Ancient of Days

## Names and Epithets

### Aliases

Ancient of Ages, Ancient of Ancients, Holy Ancient One, Atika Kadisha, God, Urizen, Atik Yomin, Abatur, Metatron, Keter, YHVH, Yaldabaoth, Jehovah, Bythos

### Titles

Will of God's Rigidness, Ancient Destroyer, Top of the Tree of Life, Top of Adam Kadmon, Head of God, the Bald, Elder of Elders, Great Face, the Old One of all Ages, Elder of Days, Rich in Days, Destroyer of Worlds, Great Reason, Head of Heaven

## Profile

### Personify

Destruction, Creation, Renewal, Law, Order, Judgement

## Relationships

### Siblings

Jehovah, Elohim, Allah, Yahweh, El Shaddai, Shekhinah, Fimbultyr, Yaldabaoth

### Other Relationships

Yesh (True Self), Pluto (Believed Creation)

## Other

### Equivalents

Jehovah, Kartikeya, Brahma, Sanat Kumara, Keter, Abatur

### Status

Alive

The **Ancient of Days** is one of the many names of Yesh and one of His avatars. It was first known to the general public through the Book of Daniel. It is a name that is meant to represent that God is eternal in Judaism.

## Overview

The title "Ancient of Days" has been used as a source of inspiration in art and music, denoting the creator's aspects of eternity combined with perfection. Ironically, one of the forms of the avatar is an eldritch heavenly abomination.

In the original Aramaic, it was known as atik yomin עַתִּיק יֹומִין; in the Septuagint palaios hemeron (παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν); and in the Vulgate antiquus dierum.

## Appearance

The Ancient of Days is responsible for most of the representations of God, as it was thanks to His appearance as an elderly man that inspired many artists to represent God as an old man. Apparently, this appearance is due to the fact that the Ancient of Days is one of the, if not the, oldest of God's avatars, in contrast to the Son and Holy Spirit who are the youngest avatars of God.

When the Ancient One was seen by Daniel in the year 539 BCE, it appeared as old and rusty, with an elderly appearance due to its extreme age even by then. After being put on permanent "retirement" due to the event of it being manipulated and controlled by Nyarlathotep to attempt to the destroy the world. Due to its "retirement" along with corruption, the Ancient of Days has become extremely old and weak, being almost completely blind and deaf, needing an oxygen cylinder to breathe, being in a wheelchair and needing to be taken from one side to another by an Angel. His skin is covered with black wires inside the skin made when it was controlled by the Crawling Chaos.

However, even that form isn't its true form, as when it appears for its mission of destruction and renewal, its takes its eldritch state. Here its old age is replaced with a form that makes anyone made by looking at it. Coloured in white and gold, to describe the appearance of the form is extremely difficult due to how it appears. This form has not been seen since its attack on humanity very long ago with its human form being the state it was stuck in.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Embodiment of Destruction**: As an Avatar of Destruction, Ancient of Days is the personification of destruction and acquires the ability to bring destruction wherever it goes with thought. It is capable of breaking, shattering, crushing, disintegrating, exploding or imploding into oblivion.
	+ **Absolute Destruction**: Ancient of Days is able to destroy everything without limits, from concepts, boundaries and causation, to studies like metaphysics and science, even irrational "concepts" like the fabric of nothingness or even totality itself.
* **Lightning Bolts of Destruction**: Ancient of Days can fire a concentrated beam of fiery lightning bolts from its center which creates devastating explosions capable of destroying even gods.
* **Swords of Destruction**: It can summon eight swords that can move with its mind and cut anything and he can throw them at the opponent. It can also accumulate the swords together and use it as a drill to strike with loads of sacred energy, capable to eradicate even the strongest of gods.
* **Judgment Blast**: It can detonate an entire area with atomic-like explosions with merely a thought, destroying and annihilating anything in that area.
* **Rays of Judgment**: It can create a wall of small star-like lights that fire a myriad of laser beams of light that explodes on impact can annihilate anything in that area.

## History

The Ancient of Days was one of the first, if not the first, fragment of God to become one of His avatars, created to spread His will and protect His creations after the beginning of Creation. It was also made to destroy any creations that continued to exist beyond their fate, usually purging entire species so new life can be born. Once, the Ancient of Days was once known as the mighty Urizen, but after billions of years serving the will of the Almighty, it was renamed to the Ancient of Days due to its old age and long-experienced wisdom.

Unfortunately, its wisdom didn't stop it from being manipulated by the Outer God Nyarlathotep who was able to corrupt the unprepared avatar into becoming its true form and go to destroy humanity. It manifests on Earth to accomplish the "dispensation of the universe" under what it believes as God's will, intending to wipe out all mankind so that a new world may be created. It took the capability of the Archangel Metatron along with the Edenim Adam and Eve to stop the avatar from this action which required them to actual damage the avatar to do so. After its defeat, it was sent back to Heaven in some type of retirement where 'till this day it still remains.

