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 THE STAFF OF ADAM 
 
 A N I") 
 
 THE SHEM-HAMMEPHORASH 
 
 A PAPER READ 
 
 by S. C. GOULD yiii 
 
 (Manchester, N. H)., 
 
 B E F O R E 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE, 
 
 BOSTON. MASS., 
 
 CONVOCATION, JUNE 2, 1887. M*i 
 
 OM^A 0E7ten»A^,&fl 5) 
 
 MANCHESTER, N. H. : 
 
 1887. 
 

 
 Oift 
 
 Mrs. H. C. Bolton 
 
 1912 
 

 ti*JS&Z£J£W*iZ ^ =0 
 
 AND 
 
 THE SHEM-HAMMEPHORASH. 
 
 A PAPER READ BEFORE THE SOCIETAS ROSICRUCIANA, MASSACHUSETTS 
 COLLEGE, IN BOSTON, JUNE 2, 1887. 
 
 By S. C. GOULD, VIII° 
 
 The Rabbinical writings give us the account of a Staff which Rabbi 
 Eliezer briefly describes, as follows : 
 
 " The Holy and Blessed God gave to the 'first man in Paradise 
 a Staff which had been created between the stars (that is in the 
 evening of the Sabbath). Adam gave it to Enoch ; Enoch to Noah ; 
 Noah to Shem ; Shem to Abraham ; Abraham to Isaac ; Isaac to 
 Jacob. Jacob carried it into Egypt and gave it to his son Joseph. 
 When Joseph died, his household goods were seized by the Egyp- 
 tians and carried to the palace of Pharaoh. Among the personal 
 goods of Joseph was this Staff, which had descended to him from 
 Adam. This was put among the special treasures of Pharaoh." 
 
 We are told that on the Staff was cu^ a peculiar name which the 
 Hebrwes call the Sh'em-hammephorash (sh-h m ph r sh), a word ex- 
 plained to mean " the Branch of Fire." Its transliteration is given 
 by that adept in occult science — Francis Barrett — as Schkm-hamphora 
 which no doubt is an easier vocalization. Mackey, Machenzie, and 
 Oliver spell it Shem-Hamphorasch. McClintock & Strong adopt the 
 

 3 
 
 ( / ) 
 
 produce the name of seventy-two angels, each of whom carries the 
 great name of God ; as it is written, says the Hebrews, " My angel 
 shall go before them ; for my name is in him." 
 
 The names of the seventy-two angels thus formed are as follows ; 
 
 i. Vehuiah, 
 
 2.. Ieliel, 
 
 3. Sitael, 
 
 4. Elemiah, 
 
 5. Mahasiah, 
 
 6. Lelahel, 
 
 7. Aehaiah, 
 
 8. Cahethel, 
 
 9. Haziel, 
 
 10. Aladiah, 
 
 11. Lauiah, 
 
 12. Hahiah, 
 
 13. Ieiazel, 
 
 14. Mebahel, 
 
 15. Hariel, 
 
 16. Hakamiah, 
 
 17. Leviah, 
 
 18. Caliel, 
 
 19. Leuuiah, 
 
 20. Pahaliah, 
 
 21. Nelchael, 
 
 22. leiaiel, 
 
 23. Melahel, 
 
 24. Hahuiah, 
 
 25. Nithhaiah, 
 
 26. Haaiah, 
 
 27. Ierathel, 
 
 28. Seehiah, 
 
 29. Reiiel, 
 
 30. Omael, 
 
 31. Lecabel, 
 
 32. Vasariah, 
 
 33. Iehuiah, 
 
 34. Lehaiah, 
 
 35. Chavakiah, 
 
 36. Monadel, 
 
 37. Aniel, 
 
 38. Haamiah, 
 
 39. Rehael, 
 
 40. Ihiazel, 
 
 41. Hahahel, 
 
 42. Michael, 
 
 43. Vevaliah, 
 
 44. Ielehiah, 
 
 45. Sealiah, 
 
 46. Ariel, 
 
 47. Asaliah, 
 
 48. Mihael, 
 
 49. Vermel, 
 
 50. Daniel, 
 
 51. Hahaziah, 
 
 52. Imamiah, 
 
 53. Nanael, 
 
 54. Nithael, 
 
 55. Mebahiah, 
 
 56. Poiel, 
 
 57. Nemamiah, 
 
 58. Ieilael, 
 
 59. Harahel, 
 
 60. Mizrael, 
 
 61. Umabel, 
 
 62. Iahhel, 
 
 63. Annauel, 
 
 64. Mehekiel, 
 
 65. Damabiah, 
 
 66. Meniel, 
 
 67. Eiael, 
 58. Habuiah, 
 
 69. Rochel, 
 
 70. Iibamiah, 
 
 71. Haiaiel, 
 
 72. Mumiah. 
 
 The number seventy-two thus gave the number for the appointing of 
 seventy-two elders of Israel by Moses, by advice of his father-in-law 
 Jethro ; also for the appointment of seventy-two persons for the trans- 
 lating of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek called the Septuaginta 
 (Seventy) ; also for the appointment of seventy-two disciples by Jesus, 
 as some versions read {Luke x, 1). 
 
 Jethro, a priest ot Midian, who was also one the greatest magicians 
 in Egypt, had charge of Pharaoh's museum. Pharaoh himself was 
 also well skilled in enchantments ; he and Jethro read what was in- 
 scribed upon the Staff. Jethro took and kept it many years in his 
 own house, and finally one day he took it in his hand and walking 
 in his garden, stuck it in the ground and left it. When he entered 
 the garden again he saw that*it had sprouted, and blossomed, and had 
 ripe almonds on it ; he left it standing in the garden and allowed no 
 one to go near it. Jethro made a rule that every suitor who sought 
 the hand of one of his daughters, should be taken to the Staff in the 
 garden, observe the writing upon the same, and asked to read it. 
 
 Moses, the future law-giver of Israel, was then a young man ; but 
 
- 
 
 <U 
 
 1 
 
 ( 4 ) 
 
 first given above — Shem-hammephordsh. This was the word applied 
 to the name of God — the hierogrammaton (holy letters) on the Staff. 
 
