469. JACOB’S BOOKS
Jacob possessed three books. One was the Book of Adam, of which it is written, This is the book of the generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1). The second was the Book of Enoch, which recounts how Enoch walked with God; and then he was no more, for God took him (Gen. 5:24). The third was Abraham’s Book of Creation.
From a midrashic perspective, Jacob would have been in possession of these three books. The existence of the Book of Adam is derived from the verse This is the book of the generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1). This book is sometimes also identified with the Book of Raziel. For more on the latter, see “The Book of Raziel,” p. 252. The Book of Enoch recounts Enoch’s heavenly journey, elaborating on the terse account of Enoch found in Genesis 5:21-24. There is also an old tradition that Abraham was author of the Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Creation, the earliest kabbalistic text. Thus all three of these books were believed to have existed at the time of Jacob and might have been available to him.
Jacob’s access to these books provides a partial explanation for the level of spiritual achievement attributed to him in midrashic texts. See, for example, “Jacob the Angel,” p. 364 and “Jacob the Divine,” p. 366.
Sources:
Zohar Hadash, Yitro 37b.
470. JACOB THE ANGEL
Jacob was no ordinary man. If the truth be known, his true name was Israel, and he was an angel of God, the very archangel of the power of the Lord and the first minister before the face of God. Indeed, he was the first living being to whom God gave life, with the beauty of Adam.
When the angel Israel descended to earth and became Jacob, he forgot his divine origin. God tried to remind him when He sent him the dream of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven, so that he might glimpse the celestial world he had left behind.
In the dream angels of God were ascending and descending on it (Gen. 28:12). For the angels who had accompanied him from his father’s house went up to heaven to announce to the angels on high: “Come and see Jacob the pious, whose image is fixed upon the Throne of Glory, the one you have longed to see.” Then the rest of the holy angels of the Lord came down to look at him. That is why the angels went up and down the ladder, for they ascended to see the face carved on the celestial throne, and they descended to see the face of Jacob as he slept, whose features were identical to those carved on high.
In the dream Jacob heard the voice of God say, “You, too, Jacob, climb up the ladder.” For God was trying to remind Jacob that he was an angel, and that the time had come for him to return to the heavenly realm. But Jacob said, “Master of the Universe, I am afraid that if I climb up I will have to come down.” Nor did he ascend on high. Indeed, it is said that if Jacob had climbed up the ladder, he would not have had to come down again, and Israel would have been spared great suffering.
Thus when Jacob wrestled with the angel at the River Yabbok, the struggle was not that of a man and angel, but that of two angels—Uriel and Israel. Some say that Uriel had been sent to remind Jacob of his divine origin, saying, “Know that you were once an angel, who descended to earth and took up dwelling among humans and your name became Jacob. Now your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel” (Gen. 32:29). Others say that Uriel wrestled with Jacob, saying, “My name will take precedence over your name and the names of every other angel.” At first Jacob did not understand, but suddenly he remembered that he once was an angel. And Jacob said, “Are you not Uriel? Have you forgotten that I am Israel, the chief commander among the heavenly hosts?” And Jacob called out God’s secret Name and thus defeated him.
Still others insist that Jacob did not become an angel until after his death; only then did he become an immortal angel.
Sometime before or after his death, Jacob himself said, “For I who speak to you, I Jacob-Israel, am an angel of God and a ruling spirit, the first servant before the presence of God. It was God who gave me the name Israel, which means, ‘the man who sees God,’ because I am the firstborn of all living beings that God brought to life.”
Of the many theories about the meaning of Jacob’s struggle with a mysterious figure at the River Yabbok (Gen. 33:25-31), one of the most interesting is that Jacob was not only wrestling with an angel, but that he himself was the angel Israel. This explains why the angel with whom he wrestled tells Jacob Your name shall be called Jacob no more, but Israel (Gen. 32:29). This suggests that the reason the angel Uriel had been sent was to remind Jacob of his true identity as an angel, something he had apparently forgotten during his foray among humans.
