Antikeimenos [3]

The Antichrist as the measure of time

In all eschatological currents of Christianity, the theme of the Antichrist manifests itself in one way or another. Thus, in the Russian schism it played a fundamental role. Indicative in this respect is the statement of an Old Believer, a representative of the extreme sect of the 'Vagabonds' (a follower of the famous 'runner' Antipas Yakovlev):
Listen, brothers, to what these flatterers say, for there is no need to know about the Antichrist. Yes, we have all faith in the Antichrist [7].

What does it mean that "all faith consists"? That the statement about the coming of the "spiritual Antichrist" radically changes the Christian's attitude towards the environment. Changes in relation to what? In relation to the pre-anti-Christic period. What is the pre-anti-Christic period? The paradigm of the socio-comic existence of a normative Christian society.

Thus, the role and function of the Antichrist in Christianity is clear. The debate is between 'already' and 'not yet'. It is indicative that in contemporary Christianity, there is a tendency to put the subject of the Antichrist completely out of brackets. Thus the most important historical moment is put in brackets and religion is de-historicised, de-socialised, de-existentialised. Christianity without the theme of the Antichrist is unreliable and fails to substantiate the temporal moment. Thus it loses its most important dimension and gradually turns into a simulacrum itself. The devil's stratagem, as we know, is to suggest to everyone that he does not exist.

Dadjal

There is nothing unacceptable in trying to find functional analogues to the figure of the 'Antichrist' in other traditions and religions. This comparativist procedure is quite simple. One need only remember that the semantics of these analogues will be determined by context and religions as languages.

In Islam it is 'Dadjal', 'Liar' (الدجّال) or 'al-Masih al-Dadjal' (الدجّال المسيح). He is depicted with one (asymmetrical) eye. He will fight the Muslims and the returning Christ at the end of time. (Note only that the Christ of the Muslims is not the Christ of the Christians).

The winner of the Dadjal is seen by Muslims as the Mahdi, who for Sunnis is the eschatological leader of the Islamic Ummah and for Shiites is the last hidden Imam.

Claudio Mutti summarises the Dajjal in the Islamic tradition: The Mahdi will fight the Antichrist, the deceiving Messiah (al-Masih al-Dajjal), who will establish his kingdom on earth in the last times before the Imam appears. 'I warn you,' says the hadith of Muhammad, 'of the danger of his coming. There is no prophet who has not spoken of him to his communities. Even Noah did for his own. But I will tell you something about him that no prophet has ever told his disciples. Know that he is crooked in one eye, but Allah, Allah is not. This physical ugliness would be a sign of the general ugliness characteristic of a false Messiah, who would nevertheless be able to conceal, through the power of suggestion, his true appearance. However, according to the belief widespread among Muslims today, Dadjal has already established his hegemony over most of the earth. There is a large number of those who have been able to detect diabolic traits in modern Western civilisation and who have seen in the traditional image of the devil a symbol of the modern world. The partial blindness of the Antichrist can then be understood as an indication that even modern technical civilisation (...) sees only one aspect of life, material progress, and completely ignores its spiritual aspect.

Dadjal's astonishing ability to see and hear at a distance, to fly at breakneck speed - i.e. his traditional characteristics - can be expressed in the following terms: "With its mechanical marvels, modern civilisation enables man to see and hear far beyond his natural capabilities and to cover gigantic distances at unimaginable speeds. Prophecies about the ability to cause rain and the power to make plants grow, which are common to both Dadjal (the Antichrist) and the Mahdi, but which in Dadjal's case constitute satanic parody, can be identified within such approximations with modern science. Another aspect of Dadjal's activities can be similarly interpreted: the discovery and exploitation of mineral deposits in the bowels of the earth, which he is supposed to favour; this type of action is common to the Mahdi and Dadjal. Finally, the false Messiah is said to be able to kill and bring back to life, so that the weak in faith mistake him for God and worship him. And, in fact, modern medicine 'brings life back to those who seem destined for death', while the wars of modern civilisation, with their scientific horrors, destroy life. And the material development of this civilisation is so "powerful and so dazzling that those whose faith is weak believe that there is something divine in it"[10]. But those with strong faith will read the inscription in letters of fire on his forehead - 'Deny God' - and realise that this is a deception designed to test faith. The identification of the Dajjal with modern Western civilisation, which began to closely assault Islam from the era of colonial expansion, initially took place within the narrow framework of African 'Mahdist' movements, which fiercely resisted the infiltration of the infidels and their civilising activities. "Recently," reads a British colonial report, "agitators have acquired the habit of identifying the European conquerors of Muslim countries with Dadjal"[11]. And, in the end, it will be the Mahdi who will be defeated by Dadjal. And it is up to Jesus, 'Seydne Isa', to destroy him once and for all: 'He will smash the cross and cut down the pig', says the hadith [12].