 The Rabbins declare that if any one were able rightly and devoutly* 
 to prouounce that name, he would by this means be able to create a 
 world. It is alleged, indeed,, that two lettors of the name were 
 inscribed by an adept in the kaballah on a tablet, and thrown into the 
 sea and raised a tempest A. D. 1542, and destroyed an entire fleet, 
 
 The rationale of the virtues of the Shem-hammephorash is de- 
 scribed by Alfred Vaughan in his Hours with the Mystics, to be as 
 follows : 
 
 " The Divine Being was supposed to have commenced the work of 
 creation by concentrating on certain points the primal Universal Light. 
 Within the region of these points was the appointed place of our 
 world. Out*of the remaining luminous points, or foci, he constructed 
 certain letters — a heavenly alphabet. These characters he again com- 
 bined into certain creative words, whose secret potency produced the 
 forms of the material world. The word ' Shem-hammephorash ' con- 
 tains the sum of these celestial letters, with all their inherent virtue, 
 in its mightiest combinations." 
 
 What is the Shem-hammephordsh ? There is a certain text in Exo- 
 dus (xvi, 19-21), which Dr. Christian D. Ginsburg say$, contains the 
 seventy-two lettered-name of God. Each of the three verses is to 
 written with seventy-two letters in a peculiar manner. Each verse 
 is arranged in an eight-by-nine parallelogram, of seventy-two squares ; 
 in these squares are placed the Hebrew letters. 
 
 The first is read, beginning at the right, downward, then the second 
 column from the right, and so on. The first word is Vajisa, 
 
 The second is read, beginning at the top, from right to left. Again, 
 this is read, beginning at the bottom, from left to right. The first 
 word is Vajabo. 
 
 The third is read, beginning at the bottom, right to left. The first 
 word is Vajot. 
 
 Extend the first verse into one line from left to the right ; the sec- 
 ond verse from the right to the left under the first ; and the third verse 
 from the left to the right under the second. 
 
 The letters subordinate to each other will make one name, and 
 the seventy-two words thus formed make the seventy-two lettered- 
 name of God, which the Hebrews call the Shem-hammephordsh. To 
 each of these name, if the divine names, El or Jah, be added, they 
 

 ( 4 ) 
 
 when grown to manhood he went out over Egypt to see the oppres- 
 sion of his brethren who were in bondage in that country, and he saw 
 an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, which he resented and took his part. 
 
 History says that Moses struck the Egyptian down and he died 
 and was buried in the sand. But on the following day, two brothers, 
 Abiram and Dathan, of the tribe of Reuben, got into a quarrel, and 
 Moses reprimanded them for disputing ; whereupon Dathan asked 
 him, " Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill 
 me as thou didst the Egyptian, yesterday?" Moses, at these questions, 
 fled into Midian. Standing by a well slaking his thirst, Zipporah, a 
 daughter of Jethro, came thither to draw water, whereupon Moses ac- 
 quainted himself with her, and asked her hand in marriage. Zippo- 
 rah informed him that her father would first require a visit to a cer- 
 tain tree planted in his garden, and he accompanied her home. Jethro 
 took him at once to the Staff which had sprouted, and Moses being 
 " learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and mighty in words and 
 deeds" at a glance read the Shkm-hammephor&sh cut upon the Staff. 
 The angel Saxael had instructed him as to the uses of the word. 
 This discovery of the Staff greatly pleased Moses who previously be- 
 lieved that it would finally be found. Jethro detained him in confine- 
 ment seven years, he being ministered to during the time by Zipporah. 
 She loved Moses. Jethro, unwilling to offend others who solicited her 
 hand, told the several suitors that he who could read and pluck up 
 the Staff whereon was cut the peculiar na?ne, should have his daugh- 
 ter Zipporah. Several of the strong chiefs of Edom and Midian 
 tried their skill and strength but to no purpose. Moses first gave 
 thanks to God, addressing Him by His four-lettered name, and then 
 taking hold of the Staff, it immediately followed his hand. Then 
 Jethro cried out, " This is a man called of God to be a prince and a 
 great man among the Hebrews, and to be famous throughout the en- 
 tire world " ; and he gave him Zipporah to wife. It is said that soon 
 after, while Moses was tending his father-in-law's sheep in the field, 
 Jethro came and demanded back the Staff ; whereupon Moses cast it 
 on the ground with other rods for Jethro to take his choice, but the 
 Staff immediately returned to the hand of Moses before Jethro could 
 take hold of it, and therefore he was obliged to let Moses retain it. 
 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt, who reigned when Moses fled from that 
 country, was now dead, and Moses took his wife Zipporah and his son 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 Gershom and set out for Egypt. While journeying thither he encoun- 
 tered the burning bush — a thorn tree, said to have been one of the 
 first trees grown in Paradise. Being interrogated there by an angel, 
 " What is that in thy hand ? " Moses answered, " A rod." He was 
 informed that the name — the Shem-hammephordsh — on the Staff was 
 the representative of power from the " God of your fathers, the God 
 of Adam, the God of Enoch, the God of Noah, the God of Shem, the 
 God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of 
 Joseph," and promised Moses that he would be his God also. This is 
 in the exact line of the descent of the preservation of the Staff, it will 
 be observed. The narrative in the Book of Exodus gives us a variety 
 of the wonderful deeds performed by Moses by means of that Magic 
 Staff ; how he and his brother Aaron appeared before Pharaoh and 
 cast down their Staffs or rods, and they immediately became basilisk 
 serpents, said to have been identical with those in the Garden of 
 Eden ; and all Egypt heard the shrieks of the serpents, as it is said 
 that all living creatures heard the shrieks of the tempter of Eve 
 when it was deprived of its legs and made to lick the dust after the 
 Fall. Weil relates that Pharaoh became alarmed, crawled under his 
 own throne, and cried out to Moses : " O Moses, take hold of the 
 serpent, and I will do what you desire." After this example of the 
 magic power of this Staff a contest was had with Pharaoh's magicians 
 (Jannes and Jambres), when Moses' rod became a serpent and swal- 
 lowed up all the serpents of Jannes and Jambres, who were at once 
 we are told, converted and worshipped the True God. 
 
