The Third Heaven, also known as Sagun or Shehaqim,[1] is a spiritual division of the universe within Judeo-Christian cosmology. Judeo-Christian (or Judaeo-Christian, sometimes written as Judæo-Christian) is a term used to describe the body of concepts and values which are thought to be held Cosmology (from Greek grc κοσμολογία - grc κόσμος kosmos, "universe" and grc -λογία -logia) is study In some traditions is it considered the abode of God,[2] and in others a lower level of Paradise, commonly one of seven. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Paradise is a word of Persian origin ( Persian: پردیس Pardìs) that is generally identified with the Garden of Eden or with Heaven. [3]
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References in the Bible
The Old Testament
References to distinct concepts known as "Heaven" occur in the very earliest books of the Old Testament. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. [2] The first, in Genesis 1:9 and 20 is the atmosphere over the earth in which birds fly. The second, mentioned in Genesis 1:14, is the setting for the celestial lights, later identified (Genesis 1:16) as the sun, moon and stars. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth
The Third Heaven, also called shamayi h'shamayim (םשמיה שמי: the "Heaven of Heavens") is mentioned in such passages as Genesis 28:12, Deuteronomy 10:14 and 1 Kings 8:27 as a distinctly spiritual realm containing (or being traveled by) angels and God Himself. Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomion, Δευτερονόμιον "second law" is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament The Books of Kings ( Sefer Melachim, ספר מלכים are a part of Judaism 's Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition [4]
Due to the ambiguity of the term "Heaven" as it is used in the Old Testament books, and the fact that the word in Hebrew, shamayim, (םשמי) is plural, a number of interpretations have been offered for various texts involving its nature, notably the assumption of the prophet Elijah. Elijah or Elias ( was a Prophet in Israel in the 9th century BC
The New Testament
An Epistle of the Apostle Paul, included in the New Testament, contains an explicit reference to the Third Heaven. An epistle (pronounced) ( Greek επιστολη epistolē "letter" is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons usually a letter Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and In a letter to the Corinthian church he writes, "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. Corinth, or Korinth ( Greek Κόρινθος ( is a city in Greece. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. " (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
The apparent parallelism of the passage equates the Third Heaven with "Paradise"[2] the traditional destination of redeemed humans and the general connotation of the term "Heaven" in mainstream Christianity. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a book in the New Testament, written by Paul the Apostle. In Theology, salvation can mean three related things being saved from or Liberation from something such as Suffering or the punishment of Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings [5]
References in other Hebrew literature
Location and geography
In the Pseudopigraphal Book of the Secrets of Enoch, the Third Heaven is described as a location "between corruptibility and incorruptibility" (2 Enoch 8:5) containing the Tree of Life, "whereon the Lord rests, when he goes up into paradise. Pseudepigrapha (from Ancient Greek ψευδής The Second Book of Enoch (usually abbreviated 2 Enoch, and otherwise variously known as Slavonic Enoch or The Secrets of Enoch) is a pseudepigraphic See also Tree of life for other cultural interpretations of the term and Tree of life (disambiguation for other meanings of the term " (verse 3) Two springs in the Third Heaven, one of milk and the other of honey, along with two others of wine and oil, flow down into the Garden of Eden, which is also located there. Not to be confused with Eden Gardens.The Garden of Eden ( Hebrew "pleasure" גַּן עֵדֶן Arabic: جنات عدن, (verse 6)
In contrast with the common concept of Paradise, 2 Enoch also describes a place of torment existing in the Third Heaven, "a very terrible place" with "all manner of tortures" in which merciless angels torment "those who dishonour God, who on earth practice sin against nature," including sodomites, sorcerers, enchanters, witches, the proud, thieves, liars and those guilty of various other transgressions. Sodomy (ˈsɒdəmi is a term used today predominantly in Law (derived from traditional Christian usage to describe the act of Anal intercourse, Oral intercourse Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and An incantation or incantations are the words spoken during a Ritual, either a Hymn or Prayer invoking or praising a Deity, or in