Assidcaus

The term "Assidean" likely derives from the Hebrew "Chasidim" (חֲסִידִים), meaning "pious ones" or "devout ones." This root suggests a lineage of profound religious devotion and adherence to divine law, appearing in historical accounts of Jewish sects.

They are also mentioned in Maccabees I., vii., 13, as beingput to death witli many others. They w'ere the followers of Mattathias, the father of the Maccabeans. and were all initiated mystics, or Jewish adepts. The word means: "skilled; learned in all wi.sdom. human and divine". Mackenzie (R.M.C.) regards them as the guardians of the Temple for the preservation of its purity ; but as Solomon and his Temple are both allegorical and had no real existence, the Temple means in this case the ''body of Israel" and its morality. "Scaliger connects this Society of the Assideans with that of the Essenes, deeming it the predecessor of the latter." Chhaya loka (Sk.). The world of Shades; like Hades, the world of the Eidola and Umbra. We call it Kdmaloka.

Blavatsky's inclusion of the Assideans, alongside the Esoterics' preoccupation with the Essenes, signals a fascination with ancient lineages of esoteric practitioners who sought to safeguard a deeper wisdom. The term itself, "skilled; learned in all wisdom, human and divine," points to a holistic understanding of knowledge, one that bridges the empirical and the transcendent. This echoes Mircea Eliade's observations on the shamanic quest for knowledge, where the practitioner becomes a mediator between worlds, acquiring insights that serve the community. The Assideans, in this light, were not merely pious individuals but custodians of a sacred tradition, their "wisdom" a bulwark against spiritual decay. The notion of the "body of Israel" as the temple underscores a profound immanent spirituality, where the collective human form itself becomes a sacred space requiring preservation. This resonates with the modern non-dual understanding of interconnectedness, where the well-being of the individual is inextricably linked to the well-being of the whole, and the sacred is found not in distant heavens but within the very fabric of existence. The Assideans, through their commitment to both human and divine wisdom, offer a model for a spirituality that is both deeply grounded and cosmically aware. Their legacy, however obscured by historical distance, invites contemplation on the enduring human impulse to seek and protect profound truths.

RELATED_TERMS: Chasidim, Essenes, Mysticism, Gnosis, Kabbalah, Asceticism, Devotion, Sacredness ---