Bruce Michael
Well-Known Member
There is not a lot in Genesis on this, but as you will see, it is fleshed out in the Jewish tradition.
Along with instruction in the forbidden art - which I take to mean black magic practices - the Nephilim also gave instruction in warfare. They were in other words, Black Adepts. Their instruction was never of a free and helpful nature however, but always at a terrible cost- after all they despised humanity.
Now the some quotes from A. E. Waite, based on the Hebrew traditions:
First the argument over the creation of Adam:
It is on record that they destroyed the Temple.
Footnotes:
1 Certain codices of the Zohar cause the Shekinah to intimate at this point that Adam will indeed end by sinning with a single woman, but it will prove also with her that 'he will be able to repair the fault, while the lost angels will sin with many women and will be deprived of all reparation. '
2 They belonged to that class who appeared under the form of men, and it was possible therefore for them to exist on earth. They assumed bodies to come down and because of their revolt they could not unclothe to reascend. By their union with women they engendered giants, the "mighty men of old," and "men of renown," mentioned in Gen. vi, 4.
End of quote.
The Nephilim are the Rakshasas or Giant Demons of the Hindu tradition. So if you look up "Rakshasas" in Theosophical literature, you will get more of the story. Notice how Kali is represented with a string of human heads around her neck.
-Br.Bruce
Along with instruction in the forbidden art - which I take to mean black magic practices - the Nephilim also gave instruction in warfare. They were in other words, Black Adepts. Their instruction was never of a free and helpful nature however, but always at a terrible cost- after all they despised humanity.
Now the some quotes from A. E. Waite, based on the Hebrew traditions:
First the argument over the creation of Adam:
"There was another class, the downfall of which was consequent on the Holy One assembling several legions of superior angels and advising them that He intended to create man. They appear to have replied by quoting the Psalmist when he said: "Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish."
"Thereupon the Holy One stretched forth a finger and burned these blessed legions, after which He called others into His presence and made the same statement, to which they answered on their part: "What is man that Thou art mindful of him and the son of man that Thou visitest him."
"The Lord explained that man should be made in His image and would be superior to those whom He addressed. It does not appear what happened to these legions. There were, moreover, those Sons of God who "saw the daughters of men that they were fair," and they included Aza and Azael, who entered into a dispute with Shekinah on the advisability of creating Adam, seeing that he would end by sinning with his wife, to which Shekinah replied that before they could make accusations of this kind it must be postulated that they would prove more chaste in their own persons.1
"This was the conclusion for the moment, but the children of God had recourse to the daughters of men and "took them wives of all that they chose."
"The result was that Shekinah stripped them of their sanctity and of all part in eternal beatitude, which had been the case also with the rebellious angels belonging to the first category: these are burnt eternally in Sheol.
"When Aza and Azael were cast down, they assumed bodies on earth and were imprisoned therein.2 "It was subsequently-according to this version--that they were seduced by women and are alive at this day, still instructing men in the art of magic, which they had begun to teach soon after their descent. They were chained on certain black mountains, which Laban and Balaam frequented for instruction in the forbidden art. There were in all five orders of intelligence which seem to have ben cast out of heaven, and some of these were incarnated as men. These were the Giants of Genesis, the Nephilim, the descendants of Amalec, the Intruders of the Talmud, and so forth.
It is on record that they destroyed the Temple.
Footnotes:
1 Certain codices of the Zohar cause the Shekinah to intimate at this point that Adam will indeed end by sinning with a single woman, but it will prove also with her that 'he will be able to repair the fault, while the lost angels will sin with many women and will be deprived of all reparation. '
2 They belonged to that class who appeared under the form of men, and it was possible therefore for them to exist on earth. They assumed bodies to come down and because of their revolt they could not unclothe to reascend. By their union with women they engendered giants, the "mighty men of old," and "men of renown," mentioned in Gen. vi, 4.
End of quote.
The Nephilim are the Rakshasas or Giant Demons of the Hindu tradition. So if you look up "Rakshasas" in Theosophical literature, you will get more of the story. Notice how Kali is represented with a string of human heads around her neck.
-Br.Bruce