This myth grows out of an extensive, if somewhat obscure, tradition that identifies Jacob as an angel or some other kind of divine being. It is primarily found in magical and mystical literature, and in these texts Jacob’s identity as the angel Israel sometimes converges with that of the nation of Israel. Such identification grows first out of the fact that Jacob is also known as Israel. Thus, just as Abram became Abraham and Sarai became Sarah, so the angel with whom he wrestled announced to Jacob that his name would now be Israel. Of course, this is also the name of the nation of Israel. Thus the special traditions linked to Jacob may derive from this identification of man and nation.
In addition, Jacob is often identified as the ideal man, who represents the human race (much as does Adam), and whose face appears on the divine throne (see Ezek. 1:10, 1:26). Further, it is suggested several times that Jacob was made wholly of fire, and that his ability to withstand the power of the angel demonstrated his divine nature. Further evidence is found in Jacob’s ability to cause Laban’s flocks to bring forth streaked, speckled, and spotted young (Gen. 30:39). For this reason Midrash Tehillim interprets the verse You have made him little less than divine (Ps. 8:6) as referring to Jacob, “thereby proving that Jacob was less than God only in that he had not the power to put the breath of life into them” (Midrash Tehillim 8:6).
Further, according to Midrash Tehillim 31:7, Jacob was said to have been one of the two to whom God revealed the time of redemption. The other was Daniel. (See Daniel 10:14). Jacob’s divine knowledge is said to have been revealed by his final words to his sons, where he says, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the end of days” (Gen. 49:1). This phrase, “the end of days,” became the primary term for the messianic era which was so eagerly awaited. In fact, Midrash Tehillim 14:7 suggests that Jacob alone, among the patriarchs, will be invited to the feast of redemption: “When the Lord brought His people out of captivity, then Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice (Ps. 14:7). Of all the patriarchs, why is it that Jacob is named as rejoicing? R. Shimon ben Lakish answered: ‘When the children of Israel sin, only Jacob in the Cave of Machpelah feels defiled. So when the gladness of redemption comes, Jacob will rejoice in it more than any of the other patriarchs. For he alone of the patriarchs will be called to the feast, as it is said, Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called (Isa. 48:12). What does ‘Israel whom I have called’ mean? It means Israel, who will be called to the feast.’”
There is also a legend that Jacob is the man in the moon, which probably derives from the myth that Jacob’s face appears on the divine throne. See Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, vol. 5, p. 305, note 248. See also the Wolfson article listed below.
In identifying Jacob as the “first minister of the face of God,” Jacob is given the role traditionally played by Metatron, the angel of the Presence. This is the only angel who is said to be permitted to see God face to face. It would seem likely that there were early mystical circles in which Jacob played a Metatron-like role as the primary angel. But all that remains of the evidence of these circles are pseudepigraphal fragments, especially the Prayer of Joseph.
All of these traditions concern the divine origin or divine nature of Jacob. In some it appears that Jacob was originally the angel Israel (Prayer of Joseph), while others suggest that Jacob’s soul made a heavenly journey through the palaces of heaven (“Blessed are you…for you entered the palace above and remained alive.”—Midras
h Avkir). See “Jacob’s Ascent on High,” p. 361. Jacob is also identified as the human face that Ezekiel saw on the Divine Chariot (Merkavah) (Ezek. 1:10, 1:26). This reference, Targum Neophyti, says about Jacob that his “likeness is set upon the divine throne.” A similar tradition is also found in Genesis Rabbah (68:12) where it is said about Jacob that “You are the one whose features are engraved on high.” In the same source God is said to have shown Jacob a throne of three legs, and God said to him: “You are the third leg,” i.e., Jacob is the third patriarch.
The primary sources of this unusual interpretation of the account of Jacob wrestling with the angel are two pseudepigraphical texts, Prayer of Joseph and The Ladder of Jacob. Prayer of Joseph, a fragment, begins: “I, Jacob, who am speaking to you, am also Israel, an angel of God.” This fragment also recounts that “I am the firstborn of every living thing to whom God gives life.” This suggests that Jacob was a kind of protohuman, an Adam-like figure, or even something similar to the kabbalistic figure of Adam Kadmon, whose creation was said to have preceded that of the earthly Adam.