Due to the fact that the Ancient of Days was already in Heaven by the time that the reign of His Avatars of the Old Testament ended and the reign of His Avatars of the New Testament began,
when the reign of His Avatars of the Old Testament ended and the reign of His Avatars of the New Testament began, the Ancient of Days didn't need leave with the other avatars of that era, when they stepped down from their duties. However, it would actually leave Heaven to come live in the city of Jerusalem some time later. In the 21st century, the Ancient of Days would remain in a wheelchair, extremely old and weaken, due to its damage in facing Metatron and its still felt corrupted by Nyarlathotep, being constantly accompanied by an angel who pushes its wheelchair, usually Uriel.

## Myths and Legends

The term "Ancient of Days" appears three times in the Book of Daniel (specifically in chapters 7:9, 13, and 22), contributing to the idea of God as an Eternal Being. This recurring reference emphasizes the timeless nature of God in the biblical context.

In the realm of Kabbalah, a mystical tradition of Jewish mysticism, particularly as documented in the Zohar during the 13th century in Spain, there are mentions of the "Ancient of Ancients," including the "Holy Ancient One" known as Atika Kadisha. These terms are often interpreted as being synonymous with the concept of the "En Sof," which represents the unmanifested and infinite Godhead in Kabbalah.

The "Ancient of Days" in Kabbalah is seen as the manifestation of the "Ancient of Ancients" within the context of Creation. This concept aligns with the idea that the "Ancient of Days" represents the most primary and ancient source of creation, originating from the divine will, often associated with the Keter (Crown) sefirah in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Keter is the highest sefirah and symbolizes the divine will and the source from which all creation emanates.

In essence, the "Ancient of Days" concept in Kabbalah underscores the divine and eternal nature of God, with various interpretations aligning it with the En Sof and highlighting its role as the source of creation within the Kabbalistic framework.

### Christianity

In Eastern Orthodox Christian hymns and icons, the figure referred to as the "Ancient of Days" is sometimes associated with God or occasionally the Holy Spirit. However, in accordance with Orthodox theology, the most proper identification is with God the Son, or Jesus Christ. Many of the Eastern Church Fathers who commented on the passage in the Book of Daniel interpreted the elderly figure as a prophetic revelation of the Son before His physical incarnation as Jesus Christ. This interpretation underscores the belief that Jesus existed from all eternity, even before His earthly manifestation.

In Eastern Christian art, you may encounter depictions of Jesus Christ as an old man, representing the Ancient of Days. This symbolic portrayal serves to emphasize the eternal nature of Christ. Conversely, Jesus may also be depicted as a young man or even as a wise baby, symbolizing His incarnation and His role as the Savior of humanity. These artistic representations aim to convey profound theological concepts within the Eastern Orthodox tradition, emphasizing the pre-eternal existence of Christ while also acknowledging His earthly manifestation for the salvation of humanity.

This iconography began to emerge in the 6th century, primarily within the Eastern Empire, featuring depictions of elderly figures. However, these images were often not explicitly identified as "the Ancient of Days" at that time. The earliest instances of images bearing this title and associating it with an inscription, "Jesus Christ, Ancient of Days," can be traced back to various manuscripts from the 11th century. These manuscripts effectively established a visual representation that identified Christ as pre-eternal and aligned with God the Father.

Interestingly, a pivotal declaration was made by the Russian Orthodox Church during the Great Synod of Moscow in 1667, asserting that the Ancient of Days represented the Son (Jesus) and not the Father. In contrast, within the Western Church, similar representations typically symbolized God the Father alone. Thomas Aquinas, building his argument upon the Daniel passage, acknowledges that some argue that the Ancient of Days corresponds to the Person of the Father. However, he does not necessarily endorse this perspective himself.

This passage from Daniel describes a scene where someone resembling a son of man approaches the Ancient of Days amidst the heavenly clouds. The Ancient of Days grants him rulership, honor, and an everlasting kingdom, signifying a Christian interpretation of God the Father bestowing rulership upon the Son of Man (Jesus), as distinct entities.

In ancient Christian pseudepigrapha, such as the Book of Enoch, it is suggested that the "Son of Man," who existed before the creation of the world, is seen alongside the "Ancient of Days," further reinforcing the concept of these distinct yet divine figures.

