In mythological or religious cosmology, the seven heavens refer to seven levels or divisions of the Heavens. The concept, also found in the ancient Mesopotamian religions, can be found in Judaism and Islam. The Christian Bible does not mention seven levels of heaven. Some of these traditions, including Jainism, also have a concept of seven earths or seven underworlds both with the metaphysical realms of deities and with observed celestial bodies such as the classical planets and fixed stars. [1]
Beliefs in the plurality of the heavens were not restricted to the belief in seven heavens. Ancient near eastern cosmology largely accepted the existence of three heavens. In Jewish cosmologies (albeit absent from the Hebrew Bible), the number of heavens could range from 3 to 365, with 7 being the most popular figure.
The notion or belief in a cosmos structured or tiered into seven heavens likely originates or derives from the seven visible heavenly bodies (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and the Sun). [2]
Each of the seven heavens corresponds to one of the seven classical planets known in antiquity. Ancient observers noticed that these heavenly objects (the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) moved at different paces in the sky both from each other and from the fixed stars beyond them. Unlike comets, which appeared in the sky with no warning, they moved in regular patterns that could be predicted. [3] They also observed that objects in the sky influenced objects on Earth as when movements of the sun affect the behavior of plants or movements of the Moon affect ocean tides.
The concept of seven heavens as developed in ancient Mesopotamia where it took on a symbolic or magical meaning as opposed to a literal one. [4] The concept of a seven-tiered was likely In the Sumerian language, the words for heavens (or sky) and Earth are An and Ki. [5] The ancient Mesopotamians regarded the sky as a series of domes, usually three, but sometimes seven, covering the flat Earth. [6] : 180
Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone. [6] : 203 The lowest dome of the heavens was made of jasper and was the home of the stars. [7] The middle dome of heaven was made of saggilmut stone and was the abode of the Igigi. [7] The highest and outermost dome of the heavens was made of luludānītu stone and was personified as An, the god of the sky. [8] [7]
The celestial bodies were equated with specific deities. [6] : 203 The planet Venus was believed to be Inanna, the goddess of love, sex, and war. [9] : 108–109 [6] : 203 The Sun was her brother Utu, the god of justice, [6] : 203 and the Moon was their father Nanna. [6] : 203
Ordinary mortals could not go to the heavens because it was the abode of the gods alone. [10] Instead, after a person died, his or her soul went to Kur (later known as Irkalla), a dark shadowy underworld, located deep below the surface of the Earth. [10] [11] Sumerian incantations of the late second millennium BCE make references to seven heavens and seven earths. One such incantation is: "an-imin-bi ki-imin-bi" (the heavens are seven, the earths are seven.) [1] [12]
The understanding that the heavens can influence things on Earth lent heavenly, magical properties to the number seven itself, as in stories of seven demons, seven churches, seven spirits, or seven thrones. The number seven appears frequently in Babylonian magical rituals. [13] The seven Jewish and the seven Islamic heavens may have had their origin in Babylonian astronomy. [1]
In general, the heavens is not a place for humans in Mesopotamian religion. As Gilgamesh says to his friend Enkidu, in the Epic of Gilgamesh: "Who can go up to the heavens, my friend? Only the gods dwell with Shamash forever". Along with the idea of seven heavens, the idea of three heavens was also common in ancient Mesopotamia. [14]
In the Talmud, it is suggested that the upper part of the universe is made up of seven heavens (Hebrew: shamayim ): [15]
The Jewish Merkavah and Hekhalot literature was devoted to discussing the details of these heavens, sometimes in connection with traditions relating to Enoch, such as the Third Book of Enoch. [17]
The Second Book of Enoch, also written in the first century CE, describes the mystical ascent of the patriarch Enoch through a hierarchy of Ten Heavens. Enoch passes through the Garden of Eden in the Third Heaven on his way to meet the Lord face-to-face in the Tenth (chapter 22). Along the way, he encounters vividly described populations of angels who torment wrongdoers; he sees homes, olive oil, and flowers. [18]
The book's depiction of ten heavens represented an expansion of the ancient seven-heaven model. This expanded cosmology was developed further in medieval Christianity.