While most texts link Jacob’s face with the face carved on the throne on high, Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 35 has the ministering angels say, “This is a face like the face of the holy beast on the Throne of Glory.” This identifies of Jacob with one of the hayyot, the celestial beasts, who are said to reside in the highest heavens. Thus while most texts identify the face of Jacob with the mysterious human face on God’s throne—a face that is intimately linked to God Himself—the text from Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer avoids this direct link with God.
The identification of the angel with whom Jacob wrestles as Uriel also derives from Prayer of Joseph 1:5-9, which supplies the reason for the wrestling—jealousy on the part of Uriel: “He envied me and fought with me and wrestled with me, saying that his name and the name that is before every angel was to be above mine. I told him his name and what rank he held among the songs of God. ‘Are you not Uriel, the eighth after me? and I am Israel, the archangel of the power of the Lord and the chief captain among the songs of God. Am I not Israel, the first minister before the face of God? I called upon my God by the ineffable Name.’”
The model for an angelic descent into this world is found in the midrashim concerning Genesis 6, the Sons of God and the daughters of men. Here two angels, Shemhazai and Azazel, are said to have convinced God to let them descend to this world to demonstrate that they would not be swayed by the Yetzer ha-Ra, the Evil Inclination. See “The Star Maiden,” p. 455. The fragment in Prayer of Joseph suggests a similar scenario, with the angel Israel having descended to earth to become the patriarch Jacob.
The cult of Jacob worship extended beyond the Jews. It is a theme found in Gnostic and Manichean texts; in the latter, it is stated that “we worship the Lord Jacob, the angel.”
It is interesting to note that there is an apocryphal Christian tradition about Jesus being an angel. According to The Gospel of the Ebionites, Jesus was not begotten of God the Father, but was created as one of the archangels, and he rules over the angels and all the creatures of God (Epiphanius, Haer. 30.16.4f). See “Jacob the Divine,” following.
Sources:
Targum Pseudo-Yonathan on Genesis 28:12; Targum Neophyti, Fragment Targum (Ms. P) Gen 28:12; Prayer of Joseph, Fragment A; Philo, De Somniis 1:150, 153-156; B. Hullin 91b; Genesis Rabbah 68:12; Hekhalot Rabbati 9; Midrash Tehillim 78:6; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 35; Midrash Avkir; Sha’arei ha-Gilgulim, Sha’ar ha-Shorashim 24.
Studies:
“Jacob as an Angel in Gnosticism and Manicheism” by Alexander Bohlig.
“The Face of Jacob in the Moon: Mystical Transformations of an Aggadic Myth” by Elliot R. Wolfson.
“The Image of Jacob Engraved upon the Throne: Further Reflections on the Esoteric Doctrine of the German Pietists” by Elliot R. Wolfson.
Along the Path by Elliot R. Wolfson, pp. 1-62.
471. JACOB THE DIVINE
Jacob’s image is engraved on God’s Throne of Glory in the highest heaven, and when the children of Jacob are oppressed, God looks at the image of Jacob and is filled with pity for them, as it is said, “Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob” (Lev. 26:42). Then God embraces and kisses the image of Jacob, for he was a partner with his Creator in everything, as it is said, Not like these is the portion of Jacob; for it is he who formed all things (Jer. 10:16). That is why God tells his words to Jacob (Ps. 147:19). So too did God reveal the time of the redemption to Jacob alone.
God said to his world: “My world, My world, who created you and who formed you? Jacob created you and Israel formed you, as it is said, ‘Who created you, O Jacob, who formed you, O Israel?’” (Isa. 43:1).
For heaven and earth were only created for the sake of Jacob; indeed, everything was created only for the sake of Jacob. Behemoth was created only for the sake of Jacob, and Abraham was saved from the fiery furnace only for the sake of Jacob. And Abraham himself was only created for the sake of Jacob, for God foresaw that Jacob was destined to spring from Abraham and said, “He deserves to be saved for the sake of Jacob.”
Indeed, it will be Jacob, more than any other patriarch, who will rejoice in the gladness of redemption, as it is said, Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice (Ps. 14:7). For he alone of the patriarchs will be invited to the messianic banquet that will take place in the time to come.
