I S I S U N VE I LE

TO THE

MY STERI ES OF ANCI ENT AN D M OD ERN

SCI EN CE AN D TH EOLOGY

H . P B LAVATSKY
.

“
Cecy est nu li m do ho me Foy .
— Mouu xaul

VOL I I . TH E OLOGY

SE C TI ON I
 T A B LE OF C O N TE N TS

A m ’
on s PRE FACE TO Vo n m II
Mrs Elizabeth Tho mpso n
. a nd Baro ness Burde tt- Co u tts .

VOLU M E T WO

TH E IN FALLI B ILITY OF RELI G ION

‘ ’

SE CTI ON I

”
C HAPTER I — THE C H URCH : WHERE I S I T?

Church sta tist ics

Catho lic m iracles tualist ic h mena
‘

p e no

Co m para t ive th eo lo g y a ne w scien ce

Eas tern traditio ns as to Alex a ndrian Lib rary
Ro m a n po n tifls im ita to rs o f the Hindu B rahmdtma

Christ ia n do gm as derived fro mheat en philosophy

hi
D o c trine o f t he Trinity o f Pagam
D isputes between Gnos ties and Churcli
m n o rig n

Bloody records of Chris tianity

CHAPTER H CHRISTIAN C RIM ES AND HE ATHE N VIRTUES

Occul t arts prac tised by the clergy

Witch b urn ngs d
- i a n a uto -
da-fé o f little ch ildren
Lying Cat ho lic sa ints
Preten sio ns o f m issio naries in In dia and Ch ina
Sa crilegio us tricks o f Ca th o lic clergy

m
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Peter no t t he fo under o f the Ro an church

Strict lives o f Pagan hiero phan ts
High charact er o f ancien t
‘
m
ysteries
’

Jac ollio t 8 acco unt o f Hindu fakirs

’

Hin d u do ctrine of the Pitris

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
 C ONTENTS
A E
P G

C HAPTER III D I VIS ION S AMON GST THE EARLY C H RISTI AN S

Peter never in Ro me

Jesus co ns idere d an adept b y so me Pagan philoso phers and early C hristians

m
Doctrine o f per uta t io n
The m eaning o f Go d-I ncarna te

Ideas ofMarc io n , the

‘
heres iarch
Precept s o f Ma nn
Jeho vah , identical with Bacch us
1

C H APTER I V ORI ENTAL C OS M OGO N IES AND BI BLE REC O RD S

D iscre panci es in the Penta teu ch

Who were the first Christia ns ?

m
.

C hfi stos an d S o phia-Acha o th .

Secret do ctrine ta t b y Jesus

Jesus never clai m to b e Go d .

Antiqui ty a nd Christ
’ ’
the Lo gos
‘
of
‘

CH APTER V — M YSTERI ES OF THE K ABALA

The prim iti ve wisdom ligio n

-re

The b oo k o f Genes is a co m pila tio

The Trinity o f the Ka ba la
G nos tic and N azare ne syst em s co ntrasted wit h H ind u m y ths
Ka balis m in th e b oo k o f Ezekiel
S to ry o f t he resurrect io n o f Jairus s da ter fo und in the histo ry
'

of Krish na
Untrust worthy teac hings o f the curb a thers

Their persecuting spirit

C H APTER VI — ESOTERI C D OCTRI N ES O F B UD D H IS M

PAROD I ED I N CH RI STI AN ITY

D ecisio ns o f N ice ne C o u ncil. ho w arrived a t

M urder o f H ypa tia
O rigi o th
n f e fis h-s
y m b o l o f V is hn u
Ka balis tic do c t rine o f C o s o go ny m
D iagram s o f H in d u a nd C h a ldae o h sys tem
-J ew is
s
Ten m yt hical Avata rs o f Vishnu
Trinity o f m a n ta ugh t b y Pa ul .

So cra tes and Pla to o n so ul and spirit

m
.

True Buddhis . wha t it is

 CONTEN TS
pas s

C H APTER VI I EARLY CHRISTI AN H ERES IES AN D SEC RET SOC I ETI ES

N azarea ns Ophites, a nd m o dern D ruses [o r Hamsa-ites ]

’ ’

m
,

Ety o lo gy o f I AO
V Herm
.

‘
etic Bro thers
’
of Egy t
Tru e m ea ning o f N irVAna p
The Jaina sec t
C hristia ns a nd Chres tia ns
The G nos tics and their detractors
B uddha , Jesus, and Apo llo niiis of Tya na

S E C T I ON II

C H APTER VIII — JES UITRY AN D M ASO N RY

The Zoli ar and Ra b b i Shim on

The Order o f Jes uits and its re la tio n t o so me o f the M aso nic o rders
C rimes permit ted to its m em bers
Principles o f Jes uitry co mpared with tho se o f Pagan m o ra lis ts
Trinity o f m a n in Egyp tian Boo k of the Dead
E ee m
'
aso nry n o lo nger eso teric

Secret Maso nic ciphers

Jeho va h no t the I neil ab le N a
‘ ’

me ’

C HAPTER I X — T H E VED AS AN D THE BI B LE

Whence the C hris tian Sa b b a th

Antiq uity o f the Vedas
Py tha o rea n doc trine o f th e po ten tialities o f n u bers
g m
‘
D ays o f Genesis a nd D ays o f Brah a
‘ ’
m
m
. .

Fa ll o f an a nd the D eluge i n t he Hin du oo ks b

Antiq u ity o f th e M ahdbhdrata
Were the a ncient Egypt ia ns o f the Aryan rac e?
m
Sa uel, D a vid , and So lo o n m mythical perso nages

All B ib le legends belo ng to u ni versal histo ry

C HAPTER X THE DEVI L-M YTH

The devil o fi c ially reco gnised by t he Ch urc h

I dentity of Sata n with the Egyptia n Typho

His rela t io n to serpen t-w o rship
Th e Boo k o f Jo b and th e Boo k o f the Dea d
Th e H in du dev il a m e ta physical abstrac tio n

Sa ta n and the Prince o f Hell in t he Go spel o f N icod e mus

 CONTENTS
P AG E

C H APTER XI CO M PARATIVE RES ULTS O F B UD D H I S M

AN D CH RISTIAN ITY

Ca use of the failure o f m issio naries to co nvert Buddhis ts a nd Brahm anas

N eit her Buddha nor Jesus left writ te n records
es m
The g ra n
d t y s ter ies o f re ligio n in
h
t e B c oe d-
Gi la
The m eaning o f regenera t io n ex pla i ned i n th e m
a ta pafli a-B rdh a na m

The sac rifice o f b lo o d i n re te d

m
De o raliza tio n o f British ndia b y Christ ia n
The Bib le less a uthen tica ted than any o ther
Kno wledge o f chem is try and physics dis played b y

C HAPTER XI I CO N CLUSIONS AN D ILLUSTRATIO N S

I nterview m
English a b assado r with a re incarna ted Buddha
o f an
Fligh t o f a lama s astral bo dy rela ted b y Abbé H uc
’

Schoo ls o f agic in Buddhist la m

m aseria

Will po wer
- of fakirs and yo gls
Tam f
.

i ng o f wild b eas ts b a kirs

y
Evo catio n o f a living sp irit b y a Sham an witnessed b y the writer
,

Sorcery b y th e b rea th of a Jesuit Fa ther

Why the st udy o f m agic is al m o st imprac t ica b le i n Euro pe
Co nclusio n

1 1:a I — General

I n nx x II Bib liographical
 AUT H O R S PREFAC E VOLU M E
’
TO II

RE it possible we would keep this work o ut of the han ds of

,

many Christians whom its perusal woul d no t benefit an d fo r ,

who mit w a s n o t written We allu de to th ose whose faith in their respec t

.

i ve c hu rches is p ure an d since re an d th ose whose sinless lives reflec t the

,

g lo rio u s ex a m p l e of th a t Pro p h e t of N azare t h by w h o se m o u th, t he s

p irit
of tru th spake lo u dly to hu man ity Such there h ave been at all times. .

H isto ry preserves the na mes o f many as heroes philosophers philan , ,

th ro pists m ,a rty rs an d ho ly m
, en and wo m en ; b u t ho w m any m ore ha ve
liv ed an d d ied un kn o wn b ut to their in tima te ac q u ain ta nce un blessed
, ,

b u t by their hu mble ben efic iaries ! Th ese ha ve enn obled Christia nity ,

b u t woul d h a ve shed the sa me luster upon any other faith they m igh t
ha ve professed fo r they were higher than their creed Th e b enev o .

len ce o f Pe ter Cooper and Eli zabe th Thom pso n o f America w ho are no t , ,

orth o dox Christian s is no less Christ like th an tha t of the Baro ness
,
-

An gela Burdett C o u tts o f E ngla nd w ho is o ne An d y et in co mpa riso n

-
, , .
,

with the million s w ho have been accoun ted Chris tian s such have alway s ,

fo rmed a small min o rity They are to b e foun d at th is day in pul

.
,

p it a n d pe w ,in p a lace a n d co tta ge ; b u t th e in c reas in g m a te ria lis m ,

worldlin ess a nd hypocrisy are fas t diminishing their proportio na te n u m

b er Their charity a nd simple chil d like faith in the infallibility of their
.
,
-

B ible their do gmas a nd their clergy bring in to fu ll acti vity all the
, , ,

virt ues tha t are im plan ted in o ur co mmo n n a ture We have personally .

known such Go d fea rin g priests an d clergymen an d w e have always

-
,

a vo ided deb a te with them lest w e m igh t b e guilty o f the cruelty o f hu rt

,

in g their feelings ; no r woul d w e ro b a single layman o f hi s blin d co n

fidence if it alo ne m
, a de po ssible fo r hi mholy li vin g an d seren e dyin g .
vi AUTH OR S PREFACE TO VO LUM E
'

II

An ysis o f religio u s beliefs in gen eral th is volu me is in pa rtic u la r

an a l ,

direc ted again st theo lo gica l Christian ity the chief o ppone nt o f free
,

tho u gh t It co n ta ins no t o ne word a ga inst the pure teac hings o f Je s u s

.
,

b u t un sparingly den o un ces their debasemen t in to pern ic io u s ecclesias ti

ca l sys tems tha t are ruino us to m a n s fa i th in his im
’
mo rta lity an d his
Go d and su bversive o f all moral res tra in t
, .

We ca st o ur gaun tlet at th e do gma tic theo lo gia ns w ho w o uld ens la ve

both histo ry an d sc ience ; an d espec ia lly a t the Va tica n w ho se des potic
,

preten sio ns have bec o me ha te fu l to t he grea ter portio n o f e nligh te n ed

Christendo m The c lergy apart no ne b u t the lo gician the in vestiga to r
.
, , ,

the da un tless explorer sho uld m eddle with bo o ks like th is Su c h del ve rs

.

after tru th h a ve the co urage o f their o p inio ns .

 I SI S U N VE I LED

PART TWO RELI G ION

”
CHAPTER I

Yea. the tim e co m eth that whosoever killeth yo u will think that he doet h Go d
m
,

ice . J ohn, x vi, 2

ou
gh t to b e pursued
in such a spirit o f freedo mthat o ne ma be allo wed to ho ld true their assertio ns even
y m
as
) ecu eni cal

G mnc . The Church ! Where is it ? I Ki ng H enry VI , 1 , i

N the United S ta tes o f Am erica sixty th o usand men are

paid salaries to teach the Science of Go d and His relations to
His crea tures .

These men con trac t to impart to us the knowledge which trea ts of

the existen ce , charac ter, and a ttrib ute s of o ur C rea tor ; His la ws an d
g ov ern m e n t ; th e doc trin es w e are to b elie ve a n d th e d u tie s w e are to
practise Five thousa nd (5 1 4 1 ) of them with the prospec t of 1 2 73
.
1
,

theological studen ts to help themin time, teac h this science accordin g

to a fo rmula prescribed by the Bishop of Ro me, to five million people .

Fifty -five thousan d local and tra velin g m inisters, represen ting
fift een differen t den o m ina tions, eac h co n tradic tin g the other u pon m
z
ore
o r less vi tal theolo gical q uestio ns in s truc t , in their respec tive doc trin es ,
,

th irty three million

-
other persons M any o f these teach ac.

co rdin g to the ca n o ns of the cis A tlan t ic b ran ch o f an esta blish m

-
en t

whi ch acknowledges a daugh ter of the la te D uke of K ent as its spiritual

1 . The e figures are co pie d fro mthe Religi ous S tati stics of the United S tates for the

U ri fled Pres byterians, United Brethren, B rethren i n Christ, Refor med Dutch.
2 ISIS UNVEILED

hea d .There are many hun dred thousan d Jews ; so me thousa n ds of

Orien tals of all kin ds ; and a very few w ho belong to the Greek Ch u rch .

A m an a t Sa lt La ke C ity , wi th n in et een wi ves an d more than o ne h un

dred children and grandchildren is the supreme spiritu al ruler o ver
,

n in ety tho u sa n d people, w ho believe th a t he is in freq u en t in terco urse

wi th the go ds fo r the M ormo ns are Polytheis ts as well as Polyga m i s ts ,

a n d the ir c hief go d is represen ted as livin g in a pla net they ca ll Co lob .

The Go d of the Un itaria ns is a bachelo r ; t he De ity o f the Pres by

terian s M e tho dis ts Co n grega tion alists a n d the o th er o rtho dox Pro tes
, , ,

ta n t sects a spo useless Fa ther wi th o ne So n , who is iden tica l wi th Hi m

se lf
. I n t he a ttempt to ou tvie eac h other in the erec tio n o f their sixty t wo -

tho usa n d an d o dd churches prayer hou ses and mee tin g halls in which
,
-
,
-
,

to teac h these co nflic tin g theolo gical doc trines h a ve been ,

spen t . Th e value o f the Pro tes ta nt pa rso na ges alo n e , in wh ic h are

shel tered the disp u ta n ts an d their fa m ilies, is ro u ghly calc ula ted to
approxim a te Sixt een m i llion dollars are,
mo reover con tributed every year fo r the curren t expen ses o f the Pro tes
,

ta n t denominatio ns o nly One Presbyterian churc h in N ew York cos t a

.

ro u n d m illio n ; a Ca tholi c alta r alo ne , o ne fou rth as much !

We will no t men tion the multitu de of smaller sec ts communi ties an d , ,

extra va gan tly o riginal lit tle heres ies in th is co un try wh ich sp rin g up o n e

yea r to die o u t the next like so many spores o f fun gi after a rain y d a y
, .

We w ill no t even stop to cons ider the alleged millio ns o f Spiritua li sts ;
fo r t he maj o rity lac k t he co urage to b rea k a way fro m their respec ti
religio us den o m i na tio n s These are t he bac k doo r N ico demuses
.
-
.

A n d n o w wi th Pila te let us in qu ire , Wha t is tru th ? Where is it t o be

searched fo r am id th is multi tu de o f warrin g sec ts ? Each cla ims t o be
b ased u po n divin e revela tion an d ea ch to ha ve t he key s of the celes tial
,

g a te s I
. s a n y o n e of th e min po sse ssio n o f th is rare tru th ? Or m u s t we ,

excla imwi th t he B u ddh is t philo so phe r

“
There is b u t o ne tru th o n ea rth
, ,

a n d it is u nc h an gea ble : an d this is tha t there is no tru th o n it !

Thou gh we ha ve no dispositio n wha tever to trench u pon the gro un d
tha t has been so ex hau stively glea ned by tho se lea rned sc ho la rs w ho h a ve
sh own th a t e very C hris tian dogm a h as its o rigin in a hea th e n ri t e s till the ,

fac ts which they ha ve ex h u med sin ce the enfranchisemen t o f sc ie nce will

, ,

lose nothin g by re petition Beside s we propo se to exa m

. in e these fac ts
,

froma differen t an d pe rhaps ra ther n o vel po in t o f view : tha t of the o ld

philosophies as esoterically understo o d These we ha ve ba rely gla nced .

a t in o ur firs t volum e We w ill use themas the s ta ndard by which to

.

com pare C hris tian dogmas a nd miracles with th e doc trin es an d phen o
men a of ancient magic an d the modern N ew Dispensa tion as Spirit
,
‘
,
’

ua lismis ca lled by it s vota rie s Sin ce the ma te rialists deny the pheno m
.
 ‘
TH E C H URC H ! WHERE I S I T?
’
3

ena wi tho u t in ves tiga tion , an d sincetheologians in a dmitting them

th e
offer us the poor choice of two palpable absurdities the De vil an d
miracles we can lose lit tle by apply ing to the theurgis ts an d they may ,

a c t u ally help us to th row a grea t li gh t u po n a very da rk su bj ec t .

Pro fessor A B u tlero f of the Imperial University of St Petersburg

. .

re m arks in a rece n t p a m phlet en titled M ed i umis tie M anifestations as

, ,

follows : Le t the facts [o f modern spiritualism] belon g if yo u w ill to the

“

num ber of those which were more o r less kn own by the a ncients ; let
the mb e iden tica l with those which in the dark ages gave impo rta nce to
th e o ffice of Egy ptian p ries t o r Rom a n au gur ; let theme ven furnish th e

bas is of the so rcery o f o ur Siberian Shaman ; let thembe all these ,

”
an d if they are real facts it is n o b u sin ess of o urs
, All the fac ts in .

n a ture belong to science a nd every addition to the sto re of sc ien ce eu

,

ric h es instea d o f im po verishes her If h u manity has o nce a dmitted a

.

tru th an d then in the blin dness of self c onceit denied it to return to its
,
-
,

rea liza t io n is a step fo rward an d n o t bac kward .

Since the day when m o dern sc ien ce ga ve wha t m ay b e co nsidered the

dea th blo w to dogma tic theolo gy by assumi n g the gro un d tha t religion
-

w as fu ll of m ystery an d mystery is unscien tific the men ta l sta te of

, ,

t he ed uca ted clas s h as p resen ted a cu rio us as pec t Soc iety see ms from .

th a t time to have been ever bala n cing itself upon o ne leg o n an u nseen
tigh t rope stretched fromo ur visible u niverse in to the in visible o ne ; un
-

ce rta in whe ther the en d hooked o u fa ith in the la tte r m i gh t no t su ddenly

brea k an d h url it in to final annihilatio n .

The grea t bo dy o f n om ina l C hristia n s m ay b e di vided in to three

u n eq u al po rtion s : m a terialis ts sp iritu alis ts an d Christia n s proper

, , T he .

ma terialists an d spiritualists make common ca use against the hierarchica l

pre ten sions o f the clergy ; w ho in re ta lia tion denoun ce both with equal
, ,

ace rbity . The m a terialis ts are as little in h arm o ny as t he C h ris tian sec ts

themselves the Comtists o r as they ca ll them

, , selves the Po sitivists , ,

be ing despise d an d ha ted to the las t degree by the sc hools of thin kers ,

o n e o f which M a u dsley hon o ra b ly represe n ts in En gla n d Po sitivism be .

,

it rem em be red is tha t religion o f the fu ture abo u t whose founder even
‘
,

H u xley has made himself wra thful in his famou s lec ture The Physic al ,

B as i s of Life; an d M au dsley felt o bli ged in behalf o f modern sc ien ce

, ,

to exp ress him self th us : I t is n o wo n der th a t sc ientific men sho uld b e

a n x io us t o discla imCo m te as their law giver and to protest against su ch
-
,

a kin g bein g se t u p to re ign over them N o t co nsc io u s o f a ny perso nal

.

o bliga tio n to h is writ in gs co n sc io u s h o w m

, uch in so m e res pec ts he h as
, ,

misrepresen ted the spirit an d pretensio ns o f science they repu diate the ,

a llegian ce wh ich h is en th u s ias tic d isciples wo u ld fo rce u po n the m an d ,

wh ich popular opinion is fas t comi ng to think a n a tural o n e They do .

 ”
IS IS UNVEILED

well in th us ma kin g a timely assertion of in de pen dence ; fo r if it be no t

done soon it wi ll soon b e to o la te to be done well
, When a ma te .

ria lis tic doc trine is rep u dia ted so st ro n gly by t w o suc h m a te ria lis ts as

Hu xley an d M au dsley then we must th in k in deed tha t it is a bsurdity

,

itself .

Am ong Christians there is nothing b u t disse nsion Their vario us .

c h urches rep resen t e very de gre e o f reli gio u s belief fro mthe o m ni vorous ,

c re d ulity of blin d fai th to a co n descen din g a n d high to n ed defere n ce to -

the De ity whi ch th in ly m as ks a n e v iden t co n vic tio n o f their o w n de ific

wisdom All these sec ts be lie ve mo re o r less in the immortality o f the

.

so ul . Som e ad m i t the in te rco urse between the t w o wo rlds as a fac t ;

so m e en tertai n the o p inion as a se n tim en t ; som e po sitively den y it ; and

only a few main ta in an a ttitu de o f a tten tio n an d expec ta ncy .

Impa tien t o f res tra in t lo ngin g fo r the ret urn of th e dark ages the
, ,

Ro m ish Church frown s a t the dia bo lical m anifesta tio n s a n d in dica tes ,

wha t she would do to their cha mpion s ha d she b u t the pow er o f o ld .

Were it no t fo r th e self e v ide n t fact th at she herself is placed by scie nce

-

o n tria l a n d tha t she is h a n dc u ffed she wo uld b e rea dy a t a m

, , o men t s ’

n otice t o repea t in th e n in e t een th cen t ury the re voltin g scen es o f form er

”
da ys As to th e Pro testa n t clergy so fu rio us is their common ha tre d
. ,

to ward sp iritualism tha t as a secular pa pe r very truly remarks : They

,
“

see m willin g to u n derm ine the p ublic faith in all t he sp iri tual phe no
mena o f the pas t as recorded in the B ible if they ca n only see the pes ,

tilen t m o dern h eres y sta bbed to the hea rt .

Su m moning bac k the long fo rgotten memories of the M osaic la ws,

-

m
the Ro ish C h urch c laim s t he m o no poly of m ira cles an d o f the righ t
to sit in j u dgm en t over t he m as be in g the so le h eir the re to by dire c t
,

in herita n ce The Old Testa m

. ent ex iled by Co len so his predec esso rs
, ,

a n d con te m poraries is reca lled fro m its ban ish men t The prophe ts,
, .

whom h is Holin ess t he Pope co ndescen ds at last to place if no t o n ,

the sa m e level wi th hi mself a t leas t a t a less res pec tf ul dis ta n ce

‘
, a re ,

dus ted a n d clea ned The memo ry of all the diabolica l abraca da bra is
.

e voked a n e w The blasphe mou s horro rs pe rpe tra ted by Paganism its
.
,

Ma udsley : B ody and M ind : lect The Limi ts of Philoso phical Inquiry
‘
3 H
. . . on .
’

4 Bosto n S u nday H erald , N o ve

. mber 5, 1 876 .

5 See the self-glo rifica tio n o f th e present Po pe in the wo rk en titled S peec hes of
m m
. ,

Pope Pi us I X b y D o n Pasqua le di fi a nciscis ; an d t he fa o us pai n hlet o f that na e

m
,

b y t he Rt H o n W E Gladsto ne ( re viewed in his Ro e and the ewes ! Fashi o ns i n

m m
. . . .

Religion : Lo ndo n, The la tter qu o t es fro the work na ed th e fo llo wing sen
tence pro n o unced b y the Po pe :
“
M y wish is that all go vern ents sh o uld kno w m
And I ha ve the rit o spu h eoen o rs m
 PAG AN PHALLI C ISM I N CHRISTIAN SY MBOLS 5

phallic worship thauma turgica l wonders wrough t by Satan huma n sacri

, ,

fices incanta tions witchcraft m

, agic an d so rcery are reca lled ;
, an d
, ,

DE M ON I SM is confron ted with spiritual ismfo r mutual recognition and

iden tifi ca tion Our m o dern de m
. onologists convenien tly overlook a few
insign ifica n t deta ils among which is the undeni a ble presence of hea the n
,

ph a llicismin the Christian symbo ls A strong spiritual elemen t of this .

worship may be easily demons tra ted in the dogma of the Immac ula te
Co n ception of the Virgin M other of Go d ; and a phy sica l elemen t
eq u ally proved in the fe tish worship of th e h oly lim bs of Sts Cos m -
o .

an d D am iano a t Isernia near N aples ; a su ccessful trafi c in which

,

ex voto s in wax was carried o n b y the clergy ann ually

-
un til barely ,

a ce n tury ago
“ .

We find it ra ther un wise o n the part of Ca tholic writers to pour o u t

their v ials of wra th in such sen tences as these : I n a multi tu de o f
pa godas the phallic stone ever and always assu ming like the Grecian
, , ,

betylo s the bru tally in decen t formof the li ngam

, the M aha Deva 7 . .
-

Be fore casting slurs o n a symbol whose profo un d meta physica l meaning

is too much fo r the m odern champions of that religion of sensualism
p a r ex cell en ce R o ma n C a tholicism to grasp
, th ey are in d u ty bo u n d , ,

t o destroy their oldes t ch urches an d ch ange the formof the c u polas ,

o f th eir o wn tem ples The Maho dy of Elephan ts the Ro und Tower of

.
,

B h agalpur the minarets of Islam ei ther rounded o r poin ted

, are th e
origin als of the campanile column of San Marco at Venice of Ro chester

”
,

C a thedral and o f the mo dern D uomo o f Milan All o f these steeples t ur

”
.
, ,

rets do m
, es a n d C hris tia n tem
, ples are the reproduc tions of the prim i tive
idea of the lithos t he uprigh t phallus The wes tern tower of St Paul s
’
.
, .

C a thedral London says the au thor of The Rosicrucians is o ne of the

, , ,

double lithoi placed always in fron t o f every temple Chris tian as well as ,

”
hea then 3
.M oreover in all Chris tian Churches particularly in Prot
, ,

es tant c h urches where they figure m , os t conspicu ously the two ta bles of ,

s to ne of th e M osaic D ispensa tion are p laced over the altar side b y side , ,

as a u nited stone the to ps of which are ro u nded

, The righ t s tone is .

masculine the left femini ne Therefore neither Catholics no r Protes

, .

ta n ts have a righ t to ta lk of the indecent forms of heathen monumen ts ,

so lon g as they orna m en t th eir o wn ch urches with the sy m bols of th e

Lin gaman d Yoni an d e ven write the laws of their Go d upon them
, .

Another de ta il no t redou n ding very particularly to t he h o nor of the

Ch ristian clergy migh t be reca lled in the word In quisition The torren ts .

R P Knigh t . .

Worshi p of Pria pus, p 3 sq and o ther works .

, . .

7 Des M o usseaux : Les ha uts phén de la

. agic, p 2 4 . m . .

8 Hargrave Jennings : The Rosicrueians , II, i ; 3rd ed

. .
 IS IS UN VE I LED

of m
hu an blood shed b y this Christi a n ins titu tion an d the number o f ,

its h um an sacrifi ces are u nparalleled in the anna ls o f Pagani sm A n other

, .

still more promin en t fea ture in which the clergy surpassed their masters ,

the hea th en
‘
is sorcery Certai nly in no Pagan temple was black
,
’
.

m agic in its rea l an d true sen se m

, ore prac tised th an in the Va tican , .

While stron gly su ppo rting exorcis mas an impo rtan t so urce of re v en ue ,

th ey neglec ted magic as little as the ancient hea the n I t is easy to .

pro ve th a t the sortilegiu m, o r sorcery was wi dely prac tised a mon g the ,

c lergy an d m

”” ”
onks so la te as the last cen tury an d is prac tised occasio nally ,

e ven no w .

Ana them a tizin g every m an ifesta tion of occ ult n a ture o u tsi de the

”
precinc ts of the Church the clergy n otwi th s ta n din g pro o fs to the
,

co n trary ca ll it t he work o f Sa tan the sn ares o f the fa llen an ge ls, ,

who
“
ru sh in an d o u t fro m the botto m less pit men tioned by John ,

in his K abalistic Revelation , fro mwhen ce arises a sm oke as the smoke

“

I ntox icated by its fu m

“
o f a grea t f urn ace a rou nd thi s p it are

m
. es ,

da il y gatheri ng m ill ions of S pi ritual is to worship at the A byss of

‘
,

B
9,

M ore th an ever ogan t stubborn an d despo tic no w th at she has

a rr , , ,

been nearly upset b y modern research no t darin g to in terfere wi th the ,

powerful champions of science the La tin Church re venges herself u pon ,

the u n pop ula r phen om ena A des pot wi tho u t a vic timis a word void
.

o f sen se ; a po wer whic h n eglec ts to asse rt itself th ro u gh o u tward ,

—
well cal cula ted effec ts risks bein g doubted in the en d The Church has
, .

n o in ten tion o f fallin g in to the oblivio n of t he a ncie n t m y th s o r o f ,

s u fferin g he r a u thority to b e t oo closely q uest ion ed Hence she pursues .

,

as well as t h e tim es perm it he r tra dition al policy La m en tin g the

, .

en forced extinc tion of her ally the Holy I n q uisition she m a kes a virtu e
, ,

of necessity The only vic tims no w wi thi n reach are the Spiritists of
.

Fran ce Re cen t e ven ts ha v e sho wn tha t th e m

. ee k spo u se o f C hrist

n e v e r disda in s to re talia te o n h elpless vic t im s .

Ha vin g su ccessfully performed her part o f deus ea: m achi nd fro m

behin d t he French Bench which has no t scrupled to disgrace i tself fo r

,

her the Ch urc h o f Ro m

, e se ts to wo rk a n d sh ows in th e yea r 1 876 wh a t

she ca n do Fro mt he wh irlin g ta bles a n d dan cin g pen cils o f profan e

.

Spirit ualism the Christia n wo rld i s warne d to t urn to t he div ine mira
‘
,

c le s o f Lo u rd es M ea n while th e ecclesiastica l a u tho rities u tili ze the ir

’
.

time in arranging fo r other mo re easy triu mphs ca lc ulate d to sca re the ,

s u perstitio u s o u t of their sen ses So ac tin g u n der o rders the clergy .

, ,

h u rl dra m a tic if n o t very im , pre ssiv e an a themas fro m every C a tho lic
diocese ; threa te n righ t an d left ; exco mmunica te an d curse Per .

ceivin g fin a lly , th a t her thun derbolts direc ted e ven against crown ed
,
 IS IS UNVEILED

colla borateurs tha t the writings in favor o f Spiritualismare un der the

b an an d he advises themto let it b e kn own th a t to freq uen t sp iritual
circles wi th the in ten tion of ac ceptin g t he doc trin e is to a po sta tize fro m ,

the Ho ly Church an d as sum , e the risk o f e xco m munica tio n finally ,

say s he ,Publish the fac t tha t the teac hi n g o f no spirit should pre va il
agains t tha t o f the p ulpit o f Pe ter which i s the teachi n g o f the Sp irit o f
,

Go d Him self

Aware o f the m any fals e teachi n gs a ttrib u ted by the Ro m an C hurch

to the Crea to r we prefer disbelie vin g the la tter assertion The fa mo us

, .

Ca tholic theologian Tillemo n t assures us in his work tha t all the illus
, ,

trions Pagans are con dem n ed to the e ternal to rm en ts of hell beca u se ,

th ey lived before the time of Jesus an d therefore could no t b e benefite d

, , ,

by the redemption H e also as sures us tha t the Virgin M ary perso n

ally tes tified to this tru th over her o wn signa ture in a lette r to a sa in t .

the Sp irit o f Go d Him

“
Therefore thi s is also a re vela tion se lf

teachi n g such charita ble doc trines .

We have also rea d with grea t advan ta ge the to po graphical descrip

”
tions o f H ell and P urgato ry in the celebra ted trea tise of tha t na me by
a Jesu it the Cardin al Bellarm
, ine A critic foun d tha t the a ut ho r who
.
,

g ives t he de script i on fr o m a di vi ne v isi o n wi th w hi c h he w as fa vo re d ,

appea rs to possess all the kn owledge o f a lan d m

“
eas ure r a bo u t the -

secre t tracts an d form idable divisions o f the botto m less pit Justin .

M artyr ha vin g ac tually commi tted to paper the here tical thou gh t tha t
after all Socrate s m igh t n o t b e alto gether fixed in hell his Benedic tine
11
,

editor critic ises thi s too ben evolen t fa ther very se verely
-
Whoever .

doubts the Christian charity o f the Church o f Rome in this direc tion is
invited to peruse the Cens ure of the Sorbonn e o n M arm o n tel s B e
’
lisai re .

The odi umtheo lo gic umblazes in it o n the dark sky o f orth odox theology
like an auro ra bo realis the prec ursor o f God s wra th accordin g to
’

the teac hi ng of certain m edie val di vines .

We have a tte mpted in the first part of this work to sh ow b y histo rical
ex am p h o w c o m p le tely m e n o f sc ie n ce h a v e d eser v ed t he s ti n g
ing sarcasmo f the la te Professor D e M organ who rem arked o f the m
,

tha t they wear the priest s cast o ff garb dyed to escape de tec tion
’
-
, .

The Christian clergy are in like m a nn er a ttired i n the cas t o ff garb of -

the heathen priesthood ; ac ting diam e trically i n oppo sition to their God s
’

moral precepts b ut nevertheless sitting in j u dgmen t over the whole

,

world .

When dying o n the cross the martyred M an o f Sorrows forga ve his

m
,

ene ies .H is las t words were a prayer in their behalf H e ta ugh t his .

disciples to curse no t b ut to bless even their foes B ut the heirs o f

, , .

11 . Cf z Apology.
.
557 . 9 .
 CATHOLIC BLASPHE MY AGAIN ST HEAVEN

St Pete r the self cons titu ted represen ta tives o n earth o f tha t same meek
.
,
-

Jes us unhesi ta tingly curse whoever resists their des po tic will Besides
, .
,

was no t the So n lon g sin ce crowded by themin to the bac kgro un d ?

’

They ma ke their obeisance only to the Dowager M o ther fo r according ,

again thro u gh the direct Spirit o f Go d sh e alone

’
to their teac hin g
‘
,

ac ts as a m The Oecum enica l Co un cil o f 1 870 em

””
edia trix . bodied the
teac hi ng in to a dogm a to disbelieve which is to b e doo m ed fore ver to
,

the bo tto m less pit The work o f D o n Pasq uale di Franciscis is positive
’
.

o n t ha t po in t ; fo r he te lls us tha t as t he Qu een o f Hea ven owes to the ,

present Pope the fines t ge m in her corone t sin ce he has conferred ,

o n her the une x pected h onor o f beco m in g suddenly im macula te there is ,

nothing sh e cann ot obtain fromher So n fo r

“
her Ch urch 1’
.

Some years ago certa in tra velers sa w in Bari I taly a sta tue of t he , ,

Mado nna arrayed in a flo unced pink skirt over a swellin g crino li nel
,

Pious pilgrims who may b e an xious to exa min e the regula tion wardro be
o f their G od s m other may do so b y goin g to Sou thern I taly Spain and
’
, ,

Ca tholic N orth an d Sou th America The Mado nna of Bari mus t still .

b e there be tween two vin eyards an d a lo ca nda (gin shop) When las t -

seen a half successful a ttem

, pt had been ma de to clothe the infan t Jesus ;
-

they had covere d his legs wi th a pair o f dirty scollop e dged pan taloons ,
- .

An En glish traveler ha vin g presen ted the M edia trix wi th a green

’

silk pa raso l t he gra te ful po p ula tion of t he contad i ni acco m

, panied by the ,

village priest wen t in pro cession to the spot They managed to stic k
-
, .

the su nsh ade opened between t he in fa n t s bac k an d the armo f the

’
, ,

Virgin which em braced him The scene an d ceremo ny were both solemn .

and highly refreshin g to o ur religio u s fee lin gs Fo r there st oo d the .

im a ge o f t he go ddess i n its n iche surroun ded wi th a ro w of ever b urnin g ,

-

la mps th e flam es o f which flic kerin g i n the bree ze in fec t God s p ure air
’
, , ,

with an o fi ensive smell of oli ve o il The M other and So n truly re presen t .

the two m ost conspicuo us idols of M o no theistic Christianity !

Fo r a compan ion to the idol of the poor contadi ni o f B ari go to the ,

rich city of Ri o de Jan e iro I n the Ch urch of the Dom o da Can dela ria
.
,

in a long hall runnin g alon g o ne side o f the ch urch there migh t b e see n ,

a few yea rs ago an other M a do nn a Alo n g the walls o f the hall t here is .

a line of sain ts each sta n din g o n a co n trib u tio n box which th us form
, s a -
,

fit ped es tal I n the cen ter of this line u n der a gorgeo usly rich ca n o py
.
,

o f blue silk is exhib ited the Virgin M a ry lea n in g o n the armof C hrist
, .

Our La dy is arrayed in a very decolleté blue sa tin dress wi th sh ort

‘ ’

m
12 S eeata o P
f p o e Pi us I X I I 32 5, 394, by D o n Pasquale di Fi anciscis ; Glad -
p m
, pp .
. ,

Ro s and the N eM
’
i aper s 6 onfliet beti oecn Religion a nd S cience,
t ;
-
sto ne s et
an 0 ll er work
10 IS IS UN VEILED

slee ves showi ng to grea t advanta ge the sn ow whi te exquisitely molded

,
-
,
-

n ec k sh o ulders an d arm
, s The skirt o f blue sa tin wi th an over skirt
, .
,
-

of rich lace and ga uze puffs i s as short as tha t of a balle t dancer ; hardly
,
-

reach in g the kn ee it exhibits a pa ir o f fin ely sh a ped le gs covere d wi th

,
-

flesh colore d silk tigh ts an d blue satin Fren ch boots wi th very h igh red
-

heels ! Th e blon de hair of thi s M other of Go d is arran ge d in the

‘

la test fash ion wi th a volum inou s chignon a n d c urls

, As she lea ns o n .

her Son s arm her face is lovingly turned toward her Only Be gotte n
’
-
, ,

whose dress and a ttitude are eq ually worthy of admira tio n Chris t wears .

an e ven in g dre ss coa t wi th swallo w ta il -

black tro users an d lo w c ut -
, ,
-

white vest ; varnished boots an d whi te kid gloves over one of which , ,

spa rkles a rich d iam on d rin g worth man y tho usan ds we must suppose ,

a p rec io u s B ra zilian j ewel Above this bo dy o f a m . o dern Po rt u guese

dandy is a head wi th the hair parted in the middle ; a sad an d so le mn

face and eyes whose patien t look see ms to reflec t all the bitterness of
,

this last in sult flun g a t the maj es ty of the C rucified “ .

Th e E gy ptian I sis w as also represen te d as a Virgin M other by her -

devotees and as ho lding her in fan t so n Horus in her arms I n some

, , , .

sta t ues an d basso ril ievo s when sh e a ppea rs a lon e she is e i ther co m
-
, plete
ly n u de o r veiled fromhea d to foot B u t in the M ysteries in co mmon .
,

wi th nearly every other go ddess she is en tirely veiled fro mhea d to foot , ,

as a sym bol of a moth er s chastity I t would no t do us any harmwere

’
.

w e to borrow fro m the an cien ts so m e o f t he poe tic sen tim en t in their

religions a n d t he inn a te ven era tion they en te rta in ed fo r their sy m

, bols .

I t is b u t fair to say a t once tha t th e last of the tru e C hristians died

with the las t of the direc t apo stles M ax M uller forcibly asks : How “
.

ca n a m issionary in su ch c irc um sta n ces m ee t the surp rise an d q ues tio ns

o f his p u pils u nl ess h e m a nd tell the m wha t

ay po in t to th a t seed
“
, ,

Christianity was mean t to b e ; unless he may sho w tha t like all o ther re li ,

”
g io ns C h ris
, t ia n ity too h as h a d i ts his to,ry ; th,a t t h e C h ris tia n i ty o f t h e

n in eteen th cen tury is n o t the C hristian ity of th e Mi ddle Ages an d that ,

the C hris tian ity of the M iddle Ages w as n o t tha t of the early Co u ncils ;

”
tha t the Christian ity of the ea rly Coun cils w as no t tha t of the Apostles ,

a n d th a t w h a t h as bee n said by C hrist tha t a lon e w as well said ?

15
,

Th us we may in fer tha t the only charac teristic difference betwee n

modern Christianity and t he o ld hea th en faiths is the belief of the former
“
in a perso na l devil an d in hell The Aryan n a tion s had n o Dev il .
,

say s M ax M uller
“
Plu to tho ugh of a so mber cha rac ter w as a very
. , ,

1 3 The fac t is given t o us b y a n eye wit ness who has vis ited the ch urc h several ti mes
Ro m
.
,

a a n Catho lic, who felt perfectl y horrified, as he ex pressed it .

1 4 Re ferring to the
. seed l
p nted b y Jes us and h is apostles
a .

15 . Chi ps f
ro ma Ger m an Worksho p, 1 x x v -
x x vi, preface
, .
 THE HELLS OF VARIOUS N ATION S 11

pec ta ble personage ; an d Lo ke [the Scandinavian ] though a mischiev

”
res ,

o us perso n w as no t a fie n d , The Germ an go ddess Hell

. too like , ,

Proserpin a had once seen better day s Thus when the Germ a n s were .
,

in doc trina ted wi th the idea o f a rea l De vil the Sem itic Sa tan o r Dia bolus ,

they trea ted himin the most good humore d manner

,
1° -
.

The sam e m ay b e said of hell Hades was quite a differen t plac e from
.

o ur re gion o f eterna l dam an d m igh t be term

’
n a tion
‘
ed ra ther an in ter
,

media te sta te o f purifica tion N either does the Scandina vian H cl o r

.

Hela imply either a sta te o r a place of punish ment ; fo r when Frigga ,

the grief s tricken m other of Balder the whi te go d who died and foun d
-
, ,

himse lf in the dark abo des of the sha dows (Hades) sen t Hermod a so n , ,

o f Th or in ques t o f her belo ved ch ild the m

, essen ge r fo un d h imin the ,

inexo ra ble regio n alas f b u t s till co m forta bly sea ted o n a rock and
-
,

rea din g a book

“ The N orse kingdo mo f the dea d is m
. oreover situa te d
in t he hi gher la titu des o f t he Pola r re gions ; it is a cold an d c heerless
a bode an d neither t he gelid h alls o f H ela no r the o cc u pa tio n of B alder
,

presen t th e leas t similitu de to the blazin g hell of ete rna l fire an d the
miserable damned sinners wi th which the Church so generously peoples
it. N either is it t he E gy ptian Am enti the re gion o f j u dgm en t an d ,

purifi ca tion ; no r the H onderah the abyss o f da rkness o f the Hin d us ;

fo r e ven t he fallen an gels h urled in to it by Siva are allowed by Para
brah man to co nsider it as an inte rmedia te sta te in which an opportun ity ,

is afforded themto prepare fo r higher degrees of purifica tio n an d redemp

tion fro m their wretched con dition The Gehenna o f th e N ew Testa .

ment was a locali ty outside the walls o f Jerusalem; an d in men tio ning
it Jes us used b u t an ordinary m eta ph or Whence then ca me the drea ry .

dogma of hell tha t Archimedea n lever o f Christian theo logy wi th which

, ,

they ha ve succeeded in ho ldin g in subj ec tion the n u mberless millio ns o f

Christians fo r nineteen cen turies ? Assuredly no t from the Jewish
Scriptures and we appea l fo r corro bora tion to an y well informed Hebrew
,
-

sc h ola r .

The only su gges tion o f so m e th in g appro ach in g hell in th e Bible is

Gehenna o r Hinn om a va lley near Jerusa lem where was situ a te d Tophe t
, , ,

a p lace where a fire was perpetu ally kept fo r sani tary p urpo ses The .

prophe t Jeremiah in forms us tha t the I srae li tes used to sac rifice their
c hildre n to M oloch H erc ules o n tha t spo t ; a n d la ter w e fi n d C hristian s
-

q uie tly re placing this divin ity by their go d of m ercy wh o se w ra th will

n o t b e appeased un less th e C h urch sac rifices to him her un ba ptized

,

c h ildren a n d sinn in g so n s o n t he a lta r o f e te rn al d a mn a t io n

‘

Whence then did the divines learn so well the con ditio ns o f hell as ,

16 . Chi ps, etc II , p 2 33

. . 17 . M allet : N orthern A ntiqu ities , p 448
. .
12 IS IS UNVEILED

ac u all
t y to divide its tormen ts in to two kin ds t he poena da mni an d poena ,

cens us t he form, er bein g the priva tion of the b ea tific vision ; the la tte r the

eternal pains i n a la ke of fire and brim

”
sto ne? I f they answ er us tha t it
is in the A pocalypse (x x we are prepa re d to dem
, onstra te when ce the
theologis t John himself derived the idea And the devil tha t deceived ,

themwas cast in to the lake of fire and brimstone where the bea st an d the ,

false prophet are an d shall be tormen ted da y an d nigh t fo r ever an d ever ,

”
“
he say s Layin g aside the esoteric in terpre ta tion tha t the de vil o r
.

tempting demon mean t o ur o wn earthly bo dy which afte r dea th will ,

su rely dissolve in the fiery o r e therea l elem en ts

“ the word e terna l by
‘
,

whi ch o ur theologian s in terpre t the words fo r ever and e ver does no t ‘

exis t in the Hebre w la nguage either as a word o r m ean in g There is no

, .

Hebre w word which properly expresses eternit y; U5W oulam according , ,

to Le Clerc only im ports a time whose beginni ng o r en d is no t kno wn

, .

While showi ng tha t this word does no t mean i nfinite dura tion and tha t ,

in the Old Testament the word forever only signifies a long tim e Arch ,

bishop Tillotso n has completely perverted its sen se with respec t to the

”
idea o f hell torm en ts Accordin g to his doc trine when Sodom and
-
.
,

Go morrah are said to b e sufferin g e ternal fire we mus t u ndersta n d it

‘ ’
,
“
only in t he sense o f tha t fire no t being extinguished till bo th cities w ere
en tirely consu m ed B ut as to hell fire the wo rds m
. ust b e u n dersto o d in
,
-

”
the strictes t sense o f in fin ite d ura tion Such is the dec ree of the lea rne d .

divine Fo r the dura tion of the pun ishmen t o f the wicked mus t b e
.

propo rtiona te to the eterna l happiness of the righ teous So he says .

,

These (spea king o f the wicked ) shall go a way d c s i ha o w ai cmo v in to '

'

eternal pu nis h m en t ; b u t the righ teo us d c twin ai awi o v in to life e terna l

'
.

The Re veren d T Swin den co mmen ting o n the specula tions o f his
’l
.
,

predecessors fills a whole volu me wi th una nswerable argumen ts ten ding

, ,

to show that the loca lity of H ell is i n the s un We suspec t tha t the rev .

”
eren d spec ula tor had rea d the A poca lyps e in b ed an d h ad the nigh t ,

mare in conseq“uence There are two verses in the Revelatio n of J ohn

.

readin g th us : And the fo urth angel po ured o u t his vial u po n the sun ;
an d po wer w as given un to himto sco rc h m An d m

”
en wi th fire en were .

sc orc hed wi th grea t hea t an d blasp he m ed the na m e of G o d

, This is .

sim ply Py thagorean an d K a balis tic allegory The idea is new nei ther
with t he a bo ve men tioned a u tho r no r with John Pythagoras plac ed t he
-
.

“
sp here o f p urifica tion in the sun which su n wi th its sphere he more , , ,

1 8 Et her is b o th im p ur e fi
e and
re Th e co mpo s itio n o f t he la tter co prises all m
m m
. .

its visible fo r s, an as t he co rrelat io n o f fo rces hea t, fla e, electricity, etc The

‘ ’

m m
.

for er is the S pirit o f Fire The difierence is pure ly alche ica l ‘

m
. .

’
1 9 C f Gesenius : A H ebrew a nd E nglis h Les icon, s v Oula
-

Z) Jo hn Tillo tso n : S erm

. . . . .

. o n 35 2 1 Cf To b ias S winden : I nqui ry i nto the

. . .

: nd
N ature and P la ce of H ell Lo o , 1 n 72 7 2 2 evel
R ati n. x v , 8 9
o i - . . .
over loca te s in the
AUG USTI NE S GEOCENTRI C HELL

middle o f the universe

o y havin g a double
meanin g : 1 Symbolically the cen tral spiritual sun the Supreme Deity
.

Arrived a t this region every so ul beco m

,

es purified of its sin s an d unites

itself fore ver with its spirit ha vin g pre vio usly su ffere d thro u gho u t all the
,
’

,
,
” the alleg r

,
13

lower sph eres 2 By placin g the sphere o f vis ible fire in the middl e o f
. .

the u niv e rse he sim ply ta ugh t the heliocen tric systemwhich apperta ined
,

to the M y s teries a nd was imparted only in the higher degree o f initia tion
, .

John gives to his Word a p urely ka balis tic significan ce which no ,

Fa thers ex cept those who had belon ged to the N eo Pla to nic sch ool
‘ ’
-
, ,

were a ble to comprehen d Origen un derstood it well havin g been a .

,

pupil of A mmo nio us Saccas ; therefore we see himbravely denying the

perpetuity o f hell to rments H e main tain s that no t only men b ut e ven
-
.
,

de vils (b y which termhe mea n t disembodied human sinners) after a ,

certa in dura tion o f p u nish m en t sha ll b e p ardoned an d fin ally res tored to

“ I n con seq uence o f this an d othe r such heresies Origen was as a
hea ven .
,

ma tter of course exiled , .

M a ny have been t he learned an d truly insp ired spec ula tions as to the
loca li ty o f hell The m ost popular were th ose which placed it in the
.

cen ter of th e earth At a certa in tim e ho wever skeptica l do ubts which

.
, ,

dist urbed the placidity of fai th in this highly refreshin g doc trin e aro se in -

co n seq u en ce o f the m ed dlin g sc ien tists o f th ose days As a M r S win den . .

”
in the last cen tury observed the theory was inad m issible beca u se o f t wo
,

obj ec tions : l st tha t a fun d o f fuel o r sulphu r sufficient to main ta in so

”
,

furious an d cons ta n t a fire co uld no t b e there supposed ; and 2 nd th at it , ,

must wan t the nitrou“s particles in the air to susta in an d keep it alive .

”
“
An d ho w says he , ca n a fire be eterna l when by degrees the wh ole
, , , ,

su bsta n ce of the earth m us t b e cons um

”
ed there by ?

The skeptical gentleman had eviden tly forgotten tha t ce n turies ago
St Augus tine solved the difliculty Ha ve we no t the word o f this
. .

learned divin e tha t hell nevertheless is in t he cen te r of the ea rth fo r

, , ,

Go d su pplies the cen tral fire wi th air by a m The argum

“
i racle? en t is

una nswe ra ble an d so we will no t see k to upse t it

, .

The Christian s were the first to m a ke the exi ste n ce o f Sa ta n a do gm a

o f the Ch urch And on ce th a t she had es ta blishe d it she had to struggle

.
,

fo r over 1 700 yea rs fo r the repressio n of a m ysterio u s force which

it was her po licy to m ake a ppear o f dia bolica l o rigin Un fo rt un a te ly .
,

in manifestin g itself this force in variably ten ds to u pset su ch a belief

,

by the ridiculous discre pancy it presen ts be tween the alleged ca u se

23 Aristo tle m en tio ns Pythago rea ns who placed the sp here of fire in the sun , an d
m
.

See De coelo , lib II

’
na ed it J u piter s P ri son . . .

2 4 August : The City of God,

. . xx i, x vu ; Orig . De pri nc , 1 , v i
: . .

2 5 Dem
. o nolo gia, p 2 89 : Lo ndo n, 1 83 1 . . 2 6 S win den : Op cit
.
, p . 75 .
14 IS IS UN VEILED

-es ti m

”
an d the e ec ff t I f th l y h v n t v t d th l p ow
g
s . e c er a e o o e r a e e rea er

of t he Arch Enemy of Go d , it must he confessed tha t he ta kes igh ty

‘
-
’
m
precau tions again st being recognised as the Prin ce o f Darkness who
‘ ’

aim s a t o ur sou ls If modern sp irits are devils at all, as prea ched

.

“
‘ ’

“
by the clergy , then they ca n only b e those poor o r stupid de
m
who M ax M uller describes as appearing so often i n o the Ger an and m
N orwegian tales .

N o twi thsta n din g this, the clergy fear abo ve all to b e forced to reliu
q u ish t hi s h old o n h u m a n ity T hey are n o t willin g to let us j u d ge of t he
.

tree b y its fruits fo r that migh t so me times force themin to da ngero us di

,

m
lem as They refuse likewise to ad m
. it, wi th unprej udiced people, tha t
t he phen o m ena of Sp irit ualis mh a ve un questiona bly spirit u alized an d re

claim ed fro mev il co urses m an y an in do m ita ble a theist an d skeptic B ut, .

as they co n fess them selves , wha t is t h e u se of a Pope if there b e n o De vil? ,

And so Rom e sen ds her a bles t advoca tes an d p reachers to the resc ue

of those perishing i n the botto mless pit Rome employs her cle verest .
’

writers fo r this purpose a lbe it they all in dign an tly de n y the acc usa t ion

an d i n the pre face to every book pu t forth b y the prolific D es M ous

sea ux the Fre n ch Tert ullia n o f o ur ce n tury , we fin d un denia ble p ro o fs o f

,

the fac t . Amon g other certifica tes of ecclesias tica l a pproval, e very
volume is orna men te d with the text of a certa in o riginal letter addressed
to the very pious au thor b y the world kn own Father Vent ure de Ra ulica, -

of Rome Few are those who ha ve n o t heard this famous na me I t is the

. .

na m e of o ne of the chief p illars of the La tin C h urch the ex Gen eral of the ,
-

Order of the Thes tiu s, Consul to r of the Sacred Con grega tion of Ri tes,
Exa miner o f B ishops an d o f the Ro man C lergy , etc , etc , etc
, This . . .

s trikin gly ch arac teris tic doc u m en t will re m a in to as to nish f u t ure ge n era

tions by its spirit o f u nsophistica te d demonola try an d un blu shing sin

carity . We transla te a fragmen t verba tim an d b y thus help in g its ,

circu la tion h ope to m erit t he blessin gs of M o th er Ch urch :

3"

M o mmas AN D ex tre ms m Fan-mo

i

The grea tes t victo ry o f Sa ta n was gained o n t ha t day when he succeeded in ak m

i ng h im self de n ied
mo ns trate the ex istence o f Sa ta n is to re establish one of the fu nda enta l m
.

To de
o
d gm
,

a s of the Chu rch, w hich serve as a b asis fo r Christiani ty a nd wit ho u t w hich i t wo uld
m
,

b e b u t a na e
M agic, mesmeri sm, agnet is m so namb ulis mm m
spiritualism spiritis m m
.

hypno tis
are o nl y o ther na m
, , , ,

es fo r sA rAN rsi i
'

m m
.

To brin o u t such a truth a nd sho w it in its pro per ligh t, is to un ask t he ene y ;
it is to a uve the i m mense danger o f certa in practices reputed i nnocent; it is to deserve
.

well i n the eyes o f h u m

,

a nit y a nd o f religio n .

Pu s an VEN TU RA on Ra m os

2 7 Les ha uts phéno é nes de la

. m magic , p . iv .
16 18 18 UN VE ILED

of e vidence his to rical irre fu table and strictly au then tica ted tha t little
, , , ,

is left fo r spiritualist a u thors w ho m ay co m e afte r him How un fo rt una te .

that the scien tists who believe neither in devil no r spirit are more than
, ,

likely to ridicule M D es M o ussea ux s books wi thou t readin g them for

’
.
,

they really con ta in so many fac ts o f profo und scien tific in terest !
B u t wha t can we expec t in o ur o wn age o f un belief when we find
Pla to over twen ty two centuries ago co mplainin g of the same ?
,
-
, Me ,

”
too says he i n his E uthyphron when I say anything i n t he p ublic
, , ,

asse m bly co ncerning divine things and predict to themwha t is going to ,

happen they ridicule as m

, a d ; an d alth o u gh no thi ng that I have p redi cted

has proved u ntrue y e t they en vy all such m

, en as we are Howe ver we .
,

ou gh t no t to heed b ut pursue o ur o wn way , .

Th e literary reso urces of the Va tica n an d o ther C a tho lic re posito ries
of learning mus t h ave been freely placed a t the disposal of these mo dern
a u tho rs When o ne has such trea sures a t han d
. original man uscripts ,

pa pyri an d books pilla ged fromthe richest hea then li braries ; o ld trea
,

tises o n magic an d alchemy ; an d reco rds o f a ll the trials fo r wi tchcra ft ,

a n d se n ten ces fo r t he sa m e to rac k s ta ke an d to rt ure , it is m igh ty easy

,

to w rite volu m es of acc usa tions a gain s t the D ev il We afi rmo n good .

g ro un d s th a t th ere are h u n dred s o f th e m o s t va lu a b le wo rk s o n the

occult sc iences which are sen te nced to ete rnal concea lment from the
,

pu blic b u t are a tten tively rea d and studied by the pri vileged w ho
,

ha ve access to the Va tica n Library Th e la ws o f na ture are the sam

. e

fo r hea then so rcerer as fo r Ca tho lic sain t ; an d a m iracle m ay b e

‘ ’

prod uced as well by o ne as by the other wi thou t the sligh tes t in ter ,

v en tio n of G o d o r dev il .

Hardly ha d the manifes ta tions begun to a ttrac t atten tion in E uro pe ,

than the clergy commenced their o u tcry tha t their tra ditio nal ene my had
reappeared u n der an other na m e a nd divin e miracles also began to
,
‘ ’

b e heard of in isola ted ins tances First they were confined to h umble .

in dividuals so m e o f w ho mcla im
, ed to ha ve themprod uced thro ugh the

in terven tion of the Virgin M ary sain ts a n d an gels ; oth ers , acc o rd i ng

to the clergy began to suffer fromo bsession and possession ; fo r t he

De vil must ha ve his share of fa me as well as the Deity Fin ding that .
,

n otwithstan din g the warn in g the i ndepende nt o r so ca lled sp iritua l ph -

,
e
,

n om ens wen t o n in creasing an d m ultiply in g a nd tha t these m ani ,

festa tio n s threa tened to upse t the ca refully cons truc ted dogm as o f -

the C hurch t he world w as su ddenly s tartled by extra ordin ary in telli

,

g en ce . I n 1 86 4 a w h o le c o mm u n ity be ca m e po ss ess e d of t h e D e vil .

M orzine an d the a wful stories of its demoniacs ; Valleyres an d the

, ,

na rra ti ves o f its well a u then tica ted exhib itions of so rcery ; an d th ose
-

o f th e Pres b y t é re dc C ide v ille c urdled the blood in C a th olic veins

, .
 WHY THERE ARE N O M IRACLES IN RUSS IA 17

Stran ge to say , ked over an d over again

the question has been as ,

why th e divine m iracles an d m ost o f the obsessions are so stric tly

‘ ’

confi n ed to Ro m an C a tholic dioceses an d coun tries ? Why i s it tha t

sin ce the Reform a tion there h as been scarcely o n e sin gle divin e m iracle
‘ ’

in a Protestan t land ? Of course the answer we mus t expec t fro m ,

Ca tholics is that the la tter are peopled by hereti cs an d a ba ndoned by

, ,

Go d Th en why are there no more Church miracles in Russia a

.
-
,

coun try who se re ligion differs fro m t he Rom an Ca th olic fa ith b u t in

externa l form s o f rites its fun da m en ta l dogm as bein g iden tica lly t he
,

sa m e except as to t he em
, an a tio n o f the Holy Ghos t ? Russia has her
accep ted sain ts and thau m aturgical relics an d m i racle wo rking im a ges ,
-
.

The St M itro phaniy of Vo ro neg is an a u then tica ted m

. iracle worker -
,

b ut his mirac les are limited to hea ling ; a nd tho ugh h un dre ds upo n h u n
dreds ha ve been hea led through faith an d though t he o ld ca thedral is ,

full of magnetic efll uvia an d whole genera tions wi ll go o n believing

,

in hi s power and som e perso ns will always b e hea le d

, still n o such ,

miracles are heard of i n Russia as the M ad o nna walkin g and Madonn a

”
-
,

le tter writ ing and s ta tue ta l king o f C a tholic co un tries Why i s this so ?
- -

Sim
.
,

ply because the empero rs ha ve stric tly forbidden tha t sort of thin g .

The Czar Pete r the G rea t sto pped e very spurious divine m i racle
’
, ,

with o ne frown of his migh ty brow H e declared he would ha ve no false .

miracles played by the holy icones (images of sain ts) and they dis ,

appea re d fore ver

3
.

There are cases o n record of isola ted a nd indepen den t pheno mena
exh ib ite d by certain im a ges in the las t cen tury ; the latest w as the bleed

in g o f th e cheek of an im age of t he Virgin w hen a soldier of N apo leo n ,

cu t her face in tw o This miracle alleged to have happened in 1 8 1 2 in

.
, ,

the day s o f the in vasion by the gran d arm y was the fina l fare well ’
’o
, .

28 . Dr Stanley
. . Lectu res on the H ist . o f the Eastern Chu rch, p . 40 7; lect . x ii i .

29 I n the go vern en t o f Ta m m b o v a gen tlem a n, a rich landed pro prie to r had a curio us

case ha pen in his fam ily d uring t he H ungaria n ca m

.
,

f 1 848 His o nly and m

,

a
p gi n o u ch
ep hew w ho m
.

belo , ha ving no ch ildre n , he had ad o pted as a so n, was in t he Russian

m
,

ar y Th e elder ly co up le h a d a p o rt ra i t o f h is a w a ter-
co lo r paint in g co nsta n tly
m m
.
,

h l l d h b l f t o f the yo ung
'

durin
’
g t e ea s, ac e o n t e ta e i n ro n an s usual sea t One
y, with so me friends, were at their early tea, the glass o ver the po r
.

evening as the f
trai t, witho u t any o ne to uchm ing it, was sha ttered to ato s with a lo ud ex plos io n m As .

the aun t o f the yo ung so ldier caugh t t he pic ture in her hand she sa w the fo rehead and
head ba m eared with bloo d The gues ts , in o rder to g q uiet her, a ttrib uted t he bloo d
Bu t, ex a m
.

to her havi ng cu t her fingers with t he b ro ken glass ine as t hey wo uld , t hey
.

cou ld no t find the ves tige o f a cu t o n her fi ngers, a n d no o ne had to u ched t he pict ure b ut
herself Alarm ed a t her sta te o f ex cite m ent t he husba nd. pretendi ng to ex a ine the m
m
.

t ore closely, cut h is fin ger o n purpose, a nd then tried t o assure her tha t it was
b loo d and that, in the firs t ex citem en t, he had to uched the fra m e wit ho ut any o ne
m
re arking it All was in vain, t he o ld lady felt sure tha t D im i try was killed She
m m
. .

began to have asses said for hi daily a t the village church and arrayed the whole ,
18 ISIS UN VEILED

B u t sin ce then , alth ou gh the three successive emperors ha ve been pio us

m en , the ir will h as been respec t ed , an d the i a ges an d sain ts have m
m
re a ined qu iet an d ha rdly been spoken o f except as co nn ec ted with
,

religious worshi p I n Pola n d , a la n d o f furio us ultram

. on ta nism, there
ff n i s m
were , at di ere t t e despe te tte pt a mirac e d oing They
ra ,a m s t l -
.

died a t birth , howeve r, fo r the argus e yed police were there a Ca th olic
m irac le i n Polan d , m a de p ublic by the pries ts , gene ra lly ea ning political m
re v o lu tion , bloodsh ed , an d w ar .

m
I s it then n o t pe r issible a t leas t to suspec t tha t if in o ne cou n try
di vine mirac les may b e arrest ed by civil an d ilitary law , an d in an other m
they never occur, we must search fo r the explana tion of the tw o fac ts in
so m e n a tura l ca use , in s tea d o f a ttrib u tin g the mto e ither go d o r devil ?

I n o ur opin ion if it is wo rth an ythin g the whole secre t ay be m

acco un ted fo r as follo ws I n R ussia the clergy kn ow better th an to
.

bewilder their parishes, whose pie ty is sincere an d fa ith strong with out
mirac les ; they kn o w tha t nothin g is be tter calcula ted than the la tter to
so w seeds of dis trus t , do u bt, an d fin ally o f skepticis mwhich lea ds direc t

ly to a theism M oreover the clim

. a te is less p ropitious , an d th e ag m
n e t is m
of t he a vera ge popula tio n too positive , too healthy, to call forth
i ndependent pheno m e na ; an d fra u d wo uld n o t answer On t he other .

ha nd neither i n Protesta n t Ge rm
,
a ny , n o r E n glan d n o r y et i n A erica , , m
m
sin ce the d ay s of t he Refor a tio n , has t he clergy had access to any o f

the Va tican secret libraries Hence they are all b ut poor h an ds at the
.

m agic of Albert us M a gn us .

As fo r America bein g o verflo wed with se nsitives an d m ediu m s, the

reas on fo r it is partially a ttrib u ta ble to c lima tic influen ce an d es pecially

t o t he phy sio logica l co n ditio n o f t he popula tion Sin ce t he day s o f the .

Sa le mwi tc hcraft 2 00 yea rs ago when the co m

, para tively few settlers had
,

p ure and un adultera ted blood in their veins no thin g much ha d been ,

hea rd o f sp irits o r m e diu m un til Th e phen om ena then

‘ ’ ‘ ’
s

firs t appeared a m ong the ascetic an d exalted Shakers, whose religious

as pira tions , pec u liar m ode of life moral purity an d physical chas tity,
, ,

a ll led to t he prod uc tio n o f in de pen den t phen om en a o f a psych olo gica l

as well as phy sical n a t ure H u n dreds of tho usan ds an d even millions

.
,

ho useho ld i n de ) m o urning Sev eral weeks la ter an o fi cial co m municatio n was received
g
fro m the colo n o f the regimen t. sta ting tha t their m
. ,

hew was killed b y a frag en t

”
o f a shell w h ich ha d ca rried o ff the upper pa rt o f his cad .

30 Ex ecu tio ns fo r witch craft too k plac e no t m uch la ter than a cen t ury ago in o tha ,
'

o f t he Am
. ,

erica n pro vinces .N o to rio usly there were negroes ex ecu ted i n N ew Jerse b
b urn in g a t t he s ta ke t he pe na l ty den o u nced i n se ve ra l S ta t es E ve n i n So u th
lina in 1 865 w hen the S ta te go vernm
.

, , en t was reco nstructe d aft er the C ivil Wan t he

sta t u tes inflict ing deat h for w it ch craf t were fo u nd to b e st ill u nrepea led I t is not a
hund red years since they ha ve been enfo rced to the murdero us let ter o f their tex t
.

.
 THE PHY S ICO-PSY CHOLOG I CAL AM ERI CAN TYPE 19

of men fromv arious clima tes an d of differen t constitu tions an d habits ,

ha ve sin ce 1 492 in vad ed N orth Am

, , erica an d by in term arryin g h a ve ,

su bsta n tially ch a n ged the physica l type o f t h e in ha bita n ts I n wha t .

coun try in t he wo rld do t he wo m en s const itu tio n s bea r co m parison

’

with the delica te nervous and sensitive cons titu tions o f the female
, ,

portion of the population of the United Sta tes ? We were struc k o n

o u r a rriv al in the co un try wi th the sem i trans paren t delicac y o f skin -

o f t he n a tives o f bo th sexes Co mpare a hard working Irish fac to ry

.
-

g ir l o r b o y w i th o n e fro m a g en u in e A m er ica n f a m ily Lo ok a t t hei r .

h an ds O ne works as hard as the other ; they are of eq ual age an d

.
,

bo th seemingly hea lthy ; an d yet while the han ds of t he o ne after , ,

an ho ur s so apin g will show a s kin little softer th an th a t of a y o un g

’
,

alliga tor tho se of t he other n otwith sta n din g con stan t use will allow
, , ,

y o u to ob se rv e th e c ir c u la tio n o f t he b lood u n d e r t he thin a n d d e lica te

ep iderm is N o won der then that while America is the conservatory

.
, ,

o f se n sitives t h e m ajority o f its clergy

, u na ble to prod uce divin e o r ,

a ny other m iracles sto u tly deny the possibility of any pheno m

, ena

except those prod u ced b y tric ks a n d j u gglin g And n o wonder also .

tha t t he Ca tholic priesthood who are practically a ware of the existence ,

of magic an d spiritual phenomena an d believe in themwhile drea din g ,

their consequences try to a ttribu te t he whole to the a gency of the

,

De v il .

Le t us adduce o n e m ore argumen t if only fo r the sa ke o f circ u m ,

stan t ial e viden ce I n wha t co un tries have divin e m iracles flourished

‘
.

most been most frequen t an d most stupen dous ? Catholic Spain an d

,

Po ntifica l I ta ly beyo n d q uestion And which more than these two has
, .
, ,

had ac cess to a ncien t litera ture ? Spa in was fa m ous fo r her libraries ;
t h e M oo rs were cele bra ted fo r their p rofoun d learnin g in alchem y an d
other sciences The Va tica n is the sto rehouse of an immense nu mber
.

o f an c ien t m an uscripts D urin g the long in terval o f nearly 1 500 yea rs

.

they ha ve been accu mulatin g fro m trial after trial books and man u , ,

scripts confisca ted fro mthe ir se n ten ced vic tim s to th eir o wn p ro fit Th e , .

C a tho lics may plea d th a t the bo o ks were generally committed to the

flames ; th a t the trea tises of fa m o u s so rce re rs and enc han ters perished
with their accursed a u thors B u t the Va tica n if it co uld spea k could
.
, ,

tell a differe n t story I t kn ows too well of th e existe nce o f certa in

.

close ts a n d roo m s access t o which is h ad b u t by the very few

, I t kn o ws .

th a t the en trances to these secret hidin g places are so cle verly concealed -

fromsigh t in the carv ed fra me work a nd un der the profuse orna menta -

tion o f the library walls that there ha ve e ven bee n Popes who lived an d
-
,

died wi thin the prec incts of t he palace wi tho u t ever suspec tin g their
exis tence B ut these Popes were n either Sylves ter II Benedic t IX
.
, ,
20 ISIS UN VEILED

John XX no r the VI th an d VI I th Gregory ; no r ye t the famous Bo rgia

,

o f to xico lo gical m em ory N either were those who re ma ined ign oran t of
.

the hidden lore frien ds of the so ns o f Loyo la .

Where in the records o f E uro pea n M a gic can we fin d cleverer

, ,

enchan ters than in t he m y s terio u s so lit u de s of th e c lo is ter ? A l bertus

M agn us the famous Bisho p an d conj urer of Ra tisbon w as ne ver sur
, ,

passed in his art Ro ger Bacon w as a mo n k an d Thomas Aquinas o ne

.
,

o f the m ost learned pu pils o f Albertus Trithemius Abbo t of the .

,

SpanheimBenedic tines w as the tea che r frien d an d confida n t o f Co r

, , ,

nelius Agrippa ; an d wh ile the con fed era tio ns of the Theo m p h is ts were

sca ttere d broa dcas t a bo u t Ge rm a ny where they first origina ted assist , ,

ing o ne an other and s tru ggling fo r years fo r the ac q uire m

, en t o f eso teric

kn owled ge any perso n who kne w ho w to beco me the fa vore d pu pil of

,

certa in m on ks migh t very so o n be proficien t in all the importa nt

,

branches of o ccult learni ng .

Thi s i s all i n his tory and canno t b e eas ily denied Ma gic i n all its .
,

aspec ts w as wi dely an d n ea rly openly prac tised by t he clergy till the

,

Re form a t ion An d even he who w as once ca lled the Fa ther of t he

.

Reform a t ion t he fa mous John Re uchlin au thor of the M irifie Word

"
,

an d frien d of Pico di M ira n dola the tea cher an d ins truc to r of Erasm , us ,

Lu ther an d M elanctho n
,
w as a ka balist an d o ccultis t .

The an cien t sortilegiu m o r div in a tion by m ean s of so rtes o r lots

,

an art an d prac tice n o w decried by th e clergy as a n a bom ina tion desig

”
,

na ted by S ta t 1 0 J ae as felo ny a n d b y S ta t 1 2 Caroli I I excepted

. .
, .

o u t o f t he gen eral pardo n s o n th e groun d of bein g so rcery , was

widely prac tised by the clergy an d monks N ay it was san c tio ne d by .
,

St Augus tine hi m disa pprove o f this method o f

“
. self w ho does n o t ,

lea rnin g fu turity provided it b e no t used fo r worldly purposes

, M o re .

than th a t he co n fesses ha ving prac tised it him

, self .

Aye ; b ut the clergy called it so rtes sa nctorum when it w as they ,

who prac tised it ; while the sortes prae nesti nae succeeded by the sortes ,

H om erwae and so rtes Vi rgil ia nae were a bominable heathenism the , ,

wo rship of the Devil when used by any o ne else , .

Gregory de To urs in fo rm s u s th a t when t he clergy res orted to the

so rtes the ir cus to m w as to lay the Bible o n the a lta r an d to pray the ,

Lo rd tha t H e would discover H is will an d disclo se to themfutu rity in ,

o n e of t he verses of the book

“ G ilbert de N oge n t writes tha t in his days
.

31 Vide the title age o n the E nglish transla tio n o f Mayerho fl s Re uchli n und
’’

M E ] ? a nd Ti m g
.

Zeit, Berlin, 1 830 es of J ohn Reuchl i n, or Capnio n. the Father of the

m m m
.

Ger an Refor atio n, b y F Barha , Lo ndo n, 1 843 . .

32 Lo rd Co ke : 3 I ns tit utes, fo l 44
. 33 Epis tle I I to J a nito ria l . 5 37
. . . .

34 H istoi re denFrancois, de 8 Gregoi re, h éque do Tours,

. . II , 3 7; V, 1 4. etc : Paris, 1 668 .
 EPIS COPAL D IVI N ATI ON BY THE ID T
‘ ’
21

(
a bo u t t h e tw elfth cen t ur y ) t h e c us to m w as at the co nsecra tion o f ,

bishops to consult the sortes sanctorum thereby to learn the success

, ,

an d fa te of the episcop a te On the other han d we are to ld tha t t he sor

.
,

tes sa nctorumwere condem ned by the Co un cil o f Agde in 506 I n this .

case a ga in we are left to in q u ire in which in stan ce the in fallibili ty o f the

Church has failed Was it when she prohibited th at which was practised
.

by her grea tes t sain t and pa tron Au gustine o r in the twelfth cen tury , , ,

when it w as openly and with the sanction o f the sa me Church prac tised
by t he clergy fo r the benefit o f the bishop s elections ? Or must we still ’

believe th a t in both o f these con tra dic tory cases the Va tican was inspire d
by the direct spirit o f Go d ?
‘ ’

If a ny doubt tha t Gregory o f Tours approved o f a prac tice tha t pre

vails to this day more o r less even among strict Pro testa nts let them
, , ,

Le udast u s Earl o f Tou rs who was fo r ruinin g m

“
read this : , , e with

Qu een Fredego nde com i ng to Tours b ig with evil designs against m

, , e I ,

with drew to my ora tory un der a deep concern where I took the P salms , .

M y heart revived wi thin me when I cast m y ey es o n thi s of the

”
seven ty se ven th P salm H e ca used them to go o n with con fidence
‘
-
: ,

whilst the sea swallowed up their enemies Accordingly the co un t .

,

spoke n o t a word to m y p re j u d ice ; a n d l ea vin g To u r s t h a t ver y day ,

t he boa t in which he was sunk in a sto rm b u t his skill in swim

, ming ,

sa ved him .

The sainte d bishop sim

”
ply confesses here to havin g prac tised a b it of
sorcery . Every m esmerizer kno ws the power of will du ring a n i ntense

desi re bent on any pa rticular subject Whether in con sequence of cc .

incidence o r otherwise the opened verse su ggested to his m

, i nd revenge
by dro wning Passing the remain der o f the day in deep concern
.
,

a nd possessed by this all absorbing th ou gh t -

th e sa in t it m ay b e ,

un co nsc iously exercises his w ill o n the su bj ec t ; an d th us while im agin

ing in the acciden t the han d of Go d he sim ply beco mes a sorcerer exercia
,

in g h is m agne tic will which rea cts o n th e perso n fea re d ; a n d the co un t

barely esca pes with his life Were the acciden t decreed by Go d the
.

culp rit would ha ve been drown ed ; fo r a sim ple ba th could no t ha ve

altered his m alevolen t resolu tion agains t St Gregory ha d he been .

”
very in tent o n it .

Furthermore we find ana them as fulm i na ted a gainst this lottery o f

fa te at the council of Vannes which forbids all ecclesiastics un der p ain
, , ,

o f ex com munica tion to performth a t kin d of divinatio n o r to pry in to

, ,

fu turity by looking in to any book o r writing whatsoever

, , The sa m e , .

prohibi tion is pronoun ced at the cou ncils o f Agde in 506 o f Orlea ns in ,

5 1 1 o f Aux erre in 578 and fin ally a t the coun cil o f Aenha min 1 009 ;
, ,

the las t co n dem ning sorce rers witches divin ers su ch as occa sio ned
, , ,
32 ISI S UNVEI LED

dea th by magical Opera tions an d who prac tised fort une telling b y the
,
-

h oly book lo ts
- an d th e join t co m pla in t of the clergy against de Gar
la nde their bishop a t O rleans an d addressed to Po pe Ale xa n der II I
, , ,

conclu des in this m ann er : Le t your a po s to lical ha n ds pu t o n st rength

to strip naked th e iniquity o f this ma n tha t t he curse pro gnosticated on ,

the dg v of his consecra tion may overta ke him; fo r the go spels being
opened o n the alta r acco rdi ng to custo m the first words were : and the ,

yo u ng m a n lea ving h i
,s li nen clo th l
f fed r o m the m ,

Why then ro ast the la y magicians an d consulters of boo ks and ,

can onize th e ecclesias tics ? Simply beca use the medieval as well as the
modern phenomena man ifested thro ugh la ymen whether pro duced
, ,

thro ugh occult kn owledge o r h appenin g in depen den tly u pset t he clai m s

of bo th the Ca th olic an d Pm
,

tes ta n t C h urch es to di vine m irac les In .

the face o f reitera ted a n d un im peac hable evidence it became impo ssible
fo r th e form er to m a in ta in successft th e assert ion tha t seem ingly
miraculous man ifesta tions by the go od angels an d God s direct inter ‘ ’

v en tio n co uld b e prod uce d exclu sively by her ch o sen m inist ers and
holy saints N ei ther co uld the Pm
. tes tan t C hurch well m ai n ta in o n the

sam e gro un d tha t m irac les ha d en ded wi th the aposto lic ages For .
,

whe ther o f the same na ture o r no t the modern phenomena claim , ed

close kin ship with th e biblica l ones The m a gne tis ts an d hea lers o f o ur
.

cen tury ca m e in to direc t a n d open co m petitio n with the apo st les The .

Zo u ave Jac ob of France had ou trivaled the prophet Elij ah i n re calling

m
, ,

to life persons who were seem ingly dea d ; an d Alexis the som na bulist ,

men tioned by M r Wallace i n his work was by his lucidity putting

.
, , ,

to sh a m e a pos tles prophe ts an d th e S ibyls of o ld

, , Since the burning .

of the last witch the grea t Revo lu tion of France so ela bora tely prepared ,

by the lea gue of the secre t soc ieties an d th eir clever emissaries had ,

blown over E urope an d a wa kened terro r in the boso m of the clergy .

Like a destroyin g hurricane it had swept away in its course that b est
,

ally of the C h urch the Ro m an Ca tho li c aris tocracy

, A sure founds .

tion was no w la id fo r the righ t of in dividual o pinion The wo rld was .

freed fro mecclesias tica l tyran ny by openin g an unobs tructed pa th to

N apoleon th e G rea t w ho had given the dea th blow to the In quisi tion
, .

This grea t sla u gh ter house of the Chris tian C hurch

-
w here in she
bu tchered in the name of the Lamb all the sheep arbitrarily declared
scro fulous was in ruins an d she fo un d herself left to her o wn responsi
,

b ility an d reso urces .

35 M fm the
ate d m ofi gind m
docu en t in the Archivu d Orlu a nce ; also

m
m in Dem
.

and So rtilegiu
’
Sort es o aolo gia ; a nd Lettres de P eter de Blo is. Paris. 1 667
‘
see . .

36 M iracles a nd M odern S pi ri tualis , 5 ; D e Mirville :

6
?
.
.

l o
24 IS IS UN VEI LED

mockin g m nn ikins of Planchette would confess to the most dista nt

'

rela tio nship with the Sa ta nic m aj es ty o r accredit himwith the gover ,

no rship o f a sin gle inch of terri to ry The clergy felt the ir pres tige .

gr ow in g w ea ker e very d ay as th e y sa w th e pe ople imp a tie n tl

,y sha kin g
o ff in the bro a d dayligh t o f tru th th e dark veils with which they
, ,

had been blindfo lded fo r so many cen turies Then finally fortune . .

which previou sly had been o n their side in the long wage d conflict -

between theology an d sc ience deserted to their ad versary The help , .

o f the lat ter to the stu dy of the occult side o f n a ture was truly precio us

and tim ely a n d sc ience has un wi t tin gly wi dened the once narro w
,

pa th of the phenomena in to a broa d h igh way H ad no t this conflict .

the reu nio ns o The m

f the Chri stia ns o tive w hich had induced the apos tl e to confer
o n Li nus and Cletus successively the ep isco pa l cha rac ter, in ord er to render t hem
.

ble o f sharing the so lici tudes o f a church w hose ex te nt was to be witho u t lim its
na turally to a m ul tiplica tio n o f the places of m
.

ee ting The particular residence of Peter

was th ere fore fix ed a t Vim m
.

inal ; a nd there was es ta b lished tha t ysterio us Chair the

sym
,

bo l o f po wer and truth The a ugus t sea t whic h w as venerate d a t the Ostrian Ca t»
co m bs was no t ho w ever rem Pet er st ill visited this cr adle o f the Ro m
.

, o ved , . an Ch urch
and o ften. with o u t do u b t ex ercised his ho ly fu nct io ns there A seco nd Chair ex pre ssing
the sa m e m the firs t, was set up at Co md ia and it is this which has co e do wn m
, .
,

ys t ery as

to us thro ugh th e ages

N o w so far fro mit being
.

ble tha t there ever were two genuine chairs of this

°

kind the m a jo rit y o f critics o w that Peter never was at Ro m e at all ; t he reasons
m
,

are a ny and una nswerab le Perha ps we had bet ter begin b y po inti ng to t he works
.

o f Just in M artyr This t cha m i f C h i tianity writing in th e early part

a
.
p o n o r s

o f th e seco nd cen tury i n where he fix ed his abo de eager to get ho ld cf t he

m
,

least proo f in favo r o f the truth fo r which he sufi ered. see s perfectly unconscio us d

N either d oes a ny o ther writer o f any co nseq uence m entio n hi in co nnex io n with m
the C hurc h o f Ro m e, earlier than the d a ys o f Ire nae us, who set h im self to inven t
a new religio n dra wn fro the depths o f h is im m
agina tio n We refer the reader a nx ious
to learn m
.

o re to th e a ble w o rk o f M r George Reb er, entitled The Christ d Paul

’

The argum
. .

ents o f this a utho r are co ncl usive The ab o ve article in the Chro nique th e
m
.

A rts spea ks o f t he i ncrease o f the faithful to suc h a n ex te n t tha t Ostrian u cou ld no t

co ntai n the n um ber o f Christia ns N o w if Pe ter w as at Ro m e at all runs M r Rebar s
’

it m
.

argum
.

en t
— u s t ha ve b ee n bet w ee n th e y ears A n 64 a nd 69 ; for a t 64 he
was a t Ba b ylo n, fro m whence he wro te epis tles a nd letters to Ro m m
. .

e, and at so e
tim e b e t ween 64 a nd 68 (the reign o f N ero ) he either died a art yr or in his b ed. for m
m
Irenae us ma kes h i deliver the Ch urc h o f Ro me, together with Paul (who he m
p ersecu ted an d q uarre led wi th all his life) , in to th e hands o f Li n us w ho beca e bishop m
m
,

69 ( see Reber s Chris t of P a ul , p We will trea t o f the sub j ect ore fully in
'

3mpt
.

m
er i i i

”
me o f co mmo n sense
.

N o w we as k in th e naho w co uld the faithful o f Pet er s Churc h ’

i ncrease a t suc h a ra te, when N ero trapped a nd killed themlike so m m

,

a ny ice d
his reign ? H isto ry sho ws th e few C hrist ia ns fleei ng fro Ro e wherever the c m m
to a v o id th e perse cu tio n o f the em m m
,

pero r an d t he Chro ni que des A rts akes e in

crease a n d m
,
“
ultiply !
“
Ch rist. the art icle goes o n t o say, willed tha t t his visible
sign o f th e doctrina l au thorit y o f his vicar sho uld a lso ha ve its portio n o f i o rtality ; mm
o ne ca n fo llo w it fro m
age to age in th e do c u me nts o f th e Ro an Ch urc h
"
Tertullian m
fo rma lly attests its ex istence in his bo o k De prasser haerst , x x x v i Eager to learn
.

. . .

everyt h ing co ncerning so in teres tin g a su b j ec t, w e sho uld li ke to be sho wn w hen did
Christ W I LL anyt hing o f the kind ?
H o wever : Orna ents of ivory have been fitted m
 H ISTORY OF THE CHAI R OF PETER 25

cul mina te d in the k of time we migh t ha ve seen reprod uced o n

n ic ,

a min ia ture scale t he disgrac eful scenes of the episodes o f Sa le m

witc hcraft an d of the nuns of Lo u dun As it was the clergy were .

muzzled .

B u t if science has un inte n tionally helped the progress o f the oc

c ult p hen o m en a the la tter ha ve reciprocally a ided sc ience herself
, .

Un til the days when newly rein carna ted philosophy boldly claim -
ed

its place in the wo rld there h ad been b u t few sch olars who ha d un der
,

ta ken the difficult ta sk o f stu dying co mpag tive theology This sc ience .

occu pies a domain here tofore penetra ted b y few ex flo rers The neces .

sity which it in vo lved o f bein g well ac q u a inted wi th th e dea d lan gua ges

n a t urally lim i ted the n umber of s tu den ts r Besides there was less .

po pular need fo r it so lon g as people co uld n o t replace the Christian

orth odoxy by somethi n g more ta n gible I t is o ne of the most un

”
.

deniable fac ts of psycho lo gy tha t the a vera ge man can as little exist
,

o u t of a religio us ele m en t of so m e kin d as a fish o u t o f the wa ter , .

a vo ice stro n ge r th an the vo ice of m

“
The vo ice o f tru th , igh ty thu n
derin ga spea ks to the inner man in the nineteen th cen tury o f the
,

Chris tian era as it spoke in the corresponding cen tury B o I t is

, . .

a u se less a n d unprofi ta ble tas k to offer to hu m an ity t he choice between

a fu t ure life an d annihila tio n The only ch an ce th a t rem ains fo r th o se

.

frien ds o f human progress who seek to esta blish fo r the go od o f man

kin d a faith henceforth stripped en tirely o f su perstition an d dogma tic
,

fe tters is to address themin the words o f Jo shua

, Choose y o u this
day whomy e will serve ; whe ther the gods which your fathers se rved

to the fro nt an dback of the cha ir b ut o nly o n those parts repaired with acacia-woo d
Those w hich co ver the anel in fro n t are d ivided into three superimposed ro ws each
, .

p
ivo ry o n which are engrav ed vario us subj ects , am
,

co nta in ing six pla q ues o , o ng o th ers

Several o f the la q ues were wro ngly placed a nd seem
’
the Lab ors o f H erc ules ed

to ha ve been afi x ed to the cha ir at a t im e w en the re m p

.

a ins o f an tiq uity were e m lo yed

,

”
as o rna m ents witho u t m uch regard to fit ness This is the int The art i e w as
writ ten sim
. .
,

p ly as a c le v er a n sw er t o se v er al fac ts p u b lish ed u rin g th e p rese n t ce n

tu ry . Bo w er, in h is H is to ry of the Popes ( II p narrates tha t in th e year 1 662 w hile
, .
,

the Twelve Lab o rs o f H ercu les u nluckily appea red en

“
clea ning o ne o f the chairs
‘ ’

m
,

g r a v ed up o n i t af te r w hi c h t h e c ha ir w as r e o ved an d ano ther su b st itu ted B u t i n

1 79 5 when Bo na pa rte s tro o ps occu pied Ro m e, th e cha ir was aga in ex a m

.
,
’
ined This
tim e t here was fo und th e M o ha m medan co nfessio n o f fa ith, in Arab ic letters There
is no D eity b ut Allah, and M o ha mm
ed is his apo stle (See appendix to A ncient Sym.

bolic Warshi b y H M Westro pp and C Sta nilan d Wake ) I n this a pen dis Pro f
i
ls“ very j ustly re m We presume tha t t e Apo stle o f h
. . . . .

Alex ander v a arks as fo llo ws :

the C ircu m cisio n as Pa ul h is grea t rival styles h im w as never a t th e Im

, , , p er,ia l C it y ,

no r had a successo r there no t ev en in t he ghet to The Cha ir o f Peter therefo re

’

I ts sa nctity pro ceeded ho wever fro m the eso teric

.
, ,

is sacred rather tha n apo st o lical

religio n o f the fo rm er t im es o f Ro m
.
, ,

e The hiero phan t o f the M ysteries pro ba b ly cc

cupied it o n the day o f in i tia tio ns , when ex h ib it ing to the ca ndida tes the P etrom
.

( sto n e ta b le t co n ta in in g t h e la s t re v e la ti o n m ad e b y t h e hi ero ph a n t t o th e n eo p h y t e

for initiatio n)
 ”
as IS IS UNVEILED

”
tha t were o n the other side o f the flood o r the go ds of the Amo rites , ,

in whose la nd ye dwell ‘3
.

“
The scien ce of religion wrote Max M uller in 1 860
, is only ,

j ust beginning . D u ring the las t fifty yea rs t he au the n tic docu
ments of the most importa n t religions in the world have been recovered
in a m ost u nex pected and alm o st m i raculo us m a n ner We ha ve no w .

”
before u s the can on ical books o f B uddhis m; the Zend A eesta of Zo ro
as ter is no lon ger a sea led book ; a n d t he h y m n s of the Rig Veda -

ha ve re vea led a sta te o f religions an te rior to the first beginn ings of

th a t m yt h olo gy w hic h in Ho m e r a n d Hes iod st an ds befo re u s as a

mouldering ruin .

I n their insa tia ble desire to extend the dom ini on of blin d fai th the ,

early arc h itec ts o f C hris tian theolo gy h ad been forced to conceal as ,

much as it was po ssible the true sources of the same To th is end

, .

they are said to ha ve burned o r otherwise destroyed all th e original

man uscripts o n the Ka bala ma gic an d occul t sc iences u pon which they
, ,

co u ld lay their h a n ds They igno ran tly su pposed that the most danger
.

o u s writin gs o f th is class had perished with the las t Gn ostic ; b u t so m e

day they may d isc over their m is ta ke Other a u then tic a nd as im .

p o rta n t
docu men ts will perhaps rea ppea r in a most unexpecte d and almost
mirac ulo us ma nn er .

There are stra n ge tra ditions curren t in various pa rts of the East
on M oun t A thos an d in the Dese rt o f N itria fo r ins ta nce amo ng ,

”
38 Jo sh ua , x x iv , 15

”
. .

39 One o f the
. m os t su rprising fa cts t ha t ha ve co m
e u nder o ur o bservatio n, is th at
st uden ts o f pro fo und resea rch sho uld no t co uple the freq uen t recurrence of t hese
“
un
m
ex pected a nd al os t m iracu lo us m
disco veries o f i po rta n t do cu ents. at the ost m m
o ppo rt une mm o en ts m
with a pre edita ted design I s it so strange tha t the custo dians
om m
, .

o f Paga n lo re, seeing that t he pro per ent had arrived sho uld ca use the needed
docu en t, bo o k or re lic to fall as if b y accident m the righ t
m m
,

a n s way P Ge ologic !
’

su rveyo rs an d ex plorers even as co m m

,

pet en t as H u b o ldt and Tsch udi, have no t dis

co vered the h idde n m ines fro m
whic h the Peru vian I ncas d ug their t reasure , alt hough
the lat ter co nfesses th a t the presen t degenera te I ndia ns ha ve the sea et I n 1 839

”
.

Perring, the archaeo lo gis t , o ffere d the sheik o f an Ara b village t wo purses of go ld, if
-

he wo uld help hi m to disco ver the e ntra nce to the h idden pa ssage leading to t he
sep ulchral cha m bers in the N o rth Pyra id o f D ahsh ur m B ut tho ugh his en were m
m
.

o ut o f e m
p lo y en t a nd h alf t rved. the sheik
-s a
ro udly ref used to
“
sell the secrd d
the dead , m is ing to sho w it grat is , w hen ti me wo uld co e for it I s it than m
m h m m
.

i possib le t a t in so e o ther regio ns o f the ea rt h are guarded the re ains d th i

gl o rio us literature o f the t, whic h was the fru it o f its aj est ic ci vilisatio n ? W m
hat
is th ere so surprisin g in e idea ? Who kn o ws b u t tha t as the Chri stian Church has
unco nscio usly bego t ten free tho ugh t b y react io n a gainst her o wn cruelty , u n i ty,
and do g a t is m
m the pu b lic m ind m
a y b e glad to fo llo w the lead of the Orient - Ii ;
m m
,

a way y fro Jerusalemand to wards Ello ra ; a nd tha t then uc h

tha t is no w hid den ?
'

40 Chi ps fro m a Ger a n Works hop,

. m
I “
mitic M o no theism
’
, p 3 73 ;
. Se .
 WHAT WAS SAVED FROM THE BRUCHI ON 27

t
cer a in monks an d wi th learned Ra bbis in P lestine who pas their
, a , s

lives in com m nting u pon the Talmud They y th t no t all the

e . sa a

ro lls an d man usc ipts reported in histo ry to h ve been b u rned by

r , a

Caesar by the Christian mo b in 389 an d by the Ar b General Amru

, , , a ,

peri hed as it i commonly beli ved ; and the sto ry they tell i the
s s e s

followin g At t he time o f the con test f the th on in 5 1 B c between

: or r e, . .
,

Cleopa tra an d her bro the Diony ius Pt olemy the Bruchi n which r s , o ,

o t
c n a in e d over seven h un dred thousa nd rolls all bo un d in wood a nd ,

fi p f
re-
roo p a rch me n t w as u n d e rgo in g re
, p airs an d a g rea t n u mbe r ,

of t he o riginal ma nuscripts considere d amo ng the most precio u s an d

, ,

which were no t duplica ted were sto re d away in th e house of o ne of ,

the libra rians As the fire which cons umed the rest was b ut the result
.

of accide n t no precau tions had been ta ken a t the time B u t they

, .

ad d th a t se veral ho urs passed be tween the b urnin g o f the flee t se t ,

o n fire by C aesar s order an d the m om e n t when th e first b uil din gs

’
,

situ a ted near t he harbo r ca u gh t fire in th eir t urn ; an d th a t all th e

librarians aided by se veral h un dred sla ves a tta ched to the muse um
, ,

s uccee ded in sa vin g the m os t precio us o f the rolls So perfec t and .

so lid was th e fabric o f th e parch m en t th a t while in so me rolls the ,

inn er pages an d the wood bin ding were re duced to ashes of others -
,

t he parchm en t bin din g re ma in e d u nsc o rc h ed These particulars were .

all w ritten o u t in Greek La tin an d the C h ald aeo Syriac dialec t by

, ,
-
,

a learned you th n a m ed Theo das o ne of the sc ribes em ployed in the

,

museu m One of these man uscripts is alleged to b e preserved till

.

no w in a Gree k co n ven t ; an d th e perso n w ho n arra ted the tra di tion

to us had seen it himself H e said tha t many mo re will see it a n d
.

learn where to look fo r importa n t doc u m en ts when a certa in pro phecy

will b e fulfilled ; adding th at mo st of these wo rks co uld be fo u n d in

,

Ta ta ry an d In dia ‘1
The mon k sh owed us a copy o f the origina l which
.
, ,

of co urse we could read b u t poorly as we claim b u t little erudition

, ,

in the m a tter of dea d la n guages B u t w e were so partic ula rly s tru ck

.

by the vivid an d pic turesque tran sla tion o f the h o ly fa ther tha t w e ,

perfec tly remember so me curious paragraph s which ru n as far as

”
, ,

we can reca ll them as follo ws :

“
When the Q ueen of the Sun (Cleo
,

A f -tho u ht has m d f y h we can un derstan d wha t is m

41 . n a ter g a e u s a n c t a t ea nt b y
the fo llo wing sen tences of M oses of Chorene: The ancien t Asia tics, says he five

”
and especially the Hind us, the Persians and t he C ha ld
,

cent uries b efore o ur era aeans , ,

had in their possession a q uant ity of histo rical an d scien tific bo oks Thes
e wo rks
were partially b o rro wed, partially t ransla ted in the G reek la nguage, m
.

o st ly since the
m
Pto le ies had esta b lished the Alex andrian library and enco uraged the writers b y their
liberalities, so that the Greek la ngua ge b eca e the depo si t of all the sciences m
(H is to ry ( J A r en i m
a) Th ere fo re th e g rea t er part of th e litera tur e incl u d ed in
m
.

the volu es of the Alex andrian Library was due to India and her nex t
28 IS IS UN VEILED

pa tra) was brou gh t back to the half ruined city after the fire had -
,

devo ure d the Glory of the World; and when she saw the moun ta ins
o f books o r ro lls coverin g the half c o nsu m ed s teps of the estrada;
-

an d when sh e pe rce ived tha t t he inside w as go ne an d the in des truc t ible

covers alone rem ain ed she wept in rage an d fury

, an d c ursed the ,

meanness o f her fa thers who had grudged the cost of the real Perga mos
fo r the in side as well as the o u tside of the prec iou s ro Fu rther ,

o ur a u thor Theo das in d u lges in a joke at th e expense of the queen

, ,

fo r believing th a t nearly all the library was b urned ; when in fac t , ,

hun dreds an d th ousan ds of the choices t books were sa fely s to red in

his o wn house a nd those o f other scribes li bra rians stu den ts and , , ,

philosophers .

N 0 mo re do sun dry very learned CO pts sca ttered all over t he East
in Asia Mi nor E w t an d Pales tine believe in the total des truc tion
, ,

of the subseq uen t libraries Fo r insta nce they say tha t o u t of the
.

library of Attalu s III o f Pergam u s p resen te d by An tony to C le opa tra

, ,

no t a vo lum e w as destroyed A t th a t tim e accord in g to their as

.
,

se rtio ns , from the momen t th a t the Christians began to gain po wer

in Alexan dria a bo u t th e en d of the fo urth cen t ury a n d An a to lius ,

B isho p o f Lao d icea began to insult the na tional go ds th e Pagan

, ,
.

philosophers and lea rned theurgists ado pted effec tive measu res to pre
se rve the re posi to ries o f their sacred learning Theophilu s a bishop .
, ,

w h o left behin d himt he rep u ta tion o f a m ost rasca lly an d mercenary

villa in w as acc used b y o ne n a med An tonin u s a fa mou s theurgist
, ,

an d em inen t sc hola r o f occ ult sc ience o f Alexa n dria with bribing the ,

sla ves o f the Sera pion to stea l books wh ich he sold to fo reigners a t

g rea t p rice s .H is to ry te lls u s h o w Th eop hilu s h a d t h e b es t of the

philosophers in A D 389 ; an d ho w his successo r and nephew the
, . .
,

n o less in fam o u s Cyril b u tchere d Hypa tia Suidas gives us som

, e .

deta ils abou t An tonin us whom he calls An toniu s an d his eloq uen t
, ,

frien d Olympus the defen der o f t he Serapio n B u t history is far

, .

frombein g co mple te in the miserable re mn an ts o f books which cro ssing , ,

so m a ny a ges h ave reac hed o ur o wn learn ed cen tury ; it fails to give

,

the fac ts rela tin g to t he first fiv e ce n turies of C hris tiani ty which are
preserved in the n u mero us traditio ns curren t in the Eas t Unauthen ti .

ca ted as these m ay a ppea r there is un q uestio nably in the heap of

,

ch aff m u ch goo d grain Tha t these traditions are no t oft en er co m

.

munica ted to Europea ns is no t strange when we consider ho w apt ,

o ur tra velers are t o ren der them se lves an ta go ni stic to the na tives

by their skeptica l bea rin g and occasio nally dogmatic in tolerance , , .

Wh en exceptio nal men like so me archaeolo gists who knew ho w to ,

win the co nfidence an d e ven frie n dsh ip o f certa in Arabs are favore d ,
 THE HI D D EN LIBRARY AT I SHM ONI A 29

with precious documents it is decla red simply a coincidence

, An d .
’

ye t th ere are wi des p rea d tra di ti o n s o f t h e e xis ten ce of ce rta in su b

terranean an d immense galleries in the neighborhood o f I shmo nia ,

the pe trified City in which are s to red n um berless manuscripts an d

‘ ’
,

ro lls Fo r no amoun t of m
. oney wo uld the Arabs go nea r it At .

nigh t the y say fro m the crevices of the desola te ruins sunk deep
, , ,

in t he un wa tere d san ds o f the dese rt strea m the rays fro m li gh ts ,

carried to a nd fro in t he galleries by no hu m a n hands The Afrits .

stu dy t he litera ture o f the an tedilu vian a ges accordin g to their belief , ,

an d th e Jin n lea rn fro m the m agic ro lls the lesso n o f the followin g

”
day .

The E ncyclo paedia B ritannica [earlier editions] , in its article o n

Alexan dria , says : When th e temple o f Serapis was demolished
the va lua b le library w as pilla ged o r des troyed ; an d twenty years after
wards th e empty shelves excited the regret e tc B u t it does .

no t st a te t he su bseq uen t fa te of the pillaged books .

In ri valry of th e fierce M ary wo rshipers o f the fo urth

t y th e
-
cen ur ,

mo dern clerica l persec u to rs o f liberalis m and heresy would willingly

”
sh u t u p all the here tics an d th eir books in so m e m odern Serapion an d
burn th em alive “ The ca u se of this ha tre d is na tural
. M odern re .

search has m
“
o re th a n ever un ve iled the sec re t I s n o t the worship .

“
o f sa in ts an d an gels n o w said B ishop N ewto n , years a go in all , ,

respec ts t he sa m e th a t th e worsh ip of de m o n s w as in form er ti m es ?

The n am e only is differe n t the thin g is iden tically the sa m

, e t he
very sa me temples the very sa me images which were o nce co nsecra ted
, ,

to Ju piter an d the other demons are no w co nsecra ted to the Virgin ,

M a ry an d the other sain ts alm ost th e who le of Paganismis co n

verted an d applied to P opery .

Why no t be impa rt ial an d ad d tha t a good portion o f it was adopted

by Pro tes tan t religio ns also ?
E ven the apostolic designa tio n P eter is fro m t he M ysteries Th e
m
.

hieroph an t o r supreme pon tiff bo re the C haldaea n title

“
e peter o r in , ,

The na m es P ta h Peth r the re sidence o f B a lsa m Pa tara

’
terpre ter

”
. , , , ,

a n d Pa tras the na m es of oracle c ities pateres o r pa teras an d perh ap s

,
-
, , ,

42 . m
Bo na y, in La bibliothéque d A lec a ndrie, says th irty years later
’

y wi tness, says t wen ty years

“
Presb yter P Or o sius ,
. wh o was a n e e-

p g
a an os vi 1 5, p

”
.
, ,

43 Since the a bo ve was written, the spirit here described has b een b ea u tift ex e m
m
.

lifie d a t Barc elo na , Spain, where the B ish o p Fu ry Joac hi in vite d the lo cal sp iritual
p
ists to witness a fo r al b urni n m
of sp iritua lis tic bo o ks We fin d the accoun t in a
g
.

ca lled T he R evela tio n, pub ished at Al ican te, which se nsibly adds tha t the ~
per per
m
or ance was
“
a caricat ure of the em m
o rab le epoch of t he In quisitio n .
 ”
30 ISIS UNVEI LE D

Bu ddha all come fromthe same ro ot Jesu s says : Upon this petra l
,
“ .

will build my Church and the gates [o r rulers] of Hades shall no t prevail
,

against it ; m ean in g by petra th e roc k te m ple and meta ph orically the -

, ,

C hristia n M ysteries ; the adversaries to which were the o ld mystery go ds -

o f the un derworld w ho were wo rshiped in the rites of Isis Ado nis

, , ,

Aty s Sa b azius D iony sus and the E leusinia N o apostle Pe ter w as em

, , , .

a t Ro m e ; b u t the Pope seizin g the scepter o f the P antifer M at i m

, us the ,

keys o f Jan us an d Cybele and a dornin g his Christian head with the cap ,

of the M agna M ater copied from tha t o f the tiara o f B rahmdtm

, a the ,

Su preme Pon tiff of the I nitia tes of o ld In dia beca me the successor of ,

the Pagan high p ries t the real Pe ter Ro m a o r P etrom a

“ -
, , .

The Ro m a n C a tholic C hurc h h as t w o far m igh tier en em ies th a n the

‘
heretics an d the infidels a nd these are Co mpara tive My th ology
When such em

”
an d Philo lo gy in en t divin es as the Rev James Free
. .

ma n Cla rke go so much o u t o f their way to pro ve to their rea ders that
Critica l Theo logy fromthe time of Origen and Jero me an d the

Con troversial Theology during fifteen cen tu ries has no t consiste d i n ,

acceptin g o n a u tho rity the o pi nion s of o ther people b u t has sh own , ,

o n the co n trary m uch acu te an d co m prehensive reasonin g we ca n b ut

, ,

regre t th a t so m u ch sch olarship sho uld h a ve been was ted i n a tte m pting
to prove tha t wh ich a fair survey o f the history of theology u psets at
e very s te p I n t hese con troversies an d critica l trea tm
. en t of the doc

trines of the Churc h o ne can certa inly find any amoun t of ac u te rea “

so ni ng b u t far more o f a still ac u ter sophistry

, .

Re cen tly th e mass o f cumula tive e vidence has been re en forced to an -

exten t whi ch lea ves li ttle if a ny roo mfo r f urther con tro versy , A co n
, .

elusive o pin ion is furnished by to o m a ny sch ola rs to do ubt t he fac t that

In dia w as the al m a m ater no t o n ly o f t he civiliza tion arts an d sc iences

, , , ,

b u t also o f all t he grea t religio ns o f an tiquity Ju dais m and hence ,

Christia nity in clu ded Herder places the crad le of humani ty in I ndia
, .
,

and sh o ws M o ses as a cle ver a n d rela tive ly m odern co m piler of the ancient
Brahma nica l tra ditions : The river which encircles the coun try ( In dia)

”
is the sac red Gan ges which all Asia considers as the pa radisaical riva
,
'
.

There also is the b iblical G ih o n which is none else b u t the I ndus

, , , .

The Arabs ca ll it so un to this day an d the n a m es o f the co un tries watered,

by it are y et existing amon g t he H in dus Jaco llio t claim s t o ha ve .

tra nslate d every a ncient palmlea f man uscript which he ha d the fo rtune -

44
. E Po co cke gives the va ria tio ns o f the na e Buddha as : Bud ha, Buddha
. m ’
.

Boo ddha, Bo a tta, Po ut, Pe te, Pto , Pte , Ph the Ph tha, Phut etc , etc See I ndia in , . . .

Greece, appe nd ix , p 39 7
m
. .

45 The tiara o f the Po pe is also a perfect co py o f tha t o f the D alai-La a of Tibet

'

m
. .

U 46 See h is I dx a eschichk der M e

. chhd t b k X. ch 6. . .

in A usgewahlte Werke, p 82 8 : 1 844

.

