27-04-2026, 10:43 AM
(This post was last modified: 27-04-2026, 10:46 AM by Radim Dobeš.)
Description of the parable on Folio f40v:
BOOK OF ENOCH
Chapter 14
And lo! there was a second house, greater 16 than the former, and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of fire. And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to 17 you its splendour and its extent. And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path 18 of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire. And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of 19 cherubim. And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look 20 thereon. And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and 21 was whiter than any snow. None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason 22 of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times 23 ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counselor. And the most holy ones who were 24 nigh to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him. And until then I had been prostrate on my face, trembling: and the Lord called me with His own mouth, and said to me: ' Come hither, 25 Enoch, and hear my word.' And one of the holy ones came to me and waked me, and He made me rise up and approach the door: and I bowed my face downwards.
Description of Athanasius Kircher's diagram
The image you shared is a diagram from the book Musurgia Universalis (1650), written by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher. This massive work is one of the most influential treatises on music theory, acoustics, and the "harmony of the spheres" from the Baroque era.
Specifically, this is the Circulus Universalis (Universal Circle) diagram found on page 450 in Book X, titled Decachordon Naturae.
Key Meanings of the Diagram
Kircher used this illustration to show that the entire universe—from God down to the smallest element—is organized according to mathematical and musical laws.
The Three Enneads (Hierarchies): The central column links three main levels of existence, each divided into nine parts (enneads):
Enneas I (Angelic): The top circle represents the nine choirs of angels and the divine realm.
Enneas II (Sidereal/Celestial): The middle section shows the heavenly bodies and the spheres of the planets.
Enneas III (Elementary): The bottom circle deals with the earthly world, the four elements, and the human body.
Art of Consonance and Dissonance: The header "Artis Magnae Consoni & Dissoni" refers to the "Great Art of Accord and Discord." Kircher argued that even opposites in nature are tied together by a divine harmonic structure.
Pyramids of Light and Shadow: You can see two overlapping triangles (pyramids) labeled Pyramis Lucis (Pyramid of Light) and Pyramis Umbrae (Pyramid of Shadow). This represents the interaction between the spiritual (light) and the material (darkness/matter) worlds.
This diagram essentially treats the universe as a giant musical instrument played by God.
BOOK OF ENOCH
Chapter 14
And lo! there was a second house, greater 16 than the former, and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of fire. And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to 17 you its splendour and its extent. And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path 18 of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire. And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of 19 cherubim. And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look 20 thereon. And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and 21 was whiter than any snow. None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason 22 of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times 23 ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counselor. And the most holy ones who were 24 nigh to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him. And until then I had been prostrate on my face, trembling: and the Lord called me with His own mouth, and said to me: ' Come hither, 25 Enoch, and hear my word.' And one of the holy ones came to me and waked me, and He made me rise up and approach the door: and I bowed my face downwards.
Description of Athanasius Kircher's diagram
The image you shared is a diagram from the book Musurgia Universalis (1650), written by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher. This massive work is one of the most influential treatises on music theory, acoustics, and the "harmony of the spheres" from the Baroque era.
Specifically, this is the Circulus Universalis (Universal Circle) diagram found on page 450 in Book X, titled Decachordon Naturae.
Key Meanings of the Diagram
Kircher used this illustration to show that the entire universe—from God down to the smallest element—is organized according to mathematical and musical laws.
The Three Enneads (Hierarchies): The central column links three main levels of existence, each divided into nine parts (enneads):
Enneas I (Angelic): The top circle represents the nine choirs of angels and the divine realm.
Enneas II (Sidereal/Celestial): The middle section shows the heavenly bodies and the spheres of the planets.
Enneas III (Elementary): The bottom circle deals with the earthly world, the four elements, and the human body.
Art of Consonance and Dissonance: The header "Artis Magnae Consoni & Dissoni" refers to the "Great Art of Accord and Discord." Kircher argued that even opposites in nature are tied together by a divine harmonic structure.
Pyramids of Light and Shadow: You can see two overlapping triangles (pyramids) labeled Pyramis Lucis (Pyramid of Light) and Pyramis Umbrae (Pyramid of Shadow). This represents the interaction between the spiritual (light) and the material (darkness/matter) worlds.
This diagram essentially treats the universe as a giant musical instrument played by God.