ ω .

21 Bab. Talmu d, Yebamot, fol. 49v.

[ 1 7 8 ]




equation of ieri lucem with participare lucem an d then goes on to app rove

of the Kabbalistic interpretation of fiat lux and facta est lux as speculum

lucens a nd speculum non lucens.

22

The result is that Creation and Revela-

tion — the creation of light

fieri lucem )

and prophetic i l lumination

participare lucem) — coincide in the same symbols. This is, if I may

borrow Pico's own expression elsewhere, maxime cabalisticum.

Conclusio lviii:

Rect ius fore t il lud Becadm in , quo d p oni t g lossa Chalda ica super d ic t ionem

Bresit , exponere de sapiential ibus ideis quam de tr iginta duabus ui is , ut

dicunt al i i Cabalistae , utrumque tarnen est rectum in Cabala.

It is certainly n otew orth y tha t P ico's first choice is the Platon ic or Philonic

ideas

23

rather tha n the thirty-two path s of wisdom which app ea r in the first

sentence of the

Book of Creation.

But it is even more important that this

thesis, being an obvious sequel to Conclusiones xxv and xxvi secundum

secretam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum ,

24

presupposes

the equ ation of Beginning with Wisd om . This eq ua tion , as we have seen in

Ch ap ter 14, links the sym bolism of the ten sefirot with Pico's Kabbalistic

confirmation of Christ iani ty.

Conclusio lxiv:

In tex tu [Deu t . 6 :4 ] Aud i I srahel D om inu s D eus nos ter D om inu s unus ,

rectius est ut intelligatur ibi collectio ab inferiori ad superius, et a superiori

ad inferius , quam ab inferiori ad superius bis .

I have discussed this thesis at great length elsewhere

25

and can be brief

here. The verse A ud i Israel Do min us Deus noster Do min us un us serves

in Ju dais m in general an d in Jewish liturgy in par ticula r as a confes sion of

monotheist faith. Pico's direct source, the Liber de Radicibus, Cod. Vat .

Eb r. 190, fols. 222 v-2 23r, leaves no roo m fo r do ub t tha t this thesis states

that the verse Audi Israel etc. represents the unity of the ten sefirot in

ascending and descending order. Pico does not go into details, but his

source does, an d thu s affor ds the oppo rtunity of seeing that the interpre-

tation underlying Pico's thesis presupposes the symbolic language of

Kabbala .

22 See also A pp en dix 5 .

23 Conclusiones ed. Kieszkowski , p . 89.

24 See ab ov e, Ch apter 3 .

25 Wirszubsk i , Giov anni P ico ' s Co m pan ion to Kabb al i s ti c Sym bol i sm , pp .

3 5 4 - 5 6 .

[ 79]




Conclusio lxvii:

Per dictum Cabalistarum, quod coel i sunt ex igne et aqua, s imul et uerita-

tem theo log icam de ips i s Sephirot nob is mani fes ta t , e t ph i losophicam

uer i ta tem, quod e lementa in coe lo s in t tantum secundum act iuam u ir tu-

tem.

The inte rp re ta t ion of samayim (heaven ) as consisting of es

(f ire) an d mayim (water) is mu ch older tha n medieva l Kabb al ism . Pico in

all l ikelihoo d ca m e across i t in his Kabb alis tic sources, th e B a h i r , (§ 40 ed.

Scho lem), o r Rec anati (fo l. 3v), or bo th . But the precise source of wha t is

after a ll a locus communis does not very much mat te r . P ico quotes th is

dic tum aga in in the Heptaplus: cae lum na tur a media idc irco ab Heb rae is

asciamaim,

qua si ex

es

et

maim,

ides t ex igne e t aqua . . . composi tum

n u n c u p a tu r .

2 6

It is in fa ct the H eptaplus tha t a f fo rds the be st com men -

tary on the philosophic part of the thesis .

Est apud nos calo r qual i tas e lementaris , est in caelest ibus virtus excalfa cto-

r ia , est in angel ic is mentibus idea caloris . Dicam al iquid express ius: est

apud nos ignis quod est e lementum; Sol ignis in caelo est; est in regione

ultramundana ignis saraphicus inte l lectus . Sed vide quid differant . Ele-

men taris urit , caelest is v ivif icat , supercaelest is am at. Est aqu a apud nos; est

aqua in cae li s , hu ius motr ix e t dom ina , ves t ibu lum sc i li ce t cae lorum luna;

sunt aquae et super caelum mentes cherubicae. Sed vide quae in eadem

natura dispari l i tas condit ionis; humor e lementaris v itae calorem obruit;

caelest is eundem pascit , supercaelest is inte l l ig i t .

2 7

The theologic t ruth about the sefirot which the midrashic e tymology of

samayim is said to reveal can be sta ted only in the symb olic langu age of

Kabba la : Judgment , the f i f th sefirah, f i r e , and Mercy , the fou r th

sefirah, w at er , a re uni ted in the s ixth sefirah, Glo ry or Beauty Tiferet ,

which is a lso called Heaven.

The symb olism of Heaven a ffo rds the opp or tu ni ty to point out tha t the

symbolic language of Kab bala is ne i ther r ig id nor un ifo rm . We have seen

in Chapte r 6 tha t the anon ym ous ma nua l o f Kabba l i s t i c symbols De

Proportione Divinitatis has a whole chap te r , ent i t led D e Nom inibu s

A equ al ib us , which t rea ts of na m es , tha t is, symbols represent ing two

26

Heptaplus

, p . 184 ed. Ga rin, Th e transl i terat ion

asciamaim

(D awn) accoun ts

for the non existent form D DIPS wh ich ap pears in the text of

Opera Om nia,

1557, p. 5.

27 Ibid. , pp. 18 8- 19 0 (= Opera, p . 7) . Cf . Reuchlin , De Arte Cabalistica ( H a g e -

nau, 1517) , fo l . xvi (pp. 14 3- 14 4 of the editio princeps repr int , S tut tgar t -Bad

Cannstatt , 1964) .

[18 ]




or more

sefirot.

This varie ty of me aning can be i l lus t ra ted f ro m Pico 's own

theses. The seventh thesis

secundum secretam doctrinam sapientum

Hebraeorum Cabalistarum states:

Cum dic i t Sa lo mo n in orat ione sua in l ibro Regu m Exau di ο coe lum per

coelum l ineam uiridem debemus intel l igere quae gyrat uniuersum.

Th e gree n line th at encircles the un ive rse is Intell igence, the third

sefirah.

At the same time, i t is as certain as can be that Heaven, as a

Kabbalis t ic symbol, in the s ixty-seventh thesis

secundum opinionem pro-

priam d e n o t e s Tiferet the s ixth sefirah. T o al lay al l do ub ts , I shal l quote

th e Liber de Radicibus seu Terminis Cabalae fol. 261r:

D O ® [samayim] s ine he idest cel i indicat Tiphereth. cu m he vero quan -

doqu e ind icat Inte ll igent iam qua ndo que ipsam Tiphereth . e t s ign i f ica t

hassamaim ly cel i .

Bearing in mind that the s ixth sefirah is also identif ied with the inef fab le

Tetragrammaton, i t i s notewor thy that in the th i rd thes is

secundum secre-

tam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum

Pico s tates:

Qua mu is nom en ine f fab i le s it propr ie tas c lement iae negan dum tarnen non


Judgment and Clemency are the F ire and the Water of which Heaven

consists .

Al l the theses cons idered so far touch upon points of deta i l . The

sevent ie th concerns the Law as a whole .

Conclus io lxx:

Per m od um legendi s ine punctis in lege et m od us scribendi res diuina s et

un ia l i s cont inent ia per indeterminatum ambitum rerum d iu inarum nobis

ostenditur.

Considered by i tse l f ,

mod us legendi sine punctis in lege

can mean ei ther or

bo th of two d if ferent th ings : the l i turgic pract ice of pub l ic reading of the

Law f ro m unpo inte d scrol ls (but accord ing to the t rad i t iona l vocal izat ion

and acce ntua t ion) o r else the d is regard of po ints and

p er consequens

also

of the d ivis ion of wo rds in the Kab bal is t ic in terp reta t io n of the Scr ip tures .

P ico was u ndo ubte dly aw are of both , but wh at he d iscusses in th is thes is is

primarily the latter . By way of i l lustration I shall use an example which

Pico knew and used. Reading the f irs t word, or rather the f irs t s ix

characters , of Genes is ,

rPUWü in pr inc ip io) as

ΓΡΙΡΝ (filium fu n -

[181]




d a b o ) ,

2 8

is read ing

sine punctis in lege.

But i f the wo rds of the Law can be

t h u s r e s o lve d in t o t h e ir e l e m e n t s , an d t h e se e l e m e n t s , b e in g c o n s o n a n t s

w i t h o u t v o w e l s

(sine punctis),

c an b e c om b in e d aga in an d aga in in d i f f e r -

ent ways , i t f o l lows that the under ly ing un i ty and cont inu i ty of d iv ine

reve lat ion a dm it of end less va r iat ions o f mea ning . Th is is in fac t wh at to

m y m in d P ic o m e an s b y u n ia l i s c on t in e n t ia p e r in d e t e r m in a t u m a m b i -

t u m r e r u m d iv in ar u m .

2 9

Th e To rah has seven ty fac es s tates an o ld

Rabbin ic maxim; in other words , the Torah admit s of an indef in i t e

nu m ber of in terpretat ions . N o other thes i s br ings ou t P ico 's aw aren ess of

the in f in i t e meaning of d iv ine reve lat ion as c lear ly as the sevent ie th does ,

pro vid ed , o f cour se , that my in terpretat ion o f i t ho lds go od . The in f in i t e

m ean ing o f d iv ine re ve lat ion i s the unde r ly ing pr inc ip le of the ass um pt io n

that al l true doctr ine s of al l the arts an d scienc es are inc lud ed in the text o f

the wri t t en Law.

Firma es t sentent ia omnium veterum, quam ut indubiam uno ore conf i r -

mant , omnium ar t ium, omnis sapient iae et d iv inae et humanae in tegram

cogn it ionem , in quinque l ibris Mo saicae legis includi; dissim ulatam autem

et occultatam in litteris ipsis, quibus dictiones legis contextae sunt; quo

modo nunc declarabimus.

3 0

Like Abulaf ia before him, Pico assumed that the methodical combinat ion

of the le t ters of the L aw un lock s the h idden m yster ies . In is

ept plus

h e

28 Co d. Va t. Eb r. 190, fol. 62r.

29 Cf. Scholem ,

Judaica

3, p. 51: Da ss die T ora nach der rabbinische n Vo r-

schrif t für den synagogalen Gebrauch ohne al les Beiwerk nur mit ihrem

Konsonantenbestand geschr ieben werden darf , wobei auf gewissen Konso-

nanten von der Über l ieferung fes tgelegte Häkchen angebracht werden,

deutet Gikati l la, im Einverständnis mit den Kabbalisten seiner Zeit , auf die

unendlichen Sinneschichten, die in diesem Konsonantenbestand potenziel l

verborgen l iegen und durch eine vokalisierte Schreibung in ihrer Bedeu-

tungsfü l le eingesc hränkt w ürd en . Stude nts of Renaissanc e art will recall

what Gombr i ch ,

Symbolic Images,

p. 159, said about the meaning of hiero-

glyphic symb ols: W her e symb ols are bel ieved not to be conv entiona l bu t

essential, their interpretation in itself must be left to inspiration and intui-

t ion. T he rea son is not fa r to seek. Conve ntions can be learned , if necessary

by rote. The sym bol that pre sents to us revelat ion can not be said to have one

identifiable meaning assigned to its distinctive feature. All its aspects are felt

to be charged with a plenitude of meanings that can never be exhaust ively

learne d, bu t m ust be fou nd in the very process of con tem plat ion i t is designed

to engender .

30 Heptaplus, p. 374 ed. Garin = Opera, p. 59).

[ 1 8 2 ]




ventured an experiment:

Libuit periclitar i in prima opens dictione, quae apud Hebraeos Bresit

[ΓΗ ΡΝ Ί3], apu d nos In principio legitur , an ego qu oqu e, usus regulis

antiquorum, eruere in lucem inde cognitu dignum aliquid possem. Igitur

praeter spem me am , praete r op in ionem inveni, quod neque inveniens ipse

credebam, neque credere a l i i faci le potuerunt , un iversam de mundi

rerumque omnium creat ione ra t ionem, in una ea d ic t ione, aper tam et

expl icatam. Rem dico mirabi lem, inauditam et incredib i lem; sed mox

credetis , si attenderitis , et res ipsa verum me demonstrabit.

3 1

Pico then c om bin es the six letters rPWNin in different way s. T he results are

twelve words, namely: (1)

N pater,

(2) Ώ 3,

in filio;

(3)

NW XI, principium;

(4) raw, quietem; (5) Κ Ί 3, creavif, (6) EW l, caput] (7) IPX, ignem: (8)

TVD,

fundamentum;

(9) 21,

magni;

(10) WX ,

hominis-,

(11)

r?Mjoedere;{\2)

an,

bono?

2

These twelve words are then presented as a continuous sentence:

et totam si ordine consequenti orationem texamus, er it huiusmodi: Pater in

Filio et per Filium princ ipium et f inem sive quietem creavit caput ignem et

fundamentum magni hominis foedere bono. Haec to ta orat io ex pr imae

illius dictionis resolutione et compositione dissultat.

3 3

Christians, con tinues P ico, will imm ediately see what it m eans Patrem in

Filio et per filium creasse and likewise Filium principium esse et f inem

omnium (est enim α e t ω ) . As for the rest:

Cetera paulo obscuriora, quid ilia scilicet sibi velint, caput ignis et funda-

men tum magni h ominis , qu id i l lud si t foedus et qua ra t ione bon um dicatur .

Neque en im s ta t im in promptu omnibus v idere h ie expl icatam mundorum

qua ttuo r , de quibus eg imus, omnem rat ione m, cogna t ionem i tem et fe l ic i t -

a tem de quibus postremo nos d isputavimus.

3 4

The remaining part of the interpretation will be quoted and its sources

discussed in Appendices 17 and 22. Here it will suffice to point out the

lesson to be drawn from the letter-comb inatory interpretation of the first

word of Genesis. To recognize Christian dogma and, in addition, the

doctrine of the three (or four) worlds (m und i) in the words resulting from

the combinations of the first six letters of Genesis is

eo ipso

to recognize

the symbolic character of those words.

31 Ibid ., p. 376

=Opera,

p. 60).

32 Ibid ., p. 378

= Opera,

p. 60).

33 Ibid.

=Opera,

p. 61).

34 Ibid ., p. 380 =Opera, ibid.).

[ 1 8 3 ]




The only other ins tance of the le t te r -combina tory method in Pico 's

extant wri t ings ( inc luding the unp ubl ish ed f ragm ents of h is comm enta ry

on Psalms) is the f if ty-ninth Kabbalis tic thesis secundum opinionem pro-

priam.

In it, as we hav e seen, the letter

beth

is successively combined with

the f irs t , the middle , and the last two le tters of the alphabet. But the

sixtie th thesis leaves no room for doubt that the le tter beth figures in the

fifty-ninth thesis n ot as the secon d letter of the alp ha be t, bu t as the first

le tter of the Law .

35

So here , to o, a mystery of the Law ( cu r lex Dei a beth

li tera incipit ) is unraveled through combination of le tters .

The sym bolic and the le t te r -comb ina tory in te rpre ta t ion s of the Law are

descended from different varie ties of Kabbala . If I might borrow

Ab ulaf ia ' s ow n c lassi f ica t ion,

36

I would say that the former is descended

fro m the knowledge of G od by way of the ten Sef i rot , and the la t te r

fro m the kn ow ledg e of G od by way of the twenty two le tters . In view of

this difference of origin, i t is a s ingularly im po rta nt fa ct that Pico's le tter-

combinatory interpretations of the Law are symbolic: a ll his

combina t ions of le t te rs produce rea l words which assume symbolic

me anin g. The y are no t, and are not mean t to be, sym bols of the sefirot, but

are nonetheless symbolic . Fath er, So n, an d Sab bath in the le tter-

com bina tory f i f ty-ninth thesis a re as symbolic as A bra ham and dies

Christi

in the eminently symbolic thir ty-seventh thesis . Symbolism thus

appears to be the salient characteris tic of Pico's Kabbalis tic confirmation

of Christianity as well as of his mystical interpretations of the Law

throughout h i s Con clusiones Caba listicae secundum opinionem propriam .

In oth er word s , symbolism is the mains tay of Pico 's Chr is t ian Ka bba la .

35 See above Chapter 14.

36

Sum ma Brevis Cabalae Que Intitulatur Rabi Ieude

Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190 fols.

122r and 124r; see ab ov e Ch apter 12.

[ 84]



16

N E W R E L T I O N S H I P S N D O R I E N T T I O N S

Ch ris t ian K abb ala w as except iona l ly for tu na te in i ts fou nd er . W hat th e

C ou nt of M irand ola , the Phoenix of his age , d id fo r Ka bba la the

com bin ed ef for ts of a ll Jewish conv erts to Ch ristianity c ould never do : he

m ade K abb ala respec table and des irable in the Ch r is t ian world . But what

Pico bequeathed to Christian Kabbalis ts of a ll t ime was not only the

compel l ing fo rce of his il lus t rious nam e and p ersona l exam ple : C hr is t ian

K ab bal a as a my stical discipline in i ts ow n righ t is Pico's creatio n.

1

In the

preceding two chapte rs , as we went s tep by s tep thro ugh Pico 's K abbal is -

t ic con f i rm at ion of Chr is t iani ty and thro ugh his myst ica l in te rpre ta t ion of

the Law, we could watch the birth of that discipline. I t only remains for

me to add tha t , f rom the moment of i ts b i r th , Chr is t ian Kabbala was se t

by i ts fa ther on a new course.

The or igina l or ienta t ion of Ch r is t ian Ka bb ala was apologe t ic or polem -

ica l , as the case may be . I ts pa t te rn was t radi t iona l and unambiguous:

adversus Iudaeos pro Christianis. Some idea of Chr is t ian Kabbala as i t

was presented by Jewish conve r ts to Chr is t iani ty befo re Pico 's Conclusi-

ones can be fo rmed f rom the Mo strador de Justicia of Alfonso de Valla-

1

Christian Kabba la

is not a mo de rn t erm.

Adumbratio Kabbalae Christianae

is

t h e t i t l e o f a t r e a t i s e b y Me r c u r i u s V a n H e l m o n t p u b l i s h e d a n o n y m o u s l y a s

a n a p p e n d i x t o K n o r r v o n R o s e n r o t h ' s

Kabbala Denudata

f irst pu bl is he d in

1 6 8 4; s e e G . S c h o l e m , K n o r r v o n R o s e n r o t h , i n £ 7 ( 1 9 7 1 ) , 10 c o l . 1 11 8 ;

Kabbalah p. 20 . But the t erm i s in fact mu ch o lder . La saincte et trescrestienne

Cabale

is the ti t le o f a lon g poe m prese nted to Fra nci s I o f Fran ce by Jea n

Thenaud; s ee J . L . B lau ,

The Christian Interpretation of the Cabala in the

Renaissance

( N e w Y o r k , 1 9 4 4 ) , p p . 8 9 - 9 8 , 1 2 1 - 1 4 4 . T h i s i s s o f a r t h e e a r l ie s t

known ins tance o f the t erm. P ico never uses i t . He created Chri s t ian Kab-

bala , but d id no t co in the t erm . Th e phra se the Ph oen ix o f h i s ag e i s used

by J.L. Blau, ibid. , p . 17.

[185]




d o l i d ( A b n e r o f B u r g o s ) ,

2

th e

Zelus Christi

o f Pe tro de la Cav a l ler ia ,

3

a n d

th e Ensis Pauli o f P a u l u s d e H e r e d i a .

4

The t i t l e s o f the books are suf f i -

c i ent ly i l lus tra t ive o f the ir apo loge t ic and po lemica l tendency . P ico , too ,

consc ious ly fo l lowed the tradi t iona l path: he s e t out to prove the truth o f

t h e C h r i s t i a n r e l i g i o n f r o m t h e f o u n d a t i o n s o f J e w i s h K a b b a l a . B u t , a s

thes i s a f ter thes i s y ie lds up i ts s ecre ts , a remark able th ing eme rges : P ico s

Conclusiones Ca balisticae secundum opinionem propriam ... Christianam

religionem maxime conflrmantes

e v i d e n t l y o u t g r e w t h e ir o r i g i n a l p u r p o s e .

C o n c l u s i o x v i i :

Qui sciuer i t qu id es t u inum pur iss imum apud Cabal i s tas , se ie t cur d ixer i t

Dau id [Ps . 3 6 :9 ] In eb r i ab o r ab u b er t a t e d o mu s tu ae ,

5

e t q u a m eb r i e t a t em

dixer i t an t iquus uates Museus

6

esse fel ici tatem, et quid significent tot

Bacch i ap u d Orp h eu m .

7

C o n c l u s i o x x i x :

Quod d ic i tu r a Cabal i s t i s , quod l inea u i r id is gyrat un iuersum, conuenien-

t i ss ime d ic i tu r ad conclusionem u l t imam quam d ix imus ex mente

Po rp h y r i i .

8

2 See Y. Bae r,

Torat Haqqabalah bemisnato ha-kristologit sei Abner mi-Burgos,

Tarbiz,

27 , Gershom G. Scholem Jubi lee Volume (Jerusalem, 1958) , pp .

152-163 ( in Hebrew) .

3

Tractatus Zelus Christi contra Judaeo s, Sarracen os, et Infideles,

See abo ve,

Ch apte r 14, no te 13 . See a l so Scholem , Z ur Ge sch ich te der A nfä ng e der

chr is t lichen K ab ba la , p . 179 .

4 Secret ,

L'Ensis Pauli

d e Pau lu s d e H ered ia , p p . 7 9 -1 0 2 an d in p a r t i cu l a r

2 5 9 -2 7 1 .

5 P ico fo l lows Ficino ,

Argumentum n Rem Publicam,

bo ok I I (Mars i l io F ic ino ,

Opera Omnia,

Basel 1575, p . 1399): Sed ego hic iniuste nim ium prae term isi

mi ru m i l l u d i u s t i t i ae p raemiu m ex Mu sae i men te ad d u e tu m, p e rp e tu am

in q u i t eb r i e t a t em. Qu o d q u id em Mu saeu s aeeep i t ab Orp h eo , i d i p su m p er

Dioniysi i sacra s ign i f ican te . Hoc i l l i p rophet ico s imi le : Inebr iabor ab uber-

t a t e d o m u s tu a e . S t. J e ro m e t r an s l a t es

inebriabuntur.

My thanks are due to

Mrs. Lisa Ul lmann for the reference to F ic ino . She d iscusses the passage in

her m aster ' s thes is , the He brew Univers i ty , Jeru sale m , Ecstas y and D iv ine

M adness in F ic ino ' s Tra nsla t ion of P l a to ( in Hebrew ) .

6 See Pla to,

Republic,

3 6 3 c-e .

7 Fo r the inte rpre tat io n of this thesis see pag e 192 and W ind,

Pagan Mysteries

in the Renaissance,

p p . 2 7 7 -2 7 9 .

8 Cf . P ico , Commento, boo k I I , chap , xv , pp . 506 -507 ed . G ar in . See a l so C.

Wi r szu b sk i , F ran cesc o Gio rg io ' s Co m m en ta ry o n Gio v a n n i P i co ' s Ka b -

bal i s t ic Theses ,

Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes,

37 (1974),

154.

[ 86 ]



New Relationships and Orientations

Conclusio lxviii :

Qui sc iuerit quid s i t denarius in Arithmetica formali , e t cognouerit

naturam primi numeri sphaeric i , se iet i l lud quod ego adhuc apud al iquem

Cabalistam non legi , e t est quod s i t fundamentum secret i magni Iobele i in

Ca b a l a .

9

These three theses, diverse though they are in other respects , have a

rem arkab le th ing in com mo n: each of them affo rds a gl impse of Gio van ni

Pico de l la Mirandola breaking new ground beyond the Kabbal is t ic con-

f i rmat ion of Chr is t iani ty .

I t s tan ds to reaso n th at P ico was f irs t a ttract ed to Ka bb ala by the belief

tha t J ewish Kabba la conf i rmed Chr i s t ian i ty — grand is s imo fun da -

m ento de l la fede no s tr a is h is own phrase in the

Com mento.

10

But given

the wide ra nge of his eruditio n, the varie ty of his intellectual interests , an d

his ardent desire to establish the unity of truth, i t is not in the least

surpr is ing tha t P ico foun d m uch e lse, apa r t f ro m the con f irm at ion of his

own religion, in the books of Kabbala . Pico himself s ta ted in his Oration

(and in the corresp ond ing passage of the Apology tha t reading the books

of Kab bala he seemed to hear Pla to and Pyth agoras .

1 1

T here is , to be su re ,

no dear th of Pla tonism in Kabbala ,

1 2

nor o f Py thagorean ism, p rov ided

that the la tter is represented by numerological speculations. But i t is not

only in the com pan y, as i t were , of Pla to and Pyth agoras th a t we encou n-

ter Kabbala in Pico's theses.

In several sets of theses Pico pointed out what he considered to be

agreements or correspondences be tween Kabbala , on the one hand, and

magic , the doc tr ines of Herm es Tr ismegis tus , Zor oas tr ia n (or C hald aean )

orac les , and Orp hic hym ns, on the othe r . As a rule, those correspon dences

and agreements are s ta ted explic it ly enough to be seen by anybody who

cares to read Pico 's theses; bu t they are rarely sta ted clearly enoug h to be

easi ly un ders too d. In wh at fol lows I sha ll cons ider , f ro m the v antage poin t

of Kabbala , each thesis outside the two sets of Con clusiones Cab alisticae

in which Kabbala appears .

1 3

9 For the interpretat ion of this thesis see Re uch lin

De Arte Cabalistica[

1517]

1964, book III , fo ls 52v-53r. Reuchlin's interpretat ion is repeated by A.

Kircher,

Oedipus Aegyptiacus

I I (R om e, 1653) , 31 7-3 18 .

10

Commento

book III , chap, x i , s tanza 9 , p . 581 ed. Garin (=

Opera

p. 922).

11 Opera p. 330 (= p. 160 ed. Garin) and 123.

12 See G. Scho lem , Da s Ringen zwischen dem b ib l i schen Go t t und dem Go tt

Plot ins in der alten Kabbala,

Eranos-Jahrbuch

33 (1964) , 1 -5 0 .

13 Pico's

Conclusiones secundum Isaac Narbonen sem

are igno red in this cha pter,

and in fact throughout this book, because they have nothing to do with

[187]




A sol i tary Hermet ic thes i s , the t enth , l inks Kabbala w i th the doctr ines

o f H e r m e s T r i s m e g i s t u s (Co nc lus ion es secundum priscam doctrinam Mer-

curii Trism egisti Aegyptii).

C on c lu s io x :

Decern u l tores , de quibus d ix i t secundum Mercur ium praecedens conclu-

s io , u idebi t p rofundus contemplator cor respondere malae coord inat ion i

dena riae in C aba la, et praefectis i l lius, de quibus ego in Caba listicis conc lu-

sionibus nihil posui, quia est secretum.

14

Mala coordinatio denaria

is the ev i l or un ho ly counterp art of the h ierarchy

of the ten sefirot.

15

Th e no t io n of the other s ide (or s in is ter h ierarchy) in

Je w i s h K ab b a la ( in c lu d in g th e

Zohar)

as a r u le p r e s u p p os e s th e m e t ap h ys -

ical real i ty of evi l . S ince the not ion of mala coordinatio denaria appea rs in

a thes i s which i s not

secundum opinionem propriam,

it w ou ld be r isky to

draw from i t conc lus ions about P ico 's v iew of ev i l . At the same t ime , the

dominant v iew of ev i l in c lass ica l Kabbala , namely that i t s root i s in the

sefirah

c a l l e d M igh t or Ju d gm e n t , s h o w s th r ou gh P ic o ' s f or t y - s e ve n t h

Kabbal i s t ic thes i s secundum opinionem propriam.

Conclus io x lv i i :

Qui seiet proprietatem Aquilonis in Cabala, seiet cur Sathan Christo

promisi t regna mundi s i cadens eum adorasset .

1 6

Th e t en aven gers are w i th in us ( decern in tra un um qu em qu e sunt

u l t or e s s t a te s t h e p r e v iou s t h e s is ) . C o n s e q u e n t ly , t h e c or r e s p on d e n c e

Kabb a la . I saac Narbonens i s, pace Anagn ine , G. Pico della Mirandola (Bari,

1937), p. 91, is no t the K abb alis t Isaa c the Blind of Posqu ieres . The Conclusi-

ones secundum Isaac Narbonensem belon g to a group of theses ti t led Conclusi-

ones secundum doctrinam Arabum qui utplurimum peripateticos seprofltentur

Auenroem A vicennam Alpharabium Auempac em Isaac Abumaron Moy-

sem et Maum eth. Isaac Narb one nsis is clearly a philo soph er. Opin ions to the

contrary notwithstanding, the identity of this philosopher is sti l l uncertain,

and likely to remain so until the direct sources of the theses are pinpointed.

Meanwhile it will suff ice to say that there is no trace of Kabbala in Pico 's

Conclusiones secundum Isaac Narbonensem.

14 Conclusiones Opera , p. 80.

15 See G. Scholem, Si t ra achra : Gu t und Böse in der Kabb ala , Von der

mystischen Gestalt der Gottheit (Zürich, 1962), pp. 49-82; also idem,

D e m o n s , D e m o n o l o g y , in EJ (1971), 5, cols. 1528-1533, and idem,

Kabbalah pp . 123 an d 321.

16 Fo r the relation ship between North an d Satan see Das Buch Bahir § 109 ed.

Scholem.

[188]



New Relationships an d Orientations

between the vices and the mala coordinatio denaria is the counterpart of

Pico's view of the correspondence between the human soul and the ten

sefirot which is outlined in the sixty-sixth Kabbalistic thesis:

Ego animam nostram sic decern Sephirot ada pto , ut per unitatem suam sit

cum prima, per intellectum cum secunda, per rationem cum tertia, per

superiorem concupiscibilem cum quarta, per superiorem irascibilem cum

quinta, per liberum arbitrium cum sexta, et per hoc totum ut ad superiora

se conuertitur cum septima, ut ad inferiora cum octaua, et mixtum ex

utroque potius per indifferentiam uel alternariam adhaesionem quam

simultaneam continentiam cum nona, et per potentiam qua inhabitat

primum habitaculum cum decima.

17

The correspondence between the soul and the

sefirot

shows also in the

seventy-first and last of the Conclusiones paradoxae numero LXXI

secundum opinionem propriam noua in philosophia dogm ata inducentes.

Conclusio lxxi:

Empedocles per litem et amicitiam in anima nihil aliud intelligit quam

potentiam sursum ductiuam et deorsum ductiuam in ea, quas ego credo

proportionari in scientia Sephirot aeternitati [= septimae] et decori [=

octavae].

18

Unless I am mistaken, Ka bbala was also in Pico's mind when he wrote

the fifty-fif th thesis o f the

Con clusiones paradoxae:

Qui ordinem Hebraicae linguae profunde et radicaliter tenuerit, atque

ilium proportionabiliter in scientiis seruare nouerit, cuiuscunque scibilis

perfecte inueniendi normam et regulam habebit .

Ad mittedly, the Heb rew language has, in Pico's expl icit opinion, a unique

status.

20

But in wh at sense is the order of the He brew lang uag e the rule

and norm cuiusc um que scibilis perfec te inveniendi ? Pico's identifiable

sources afford the most probable answer: the alphabet is the foundation

of isopsephic eq uations and of com binatio ns o f letters , both o f which are

17

Opera,

p. 113.

18 Ibid., p. 93.

19 Ibid ., p. 92.

20

Conclusiones philosophicae secundum propriam opinionem,

Conclusio lxxx

{Opera

p. 89): Si qua est lingua prim a et non causalis, illam esse Heb raicam

multis patet con iecturis. See also the

Conclusiones

Magicae,

Conc lusio xxii

Opera,

p. 105): Nulla nom ina ut significatiua, et in quan tum nom ina sunt,

singula et per se sum pta, in Magico opere uirtutem h abere poss unt, nisi sint

Hebraica, uel inde proxime deriuata.

[ 89]




not only meth od s of in te rpr e ta t ion b ut a lso m etho ds of discovery. Severa l

examples f ro m Pico 's sources and f ro m his own theses have a l ready been

quoted, and I shall not add any except the eleventh thesis of Pico's

Conclusiones de Mathematicis secundum opinionem propriam:

Per numeros habetur uia ad omnis sc ibi l is inuest igat ionem et intel lect io-

nem . . .

2 1

Acco rding to the Book of Crea t ion, Go d c rea ted the world with th ir ty -

two wondrous pa ths of wisdom : ten numbers and twenty- two le t te rs . I f

th is is conce ded, i t mak es sense to assume th a t nu m bers and the e lem ents

of language are the keys to a ll knowledge.

By way of verif ication of his e leventh mathematical thesis , Pico prom-

ises to answ er seventy-fou r ques t ions per viam numerorum. On e of the m,

the sixty-seventh, is eminently Kabbalis tic :

Quare sexta numerat io homo d ic i tur .

2 2

I sha l l not t ry to guess how Pico meant to answer th is ques t ion per viam

numerorum. But there is no need of guess wo rk to kn ow w hat is tou ch ed

up on in his ques t ion. C om par e the tenth thes is of h is Conclusiones Caba-

listicae secundum secretam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cab alista-

rum:

Rectius dic i tur quod paradisus s i t totum aedif ic ium quam quod s i t decima;

e t in medio e ius e s t co l locatus magnus Adam qui e s t T ipheret .

Adam m e a n s homo, an d Tiferet (Glo ry or Beau ty) is the sixth sefirah.

A stray , soli tary the sis , the th ir ty-sec ond , of the Conclusiones secundum

propriam opinionem n umero LXII in doctrinam Platonis, links Plato 's

Epinomis

with Kabbala .

Conclusio xxxii:

Per a l iam u i tam in Epin om ide in tel l igere debem us conn ex ion em parti s cum

suo to to e t credo idem esse quo d apud Cabal i s tas d ic itur secu lum

u e n t u r u m.

2 3

A Kabbalistic text exists in which saeculum venturum is inte rpre ted in a

manner tha t makes i t poss ible to draw the conc lus ion tha t saeculum

21 Opera p. 101.

22

Opera

p. 103.

23 Opera p. 97; Epinomis 973c.

[190]




venturum i s ident ica l bo th wi th alia vita and , in part icu lar , w i th connexio

partis cum suo toto.

Th at text is the

Bahir

( § 106 ed . Sch ole m ) , which is

q u ot e d a lm os t ve r b at im in t w o o t h e r s ou r c e s u s e d b y P i c o , n am e ly

R e c a n a t i s C o m m e n t a r y o n t h e P e n ta t e u ch a n d t h e a n o n y m o u s

Ma a-

reket ha- Elohut,

24

W ha t fo l low s i s the Lat in t rans lat ion of the

Bahir

pas sage , Co d . Vat . Ebr . 191 , fo l . 3 23 r-v :

Sedit rabi Barachias et inquisivit: Quid est quod dicimus cotidie vitam

venturi seculi et nescimus quid sit seculum venturum? Sed sciendum quod

seculum venturum (scilicet?) quod hebraice dicitur holam abba et chaldaice

halm a dathe? Quid nam es t Alm a dathe. hoc scil icet docet quod an te qua m

creatum fuisset seculum ascendit in cogitatione creare lumen magnum

qu od o culus alicuius creatu re in il lud inspicere neq uit. Inspexit deus sanc tus

et benedictus qu od non posse nt i llud suffe rre. Accepit septima m pa rtem et

posuit eis in loco eius. Reliquam autem reposuit iustis in seculo venturo,

dicens si meruerint in hac septima et observaverint earn, equidem dabo eis

hoc in seculo venturo post, et hoc est quod scribitur seculum venturum id

est quod iam venit ex sex diebus geneseos, ut scribitur [Ps. 31:20] Quam

multum es t bonum tuum quod reposuis t i t imentibus te e t operatus es

sperant ibus in te coram omnibus f i l i is hominum.

The theses d iscussed so far in th is chapter are a l l sporad ic . Th ey a f ford

inc identa l g l imp ses of P ico s in teres t s , but , as regards Chris t ian Ka bba lah ,

they do no t mark a s ign i f ican t cha nge of or ie ntat io n . The lat t er sh ow s

pr inc ipal ly in those se t s o f non-Kabbal i s t ic theses which have Kabbala as

a subs tant ia l cons t i tuent , namely the Zoroas tr ian , the Magica l , and the

Orphic , a l l o f which immediate ly precede the

Conclusiones Cabalisticae

secundum opinionem propriam.

T h e

Conclusiones num ero XV secundum propriam opinionem de intelli-

gentia dictorum Zoroastris et expositorum eius Chaldaeorum c on s id e r e d a s

a wh ole present a tanta l iz ing l i terary pro b lem wh ich , how eve r , i s o f far

greater in teres t for the h is tory of the so-ca l led Chaldean Orac les in the

Ren ais san ce than for the h is tory of Chris t ian Ka bba la .

2 5

Here I shal l

cons ider f ive theses which , in one way or another , concern Kabbala .

C on c lu s io v i :

Dicta in terpretum Ch aldae orum super x i am pho r ism o de dupl ic i ebr ia t ione

Bacchi et Sileni, perfecte intelligentur per dicta Cabalistarum de duplici

uino.

24 See the testimonia in Scholem s edition ad loc. cit .

25 See Ap pend ix 16. The Zo roa str ia n Conc lusiones are to be fou nd in Opera

pp. 103-104.

[ 1 9 1 ]




Duplex ebriatio was admirably in te rpre ted by Edgar Wind, who re la ted i t

to the Neopla tonic dis t inc t ion be tween two kinds of drunkenness : vulgar

excess and divine madness.

2 6

I t remains for me only to say a word about

duplex vinum apud Cabalistas.

I suggested elsewhere tha t som e of Pico's

theses a rgue his acqua intance with the anonymous Liber de Radicibus vel

Terminis Cabalae.

21

In that glossary of the symbolic language of Kabbala

there are two successive entries , both of which begin with the headword

yayin,

wine : v a j y a lönpan J h a in am xum ma r bah ana bau , ides t

vinum observ a tum in uvis suis , and [03 J ha in nesech ides t v inum

mixt ionis v e l . . . v inum sacr i f ic iorum ido lo rum . The form er s ignif ies the

tenth sefirah, diad em a et e te rni ta tem e t decorem , quia vinum per se

indicat diad em a et uve sunt e ternitas e t de co r ; the la tter s ignifies la t us

i m m u n d u m .

