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In ancient Near Eastern cosmology, the seven heavens refer to seven or physical layers located above the open sky. The concept can be found in ancient Mesopotamian religion, Judaism, and Islam. Some traditions complement the seven heavens with an idea of the seven or seven . These heavens or underworlds have been conceived of as realms with Heaven or celestial bodies (such as the and fixed stars).
Variants of the seven heavens tradition existed. Ancient Near Eastern cosmology more often described the number of heavens and earths as three, instead of seven. Seven as the number of heavens was the most popular value for Jewish cosmology, but depending on the text, the number ranged from 3 to 365.
Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone. The lowest dome of the heavens was made of jasper and was the home of the . The middle dome of heaven was made of saggilmut stone and was the abode of the Igigi. The highest and outermost dome of the heavens was made of luludānītu stone and was personified as Anu, the god of the sky.
The celestial bodies were equated with specific deities. The planet Venus was believed to be Inanna, the goddess of love, sex, and war.
Ordinary mortals could not go to the heavens because it was the abode of the gods alone. Instead, after a person died, his or her soul went to Kur (later known as Irkalla), a dark shadowy underworld, located deep below the surface of the Earth. incantations of the late second millennium BCE make references to seven heavens and seven earths. One such incantation is: "an-imin-bi ki-imin-bi" (the heavens are seven, the earths are seven.)
The understanding that the heavens can influence things on Earth lent heavenly, magical properties to the number seven itself, as in stories of seven demons, seven churches, seven spirits, or seven thrones. The number seven appears frequently in magical . The seven Jewish and the seven Islamic heavens may have had their origin in Babylonian astronomy.
In general, the heavens is not a place for humans in Mesopotamian religion. As Gilgamesh says to his friend Enkidu, in the Epic of Gilgamesh: "Who can go up to the heavens, my friend? Only the gods dwell with Shamash forever". Along with the idea of seven heavens, the idea of three heavens was also common in ancient Mesopotamia.
Some Christian authors would go on to mention the seven heavens, such as the second century bishop Irenaeus ( Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching 9; cf. Against Heresies 1.5.2). A variant ten-tier heaven obtained some popularity among the Scholastics during the Middle Ages, reaching its most well-known expression in The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The idea of seven heavens is carried over into the esoteric Christian cabala.
In other sources, the concept is presented in metaphorical terms. Each of the seven heavens is depicted as being composed of a different material, and Islamic prophets are resident in each. The names are taken from Suyuti's Al-Hay’a as-samya fi l-hay’a as-sunmya:
There are two interpretations of using the number "seven". One viewpoint is that the number "seven" here simply means "many" and is not to be taken literally (the number is often used to imply that in the Arabic language).|
One modern interpretation of "heavens" is that all the stars and galaxies (including the Milky Way) are all part of the "first heaven", and "beyond that six still bigger worlds are there," which have yet to be discovered by scientists.
In the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, the apostle Paul ascends through the lower Seven Heavens. At the seventh heaven, he meets an old man who opens the gate to the realm beyond the material universe, and Paul then ascends to the eighth, ninth, and tenth heavens.
However, the number of maṭartas is not always seven. of the Right Ginza (also known as the "Book of Dinanukht") lists six. of the Left Ginza lists eight. Alternatively, the Seven Heavens can also be seen as corresponding to the Seven Planets, who form part of the entourage of Ruha in the World of Darkness.
(1992). 9780714117058, The British Museum Press. ISBN 9780714117058 The Sun was her brother Utu, the god of justice, and the Moon was their father Nanna.
Religious cosmologies
Judaism
Second Temple Judaism
The Second Book of Enoch, also written in the first century CE, describes the mysticism ascent of the patriarch Enoch through a hierarchy of Ten Heavens. Enoch passes through the Garden of Eden in the Third Heaven on his way to meet the Yahweh face-to-face in the Tenth (chapter 22). Along the way, he encounters vividly described populations of who torment wrongdoers; he sees homes, olive oil, and flowers.
Talmud
In the Talmud, it is suggested that the upper part of the universe is made up of seven heavens (Hebrew: shamayim):
Christianity
The New Testament does not refer to the seven heavens. A person being taken up in a vision to a "third heaven" is mentioned in Paul the Apostle's Second Epistle to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 12:2–4). The description is usually taken as an oblique reference by the author to himself.
Islam
The Quran and Hadith frequently mention the existence of seven samāwāt (سماوات), the plural of samāʾ (سماء), meaning 'heaven, sky, celestial sphere', and cognate with Hebrew shamāyim (שמים). Some of the verses in the Quran mentioning the samaawat (1999). 9788187385073, Laurier Books Limited. ISBN 9788187385073 are , and . The seven heavens are not final destinations for the dead after the Day of Judgment, but regions distinct from the earth, guarded by angels and inhabited by souls whose abode depends on their good deeds (fasting, jihad, Hajj, charity), with the highest layer, the closest to God. According to Quran and Hadiths, each of the skies has its own Qibla or a structure which became direction of prayer, similar to Kaaba of the mortal world, where the Qibla of highest heaven is called Bayt al-Ma'mur, while the Qibla building for the lowest sky is called Bayt al-Izza.
(2025). 9780791475188, State University of New York Press. ISBN 9780791475188
Gnosticism
The Gnosticism text On the Origin of the World states that seven heavens were created in Chaos by Yaldabaoth below the Pleroma, and each of them are ruled over by an Archon. During the Eschatology, these heavens will collapse on each and the heaven of Yaldabaoth will split in two, causing its stars to fall upon the Earth, therefore causing it to sink into the Abyss.
(2025). 9780061626005, HarperOne. ISBN 9780061626005
Mandaeism
In Mandaeism, a series of Matarta, or "toll houses", are located between the World of Light ( alma ḏ-nhūra) from Tibil (Earth). The term maṭarta has variously been translated as "watch-station", "toll-station", "way-station", or "purgatory". Maṭartas are guarded by various (celestial beings from the World of Light) and demons. In the Ginza Rabba, seven maṭartas are listed and described in of the Right Ginza.
Hinduism
According to all Puranas, the World egg is divided into fourteen worlds known as lokas. Seven are Svarga: Bhuloka (the Earth and sky), Bhuvarloka, Svargaloka, Maharloka, Janarloka, Tapaloka and Satyaloka; and seven are Patala: Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala and Patala.
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