The New Testament does not refer to the concept of seven heavens. However, an explicit reference to a third heaven appears in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, penned in Macedonia around 55 CE. It describes the following mystical experience:
I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows—was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.
The description is usually taken as an oblique reference by the author to himself. The passage appears to reflect first-century beliefs among Jews and Christians that the realm of Paradise existed in a different heaven than the highest one—an impression that may find support in the original Greek wording (closer to "caught away" than "caught up"). [19]
In the second century, Irenaeus also knows seven heavens (see his Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching 9; cf. Against Heresies 1.5.2).
Over the course of the Middle Ages, Christian thinkers expanded the ancient Mesopotamian seven-heaven model into a system of ten heavens. This cosmology, taught in the first European universities by the Scholastics, reached its supreme literary expression in The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The idea of seven heavens is carried over into the esoteric Christian cabala. [20]
The Quran and Hadith frequently mention the existence of seven samāwāt (سماوات), the plural of samāʾ (سماء), meaning 'heaven, sky, celestial sphere', and cognate with Hebrew shamāyim (שמים). Some of the verses in the Quran mentioning the samaawat [21] are Q41:12, Q65:12 and Q71:15. The seven heavens are not final destinations for the dead after the Day of Judgment, but regions distinct from the earth, guarded by angels and inhabited by souls whose abode depends on their good deeds (fasting, jihad, Hajj, charity), with the highest layer, the closest to God. [22] [23] According to Quran and Hadiths, each of the skies has its own Qibla or a structure which became direction of prayer, similar to Kaaba of the mortal world, where the Qibla of highest heaven is called Bayt al-Ma'mur, while the Qibla building for the lowest sky is called Bayt al-Izza. [24] [25] [26]
In other sources, the concept is presented in metaphorical terms. Each of the seven heavens is depicted as being composed of a different material, and Islamic prophets are resident in each. The names are taken from Suyuti's Al-Hay’a as-samya fi l-hay’a as-sunmya: [27]
There are two interpretations of using the number "seven". One viewpoint is that the number "seven" here simply means "many" and is not to be taken literally (the number is often used to imply that in the Arabic language). [32] But many other commentators use the number literally.
One modern interpretation of "heavens" is that all the stars and galaxies (including the Milky Way) are all part of the "first heaven", and "beyond that six still bigger worlds are there," which have yet to be discovered by scientists. [32]
The Gnostic text On the Origin of the World states that seven heavens were created in Chaos by Yaldabaoth below the higher realms, and each of them are ruled over by an Archon. During the end times, these heavens will collapse on each and the heaven of Yaldabaoth will split in two, causing its stars to fall upon the Earth, therefore causing it to sink into the Abyss. [33]
In the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, the apostle Paul ascends through the lower Seven Heavens. At the seventh heaven, he meets an old man who opens the gate to the realm beyond the material universe, and Paul then ascends to the eighth, ninth, and tenth heavens. [34]
In Mandaeism, a series of maṭartas , or "toll houses," are located between the World of Light (alma ḏ-nhūra) from Tibil (Earth). The term maṭarta has variously been translated as "watch-station", [35] "toll-station", [36] "way-station", or "purgatory". Maṭartas are guarded by various uthras (celestial beings from the World of Light) and demons. In the Ginza Rabba, seven maṭartas are listed and described in Chapter 3 in Book 5 of the Right Ginza .
However, the number of maṭartas is not always seven. Book 6 of the Right Ginza (also known as the "Book of Dinanukht") lists six. Chapter 4 in Book 1 of the Left Ginza lists eight. [37] Alternatively, the Seven Heavens can also be seen as corresponding to the Seven Planets, who form part of the entourage of Ruha in the World of Darkness. [37]
According to all Puranas, the Brahmanda is divided into fourteen worlds known as lokas . Seven are upper worlds: Bhuloka (the Earth and sky), Bhuvarloka, Svargaloka, Maharloka, Janarloka, Tapaloka and Satyaloka; and seven are lower worlds: Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala and Patala. [38]
Heaven, or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the beliefs of some religions, heavenly beings can descend to Earth or incarnate and earthly beings can ascend to Heaven in the afterlife or, in exceptional cases, enter Heaven without dying.