 Passing by many other details of the exploits of Moses, we are in- 
 formed that when leaving Egypt he stretched forth the Staff over the 
 Red Sea and the waters immediately parted for the Israelites to pass 
 through on dry land. Again, at Horeb " Moses lifted up his hand, 
 and with his rod he smote the rock twice, and the water came out 
 abundantly." The same Staff was also represented to be Aaron's Rod 
 and it expressly states in the Book of Numbers, " Behold, the rod of 
 Aaron, for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and 
 bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." Aaron's rod (which was 
 the same as the Staff of Moses) was " to be kept for a token," and it 
 was put away with the tables of stone in the Ark of the Covenant, 
 preserved by Joshua, the successor of Moses. 
 
 We are informed that the initial letters of the ten plagues of 
 
( 6) ' 
 
 Egypt were also cut upon the Staff, formed into three Hebrew words : 
 
 D.Ts.CH; Gh.D.Sh; B.A.Hh.B. 
 
 We will not attempt any explanation of the plagues, but give them 
 here as they pertain to the narrative, and constitute a part of the ex- 
 ploits of Moses on account of his possession of the Staff. 
 
 i. The plague of blood which lasted seven days. 
 
 2. The plague of frogs which covered the entire land. 
 
 3. The plague of lice both of man and beast. 
 
 4. The plague of swarms of flies. 
 
 5. The plague of the murrain of beasts. 
 
 6. The plauge of boils upon man and beast. 
 
 7. The plague of thunder, and lightning, and hail. 
 
 8. The plague of locusts over all the land. 
 
 9. The plague of darkness over all the land. 
 10. The plague of the death of the first-born. 
 
 The Mohammedans give a different order to the signs, as follows : 
 i. The rod changed into a serpent. 
 
 2. The whitened hand. 
 
 3. The famine. 
 
 4. A deluge, when the Nile rose over the land so that every man 
 
 stood in water up to his neck. 
 
 5. The locusts. 
 
 6. The anommals — two-legged animals smaller than locusts. 
 
 7. The water turned into blood. 
 
 8. The surplus of frogs. 
 
 9. The turning to stone of every green thing throughout the land. 
 10. The blackness of darkness. 
 
 Joshua took charge of the Ark and its contents and the Staff de- 
 scended to David whose entire history is closely connected with it. 
 He mentions the it in the twenty-third Psalm : " Thy rod and thy 
 Staff, they comfort me." 
 
 Solomon well understood the meaning of the Shem-hammephordsh, 
 and the Staff was of great advantage to him in the construction of 
 the Temple, in the discovery of gold with which to adorn it, and 
 its furnishings. He no doubt was as familiar with its uses and pow- 
 ers as Moses. There are many deeds ascribed to Solomon which 
 were said to have been accomplished by the Staff. 
 
 Solomon is said to have had a six-pointed star, or two interlaced tri- 
 angles, engraved upon his ring, known as Sigillum Solomonis (the seal 
 of Solomon), which was supposed to be the same as the Shield of 
 

 I 7 ) 
 
 David, engraved with Hebrew characters, or the words : Atah Gibor 
 Lolafn Adonai meaning " Thou art strong in the eternal God." The 
 initials {AG LA) of these Hebrew words form a new word and were 
 engraved upon the Shield. Solomon was esteemed by the common 
 people rather as a great magician than as a great monarch ;.and by the 
 signet which he wore, on which the talismanic seal was engraved 
 bearing a tetragrammatonic word, he was thought to have accomplished 
 the most extraordinary deeds, and by it, and the possession of the 
 Staff of Adam, to have enlisted in his service the labors of the genii 
 in the construction of his magnificent Temple. 
 
 When the numerals from i to 12 are properly placed at the inter- 
 sections of the lines and the points of the two interlaced triangles 
 forming Solomon's seal, each of the four numbers in the six lines add- 
 ed together a\e exactly 26. This sum is the same as the Tetragram- 
 maton (IHVH). I, 10 ; H, 5 ; V, 6 ; H, 5 : 1 0+5+6+5=26. 
 
 The twelve guardian angels who ruled over the twelve personages 
 who had had possession of the Staff, from the creation down to the 
 time of Solomon, and who were more or less acquainted with its vir. 
 tues, are thus enumerated by Francis Barrett : 
 
 1. Adam, Eaziel. 5. Abraham, Zadkiel. 9. Moses, Saxael. 
 
 2. Enoch, Metatron. 6. Isaac, Raphael. 10. Joshua, Haniel. 
 
 3. Noah, Zaphkiel. 7. Jacob, Peliel. n. David, Gerviel. 
 
 4. Shem, Jophiel. 8. Joseph, Gabriel. 12. Solomon, Michael. 
 
 When the temple was plundered, the Staff, undoubtedly with the 
 tables of stone in the Ark with other holy vessels, was taken and 
 carried to Babylon. 
 
 Zechariah the prophet, one of the captives who returned to Jerusa- 
 lem after the captivity, knew that the Staff was taken to Babylon, and 
 without doubt he brought it back with him. He says in his Book of 
 Prophecy : 
 
 " Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that 
 sit before thee, for they are men wondered at ; for behold, I will bring 
 forth my servant, The BRANCH." (Zech. m, 8.) 
 
 The Revised Version reads " they are men which are a sign." 
 
 The Smith Version translates the last clause to read, " Behold me 
 bringing my servant, The Sprout." Again, Zechariah speaks of the 
 Staff, recalling no doubt the great assistance it had been to Solomon 
 in the construction of the Temple : 
 
(8 ) 
 
 11 Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH, and he shall grow 
 up out of his place, and he shall build the Temple of the Lord." 
 {Zech. vi, 12.) 
 
 Again, Zechariah says : " I took my Staff, even Beauty." (xi, io.) 
 
 The returned exiles from the captivity were perfectly familiar with 
 the history of the patriarchs, prophets, and kings, and their exploits, 
 the accounts of which had come down to them in their holy books, in 
 the Talmud, in traditions, and in other sources. They remembered that 
 Jacob " worshipped, leaning upon the top of his Staff," and told his 
 sons what they might expect for themselves and their generations. 
 To Judah he said : 
 
 " The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from be- 
 tween his feet, until Shiloh come ; and unto him shall the gathering of 
 the people be. {Gen. xlix, io.) 
 
