The following comes from:
Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud & Midrash
(ed. Jacob N. Cerone; trans. Joseph Longarino; vol. 3; Bellingham, WA: Lexham
Press, 2021), 615–618.
12:2 C: To the third
heaven.
ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, in the apostle’s mind = to the highest heaven, to the immediate vicinity
of God. The ancient period denoted the highest heaven as “heaven of heavens.”a
In this expression, it was found that, numerically, two heavens were taught. On
the basis of the fuller formula: “Heaven and the heaven of heavens” (1 Kgs
8:27), others supposed that there were three heavens.b Around the
middle of the 2nd century, rabbinic circles spoke of seven heavens.c
This view then became the dominant one. It is doubtful whether Rabban Yohanan
b. Zakkai († ca. 80) already based his exposition in b. Ḥag. 13A (= b. Pesaḥ.
94A, B) on seven heavens; see the passage at § Matt 11:23 A. In any case,
though, some of the pseudepigrapha are already familiar with seven heavens.c
Differently, 2 Enoch refers to ten heavensd and 3 Baruch to five
heavens.e
a. 1 Enoch 1:3f.: “The great holy one will go out from his dwelling and the
God of eternity will go from there to Mount Sinai (for the last judgment), he
will be visible with his armies and he will appear in the power of his might
from the heaven of heavens.” — 1 Enoch 71:5: “Then the spirit transported Enoch
to the heaven of heavens.”
b. Midrash Psalm 114 § 2 (236A): The Rabbanan said,
“There are two firmaments (= heavens); for it says, ‘He who rides along in the
heaven of heavens’ (Ps 68:34).” Our teachers said, “(There are) three
(heavens); for it says, ‘Heaven and the heaven of heavens’ (1 Kgs 8:27).” — Yet
this fuller formula was also interpreted as referring to two heavens; so b. Ḥag.
12B: R. Judah (ca. 150) said, “There are two firmaments; for it says, ‘Behold,
to Yahweh your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens’ (Deut 10:14).” —
Likewise, Rab († 247) in Deut. Rab. 2 (199B).
c. Babylonian Talmud Ḥagigah 12B: R. Meir (ca. 150,
so read with ʾAbot R. Nat. 37 instead of “Resh Laqish,” ca. 250) said, “There
are seven (firmaments = heavens), and they are: וֵילוֹן (= velum, curtain), רָקִיעַ (firmament), שְׁחָקִים (thinning, in the sense of the midrash = grinding), זְבוּל (dwelling), מָעוֹן (dwelling), מָכוֹן (place), and עֲרָבוֹת (according to the midr.,
tantamount to עֲדָפֶל = the darkness). — The וילון is nothing actual (permanently
existing), but rather comes in the morning (to cover the stars, like a curtain)
and disappears in the evening (so the stars appear) and so daily renews the
work of creation; as it says, ‘Who stretches out heaven like a towel of gauze
(= curtain) and spreads it out like a tent to dwell in’ (Isa 40:22). — The רקיע, to which the sun and moon,
stars and the planets are affixed; as it says, ‘God set them on the רקיע (the firmament) of heaven’ (Gen
1:17). — שחקום, in which are the millstones,
which grind the manna for the righteous; as it says, ‘He commanded the shechaqim above (= the clouds, which the
midrash interprets as “the grinders”) and opened the door of heavens and made
manna rain down on them for food’ (Ps 78:23f.). — זבול, in which the (heavenly) Jerusalem and the (heavenly) sanctuary
and an altar is built, at which Michael, the great prince, stands and on which
he brings the offering; as it says, ‘I have built a house as a dwelling זבול for you, a place מכון for your throne forever’ (1 Kgs
8:13). And how do we know it (זבול) is called ‘heaven’? Because it is written, ‘See from heaven
and look down from your holy and splendid dwelling (זבול)’ (Isa 63:15). — מעון, in which the divisions of the angels of service are, who say a
song at night, but remain silent by day for the sake of Israel’s honor (because
by day the latter praise God); as it says, ‘By day Yahweh offers his goods (to
those below, so the angels have to remain silent) and by night his song (sung
to him by the angels) is with me (united with the one sung by me during the
day, according to Rashi’s interpretation)’ (Ps 42:9).… And how do we know it (מעון) is called heaven? Because it
says, ‘Look down from your holy dwelling מעון from heaven’ (Deut 26:15). — מכון, in which the storage rooms of snow and the storage rooms of
hail are, and the balcony of harmful dew and the balcony of the waters (that
harm crops, Rashi) and the chambers of the storm wind and the cavern of fog,
and their doors are fire; as it says, ‘Yahweh will open his good treasure to
you’ (Deut 28:12; it follows from this that with God there are also treasures
for punishment, and these are found precisely in the 6th heaven).…
And how do we know it (מכון) is
called heaven? Because it says, ‘May you hear from heaven in the place מכון of your throne’ (1 Kgs 8:39). —
ערבות, in which righteousness,
justice and mercy are, the treasures of life and the treasures of peace and the
treasures of blessing and the souls of the righteous (who have died) and the
spirits and souls that shall one day be created (i.e., embodied; here souls
themselves are thought of as preexistent), and the dew with which God will one
day bring the dead back to life. Righteousness and justice; for it is written,
‘Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne’ (Ps 89:15).
