Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's ladder or stairway to heaven (Heb. סֻלָּם Sullam ) is a promotion and relegation between earth and heaven, Jacob sees, according to the biblical narrative in Genesis 28:11 EU during his flight from Esau, from Beersheba to Harran in a dream vision. She stood on the earth, and its top reached to heaven ( מֻצָב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגּיִעַ הַשָּׁמָיִמָה Gen 28,12 EU). On it he sees angels of God ascending and descending on the ( מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהיִם עֹליִם וְיֹרְדיִם בוֹ Gen 28,12 EU), but is above the Lord (YHWH ) himself ( וְהִנֵּה יְהֹוָה נִצָּב עָלָיו Gen 28,13 EU), when it God of Abraham, Isaac introduces and renews the land and descendants promise. Upon awakening, Jacob called the place Bethel (House of God), or Gate of Heaven ( שָׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם šāʕār ha - šāmāyim ) Gen 28:17 EU.

Head is not the only possible translation, even if it was dominant in the Western pictorial tradition. The Hebrew word can also mean staircase, stairs, ramps. The picture presentation of the story is probably the temple stairs of a ziggurat ancient Near East, which led up from the ground to the inner sanctum. This explains why Jacob thought he had found the true house of God.

Text Historically, the place name Bethel is probably vorisraelitisch, thus older than the Jacob narrative that explains it, and also for the history of Israel gene 32.28 EU claimed.

In John's Gospel Jn 1,51 EU the image of Jacob's ladder is transmitted typologically to Jesus Christ. In Mark's gospel, Isa 40.3 is equal to the 3rd verse quoted: " The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight! " Ladder, Hebrew sulam, has the same root as m'sillah, mountain climbing; just make thinks, restore the direct link.

Spiritual interpretation

Leaders and Torah

Moses Receiving the Law, the Torah on Mount Sinai. The word " Sinai " (written 60-10-50-10 ) has in Jewish numerology the number value 130 as Jacob's "ladder" to heaven, Hebrew sulam, 60-30-40: " The revealed on Mount Sinai to Moses Law is the ladder that reaches from earth to heaven. " the number 130 means as the number 13 " is the measure of unity " on the 120 ( cf. Gen 6:3) or 12 (see the Twelve Tribes of Israel ) addition: the 13 is " a unit, it is the expression of the word 'one' [ echad = 1-8-4 ], and the 130 is therefore that unit at the level of tens. After time, beyond the twelve, she concluded, " The conductor ( double échelle, etymologically related to école, school) joins in the image on the ascending and descending angels heaven and earth ." On her climb the four archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael and down: Two ascend, descend two, and the upgrade is low- rise and low- rise is rising, because here is exercise something other than what we imagine. There is one movement, because movement is ruach ', wind, spirit. Spirit is that which establishes the connection from one to another. "

Head and Cross

The Gospel of John relates Jacob's ladder to the revelation of Christ with the climax on the cross: "You will heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on see on the Son of Man " (Jn 1,51 ). Therefore, the Church Fathers interpret the cross as the ladder to heaven or to paradise ( scala paradisi ). This spiritual understanding of the Church Fathers attacks the abbess of the Benedictine Abbey Mariendonk, Christiana Reemts on: " The cross is erected as a wonderful ladder by which we are led upwards to the sky. Due to the birth of the Son of God, the angels came down to the people and could at the same time people rise from the depths of the sky. Through the cross heaven and earth were reunited that were previously enemies, and there was again peace between the two parts that were previously separated. (...) As a manager of two beams is given, the cross of Christ because of the two Testaments. Because the cross of our Lord is the content of the whole of Scripture. In the cross of Christ has brought all mysteries to perfection and to the conclusion that Adam has returned to the Father and opened the way to heaven. "This cross appears in this perspective, as the fulfillment of the spiritual meaning of the Torah.

According to the New Testament understanding of Jesus fulfilled in the " obedience unto death on a cross" ( Phil 2:8 ) the will of the Heavenly Father, "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures " (1 Cor 15:3 ), that is in accordance with the in the Torah revealed will of God. To obey the law is to take on for Judaism the way of salvation, it means obey the divine " yoke of Torah." Jesus asks contrast, his " yoke " to wear and to learn from him, so as to find for the soul ( Sabbath ) "rest", "For my yoke, and my burden is light" ( Matthew 11:29 f). Previously, he asks that anyone who wants to follow him, " takes up his cross himself " (Mt 10,38; cf. 16:24 f, in Luke 9:23: "daily" ).

The lightweight ' yoke of the Torah is therefore the cross and Jesus ( in the Sermon on the Mount, where he served as the new Moses ' occurs) the Torah in person: "Jesus understands himself as the Torah - as the word of God in person," yes he is, " even the Torah and the temple in person " and " now is the Sabbath of Israel " itself ( with reference to Mt 11:28-30 ). "The law has become a person."

Head and resurrection

In addition to Bethel ( House of God ) is mentioned as the place of Jacob's ladder dream of the cities name Luz (Gen 28:19). Lus means, nut ' or almond ', it is counted as the eighth fruit in the biblical system. Jacob anoints there the stone on which his head has lain with oil for the house of God (Gen 28.18 to 22 ). " The Hebrew word for oil, anointing oil is, schemes '; but that is also the root of the word for eight '. The term Messiah, Hebrew, Mashiach ' means anointed one ... The words Eight and oil and anointing with oil are in the Hebrew language ... a close relationship. It is said that the night wears salvation in itself. "

With the spirit - oil ( schemes = 300-40-50 = 390 ) from heaven ( shamayim, 300-40-10-40 = 390 ) is anointed the king ( cf. Mark 1:10 f). The production of the new oil lasts for eight days, oil provides the light in the temple or house of God ( = sky = 8 days ). The Messiah ( Greek: Christos ) is therefore the "king of the 8th Day". " The eighth day is the day of the Messiah. "

According to Cardinal Jean Daniélou we must because of the resurrection of Christ on the 8th day ( = Sunday ) after the Sabbath ( = 7 days ) " hold the doctrine of the eighth day of purely Christian origin ." However, this theory makes sense only on the background of the biblical Messiah idea and the story of the creation of the world in seven days ( Gen. 1 ), which is then liturgical reading text at the Easter Vigil. With the circumcision on the 8th day ( cf. Gen 21:4) as a sign of the covenant with God, in baptism christian experiences ( in octagonal basin) an extension that creation is exceeded on the redemption with.

This Exceeded already told the story of Jacob dream: " Jacob, lies down on the place of the almond, the location of the eighth day, the place of redemption. Then he saw the heavens open and God looks. " Therefore Christ as ruler of the world in the 8- shaped mandorla ( almond tree blossoms the first nor in the winter and is therefore a sign of new life, or ' resurrection ' in the nature).

The mathematician Daniil Kharms has the relationship between the 8 and the past eight or lemniscate (∞ ) as a sign of potential infinity and back to the relationship with the letter omega (Rev 1.8 ), as the Zifferngraphem has the numerical value 800. Even from a purely arithmetic reasons, the eight is an "interesting number ": ", where every odd number greater than one in the square, is a multiple of eight and a remainder of one. (...) The symbol ∞ is found in Charms both as a mathematical infinity sign as a symbol sign for unification ', ' synthesis' (marriage, marriage). " The night in the square shape as a window monogram is " world for the possibility of a transition to another. "