2 8

It m akes sense to assum e, even if i t can no t be pro ve d, th at

some such dis t inc t ion was wh at Pico me ant by dic ta Cab a l is ta rum de

dupl ic i v ino.

The re la t ionship be tween the Kab bal is t ic w in e and the Pla tonic

dru nk en ne ss is a lso the subject of the seventeenth Kabbal is t ic thes is

secundum opinionem propriam:

Qui sc iuerit quid est uinum puriss imum apud Cabalistas , se iet cur dixerit

Dauid [Ps . 36:9] Inebriabor ab ubertate domus tuae, et quam ebrietatem

dixerit antiqu us ua tes M useu s esse fe l ic i tatem , et quid s ignif icent tot B acchi

a p u d Or p h e u m.

V inu m pu r iss imu m apu d Cab a l is tas is in a ll l ike l ihood the same as

vin um o bserv a tum in uvis suis , tha t is, the tenth

sefirah.

Kabbala appears aga in in the seventh Zoroas tr ian thes is :

Conclusio vii :

Quae dicunt interpretes super xi i i i amphorismo, perfecte intel l igentur per

ea, quae dicunt Cabalistae de morte oscul i .

Which verse or verses of the Chaldaean Oracles might count as the

fou r teen th aph or ism is la rge ly a mat te r of conjec tu re . But there is no n eed

of guesswork or conjec ture to know what the symbolic image of mors

osculi m eant to Pico: ne piü ne lor o l ibri leggerai se no n che binsica, cioe

2 6 Wi n d , Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance pp. 277 -2 78 .

27 W irszubsk i , Giov anni P ico ' s Co m pan ion to Kabbal i s t i c Sym bol i sm , pp .

3 5 3 - 3 6 2 .

28 C od . Va t. Ebr. 190, fo l. 243r.

[192]




morte d i bacio , e quando l ' anima nel ra t to in te l le t tuale tanto a l le cose

separate se unisce , che dal corpo e levata in tu t to l ' abbandona.

2 9

Ka bba la is no t expl ic i tly me nt ione d in the th i r teenth Zo roas tr ian thes is ,

but I think it is there:

Conclusio xii i :

Per pueru m apu d interpretes nihi l a l iud in te i l ige q uam intel lectual .

I do not know in what context

puer

was used by the interpreters of

Zo roa s ter ' s sayings. Never theless , the chan ces are that the conn ect ing l ink

between

puer

a n d

intellectus

is the angel M eta tro n, who is called

na ar

(puer) and is sometimes identif ied with the Active Intellect .

3 0

I am not

suggesting that Metatron is a specif ically Kabbalis t ic f igure. But i t seems

to me the l ikel ies t hypothes is that P ico encountered Metatron in h is

Kabbal is t ic books .

The four teenth thes is goes to the hear t of Chr is t ian Kabbala .

Conclusio xiv:

Per dictum i l lud Zoroastr is , adhuc tres dies sacrif icabit is , e t non ultra,

apparui t mih i per Ar i thmet icam super ior i s merch iaue i l lo s computandos

[computandieditio prin ceps ] dies esse, <et> in eo dic to exp resse praed ictum

aduentum Christ i .

I can make no sugges t ion as to where to look for Zoroas ter ' s saying

ad hu c t res d ies sacr i f icabi tis , e t non ul t ra . But I shall say some thing

about P ico 's Kabbal is t ic in terpreta t ion of that saying. We have seen that

triplex merchiaua is the tr iadic configuration of the ten sefirot, we hav e

also seen that the seventh and eighth

sefirot

are in

merchiaua inferiori

and ,

f inal ly, tha t d ay deno tes

sefirah.

Hence if you count the three days in

Zo roa s ter ' s saying as the days of the

superior merchiaua,

those day s oug ht

to be the three superior

sefirot.

The th i rd is ca ll ed n n (

Binah

, Intelli-

gence), which is som etime s interpr ete d as ΓΓ ρ (Ben Ya h), m ean ing the

29

Commento

bo ok III , chap , v i i i, s tanza 4 , p . 558 ed. Garin . (

= O p e r a

, p. 917 ).

For a Zo roastr ia n paral le l to

mors osculi

see F ic ino ,

Theologia Platonica

book XIII , chap, iv , Opera p. 301.

30 See Scho lem , Jewish Gnosticism chap. 7, and in particular p. 49; also s.v.

Metatron , in £7 (1 97 1) , 11 , co l s . 144 3-46 ; idem, Kabbalah p p . 3 7 7 - 3 8 1 .

J o s e p h Da n ,

Torat ha-Sod sei Hasidut Askenaz

(Jerus alem , 1968) , pp.

219-223 ( in Hebrew). For Metatron in Pico's writ ings see the f inal pages in

this chapter.

[193]




Son of G od .

3 1

1 need no t go any fu r th er . The res t is too o bviou s fo r wo rds .

Conclus io xv:

Quid s i t intel l igendum per capras apud Zoroastrem, intel l iget qui legerit in

libro Bair quae sit affinitas capris et quae agnis cum spiritibus.

The direct sou rce of the K abb alis tic pa rt of this thesis was pin po int ed b y

S c h o l e m .

3 2

1 wish I knew where goa ts a re touched upon by Zoroas te r or

his interpreters .

We have seen that Kabbala appears in f ive, or a t the least four, of the

fif teen Zo roa str ian theses. This is a very high pro po rti on , much high er

tha n in the M agical and Or ph ic theses. W ha t those f ive or fo ur theses have

in com m on is tha t in them Pico is us ing the symbo lic languag e of Ka bba la

for the in te rpre ta t ion of the logia of Zoroas te r and his Chaldean

inte rpre te rs .

K abb ala is explic it ly m ent ion ed in f ive M agical theses. Tw o of the m , the

ninth and the tw enty-f i f th , have a l ready been cons idered in previous

cha pte rs . He re i t will suffice to qu ote th e rema inin g thre e, each of wh ich

asser ts the super ior i ty of Kabbala over magic .

33

Conclusio xv:

Nu lla pote st esse opera tio mag ica al icuius eff icaciae , nis i ann exu m h abeat

opus cabalae expl ic i tum uel implic i tum.

Conclusio xviii :

I l l ius natura quae est Orizon aeternitat is temporal is est Mago proxima, sed

super eum et e i proxima est Cabala.

I take i t tha t or izo n ae te rni ta t is tem po ra l is in th is thes is , or izo n

temp oris ae te rn a l is in the s ixteenth, and or izo n temp oris e t ae te rni ta -

tis in the seventeenth den ote the sam e thing : the dividin g line between the

dimension of t ime and the dimension of e te rni ty .

31 Com mentum Voluminis de Proportione Divinitatis, Co d. Va t. Ebr. 191, fol .

55r: Intellige ntia dicitur fil ius dei nu m ero litterarum bin a 2.10 .50.5 et fi l iu s

dei ben iah 2 .5<0>. 10.5 . M y late col lea gue E phra im Go tt l ieb identif ied the

Hebrew original of this translat ion. I t is the commentary which is written in

the margin of the

Ma areket Ha- Elohut

in the He brew M S Ne ofit i 27 of the

Vatican Library.

32 Sch olem , Zur Ge schich te der An fän ge der christ l ichen Ka bba la, p . 167.

33 Opera, pp. 105-106 .

[ 94]



ew Relationships an d Orientations

Conclusio xxvi:

Sicut per primi agentis inf luxum, s i s i t special is et immediatus , f i t a l iquid

quod non att ingitur per mediat ionem causarum, i ta per opus cabalae , s i s i t

pura Cabala et immediata, f i t a l iquid quod nul la Magia att ingit .

Th oug h the super ior i ty of K abb ala over magic is s ta ted t ime and aga in i t

was the all iance between them rather than the superiority of the former

over the la tter that proved to be more influentia l in the long run. Ironi-

cally i t is the all iance between K ab ba la an d magic tha t m ark s the begin-

ning of a new or ienta t ion of Chr is t ian Kabbala ; i ronica l ly because tha t

all iance is as old as Jewish K ab bal a i tself . Yet no t m uch historical

hindsight is required to realize that Pico by presenting Kabbala to the

Chris t ian w orld as a myst ica l theology tha t conf i rm ed Chris t iani ty and a t

the same t ime as the pow erful a lly of na tu ra l magic se t Chr is t ian Ka bb ala

on a new course . Hen cefor th a Chr is t ian K abbal is t might be a theolog ian

or a ma gus or both .

The re la t ionship be tween Kabbala and magic plays an important par t

a lso in the Orp hic theses; mo re impo rtan t in fac t than m eets the eye a t

f irs t s ight: the magic which Pico thought he had discovered in the Orphic

H y m n s

3 4

has a decidedly Kabbalis tic hue. By this I do not mean the

correspon dences be tween the hym ns and K abb ala tha t P ico poin ted out in

three theses nam ely:

Conclusio iv:

Sicut hymni Dauid open Cabalae mirab i l i t er deseru iunt ,

3 5

ita hymni

Orphei operi uerae, l icitae, et naturalis Magiae.

Conclusio xiii:

Idem es t Typhon apud Orpheum e t Zamael

3 6

in Cabala.

34 The title of the series of Or phic these s is Conclusiones n umero xxxi secundum

propriam opinionem de modo intelligendi hym nos Orphei secundum Magiam , id

est secretam diuinarum rerum naturaliumque sapientiam a me primum in eis

repertam. Similarly , the begin ning of the f irst Orphic thesis: Sicut secretam

Magiam a nobis primum ex Orphei hymnis e l ic i tam fas non est in publicum

explicare , etc . Opera, pp. 106-107 .

35 Th e ma gical app licat ion of Psalm s is cal led simmusey Tehillym, which might

be translated as pract ica Psa lm oru m .

36 Samael i s Satan; see G. Scho lem, Sam ae l , in £7 (1 97 1) , 14 , co l s . 71 9- 72 2

=Kabbalah,

p p . 3 8 5 - 3 8 8 ) .

[195]




Conclusio xv:

Idem est nox apud Orpheum et Ensoph in Cabala.

W hat I have in mind is the fac t tha t

sefirot

and Hebrew names of God a re

sometimes involved in the magic that Pico discovered in the Orphic

H y m n s .

Conclusio ix:

Idem sunt Curetes apud Orpheum et potestates apud Dionysium.

Conclusio x:

Qui praecedentis conclusionis opus attentauerit, adhibeat opus Cabalae

secundum appropriata timori Isaac.

Goo dness on ly know s how one migh t employ

opus Cabalae,

that is to say

opera t ive or prac t ica l Kabbala , in conjunc t ion with the Cure tes of

Orpheus o r the potestates of pseud o-D iony sius Ar eopa gi ta . On e thing,

how ever, is certa in: in the sym bolic languag e of K ab ba la , the Fea r of Isaac

Gen. 31:53) denotes the fifth sefirah, Might o r Judgment .

3 7

Thus, while

the

modus operandi

r e m a in s u n k n o w n ,

opus Cabalae,

which is conjoined

with Orphic magic , inevitably involves sefirot. A t this po in t it will be

useful to recall the twenty-firs t Orphic thesis , which has a lready been

discussed:

38

Opus praecedentium hymnorum nullum est sine opere Cabalae, cuius

est proprium practicare omnem quantitatem formalem continuam et

discretam.

I have argu ed t ha t, in the context of this thesis , quantitasform alis continua

et discreta is middah, the synony m of sefirah. The tenth Orphic thes is

sup po r ts my argu me nt , even if i t does not prove th a t my inte rp re ta t ion of

the twenty -firs t is true . But i t is no t necessary to agree with my in terp reta -

tion of quantitas formalis continua et discreta in ord er to see tha t Pico

denies a l l magica l e f f icacy to the Orph ic Hy mn s with out K abb ala . T his is

no t in itself surp rising, in asm uch as Pico denies efficacy to any m agical

operation unless i t is connected, explic it ly or implicit ly, with Kabbala .

37

Liber de Radicibus vel Terminis Cabalae

Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190, fol. 256r:

pn s' 1Π 0 pahad Isac idest Timor Isac indicat t imorem . . . i n s pahad idest

timor indicat potenciam.

38 Chap ter 12, p. 141.

[ 96]




T h e m ost K ab ba l ist ic o f a l l O rp hic theses is the f i f t h. K ab ba la as such is

no t even m ent ion ed in i t . A n d yet the thesis is em inen tly Ka bb al ist ic .

Conc lus i o v :

Tantus est numerus hymnorum Orphei, quantus est numerus cum quo

Deus triplex creauit saeculum sub quaternarii Pythagorici forma nume-

ratus.

Th e num ber o f O rph ic Hym ns in P ico 's t ime was e ighty-s ix ,

3 9

a nd 86 is the

isopsephic equ iva lent o f •

,

n ' ? x , E l oh i m ( 1+30+5+1 0+40 ) . E t s c ia s , s a y s

Joseph Gicat i l l a , q u o d om ne opus geneseos e t secre tum decern num erat i -

onu m s ig i l la tum es t cum no m ine e lohim a pr in c ip le e t usque ad f i ne m .

4 0

So f a r , s o goo d . Bu t wha t o r w ho i s Deus triplex sub quaternarii Pythago-

rici forma num eratusl P i co 's Kab ba l i s t i c co nf i r m at io n o f the Tr in i ty , in h is

s ixth Kabbal ist ic thesis secundum opinionem propriam a f f o rds the mos t

probab l e answer :

Tr ia magna D ei nom ina quaternaria, quae sunt in secretis Cabalistarum per

mirabilem appropr iationem tribus personis trinitatis ita debere attribui, ut

nomen <ΓΡηχ> [aleph he yod he] sit patris, nomen < m n

,

> [yod he waw

he] sit fl l i i , nomen < TIN > [aleph daleth

nun

yod] sit spiritus sancti, intelli-

gere potest, qui in scientia Cabalae fuerit profundus.

Ca lcu la te the numer ica l va lues o f each name as you w ou ld ca lcu la te the

Py t ha g o r e a n tetraktys ( 1 + 2 + 3 +4 = 10), nam e l y by add ing up it s f ou r

e lemen ts: ΓΓΠΝ = 1+ 5+1 0+5 = 21; 'Π Χ = 1+4 +50 +1 0 = 65; m r r =

10+5 +6+5 = 26. T h e sum o f the three four- l e t te r names i s 11 2(21 +26 +65 ) ,

wh ich is the i sopsephic equ iva len t o f DTi^N m rr (26 +86 ) . Kab ba la thus

a f f or ds the key to the ma gica l mystery o f c reat ion that P i c o d iscovered in

the Orphic Hymns and, a t the same t ime , connects that mystery wi th

P i co ' s Kabba l i s t i c c on f i rmat i on o f the Tr in i t y .

Th e f ifth O rph ic and the fourtee nth Zoro astr ian theses sh ow K ab ba la in

a new ro le . H i the r to , throug hou t the preced ing f ive chapters , we have seen

K ab ba la e i ther as a Jewish witness fo r Christ ian i ty or as the my st ical a l ly

of natural magic . Here, in these two theses, we see Kabbala as the l ink

between Orpheus or Zoroaster and Chr is t iani ty .

39 Wh at appears in modern editions as the first hym n, to Hec ate, is run together

with the proem in the MSS; see OrpheiHymni ed. G. Q uandt (Be rlin, 1955),

pp . 3 and 36. See also B. Kieszkow ski, StudisulPlatonismo delRinascimento

in Italia (Florence, 1936), p. 155.

40 Gicatilla, Portae Iustitiae Cod. Chigi, fol. 114r.

[ 97]




O r p h e u s an d Z or oa s t e r , t oge t h e r w i t h H e r m e s T r i s m e g i s t u s an d P yt h a -

gor as , are the out s tan din g represen tat ives of wh at cam e to be kn ow n as

prisca gentilium theologian

F r o m t h e s t an d p o in t o f R e n a i s s an c e P la t o -

n is t s , the Anc ient T he olo gy of the Gent i les wa s in a sense the pa ga n

c ou n t e r p ar t o f K ab b a la : it c on f i r m e d C h r i s t i an it y an d f or e s h ad ow e d t h e

divine Plato. At the same t ime, i t is a fact not to be lost s ight of that the

r e la t i on s h ip b e t w e e n C h r i s t i an it y an d P la t on i s m i s n o t u n p r o b le m at i c a l ,

for P ico at any rate . The Son of God i s a case in poin t .

Questa pr im a crea tura , da Platonici e da an t iqu i f i losof i Mercur io Tr ime -

gisto e Zoroastre e chiamata ora f igliuolo di Dio, ora sapienzia, ora mente,

ora ragione divina, i l che alcuni interpretono ancora Verbo. Ed abbi

ciascuno diligente avvertenzia di non intend ere che questo sia quello che da

nostr i T eologi e det to f igliuolo di Dio , perche noi int end iam o per il f igliuolo

una medesima essenzia col padre, a lui in ogni cosa equale, creatore

f inalmente e non creatura , ma debess i comparare quel lo che e Platonici

chiamano f igliuolo di Dio al primo a piü nobile angelo da Dio creato.

4 2

P i c o s Commento, f r om w h ic h th i s p as s age is q u o t e d , an d h i s Conclusiones

were wri t ten abo ut the sam e time . Th e qu ota t ion i s therefor e an inv alua b le

a id to the in terpretat ion of the t enth Kabbal i s t ic thes i s

secundum opinio-

nem propriam,

whe re Ka bba la and a ll the i l lus tr ious represen tat ives of

prisca gentilium theologia

app ear s ide by s ide:

I l lud quod a pud Cabal is tas d ic i tur < > illud est sine dubio q uod ab

Or phe o P allas, a Zo roas tre pate rna m ens, a Mercu rio Dei f il ius, a Py tha-

gora sapientia, a Parmenide sphaera intelligibilis nominatur .

The b lank space in the t ext of the

editio princeps

( ind icated by ang ular

brackets) is a reminder that the key to the interpretat ion of this thes is is a

H e b r e w w or d or p h r as e . F r an c e s c o G ior g io , f ou r h u n d r e d an d f i f ty ye ar s

ago , a s s u m e d as a m at t e r o f c ou r s e t h a t w h at P i c o m e an t w as Hokmah,

W i s d o m .

4 3

I wil l not deny that the result of h is interpretat ion is a f ine

41 D. P . W alker , The Ancient Theology ( Lo ndo n, 1972); Yates, Giordano Bruno

and the Hermetic Tradition, Index, s.v. prisca theologia·, C. B. Sch mitt ,

Prisca Theologia e Philosophia Perennis: due temi del Rinascim ento i ta l iano

e la lo ro fo r tu na , in II pensiero italiano del Rinascimento e il tempo nostra

(Florenc e, 1968), pp. 211-2 36.

42 Pico, Commento, bo ok I , cha p, ii ii , pp. 466-4 67 ed. Ga rin Opera p. 899).

43 Dec larat ione s Conc lus ionum Cabal is t icarum Jo : P ici Miran dulani a rever-

endo quondam patre e t celeber r imo doctore e t theologo maximo Francisco

Georg io Vene to Mino r i ta aed i tae anno Dom in i M D X X X IX , Jewish

Na tiona l and Hebrew University Libra ry, Yah. M S Va r. 24, fol. 57: N ot a

[ 98 ]




spec imen of Chr is t ian Kabbala , but I ra ther doubt tha t th is is what Pico

meant .

If you assume that the omitted word is hokmah you a s sume eo ipso tha t

it is

hokmah

as i t is un der stoo d in the sym bolic langu age of K ab ba la , th at

is to say Hokmah as the na m e of the second sefirah. P ico s sym bolic

inte rpre ta t ions of Jo hn 8:56 ,58,25 in his th i r ty-seventh, for ty-seco nd, and

thir ty-ninth Kab bal is t ic theses leave no room for do ub t tha t in his opinion

Sapientia an d Principium a re Jesus Ch rist in the same way that Pietas is the

pa tr ia rch A br ah am . Hence , if one ident if ies the Kabbal is t ic Sapientia with

the Orphic Pallas the Hermetic deifilius the Zoroas t r ian paterna mens

and the Py thagorean sapientia he inevitably identif ies the symbolic

images of the Ancient Theology of the Gentiles with Jesus Christ . But

Pico, in his Commento warns aga ins t the ident i f ica t ion of the Hermetic

son of God with the Christian Son of God. We are therefore faced with a

dilemma: either Pico is inconsistent or Francesco Giorgio is out of tune

with Pico.

If the Hebrew word hokmah app eare d in the text of the editio princeps

we wou ld h ave to pu t up with Pico s inconsistency . But what ap pea rs in

the

editio princeps

is only a blan k space, and I can see no reaso n to imp ort

incons is tency into Pico, jus t because Francesco Giorg io thou ght he k new

what Pico meant. In his Commento Pico states as clearly as one can wish

tha t w hat the Pla tonis ts cal l the son of G od oug ht to be com pared with the

first and most noble angel created by God. Is there in Jewish angelology

an angel whom it might be possible to call son of God, wisdom, mind, and

intell igible sphere? There is one. His best-known name is Metatron. He is

m entio ned twice in Pico s writ ings, rough ly abo ut the same time as when

th e Conclusiones were writ ten . One instance is the Commento p. 554 ed.

Garin (cf . Opera p. 916):

El moto e la operazione e segno di v ita , la privazione di quest i e segno di

morte . Dunque quando ne l l 'uomo n iuna umana operaz ione appare e vera-

mente morto quanto al l 'essere intel lettuale , e per tale morte di uomo in

quod in hac conc lus ione author poni t d iversa nomina synonyma. Umde

i d em e st Π Ώ ρ π C h o c ma h q u o d P a l la s . C h o c ma h i d e m e st q u o d s ap i e n ti a

divina. Et ubi no s dic imu s [Ps. 104:24] Omn ia in sapientia fecisti , Caba liste

d i cu n t Π 0 3Π 3 B e c h o c ma h o m n i a c re a st i. V e rb u m i d e m es t q u o d s a p i en t i a

divina ideo scriptum est [Ps . 33:6] Ver bo D om ini coel i f irmati sunt , etc . Cf .

W irszubski, Francesco Gior g io ' s Com me ntary on Giovan ni P ico ' s Kab-

bal istic Th eses , pp. 14 5-1 56 .

[ 99]




angelo trasformato; ne altr imenti e l detto s i debbe intendere de sapienti

cabbal i st i qua ndo ο Enoch in M atatron , ang e lo del la d iv in i ta , ο un iversa l-

mente a lcuno a l tro uomo in ange lo d icono tras formars i .

The t ran sfo rm atio n of Eno ch into M eta tr on is me nt ione d a lso in Pico 's

Oration. Since this fact is inad verten tly ob scur ed b y the text of the prin ted

edi t ions , i t wil l be useful to quo te the only know n m anuscr ip t ,

4 4

Biblioteca

Na zion ale Cen trale , Flore nce, Co d. Palatin us 885, fol . 145r:

Nam et hebreorum theo log ia secre t ior nunc Enoch sanctum in [ed . Gar in;

me cod.] angelum diuinitatis quern uocant JVlUUa, nunc in alia alios numina

reformant .

4 5

Metatron is sometimes identif ied, notably by Abulafia , with the Active

Intellect , and is a lso called son. I would therefore suggest that the begin-

ning of Pico's tenth Kabbalis tic thesis ought to be printed as follows:

I l lud qu od a pu d Caba l is tas dic i tur jnDDO il lud es t s ine du bi o, e tc . The

corollary of this text is that Pico used the f igure of Metatron not only in

order to point out correspondences be tween Kabbala and pr i scagen t i l i um

theologia bu t a lso in ord er to dra w a dividing line between C hristian ity an d

the Ancient Theology of the Gentiles .

I t was sta ted at the outset of this chapter that Christian Kabbala as a

mystical discipline in i ts own right was set by i ts fa ther on a new course.

The chang e of or ienta t ion can now be ma rke d out with grea te r prec is ion.

Three dif fe rent themes , the re la t ionship be tween Juda i sm and Ch ris t ian-

i ty , the re la t ionship be tween Chris t iani ty and Pla to nism , and the re la t ion -

ship between mystic ism and magic, are interwoven in Pico's Conclusiones.

I t is in fact the interweaving of these three different themes that forms the

dominant pa t te rn of Pico 's Chr is t ian Kabbala .

44 Published in ful l by Ga rin in

La cultura filosoflca

p p . 2 3 1 - 2 4 0 .

45 Asterisk s are printed in Gar in's edit ion (see note 44) instead of the nam e

j n o u n (Metatron) . A b lank space was l e ft in the corresponding passage o f

the Oratio in the editio princep s.

The reading in the best-known edit ions of Pico's

Opera Omnia

(Basle, 1557,

p. 315 and 1572) is nunc Enoc h sanctu m in ange lum diuinitat is quem

uocant nJDttM Is V ö nunc in al ia etc . Π 3Ό Φ Π -|N V» m a y w e ll b e a tr an sl at io n

o f

angelus divinitatis.

A t any rate, I prefer the reading of the ma nuscrip t not

because i t i s manuscript , but because Pico's Commento warran ts the authe n-

ticity of that reading.

[ 2 ]



ppendices

1. Bibliographical Note

2. Recanatensis

3. T he Text of Pico s Co nclusio nes

4. Nahmanides or Abulaf ia?

5. Speculum Lucens and Speculum N on Lucens

6. Et ha-samay im w e t ha- a res

7. Nomen Iesu

8. Sapient ia Magna Sa lomonis

9. Beresit: In Principio

10. Magical Strains in Speculative Kabbala

11. Texts I l lus t ra t ing Kawwanah

12. Prayer as Self- immolation

13. Metatron, Intellectus, Fil ius

14. Eyn-S of an d the Sefirot

15. D iffe ren t Varieties of Ch ristian Ka bb ala

16. Eloquia Sacra

17. The Doctrine of the Three Worlds

18. The Symbolism of the Kiss

19. Theologia Inferior

20. Decern Indumenta

21 . Johanan Alemanno

22 . Ars Combinandi e t Ars Raymundi

23. The Fourfold Inte rpre ta t ion of Scr ipture

[201]





Appendix

B I B L I O G R A P H I C A L N O T E

Several bibliographies of Pico have been published since the celebration,

in 1963, of the fifth ce nte na ry of his birt h:

P .O. Kris te lle r , Gi ov ann i Pico de l la M iran do la and His Sou rces , in

L Opera e il pensiero di Giovanni Pico della Mirandola nella storia dell

umanesimo,

Co nv egn o Inte rnaz ion ale , I (Flo rence , 1965), 107-123 (a ten-

ta tive l is t of m anu scrip ts) and 124-133 (a bib liog raph y of prin ted bo ok s).

G io v a n n i D i N a p o l i ,

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola e la problematica

dottrinale del suo tempo, Collec t io Phi losop hica La te ranens is 8 (Ro me,

1965), pp. 521-535.

Giovanni P ico de l la Mirandola , Conclusiones sive Theses DCC CC

Roma e anno 1486[sic]publice disputandae, sednon adm issae, ed. and an n.

B oh da n Kieszkow ski (Ge nev a, 1973), pp . 109-120.

A shor t b ibl iography of Chr is t ian Kabbala may be found in G. Scho-

le m , Kabbalah (Jeru salem , 1974), pp . 209-210.

Two recent s tudies a re H. de Lubac , Pic de la Mirandole (Paris, 1976),

and W. G. C raven , Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Symbol of His Age

(Geneva, 1981).

[2 3]



Appendix 2

R E C A N A T E N S I S

An a non ym ous Lat in trans lat ion of Recanat i s comm entary on Gen es i s

which was used by Egidio da Viterbo is extant in manuscript form in the

Bibl iotheque Na tionale, f on ds latin 598. It has recently been asserted, with

confid enc e but w ithout p roo f, that this translation is the work of Flavius

Mithridates .

1

How ever, the vocabulary an d syntax of the translation used

by Viterbo rule out the possibi l i ty that the anonymous translator was

Flavius Mithridates . What fol lows is a fraction of the evidence.

One of Recanati s favorite sources is the Bahir. A Latin translation of

that book

M ithridate interprete

is extan t in Co d. Vat. Ebr. 191, fols.

288 -3 35 . T he t ransl at ion can be da ted . At fo l . 29 7v (§4 9e d . Scho l em )the

Latin translation reads:

Anni namque ex diebus fiunt, hoc est quod scribitur [Hab. 3:2]: In medio

annorum vivifica illud, scilicet in medio illius margarite (Qualis est pici)

generantis annos vivifica illud.

The meaning and value of the parenthesis wil l be readi ly understood by

any one w ho ha s read Gaffarel s description of the three man uscripts used

by Pico, the first of wh ich contained a translation of Rec anati s

Commen

tary on the Pentateuch :

Accedit quod primi voluminis interpres, quem Hebraeum fuisse Picique

mercenarium non arduum est coniectari, Picum ipsum ad cujus manus

volumen istud perventurum erat , plerumque alloquatur. Adde, Picum

propria manu suum expunxisse nomen omnibus ex locis, in quibus inter-

pres sive mon itoris, sive insectatoris officio fun ctus Picum a deo carp eba t,

ut quibusdam scommatibus per primum illud volumen conspersis, in qui-

1 Bo hda n Kieszkowski, the latest editor (1973) of Pico 's theses, writes as

follows (p. 18): To ute fois , dan s le recueil caba listique de Gilles de Viterbe

intitule

Isagoge Cabalae

(Bibliotheque natio nale , ms. lat. 598), on trou ve le

commentaire de Recanati sur le premier livre de Moi'se dans la version de

M ithridate, acco mpag ne de plusieurs extraits des qu atre livres suivants, de la

main mem e du cardinal de Viterbe. Nous avons utilise ce man uscrit pou r les

annotations critiques, en considerant comme indubitable qu'il s'agit de la

traduction fidele du texte original par Mithridate.

[ 2 0 4 ]



Appendices

bus n om ina QPici et MargaritaeJ cujusd am , qua e Picu m depe ribat , no n i ta

sunt deleta , quin ob diversitatem atramenti legi adhuc faci le possint . . .

2

I t does not rea lly m at te r tha t Ga ffa re l had n o means of know ing w hether

the name s of Pico and M arg arit a were in fact deleted by Pico. W ha t

matte rs is tha t the name M argar i ta appe ared in the t rans la to r s g ibes and

tha t G affa r e l , ou r sole witness, infe rred f ro m them tha t the bearer of tha t

name was desperately in love with Pico. I t follows that the MS seen by

G affa rel was writ ten afte r Pico s s torm y love affa ir in Arezzo with M argh e-

rita , the wife of Giul iano M ari ot to de M edici, in M ay 1486. Th e same

lady is referred to in the pare nth esis of the Bahir. T h e terminus post quem is

thus es tabl ished for both t rans la t ions . As for the terminus ante quern

Re can ati is the principa l source of Pico s

Conclusiones C abalisticae secun-

dum secretam doctrinam sapientum H ebraeorum Cabalistarum and the

Bahir is explic it ly referred to in his Zoroastrian theses. I t follows that

M ithr id a tes los t t rans la t ion of Recana t i and his extant t rans la t ion of the

Bahir be long to the same per iod, roughly be tween May and November

1486.

As I have said, the Bahir is on e of Rec anati s favorite sources. As a rule

he quote s i t verb a t im , adding sh or t co m me nts or omit t ing a few wo rds . I

have not a t tempted to seek out every s ingle quota t ion f rom the Bahir in

Recana t i . But as I ran through the anonymous t rans la t ion of Recana t i on

Genes is , I not iced a bo ut a dozen quo ta t io ns w hich I then ident i fied in

M ithr ida tes t rans la t io n of the Bahir. Bo th the ano nym ous t r ans la t ion o f

Recana t i on Genes is and Mithr ida tes t rans la t ion of the Bahir are literal.

Prec ise ly for th is reason, the confronta t ion of the quota t ions f rom the

Bahir in the ano ny m ou s t rans la t ion of Recan a t i wi th M ithr ida te s t rans la -

tion of the Bahir i tself is well worth the effort.

The passages are presented in the order in which they appear in the

com men ta ry . Q uota t ions f ro m the ano nym ous t r ans la tion o f Recana t i a re

headed B .N. 598 ; quo ta t ions f rom M i thr ida te s t r ans la t ion o f the Bahir a re

heade d C od. Vat . Eb r . 191. The pa rag rap h num bers of Scholem s G erm an

t rans la t ion , Das Buch Bahir are added in brackets for ease of reference.

2 Gaf fare l , Index pp. 5 - 6 [8]. Ga ffarel con tinue s (p . 11 [19]): Prim us versatur

circa priores Scripturae Sacrae l ibros , quos Pentateuchum appel lant , quo-

rum m isteria C aba listica p and it et exp licat co llect ore Ra bi Leu i [J/'C] de

Re cineto , uu lgo Reca nati , I ta lo . Ga ffarel 's f irst and third ma nuscripts have

for some incomprehens ib le reason changed p laces in Kieszkowski ' s d i scus -

sion, loc. cit .

[ 2 0 5 ]




B.N. 598 fol . 165r

Sedeba t r ab i R ehum ea i e t p red i c -

abat . Quare a leph in cap i te f [u i ] t ?

p r i m a o m n i u m e t i a m p r i o r q u a m

lex . e t qu ar e b . u ic ina ei? qu on iam

ipsa es t p r im a e t qu are e i es t

cau da? ad o s t e nde ndu m qua l i s e s t

locus eius .

B.N. 598 fol . 175v

S. ha bahir . Sept ima est oriens

mundi e t inde veni t semen Is rae l

id es t a Tipheret quia f i lum

renum veni t a cerebro : i t a cauda

poal t i s s ima versus preput ium: e t

idem semen: dici tur ab Oriente

feram semen tuum: e t cum Is rae l

es t bonus inde por tabo semen id

es t e t renouabo semen tuum et

cum Israel es t malus dat eis que

e ran t p r i u s i n m undo : non nova :

quod d ic i tu r genera t io i t e t ven i t

i t et veni t : que nova et que vetus

quid ab occidente congregabo te :

id es t a mida que est in occiden-

[te]m Iesod: u[b]i miscetur tuum

sem en : p rove rb i um : R eg i s haben -

t is f i l ium cui es t sponsa casta

zenua e t fi l ius m ul ta bo na c ap i t a

domo pat r i s e t poni t in a l io loco

et post al iquot dies vul t videre

quid e t ad un ar i t : ipse po r ta t in

Iesod qu od es t occ idens mV arab .

3

Cod. Vat . Ebr . 191 fo l . 290r

Sedi t rab i Emorai e t inquis iu i t .

Quare a leph in pr inc ip io es t? qu ia

fu i t an t e om nes e t i am an t e

legem. Q ua re be th e i in ord in e

p rop i nqua e s t ? qu i a i p sa fu i t

p r i m a . Q u a r e h a b e t c a u d a m ? a d

os t endendum ex quo l oco fu i t .

[13]

Cod. Vat . Ebr . 191 fo l . 312v

S e p t i m a n a m q u e e s t t a m q u a m

oriens secul i et inde veni t semen

Israel quia f i lum spine [verse?] se

t rah i t a cerebro hominis e t ven i t

ad fon tem unde es t semen e t scr i -

b i t u r ab

Oriente

e d u c o

semen

t uu m qu an do I s rae l sun t bon i e t

ex hoc co ram l oco educo s em en

t uum e t i nnouab i t u r t i b i s em en

n o v u m . Q u a n d o u e r o I s r a e l s u n t

m a l i educo a s em i ne quod i am

uen i t i n m un du m u t s c r i b i t u r

Genera t i o uad i t e t gene ra t i o

uen i t . Doce t qu i dem quod i am

veni t . Quid es t e rgo quod scr i -

b i t u r e t ab occ i den t e cong regabo

t e? ex ea qu i dem p rop r i e t a t e que

decl ina t semper ad occidens [nc] .

Q u a r e e r g o v o c a t u r m a h a r a b ? i d

es t occ idens ue l commis t io ue l

confus io? qu ia sc i l i ce t ib i com-

m i sce t u r s i ue con fund i t u r t o t um

semen. Parad igmat icos res s imi l i s

3 The Hebrew character ayin appears also in the Latin transliterations of other

Hebrew w ords in the an on ym ou s translat ion: fol . 189r. To u ve raS [ i .e . ,

i m ai o] . or fol . 201r: scribitur [La m . 5:17] Sal ze propter ze Iesod: erat

do lens cor nos trum.

[206]






cor de i ob op era deorsu m : e t idem

est honor dei e t cor celi :

ior ibus , voca tur e t iam Cor nom-

ine effectu s op erat i in inferiorib us

et hec est Gloria domini e t hec

eadem est que dicitur leb axa-

maim [D'Dltfn leb ha-samayim]

id est C or celo rum . [91]

B.N. 598, fol. 218r

Bahir : quid cor : quod sc r ibi tur

usque ad cor celi : ubi c lause sunt

32 Semite mire sapiencie:

Cod. Vat. Ebr. 191, fol . 303v

Quid es t leb? ho c quidem de qu o

scribitur [Deut 4:11] usque ad leb

ce lorum. e t in eo cont inentur t r i -

g i n t a d u o c a l l e s s a p i e n t i e

oculti. [75]

It is not necessary to pile up more evidence: anybody should by now

be able to see tha t i t is abso lutely imp ossible to iden tify the an on ym ou s

trans la tor of Recana t i on Genes is with Flavius Mithr ida tes . There is a

touch of i rony in the fac t tha t the very f i rs t page of the anonymous

trans la t ion of Recana t i in the Par is manuscr ipt conta ins an unusua l

t rans l i te ra t ion of a famil ia r name which oug ht to hav e been reckon ed as a

wa rning tha t he wh o wou ld ident i fy the ano ny m ou s t rans la to r with F la -

vius Mithridates is not l ikely to prove his point. The name of Rabbi

Nehunya ben ha -Qanah , the repu ted au thor o f the Bahir, is written at fol.

164r: In ora t ion e vero Ro bi neho gna f il i j cane sup ra ipsum pa x. Co m -

pare the beginning of th e B a h i r , C od . Vat. Eb r. 191, fol . 288r: D ixi t rabi

neho nias f i lius acc ane . I t is prima facie im prob able tha t the same t rans la -

to r wro te bo th Nehogna Filius Cane a n d Nehonias Filius Accane between

May and November of the same year .

[2 8 ]



Appendix 3

T H E T E X T O F P I C O 'S C O N C L U S I O N E S

The best text of Pico's

onclusiones

is still, after five hundred years, the

editio princeps of 1486. The colophon of this extremely rare edition

(Hain-Copinger 12999, British Library IB 18857, bound with IB 18322

and IB 27536) reads as follows:

Fin is . Impressum Romae opera Venerab i i i s u i r i Euchar i i S i lber a l ias

Franck . Anno ab incarnat ione Domini . Mcccc. lxxxvi . d ie Sep t ima

Decembris . Sedente Innocent io . v i i i . Pont . Max. Anno Pont i f icatus

eiusdem Ter t io .