. .
32 ISIS UN VE ILED

I s this clear eno u gh ? An d will the C a tholics still m ain tain th a t it w as

the Brahm an as o f 4000 years a go w ho copied the ritu al, sym bols and
dress o f th e Ro man Po nt ifi s ? We should no t feel 1 n the least surprised .

Witho u t goin g very far bac k in to an tiquity fo r comparisons, if we

only sto p at the fo urth and fifth cen turies o f o ur era , an d con tras t the
so ca lled
-
hea thenism of t he third Neo Pla to nic Eclec tic Scho ol with
-

the growin g C hris tian ity the resu lt m

, ay no t b e fa vora ble to th e la tte r .

m
E ven a t th a t early perio d , when the new religion had h ardly ou tlin ed its
co n tra dic to ry do gm as ; when the cha m on a o f the bloo dth irsty Cyril

knew no t themselves whe ther M ary w as to beco me the M other of Go d, ’

o r ran k as a dem
‘
on in compa ny with Isis ; when the me ory of the m
meek and lo wly Jesus still lingered lo vingly in every Christian heart,
an d his words o f m erc y a nd ch arity still vibra te d in the a ir, e ven then

the C hris tian s were ou tdo in g the Pagans in every kin d of fero c i ty and
religio u s in to lerance .

An d if we look still farther bac k , an d see k fo r exa m p of t rue

Christis m , in a ges wh en B u ddh ism had hardly superse ded B rahmani s in m
India, an d the n ame of Jesus w as o nly to be pro no u nced three cen turies
la ter wha t do we fin d ? Wh ich o f the ho ly pillars of the C h u rch has ever
,

eleva ted him se lf to the le vel o f religio us to lera nce an d noble si m plicity
of charac te r of so me of the hea then ? Co mpare fo r in stance th e Hin du
Aso ka , w ho lived 300 B c , a nd t he C artha gin ia n S t Au gus tin e, who
. . .

flourished th ree cen turies afte r C hrist Acco rdin g to M ax M uller, this is
.

what is fo un d engra ved o n the roc ks o f Girn ar, Dhau li , an d Kapurdigiri :

”
“
Piy adasi, the king belo ved of the gods , desires tha t t he ascetics of
all creeds m igh t reside in all places All these ascetics profess alike the
.

co m mand which people sho uld exerc ise o ver themselves, an d the purity
of the soul B ut peo ple have diflerent opi nio ns a nd diflerent i nclina
' '

tio ns .
49.

An d here is wha t Augus tine wrote after h is baptism Won drous

depth of t hy words ! who se su rface , behold ! is before us , in viting to
little ones ; yet a re they a won dro us depth 0 y G
, o m
d , a wo n d ro us
depth ! It is a wful to look therein ; an awfulness of honor, an d a
tre m bling o f love The ene mies [rea d Pagans] thereo f I hate vehement
.

ly ; Oh that tho u wouldst slay the m

with thy two -edged sword , that
they migh t no longer b e enemies to it ; fo r so do I love to have the m
sla in
5°
.

Wo nderful spirit o f Christian ity ; and tha t fro m a M anichaean

con verted to the religio n o f o n e w ho e ven o n his cross p rayed fo r his

enem i es !

49 a Chi pa
.
,s etc . I p 2 53
, , . . 50 Augustine : Confessions bk XII
.
, .

q uo te d b y Pro f.D raper i n Co nflict bet ween Rel igio n a nd S cience, ch.ii, pp 60 -6 1
. .
 THE AN C IE NT OF D AYS 33

Who t he ene mies Lo rd were , accordin g to the C hristians

of t he
‘
,

is no t diflic ult to surm ise ; th e few in side the Augustinian fold were
His new children an d fa vorites who had su ppla n ted in H is affec tions
,

the so ns of Israel, H is cho se n people

‘
The res t of an kin d we re
.
’
m
His na tural foes The teem . in g m ul tit u des o f hea the n do mwere proper

food fo r the fla mes of hell ; the handful within the C hurch commu nio n ,

heirs of sa lva tion

‘ ’
.

B u t if such a proscriptive policy w as j u s t an d its enfo rce m en t w as ,

swee t sa vo r in the n os trils o f th e Lo rd w hy no t sc orn also the Pagan

‘ ’ ’

rites a n d p hilosophy ? Why draw so deeply fro mthe wells o f wisdo m ,

du g and filled u p to brimby the sa m e hea the n ? Or did t he fa thers in ,

their desire to imita te the cho se n people whose time worn shoes they -

were tryin g to fit u pon the ir fee t, con templa te the t e e nac tion o f the -

spo lia tio n sce ne of the Ex odus?

-
D id they propose in fleein g fro m ,

hea then do mas the Jews did fro mEgy pt to ca rry o ff the valua bles of ,
.

its religio us allegories , as the ch osen ones did the gold a nd silver
‘

m
orna ents ?
I t certa inly does seemas if the e ven ts o f the first cen turies o f C hris
tiani ty were b u t the reflex io n of the im a ges thro wn u po n t he m irro r o f
the fu ture a t the tim e o f the Exo d u s D urin g the s to rmy days o f I renae
.

us , the Pla to nic philosophy , wi th its m ystical submersio n in to Deity , w as

no t so ob n oxio us after a ll to the new d oc trine as to pre ve n t the C h ris tians
fro mhelpin g themselves to its abstruse meta physics in every way an d
manner Allying themselves wi th the asce tical therapeutae fo refa thers
.

an d m odels of the Christian mo nks an d hermits it w as in Alex an dria ,

let it b e remem bered , tha t they laid the firs t fo u n dation s o f the purely
Pla tonic trini ta rian doc trine I t beca me the Pla to Philo nean doc trine

”
-
.

la ter, an d such as w e fin d it no w Pla to considered the divin e n ature

.

un der the three fold m

”
-
o difi ca tio n of t he Fi rst Ca us e t he re as o n o r Lo gos , ,

an d th e so ul o r spirit o f t he un i verse The t hree archica l o r o riginal

.

prin ciples, says Gib b o n In “

were represen ted in the Pla to nic systemas
,

thre e go ds, u nited with eac h other by a mys terio us an d inefi ab le genera
tion . Blending this tran scen den tal idea wi th the mo re hyposta tic
figure of the Lo gos o f Philo whose doc trine w as th at of the oldest
K aba la, and who viewed M
Ki n g M essiah , as the m e ta tro n , o r th e
a ngel of the Lo rd , th e Legat us descen ded in flesh , b u t n o t the A ncien t of
’

m
D ays Hi self the C hris tians clo thed Jesus, the so n o f M ary , with this
myt hical represen ta tion of the M edi a to r fo r the fa llen race o f Adam .

Un der this unexpec ted garb his person ality w as all b u t lo st I n the m od .

e rn Jes us of the C hristia n C h u rch we fin d the ideal o f t h e im a gin a tive

51 Decl i ne and Fall of the Ro a n E m re, ch m °

xx i
mm m g
. . .

52 . Zohar , Co ent o n Ge , x ] , 1 0 ; K abba

. denud q I , p 52 8
. .
34 ISIS UN VEILED

Irenae us dept of the Essenes the o bscure refo rmer fro mGalilee
, no t t he a , .

We see h imun der the disfigured Pla to Philo nea n mas k no t as when the -
,

disciples heard himo n the mo un t .

So far then the hea then philo so phy had helped the min the buildin g
of the principal do gma B ut when t he theurgists o f t he third N eo .

Pla to ni c sc hool deprived o f their a ncien t M yste ries strove to blen d the
, ,

doc trines o f Pla to with tho se o f Aristotle and by co mbinin g th e two ,

philo sophies added to the ir theo sophy the primeval doctrines o f the
Orien ta l K ab ala then t he C h ristia ns fro m rivals beca me persec u to rs
, .

Once th at the m e ta physical allego rie s o f Pla to we re bein g prepa re d to b e

disc ussed in pu blic in the fo rm o f Grecian dialec tics all the ela borate ,

sy ste mo f the C hristia n trinity wo uld b e unra veled a n d t he divine pres

tige co mpletely upse t The eclec tic sc hool re versing t he order had
.
, ,

a do p ted the in d u c tive m etho d ; an d this m e thod beca m e its dea th knell -
.

Of all thin gs o n earth lo gic a n d reaso n able explan a tio n s were t he most
,

ha teful to the ne w religio n o f mystery ; fo r they threa tened to un veil the

whole groun dwo rk o f the trinita rian conception ; to apprise the multi
tude o f t he doctrine o f e mana tio ns an d thus destroy the unity of the ,

who le It could no t be permi tted a n d it was no t Histo ry records the

.
, .

Christ like m -
ea n s tha t were reso rted to .

The universa l doc trine o f ema na tio n s ado pted fro mtim e imme morial ,

by the grea test sc hools which ta ught the ka balistic Alexan dria n and , ,

Orien tal philoso phers gives the key to tha t pa nic am , o n g the C hrist ian

fa thers Tha t spirit o f Jes u itism a nd clerica l craft which pro mpted
.
,

Parkhurst many cen turies later to suppress in his H ebrew Lex iw n the
, ,

true mea n ing o f the first wo rd o f Genesis origina ted 1 1) th ose days o f ,

war aga in st the exp irin g Neo Pla to m c a n d ec lec t ic sc h ool -

The fa thers .

ha d dec ided to pervert t he mea ni ng o f the word da im on

“ an d they ,

d rea ded abo ve all to ha ve the eso teric an d true mea ning of the wo rd
Ro s it un v eiled to the multitu des ; fo r if on ce the true sense of this
se n ten ce a s well as tha t o f the Hebre w wo rd oedt ( tra nsla ted in the
,

Septu a gin t angels while it means

‘

,
’
were un derstoo d
righ tly the m ystery o f the C hristia n trinity would have cru mbled carry
, ,

in g in its do wn fall the new religio n in to the sa m e hea p o f ru ins wi th the

an c ien t M yste ries This is t he tru e reaso n why dialec ticia ns as well as
.
,

Aris to tle him self the pry in g philo so pher were ever obnoxiou s to
‘ ’
, ,

Chris tian theo lo gy Even Luther while o n his wo rk o f refo rm feeling

.
, ,

the gro un d insec u re un der h is fee t n o twiths ta n din g th a t the dogm as had
,

been red uced by himto their simplest express io n gave full ven t to his ,

53 The beings w hic h the philoso phers o f o ther peo ples d is tinguish b y the nam e
dae mo ns M oses na m D e gigant 5 2 ; De m
.

‘
sa ys Philo J udae us — undo 5
’

, es 3 .
, , .

54 Deutero no m “
y x x x iii, 2 . 11 l is transla ted fiery la w in the English Bible
‘ ’
. , .
 ORPHEAN VIEWS OF AETHE R 35

fear a nd ha tred o f Aristo tle The a m o un t of ab use he hea pe d u po n the

.

memo ry o f the grea t lo gician ca n o nly be equaled never surpassed

by the Pope s ana the mas an d invectives against the liberals o f the I talian
’

g o v e rn m e n t C
. o ll ec te d th ey m i gh t eas ily, fi ll a co py o f a n ew en

cyc lo pa edia with m odels fo r mo n kish dia tribes .

Of cou rse the C hristian clergy ca n n ever beco me rec o nc iled to a do c

trin e base d o n the applica tion o f strict lo gic to disc ursive reas onin g .

The n u m be r o f tho se w ho ha ve aban do ned theo lo gy o n th is acco un t has

ne ver been m ade kn o wn They ha ve asked q uestio ns an d been fo rbidden
.

to as k the m; hence separa tio n disgust an d o ften a despairin g plu nge

, , ,

into t he a by ss o f a theism The Orphea n views o f Aether as chief m ediu m

”
.

between Go d and crea te d ma tter were likewise deno un ced The Orphic

”
.

Ae ther rec alled too vi vidly the A rchaeus the So ul o f the Wo rld an d , ,

the la tter w as in its m e taphy sical sen se as c losely re la ted to the e m an a

tio ns, bein g the first manifesta tio n Sephira o r D iv ine Ligh t An d , .

when co ul d the latter b e mo re feared than at tha t c ritical mo men t ?

Origen Clem“
, ens Alexa n drin u s
“ C halcidius M e tho dius an d M a i “8
, , ,

mo nides o n the au tho rity o f the Targu mo f Jerusalem, the o rtho do x and
,

g r ea te s t a u t h o rity o f t h e J e w s held tha t t he firs t t w o wo rds in t he bo o k

,

mea n Wisdom o r the P ri nciple; an d tha t the

”
o f Genes is B B A SI T -
,

idea of th ese wo rds m i n the begi nni ng w as never held b u t

‘
ea nin g

by t he pro fane w ho were n o t allo wed to pene tra te a ny deeper in to the

,

esoteric se n se o f the se n tence Bea uso b re a n d after h imGo dfrey Hig

00
.
,

g in s h
, a ve d e m o n s tra ted t he fac t
“
A ll thi n gs sa y s t he K a b a
. la
“
are , ,

derived fro mo ne grea t Principle an d this principle is the u n known an d ,

i nvisible G o d Fro m H im a su bsta n tial po wer immedia tely procee d s

.
,

wh ich is th e i m age of God an d t he so urce o f a ll su b se quen t em

, an a tio ns .

This seco n d princ iple sends fo rth by the energy (o r will an d force) of ,

em ana tio n o ther n a tu res , wh ic h are m

, o re o r less perfec t acco rdi n g to ,

the ir differe n t degrees o f dista nce in the sca le o f emana tio n fro m the
First So urce o f existe nce an d which constitu te differe n t worlds o r o rders
,

of being all unite d to the eterna l power fro m which they pro cee d
, .

M atter is nothing more tha n the m o st rem o te ej ect of the em a nati ve en ergy

o f th e De ity The ma terial world receives its fo rmfro mthe imm

. ed ia te
“
agenc y of powers fa r benea th the First So urce o f Be in g Bea u
1
.

so bre after cit in g St Au gus tin e the M anichae a n sa y s :

, . An d if by Ros it ,

we un dersta nd the active P rinciple o f the c rea tio n in stea d o f its begi nni ng , ,

in suc h a case we will clearly perce ive th a t M o ses ne ve r mean t to say

55 De p
.

i
ne . S trom VI , v
III , v . 57 Co i n Ti aeu
56 . . . . mm . m m .

58 Frag" Thin gs C rea ted . 5 8, ap Pho tius, B ibliotheca

‘ ’
. . .

59 M oreh N ebdlehi . II, 30 ; p 2 74

. m 60 H ist crit da M a nichéis e, etc
. . . . . m .

I , p 2 9 1 (Iiv VI , i) 6 1 A Rees : Cyclo paedia, art Kabala

‘
. . . . . . .
36 IS IS UN VE ILED

th a t hea ven an d ea r th were the firs t Go d H e o nly sa id that

wo rks of .

Go d crea ted hea v en an d ea rth th rough th e P rinciple who is H is So n It , .

”
is n o t the ti m e he po in ts t o b u t t o the im , media te a u tho r o f the crea tio n .

A nge ls acco rding to Augustin e , were crea ted before the firm
, am en t and ,

acco rdin g t o t he eso te ric in te rpreta tio n , the hea v e n a n d earth were cre

a ted afte r tha t e v o lv in g fro m t he second Principle o r the Lo go s

, the

”
crea tive De ity
“
The wo rd pri ncipe sa ys Bea uso b re q uo ting A u gus “ 2
.
, ,

tine ,
“ “
does n o t mea n tha t the hea ven an d earth were crea te d before
a n yth in g else fo r t o begin wi th , th e a ngels were c rea ted befo re tha t ; b ut
, ,

th a t Go d d id e verythin g thro u gh H is Wisdo m which is H is Verbum and , ,

which the C hristia n Bible n amed the B egi nni ng th us ado pting the ex o ,

teric m ean in g o f t h e wo rd a ba n do ned t o the m u ltitu des The K ab a la .

t he Orien ta l as well as the Jewish sho ws th a t a n u m ber o f ema natio ns

( t h e Je w i sh S e p h iro t h ) iss u e d fro m t h e F i rst P r in c ip le th e c h ief of w hich ,

w as Wisdom This Wisdo m is t he Lo gos o f Philo an d M ich ae l, the

.
,

ch ief o f t he G n o stic Eo ns ; it is the Orm azd o f t he Persia n s ; M i nerva ,

g odd e ss o f w i sd o m o f t h e, G ree k s w h o e m a,n a te d f ro m t h e h ea d of

Ju pite r ; an d the secon d Perso n o f t he Christian Trini ty The early .

Fa thers o f the C h urch ha d n o t much call to exert their im a gin a tion ;

they fo un d a rea dy ma de doc trin e tha t ha d existed in e very theo gony for
-

tho usan ds o f years befo re the Christian era Their trinity is b u t the trio .

o f Seph iro th the firs t th ree ka ba lis tic lights o f wh ich M oses N ach m
, a nides
“
sa y s tha t
, they ha ve n ever been seen by a ny on e; th ere is no t an y defect
in the m n o r an y disu nio n The firs t e te rna l n u mber is t he Fat her o r

”
.
, ,

the C haldae a n prim e va l in visible a n d in co m

, prehensible cha os o ut of ,

which proceeded the I ntelligible o ne the Egyptian P tah, o r the

P rinc iple of Light n o t t he ligh t itse lf a n d th e Prin ci ple of Life,
,

tho u gh himself no life The Wis do mby which the Fa ther crea te d the
.

hea vens is th e S on o r the ka ba lis tic an dro gy no u s A da m K adm

, on .

The So n is a t o n ce the m ale Rd o r Ligh t o f Wisdo m Pru den ce o r I ntel

, ,

ligence Sephira the fe m

, , ale part o f Him se lf ; whi le fro mthis du al bein
g
proceeds the third e mana tio n the Binah o r Rea so n the seco n d I n telli
, ,

g e n ce t h e H o ly G h o s t o f t h e C h r is ti a n s T h e re fo r.e s t ric tl y sp e a ki n g
there is a T ETR A K TY S o r qu a te rn ary co n sistin g o f the Unin te lligible ,

First m o na d a n d its trip le em a na tio n which pro perly co ns titu tes o ur

,

Trin ity .

H o w the n a vo id pe rce ivin g a t o nce tha t ha d no t the Christia n s pur

p o se ly d i s fi gu r e d in t h e ir in te r p re ta t io n a n d t r an sla t i o n t h e M o saic

Genesis to fit their o wn vie ws their religio n , with its prese n t dog as ,

, m
wo uld ha ve bee n impo ssible ? The wo rd B asit o n ce ta u gh t in its true ,

sense o f the P ri nc iple a n d n o t t he B egi n n i ng an d the an a them , a tize d doc

63 . The City o f God XL x x x u. .

 THE FIRST EM AN ATION OF AI N -SOPH 37

trine of e mana tio ns accepted the po sitio n o f the secon d trinita rian per
,

sc unge beco m es u n tena ble Fo r if t he a n gels are the fi rst divin e eman a
.

tio ns fro mthe Divine Substa nce an d were in existe nce before the Seco n d ,

Prin ciple then the an thro po mo rphized S on is a t best an e ma na tio n like

,

themse lves an d ca nno t b e Go d hypo statically any mo re tha n o ur visible

,

works a re o urse lves Tha t these meta physica l subtle ties ne ver en tere d
.

in to the hea d o f t he ho nest m in de d sincere Pa ul is e vi den t ; as it is fur

-
, ,

therm o re e viden t th a t like a ll learned Jews he w as well ac q u ain ted wi th

,

the doc trine o f em an a tio n s an d n e v er th o u gh t o f co rru ptin g it How .

ca n a ny o n e im a gin e th a t Pa ul iden tified t he S on wi th t he Father when ,

he te lls u s tha t Go d m
“
ade Jes us a li ttle lo wer th an t he an gels (H eb r ew s ,

”
ii 9 ) an d a li ttle higher th an M o ses !
“
, Fo r this MA N w as co un ted wo rthy
of m ore glory than M o ses (H ebrews iii Of wha t o r ho w many
, ,

forge ries in te rpola ted la ter in the A cts the Fa thers are guilty we
, , ,

kn ow no t ; b u t tha t Pa ul never co ns idered Christ mo re than a ma n

“
full of the Spirit of Go d is b u t to o e viden t : I n the a rch was the
Lo gos an d the Logo s w as ad na te to the Th eo s
, .

Wisdom the first e ma na tion of Ain So ph ; the Pro to go no s the H y

O

-
, ,

p o s tas is ; t he A d a m K a d m o n of t he K a b a li s t ; t h e B ra h m a of th e B in d fl ;
“
the Lo gos of Pla to ; a n d the B eginni ng o f S t Jo h n a re all the Ra s it

mm
.
,

v of the B oo k of Genesis If righ tly in te rpre ted it o verturns as we

, .
,

ha v e rem arked the who le ela bo ra te sy ste m of C hris tian theo lo gy fo r

, ,

it pro ves th a t behin d the creative Deity there w as a H I GH ER go d a ,

planner an architec t ; and tha t the fo rmer was b u t H is execu tive agen t
,

a si m ple PO W ER !
They [ the Chris tia ns] persec u ted the Gno stics murdere d the Philo ,

so p hers an d b urne d t h e K aba lists a n d t he M as o ns ; a n d when th e day o f

,

the grea t recko nin g arrives an d the ligh t shines in darkness wh a t will
, ,

they ha ve to offer in the place o f the depa rted exp ire d religio n ? What ,

will they a nswer these prete nded mo no theists these wo rsh ipers and
, ,

”
p s eu do se rv a
-
n ts of t h e o n e liv i n g G o d t o t h e ir C r ea to r ? , H o w w ill th ey

”
acc oun t fo r this lon g persec u tio n o f tho se w h o were t he true fo llo wers o f

t he gran d M egalisto r the su pre m e grea t m

, as te r o f th e Ro sic ruc ian s th e ,

FI R ST of masons ? “
Fo r he is th e B uilder an d Arch ite c t o f the Te mple
of the u niverse ; H e is the Verbu mS apienti .

E very o ne kn o ws wro te the grea t M ani ch ae a n o f the third cen

,
“
tury Fa ustus tha t the e va ngels were writte n neither by Jesu s C hrist
, , ,

64 m
The alto gether ystic co lo ring o f Chris tia ni ty har o nized with the Essene rules m
m
.

o f life and o pinio ns, and it is no t i pro ba b le t ha t J es us a nd J o h n th e Ba tis t were ia

itia ted in to the Essene M ysteries, t o which Christia nity m ay be in deb fo r any a m
m
for of ex pressio n ; as indeed the co mm
u nity o f Therape uta e an o ffspring o f the Essene ,

o rder, so o n belo nged who lly to Chris tia nity (I M Jost : The I sraelite I ndw d, I. 4 1 1
. .

q uo ted b y t he au t ho r o f S od , t he S on of the M a n, p .
 IS IS UN VEILED

”
no r his apo stles , b u t lo ng afte r the ir tim e by so m e un kn own perso ns who , ,

j u dgin g well th at they wo uld hardly b e believed when tellin g of thi ngs
they had no t seen the mselves hea ded their narra tiv es with the na mes of

”
,

t he a pos tles o r o f disc iples con te m poraneo us wi th the la tte r .

Co mmen tin g upon the subj ec t, A Franck the lea rned Hebrew .
,

scho lar o f the I ns tit u te a n d tra n sla to r of the K a bala exp resse s th e sa m e ,
“ “
idea . Are w e no t au tho rized , he as ks , to vie w the K a bala as a
precio u s re mnan t o f religious philo so phy o f the Orien t which trans

”
, ,

ported in to Alexan dria , go t mixed wi th t he doctrine o f Pla to , an d u nder

the u su rped n a m e o f D io ny sius t he Areo pa gite bisho p o f A thens, co n ,

verted a n d co nsecra ted by St Pa ul , was th u s e na bled to pe ne tra te into

.

the m ysticism of the med ieval a ges ?

Sa y s Jaco llio t Wha t is then th is religio u s philo sophy of t he Orien t,
which has pene tra ted in to the mystic sy mbo lismof C hristian ity ? We an

”
swe r : Th is p h ilo so phy t he tra ces o f w h ic h w e fin d a m
, o n g th e M a gia ns,

the C ha ldaea n s the E gy ptia n s the Hebre w ka balists a n d the C hris

, ,

tia ns , is no ne o ther th an tha t o f the Hin di! Brahmana s , the sect aria ns o f
the pitris o r the spirits o f t he in vi sible wo rlds which surro un d us
,
‘7
.

B u t if the G nostics were destro yed , the Gnos is , base d o n the secret
sc ien ce o f sc ie nces , still li ves I t is th e ea rth wh ich helps t he wo an ,
. m
an d wh ich is destin ed t o o pen her m o u th t o sw allo w u p m edieva l C hris

tia n ity , the u su rper a n d assassin o f t he grea t m as te r s doc trin e The

’
.

a n c ien t K a ba la t he G n o sis, o r tra ditio n a l secret knowled ge , has n ever

,

bee n witho u t its re pres en ta tives in any age o r co un try The trini ties of .

in itia tes, whe ther passed in to histo ry o r co ncealed un der the i pene m
trab le veil o f m ystery a re preserv ed thro u gho u t , a n d i pressed u po n the
, m
a ges . They a re kno wn as M o se s Aho lia b , a n d Bezaleel the so n of Uri,
, ,

th e so n o f H ur, as Pla to, Philo a n d Pyth ago ras , etc A t the Tra nsfigura
, .

tio n we see thema s Jes us M o se s, a nd E lias , the th ree Trismegis ti ; and

,

three ka balists , Peter, Ja mes, a nd Jo hn who se revela tion is the key to

all wisd o m We fo und the min the twiligh t o f Jewish histo ry as Zo ro
.

as te r, Abrah a m a n d Tera h , a n d la te r as Hen och , E ze kiel, an d Da ni el

, .

Who o f tho se w ho e ver stu died the a nc ien t philo so phies w ho

un ders ta n d in t ui tio na lly t he gra n de u r o f their co n ceptio ns , t h e bo un dless

su blim ity o f their views o f t he U n kn own Deity ca n hesita te fo r a

mo men t to give the preferen ce to their doc trines o ver the inco mpre
hensib le do gma tic an d co n tra dic to ry theo lo gy o f the h un dre ds of
,

Christian sec ts ? W ho tha t e ver re a d Pla to a n d fa tho med his 7 5

‘

65 Fa ustus, ap A ugust ,
.

.
.

and co nsecrated b y S t Paul

m
.
m
”
u , 2 ; x x x iii, 3 ; cf Beauso b re : H ist erit da M a nich

m
.

67 Le spirit is e, etc , p 2 1 5
.
.

m
.

66 La K abbale, I I I e pa rt , c h iv, p 2 57: Paris 1 89 2 , 3 rd ed The wo rds co nverted

,
“
, p 2 97

a y ha ve been in earlier editio ns, b ut are no t in 3rd

. . .
.

.
. I .

.
.
40 ISIS UN VE ILED

physica l co nceptio n To ge ther with S va yambhu they are the ten S ephi
.
,

ro th o f t he Hebrew ka ba lists th e te n Hin d i! P rajdpatis

, t he Ain So ph -

of the fo rmer a nswerin g to the grea t Un known expressed by the

, ,

mystic A U M o f the latter .

Says Fra n ck the transla to r o f the K abala

,

The te n Sephiro th are divided in to th ree cla s ses ; each of them

“

prese n ting to us the divinity u nder a diflerent aspect the whole still
'

re mainin g an i ndivis ible Trin ity .

The firs t three Sephiro th are p ure ly in tellec tual o r m e ta physical ;

they express the absolu te iden tity o f existence a nd tho u gh t, and fo rm

wha t the mo dern kabalists ca lled the in te lligible world which is the
firs t ma nifesta tio n o f Go d .

The th ree th a t fo llo w ma ke us co nceive Go d in o ne of their as

pee ts , as the iden tity of goo dness an d wisdo m; in the o ther they show
to us , in the S upre m e go o d , the o rigin of bea u ty a n d a gnifi cence m
[ in th e c rea t io n ] T h ere.fo re , the y a re n a med t h e vi rtues , o r t h e sensible

world .

“
Fina lly , we learn by the las t th ree Sephiro th , tha t t he Un iversal
,

Pro vidence, tha t the S upreme artist is also absolute Force, the all

”
powerful ca u se and tha t, at the sa me ti e , this ca use is the generative
, m
ele m ent of all that is It is these last Sephiro th tha t co ns titu te the
.

na tu ral world , o r n a t ure in its esse n ce an d in its active p rin ciple , na

7°
tu ra na tu rans .

This ka balistic conceptio n is th u s pro ved iden tical wi th tha t of the

Hin d u philo so phy Whoe ver rea ds Pla to an d his dialog Ti m
. aeus ,

will find these ideas as faithq y ec ho ed by the Gree k philo so pher .

M o reover the inj un ctio n o f secrecy w as as stric t wi th the ka balis ts as ,

with t he in itia tes o f the Adyta a nd the Hin d u yogis

”
.

C lo se thy mo u th lest tho u sho ulds t spea k o f this [the m

,

, y st ery] ,

an d t hy hea rt les t th o u sh o uldst th in k alo u d ; an d if t hy h eart has

,

”
esca ped thee brin g it back t o its place fo r su ch is t he obj ec t of o ur
, ,

allia n ce
71
.

This is a secret which gives dea th : close thy mo u th les t tho u

sho ulds t re vea l t o t he v ulgar ; c o mpre ss thy bra in les t so me thing should
esca pe fro m it a n d fa ll o u ts ide (Agrushada P ariksha i ) -
.

Tru ly t he fa te o f ma ny a fu tu re genera tio n h un g o n a go ssa mer thread

in the days o f the third an d fo urth cen turies H ad no t the E mperor .

sen t in 389 t o Alexan dria a re script which w as fo rced fro mhi mby the
Christia ns fo r the des tru c tio n o f e very ido l o ur o wn cen tury would ,

n e ver h a ve h ad a C hris tia n m ytho lo gica l Pan theo n o f its o wn N ever .

70 Franck : La K abbale. I I
. me pa rt , chiii : 1 892
. .

71 S ephar Yetsirah ( Bo o k
. o f C rea tio n) . I. 8 .
 M R VIRGIN ONLY
A Y-
ISIS RECHR ISTEN ED 41

did th e N eo Pla to nic school reach su ch a heigh t o f philo so phy as whe n

-

neare s t its en d Unitin g t he m

. ys tic Theo sophy o f o ld E gy pt with the
refin e d ph il osophy o f th e Gree ks ; nea re r t o t he an c ien t M ys teries o f

Thebe s an d M emphis th a n they had bee n fo r centuries ; verse d in t he

sc ie n ce o f so othsay in g a n d divin a tio n , as in the art o f th e Thera pe u tis ts ;

frien dly wi th the ac u te st men o f the Jewish na tio n w ho were deeply ,

imb ued wi th t h e Zo roas t a ri n i d e as t h e N eo Pla to n ists ten de d t o a m

-
, al

m a t e t h e o ld w i sdo m o f t he Orie n ta l K ab a la wi th t he m o re refin ed

g a

co nce ptions o f the Occiden ta l Theo sophists N o twi ths ta n din g the t rea
.

so n o f t he C hris tia ns w ho sa w fi t fo r po litica l re as o n s after t h e d ay s o f

,

Co nsta n tin e to repu dia te their tu to rs the influence o f the new Pla to nic ,

philo so phy is co nspicuo us in the su bse quen t ado ptio n o f do gmas , the
o rigin of w hich ca n very easily b e tra ced to tha t rem a rka ble sc ho o l

[ of N eo - P la to n is m ] T h o u g h m. u t ila te d a n d dis figu re d th ey st il l p rese rv e ,

a stro n g fa mily likeness which n o thin g ca n o blite ra te

, .

B u t if t he kno wled ge o f the occ u lt po wers o f n a tu re o pens t he

spiri t ua l sigh t o f m a n , e nla rge s h is in te llec tu a l fac u lties a n d lea ds him ,

u n errin gly t o a pro fo un der ve nera tio n fo r t he C rea to r o n t he o ther h an d ,

ign o ra n ce , do gm a tic narro w m in de dness a n d a ch ildish fea r o f lo o kin g to

-
,

the botto mof thin gs in variably lea ds to fe t ish wo rship a nd su perstitio n

,
-
.

When Cyril the b isho p o f Alexa ndria ha d o penly embraced the

, ,

ca use o f I sis the Egy ptia n goddess a n d h ad a n th ro po m

, , o rph ize d h er in to

M ary the mo ther of Go d ; a nd t he trin ita ria n co n tro versy h ad been

,

begun ; fro mtha t momen t the Egyptian doc trine o f the e mana tio n o f the
crea tive Go d o u t o f E m e ph t began to b e tortured in a tho u sa n d ways
71 “
,

un til the Co un c ils h a d a gree d u po n the a do ptio n o f it as it n o w s ta n ds

the disfigured Ternary o f the ka ba lis tic So lo m o n a n d Philo ! B u t as

its o rigin was y et to o eviden t the Word w as no lo n ger ca lle d the
,
‘
Hea venly ma n the primal Ada mKa d mo n b u t beca me the Logo s
,
’
,

Chris t a n d w as m a de as o ld as the An cien t o f t he An cien t h is

‘ ’

fa ther The concealed WISDO M beca me ide n tical with its e mana tio n
.
,

the D I VI NE THOUG HT an d had to b e re garded as co e q u al a n d cc

,
-

e tern al wi th its first m a n ifesta tio n .

If we no w s to p to co nsider a no ther o f the fun da men ta l do gmas o f

C hristianity t he doc trine of a to nemen t w e may trace it a s ea sily bac k to
, ,

hea then do m This co rner s to ne of a C h urch which ha d be lie ved her

”
-
.

se lf b uilt o n a firmroc k fo r lo n g ce n turie s is n o w e xc a va ted by sc ie n ce , ,

a n d p ro ve d t o h a ve co m e fro mt he G n o st ics Pro fesso r D ra per sh o ws .

“
it as ha rdly kno w n in the day s o f Tertul lia n a n d as ha vin g origin ated ,

am ong the G no stic here tics We will n o t permit o urse lv es to co n tra

7’
.

71 a Cf A Kireher : S phi nx M ysta goga, p 52 : Am

. . . s telo da . mi , 1 676 .

72 Conflict between Religion and S cie nce, p 2 2 4

. . .
42 IS IS UN VEI LED

dic t su ch a lea rned a u tho rity further th an t o sta te tha t it originated ,

am ong the m no mo re than did their an o in ted Christos an d So phi a ‘ ’

”
.

The fo rm er they m o deled o n t he o rigin a l o f t he Kin g M essia h the

’
,

ma le principle o f wisdo m a n d the la tte r o n the third Sephiro th from , ,

the C haldae a n K a bala an d e ven fro m t he H in d u B rah m a a n d Sara

"
,

a n d the Pa ga n D io n y su s a n d De m An d here we are o n

"
sv a tf , e te r .

firm gro u n d if it were o n ly beca use it is no w pro ved tha t the N ew

,

Testa m ent n e v e r a ppea red in its co m plete fo rm su ch as we find it no w , ,

till 300 yea rs after the perio d o f a postles a nd the Zoha r an d o ther ,

ka balistic bo o ks are fo u n d to belo ng to the first cen tury before o ur era ,

if n o t to b e far o lder still .

Th e G no stics e nterta ined m an y o f t he Essenea n ideas ; a n d the

Essenes h ad their grea te r a n d m in o r M yste ries a t leas t tw o cen

t uries befo re o u r era They were t he I sari mo r I n itiates t he descen dants
.
,

o f t he E gy ptia n hiero ph a n ts in who se co un try they ha d been settled ,

fo r se vera l cen turies befo re they were co n verted to B u ddhistic monas

t icis mby the m iss io n aries o f Kin g Aso ka a n d a m a lga m a ted la ter with ,

the earliest C hris tian s ; a n d they exis ted pro ba bly befo re t he o ld , ,

E gyptia n te mple s were desec ra ted an d ruined in the incessan t in

v as io n s o f Persia n s G ree ks a n d o the r co n q ue rin g ho rdes
, , The hiero .

p h a n ts h a d th e ir a to n em en t e n a c te d in th e M y s tery o f I n i tia tio n ages

befo re t he G no stics o r e ven the E sse nes had a ppeared I t was kno wn
, , .

am o n g hiero pha n ts as t he B A PT I S M o r B LO O D a n d w as co n sidere d no t ,

as a n a to ne m e n t fo r t h e fall o f man in E den b ut simply as an ex

‘ ’
,

pia tio n fo r the pas t prese n t a nd fu ture sin s o f igno ra n t b u t nevertheless

, ,

pollu ted ma n kind The hiero pha n t had the optio n of o ffering e ither
.

his p u re a n d sinless life as a sa crifice fo r his race to the go ds who m

he ho ped to rej o in o r a n a nimal vic tim The fo rmer [ m
, o de of e xp ia tio n ] .

depen ded en tire ly o n his o wn will At the las t mo men t o f the solemn .

t he in itia to r passed t he wo rd to t he in itia ted a n d im

‘
ne w b irth
‘ ’ ’

, ,

media tely after tha t the la tter had a wea pon placed in his right hand ,

an d w a s o rde re d to strike
7°
This is the t rue o rigin o f the Christia n do gma
.

of a to ne men t .

73 See Zo har; Kabbala denudata ; S iphra t eni uthah, t he o ldest b oo k o f the

m
.

Ka balists ; a n d M il a n : H is tor
y f
o Ch ri sti a ni ty, pp 2 1 2 -2
1 5, o riginal editio n, 1 840 . .

. m
74 M il a n : op cit p The K urios and Kara are
. .
, e nt io ned repeated ly by m
Just in M a rtyr ; see I 4 pol , ch 64, etc . . . .

75 See Olsha usen : Biblical Co m

. menta ry on N ew Testa ent, n tro d uc tio n, 5 1 : N ew m I
Yo rk, 1 857-60 .

76 There 13 a w ide- spread su perst ition

Sla vo nians and B us es peciall y a mo ng t he
th at the m
.

agic ia n o r w iza rd ca nn o t d ie b efo re he has passed th e

‘ ’
s ia ns wo rd to a
So deeply is it ro o ted a m m
,

o n g the po ula r b eliefs tha t we do no t i agine

su ccesso r .
p ,

there 1s a perso n in Russ ia who has n o t hea rd o f i t I t 13 q uite ea sy t o trace t he o rigin .

 THE SORC ERER S TERRI FYI N G D EATH - BED 43
’

Verily the Christs o f the pre Christia n ages were ma ny B ut - .

they died un kn o wn to the wo rld an d d isa ppea red as silen tly and ,

as m ysterio u sly fro m t he sigh t o f ma n as M o ses fro m th e top o f

Pisgah t he mo u n tain o f Neb o (o rac ula r wisdo m) afte r he had la id
, ,

his ha n d s u po n Josh u a w ho th us beca me

“
full o f the spirit o f wisdo m
,

(i e. i n it
.iat,ed) .

N o r does the M ystery o f the E u ch arist perta in to C hristia ns alo ne .

Go dfrey Higgins pro ves tha t it w as in st itu te d m a ny h u n dred s o f yea rs

“
befo re the Pasc hal Snpper a nd say s th a t the sac rifice o f brea d a n d
‘
,
’

f this s uperstitio n t o the o ld M ysteries w hich had been fo r ages spread a ll o ver the
‘ ’
o

g lo b e Th e a n c ie n t V ar ia g o - Rou ss h
ad h is M y steries in t he N o rth as well as in the

m
.

So th
u o f R uss ia ; a n d t h ere a r e a n y re lics o f th e b y g
-
o n e f a i t h sca t t er ed i n the lands
watere d b y the sacred D nieper, the ba pt ism a l Jo rda n o f a ll Russ ia N o a char ( the
kno wing o ne) o r Koldo u n (so rcerer) , m
.

a le o r fe m ale, ca n die in fact befo re he has

th e m m
ysterio us wo rd to so e o ne The po pular belief is th at unless he do es that
e will linger and s uffer fo r w eeks and m
.

o n ths a n d were he even fi nally to ge t lib era ted ,

'

it w o uld b e o nly to wander o n earth , unable to q uit its regio n u nless he fin ds a su ccesso r
even aft er d ea th H o w far t he belief m ay be v erified b y o thers we d o n o t kno w , b ut

we ha v e seen a case wh ich , fo r its tragica l a nd m y sterio us dé nou m

.

ent deserv es to be giv en

An o ld m
,

here as an illustrat io n o f the su b j ect in ha nd an o f o ver o ne h undred years

of age a peasa t serf in th e go v ernm

.
,

,
n -
en t o f S hav ing a wide reputa t io n as a so rcerer
and hea ler, was sa id to be dying fo r se veral days a nd st ill u na ble to die The repo rt
spread like ligh tning and th e po o r o ld fello w w as sh un n ed b y e ven t he m em
, .

bers o f his
ily as the lat ter were afraid o f receiving the u nwelco m
,

o wn fa m e inherita nce At las t

the pu blic rum or in the village was t ha t he had sen t a m
, .

essage to a co lleague les s v ersed

th an him self in the art an d who a lt ho ugh he liv ed in a d is ta n t d istric t, was nevertheless
in g a t the call, and wo uld be o n ha nd early o n th e fo llo w ing m
, ,

co m o rn ing T here was

m
.

at th a t t i e o n a visit to t he pro prieto r o f t he v illa ge a yo u ng phy sicia n wh o belo n

'

ng
to th e fa m o us schoo l o f N ihil is mof tha t da y , la u gh ed o u tra geo us ly a t t he idea T
,

he
mas ter ‘o f the ho use being a very pio us ma n and b ut half inclined to ma ke so cheap
.

su perst it io n, sm
, ,

iled — as th e sa ying goes b u t w ith o ne co rner o f h is m

’
o f t he o u th
Mea nwhile th e yo ung skeptic, t o gra tify his curio sity had m
.

ad e a v is it to t he dyin g
man had fo und that e co ‘ d t e t e ty fo ur ho urs lo nger and determined to
,

h u l n o liv w n -

s upers tit io n, h ad taken m

, ,

m
,

p r o v e t h e a b su rdi t y o f t h e
’
e a ns t o d eta in t he co in g su c
‘

a t a neigh b o ring v illa ge

’
cesso r
o rning a co m p y o f fo ur pe rso ns, co m
.

Ea rly in t he m a n pris ing t he physicia n , the m as

ter o f t he place, his da ugh ter, a nd the writer o f th e presen t lin es wen t to the h u t in
which was to b e achieved the triu m ph o f skept icism Th e dying m
,

a n was ex
p ec t ing h is
libera to r ev ery m om en t, a n d his ago n y a t t he delay becam
.

e ex trem e We tried to per

suad e th e phys icia n to h um o r the pa t ien t, w ere it fo r h um
.

a nity s sake H e o nly la ugh ed

’
. .

Get tin g ho ld with o ne han d o f the o ld w iza rd s pulse , he too k o ut h is wa tch with the
’

”
o ther an d re arking in Fre nch t h a t all w o uld be o ver in a few m om en ts , rem a ined ah
so rbed in his pro fessio nal ex perim T he scene was so lem
,

en t . n an d a ppalling S ud denly .

t he d o o r o pened, and a yo ung b o y en tered with t he in tellige nce ad dressed t o th e doc to r,

tha t th e lem ma was lying “dead drunk at a neighb o ring v illage and acco rdin g to his
,

, ,

orders co uld no t be w ith gran dfa ther t ill t he nex t d ay The yo ung do c to r felt co n
fused and was j ust go ing to ad dress t he o ld man , when, as quick as lightn ing the
.
,

ZnAc har sna tched his hand fro mhis grasp a nd ra ised h imself in bed His deep-sunken
, ,

eyes fla shed ; h is yello w white beard an d ha ir strea m

.

-
ing ro und his livid face m ade h ima
dreadful sigh t One insta n t mo re, a nd his lo ng sinewy arm
. s were clas ped ro und the
,

p yh sic i a n
’
s n ec k as w it h a s up er na tu ra l fo r ce h e d rew t h e d oc t o r s h ea d closer an d clo ser
’

to h is o wn face, where he held himas in a v ise wh ile whis peri ng wo rds ina udib le to us
,

in his ea r The skept ic stru ggled to free h im

,

. self, b u t b efo re he had tim e to m ake o ne

44

wine w as co mmo n to ma ny an cien t na tio ns

his wo rks a n d wo nders a t the stra ngen ess o f the rite There h ad been
,
IS IS

C icero men tions it in

UN VEILED

.
” 7"

a n e so teric m ea n in g a ttac hed to it fro m th e first es ta b lishm e n t o f the

M ysteries a n d the E ucharistia is o ne o f the o ldest ri tes o f a n tiquity

, .

With the hiero pha n ts it ha d nearly t he sa me significa n ce as w ith the

C hristians Ce re s w as bread a nd Bacchu s w as wine;
.
7‘
the fo rm
, er

meanin g regenera tio n o f life fro mthe see d a n d the latter the grape ,

t he e m blemo f wisdo ma n d kn o wled ge ; t he acc u mu la tio n o f t he spirit

o f th in gs a n d t he ferm
, e n ta tio n a n d s u bse q uen t s tre n gt h of th a t eso te ric

kno wled ge bein g j u stly sy mbo lized by wine The myste ry rela ted to

”
.

the dra m a o f E de n ; it is sa id t o h a v e been firs t ta ugh t by Ja n u s who ,

w as also t he first to in tro d uce in the te m ples t he sa crifices of bread ‘ ’

”
a n d wine in co m
‘
memo ra tio n o f the fa ll in to genera tio n as the symbol
’ ‘

o f the see d I a mthe true vine an d my Fa ther is t he h us ba n dma n

‘ ’
.
, ,

says Jesu s a llu din g t o t he secre t kn o wledge t ha t co uld b e im

, parted
by him I will drin k no mo re o f th e fruit o f t he vine un til tha t day
“
.
,

th a t I drin k i t new in the kingdo m o f G o d .

The festiv a l o f the Eleu sin ia n M yste ries began in the mon th of Boe
dro m io n which co rres po nds wi th th e m
, o n th o f Sep te m ber the time o f ,

g ra pe g a t-
he rin g a n d las t ed f ro m t h e 1 5t h t o t h e 2 2 n d o f t h e m o n th
m
, ,
“

seven day s T he Hebrew festi va l of the Feast o f Ta bernac les began

.

o n t he 1 5th an d en ded o n t he 2 2 n d o f t he m on th o f E tha n im which

”
,

D unla p sho ws as deriv ed fro m Ado n im Ado n is At tenim E thanim; 3°

, , ,

a n d this feas t 18 n a m

”
ed 1 n E x od us ( xx iii 1 6) t he feas t of i ngath ering , .

All the m e n o f Israe l asse m bled themselves un to King Solomo n at the

feast in the mo n th E th an im which is t he seventh mo n th 3‘
, .

Plu ta rch thin ks the feas t o f t he bo o ths to b e the Bacc h ic rites no t ,

“
the E le u sinia n Thu s Bacc hu s w as direc tly called u pon he says
.
, .

The S abazia n wo rship w as S abbatic; the na m es E vi us o r H e v iu s and , ,

effect iv e mo tio n been do ne ; the hands relax ed their

the wo rk had eviden tl y and
the o ld so rcerer fell o n his b ac k a co rpse ! A st range and ghostly sm ile had set ed 0 11
t he sto ny lips a sm ile o f fien dish trium ph a nd sa tis fied re venge b u t t he doct o r looked
p aler a n d m o re g has tly t ha n t h e d ea d m a n h im self H e sta re d ro u n d w ith an t en s io n
m
.

o f terro r d iffic ult to describe a nd w ith o u t a ns w ering o ur in q uiri es rushed o u t wil fro
.

m
,

t he h u t, i n t he direct io n o f t he woo ds M essengers were sen t after h i , b u t he was

.

no w here to be fo un d Abo u t sunset a repo rt w as heard in the forest An ho ur later .

his bo dy was b ro ught ho m

.

e w ith a b ullet thro ugh h is head , fo r the skept ic had blo wn

,

o ut h is b rains !
What m a de him co m mit su icide ? What magic spell o f so rc ery had the word of ‘ ’

the dyi ng wizard left o n his m ind ? Who can tell ?

77 A nacalyp sis : also Tertullia n : De praescr haer , x l
. . . .

78 C icero : On the N ature of the Gods, iii, 1 6

. .

79 Antho n : Diet Gk a nd Ro m A nt
’
Eleusinia
‘
. . . . .

80 S ad, M yst
. . o f Ado ni, p . 71 . 81 . 1 Ki ngs, viii. 2 .
 THE HEBREW KAD ES HI M 45

”
Luaios are iden tica l with Hi vite an d Levite The Fren ch n am e Lo uis
.

is the H e bre w Le vi ; I acch u s a gain is I ao o r Jeho va h ; an d B aa l o r Ado n ,

like Ba cc hus , was a phallic go d Who shall asce n d in to the hill [the
.

“
high place] o f the Lord ? asks the ho ly kin g D a vid , w ho sha ll sta n d in
the place of h is R ad usha 1 m
? ( P s al ms , xx i v K a d es h m ay me a n i n ,

o ne se n se t o devo te, holl ow sa nctify a n d e ve n t o in i tia te o r to se t a p a rt ;

, ,

b u t it also mea ns the m in isters o f lasc ivio us rite s ( t he Ve n us wo rship ) -

and t h e tru e in te rpre ta tio n o f the wo rd K a des h is blu n tly ren dered in

Deute rono m m

”
y , xxi ii , 1 7 ; H o sea i v 1 4 ; a,n d G ,ene s is , xxxv iii fro ve rses ,

T he ho ly K a desh u th o f the B ible were iden tical as to the

‘
1 5 to 2 2 .

duties of their o ffice with the na u tch girls of t he la te r H in d tl pago das

-
.

The He bre w K adeshi mo r galli li ved by the house of the Lo rd , where

the wo m e n wove ha n gin gs fo r t he gro ve o r b u s t o f Ven us As ta rte , sa ys
,
-

verse the se ven th in the twe n ty third cha pter o f 2 K i ngs

-
.

Th e da n ce performed by D a vid ro un d t he ark w as the c ircle dan ce -

sai d t o h a ve bee n presc ribed by t h e Am a zo ns fo r th e M y s teries S u ch .

was t he da n ce of the da u gh te rs o f Shilo h (J u dges x x i 2 1 2 3 et pas sim )

, , , ,

and t he lea pin g of t he pro phe ts o f Baa l ( 1 Ki ngs xv iii I t w as , ,

sim ply a charac teristic o f t he Sa bae a n worship fo r it de no ted the mot io n ,

”
o f t h e plan e ts ro un d th e sun Th a t the dance w as a Bacc hic fre nzy is
.

a ppa ren t Sistra were used o n the o ccas io n an d the ta un t o f M ich al a nd

.
,

Th e kin g o f Is rae l un co vered h im

”
“
t he king s reply a re very exp ressive
’
.

se lf before h is m a id serv a n ts as o ne o f the va i n [o r de ba u ch ed ] fello ws

-

sh am elessly un co vereth h im self An d he re to rts I will play [ac t

mm
.

wa n to nly] before an d I will b e y et m

, o re vile th a n this a n d I will ,

b e base in m y o w n s igh t “
3
. W h e n w e re m e m b e r t h a t D a v id h a d so

jo u m e d a mo n g t he Ty ria n s a n d Ph ilis t ine s , w h e re th e ir ri te s w er e c o m

mo n ; and tha t indeed he ha d conquered tha t lan d a way fro mthe ho u se
of Sa ul by the aid of mercenaries fro mtheir co un try the co untena ncing
, ,

a n d e ven pe rha ps the in tro d u c tio n o f su c h a Pa ga n like wo rship by th e

, ,
-

wea k psalmist seems very na tural Da vid kn ew n o thing o f M o se s it

‘ ’
.
,

see m s an d if he in tro d uced t he Je ho v ah wo rsh ip it w a s n o t in its m

,
-
o no

theis tic charac ter, b u t simply as tha t o f o ne of the ma ny go ds o f t he

n e igh borin g n atio ns a tu te la ry deity t o who mh e h a d give n t he p refer

en ce , a n d ch osen am o ng all o ther g

.

Following th e Christia n do gmas se ria tim, if w e con cen tra te o ur a tten

tion u po n o ne which pro vo ked the fiercest ba ttles un til its reco gnitio n ,

th a t o f the Trin ity , wha t do we find ? We mee t it as w e have sho wn , ,

n ortheas t of the Ind us ; an d trac in g it t o Asia “ rima n d E uro pe reco g ,

nise it am ong every peo ple who ha d a nythin g like a n esta blished religion .

82 . 8 Sa m , vi, 2 0-2 2 .
46 IS IS UNVEI LED

I t w as ta ugh t in the o ldest C ha ldaean Egyptian a nd M ithral tic schools , , .

The C ha ldaea n Su n go d M ithra w as ca lled Triple a n d the trini ta rian

‘ ’
-
, , ,

idea o f the C ha ldaea n s w as a doc trin e o f t he Akka dian s , w ho the m se lves

belo n ged to a rac e which w as the firs t to co nceive a me ta physical

trin ity Acco rdin g to Ra wlinso n , the C haldaea ns a re a tribe o f the
.

Akka dian s, w ho live d in B a bylo n ia fro mt he earliest tim es They were .

Turani a ns acco rdin g to others a nd in struc ted t he Baby lo n ian s in the

, ,

first no tio n s o f re ligio n B u t these sa m e A kka dian s , w ho were they ?

.

Tho se sc ien tists who wo u ld asc ribe to the ma Tu ra nian origin , make ‘ ’

o f the mt h e in ve n to rs o f the c un e ifo rmc h ara c ters ; o the rs ca ll th e mSu

merians ; o thers again make their la ngua ge, o f which (fo r very go od

”
reaso n s ) n o traces wh a tever re m a in K asd ean C haldaic , Pro to C hal — ,

daea n K aad o Scythic a nd so o n The o nly traditio n wo rthy o f c redence

,
-
, .

is tha t these Akka dia n s in struc ted the B a bylo n ia ns l n the M y ste ries ,

a n d ta u gh t the mt he sace rd o ta l o r M ystery la n gua ge These A kka dians -

were then simply a tribe o f t he Hin du Brahmanas no w ca lled Aryans -

,

their v ern ac u lar la ngua ge t he Sa ns krit o f the Ved as ; an d their sa cred

8
,

o r M y stery la n gua ge tha t wh ich , e ven in o ur o wn age , is u se d by the

-
,

H in d u fa kirs a nd initia ted Brah ma n as in their magica l e voca tions “ .

I t h as bee n fro mtime imme mo rial a n d still is emplo yed by t he in itia tes
o f a ll co u n t ries ; a n d t he Tibe ta n la mas c la imtha t it is in this t o n gue

tha t appea r t he my ste rio us charac ters o n the lea ves and bark of the
sac re d K o un b o u m .

Jaco llio t , who to ok su ch pains to penetra te the mysteries of the

Brahma nica l ini tia tio n in tran sla tin g a nd co mmen ting u pon the A gru
,

sha da P ari ksha i co nfesses th e fo llo wi n g

-

“
I t is preten ded also witho u t , verify the assertion o ur being able to ,

tha t the magica l e voca tion s were pro no unced in a pa rticular lan guage

”
,

a n d th a t it w a s fo rb idden un de r p a in o f dea th t o tra n sla te t hemin to

, ,

vu lga r dialec ts The ra re expre ssions tha t we ha ve been a ble to ca tch

.

like L rhom h kom sh hru m sho rhi m are in fac t mos t curio us and
’ ’ ’ ’

, , , , ,

do n o t see m to belo n g to a ny kn ow n id io m 8“
.

Tho se w ho ha ve see n a fa kir o r a la ma recitin g h is ma ntras an d co n

ju ra t io n s kn o w t
, h a t h e n e ve r p ro n o u n ce s t h e w o rds a u d ib ly w h en pre

pa ring fo r a pheno meno n H is lips mo ve b u t no ne will ever hear the .

,

Le t us rem em

”
83 ber 1 11 t his co nnex io n tha t Co l Va ns Kenn edy has lo ng ago declared
m
. .

h is o pin io n tha t Ba bylo nia was o nce the sea t o f the Sa nskri t la nguage an d o f Brah a nical

” ”
influence (Resea rches i nto the N atu re a nd Afi nity of A ncient a nd H i nd u M ytholo gy)
8 4 Th
“
e A g rus ha da-P a riks ha i w h ic h d iscloses to a certa in ex tent, the order of m
m
.
, ,

itia tio n, does n o t give the fo r ula o f evoca tio n, sa ys Jaco llio t, a nd he adds tha t, accord
m m
ing to so e Brah a nas, these fo r ulae were never written, th ey were and st ill are i
“
m m
p ar ted in a wh is per in t h e ear o f t he a d e pts (
“
o uth to ear a nd th e wo rd at lo w breath m
m m
, ,

say th e M 88 0 n8 ) Le spi ritis e da ns te o nde, p 1 08

. . .
 ”
48 IS IS UNVE I LED

pull to pieces tha n build up is no where truer than in ma tters affec tin g
to ,

t he arc haeo lo gy an d his tory o f In dia .

Ba bylo nia ha ppened to b e situate d o n the way of the grea t s tre a mof
the ea rlies t H in d u e m igra tio n an d the Ba bylo nia ns were o ne of the first ,

peo ples benefi ted there by These Khaldi were the wo rshi pers of the .

M o o n go d Deus Lun us fro mwhi c h fac t we may infer tha t t he Akkadi

-
,
-
,

a ns if su ch mus t b e their na me belo nged to the race of the Kin gs of

t he M oon who mtra ditio n shows as ha ving reigned in P raydga
, no w

Al la habad With the mt he trin ity o f De u s Lun us was m

. a n ifes t ed in the -

three luna r phases co mple tin g the q ua ternary wi th the fo urt h an d typi
, ,

fy in g t he dea th o f the M o o n go d in its grad u a l wanin g an d fina l disap -

””
p e a ra n ce T his d. ea th w as allego riz e d by th e a n d a ttr ib u t e d to the ,

t riu m ph o f the genius o f ev il o ver the ligh t givin g deity ; as the la ter na -

tio ns a llegorized the dea th o f their Sun gods Osiris and A pollo at the -
, ,

”
ha n ds o f Typh on a nd t he grea t Dragon Pytho n whe n the sun en tered the ,

win ter so lstice Babel Arach and Akkad are na mes of the sun The
.
, , .

Cha ldae a n Oracles are full a nd explicit u pon the subjec t o f t he Divine
“
Triad l
. A tria d o f Deity shin es fo rth thro u gh ou t t he who le world of ,

which a M o nad is the hea d a dmits the Re vere n d D r Ma urice , . .

Fo r fro mthi s Tria d in the bo so m

“
s a re all things go vern ed ,says , ,

”
a C h a lda e a n o rac le The P hos P u r a nd P hlox of Sancho nia tho n
.
“
, , , ,

are Ligh t Fire a n d Fla m , e th ree m a nifes ta tio ns o f the Sun w ho is one
, , .

Be l Sa turn J u piter Bel a n d Be l o r Baa l Cho mare t he C ha ldaea n trini

-
,
-
,
-

“
ty ; 9‘
The Ba bylo nian Bel w as regarded in the Triu ne aspec t of Beli ts a ,

Ze us Belu s [ the m
-
edia to r] a n d Baa l C ho mw h o is Apo llo C ho m ae u s -
.

“
This w as the Triu ne aspec t o f t he H ighest Go d w ho is ac co rdi ng to ‘
,
’

Be ro s us e ither El [the Hebre w] Bel Be litan M ithra o r Ze roa na and

, , , , , ,

has the na me i p t he Fa ther The B rah m a Vis hn u an d Siva

’
“ T 9° "
, .
, , ,

co rrespo n din g to Po wer Wis do m a n d Ju s tice whic h answer in t heir turn , , ,

to Spirit M a tte r Tim

, e a n d t he Pas t Presen t a n d Fu ture ca n b e found
, , , , ,

89 . w . D . Wh itney :
Li ngu istic S tudies , p 93 Ori ental a nd . .

90 Jac o ll io t seem s to h a ve very lo gically dem o ns tra ted t he ab s urd co ntrad ic tions of
m
.

e philo lo gis ts anth r po lo gis ts and Orien ta lis ts, in regard to th eir Akka do and
so
o
m
, ,

S mite -m a nia Th ere is n o t, pcrha

. uch o f go o d faith in their nega ti o n , he
s kno w v ery w ell tha t in H ana
“
writes The scie n tists w ho invent ura n ian x so plu
l

”
a lo ne th ere 1s m
.

o re o f verit a ble scien ce an d ph1 p h y th a n 11 1 all t ha t this

Sem it ismh as hitherto furnish ed as with ; b u t they are the sla ves of a pa th w so e m
o f the m are fo llo wing t he las t fi f tee n t wen ty , o r e ve n th irt y
y e a rs , .

therefo re no th in o f the prese n t

g I ndia o we its reco ns ti t u tio n to
m
.
,

( La genese de l hu a n i“ pp 60
’
t he nex t ge nera t i o n , .

9 1 C o ry : A nd Frag pp 2 3 9 2 80
. . 92 Lyd us : De .
, ena
. 20 -
. . m , .

93 Co ry : A nd Frag p 6
. . 9 4 M o vers Di e PM
, . .
, I p 2 63 . .
, . .

9 5 1 bid I p 1 89
. .
, , . 9 6 D unla p : S p irit-Hist M an, p 2 8 1
. . . . .

97 Siv a 1s no t a go d o f the Vedas stric tly spea king When t he Veda s were written ,

he held t he rank o f M ali a- Deva o r Bel , a m

. , .

o ng th e go ds of abo rigina l I ndia , .

 THE TRIN ITIE OF VARIOUS RELI GION S 49

in the temple of Gharipuri ; thousan ds of dog a tic Brah m an a s wo rship m

these a tt rib u tes o f t he Vedic Deity , while the se vere m o n ks an d n uns

of Bu ddhis tic Ti bet recognise b u t the sacre d trini ty of the three ca rdin al
virtues : P overty, Chastity and Obedie nce pro fessed by the Chris tians , , ,

prac tised by the B uddhists an d so me Hindus alo ne

””
.

The Persian triplica te Deity also co nsists of th ree persons Ormazd , ,

M ithra, an d Ahrima n “ I t is tha t prin ciple of wh ich the au tho r of

.
,

the Chalda ic S um mary saith They conceive th ere is one principle of

“
,

all th i ngs, and decla re it to be one a nd good The C hinese ido l Sa npao
9’
.

1“ “
consists of thre e eq ual in all res pec ts ; a n d th e Peru vians supposed
1“
their n a ta nga to b e o ne in three, an d three 11 1 o ne says Faber
-
, .

The E gyptia n s ha ve their Em eph t, Eikto n a n d Pta h ;

1“
an d the triple ,

g o d sea te d o n t he Lotu s ca n b e see n in th e S t P e ters b u rg M use u m o n .

m
,

W
a edal of th e N orthern Ta ta rs .

Among t he Church dogm as whi ch h a ve m ost serio usly suffered o f

late a t the hands o f the Orien ta lis ts the las t in q ues tio n sta n ds co n ,

spicu o us The repu ta tion of each o f the three pe rso na ges of the
.

thro po m o rphic go dhea d as an o rigin al revela tio n to t he C hris tians

thro ugh Divine will, has been ba dly co mpro ised by in quiry in to its m

”
predecessors and origin Orien ta lists h a ve published mo re a bo u t the .

”
sim ila rity be tween Brah an is m, Bu ddhis m a nd C hristiani ty tha n w as ,

strict ly agre e able to the Va tican Draper s assertio n tha t Paganism ’

m
.

was m odifie d by Chris tian ity , C hristianity by Pa ganis is being ,

daily verified Olym pus was resto red b u t the divin ities passed un der
.
,

other names , he says trea tin g of the Co nsta n tin e period ,

“
The more .

powerful pro vinces insisted o n t he ado ptio n o f their time-hono red co n

ceptio ns Vi ews of the tri ni ty in accorda nce with the Egyptia n tra di
.

”
tions were esta blished N o t o nly w as the a do ra tio n o f Isis under a new
.

na m e rest o red , b u t ev en he r im a ge s ta n din g o n t he cresce n t m oon , ,

rea ppeared The well kno wn effigy o f tha t go ddess with t he infan t
.
-

Horus in her arms has descended to o ur days in the beau tiful artistic ,

crea tio ns of t he M a donn a an d child .

B ut a still earlier origin th an the E gyptia n an d C haldaea n ca n be

assign e d to t he Virgin
‘
M other o f Go d Queen o f Hea ven Thou gh
’
, .

98 Plu ta rch : On I sis and Os iris 99 Gallaeus : S u m m Chald (Paelli

m
.

1 1 1 ) to S ib oracula : A st erdam
. . . .

ex poa ) , in Appx .
, 1 689 . .

1 00 N avaret te : ratados hi st etc , de Chi na bk II, c h x 1 0 1 On th e Origi n of

1 02 I am bl : De m st VII I 3 cf I SI S UN V , I pp 1 46 -7 1 57, 2 56
. . .
q , . . .

Pagan I dola try . . . .

, , , . .
, , .

1 03 Fab er : Dissertatio n on the C

. ri , I , p 3 1 5 no te .
, .

1 0 4 0 0 1111 betw Ref and S cience, p

. . . . Isis and Osiris are said in the Egy pt ian sacre d ,

books, to ha ve appeared (i e been wo rs hiped) o n eart h la ter than Tho th, the first Hermes
m
. .
,

calle d N a egist us who wro te all the ir sacred b o o ks acco rd ing to the co m mand of Go d
,

The co mpa nio n an d ins tructo r o f Is is an d Osiris was Tho th ,

,

d iv ine revela tio n

‘ ’
or b y
m m
.

or Her es II, who was an incarna ti o n o f the celest ial Her es .

50 181 8 UN VE ILED

Isis is also by righ t the Queen o f Hea ven is ge nerally repre sen ted
, an d

ca rry in g in her han d t he C rux Ansa ta co m po se d of the munda ne cross

an d of the S ta u ros of the G n os tics sh e is a gre a t dea l youn ger than the
,

celestial virgin , N eith I n o ne o f the tom bs o f th e Ph arao hs tha t o f

m
.

Rameses in the valley o f B iba n e M ulu k in Thebes , Cha m llio n

- l -

j u nio r disco vered a picture , acco rding to his o pin io n the mo s t an cient
e ver ye t fo un d I t re pres en ts the hea vens symbolized b y the figure of a
.

woman bed ec ked with sta rs The birth of the Su n is figured b y the form

”
.

of a li ttle child , issuing fromthe bosomof its Divine M other ’ ‘

.

I n the B oo k of H erm es , P ym a nder, is en un c ia ted in dis tin c t an d un

equi vo cal se n tences the who le trini taria n dogm a accepted by th e C hris

tians .
“
Tha t ligh t I a m says Py an der, the nrvn T HOUG HT
, m “
I m .

a mt he no us o r in tellige n ce ; a n d I a mthy go d ; a n d I a mfar older than

t he h um id prin ciple which esca pes fromthe sh ado w I a th e germof . m

”
tho u gh t the resplenden t WOR D the SO N o f Go d Thin k tha t wha t thus

”
.
, ,

sees a n d hears in thee , is th e Verbu mof the M as ter, it is the Th o ught ,

“
which is Go d the Fa th er The celes tial ocean , the AM E R , which
.

flo ws fro m eas t to wes t is the Brea th of the Fa ther, t he life-giving

,
“
Principle , the n o w G n o s r ! Fo r they are no t a t all separa ted , and
'

their u ni on is LI FE .

An cien t as m m
ay b e the o rigin o f Her es , lost in the un known days o f

Egyptian colo niza tion , there is y et a far older pro phecy , directly rela ting
to the Hin du K rishn a accordi ng to the Brahmanas I t is to say the

”
, .

leas t strange tha t the Christian s claimto ba se their religion u po n a pro

p h ec y o f t h e B ible w h ic h e xi s ts n o wh er e in th a t bo o k I n wh a t c ha pte r .

o r verse does Jehovah , the Lo rd Go d , prom ise A daman d E ve to send

”
’

thema Re deemer who will sa ve hu manity ? I will pu t en i ty between m

m
thee an d the wo an , says the Lo rd Go d to the serpen t, and between “

thy seed an d her seed ; it shall bruise thy hea d , an d thou shal t bruise
his heel .

I n these wo rds there is no t th e sligh te st all us ion to a Re dee er, and m

the su btlest of in tellec ts co uld no t ext rac t fro mthem , as they st a nd in the

third chapte r o f Genesis anythin g like that which the Christians have
,

con trived to fin d On the o ther h a n d, in the tra ditions and in H an a,

.

Brah ma pro mises dire c tly to the first co uple to sen d thema Savior who
will teach them the way to salva tion

”
.

“
I t is fro mthe lips of a messe n ge r of B rahma, w ho wi ll b e born in
K uru kshet ra M ats ya , a n d the la n d of Pa fi ch Ala , also called Kanya
,

ku b ja [m o un ta in of t he Virgin ] tha t all m en o n earth will learn their

,

duty says M an u (II , slo kas 1 9 an d

,

m
105 Cha po llio n-Figeac : Egypte a ncien ne, p 1 04 1 06 L Ménard
fro manother
. . . .

m m m
.

I
Her es Tris égis te, , ch i The penulti ate sentence is
. . Bu n eti c work
.
 ”
PAG AN RITES AN D DOG MAS AD OPTED BY CHRIS TIAN S 51

”
Th e M ex icans call the Fa ther of their Trin ity Y zo na the So n B aca b , ,
“
and t h e Holy Ghos t Echv ah , a nd say they received it [the doc trine]

fro mtheir ancesto rs W Am ong the Semi tic na tio ns we ca n trace the
.

trinity to the prehistorica l days of the fa bled Seso s tris who is iden tified ,

by more than o ne critic wi th N i rod, the mighty h un ter

“
m M a ne th o .

makes the oracle rebuke the kin g, when the la tter as ks, Tell e, O th ou m
stro n g in fire , who before m e co uld su bj u ga te all thin gs ? a n d who sha ll

after m
“
e? An d the oracle saith thus First Go d , then the Wo rd ,
the Spirit
‘ ’
an d th en .

I n th e foregoin g lies the fo unda tion o f t he fierce ha tred o f the Chris

tian s t oward the Pagans an d the theurgis ts To o much had been
‘
.

borro wed; th e a ncien t religions an d the N eo Platonists had bee n laid b y -

the m under con tributio n sufliciently to perplex the wo rld fo r several

th ousan d years . H ad no t the ancien t creeds been speedily oblitera ted ,

it wo uld ha ve bee n foun d im po ssible to pre ach the C hristia n religio n as a

N ew Dispen sa tion o r t he direc t Revela tio n fro m Go d the Fa ther
, ,

th ro u gh Go d the So n an d un der the influence o f Go d t he Holy Gho st

, .

As a politica l exige nce the Fa thers had to gra tify t he wishes o f their
rich co n verts institu ted e ve n t he fes tivals o f Pan They wen t so far .

as t o accept the cere m o nies hitherto celebra ted by t he Pa gan world in

hono r o f the God of the gardens in all their prim itive sinceri ty)
,
“ It w as
time to sever the co nnexion Either t he Pagan worship a nd the N eo
.

Pla to nic theurgy with all ceremonial of magic must b e crushed o u t fo r

, ,

ever o r the Chris tia ns beco m

, e N eo Pla to n ists -
.

The fierce po lem ic s and sin gle h an ded ba ttles between Irenaeus a n d
-

the G n ostics are to o well kn o wn to need re petition They were ca rried .

o n fo r o ver two cen turies after the u nscru p u lo us B isho p o f Ly ons h ad

u tte re d his las t reli gio us pa ra do x Celsus the N eo Platonist a nd a

.
,
-
,

disciple of the scho o l of Ammo nius Saccas had thro wn the Christian s ,

in to perturba tion and even had arreste d fo r a tim

, e t he p rogress o f

proselyt ismby successft pro vin g tha t the o rigin al an d purer fo rms o f
the m o st im po rtan t dogmas o f Christianity were to b e fo un d o nly in
the teachings of Pla to Celsus accused them of acceptin g the wo rs t
.

su pe rs ti tions of Pa ga nism a n d o f in terpo la tin g passa ges fro mt he books

,

of th e S ibyls withou t rightly un dersta nding their meanin g The accusa .

tions w ere so j ust an d the facts so pa te n t tha t fo r a lon g tim e no C hris

,

tian write r had ven tured to answer the challen ge Origen a t the ferven t .
,

req ues t of his frien d Am brosius was the firs t to ta ke the defense in
,

1 07 Lord Kingsbo ro ugh : A ntiq uiti es of Mex ico, p 1 65

. . .

1 08 Joannes M alala : H ist Chron ica, 1 , iv : Ox fo rd. 1 69 1

. . .

1 09 P Knight :
. . Worship of Priapus , p.1 71 , sq
.
; edit . 1 865 .
52 ISIS UN VEILED

han d , fo r ha vin g belonged to the sa m e Pla to n ic sch ool o f Am m0 nius

he was considered t he m o s t co mpeten t man to refu te the well foun ded -

charges B u t h is eloquen ce failed a n d the onl y rem

. edy th a t c ou ld be
,

foun d was to destro y the writin gs o f Celsus no

This co uld b e achieved .

onl y in the fifth century , when copies ha d bee n ta ken fro m this work ,
an d m any were th ose wh o had rea d an d stu died th e m If n o co py o f it .

has descen ded to o ur presen t ge nera tio n of sc ien tists , it is n o t because

there is no ne exta n t a t presen t, b u t fo r the simple reason tha t the monks
of a certa in Orien ta l church o n M oun t Athos will neither sho w no r
co n fess they ha ve o ne in their po sse ssio n
“ 1
Perhaps they the mselves .

d o no t even kn o w th e value o f the con ten ts of their m an u scripts , o n

acco un t o f their grea t ignoran ce .

The dispersio n of the Eclec tic sc ho o l had becom e the fo n des t ho pe

of t he Christia ns I t had bee n lo o ked fo r and con templa ted wi th in tense

.

an xiety It w as fina lly achieved The members were sca tte re d b y the
. .

”
1 1 0 The Celsus ab o ve men tio ned who lived between the seco nd and third centuries,
m
. ,

is no t Ce lsus t he Epicurea n The. la tter wro te several wo rks against agic, and lived
d uring t he rergn o f Had ria n .

1 1 1 We ha ve the facts fro ma trus two rth witness, o ne hav ing no intere st in in venting
H av ing inj ured his leg ma f fro mthe stea er into the boa t which he m m
.

such a sto ry
was to la nd at the M o un t, he was taken care o f b y these m
.

o nks. and during his con

val escence, thro ugh gif ts o f m o ney and resen ts, b eca m
e their greatest friend and finally
wo n their en tire co nfidence H vm k
g as ed fo r t he loa n o f so m e bo oks, he was taken by
the Superior to a large cellar mwhich they keep their sacred vessels and o th er pro perty
.

”
Opening a grea t trunk fu ll o f o ld must y m
.

a nuscripts and ro lls. he was in vite b the

Superio r to a m
“
us e him
,

self
’
m
The gen tle a n was a sch o lar, and well versed
d y
m
Greek
and Latin
“
1 was am azed. he says, in a priva te let ter, and had
“
y breath taken m
m
away o n fi ndin g, a o ng t hese o ld pa rchm m m
.

en ts so uncere o nio usly t rea ted. so e d the

most valuable relics of the first cen turies hitherto believed to have been lost
o thers he fo un d a ha lf-des tro yed m m
.

a n uscript, which he 1s perfectly s ure ust he a copy

”
True Do ctrine the W e: o f Celsus , o u t o f which Origen quo ted whole
’
o f t he
‘

m m
,

p ga e s Th e t ra vel er t oo k as a ny n o t es as h e co u ld o n tha t day, b ut when he ca e to

o ffer to t he Superio r to purchase so m
.

e o f these writings he fo un d, to his t surprise

”
tha t no am o un t o f m o ney wo uld tem m m
,

h ks They did no t kno w w t t he anu

”
p t t e o n .

did they care, they sa id But the heap o f writing, t hey added.
“ “
scripts co ntained no r
’

m
was trans itted to t hemfro mo ne generatio n to ano ther, and there was a trad iti o n a o ng m
.
,

t hemthat these pa pers wo uld o ne day b eco m e the m

“
ea ns of crushing th e Great Beast
o f the Apo calypse, their hered ita ry ene m y the Church o f Ro e The were con m
sta n tly q uarre ling and fight ing with t he Ca tho lic m m
, .

“
o nks, a nd a o th e w o le heap
they knew tha t there was a ho ly relic w hich pro tected the m
’

y did no t kno w
.

which and so in their do ub t a b stained I t appea rs tha t the Su or, a shre wd Greek,
m
.
,

und ersto o d his béeue and re pen ted o f h is kindness, fo r first o f he ad e the traveler
m h m d d f h h b oa th he m m
m
i hi i t sac re w o r o o n or stre ng t e n d y an ad e hi ta ke

”
g v e s os , e
o n the i age o f the H o ly Pa tro ness o f the Island never to bet ra their secre , and never
t

”
to m en tio n a t leas t the yna m
,

e o f their co nv en t And fina lly w en the anx io us student

.
,

who ha d passed a fo rtnigh t in reading all so rts o f an tiqua ted trash b efore he happaued
to st m b le o ver so m e precio us m
a nuscript, ex pressed t he desire to ha ve the “
he m
u “
i ht am use him se lf w it h the writings o n ce m o re, he w as very ru d d y o sd ? m
t hat e key had been lost and t ha t they did no t kno w where to look fit it .

t hus he was left t o t he few no tes he had taken .

 A SAIN T BUTCHERED . AN D BUTCH ERS SAIN TED 53

hand of the monste Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria and his nephew

rs , ,

Cyril t he murdere of the y oun g the learned and the innoce n t

r , ,

Hypa tia ! 1 11

With the dea th of the martyred daugh te r of Theon the mathema ti

eian th re e
, e r m a in ed n i
o poss b ility f o r t h e N —
eo Plato nists to con tinue

their school a t Alexan dria During the life time o f the y ou thful Hypa tia
.
-

her frien dship and influence wi th Oreste s the governor o f the c ity had as , ,

sured th e philosophers sec urity an d protec tion against their m urdero us

enem ies With her death they had lo st their stron gest friend H o w much

”
. .

she w as re ve re d by all who knew her fo r her eru dition virt ues a nd no ble , ,

charac te r w e ca n infer fro mthe letters addressed to her b y Synesiu s

, ,

Bisho p of Pt olemais fragments of which ha ve reached us

, M y hea rt .

yearns fo r the presence o f your divine spirit he wro te in 4 1 3 A D which , . .

,

more than an ything else co uld allevia te the bitterness of my fo rtunes .

At an other tim e h e say s : Oh m y m o th er m y sist er , my teac h er m y , , ,

benefact or ! M y soul is very sad The recollectio n o f my chil dren I ha ve .

los t is killin g m e When I ha ve news o f y o u a nd learn as I h ope tha t

.
, ,

y o u a re mo re fo rt u na te th an m y s elf I a m a t leas t on ly h alf u nh

, a ppy
-
.

Wha t would have been the feelin gs o f this mo st noble and worthy o f
Christian bish ops who had surrendered fa mily and children and happi
,

ness fo r t he faith in to which he ha d bee n a ttrac ted had a pro p he tic ,

vis io n di sclosed to himth a t the only frien d tha t h ad been left to him hi s ,

mother sister benefactor would soon become an unrecognisable m

, , ,

o f flesh an d blood po unded to jelly under the blo ws o f the club o f

,
.

Pet er the Re ader that her y ou thful inn ocen t body wo ul d b e cut to ,

pieces the flesh scraped fromt he bones by oyster shells and th e rest
,
-
,

of her ca s t in to the fire b y order o f the sa me Bishop Cyril he kn ew so

1“
well Cyril the CA N ONI ZE D Sain t
,
'

There h as never been a religio n in t he an nals o f the wo rld with such

a bloo dy record as C hris tianity All t he re st in clu d ing the traditio na l
.
,

fierce fights o f the chose n people with their next of kin the ido la tro us
‘

tribes of Israe l pale before the murdero us fan aticismof the alleged fo l
,

lowers of C hrist ! E ven the rapid spread o f M o ha mm eda nismbefo re t he

1 12 See the historical ro m a nce o f C ano n Kingsley H ypatia fo r a highl y pic t uresq ue
acco un t o f the nagical fate o f this yo ung m
. , ,

artyr .

1 1 3 We b eg the reader to bear in ind t ha t this is the sam m

e Cyril who was o penly ac
cused o f sim
.

disho nesty, and the pro st it u tio n o f h is o flice to perso na l ends and

”
o ny
who m N eander (Hist Chr Rel and Church, I V p 1 33 sq ) pictures as vio len t tyran
, ,

nical a hypocrite and liar Isido r b isho p o f Pelus iu m in a letter a ddres sed to C yril him
. . . .
, .
, ,

3 70) wro te : Let no t the punishm whic h yo u deemit necessary to inflict

. ,
, ,

self ( I ,
“
e nt

on m m
,

o en on accou nt of personal grieva nces fall u po n the living churc h Prepare no t

, .

the way fo r tual d ivisio ns o f the churc h u nder t he pretense of piety Such was .

o ne of the first hristia saints

n — and the fo under o f the Trin ity as he appears o n the
54 IS IS UN VEILED

con querin g sword of the Islampro phe t is a direc t conseq u ence of the
bloody riots a nd fights amo ng C hris tians I t was the in tes tine war .

between the N esto rians a nd Cy rilian s tha t en gendered Islamism; and

it is in th e co nven t o f Basra tha t the pro lific seed w as first sown by
Bahira the N esto rian monk Ifie ely wa tered b y riv ers o f bloo d the
, .
,

tree of M ecca has grown till we find it in the presen t cen tury over
sha dowing n early two h un dred m illions o f peo ple The recen t B ulgarian .

a troc ities are b u t the na t ural ou tgro wth of the trium ph o f Cyril a nd the
M ariola ters .

The cruel crafty po liticia n the plottin g mo nk glorified by ecclesias

, , ,

tica l histo ry with the aureo le of a martyred sa in t ; the despoiled philo

sophers th e N co Pla tonis ts an d t he G n o s tics daily an a them
,
-
, a tized by
,

the Ch urch all over the world fo r lo n g an d drea ry cen turies ; t h e c u rse o f
the un concern ed Deity ho urly in voked o n th e m a gian ri tes an d th eurgic

prac tice a nd the Christian clergy themselves using sorcery fo r ages

,

Hy pa tia the glorious ma iden philo sopher to rn to pieces b y the C hristian

,
-
,

mo b ; and such as Ca therine dc M édicis Lucrezia Borgia Joanna o f , ,

N a ples an d the Isa bellas of Spain presen ted to the world as the faithful
, ,

da ugh ters o f the Ch urch some even decora ted b y the Pope wi th the
,

order of the Immac ulate Ro se the highes t emblemof wo manly p urity

,
’

and virt ue a sym bol sa cred to the Virgin mother o f Go d !-

such are the

ples o f h uman j ustice ! H o w far less blasphemous appea rs a to ta l

,

exa m

rej ec tion of M a ry as an im maculate go ddess than an idola trous worship

,

of her accompan ied by such prac tices .

I n the next cha pter we shall presen t a few illus tra tio ns o f sorcery ,

as prac tised under the pa tro na ge o f the Ro m an Ch urch .

56 IS IS UN VEILED

o
a n d c nsul e t d the oracle o f the bleeding hea d This in fernal o pera .
’

tion re qu ired the deca pita tio n o f a child who mus t b e po ssesse d of great
bea u ty a nd purity H e had been pre pared in sec re t fo r his first co mmu
.

n io n by the cha pla i n o f the palace w ho w as apprised o f t he plo t a n d at

, ,

midnigh t o f the appoin ted day in the chamber o f the sick man an d in
,

pre sence only o f Catherin e and a few o f her co nfedera tes the devil s ,
’

mass was celebrated Let us give the rest o f the story as we fin d it in

’
.
‘

o ne o f Levi s works : At this m as s celebra ted befo re th e im age o f the

’
,

demo n ha vin g un der his fee t a re versed cro ss th e sorcerer co nsecrated ,

tw o wafers o ne blac k a nd o ne wh ite

, The wh ite was given to t he child
. ,

who mthey bro u gh t clothed as fo r b a ptism and w ho w as mu rdere d upon ,

the very steps o f the alta r im mediately after hi s co mmunion H is head .

,

se para ted fro mt he tru n k by a sin gle blo w w as placed all pal p ita ting ,

u po n the grea t blac k wafer wh ich covered the botto mo f th e pa te n then ,

pla ced upo n a ta ble where so me mysterious la mps were b urnin g The

”
.

exo rcismthen be gan an d t he de m , o n w as charged to pro n oun ce an oracle ,

an d reply by th e m o u th of th is h ea d to a sec re t q ues tion tha t t h e king

da red no t spea k alo u d an d that had been confided to no o ne Then

, .

a feeble voice a stra n ge vo ice which had nothin g of h um

, , an ch arac ter

a bou t it m a de itse lf au dible in this poo r little m artyr s h ea d The

’
n"
, .

sorcery a v ailed n o thin g ; th e kin g died a n d Ca therine re mained the ,

fai thful da u gh ter o f Ro me !

H o w stran ge th a t D es M oussea ux w ho m a kes such free u se o f Bo din s
’
,

ma terials to construct his fo rmidable indictment against spiritualists and

o th er so rce re rs sho uld h a ve o verlo o ked thi s in terestin g e p isode !
,

I t is a well a ttested fac t that Po pe Sylvester II was pu blicly accused

-

by Ca rdi nal Benn o with being a so rcerer an d an enchan ter The brazen .

‘
o rac u lar hea d made by his Ho liness was o f the same kin d as the o ne
fabrica ted by Albertus M agnus The la tter o ne was smash ed to pieces
.

by Tho mas Aquinas no t becau se it was t he work o f o r inha bited by a

,
‘
demo n b u t beca use t he spook w ho w as fixed inside b y mesm
,
’
eric

po wer ta lked in cessa n tly and his lo q uacity pre vente d the eloquen t saint
,

fro m workin g o ut his ma thema tical pro blems These hea ds and other .

ta lking sta tues troph ies o f the magica l skill o f mo nks and bishops were
, ,

facsimiles o f t he a nima ted go ds o f the ancien t te mples The accusa

‘
.

tio n a gainst the Pope was pro ved at t he time I t was also demo nstra ted .

that he was co ns ta n tly a tte nded by demons o r spirits I n the pre

”
‘ ’ ‘ ’ ‘

cedin g cha pte r we h a v e m e n tion ed Be nedic t IX Jo hn XX and the , ,

VI th a n d VI I t h G rego ry w ho were a ll known as magician s

, The last .

n am ed Po pe m o reo v er w as t he fa m o u s H ildeb ra n d w ho w as said to have ,

“
been so expe rt at sha king light ning o u t o f his sleeve a n ex press io n

1 1 6 Dog
. ma et rituel , etc., loc . cit .
 ”
POPES. B IS HOPS, AND PRIESTS AS SORCERERS 7

which th e venerable spiritualistic writer M r Howitt thin ks was the , .

,

origin of the celebra ted th under o f the Va tica n “ 7

.

The m agical achievem en ts of t he Bishop of Ra tisbo n and th ose of the ,

ange lic do ct or Thom

’
as Aqu inas are too well kn own to n ee d re pe ti
‘
,

tio n ; b u t we may expla in further ho w the illusions o f the fo rmer were

pro d u ced If the Ca tho lic bishop was so clever in ma kin g people believe
.

o n a b it ter wi n ter nigh t tha t th ey were e njoyin g t he deligh ts o f a splen did

sum mer day and in ca using the icicles hanging fro mthe bou ghs o f the
,

trees in the garden t o seem like so ma ny tro pical fruits the H indu ,

magicians also practise such psycho lo gical po wers un to this very day ,

an d cla imt he assista n ce of nei ther go d n o r de vil Such miracles are .

all p ro d uce d by t he sa m e hu m an po we r th a t is in here n t in every m a n if ,

he o nly kne w ho w to develop it .

At a bou t the tim e o f the Refo rm a tion t he stu dy o f alchem y and ,

magic had become so prevalent amo ng the clergy as to produce grea t

scan da l Cardinal Wo lsey was o penl y accused befo re the co urt and the

”
.

privy c ounc il o f confederacy with a man named Woo d a so rcerer who

-
, ,

said [o n the au thority o f o n e Willia mN e ville a n in m a te of the C a rdin al s

’
,

house] th a t M y Lo rd Cardi nals had sucks a rynge that wha taom

“
cvere he

as kyd of th e K yngas grace that he hadd yt; addin g tha t

“
M as ter Crom well ,

when he was amo u nt i n m y lo rd ca rdy n alcs h o u ase [w a s re po rte d to ,

o w e h is advancem en t to such arts a n d to his a ssoc ia tion with Wo od who ,

further ack nowledged himself to have] redc m “

a n y bakes and apecyally the

bo kc of S ala m on and studi cd uwttells and wha t vcrtu es thcy ha d aftc r the

canon of S ala m ou This case with se veral o thers equ ally curio u s is to
.
, ,

b e foun d a m ong the Cromwell papers in the Reco rd Ofi ce o f t he Ro lls

A priest na med WilliamStapleto n was arre ted as a conj urer during s

the reign o f Henry VII I and an accoun t of his a dv entures is still pre
,

serv e d in the Rolls Ho u se records The Sicilia n priest who mBen ven u to
.

Cellini calls a necro mancer beca me famous through his successful co n

,

i d as ne ver m olested T h e remarkable a dventu re o f Cellin i

ju ra t o n s a n w,
.

with hi min the Colo sseu m where the priest co njured up a who le ho st o f
,

devils is well kn o wn t o the rea ding public The su bsequent meeting o f

, .

Cellini with his mistress as pred ic ted and brough t abou t by t he co nj u rer
, ,

at t h e p recise tim e fixed by hi m is to b e co nsidered as a m a tte r o f co urse

, , ,
“ I n the la tter part o f t he sixtee n th cen tury
a c u rio us co inciden ce
’
9
.

there w as hardly a parish t o b e fo un d in which t he priests did no t stu dy

magic and alchemy The prac tice o f exorcism in imita tion o f Ch rist
.
‘

,
’

who by the way neve r u se d exo rcisma t all led t he c lergy to de v o te the m ,

1 1 7 H ist
.
f
. th
oo S u pernatu ral , , p 483 I . .

118 . Thou . Wright : N arr. I

of S orcery a nd M agic, , pp 2 03-4 . . 1 19 . [ bid I . p 2 1 9 . sq
. .
58 ISIS UN VEI LED

sel es o
v penly to sacred magic in con tradistinc tion to blac k art o f which ,

la tte r crim e were acc u sed all th ose w ho were neither pries ts n o r m o nks .

The occult kn owledge gleaned by t he Ro m a n C h urch fro mthe once

fa t fields o f theurgy she se d u lo usly guard ed fo r her o wn use a n d sen t to ,

”
t he sta ke o nl y those pr ac titio ners w h o po ached o n her lan ds o f the
S cienti a S cienti arum a n d th o se who se sins co uld no t b e conceal e d b y the
,

friar s froc k The proof o f this lies in the records o f hist ory
’
. I n the .

co u rse o f fifteen yea rs onl y be t wee n 1 580 to 1 595 an d on ly in th e single

, ,

pro vi nce o f Lo rraine the President Remigius burned 900 witches says
, ,

Tho mas Wright in hi s S orcery and M , It w as during these days ,

pro lific in ecclesias tica l murder a nd unrivaled fo r cruelty an d fero city

m
,

tha t Jean Bo din wrote .

While the o rt ho do x clerg called fo rth who le legio ns o f demo ns'

through ma gical incan ta tio ns un mo lested by t he a u thorities pro vided

,

they held fas t to the es ta blished do gmas an d ta ugh t no heresy o n the ,

other han d acts o f u nparalleled atro city were perpetra ted o n poor u nfo r ,

G a briel M al agrida a n o ld m

”
t un ate fo ols . a n o f se ve n ty w as b urnt by
, ,

these evangelical Jac k K etches in 1 76 1 I n t he Amsterdamlibrary there .

is a copy o f th e repo rt o f his fa mo us trial re prin ted fro mthe Lisbon re ,

port H e was acc used o f so rcery and illicit intercourse with the De vil
.
,

w ho ha d disc lo sed to himfutu rity The pro phecy imparted by the

“
.

Arch E nem-
y to the poor visio nary Jesu it is reported in t he following
te rms : The cu lprit ha th co nfessed th a t t he demo n under the formof
“
,

t he blessed Virgin ha vin g co m manded him to write the life of Anti

”
,

c hris t to ld himtha t he M ala grida was a second John b ut more clear

, , ,

th an Jo hn t he Ev a ngelist ; tha t there were to b e three An tichrists and ,

that t he las t sho uld b e bo rn at M ila n o f a mo nk a nd a nu n in th e year , ,

1 9 2 0 ; t ha t he wo u ld m arry Pro se rp ine o ne o f t he in ferna l furies e tc , , .

The prophecy is to b e verified fo rty three years hence E ven were all -
.

t he c h ildren bo rn o f m on ks a n d nuns real ly to become an tichrists if

”
a llo wed to grow u p to m a t u rity the fac t wo u ld see mfar less deplorable
,

th an t he disco v e ries m ade in so m any co n ven ts when th e foun da t ions

ha v e bee n re m o v ed fo r so m e reas o n If t he assert io n of Lu ther is t o be .

disbelieved o n acco u nt o f his ha tred fo r po pery then w e may na me dis ,

co v e ries o f t he sa m e ch a rac te r m a de q ui te recen tly in Aust rian and

Russian Po la nd Lu ther s pea ks o f a fish po n d at Ro m e si tua ted near

1 -
.
,

a co n ve n t o f n un s whic h ha vin g been clea red o u t by order o f Pope

, ,

Grego ry di sc lo se d at t he bo tto mo v er six tho usa n d infan t sku lls ; a nd a

,

n u n nery a t Ne in b urg in A u st ria who se fo un da tio ns when sea rche d dis ,

clo se d t he sa m e re lic s o f ce libacy a n d ch as tity !

12 0 . Vo l. I , p . 300 . 1 2 1 La dé o . mmma nic , ou trait! dc: min e .

1 2 2 Tischredcu, p
. . 30 7.
 THE BLOOD Y RECORD OF TORQUEMADA 59

Eccleai a non novit m meekly pea ted

sa ngui ne ! re t ro bed cart he scarle -

dina ls An d to avoid the spillin g o f blood which h orrified them, they in

.

stitut ed the Holy In quisition If, as t he o c cultists main ta in , an d science

‘

m
half co nfi r s, o ur os t trifling ac ts an d tho u ghts are indelibly im
m pressed
upo n th e e terna l m
irror o f t he as tral ether, there mus t b e som ewhere in ,

the boun dless rea l m

o f the un see n uni v erse the im prin t o f a curious pic
,

ture I t is t h at o f a go rgeous sta n dard wa ving in t he hea venly breeze a t

.

the fo o t o f t he grea t white throne of the Alm igh ty o n its crim

‘ ’
so n

dama sk face a cross, symbol o f the So n of Go d who died fo r an kin d ,

‘ ’
m
with an oli ve branch o n o ne side , an d a swo rd , sta ined to the hilt with h u
man go re, o n the other ; a legen d selected fro mthe P salms embla zoned in
g o ld en le tte rs , rea din g th us : E x u rge , D om i ne, et ju d ica ca u s am ea m m .

Fo r su ch a ppears the sta n dard o f the In qui sitio n , o n a photogra ph in o ur

possession , fro man origina l proc ured at the Escorial of M a drid .

U n der this Chris tian stan da rd , in the brief space o f fourtee n yea rs,
m
Tomas de Torque ad a , the confessor o f Qu een Isa bella , burned o ver t en
thousan d persons, and sen tenced to the to rture eigh ty tho u sa n d mo re

”
.

Orob io, the well known writer, wh o was de ta ined so long in prison , a n d
-

who hardly escaped the fla m es of th e I n qu is itio n , im morta lize d this insti

tutio n in his works when once at liberty in Hollan d H e fo u n d no better .

argum en t a ga inst the Ho ly Church tha n to em brace t he Judaic faith and

su bm it even to circ u cisio n m I n the ca thedra l o f Saragossa , says a
.

wri ter o n the Inquisition , is the to mb o f a fa ous inquisito r Six pilla rs

“
m .

surro un d the to m b ; to each is cha i ned a M oor, as prepara to ry to be in g

burne d . On this St Fo ix in gen uously obse rves : If ever the Jac k Ketch
.

of a ny coun try sh oul d b e rich en ou gh to ha ve a splen did to b , this m

m igh t serve as an ex cellen t o del ! m To a ke it co m m
plete , however,
the builders of the to m b ou gh t no t to ha ve omitted a b as relief o f the -

m
fa ous h orse which w as b urn t fo r sorcery and witchcraft Grange r t ells .

””
the s tory , descri bing it as havin g occurred in his tim e The poor animal .

“
ha d been ta ugh t to tell t he spots upo n ca rds, an d t he ho ur o f t he day
b y the wa tch Horse a n d owner were bo th in dic ted b y the sacred o ffice
.

fo r dea ling with the De vil , a nd bo th were burned , with a grea t cerem o ny
1“
o f au to d a fé at Lis bon in 1 60 1 , as wizards !
- -

mm m

”
This i ortal insti tu tion o f Christiani ty did no t re ain witho u t its
D an te t o sin g its praise M aced o , a Portu guese Jesui t, says th e a u th or
.

m
o f D e o nolo yia , has disco vered the origin o f t he In quisitio n in the terres
trial Paradise, a nd presu m es to allege th a t Go d was t he first w ho began

the fu nc tions o f an in quisitor o ver C ain an d t he workm en o f Ba bel !

m “

N o where d uring th e M iddle Ages were the arts o f m agic a n d so rc ery

12 3 . De monoloyia , p.302 . 12 4 Jas Granger : Biogr H int

. . . . of Engla nd : 1 769 .

0 p cit , p 30 6
. . . .
60 ISIS UN VEI LED

mo re practised by the clergy than in Spain an d Portugal The M oors .

were pro fo un dly versed in th e occult sciences and a t To ledo Se ville and , , ,

Sa la m a nca there were on ce u po n a tim , e grea t sc hools of m a gic The , .

ka balists o f the la tter to wn were skilled in all the a bs truse sciences ; they
knew the virtues o f precio us stones and other minerals an d had ex ,

trac ted fro malchemy its most pro foun d secre ts .

The a u then tic docum en ts pert ainin g to th e grea t tria l of the M are

chale d Ancre durin g the re gen cy o f M arie de M e di cis disclo se tha t the
’
, ,

unfort una te wom a n perished thro u gh the fa ul t o f t he priests wi th who m ,

like a tru e I ta lian she surro un ded herself She w as acc used by t he people
, .

o f Paris o f sorcery beca use it ha d been asserted tha t she h ad u sed afte r
, ,

the cerem o ny o f exo rc ism new ly killed white coc ks , Belie vin g herself
-
.

co nstan tly be witched a n d bein g in very delica te hea lth t he M a réchale

, ,

ha d the ceremo ny o f exo rcis mpu blicly a pplied to herself in the Ch urch o f
t he A ugus tines ; as to t he b irds she u sed themas a n a pplica ti on to the ,

fo rehea d o n acco un t o f drea dful pain s in the hea d a nd had been ad ,

vise d to do so b y M o n talto the Jew physician o f the queen an d by the

, ,

I talian priests .

I n the sixt een th cen tury the C ura de Ba rgo ta of the diocese of Calla
ho ra Spa in beca m e the world s wo n der fo r his m a gical po wers His m ost
’
.
, ,

extrao rdin ary fea t co nsis ted it w as sa id in trans po rtin g hi m , self to any ,

dista n t co un try witnessin g political an d o ther even ts a n d then re turning

, ,

hom e to p redic t themin h is o wn co u n try H e ha d a fa m iliar dem on who .

,

served him fai thft fo r lo ng yea rs says the Chron icle b u t the cum , ,

turned un gra teful a n d chea ted him Ha vin g bee n apprise d b y his demon .

o f a co nspirac y a gai n st t he Po pe s life in co nse q uen ce o f a n in trigue o f the

”
’
,

la tter with a fair la dy the cura tra ns po rted him , self to Ro m e ( in hi s

”
do u ble o f co urse ) a nd thus sa ved his Ho lin ess life After which he re
,
’
.

p e n ted , co nfesse d hi s sin s t o th e ga lla n t Pop e a n d go t absol uti o n O n his , .

re turn h e w as delivered as a m a tte r o f fo rm in to t he cu sto dy o f the

, ,

in qui sitors o f Lo gro no b u t was ac q ui tted a nd resto red t o his liberty

,

very so o n 1
.

Friar Pietro a Do m inica n m

, o nk o f th e fourtee n th cen tury the
magician who presented the famo us D r Euge nio Torralva a physician .
,

a tta ched to t he h o u se o f th e a dm iral o f C as tile with a dem on na m ed ,

Ze q uiel wo n his fa m e thro u gh th e s u bseq ue n t tria l of To rral va Th e .

proce dure an d circ ums ta nces attenda n t u po n t he extrao rdinary trial are
desc ribed in t he original papers preserved in the Archives o f the Inquisi
tio n The C ardin al o f Vo lterra a nd t he Cardin a l of Sa n ta Cruz b o t
.
,
"
.

sa w an d co m munica ted with Ze q uiel w ho pro ved during the whole , ,

a

To rralv a s life to b e a p ure kin d elem e n ta l sp irit do in g m

’
, , a ny b enefice
, ,

125 . Thou . Wright : N ar rati ves f

o S orcery and M agic , xx , x viii
 w mca -Bua ms s AT BAMBEB G AN D WURZBURG 61

maining faithful to the physician to the last hour of his life

”
act io ns a n d re .

Even the I nquisition ac qui tted To rralva o n tha t accoun t ; and although
an im morta lity of fame was ins ured to himby the sa tire of Ce rvan tes ,

neither Torralva no r the m onk Pietro are fic titio us heroes b u t histo rica l ,

perso na ges recorded 1 n ecclesiastical docu men ts o f Ro me and C uenca in

, ,

which town the trial of the physician to ok place in the years 1 52 8

to 1 530 l

”
.

The bo ok of D r W G Solda n of Stuttgart has becom

. . . e as fa m
, ous in ,

Germ a n y as Bo din s book o n Dem o nm na ni a in France I t is the most

’
.

com plete German trea tise o n sixteen th cen tury witchcraft O ne in teres t .

ed in lea rnin g the secre t m ac hin ery u n derlyin g these th ousan d s o f le gal

murders perpetrated by a d a y who prete nded to believe in the Devil

, ,

an d su cceed e d in m a kin g o thers belie ve in hi m will fin d it divu lged in the ,

above-m en tio ned work The tru e origin o f the da ily accusa tions a n d
.

dea th sen ten ces for sorcery are cleverly traced to perso nal an d po litical
-

enm ities a nd above all to the ha tred of th e Ca tho lics toward the Protes
,

tan ts The crafty work o f the Jesui ts is see n a t every page o f the blo o dy
.

trage dies ; an d it is in Bamberg and Wil rzb u rg where these worthy sons ,

o f Lo y o la were m ost po werful a t tha t time tha t the cases o f witchcraft

were most n u m
,

fl o us O n the next pa ge we give a curio us list o f som e v ic

”
.

tims many of whomwere children between the ages o f se ven an d eigh t

,

y ea rs a,n d Prot est a n ts

“
Of t h e m u l t it u des
. o f pe rso n s w h o p e rish ed at

the s ta ke in Germ a ny during the first ha lf o f th e se ve n teen th cen tury fo r

sorcery th e crim
, e of m a n y w as their a tta ch m en t to th e re ligio n o f Ln

ther say s T Wrigh t

, . a n d the petty prin ces were no t u n willin g to
,

seize u pon a ny pre tense to fill th eir co ffers th e perso ns m o st perse

”
cu ted being those whose pro perty w as a m a t ter o f co n sidera tio n At .

Ba mberg as well as at W urzburg the bishop w as a sovereign prince in his

, ,

domin ions The Prince Bishop Jo hn George II who ruled Ba mberg

.
-
, , .

after se veral unsu cc essful a ttem pts to root o ut Lu theranism distin guished

”
,

”
his reign b y a series o f sa nguinary witch trials which disgrace th e a nn als -
,

of tha t city We may formso me no tio n o f t he proceedings o f h is

.

”
worthy agen t fro mthe sta temen t o f the most a u then tic historians of
1

this ci ty th at be tween 1 62 5 an d 1 630 no t less than 900 trials to o k place in

the t w o co urts of Ba m berg an d Zeil ; a nd a pa mphlet pu blished a t B am
berg by au thority in 1 659 sta tes the 11 n her o f persons who mBishop
lii
,

John George had ca use d to b e burned f sorcery to ha ve bee n 1'

1 2 7 Gesaticld c der H ezenprocu re. am den Quellm dargectellt: S tu ttgart. 1 843

1 2 3 . Frederick Forner, Sufiragan o f Bam
. .

berg, aut ho r o f a trea tise against heretics

a s, under th e title o f Pano plia arm

m
d w a tu rae Dei

m
.

W a e, b y T Wn h t r s A , etc , Co rrespo nding M em ber

3fi g
12 u A
fi
.

3
. .
, .
, . . .

1 1 1 l 0
62 ISIS UN VEILED

Regretti ng tha t space preven ts o ur givin g o ne of the m ost curio us

lists 1n t he wo rld of burn ed witches we will nevertheless m a ke a few ,

ext rac ts fro m the o rigina l reco rd as prin ted in H a u ber s B ibliotheca
’

magica One glance a t this ho rrible ca talog o f murders in Christ s

.
’

na m e is su fficie n t to sho w th a t o u t o f 1 62 perso ns b urne d , m o re than

o ne half o f them are designa ted as stra ngers (i e

-
Pro tes ta n ts ) in this . .
,

ho spita ble to wn ; a nd o f t he o ther ha lf we fin d th irty fo u r children the -

,

o ldest o f wh o mwas fo urtee n , t he yo un ges t a n i nfa nt child o f D r Sc hlitz . .

To m a ke t he ca ta lo g sh o rte r w e will prese n t o f each o f th e twe n ty nine -

bu rni ngs, only the most rem arka ble

“ .

FI R ST
IN TH E B URN I N G FOUR , PE R SON S
Old Ancker s wido w
’
.

The wife o f Liebler .

The wife o f G u t b rod t .

The wife o f Hoc ker .

IN TH E SE C OND URN I N G FOUR

B , P ER S ONS
Two strange wo men ( na mes u n kn o wn ) .

The o ld wife of Beu tler .

IN TH E TH I R D B URN I N G FI VE , PE R SONS
fi n gersleb er, a minstrel .

Fo ur wives o f ci tizens .

IN TH E FO URTH B URN I N G , PE R SONS

A t
s ran ge man .

INURN I N G
THE FI FT H B , PE R SONS
Lu tz an eminen t shop keeper
,
-
.

The wife o f Baunach a se na to r , .

IN TH E s
'
rII B URN I N G , s PE B sO N s

The fat ta ilor s wife

’
.

A t
s ra n ge man .

A stra n ge wo man .

1 30 Besides these b urnin gs Germ any w hich am o un t to

111 any th o usands we find m
e very in teres ting sta te m
, ,

so m
.

en ts in Pro f D raper s Co nflict betw x t! Rel i ion M

’

g S W
On page 1 46 , he says : The fa m ilies o f the co nvicted m i
.