Dadjal appears at the end of the cycle. Defeating him is the final act of sacred history.

In extreme Shi'ism, Ismailism, there is the figure of the 'Ka'im', the resurrector (Qāʾem, قائم - literally 'the one who rises'), who is the highest incarnation of the third heavenly Logos who descended into the world and became the spirit (mind) of humanity [13]. Ka'im's task is to make up for the fatal consequences of the primordial error he made when he doubted the origin of light, as a result of which he fell. Here Dadjal is interpreted as an externalisation of this shadow of doubt that has become an object before the spiritual subject. In Ka'im's final battle with Dadjal, there is a battle of the Logos with itself, with its dark side.

Of course, this gestalt cannot be directly identified with the Christian Antichrist, as the contexts (the languages) are different, but the homologies are obvious.

Erev

Even in Judaism there is a subject directly related to the gestalt of the Antichrist. It refers to the concept of 'Erev rav', 'erev rav (עֵרֶב רַב), "the nations of the great mixture", commented on by Kabbalah [14].

"The Zohar describes 'erev rav as follows: The Great Mixture consists of five nations: the Nephilim (or fallen ones), the Giborim (or heroes), the Anakim (or giants), the Rephaim (or shadows, literally "doctors", "sorcerers") and finally the Amelikim. Because of these nations the little he (ה) of the Tertagram fell out of place [15]. Baleam and Balak came from a branch of Amalek: by removing the letters "lak" from Balak and "eam" from Baleam, the letters of the word "Babel" (Babylon) remain, "because there the Lord mixed the language of the whole earth". [16].

The people of Amalek scattered over the earth at the time of the Tower of Babel were the remnant of those of whom it was said at the time of the Flood: "and I will destroy from the face of the earth all existing things that I have created."[17] And the descendants of Amalek during the fourth dispersion[18] are those mighty princes who rule over Israel by force of arms. They are also spoken of in the verse: "But the land was corrupted before the face of God, and the land was filled with wickedness"[19].

Of the Nephilim it is said: "Then the sons of God saw the daughters of men, who were beautiful"[20]. They constitute the second group of the Great Confusion, they come from the "fallen ones" ("Nephilim") of the upper world. When the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to create man, He said: "Let us make man in our image and likeness"[21]. He wanted to make him the ruler of the creatures of the upper world, that he should rule and that all should be ruled by his hand, after the example of Joseph, of whom it is said: "And he set him over all the land of Egypt."[22]

But the creatures of the upper world decided to oppose him and cried out: "What is man that thou shouldst remember"[23], this is the man who will rise up against thee in the future! The Holy One, blessed be He, answered them: "If you yourselves had been in the lower world like him, you would have committed even more crimes than he! And soon "the sons of God saw the daughters of men, who were beautiful,"[24] desired them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, caused them to fall into the nether world in chains. The sons of God were called Azah and Azael, but the souls of the Great Mistura who descended from them are called Nephilim, who condemned themselves to the fall by fornicating with 'beautiful' women. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, has erased them from the world to come, so that they have no part in it. He has given them a payment in the world below, which is expressed in the words: "And He will repay those who hate Him to His face by destroying them; He will not delay."[25]

The giborim (or heroes) represent the third group that makes up the Great Confusion, and it is of them that it is written: "These are the strong, from ancient times glorious men."[26] They are the strong. They come from the same lineage as the men of the Tower of Babel, who said: "Let us build us a city and a tower, high up to the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves."[27] They are the strong men of the Tower of Babel. They build synagogues and schools and place scrolls of "Torah" with a crown on their heads; but all this not in the name of YHWH (הוהי), but to make a name for themselves: "let us make a name for ourselves."[28] But because they come from the "other side", they despise the children of Israel like the dust of the earth and rob them. So their work will be destroyed. Of them it is written: "And the water on the earth increased exceedingly"[29].

The Rephaim (or shadows) constitute the fourth group of the Great Confusion: when they see the children of Israel in distress, they turn away from them, and even if they are able to save them, they shirk. They shun the Torah and those who study it, and go to do good to the idolaters. Of them it is said: 'The shadows shall not rise'[30]. In the time of Israel's redemption "thou shalt destroy all remembrance of them"[31].

The Anakim (or giants) constitute the fifth group of the Great Confusion. They hate those of whom it is said: "The Torah is 'an ornament for your neck'"[32]. Of them it is written: "and they were numbered among the Rephaim as sons of Enakoff."[33] They are, in fact, worthy of each other.

The five groups of the Great Confusion cause the world to return to the state of Tohu-Bohu ("But the earth was sightless and empty"[34]). And 'returning to Tohu-Bohu' means the destruction of the Temple.