Noah appears as the last of the Antediluvian patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible, the Quran and Baha'i writings, and extracanonically.
Metatron, or Matatron, is an angel in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Metatron is mentioned three times in the Talmud, in a few brief passages in the Aggadah, the Targum, and in mystical Kabbalistic texts within Rabbinic literature. The figure forms one of the traces for the presence of dualist proclivities in the otherwise monotheistic visions of both the Tanakh and later Christian doctrine. In Rabbinic literature, he is sometimes portrayed as serving as the celestial scribe. The name Metatron is not mentioned in the Torah or the Bible, and how the name originated is a matter of debate. In Islamic tradition, he is also known as Mīṭaṭrūn, the angel of the veil.
In the Hebrew Bible, the name Azazel represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the sins of the Jews was sent during Yom Kippur. During the late Second Temple period, Azazel came to be viewed as a fallen angel responsible for introducing humans to forbidden knowledge, as described in the Book of Enoch. His role as a fallen angel partly remains in Christian and Islamic traditions.
Biblical cosmology is the account of the universe and its laws in the Bible. The Bible was formed over many centuries, involving many authors, and reflects shifting patterns of religious belief; consequently, its cosmology is not always consistent. Nor do the biblical texts necessarily represent the beliefs of all Jews or Christians at the time they were put into writing: the majority of the texts making up the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament in particular represent the beliefs of only a small segment of the ancient Israelite community, the members of a late Judean religious tradition centered in Jerusalem and devoted to the exclusive worship of Yahweh.
Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven or angels who sinned. Such angels often tempt humans to sin.
Al-Anfal is the eighth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 75 verses (āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation, it is a "Medinan surah", completed after the Battle of Badr. It forms a pair with the next surah, At-Tawba.
Islamic mythology is the body of myths associated with Islam and the Quran. Islam is a religion that is more concerned with social order and law than with religious ritual or myths. The primary focus of Islam is the practical and rational practice and application of the Islamic law. Despite this focus, Islamic myths do still exist. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology identifies a number of traditional narratives as "Islamic myths". These include a creation myth and a vision of afterlife, which Islam shares with the other Abrahamic religions, as well as the distinctively Islamic story of the Kaaba.
In ancient near eastern cosmology, the firmament means a celestial barrier that separated the heavenly waters above from the Earth below. In biblical cosmology, the firmament is the vast solid dome created by God during the Genesis creation narrative to separate the primal sea into upper and lower portions so that the dry land could appear.
The concept of Seven Archangels is found in some works of early Jewish literature and in Christianity. In those texts, they are referenced as the angels who serve God directly.
In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as eternal destinations, the biggest examples of which are Christianity and Islam, whereas religions with reincarnation usually depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, as is the case in the Indian religions. Religions typically locate hell in another dimension or under Earth's surface. Other afterlife destinations include heaven, paradise, purgatory, limbo, and the underworld.
Entering heaven alive is a belief held in various religions. Since death is the normal end to an individual's life on Earth and the beginning of afterlife, entering heaven without dying first is considered exceptional and usually a sign of a deity's special recognition of the individual's piety.
In Jewish cosmology, Shamayim is the dwelling place of God and other heavenly beings according to the Hebrew Bible. It is one of three components of the biblical cosmology. In Judaism specifically, There are two other realms, being Eretz (Earth), home of the living, and sheol, the realm of the dead—including, according to post–Hebrew Bible literature, the abode of the righteous dead.
The throne of God is the reigning centre of God in the Abrahamic religions: primarily Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The throne is said by various holy books to reside beyond the Seventh Heaven which is called Araboth in Judaism.
In Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged.
Mandaean cosmology is the Gnostic conception of the universe in the religion of Mandaeism.