A notice concerning the disputation of the onclusiones appears on

the verso of the same folio:

CONCLUSIONES

n o n d i sp u tab u n tu r n i s i p o s t Ep ip h an iam. In t e r im p u b l i -

cabuntur in omnibus I ta l iae Gymnasi i s e t s i qu is Ph i losophus au t Theolo-

gus e t iam ab ex t rema I ta l ia arguendi g rat ia Romam ueni re uo luer i t

po l l icetur ipse D. d ispu taturus se u ia t ic i expensas i l l i so lu turum de suo .

The colophon of the editio princeps left its mark on the subscription s of

two manuscript copies of Pico's

Conclusiones·

Oesterreichische National-

bibliothek, Vienna, Codex Vindobonensis Palatinus 5516 and Universi-

tätsbibliothek Erlangen, Cod ex Latinus 646.

1

The Vindobonensis ends as

follows:

Fin is A nn o etc . 1486 Sedente Innoc ent io oc tauo P on: Max: Ann o P on:

e iu sd em Ter : Ro mae

Co n c lu s io n es n o n d i sp u tab u n tu r . . . so lu tu ru m d e su o .

The Erlangensis, after Finis at the fo ot of fol. 37v, has the follow ing

subscription written by the first hand across fol. 38r:

Opera venerab i l i s v i r i Euchar i j S i lber a l ias Franck

1 I owe tha nks to the Oester re ich ische Na t ionalb ib l io thek for perm iss ion to

have a micro f i lm of Co d. Vindobo nensis P ala t inus 5516 m ade for m e and to

the Univers i tä t sb ib l io thek Er langen for the loan of a microf i lm Cod. Er lan-

gensis Latinus 646.

[209]




Ab ove this subscrip tion , at the top of the folio, the whole text of the no tice

concerning the d ispute is wr i t ten in a d i f ferent hand.

Bear ing in mind that Euchar ius S i lber was a pr in ter and that P ico 's

Conclusiones

became rare owing to their condemnat ion by the pope less

than a year af ter their publ icat ion, i t i s obvious , f rom the s imilar i ty

between the colophon of the editio princeps and the subscr ip t ions of the

manuscripts , that there is at least a

prima facie

case for the hypo thes is tha t

the Vin dobo nens is and Er langens is are descended f r om the editio princeps.

Eug enio Gar in po inted ou t , as long ago as 1942, tha t del le Conclusiones,

dis t ru t te ο sot t r a t te a l ia c i rcolazione, non di rado le copie m ano scr i t te

sono pos ter ior i a l tes to a s tampa.

2

Similar ly , Kr is te l ler pronounced the

text of the

Conclusiones

in the Er langens is to be copied f rom the f i r s t

edi t ion .

3

A dif ferent v iew concerning the Er langens is and the Vindobonens is is

held by B oh da n Kieszkowski , the la tes t edi to r of P ico 's

Conclusiones.

H e

assumes t hat the copyis t of the Er langens is is non e other tha n the pr in ter

Euchar ius S i lber , who pr in ted the

editio princeps

f ro m this very copy. H e

also assumes that the actual date of the Vindobonens is f igures in the

subscr ip tion o f tha t m anu scr ip t .

4

1 have read b oth ma nusc r ip ts ; as far as I

can see , nei ther of them suppor ts Kieszkowski ' s assumptions .

I t is imp roba ble t ha t the

editio princeps

was p r in ted f rom the E r langen-

s is , unless we assum e tha t E uch ar ius S i lber was a c la i rvoyan t pr in ter . H e

lef t b lan k spaces in the pr in ted text for Gre ek and H ebr ew word s . H ow on

eart h did he kn ow , if he used the Erlang ensis as his m od el, where to leave

blank spaces? In some cases, i t is true, omissions are marked in the

Erlang ensis eithe r by bla nk spac es or by do ub le s troke s abo ve the l ine. But

as of te n as no t Gree k and He brew w ords are s imply miss ing in the text of

th e

Conclusiones

in the Erlangensis without any vis ible s ign that their

omiss ion was not iced.

5

T his is not the only re levant fact no t men t ioned in

2 De Hom inis Dignitate Heptaplus De Ente et Uno p. 54.

3 Kriste ller , Gio van ni Pico del la M irando la and His Sou rces , I , 109.

4 Giov anni P ico de l la M irandola ,

Conclusiones sive Theses DCCC C Romae

anno 1486publice disputandae sednon admissae ed . and ann . Bohdan Kiesz -

kow ski (Gen eva , 1973) , pp . 1 -2 .

5 For ins tance , Conclusiones secundum Iamblichum vii i: Qu i f inale m cau sam

di luv iorum incendiorumque cognover i t l i ce t pot ius . i . f ides t ] purgat iones

quam corrupt iones vocab i t . The read ing licet appears in the text. The

correct ion

hec

was added in the marg in . Also


secundum opinionempropriam xvi: Ex m isterio tr ium l[ i tte]rarum que sunt in

dict ion e sc iabat id est pos sum us interpretari , e tc . S imilarly , Conclusiones

Cabalisticae secundum opinionem sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum

xv:

Nis i nomen Abraam id e s t he addi ta fu i s se t Abraam non generasse t .

[210]



Appendices

Kieszkow ski s ed i t ion . W hat fo l low are som e te l l ta le er rors and om iss ions

which I noticed in the text of the Conclusiones Cabalisticae secundum

opinionem propriam.

The Er langens is reads

merchiana

in the second thesis

merchiaua ed i t io pr inceps) ; rationabiles anime in the eleventh ( rationales

animae ed i t io pr inceps) ; cabalisticis in the twen ty-n in th ( cabalistis edi t io

pr inceps) ;

expressive

in the th i r ty- fo ur th (

expresse

edi t io pr in ceps) . I t

omits the first in in the thir ty-seventh thesis , and ego in the s ixty-eighth.

N on e of these hu m ble detai ls is in i tself w orth k now ing. B ut tak en tog ethe r

they show that the Erlangensis represents a s tage in the transmission at

which corruption of the text had already set in . In other words, the

Er langens is , far f rom being the parent of the editio princeps, is its p o o r

descendan t .

The Vin dobo nens is , u n l ike the Er langens is , is an excel len t m anu scr ip t ,

a lmos t as good though not qui te as good as the editio princeps. It is

unlikely that the Vindobonensis is the parent of the

editio princeps:

it

divides the second Kabbalis t ic thesis secundum opinionem propriam in to

two theses (a paragraph is wr i t ten by the f i r s t hand before

Prima)

and

o m i t s naturam in the sixty-eighth thesis of the same series.

I t is a lso unl ike ly , fo r both tex tual and chrono logica l reaso ns , tha t the

Vind obon ens is i s an indep ende nt co l la tera l of the

editio princeps.

It is

know n f ro m Pico s own cor respon den ce th a t he com pleted h is n ine

hundred theses in the au tumn of I486 .

6

I t is also known that on 10

No vem ber of tha t yea r , jus t fo ur weeks befo re the pr in t ing of h is theses by

Eu cha rius Silber , Pico was s t il l at La Fr at ta , pre pa ring to leave fo r Rom e.

7

Hence, if the Vindobonensis was in fact writ ten in 1486 at Rome, i t ought

to have been wr i t ten shor t ly befo re or soon a f ter the pr in t ing of the editio

princeps.

In these circum stanc es it is diff icu lt to conceive of the V ind ob o-

nensis as a ma nu scri pt writ ten in 1486 at Rom e, except on the hy poth esis

th at i t wa s a pre sen tat io n c opy . But i t is even m ore d iff icult to conceive of

the Vindobonens is as a presenta t ion copy: i t leaves b lank spaces where

6 Do rez , Lettres inedites de Jean Pic de la M irand ole, p. 358, letter iv

addressed to G irolam o B enivieni and dated 12 Nov em ber 1486. For the text

see Chapter 1, note 6.

7 Pico's letter to an unknow n correspondent, dated ex Fratta, 10 Novem bris

1486,

Opera

, p. 385: Et quoniam de his quae petebas uisus sum mihi posse

aliqua ex parte tibi satisfacere ... uolui quid ego sentirem tibi significare,

quod certe facerem longe locupletius, si hie illos meos omnium hominum

am icos, id est m eos libros haberem q uos consulerem , sed me illi iam R omam

quasi anteamb ulones d om inum praecesserunt, et ego ipse haec petasatus iam

et caligatus in procinctu cum essem ad te dedi tarn familiariter quam

festinanter.

[ 2 1 1 ]




word s wri t ten in G reek an d He brew charac te rs occur in Pico s theses .

A ny bo dy c an see tha t Eu cha rius Silber left blan k spaces in the editio

princeps fo r wan t of Greek and H ebrew type . But why should blank spaces

occu r in a man usc ript w hich is said to have been written in 1486 at R om e?

Admit tedly , no ordinary copyis t could be expec ted a t tha t t ime to wri te

Lat in , Greek, and Hebrew. But where was Pico? And would he send a

presen ta t ion copy of his Conclusiones w i thou t Greek and Hebrew words?

The te ll ta le blank spaces prove, if proof is needed, that the Vindobonensis

is descended f r om a pr inted text . An d the subscr ipt ion of tha t m anu scr ipt

proves tha t the Vindobonensis is descended f rom the editio princeps.

There exis ts another incunabulum of the Conclusiones, p r in ted wi thou t

da te , p lace , an d pr in te r s nam e.

8

This text , too, is hardly an independent

witness, being in a ll l ikelihood a descendant of the editio princeps.

8 Ha in 12998, Brit ish Library IA 13505, attr ibuted in the printed catalo gue to

Lescherius , Ingo lstadt , 1487 7) .

[2 2]



Appendix 4

NAH MANIDES OR ABU L AF IA

M os e s b e n N ah m an o f G e r on a , u n l ik e A b r ah am A b u la f ia , i s e xp l i c i t l y

c i t ed by P ico .

1

Furthermore , cer ta in character i s t ic f eatures of P ico s v iew

of Kabbala are undoubted ly s imi lar to cer ta in doctr ines which , even i f not

N a h m an id e s ow n , are c l ear ly s t a t e d in h i s b ib l ic a l c om m e n t ar y . I t w ou ld

therefore seem, on the face of i t , that P ico owes much to the d irec t

in f luence of Nahmanides . The poss ib i l i ty that th is might ye t prove to be

the case need not be den ied . At the same t ime , the in ternal ev idence of

P i c o s Conclusiones a n d Apology do es not bear out the hyp othe s i s that

N a h m an id e s w as an in f lu e n tia l d i r ec t s ou r c e o f P i c o s v i e w o f K a b b a la .

2

Let ter symbol i sm i s a case in poin t .

W h at l ook s l ik e a r e m ar k ab le c as e o f r e s e m b lan c e b e t w e e n P i c o an d

N a h m an id e s s e e m s t o h ave c au gh t t h e e ye o f Joh an n e s R e u c h l in f ou r

hundred and f i f ty years ago . Not that Reuch l in assoc iated P ico and

N a h m a n i d e s

expressis verbis.

I t i s the wa y he qu otes Na hm an ide s in h is D e

Arte Cabalistica ( 1517 ) , b o ok I II , f o l . 52 r - v ( m ar k e d in italics that brings

t o m in d P ic o s

Conclusiones:

Hinc nasci tur i l ia enumerat io quinquagin ta por tarum in te l l igent iae , c i rca

quas tan top ere C abal is tarum s tudia desud ant , d iu in i tus a Moyse Dei seruo

receptarum, quarum cognit ionem ipse quoque poster is nobis t rad id i t

uniuersal i ta t is condit ionem explicant ium Ή ϊΙΡ O ' lPari i r m a i Π Ο Ν DDI

DTi^sn ϋ» η i rno n rn ' « ι» τπχη f i n nca V n o » ] oViya ΙΝΌ: n r a

id est, Iamque dixerunt Magistr i nostr i quinquaginta portae intelligentiae

productae sunt in mundo, e t omnes i l lae t rad i tae sunt Moysi praeterquam

una , qu ia d ic tum es t: Minuis ti eum paulo m inus a dijs Super is to C abal is ta-

rum sermone d ix i t Ramban

3

in Geneseos exord io , quod eiuscemodi omne

Moysi traditum per portas intelligentiae, contentum est in lege diuina

Iudaeorum, uel sensu literali uel allegorico, per dictiones, uel ar ithmeticas

supputationes, uel geometricas li terarum figuras siue descriptas seu trans-

mutatas , uel harmoniae consonantias ex formis charac te rum, coniunctioni-

1

Opera

, p. 175; see above, Chapter 11, p. 126.

2 F. Secret, L a signification de la Loi selon Moi'se ben N ac hm an et les

Kabbalistes Chretiens de la Renaissance, Sefarad 22 (1962), 107-117.

3 RaM BaN is Rabb i Moses ben Na hm an .

[ 2 3 ]




bus, separation ibus, tortuositate, directione, defectu, supera bund antly

minoritate, maioritate, coronatione, clausura, apertura et ordine resultant.

Reuch l in ' s quo ta t ion f ro m Nahm anide s is a rema rkab le conf la t ion . W hat

begins as a paraphrase of Nahmanides shades in to a l i tera l quotat ion of

Pico: the par t of the text i tal ic ized abov e is a word -for-w ord q uo tat io n of

Pico's thir ty-third thesis

secundum secretam doctrinam sapientum

Hebraeorum Cabalistarum. T ha t thesis , how eve r, as we hav e seen in

Chapter 3 , i s i t se l f a word-for-word quotat ion f rom Recanat i , fo l . 48ra .

Hence i t is as certain as can be that , in this particular case, Recanati and

not Nahmanides is P ico 's d i rect source .

Another passage of s ingular impor tance for the in terpreta t ion of the

myster ies of the Law is where Nahmanides s ta tes , in the preface to h is

commentary , that the ent i re text of the Law can be read as a cont inuous

sequence of d iv ine names:

We possess a true tradition that the whole Torah consists of His names,

blessed be He, namely that the words can be differently divided so as to

form nam es, as if you assum ed for instance that the verse DTI

?« m a I T W O

[beresit bara elohym

] will be divided into different words such as

DTlVs

man [berosyitbre elohym

]. An d this holds true for the whole T orah.

This passage is quoted

verbatim

in A bu laf ia ' s prefac e to h is

De Secretis

Legis

(C od . Vat. Eb r. 190, fol . 345r):

Similiter dicam de magno doctore rabi Moise filio Nahaman Gerundinensi

qui dixit in principio legis expositionis quam ipse commentatus est in hec

verba: habemus in ma nibus n ostris traditum a sapientibu s cabalae veritatis

quod tota lex est plena nominibus dei sancti et benedicti et angelorum

ordinis sacri celestis, et ut dixit ipse idem in dictionibu s brexith bara elohim

[D'n^X >Π 3 JVtPiOa]

quod ibi sunt quatuor nomina.. .

The evidence quoted so far is not in itself decisive. Chronology helps to

highlight the essential fact: there is no conclusive evidence that Pico read

N ahm an ide s before he co mp leted his theses . The ear l iest expl ic i t reference

to Nahmanides is in the

Heptaplus:

M oses Gerund inens i s , theo logus

pr imae ce lebr i t a t i s apud Hebraeos .

4

It is in fact in the H eptaplus tha t a

quo ta t ion f rom the p re face to Nahmanides ' commenta ry can be iden t i -

f ied .

5

T h e

H eptaplus

was wr i t ten af te r P ico 's re turn f r om Fran ce in 1488,

tha t i s , ab ou t tw o years af te r the Conclusiones. Na hm anide s is no t men t i -

oned among the Jewish commentators of the Bible in the famous passage

4 P. 350 ed. Garin (= O p e r a , p. 52). See a lso Heptaplus, p. 180 ed. Ga rin (=

Opera,

p. 4): uterque Mo ses (namely Maim onides and Nahmanides).

5 See App endix 8.

[214]



Appendices

of the Apology where Pico discusses the four modes of biblical interpreta-

t ion.

6

N or d oes any of Pic o s theses requ ire the hy poth esis of his direct

acqua in tance wi th Nahmanides .

A bu lafi a , it is true, is never explic itly men tio ned by Pico. But few thing s

in the history of Pico s enc ou nter with K ab ba la are as certa in as the fact

tha t he read C od. V at . Ebr . 190, which inc ludes A bu laf ia s De Secretis

Legis

before he completed his theses.

7

Hence i t is to my mind the most

pro bab le h ypothes is th a t P ico s v iew of K abb ala as the divine ly revealed

science that explains the mysteries of the Law was inspired by Abulafia .

6 pera p. 178. See below p. 262.

7 See abo ve Chap ters 3 and 12.

[215]



Appendix 5

S P E C U L U M L U C E N S A N D S P EC U L U M N O N L U C E N S

The sym bolic interp retatio n of the verse Le t there be light: an d there was

l ight as representing the emergence of the mirro r that shines

Tiferet

and the mirro r that does not shine (M al ku t) appears in a remarkable

litt le piece which Mithridates translated for Pico. The translation is

included in a K abba listic miscellany a single quin ternio of which survives

at present in the Ch isianus. Th e piece begins at fol. 226r: Ex alio libro de

ordine geneseos. Sciendum quod venit ad manus nostras liber qui dicitur

ordo geneseos ex nomine magni doctoris Rabi Moiseos fi l i j Naaman

Ge rund inens is. The Hebrew original was published by Scholem in Kir-

jath Sepher 6 (1929-30), 415 ff. It does n ot take long to discover, fro m

reading the translation beside the original, that the crucial passage is

disfigured in the translation (fol. 226v):

et dixit Elohim sit lux quia dedit v irtutem entibus ad extendendum se et

protr ahen dum et ut appare ant in e is in speculo q uod praeced it in gradu et

vidit Elohim etc

It is l ikely to remain unknown whether Mithridates inadvertently omitted

about a line of the Hebrew original or translated a defective text. It is,

however, quite certain that the Latin translation of the Liber de Ordine

Geneseos being in fact devoid of the symbolism of the two mirrors, can not

possibly be the source of Pico's symb olic interp retatio n of the verse Le t

there be light: and there was l ight . Con sequently, the mo st prob able

source is Recanati, fol. 6.

[2 6]







Appendix 8

S A P I E NT I A M A G N A S A L O M O N I S

In his Heptaplus (p. 170 ed. Ga rin; Opera p. 1), Pico writes:

Extat apud Hebraeos Salomonis il l ius cognomento sapientissimi über cui

Sapientia titulus, non qui nunc in manibus est, Philonis opus, sed alter,

hierosolyma quam vocant secretiore lingua comp ositus, in quo vir natu rae

rerum sicuti putat ur interpres, omne m se il liusmodi disciplinam fatetu r de

Mosaicae legis penetralibus accepisse.

Com pare the correspon ding passage in Na hm anid es preface to h is

Comm entary on the Pentateuchwhich I quo te in the an on ym ou s Lat in

translat ion published by F. Secret:

et Sa lom o rex cui dedit D eus sapientiam in scientiam to tam ex Lege fuit ipsi

et de ipsa didicit usque scivit secretum omnium generationum et etiam

potentias herb arum et proprietatu m earum usque quo scripsit in ipsis etiam

librum m edicinarum et sicut mo dus qui scriptus est

[ 1

Kings 5:13] et locutus

est supra arboribus de cedro quae in Libano e[s]t usque hyssopum qui

egreditur in pariete. et vidi l ibrum caldeizatum vocatum Sapientia magna

Salomonis et scriptum in ipso.. .

om nia haec scivi[t] ex Lege et omnia invenit in ipsa, in declaratio nibu s suis,

in subtilitatibus suis, in literis suis, et in virgulis eius, sicut memoravi, et sic

dixit in ipso scriptu ra [1 Kings S: 1 ] et multiplicata fuit sapientia Salomon is

magis quam sapientia omnium filiorum orientis.

2

1 My thank s are due to Professor Moshe Idel, who kindly pointed out to me the

source of this passage.

2 F. Sec ret, No tes sur les hebrai'sants Chretiens de la Re na issan ce, Sefarad 22

(1962), 109 -117. The passages quot ed are fou nd at pp. 113 and 115.

[ 2 1 9 ]



Appendix 9

B E R E S I T : I N P R I N C I P I O

Uber Combinationum Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190 fols 60v-61r:

I tem dec larab im us v iam et m od um div is ion is l i terarum in par tes pe rm uta t i -

on is omnium l i terarum quia ib i conueni t u t exponatur e t in te l l ige tu qu ic-

quid exposuimus in hac par t icu la , e t v ias numeri necessar i j qu i es t

par t icu lar i s in omnibus ord in ibus e t qual i ta tem ord in is su i e t cum auctus

fuer i t numerus d ic t ion is uel d iminutus fuer i t qu ia hoc es t quod pro maiore

par te requ i r i tu r in processu huius sciencie vo lo ig i tu r dare t ib i exem plum in

un a d ict ione u t poss i t com preh ende re a l iqu id ex m od o proceden di in hac

sapien t ia . e t d icens cap iam pr imam dict ionem que in Genesi es t e t d ic i tu r

IViyX Q idest in principio. Scias igi tur quod numerus brexit necessario est

913 quo d sic pro ba tu r beth d uo . res 200. alep h 1. sin 300. iod 10. tha u 400.

co l lect i sun t 913 . h ic num eru s ascendi t resu l tans secu ndum sup puta t ion em

n u m e r a r i a m t a n t u m q u a n t u m n u m e r u s h u iu s o r a t io n i s TW S m s a a b e m i -

suath ase idest cum pre eep to af f i rm at ivo , qu od s ie pro ba tur b eth 2 . mein 40 .

sade 90. vau 6. thau 400. hain 70. sin 30[0]. he 5. I taque habes quod cum

praeeepto af f i rmat ivo deus benedictus e loh im creavi t omne quod creavi t .

Tu au tem nost i qu id s i t p reeeptum aff i rmat ivum. s imi l i ter conf i rmatur ex

eo qu od d ictum est pos t f inem oper is sex d ierum ubi d ic i tu r i ta esse q ua nd o

tex tu s d ic i t he sun t genera t iones ce lo rum e t t e r r e Ο Χ Ό ΓΟ in d i e qua c reav it

eos . hec en im d ic t io beh iba rham num erum 248 qu i es t secundum num erum

precep t i a f f irm at iv i , nam p reeep ta a f f i rm at iva to t sun t . I taque p ro ba tu r

bet h 2. he 5. bet h 2. res 200. aleph 1. m em 40. Collect i sun t 248. sie q uo qu e

habes ex h is duobus modo ex numero necessar io ind icatum quod cum 248

id es t cum preee pto a f f i rm at ivo creavit deus e loh im om nia e t in te l lige hoc

nimis . S imi l i ter i l lud potes considerare ex v ia par t icu le combinat ion is

necessar ie qu e d ici tu r com bina t io p ar t icu la r i s d ices en im ΓΡΙ£>Ν Ό d iu isa

dict ion e n 'CN Q bar asi th id est f il ius fun da ui t seu esse ded it uel sec und um

ea[n]dem combinat ionem rPWiOa d iu isa d ic t ione W

Π Κ 3

bar at ha ies id est

ies scil icet sap ien t ia creas t i. uel per eund em m od um proce dend i per d ic tam

com bina t ionem d iu i sa d i c t ione W Π Ή 3 ber i th es id est federe ign is crea u i t

deus e tc . e t s imi l ia h is po te s considera re qu e om nia ind ic abu nt t ib i mis ter ia

magna et mirab i l ia . s imi l i ter per a l ium modum combinat ion is pred icte

Brexit ΠΕ> τ 3S ab iar sath id est pa ter vidi t fu nd am en tu m . et tunc b rexit

con tinet in suo sec reto i l ium qui est prine eps m un di qui est f i l ius di lectus a

pa t r e e t p rop inquu s e i sem per de quo d i c tum es t quod s ign if i cat V Π Κ Π

baratha ies id es t sap ienciam creast i qu ia tes ta tur in suo secreto quod

crea tor ben edictus creau i t sap ien t iam ex ain id es t ens ex no n en te post no n

[220]



Appendices

ens absolutum. Item per eundem modum procedendi brexit est JVC m a id

est quod creavit sex et indicatur propte rea quod creator benedictus creauit

sex extrema n ota que sunt supra et infra dextra et sinistra facies et dorsum

que dicuntur quatuor latera. hoc autem conflrmatur ex eo quod eadem

dictio ut supra dictum est significat ΓΓ Ή id est brith es federe ignis

creauit deus etc. fedus autem ignis est lex que precessit mundum duobus

milibus annorum et est fedus inter nos et eum benedictum ut scribitur

[Deut. 33:2] a dextris suis ignitam legem dedit eis.

Six words, of the twelve that Pico combined from the letters rvipxna,

appear in this passage, namely: ax,

ab

pater); IPX

es

ignis); 1 3

bar

fi l ius); xna,

bara

creavi t) ; m a ,

berit

fo ed u s); Π ΙΡ ,

sat

fundamentum).

One m ore, namely an,

rab

ma gnus), appears at fol . 62 r- v, which is quo ted

in full in Appendix 13.

[ 2 2 1 ]



Appendix 10

M A G I C A L S T R A I N S IN S P E C U L A T I V E K A B B A L A

M y s t i c i s m o f l a n g u a g e a n d m y s t i c i s m o f p r a y e r s o m e t i m e s s h a d e i n t o

magic . What fo l low are tex ts i l lus trat ing th i s» trans i t ion .

Expositio Secretorum Punctuationis Cod. Vat . Ebr . 190 fo l . 92v:

Ind icav im us nam que t i b i quod nom en p rop r ium Te t rag ram aton d iv id i tu r

in duas vias ut legist i in l ibro precedenti . Scil icet Iod he ad act ionem et

unum ereg ione quinar i i e t senar i i ad motum. I taque exci tav imus te in

sec reto dict ionis ΓΠ Χ ^ΒΠ id est qu ina ri i et alep h et tau principii et f inis. Et

debes sci re quod in h is du ab us v ii s secu lum pend et e t ab e is om nis for m at i o

e t om n i s se rm o eg red i tu r pe r nom e n Te t rag ra m a ton Iod he vau he quod es t

un um in quo consis ti t sum ma l i terarum et pun ctua t ion is na m in e ius

punctuat ione omnia secreta operat ion is consis tun t in qu ibus sciendis

an im a per f i c i t u r qu ia t unc dom ina m u nd i

effi itur

cum t a rn super io ra qu am

in fe r io ra s ib i obed ien t i a habea t secus au tem no n d i f f e r t a b ru t i s de p r im o

quide m dix i t p ro ph eta [Ps . 8 :6] dem inuis t i eum pa rvu m a d ii s om nia

supposuis t i sub pedibus e ius . De secundo au tem idem propheta d ix i t [Ps .

49:21] homo autem cum in honore est et non intel l igi t assimilatus est brutis

et comparatur i l l i s . Veras au tem in tel lectus an ime non consis t i t n is i in

sciendo ipsum nomen propr ium ut poss i t invocans eum in t rare in adytus

suos . Ide o fil l mi inquire qu id si t ho lem inqu ire quid sit cam es et qu id sit

se n inqui re e t iam quid s it h i r ic e t xuruc que sunt qu inqu e mirab i l ia . In qui re

quid si t aleph et inquire quid si t thau principium et f inis et divide omnes

mil ic ias in qu inqu e et conside ra nu nc quin que ereg ione quinqu e et in te l liges

et invenies in eis oculta misteria.

Tractatus de Revolutione Ducentarum Triginta Unius Portarum Alpha-

betic

Co d. Va t . Ebr . 190 fo l . 134: the tex t i s qu ote d in A pp en dix 11.

R e c a n a t i De Secretis Orationum et Benedictionum Cabale C o d . V a t .

Ebr . 190 fo l . 287v: the pa s sag e i s qu ote d in fu l l in Ch apter 12 pa ge

149.

I b i d . f o l s . 2 9 8 v - 2 9 9 r :

Post ho c vero d icit benedictus dom inus Eloh im d i i I srael qu i faci t mirab i l ia

solus et benedictum si t nomen glorie sue et inplebitur tota terra gloria sua

am en e t am en . Dom inus E loh im ind ica tu r nom en m agnum bened ic tum

quod es t I srael Senex . Elohim vero ind icatur nomen g lor iosum vel venera-

b i le . Quod au tem d ici tu r e t benedictum si t nomen g lor ie sue declarab i tur

infer ius in mis ter io lection is par t icu le audi . Q uod vero sequ i tur e t inp le b i tur

[ ]



Appendices

gloria sua tota terra declarabitur in sanctif icatione in versu f lsa. 6:3] plena

es t to ta ter ra g lor ia sua. In te l l ige au tem quod memini t nomen propr ium

quod faci t mirab i l ia so lus quia miracula manifes ta que mutant ord inem

mu ndi sunt per nomen p ropr iu m quem ad m odu m est d iv is io mar is rubr i e t

similia. Verum miracula oculta de supra scripsit Ms. potest homo dicere

quod f iun t natural i ter f iun t v ir tu te nominis honorabi l is .

A b r a h a m A b u l a f i a

De Secretis Legis

Cod. Vat . Ebr. 190 fo l . 363r:

Nec seducant te verba fa tuorum et non habent ium in te l lectum dicent ium

tib i non esse proce dendu m per comb inat ione m l ic terarum ex quo quodlibet

est in quolibet et nihil est extra se quod ita possint fieri consequentie sive

poss in t p robat iones probatione MS ] vere sicut false et per conseq uens qu od

scien t ia hec non es t vera que probat duo contrar ia quorum unum opor te t

esse fa lsum secundum men tem eorum et op in iones non veraces apud f idem

eorum falsam quia de h is om nibus iam pr idem t ib i responsum es t e t cau tum

et monui iam te de il lo nec oportet ut hie repetam sed ut revocem in

memoriam. Volo bene e t iam revocare t ib i in memoriam propter hoc quod

sum tibi dicturus in hoc secreto quarto quod nullum dubium est si sciveris

hanc scientiam poteris formare seu creare hominem de novo sicut docet

Abraam pater noster in libro Sepher Iesire et darum est omni scienti i l ium

librum etiam in simplici sermo ne suo q ua nt o magis ill i qui seit oculta eius et

secreta.

I b id . f o l s . 4 0 7 v - 4 0 8 r :

Scias quide m quo d hoc nome n contin et omn es literas prae ter tres et veniunt

loco eius tres testus [ textus] et secretum est

v

ad ona i ado nai id est

dom inus d om inu s vel 10.10.10. 10.10.10. et in veritate quo d hoc no me n est

exaud i tor orat io num hebraice somehia tef i lla nVsn sm tp e t hoc nomen est

nomen quo f iun t operat iones in mundo hebraice xem appahul lo th

mViyDH nil> et est nomen quod transmutat omnes naturas et facit res

supernaturales hebraice vehu axem amsane co l a t tebahim chul lam

O'JS D 's no n 73 rniPDn ow n

Χ Π

et etiam est i l lud quod agit vel operatur

animam intellectivam et etiam celos hebraice vehu haxem apoel anexama

gam axam aim a r w a w n DJ nat ion bwisn DWH «im . Et cum eo et iam so l

ope ratur aquas hebraice vehimo axemes pohel am aim a wnw n m m

R W O N ? YID et cum hoc nomen [ M C ] omnes minis tr i operan tur e t agun t

hebraice ubo pohalim axamaxim chullam 0*73 D'ttfDlPn D'VyiD 131.

Ibid. fo l . 442r:

Et recipit sic viginti qua tuo r com bina tion es et ab eis per suas revolutiones

intelliges mirabilia. Et cave semper in tota speculatione tua a dracone

dela tore in cuius m an u est nom en regis. Et ipse rex qui utitu r cum eo vel per

i l ium ar te magica. Et sc ias quod omnis draco habet an imam. Et a v ir tu te

sua in te respiratio er it que dicitur maga mulier . Verum tarnen magam

mulierem seu utentem earn arte magica non permictas vivere quia mortua

est et non viva.

[ 3]




Com entum Sepher Iesire, Cod. Vat. Ebr. 191, fol. 6v:

Et intellige hunc amphorismum et fundamentum precipue unitatis quad-

ragenarii et tr icentenarii quomodo potes convertere eas ad bonum vel

malum, ad damnandum vel iustif icandum. Et pronunciacio lingue que

etiam se habet ut l ingua lancis indicat tanquam arbiter . Si enim creare

volueris masculum considera pronuntiationem unitatis quadragenarii et

tr icentenarii . Si vero feminam unitatis tr icentenarii et quadragenarii . At

vero si volueris utrasque corrumpere et ad pulverem reducere considera

pronuntiationem tr icentenarii quadragenarii et unitatis. Et sigilla per sex

sigilla anulorum nominis dei Triagramaton iod he vau quo convertuntur

omnes res senarie.

Rabbi Theodori de Toleto, Porta Secretorum, Cod. Vat. Ebr. 191,

fol. 248v:

Et dicunt doctores nostri si volunt sancti huius scientie creant hominem.

Raua namque creavit hominem et misit eum ad rabi Zera, sed loquebatur

cum eo et ille non respondebat et nisi essent peccata faciencia divisionem

inter vos et deum vestrum respondisset h[abe]ns ex anima sua. Quid enim

deerat illi? anima scilicet ilia ut intraret de qua dicitur et flavit in naribus

eius animam vitalem. Et est vita [vel anima] regis qui memoratur in votis

ascendentibus supra legem, et sapientia vivif icat dominum suum.

Abulafia,

De Secretis Legis,

Cod. Chigi, fols. 244v-246r:

Secretum septimum est de misterio temptationis Temptationis autem mis-

terium notum est ex parte tercia ex cap. 22 et 23. Articulus et secretum et

misterium temp tationis con tinetur in textu dicente [Gen. 22:1 ] et factum est

post h ec verba et dominu s tem ptav it ad A bra am dicens Elle et eile id est hec

et hec sun t Iod et he

ΓΡ

et est hiod he vau he plenu m . Et secretum eoru m est

hec de his elle mee lle. ΓΠΓΓ n ?K m ie n

« ö

Π 1ΓΡ Kim ΓΡ Dn η^Χ Ί π ?Κ

ΓΡΙ n

na n nVs et sunt deus et hiah qu os indicaui su perius. tibi in fine secreti

sexti q uod est secretum cognitionis siue sciencie dei et provide ncie eius. Et

scias quo d elle id est hec sunt testes de sciencia sua partic ulari que necessitat

et causat scientiam suam particu larem que est no ta cabalistis intelligentibus

et memorantibus dominum deum et nomen eius. Et helohim experitur seu

tentat ad sublimandam excellenciam temptaui per mediam temptationem.

Quia temptatio est inventa et facit inveniri virtutem superiorem. Et est

sphera im aginationi que vocatur dextra. I taque ha bet duas vias dextram et

sinistram dextram quidem continentem humores hominis, sinistram vero

continentem humores femine. Et propter combinat ionem hum orum corpo-

ris compositi necessitatur temptatio seu experimentum. Si temptaverit

temptator temptatum, sapiens in temptatione superabit dominum signi. Et

seiet et cognoscet imaginationem. Et incurvabit virtutem suam sub intel-

lectu suo semper et salvat salvatum eternum provisum p articulariter de sub

manu sua. Et deducet tempus verum fidele a domo servorum servientium

tempori. Et l iberabit israel ab egypto de manu pharaonis regis cacodemo-

num domini magorum principis magicorum et incantatorum et submerget

[ 4]



ppendices

eum et universum populum suum in mari rubro, et recipiet legem de synao

confidenter et premium eius magnum valde. Et sicut mutatus fuerit populus

transiens per mare per aridam super aquas superiores in populum summer-

sum in mari rubro in abyssis aquarum inferiorum et hie salvatus est et hie

peri i t sic mu tabitur a gnus in agnum dei qui vocatu r Se el nu> et est agn us

ult imus hie quidem imolabitur ad sacri i lc ium et hie l iberabitur et memora-

bitur in bonum. Et ridebit in corde suo hie victor in die novissima. Et si

victus fuerit erit totum quod memoratum est contrarium. Et deus benedic-

tus sua c lemencia l iberabit nos a malo et ostendet nobis bonum et ne

inducat nos in temptat ionem. Quod autem sphera imaginat ions dic i tur

dext ra probatur ex numeris correspondent ibus . Dic i tur enim imaginat io

adimion et numeri eius sci l icet JTOin sunt 5 .4 .40 .10 .<6.>50. Et dextra

dicitur hiamin j

,

0 '<n> et eius numeri sunt <5.> 10 .40 .10 .50 . col lect i sunt

invicem correspondentes. Quod dextra si t humores hominis et sinistra

humores mul ier is

mulieres

M S] prob atur quia dic i tur hiamin p a

1

et eius

numeri sunt 10 .40 .10 .50 . e t humores hominis dicuntur mizge hahadam

Q-mn m o et eius num eri sunt 40 .7 .3 .10 .5 .1 .4 .4 0 . col lect i sunt 110, quot

numeri dextre similiter dicitur sinistra VxoiP semol et eius numeri sunt

30 0.4 0.1 .30 . et h um ore s mulieris sunt ntt>xn ΌΤΟ mizge haiss a et eius nu m eri

sunt 40 .7 .3 .10 .5 .1 .300.5 . col lect i sunt 371 quot sunt numeri sinistre. (Pico

videtur mihi scribere hunc testum in hebraico quia est nimis diff ic i l is . )

D a n n n o t i o n n o : o n n o r DN jvoan A^ nn

1

a a n a n «pan η τ ο η ι τ χ - n a v a i

w u n s n p n τ ο π T̂ U? n n n m a | v m n ΤΟΊ ΪΤΗ o : n V r n n s r j v o a a

n x V ' S ' i ρ τ η n a s n ' a o p x a n τ ι ο χ η n » n x ' x v i

I T

n n n o n a t i o n ' n x : n

v a t ? ' D ' oi u -i n n ] n x •

,

B u ? ao n V »a ' T u n x a ^ o n j n a

TO ΟΉΧΟΟ

V j n w

m o m - iw x a i n x o n a m m a u n n ua

1

? ' r o a m m V a p'i η ιο o ' a l a y Va n x i w i s

D 'o n m o i n n a η ι ο d o n s a i o n o i x a D ' jv V y n D 'o n b v n u o ' a D ' a m a i s n o i x

p m x V>x s i m b^x nu> xnp jn n un nw

ΊΟ Τ

ρ m a x i i n n y w i : i n t r n n n n n

DKI

i n n s

DV

V nsann ητ laâ p nr n

n a iü n a n s r

ητι pnp

1

? u n c r n r i

l i s ' : ' "rxi a i a n ι η ι ι π η ρ l i h

1

r o r n a m m -|Dino n a u n Va π ' τ n x i r

.|V0i 'T

1

?

