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these ten bringers of good news (Evangelists) are
distinguished; likewise nine heavens were brought

singly, the supreme intelligence; this produced the second intelligence,
with the primitive soul and body; the second intelligence brought forth
the third, and the corresponding heavenly sphere, with soul and body;
and so down to the tenth intelligence, to wit that of human reason. The
modern Orientals kept the first-born supreme intelligence, which to the
Muhammedans was sanctified by the verse of the Koran, saying: The first
being which God created was intelligence, and established a double
series of descending intelligences and ascending heavenly spheres, as
follows, according to the ancient and modern system:

COSMOLOGY

OF THE DASATIR. OF THE MODERN ORIENTALS.

Intelligences. Spheres.

The 1st intelligence.

II .......... The 1st intelligence. The IXth heavenly sphere. The uppermost ITea-

\en.

Ill ...
..... II .......
VIII ..... .
.... That of the zodiac, or

of (ixcd stars.

IV ...
........ Ill .......
VII ........ .
..... That of Saturn.

V
........ IV .......
VI ........
• • • • Jupiter.

VI ..
..... V .......
V ........ ,
..... Mars.

VII .-
...... VI .......
IV ........
------ the Sun.

vm...
........ VII .......
Ill .........
------ Venus.

IX ...
....... VIII.. . . .
II ........
.... Mercury.

X . .
...... IX .....
I
— the Moon.

XI ..
....... x .......
. . The human.
the Earth.

The difference between the system of the Dasatir and the latter consists
only in this: that the first enthrones the first supreme intelligence, or
reason, above all nine heavenly spheres, and assigns to the second intel-
ligence with its soul and body the ninth sphere, in which the latter sys-
tem places the first intelligence, and the third intelligence corresponds to
the eighth sphere, and so on ; each intelligence is placed in the first sys-
tem, one sphere higher than in the latter; so that the numbers of intelli-
gences and spheres, counterparts of each other, do not form a perfect
Deltas, which mutually meets in the sacred number five, but they make
an Endekas. Besides, the Muhammedan philosophers call the soul of the
second intelligence " the truth of truths," and identify it with Muham-
med, who is said to have declared: The first being which God created