The Cabala Of The Jews.

THE CABALA OF THE JEWS .

WE take the following account of a very recondite subject from Professor Henry Morley ' s very interesting life of Cornelius Agrippa . We think that many of our readers might like to peruse this lucid sketch of a matter so difficult in itself , ancl of which so very little is usually known . " The traditions , or Cabala , of the Jews * are contained in sundry books , written by Hebrew Rabbisand consist of a strange mixture of fable ancl

, philosophy varying on a good many points , but all adhering with sufficient accuracy to one scheme of doctrine . They claim high ancl remote origin . Some say that the first Cabala was received by Adam from the angel Raziel , who gave him , either while he yet remained in Paradise , or else at the time of his expulsion , to console ancl hel p him , a book full of divine ' wisdom . In this book were the secrets of natureand bknowledge of

, y them Adam entered into conversation with the sun and moon , knew how to summon good and evil spirits , to interpret dreams , foretell events , to heal , and to destroy . This book , handed down from father to son , came into Solomon ' s possession , and by its aid Solomon became master of- many , potent secrets . A cabalistical volume , called the Book of Raziel ; was , in the middle ages , sometimes to be seen among the Jews .

" Another account said that the first cabalistical book was the Sepher Jezirah , written by Abraham ; but the most prevalent opinion was , that when the written law was given on Mount Sinai to Moses , the Cabala , or mysterious interpretation of it , was taught to him also . Then Moses , it was said , when he descended from the mountain , entered Aaron ' s tent , ancl taught him also the secret powers of the written word ; ancl Aaronhaving been instructed

, , placed himself at the right hand of Moses , and stood by while his sons , Eleazar and Ithamar , who had been called into the tent , received the same instruction . On the right and left of Moses and Aaron then set Ithamar and Eleazar , when the seventy elders of the Sanhedrim were called in and taught the hidden knowledge . The elders finally were seated , that they might be present when all those among the common people who desired to learn came to be told those

mysteries ; thus the elect of the common people heard but once what the Sanhedrim heard twice , the sons of Aaron three times , and Aaron four times repeated of the secrets that had been made known to Moses b y the voice of the Most High .

" Of this mystical interpretation of the Scripture no person set down any account in writing , unless it was Esdras ; but some Jews doubt whether he did . Israelites kept the knowledge of the doctrine by a pure tradition ; but about fifty years after the destruction of Jerusalem , Akiba , a great rabbi , wrote the chief part of it in that book , Sepher-jezireh , or the Book of the Creation , which was foolishly ascribed by a few to Abraham . A discile of the Rabbi

p Akiba was Rabbi Simeon ben Jochai , who wrote more of the tradition in a book called Zoar . " The truth probably is , that the literature of cabalism , which is full of suggestions derived from the Neoplatonics of Alexandria , began with the