 Judah, we are told, once left his signet, his bracelets, and his Staff, 
 with one Tamar, as a pledge, till he should fulfill his promise to pay 
 that person a kid, and redeem the much-prized talismans. 
 
 The Rabbinical writings say Jesus found the Shem-hammphordsh 
 in the Temple, and inserted it in his thigh between the skin and flesh, 
 and by its sovereign potency he wrought all his miracles. 
 
 The pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (IHVH) was a subject 
 of much variation in ancient times, and many conjectures as to its 
 orthoepy are given by Masonic writers. 
 
 Tradition says that the true pronunciation of the divine name was 
 revealed to Enoch, and he transferred it to a triangular plate of gold, 
 by the four letters IHVH. He knew these by the same being engraved 
 upon the Staff in his possession. The vowels not being named, occa- 
 sioned many differences in pronunciation in succeeding generations. 
 
 Methuseleh, Lamech, and Noah are said to have pronunced it Juha 
 (Yu-haw). Shem. Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, and Peleg pronounced it 
 Jeve (Ye-waw). Reu, Serug, Nahor, Tera, Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Judah pronounced it Jova ( Yo-waw). Ezrom, and Aram pronounced 
 it Jevo ( Yay-wo) ; Aminadab, and Naasson, Jevah (Ye- way) ; Sal- 
 mon, Booz, and Obed, Johe ( Yo-hay) ; Jesse, and David, Jehovah 
 (Ye-ho-waw). It will be observed that Enoch, Jacob, and Moses are 
 omitted in this catalogue because the true pronunciation had been re- 
 vealed to them personally. 
 
 Irenaeus calls it Jaoth; Isidore calls it Jodjod ; Diodorus Siculus, 
 

 I 9 ) 
 
 and Macrobius call it Jao ; Clement Alexandrinus calls it Jau. The- 
 odoret says the Samaritans pronounced it Javah ; and the Hebrews, 
 Jah. The received pronunciation is now Jehovah. 
 
 The Mishna says that " both priests and people, on the day of 
 atonement, when they heard the Tetragrammaton pronounced, fell to 
 the ground, and that the voice of the high-priest was heard as far as 
 Jericho," a distance of about eighteen miles. 
 
 The word Shkm-hammephordsh, according to that learned philologist 
 Dr. E. V. Kenealy, is from the Hebrew shm (Name), hm (Sun), and 
 ph r sh (Branch of Fi?'e). The SMm-hammephordsh, engraved upon 
 the Staff, shone forth in letters bright as the noonday sun to him who 
 possessed this wonderful Staff and knew their import. The prophet 
 Malachi knew the name, and had seen the Staff. He plainly refers to 
 it (iv, 2), saying , " But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of 
 Righteousness arise with healing in his wings." Malachi himself 
 was a messenger, as the word Malachi means " My Messenger." 
 
 Some suppose that Moses saw the Shem-hammephordsh for the first 
 time in its glory-halo, by means of the burning bush near Mount 
 Horeb ;. that the burning bush caused the peculiar name to shine forth 
 from the Staff ; while others suppose the burning bush to have been 
 only a reflection of the divine name from the Staff ; for " Behold, the 
 bush burned [seemed to burn] with fire, and the bush was not con- 
 sumed." David, it will be remembered, says that " He maketh His 
 angels a flaming fire," no doubt referring to the burning bush. It 
 was at this scene that Moses was asked : " What is that in thy hand ? " 
 And he said, "A rod." 
 
 The Egyptians were well acquainted with the art of rhabdomancy, 
 and Moses practiced his divine art before them. Pharaoh, we are in- 
 formed, asked Moses, Who is this Jehovah ? 
 
 Moses had been already informed in regard to the name : " This is 
 my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." 
 
 The Egyptian word for the Shem-hammephordsh, is Nuk-pe-Nuk. 
 The best English translation of the esoteric meaning of the word is in 
 the Apocalypse (1, 4), "Him which is, which was, and which is to come.' 
 The Greek work On, a name of the Sun, or Fire, being rendered by 
 Him. Potipherah was priest of On (Heliopolis " City of the Sun ") 
 in Egypt (Gen. xli, 45) ; his daughter Asenath was given to Joseph 
 to wife, by Pharaoh. 
 
( io ) 
 
 The same symbol of a Sceptre is commemorated by Pausanias. The 
 Chaeroneans, he says, venerate above all the gods, the Sceptre which 
 Homer says Vulcan made for Jupiter. This sceptre Jupiter gave to 
 Apollo ; Apollo gave it to Hermes. In his hands it is the caduceus 
 often pictured with wings, only another symbol of the Staff with the 
 buds, leaves and blossoms. Hermes gave it to Pelops ; Pelops gave it 
 to Atreus ; Atreus gave it to Thyestes ; Thyestes gave it to Agamem- 
 non, " king of men." It was sometimes denominated the Spear. He 
 (Pausanias) says, " that it contains something of a nature more divine 
 than usual is evidence from hence, that a certain splendor is seen pro- 
 ceeding from it." 
 
 Pausanias says the person to whom this sacred sceptre was com- 
 mitted, placed it in a temple destined for the purpose, and the people 
 worshipped it daily ; that the Staff was called he brazen tripod of 
 Pelops, and that it contained the knowledge of things past, things 
 present, and things to come. 
 
 AN ANCIENT SCEPTRE. 
 
 NO. I. 
 
 The Staff of Adam has also been interpreted in another light by 
 that learned and exhaustive writer, E. V. Kenealy, who bases his ex- 
 position on the following verse from the Song of Moses : 
 
 "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, 
 when he separated the Sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the peo- 
 ple according to the number of the children of Israel." {Deut. xxxn, 8). 
 
 The Septuagint or Greek version reads " according to the number 
 of the angels (messengers) of God," in place of the last clause above, 
 and which reading is supported by many linguists as the correet one. 
 According to his theory the Staff of Adam was the representative of 
 the whole drama of human progress from the creation of man to the 
 apocacatastasis (restitution of all things) ; that the whole period of 
 human history is measured by Naroses. or periods of 600 years ; that 
 " the twelve angels (messengers) of God " were divinely appointed 
 Messiahs who succeeded each other by re-incarnations. These sue- 
 

 ( 11 ) 
 
 cessive Messiahs each held in possession the mystic Staff of Adam, 
 and that the Staff is still in existence. 
 
