42 ~ Life, the Universe, and Everything

42 (forty~two)

42 body parts of Osiris: In some traditions of the Osiris myth, Seth slays Osiris and distributes his 42 body parts all over Egypt. (In others, the number is fourteen and sixteen).

42 books in the core library: Clement of Alexandria states that the Egyptian temple library is divided into 42 'absolutely necessary' books that formed the stock of a core library. 36 contain the entire philosophy of the Egyptians which are memorized by the priests. While the remaining 6, are learned by the Pastophoroi (image-bearers). (36 is like~wise a sacred number in Egyptian thought, related to time, in particular the thirty~six Decan stars and the thirty~six, 10~day 'weeks' in the Egyptian year.) The 42 books were not canonized like the Hebrew bible; they only supported and never replaced temple ritual. Hence, the destruction of the Egyptian temples and the cessation of the rituals ended Egyptian cultural continuity.

42 negative confessions: In Egyptian mythology, there are 42 questions asked of persons making their journey through Death. Ma'at, a female personification, considered to be both maternal and a delivering force, is an Ancient Egyptian personification of physical and moral law, order, and truth. In the judgment scene described in the Egyptian and the Book of Pass (the Book of the Dead, which evolved from the Coffin Texts and the Pyramid Texts), there are 42 questions personifying the analysis of Ma'at. If the departed reasonably can give answers to the 42 questions, they have the potential to either be reincarnate, or if completely successful, reach the ultimate goal of becoming a Star, whereon, they can continue to give Light, and fuel Universal growth. These 42 questions correspond to the '42 Negative Confessions' from funerary texts such as the Papyrus of Ani.

There are 42 Stations of the Exodus which are the locations visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt, recorded in Numbers 33, with variations also recorded in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.

42 is the number with which God creates the Universe in Kabbalistic tradition. In Kabbalah, the most significant name is that of the En Sof (also known as 'Ein Sof', 'Infinite' or 'Endless'), who is above the Sefirot (sometimes spelled 'Sephirot').[? The Forty~Two-Lettered Name contains four combined names which are spelled in Hebrew letters (spelled in letters = 42 letters), which is the name of Azilut (or 'Atziluth' 'Emanation'). While there are obvious links between the Forty~Two Lettered Name of the Babylonian Talmud and the Kabbalah's Forty~Two Lettered Name, they are probably not identical because of the Kabbalah's emphasis on numbers.

The number 42 appears in various contexts in Christianity. There are 42 generations (names) in the Gospel of Matthew's version of the Genealogy of Jesus; it is prophesied that for 42 months the Beast will hold dominion over the Earth (Revelation 13:5); 42 men of Beth~azmaveth were counted in the census of men of Israel upon return from exile (Ezra 2:24); God sent bears to maul.

In Judaism, the number (in the Babylonian Talmud, compiled 375 AD to 499 AD) of the 'Forty~Two Lettered Name' ascribed to God. Rab (or Rabhs), a 3rd~century source in the Talmud stated 'The Forty~Two Lettered Name is entrusted only to him who is pious, meek, middle~aged, free from bad temper, sober, and not insistent on his rights'. [Source: Talmud Kidduschin 71a, Translated by Rabbi Dr. I. Epstein].

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