In the beginning, when the world was formless and void, the Eternal One spoke existence into being. The voice of God, the Word, brought light into the darkness, order into chaos, and life into the vast emptiness. This was the foundation of all creation, and the Eternal One called it good.
- The Covenant with Creation God, the Infinite Source, created humanity in His own image, not to be rulers over the earth but stewards and partners in the divine plan. In those early days, humanity walked with God, knowing no separation. Yet, through an act of disobedience, the connection was veiled, and humanity was cast into exile, wandering the earth in search of the lost Eden. From this fractured beginning, a promise was born—a covenant that humanity would one day be restored to its divine inheritance. The first glimmers of this promise came through Noah, who survived the great flood, preserving life upon the ark and carrying forward the seed of hope for a renewed world.
- The Call of Abraham: Father of Nations Out of the fertile crescent, in the land of Ur, there arose a man named Abram. The Eternal One appeared to him, calling him to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown land, promising, “I will make of you a great nation. Through your descendants, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abram, renamed Abraham, entered into a sacred covenant with God. This covenant was sealed with the stars above, for God said, “Look to the heavens; your descendants shall be as numerous as the stars.” Abraham became the patriarch of a divine lineage, carrying the promise of restoration and blessing. His son Isaac, the child of miraculous birth, carried the covenant forward. Isaac begot Jacob, who wrestled with an angel of God and was given the name Israel, meaning “he who struggles with God.” Jacob’s twelve sons became the progenitors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, a people chosen to bear the divine promise.
- From Slavery to Revelation: The Exodus The descendants of Israel grew numerous in Egypt, but they became enslaved under Pharaoh’s rule. The people cried out to the Eternal One, and their cries were heard. From the burning bush, God called Moses, a shepherd in exile, and commanded him to lead His people to freedom. Through wonders and plagues, God revealed His power, breaking the chains of the Israelites and parting the Red Sea so they could escape. In the wilderness, at the sacred mountain of Sinai, God descended in fire and thunder, giving Moses the Torah—the divine law written on stone tablets. The Torah was more than law; it was a cosmic blueprint, the path to restore humanity’s alignment with the divine. Through the Ten Commandments and the sacred teachings, the Israelites were called to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” living as a light to all the world.
- The Promised Land: Establishing the Kingdom After forty years in the wilderness, the Israelites entered the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Here, under the leadership of Joshua, they established themselves, but their faith wavered, and they often turned to the gods of the surrounding nations. Prophets and judges arose to call the people back to the covenant. Among them was Samuel, who anointed the first king, Saul, and later the shepherd-boy-turned-king, David. David became the archetype of the sacred king, ruling with justice and writing psalms of devotion to God. God promised David that his lineage would endure forever, establishing the spiritual foundation for the coming Messiah. David’s son, Solomon, built the First Temple in Jerusalem, a dwelling place for the divine presence (Shekinah). The Temple became the center of Jewish worship, housing the Ark of the Covenant, which held the stone tablets of the Law.
- Exile and Prophecy: The Kingdom Falls The glory of the united kingdom did not last. The kingdom split into two: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Both fell into idolatry, forsaking the covenant. Prophets arose—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others—calling the people to repentance and foretelling a time of renewal. The northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, and the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians. The Temple was destroyed, and the people were exiled to Babylon. Yet even in exile, the promise endured. The prophets spoke of a new covenant, one written not on stone but on the hearts of the people.
- Return and Renewal After seventy years, the exiles returned to Jerusalem under the decree of the Persian king Cyrus, whom the prophet Isaiah called God’s anointed. The Second Temple was built, and the Jewish people recommitted themselves to the Law. Yet they lived under foreign rule, first the Persians, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans. The Jewish tradition evolved during this time, incorporating mystical teachings and interpretations. The Torah remained central, but the oral traditions, later codified in the Talmud, expanded the spiritual understanding of the Law.
- The Rise of Mystical Sects As Roman oppression intensified, various Jewish sects emerged:
- The Pharisees: Guardians of the oral tradition and interpreters of the Law.
- The Sadducees: Priestly elites focused on Temple worship.
- The Essenes: A mystical and ascetic sect living in the desert, preserving secret teachings and awaiting a Messiah.
- The Zealots: Revolutionaries seeking liberation from Roman rule. Among these, the Essenes practiced a mystical form of Judaism influenced by other traditions, such as Zoroastrianism and Pythagoreanism. They emphasized purity, apocalyptic visions, and the coming of a teacher of righteousness.
- The Fulfillment of the Promise: The Time of Jesus Into this world of longing and expectation came Yeshua of Nazareth, born in the line of David. He proclaimed the kingdom of heaven, teaching that the Law could be fulfilled through love and inner transformation. He healed the sick, welcomed the outcasts, and spoke in parables, revealing the mysteries of the divine. Yeshua’s life was an enactment of the ancient alchemical drama: death, descent, resurrection, and ascension. His crucifixion symbolized the ultimate sacrifice, and his resurrection became the promise of eternal life. For many, he was the fulfillment of the covenant, the Messiah foretold by the prophets.