 The messengers commenced 600 years after the twenty-four ancients 
 had prepared the way and presided over In-t he-be ginning. The twenty- 
 four elders are believed by many to be the twelve angels of God 
 " before the world was/' and the twelve ruling zodiacal angels. The 
 former twelve, according to three authorities, were : 
 
 1. Gabriel, who presides over Paradise, and over the cherubim. 
 
 2. Michael, who presides over virtues, and commands the nations. 
 
 3. Raguel, who presides over punishments on all the planets. 
 
 4. Raphael, who presides over the spirits of men. 
 
 5. Sarakiel, who presides over the spirits of the children of men. 
 
 6. Uriel, who presides over clamor, and terror. 
 
 7. Saxael, who instructed Moses in the uses of the divine name. 
 
 8. Phanuel, who was intrusted with the numbering of all mankind. 
 
 9. Azrael, who presides over death. 
 
 10. Israfel, who presides over the resurrection. 
 
 11. Zadkiel, who presides over clemency, benevolence, and justice. 
 
 12. Samuel, who preside over the birth of children. 
 
 The zodiacal angels are enumerated by Francis Barrett, author of 
 The Magus, as follows : 
 
 1. Malchidiel for Aries. 2. Asmodel, for Taurus. 3. Ambriel for 
 Gemini. 4. Muriel for Cancer. 5. Verchiel for Leo. 6. Hamiliel for 
 Virgo. 7. Zuriel for Libra. 8. Barbiel for Scorpio: 9. Adnachiel for 
 Saggitarius. 10. Hanael for Capricornus. 11. Gabiel for Aquarius. 
 12. Barchiel for Pisces. 
 
 These twenty-four elders {ancients) represent 2400 years of pre- 
 Adamite or primeval history. Dr. Kenealy's theory places at intervals 
 of about 600 years, or periods called JVaroses, twelve Messiahs, one for 
 each Naros, as follows : 
 
 1. Adam (Oannes) who appeared A. M. 3000 ; he was also called 
 Musagetes. The Sanscrit word for the Lotos is Padma (pronounced 
 P'adatn) . He was called the Lotos Messenger. 
 
 2. Enoch (AnfisH) who appeared A. M. 3600 ; he was also called 
 Metatron. The Koran calls him Edris (the Learned). 
 
 3. Fo-hi (Menu) who appeared A. M. 4200 ; he is identified with 
 Noah whose true name was Mah-Nu (the Great). He was called by 
 the Assyrians T'el-Nu (the renewer). The Book of Jasher says that 
 Methusaleh called the child Noah (rest) ; but Lamech called him 
 Menahem (the Comforter). 
 
 4. Brigoo (the Bright) who appeared A. M. 4800 ; he is identified 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 with the first Buddha (the Wise). He was also call Topilkin (our 
 Son), and was a Saviour in the East. 
 
 5. Zaratusht (Zoroaster) who appeared A. M. 5400 ; his name is 
 explained to mean " King of Light." He was author of the Zend- 
 Avesta. He possessed an extensive knowledge of all the sciences and 
 philosophy then known to the world. 
 
 6. Thoth (Hermes) who appeared A. M. 6000 ; his name is from 
 Tautah (the Father). The real name of Thoth is supposed to have 
 been Osarsiph. Bryant says the Egyptians acknowledged two person- 
 ages under the titles of Thoth or Hermes. The first (Adam) was 
 the most ancient of the gods and the head of all. The other was 
 styled the second Hermes, and called Trismegistus (thrice-greatest) ; 
 the second one accords with the sixth messenger ; he was the author 
 of the Divine Pymander. 
 
 7. Amosis (Moses) who appeared A. M. 6600 ; he is the Moses of 
 the Pentateuch, — the Great Lawgiver. Josephus calls him Mouses 
 (the Waterman). Cheremon calls him Tesithen ; and he calls Joseph 
 Peteseph, and says Tesithen and Peteseph were both scribes. 
 
 8. Lao-Tseu (Elijah) who appeared A. M. 7200 • he was always 
 associated with Jesus ; he and Amosis being with Jesus at the Trans- 
 figuration on the Mount. Lao-Tseu (Man of Peace and Wisdom) 
 was the author of a book of divine thoughts, the Y-King (the Right 
 Road). 
 
 9. Jesus (Christ) who appeared A. M. 7800 ; he was called Jesus 
 (the Saviour), also Christ (the Anointed). He often spoke of his 
 two immediate predecessors — Moses and Elijah — of whom he was a re- 
 incarnation. He is now believed to be the Shiloh prophesied by 
 Jacob (Gen. xlix, 10) ; the "Rod out of the stem of Jesse" (Is. 11, 1) ; 
 «' the man whose name is the Branch " (Zech. iv, 12). 
 
 10. Ahmed (Mohammed) who appeared A. M. 8400 ; the name 
 Ahmed (the Illustrious) occurs in Haggai 11, 7, and is translated in 
 the common version Desire (one to be desired). He was of the 
 tribe of the Koreshites. Koresh (the Sun) is alluded to by Isaiah. 
 Ahmed himself claimed to be the Paraclete (the Comforter), or the 
 Peridyte (the Illustrious) as he read it. 
 
 11. Chengiz-Kkan (Prester John) who appeared A. M. 9000 ; he was 
 supposed to be the celebrated Tartar emperor who converted the East 
 to the True God. His name Chengiz-Khan (King of Kings) was in 
 accord with his sceptre and his conquests. ' His sway was well nigh 
 universal 
 
 12. Parasu-Rama who is to appear A. M. 9600 ; he is called Parasu- 
 Rama by the Hindus ; Imam Mahidi (one who joins together) by the 
 Mohammedans; the New Messiah (Christ) by English-speaking 
 people ; and there shall be given him " a reed like unto a rod." 
 (Rev. 11. 1). 
 
