The Unseen Realm Of Gnosticism

 

On February 20th of this year, Dr. Michael S. Heiser died from cancer six days after turning 60 years old. A Protestant theologian and scholar, Heiser wrote a best selling book in 2015 entitled The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Heiser received his doctorate in Semitic languages and ancient biblical history (Hebrew and Semitic Studies) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. A typical Protestant, he used his knowledge of ancient language and history to "discover new things" in the Bible via private interpretation. So why is this of any concern to a Traditionalist? 

Heiser was not your run-of-the-mill Protestant; he was a Gnostic occultist and a polytheist. He has numerous defenders among conservative Protestants and "conservative" members of the Vatican II sect. Rarely do I go on "X" (formerly "Twitter") except to promote new posts on this blog, but the last time I did, there was someone I had thought was a Vatican II sect member. (I was wrong; this person was Sedevacantist). He had posted positive comments about the work of Michael Heiser. I posted back to warn him of Heiser's work. This was his verbatim response to me:

He [Heiser] wrote about the Spiritual Realm. If you believe in angels & demons, you believe it to be true. There's God, the uncreated Creator, the Most High but other created "Elohim." Only one is Worthy of worship. Acknowledging that there is an invisible populated spiritual realm doesn't make you a polytheist.

I can't believe how many people buy into the occult and fanciful tales; they are unable or unwilling to see such evil falsehood, and defend it. So, if we believe in angels and demons (fallen angels) as we must, does this make Hesier's ideas true? Who, exactly, are the "Elohim," and is it the teaching of the Church (or compatible with Church teaching)? What proof is there that Heiser was a polytheist and Gnostic occultist? These questions shall be answered in this post.

(This post was compiled from numerous sources. The actual works of Dr. Michael Heiser, as well as commentaries from online and book sources, were used in the composition of this post. I take no credit except for condensing the aforementioned materials into a terse and readable post---Introibo)

The "Divine Council"

In his book, Heiser will proceed with a hermeneutic (method of interpreting the Bible) divorced from the Magisterium. How could it be otherwise for a Protestant? However, he goes beyond this by rejecting the Church Fathers, as well as all creeds, confessions and "denominational preferences." (See The Unseen Realm, ("TUR") pgs. 14-16 and pgs. 60-61). He has developed a Gnostic and polytheistic worldview based on a single verse of one Psalm. 

Psalm 82:1 reads: God stands in the divine assembly, He administers judgment in the midst of the gods (Elohim).  (Emphasis mine). Heiser believes he has found a "hidden secret key" for interpreting (or re-interpreting) the Bible and Christianity. That key was:  “The God of the Old Testament was part of an assembly – a pantheon – of other gods” (TUR pg. 11; Emphasis mine). To be clear, Heiser's divine council worldview (TUR pg. 27) teaches that the “gods” or elohim in Psalm 82 are divine beings and apparently have a higher level of responsibility than angels, who are primarily messengers.  These “gods” are consistently called “divine” throughout Heiser’s book without any real definition.  “Divine” in standard English dictionaries as well as common use, would usually reference deity as opposed to mortals.  Normally the word would not be understood to describe angels or heavenly beings, but God.  If an author wants to use a word in an atypical fashion, his readers would expect a definition indicating his esoteric use; this Heiser does not do. Clearly, Heiser presents Yahweh as the supreme God, the creator of all the other gods (pg. 34).

This is a form of Gnosticism. Gnostics taught that the world was created by a demiurge or satanic power—which they often associated with the God of the Old Testament—and that there is total opposition between this world and God. This is also polytheism, the belief in many "gods." To make it clear, polytheism is belief in and/or worship of more than one god. In other words, belief in more than one god, even if one only worships one God, is polytheism. Heiser fans try to back away from the label of polytheism for Heiser but it fits. Whether the gods are created or not, whether they are worshiped or not, whether one god is eternal and the others are not, does not matter. Belief in many gods is polytheism.

 (See britannica.com/topic/polytheism).  Heiser teaches these gods are not demons or fallen angels. 

Heiser sees the "divine council" of gods (as he calls it) functioning and giving God counsel (!) in the “unseen realm,” while God’s people form God’s human, non-divine council on earth (TUR pgs. 43-44). (I guess Heiser never read Romans 11: 34-36: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Emphasis mine). 

Heiser believes the divine council sat and ruled in Eden before the fall and thus for a time the “gods” lived among humans (Adam and Eve).  He conjectures that it was God’s design for humanity to expand Eden, bringing God’s glory and perfection to the rest of the earth (TUR pg. 48).  Of course, this would mean that God’s physical creation, apart from Eden, was flawed and therefore dependent upon Adam and Eve to bring it to perfection (TUR pgs. 50-51) and advance God’s kingdom rule (TUR pg. 56), which He apparently did not have yet.  Every component of this crazy theory has substantial problems. How could a perfect and holy God create flawed material and then pronounce it good, if, in fact, it was not?  On what basis can Heiser be assured that Adam and Eve were commissioned to bring this supposedly flawed creation to perfection? Then Heiser theorizes, again without any theological warrant, that if humanity had not fallen, humans would have been glorified and become part of the divine council, ruling on Earth together as one council (TUR pg. 48). 

Imposing Pagan Mythology on Sacred Scripture

Heiser refers to Ugaritic literature quite often, seemingly applying their views to the outlook in Scripture, as though the biblical authors were influenced by their pagan perspective. Ugarit was an ancient city in northern Syria discovered in 1928; Ugarit texts were found the following year and reveal much about Canaanite culture and religion. While there were cultural overlaps between Ugarit and Israel, and some references in the Bible can be explained by knowing about Ugarit, this does not mean that the Bible imbibed a pagan religious view, which is what liberal Protestant and Modernist scholars propose. When Biblical authors use language similar to that used for pagan gods, it is a polemic against false gods to demonstrate that Yahweh is the only true living God. 