1nto irretr ievable

“

ruin . Llo ren te, they histo rian o f the In qu isitio n, co m putes t a .t orq ue ad a and his g
h m
co llab o ra to rs in t he co urse o f eighte en years, b urned a t the stake
, persons.
in cfiigy , and o therwise punished 9 7 32 1 1 With unutterable disgus t and
indigna tio n. we learn t ha t the papa l go vernm ent realized m m
, .

uch o ney b y selling to

t he n ch dispensatio ns t o secure t hem fro m the Inquisitio n .
 ISIS UN VEILED

IN TH E EI GH TE E NT H B URNI NG , SI X PE RSO NS
Two boys twelve years o ld
, .

The da ugh ter o f D r Jun ge . .

A g irl of fi fteen y ears of a ge .

A s tran ge wo m an .

IN THE N I N ETEE NT H B URN I N G , SI X PE R SONS

A b o y o f ten years of age .

Another b o y , twelve years o ld

IN TH E TWE NT I E TH B URN I N G , s PER sO N s

Gtib el
’
s chil d bea u tiful girl
, th e most in W urzburg .

Two boys each tw elve yea rs o ld

, .

Stepper s little da ugh ter

’
.

IN TH E TWEN TY FI R ST -
B URN I N G , SI X PE R S ONS
A b o y fourteen years o ld .

The little so n of Sena tor Sto lzenb erger .

Tw o alu mn i .

IN THE TWE NT Y SE C ON D -
B URN I N G , s P EB sO N s

S turm an , a ric h c ooper .

A stra nge b oy .

IN TB E TW NTY TH I R D
E -
B UR NI NG , NI N E PE R SONS
D a vid Cro ten s b o y nine years’

, o ld .

The t wo sons of the prince s cook the other ten years

’
, o ne fourteen ,

IN TH E .
TWE NT Y FOURTH -
B URN I N G , sE VEN PE R SO N S
Two boys in the hospital .

A rich co oper .

IN TH E TWE NT Y FI FT H -
B URN I N G , 3 1x P ER sO N s

A t
s ran ge b oy .

IN TH E TWE NTY SI X TH -
B URN I N G , S EVE N PE R SONS
Wey denb ush a sena tor , .

The little da ugh ter o f Valken b erger .

The little so n o f t he to wn co un cil bailiff .

IN TH E TWE NT Y S E VE NT H -
B URN I NG , S E VE N PER SONS
A t boy
s ran ge .

A stran ge wom an .

Another b o y .
 THE HORRID TOTAL 65

IN TH E T WEN TY -
EI GHTH URN I N G
B , SI X PE R SON S
The infa nt dau gh ter o f Dr . Sch li tz .

A blind girl .

IN TH E TWE N TY -
N I NT H B URNI NG , SE VE N PE R SON S
The fa t oble lady (Edelfrau )
n

A doc to r o f divin ity .

‘
Strange
’
men and women , i . e. , P rotesta nts , 28
Citizens appa ren tly all WE A LTHY people
, , 1 00
Boys girls an d little chil dren
, , , 34

”
I n nine teen mo n th s , 1 62 persons
There were say s Wrigh t little girls o f fromseven to te n years
, ,
“

o f age am ong the witch es an d seven and twenty o f themwere con vic ted
,

at som The n umbers

“
a nd b u rn t e o f t he o th er brcinde o r burnin gs
'

, , .

”
bro u gh t to trial in these te rrible proceedings were so grea t an d they ,

were trea ted with so little co nsidera tio n that it w as usu al no t even to ,

ta ke the tro uble o f settin g down their names b u t they were cited as the ,

accu se d N o 1 N o 2 N o 3 a n d so o n
.
, .
, The Jesui ts to ok their co n
.
, .

fessions in priva te “ 1
.

Wha t roo mis there in a theo lo gy which exacts such ho loca usts as

”
these to appeas e the bloody appetites o f its priests fo r the fo llowin g ,

g e n tle wo r d s :

S uffer t he little children to com e u n to m e a n d fo rb id the mn o t : fo r ,

o f su ch is the kin gdo mo f hea ven

”
“
E ven so it is no t th e will of your .

“
Fa ther tha t o ne o f these little ones should perish B u t whoso .

sha ll o ffen d o ne o f th ese little o nes which believ e in m e it were better ,

for hi m tha t a m ill sto ne w ere ha n ged a bo u t h is n ec k a n d th a t h e were

drown ed in the depth o f the sea .

We sincerely ho pe tha t t he abo ve words have proved no vain threa t

to these child burners -
.

D id this bu tchery in t he na me o f their M o loch go d preven t these -

treasu re hunters fro mreso rt in g t o t he black art themselves ? N o t in the

-

least ; fo r in no class were su ch co nsu lters o f fa m iliar spirits mo re

‘ ’

n um ero us th a n a m on g t he d a y during t he fiftee n th sixteen th and , ,

se ven tee n th cen turies True there were some Ca th o lic priests amo n g
.
,

the vic tim

“
s b u t th o ugh t hese were ge nerally a cc u se d o f ha vin g
, bee n

1 31 . S orcery and M agic; ‘

The Burnings at Wurzb urg ,
’
II . p . 1 86.
66

led in to prac tices to o drea dful to be desc ribed it w as no t so I n the

twen ty nine burni ngs abo ve ca ta logued we find the na mes o f twelve
ISIS UN VE ILED

,
” .

”
-

vicars fou r ca n ons a n d t w o do c to rs o f div inity bu rnt alive

, , B u t we .

h ave only to turn to su ch works as were pu blished a t t he time to assure

o urselv es th a t e ach popish pries t exec u ted w as acc used of da mnab le
heresy i c a te ndenc y to reform
, . .
, a tion a crim e m ore h ein ous far
than sorcery .

”
We refer those w ho would learn h o w the Ca th olic clergy u ni te d duty
with pleasure in the ma tter o f exorcisms re ven ge a nd tre asu re h un ting , ,
-
,

to vo lu m c h apte r i o f W m H o w i tt s H is to ry of the S upernatural

’
e H , , . .

I n wha t ca m to b e called pneu m

“
e a to logia occul ta et vera a ll the ,

fo rms o f adjura tio n and co n] urat io n were laid down says this ve teran ,

w riter H e then procee ds to give a lo ng desc ription o f the fa vorite

.

modus operandi The Dogme et rituel de la ha ute ma gic o f the la te Eliphas

.

Levi trea ted wi th so much abuse and con te mpt by D es M o usseaux

, ,

te lls noth in g o f the weird cerem onies a nd prac tices b ut wha t w as prac
t ise d legally a n d wi th the ta c it if no t o pe n co nsen t o f the C h u rch by the ,

priests o f the M iddle Ages The exo rcist pries t ente red a circ le a t mid .
-

n igh t ; h e w as clad in a ne w surplice an d ha d a c o nsecra te d band ,

h angin g fro m the nec k covered with sacred ch arac te rs , H e wore o n .

the hea d a ta ll poin ted ca p o n the fron t o f wh ic h w as written in Hebrew ,

the holy wo rd the Te tra gra m ma to n the ineflab le name I t was

, .

writte n wi th a new pe n dipped in the blo o d o f a white dove What the .

exorcis ts m ost yearned after w as to release miserable spirits which ,

ha u nt spo ts where hidden treas ures lie The exorc ist sprinkles the circle .

with the bloo d o f a bla ck lamb a nd a whi te pigeo n The pries t had to .

a dj ure t he e vil spirits o f h ell Achero nt M a go th Asmo de i Beelzebub , , , ,

Belial and all the damned soul s in the migh ty na mes o f Jeho vah
, , ,

Adon ai E lo h ah a n d Sa ba oth which la tter was t he Go d o f Abraham

, , , ,

Isaa c an d Jaco b w ho dwelt in the Urim and Th ummim When the

”
, , .

da mned so uls flun g in the face o f the exorcis t tha t he was a sinner and ,

cou ld n o t get t he treas ure fro m the m t he pries t sorcerer ha d to re ply ,

-

“
tha t all hi s sins were was hed o u t in the bloo d o f Christ an d be b id“3
,

them depart as c ursed gho sts and damn ed flies When the ex o rcist .

dislo d ged the m a t last the po o r so ul w as co m “

forte d in th e na m
, e of

the Sa vior a n d cons ign ed to the care of goo d a ngels

, who were less ,

powerful we mus t think tha n the exorcizin g Ca tholic worthiss

, ,
“
an d ,

t he resc ued treas ure o f co urse w a s sec ured fo r t he C hurc h

, , .

Certa in days , a dds Ho witt , are la id down in the cale n dar of

1 32 . And retin te d I n the blo od o f the millio ns murdered In h is na e m

in the no less
innocent b lood than his o wn , of the little child-witches!
 ”
SOLOM ON S SEVEN ABOMIN ATI ONS
’
67

”
the Ch urch as most fa vorable fo r the prac tice o f exorcism; an d if ,

the de v ils are difficul t to drive a fu m e o f sulphur as sa foe tida bear s

’
, , ,

g a l], a n d ru e is rec o m m e n de d w hi c h it w as p res u

, m ed wo uld o u t
,s te n ch ,

even de vils
1
.

This is th e Church and this the priestho o d whi ch in the nineteen th

, ,

cen t ury pa y s 5000 priests to tea ch the people o f the United Sta tes the

infi deli ty of sc ience an d the infallibility o f t he B isho p o f Ro m e!

We h ave already no ticed the co nfession o f an eminen t prela te tha t

the eli m i nat ion o f Sa ta n fromtheo logy would b e fata l to the perpe tuity
of the Churc h Bu t this is only partially true The Prince of Sin
. .

woul d b e gone b ut sin itself wo uld survive If the De vil were an n ihi
, .

la te d th e A rticles of Faith and the B ibk wo uld remain I n short there

, .

would s till b e a pre te nded divine re vela tion and th e necessity fo r ,

self ass u m
-
ed inspired in terpre ters We must therefo re consider th e .
, ,

au th en tici ty of th e Bible itself We mus t study its pages an d see if

.
,

they in deed conta in the commands o f the De ity o r b ut a compen dium ,

o f an cie n t tr a ditio ns an d h oary m yths We must try to interpret them .

fo r o urselves if possible As to its prete n ded in terpreters the only

.
,

possible simi li tu de we ca n fin d fo r them in the Bible is to co mpare

the mwith t he ma n described b y the wise King Solomo n in hi s P roverbs
“
as th e po ssesso r o f the se six th in gs y ea seven w h ic h t he
an d whi ch are a n abo m ina tion un to H im to wit :

”
Lord doth h a te , ,
“
A p roud look a lyi ng to n gue an d han ds tha t shed i n nocent blood
, , ,

a hea rt tha t devi seth wicked i m agi na tio ns fee t th a t b e s wift 1 n runnin g ,

to m

”
isc hief ; a fals e witness tha t speake th lies and he that soweth discord ,

am o ng breth ren (P rover bs v i 1 6 , ,

Of wh ich of these are th e lo n g lin e o f m e n w h o ha ve left the im prin t

of th eir fee t I n the Va tican guiltless ?
When the demons say s Au gustine i nsi n uate themselves I n the
, ,
‘‘

crea tures th ey begin by co nform

, in g them sel ve s to the w ill of every one .

. I n order to a ttract men they begin by se ducing them by simula t

, ,

ing o b edi en ce H ow could one kno w, had he not been ta ught by the
.

dem on s th em lse ves , wha t th ey like o r wha t they ha te the nam e which

attracts , o r tha t which forces themi n to obed ience; all this a rt, in sh ort ,

of agic , the whole science o f the magicians ?

m
To this impres sive disse rta tion o f the sa in t we will a dd tha t n o ’ '

magician h as ever denied that he h ad learned the art from spirits ‘

,
’

whe th er bein g a medi u m they ac ted in dependen tly o n him o r he had

, , ,

1 33 H
. i st of
. th e S p
u erna tu ral, I I . pp 1 3-
16 . .

1 34 Augustine : The City of God, XXI . vi ;

.

Des Mousseaux : M a urs et pratiguec des dé nwns. p 1 81 . .

68 ISIS UN VEE ED

been initia ted in to the sc ience o f evoca tion by his fathers w ho knew ‘

it before hi m se lf B u t who w as it the n th a t ta u gh t the exorc is t ? The

.

priest w ho clothes himself with a n au thority n o t only over th e magician ,

b u t even over all these spirits whom h e calls demo ns an d de vils as

‘ ’
,

sco n as he fin ds th e m o beyin g an y o n e b u t hi m se lf ? H e must have

lea rned so m ewhere fro m so m e o ne th a t power wh ic h h e pre te n ds to

possess Fo r .
,

dem ons the m s elves the n am e which attracts or tha t which forces them ,

i nto o bed ience? as ks Au gus tine .

Use less to re m ark th a t w e kn ow t he answer befo re h a n d : Re vela

tio n di vine gift the So n o f G o d ; nay Go d Him self thro u gh , ,

His d ire c t Spirit w ho desce n ded o n the a postles as the Pen tecosta l
,

fire , a n d w h o is n o w allege d to o versh a dow e v ery pries t wh o sees

fi t to exorcize fo r either glory o r a gift Are we then to believe that .

t he rece n t sca n dal o f pu blic exorcism perform ed a bo u t th e 1 4 th o f ,

Oc to ber 1 876 by the senior pries t o f the Ch urc h o f the Holy Spirit
, ,

a t Barcelo n a Spa in was also done un der the direc t su perin ten dence
, ,

1“
o f t he Ho ly G h ost ? I t will b e urged tha t the bisho p w as no t

1 35 A co rre spo nden t

. of th e Lo ndon Ti mes describes the Cata lo nia n ex orc ist in the
fo llo wing lines :
“
Abo ut th e 1 4th o f Octo ber it was privately anno unced t ha t a yo ung wo an of m
se ven te en o r eigh te en years o f a e, o f the lo wer cl ass . hav ing lo ng b een afl icted with
g
a ha tre d o f ho ly th th e senio r pries t o f t he C hurch o f the H o ly Spirit wo uld cure
‘ ’
,

her o f her disease T c ex hib itio n was to b e he ld I n a ch urch frequ en ted by t he b est
.

art of th e co m munity The church was dark. b ut a sickly light was shed by wax
F s o n the sab le fo r s o f so m m
.

“
t e eighty o r a hun dred perso ns who clustere d ro und the
b t n o o r sa n c t u ary, in fro n t o f the alta r V ilit hi n t h e little enclosu re o r sanctu
p res t e
separated fro m th e cro wd b y a light ra iling lay o n a co m mo n benc h. with a little
.
,

fl
,

o w fo r h er h ea d t o rec l ine u po n a p oo rly -

c lad i
g rl, pro ba bly o f the peasant or ar
m
,

tisan clas s ; her b ro th er o r h us ba nd sto od a t her feet to restrain her (a t ti es ) fra ntic
kicking by holding her legs The do o r o f the ves try o pened : t he ex hibito r I m ean
ca m
.

e in The poo r girl, n o t witho ut j us t reaso n, had an aversio n to holy

‘
the priest
m
.

th ings, o r at lcast thc 400 devils with in her dist orted b o dy ha d ch an a vu s o n an d

'
’

mm
in the co nfusio n o f t he o en t, th inking tha t the father was a ho ly thing. she do ubled
‘ ’

U p her 1e88 . str ea m ed o u t with t witch ing m

o uth. her w ho le b o dy writ hing, and threw be

self nearly 0 3 the bench The m ale a tten da nt seized her legs . the wo m en supported her
m m
.

head an d swept o ut her disheveled ha ir The pries t advanced and, . ingling fa iliarly
with th e sh uddering and h o rro r-struck cro wd said po in in a t the suffering child.
no w so bb ing an d t witching o n the bench . Pro m ise m
t g
, ,

‘ hfldrcn. that yo u will b e

‘
e,
t (p ru d e nte s ) an d o f a tru th so ns a n d d a u g h ters i m
ne, yo u shall see arvels
’
m
5:} pro m
,
,
.

ise was given The ex hib itor wen t to procure sto le and sho rt sin plies (a tola -

m m
.

) d d i t. ta king his sta nd a t th e side of the po u en ed

‘
, a n re t u rn e n a o e n
with the devils, with his face to ward the gro up o f studen ts The order o f t he da a
’ ’
.

y
p roce e d in g s w as a l ec t ure t o the b ys ta n d ers a n d th e o p era tio n of ex orc izing the devrla
m
, .

Yo u kno w, said the priest. tha t so grea t is t his girl s a versio n to ho ly t hings,
‘ ’ ‘ ’

y self
included t ha t she goes in to co nvuls io ns. kic ks. screa m s and distort s her b o dy the o m
ment she arrives at the co rner o f this stre et and her co nv’ ulsive struggles re ach their
,

clim
,

ax when she en ters t he sacred ho use o f the M os t High T urning to the pro strate,
m mm m
.

shuddering. ost unha ppy o b j ect of his a ttack, the priest co enced : I n the na e of
‘
 A PAPAL B ULL AGAIN ST SPIRITUALIS M 69

cognisan t of this frea k o f the clergy b u t even if he were ho w could ,

he ha ve pro teste d again st a rite co n sidere d since the days of t he apos tles
o ne of t h e m ost h oly prerogatives o f the Church o f Ro me ? So la te
as in 1 852 only twen ty five years ago th ese rites received a public-

”
,

n sa nc tion fro m the Va tic a n and a new Ritual of Ex orcism

,

and so le m ,

was pu bli sh ed in Ro m e Paris a n d oth er C a th olic ca p ita ls

,
D es M ous
, .

sea ux writing un der the immedi a te pa tronage o f Fa ther Ven tura the
, ,

Genera l o f t h e Thea tines of Ro m e e ven fa vors us w ith len gthy extrac ts ,

from this famous ritual and explains the reason why it was enforced

”
,

again I t w as in co nseq uence o f the revival o f M agic u n der the name

.

of M o dern S p iritu alism The bu ll o f Pope I nn ocen t VI II is exh um

. ed

an d tra nsla ted fo r the benefi t o f D es M o u ssea ux s rea ders We ha ve ’

.

hea rd ex c la im
, s t he So vere ign Po n t ifl
’
tha t a grea t nu mber o f perso ns ,

o f both sex e s h a ve fea red n o t to en ter in to rela tion s wi th th e sp irits

o f h ell ; a n d tha t by their prac tice o f so rce ry

, they strike with
sterility th e conj u gal b ed destroy the germ s o f hum a nity in th e bo so m
,

o f t he m oth er and throw spells o n the m an d se t a barrier to t he mul

, ,

tiplica tio n of anim a ls etc etc then follow curses and an athemas
.
, .

agains t th e practice )
"

This be lief o f the Sovereign Po n tifis o f an enligh tened Christian

coun try is a direc t inherita n ce fro m t he m ost ignora n t multitudes
o f th e so u th ern H in d fi rabb le the hea then The diabo lical arts
’
.

of certa in kangdl ins ( wi tches ) and jadii gars (sorcerers) are firm ly belie ve d
'

in by these people The following are a mong their mos t dreade d po wers :
.

to ins pire lo ve and ha tred at will ; t o sen d a de vil to ta ke po ssession

of a person and to rture him; to expel him; to ca use su dden dea th

Go d o f th e sa in ts, of the b lessed Host, o f every ho ly sacram en t o f o ur C hurc h I adju re

thee, B ushel. co m (N B B ushel is the na me o f a devil. the dev il having

, ,

e o u t o f her
‘ ’ ’

2 57 nam
. . .

es in Ca talo nia ) Thus adjured th e girl threw herself in an ago ny o f co nv ul

m m
.
,

sio .
n till her di sto rte d fa c e fo a -b s a
e p t te red l ip s a nd w r i th in g l i b s g rew w ell-
nigh
m m
,

ifl f ll l h h fl d l i b i-vio l screa m
’
st a t u en g t u po n t e oo r a n i n a n ua
g g e se -o
sce n e se a ed
I do n t choo se to come o u t yo u th ie‘ ves, scamps ro b b ers At last fro m th e
. ,
’ ’
o ut
uivering l ips o f the girl ca m
, , , .
,

q e th e w o rds, I w ill ; b ut t he dev il added, with tradi

’

I will cast the 1 00 o ut. b ut h the mo uth o f the girl The priest
,

ti o nal perversity
‘ ’

The ex it, he sa id o f 1 00 dev ils o ut o f e sm all Spa n ish m o uth o f the wo m

.

o bjected an
Then the m ad dened girl sa id sh e m
. ,

wo uld leav c her sufioca te d ust un dress herself

‘ ’
.

for t he devils to esca pe Th is titio n the ho l father refused Then I will co m

‘
e
the girl ad o n a hem
. .

out t hro ugh th e righ t foo t, b u t t — p e n sa nd a l sh e w as o b

yo u m
.

vio usly o f t he poorest clas s ust ta ke o ff her sa nda l

‘
The sandal was un tied ;
the fo ot gave a co nvulsivc pl i ge ; the de vil a nd his m yrmido ns (so the cum sa id.
.

m u
i
loo king ro und triu phantly) h d go ne to their o wn place And assured o f th is the .

wret ched d upe o f a girl la y q uite still The b isho p was no t co gnisant of this frea k o f
the clergy , and the m om en t it ca m
.

e to the cars o f the civ il au tho rit ies. the sha rpest

m eans were ta ken to pre ven t a repetitio n o f the sca n

1 36 La m agis au X I c
. riecle p 1 38, sq , . .

1 37 H o urs et pratiques des de

. mons . p 1 75
. .
70 ISIS UN VE ILED

o r an incurable diseas e ; to either strike ca ttle with o r protec t the from m

epide m ics ; to co m po se philters tha t will either s trike with rility o r pro
voke un bo un ded pas sions in men and women , etc , etc sigh t alone . .

of a m a n sa id to b e s uc h a so rcerer exc ites in a Hin d u profoun d terro r .

And n o w we will quo te in thi s connexion the tru thful re a rk of a m

w riter w ho passed years in In dia in the stu dy o f the o rigin o f su ch su per
Vulgar m
“
st it io ns agic in In dia like a degenera ted infil tra ti on , go es
,

ha n d in han d with the m

”
- -
o st e nn oblin g beliefs o f the sec ta rian s o f the

Pitris I t was the work of the lo west clergy a nd designed to h old the

”
.
,

po pu lace in a pe rpe tu al sta te o f fear I t is thus tha t in all ages and .

un de r every la titu de , side by side with philosophica l spec ula t io ns o f the

m

”
hi ghes t c ha rac te r o ne always fin ds the rel igio n of the rabble
, In .

In dia it w as the work o f the lo west clergy; in Rome , tha t of the highest
P ontifi s B u t th en h a ve they no t as a u thority th eir grea test saint
.
, ,

Au gustine , w ho dec la re s tha t whoever belie ves no t in the e vil spirits,

re fu ses to believe in Holy Wri t ?
1

Therefo re , in the secon d ha lf of the nineteenth cen tury we fin d the

cou nsel fo r the Sa cred Co n grega tio n o f Bi tes (ex o rc ism of de ons in m
clu ded ) Fa ther Ve n t ura dc Ra ulies , w ritin g th us , in a le tter pu blished
,

by D es M ousseaux in 1 865
We are in full magic ! and, under false na mes . t he Spirit of lies and m
i pudicity
goes o n his ho rrib le depreda tio ns
er
p p e tra ting The m ost grievo us . featu re in this
is tha t even amo ng the m os t serio us perso ns they do no t a tt ac h the im portance to the
strange pheno m en a wh ich they deserve these m a nifesta tio ns tha t we wit ness, an d which
,

beco me with ev er y mo re weird striking as well as most fa ta l

day . , .

I sufi cic n tly ad mire a nd pra ise fro mthis standpo int
“
ca nn o t , , the seal an d co urage

displayed b y y o u in yo ur wo rk The facts which yo u have co llected are ca lcula ted to

.

thro w light and co n victio n in to the mos t skep tical minds ; and after en ding t hmt e
'

marka b le wo rk writte n with so much learnedness and co nscientio usness, blindnemis

,

no lo nger possib le .

If anyt hing co uld

“
it w o uld b e the in diflcre ncc wit h which these phe
'

su rprise us ,

”
nomena have b een treate d by false Science en dea vo ring, as she ha s, to turn in to ri dicule
,

so gra ve a sub j ect ; the childish simplic ity ex h ib it ed b y her in the desire to plain the
m
ex

fac ts by a bsurd and co n tradicto r y hypo theses .

[Signed] Father Ventura dc Ra t-

lies , et c ., et c.

Thus enco urage d by the grea tes t au thorities o f the Church o f Ro me ,

an cien t a n d mo de rn the C hev alie r argues the n ecessity and the efi e acy
,

of exorcis mby the priests H e tries to demons tra te . on faith as usual ,

tha t the po wer o f the sp irits o f hell is closely re la ted to certain rites ,

1 38 L Jaco llio t : Le spiritis m

. . e, etc , p 1 62 . . .

1 39 August ine : The City of God, XXI , vi

. .

1 40 . M a ura . etc , p ii (ed

. . . al so La agic a n X I X m m t il d e , p 115
. .
 ”
72 ISIS UN VEILED

Westminster Abbey is described by the his to rian : Two mon ks received

t he phial a n d depo sited it in the Abbey
, which ma all E ngla nd
shine with glory dedica tin g it to Go d an d St Edward
, . .

The sto ry o f the Prince Ra dzivill is well kn own I t was the un denia .

b le dece ption o f the m o n ks an d n un s surro un din g him an d h is o wn

con fesso r wh ic h m ade the Polish noble m a n beco m e a Lu thera n H e felt .

a t first so in dignan t a t t he heresy o f th e Re forma tion sprea din g in

‘ ’

Lithu an ia tha t he traveled all the w ay to Ro m

, e to pa y his h o m age of

sym pa thy a nd veneratio n to the Pope The la tter presente d himwith a .

prec iou s b o x of relics On his re turn home his co nfessor sa w the Virgin
.
,

who descen ded fro mher glorio us a bo de fo r the sole purpo se of blessing

”
these re lics a nd au then tica tin g th em The su perior of the neigh boring .

co n ve n t an d t he m o ther a bbess o f a n unn ery bo th sa w t he sa m

-
e vision ,

with a re enfo rce men t o f se veral sa in ts and martyrs ; they pro phesied
-

a nd
“
felt the Holy Gh os t asce n din g fro mthe b o x of relics an d over
sh adon the prin ce A dem oniac provided fo r the p urpose by the
.

c lergy w as cx o rc ized in fu ll cerem ony and upon being to uch ed by the box ,

im media tely reco vered and re n dered thanks o n the spot to the Pope and
,

the Holy Gho st After t he cere m

. o ny w as over the gua rdian o f the

treasury in which t he relics were kept thre w himself at the fee t o f the ,

prince an d confessed tha t o n their w ay bac k fro mRome he had los t the
,

b o x o f relics D rea din g the wra th o f his m

. as te r he had pro cure d a sim ilar ,

bo x , whic h he had filled with the small bo nes o f dogs and ca ts b ut

seein g h o w t he prin ce w as dece iv ed he preferred c on fessin g his guilt to ,

such b las phe m ous tric ks The prince said n o thing b u t con tin ued for
.
,

so m e tim e tes ting n o t t he re lics b u t his co n fesso r a n d the visio n seem

,
-
.

Their mo c k raptures made himdi sco ver so tho roughly the gro ss imposi
tions o f the mon ks an d n u ns th a t he joined the Re formed Church .

This is his to ry Bayle shows th a t when the Ro man Church is no

”
“5
.

lo n ger able to deny tha t th ere ha ve been false re lics she reso rts to sophist ,

ry a n d re plies th a t if false relics h a v e wro u gh t m

“
, iracles it is beca u se of
the goo d in ten tion s o f the belie vers who thus obta in ed fro mGo d a re ward ,

o f the ir goo d fa ith ! The sa m e B ay le sh ows b y n u m ero us in sta n ces , ,

that whene ver it w as pro ved th a t se veral bo dies of the same sain t o r ,

three hea ds o f him o r th ree arms (as in t he case of Au gus tine) were said

”
,

to exis t in di ffere n t plac es a n d tha t they co uld n o t well b e all a u then tic
, ,

the co o l a nd in varia ble answer o f th e C hu rch w as tha t they were all

g e n u in e ; fo r G o d h a d m u ltip lied a n d m irac ul o u sly re p ro d u ced th e m
fo r the grea ter glo ry o f H is Ho ly C hu rc h ! I n o ther words they would
ha ve t he fa ithfu l belie ve tha t the bo dy o f a dec eased sain t m ay through ,

div ine mirac le acq uire t he physio logica l pec u liarities o f a cra wfish !
,

1 44 . De monologia . p . 436 . 1 45 . Diet Met

. . a crit.
 A DECEIVIN G CLERGY AN D LYIN G S PIR ITS 73

We fancy that it would b e hard to demons tra te to sa tisfac tion tha t the
visio ns of C a holic sain ts are in a ny o n e particular ins ta n ce be tter o r
t , ,

more tru stw o rthy than the a verage visio ns an d prophec ies o f o ur modern
mediu ms The visions of Andre w Jackson Da vis however o ur critics
.
’

may sneer at them are by long o dds more philosophica l and more co m
pa tible wi th modern science than the Au gustini an spec ula tions When .

ever t he vis ions o f Sweden bo rg the grea tes t a m , on g the modern seers ,

run as tray fro mphi losophy an d scien tific tru th it is wh e n they m ost near
,

ly run parallel with theo logy N o r are th ese visio ns a ny more u seless to
.

eith er sc ience o r h um an ity tha n th o se o f t he grea t ort ho dox sa in ts In .

the life o f St Bernard it is n arrated tha t as he w as o nce in c hu rc h u po n a

. ,

Chris tmas eve he prayed tha t the very ho ur in which C hrist was bo rn
,

mi gh t b e revea led to hi m; an d when the tru e an d correc t hour ca me he ,

sa w t h e divin e ba be a ppea r in his m an ger Wh a t a pity tha t the div ine

.

ba be did no t embrac e so favorable an opport un ity to fix the co rrec t day

an d y ear of his dea th an d thereby re co nc ile th e co n tro v ersies o f his
,

puta tive his to rians The Tisc hen dorfs Lard ners an d Co le nso s as well
.
, , ,

as m a n y a Ca tholic divine w h o h a ve v ain ly sq uee ze d the m

, a rro w o u t o f

his to rica l record s and their o wn bra ins in the u se less sea rch would a t , ,

leas t h a ve had som e thin g fo r whi ch to th a n k the sa in t .

As it is we are ho pelessly left to infer tha t mos t o f the bea tific a nd

,

divine visio ns o f The Golden Legend an d those to be fou nd in the mo re ,

co m plete biographies o f the most importa n t sa in ts as well as most o f ‘

,
’

the visions of o ur o wn persecu ted seers a n d seeresses were pro duced by ,

ign oran t an d un de velo pe d spirits pas siona tely fon d o f person a tin g
g r ea t hi s to rica l c h ar a c ters W e a re q u
. i te re a dy t o a gree w i t h t h e C h e v
a lier D es M oussea ux an d oth er u nrelen tin g persec u to rs o f m
, a gic a n d

sp iritu alis m in t he n a m e o f th e C h urch t ha t m o dern sp irits a re o ften

,

lying sp iri ts ; tha t they are e ver o n ha nd to h u m

’
‘
or the respec tiv e
hobbies of the perso ns who co mmun ica te wi th the m a t c ircles th a t ‘

they deceive theman d therefore are n o t al wa ys goo d sp irits

‘ ’
, , .

B ut ha vin g conceded so much w e w ill no w as k of a ny im partial

person : is it possible to believe a t the sa me time tha t the po wer give n
to the exorcist pries t tha t su preme a n d di vi ne power o f which he bo as ts
-
, ,

has been given to himby Go d fo r t he pu rpo se o f deceivin g peo ple ? a n d

tha t the prayer pron oun ced by him i n the n am e of Chri st a n d which ,

forcin g the dem o n in to su b m

,

ission m a kes hi mre v eal h im

, se lf is ca lc u

la ted a t the sa me tim

,

e to m a ke t he de vil c o n fe ss no t the truth b u t th a t ,

only whi ch it is the i nterest of the church to which the ex orcis t belo ngs ,

sh o ul d p as s for truth? An d th is is wha t in variably ha ppen s Co m pare .

fo r ins ta nce the respo nses given by th e dem o n to Lu ther wi th th ose

o bta ine d fromthe dev ils by St Do m

,

inic The o ne a rgues a ga in st the

. .
74 ISIS UN VEILED

priva te mas s an d u pbraids Lu ther wi th placin g the Virgin M ary and

,

sa ints befo re C h ris t a n d th us dish o n orin g the So n o f Go d ;

W whil e the
,

demo ns exorcize d by St Do minic u po n seeing t he Virgin who m the

.
,

ho ly fa ther h a d also e vo ked to help hi m roa r o u t : Oh ! o ur ene m

“
y! ,

”
o h ! o ur da m w hy dids t th o u desce nd fro mhea ven to to rm

”
n er ! en t u s ?

Why art tho u so powerful an in tercessor fo r sinn ers ! Oh ! tho u most

certa i n and secu re wa y to heaven thou comman dest us and we are
for ced to co nf ess th a t n o bo dy is d a m n ed w h o o nly pe rse v e res i n t h y h o ly
wo rshi p etc etc
, .
,
“ 7
Lu ther s Sa in t Sa ta n as sures him th a t while
.
“ ’

believin g in th e transu bsta n tia tio n o f C hrist s body an d bloo d he had ’

been worshipin g mere ly brea d a nd win e ; a nd the devil s o f all the C atho lic
sa in ts pro m ise eternal dam n ati o n to whom so e ver disbelieves o r e ven so

much as do ubts the dogma !

Before lea vin g the su bjec t let u s give o ne o r t w o more ins ta n ces from
,

Alban Bu tler s The Li ves of the Fathe rs M a rtyrs a nd other prin ci pal S a i nts
’
, ,

se lec te d fro msu c h narra tives as are fully accepted by the C h u rch We .

migh t fill volumes with pro o fs o f undeniable co nfederacy between the

exorc ize rs a n d the de m on s Their very na ture be trays them Ins tea d o f
. .

being independen t crafty e ntities ben t o n the destruc tion o f men s sou ls ’

aj o ri ty o f them
,

a n d sp irits the m
, a re sim ply t he elemen ta ls o f the ka bal
ists ; crea tures w ith no in tellec t o f their o wn b u t fai thful m irro rs of the ,

WI LL wh ich evokes con trols a n d guides them We will no t waste o ur

, , .

time in drawin g th e rea der s a tten tion to do u btful o r obsc ure tha uma
’

t u rgis ts an d exorcizers b u t ta ke as o ur s ta nd , o n e of th e grea test

sa in ts o f C a tholic ism a n d se lec t a bo u q u e t fro mth a t sa m

, e pro lific co n

se rv a to ry o f p io u s lies The Golden Legend o f Ja m

, es dc Vora gin e
“
, .

St Do m
. in ic the fo u n der o f the fa m
, ous o rder of tha t na me is o ne of ,

the m igh ties t sa in ts o n the ca len da r H is order w as the first tha t received .

a so le m n co nfi rm a tion fro mt he Po pe
“ a n d he is well kn o w n in his to ry,

as the assoc ia te a n d c o u n se llo r o f t he in fa m ou s Simon dc M on tfort the ,

pa pa l general who mhe helpe d to bu tcher t he unfort u na te Albigenses in

,

a n d near To u lo u se The sto ry goes tha t this sain t an d the C hurch after
.

hi mcla imtha t he received fro mthe Virgin i n propria persond a ro sary , ,

whose v irtues pro d uced such stu pendou s miracles tha t they threw en tire
ly in to the sha de tho se o f t he a postles a nd e ven o f Jes us him self Am
, an .
,

say s t he b iograph er a n aba n do ne d sinn e r w as bo ld eno ugh to do ubt the

, ,

1 46 To ld by Lu ther i n De m
. is sd pri va ta et u nctio ne sacerdo tu m
.

1 47 See the Life of S t Dom i nic a nd the sto ry ab o u t the irac ulo us rosary ; The Golden m
m m
. .
,

Legend; a lso J Bo llandus, S 1 : A cta sa nctoru , Augusti, to

. . XXX V pp 409. 4 1 0 : Paris .
, . .

m
1 48 Ja es dc Varasse, kn o wn b y t he Lat in na e of Jaco b us dc Voragine, was Vica r m
m
.

General of the Do inica ns and Bisho p o f Genoa in 1 2 90 .

1 49 . Thirteenth c en tury .
 DOMI N I C S D IALOG WITH
’
THE D EVI LS 75

virt u e of the Dominica n rosary ; a n d fo r this un paralleled blasp hemy w as

punish ed o n the spot by h aving de vils ta ke possession o f him .

Seein g the grea t sufi ering o f the to rt ured demo niac St Dominic forgot , .

the in sult an d called th e de vils to

Following is t he co lloq uy betwee n the blessed exorcist a n d the
demons :
Q uestio n H o w did yo u take po ssessio n o f th is ma n, an d ho w an y are yo u ? m
We ca me in to h im fo r ha ving spo ken d isrespectfully o f the
‘

A ns wer f
o the Devils
rosary . We are

Q uestio n m
Why an y as did en
soter h im?
A ns wer Because there are fifteen decades in the rosary w hich he derided etc ,
.

Dom i nic — I s no t all true I ha ve said o f the virt ues o f the rosary ?
Devils Yes ! Yes ! (they em it fla mes th ough th nost i l of th dem o n iac)
r Kno w e r s e .

all ye Christ ians tha t D o m inic ne ver sa id o ne w o rd co ncern ing the ro sary tha t is no t
mo s t true ; and kno w ye further tha t if yo u do no t believe him grea t calamities will ,

b efall yo u .

m
Do i ni c Who is the man in th e wo rld the Devil hates the most ?
Devils ( I n chorus ) Th o u a
.rt the very m a n (here foll ow verbose co m p m
li ents ) .

Do mi nic Of which sta te o f m en am o ng C hris tians are there the m o st da mned

?

Devils I n hell we ha ve m erchan ts paw nb ro kers fra udulen t bakers gro cers Jews
, , , , ,

Do i nic m Are there any priests o r mo nks in hell ?

Devils There are a grea t n u b er m of pries ts , b u t no mo n ks , w ith the ex cept io n o f

su ch as have transgres sed the rule o f their o rd er .

Domi ni c Have yo u any D o m inicans ?

Devils Alas ! alas ! we ha ve no t o ne yet, b u t we ex pect a grea t n u mber o f themafter
their dev o ti on is a little coo led .

We do no t pret en d to give the q uestions a n d answers li tera lly fo r ,

they occu py twen ty th ree pa ges ; b u t t he su bsta nce is here as m

-
ay b e ,

seen by any o n e w ho cares to rea d The Go lden Legend The fu ll desc rip .

tion of the hi deo us bello wings o f t he de mon s their e nfo rced glo rifica tio n ,

o f t he sain t and so o n is to o lo n g fo r this ch apter

, , Suffice it to say .

tha t as w e rea d the n umerous ques tions offered by Domini c an d the

an sw ers of the dem ons we beco me fully co n vin ced tha t they co rro bo rate
,

in every de ta il the un warran ted as se rt io n s an d suppo rt the in teres ts o f

the Churc h The narra tive is su ggesti ve
. T he legen d gra phica lly .

describes the ba ttle o f the exorcis t with the legion fromthe bo tto mless
p it. Th e su lph ur
ous fla mes w h ic h b urs t forth fro m t he n ose mo u th , ,

ey es an d cars of the dem

, oniac ; the su dden appe arance o f o ver a hun
,

dre d angels clad in golden armor ; an d fina lly the descen t o f the blesse d
, , ,

Virgin herself in person bea ring a go lden ro d wi th which she a d m

, , in is ,

1 49a . Cf Jean Mart in : La legends de

. m st
. . m
Do i n ique: Paris, 1 51 0 .
76 IS I S UN VEILED

ters a soun d thrashing to the demoniac to force the de vils to confess that ,

o f herse lf whi c h w e sca rcely n ee d re pea t The wh ole ca ta log of theo .

lo gical tru ths u ttered by Dom in ic s de vils w as embo died in so m a ny

’

art ic les o f faith by h is Holin ess the prese n t Pope in 1 870 a t t he las t ,

Oec um enical Co un cil .

Fro mth e foregoin g it is easy to see th a t the o nly su bsta n tia l differ
en ce be twee n infi del m edi um s an d ort ho dox sa in ts lies in the re la ti ve

use fuln ess o f t he dem o ns if de m o ns we m ,us t call th e m While t h e Dev il .

faithft su pports the C hris tian exo rc ist in his orth odox views the ,

mo dern spo o k generally lea ves his mediumin the lurch Fo r by lying .
, ,

he ac ts aga i nst his o r her in teres ts ra ther than oth erwise and thereby ,

”
to o o ften cas ts fo ul sus picion o n the gen uin eness of the m e dium ship .

Were mo dern spirits de vils they would e viden tly display a little mo re
‘ ’
,

discrimina tio n an d c un ning tha n they do They would ac t as th e de m . o ns

o f the sa in t whic h c o m pelled by the ecclesias tical ma gician an d by the

” ” ”
,

po wer o f the na me whi ch forces them in to submissio n lie i n ,

accorda nce with the di rect i nterest o f the exorc ist a n d his ch u rch The .

mo ral o f the parallel we lea ve to the sagac ity of the rea der .

Obse rve well excla im s D es M o ussea ux tha t there a re dem

“ ' “
, o ns ,

which will so me times spea k the tru th “

The exo rc is t he adds q uo ting
.
, ,

the Ritu al mus t co mma n d the demon to tell hi m whether he is de

,

ta ined in the bo dy o f t he dem oniac through some ma gic art o r by ,

”
signs o r a ny objec ts whic h us u ally serve fo r this evil prac ti ce
, I n case .

the exorcize d perso n has sw a llowed the la tter he m ust vom i t them ,

bac k ; and if they are no t in his bo dy the demo n mus t in dica te the ,

pro per place where they are to b e fo un d ; a n d h a vin g fo un d the m they ,

mus t b e burned Th us so me demons re vea l the existen ce o f the

”
1 5° “
.

bewitch men t tell who is its a u tho r a nd in dica te the mea ns to des tro y
, ,

th e m alefice B u t be ware e ver to resort in such a case to m

. a gicians
, , ,

so rcerers o r m
, edi um s Y o u must ca ll to help y o u b u t the m
. inister o f
yo ur Church ! The Ch urch believes i n magic as yo u well see he adds , , ,

sin ce she exp resses it so fo rm ally An d tho se w ho disbelie ve i n m

. agic ,

ca n they st ill h o pe to share th e fa i th o f the ir o w n C h u rch ? An d w h o can

teach the m better ? To who m did C hrist say : Go y e therefore and ‘

,

teac h all n a tio ns an d lo I a mwith y o u alway s e ven to th e en d of

, ,

t he wo rld
’
“1

Are w e to belie ve tha t he said this b u t to tho se who wear these black
o r scarle t liv eries o f Ro m e? M us t we then cre dit the s to ry tha t this
power was given by Christ to Simo n S tylites the sain t who sanctified ,

hi m se lf by perc hin g o n a p illa r ( stylo s) sixty fee t high fo r thirty six years ,
-

1 50 Rit uals Rom a n i a n, 478 : Paris, 1 851 -2

i m
. .

1 51 . H o urs ct pratiques « s de ons , p 1 77 . .

 HALF-CONVERTED DRAGO N S AN D WOLVES 77

”
of his life , withou t ever descendin g fro mit in order tha t , a m ong other ,

miracles rela ted 11 1 The Golden Legend he might cure a dragon o f a so re ,

N ear Sim on s pillar was the dwelling o f a dragon so very ven om

“
ey e ?
’
,

o u s th a t th e stench w as sprea d fo r m

”
iles ro un d his ca ve This reptile .

hermi t m et wi th an acc iden t ; he go t a th orn in h is ey e an d beco m in g , ,

”
blin d , crept to the sain t s pillar an d presse d h is eye a gain st it fo r three
’
,

days , witho u t to uchin g any o ne Then the blessed sa in t fro mh is aerial

.
,

three feet i n dia m

”
“
sea t , ete r o rdere d ea rth a n d wa te r to b e pla ce d
,

o n t h e dra go n s ey e , o u t o f whic h su ddenly e m erged a thorn (o r s ta ke )

’
,

a cu b it i n len gth ; when the people saw the miracle they glo rified
‘ ’

t he Crea to r As to the gra teful dragon he arose a n d , ha vin g adored

.
,

Go d fo r tw o hours, re turned to h is ca ve 1
a h alf co n verted sa uria n , -

we mus t su ppose .

An d wh a t are we to thi n k o f tha t other na rra tive to disbelieve in ,

which is to ris k one s salvati on , as we were info rmed by a Po pe s

“ ’ ’

m iss io nary , o f th e Orde r o f the Fran ciscans ? When St Fra nc is preach ed .

a ser m
on in the wilderness, t he birds asse mbled fromthe fou r ca rdin al
poin ts o f t he world They warbled an d a ppla uded every sen ten ce ;
.

m
they sa ng a holy ass in choru s ; fin ally they dispe rsed to ca rry the
g la d t i din g s a ll o ve r t h e u ni ve rse A g rass h o pp e r .p rofi t in g by t h e ,

a bsen ce o f t he Holy Virgin , w h o ge nerally kept co m pany with the sain t,

rem a i n ed perc hed o n the h ea d o f the blessed o ne fo r a whole week .

A tta c ked by a fero ciou s wo lf, t he sain t w ho ha d n o other wea po n b u t ,

t he sign o f the cro ss whi ch he m ade u po n him se lf , ins tea d o f ru nn in g

a way fro m h is rabid assa ila n t , bega n argu in g wi th th e beas t Ha vin g .

impa rted to him the benefi t to be deriv ed fro m t he ho ly religio n , St

”
.

Fran c is never ceased talkin g un til the wo lf beca m e as m ee k as a la m b,

an d e ven sh ed tears o f repe n ta n ce o ve r h is pas t sin s Fina lly , he .

st re tched his pa ws in t he ha n ds o f t he sa in t fo llo wed hi mlike a do g

“
,

throu gh all the to wns in which he p reached a n d beca me half a C hris ,

1“
tia n ! Wonders o f zo ology ! a horse tu rned so rce rer, a wo lf a nd a
drago n turned Chris tia ns !
These t wo anec do tes, cho se n a t ra n do m from a mo ng h u ndreds , if
riv ale d are no t surpassed by the wildest ro m a n ces o f t he Pa gan tha u

ma t urgists , magicians , and spiritualists ! An d y et when Pythago ras is ,

said to h a ve su bd ued a n im a ls, e v en wild bea s ts , m e rely thro u gh a power

ful m es m eric in fluence he is pron o u n ced by o n e h alf o f t h e C a tho lic s a

,
-

See the narra tive selected fro m the Go lden Lege nd b y Alba n B u tler ; also
‘ ’
1 52
J Bo lla nd us S J : A cta sa nctorum Jan uaru to m I
.
, . .
, Paris , .
, .

1 53 See The Golden Legend Life of S t Franci s; P Sa b a tier : A ctus beati Fra ncisci et soc
ejus x v i x x iii : Paris 1 902 ; A nnalee m i noru m I I year 1 2 2 1 “
. , . . .

34 1 9 ed o f L We d d ing
1 732 ; Luca Vadingo : A lcuna m i racoli di Fra ncesco d A ssisi Ro m
, , , , , , . , . .
,

a 1 71 1 ; J Bo llan dus
’

Acta sanct Octubri (Analecta dc S Ifi a ncisco co nfesso re ) ; and Dem

,

onolo gia pp 39 8, 42 8
.
,

'
. . .
,
78 ISIS UN VE ILED

bare faced impos to r and by the rest a so rcerer w ho worked ma gic in

” ”
-
, ,

co n fed eracy with t he De v il ! N either t he she bea r no r t he ea gle no r -

, ,

y e t t h e b u l l t h a t Pyt h a go ra s is sa id t o h a ve p e rsu a de d t o giv e u p ea tin g

bea ns were alleged to h ave a n swered with hu ma n voices ; while St
, .

Bened ic t s black ra ven whomhe ca lled brother argues with h im

“ ’
, , ,

an d c ro a ks his a n swers like a bo rn cas uis t When the sain t c flers him
'

o n e h alf o f a po iso n ed lo af t he ra ven gro w s in dign a n t an d rep ro achss

-
,

hi m1 11 La tin as th o u gh he had j ust gra dua te a t the Pro pagan da !

d
If it b e o bj ec ted tha t The Go lden Legend 1 3 no w b u t half su ppo rt ed -

by t he Ch urc h ; an d tha t it is kn o wn to ha ve been co mpiled by t he w riter

fro ma co llec tio n o f the lives o f the sa in ts fo r the mo st part un a u thenti ,

ca ted w e ca n sh o w th a t at leas t in o n e in sta n ce the b io gra phy is no

, , ,

legen dary co mpila tion b u t the his tory o f o n e m

, a n by a nother o n e who ,

was his con te m porary Arch deaco n Jo rt in a nd G ibbo n demons tra ted
.

yea rs ago tha t the ea rly Fa th ers u sed to selec t narratives where wi th to ,

orna men t the lives o f their apocryphal sain ts fro mO vid Homer Livy , , , ,

a n d e ve n fro mthe u n written pop ul a r lege n ds o f Pa gan na tio ns B u t such .

is no t t he case in the a bo ve insta n ces St Be rn ard lived in the twelfth . .

ce n t ury a n d S t Do m
, .ini c w as nearly co n te m poraneo us with the a u thor of
The Golden Legend D e Vo ragine died in 1 2 98 a n d Dom
. inic wh ose exor , ,

c is m s a n d life he describes so m in u tely in s titu te d h is order in t he first

,

q uarte r o f t he thirtee nth cen tury M oreo ver de Vo ragine w as Vi car .

Genera l o f the Do m ini ca ns himse lf in the m iddle o f t he sa m

, e ce n tury ,

a n d therefore desc ribed the m irac les wro u gh t by his hero a n d pa tro n b ut
a few years after they we re alleged to h a ve h appe ned H e wro te themin .

the sa m e co n ven t ; a n d wh ile n arra tin g these wo n ders he ha d proba bly

fifty person s a t b a nd w ho ha d bee n ey e witnesses to th e sa in t s m ode o f ’

-

livin g Wha t mu st w e th in k in such a case o f a biograph er w h o seriously

.
, ,

desc ribe s the fo llo wing : One day as the blessed sa in t was occ upied in his
,

s tu dy t he Dev il began pes terin g himin the sh a pe o f a flea

, H e frisked .

an d j u m ped a bo u t the pa ges o f his bo o k un til the harassed sain t un will ,

in g as he w as to ac t u n k in dly e v en toward a devil felt c om , pelled to ,

punish himby fixing the troubleso me devil o n the very sen ten ce o n which
he stopped by c lasping the bo o k A t ano ther tim
, .e the sa m e de vil ap

p e a re d u n d e r t h e s h a pe of a m o n k ey H e g r inn ed s o h o rri
. b ly th a t
Dominic in o rder to ge t rid o f him o rdered th e devil mo nkey to ta ke the
, ,
-

ca n dl e a n d h o ld it fo r h imu n t il h e h a d do ne rea d in g T he poor imp did .

so a n d he ld it u n til it w as co ns u m
, ed to the ve ry en d o f the wic k ; and

n o tw ith s ta n din g h is p itiful c ries fo r m ercy t he sa in t c o m pelled himto

ho ld it till h is fin gers were burned to t he bo nes !
E no u gh ! The appro ba tion with which this bo ok w as received by the

1 54 . See The Decli ne a nd Fall, etc .

, ch . x x v iii.
80 ISIS UN VEILED

xviii , 2 5- 2 7) is pte d as a st an dard by Ch ristia ns they wo uld do well

acce ,

n o t to cas t in to t he tee th o f h ea th en t he im pu dic ities o f their faiths “

Re m em berin g the su ggestive para ble o f Jes us th ey ought to ca st the ,

bea mo u t of their o wn eye before plucki ng a t the mote in their neigh bo r s ’

.

The sexu a l elem en t is as m arked in C hris tian ity as in any o ne of the

hea then re ligions Certa inly no where in the Vedas ca n b e fo un d the

‘ ’
.
,

coarse n ess an d do wnrigh t im mo desty o f la nguage tha t Hebrais ts no w ,

disco ver throughou t the M o sa ic B ible .

I t wo uld profit little were we to dwell much upo n su bj ec ts whi ch have

been disposed o f in such a mas terly way by a n a no nymo us a u tho r whose
wo rk elec trifi ed England an d German y las t year ; “ 5
while as re gards the
particula r to pic un der notice we ca nn ot do better than reco mmend the
,

sc h o la rly writin gs o f D r I nm an Albeit o ne sided an d in m

. . any in -
,

s ta n ces unj us t to the an cien t hea then Pagan an d Jewi sh reli gio ns the , , ,

fac ts tr ea te d in A n c i
e nt P aga n a n d M od e rn C hr is ti a n S ym b o lis m are u n

impea cha ble N o r ca n we agree with so m

. e E n glish critics w h o charge

himwith a n in ten t to des troy C hristian ity If by Christia ni ty is m eant

.

the external religio us fo rm s o f wo rship then he certa inly see ks to des troy
,

it fo r in h is eyes as well as in th ose of every truly religious m

, , a n w ho has

s t u died a n c ien t exo teric fa ith s a n d their sy m bo lo gy Christian ity is pure ,

hea thenism a nd C a th olic ism wi th its fetish worshipin g is far worse

, ,
-
,

an d m o re pernic iou s tha n H in d uis min its m o st idola tro us aspec t But .

while deno uncin g t he exoteric forms an d un mas kin g the symbols it is ,

n o t t he religio n o f C hrist t ha t the a u tho r a tta c ks b u t t he artifi cial syste m ,

o f theo logy We wi ll allow him to illus tra te the pos ition in his o wn
.

la n gua ge an d q uo te fro mhis prefac e

,

When va mpires were disco vered by t he ac u men o f any ob server ,

he says
“
, they were we are to ld igno miniou sly killed by a sta ke being
, ,

driven thro ugh the body ; b u t experience showed them to ha ve such

tenac ity o f life tha t they rose a gain a nd again no twithsta n ding renewed ,

impa le m en t a n d were n o t ultim

, a tely la id to rest till wh olly b urne d In .

like ma nner the regenera ted Hea then do m which do m

, ina tes ove r the ,

followers o f Jes us o f N a za reth has risen a gain an d again after bein g

, ,

transfixed Still cherished by the man y it is denounced by the few

.
, .

Amon gst o ther ac c u sers I ra ise m y v o ic

,e a ga in s t t h e P a ga n is m w hic h
e xis ts so exte nsive ly in ecclesias tica l C hris tiani ty an d will do m y u t mo s t ,

to expose the imposture .

I n a va m pire sto ry told in Thala ba by So u they the resusc ita te d

, ,

being ta kes the fo rmo f a dea rly belo ved maiden and the hero is obliged ,

to kill her wi th his o w n h an d H e does so ; b ut wh ilst h e strikes the

.

1 56 . S uperna tural Religion : A n I nquiry i nto the Reality of Divi ne Revelatio n .

 ”
THE POPE FRATERNI ZI N G WITH IS LAM 81

formo f t he loved o ne he feels su re tha t he slays only a demon I n like .

mann er when I endea vor to destro y the curren t Hea thenism which has
, ,

assu m ed t he garb o f C hristiani ty I do no t atta ck real religio n

”
, Few .

woul d ac cuse a workman o f maligna ncy w ho cleanses fro mfilth the sur
face o f a noble sta tue There may b e so me w ho are to o nice to tou ch a
.

nas ty su bj ec t yet e ve n they will rejo ice whe n so m e o ne else re m oves

”
,

the dirt Su ch a sca venge r is m

. u c h wan ted
“ 3
.

B u t 13 it m erely Paga ns a n d hea th e n tha t the C a tholics persec u te ,

and a bo u t wh o m like A u gus tin e they cry to the Deity Oh m

“
, , y G o d ! , ,

so do I wish Thy enem ies to be sla i n ? Oh no ! th e ir aspira tions are ,

more M osaic and Cain like than tha t It is against their next of kin in
-
.

faith agains t their schisma tic bro thers tha t they are no w in triguin g with
,

in th e walls which sheltere d the murdero us Bo rgias The la rvae of t he .

in fan tici da l parricida l an d fra tricidal Popes ha v e pro v ed them

, selves fit

co un se ll ors fo r the Cain s of C as telfidardo a n d M e n ta na I t is no w the .

turn of the Sla vonian Chris tians the Orien ta l Schisma tics , the Philis

”
tines of the Greek Ch urch !
H is Holin ess the Pope after exha ustin g in a m
, e ta phor of self la u da -

tion e v ery poin t o f resemblance between t he grea t biblica l pro phe ts an d

hi m se lf has finally an d truly co m
, pa re d himself with t he Pa triarch Jaco b
“
wres tling agains t his Go d H e no w cro w n s the edifice of C a tholic
.

pie ty by openly sympa thi zing with the Turks ! The vicegeren t o f Go d

”
ina u gura tes his in fallibility by encouragin g in a tru e C h ristia n spiri t the , ,

ac t s of tha t M oslemD a vid th e m o dern B as hi Ba zu k ; a n d it seem

, s as -

if n othing would m ore please his Ho lin ess th an to b e presen te d by the

“
la tter with sev eral tho usa nds of the B ulga ria n o r Serv ian fores kins .

True to her policy to b e a ll things to all men to pro mo te her o w n in ter

ests t he Ro m
, ish Ch urch is a t this writing , benevo len tly vie win g
the B ul garia n an d Servian a tro c ities a n d pro bably m a neu ve rin g wi th
, , ,

Turkey against Russia Be tter Isla ma nd the hitherto ha ted Crescen t

.
-

over the sepulcher of the C hristia n go d tha n the Greek Ch urc h esta b ,

lis hed at Cons ta n tin ople a n d Jeru sale m as the sta te religio n Like a -
.

decrepit an d toothless ex tyran t in ex ile the Va tica n is ea ger fo r an y

-
,

all ia nce tha t pro m ises if no t a resto ra tio n o f its o w n power a t leas t the
, ,

wea kening o f its rival The ax e its in quisito rs once swun g it no w toys
.
,

1 57 N either do we, if b y true rel igio n the wo rld sha ll a t las t un ders tand the adora
m I
.

tio n o f o ne S upre e, nvisib le an d Unkno wn D eity b y wo rks a nd ac ts no t b y the

m m
,

p ro fess io n o f v ain h u a n d o g as B u t o ur in t e n t io n is to go farther We desire to

m m m
. .

de o nstrate tha t if we ex clude cere o nia l and fe tish wo rship fro be ing rega rded as
m fi
n tia l
M u n g ,
o n t h n t he t ru e C h i t like princ iples ha ve been ex e pli ed ,
-
esse e r s
ty prac tised since the da ys o f the apo s tles, ex clus ively a o ng Buddhist s m
°

and true

1 58 A ncient P agan
. and Modern Chris tia n S ymbolism . p . x vi .
82 IS IS UN VEILED

with in secre t feelin g its edge a nd waiting an d hoping against hope I n

, , .

her tim e th e Po pish C h u rch has lain with stran ge bedfell o ws b u t never ,

before no w has sunk to the degrada tio n o f givin g her moral su pport to
tho se w ho fo r o ver 1 2 00 yea rs spa t in her face ca lled her a dheren ts in ,

fidel dogs re pu dia ted her teac hin gs an d den ied go t

, to her Go d !
The press o f even Ca tholic France is fa irly a ro used a t this in dign ity ,

an d Openly acc uses the Ultra m o n ta ne port io n o f the Ca th o lic C h urch

”
an d the Va tica n of siding du rin g the prese n t Eas tern s tru ggle with the
, ,

M o hammedan agains t the C hristian When the M inis ter o f Foreign .

Affairs in the French Le gisla ture spoke so m e m ild wo rds in fav o r of the
Greek Christia ns he w as o nly a ppla u ded by the liberal C a th olics a nd
, ,

rece ived coldly by t he Ul tra m o n ta ne party sa ys th e Fre nc h co rrespo n ,

den t o f a N ew York paper .

So pro nou nced was this tha t M Le m o inne the well kn own edi to r
, .
,
-

of the grea t libe ral Ca tho lic j o urna l the Débats w as moved to say tha t , ,

the Ro m an C h urch felt m o re sy m pa thy fo r the M oslemthan the schis

ma tic j ust as they preferred a n infidel to the Pro testa n t There is at
, .
‘

bo tto m says this writer a grea t afi n ity between the S yllabus and the
,
’
,
‘

K oran an d between t he two hea ds of the faithful The two sy stem

, s are .

of the sa me na ture a nd are united o n the common gro un d of a o ne an d

”
,

un c ha ngea ble theo ry I n I ta ly in like m a nn e r t he King an d Liberal

’
.
, ,

Ca tholics are in warmsympa thy with the unfort una te Chris tia ns while ,

the Pope an d Ultram on ta ne fac tio n are believed to b e in c lin ing to the
M oha mmedan s .

The civil ized wo rld m ay y e t e xpec t the a pparitio n o f the m aterialized

Virgin M ary with in the walls o f t he Va tica n The so ofte n re pea ted .
-

mirac le o f the Immacula te Visito r in the medieval ages has recen tly
been enac ted a t Lo urdes and w hy no t once mo re as a cou p de grdce to
, ,

all here tics sc h is m a tics a n d in fidels ?

, The m irac ulous w ax ta per is ye t
seen a t Arras t he ch ief c ity o f A rto is ; an d a t e very ne w ca la m
, i ty threa t

”
cu ing her belo v ed C h urc h the Blessed La dy appea rs personally an d
ligh ts it with her o w n fa ir ha n ds in vie w o f a whole b io lo gized co n
‘ ’
,

g g
re a t i o n T h is so rt o.f m irac le sa y s E W o rsley w ‘
ro u gh t by t h e ,
’
.
,

Ro ma n Ca th olic C hurc h being mo st ce rta in and never do ubted of by

,

a ny
1 5°
. N either has the priv a te corres pon dence with which the m o st

Grac io us La dy ho no rs her frien ds been do u bted

‘
There are two .

prec iou s missives fro mher in the archives o f the C hurch The first pur .

ports to be a letter in a nswer to o ne a ddre ssed to her by Igna tius S he .

confirm s all thin gs learn ed by he r co rres po n de n t fro m her frien d

1 59 . Dis course of M iracles wro ught i n the Ro a n Catholic ]: Church. or a full M utation m f
o
Dr S tilli ngfleet s unjust Ex cepti o ns agai nst Miracles , p 64 : Ox ford. 1 676
’
. . .
 A LET I ER FROM M ARY VIRGI N
‘
83

mean ing the A pos tle John She bids hi mhold fas t to his v ows
.
, an d

ad ds as an in du cemen t I and J ohn will come to gether and pay yo u

a
m
N othin g w as know n of this un blushing fra u d till the letters were pu b
lished a t Paris in 1 49 5 By a c urious ac c iden t it appea red a t a tim
. e

when threa te nin g inquiries began to b e ma de as to the genuineness of

the fo urth Synoptic Who could dou bt after such a confirma tion fro m
.
,

m
hea dqu arters ! B u t the cli ax of eflro n tery w as ca pped in 1 534 when ,

an oth er le tter w as receiv ed fro mthe M edi a trix which so un ds mo re like ,

’

the re port of a lobby a ge n t to a bro ther po litic ian

-
I t w as written in -
.

exc ellen t La tin an d w as fo un d in the C a thedral of M essina to gether

, ,

with t he im a ge to which it allu des I ts co n ten ts run as follows .

M ary Virgin Mo ther of the Redeemer of the wo rld to the Bisho p Clergy and
, . , ,

the o t her faith ful o f M essina sen det h health a nd be ned ic tio n fro mherself and so n 1 131
“
Whereas y e have b een mindful o f esta b lish ing the wo rship of me ; no w this is to
let yo u kno w tha t by so do ing ye have fo un d grea t fa vo r in my sigh t I have a lo ng .

tim e reflected with pain upo n yo ur city w hich is ex posed to m uch da nger fro mits co n
,

tiguity to the fire o f Etna and I have o ften had wo rds a bo u t it with m
, y so n, fo r he
was v ex ed with yo u because of yo ur ui
g lt y neglect o f my wo rship. so tha t he wo uld
no t care a p in ab o u t my N o w. ho we ver tha t yo u ha ve co m
in tercess io n . e t o yo ur ,

senses , an d ha ve happily b egun to w o rs hip m e, he has co nferred upo n m e the righ t to

beco m e y o ur ev erlastin g pro tect ress ; b u t, a t the sa m e time I warn yo u to m ind what ,

yo u give
are ab o ut, and m
e no ca use o f repen ting o f y kindness to yo u The prayers m .

a nd festi vals instituted in m

y ho no r please e tre m
endo usly (vehe enter) , a nd if yo u m m
faithft pe rsevere in t hese t hin gs, a n d pro vided yo u o ppo se to the ut ost o f yo ur m
po wer t h e heretics w h ich no w- av d ays are spreading t hro ugh the wo rld, b y which b o th
my wo rsh ip and that of the o ther sa ints, male and female , are so endangered ,
y o u shall

en oj y my perpet ual pro tectio n .

“
In sign o f this co pact , m I send yo u do wn fro m H ea ven the i mage of myself , cast

by celes t ia l hands, if ye ho ld it in the ho nor to w hich it is entitled , it will be an

a nd

eviden c e to me o f yo ur o b edien ce and yo ur fa ith Farewell D ated in H ea ven, whilst

. .

sitting near the thro ne of my so n, in the mo nth of D ece mber , of the 1 534th year fro m
his incarnatio n .

M AR Y Vmam

Th e der should un dersta nd tha t th is doc u men t is no an ti C a tho lic

rea -

forgery The au thor fro mwho mit is ta ken ) say s tha t the a u then ticity
.
“

o f t he miss ive is a ttested by the B isho p h im self h is Vica r G en eral ,

-
,

m
1 60 After this, why sho uld the Ro an Ca tho lics o bj ect to the cla i s o f the Spiri tua l m
m
.

ists ? I f, witho ut pro o f, t hey believe in th e a terializa tio n o f M ary and Jo hn, fo r
‘ ’

tins, ho w can they lo gically den y the m

a teria liza tio n o f Ka tie a nd Jo hn ( Kin ) .
g
w m
it is attested by the careful ex peri en ts o f M r Cro o kes, the English che is t, and m
m m m
.

the cu ula tive test i o ny o f a large nu ber o f witnesses ?

1 6 1 The M o tha of Go d takes preceden ce therefo re of Go d ?
‘ ’ '
.

1 62 See the N ew Era for July, 1 875 ; N Y

. . .
84 I8 18 UN VEILED

Secre ta ry an d six C a no n s o f th e Ca thed ral Ch urch o f M essina all o f

, ,

who mha ve signed tha t a ttesta tion with their na mes an d confirmed it ,

u po n oa th .

Bo th the epis tle and ima ge were foun d u pon the high alta r where ,

they had been placed by an ge ls fro mhea ven .

A Ch urc h m u st ha ve reached t he las t s ta ges o f degrada tio n , when

su ch sac rile gio us tric kery as this co ul d b e reso rte d to by its clergy a nd ,

accepted with o r with o u t qu es tio n by t he people .

N o ! far b e su ch a religio n fro mthe m an w ho feels the wo rkin gs o f an

im mortal sp irit within him! There nev er w as no r ever will be a truly

philo so phical min d whe ther o f Pagan hea then Jew o r Christian , b u t
, , , ,

has fo llo wed the sa m Ga u ta m a B u ddha is m

”
e pa th of tho u gh t . irrore d in
-

the p recepts o f C hris t ; Paul a n d Ph ilo Ju ds ens are fa ithfu l echo es o f

Pla to ; an d Ammo niu s Saccas a nd Plo tin us wo n their immo rta l fa me by
co m bin in g the teachings o f all these gran d mas ters o f true philo so phy .

Pro ve all things ; ho ld fas t th a t which is go od o ugh t to b e the mo tto,

of all bro thers o n ea rth N o t so is it with the in terpre ters of the B ible
. .

The see d o f the Re fo rm

”
a tio n w as so w n o n the da y tha t t he sec on d ch a p ter

of The Catho lic Epistle of J am

”
es j o stled th e eleven th cha pter of the Epistle

to the H ebrews in the sam e N ew Testa m ent One w ho belie ves in Pa ul

.

ca nn o t believe in Ja m es Pe ter, an d Jo hn
, The Pau lis t s, to re m
. ain C hris

tia ns with their apostle , must with sta n d Pe ter to the face ; and if
“

Pe ter w as to b e bla med a nd was wrong then he was no t infallible

“
, .

How then ca n his successor boas t o f his infallibility ? E very kin gdom
divided agains t itself is bro u gh t to deso la tion ; an d every ho use divided

”
a ga ins t itse lf m ust fa ll .A plurality of m as ters has pro ved as fa ta l in re li

g io n s as in po li tics
. W h a t P a u l p reach ed w as p rea,c h e d by e v ery ot he r

mystic philo so pher Sta nd fast therefore i n the liberty where with Christ

”
.

ha th m a de us free a n d be no t entangled agai n with the yoke of bonda ge!

,

exclaim s the ho nes t a postle philo sopher ; an d a dds , as if pro phe tica lly
-

in spired Bu t if ye bite an d devo ur o ne a nother, ta ke hee d tha t ye

b e n o t consumed o ne of an other .

Tha t the N eo - Pla tonists were no t always despised o r accu sed of

”
demonola try is e videnced in the ado ption by the Roman Church of their
very rites an d theurgy The ide n tical evo ca tio ns an d in can ta tions of the
.

Pagan and Jewish K abalist are no w re pea ted by the Chris tian e xorcist,
an d the theurgy of I a m b lich us w as ado pted wo rd fo r wo rd D is tin ct .

as were the Pla ton ist s an d Pa uline C hris tians o f the earlier ce n tu ries,

writes Professor A Wil der, . many o f the more distin guished teachers
of the new faith were deeply tin c tured with the philosophical lea ven .

Sy nesius , the B ish op of Cyre ne w as the disciple o f Hypa tia S t A nthony

, . .

reiterated th e theurgy of I am blichus The Lo gos o r wo rd of the Gospel

.
,
 PAGAN ORIGIN OF C ATH OLI C RITUAL 85

accordi ng to J ohn w as a G nostic person ifica tio n Cle m

, e n t of Ale xa n dria .
,

O rige n , an d others o f the Fa thers dra nk dee ply fro m the fo un ta ins of

”
philosophy The asce tic idea which ca rried a way the Church w as like
.

tha t which w as prac tised by Plo tin u s a ll thro u gh t he M iddle Age s

there rose up men w ho accepted the in terio r doc trines which were pro
mulga ted by the re nowned teacher o f the Aca demy 1“
.

To bs ta n tia te o ur accusa tion tha t t he La tin C hurch first despoiled

su

th e K a balis ts a n d theu rgists o f their m agic a l rites a n d ce rem onies before ,

hurlin g ana t hem as u po n th eir de v o ted hea ds we will n o w tran sla te fo r ,

the rea der fragm e n ts fro mth e fo rm s o f ex orcisme m plo yed by K aba lists
an d Ch ris tians The iden tity in phraseo logy may perha ps d isc lo se o ne
.

of the reaso ns why the Ro mish C hurc h has always desired to keep the
fai thful in igno ran ce of the mea ning o f her La tin prayers an d ritual On ly .

those direc tly in teres ted in the deceptio n ha ve had the o pportunity to ,

co m pa re t h e ri tu a ls o f t h e C h u rc h a n d o f th e m a gic ia n s Th e b es t La tin .

sch olars were u n t il a co m

, para tively recen t da te either c hurchmen o r ,

depen den t u po n the Church Co mmo n peo ple co u ld no t rea d La tin and
.
,

even if they co u ld t he re adin g o f the books o n m

, a gic was p ro h ib ited

un de r the pena lty o f a na them a an d exco m munica tio n The cu nning .

device of the confessio na l ma de it almo st impo ssible to consul t even ,

su rrepti tious ly wh a t th e p ries ts c a ll a gri m o ire (a de vil s sc ra wl) o r Ritu al

’
,

of M agic To ma ke assura nce do u bly sure the Church be ga n destro ying

.
,

o r co n cea lin g e veryth in g o f th e kin d she co u ld lay her ha n ds u po n .

The fo llowing are trans la ted fro mthe K abalis tic Ritual a nd tha t gen ,

erally kn own as the Ro m a n Ritual The la tter w as pro m u lga ted in

.

”
1 85 1 an d 1 852 un der the san c tio n of C ardin al E n ge lbe rt Archbisho p
, ,

o f M alin es an d o f the Arc h bishop o f Pa ris

, Spea kin g o f it th e de .
,

mo nologis t D es M oussea ux says : I t is the ritual o f Pa u l V revised ,

by the mos t learned o f modern Popes by the co n temporary of Vo lta ire , ,

1“
Benedi c t XI V .

K m mmc (Jewish an d Pagan) Ro m Ca mo u c

Ex orcis m of S alt Ex orcis mof S alt “ 1

The Pr t M agic ian blesses the Salt,

ies -
The Priest bles ses the S alt an d sa ys
“ in thee m
“
and says : Creature of S alt ay , Creature of S alt, 1 ex o rc ize thee in the
rem ain the wrs no rr [o f Go d ] ; an d m a y it na me of the liv ing G o d beco me the

preserve fro mall co rruptio n ou r m i nds a nd health f the

o so ul a nd o f the body! Every

1 63.
‘
Paul and Pla to . XI X m 1 64
e siécle. p
. See La
1 39 magic au . .

1 65 Creature of salt a ir, wa ter o r o f any o b j ect to be encha nted o r blessed. is a tech
nica l ex pres s io n in m
. , ,

a gic a do pted b y t he Chris t ian cler

, gy .

1 66 Rom a n Ritu al. PP 2 9 1 -2 9 6. etc , etc : Paris , 1 85 1 -2

. . . . .
86 ISIS UN VEI LED

bodies Thro ugh Ho khm ael [ Nb Dl l. S - where where tho u art t hro wn may the

”
.

m] a nd the po wer o f Rua h be put to flight Am

"
God u nclea n spi rit
’
of wisd o , . en .

'
H o khmael [Spirit of the H o l y Ghost ] may
t he spiri ts of ma tter [bad spirits] recede be
fo re it . Am en .

Ero rcis mof Water (and A shes)

Creature o f the Wa ter I ex o rc ise thee , Crea ture o f the wa ter, in the na me o f
.b y the three names wh ich are N etza h
’

, the Al migh ty Go d the Father the So n

, , .

H o d. and Yeso d [ka b alist ic tri n it y] in the , an d the H o ly Ghost be econ ised
-
.

b eginning an d m the end b y Alpha a nd , I ad urej thee in the na me of the

Om ega. which are in the Spirit Ano th Lam b [the m agicia n says bu ll o r cx

””
[H o ly Ghost , o r the Uni versal I ‘

per alas Ta ur i ] o f the Lamb t ha t tro,d

ex o rcis e a nd ad j ure thee Wandering . upo n the bas ilisk and the aspic. and who
eagle, may the Lord command thee b y the crushes un der his foo t the lio n a nd th e
wi ngs o f the bull a nd hi s m
fl i ng a sword . drago n .

(The cherub placed at the east g te

a of

Eden .
)
Eco rcis mof an Ele mental S pirit Ex orcis mf o the Devil

Serpent, in the na me of the Tetra

gra mma to n , the Lo rd ; He co mmands thee , O Lo rd , let him who carries alo ng

by the angel and the lio n . with hi mthe te rro r , flee, str uck in his turn
Angel o f darkness , o be y . a nd run awa y b y t erro r a nd defea ted . O tho u who , art

with this ho ly [ex orcised] wa ter . Eagle in the Ancien t Serpent mble before
tre
chains, o be y this sign. and retreat before the hand of himwho . having triumphed of
the b rea th . Mo ving serpen t , cra wl a t my the to rtures of hell devictis gem itibus
feet , be to rtured b y thi s sacred fire, and
or i nferni , re called the so uls to ligh t .

evapo rate befo re this ho ly incense Let . The mo re whils t tho u deca y . the more
wa ter return to water [the ele mental spirit terrib le will be thy to rt ure . . b y Him
of wa ter] ; let th e fire b urn an d t he a ir who reigns o ver the living an d th e dead

”
,

circu la te ; let the earth return earth by and who will j udge the y by

”
to cen tur

the virt ue o f the Pentagra m which is, the fire, saecul u mper ignem etc , . I n the na me
M orning Star . and in the name of the of the Fa ther. So n, a nd the H o ly Ghost .

tetragra mma to n which is traced in the cen Amen .

1 07

ter o f the Cros of Light Am en s . .

I t is unnecessa ry to try the pa tience of the rea der any lo n ger although ,

we m i gh t mul tiply exa mples I t must no t b e forgotten tha t w e have .

quoted fro mthe la test re vision o f the Ritual tha t of 1 85 1 2 If w e were ,

-
.

to bac k to t he former o ne we sho uld find a far more stri kin g iden tity
go ,

no t m erely of ph raseo lo gy b u t of ce re m onial form Fo r the purpose of .

co m parison w e hav e no t even a vailed ourse lves of the ritu a l o f ceremo

nial m a gic of t he Chris ti a n ka balis ts of the M iddle Ages where in the ,

1 67 Ro . ma n Ritual. pp . 42 435
1 -
.
88 ISIS UN VE I LED

How fan ta stica l therefore is the assertio n o f Fa ther Ve ntura that

wh ile Augustine w as a M anichaean a ph ilo sopher ignoran t of and refus , ,

in g to h um ble himself be fore the su blimi ty o f the gra n d Christian reve

“

la tion he kne w nothin g un ders to o d na u gh t o f Go d ma n o r uni verse ;

, , , ,

he re m sm

”
“
ain ed poo r all
, o b sc ure , s te rile a n d wro te no thin g
, did , ,

n oth in g re a lly gra n d o r u se fu l B u t ha rdly ha d he beco m

. e a Chris tia n
,

when his reaso ni n g powers an d in tellec t e nligh tened a t the lu mi na ry of ,

fa ith e le
, va te d h im t o t h e m o s t s u b lim e h e igh ts o f p hilo so p h y an d

”
theology An d h is o ther pro position tha t Augustine s geni us as a co n
’
.
,

seq ue nce develo ped itself in all its gran deu r a nd pro digiou s fec u ndity
,

his in tellec t ra dia te d with tha t imm en se sp le n do r wh ic h reflec ting ,

its elf in h is im mo rta l writin gs has never ceased fo r o ne mome n t during

”
,

fo urteen ce ntu ries to illu min a te t he Ch urch and t he wo rld ! 1 71

Wha tever Au gustine w as as a M an ichaean we lea ve Fa th e r Ven tura

”
,

to disco ver ; b u t tha t h is accessio n to Christia nity esta blished an everlas t

in g en m i ty between theo lo gy a nd sc ien ce is beyo n d do ubt Wh ile fo rced .

to co nfess tha t the Ge n tiles had possibly so me thing divine and true in
“

the ir doc trines 1

he ne vertheless dec la re d tha t fo r their su pe rs ti tio n
, ,

ido la try an d pride th ey ha d to b e detes ted a nd tra they impro ved , , ,

to b e punish ed by divine j u dgmen t This furnishes the cle w to the sub

.

seq ue n t policy o f the C hris tia n Ch urch ev e n to o ur da y If the Ge ntiles

, .

did no t ch oose to co m e in to the C h urc h a ll th a t w as di vin e in the ir philo

,

so phy sho ul d go fo r na u gh t a n d th e d ivi ne wra th o f G o d sh o uld be

,

visited u pon their hea ds Wha t effec t this pro d uced is succin ctly sta ted
.

b y Draper : N o o ne did m
“
o re tha n this Fa th er to b rin g sc ien ce and

religio n in to a n ta go ni s m ; it w as m a inly b e who di verte d the B ible fro m

its true o ffice a guide to p u rity o f life a n d plac ed it in the perilous

positio n o f being the arbiter o f h uman kno wled ge an a udac io us tyra nny ,

over the min d o f man The exa mple o nce set there w as n o wan t of
.
,

fo llo wers ; the works o f the G reek philo so phers were stigma tized as pro

”
fan e ; t he transcen den tly glo rious achie ve ments o f t he M use umof Al ex
an dria were hidden fro msigh t by a c lo u d o f ign o ran ce m ys ticis m and , ,

un in telligible j argo n o u t o f which there to o ofte n flashed the des tro ying
m
,

ligh tn in gs of ecc lesias tic al v en gea nce

m
.

Au gus tine a n d Cyp ria n a dm it tha t Herm es a n d Osth é n believ ed

in o ne true Go d ; the firs t two ma in ta ini ng as well as the two Pagans , ,

tha t he is in vis ible a nd incompre hensible exce pt spiritually M o reo ver , .

we in vite any m an o f in telli ge nce pro vided he b e no t a religious fana tic

1 71 . Ven tura de Ra ulica : Conferences , II . I
part . p lvi, preface . .

1 72 C f The City of God . VIII ix ; X, ii ; e tc

. .
, . 1 73 Co nflict betw Rel a nd Science. p 62
. . . . .

1 74 De ba ptis
. m
co ntra Donatis tas. lib VI .
, c . x liv .

1 75 S ancti C Cypriani
. . opera. s . v .
‘
De ido lo rumvanita te ,
’

p 14: O
. mnii . 1 682 .
 WAS SI MON M AG US ST PAUL?
‘ ’
. 89

a fter rea ding fragments chose n a t ran domfro mthe wo rks o f He rme s

”
and A u gu s t ine o n t he De ity to dec ide wh ich of the t w o gi ves a m
, ore
p hil oso p hi c a l de fi n it io n o f t h e u n see n F a th e r W e h a v e a t le as t .
’

one w ri te r of fa m

”
e who is of o ur opin io n D raper ca lls the Au gustinia n .

“
p rod u c tio n s a r h a p so d ica l co n v ersa tio n w i th G o d a n in c o h e re n t ,

drea m 1"
.

Fa ther Ven tu ra depic ts the sa in t as a ttitu dinizing be fore a n as ton

ished world upon the m o st su blim e he igh ts o f philosophy B ut here .

step s in again the sa m e u n p rej u d ice d c ritic who m a kes the followin g t e ,

marks o u this colo ssus of Pa“tristic philo sophy Was it fo r this prepo s “
.

”
tet o ns sc heme he as ks th is prod uc t o f ignorance and au dacity
,

tha t th e wo rks of the Greek philosophers were to be given u p ? I t w as

none to o soo n th a t the grea t critics w ho a ppeare d a t t he Re fo rm a tio n by ,

co m parin g the works o f these writers with o ne another bro ugh t themto ,

their proper level a nd ta u gh t us to lo o k u pon themall wi th co n tempt

,
1"
.

Fo r su ch m e n as Plotin us Po rphyry I a mb lich us Apollo niu s a nd

, , , ,

even S im on M agus to be accu se d of ha ving formed a pac t with t he

,

Da d] whe ther the la tter persona ge exis t o r no t is so ab surd as to n eed

, ,

b u t little re fu ta tio n If Sim on M a gus

. t he m o st pro ble m a tic a l of a ll in

a his to rica l sen se ever ex is ted o the rwise tha n in t he ove rhea te d fa n cy

of Pe ter a n d t he other apostles he w as eviden tly no wo rse tha n any o f ,

his a dv ersaries A difference in re ligiou s v iews ho wever grea t is in su f

.
, ,

fic ien t per se to send o ne perso n to hea ven a nd the o ther to hell Su ch .

uncharitab le a nd perem ptory doc trines migh t have bee n ta u gh t in t he

Middle Ages ; b u t it is too la te no w fo r even the C hurch to pu t fo rward
th is tradi tiona l scarecrow Re searc h begins to sugges t tha t wh ich if
.
,

ever verified will brin g e tern al di sgra ce o n t he C h urc h of th e Apostle

,

Pete r whose very impositio n of herself u pon tha t disc iple mu st b e re

,

g ar d e d as t h e m o st u n v er ifi e d a n d u n v e rifi a b le o f t h e ass u m pt io n s o f t he

”
Ca tholic clergy .

Th e eru dite a u thor of S upern atu ral Religio n "3

assid u o u sly e n dea vo rs

to prov e th a t by S im o n M agus w e m u st un dersta n d the a po stle Pa u l ,

whose Epistles were sec retly as well as Openly ca lumnia te d by Peter ,

“
and ch arged with co n ta ini ng dysnoétic learn in g The Apo stle o f the .

Ge n tiles was rave ou tspoken s in ce re a nd very lea rned ; the Apo stle
P ,

of C ircumcision cowardly cau tiou s i nsi ncere a nd very ign ora n t Th at

, ,

, , , , .

Pa ul had been partially at least if no t co mple tely initia ted in to the , ,

theurgic mysteries admits o f little do u bt H is la nguage t he phraseo lo gy

, .
,

so pec uliar to th e Greek philo sophe rs c e rta in expressio ns u sed b u t by the ,

initia tes are so many sure ea r mark s to tha t suppositio n O u r su sp ic io n

,
-
.

1 76 . Conflict. etc , p 60
. . . 1 77 I bid
. .
, p 66. . 1 78 Part . II , ch . v .
90 18 18 UN VEILED

has been strengthened b y an able article en titled Paul an d Pla to in , ,

’

o n e o f the N ew York perio dica ls

“ in wh ic h the au tho r pu ts forward o ne ,

re m arka ble a n d fo r us ve ry prec io us observa tion

, , H e shows Paul .
,

in his Ep istles to th e Corinthi ans a bo un din g with expressio ns su g ,

t d by t h ini ti ti of S b i d E l i n d t h l t f
m
g es e e a o n s a az us a n e u s s a e ec u res o ,

t he [ Gree k] philo sophers H e [Paul] designa tes hi m se lf a n id io

. a

person un skilful in the world b u t no t in the gno sis o r ph iloso phical ,

lea rnin g We spea k wisdomamong the perfec t o r in itia ted he writes ;

.
‘
,
’

no t th e wisdo m of thi s world n o r o f the arch ons of th is wo rld b ut , ,

divine wisdo min a mystery secre t wh ich none of the A rcho ns of this ,

Wha t else ca n the apostle mean by these un eq uivo ca l wo rds b u t that ,

he h im self as belon in g to the m t e ( in iti t d ) pok f th in h ow n

g , y s a a e s e o gs s ,

an d exp lain ed o nly mthe M ysteries ? The divine wisdo m1 11 a myste ry

“

which no ne of the archo ns of this world kno weth has e viden tly so me ,

direc t reference to the bas ile us of the Eleusini an ini tia tion w ho did ,

kno w The bas ile us belo n ged to the sta ff of t he grea t hierophan t and
.
,

w as an archon of A thens ; and as such was o ne o f th e chief m ysta e

belo n gin g to the i nterior M ysteries to which a very selec t an d sm all ,

nu m The m

”
ber o bta in ed an en trance “ agis trate s s upervising the Eleu .

sin ia ns were ca lled arch o ns .

An other proof th a t Pa u l be lo n ged to the c ircle of the In i tia tes lies

in the following fac t The a postle had his hea d shorn a t Cenchrea
.

“
( wh e re L u c ius A p ul eiu s w as i
,n itia te d ) b ec a u se , h e h ad a vow T he .

naza rs o r se t a part as we see in the Jewish Scriptures ha d to cut ,

“
their ha ir which they wore lo ng an d which no razor tou ch a t any,

other time a n d sacrifice it o n t he alta r o f in itia tion And the nazars

”
, .

were a class of Chaldaean the urgists We will show further tha t Jesus .

belo nged to this class .

Paul dec lares tha t : Acco rding to the grace of Go d which is given
un to m e as a wise m as terbu ild er I ha ve laid the fo un da tio n “ 1
, , .

Thi s expression mas tcrb uilder used o nly once in the whole Bible
, , ,

an d by Pau l m ay b e co n sidere d as a wh o le re vela tio n

, I n the My ste ries .

the third part o f th e sacred rites w as ca lled Epopteia o r re vela tion recep , ,

tion in to the secre ts I n su bsta n ce it mea ns th a t sta ge o f divine clairvoy

.

an ce whe n e v erythi n g perta in in g to this ea rth disa ppea rs an d earthly ,

sigh t 1s pa raly se d a n d t he so u l 1s u n i te d free a n d p ure wi th its Spirit o r

, ,

Go d B u t the rea l sign ifica nce o f the word 13 overseein g fro mo r ropac
‘ ’ '
.
-
,

I see myself I n Sa nskrit the wo rd avdpta has the sa me meaning

.
,

1 79 . By A W ilder. edi to r o f The Eleus i nia n a nd Bacchic Mysteries , o f Th o

. mas Taylor
1 80 T Ta ylo r : The Elem a nd Baoeh M yst p 1 4, ed A Wilder : 4th
. . . . . . .

N ew Yo rk. 1 89 1 1 81 1 Con , iii, 1 0

. . .
92 IS IS UNVEILED

ta blets d by the hiero pha n t a t the initia tions durin g the final Mys
u se ,

tery I n th is perha ps lies co ncea led the whole secre t o f the cla im
.
, , s o f the
“
Va tica n As Pro fessor Wilder ha ppily su ggests : I n the O rien ta l coun
.

”
tries th e design a tion fi ne Pe ter [in Phoenicia n an d Chalda ic a n inter
, ,

a ppea rs to h a ve been th e title o f t his pe rso n age [ the h iero ph a nt] .

There is in these fac ts so me re min der o f the pec u liar circ u msta nces of
t he M o sa ic La w a n d als o of the c laimof th e Po pe to b e th e su ccessor

o f Pe ter the hieroph a n t o r in terpre ter of the C h ris tia n re ligio n

“5
.
,

As such w e m u st co n ce de t o him to so m e exte n t th e righ t to be

, ,

su ch a n in terp re ter The La tin C h urch h as fa ithfu lly pre serv ed in

.

sy m bo ls rites ceremon ies archi tec ture an d even in the v ery dress of her
, , , ,

cle rgy t he tra dition o f t he Pa ga n worsh ip

, o f t he p u blic o r exo te ric

ce rem onies we sh ou ld add ; o th erwise her dogmas woul d e mbo dy mo re

,

se nse an d co n ta in le ss blas phe m y against the maj es ty o f the Su preme

an d In vis ible G o d .

An in sc ription fo u n d o n the co ffin of Qu een M entha belep o f the -

,

ele v en th dy n as ty (2 782 B no w pro ved to h a ve been transc ribed from

.

the se v en teen th chapter of th e B oo k of the D ea d ( da tin g n o t la ter than

is m Th is mon u men ta l text conta ins
“
4 500 B . o re th a n su gges tive .

a gro u p o f h iero glyphics which when in terp re te d rea d th u s

, , ,

PTR . RF . SU .

Pe ter ref

”
Baro n B unse n shows this sac red formu lary mixed u p with a whole
“
series of glosses a n d v ario us in terp re ta t io n s fo rty ce n tu ries o ld This .

”
is iden tica l wi th sa yin g tha t t he reco rd [ the true in terp re ta tion ] w as at
tha t time no longer in telligible We b eg o ur readers to un dersta n d
.
,

he adds
“
tha t a sacre d text a hymn con ta ini ng the wo rds o f a de
, , ,

parted spirit existed in su ch a sta te a bo u t 4000 years ago

, as to
1“
b e all b u t unin telli gible to ro yal sc ribes .

Tha t it w as un in telligible to the un in itia ted a mong the la tter is as well

proved by t he co nfused a n d con tra dic to ry glosses as tha t it was a ,
‘
mystery word know n to the hiero phan ts o f the sa nctuaries an d mo re
-
, ,

over a wo rd cho sen by Jesu s to designa te the o ffice assigned by himto

o n e of his a po stles This wo rd PTR was partially in terpre ted owing
.
,

to a nother word sim ilarly written in a no ther gro up of hiero glyphics o n a

1 85 Ta ylo r : Elsas a nd Bacchic M ysteries , ed A Wilder, 1 7- 1 8 (4th Had

p
m
. . . .

we no t trust wo rt h y kab alis tic trad it io n to rely upo n, we 1 g t be haps forced to

q ues t io n w h et her t he a u tho rsh ip o f th e Revel ati o n is t o b e ascri bed to t r: apos tle o f tha t
na e m . m
H e see s to be ter ed Jo h n the Theo lo gist m .

B unsen : Egypt s Place i n Uni versal H isto ry, V, pp 89-90

’
1 86 . . .
 ”
THE TRUE IN TERPRETATION OF PTR 93

ste le , t he sign W used fo r it bein g a n opened eye B unse n m en tion s as .

”
another ex pla na tion o f PTR to show I t appea rs to me he re
‘ ’
.
,

marks, tha t our PTR 1s literally the o ld Ara maic a n d Hebre w Pa ta r

“
,
’

which occurs in the his tory of Jose ph as t he spec ific wo rd fo r i nterpret

ing w hence also P itrun is the term fo r in terp re ta tion of a text a
, ,

drea m “ 3
. In a m an uscript of the firs t ce n tu ry a co m bina tio n of the ,

Demotic an d Greek texts “ and m ost pro bably o ne o f t he few which

,

m irac u lously esca ped the C hris tian van dalismo f the sec on d a nd th ird

”
cen tu ries, when a ll su ch prec io us m an uscripts we re b urned as m a gical ,

we fin d occu rring in se veral places a phrase which perh aps m a y throw

som e light u o n this q uestio n One o f t he princ ipa l heroes o f the m an u

p
.

th e Ju daea n Illu m
“
script, w ho 13 co ns ta n tly re ferre d to as i na tor o r
Initia te Td a m , m
is made to co mmunica te b u t with his P ata r th e
, ,

la tte r being written in Chalda ic ch arac ters On ce the la tter wo rd is .

cou pled wi th the na m e Shi m Several tim es th e Illu m ina to r w ho

’
eon .
,

rarely brea ks his co n tem pla tive solitude is sho w n inhab itin g a Kpér rq ,

(ca ve ) a n d t ea chi n g t he m u l ti t u d es o f ea ger sc h o la rs s ta n d in g o u ts id e n o t ,

orally b u t thro ugh this P atar The la tter rece ives the words o f wisdo m
, .

by applying his ear to a c irc u lar ho le in a partition which conce als the
teacher fromthe lis teners and then con veys the m with expla na tio ns and
, ,

g lo sse s to t,he crowd T hi s w it h .a sligh t c h a n ge w as t h e m e th od use d

by Pythago ras , who , as we kn o w, never allowed his neo phytes to see
him durin g the yea rs o f proba tion , b u t in s tru c ted them fro m behin d
a cu rta in in his ca ve .

B ut whe ther the Illumina tor of the G racco De motic man uscript -

is iden tical with Jes us o r no t the fac t re ma in s tha t we fin d the la tter

,

selec ting a m ystery appella tion fo r o ne w ho is made to appea r la ter by

-

the C a tholic C hurch as the j a ni to r of t he Kingdo mo f Hea ven a n d t he

inte rpre ter of Christ s will The wo rd Pa ta r o r Pe ter lo ca tes bo th m
’
. as ter

an d discip le in the circ le o f in itia tion a n d co n n ec ts the mwith th e Sec re t

,

Doct rine The grea t hiero pha n t o f the ancien t M ysteries ne ver allo wed
.
’

the can dida tes to see o r hear him pe rso na lly H e was the deus es: m a .

chi n d the p residin g b u t in v is ib le De ity u tterin g h is will a n d ins truc t io ns

, ,

thro ugh a secon d party ; a nd 2 000 yea rs la ter we discover that the
Dalai Lamas of Tibet had been fo llo win g fo r ce n turies the sa me tra dition
-

al p rogram during the m ost importa n t religiou s mysteries of la maism .

h 11 1
.

i
ted o n it to ap
p p
e
fo llow ng is
r
“
lex ity
‘

unse n a
I m
llu nator, which is
f
i
t h.v o lu
m
e o
”
1 87 Or principal deter inative See E de Ro uge: S tele, pp 44, 473 ; Pr

f
o re correct
Eg yp
.

! w’ ith a sign o f interro ga ti’o n after it

’
fi
m
.

the usual
m
( v idens)
ark o f
t s Place, etc the in terpreta tio n

1 88 B unsen : Egypt s Pla ce in Un iversal H isto ry, V, p 90

.
.
.

. .
m
m

1 89 I t is the pro pert y of a

.
ystic who we met in 8yria m m .
 I SI S UNVEI LED

If Jesus kn ew the secre t mea ning o f the title bes towed by himo n Simo n ,

t hen he must ha ve been ini tia ted o therwise he co u ld n o t ha ve lea rned

,

it ; an d if he w as an ini tia te of either the Pythago rean Essenes the Chal ,

daean M a gi, o r the Egyptian Pries ts then the doc trine ta u gh t by him ,

was b ut a portio n of the Sec re t Doctrine ta ugh t by t he Pagan h iero

p h a n t s t o t h e fe w se lec t a d e pt s a d m i t te d wi thi n t h e sac re d a dyt a .

Bu t we will disc uss thi s ques tio n farther o n Fo r the presen t we will .

en dea vo r briefly to in dica te th e extraordinary sim ilarity o r ra ther

iden tity o f rites a n d c e rem o nia l d ress o f the C hris tia n c le rgy with

t ho se of the o ld Babylonian s, Assy ria ns Phoe nic ian s Egyptian s and , , ,

o th er Pa ga n s of hoary a n tiq uity .

If we would fin d the model o f the Pa pa l tiara we mu st search the ,

rec o rds o f th e ancien t Assy ria n ta ble ts We in vite the rea der to give his
.

a tten ti on to D r In m

”
a n s illustra ted work A nc ie nt P aga n and M odern
’
.
,

h
C is t
r i a n S ym bo li s m O n . p a ge sixty -
fo u r h e w ill r ea d ily rec o g ni se t h e

hea d gear of the successor of St Pe ter in the co iflure worn by go ds o r

'
-
.

an ge ls in a nc ien t Assy ria , where it appea rs crow ned by an emblemof

t he [m ale] tri ni ty ( t h e C h r is tia n C r o ss ) W e m a y m e n t
.io n in pass in g ,

a dds D r In m . an ,
“
tha t as the Ro manists ado pted the mi ter an d the
tiara fro m the c ursed broo d o f H am, so they adopted the episco pa lian
‘ ’

crook fro mthe a ugurs of E truria an d the art istic formwith which they ,

clo the th eir an gels fro mt he pain ters an d urn m a kers o f M agn a G rascia -

an d Ce n tral I ta ly .

Wo uld we push o ur in quiries farther, and seek to ascerta in as much

in rela tion to the nim bus an d t he to nsure o f th e Catholic pries t and
monk ? 1 9°
We shall find un deniable proofs th a t they are so lar emblems .

Chas K nigh t in his Old E ngla nd P ictori ally I llustrated, gives a drawing
.
,

by St Au gus tine represen tin g an an cien t Christian bishop in a dress

.

probably iden tical with tha t worn by the grea t sain t himself The ‘ ’
.

”
p a ll i u m o
, r t h e a n c i e n t s to le of th e b is h op , is t h e fe in in e s ig n wh e n wo rn

by a priest in worship On St Augus tine s pic ture it is be decked with

. .
’

Bu ddhistic crosses, and in its whole appea ran ce it is a represen ta tion of

t he Egyptia n T ( ta u) assu m in g sligh tly the figure of the letter Y
, .

I ts lo wer en d is the ma rk of the m say s In m

”
“ “
ascu lin e triad an ; the
,

”
righ t h an d (o f th e figure ) h as the fore fin ger exte n ded , like th e Assyrian

pries ts while doing homage to the grove When a male dons the.

palliumin worsh ip he becomes the represen ta tive o f the trini ty in the

,

un ity the arba o r m y stic fo ur “ 1

.
, ,

Immac u la te is o ur Lady Isis is the legend aro un d an en gra ving

“
,

1 90 . The Priests of Is is were to nsure d .

19 1 A ncient P agan a nd M odern Chri s tia n S y bolis , m m p 5 1 5 2 ; see also his

m m
. .
,

A ncient Fa iths E bodi ed i n A ncient N a es, pp 9 1.5 -9 1 8 .

96 I SI S UN VEILED

I n A nct P agan and M ed Chris tia n S ym

. bolism the au thor gives a figure .

froma medieval wo odcu t the li ke o f which w e h a ve seen by do zens in

o ld psa lters in wh ich the Virgin M arv with her in fan t is re presen ted , ,

as the Qu een o f Hea ven o n the cre sce n t moo n the em blemof virginity , .

Being before the su n she almo st ec lipses its ligh t Than this n othing, .
,

co u ld m ore co mpletely iden tify the C hris tian mother and child w i th Isis

”
an d Horu s Ishtar Ve n us Juno a n d a hos t o f other Pa ga n goddesses
, , , , ,

w ho h a ve been ca lled Quee n o f Hea ven Qu een o f the U ni verse

‘ ’ ’

, ,

M other o f Go d Spo use o f Go d the Celestial Virgin , the Hea venly

’ ’ ’ ‘
, ,

1“
Peace M a ker etc
-
,
’
.

Su ch pic ture s are no t purely as trono m ica l They represen t the m ale .

g o d an d t h e f e m a le go dd e ss as t he su n a n d moo n in co n j u n c tio n
“
t h
,e ,

union o f the tri a d with t he u n it The horns o f the co w o n the hea d of .

Isis ha ve the sa me significa nce .

An d so a bove below ou ts ide an d in side the C hris tia n C h urch in

, , , ,

the pri es tly garm en ts a n d the re ligious ri tes we reco gni se t h e st a m

, p of ,

exoteri c hea theni sm On no su bj ec t within t he wide ra n ge of hum

. an

kn owledge has the world been more blinded o r deceived with su ch per
sis ten t m isreprese n ta tion as o n tha t o f an tiquity I ts h oary pa st and its .

religiou s fa it h s h a ve been m isrepresen te d an d trampled u n der th e fee t of

its su cces sors ; its hi erophan ts an d prophets m ysta e a n d ep po ta e
“7
of th e ,

once sacre d adyt a o f the temple shown as demoniacs an d de vil worship -

ers . Dec ked in the despoiled garmen ts o f t he vic tim the Christian priest ,

no w a na the m a t izes the la tter with rites an d cere m onies which he has
learned fro mt he theurgis ts themselves The M o saic B ible is used as a .

”
weapon again st the people who furnished it The hea then philosopher is .

c ursed u n der t he very roo f which h as witnessed his ini tia tion ; an d the
“
mo nkey of Go d (i c the devil o f Tertullian ) the origina tor and . .
, ,

fou n der o f ma gica l theurgy the sc ience of illu sion s a nd lies wh ose fa ther , ,

an d a u th o r is th e dem on is exorcized with holy wa ter by the ha n d which

,

with which the a ncien t au gur after a solemn

”
ho lds the iden tical litu us ,

prayer u sed to determine t he regions o f hea ven and evoke in the name
, , ,

o f the H I G H E ST t he m ino r go d (n o w term

, ed the De vil) w ho u n veiled to ,

hi s eyes fu turity a n d enabled him to prophesy ! O n t he pa rt o f the

,

”
Christians a nd the clergy it is nothing b u t shamefu l ignorance prej udi ce ,

an d tha t co n te m
,

ptible pride so boldly denou nced by o ne o f their o wn

re vere n d m in isters J B Gross) which rails a ga inst all in ves tiga tion
, . .

as a u se less o r a crim
“
ina l la bor whenever it is to b e fea red tha t it will ,

re su lt in t he o verthrow of pre e s ta b lished syste m s of fa ith O n the part -

.

o f the sc ho lars it is th e sa m e a ppre hen sion o f th e po ssible nec essi ty o f

1 96 . I bid .
,76 p . . 1 9 7 I nitiates
. an d sect s.
1 98 The
. augur s,
’
a nd no w bisho p s ’

, pasto ral croo k.

 ”
JUS TI N M ARTYR S CONFESS IO N ABO UT THE URGI C AM ULETS
’

havin g to modi fy so m e of t heir erro neo u sly e s ta blished theo ries o f sci -

“ “
ence . N othin g b u t su ch pitiable prej u dice say s G ro ss ca n ha ve

m
, ,

thus isreprese nte d the theology o f hea thenism a nd di sto rte d na y , ,

its form It is time tha t posterity

”
carica tu red s o f re ligio u s wo rshi p .

sho uld raise its vo ice in vin dica tio n o f viola te d tru th a n d t h a t th e prese n t ,

age sh ou l d learn a lit tle o f tha t co m mo n se nse of which it boas ts with as

much self-co mplacency as if the preroga tive of reaso n was the birthright
o nly of m o dern tim es .

”
All this gives a sure clew to the rea l ca use of the hatre d felt by the
early a n d m edi eval C h ristian toward hi s Paga n bro ther a n d da n gero u s

rival . We ha te only what we fear The Chris tia n thauma turgist o nce
.

havin g bro ken all associa tion with the M ysteries o f t he temples an d with
“
these schools so re no wned fo r magic desc ribed by St H ilari o n co u ld
,
m o
.
,

”
certa in ly little expec t to ri val th e Pa ga n wo n der wo rkers N o apostle -
.
,

with t he exceptio n perhaps o f healin g by mesmeric power has e ver ,

eq u ale d Apollonius o f Ty ana ; a n d the sca n dal c rea ted a m o n g the

apos tles by the m iracle doing Simon M agu s is to o noto rio u s to b e t e

-

”
“
p ea te d h e re .H o w is it as ks J u s t i
,n M a rty r in e vid e n t d is a y , ,

ho w is it tha t the ta lis mans o f Apollon iu s the [r eh eo na r a ] ha ve power

“ ’

in certa in members o f c re a tio n fo r they preven t as we see t he fury of t he

, , ,

wa ves a n d the violence of the win ds a n d t he a ttac ks o f wild bea s ts ;

, ,

an d whilst o ur Lord s m iracles are pre served by tra ditio n alo ne tho se o f
’
,

Apollonius are m ost n u m erou s an d ac tu ally m , a n ifes ted in pre se n t fac ts ,

so as to lead as tray a ll beho lders ?

1
This perplexed martyr so lves the
proble m by a ttribu tin g very correc tly the effica cy an d potency o f the
ch arm s used by Apollo nius to h is p rofo un d kn o wled ge of t he sy m pathies
an d a n tipa thies (o r re p u gn an ces) o f n a t ure .

Una ble to deny the eviden t su periority o f their enemies powers the

””
’
,

Fa thers h ad recourse to the o ld b u t e ver su cce ssful m e th od th a t o f

-

sla n der They hono red the the urgists with the sa me ins in u a tin g calu mny
.

“
that h ad been re so rted to by t he Pha risee s aga in st Jesu s Thou has t a .

daemon the elders o f the Jewish Syna go g ha d sa id to him

,
“
Tho u .

has t t he De vil repea te d t he c un n in g Fa th ers with equ al tru th

, ad ,

dressin g the Pagan tha u maturgist ; a nd th e widely bruited charge , -

erecte d la ter in to an a rticle o f fa ith w o n t he d ay , .

B u t the modern heirs o f these ecclesias tica l falsifiers , wh o denou nce

magic , spiritualism and even magnetismas being produced by a demon ,
,

forge t o r perhaps ne ver re a d the classics N one of o ur bigots h as e ver

.

looke d with more sco rn o n t he abus es o f magic tha n did the true initia te

2 00 . Peres da désert d Orie nt,

’
II , p . 2 83 .

2 01 . Just in M artyr : Quaes tio nes , x x iv .

