| THE TETRAGRAMMATON, THE PENTAGRAMMATON, AND THE ADAM KADMON: A FUSION OF CHRISTIAN AND HEBREW MYSTICISM |
| byBro. William Steve Burkle KT, 32° |
| Alpha Lodge No. 116, Grand Lodge of New Jersey Philo Lodge No. 243, South River, New Jersey Scioto Lodge No. 6, Chillicothe, Ohio. |
During the early 17th Century, there was a resurgenceof popular interest in Christian Mysticism in the form of Rosicrucianism.Rosicrucianism presented Mysticism in allegorical form, applying a mixture ofesoteric traditions and symbolism from disparate cultures to achieve a newcontextual understanding of Christianity. The tenets of the Hebrew Kabala, wereof particular importance in the formulation of Rosicrucian doctrine and wereseamlessly integrated with Christian Mysticism as a part of the Rosicrucianbelief system. One of the more interesting fusions of Hebrew and ChristianMysticism involved the extension of the Tetragrammaton, the ineffable name ofG_d, into the Pentagrammatron, the Hebrew characters used to represent the nameof Jesus. By further extension, this fusion came to include the transformationof the Adam Kadmon symbolically portrayed using the four Hebrew characters ofthe Tetragrammaton into the Adam Kadmon, formed using the five characters of thePentagrammaton. This paper deals with this process of fusion and transformationand with its underlying basis.
Iwill forewarn the reader that much of what I have written here about Mysticism,The Kabala, and even the Tetragrammaton is an historical account as opposed to atechnical discussion of these topics. This is because I wish to convey thatRosicrucianism evolved when it did because preexisting events aligned to make itpossible; said another way, the time was ripe. I will also mention that althoughI have chosen to concentrate upon the Hebrew-Christian aspect of the mysticalfusion which occurred within Rosicrucianism, it (Rosicrucianism) was the mixingvessel for many other Oriental and Occidental traditions (i.e. Platonic, Sufism,Vedic) as well.
Mysticism
Mysticism is the philosophy and practice of a direct (i.e. personal) experienceof God.Modern sources[III]usually add that in mysticism this direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, orultimate reality can be attained only through subjective experience (i.e. byintuition or insight) as opposed to intellect alone. The concept of mysticism isby its very nature somewhat difficult to define; it is reportedthat in 1899 William Ralph Inge, Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral was able to devisemore than twenty-six different definitions, which he called “specimens” ofpossible meanings for the word “mysticism”. In early
Jewish andChristian literaturemystical experiences were typically described as “apokalypsis,” an “apocalypse”or “revelation.” or as waking visions, dreams, trances and auditory events whichfrequently involve spirit possession and ascent journeys.Many such events were self-induced(i.e. those of Montanus circa 156 A.D). The term “mysticism” derives from atreatise entitled The Mystical Theology,written in the sixth century A.D. by a Neo-Platonist Christian monk, Dionysiusthe Areopagite, a.k.a. Pseudo-Dionysius or St. Denys the Areopagite[VII].Dionysius the Areopagite was doubtless influenced by Philo of Alexandria[VIII](Philo Judaeus, circa 20-50 B.C.) who developed the doctrines of Ecstasy andEnthusiasm. The Greek word “Ecstasy” means literally “standing outside oneself”,and combined with the doctrine of “Enthusiasm”, literally meaning “to possessthe divine”, a system of enlightenment is formed which lies in the realm ofdirect experience.
Thebasis for Christian mysticism is often cited to be contained in three primarypassages of New Testament scripture. These includeGalatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, butChrist liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by thefaith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”;
1John 3:2: “Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear whatwe shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; forwe shall see him as he is.”;
II Peter 1:4: “…exceedingly great and precious promises (are given unto us); that by these ye might be partakersof the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world throughlust.”.
WhileChristian mysticism is as old as Christianity itself, its predecessor, HebrewMysticism, is believed to be far older. The Scriptural basis for HebrewMysticism is contained in many passages of the Torah (Pentateuch of the OldTestament) such as those in which God “strolled in the Garden” with Adam, andwhen Moses communed with God on Sinai.
Thesource for Hebrew Mysticism is considered to be the literature of the Kabala, ofwhich the collective works known as the Zohar are considered the most important.The mystic allegory in the Zohar is based upon the principle that all visiblethings, including natural phenomena, have both an exoteric reality and anesoteric reality which informs Man in that which is invisible.
