TSW ~ E.W. King: "True Christian Kabbalah Perspective." ~ TSW

Ancient Antiochene Kabbalah

“True Christian Kabbalah Perspective”

By Eric William King

December 3^rd 2024

In over two thousand years Kabbalah has been on planet Earth. It was a system of studying God and His relationship with people and creation. It did involve early science but science in the early years was mixed with philosophy and religion, they were understood as one. This means that true ancient Kabbalah also became an early branch of metaphysical topics. There is no doubt that Kabbalah borrowed from many other cultures - religions, art, and philosophy. Today many Christians have taken an interest in Ancient Antiochene Kabbalah. In this short paper presbyter Eric W. King will give us some more insight regarding this most interesting topic. - TSW

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I hope to enlighten Ancient Antiochene Christians on the topic of what we now call Ancient Antiochene Christian Kabbalah. First and foremost, these studies are to focus on what God has revealed unto us by His word, the Holy Bible. We believe in Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone when it comes to the source of all doctrine. These studies that your being introduced to have been put together in an age of computers, new scientific data, space travel, the reality of UFO’s, A.I. technology, etc. I truly believe that Ancient Antiochene Christian Theology as a whole has the proper response for today’s world.

The Christian Bible contains every emotion, trial, and tribulation of the Human race. It reveals the fallen-nature of mankind in detail. It does this through the demonstration of fallen humanities relationship with itself and all things, including its Creator. The Bible also offers a “new program” for Humanity. This program involves forgiveness, acceptance, love and ultimately a new body for you to live in peace and eternity with your heavenly family and Father - God.

We have gone from the Computer Age right into the “Material Age” and “spoiled rotten” age. Antiochene Kabbalah helps give proper Biblical answers for the intellect of today’s world. People that sense something is not right are looking. True Christianity never loses its power to change lives. How the Gospel is presented becomes malleable but the message remains static, it is the unchanging and “stable” Truth. Today’s world moves much faster and knowledge is constantly changing. The reality is there are supernatural truths that never change. Once you find out what these truths are you may gain true stability.

We are the “created” not the Creator. Thus, we live in a “created” space. All of what we would call creation or the universe the Bible calls in the Greek “the pleroma”. It can be pictured as a sphere [sephira] containing everything that we would call “anything” - “everything”.

Kabbalah in one sense tries to help us get a hold of understanding “everything”, which of course is impossible. Yet in the study of Christian Kabbalah, it is believed that God in His mercy gives enough to take in and contemplate. The true Christian Kabbalist student attains to greater levels of rich Christian experience which inevitably produces Christian maturity.

So Christian Kabbalah does not give us “complete” understandings but it does give us Biblical concepts to contemplate which help ground us in God’s word. These studies also help Christians to give responses to others who may have deeper questions about the Christian faith then most people. We are to be “always ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within.”

So, a brief history on our Christian Kabbalah goes like this: The Hebrew word ‘Kabbalah’ means “that which is received”. In the most ancient civilizations of God’s people these teachings were handed down verbally – by word of mouth from teacher to student. Basically, a word that has changed meaning throughout time best describes this study approach and that word is “mysticism”.

Today, when people hear that word, they begin to associate it with the “strange” or wacky-beliefs. They think that it might mean that there are “no absolutes but just constant mystery”. These are wrong conceptions. Apostle Paul used the Greek word for “mystery” and “mysteries” in the New Testament. He used them in what we might call a “positive way”. To the early disciples of Christ, the practice of mysticism simply meant receiving “knowledge of God” that had not been known before. It came by “revelation”. The practice of Christian Mysticism means to be open to revelations from God that are in agreement with His written word. Revelations can come in many ways – but all should be tested by God’s word.

What we call religion today was to the ancients’ “mysticism”. There were many different “mystic paths” that one could take. The Jewish people during the time of Jesus Christ had more than one sect of their own. The followers of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ became known as “followers of the Way” and to them, there was only one way – the one True Path.

Later those original followers of the Way became known as “Christians” (Acts 11:26). They were first called Christians in Ancient Antioch which, today, is part of modern Syria near the Mediterranean Sea. Many of the ancient teachings have been handed down through the New Testament writings and through historical records. Before writing became more prevalent, the teachings were handed down orally. Tradition states that Adam and Eve had the knowledge of the earliest and pure Kabbalah that was given to them in the garden. Some claim that the Kabbalah teaching system was given to Abraham or even Moses while he was on Mt. Sanai. While these make for interesting contemplations the Christian Bible does not mention this.