( 13) 
 
 The above is a very brief mention of the twelve messengers cover- 
 ing the entire time of human history as seen by the late Dr. Kenealy. 
 The mystical Staff was in possession of eleven of the messengers, and 
 will be in the hands of the coming twelfth. The learned author says 
 he saw a mystic Staff at Lapmark at the house of one Niemesele. 
 It was a square-sided stick, with fine gilt work and carving upon it. 
 It was used as the ensign of office for the Chief or Governor of the 
 place. No amount of money could buy it, as the safety of the place 
 and people were believed to depend upon it, similar to the Ancile of 
 the ancient Romans, and the Palladium of ancient Troy. Clarke 
 (Travels x, 516) does not mention the age of this mystic rod, but it is 
 probably the copy of one very ancient. We here give a copy of this 
 much-prized Sceptre. 
 
 On this Rod there are carved ten hieroglyphs, and in each, it will 
 
 be observed, is seen that very ancient symbol, the Tau Cross | . 
 
 According to Mallet, not a single one of these letters is Runic (North- 
 ern Antiquities p. 232). The ten hieroglyphs signify the names of the 
 of the Ten Avatars. 
 
 The first hieroglyph at the left is the triple Tau and signifies Adam 
 the first angel messenger. " I am Aleph and Tau, the first and the 
 last (Adam)." 
 
 The second is the logotype ^£s, which is the initial of ALnoch the 
 second messenger or angel Metatron " the seventh from Adam " in 
 lineal descent. 
 
 The # third is a pure Chinese symbol, and also the triune sign, 
 and signifies Fo-Hi. He is identified with Noah and the age of the 
 Atlantean deluge. For in his days was Eber, from whom came the 
 name Ebrew or Hebrew ; he begat two sons, " the name of one was 
 Peleg ; for in his days was the eai'th divided." John Kitto (Cyclo- 
 fcedia, 11, p. 393) says " the earth was pelegged" The other son was 
 Joktan {Gen. x, 25) who is supposed by some Egyptologists to have 
 built the great pyramid Jeezeh. Fo-Hi was they?rj-/-third angel-Mes- 
 siah. He wrote the Cova, or ••' Lineation," which contains much an- 
 cient philosophy and wisdom. 
 
 The fourth is also a Chinese symbol, with its triple Tau, and indi- 
 cates Brigoo. Noah was 600 years of age when the deluge occurred, 
 we are told. Topilkin (our Son) or Brigoo was saved from a deluge 
 
( M ) 
 
 of water. The same account says the deluge ceased at the sound of 
 " a voice proceeding from the heart of a mountain " ; that is, a cleft 
 in a rock. Bragi of the Scandinavians was the god who carried the 
 trumpet, " the sound of which could be heard throughout all the world." 
 
 The fifth is an ancient Tau cross and signifies Zaratusht. Fire- 
 worship w^s figuratively God-worship. It was founded principally at 
 Persepolis (City of Splendor). Spitama (the Most Beneficent) Zara- 
 thusht was in direct communication with Ahura Mazda (the all-know- 
 ing Lord). 
 
 The sixth symbol stands for Thoth or Hermes, Thoth-Hermes or 
 Thothmes. He was the second-third Messiah or the " thrice-greatest." 
 His mission ended the sixth Naros (600), or the first Saros (3600) of 
 the twelve angel-Messiahs. His code is briefly told by the Smarag- 
 dine Tablet. 
 
 The seventh symbol is an equilateral triangle standing on one of 
 its angles ; this signifies Amosis who knew of the triangular plate of 
 gold engraved with the Tetragrammaton by ^Enoch ; on this sym- 
 bol stands the Nehustan raised by Moses in the wilderness. The ex- 
 ploits he accomplished by the peculiar name are too familiar to repeat. 
 The Pentateuch is ascribed to him. 
 
 The eighth is a Chinese symbol and signifies Lao-Tseu who was 
 always associated with the ninth messenger (Jesus). He is also of- 
 ten spoken of by the Evangelists (proclaimers of the messengers) un- 
 der the name of Elias (Elijah), and as " the voice of one crying in the 
 wilderness," similar to the fourth messenger (Brigoo), all indicating 
 re-incarnations. The doctrine of metempsychosis seems to be glainly 
 exemplified by this theory. Hengstenberg, in his Christology, main- 
 tains at length that Michael was no other than Jesus (Christ). He 
 was the third-third, angel-messenger. 
 
 The ninth symbol is said to be designed for Ahmed : the six lines 
 represent a Naros (600) which was the period for his appearance after 
 the ninth messenger (Jesus). 
 
 The tenth symbol on this Staff is the letter Z with the double cross, 
 a characteristic emblem of power (lightning), the initial of Zeus the 
 god of the forces of heaven. It stands for Zengis, another form 
 for Chengiz-Khan, the eleventh messenger, whose kingdom approached 
 a universal monarchy. 
 
( 15) 
 
 The symbol of the twelfth messenger will be a key, and he will be the 
 " Key-keeper of the Fountain of Life." In his hand he will carry the 
 Mystic Staff of the first Adam, which is preserved for him as a Sceptre 
 to guide the nations. He will be the fourth-third messenger and un- 
 lock mysteries that have been kept secret from the foundation of the 
 world, for which developments all people are now becoming pre- 
 pared. He will be expected to harmonize and fraternize the world. 
 
 The triple Tau in each symbol signifies trinities which the twelve 
 messengers represent. The seventh (Amosis), the tenth (Ahmed), 
 and the eleventh (Chengiz-Chan), according to the author of this sin- 
 gular theory, represent the three Cabiri of ancient veneration. They 
 were known by the names Axieros, Axiokersos, and Axiokersa. Some 
 others add a fourth, Casmillos, to represent the coming Sosiosh. But 
 the details cannot be given here. 
 
 AN ANCIENT SWORD -SCEPTRE. 
 
 O^<?A0P\\-^A^fl(^ 
 
 NO. II. 
 
 There is another Rod mentioned in Nimrod (n, 20; 111,251) 
 the sword-sceptre of Pelops, previously referred to in this paper, and 
 which descended from one king to another, similar to the Staff of 
 Adam. This book says " it is the prototype of all magical wands." 
 