During the European Renaissance Mystics such as Roger Bacon, Raymond Lully,Basil Valentine, and Giovanni Pico De Mirandola had worked to steadily refinethe principles of Christian Mysticism. Pico De Mirandola (1463-1494 A.D.) wasespecially active in studying the Kabalaunder the direction of Jewish masters such as Jehuda Abravanel. Pico’s work
directly influenced Johannes Reuchlin(1455-1522) who wrote De Arte Cabalistica in 1517. It is Reuchlin who iscredited with the creation of the Pentagrammatron and Reuchlin who also firstassociated Adam Kadmon with Tiferet on the Kabalistic Tree of Life[XII]
Christian Mystics (includingPicode Mirandola and Johannes Reuchlin) were likely attracted to the Zohar andHebrew Mysticism because they believed that the Zohar established the truth ofthe Holy Trinity and the authenticity of Jesus as the Messiah. For example onepassage[XIII]in the Zohar reads:
“TheAncient of Days has three heads. He reveals himself in three archetypes, allthree forming but one. He is thus symbolized by the number Three. They arerevealed in one another. (These are:) first, secret, hidden ‘Wisdom’; above thatthe Holy Ancient One; and above Him the Unknowable One. None knows what Hecontains; He is above all conception He is therefore called for man‘Non-Existing’ (Ayin)”.
Theevolution of Christian Mysticism continued through the centuries. CorneliusAgrippa[XIV]in 1531 wrote his “De Occulta Philosophia” (which associated Kabala with magic),following which time the writings of Robert Fludd (1574-1637) and Thomas Vaughan(1622-1666) appeared. The reader will recognize that the time period for theactive development of Christian Mysticism here begins to overlap the founding ofthe Rosicrucian Order. It was during this time that Martines de Pasqually,Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, Jakob Boehme, Baruch Spinoza, and AthaniusKirchner began to contribute to Mystical philosophy. It was Kirchner who firstbegan to draw a parallel between Adam Kadmon and Jesus. While the historicaldevelopment of Christian Mysticism extends well beyond the late 17thand 18th centuries, the period during which the accomplishments ofinterest in this article were effected has (I believe) been satisfactorilycovered. By the time of the publication of The Confessio, The Fama, and TheAlchemical Marriage, Christian Mysticism had fully been realized in Rosicruciandoctrine and imbued with a Westernized version of the Kabala.
TheHebrew Kabala
TheKabala, which is the Hebrew wordfor “The Tradition” is an ancient system of mystical Hebrew wisdom whichallegedly existed as an oral tradition prior to being set into written form inthe 12th Century. The oral tradition is said to have been transmittedto the Angels prior to the Creation. Mankind subsequently received it on threeseparate occasions. The first recipient[XVI]was Adam who received the Kabala from the Archangel Raziel at the time of thefall. Abraham was the second (circa 1700 B.C)[XVII],receiving it from Melchizedek. The knowledge of the Kabala was lost followingeach of these transmissions. Moses was the third recipient, who was given theKabala on his second assent (the second encounter) of Mt. Sinai (following hisreceipt of the Ten Commandments). Moses received four levels of interpretation[XVIII]of the Kabala – (1) Pshat or simple, (2) Remez or illusion, (3) Drush homileticinterpretation, and (4) Sod or the mystical dimension. Taken together thesewords form the Acronym “PARDRS”. Kabalists refer to Moses’ receipt of The tenCommandments as the Outer Teaching (in which he received the written law, TorahShebichtav) , and the receipt of the Kabala as the Inner Teaching (in which hereceived the oral tradition, Torah Shebaal Peh[XIX]).Moses passed the Kabala to Joshua who perpetuated the mystical tradition.
The written Kabala consists of several scrolls, including The Sepher Yetzirah, or“Book of Formation” purportedly placed into writing by Rabbi Akiva, the SeferBahir or the Book of Illumination, attributedto Rabbi Nehunia ben haKana, and the Pirkei Heichalot Rabati (the GreaterPalaces) by Rabbi Ishmael[XXI]. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (the Rashibi) subsequently added to the literature ofthe Kabala, when receiving Divine Inspiration from the Prophet Elijah whocomposed the sacred Zohar[XXII].The Zohar (Book of Splendor) was later published by Rabbi Moshe de Leon[XXIII](Moshe ben Shem-Tov) of Spain circa the late 13th and early 14thCenturies A.D. The Kabala is comprised primarily (though not exclusively) ofthe material contained in the aforementioned texts.