98 I S IS UN VEE ED

o f o ld No m . o dern o r even m e dieval law co uld b e m ore se vere than

that o f the hiero phan t Tru e he had mo re discrimination ch arity and
.
, , ,

j u stice tha n the Christian clergy ; fo r while banishin g the u nconsc io us ‘ ’

so rcere r t he perso n tro u ble d with a dem

, o n fro mwith in t he sac re d pre ,

cin cts o f the a dyta th e priests instea d o f m , ercilessly b urn in g him took
, ,

Havin g hospita ls expressly

”
ca re of t h e u n fortun a te
‘
possessed o ne .
’

fo r tha t p urpo se in t he neigh borho od o f temples th e anc ien t m e dium

‘ ’

, ,

”
”
if obsessed w as ta ken care o f a nd restore d to heal th Bu t wi th o ne who
, .

had by consc io u s witchcraft ac q uire d powers dan gerous to h is fellow

, ,

crea ture s the p riests o f o ld were as se vere as j ust ice h erself

, An y per .

so n accidentall y gu ilty o f ho m ic ide o r o f any c rim e o r co n vic ted of , ,

w itchcraft was exc lu de d fromthe Eleu sinian M ysteries

,
2
An d so were .

t hey fro mall others This la w men tioned by all writers o n the a ncient
.
,

initia t io n spea ks fo r itself Th e claimo f Augustine

, . tha t all t he ex pla ,

n a tio ns give n by t h e N eo Pla to n ists were in ve n te d by them

-
sel ves is ab ,

su rd Fo r nearly all the cerem

. onies in their true an d success ive order are
g ive n by P la to hi m se lf in a mo re o r less cov er e d
, w a y Th e M y s te ries are .

as o ld as t he wo rld a n d o ne well versed in t he eso teric

, ythologies of m
vario u s na tions ca n trace th embac k to the days o f the an te Vedi c period -

in In dia A co nd itio n o f the stric tes t virt ue a nd purity is req uired fro m
.

the Vatu o r ca n dida te in In dia befo re he ca n beco m

, , e a n initia te whether ,

he aims to b e a simp le fa kir a P urohita (pu blic pries t) o r a S an nyds i , ,

a sa in t o f t he seco n d degree o f in i tia tio n the m ost holy as the most ,

re vere d o f t hemall After h a vin g con q uered in the terrible trials pre
.
,

liminary to ad mittance to the in ner temple in the su bterranean crypts o f

his pa goda the sannyds i passes the rest o f hi s life in the temple prac

”
, ,

t isin g the eigh ty fo u r ru les a nd ten virtu es prescribed to the Yogis

-
.

“
N 0 o ne wh o h as no t prac tised d urin g his who le life the ten virtues , ,

whi ch the divi ne M a nu ma kes incu mbent as a du ty ca n b e in itia te d into ,

”
the M y steries o f t he co u nc il sa y t he H in d u bo o ks o f in i tia tio n
, .

“
These virtues are : Re signatio n ; the ac t of re nderin g go o d fo r ev il ;
tempera nce ; pro bity ; p urity ; ch as tity and repression o f the physical ,

”
se n se s ; the knowledge of the Ho ly Sc ript ures ; tha t o f the S u perior
so u l [ sp irit] ; wo rship o f t ru th ; a bstin en ce fro man ge r
m These vir .

tues must alon e direct t he life o f a true Yagi N o un worthy adept ought .

to defile t he ran ks o f the ho ly in itia tes by his presence fo r twen ty fo ur -

ho urs The adept beco m

. es gu ilty after h a vi n g o n ce broken a ny o ne

o f these vows Surely th e exerc ise o f su ch virtues is inconsis te n t with

.

th e idea o ne has o f devil wo rship a n d lasc iviou sness o f purpose !

-

An d n o w we will try to give a c lea r in sigh t in to o ne o f the chief o h

2 02Taylo r : Ele us
. . a nd Bacchic M yet .
, ed . A . Wilder , p.1 8 ( 4th a lso Po rphy ry
and o t hers .
1 00 IS IS UN VE ILED

t he t
secre s o f a ny degree to a brother o f an i nferio r degree an d the
“
Agrus hada P ari ksha i says : Any in itia te o f the third degree w h o befo re
th e prescribed tim e re vea ls t he su pe rior t ru ths to t h e ini tia tes o f the sec

o n d degree m , us t b e p u t to dea th Aga in the M aso n ic a ppre n tice co n

.
,

”
se n ts to ha ve h is to ngue to rn o ut by t he roots if he div ulge an yth ing
to the profan e ; an d in the Hin d u bo o ks of in itia tion t he sa m e 449t ,

P ari ksha i we fin d tha t an y in itia te o f the first degree ( t he lowes t) who

,

betrays the sec re ts of his ini tia tio n to members o f other cas tes fo r whom ,

t he sc ien ce sho uld b e a clo sed bo o k m

“
us t h a ve h is to ngue out o ut and
,

su ffer o t her m u tila tions .

As we proceed we will poin t o u t the evidences of this iden tity o f

,

vo ws fo rmulas rites an d doc tri nes between the an cien t fai ths We will
, , .

a lso show tha t no t o nly is t heir m em ory still prese rved in In dia b u t also ,

tha t the Sec re t Asso c ia tio n is still alive an d as ac ti ve as e ver After .

rea din g wha t we h a ve to say it m ay b e in ferred th a t t he chi e f po n tiff and

,

hi erophan t th e B rah m dtm is still accessible to those who kn ow

’
, a , ,

t ho u gh perha ps recogn ised by an o ther n a m e ; a n d tha t the ra m ifica tions

o f h is in flu en ce e xte n d thro u gho u t t he wo rld B ut we will no w re turn .

to the early Chris tian perio d .

As though he were no t a ware tha t there w as any esoteric significa nce

in the exo teric sy m bols a nd tha t the M ysteries themselves were co m
,

pose d o f two pa rts the lesser a t Agrae a nd t he hi gher ones a t Ele usinia
, , ,

C le mens Alexan drinus with a ra ncoro us bigotry tha t o ne migh t expect

,

froma renegade N cc Pla to nrst b u t rs as tonished to fin d mthis generally

-

honest an d lea rned Fa ther stigm a tized the M y steries as in decen t an d

,

diabolica l Wha tever were the rites enac ted a mong the neophyte s before
.

they passe d to a h igher fo rmof instruc tion ; however misun ders tood were
the trials o f K ath arsi s o r p urifi c a tio n d urin g whi ch they were su b m , i tted
to every ki nd o f pro ba tio n ; an d ho wever m uch the m a teria l o r p hy sical

as pec t m igh t h a ve led to calumn y it is b u t W icked prej u dice which can

,

in duce an yone to say th a t un der this external m ea nin g there was n o t a

far deeper an d spirit ual significa n ce

I t is po sitively a bsurd to j u dge the ancien ts fro mo ur o wn sta n dpoin t
o f pro priety a n d virt ue An d m o st ass ure dly it is n o t fo r t he C h urc h
.

whi ch no w stan ds acc used by all the mo dern sy mbologists of ha ving

adopted prec isely t hese sa m e em blems in their co arsest as pec t a n d fee ls ,

herself powerless to refu te the accusa tio ns to throw the st o ne a t tho se

w ho were her m o dels When men like Py thago ras Pla to and I amb lich us
.
, ,

re nown ed fo r their se vere m orality took part in the My steries an d , ,

spo ke o f t hemwith venera tio n it ill behooves o ur m , o dern crities to j u dge

themso ras hly u pon their merely external as pec t I a mb lich us exp lains .

the wo rs t ; an d his explana tio n fo r an un prej u diced m , in d ough t to b e ,

 THE MY STERI B ENN OBLIN G I N TEN DEN CY 1 01

” ”
perfect ly sa tisfac to ry Exhibitions o f this kin d
. he sa ys in the , ,

My steries were des igned to free us fro mlicen tious passio ns by gra tifying ,

the sigh t a n d a t the sa m e tim

”
e va n qu ish in g all evil th o u gh t thro u gh the
m
, ,

awful s a ncti t
y w ith w hi ch t hese rites were in ves te d Th e wises t .

an d bes t m en in the Pagan world a dds D r Warburton , are un anim ou s .

,

”
in this th a t the M ysteries were in stitute d pure an d propose d the nobles t
, ,

en ds by t h e wo rthies t m ea ns .

I n thes e celebra ted rites a lthou gh perso ns o f both sexes and all
,

classes were allo wed to ta ke a part a n d a part ic ipa tio n in th emwas e ven ,

obliga to ry very few indeed a tta ined t he higher an d fin al ini tia tion The
, .

g rad a tio n of th e M y st eri es is giv e n us by P roc lu s i n t he fo urth bo o k o f his

“
Theolo gy of P lato The perfec tive rite ra n 15 precedes in order th e
.
- «
,

initia tio n m uesis an d th e in itia tio n epapteia

, o r the fin al a po ca lypse ,

Theon o f Smyrna in M athemati ca also divides the mystic

, ,
“
rites in to five pa rts : the firs t o f wh ich is the pre vious p urifica tio n ;
fo r neither are the M ysteries co m mu nic ated to all who are willin g to re

”
ceiv e th em ; b u t there a re certa in perso ns w ho are pre ven ted by the
voice o f the cri er (mipvf) sin ce it is necessary th a t such as a re n o t
,

expelle d fro mth e M ys teries sho uld first b e refin ed by certa in p urifica

tions which the reception o f the sa cred rites succeeds The third part is
, .

denomina te d epapteia o r receptio n And the fourth which rs the end a nd .

,

design of the revela tion rs the bi ndi ng of the head and fir i ng of the crowns
,
9

whe ther after this he [the initia te d perso n ] beco mes a h iero

pha n t o r sus ta ins some oth er part o f the sacerdo ta l c flice B u t the .

”
fifth which is prod uced fro m all these is friendship and i nterior ca m
, ,

mun ian with G An d this w as th e las t a nd most a wful o f all the

Th ere are writers who ha ve often wondered a t the meanin g of th is

clai m to a friendship and in terior communio n with G o d
“
Christian .

au th o rs ha ve den ied the pre te nsions o f t he Pa gans to such co m

muni on afi rmin g that only Christian sa in ts were and are ca pable o f
,
’

en joyin g it ; m a terialistic skeptics h a ve alto ge ther sco ffed a t t he ideas

of both After long ages o f religious ma terialisman d spiritual s ta gna

.

tion i t h as m
,
o s t certa in ly beco me difli c u lt if n o t al to geth er impossible
to su bs tan tia te the claims o f either party The o ld G ree ks who had .
,

2 05 Mysteries of the Egypti a ns, Cha ldaea ns, a nd Assyria ns ch x i

. , . .

2 06 Divi ne Legation of M oses de o nstrated , etc , I I , p 1 72

. m . .

2 07 On the Theol of Plato , p 2 00 (Taylo r s edit ) Lo ndo n, 1 8 1 6

’
. . . . .

2 08 Th is ex pressio n m
ust no t be un dersto o d literally ; fo r t he initia tio n of certa in m
m
.

Brotherho o ds it has a secret eanin g, h in ted a t b y Py th ago ras, when he describes h is

f after the initia tio n a nd tells tha t he was cro wned b y t he go ds whose presence m
he
“
drunk the waters of e lif ’
in H in d usta n i, a b i hayat, fo unt o f life Cf Taylo r :
- -
’ ’

. .

M ni an and Bacchic Mysteries, ed A Wilder, pp 82 3 ; 4th edit . . . .

1 02 I SI S UN VEI LED

once crowded arou nd the Agora of Athens with its altar to the U n known
Go d are no mo re ; an d their descen da n ts firm ly belie ve tha t they
’
,

ha ve fou n d the Un known in the Jewish Jeho vah The di vine ecs tasies .

o f the early C hristian s h ave m ade roo mfo r visions o f a m ore mo dern
ch arac ter in perfec t keepin g with progress an d civiliza tion
, The So n .

of m a n appearin g to t he ra pt vision of the an cien t C hristia n as co m ing

”
from the seventh hea ven in a cloud o f glory an d surrou n ded with

”
, ,

an gels an d win ged se ra phi m h as m a de roo m fo r a m

, ore pro sa ic and
a t t he sa m e tim e m ore business like Jesus The la tter rs no w sh own
-
.

as m a kin g m ornin g ca lls upon Ma ry and M artha 1n Be thany ; as sea ting

him the otto m

”
“ “
self o n an with the younge r sister a lover of ethics , ,

while Ma rtha goes o ff to the kitchen to cook An on the hea te d fancy .

of a blasphemous B rooklyn preach er a nd harleq uin the Re vere n d D r

”
, .

Talma ge ma kes us see her rushin g back with beswea te d brow a pitcher
, ,

in o ne han d an d the to n gs in the o ther in to the presence o f C hrist

. .
,

an d blo win g him up fo r no t ca rin g tha t her sis ter ha th left her
“
to
serve alone .

From the birth o f the sole m n an d m a j es tic co nception of th e un

re vea le d Dei ty o f t he a n cie n t adepts down to su ch carica tu red descrip

,

tions o f him who died o n the Cross fo r h is phila n thropic de votion to

h um an ity lo n g cen turies h a ve in tervened a n d their hea vy trea d seem
, , s

to ha ve alm o st e n tirely o blitera ted all se nse of a spiri tual re ligio n fro m

the hea rts o f hi s professed fo llowers N o wo n der then tha t the sen tence
.

of Proclu s is no lon ger u nderstoo d by the Chris tians an d is rej ec te d as a ,

‘
vagary by the ma terialis ts who in their nega tion are less blas phemous
,

an d a t heis tica l th a n m a ny o f th e re veren ds an d m em bers o f the ch urches .

Bu t al tho ugh the G ree k epopta i are no m o re w e ha ve no w in o ur o wn ,

age a peo ple far m ore a ncien t tha n the oldes t Hellenes who p rac tise
, ,

the so ca lled pre terh um a n gifts to t he sa m e exte n t as di d their an ces

‘
-

tors far earlier th an the days of Tro y I t is to this people tha t we draw
.

the a tten tion of the psych ologist an d p hilosopher .

One need no t go very deep in to the litera ture o f the Orien ta lists to
beco me con vin ced tha t in most cases they do no t even suspect tha t in

m
2 09 This o riginal an d very lo ng scr o n wss preached in a chu h at o kly N Y, m m
m
. .

o n t he 1 5t h da y o f April, 1 877 On the fo llo wing

. o t he revere nd ora tor was
called in t he S u n a gibb ering charla ta n ; b ut this descr v > ith ct will no t prevent
o t her revere n d b ufloo ns do ing t he sa e an d even wo rsem An this is t he religio n of d
m
.

Christ ! Far better disbel ieve in hi alto t her th an caricat ure o ne s Go d in such a
’

m We heartily applaud the S u n or t he fo llo wing views : And then when“

”
a nner
m m m
.

Tal age a kes Christ say to M artha in t he tantru Do n t wo rry, b u t sit do wn

‘ ’
s:
o n th is o t to m
an, he ad ds t he cli
’
m
ax to a sccnc tha t t he spircd writers hsd no thi g m
n
to say ab o ut m
Tal age s b uffoo ncry na go ing t oo far I f he were t he wo rst heretic
’ u

m
m m
. .

the land. inst ead o f being straigh t his o rthod ox y , he wo uld no t do so uch evil to
religio n as he does b y his fa iha r blasphe m ies m .
1 04 I S I S UN VEE ED

o
au t h r, twithsta ndi ng hi s inco rrigible ra tio na lism fo rced to a dmit

”
no ,

a fter h a vin g n arra ted t he grea tes t wo n ders ? Wa tch the fa kirs as he
wo uld he is co mpelled to bear the stro ngest tes timony to their perfect
°

ho nesty in the m a tter o f their m irac ulo us phen o m en a N e ver he .

,

sa ys , ha ve w e succ eeded in dete c ting a sin gle o ne in the ac t o f deceit .

One fac t sho uld b e no ted by all w ho witho u t ha ving been in In dia still, ,

fan cy they are cle ver eno u gh to expose th e frau d of pretend ed ma gic ians .

This skilled an d co o l observer th is re do ubta ble ma terialis t afte r his

”
, ,

lon g sojourn in India a fi rm s We u nhesita tingly a vo w tha t we ha ve no t

, ,

met either in In dia o r in Ceylon a single Europea n even a mon g the ,

oldes t residen ts who has been able to in dica te the mea ns employed by
,

these devotees fo r t he prod uc tio n o f these phenomena !

An d ho w should they ? Does n o t this zea lou s Orien ta lis t confess to
a ilable m ea n s a t h a n d to lea rn m

”
us tha t even h e w ho ha d e very a v
, a ny o f

their rites a nd doc tri nes a t first han d fa iled in his a ttempts to ma ke the ,

Brah manas ex plain to himtheir secre ts ? All tha t o ur most di ligen t in

“

u i i f t h P u rohita s co uld elicit fromthemre sp ec tin g the ac ts of their

q r es o e

su periors ( t he in visible ini t ia tes of the tem ples) a mo un ts to very little .

An d again spea kin g o f o ne o f the boo ks he co nfesses tha t while purport

, ,

ing to re vea l a ll th a t is desira ble to kn ow it falls ba c k in to m

“
ys terio us
formulas in co mbina tions o f ma gica l an d occult letters the secret of
, ,

which it has been impossible fo r u s to penetra te et c , .

The fa kirs altho ugh they ca n never reac h beyon d t he firs t degree o f
,

ini tia tio n a re nevertheless the o nly agen ts be tween the li ving wo rld and
,

t he silen t brothe rs o r those in itia tes who never cross th e thre sho lds
‘ ’
,

o f their sac re d dwelli n gs The Fa kara Yogi s belong to t he te mples

.
,

an d w ho kn o ws b u t these ce n obites o f t he sa nc tu ary h a ve far m o re

to do with the psycho logica l pheno mena which atten d the fa kirs and ,

h a ve been so graphica lly described by Jaco llio t than the P it ris them ,

se lves ? Who ca n tell b ut t h a t the flu idic spec ter of the an cien t B rAhm ana

seen by Jaco llio t w as th e S ci n lecca the sp irit u al do u ble of o ne of these

-
, ,

mysterious sannyas is ?
Altho ugh th e story h as bee n tra n sla ted an d com men ted u pon by Pro
fesso r Perty o f Geneva still we will ven ture to give it in Jac o llio t s o wn
’
,

words : A mo men t after the disa ppearan ce o f th e ha nds the fa kir co n

“
,

tin uin g h is evoca tio ns (m a ntras ) m ore earnes tly than e ver a clou d like ,

the first b u t m
, o re opa lescen t a n d m o re o pa q ue be ga n to h o ver near

the sm
,

all b ras ie r whic h by req u es t o f t he H in d i) I had co ns ta n tly fed

, , ,

with liv e coals Little by little it assumed a formen tirely h uman and I
.
,

dis tin guish ed the spec ter fo r I ca nn ot ca ll it otherwise of an o ld

Brah ma na sac rifica to r kn eelin g near the little brasier
, .

H e bore o n his forehead the signs sacre d to Vishn u an d around his ,

 THE LIVIN G SPECTER OF A BRAH M AN A 1 05

body the o d sign of the ini tia tes o f the pries tly cas te H e joined
t riple c r , .

his ha nds a bove his hea d as d urin g th e sacrifices an d his li ps m , oved as ,

if they were recitin g prayers A t a given mo m en t he too k a p inch of

.

perfume d powder and thre w it u po n the coal s ; it must ha ve bee n a

stro n g c o m poun d fo r a thic k smoke arose o n the in sta n t a n d filled t he
,

tw o c ha mbers .

“
When it w as dissipa ted I perceived the spec ter whi ch two steps , ,

fromme w as exte n din g to me its fleshless han d ; I took it in min e ma k

, ,

in g a sa lu ta tion an d I was asto nished to find it altho ugh bo ny and hard

, , ,

warma nd livin g .

Art th ou in deed sa id I a t th is m oment in a lo u d voice

‘ ’
, , ,

ancie n t inh a bita n t o f t he earth ?

I had no t finished the questio n when the word A M (y es ) appea re d ,

an d th en disappea red in letters o f fire o n t he breas t of th e o ld Brah m an a ,

W ith a n effec t m u ch like tha t which t he wo rd wo uld prod uce if written in

”
the da rk with a stic k o f pho spho rus .

Will yo u lea ve me nothing in to ken of your vis it ? I co n tinued ’

.

The spiri t broke the tri ple co rd co m posed o f thre e stran ds o f co t ,

to n which begirt his loin s ga ve it to m

, e an d v a n ished a t m y fee
, t , .

Oh B rah m a! wha t is this m

“
ys tery which ta kes pla ce ev ery ni gh t ?
When lying o n the ma ttin g with eyes closed the body is lost sigh t , ,

of a nd the soul esca pes to en ter in to co nv ersatio n with the Pitris

, .

Wa tc h over it 0 Brah ma when forsa kin g t he restin g body it go es a way

, , , ,

to hover over the waters to wa nder in the immensity o f hea ven an d , ,

pene tra te into the da rk and mysterious noo ks o f t he valleys and gran d
fores ts of the Hima va t ! ( g
A rus ha da P ariksh a i )
m
The fa kirs when belon gin g to so me pa rtic ula r temple never ac t b u t
, ,

un der ord ers N o t o ne of them unless he h as reac hed a degree o f extra

.
,

o rdin a ry sanc tity is free d fro mth e in fluen ce a n d gu idan ce o f his gu ru hi s

, ,

teacher W ho first ini tia ted a nd ins truc ted him in the mysteries o f the
,

occ ult sc ien ces Like the subject o f the E uropea n mesmeri zer th e a verage
.
,

fakir ca n never rid himse lf entire ly o f the psych ologic al in fluence ex er

cised o n him by hi s guru H a vin g passe d t w o o r three hours m the .

silen ce a n d solitu de of t he m ner te m ple m prayer an d medita tion the ,

fakir when he emerges thence is mes merically s tre n gthened an d pre

, ,

p a re d ; h e prod u ces wo n de rs fa r m o re v a rie d a n d pow erf u l t h an be fo re

he en tere d The master has la id his ha nds u po n him a n d th e fakir

‘ ’
.
,

feels strong .

I t may b e sh own o n the au tho rity o f ma ny Brah manica l and B u d

,

dhist sacred bo o ks tha t there has e ver existed a grea t differe n ce betwee n
,

ade pts of t he hi gher o rder an d p u rely psyc h o lo gica l s u bj ec ts , like ma ny

2 1 2 Louis Jacollio t : Le sp iriti sm
. e da ns ls m onde PP 3 1 9 32 0 65 , .
-
, .
1 06 I S IS UN VEI LED

of these fa kirs W ho are medi u ms m a certain qu alified se nse True

, .
,

t he fa kir rs ever tal king o f Pi tris and this rs na tu ral ; fo r they are his
,

pro te c tin g deities Bu t are the Pitris disem

. bodied hu m an beings of o ur

race? This is the ques tio n an d we will di sc uss it in a momen t

, .

We say that the fakir ma y b e regarded in a degree as a medi um;

fo r he is W ha t is no t generally kn own un der t he direc t m es m eric

influence o f a livin g adept his sa nnydsi o r guru When the la tter dies
, .
,

the power of the form er unless he has received t he las t transfer o f

,

sp iritu al fo rces wanes a n d often e ven disa ppea rs

, Why if it were other .
,

wise should the fakirs ha ve bee n exclu ded fro mthe righ t o f a dvan cin g
,

to the second and third degree ? The lives of man y o f themexemplify

a degree o f self sa crifice a n d san c tity unkn o wn an d u tterly in co m
-
pre h e n

sible to E uropean s w ho sh u dder a t the b are th o u gh t o f su ch self inflicted

,
-

tortures Bu t however shielded fromco n tro l by v ulgar a nd ea rth bo und

.
-

sp irits h owe ver W ide t he ch as mbe twee n a debasin g in fluence a n d t heir

,

se lf c o n trolled so uls an d howe ver well pro te c te d by the se ven kn otted

-
,
-

magica l ba mboo ro d which he receives fromthe guru still the fa kir lives ,

in the ou ter wo rld of sin an d m a tter an d it is poss ible tha t his so ul m

, ay

b e ta inte d perc hance by the m

, a gne tic em an a tio ns fro mp ro fa n e obj ects

an d perso ns an d there by give ac cess to s tran ge spiri ts an d gods

, To .

a dm it o ne so situa te d o ne no t un der an y and all circ um

, s ta n ces sure

of the mas tery o ver himself to a kn owledge o f the a wfu l mysteries,

an d p rice less secre ts o f in itia tio n wo uld b e im prac tica ble I t would no t
, .

only imperil the sec urity o f tha t whi ch must at all hazards b e guarded , ,

fromprofanation b ut it wo uld b e consen ting to admit behi n d the veil a

,

fello w being whose mediu mistic irre sponsibility migh t at any moment
,

ca u se himto lose h is life throu gh an in vo lun ta ry in discre tio n The sa m e .

la w which pre vailed in the Eleusinian M ysteries before o ur era ho lds

g ood n o w in I n dia .

N o t only mus t the a dept h a ve m astery over him self b ut h e m us t be ,

able to co n tro l t he inferio r gra des of spiri t ual bein gs na tu re sp irits and ,
-
,

earth bo un d so uls in sho rt t he very o nes by wh o m if by any t he fa kir is

, , ,

lia ble to b e a ffec ted .

Fo r the obj ec to r to a ffirmtha t t he B rAhm ana adepts an d t he fakirs -

ad m i t tha t o f them se lves they are powerless a nd ca n o nly ac t wi th the ,

help of dise m bo died hu ma n spirits is to sta te th a t these Hin d us are un

,

ac qu a in ted with t he la ws o f their sacred bo o ks a n d even the m ea ning o f

”
the wo rd P itris The La ws of M anu the A tha rva Veda an d other bo o ks
.
, , ,
“ “
prove wha t we no w say All tha t exists sa ys t he A tharva Veda
. is in
, ,

the po wer of the go ds The go ds a re un der the power o f m

. a gica l co nj ura

tio ns The magica l conj ura tio ns a re un der the co n tro l o f the Brfih manas
.
.

Hence the go ds are in the power of the Brahma nas Thi s is logical . ,
1 08 I S IS UN VEILED

I n this cas e t he Pi tris in stea d o f gc n u are the spirits , o r ra th er so uls ,

o f the de pa rted o n es Bu t they will free ly co m

. munica te only with those
whose a tmosphere rs as p ure as their o wn , a n d to whose prayerful kalassa
( in vo ca ti o n ) t he y ca n res po n d wit h o u t th e ri s k o f d efilin g t h e ir o w n ce les

tia l purity When the so ul o f the in voca to r has reac hed the S a yad yam,
.

o r perfec t ide n ti ty o f esse n ce with t he U ni versa l So ul, whe n m a tter is

u tterly co n q uere d , then the a dept ca n freely en ter in to da ily a n d h o urly

co m munion with those who thou gh unburdened with their corporeal

,

m
forms , are still the selves pro gressin g throu gh the en dless series of tra ns
forma tions inclu ded in the grad ual appro ac h to the P ara m dt m a n , o r the

g r a n d U n i ve rsa l S o ul .

Bea rin g in mi n d tha t the Chris tian Fa thers ha ve always cla imed fo r
themselves and their sa in ts the na me of frien ds o f Go d an d kn owin g ‘
,
’

tha t they bo rrowed this ex p ressio n with m ,an y others fro m t he te c h ,

n o lo gy o f the Pa gan tem ples it is b u t na tu ral to expect themto show an

,

e vil te m p e r w he n e ver a ll u d in g to th ese r i t e s I gn o ra n t

. as a ru le a nd , ,

h a ving h ad biographers as ignoran t as th e m se lves we could n o t we ll ex ,

p ec t to fi n d in t he acc o u n ts o f th e ir b ea t ifi c v i s io n s a d es cripti v e b eau ty

su ch as w e fin d in th e Pa gan c las sics Whether the visions a nd objec tive
.

phenomena cla imed by both the fa thers o f the dese rt a nd the hiero phants
o f t he san c tu ary arc to b e disc re dite d o r acc pted as fac ts t he sple ndid
e , ,

im a gery e m ployed by Proclus an d Apuleius mna rra tin g the sma ll po r

tion o f the fin al initia tio n tha t they dare d re vea l thro ws co mple tely into ,

””
t he shade the pla gia rized ta les of t he C hristia n asce tics fa ithful copies ,

tho u gh they were in ten ded to b e The sto ry o f the tempta tion of St
. .

An thony mthe desert by the fe male dae mon rs a pa r dy u pon the pre
o
limina ry tri als o f the neophy te d uring the M firm o r m inor M ys ter ies o f
,

Agras those rites a t the thought o f whi ch Clemen t railed so bitterly ,

an d which represe n ted t he berea ved De m ete r in sea rch o f her child and ,

her go od nature d hostess Bau bo

-
.

Without en terin g a gain in to a demons tra tion tha t in Chris tian and ,

especially Irish Ro m an C a t h olic ch urc hes ,

3
the sa m e a p pa re n tly in

decen t c usto ms as the above pre vailed un til the en d o f t he las t cen tury

”
,

we will rec ur to the un tiri ng la bo rs a n d works of th a t h ones t a n d brave

defender o f the ancien t fai th Tho mas Taylo r Howe ver much do g
, .

ma tic Gree k scholarship may have fo und to say agains t his mistransla
tions his memory mus t b e dear to e very true Pla tonis t W ho see ks rather
, ,

to lea rn the inn er tho ugh t o f t he grea t philoso pher tha n enjoy the m ere

e xtern al m ec hanism o f h is writin gs Be tter classica l transla tors may

.

2 1 7 Arno b
. . : Adv gent V, 2 5 ; Cle
. . m Alex
. . : H orta tory Add res s to the Greeks , c . 11 .

2 1 8 See
. m
In an : A ncient Pagan and M odern Christia n Sy mbol ism p 66 , . .
 DB ERVED PRAISE OF TH OM AS TAYLOR 1 09

have re ndered us in more correc t phraseology , Pla to s wo rds b u t

’

, ,

Taylor sh o ws us Pla to s mea ni ng, a n d th is is more than ca n b e sa id of

’

Zeller, Jo we tt , and their pre decesso rs Therefore as Professo r A Wilder . .

writes , Tay lor s works ha ve me t with fa vor a t the han ds o f men

“ ’

capa b le of p ro fou n d and reco n dite thin king ; an d it m

”
d
u st b e co n ce ed

that he was endowed with a superio r qu alifi ca tion that o f a n in

tuitive perce ption o f the in terior mea nin g o f the su bj ec ts which he
consi dere d O thers m
. ay ha ve known m ore Greek, b u t he knew more
Pla to 31 1
.

Tay lor de vo te d his who le use ful life to the searc h after s uch o ld
man uscri pts as would enable hi mto have his o wn speculatio ns concerning
severa l obsc ure ri tes in the M ys te ries co rro bo ra ted by writers who had
been in itia ted themselves I t is with full co nfidence in t he as sertio ns of
.

various classica l writers tha t we say tha t ridic ulo us perhaps licen tiou s in ,

so m e cases as m , ay a ppear a ncien t wo rship to t h e m odern c ritic it ou ght ,

no t to h a ve so appeared to the Chri s tia ns D uring the med iev al ages .

,

an d e ven la ter they accepted p re tty nearly t he sa m

, e withou t u n der

sta n din g the secre t im port of its rites and were quite sa tisfied with the ,

obscure and ra ther fan ta stic in terpreta tions o f their clergy who a ccepted ,

the ext erior form and dis to rted the in ner m ea n in g We are rea dy to .

conced e in full j ustice tha t cen turies h a ve passed since the grea t
, ,

majority of the Christia n clergy who are not allo wed to pry i nto God s
,
’

mysteries nor seek to ex plai n that which the C hurch has o nce accepted
an d es ta blished ha ve h ad th e re m otest idea o f their symbo lism whe ther

”
, ,

in its e xoteric o r esoteric mea ning N o t so with the head o f t he C h urch

.

and its hi ghes t di gni ta ries An d if we fully agree wi th In m

. an th a t it is

”
“
difi c ult to believe tha t th e ecclesias tics who sa n ctioned t he p ublica tio n
o f such a p rin t
m could ha ve been as ignoran t as m o dern ri tu alis ts we ,

are n o t a t all prepared to believe with t he sa m

“
e au th o r tha t the latter ,

if they knew the real m ea ning of t he sy mbo ls commonly used by the

Rom a n C h urch would not have a do pted them
, .

To elimina te wha t is plainly derived fromthe sex a n d na ture wo r

ship o f t he ancien t hea the ns would b e e q uiv alen t to p ullin g down t he

” ”
,

2 1 9 Th os Taylo r : Ele usi nia n a nd Bacchic M ysteries, p 2 7 : 4th ed

. . . .

2 2 0 Illustrated 6
“
fro man ancient Rosary o f the b lessed Virgin Mary, printed
m
.

at Venice, 1 52 4. wi a license fro t he I n quisitio n I n the illus t ra tio ns gi ven b y D r

m m
. .

In an the Virgin is represented in an Assyr“ia n gro ve, the abo i nation i n the eyes
‘ ’

”
of the Lo rd. according t o th e B ib le pro phet s The bo o k mques t io n, sa ys th e a uth o r,
m m m m
.

‘
conta ins nu ero us figures , a ll rese blin g closely the M eso po tamian e ble o f I shtar
m m
.

The presence o f t he wo antherein identifies t he t wo as sy y bo lic o f Isis, o r la nature;

and a m
an b o wing do wn in ad o ra t io n t hereo f sho ws t he sa e idea as is depicted in m
m
Assyria n sculptures, where ales o fler to th e go ddess sy m
'

bols o f them s elves Sec A ncient

m m
.

P agan and Modern Christia n S y bolis , p 9 1 2 nd cd , N ew Yo rk . . . .

1 10 ISIS UNVEILED

whole Ro ma n C a th o lic image worship the M ado nna elem -

en t and

refo rm in g the faith to Pro tes ta n tism The enforcem e n t o f the la te dogm a .

o f th e I m macula tio n was pro mpted by this very secret reason The

”
.

sc ien ce o f sy m bolo gy was making too rapid pro gress Blin d fai th in the .

Pope s in fallibility a nd in the immac ula te na ture of the Virgin an d of her

”
’

a ncestral fem ale li neage to a certa i n rem o ve co u ld alone sa ve t h e C h urc h

fro m the indisc reet re vela tio ns of sc ience It w as a cle ver stro ke o f .

policy o n t he part o f the vice geren t o f Go d Wh a t ma tters it if by .

,
“
co n ferrin g u po n her su ch a n ho n o r as D o n Pas qu ale di I h a n cisc is
1 ' '

na i vely expresses it he h as m a de a goddess o f the Virgin M a ry

,

O ly m pia n Deity w ho ha vin g been by her very n a ture pla ced 11 1 the 1 m
,

possibili ty o f si nn in g can claim no virtu e no perso nal merit fo r her

, ,

purity prec isely fo r which as we were ta ught to belie ve 1 n o ur youn ger

, ,

da ys she was chosen a mo ng all o ther wo men If h is Holin ess has de

, .

p riv ed h er o f t h is p er h a p s o n t he o
, t he r ha n d h e th in k s t h a t h e h as en

”
dowed her with a t least o ne physical a ttribu te no t shared by the o ther
virgin go ddesses B u t even thi s new dogma whi ch in co mpan y w ith the
-
.
,

new c la imto i nfallibility has q uas i revolu tio nize d the C hris tia n world is
,
-
,

no t o rigina l wi th th e C h urch of Ro m

”
e I t is b u t a return to a h ardly .

re m em bere d heresy o f the early Christia n a ges tha t o f t he Collyridians , ,

so ca lled fro mtheir sacri fici ng cakes to the Virgin who mthey c la im ed to ,

0 Virgin Ma ry con cei ved without

“

”
be Vi rgin born The new sen tence
-
.
, ,

si n , is sim ply a tardy accepta nce o f tha t which was a t first dee med a
blasphem ous he resy by the ortho dox Fa thers .

To thi n k fo r o ne m om e n t th a t any o f t he po pes cardi n a ls o r other

'

h igh di gni ta ries were no t a ware fro mthe first to the las t o f t he exter
“

na l m ea n in gs of their sy m bo ls is to do 1 nj ustice to their grea t lea rning

,

a n d their sp irit o f M achi a vellis m I t 13 to forge t tha t t he e m i ssaries o f

.

Ro me will ne ver b e sto pped by a ny diffic ulty which can b e skirted by the
em plo y ment o f Jesuit ical a rtifice The policy o f co mplaisa n t conformity

”
.

was ne ver ca rried to grea ter len gths than by t he m issiona ries in Ceylon
who acco rdin g to th e Abbé D u bois
, certa inly a learn ed an d co m pete nt
— co n d uc ted t he im a ge s o f t he Virgin a n d Sa v ior o n triu m
“
a u t ho rity phal
ca rs im ,ita ted fro mthe o rgies o f Jaggernath a n d in tro d uced the da ncers ,

fro m he Brah m
t a ni ca l ri te s in to t he ce re m o n i f h
al o t he c urc h a .

us a t leas t than k these blac k fro c ked po li tic ians fo r t heir co u sis -

em plo yin g the car o f Jagan nfitha u pon which th e wicked he ‘

,

22 1 . S peeches o f P ope Pi us I X I I , 2 6 ; , cf . W E G ladsto ne : Ro m

. . e , etc .
, p . l
2 22 . Cf C. . W
King : The Gnostics etc p 2 3 1 2 nd ed
. The Genea lo gy of the Ble
, .
, .
,

Virgi n M o ry, b y Fa us tus b isho p o f Rica , .

2 2 3 Edi nbu rgh Review, April 1 85 1 p 4 1 1 ; cited in Pococke : I nd ia i n Greece, pp 31 8-9

. , , . . .

Lo ndo n, 1 852 .
 ”
1 12 IS IS UN VEILED

na u ret tha t th e so u l,
indee d till purified by p hilosophy , su ffers
m
,

dea th thro ugh its un io n with the body .

The body is the sep ulcher the priso n o f the so ul an d a ny C hrist ian
, , m

”
Fa thers held with Pla to tha t the so ul is pu ni shed throu gh its un io n with
the body . m
Such is th e fun da en ta l do c trine o f th e B u ddhi sts an d o f
man y Brah ma nis ts to o When Plo tin us rema rks tha t when the so ul

”
“
.

has descen ded in to genera tion [fro m

its half-di vine con ditio n ] she par
ta kes o f evil an d is ca rried a grea t w ay in to a sta te the oppo site o f her
,

firs t pu rity an d in tegrity to b e en tire ly erged in whi ch is n oth in g o re

, m m
than to fall in to da rk mi re 1
he o nly repea ts the teachin gs o f G a u ta m
, a

B u ddha If w e hav e to believe the ancien t in itia tes a t all, w e ust

. m
accept their in terp re ta tio n o f t he sy bo ls And if oreove r we find m . m
m
the perfec tly coincidin g with the teachings o f t he grea tes t philosophers
a n d tha t wh ich w e know sy m bo lizes the sa e ea ning in the o dern mm m
M ysteries in t he East w e u st believe the to b e righ t
, m m .

m
If De eter w as co nsidered t he in tellec tu al so ul o r ra ther th e A stral

so ul ha lf e
, m
a na tion fro mthe spirit an d h alf ta in ted with m a tter thro ugh

a su ccession o f spirit ual evolu tion s we m ay rea dily u n de rstan d wha t is

m ean t by t h e M a tro n B au bo th e E ncha n tress w ho before sh e su cceed s

, ,

in reco ncilin g the so ul Deme ter t o its new po sitio n fin ds herself obliged
, ,

to assu me the sexu al fo rms o f an infan t B a u bo is matter, t he physical .

body ; and the in tellec tual as y et pure as tral so ul ca n b e ens nared into
,

its new terrestrial priso n b u t by the display of inn ocen t ba byhood .

m
Un til then , do o ed to her fa te , De eter (o r M agna-m m
ate r, th e So u l) w o n

ders an d hesita tes an d suffers ; b u t o nce havin g parta ken of the magic
po tion prepa red by Bau bo she fo rgets her sorrows ; fo r a certa in ti e m
she pa rts with tha t co nsc io usn ess o f higher in tellec t tha t sh e w as po s

sessed o f befo re e n terin g t he body of a ch ild Thenceforth she ust . m

see k to rej o in it a gain ; a n d when t he age o f reaso n arrives fo r the child ,

th e stru ggle fo rgo tten fo r a few years o f infa ncy begins again The .

as tral so u l is placed be tween m

a tter ( bo dy ) an d t he hi ghest in tellec t

( its im m orta l sp i ri t o r n o us ) W hi ch o f th ose

. t w o w ill c o n q u er ? Th e

resu lt o f t he ba ttle o f life lie s be tween t he triad I t is a ques tion o f a .

few years o f physica l enjoy en t o n ea rth a n d m if it has bego tten abuse

o f t he disso lu tion o f t he earth ly bo dy be in g fo llo wed by dea th o f the

as tral bo dy , wh ich th u s is preve n ted fro being u nited with the highest m
spirit o f the t riad which a lo ne co n fers o n us in dividu al im mortali ty ; o r
o n t he other ha n d o f bec o m in g i o rta l m ys ta e; in i mm
t ia te d be fo re th e

death o f the bo dy in to the divine tru ths o f the after life De mi go ds -

.
-

below, a nd c o n s a bove .

2 2 6 Taylo r : Eleus and Baoch

. . . Myet .
, pp . 34, 35 : 4th edit.
2 2 7 Ennead . I , bk . v i1 i .
 THE S UB LI ME T PART OF THE EPOPTEI A 113

Su ch w as the chief object o f the M ysteries represen ted as dia bo lica l

by theo log , and ridiculed by mo dern symbo logists To disbelieve tha t .

there ex is t in ma n certa in arcane po wers which by psychologica l stu dy

m
he ca n de velop in hi self to t he hi ghes t degree bec om e a hi ero phan t ,

and th en im part to others un der the sa me co nditions o f ea rthly disc ipline ,

is to cast an im pu ta tion of falsehood and lunacy u po n a n u mber of the

bes t, purest and most learned men o f an tiqui ty and o f the M iddle Ages .

What the hiero phan t w as allowed to see at t he las t hour is hardl y hin te d
at by them An d y et Pythagoras Pla to Plotin us I a m
. b lich us Proclus
, , ,

and m a ny o thers knew an d afi rm ed t herr rea lity [i e , o f these arcan e . .

Wh e ther in the mner temple o r through the study o f theurg carried

,
’

o n pri v a tely o r by th e so le exertion o f a whole life o f sp irit ual la bo r th ey

, ,

[th e as p ira n ts ] a ll obt a i ne d t h e p r ac tica l p ro of o f s u c h d i vi n e po ssi b ili ti es

fo r m an figh tin g h is ba ttle with life o n ea rth to win a life in th e e ternity

, .

What the last epopteia w as is allu ded to by Pla to in P haed rus (i

bein g ini tia ted in those M ysteries which it is la wful to ca ll the mos t

”
,

blessed of all mysteries we were free d fro mthe m o les ta tio ns o f evils

which otherwise await us in a fu ture period o f time Likewise 1n co nse

”
.
,

q ue n ce o f thi s d ivin e i n itiat i on w e bec a m e,sp ec ta to rs o f en t ire sim p le , ,

”
im movable and blessed visio ns residen t ma pure ligh t This sen tence
, , .

sh ows tha t they sa w visi o ns gods spiri ts , As Taylor co rre c tly observes
, .
,

fro mall su ch passages in the works o f the in itia tes it ma y b e inferred

“
tha t the most sublime part o f the epopteia co n sis ted in beho ldin g

th e go ds them selves in vested wi th a resplen den t ligh t 3

o r t h e hi ghes t ,

plan e ta ry spirits The sta temen t o f Proclus upo n thi s subj ec t is un

.

I n all the in itia tions an d M yste ries the go ds ex hibit m

”
equivo ca l : an y
,

forms o f the mselves and a ppear in a variety of shapes an d so metime s

, ,

indeed a form less ligh t o f the mselves is held fo rth to the vie w ; some times
this ligh t is according to a hu m a n fo rm a n d so m e tim es it procee ds in to
m
,

a differen t sha pe .

Wh atever is on earth is the resemblance and SHA DOW of som ethi ng

”
that is i n the sphere w hile tha t resplen den t th in g [the pro t o type o f th e
,

sou l sp irit] re m
-
a in e th in u ncha ngeable co n ditio n it is well also wi th i ts ,

shad ow B u t whe n the resplendent one re m

. o ve th fa r fro mits sh a dow life

rem o veth fro mthe la tter to a dista nce And y et tha t v ery ligh t is th e
.

shado w o f so m ething still m o re resp len de n t th a n itself Thu s spea ks

m
.

Desdti r th e Persian B oo k of S het the P rophet Zi rtusht

,
2
thereby sho wing ,

its iden tity of esoteric doc trines with tho se o f the G ree k philosophers
The secon d sta tem
.

en t o f Pla t o con firm s o ur belief th a t t he M ysteries

2 2 8 Ele
. m and Bacch
. Myst 9 1 07 : 4th ed
. 2 2 9 Proclus : On P la to s Republic
. .
’

cf. T Taylor :
. The Works 1 P lato I I p 32 8 : Lo ndo n 1 804
, . 2 30 Verses 35 38
, . .
-
.
1 14 IS IS UN VEILED

of the t were iden tica l with the Ini tia tio ns as prac tised no w
an cien s ,

am ong the B u ddhists a nd the H indu adepts The hi ghest vi sions the .
,

most truthful are pro duced no t thro u gh natural ecs ta tics o r mediu ms

” ”
‘ ’
, , ,

as it is so m e t im es e rro neo usly asserted b u t th ro u gh a regu la r discipline ,

o f grad u al ini tia tio n s a n d de velo p m

,

en t o f psych ica l po wers Th e M ystae .

were bro u gh t in to close un io n with tho se who mProclus calls myst ical

”
“

“ “
na tures ,resplen den t gods beca u se as Pla to says we were o ur
, , ,

selves p ure a n d im macula te being libera ted fro mthis s urrou ndi ng vest
,

ment which we deno mina te body an d to which we are no w bo u n d like

, ,

an o ys ter to its shell (P hae d r loc .

, .

So the doc trine o f plan etary a n d terrestrial Pitris was re vealed

enti rely in an c ien t In dia as well as n o w o nly a t t he las t m
, om ent of ,

ini tia tion an d to the adepts o f su perior degrees

, M a ny are t he fakirs .

w ho th ou gh pu re hones t a n d self devo ted ha ve yet ne ver seen the

, ,
-
,

as tral fo rm o f a purely hu m a n pita r (a n an ces tor o r fa ther) othe rwise

than at the solemn mo men t o f their first an d la s t ini tia tio n I t is in .

the presence o f h is instruc t o r the guru an d j ust befo re the vatu fa kir
, ,
-

is dispa tched in to the world o f t he livin g with his se ven knotte d ba m

”
boo ,
-

wan d fo r all prote c tion that he is sudden ly placed face to face with
,

the unkno w n PR E S E NCE H e sees it and falls pro s tra te at the fee t
.
,

o f th e evanescen t fo rm b u t is no t en truste d with t h e grea t secre t

,

o f its evoca tio n ; fo r it is the su prem e m ystery o f the ho ly sy lla ble .

Th e A U M co n ta ins the evoca tio n of the Vedic tria d the Trim rl rti B ra hm a , ,

Vishn u Siva say the Orien ta lis ts ; 1

it con ta ins the e voca tio n o f
som
, ,

ethi n g m o re real and objecti ve tha n this tri u ne abstracti on w e say ,

res pec tfully co n tra dic tin g t he em inen t sc ien tists It is the trini ty o f .

ma n himself o n his way to beco me immorta l throu gh the solemn

,

unio n o f his inn er triun e S E LF the exte rior gro ss body the hu sk
m
, , ,

n o t e ve n be ing ta ke n in co ns idera tion in this h u m a n t rinity I t is .

231 The Supre m e Buddha is invo ked with two o f his acolyt es o f the theistic tri ad.
ma and S angha This triad is ad dressed in Sanskrit in the fo llo wing te r s : m
.

Dhar .

Na o m
N amo
m
N a o S anghdya,
Au l m
while the Tib eta n Buddhists pro no unce their invocat io ns as follo ws
N a n- won Fo -tho-ye,
N a n -won Tha- a-ye, m
N a n-won S eng-hia -ye,
A anl
m
See also J ournal A siatique, to e VI I , p 2 86 . .

23 2 The of an — hims coa t o f skin — is an inert ass o f a tt er, per se; it is m m

m m
.

b ut the senti ent 1 v bo dy wi thin the an tha t is co nsidered as the a n s b o d y

’

pet .
a nd it is tha t w hich , to geth r with the fo n ts ] so ul o r pu rely astral b ody , y co n
e
nected wit h the i mm
orta l spirit, co nst it utes the trinit y of an m .
1 16 IS IS UN VE ILED

phenomena pro d uced by the will Of the la tter do n o t generally a ppea r in

market places fo r the sa tisfac tio n Of Open mou thed inves tiga tors
- -
.

The unity Of Go d the im , mo rtali ty Of the spirit belief in salva tio n ,

only thro u gh o ur works merit and de merit ; su ch are the prin cipal ar
,

t icle s o f fa ith Of the Wis domreligio n and the groun d work O f Ve daism
-
,
-
,

B u ddhism Parsiism; and such we fin d to ha v e been even tha t O f the

,

an cien t Osiris mwhen w e after a ba n donin g the po pu lar su n go d t o the

,
-

ma terialis mO f the ra bble confine o ur a tten tion to the Boo ks of H ermes

, ,

”
the thrice grea t - .

Th e THOUG HT conceal ed as yet t he world 11 1 silence an d da rkness .

Th en the Lo rd who exists through Himself and who is no t to be

.
,

di vulged to the ex ternal sens es of m an dissipa ted da rkness and mani

,

fes ted the perceptible world .

“
H e tha t can b e perce ived o nly by the spirit tha t esca pes the ,

organs Of se nse who is withou t visible pa rts eternal the soul Of all
, , ,

bein gs tha t none ca n comprehend displayed H is o wn splen dor (M an u

, , ,
'

I ! lo kas 5 7)
,
-

Such is the i deal o f t he Su pre m e in t he m in d Of e very Hin d u philo

sop her .

Of all the du ties the prin cipal o ne is to acquire t he kn o wledge Of

,

the supre m e soul [t he spirit] ; it is the firs t Of all sciences for it al one ,

co nfers on m an im mortal ity (M anu XII filo /ca , ,

And o ur sc ie n tists ta lk Of the N irvana Of B u ddha and t he M O ksha o f

Brahma as O f co mplete ann ihila tion ! I t is thus tha t the fo llowing
verse is in terpreted by so me ma terialists :
The m a n w ho recognises th e S u prem
“
e S o u l in his O wn so u l as ,

well as in that Of all crea tures an d who is equa lly j us t to all [ whether
,

man o r ani mal ] Obtai ns the happies t Of all fa tes tha t to be fina lly ,

abso rbed in the boso mOf Brahm a (M an u XII flo ka , ,

Th e do c trin e Of the M O ksha an d the N irvana as un dersto o d b y the ,

scho o l Of M ax M uller can n e ver hear co n fro n tin g with n u m

, ero us tex t s

tha t ca n b e foun d if req uired as a fin al refu ta tion There are scul p

, , .

tures in many pa godas whi ch con tra dic t po in t blank the impu ta tio n ,
-
, .

Ask a Brflhmana to expla in M oksha address yo urself to an e duca ted ,

Bu ddhist an d pray hi mto defin e fo r y o u the meaning o f N irv an a Both .

w ill an swer y o u tha t in every o ne O f these religio ns N irv ana rep re sen ts
the dogm a O f t he spirit s im mo rtality Th a t to reach the N irvan a
’
.

means absorption in to the grea t universal so ul the la tter representing a ,

sta te n o t an in dividu a l bein g o r an an thropo m

, orphic go d as some un der ,

sta n d t h e grea t E X I ST E NCE Th a t a spirit reac hin g such a sta te becomes

.

a pa rt O f the in tegral who le b u t n eve r lo ses its in dividu ali ty fo r all tha t
, .

Henceforth the spirit lives spiritu ally withou t any fear O f further modi
 TH E VISION S OF SEERS N OT PROVOKED BY DRUGS 1 17

fica tio ns o f form; fo r formpertains to m a t te r an d the sta te o f N i rvdna

,

impli es a co m plete purifica tion o r a fina l riddanc e fro meven the most
su bli m a te d particle O f m a tter .

The word abso rp ti on when it is proved tha t the H ind us an d B uddhis ts

,

belie ve in t he immortal ity Of the spirit must necessarily mea n in timate,

uni o n no t ann ihila tio n

, Le t C hristian s call themidola ters, if they still
.

dare do so , in the face o f science a nd t he la test tra nsla tions Of the sacred
Sans kri t bo oks ; they ha ve no righ t to prese nt the spec ula tive philosophy
Of ancie n t sages as an in consistency a nd the philo sophers them selves as

”
illo gical foo ls With far better reason we ca n acc use the an cien t Jews
.

Of u tter nihil is m
There is no t a wo rd co nta ined in the Books o f M oses
.

o r t he prophets either which ta ken literally implies the spiri t s ’

im mortality Yet every devou t Jew hopes likewise to be ga there d

.

in to the bosomOf A Braha m -

.

Th e hierophants an d so m e Brah m a n as a re acc u sed Of ha vin g adm in is

tered to their epopta i strong drin ks o r anaesthe tics to prod uce visio ns
.

which were to b e ta ken by the la tter as rea lities They did and do .

use sacre d b v
e e ra ges w hi c h , li ke t h e S o m a - dr in k po ssess t h e
, fac u l ty O f
free ing the as tral formfro mthe bon ds Of ma tter ; b ut in tho se visions
the re is as little to b e a ttributed to hallucina tion as in the glimpses
which the scien tis t by the help Of his optical instru ment, gets in to
,

the m icro scopic wo rld A m .a n ca nn ot perceive t o uch an d co n verse

,

with pure spirit throu gh any Of his bo dily senses Only spiri t alone .

ca n ta lk to an d see sp irit ; an d e ve n o u r astra l so ul the Doppelgan ger, ,

is to o gross, too m u ch tain te d y et with earthly m a tter, to trus t en tire ly

to its perc eption s an d in tim a tio ns .

How dangero us u ntrai ned mediumship may Often become, an d ho w

tho ro u ghly this dan ger w as un dersto o d a n d provided again st by the a n
cien t sages , is perfec tly exe m plified in the ca se o f Soc rates Th e o ld .

Grecian p hilosopher w as a m ediu m he nce he ha d ne ver been initia te d

in to t he M yst eries ; fo r su ch w as the rigoro us la w B u t he ha d his fa
‘
.

miliar spiri t as they ca ll it , his dai mo nion; and this invisible co un sello r
’

beca me the ca use O f his dea th I t is generally believed tha t if he was

.

no t in i tia ted in to the M ysteries it w as beca use he him self neglec ted to

beco me so But the S ecret Records teac h us tha t it was beca use he co uld
.

no t b e a dm itted to participa te in the sa cre d rites an d precisely as we ,

st a te o n accoun t Of his m edium sh ip There w as a law again st the

.

ad m ission no t only Of su ch as were co n vic ted o f delibera te witchcraft, “

We f
think tha t the wo rd witchcra t o ught o nce for all to be understo od in
’
really
‘
2 34
f m
.

the sense which pro ’ rly belo ngs to it Witc hcra t ay b e either co nsc io us or unco nsc io us
df m mm
. .

Certa in wicked an la ngero us resul ts ay b e o b ta ined thro ugh the es eri c o wera o f
a w a lled sorcerer, who m
isuses the po te nt fluid ; o r again t hey ay be achieve thro ugh m g
1 18 ISIS UNVEILED

b ut ven o f tho se who were known to have a fa miliar spirit The law
e
‘
.
’

was j us t an d logical because a gen uine m edi um is m

, ore o r less ir
respo nsible ; a n d t h e eccen trici ties O f Socra tes are th us acco u n ted fo r in

so m e degree A m ediu mm . us t b e pas si ve; an d if a firmbe lie ver in hi s

s piri t guide he will allow hi m self to b e ruled by t h e la t te r n o t by the

‘
-
,

rules Of the san c tu ary A m ed i u m o f Olden tim .es like the m o dern ,
‘
medium was su bj ec t to be entranced a t the w ill and pleasure Of the
,
’

po wer which controlled him; therefo re he cou ld no t well ha ve been ,

“
e n truste d with the a wful secrets o f t he fina l ini tia tio n n e ver to b e re ,

veal ed un der the pen alty O f dea th Th e O ld sa ge in un guarded m o .

,

ments Of spiri tual inspira tio n revealed tha t which he had never learned ; ,
’

an d was therefo re pu t to dea th as an a theis t .

H o w then with su ch an in sta nce as tha t Of Socra tes in rela tion to

,

the visio ns a nd sp iritual won ders a t the epo pta i O f t he In ner Tem ple ,

ca n an y o ne assert tha t these seers theurgis ts a nd tha um

”
a t urgis ts were , ,

all spirit m edi um s ? N either Py thagoras Pla to no r any o f t he la te r

‘ ’

m
-
, ,

mo re impo rta n t N eo Pla tonists ; neither I a b lichus Longin us Pro clus

-
, , ,

n o r Apo llo ni us O f Ty an a were ever m edium s ; fo r in su ch case they

,

wo uld no t ha ve been a dm

”
i tted to the M ysteries a t all As Taylor proves .

This assertion Of divine visions in the Myste ries is clea rly co nfirmed
by Plo tinus And in sh o rt tha t m
. agica l evoca tio n form ed a part O f the
,

sace rdo ta l O ffice in th em an d tha t this w as uni versally belie ved b y all
m
,

an tiq ui ty lo n g befo re th e era O f t he la ter Pla t o nis ts shows tha t a part ,

fromna tural mediumship there has exis ted fro mthe beginn in g o f time
‘

a m ysterious science disc usse d by many b u t known o nly to a few

, .

The use Of it is a lon gin g to wa rd o ur o nly true an d rea l ho m e the

afte r life an d a des ire to clin g m
-
, ore closely to o ur paren t spirit ; a buse
o f it is sorce ry witch craft bla ck m , agic Between t he two is plac ed na tu
, .

ral m
‘
ediu m shi p ; a so ul clothed wi th im
’
perfect ma tter a ready agent ,

fo r either the o ne o r the o ther an d u tterly depen den t o n its surroun dings ,

O f life co nstitu tiona l heredi ty

, physica l as well as men ta l an d o n the

na ture Of the sp irits it a ttrac ts aroun d itself A blessin g o r a cu rse

‘ ’
.
,

as fa te will ha ve it u nless the m edi u mis p urified O f earthly dro ss

, .

Th e reason w hy in every age so little has been generally kno wn o f the

mysteries o f ini tia tio n is two fold The first has already been ex plai ned .

by mo re than o ne au tho r an d lies in the terrible penalty fo llowin g the

,

leas t in disc re tion The secon d is due to the superhum

. a n difiic u lties and

e ven dan gers whi ch th e darin g ca n dida te Of o ld had to enco u n ter and ,

either co nq uer o r die in th e a ttem pt unless wha t is still worse he lost his , ,
.

an eas y access O f malicio us tricky much the wo rse if huma n) to the a tmosphere
‘
spirits
’

(so
surro und in a m ediu m Ho w m a ny th o usa nds O f su c h irrespo nsi ble inn ocent victrm
g s
ha ve m et m famo us dea ths t hro ugh the t ricks o f those Elem
.

en taries !

2 35 Plotinus : Enneads I vi ; VI ix
. 2 36 Elem and Has M yst pp 1 10 1 1 : 4t h ed
, , . . . .
, .
- .
120 IS IS UNVEI LED

infa n t Jesu s in hi s m an ge r we re ca rried a bo u t t h e co u n try in Po lan d and

,

Sou thern Ru ssia They were ca lled K aliado vki a word the correct
.
,

e ty m ology O f wh ich we are u nable to give u nles s it is fro m the verb

K al i adovdt a wo rd tha t w e as willi n gly a ban do n to learned philologis ts
, .

We ha v e see n this sho w in o ur days Of childho o d We re me mber the .

three king M a gi represe n ted by three do lls in po wdered wigs an d colo re d

-

tights ; a nd it is fro m reco llec tin g the simple profo un d ven era tio n de ,

p ic ted o n t he face s o f t h e p io u s a u dien ce th a t w e ca n t,he m o re rea dily

a pprec ia te t h e hones t a n d j us t re m ark by the e dito r in t h e in trod uc tio n ,

to the Ele usinia n and B acchic M ysteries w ho sa ys ,I t is ignorance

which leads to profana tion M en ridic ule wha t they do no t pro perly
.

u n dersta n d . Th e un dercurren t Of this world is se t toward o ne goal ;

an d inside o f h um a n c re d u lity ca ll it hu m a n weakness if y o u p lease ,

is a po wer a lmo st infin ite a ho ly fa ith ca pa ble Of apprehen din g the

,

su p re m est tru th s o f all existen ce .

If tha t abstrac t timen t called Christia n charity pre vailed in the

sen

Church we sho uld b e well co n ten t to lea ve all this unsa id We ha ve no

, .

q uarrel with Christia ns whose faith is since re and whose prac tice coin
cides with the ir pro fessio n B u t with a n arro gan t do gm
. a tic an d dis , ,

ho nes t clergy we ha ve n o thing to do except to see the a ncien t philo so phy

a n ta go nized by m o dern theo lo gy in its pu ny O ffsp rin g Spiri t u alism ,

defended and righ ted so far as w e a re able so tha t its grandeur an d su fii

,

cien cy m ay b e thoro u ghl y disp layed It is no t alone fo r the esoteric

.

philo so phy tha t we figh t ; no r fo r a ny mo dern syste m Of moral philo

sophy b u t fo r t he in aliena ble righ t Of priv a te j u dgm
, en t an d es pec ially ,

fo r the enno blin g idea o f a fu ture life Of a c tivi ty a n d accoun ta b ility .

We eagerly appla u d such co mmen ta to rs as Godfrey Higgins In man , ,

Payne K night King Dun lap a n d D r N e wto n howeve r much they dis
, , , .
,

agree with o u r o w n m ystica l views fo r their diligence is constan tly being

,

rewarded by fresh disco veries O f t he Pa ga n p a terni ty Of C hris tia n sym

bo ls Bu t o therwise all these learned works are useless Th eir t e

. .

searc hes o nly co ver h alf the gro u n d Lac king the true key Of in terpreta
.

tion they see the sy mbo ls only in a physica l aspec t Th ey ha ve n o pass

, .

wo rd to ca use the ga tes Of mystery to swin g o pen ; an d a nc ien t spiritual

p hilo sophy is to them a clo sed bo o k D ia me trica lly oppose d tho ugh
.

they b e to t he clerg in the ir ideas re spec tin g it in the way O f in terp reta ,

tio n they do little more than their o ppo nen ts fo r a q uestionin g public .

Their la bo rs ten d to strengt hen ma terialism; as those Of the clergy ,

es pec ia lly the Ro m ish clery do to c u ltiva te belief in diabo lism

, .

If the study Of Hermetic philo so phy held o u t no o ther hope O f reward ,

it wo u ld b e m o re th a n e n ou gh to kn o w tha t by it we m ay lea rn with what

perfec tion Of j u stice the wo rld is go verned A sermo n u pon this text is .
 THE ROMIS H CH URC H S ELF-
DOO M ED 12 1

preac hed b y every pa ge O f hi story Amo ng all there is no t o ne tha t co n

.

vey s a deeper moral than the case Of the Roma n Chu rch The divine .

la w O f co mpensa tio n [K arma] w as never m o re stri kin gly ex em plified tha n

in the fac t tha t by her o wn act she has deprived herself Of the o nly po s
sible key t o her o w n religio us m ysteries The ass umption o f Go dfrey
.

Higgin s tha t there are tw o doc trin es mainta ined in the Ro man C hurch ,

o ne fo r t he m asses a n d the o ther the esoteric fo r t he perfec t o r

’
,

the ini tia t es as in th e a ncien t M ysteries appea rs t o u s un wa rra n ted a n d

, ,

ra ther fan tas tic She has lost t he key w e repea t ; otherwise no terres tria l
.
,

po wer coul d ha ve pro stra te d her and except as ha vi ng a su perficial

,

kn o wled ge Of the mea ns o f pro d ucin g mira cles h er clerg ca n in no way

b e co m pa re d in th eir w is d o m w it h t h e h ier op h a n ts o f O ld .

I n bu rnin g the wo rks Of the theurgists ; in pro sc ribin g those w ho

affec t their stu dy ; in a ffixin g t he stigm a o f de m o no la try t o m a gic in

g e n e ra l R
, o m e h as le ft h e r e xot e ric w o rs h ip a n d Bibl e t o b e h e lp lessly

riddle d by e very free thi nk e r her sex u al e m

-
, ble ms to b e iden tifie d with
coarseness an d her priests un wittin gly t o t urn m
, a gic ian s a n d eve n so rcer

ers in their exorcism s which a re b ut nec ro ma n tic e voca tio ns Thus

, .

re trib u tio n by t he exq ui site a dj us t m

, en t o f divi n e la w is m a de t o o ver
,

ta ke this sc hem e Of crue lty inj us tice a n d bigo try thro u gh her o w n
, , ,

su ic id al ac ts .

T rue phi lo so phy a n d divine tru th a re co n vertible terms A religio n .

whi c h drea ds the ligh t ca nnot b e a religio n based o n either tru th o r

philo so phy hence it m us t b e false The a ncien t M ysteries were
.

mysteries to the pro fa ne o n ly whom the hiero pha n t never so u gh t no r

,

would ac cept as proselytes ; to the initia tes t he M ysteries beca me ex

plained as soon as the final veil was withdra wn N O min d like tha t .

Of Py tha go ras o r Pla to would ha ve co n ten ted itself with an unfatho ma ble
an d in co m prehensible mystery like tha t Of the Christia n do gma There
, .

ca n b e b u t o ne tru th fo r t w o sm , a ll tru ths o n t he sa m e s u bj ec t ca n

only constitu te o ne grea t error Amon g tho usan ds Of exoteric o r po pu lar

.

co n flic tin g religions which h a ve been p ro p a ga ted sin ce t he da ys whe n

the firs t m e n were ena ble d to in te rcha n ge the ir ideas n o t a n a tio n , ,

n o t a people n o r the m , o s t a bj ec t tribe b u t a fter its o wn fas h io n h as

,

believed in an Unseen Go d the First C a use o f u nerrin g a nd immu ta ble

,

la ws a n d in the immorta lity o f o u r spirit

,
N O cree d n o fa lse ph ilo
.
,

sophy n o religio us exa ggera tio n s co uld eve r de stroy tha t feelin g
, , It .

mus t therefo re be based u po n an a bso lu te tru th On the o ther ha n d .

e ve ry o n e o f t he n u m berless religio ns an d religio us sec ts v iews t he

Deity after its o wn fashio n ; a n d fa therin g o n the u n kn o wn its o wn
,

spec u la tio ns fo rces these p urely h u m

, a n o u t gro w th s o f o v e rhea ted im

agina t io n o n th e ignoran t m asse s a n d ca lls the m re vela tio n

‘ ’
, As the .
 ”
122 ISIS UN VEILED

do gmas Of e very religi n a n d

o t Often differ ra dically they canno t
sec ,

b e true An d if un tru e wha t are they ?

.
,

re marks D r I n m
“
Th e grea tes t cu rse to a na tion , an rs no t a bad
.
,

religio n b u t a fo rmOf fai th whi ch p re ven ts m

, a nly in q uiry I kno w o f .

no na tio n o f O ld tha t w as p ries t ridden which did n o t fall un der the

-

swo rds o f tho se w h o did n o t care fo r hierarchs .

The grea tes t dan ger is to b e feared fro m those eccles ias tics w ho
“

win k at vice an d enco urage it as a mea ns whereby they ca n gain po wer

,

over their votaries So lo ng as every ma n does to o ther me n as he

.

woul d tha t they should do to him an d allows no o ne to i nterfere between

,

hi m and his M a ker all w ill go well with the

,

2 39 . A ncient P aga n and Modern Chri sti an Symbolis m

, preface, p . x x x iv .
12 4 I SIS UN VEILED

Th e religio n primi tive teachi ng O f the early few a postles

whi ch t he
mo st resembled a religio n preached by Jesus hi mself is the elder of
th ese t wo Bu ddhism The la tter as ta u gh t in its primi tive p urity and
, .
,

carrie d to perfec tio n by the las t Of t he B u ddhas G a u ta ma ba se d its , ,

moral ethi cs o n three fun da menta l principles It alleged 1 tha t e very .

,

thin g existin g exists fro mna tural ca uses ; 2 th a t virtue b rrn gs its o wn ,

reward a n d vice an d sin th eir o w n p un is hm

, e n t ; an d 3 tha t t he sta te Of , ,

ma n in this wo rld is pro ba tio nary We might add tha t o n these three .

principles rested the u ni versal fo u n da tio n o f e very religio us creed ; Go d

an d in divid u a l im morta lity fo r every ma n if he co uld b ut win it H o w .

e ver p u zzlin g t h e su bseq ue n t theo lo gica l tene ts ; h owe ver see m i n gly in
co m prehensible the meta physica l a bstractions which ha ve con vu lsed the
theolo gy Of every o n e Of the grea t religions Of ma n kind as so o n a s it w as
placed o n a sure footing the a bo ve is fo u n d to be the essen ce Of e very re
,

ligio us philo so phy with th e excep tio n o f la ter C h ris tia ni ty I t was that
, .

Of Zoroas ter Of Pytha goras o f Pla to Of Jes us an d e ven Of M o ses albeit

, , , , ,

the teach in gs o f the Jewish law giver ha ve been so piously ta m- pered wi th .

We will devo te the prese n t cha pter ma inly to a brief surve y O f t he n u

mero us sects which have cla imed to be Christia n ; tha t is to say ha ve b e ,

lieved in a Christo s o r a n A NO I NT E D O N E We will also en dea vo r to ex

, .

pla in the la tter a ppella tio n fromthe ka ba listic sta n dpo in t an d show it ,

rea ppea rin g in every religio us syste m I t m i gh t b e pro fita ble a t the sa m
. e ,

time to see ho w far the earliest a pos tles

, Pa ul an d Pe te r a greed in

their preach ing O f the new D ispensa tion We will begin with Pe ter . .

We mus t o nce more re turn to tha t grea tes t o f all the Pa tristic frauds ;
t he o ne which has un denia bly helped th e Rom a n C a th o lic C h urch to its

un m erited su p re m ac y viz : the b are face d as se rtion in t he tee th O f his

, .

to rica l e vidence tha t Pe ter suffered m a rt yrdo ma t Ro m e I t is only too .

n a tural th a t th e La tin c lery shou ld cli n g to it fo r with t he ex posu re Of ,

the fra u dulen t na ture O f thi s a llega tio n the dogm a O f apo s tolic s u ccession

must fall to the gro und .

Th ere have been many able works o f la te in refu ta tion Of this pre
p o s te ro us c la im A.m on g o th e rs w e no te M r G R e b er s T he C h ri st of . .
’

P a ul wh ich o verth rows it q ui te ingenio usly The a u tho r proves 1 that

, .
, ,

there w as no ch urch es ta blished a t Rome un til the reign O f An tonin us

Pius ; 2 that as E usebius an d Irenae us both agree tha t Lin us w as the
,

sec o n d B isho p Of Ro m e in to who se han ds the blessed apo s tles Pete r

‘ ’
,

an d Pa ul co m mi tted the church after bui ldin g it this could no t ha ve

u3
,

been a t an y o ther time than be tween A D 64 a nd 68 ; 3 tha t this in terval . .

,

Of yea rs ha ppens durin g t he reign O f N ero fo r E usebius sta te s tha t Linus ,

held thi s O flice twelve yea rs (Ecclesias tical H is to ry III xii i) e n tering , , ,

2 42 . Irenaeus : Agai ns t H eresi es, III , 1 ii, 2, 3 .

 THE FI CTION OF AH B TOLI C SUC CESSI ON 12 5

p it A D 69 o ne y ear after the dea th Of N ero an d dying hi mself in 8 1

u on . .
, ,

After t hi s t he au thor m ai n tai ns o n very so lid gro u n ds th a t Peter co uld

no t h a ve been in Ho m e A D 64 fo r he w as th en in B a bylo n whe re h e

. .
, ,

wro t e hi s first Epistle the da te o f which is fixed by D r Lardner a n d other

, .

critics at p recisely this yea r B u t we belie ve tha t his be st argum

. en t is in

provin g tha t it was no t in the charac ter Of the cowardly Pe ter to risk hi m
“
self in su ch close n eigh bo rho o d with N ero who w as fee ding th e w ild ,

beast s Of t he Amphithea ter with the flesh and bo nes O f Christians 1“

”
Perha ps the Ch urch O f Rome was q ui te co nsistent in choosin g as her
titular fou n der the apos tle who thrice denied his master at the mo men t Of
danger ; an d the only o ne moreover except Ju das w ho provoked C hrist , ,

in su ch a w ay as to b e addresse d as the Enem Ge t thee behin d me

“ ‘
y .
’
,

SA TA N ! ex claims Jesus re buking the tem pting apo stle

,
“ .

There is a tradi tio n in the G ree k Church which has n ever fo u n d fa vor
at the Va tica n The fo rmer traces its origin to o ne Of the G no stic lea ders
.

B asilides perhaps w ho lived u n der Traj a n an d Adria n a t the en d Of

, , ,

the first an d the be ginni n g Of t he secon d ce n tu ry With regard to th is .

particular tradition if the G no stic is B asilides then he mu st b e accepted

, ,

as a sufi cien t a u th ority ha vin g clai m ed to ha ve been a disciple o f t h e

,

a pos tle M a t thew an d to ha ve h a d fo r m

, as te r G la u cias a disc ip le Of S t , .

Pe ter himself Were the na rra tive a ttribu ted to hima uthen tica ted the
.
,

Lo n do n Com mittee fo r the Re visio n Of the Bible would ha ve to add a new

verse to M atthew M ark an d J ohn which tell the sto ry Of Peter s denial
, , ,
’

Of Christ .

This tradi tion then o f whi ch w e have been spea king aflirms tha t
, , ,

when frigh tened at t he ac c usa tio n Of the servan t o f the hi gh priest the
, ,

apo s tle had thrice den ied h is m as ter a n d t h e coc k h ad crowed Jes us , ,

”
who w as then passing throu gh the hall in c u stody Of the soldiers turned ,
“
an d looking a t Pe ter sa id : Verily I say un to thee Pe ter tho u sha lt , ,

deny me thro u ghou t t he co min g ages and never stop un til thou shalt b e ,

O ld an d sh alt stretch fo rth thy h a n ds a n d a n other shall gird thee a n d

, ,

”
ca rry thee whither thou woulds t no t The la tter part of this se n te nce .
,

say the G ree ks re la tes to t he C h urch Of Ro m

, e an d prop hesies her co n ,

sta n t a postasy fro mC hrist u n der t h e m ask o f false religion La ter it .

was in serted in t he twen ty first cha pte r o f J ohn b u t the whole o f thi s
-
,

cha p te r had been pro nounce d a fo rgery even be fore it w as fo un d th a t this

Gospel was never written by Jo hn the a po stle a t all .

The anonymous a u thor Of S uperna tu ral Religio n a wo rk whi h in

c ,

2 44 . M ark , viii, 33 .

The autho rship has no w been ackno wledged b y Mr Walt er R Cassells

“
2 44 11 . . .

Prof J Estlin Carpenter : The Bible i n the N i neteenth Century, p 2 9 8, no te 2 : 1 903

. . . .
1 26 I S IS UN VEI LED

tw o years pa ssed thro ugh se veral edi tio ns an d is alleged to ha ve been ,

writte n by an e minen t theo lo gian pro ves co nclusively the sp u rio u sness
,

o f the fo ur gospels o r at leas t the ir co m

, ple te tra nsfo rma tio n in t he ha nds
O f the to o zealo us I re nae us a nd his cha m
-
pio ns The fo urth go s pel is co m .

p le te ly u p se t by t his a b le a u th o r ; t he e xtr ao rdi n a ry fo rgeri es O f t h e Fa

t hers o f t he ea rly cen turies are pla inly de m o ns tra te d a nd t he re la t ive v al ,

ue o f t he syn o ptics is disc ussed wi th an u nprecede n te d powe r O f lo gic The .

wo rk carries co n vic tio n in its every line Fro mit we quo te the fo llo wing : .

We gain infin itely mo re than w e lose 1 n a ba n do nin g belief 1 11 the

rea lity o f Divine Re vela tio n Whilst we re tai n pure an d un impaire d the
.

li gh t o f Christia n M o rality we re lin q uish no t hin g b u t t he debasing

,

ele m en ts added to it by h um a n supersti tio n We are no lo nger bo u nd to .

belie ve a theo lo gy which o u trages Reason a nd mo ral se nse We are freed .

fro m base an thro pomo rphic views o f Go d an d his govern me n t O f the

un iverse ; an d fro mJew ish m ytho lo gy w e rise to higher conceptio ns O f an
in fin ite ly wise an d b eneficen t Bein g hidden fro mo ur fin ite m , in ds it is ,

tru e in the impenetrable glo ry o f Divini ty b ut who se Laws O f wo ndro us

, ,

co m prehensiveness an d perfec tio n w e e ver perceive in o pera tio n around

us . The argumen t sO Often e mplo yed by theo lo gians tha t Divine
.
,

Re vela tio n rs nec es sary fo r m a n a n d th a t certa in views co n ta in e d mtha t

”
,

Re velatio n are re q uired by o ur m o ra l co nsc io us ness is purely rm a gina ry ,

a n d derived fro mthe Re vela tio n w hich i t see ks to m ain tai n The o nly .

thi ng absolutely n ecessary fo r m a n is TRUTH ; an d t o tha t a nd tha t ,

a lo ne m us t o ur m o ral co nsc io us ness a da pt itse lf

“ 5
.
,

We will co ns ider further in wh a t ligh t w as re garded the D ivi n e re vela

tio n o f the Jewish Bible by the G no s tics w ho yet behave d in C hris t in ,

their o wn w ay a far be tter an d less blasphe m o u s o ne tha n t he Ro m an

C a tho lic The Fa thers ha ve fo rced o n the belie vers in Ch ris t a B ible
.
,

t he la w s prescribed in which he w as t he firs t to brea k ; t he teac hin gs o f

which he utterly re j ec ted ; a nd fo r which c rimes he w as finally crucified .

Of wha te ver else the Chris tian wo rld ca n boas t it can hardl y cla imlo gic ,

a n d co ns isten cy as its c hie f virtues .

The fac t a lo ne tha t Pe te r re m ained t o t he last an a pos tle O f t he cir

c um c isio n spea ks fo r itse lf Who soever else might have built the Church
’
.
,

”
of Rom e it was no t P ete r
, If such were the cas e t he successors O f this
.
,

a pos tle wo uld h a ve to su b m it the m selves t o c irc u m cisio n were it b u t fo r ,

t he sa ke o f co nsis tency To sho w tha t the claim

. s o f t he popes are no t

D r In m
“
u tterly gro u n dless a n asserts th a t re po rt sa ys tha t
, . in o ur
C hristian times Po pes ha ve t o b e priva tely perfec t
,
3“
b u t we do no t ,

kn o w whe ther thi s is carried to t he exten t o f the Levitica l Je wish la w .

2 45 S u perna tu ral Religio n, part I I I , ch

m mp
. .

2 46 . A ncient P aga n and M odern Christia n S y bolis , . x x viii.

1 28

wan dering Jewish exorcists th e Ara bic wo rd N abae m

na ba to prophesy The Tal m
eanin g t o w an

ud in discrim
,
” IS IS
no
UN VEILED

”
der an d the Hebrew
, inate , .

“
ly calls all th e Chris tians N cza ri f All the G nostic sects alike belie ved in -

ma gic I renaeus in describing the fo llo wers o f Bas ilides sa ys They

”
.
, , ,

use im a ges in voca tions inca n ta tions an d all other thin gs perta inin g un
, , ,

to m

”
agic Dunla p o n the a u th ority o f Ligh tfoot sh o w s tha t Jesus
.
, ,

w as ca lled N aza raio s in reference to his h u m ble an d mean ext ernal co n

,

ditio n ; fo r N azaraios means se para tio n aliena tio n fro mother men
“

m
, .

The real m
“
ean in g o f the word n azar sign ifies t o v o w o r co nse , ,

cra t e o ne s self to t he se rvice o f Go d As a nou n it is a dia de mo r em blem

’
.

o f such co nsecra tion a h ead so co nsecra te d

“ Jo seph w as styled a
, .

The head o f Jo se ph the vert ex o f t he na zar among his

“

mm mm
nazar .
,

bre thren Sam so n an d Sa m

. u el ( 5 : 111 Sem s o n an d Sem
e ,
-

v a e l) are described alike as nazars

-
Po rphyry trea ting o f Pythago ras .
, ,

says tha t h e w as purified an d in itia te d at Ba bylon by Zar a d as t he head -

,

o f the sac red co lle ge M ay it no t b e surmise d there fore tha t t he Zo ro

.
, ,

As ter w as the nazar o f Ishta r Zar adas o r N a Zar Ad “ being the sa me

m
- - -
, ,

with change o f idiom? Ezra o r R f was a pries t an d scribe a hiero ‘

m
, , ,

pha nt ; and the firs t Hebrew co loniser o f Ju daea was Sa n Zo rn -

,

Ba bel o r the Zo ro o r naza r o f Ba bylon

, .

The Jewish Sc riptures in dica te tw o dis tinc t wo rships an d religio ns

am o n g the Israe lit es ; tha t o f B acch us wo rship u n der t he m as k o f Jeho -

v ah an d tha t o f t he C hal daea n in itiat es t o wh o mbelo nged so m

, e o f the

n azars t he theurgists an d a few o f the p ro phets

, The head q uarters of
, .

”
these were always at Ba bylo n and C haldaea where tw o rival sch ools of ,

M agians ca n b e distinc tly sho wn Tho se who would doubt t he sta te ment .

will ha ve in su ch a case to acco un t fo r the disc re pa ncy between his tory

an d Pla to w ho o f a ll m en o f his day w as certa in ly o ne o f t he bes t in
,

formed Spea kin g o f the M agian s he sho ws themas instruc tin g t he Per
.
,

sian kin gs o f [i c in the wo rship according to ] Zo roas ter as t he so n o r

. .
, ,

priest o f Oro mazdes ; 7

an d y e t Darius in the inscript io n a t Behist un , ,

bo as ts o f ha vin g res tore d the c ult o f Ormazd a nd put do wn the M a gian

rit es ! E viden tly the re were tw o dis tin c t an d an ta go nis tic M agia n scho ols ,

the o ldes t an d t he m o st eso t eric o f the tw o bein g th a t w hich sa tisfie d with ,

its un assaila ble kn o wled ge an d sec re t power w as co n ten t a ppare n tly to ,

re lin q uish h er exo t eric popularity an d yield her su pre m acy in t o t he hands

o f the refo rm ing D arius The la ter G no stic s showed t he sam e pru dent
.

”
2 50 Jerv is W Jervis : On Genesis p 32 4 : Lo ndo n. 1 852
m
. .
, . .

2 5 1 J Ligh tfo o t : H or H ebr a Tal , p 50 1

. . 2 52 Agai nst H eresies
. . x x iv 5 . . . .
,
I , , .

2 53 D unlap : M UM S o n of lhe M a n, p x
“
2 54 C ut o fl th ine ha ir
m m
. . . .
,

0 Jerusale an d cast it a w ay a nd ta ke up a la en ta tio n o n high plac es

m m
,

m
, .

2 55 Ge , x lix , 2 6
. 2 56 N azare th ? [See also Cle
. Alex : S tro .
I. x v . . .
,

.
A p uleius : Flo rida
-
a , ] 2 57 I A l II
eib , 5 37; of Cicero : On Dwi nati o n,
.
5 1 . . . .
 THE ARISTAE US -EURYD I CE FABLE EX PLAINED 129

p olic y yb a cco m m oda tin g th em se lves in e v er y co u n try t o t h e p re v aili n g

religio us fo rm s still secre tly adh erin g t o th eir o wn essential doc trines
, .

There 13 another hypothesis possible whi ch 1 3 tha t Zero Ish ta r was ,

-

the hi gh pries t o f the C haldaean wo rship o r a M agian hierophan t When , .

the Aryans o f Persia u nder Darius H y stas pes o v erthre w t he Ma gia n

, ,

Gom a tes an d restored t he M azd ean wo rshi p there ens ued an a m

, a lgam ,

tio n b y which the M agian Zo ro as tar beca m e the Zara t hustra o f t he

- -

Vsndid dd This was n o t accepta ble to the other Aryans w ho ado pted
.
,

the Ve dic religion as dis tin guished fro mtha t o f t he A vesta B ut this is .

mly a hypothesis .

And wha te ver M oses is no w belie ved t o ha ve been we will dem on ,

strate tha t h e w as an in itiate The M osaic religio n was a t bes t a sun and
.
-

nerpen t wo rshi p dilu te d perhaps wi th so m

, e sligh t m o n otheistic n o tions

>efo re the la tter were fo rcibly cra m med in to the so called inspired Scrip ‘
-

zures b y E zra a t the tim e h e w as alle ged to ha ve rewritten t he M osaic

,

1oo ks . At all events t he B oo k of N u m bers w as a la ter book ; an d there

h e su n an d serpen t worship is as plain ly traceable as in any Pagan sto ry
- -

”
.

[h e tal e o f the fiery se rpents is an allegory in mo re th an o ne sense .

[h e serpen ts were the Lem l ss o r Ophites w ho were M oses body

'
’
,

gu a rd ( see E x o d us xxx h a n d t h e c
, o m m a n d ,o f t h e Lo rd to ‘

“
d o ses to h ang the hea ds of the people befo re the Lo rd agains t th e
zun , which is the emblemo f th is Lord is unequivocal , .

The nazars o r pro phets as well as the N azare nes were an anti , ,

I acc h us cas te in so far th a t in co m

, mo n with all the initiated prophets
hey held to the spirit o f the sy mbo lical reli gions an d offered a strong ,

pppo si tio n to t he idola tro u s a nd exo teric prac tices o f th e dea d letter .

l en ce the frequent sto n in g o f th e pro phe ts by the po pulace un der the

ea d e rship o f th o se priests w h o m ade a p ro fita ble li vin g o u t o f t he po pu

ar su persti tio ns Ottfried M uller sho ws ho w m

. u ch th e Orphic M ysteries

lifiered fro mthe popula r ri tes o f Bacchu s

”
altho ugh the Orphi koi are
"a
,

mo wn to ha ve followed the worsh ip o f Bacch us The systemo f the .

wrest m orality and of a severe asceticismpro mulga ted in the tea chings
»f Orpheus an d so stric tly adh ered to by his vo taries is in co mpa tible
, ,

vi th the lascivio us ness a n d gro ss im mo rality of the po pular rites The .

able o f Aristae us pursuin g E urydice in to t he woods where a serpen t ocw

ions her dea th is a very pla in allego ry which w as in part explained in

,

he ea rliest times Aristae us is brutal power pursuing E urydice the

.
, ,

so teric doc trin e in to the wo ods where t he se rpen t (e m

, blemo f every
nu go d a n d wo rshiped u nder its gro sse r aspec t e ven by t he Jews) kills
-
,

net ; i c
. fo rces truth to beco me still more eso te ric an d seek shelter 1 11
.
, ,

2 58 K 0
. . . M uller : A H istory of the Literature of A ncient Greece pp 2 30 -2 40 . . .

2 59 . Vergil : Gsorqica, I V, 2 82 , sq.

1 30 ISIS UNVEILED

the Un derwo rld, which is no t t he hell o f o u r theo lo gia ns M oreover the .

fa te o f Orpheu s to rn to pieces by the Ba cc hante s is ano ther alle go ry to

, ,

sho w th a t t he gross an d po pu lar ri te s a re a lway s m o re we lc o m e th an

divine b ut simple tru th and pro ves the grea t difference th a t must have
,

existe d betwee n the e so te ric an d t he popular wo rship As t he po ems of .

bo th Orpheus an d M usae us were sa id t o ha ve been lo st since t he ea rliest

ages so th a t neithe r Plat o n o r Aris to tle rec o gn ise d an ythin g a u the n tic in
,

t he po em s e xta n t in their t im e it is difficu lt to sa y wi th p rec isio n what

,

con stit u te d the ir pec u liar ri tes Still w e ha ve t he o ral tra diti o n an d
.
,

every in fere nce to dra w th erefro m ; a nd thi s tra ditio n po in ts t o Orpheus

as havin g brou gh t his doc trines fro mIn dia a n d as o n e who se religio n was ,

that o f the o ldest M a gians hen ce tha t to which belo n ged t he init iates
o f all cou n tries be gin nin g with M o ses t h e so ns o f t he Pro phe ts an d the
’
, , ,

ascetic nazars (w ho m u st n o t b e co n fo un ded with th ose a ga ins t who m

”
th un dere d Hosea and o ther pro phets ) to [an d inclu din g] the Essenes ? “

This latter sec t were Pythago reans befo re they became de ge nera ted
ra the r tha n perfec te d in the ir systemth ro u gh the B u ddhis t m issionaries
w ho Plin y te lls u s esta blished them
, , se lve s o n t he sh o res o f t h e D ead Sea

a ges be fore his tim e

“
p er saec zdo
, ru m m ill i a B u t if o n t h e o n e ha n d .

these B uddhist mo n ks were the first to esta blish mo nas tic co mmun ities
a n d in c ulca te the stric t o bserva nce o f dogm a tic co n ven tua l ru le o n the ,

o ther they were also the first t o en fo rce and popula rize tho se stern virt ues

e xe m plified by Sdkya mu ni pre viously exercised o nly 11 1 isola ted cases o f

-
,

well kn own philoso phers and their follo wers virtu es preac he d t w o o r
-

three centuries la ter by Jesus prac tised by a few Christian ascetics , ,

an d grad u ally a ba n do ned a n d even e n tirely forgot te n b y t h e C h ris tian

Church .

The i nitiated nazars had ever held t o this rule which h ad t o b e fol ,

lo wed befo re their time by the a depts o f e very a ge ; and t he disciples o f

John were b ut a dissen tin g branch o f the E ssenes There fore we canno t .

well confo und the mwith all the n azars spoken o f in the Old Testam ent ,

a n d w h o are acc use d by H o sea wi th ha vin g se pa ra te d o r con secra ted

, m
the mselves t o Boshs th u: (see Hebrew text ) ; which word implied
2 81

the grea tes t po ssible abo m in a tio n To infer as som e critics an d theo
.
,

lo gia ns do tha t it m ean s to se para te o ne s self t o chas ti ty o r co n t in ence is

’
, ,

either a dvi se dly to pervert t he tru e m ean in g o r t o b e t o tally igno ran t of ,

t he Hebrew la n gua ge The e le ven th verse o f t he first c ha pter o f Mi cah

.

h alf e xpla in s the wo rd in its veiled tra nsla tio n Pass y e a way thou ,

inh abita nt o f Saphir a n d in th e o rigina l te xt t he word is B osheth

,
.

Certa inly neither Baal no r Iab oh K a do sh with his K adeshi m w as a go d

, , ,

o f asce tic v irt ue albe it t he S eptua gi nt term

, s th em as well as t h e galli ,

2 59a . Cf p 1 32 ,
. . follo wing . 2 60 Pliny : N at Hi st
. . V. 1 5 . 2 61 . Hosea, ix . 1 0 .
132

the A bortive, w ho
an d shall a do re Ad unai
perfec t themselves [circu mcise] wi th a swo rd
7
sh all
”
”
IS IS

.
UN VE ILED

”
The o ldes t N azarenes w ho were the des cen dants o f the Scripture ,

n azars an d whose las t pro m

, inent leader w as Joh n the Baptis t al tho u gh ,

ne ver very o rth odox in the sigh t o f the scribes an d Pharisees o f Jerusa

lem were nevertheless respec te d an d left un m

, o les ted E ven Hero d .

“
feared the mul titude beca u se they regarde d Jo hn as a pro phet
( M a tth e w x i v , B u t t h e fo
, llow ers o f Jes us e v i de n tly a dh ere d t o a

sec t which beca m e a still m o re e xas pera tin g thorn in their side [i e o f the . .
,

sc ribes an d Pharisees] I t appea red as a heres y withi n ano ther here sy

.

fo r while the nazars o f the o lden ti m es t he So ns o f the Pro phe ts were ‘ ’

, ,

Chaldae an ka balists the adepts o f the new dissen ting sec t showed them
,

se lves reform ers an d inno va to rs fro m t he firs t The grea t sim ilitude .

traced by so me critics be tween the rites an d o bservances o f the earliest

C hristians and tho se o f the Essenes may b e acc oun te d fo r with o u t the
sligh te s t diffic ulty The Essenes as w e re m arked j ust n o w
. were the , ,

con verts o f B u ddhis t m issio n a ries w ho had o verrun E gy pt G reece an d , ,

even Ju daca a t o n e tim e sin ce t he re ign o f Asoka t he zealo u s p ropagan,

dis t ; an d while it is eviden tly to the Essenes tha t belo ngs the ho nor of
ha vin g had the N azaren e re former Jes us as a p upil still t he la tter is

”
,

fo und disa greein g with his early t eachers o n se veral qu es tio ns o f formal
observan ce H e ca nn o t s tric tly b e ca lled an Essen e fo r re as ons which
.
,

”
w e will in dicate farther o n neither w as he a n asa r o r N azaria o f the , ,

older sec t Wha t Jesus was may b e fo u nd in the Codes N aza raeus
.
, ,

fro mthe unj us t acc usa tions o f the B ardesanian G nos tics .

“
Jesu is N ebu the false M essiah the des troyer o f the o ld ortho dox
, ,

”
reli gio n says the Codes
, H e is the fo u nder o f the sec t o f t h e new .

nazars a n d , as the words clearly im

, ply a fo llo wer o f the B u ddhist ,

doc trin e I n Hebrew the wo rd naba 3 3 3 mea ns to spea k b y in spira

.
, ,

tion ; an d 13 3 is nebo a go d o f wisdo m B u t N ebo is al so M ercury , .

,

an d M ercury i s B uddha in t h e H in d u m o no gram[ico n ogra phy ] o f pla nets .

M o reover w e find the Talmudists holdin g tha t Jesus w as ins pired b y the
g e n i u s o f M e rc ury .

The N a zaren e reform er had u n do ub te dly belo n ge d t o o ne of these

tho u gh perha ps it wo uld b e next to impossible t o dec ide ab

”
sec ts ;

so lu te ly which Bu t wha t is self e viden t is tha t he preac hed the philo

.
-

sophy o f B uddha Sakya m u ni Deno unced by the later pro phets cursed
-
.
,

by the Sa nh edrim the nazars they were co nfoun ded wi th others of

,

tha t name who separa te d the mselves un t o th a t shame no

were ,

secre tly if no t o penly persec u ted by the orth o do x sy n ago g

, , It be .

2 67 Cod N as
. . .
, I , p 47 . . 2 68 .
pI 55
, ; N orb
.erg : Ono a stico n, p 7 4 m . .

2 69 . Alpho nsus de Spins : Fortaliti um fid ei, ii. 2 .2 70 . H o sea. ix . 1 0 .

 ”
BLUN DERS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMEN TS 13

”
c omes clear w hy Jesus w as trea ted with such co n tempt fromthe firs t ,

an d de preca tin gly ca lled the G alilea n N a thaniel inq uires a t the .
,

C a n there any good thin g c om

“
very beginnin g o f his career e o ut o f

N azare th ? (J o hn i 4 6 ) a n d m e r e
, ly, b ec a u se he k n ow s him t o b e a o

nazar . Does no t this clearly hi nt tha t even the o lder nazars were n o t
rea lly He bre w religio nis ts b u t ra ther a class o f C haldae an theurgis ts ?
,

Besides as the N ew Testament is n o ted fo r its mistransla tio ns and trans

,

paren t fal sifica tio ns o f texts w e may j us tly suspec t tha t the wo rd N aza
,

reth w as su b stit u ted fo r tha t o f nas ario o r nazari ; an d th a t it [ the te xt] ,

C a n an y good thi ng com e fro ma no zari o r N azarene ?

“
o rigin ally read ,

a follower of S t Jo hn the B a ptis t with who mwe see him[Jesus] asso cia t
.
,

in g fromhi s first appearan ce o n the sta ge o f ac tio n after havin g been los t ,

”
sigh t o f fo r a perio d o f nea rly twen ty years The blun ders o f th e Old .

Testa m ent are as no thin g to tho se o f th e gospels N o thin g sho ws better .

tha n these self e vi den t co n tra dic tio ns th e syste m o f pio us fra u d u po n
-

” ”
which the superstructure o f the M essiah ship res ts Thi s i s Elias which .

was fo r t o co m e say s M a tthe w o f Jo hn the B a pti s t th us fo rc in g an

, ,

anc ie n t ka ba lis tic tra di tio n in to the fra m e o f eviden ce (x i B ut ,

when a ddressing the B a ptist himself they as k him (J ohn i ,

“
Art , ,

An d he sa ith I amno t!
“
tho u E lias ? Which knew bes t
, Jo hn o r
his b io gra pher ? An d which is di vine revela tio n ?
Th e mo tiv e o f Jesus was eviden tly like tha t o f G a u ta ma Bu ddh a t o -
,

benefi t h umanity a t large by pro du cin g a religio us refo rmwhich should

g iv e i t a re lig i o n o f p u re e thi cs t h e t ru e k n o w led ge o f,G o d a n d n a tu re

havin g rem a ined u n til the n so lely in the h a n ds o f t h e esoteric sec ts a n d

o f the ir adep ts As Jesus used oil and the Esse nes n ever use d a u gh t b u t
.

pure wa ter he ca nnot b e ca lled a s trict E ssene On t he o ther han d

271
, .
,

the E sse nes were also set apart they were healers (asaya) an d dwelt

” ”
in t h e desert as all asce tics did .

B u t altho u gh he did n o t abstai n fro mwin e he co u ld ha v e re m ained a

N azare ne all the sam

,

e Fo r in c ha p te r v i o f N u m
. bers w e see tha t after ,
“
the pries t has waved a part o f the hair o f a N a za rite fo r a wa ve o fferin g -

after tha t t he N azari te m

“
before the Lord , a y drin k W in e ( ve rse

”
The bitter den unc ia tio n by the re fo rm er o f the people w ho wo ul d b e

sa tisfie d with n o thi ng is wo rded in the fo llo wing excla m

“
, a tio n : Jo h n
ca m e n ei ther ea tin g b rea d n o r drinkin g win e ; an d y e say H e b a th a
devil Th e So n o f man is co me ea tin g an d drinki n g ; a n d y e say Be ho ld
,

.
,

a glu tt o n o u s m an a n d a win t bibbe r

-
, An d y et he w as a n E ssene .

and N azare ne fo r w e n o t o n ly fin d himsen din g a m

, es sa ge to Hero d t o ,

say th a t h e w as o ne o f tho se w h o cas t o u t de v ils an d w ho perfo rm ed ,

2 71 . Th e Essenes co nsidered o il as defilem

a en t, says Joseph us
The J ewish War , II , viii, 3 .
1 34

c ures ,

to
b u t ac tually ca llin g him
the o ther pro phets
self

.
” ISIS

The a u tho r o f S ad sho ws M atthew try ing to conn ec t the appella tion
UN VEI LED

a pro phe t an d declaring himself equal

”
o f N a za ren e wi th a p ro phec y
“ an d in quires Why then do es M a tthew
,

s ta te th a t th e pro phe t sa id he sho uld b e ca lled N azaria ? S imfl y

“
beca use he belo nged to tha t sec t, and a pro phecy would co nfirmhis
c la ims to th e M ess iahs hi p N o w it does n o t appear th a t t he pro phe ts
.

a n ywhere sta te tha t t he M essiah will b e calle d a N azaren e The .

”
fac t alo ne tha t M a tthew tries in the last verse o f cha pter ii to s tren gthen
his cla imtha t Jesus dwelt in N a zare th m erel y to fulfil a prophec y, does

mo re than wea ken the argumen t, it upsets it en tirely ; fo r the first

””
t wo chap te rs h a ve su fi cien tly bee n pro ved to b e la ter fo rgeries .

Baptismis o ne o f the o ldest rites a nd was prac tised by all the na tions
in their M ysteries as sacred a blu tio ns
, Du nla p seems to derive the .

na m e o f th e naza rs fro mnazah sp rin klin g ; Ba ha k Zivo is t he ge ni us

5 -

m
,

”
w ho ca lled t he wo rld in to existence o u t o f th e da rk wa te r say the ’
,

N azare nes ; an d Richardso n s P ersia n A rabic and E nglish Learicon

’
-
, ,

asserts tha t the word B a hak m

‘
ea n s rainin g B ut the B aha k Zico o f
’
7 -
.

“
the N azarenes ca nn o t b e traced so easily to Bac c hus w ho w as the ,

ra in go d
-
fo r th e n azars were t he grea te s t o ppo nen ts o f Bacch us
,

wo rship Bacchus is bro u gh t u p by the Hyades the rain ny mphs says -

m
.
, ,

Preller an d D unla p sho ws furthermo re tha t at the conclusion o f the

“
,

re ligio us M y s te ries the p riests ba p tized (was hed ) their m onumen ts and
an o in ted the mwi th o il All this is b ut a very in di re c t proof The Jorda n
. .

baptismneed no t b e sho wn a substit u tion fo r the es oteric Bac chic rites

an d t he liba tio n s in hon o r o f Ado nis o r Ado ni who mthe N azarenes ah
ho rred in o rder to pro ve the m [the N azarenes] t o ha ve been a sect
sp run g fro mthe M y s teries o f the Sec re t Doc trin e ; a n d their rites ca n
‘ ‘ ’

by n o means b e co nfo u nded wi th th ose o f the Pagan po pulac e who had ,

sim ply fallen in to the idola trous an d un reas onin g fai th o f all plebeian
multitudes Jo hn was the pro phet o f these N azarenes and in G alilee he
.
,

w as te rm t he Sa vio r b u t he w as no t the fo un der o f th a t sec t which

’
ed ,

derived its tra di tio n fromthe remo tes t C haldaeo Akkadian theurgy -
.

“
The early plebeian Israelites were Can aa ni tes an d Phoe nic ia ns with ,

Lu ke, x iii, 32 43
2 72 . .

2 73 M att , 11 2 3 We m m
ind tha t the Go spel ac cording t o Ma tthew in the
ust bear in
m
.

N ew Testam
. ,

ent is no t th e o riginal Go spel o f the a po stl e o f that na e The a ut hentic .

Evangel was for cen turies in the po ssessio n o f the N azaren es and the Eb io nites. as we show
m
further o n the ad issio n o f St Jero me hi self who 0 0 a m
tha t he had t o ask er issi on
p m
[De ciris ill ust , cap iii ; Co m i n M att , x ii , m
.
,

of the N azare nes t o transla te it . . .

2 74 Sod, the S on of the M a n, p x

. 2 75 I bid , p vi1i ( insert ) no t e
. . . . . .

2 76 Code: N azaraeus , I I , p 2 33
. 2 77 S M, Myst A do ni , p 79
. . . . . .

2 78 L Preller : Gri echische Mythologie, I , p 41 5

. . 2 79 86d. Myst A doni, p 46. sq
. . . . . .
1 36 I S IS UN VEI LED

N o w there is o ne very stran ge pecu liarity a bo u t this se nte nce o f Jo hn .

I t is flatly denied in A cts x ix 2 5 Apo llos a Je w o f Alexa n dria belo nged

, ,
-
.
, ,

to the sec t o f St Jo hn s disciples ; he had been ba p tized and had ln

.
’

st ru cte d o th ers in t he doc trin es o f the B apt ist An d y et whe n Pa ul .

,

” ””
cle verly pro fitin g by his [Apo llos ] a bsence a t Co rin th , fin ds certa in
’

disciples o f Apollo s at Ephesus, and as ks the mwhether they rec eived the
H oly Ghost he is nal vely answered , We ha v e no t so mu ch as hea rd
,

whether there b e any Ho ly Gho st ! Un to wha t then were y e b a p

Unto J ohn s baptis m they say
“
tized ? he in quires ’
. Then Paul is , .

made to repea t the wo rds attribute d to Jo hn by the Syn optics ; an d

these men were ba ptized in the na me o f the Lo rd Jesus exhi biti ng
“
,

mo reover at the sa me insta n t the usual polyglot gift which accompanies

”
the descen t o f th e Ho ly G ho st .

H o w then ? S t Jo hn t he B a ptist, who is ca lled the precursor that

.
,

the p ro phecy m igh t b e fulfilled the grea t pro phet an d m a rty r whose
, ,

wo rds o u gh t to ha ve had such a n importa n ce in the eyes o f hi s disciples ,

“
ann o un ces the Ho ly Ghost to his liste ners ; ca uses crowds t o as
se m ble o n the sho res o f the Jordan where at the grea t ceremony o f

”
, ,

Christ s ba ptism the pro mise d Ho ly G ho st appears withi n the

’

,
“

opened hea vens an d the mul tit ude hears the voice, and ye t there are
,

disc iples o f S t Jo hn w ho ha ve never so mu ch as heard whether there be

.

”
a ny H o ly G h ost !
Verily the disc iples w ho wrote the Codes: N asa raeus were righ t Only .

it is no t Jesu s hi m self, b u t tho se w ho ca m e after h im , an d w ho c o nco c te d

the B ible to sui t the m

“
se lves th a t c J h do t i
’

per o n s , c r n e , cha nge d

the b aptismo f th e Jo rda n a nd perverte d t he sa yin gs o f j ustice
, .

I t is u seless bj ect tha t the presen t Codex w as written cen turies

to o

”
after th e direc t a po stles o f Jo h n preached So were o ur Gospels When . .

this as to un din g in te rv iew o f Pa ul with the B aptists took place Barde ‘ ’

,

sa n es ha d n o t y et a ppea red a m o n g th em an d the sec t w as no t co nsi dere d,

a
‘
heresy M o reo v er w e are en abled t o j udge ho w little S t Jo hn s
.
’
.
’

pro mise o f t he Ho ly Gho st and the appearance o f the G hos t him

“
,
“

self h ad s fi ec ted hi s disc iples by t he displeasu re sho wn by themto ward

'

, ,

t he disc iples o f Jesu s a n d t he ki n d o f riv ah y m a ni fes te d fro mthe first

'

, .

N ay so little is Jo h n h imse lf su re o f t he iden tity o f Jesus wi th the ex

,

”
p ec ted M e ss ia h th a t a fte,r t h e fa m o us sce n e o f t he b a pt i s a t t h e Jo r d a n ,

an d t he ora l as s ura n ce by the H oly Gho st Him self th a t Thi s i s m y be lo ve d

S on (M atthew iii we fin d th e Prec urso r in M atthew x i 3 sen din g
‘ ’
, , , , , ,

t w o o f h is disciples fro mhis priso n to inq ui re o f Jes us :

“
Art tho u he
tha t sho uld come o r do w e lo o k for a no ther? l !
,

This flagra n t co n tra dic tio n a lo ne o u gh t to ha ve long ago sa tisfied

reaso na ble m in ds as t o th e p u ta tive divine inspiration o f the N ew Testa
 M US A REFO RM IN G N AZARI A 1 37

”
men t . Bu t we may offer another q uestion : If ba ptismis t he sign o f re
n ra ti n a nd an o rdi n a n ce in sti t u te d by Je sus , w hy do no t C hristia n s
ge e o

n o w ba ptize as Jes us is h ere re pre sen te d as do in g, with the Ho ly Gho st

an d with fire , ins tea d of fo llowin g t he c us to mof t he N azarenes ? I n
ma kin g these palpa ble interpolatio ns wha t po ssible mo tive could I renae
'
,

u s h ave h ad except to ca u se people to believe t ha t the appella tio n o f

N azarene which Jesus bore ca m e o n ly fromhis fa ther s residen ce a t N a

’

, ,

zareth , an d n o t fro mh is affilia tion with t he sec t o f N azaria , th e heale rs ?

