I recently reviewed one of the papers Heiser posted on his Naked Bible Podcast site in conjunction with a study in Acts 22 (connected to 2 Corinthians 12): Mysticism [PDF].
Aside from some specific details, it was nothing new to me, and offered nothing different from the substance of what I’ve taught from the beginning. Jewish mysticism generally, and regarding Philo specifically, is just another branch of western mysticism; it bears no resemblance to biblical mysticism.
Western Civilization is inherently man-centered. The western brand of mysticism remains firmly rooted in that. The whole thing hinges on men seeking and achieving something, taking control and conquering by human talents and abilities. It seeks to defy human nature itself and aims at reshaping (“evolving”) humanity according to something dreamed up in human reasoning.
The authors of the paper noted that some of the specifics of Jewish mystical exercises remained oral lore, and were not recorded in the documents that have been found. Nonetheless, those specifics are referred to, and it’s clear that the whole thing hinges on the achievements of the practitioners.
They refer to seven levels in Heaven, whereas Paul mentions three. They talk about having to know what amounts to passwords to move to higher levels, whereas Paul was simply dragged before the Lord. The Jewish version encourages men to achieve a form of man-made holiness in order to begin the process, whereas the biblical narrative makes it clear that a human can enter only when summoned according to God’s purposes.
It’s easy to see how Kabbalism is simply the natural progression of Jewish philosophy; it represents the quintessence of western mysticism looks like. It’s always rooted in reshaping human nature according to reason, seizing an opening into Eternity by essentially destroying human nature, making us less human. This is not possible; it’s a lie from Hell. It tempts us to desire to be like the Nephilim. The whole business of human elevation, no matter who talks about it, always looks like the Nephilim.
The essence of faith is not dissolving the self into divinity. In Christ you do not lose your identity nor your human nature. Rather, you gain divine power over your fallen nature even while that nature continues to be exactly what it has always been. You are still the same person, but set free from subjection to your fallen flesh. It’s the same personality, but as God gave it to you, not the what Satan cultivated in your flesh. You turn it over to show the other side.
Paul was surely aware of Philo’s teachings, since Philo was only a generation older and was very influential in rabbinical traditions. However, every experience Paul had with the Risen Christ was at His behest, not Paul’s. One does not cultivate a desire to visit Heaven in this life; one cultivates a desire to know Jesus in whatever way He chooses to be known. For the majority of us, that is by nailing our fleshly nature to the Cross and exploring our convictions. It’s not an exercise; it’s a commitment, feudal submission to a Person.
This is biblical mysticism. Anything less cannot be called “faith”.
