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THE MYSTERY LANGUAGE
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not spoken of here, for these-as commonly understood, with the bodies circulating in them-already existed. Indeed the word Shamaim only acquired the meaning “heavens" later, as did the word Ruakh the significance * spirit."
An old Jewish tradition so far recognizes the Mystery Language as to claim that certain scattered portions of the law are susceptible of three several readings, which it terms the body, soul and spirit of the text-in this likening that text to men, whose conduct it prescribes; and regards these readings respectively as narrative, doctrinal and spiritual in their teachings : and it was to do away with the characterizing work that the Masoretes, or scientific literalizers, through the instrumentality of the vowel-points, grafted a single interpretation-for their purpose in vocalizing the text was to exclude every signficance other than they had approved of and adopted ; and to the present day all learned Jews admit that, were the vowel-points abolished, no agreement as to the intended meanings of their scriptures would be possible. And yet even so, it is not lawful publicly to read the printed text in the synagogues, so tenacious is the tradition concerning the mystery of which it is still considered to be the veil.
The most noticeable feature in the Mystery Language, under whatever view it may be regarded, is that it clothes its narratives in the form of fables or parables; and that of these, each ideograph or word-sign is a subjective parable, so to say, speaking in the name of or concerning that which it significatively disignates, while
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