Part XIV.

The Chddaicl\^ Philofophy.
live^ are in fufpenfe and doubt^ neither can they firmly believe any thing : for if a^‘AIan examine the chief ejl Sells of the Philofophers^ he will find them mofl different from one ano¬ ther^ and' direclly oppofite in the principal affertions.
CHAP. Ill
Sells of the Chaldarans difiinguifhed according to their fcveral Habitations.
AS all Profeffors of Learning among the Chaldjeans, were diltinguilhed from the reft of the People I'y the common denominati¬ on of the Coumvyfhaldteansfo were they diftin- guiflied among themlelves into Sefts, denomi¬ nated from the leveral parts of the Country, wherein they w'ere feated ; Whereof a Pliny i ^ib 1*6 ^ Strabo mention Hipparenes from Hippare-
755,. * ’ ’ num.pi City in Mefopotamia Babylonians.^ from
c Lib, Babylon ^ Orchenes, c (a third Cbaldaick DoHrine )
from Orcho'e a City o^Chaldaa', ^m^Borfippenes., from Borfippe.flYioih&x City of Babylonia dedica- dSuprdcitat. jipoHo and Diana. And though d Dio¬
dorus prefer the Chaldeeans before the Grecians., for the perfcverance in the fame Doftrines without Innovations •, yet we muft not infer thence, that there was an univerfal confent of Do£l:rine amongft them but only, that each of them was conftant in belief, and maintenance of his own Se6:, without introducing any new Opinion. For,that amongft thefe Sefts there was no ablblute agreement, is manifeft Txom Strabo, eLoe.dtst. who adds that e they did (as indifferent Sells) fUc. dm. afiert contrary DoHrines j f fome of them cal- culatedNativities., others difapproved itjWhcnce iLib. ghucretius.,
The Babylonick DoUrine doth oppofe The Chaldee., and Afirology drthrows.
CHAP. IV.
Selhs of the Chalda^ans difiinguifhed according ' to their feveral Sciences.
ANother (more properJdiftinClion of SeQs amongft the Learned Chaldeans, there was, according to the leveral Sciences which . ^ they profeft. The D^z;^/>/relafmg how

to tell him his Dream, takes occafion to name the principal of them, which were four ^ Hhar- tumim, Afhaphm, Mecafhphm, Chafdim.
Hhartumim, are by Abrabaniel, expounded Magt, skilful in Natural Things-yZiA by Jachi- ades, thofe Magi who addaUed fhemJelves to con- templative Science, which interpretation fuits well with the derivation of the Word ^ not as fome would have from Q)armini,Burnt Bones,
gar that the performed their Rites with ead Mens Bones^ nor from Charat, a Pen or 5cr/^^)in regard the Egyptians to cadi their wife Perfons Scribes,) for the Word in Chaldee,, is not taken in that Senfe ^ but from Charad a Perfian Word, (by Tranlmutation of -j in¬ to® ) fignifying to know, whence Elmacinus
inftead of this Perfee-Chaldece , ufeth two ArabickWoxds, Alhochamaon, Walarraph.ion Wife and Knowing Perfons. The Hhanumim, therefore were not ( as commonly rendered ) Magicians,hiii rather fuch as ftudied the Nature of all things, under which Contemplation is comprehended Theology, and Phyfick , the Knowledge of Beings, Divine and Natural.
Aflniphim b Jachiades expouiids thole Magi b In D.tr,. p. qui jcienliarn all foam cxcolebant-. 'SoConfiantinus 34- renders him, but adds, that]zz\\\dA'Z<> is tnifiaken, and that the Afhaphim were ^rather the fame as Souphoun in ArabickJPfe,Religious PerfonT]\\s indeed,is the more probable^ Souphoun is an At¬ tribute, proper to all thofe who delivered all Theology ,Myftically, and Allegorically, deriv’d from Souph, Wool-, either for that the Garments of thefe ProfelTors of Theology , were made only of. Wool, never of Silk^or from attiring,zx\d vailing the things which concern the Love of God, under the hgures of vifible things: whence is derived the Word Hatfeviph, Myfiick Theolo¬ gy and perhaps from the Hebrezo Root, A- jhaph,coxxviS to the Greek (To(poi,the firft Attribute given by the Greeks to Learned Perfons, after¬ wards changed into ip/Aoa-o?©-. Thefe Afhaphim, the ordinary Interpretation of the Text in Daniel ftiles Afirologers : And Eben Ezra de¬ rives the Word from twy- light, becaufe they
obferve the Heavens at that time •, but the A- ftrologers are meant' afterwards by the Word Chafdim, (laft of the four.) The Afhaphim of the Chaldxans, feem rather to be the^ lame with the Alagi of the Perfiansg, Priefts, th*e Profeflbrs of'
Religious W’’orlhip, which they termed Ada- gick.
