Heavenly Ascent in Clement of Alexandria

[Secret Alias]

To these statements the apostle will testify: "I know a man in Christ, caught up into the third heaven, and thence into Paradise, who heard unutterable words which it is not lawful for a man to speak," -- intimating thus the impossibility of expressing God, and indicating that what is divine is unutterable by human power; if, indeed, he begins to speak above the third heaven, as it is lawful to initiate the elect souls in the mysteries there.

5.12.79.1 μαρτυρήσει τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὁ ἀπόστολος, οἶδα λέγων ἄνθρωπον ἐν Χριστῷ ἁρπαγέντα ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, ὃς ἤκουσεν ἄρρητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι, τὸ ἄρρητον τοῦ θεοῦ οὕτως αἰνισσόμενος, οὐ νόμῳ καὶ φόβῳ παραγγελίας τινὸς τὸ οὐκ ἐξὸν προστιθείς, δυνάμει δὲ ἀνθρωπείᾳ ἄφθεγκτον εἶναι τὸ θεῖον μηνύων, εἴ γε ὑπὲρ οὐρανὸν τὸν τρίτον ἄρχεται λαλεῖσθαι, ὡς θέμις, τοῖς ἐκεῖ μυσταγωγοῦσιν τὰς ἐξειλεγμένας 5.12.79.2 ψυχάς.

Clearly the initiates went past the third heaven.

[mbuckley3]

Far beyond.

As what is flimsily presented as an exegesis of the seven days of purification in Ezekiel 44, Clement envisions eternity as the collapse of space and time beyond the seventh heaven. Strom.4.25.159 :

"Whether, then, the time be that which through the seven periods enumerated returns to the chiefest rest, or the seven heavens, which some reckon one above the other; or whether also the fixed sphere which borders on the intellectual world be called the eighth, the expression denotes that the gnostic ought to rise out of the sphere of creation and of sin." (ANF tr.)

[DCHindley]

Far beyond.

As what is flimsily presented as an exegesis of the seven days of purification in Ezekiel 44, Clement envisions eternity as the collapse of space and time beyond the seventh heaven. Strom.4.25.159 :

"Whether, then, the time be that which through the seven periods enumerated returns to the chiefest rest, or the seven heavens, which some reckon one above the other; or whether also the fixed sphere which borders on the intellectual world be called the eighth, the expression denotes that the gnostic ought to rise out of the sphere of creation and of sin." (ANF tr.)

mbuckley3,

I recognize Plato as ultimately behind the space time matter (it is really quite interesting in its own right).

Interpreting scripture allegorically as relating to the difference between material and divine things seems to be from Philo, who of course was influenced by Platonist cosmology, and who had supplied Clement with his understanding of cosmic principals (how things work).

DCH [shame there is no icon to express "gasp, I'm out a breath from my long winded nested explanations." I think it would be used a lot by members here, ha ha]

[mlinssen]