 The second engraving shows an illustration of it. There are twelve 
 symbols engraved on it, which are interpreted as follows : 
 
 The first symbol to the right is the initial of Oannes (Adam), and 
 also represents the sun, one of the first objects of worship. 
 
 The second is a cross and signifies Enoch who, to perpetuate them, 
 engravedon two pillars the discoveries of his Naros. 
 
 The third is a snake, a Chinese symbol for Fo-Hi (Buddha, " the 
 Wise "). He is the one who said, " Heaven is One ; how can there 
 be more than One God there ? " 
 
 The fourth, the triangular points, were said to represent Europe, 
 Asia, and Africa, which were left to Brigoo after he was saved from the 
 water when the earth divided and Atlantis was lost. 
 
( 16) 
 
 The fifth is the sun and represents Zaratusht who symbolized the 
 true God by the sun and fire-worship. 
 
 The sixth is the monad in the rude square to represent Thoth, who 
 taught, and wrote many books on, the arts and sciences, and religion. 
 He left those sublime truths engraved on the Emerald Stone. 
 
 The seventh, the several lines, represent Amosis and the Mystic 
 Staff so potent in his hands. 
 
 The eighth, the square, is for Lao-Tseu. At the present day the 
 same square is in the center of Chinese coins, and among many of 
 their sacred symbols. 
 
 The ninth, the two parallels, denotes Jesus who was so closely al- 
 lied with the eighth messsenger (Elijah), that they are always placed 
 together. 
 
 The tenth, the monad in the equilateral triangle, represents Ahmed 
 who said that " there was but one God, and Ahmed is his prophet." 
 
 The eleventh, the crescent, stands on the rod for Chengiz-Khan 
 who endeavored to unite in some degree the religions of " the Cross 
 and the Crescent." 
 
 The twelfth and last on this Pelopean Staff is the monad and the 
 altar, or the reverse of the symbol of the sixth messenger (Thoth). 
 Thoth-Hermes gathered the wisdom of all previous Naroses, a portion 
 of which has been preserved to us in his Divine Pymander. The mis- 
 sion of the twelfth will be to collect the wisdom of ages which has 
 been preserved in fragments that there may be one universal Volume 
 of Truth, and he is ot have the key to the Book — the Magic Staff. 
 
 Such is a brief epitome of Dr Kenealy's theory of the drama of the 
 world, and the twelve Messiahs as they appeared to him. .The Staff 
 of Adam was possessed by eleven of them, and will be in the hands of 
 the twelfth. There is a wonderful similarity in the two illustrations 
 of the Staff and the symbols on each. 
 
 Mercury of the Romans is the Hermes of the Greeks, and closely 
 identified with the Thoth of the Egyptians. He was a priest-king and 
 messenger of the gods, and a messenger of Jupiter in particular. He 
 was the personification of the Egyptian priesthood the records of 
 which had come to the Greeks in a very meagre form. He' was the 
 epitome of knowledge, endowed with all that pertains to magic, secrecy 
 and mystery, and his very name has become in our day an arcane ad- 
 
( 17) 
 
 jective of hermetic mystery, hermetically sealed. He bears in his hand 
 the eaduceus or Staff, which sometimes has wings at it extremities. 
 The same symbol (the baton) today is carried by our marshals in all 
 processional bodies. It has, by some circumstance, perpetuated this 
 idea in the name of one of our prominent American cities — Baton 
 Rouge (Scarlet Wand). 
 
 Another representation of Hermes was perpetuated by 
 the Greeks and Romans, in setting up bounds at the divi- 
 sions of their lands, and gardens. Hermes was said to 
 have taught agriculture, commerce, architecture ; and va- 
 rious inventions were credited to him. His statue was 
 thus held in great veneration, and some represent him 
 ^holding the Staff. He is said to have received the 
 " golden three-leafed Rod " from Apollo in exchange for 
 a lyre which he had invented. Apollo was a son of Jupi- 
 ter, and presided over prophecy, and at birth cried out he 
 would declare the will of Jove. These mythological per- 
 sonages are only another version of the preservation of 
 the Staff of Adam, and many allusions are made to it throughout the 
 classics. {Iliad xxiv, 343). 
 
 Weale says that in architecture " Aaron's Rod is a rod with one 
 serpent twined around it, while Mercury's Rod has two serpents." 
 
 Josephus {Ant. iv, 4,) tells us that there was strife among the 
 twelve tribes as to which should have the honor of the priesthood, 
 and even Moses feared for his own life, so great was the contention. 
 Hence the principals of the twelve tribes were requested to bring each 
 his rod with the name of his tribe witten upon it. So each principal 
 brought his rod, as did Aaron also, who had Levi written on his rod. 
 " These rods Moses laid up in the tabernacle of God. On the next 
 day he brought out the rods, which were known from one another by 
 those who brought them, they having distinctly marked them, as the 
 multitude had noted also. But they saw buds and branches grown out 
 of Aaron's rod, with ripe fruit upon them ; they were almonds, the 
 rod having been cut out of that tree. The people were so amazed at 
 this strange sight, that though Moses and Aaron were before under 
 some degree of hatred by the tribes, they now laid that hatred aside, 
 and began to admire the judgment of God concerning them ; so that 
 thereafter the people applauded what God had decreed, and permitted 
 Aaron to enjoy the priesthood peaceably." 
 
( 18 ) 
 
 The quotation from Josephus is only one record of many of the 
 ancient customs and practices of divination called rhabdomancy (rod. 
 oracles), which no doubt has been the foundation of many modern 
 practices. It was carried to such an extent even in ancient times that 
 it was condemned by the prophets : " My people ask counsel, and 
 their Staff declareth unto them (Hosea iv, 12). 
 
 Sir Thomas Browne says it was practised by Nebuchadnezzar, and 
 his rhabdomancers rendered the interpretations ( Vulgar Errors) Book 
 v, chapter xxn) j and Brand cites from a manuscript of John Bell, 
 derived from Theophylact, the modus operandi : 
 
 ' k They set up two Staffs, and having whispered some verses and 
 incantations, the Staffs fell by operation of spirits. Then they con- 
 sidered which way each of them fell, forward or backward, to the right 
 or left, and agreeably made responses, having made use of the fall of 
 their Staffs for their signs." 
 