[ 5 ]



Appendix 11

T E XT S I L LU S T R AT I NG K A W W A N A H

G i c a t i l l a , Portae Iustitiae, C o d . C h i g i , f o l . 8 0 v - 8 1 r ( c o n t i n u a t i o n o f t h e

q u o t a t i o n i n C h a p t e r 1 2 , p a g e 1 4 7 ):

Ha nna nam que quan do o rav i t non in t rav i t n is i ad ady tum qu i r equ i r eba tu r

e i e t p e r t i n e b a t a d e a m . V i d e q u id e m q u id s c ri p tu m s it [ 1 Sa m . l : l l ] e t v o v i t

Ha nna v o tu m nede r e t d ix i t Ad on a i sabao th MSA X ΓΠΓΡ s i v is io ne v ide ris

e t c . memorav i t ipsa l ocum gene ra t i on is omnium gene ra to rum. Sc i sne

usque ad quem loc um intend i t Han na in subl im at ione or a t ionis suae? usque

quid em loc um fa t i super ior is qu od d ic i tur ma za l ahe l ion quo d notum est in

secre to t resdec im p ropr ie ta tum c lemen t ie que f ixe sunt in cor on a su per iore .

A qu o qu id em fa t o super iore e t in eo omn es res pe nd en t . . . et ho c est qu od

dicunt sapientes nostr i

1

qu od omn ia pendent in f a to Ma za l e t i am libe r le g is

qu i es t in adytu hecha l . . . I taque quando intendi t in ora t ione sua ascendi t

usque ad locum fati Mazal superius superius, et hoc est secretum textus [1

Sam . 1 :10 ] d icent is Et ipsa era t am ara anim a e t ora v i t super do m in um io d

he vau he . Cons ide ra qu idem qu od non d ix i t ad dom inu m io d he vau he s ed

super dom inu m. I am en im nos t i quod t r ia nomin a qua tuor l i te ra rum sunt

unum super ius , a l iud in me dio , a l iud infer ius . e t in fer ius qu ide m est nom en

de i t e t rag ramaton A le ph da le th nun iod Ή Ν In me d io v e ro a l iud nom en de i

te tragra ma ton Iod he vau he m n \ Super ius ver o a l iud no me n de i

t e t rag ramaton A lep h he i od he ΓΡΠΝ In secre to qu id em ha leph he iod he

pendet fa tum quod d ic i tur maza l e t hoc es t quod d ic i tur in textu e t orav i t

super m n \ equ ide m, super ipsum I od he vau he , sc i lice t ad nom en A le ph he

jo d he Π ΠΚ. e t hoc es t secre tum e ius quo d d ixerun t sap ientes nostr i

2

q u o d

f il ii v ita et a l imen ta no n in m eri to pen det res sed in m aza l id est fa to pe nd et

res . Quia locus mer i t i quod d ic i tur Zechuth JTIDT est do m us iudic i i

septuag inta qu od voc atur DTI^K e lohim q uo d es t prop r ie tas potent ie et

t imor is . . . A t ve ro m aza l id es t fa tu m in quo pende t res est num erat io ips ius

nom inis te tragram aton super ior is cum a leph he io d he ΓΡΠΝ que es t coro na .

I taqu e qu i vu l t parere f i l ios per v iam m iracu l i usque ad hunc locu m op orte t

ascendat . Et s imi l i te r qu i vu l t u t e longetur s ib i humidum radica le e t ca lor

natural is in quibus consist it v ita . Et s imil i ter qui vult ut augeantur s ibi

maiora a l imenta quam ea quae habet e t quam dignus s i t habere .

1 Zohar, part I I I , fo l . 134r.

2 Ba b . T a lm u d , Mo ed Qatan, fo l . 28r.

[ 6]






q u id em p o s t t emp l i p r io r i s d es t ru c t io n e m cu m d o m o iu dic ii e iu s ab h o ra

q u a ab la t a s u n t s ac r i f i c i a co t id i an a lo co s ac r i f i c io ru m

sacrificium

MS ]

o ra t io n es g en era l es o rd in av i t , fu n d an s s e s u p er t ex tu m d icen tem [H o s .

14:3] cap i t e v o b i s cu m v erb a e t co n v er t imin i ad D o m in u m e t d i c it e e i o m n ia

remic te ; cap ias b o n u m e t l o co t au ro ru m t r ib u imu s l ab ia n o s t r a . A t v e ro

qu ia in tencio ascend i t e t excel l i t quodvis a l tare ideo o rd inatum es t u t

in t en c io o ran t i s i n o ra t io n e s u a se h ab ea t e reg io n e s ac r i f i c io ru m . E t q u i

in te ll ig it in te l l igat . P rop t er hoc an im a mea vo lu i t loqu i mod icu m de

o ra t io n ib u s in g en era l i d e in d e d e o ra t io n ib u s in p a r t i cu la r i e t p rec ip u e d e

i s t a co mb in a t io n i s a lp h ab e ta l i s e t q u id o p o r t e t q u i o ra t s c i r e e t i n t en d ere

q u an d o o ra t earn e t q u o m o d o d eb e t f ig e re lo cu m o ra t io n i s p red ic t e e t n o n

mu te t i li u m m alu m s c i li ce t i n b o n o au t b o n u m cu m m alo p o s tq u a m in ten d i t

ad i l lu d p r im o e t p o s u i t co g i t a t io n em s u am e t v o lu n ta t e m s u am ad i l l u d e t

v o cav i t x am q u em ad m o d u m fec it d o m in u s s u u s q u i in v o cav i t n o m en

s e c u n d u m i n v o c a t i on e m s u a m p r o p r i a m u t sc r i b it u r d e A b r a a m [ G e n .

22:3] s u r rex i t A b r aa m ma n e e tc . .. . ad lo cu m u b i s t e t e ra t x am c o ra m

d o m in o q u id em n o n s c r ib i tu r h ie sed e th f ac i em d o m in i . P ro p te r h o c q u i

nov i t ar t icu los Cabale sancte in te l l ig i t mys ter ia haec e t verba nos t ra . I l le

v e ro q u i n o n p e rv en i t ad h u n c lo cu m n o n d e fa t ig e t s e o p era r i n ec imag in ar i

imag in a t io n es a u t co g i t a re co g i t a t io n es e t f ace re s ecu n d u m o p in io n es s u as

q u ia r em n o n d ed u ce t ad ac tu m n ec p ro d er i t e i o p u s . P r in c ip a l i s au tem

ar t i cu lu s h o ru m v erb o ru m e t co m p reh en s io eo r u m est i n co m b in a t io n e

l i c t e ra ru m q u a tu o r a lp h a b e t o ru m s i cu t d i c tu r i s u mu s v o len te d eo . s c i as

au te m p r iu s q u o d in u n a q u aq u e li t e ra a lp h a b e to ru m s u n t a r t i cu l i

p r incipales e t mis ter ium ocu l tum et quamvis s i t mons excelsus in quem

as cen d ere p r o h ib i tu m es t t am en ib i s u n t v o lu p ta t es d e lec ta t io n i s a n im ar u m

p u r i f i ca t a ru m. Ib i en im es t fo n s p u teu s et co n g re g a t io aq u ar u m e t r ad ix

o m n iu m rad icu m e t a r t i cu lu s o mn i u m a r t i c u lo ru m g en era t io n i s et e s s en t ie

cu iusv is en t is . Dicun t doctores nos t r i v ig in t i due l ic tere sun t e t una queque

i l l a ru m h ab e t co r p u s p e r s e e t an im am e t p e r co mb in a t io n e m l i c t e ra ru m

alp h ab e t i i n fe r io r i s cu m l i c t e r i s a lp h ab e t i co n ten t i s u p er ea rn h ab eb u n tu r

n o m in a s an c ta n o min a in q u am x em am p h o r as h o n o rab i l i s e t v en erab i l is

n o m in a i n q u am q u ib u s q u id q u id v is o p e ra tu r e t f it e t o mn is p o ten c ia p e r ea

in ac tu m d ed u c i tu r q u emad mo d u m v id es in co mb in a t io n e t r iu m tex t iu m e t

p rofectus es t e t ven i t e t incl inav i t [SO I, x m , 13 1: Exod. 14:19, 20, 21].

Verum opor te t u t hoc facias in c i rcu lo qu ia c i rcu lus es t fo rma recta e t

p e r fec ta e t n o n es t i n t e rmis s io n ec r e t a rd a t io au t imp ed imen tu m in mo tu

s u o , q u em ad m o d u m es t i n a l ii s fo rm is e t f ig u r i s q u e m o v e n tu r s i cut

ma n i fes tu m in l ib ri s m a th em at i c o ru m . E t in d o c t r in a n o s t r a in l i b ro s ep h er

A b a h i r

4

ubi ment io f i t de hoc mis ter io l ice t ib i d icatu r a l legor ice e t per

nu tum et in fer ius ego m em or ab o in secreto e ius e t su ff ic i t in te l l igen t i . E t

p ro p te r h o c d eb e t o mn e v e r b u m q u o d exi t ab a lp h ab e to u t fia t i n c i r cu lo

r o t u n d o e t c i r c ul a r it e r p r o n u n c i a r i et de c l a r a r i q u e m a d m o d u m e g o

declara tu rus sum et i l lud d ic i tu r combinat io . Tu vero cum in te l lexer is hoc

4 W hat he has in mind is, I sup pos e, the passage correspo nding to §8 3 in

Scholem s Germ an translation.

[228]



Appendices

secretum eris [

eri t

MS] in g radu super iore e t po ter i s operar i opera recta

secun dum di rect ionem et aux i l ium et c i rcu lum ubi nom ina tur n om en

m ana ns a tr ibus tes t ibus [ tex t ibus] h is p red ict i s secun dum formam suam

in fe r io r q u o ru m q u o d cu mq u e n o men p er se s in g u la r i t e r h ab e t e f f ec tu m

mag n u m in o p era t i o n e q u emad mo d u m eg o d ec l a rab o d e u n o n o min e

tan tum rel iqua au tem per te ipsum ore revela ta in te l l ige auxi l ian te deo . . .

i tem ipsum indicat super radices et art iculos contentos in l ibro sepher Iesire

de qu ibus ment io ib i f i t qu ia numero numerat ivo ascendi t ad t r ig in ta duo .

Et iam qu an do scr ib i tu r ad p lenum et in tegrum hoc mo do vau he vau xn INI

1ST cum numeris suis 6.1.6. 5.1. 6.1.6. nam collecti faciunt 32 et hoc est

p r in c ip iu m Cab a le n o min u m san c to ru m p ro p te r h o c d i co t i b i q u o d

com bina t io a lphabe tal i s habe t in se qu od exe unt ex ea nomin a var ia ad

om nem oper at ionem et ef fectu m et es t hoc quo d d ix i in p r incip io q uod

q u a tu o r a lp h ab e t a su n t p r in c ip a l i a .

5

5 O n

Kawwanah

in general see Scholem , D er Begr i ff der Kaw wa na in der a l ten

K ab b a la , p p . 4 9 2 -5 1 8 ; a l so i d em, Ursprung und Anfänge pp. 214-218 ,

2 5 6 -2 6 7 .

[ 9]



Appendix 12

P R A Y E R A S S E L F - I M M O L A T I O N

Recanati Liber de Secretis Orationum et Benedictionum Cabalae Cod.

Vat. Ebr. 190 fol. 291v:

Benedict io vero que sequitur has [benedict iones] est benedict io de lege et

leg i tur par t icu la sac r i f ic iorum cot id ia nor um . ex qu o d icun t sap ien tes nost r i

quod orat io se habet in loco sacr i f lc i i e t p robant tex tum dicentem [Hos.

14 :2 -4 ] Conver t e re I s r ae l u sque ad dom inum deum tuum qu ia scanda lum

conmisis t i p ropter peccatum tuum. cap i te vobiscum verba e t conver t imin i

ad dominum et d ic i te e i omnia remicte scelera e t cap ias bonum et re t r ibu-

em us loco boum l ab ia nos t r a .

Recanati

Comm entary on the Pentateuch

fol. 127ra:

And mark what he says [Lev. 1:2]

Q Q

3Ή ί?' Ό OIK if any ma n will sacrif ice

of yo u and I have al ready dra wn you r a t ten t ion in th is respect to the

opin ion of some Kabbal i s t s , bu t we do not know i f thei r op in ion i s t rue ,

unti l the spiri t be poured upon us from on high. I t is also possible that he

al ludes to the sacr i f ic ia l o f fer ings tha t Michael sacr i f ices f r om am on g the

souls of the r ighteous.

Ibid. fols. 129vb-130ra:

Ö J

ΤΙ

1

? n m a p n p rnpn '3 WBJ1 [Lev. 2:1] A n d if a soul will of fer a

sacr i f ic ia l o f fe r ing un to the L or d , e tc . Fr om w hat I have h in ted at above

you can kn ow tha t in the sacrif icial offe ring the will of the infe rior elevates

i tself and draws near to the superior wil l , and the superior wil l to the

infer ior . There fore , the in fer ior ought to o f fer Him h is wil l by mea ns of the

sacrif icial off erin g, an d he bin ds his ow n soul to the soul of the sacrif icial

animal, and i t is then that i t is accounted to him by Scripture as if he

sacrif ice d his ow n soul , fo r i t is wri t ten A n d if a soul wil l of fe r . A nd ou r

Rabbis , b lessed be thei r memory , expounded in [ the t racta te]

Menahot

[fol.

104v] th at S criptu re ac co un ts i t as if he sacrif ice d his own soul . [A nd this is

so] because in the sacr i f ic ia l o f fer ing he makes h is soul adhere to the

super ior soul ; h is soul r i ses upward s tar t ing f rom the supernal a l tar , and

then th e priest is cal led ange l , as it is said [M ai. 2:7] F o r he is an a ngel

[mal ak]

of the Lo rd of ho sts . A nd in the sacrif ice of his soul on high the

will of the inferior draws near to the wil l of the superior, and the superior

will conse nts to fulf i l l the req uest for which he offe red his sacrif ice.

[230]



Appendix 13

M E T A T R O N , I N T E L L E C T U S , F I L I U S

Ab rah am Ab ula f ia , Secretum Sex tu m es t de A ng elo e t In te l lec tu ve l

Inte l l [ igent ia ] ,

De Secretis Legis

Co d. Vat . Ebr . 190 , fo l s . 3 77 r-3 78 v:

Et prop ter h oc opo rtet u t notif icem tibi quod ilia res que educit intellectum

nostrum de potent ia ad actum es t in te llectus separatus ab omni mater ia e t

vocatur in id iomate nostro mult is nominibus

convenientibus in numeris

literarum

.

1

dicitur enim nVll?n ?tt> n ip κιπ hu saro sei aho lam id est princeps

m un di est ipse, et est m at ta tro n princ eps fac ieru m hebra ice VV ]VU5Ua

CJQn matta tron sar appanim cuius numer i sunt to t idem cum super iore .

probatur hu 5.6.1. saro 300.200.6. xel haholam 300.30.5.70.6.30.40. collecti

sunt 999. et tot sunt li tere ma tta tro n 40.9.9.200.6.50. sar 300.200. ha pan im

5.80.50.10.40. collecti sunt 999. qui vocatur princeps vel archangelus

mil ic iarum vel sabahoth , hebraice mS3S I IP sar sabahoth , cu ius numer i

sunt to tidem sar 300.200. sab ah oth 90.2.1.6.400. itaque collecti sunt 999. et

s ic ipse est p r inceps mil ic iarum per m otum sphere , hebraice b ^ j n n su rQ

bithnuath agalgal cu ius l i tere in numero sunt to t idem. probatur

2.400.50.6.70.400. 5.3.30.3.30. collecti sunt 999. nam omnes motus sphere

sunt infra 999. Et nomen eius proprium est sicut nomen magistr i sui quod

est Ή ® sadai . p roba tur quia sadai habet in num ero 300.4 .10 . qu i sunt 314et

to t habe t mat ta t ron . p roba tu r ]Viüün 40.9.9.200.6.5[0] collecti sunt 314.

Verum tarnen nomen eius propr ium es t xadai cognom en vero es t

m atta tron e t num erus e ius est angelus lune hebraice Π Τ Π JK'JO malach

aiareiah et totidem numeros habet, scilicet 40.30.1.20.5.10.200.8. collecti

sunt 314. Et ipse habet prio rem sapie ntiam vel scientiam nec est ipse prim a

scientia. hebraice

FIMP SLO

iVi vlo m ad a ca dm on

|IM P 5Π Ο N

V

I

vlo

madah cadmon, quia l ic tere e ius to t idem habent numerum. probatur quia

madah habet numeros 40.4.70. cadmon 100.4.40.6.50. collecti sunt 314.

I taque cum habeat primam scientiam nec sit ipse prima scientia testatur de

se ipso idem ut dicunt sapientes nostr i et dicit ego creatus sum, hebraice

'JN ani nibra, cuius numeri sunt totidem. probatur ani 1.50.10. nibra

50.2.200.1. collecti sunt 314. Verum tarnen et creatus sit ipse et est sapiens

rationa lis vel loquens , hebraice 1310 Dan, cuius etiam num eri sunt to tidem .

pro ba tur hac ham 8.20.40. me dab er 40.4.2.200. collecti sunt 314. et ipse est

sp ir i tus universal is , hebraice 'Vwn nnn haruuah achel la l i , qu ia to t idem

numeros habet, probatur haruuah 5.200.6.8. hachellali 5 .20.30.30.10.

1 The italicized word s are witho ut cou nte rpa rt in the He brew ma nusc ripts I

have seen.

[23 ]




col lect i sunt 314. Et vo can t i l ium sapientes inquisi t ionis

2

b insn b iw sechel

appoel id est intel lectum agentem et hoc quia ipse videt et non videtur,

hebra ice ΠΚΊ 3U 'NI ΠΧΠ roe ve no n i ra quia eoru m num eri equipo l l en t

invicem. probatur quia sechel habet numeros 300.20.30. happoel

5.80.6.70.30. collecti sunt 541. et totidem rohe qui sunt 200.6.1.5. veeno

6.1.10.50.6. nira 50.200.1.5. collecti sunt 541. Et habet adhuc multa alia

nom ina e i convenient ia ex rat ione e f fectuu m suorum et potestati s e ius cuius

modi est D' tP 'S hisim quia prefectus est super hierarchia angelorum quae

dici tur hisim. et simi l i ter κπ ρ η ΓΤΠ ruuah a cco dex idest spiri tus sanctus uel

spiritus sancti, et ΠΓ31Ρ xechina idest diuinitas uel habitatrix, et etiam

ρ ίΟ Π ΓΤΠ ruuah an eem an idest spiri tus f idel is. et et ia m O'DIP m sV a

malchuth xamaim idest regnum ce lorum et hec et s imi l ia nomina inposi ta

sunt e i non qu od to t nom ina habeat sed qu od intencio omnis v ocant is

nom en e ius est intencio una equal is secundum opus suum contra qua m

disceptandum non est . nec inuenitur qui contradicat ei . I taque vocatur

Intel lectus uel Intel l igent ia in id iom ate nostro ixVa M ala ch idest angelus

uel 3Π3 cherub, et iam in mult is locis vocabitur DTtVx elohim ut diximus in

misterio i l l ius quod habet nomen simi le nomini magistri sui . I taque

sap ientes nost r i vocan t eum ut p lur im um ρ]Π He no ch, et d icunt qu od

He no ch est Mat ta t ron et si c d ix i t Ionethes Chaldeus.

3

Et dixi t Rab i El iez er

Gormacensis in l ibro de anima quod septuag inta nomina habet Mat tat ron,

sicut exci tarunt nos sapientes nostri sanct issimi de hoc in amphorismis

septem a dytuu m, hebra ice x iba hechaloth, e t in a li is l ibr i s ex com pos i t ione

sanct issimi rabi Aquibe et rabi Ismael is summi pont i f icis super quibus pax

dei s i t . omnia quidem i l ia nomina conueniunt inuicem tum per com-

b inat ionem tum per numerum l i c terarum. Et incep i t ipse Rab i E l i ezer

expon ere pr im um nom en e ius. Et ut ego exc i tem Inte l l ectum tuum ad hoc

scribam t ib i ex eo qu eda m ve rba ex his suis qu e exci tant intel lectum hom inis

ad sacram sap ienciam hanc M s. hac cabale proph et icam et d icam t ib i i l lud

quod ipse primus de hoc dixi t et hec sunt verba eius. Scias quod nomen

prim um ipsius M at tat ron ex sacrosanctis septuag inta nominibu s que habet

est 7Κ1ΓΡ ieh ue l idest de us deus . et sec retu m eius est ρ Be n idest filius qu ia

tot l itere sunt unius quot alterius et articulus eius est N3X anna et ipse est

ΙΓΡ^Ν e l iahu idest e l ias . e t e tiam est nom en pr opr iu m tet ragram aton qu od

scr ib itur pe r ' '

v

' dup l i catum seu Π I V TP quia in eo dup l icatur nom en. Et

ipse est Vsi l Sin hu Goel idest redemptor. quia est ipse in toto corde tuo,

hebr aice pV Bec hol l ibbecha. et ipse est qui regi t totum m un du m

chaleb sicut cor qu od regit totum corpu s et secretum eius est in m ari

hebra ice DO b aiam et de eo d ictum est [Ex od . 15 :1 ] equum et equi tem

proie ci t B alam idest il lud nom en sic voca tum et signi f icat in m ari et ipse

operatu r in terra , hebra ice Π ΟΙ ίΟ ba ada m a, et ipse am at om ne m vi rum

diuinum hebraice ' ITlVx V33 33Π 0 m eha beb bechol hisc eloh i. hec sunt

verba pi issimi rabi El iezer in l ibro de anima.

4

An t equ am autem d i cam t ib i

Sapientes inquisitionis is a l i teral translat ion of the H eb re w hakmey ha-

mehqar, i .e ., p h i l o s oph ers .

Targum Yonathan (Yerusalmy ) , G en . 5:24.

Th e He br ew or ig ina l s tates me re ly V ' l T O nn ' Q l nVx.

[ 3 ]



Appendices

al ia considera quod omnia nomina que hu ic Archangelo act r ibu i t non

excedunt numerum 52 . p r imum enim quod d ix i t es t Vsm' iehuel habet

nu m ero s 10.5.6.1.30. sec und um est ρ Ben fil ius, ha be t nu m ero s 2.50.

Ter t ium est i r rVx El iahu idest Elias hab et num eros 1 .30 .10 .5.6 . Qu ar tu m

an na X3X idest queso uel A nn a nom en p rop r ium habe t num eros 1 .50 .1 .

Q u in tu m e s t A d o n a i A d on ai idest d om in us d om in us h ab et nu m er os

10 .10 .6 .10 .10 .6. Sextum est l n i ' T P Iod iod vau , dena r ius den ar iu s e t

senar ius h abe t nu me ros 10 .6.4 .10 .6.4 .6 .6. Sept im um ^SIJ Χ1Π hu Go el ,

idest ipse redemptor es t , habet numeros 5 .6 .1 .3 .6 .1 .30 . Octavum Bechol

idest in tot o ?33 hab et num er os 2.20.30. N on um libecha idest cord e tuo |aV

habet numeros 30 .2 .20 . Decimum chal leb

3 73

idest s icut cor habe t num eros

20 .30 .2 . Undec im um Ο Ό ba i am ides t i n mar i habe t num eros 2 .10 .40 .

Duodec imum no ixa badama ides t i n t e r r a habe t numeros 2 .1 .4 .40 .5 .

Ter t ium dec imum es t 33Π Β m ehab eb habe t numero s 40 .8 .2.2 . Quar tu m

decimum est Bachol idest omnem vel in omni boa habet numeros 2 .20 .30 .

Quin tum decimum Tl l^N eloh i idest d iu inum habet numeros 1 .30 .6 .5 .10 .

Vides ig i tu r verba sanct i qu indecim nominum sanctorum contex torum in

orat ione sanct i ss imi .

While i t i s improbable that Abulaf ia wrote the concluding part of the

q u o t a t i o n ( f r o m A n t e q u a m a u t e m d i c a m o n ) , t h e p u r p o s e o f t h is

i n t e r p o l a t i o n i s b y n o m e a n s s e l f - e v id e n t . F i f t y - t w o b e i n g t h e i s o p s e p h i c

equivalent both of ViOIT

5

an d o f p , we s im ply ca nn ot te l l wh ich o f the tw o

w a s u p p e r m o s t i n t h e i n t e r p o l a t o r ' s m i n d w h e n h e s e t o u t t o s h o w t h a t

o m n i a n o m i n a q u e h u i c A r c h a n g e l o a c t r ib u i t n o n e x c e d u n t n u m e r u m

52 . No r mu s t it be as su m ed that the in ter po la tor is F la v ius Mith r idate s .

H e m i g h t b e ; b u t it c a n n o t b e p r o v e d : m o r e t h a n t w e n t y - f i v e m a n u s c r i p t s

o f A b u l a f i a ' s Sitrey Torah ex is t ,

6

few o f which have been cr i t i ca l ly

e x a m i n e d s o f a r .

A n o n y m i Liber Combinationum , Co d. Va t . Ebr . 190, fo l . 62 r - v :

Dict io au tem d ua ru m l i tera rum , pu t a 13 , com bina t io e ius es t facil is Π , 31.

e t comb inat iona l i s num erus e ius es t ΓΠ id es t 4 .400 . reno vatu r ergo t ib i e

me dio co m bin atio nis eius res oculta et est qu od lex incipit in voc ab ulo 13 id

est fi lius q ua nd o d ici tu r rW X 13 ,13 . ΓΗΡΧ id es t f i lium fu nd ab o . e t s ic habes

exposi t ionem du aru m p r ioru m l ic terarum que ind ican t m id es t lex que es t

13. 3 1 id est fi lius prince ps vel dom inu s, no tif ica vim us au tem t ibi qu od 13 id

est f i l ius est secrete Intel lectus Agens qui dici tur f i l ius cum si t principium

edif ic ij . nost i en im quo d due l i tere faciun t ed i f ic ium qu od d ici tu r p a e t inde

ρ id est f il ius vel edifica tus; i a a ute m est idem qu od fi l ius ρ de qu o sc ribi tur

5 Fo r Jaho el see Scholem,

Jewish Gnosticism Merkabah Mysticism and Tal-

mudic Tradition

(New Y ork , 1960) , p . 43 , an d Jose ph D an ,

Torat ha-Sodsei

Hasidut Askenaz

(Tel-Aviv, 1968), pp . 22 0-2 21 (in H ebre w).

6 Cf . Scholem , MTJM p. 373, n. 19.

[ 33 ]




[Ps. 2:12] osculemini f il ium (nos dicimus apprehendite disciplinam

7

) et sic

in veritate res se habet qu ia sicut Alius prop inqu issim us est patr i sic hie f il ius

propinquiss imus es t patr i . Absi t au tem quod d icamus quod hec

pro pin qua tio sit ex pa rte et ration e com unio nis que est inter eos sicut inter

f ilium et patre m nisi quo d esse huius sepa ratu m est ab esse huius. hie enim

filius est ens sicut cete ra entia sed ben e grad us et excelle ntia eius nob ilior est

ceteris pro pte r amore m de eo e t app ropin qua t ione m ad ipsum benedictum .

vocau it aut em e um ρ id est f il ium sicut voca tur verna qui dom i nascitur et

tarnen dicitur f il ius, non quod inter eos est aliqua comunio ratione

aff initatis patr is et f il i i . et in hoc multe gentes erraverunt in mundo et

errabunt adhuc et quamuis multi ex speculatiuis volunt intrare ad has res et

ad hoc misterium non tarnen possunt sustinere subtili tatem mysterij quin

statim superet eos sensus et t iment quia ipsi non via nostra procedunt sed

via sensus.

A perpendicu lar l ine surmounted by two dot s appears in the marg in

aga ins t the la s t tw o senten ces o f the sec ond qu ota t io n Th e w ho le o f the

f irs t quota t ion i s s imi lar ly marked in the marg in

7 This is St. Jer om e s version.

[234]



Appendix 14

Έ Υ Ν - S O F A N D T H E S E FIR O T

Eyn-Sof (φΟ j 'X) ap pe ars in the fo ur t h Ka bbal is t ic thes is secundum

opinionem propriam,

ha rd on the heels of Pico 's divis ions and defin it ion s

of Kabba la .

Conclus io iv :

Ensop h no n est a l i is num erat ion ibus connu me rand a quia es t i l larum

num erat ionum uni tas abs tracta e t incom m unicata no n uni tas coordin ate .

I t a lways helps to und ers ta nd Pico 's encou nter w i th Ka bba la , if the l ineage

of his theses can be traced. This is so, not because Pico was a s lavish

fol lower of h is sources , but because Jewish Ka bb ala is not a uniform bod y

of doctr ine . The do ctr ine of the ten

sefirot

is no ex cep tion: i t is prese nted in

qui te d i f ferent form s in the bo ok s Pico read in the t rans la t ion s of Mith r i -

dates . Hence, the more genuinely Kabbal is t ic a thes is happens to be , the

more l ikely i t is that Pico was taking s ides, perhaps unaware, in the

quarre ls of Jewish Kabbal is ts among themselves . In the four th thes is h is

alignment, unless I misjudge the evidence, is with the Geronese school of

Kabbala , and in par t icular wi th Rabbi Azr ie l of Gerona.

1

I have a l ready m ent ion ed th at the ten sefirot ma de their fi rs t app eara nce

in the B ook of C reat io n, where their nu m ber is em phat ica l ly s ta ted to be

ten an d not n ine , ten and no t e leven . Th e in terp reta t io n of th is d ic tum

beca me the vehicle pa r excellence of d iscuss ions co ncernin g the re la t ion -

ship between

Eyn-Sof

and the

sefirot.

Ap ar t f rom s t r ay quo ta t ion s

embedded in Recana t i ' s Comm entary on the Pentateuch and in the an o-

n y m o u s

De Proportione Divinitatis (Ma areket ha- Elohut),

Pico wa s in all

l ikel ihood acquainted with three ex professo discuss ions of the problem.

The ar t i f ic ia l noun Eyn-Sof, created by the Kab bal is ts themselves ,

2

is

mascu l ine in H ebre w. In P ic o 's thes is i t i s fem inine. Unless my m em ory

plays me fa lse , the only o ther in s tance of Eyn-Sof used as a femin ine nou n,

before P ico 's thes is , appears in the Lat in t rans la t ion of Abraham Axel-

1 On the Gero nese Schoo l o f Kabbala see Scho lem Ursprung und Anfänge

chap. 4.

2 See ib id . pp . 23 3-2 35 .

[ 35]




rad's

Corona Nominis Boni.

Th at trea t i s e , a s I ha ve argu ed in Ch apte r 3 , i s

in a l l l ike l ihood the d irec t source o f P ico ' s s econd thes i s secundum secre-

tam doctrinam sapientum H ebraeorum Cabalistarum.

Th is be in g so , i t i s a

m a t t e r o f s o m e i n t e re s t f o r t h e p r e s e n t p u r p o s e t h a t A b r a h a m A x e l r a d

bears wi tnes s to the ex i s tence o f the doc tr ine according to which Eyn-Sof

was superadded to the ten sefirot (C od. Vat . Ebr . 190 , fo l s . 1 82v -18 3r ) :

Au d iv i t amen q u o sd am q u i ad d u n t su p er n u mero d ecern n u mera t io n u m

ip sam En so p h p er u n am n u mera t io n em q u ia d i cu n t p o s tq u am o mn es

n u mera t io n es su n t d ecern i n n u mero su o h ab en t o mn in o f i n em n u mero

ideo es t d icendum quod creav i t coronam super iorem tamquam ens id es t

q u o d d a m o cu l tu m ip so en so p h e t e s t cau sa cau sa ru m seu ad in v en t io ad in -

v en t io n u m

3

et hoc es t quod in tendatur in ter separat ionem i l lam ocul tam ab

i l lo chether . Et p rop ter hoc d ix i t Abraam pater noster ad hoc excludendum

in l ibro sepher iesire

4

decern e t non nov em , decern e t non un de cim u t

scil icet in t ro duc atu r in ed i f ic io supe r iore dena r io coron e super ior i s . Quia si

est in continencia decern erunt sic decern et non undecim, ad sci l icet

educendum a numero denar io i l lud ocu l tum quod es t in p r incip io cheter id

es t corone quod non habet p r incip ium nec f inem et p rop ter hoc non

co n t in e tu r i n n u mero n eq u e ap p are t h o c a l i q u o mo d o q u o d v id e r i p o ss i t .

We have a lready s een in Chapter 4 that some t ime be fore 10 November

1 4 8 6 P i c o r e a d R a b b i M o s e s b e n N a h m a n ' s a u t h e n t i c c o m m e n t a r y o n t h e

Sefer Yesirah. C o n s e q u e n t l y , t h a t c o m m e n t a r y o u g h t t o b e r e c k o n e d a s a

p o t e n t i a l s o u r c e o f P i c o ' s t h e s e s . C o m m e n t i n g o n t h e s e c o n d h a l f o f t h e

d i c t u m t e n a n d n o t n i n e , t e n a n d n o t e l e v e n , R a b b i M o s e s w r i t e s , C o d .

Vat . Ebr . 191 , fo l s . 4 1v -4 2r :

Simi li te r d ecern e t n o n u n d ec im Ad ed u cen d u m a fo n t e r em o cu l t am q u e

est in princip io c oro ne, qu ia ex eo qu od n os videm us ei esse al iqu em finem

ra t io n e ca l li u m in d e man an t iu m q u ia o m n es ca ll e s v en iu n t ad u n u m lo cu m

p ercep t ib i l em p u tam u s Co ro n am esse p r in c ip iu m e t cau sam cau sa ru m .

Co n s id eran t es au t em su p er io ra eo

5

d icimus esse rem occu l tam et inp ercep-

t ibi lem et cog i ta tu d i f f ic i lem orequ e inexpr imib i lem ide o non in t ro duc i tu r

hoc respectu in numerat ion ibus .

3

Adinventio adinventionum

is M i thr idate s ' usua l rende r ing of m ^y n

rbv.

Cf.

Co d. Vat . Ebr . 190 , fo l . 207v: A t vero in causa causa rum vel ad inve nt ione

adinvent ionum cogi ta t io vel imaginat io debet recipere a v i r tu te sua. e t ideo

tenu erun t obse rvatum hoc voca bulum h i l la th ah i l lo th hoc es t ascensus ascen-

s ionum. (per hoc vocabulum so l i tus sum ponere ego Mithr idates in la t ino

ad in v en t io n em ad in v en t io n u m. Tu n u n c memo r es to . )

4 In the my th ical b ib l iograp hy of K abb ala the Bo ok of Cre at ion

f r

Yesirah

i s o f ten ascr ibed to the pat r iarch Abraham.

5 Keter (C oro na ) is ma scul ine in Hebrew .

[ 2 3 6 ]





Pico s Encounter w ith Jewish Mysticism

mounted by two dots placed horizontally to each other. Azriel's discus-

sion reads as follows:

Qu od s i d ixer is quod ipse so lus in tendi t in creat ione secu li absque num erat i -

on ib us , es t respo nde ndu m super hoc qu od s i esset i ta creat io fu isset a casu

sive acciden tal i s e t in tencio ind icasset defectum rei in ten te . Creat ionem

aut[em ] fu isse a casu s ive per accidens sequ eretur s i d iceretur qu od ipse n ih il

in tendi t in creat ione a d cre and um . S i en im crea t io a casu esset tunc nu l lum

o rd in em h ab e re t . sed cu m n o s v id eamu s q u o d c rea t a se rv en t ce r tu m o rd i -

n em e t q u o d am o rd in e i p sa p e rman en t e t q u o d am o rd in e an n ih i l an tu r e t

d es t ru u n tu r e t q u o d am o rd in e i n n o v a n tu r . e t h ie o rd o p e r q u em p erm an en t

et des t ruuntur es t qu i d ic i tu r Sephi ro th id es t numerat iones que sun t

un iversal io res omni quod es t in def in i t ione numer i def in i tum. At vero qu ia

su n t e s se r e ru m c rea t a ru m med ian t ib u s n u mera t io n ib u s v a r i an tu r q u id em

ab inv icem et es t in e i s consideranda a l t i tudo , humi l i tas , e t mediocr i tas

quamvis omnes sun t ab una rad ice , sc i l icet quod omnes numerat iones ipsae

procedant ab ensoph ex t ra quem n ih i l es t .

The Geronese pedigree of Pico's conception of Ensoph and in particular

his acquaintance with Azriel's

Quaestiones super Decern Numerationibus

is

a matter of exceptional importance, because Azriel, as we have already

seen, is the outstanding Jewish representative of the Ne opla tonic doctrine

that all opposites coincide in God. Johannes Reuchlin, as Scholem

pointed out,

6

noticed the similarity between Azriel's doctrine of Eyn-Sof

and Nicolaus Cusanus' coincidentia oppositorum in G od . Azriel's treatise

On Faith and Heresy,

which Reuchlin read, does not appear am ong the

extant Latin translations own ed by P ico.

7

Nevertheless, granted that Pico

read Azriel's

Quaestiones super

Decern

Num erationibus

and the preface to

Abulafia's

De Secretis Legis,

which contains the remarkable interpolation

stating that quo dlibet est in quo libet et nihil est extra se is a first

principle of Kabbala,

8

it does not seem to me likely that the Kabbalistic

strain of the coincidentia oppositorum escaped Pico's notice.

6


p. 389.

7 Reu chl in s def in i t ion of

Ensoph

i s no t a verba t im qu ota t ion f rom Azr ie l s

t reat i se bu t a summary of i t s doct r ine . Hence, the occasional s imi lar i ty o f

langua ge between Reu chl in s def in i t ion and Pico s th i r ty - f i f th thes is p ro ves

no m ore tha n tha t P ico s thes is was in Reuch l in s mind w hen he wro te h is own

def in i t ion of

Ensoph.

I t does no t by any m eans prov e that P ico read the

t reat i se

On Faith and Heresy.

8 See Ch apte r 8 .

[ 38]



Appendix 15

D I F F ER E N T V R I ET IES O F C H R IS T I N K B B L

To avoid misconceptions, I had better s ta te a t once that i t does not by any

me ans fol low fr om wh at I have sa id abo ut Pico s legacy to C hr is t ian

Kab bal is ts of al l time tha t a l l Ch r is t ian K abb ala fol lows the pa t t e rn of the

K abb ala tha t P ico ma de his ow n. Tha t pa t te rn holds goo d for a grea t deal

of Chr is t ian Ka bb ala . But there a re notewo rthy except ions . The Adumbra-

tio Kab balae Christianae is a case in po in t.

