On the Nature and Origin of the Doctrine of Emanation among the Kabbalists

A small decorative horizontal divider consisting of a central floral or abstract flourish with thin lines extending to the left and right.

from the highest or innermost, the World of Emanation original: "Ausfluss", which immediately surrounds him as a direct glory or heavenly splendor original: "splendor supernus", and is enclosed by the others.

According to their principles, everything lies in the words: "Light is your garment" A reference to Psalm 104:2, "The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment.". This light goes out in all directions in ever-decreasing degrees. All lights clothe original: "investiren" one another: in each are all the stages of the highest brilliance, though in ever weaker degrees: the lower ones can be elevated in their kind, but not displaced. Because the higher is always clothed by the next following, the ray of the Infinite passes through all worlds and shines even through the deepest and outermost, because even this still contains nothing but luminous centers original: "Centra luminosa".

The Kabbalists build the entire system of the four worlds upon Ezekiel's vision of the divine glory (Chapter 1), or rather find in it a proof of the prophetic representation of the same. The highest glory, in which the prophet beheld the Holy One of Israel, they regard as the World of Emanation; the throne of glory as the World of Creation, or of the most perfect permanence; the four living creatures original: "ZΩA", upon which the throne rested, as the World of Formation, and their liv- The text cuts off here, continuing the word "living" or "lives" onto the next page.