"The earth was Tohu-Bohu"[35] because the Temple was the axis of the world. But when the light comes, which is the Holy One, blessed be He, they will be swept away and destroyed. However, the final deliverance does not depend on their "wiping off the face of the earth", but on the destruction of Amalek, because it is in relation to Amalekim that the oath was taken[36].

The influential Kabbalist Vilna Gaon Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman specifies that the "Erev rav" is "Jacob's clip". In his commentary on the Zohar, he gives the following interpretation:

Esau and Ishmael are intertwined with Abraham and Isaac, but 'erev rav is intertwined with Jacob. Therefore 'erev hav is more problematic for Israel and the Shekinah, as they are the leaven in the dough - because all the misers and those who do not uphold the 'Torah are among them [37].

His commentary on a place in the book of Numbers - "and the people spoke against God and against Moses: because you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is neither bread nor water here, and our souls are sickened by this unfit food"[38] - clarifies: 'The leaven in the dough is the 'erev rav, which is worse than all the nations of the world (goyim), because it prevents Israel from fulfilling the commandments (mitzvot),[39] and he who leads astray a friend does him more harm than if he killed him,[40].

The already quoted section of the Zohar states: The dispersion, the exile and the destruction of the Temple, and all the sufferings, stem from the fact that Moses took 'erev rav, and all the wicked and perverse men and evildoers of all generations stem from them, from their souls, as embodiments of those who left Egypt [41].

Thus the idea is formed that along with the evil that comes from outside towards the Jewish people, there is an evil that comes from within. And it is this evil - Erev Rab - that becomes the most important for some commentators. "Erev rab" is not only of the Christians (Esau/Edom) or the Muslims (Ishmael), but the intermingling of the goyim of Egyptian times with the Jews themselves. The 'Erev Rab' are those with whom Israel will fight at the end of time in the Messianic era (Vilna Gaon).

A pupil of Rabbi Hillel of Shiklov reports the words of his master: The main role of the two Mashiach, Mashiach son of Joseph and Mashiach son of David, in the generations is to defend and war against the three main klippot (shells) - against the shells of Esav [42], Ishmael [43] and 'erev rav [44]. The main battle must break out to drive away from Israel the forces of 'erev rav, the clippah of Armilus [45]; 'erev rav is our greatest enemy, separating the two Mashiach from each other. The klippah 'erev rav operates through deception and avoidance, flattery. Therefore, the war with 'erev hav is the harshest and bitterest of all [46].

Regarding the enigmatic figure of Armilus, also symmetrical to the gestalt of the 'Antichrist', the Vilna Gaon explains: Armilus, the angel of the great mixture, is the one who seeks to unite Esau and Ishmael [47] in order to destroy Israel and the whole world, God forbid. The main desire of the great mixture is to unite Esau and Ishmael, thus dividing the two Mashiach. Our main task is to oppose these actions and fight them. We must destroy the power of the great mixture, the clippah of the perverse Armilus, and expel it from Israel. The great mixture is our greatest enemy, because it separates the two Mashiach. The clippah of the great mixture acts deceitfully and indirectly. Therefore, the war against the great mixture is the most difficult and bitter, and we must fight it with all our might to defeat it. Whoever does not participate in the war against the great mixture becomes part of its clique. Whoever it is, it is better that he is not born [48].

Thus, with this identification, "that side" (sitrā ahrā), "hell", "darkness" is found not simply around the Jews, but within the Jews, within themselves, as their inverted black double disintegrated into five groups. Here too, as in the Christian Antichrist, we see the main motif: parody, counterfeit, simulacrum. "Erev Rab" is not just other religions or opponents of the Jews, it is an internal challenge, coming from the substitution and subtle perversion of Judaism itself.

Satan

Judaism knows other similar images. First and foremost is Satan (שָׂטָן), who has been identified with the leader of the fallen angels. From Judaism, the gestalt of Satan passed into Christianity and Islam (shaitan - شيطان). The meaning of the Semitic root is 'to be hostile' or 'to act as an obstacle'.

In the story of Job's suffering, Satan argues with God about the piety of the righteous man who blessed God for his gifts and favours, but had to face the test of faith in the last labyrinths of suffering. In doing so, Satan is described as one of God's "servants" (and even "sons of God" - בני האלהים), subject to Him and totally submissive to His will.

In Jewish eschatology itself, however, the figure of Satan does not play a key role - unlike the Erev Rab. In Christianity, on the other hand, the Devil appears as the 'Father of the Antichrist'. In Islam, 'Shaitan' or 'Iblis' (إبليس) is described as the one who first rebelled against God.

In Christian tradition, the final battle between the angelic armies led by the archangel Michael and the devilish hordes led by Satan will take place at the end of time.