P ico s Conclusiones Cabalisticae secundum opinionem propriam and the

a n o n y m o u s Adumbratio Kabbalae Christianae s ta r t f ro m the same

assum pt ion , name ly tha t J ewish K abba la conf i rm s Chr i s t i an i ty ;

1

but they

soon part ways. There are , to be sure , certa in points of resemblance

be tween the Adumbratio a nd the Conclusiones as regards details : the

messiological interpretation of the f irs t word of Genesis ,

2

the equa t ion of

J u s tu s w i th F u n d a m e n tu m ,

3

and the equa t ion of the Mess iah with the

T e t r a g r a m m a to n .

4

Al l such inc identa l resemblances notwiths tanding, the

Adumbratio a nd the Conclusiones considered as documents of Chr is t ian

Ka bb ala , a re qui te dif fe rent f rom each othe r . I t would in fac t be t rue to say

that each is writ ten in a different key.

The fou nd a t io n of Pico s Kabb al is t ic con f i rm at ion of Chr is t iani ty is a

Chris t ian in te rpre ta t ion or a ppl ica t ion, as the case ma y be , of the do c tr ine

of the ten sefirot wi th a touc h oiars combinandi. Seflrot a nd combina t ions

of le tters are occasionally mentioned in the Adum bratio but here they are

1 Adum bratio Kabbalae Christianae id est syncatabasis Hebraizan s sive Brevis

Applicatio Doctrinae Hebraeo rum Cabbalisticae ad dogm ata Novi Foederis pro

formanda hypothesi ad conversionem Judaeorum proficua,

in Kn orr vo n

R o s e n r o t h ,

Kabbala Denudata,

II , 2 (Fr ank for t o / M , 1684) .

2 Ibid . , p. 9: Et hu e et iam refero qu od Ge n. I v . 1 dic itu r rVBWO Per

P r i nc i p i um ( i . e . Me s s i a m )

creavit Deu s coelum et terram.

3 Ibid . , p . 18: Jeso d s ive fun da m en tum ap ud Cab ba l i s tas vocar i so le t jus t i

no mi ne , Prov . χ vers . 25 , ubi d ic i tur Iustus est fundamentum mundi. H o c

a ut e m no m e n t r i bu i t ur Me s s i a e no s t r o .

4 Ib id., p. 19:

D ictitarunt Doctores Mischen aici, quod Dom us sanctuarii et

nomen Messiae appellantur nomine tetragrammato. P r o b a nd um i g it ur , qu o d

e t Me s s i a e no s t r o t r i bua t ur no m e n t e t r a g r a m m a t o n .

[ 2 3 9 ]




subord inate to a d i f f erent k ind of Kabbala , the Kabbala of I saac Lur ia ,

w ho ha d not ye t been bo rn whe n Pico d ied . The heart of the Ka bba l i s t ic

c on f i r m at ion o f C h r i s t i an i t y in t h e

Adumbratio

i s the eq ua t ion of the

M e s s iah w i t h w h at is k n ow n

as Adam Kadmon

(Pr im ordia l M an ) in Lur ia s

K a b b a l a .

5

The ped igree of th is equat ion i s not a mat ter of in ference or

conjecture: i t is s tated expressis verbis in the Adumbratio a t p p . 25 - 2 6 :

Corollar i i loco adhuc unum t ib i suggeram, ne u l lum supers i t dubium

cer toque scia tur , a nostra t ibus per istum A dam K adm on in te l lig i Messiam.

Allegabo au tem Antes ignanum rerum Cabbal is t icarum scr ip torem, R.

J izchak Lor iensem Ge rm an um , qui in Trac tatu suo ma nusc r ip to Seder

Azilu th , seu compendio de ord ine Systematis Emanativ i s ic loqui tur

6

TX ό r rwyn DVU? Ν ΙΠ ΙΡ s p i n O 'j ir un η π κ π m x i r : ' o n 3 p y 3 p r

Π

η τ π

i n

V s vV n

N A S I Ρ ΊΠ ΪΟ H J O ' Π Β Χ ΊΠ

p m p

D IX Ν ΊΠ Ν Π 'ΊΡ Η M A P ' J N

a p y '131 n a y V o w r un vV s m x r m m p D ^ nu m se u N o m e n I a c o b

sunt li t terae 3 pS quasi dica tur den arius calcanei, qui sunt decern radii

lucis inserti in calcaneum, qui est Mundus factivus: quoniam tunc in

calcaneis Messiae , qu i es t Adam Kadmon, impudentia multa er i t . Et

postmodum stabunt pedes e jus super monte Olivarum: ad jmplebi turque

stat ura ejus [Con f. Act. I , v . 12 and 9.] De que eo dictum e st: Ecce

intelligenti in star er it servus m eus, exalta bitur et elevabitur et sublimis er it

valde. Jesch. 52.13.

As regards P ico s Chris t ian Kabbala , the quotat ion i l lus trates what can be

s e e n aga in an d aga in t h r ou gh o u t t h

e Adumbratio,

n am e ly t h a t t h e K a b b a l -

i s t ic co nf ir m at io n o f Chris t ian i ty there is en t ire ly unre lated to P ico s

Conclusiones.

5 O n Adam Kadmon and the doctr ine of creation in Luria 's Kabbala see

Scho lem, MTJM pp. 248-263, and Kabbalah pp. 128-144. Lur ia ' s doctr ine

of the brea king of the vessels is also discussed in the Adumbratio p. 27:

Nunc d icendum er i t de confract ione e t lapsu vasorum.

6 Scholem kindly identif ied the source of this qu ota tio n, nam ely niV'XNn Π 0

Λ Ο ΊΗ N R P N i n W M S Ό (Cracow, 1885), fol 6va; and in Π 0 3 Π N IM V SM I S O ,

fol. 56r. See also Hayyim Vital, Π Π Ρ (W arsaw , 1891), fol. 17ra. The re are

certain textual discrepancies but they need not be dealt with here.

[240]



Appendix 16

E L O Q U I A S A C R A

T h e h i s t or y o f th e s o - c a l l e d C h a ld e a n O r ac l e s in t h e R e n a i s s an c e ( k n o w n

at that t ime by the name of Zoroaster) is s t i l l beset with a variety of

unsolved prob lems . One of them, perhaps the most puzz l ing of a l l , i s

connected in part icu lar w i th P ico de l la Mirandola . For i f P ico i s to be

be l ieved , he had read a Chaldean t ext of the orac les of Zoroas ter .

I n t h e au t u m n o f 1486 , P i c o in f or m e d F ic in o t h a t h e h ad c om e b y

c e r t a in b ook s w h ic h in d u c e d h im t o s t u d y A r ab ic an d C h a ld e an .

Animarunt au tem me atque adeo agentem al ia v i compulerunt ad Arabum

li t teras Ch aldae orum que perd iscendas l ib r i qu idam utr iusque l inguae, qu i

profecto non temere aut fortuito, sed Dei consilio et meis studiis bene

favent is numinis ad m eas ma nus pe rvenerunt . A udi inscr ip t iones , vadimo-

nium deseres. Chalda ici hi l ibri sunt: In primis Ezre, Zoro astr is et M elchiar

Magorum oracula , in qu ibus i l ia quoque, que apud Graecos mendosa e t

mutila circumferuntur , leguntur integra et absoluta. Tum est in il ia Chal-

deo rum sapien tum brevis quidem et saleb rosa, sed plena misteriis interpre-

tatio. Est i t idem libellus de dogmatis Chaldaice theologie cum Persarum,

Grecorum et Chaldeorum in i l ia d iv ina e t locuplet iss ima enar rat ione.

1

T w o s p e c im e n s o f P i c o s C h a ld e an t e x ts in w h a t w as p r e s u m ab ly m e an t

to be the ir or ig inal language have come to l ight .

2

P i c o q u ot e s a C h a ld e an

dic tum in h is

Oratio de Hom inis Dignitate

A b la nk spa ce wa s le f t for the

oriental text in the editio princeps o f P i c o s Commentationes ( B o l o g n a ,

1496) . In later edit ions of Pico s

Opera Omnia

the oriental text appears in

aw k w ar d an d u n gr am m a t i c a l H e b r e w , p r in t e d in H e b r e w ch ar ac t e rs . B u t

in the F lorent ine MS Pal . 885 , d i scovered and publ i shed by Eugen io

G a r i n ,

3

the or ienta l t ext , omit t ed by Garin , i s wr i t t en in Eth iop ic charac-

ters (fo l. 147r):

Idcirco scribit Evantes Persa, ubi chaldaicam theologiam enarrat, non esse

homini suam ul lam et nat ivam imaginem, ex trar ias multas e t advent i t ias .

1 Kristeller ,

Supplementum Ficinianum

II , 272-273.

2 Mithr idates , Sermo de Passione pp. 37-39 .

3 Gar in , La culturafilosofica pp . 23 -24 0. The quote d passage is at p . 235. Cf.

Oratio p. 108, ed. Ga rin, Opera , p. 315.)

[24 ]




Hinc i l lud chaldaeorum: b-r -n-s h h-y m(i ) - t -b-m(i ) -s- t (a) -n(e)w-n-d-d(o)

w-m-h- l -?- t g - r -m(a)-h k w-k idest hom o var ie ac mul t i form is e t desu l tor iae

na tu rae an im al .

4

This text is remarkable for being comp osite: a vocabu lary in part Ara ma ic

and in part Hebrew written in Ethiopic characters.

The other specimen of Pico's Ch aldean texts is equa lly remarka ble, and

for the same reason.

Scr ibunt in terpretes Chaldaei verbum fu isse Zoroast r i s a la tam esse an i -

mam, cumque alae excideren t fer r i i l lam praeceps in corpus , tum i l l i s

subcrescent ibus ad superos revolare . Percunctan t ibus eum discipu l i s quo

pac to a li s bene p lu ma nt ib us vo lucres an im as sor t i re n tur : i r r iget is , d ix i t ,

a las aquis v i tae . I terum scisci tan t ibus unde has aq ua s peter en t , s ic per

para bo la m (qu i e ra t hom in i s m os) i ll is r espond i t : qu a tu o r am n ibu s para -

d isus Dei ab lu i tur e t i r r igatur , ind idem salu tar i s nobis aquas haur ia t i s .

Nomen ei qu i ab aqui lone

q-s-t

quod rectum denotat , e i qu i ab occasu

k-?-r-n quod expiat ione m sign i f icat, e i qu i ab o r tu n-h-r quod lum en son a t ,

ei qui a meridie

r-h-m-n-t

quod nos p i e t a t em in t e rp re t a r i possum us .

5

The first name is ntPj?, which is the Syriac form of the general Aramaic

mean ing truth. The second name is in all l ikelihood the Hebrew

p s s (ϋ Ή Ί Β Ο ), which means a tonement. The th ird name is c lear ly the

Aramaic

i m

or

Ν 1ΊΓΠ ,

light. The fourth is the Hebrew

m o m ,

compassion.

6

The only other person who is at present known to have written his

Chaldean quotations in Ethiopic characters is Flavius Mithridates.

7

W e

oug ht, how ever, to bear in mind that the sources of Mithridates' C haldean

quotations have been identified, and, consequently, the nature and the

language of the book s he quo tes are known , whereas the sources of P ico's

Chaldean quotations are still an unsolved puzzle.

Apart from the Chaldean qu otations in the

Oratio de Hom inis Dignitate

there is one vague allusion to a different text of the Sayings of Zoroaster

(that is, the Chaldean Oracles) in the thirty-first thesis se undum

Proclum:

4

Pico ' s Ch alde an quo tat io n ma y be represented in He brew char acters as

3 i 3 na m nsV nm n i l :nu;a sna n τ ι π w r a which in word-for-word

t rans la t ion m eans ho m o est an im al natu rae var iae e t vagae e t m utan t i s se

hue et i l luc.

5 G a r i n , La culturafilosofica p. 238; see also p. 240, n. l . ( C f. Oratio p. 128 ed .

G a r i n ;

Opera

p. 321.)

6 Un able myself to read Eth io pic , I am indebted to Profess or H . J . Po lo tsky for

the in terpreta t ion of P ico ' s Chaldean quotat ions .

7

Sermo de Passierte

pp. 35-36, 96, 117.

[ 4 ]



Appendices

Secundum praecedentem conclus ionem ex Procl i mente potes t exponi

unu m ex d ic t is Zoroastr is , secundum quo d apu d Graecos leg itur , qua m -

quam apud Chaldaeos aliter et legitur et exponitur .

8

N ob od y except P ico ever c la imed to have seen P ico s Cha ldean boo ks .

But a hundre d years a f t er P ico s dea th F ran cesc o Patr iz i, the f irs t m ode rn

ed itor of the Cha lde an O racles , beca m e the first of a l ine of sch olar s to

mainta in , in one form or another , tha t Mars i l io F ic ino s ta ted he had

fou nd P ico s com m enta ry on the Ch a lde an Orac les , or , a l t ernat ive ly , the

C h a ld e a n b o o k s t h e m s e lv e s a m o n g P ic o s p o s t h u m o u s p a p e r s . A s f a r a s I

am a ware , no a t t em pt has ever bee n m ad e to con f irm th is v iew . A nd a s

there i s no con ce iva ble reason wh y i t sho uld be accep ted on t rus t , I sha l l

cons ider the ev idence .

In the preface to h is ed i t ion o f the Cha ldean Orac les ,

9

Patrizi writes:

Sed u t inam in tegra ea oracula haberemus, quae Picus invenerat . Utinam

quae C haldaei Persaeque in ea comm entat i fuer an t . Utinam l ibel lum cum

enarrat ione, qu i Chaldaicam Theologiam complectebatur .

1 0

U t inam

den ique ipsius Pici com m enta ria in ea ipsa et oracula et l ibros, quae Ficinus

scribit in obitu eius inter scrip torum suo rum reliquias a se reperta esse; sed

ita exar ata, ut vix ab eo ipso possent legi Pico. Quae , m alu m , pessum ierunt

cum concordia ab eo scripta Aristotelis cum Platone.

Fic in o d id touc h u pon Pico s pos thu m ou s p apers in h is le t ter to

Ge rm ain de G an ay , but w hat he says i s rema rkably d i f f erent f rom wh at

Patrizi reports him as saying:

Moliebatur quot id ie t r ia : concord iam Aris to te l is cum Platone, enar rat i -

ones in e loquia sacra , confu tat iones as tro logorum, omnia quidem tam

facunde quam subt i l i ter d isputata , sed quam s t i lo luculen ta tam novis

obscur isque character bus ad um bra ta , u t v ix ab eo legi possent. I taque

neque absoluta ab eodem vel recognita sunt nec ab aliis nisi forte vaticina-

ren tur exscr ib i possunt ."

It was surely this passage that Patrizi had in mind. But i f this is

con ced ed , i t f o l l ow s tha t he m iscon ce ive d wh at F ic in o was say ing . By

8 Pico, Opera p. 77.

9 Patr izi 's edition of the Ch alde an Oracles, Zoroastris oracula CCCXX ex

Platonicis collecta is appended to his Nova de Universis Philosophia (1st ed.,

Ferrara, 1591; 2d ed., Venice, 1593). The Zoroaster has a sepa rate foliation .

The quotation is from fol. 4 of the Venice edition.

10 Patr izi echoes the passage in Pico 's letter to Ficino, which I have quot ed

above, page 3. That passage is quoted in Patr izi 's preface at fol. 3vb.

11 Kristeller, Supplementum Ficinianum II, 92.

[ 43]




enarrationes in eloquia sacra

F i c i n o m e a n t c o m m e n t a r i e s o n t h e

Scriptures ,

1 2

whereas Patr iz i apparent ly assumed that he meant

commentaries on the Oracles . If this is in fact what happened, the

misconcept ion can be accounted for . We ought to bear in mind that the

same words can mean dif ferent th ings to d i f ferent people . Eloquia, τά

λ ό γ ι α , is a case in point. Paul, in a famous passage (Rom. 3:2) , used τά

λ ό γ ια τ ο ΰ θ ε ο ύ

t o d e n o t e t h e H e b r e w S c r i p t u r e s . P s e u d o - D i o n y s i u s

Areopagi ta , Paul ' s reputed discip le and the Chr is t ian Neoplatonis t par

excellence, usually refers to the Scriptures as τά

λ ό γ ια .

13

By contras t ,

Pr o c lu s u s es

τ ο λ ό γ ιο ν

and τά

λ ό γ ια

to d e n o te o r ac l e s , an d i n p a r t i cu l a r t h e

Chald ean Orac les.

14

There are also soli tary instances in late Neoplatonist

l i t e r a tu r e o f th e Ch a ld ea n O r ac l e s b e in g r e f e r r ed t o a s

θ ε ία λ ό γ ια

a n d

ιε ρ α

λ ό γ ι α .

5

Given Patr iz i ' s enthus iasm for the Ch ald ea n Oracles of

Zo roa s te r and his belief that P ico own ed the Chalde an boo ks , i t need no t

be surpr is ing that he misconceived Fic ino 's s ta tement the way he d id .

Whatever i t s cause , the misconcept ion, once s tar ted , passed

unchal lenged through the centur ies , was not yet ext inct some three

hu ndr ed a nd f i f ty years af ter Patr iz i.

16

12 An d in particular Pico's com men taries on Psalms, som e of which survive (see

Garin, La cultura fllosoflca, pp. 241-253). Gian Francesco Pico used the

same expression in his letters which touch upon his uncle's posthumous

works; see Di Nap oli ,

G iovanni Pico delta Mirandola e la problematica dottri-

nale del suo tempo,

pp. 261-267.

13 Dion ysius Areopagita,

on

den Namen zum Unnennbaren,

ed. Ε . von Ivanka,

sigillum 7 (Einsiedeln, n.d.), p. 103.

14

Oracles Chaldaiques,

ed. and trans. Ε . des Places (Paris, 1971), p. 10; Η .

Lewy,

Chaldaean Oracles and Theurgy

(Cairo, 1956), p. 443.

15 Lewy, Chaldaean Oracles, p. 443.

16 Karl H. Da nne nfeld t, The Pseudo -Zoroastrian Oracles in the Rena issance,

Studies in the Renaissance, 4 (1957), 15, n. 45.

[ 44]



Appendix 17

T H E D O C T R I N E O F T H E T H R E E W O R L D S

I t i s a no teworthy fact tha t P ico 's eptaplus beg in s and end s on the sam e

note: the hierarchical sequence of three worlds , the angel ic or intel l ig ible ,

the celest ia l , and the sublunar. At the same t ime, the doctrine of the three

wor lds i s d i f f erent ly presented in each ins tance . Tres m un do s f igura t

ant iq u i ta s i s the ope n in g sentence o f the pro em :

Supremum omnium u l t r amun danum quem theolog i ange licum ph i lo so -

phi autem intellectualem vocant quern a nemine satis pro dignitate decan-

tatum Plato inquit in Phaedro. Proximum huic caeles tem; postremum

omn ium subluna rem hunc quem nos incol imus. Hie teneb rarum mu ndus;

ille autem lucis caelum ex luce et tenebris temperatur . Hie per aquas

no tat ur f luxa instabilique substa ntia; i lle per ignem lucis can dore et loci

subl imita te ; caelum natura media idcirco ab Hebraeis asciamaim quasi ex

es

et

maim

ides t ex igne e t aqua qu am dix imus com posi tum nun cup atur .

Hie vitae et mortis vicissitudo; i l l ic vita perpetua et stabilis operatio; in

caelo vitae stabilitas ope ratio num loco rum que vicissitudo. Hie ex cadu ca

cor po rum subs tantia ; i lle ex divina mentis na tur a; caelum ex corp ore sed

incorru pto ex mente sed mancipata corpor i const i tu i tur . Mo vetur ter t ius a

secu ndo; secun dus a prim o regitur et sunt praeterea inter eos differen tiae

plur imae quas h ie enar rare non es t consi l ium ubi haec praeter f lu im us

pot ius quam inun dam us. Hoc non praetermiser im f iguratos hos mund os

tres a Mose evidentissime in adm irabilis i ll ius taberna culi sui cons tructi-

one. Partitus est enim tabernaculum in partes tres quarum singulae singu-

los quos d ix imus mundos repraesentare express ius nul lo modo possent .

Eten im pr ima pars nu l lo defensa tecto vel um bracu lo imbr ibus n iv i

solibus calori fr igoriq ue obvia erat et op po rtu na et quo d est nostr i idest

sublunar is mundi ev ident ius s imulacrum inhabi tabant earn non modo

hom ines mun di et im mu ndi sacri et pro fan i sed et om nifarii generis

animalia eratque in ea vel ob sacrif icia iugesque immolationes vitae et

mor t is perpetua v ic iss i tudo . Rel iquae duae par tes ambae obtectae e t

undique ab omni peregr ina in iur ia l iberae quemadmodum et u terque

m und us tarn caelestis qu am supercaelestis nec iniuriae capa x nee con-

tumeliae . Am bae i tem sanct ita t is nomine honesta tae i ta tamen u t quae erat

secretior sancti sanctorum reliqua sancti tan tum t i tu lo deco raretur s icu ti

quamvis e t caelest is e t angel icus mun dus u terque sanctus quoniam supra

lunam post Luciferi casum nec macula nec peccatum a ut est au t esse potes t

angelicus tamen caelesti longe sanctior et divinior habetur . Sed quid remo-

tiores has similitudines prose quim ur? Nam si postr em a pars taberna culi

[ 45 ]




erat hominibus e t b ru t is communis , secundam, quae to ta aur i sp lendore

fu lgebat , candelabrum i l luminabat sep tem lucern is d is t inctum, quae, u t

dicunt omnes interpretes Latini, Graeci et Hebraei, septem planetas signif i-

cant . In par te ter t ia , omnium sacrat iss ima, a la ta Cherubin eran t . Nonne

nostr is tres mundos oculis subiciunt? Et hunc, quem et bruta et homines

incolunt; et caelestem, in quo planetae corruscant, et supercaelestem, habi-

tacu lum ange lo rum. . .

. . .Es t au tem, praeter t res quos nar rav imus, quar tus a l ius mundus in quo

et ea omnia inveniantur quae sunt in reliquis. Hie ipse est homo qui et

propterea, ut catholici dicunt doctores, in Evangelio omnis creaturae appel-

la t ione censetur , cum praedicandum hominibus Evangel ium, non au tem

brut is e t angel is , p raedicandum tarnen omni creaturae a Chr is to deman-

datur . Tr i tum in schol is verbum es t , esse hominem minorem mundum, in

quo mixtum ex elementis corpus et caelestis spir itus et plantarum anima

vegetalis et brutorum sensus et ratio et angelica mens et Dei similitudo

consp icitur . Q ua ttu or igitur hos m und os si stat uam us, credibile est Mosern,

dictu rum de mun do suff icien ter , de his om nibu s disseruisse.

1

Pico returns to the doctrine of the three worlds in his letter combinatory

interpreta t ion o f the f irs t word o f Genes is a t the end o f the Heptaplus:

Videamus autem quid primo haec latine signif icent, tum quae per ea non

ignaris ph i losophiae de to ta n atura myster ia revelen tur .

Ab

patrem signif i-

cat ; bebar in filio et per f il ium utru m que enim signif icat beth praeposi t io) ;

resit

pr inc ip ium;

sabath

quietem et finem;

bara

, creavit;

rose

capu t ;

es

ignem; seth f u n d a m e n t u m ; rab, magni; hisc homin is ; berit foedere; tob

bono; e t to tam s i o rd ine consequenti o rat ionem texamus, er i t hu iusmodi:

Pater in Filio et per Filium principium et f inem sive quietem creavit caput

ignem et fundamentum magni hominis foedere bono. Haec to ta orat io ex

primae ill ius dictionis resolutione et compositione dissultat. Cuius quam

altus , quam plenus omni doctr ina s i t sensus , haud palam esse omnibus

potes t . Sed u t a l iqua s ta t im, non tamen omnia, omnibus aper ta quae per

has voces nobis s ignif icantur , no tum om nibus C hr is tian is qu id s i t, Patrem

in Filio et per F ilium creasse, quid item sit , Filium princip ium esse et f inem

omnium. Est enim α et co ut scribit Ioannes) , et ipse principium se appel-

lavit; et nos demonstravimus f inem omnium rerum esse, ut principio suo

restituantur . Cetera paulo obscuriora, quid ilia scilicet sibi velint, caput

ignis e t fund am ent um mag ni hominis , qu id i l lud s it foedus e t qua ra t ione

bonum dicatur . N eque en im s ta t im in prom ptu om nibus v idere h ie expl ica-

tam mundorum qua t tuo r , de qu ibus eg imus , omnem ra t ionem, cogna t io -

nem i tem et fe l ic i ta tem de quibus postremo nos d isputavimus. Pr imum

igitur i l lud adver tendum, vocar i a Mose mundum hominem magnum. Nam

si hom o est parvus mun dus , u t ique mun dus es t mag nus hom o. Hinc sum pta

occasione, tres mundos, intellectualem, caelestem et corruptibilem per tres

hominis partes aptissime f igurat, simul indicans hac f igura non solum

continer i in homine mundos omnes , sed e t quae hominis pars cu i mundo

1 Pico,

Heptaplus

pp. 184-186, 192 ed. Garin

{Opera

pp. 5-6, 8) .

[246]



Appendices

respondeat breviter declarans. Cogitemus igitur in homine tres partes:

supre ma m, capu t ; tum quae a co l lo ad umbil icum pro tend i tur ; ter t iam quae

ab umbilico extenditur ad pedes. Sunt enim et hae in hominis f igura

var ie ta te quadam disclusae e t separatae . Sed mirum quam pulchre , quam

examussim per exact iss imam rat ionem tr ibus mundi par t ibus propor t ione

resp ond ean t. Est in capite cerebru m , fons cognitionis. Est in pectore co r ,

fons motus, vitae et caloris. Sunt in parte postrema genitalia membra,

pr incip ium generat ion is . I t idem autem et in m und o suprem a pars , quae est

mundus angelicus sive intellectualis , est fons cognitionis, quia facta il ia

natura ad intelligendum est. Pars media, quae est caelum, principium vitae

motus et caloris, in qua sol uti cor in pectore dominatur . Est infra lunam,

quod omnibus notum, generat ion is pr incip ium et cor rupt ion is . Videt is

quam apte omnes hae mundi par tes e t hominis inv icem congruant . Desig-

navit autem Moses primam quidem nomine proprio, capitis scilicet. Secun-

da m a utem ignem ap pellavit , et quia hoc a multis caelum censetu r et quia in

nobis haec por t io pr incip ium es t calor is . Ter t iam vocavi t fundamentum,

quia per earn u t no tu m om nibus) to tum h ominis corpus fun da tur e t

substinetur . Adiecit autem quod haec creavit foedere bono quia inter eas

foedus pacis e t amici t iae ex naturarum cognat ione e t mutuo consensu per

sapientiae Dei legem sancitum est. Quod foedus ideo est bonum, quia ad

Deum, qui es t ipsum bonum, i ta d ir ig i tur e t o rd inatur , u t quemadmodum

inter se to tus mundus unus , i ta e t cum suo auctore postremo s i t unum.

Imitem ur e t nos sanct iss imum foedus mun di , u t e t m utua car i ta te inv icem

simus unum et simul omnes per veram Dei dilectionem cum illo unum

feliciter evadamus.

2

It wil l have been not iced that there are two analogica l l ikenesses of

the three worlds in the Heptapius: a t the beg inn ing it is the Ta ber nac le ,

whereas a t the end i t i s Man. The ana log ica l l ikeness o f the Tabernac le ,

M a n , a n d t h e W o r ld o c c u r s in A b r a h a m A b u la f ia s Liber Redem ptions

Cod. Chig i , fo l . 285bis r:

Et intelliges secretum hoc a tabernaculo cuius edif icium est instar edif icii

corporis hominis et corporis mundi quae sunt tr ia secuta, seculum scilicet

tabernaculum et homo.

The re i s every l ike l ih ood tha t P ic o read th is passag e: h is fam i l iar m arkin gs

app ear in the ma rg in . A t the same t ime i t i s a l togeth er un l ike ly tha t P ico s

e la b o r a t e d i s c u s s io n i s d e s c e n d e d f r o m A b u la f ia s s u c c in c t s t a t e m e n t . Bu t

the deta i led form in which the ana log ica l images or l ikenesses o f the

Tabernac le , Man, and the World are worked out by P ico i s s t rong ly

rem in iscent o f the s imi lar t rea tm ent o f the same the m e in two Kab ba l i s t ic

bo ok s each o f which wo uld s t il l f a l l w i th in the purv iew o f P ico s en cou nter

with Kabba la , even i f P ico had never touched upon the doctr ine o f the

2 Ibid., pp. 378 -382 =

Opera

pp. 60-62) .

[ 2 4 7 ]




three wor lds .

3

T h e y ar e B ah ya b e n A s h e r ' s


an d t h e K ab b a l i s t i c an t h o logy Me irat Eynayim (En l ighten ing the Eye s ,

Ps . 19:9) by I saa c of Acr e . The que s t ion wh ether , or to wh at extent , these

two books were in fac t P ico 's d irec t sources w i l l be cons idered later . Here

it wil l suf f ice to quote the relevant passages in ful l .

The f ir s t to c la im ou r at t en t ion i s Ba hy a ben Ashe r 's Comm entary on the

Pentateuch,

where at Ex od us 25:9 ( Ac cor d in g to a l l that I she w thee , a f t er

the pat tern of the tabernac le , and the pat tern of a l l the ins truments

thereof , even so shal l ye make i t ) the fo l lowing passage appears :

I t is known that the tabernacle and its instruments are all of them material

images in which may be contemplated superior images which are their

models. And among the wonderful things in this respect is the fact that the

tabern acle consists of three parts: within the veil , with out the veil, which is

the tent of the congrega tion, and the court , by analo gy to the universe which

is divided into three parts : the w orld of angels, the world of spheres, and the

inferior world. And we also f ind that man who is the most exalted of all is

the likeness of the universe in its three pa rts an d is called micro cosm , an d is

divided in to three p arts: the world of speech, the world of life and the world

of natu re . Th e first pa rt of the tab ern ac le is within th e veil an d in it we re

placed the ark and the tables [of the covenant] and the cherubim which are

in ter ior , h idden ins truments and they are the char io t [merkabah] for the

Name may He be exalted . . . and this is the analogue to the world of angels

who are separate, hidden forms and they are the separate intelligences, the

chariot and the throne for the Holy blessed be He, and their analogue in

m an is the w orld of speech a nd it is the hea d which is the seat of wis dom an d

there the intellect f lows in upon the brain . . . The second part, without the

veil , is the tent of the congregation and in it were placed the table and the

candlestick a nd the alta r of incense; they are venerab le, interior in strum ents

. . . their analogue in man is the world of

life

which is the he ar t . . . Th e th ird

part is the court of the tabern acle. In it was placed the bra zen alta r ; it is the

alta r of burn t offe ring upo n which the sacrif ices are offered and the a nim als

suffer there extinction, an d it is ana logo us to the inferior world where there

is generation and corruption. Analogous to it in man is the world of nature

which is fro m the navel dow nw ard for it is fro m there that genera tion com es

and it is also the beginning of the corruption of the body, for corruption is

the cause of generation.

4

3 The He brew texts are discussed and presented in oppo site colum ns by

Ephra im Go t t l i eb , The Kabbalah in the Writings of R. Bahya ben Asher ibn

Halawa

Jerusa lem , 1970), pp. 56-57 in Heb rew). The texts in English

translation are given below, pp. 249-250.

4 R. Bahya ben Ashe r, Com mentary on the Pentateuch ed. H. D. Chavel, II

Jeru salem , 1967), p . 268 in Hebrew ).

[248]



Appendices

Eph ra im G ot t l ieb , in h is s tud y o f Ba hya ben Ash er , drew a t t ent ion to the

no tew orth y fact tha t the ana lo g ica l l ikeness o f the Tabernac le , the W orld ,

and M an i s s ta ted in Bahya s


and in the

Me irat Eynayim

o f Rabbi I saac o f Acre in rem arkably simi lar t erms .

5

A s

far as I can see , there is no trace o f the Me irat Eynayim in the cat a lo gu e of

Pico s l ibrary.

6

B ut , a s J .L . Blau po inted ou t , the bo ok i s me nt io ned ,

am on g o ther K abba l i s t ic wr i t ings , in El i jah De lm ed igo s le t t er to P ico

and thus fa l l s w i th in the pur v iew o f P ico s enc oun ter wi th Kab ba la .

7

It is

unknown, and l ike ly to remain so , whether P ico ever se t h is eyes on the

Me irat Eynayim.

Th e passage in qu es t ion i s neverthe less wel l wor th

quot ing in fu l l .

8

You ought to know that the three worlds are the superior world, which is

the world of angels, that is, the world of the Shekinah and its hosts. The

interm ediate world is the world of the spheres, an d the inferior world is the

world of the four composite elements. And the tabernacle with the tent of

the congregation and its instruments is made as an analogue to the three

worlds. The analogue to the superior world is the holy of holies where the

Shekinah dwells between the two cheru bim . An d the analo gue of the

intermediate world where the servants are whose dominion is in the earth

[Job 38:33] was the tent of the co ngrega tion where there were the table and

the candlestick and the altar of gold, which are internal, spir itual instru-

ments. The altar of gold was not for sacrif ices nor for burnt offerings but

for sweet incense, which is a ref ined an d sp ir itual thing, and it is not don e

for the expiation of sin but fo r joy , as it is written [Prov. 27:9] O intm en t

and incense rejoice the hea rt. The candle stick, too, was m ade an alogically

to give light with the six branches which come out of the middle branch,

and the faces of the six branches give light over against its face. The

analo gue of the inferior world is the alta r of the burn t offerin g, situated in

the court of the tabernacle. All the sacrif ices were offered upon it and

animals that had existed ceased to exist, to show that there are generation

and corruption in this inferior world. There are three worlds also in man,

analogous to the above-mentioned three. The f irst , the analogue of the

supe rior w orld, is the world of speech, an d it is the head a nd it conta ins the

five senses, an d there the intellect f lows in upon the substanc e of the brain

. . . T he secon d, the analog ue of the interm ediate , is the world of l ife, an d it is

fro m the navel upw ard as it said [Ezek. 1:27] an d from the app eara nce of

5 Gott l ieb , The Kabbalah , pp . 56-57 .

6 P. Kibre, The Library of Pico della Mirandola (New York, 1936).

7 Blau, The Christian Interpretation of the Caba la in the Renaissan ce p. 10, n.

41. Delmedigo's letter is published in Garin 's edition of Pico, (Florence,

1942), pp. 67-72.

8 The Hebrew original of this passage is fou nd in Go ttlieb, The Kabbalah, pp.

56-57 .

[249]




his lo ins even up w ar d which Ezekiel saw as the app eara nce of a m an

abo ve the f irmament, the l ikeness as the ap pe ara nc e of a m an abov e up on

it . And this is the seat of the vi tal soul in the heart of man down here. The

th i rd i s the analogue of the in fer io r wor ld , and i t i s f rom the navel down-

ward a nd i t is cal led the wor ld of genera t ion a nd cor rup t ion .

The anthologists Bahya ben Asher and Isaac of Acre had a common

source as regards the doctrine of the three worlds: Baruch Togarmi, who

was the teacher, or a teacher, of Abraham Abulafia.

9

T he teacher s

analogical interpretation is still recognizable in an early version of the

disciple s commen tary on M aimon ides, nam ely the Liber Redemp tions,

fol. 285bis r, quoted in Appendix 17.

At the p resent state of research it is imposs ible to pinpo int Pico s direct

source . But it is certainly true that, directly or indirectly, Pico s ana logical

representation of th e three wo rlds is descen ded from a Ka bbalistic sour ce,

be it Bahya ben Asher, or Isaac of Acre, or even Baruch Togarmi.

Ho wev er, the analogical l ikeness of the Tabernacle, the W orld, and Man

is no t the who le of P ico s do ctrine.

The analo gical representation of the three wo rlds is alm ost imm ediately

followed by what for want of a shorter description might be called the

monadological conception of the three worlds:

H aec sat i s de t r ibus mu ndis in qu ib us i l lud in p r imis ma gno pere observ an-

dum, unde e t nost ra fere to ta pendet in ten t io , esse hos t res mundos mun-

d u m u n u m, n o n so lu m p ro p te rea q u o d ab u n o p r in c ip io e t ad eu md em

f in em o mn es r e fe ran tu r , au t q u o n ia m d eb i t i s n u mer i s t emp era t i e t a rm o n -

i ca q u ad a m n a tu ra e co g n a t io n e a tq u e o rd in a r i a g rad u u m se ri e co l li g en tu r,

sed q u o n iam

quicquid in omnibu s simul est mun dis id et in singulis conti-

netur neque est aliquis unus ex eis in quo non omnia sint quae sunt in singulis

[my i ta l ics] . Q ua m A nax ago rae cre do fu isse op in ionem , s i recte eum

sensisse pu tamus, exp l icatam deinde a Py thagor ic i s e t P ia ton icis . Verum

quae in m un do sunt in fer io r i , in supe r ior ibus sun t , sed mel iore no ta ; qua e

i t idem sunt in super ior ib us in post remis e t iam v isun tur sed degener i con di -

t ione e t adu l tera ta , u t s ic d ixer im, natura .

1 0

What looms behind this remarkable passage is not Kabbala, but

late Neoplatonism, and in particular Proclus,

Th e Elements of Theology,

propo sition 103, which I quote in E.R. D od ds s English translation:

All things are in all things, bu t in each ac cor ding to i ts pr op er natu re: for in

Being there is l i fe and intel l igence; in Life, being and intel l igence; in

9 See ibid. , p . 56; also Sch olem ,

MTJM

p. 125, an d E / 4 (1971), pp . 26 7-26 8 .

10

Heptaplus

p. 188 ed. Garin (=

Opera

p p . 6 -7 ) .

[25 ]



Appendices

Intelligen ce, b eing and life; but each of these exists upo n on e level intellec-

tually , upon another vitally , and on the third existentially .

Compare a l so P ico , Conclusiones secundum Proclum 17:

Licet ut tradit theologia distinctae sint divinae hierarchiae, intell igendum

est tarnen omnia in omnibus esse modo suo.

1 2

The preceding discussion and collocation of texts show that two motifs

ap pe ar s ide by side in Pico s doctrin e of the three w orlds: the ana logical

motif and the monadologica l moti f . The former is u l t imate ly descended

from Baruch Togairmi; the la tter is descended from Proclus. A salient

featu re of Pico s Ch ristian K abb ala can thus be seen ut in votiva tabula:

Jewish mystic ism and Neoplatonic theology dwell peacefully side by side

in the proem of Pico s Heptaplus

11 Proclus, Th e Elements of Theology, ed. and trans. E. R. Do dd s,

(Oxford, 1963), p. 93.

12 Conclusiones p. 45 ed. Kieszkowski ( = O p e r a , p. 76).

[251]

2d ed.