Mercy, for it is written, ‘He put on mercy as armor’ (Isa 59:17). The treasures
of life; for it is written, ‘For with you is the source of life’ (Ps 36:10).
The treasures of peace; for it is written, ‘He called it “Yahweh is
peace” ’ (Judg 6:24). And the treasures of blessing; for it is written,
‘He will receive blessing from Yahweh’ (Ps 24:5). The souls of the righteous;
for it is written, ‘The soul of my lord will be bound with the bundle of those
who live with Yahweh your God’ (1 Sam 25:29). The spirit and the souls that will
one day be created; for it is written, ‘The spirit would faint before me and
the souls that I have created’ (Isa 57:16). The dew with which God will one day
bring the dead to life; for it is written, ‘You showered a rain of gifts, O
God, you raised up your inheritance when it was exhausted’ (Ps 68:10). (Rashi:
‘The passage is written about the giving of the law, since their soul went out;
as it says, “My soul went out at his word.” ’) There (in the Araboth) are
the Ofanim (angels of the wheels) …”;
see the continuation at § Matt 25:31 B, #2, a.
Then follows: Rab Aha b. Jacob (ca. 325) said, “There is another firmament (so
an eighth) above the heads of the holy chayyoth;
for it is written, ‘And there was an appearance above the heads of the chayyoth like a firmament that looked
like noble crystal’ (Ezek 1:22).” — Parallel passages that mostly give the
names of the seven heavens only briefly, though, include ʾAbot R. Nat. 37 (9D);
Pesiq. 154B; Lev. Rab. 29 (127C). In the last two passages, there are the introductory
words: “All sevens are beloved” (before God); additionally, וילון and מכון are replaced by שמים and שמי
שמים. ‖
Midrash Psalm 114 § 2 (236A): R. Eleazar (ca. 270) said, “There are seven
(firmaments): וילון, רקיע, שחק, זבול, מעון, מכון, ערבות, and the glory of God is in the
Araboth.” R. Halapta b. Jacob (ca. 350?) said in the name of R. Judah b. Simon
(ca. 320), “God saw the works of the righteous, and he took pleasure (ערב, which is supposed to interpret
the name of the heaven Araboth) in their works.” R. Phineas, the priest, b.
Hama (ca. 360) said, “In the firmament whose name is Araboth God sows the works
of the righteous, and they bring fruits; as it says, ‘For they will enjoy the
fruit of their deeds’ (Isa 3:10).” — The saying of R. Eleazar is also found in
Deut. Rab. 2 (199); the names the 7 heavens are שמים, שמי
שמים, רקיע, שחקים, מעון, זבול, ערפל. ‖ See Pesiq. Rab. 5 (18B) at § Rom 3:25 A, 4, n. a; according to this passage, R. Simeon
b. Yohai (ca. 150) would also have assumed there were seven heavens. But
according to the parallel Pesiq. Rab. 17B, which is not cited there, we should
instead read R. Simeon b. Yosena (ca. 270?). ‖ Seven heavens are also mentioned
in b. Roš Haš. 32A; b. Menaḥ. 39A; Exod. Rab. 15 (78D); Pesiq. 7B; Pirqe R. El.
18; Midr. Ps. 92 § 2 (201B); Tanḥ. תרומה 101B. — Among the pseudepigrapha, T. Levi 2f. and Apoc. Mos. 35
are aware of seven heavens.
d. 2 Enoch 22: “In the tenth heaven Araboth, I
(Enoch) saw the face of the countenance of the Lord.”
e. 3 Baruch 11: “The angel took me (Baruch) from this one (the 4th heaven) and brought me to a fifth heaven.” — A sixth and seventh heaven are not mentioned; yet in Kautzsch (II, p. 450, n. a), Ryssel remarks, “It should be assumed and is confirmed by the citation in Origen that this passage too originally … spoke of seven heavens.” — The citation in question from Origen (Princ. 2.3.6) reads: Denique etiam Baruch prophetae librum in assertionis huius testimonium vocant, quod ibi de septem mundis vel caelis evidentius indicatur.