So too was it whispered among the angels that not only was Jacob’s image carved on God’s Throne, but that the image of the sleeping Jacob was identical with that of the Lord of Hosts. That is why the angels ascended and descended the ladder, comparing the image on high with that below, and it was as if they were peering into a mirror.
There are even those who insist that it is the image of Jacob himself who sits on God’s Throne, and that this is the true meaning of the semblance of a human form (Ezek. 1:26) in Ezekiel’s vision. So too does the verse Thus said Yahweh: “The heaven is My throne” (Isa. 66:1) reveal that Jacob dwells in the highest firmament, Aravot, upon the divine throne.
That is why, when He set up an altar there, and called it El-elohe-yisrael, Jacob declared to God: “You are God in the celestial spheres and I am god in the terrestrial sphere. For just as You create worlds, so too do I create worlds; just as You divide worlds, so too do I divide worlds.” God replied, “Jacob, you are exceedingly precious in My sight, for I have set your image on My Throne, and by your name the angels praise Me and say, ‘Blessed is Yahweh, the God of Israel’ (Ps. 41:14). Therefore, why do you not ascend?” And Jacob replied: “Shall I also be forced to descend?” And God replied: “Have no fear, My servant Jacob … I will deliver you from far away” (Jer. 30:10).
There is a distinct process of divinization in which the biblical Jacob is transformed into an angel, or even a second power in heaven. Why was Jacob, among the patriarchs, selected for this role? First, and foremost, because of the name Israel, which was given to Jacob by the angel he wrestled with at the River Yabbok in Genesis 32:25-33. The name Israel is the same as that of the nation of Israel, and therefore anything attributed to Jacob/Israel reflects on the destiny of the people of Israel, who share his name. Further, Jacob was the father of the twelve sons who represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, not only does Jacob’s name Israel represent the nation, but his sons represent the tribes. The interlinked identities of the patriarch and the people have thus become entirely intertwined, and they share a common fate. It is also possible that Jacob’s role as the third patriarch is a factor, as the number three in this kind of a series is frequently the most important.
Another important factor in Jacob’s elevation is the verse in Jeremiah 10:16 that seems to acknowledge Jacob’s divinity: Not like these is the portion of Jacob; for it is He who formed all things, and Israel is His very own tribe: Lord of Hosts is His name. God’s deep affection for Jacob is conveyed in Sodei Razayya 16d. The text here says “It is written in Sefer Hekhalot that the Holy One, blessed be He, embraces and kisses the image of Jacob.”
In addition, Jacob’s encounter with the angel at the River Yabbok, in which the angel blessed him saying, You have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed (Gen. 32:29) created a direct link between Jacob and the divine, over whom he had prevailed. And if such a thing was possible, would this not mean that Jacob must have been some kind of divine figure after all, an angel, or even more than that?
In addition to this biblical encounter, the primary focus of Jacob’s elevation to a divine figure derives from two key rabbinic myths. One holds that Jacob’s image was carved or engraved on God’s heavenly throne. The other suggests that Jacob himself was an angel. The key to this process derives from the tradition, found in many early and diverse sources, that Jacob’s image is to be found on God’s Throne of Glory.
This divinization of Jacob was the culmination of a process by which all of the patriarchs were increasingly perceived from a mythic and mystical perspective. It is stated in Genesis Rabbah (82:88) that “the patriarchs are God’s Chariot,” linking the patriarchs with God’s throne, as portrayed in the vision of Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:26). But Jacob, because of his role as the father of the twelve tribes, and especially because his name is identical with that of the people of Israel, came to take on a role that can only be regarded as divine. In these myths Jacob did not usurp the role of God, but shared with God the role of Creator.
The role of Jacob can be seen to be transformed in this series of Jacob myths. Here a step-by-step evolution of Jacob’s role can be seen, although many of these traditions existed simultaneously. In some Jacob’s soul merely ascends on high during his dream at Beth El, but in others he is described as an angel, the most prominent in heaven, and ultimately he is portrayed as a creator who forms all things, i.e., a secondary God, much as the angel Metatron is often described. The remaining evidence of this tradition of Jacob the divine is now found in snatches of passages and in fragments such as Prayer of Joseph.
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