Whilethe sum of the literature of the Kabala is both extensive and complex, theconcepts which are of primary interest to us in this article are thoseconcerning the Tree of Life (or Sephiroth), and Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man).
The Tetragrammaton
The Tetragrammaton is the four-letteredName of G_d, which is written in Hebrew characters as Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh ()and which is traditionally pronounced as either Jehovah or Yahweh in its Englishtransliteration[XXIV].In ancient Hebrew history, the Tetragrammaton was forbidden to be utteredexcept by the High Priest in the Temple of Jerusalem on certain Holy days. TheTemple of Jerusalem has not existed for centuries, and since that time the Namehas not been spoken during religious ritual by Jews[XXV].Because Hebraic characters were originally written without vowel markings (andappeared only as consonants) the correct Hebraic pronunciation of theTetragrammaton is believed to have been lost. When reading the Hebraicscriptures, a substitute for the Ineffable Name, such as “Adonai” (meaning“Lord”) is pronounced instead.
Weinitially encounter the Tetragrammaton in the Hebrew Scriptures in Genesis 2:4and 2:16 in which Moses wrote the name of God using the four Hebrew charactersYod, Heh, Vav, Heh ().The earliest extant document fragments[XXVI]in which the Tetragrammaton appears is portion of Column 19 of the Psalms Scroll(Tehilim) from Qumran Cave 11 (circa 200 B.C to 68 A.D.).
TheTetragrammaton occurs 6,961 times in the original-language version of the HebrewScriptures. The later pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton as “Jehovah” isbelieved to have stemmed[XXVII]from the practice of Masoretic Jews who combined the vowel sounds found in thename Adonai and Elohim with the consonants of the Tetragrammaton to obtain anapproximation for the Divine name (Yehowah and Yehowih). This resulted in theLatinized form “Jehovah”. The first recorded use of this form dates from its useby the Spanish monk Raymundus Martini in his Pugeo Fidei (circa 1270.A.D.).
TheSeptuagint, which provided a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures waswidely distributed to both Jewish and Christian readers in the early Christianperiod. The translation work for the Septuagint began in approximately 280 B.C.and the books of the Law were probably completed by 180 B.C. The translation ofthe entire Hebrew Scriptures was completed near the second century A.D.Interestingly, in the Septuagint the Tetragrammaton was generally used in copieswhich were intended for Jewish readers whereas the Septuagint which wascirculated in the Gentile world used the Greek word Kyrios (Kurios) as atranslation of the divine name. By contrast, the Christian Greek Scriptures werewritten between 41 A.D. (Matthew) and 98 A.D. (the Gospel of John).Both Jesus and the later Christian Scripture writers extensively quoted theSeptuagint which was likely the first Bible used by early Christians. It wouldtherefore be entirely natural to find early Christians with a familiarity of theTetragrammaton, even in the form of the Kyrios.
TheTetragrammaton has significant Cabalistic meaning beyond its representation asthe Ineffable Name. For example (Figure 1), the Yod is taken to represent theelement fire, Heh (prime) is water, Vav is air, and Heh (final) represents theelement earth. Additionally, each of the Four Worlds[XXVIII]of the Sephiroth (Tree of Life) is represented by a letter of theTetragrammaton. Atziluth, the World of Emanations or Archetypal World correspondsto the letter Yod of the Tetragrammaton; Briah, the World of Creation is theWorld of Archangels and corresponds to the letter Heh of the Tetragrammaton;Yetzirah is the World of Formation and is the World of Angels and corresponds tothe letter Vav of the Tetragrammaton; and Asiyah, or the Material World, whichis the World of Action, corresponds to the final letter Heh of theTetragrammaton. It might be added, as a point of reference for later discussionsthat the symbol of the Cross is often considered by Cabalists to be associatedwith the Tetragrammaton, with each of the arms of the cross representing one ofthe four elements fire, air, water, and earth.