This expedien t o f Irenaeus was a most unfo rtu na te o ne fo r fro mtime ,

im memorial the pro phets o f o ld had been th un derin g against the baptism
o f fire as prac tised by their neigh bo rs which im parted the spirit o f ,

prophecy o r the Ho ly Gho st Bu t the case w as despe ra te ; the C hris .

tians were un iversa lly called N azo raens and I essaea n s (acco rding to Epi
p h a n ius ) a,n d C h ris t simply ra nk ed as a Je wish p ro ph e t a n d h eal e r so

self styled so acce pte d by his o wn disc iples a n d so rega rded by th eir fo l
-
, ,

lowe rs .I n such a sta te o f thin gs there w a s no ro o mfo r either a new

hierarchy o r a new Go d hea d ; a n d since Irenaeus had un derta ken t he
-

business o f man ufac turin g bo th he had to pu t to gether su ch mate rials as,

”
were a vailable and fill the gaps wi th his o wn fertile in ven tio n s
, .

”
To assure ourselves tha t Jesus was a true N azarene a lbeit with

idea s o f a new reform we must no t sea rch fo r the p roof in t he tra ns

la ted Gospels b ut in su ch o riginal versions as are accessible Tischen dorf
, .
,

in h is transla tion fro mthe Gree k of Lu ke iv 34 ha s it I é so u N aza rene , , ,

“
an d in th e Sy riac it rea ds Iasus tho u N azaria Thus if we ta ke in to
, .
,

acc ou n t all th a t is puzzlin g a n d in co m prehen sible in the fo ur Gospels ,

re vised an d correc ted as they n o w sta n d w e sh all eas ily see fo r o urselv es ,

th a t the true origina l Christiani ty such as w as preached by Jesus is to

, , ,

b e fo un d only in the so call ed Syria n heresies Only fro mthe mcan we

-
.

extrac t a n y c lear n o t ions a bo u t wh a t w as p rim

”
itive Christian ity S uch .

w as the faith of Pa ul when Tert ullus the o ra to r a cc use d t he a po stle , ,

”
be fore the governo r Felix Wha t he compla ined o f w as that we ha ve
.

fou n d th is ma n a m over o f seditio n a rin gleader of the sect of the

N aza renes m a n d w hile Pa ul de nies eve ry other acc usa t io n he c o n

°

, ,

fes ses tha t after the way which they call heresy so worshi p I the God of ,

my fathers 1“
This confessio n is a whole re v elation I t sho ws : 1 th a t
. .
,

Pa u l a dmitted belo n ging to t he sec t o f the N a zarenes ; 2 th a t he w o r ,

sh ipad t he God of hi s fathers n o t the trin ita ria n C hris tia n Go d o f who m
,

he knows nothin g a nd w ho w as n o t in ven ted u n til after his dea th ;

,

a n d 3 th a t this u n lu c ky con fessio n sa t isfac to rily exp la ins w hy the t rea

, ,

tise A cts of the A postles to gether with Jo hn s Revelation which a t o ne

, ,
’

2 83 A cts,
. x x iv, 5 . 2 84 . I bid .
, 14 .
1 38 I S IS UN VEI LED

perio d w as u tterly
j t d were kept o ut o f the canon o f the N ew
re ec e ,

Testam ent fo r su c h a len gth o f time .

At B yblo s the neo phytes as well as the hiero pha n ts were afte r
, ,

part icipati n g in the M ysteries oblige d t o fas t an d re main in so li tu de ,

fo r so me tim

”
e There w as stric t fasting a nd prepara tio n befo re as
.

well as after t he B ac chic Adonian a nd E leus inia n orgies ; an d B ero do

, ,

t us hi n ts wi th fear a n d venera ti o n a bo u t t he LAK E o f Bacc h us in

, , ,

which they [the priests] ma de at ni gh t ex hibitio ns o f his life an d

”
su fierin gs
m I n the M ithraic sacrifices d u ring the initia tio n a pre
.
, ,

lim in a ry scene o f dea th w as simula te d by t he neophyte an d it pre ,

ceded t he scen e sho win g hi m him

“
self bein g born again by t he rite
of ba ptism A po rtio n o f this cere m
. o n y is still enac ted at t he pres

en t day by t h e M aso ns when the neo phyte as the G ran d M as ter

, ,

Hiram Abifi lies dead an d is raised by the strong grip o f the lion s
, ,
’

pa w .

The priests were circ um cised The neo phyte could no t b e in i tia ted
.

with ou t having been present at t he solemn M ysteries o f the LAK E .

The N azarenes were ba ptized in the Jo rda n ; and c ould n o t b e b a ptized

else where ; they we re a lso c irc u m c ised an d h ad to fas t be fo re as well as ,

a fter t he p urifica tio n by ba ptis m Jesus is sa id to ha ve fas ted in the .

wilderness fo r fo rty days imme dia tely after his ba ptism To the present
, .

day , there is ou ts ide e very te m ple in In dia a la ke, stream, o r a reservo ir

full o f ho ly wa ter in which the Brahmanas an d the Hind i) de votees
,

ba the daily S uch places o f consecra te d wa ter are neces sary to every
.

temple The ba thin g festival s o r baptis mal rite s occu r twice every
.
, ,

y ear ; in O c tob e r a n d A p ril E ac h l as ts te n da y s

.
; a nd , as in a nc ien t
Egy pt an d G reece t he sta tues o f their gods go ddesses , and ido ls are
, ,

im mersed in wa ter by the priests ; the o bjec t o f the ceremo ny being to

wash away fromthemthe sins o f their wo rshipers which they h a ve ta ken
u po n th em se lves a n d whic h po ll u te them
, , un til wash ed 0 6 b y holy

wa ter During the A rdtti , the ba thi n g ceremo ny, the principa l go d o f
.

every te m
ple is carried in so lemn processio n to be ba ptized in the sea
The B rahma na priests , ca rry ing t he sac re d im
.

ages , are follo we d generally

by the Ma haraj a barefoo t and nearly na ked Three ti es the priests . m

en ter the sea ; th e third tim e th ey ca rry with them all t he i ages m
Ho lding the m up with prayers re pea te d by the who le co ngrega tion ,
.

the C hief Pries t plun ges t h e sta t ues o f the gods thrice, in t he na m e
o f t he m yst i c tr i n it y in to t he w a ter ; a fte r w hi c h th e y are p u rifie d "

”
, .

2 85 Hero do t us,
.
II , 1 70, 1 71 .

2 86 The Hind o High Po nt ifi the Chief o f the N a b uris, who lives in the Cochin m
mm
.

Land, is genera lly pres en t during these fes tivals o f H o ly Wa t er i ersio ns

‘
He travels
m m m
.

so et1 es to very great distances t o preside o ver the cere o ny .

1 40 IS IS UNVEI LED

”
m
their hair to grow long as the Hin ducoenobites an d fa kirs do t o this day ,

while o ther castes sha ve their hair an d a bsta in o n certa in days fro mwine

””
.

The pro phe t Elij ah a N azarene is descri bed in 2 Kings and by Jo se phus
m
, ,

a ha iry m
“
as a n girt wi th a girdle o f lea th er An d Jo hn t he Ba ptist
m
.

a nd Jesus are bo th rep resen te d as wea rin g very lon g h air Jo hn is .

c loth ed with ca m
“
el s hair an d wea ring a girdle o f hide a n d Jes us in
’

a lo n g ga rm en t
“
withou t any sea ms “
a n d very whi te like s n ow , ,

say s M ark ; the very dress wo rn by the N azarene priests a n d the

Pytha gorea n an d B uddhist Essen es as described by Jo seph us , .

If we ca refully trace the terms nazar an d nazaret thro u gho u t the

bes t kno wn works o f ancien t writers we shall mee t themin conn exio n ,

with Pagan as well as Jewish adepts Thus Alexa nder Polyhistor .

”
say s o f Pyth ago ras tha t he w as a disc iple o f the A ss yrian N azaf atas ,

who mso me su ppo se to be Eze ki el “ Dio ge nes Laertius sta tes mo st .

po sitively tha t Pythago ras after bein g in itia ted in to all the M ysteries o f ,
“
t he Gree ks an d barba ria ns wen t in to Egy pt an d a fterward visi ted the
m
,

C haldaeans an d M agi ; a n d Apuleius ma in ta ins tha t it was Zo ro

as te r w h o ins truc te d Py th a goras .

Were w e to su gges t tha t the Hebrew nazars the ra ilin g prophets o f ,

the had been in itia te d in to t he so — ca lled Pagan m y ste ries and ,

belo n ged (o r a t leas t a maj o rity o f them) to the sa me Lodge o r c ircle of

a depts as tho se w ho were co ns idered ido la te rs th at their circ le o f ‘

pro phets w as b u t a colla teral bran ch o f a secre t ass ocia tion which we
’

may well term in te rna tio nal wha t a visita tio n o f C hristi an wra th
‘

sho uld w e n o t in c ur ! An d still the case lo o ks strangely su spicious , .

Le t us firs t recall to o ur min d tha t which Amm i an us M a rcellin us

an d o the r hi s to ria ns rela te o f Darius H y stas pes The la tter pene tra ting .
,

in to Upper In dia ( Bac trians ) learned pure rites an d stellar an d cosm ical ,

sc ien ce s fro m B rae h m an d co m munica ted themto the Ma gi N ow ’

a ns , .

H y sta spes is sho wn in history to ha ve crushed t he M a gi an d in tro duced ,

o r ra ther fo rced u po n the m t he p ure religion o f Zo roas ter tha t ,

o f Orm a zd H o w is it then tha t a n insc ription is foun d o n the tom

.
, b ,

o f D a rius sta tin g th a t he w as

, t eacher an d hieropha n t o f m a gic o r ,

”
2 92 .Joseph us : iv 4 2 93 1 bid I X, u. l ; 8 Ki nys, i. 8
, . .

2 9 4 I n rela tio n to the well kn o wn fac t o f Jesus wea ring his hair lo ng. and b eing always
-

so represe n ted it beco m

.

es q u ite sta rtl ing to fin d h o w littl e the unkno wn Editor of the

A cts kn ew ab o u t t he Apo s tle Pa ul since he m a kes himsa y in 1 Cori nthians x i. 1 4,

,
“
Do th
a n have lo ng ha ir it is a sha m e unto hi m
,

n o t N a t ure its elf teach yo u t ha t if a m

,

ta inly Paul co uld nev er ha ve sa id s uch a thing ! Therefo re if th e

?
Cer
is genuine
,

Pa ul kn ew no thing o f the pro phe t w hose do ctrines he had em

, ,

b and for which he

died ; an d if false ho w m u c h is re lia b le in w ha t rem a ins ?

2 95 C lem Alex : S tro m I x v

. . . .
, , .

2 9 7 Flo rid II x v ; cf H yde : H ist rel vet Persm m

. .
, , .
, p 309 : Ox o l . 1 700 . . . . m .

2 98 Ro m a n H ist XX III, vi, 33

. .
 WHAT PHILOLOGY PROVE ABO UT zonoss mn
'
1 41

magiani m P s Eviden tly there must b e so me historical mista ke an d ,

his to ry confesses it I n this im . bro glio o f na mes Zo roas ter the teach er , ,

an d in st ru c to r o f Pythagoras ca n b e n ei ther the Zo ro as ter n o r Zara th us

,

tra w h o ins titu ted sun worship am on g the PArsts ; no r he w ho appeared

-

at th e c o urt o f G ushtasp (H y staspes) the alleged fa ther o f D arius ; n or ,

aga in the Zoroas ter w ho placed hi s m

, a gi a bove th e kin gs the m selves .

The oldes t Zoroas trian scripture t he A vesta does no t betray the

sligh tes t traces o f th e reform er h a vin g e ver been ac q uain ted with any o f

the n a tions tha t su bse quen tly adopted his m ode o f worship H e seems .

u tterly ignoran t o f the neighbors o f Wes te rn Iran t he M edes the Assy ri

”
, ,

ans t h e Persians an d others

, , If w e had no o ther e vidences o f the grea t
.

an ti qui ty of the Zo roas trian religion than the discovery o f th e blu n der

com mitted by so me scholars in o ur o wn century who regarded K ing ,

Vistas pa (G ush tasp) as iden tica l wi th the fa ther o f Darius whereas th e ,

Persia n tradi tio n po in ts direc tly to Vistaspa as the las t o f the line o f
K aianian princes who ruled in B ac trian a it ough t to b e eno u gh fo r t he , ,

Assy ria n con ques t o f Bac trian s took place 1 2 00 yea rs B c . .

Therefore it is b u t natural tha t w e sho uld see in the appella tion o f

Zo ro as ter n o t a na m e b u t a gen eric t erm who se significa nce m us t b e left
,

to philolo gis ts to agree upon Gu ru in Sans krit is a spiritual teacher ;

.
, ,

an d as Zuruas tara m ea ns in the sa m e la n guage h e w h o wo rship s the sun ,

why is it im po ssible that by some n atural change of lan guage due to the
,

g re a t n u m be r o f difi eren t n a tio ns wh ic h were co n verted to t he sun

worship the word guru asta ra the spiritual teacher o f sun wo rship so
,
-
,
-
,

closely rese m blin g the name o f the fo un der o f this religio n beca me grad u ,

ally tra ns form ed fromits prim al formto Zu ryas tara o r Zo ro as ter? The
Opin ion o f the K abalists is tha t there w as b ut o ne Zara th us tra a nd many
g u r u as ta ras o r sp iri t u a l te ach ers a n d tha t o n e such gu ru o r ra ther huru
, ,

as ter as he is ca lled in the o ld m

, a n usc ripts w as the in s truc to r o f Py ,

tha go ras To philology an d o ur re aders we lea ve the expla na tio n fo r

.

wha t it is worth P ersonally w e believe in it as we credit o n this subjec t

.
,

K a balistic tra dition far m ore than the explana tion of sc ien tis ts no two o f ,

wh o mha ve been able to agree up to the p resen t year .

Aristotle sta tes that Zoroas ter lived 6000 y ears before Pla to ; H er
mipp u s o f Alexan dria w ho is said to have rea d the gen uine bo o ks o f the
,

Zo roas trians al th ough Alexander the G rea t is accused o f h a ving de

,

s troye d the m shows Zoroas ter as the p u pil o f Ago n aces (Ago n ach o r the

”
-
, ,

Aho n Go d ) an d as ha ving lived 5000 yea rs before the fall o f Troy

- “ .

2 99 M ax M uller has sufi cient ly pro ved the

in his lecture o n the Ze nd Avesta
case
‘
-
’

m
.

( Chi ps,
etc I. .
, H e calls G ush ta sp the yt hical pupil o f Zo roas ter M yt hical, .

perha ps o nly us e the per io d in w h ich h e lived a n d learn ed w i th Zo ro a s ter is too

m
re o te to allo w o ur m
odern science to specula te upo n it with an y certa in ty .

300 Plirw: N at Hist , XXX . 2

. . 30 1 I bid
. . .
1 42 ISIS UN VEI LED

“
Er o r Ero s , whose vis io n is rela ted by Pla to in the Republic , is de cla re d
m
by Cle ens Alexa n drin us to ha v e been Zo rd usth “ While t h e M agus .

w ho de throned Ca mbyses was a M ede an d Darius proclaims tha t he ,

p u t d o wn t he M a gia n r i tes to es ta blis h t h o se o f Orm a zd X a n th us o f ,

Lydia dec lares Zo roas ter to ha ve been the chief o f the M a gi !

Whic h o f themis wro n g? o r are they all righ t an d is it onl y the mo d ,

e rn in terpre ters w ho fai l to e xpla in th e differen ce be tween the Re form er

a n d his a po s tles an d fo llo we rs ? This blun derin g o f o ur comme n t ato rs

re m in ds us o f tha t o f Sue toniu s w ho m

”
is to o k the Ch ris tia ns fo r o ne
,

Chris tos o r Crestas as he spells it an d assured hi s rea ders tha t Clau dius
, , ,

banished himfo r the dis turba nce he made amo n g t he Jew s “ .

Fin ally a n d to re tu rn again to t he nazars Zara t us

,
‘N
is m en ti o ned by ,

Pliny in the fo llo win g wo rds : H e w as Zoro as ter a nd N aza ret As .

Zo roaster is ca lled pri nceps o f the M a gi a nd nazar signifies sepa ra ted o r ,

co nsec ra ted is naza r no t a Hebrew re n derin g o f m

, ay? Volney belie ves so .

The Persian wo rd N a sarua n m eans m illio ns o f yea rs a nd re fers to th e

-
,

C haldaea n Ancien t o f Days Hence the na me o f t he N azars o r N aza .

’

re nes who were consecra ted to the se rvice o f t he Su p rem

, e o ne Go d the ,

ka balistic Ain Soph o r the Ancien t o f Days the Aged o f the aged
-
, ,
‘
.
’

B u t the wo rd nazar m ay also b e fo un d in In di a I n Hin d us ta ni .

nazar is sigh t in tern al o r su pernatu ral vision ; n azar ba nd i m

, ea ns fas -

c ina tio n a m es m
, eric o r m a gica l spell ; an d n aza rd n is the word fo r sigh t

seein g o r visio n .

Pro fesso r Wilder thinks tha t as the word Zerua n a is nowhere to be

foun d in the A vesta b u t only in the la ter Pfirst bo o ks it ca me fro mthe ,

M agians w ho co mpo sed the Persian sacred cas te in the Sassan period

”
, ,
“ “
b u t were originally Assyrians Turan o f the poe ts he says I co n
.
, , ,

s ider to b e At uria o r Assyria ; an d th a t Zoh a k (Az da ha ka D e i o kes o r

,
-
,
-
,

As ty ages ) the Serpen t kin g w as Assyrian M edia n an d Babylo nia n

,
-
, , ,

when th ose coun tries were un ited .

This o pinion does no t ho wever in the leas t a ffec t o ur sta tem

, ,ent

tha t the secre t doc trines o f t he M a gi o f the pre Vedi c B u ddh is ts o f t he ,

-
,

hieroph an ts o f the Egyptia n Thoth o r Herm es an d o f t he ade pts o f wha t ,

e ver age an d na tionality in c ludi n g the C h aldaea n K abalis ts an d th e Jew

,

ish nazars were identical fro mt he beginn in g When we use th e te rm

,
.

B udd hists w e do no t m
, ea n to im p ly by it either th e exo teric B u ddhis m1 n
s titu ted by the follo wers o f G au ta m a B u ddh a o r t he m o dern B u ddh istic-
,

religion b u t the secre t p hilosop hy o f Sdkya m u n i which 1 n its essen ce is

””
, ,

302 Pla to : Repu b X,. 303 S tro m V x iv . .

, , .

304 D ia g Laert : Lwes oj the Phi l osophers I a 52 305 Life of Cla ud w s

m %25
. . . .
, . .
,

300 P.liny N at H i st XX
. X 1 i ;.cf C l Al ex
. : S trea I x,v ( p 39 7, An t
.e -N ic.h , , .

Pyt hagoras was a pupil o f N azara tus, a fo o tno te adding. Otherwise Zaratus
“ ‘ ‘

who . H ue t says. was Zoroaster. .

 ”
1 44 IS IS UNVEI LED

pa th , i t has bec o m e v e ry difi c u l t to sh ow , to th e sa ti sfac ti o n o f ex ac t

science , th a t th e Pagan wo rshipers o f Adonis , their neigh bors, the

N aza renss and the Py thagorea n Essenes , the hea lin g Thera peu tes ,
,

the Ebion ites , an d other sec ts, were all , wi th very sligh t differences ,

followers o f the an cien t theurgic M ysteries And yet by analog a nd a .

clo se stu dy o f the hidd en sense o f t heir ri tes an d c usto m s, w e ca n trac e

their kinshi p .

I t was given to a con te mpo rary of Jes u s to become the means o f

poin tin g o u t to po sterity , by his in te rpreta tio n o f the oldes t li tera ture of
Israel, ho w deeply the ka balistic philosophy agreed in its esote ris mwith
th at o f the profo un des t Greek thi n kers This conte mpo rary , a n ardent
.

disciple o f Pla to and Aristo tle , was Philo Judae u s While expla in ing the .

M o saic bo o ks accordi n g to a purely ka ba listic me tho d , he is the fa mous

Hebrew writer who mK ingsley calls the Fa ther o f N ew Pla to ni s m .

It is e viden t tha t Ph ilo s Therapeu tes are a branch o f th e Essenes

’
.

Their na me in dica tes it E q ua tor, A sa ya, physici ans Hence t he co n .

tradic tio ns , forgeries , a n d other despe ra te expedien ts to recon cile the

prophecies o f the Je wish ca no n wi th the Galilea n nativity an d go dship .

Luke w ho w as a physicia n, is design a ted in the Sy ria c text s as

,

A sai a, the Essaian o r Essene Jo sephus an d Philo Judae us ha ve suf

.

ficient ly described this sect to lea ve no do u bt in o ur m in d th a t the N aza

re ne Re fo rm er after ha vin g received hi s ed uca tion 11 1 t heir dwellin gs m
,

the dese rt an d bee n duly ini tia ted l n t he M y s teries , pre ferre d th e free
,

an d in depen den t life o f a wan derin g N aza ria , an d so se pa ra ted o r

i nazaren ized him se lf fro mt he m , th us beco m in g a tra velin g Thera peu te ,

a N a zaria , a hea ler Every Thera peute , before q uitti ng hi s co

. unity mm ,

h a d to do the sa me Both Jesus a n d St John the B aptis t preac he d the

. .

e n d o f t he Age ; which proves their knowledge of the secre t c omputa

tion o f the priests a nd ka balists w ho wi th the chiefs o f the E ssene co m
,

munities alo ne had the secret o f the dura tion o f the cycles The la tter .

were ka balis ts a nd theurgists ; they had their mystic books an d pre

m
,

dic ted fu ture ev en ts , sa ys M unk .

Du nla p who se personal resea rches seemto ha ve been quite su ccess

,

ful in tha t directio n traces the E ssenes , N azarenes Dosi thea ns an d som
, e
, ,
“
other sec ts as ha vin g all existed befo re Chris t : They rej ec ted pleas ures ,

desp is ed riches lo ved on e a nother a nd m

, ore tha n other sec ts neglec ted
,

309 Philo Ju daeus : De vita con te platioa

. m .

3 1 0 The real m
. ea ning o f th e divis io n into ages is eso te ric and Bu ddhist ic So lit tl e .

d id the un in itia ted C hris tia ns unders ta nd it tha t they acce ted the wo rds o f Jes us litera l
m m
ly an d fir ly believed tha t he ean t the en d o f the w o rld T ere ha d been pro phecie s
m m
.

abo u t th e fo rt hco ing age Ver il, in the fo u rth Eel en tio ns t he eta tro n
g
m
.

a new o ffspring, with who the i ro n age shall end, an a golden

3 1 1 P alesti ne, pp 51 7, sq
. . .
 m PYTHAGO REAN UTTERANCES o r JESUS

”
1 45

”
wedlo c k , deeming the c n o quest of the passions to b e virtuous ,
us

These are all virtues preac hed by Jesus ; and if we are to ta ke the
rd o f tru th C hris t w as a m m “
g o s pe ls as a s t an d a e te p sy c
, h os is t o r r e in

car nati on ist again like these sa m e Essenes who m we see to ha ve ,

been Py thagorea ns 1 11 all their doc trines and habits I amb lich us asserts .

tha t the Sa mian philo sopher spen t a certa in time at Carmel with them 31:
.

I n h is discourses an d serm ons Jesus always spoke 1 n parables a nd use d

me ta ph ors with his audience This habit was again tha t o f the Essenea ns
.

”
an d t h e N azarenes ; th e Gali leans w ho dwelt in c ities an d vi lla ge s were

ne ve r kn own to use such allegorica l la ngua ge In deed so me o f his .

,

disci ples bein g Galilea ns as well as himself felt e ven surprised to fin d

”
,

hi musin g with the people such a formo f expression Why spea kest
“
.

th ou u n to themin parables ?

”
they often in quired Beca use it is .
,

g iv e n u n to y o u to k n o w th e M y s te ries o f th e kin g do m o f h ea v e n b u t to ,

the m it is no t given was the re ply which w as tha t o f an ini tia te

, , .

“
Therefore spea k I to themin para bles ; beca use they seein g see no t ,

an d hea rin g they hea r no t n either d o they un dersta n d , M o reo ver .

,

we fin d Jesus expressin g his thou gh ts still m o re clearly an d in sen

tenoes which are purely Pythago rean when durin g the S erm o n on ,

”
G ive ye no t th a t which is sacred to the do gs,
N either cast ye yo ur pearls befo re swi ne ;
For t he swine will trea d themunder their feet,
An d the do gs will turn and rend yo u .

Pro fessor A Wilder the edito r o f Taylor s E leusi nian and B acchic
.
,
’

M ysteries observes a like dispo sitio n o n the pa rt o f Jesus and Pa ul

,

to classify their doc trines as eso teric a nd exo teric the M ysteries o f ,

th e Kin gdomof Go d fo r the apostles a n d para bles fo r the m

‘
ultit u de , .

We speak wisdom says Paul a mong them th a t are perfect [o r in

’ ‘

, ,

itia ted ‘1‘

I n the Eleusinia n a n d other M ysteries the pa rticipan ts were alway s

divided in to two classes t he neophytes a nd the peifect The fo rmer
, .

were so m etim es ad m itted to the prelim inary initia tio n : t he dra ma tic
p erf o rma nce of C e res o r the so u l desce n din g to Ha des
,
!“
B u t it w a s ,

312 . 8 6d, the S on f the M an

o , p xi
. .

3 1 3 Life Pyth g iii ( T Taylo r) M unk derives m the na ofthe I essaea ns o r Es

fro m i
.
a . . e .

t e syn ac Asaya the healers o r physicia ns. th us sho wing th eir iden tity

m
senes ,

with t he E tian Therapeutae Palesti ne p 5 1 5 . , . .

31 4 M att x iii 1 0-1 3

. , 3 1 5 P 47 ( 4th
, . . .

3 1 6 This descen t to Hades signified the inevita ble fate of eac h so ul to be united fo r
m
.

a t i e with a terrestrial b o dy This unio n, o r dark prospect for the so ul to find itself
.
1 46 ISIS UNVEILED

g ive n o nl y to the perfect to enjoy an d learn the Mysteries o f the

‘ ’

divine Elysi um the celestial abode o f the blessed ; th is Elysiumbein g

,

un ques tio na bly the sa m e as the Kingdomo f Hea ven To co n tra dic t
’
.

o r re j ect t he a bove , would b e erely to sh ut o ne s ey e m

s to the tru th
’
.

The narra tive o f the Apo stle Paul, in h is secon d E pis tle to the Car
i nth i ans (x 11 3 , has struck se vera l schola rs , well versed in the de
,

scriptio ns o f the m ystical rites o f the initiation given by some class ics ,

as allu din g m
“
o s t un dou bte dly to the fin a l E I knew a
certa in m an — whether i n body or o utside of body I kn ow no t : Go d ,

”
knoweth w ho was rapt into Paradise, and heard thi ngs inefiab le

rare l y far as w e know , been regarded by co m

, so en ta to rs as a n allusio n m
to the b ea tific visions o f an in itiated seer B ut t he phras eo logy is
‘ ’
.

“
uneq uivoca l These thin gs which it is not la wful to repeat, are hin te d
.

at in the sa m e words , a n d t he reas o n fo r it ass igne d is the sa e as m

tha t which w e fin d repea tedly expre ssed by Pla to , Pro clus, I a b lich us, m
We spea k wrs no u [o nly] a ong them m

”
Herodotus an d other classics .

”
tha t are P E R FE C T , says Pa ul ; the plain an d un denia ble tra nsla tion
o f the se n te nce being : We spea k of the pro foun der (o r final ) eso teri c
doc trines o f the Myste ries (which were deno ina te d wisdo ) only m m
a m ong the mtha t are i niti ated “ 3
So in rela tion to the
. a n wh o was m
rapt in to Para dise an d w ho was evide n tly Pa ul hi s elf the m
Christian wo rd Paradise having replaced tha t o f Ely siu To co m m .

p lete t h e p ro o f , w e igh t re ca ll m t he wo rds o f Pla to , g i ven else wh ere ,

which sho w tha t befo re an initiate could see the go ds in their purest
ligh t , he ha d to beco e liberated fro m m
his body ; i e , to sepa ra te his . .

as tral soul fro m it

“ Apuleius also describes his in itia tion in to the
.

m
M ysteries in the sa e way : I a pproached the confi nes o f dea th ; and

”
ha ving t ro dden o n the thresho ld o f Proserpina retu rned , ha ving b een
carried thro ugh all t he ele m en ts I n the depths o f idn igh t I saw th e
. m
sun glitterin g with a splen did ligh t , to ge ther wi th the i nfernal and su per

nal gods , a nd to these divini ties app roac hin g, I pa id the tribu t e o f
devo ut ado ra tion m .

im priso ned w ithin t he dark tene m e n t o f a bo dy was co nsidered b y all the ancient philo
o dern B ud dhist s, as a punishm
.

so phers and 1s e v en b y the m

, ent .

3 1 7 Taylo r Elem
Beach M yst ed A Wilder, p 87 (4t h edi t )
and

”
. . . . . . . .

Th e pro fo un der eso teri c doc trines o f the ancients were deno m inated wis do m
“
318
They rela ted to the hum
. ,

and afterward philo sophy. an d also the gnoeis , or kno wledge an

m m
.

so ul its d ivine paren tage. its suppos ed degradati o n fro

. its high esta te b y beco ing
co nnected with g e nera ti
‘
o n
’
or t he p h y sica l w orld its o n wa rd pro gress and rest ora

m
.

t io n to G o d b y regenera tio ns. tra ns 1grat1o ns

. I bid , pp 31 . 32 . . .

3 1 9 Cyril o f Ja usale
.
'
mM it
. See Calech VI . x .

i (Taylor s cd , p
’
32 0 Phaedrus, $ 64
. . 32 1 . The Golden Ass, x . .
1 48 ISIS UN VEILED

known The Pharisees, as claim

. ed in the B ible , ha d been th e first

to flin g this ch arge 111 his face , al tho u gh Ra bbi Wise c onsiders Jesus
m
hi self a Pharisee The Talm ud certa in ly poin ts to Ja
. es t he Just m
as o ne o f th a t sec t B ut thes e pa rtisans are kn own to ha ve always
in
.

s to n ed e very prophe t w ho den oun ced their e vil ways an d it is no t ,

o n this fac t tha t w e base o ur assertion These ac cused hi o f so rcery, . m

an d o f drivin g o u t devils by Beelzebu b , t heir prin ce, wi th as uch m
j us tice as la te r the C a th olic clergy had in accusin g of the sa e o re m m
m
th an o ne in nocen t art yr B u t Jus tin M artyr sta tes o n be tter au thority
.

tha t the men o f his time who were not J ews asserte d tha t the irac les m
of Jesus were performed by ma gical art p y )
a u n ( ba r ma id t h e very

””
expressio n u se d by t he skeptics o f t h ose day s to designa te t h e fea ts

of tha u ma turgy acco mplished in the Pagan te mples “

They even .

ven tu red to ca ll him a magician and a deceiver o f the people , co m

plain s the ma rtyr “ I n t he Gospel of N icodem
. us ( the A cta P ila ti ) ,

th e Jews brin g t he sa m
“
e ac c u sa tio n before Pila te D id w e n o t te ll
m
.

thee he w as a ma gicia n ? Celsus spea ks o f the sa e c ha rge, and m

as a N cc Pla to n is t belie ves in it
-
The Tal udic li tera t ure is full . m
o f t he m o st m in ute [a lleged] pa rticulars, and their grea tes t a ccusa tion is
tha t
“
Jesus co uld fly as easily in the air as others coul d walk? “

St August ine asserted tha t it was genera lly belie ved tha t he had been
.

in itia ted in Egypt, an d tha t he wro te books concernin g a gic, which he m

delivered to John There w as a work called M agia J esu Christi which
.
,

was a ttribu ted to Jesu s “ 9

him se lf I n the Cle entin e Recogn iti ons the . m
charge 13 [reco gn ise d as ha vin g bee n] bro u gh t agains t Jes us t ha t h e did

n o t performhis m i racles as a Je wish prophe t, b ut as a agician , i c , an m . .

in itia te o f the hea then tem ples

’
.

It w as then as it is n o w among the in to leran t clergy of o p

usual , ,

posin g religions as well as amo n g the lower clas ses o f so cie ty a nd even
, ,

am o n g t hose pa trician s w ho fo r various reas ons h ad been ex cl ude d ,

fro many participa tion o f the M yste ries to acc use some times the highest ,

32 4 We believe tha t
it was the Sa d ducees and no t the Pharis ees who crucified
m
.

Jesus They were Zad o kites

.
pa rt isans o f the ho use o f Zad o k, o r the sa cu d o tal fa ily
'
.

I n the Actsy the apo s tles were sa id to be persecuted b y t he Sa dducees. b ut new b y

the Pha risees I n fac t, the la t ter never persecuted a ny o ne Th ey had the
m m
. .

rab b is, and learne d en in t heir nu bers. and were no t, like the Sadducees, jealo us
o f t heir o rd er .

32 5 J ust in M art yr : Dia l with Trypho , lix , 7

. . .

32 6 . Co rp . o f N ic odemus , ii 3 , ( H o ne , an d Grynaeus) .

32 7 Origen : Co nt Cel s ,
. . . I , lx v iii ; II , x lv iii, sq . 32 8 Johanan : l
. eg . 51 .

32 9 . Augustine : De consens u eca ng .

, i, 9 ; Fab ricius : Cod . apoa . N . T.
. I , p 305 .
. sq .

330 . I , lviii
.
 JESUS I N THE GARB OF A M AGI CI AN 1 49

hieroph an ts and adepts of sorcery an d blac k m

”
a gic So Apuleius, who .

had been in itia ted, was likewise acc use d o f wi tchcraft a nd o f carryin g ,

abou t himt he figu re o f a skele to n a po ten t agen t as it is asserte d , in ,

the opera tio ns o f th e blac k art B u t o ne o f the bes t an d m

. ost un
ques tiona ble proofs o f o ur assertio n may b e fo un d in the ao c alled -

M u seo Gregoriano On t he sarco phagus which is pan eled wi th bas

.
,

relief s re pre sen tin g t he m may be seen the full figure

”
i racles o f Chris t ,

o f Jes us w ho , in th e res u rrec tio n o f La zarus , appears beardless an d

eq ui pped with a wan d in t he rece ived gu ise o f a necrom a ncer whilst

the corpse o f Lazarus is swa th ed in ba ndages exac tly as an Egy ptian
mummy .

H ad posterity po ssessed se veral suc h represe n ta tions exec u ted d uring

the firs t ce n tury when t he figure dress , a n d every d ay h a bits o f the ,
-

Re former were st ill fresh in t he memo ry o f his con tem poraries, perhaps
the Ch ris tian world would b e m ore Christ like ; the do zens o f co n tra -

dic to ry , gro undless a n d u tterly mea nin gless spec ula tions abou t the So n
o f M an would ha ve been impo ssible ; an d hu ma nity wo u ld no w have
b ut o ne religio n an d o ne Go d I t is this a bsence o f all proof, the lac k
.

o f the leas t po sitive c lew a bo u t hi m

whom Chris tian ity has deified ,
tha t has ca use d the prese n t sta te o f perplexity N o pic tures o f Christ .

were possible un til after the days o f Co ns ta n tine, when the Jewish
e lem en t was nearly elim ina te d a m o n g t he fo llowers o f t he new religion .

The Je ws, a po stles, a n d disc iples , who mthe Zoroas trians an d th e Parsfs
had in oc ula ted with a ho ly h o rro r o f any formo f ima ges , wo uld ha ve
co nsidered it sac rile gio us to rep rese n t in a ny w ay o r sha pe their as ter m .

The o nl y authorize d im a ge o f Jesus , even in the day s o f Tertullian ,

w as an a llegorical rep rese n ta tio n o f t he Good Shepherd ,

’
m which was
no po rtrait, b u t the figure o f a m

”
a n wi th a j ac ka l hea d , like An u bis
“ -
.

On this ge as seen in t he collec tio n o f G n o stic a m

m
, ule ts , the Go od

Shepherd bears u po n his sho ulders the lo st la mb H e seems to ha ve a .

”
h u an hea d u pon his nec k ; b u t as Ki ng co rrec tly o bse rv es , it o nly
,

seem s so to th e un initia ted ey e On close r inspec tio n , he beco m

. es t h e

double hea ded An ubis , ha vin g o ne head h u man , t he o ther a j a ckal s

-
’
,

w hile h is girdle as su m es the fo rmo f a serpen t rearin g a lo ft its cres te d

“ “
h ea d This figure, adds the a utho r o f The Gno stics etc , had tw o
. .

m ea nin gs o n e o b vious fo r t he vu lgar ; th e o ther m ystica l an d recog ,

n i sa b le by t he i n itiated alo ne It w as perh aps t he sign et o f so me chief

.

33 1 King : The Gnostics etc p 1 45 ( l st the a u th o r places this sarco phagus am o ng

t he earlies t prod uc tio ns o f tha t art whic h la ter inunda ted the wo rld w ith m
.
. , .
,

osa ics an d

engra vings, represen ting the even ts and pe rso na ges o f the N ew Testa m
‘ ’
en t .

332 Tert ullian : De pud wi tta, v11. l See The Gnostics a nd thei r Rem a i ns, p 1 44 ( l st

m
. .

333 . The Gnostics, etc .

pl . i. p 2 00
.
(
 ”
”
1 50 IS IS UN VEILED

teac her o r apo s tle m This

affo rds a fres h p ro o f th a t the Gn ost ics and
.

ea rly o rthodox Chris tians were no t so wide apart in their secret doc
tri ne Kin g ded uces fro ma quo ta tion fro mEpiphani us tha t e ven as
.
,

la te as 400 A D it was considered a n a troc io u s sin to a ttem

. . pt to repre
se n t t he bo dily appeara nce o f C hrist Epiphan ius brin gs it as an idola
5
.

tro us charge a gains t the Carpocra tians tha t th ey kept pa in ted portra its ,

”
a n d even gold a nd silver i m ages a n d i n o ther m aterials whic h t hey pre
, ,

te nded to b e po rtraits o f Jes us a n d m ad e by Pila te after t he liken e

, s s of

C hrist .These they keep in secre t alo n g wi th Py tha go ras Pla to , , ,

a n d Aristotle a n d se ttin g thema ll up toge ther th ey worship and offer

, ,

sac rifi ces u n to the mafte r the Gent iles fas hio n
’
.

Wha t wo uld t he pio us E piphanius say were he to b e resuscita ted and

to step in to St Pe ter s Ca thedral a t Ro me ! Ambrosius seems very much

”
’
.

shoc ked a t th e idea t ha t so m e perso ns fu lly c re dited the sta tem ent

o f La m p r idi u s th a t Ale xa n de r Sev e ru s h a d in hi s p riva te ch a pe l a n

ima ge o f Christ amo n g o ther grea t philosophers “ Tha t the Pagans .

he ex clai m
“
sho u ld ha v e preserved the like ness o f Chris t s b ut the , ,

disciples ha ve neglec ted to do so is a notio n the min d sh u dders to ,

en terta in m uch less to belie ve

, .

All this po in ts u ndenia bly to the fac t tha t except a ha n dfu l o f self ,

sty led C hristia ns w ho su bseq uen tly w o n t he day all t he ci vilize d po r ,

tio n o f t he Pagan s w ho knew o f Jesus hono red him as a philosopher ,

an ad ept who m they pla ce d o n the sa m e le vel with Pytha go ras and

Apo llo nius Wh ence such a venera tio n o n their part fo r a ma n were
.
,

he sim ply as represen ted by the Syno ptics a poor un known Jewish
, , ,

carpe n ter fro m N azare th ? As a n inca rna ted Go d there is n o single

reco rd o f himo n this ea rth ca pa ble o f wi thsta n din g the critica l exa m ina
tio n o f sc ience ; as o ne o f t he grea tes t reformers an in veterate enemy ,

o f every theolo gica l do gm a tis m an o ppo nen t o f bigo try a te ac her o f

, ,

o ne o f t he m o st su blim e codes o f e thics Jesus is o ne o f the gra n t ,

a nd m ost clea rly defined figu res o n the pan ora ma o f huma n history
-
.

H is a ge m ay wi th e very day b e recedin g farther an d farther bac k in to

, ,

the gloo m y a nd hazy mis ts o f the pas t ; an d [the Chris tian] theology
based o n h u ma n fan cy an d supported by un tena ble do gmas may ,

na y m u s t wi th every da y lo se m ore o f its unmerited pmtige ; alo n e

t he gra n d figure o f the philosop her an d m
,

oral refo rmer instea d o f gro w

in g paler will beco me with every cen tury mo re pronoun ced and m o re

c learly defin ed It will re ign supre me an d universal o nly o n tha t day

.

when the who le o f hu manity reco gnises b u t o ne fa ther the U N K N O W N

O N E abo v e a nd o ne brother the whole o f m a n kin d below .

. m
33 4 This ge is in the co llec tio n of th e a u tho r o f The Gnostics , etc See p 2 0 1 ( l st .

335 P anaria , lib 1 , to

. I I , Haer XX V ] , vi
. m . . I
336 The Gnod ics, d c , p 2 2 7 . . .
 ”
1 52 IS IS UNVEILED

I n the very first rem ark m

ad e by Jesus a bo u t John th e Ba pt ist, we

m
find hi sta tin g tha t he is E lias which was fo r to co e , This asser m .

tion , if it is no t a la te r inte rpola tio n fo r the sa ke o f ha ving a prophecy

m
fulfilled , ea ns aga in that Jesus was a kaba lis t ; unless in deed w e have
to ado pt the doc trin e o f the French spiritis ts a nd suspec t himo f believing
in [person al] reincarna tion E xcept the kabalis tic sects o f the Essenes ,
.

, m
the N azarenss the d isciples o f Shi on b en Yo hai , an d Hillel, neither
’

th e ortho do x Jews, no r the G alileans , belie ved o r kne w anyt hing a bou t
the doc trine o f per utation m An d the Saddu cees rejected e ven that o f
.

th e resurrec tion .

B ut the a u tho r of this restitutio was M o sa h , o ur as te r, u po n m

who mb e peace ! Who was the revolutio [ transmigra tio n] o f Se th and
Hebe] , that he might cover the n u dity of his Fa ther Ada P rim us , m
says the K abala
m Thus the hin t o f Jesus tha t Jo hn was the revolutio
.
,

o r trans m igra tio n , o f E lias , seem s to prove beyo n d an y doubt t he schoo l

to which he belo n ged .

Un til the presen t da y un ini tia ted Kaba lis ts an d Masons believe per
m
mu ta tion to be syno ny ous wi th trans migratio n and me tempsychosis .

B u t they are as m uch m is ta ken in regard to th e doc trine of the true

”
Ka ba lists as to tha t o f the B uddhists True , the Zohar says in o ne
.

“
m
place, All so uls are subj ec t to trans igration an d en do n o t kn ow the, m
ways o f the Holy One, blessed b e H e ; they do no t know tha t they are
brough t befo re the tribunal, both before th ey e nter this w orld an d after
they q uit it , w an d the Pharisees also held this doc trine, as Joseph us

sho ws (A nt i qu ities XVIII , i, , Also the doc trine o f Gilgul held the
s tra n ge theo ry o f the Whirling o f the Soul , which ta ugh t tha t the
bo di es o f Jews buried far away fro mthe Ho ly Lan d, still pre serve a par
ticle o f so ul which ca n neither rest no r qui t t hemun til it reac hes the
so il o f t he m
Pro ised Land And this whirlin g pro cess w as tho ught
’
.
‘

m
to b e acco plished by the so ul being con veyed back throu gh a n actual
e vo lu tio n o f species ; trans m igra tin g fro the m m
in utest insec t up to the
m
la rges t ani a l B ut this was an ex oteric doc trin e We refer the reader
. .

to the K abbal a denudata o f K n orr vo n Ro senro th ; his la nguage, ho w

ever o bsc ure, m ay y et throw so m e ligh t upon t he subj ec t .

m
B u t this doc trine o f per u ta tio n , o r revolutio , ust no t b e un derst m
as a belief in re in carn a tio n Tha t M oses was considered the trans igra
. m
tion o f Abel a nd Seth , does no t imply tha t the ka balis ts th ose who
were i n itiated a t leas t believ ed th at the iden tical spirit o f ei ther of
Ada ms so ns re a ppea red under the corpo rea l for
’
o f M oses m
I t only .

sho ws wha t w as the m

ode o f expression they u sed when hin ting a t o ne o f

34 1 Kabbala denudata II, p 1 55 ; also Valli: Regia: Paris

m
. .
. ,

342 Zoha r, I I , p 99 b ( A at
. . .
 WHEN A
‘
GOD
’
BECO MES IN CARN ATE 153

the p ro fo un dest m
ysteries o f the O rien ta l Gnosis, o ne o f the ost m
m aj es t ic articles o f fa i th o f t he Sec re t Wisd o I t w as purposely veiled m .

so as to h alf c n ceal an d
o vea l the tru th I t implied tha t M o ses
half re .
,

like certa in other go d e men w as belie ved to ha ve reached t he highes t

-
,

o f all s ta tes o n ea rth t he rarest o f a ll psy cho lo gica l pheno m en a the

perfec t u nion o f the immorta l spirit with the te rres trial duad had oc
c urre d . Th e trinity w as co m plete A god w as incarn a te B u t ho w rare
. .

su ch in ca rna tio ns !

Tha t expression Y e are go ds which to o ur biblica l studen ts is a

, ,
’
, ,

me re abstrac tio n has fo r the kabalists a vita l significa nce Eac h immo r
, .

ta ] spirit th a t sh eds its ra dia nce u po n a h u m a n bein g is a go d the

Micro co smos o f the M ac ro c osmo s part a nd parcel o f the Un kno wn Go d , ,

t he fi rst C ause o f wh ich it is a direct em

, ana tio n I t is po sse ssed o f all t he .

a ttribu tes o f its pa re n t so u rce Amo n g these a ttribu tes a re o m

. n isc ien ce

an d o m n ipotence E n do wed wi th these b u t y et unable fully to man ifest

.
,

the mwhile in the body durin g which time they are o bsc u red veiled
, , ,

li m i ted by the ca pa bilities o f physica l na ture the thus di vin ely inh abited ,
-

man may tower far above his kind evince a go d like wisdo m and ,
-
,

disp lay deific powers ; fo r while t he re st o f mo rta ls aroun d himare b u t

o versha dowed by their di vine S E LF wi th e very ch an ce giv en to the mto ,

bec ome immorta l hereafter b u t with no other security than their per
,

so n al effo rts to w in th e kin gd o m o f h ea ven the m

”
a n so cho se n has ,

a lrea dy beco m e an im mortal while yet o n earth H is prize is sec ured

”
. .

He ncefo rth he will liv e forever in e ternal life N o t only he may ha ve .

do min io n us
over all the works o f crea tion by emplo ying t he excel “

lence o f the NAM E (t he ineffa ble o ne) b u t b e higher in this life no t as , ,

Paul is made to say a little lo wer tha n the a n gels

“
, .

Th e a ncien ts never e nte rta ined the sacrilegio u s th o u gh t th a t such

rf ec t ed e n t itie s were incarna tio n s o f the On e S u pre m e a n d f r e v
p e o e r

in visible Go d N o such profa na tio n o f the a w ful M aj es ty en tered in to

.

their conceptio ns M oses a nd his a n titypes and ty pes were to themb u t

.

co m plete men gods o n ea rth fo r their gods (divine spirits ) had en tered
, ,

un to t he ir hallo wed ta berna cles the purified p hysica l bo dies , The d is .

em bodie d spirits o f the hero es a nd sa ges were te rmed go ds by the

an c ien ts . Hence the ac c u sa tio n o f po lytheis mand ido la try o n t he part
o f th o se w ho were th e first to an th ro po m o rphize the ho lies t an d p ures t

”
a bst rac tions o f their fo refa thers .

”
344 This co ntradictio n, which is a ttrib uted to Pa ul in H ebrews b y m aking h imsa y
Being m ad e so m
.
,

a nd then im
“
o f Jesus in chapter i 4 : uch better th an the a ngels

m B u t we see Jesus who w as m

, ,
“
edia tely sta ting in chapter ii, 9 , ade a little lo wer th an ,

the angels. sho ws ho w unscrupulo usly t he writ ings o f the apos tles if they ever wro te
m
,

any , were ta pered wi th .

154! I SI S UNVEI LED

Th e rea l an d hidden se nse o f this doc trine w as kn o w n to all the

in itia tes The Tana imimpart ed it to their elec t ones, the I sari , in the
. m
so le m n solit u des o f crypts a n d deserted p laces I t was o ne o f the most
.

eso te ric an d j ea lous ly guarded teachi n gs , fo r h u m

a n n at ure w as t he sa e m
th en as it is n o w , an d the sac erdota l caste as confiden t as no w in the
su pre m acy o f it s kn owledge , an d as a m bitio us o f ascen dency over the
wea ker ma sses ; with the differe nce perhaps tha t its hiero pha n ts could
prove the legitimacy o f their cla ims an d the verity o f their doc trines,
whereas no w , believers mus t b e conte n t wi th blin d fai th
m
.

While the ka ba lists called this y ste rious and rare occurrence o f the
u nio n o f sp irit with the m
o rta l c h arge en tru s ted to it s care, t he descen t
‘

of the Angel Gabriel ( the la tter bein g a kin d o f generic na e fo r it ) , the

’
m
M essenger of Life, and the angel M eta tro n ; an d while the N azare nes
te rm ed t he sa m e Abel Zivo - “ t he D elegatus sen t by the Lord o f Celsi tude,
,

it w as u ni versally kn o wn as the A noin ted Spirit

‘ ’
.

Th us it is the accepta tion of this doc trin e which ca used the Gno sties
to main ta in tha t Jesu s w as a man overshadowed by the Christo s o r M es
sen ger o f Life , a n d th a t his despairin g cry fro m
t he cro ss E loi , Eloi ,

La m a S abachtha n i , was wru n g fro mhi m

a t the in sta n t when h e fel t tha t

this inspiring Presence had fin ally aba n doned him, fo r as so e m

aflirm ed his faith had aban doned himwhen o n the cro ss .

The early N azarenes , w ho m us t b e n u m

bered among the G no stic
sec ts , belie vin g tha t Jesu s w as a prop het, held neverthele s s in re la tion to

himthe sa me doc trine o f the divine oversh adowin g o f certa in m en o f

Go d , se n t fo r t he sa lvation o f na tio n s, and to reca ll the to the pa th o f

’
m

””
The D ivine m
“
righ teo u sn ess . in d is ete rnal, an d it is p ure ligh t, and
po ured o ut thro ugh splendi d and i m ense space (plero a) I t 13 Gene m m .

trix o f the Aeons B ut o ne o f them [the Demiurge] wen t to a tter

. m
( c h ao s ) s tirr in g u p co n f u se d ( tu rb u le nto s ) m ov e e n ts , a n d b y am c er ta i n
portio n o f heavenly ligh t fashio ned it , properly constitu ted fo r use and
appea ra n ce b u t t he begin n in g o f e very ev il
, The De m . iurge (o f a tter) m
c la im ed di vin e h o no r . Therefore C hrist us the anoin ted the prince
of the Aeons (powers) , w as se n t (ex ped itus ) , who taki ng on the perso n o f a
most devou t Jew I es u was to conquer him; b ut who having laid it ( the
, ,

body) aside, depart ed o n high “7

We will explain farther o n the full
m
.

sign ifica nce o f t he n a m e C hris tos an d its y s tic ea n in g m .

A n d no w , in o rder to m a ke suc h passages as t he above ore in telli m

g ib le ,w e w ill e n dea v o r to d efi n e as b ri efl y
, as po ss ib le , t h e do g m a s in

”
345 Code:
. N aza raeus , I , p . 23 .

I bid
N orberg s preface, pp iv, v
’
346 . .
, .

347 Acco rding to the N azaren es a nd Gnostics t he De m iurge, the creato r o f the
m
.
,

aterial wo rld, is no t th e highest Go d (D unlap : sad, the Son of the H an, passi sr )
. .
156 I S IS UNVEILED

a fac t which makes us su ppose th a t they con ta ined more truthful

ma tte r th an th e sc hoo l o f Irenaeus was prepared to deny H e as .

serted th a t th e u n kn ow n e te rn a l an d un crea ted Fa ther ha ving first, ,

bro u gh t forth N ou s o r Min d the la tte r e mana ted from it self

, the ,

Logos The Lo go s (th e Word o f John ) em

. a na te d i n its turn P hronesis ,

o r t he In te lli gen ces ( Divin e h u m an spirits ) I h o m Phro nesis spra ng '

- '
.

S o phia o r fem inine wisdom an d Dyna m

, is s tre ngth
“3
These were , .

t he perso ni fied a ttribu tes o f the M ys te rious go dh ea d the G no stic ,

q uin te rnio n typifying the five spiritu al b u t in te lligible su bsta nces

, , ,

perso na l virtues o r beings external to t he un kn own go dh ead This .

is pre e m inen tly a ka ba lis tic idea

-
I t is s till more B u ddhis tic The . .

earlies t sy stem o f the B u ddhis tic philo sophy which precede d by

far G a u ta m a B u ddha is b ase d u pon the un crea ted s u bs tan ce o f
-

Un kn o wn th e Adi B uddha This e terna l infinite M onad

’
the
‘
-
, .
,

po ssesses as pro per to its o wn essence five ac ts o f wisdo m Fro m

, , .

th ese by five se para te ac ts o f Dhydna e mana ted five D hydni B uddhas

, ,
-
,

th ese like Adi B uddha are q uiescen t in their syste m( pa ssiv e) N either
,
-
, .

Adi no r any o f the five Dhydni B uddhas were ever incarna ted b ut
,
-
, ,

sev en o f the ir e m ana tio ns beca m e A va ta rs i e were incarna te d o n , . .

,

353 The five a ke m m

body in two parts. th e S upre e Wisdo m becam
.
35 2 . Irenae us :
ystically ten They are a ndro gynes
e
There are many early Buddhis t ic ideas to be fo und in Brah a r is
m
a le a n d fe ale
A gai nst H eresies,
Ha. di vided his
a ne , “ m
I , x x iv,

.
3

m
.

”
W
mi m .

The pre valen t idea tha t th e last of th e Buddhas. Ga u ta a, i s th e nin th inca rnatio n m
o f Vishn u or the n i nth Ava ta r is discla i ed pa rtia lly b y th e Brl h
, , m
anaa. a n d w ho lly m
rejec te d b y th e lea rned Buddh ist th eo lo gia ns The la tter insist tha t th e wo rship of
m mm
.

Buddha po ssesses a far higher c lai to a nti q uity tha n tha t o f any of th e B rt h a ca l
deities o f the Vedas . whic h th ey call secu lar litera ture The Brah anas , they sho w, m
m
.

ca e fro mo ther co u n tries a nd es ta b lis hed th eir heres

, o n [th e worshi p of] th e a lready
accep ted po ular deiti es They co n quered the la nd y th e sword , a nd succe eded in
m
.

b urying tru . b y b uilding a th eo lo q o f their o wn o n th e ruins of th e o re a nc ie nt one

o f Buddha w h ic h had pre va iled fo r ages They ad it th e divinity an d spiritua l ex iste nce m
m
.
,

of so e o f th e V edan tic go d s ; b u t as i n th e case o f th e Ch r ist ia n a ngel hierare hy they

-

belie ve tha t a ll these deities are gre e d y su bo rdina te even to the incarna te d Buddhas , .

They do no t e ven ac kno wled ge the crea tio n o f th e physical universe Spirit ually and
i nvis ibly it has ex is ted fro m a ll eternity , a nd th us it was m m
.

ad e ere ly visib le to the

m
hu a n senses When it rst a ppeare d it was called fo rth fro mth e rea l of th e invisible
fi m
m
.

into the vis ib le b y the i l f d di B dd ha the Easence Th ey recko n twenty

‘

p u s e o -
u

m
.

t wo su c h visib le appearan ces o f th e universe go ver ed b y Buddhas. a nd as a ny de

n
structio ns o f it, b y fire a n d wa ter in regu la r successio ns After the last destr uc tio n by
m
.

the floo d a t the end o f the precedent cycle the ex ac t calcu la t io n, e brac ing several
m
,

illio ns o f years, is a secret cycle the wo rld, d uring th e presen t o f the K ali-Yugo
M ahd Bhad e d pa
-
has been ruled s uccessivel y b y fo ur Bud th e last o f who m
was Ga u ta a the H o ly One m ,
‘
.
’
fi
The f th M a itreya -B uddha, is ye t to co e Th is la tter , m .

is the ex pected ka balist ic King M ess ia h, the Messenger o f Light, and So aio ah, the Per
sian Sa v ior. who will co m e o n a white ho rse I t is also th e Lord o f the C hrist ian Second
‘ ’
.

Ad ven t See A pocalypse o f S t Jo hn

. . .
 GN mTI CI SM HI GHLY REVEREN TIAL TOWARD THE DEITY 1 57

D escribing the Basilidean sy st e m , I renaeus , qu oting t he G nos tics ,

When the t d unnam

uncrea e ed Fa ther sa w the corru ptio n of m
, an

kin d he sen t his first born N o us in to th e world in the formo f Christ

,
-
, , ,

fo r the rede m ption o f all who believ e in him o u t o f the power of those ,

w ho fa brica ted th e world [the De m iu rge a nd his six sons the planet ,

ary genii] H e a ppea red a m

. on gst men as the ma n Jesus an d wro ugh t ,

miracles This Christ did not die i n person b ut Simon the Cyrenia n
. ,

su flered in his stea d to whomhe lent hi s bodily form

”
, ; fo r the Divine .

Power the N ous o f the Eternal Fa ther i s not corporeal an d cannot die , ,

Whoso therefore m
.
,

, ain ta ins tha t C hris t has died is s till the bon ds

, ,

man o f ignorance ; whoso denies the sa me he is free an d ha th under , ,

stoo d the p urpo se o f the Fa ther

‘5‘
.

So far, a n d ta ken i n its a bstrac t se nse , we do no t see anything blas

h e m o u s i n th is sys te m I t m a y b e a heresy again st th e th eology o f
p .

Irenae us an d Tert u llia n , b ut there is certainly nothin g sac rilegio us

" is

agains t the religio us idea itself, an d it will seemto e very im pa rtial thin ker
far more consisten t with di vin e re veren ce than the an th ropom orphism
of ac tual Christianity The G nostics were ca lled by the orthodo x
.

Chris tians , D ocetae, o r Illusio nis ts , fo r believing tha t Christ did no t, no r

cou ld , su ffer dea th ac tually in the phy sical body T he la ter Brahm an .

ical books con ta in likewise much th a t is repugna n t to the reveren tia l

feeling and idea of the Divinity ; an d as well as the G n os tics , the Brah
man as explain such legen ds as may shoc k the divine dignity of the
Spiritua l bein gs ca lle d go ds b y a ttribu tin g themto M ayd o r illusion .

A people brou gh t up an d nurtured fo r c ou n tl ess a ges a m o ng all th e

p y
s ch o lo gica l p h en o me na of w hi ch th e civilize d n a ti o n s rea d , b u t
re j ec t as in credible a n d worthl ess , ca nn o t well expec t to h a ve its religio u s

sy s te m even un derstood let alone a pp rec iate d The profoundes t .

an d m ost transce nden ta l specula tions of th e ancien t meta physicians of

In dia an d other co un tries are all based o n that grea t B u ddhistic an d
m
B rah anica l principle un derlyin g the whole of their religious meta
phy sics ill usion of the senses E v erything tha t is finite is illu sion , all
.

t ha t w hich is e terna l a n d infin ite is rea lity Form, colo r, tha t which
.

w e hear and feel, o r see with o ur m orta l eyes, exists only so far as it can
be c o n v ey e d to ea c h of u s t h ro u gh o u r se nses T h e u n i v e rse fo
. r a ma n

bo rn blin d does no t exist in eith er formo r color, b u t it exists in its pri va

tion ( in the Aris to telea n sense) , a n d is a reality fo r the spiritual

354. Irenaeus : Agai ns t H eresies, I . x x iv, 4 .

355 Tertu llian turned the tables o n hi self b y rejec m '

later in life. the doctrines

ming a M o ntanist
.

for which he fo ught with such an acerbity. and by .

1 58 IS IS UNVEILED

of the blin d ma n We all live under th e powerful domini on o f phan

.

tasy Only the highes t a nd in visible originals ema na te d from the

.

tho u gh t o f the Un kn o w n are rea l an d perm an en t be in gs

, forms and , ,

ideas ; o n earth w e see b u t their reflex io ns more o r less correc t and , ,

ever depen den t o n the physica l a n d m en ta l organiza tio n o f t he person

w ho beholds th em .

A ges un to ld befo re o u r era th e Hin du M ys tic Ka p ila wh o is co n , ,

sidered by m a n y sc ien tists as a s keptic bec a use they j u dge hi m with ,

their ha bitual su perficiality magnificen tly expressed this idea in the

,

following terms
man ] counts fo r so little tha t hardly a ny thin g can

”
M an [physica l
demons tra te to himhis proper exis tence a n d tha t of na ture Perhaps .

tha t which we regard as the u ni verse an d the divers beings which seem ,

to compose it ha ve nothing rea l a n d are b ut the produc t o f c on tin ued

”
, ,

illusion — mdyd of o ur senses

. .

An d t he modern Schope nha uer re pea tin g this philosophical idea , ,

“
years o ld n o w , sa
ys : N a ture is no n exis tent per se Na -
, .

ture is the infin ite illusio n of o ur se nses K a n t Schellin g an d other .

, ,

meta physicia ns ha ve said the sa me and th eir sc hoo l main ta ins t he idea , .

The o bj ec ts o f sense bein g ever delusive an d fluc tua tin ca nn ot be

g ,

a reality Spirit alo ne i s unchangea ble hence

. it alo ne rs n o illusion , .

This i s pure B u ddhist doc trine The religion o f the Gno sis ( kn owledge) .
,

th e m o st e vi de n t o ffsh oo t o f B u ddhism w as en tirely base d o n this ,

meta physical tenet Chris to s suffered spiritually fo r us and far more

.
,

ac u tely than did the illus ionary Jes us while his body was bein g t o rt ured

o n th e C ross .

I n t he ideas of the C hristians C hrist is b u t another na m e fo r Jesus

, .

The ph ilosophy of th e G n o stics th e ini tia tes and hierophan ts un derstoo d

, ,

it otherwise The word C hristo s Xpw r és like all G reek words m

. ust be
, , ,

so u gh t i n its philologica l origin th e Sanskrit I n this la tter la nguage .

K ri s m ea ns sacred a n d th e Hin d u deity was na m ed K ris na ( the

5 ‘ -
,

pure o r the sacred ) fro mtha t On the other han d t he Greek Christos .
,

bears se veral mea nin gs as a no in ted (pure o il chi ism) an d ot hers I n

,
-
, .

all la n gua ges th o u gh th e sy n ony m of th e word m

, ea ns p ure o r sacre d

essen ce it is th e first e m
, ana tio n of th e in visible Godhead m a nifesting ,

”
356 I n his deba te with Jacollio t upo n the ri ht spelling of the Hind u Krishna. Mr
g
Tex t o r de B a visi an ultram m
. .

o n ta ne Ca th o lic , tries to pro ve tha t the na e of hristus

C
o ugh t to b e wri t ten Krish na fo r as th e la t ter m
,

, eans b lac k [ Benfey S anshr Did gives the , . .

b lack dark b lue b ut says the o rigin o f th e significa tion

“ “
usua l tra nsla t io n o f Krishna as ,
-

is d ub io us l and th e sta t ues o f this deity are ge nera lly b lack. th e w ord i s deri ved fro mthe
,
’’

We refer th e reader to Jac o llio t s a nswer in his re cent work, Christan et le Christ,
’
colo r
m m
.

pp . 35 7-8 et c
, for t he co n
.clu,si ve e vid en ce th a t th e na e is no t «b i n d fro the color .
1 60 IS IS UN VEILED

tio ns an d views H is influence mu st ha ve been powerful

eleva ed t . ,

a s w e fin d Epiphanius writing m o re than t wo cen turies la t er that in

his tim e t he follo wers o f M arc ion were to b e foun d througho ut the

wh ole world “ .

The danger m us t in deed ha ve been pressin g an d grea t if we are to ,

j u dge it b y the oppro brious epithets and vitu pera tion heaped upon
M arc ion by the Grea t Africa n that Pa tris tic Cerberus whom we
’

”
, ,

find e ver ba rkin g at the door of the I re naean dogm as We have b ut to .

Open his celebra ted re fu ta tion o f Marcion s A ntitheses to ac q uain t o ur ’

,

selves w i th the fine fleur of m

”
on kish a buse o f the Christ ian school
-

”
an a b use so faithfully carried o n thro u gh the Mi ddle Ages t o b e ren ewed ,

in o u r presen t day a t the Va tica n N o w then ye houn ds y elping .

, , ,

a t the G o d of tru th wh o mthe a po s tle cas ts o u t to all y o ur ques tions !

, ,

These are the bones o f co nten tion which ye gna w etc The po verty , .

o f t he Grea t Africa n s a rgu m en ts keeps pace with his a b use re m arks

’

th e a u th or o f S u pernatu ral Rel igio n Their [the Fa thers ] religio us ’

.

co n tro versy bristles with m

”
issta te men ts an d is tu rbid with pious a buse , .

Tertullian was a mas te r of this sty le a n d the vehemen t vi tu pera tion ,

with which he o pens a n d often inte rlards his work agai ns t t he im

pious an d sacrilegio us M arcion offers anythin g b ut a guara n tee of ’
,

fair an d legitim a te criticis m

“ 1
.

”
H o w firmth ese two Fa thers

”
Tertullian and E piphan ius were on
their theological gro un d may be in ferred fromthe curi ous fac t th a t they
,

both in tempera tely an d vehemen tly reproach the beas t (M arcio n)

“
with eras ing passages from t he Go spel of Luke which never were in
“ “
Lu ke at all .The ligh tness an d inaccuracy adds the critic with , ,

”
which Tertullian pro ceeds are all the better illus trated b y the fac t that
,

n o t o nly do es he acc use M arcion fa lsely b u t he actuaay defi nes the ,

motives fo r which he expun ged a passa ge which never ex isted; in the same

”
chapter h e a lso sim ilarly accu ses M arcio n of eras ing (fro m Lu ke) the
sayin g th a t C hrist had no t co m e to des tro y t he la w an d the proph e ts b ut ,

to fulfil them and he ac tually repea ts the charge o n two other occa
,

sio n s . E pipha ni us a lso co m mits the mista ke of repro achin g M arcion

with omitting fro m Lu ke wha t is only fo un d in M atthew .

Ha vin g so far sho wn the amount o f relian ce to be placed o n the

Pa tristic litera ture a n d it being unanimously co nceded b y t he grea t
,

majority of biblical critics that wha t the Fathers fo ught fo r was no t truth ,

359 P a nar
. .
, lib . I , torn II I , H aer XL I , i
. . I .

360 Tert ullian : A dv M arc

. . , II , v.

36 1 . Part II , vu.

362 . A dv M a . m , IV, ix ; XVII , x x x vi ; M atthew . v, 17 .

363 S upernatural Religio n, lo c

. . cit.
 THE TWO FACTI ON S I N THE PRI MITIVE C H URCH 161

b ut th eir o wn inte rpreta tions an d un warran ted as sertions ) will no w “ we

pro ceed t o sta te wha t were the views o f Marcion , whomTertullia n de

sire d t o an nih ila te as the m

”
ost dan gerous heretic o f his day If we are .

to beli e ve H ilgenfeld o ne of the grea test German biblical critics then

, ,

Fro m t he critica l sta n din g poin t o ne m

“
us t co nsider the s ta te
-

men ts o f the Fa thers of the Church only as expressions o f their sub

hi h i l i “
jeel i es vi ew, w c tse f req u res pro o f 5
.

We ca n be tter no r ma ke a more co rrec t sta tement o f fac ts

do no

co nce rn in g M a rc ion than by quo tin g wh a t o ur sp ace perm its fro m

”
Supern a tu ral Religio n “ t he au thor of whi ch bases his assert io n s o n the
,

evide n ce of t he grea test critics as well as o n his o w n resea rches , He .

show s as ex isting in t he days of M arc io n t wo bro a d pa rties in the

primi tiv e C hurch o ne co n si derin g C h ristia ni ty
“
a m ere co n tin ua

”
tion o f the Law a n d dwarfing it in to an Israelitish institu tio n a n arrow
, ,

sect of Ju daism ; the o ther re pre se n tin g t he gla d tidin gs as t he in tro d uc

tion o f a new syste m applicable to all an d suppla nting the M o saic

”
, ,

dispe n sa tion of the La w by a un iversa l dispe nsa tio n o f grace These .

“
t wo p art ies he adds
, were po p ularly represen ted 1 n the early C hurch
,

by the two apo stles Pe ter and Pau l a nd their a n ta gonism is faintly
, ,

re vea led in t he E pistle to the Gala ti a ns

“7

”
.

36 4 The au thor o f S u pernatural Rel igio n (part II , vu ) re a rks with grea t j us t ice o f
. m
the H eresiarch Marcio n, whose high perso na l character ex erted so po werful a n influence
’ “

u po n his o wn ti e, m tha t it was th e m

isfo rt un e o f Marcio n to live man age when C hris
tiani ty had passed o u t o f the pure m
o ra lity o f its infa n cy , w he n u ntro ub led b y co m
m m
licated uestio ns o f do g a. si ple faith a nd pio us en thus iasmhad been t he o ne grea t
,

11 d o f M b ro therho o d, in to a phase o f ecc les ias tical de velo p ent 1 11 w h ich re m

ligio n was fast degeneratin g in to theo lo gy , a n d co plica ted do c trines were ra idly as m
sa m ing tha t ra m t at tit ud e w hich led t o so m
uch b i tterness p rsecu t io n a n
e sc his m
I n la te r t im arcio n m igh t ha ve been ho no red as a refo rm
.
, ,

es er. 1 11 h is o wn he was de
Aus tere a nd asce tic in his o pin io ns, he aim m

”
no u nced as a heret ic ed a t su perh u a n
m m
.

p u r it y an d a lth o “
ug h h is cler ica l a d ver sa ries i
1 h t sco f
f a t his 1 prac tica b le d o c trines
m m
,

regard ing a rriage an d the sub j uga tio n o f the fi , t hey ha ve ha d their para llels a o ngst
t hose who m
the Church has since m
ost d elighte d to ho no r, a nd a t least . the w ho le ten
m m These sta te m
,

deac y o f his syste was arkedly to wards t he s ide o f v irt ue ents are .

based u po n Credner s Beitrtige, I, p 40 ; cf N ea nder : A lly K G , II. pp 79 2 8 1 5 sq ;

’

m
.

m
. . . . .
, , .

M il an : H istory of Chri sti a nity, p 77, edit . 1 867, Schleier acher, etc etc
. . .

( Hilgenfeld) ; S uperna tural Religi o n loo

’
365 . Die Eco J usti n
. s , . cit .

36 7 But o n the o ther ha nd this an tago nis m is very stro ngly m a rked in the
m m
.

ti ne H o il ies, 111 which Pe te r uneq uivocally denies tha t Pa ul, w ho he calls Sim o n the
Magicia n, has ever had a vis io n o f C hrist, and calls h i
“
a n ene m y C an o n Wes tco t t m
There can be no do ub t tha t S t Pa ul 1 8 referred to as the enem
.

s ays
“
y (On the
‘ ’

m
. .

Cano n, p 2 52 , no te 2 ; S upernat ural Rel igio n , pa rt II , v ) Bu t t his an tago nis , which

m
. .

rages un to th e presen t da y we find e ve n i n S t Paul s Epistles What ca n be o re

’
.

m
, .

S uch are f ls e apo stles , deceitful w o rkers t ra nsfo r

“
e ne rge t ic tha n such like sen tences
m a
.
,

ing t he selves into the a po s tles o f C hris t I suppo se I w as no t a whit be hin d

m
.

the very c hiefest apo stles

“
( C i hi i 1 3 5) Pa ul, a n apo stle ( not of en,
"
2 o r nt a ns x , , , .
1 62 I S IS UN VEILED

M arcio n ogn ised no other Gospels than a few E pis tles of

, w ho rec

P a ul who rej ec ted to ta lly the a n thro po m

, orphism of t he Old Tes ta
ment a nd dre w a distinct line of demarca tio n be tween the o ld Ju daism

”
,

a n d C hristia n ity vie wed Jesu s n either as a Kin g M essiah o f t he Je ws

, , ,

n o r the so n of Da vi d w h o w as in a n y way co nnec ted wi th t h e la w o r

b u t a divine be ing se n t to re vea l to man a wh olly new

“
prophets ,

s piritu al religio n an d a h itherto un kn own Go d of go odness an d gra c e

, .

The Lo rd G o d o f t he Jews in his eyes the C rea to r (De m iu rge ) was

‘ ’
, ,

to ta lly differen t a nd distinc t fro m the Deity who se n t Jes us t o re vea l

th e divine tru th a n d preac h t he gla d tidin gs to brin g reco n c ilia t io n an d ,

m
neith er man
b ut b y Jesus Chris t a nd Go d the Fa ther, who raised hi
by fro m the m
b ut t here be so m
,

dea d e th a t tro u ble yo u, a nd wo uld pervert pel of Ch rist

”
m
.

f a lse br eth ren W h e n P e tc r w as co e to A n t ioc h I w it h s to o d to t he f a c e

m
because he was to be b la e d Fo r b efo re tha t certa in came fromJa es, he did eat with m
. ,

m m
.

the entiles b ut when t hey were co e he withdrew f earing th e which were of

G
m m
inso much that Barna bas also was
. .

th e circu cisio n And the o th er Jews disse bled .

carried a way w ith their dis si m

. .

ula tio n etc , etc ( Gal , i, an d ii) On the o th er ha nd. we

.

find Peter, in the H om m

, . . .

il ies , indul ging in vario us co plaints whic h, al tho ugh alleged

to be ad dressed to Sim o n M agus , are evidently a ll dire ct answers to the ab o ve~ quo
sen te nces fro m
t he Pau line Epist les, and cannot ha ve any thing to do with Si o n So , m

”
m m m
.

“
fo r ins tan ce Peter said Fo r so e a o ng the Gentiles ha ve re ected y la wful preac h
, .

ing an d acce pted certa in la wles s an d foolish teac hing o f the ost ile
m m
,

Epis tle of P eter to J a es , 5 2 H e says fu rt her : S1 o n [Paul]

m n
. .

me to th e Gen tiles and I ha ve fo llo wed hi as ligh t upo n dark ess, as kno w ledge

(H o mil , II, x vii) Sti ll furt her m

. .

upo n ignora nce as health upo n disease he calls hi

”
m
. .
,

cewer ( I bid , II, x viii)

“
Death an d a de H e warns the Gentiles t hat
. . o ur Lo rd a n d
P rophet [J es us ] decla red to us tha t the Evil One anno unced tha t he wo uld send
m
fro ma o ng his fo llo wers, apostles to deceive Therefore, ab o ve all. re e b er to avo id mm

”
m m
.

every apo st le, o r teach er, o r h e t w h fi t d no t accu ra tely co pare his teac h ing
i
p o r s o es
m m
,

with th a t o f Ja es, called t b r th er o f y Lo rd ( see the diflere nce bet we en Paul

o
an d Ja m es o n fa ith , H ebrews , x i, x ii, a n d J a es , ii) m
lest this Evil One sho uld send
s fals a preac her, as he has sen t to us Sim
.

reach ing a co unte rfeit of truth in he

on
t
na m e o f o ur Lo rd, a nd dissem ina tin g error (l anadl , x n v ; see ab o ve y t ion
fro m Gal i, ii) H e then denies Pa ul s assertio n in the fo llo wing wo rds :
.
’
th ere
fo re , o ur Jesus in deed appeare d in a visio n to yo u it was o nly as an irrit a te d ad
m
. .

versary B ut can any o ne thro ugh visio ns b eco e wise in teaching ? And if y o u
m
.

it is po ss ib le, th en I ask, where fo re d id the Teacher re ain fo r a whole year a nd

‘ ’
sa y,
d isco urse to us who were a ttenti ve ? And ho w can we bel ieve yo ur story t t he appeared
to you? And 111 wha t m
anner d id he a ppear to yo u, when yo u ho ld o inions contrar
ha
p y
to his teaching? Fo r yo u ha ve set y o urself up agai t
.
e who a a fir n roch, mm m
the fo undatio n of the Church If yo u were no t an oppo nent, u wo uld no t calu niate m
m m m
.

e , y o u wo uld no t rev ile y teach ing [ circ u cisio n fl in o er tha t, in decla ring wha t
m
I ha ve myself hea rd fro the Lo rd , I ay no t be believed, as tho ugh I were conden s ed m
m
”
co ndem m m
.

Bu t if yo u say tha t I a ned, yo u b la e Go d who revea led Ch rist to

(H amil , XVI I , x ix )
“
e This last o bserves the au thor o f S u t l
pe r na u ra
m m
.

Rel igio n, if y o u sa y tha t I a co nde ned, is an e vident allusion to Gal , ri, 1 1 , I

‘ ’ ‘

”
w it hsto o d hi m
to th e face, beca use he was co nde ned ( S u pernatural Rd iyio ru pa rt II, m ’

There cann o t be a do u b t, sa ys the j us t-q uo te d autho r, t ha t th e apos tle Paul

“ “
v)
mm m
.

is attacked in t his rehgio us a nce as th e t en e y o f the true faith, under th e

ha ted na e o f Sim m
o n the M agic ia n , who m et er fo llo ws everywhere for th e
purpose
o f unm askin g an d co nfut ing hi m
(loc cit ) And if so, t hen we ust believe t hat it m
m m
. .

was S t Paul who b ro ke b o th his legs 111 Ro e when fly ing

. the a ir .

368 . S upernatural Rel igion. part II . vu.

 ”
1 64 IS IS UN VEILED

t dy these ten precepts of du ty a n d after ha vin g stu died themconform

s u ,

their lives there to will reac h to the supreme co n ditio n

, ( M an u VI , ,

slo ka s 9 2
If M an u did trace these wo rds ma ny thousan ds o f years befo re
no t

the era of C hristia nity a t leas t n o voice in the whole world will dare
,

deny thema less a n tiq uity than se veral ce n turies B c The sa me in the . .

cas e of t he prec e pts of B u ddhis m .

If we turn to the P rati m o ks ha S utra an d o ther religio us trac ts o f the

-

B u ddh ists we rea d the te n fo llowing comman dmen ts

,

Thou shalt no t kill any livin g crea ture .

Th o u shalt no t stea l .

Tho u shal t no t brea k t hy vo w o f chas tity .

Tho u shalt no t lie .

Thou shalt no t betray th e secrets o f others .

Tho u shalt no t wish fo r the dea th o f thy enemies .

Tho u shalt no t desire t he wealth o f oth ers .

Tho u shalt no t pro no u nce inj u rio us a nd fou l words

” ”
.

Thou shalt no t in dulge 111 luxu ry (sleep o n soft be ds o r b e lazy)

am
.

1 0 Tho u sh alt no t
. acce pt go ld o r silv er .

”
master wha t sh all I do tha t I may ha ve ete rnal life ? asks a
Goo d ,

man of Jesus K eep the co mman dments

.
“
Which ? Th ou shalt .
“ “

do no mu rder Thou shalt no t co mmit a dulte ry Thou shalt no t s teal

” ”
, , ,

Tho u shalt no t bea r false witness is t he a ns wer 3"

”
.
,

“
Wha t shall I do to o bta in possession o f Bho di ? [kn owledge o f
as ks a disc ip le of h is B u ddh is t m
“
e te rn a l tru th ] as ter Wha t w ay is .

there to beco me a n Upds a ka? K ee p t he co mma n dm

“ “
e n ts What .

a re t hey ?
“
Tho u shalt a bsta in all t hy life fro mmurder theft a d ultery , , ,

a n swe rs the m
a n d ly in g as ter
“ .
,

Ide n tica l inj u n c tions are they n o t ? Divine inj unc tions the living ,

u p to whic h wo u ld p urify a n d exalt h u m a n i ty B u t are th ey more di vine .

whe n u ttered throu gh o ne mo u th tha n a nother ? If it is go d like t o re turn -

g oo d f o r e v il d oe
, s t he e n u n c ia tio n o f t h e p rec ept by a N azare n e gi ve it
a ny grea te r fo rc e tha n its e n u n c ia tio n by a n In dian o r Tibet an p hilo

so p her ? We see th a t the Go lden Rule did no t origina te wi th Jesus ; tha t

its birth place w a s I n dia D o wha t w e may we ca nn ot deny Stiltya
.
-
,

M u n i B uddha a less re mote a n tiqu ity than se veral cen turies before the
-

birt h of Jesu s I n see king a model fo r his systemo f e thics why sho uld
.

3 70 P rati mo
. ks ha -S l ltra PAH-
Bur ese co py ; see also
, m
Le lot us de la bon ne la i, tra nsla te d b y Burno uf, p
3 71 . M atthew x ix 1 6- 1 8
, , . 3 72 PM H I . Pl li . version.
 JEHOVAH IDENTIFIED WITH BAC CH US 1 65

Jes u s h a ve gone to th e foo t o f the Himal ayas ra ther than to the foo t of

” ”
S in a i b u t that the doc trines o f M an u a nd Ga u ta m
, a h arm onized exac tly
with his o wn philosophy while those of Jehovah were to hima bhorren t
,

a n d te rrify in g? The H in d us ta u gh t to re turn good for evil b u t the Jeh o ,

vis t ic co m man d was : An eye fo r a n eye and a tooth fo r a tooth

“ “
.

W o u ld Chri stians still ma in ta in the iden tity of the Fa ther o f Jes us ‘ ’

a n d Je h ovah if evi den ce s ufficien tly clear co u ld b e addu ced tha t the
,
‘
Lo rd Go d was no o ther than t he Paga n Bacchu s Dio nyso s ? Well , ,

this iden tity of the Jehovah a t M oun t Sina i with the go d Bacch us is
har dly dispu ta ble The na m e. mm
is Ya va o r I ao accordin g to Diodo ,

ru s a n d Ly dus an d I ao is the secret n a m

, e of th e Phoe nic ia n M ys tery

g o d ;
" 3
it w as ac t u ally a dopte d fro m t h e C h al daea n s w i th w h o mit also
w as t h e sec re t na m e of th e c rea to r Wherever Bac ch u s w as worshiped
.

there w as a tra dition of a place ca lled N y sa an d a ca ve where he w as ,

rea red . Beth Sa n o r Scythopolis in Palestine o nce had th a t designation ;

-

so h ad a spo t o n M o u n t Pa rnass u s B u t D io do rus dec lares tha t N y sa

.

”
w as be tween Phoeni cia a nd Egyp t ; E uripides sta te s th a t D io ny so s
ca m e to Greece fro m In dia ; an d Dio d oru s a dds h is tes tim on y
" 4

“
Os iris was bro u gh t up in N y sa in Ara bia th e H appy ; he w as the so n
,

o f Ze u s a n d w as nam
, e d fro mh is fa th er [no m ina tive Zeus genitive D ic e] ,

a n d t h e place Di o N yso s the Zeus o r Jove o f N y sa

-
This iden tity .

of nam e o r title is very signific an t I n G reece D iony so s w as seco nd

”
.

only t o Zeus and Pin dar says :

,

“
So Fa th er Zeus go verns a ll things, and Bacchus he go verns also .

B u t o t d ofu si e B G reece acc h us

powerful Za greus , the w as th e all-

”
highes t o f go ds M oses see ms to ha ve worsh iped himperso nally a n d
.

to ge th er with the populace a t M ount Sinai ; u nless we a dmit tha t M oses

w as a n i nitiated pries t , an a dept , w ho kn ew ho w to lift the veil which
“
h an gs behin d all such exo teric wo rsh ip , b u t kept th e sec ret A nd M o ses .

”
bu il t an alta r, a nd called the n a e of i t J ehovah N i ssr! o r I ao N i si - -
.

Wha t better evidence is req uire d to show tha t the Sinaitic go d w as ih

differe n tly Bacch us, Osiris, a n d Jehova h ? M r Sharpe a ppen ds his .

testimony tha t the place where Osiris w as born was M o un t Sina i,

calle d by the E gyptian s M o un t N issa
m ‘
The Braze n Serpen t was a
m
.

n is , c , an d t he m on th of the Jewish Passo ver n isa n .

If the M osaic Lo rd Go d w as the only livi ng G o d , an d Jesu s H is

‘ ’

only So n , ho w ac coun t fo r the rebellious la nguage o f the la tter ? With

”
o u t h es ita tion o r q ua lifica tio n he sweeps a way t he J e w ish lea: tal io n is

an d su bs titu tes fo r it t he la w of c harity a n d se lf de n ia l If the Old -

.

373 See J udges, x iii, 1 8. And the a ngel o f the Lord said unto
him Why askest th o u a fter m
.

y na me, seeing it is ss ca s r?
'
.

3 74 B iod Sic : Bibl hist . I. x v

. . . . 37411 Egyptia n M ythol e
. . .
1 66 IS IS UN VEILED

Testa m ent is a di vin e re vela tion , ho w ca n th e N ew Testa m e nt b e ? Are we

req u ire d to belie ve a n d wo rsh ip a Deity w ho co n tra dic ts him se lf ev ery

few h u n dre d yea rs ? Was M oses in sp ire d , o r was Jes us not th e so n o f

Go d ? Th is is a dilemm a fro mwhic h the th eologian s are bo un d to re s cue

us . I t is fro m this very dilemma that the Gnos tics en dea vored to

”
sna tc h the bu ddin g C hris tian ity .

Jus tice has bee n waitin g nin eteen cen tu ries fo r in tellige n t co mmen

”
ta to rs to a pprec ia te this di fference betwee n th e orthodox Tert ullia n and
t he G no s tic M arcion The bru ta l vio lence , un fairness , an d bigotry o f the
.

“ “
gre a t A fr ic a n re p e l a ll w h o acce pt hi s C hris tia ni ty H o w ca n a .

m m m

”
g o d , in q ui re d M a rc io n , b rea k h is o w n co a n d e n ts ? H o w co u ld
he consis ten tly pro hibit idola try an d im a ge worship an d st ill ca use M oses

”
-

to se t u p t he bra zen serpen t ? H o w co m man d : Thou shalt no t steal ,

a n d the n o rder t he Israeli tes to spo il th e E gyptian s o f the ir go ld and

An tic ipa ting the res u lts of m o dern criticism M

“
silver ? , arc i o n d en ie s

”
t he a pplica bility to Jes us o f th e so ca lled M essianic prophecies , write s
-

T he E m man uel o f Isaiah is no t

“
t he a u thor of S u perna tu ral Religio n ; " 5

Christ ; the Virgin , his mother, is simply a young woman [an alm
‘ ’ ’ ‘
ah

of t he temple] , an d the su fferin gs o f the servan t o f Go d (I sai ah , lii

m
,

1 3 liii, 3) are no t pre dic tio ns of th e dea th of Jesus

-
.

”
3 75 Part. II vu ; cf Tert ullia n : Adv Ma e III x u x iii
. . . r , , , .

3 76 . Emmanuel was do ub tless the so n of th e prophet himself , descri bed in the six th
as
cha pter ; wh a t was predic te d ca n o nly b e interpreted o n th a t hypo thesis The pro phet
.

had also a nno un ced to Ahaz the ex tin c tio n o f his line
“
If ye will no t believe, surely
m
.

h ll n t b t b li h d N x t o th e di t i n f t h l a i ng o f a n e w
p
y e s a o e es a s e e c es e r c o o e p c
m
.

o n t h e t hro ne H eze ki a h o f B e thl e h e sa i( t o h a v e b ee n I sa ia h s

’
so n -in-la w
, under

who mth e ca pt ives sho uld return fro mthe ut term ost part s o f the earth Assyria sho uld
.

be h umbled and peace o rsp ead th I

, v e r e sr ae li tis h co u n tr y ( .C f I.sa ia h v u ,
, 1 4-
1 6 ; viii, 3.
4 ; ix 6 7; x 1 2 2 0 , 2 1 ; x i ; Micah, 17 2 The po pular party, th y o f th e pro phets
e Ahaa a nd his tim
, , , , , ,

al wa ys o ppo sed to the Zado kite pries th oo d had reso lved to set e
serving po licy , w h ic h had let in Assyria upo n Pal es tine, and to set up H ezekiah . a m
,

an
o f the ir o wn d
who sh o ul rebel a a in st A ss y r i a a nd o v er t hr o w t h e A s s u r-wors hi
p a nd
Baa lim(2 Ki ngs x v , x vi) Th o u g m
,

o nly t he ro phe ts h int th is, it being cu t o u t fro the

h
.
,

histo rical bo o ks, it is no ticea b le t a t Ahaz o ered his o wn child to M o lo c h, also tha t he
i h
d ed at t e ge o a f thi rt y- ix
s , an d H eze ki a h too k t h e th ro n e a t t w e nt y -five in full ad ult a e
, g .
1 68 IS IS UNVEILED

N o w if both Abra ha man d M o ses had n o t belo n ged to t he sa me holy

gro u p w e m,i gh t pe rh a p s h elp th eo lo gia ns by su gges ti n g t o t h e m a co n

v e nien t m ea ns o f e sca pe fro m this d ile m ma They ough t t o ca ll the .

rev ere n d Jesu it Fa th ers especially th ose w ho ha ve been m issi on a ries in

In dia to their resc ue The latter would no t be fo r a momen t disco n
.

certed They woul d coolly tell us tha t beyond do ubt A brah a m had
.

hea rd the na m e of Jehovah an d bo rro wed it fro m M oses D o they no t .

ma in ta in that it was they w ho in ven ted the Sa nskrit edited M an u and , ,

co m po sed the grea ter po rt ion o f the Veda s?

M arc io n main ta ined
other Gn os tics the fallac io usness o f
, w ith the ,

the idea o f a n inca rna te Go d an d therefore denied the corporea l rea lity,

of t he livin g bo dy o f Christ H is en tity was a mere ill us io n ; it w as no t

.

ma de o f hu man flesh an d bloo d neither was it born o f a hu ma n mo ther , ,

”
fo r his di vine na ture co ul d n o t b e po llu ted with any co n ta c t wi th sin ful
flesh “ 7
. H e a ccepted Pa ul a s th e o nly a postle preac hin g the pure go s
p el of tru th a n d ac c u se d,t he oth ers o f de p ra v in g th e p ure fo rm o f
th e go spel do c trines deli v ered to them by Jes us m ixin g u p ma tters ,

of the La w with the wo rds of the Sa vior " 3

.

Finally we tha t mo dern biblica l criticism which unfo rtu

may ad d ,

n ately beca me rea lly ac tive an d se rio us o n ly to ward the e n d o f t he las t

cen tu ry n o w gene rally ad m its tha t M arcio n s te xt of the o nly go s pel he

’

knew a nythin g a bou t tha t o f Luke is far superio r a n d by far more

co rrec t tha n th a t o f o u r p resen t Syn optics We fin d in S u pernatural .

Rel igio n th e fo llowing se n tence sta rtlin g fo r every Chris tia n :

“
We ,

therefore i ndebted to M arcio n fo r the co rrect versio n even o f the

‘
are , ,
’
Lo rd
’
s P rayer .
‘7’

If lea vin g fo r the prese n t t he prominen t fo un ders o f Christia n sec s , t

we no w turn to t he sec t o f t he Ophi te s which assu med a defini te form ,

a bo u t th e t im e of M a rc ion a n d th e B as ilidea ns we m ay fin d in it t he ,

reaso n fo r the heres ies o f a ll others Like all other G no stics they rejec ted .

the M o sa ic B ible en tire ly N everth eless th eir philosophy a pa rt from

.
,

so m e ded u c t io n s o rigin al wit h se veral o f the most importa n t founders o f

th e v ario u s bra nc hes o f G nos ticism w as n o t new Pass in g thro ugh the , .

C haldaea n ka balistic tra ditio n it ga thered its ma terials in the Hermetic ,

bo o ks a n d pursuing its fligh t still farther bac k fo r its meta phy sical specu
,

la t io n s we fin d it flo u n derin g a m
, on g the tenets of M a nu and the earlies t ,

H indu an te sacerdota l genesis M a ny of o ur eminen t a n tiquarians trace

-
.

t he G n o stic p h ilosophies righ t bac k to Bu ddhism which doe s no t im pair ,

377 Tert ullian : A dv

. . M are , III , viii, sq.

378 S u p Rel
. .
, part II , vii ; Iren .A gai ns t H eresi es, II I , ii, 2 ;
: cf . II I , t l r. 12 .

3 79 . S u p Rel , lc c cit
. . . .
 THE IN D IAN . C H ALD AEAN , AND OPHI TE TRIN IT IES 1 69

in t he leas t either their o r o u r argum e n ts We repea t B uddhismis .

,

si m l
py h
t e p r i m i ti ve so u rce o f B r ah m a n i s m I t is n o t a ga in.st t h e p rim i tiv e

Vedas tha t Ga u ta ma protests I t is against the sa cerdota l an d officia l

.

sta te reli gio n of his co u n try ; a n d t he B rah m a n as w h o in o rder to m a ke ,

ro o mfo r an d give a u tho rity to t he cas tes , at a la te r pe rio d cra m med th e

an c ien t m a n usc ripts with in terpola ted i lo kas in te n ded t o p ro ve th a t th e
.
,

ca s tes were prede term ined by the C rea to r by the very fac t tha t ea ch class
of m en was issued fro ma m o re o r less no ble lim b of B rah ma Ga u ta ma .

B u ddha s philoso phy was tha t ta u gh t fro mthe be ginning of time in the
’

impenet rable secresy of the inn er sa nc tu aries of the pa go das We n ee d .

n o t b e surprise d th erefore to fin d a ga in in a ll th e f u n da m , en ta l do gm as

o f t h e G n o s tics , the m e ta p hysical te n e ts of both B rah m a n ism a n d

B u ddhism They held tha t th e Old Testament was t he re vela tio n of a n

.

infe rio r be in g a su bo rdin a te divin ity a n d d id n o t co n ta in a sin gle se n

, ,

te n ce of their S ophia the D iv ine Wisdo m As to the N ew Testa m

, . ent it ,

ha d lo st its pu rity when t he co mpilers beca m e guil ty of in terpo la tio ns .

The re vela tio n of divi ne tru th w as sac rificed by themto pro m ote selfish
en ds a n d m ain ta in q u a rrels The acc u sa tion does no t see m so very
.

improbable to o ne W ho is well a ware o f the co ns ta n t strife betwee n t he

”
ch a m pions of c ircu mcisio n a nd the Law , a nd the apo stles w ho had
‘ ’

g i ve n u p J u d a is m .

T he Gno stic Ophites ta ugh t the doc trin e o f E m a n a tio n s , so h a te fu l to

th e de fe nders of t he un ity in t he trinity , a n d vice versa The Unk nown .

De ity with themhad no n ame; b u t his firs t female e mana tio n w as ca lled
B y t h o s o r D e p th I t an swered to t he Shekh in ah of the ka balists , the
m
.

Veil whic h con ce als the Wisdo in th e cra n i um o f t he highest

‘ ’ ‘ ’

o f th e three hea ds As the Pyth a gorea n M o n a d, this na m

. eless Wis do m

w as the S ou rce of Ligh t a n d E n noi c o r M in d is Ligh t itself

, The .

la t te r w as also ca lled th e Pri m i tiv e M a n , like the Ada mK ad mo n , o r

‘ ’

an cien t Ada m of t h e K ab ala In deed , if man was crea ted after his

”
.

liken ess a n d in the ima ge of G o d , then this Go d w as like h is crea ture in

he nce he is the Prim itiv e ma n The first M a n u ,
‘
sha pe a n d figure
’
.

t he o n e e volv ed fro m S vayam

“
bhzl , he w ho ex ists u n revea led in his
o wn glory , is a lso in o ne sen se t he primitiv e m a n , w ith t he H in d us .

Th u s the ‘
na meless a nd the unrevealed female reflex io n B y t ho s, his ,

a n d E nn o ia th e revea led M in d procee d in g fro m both o r their So n

, , ,

a re th e c o u n terpa rts of t h e C ha ldae a n first tria d as well as o f t he B rfih

manica l Trimurti We shall co mpa re : in all the three systems we see :

.

380 We give the syste ms acco rding to a n o ld dia gra mpreserved a mo ng so me Co pts
m
.

and t he
’
Ha za-
ites o f M o un t Le ba no n Irenaeus had perhaps so me goo d
.

reaso ns fo r dis figurin g their do c trines .

1 70 I S IS UNVEILED

TH E G RE A T Fra s r CA U SE as the ON E , the prim

'
ordial ge rm the ,

unre vealed an d gran d ALL ex is tin g thro u gh h imself I n the

, .

I N nu N PAN mno N
'
fi n: C H ALD AEAN m Omrrz
IN
Brhh m Dyaus
a- ll u Ka balistic Ain-So ph
, The N maleas or Secret a .

N ame

Whenever the E ternal a wa kes fro mits slu mber and desires t o mani
fes t itself it divi des itself into male an d female I t then beco mes in
, .

e very system

Tu n D OUB LE Sex - es Da m , The un i versal Fa ther an d M other

IN IN DI A I N C us t o m IN m Ora l rs S r e
-
mt
Brahm a Eiko n or AinS o p h N am eless Spirit

N ara (male) N Art

, (fe An u (m ale) , Ana ta (fe Ab rasax (m a le ) Bythos ,

mal e ) mal e )

I h c mthe union o f the t wo em

' -
a na tes a th ird , o r crea tive Prin c iple

th e SO N , o r th e m
an ifes ted Lo gos , the prod uc t o f the Divin e Mi n d .

I N C us t o m Ornrra S r srnn
Bel, th e So n Ophis (ano ther name for

Enno ia) the So n

,

M oreover of these systems has a triple male tri n ity each

each ,

procee ding se para tely thro u gh itself fro m o ne fema le De ity So for .
,

ins ta n ce :
I N IN DI A I N Ca mu s IN m Ora l rs - -
S r s rrnr
The Trinity Brahms, The trinity Anu Bel, . The tr inity co ns isted of

Vish nu, Siva , are b len ded H oa ( o r Sin Sa , mas , Bin ) , t he M ystery na me d Sigé,
into ON E , who is Brah ma b lend in to ON E who is By thos, Euno ia . These be
( neu ter gender) , creating An u ( do ub le-sex ed ) thro ugh co me ON E who is A bra m ,

an d being create d thro u gh th e Virgin M ylitta

the . Virgin NM (the P neu ma ) , who herself is an

mthero of perpe tual fec e mana tio n of By thos a nd

u ndity ) h
t e M ystery go d and e
-
man
ates thro ugh the m Chrrstos
,

To pu t t he m a t te r s till more clearly , th e Ba bylo nian Sys te mre cog

n ises firs t the O N E (A d o r A d c d) w ho is nev er na ed b u t only ac
,
-
m
kno wledged in tho u gh t as the Hin du S vaya mbhu Fromthis he beco mes .

manifest as A n u o r A na the o ne a bove all M onas N ext co mes the .

Demiu rge ca lled B el o r El, w ho is the ac tiv e po wer o f the Godhea d The .

third is the prin ciple o f Wisdo m, H ea o r H oa , who also rules the sea and
the underwo rld Eac h o f th ese has his div in e conso rt, giving us A nata ,
.
1 72 IS IS UN VEI LED

”
Sp irit As the unre vea led One o r concea led Logo s in its la ten t state
.
, ,

he has existed fro mall ete rnity i n t he A ba I l t he m

r -
e ta phy sica l a bstrae ,

t io n ; therefo re he is O N E with all o thers as a un ity t he la tte r ( including

, ,

all) bein g in di fleren t ly term ed E u n o ia Sige ( sile n ce ) , By th o s , et c As , .

t he revea led o ne he is An dro gy ne Chris to s an d So phi a ( D ivin e Wis

, , ,

do m) w ho descen d in to the man Jes us Both Fa ther an d So n are sho wn

, .

by Irenae u s to ha ve lo ved the bea u ty (formam) o f the primitive wo man ,

w ho is By tho s Depth as well as SO phi a an d as ha vin g p ro duced ,

co n j o in tly Ophis a n d So ph ia (do u ble se xed un ity a gain ) , m ale and -

fe male wisdo m o ne being considere d as the unrevealed Ho ly Spirit or

,

the P neu m t he in tellec t u al M o ther o f all t hi n gs ;

’
elder So phia
‘
a

the o th er th e revea led o ne o r Ophi s typ ifyin g divine wisdo mfallen into ,

ma tter o r Go d man Jes us who mthe G no stic Ophites re presen ted by

,
-
,

th e se rpe n t (Ophis) .

Fec un da ted by the D ivin e Ligh t o f t he Fa ther an d So n th e highest ,

sp irit a n d E nn o ia So phi a p ro d u ces in her tu rn t w o o ther em

, an a tions
o ne pe rfec t C hris to s, t he seco n d im perfec t So phia Acha moth , fro m
“

m
-

ho kha m o th (sim ple wisdo m) who beco mes the media trix between
’
o an , ,

the in tellec tual and m a te rial wo rlds .

C hris to s w as the media to r an d guide between Go d ( the Higher) and ,

e verythin g sp iritu a l in ma n ; A c ha mo th t he yo un ger So p hi a per

fo rmed the sa mg fun c tio n between the Primitive man E un oia and ‘
,
’

ma tter Wha t was mysterio usly mean t by the general term Christos
.
, ,

we ha ve j us t explained .

Delivering a sermo n o n the M o n th o f M a ry we fin d the Re v Dr ‘

,
’
. .

Presto n o f N ew Yo rk C ity expressing the Christian idea of the fe male

, ,

principle o f t he trin ity better and mo re clea rly than we co uld an d sub ,

sta n t ia lly in t he sp irit o f a n a n c ie n t h ea then philo sopher H e says

‘
.

tha t the pla n o f the re demptio n ma de it necessary tha t a mo ther sho uld
b e fo un d a n d M ary sta n ds pre e minen tly a lo ne as t he o nly ins ta n ce when
,
-

a crea t ure w as n ecessa ry to the co nsum ma tio n o f Go d s work We beg ’

.

th e righ t to co n tra dic t t h e re vere n d gen tlem an As sho wn a bo v e tho u .

,

sa n d s o f ye a rs befo re o u r era it w as fo un d n ecessary by all t he hea th en

‘ ’

theo go nies to fin d a female principle a mo the r fo r the triune male ,

‘ ’

princ iple Hence C hristian ity does no t presen t the only ins ta nce of
.
‘

s u ch a co n su m matio n o f God s wo rk albeit as this wo rk sho ws there

’
, ,

was m o re philo so phy a n d less m a te rialism o r ra th er an thropo mo rphism , ,

in it B ut hea r t he revere n d Do c to r exp ress hea then th ough t in

‘ ’
.

382 . Aga i ns t H eres ies, 1 , xx x .

383 I n K ing s Gnostics we find t he syste

’
a little inco rrect The au tho r tells m us
m
t hat he fo llo wed Beller an n s Drei P rogra m en fi ber die A brar as-ge m m m
. .

en .
 THE
‘
TRIN ITY LISTEN FOR M ARY S AN SWER
’ ’
1 73

Chris tian ideas H e ( Go d ) he sa ys

. pre pared her (M ary s) virginal
, ,
’

an d celes tial purity fo r a m other defiled co uld no t beco me the mo ther o f

,

the M ost High The holy virgin even in her childhoo d was m
. o re pleas
, ,

in g th a n all t he Cherubimand Se raphim a n d fro minfa ncy to the ma tur ,

in g m a idenh ood and wom a nh ood she grew m o re an d mo re p ure By her .

very sa nc tity sh e re igne d over th e h eart o f Go d When the ho u r ca m e the .

,

”
whole court of heaven was hus hed and the trinity listened for the ans wer ,

D o es it no t seemas if we were rea ding Irenaeus explaining the G no stic

H eresy which ta ugh t th a t t he Fa th er a n d So n loved the bea u ty ( for
,

mam) of the celest ial Virgin ? o r the Egyptian systemo f Isis being both
wi fe sister and mother o f Osiris Ho rus ? With the Gno stic philo sophy
, ,
-

th ere were b ut two b ut the Christians ha ve improved a nd perfec ted the

,

sy s temby m a kin g it co m pletely hea then fo r it is the Chaldaean Anu ’

,

Bel H oa mergin g in to M ylitta

-
,
“
Then while th is mo n th [o f
.

the m
“
adds D r Pres to n
. begins 1 n the pasch al season
, o n th wh en n a

ture dec ks herself with fruits and flo wers the harbingers o f a brigh t har ,

”
vest let u s to o begin fo r a go lden h arvest I n this mo n th t he dea d
, , .

co m e up o u t of the ea rth figurin g t he res urrec tion ; so when w e a re

,

knee ling before the alta r o f the ho L v a n d im mac ula te M ary let us ,

re m em ber that there should co me fo rth fro mu s the b ud o f pro mise the ,

flo wer o f hope an d the imperishable fru it o f sanc tity

, .

Th is is prec isely the su bstra tu mo f the Pagan tho ugh t which a mong , ,

other meanings b y the rites o f the resurrec tion o f Osiris Ado nis Bac
, , ,

ch u s a n d other sla ugh tere d su n gods sy m

, bolized the resu rrec tio n o f all
-
,

na ture in sprin g th e germ ,ina tio n o f seed s th a t ha d been dea d a nd sleep

in g durin g win ter and so were a llego rica lly sa id to be kept in th e un der
,

wo rld (Hades ) They are typified by t he three days passed in hell before
.

th eir resurrec tion by Hercules C h risto s a nd others , .

This deriva tion o r ra ther heresy as it is called in C hris tianity is

, ,

ply t he Brahmanic doctrine in all its archaic purity Vishnu the

,

sim .
,

seco n d pe rso nage o f the H in d u trin ity is also the Lo go s fo r h e is m a de

, ,

su bseq uen tly to in carn a te him self in K rish n a An d La khm i (o r La kshm i) .

wh o as in the case o f Osiris a n d Isis o f Ain Soph a n d Se ph ira a nd o f

, ,
-
,

By th o s and E nn o ia is wife sis ter a n d da u ghter o f Vishn u thro u gh this

, , , ,

en dless co rrela tio n of m ale a n d fem ale cre a t ive powers in th e a b s tru se

meta physics o f the ancient philo so phies is Sophia Acha mo th K rish -

.

na is t he m ed ia to r pro m i sed by B ra hm s to m an kin d a n d represe n ts t he .

,

sa m e i dea as the G n ostic Chri s to s An d La kshm i Vishn u s sp iritua l half

’
.
, ,

is t he e mblemo f phy sica l n a ture the u niversal m other o f all the ma terial
,

a n d re vea led fo rm s ; t he m e dia trix a n d p ro tec to r of na t ure like So ph ia ,

Ach a moth w ho is m, a de by th e G n o s tic s th e m edia trix be tween the G rea t

 4 IS IS UN VEILED

Cause and M a tter a s C hristos is the medi a to r be tween him [the Great
,

Ca use ] a nd spiritual hu man ity .

This Brah mano G no stic te ne t is mo re lo gical an d mo re consiste nt

-
,

with the alle go ry o f Genesis a nd t he fall o f man When Go d c urses the .

first co u ple H e is m ,a de to c u rse a lso the ea rth a n d e veryth in g t ha t is o n

i t The N ew Testa m
. en t gives u s a Re dee m er fo r th e firs t sin o f m a n kind ,

which w as punis hed fo r ha ving sin ned ; b u t there is no t a wo rd sa id abo ut

a Sa v io r w ho wo uld ta ke a way the un m e ri ted c urse fro mth e ea rth and

t he a nim a ls which had n eve r s inn ed a t all

, Thus the G nostic allegory .

sho ws a grea ter sense o f both j us tice a n d lo gic th an t he C hris tia n .