In Mandaean cosmology, a maṭarta is a "station" or "toll house" that is located between the World of Light from Tibil (Earth). It has variously been translated as "watch-station", "toll-station", "way-station", or "purgatory". Maṭartas are guarded by various uthras and demons. Ruha, the queen of the underworld, is the ruler or guardian of one of the maṭartas.
Jewish cosmology refers to a cluster of cosmological views held in Jewish systems of thought and theology in premodern times. This includes literature from the period of Second Temple Judaism, rabbinic literature, para-rabbinic literature, and more.
Cosmology in the ancient Near East (ANE) refers to the plurality of cosmological beliefs in the Ancient Near East, covering the period from the 4th millennium BC to the formation of the Macedonian Empire by Alexander the Great in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. These beliefs include the Mesopotamian cosmologies from Babylonia, Sumer, and Akkad; the Levantine or West Semitic cosmologies from Ugarit and ancient Israel and Judah (the biblical cosmology); the Egyptian cosmology from Ancient Egypt; and the Anatolian cosmologies from the Hittites. This system of cosmology went on to have a profound influence on views in early Greek cosmology, later Jewish cosmology, patristic cosmology, and Islamic cosmology (including Quranic cosmology). Until the modern era, variations of ancient near eastern cosmology survived with Hellenistic cosmology as the main competing system.
Quranic cosmology is the understanding of the universe and its creation as described in the Quran. Quranic cosmology can be divided into the Quran's description of the physical landscape (cosmography) of the cosmos, including its structures and features, as well as its creation myth describing how the cosmos originated (cosmogony). The Quran's cosmology is theological, and is often related back to notions of the vastness and orderliness of the cosmos, as well as concepts of purpose, divine will, and the emphasis on the structuring of the world for the existence of human beings.
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Adapun baitul izzah, adalah tempat di langit dunia. Mengenai keberadaannya disebutkan dalam riwayat Ibnu Abbas radhiyallahu 'anhuma, beliau mengatakan, فُصِلَ القُرْآنُ مِنَ الذِّكْرِ [أي: اللّوح المحفوظ]، فَوُضِعَ فِي بَيْتِ العِزَّةِ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَجَعَلَ جِبْرِيلُ عليه السّلام يَنْزِلُ بِهِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم Al-Quran dipisahkan dari ad-Dzikr (Lauhul Mahfudz) lalu diletakkan di Baitul Izzah di langit dunia. Kemudian Jibril menyampaikannya kepada Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam. (HR. Hakim dalam al-Mustadrak 2/223, Ibnu Abi Syaibah dalam al-Mushannaf 10/533, dan dishahihkan oleh ad-Dzahabi). Az-Zarqani memberikan komentar untuk riwayat Ibnu Abbas, وهي أحاديث موقوفة على ابن عبّاس غير أن لها حكم المرفوع إلى النبيّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم لما هو مقرّر من أنّ قول الصّحابيّ فيما لا مجال للرّأي فيه، ولم يعرف بالأخذ عن الإسرائيليّات حكمه حكم المرفوع Hadis ini mauquf sampai Ibnu Abbas, hanya saja dihukumi marfu' sebagaimana sabda Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam. Berdasarkan kaidah bahwa perkataan sahabat, untuk masalah di luar logika, dan dia bukan termasuk orang yang suka menerima berita israiliyat, maka status perkataannya sama seperti sabda Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam. Beliau melanjutkan, ولا ريب أنّ نزول القرآن إلى بيت العزّة من أنباء الغيب الّتي لا تعرف إلاّ من المعصوم، وابن عبّاس رضي الله عنه لم يعرف بالأخذ عن الإسرائيليّات، فثبت الاحتجاج بها Tidak diragukan bahwa turunnya al-Quran ke baitul izzah termasuk berita ghaib, yang tidak bisa diketahui kecuali melalui Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam yang ma'shum. Dan Ibnu Abbas juga bukan orang yang dikenal suka menerima berita israiliyat, sehingga perkataan beliau dalam hal ini boleh dijadikan dalil. (Manahil al-Urfan, 1/45).
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