"Ancient near east" (ANE) mythology guides and dominates Heiser’s interpretations. This is the faulty hermeneutical lens by means of which Heiser wants to "restore to the Bible."  Throughout the book, the reader is informed that:

• The ANE pagans believed in a divine council structure much like Yahweh’s 

• Their myths taught that a Ugaritic council met in a garden similar to Eden

• ANE people alleged that animals could speak which is why Eve was not surprised when the serpent spoke to her 

• He uses Babylonian myths to draw unprovable connections from extra-biblical sources 

• Heiser believes that the divine council is comprised of beings called Watchers drawn from intertestamental literature, not Scripture 

• Since some Mesopotamian myths claimed a “divine” council of 70, so too does Yahweh

• The idea that Israelite kings possessed a quasi-divine essence and were called sons of God is drawn not from the OT narrative but from the model set by ANE kings 

• Since ANE pagans believed demons resided in the desert so, of course, does Israel

• Prophecy must be interpreted via an ANE worldview 

• The ANE divine council makes decisions so that “when God prepares to act in strategic ways that propel His kingdom forward, [His] divine council is part of the decision making” process (TUR pg. 349)

• All such descriptions of God enthroned in the midst of His heavenly court are based on the ancient conception of the divine council or assembly found in Mesopotamia, Ugarit, and Phoenicia as well as supposedly in Israel

Heiser assures us that most people wouldn’t pick up on these clues unless, like he, they knew Hebrew and are informed of the ANE worldview (TUR pg. 373). No wonder he is the first to put this puzzle together; he apparently has knowledge and information that others do not have, or at least that is what he would have his readers believe. 

We must see the Bible “through the eyes of the ancient readers,” according to Heiser. There is value in understanding the culture and time of the writers of the Bible to get historical and cultural references and context. However, we do not have to possess the ancient worldview to read the Bible because the Bible was written under the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Ghost and interpreted by the Magisterium of Christ's One True Church. 

Proof of Occult Involvement: Heiser Discusses "Orthodox" Astrology

See the following video of Heiser giving a lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O44nNzRa81Q

Between the 4 and 5 minute mark, Heiser asserts there was a “Jewish astrology” and an “orthodox astrology” versus a "pagan astrology." “Orthodox astrology” is an oxymoron. Nothing in Scripture or in history reveals an ”orthodox astrology" accepted by the Church. He is correct that "astronomy" and "astrology" were sometimes used interchangeably, but he is NOT talking about the science of astrology, for that body of scientific knowledge was nearly uniform throughout the Middle East.

The pro-zodiac or astrological ideas found in the Jewish sources are extra-biblical. The Bible clearly denounces astrology as divination, prognostication, and worship of the heavens along with other divinatory and magickal practices. Heiser is clearly referencing occult astrology and claiming it can be "orthodox." 

Heiser's Gnostic/Occult and Polytheistic Worldview Refuted

"The Divine Council" worldview is flawed from its outset. 

Psalm 82 and Elohim

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia:

Elohim is the common name for God. It is a plural form, but "The usage of the language gives no support to the supposition that we have in the plural form Elohim, applied to the God of Israel, the remains of an early polytheism, or at least a combination with the higher spiritual beings" (Kautzsch). 

According to theologian Haydock:

[in reference to the Psalm] "Gods" here, are put for judges who act in God's name. (See The Douay-Rheims Old Testament, [1859], pg. 752, notes on Psalm 82). 

Elohim here refers to human judges or rulers as in Exodus 22:8-9, the law for stealing or trespassing: “the cause of both parties shall come before the judges (elohim); and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.” This is the settled interpretation of Church approved theologians and Bible scholars. Heiser’s view is that Psalm 82:1 refers to a Divine Council which includes (created) gods. This becomes his filter for other passages in the Bible, leading to sometimes rather bizarre and heretical conclusions.

Conjecture and Speculation Devoid of Theology

Heiser's conjecture about many things (e.g., the existence of creatures called "Watchers," humans meant to join the divine council in the absence of the Fall, etc) have zero support in Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the teachings of the Church Fathers and theologians. 

The idea that God needs a council to make decisions is an implicit denial of God's omnipotence. Furthermore, what are these demi-gods, exactly? Made in the image of the "Creator-God"? It is polytheism and pagan.

Turning the Bible Pagan

With Heiser’s system, Scripture can only be interpreted through ANE pagan mythologies and worldviews.  These worldviews, filled with gods and demigods, were to be rejected by Israel in the Old Testament.  It was by absorbing the pagan teachings and lifestyle that Israel became corrupt and failed as a holy nation. The inspired writers of the Old Testament never encouraged Israel to study ANE myths in order to understand the ways of God or to mirror them, but to repudiate them.  Heiser’s understanding of what is taking place is far more informed by ANE paganism than by Scripture.  He is using an ANE lens to interpret the Sacred Scriptures. 

Gnosticism and the Occult

Only Heiser can correctly understand the Bible. He actually states on page 13 of his book, “you will never be able to look at your Bible the same way again.” He has uncovered "secret knowledge" the Church never knew for almost 2,000 years. Heiser contends that astrology can be "orthodox." 

Conclusion

Michael Heiser's "Unseen Realm" is unseen for a good reason; it doesn't exist. The person on "X" I referenced at the beginning of this post obviously doesn't understand what is meant by polytheism, nor does the orthodox belief in angels (good and fallen) necessitate belief in the whacky, Gnostic, and pagan ideas of Heiser. The days are evil. I can't help but shake my head at how foregone the Vatican II sect is, when even its "conservative" members can't see blatant error staring them in the face.