The Pentagrammaton
The Pentagrammaton or “fivefold word” is an adaptation of theTetragrammaton in which an additional character (Shin) has been added (Yod, Heh,Shin, Vav, Heh or יהש וה), and which representsthe Hebrew name of Jesus (generally taken to be “Yeheshuah” or “YahShuah”).According to the Encyclopedia[XXIX]
“Yahshuah is a form of the Hebrew-Hebrew (, ‘Ivrit)is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more thanseven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. InIsrael, it is the de facto language of the state and the people, as well asbeing one of the two official languages (together with Arabic), and it is spokenby a majority of the population. The core of the Tanach (the Hebrew Bible ) iswritten in Classical Hebrew, and much of its present …Hebrewname of Jesus produced by mystical speculation at various periods of history,but which is rejected by mainstream linguistics and textual scholarship in the field of ancient languages. The essential idea is of an alphabetic consonantalframework Y-H-Sh-W-H, which can be supplied with vowels in various ways. (Also, the “W” can be converted into a “U”, since the Hebrew letterwaw writes either a [w] consonant sound – later on pronounced [v] – or a long [u]vowel sound”
As can be seen, by this definition, the linguistic correctness of theuse of “Yeshuah” as a representation of the name of Jesus is disputed. This islargely because in the Hebrew language there is Ketiv (what is to be written)and there is also Qere (what is to be read), or that which is to be understood[XXX].Both have to be done correctly for the word or name to be proper. Since theHebrew language has evolved over time and region[XXXI],the arguments both for and against the correctness of the form of Jesus’ nameare extensive.Regardless of the controversy, itis fact that no later than 1486 A.D. the use of the Pentagrammaton to signifythe name of Jesus was in widespread use among Cabbalists such as Giovanni Pico Del Mirandola[XXXII]who published “Seventy-Two Conclusions on the Cabala”. In his fourteenthconclusion, Pico argued that the name of Jesus could be obtained by the inclusionof the letter Shin in the Tetragrammaton.
Brother P.G. Maxwell-Stuart[XXXIII]in his discussion of Reuchlin’sDe Ver”bo Mirifico”writes:
ThePentagrammaton is the means by which man achieves all knowledge and shares inthe life of the divinity; and in that sharing, wonderful powers are conferred onhim, so that he can carryout extraordinary deeds. This name has brought back to life, cured them ofsickness, and freed them of evil demons, over whom the divine name hasespecially great powers. It has changed rivers to wine, brought food to thehungry, made waters recede at times of earthquake and flood, repulsed pirates,and even tamed camels. It protected Paul from snakes on Malta, gave Sylvesterand Philip power over dragons, and, in the struggle between St. John and Kynops,the leader of the Magi, on the island of Patmos, enabled John to prevail overwicked spirits and demonstrated the superior power of the Name over all demonicmagic”.
The significance of the inclusion of the letter Shin in theTetragrammaton is profound. Not only does it provide the required “Sh” sound;the letter Shin also signifies “spirit” and it’s inclusion represents thedescent of Shekinah, or the Holy Spirit in the person of Jesus[XXXIV]
Renaissance Occultist Jakob Bohme[XXXV]produced a representation of the Pentagrammaton associated with theTetragrammaton and arranged as a Pythagorean Tetractys (Figure 2) in hisCalendarium Naturale Magicum or “Magical Calendar” (circa 1582 A.D.). This isbelieved to be the first diagram depicting the Pentagrammaton ever published.
In Figure 2, theTetragrammaton, or four-lettered Name of God, arranged as a PythagoreanTetractys within the inverted human heart[XXXVI].Beneath, the name Jehovah is shown transformed into Jehoshua by theinterpolation of the Hebrew letter Shin. In the first book of his LibriApologetici, Jakob Bohme describes the meaning of this symbol:
“For we men have one book incommon which points to God. Each has it within himself, which is the pricelessName of God. Its letters are the flames of His love, which He out of His heartin the priceless Name of Jesus has revealed in us. Read these letters in yourhearts and spirits and you have books enough. All the writings of the childrenof Goddirect you unto that one book, for therein lie all the treasures of wisdom. Thisbook is Christ in you.”
Thosewho conceived of the name of Jesus being contained within the Ineffable Name mayhave based their belief upon New Testament Scripture. There are a number ofverses[XXXVII]which hint at the concept; including:
Hebrews 1:4 -The Son inherited a more excellent name
John12:13 – Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord
John17:6-26 – Jesus manifested the Fathers name while here on earth.