Aiecafhphimppxo'^txdy fignifieth Revealers,(thzt is,) of abftrufe things : The Word is derived from Chafhaph, which the Arabians ftill ufe in the fame fenfe of Revealing : AiecaJ^phim are generally taken , (as by R. Mofes, Nachmarides, Abrabaniel ,zxid othexs) for fuch as praclifed Diabolical Arts : Not improperly rendered ,
Sorcerers.
Chafdim, (ox Chaldxans) was an Attribute (as we ftiewed formerly ) conferred in a parti¬ cular fenfe upon the Learned Perfons of the Chaldicans : Amongft whom, by a reftriSfion yet more particular , it fignified the p'rofeflors of Aftrology, this being a Study, to which they were more efpecially addifted , and for which moft eminent ^ thefe are thofe Chafdim, whom c Strabo ftiles d/lcstopuKVf, Ajironomi-c Lib. i4. p^
cal Ch aid leans. 739-
Befides thefe four kinds (which feem to have been the principal, ) there are feveral others mentioned, and prohibited by the Le- vitical Law. Deut. 18. lo. Chafer, Cafmim, Alegnonenitn, Alenachejhim, Hhober , Hhaber ,
She I, Ob, Jideoni, Dorefh el Hammettm, R. Mm- monides reciting them all, adds, that thpi were fveeral forts of Diviners fprung up of old a- mongji the Chaldaeans. Jachiades mentions them, as particular kinds of the Mecafhphim.
THE
8
‘The CbaldaicJi Philofofhy.
Part, XV
THE
Fifteenth Fart.
The Chaldaick Do&rine.
k Part, Sect, z.
FI
I Rom the four general kinds of thePro- feflbrs of Learning amongft the Cha/- dxans , mentioned by the Prophet j — _ Daniel, (of which we la ft treated) cap.^ may be inferred, of what parts or
Sciences ihz Chaldaick DoQrine did confift. The Jihartimim were employed in Divine and Na¬ tural Speculation-, The AJhaphim, in Religious WorJhip,and Rites •, The Aiecafhphim, and Chaf- dm in Divination : thele by Aftrology, thofe by other Arts : which two laft, Diodorus, fpeaking of the Learned Chaldatans, comprehends under the common name of AJlrologers -, the other two, under that of Natural Philojophcrs, and Frieds: for he faith, the imitated the M^ypA^n Friefts, Naturalijis, and Aftrologers.
In treating therefore of the Chaldaick Do- ftrine, we (hall firft lay down their Fheology^vA the proper Study of the Hhartumim-, Next, their Aftrology, and other Arts of Divi¬ nation, praftiled by the Chajdm^ and Alecajh- phhn : Thirdly, their Theurgy, and Laftly, their Gods. Which Contemplation and Rites were peculiar to th^ Ajhaphim.
4. rftll. in rac. p.
0-
b Pr£p. Evang lib. 4. cap. 3
SECT. I.
t
Theology and Thyjich
THe Chaldaick Doftrine, in the firft place confiders all Beings, as well Divine, as Natural ; the Contemplation of the firft, is Theology ; of the latter, Phylick.
it Zoroafter divided all things into three kinds-, the firft Eternal •, the fecond had a beginning in time, but /hall have no end-, the third Mortal: the two firft belong to Theology. The SubjeU of Theology,({znh b fpeaking doubtlefs
of the Follovrers of Zoroafter) they divided into four kinds-, the fiifti is God, the Father and King: next him, there jvllovoeth d multitude of other Gods-, in the third place they rank in
the fourth' heroes, or, according to others, An¬ gels, Daemons, and Souls.
