ON DIVINE NAMES AND THE THEOSOPHIC GODHEAD: CHANGING CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF THE EPITHETIC EDIFICE

A central idea in Jewish and Christian theology is the concept of a godhead comprised of divine names. However, the concept of multiple divine names inherently invites speculation concerning divine plurality. This article explores the various responses from Late Antique traditions to the plentitude of divine names. While classic rabbinic literature devalued the many divine names, excluding the Tetragrammaton, non-rabbinic Jewish literature developed them as actual limbs of the godhead. The integration of Middle Platonism and Neopythagoreanism with Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic thought proved instrumental for the development of inchoate theosophic triadic structures, which included a vertical axis comprised of divine names. In many of these traditions the vertical axis encompassed a tripartite structure, constructed from transcendent, intermediary, and immanent divine names, via which the devout individual could participate in the divine power. Following this analysis, the article explores how this epithetic tripartite structure resurfaced in medieval kabbalistic literature.