Appendix 18

T H E S Y M B O L I S M O F T H E K I S S

Pico s v iew that the kiss is the perfect form of spiritual union whereby the

s o u l s o f t h e l o v e r a n d t h e b e lo v e d c o m m in g le a n d b e c o m e o n e h a s i t s

s t r ik ing counterpart in the

Zohar

What fo l low s are tw o

loci classici

in

Eng l i sh t rans la t ion .

T h e Zohar part II, fol. 124v:

Be hold , I send an angel befo re the e. R. Isaac quo ted in this connectio n

the word s: Le t him kiss me with the kisses of his m ou th (C ant. 1:2), and

said: I t is the C om m unit y of Israel who says this (to Go d). W hy does she say

Le t Him kiss m e instead of Le t Him love m e ? Because, as we have been

tau ght, kissing expresses the cleaving of spir it to spir it ; ther efore the m ou th

is the m edium of kissing, for i t is the orga n of the spir it (breath) . He nce he

who dies by the kiss of God is so united with another Spir it , with a Spir it

which never separates from him. Therefore the Community of Israel prays:

Le t Him kiss me with the kisses of His m ou th , tha t His Spirit ma y be

united with mine and never separate from it .

2

Ib id . , f o l . 146 r-v :

An oth er interpreta tion of Le t him kiss me with the kisses of his m o ut h is

as fo l lows. What prompted King Solomon, when record ing words of love

between the Upp er and the Low er wo rld, to begin with the wo rds, Le t him

kiss me ? The reason is , as has been laid down, that no other love is l ike

unto the ecstasy of the moment when spir it ( ruah bre ath ) cleaves to spir it

in a kiss, more especially a kiss on the mouth, which is the well of spirit

(breath) and i ts medium. When mouth meets mouth , sp ir i ts un i te the one

with the o ther , and become one — one love.

3

1 My tha nks are due to my colleague Isaiah Tish by fo r rem inding me of this

important fact, which I failed to notice in my Three Studies in Christian

Kabbala (in Hebre w) (Jerusale m, 1975), pp. 14 -15 .1 wou ld also tha nk Mr. J .

Liebes, who kindly provided a copious list of references to the

Zohar.

2 The Zohar trans. H. Sperling, M. Sim on, and P. P. Levertoff (Lon don , 1949),

III , 348-349.

3 Ibid ., IV, 14.

[ 5 ]







Appendix 20

D E C E M I N D U M E N T

Recanati

De Secretis Orationum et Benedictionum Cabale

Cod. Vat. Ebr.

190 fol. 299r-v:

Sequi tur [Ps . 93 :1-2] Dominus regnavi t superb ia vel t r iumpho indutus es t

indutus es t dominus maies ta te e t p recinxi t se , e t iam f i rmabi t o rbem ne

com mo vere tur . Pa rata es t sedes tua ex tun c a secu lo tu e tc . M ister ium huius

psalmi se habet velut misterium textus dicentis [Ps. 104:2] Induit lumen

quasi vest imentum. Et jam nost i quod d icunt sap ien tes nost r i de eo quod

docet quod ipse deus sanctus et benedictus involvit se cum il la velut

indum en tum , e t i r r ad i av i t sp l endo rem suum ab ex t r em o m und i u sque ad

ex t rem um e iu s .

1

Et int entio h uius testus est de thexu ua [ΓΠ ΙΙΡΠ ] qui a

involv i t se cum sapien t ia quamvis omnia en t ia vocentur indumenta u t

d icunt sap ien tes nost r i quod decem indument is indutus es t deus sanctus e t

bened ic tu s quando c reav i t m undum .

2

Om nino qu idem in t en t io [

intenctio

MS] es t in hoc indumento de sap ien t ia super iore e t ideo d ici tu r dominus

regnavi t qu ia ipse es t rex . Indutus es t dominus id es t nomen propr ium qui

indui t se sap ien t ia poster iore q ue voca tur h i tha zar id est p recinxi t se , quo d

est nom en d iad em at is per nume rum l ic terarum na m i thazar lTXnn l ic tere

eius representant 5.400.1.7.200. collect i sunt 613. Secundum numerum 613

preceptorum et indicat hoc quod lex de ore nata que dici tur hoz [Tis] id est

maies tas procedi t a lege scr ip ta . In ten t io au tem in h is vest iment is es t u t

d icunt sap ien tes nost r i in l ib ro brex i t raba quod erat s icu t h icophora que

fert vest imentum suum ex se ipsa et intel l ige i l lud.

3

1

Midras BereSit Rabba

i i i , 4 (p. 20 ed. Theodor-Albeck).

2

Pesikta de-Rav Kahana

fols. 147r-148r ed. S. Buber (Lyck, 1868).

3 Midras BereSit Rabba xxi. 5 (p. 201 ed. Theodor-Albeck).

[ 55]



Appendix 21

J O H A N A N A L E M A N N O

The person w ho next to Flavius Mithr ida tes m at te rs m ost for the s tudy of

P ico s encounte r wi th Kabb a la i s Joh ana n A leman no . Gian Francesco

Pico, having touched upon his own Hebrew s tudies , wr i tes ( to Sante

Pagnini) as follows:

Ego quidem (ut de me dicam) post Latinas et Graecas l i teras mult is labori-

bus versatas . . . conducto Hebreo Isacio , Iochanae i l l ius , quern Ioannes

Picus patruus meus s ibi magistrum ascivit , f i l io , eo usus sum praeceptore.

1

While i t canno t be do ub ted that G iovan ni Pico s teacher Iochanas is

Joh an an Alem anno , it r ema ins unkno wn wh a t i t was tha t Joha na n taught

Pico. No r is i t kno wn for ce r tain where an d w hen the assoc ia t ion be tween

them began. I t is usually assumed that i t began in 1488, when Pico and

Johanan me t in F lorence .

2

Johanan himse lf seems to suppor t th is v iew.

For he sta tes in the preface to his Heseq Selomo (The Love or Desire of

So lom on ) that he return ed to Florenc e in the year n m (248, th at is,

1487/8) and tha t in comp liance w ith Pico s request he beg an work on his

Heseq Selomo (a commentary on the Song of Solomon) in the month of

Tishri 249, tha t is, O ctob er 1488. Th ere exists, how ever, a piece of eviden ce

which, inconc lus ive though i t i s , sugges ts tha t Johanan Alemanno might

have been known to Pico before they met in Florence in 1488. That piece

of evidence , unknown to Per les and Cassuto , was discovered by Eugenio

G ari n; i t is presen ted in his cri t ical ed ition of P ico s

Commento

The

col la t ion of the pr inted edi t ions with the manuscr ipts revea led a number

of notew orthy omiss ions in the form er . One such omiss ion bears direc tly

on the p resent subjec t . The passage in ques t ion app ears a t the beginnin g of

the Comm ento Particulare:

1 Gia n Francesco P ico , Opera Omnia (Ba sle, 1573), p. 1371.

2 See J . Perles, Les savants juifs ä Flore nce ä l 'epoq ue de Laurent de M edi-

c is ,

Revue des etudes juives

12 (1886) , 245, 256; U. Cassuto,

Gli Ebrei a

Firenze (Flore nce, [1918] 1966) , p . 316; M. Idel , The Thron e and the

Seven-Branched Candles t ick: P ico de l la Mirandola ' s Hebrew Source ,

Jour-

nal of the Warbu rg and Courtauld Institutes 40 (1977) , 291.

[ 2 5 6 ]



Appendices

De l l 'uno [am ore] a de l l ' a l t ro par lo ecce l lentemente Sa lom one , de l vu lgare

nel lo

Ecclesiaste

com e natura le f i lo s o fo e ne '

Proverbii

com e mo ra le , de l

divino e ce leste nel la

Cantica

sua, e perö Joh anan e Man aen ebrei e

Jonathan caldeo dice che tra tutti e' cantici della scrittura sacra quello e el

piu sacro e e l piu divino.

3

It is altogeth er unlikely that Jo h an an is a Rabbinic sage of old: wh at

Pico quotes in his nam e is a fam ou s dic tum the autho r of which is Rab bi

Akiba . M an ae m is ment ioned a l so in the Heptaplus, wh ere he f igures

a m o n g t he iunioresThis being so, the bala nce of prob abili t ie s is definite ly

in favor o f G a r in ' s in te rpre ta t ion tha t Jo ha na n e t M anaen ebre i a re

Jo ha na n Ale m ann o and M enah em Recana t i . If th is is conceded , it fo l lows

tha t P ico a lready knew Jo ha na n A lem ann o when he wrote his Commento

Although the chronology of Pico's writ ings is not a lways as certa in as one

might wish, the Commento is da ted by the consen sus of learned op inion in

1486, after Pico's re turn from Paris .

5

Hence the poss ibi l i ty tha t Johanan

Alemanno was Pico 's teacher in cabalisticis at the most decisive perio d of

Pico 's encou nter with K abb ala . This poss ibi l ity is fasc ina t in g fo r mo re

reasons than one , not the least of which is Jo ha na n A lem ann o 's out-

spoken interest in magic .

6

3 P. 535 ed. G arin.

4 Ibi d., p. 180 (

= O p e r a

, p . 4: M anae n )

5 Ibid ., p. 10.

6 Cf . G. Sch olem , Chap ters from the His tory of Cab balist ic Literature,

Kirjath Sepher

5 ( 1 9 2 8) , 2 7 3 - 2 7 7 ( in He b r e w) . J o h a n a n Al e ma n n o ' s m a n u s -

cript of

Collectanea

(D

,

t>1p

,

'7) is the subject of a detailed study, stil l in

progress , by Dr. Mo she Idel . See , m eanw hile , M . Idel , Th e Study Progra m

o f R . Yo h a n a n Al e ma n n o ,

Tarbiz

48 (1979) , 303-330 ( in Hebrew) .

[257]



Appendix 22

A R S C O M B I N A N D I A N D A R S R A Y M U N D I

Fro m the s tand po int of Pico s encoun ter with K abb ala i t is a ma t te r of

re lat ive unim po rtanc e tha t , as fa r as I can see , h is com bina t ions of the

le tte rs rw pm a w ent twice ultra legem artis.

1

W ha t really m atte rs is tha t his

le t te r -combina tory in te rpre ta t ion of the f i rs t word of Genes is fol lows a

recognizable an d ident i f iable examp le . The example I have in min d

appea rs in the ano nym ous Liber Combinationum. Th is b oo k, the first piece

included in C od . Vat . Ebr. 190, is the direct source of Pico s third thesis

secundum secretam doctrinam sapientum Hebraeorum Cabalistarum. There

is thu s every l ikelihood t ha t he read i t . Of pa rtic ula r interest for the pre sent

purpose is the passage in which the anonymous author success ive ly

arranges the six le tters rvtPJna in different combinations to i l lustra te the

le t te r -com bina to ry me thod . As might be expec ted, P ico s and the Jewish

Kab bal is t s c om bina t ions a re no t ident ica l . At the same t ime , it i s note -

worthy that of the twelve words which Pico formed frqm the le tters of the

first word of Genesis seven appear in the Liber Com binationum.

2

The boo k

thus proves to be ye t another l ink be tween Pico and the mains tream of

le t t e r -combina tory Kabba la : the anonymous au thor o f the Liber Combi-

nationum was a disciple or la tte r -day fol lower of A br ah am Ab ulaf ia

(unless he was Abulafia himself) .

We have a l ready seen tha t the revolut ion o r com bina t ion of le tte rs a f te r

the manner of the Book of Crea t ion was cons idered by Abulaf ia the

method par excellence for the interpretation of the mysteries of the Law.

W hat fol lows is a qu ota t ion f ro m his De Secretis Legis, Cod. Vat. Ebr. 190,

fols . 346v-347r :

1 W hat I have in mind is the gem ination of the con sona nt beth in the second

combination (there is only one consonant beth in the word beresit , and the

assumption that the consonan ts taw an d teth are interchangeable. To be sure,

in verbs beginning with sadhe, metath esis and assimilation take place in

certain form s so that Χ Π becomes US. But this is n ith r

r qu ntissimum

apud

Hebraeos nor does it warrant the substitution of 3 0 for 3 Π .

2 The seven wo rds , in alph abe tical order, are: 3X (pater), IPX (ignis), Q (filius),

( Π 3 ( creav it ), m a ( fo ed u s) , 3 1 (ma g n u s), rw ( fu n d amen tu m) .

[ 2 5 8 ]



Appendices

Et sic dicunt sapientes nostr i Cabaliste

3

quod fu turum es t quod deus

sanctu s et benedic tus reu elabit secreta legis ipsis Israel, et quam vis v idetur

in pr incip io imaginat ion is ignarorum et ins ip ien t ium quod mis ter ium re-

uela t ion is ra t ionum preceptorum es t sub a l ia forma, non es t curanda

imaginatio eorum quia propheta et magnus cabalista Ionethes scilicet

Cha ldeus comm en ta to r e ius

4

hoc declaraverunt aper t iss ime. Propheta qu i-

dem dixit [Isa. 12:3] Et haurietis aquas cum leticia de fontibus salutis .

Ionethes vero comentatus est Et discetis doctr ina noua legem ab electis

sanctis vel iustis . Quod quidem potest exponi hoc verbum eius esse ac si

dixisset edocebimini doctr inam nouam cum leticia. non quod ipsa sit noua

in se sed quod videbitur noua ipsis auditoribus quia scilicet modus il lam

docendi qu i inno vabi tur apud eos non fu i t t rad i tus nec audieru nt i l ium ab

ore paren tum suorum . Et declaratum es t apu d sap ien tes nostros C abal is tas

qui so li com prehe ndunt mis ter ia ocul ta omniu m rerum q uod ta lis doctr in a

qua procedent sap ien tes ad declarandum tempore chr is t i es t doctr ina que

dicitur apud eos doctr ina combinationis licterarum scilicet syruph haothi-

oth [ηνηΐκπ ηΐτχ]. Et dictio purcn Besason id est cum leticia est testimo-

nium fidele et testes veraces sunt i l l i quos observamus a patre nostro

Abraam in libro Sepher iesire et expositionibus eius.

5

Th e qu ota t io n he lps us to in terpret P ico s we l l -kn ow n s ta tem ent in

wh ich the K abb alist ic art of com bin ing let ters and the art of Ram on Lull

are m en t ion ed s ide by s ide. T hat state m ent , the first of i ts kind in Weste rn

letters,

6

i s usua l ly quoted as fo l lows:

Unam quae d ic i tur ars combinandi e t es t modus quidam procedendi in

scientiis et est simile quid sicut apud nostros dicitur ars Raymundi, l icet

for te d iuerso modo procedant .

This is , to be sure, the text as i t appears in the best -known edit ions of

P ic o s

Opera Omnia

1

but i t is not wh at Pico wro te. In the

editioprinceps

o f

3 Cabaliste is the t rans la tor ' s in terpolat ion .

4 M agn us cabal is ta Ionethes scil icet Chalde us com m enta tor e ius is the

transla tor ' s render ing of the Hebrew words wetirgem Yonatan that is , an d

Yona than t r ans la ted .

5 The isopsephic equivalen t of the word | 1 W ] ,

besason

(cum leticia), is

η τϊ

1

1 S D 3 (in libro Sepher iesire) , nam ely 658 = 657 + 1. The a dditio n of a

unit for the whole in isopsephic equations is common practice known as

gematria w it h the wh ole a d d e d ( ?Vi3n DV).

6 The notio n tha t R am on Lull was, or might have been, the au tho r of the

treatise DeAuditu Kabbalistico ha s at last been laid to rest fo r go od ; see Blau ,

The C hristian Interpretation of the Cabala in the Renaissan ce, pp. 117-118; see

also Kristeller , G iov ann i Pico della M iran dola and His So urc es, p . 75. This

leaves Pico as the earliest au tho r know n to have com pare d the Kabba listic ar t

of combining letters with the art of Ramon Lull.

7 Apology Opera p. 180.

[ 59]




Pico 's Apologia, which was printe d in his l ifetime (1487), ther e ap pe ars a

blan k space fo l lowed by the abb reviat io n fo r id est ( . i. ) betw een the w ord s

dicitur

a n d

ars combinandi.

Th e obvio us inference is tha t the H ebre w

designation of the science Pico is discussing appeared in his manuscript

but was omit ted in the

editio princeps

for want of Hebrew type. The

omit ted name is not far to seek. Even without the suppor t of the editio

princeps, Scholem ma inta ine d years ago that es is t le icht erweisbar dass

Pico hier mit ars combinandi d ie φ Τ Χ Π riDDn [ho km at haseruf] des Abra-

ham Abulaf ia und seiner Schule wiedergiebt .

8

The presence of the Hebrew equivalent of ars combinandi in Pico's text

a rgues tha t w ha t he had in mind was Ab ula f ia ' s l e t t e r - combina to ry Kab -

bala . The th ing was s t il l un kn ow n to P ico 's reade rs , having been scarcely

hinted at in his second Kabbalis t ic thesis secundum opinionem propriam.

He therefore a t tem pted to g ive some idea of wha t i t was : es t m od us

qu ida m p roc ed en di in scienti is , et est s imile quid s icut ap ud n os tra s dic itur

ars Raymundi , l ice t forte diuerso modo procedant (my italics).

Cons ider ing tha t Abula f ia app l ies the l e t t e r - combina to ry method ,

represented by the Boo k of Cre at ion , to the in terp reta t io n of the myster ies

of the Law , his ars combinandi can be prope r ly descr ibed as modus quidam

procede ndi in scientiis. No r can it be den ied tha t, like ars Raymundi, it wa s

meant to be a universal method: Abulaf ia is qui te expl ic i t on th is point .

9

A t the same tim e, it is essential not to lose s ight of the fac t tha t Ab ul af ia ' s

ars combinandi

o r

doctrina combin ationis litterarum

is a mo st extrao rdi-

nary modus proceden di in scientiis: it is said to be a means to becoming a

p r o p h e t {D e Secretis Legis, fol. 417v):

Et inte l l ige hoc indicamentum ex lect ione nominis l ibri Sepher ies ire cuius

secre tum e t iam es t v i s io prophet ie

1 0

.. . nam qui in eo peritus est facile

perven it ad v i s ionem prophet ie que pendet in m od o com binat ion is l i c tera-

rum qui est revolut io et conversio earum ut lutum sigi l latum ad recipien-

dum s ta tutum sabat i qu ia nomen mater ie e s t s ta tutum hoc .

Combination of letters is also said to be a means to acquir ing the

knowledge of d iv ine names {De Secretis Legis, fol. 425v):

8 Sch o lem , Zur Gesch ichte der A nfä nge der christ l ichen K abb ala, p . 164, n .

1

9 De Secretis Legis fo l . 362v, quoted above in Chapter 11.

10 Visio prophetie (Π Ν 133Π nxiö ) i s the i sopsephic equ iva lent o f Γ Π

2Γ (Y e s i r a h ,

246 + 69 = 315.

11 J UWir t Ί Ο Π Π ( ma t er ia p r i ma ) is t he i s o p s ep h i c e q u iv a l en t o f mi P H ρ Π (statu-

tum sabati), 253 + 562 = 707 + 108 = 815.

[260]



Appendices

Veru m tarnen cabal la verax que es t in m anib us nos t r i s es t ta l is quod q u i n on

est per i tus in combinat ione l i terarum, e t exper tus e t d iscretus in e i s , e t

f requentatus in e i s . e t us i ta tus n imis e t e t iam in numer is harum et in

d iv is ion ibus earu m , e t in con iu nct ione ea rum , et convers ion e e t revo lu t ione

ea rum , e t s imi li ter in per m utat io ne, e t in om nibu s a l ii s mo dis qu i s cr ibun tur

in l ib ro venerab i l i Sepher ies ire non po te s t perven i re ad nost ra m sap ien t iam

u t co g n o sca t d eu m n ec e t i am q u o d h ab e a t n o t ic i am n o m in i s x em am p h o ras

secu n d u m m o d o s n o s t ro s . E t p ro p te r h o c n o n es t p o ss ib i le co m p reh en d ere

invencionem vel esse n is i hab i ta fuer i t sc ien t ia de nominibus .

Divine names and in particular self- induced prophecy have brought us

within sight of mag ic , or , to be m ore precise , within sight of wh at Scholem

called the mag ic of inw ardnes s,

1 2

m agic which is a mystical experience th at

ac ts upo n the prac t i t ione r ' s consc iousness , as dis t inc t f rom magic tha t

acts , or intends to act, upon the external world.

I t cannot be proved tha t P ico read every s ingle page of Abulaf ia ' s

De

Secretis Legis bu t the possibil i ty that h e was aware of the magical s ide of

ars combinandi oug ht to be reckon ed with . This is par t icula r ly im po rtan t

because Pico identif ied ars combinandi with alphabetaria revolutioThe

latter , according to his second Kabbalis tic thesis secundum opinionem

propriam is the highest part of speculative Kabbala . I t would seem

ther efo re tha t we are faced with the choice between tw o alternatives: e ith er

Pico dis regarded the magica l aspec ts of Abulaf ia ' s le t te r -combina tory

method, or e lse , as I have argued in Chapter 12, his own distinction

between speculative and practical Kabbala is by no means as neat as i t is

usua l ly thought to be .

12 Scholem,

MTJM

p. 142.

13

Apology O pera p.

181 I l ia en im ars com bina ndi es t qu am ego in conclusio-

n ib u s mei s u o c o Alp h ab e t a r iu m reu o lu t io n em .

[261]



Appendix 23

T H E F O U R F O L D I N T E R P R E T A T I O N O F S C R I P T U R E

The doctrine of the three worlds is not the only point of resemblance

be tween Pico and Bahya ben Asher . There is another which, f rom the

s tand po int of Pico s encoun ter with Kab bal a , is even mo re im po rtan t :

f r o m B a h y a s


is descended the Hebrew

terminology which Pico uses in a famous passage of his

Apology

where he

compares the fourfold in te rpre ta t ion of Scr ipture among Chris t ians and

Jews.

Sicut enim apud nos est quadruplex modus exponendi Bibl iam, l i teral is ,

myst icus s ive a l legoricus , tropologicus et anagogicus, i ta est et apud

Heb raeos . Li t tera li s apud eos d ic i tur Pe sat . . . Al legor icus Midras . . . T ropo -

log icus d ic i tur Seche l , quem sequuntur Abraham Abnazra [Aben Ezra] ,

ubi l iteral iter non exp oni t , e t Leui Ben gerson et mu lt i a l i i , e t ante om nes

Rabi M oses Aegy pt ius . An agog icus d ic itur Cabala , e t hoc qu ia i l ia expos i -

t io que dic itur ore D ei tradita M oys i , e t accep ta per succ ess io nem , m od o

praed ic to , quas i semper sensum sequi tur Anagog icum.

1

The usua l H ebrew te rminolo gy of the fou r me thod s of sc r iptura l in te rpre-

ta tion is Pesat Remez Der as Sod (hence the mnemonic PaRDeS) . By

contras t , P ico has

Sechel

instead of

Remez

a n d

Cabala

instead of

Sod.

His

unu sua l te rmin olog y, as Scholem pointe d ou t , is ident ica l wi th the te rmi-

nology used by Bahya ben Asher in his Com mentary on the Pentateuch}

As far as I can see, i t is undeniably true that the Hebrew terms of the

fourfold in te rpre ta t ion of Scr ipture which Pico uses in his Apology a re

unlikely to be derived from any identif iable source except Bahya. At the

sam e tim e, i t is equally tru e that in ord er to kn ow all there is to be k no w n

abo ut the te rminolog y of Bahy a s four fol d m etho d of in te rpre ta t ion i t is

not necessary to read more than his re la tively short preface F u r th e r m o r e ,

i t l ies in the nature of terminology — any terminology — that i t can be

tran sm itted w itho ut the texts in which i t was f irst set fo rth . Pico s m an us -

cripts afford a s tr iking case in point.

1 P ico , Apology Opera p. 178.

2 Scho lem, De r S inn der To rah ,

Zur Kabbala und ihrer Symbo lik

p . 27 0 , η .

64 (=

On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism

p. 62, η . 1).

[262]







I N D E X O F N A M E S A N D S U B J E C T S

Aaron 21-22

his death with a kiss 153 155-156 158

Aba 172

Abner of Burgos, s ee Al fons o de

Va l l ado l id

Abraam 172

Abraham, A b r a a m 24- 25 32- 34 57 73

184 228

his death with a kiss 153 155-156

fear , love , of God 4 7 - 4 8

j o u r n e y s o u t h w a r d s 32

knowledge o f Ze 112

saw day of Chr is t 138

is Sefirah iv 167-168

a u t h o r o f Sefer Yesirah , see Sefer

Yesirah

Abraham Ibn Ezra ( A b n a z r a ) 99 262

o n C a n t . 1:2 154

t r opo log ica l i n t e rp r e t a t ion o f 262

Abulafia Abraham 63 70 95

on analogical l ikeness of Tabernacle ,

W o r l d , M a n 2 4 7 - 2 5 0

h is ars combinandi 102-1 04 134

137-138 151 172 232 260-261

i n B a rce lona 1271 ) 91

b iog raphy o f 90-91 96

changed na tu r e by mag ic 151-152

and C hr i s t i an i ty , T r in i ty 90 109 118

and doc t r ine o f coincidentia oppositorum

100-102 105

h is c o m b i n a t i o n a l K a b b a l a 59 74 104

on creat ion 91

on Ezekie l s th ree v is ions 138

four disciples of 96

his Hebrew s ty le 7 0 - 7 3

Hayyey ha-NefeS 85 87

o n

hayyom harat olam

103-104

K a b b a l a o f 60-64 74 104 134-135

Kabba l i s t i c in t e rp r e t a t ion o f Gen . 1:1

176 217

Kabba l i s t i c modes o f demons t r a t ion

100 -101

and the Liber Combinationum 258

Liber de Secretis Legis (Sitrey Torah)

61-62 64 84-85 87 89-90 94-99

128 -13 0 13 6-1 37 170 215 238;

i n t e rpo la t ed by Mi th r ida te s 9 4 - 9 8

100-105

o n ma aseh merkaba (opus currus) 96

131 137-138

Maimon ides a Kabba l i s t , t e ache r o f

88 91-9 8 129-132

his Mess ian ism 9 5 - 9 6

o n M e t a t r o n 200 231-233

on the mysteries of the Law 103-104 129

131-132 135 137 258-259

i n Pa le rmo 1280) 70

prophecy o f 91 95-96 152

p r o p h e t i c K a b b a l a o f 62 86-87 90-91

127 137 232

pup i l o f B a ruch Togarmi 250

q u o t e s N a h m a n i d e s 214

equals Razie l 95

o n R e d e m p t i o n 90 152

Sefer Ge ulla, a u t h o r s h i p 88-90; a n d

se e Liber Redemp tions

his se l f - image as Kabbal is t 9 5 - 9 6

Sitrey Torah

85 87 89 94-95 98; da te of

12 80 89; manus c r ip t s o f 94-96 104

Summ a Brevis Cabale que Intitulatur

RabiJeude 60 64 134- 13 5 137 148 156

184

o n T a l m u d 129 134

i n Tude la 96

his use of gematria 137 231 -233

in Vat . Ebr . 190 19

in Chigi 19

on Ze 112-113 115

Active Intellect 86 157 193 200

Adam 24 -25 33

[ 65]



Indices

i s Ius tus 33

Adam Magnus 30

is Sefirah vi 190

Adam Kadmon, M e s s i a h 240

Adonai, ADNI

creation by le t ters of 82

is Holy Spi r i t 197

a nd a du l t e ry 24

Adumbratio Kabbalae Christianae 185

use o f Lur i a n i c K a bba l a i n 240

K a bba l i s t i c c onf i rma t i on o f Chr i s t i a n i t y

in 240

Agaton 154

R. Aholai 43

ain, ayin,

non ens, Sefirah

i

75 105

Akiba R a b b i 156 232

aleph, secret of 7 3 - 7 4

Alfonso de Valladolid

(A bne r o f Burgos )

o n G e n . 1:26 110

Mostrador de Justicia 185 -186

Alemanno Isaac 256

Alemanno Johanan 25 6-2 57

HeSeq Selomo 256

allegor ical interpretation 128 175

2 6 2 - 2 6 3

alphabetaria revolutio 81 125 136 -13 8

144- 145 172 261

amen

i n p ra ye r

52 82 148

P i c o a nd Re c a na t i on 106

anagog ical interpretation 38 26 2- 26 3

Anaxag oras 102 250

Angelo St . , cast le of 17

ange ls 42 -4 3 56 156

o f D e a t h

155

h i e ra rc hy o f 22-23 101 128 132 214

Iiim 101

apology o n 4 E z r a 14:47 140

Aquilo M a g n u s 25

Arab ic 3 4 13

in Va t . Ebr . 190 13

in Chigi 13

Arbiter

first, Tiferet 30

s e c o n d ,

Yesod

28

Archangel o f na t ion in heaven 51

Are zzo 5 17

Aristote les 98-99

Arithmetica 18 6- 18 7 193 213

Arnaldo de Villanova, Allocutio super

Tetragrammaton 166 -167

ars combinandi ( hokmat haseruf), see

L e t t e r - c o m b i n a t i o n

ars Raymundi 125 25 9- 26 0

astrology 146

t e a c he s us t o r e a d t he book o f G od

175

Afarah, see Sefirah χ

atbash 43 96 -9 7

Augustine St. 132

Axelrad Abraham

Corona Nominis Boni 22 -2 3 59 60 64

K a b b a l a o f

59

on Isa . 26:4 82

o n

sefirot

a n d

Eyn-Sof

236

Ayalah, see Hind

az (TS), tunc 75 162

symbol o f t e n sefirot 107 174 -175

a s Tr i n i t y 162

Azazel 159

Azriel of Gerona

Comm entary on the Aggadot (Perus ha-

Aggadot)

156

On Faith and Heresy

238

Quaestiones super Decern Nume ratio-

nibus cum Responsibus Suis

7 60 64 102 105 139 148 237-238

o n Eyn-Sof, sefirot, coincidentia

oppositorum 102 -103 235 237 238

Sa ar ha-So el 60

Bad, p lace of Tohu 4

Bahir,

Book o f

19 20 55 -5 8 190-191

L a t i n t r a n s l a t i o n s c o m p a r e d 2 0 4 - 2 0 8

in Recana t i , see Index of Sources

sourc e f o r P i c o s K a bba l i s t i c t he se s

1 9 - 2 0 2 8 - 2 9 4 1 - 4 3 49 5 5 - 5 8 1 80

Barachias r a b i 191

Bahya ben Asher

Comm entary on the Pentateuch 2 4 8 - 2 5 0

h i s fou r me t hods o f i n t e rp re t a t i on

2 6 2 - 2 6 3

on ana logica l l ikeness of Tabernac le ,

W o r l d , M a n 2 4 8 - 2 5 0

Barcelona 91

Baruch Togarmi 25 0-2 51

[266]





ndices

coincidentia oppositorum,

coincidence of

opp os i tes in G o d 100-10 3 105 238

combinational Kabbala

( le t t e r - com bina t ion)

59 63 73-74 81 104

magical appl icat ion of 81


36 57 -59

on Isa. 26:4 82

Commentum Voiuminis de Proportione

Divinitatis

48 -4 9 64 194

Commentaries on Sefer Ye irah

in Cod.

Vat . Eb r . 191 7 -8 57- 59 63 236

Congregation of Israel (Keneset Israel)

30

35 39

and r ivers of Eden 31

and ten

sefirot

30

converts,

see Jewish conver ts

Corneo Andrea 4

Court of Justice

of G od 38

creation

cor responds to d iv ine nam es 7 81-82

cor responds to d iv ine l anguage 67

in six days and the

sefirot

2 6 - 3 0

first day of 176

discovery of detai ls of 40

i s em ana t ion f rom

sefirot

104-105

ex nihilo, ens ex non ente

103-105

by le t t e r s o f d iv ine nam es 36-37 81-82

by

he, yod

7 3 0 3 6 - 3 7 7 3 - 7 4 8 1 - 8 2

by num bers 82

in Orph ic Hym ns 197

wi th th i r ty - two pa ths o f w isdom

145-146

by sapient ia 41 104-105

by ten

logoi, verba

40 73-74

by ten garments 237

by Tree of Knowledge 25

of two wor lds 36-37

cross,

carr ied by Isaac 162-163

Curetes of Orpheus

196

Cusanus Nicolaus

on

coincidentia oppositorum

in G od 238

De Docta Ignorantia

102-103

Daemons

accord ing to Kabba la 132

at n ight 38-39

daleth

30

Daniel ,

prop hec y of 51

David

25-25 142

k ingdom of 43

prophecy of 51

days

of the week correspond with

sefirot

25-30 38 167 193

ten — of Peni tence 77

De Anima,

Lat in t rans lat ions in Vat . Ebr .

189 11-17

De Auditu Kabbalistico,

au thor sh ip o f

259

De Proportione Divinitatis (Ma a re ke t h a -

•Elohut)

41 57 59 60 64 77-78 82 180

235

on Jo b. 28:12 82

source for P ico ' s theses 41 59 60 64

Death of the Kiss,

se e

mors osculi

Diadem,

se e

Sefirah

χ

dies Christi

184

Dionysius Areopagita

pse ud o- 132 196

244

De Divinis Nominibus

57 254

o n

hierarchia celestis

23

Dionysius,

Bacchus , drunkenness of 186

191-192

divine language

6 67 74 -75

h a s n o g r a m m a r 7 4 - 7 5 1 75

divine names,

knowledge by l e t t e r -

com bina t ion o f 260-261

theurgic use of 149

See God, name(s) of

dominus rex

43

duplex Aleph

177

Earth

s u p e r i o r 4 9 - 5 0

King o f , pun ishm ent o f 51

east 206

good com es f rom 49 206

'eljad

30

Egidio da Viterbo

cop ied Va t. Eb r. 189 11

used Recanat i 204

Eleazar of Worms

(Go rma zen s is ) 16 18

55 126

Liber De Anima

(Vat . Ebr . 189) 11-12

18 232; dat e of t rans lat io n 16

Eleazarus

172

[268]



ndices

elements, qualities of 180

Eliezer Magnus , son of Hyrcanus 38 39

111

Elohim 77

isopsephy of — by Pico and Gicat i l la

197

is superna l pa lace 40-41

See God, name(s) of

emanat ion

of blessings 28

of days 29-30

of divine energy and light 6

order of 30

of

sefirot

63

Empedocles 189

Eneas 118

Enoch 220 232

ens ultimu s, ens superius 48

E nsoph ,

Eyn-Sof, infinitum

49 235-238

Azriel on 103

con ta ins t en

sefirot

2 3 5 - 2 3 7

in Kabbala 196

Ericino 118

Esau 162

esoter ics , pre-Kabbal is t ic , in Recanat i 55

Eterni ty of G od 106

Ethiopic characters , see Characters

Eucher ius Si lber , publ isher of

conclusiones

2 0 9 - 2 1 2

Evangelium, mysteries of the Law in 126

Evantes Persa 241

evil

hiera rchy of 188-18 9

spir i ts a t n ight 38-39

em ana t ion o f 38

Exposi t io Decern Numerat ionum

(anony m ou s ) , source fo r P ico s theses

21 26 57 59 60

Ezekiel 138 249 -25 0

Ezra , Esd ras 227 241

changed Hebrew scr ipt 171

seventy boo ks of Ka bba la of 4 Ezra 14,

Pico on 122 127 132 140 142

f a t e ,

mazal

31

fa te super io r ,

maza l ha- elyon

31 226

Fear

of Isaac 196

two m odes o f 47 -48

Ficino Mars i l io

on d runkennes s 186

let ter to P ico 3-4

on P ico s pos thu m o us paper s 243

fire

is nor th 40

is e lement in heaven 180-181

Flood, the 33

Floren ce 15 256

Fran ce 5 214

Francis I , k ing of Fra nce 185

Foundat ion, see

Sefirah

ix

fundam entum secul i 12 -13 27 -2 9 76 107

115 138 147 183 186 221; see

Sefirah

ix

Gabr iel , archan gel 41

GafTarel,

Index

descr ip t ion of P ico s K abba l is t ic

manuscripts 11 15 19 110 114 204

descr ip t ion o f Mi th r ida tes t r ans la t ion

of Recanat i 11 16 19 204-205

Gard en of Eden 30 -31

Gard en of the King s Pal ace 10 29

garm en ts

ten — inves ted by God,

sefirot

237

terrestrial 46 50

Gates

ascens ion to

sefirot (Ze)

111-112 115

thir ty- two — in

Book of Creation

5 7 - 5 9

for ty — of Intel l igence 32

fifty — of Intelligen ce 213

fo r ty — of

Teshuvah

35

gather ing waters (

congregatio aquarum)

42

Geburah , Migh t , s ee

Sefirah

ν

Gedullah, Greatness , see

Sefirah

iv

gem atr ia 71 -72 115-117 137 141

231-233

with

temurah

117

G e n .

1:1

Pico an d Ab ula f ia on 176

G e n .