In the Latin tradition Satan was identified with the spirit of the evening star, Venus, Lucifer.

This circle also includes the demonic images of Samael, the demon of murder and crime, Aza and Azael, who are mentioned in the Zohar and the Apocrypha, the female demons Lilith, Nahem, Agrat bat-Mahlat, etc. All of them, however, can be regarded as constituting the 'age of Brav', the 'great mixture'.

 

Notes:

[14] Bar Shaul. Who Were The Mixed Multitudes?// Hebrew Studies. vol. 49, 2008.

[15] The theme of the correlation of the Tetragrammaton, the divine name of Yahweh, which is unspellable in the Jewish tradition and consists of the letters (from right to left) הוהי, is central to the theory of 'erev rav. These letters are arranged vertically by Kabbalists and correspond to the four worlds. The י corresponds to God Himself. The first ה represents Elohim Mother, the Heavenly Shekinah. The letter ו represents the spiritual bridge, the axis of the world. The second ה , a small he, corresponds to Shekinah in exile or Israel. By attacking the bridge vau, the "peoples of the Great Mixture" force it to be removed, and so the connection between the upper Shekinah and the lower Shekinah is interrupted. This theme is quite consistent with the Gnostic-Valentinian doctrine of fallen Sophia. See Dugin A. G. Messianism of Kabbalah// The End of the World. Moscow: Arktogeia, 1998.

[16] Genesis. Chapter 11:9.

[17] Genesis. Chapter 7:4.

[18] The modern fourth dispersion began, according to Judaism, in the year 68 A.D., that is 172 years before the beginning of the 5th millennium according to the Jewish chronology. See Dugin A. G. Messianism of the Kabbalah/ Sweet Angel No. 3. 1996.

[19] Genesis. Chapter 6:11.

[20] Genesis. Chapter 6:2.

[21] Genesis. Chapter 1:26.

[22] Genesis. Chapter 41:43.

[23] Psalms. Chapter 8:5.

[24] Genesis. Chapter 6:2.

[25] Deuteronomy, Chapter 7:10.

[26] Genesis. Chapter 6:4.

[27] Genesis. Chapter 11:4.

[28] Genesis. Chapter 11:4.

[29] Genesis. Chapter 7:19.

[30] The Book of Isaiah. Chapter 26:14.

[31] The Book of Isaiah. Chapter 26:14.

[32] "(...) because it is a beautiful wreath for your head," in the Synodal translation. Proverbs. Chapter 1:9.

[33] Deuteronomy. Chapter 2:11.

[34] Genesis, Chapter 1:2.

[35] But the earth was without sight and void, and darkness over the abyss. Genesis, Chapter 1:2.

[36] Zohar. T. 1. P.: Verdier, 1981-1991. P. 143-146.

[37] Based on the book of Rabbi Hillel Shiklover, a student of the Vilna Gaon. Rabbi Hillel Shiklover. The Voice of the Turtledove (Kol HaTor). Pteakh Tikva: Rabbi Yeshiel Bar Lew, 2011. P. 122.

[38] Numbers. Chapter 21: 5.

[39] Sabbatai follower Tsevi Baruhio Russo, founder of the most radical branch of Sabbataism, called specifically for the "sacred violation" of all the Old Testament commandments (mitzvot) as the way to "paradoxical salvation" and "deliverance.

[40] Rabbi Hillel Shiklover. The Voice of the Turtledove (Kol HaTor). P. 45.

[41] Zohar. T. 1. P. 161-162.

[42] Synonymous with Christian nations.

[43] A synonym for Muslim peoples.

[44] A group within the Jews, a clip of Jacob.

[45] Armilus (ארמילוס) is a figure of Talmudic eschatology. According to one version, he is identical with the Mashiach of the tribe of Joseph (and Ephraim), that is, the suffering Mashiach, who will create in the age of "deliverance" (geulah) a "great empire. According to another version, he appears as the black double of Mashiach, the counterpart of the Christian Antichrist. Here he appears as the son of Satan and the female statue, who created a giant world empire. In the tractate "Book of Zarubabel" he is opposed by the mother of the real Mashiach of the tribe of David Hevziva, as well as the second suffering Mashiach (in this version - a positive hero), who fights against Armilus and dies in this war. Only the second Mashiach, of the tribe of David, son of Hebziva, manages to defeat Armilus.

[46] Rabbi Hillel Shiklover. The Voice of the Turtledove (Kol HaTor). P. 70.

[47] Bringing Esau and Ishmael together is tantamount to creating an anti-Jewish alliance of Christians and Muslims.

[48] Rabbi Hillel Shiklover. The Voice of the Turtledove (Kol HaTor). P. 71.

 

Translation by Lorenzo Maria Pacini

ANTIKEIMENOS [1]

ANTIKEIMENOS [2]