magic Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers (2 Enoch 10:1-3) In the Slavonic version of the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, also known as 3 Baruch, the author is shown a Phoenix, and a dragon residing there is said to eat the bodies of "those that have spent their lives in evil. The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages) a group of closely related Languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages 3 Baruch or the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch is a visionary Jewish pseudopedigraphical text thought to have been written after 130 AD perhaps as late as The phoenix ( Ancient Greek: Φοῖνιξ phoínix is a mythical sacred firebird in ancient mythologies starting with the Greek and later the "[6][7]
In The Legends of The Jews by Louis Ginzberg, this third division of Paradise is said to be, like the other six, "twelve myriads of miles in width and twelve myriads of miles in length," built of silver and gold, and containing "the best of everything there is in heaven. Rabbi Louis Ginzberg was one of the outstanding Talmudists of the twentieth century "[3]
Residents
Aside from the redeemed, the transgressors and various angels mentioned in the Bible and other Hebrew literature, a number of specific figures and spirits are mentioned as residing in the Third Heaven. These include, by source,
- The Apocalypse attributed to James:[8]
-
- John the Baptist
- The Legends of The Jews by Louis Ginzberg:[3]
References in Islam
According to Islamic legend, Muhammad's journey into Paradise included an admission to the Third Heaven by the angel Gabriel, in which he met Joseph, who received him warmly. Abraham ( Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard Yaʿaqov Tiberian Yaʿăqōḇ; Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ This article is about Aaron the Levite in the Hebrew Bible, the Qu'ran, and other sources See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. The Exodus ( is the term used for the escape departure and emancipation of the enslaved Israelites freed from Ancient Egypt as described in the Hebrew Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Manasseh of Judah was the king of Judah and only son and successor of Hezekiah. Hezekiah (or Ezekias) ( Hebrew: Ḥizqiyyāhu Khizkiyahu or Yəḥizqiyyāhu Y'khizkiyahu " the {{LORD}} has strengthened" compare For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Although unrelated "Miraj" can also refer to the Islamic tradition according Muhammad 's ascent to heaven Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل Joseph or Yosef (יוֹסֵ Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, يوسف Yusuf; "He [9]
Islamic tradition also places Azrael, the angel of death, in the Third Heaven. Azrael is the Islamic Archangel of Death. It is an English form of the Arabic name Azra'il (عزرائيل or Azra'eil (عزرایل the name traditionally attributed [8]
See also
References
- ^ Angels A-Z at sarahsarchangels.com
- ^ a b c Henry, Matthew, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.viii.xiii.html Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation): Second Corinthians Chap. In Mormon Theology, there are three degrees of glory (alternatively kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate eternal dwelling place for nearly all who Empyrean, from the Medieval Latin empyreus, an adaptation of the Ancient Greek, "in or on the Fire ( pyr)" properly Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond Paradise is a word of Persian origin ( Persian: پردیس Pardìs) that is generally identified with the Garden of Eden or with Heaven. In ancient astronomy before the telescope was invented people referred to the Sun, Moon, and the five planets visible with the naked eye as the Seven heavenly objects XII], Public domain, Library of Congress call no: BS490. H4, at Christian Classics Ethereal Library
- ^ a b c Ginzberg, Louis (1909) The Legends of the Jews, Chapter 1, at sacred-texts.com
- ^ van der Toorn, Becking, van der Horst (1999), Dictionary of Deities and Demons in The Bible, Second Extensively Revised Edition, Entry: Heaven, pp. 388-390, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8028-2491-9
- ^ "Is heaven located in the northern sky?" at christiananswers.net
- ^ Baruch, Apocalypse of at jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ 3 Baruch at The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry
- ^ a b Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels, Entry: Third Heaven, p. 288, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757
- ^ Mi'raj at the Canadian Society of Muslims Website
External links
- What is the "third heaven", Douglas Ward, 2006 at The Voice
- 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12 (KJV) at blueletterbible.org
- The Book of the Secrets of Enoch - II at The Bible and History
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