Our Christian Bible’s do not mention the Kabbalah as a special system of teaching but that does not disqualify it from being a part of early Christian history and when taught properly it can help the Christian to better understand his or her faith. Throughout the ages both a mystic oral tradition and a written teaching worked together. We can consider the fact that Jesus Christ did not directly write any of His teachings down that we know of. Our Bible’s were written by His students as they were “moved” by the Holy Spirit.

We also know that Jesus kept cultural traditions such as the Hannukah Holiday. He is mentioned as attending this in the Gospel. This was considered a “religious” holiday but not one commanded by God. Today, we as Christians keep Christmas, and religious holidays not commanded by God but kept to honor and remember Jesus Christ.

As long as our traditions do not replace the Word of God or ask us to do something contrary to the will of God, we may honor God in all that we do. Apostle Paul states: “Whether you eat or whether you drink do all to the glory of God.” Many Bible teachers use study tools and methods that they have found works. Pastors develop their own styles of teaching. Christian Colleges have their own teaching “systems” which they have found works. Ancient Antiochene Christian Kabbalah should be understood this way. It is a method of teaching deep Christian truths.

Latter Kabbalah started “evolving” by adding beliefs from pagan religions and such. We could say that Greek philosophy, art, and science along with Roman art, and early gnosticism played a role in the corruption of what we would call the “original Kabbalah”. It was in the 8^th century that the oral Kabbalah took on its first publicized teachings, “The Book of Formation”. This was published in southern Italy. It must be understood that this publication contained many superstitious beliefs and mystical ideas from pagan systems. It was a corrupt Kabbalah but that does not mean that it did not offer some new and important contemplations for the Christian mind.

We must remember, that a lot of what we call “science” today was to them called “mysticism”. It was early Christians contemplating the then known science and the laws of science in conjunction with their Creator, the Christian God. This Kabbalah did not only include all the sciences but also the study of man, his thinking and ways. Because of its Judaism and its text book being the Tanakh (complete Old Testament) it did offer the prophesied appearance of the Savior, the final Messiah. It also includes ideas of the Trinity – the very controversial doctrine of early Christianity.

In the 13^th century another very important publication began to circulate called the “Zohar”. This book was compiled in Spain. Of course, this publication also was mixed with many pagan concepts (superstitions) and some ideas of early occult science. Of course, Humans were still trying to figure out what “science” was minus superstitions and also strange cultural rituals began to be abandoned. People were waking up at the beginning of the Church Dispensation to many new understandings. It is very difficult to give up old thought processes. It took generations to arrive at better understandings as it still does today.

As Christians, we do not believe that “we have arrived” at complete knowledge. God informs us to always remain teachable – this is how we grow and mature. Even today many still hold to beliefs that are not true. One of the outrageous teachings that entered the teachings of Kabbalah was the belief that one could create a Golem. A Golem was a legendary creature made of clay that was produced through pagan ritual. These creatures could be sent out to do missions by their creator. These teachings are a prime example of superstitious dominance as a controlling factor in the early Human mind. Also, eventually the Eastern pagan teachings of reincarnation entered latter Kabbalah. Eventually superstitious forms of numerology also became part of Kabbalah. Eventually, by the time we get to the 1500’s some Christians began to play with Kabbalah, study its true history, and then try and clean it up. When centuries of accumulated “false” teachings were removed they found that they had a powerful teaching tool.

Following these early years of development and reconstruction the true subject of science was refined – the long process of removing false teachings and superstitions commenced. Many today have this belief that Christianity is “old fashion” and or “out of style”. It is Christianity which helped humanity to move into the scientific area. Many things have happened to the true teachings of Christianity just as they have happened to ancient Kabbalah. The so called “New Age” churches today have added reincarnation and even occultism to their distorted Christianity. It is truly time to heed the counsel of Laodicea and wash our eyes out so that we can again see clearly.

As we approach the Great Tribulation many will continue to turn away from the true Gospel Message. The Truth is not what many want, they like to stay in delusion and confusion. God informed us that all of what we see happening now would happen. It is my hope that you would visit my papers often and also my lectures. If you are a Christian, I truly believe that you will grow in a richer and deeper understanding of your Christian faith if you study here at “The Shepherds Way” and the “Nugget of Truth”.

I believe that God has always had and always has a contemporary counsel for His church – this counsel is found in His Word. It is time to receive the “meat in due season” to nourish your soul. The complete Christian message is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It should envelop every aspect of our life. As Human technology increases so does our understanding of the Infinite All – our Christian God.

We continue to learn more about our Almighty Heavenly Father and God – YHVH - and we rejoice in His reality.

This is most certainly true.

By Eric William King (December 3^rd 2024)