### Lurianic Kabbalah

In 16th-century Lurianic Kabbalah, Atik Yomin is systemized as the uppermost Partzuf (Divine "Countenance/Configuration") in the rectification of the World of Atzilut ("Emanation") after the "Shattering of the sephirot Vessels". Keter of Atzilut acts as the guiding Divine motivation in creation, developing into two partzufim, Atik Yomin (Ancient of Days) and Arich Anpin ("Long Visage/Infinitely Patient One"). Atik Yomin is the inner partzuf of Keter, synonymous with Divine Delight, that encloses within and motivates Arich Anpin, the outer partzuf of Keter, synonymous with Divine Will. Arich Anpin is said to extend down all levels of Creation in ever more concealed mode as the divine substratum of everything. The Zohar goes into great detail describing the White Head of God and ultimately the emanation of its anthropomorphic personality or attributes. In the descending realms explained by Luria, the Gulgalta ("Skull"-Keter Will) within Arich Anpin enclothes the Chesed (Kindness) of Atik Yomin, becoming the origin of the lights of the world of Atzilut; the Mocha Stima'ah ("Concealed Brain"-Chokhmah Wisdom) within Arich Anpin enclothes the Gevurah (Severity) of Atik Yomin, becoming the origin of the vessels of the world of Atzilut. The Dikna ("Beard") of Arich Anpin constricts the infinite light originating from Atik Yomin in 13 channels of rectification to lower, relatively finite reality. The Merkabah text Re’ uyot Yehezkel identifies the Ancient of Days as Metatron.

### Equivalents

In Christianity, the name is associated with God (commonly with the Father), the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and Adam. In Hinduism the name is associated with Kartikeya, and in Buddhism with Brahma and Sanat Kumara. In Kabbalah, his equivalent is Keter and in the Mandaean religion his equivalent is Abatur.

## Quotes

* *"...Can you see me, then, you lesser creature? My name is the Ancient of Days... I am part of the Lord, as well as His messenger. I am the one who casts many beasts into the burning fire. My mission is to purge the world of its humans, and guide a new humanity into their place. In order to carry out this task, I must eliminate all that remains of the previous humanity. This is the Lord's will. Accept your destruction..."* - Ancient of Days.

* *"Old mankind whom Pluto could not defeat, thou art wickedness which violates the dispensation of the universe. The dispensation of the universe is collective. There must exist nothing that standeth in violation. I shall commence purifying the land."* - Ancient of Days.

* *"The one problem of humanity is it's inability to recognize the individual. They see a group, choose the worst of that group, and then put them on a pedestal as a representation of the group. This is why their nations are ruled by beasts and monsters, but it never had to be that way. Look at how they demand a better life for their friends, their family, their children. There is hope yet, and anyone who states otherwise have either given in or want you to do so."* - Ancient of Days.

* *"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire."* - Daniel 7:9.

* *"Whenever Judgment looms and the forehead of the Impatient One is revealed, the Forehead of the Ancient of Ancients is revealed; Judgment subsides and is not executed."* - Idra Rabba, Zohar 3:136b.

* *"Every tongue in heaven and earth,
shall declare Your glory, every knee shall bow at Your throne, in worship.
You will be exalted O God, and Your Kingdom shall not pass away. Oh Ancient of Days."*

* *"The ineffable Ancient of Days who is the Being of our Being, the Father/Mother within us."* - Samael Aun Weor, Tarot and Kabbalah.

* *"The First Mystery is [the sephirah] Kether, the Ancient of Days."* - Samael Aun Weor, The Gnostic Bible: The Pistis Sophia Unveiled.

* *"The tree [of life] begins with the Ancient of Days, Kether, who is in the most elevated place of the tree."* - Samael Aun Weor, Tarot and Kabbalah.

* *"Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise."* - The last two lines of the first verse from the hymn Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise.

## Gallery

*Painting of the Ancient of Days**The Ancient of Days fighting againts some Dragons*
## Trivia

* It may had created the machine known as Pluto though this is not conclusive.
* According to Mormonism, the title Ancient of Days belongs to Adam, the oldest and earliest man, who is also identified with the archangel Michael.
* Theologians have equated the Ancient of Days with Jehovah, Adam, Kartikeya, Brahma, and Sanat Kumara.
* Though normally referred to as the same entity as Metatron, the Archangel is merely a microcosmic aspect of the Ancient of Days.
* The Ancient of Days also possess a song of its own though this is more likely meant to be for God. The is called Ancient of Days.

## Image Sources

* (Ancient of Days.jpg) Ancient of Days from Shin Megami Tensei IV
* (Europe a Prophecy, copy D, object 1 (Bentley 1, Erdman i, Keynes i) British Museum.jpg) The Ancient of Days Watercolor etching by William Blake
* (Damian. The Ancient of Days.jpg) The Ancient of Days, a 14th-century fresco from Ubisi, Georgia.
* (God of thunder by zzjimzz d294els.jpg) god of thunder by zzjimzz