Section 22

2 Shem, son of Noah. The first age or world-period was that of Adam; the second, of Rām and Rūd (fem.); the third, of Shurbai and Sharhab-ēl; the fourth, that of the Flood. The second generation perished by the sword and pestilence, the third by fire (cp. § 25 below ). The Indian yugas came from the same source. As to the prophetica1 vesture in this special connection, apart from the more general wide-spread notion of the garment of light or robe of glory, cp. the Rabbinical tradition in the medićval Yaschar or Sepher Hai-yaschar ( The Book of the Just , more commonly known as The Book of the Generations of Adam or The Book of the History of Man ) which contains ancient material, translated into French by Chevalier P. L. B. Drach: "After the death of Adam and Eve the coats [ sc . of skin—see R. Eisler's brilliant conjecture that J. the B. outwardly assumed his camel's hair robe in memory of the first garments of the fallen protoplasts, as a sign of repentance, in the preceding study] were given to Enoch, son of Jared. Enoch, at the time of his being taken to God, gave them to his son Methusaleh. After the death of Methusaleh, Noah took them and hid them in the Ark. Ham stole them, and hid them so successfully that his brethren were unable to find them. Ham gave them secretly to his eldest son, Chus, who made a mystery of it to his brothers and sons. When Nimrod [ = Zoroaster, see Bousset, op. cit. , index] reached the age of 20 years, he (Chus) clothed him with the vesture, which gave him extraordinary strength" Migne, Dic. des Apocryphes , ii. 1102, 1150; and see my World-Mystery (London, 2nd ed., 1907), § 'The Soul-Vestures,' pp. 115ff.). It would not be difficult to penetrate under the camouflage of the Rabbinic tradition, but space does not serve. 3 Sc . the body. 4 Mystice 'this world'? 5 The prison-houses of the Seven and Twelve. p. 43 1 All was at peace, the Sun shining brightly, the Moon sunk in the darkness beneath. Cp. 'The Mystic Hymnody' at the end of 'The Secret Sermon on the Mountain' ( Corp. Herm. xiii-xiv., Mead ii. 230): "Ye Heavens open, and ye Winds stay still; [and] let God's Deathless Sphere receive my word!" 2 Note that it is the Earth that speaks to Elizar (§ 18— p. 37 ), signifying the lower source of his inspiration. 3 Meaning not yet determined; L. thinks it means some sort of wood, but this does not seem to be very appropriate. 4 Sc . the waters above and the waters below the firmament. 5 For the Carpenter-motive in connection with the John-Noah hewing of the timber for the salvation-ark-building see the previous study and especially the Samaritan Midrash concering the S. Ta'eb (Deliverer or Messiah) and the mystic ark of conversion (pp. 8 and 21f.).