Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Moses

Exodus 2:
[1] And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a 
daughter of Levi.
[2] And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him 
that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
[3] And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of 
bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child 
therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her 
maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, 
she sent her maid to fetch it.
And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she 
had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the 
Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's 
mother.
And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and 
I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became 
her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

This starts an interesting story; read all of this chapter.
Moses’ story in fact takes the whole book of Exodus.

Song of Los, Plate 3; Erdman 67:
Adam stood in the garden of Eden:
And Noah on the mountains of Ararat;
They saw Urizen give his Laws to the Nations
By the hands of the children of Los.
Adam shudderd! Noah faded! black grew the sunny African
When Rintrah gave Abstract Philosophy to Brama in the East:
(Night spoke to the Cloud!
Lo these Human form'd spirits in smiling hipocrisy. War
Against one another; so let them War on; slaves to the eternal
    Elements)
Noah shrunk, beneath the waters;                                 
Abram fled in fires from Chaldea;
Moses beheld upon Mount Sinai forms of dark delusion


Here is Plate 74 of Jerusalem (Erdman 228-9):

Adam Noah Abraham Moses Samuel David Ezekiel
Pythagoras Socrates Euripedes Virgil Dante Milton]
Dissipating the rocky forms of Death, by his thunderous Hammer As the Pilgrim passes while the Country permanent remains So Men pass on: but States remain permanent for ever  
Dissipating the rocky forms of Death, by his thunderous Hammer

Book of Milton, Plate 38; Erdman 138:
Abraham, Moses, Solomon, Paul, Constantine, Charlemaine, Luther. these Seven are the Male Females: the Dragon Forms The Female hid within a Male:

Jerusalem Plate 85; Erdman 243:
They namd it Canaan & built for it a tender Moon
Los smild with joy thinking on Enitharmon & he brought
Reuben from his twelvefold wandrings & led him into it
Planting the Seeds of the Twelve Tribes & Moses & David And gave a Time & Revolution to the Space Six Thousand Years He calld it Divine Analogy, for in Beulah the Feminine Emanations Create Space. the Masculine Create Time, & plant The Seeds of beauty in the Space

From The Everlasting Gospel (Erdman 521)
The morning blushd fiery red
Mary was found in Adulterous bed
Earth groand beneath & Heaven above
Trembled at discovery of Love Jesus was sitting in Moses Chair They brought the trembling Woman There Moses commands she be stoned to Death What was the sound of Jesus breath They brought the trembling Woman There
Moses commands she be stoned to Death
What was the sound of Jesus breath

He laid his hand on Moses Law The Ancient Heavens in Silent Awe Writ with Curses from Pole to Pole All away began to roll The Earth trembling & Naked lay In secret bed of Mortal Clay On Sinai felt the hand Divine Putting back the bloody shrine And she heard the breath of God As she heard by Edens flood Good & Evil are no more Sinais trumpets cease to roar Cease finger of God to Write The Heavens are not clean in thy Sight Thou art Good & thou Alone Nor may the sinner cast one stone To be Good only is to be A Devil or else a Pharisee The Ancient Heavens in Silent Awe
Writ with Curses from Pole to Pole
All away began to roll
The Earth trembling & Naked lay
In secret bed of Mortal Clay
On Sinai felt the hand Divine
Putting back the bloody shrine
And she heard the breath of God
As she heard by Edens flood
Good & Evil are no more
Sinais trumpets cease to roar
Cease finger of God to Write
The Heavens are not clean in thy Sight
Thou art Good & thou Alone
Nor may the sinner cast one stone
To be Good only is to be
A Devil or else a Pharisee

And at Erdman 556 From Visions of the Last Judgment: Man can never become Ass nor Horse some are born with shapes of
Men who may be both but Eternal Identity is one thing & Corporeal
Vegetation is another thing Changing Water into Wine by Jesus &
into Blood by Moses relates to Vegetable Nature also...... [Beneath] <Ishmael is Mahomet> & <on the left> beneath the falling figure of Cain is
Moses casting his tables of stone into the Deeps. it ought to be understood that the Persons Moses & Abraham are not here meant but the States Signified by those Names




Annotation to Bishop Watson (Erdman 616): If it be found that the books ascribed to Moses,
Joshua, and Samuel, were not written by Moses, Joshua, and Samuel. . . . they may still contain a true account of real transactions, . . . He who writes things for true which none could write. but the actor. such are most of the acts of
Samuel. . . . they may still contain a true account of real
transactions, . . .
If Moses did not write the history of his acts, it takes away the authority altogether it ceases to be history & becomes a Poem of probable impossibilities fabricated for pleasure as moderns say but I say by Inspiration. Had, indeed, 


On Blake's Epitome of Hervey's Meditations among the Tombs]
[Reading from left to right, bottom to top]</!WB> Babe Widow Father Baptism. Hervey Angel of Death Virgin Wife Old Age Infancy Husband Angel of Providence Guardian Angel Child Angel of Death Mother Where is your Father The Lost Child Sophronia died in Childbed She died on the Wedding Day Orphan Moses Elias JESUS David Solomon Protecting Angel Aaron Abraham believed God These died for love Ministering Angels Mother of Leah & Rachel Mother of Rebecca Recording Angels Protecting Angel Orphans NOAH Enoch Cain Serpent Abel Eve Adam God out of Christ is a Consuming Fire   MERCY WRATH


In a letter to Dr. Trusler in 1799 Blake wrote:
The wisest of the Ancients considerd what is not too Explicit as the fittest for Instruction because it rouzes the faculties to act. I name Moses Solomon Esop Homer Plato





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