: cheers: : cheers:
:chocciebar: : chocciebar:
:clapping: : clapping:
:evilgrin: : evilgrin:
:fanfare: : fanfare:
:flee: : flee:
: grin:
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:hairout: : hairout:
: innocent:
:laugh: : laugh:
: rofl:
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: smile:
:thankyou: : thankyou:
: thumbup:
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:bif: : bif:
:bingo: : bingo:
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:blowup: : blowup:
: blush:
: bow:
:boxedin: : boxedin:
:brainwash: : brainwash:
:bravo: : bravo:
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:broke: : broke:
:bubbles: : bubbles:
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: fire:
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:frank: : frank:
: free:
:frown: : frown:
:gent: : gent:
:gramps: : gramps:
:granny: : granny:
:groovin: : groovin:
:hailpraise: : hailpraise:
:headthrob: : headthrob:
: heart:
:heavy: : heavy:
:hello: : hello:
:help: : help:
:hiding: : hiding:
:hmmn: : hmmn:
:hosed: : hosed:
: hugs:
:humpty: : humpty:
:hushmouth: : hushmouth:
:invisible: : invisible:
:igiveup: : igiveup:
:jollyroger: : jollyroger:
: joy:
:king: : king:
: kiss:
:kitty: : kitty:
:liar: : liar:
:love: : love:
: mad:
:megashout: : megashout:
:meltdown: : meltdown:
:mice: : mice:
:money: : money:
: moon:
: mouse:
:munch: : munch:
:music: : music:
: new:
:newbrain: : newbrain:
:noevil: : noevil:
:nope: : nope:
:nosleep: : nosleep:
:note: : note:
:notmyfault: : notmyfault:
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:nuts: : nuts:
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: question:
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:ranton: : ranton:
: razz:
:read: : read:
: ribbon:
: rose:
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:sailing: : sailing:
:salute: : salute:
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: scream:
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:shootfoot: : shootfoot:
:shrug: : shrug:
:shy: : shy:
: sick:
:sigh: : sigh:
:sing: : sing:
:smash: : smash:
: snail:
:sneaky: : sneaky:
:snore: : snore:
:snow: : snow:
:soccerball: : soccerball:
:sorry: : sorry:
:spook: : spook:
:starstruck: : starstruck:
:stop: : stop:
:stupidme: : stupidme:
:surrender: : surrender:
:thewave: : thewave:
:thinks: : thinks:
:threadhead: : threadhead:
:time: : time:
: toilet:
: tongue:
: trophy:
:wartgun: : wartgun:
:warts: : warts:
: wave:
:weep: : weep:
:whisper: : whisper:
:wine: : wine:
: wink:
:witch: : witch:
:wolfman: : wolfman:
:woof: : woof:
:woops: : woops:
:yadda: : yadda:
: yawn:
:yep: : yep:
:yikes: : yikes:
: yum:

There's a few more, but likely serves your intent

[DCHindley]

Maybe : dizzy:

I mean, look at those crossed eyes in my icon, whose nick name is, incidentally, "cross-eyed waggy-finger."

DCH

[billd89]

To these statements the apostle will testify: "I know a man in Christ, caught up into the third heaven, and thence into Paradise, who heard unutterable words which it is not lawful for a man to speak," -- intimating thus the impossibility of expressing God, and indicating that what is divine is unutterable by human power; if, indeed, he begins to speak above the third heaven, as it is lawful to initiate the elect souls in the mysteries there.

5.12.79.1 μαρτυρήσει τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὁ ἀπόστολος, οἶδα λέγων ἄνθρωπον ἐν Χριστῷ ἁρπαγέντα ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, ὃς ἤκουσεν ἄρρητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι, τὸ ἄρρητον τοῦ θεοῦ οὕτως αἰνισσόμενος, οὐ νόμῳ καὶ φόβῳ παραγγελίας τινὸς τὸ οὐκ ἐξὸν προστιθείς, δυνάμει δὲ ἀνθρωπείᾳ ἄφθεγκτον εἶναι τὸ θεῖον μηνύων, εἴ γε ὑπὲρ οὐρανὸν τὸν τρίτον ἄρχεται λαλεῖσθαι, ὡς θέμις, τοῖς ἐκεῖ μυσταγωγοῦσιν τὰς ἐξειλεγμένας 5.12.79.2 ψυχάς.

Clearly the initiates went past the third heaven.

Philo's Mosaic 'Sons of God' (A. A.) practiced some Judeo-Egyptian art of anagogy -- divinization, by mystical ascent -- and were likely to have been a cult derivative of the Asaphim (i.e. Judeo-Semitic oracles). The Mosaic branch was not unique in Philo's day; there was a cult of Jeremiah too apparently.

The Edelsteins' 1938 interpretation (devised at the Johns Hopkins Institute for the History of Medicine) answers the question above: 12 Steps.



There is a faster way, they also noted:

I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence.

We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.

Better luck next time lol