Paul’s Third Heaven and Jesus as Yeshua Sar HaPanim
The history of Christianity’s early theological development is marked by a complex engagement with Greek philosophy, Jewish cosmology, and various interpretative traditions regarding Jesus of Nazareth. One of the earliest and most profound theological distortions came from Gnostic Christianity, which absorbed the Greek material-spiritual dichotomy and superimposed it onto the biblical narrative.
The history of Christianity’s early theological development is marked by a complex engagement with Greek philosophy, Jewish cosmology, and various interpretative traditions regarding Jesus of Nazareth. One of the earliest and most profound theological distortions came from Gnostic Christianity, which absorbed the Greek material-spiritual dichotomy and superimposed it onto the biblical narrative.
In contrast, Jewish cosmology, particularly as articulated by Paul the Pharisee, offers a fundamentally different framework, one that integrates creation, divine presence, and eschatology without the dualistic baggage of Greek metaphysics. At the heart of this distinction is the understanding of Jesus Christ not as an abstract revealer of hidden knowledge but as Yeshua Sar HaPanim—the Prince of the Presence—whose identity corresponds to the true theophanic reality in Jewish thought.
This essay will explore these themes by addressing the nature of Gnostic Christianity, the influence of Greek philosophy on early theological distortions, and Paul’s third heaven experience as a key to recovering a proper Christological vision.
The Rise of Gnostic Christianity and the Greek Dichotomy
Gnostic Christianity emerged as a movement that sought to reinterpret the gospel within a radically dualistic framework. At its core, Gnosticism viewed the material world as inherently corrupt, the creation of a lesser, ignorant, or even malevolent deity—the Demiurge. This view was heavily influenced by Greek Platonic thought, particularly its opposition between the nous (mind/spirit) and hyle(matter). In this framework, salvation was not about redemption within creation but rather an escape from creation, with the soul shedding its material imprisonment through the acquisition of secret knowledge (gnosis).
This starkly contrasts with the biblical and Jewish view of creation, in which God is not a remote Unmoved Mover but the active and personal Creator who pronounces His creation “very good” (Gen. 1:31). The Jewish understanding of salvation is not an escape from materiality but the renewal of the world through divine action. However, within the Hellenistic context in which early Christianity spread, many found the Greek material-spiritual dichotomy appealing, leading to the distortion of Christian doctrine by groups such as the Valentinian and Sethian Gnostics. Their Christology reimagined Jesus not as the incarnate Word (Logos) who redeems creation but as a revealer of esoteric truths, whose mission was to awaken the divine spark within certain elect individuals.
Gnostic texts such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Judasreflect this tendency, portraying Jesus as a teacher of secret wisdom rather than the suffering servant and exalted Son of Man. Even in some of the non-Gnostic but overly Hellenized Christian traditions, elements of this dualism crept in, influencing later theological formulations that prioritized an abstract divinity over the tangible, incarnational reality of Jesus’ mission.
Jewish Cosmology and Paul’s Third Heaven
In contrast to Greek dualism, Jewish cosmology presents a layered understanding of the created order, wherein material and spiritual realities are not opposed but interwoven.
Paul the Pharisee reflects this in his description of being “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2).
This vision aligns with Jewish apocalyptic and Merkabah traditions, which describe the heavens as a structured reality leading to the divine throne. Unlike the Greek perspective, which views materiality as something to be transcended, Jewish cosmology understands it as something to be purified and transformed.
In the Jewish tradition, the three heavens refer to:
1. The first heaven (the sky and atmosphere),
2. The second heaven (the realm of celestial bodies and angelic beings),
3. The third heaven (the dwelling place of God, the Makom).
1. The first heaven (the sky and atmosphere),
2. The second heaven (the realm of celestial bodies and angelic beings),
3. The third heaven (the dwelling place of God, the Makom).
Paul’s experience in the third heaven aligns with the tradition of the Sar HaPanim—the angelic figure who stands in the immediate presence of God. This figure, deeply embedded in Jewish apocalyptic thought, is identified in various sources with Metatron, the High Priest of the heavenly Temple, or the divine Man (Ish Elohim). However, within the framework of the New Testament, Paul’s vision must be understood Christologically. His experience of the third heaven is not simply a mystical ascent but an encounter with the glorified Jesus as Sar HaPanim, the true mediator of divine presence.
Paul, as a Pharisee trained in the Hebrew Scriptures and Second Temple traditions, would have understood Jesus’ role not through a Greek lens of divinized abstraction but as the fulfillment of Israel’s hope for the restoration of God’s direct presence among His people. This is why his letters emphasize not escape from creation but the transformation of creation through Christ. The bodily resurrection, which Paul ardently defends (1 Cor. 15), serves as the ultimate refutation of Gnostic dualism. Christ’s resurrection is not a return to some pure, immaterial existence but the firstfruits of the new creation—physical, yet glorified.
Jesus as Yeshua Sar HaPanim: Theophany and Redemption
Understanding Jesus as Sar HaPanim clarifies His identity and mission in a way that is often lost in Hellenistic reinterpretations. The title Sar HaPanim (Prince of the Presence) originates in Jewish thought concerning the angelic figure who stands before the face of God. This figure is associated with divine mediation, priestly intercession, and the visible manifestation of God’s presence.
This identification with Jesus is not speculative; it emerges naturally from the biblical and Second Temple texts. Throughout the Old Testament, figures such as the Angel of the Lord (Malakh YHWH) and the Son of Man in Daniel 7 serve as precursors to this reality. Jesus, as the embodiment of divine presence, is not merely a teacher of hidden knowledge (as in Gnosticism) but the very manifestation of God’s kavod (glory).
John’s Gospel, for instance, encapsulates this reality when it declares: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” (John 1:14).
Unlike the Greek concept of an abstract Logos that only enlightens the mind, the Jewish Logos—the Davar—is the active agent of creation, revelation, and redemption. Jesus’ transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8) and His role as High Priest in the heavenly Temple (Heb. 9:11-14) further establish this identity. His face shining like the sun mirrors the biblical descriptions of divine theophany (Exod. 34:29, Dan. 10:6). In contrast to Gnostic escapism, Jesus’ mission was to restore the direct presence of God to His people—hence the significance of the torn veil at His crucifixion (Matt. 27:51).
This understanding also aligns with Paul’s mission. His proclamation of Jesus as Lord (Kyrios), particularly in passages like Philippians 2:9-11, is not a move toward abstract divinity but an affirmation of Jesus as the Sar HaPanim, the one who reigns at God’s right hand and mediates His presence to the world.
Conclusion: The True Vision of Heaven and Earth United
The battle between Gnostic Christianity and Jewish cosmology is ultimately a battle over the nature of God’s interaction with creation. The Greek material-spiritual dichotomy led to distortions that continue to shape much of Western Christian thought, often divorcing Jesus’ identity from the Jewish matrix in which it was revealed. Paul’s vision of the third heaven serves as a corrective, reaffirming the structured reality of divine presence rather than an escape from embodiment.
Jesus, as Yeshua Sar HaPanim, embodies this reality, fulfilling the role of the divine mediator who restores access to God’s presence. Rather than offering secret knowledge to escape the material world, He transforms creation from within, culminating in the resurrection and the coming of the New Jerusalem—a renewed heaven and earth where God dwells with His people (Rev. 21:1-3).
In reclaiming this vision, Christianity must move beyond the remnants of Greek dualism and return to the robust framework of Jewish cosmology, where heaven and earth are not adversaries but destined for reconciliation. Only then can the full meaning of Jesus’ mission be truly understood.
