ABRAHAM SARAI AND BIBLICAL SYMBOLISM
Before we go deeper into the metaphysics of this Biblical couple, we need to reflect on their origins.
There are certain striking similarities between the Hindu god Brahma and his consort Saraisvati, and the Jewish Abraham and Sarai, that are more than mere coincidences. See will cover these similarities in another chapter.
Let's start here with some etymology.
Abraham, a'-brå-ham (Heb.)--father (source, founder) of a multitude.
ABRAM consists of;
Ab = “father or Mind,” Rham = “Spirit breath.”
The breath has always been associated with ‘“Spirit” and is powerful metaphysical knowledge (gnosis).
So Abram (Abraham/Ibrahim) is a part of us that we need to develop within to find our Divine essence. Biblically stated in a literal sense, God renamed Abram to Abraham (meaning exalted father) because he was to be the father of many nations. Sarai means “princess,” but since she will be the mother of nations, with kings of peoples coming from her, God changes her name to “Sarah” which means “noblewoman.”
Further, Sarai represents our “emotions.” When the emotions become detached from thought and become virgin she becomes Sarah. In that virgin consciousness she will give birth to the child. This is the creative feminine principle. In ancient metaphysics:
Husband = Mind - Wife = emotions
Wife subjected to husband ... emotions subjected to Mind. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:6 “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” There have been many vile acts committed by a literal interpretation of these ancient scriptures.
Now lets move to the deeper symbolism of all these names and people. We move to a scripture quote from Galatians 4:24 from the Bible:
"Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants ..."
Right here were are told in plain simple terms, that the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, is an allegory. It is metaphorical. Myth ... with a hidden deeper meaning rather than just a physical, literal, and historical event. Science and biology tell us 90 years old women cannot have babies. This is a story of highly symbolic value. It isn't commentary, it is saying to us that it is allegorical. There is symbolism in this myth that is intended for discovery by those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear.
This goes hand-in-hand with us being told in scripture NOT to take the letter (scripture/hand written letter) literally, by reminding us to NOT be a “Minister of the letter.” The Bible communicates to us in Parables, Proverbs, Allegories, metaphors, and Dark Sayings. Modern day Archaeologists from the University of Tel Aviv have even told us the Bible stories are intended to be symbolic and allegorical. Consider the captivity in Egypt. Egypt is a metaphor for our own dark ego animal based mind. "Aigyptos" in Greek meant "dark place." Egypt, was a symbol of base nature man.
The Exodus, was an allegory for leaving the darkness (Egypt) and entering the Promised Land (Is-Ra-El) and Jerusalem (yeru-shalom) the place of peace. Again, what takes place within us as we transmute from base nature to Divine. Generations have searched for the literal places in the Bible but to no avail. Either they were built and named in honour of the symbolism, or they simply did not exist. The Ten Commandments (the negative commandments) were derived directly from King Hammurabi's Code. A list of negative commandments of things NOT to do that preceded the Hebrews by hundreds of years. These codes are currently on permanent display in the British Museum.
Joshua of the Old Testament, the one who conquered Israel, is the same story as Jesus of the New Testament. The very name itself is the same. Joshua from the Hebrew, and Jesus from the Greek, are “Yehoshua, Yeshu, Yeshua” literally a word composed of Hebrew aleph-bet (alphabet) symbols that mean “God is Saviour.” There was wandering in the desert for 40 years in the OT, there was a flood of 40 days and 40 nights in the OT, Jesus wandered in the wilderness for 40 days in the NT ... this is ALL symbolism. “Forty” weeks is the gestation period of a human being (9 months). From conception, to birth ... marking a new person with new beginnings. A “born again” time frame. Everything is symbolic.
Even top officials from Universities in Israel today will tell us the Bible stories and the history of the Hebrews are not considered as merely literal historical events, if at all. Joshua could not have knocked down the walls of Jericho because Jericho didn't exist at that time. Jesus could not have been “of Nazareth” because there was no Nazareth at that time (it meant Nazarene/Nozrim). Camels were not domesticated at that time.
So if so many of these stories never literally or historically happened, then what do they mean? There must be something deeper than the surface story. These secret Truths were taught to initiates into the Mystery School of old. And by taking these stories to be only literal, it has wreaked havoc all over the world for centuries. War and violence, degradation of women, child abuse, lies and deceptions, and a total misunderstanding and mistranslation of the true nature of Life, and of ourselves as being the “Light of the world.”
The Bible characters, locations, stories, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection, raising of the dead, ascension, transfiguration, crossing of the Red Sea, Mt. Sinai, are all intended to be taken as allegory and metaphor. All Myth ... “Mythos” in the Greek. In the Greek, mythos means there is MORE to the surface story ... a deeper Truth to be discovered. Joseph Campbell put it wisely when he described “myth” as “something that never was, yet always is.” We must go beyond the name, places, and events ... deep between the black and white letter, and find the pearl of great price. The Truth, that lies in waiting ... for Revelation - to be revealed, uncovered, unhidden. The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth Life.
Just a thought ...
Justin Taylor, ORDM.