John5:4 – I am come in my Fathers name
Naturally, each of these verses could be considered either as a literalstatement or as a metaphor. The general view of Mysticism is that the Bible maybe literal, metaphoric, or poetic in its intended meaning. Assuming these versesallude to the name of Jesus as being fused with the Tetragrammaton, they wouldqualify as a sort of scriptural double entendre.
ThePentagrammaton is also the basis for the Occult symbol, known as the Pentagram(Figure 3). Note that in the Pentagram, each of the five points of the star maybe visualized to represent a letter of the Pentagrammaton, and thereforerepresent the four elements plus spirit, which signifies that Spirit rules overmatter[XXXVIII].The pentagram also is closely associated with the so called “Divine Ratio” orPhi (Φ). The Greek letter Phi (Φ) is also the letter of harmony andreconciliation. What is depicted Cabalistically with the letter name JHShVH isidentical to the concept depicted graphically with the circled cross[XXXIX].The Circle is the Spirit, corresponding to Shin, and the Cross represents the
elements corresponding to the other four letters.
Instudying Figure 3, the reader will no doubt notice the similarity of thePentagram and the human body – the resemblance to the two legs, two arms, andhead of the human figure. While there are specific esoteric parallels betweenthe human form and the Pentagram, it is another, far more ancient resemblancebetween the form of man and the Pentagrammaton which I would like to discuss.
Adam Kadmon
TheSepher Yetzirah explains that the creation of the world was achieved by themanipulation of the sacred letters which form the names of God. A review ofFigure 1 will confirm that the Tetragrammnaton is conceptually related to theTree of Life, or Sephiroth, which is a diagram of Creation. In addition to theconcept of the Four Worlds, the Tetragrammaton modified to assume a differentsymbolism (Figure 4) is taken to represent Adam Kadmon, the prototype of createdman. The head of Adam Kadmon is formed by Yod, the arms and sternum by Heh, thetorso by Vav, and the hips and legs by the final Heh.
Notethat in Figure 4 each Hebrew Character constituting the Tetragrammaton has beenarranged to form the likeness of the human figure. Note further that eachcharacter in the Adam Kadmon retains its elemental symbolism, and its symbolismconcerning its relationship to the Four Worlds.
The figure and concept of Adam Kadmon makes sense only in relationto the diagram of the Sephiroth, or Tree of Life, and the explanation of theCreation given in the Sepher Yetzirah. Because of the complexity and length ofthe account, only a brief synopsis can be offered here. It is believed howeverthat this will serve to provide a basic understanding. In order to keep myexplanation brief, many readers, familiar with the Mystical Hebrew concept ofCreation will find my explanation too general; others (such as LurianicCabalists) may take exception to many of my points. To these readers, I ask foryour tolerance, and consideration of my purpose here.
The term “Adam Kadmon” is first found in Sod Yediat ha-Meẓiut, anearly 13th-century Cabbalistic treatise[XLI].The early Kabala speaks of adam elyon (“supreme man”; in the Zohar thecorresponding Aramaic is adam di-l’ela or adam ila’ah). In Hebrew Mysticism theDeity is portrayed as the Ain Soph (meaning “Endless”). The Ain Soph is theGreat Unknowable Entity, which possesses negative existence (which does not meanthat He does not exist). The Ain Soph created the universe by the process knownas “Tsimtsum”, contracting Himself to form a void into which the universe wasborn[XLII].Adam Kadmon (supernal, primordial, or prototypical man) was the firstmanifestation of divine existence and filled the entire universe. Initially, Adam Kadmon, a completely spiritual being, formed as ten concentric circles,followed by the form of a human[XLIII](more properly said, humans were created in the shape of Adam Kadmon). Becausethe Ain Soph is unknowable, Adam Kadmon is considered to be the firstmanifestation of G_d which can be perceived. When visualizing the human form ofAdam Kadmon, it is often useful to draw the analogy of the figural formsascribed to the constellations. The constellations only resemble an animal ormythical hero, etc. when the stars constituting the constellation are connectedby lines. Even then the shape formed is rudimentary. Bear in mind that AdamKadmon is a cosmic metaphor and that an actual cosmic creation in the exactshape of a human does not exist. One of the key points in Cabbalistic theory[XLIV]is that the ten Sephiroth are contained within Adam Kadmon (see Figure 5). AllDivine light (Ain Soph Aur) must pass through Adam Kadmon, via the Sephiroth, inthe course of being emanated into the Four Worlds. Adam Kadmon therefore is notonly a primordial being but also a Cosmic boundary which contains the veryforces of existence. To summarize this portion of the Creation process, the AinSoph creates Adam Kadmon, and the remainder of Creation emanates from AdamKadmon. Adam Kadmon represents an anthropomorphic manifestation of G-d, a maledeity assuming the features and shape subsequently identified with those of ahuman being. He may be viewed as a cosmic interface between G_d and Creation.Scholars consider that the concept of Adam Kadmon may have been derived from theearlier work of Philo, who hypothesizes a heavenly man who was created prior tothe Adam of Genesis.