 This is the Grecian method of rhabdomancy ; and Jerome thinks 
 it is the same that is alluded to by Ezekiel (xxi, 21) when the king 
 stood at " the parting of the way." Rabbi Noel says this was also the 
 practice of the Hebrews, and that they peeled their rods on one side. 
 Herodotus says the Scythians used rods of myrtle and sallow, and that 
 they always chose "Rne straight wands." 
 
 Archbishop Newcome says that seven arrows were laid up in the 
 temple of Mecca, but generally only three were used at a time. On 
 one was written, " My Lord hath commanded me " ; on another was 
 written, " My Lord hath forbidden me" j and the third was left blank. 
 If the first was drawn, they looked upon it as an approbation of the 
 enterprise in question ; if the second was drawn, they made a contrary 
 conclusion \ but if the third happen to be drawn, they mixed them, and 
 drew over again, till a decisive answer was given by one of the others. 
 
 This belief in the existence of Divination, or the art of foretelling 
 events, however variously manifested, appears to have been coexten- 
 sive with a belief in Divinity, from which it derives its name. On 
 this account, the Stoics considered the two propositions inseparable : 
 Sunt di ; ergo est Divinatio. 
 
 Jacob, we are told (Gen. xxxi, 10) was informed in a dream in re- 
 gard to the raising of ring-streaked and speckled cattle. He prepared 
 several " rods of poplar, of chestnut, and of hazel " (more properly 
 the wild almond), which he partially peeled and set in the water where 
 

 (19 ) 
 
 Laban's cattle drank, and by looking at which they brought forth ring- 
 streaked and speckled young. Commentators widely differ as to the 
 effect these rods produced on the sight of the animals' perception as 
 to influence the markings of their offsprings. The Latin fathers con- 
 sidered the markings as natural, while the Greeks considered it as 
 miraculous. Gesenius says the word translated " hazel " in the above 
 quotation {Gen. xxx, 37) is from Luz (the almond-tree) while, the 
 word translated " almonds," where Aaron's rod is reported to have 
 " budded, bloomed, and yielded almonds " {Num. xvi, 8), is shaked 
 (the almond -irmt). 
 
 The hazel, or wild-almond, it seems, has, from its remarkable prop- 
 erties, come down to us by the name of Hamamelis Virginica (witch- 
 hazel) ; and Ulmus Montana (witch-elm, or wych-elm). 
 
 The pamphlet by Charles Latimer, (of Cleveland, Ohio,) entitled 
 The Divining Rod illustrated with the scene narrated in the Book of 
 Numbers (xx) , is a work replete with his experience with the Virgula 
 Divina. 
 
 The properties and potencies of the Staff or Rod under various 
 names, have been the subjects of for many pens. 
 
 Many relics, legends, traditions of the Staff and the Rod can be 
 mentioned from history, which record the phenomena produced. 
 
 St. Gregory of Nyssa, in his Life of St. Gregory Thaumaturgist, 
 gives an account of stopping the overflow of a river by the planting 
 of a Staff : 
 
 " The river Lycus having overflowed its banks, threatened to des- 
 stoy the village and flood the fields. St. Gregory, called the Thauma- 
 turgist, planted his Staff between the river and the village, saying to 
 the torrent, ' Thus far may be thy overflow, but no further.' The 
 next morning the Staff had become a green tree ; and whenever the 
 Lycus in its overflow came up to this boundary, it stopped and did 
 the villagers no harm." 
 
 There are some very remarkable parallels in aneient and modern 
 history as to the uses of the Staff. 
 
 Ralph Higden, in his Polychronicon (1360), says St. Patrick drove 
 the serpents and other venomous reptiles out of Ireland by the po- 
 tency of a Staff, known as " The Staff of Jesus," and that it is still 
 preserved and held in great veneration. St. Patrick is represented in 
 Christian art with a serpent coiled around a pastoral staff. We must 
 also remember that the Staff and the Serpent are generally associated 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 together ; for instance, Adam Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Hermes, Buddha, 
 Jesus, and Patrick are prominently identified with these association, 
 and it is very plausible that there is yet an arcane and esoteric mean- 
 ing attached to the Staff and the Serpent which we have not space to 
 enlarge on here. 
 
 Joseph Wild, D. D., in his work, The Lost Ten Tribes, says of Tara : 
 " Jeremiah buried the ark of the covenant, tables of law, etc., and 
 instituted the nine-arch degree of Masonry, to keep in mind its hiding- 
 place — so all may understand ; (Jer. in, 16). This passage of Jere- 
 miah means that when the ark is found, the ceremony will end ; for 
 the ark has to be found and go before the Jews when they return to 
 their own land. Jeremiah was the first Grand master (of this degree). 
 He, too, is the real St. Patrick — simply the Patriarchal Saint, who be- 
 came St Patriarch, then St. Patrick." 
 
 Many persons at the present time, believe that the a rk of the cove- 
 nant, tables of stone, the rod of Aaron, etc., were buried, perhaps at 
 Tara (Hebrew, Aral or Ararat), and will yet be found ; and that a posi- 
 tive proof is to be given to the world of their existence. It is some- 
 what remarkable that in the vegetable kingdom the plant known as 
 Aaron's rod (Sedum Telephium) is also known as "live-forever," "life- 
 ever-lasting," etc. 
 
 Closely interwoven with the sacred history of the Staff of Adam, is 
 " the flaming sword which turned everyway, to keep the way of the 
 tree of life." Masonsic writers generally agree that the guarding of 
 the entrance of the Edenic garden is a prototype of the Masonic 
 Lodge ; that the flaming sword in form was spiral and that the Tyler's 
 sword should always be the same. Certain it is that there a deep 
 significance attaches to these symbols. The cherubim is coeval with 
 Adam (the man), the cattle, the beasts, and the fowls (Gen. i, 20) — 
 man, ox, lion, eagle (Gen. in, 24). 
 
 The study of this subject seems to reverse the common proverb 
 that " bread is the Staff of Life," and makes " the Staff the bread of 
 Life." 
 
 " Heaven is not reached by a single bound; 
 
 But we build tbe ladder by which we rise 
 
 From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 
 And we mount to its summit, round by round." 
 
 LUX.