I n th e Op hite sy s tem So phia t he An dro g ne Wisdo m is also the

, , ,

female spirit o r the H indu female N dri (N drdya na ) mo ving o n the face
, ,

of the wa ters c h ao s o r fu t ure m a t ter

, She vi vifies it fro ma far b ut .
,

no t to uc hi n g t he a by ss o f da rkn ess She is u nable to do so fo r Wisdo mis .

,

purely in tellec tual an d ca nn o t act d irec tly o n ma tter There fore So phia
, .

is o bliged to address herse lf to her Su pre m e Pare n t ; b u t al th o ugh life

pro ceed s primally fro m the Unsee n Ca use and its E un o ia neither of , ,

themca n any mo re than herself ha ve an ythi ng to do with the lower

, ,

c hao s in whic h m a tter ass u m es its defin ite sh a pe Thus So ph ia is o bliged .

,

to e m plo y o n the ta sk her imperfect eman a tio n So phia Acha moth the ,
-
,

la tter bein g o f a m ixed nature h alf spiri tual an d half m a te ria l

, .

The o nly difference between the Ophite cosmo go ny an d th a t o f the St .

Jo hn N aza re nes is a ch an ge o f na mes We fin d an iden tica l systemin .

the K abala the Boo k of M ystery (Liber M ysteri i ) 3 “

”
, All th e three sy s
te ms es pec ially tha t o f the K abalists and the N azarenes whic h were the
, ,

models fo r the Ophite Co smo go ny belo ng to the pure Orien ta l G nosti ,

c ism Th e Codex N aza raeus o pens wi th : The Su pre m

“
. e King o f Light

( M a n o ) t h
, e gre a t fi rs t o n e
“ 5
e t c t h e la tte r be
,in g t h e e m a na ti o n o f
the un kno wn fo rm

”
Perho less LI FE H e is the chief o f the Aeons from
, .
,

who mpro ceed (o r sh oot fo rth ) five refulgen t rays o f Divine ligh t M ano .

is Rea: Lucis the By tho s E nn o ia o f the Ophites

,
-
Un us est Rea: Lucia in .

ma reyno nec ullus qu i eo altior

, n ull us qu i eju s si m il it udi nemretulerit
, ,

n ull us qu i s ublatis oculis vid erit Corona mqu ae i n eju s ca pite est
, , He .

is the M a nifes ted Ligh t aro un d t he highes t o f the three ka b a lis tic heads ,

t he co ncea led wisdo m; fro mhi mem ana te t he three Li ves Aeb el Zivo .
-

is the revea led Lo go s C hristo s the Apos tle G a briel an d the first
‘ ’
, , ,

Lega te o r m esse n ger o f ligh t If By th o s an d Eun oia are the N azarene

.

M an o then the dual na tured the se mi spiritu al semi ma terial Acha

,
-
,
-
,
-

mo th must be Feta hil when viewed from her spiritual aspect ; and if
regarded in h er grosse r n a t ure sh e is t he N azare ne Spiri tus
’
, .

384 See S iphra t

. eni uthah .
385 Code: . N azaraeus . , p 1 , sq I . . 386 I bid , p 1 1
. . . .
1 76 IS IS UNVEILED

are considere d apocryphal and cannot very well b e accepted as an ,

infallible sta n da rd by which to m eas ure the anim o si ty whi ch raged

be tween the two apos tles we h ave the Bible an d the pro ofs afi o rded , ,

therein are plen tifu l .

So ho pelessly en ta ngled to all ou tward appea rance a t leas t seem , s ,

Ire n ae us in his frui tless en dea vors to describe t he true doc tri nes of the
many Gnostic sec ts of which he trea ts and to presen t thema t the same ,

time as abomina ble heresies tha t he either delibera te ly o r thro ugh , ,

ign orance confo un ds all o f the min su ch a way tha t few m e ta p hysicians

”
,

wo uld b e able to disen ta ngle them wi thou t the Ka bala an d the Code:
as the true keys Thus fo r ins ta nce he ca nn ot even tell the difference
.

between the Se thianites and the Ophites an d tells us tha t both ca lled the ,

Go d o f all H om i nem a M A N an d hi s m in d the SEC O N D man o r the

‘ ’ ‘ ’

, , , ,

S on of m So does Theo do re t w ho liv ed m o re than t w o cen tu ries

’
an .
,

a fte r Iren ae us a n d w ho m a kes a sad m

, ess o f the chro n o lo gica l order in

which t he vario us sec ts succeed ed each other N either the Se thianites .

( a bra n c h o f t h e J e wi sh N a z are n es ) n o r t h e Op hi tes a p u re l y G reek , ,

sec t h a ve eve r held a n ythin g o f t he kin d

, Ire naeus con tradic ts his o wn .

wo rds by describin g in ano ther place the do c trines o f Ce rinth us the ,

direc t disc iple o f Simo n M agu s H e says th a t Cerinthus ta ugh t tha t the .

wo rld was no t crea ted by t he m ar GOD b ut by a virtue (virtus) or ,

power an Aeo n so dis ta n t fro mthe fi rst Ca use tha t he was ev e n ignorant
,

o f H I M w ho is above all thi ngs This Aeo n su bj ec ted Jes us he bego t him .
,

physically thro u gh Jose ph fro mo ne who w as no t a virgin b u t simply the ,

wife o f tha t Jo seph an d Jes u s was bo rn like all other me n Vie wed
, .

fro mth is phy sica l aspec t o f his nature Jes u s w as ca lled the so n o f man ,
‘
.
’

I t w as o nly after his baptism tha t Chris to s the a no in ted descen de d fro m , , ,

t he Prince liness o f a bove in the figure o f a do ve an d then a nn ou n ced ,

t he U N K N O W N Fa ther thro u gh Jesu s “ .

If therefo re Jesu s w as physically co n sidere d as a so n o f man and ,

sp irit u ally a s t he C hristo s w h o o versha do wed him ho w then co uld the ,

‘
GO D o r AL L the Un kno wn Fa ther b e ca lled by the Gnos tics H o m
,
’
o ,
’
,

a M A N a n d his M in d E un o ia t he S ECO N D m
, , a n o r S on of m a n? N either
, ,

in t he Orien ta l K a bala n o r in G no sticism w a s the Go d o f all ever

‘ ’
, ,

an thro po m o rph ized It is b u t t he first o r ra ther the seco nd ema na tio ns

.
, ,

fo r Shekh ina h Se phira Depth an d o th er first m

, , a nifes ted fe m ale virtues ,
-

are also em a n a t io n s tha t are termed primitive men

, Th us Adam ‘
.
’

K admo n E n no ia (o r S ige) t he lo goi in sho rt are t he only begotten

‘ ’
-
, , ,

o n es b u t n o t the S o ns o f m an which appella tio n pro perly belongs ,

388 . Irenaeus : Agai nst H eres ies , I m , , l; Theo do re t : H aereticarumj ohnl m

389 . Irenaeus : 0p . ci t.
, I , x x vi, l .
 CHRIST S D ESCENT IN TO
’ ‘
HELL
’
1 77

to Chris to s the so n o f So phia (the elder) an d of the primitive man who

pro d u c es him thro ugh his o wn vivify ing ligh t which eman a tes fro m ,

the so u rce o r ca use of all (hence the cause o f his ligh t also ) the Un ,

known Fa ther There is a great differen ce made in the G no stic meta

.
’

phy sics between the firs t unrevealed Logos an d the ano in ted who is ‘
,
’

Chris t o s Enno ia may b e termed as Philo u ndersta n ds it the S econd

.
, ,

Go d b u t he alo ne is the Primitive an d fi rst m an d by n o m

‘ ’
, an ea ns ,

the Seco n d o ne as Theo do re t an d Ire naeus express it

, It w as only .

the in ve tera te desire of th e la tter even in hi s A gai nst H eresies to co n , ,

nect Jesus in every possible w ay with the H i ghest Go d tha t led h im

'

in to so m any falsifica tio ns .

S u ch an iden tifica tion with the Un known Go d e ven of C hris to s th e

”
,

ano in ted the Aeo n who overshado wed hi m let alo ne o f t he man
Jesu s never en tered the hea ds of the Gno stics o r even o f the direc t
, ,

apo st les an d o f Pa ul wha te ver la ter fo rgeries [o r in terpola tio ns] m

, ay

ha ve a dded [ to the te xt s] .

H o w da rin g an d despera te were m an y such delibera te fals ifica tio ns ,

was sh own in t he firs t a ttem pts to compare the o riginal man usc ripts with
la ter ones I n Bishop Ho rsley s editio n o f Sir Isaac N ewto n s wo rks
’ ’
o
.
,

se veral m an uscrip ts o n theo lo gica l su bj ec ts were ca u tio usly wi thh eld

fro mp ublica tion The article kn o wn as Chris t s Desce nt i nto H ell which
.
’

is fo un d in the la ter Apo stles C reed is n o t to be fo un d in t he m

’
an u ,

scri pts of either the fo urth o r sixth ce n turies It was an eviden t in terpo .

la tion copied fromthe fables o f Bacch us an d Herc ules an d fo rce d u po n ,

Chris tendom as an article of fa ith Co ncernin g it the a u tho r o f the

”
.

preface to the Catalo gue of the M an uscripts of the Ki ng s Library (preface ’

,

p xx iv) re marks : I wish tha t the insertio n o f the article o f Chri s t s

.
“ ’

” ” ”
Desce nt i nto H ell in to t he Apost les C reed could be as well acco un ted fo r
’

as th e i ns ertio n o f t he said verse viz 1 J ohn v , .

, , ,

“
N o w this verse re ad s : Fo r there are three tha t bear reco rd in
hea ven the Fa ther t he Wo rd a n d the Ho ly G hos t : an d these three are
, , ,

o ne . This verse which h as been appoin ted to b e rea d in churches

, ,

I t is no t to b e fo un d in any G reek man u

“
n o w kn o wn to b e sp urio us .

script sa ve o ne a t Berlin
, which w as tran scribed fro mso me in terpola ted
,

p a ra p h ra s e b e twee n t he lin es I n t he firs t a n d seco n d e

. d i tio n s of E ras

mus The N ew Testa ment prin ted in 1 5 1 6 an d 1 5 1 9 this allusio n to these

’
, ,

t hree hea venly witn esses is om

“
itted ; a n d t he text is no t con ta in ed in an y
G ree k m a n u script wh ich w as written ea rlie r tha n t he fifteen th

”
390 Lo ndo n, 1 779-85 4 vo ls 39 1 See preface ]to th e A pocryphal N ew
m
.
, . .

Testa ent : Lo ndo n, printed for W . Ho ne, Ludga te H ill 1 82 0 , .

I t is first cited by Vigil ius Tapse nsis [Tha psensis] a La t in writer o f no credit. in
“
39 2
m
.
,

the latter and o f the fift h cen tury and b y hi it is suspec ted to ha ve been fo rged
,
— Loc cit .
. .
 ”
1 78 ISIS UN VE ILED

I t was no t men tio ned by any o f the Greek ecclesiastica l w rite rs no r by the
ea rl y La tin fa thers so a nxio us to get at e very pro o f in su ppo rt o f their
,

trin ity ; a nd it was o mitted by Lu ther in his Germa n versio n Edward .

Gibbo n 3
w as ea rly in po in tin g o u t its sp u rio u s c haracte r Arch b isho p .

N e wco m e rej ec ted it a n d the B is ho p o f Lin coln exp resse d his co n victio n
,

"M
th a t it is spurio us There are twen ty six G reek a u tho rs
. Irenae us -
,

Cle men t and A thanas iu s inc lu ded

, wh o neither q uo te n o r m en tio n it ;

a n d se ve n tee n La tin writers n u m berin g a mo n g themAugus tine Jerom

, e , ,

Am brosiu s Cyp ria n and Po pe Eu sebius who appear u tterly igno rant
, , ,

”
“
o f it . I t is ev iden t th at if the te xt o f the heavenly witn esses had been
kn o wn from t he begin nin g o f C hristia nity t he a ncien ts woul d have
ea ge rly se ized it inse rted it in their cree ds qu o te d it re pea te dl y against
, ,

t he heretics a n d se lec ted it fo r th e brigh test o rnam

, en t o f e very bo o k

tha t they wrote u po n t he su bj ec t o f the Trinity “ 5

.

Thus falls to the gro un d the stro ngest trin ita rian pillar An other no t .

less o bv io u s fo rgery is qu o ted fro m Sir Isa ac N ewto n s words by the

’

edito r o f t he A pocryphal N ew Testa m ent N ewto n o bserves th a t what .

the La tin s hav e do ne t o this text ( 1 J ohn v t he G reeks h a ve do ne , ,

to the wo rds o f St Pa u l ( 1 Ti m iii . Fo r by ch an gin g 0 2 in to 0 2

.
, , , ,

th e abbre via tio n o f ( G o d ) i n t he Alexan drian m an us cript fro m

, ,

”
which their subsequen t copies were made they no w rea d Grea t is the “
, ,

mystery of godl i ness G o n ma n ifested in the fies , whereas all the

ch u rc hes fo r t h e first fo ur o r fiv e cen turies an d t he a u th o rs o f all the
, ,

a n cien t versio ns Jero m G rea t is th e mystery

“
e as well as the res t rea d :
m
, ,

o f go dl iness WH I C H W A S m

”
a n ifested i n the flesh N ewton a dds that .
,

no w th a t t he disp u tes o ver th is fo rge ry are o ve r they th a t re ad Go n ,

ma de man ifest in the flesh instead o f the godl iness which was manifes ted
,

in the flesh thin k this pas sa ge o ne o f the m

, o st o bvio us a n d pertinen t

texts fo r t he b u siness .

”
A n d no w w e a gain as k t he questio n : Who were the firs t Christians ?
Tho se who were read ily co n verted by t he elo q uen t simplicity of Paul ,

w ho pro m ised th em in t he n a me o f Jesu s freedom from t he narrow

, ,

bon ds o f ecc lesiastic ism They u nders to o d b u t o ne thi n g; they were the

”
.

ch il dren o f pro m M
“
G l i h ll f h i
‘ ’
ise ( a v T e a e g o ry . o, t e ,osa c

Bib le w as u nveiled to the m; t he co venan t fro mthe M oun t Sina i which

“
,

g e n de re th to b o n da ge w a s A g ar ( i bid t he o ld J e w is h sy na g g
o .
, ,

in bo n da ge with her c hil dren to Jerusalem the new and

“
a n d she w as ,

39 3 . Decli ne a nd Fall , etc .

, ch . x x x viii ( III , pp . 703
39 4 C hr
. . Wo rdsworth : Ele ments f Theolo gy
o p 90, no te . II , . .

395 See Po rso n s Letters to M r A rchdeaco n Travis, i n A nswer to hi s Defence f the

’
. . o
th ree H eavenly Wit nes ses pp 3 63 , 402 et c : , .
, Lo n do n, 1 790 .

39 6 Practica lly
. co nceded in t he Revised Version N . T . of 1 881 .
 ”
ISIS UN VEILED

fast therefo re in the liberty where wi th Ch rist ha th made u s free and ,

b e n o t en tan gled a gain with th e yo ke of bo n da ge Beh old I Paul .

,

say u n to y o u th a t if y e b e c irc u m
,
ci sed C hris t shall profit y o u no thing!
,

( G al
.
, iv 30 ;,
v W h a t ,d o w e fi n d P e te r w ri tin g ? W h o m d o es

he mea n by sa ying They spea k grea t swellin g wo rds of vanity

, .

While they promise them liberty they the mse lv es are the servants ,

of corruptio n : fo r of who ma man is o verco me o f the same h e is brought ,

”
in bo n dage Fo r if after they ha ve escaped t he pollu tions of the wo rld
.

thro u gh the kn o wledge o f the Lord a nd Sa vio r Jes us Chris t they ,

are a gain en ta n gled there in an d o verco m e , it had been better for

the mno t to ha ve kno wn the way of righteo usness th an after they ha ve , ,

kno wn it to turn from the ho ly comma ndment delivered u nto them

”
,

”
(2 P eter ii 1 8 , ,

Peter ce rta inly can no t ha ve mean t the G nos tics fo r they ha d never ,

seen t he ho ly co m mandmen t delivered un to them Paul ha d They .

ne ver prom ised any o ne liberty fro mbo ndage b ut Pa ul ha d done so

“
,
“
repea tedly M o reover t he la tter rej ec ts the o ld covenan t Agar the
. , ,

bondwoma n and Pe ter ho lds fas t to it Pa ul warns the people against

,
.

t he po wers an d dign ities ( the lo wer an gels o f the ka ba list s) a n d Pe ter ,

as will b e sh own further respec ts thema n d deno u nces th ose who do not
, .

Peter preach es circ umcisio n an d Pa ul fo rbids it , .

La ter when all these ext raordinary blun ders contradic tions dissen
, , ,

sions an d in ven tio ns were fo rc ibly cram med in to a fra me ela borate ly
exec u ted by t he episc opal caste of the new religion an d ca lle d C hris ,

t ian ity ; an d the chaotic pic t ure its elf w as c unnin gly preserved from
to o c lo se scru tin y by a who le array o f form i da ble C hurch penan ces and
a na the m as whi ch kept the curio us back un der the false pre tense of
,

sa c rile ge an d p rofan a tio n o f div in e m ysteries ; an d when millions o f

peo ple had been butc here d in t he na me o f the Go d of mercy then
ca m e th e Refo rm a tio n It certa in ly deserves its name in t he fullest
.

p ar o d o x ica l se nse I t a ba n d o n ed. P e te r a n d a lle ges t o ha v e c h o sen P aul

fo r its o nly lea der An d the a po stle who th un dere d against th e o ld law
.

o f bo n da ge ; w ho left full liberty to C hris tia ns to either ob serve the

Sa bba th o r set it aside ; who rej ec ts everyth ing an terio r to Joh n the .

Baptist is no w the professed sta ndard bearer o f Pro tes ta n tism which
,
-

ho lds to t he old law mo re tha n did the Jews imprisons those wh o view
,

the Sa bba th as Jesus a n d Pa ul did an d o u tvies the synagog o f th e firs t ,

ce n tury in do gm a tic in to leran ce !

B u t who th en were the firs t Christians m ay st ill b e as ked ? , D o ubt

less the E bio ni tes ; an d 111 this we fo llo w the a u tho rity of the bes t critics
There ca n be little do ubt tha t the au tho r [o f the Clem
.

enti ne H om
“
il ies]
w as a represen ta tive o f E bion itic G nos ticism whic h had once been the ,
 M US OWN RELATI VES EB ION ITES
’
1 81

pu res t f m
orofprimitive Chris tia nity An d w ho were the E b io n .

ites ? The p upils an d followers of the early N azarenes , the ka balistic

Gno s tics I n the preface to t he Codex N asc raeus , the tra nsla tor says :
.

“
Tha t also t he N azarenes did no t rej ec t the Aeo ns is na t ural .

Fo r o f t he E bionites who ac kn o wled ged the [ t h e Aeons] , these w ere m

”
We fin d moreover Epiphanius the C hristian Ho mer o f The H eresies
, , , ,

tellin g u s tha t Eb io n had the o pinion o f t he N azarenes the formo f the

“
,

Cerin thians (who fable tha t the world was pu t toge ther b y angels ) and ,

the a ppella tio n of C hris tians An appella tion certainly m ore co rrec t
.

ly applied to them th an to t he ortho d o x (ao ca lled ) Christians o f th e -

sch ool of Ire naeus an d o f the la ter Va tica n Renan sho ws the Ebio ni tes .

n um bering among their sec t all the survivin g rela tives o f Jesus Jo hn t he .

Ba pt is t h is cousin and precursor was t he accep te d Sa vio r of the N aza

, ,

renes and their prophet

, H is disciples dwelt o n the o ther side of the
.

Jordan and the scene o f the baptismo f the Jordan is clearly and beyo n d
,

any q u es tion prove d b y th e a u tho r o f S od the S on of the M an to ha ve ,

bee n th e site of the Adonis wo rship “ O ver the Jo rda n and beyo n d the
-
.

la ke dwelt the N as arenes a sec t said to ha ve existed a lrea dy at t he birth

,

o f Iesus an d to ha ve co un ted h imam

, o n g its n um ber They mus t ha ve .

ext en de d alo n g t he eas t o f the Jorda n a n d so u theas terly am on g the ,

”
Ara bia ns ( Gal i 1 7 2 1 ; ii 1 1 ) and Sabaean s in the direc tion o f Basra ;
.
, , , ,

an d a gain they m u st ha ve go ne far no rth o ver the Leban o n to An tio c h

~
, ,

also t o the n ortheas t to th e N asarian se ttle m en t in Beroea where S t , .

Jerome foun d them I n the desert the M ysteries o f Ado nis may have

”
.

s till p re vailed ; in t he m oun ta ins Aiai Adonin was still a cry ! “3

“
Ha ving been u ni ted (conju nctus) to the N aza renes eac h (E bio nite)
m
,

im rte d to the other o ut o f his o wn wickedness an d dec ided tha t Chris t ,

was of the seed of a m “

”
an writes Epiphani us , .

An d if they did we must su ppose they knew m

”
, o re a bo u t th e ir co n

te mporary prophet than E piphanius 400 years la ter Theo do re t as .

,
“
sh ow n else where describes the N azarenes as Jews w ho hono r the
,

An oin ted as a j us t m

”
“
an an d use th e eva ngel ca lle d A ccordi ng to
,

P eter . Jerome fin ds the a u then tic an d o riginal eva ngel written in ,

Hebre w b y M a tthew the apo s tle p ublican in the library collec ted a t -
,

Caesarea by th e martyr Pamphilus

- I recei ved perm is sio n fro m the .

N aza raeans who at Beroea o f Syria use this [go spel] to tra nscribe it he
, , ,

398 Su pern Rd part II, v

. . . 399 N o rberg : Cod N az , pref
. . . .
, p . v.

400 P
. m
, lib I. to m II, I ndie ,
. . .
5 8 ; Haer . XXVII I , i, XXX i , .

-x x iv I bid
40 1 Prefac e, pp
. v . . 402 . .
, p . vu .
 ”
1 82 IS IS UN VE ILED

”
“
writes toward the
fo urth
en d o f the I n the evangel which
the N azaren es a n d E bion ites use a dds Jero m e which recen tly I trans , ,

la ted fro mHebrew in to Greek a n d wh ich is ca lled by m o st pe rso ns the

,

G l M h “
g en u i n e o sp e of a tt ew e t c , .

Tha t the apostles ha d rece ived a sec re t do c trin e fromJesus and ‘ ’

,

tha t he himself ta ugh t o ne is e viden t fromt he fo llo wing words o f Jerom

, e ,

who co nfes sed it in a n un guarded m om ent Writin g to the Bishops .

C hro m he com
“
a tiu s an d H elio d o ru s plains tha t a difi cult wo rk is
,

e nj o in ed sin ce th is tran sla tio n h as bee n c o m

, man ded me by yo ur Felici
ties which M atthew hi m
, self the A postle a nd Evangelis t DI D N OT man
, ,

T o B E O PE NLY WR I TT E N Fo r if it ha d no t been SE CR E T he [M a tthew]

.
,

wo uld have added to the evangel tha t wha t he ga ve forth was his ;
b u t he m ade this book sc aled u p in the Heb rew c harac t ers which ,

”
he p ut fo rth even i n s uch a way th a t th e bo ok written in Heb re w letters ,

a n d by the ha nd of hi m s elf m igh t b e possessed by the m

, en m o st religio us;

w ho also in t he co urse o f tim

, e rece ived it fro m tho se who p receded ,

them B ut this very book they never gave to any o ne to b e tran

.

sc ribed an d its tex t they rela te d so m e o ne way a n d so m e another

“ 7
, .

An d he a dds further o n the sa m

“
e pa ge : An d it ha ppened tha t this
book ha ving been published by a disciple o f M anichae us na med

” ”
, ,

Seleu c us w ho also wrote falsely The A cts of the A po stles exhibited

, ,

ma tter no t fo r edifi catio n b ut fo r des truc tion ; an d tha t this bo o k

,

w as approved in a sy no d whic h the ea rs o f th e C h urch properly refused

t o lis ten to “ 3
.

H e ad m its hi m se lf tha t the book which he a u then tica tes as being

written by the ha nd of M atthew w as nearly unin telligible to him

”
,

405 Jero me :
De vir ill ust , iii I t is re ma rka ble tha t while all churc h fa thers say

th a t M a t thew wro te in H ebrew, the who le o f t hemuse t he Greek tex t as t he genu ine
. .
. ,

apos to lic writ in , witho u t m en tio nin g w ha t rela tio n t he H ebrew Ma t thew has to our
.

Greek o ne ! I t ad m a ny g
ia r add iti ons w h ich are wa nting in o ur evangel (Ols
der sd m mtlichen S chrdten des N euen Test , p 35 ; p x lix ,
.
' ’

hausen : N achweis der Ec

in Am er ed o f his Bibl Com m N T , 1 860
. .

. . . . . . .

406 Jero m
. e : Co mm to M att , x i i , 1 3 Jero me adds that it was written in the Chal
. .

daic la nguage. b ut with H eb rew letters ( Dial contra Pelag iii, . .

,

40 7 Co m
. m to M att , v, 445; S od the S on of the M an, p 46
. , . .

408 Th is acco u n ts also fo r the rej ectio n o f the works of Justin Martyr, who used
m
.

m
this Gospel acco rd in g to the Heb re ws as also did os t pro bab ly Tat ian, his dis
’
o nl ,

cip e At what la te perio d was fully esta blish ed the di vi nity o f C hris t, we can j udge
m
.

b y the ere fac t th a t even in t he fo urth ca E usebius (Ecol H ist , , x x v) did no t . III
deno unce this boo k as spurio us b ut o nly cl , it with such as t he Apo calypse of John;
an d C re dner (Zur Gesch des K anons, p 1 2 0 ) sho ws N ice ho rns, a t the en d o f t he eighth

”
m
. .

centu ry, inserting it, to ge th er with the Revela ti on o f Jo n, in h is S ticho et ry

‘ ’
a ong m
t he A ntil ego ena m
The E b io nites, the gen ui ne pri it ive Christians, rejecting the rest m
m
.

o f th e apo sto lic writi n gs , a de use o nl y o f this G ospel ( renaeus : A gst H er , , x x vi, 2 ; also I I
fim
. .

E useb : Eccl H is t , III

, x x v ii) , a nd t he E b io n ites, as E pipha nius decla res, r ly believed
m m
. .

“
with th e N azare nes t hat Jesus was b u t a an o f t he seed o f a an (Haer XX X, iii) . .
1 84 IS IS UN VE ILED

whi ch beco m e da rker as they successively recede fro m th eir fa ther .

With the la tter they all in habit se ven regio ns di sposed like a ladder
, ,

beginn in g un der the middle space the regio n of their mo ther So phia ,

Ac ha mo th a n d en ding with o ur ea rth t he seventh re gio n

, Thus they , .

a re t he ge n n o f th e se ven p lan eta ry spheres o f w hich the lowest is the

re gio n o f o u r ea rth (t he sphere w hich surrou n ds it o u r ae th er) The , .

respecti ve n am es of th ese ge ni i o f t he sph eres are I ove (Jeho vah) ,

”
S abao th A don ai Elo i Ou raio s A sta pha io s “ lo
The first four as every
, , , , .
,

o ne kn o ws are the m ystic na mes o f the Jewish Lord Go d being as ‘ ’

, , ,

C W King expresses it thu s degraded by th e Ophites into the appella

. . ,

tio ns o f the subo rdina tes o f t he Crea to r ; t he two last na mes are those
of the genii o f fire an d wa ter .

Il da Bao th who msevera l sec ts regard ed as the Go d o f M o ses was

-
, ,

n o t a p ure spirit ; h e was a m bitio us and pro u d an d rejec ting the spiritu al ,

ligh t o f the middle space o ffered hi mby hi s mother So phia Ac h am o th -

,

he se t h im se lf to crea te a wo rld o f his o wn Aided b y his so ns the six .

,

planeta ry genii he fabrica ted ma n b u t this o ne proved a fail ure It

, , .

was a m o ns ter ; so u lless igno ran t an d cra wlin g o n all fo urs o n the
, ,

g r o u n d lik e a m a te r ia l beas t Ild a B ao t h w as fo rce

. d t o im p
-
lo re t h e help

o f his spiritual m o t he r She co mmunica ted to hima ray o f her divine

.

ligh t an d so a nim
, a ted m an an d en do wed him wi th a soul And no w .

began the animo sity o f Il da Bao th to ward his o wn crea ture Fo llowi ng
-
.

the im pu lse of t he divine ligh t man soared higher and hi gher in his aspi
,

ra tio ns ; very soon he bega n prese n tin g n o t the im age of his Crea tor ,

Ilda B ao th b ut ra ther th a t o f the Su pre me Bein g the primi ti ve man

‘ ’
-
, , ,

E un o ia Then t he Demiurge w as filled wi th rage an d en vy ; an d fixing

.

his j ea lo u s ey e o n t he abyss o f ma tter h is looks envenom ed wi th passio n

,

were suddenly reflec ted in it as in a mirror ; the re flex io n became ani

”
ma te an d there aro se o ut o f the a byss Sa tan serpen t Ophi o mo rphos
, , ,

th e em bo dimen t o f en vy an d o f cunning H e is the u nion o f all that

“
.

is mo st base in m a tter wi th the ha te en vy , an d craf t of a spiritual , ,

in telligence “1
.

Afte r tha t always in spite at the perfec tio n of m

, an Il da Bao th ,
-

c rea ted t he three kin gdo m s o f n a tu re the m ineral vegeta ble an d anim ,
al , , ,

with all evil ins tinc ts a nd pro perties Impo te n t to ann ihilate the Tree o f .

K n o wledge wh ic h gro ws in his sphere as in e very o ne o f the pla neta ry

,

regio ns b u t ben t u po n de ta ch in g m
, an fro mhis spiritual prot ec tress
‘ ’
,

Ilda B ao th fo rba de himto ea t o f its fruit fo r fea r it sho uld re veal to man
-
,

409 . C . W K ing :
. The Gnosti cs , p 9 7; 2 nd edi t etc .
, . .

4 1 0 This l o ve, I ao
.
, o r Jeho vah is
q uite dis t inc t fro m
th e Go d of th e M ysteries, Ia o
held sacred b y all th e na tio ns o f ant i q uity We will sho w th e d iflerence presen tly
. .

41 1 . King : The Gnostics , etc .

, p . 98 .
 THE REVEN GE OF ILD A BAOTH -
1 85

kin d t he my steries o f the superio r wo rld B ut Sophia Achamoth w ho .

-
,

loved a n d protecte d the man who m she had ani ma ted sen t her o w n ,

ge n i u s O p hi s in t h e f
,o rm o f a se rp e n t to in d u ce ma n t o t ra ns gre ss t he ,

selfish a n d u n j us t co m mand An d man suddenly became ca pable o f .

com prehending the mysteries o f crea tion .

Il da Bao th re ven ged himself by p unishi n g t he first pair fo r man

-
, ,

throu gh his kno wled ge ha d alrea dy provided fo r hi mself a co mpanion o u t

,

of his spiritual an d ma terial ha lf H e imprisoned man an d wo man in a .

dun geo n o f ma tter in the bo dy so un wo rthy o f his na ture where in man

, ,

is s till en thralled Bu t Acha mo th pro tec ted himstill She esta blished
. .

between her celes tial re gio n an d man a curren t o f divine ligh t an d ‘ ’

,

kept co nstan tly su pply in g h imwith this spi ritual illu minatio n .

Then fo llo w allego ries e mbo dy in g the idea o f dualism o r the stru ggle ,

between good and evil spirit an d ma tter which is fo u nd in every co s

, ,

mo go ny and the so urce o f which is again to be sought in In dia The

, .

types and an titypes re presen t t he heroes o f this G no stic Pan theon b o r ,

rowed fro mthe m ost ancien t mytho poeic ages But in these perso na ges .
,

Ophis an d Ophio mo rpho s Sophia an d Sophi a Ach a mo th A da mK ad ,

-
,
-

mo n and Adam the planeta ry genii an d the divine Aeo ns w e ca n also

, ,

rec o gnise very eas ily th e m o dels o f o ur biblica l cop ies t he e uhe m e rize d

tr iarc h s Th e a rch an gels an gels virt ues an d powers are a ll fo u n d

p a .
, , , ,

un der other nam es in the Vedas an d the B u ddhistic syste m The

, .

A vestic Su pre m e Be in g Zero an s o r Bo un dless Tim rs th e type o f all

‘
-
, e , ,

th ese Gn ostic an d ka balistic Depths Cro wns an d even of the Chal ‘

,
’
,
’

daea n Ai n Soph The six Amshaspe nds cre a ted th ro ugh the Wo rd o f
‘ ’
- .
,

O rm a zd the Firs t Bo m ha ve th eir re flexio ns in B y th o s a n d hi s e m

’

,
-
, a na

tions and the an titypes o f Ormazd Ahri man an d his devs a lso en ter
,
-

in to the co mposition o f Ilda B ao th a n d h is six m ateria l tho ugh no t -

,

w h olly e vil plan e tary genii

,

Acha mo th afi icted with t he e vils which befall human ity n o t wit h

,

s ta n ding h er pro tec tio n beseec hes the ce lestial mother So phi a
, her
a n titype to pre vail o n th e u n kn o wn D E PTH to se n d do wn C hristo s ( the
so n a n d e m a na tio n of the Celes tial Virgin to the help o f perish ing ‘

h um an ity Il da Bao t h an d his six son s o f ma tter a re sh u tt in g bu t the

.
-

divine ligh t fro mman kind M an must b e sa ved Ilda B ao th had a l . .

-

rea dy sen t his o wn age n t Jo hn t he B a ptist fro mt h e race o f Se th wh o m

, , ,

he pro tects as a pro phet to hi s peo p le ; b u t o nly a sm a ll po rt io n lis

tene d to him the N azarenes the o pponen ts o f the Jews o n acco un t o f

”
, ,

th eir worshi pin g I urb o Ad una i “ Ac h a m o th ha d assu red h er so n Il d a

-
.
,

41 2 I urb o and Adu na i acc o rd ing to the Oph ites, are na es o f I ao-Jeho va h o ne m
mana tio ns
. , ,

o f I lda -Bao t h
“
of th e e I urb o is called b y th e Ab o rt io ns [th e Jews] Ad una i
.

( Codes N azaraeus , III , p .

1 86 IS IS UNVEILED

Bao th th at the reign o f C hris tos wo ul d b e o nly tempora l and th us she

, ,

in d uced hi mto sen d the fo reru nn er o r prec ursor Be sides tha t she m ade , .
,

hi mca use t he birth o f the m a n Jes u s fro mth e Virgin M ary h er o wn ty pe ,

fo r the c rea tio n o f a m

“
o n ea rth , a teria l perso na ge co uld o nly b e the

wo rk o f the Demi urge no t falling within the pro vince o f a hi gher power , .

As so o n as Jes us was bo rn C hrist os t he perfec t, uni tin g him self wi th , ,

So phi a [ wisdo man d spiritu ality ] desce n ded thro ugh the se ve n plane tary ,

regio ns as sum in g in eac h a n a nalo go us fo rm an d co ncea lin g his true

, ,

n at ure fro m the ir gem while b e a ttra cted in to hi mself the sparks o f

”
i ,

div in e ligh t whi ch they reta in ed in their esse nce Th us Chris tos en tered .

in to the m a n Jes u s at the m om en t o f his ba ptis min the Jo rda n Fro m .

tha t time Jes us began to wo rk mirac les ; befo re tha t he ha d been

m
,

co m pletely igno ran t o f his missio n .

Ild disco verin g tha t Christ os was brin ging to an end his o wn
a - B ao th ,

kingdo mo f ma tter stirred u p t he Je ws against hi m an d Jes u s w as pu t to

, ,

dea th “ 4
When o n t he Cro ss Chris to s an d So phi a left his b o dy and re
.
,

turned to their o wn sphere The ma terial body o f the man Jesus was .

a ba n do ned to the ea rth b u t he hi m self was given a b o dy m a d e u p of

,

aether (as tral sou l)

“
Thence fo rward he co nsisted o f merely so ul and
.

spi rit wh ich w as the rea so n w hy t he disc iples did n o t recogni se himaft er
,

t he resu rrec tio n I n thi s spiritu al sta te o f a si m

. ula crum Jes us re m ain ed ,

o n earth fo r eigh teen m o n ths after he h ad risen D urin g th is last .

soj o u rn he received fro m Sophi a th a t pe rfec t kno wledge tha t true

, ,

G no sis which he co m
, mu nicated to the very few amo ng the apostles who
were ca pa ble o f receivi ng the sa me .

“
Thence ascen ding in to t he middl e space he sits o n the righ t hand
, ,

o f Ilda B ao t h b u t u n pe rceived by hi m an d the re co llec ts all th e so uls

-
, ,

”
which shall ha ve been purified by the kn o wled ge o f Chris t When he has .

co llec ted all the sp iritu al ligh t th a t e x ists in m a tter o u t o f Il da Bao th s

’
-
,

em pire the redemptio n will be acco mplished and the wo rld will be
,

destro yed Such is the mea ni ng o f the re abso rptio n o f all Ligh t into
m
.

th e plero m a o r fullness whence it o riginally desce n ded , .

”m
mains

”
41 3 . King : The Gnostics a nd thei r Re , p . 1 00 ; 2 nd ed it.

414 I n t he Gospel of N icodem us Il da- Bao th is called S ata n b y the pio us a n d ano ny

m
.

o us a u t h o r e viden tly o ne o f the final flings a t the half-crushed

m sa ys Sa ta n ex cu sin g him self to t he prince o f hell
“
I te pted m

”
e
m m
, , ,

st irred up y o ld plc the Jews aga ins t hi ( H o ne : A N T N icod x v 9

m m
.
, , .
, ,

a nd Grynaeu s : Or w grapha. vo l I , to
a ii, pp all ex a ples o f C hristian
ingra tit u de t his see s alm o s t t he m m
. . .

, os t co nsp ic uo us e po o r Jews are first ro b be d of .

t heir sa cred b o o ks and t he n in a spurio us G os pel are ins ulted b y the represen ta tio n of
‘ ’

m m m m
, , ,

If they w ere his peo ple and at the sa e ti e are

“
Sa ta n cla i ing the as h is o ld peo ple
m
,

God s cho sen peo ple then the na e o f this Go d m

.

us t be writ te n Sa ta n a nd no t Jeho vah

‘ ’ ’

m m
.
,

Th is is lo gi c, b u t we do ub t if it ca n be regard ed as co pli ent ary to the Lord God

‘

o f Israel 4 1 5 The Gnosti cs , lee cit

’
. . . .
 88 IS IS UNVEILED

hea ve nly m o ther Pru niko s , wi shi n g to de prive Il da B ao th o f the power

,
-

with which she h ad un wittin gly endo wed hi m infused in to man a celestial ,

spark the sp irit I mmedia tely man rose u po n his fee t so ared in min d
.
,

”
beyon d the limits o f the sev en spheres a nd glorified the Su preme Fa ther , ,

H imthat is abo ve I lda B aoth Hence th e la tter fu ll o f j ealo usy cas t

-
.
, ,

do wn his eyes u po n the lo west stra tu mo f ma tter a nd begot a po tency in ,

the fo rmo f a serpen t wh o mthey [Ophi tes] ca ll his so n E v e o b e yin g him

, .
,

as the so n o f Go d w as persua ded to ea t o f t he Tree o f K n owled ge

”
.
,

I t is a self t fac t tha t the serpen t o f the Genesi s who a ppears

e v i en
-
d ,

su ddenly an d wi th o u t a ny prelim in ary in tro d uc tio n mu st ha ve been the

”
,

an ti type o f the Persian Arc h De va w ho se h ea d is A shm

“
og th e
-
t wo , ,

fo o ted serpen t o f lies If the B ible serpen t had bee n depri ve d o f his
.
-

limb s befo re he had te mpted wom a n un to sin w hy sho uld Go d spec ify as ,

a p un ish m
“
en t tha t h e sh o uld go u po n his belly ? N obody su pposes
tha t he walked u pon t he extre mi ty o f his ta il .

This co n tro versy abou t the su premacy o f Jeho vah be tween the Pres ,

b y ters a n d Fa t hers o n the o ne han d a n d t he G no s tics the N aza ren es , . ,

an d all t he sects dec la red (as a las t resort ) he tero dox o n th e o t he r las ted ,

till the days o f Co ns ta n tine a nd la ter Tha t the peculiar ideas o f the .

G no s tics a bo u t the genea lo gy o f Jehova h o r the proper plac e th a t had ,

to b e assigned in the Chris tian G no s tic Pan theon to the Go d o f the

,
-
,

Jews were a t first dee med neither blasphemo us no r hetero dox is evident
, ,

in th e difference o f opinio ns held o n this ques tio n by Clem en t o f Alex

an dria fo r ins ta n ce an d Tert ullian

, , The fo rm er wh o seem s to ha ve .
,

known B as ilides be tter th an an ybody else sa w nothin g het ero do x or ,

bla mable in t he mystical an d tran scenden ta l views o f t he new Re former .

I n his eyes re marks th e a u th o r o f The Gnostics spea king o f C le m

, en t , ,

B asilides was no t a here tic i c an in n ova to r as regards the doc trines

, . .
,

b u t a mere theosophi c philosopher who

”
o f t he C hris tia n C h urc h , ,

so u gh t to exp ress a nc ient truths u n der new fo rm s an d pe rha ps to co m ,

bin e themwi th the new faith the tru th o f which he could a dmit wi tho ut
,

necessarily reno un c in g the o ld exac tly as is the ca se wi th th e learned ,

Hin dus o f o ur day “ 1

.

N o t so wit h Iren ae us a n d Tertu llia n “ The principal works o f the .

la tter agai nst the H ereti cs were written after his sepa ra tion fro m the
Ca tholic Ch urch whe n he had ran ge d hi m self a m ong the zea lous follo w
m
,

era o f M o n ta n us ; they tee m with u n fa irn ess an d bigoted p rej u dice .

42 0 . Theo do re t : H aer .
f abul ; King : The Gnosti cs, pp . 1 02 -3 ; 2 nd edit .

42 1 . The Gnostics a nd thei r Rema i ns , p 2 58 . .

42 2 So m
. e perso ns ho ld tha t he was Bish o p o f Ro m e ; o t hers, o f Carthage .

42 3 His polem ical wo rk direct ed against t he ao -called o rtho dox C hurch t he Ca tho lic
no twiths ta ndin g it s b itterness an d usual s tyle of vi t upera tio n , is far m
.

ore fair. con

 TEB TULLI AN S AB USE OF BASI LI D ES
’
1 89

H e h as exaggera t ed e very G nostic opinio n in to a m o ns tro u s ab surdi ty ,

an d h is argum en ts are n o t base d o n coerc ive reaso nin g b u t si m ply o n

the blind stu bbornness o f a pa rtisan fan a tic Disc ussin g B as ilides, .

the pious , go d like , theoso phi c philoso pher, as Cle men t o f Alex
-

an dria tho u gh t him Tertullia n exclaims After thi s B asilides , t he

m
,

heretic, broke loose H e as serted th a t there is a Su pre m

. e Go d by ,

na me Abrax as , b y wh o m M in d w as crea ted , who m the G reeks ca ll

N o us . m
Fra n her e ana ted the Word ; fro m th e Word , Prov idence ;
fro mPl o vidence, Virtue an d Wisdom; fro mthese t wo a gain , P rincipal
m

”
ities , “ P owers a nd A ngels were a de ; thence infinite pro duc tions
m
a n d e issio ns o f an gels A ong the lo wes t angels, in deed , an d
. m
m
tho se tha t a de this world , he sets la st of all the go d o f t he Jews ,
wh om he denies to b e Go d hi self, affir ing th at he is b u t o ne o f m m
the an gels .

I t wo uld b e equally useless

postles o f Christ to re e r f to the direc t a ,

a n d show th emas ho ldi n g in th e ir co n tro versies t ha t Jes u s n ever m a de

an y differen ce b e twee n hi s Fa ther a n d the Lo rd Go d o f M o ses

‘ ’ ‘ ’
-
.

Fo r the Clem e nti ne H omil ies in which occ ur th e grea test a rgu m
, en ta tio ns

u po n the su bj ect as shown in the disp u ta tio ns alleged to h a ve ta ke n

,

plac e be tween Peter an d Simon the M agician are no w also proved to ha ve ,

been falsely a ttribu ted to Clemen t the Ro man This work if written b y .
,

a n E b io nite as the au th or o f S u pernatu ral Re ligio n dec la res in co m ,

mo n with some other commen ta to rs “7

must have been written either
far la ter than the Pa ulin e pe riod generally assigned to it o r the dispu te ,

”
sidering tha t th e grea t African is sa id to ha ve b een ex pelled ro
‘ ’
the C hurch o f f m
Ro e m If m
we believe S t Jero e, it is b u t t he en vy and the un erited cal u nies o f m m
m m
. .

y
t he earl Ro an clergy agains t Tert ullia n which o rced hi t o ren o unce the Ca t ho lic f

”
C h urch a nd beco e a M o nta nist m H o wever, were the u nli ited ad ira tio n o f S t m m
m m mm
. .

“
C p ria n (who t er s Tert ullia n The M as ter ) an d his esti a te of hi
y erited. we
sh o uld see less erro r and pa ganis in th e C hurch o f Ro e m Th e ex pressio n o f Vin m .

ce n t o f Lerius,
“
y
tha t e ver wo rd o f Tert ullia n was a sen tence, an d ever sen tence a y
t riu m1 1 over error, does no t see ver m y
happ when we think o f th e respect paid to y
Tert b y the C hurch o f Ro e, n o t withstan di1n1 8 m
g his partial apo stas and the errors y
in wh ich the la tter st ill ab ides and which she has even o rced upo n th e wo rld as i n f
42 4 Were the Phrygian Bish o p M o n ta n us also dee ed a
no t the views o f ay m m
m
.

b th e Church o f Ro e ? I t is qui te ex trao rdinary to see ho w easily the Va tican en

yurages the ab use b y o ne heretic Tert ullian, o f an o ther hereti c Basilides, when th e
ab use happens to further her o wn o b j ect .

42 5
D oes no t Paul himself P ri ncipal iti es and P owers
of hea venly places m
m m
.

(E
.

co nfess t ha t th ere b e Gods a ny and Lords a ny

urio i And Angels, Po wers
)? (Dunam eis ) , a nd P ri nc ipal iti es? ( See 1 Cori nth i a ns ,
viii, 5 ; and Ro a ns , viii, m
42 6 Tert ullian : Agai nst all H eresies ,
. ch . i
.

42 7 Baur, C redner, Hilgenfeld, Kirchho fer, Lechler, N icolas, Reuse, Ritschl. Sch weg
.

ler. Wes tco tt and Zeller ; see S upernatural Religio n. part 11 , v ; 6th ed .
 90 IS IS UN VE ILED

a bo u t t he iden tity o f Jeho v ah with Go d the Father o f Jesus must ,

‘
,
’

ha ve bee n disto rted by la ter in terpo la tio ns Th is dispu ta tio n is in its .

v ery e sse n ce a n ta go n istic to t he ea rly do c trin es o f the E bio n ite s The .

la tter as demo nstra ted by E pipha ni u s a nd Theo d o re t were the direct

”
, ,

“
follo wers o f the N aza rene sec t (the Sabae ans) the D isc iples o f John
3 ‘ ’

, .

E piph an iu s says uneq u ivocally th a t t he E bio nites b elieve d in the

A eo ns (em a na tio ns ) th a t t h e N aza re ne s were thei r i ns tru cto rs a n d that
, ,

each im
“
parted to the o ther o u t o f his o wn wic kedness The refo re .
,

ho ldin g t he sa m e be liefs as the N a zare nes did a n E b io n ite wo u ld no t ,

ha ve given Pe ter so mu ch sco pe in the H o m il ies t o expo un d h is do c trine .

The o ld N aza re nes as well as t he la ter o nes who se v iews a re embo di ed

, ,

”
in the Codex N aza raeus n ever ca lled Jeh o v ah othe rwise th a n A do nai
m
, ,

Iurbo the Go d o f the A bo rti ve ( t he o rth o d o x Je w s ) T h e y kept .

their beliefs and religio u s tenets so secret tha t even Epiph a niu s writing ,

as ea rly a s t he e n d o f the fo urt h ce n tu ry co nfesse s his 1 gn o ran ce as to

" 1
,

their rea l do c trine Droppin g the name o f Jesus sa ys the B isho p o f

.
,

Sa la mis they ne ither c all themselves I essaea ns no r co n tin ue to ho ld the

, ,

nam e of the Jews n o r na m e them

”
se lv e s C hristia n s b u t N aza renes
, , .

The resurrec tio n o f the dea d is co nfessed by the m b u t co nce rnin g

Christ I cannot say whether they think h im a mere ma n o r as the
, ,

truth i s co nfes s tha t he was bo rn thro u gh the H oly P neum

, a fro m the

Virgin .
“3

While Simo n M agus argues in the H omilies fro mthe sta n dpoin t o f
ev ery G no stic (N a za re nes a n d E b io n ites in clu ded ) Pe ter as a true , ,

a po stle o f c irc u mcisio n h o lds to t he o ld La w and as a m a tter o f co urse

,

”
see ks to b len d h is belief in the div in i ty o f C h rist with h is o ld Faith in

the Lord G o d a n d ex protec to r o f the cho sen people

’ ‘
As the a u tho r
‘ ’
-
.

o f S u pernat u ral Religio n sho w s the Epito m e to b e a blen di n g o f the

other two [parts o f the Clementi nes] pro ba bly in tended to purge them
fro mhere tica l do ctrine a n d to gether with a grea t m ajo rity o f critics
‘3‘
, , ,

ass ign s to the H om il ies a da te no t earlier th an t he thi rd ce n tury we m ay ,

well infer th a t they mu st differ widely fro mtheir original if there ever ,

was o n e Simo n th e M a gician proves thro u gho u t t he who le work that

.

42 8 . I to m II Haer XXX 1 1
Epiphanius : P a na r .
, lib .
, .
, .
, .

42 9 The Oph ites fo r insta nce m ade o f Ado na i the third so n o f Ilda Bao th a m alignant -

genius a nd like h is o ther fiv e b ro t hers a co ns ta n t e nem y a nd ad versar o f m

.
, , , ,

a n whose
divine a nd immo rtal spirit gave man the mea ns o f beco ming the rival of these genii
, , , ,

430 Code: N aza aeus III p 73

. r , , . .

43 1 The B isho p o f Sala m

. is d ied A n 403 . . .

43 2 P a nar lib 1 to m II H aer XX I X v 1 1

. .
, .
, .
, .
, .

433 The Clem enti nes are co m p o s e d o f t h ree par ts — t o wi t : t he H o mili es the
Recognitions an d an Epito m
.
,

e , .

434 S upernatural Religion, loc

. . cit . supra .
 2

hous e
a v o id
,
”
i c , o f m
.
y do c
. t rin e A n d if w e.u n d e
I SIS UN VEILED

rs ta,n d i
thi n kin g tha t this sec ret doc trine o f Jesus, even the te chnical
‘ ’
t rig h t ly , w e ca n n o t

expressio ns o f whi ch are b u t so m

an y du plica tions o f the G n os tic and

N eo Pla to ni c m
- ystic phraseo logy tha t this doc trin e, we sa y , w as based
o n the sa m e tran sce n den ta l phi lo so phy o f Orien ta l Gnos is as the rest of

the religio ns o f th ose an d earlies t days Th a t n one o f the la ter Ch ristian .

sec ts desp ite their boas tin g, were the in herito rs o f i t is evi de n t fro mthe
, ,

co n tra dic tio ns blun ders, a n d clu

, m
sy repa tchin g of the ista kes o f every m
precedin g cen tury by the disco veries o f the succeeding o ne These mis .
.

ta kes , in a nu mber o f man uscripts clai ed to b e au then tic are so e times m , m

so ridic ulo us as to bea r o n the ir face the evi de n ce o f bein g p io us forgeries .

Th us, fo r ins ta nce , the u tter ignorance o f so me pa tris tic cha pions o f m
the very go spels they c lai m ed to de fen d We ha ve en tione d the accu
sa tio n aga ins t M arcio n by Tert ullian an d E pipha n ius o f
.

u tila tin g the

m m
Gospel asc ribed to Luke, an d erasin g fro mit tha t which is n o w proved
to ha ve n e ver bee n in th a t Go spel at all Finally , the et hod adopted . m
by Jesus o f spea kin g in pa rables in which he only followe d the ex amfle
,

o f his sec t is a ttribu ted in the H o

, il i es “ 7
m
to a pro phecy o f I sai ah! Peter
is m a de to re m a rk :
“
Fo r Isa ia h sa id : I will ope n m
‘

y o u th in p a ra b les , m
and I w ill u tter things th a t ha v e bee n kept sec ret fro the fou nda tio n m
o f the wo rld
’
This erro neous reference to Isaia h o f a sen te nce given
.

in P salm s , lxxviii, 2 , is fo un d no t o nly in the a pocryphal H o ilies, b ut m

Commen tin g o n the fac t m S u pernatural

”
also in th e Sin aitic Codex .

”
Religio n the a u th or s ta tes tha t Porphyry , mt he third cen tury , twi tted
“
,

Ch ris tians with this erro neou s ascription by their inspired e vangelist
to Isaia h o f a passage fro ma P sal m , a n d red u ced th e Fa thers to great

E useb ius an d Jero m

”
s traits .
“ 3
e tried to get o u t o f the difficu lty by

asc rib in g the m ista ke to a n ignora n t scribe ; an d Jero m

“
e even went

to the lengt h o f asserting th a t the name o f Isaiah never stoo d before the
a bo ve se n ten ce in any o f the o ld co dices , b u t tha t the na e o f Asa ph was m
foun d 111 its place , only igno rant men had re moved it
“
To this the .

“
a u tho r a gain observes th a t the fac t 13 th a t the rea ding Asaph for
‘ ’

Isa iah is no t fo un d in a n y ma n uscript exta nt ; an d , although Isaiah

‘ ’ ’ ‘

has d isa ppea red fro mall b u t a few obsc ure co dices , it ca nnot b e denied

”
tha t the n a m e a n cie n tly s tood in the text I n t he Sinaitic Codex , which .

is probably the earliest m

a n uscript exta n t, an d which is assign ed to

t he prophet I sa iah sta nds in the t ext by the

‘
the fo u rth cen t ury
’
,

first h a n d , but is eras ed by the seco n d .

I t is a most sugges tiv e fac t tha t there is no t a word in the ao -called

sa cred S criptu res to sho w th a t Jesu s w as ac tu a lly regarded as a G o d by

43 7 Clem H a il , X V , x v m III . 43 8 Part 1 1 v

m
. .
.
, .

ny i opera, v ii, p sq ; 2 70 , S upern Rel

. . . loc . cit . 440 S upern Rd " lo c
. . . cit.
 HE N EVEB CLAI M ED TO BE GOD 1 93

his disciples N either before no r after his dea th did they pay himdivi n e
.

hon ors Their rela tio n to hi mwas only th a t o f disc iples an d mas ter b y
m
.

which na me [mi e] they addressed him as the fo llowers o f Pyt hago ras ,

an d Pla to a ddressed their res pec tive m as ters befo re hi m Wh a tever .

words may ha ve been put in to the mo u ths o f Pe ter Jo hn , Paul an d ,

ot hers there is no t a single act o f adoratio n recorded o n their part, no r did

m
,

Jes us hi self e ver declare his iden ti ty wi th his Father “ 1

H e acc used the .

Pharisees o f stonin g their prophets , n o t o f deicide H e termed himself .

t h e so n o f Go d, b u t t ook care to assert repea tedly th a t they were all the

c h ildren o f Go d w ho was the Hea ven ly Fa th er o f all
, I n preac hin g th is .

he b u t repea ted 9 doc trin e ta u gh t ages earlier by Hermes , Pla to an d

”
. ,

other philosophers Strange co ntradic tio n ! Jesu s who mwe are asked
.
,

to worship as the o ne liv in g Go d , is fou n d im media tely after his resur ,

I am n o t y e t ascen ded to my

”
rec tion , sa ying to M ary M a gd ale n e :
“

Father; b u t go to m y b re th re n a n d sa y u n to t h em , I ascen d un to m y ,

Father and your Fa ther, an d to m y G o d a n d yo u r G o d ! ( “

J o h n , xx ,

Does this look like iden tifying himself with his Fa ther? M y Fa ther
a n d your Fa th er m y G o d a n d y o u r, G o d im p lies o n his par t , a d es ire to , ,

b e co nsidered o n a perfec t eq uality wi th his bre t hren n othing m ore .

“
Theo do ret writes : The here tics a gree wit h us respec tin g the beginnin g
of all things B u t they say there is no t o n e Chris t ( Go d) , b u t o ne
.

a bove, and the other below And thi s las t form erly dwelt i n m a ny
.
,

b u t the J es us they a t o ne tim e say is fromGo d , a t an oth er they c all

,

hi m a SPI RI T 4“
This spirit is the Christ os t he m
.

. essenger o f life , ,

who 18 som e tim es c alled the Angel Gabriel (in Hebre w th e m igh ty o ne ,

o f G o d ) , an d who t o ok with the G n ostics t he p lace o f the Lo gos while ,

t he Holy Spirit was cons idered Life “ With the sec t o f the N aza .

ren e s thou gh their Spiritus o r Ho ly Gho s t, had less ho no r While

, , ,
’
.

nea rly e very G n os tic sec t co nsidered it a Fe m ale Po we r whe ther they

mm
,

calle d it B i nah o r S ophia th e D iv in e In te llec t ; wi th t he N aza

, , ,

re n e sec t it was the Fem ale S pi rit us the as tra l ligh t th e gen e trix o f all , ,

t hi n gs o f m a tter the c hao s in its ev il as pec t m

, a de tu rbid by th e De m i ,

u rge At th e crea tio n o f m

. an 1 t w as ligh t o n the side o f the FA TH ER , ,

a n d it w as ligh t [m

”
a terial ligh t] o n the side of th e M OT HE R And this .

is th e two fold man “ “

‘
sa y s t he Zoha r
-
Tha t day [the las t o ne] w ill
,
’
.

perish the seven ba dly disposed stellars ; also the so ns o f man w ho ha ve

-
,

c o n fesse d th e S pi rit us , th e M ess ias [fa lse] the De u s a n d the M OT H ER , ,

“
o f th e S PI R I TU S sh a ll perish
5
.
,

44 1 . Cf . The S ecret Doctri ne , II , p . 1 1 3, regard ing t he Gnos tic ex press io n used in

J oh n, x , 30 .

442 . Theo d . : H aer .

fabul .
, II , vu . 443 . See Irenaeus : Agai ns t H eres ies, I m , , 4 .

444 A uszflge aus demB uche S ohar p 1 5 : Berlin, 1 857

. , . . 445 . Cod N az
. .
, II , 1 7
pp 4 9
- . .
1 94 IS IS UN VEILED

Jesu s force d and illust rated his doctrines with signs an d wo n ders ;
en

a n d if w e lay aside t he cla im s adva n ce d o n hi s behalf by hi s de ifi ers he ,

did b u t wha t o ther kabalists did ; a n d o nly they at tha t epo ch when fo r , ,

t w o ce n turies the sources o f prophec y ha d bee n com pletely dried up and ,

fromthis sta gna tio n o f public mirac les had o rigina ted t he skepticism
o f the un believi n g sect o f the Sad du cees Desc ribin g the heresies of .

tho se days Theo do ret w ho has n o idea o f the hi dden mea ning o f the
, ,

wo rd Christo s the ano i nted messenger co mplains tha t they (t he Gno s

, ,

tics ) assert that this M essenger or Delegat us cha nges his body fromti me to
ti m and goes i nto o ther bodies a nd at each tim e is diflerentl y m
“
a ni
'

e , ,

j es te d . A n d th e se [ t he o ve rs h a dow e d p rop h e ts ] u se in ca n ta ti o n s an d
in voca tions o f v a rio us dem ons and baptisms in the confessio n o f their
principles . They embrace as trolo gy an d magic an d the ma the ,

me tica l error he say s

,
“ 6
.

This ma thema tical error o f which the pio us writer co mplain s led , ,

sub seq uen tly to th e re disco v ery o f th e helioce n tric syste m erron eo us as ,

it m ay still b e a n d forgotten sin ce the day s o f a n oth er m a gic ia n who

‘
,

ta u gh t it Pythago ras Th us the wo nders o f hea lin g and th e thaum

. s

o f Je su s whic h he im
, parted to his fo llowers sho w tha t they were learn ,

in g in their da ily co m munica tio n with himthe theory and prac tice of
t he n ew e th ics day by day an d in t he fa m , iliar in tercourse o f in tim
, a te

frien dship Their fa ith w as progressively develo ped like tha t o f all
.
,

n eo phytes sim ulta n eo us ly wi t h th e m

, crease o f kn owledge We must .

bea r 1 n mind tha t Jo seph us who certa inly mus t ha ve been well informed ,
-

o n t he s ubj ec t ca lls t he art o f expellin g de m a scien ce This ‘‘ ’

, o ns .

g r o w t h of f a it h 1s co n sp ic u o u sly sh ow n l n t he ca se o f P e t er w h o fr o m ,

havin g lac ked enou gh fa ith to s uppo rt himwhile he could wal k o n the
wa ter fro mthe bo a t to his M as ter a t last beca me so expert a tha umatur ,

g i s t t h a t S im o n M a g u s is sa id to h a v e o ffer e d hi m m o n ey t o b e t a u g h t
the secre t o f hea ling an d other wonders An d Philip is shown to have
, .

beco me an Aethro b a t as good as Abaris o f Pythagorean memory b ut less ,

expert t han Sim o n M agu s

”
.

N e ither in the H om il ies no r any o th er early work o f the apo stles is

there a nythin g to sho w that any o f his frien ds an d followers regarded
Jesus as anything more than a prophet The idea 13 as clearly es ta blished .

in the Clem enti nes E xce pt th a t t oo m . uch roo mis afforded to Pe ter to

es ta b lish t he iden tity o f t he M o sa ic Go d wi th t he Fa ther o f Jesus the ,

who le wo rk is devo ted to M o no theism The au thor seems as bitter .

a ga in s t Po lytheismas a gain s t the claimto th e di vin ity o f Chris t He .

446 . Theo do ret : H aeret .

f ab .
, II . vu .

44 7 Ho milies II x 11 ; III lvii-lix ; X , x ix ; X VI , x v sg A Schlie ann : Di e Cleu en m

1 44, sg S upernatural Religio n, part I I 1 , i ( 6th edition )
. , , , , . .

ti nen, pp . sq .
, . .
1 96 IS IS UN VEILED

h eretica l sects , an d if Jesu s m

an d the
’
Zoha r en tioned these t hings it
‘
,

w as no t in the offi c ial syna go gs th a t he learned the theory , b u t di rectly

in the K a balistic teachin gs I n the M osaic bo oks very little m. e n tio n is

m
ma de o f the , and M oses w ho holds direc t communica tions with the
,

Lo rd G o d , troubles hi self very little a bo u t the

’
m The doc trin e was a m .

”
secre t o ne , an d dee m ed by the o rtho dox sy na gog here tical Josephus .

c a lls t he Esse nes here tics sa y in g :

“
Those a dmitted a mon g the Essenes
,

mu st swear to communica te their do c trin es to no o ne any otherwise than

as they received the m , a n d eq u ally to p rese rve t he books belo n gi ng to

their sect, a n d the na m es of the a ngels

“7
The Sadducees did no t
m
.

believe 1n an gels neither did t he uni nitiated Gen tiles , who li i t ed their
,

Oly mpu s to go ds an d de m i gods, o r sp irits Alone the ka balis ts and

‘ ’
-
.

t heurgists h eld to tha t doc trin e fro mtim e im memorial an d as a co use ,

q u en ce so did P la to , a n d P h ilo Ju ds e n s a fter hi fo llow e d fi rs t by th e m ,

Gn o stics, a n d then by the Christians .

Thus if Josep hu s nev er wro te the fa mous in terpola tion forged by

”
Eusebiu s co ncern in g Jesu s o n the o ther han d he has desc ribed in the
,

Essenes a ll the p rin c ipal fea tures th a t w e fin d pro min en t in t he N aza

ren es When praying, they sou gh t solitu de
.
“ 8 f‘
Wh en th ou prayest, .

”
en ter in to thy clo se t an d p ray to thy Fa ther which is in secret

( M att , v i, . E v e r y t h in g s poke n by t h e m [ E sse n es ] is s t ro n ge r th a n

a n oa th Swearin g is sh un ned by them (Josephus : J ewish War, II

.
,

viii, B u t I say un to y o u , Swea r n o t at all b u t let y our co m

mun ica tio n b e Yea , yea ; N ay nay (M att , v, 34
, , .

The N a zarenes, as well as t he E ssenes an d the Thera peu tae , believed

m o re in their o wn in terp re ta tio ns o f t he hidden sense o f the
‘
ore an m
c ien t Sc ript u res , th an in th e la ter la ws o f M oses Jesu s, as we have .

sh own befo re , felt b u t little v en era tio n fo r the co m man d en ts o f his m

predec essor, wi th whom Irenae us is so anxio us to co nnec t hi m .

“
The Essen es en ter in to t he h o uses o f tho se who they never sa w pre m
vio us ly as if they we re their in tim
, a te friends ( Josep h us : J ewis h War ,

II , viii Such was un deniably the c u sto mo f Jes us an d his di sc iples

, .

Ep iph aniu s wh o places th e E bio ni te heresy o n the sa e le ve l with

,
‘ ’
m
th a t o f the N azarenes also remarks th at the N azaraio i co me next to the
,

so m
Cerin thians “0
u ch vitu pera ted by Iren aeus
“
, .

457 Josephus : J ewish

. War I I
. . viii, 7 .

458 I bid , II, viii ; Philo J ud : De vita co nte

. . . m . a nd Q uad o mn
p b liber, $ 1 2 ;
. ro .

Frag in Euseb : P raep ev , VIII , v 1ii ; M unk : alesti ne, p ) 3 5 5 2 5, et c Euseb ius
m e n tio ns their sem m my l
. . .
. .

neio n where t hey perfo r the

, s es o a re tire d life (Ec ol H ist .

I I , x vii) . 459 P ana r , . .

460 Cerin thus

is the sa e G n os t ic a co n m
te w
rary o f Jo hn the E m— cl
m m
.

w ho Irenaeus in ven ted the fo llo wu anecdo te ere ere those who heard i [P ly
g
. o
carp] say t ha t Jo hn, the disciple o f e Lo rd , go ing to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving
 THE AN C IE N T AND M ODERN NABATHAEAN S 1 97

M un k in his work P alesti ne afi rms tha t there were 4000 Esse nes
, ,

liv in g in the desert ; th at they had their m ystical books an d predic ted ,

th e fu ture “1
The N ab a thaea ns with very little difference in deed ad
.
, ,

here d to the sa m e belief as th e N aza re nes a n d th e Sa bae a n s an d all o f ,

th emh o no red Jo hn the Baptist mo re than his successor Jesu s The Per .

sia n Y ezfdi say th a t they o riginally ca m e to Syria fro mB as rah They use .

ba p tism an d belie ve 1 n se ven archan gels though pay in g a t the sa me time

, ,

re ve re n ce to Sa ta n Their prophe t Yeztd who flourished lo ng pri or to

.
,

M o ha mmed ta u gh t tha t Go d will se n d a messenger and tha t the latter

“n
, ,

woul d re veal to hima book which is alrea dy written in hea ven frometer

”
n ity
“ The N aba th aea n s inh abi ted the Le banon as their desce n dan ts
.
,

do to th e presen t day a nd their religion w as fromits origin p ure ly kaba l

,

is tic M aim
. onides speaks o f themas if he iden tified themwi th the Sab
aea ns . I will men tion to thee the writin gs respec tin g th e beli ef an d

in s ti tu tions of the S abaeans he sa y s Th e m ost famous is the bo ok The

, .

”
A gr ic ulture of the N abathaeans which h as been transla te d by I b n Wa ho hf ,

ja b. T his b o o k is fu ll of hea th e n ish foo lishness I t s pe a ks o f the .

pre para tio ns o f TA LI SMA NS the drawing do wn o f the powers of the ,

SPI RI T S MA GI C DE M ON S an d ghouls which make their abo de in the

, , , ,

desert .

There are tra ditio ns among the tribes living scattered abou t beyond
t he Jordan as there a re m any such also a m
, ong the descen da n ts o f the
Sa m a rita n s a t Dam asc us Ga za an d a t N ab lus ( th e a nc ien t Shechem
, ) , .

M any o f th ese tribes h ave no twithsta n din g the persec u tion s o f eigh teen
,

ce n tu ries reta in ed the fai th o f their fa thers in its prim

, itive sim plicity .

I t is there tha t w e h ave to go fo r tra ditio ns based o n his to rical tru ths ,

ho we ver disfigure d by exaggera tio n a n d in acc uracy a n d compare them ,

with the religious legends o f the Fa thers which they call revela tion , .

E usebiu s sta tes tha t before the siege o f Jerusalemthe small Chris tian
co m munity comprising members of who mmany if no t all knew Jes us , ,

and h is apos tles perso na lly t ook refu ge in t he little town o f Pell a o n ,

the o pposite sho re o f the Jorda n “ Surely these sim ple people separa ted .
,

fo r cen turies fro mthe res t of the world o u gh t to ha ve prese rved their ,

t ra di tio n s pure r than those of any o th er n a tion ! I t is in Pales tine th a t we

ha ve to search fo r the clea rest wa ters o f C h ristianity let alo ne its so urce , .

T he first Christians after the dea th o f Jesu s all join ed to ge ther for a
‘

, .
,

Cerinth us within , rush ed fo rth fro mthe b ath-ho use cry ing o ut, Let us fiy les t the
‘

m
. .
,

ba th -ho use fall do wn, Cerinthus the y o f the truth, being within it ( Irenaeus :
’
ene
Agai nst H eres ies III , iii,
.

m
,

46 1 M unk : P alesti ne, p 51 5 ; D unla p : 8 6d the S on of the M a

. .
p , .

462 Hax t hausen : Transcaucas ia, etc p 2 2 9 : 1 854

463 Sha hras thnf quo ted b y D r D Ch wo lso hn : Di e S sabier u d S sabism
.
. .
, .

us II 62 5
464 Maim o nides : M oreh N ebtlkhi mq uo ted 1 b1d
. .
.
, . .
, , . .

. II . p 458 465 Ed Hist , , . . . .

 98 °

IS IS UN VEILED

”
time whether th ey were Ebioni tes N azarenes G nostics o r others They
, , , , .

ha d no C hris tian do gm as in tho se days an d their Chris tia n i ty co ns isted ,

in belie ving Jesus to b e a prophe t this belief varyin g fromseeing in him ,

sim ply a j ust man

”
“ “ o r a holy in sp ire d p rop het a vehicle used by
, , ,

Christo s an d S ophia to m an ifes t them selves th ro u gh These all un ite d .

to gether in opposition to the synago g an d the tyrann ical te c h nica lities of

the Pharisees un til the p rim i tive gro u p se pa ra ted in to t w o dist inct
,

branches which we may co rrec tly term the Christian K a ba lists o f

the Je wish Te na imsc h ool a n d th e C hris tian K a balists o f the Pla tonic
m
,

Gno sis The form

. er were represen ted by t he pa rt y co m p o o f the

follo wers o f Peter an d John the au tho r o f t he A pocalypse; th e la tter

,

ran ged wi th the Pa uli n e C h ris tian i ty ble n di n g itself a t t he en d o f the , ,

seco n d ce n t ury W ith t he Pla to nic p hilo sop hy an d en gulfing s t ill la ter
, , , ,

the G n o s tic sec ts who se sy mbo ls an d m , isun derstoo d m ysticis m over

fio wed the Ch urc h o f Ro m e .

Am i d this j umble o f con tra dic tio ns wha t Chris tian is secure in con

”
,

fessin g hi mself such ? I n the o ld Syriac Gospel accordi ng to Lu ke ( iii

”
,

the Ho ly Sp irit is sa id to ha ve descen ded in the likeness o f a dove .

Jesu a full o f t he sacred Spirit re turned fro mJo rda n a nd the S pirit led
“
, , ,

himin to the desert (o ld Syriac Lu ke iv 1 Tre m

“
ellius ) The dith , , , , .

“
c u lty sa y s D un la p
, w as tha t t he G o spels declared tha t John the
, ,

B aptist sa w the Spirit (the Po wer o f Go d) descen d u pon Jesus after he

,

had reac hed m anh ood ; a n d if the Sp irit then firs t descen ded u po n him

”
,

there was so me gro un d fo r the Opinio n o f the Ebioni tes and N azarenes
who deni ed his preced i ng existence a n d refused himth e a ttribu tes o f t he ,

The G n os tics o n th e o th er ha n d o bj ec ted to the flesh b ut

, , ,

co n ced ed the Lo gos

“ 3
.

John s A pocalypsis a nd the explana tio ns o f sin cere Christian bisho ps

’
, ,

like Sy nes ius wh o to the las t a dh ere d to t he Pla tonic doc trin es
, , , ,

ma ke u s th in k tha t the wisest an d sa fest way is to hold to tha t sincere

”
primi tive faith which seems to have ac tua ted the above na me d bishop -
.

This bes t sin ceres t an d mos t unfo rt una te o f C hris tians addressin g the
, , ,

Un known exc la im
“
0 Fa ther o f the Wo rlds
’
s , Fa ther o f the
Aeo ns A rtificer of the Gods it is holy to praise ! i n
B u t Sy n esius,

ha d Hyp a tia fo r ins tru c to r a n d this is why we fin d hi mco n fessin g in all

,
°

l Ye ha ve co nde mned a nd killed th j ust James in his epis tle to th e twel ve

bi
e . says
tri 6)
lv ,

46 7 Po r hyry
p m
akes a dis tincti o n be tween wha t he ca lls t he A ntique or Ori ental
m
.

hi loso ph a n d t he pro perly G rec ia n te t h t f t h N -Pla

t ni t y .

y
p y s s a o e eo o s s sa s
m
,

mm
, .

t ha t all these religio ns and syste s are ranches o f o ne an tiq ue an d co on igio n,

the Asia tic o r Buddhis tic ( The Gnostics and thei r Re ai ns . PD 1 . 1 3. e tc ; 2 nd m . .
2 00 IS IS UNVEILED

child o f one year when he began to reign which in its literal sense , , ,

is a palpable absurdity B u t in 1 S a m u el x hi s a n o in tin g by Sa m

. uel , ,

a n d in itia tio n are desc ribed ; a n d a t ve rse 6th Sa m u e l u se s this si g ,

the Sp irit o f th e Lo rd will co m

”
n ifica n t la n gua ge e u po n t hee

an d th ou sh alt p ro phesy with the m and shalt be turned i nto a no ther , ,

ma n The phrase a bo ve quo ted is thus ma de p la in

”
. he had re
ceiv ed o ne degree o f in itiatio n a n d was sym
“
bo lica lly desc ribed as a
child o ne yea r o ld Th e C a th o lic B ible fro mwhich the t ext is q uo ted
.
, ,

wi th cha rm in g ca ndo r sa ys in a fo o t no te
“
It is extre mely difi cult -

to expla in ( mea n in g tha t S a ul w as a c hild o f o n e y ea r) B u t u n .

da un ted by a ny diffic ulty the Edi to r nev ertheless does ta ke u po n , ,

him self to exp la in it a n d adds , A chil d of one year Tha t is he . ,

was goo d and li ke an i nnocent child An in terpreta tion as in geni.

o us as it is p io us ; a n d which if it does n o good can certai nly do

, ,

no harm .
“

If the explana tio n o f the K abalis ts is j t d then the wh ole sub re ec e ,

jcet falls in to co nfusio n ; wo rse still fo r it beco mes a direc t plagiarism

fro mthe Hindu legen d All the co mmen ta to rs have agreed t ha t a lite ral
.

massacre o f yo ung children is no where men tio ned in history ; an d that

mo reover an occ urrence like tha t would ha ve made such a blo o dy page
in Ro m a n a nn a ls th a t the reco rd o f it wo ul d ha ve bee n preserved fo r us

by every a u tho r o f the day Hero d himself w as subj ec t to t he Ro man

.

la w ; an d un dou bte dly he wo uld h a ve p aid the pe nalty o f such a m on

stro u s c rim e with his o w n life B u t if o n the o ne han d we ha ve no t

.

the sligh tes t trac e o f this fa ble in history o n the other we fin d in the ,

472 I t is t he co rrect in
. reta tio n o f the B ib le allego ries that m akes the Ca tho lic
clergy so wra th ful with the tes ta n ts who freely scru tin ise the Bib le H o w b itter
m
.

t his feeling has b eco e we ca n j ud ge b y th e fo llo wing w ords o f th e Re vere n d Father

,

Parker o f H yde Park N ew Yo rk. who, lec turing in S t Teres a s Ca th o l ic C hurch

’

o n the l oth o f D ecem To who m does the Pro testant C hurch o we

, . .

ber 1 876 sa id :
, ,

its possess io n o f the Bib le which they wish to place i n the ha nds of every igno rant per
To m
,

so n a nd child? o nkish ha nds, t ha t la bo rio uv transcribed it b efo re t he age of

rin ting Pro tes ta ntis m has pro d uced d issensio n in C hurch, rebellio ns and o u t breaks
p .

111 S ta te u nso u nd ness in so c ia l life a n d will never be sa tisfied sh ort o f th e do wn fall

Pro tes ta n ts m us t a d m it that th e Ro an C hurch has don e m m
, ,

o f the B ible ! o re to

sca tter Chris tia nity a nd ex t irpa te ido la try tha n all th eir sec ts Fro m o ne pulpit it
is sa id tha t t here is no hell a nd fro ma no ther tha t there is im mediate and un itigated m
.

d am One says tha t Jes us C hris t was o nly a m a n ; ano ther t ha t y o u m

,

na tio n . us t be

p lu n ge d b o d ily in t o w a te r to b e b a p t ize d a n d refuses the rites to in fan t s M o st of

t hem ha ve no prescribed fo rm o f wo rsh ip no sacred ves t m
, .

en ts , a nd their doc trines

are as u ndefi ned as the ir serv ice is info rm m
,

al The fo un der o f Pro tes ta n tis , M artin

Lu ther was th e wo rs t m m
.

an in E uro pe The adven t o f the Refo r a tion was th e signal

fo r c iv il war a nd fro mth a t tim
.
,

e to th is t he wo rld h as been in a restl ess sta te, uneasy

in regard to Go vernm en ts, an d every day beco m ing m The ultim

,

o re skept ical a te ten

de ney o f Pro testantism is clearly no thing less t han the des tructio n o f all respect fo r
.

the Bib le an d the disruptio n o f go v ern m en t a nd so ciety Very plain talk th1 s The
m
Pro te sta nts igh t easily re turn the co m m
.
, .

pli ent .
 THE HEBREW TRAD ITION S ABO UT JES US 2 01

o fi cia l co mpla ints o f the Synago g abu ndan t evidence o f the persec u tion
of t he initiates T he Tal m
. ud al o co rro bo ra tes it s .

T he Jewish vers ion o f the birth o f Jesus is rec orded in the S epher
Toledo th Yeshu in t he fo llo win g words :
M ary ha vin g bec o me the mo ther of a So n named Jeho suah a n d , ,

ted himto the care o f t he Rabbi El han a n

”
the boy growin g up she en tru s ’
, ,

a n d t he child pro gressed in kn o wle d ge fo r he w as well gifted wi th spirit ,

a n d un dersta n din g .

Rabbi Jeho su a h so n o f Pera hia h co n tin ued t he edu ca tio n o f Jeho

’
, ,

su a h (Jes u s) afte r El ha n an a n d i n i ti ated hi min t he secret kn owle d ge ;

’

b u t the Kin g Jann aeus ha vin g given orders to slay all the ini tia tes Jeho
, , ,

su a h b en Pera hiah fled to Alexan d ria in E gypt ta ki n g t he boy with hi m

’
.
,

While in Al exan dria co n tinues the sto ry they were rece ived in the

”
, ,

h o u se o f a rich a n d learned lady (pe rso nified E gypt) Yo u ng Jes u s .

“
fou n d her bea u tifu l no twi thsta n ding a defect i n her eyes and declare d
, ,

so to his m as ter Upo n hearin g this the la tte r beca m

. e so a n gry tha t his
,
“
p u pil sho uld find in the lan d o f bo nda ge anythin g good tha t he c urse d ,

hi man d dro ve the young m an fro mhis prese nce Then fo llow a se ries .

of a dven tures told in allego rical lan guage which show tha t Jesu s supple ,

me n ted his initia tion in the Jewish K abala with a n additio nal acq uisitio n
o f t h e sec re t wisd o m o f Egy pt When the pe rsecu tio n cea se d they.
,

both returned to Ju daea “ .

The real grievan ces a gainst Jesu s are sta ted by the lea rned au thor
of Tela I gnea S atan as (the fiery darts o f Sa ta n ) to b e tw o in n u mber
l st tha t he ha d discovered the grea t M ysteries o f their Tem
, ple by ,

h a vin g bee n in itia ted in E gypt ; and 2 n d tha t he ha d pro fa ned themby ,

e xpo sin g themto t he vu lga r w ho m isu nders to o d a n d disfi gured the m

, .

These grievances are sta ted in the Toledo th Yeshu as fo llo ws : ‘7‘

“
There exists in the sa nc tu ary o f the living Go d a cu bica l sto ne o n
, , ,

wh ich are sculptured the ho ly charac ters the co mbina tio n o f which gives ,

t h e explana tio n o f the a ttrib u tes a n d po wers o f the inco m munica ble
na m e This expla na tio n is the secre t key o f all the occul t sc iences a nd
.

forces in na ture It is wha t the Hebrews ca ll the S hemha mmepho rash

.
-
.

This sto ne is wa tched by tw o lio ns o f go ld wh o roar as soon as it is ,

a pproac hed
‘75
The ga tes o f the te m
. ple were never lo st sigh t o f a nd the

473Ba b ylo nian Talm

. ud, M ishnah S a nhed ri n, fo l 1 07. and M ishnah S ota, fo l 47; . .

see also Eliphas Lev i : La science des esprits .

474 This fragm

. ent is transla ted fro m t he o riginal H eb re w b y Eliphas Lev i in his

yt hing must rec o gnise in these

.

475 Those who kno w an of the rites o f the H eb re w s

m ym mo nstro sity was well cal
.

lio ns the gigant ic gures fi the C heru b i , w hose s

of bo lical
f
cula ted to righ ten and put to flight the pro fane .
202 I SI S UNVEILED

door o f the sa n c u ar t yea r to a dmit the Hi gh Priest

y o pened b u t o nce a

alo ne B u t Jes us w ho h a d learned in E gypt the grea t secre ts at the

‘ ’
.
,

initia tion fo rged fo r him

, self in visib le key s a n d th us w as e na bled to pene ,

tra te in to the sa nc tu ary unseen H e co pie d the charac ters o n the

m
.

c u bica l s ton e an d hid themin h is thi gh ;

, a f ter which e m ergin g fro m ,

the tem ple he wen t abro a d and began as toun ding peo ple with his mira

”
,

cles . The dea d were raise d a t his co m man d the lepro us and the o bsessed ,

were hea led H e fo rced the sto nes which lay buried fo r ages a t the
.

botto mo f the sea to rise to the surface until they formed a moun tain ,

fromthe top o f which he preac hed The S epher Toledoth sta tes further .

tha t u nable to displace the cu bica l sto ne o f the sanc tuary Jesu s fabri
, ,

ca ted o n e o f cla y whi ch he showe d to the n a tion s an d passed it o ff fo r the

,

true cu bical sto ne o f Israel .

This allegory like many o thers in such books is written i nside

, ,
‘

and ou ts ide — it has its secre t m ea nin g an d o ugh t to b e rea d in two

’
,

ways The kab alis tic bo oks expla in its mys tica l mea nin g Further the

”
. .
,

sa m e Talm u dis t say s in s u bsta n ce the fo llo win g : Jesu s w as thro wn in

, ,

priso n “ an d kept there fo rty da ys ; the n flo gged as a se ditio us rebel ;

,

then sto ned as a blasphemer in a place ca lled Lu d an d fina lly all o wed to ,

”
exp ire u po n a cro ss A ll this explains Levi . beca use he revea led to , ,

the peo ple the tru th s whic h they [the Pha risees ] wishe d to b ury fo r their
‘

o wn use H e had divin ed the occult theo lo gy o f Israel h ad co mpared it

.
,

with the wisdo mo f Egypt and foun d thereby the reason fo r a uni versal ,

religio us syn thesis

“ 3
.

However ca u tio us o ne o u gh t to b e in accepting any thin g abo u t Jesus

fromJewish so urces it mus t b e co nfessed tha t in so me things they seem
,

to b e m o re co rrec t in their sta te m e n ts (when eve r the ir direc t in te mt in

sta tin g fac ts is n o t co nce rned ) than o ur good b u t to o j ea lou s Fa thers .

One thin g is ce rta in Ja mes the B rother o f the Lo rd is silen t abo ut ,

‘

,
’

H e terms Jes us no where So n o f Go d no r e ven

’
the resurrectio n .
,

Christ Go d Once o nly spea kin g o f Jes us he calls hi m the Lo rd o f “

”
-
.
, ,

” ”
l y b u t so d o t he N a za re n es whe n wri tin g a bo u t the ir prophet
g o r ,

”
I oha nan ba r Zacha ria o r Jo h n so n o f Zacharias (S t Jo hn the Ba ptist)
, , . .

Their fa vo rite expressio ns abou t their pro phet are the sa me as tho se used
by Ja mes when spea kin g o f Jes us A man o f the seed o f a man
“
.
,
“
M essenger o f Life o f ligh t
“
my Lo rd Apostle ,
“
Kin g spru ng o f , ,
“
Ligh t and so o n
, Ha ve no t the faith o f o ur Lo rd JE SU S C hrist
.
,

476 Arno b ius tells t he sa me sto ry o f Jesus a nd narra tes ho w he was accused o f ha ving
f the H o ly One b y m
,

secret na m
.

ro bb ed t he sa nct uary o f the es o eans o f which kno w

m miracles Adv petites I 5 43
,

ledge h e perfo r ed all the . .

, . .

4 77 Th is is
. a transla t io n of Eliphas Levi .

478 La sci ence des a t-ts ,

i 37
.
p p . .
2 04 ISIS UNVEILED

believe in my justice a nd my BA PTI SM sha ll b e j o ined to m y asso c ia tio n ; ,

he sha ll sha re with m e t he sea t whi ch is t he a bo de o f life o f the su pre m e ,

M a no and o f livin g fire C d p O i

’

, ( o es: N azar ae u s II r g e n t e , , .

marks there are so me who said o f Jo hn [the Baptist] that he was the
“
,

””
anoi nted The An gel Ra s iel of the ka balists is th e Angel
Gabriel of the N a zarenes an d it is the la t ter w ho is chose n o f all the
,

celes tia l hi erarc hy by t he C hristia ns to beco m e the m esse n ge r o f the

an n un c ia tio n The geni u s sen t by the Lo rd o f Celsitu de is Aeb el

‘ ’
.

Ziv o who se na m
, e is also ca lled GAB RI E L Le ga tus
“ 1
Pa ul must ha ve .

ha d the se c t o f the N azare nes in m

“
in d when he sa id : And las t o f all
he [Jes us] w as seen o f m e a lso as of o ne born out of due ti m e (
, 1 C or .
,

xv , th us re minding hi s listeners o f the expressio n usual to th e Naza

renes w ho term , ed th e Je ws the a bo rtio ns o r bo rn o u t of tim e , .

Paul prides himself o n belo ngin g to a heresy

”
" a
.

When the meta physical conceptio ns o f the G nost ics who sa w in Jesus ,

the Lo go s a n d the ano in ted began to gain gro un d the ea rlies t C hristians , ,

se pa ra te d fro mthe N azaren es w ho acc use d Jesus o f pervertin g the doc ,

trines o f Jo hn a nd changin g the b aptismo f the Jorda n

,
“ “
D irec tly .
,

sa ys M il m

”
an as it [ the Go spel] go t beyon d th e bo rde rs o f Pales tine
, ,

an d t he n a m e o f C hrist had ac q uired sa nc tity an d vene ra tio n in the

Eas tern c ities he beca m e a kin d o f m

, etaphysical i m p erso n ati o n w hil e th e ,

religio n lo st its p urely m oral cast a n d assu med the charac ter of a specula
ti ve theo gon y “t
The o nly half o rigin al doc u m
. en t th a t has rea ched us-

fromthe primi tive apo sto lic days is the Logic o f M a tthew The real , .
,

g e n uin e d oc tr in e h a s re m a in e d in t h e h a n ds o f t he N aza re n es i n thi s ,

Gospel of M atthe w con ta inin g the sec re t doc trine the

“ ‘
Say in gs o f
’
,

Jesus men tio ned by Papias These sayi ngs were no do ubt of the same
, .
, ,

na ture as the sm all m an uscripts pla ced in the ha n ds o f the n eo phytes

w ho were ca n dida tes fo r the I n itia tio n s in to the Myste ries an d which ,

co n ta in ed t he A porrheta the re vela tio ns o f so m , e im porta n t rites and

sy m bols Fo r w hy shoul d M a tthe w ta ke su ch preca u tion s to ma ke them
.

secret were it o th erwise ?

‘ ’

Primitive Christian ity had its grip pass wo rds and degrees o f initia ,
-
,

tio n The inn u m

. era ble G n os tic gem s an d a m ul ets a re weigh ty proofs o f

it . It is a whole symbolical science The K a balists were t he first to .

em bellish the universal Lo gos “ 5

with such terms as Ligh t o f Light ‘
,
’

480 Origenis A da m
. a nti i . i n Luea m, II, p 1 50 (cap iii. ho mil x x iv) : Paris, 1 574 . . . .

481 Code: N ew a n , I p 2 3
. m , . .

482
“
After the wa y which they call heresy, so wo rship I the Go d o f y fathers
. m
(Acts , x x iv , 483 Code: N azaraeus I , p 1 09 .
, . .

484 H is to ry of Chris tia n ity p 2 00 ; o rigina l editio n, 1 840 485 D unlap says.
m
. , . . .

in sad the S on of the M a n ( p 39 . foo tno te)

,
“
M r Ha ll, o f I ndia, info r s us that he has
.
, .

seen Sanskrit philoso ph ical trea tises in which the Logos co ntinually occurs
‘ ’
.
 VAST AN TI QUI TY OF BORROWED CHRISTIAN TERMS 2 05

the M essenger o f LI FE an d LI G HT a n d we fin d these exp ressio ns

“
,

a dopte d i n to to b y t he Christians with the additio n o f nea rly all the ,

Gn os tic term s su ch as Plero m a (fu lln ess )

, Arc ho ns Aeo ns etc As , , , .

to t he Fi rst Bo m the First and t he Only Be go tten these are as

‘
-
,
’
,
‘
-
,
’

”
o ld as the wo rld Hippolytus shows the word Lo gos as existin g
.

am on g the Brachmanes The B rachm a nes say tha t the Go d is Light

”
.
,

n o t su ch as o ne sees n o r su ch as the su n an d fire ; b u t they h a ve t he ,

God LO G O s no t the artic ula te b u t th e Lo go s o f the Gno sis thro u gh , ,

whom the hidden ms rmu I-

,

”
zs o f the Gno sis are seen by the wise
' 7
.

T he A cts a n d the fo urth Gospel teem with Gnostic expressions The .

ka balistic phrases Go d s first born emana ted fro mthe M ost High
.

”
’
-
, ,

”
“
toge ther w ith that whi ch is the Spi rit of the A noi nti ng a n d a gain , ,
“
they called hi m the anoin ted o f the H ighes t “ 9
a re re pro d u ce d in ,

spiri t an d su bsta nce by the au th or o f the Gospel accordi ng to J ohn .

“ “ “
Th a t w as the true light a nd the light shine th in darkness And
‘

, .

the W 0 3 0 was m ade flesh And o f his full n ess [plero m a ] ha ve all .

we receiv etc (J ohn i 5 .

, , ,

The Chris t then and the Lo go s e xisted ages before Christia n ity
‘ ’ ‘ ’
, ,

t he Orienta l G n osis w as stu died lo n g befo re the days o f M oses an d ,

w e ha ve to seek fo r the o rigin o f all these in the archaic period s o f the

primeval Asia tic philo sophy Pe ter s second Ep is tle and Ju de s frag .
’ ’

men t preserved in the N ew Testament show by their phraseo lo gy tha t

, ,

su ch term s belon g to the ka b alis tic Orien ta l G n o sis fo r they use th e sa m e ,

exp ress io ns as did the C hris tian G n o stics w h o b u ilt u p a p art o f their sy s

temfro mthe Orien ta l K a bala Presu mptuo us are they [the Ophites ]
“
.
,

”
se lf willed they are n o t afra id t o spea k e vil o f D I G NI rI E s sa y s Pe te r
- '
, ,

( 2 n d E pis tle ii t h e o rig in

, a l m o d,el fo r t h e l a te r a b u siv e T er t u llian
“ Likewise (even as So do ma nd Go m
“
a n d I ren aeus o rrah ) a lso th e se
Io
.

il
f y th drea m ers d efile t h e fl es h d esp ise D O M I NI ON a n d sp ea k e vi l of , ,

D I G NI TI E S says Ju de (7 , repea tin g th e very wo rds o f Pe ter a n d , ,

thereby usin g expressio ns co nsecra ted in the K abala D omi n io n is the

m
.

Em pire the tenth o f the K aba listic Sephiro th

‘ ’
,
o
The P owers an d .

”
486 See J ohn,
. I. 487 Hippol : Refut of all H eresies, , x x i
. . . I .

488 Kleukcr : N atu r u nd Ursprung der

. m
E a nati onslehre bei den K abbalisten, pp 1 0, .

1 1 ; see S i phra Dh eni uthah, et c .

The do g I s turned to his o wn vo m

“
These as na tural brute beasts it again ;
m
.

and the so w that was washed to her wallo wing I n the ire (8 Pe ter, ii, 1 2 ,
The types o f the crea tio n. o r the a ttrib u tes o f the Sn re m e Being, are t h ro ugh
m
the e ana tio ns o f AdamKadm o n ; t hese are :
“
The Crow , l isdo m
n , P r d ence, M agni
u g
'

ficence, S everity B eauty V Glo ry Fo u ndation, Em ra Wisdo m is ca lled Yah

,

im
, , ,

Pruden ce, Yeho eah Severity, E ; M agnificence, Elo ; Bea u ty , Ti phereth ; Victo ry,
and G lory, Tst na o ; Em p ir e o r D o minio n, ADO NAI
’
. m
'
Th us when the N azarenes
m
.

aborti o ns who
“
and o ther Gnostics of the ore Pla to ni c ten dency twit ted the Jews as
2 06 I S IS UNVEILED

D ign ities bo rdina te gem o f th e Archan gels an d An gels o f

a re th e su

th e Zohar m These emana tio ns are the very life an d so ul of th e K abala

.

an d Zo roas trian ism ; a n d the Talm ud its elf in its p rese n t s ta te is all

bo rro wed fro mthe Ze n d A vesta Therefo re by ado ptin g the views o f .
,

Pe ter Jude and o ther Jewish apostle s the Chris tia ns ha ve bec o me b ut a
, , ,

disse n tin g sec t o f the Persians fo r they do n o t e ven in terpre t the mea ning
,

o f a ll su ch P owers as the tru e ka ba lis ts d o Paul s warning hi s co n verts ’

.

a ga in s t t he wo rshi p in g o f a n gels sho ws h o w well he a pprec ia te d e ve n so

, ,

ea rly as his perio d t he da n gers of bo rro win g fro ma m

, e ta phy sica l doc

”
trine the philo so phy o f which co ul d b e righ tly in terpreted o n ly by its
,

we ll lea rned a dheren ts the M a gi a nd the Jewish Ta na im Le t no man

-
, .

beguile y o u o f yo ur re ward in a vo lunta ry h u mility and worshiping of

a ngels in trudin g in to tho se thin gs whic h he ha th n o t seen v ain ly p uffed
, ,

u p by his fleshly m in d is a se n te nce lai d righ t a t the door of Pe ter and

a:
,

his cha mpio ns I n th e Tal m ud M ic hael is Prince o f Wa ter w ho has

.
, ,

seven in fe rio r spirits s u bo rdina te to hi m H e is the pa tro n the guardia n .

,

a ngel o f the Je w s as D a n iel in fo rm s us (x

, an d th e G ree k O phi tes ,

w ho iden tified h imwith th eir Ophio m o rpho s the pe rso nifie d crea tion o f ,

the en vy an d m a lice o f Il da B ao th the De m iurge ( C rea tor of the

-
,

material wo rld) an d un de rto o k to pro ve that he w as also Sa mae l the

, ,

He brew prin ce of the evil spirits o r Persia n devs were na tu rally re ,

rd e d by th e J e w s as b las p hem e rs B u t di d Jes us e ve r sa n c ti o n this

g a .

belief in angels except in so far as hin tin g tha t they were the messen gers

”
an d su bo rdina tes o f Go d ? And here the o rigin of the la ter spli ts be tw een

C hris tian beliefs is direc tly traceable to these t wo ea rly contra dic tory
Vl eW S .

Paul belie vin g in all su ch occul t po wers in the wo rld unseen b ut

, ,

”
“ “
eve r presen t says : Y e walked accordin g to the AE ON of this wo rld
, ,

acco rdin g to the A rcho n [ Il da B ao t h th e Dem i urge ] tha t has the do m

” ”
-
ina ,

tio n o f the We wres tle no t agains t flesh an d bloo d b u t against ,

t he do m i natio ns the powers the lords o f darkness the m

, ischievo usness
, ,

o f spirits in the u ppe r re gio ns

“ 2“
Thi s sen tence Y e were dead .
,
“
in sin and e rro r fo r ye walked accordin g to the A rcho n
, o r Ilda ,

Bao th the Go d an d crea to r o f m

, a t ter o f t he O p hi tes shows un eq ui v o cal ,

ly th a t : l st Pa ul notwi ths ta n din g so m

, e dissen t fro mth e m
, ore impor

”
ta n t do c trines o f the G nos tics shared mo re o r less the ir cosmogonical ,

vie ws o n the emana tio ns ; and 2 n d he was fu lly a ware tha t this Demi ,

worship their I urbo . Aduna i. we need no t wo nder at the wra th of those who had
m
accep ted t he o d M os aic sys te . b u t a t t a t o f Peter and Jud e who cla i ed to be fol
h m
lo wers o f Jesus and dissented fro the vi ews o f hi m
who was also a N azarene m
m m m
.

“
49 1 Acco rd ing to the Ka bal a, E pi re o r Do i nio n is the co nsu ing fire, and his
m
.

w ife is the Te ple o r the C hurc h 49 2 Colon , ii, 1 8

. . .

49 2 11 C f this versio n of Pa ul s wo rds with that given in Ephes , ii, 2 ; vi, 1 2 ; n. 1

’
. . . .
m I SI S UN VEE ED

M emro , an d no t the Lo rd Himself ;

tha t he whomthe Hebrew s o f thean d

Old Testa m ent m is to o k fo r I o ho h w as b u t H is m essen ger o ne of His sons , ,

o r em a na tio ns All this esta blishes b u t o ne logica l co nclusion

. na m ely ,

tha t the Gn ostics were by far the su periors o f the disciples in poin t of ,

ed u ca tio n and gen eral in form a tio n an d eve n in a knowle dge of the ,

re ligio us tenets o f t he Jew s th em

””
selves While they were perfectly

”
.

well versed in the Chaldaea n wisdom the well meanin g pious b ut

-
,
-
, ,

fana tica l as well as igno ran t disc iples unable fu lly to un dersta n d or ,

g ra s p th e re li gio u s s p ir i t o f th e ir o w n sy s te m w ere d ri ven in th e ir di s ,

“
p u ta t io ns t o s u c h co n v in c in g lo g ic as t h e u s e o f b ru te b ea st s sow s , ,

”
dogs and other epithets so freely bes to wed by Peter
, .

Since then the epidem ic has reache d the ape x o f the sac erdota l hier
archy Fro mthe day when the fo under o f Chris tian ity u ttere d the warn
.

“
in g tha t he w ho sh all say to his bro ther Thou fool shall b e in danger , ,

o f hell fire -
all who ha ve passed as its lea ders begin n in g wi th t he ragged
, ,

fishermen of Galilee and en din g with t he j eweled po ntifi s ha ve seem, ed ,

” ”
to vie wi th each o ther in the in ven tio n of opprobrio u s epithe ts fo r th eir
oppo nen ts So we fin d Lu ther passing a final sen tence o n the Ca th olics
.
,

an d excla im in g tha t The Pa pists are all asses pu t them in wha tever
“
,

fo rmy o u like ; whe ther they are boiled roas ted ba ked fried skinned

”
, , , , ,

has hed they will b e always t he sa m e asses C alvin called the vic tim s

”
.
,

he persec u ted an d occasio nally b urned , malicious barkin g dogs full o f , ,

”
bes tia lity a n d inso lence base co rrup ters o f the sacre d wri tin gs e tc , , .

D r Warburton term a n im
“
. s th e Po pis h religio n pious farce an d M o n ,

se igneur D u pa nlo up asse rts tha t th e Protes ta n t Sa bb a th serv ice is

the
“
Devil s mass an d all clergymen are thieves and ministers of
’
,
“

t he Dev il .

The sa m e sp irit o f in co m plete in q uiry an d ignora nce has led the

Chri stia n Ch urch to bes to w o n its mo st ho ly a postles titles assumed by
their most despera te o ppo nen ts th e H eretiw a nd Gnostics So we ,
‘
.

fin d fo r ins ta n ce Pa ul term
,
ed the vase o f elec tion
, vas electio nis a , ,

“
title chosen by M o nes the grea test here tic o f his day in the eyes o f the
,

Ch urch the na me M a nes mea ning in the B abylo nian lan gua ge the
, , ,

cho se n vesse l o r rece pta c le

“ 5
.

So wi th the Virgin M ary The Ch ris tia ns were so little gifte d with .

o rigin ality th a t they co p ied fro mthe E gyptian a n d Hin d i) religio ns their
,

494 The tru e na e o f M an es m

who was a Persian b y b irth was Cubri c us (See
m II
. .

Epi h : Pa nar : lib , to , H aer II

LX V i ) H e was fla yed alive a t the instance I
M m
. . . . .
, .

e agi b y the Persia n King Varanes I Pluta rch anys that Ma nes o r Ma nis eans .

Masses o r O I T ED AN N
The vessel , o r vase o f electio n. is, therefo re the vessel full of
. ,

that light o f Go d , which he po urs o n o ne he ha s selecte d fo r his in terpre ter .

49 5 . C . W . King : The Gnostics, etc .

, p 42.
; 2 nd edit .
 AM TROPH ES TO THREE VIRG IN -MOTHERS COM PARED 2 09

several a postro phes to their respec tive Virgin mothers -

. The j uxta
posi tion o f a few exa mples will ma ke this clear .

EG YPTI AN RO I I AN Ga ra o u a

Li ta -
v 0 !

1 . H o ly Isis . universal 1 . H o ly Mary , mo th er of

M o th er of perpetual fe mo th er H ut . di vine grace .

2 Mo th er o f an incarnated
. 2 . Mo th er of Go ds 2 . M o th er of Go d .

Go d Vishnu (Dere kf)

-
. H a tho r .

3 M o th er o f Krishna 3 Mo ther of H o rus 3 Mo th er of Christ

—
. . . . . .

4 . Virgo genera t i N
r z eith . 4 . Virgin o f Virgins .

5 M o ther —P Essence, 5 M o ther so ul o f the uni 5 M o th er o f Divine Grace

m
. ure .
- . .

A verse An uki (J nhhti ) .

6 Virgin
. sacred earth 6 . Virgin most chast e .

K anyd .

7 M o th er
. Tanmdtra. of 7 . Mo th er of all the v 1r 7 M o th er
. most pure .

th e fi es virtues or ele tues M oat with th e , M o ther un defiled .

ments . sa me q ualities . M o ther invio late .

M o ther most amia ble .

Mo ther most admirab le .

8 Virgin Triguna (o f th e
. 8 I llustrio us
. Isis most . 8 Virgin
. most po werful .

t hree elem en ts, po wer o r po werful, merciful j ust , . Virgin most merciful .

richness lo ve and m ercy), . .

(Boo k of the Dead ) . Virgin mos t faithfu l .

9 M irro r of Suprem
. e Co n 9 M irro r o f Jus tice and
. 9 . M irro r of Jus tice .

scienc e — Aha nlai ra . Truth M oat .

1 0 Wise Mo th er
. S aras 1 0 Mysterio us m
. o t her o f 10 Seat . of Wisdo m .

th e wo rld H ut (secre t

11 . Virgin of the white 11 . Sacred Lo tus . 11 . M ystical Ro se .

Lo tus, Pad ma or Ka mald .

12 . Wo mb of Gold Hi 12 . Sistrumo f Go ld . 12 . H o use of Go ld .

rattyagarbha.

1 3 Celestial Ligh t
.
— La lo 13 .
(Syrian) As
Astarte , 13 . Morn ing Star .

eh mi. taro th (Jewish ) .

14 . D it to . 1 4 Argus o f the M oo n
. . 14 . Ark of the Co venan t .

15 .
Q ueen of H eaven, and 15 Q ueen o f H eaven and
. , 15 .
Q ueen of Heaven .

of th e universe S ati .

16 . M o th er so ul of all 16 . M o del of all mo th ers 16 . M ater dolo rosa .

Ha tho r .

'

1 7 De . m dt i r is conceived 17 . Is is is a Virgin M o th er . 17 . M ary co nceived with

witho ut sin. and I mmacu o ut sin .
(I n accordance

la te herself . A
( ccording with later o rders .
)
2 10 ISIS UN VEILED

If the Virgin M ary has her t d to her and n un s , w ho a re co n secra e

bo un d to live in chastity so had Isis her n u ns in Egypt as Ves ta had , ,

hers a t Ro m e a n d th e H in d u N dri
, mo ther o f the wo rld hers The ,
‘
,
’
.

virgins co nsecra ted to her cultus [N dri s] the D eeadds is o f the t em ples ’

w ho were t he n un s o f t he day s o f o ld li v ed in grea t ch as tity a n d were ,

o bj ects o f t he m ost extrao rdinary venera tio n as the ho ly wo men o f the ,

g o dd e ss W o ul d
. th e mi ss io n a rie s an d so m e tra v ele rs reproach q y point

to the mo dern D ecadds is o r N s u tch girls ? Fo r all response we wo uld,

-
,

b eg th emto co ns ul t the o ffic ial repo rts o f the las t q ua rte r cen tury cited ,

in cha pte r ii as to certa in discoveries m

, a de a t the ra zin g o f co n vents ,

in Au stria an d Ita ly Tho u sa n ds o f in fan ts sku lls were exh u m e d from

’
.

po n ds su bterranean va ul ts an d ga rdens o f con ven ts N o thing to ma tch

, , .

this was ever fo u n d in hea then lan ds .