The third, or Mortal kind is the SubjeO: of : IT comprehends all things material *, which they divide into fevcn Worlds, one Empy¬ real, three Mtherial, three Corporeal.
C H A P. I.
Of the Eternal Being, God. ;
THe firft kind of things (according to Zoro^ after) is Eternal, the Supream God. I/i the firft place (faith Eufebius) they conceiv^
I
\ that God the Father and King ought to be ranked.
This the Delphian Oracle (cited by Forphyrius) confirms.
Chaldees and Jews wife only, JVorJhipping Purely a f elf begotten God and King.
This is that Principle of which the Author of the Chaldaick Summary faith. They conceive there is one Principle of all things, and declare that itis one and good.
a God (iZT Pythagoras learnt of the Magi, term him Oromafdes)/zz his Body refembles Light, in his Soul truth-. That God ^according to the Chaldaick Opinion) is Light, befides the Tefti- mony oi Eufebius, may be inferred from the 0- racles of Zoroafter, wherein are frequently , mentioned the b Light, Beams, and Splendor 0/,^ the Father.
In the fame fenfe they likewife termed God ' a Fire-, for LV in Chaldee fignifying hoih Light and F/r£’,thcy took Light and Fire promifcuoully (as amongft many others Plato doth when he faith that God began to compound the whole Body of the World out of Fire and Earth ; by which Fire he afterwards profefleth to mean the Sun, whom he Styles the brighteft and whiteft of things, as if Light and Fire, Brightnefs and Whitenefs were all one ^ ) this is manifeft from the Zoroaftrean Oracles alfo -, wherein he is fometimes called Amply Fire, fometimes the Pa¬ ternal Fire, the one Fire, the firft Fire above.
Upon this Ground (doubtlels) was the Wor- (hip of Fire inftituted by the Ancient Chaldxans, and c from them derived to the Perfians, ofc Agath. Which hereafter, when we (hall come to Ipeak of their Gods and Religious Rites.
C H A P. II.
The Emanation of Light or Fire from God.
GOd ( as we have (hewn ) an IntelleUu- al Light or Fire did not ( as the Oracle faith fthut up his Fire within his Intelletlual Power, but communicated it to all Creatures ; firft and immediately to the firft [Mind (as the feme Oracles aflert ) and to all other atviternal and incorporeal Beings, (under which notion are comprehended a multitude of God’s Angels , good Demons, and the Souls of Men : ) The next Emanation is the Supramundane Light, an Incorporeal Infinite luminous Space , in which the intelleUual Beings refide ; The Supramun- d^ne Light kindles the firft Corporeal World, theEmpyreum or Fiery Heaven, which being im¬ mediately beneath the Incorporeal Light, is the Higheft, Brighteft, and Rarcft of Bodies. The Empyreum difFufeth it felf through the iEther, which is the next Body below it, a Fire lefs refined than the Empyreum : But that it is Fire, the more condenled parts thereof, the Sun , and Stars fufficienty evince j from the iEther this Fire is tranlmitted to the Material and Sublu¬ nary World -, for though the Matter whereof it confifts be not Light butDarkneis, fas are al¬ fo the Material or bad Daemons ) yet this a vi- j , vificative Fire aOiuates and gives Life to all
Parts,
i
P A'RT XV.
The Chaldaicli Fbilofofhy.
7
Parts, infinuating, diffufing it felf, and pene¬ trating even to the very Center : pajjing from dbove (faith the Oracle) to the opvofue 'Part, through the Center of the Earth. We fhall de-
fcribethis more fiilly, when we treat of the Par¬ ticulars.
This Tripple Triad ftems to be the fame with the Triad mentioned in the Oracles of Zoroafier, What Pfellus terms Father, he calls E?r6frallb.
The Father perfeSed all things, and Paternal Monad.
CHAP. III.
Of things JEviternal and Incorporeal.
THe Second or middle kind of Things (ac¬ cording to Zoroajier is that which) is be¬ gun in time, but is without end (commonly term¬ ed atviternal.) To this h^ongthdX multitude of Gods, which Eufebius faith, they ajj'erted next af¬ ter God the Father and King ^ and the Souls of Men : Pfellus and the other Summarifts of the Chaldaick Doftrine, name them in this order j 'Intelligible s Intelligibles and IntelleUuals j _ In- telleduals Fountains Eyperarchii, orPrinci- . pies -, Unzoned Gods Zoned Gods Angels *, Da¬ mons -, Souls, a All thefe they conceive to be light, (except the ill Datmons which are dark.)
