Revision as of 14:21, 12 May 2015

א

The metaphor includes concepts of separation, reconciliation or/and the one who causes them.

The rabbis ask the question: Why does the scripture start with the second letter rather than the first letter; alef?

Having given the letters anthropomorphic qualities, they arrive at the conclusion that it was more humble than the other letters and was content to remain silent.

The meaning of the א is that God spoke and created the heavens and the earth. We can derive from its silence that God created the heavens and the earth in silence, meaning that there was no one there to hear him do it. From it's absence as the first letter of the Bible, we discern that there was no one there to see him do it.

Since there was not an audience for God's creative activities, it is simplistically clear that he created for his own purposes, pleasure and benefit not for the pleasure or benefit of another.

The diagonal line represents the one who divided. It is the firmament between the waters. Ge 1:2 says that the Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. There is one face, and two waters. This is the first baptism where the firmament is baptized, and the Spirit hovered over him. The 'face' is that part of a person that others see. It represents the whole person. We have seen elsewhere that the waters represent God's creation. Here we derive that the firmament (Christ) is the singular representative of all God's creation.

Use as a metaphor

Gospel of Thomas

Thomas uses the alef to mean 'war' in saying 16.

"...They do not know that it is dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire ש, sword ו, and war א.

שוא means 'desolation'

John

John uses the alef as the Spirit which hovered over the firmament.

1Jo 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth ארץ, the Spirit א, and the water ר, and the blood ץ: and these three agree in one.

Mark

Mark uses the alef as "the gospel of Jesus Christ. [[1]]