Chris tian theo lo gy ge ttin g the doc trine o f the archan ge ls and angels
,

direc tly fromthe Orien ta l K aba la o f which the Mo sa ic B ible is me rely an ,

alle go rica l sc ree n o u gh t a t leas t to re m , em ber the hi erarchy in ve n ted by

the fo rm er fo r these perso nified e m a na tio ns The h osts o f the Ch erubim .

a n d Seraph im wi th wh ic h w e ge nera lly see the C a tholic M a do nn as su r

,

ro u n ded in th eir p ic tures be lo n g to ge ther wi th the Elo hi m an d Beni

, ,

E lo him o f the Hebre ws to the third ka balistic wo rld Yetzirah , This , .

wo rld is b u t o ne remo ve higher tha n A siah the fourth an d lowes t wo rld , ,

in which dwell the grosses t a nd most m a te rial bein gs t he qlippoth ,

who deligh t in evil a nd m ischief an d who se chief is B el ial ! ,

E xpla inin g in hi s w ay o f co urse the vario u s heresies o f th e first

‘ ’
, , ,

”
“
tw o ce n tu ries Irenaeu s say s : , Our Here tics ho ld th a t PRO PA TO R
is known b u t to the only bego tten so n th a t is to the m -
i ( the nous) , ,
“
It w as the Valen tinia ns the fo llo wers of the profo un des t do c tor o f the
,

” ”
“
G no sis Va len tinu s w ho held th a t
, there w as a perfec t AI ON who
, ,

fo rmerly existed : By tho s o r By tho n (the depth) called Pro pa to r “ “7

.

Th is is again kaba listic fo r in the Zoha r o f Shi mon ben Yo ha i we rea d the
,
’

fo llo w in g : S enior occ ultatus est et absconditus ; M icroprosopus ma n ifestas

” ”
est et no n m (Rose nro th : K a bb den Lib myst iv 5

”
, a n ifesta s . . .
, ,

I n the religio us m eta phy sic s o f t he Hebrews the Hi ghes t O ne is an ,

a b stra c t io n ; he is
“
witho u t formo r being “
w ith n o likeness wi th a ny ,

thing else An d e ven Philo ca lls t he Crea to r the Lo gos w ho sta nds
.

the S E CO N D Go d Th e second Go d who is his WI S DOM

“
n ext Go d , . .

Go d is N O TH I N G he is n a m -
e less a n d therefo re ca lled A i n S o h
p the -

m
, ,

word A i n mea nin g no thi ng o

B u t if according to the o lder Jews.
, ,

Jeho vah is the God and if H e ma nifested Himself se veral times to M uses
,

496 Agai ns t H eresies, L u, 1

. . 497 I bid
. .
, I , i, 1 .

498 M uck : La K abbale, II (p

mL
. , iii .

499 Philo Jud : Quaest et sol i n Gen ,

. . . . . II , 62 . 5 l . a Kabbale. I I . iv (pp 1 60, sq ) . .
 CHAPTER V
— GN O sTI c Ma m

”
Learn to kno w all. b ut keep thyself unkno wn .

“
There is o ne me o ver all go ds diviner than mortals
Go d su pre ,

is no t like un to m
,

a n a and as unlike his na tu re ;

’

Bu t vain mo rta ls I magine tha t go ds lilee themselees m begotten

With human sensatio ns and vo ice and corpo real m em b ers
m
.
, ,

XE N O I H AN I Is ‘ r

”
TY CHI A Dl ‘
— Can t efl e th e reaso m m
Ph flo d ea why ost en desire to lye and m m
i
s ou
deligh t no t o nly to spec m
fict io ns the selves, b ut give b usie attent io n t o o thers who do ?
“
PH I w cu s There b e a ny reaso ns, Tych iad es, which m co mpell so me to speak lyes .

because th ey see tis pro fitable

’
A Dia lo g of Lucia n .

S PART AN — I s it to thee, or to Go d. tha t I must f

co n ess ?

PRI E ST To God .

—
SPARTAN Then. H AN , st and back — PI UTAB CH : Re
. m
a kable La u de -
r I oni an Sayings r

will no w give a tten tio n to so me o f t he most impo rta n t M ysteries

E
of the K a bala and trace the ir rela tio ns to the philosophical
,

my ths o f variou s nations .

I n the oldes t Orienta l K a bala the Deity is represen ted as three ,

circles in o n e Shro u ded in a certa in s m

, o ke o r c hao tic e x hala tio n I n the .

preface to th e Zoha r which trans forms the th ree primo rdial circ les into
,

TH RE E H E A D S there is sa id to b e over the man ex hala tio n o r smoke

, ,

neither blac k n o r white b u t co lo rless an d circ u m sc ribed wi thi n a circle , .

This is the un kn own E ssence “ The o rigin o f the Je wish im age m

. ay

perhaps b e traced to Hermes P yma nder the Egyptia n Lo o s who ’

g , ,

appea rs within a clo u d o f a h u m id n a ture wi th a sm oke esca pin g from ,

5“

”
it . I n the Zoha r the hi ghes t Go d I s as we ha ve shown I n the p receding ,

”
chap ter an d as in the case o f the H in d u an d B u ddh is t philo so phies a ,

pure abstrac tion W ho se o bj ec tive exis tence is deni ed by the la tt er It is

, .

H o khmah t he SUPRE ME WI S DOM tha t ca nn ot b e un derstood by

’
, ,

reflex io n a n d t ha t lies W i thi n an d wi th o u t th e C H ANI D I I o f LONG

,

FA CE ( Se p hira ) th e u pper m o s t o,f t h e th ree

“
H e a ds I t is t he .

bo undless an d the infin ite Ain So ph the N o Thin g -

,
-
.

Th e three Hea ds su pe rimpo se d are evi den tly ta ken fro m the
‘ ’
, ,

three mystic triangles o f the Hind us wh ich are also su perimpo sed , .

The h ighes t hea d co n ta ins the Trin ity i n Chao s o u t o f which springs ,

the m an ifes ted trini ty Ain So ph the fo re ver un revea led w h o is bo und
.
-
, ,

50 1 . Cle m Alex
. . : S trom, V, x iv . 502 . Ro senro th : H abb denudata II p 2 42
.
, , . .

504 I drah Ra bbah, Vi. 558

. .
 TH E SUPREME E$ EN CE N OT THE CREATOR 2 13

less an d un c n o ditioned canno t c rea te and therefo re it see ms to us a, ,

g re a t e rro r to a ttr ib u t e to h i m a crea t i ve t h o u g h t as is c o m m o n ly‘

,
’

done by the in terpre ters I n every co smo gony this supreme Essence is .

p as si ve ; if bo u n dl ess in fi n i te a n d u n co n di
, ti o n ed i t ca n, ha v e n o th o u gh t ,

o r id ea I t ac ts no t as the result o f vo litio n b ut in o bedience to its o wn

.
,

na ture an d accordi ng to the fatal ity of the la w of which i t is its elf the
,

em bodi m e nt Thus with the Hebrew ka balists Ain Soph is no n e xis te n t

.
, ,
- -

f o r it is in co m p h s ible t o o u r fini t e in tellec ts a n d therefore ca nnot

P N , re e n ,

e xist to o ur m in ds I ts first ema na tion was K ether the Cro wn fi n)

.
, , .

When the time for an ac tive perio d had co me then began a n a tural ,

expa n sion o f this D ivi ne essen ce fro mW i thin ou twardly o be dien t to eter ,

na l a n d im mu ta ble law ; and fro mthis eternal and infinite ligh t (which to
u s is d arkness ) w as em i tted a spiritual substa nce “ This was t he First .

o f t h e Seph iro th co n ta ining in herse lf th e other nine N T DD Sephiroth

, , ,

o r in telligences I n their tota lity an d unity they represen t th e archetypal

.

man AdamK ad mo n the r pmoyovoc who in his individuality or unity is

, ,
'

y e t d u a l o r b ise,x u a l ( t h e G ree k Did u m o s ) f o r h e is t h e p ro to typ e o f a ll ,

hu m
’
ani ty Thu s we o bta in th ree trini ties each contai ne d in a hea d
.
,
‘
.

I n t he first hea d o r face (the three faced Hin du Tri m , urti ) we fin d -

,

K ather the firs t an drogy ne a t th e a pex o f the u pper trian gle em

, , itting ,

H o lchm ah o r Wis do m a m asc uline an d ac tive pote n cy also called

’

mm
, ,

Yah fl an d Bi nah o r In telli gen ce a fem ale an d passive po

‘

mm
, , , , ,

tency represen ted by the na m

, e Yehoeah These th ree fo rm the , .

first trini ty o r face of the Sephiroth

‘ ’
Thi s triad eman a ted H esed .
’
,

1 0 11 o r M ercy a m
, asculine ac tive po te n cy also ca lle d E loa h
, from , ,

which emana ted Geburah HWD J o r Justice also called P a had a femi , , ,
’
,

nin e passive po te ncy ; fro mthe union o f these tw o was p ro d u ce d Ti pher

eth , m e an Beau ty C le m , ency the Spiritual Sun kno wn by th e di vine

, , ,

na m e E lohi m ; a n d the sec o n d tria d face o r hea d wa s fo rm ed

’
These ‘ ’ ‘

m
, , , .

em a n a tin g p ro d u ced in the ir t urn t he m asc uline po te n cy N etza h

’
r , ,

Firmness o r Ychooch Tze bao th w ho issued the fem inin e passive po te n cy

’

m
-
, ,

H od 1 Splendor o r E lohi mTze bao th ; fro mthese proceed ed Yesod

’
, , , ,

h D Foun da tio n w ho is the m igh ty livin g o ne El ko y thus y ieldin g the

‘ ’
’
, , ,

third trini ty o r head The ten th Sephira is in fac t a d u ad an d is

‘ ’
. ,

re presen ted o n the diagra m s as the lowes t c ircle It is M alkhuth o r

mm m
.

Kingdo m

”
‘
z , an d S hekhi nah , e w also called A donai a nd
, , ,

Cherubimamong the angelic hosts T he first Hea d is ca lle d the In tel .

lectual wo rld ; the sec on d Hea d is the Sens ible o r t he world of Percep ,

tion ; and the third is the M a terial o r Physica l wo rld .

Befo re he ga ve any sh ape to the uni verse says the K a bala before , ,
2 14 IS I S UNVEILED

he produ ced any fo rm he was alo ne withou t any forman d resemblance , ,

to a nythin g else Who then ca n co mprehend hi mo r ho w he w as befo re

.
, ,

the crea tio n since he w as fo rm ,

less ? Hence it is fo rbidden to re present
him by any fo rm sim ilitu de o r e ven by hi s sa cred na me by a sin gle
, , ,

”
le tte r o r a sin gle po in t “ The Aged o f the A ged the U nkn o wn o f
,
.
,

th e Un kn o wn h as a fo rm an d y et n o fo rm H e h as a fo rmwhere by the
, , .

universe is prese rve d an d y e t h as n o fo rm beca use he ca nn o t b e co m

”
, ,

pre hended When he firs t as s u med a fo rm[in Sephira his first e mana
.
,

tio n ] he ca u sed ni ne splen did ligh ts to eman a te fro m it

,
“ 7
.

An d no w w e will turn to the Hind u eso teric Cosmogo ny a n d defin i

tio n o f Himw ho is and y et is no t
“

”
, .

“
Fro mhimw ho is “ fro mthis immo rta l Princ iple which exis ts i n o ur
,

min ds b ut ca nn o t be perceived by the senses is born Pu rusha the , ,

D ivine male and female w ho beca me N drdyana o r t he D ivine Spirit , ,

mo vin g o n the wa ter .

S vayam bhtl t he un kn o wn esse nce of the B rahma nas is iden tical with
, ,

Ain So ph the un known essence o f the kabalists AS wi th th e la t t er the

-
, .
,

in efi a b le na m e co ul d n o t b e pro n o un ced by th e H in d us u n der t he pen ,

a lty o f dea th I n the a ncien t prim . i tive trin ity o f In dia tha t which m ay ,

he ce rta inly co nside red as pre Vedic the germ which fec un da tes the -
,

mother principle the mundane egg o r the universal wo mb is ca lled N ara

-
, , , ,

the Sp irit o r the Ho ly Gho s t which em ana tes fro m t he p rim

”
, ordi al ,

I t is like Sephira th e o ldest eman a tio n ca lled the prim

”
esse n ce . o rdi al , ,

p o i nt an
, d th e W hite H e a d fo r it is t he po in t o f di v in e ligh t a ppea ring ,

”
fro m wi thin the fa tho ml ess an d bo un dless darkness I n M a n u it is .

N A RA o r the Spirit o f Go d which moves o n Ay an a [ Ch aos o r place

”
“ “
, , ,

of mo tio n] an d is ca lled N AR AYAN A o r mo ving o n the wa ters

”
,
“ In , .

Hermes the Egyptian we rea d : I n th e be ginn in g o f ti me there was

,
“
,

B u t when th e verbu m iss uin g fro mth e void like a

”
n a ugh t in the chao s .
,

co lorless sm oke makes its appea ran ce then this verbu mmo ved o n
“
, ,

t he hu m
“
id prin ciple 51 °
And in Genesis w e fin d : An d da rkn ess was
.

u po n the face o f the dee p [ch ao s] And the Spirit of Go d mo ve d u po n the .

face o f the wa ters I n the K a bala the e m a n a tio n o f t he p rim

. o rdial pas ,

sive prin ciple (Sephira ) by dividin g itself in to tw o parts ac tive and ,

passi ve emits H o khmah Wisdo mand B inah Y eho v ah an d I n co njun c

,
’
- -
, ,

tion W ith these t w o acolytes which co mple te the trini ty beco me s the , ,

C rea tor o f the abs trac t Uni verse the physica l world being the produc

506 Zoha r, I I , p 42 b A s t cd , 1 71 4
. . m
tah, ch i.
. . . .

p 2 88 a, ( I drah Zu
m m 55
.

Ego su m qui su
.

(Ezod , ’ .

Jo nes : M i n of M a ura ch i
°

mm m
. .

51 0 Cha.
—
Mo n h g c : Egypte a ncienne, p . 1 41 .
 ”
2 16 ISIS UN VEILED

WI S DOM so me times the SO N very o ften Go d Angel Lo rd

, , , , , a n d Lo c o s
m .

The la tter is so m e tim es a pplie d to t he very firs t e m a na tio n b ut in ,

se vera l sy s te m s it p ro ceeds fro mt he firs t a n dro gyn e o r do u ble ray pro

d uced a t the begin n in g by t he unseen Philo depic ts this wisdomas .

male and fema le B u t tho u gh its first m

. a nifes ta t io n had a begi nn in g

fo r it proceeded fro mOula m (Aio n tim

”
e ) t he highes t of t he Aeo ns , ,

when em i tte d fro mt he Fa thers it had re m aine d wi th him befo re all

creatio ns fo r it is pa rt o f h im
,
5“
Therefo re Philo Ju dae us ca lls Adam.

Kad mo n mind (the Enno ia o f B ythos I n the Gnos tic sys tem)
‘
The
m
.

mind let it be na med Ada m

, .

Stric tly spea ki ng it is di ffic ult to view t he Jewish Boo k of Genesis

,

otherwise tha n as a chip fro mthe trun k o f the mun dane tree of un iversal
Cosmo go ny re ndered in Orien ta l allego ries As cycle su cceede d cycle
, . ,

an d o ne na tio n after a n o ther ca m e u po n t he wo rld s sta ge to pla y it s brief

’

part in the maj es tic dra ma o f h uman life eac h new people e volve d fro m ,

a n ces tral tra ditio ns its o wn re ligio n givin g it a lo cal colo r an d s ta m ping it ,

wi th its in di vid ual charac teris tics While eac h o f these re ligions ha d its .

dis tin guishin g traits by which were there no o ther archaic ves tiges the , ,

physica l an d psycho lo gica l sta tus o f its crea tors could b e est ima ted all ,

preserved a commo n likeness to o ne proto type This pa ren t c ul t was no ne .

o ther tha n t he prim itive Wis d o mRe ligio n The Israelitish S cri ptu res are -
.

no exceptio n The na tio nal hi s to ry o f t he I sraeli ties

. if they ca n claim
a ny a u to n o m y befo re the re turn fromBabylo n an d were anyth in g mo re ,

tha n migra to ry septs o f Hind u pariahs ca nno t b e carried b ac k a day

—
beyo nd M o ses ; a nd if this err Egyptian pries t mus t fro m theolo gical -

necess ity b e transfo rm e d in to a Hebre w pa triarc h w e m us t ins is t tha t ,

t he Je wish na t io n w as lifted with tha t sm iling in fan t o u t o f t he bu lrushes

Abraha m their alleged fa ther belo n gs to t he u n iversal

”
o f La ke M oeris .
, ,

mytho lo gy M o st likely he is b ut o ne o f the n umerous aliases of l emo n

.

(Sa turn) the king o f the go lden age w ho is also ca lle d the o ld man
, ,

( blem o f time)
e m
I t is no w de mo nstra ted by Assyrio lo gists tha t in t he o ld C ha ldaean
boo ks Abra ha mis ca lled Zeru a n o r Ze rb an mea nin g o ne very rich
-
,
-

in go ld a nd Silver a n d a m i gh ty prin ce H e is also ca lle d Zaro ua n

m
.
,

an d Zarm an a dec re p it o ld m an .

Dia l with TWP“ cx x v iii

.
, . 5 1 3 De prqfugis, 5 9 . .

A divisio n indica tiv e o f ti e m .

m
Sa ncho nia t ho n calls ti e the o ldest Aeo n, Protogo nos, the fi rst-bo m
‘
.
’

De cherubi m part ii. Ca in 5 1 7; also De mundo . 5 3

‘ ’
, , .

C f M o v ers D ie Phbniz I , p 86, sg A

. .
e l, angel o f death , is also I srael
.
, Ab-ram
. m
m
. .

fa ther o f elevatio n, high-placed father ; fo r Sa turn Is the highest o r o u ter ost

p la net 51 8 See GenesIs , x 2 m
mm
.

m
,

. Sa tu is gc nerally represcn ted ss a va y o ld with a sickle in his hand .

 The

Simbeca m
Zeruan ; a n d S imis She m
sign .
THE BABYLO N I AN LEGEND OF XI S UTHR US

t Babylo nian legend is tha t Xisu thrus (H as isadra o f the

a ncien

o r Xisu t hrus ) sailed wi th his ark to Arm

e su p re m e kin g
rm I n He bre w his na m .
e n ia

.
o

e writes c w S hem

Assyria is held by the e thn o lo gists to b e t he la n d o f She m a nd

an d his so n

M o ses o f C ho re ne says tha t Simw as ca lle d

a ,
'

,
” ,

,
2 17

Egypt called tha t o f H a m She m in the ten th chap ter o f Genesis is m .

,ade

the fa ther o f all the child ren o f Eber o f Ela m(Ou la mo r Eilam ) a n d A s h , ,

ur (Assur o r Assyria ) The nephil i m o r fallen men Gebers m

. igh ty men , , ,

spo ken o f in Genesis (v i co m e fro mOula m m e n o f S hem

’
E ven
‘
.
, ,

Ophir which is e viden tly to b e so ugh t fo r in the I ndia o f the day s o f

,

H ira m is made a descenda n t o f Shem The records a re purposely mixed

, .

u p to m a ke themfit in to the fra m e o f t he M o saic B ible B ut Genesis .

,

fromits first verse do wn to the las t has na ugh t to do with the cho se n ,
‘

peo ple it belo ngs to the wo rld s histo ry I ts appropria tio n by the Jew ’
.

ish a u tho rs in t he days o f the so called restoratio n o f t he destroyed bo o ks -

”
of th e Israe lites by Ezra proves no thin g a n d un til no w has bee n self ,

propped o n a n alleged di vine re vela tio n I t is Simply a co mpila tio n o f the .

u ni ve rsal legen ds o f t he uni versal h um

”
a nity B unsen say s th a t in the .

“
Ch aldaea n tribe immedia tely conn ecte d with Abraha m we fin d re mi ,

n iscen ces o f da tes d is figured o r m isu n dersto od as genealo gies o f Sin gle ,

men o r indica tio ns o f epochs The Abrahamic tribe recollectio ns go

, .
-

bac k a t leas t three mille nia beyo n d the gra ndfa ther o f Jaco b 5
.

E upo le m u s say s th a t Ab ra ha m was bo rn a t K a m a rin a o r Uria a

m
,

”
c ity o f so o th sayers a n d i nvented astrono m , y J o se p h u s c la im s t h e s a m e .

birthplace fo r Terah Abraha ms fa ther The to wer o f Ba bel w as built as

,
’
.

mu ch by the direc t desce ndan ts o f Shemas by tho se o f the accursed

H am a n d Ca naa n fo r the people in tho se da y s were o ne a nd the
‘ ’
, ,
“
who le ea rth was o f o ne lan gua ge ; Babel was Simply an as tro lo gical
t o wer an d its builders were as tro lo gers a n d a depts o f the prim
, itive
Wisdo mRe ligio n o r again wha t w e term Secre t Doc trine
-
, .

The Bero sia n Sibyl sa y s : Befo re the To wer Zeru an Tita n a n d Y a ,

-
, ,

p e tos t hes g o v e rn e d t he ea rt h Ze ru a n w is he d to b e s u p re m .e b u t hi s t w o -
,

brothers re siste d when their Sister Astlik in tervened an d appea sed the m
, , , .

I t w as agreed tha t Zeru a n sho uld rule b u t his male children sho uld b e
-
,

t to d th n d t o T i t w ppo i t d t y th i i t f
f t ! “
p u ea ; a s r n g a ns er e a n e o carr s n o e ec

Sar (circle saros) is the B a bylo nia n go d o f the sky

, H e is also .

Assaro s o r Assh ur (the so n o f Shem) a nd Zero Ze ro a ns t he cho lera ,

-
,

o r wheel bo un dless t im , e Hence as the first step ta ken by Zo roaster

.
,

5 1 9a Or Atrakhasis ; also called Utna pish ti , in t he ta blets

. m .

52 0 Bero sus in Euse bius : Chro nic on, , iii, 2 ; Ab yden us, ibid
.
, I I vn .

52 1 Cf Kleuker : A nh z Zend-Arres ts
. . . .
, I , i, p 1 89 . 52 2 Bunsen : Egypt s Place etc
. .
’

, .
,

V, p 85
. 52 3 E useb : P raep se , I X
. . . . . . 52 4 B erosi frag , p 59 ; Bit ter cd , 1 82 5
. . . . .
 2 18 I SIS UNVEE ED

while fo u ndin g his new religio n was to chan ge the mo st sac red deities ,

o f t he Sa n s krit Ved as in to n a m es o f e vil Sp irits in his Ze n d S cri ptures ,

a n d even to rej ec t a n u m ber o f them w e find no traces in the A vesta o f ,

C ha kra the sym bolic circle o f the sky .

Ela m a no ther o f the so ns o f Shem is Oula m

, a n d refers to an , ,

o rder o r cycle o f eve n ts I n E cclesia stes iii 1 1 it is term ed wo rld ‘ ’

.
, , , .

I n E zekiel xxvi 2 0 o f o ld tim I n Genesi s iii 2 2 t he wo rd sta n ds

‘ ’
, , e .
, , ,

fo rever ; an d I n cha pter ix 1 6 etern al Fin ally the term is

‘ ’ ‘ ’
as , , .
,

co m
“
pletely defined in Genesis vi 4 in t he fo llo wing wo rds : There were , , ,

n ephil i m [gia n ts fallen men o r Tita ns] o n the earth

, , The wo rd is .

syn o ny m
“
o us wi th Aeo n I n P roverbs viii 2 3 it rea ds I was
'
dI v , aI .
, , ,

e fi used fro m Oula m fro m Ra s , ( w is d o m ) By th is se n te n ce t h e w ise .

kin g ka balist refers to o ne o f the mysteries o f the hu ma n spirit

-
the
imm o rta l c ro wn o f the m a n trin ity While it o ugh t to rea d as a bo ve and
-
.
,

b e in terpre ted ka b a listica lly to m ea n th a t t he I (o r m m m

”
y e te r n a l i o r tal ,

Ego) t he spiritua l en tity w as efi use d fro mt he boun dless a n d nameless

, ,

e ternity thro ugh t he c rea tive wis do mo f the u n kn o wn Go d it rea ds in the ,

The Lo rd po ssessed m
“
ca n o nic al tra n sla tio n : e in t he be gin n i n g o f his

w ay befo re his wo rks o f o ld ! whic h is u nin telligible no n se nse wi tho ut

, ,

t he ka ba listic in terpreta tio n When So lo mo n is ma de to say tha t I was

.

fro mthe begin ning while as y et he [t he Supre me De ity] ha d no t

”
“

ma de t he earth no r the highest part o f the dust o f t he wo rld I was

“
there an d when he appoin ted the fo u n da tio n s o f the ea rt h
, then
I was by him as one bro ught u p with hi m wha t ca n t he kabalist mea n

”
, ,

by the I b u t his o wn divin e Spirit a dro p efi used from th a t e ternal

“
,

fo u n ta in o f ligh t a nd wisdo m t he u niversa l spirit o f the Deity ?

The threa d o f glo ry emitted by Ain So ph fro mthe highes t o f the three

”
-

“
ka ba listic hea ds thro ugh wh ich all thin gs Shi n e wi th ligh t th e thread
, ,

which ma kes its exit thro u gh Ada mP ri mus is t he in dividual spirit o f ,

e very m
“
I was daily h is [Ain So ph s] delight rej o ic in g alwa ys b e
’
an .
-
,

fo re him a nd m y d e lig h ts w e r e w ith th e so n s of m e n a dd s S o l o m o n ,

in the sa me cha pter o f the P roverbs The imm o rta l Sp irit deligh ts in the
.

son s of m en w ho witho u t this spirit are b ut dualities (phy sica l bo dy

, ,

a n d as tral so ul o r th a t life pri n ci ple wh ic h a nim

,
-
a tes e ve n t h e lo wes t o f

t he a nim a l kin gdo m ) B u t w e h a

. v e see n t h a t t h e do c trine tea ches th at

this Spiri t ca nn o t u n ite itself with tha t ma n in who m ma tter an d the

”
g r o sse s t p ro pe n s it ies o f hi s a n im a l so u l w i ll b e e ve r c r owd in g i t o u t .

Therefo re So lo mo n wh o is ma de to spea k u nder the inspira tio n o f hi s o wn

,

Spirit th a t po sse sses hi mfo r t he time be in g utters the fo llo wi ng words ,

o f wisdo m
“
Hearken u n to me my so n (the d ual man) ,
“
blessed ,

a re they w ho keep m y w a y s B le sse d .is t h e m a n t h a t h eare t h m e ,

wa tchin g daily a t my ga tes Fo r who so findeth m

. e fi nd eth lif e , ,
22 0 IS I S UNVEI LED

mo reover assigned to begi nni ng, it is sure ly no t the Ta n ai m, the sole

it a

e xpo u n ders o f the hi dden m ea n in g co n taine d in the B ible w h o are to be ,

bla med N 0 mo re than any o ther philo so phers had th ey e ver believed
.

either in spo n ta n eo us lim i ted o r ea: nihilo crea tio ns

, Th e K a bala has
, .

su rv i ve d to Sh o w th a t their p hilo so phy w as prec isely tha t of th e m odern

”
N e pal B uddhis ts the S vdbhdvi kas , They be lieved i n th e eternity and .

the i ndestructibility of m a tter an d hence in m a ny prior crea tions and

,

des truc tio ns o f wo rlds befo re o ur o wn There were o ld worlds which

m
.

Fro m this we see tha t t he Ho ly One blessed b e His

“
perished .
,

na m e had successively c rea te d an d des tro ye d sun dry worlds b efo re he

,

crea ted th e p re sen t wo rld ; a n d whe n he crea ted this w o rld he said :
‘
This pleases me ; the pre vio us o nes did no t please me m M o reover .
’
,

they believed aga in like the S vdbhdvi kas n o w termed A th eis ts that
, , ,

e ve ry thi n g pro cee ds ( is crea te d ) fro mits o wn na ture , a n d tha t o nce tha t

the firs t im p ulse is given by tha t Crea tive Fo rce in he re n t in the Self ‘

c re a ted su bsta n ce o r Sephi ra everythi ng e vo lves o u t o f itself fo llowing

’
, ,

in pa ttern the m ore spiri tu al pro to type which precedes it in t he scale of

The in di visible po in t which has no lim
“
infi n ite crea tio n . i t a n d ca nno t
b e co mprehen ded [fo r it is a bsolu te] expan ded fro mwi thi n a n d form

”
ed ,

a b righ tness which se rve d as a ga rm e n t [ a veil] to t he in divis ible po int .

I t also expan de d fro m wi thi n .

t
.

hrough a consta n t u phea vin g agita tio n an d thus fin ally the wo rld ,

o rigina ted
“7
.

I n the la ter Zo roastrian bo o ks after D arius had both resto red the ,

m
wo rship o f Or azd an d added to it the purer ma giani smo f th e primi tive
S ecret Wisdo m nar m m
o nn o f which , as the inscriptio n te lls us he
, ,

w as him self a hieroph an t we see a gain rea ppea rin g t he Ze ru an a , o r -

bo un dles s time , re presen ted by the Brahman as I n the chalcra , o r a circle,

which we see figuring o n the u plifte d finger o f the prin ci pal deities .

Fa rther o n w e will sho w the rela tio n I n which it s ta n ds to t he Py tha go

rea n m ys tica l n u mbers the firs t a nd the last — which is a zero
a n d to th e grea tes t o f t he M y s tery G ods I AO The ide n tity of this -
.

sy m bol alo ne in all the o ld re ligio n s is su fi c ien t to Sho w th e ir c ommo n

, ,

desce n t fro m o ne primitive Fa ith “ This term o f bo un dless ti e,

‘ ’
. m
which ca n b e applied b u t to the O N E w ho has neither be gin nin g no r end , is

52 5 Zoha r,
. III ,

”
p . 2 9 2 b , An st . ed

52 7 Zohar, I, p Kb
( I drah Zutah . x , 55 42 1 ,

”
52 6 B ereshith Rabba , parsha ix
. . . . .

52 8
“
The Sanskrit s, says M ax M uller, is rep en ted b y the Ze nd h Thus m
m m
. .

t h e geo graph ica l na e hapto hend u which o ccurs in th e A vesta, b eco es in telligible
,

if we re tra nsla te t he Ze nd h in to th e Sa nskrit e Fo r sa pta si ndh u, o r the seven rivers.

m
.

is t he o ld Vedic na e o f I ndia itself ( Chi ps, etc I p The Avesta I s the spirit o f
m m
.
, , .

t h e Veda s t he eso teric eaning ad e pa rt ially kno wn .

 ZOROASTRIAN COS MOGONY AND I TS DERIVATIVE 2 23

called by the Zo ro as trians Zerufina -Ah arana,

because he has alwaysK
ex iste d His glory they say is too exalte d his ligh t too resplenden t fo r
.
, , ,

ei ther hum a n in te llec t to gras p o r m o rta l eyes to see His primal em ana .

t io n is eternal ligh t which fro m ha vin g been pre viously con cea led in
,

da rkn ess w as called o u t to manifest its elf and thus was fo rmed Ormazd
, , ,

th e Kin g o f Life H e is t he first bo rn o f bo un dless tim

‘
e b ut like his
’
-
.
,

o w n an ti ty pe o r pre e xis ting spirit u a l idea has live d wi thin p rim

, iti ve ,

da rkness fro m all e tern ity H is Lo gos crea ted the pure in tellectua l
m
.

wo rld After the la pse o f three gran d cycles

. b e crea te d the m a teria l

world in six perio ds The Six Amshaspends o r primiti ve spirit ual men
.
, ,

whomOrmazd crea ted in his o wn image are the media to rs be tween this ,

wo rld and himself Mithras is an e mana tio n o f the Lo gos an d the chief
.

o f the twen ty e igh t yezidi w ho are the tu telary a n gels o ver the sp iritual
-
,

po rtion o f mankin d t he so uls o f m en The Ferohers are infini te in .

nu m ber They are the ideas o r ra ther the ideal conceptio ns of things
.

which formed themselves in the min d o f Ormazd o r Ahura mazda before

he willed them to ass ume a concre te fo rm They are wha t Aris totle .

terms priva tio ns o f forms and substa n ces The religio n o f Zarathus .

tra as h e is always called in t he A vesta is o ne fro mwhic h the ancien t

, ,

Jews have borrowed the most I n o ne o f the Yai nas Ahura mazda the .
,

Su prem e gives to the seer as o ne o f his sacre d na m es A hm I am ;

’
i
‘
, ,

a nd in an other plac e c hm i yat ahm i I a m tha t I a m as Jehovah is

‘ ’
, , ,

alleged to ha ve given it to M oses .

This Cos mo go ny adopted wi th a change of names in the Ra bbinical

°

K abala foun d its way la ter wi th som e additi ona l spec ula tio ns of M anes
'
, , ,

the half Ma gus half Pla to nist in to the grea t body o f G n o sticis m The
-
,
-
, .

real doc trines o f the Bas ilidean s Vale n tini an s an d the M arcio nites ca n , ,

n o t b e correc tly ascerta ined in t he prej u diced a nd ca lu m n io u s writings o f

the Fa thers o f th e C h urch ; b ut ra ther in wh a t rem a ins o f the works o f

the Bardesan ians kn o wn as the N azarenes , I t is next to impossible . ,

no w tha t all their m a n u sc ripts an d bo o ks are destro ye d to ass ign to a ny ,

of these sec ts its due part in dissen tin g views B ut there are a few men .

s till livin g wh o h a ve p reserved boo ks an d dire c t tradi tio ns a bou t th e

Ophites altho u gh they care little to impa rt themto the wo rld A m

,
o ng .

the unkn own sec ts o f M o un t Leba no n a nd Pales tin e the tru th has been
concea led fo r m ore than a tho usan d years An d their dia gramo f the .

Ophi te schem e differs fro m th e description of it give n by Origen

“l

an d hence fro mthe diagramo f J M a tter

m . .

52 9 . Wha t
is generally understo o d in the A ves ta syste as a thousa nd years
n
eans m m
in the es o teric do c trine a cycle o f a dura tio n kno wn b ut to t he initia tes an d t ch has
530 Contra Cels um
,

. VI , x x iv, s q . .

53 1 Jacq Matter : H istoire critique de gnostiei s e, pl x : 1 82 8

. . m . .
 ”
”
2 20 I SI S UN VEH E D

The K a ba listic trini ty is o ne o f t he models o f the Christian o ne The .

A NCI E NT wh o se n am e b e sa n c tifie d is w i th t hree hea ds b u t w hic h m

, ake ,

o n ly o ne .
5
Trio ca pita ez scul pta s u nt u n u mi ntro alteru m et alterum , ,

sup ra alteru m Three hea ds are inserted in o ne an o ther an d o n e o ver

.
,

The first hea d is the Co ncea led Wisdo m ( S apie nt i a A bscon

”
t he other .

dita ) . Un der this hea d is the A NCI E NT [Pythago rea n M ona d] the m ost ,

h idden o f m y steries ; a hea d which is no hea d [caput quod no n est caput] ;

n o o ne ca n kn o w wha t t a t s n t
h i i his h ea d N o in te ec t ab e to compre
ll is l .
~

hen d this wi sd o m 5“ “
This S en io r Sa nctis si mus is surroun ded by the
.

three hea ds H e is t he e ternal LI G HT o f the wisdo m; a nd the wisdomis

”
.

t he so urce fro mwhich all the m a ni festa t io n s h a ve be gun These three .

hea ds, inclu ded in O N E H E A D [wh ich is no hea d] ; an d thes e three are
be nt do wn [o vershado w] SH O RT FA CE [ the so n] an d throu gh themall
-

things shine wi th ligh t 5“ “

Ain So ph em
. its a threa d fro mEl o r A l [the
-

”
highest Go d o f t he Trinity] , and t he ligh t fo llo ws the threa d a n d enters,
a n d passin g thro u gh m a ke s its e xi t thro u gh A da m P rim us [ K ad o n] m ,

w h o is co ncealed un til the plan fo r arranging [statu m dispo sitio n is ] is

re a dy ; it threa ds thro u gh himfro mhis hea d to his fee t ; a n d in him[in

t he co ncealed Ada m
5“
] is t h e fi gu re o f A M AN .

“
Who so wishes to ha ve an in sigh t in to the sac re d unity le t himco n ,

sider a fla m e risin g fro ma b urnin g coal o r a burn in g la m p H e will see .

first a tw o fo ld ligh t -
a b righ t white , an d a blac k o r blue light ; the

white ligh t is above an d as cen ds in a direc t ligh t while the blue o r dark
, , ,

ligh t is belo w a nd see ms as th e cha ir o f the fo rm

, , er, y et both are so ia

t im a tely co nn ec te d to ge th er th a t th ey co n stitu te o nly o ne fla m e The .

se a t , ho we ver fo rm ed by t he blu e o r d ark li gh t is a gai n co n nec ted with

, ,

the b urnin g m a tter whic h is u nder it again The white li gh t never .

c h a n ges its co lo r, it alway s rem a in s white ; b u t v ario us sh ades are

o bserved in t he lower ligh t , wh ils t the lowes t ligh t , m

”
o reover takes ,

t w o direc tio ns ; a bo ve it is co nn ec ted with the white ligh t, an d belo w

,

with the burning ma tter N ow, this is co nsta n tl y co nsu ming itself, and
.

perpetu ally asce n ds to the upper ligh t, a nd thus every thin g merges
5“
in to a Sin gle un ity .

Such were the a nc ien t ideas o f the trinity in the unity , as an ah

strac tio n . M a n , who is the m icrocosm of t he mac rocosm o r o f the ,

53 2 . I drah z mh , n, 5 78 ; Zoha r, 1 1 1 , p 2 88 b , Am
. s t ed 1 71 4 . . .

533 I drah Zutah, ii,

.
55 9 83
5 - . 534 I bid ii. 5 63 ; vu. 55 1 77-1 87
. .
, .

535 Ja mvero quo nia m

hoc in loco reco nd ita es t illa plane no n utuntur, et tantu m
m m
.

de parte lucis ejus part icipan t quae de ittitur e t ingreditur intra filu Ain So ph pro
m
tensu
‘
e Perso na 7N [ Al G o d ] deo ru m
: in tra t q ue c t per i
p t et transit mm
m m
,

primmu occ ul t u usq ue im

n s ta t u d is s it io n is t ra nsi t q ue p er c u a ca pite us que ad
pe des ejus : s t i n so est fig u ra ho m i nis K a bb a la de n ud at a , I I . p .

536 Zohar.
. I , p . 5 1 a, A mat . ed.
22 4

”
ISIS UNVEILED

”
Genesis th e m o ther o f all tha t li ve is within A da m th e Seco nd , .

An d no w fro mt he m
, om e n t o f its firs t ma nifes ta tio n , t he LOR D M A N O ,

t he Un in telligible Wisdo m , disa ppears fro mt he scene o f ac ti o n I t will .

ma nifest itself o nly as Shekhinah the GRA CE ; fo r the C OR ONA is the “

,

innermost Li gh t o f all Ligh ts an d h en ce it is darkn ess s o w n sub

’
,

s ta nce !
“

I n the K a bala S hekhi n ah is the nin th em

, ana tio n o f Sephi ra, which

co n ta in s t he who le o f the ten Se phiro th wi thi n herself S hekh ina h be .

lo n gs to the third tria d a nd is prod uced to ge ther wi th M alkh uth o r

,

Ki n gdo m o f which she is t he fem ale co un terpart Otherwi se she is

‘ ’
.
,

held to b e hi gher than an y o f these ; fo r she is the Di vine Glory the

‘ ’
,

veil o r garmen t o f Ain So ph The Jews whenever she is men tio ned -
.
,

in the Targum i m say tha t she is the glo ry o f Y eho v ah which d welt in
, ,

t he ta bern ac le m a nife s tin g herself like a visible clo u d ;

, th e Glo ry
re sted o ver t he M ercy Sea t in the S a nctu mS anctoru m -
.

I n the N a zarene o r B ardesa nia n Sy stem, which may b e ter ed the m

K a bala wi thin the K a bala , t he Ancien t o f Day s A nti qu us A ltus who
is the Fa ther o f the Demiurge o f the universe is ca lled t he Thi rd Life , ,

o r A batu r; a n d he is th e Fa ther o f Feta hil w ho is t he architect o f ,

”
t he visible u niverse , whic h he ca lls in to existence by the powers o f his
g en I I a t t h e o r d e r o f t h e G r ea tes t th e A b a t ur a n s w e rin g to t h e

Fa ther o f Jesus in t he la ter C hristian theolo gy These t wo superio r .

“
Li ves then are the c ro wn wi thin which dwells th e grea tes t F erho Be .

fo re a ny crea ture ca me in to ex istence the Lo rd Ferho ex iste d 5“

This .

o ne is t he Firs t Life fo rm less an d in visible ; in whomthe livin g Spirit

,

The tw o are O N E fro m eternity

”
o f LI FE ex ists t he H ighest G RA CE
, .
,

fo r they are t he Ligh t a n d t he CA U SE o f t he Ligh t There fo re they .

a nswer to the ka ba lis tic co n cea led wis do m a n d to t he co n cealed She ,

khin ah t he H o ly G ho st
“
This ligh t, which is manifes ted is the gar
.
,

men t o f the Hea venly Co ncea led says I drah Zutah ! And the heaven “

”
‘

ly ma n is the su perio r Ada m N o o ne knows h is pa th s e xcept M acro

.

p ro so p u s ( Lo n g face ) t-
h e S u pe rio r a c ti ve g o d N o t as I a m w ri tte n .

will I be re a d ; in this wo rld my n a me will b e written Yeho vah and read

Ado n ai is the A da mK ad

”
A do n a i “ 3
say t he Ra bbin s, very co rrec tly .
,

mo n ; he is FA TH E R a n d M OTHE R bo th By this do uble media to rship .

the Sp irit o f the Anc ien t o f the An cien t desce n ds u po n t he M icro

‘

p roso pu s ( S h o r t fa ce ) o r
-
t h e A d a m o f E d e n A n d t h e
“
L o rd G o d .

brea thes in to h is no strils t he brea th o f life .

When t he wo ma n separa tes herself fro mher a ndro gyne an d becomes ,

544 . I drah Zutah, ix , 5 353 ; K abb de n udata,

. II , p 364 ;
. co mpare Pythago ras ’
Mo nad .

545 Cod N az , I , p 1 45
. . . . . 546 . I drah Zutah, ix , 5355 . 547 I drah Ra bbah,
. viii, 51 09 .

548 A uszugs
. a us d B S oha r, p 1 1
. . .
( Berlin. Zohar, III , p 2 30, A
. mst . ed.
 GN OS TI C. OPH ITE , AND N AZARENE IDEAS 2 25

a distinc t indi vidu ality the first sto ry is repea ted over aga in Bo th the
, .

Fa ther and So n t he two Ada m s lo ve her bea u ty ; an d the n fo llo ws the

, ,

allego ry o f the te m pta tion an d fall I t is t he sa me in the Ka bala as in the .

Ophite sy stem in which bo th t he Ophis an d the Ophio m

, o rpho s are

em a na tio n s e mblema tized as serpents the fo rmer representin g E terni ty , ,

Wis do m a nd Spirit (as in the Chaldaea n M a gismof Aspic wo rship a n d

,
-

Wis do mDoctrine in the olden times) an d the la tter C unnin g En vy a nd

-

”
, ,

Ma tter Bo th sp irit and ma tter are serpents ; a nd Adam K a dmo n

.

bec o mes the Ophis who tempts hi mself man and woman to ta s te of
the Tree o f Good an d Evil in o rd er to teach themt he m
‘ ’
, ysteries of
spiritual wisdo m Ligh t tem pts Darkness an d Darkness a ttracts Light
.
, ,

fo r D arkness is m a tter a n d the H ighest Ligh t shines no t in its Tenebrae

”
, .

With kno wledge co mes the tempta tio n o f the Ophio mo rpho s and h e ,

preva ils The du alismo f every existing religion is Shown fo rth by t he

.

fall “
I ha ve gotten a man fro m the Lo rd exclaims E v e when the

”
.
, ,

Du alis m Cain an d Abel , e vil a n d good is born

“
And t he A dam .

kne w H u a his wo man (catu ) an d she beca me pregnan t a nd bo re K i n

m
, , ,

an d she sai d : aw e It! “ TW : K aniti ais ath Ya va I h a ve ga in ed

P
o r obta ine d a h us ba n d eve n Yava I s Ais ma n
,
“
Cu m arbore , .

pecca ti Deus crea vit seculu m

.

An d will compare this syste mw ith tha t of the Jewish G no s

no w we
tics the N azarenes as well as with o ther philosophies , .

The I S H AM ON the plero m a o r the bo un dless circle within whic h lie

, ,

all fo rm is the THOUG HT o f the power divine ; it wo rks in SI LE NCE

‘ ’
s , ,

an d su ddenly li gh t is begotten by d a rkn ess ; it is ca lled t h e S E CO N D life ;

an d th is o ne prod uces o r gen era tes t he THI R D This third ligh t is the ‘
, , .

FA TH E R o f all thin gs tha t live as E U A is the mother o f all tha t live ,

’ ‘
.
’

He is the Crea to r who calls inert ma tter in to life thro ugh his vi v ify ing ,

sp irit a n d
, there fore is called the a ncient o f the wo rld Ab at ur is
, , .

the Fa ther w ho crea tes the firs t A da m who crea tes in his t urn the
‘ ’
,

seco n d Ab a t ur opens a ga te a n d walks to the dark wa ter (chaos ) a nd

.
,

lookin g do wn in to it the da rkn ess reflec ts the im , age o f Him se lf

an d lo ! a SO N is fo rm ed the Lo go s o r Dem iurge ; Fetc hit w ho is t he ,

bui lder o f the material wo rld is called in to ex istence Acco rdin g to the
, .

G no st ic dogma this was the M etatron t he Archa ngel Ga briel o r M es

, , ,

senger o f Life ; o r as the b iblica l a llego ry h as it the a n dro gy n o u s A da m

, ,

Ka d mo n again the SO N who with h is Fa ther s spirit prod uces t he

’
, , ,

A NO I NT E D o r A da mbe fore his fall

, .

When S vayambhu the Lo rd w ho exists through himself feels

,
‘
,
’

impelled to m a n ifest himse lf he is th u s desc ribed in the H in du sacred

,

Ha vin g been impelled to produce vario us beings fro mhis o wn di vine

226 IS IS UN VEILED

bsta nce he firs t ma nifested the wa ters which develope d w i thi n them

”
su ,

se lves a prod u c tive see d .

The see d beca m e a germb righ t as go ld bla zin g like th e lu m

“
inary ,

with a tho usan d beams ; an d in tha t eg he was born hi ms elf in the ,

fo rm o f BRA HM A the grea t prin ciple o f all the beings

, ( M c u re I , ,

i lo kas 8 ,

The E gyptian K neph Ch nu phis D ivine Wisdo m re prese n ted by

, or , ,

a serpen t prod uces an egg fro m his m

, o u th fro m which issu es Ptah , .

I n th is case P tah repre se n ts t he universa l germ as well as B rah ma who , ,

is o f the ne u ter gen der whe n the final a has no acce n t o ver it ;
,
5"
o ther

wise it bec o mes simply o ne o f the names o f the Deity Th e fo rmer was .

the m o del o f t he THR E E LI V E S o f t he N azare nes as th a t o f t he ka balistic ,

Faces PARTZU P H I M which in its turn furnished the mode l fo r the

‘ ’
, , , ,

C hris tia n Trinity o f Ire nae us a n d his fo llo wers The egg w as t he prim i .

tive ma tter which served as a ma terial fo r th e bu ildin g o f t he visible

u ni v erse ; it co n ta ined as well as the G no st ic Plero m , a th e ka balistic .

Shekhina h the m a n an d wife the spirit an d life

, whose ligh t includes all
, ,

o ther ligh ts o r life sp irits This first manifes ta tio n w as sy mbolized by a

-
.

se rpe n t which is a t firs t di vine wisdo m b u t fall i ng i nto generation

, , , ,

beco mes po llu ted P ta h is the hea venly man the Egy ptia n Adam
.
,

K ad m o n o r C hristo s who in conj un c tio n wi th t he fem

, ,ale Holy Ghost ,

the ZO E prod uces t he five elem

, en ts air wa te r fire earth a n d ether; , , , , ,

t he la tter be in g a servile copy fro m the Bu ddhist Adi a n d his five ,

D hy fini Bu ddh as as we ha ve sho wn in the preceding cha pter

-
, The .

Hindu S vdyambhuva N ara develo ps fro mhimse lf th e mother principle

- -
,

e n c lo se d wi th in his o wn div in e esse nce N dri t he imm o rta l Virgin who , ,

when impregna ted by his Spirit bec omes Tanm dtra the m other o f the , ,

five elem en ts a ir wa te r fire earth a n d e ther, Th us ma y b e shown

, , , .

ho w fro m the H in du cosm o go ny all o thers p roceed .

K no rr v o n Ro se nro th b usyin g h im self wi th the in te rp re ta tio n o f the

,

K a ba la argues tha t I n this first sta te (o f secret wisdo m) the infinite

“
, ,

Go d himse lf ca n b e u n ders to od as Fa ther (o f th e n ew co venant)

‘ ’
.

”
B u t t he Light be in g let do wn by the In fin ite throu gh a canal in to the
,
‘
primal Ada m o r M es sia h a nd j o ined wi th him can b e a pplied to the
’
, ,

na m e SO N And the influx e m

. i tted do wn fro m h im [th e So n ] to the
lo wer pa rts [o f the un iv e rse ] ca n b e re ferred to t he ch arac ter o f the Ho ly
,

G ho s t.
55°
So ph ia Acham o th the half spiritual h alf m
-
a terial LI FE
,
-
,
-
,

which v iv ifies the inert ma tter in the depths o f chaos is the Holy Ghost of ,

t he G n o s tics a n d th e S pi ritus (fem

, ale ) o f th e N azare nes She is be it .

rem em bered the s is ter o f Christo s the perfect em ana tio n and both are , ,

549 H e is th e
. uni versal an d spiritual ger mof all things .

. m
550 Adu brati o K abb Chr , pp 6. 7 . . . .
2 28 I SI S UN VEI LED

re vea led in the res ults o f crea tio n proceedin g o ut o f the former its ,

sp iritua l proto type The thi rd is t he mu tila te d im

. a ge o f bo th t he o thers ,

c ry sta llized in t he fo rmo f h u ma n do gm as which vary acc o rdin g to the ,

e xu beran ce o f the na tio n al m a te rialis tic fan cy .

The Su pre me Lo rd o f splendo r a n d o f ligh t lu m in o us a n d re fu lgent , ,

befo re which no o ther ex isted is ca lled Co ro na ( the cro w n ) ; Lo rd Ferho

, ,

t he unrevea led life which ex is ted in th e fo rm e r fro me tern i ty ; an d Lo rd

Jo rda n the sp irit the li vi n g wa ter o f grace “ H e is the o ne thro ugh

, .

who malo ne we ca n b e sa v ed ; a n d thus he answers to the Shekhinah, or

h
t e H o ly S p irit t he sp ir i t,u al gar m e n t o f Ai n -
S op h T h ese thr ee c o nsti .

tu te the trin ity in abscond ito The seco n d trinity is co mpo sed o f the .

three lives The first is the simili tu de o f Lo rd Ferho th ro u gh who mhe

.
,

h as procee ded fo rth ; a n d t he se co n d Ferho is t he Kin g o f Light

M A NO ( Rea: Lucis ) H e is the hea v enly life an d ligh t an d o lder tha n the
.
,

Architec t o f hea v en a n d ea rth “ The seco n d life is I sh A m. o n [or

I u sha m in ] ( Plero m a ) t he vase o f elec tio n , co n ta in in g t he visible t ho ught

,

o f t he I orda n us M ax im

”
us th e type (o r its in telligible re flex io n) the ,

pro to type o f t he livin g wa ter w ho is the spiritual Jo rda n ‘

“ 7
The .
’
,

third life , which is prod uced by the o ther t wo is AB A TUB (A b, the Parent ,

This is t he mysterio us a nd decrepit Aged o f the Aged ’

o r Fa ther)
‘
.
,

Anc ien t S ene ms ui obtegentemet gra ndaevu mm

“
th e u ndi This la tter .

third Life is the Fa the r o f the Demiurge Fe ta hi l the C rea to r o f the

”
,

wo rld who m the Ophites ca ll Ilda

, tho ugh Feta hil is the
o nly bego tte n on e, t he re flex io n o f t he Fa the r A b a t ur who be gets himby
-
, ,

5“
b ut the Lo rd M an o
“
loo king in to the da rk wa ter ; th e Lo rd of
‘ ’

”
lo ftiness the Lo rd o f a ll genii rs h igher tha n the Fa ther rn thi s ka ba listic

”
, ,

o n e is p ure ly spiri tu a l t he o ther m

”
Codex a teria l So fo r in s ta nce
, .

“
while Ab a t ur s o nly bego tte n o ne is the gen ius Feta hil the Crea to r of
’
-
,

the phy sica l wo rld ; Lo rd M a no t he Lo rd o f Celsitu de who is t he son

’
,

o f H imwh o is
“
t he Fa ther o f all who preac h the G ospel, prod u ces also

”
“
an o nly be go tten -
o n e the Lo rd Le h do io , a j us t Lo rd H e is the
, .

C hristos, the ano in ted, who po urs o u t the grace of the In visible ’

Jo rda n t he Spiri t o f the H ighest Crown

, .

I n the Arcan u m in th e asse mbly o f sple n do r, ligh te d by M A NO, to

“
,

who mthe sc in tillas o f splendo r o we their o rigin , the genii who live in
“
ligh t a rose a n d wen t to the visible Jorda n an d flo win g wa ter, where
they asse mbled fo r a co unsel, a n d ca lle d fort h the Only Begotten Son -

555 Code: N azaraeus

.
, II . PP 4.7-
5 7 . 556 . I bid I , p . 1 45 .

557 1 bid I I p 2 1 1
. . .

559 Sophia Ach amo th also begets her so n Ilda-Bao th, t he Demi urge, b y lo oking
m
ma tt er, and by co ing in contact with it
.

into chaos or .
 ”
AN APOC ALYPTI C ALLEGO RY EXPLAIN ED 229

o f an im perishable image who canno t b e conceived by reflex io n Lehdo io ,

the j u st Lo rd, an d sprun g fro mLeh do io the j ust lo rd , who m the Life
had produc ed by his wo rd no
.

M ano is the ch ief o f t he seven Aeo n s who a re M ano (Rex Lucia ) ,

Aiar Zivo Ignis Vivu s Lux Vita Aq ua Viva (the livin g wa ter o f b a p
, , , ,

tis m the gen iu s of the Jo rd an ) a n d Ipsa Vita the chi ef o f the six
, , ,

m m m

”
ge n ii w h ic,h fo r wit h h i t he y s t ic seven Th e N a zar e n e M a no is .

sim ply the copy of the H indi] first M a nu the e man a tio n of M an u

Svdyam bhuva fro mwho mevolve in su ccessio n the six o ther M an us ,

ty pes of the su bsequen t race s of men We find themall repre se n ted by .

the postle ka balist Jo hn in the se ven la mps o f fire b urnin g before

a -
“

th e thro ne which are th e seven sp irits o f Go d a n d in the se ve n an gels

1561
, ,

bea ring the se ven vials Again in Fetahil we recognise the o rigin al of
.

the C hri s tian do c trine .

”
I n the Revelation o f Jo a nnes Theolo gos it is said I t urned an d
sa w in the m id st o f the seven can dles tic ks o ne like u n to t he So n o f
man his hea d an d h is hairs were wh ite like wool as wh ite as snow ; ,

a n d h is ey es were as a fla m e of fire ; an d hi s fee t like un to fin e brass ,

as if they b urn e d in a f urnace ( i 1 3 1 4 J o hn h ere re p e a ts as is

, , , ,
“
well kno wn the wo rds o f Da niel an d Ezekiel
, The An cien t o f Days .

“
w ho se ha ir was white as p ure wool e tc And the a ppear .

an ce of a m an a bove the thro ne a nd the appeara n ce o f fire ,

an d it ha d brigh tness ro u n d abo u t

“ 3
the fire bein g the glo ry of the
Lord Feta h il is so n o f the m an the Third Life an d h is u pper part
‘

.
, ,

is re presen ted as whi te as snow while sta n din g near the thro ne of the ,

liv in g fire he h as the appearance of a fla m

”
e .

All these a poca lyptic vision s are based o n the desc riptio n of the
‘

‘
wh ite head of the Zohar in who mthe kabalistic trinity is uni ted
’
,

the whi te hea d which co nceals in its craniu mthe sp irit

“
a n d wh ich is ,

”
The a ppearance o f a m is th a t o f Ada m
“
enviro ned by su btle fire . an

Ka d m o n th ro u gh wh ic h passes t he threa d o f ligh t represe n ted by the

,

fire Fetah il is the Vir N ovissi m us (the n ewest m

”
. an ) t he so n o f Ab a t ur , ,

the la tter be in g th e m o r th e thi rd life

“ n o w t he third perso na ge of
‘ ’
an , ,

J ohn sees o ne li ke u n to the so n o f man

“
the trin ity . ho lding in h is ,

righ t h a n d se ven sta rs a n d sta n din g betwee n , se ven go lden ca n dle

“
s ticks (R ea i 1 3 F
,e ta hil
, t a k e
, s h is s ta n d o n hig h ac c o rd i n g to ,

the will o f his fa ther the h igh est Aeo n who has se ven scepters
, a nd

560 Co
.de: N azaraeu s , II pp 1 07-
9 ; see S od the S on
, of the M a.n, p 60 fo r tra nslatio n , . , .

56 1 Revelatio n iv 5
. 562 Ezekiel i, 2 6, 2 7
, , . 563 Cod N az II , p 1 2 7
. , . . . . .

564 The first andro gy ne duad , being co nsidered a u nit in all the secre t co m
.
puta tio ns ,
is therefore t he H o ly Ghost .
 ”
IS I S UNVEI LED

se ven genu who as tro no mically represen t the seven plane ts o r s tella t a .

H e sta n ds shinin g in the garm en t o f the Lords res ple n de n t by the ,

age ncy o f the genii

5“
H e is the So n o f his Fa th er Life an d hi s mo ther
, , , ,

Spirit o r Ligh t “ The Lo go s is re presen ted in the Go sp el acco rding to

, .

J ohn as o ne in whomw as Life an d t he life w as the light o f m

“
en (i , ,

Fe ta hil is the De m

” ”
i urge a n d his fa ther c rea ted the vis ible u n iverse of ,

ma tter thro ugh him I n the E pistle of P aul to the E phesia ns (iii
“7

” ”
.
,

Go d rs sa id to ha ve created all things by Jes us I n t he Coda N azaraeus

‘‘
.

“
t he Pare n t LI FE say s Arise go o ur so n first be go tten o rdained fo r all
-
.
, ,
-
,

As the li vin g Fa ther ha th sen t m

”
c rea tu res
“3 “
e sa ys C hris t
“
God
.
, ,

se n t his o nly be go tte n So n tha t w e m

5“
igh t live
-
Fin ally ha vin g per .
,

fo rmed his work o n ea rth Feta hil reasce nds to his fa ther Aba tar “
Et , .

qu i , rel icto mprocrea ver t mundo ad A bat ur suumpat emco ntendit

que a , r .
5“

fa ther se nt me

”
“
My I go to the Fa ther re pea ts Jesus . .

Lay ing aside the theo

.
,

lo gica l dispu tes o f C hristia ni ty which try to

ble nd to gether t he Jewish Crea to r o f the first chapter o f Genes is with
the Fa ther o f the N ew Testa m
’
e nt Jes u s s ta tes repea te dly o f his Father
‘
,

Su rely he wo u ld no t ha ve so termed the ever

”
tha t H e is i n secret .

presen t Lo rd Go d o f the M o sa ic bo o ks w ho sho wed H imself to Moses

‘ ’

an d t he Pa triarc h s a n d fin ally allo we d a ll the elders o f Israe l to loo k

m
,

o n H im se lf When Jesu s is ma de to spea k o f the temple a t Jerusalem

.

he does no t m

”
as o f h is Fa ther s ho use ea n t he p hysica l b uilding
’

, ,

which he ma in tains he ca n des tro y a nd then again reb ufld in three

days b u t o f the temple o f So lo mo n the wise Ka balis t who in dicates
, ,

in h is P ro verbs tha t e very man is the tem ple o f Go d o r o f his o wn ,

di vine spirit This term o f t he Fa ther w ho is in secre t we find

“

”
.
,

u sed as m uc h in t he K a bala a s in t he Coda N aza rae us an d else where , .

N o o ne has ev er see n the wi sdo m con cea led in the C ran ium and
‘ ’
,

n o o ne has be held t he Depth ( By t h o s ) Sim o n t he M agic ia n preached

‘

m
.

“
o n e Fa ther un kn o wn to all .

We can trace th is appella tio n o f a secre t Go d still farther back ‘ ’

.

I n the K a ba la the So n o f the concealed Fa ther w ho dwells in light

a n d glo ry is t he Ano in ted t he Ze i r A n pi n w ho unites in him self all
‘ ’ ’

, ,

t he Sephiro th ; he is C hris to s o r t he Hea v enly m an I t is thro ugh , .

Christo s tha t the Pneu ma o r the Ho ly Gho st crea tes all things , ,
‘ ’

( p
E h es ia n s iii a n d p ro,d u ce s t he
, fo u r ele m e n ts air w a te r fi re a nd , , , ,

565 Coda N azaraeus ,

. III p 59 . . 566 I bid
.
, , p 2 85 . . I . . 56 7 I bid . .
, I , p 309 . .

568 . I bid .
, I , p . 2 87 . See 8 6d , the S on of the M a n, p 1 01 . .

569 . J ohn, v i, 57; I J ohn, iv , 9 . 570 . Coda N azaraeus , II , p . 1 23 .

571 .Th en wen t u p M oses an d Aa ro n , N ada b and Ab ihu , a n d seven ty o f t he elders

o f Israel A nd they sa w th e God of I srael
. Ex od us, x x iv, 9 1 0 , , .

572 . Clement H amil . X VIII , m 1; Irenaeus : Agai nst H eresies, II , pref .

, sq .
 ”
2 32 IS IS UNVEILED

throu gho u t the whole boo k o f this prophe t which is as ka balis tic as ,

t he roll o f a bo o k which the G lo ry ca u ses hi mto ea t

“
I t is writte n .

withi n a nd witho ut; an d its rea l m ea nin g is iden tical with th a t o f the

A pocal ypse I t appears stra nge th a t so m

. u c h stress should b e la id o n

this pec u liar a ppella tion said to have been applied by Jesus to him

”
,

self ,when in the symbolical o r ka balistic language a prophe t is so

a ddre ssed It is as extrao rd in ary to see Iren aeus in dul gin g in such
.

g ra phi c desc ript io n s o f Jesu s a s to sh ow h im t he m a k er o f a ll s i ttin g , ,

u po n a C heru b u nless he ide n tifies hi mwith Shekhi na h wh ose usual

‘75
, ,

place w as a mo n g the C haro ub s o f the M ercy Sea t We also k no w that .

the Cherubima n d Seraphima re titles of the Old Serpe n t (the o rth o dox
’

De vil) the Seraphs being the burning o r fiery serpen ts in ka balistic ,

sy m bolism The ten emana tio ns o f Ada m K ad mo n called the Sephi

.
,

roth h ave all e m

, blems and titles co rresponding to eac h So fo r insta nce .

the las t t w o are Vi c tory o r Y eho v ah Tze b ao th whose symbol is the

’
-
, ,

righ t colu m n o f Solo m on t he Pillar J achi n while GLORY is the left

,

Pillar o r Bo a z a nd its name is the Old Serpen t an d also Sera phim

, ,
‘
,
’ ‘

a n d C heru b im
57“ ’
.

The So n o f m an rs a n appella tion which co uld no t b e ass um ed

by any o ne b u t a K abalist As shown above in the Old Testa m . ent ,

it is used by b u t o ne prophe t E zekiel th e K a balist I n th eir m y s , .

terio us a n d m u tu al rela tio n s t he Aeo ns o r Seph iroth are represe n t ed in

,

the K abala by a grea t nu m ber o f circles a n d so metimes by the figure ,

o f a M AN which is symbolically formed o u t o f such circles This man

, .

is Ze ir An pfn a nd the 2 4 3 nu m bers of which his figure consis ts rela te

’
,

to the differe n t o rders of the celes tial h ierarchy The original idea o f .

this figure o r ra ther the mo del may have been ta ken fro mthe Hin du
, ,

B rah ma and the va riou s cas te s ty pified by the se veral parts o f his bo dy
, ,

I n o ne o f t he gra n des t an d mo st

”
as Kin g su ggests in his Gnosti cs .

bea u tiful ca ve te mples at Ello ra N asa k dedica te d to Viévaka rma n

-
, , ,

so n of B ra h m a is a re pre se n ta tio n o f this Go d a nd his a ttribu te s

, To .

o ne acq u ain te d wi th Eze k ie l s desc ription o f t he likeness o f fo ur

’

living crea tures e very o ne o f wh ich h ad fo u r faces an d the h an ds o f

,

a m a n un der its win gs this figure a t Ello ra must certainly a ppear

,

abso lu tely biblical Brahma is ca lled the fa ther o f man as well as

.
,
’

Jupiter and o ther highest go ds .

I t is in the B u ddh istic represen ta tions of M oun t Meru called by the ,

B urmese M yé n mo an d by the Sia mese Si nera tha t we find o ne o f the

-
, ,

originals o f the A da mK ad mo n Ze ir Anptn the hea ve nly ma n and ,

’
,
‘

,
’

o f all t he Aeo n s Sephiroth Powers Do m , inio n s Thrones Virtues and

, , , , ,

575 . Irenaeus : m
Frag ents, lii, liv .

576 C . . W . King: The Gno sti cs, etc .

, p 35.; 2 nd ed . 577 Ezekiel, i . .
 THE IN D IAN MERU GOD S SEPE IROTH
-
, 2 33

Dignities of the K abala

Betwee n t w o pillars whi ch are connec ted by
.
,

a n arc h the keysto ne o f th e la tter is represe n te d by a crescent

, Thi s .

is the do m ain in which dwells th e S u p rem e Wisdo m o f Adi B uddha -

,

the Su pre m e a n d in visible De ity Benea th this hi ghest cen tral poin t
.

co m es th e c ircle o f the direc t e m an a tio n o f t he U n kn o wn t he c irc le

o f B rah m a w ith so m e H in d fls o f th e first avatara o f B u ddh a acco rdin g
, ,

to others This ans wers to Adam K ad mo n and the ten Sephiro th

. .

N ine o f the e man a tions are enc irc led by the te n th and are occas ion a lly ,

re prese n te d by pa god as ea c h o f whic h bear s a n a m

, e w hic h expre sses

o ne o f th e c hie f a ttribu tes o f t he m a n ifes te d Deity Then belo w co me .

the se ven sta ges o r hea venly spheres eac h sp here bein g encircled by
, ,

a sea These are the celestial man sio ns o f the devetas o r go ds eac h
.
, ,

losing so m ewh a t in ho li ness a n d pu rity as it a pp ro ac hes the ea rth .

Then co mes M eru itse lf fo rmed o f n u mberless circles w ithi n three

,

la rge o nes ty p ifyin g the trin ity o f ma n ; a n d fo r o n e ac qu a in ted with

,

the n u m erical v alu e o f the le tte rs in b iblica l n a m es like th a t o f t h e ,

Grea t Beast o r tha t o f M i thra p a Opa s a fipa fa s a nd o thers it is a n

’
, , , ,

easy m a tter t o esta blish t he ide n tity o f t he M eru go d s wi th t he e m a na -

tio ns o r Sephiroth o f the kabalists Also the genii o f the N aza re nes .
,

w ith their special m issio ns are all fou n d in th is m , o st an cien t m yt ho s ,

a m ost perfec t repre senta tio n o f t he sy mbolismo f the sec ret doc trine
as ta u gh t in arc h a ic a ges .

K in g giv es a few hi n ts thou gh do u btless insu fi cient to teac h

a nythi ng im po rta n t fo r they are based u po n t he ca lc ula tio ns o f B ishop
,

N e wto n as to this m o de o f fin d in g o u t m ysteries in the value o f let

573

ters Howev er w e fin d this grea t archaeo lo gist w ho has dev o ted so mu ch

.
,

time and la bor to the stu dy o f G no s tic gems co rro bo ra tin g o ur assertio n , .

H e sho ws th a t the en tire theo ry is H ind u and po in ts o u t th a t t he du rgd , ,

o r fem ale co un terpart o f eac h A sia tic go d is w h a t t he kab ali sts te rms e ,

tive Vi rtue 57°

in th e celestia l hiera rc hy a te rm whi ch the C hristian ,

Fa thers a do pt ed a nd re pea ted w ith o u t fully a pprec iatin g a nd the ,

mea nin g o f which the la ter theo lo gy has utterly disfigured B ut to

.
.

return t o M eru .

578 The Gno stics and their Rem a i ns, pp 2 53, sq , 2 62 ; 2 n d ed it io n

.

Altho ugh th is sc ience is co mm

. . .

“
579 o nly su p to b e pecul iar to the Jewis h Tal
mudists , th ere rs no do ub t that they bo rrowed e idea fro ma fore ign so urce an d that
.

fro mthe Chaldaeans, the fou nders of magic art says King, in The Gn ostics The titles
,

I ao and A braz as, etc instead o f being re cen t G nos tic figm
, .

en ts were in deed ho ly na mes

th e m m
ost ancien t fo rm Plin y m
,

ust allu de to themwhen

.
,

b o rro wed fro ulae o f t he Eas t

he m entio ns the virt ues ascrib ed b y the M agi to am
.

eth ysts en grav ed with the na m es

o f t he su n a nd oo n, na m m
es n o t ex pressed rn eith er t he Gree k o r Lat in to n gues (N at
I n t he Eternal S u n, the A brazas, t he Ado na i o f these gem
. .

H ist , x x x viii 5
‘ ‘ ’ ‘ ’ ’
s,
ise the very am
,

we reco ulets rid icul ed b y th e hiloso phic Pliny ( The Gnostics etc p 2 83 ;
Virtutes ( m m g
.

—
.

2 nd ed . i racles) as e plo yed

2 34 IS IS UN VEILED

T he whole o ded by t he M ahd S amudra o r the grea t sea

is surr un -
,

t he as tral ligh t an d e ther o f the ka balists a nd scien tists ; an d wi thin the

cen tra l circles appea rs th e liken ess o f a m H e is the Ac ha mo th o f
’
an .

t he G no s tics t he twofo ld un ity o r t he an dro gyn e m

, an ; th e h ea venly
,

in ca rna tio n and a perfec t re presen ta tio n o f Ze i r A npi n (short fac e) the
’
-
, ,

so n o f A ri kh A n pi n (lo n g This likeness is no w re prese n ted in

’

ma ny la maseries by Gau ta ma B uddh a the las t o f the incarna ted a va ta rs -

, .

S till lower un der the M eru is the dwelli n g o f the grea t N dga w ho is
, , ,

ca lled N a g a Rd ja t he-
k i n g se rp e n t
, t h e se rp e n t o f
-
Gen es is t h e G n ostic ,

O phis a n d t he go ddess o f the ea rth B h d m a yi N dri o r Yr im i w ho waits ,

-
, ,

u po n the grea t d ragon fo r she is E v e t he m other o f all tha t li ve S till ‘ ’

, , .

lo wer is the eigh th sphere the in fernal regions The u ppermost re gio ns, .

o f Bra hm a are surro un ded by the su n m oon an d plan e ts the se ven , , ,

stellars o f th e N azare nes a n d j us t as they are describe d in the Coda

’
, .

”
The se ven impo s to r D ae m on s who deceive the so ns o f A da m The

”
“
-
.

nam e o f o ne is S ol ; o f a n o ther S piritus Ven ereu s Ast ro o f the ,

the na m

”
third N ebu M erc urius a false M ess iah
, , e o f a fo urth is Si n ,

Luna ; the fifth is K ivan (Ki un) Sa turnu s ; the sixth B el Ze us ; the , , ,

”
N erig M ars
“
seven th ,
5"
Then th ere are S even Lives procrea ted
, .
,

se ven good S tella rs

“
whi ch are fro mK ebar Ziva a nd a re th ose bright
,
-
,

o nes w ho shin e in their o w n fo rma n d splen dor th a t po urs fro mo n high .

A t the ga te o f th e H OU S E OF LI FE t he th ro ne is fitly placed fo r the

”
Lo rd o f S plendo r a n d there a re T H RE E h a b ita tions The h abita
5
, .

tio ns o f the Trimurti the H indu trinity are placed benea th the keysto ne
, ,

t he go lden c rescen t in t he represen ta tio n o f M eru

“
, An d there was .

un der hi s fee t [o f t he Go d o f I srael] as it were a pa v ed wo rk o f a sa pph ire

'

”
sto ne ( E x cel xx i v ,U n d er t h e
, c re sce n t is t he h ea v e n o f B ra h a ,

all pa ved wi th sa pph ires T he para dise o f Indra is res plen den t w ith a
.

th o usa n d s u n s ; tha t o f Siv a (Sa tu rn ) is in th e no rtheas t ; his thro ne is

formed o f lapis lazuli a n d the floor o f hea ven is o f fervid gold
-
Whe n he .

sits o n t h e th ro n e he bla zes wi th fire u p to the lo i ns A t H ard v ar d urin g .

,

the fair in whic h he is m

”
o re th an ever M ahddeva t h e h igh es t go d the ,

a tt rib u tes a n d e m blems sacred to the Jewish Lo rd Go d may b e reco g ‘ ’

n ise d o ne by o ne in th o se o f Siv a The Binla ng stone “ sac re d to this.

,

Hin du deity is a n u nhewn sto ne like the Be th c l co nsec ra ted by the

,
-
,

Pa triarch Jaco b an d se t up by h im fo r a pilla r a nd like t he la tte r

“

”
, ,

580 So called o d
t is t in gu is h t he sho rt -
face who is a terior, fro mthe venera ble sacred
mage o f the Fa ther
. ,

536 ; 5 Ze i f A np i n is t he i
’

cf I d rah Ra bbah iii,

‘
anc ien t (
’
v,
m
. , .

“
H e t ha t ha th seen e ha th seen th e Fa ther (J ohn, x iv ,
58 1 . N o rb erg : Code: N azaraeus , I , p . 55 . 582 . I bid III , p . 61 .

583 . This s to e, o f
n a s o
p gn e- like s u r ace , f is fo und in the N erb udda river, and is seldo m
to be seen in o ther j slaces .
2 36 18 18 UN VEILED

e mblemo f this go d , is
produced in the Egyp tian Apis and in t he bull
re ,

c rea ted by Ormazd a n d ki lled by Ah rim an The religio n o f Zo ro as ter .

,

en tire ly base d u po n th e secre t doc trin e is fo un d held by t h e pe o ple of

‘ ’
,

E ritene [in Bac tria ] ; it w as the religio n o f t he Persians whe n they co n

qu ered the Assyria ns Fro mthence it is easy to trace the in tro d u c tio n of
.

this e mblemo f LI FE represen ted by the B ull in every re ligio us system , .

Th e co llege o f the M agia n s h ad accepted it w i th the ch an ge o f dy n asty ? “

D an iel is described as a Ra bbi t he chief o f the Babylo nian ast rolo gers
,

an d M a gi ;
“7
therefo re w e see the Assyrian little bulls and the a ttributes
'

o f Siv a rea ppea rin g un der a h ardly m o dified fo rmin t he che ru bs o f the

Talmu distic Jews as w e hav e tra ced t he b ull Apis in the sphinxes or
,

ch eru b s o f th e M osa ic Ark ; an d as we fin d it se veral tho u san d years

la ter in the co m pany o f o ne o f the Christian evangelists Lu ke , .

Whoe ver has lived I n I ndia lo ng eno u gh to ac quain t himself even

s u pe rfic ia lly wi th t he na tive deities m u s t detec t th e similarity be tween
,

Jehovah and o ther go d s besides Siv a As Sa turn the la tter was al .

,

ways held I n grea t respec t by the Talmu dis ts H e w as held in re verence .

by the Alexan drian kabalists as th e direc t in spire r o f the law and the
pro phets ; o ne o f the names o f Sa tu rn w as Israe l an d w e will show in , ,

time his iden tity in a certa in way with Abra m which M overs
,
“ 3
and ,

o thers hin ted a t lo n g sin ce Thu s it ca nn o t b e wo ndere d at if Valen

.

tin us Basilides a nd the Ophite G no stics place d the dwellin g of their

, ,

Ilda Bao t h also a destro yer as well as a crea to r in the plane t Sa turn ;
-
, ,

fo r it w as he w ho ga ve t he la w in the wildern ess and spoke thro ugh the

prophets If mo re proo f sho uld b e required w e shall show it in the testi
.

mony o f t he cano nical B ible itse lf I n A mo s t he Lo rd po urs vials of

”
‘ ’
.

wrath u pon the peo ple o f Israe l H e rej ec ts their b urn t o fferings and
.
-

w ill no t lis te n to their p rayers b u t I n q uires o f Am

“
, os Have y e o flered ,

u n to m e sa c rifi ce s a n d o fferin gs I n t he wildern ess fo rt y y ea rs 0 ho u se of ,

Israe l ? B u t y e ha ve bo rne t he ta bern acles of your M oloch and

Chi u n yo ur images t he sta r 0 you r g , ( v 2 5 W h o are M o loch , ,

a n d Chi u n b u t B aa l Sa t u rn iv a a n d Chi u n Ki v an t he sa m
-
, e Sa t urn , ,

whose sta r t he Israelites ha d made to themselves ? There seems no

esca pe in this case ; all the se deities a re iden tica l .

The sa m e in t he case o f t he n u m ero us Lo go i Wh ile the Zo ro as trian .

So sio sh is fra med o n t he ten th B rah ma ni ca l A va tar a nd t he fifth B u ddha ,

o f t he followers o f G a u ta m a ; a n d whi le w e fin d the form er a fter h a ving ,

passed part and parcel in to the kabalistic systemof kin g M essia h t e ,

flec ted in the Apo stle Ga b riel o f t he N azarenes an d Aeb el Ziv o the ,
-
,

Le gat us sen t o n earth by th e Lo rd o f Cels itu de an d Ligh t ; all o f th es e

,

586 See J Ma tter s H isto ire critique de gnosticis me upo n t he sub ject
’
. . .

587 C f Dan iel , iv , v

. . . 588 Di e Phb ni zier. I. p 396, q
. . .
 THE PERS IAN SOS I OS H I N THE APOCALYPSE 23 7

Hind u an d Persian B u ddhi st a nd Jew ish the Christo s o f the Gno stics
, ,

an d the Philo n ea n Lo gos are fo u n d co m bined in the Word ma de ‘

flesh o f the fo urth Gospel C hristia nity inclu des all these syste ms
. ,

pa tc hed an d arranged to mee t the occasio n D o w e ta ke u p t he A vesta .

w e fin d there the d u al sy ste mso pre valen t in t he C hristian sc he m e .

The s truggle be twee n Ahrim an

“ Darkness an d Ormazd Ligh t h as been , , , ,

g o in g o n in t h e w o r ld co n t in u a lly s in ce th e b e g in n i n g o f t im e W h e n t h e .

wo rst arrives and Ahriman will seemto ha ve con quered the wo rld an d
corru p te d a ll m a nkin d then w ill appea r the S avior o f m
, a n kin d So sio sh , .

H e will co m e sea ted u po n a whi te horse a n d fo llo wed by a n a rm y o f good

g e n ii , a ls o m o un te d o n m il k w hi te s tee d s
“ A n d t hi
-
s w e fi n d f a i th .

fully co pied in the Revela ti on I sa w hea v en opened a nd beho ld a ,

whi te ho rse; an d h e tha t sa t u po n hi mw as called Fa ithfu l a nd True .

An d the arm ies which were in hea ven fo llo wed himupo n whi te horses
( R e v ela t i o n x ix , 1 1 , S o sio sh ,hi m se lf is b u t a la te r P e rsia n p er m a

tati an o f t he Hin d u Vishn u The figure o f thi s go d may b e fo u n d un to

.

this day re presen tin g himas the Sa vio r the Preserver (the preservin g ,
‘ ’

spirit o f G o d ) in the te m , ple o f Berna The pic ture shows hi min his .

te n th incarna tio n th e K al ki avatd ra wh ich is y et to co m -

e as an ,

arm ed warrior m oun ted u po n a wh ite ho rse Wa vin g o v er his head the .

sword des truc tion he holds in his oth er h an d a disc u s m

”
, ade u p o f rin gs ,

encircled in o n e a no ther an em blem of the re volving cycles o r grea t

m
,

”
ages ,
u
fo r Vishn u w ill th us appea r b u t a t the en d o f the K ali yuga a n ,
“
swe rin g to the en d o f th e wo rld expec te d by o ur Adven tis ts An d o u t .

o f his m o n h is hea d were m

”
o u th goe th a sh arp swo rd a n y cro wn s

( R e v el a ti o n x i x , 1 2 , V i sh n u, is o fte n re p re s e n te d w i th se v e ra l c row n s
“
su perposed o n his h ea d And I sa w a n a ngel sta n din g in the S un
.

The white horse is the horse of the S u n “ So siosh the Persia n .

,

Sa vior is also bo rn o f a virgin a n d a t t he en d o f days he w ill co m

, , e as

a Redee m er to regen era te the wo rld b u t h e w ill b e preced ed by two ,

prophets w ho w ill come to a nno un ce him

, Hence the Jews w ho ha d .

M oses and E lias are n o w wa itin g fo r the M ess iah

,
“
Then co mes t he .

589 m
Ahri an, the pro d uctio n o f Zo roaster, is so called in ha tred o f the Arias o r
m m
.

Aryas the Brah anas aga inst whose do inio n the Zo roastrians had revo lted Alt ho ugh
r a ( a no b le, a sage) him self, Zo roaster as in t he case o f t he D evas w ho mb e dis
, .

an A
fro mgo ds to the positio n o f devils hes itated no t to des igna te this type o f the
,

e o f his enem ies the Brahmm

,

spirit o f evil un der the na a n-Aryas The who le stru ggle

o f Ahura-m azd and Ahrim
, .

a n is b ut the allego ry o f the grea t religio us and po litical war

m
betw een Brah an ismand Zo roas trianis m .

590 N o rk : B ibl Mythol , I I , p 1 46

. . . .

59 1 Rev D r Maurice also takes it to m

. . . ean t he cycles ; Hi st of Hi ndosta n, 11 , P 503 . . .

59 2 D u ncker : Oesch d A lte rth u m

. s , II p 363. .
, . .

593 Spiegel : Zend A vesta, I pp 32 - 7, 2 44 ; see also King s syno psis o f the A vesta,
’
.
, .

in The Gnostics. p 3 1 ; 2 nd ed . .
2 38 ISI S UN VEILED

mmedia tely enter in to this

”
ge n era l res u rrecti o n , when t he go od w ill i
h a ppy a bo de the rege nera ted earth ; and Ahrim an an d his a n gels

ed by im mersio n in a la ke of
h d il “ d h i
( t e e v s ) a n t e w c,k ed
5
b e p u rifi ,

mo lten meta l Hencefo rward a ll will enj o y u nchan gea ble ha ppiness
.

and , hea ded by So sio sh , e ver sin g t he praise s o f t he E terna l O ne .

The a bove is a perfec t repe titio n o f Vishn u in hi s ten th a va ta r, for he

will then throw t he w icked in to the infernal a bo des in which , a fter
purifyin g themselves, they will b e pardo ned e ven tho se de vils which

re belled a gain st B ra h ma, a n d were h urled in to the bo tto m less pit by

Siva ; as also t he blessed o nes will go to dwell with the go ds , o ver the
M oun t M eru .
“

Havin g thus traced the simila rity o f views respec tin g the Lo go s M et ,

a tro n a n d M e dia to r as foun d in the K a ba la an d t he Coda

, , o f the

Chris tian N azarenes a nd G no stics th e rea der is prepa re d to a pprecia te ,

the a u dac ity o f the Pa tristic sc hem e to re d uce a p urely m e ta physical

figure in to co ncre te fo rm a n d ma ke it appear as if the fin ger o f pro phecy ,

had fromtime immem orial been po in tin g do wn the vista of ages to Jesus
as t he co m in g M essia h A theom ytho s in te n ded to sym bo li
.ze t h e co m in g
d ay nea r t he close o f t he grea t cycle when the gla d tidin gs fro m
‘ ’
, ,

hea v en sh ould procla imt he un iversal b ro therho o d a nd co m mon faith o f

”
h u ma ni ty the day o f regenera tio n
, was violen tly disto rte d in to an
acco m plished fac t .

“
Why ca llest tho u me go od ? there is no ne go od b ut one tha t is

””
,

God says Jes us I s th is t he la ngu age o f a Go d ? o f the sec on d person

, .

in the Trinity w ho is iden tica l wi th the First ? An d if thi s M essia h o r

, ,

Ho ly Ghost o f the G n ostic a nd Pagan h i nities had co me in his person ‘

, ,

wha t did he mea n by distin gu ishin g be twee n hi mself t he So n o f m an

‘ ’

“
an d t he H o ly G ho st ? An d who soe ver shall spea k a wo rd again s t the
So n o f m a n it shall b e fo rgiven h im; b u t un to hi m tha t blas p hem
, e th

against t h e H o ly G h os t it sh all n o t b e forgiven he says , An d ho w , .

acco u n t fo r t h e m

”
a rvelo u s iden tity o f this very lan guage w ith th e pre ,

cep ts en u n c ia ted cen tu ries befo re by th e K a ba li sts an d the Pagan ‘ ’

in itia te s ? The fo llo w in g are a few in sta nces o u t of m any .

N o o ne o f the gods n o man o r Lord ca n b e good b ut onl y God

“
, , ,

say s H erm
alon e es
“ .
,

59 4 The daccas o r devils o f th e ranians co n trast with th e devas or deities o f ndia

. I I .

59 5 J F Kle . .u k er.: Z en d -
A vesta , Bundeh eah , 5 x x x i .

596 See t he epis tle o f Po lycra tes, b isho p o f Ephesus, 2 00 a n , q uo ted b y E us eb ius,
m
. . .

Ecol H is t , I I I , x x x i ; V x x iv Origen sto q arn ta in ed the doctri ne o f e terna l pu nish

m
.
,

m
. .

ent to b e erro neo us H e held tha t a t th e seco nd a d ven t o f C hrist even th e devils a o ng
m
.

m
t he da ned w o ul d be fo rgiven The e ternal da na tio n is a la ter Christia n tho ugh t
. .

( C f O rige n : D e p ri nc , v ; x ; I I I v i ) I II , , .

m
.
,

m
.

59 7 Luke, x ii, 1 0 598 L M enard : H er es Tri égiste, pp 2 3 , 2 4

’

. . . . . .
2 40 ISIS UN VEILED

no w fo u n d to fa r e ceed
x in moral bea uty an ythin g ever drea med of by
th e Tert u llia ns an d Au gustines .

The true spirit o f C hris tian ity ca n alo ne b e fully fo un d in B u ddhi s ; m

partially it sho ws itse lf in o th er hea then religio ns B u ddh a nev er
,
‘ ’
.

made o f himself a go d , no r was he deified by his fo llo wers Th e B u ddhists .

are n o w kn own to fa r o u tn u m ber C hristian s ; they are en u mera ted at

nearly While cases o f co n v ersio n [to Christia nity] a mo ng
B u ddhists, B rahmanists M o ha mmedans a nd Jews beco e so rare as to
, m
sho w h o w sterile are t he a tte m pts o f o ur missio naries , a theism and
ma terialismsprea d their gangreno us u lcers an d gnaw e very day dee per
a t t h e very hea rt o f C hris tia nity There are no a theis ts amon g hea then
.

po p ula tio ns , a nd tho se few amo ng the B uddh ists and Brahmanists who
ha ve becom e infec ted w ith m a te ria lismm

”
ay alway s b e fo u nd to belo n t o
g
la rge c ities de nse ly thro n ged wi th E uro pea ns, and onl y a m o n g edu ca ted

clas se s .Truly says B isho p Ki dder : Were a wise an to ch oose his m

religio n fro m tho se w ho p rofe ss it , perha ps C hris tia n ity wo uld b e the

”
las t re ligio n he wo uld c hoose !

”
pamphlet fro m the pen o f the po pular lec turer

”
In an a ble little ,

J M Pee bles M n the au tho r quo tes fro mt he Lon do n A thenaeuman

. .
, . .
,

”
a rticle in w hich are desc ribed t he welfa re a n d c iviliza tio n o f th e in

w ho see m virt u o us a n d ha ppy

“
ha b ita n ts o f Yarkand and K ash ga r , .

Grac io us Hea ven s ! ferven tly exclaims t he ho nest a u thor wh o him

“
,

self w as on ce a U n iversa list cle rg y m a n

“
G r a n t t o kee p C hristian m
, is
sio n a ries a way fro m h a ppy a n d h ea then Ta rta ry !
‘
3

Fro m th e ea rliest days o f C hristia n ity when Pa u l u pbra ided the ,

Chu rch o f C o rin th fo r a c rime as is n o t so much as n a m ed a m

“
o n g t he

tha t o ne sho uld ha ve h is fa ther s wife an d fo r t heir m

’
Gen tiles ak

in g a pretext o f the Lo rd s S upper fo r deba uch and dru nkenn ess

‘ ’ ’

( I Cor i n thi a n s v , t h
, e p ro fe ss io n o f th e n a m e of C h ris t h as e ve r b ee n

more a pretext th an the e vidence o f ho ly fee ling Ho wever a correc t .

,

fo rm o f this verse is E verywhere the le wd prac tice a m

”
o n g y o u is

hea rd abo u t su ch a lewd prac tice as is n owhere a mo ng the hea then

,

n a tio ns even the h a vin g o r m a rry in g o f t he fa ther s wife T he Per

’
.

sia n influen ce wo uld see m to b e in dica ted in th is la n gua ge Th e prae .

tice ex is ted no where a mo n g the n a tio ns except in Persia where it

“
, ,

w as es tee m ed espec ia lly m erito rio u s Hen ce too t he Jew ish s to ries o f
.

Abrah a mm a rry in g his sis te r N ah or his n iece Am ramh is fa the r s sister

’
, , ,

a n d J u d a h his so n s wido w wh o se ch ildre n a ppea r to h a ve bee n legiti

’

ma te The Aryan tribes es tee med en do ga mo us marriages while the

.
,

Tata rs a nd all barbaro us na tio ns req uired all a llian ces to b e exoga mous .

608 J esus
.
— M an Myth , , or God?
 THE RAIS I N G OF K ALAVATI 2 41

There w as b u t o ne a pos tle o f Jesus wo rthy o f tha t na me an d tha t ,

was Pa ul However disfi gured were his Ep istles by do gma tic han ds
.

befo re being ad mi tted into the C an o n hi s co nceptio n o f the grea t a nd

,

div ine figtue o f t he philo sopher who died fo r his idea ca n still be trac ed
in hi s addresses to the vario u s Ge n tile na tio n s Only . he w ho would
un dersta n d him be tte r ye t m ust st u dy the Philo n ea n Lo gos re flec tin g
,

n o w a n d then th e H in d u Sabda (l o go s) o f t he M im dnsd sc hool .

As to the o ther a pos tles tho se who se n a mes are pre fixed to the Gospels
,

w e ca nn o t well belie ve in th eir veracity when w e fin d thema ttrib u tin g

to their M as te r m iracles surro un ded by circu m s ta n ces record ed if ,

n o t in t he o ldes t bo o ks o f I n dia a t leas t in su ch as a n te d a te d C hris

,

t ian ity and in t he very phraseology o f t he tra ditio n s

, Who in h is days .
,

o f sim ple and blin d cre dulity b ut marveled a t t he to uchi n g narrative

,

g iv e n in t he G o sp e ls acco r d i n g to M a r k a n d L u k e o f th e re su rr
e c t io n o f t h e

dau gh ter o f Jairus ? Who has ever do ubte d its origin ality ? And yet
t he sto ry is copied en tirely fro m the H ari P u rdna a nd is rec orded -
,

am o n g the m iracles a ttribu ted to K rishn a We transla te it from the

.

Fre nc h version :
“
The Kin g Angash un a ca u sed the be troth a l of hi s da ugh te r the ,

bea u tiful K Alav att with the yo un g so n o f Vama dev a the po werful Kin g
, ,

o f An tarv edl n a m , ed G ovin d a to b e celeb ra ted wi th grea t po m

, p .

B u t as K ala va tt w as amusin g herse lf in the groves w ith her co m

“

panions she w as bitten by a serpen t an d died An gashun a tore hi s

, .

c lo thes covered hi m
, self wi th ashes a n d c urse d t he d ay when he was
,

born .

Su ddenly a grea t ru m or spread throu gh the palace a nd t he fo llo win g ,

c ries were hea rd a th o u san d tim P asya pitaram

‘
, es re pea ted : ; pasya
g u ru m l Th e
‘
F a t h e r t h e , M as te r ! T h
’
e n K ris h n a a pp roac h e d s m il ,

in g lea nin g o n the arm o f Arj un a M as ter ! cried An gas h un a

‘ ’
.
, ,

cas tin g hi m se lf a t his fee t a n d sp rin klin g th e m w ith hi s tea rs

‘
, See ,

my poor da ugh ter ! and he showed himthe bo dy o f K alav att stretched

’
,

u po n a m at .

Why do yo u weep ? replied Krishn a in a gen tle voice

‘ ’
, Do .
‘

y o u n o t see tha t sh e is s le ep gi n ? L is te n t o t h e s o u n d o f h e r b rea thi n g ,

like the sigh o f the nigh t win d which rustles t he lea ves o f the trees .

See her chee ks resumin g their c olo r her eyes wh ose lids trem
, , , ble as if
th ey were abou t to o pen ; her lips qui ver as if abo u t to spea k ; she is
s lee pin g I te ll y o u ;
, an d hold ! see sh e m
, o ves Kdla vati ! Rise and
.

wal k!
Hardly had K rishna spo ken when the brea thing warmth move
“
, , ,

men t and life re turned little by little in to the co rpse and t he yo un g girl , ,

obey ing the inj un ction o f the de migo d rose from her couch and re ,
2 42 IS IS UN VEI LED

joined her co mpanions . B u t th e cro wd marveled an d crie d o ut : This

is a go d , sin ce dea th is no m ore fo r hi than slee p ? ’
m
Al l such pa rables d u pon Christians wi th t he additio n of
are e nfo rce

do gmas which in their extrao rdinary ch arac ter lea ve far behi nd them
, ,

the wildes t co nceptio ns o f hea then ism The C hristians in o rder to .

,

believe in a De ity ha ve fou nd it necessary to kill their Go d tha t they

, ,

th em selves sho u ld live !

An d n o w the su pre m e u n kn o wn o n e the Fa th er o f grac e an d mercy , ,

an d h is celest ial h ierarc hy are m an a ged by t he C hurc h as th o ugh they

were so many thea trical sta rs an d su pemu meraries under salary ! Six
ce n t uries befo re the C hristian era Xen o ph a n es had dispo sed of such

an thropo m o rphi sm by an im mortal sa tire re corded and preserved by ,

Clemen t of Al ex a n dria
Go d Suprem
There is e o ne

Whose fo rmis no t like unto ma n s and as u nlike his nature ’

,

But vain orta ls imm s are bego tt en.

agine that go ds like th e selve m
With human sensatio ns, and vo ice, and co rpo real members ;
So if o x en or lio ns had ha n ds a nd co ul d work in man s fashio n
’

And trace o ut with chisel o r brush their co nceptio n o f Go dha d ,

Then wo uld ho rses depic t go ds like horses, and o x en like o x en.

Each kind th e D ivine wit h its o wn fo rmand nature endo wing .

And hear Vyas s t he poet pan theist of Indi a who fo r all the
-
,

sc ien tists ca n p rove, m ay ha ve lived as Jaco lli o t h as it so e fifteen, , m

tho usand years ago disco ursin g o n MAy a the illusion o f the senses : ,

All re ligio us do gm
“
as on ly serve to o b sc ure th e in telligence o f

man . Wo rsh ip of divinities u nder the a llegories of whi ch is hidden

,

respect fo r na tural la ws driv es a way tru th to th e pro fit of the basest

,

su perstitio n s ( Vyass M dyd) -

It w as given to C hristianity to pain t us Go d Alm igh ty after the odel m

o f th e ka b a lis tic ab s tra c tion o f t he An cien t of D ays Fro mo ld frescos
‘ ’
.

o n ca th e dra l ce ilin gs Ca tho lic missa ls and other ico ns an d images

, , ,

w e n o w fin d h im dep ic ted by the poetic bru sh o f G us ta ve Doré The .

a wfu l unkn o wn m aj esty o f H im who m no hea then dared to re

‘ ’
, ,

produce in co n cre te fo rm is figu rin g in o ur o wn cen tury in Doré s

,
’

I ll u strated B ible Trea ding u po n clo u ds th a t floa t in mid air, darkness

.
-

a n d ch ao s behin d him a n d t he wo rld be nea th h is fee t a m

, aj es tic o ld ,

man sta nds his left ha nd gatherin g his flowing robes about him a nd his
, ,

righ t raise d in th e gest u re o f co m mand H e has spoken the Wo rd and .

,

609 . Translated fro mth e H arri-P a rana b y Jacollio t : Christna, et le Christ, pp

, .

6 1 0 S tro
. mata , V , x iv ; translatio n given in S upernatural Religion, part I. iii, 52 .

61 1 . La gené se de l hu m'
a n i é
t , p 339 : Paris, 1 875
. .
2 44 IS IS UN VEI LED

””
ta ught in t he fo u rth go spel he o mits to sta te tha t nea rly every thi ng ex ,

pressed by the pseu do Hermas in rela tio n to his parabled con versati on-

wi th the Lord is a plain quo ta tio n w ith re pea te d varia tio ns fro mthe
‘ ’
, ,

Zohar an d o ther ka balis tic bo oks We ma y as well co mpare so as to .

,

lea ve th e rea der n o diffic ulty in j u dgi n g fo r hi m self .

Go d says Herm
“ “
, as pla nte d the vineyard tha t is he crea te d the
, ,

peo ple and ga ve them to his So n ; a nd t he So n him se lf clea nsed

their sins i e the So n washed th emin his bl o d in co m m em o ra

, . .
,
o ,

tio n o f which Chris tia ns drin k w ine at the co mmunio n I n the K abala .

it is sho wn th a t the Aged o f the Age d o r Long Face pla n ts a vine

‘ ’
-
, ,

yard the la tter typifying ma n kind ; and a vine meanin g Life The
, , .

Spirit o f Ki ng M essiah is th erefo re sh o wn as washi ng his garments

‘

‘m
in the wi ne fro m a bove fro m t he c rea tio n of t he w o rld , Ada m o r .
,

A D am is bloo d The life o f the flesh is in the blo o d (ne phesh

‘ ’
-

m
.

so ul) . An d A damK ad mo n is the Only Begotten -

N o ah also pla nts -
.

a vineyard t he allegorica l h o t b ed o f fu ture h u m a n ity As a co nse

-
.

q u e n ce o f t h e a dopt i o n o f t he sa m e a ll e g o ry w e fi n d it re p ro d u ced in ,

the N azarene Coda Seven vin es are procrea te d which spring from
.
,

an d Perh o (o r Par ha ) Ra ba wa ters th e m

”
K ebar Wh en the ’
.

blessed will asce nd a mon g the crea tures o f Light th ey sh all see I avar ,

Ziv o Lo rd of LI FE an d the First VI N E !

, ,
" 7
These ka balis tic meta pho rs
“
are th u s n a t urally re pea te d in the Gos pel accordi ng to J ohn ( xv I ,

amt he true vine an d m y F a t,h e r is t h e h u sb a n dr n a n I n G e ne s is (x l ix .

,

1 0 1 1 ) the dyin g Jaco b is m

”
“
, ade to sa y The sce pter sh all n o t depa rt ,

fromJu dah [the lio n s whelp] no r a lawgiver frombe twee n hi s fee t until
’
, ,

Shilo h (Silo h ) co m Binding his foal un to the vi ne an d his ass s colt ’

e .
,

”
un to th e cho ice v in e he was hed his garm ,en ts i n wi ne an d his c lo thes in ,

Shilo h is King M essiah as well as the S hilo h in

‘ ’
the blood of grapes .
,

Ephraim whi c h w as to b e ma de the ca pita l a n d t h e pla ce o f th e sanc

,

tuary I n the Targumof Onk elo s the Ba bylo nia n t he wo rds o f Jac ob
. , ,

read : Un til t he K i ng M ess iah shall com e

“ 3
The prophec y has failed .

in the C h r is tia n as w e ll as in t h e k a b a lis t ico —Jewish sense The sce pter .

has depa rted fro mJu dah whether th e M essiah has alrea dy o r will co m , e ,

unless we belie ve with th e ka ba lis ts th a t M m

, es w as t he firs t M essiah , ,

who transferred his so ul to Jo shu a Jesus “ .

Says Herm as And in the m iddle o f the plain he sho we d me a

g rea t w hi te r oc k w hi c h h a d r ise n o u t o f t he p la in a n d t h e ro c k w as ,

61 3 H er
. mas similitude V 56
, , . 6 1 4 Zoha r,
. co mm o n Genesis
.
, x l, 1 0 .

61 5 Levit
. .
, x v ii, 11 . 61 6 . Coda N azaraeus, III , p 61 . . 6 1 7 I bid . .
, I I p 281
, . .

61 8 . N o rk : H u ndert u nd
Frage, p 1 04 ei n . .

61 9 must rem
We ind the reader, in th is co nnex io n, tha t Jo sh ua an d Jesus are o ne
the same nam
.

and e . I n t he Sla vo nian Bibles Josh ua reads I es sus (or Jesus) N asia .
 ”
THE C OMI N G OF K IN G MESS I AH 2 45

high er th an the mo un ta ins rec ta ngular so as to b e able to h old the who le

, ,

wo rld ; b ut tha t rock was o ld havin g a ga te hewn o u t o f it a nd the hew

, ,

in g o u t o f t he ga te seem ed to m e to b e rec e n t
“
3°
I n the Zohar w e .

fin d To su pe rio r wo rlds th e white o f t he skull o f H is Hea d

[ o f t h e m o s t Sac red A n c ie n t i n a bs co nd itu ] is ext e n ded m When .

Ze i f [the first reflex io n a nd im

’
a ge o f his Fa ther, th e Anc ien t o f t h e

An cien t] will, thro u gh the m ystery o f t he se v en ty na mes o f M eta tro n ,

descend into Y etztrah [the third wo rld] he will o pe n a new ga te The , .

Sp iritu s D ec iso rius will cut an d divide the garmen t [Shekhin ah ] in to t w o

pa rts .
“22
At the co m i n g o f Kin g M essiah fro m t he sacred c u bica l ,

s to ne o f t he Tem ple a white light will b e arisin g d urin g fo rty d ays This .

will expan d u n til i t enclo ses the whole world A t th a t time Kin g .

M ess iah w ill allow hi mself to b e revea led an d will b e see n co min g o u t ,

”
of the gate of t he garden o f O dan [Eden] H e will b e re vealed in t he .
‘

la n d Galil
’ o
n
. When he has ma de sa tisfac tion fo r the sin s o f
‘

Israe l, he w ill lea d them o n throu gh a new gate to the sea t o f j u dg

men t ’
on
At t he Gate of the H ous e of Life, t he thro ne is pre pared fo r
m
.

the Lo rd o f Splendo r .

Farther o n the co mm en ta to r in trod u ces t he fo llo win g fro mH erm as

Thi s rock an d this gate are the So n o f Go d H o w lo rd , I sa id is .

‘
,
’
,
‘

the roc k o ld an d the ga te new ? Listen he said an d un dersta nd’ ‘ ’ ‘

, , ,

thou ignoran t man The S on of God is older tha n all of the creat ion so
.
,

tha t he w as a councillo r with the Fa ther in the work o f crea tio n ; a nd

fo r th is is he o ld m
.
’

”
N o w these tw o assertions are no t only p u rely kabalis tic , witho u t
e ven so m uc h as a ch a n ge o f e xp re ssion b u t B rah m a ni ca l an d Pa ga n ,

like wise Vidi viru ma cellentemco eli terraeque co ndito re n atu m

. ajorem .

I ha ve see n the mo st excellen t [su perio r] M AN , w ho is o lder by b irth

th an the ma ker o f hea ven a n d earth says the kabalistic Codes “
27
, The .

Ele u sinian D ionysu s who se partic ular n a me w as I accho s (I acc ho ,

,

I ab o h ) “3
t he Go d fro mwho mthe lib era tio n o f so u ls w as expec ted
w as co n sidere d older tha n the Dem i urge A t the m ysteries o f the An .

t hesteria at Lim n a e (t he la kes) , a f te r th e u su al baptis mby p urifica tio n o f

wa ter, the M ystae were made to pass thro ugh to ano th er door (ga te) , a nd

62 0 S hepherd
.
f
o H ermas , si mil . I X, 5 2 .

62 1 . I drah Rabbah, 5 41 .

Rosenro th : R abb den ud . .

, II , p 2 30 ;
. B oo k of the Babyloni a n Compa ni ons , p 35. .

Zohar, Ex od us , p 1 1 : Sulz bach

on . ed .

M idrash H azitha
’
. 62 5 . Coda N azaraeus , III p , . 61 .

S imilitude I X , 5 1 2 ; Wes tco tt : On the Ca no n pp 1 77. sq 62 7 57 , . . . Vo l II p

.
, . .

L Preller : Griech Mythol I p 486 ; K O M uller : H is t Lit A nct Greece p 2 38

. .
, , . . . . . .
, .

F C Mo vers : Die Phb ni zier I , pp 547, sq

'

. .
.
, .
2 46 ISIS UN VE ILED

”
o ne particularly fo r that purpo se which was called the ga te of Dio nysus ,

an d tha t of th e pu rified ]
‘

I n the Zoha r t he ka balists are told th a t the work m as te r the De m

”
i -
,

Let us ma ke man after o ur im

“
urge sa id to the Lo rd :
, a ge
a
I n the .

origina l texts o f th e first chapter o f Genes is it stands : An d the Elohim

“
,

[ tran s la t ed as t h e S u p re me G o d ] w h o are t h e hig h es t g od s o r pow e rs , ,

said : Let us m a ke m a n in o ur im age after ou r liken ess I n the , .

Vedas Brahm a holds co u nsel wi th Parab rah m an as to the bes t m o de to

pro ceed in cre a tin g the wo rld .

Cano n Westcott quo tin g Hermas sho ws himaskin g, And w hy is ,

th e ga te n ew lo rd ? I sa id , Beca use he replied he was ma nifeste d

’
.
‘
,
’
,
‘

at the las t days o f the dispensa tio n ; fo r th is ca use the ga te was m ade

new in order th a t th ey w ho shall b e sa ved m

, igh t en ter by it in to the
kingdo m of G o d no
There are two peculiarities wo rthy o f note
.
’

in this pa ssage To be gin wi th it a ttribu tes to the Lo rd a false sta te

‘ ’
.
,

men t o f the sa me character as that so emphas ized by the apo stl e Jo hn ,

a n d whic h b ro u gh t a t a la ter perio d all the o rthod o x C hris tia ns who

, , ,

acce p ted the a po s to lic a llego rie s as li te ra l to such in co n venie n t straits , .

Jes us as M essiah was not ma n ifested at the las t o f the days ; fo r the
, ,

la tter are y et to co m e n o twiths ta n din g a n um ber o f divine ly inspire d

,
-

prophec ies fo llo wed b y disa ppo in ted ho pes as a result to tes tify to
, ,

his im mediate coming The belief tha t the las t times had co me was ’
.

n a tu ra l when o n ce the co m
, in g of Kin g M essiah had been ac kn o wled ged .