1:26

Jewish -Chr i s t i an con t rover sy

on 110

Ge ulla (place) 32

Gicat i l la Joseph

com bina to ry Kab ba la o f 57 73- 74 182

[269]



ndices

on H ann a s p rayer 226

on m an s ascens ion to God 114-115

Portae Iustitiae

12 13 31 57 64 73 -7 6

110-111 114-115

source fo r P ico s Ka bbal is t ic theses

3 1 - 3 3 4 8 5 1 5 6 - 5 7 5 9 - 6 0

o n

Ze

110-111 114-115

o n

Zoth

7 5 - 7 6

Sa arey Sedeq

13 31 73 -7 4 79;

manuscr ipts of 74

Giorgio Francesco

198-199

Giuliano Mariotto de Medici

5 205

gnostic elements in

Bahir

58

goat, affin ity to spirit 194

God,

love to Israel 154

God, name(s) of

Adonai, ADNI

7 8 31 36 73 166 223

226; Holy Spirit 166

Adonai-EIohim

5 1 - 5 2 ;

Sefirah

χ 166

creation by letters of 82

Ehyeh, EHYH

31 166 226; G od the

Father 166 197;

Seßrah

i 166 226

El

34; secret of ten grade s 73 -7 4

Elohim

8 31 40 73 110 222 226 232; in

crea t ion and sefirot 7 3 - 7 4

four names in Gen. 1:1 128

Hebrew — involved in Orphic magic

196

IS

177-178

Kabbala of 63

knowle dge o f 86-87

of for ty- two le t te rs 93

le t t e r -c ombina t ion o f 86-87

middah

141-142

MSPS 4 3 - 4 4 5 6

mysteries of the Law 214

Sabaot

147

sc ience of , prac t ica l Kab ba la 139-1 40

Scripture as texture of 57 75

symbol i sm of 6 -7

three names, Trinity 197

washing off 35

T r i a g r a m m a t o n

YHW

36 -37 82 224

YHSWH2\

T e t r a g r a m m a t o n YHWH , nomen

ineffabile

7 8 23 31 33 34 39 40 42 43

51 58 71 73 115-116 166-167 222

226; knowledge by ten

sefirot

134-135; magical use of 148;

Mess iah s na me 166 218 239;

nomen

essende

23; pro per ty of Clem ency

a nd Judg me n t 181 ; G od the Son ,

Trinity 166 167 197; Sefirah vi

166-167 181

Ze

82 163 164

Golden Calf 163

Gom brich Erns t 182

Gospe ls con f irm Chris t iani ty 123-1 24

Go ttlieb Eph raim 74 194

grades, secret of ten 73

Grandinus 41

Gre atne ss, tree of 30

Green line encircles the universe 26 181

186

Ham nun a the Old, Rav 48

Ha nna , pray er of 31 226

Ha s id i sm, Ge rm a n 59

he (Hebrew le t te r)

a d d e d t o A b r a a m 3 3 - 3 4

last letter of YHWH, creation

by 7 36-37 39 40 82

hea t , color, in th ree levels of bei ng 180

heaven,

samayim

176 217 245

combina t ion of f i re and wate r 180-181

crea ted by le t te r

he 1

heart of 43 208

three parts of 247

He bre w

a lpha be t 189-190

order of le tters 206

punc tua t ion 75 222

symbol i sm of Ka bba la 6 7

Heca te , Hy mn of 197

Hecha loth , Pa laces 232

Heliazer Garnozensis, see Eleazar of

W o r m s

Herm es Tr ismegis tus 198-19 9

He rm etic dei Alius 198 -19 9

He se d ,

Pietas,

Mercy, Char i ty ,

se e

Sefirah

iv

hieroglyphic symbols 182

Hilarius 122

knew mysteries of the Law 126

Hind , Ayala 34

prophecy by horn of 34

[27 ]



ndices

Hiyya Rav 42

Hizkiyah King 46

Rabbi 156

Hod

Decor,

Majes ty , see

Seflrah

viii

Hokmah Wisdom, see

Sefirah

ii

hokmat ha-seruf se e

ars comb inandi

homo primus see Adam

host of heaven hum il ia t ion of 51

Iaacob ben Phataia 150

Iamblichus 142

idolatory

24

Image of God

beselem elohym

33

Imm a Sa lom 36

incarnation 132 178

Innocent VIII Pop e = Gio vann i Ba t is ta

Cibo, Cardina l of Molfe t ta 17-18 72

115-116 129

bull cond emn ing Pico s theses 123

Intellectus agens 100

is a rchange l M eta tro n 101

isopsephic equivalent of Israel 8

Intellectus Saraphicus 180

intention in prayer, see Kawwanah

I o a n n e s ( Joha na n) 172

Iodan rab i 126

Ioseph 172

Is

virum,

T r ini ty 177-178

Isaac 2 4 - 2 5


pref igura t ion of Chris t 110-111 113

145 162-163

Isaac rabi 30 39 172

Isaac of Acre on ana lo gy be tween

T a be rna c le , Wor ld , Ma n 248-250

263

Isaac the Blind of Pos quie res 188

Isaac Narbonensis 187-188

Isim angels 101

Ismael rabi 126

high priest 232

isopsephic equations 7 - 8 70-7 2 74 87

104 115 189-190 233

Israel

beauty of 39

love to God 154

seed of 49 206

Iustus 162 239

Saddiq

42

is Adam 33

Jacob 2 4 - 2 5

burial of 49


inte rpre ta t ion of his name 240

his knowledge of gate to

sefirot

1 1 0 1 1 2

Jerome St. 124 132 186

Prologus in Galateo

171

Jerusalem heavenly 132

Jesus elohey nekhar

118; see also Chris t

homo 108

a Kabbalist 109

Kabbal is t ic inte rpre ta t ion of his name

161-162 165 218

prefiguration of 110-111 113 118 145

162

Sefirah

ii 174

Jewish converts

apolog e t ic l i te ra ture of 110

a nd Chr i s t i a n Ka bba la 185-186

John S t . 10 8-109

Joseph 49 50

Jubilee YWBL, year of Yovel 32 35 49 50

supe r io r 49-50

magnus Iobeleus

187

Kabbala

of Abula f ia 59 60 62-63 74 86-87 90-91

104 127 134 137 232

of Axelrad 59

a c c ord ing to J e wish tr a d i t ion 121-122

124-127

a l legor ica l in te rpre ta t ion 175

and Aris tote l ianism 99

c ombina t iona l , l e t t e r - c ombina to ry 63

73-74 125 134 143 258; see

ars

combinandi

contempla t ive , two kinds of 160

divinely revealed mysteries of the Law,

my stical 12 1-13 3 140 215

first principle of 100-104

Ger one se school of 103-104 176 235

of Gicatilla 57 74

inse pa ra b le f rom He bre w 6-7

[ 2 7 1 ]



ndices

Jewish — confi rms Chris t ian i ty 10 64 69

106 121 -12 4 133 145 161-1 70 178 239

two kinds of 63 124-125 143 145

three kinds of 134

of

Liber Redemptions

8 6 - 8 7 9 0 - 9 1

l ink with Chris t ian dogma 106

l inks Orphe us , Z oroa s te r , w i th

Chris t iani ty 197 199-200

magic , a l l iance with 80-81 133 145

150-151 187-191 194-197 222-226

mod e s o f de m ons t ra t io n 100-101

of Pico 64-65 70 74 127 134 145

in Pico 's condemned magica l theses 123

125

in Pico's Conclusiones... Isaac

Narbonensis

187-188

in Pico's Oratio 122

in Pico's sources 74

a nd P la to ' s

Epinomis

190

and Pla tonism 99

practical 80-81 133 135 143 146 148-151

pr im a et ve ra 121 124 125

read by Chris t ians 10 20 64

of Recana t i 63

revea led theology 123 -124 14 4-145

scientia de virtutibus rerum superiorum

123-125 132-133 143-145

science usurped by Jews 125

of

sefirot cabala numerationalis

60 63 74

104 134

seventy books of Ezra of , see Ezra

speculative 63 80 133 135-139 143 146

149-151 222-226

teache s us to read the La w 97 175-17 6

in Vat. Ebr. 190, kind of 62

Chris t ian Kabba l is ts on 109

See a lso Pico, Kabba la

Kabbalistic inte rpre ta t ion of Chris t ian

texts 167

me thods o f d i s c ove r ing t ru th 9

Kabbalists view of De a th 153 -1 59

kallah h a-kelulah, sponsa ornata

45

Kawwanah, intent ion in praye r 147-1 48

151-152 160 226-229

Keter, Corona Crown, s e e Seflrah i

Kingship of G od 43

Kircher A. 87

Kiss,

union of lovers, union with celestial

lover 153-155; see

mors osculi

Koran 3 - 4

Kristeller P.O.

12 13 20

L a F r a t t a

3 -5 57 211

Lancilotto of Faenza, Lancea

Fa ve n t ino 73 114-115

language

of Ka bba l i s t i c books 6 -7

i ts role in Kabba la 80-81

myst ic ism in Kabba la 141

See symbolic language

Law, Book of Law, Scr iptures

all sciences and a rts con cealed in 182 219;

revealed to Moses 126

literal — an d m ystery, mod es of knowledge

of 129-231

mode of reading of 181-183

symbolic inte rpre ta t ion of 184

Leo 62 72

Letter-combination, hokmat ha-seruf ars

combinandi

6 -9 22 63 73 818 6-8 7 96 -97

101-103 125 128 136-139 143 145

151-152 165 189-190 217 220-221

232-234 239 258-261

in Abulaf ia 232

of bereSit 217 220-2 21 258-25 9

key to mysteries of the Law 129 130 172

181-184 189-190

knowledge of God by 86

knowle dge o f g re a t na me s by 134-135

in Pico's sources 148

of

Sefer Yesirah

86

Letters, a bbre v ia t ions t r a ns fo rme d in to

n u m b e r s 7 8 - 8 1

Letters

of divine names , symbolism of 6 36

of the Law orda ined by ten

sefirot

4 5 - 4 6

are means of magic 140-141

mystery of 97

a nd numbe rs 227-229 232

of Satan 36

subs t i tu t ion , atbash 43 96-97

symbolism of , in Pico, Nahmanides ,

Recana t i 148-149 165-166 171-172

2 1 3 - 2 1 4

[272]



ndices

t r anspos i t ions o f 58 96-97

revolut ion of 81 125 144-145

of T orah , and

seflrot

4 5 - 4 6

Levi ben Gershom

(Gersonides) 99 172

Comm entariorum in Cantica

157-15 8 263

tropological in terpretat ion 262

Liber Combinationum ( anony m ou s ) 23

5 9 - 6 0 6 3 - 6 4 2 2 0 - 2 2 1 2 5 8 - 2 6 0

sourc e for P ico s theses 23 59 60

au thor sh ip o f 258

Liber de Patribus

( t r ac ta te

Abot)

9 1 - 9 2

Liber de Radicibus seu Terminis Cabala

(Sefer ha-Sorasimj

sou rce of Pic o s theses 19 -20 29 43 61 62

179 192

on

Ά ζ , homo, memxala rixona

107-108

on

sex extrema

29

on wine,

yayin

192

o n

YWBL

( Jubi lee) 40

Liber dei,

heaven s , creat ion 175

Liber Generationis Hominis

(sepher

toldoth adam)

147

Liber R edemptions (Abu la f ia ,

Sefer

Ge ulla)

8 84 - 94 97 -98 250

a u t h o r s h i p o f 7 1 - 7 3 8 6 - 9 1

prophe t ic Kabba la o f 86 -87 90-91

source of Pico 247

t r ans fo rm ed by Mi th r ida tes 84 92-94

9 7 - 9 8

Liber Sapientia Magna Salomonis in

Aram aic 219

light

2 6 - 2 9

concealed, pr imordial 38-39 191

in f i rm am ent 38-39

is

sefirah

2 6 - 2 8

Lilit 39

liturgy,

t ran sform ed by Kab bal is ts 147

Logos,

se e

verbum

love

m an and wi fe 35-36

i n f e r i o r - s u p e r i o r 4 7 - 4 8

worsh ip o f Go d f rom 91

Luciniano

17

Lull

Ram on 259

ar t of , see ars Raymundi

Luria Isaac

Kabba la o f 240

Seder Aziluth

240

Ma areket ha- Elohut 41 78 -79 191

m anuscr ip t used by Mi th r ida tes 79

magia con f irm s Chr is t iani ty 123-124

magia naturale

123 -125 143 150-1 51; see

Kabba la , m ag ic

magic

demonic 149

of inwardness 160

and Kabbala 140-141 150 194 222-225

Kabba la t r ans fo rm ed by Mi th r ida tes in to

80

in myst ic ism of language, of prayer ,

specu la t ive Kabba la 147-150 222-225

as pract ical Kabbala 133

two kinds of 261

use of le t ter -combinat ion in 80-83

use of divine names in 135

Magnus Aquile 25

Maimonides, s ee Moses ben Maim on

Malfecta, see Innocent VIII

Malkut, K ingdom , Regnum , s ee

Sefirah χ

perfect io n of 156-1 57

man

ascens ion to G od 111-11 2 114-11 5

three par ts of 247-248

perfect ion of 156-15 7

his union with Go d 13; with wife 35-3 6

Manaem,

s ee Recana t i Menahem

manuals

of magic 150

of Kabbal is t ic symbols , see

Liber de

Radicibus

mare,

sea =

S e f i r a h

χ 29 42

Margarita

5 17 204 -205

Martini Raymundus,

R a m o n M a r t i ,

Pugio

Fidei

111 114 163 -16 4 168 -16 9

177-178

Chris t ianizing rabbinic texts 163-164

on Gen. 1:26 110

inf luence on Pico 163-16 4

martyrdom 154

Masoretic spelling,

mysteries of the

Law 55 171

master

of the nose,

dominus naris

48-49 148

of worship ,

domini operanies

80

mater superior 35

[ 73]



ndices

mathematics 131

Matthew (evangelist) 145

measure

of mercy, of judg men t , see proper ty

Melchiar Magorum oracula

241

mens paterna in Z oroa s te r 198-199

mentes see Cherubiae

Mercati Car dina l Gio vann i 99 157 263

Merchiava Merkabah, Ch ar io t 24 30

a n d

ars combinandi

136-138

inferior 138 146 193

triplex

136 138-140 143 193

two kinds of 39-40

Messiah

Adam Kadmon

240

coming of 95

YHWH, na me of 166 218 239

in Recana t i 110-111

spirit of 177

metaphysica formalis 139 140 143 254

Metatron a rc ha nge l ,

Intellectus agens

101

193 199-200 231-232

na ar, puer

193 199-200

Michael archang e l , ce les t ia l pr ies t 21 -22

41

sacrifices souls 158 -159 230

Michelozzi Nicolö 15

middah divine nam e 141-142; see

quantitas\

prope r ty

midnight t ime of uni on 36

Midrash

me th od o f in te rp re ta t ion 2 62-263

on G en . 1:26 110

Miriam

death of 163

pref igura t ion of 118

mirror tha t shines (specula lucentis ) , that

does not shine 37 -38 178-179 216

Mispat Judgme nt , s e e

sefirot

Mithridates 34

Abulaf ia his favor i te 70

parodying Abulaf ia ' s s tyle 118

abuses Sixtus IV 15

h is a c qua in ta nc e wi th Cusa nus ' works

102

his a c qua in ta nc e wi th Ka bba la 73-7 4

an ant i -Chris t ian inte rpola t ion 118

books on accentua t ion of Hebrew and on

Maccabees 114

c al le d Y H W H 1 1 6 - 11 7

ca l led Samuel 116-118

com petence as t rans la tor 50 67 -7 6 100

102

wri tes in Ethiopic charac te rs 242

forerunner of Pico ' s Kabba la 69

his inf luence on Chris t ian Kabba la 69 84

and Innocent VIII 17 115-116

Kabbala of 104

l inks Kabba la with Chris t iani ty 106-112

Latin t rans la t ions of Kabba l is t ic texts

for Pico 4-5 9 11-15 69-75 106 114-119

235

for Sixtus IV 15

a u togra ph ma nusc r ip t s o f 11-16 19-21

chronology of 5-6 10 15-16 61 73 102

204-205

chr is t ianiz ing 106-119

inte rpola t ions , parentheses , margina l ia ,

t r a ns fo rming the t e x t s 4 -5 61-62

69-75 84 114-119; and see

Index of Sources

Lat in t rans la t ions

of Abula f ia , De Secretis Legis 85 87

94-98; i ts inf luence on Pico 98-99 105

of Abula f ia ,

Hayyey ha-Nefes

85 87

of the Book

Bahir

174 204 -208

of

Com entum Sepher lesire

II 14 37

8 2 - 8 3

of

Commentum Voluminis de Proportione

Divinitatis

194

of


7 7 - 8 0

of E le a z a r o f Worms ,

De Anima

16

of Gica t i l la , Portae Iustitiae 73-76 ;

Ka bba la o f

sefirot

in 74

of Levi ben Gershom,

Commentary on

Canticles 157-158

of

Libellus de Secretis Legis Man ifestandis

134

of

Liber Misteriorum Venerabilium

150

of Liber Combinationum 23 182 220 -22 1

3 3 3 - 2 3 4

of

Liber de Ordo Geneseos

216

of Liber de Radicibus 50

of

Liber Redemptions

8 71-7 6 98

of Mose s be n Na hma n ,

Comentum Sepher

lesire

58 236

[274]



ndices

of Recana t i ,

Commentary on Genesis

2 0 4 - 2 0 8 ;

Commentary on Pentateuch

( los t) 15-16 28 45 1 58-159;

Liber de

Secretis Orationum et Benedictionum

Cabale 52

of Scriptures: Deut. 28:10 116; Isa. 26:4

81 -82 ; Isa . 58:9 174; M atthe w 28:15

108; Jo hn 10:16 108-109 ; Rom ans

11:17, 24 109

ma nusc r ip t o f

Ma areket ha- Elohut,

used

by 79

v ie w on Ma imon ide s 8 4-9 9

on the Mess iah 110-111

his mo ck myste r ies 1 15-118

h is nume r ic a l symbol i sm 77- 80

pederas ty of 114-115

taught Kabba la to Pico 4 10; taught

He bre w, Ara b ic , Ara ma ic to P ic o 3 -5

170-171; inf luence on Pico 75 84 98;

re la t ions with Pico 72-73

in Rome 72

Sermo de Passione

106 111-114

teacher of or ienta l languages 3-5 69 73

170-171

his use of isopsephy and

gematria

7 0 - 7 2

his use of

Ze

111-112 115

vocabula ry of 39 45 47 141

See a lso Pico, Kabba l is t ic sources

modes of demonstration three 100-101

modus procedendi

in Scientiis

260

per numeros 8

Molfetta Car dina l of , see Innoce nt VIII

mors osculi (mytat nesiqah), Death of the

Kiss 50 152-1 60 192-1 93

a l legor ica l in te rpre ta t ion of 175

of Pa t r ia rc hs a nd M ir ia m 153-159

Moses

bur ia l o f 49-50

his death with a kiss 153 155-156 158

husband of roya l Lady 50

and mysteries of the Law 129 171 175

prophecy of 6 34 37 127 178

a Kabbalist 127

received Gates of Intelligence 213

Moses ben Maimon (Ma imo nides ) 8 73 84

126 172 175

Aris tote l ian phi losophy of 62

Book of

Mada\

c h a p .

Heleq

128

on Ca nt . 1:2 154-1 55

on Death of the Kiss 154-155 157

Dux Neutrorum,

Vat . La t . 4274 98 -9 9

E i g h t c h a p t e r s ,

Octo capitula,

secrets

in 91

Guide of the Perplexed , c omme nta r ie s on ,

thir ty-s ix secre ts in 84-99 154-155

a Kabbal is t in phi losophica l guise 84-99

131

Ka bba l i s t t e a c he r o f Abula f ia 87-88

91-96 98

on

m a aseh merkaba

137

P ic o on 9 8-9 9

on prophecy 158

tropologica l in te rpre ta t ion of 262

Moses ben Nahman Ge rundine ns i s ,

Nahmanides 77 172

Commentary on Pentateuch

55 128

2 1 3 - 2 1 4

Com mentary on Sefer Yesirah

58 236

o n Eyn-sof an d sefirot 236

on le t te r -symbolism 213-214

Liber de Ordine Geneseos 216; Pico

in f lue nc e d by 213-214

M S P § see God, name(s) of

Museus on dru nke nne ss 186 192

mysteries secrets of the Law

Abulafia on 130 132

concea led in le t te rs 129-130 170-174 182

and Kabbala 100-101 125-126 130

revealed to Christian witnesses 126; to

Moses 122 126 174

revea led by le t te r -symbolism and

c ombina t ion 129 171-172 258-260 ;

by Ma imonide s 96 ; by

revolutio legis,

alphabetaria revolutio

137-138

a re

Sitrey Torah

126-127

mystical interpretation 177-178

mystical symbolism 172

mystical union 152

mysticism

of language 148-149; magic and

222-224

of prayer 148-150 159 222; magic and

148-149 151 222-225

[ 75 ]



ndices

na'ar, puer,

boy 72 -7 3 114 115

ident i f ied with Act ive Intel lect , Metatron

193

Nachman

rabi 126

Nahmanides,

see Moses ben Nahm an

Nehunya ben ha-Qanah

R a b b i

172 208

Neonias,

see Nehunya

Ne ah, A eternitas,

see

Seflrah

vii

New Year's liturgy, hayyom harat olam,

A b u l a f i a o n

103-104

Neoplatonic drunkenness

two kinds of 192

Neoplatonic logic

60

Neoplatonism

139 198 200

in Abu la f ia 250

night

ruled by evi l spir i ts , by proper ty of

J u d g m e n t 3 8 - 3 9

of Orpheus 196

nihil est extra se

100-103

Nissim Abul Farag,

Mi th r ida tes ' f a the r

70

Noah's sons,

seven com m andm ents to 24

non ens,

se e

ain

north

40 146 188

number mysticism

in Kabba la 83 140-141

sym bol i sm of 77-83

numbers

and letters , keys to all knowledge

190

numeratio

see

seflrah, sefirot

numerological speculation,

Pythagoreanism 187

Occam 's Razor 98

occidence 206-207

offerings,

cont inual burnt , see Michael

Onk elos 41 172

opus cabalae 164 194-196

Pico on 140-141

opus currus, opus geneseos, m a ase beresit-

ma ase merkaba, sapientia naturalis-

sapientia divina

131

Oral Law,

Jewish Sages

Pico on 126-127

revealed to Moses

121-122, 126-127

Oratio,

see Pico

Origenes 122

knew mysteries of the Law 126

Orpheus

186 192 196

l ink with Chr is t iani ty 197-199

Orphic Hymns

147-148 195-197

Palermo

70

Pallas

198-199

Paradise

30

PaRDeS

262

Paris

5

Parmenides

198

paths

th i r ty - two — of w isdom 32

4

58 145-146

179 190

of

sefiroth

139

Patriarchs,

their dea th with a kiss 153-1 58

prophecy by

Seflrah

χ 34

by m i r ro r s 37 -38

Patrizi Francesco

2 4 3 - 2 4 4

Paul

St. 132 244

and Kab ba la 108-109

knew myster ies of the Law 126

Paulus de Heredia, Ensis Pauli

169 186

peace

place of

bohu

41

m ad e peace in excels is 41

Perles J.

256

Perugia

4 5

Pesat

2 6 2 - 2 6 3

Petro de la Cavellaria, Tractatus Zelus

Christi

169 186

Petrus

62 72

phallic symbolism

28 45

Philon, Liber Sapientia Salomonis

219

Philonic ideas

179

Phylacteries, Teflllyn, Batey Teflllyn,

domunculae

32 39 -40

parasiyot

o f — and four

sefirot

39

Pico Gian Francesco

244

Hebrew s tudies of 256

Pico Giovanni della Mirandola

in Arezzo 5 17

in cas t le S t . Angelo 17-18

in Florence (1488) 256; (1489) 15

in France 5 214

in L a F ra t t a 3 -5 57 211

in Perugia 4 5

in Rome 5 16 17 72

[276]



ndices

and

alphabetaria revolutio

1 36-13 8 172 261

Al em an no J . s inf luence on 256 257

o n

Amen

106

on analogical l ikeness of Tabernacle ,

W o r l d , M a n 2 4 5 - 2 5 0

Apology

10 18 19 99 122 -127 132 -13 4

143-145 172 174-177 187 213 215

2 5 9 - 2 6 3

his

ars combinandi

259-261

on

Az

107 162 174

au tho r s , works , m en t ioned by 20-2 1

books , used by , Aram aic , Arab ic , Greek ,

Pers ian 5-6 20 241 243

books of Kabbala acquired by 132

on

BereSit

(Gen. 1:1) 41 172 176 179

181-184 221 233-234 246 258

Chaldean Orac les , com m enta ry on

2 4 1 - 2 4 4

Chr i s t i an Kabba la , h i s con t r ibu t ion to 9

10 124 151 167-169 191 195 200 239

Chris t iani ty , h is Kabbal is t ic

confirmation of 122 132 149-151 161

179 184-187 195-197 239 240

chr is t ianizing in terpretat ion of Jewish

texts 110 162-169 239

chr is t ianizing Z oro as te r s sayings

193-194

on c i r cum cis ion 44-45

Comm entary on Psalms

184 344

Comm ento sopra una canzona famore di

Girolamo Benivieni

3 99 125 15 3-1 54

160 175 187 193 198-199 256-257

Conclusiones

ed i t ions o f 209-212

date of 211

condemnation of 17 122-123 125 172

defence on 17 121-123 125 133 161


123-125 150-151

m a rk the beg inn ing o f Chr i s t i an K abba la

169

Conclusiones... secundum Hebraeorum

Cabalistarum,

Conc l . i -x lv i i 21 -52

their order fol low s Rec anat i s

Commentary

5 5 - 5 6

Concl. i 158-159 ii 59 iii 59 142 181 258

vii 181 χ 190 xiii-xiv 57 xv 210 xvii-

xviii 56 xix 58 75 xxv 168 xxvii 29

xxviii 56 xxix 56 58 142 xxx 56 xxxiii 55

214 xl- xli ii xlvi 56 xlvii 56 106 148 xlviii

63 75 155

Conclusiones Cabalisticae secundum

opinionem propriam

19 21 161

chronology of 151

purpose of 161 186-187

Concl. i 133-135 140 149 ii 136 139 140

260-261 iii 139 140 254 iv 235-237 ν

161 vi 166 197 vii 1 61 -1 62 16 7 168 218 χ

198-200 xi 158 xii 160 xiii 159 xiv 165

218 xv 166 218 xvi 165 210 xvii 186-187

192 xx 107 162 174 176 xxi 111 145 162

164 176 xxii 162 176 xxiii 162-163 xxiv

163 176 xxv 140 141 179 xxv i 179 xxviii

176 xxix 186 187 xxxi 176 xxxii xxxiii

177 xxxv 237 xxxvi 138 237 xxxvii 138

167 168 184 xxxix 168 xli 171-172 xlii

168 xliii 165 xlvii 188

138 146 liii 178

lviii 179 lix 164 176 184 lx 164 184 lxi

164 167 168 1761xii 145 160 lxiii 98 lxiv

179 Ixvi 189 lxvii 180 lxviii 143 147 187

Ixx 181 Ixxii 175-176

Conclusiones secundum Iamblichum,

concl .

viii 210

Conclusiones secundum Isaac Narbonensem

88

Conclusiones Magicas secundum opinionem

propriam

123 187-191 1 94-195

Concl. ix, xv-xviii 194 xxii 189 xxv 83

140 141 194

Conclusiones de Mathematicis secundum

opinionem propriam,

Concl. xi 190

Conclusiones secundum... Mercuri Trismegisti,

Concl . χ 187-188

Conclusiones secundum Moysem Aegyptium

99

Conclusiones secundum propriam opinionem

...hymnos Orphei

Concl. i 195 196 ii 148 iv ν ix χ xiii xv

195-197 xxi 141 196

Ka bb ala in 106-10 7 147-148 187 191

194-196

Conclusiones paradoxae secundum opinionem

propriam,

Co nc l. Iv, lxxi 189

Conclusiones hilosophicae secundum opinio-

nem propriam,

Co ncl. lxxx 189

Conclusiones secundum opinionem propriam

[277]



ndices

in doctrinam Platonis, Concl. xxxii 190

Conclusio mente Porphyrii

186

Conclusiones secundum Proclum,

Co ncl. xvii

251

Conclusiones secundum propriam opinionem...

dictionis Zoroastris

19 205

Kabbala in 187 191-194

c omme nta ry on 241-244

Concl. vi 191 vii 192 viii 193 xiv 193 197

xv 194

Concord ia Aristotelis cum Platone

243

on c or re sponde nc e o f sou l

- s e f i r o t

189

on c rea t ion

ex nihilo

105

Disputationes adversus Astrologiam 18 243

on divine hierarchy 251

on drunkenness 186 192

enarrationes in eloquia Sacra

( C o m m e n -

ta r ies on Scr ipture ) 243-244

his encounter with Kabbala 4 10 105 121

122 149 151 215 235 247 256-258 262

on evil 188-189

on

Eyn-Sof

a n d

sefirot

235-238

Epistola ad ignotum amicum 4 10 11 57

211 130 170-171

on Hebrew le t te rs 164-165

Heptaplus

172 173 180 182 183 214 219

245-247 250 263; da te of 214-215;

Ka bba la in 172; Na hm anid es in 2142 19

on Jesu s ' name 165 218

K a b b a l a

Ch ris t ian K abb a la of 12 64 65 70 121 -

127 136 215 239 240

kinds of 63 123-125 132-139 143-146

149-152 161-169

on Jewish Kabba la 125

in

Oration

a n d

Apology

112-125

and magic 125 143-145 187-191 195-196

and Neo pla to nism 198 200

and Pla to , Pythagoras 187

practical, sources of 139-141 143

150-152 160 254

pr im a e t vera C ab a l a 143 145

of sefirot 74

speculative 63 136 138 139 150 261

studies of , in Hebrew, La t in 3-6 8-10 20

5 3 - 5 5 6 0 - 6 3 2 5 6 - 2 5 7

Kabbal is t ic sources

of the

conclusiones

7 20-2 1 26 53-55

59-60 63-65 135 188-189

lists of 59 63-64

P ic o ' s de pe nde nc e on Mi th r ida te s '

t r a ns la t ions o f 64-65

A b u l a f i a ,

De Secretis Legis

129-132 170

238;

Liber Redemptions

247;

Summa

60

133-134

Axe l ra d , Corona 59 64 235-2 36

Azrie l of Gerona ,

Quaestiones

105

2 3 5 - 2 3 8

Bahir

19 -20 58 59 180

Ba hya be n Ashe r 248-250 262-263

c omme nta r ie s on

Sefer Yesirah

in Vat.

Eb r. 191 7 - 8 57 59 236

Commentum Voluminis

194


57 59 60 64 235

E le a z a r o f Worms ,

De Anima

16 18

Expositio Decern Num erationum

57 59

Gica t i l la ,

Portae Iustitiae

56 -57 59 60 64

Isaac of Acre 248-250 263

L e vi be n Ge rshom,

Commentariorum in

Cantica

157-158

Libellus de Secretis Legis Manifestanda 134

Liber Combinationum

59 60 258 260

Liber de Radicibus

19 20 43 179 192

no magic in 150

M a i m o n i d e s '

Guide

98 99 154-155 157

Mithr ida tes ' in te rpola t ions in his

t rans la t ions 8 3-8 4 105 107 238

M o s e s b e n N a h m a n ,

Commentary on

Genesis

213-215 ; on

Sefer Yesirah

236

Proc lus 251

Re c a na t i , Commentary on Pentateuch 19

55 -5 6 59 -6 4 155-1 58 170 180 205 235

Sefer Yesirah

5 7 - 5 8

Va t ic a n ma nusc r ip t s 5 -6 12-21 26 ;

M S Chigi 59 64; Vat . Ebr . 189 17- 19;

Vat . Ebr . 190 19-2 1 59 -6 4 99

148-14 9 237; V at . E br . 191 19-2 1

5 7 - 5 9

Zohar

20 55 252 -25 3

le t t e r -c ombina t ion 129-130 148-149

165-166 171-172 213-214 ; s e e a bove

alphabetaria revolutio; ars combinandi

le t te rs to Domenico Benivieni 4;

[ 78]



ndices

Giro lamo Benivieni 4; And rea C orneo 3;

Fic ino 3- 4 241; Nicolo Miche lozz i 15

library of 20; see Gaffarel

o n

Magia naturale

143-144

ma gic in Orph ic Hymns 147-148

195-197

manuals of magic 150

Ma imonide s a Ka bba l i s t 98-99 132

o n

merchiava

136 138 -139

on Meta tron 193 199-200

Messiah s nam e 218

Mithr ida tes inf luence

69 75-81 83 84 105 107 238

mors binsica mors osculi 152-160

2 5 2 - 2 5 3

mysteries of the Law 129-130 133

170-176 181-184

myst ic ism of prayer 148-150

n a m e d

Elohim isc

117-118

operari in Cabala

157 159 160

Oratio

, Oration 122 124 173 174 187 200;

e d i t ions o f 241 ; Cha ld e a n quo ta t ion ,

Ethiopic charac te rs in 241-242;

divinely revealed Kabbala in 132;

d i f f e re n t Ka bba la f rom Apology 122

124; mysteries of the Law 173 174

his philosophical studies 123

Philosophia Catolica

136 138

Pla tonism and Chris t iani ty 200

pos thumous pa pe r s 243

on prayer 147-150; see

Kawwanah

Pugio fidei

influence of 163-164 168-16 9

on Sab ba t = Jesus 165 262 -263

on

saeculum venlurum

190-191

on samayim (heaven) 180-181

Scr ipture , four methods of inte rpre ta t ion

2 6 2 - 2 6 3

Scr ipture , Kabba l is t ic inte rpre ta t ion of

262 -263 ; Ge n 1:1,

beresit

172 179;

Gen 1:3,

Lux

178 -179 216; Ge n. 1:9,

20 42; De ut. 6:4 179; Isa. 43:6

146 -147 ; Isa. 53:5 162; Jo b 25:2

40 -41 ; Jo b 28:12 105; Ca nt . 1 :2

154 -160 ; 4 Ezra 14 132; Jo hn 8:25,

56, 58 167-168; Son of Go d, M eta-

tron 194 199

on ten spheres and

seflrot

143 146-147

studies of Arabic , Aramaic , Hebrew 3-6

8-10 73 241

symbolic language of Kabba la , use of

179-184 194

symbo lism of f i f th day, e r ror in 2 7- 29

on T e t ra g ra m ma to n 165-166

on Ta lmud 127

Theologia inferior

254

poetic theology of 153

doc tr ine of Three Worlds 245-247 251

T r in i ta r ia n in te rp re ta t ion o f

Is

177-178;

of YHfVH 165-166

vocabula ry of 64 133-136 141 164-166

on Ze 111

planets 246

plants =

sefirot 29

Plato 187 198

Epinomis an d Ka bb a la 190

on love 154

Phaedros

245

Symposium

154

Platonic ideas 179

Platonism in Ka bb ala 122 187

Platonists 250

in Renaissance 198

Potestas in pseud o-Dio nysius 196

prayer s) 55 223 226

a t da ybre a k 47-48

to the maste r of the nose 48-49

myst ica l 147-150

as se lf - immola t ion 230

of sons 146-147

See

Kawwanah

precepts, nu mb er of 108

Priest, infe r ior , super ior 21

Prince of divine presence,

Sar ha-panim

86

princeps mundi 36 -37 58

prisca gentilium theologia 198-200

processus Dei ad extra 178

Proclos 250-251

property

proprietas middah

32 141 148

of c lemency, of compass ion, of mercy 31

34 38-39 43 47 181

of Da y a nd Nigh t 38-39

of judgm e nt 38- 39 42 47 -48 181

of North 188

[279]



ndices

of peni tence 40 176

of p ie ty , char i ty , flexed 3 2 4 7 - 4 8

prophecy 51 156 158

cessa t ion of 51

of Da n ie l , Da v id , p io us m e n , S o lom on 51

by Da ugh te r o f Vo ic e 51

e m a na t ion f r o m Ac t ive I n t el l e c t 86 ;

f r o m sefirot 31 34 51

wi th H ind s Ho r n 34

of Moses and Pa t r ia rchs 34 37 38

f r om m i r r o r s 37 38 1 78- 17 9

by Holy Spir i t 51

prophetic illumination by le t te r -

c om bin a t io n 86 179

prophetic Kabbala. s e e A b u l a f i a ,

Liber

Redemptionis

proselites. gerim, neofiti 112

Pythagoras 187 197 -19 9

Aurea Die la

6 9

Pythagoreanism in K ab ba la 122 187

Pythagoreans 250

purgatorium 132

quantitas formalis , middah, sefirah

141 -14 5 150 196; see pro pe r ty

Rah am im , C l e m e nc y , s e e sefirot

Rashi

on Cant ic les 154

on Jo b 25:2 40

Raziel = A b u l a f i a A b r a h a m 9 5

Recanat i Menahem,

Manaem

3 6 - 3 7 4 0

48- 49 70 255 257

o n amen 52

on ana logy of l ight , wa te rs , to

sefirot

28

a n d Bahir 2 8 - 29 55 191 204- 2 05

Comm entary on Genesis. a n o n y m o u s

t r a n s l a t i o n o f 2 0 4 - 2 0 8

Comm entary on Pentateuch 20 - 56 156- 159

191; on G en . 1:3 216; on G en . 1:14

38 - 39 ; on Ge n . 18 :20 - 21 47 ; on Le v .

1:2 159; M ith r id a te s t ran s la t io n of 15

16 19 55 58 62-64 74 170 180 191;

m a in sou r c e f o r P i c o s Conclusiones

Cabalisticae secundum Hebraeorum

Cabalistarum 1 9 - 2 0 2 2 - 5 3 5 5 - 5 6

59 - 60 ; sou r c e f o r P i c o s Conclusiones

Cabalisticae secundum opinionem

propriam 5 9 - 6 4

o n l. yn-Sof and sefirot 235

h i s Ka bba la o f

sefirot

6 2 - 6 3 7 4

M i t h r id a t e s i n t e r po l a t ion s i n 158

a nd P ic o s o r d e r o f conclusiones 56

Comm entary on Prayers, De Secretis

Orationum seu Benedictionum 5 2 6 1 - 6 2

64 106 149

on dea th of the k iss 155 -158

on G od s t e n ga r m e n t s 255

on M e ss i a h 110- 111

on phylac te r ies 39

on prayers 230

011 pr op he cy 156 158

on sac rif ic e of the sou l 159 230

on sou l s t r a n sm ig r a t ion 56

o n Zc 1 1 1 - 1 1 2

a n d Zohar 55

redemptio. (ie ulla 32

redemption, t im e of 95

redemptor. Ze 162

Kehumeai r abi 206

Renaissance

phi losophy of love in 153

Ch ald ea n Orac le s in 191 241

resit ( b e g i n n i n g ) =hokmah ( w i sd om ) 41

Reuchlin Johannes 213 - 21 4 238

De Arte Cabalistica

180 187

De Verba Mirifico

167

read P ico s theses 218

a n d p e n t a g r a m YHSWH 218

revolutio legis 137

revolution, o f t h i r t y - t wo Ga te s 227

of l e t t e r - c om bina t io n 258 ; s ee

alphabelaria revolutio

righteousness 44

rivers of Eden 3 0 - 3 1 4 2

Rome 5 16 17 72

Rosenroth K no r r von 185

Ruah ha-Qodes. Ho ly Spir i t 51

Saadia Gaon 172

S ab aot 147

Sabbath

Pico s in te rpr e ta t ion of 165

symbol of 26 184

[280]



ndices

§addiq 49-50

Righ te ous 42 44

Salomon 172

Salt 42

Sam ael 24 195

samayim,

see heaven

Sapientia 75 104-105

divina (hokma t ha- Elohut), naturalis

(hokmat ha-teva ) 131

th ir ty- two pa ths of 41

is Son of God in Pythagoras 198-199

See

Sefirah

ii

Sar ha-panim,

Prince of divine presence

86

Sat an 36 37 159 188 195

isopsephic equiva lent of BYH

37

Scholem G. 49 58 63 103 109 119 134 139

147 150-151 160 175 182 194 238 261

div ine l a ngua ge ha s no g ra mma r

74-75 175

on Ka bba la a nd He bre w 6

o n

Liber Combinationum 59

ma gic o f inwa rdne ss

261

on Pico 's use of

Bahir 19

science, modus procedendo

mod es of

d e m o n s t r a t i o n

123-125

inc luded in the Law 182

of Ka bba la

100-111 134

revealed, non revealed

123-124

universa l

101

scientia cabalae, scientia receptionis, hokmat

ha-qabbala 134

of

sefirot

63 143-145 151

of Semot, nomina sacra 63 143 149

151 254

a s p ra c t ic a l Ka bba la

139-141

as specula t ive Kabba la

63

Sclafetano Giangiacomo

J . J a c obus

115-116

Scot John 103

Scripture

as texture of divine names

75

as divine language 6

inte rpre ta t ion of , anagogica l

38

in te rpre ta t ion of , by le t te r subs t i tut ion

a nd t r a nspos i t ion

97

four methods of inte rpre ta t ion of

262-263

symbolic inte rpre ta t ion of

7

t ropologica l in te rpre ta t ion of

99

See Index of Scr iptura l and Rabbinica l

Quota t ions

sea, Shekinah 42

sechel,

tropologica l in te rpre ta t ion

99

262-263

secrets

of Ma imonide s '

Guide 85-86 91

93-94 96 128;

see mysteries, secrets,

of the Law

Sedech, Zedeq

, gate of

112

Sefer Ge'ulla 88 -9 0; se e

Liber Redemp-

tions

Sefer ha-Sorasim,

see

Liber de Radicibus

Sefer Ye irah,

Book of Crea t ion

5 7 - 5 8

63 73 137 145-146 179 190 223 227

235-2366

combina t iona l Kabba la in , le t te r -

c ombina t ion in 73 86 258 260

not read by Pico

57

commentar ies on, in Vat . Ebr .

