Texts in Conversation
Psalm 82 calls the divine council gods and children of the Most High, then warns they will die like mortals. Rabbinic tradition in Sifre Deuteronomy applies it to anyone who studies Torah or neglects it and remains earthly.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalm 82:6
Hebrew Bible
5 They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble. 6 I thought, ‘You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.’ 7 Yet you will die like mortals; you will fall like all the other rulers.”
Sifre Deuteronomy 306
Halakhic Midrash
Rabbinic
Variantly: "My taking shall drip as the rain": not as the rain that comes from the south, which is all for blast, mildew, and curse; but as the rain which comes from the west, which is all for blessing. R. Simai was wont to say: Whence is it derived that just as Moses called heaven and earth to bear witness over Israel, so, he called the four winds of heaven? From "ya'arof as rain, etc." — This refers to the west wind, which is at the "back (oref [west]) of the world, and which is entirely a blessing; "My word shall flow as the dew" — This refers to the north wind, which renders the firmament pure as gold; "as winds (se'irim) upon the herbage" — This refers to the east wind, which stirs up ("mesa'ereth") the world as a demon (sair); "as showers upon the grass" — This refers to the south wind, which brings showers. Variantly: "My taking shall drip as the rain": R. Simai was wont to say: These four winds correspond to the four corners of heaven: The east (wind) is always propitious; the west, always detrimental; the north, propitious for wheat when it is one-third grown, and detrimental to olive trees when they blossom; the south, detrimental to wheat when it is one-third grown, and propitious for olives when they blossom. And R. Simai was wont to say: All the creatures created from the earth — their spirit and their body are from the earth (except for men, whose spirit [soul] is from heaven and his body from the earth.) Therefore, If a man learns Torah and does the will of his Father in heaven, he is like the celestial creatures, viz. (Psalms 82:6) "I said that you are gods, and all, children of the Most High." If he does not learn Torah and do the will of his Father in heaven, he is like the lower creatures, viz. (Ibid. 7) "But you shall die like Adam." And it is written (Ibid. 50:4) "And He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth for din with him." "He shall call to the heavens from above": This refers to the soul; "and to the earth": This refers to the body. "for din with him" — "ledayein" (to deliberate) with him (in judgment). Thus, "Listen, O heavens (the soul), and hear, O earth" (the body). And whence is it derived that this speaks of the resurrection? From "My taking shall drip as the rain" (see "the four winds" above), it being written (Ezekiel 37:9) "From the four corners, come, O spirit, and blow into these slain ones that they may live!" And thus was R. Simai wont to say: There is no section in the Torah that does not deal with the resurrection, but we lack the strength to expound it. (Devarim 32:3) "When I call out the name (shem) of the L-rd, ascribe greatness to our G-d.": We find, then, that Moses (in awe of the L-rd) did not mention the name of the L-rd (yod-keh-vav-keh) until after twenty-one words (from "Ha'azinu" until shem"). From whom did he learn to do this? From the ministering angels, who do not mention the name of the L-rd until after three "holies," viz. (Isaiah 6:3) "And one would call to the other and say 'Holy, holy, holy is the L-rd of hosts.'" Moses reasoned: It suffices that I place fewer than seven (words before the name of the L-rd) to be like [i.e., to emulate the awe of]) the ministering angels. Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If Moses, the wisest of the sages, the greatest of the great, did not mention the name of the L-rd until after twenty-one words, then one who mentions the name of the L-rd in vain, how great (is his sin)! R. Shimon b. Yochai says: Whence is it derived that one should not say "to the L-rd a burnt-offering," "to the L-rd a meal-offering," "to the L-rd peace-offerings," but "a burnt-offering to the L-rd," "a meal-offering to the L-rd," "peace-offerings to the L-rd"? From (Vayikra 1:2) "an offering to the L-rd" (rather than "to the L-rd an offering.") Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If (in respect to) these (offerings) which are consecrated to Heaven, the L-rd says: Let My name not be ascribed to them until they have been consecrated, then one who mentions the name of the L-rd in vain, and in an inappropriate place, how great (is his sin)!
Date: 200 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Norman Russell, in his study on The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition, espies an earlier trace of theosis in rabbinic thought when he briefly takes up the interpretation of Psalm 82:6-7 in the Tannaitic Sifrei, piska 306: Rabbi Simai said: All created beings that were created from the heavens, their souls and bodies are from the heavens; and all creatures that were created from the earth, their souls and bodies are from the earth, with the exception of the human being, for his soul is from the heavens and his body is from the earth. Therefore, if the human being practices Torah and does the will of his Father in Heaven, he is like the creatures above, as it is said, "I have said you are Elohim, and children of the Most High, all of you," (Psalm 82:6) but if he does not practice Torah and does not do the will of his Father in Heaven, he is like the creatures of the earth, as it is said, "Howbeit you shall die like men." (Psalm 82:7) ..."
Steinberg, Jonah Chanan
"Theosis through Works of the Law: Deification of the Earthly Righteous in Classical Rabbinic Thought" in Stratton, Kimberly B. and Andrea Lieber (eds.) Crossing Boundaries in Early Judaism and Christianity: Ambiguities, Complexities, and Half-Forgotten Adversaries: Essays in Honor of Alan F. Segal
(pp. 59-60) Brill, 2016
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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