Qabbalistic Cross Questions
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Given:
1 Chronicles 29:11
לְךָ יְהוָה הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת, וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד
Leka YHVH ha gedulah ve ha geburah ve ha tiphereth ve ha netzach ve ha hod
Thine [to thee] YHVH * the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty
Matthew 6:13 (Byzantine manuscripts, 4th or 5th Century)
ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν
Hoti sou estin hê basileia kae hê dynamis kae hê doxa eis tous aeônas
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Eliphas Levi, 1855
Tibi sunt Malkuth et Geburah et Chesed per aeonas
Thine (to thee) are the kingdom and power and mercy forever
(For example, the initiate said raising his hand to his forehead, 'For thine,' then added 'is,' and continuing as he brought down his hand to his breast, 'the kingdom,' then to the left shoulder, 'and the mercy' — then clasping his hands, he added, 'in the generating ages.' Tibi sunt Malkuth et Geburah et Chesed per aeonas — a Sign of the Cross which is absolutely and magnificently kabalistic, which the profanations of Gnosticism have lost completely to the official and militant Church. This Sign, made after this manner, should precede and terminate the Conjuration of the Four [elements].)
Why did the Golden Dawn change "Thine/to thee" (which they had available in at least 3 languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin) to Ateh, "Thou (art)"?
I have heard some assert that it's because the Golden Dawn's originators didn't have a great grasp of Hebrew. I have also read (though I doubt) that Ateh is a blind, since the sephirah referred to is Kether, and the divine name here is "Eheieh". Are any of these true, or good explanations?
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You are, of course, asking the serious scholars.
I, however, have always wondered the same and thought that the "Thou," when fully projected, was simply more powerful in its purity. In other words, "Thine," though it has history on its side, focuses on possession, but "Thou" seeks to recreate the pure sense of relational presence in the moment.
My two.
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I agree with you, and thank you for commenting.
Ateh is great. I'm wondering whether this is a happy accident, or a deliberate choice for reasons I don't understand, or what.