191 57-59;

se e

Com entum Sepher Iesire

Sefirot

104

ana logy to l ight and wate r

26 28

a sc e nd ing-de sc e nd ing 178-179

in Book of Crea t ion

145-146 235

char iot of the four

39

correspond with days of week

2 6 - 3 0

c or re spond wi th huma n sou l

189

divine emanat ion of

63

var ious doc tr ines of 58 235

an d Eyn-Sof 235 -23 8

a nd the F lood

33

gates to

115

glossary of Kabbalistic symbols of 61 ; see

a lso

Liber de Radicibus

hierarchy of 188

intelligible and angelic forms of

140

a nd ma gic

196

Masorah

represents mysteries of 55

m e d i a t o r s b e t w e e n G o d - W o r l d 237-238

mystical theory of

135

names of , turned into numerica l

symbolism

35 57 78-81

nine

145

numbe r o f 235

numeratio

26 60 146

phylac te r ies

39

in Pico's practical, speculative Kabbala

139-140 149-150

[28 ]



ndices

prophecy by 31 34 51

rivers of Eden 30

symbol i sm of 61-62 77-80 179-181 184

te n le tt e rs o f T o ra h 45 -46 73 -74

2 3 5 - 2 3 6

ten represented by Az 174

ten garments 237

tr iadic conf igura t ion of ten 106-107

138-140 167 193

union o f 35 -36 106-107

verbum,

symbol of ten 162

See

middah;

mirror ; severance ; see a lso

unde r e a c h

sefirah

Sefirah i Corona, Keter, Cheter 26 31 33 75

78-79 104 105 107 115 138 189 236

ain, non ens 75 105

EHYH, Ehyeh

166 226

Sefirah

ii

Sapientia,

W i s d o m

Hokmah

26

29 30 39 41 75 78 79 189 198-199

day of Christ 167

Eden 30

form or ma t te r 176-177

Jesus Son of God 167-168 174 193-194

198-199

Principium, in principio, Beginning resit

25-26 29 39 41 174 179

Sefirah

iii

Intelligentia, Binah

26 28- 30

32-33 35 39 75 78-80 82 107 115

138-139 181 189 193

beth 35

celi superiores, celos 26

fo rm or ma t te r 176-177

green line linea viridis 26 181

King 28-29

Mispat

77

Penitence

Tesuvah,

Re turn 28 35 40

176-177

proprietas poenitentiae

40 176

Son of G od 193-194

tohu 6

t h e a b o v e W o m a n

mater superior

35 75

YWBL,

lobe l Jubi lee 32 50

Sefirah

iv

Pietas,

Me rc y Cha r i ty

Hesed

27

29 31 -3 3 77 -79 107 138 180-181 189

Gre a tne s s Gedulla 29 30-31 39 79 138

Rahamim, Clem ency 23 77 181

day of Abraham 167

dextra 3 2 - 3 3

tree in Eden 30

water in heaven 180-181

YHWH

23

Sefirah

v

Potentia

M i g h t P o w e r

Geburah

24 29-31 39 47 79 80 138 188 189 196

Iudicia, J u d g m e n t Din 23 180-181 188

196

Timor, F e a r Pahad 27 79 80 107

fire in heav en 180 -181

Fear of Isaac 196

four th day of c rea t ion 27

Sefirah

vi

Gloria

G lory Be a u ty

Tifereth

27-31 34-3643-44 79 138 178-179 189

190-216

A d a m homo 107-108 190

Adam magnus 30

Arb i te r f i rs t 30

Clementia,

C l e m e n c y C o m p a s s i o n

Rahamim

23 34 38 43 77- 78 181

he a ve n

samayim,

green line 180 -181

Holy Blessed Be He 36 38

mirror tha t shines 38 178-179 216

Mispat

7 7 - 7 8

six corners of aedifice 29 44

union with beth 35

union with

Keneset Israel, Shekinah

3 5 - 3 6

YHWH

167 181

Sefirah

vii

Eternitas, Potentia, Nesah

27 39

79 107 138

Vic tory Nesah 27 29

fou r th f i f th day of c rea t ion 27

in merchiava inferiori

193

Oriens, East 106

Nor th 146-147

Septima 146-147 206

Sefirah viii Decor, Ma je s ty Hod 27 29 39

79 107 138-139 146-147 189 192

fou r th f i f th day of c rea t ion 27 28

in marchiava inferiori

193

Oc ta va 146-147

South 146-147

Sefirah ix Fundamentum, Yesod 22 23

27-29 39 42 45 76 107 111-113 115 138

147 183 186 189 221

Arb i te r s e c ond 28

br ide 45

[ 8 ]



ndices

seculi, Yesod Ό lam

29 42 75 76

Justus, Saddiq

42 145 162 239

phal lus 28 45

redemptor 145 162

s ixth day of creat ion 27

World 24 29

Ze, iste

75 76 111-113 145 162

Seflrah

x,

Regnum,

K i n g d o m ,

Malkut,

24

26 28-31 35 43 75 115 138 147 166

189

ADNI, Adonai

166

Ayala,

Hind 34

D i a d e m ,

Atheret, Atarah

27 29 34 43 45 51

79

Ga rde n of the King s Palace 29

heart of heavens 43

Holy Spirit 166

Keneset Israel,

Congregation of Israel 30

35 39

Kingdom of David 43

is mirror that does not shine 38 178 179

216

is

Mispat

77 78

is property of Night 38

is Sabbath 26 27

is

Shekinah,

24 30 34 -3 6 38 42 112; soul

adherence to 50 156

is river of Eden 31

is wine 192

the W om an be low,

mater inferior

35

Zot, haec

75 -76

Se e

mare

separation o f

sefirot,

of plants, see severance

serpent 25

severance

o f p lants ,

truncareplantas

2 4 - 2 5

47 134

sex extrema 29 44

shefa , em ana t ion, the Son 90

Shekinah 156

sea,

ya m

, west 38 42

See

Sefirah

χ

Sicily

70

Silenus

Simeon Rabi 29

ben Lakis (Benlagis) 73 126

ben Yohay 49 172

Simplicius

141

Sin,

origina l, in Ka bba la 132

of Sodomites 47

Sirruph Octioth,

le t ter -combinat ion, see

ars

combinandi

Sitrey Torah, see mysteries, secrets,

of the Law

Sixtus IV and M ithrid ates 15 17

Sodomites, sin of 47

Solomon

cur tains of 38

knew all sciences from Law 219

on Love 154

prayer of 26 51 163 181

wisdom of 52

Son of God

in Chr is t iani ty , Pagan phi losophies

198-199

and name of for ty- two let ters 71

is

Shefa ,

em ana t ion 90 194

is Wisdom 177

Song of Solomon 1:2 154

and Platonism 154

Soul

adherence to

Shekinah

50 156

body , s epara t ion f rom 153-160 193

body, union with 50

cor respondence w i th

sefirot

189

descent of 26-27

good , com ing f rom eas t 49

Kabba l i s t s on 153-156

Levi ben Ge rsho m on 157-158

Maim onides on 154-155

Pico on 153 -154 1 58-160

sacrifice of

2

- 2 2

sacr if ice by Michael to God 158-15 9

source of 25

super ior 50

transmigrat ion of 56

union of v i ta l and rat ional 135-136

South,

Negeb

32

water 40 146-147

Spanish Kabbalists

59

speculative Kabbala,

s ee Kabba la

speculum lucentis, see mirror

sphaera intelligibilis 198 -1 99

spheres

and ten

sefirot

Pico on 143 146-147

symbolism of 6 26-29

Sjur

3 6 - 3 7

[ 83 ]



Indices

symbolic language

o f K a b b a l a 7 - 9 7 4 - 7 5

77-83 178 180 192 196 199

applied to Chr is t ian texts 167-168

symbolical interpretation of Scr iptu re 63

7 4 - 7 5

n u m b e r s i n 7 7 - 8 3

symbolism of Kabbala

two k inds o f 6 -7

in P ico ' s Chr i s t i an Kabba la 181-184

of

sefirot

6 1 - 6 2 7 7 - 7 8

symbols, var iety of mea ning 180-1 83

syphons

=sefirot

33

Tabernacle, m ode led on th ree wor lds

2 4 5 - 2 4 6 2 4 8 - 2 5 0

Talm ud 129 134

Talmud, Old ,

pre-C hr is t ian 106

and legend on Death of the Kiss 153

Talmudists agains t Ch r is t iani ty 127

Targum Yerushalmi 41

Teflllyn, see phylacter ies

terminology,

t r ansm is s ion o f 262 -263

Tesuva,

Peni ten ce 28 35 40 176 178 255

forty gates of 35

See

Sefirah

iii

tetraktys,

quaternarius

Pythagorean 197

Tbenaud Jean 185

Theodor of Toleto

27 224

tbeologia inferioris

139 140

theology,

myst ical = Ka bba la 135

theosophic doctrine

of

Sefirot

58

theurgy 139

Tiferet = Samayim heaven 181;

se e

Sefirah

vi

Tobu, informe

26 176-17 7

Bad, p lace of , inferno 41

Torah

expl icat ion of God 's names 57 214

token of God's love to Israel 15 154

See Law

Tractatus de Revolutionis Ducentarum

Triginta U nius Portarum Alphabetic

Vat .

Ebr. 190 148

Tree

of knowledge, creat ion by 24-25

of Power 30

super io r 49 -50

Trinity

161-162 165-166 174 177-1 78

conf irmed by Kabbala 132 197

in

Liber Redemptions

90 109

in Pico ' s in terpretat ion of

BereSit

246

Trinitarian interpretation of

BereSit

183

of God ' s nam es 165-166

by Mi th r ida tes 106-107

Triplex merchiava

139 140 143 193

tropological interpretation

of Scr ipture ,

tropologicus Sechel

99 262-263

truncare plantas, see severance

Tudela 96

Typhon o f O r p h e a s 195

Ullmann Lisa

186

unio mystica at ta i ned by Patr iarc hs 49

unicorn, see Hind

union

of body and soul 50

with celestial beloved by kiss 153-155

of man with God 63

of m an and w i fe 35-36

of

sefirot

3 5 - 3 6

unity o f knowledge , know er , know n 90

Vatican Library,

Chigi A.VI. 190,

Chis ian us , descr ibed 11-1 5 19-2 0 57

61 85; Arabic and Greek in 13; source

for P ico ' s Kabbal is t ic theses 57 59 64

Va t. Eb r. 189, desc ribed 11-1 8; copie d by

E. da Viterbo 11 16; not used for Pico's

Kabbal is t ic theses 17-19

Va t. Ebr. 190, desc ribed 11 -15 19 59 61

102; Arabic and Greek in 13; kinds of

i ts Kabbala 62; source for P ico ' s

Kabbal is t ic theses 59-64 99

Vat. Ebr . 191, desc ribed 11 -12 15 19

57-59; source for P ico ' s Kabbal is t ic

theses 59-60

verbum, logos

s a y i n g (Γ Π Ώ Ν ) 4 0 1 6 2 - 1 6 3

creat ion by ten 40 73-74 85

dei

Son o f God , W isdom 198-199

Vergil 11

vita eterna

36

Water

south 40

gather ing of 42

in three levels of being 180-181

[ 84 ]



ndices

waw, letter of

YHWH

30 39

Pico on 165

west, Shekinah 42

Wind Edgar 192

wine,

pure , Kabbal is t ic , and Platonic

drunkenness 186 191-192

Wisdom

of gods 51-52

of Solomon 52

Son of God 177

super ior 30

See paths

Wise Men of Israel, pro ph ec y of 51

Woman

above, below 35

wife,

Shekinah

24

World to come 30 36- 37 190-191

of separate beings 30

Worlds

do ctrin e of fo ur 183 246

of th ree 245-251

yam,

sea, west 42

Yates Frances 139 144

Yehudah

Rab bi 25

Yehuda Salmon, R ab i I eude , A bu la f ia s

pupil 60 134

148; see Ab ulaf i a ,

Summ a Brevis

Cabalae

etc.

Yir ah,

fear 48

Yisa Ra bbi 156

yod

creation by 30 36 37 82

Pico on 165

Yonathan,

a r am aic t r ans la to r o f

Scrip tures 172 232 257 259

Yose Ra bb i 29 156

YWBL,

lobel,

see Jubilee

Ze,

isle

7 162-164

is Christ 112 113

Chris tological in terpretat ion of 111-112

Mithr idates and Pico, use of 110-112

See God nam e(s ) ;

Sefirah

ix

Zedek

se e

sedech

Zerakhia Rabb i , pu rpor ted au thor o f

Sefer

Ge ulla

8 8 - 9 0

Zerubabel

130

Zohar 31 40 42 4 8 -5 0 149 162 178 188 252

death of the kiss in 156 252 253

not read by Pico 20

source fo r Pico s Kabb alistic theses 20 24 39

44 50

in Recanat i 55

Zoroaster

l ink with Chr is t iani ty 197-199

Oracles in Aramaic 241

Zoroastrian mors osculi 193

Zot,

haec,

se e

Seflrah

χ

[ 85 ]



I N D E X OT S O U R C E S

N u m b e r s i n b o l d p r i n t i n d i c a t e n u m b e r o f f o l i o

A b u l a f i a A b r a h a m )

Liber Redemptionis

C h i gi Α .V I . 1 9 0, f o l s . 2 6 2 - 3 3 2

2 6 2 - 2 6 3

9 2 - 9 3

2 6 5

72 141

2 6 6 - 2 6 7

9 3

9 4

2 6 8

89 91 94

2 7 3 - 2 7 4

7 1 - 7 2

2 7 7

2 8 0 9 7 2 8 1 11 5 2 8 4 85 97 2 8 5 b i s 2 4 7

2 5 0 2 8 6 4 6 2 2 9 2 - 2 9 3 1 4 - 1 5 90 2 9 6 80

9 1 3 0 8 7 2 3 1 0 6 1 3 1 7 8 7 33 1 9 1 - 9 2

3 3 2 8 - 9 7 2 8 4 8 6 - 8 7

A b u l a f i a A b r a h a m

De Secretis Legis

V a t . E b r . 1 9 0 , f o l s . 3 3 6 - 4 6 9

3 3 6 7 0 9 4 - 9 5 1 02 3 3 7 13 1 3 4 0 94 98

3 4 1 - 3 4 2 1 0 0 - 1 0 1 3 4 3 1 2 8 2 1 7 2 1 8 3 4 4

7 2 - 7 3

3 4 5

2 1 4

3 4 5 - 3 4 6

1 2 8 - 1 2 9

3 4 6 - 3 4 7

9 5 2 5 9

3 4 7 - 3 4 8

9 5 - 9 6

3 4 9

9 6

3 6 1 13 1 3 6 2 131 138 26 0 3 6 3 102 223

3 6 3 - 3 6 4 10 8 3 6 6 72 104 3 7 7 - 3 7 8

2 3 1 - 2 3 3 3 7 9 7 2 4 0 3 7 2 4 0 7 - 4 0 8 2 2 3

4 1 5 13 62 115 118 4 1 7 2 6 0 4 2 0 4 2 2

13 7 4 2 3 7 2 4 2 5 2 6 0 - 2 6 1 4 3 8 137 4 4 5

7 0 - 7 3

4 4 7 4 4 8

1 3 0 - 1 3 1

4 5 8

7 0

461

9 6 - 9 7

C h i g i Α .

V I .

1 9 0 , f o l s . 2 3 2 - 2 6 1

2 4 4 - 2 4 6

1 13 2 2 4 - 2 2 5

2 5 6 - 2 5 7

112

(Sefer Ge ullah)

L e i p z i g , U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y , L e i p z i g B . H .

fo l . 1 3 /1

88 89

Summa Brevis Cabaiae Que Intitulalur Rabi

leude

V a t . E b r . 1 9 0 , f o l s . 1 2 0 - 1 3 2

1 2 2 134 184 1 2 4 135 184 1 2 5 109 156

Adumbratio Kabbaiae Christianae

i n K n o r r v o n R o s e n r o t h ,

Kabbala

Denudala 1 1 , 2 F r a n k f o r t

o / M 1 6 84 )

9 18 19 2 3 9 2 5 - 2 7 2 4 0

Axelrad A.

Corona Nominis Boni

V a t . E b r . 1 9 0, f o l s . 1 7 2 - 1 8 6

176 7 36 82 1 77 2 2 1 8 2 4 3 1 8 2 - 1 8 3

2 3 6

2 0 7

2 3 6

Azrie l o f Geron a

Quaestiones super Decern Numerationibus

V a t . E b r . 1 9 0 . f o l s . 1 6 5 - 1 7 3

1 6 5 102 103 1 6 6 - 1 6 7 2 3 7 - 2 3 8 1 6 8 103

13 9

1 69

103

17 0

139

Bahir

C o d . M o n a c e n s i s 2 0 9

19

V a t . E b r . 1 9 1, f o l s . 2 8 8 - 3 3 5

§ 2 8 8 )

208 §6 33 §9

2 8 9 )

40 41 s 13

2 9 0 ) 2 0 6 § 1 8 2 9 1 ) 178 207 §23 2 9 1 )

2 0 7 § 4 0 1 8 0 § 4 9 2 9 7 ) 2 0 4 § 6 1 3 0 0 )

2 0 7 § 7 5 3 0 3 ) 2 0 8 § 7 8 3 0 4 ) 143 §80

3 0 5 - 3 0 6 ) 4 3 § 8 3 2 2 8 § 8 4 3 0 6 ) 178

§ 9 1 3 0 8 ) 2 0 7 - 2 0 8 § 9 5 3 1 0 ) 75 174

§ 104

3 1 2 )

2 8 - 2 9 4 9 2 0 6 - 2 0 7 § 1 06

3 2 3 )

1 9 0 - 1 9 1 § 1 0 9 1 8 8

3 3 1

19

3 3 2

159

i n R e c a n a t i , Comm entary on Genesis,

a n o n y m o u s L a t i n t r a n s l a t i o n

P a r i s B . N . 5 9 8

164 165 176 189 201 218 2 0 5 - 2 0 8

i n R e c a n a t i , Comm entary on the

Pentateuch Ve n ice 1 5 4 5 ) , in

H e b r e w

§3 2)

41 §6

3 3 )

4 6

i n R e c a n a t i ,

Liber de Secretis Orationum

seu Benedictionum

V a t . E b r . 1 9 0 , f o l s . 2 7 5 - 3 3 6

§ 1 8 3 1 5 - 3 1 6 ) 178

Bah ya b en Ash er


E x o d . 2 5 : 9 2 4 8

[286]



nd i ces

Come ntum Sepher lesire, 1

Vat. E br . 191. Ibis. 1-12

1

36

5 - 6

XI

Comentum Sepher lesire, Π

Vat . Ebr . 191. Id s . 12-2 6

1 2 - 1 3 8 2 - 8 3 20 14 23 36 75 82

Comm entary on the Ten Sefirot

( a n o n y m o u s )

Vat. Ebr . 191. Ibis. 29 -3 4

30 35

Comm entum Vo/uminis de Proportione

Divinitatis

Vat . Ebr . 191. Ib is. 4 3- 60

52 44 53 4 8 - 4 9 55 194


Chigi Α . VI . 190. I o ls . 132-15 1 212 -22 1

13 9

82

1 4 2 - 1 4 3

27

15 0

80

218

27

221

7 7 - 7 8

Eleazar of Worms et alii

De Anima

Vat. Ebr. 189

1 1 - 1 3

157 483

1 6 - 1 7

485

13

Expositio Decern Numerationum

Vat . Eb r. 191. t ols. 6 0- 10 7

64 75 7 3 - 7 4 26 78 21 90 100 27

Expositio Secretorum Punctuationis

Vat. Ebr. 190. Cols. 90-120

92

222

Gicati l la Joseph

Sa arey Sedeq

Cod . Mona c e ns i s H e br . 284

12 2

74

Vat ican. MS Barb. Or . 110

67 74

Portae lustitiae seu de Divinis Nominibus

[Sa arey Sedeq]

Chigi Α .VI. 190. Cols. 2- 13 1. 36 1-3 90

11-13 56 57

6 - 8

108 -112

1 1 - 1 2

61

29

7 5 - 7 6 64 17 68 1 1 4 - 1 1 5 74 51 7 5 - 7 6

75 80 147 8 0 - 8 1 31 226 92 164 -165

11 4

73 -7 4 197

1 2 1 - 1 2 2

3 2 - 3 3

1 2 8 - 1 2 9 32 37 1 75 3 8 0 - 3 8 1 48

Giorgio Francesco

Comm entary on G. Picas Kabbalistic

Theses

Jewish Nat iona l and Hebrew Univers i ty

Libra ry . Yah. Ms. Var . 24

57 198 -199

Levi ben Gershom

Com mentariorum in Cantica Canticorum

Salomonis

Vat. Lat . 4273

5

263

16

157

19

158

Libellus de Secretis Legis Manifestandis

Vat. 190. Cols. 207-221

207 236 209 134

Liber Combinationum

Vat. 190. Cols. 90-120

41 23 60 2 2 0 - 2 2 1 62 182 221 23 3-2 34

Liber de Ordine Geneseos

Ch ig i A .V l. 190. Cols. 226 fC.

226

176 216

Liber de Radicibus (Sefer ha-Sorasim)

Vat. 190, Cols. 222-275

2 2 2 - 2 2 5 62 2 2 2 - 2 2 3 179 225 226 107

226 105 107 227 163 24 1 27 50 243

192

245

45

24 8

178

2 4 9 - 2 5 0

107 108

256 196 26 1 29 44 181 258 26

Liber Misteriorum Venerabilium [Simusev

TorahJ

C h ig i Α .V I. 190. Col. 360

360

150

Ma areket ha- E/ohut, Comm entary on

Vat ican Libr a ry . H ebr . M S Neol i ti 27

194

Cor M i thr ida t es La t in t rans la t io n see

Commentum Voluminis de

Proportione Divinitatis

[ 2 8 7 ]



ndices

Mithridates

I n t e r po la t ions , pa r e n the se s , no te s , i n

A b u l a f i a , De Secretis Legis

Vat . Ebr . 190

3 3 6 7 0 9 4 - 9 5 3 3 7 231 3 40 90 94 98

3 4 1 - 3 4 2 1 0 0 - 1 0 1 3 4 3 17 6 3 4 4 73

3 4 5 - 3 4 6 1 2 8 - 1 2 9 3 4 7 - 3 4 8 9 5 - 9 6 349

96 361 97 131 3 6 2 131 3 6 4 10 8 3 6 6 72

3 7 9 72 4 0 3 72 4 1 5 115 118 4 2 3 72 445

7 0 - 7 3 4 5 8 70 46 1 9 6 - 9 7

C hig i Α . VI . 190

2 4 5 - 2 4 6 113

I n te r po ta l ions , pa r e n the se s , no te s , i n

A b u l a f i a ) ,

Liber Redemptions


1 5 - 1 6 8 4 - 9 4 9 7 - 9 8 114 7 3 - 7 4

2 6 2 - 2 6 3 9 2 - 9 3 2 6 5 72 2 6 6 - 2 6 7 9 3 268

89 91 94 2 7 3 - 2 7 4 7 0 - 7 2 2 7 7 9 0 2 8 0 97

28 1 115 2 8 4 97 28 6 4 2 9 2 14 - 15 90

2 9 4 90 2 9 6 89 91 308 72 331 9 1 - 9 2

3 3 2 8 - 9 7 2 3 4 0 9 8

I n t e r p o l a t i o n s i n A x e l r a d ,

Corona

Nominis Bonis

Vat. Ebr. 190

177

2 2 - 2 3

I n t e r p o l a t i o n s i n A b u l a f i a , Summa Brevis

Cabale

Vat. Ebr. 190

12 5 109 156

I n t e r p o l a t i o n s i n Comentum Sepher lesire

Vat. Ebr. 191

1 2 - 1 3 8 2 - 8 3 20 1 4 - 1 5

I n t e r p o l a t i o n s i n De Proportione

Diviniiatis


139 141 142 143 150 214 7 8 - 8 0

I n te r po la t ions in E le a z a r o f Wor m s e t

ali i . De Anima

Vat. Ebr. 189

1 5 - 1 7 157 173 269 483 1 6 - 1 7 4 8 5 13

I n te r po la t ions in G ic a t i l l a , Poriae

lustitiae


16 6 - 8 1 0 9 - 1 1 1 6 4 17 6 8 1 1 4 - 1 1 5 75

7 - 8

76

72

80 109

14

114

7 3 - 7 4

I n te r po la t ions in Le v i be n Ge r shom ,

Comm entariorum in Canlica

Va t . La t . 4273

19 158

I n t e r p o l a t i o n s i n Liber de Radicibus

Vat. Ebr. 190

226 249 250 1 0 7 - 1 0 8

I n t e r p o l a t i o n s i n R e c a n a t i , De Secretis

Orationum seu Benedictionum

Vat . Ebr . 190

2 8 6 - 1 8 7 149 3 1 9 52 106

I n t e r p o l a t i o n s i n

Chigi Α .VI . 190 16; Va t . Ebr . 189

1 5 - 1 7 9 9 117 157 1 6 - 1 7 173 17 255

11 0 2 57 1 1 7 - 1 1 8 269 17 4 8 3 16 4 8 5

13; Vat. Ebr. 190 75 7 - 8 76 72 80 109

1 4 - 1 6 20 7 236; Va t . Ebr . 191 15 -16

3 0 35 34 107 121 208 287 325 12 2 0 14

Note s i n R e c a na t i ,

Comm entary on the

Pentateuch, lost La tin

t r a ns l a t ion

G a f f a r e l , Index

16

Moses ben Nahman of Gerona

Nahmanides, Gerundinensis)

Comm entary of the Pentateuch i n He br e w

pr e f a c e 214

L a t i n t r a n s l a t i o n a n o n y m o u s )

pre face 219

Comentum Sepher lesire

Vat . Ebr . 191, fo ls . 39 -4 3

39 58 4 1 - 4 2 236

Patrizi , Francesco ed.)

Zoroastris Oracuia Ve nice 1593)

3 4 243

Perush Sefer Yesirah

Par is , B .N. Heb. 768

11 37

Pico, Gian Francesco

Le t t e r t o S a n te P a gn in i . Opera Omnia

Basel 1573)

1371 256

Pico Giovanni della Mirandola

Condusiones

editio princeps

Ro m e 1486)

2 0 9 - 2 1 2

[ 2 8 8 ]



ndices

Oeste rre ichische Nationa lbibl iothek,

Vie nna , Code x Vindobone ns i s

Pa la t inus 5516

2 0 9 - 2 1 2

Univers i tä tsbibl iothek Er langen, Codex

Latinus 646

2 0 9 - 2 1 2

Inclinable of 1487

2 1 2

Annota t ions on Ma nusc r ip t s

Cod . Chig i Α . VI . 190

A b u l a f i a ,

Liber Redemptions)

285bis

247

Cod. Vat . Ebr . 190 23

Liber

Combinationum)

62

233-2 34 Azr ie l,

Quaestiones) 166 167

237

Co d. Vat . Lat . 4273 Levi ben

G e r s h o m ,

Comm entariorum in

Cantica)

5 263

Co d. Vat . Lat . 4274 M aimo nides ,

Dux Neutrorum)

99

on Recana t i ,

Commentary on

Pentateuch,

L a t in t r ans la t ion 204-205

Proclos

Elements of Theology,

Propos i t ion 103

250 251

Recana t i , Menahem

Comm entary on Genesis

, a n o n y m o u s

Latin t rans lat ion

Paris , B.N. Lat. 598

164 165 176 189 201 208

2 0 6 - 2 0 8


Venice 1545

2

41

8

42

1 0 1 1

39

11

56

12

44 56

14

29

1 7 1 8

3 0 - 3 1

1 9 2 0 2 3

2 4 - 2 5

29

41

44

32

4 6 4 7

33

48

45 46 S 46

51 52

47

55

48

57

31

65

48 56

75

50 56

7 7 7 8 155-156 78 50 80 83 34 37 51

8 5 8 7 3 8 - 3 9 89 51 93 52 113 46 127

129 130 230 13 1 22 17 1 35 212 213 35

36 56

289

41

Latin t rans la t ion by M ithr ida tes los t),

in Gaf fa re l ,

Index

5 6 11 16 19 20 41 110 204 205

Comm entary on Prayers

, in Hebrew

35

52

Liber de Secretis Orationum et Bene-

dictionum Cabale [Comm entary

on Prayers]

Vat. Ebr . 190, fols . 275v-336r

61 62 64

283

141

2 8 6 2 8 7

149 222

287

222

291

230

292

14 3

2 9 8 2 9 9

2 2 2 - 2 2 3

299

255

3 1 5 3 1 6

178

3 1 8 3 1 9

52

319

106

Theodor de Toleto

Liber Porta Secretorum

Vat. Eb r . 191, fols . 208 -28 7

218

27

248

224

Reuchl in , Johannes

De Arte Cabalistica

Hä gen 1517)

52 213 214 131 268 217

Simplicius

In Aristotelis Categorias Comm entarium

141 142

Tractatus de Revolutions 231 Por

tarum Alphabeti

Vat . Eb r. 190, fols. 13 2-1 65

1 3 2 1 3 6 2 2 7 - 2 2 9 13 4 222 139 148

Zohar

Part I 16 40 21 49 50 31 29 33 44 34

42

35 36

24 25

61

162; II

124 146

252;

III 134 226

[ 89]



I N D E X O F S C R I P T U R A L A N D R A B B I N I C A L Q U O T A T I O N S

G e n e s i s

1:1

26 128 176 181

1:1

A r a m a i c ) 4 1

179

1 : 1 - 4

17 2

1 : 1 - 5

28

1:6

2 2

1 : 1 - 8

28

1: 2

177

1: 3

4 0

1 : 6 - 8

28

1:10

4 2

1:14

3 8 - 3 9

1:20

4 2

1:21

4 4

1:26

110

2: 4

7 82

2: 8

30

2:10

30

2:16

22

2:23

7 5

9:6

33

12:8

33

12:9

32 33

1 8 : 2 0 - 2 1

4 7

19:27 22:1

224

2 2 : 1 - 1 3

113

22:2

163

22:3

228

22:6

163

22:12

4 7 - 4 8

24:1

70

31:53

19 6

49:10

177

49:28

75

49:33

155

E x o d u s

13:16

39

1 4 : 1 9 - 2 1

2 2 8

15:1

232

15:2

164

15:3

177

25:9

248

32:32

163

Le v i t i c us

1: 2

159 230

2: 1

230

6: 5

162

9: 4

21

25:11

3 2

25:31

9 0

N u m b e r s

5:18

39

5:23

35

6:27

44 104

D e u t e r o n o m y

1:34

14 9

6: 4

30 179

22:22

35

28:10

39 116

28:12

52

31:16

11 8

33:1

75

33:2

32 221

33:28

112

1 S a m u e l

1:10

32 226

1:11

226

2 S a m u e l

22:37

3 2

1 K i n g s

5 :10 13

219

8 :32 34 36 39

26

I sa i a h

3:10

4 2

5:20

10 1

5:24

24

6:3

22 3

9:6

17 1

12:3

259

24:21

51

26:4

7 7 5 8 0 - 8 2

40:25

22

42:8

104

43:5

4 9

43:6

1 4 6 - 1 4 7

45:7

10 1

48:9

75

5 2

: 1 3 2 4 0 5 3

: 5

16 3

5 4

: 7 7 8

58:9

174

J e r e m i a h

17:8

50

Ez e k ie l

27

50

44:30

75

H o s e a

1 4 : 2 - 4

2 30

14:3

227

14:9

29

H a b a k k u k

1: 4

4 4

3:2

204

M a l a c h i

2: 7

230

P s a l m s

1:3

164

2:12

2 3 4

8 :6

2 22

8:30

16 4

12:9

44

18:31

10 1

19:8

16 4

31:20

91

33:6

199

36:9

18 6

49:12

222

89:7

16 2

89:15

77

9 3 : 1 - 2

255

104:2

255

104:24

19 9

116:15

158

118:19

112

J o b

2:10

101

2 5

: 2 4 0 - 4 1 A r a m a i c ) 4 0

28:12

82

2 8 : 1 2 - 2 8

105

28:20

75

32:8

29

33:14

34

38:4

2 8

38:33

249

P r o v e r b s

2: 3

75

8:22

17 7

10:25

4 2

12:9

4 4

16:26

35

17:3

101

27:9

249

S o n g o f S o l o m o n

1:2

154 252

4:12

30

Ec c le s i a s t e s

1: 4

4 9

1: 7

4 2

7:14

4 1

10:20

4 4

L a m e n t a t i o n s

2:17

24 162

5:17

206

D a n i e l

12:9

95

1 C h r o n i c l e s

4:23

28

4 E z r a

14:47

140 142

M a t t h e w

28:18

108

J o h n

8:25 56 58

167 168 199

10:16

108 109

R o m a n s

3:2

2 4 4

11:17 24

109

M i s h n a h

Kalah i .10

36

Sabbat x ix.6

4 4

B a b . T a l m u d ,

Berakot 6r

39

Mo ed Qatan

28r

2 2 6 Sanhedrin

56 v

24 Yebamot

49 v

37

178

J e r . T a l m u d ,

Menahot

163

Midrai Beresit Rabba

i i i .4

255

x i i .10

36 81

xxi .5

2 5 5

xxv .30

162

Midras Smot Rabba x ix.6

38

xxi .5

51

Midrai Wayyikra Rabba on Le v .

6:5

162

Midras Rabba

o n L a m .

2:21

162

Midras Yelamdenu

on P s .

89:7

22

Pesikta de-Rav Kahana 255

[290]



I N D E X O F Q U O T E D M A N U S C R I P T S

For manus c r ip t s g iven he r e wi thou t page number s s ee Index o f Sou rces

B od le i an M S C a non Or . 85 6 28

B od le i an MS 1566 [Opp . I l l ] ,

Sefer

ha-Ne elam 227 13

Bri t i sh Library MS Or . Add. 16407

73 ff .

148

B ib l io t eca Naz iona le C en t r a l e , F lo r ence ,

C od . Pa la t . 885 , P ico , Oratio

145

200

147

2 4 1 - 2 4 2

J ewis h Na t iona l and Heb rew Un ive r s i ty

L ib ra ry , Yah . MS Var . 24

57

198 -199

Leipzig , Univers i ty Library B.H. fo l . 13 /1

(No. 39) , (Abulaf ia) , Sefer Ge ulla

1-10 58 59 88

Munich , C od . Monacens i s Heb r . 248 ,

Gica t i l l a , Sa arey Sedeq 122 74

Mun ich , C odex München 209 ,

T h e B o o k Bahir 19

Par is , B .N. 598 , Recanat i , Commentary on

Genesis,

a n o n y m o u s L a t i n t r a n s l a t i o n

164 165 176 189 201 218

2 0 5 - 2 0 8

Par is , B .N. Heb. 768 , PeruS Sefer Yesirah

11

37

Sas s oon C o l l ec t ion , MS 67 , R ecana t i ,

Comm entary on the Pentateuch ( H e b r e w )

28

Vatican Library , Cod. Vat . 4273, Levi

ben Ger s hom, Comm entariorum in Cantica

5

263

16

157

19

158

Vat ican Library , Vat . MS Barb . Or . 110 ,

Gica t i l l a J o s eph , Sa arey Sedeq

67

74

Vatican Library Cod. Chigi A.VI.190

Gicatil la,

Portae Justitiae 2-131 361-390


135-151

212-221

Sod Razey Semuchin

152-201

Sefer ha-Ne elam

202-211

Kabba l i s t i c An tho logy

223-231

Liber de Ordine Geneseos

226

A b u l a f i a ,

De Secretis Legis 232-261

(Abu la f i a ) ,

Liber Redemptions 262-332

Liber Misteriorum Venerabilium

360

Cod ice Vaticano Ebraico 189

Eleazar of W orm s e t a l ii , f i f teen

b o o k s D e A n i m a 1 1 - 1 2 1 5 - 1 7 9 9 1 1 7

15 7

1 6 - 1 7

173

17

225

110

257

117 -118

269

17

48 3

16

485

13

Codice Vaticano Ebraico 190

Liber Combinationum ( a n o n y m o u s )

1-90

Expositio Secretorum Punctmtionis

90-120

A b u l a f i a , Summa Brevis Cabalae

120-132

Tractatus de Revolutione 231 Portarum

Alphabeti 132-165

Azr ie l o f Gerona ,

Quaestiones 165-173

A x e l r a d , Corona Nominis Bonis

173-186

Liber de Radicibus 222-275

R e c a n a t i , Liber de Secretis Orationum

275-336

A b u l a f i a , Liber de Secretis Legis

336-469

Libellus de Secretis Legis Manifestandis

207-221

Libellus de exponentibus nomine

Tetragramaton 186-192

Libellus de exponentibus xiii

proprietatibus

193-207

Codice Vaticano Ebraico 191


I 1 - 1 2

Comen tum Sepher Iesire II 12 -26

Comen tum Sepher Iesire III 2 6- 29

Comm entary on Ten Sefirot ( a n o n y m o u s )

2 9 - 3 4

[29 ]



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