6 Over this Middle kinA Zoroafter held Mi- thra to prefide,whom the Oracles (faith Pfellus) call the Mind, c This is employed about fccon- dary things.
CHAP. IV.
. The Firji Order.
IN the firfl: place are three Orders, one Intel¬ ligible, another Intelligible and IntelleUual, the tlurd IntelleSual- The firft Order which is of Intelligibles, feemstobe (as the Learned P^z- tricius conjeftures \ for Pfellus gives only abate accompt, not an Expofition of thefe things) that which is only underfiood: This is the highefl Order : The fecond or middle Order is of Intel¬ ligibles and Intellefluals, that is, thofe which are underftood, and underftand alfo-, as Zoroajier,
, There are Intelligibles and IntelleQuals, which underflanding are underfiood.
The third is of Intellectuals ; which only un¬ derftand: as being Intellect, either effentially or by participation. By which diftinCton we may conceive that the higeft Order is above Intellect, being underftood by the middle fort of Minds. The middle Order participates of the Superiour. butconfifts of Minds which underftand both the Superiour and themfelves alfo. The laft Order leems to be of Minds, whofe Office is to under¬ ftand not only themfelves but Superiors and In- feriours alio.
Of the firft of which Orders, the Anmymus Author of the Summary of the Chaldaick Do¬ ctrine, thus : Then (viz. next the one and good ) they Worjhip a certain paternal Depth conjifiing of three Triads 5 each Triad hath a Father, a Power, and a AFind : Pfellus fomewhat more fully ; liext the one they affert the paternal Depth com- pleated by three Triads : each of the Triads ha¬ ving a Father firfi, then a Pot^r middle, and a Mind the third amongfi them: which(Mmd)Jhut- teth up the Triad within it felf, thefe they call alfo Intelligibles.
Where the paternal Alonad is. - -
The fecond which Pfellus calls Power, he terms alfo the Power of the Father.
Neither did he fhut up his own Fire in his In- tedletlual Power.
And - The firength of the Father.
And the Duad generated by the Monad, and re- fident with him :
The Alonad is enlarged, which Generates two. And again,
•The Duad refides with him.
This is alfo the firfi paternal Aland : for the third of this Triad, which Pfellus terms the Mind, he faith is the fecond Mind.
T]:e Father perjeUed all things, and delivered them over.
To the fecond Mind, which all Mankind calls the firll.
And as Pfellus faith, that this Mind (huts up the Triad and paternal depth within it felf: fb Zo- roafier ^
It is the Bound of the paternal Depth and Foun¬ tain of Intellefluals.
And again,
It proceeded not further, but remained in the paternal Depth.
CHAP. V.
The Second Order.
NExt thefe (faith Pfellus) there is another Order of Intelligibles and intelleduals-. This aljo Is divided three joldjnto Jynges Synoches,and Teletarchs. With him agrees the Anonymous Summarift. Then Is the Intelligible Jynx •, next which are the Synoches, the Empyreal, the jPtheri- al and the Material 5 after the Synoches are the Teletarchs. •
/
The firft are Jynges, of which the Oracle ; Intelligent Jynges , do themfelves alfo under¬ ftand from the lather
By unfpeakable Counfels being moved; fo as to unaerfiand',
Pfellus faith, they are certain Powers next to the paternal Depth confifiing of threeTriadslj would rather read, the paternal Depth which cenfifis of three Triads, forfo it isdeferibed inthe tor^o- going Chapter, by the lame Author) which, accor¬ ding to the Oracle, underftand by the paterTial ATtnd, which contains the caufe of them fingly within it felf : Pletho, They are IntelleSual Spe¬ cies conceived by theFather,they themfelves being concept ive alfo, and exciting Conceptions or Noti* ons by unfpeakable Counfels •, Th^fe feem to be the Idea’s deferibed by the Zoroaftratan Oracle 5
The Mind of the Father made a jarring noije, underflanding by vigorous Counfels Omni- firm Idea's, and fly ing out of one Foun- tain, Cccc they
%
rnimre^
hicl^Fhihfofhy.