The Divine Light (Ain Soph Aur) which passes through the Sephirothis said to be emitted from the openings and apertures of the skull (eyes,nostrils, ears, and mouth) of Adam Kadmon (it has also been claimed that thelight of Adam Kadmon issues from his mouth, his navel, and his phallus). Lightalso issues from the Forehead of Adam Kadmon, some of which takes the form ofletters and words in the Torah. As the Divine light passes in a zig-zag paththrough the Sephiroth, the light becomes progressively more dense, and the FourWorlds are created, culminating with the World of Assiah (or physicalexistence). It is into this world that the Adams of Genesis (yes, plural Adams)are eventually delivered. In Genesis 1: 26 it is written:
“AndG-d said, Let us make man in our in our image, after our likeness..”
Cabalists view this to refer to the creation of a second Adam who came intoexistence in the world of Briah. (When Genesis 1:26 tells us that man wascreated in the image of God, it means the image of Adam Kadmon, since God, asAin Soph has no form or image. The earthly Adam of Genesis was therefore createdin the image of Adam Kadmon).
Later then, in Genesis 2:7 is written:
“Andthe Lord G_d formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into hisnostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”.
Cabalists believe Genesis 2:7 indicates the formation of a thirdAdam in the World of Yetsirah. The fall of man, or fall of Adam, refers to theAdam of Yetsirah who, along with Eve, descended into the World of Assiah. Inthis scheme Adam Kadmon, is considered to exist within the World of Atziluth.Like Adam Kadmon, the Adam of Briah is Androgenous (Gen. 1:27 “Male and femalecreated He them”)
To summarize the discussion to this point, the Divine and EndlessLight propagates through the tree of life, bringing four worlds into existence.Each world is connected to and affects the worlds above and below. After theformation of the worlds (of which Adam Kadmon inhabits the first) are thenpopulated with Adams themselves, with the final World inhabited by that Adam whohas fallen from Grace. Each Adam is created in the likeness of Adam Kadmon, themanifestation of the Divine. Each human being, created since the beginning, is asort of Cosmic Hologram, each of them containing the likeness of Adam Kadmon.
It is easy to see from this how each of the four worlds relates toAdam Kadmon, and why the Cabalists represented Adam Kadmon using the Hebrewcharacters of the Tetragrammaton as they did. Our story of Adams, however, isincomplete. I refer of course to that version of Adam Kadmon formed using theletters of the Pentagrammaton (Figure 6).
It isnot inconsequential that the position occupied by Shin in Figure 6 is that whichcorresponds to the heart of Adam Kadmon. If the position of the Shin in thePentagrammaton is projected over the figure of the Tetragrammaton in Figure 5,
it may be seen that the Shin occupies a location directly over the SephiraTipareth, which also corresponds to the heart. Tipareth is also the Sephiratraditionally associated with Jesus. The use of the Pentagrammnaton as AdamKadmon in this manner signifies the perfection of Jesus.
Conclusion
The representation of the Christian Pentagrammaton as a conceptwhich has its basis in Hebrew Mysticism is only one example of the greatco-joining of Mystic philosophies found in the tenets of Rosicrucianism. It is, however, a very good example of how older, and more highly evolved concepts maybe used to build new traditions. I believe that examples of such fusion areabundant in the history of humanity, and that modern Religions and culturesshare an incredibly rich ancient heritage; a fact which we frequently suffer themisfortune of forgetting.