Th e seco n d pec uliarity is fo u n d in the fac t tha t the prophecy co uld

ha ve been accep ted at all when e ven its approxim a te de term, ina tion
is a direc t co n tradic tion o f M ark who m a kes Jesus dis tin c tly sta te ,

tha t neither the an gels no r the So n himself kn o w o f that day o r tha t

‘m
, ,

ho ur . We migh t add tha t as the belief undenia bly o rigina ted wi th the
A pocalypse it o u gh t t o b e a se lf e viden t proof tha t it belo nge d to the
,
-

ca lcul a tio ns pec uli ar to the ka b a li sts a n d the Pa gan sa n c tuaries I t was .

th e secre t co m pu ta tion o f a cycle which acc ordi ng to their recko ning ,

was en din g to ward th e la tter pa rt o f the first cen t ury I t may also be .

held as a co rro bo ra tive proof th a t the Go spel accordi ng to M ark as well , ,

as tha t asc ribed to J o hn an d the A pocal ypse we re writ ten by m, en ,

o f who mn o t o n e w as su ffi cien tly acq u ain ted w ith t he o thers Th e Lo gos .

w as firs t defini tely called petra ( roc k) by Philo ; th e wo rd m o reover as ,

we ha ve sho wn e lsewhere m
,

ea n s in C halda ic an d Pho enic ia n, in te r , ,

pre ter Justin M artyr ca lls him throu gho u t his works ange l and
.
’
,
‘ ’

ma kes a c lea r distinc tio n be twee n the Lo go s an d Go d the Crea tor

, ,

62 9 Zohar, . I , p Am st ed
. 2 5; . .

. m
630 Si il I X , 5 1 2 ; . Wes tco tt : On the Canon, p 1 78 . .

63 1 . M ark, x iii, 32 .
2 48 ISIS UN VEILED

c rib e d to I n 1 Cori nthia ns , I I 9 a passage is qu ote d as H oly

Isa iah .
, ,

S cri pture which is no t fo und in the Old Testa m

, ent a t a ll , b u t which is

ta ken as Origen and Jero me sta te , fro m a n apocryphal wo rk The

, ,

Revelati on of Elias ( Origen : Tract , xxxv 5 1 7, i n M att ) , an d the .

,

passa ge is similarly q uo ted by the so ca lled Epistle of Clement to the -

Cori nthia ns (xxxiv ) H o w re liable are the piou s Fa th ers in their

e xp lan a t io ns o f divers he resies m ay b e ill us trated in the ca se o f Epi

p h a n iu s , w h o m is t oo k t h e Pyt h ago re a n sac re d T e t ra d ca lle d in th e ,

Valen tin ian Gn o sis K o l Arbas fo r a heretic leader “

-
Wha t wi th the .
, ,

in vo lun ta ry b lu nders an d deli bera te fals ifica t io ns o f the tea c hin gs of

tho se who diflered in views with the m; the ca noniza tion o f th e I nvtho
lo gica l Aura Plac ida (gen tle breeze) in to a pa ir o f C hristian m a rty rs

S t Aura a n d St Plac ida ; “0

the deifica tio n of a spear a n d a clo ak
. . ,

u nder t he n a m e s o f SS Lo n gim us a n d A m hi b o lu
“ 1
n d t h P a t ris tic
p s.
; a e

q uo ta tio ns fro mpro phets o f wha t w as never in those pro phe ts at all ,

o ne m ay we ll as k in la n m m
b k a aze e t w et e n h h r th e so ca lled religion of
-

C hrist h as ever been o ther th a n an inco heren t drea msince the death
o f the G rea t M as te r .

So malicio us do we find th e holy Fa thers in their unrelen tin g perse

c u tio n o f pre ten ded heres ies
m tha t we see themtelling withou t hesita
‘
,
’

tion the mo st prepo stero us un tru ths an d inven tin g en tire narra tives , ,

the be tter to im press their o wn o therwise uns uppo rte d argumen ts upon
igno ra nce If th e mista ke in rela tio n to the Tetra d h ad at first o rigina ted
.

as a sim p le co nseq uence o f a n un pre medita ted blu n der o f H ippolyt us ,

th e exp lan a tions o f E piphanius a n d others who fell in to t h e sam e

a bsurd e rro r
w ha v e a less inn ocen t loo k When Hippoly tus gravely .

deno u nces the gre a t heresy o f the Te trad K o l Arb as, an d sta tes that ,
-

the im a gin ary G n o st ic lea der is C o larb asus w ho en dea vors to explain ,

9 Writin Pt o lemae us a nd H erac leo n, the a u tho r o f S upernatu ral Rd igio n

u po n

”
.

(part II ch x says tha t the I nacc uracy o f the Fa thers keeps pace with th eir want of
“

cri t ical j udgm

, .

a nd then pro ceeds to illustra te t his pa rt ic ularly ridiculo us b lu nder

"
en t
m itted b y Epiphan ia s, in co m m
,

co m o n with H ippo lyt us, T ert ullia n, a nd Philas trius

”
.

“
M is ta king a passage o f I renaeus, A gst H er I x i v, ng the Sacre d T etrad (Ko l . .
,

Arba s ) Hi po lyt us su pposes Irenaeus to re fer to a no er here tic lead er H e a t o nce

T
.

e trad as su c h a lea der na m

,

trea ts th e ed Co larbas us an d a fter dealing wrt h the doc ,

trines o f Secu nd us a nd Pt o le m a eus, an d H eracleo n, he pro os e s to sh o w , w ha t

,
p
t he o pini o ns he ld b y M arcus a nd Cola rbas us these t wo be i n g, acco rding to
.

s uccesso rs o f the sch oo l o f Va len tin u s ( cf Bu nsen : H i ppolyt us a nd hi s A ge, p 54, sq . . .

Hippo l : Rej al of all H eres ies , I V, x iii ; VI , x x x iii, VI , 1

.

. . .

6 40 See G o dfre y H iggins : A nacalypsis

”
. .

64 1 . I nma n : A ncient P aga n and M odern Christia n Symbolis mp

, . 84 .

M ea ning ho ldin g up o f difi erent views

'

642 . .

643
“
This a b surd is take, re arks the m "
m a u th o r o f S upernatural Religi o n, (part II ,

G nostics o f who mth ey wro te, and

.

ch x )
. sho w s ho w lit tl e t hese writers kn ew of the
ho w the o ne igno ran tl y fo llo ws the o t her .
 SELF-C
ON FESSED

mea su res and numbers ” IN FAMY OF EPI PHAN I US

may simply smile

2 49

”
religi n
o by “4 w e
B u t when
, .

Epiph anius wi th abun da n t in digna tio n , ela bo ra te s u po n the the me ,

,
“
wh ich is Heresy XV and pre ten ding to b e th o ro ughly ac qua in ted with
the su bj ec t , a dds : A certa in H erac leo n follo ws af ter C o larb as u s,
which is Heresy X VI , “ 5
then he lays himself open to the charge of

”
deliberate falsifica tio n .

If this zealo us Chris tia n ca n boas t so un blush in gly of ha vin g ca u se d

m
by his i nfor atio n se v en ty wo m en e ve n o f ra n k to b e se n t in to exile
, , ,

throu gh the sed u ctio ns of so m e in wh o se n u m ber he had h imse lf been

”
dra wn into jo in ing their sec t he has left us a fair sta n dard by which t o
,

j udge him C W Kin g remarks very aptly , o n this po in t th a t it may

. . .
,
“
,

reaso n ab ly b e su spec te d th a t th is wo rthy re nega de h a d in th is case sa v ed

hi m se lf fro mt he fa te of h is fello w re ligio n ists by turn in g e vide nce a ga in s t

-

the m o n th e openin g o f the persec u tio n

,
m .

And th us, o ne by o ne, perishe d the G n o stics , th e o n ly heirs to whose

sh a re had falle n a few s tray cru m
bs o f the una du ltera ted tru th o f primi
tive C hristia n ity All w as confus io n and turmoil durin g these first cen
.

turies till the m

, omen t when all these con tradic to ry dogmas were fina lly
fo rc ed upon the Christian wo rld and exa min a tio n was fo rbidden Fo r , .

lo n g a ges it w as ma de a sac rilege , pu nish able with sev ere pe na lties o fte n ,

dea th to see k to co mprehen d th at which the C hu rch ha d so co n venien tly

,

ele va ted to th e ran k o f di vi ne m yste ry B u t since biblica l critics ha ve .

ta ken upon themse lves to set the hou se in o rder, t he cases h a ve bec o me
’

re v ersed Paga n credito rs no w co me fro mevery part of the glo be t o cla im

.

their o wn , a nd Christian theo lo gy begins to b e suspec ted o f comple te

”
ba n kruptcy Such is the sa d resu lt of the fana ticismo f the ortho dox

”
‘ ’
.

sec ts , w ho to borro w a n express io n o f the a u th o r o f The D ecli ne a nd Fall

,

of the Ro m a n Em p i re n e v e r w e re lik e th e,G n o s tic s t h e mo s t

, p o lite the , ,

mo st lea rned , and mo st wea lthy of the Christia n name An d if no t all .

of them smelt garlic as Re na n will ha v e it, o n t he o ther ha nd few o f

“
,

the se Christian sa ints ha ve e ver shrun k fro m spilling their neighbo rs ’

blood , if the vie ws of the la tter d id no t agree with their o wn .

An d so a ll o ur philoso phers were swept a way by the igno ra n t a nd

su persti tio u s m asses Th e Ph ila letheia ns the lo vers o f tru th an d their
.
, ,

ec lec ti c scho o l pe rish ed ; an d there , where the yo un g Hy pa t ia h a d ta u gh t

,

t he h ighest ph ilo so phica l do c trines ; an d where Am mo nius Saccas had

“
exp la ined th a t the who le which Chris t ha d i n view w as to re ins ta te a n d
res to re to its prim iti vo in tegrity the wisdo mo f the a nc ien ts to re d u ce

644 .
M utation of all H eresi es , I V, x iii .

645 Epiph : P a na r lib I , to m I I I Haer XXX VI i ( q uo te d in S u pernatu ral Rd ipion )

See Vo lkm
. . .
, . . . , .

ar s Die Colarba s us -gnosis I n N ied ner s Zeitschr H ist

' ’
1 855 . . .

646 . The Gnostics and their Re ma i ns , p

. 409 ; 2 nd ed.
 ”
2 50 ISIS UN VEILED

”
wi thin bou nds the uni versally pre vailing dominion o f superstitio n
a n d to e xt erm in a te t he va rio us erro rs th a t had fo un d their w ay in to the

”
differen t po pular religio ns “ 7
there we say free ly ra ved the oi r ou ot
, ,

N0 m ore prece pts fro mthe mo uth of the G o d ta ught “

o f C h ristiani ty .
-

ph ilosopher b u t others expou nded by the in ca rna tion of a most cruel

, ,

fien dish su perstition .

“
If th y fa ther wro te St Jerome lies down across thy thresho ld if
,
“
.
, ,

t hy m o ther uncovers to thin e eyes the boso mwhi ch su c kled th ee tram ple ,

o n thy fa th er s lifeless bod y tra m

’
ple o n thy mo ther s boso m an d with
,
’
, ,

eyes un m o istened an d dry fly to th e Lo rd w ho ca lle th thee

,

Th is sentence is equ aled if no t o u trivaled by this other pronounced

, , ,

in a like spirit It em . a n a tes fro ma n o ther Fa ther o f t he ea rly C h urc h the ,

“
elo q ue n t Tert u llia n who ho pes to see all the
, phi lo sophers in the
g eh e nn a fir e o f H e ll
“
W .h a t sh a ll b e t h e m ag n i t u d e o f th a t sce n e !
How shall I la ugh ! How shall I rejo ice ! H o w sha ll I triumph when I

”
see so m an y illu strio u s kin gs who were sa id to ha ve m o u n ted in to h ea ven ,

g ro a n i n g w ith J u p it e r th e ir g,o d i n t h e l o wes t d

, a rk n ess o f h e ll ! T he n

sha ll the govern o rs w ho h a ve persec u ted the na m e of C hrist b urn in m ore

cruel fire th an a ny they h ad kin dled fo r t he sain ts !
“ 3

These murdero us expressions illustra te the spirit of C hristianity to

this day B u t do they illus tra te the teac hin gs of C hri s t ? By no means
. .

As Eliphas Levi says The Go d in the na m

, e o f wh o mw e wo u ld tra m ple
o n o ur m other s boso mwe mu st see in the herea fter a hell gapin g widely
’
,

at h is fee t a n d a n exterm
, ina tin g sword in hi s han d M o loch bu rned .

childre n b u t a few seco n ds ; it w as re se rved to th e di sciples of a go d who

is alleged to h a ve died to redee mh u ma nity o n the cro ss to crea te a new ,

M o lo ch whose burn ing sta ke is eternal !

Th a t this spirit o f true Christia n lo ve has safely crosse d nineteen
‘ ’

ce n turies a n d ra ges n o w in Am

”
erica is fu lly in stan ce d in th e case o f the
,

rabid M oo dy t he re vi valist w ho ex cla im

“
, , s: I ha ve a so n an d no o ne ,

b u t G o d kn o ws ho w I lo v e him; b u t I wo uld see tho se bea u tifu l eyes dug

o u t o f his hea d ton igh t ra th er th an see himgrow u p to m
, anh oo d an d go

do wn to the grave witho u t Christ and witho u t hO pe "

To th is an A m erica n pa pe r o f C hica go very j us tly respo n ds : This

is the spirit o f t he In q uisitio n which we are to ld is dea d , If M oody in .

his zea l wo u ld dig o u t the eyes o f h is da rli n g so n to wha t len gths m

”
‘
ay ,

he n o t go with the so n s o f o thers wh o mhe may lo ve less ? I t is the ,

sp irit o f Lo y o la gibberin g in t he nine tee n th ce n t ury a nd pre ven te d fro m

, ,

li gh tin g the fa go t fia me a n d hea tin g red ho t the ins tru m

-
en ts o f to rture
-

o n ly by t he a rmo f la w .

647 . Mosheim: A n Ecol H ist , cen t

. . II , part II , ch i. 5 8 : D ub lin. 1 767
. .

648 Tert ullia n : De

. eped ac rd is , x x x .
2 52 IS IS UNVEILED

metho d o f divina tio n fo r resorting to which the Church subsequently

,

co n de m n e d u n fo rt un a t e v ic tims as co n j urers en cha n te rs ma gicians , , ,

wi tches an d va tic in a to an d burn t themb y tho u sa n ds ! I n trea tin g of

, rs ,

thi truly divine pheno meno n o f the self so rtin g man uscripts t he Fa thers
s -
,

o f the C h urc h say th a t Go d him self p re ides o ver the S ortes As w e ha e s . v

sh o w n else whe re A u gus tin e co nfesse s th a t he him

, self used this so rt of

divin a tio n B u t o pinions like re vealed reli gio ns are liable to change
.
, , .

Th a t wh ich fo r nearly fiftee n hu n dre d years w as impo sed o n C hris te ndo m

as a bo o k o f which eve ry wo rd w as written un der t he direc t su pe rv ision
,

o f t he Ho ly G h o st ; o f which n o t a sy ll a b le no r a co m ma could be ,

c h a n ged wi tho u t sa c rilege is n o w be in g re trans la ted re v ise d co rrec ted

, , , ,

a n d c li pped o f w ho le ve rse s in so m e cases o f e n tire c h a pters

, And .

y e t ,as so o n as t h e n e w e d i tio n is o u t it s d o c to rs w o u ld ,h a v e u s ac cept

it as a ne w Re v ela tio n o f the nine tee n th cen t ury with the alte rna tive
‘ ’

Th us we see tha t n o mo re with i n than

”
o f be in g h eld as a n infidel .

witho u t its precin c ts is t he infa llible C h urc h to b e trus ted m o re tha n

wo uld b e rea so nably conv enien t The fo refa thers o f o ur mo dern divines .

“
fo un d a u tho rity fo r the S ortes in the v erse where it is said : The lo t
is ca st in to t he lap b u t the who le dispo sin g there of is of th e Lo rd ;
,
m
“
a n d n o w the ir direc t he irs ho ld th a t
, th e who le disposin g thereof is of
the De vil .Perhaps they are u nco nsc io usly beginnin g to en do rse the
do c trine of t he Syria n Bardesanes tha t the actio ns o f Go d as well as of , ,

man a re subject to n ecessity?

,

I t w as no do ubt a lso acco rdin g to s tric t nec essity tha t t he N eo

‘ ’
, ,

Pla ton ists were so su mmarily dea lt with by the Chri s tia n mo b I n those .

days t he do c trines o f t he H ind O na tu ra lists a nd an tedil u vian Pyrrho

n ists were fo rgo tten if they e v er ha d been kn o wn a t a ll to a n y b u t a few
,

philo so phers ; an d M r D arwin wi th hi s mo dern discoveries had no t even

.
, ,

been men tio ned in the pro phec ies I n this case th e law of t he survival .

o f th e fittes t w as re v erse d ; t he N eo P lato n is ts were doo m -

ed to destructio n

fro m th e d a y w he n th e y po e nl y s id ed w i th A ri s to tle .

A t the beginn in g o f t he fo urth cen tury cro wds be gan ga therin g at the
door o f the aca demy where the lea rn ed an d un fo rt una te Hy pa tia ex
po u nded the do c trin es o f the divine Pla to a nd Plo tin us an d thereby im ,

p ed ed t h e p ro g re ss o f C h ri s tia n p ro se lyt is m S h e t o o s u cc es s f u lly .dis

p e lle d th e m i s t h a n i
g gn, o v e r t h e re lig i o u s m y s te ries in v e n te d ‘
by the
’

Fa thers no t to b e co nsidere d dan gero u s This a lo ne wo uld h a v e been

, .

su ffi c ie n t to im p e ri l bot h he rse lf a n d h e r fo llo wers I t w as prec isely the .

653 P roverbs x vi 33
. I n a ncien t Egyp t an d G reece, an d a o ng Israelites , sm
, , .
all m
s ticks a n d balls called t he sacred d iv in in g lo ts were used fo r th is kind o f o rac le in
‘ '

the te m p les A cco

. rdin g to t he fi gures w h ich w ere for ed b y t he ac ciden ta l j ux t a m
pos itio n o f the la tter, the pries t in terpreted the will o f the go ds .
 WH Y HYPATIA WAS M URD ERED 2 53

teachin gs o f this Pagan ph ilo sopher which had been so freely borrowed ,

by the Christians to giv e a fin ishing to uch to their o therwise in co mpre

hens ib le sc heme tha t h ad sed uce d so ma ny in to j o in in g the new religio n ;
,

a n d n o w th e Pla to n ic ligh t began shini n g so in co n ven ien tly b righ t u po n

th e p io us pa tch wo rk as to allo w every o ne to see whe nce t he revea led

,

do c trin es were derived B u t there w as a still grea ter peril Hy pa tia had
. .

st u die d un der Plu tarc h t h e hea d o f th e A t he n ia n sc ho o l an d h ad lea rned

, ,

all t he sec re ts of th e urgy While she lived to instruct the mul titude no
.
,

di vi n e m iracles could b e pro d uce d befo re o n e w ho co u ld di vu lge the

‘ ’

na t u ra l ca use s by wh ich th ey t oo k pla ce H e r do omwas se aled by Cyril .

[ of A le xa n dria ] w h
, o se e lo q u e n ce s he ec li p se d a n d w h o se a u th o ri ty b,u il t ,

o n de gra din g su persti tion s had to yield befo re hers w hic h w as erec ted o n
,

th e ro c k of im muta ble na tural law I t is more than c urio us tha t Ca ve .

,

t he a u thor of t he Li ves of the Fathers sho u ld fin d it in cre dible th a t Cyril ,

sa n c tio ned her m

“
urder o n a cco u n t o f his g e n e ra l c h arac te r A sa in t .

w ho will sell th e gold a n d silver v essels o f h is ch urc h a n d th en a fter , ,

s pe n din g th e m o n ey lie a t his tria l as h e did m

, ay well b e suspec te d of
, ,

an yth in g
“ . Besides in this case the Ch urc h had to fight fo r her life to
, ,

say n o th ing o f her f u ture su pre m ac y Alo ne t he ha te d a n d eru dite

.
,

Pa ga n scho lars a nd the no less learned Gno stics held in their do c trin es
, ,

t he h itherto c o ncea led wire s of a ll th ese theo lo gica l m ario n e ttes On ce .

t he c u rta in sh o uld b e lifted the co nnexio n betwee n the o ld Paga n a n d

,

t he n e w Chris ti a n reli gio ns wo uld b e exposed ; an d then wh a t wo ul d ,

h a v e bec o me of the m ysteries into which it is sin an d blasphemy to pry ?

With such a co incidence o f the as tro nomical allego ries o f vario us Pa gan
myths wi th th e da tes ado pted by C hristianity fo r the n ativity cruci ,

fix io n a nd re s urrec tio n an d s uch a n iden tity o f rites a n d cere mo nies

, , ,

wha t would h a ve been the fa te o f the new religio n ha d no t t he Ch urc h ,

u n der th e pre text o f servin g C hrist go t rid o f the too well info rm ed - -

philosophers ? To guess wha t if the co up d éta t had then fa iled migh t

,
’
,

ha ve been th e pre v a ili n g reli gio n in o u r o wn cen tury wo ul d in deed b e

a hard tas k B u t in a ll pro ba b ility the sta te o f th in gs whic h ma de o f th e
.

M iddle Ages a perio d o f in tellec tu al darkness wh ich degra ded th e na tio ns ,

o f the Oc cide n t an d lo wered th e E u ro pea n o f tho se days alm

, o st to t h e

le vel o f a Pa p uan sa vage c o uld n o t h a ve occ urred .

Th e fears of the Christia ns were only too well fo un ded a n d th eir ,

pious zea l and pro phe tic ins igh t was rewarded fro mthe very first I n .

t he dem o litio n o f the Sera pe u m a fter th e blo o dy rio t be twee n th e

,

Ch ris tia n mo b and the Pagan wo rshipers ha d ended wi th the in terference

o f t he e m pero r a La tin cro ss o f a perfec t Chris tia n sh a pe w as discovered
, , ,

654 .
[This descrip tio n applies y
to C ril o f Jerusale m no t , to C yril of Alex andria .

See foo tno te 1 1 3. supra ]

2 54 ISIS UN VEI LED

he wn u pon the grani te sla bs o f t he a dyt u This was a luc ky disco very, m .

in deed ; an d the m onks did no t fa il to cla imtha t the cro ss had been
hallowed by the Pagans in a spirit of prophecy At lea st So zo m “
’
en .
,

with an air o f triumph , records the fac t B u t archaeo lo gy an d sym .

holism th ose tireless an d implaca ble en em

, ies o f clerica l false pre tences ,

h a ve fo un d in the hiero glyphics of the legen d n ning aro u nd the m

des ign a t leas t a partial inte rpreta tion o f its meanin g .

Acco rdi ng to K in g a nd o ther n u m i sma tists and archaeo lo gist s, the

cross w as place d there as th e sy m bol o f eternal life S uch a T au or .
,

Egy ptia n cro ss was use d in t he Bac chic a n d Ele u sin ian My steries Sym
, .

b o l o f the d ua l genera tive po wer, it w as laid upon th e breast o f the ini

tis te, after h is new birth was acc omplished, an d t he M ysta e ha d re
‘ ’

turned fromtheir ba ptis min the sea I t was a mystic sign tha t his spirit .

u a l b irth h ad re genera ted a n d un ited his as tra l so ul wi th h is di vine spirit,

a n d th a t h e w as rea d y to asce n d in sp irit to the bless ed a b o des o f light

an d glo ry th e E leusinia Th e Ta u was a agic ta lis a n a t the sa e . m m m

time as a reli gio us emble m I t w as ado pted by the Ch ristia ns thro ugh .

the G n osti cs an d K a b a lis ts , w ho used it la rgely, as t heir n u ero us ge m s m

tes tify , and who had the Ta u (o r handled cross) fro the E gy ptians, and m
th e La tin cross fro the B u ddh ist m m
issiona ries, w ho bro u gh t it fro m

”
In dia ( whe re it can b e fo un d even no w ) , two o r three cen tu ries B c The . .

Assyrians E gyp tians , a nc ien t Am

, erica ns , Hin d us, a n d Ro a ns ha d it in m -

”
vario us b u t very sligh t o difica ti o ns o f sha pe Till very la te in the
m
.
, ,

medieval ages, it w as co nsidered a po ten t spell agains t epile an d de

mo niacal possessio n ; an d the signet of the living Go d, bro ugh t do wn

“

in S t Jo hn s vis io n b y the an gel asce n din g fro

.
’
the eas t to
“
seal the m
serva n ts of o ur G o d in their fo re hea ds was b ut the sa e y st ic T a u , mm

”
the E gyp ti a n cro ss I n the pa in ted gla ss o f St Dio nysus (Fran ce) this
. .

a n ge l is represe n ted as sta m ping this sign o n the fo rehead o f the elect ;
the legen d rea ds S I G N VM TAY I n Kin g s Gnosti cs the au thor re inds
, .
’
m
us th a t
“
this mark is commo nly borne by St An thony, an Egyptia n .

”
rec lu se
5“
Wha t the real mea nin g o f the Tau was , is explaine d to us by
.

the C hris tia n S t Jo hn , the E gy ptian Herm es a nd t h e H in d u Brah

. a nas , m .

I t I s q uite evi de n t th at , with Jo hn at least , it mean t t he I ne fi ab le‘

N am
“
e , as he ca lls this signe t o f t he livin g Go d a fe w cha p ters fa rther
’

on
“ ’
the
“
Father s na e written i n their foreheads
’
m .

655 Eccl H is t VI I , x v Ano ther untrustwo rth y, untruthful, and ignorant

an d eccles ias t ical h
. . . .

fi
is to rian o f th e fth cen t ury His alleged hist ory of the strife b etween
m
.

the Pagans, N eo - Pla t o nics, a nd the C hris t ia ns o f Alex a ndria and Co tantino ple, Which
ex t ends fro m the year 32 4 t o 439 dedica ted b y hi m
m m
to Theod osius, the yo u nger. is full
,

o f deli bera te fa lsifica tio ns Editio n of Reading, Can ta b , 1 72 0

. a a Pio n h as . . .

Paris . Cf also So cra tes : Eccl H ist , V, x vu

. . .

656 . Vo l . I , p 1 35
.
( first editio n) . 657 Revelation. vu. 2 . 3 ;
. x iv, 1 .
2 56 IS IS UN VEILED

and s till higher the fo ur C halda ic letters

, Yod H e Va u H e I AH O , , , , ,

whic h fo rmthe n a me o f the De ity These are arranged in q ui te an nu

.

us ua l w ay ru nn in g fro mbelo w u pwa rd in re ve rsed o rde r a n d fo rm

, , ing ,

the E gypt ian Ta u Aro un d these there is a legen d which as the gemis
.
,

no t o u r pro pe rty we a re n o t a t liberty to giv e

, The Ta u in its m ystical .
,

se nse as well as the crux a nsata is th e Tree of Life

, , .

I t is well kn o wn tha t the earliest C hristian emblems befo re it was

e ver a ttem pted to represe n t the bodily appea rance o f Jesus were the
La mb the Go o d Sheph erd a nd the Fish The origin of the la tter em
, , .

blem which has so puzzled t he arc haeolo gists thus becomes co mprehen
, ,

sib le Th e wh o le sec re t lies in t he easily

.

asce rta in ed fac t t ha t while in t he Ka bala ,

t he Kin g M e ssiah is ca lled I n terpreter

’
,

o r Re v ea ler of th e m ystery and sho wn ,

to b e the fifth e m ana tio n in t he Talm ud ,

fo r re a son s we will no w e xplain the

M essiah is very often designa ted as D A G ‘ ’

”
,

o r t h e Fish This is an inh erita n ce fro m

.

t he C haldaea ns an d rela tes as t he v ery ,

na m

”
e in dica te s to the Babylonia n Dago n ,

t he m an fish who w as t he ins truc to r and

-
,

in terpre ter o f the people to who m he a ppeared Ab a rb anel e xplains .

the n a m e by s ta t in g tha t the sign of his ( M essiah s ) co m

“
ing is t he co n
’
,

j u nc tio n o f Sa turn a n d Ju piter in th e sign P isces a

Therefo re as the .
,

C hristia ns were in ten t u po n iden tifying their C hristo s with t he M essiah

of the Old Testa m ent they a do pted it so rea dily as to fo rge t tha t its true
,

o rigin m igh t b e traced still fa rthe r bac k th an t he Ba bylo nian D a gon .

H o w ea gerly a n d c lo se ly the idea l o f Jesu s w as u nited by t he ea rly ,

C hristia n s with e very ima ginable kabali stic and Pa gan te ne t may be
, ,

inferre d fro m t he la n gua ge o f C lemen t of Alexa ndria addre ssed to his ,

”
bro th er co religio n ists-
.

Whe n they were deba ting upo n the cho ice of t he most appro pria te
sy m bo l to re mind the mo f Jes us C lemen t a dv ised themin the following
,

wo rds : Le t t he e n grav ing upo n th e ge mof yo ur rin g b e ei ther a do ve

“
,

o r a shi p ru n n i ng before the w ind [ the Argha ] o r a fis h Was t he good , .

fa ther when writin g this sen te nce labo ring un de r the recollec tio n of
, ,

Jo shua so n o f N un (ca lled J esus in the Greek an d Sla vo nia n versio ns) ?
,

o r h ad h e fo rgo tten the rea l in terpre ta tio n o f th ese Pagan sy m bo ls?

fi
663 Kin g ( The Gnostics , l st ed it ) gives the gure o f a C hris tia n sy b o l, very co on m mm
m
. .

fi
during the M iddle Ages o f thre e shes interla ced in to a tria ngle. and ha ving the
m m
,

m
letters (a os t sacred Pyt hago rea n nu b e r) I X 9 T 2 engraved o n it Th e n u b a five .
'

s to the sa
rela te m
e ka ba list ic co p u ta t io n m 66. 4 P M I I I. x i . .
 THE HI ND U N OAC HIAN LEG EN D 25 7

Jo sh ua so n of N u n o r N a ve ( N avis ) c o uld ha ve with perfec t propriety

, , ,

adopted the im a ge of a shi p o r e ven o f a fis h fo r Josh ua m ea n s Jes u s so n

, , ,

of the fish go d ; b u t it was rea lly to o hazardous to co nnec t the emblems

-

of Ve n us Astarte a nd all the Hind u goddesses

, , the a rgha do ve a n d , ,

fi s h w i th t he im m ac ula te b irth
‘
of th e ir g o d ! Thi s lo ok s
’
ve ry m u ch
as if in the early days o f C hristi an i ty b u t little dis tin c ti o n w as m a de b e

twee n C hrist Bacch us Apollo an d the Hind i) K rishna th e incarna tion

, , , ,

of Vishn u with whose first a va ta r this symbol of the fish o rigina ted
, .

In th e H a ri P u rdn a in th e B hd-
ga va ta — P u rd n,a as w e ll as in se ve ral ,

other bo oks the go d Vishn u is shown as ha vin g as su med t he fo rmo f a

,

fish with a h u m an hea d in o rder to reclaimt he Vedas lo st durin g t he

delu ge H aving enabled Va ivas v a ta to esc ape with all his tribe in t he
.

ark Vish n u p ityin g wea k a n d ignoran t h u m

, , a nity re m ain ed with the m ,

fo r so m e t im e I t w as this go d w ho ta u gh t themto build ho uses cu lti

.
,

va te the lan d a nd to tha n k the un known Deity who mhe represe n ted by

”
, ,

building temples an d insti tu ti ng a regular worship ; and as he re ma ined

half fish half man a ll the tim
-
, e at e very sun se t he use d to re turn to t he
-
,

ocea n wherein he passed the night .

It is he says t he sac red book w ho ta ugh t men a fter the dilu vi

”
“
, , ,

um all that w as n ecessa ry fo r their ha pp iness

,
.

One day he plunged into th e wa ter an d re turned no mo re fo r the

“
,

ea rth had co vered itself again with vege ta t io n fru it a n d ca ttle , , .

B ut he had ta ught the Brahm

“
a n as the sec re t o f a ll thin gs (H a ri
P u rdna )
So far we see in th is narra tive the do uble of th e s tory give n by th e
,

Ba bylonia n Berosus abo u t Oa nnes the fish ma n who is no o ther than ,

-
,

Vishn u unless in deed w e ha ve to belie ve th a t it w as C hald aea whic h

, ,

civilize d India !

We say again we desire to give no thing o n o ur sole a u thority There

, .

fore we cite Jaco llio t w ho however criticized and co n tradic ted o n other ,

po in ts and however lo ose he may b e in the matte r o f chrono lo gy (tho u gh

,

even in th is he is nearer righ t th a n th o se sc ien tis ts w ho wo uld ha ve a ll

Hindu bo oks written since the Co unc il of N ice) at leas t ca nnot b e ,

denied the repu ta tio n of a good Sa nskrit scholar And he says while .
,

”
an a ly sing the word Oan o r Oan nes tha t 0 in San s kri t is a n in terj ec tio n
, ,

exp re ssin g an in voca ti o n as O S vay am b hfi ! O Go d ! etc ; an d A na

, .

is a radical signifyin g in Sanskri t a spirit a bein g a nd we presum

, e wh a t , ,

th e G reeks m ean t by the wo rd D ai m o n a se m i go d ,

-
.

“
What an extrao rdinary a nti q uity he re marks this fable of , ,

Vish n u disgu ised as a fish giv es t o t he sac red books o f the Hin dus ;
, ,

es pec ia lly in p rese n ce o f the fac t th a t t he Vedas a n d M an u rec kon m ore

tha n twenty five tho usand years of ex is tence as proved b y the m
-
ost serious ,
 ”
2 58 I S IS UNVEILED

as the most authentic do cu men ts Few peoples says the learned H alled .
, ,

ha ve the ir annals more a u then tic o r serious tha n the Hin d us .

We may perhaps throw additio nal ligh t u pon the puzzlin g question
, ,

o f t he fish sy mbol by remin din g the rea der tha t acc ordi ng to Genesis the

”
-

first crea ted o f livin g beings the first type of an im al life w as t he fish , , .

An d the Elo himsa id : Let the wa ters brin g forth abun da n tly the m
“ ‘
ov

tha t hath life

t an d Go d cre a ted grea t whales and
’
ing crea ure

th e mornin g and the evening were the fifth day Jo na h is swallowed .

by a b ig fish an d is cas t o u t a gain three days la ter Th is the Ch ristians

, .

regard as a p rem o ni tio n o f the three day s se pu ltu re of Jes u s whi ch pre
’

ceded his re surrec t io n thou gh the sta temen t o f t he three da ys is as

fancifu l as much o f the rest an d adopted to fit the well kno wn threat to ,
-

destro y the te mple and reb ufld it again in three days Be tween his burial .

an d a llege d re surrecti o n there in tervened b u t o ne da y t he Jewish Sab

ba th as he w as b uried o n Friday ev ening a n d ro se to life a t dawn on

Su n day Ho we v er wha te ver o th er circ u m

. s ta n ce m
, ay b e regarded as a

prophecy t he sto ry o f Jo na h ca nno t be ma de to an swer the purpose

,
.

B ig Fish is Ce tu s t he la tinized fo rmof Ketos (x ijr o e) an d Ketos is

, ,

Dago n Po seido n the femin ine formo f it being Ke to n Ata r ga tis the
, , .
-

Syria n goddess an d Ven us o f Aska lo n ,

"67
The figure o r bust o f Der
, .

K e to s o r Asta rte w as ge nera lly represen ted o n t he prow of the ships

, ,
.

Jo na h (Hebrew fo r dove; a bird sacred to Ven us) fled to Jafi a where the
, ,

g o d D a go n t h e m a n fi sh
, w as w o rsh iped a n d d-
a re d n o,t g o to N in ev eh , ,

where the do ve was revered Hence some co mmenta tors belie ve tha t when
.

Jo nah was thro wn o verbo ard and was swallowe d by a fish we must ,

u n derstan d tha t he w as pic ked u p by o ne of these vessels o n t he prow of ,

which w as the figure o f K eto s B u t the ka balists ha v e an other legend to .

,

this effec t : th ey say tha t Jo na h was a ru n away priest fro mthe temple -

o f t he go ddess w here t h e do ve w as wo rshiped an d th a t he desired to ,

a bo lish ido la try a n d in stit u te m onotheis tic worshi p Tha t ca ugh t near .
,

Ja ffa he w as held prisoner by the devo tees o f Dagon in o ne of t he prison

,

cells o f t he te m ple and tha t it is the stra nge fo rmo f the cell which gave
,

rise to the allego ry I n the co llec tio n o f M o se de Garcia a Po rt uguese

.
,

kabalist there is a dra wing represen ting the in terio r o f the te mple of
,

Da go n I n the mi ddle sta nds an immense ido l the u pper po rtion of

.
,

who se body is h u man a nd t he lo wer fish like Be twee n the belly an d the
,
- .

ta il is an aperture wh ich ca n b e clo sed like the door of a closet I n it the .

trans gressors against t he local deity were shu t up until further disposal .

The dra wing in q uestion was m ad e fro m an o ld ta ble t co vere d with

c u rio u s dra w in gs an d in scription s in o ld Phoen icia n cha rac te rs describing

665 . La genése de l hu ma nité

pp 80
’
8 1 , .
, . 666 Genesis , i.
. m23 .

667 Pliny : N at Hi st , V, x ix ; D io d S ic ul
. . . . : Bibl bi d , II . iv
. . .
2 60 IS IS UN VEILED

th e G n ostic yste m; so in the B u ddhis tic I n whic h the fi fth B u ddha

s ,

M a itreya will appea r at his las t adve n t to sa ve ma n kin d befo re the final
,

destruc tion o f the wo rld If Vishn u I s represe n ted I n his forth co ming
.

a n d las t a ppea ran ce as the te nth av a ta r o r in ca rn a tio n it is o n ly because ,

e v ery u n it held as an a n dro gyne m anifes ts its elf do u bly Th e B u ddhists .

w ho rej ec t this d ual sexed inca rna tio n rec ko n b ut five

-
Th us while .
,

Vishn u is to make his las t appeara nce in his ten th B u ddh a is sa id to do ,

th e sa m e in his fifth in ca rn a tio n

“ .

The be tter to ill ustra te t he idea an d show ho w co m ple tely the real
,

meanin g o f the a va tars kno wn o nly to the studen ts of t he sec re t doc

,

trine was misu n derstoo d by the igno ran t masses we else where give
, ,

the dia gra m s o f t he H in d i) a n d C ha ldae o K a ba listic a v a ta rs an d em ana

-

tio ns “
. This bas ic an d tru e fu ndamen ta l sto ne o f t he secre t cycles
sho ws o n its very face th a t far fro m ta kin g the ir re vea led Vedas and

B ible literally the B rahm , a n pa n d its a n d th e Ta n aim

-
t he scientists
an d ph ilo so ph ers o f t he pre C hris tian ep ch s s pec u la ted o n the crea
o
-

tio n an d dev elo pment of the wo rld q uite i n a D arwinia n way both anti ,

c ipa t in g hima n d h is sc h o ol I n re gard to the na t ural se lec tio n o f species ,

the ir grad ual developmen t and transforma tio n .

We a dvise every o ne temp ted to en ter an in dignan t pro tes t agai nst
this affi rma tio n to re ad more carefully the bo o ks o f M an u e ven in the ,

inco m plete tra nsla tio n o f Sir Will ia mJo nes an d the mo re o r less care ,

less o ne o f Jaco llio t If we co mpare th e Sa ncho niatho n Phoenician

.
-

Co smo go ny an d the reco rd o f Bero sus with th e Bhdgavata P urdna and -

M a n u we shall fin d en unc ia ted exac tly the sa me principles as those now

,

o ffere d as the la tes t de velo p m en ts o f m odern science We ha ve quoted .

fro mthe Chaldaea n an d Phoenician records in o ur first volume ; we will

no w gla nce a t th e H in d i) bo oks .

When this wo rld ha d issued o u t of darkness t he su btile elemen tary ,

principles pro d uced the vegeta l seed which an ima ted first t he plants;
fro mt he pla n ts life pas se d in to fa n ta s tical bodies which were born i n the
il us of the waters; then thro u gh a series of form s a n d vario us a nim als

” ”
, ,

it reached
“
H e [m an before becoming such] will pass successively thro ugh
,

plan ts wo rms insec ts fish serpen ts tortoises ca ttle an d wild animals ;

, , , , , , ,

s u ch is th e inferio r degree .

Such fro mB rah ma do wn to the vege ta bles are declare d t he t rans

, ,

migra tio ns which ta ke place in this world “

71
.

668 The Ka b al is tic Sephiro th are also ten in nu ber, o r five pairs
. m .

669 An a va ta r is a descen t fro mo n high upo n ea rth o f the D eity in so e

. m manifest shape .

670 . Bhdgavata P urdna

p . 671 . M enu , I
. 50 ; XI I , 42 .
 I n the Sa nch o niath o nian Co sm
th e ilus of th e ch aos ,
spec ies are sh own

ani m
an d t he sa m

als ha ve descen de d fro ma t m

DARWIN

.
” COMP ARED

A n d n o w w e will lea ve the ros tru mto Mr D arwin : I believe th a t

ost only four o r five progenito rs
WITH

ogony , men are also evolve d o u t of

e e volu ti on a n d transform a tion of

m
VYAS A

.
2 61

”
A gain : I sho uld infer fro ma nalogy tha t pro bably all the organic

”
bein gs which ha ve ever lived o n this earth , h ave descen ded fro mso me
o ne prim ordial fo rm! "
I view all bein gs, n o t as special crea tions,
b u t as th e linea l descen da n ts of so m e few be in gs whic h lived lon g before

the first bed of the S il uria n systemwas depo sited “

75
.

”
I n short they lived in the Sa n cho nia th o nian chaos and in the ilus
, ,

of M ann Vy asa and K apila go still fart her tha n Darwin an d M an n

. .

“
They see in Brah ma b u t the na me of the universa l ger ; the y deny m
the ex is tence of a First Ca use; a nd pre ten d tha t e verythin g in na ture
foun d itself developed only in co nsequence of mate rial a nd fa ta l forces,
sa y s Jaco llio t
“ .

Correc t as may b e this la tte r qu ota tion fromK apila , it demands a

fe w words of explan a tion
Veda Vyass with Pyrrho an d Littré
-
Jaco llio t re pea tedly co m
. pares K a pila an d
We ha ve nothing against such a
.

co m parison with the Greek philosopher, b ut we mu st decidedly obj ec t to

an y with th e Fre n ch Co m tist ; we fin d it an un m erite d flin g a t the

memory o f the grea t Aryan sa ge N owhere do es this pro lific writer sta te
.

the re pu dia tio n by eith er an c ien t o r m o dern B rah m a n as of G o d th e

un kn own , universa l Spirit ; n o r does any other Orien ta lis t accu se t he
’

Hin dus of the sa me however perverte d the gen eral deduc tions of o ur
,

sa van ts a bo u t B u ddhi stic a th eism O n t he co n trary , Jac o llio t sta te s

.

more than once th a t the learne d Pan dits an d ed uca te d Brah man as have
n e ver shared th e pop ular su perstiti ons ; an d a ffi rm s their un sha ken be lief

in th e un ity of Go d an d the so ul s imm orta lity , altho ugh most assuredly

’

ne ith er K a p ila , n o r th e in itia ted B rah m a nas n o r t he fo llowers of th e ,

Ved anta sc hool, wo uld ever a dm it th e existen ce of an an thropo m orphi c

”
First Ca use in the Chris tian sense Jac o llio t , in h is I ndo
‘ ’
crea to r a . .

Eu ropea n and Africa n Traditions , is t he first to m a ke an o nsla u gh t o n

Pro fessor M uller, fo r re markin g tha t the H in d fi gods were masks

withou t acto rs na m es with o u t bein g, a n d n o t bein gs with o u t

na m es
“7
. Quotin g in support of his argu men t, nu mero us verses fro m
,
“
th e sacred H in d fi books , Jaco lli o t adds : I s it po ssible to refuse to t he
a u thor of th ese sta nzas a defin ite a n d clea r co n ceptio n of t he divin e

672 See C o ry : A ncient Frag ents , p 3 ; ed 1 832

. m . . .

673 On the Origi n of S pecies , rst ed itio n, p 484

. fi 674 I bid , p 484
. . . . . .

675 I bid , pp 488, 489

. . . .676 La genése dc l hu a nité, p 338
’
. m . .

677 Les traditi on: i ndo -européenna et qfri cai nes, p 2 9 1

. . .
2 62 I S IS UN VEILED

force of , Be in g So vere ign mas ter and Creat o r o f the Uni

th e Unique ,
-

Were the alta rs then built to a meta phor?

”
ve rse ?

The la tte r argu m en t is perfec tly j us t so far as Ma x M uller s nega ti on

’
,

is co ncerned B u t we dou bt wheth er the Fre nch ra tionalis t un dersta nds

.

K apila s and Vy flsa s philoso phy be tte r tha n the Ge rm a n philologist

’ ’

does the theologica l twad dle as the la tte r te rms the A th an a Veda ,
- .

Pro fessor M uller and Jaco llro t may ha ve ever so grea t cla ims t o erudi
tion an d b e ever so fa m

”
, iliar with San skrit and other an cie n t Oriental
la n guages b u t bo th lac k th e key to the th ousand and o ne m
, ysteries
of the o ld secre t doc trin e an d its philoso phy Only while t he Germ an .
,

philologis t does no t even ta ke the tro u ble to look int o this magical
a nd the ologica l twad dle w e fin d the French In dia nis t ne ver lo sing
,

an oppo rt uni ty to in vestiga te M o reo ver he hones tly admits his inco m
.

p e te n cy e ve r to fa th o m thi s o cea n of m y s ti ca l le a rn in g I n i ts ex is ten ce .

he no t o nly firm

”
ly believes b u t thro u ghou t his wo rks he incessan tly calls
,

the a tten tio n of sc ience to its un m ista ka ble traces at e very step in
In dia S till though the lea rned Pan dits and Brahmanas
.
, his I e vered
mas ters of the pagodas of Villenoo r and C hela mb rum in the Car
as it seem s po siti vely refused to re vea l to himt h e m ysteries of
‘7’
na t ic

m
, ,

th e m an d of B ra hm h tm
agica l pa rt o f the A rs hada P ariksha i
“ -
a s
’
,

tria n gle "In

he persis ts in the ho nest declara tion tha t e verything is po ssible
,

in Hindu m eta physics even to t he K a pila an d Vyas s syst em

, s ha ving

been h itherto misundersto od .

M Jaco llio t wea kens his asse rtion immed ia tely a fterward wi th the
.

following con tra dic tio n

“
We were o ne day I n quiring of a Brah ma na of the pa go da o f Chela m
bru m w ho belo nged to the skeptica l scho ol of the natu ralists of Vydsa
, ,

whe ther he believed I n the existence of Go d H e ans wered us smiling .

, .

A ha m eca pa ramB rd nna I am m l d

’
‘
-
y s e f a go .

Wha t do y o u mean by tha t ?

‘ ’

I mean tha t every bein g o n ea rth however humble is an immorta l , ,

portion of immo rta l su b sta n ce ’

"3
.

The ans wer is o ne which wo uld su gges t its elf to every an c ien t philo
sopher K a ba lis t an d G nos tic of t he early da y s
, , I t co n tain s t he very .

sp irit of the Delp hic an d K a balis tic co m man dmen t fo r esoteric philo so ,

h
p y so l ve d ag e s a go th e p ro b le m of w h a t m a n w as is a n d w ill b e I f pe r , , .

678 Les
. traditi o ns i ndo -euro éennes
p f
et afi ca i nes , pp . 2 93, sq.

68 1 Les Fib de M p 2 72 While no t a t all asto niahed tha t BrAh mana s sho uld
a ve refused to sa tisfy M Jaco llio t s curiosi ty , we m
.

ust ad d tha t t he m
. .

’
eanin g o f t hia sign
h kno wn to the su erio rs o f every Buddhist lir aser and no t alone to t he Brahmanas
.

m
is p y, .

682 La genese dc l hu m
’
. a nite. p 339 . .
 IS IS UN VEILED

twin s in days of o ld tha t they were o ne in t wo and two in o n e fro mthe

very momen t o f then conceptio n With mu tually convertible a ttributes .
,

sc ience w a s spirit ua l a n d religion w as sc ien tific Like t he a ndro gy ne man .

of th e first chapter of Genesis male and female pass iv e an d ac tive ;

‘
,
’

crea ted in t he im a ge o f th e Elo him Omni science develo ped o m .n ipo

tency t he la tte r ca lled fo r the exerc ise o f the form

, er a n d th us t he giant ,

ha d do m in io n gi ven himo ver a ll th e fo ur kin gdo m s o f th e wo rld B ut .

,

like th e seco nd Ada m these an drogy n es were doo m ed to fa ll a n d lose ‘

their po wers as so o n as t he two halves of the duality sepa ra ted The

’
.

fru it o f the Tree o f K nowled ge gives dea th withou t the fru it o f t he Tree
of Life M an must kno w hi mself before he ca n hope to know t he ultimate
.

g e n es is e v e n of b e in gs a n d po we rs less de ve lo pe d in th e ir in n e r n a t ure

than himself So with religio n and sc ience ; united two in o ne they

.
,

were infallible fo r the spiritual in tuition w as the re to su pply the limita

,

tion s of phy sica l se nses Sepa ra ted exac t science rej ec ts th e h elp of the
.
,

inn er vo ice while religion beco m

, es m erely do gm a tic theo lo gy each is

b u t a corpse witho u t a so ul .

The esoteric doc trine then tea ches like Bu ddhi s man d B rahmanis m
, , , ,

a n d e ven the persec u ted K a bala th a t th e o ne infin ite an d u n kn o w n Es

,

se nce exists fro mall e tern i ty and in re gula r an d h arm , onio us successio ns
is either passive o r ac ti ve I n the poetical phraseo lo gy of M a n n these
.

co n diti ons a re ca lled th e day an d t he nigh t o f B ra h m T he la tter is

‘ ’ ‘ ’
a .

either a wa ke as leep The S vdbhdei kas o r ph ilo soph ers of the

‘ ’
or .
,

oldest school of B uddhism (which s till exists in N e pal) specula te only ,

u po n t he ac ti v e con ditio n o f this Esse nce which they ca ll S eabhava

‘ ’

, ,

a nd dee m it foolish to theo rize u po n th e a bs trac t a n d u n kn o wable

‘ ’

po wer in its passive co n dition Hence they are ca lled a theists by both .

Chris tia n theo logy and modern science ; fo r neither o f the two is able
to understa nd the profo un d lo gic of their philoso phy The former will .

allo w o f no other Go d tha n t he perso nified seco nd a ry po wers wh ich have

blindly worked o u t th e visible univ erse a nd which beca me wi th themthe ,

a n thro po m orphic Go d o f t he C hristia ns t he Jeh ovah ro aring am id ,

th un der and ligh tning I n its tu rn ra tionalistic sc ience greets the Bud
.

dhists an d th e S vdbhavi kas as t he po sitivists of t he archa ic ages If ‘ ’

.

we ta ke a o ne sided view of th e phil oso phy of the la t ter o ur m

-
a terialists ,

may be righ t in their o wn w ay The Buddhi sts main ta in th a t there is no

.

Crea tor b u t an in finit ude of creati ve powers which collec tiv ely formthe
, ,

o n e e tern a l su bsta n ce t he es sence o f whic h is inscru ta ble

, hen ce no t a
su bj ec t fo r spec u la tion fo r an y tru e p hilo sopher Socrates in v ariably .

re fuse d t o argue u po n the m yste ry of uni v ersal be in g y et no o ne would ,

e ver ha ve tho u gh t o f c h argin g himwith a theism except th ose w ho were ,

ben t upo n his des truction Upo n inau gura ting an ac tive pe riod says the
.
,
 IS IS UN VEI LED

EXPLAN ATI ON OF THE TWO D IAGRAM S

CH AOT I C AN D THE FORM ATIVE PERIO DS. BEFORE AN D AFTER

OUR UN IVERS E BEGAN TO BE EVOLVE D

FROM THE M C BRAHMANI C

ERI
'

. B UD DHIS I I C.
‘ '
AND C A H LDAEAN
WHI CH AGREE I N EVER Y RESPE CT WI TH TH E
OF MO DERN SC I ENC E

Tn Hu nt D o c rar mn Tan C HA LDA I AN D o o rr mn

-

C o nta ins t he I nefiable N am e I t is the . Co nta ins the I nefi able N am e I t is Ain .

AUM to b e pro no unced o nly m enta lly, So ph. the Bo un dless, the Infinite whose ,

u nder pena lty o f dea th The Unre vealed . nam e is kno wn t o no o ne b ut t he initiated .

m
Parab rah an. the Passive Principle ; t he a nd co uld no t b e pro no un ced alo ud under

ab so lu te a nd unco nditio ned nudd a, which t he pena lty o f dea th .

canno t en ter into t he co nditio n o f a

Creato r, as the la t ter in od e to thi nk, , So ph crea te for he is in the sa m
, e co ndi

will , and pla n m ust b e b o und a nd co nd i t o of no b ng as the form

i i er ; he is
]
‘
, n n- e 8
tio ned (baddha ) hence in o ne sense, b e a no n-ex ist en t so lo ng as he lies in his lata rt
'

finite being Tara ( Parab rah an) was

. m o r pasaive sta te wi thin Oula n ( t he bound

b eing, im less and term m

”
ab b d in t h n n perceptible, less ti e) ; as such he is not
-
s o r e e o

witho ut any dist inct a ttrib u te, no n-ex ist the C reato r o f t he visib le un iverse, neither
en t for o ur senses He was abso rb ed in. is he the Aor (Light) H e w ill becorne
.

his ( to us) eterna l, ( to h im self) peri o dical the la tter when th e perio d o f crea tio n
for it was o ne o f the N igh ts o f shall ha ve co m pelled him to ex pa nd the
‘
sleep ,

Brah a m Therefore he is no t the First

.
’
m
Fo rce wit hin hi self. according to the
b ut the Eternal Ca use H e is the So ul . Law o f which he is the e bo dim ent and m

”
o f So uls. who mno being ca n co m prehend
“
in th is sta te B ut .he who st udies the
Man tras and co mprehends the the H erita ba h. and the la hash (sea e t
’
secret
1 ech or incan ta tio n “ w
11 '

VAch ( t h e S p iri t o r h idd e n v o ice of the spe ) ill learn th e

M an tras t he active m
, a nifesta tio n o f t he sea e t o f secre t s .

la tent Fo rce) will learn to underst and hi m mu ’

had h m b idanti cal in m
r aaning with
in h is re vealed as pect
‘ ’

VM the hidden w f tha Man traa

-
.

po u o

Both ‘
Tn m ’
an d Ain So p h
-
, in their firstmanifest tio n o f Light a ,

e merging fro m within Darkness may be s , ummarized in the SvabhAv at ,

th e Ete a
r n l a n d t he u nc rea ted Self -
e xis tin g S u bs ta n ce which pro d uces

all ; wh ile e very thi n g which is o f its essen ce p rod uces itse lf o u t o f it s

o w n na ure t .

The S pace Arou nd the Uppsr Triangle The Space A round the Upper Tria ngle
Wh en the N ight o f Bra h a was ‘
m ’
Wh en the active perio d had " rived.
ended an d the t im
, e cam e fo r the Self Ain-So ph sent forth fro m within his o wn
Ex iste nt to m a nifes t I tself b y re vela t io n. e terna l essen ce Sephira. t he acti ve Po wer .

it m ade its glory vis ib le b y sending fo rt h called m

the Pri ordial Poin t. and the
fro mits Essence an active Po wer, which , Cro wn Kether
, I t is o nly thro ugh her
.

m
fe ale at first, subsequently beco es m th at t he Un-bo unded Wisdo
‘ ’
could m
 DI AGRAMS OF HI N D U AN D C HALDAE AN SYSTEMS

andro g ne I t is Aditi , the give a fo rm to his ab stract

”
. co ncrete

t he Bo u ndless, o r rather t he Unb o unded Tho ugh t

’
. N o sides o f the upper tri angle,
.

Aditi is t he m o t her of all the go ds, side and t he base, are co m

’ ‘

and Aditi is t he Fa ther and t he So n

“ .
posed o f un bro ken lin es ; the third, the
“
Who will give us back to the great Aditi, left side is do tted , I t is t hro ugh the .

t hat I m a y see fa ther a nd la t ter that em erges Seph ira Spreading in .

I t is in co nj unc tio n wit h the la tter fem ale, every directio n, sh e fi nally enco m passes t he
m

”
Force, t ha t the D ivine b ut la tent Tho ught who le tria ngle I n t his e a na tio n o f t he
.

p ro d uces t h e g re a t D eep wa ter . female ac tive principle fro m the left side
Wa ter is bo rn fro m a transfo rma tio n o f t he y st ic tm
ria ng le, is fo reshado wed the

me ntio n o f Eve fro m Ada ms left rib ’

Adamis the M icrocos of t he Macro cosm. m

.

the wa ter is born the earth , says Manu

I “also
.
an d is crea ted in t he i age o f the Elo hi m m .

Ye are bo rn o f Aditi fro m the wa ter I n the Tree o f Life D‘V h l

“
the triple
V
‘ ‘
,

y o u w h o are b o rn o f t he earth hear y e all triad is disposed in su ch a anner tha t the m

my
,

three m ale Sephiro th are o n the righ t, the

I n this water (o r prim eval chaos) the
m
t hree fe ale o n the left, and t he fo ur
‘
Infinite andro gy ne, which , with the
’

uniting principles in t he center Fro mt he

Eternal Ca use, fo rm
.

s t he first a b strac t
I nvisible D ew fallin g fro m the Higher
Th a d. rendere d b y Ann , deposi ted t he Head Sephira crea tes pri eval wa ter, m
m f i l lif I Is the M un da ne

”
g er o u n v ersa e t .
o r chao s ta kin g shape I t is the first s tep .

Egg, in which to ok place the ges ta tio n o f to ward the so lidifica tio n o f Spirit, whic h
P ur usha o r the m a nifested Bra hm a The t hro ugh vario us m o difica tio ns will pro d uce
.
,

g e rm w hic h fecu nda ted t he M other Princi earth

“ “
I t requi res earth and water to
.

p le ( t h e w a ter ) is ca lled
“
N ara, t he D iv ine m ake a li vi ng so ul, sa ys M oses .

Spirit o r Ho ly Ghost, and the wa ters When Sephira emerges like a n active
t he selves are an e ana tio n of the fo rm
m m er ,
po wer fro mwithin the la ten t D eity she is
m
fe ale ; when she assumes the o fiice o f a
,

N drt, wh ile the Spirit which bro o ded o ver

it is called N arayana
“
“ .
cre a to r, she beco m es a ale ; hence, she m
I n that egg, t he grea t Po wer sa t ia is andro gyne She is t he Fa ther an d
.
‘

active a who le year [of the Creato r] at t he , Mo ther Aditi o f t he H indu C os o go ny

’

m .

clo se o f which by his tho ugh t alo ne, he

George Sm
,

“ 692 ith (ch v ) gives the firs t versea of

caused the egg to divide itself ? The
. .

Akkadian Os nssis as found in the C uneiform

”
upper half b ecam
the
e hea ven, the lo w er, the

686 I n Rir l sda S anhi ta the

.
'
eaning is gi en m v
“
by Max Mullsr as the Absolute . fo r it is derived
fro m‘
diti,
’
b
ond. and t he nega ti e arti cle A v p
mo f the
.

Hym So ul mbined
’

686.
‘
ns to the Maruts. I
’
89 . 1 0.
or wn do three co .
.

The fin t eight versea read t hus :

689 Thus is it tha t we find in all the philosophical
. l . When ab o ve. were no t raised the hea vena;
theogonies the H
oly G host fe a le The nu ero us m . m
sect -of the Gnostiu had Sophia ; the Jewish ka alists b
dm m

”
d udh h Shekhinah fthe gar ent o f the
Hid reat ) . which descended bet ween the t wo cheru im b
p
u on the Merc y Seat ; and we find e en Jes us m ad e v the Cos mical Aditi and Sel
to n y . in an old teat. My Mother. the Ho b G host,
“
5 Those wa ters
. at the b gie nning were ord ained
toch n a M d fl sb sa asa Origen : Con t a in
. m b ut
J ohann, 59 . ed p
. uet . H . 6 . a tree had no t gro wn, a flo wer had no t un
folded
we s tha prod uct ion of
-
N ara. the Spirit of Go d 7 . When the go ds had no t aprung up, any one

( Ordinances d H ana, I , of ths m;

090 N W. ana. that which mo ves on the wa ters . 8 a plant had no t p o w
.
m and order did no t ex is t.
69 1 I I. 12 Thia waa the chao h c or
’

. n a, . ante-genu is pariod .
2 68 ISIS UN VEILED

eart h (b o th yet in their ideal, no t their After bro o ding o ver the Deep the
‘ ’

manifes ted fo rm)

,

Spiri t o f God pro duces its o wn im

‘ ’
. age
Th us this seco nd triad . o nly a no ther in the wa ter the Universal Wo m , b, sy m
na m e fo r the first o ne ( ne ver pro no unced bo lised in M aa u b y the Go ld en Egg I n .

alo ud ) an d which is the real pre Ved ic

, the ka balistic Co sm o go ny , H ea m and
a nd prim o rdia l secret Tri flrt i, co nsiste d m Earth are person ified b y Ada Kadm on m
of and the seco nd Adam The first I nefiable .

h ad co n ta ined i n t he ab strac t id ea of the

,

N l rl. Mo ther-Eart h.
‘
Three Heads was a mystery name
,
’ ‘
.
’

VirAi, the Son or Uni vers e I t was co m pos ed o f Ai d-S o h

p , Sephira.
m
.

and Ada m Kad o n the Pro to go no s, the

The Trimfirti, co m prising Brahm
,

a the , la tter b eing ide ntical w ith the form er .

C rea to r Vishnu the Pres erver a nd Siva

, . , , when b isex ua l “ I n every triad there is
.

the D estro yer a nd Regenerato r b elo ngs to , a m a le a fe ale and an androgy ne m

I t is a n anthro po m
, ,

Ada m
.

a la ter perio d o rphic

p hira is the C ro wn ( Keth er)
-S e
.
It
aftert ho ught invented fo r the m
.

. ore po pu sets itself to the wo rk of crea t ion by first

lar co m p re h e ns io n o f th e u n in i t ia t e d pro d ucing Ho kh m ah , Male Wisdo m a
'

masses The Dtkshila the initiate knew

,

masculine active po te ncy represente d by

m
, ,
,

b e tter Thus also th e pro fo und allego ry

. ,
,yah, or the Wheels of C rea tio n. D JDR
‘ .

under th e co lo rs of a rid iculo us fa ble, given

in the A itareya-Brdhm a na m
“ which re female and passive po tency which is Yate
mn
,

sulted in the representa tio ns in so m e tem

,

oah, ‘ who m we find in the Bible

m m m
,

h f S uprem
-N a i
p lea o f B ra a ra , ass u n g th e o r
figuring as the e B ut this Yebo
.

of a b u ll a n d hi s ,d au g h ter , A di t i-N
an tha t ,
vah is no t the ka ba listic Yo d-beva
The
o f a heifer co ntains th e sam e m
.

, etaphysical
bi na ry is the funda m enta l corner -st o ne of
idea as the fall of an
‘ ’
or tha t of the m ,
Gnoris As the b inary is the Unit y m ul
matter The All
.

Spirit into genera tio n .

i
tiply ng it self an d se lf-crea ting, the kaba
p er v ad i ng Di v in e S p i ri t e m b o d ie d u n d er
lists sho w the Unkno wn passi ve Ain
‘ ’

t he sy m bo ls o f H ea ven, the S un, and m

So ph as e ana ting fro mhi self Sephira m
the co rrela tio n of cosm m
,

Hea t ( fire) ic wh ich b eco ing visib le ligh t. is said to

,

forces fecundates M at ter o r N ature th e ,

p ro d u ce A d a R a d n mon B u t in t he hid
And Brahm a him
.
,

da ugh ter o f Spirit .

self has to su b m it to a nd bear the pena nce the sa me

light. o nly la ten t and ac tive ia
m
,

o f the cu rses o f the o ther go ds (Elo hi )

v isib le a nd visible The second Ada . as . m
fo r such a n incest (See co rrespo nding the h u a n tetragram
m . pro d uces i n his turn
.

co lum n ) Acco rd ing to the im

. muta b le ,
Eve o ut o f h is side I t is this second .

a nd therefo re fa tal la w , bo th N ara a nd

triad, with which t he ka balists have
N M are m u tually Fa t her a nd M o ther,
hit herto dealt. hardly hin ting at the Sn
“ M a t ter,
as well as Fa ther and D a ugh ter .

p ma n d I nefiahle One, and never co m

t hro u gh infi nite transfo rm
re e .

a t io n is t he ,
m itting anyt hing to writing All kno wl .

g ra d ua l pr o d uc t o f S p i r i t Th e u n ifi ca .
edge co nw rning the la t ter was i parted m
t io n o f o ne E ternal S upre e Ca use re m o rally I t is the seco nd Ada . then, who
. m
q u ir e d s u c h a co rre la t io n ; an d if n a t u re b e

of th e lra balistic male principle, and, at

me time he is H o khm a h, Wisdom
’

693 See H aug s translatio n : 111 . iii. 33

.
'
. the sa , ,

694 The . sa me transfor matio ns

fo und in the are wh ile Bi na h or Yeho vah is E ve ; the first.
cos mo go ny of e very im orta n t na tion
p h us we . T
sis ter and b
man and wife ; and Ho rus the
ro ther. . male , he is Ada mKadmoa ; for. as the fo r mer con
So n of b o th beco ming t he hus band o f his m
, o ther , tains in herself the ot her nine Sephiro t h.
I sis, and pro d ud ng a so n l l alo ul i (Cha mpo llio n to tality . the la tter. including Sephu s . is em o died
’

b
m m
'
, .

I’igeac : Bu cariou s, p. in the Ard ietypal Kadm on. the r b yo m .

2 70 ISI S UN VEI LED

ridyd, the thrice scienc e which

’
sacred

teaches the Yqius ( the sacrificial M ys ma tter ; or the ac ti ve ( male ) , pass ive (fe

Ha ving do ne with the unrevealed tria d ,

and t he first triad o f the Sep hiro th calle d ,

t he intellect ua l wo rld, li t tle rem a in s to

‘ ’

b e sa id I n the grea t geo m

. etrical fi gure su mmarised in the unity o f o n e supre me
whic h has t he do u b le tria ngle in it, the Deity I t rs fo und the Eg ptian p yra
'

. in

cen tral circ le represents the wo rld within mids whose, eq ual sides t o wer

t he universe The do u b le tria ngle b lo ngs pa in In

e
.

t o o ne o f the m os t im po rta n t if it is n o t ,

in itself the ost i

p m
o rta n t, o f the m y st ic m
figures rn India I t rs the e b le of the . m m
Trimtlrti three in o ne The tria ngle with
, . trial ho rizo n ta l b ase line B ut the idea "

its a pex upward indica tes t he ale princi m is the sa e : Ada m Kad m m
o n ia tbe type

p le , d o w n w a rd t h m
e fe a le ; the two t ypify o f hu m
anit y as a co lle ctive t ota lity within

ing a t t he sa e t i e spirit and m m a t ter m . t he unity of the crea tive Go d a nd tbe uni
This world wit hin the infinite universe is versal spirit .

the m
icro co s withi n the m acro cos , as m m M -
Eve is the trinitv o f na tnre a nd Ad a- the
in the Jew ish Ka bala I t is the sy bo l o f . m
t he wo m b o f the universe, t he terrestria l d ph the h ttc ths ideal organ of t he creative wis
egg, wh ose arch et ype is the go lden un m
dane egg I t is fro . wit hin this spiritualm psi nd pk and the I m for R h the mh aad j the

m m
b oso of o ther na t ure that pro ceed a ll

the grea t sa vio rs of the un iverse

— t he th bob h s m
wu m
h s m fiu m w

”
with one ha nd to ward the sh , and with the o ther
a va tars of t he inv is ib le D eity
mm
.

“
m
Of hi who is a nd yet is no t, fro t he m to ward the grou nd h is the .

m
aad the

mia o cosmat the sa e fima and es plai the donhk m

no t-b ein g Eterna l Ca use, is bo rn the b e ing Maso ns
,
t ri angle of t he and the five -pointed etar.
Purusha sa ys M an n. the legisla tor .
Whik the male is acti va the fe mab principle is pss
m
,

Purusha is the divine ale, the seco nd -

‘ ’

sive. for it is arn rr and su rr . t he lst ter word

o d a n d t h e a va ta r, o r t he Lo go s of Para
g ,

m
b ra h a n a nd his divine so n, w ho in his
t urn pro d uced Virai, the so n, o r the ideal
type o f the u niverse
“
Virl j begins t he
male a unity male a bina y
.

and ro u nd ; the the fc r ls

wo rk o f cre a tio n b y pro d ucing the te n
, .

m
the h tu kahd istic h ea fi u t he acti ve prinu ple is
’

“
the lo rds o f all beings
’

Prajd patis pi t pi
mp3
,
c ure d b y the sword t he r ve by the
I .

( M a n n , , 1 1 , sq , 33 .
,
shea th See Dos - s d ritasl ds la hsd s
Acco rding t o the do ctrine of Mam e, the
m Do r mt ii
.

un iverse is su bj ect ed to a per io dical a nd 70 1 The vertia l line being t he male principle and

ne ver-e nding s uccessio n o f m

,

e ntio ns a nd the ho d m td t he fe mah o o t of the nnio n of the

disso lut io ns, wh ic h perio ds o f crea tio n are the in ters ection point is for med the caoss;
m
t wo st

m
na ed M a nra nl aras .
the olda t sy mbol
in tha Ec ptian hl to ry of go .
'
-

I t is the key of Heaven in the rov fingers of Nei th.

“
I t is the ger m
[wh ich the D ivine Spirit tha celu tid virt i m
who opeas the ga te at dawn for
'

p ro d uce d fro it s o w m
n su b s ta nce] whic h
the ex it of her firrb hego t M the ratfian t sna It s .
'

never perish es in th e b ein g fo r it be , the Stauros of tha ostia . and t l-

e philosophical

co m es t he so ul o f Being a nd a t the perio d ,

o f prala ya [d isso lu t io n ] it ret urns t o a b menti ng the tss of t he n mbrella ahaped oldest

mL Chi
orna -

so rb its elf aga in i nto the Di vi ne S pirit pagod n in I ncfig as we find it is

ng and
e

the ha nd o f l sia in the ahape of th e hs ndled a o m

,

whic h i ts elf res ts fro m a ll et ernity w ith in

‘ ’
.

I n o ne of the Chfi tya ca m

a t Ajnntg it sarm onnts

the three um b renn in stone and fa s the ces te m

'

699 . See initial cha p ., vo l i, p

. x liii wo rd Yajfia
, . of the vanlt .
 D I AGRAM S CON TIN UED 2 71

Svaya m b h o, the lf
Se Ex iste nt
- One Of h i m wh o is fo rmless , the

” no n

”
(Ordi na nces of M a nn I ) , . ex is ten t (also th e eternal,
Fi rs t b ut not

As we ha ve sh o wn ne ither the S rdbhd , Cause ) , is bo rn the hea venly m an Bu t .

no r t he a fter he created the fo r o f the hea ve nly m

m
rikas Buddhist ph ilow phers
,

Brahm m ‘ “
a nas b elie v e in a creati o n o f t he a n ns pv e. he used it as a vehicle
universe es: nihilo b u t bo th believe in , where in to descend sa ys t he Ka bala, .

the P rakri ti the indestructib ility o f m

,
at Thus Adam Ka d m o n is t he a vata r o f t he

ter . co ncealed po wer After tha t the hea venly

.

The evo lutio n o f species and the suc , Adamcreates o r engenders b y t he co m bined
m
,

cessive a ppearance o f vario us new types is p o w er o f th e S e p hi ro t h , t h e ear th l y A d a .

very dis tinct ly sh o wn in H an a . The wo rk o f cre atio n is also b egun b y

Fro meart h hea t and wa ter are b o rn
“
, , , Sephira in the creat io n o f the ten Saph i
all crea tures whet h er a n im a t e o r ina n i
, ro th ( w ho are the Praj apa tis o f the Ka b ala,

mate, prod uced b y the germ which the fo r they are likewise the Lords o f all
D ivine Spirit drew fro mits o w n sub sta nce b eings)

”
. .

Thus has Brahm a esta b lished t he series o f The Zohar asserts the sa m e Acco rding
m
.

transfo rm a t io ns fro mthe pla n t up t o an , to the ka b alistic d octrine there were o ld

a nd fro m a n up to the primm o rdial es wo rlds (Zoha r III p 2 9 2 b ; Am , , sterda
. m
Am o ng them eac h succeed E veryth ing will re turn so m

”
“
sence . e day to

ing being [o r elem en t] acq u ire s the q ualit y that fro m w h ich it fi rst proceeded
“
All .

o f t he preceding ; a nd in as a ny degrees m th ings o f w hich this wo rld co nsists, spirit as

as eac h o f them is ad van ced with so , well as bo dy will re tu rn to their princ ipa l
,

ma ny pro perties is it said to be endo wed a nd t he roo ts fro mw h ic h they proceed ed

( Man n I flo ka , , (Zoha r II p 2 1 8 b ) The kabalists also

, , . .

Th is we b elieve is t he verita b le theo ry

, , mainta in the indestructib ility o f ma tter ,

o f the m o dern evo lu t io n is ts . alb eit their do ctrine is shro ud ed st ill m o re

careft tha n that o f the H ind us The .

702 When fro m o h

t his wo rld had e merged crea tio n is eterna l an d the u niverse is the ,

garm
.

scurity . the su tle ele m entary b

rinci les rod uced p p p ‘
e t,
n
’
o r th e v e
‘
i l o f Go d — She
’

the vegeta b le germwhich at first ani ated the lan ts ; m p khinah : a nd t he la tter 18 im mo rtal and

”
p
fro m the lants, life pa-ed t hro ugh the fan tastic eterna l as H im with in w ho m it has e ver
a ganu
'

m
s which were born in the il us ( bone ) o f
ex is ted E very wo rld is m ade after the
the waters ; then th rough a series of fo rm
.

s pre decesso r a nd ea ch m
s an d
t t n f it
difierent anim als, it at lengt h reac hed m
p a er o o re,
( H an a ,
I; andB u you ts -Parana )
an

.
g ro s s an d m a ter ia l t h a n t h e p rec e d in g o ne .

Mann is a con verti b le type, which ca n by no I n the K ab ala a ll were ca lled sparks
m eans plained as a personage
be ex Man n means (Zohar III p 2 9 2 b ) Fina lly o ur present
, , . . ,

m m
.

so meti es hu m m
a ni ty , so meti me man The Man n g roa ly a t e r ia lis t ic w o r ld w as fo r ed

m
. .

m
who e ana ted fro m t he uncrea ted S ambha is, I n the C haldaea n a cc o unt o f the perio d
b
without do u t, the wpe of Adam Red m on The .
which preceded the Genesis o f o ur wo rld ,
p
Mann who is rogenitor o f the o ther six Man us is Bero su s spea ks o f
“
a t im e wh en th ere
evidentb iden tical wi th the Rishis. o r se en rime al v p v ex is ted no th in g b u t darkn ess and a n ab yss
who the fore fa thers of the p t d il ,

o f w a ters, fil led w ith h id eo us m

sages are os - uvtan
o ns ters
races. He is — as we s ha ll sho w in h p ter
c a vrn
,

-fo
N oah. and
his six so ns or su seq uent
‘ ’
b generatio ns. p r o d u ce d o f a t w o ld p rin c ip le .

There were crea tures in which w ere co m

,

who are the originals of the post -d iluvian and my t hi

p b b in ed the lim

”
cal a triarchs of the Bi le . bs o f every species o f ani
mals I n additio n to these fishes rep
. , ,

t iles serpen ts, w ith o ther m

, o ns tro us a n i

mals which assumed each o ther s shape ’

7"
a nd co un te na nce .

703 Co ry : Ancient Frag

. ments , p
. 23, sq.
 ”
272 IS IS UN VEILED

I n t he first book o f Ma n u we read K n ow tha t the su mof 1 000

divine ages co mpo ses t he to tality of o ne day o f B rah an ; a n d th at o ne m

”
n igh t is eq u al to tha t day One tho usan d di vin e ages is eq ual to .

o f hu man years , in the B rah ma nica l ca lc ula tio n s .

At t he expira ti o n o f ea ch nigh t, B ra hm
“
a n , w ho has be en asleep ,

a wakes an d [ thro u gh th e so le energy of th e

, otio n] ca uses t o e manate m
fro mhimself the spirit which in its essence is , and yet is no t , .

Pro mpted by the desire to crea te the Spirit [firs t o f the emana tio ns] ,

o pe ra tes t he crea tio n a n d gi v es birt h to e ther whi c h th e sa ga co nsider ,

as h a vin g th e fac u lty o f tra ns m i ttin g so un d .

”
“
E ther bege ts air whose pro perty is ta n gible [ an d which is necessary

Thro ugh a tra nsfo rma tion o f the air ligh t is pro du ced , .

Fro m[a ir a n d] ligh t [wh ich begets hea t] wa te r is formed [and the ,

wa ter is the wo mb of all th e livin g germal 7“

.

Thro ugho ut th e who le immense perio d of pro gre ssiv e crea tion cover ,

”
ing years e ther air wa ter an d fire (hea t) are cons ta ntly
, , ,

formin g matter un der the never ceasin g impulse of the Spirit o r the nu -
,

revea led Go d w ho fills up t he who le crea tion fo r h e is in all a nd all is in , ,

h im Thi s co m
. pu ta tio n which w as secre t and wh ich is hardly hin ted
,

a t eve n n o w led H iggi n s in to t he e rro r of di v idin g every te n ages in to

,

6000 yea rs H ad he added a few m . o re c iphers to his s um s he m igh t have

co m e n ea re r to a correc t ex p la na tio n o f th e nero ses o r secre t cycles , .

I n the S epher Yetzirah the ka ba listic Bo o k of Crea tion the a utho r , ,

h as e viden tly re pea ted the wo rds of M an n I n it the D ivin e S u bsta nce .

is represe n ted as ha v ing a lo ne existed fro mth e e ternity bo un dless and ,

a bso lu te ; a n d it e m itted fro mits elf t he Spirit

“
One is the Spirit of the

”
.

li ving Go d blessed be H is N a m, e w ho li v eth fo r e ver ! Vo ice Spirit , , ,

an d Wo rd this is t he Ho ly Sp irit
, a n d this is t he ka balis tic a bstract

Trinity so un cere mo niously a n thro po mo rphized by the Fa thers Fro m

, .

this trip le O N E e m a n a ted t he who le Co s m os First fro mO N E ema na te d .

nu m ber T W O o r Air the crea tive elemen t ; an d then n u mber T HREE

, , ,

Water pro ceeded fro mt he air ; Ether o r Fi re co mplete th e mystic fo ur

, ,
“
the Arba il When the Co ncea led o f the Co ncea led wan ted to reveal
-
.

Himself he first made a poin t [primordial po in t o r the firs t Sephira air

, , ,

o r Holy G h os t] sha ped it in to a sacred fo rm[ t he ten Sephiroth o r the

, ,

Hea venly man ] an d co v ered it with a rich an d splen did garmen t that is
, ,

H e ma keth th e Win d his m essen gers fla m

“
the wo r 703
ing Fire his ,

70 4 . M a nu , I , 72 - 78 . 705 See . I
i, pp 32 -34, . of t his work .

706 . S epher Yetzirah, ch . i

, m ish na h 9 .

707 I bid . .
, mishnah 10 . 708 . Zohar I , , 2 a.
2 74 ISIS UN VEILED

An d no w again re e n ter in to the golden egg o f H is Th ought the

ger m s o f a ll th a t exis t, as t h e divi ne M a n u tells u s D u rin g His p eaceful .

res t th e an im

”
at ed be ings en dowed with th e princ iples o f ac t io n cease , ,

their fun ct ions and all fee lin g (manas) becomes dor an t When they
, m .

are all abso rbed in th e S UPRE M E SO UL, this So ul o f all t he be in s slee s

g p
in co m ple te re po se till th e day when it res u mes its form an d awakes
again fro m its prim
7“
itiv e darkness .

If we no w e a x mine the ten mythica l avatars o f Vishn u , w e fin d the m

rec orded fo llowing progression :
in th e
1 M ats ya A oatdra : as a fish I t will also b e his ten th an d las t avatar
.
-
.
,

a t th e en d o f th e K ali y u ga -
.

2 K drm. a A vatd ra : as a to rto ise -

.

3 Vardha : as a boar
. .

4 N dra S i nha : as a m
. a n lio n ;
-
las t anim a l sta ge -
.

5 Vdm .a na : as a dwarf ; first step toward t he h um an form .

6 P arasu Rdm
. a as a hero b ut y e t an imperfect m
-
an , .

7 Ram . a Cha nd ra : as the hero o f Ram

-
aya na Physica lly a perfect .

man ; his next o f kin frien d an d ally Hanuman the monkey go d The , ,
-
.

mo n key endo wed with speech

! "

8 K rishna A vatdra : th e So n o f the Virgin Deva ndgi (o r Deoaki )

.
-

o ne fo rm ed by Go d , o r ra th er by t he a n ifes ted Dei ty Vishn u , w ho is m

iden tica l wi th Ada m Kad o n fl“
K rishna is also ca lled K o ne ya, the m
So n o f the Virgin .

9 Ga uta m B uddha S id dhartha , o r Sdkya m

. a- uni (Th e B u ddhists
,
p .

rej ec t this do c trine o f their B u ddha be in g an in carn a tio n o f Vishn u ) .

1 0 Thi s a v a ta r has no t y et occurred

. It is ex pec ted in the future .
,

li ke t he Christia n Adven t the idea o f which w as un doub tedly co pied ,

fro mthe Hind i) Wh en Vishnu appea rs fo r the las t time he will come as
.

a Sa vi o r Acco rdin g to the opin io n o f so m e B rah m a n as he will appear

’
.

h im self u n de r the form o f the horse K al ki O thers m ai n tai n tha t he .

will b e mo un ting it Thi s ho rse is the en velope o f the spirit o f evil

.
,

an d Vishn u will m oun t it in visible to all, till he ha s con q uere d it for ,

the las t tim e The K al ki A vatdra o r the las t incarna tion , divides
.
-
,

Brahmanismin to two sec ts Tha t o f the Vaishna va refuses to reco gnise .

71 1 . C f Jacollio t : The S ons

.
f God
o . PP . 2 2 9 . 2 30 .

71 2 M ay it no t b e t hat Ha nu an is the representative of tha t link of m half

men, half-m
.

o nkeys, w hi ch , ac co rdin g to the theo n es o f M essrs H o velaeq ue and . eicher.

were arres ted in their develo pm ent. an d fell, so to say, in to a retro gressive evo lution?

71 3 The Pri mal Ul tima te Essence has no na m e in India I t is indicated som

‘

or e
mes
. .

“
ti This Th is [universe] was no t o riginally anyt hing There was
’
Tha t an d
‘ ’ ‘
as
no r atm
. .

Tha t b eing non-ex istent res olved Let

‘
neither hea ven , nor eart h osphere
me
.
,

be John Muir: Origi nal Sanskrit Tech , V, p

’
.
(D r . .
 D I AGRAM OF THE AVATARS 2 75

the incarna tions their go d Vishn u in anima l forms literally Th ey

of .

claim th a t these m us t b e un derstoo d as a llegorica l .

I n this lis t o f a v a ta rs w e see traced the gra d ual evolu tion an d

tra n s fo rm a tio n o f a ll s pecies o ut o the f a n te Silurian m
~ u d o f D arwin

and t he ilus o f San cho nia tho n an d Berosus Beginning wi th the Azoic
.

time correspon din g to the ilus in which Brahma impla nts the crea tive
,

g erm w
, e p as s t h ro u g h t h e P a lae o zo ic a n d M es o zo ic tim es co v ere d by the ,

first an d sec on d incarna tio ns as the fish an d to rt o ise ; and the Cen ozo ic ,

which 18 embraced by the incarna tions in the anima l an d semi human -

fo rms o f the boar and ma n lion ; and we come to the fifth and crownin g
-

geo lo g ica l p er io d d es ig
, n a te d as th e era o f m i
‘‘
n d o r ag e o f man , ,
’

whose symbol in the Hin d i) mythology is the dwarf the first a ttem pt o f
na ture a t the crea tion o f m an I n this list we sho uld follow the m
. ain

idea no t j u dge the degree o f kn owled ge o f the an cien t philo sophers

,

by the li teral accepta nce o f the po pula r fo rmin which it is prese nted
to us in the gran d epic poem o f M ahdbhdrata an d its cha pter the
Bhagavad Gi td- .

E v en the fo ur a ges o f the Hin d i) chro no logy co n ta in a far ore philo m

sophica l idea than appears o n th e su rface I t defines themaccordin g to
.

m
bo th the psycho lo gica l, o r en ta l, and the physical sta tes o f a n durin g m
their perio d K rita yuga, the go lden age, the age o f jo y , o r spiritual
.
-
‘ ’

m
innocence o f a n ; Tre ta yu ga, the age o f silv er, o r tha t o f fire th e peri
- —
o d o f su pre m acy o f m a n an d o f gian ts an d o f t he so ns o f Go d ; D v apara

yuga , the age o f bronze a m

ixture alrea dy o f purity and i p uri ty m
( sp iri t a n d ma tte r), t he a ge o f do u bt ; an d a t las t o ur o wn , th e K a li-y
u ga ,

o r age o f 1 10 11 , o f da rkn ess , m isery an d sorrow I n this age Vishn u had to .

inca rna te hi self m m Krishn a, m

order to sa ve hu ani ty fro the go ddess m m
K al i , co nsort o f Siva , the a ll an nih la ting
i
the goddess o f dea th , de
-

struc tion an d h u an m m isery K ali 18 the bes t e ble

. m m
to represen t the
‘
fall o f ma n the falling o f spirit in to the degra da tion o f a tter, wi th all m
its terrific results We ha v e to rid ourselves o f K al i before w e can e ver
.

re ach M o ks ha , o r N irvana , the a bo de o f b lessed Peace an d Sp irit .

With the B u ddhists the las t incarna tion is the fifth When Maitreya .

B u ddha co mes then o ur prese n t wo rld will be des troyed ; and a new
,

an d a be tter o ne will rep la ce it The fo ur arm s o f every Hin du Deity

.

are th e em blems o f the four preceding ma nifes ta tions of o ur ea rth fro m

its in vi sible sta te while its head typ ifies the fifth a nd las t K alki A vatdra
,
-
,

when this wo uld be des troyed an d the po wer o f Bodhi , Wisdom(wi th

the Hin dus o f B rahm
, a) will b e again ca lled in to re q uis ition to m
, a nifes t

itself as a Logo s to crea te the fu ture world .

I n this schem e t he m ale g ods typify Spirit m its deific a ttribu tes ,

while their female counterparts the Sa ld i s re prese n t t he ac tive

2 76 IS IS UN VEI LED

energies these a ttribute s The Du rgd (ac tive virtue ) is a subtle

of .

in v is ible fo rce which ans wers to Shekh inah

, the garm e n t of Ain Soph -
.

S he is the Sa kti th ro u gh whic h the pas siv e E te rna l calls forth the visible
‘ ’

un iverse fro m its first idea l co nceptio n All three perso na ges o f the .

exote ric Trim urt i a re shown usi ng their Sa ktis as t a nas ( vehi cles) .

Eac h o f the m1 s fo r t he tim e bein g t he formwhich si ts u po n the m y s

terio u s wago n o f E ze kiel .

N o r d o w e see less clearly ca rried o ut in this su ccess ion o f avatars

t he tru ly p hi lo so ph ica l idea o f a sim ul ta neo us sp irit u al an d physical

e vo lu t ion o f c rea t ures an d m an Froma fish t he p rogress of this dual .

transfo rma tio n ca rries o n the physica l form thro ugh the sha pe o f a
to rto ise a boar a nd a ma n lion ; and then appea rin g in t he dwarf of
, ,
-
,

hu m a nity it sho ws P a rasu Rdm

,
a phy s ica lly a perfec t -
sp iritually an ,

u n de v e lope d en t ity u n til it carries m a n ki n d perso nified by o n e

, g o d lik e ,
-

ma n to the a pex o f physica l a nd spiritua l perfectio n a go d o n earth

, .

I n Krishna a nd the o ther Sa vio rs o f the world w e see t he philosophical

idea o f t he progressive d ua l develo p m en t un derstoo d an d as clearly

e xp resse d in t he Zo ha r T he Hea venly m w ho is the Pro to go nos

‘ ’
an.
, ,

Tikkun the first born o f Go d o r the universal Form an d Idea en

,
-
, ,

g e n d e rs A da m H e n ce th.e la tte r is go d bo r n in h u m a n i ty a n d e n do w ed -
,

wi th the a ttribu tes o f a ll the te n Sephiroth These are : Wisdo m .

,

Inte lligence Justice Lo v e Beau ty Splen do r Firmn ess e tc They m

”
, , , ake , , , .

him t he Fo unda tio n o r bas is the m ighty livi ng one ol 5s an d the

‘ ’
‘ '

, , ,

c ro wn o f crea tio n th u s pla c in g h imas t he Alp ha an d O m

, ega to reign

kingdo m M alkh u th M a n is both the import a nd the

“

”
’
o v er the
‘
.
-

As so o n as m
“
highest degree o f c rea tio n say s the Zo ha r , an was .

c rea ted everythin g w as co m

, plete includin g the upper an d nether ,

wo rlds fo r everything is co mprised in man H e unite s in himself all

, .

fo rms .
7“

B u t this do es no t rela te to o u r degenerated m a n kin d ; it 1 3 only occa

s io n a lly tha t m en a re bo rn w ho a re the types o f wh a t m a n sho uld be ,

a n d y et is n o t The first race s o f m

. e n were spiri tu al a n d t he ir proto ,

plastic bod ies were no t co mpo sed o f the gross an d ma terial subs ta nces
o f w hic h we see h u ma n bo dies co mpo sed no wada ys The first men were .

c rea ted with a ll the fa c u ltie s o f the De ity an d po wers far tra n scen ding ,

tho se o f the a ngelic ho st ; fo r they were the direc t ema na tions o f Adam
K a dm o n t he prim
, i tive m a n t he M ac roc os m ; wh ile the pre se n t h um
, ani

ty is se ve ra l degrees re m o ved eve n fro m t he earthly A da m w ho was ,

t he M ic roco s m o r th e little wo rld Ze ir An ptn t he m ystical figure

‘ ’ ’
.
, ,

o f t he M a n co n s is ts o f 2 4 3 n u m
, bers an d we see in the c ircles which ,

fo llo w each o the r tha t it is the a ngels which emanated fromt he Prim i
‘

71 4 Zohar, H I , p
. . 48 a; A msterdamed .
2 78 ISIS UN VEILED

”
Brah ma Vish nu an d Siva are a trinity in a u nity a n d like the
, , , ,

Christian tri n ity they are mu tually co n vertible I n t he eso teric doc
, .

trin e they are on e an d the sam e m a n ifes ta tion o f him wh o se na m

“
e is too

sacred to b e prono un ced and whose po wer is t oo m , a j es tic a n d in finite to

b e im agin e d Thus by describing t he ava ta rs o f o ne all others are

.
,

included in the allego ry with a c hange o f formb u t no t of su bs ta nce It

, .

is o ut o f such m an ifes ta tions th a t em an ate d the m an y w o rl ds tha t were ,

an d tha t will em ana te the o ne which is to co me .

Coleman follo wed in this by other Orien talis ts presen ts the seventh
, ,

a va tar o f Vishn u in the m ost ca rica tured way ! “ Apart fro m the fact
tha t the Ram ayana is o ne o f the gra n des t epic poe m s in th e wo rld the
so urce an d o rigin o f H o m er s in sp ira tio n this a va tar co ncea ls o ne of
’

the m ost sc ien tific pro blems o f o ur mo dern day The learne d B rahm . anas

of In dia n ev er un ders to o d the allego ry of th e famous war be tween men ,

g ia n ts a
, n d m o n ke y s o th er w ise t h an in t h e lig h t o f t h e t ra n sfo rm a tio n o f
spec ies I t is o ur firmbelief tha t were Europea n aca demic ians to seek
.

fo r in fo rm a t io n fro mso m e learned n a ti ve B rahm an as ins te a d o f unani ,

mo usly and incontinen tly rejec ting their au thority and were they like

”
, ,

Jaco llio t a gains t who mthey ha ve nearly all arrayed the m selves to
see k fo r ligh t in the oldes t do c u m en ts sca tte re d a bou t t he c oun try in

pagodas th ey mi ght lea rn strange b u t n o t useless lessons Let any one

, .

inq uire o f an educated Brfih m an a th e reaso n fo r t he res pect sh own to m on

keys the o rigin of which feelin g is in dica ted in th e s to ry o f t he v aloro us

fea ts of Han u man the generalissimo an d faithful ally of the hero o f the
,

Ram aya na an d he wo u ld soo n b e disa b used o f t he errone ou s idea that

,

the H indus acc ord deific h o no rs to a m o n key god H e woul d perhaps

-
.
, ,

learn were the Brah mana to j udge hi mworthy o f an expla na tion

tha t the Hin d i) sees in the ape b ut wha t Man u desire d h e sh ould : the
transforma tion of spec ies mo st direc tly connec ted wi th tha t of the hum an

fa mily a bas ta rd bra n ch en grafte d o n their o wn s toc k befo re the final

perfec tio n o f the la tter 71 7

He m igh t learn further tha t in t he ey es o f the
.
, ,

71 5 Co le
. ma n :
Mytholo gy of the Hi ndus pp 2 2 sq , .
. .

71 6 The siege and sub seq uen t su rrender o f Lanka ( Isle o f Ceylo n) to E l ma is placed
—
.

b y t he H indu ch ro nology — based u n the Zo diac at 7500 t o 8tXD years a c and

the follo wing o r eigh th incarnatio n of ishnu a t 4800 B c (fro mthe Boo k of the H id eries !
. .,

- .

Zodiacs o f the BrAhm

.

anas ) .

71 7 A Ha no v erian scientist has re centl y published a wo rk entitled 0 06 1 die A ufllinm

.
:
g
der A rten du rch natilrliche Zuchtwahl , in which he sho ws, with gre a t ingenu ity, that
D arwi n was who lly m
ista ken in tracing a n back to t he ape m
On the co ntrary he
mm m
.

m a intains tha t it is the ape which has evo lved fro an Tha t in th e beginning an .

kind was m o rally and physically th e type a nd pro to type of o ur presen t race and of
m m
hu an digni ty, in b eauty o f fo r , regularity of fea ture, cranial develo e nt, no bility m
m
o f senti en ts. hero ic i pulses, and
g m
ran deur o f ideal co nce t io ns is a purely
m
.

Brah anic, Buddhistic, and ka balisti c philoso phy His is co pio usly illustra ted
.
 TEND ER H UMANI TY OF THE JAIN AS 2 79

d
e uca e t d hea th en th e spiritual o r i nner ma n is o ne th in g an d his ter
‘ ’
,

rest rial physica l caske t an o ther

, Th at physical n a ture the grea t co m
. ,

bin a tio n o f phy sica l co rrela tio ns o f fo rces ev er creeping o n to ward per ,

fac tio n has to a va il herself o f the ma terial a t han d ; she models a nd re

,

models as she pro ceeds and fin ishi ng her crownin g wo rk in man presents
, ,

himalone as a fit ta bernac le fo r t he ov ershadowing o f the Divine Spirit .

Bu t the latter circ um sta nce does n o t give m an th e righ t o f life an d dea th

o v er th e anim a ls lower th an hi m self in t he sca le o f n atu re o r t he righ t to ,

torture them Quite the rev erse Bes ides being en dowed wi th a so ul
. .

o f whic h ev ery a nim a l a nd eve n plan t is m ore o r less po ssessed

, man ,

has his im mo rtal rational so u l o r nous which o ught to make himat leas t
, ,

eq ual in m agn an im i ty to t he elepha n t w ho trea ds so carefully lest he , ,

sho ul d cru sh weaker crea tures th a n him se lf I t is this fee ling which .

prompts B rahmanist and B uddhist alike to co nstru c t hospitals fo r sic k

anim al s a n d e ven in sec ts an d to p re pa re refuges wherein th ey m
, ay finish

their days I t is this sa me feeling again whic h ca uses the Jaina sec tarian
.
, ,

to sac rifice o ne ha lf o f his life time in brushing a way fromhi s pa th the

- -

helpless cra wlin g insec ts ra ther than rec klessly depriv e the sm
, , alles t o f

life ; an d it is a gain fro mth is sen se o f highest benevo lence a n d cha rity
toward the wea ker ho wever abj ec t the crea ture may b e tha t they [th e
, ,

Jainas] honor o ne o f the na tural mo d ifica tio ns o f their o wn d ual na ture ,

an d th a t la ter the po pu lar belief in m etem psych o sis a rose N o trace o f the .

la tter is to b e fo un d in t he Vedas; a nd t he true in terpre ta tio n o f the doc

trine discussed a t length in M a nu an d the B uddhistic sac red bo oks hav
, ,

ing bee n co nfi ned fro mt he first to the lea rned sacerdo ta l cas tes the false ,

and foo lish pop u la r ideas co n ce rnin g it nee d o c casio n n o surprise .

Upo n those w ho in t he re mains o f a n tiq uity see e viden ce tha t

, ,

mo dern times can lay sma ll cla imto originality it is co mmo n to charge ,

a dispo sitio n to exa ggera te an d di sto rt fac ts B u t the ca n did reader will .

sca rce ly e v er tha t the a bo v e is an exa m ple in poin t There were evo lu .

tio nists befo re t he day when t he m ythical N oah is made in the B ible to , ,

floa t in his ark ; a nd the a ncien t sc ien tists were better info rm ed an d had ,

their theo ries mo re lo gically defined than the mo dern ev olutio nists .

Plato Ana xa go ras Pythagora s the Elea tic sc h oo ls o f Greece as well

, , , ,

as th e o ld C ha ldaea n sacerdo ta l co lleges a ll ta u gh t the doc trin e o f t he ,

d ua l ev o lu tion ; the doc trine o f the tra n smigra tio n o f so uls referring o nly

with diagra ms tables, that theI grad ual deb ase ent and degrada tio n
etc He sa ys m
m m
. .

of a n, o rall y y
and ph sicall , ca n b e rea dil y y
trac ed t hro ugho u t the ethno lo gical trans
f m
o r a t io ns do wn to o ur t i es m
And as o ne po rtio n has alread degenerated into apes,
. y
so t he civ ilized m
a n o f the presen t day will a t last , un der the act io n o f the ine vitab le
y
law o f necessit , be also succeeded b y like descenda nts we a y u dge o f t he ut ure If m j f
m m
.

b y t he ac tua l present, it certainly does see possib le t ha t so uns piritua l and aterial
b
istic a o dy as o ur physical scientists sho uld end as si iae rather than as sera hs m p
 ”
2 80 IS IS UN VEILED

to t he progress o f ma n fro mworld to wo rld afte r dea th here Every

”
, .

philo sophy wo rt hy o f the name ta ught tha t the spi rit o f man if no t the ,
“ “
so u l w as pre e xis te n t
, The E ssenes
- says Jo se phus
. believ ed that , ,

mo rta l and tha t they descen ded from the e thereal

”
the so uls were im ,

”
7“
spac es to b e c h a in ed to bo dies I n hi s turn Philo Ju dae us says the .

a ir is f ull o f the m [o f so uls] ; th ose which a re neares t t he ea rth de

“
,

scen din g t o b e tied to m

”
o rta l bo di es r d w bpop oiw a ba re t urn to o ther
‘

te , ,

bo dies being desiro us to liv e in them

,
719
I n the Zohar the soul is m ade .

to plea d he r freedo mbe fo re Go d : Lo rd o f the U ni v erse ! I a mhappy

“

”
in this wo rld a nd do no t wish to go in to a no ther wo rld wh ere I sha ll be
, ,

a h an dm aid a n d b e expo sed to all ki n ds o f pollu tio ns The do ctrine

7
, .

o f fa ta l necess ity the ev erlas tin g im muta ble La w is asserted in the

, ,

Agains t thy will th ou b eco m est a n e m

“
a n swer o f t he D e ity : bryo and ,

a gain s t thy wi ll tho u art born

7"
Ligh t wo ul d b e inco m prehensible.

wi tho u t da rkn ess to make it ma nifes t by co n trast ; go o d woul d b e no

,

g oo d w ith o u t e v i l to s h o w t h e p rice less , n a ture o f t h e boo n ; a nd so

perso na l virt ue co u ld c laimno merit unless it ha d passed through the ,

furnace o f te mpta tio n N o thing is eternal and unchan gea ble save the .
,

C o ncea led Deity N o thing tha t is finite . whe ther bec ause it had a
beginnin g o r must hav e an end
, ca n re m ain sta t iona ry I t must either .

pro gress o r rece de ; and a soul which th irsts a fter a reu ni on with its
spiri t wh ich a lo ne co n fers u po n it im
, morta lity must purify itself thro ugh ,

c yc lic tran sm igra tio ns o n ward toward the o nly Lan d o f B liss an d Eternal
Re st ca lled in the Zoha r The Palace o f Lo ve runs 53 1p
-
in the
‘ ’
1
, ,
.

Hind u re ligio n M o ks ha ; a mo ng the Gnostics the Pleroma o f eternal

, ,
‘

Ligh t ; and by the B u ddh is ts N irvan a The Chris tian calls it the
’

, .

K in gd o m o f Hea ven a n d c la im s to h a v e alo ne fo u n d t he truth

‘ ’
, ,

whereas he has b u t in ven ted a new na me fo r a doc trine w hich is coeval '

”
with ma n .

The pro o f tha t t he tra nsm i gra tio n o f the so ul does no t rela te to m
’
an s

co n ditio n o n th is ea rt h after dea th is foun d in t he Zohar no t wit hsta nd , ,

ing t he ma ny incorrec t ren derin gs o f its tra nsla tors

“
All so uls which .

ha v e aliena t ed the m selv es in hea ven fro mt he Ho ly On e bles se d be His

N am e ha v e th rown the m selves in to an abyss a t thei r very ex is te nce .

an d ha v e an tic ipa ted the tim e when th ey are to descen d o n ea rth .

Co me a nd see when the so ul reach es the Treasury o f Life The so ul .

co uld n o t bea r this li gh t b u t fo r th e lu m in ous m an tle which she pu ts o n

,
.

Fo r j u st as t he sou l whe n se n t to th is ea rth pu ts o n an ea rthly garm

,
ent ,

71 8 J ewish
. War , II , 71 9 De so m
viii, ni is , I , 5 2 2 ; De giga nt , 5 2 , sq
11 . . .

72 0 Zoha r, H , p 96 a ; A st ed . . m . .

72 1 . M is h nah P i rlae A both. I V, 52 9 ; cf Mackenzie : Royal M aso ni e Cyd o paedia, p 413 . . .

72 2 . Zo har, II p 9 7 a , . . 72 3 I bid , III , p 61 b . . . .

2 82 IS IS UNVEILED

E ven James (iii 1 5) iden tifies the so ul by sa ying tha t its w isdom
,

descen de th no t from a bove b ut is terres trial psychical de mo nia cal

”
, ,

(“see G ree k te x t ) P la to s
. p ea k in g o,f t h e S o u l (p s u ch e ) ob se r v es th a t ,

when she allies herself to the no us [divine su bsta nce a go d as psuche , ,

is a goddess] she does e very thin g arigh t an d felic ito usly ; b u t the case
,

is o therwise wh en she a tta c hes herself to a noia Wha t Pla to calls .

no us , Paul terms the S pirit; an d Jesus ma kes the hea rt wha t Paul
say s o f th e flesh The na t ural co n ditio n o f m
. a n kin d w as ca lled in

G reek cir ca mo th ; the new co n dition dwin r ams

-
I n A da m ca m e the
.

fo rmer (dea th ) in C hrist th e la tter (resu rrec tion ) fo r it is he w ho first

, ,

publicly ta ugh t man kin d th e N oble Pa th to E te rnal life as G auta m

”
‘
a ,

poin ted the sa me Pa th to N irvan a To acc omplish thi s end there was .

“
b ut o ne w ay acco rdin g to the teachings o f both
, Poverty chastity .
, ,

co n te m pla ti o n o r inn er prayer co n tempt fo r wealth an d the illusive joys ,

o f th is world .

“
En ter o n this Pa th a n d pu t an end to sorrow ; verily t he Pa th has
been prea ched b y me w ho ha ve fo u n d ho w to quench th e da rts of
,

g ri e f. Y o u yo u r se lv es m u s t m a ke t h e e ff or t ; th e B u ddh a s a r e o n l y
p r eac h e rs Th .e t h o u g h tf u l w h o e n te r t h e P a th a r e f r ee d fr o m th e

bon da ge o f the Deceiver (M dra )

”
“
En te r y e in a t the stra it ga te : fo r wi de is the gate an d bro a d is the ,

w ay tha t lea de th to des truc tio n

, Follo w m e . E v ery o ne that
hea re th these sayin gs o f m ine a n d doe th themno t shall b e likened unto
, ,

a foo lish m an M
(“ a t th e w vu 1 3 ,
“
I ca n
, o f m i
, n e o w n se lf d o n o th i n g

””
( J o h n ,v , T h e ca r e o f t hi s wo r ld a n d th e d e ce i tf u, l n es s o f r ic h e s ,

c ho ke t he wo rd ( M a tth e w x i ii sa y , t h e C h r,i s t ia n s ; a n d i t is o n ly
by sha kin g o ff all delu sio ns tha t the B uddh is t ent ers o n the Path ‘ ’

whic h will lea d him a way fro mthe res tless tossin g wav es of the o cean
“

an d ta ke him to the ca lm City o f Peac e to t he rea l jo y an d

“
o f life , ,

res t o f N irva n a .

The G reek ph ilo so phers are alike m a de m is ty in s tea d o f m ystic by

”
their to o learned transla to rs The Egy ptians re vered the D ivine Spirit .
,

the One Only One as N U T

-
I t is most e viden t tha t it is fro mt ha t wo rd
, .

tha t Anaxa go ras borrowed his denomina tive nous o r as he c a lls it N ois
'

, ,

M cra n u m
“
a irrox
pa n js
‘
t h e
'
i n d o r S p i r i t se lf p o t e n t t h e «1
p -
i , A ll .

thin gs says he were in chaos ; then ca me N o ik an d in tro duced

,
“
,

H e also denom in a ted th is N o ik the One th a t ru led the m a ny I n hi s idea .

N ous w as Go d ; an d the Lo gos w as m a n th e e m ana tio n o f the form

, er .

Th e ext ern a l powers perceived pheno m ena ; th e no us alone recognised

no u m ena o r su bj ec tiv e thin gs This is purely B u ddhis tic an d eso teric
. .

Here Socra tes too k his clew and follo wed it an d Pla to afte r him , ,

. m
72 7 Dha m a pada. flo ka s 2 75-6 . 72 8 B io g Laert
. . . : Vita A mway " 5l .
 ID EAS O F THE GREEK PH ILOSOPHERS 2 83

with the whole world o f in terio r kn owledge Whereas the o ld Ionico .

Italian world c ulmin a ted in Ana xago ras the n ew wo rld began with ,

Socra tes a nd Pla to Pytha goras m . ade t he S o ul 11 self m ovin g uni t wi th -

,

three elemen ts the no us the phren and t he thumos; the la tter tw o

, , ,

shared with t h e bru tes ; th e first alo ne bein g hi s esse n tia l self , , So the .

cha rge th a t h e ta ugh t tran s m igra tio n is re fu ted ; he ta ugh t no m ore tha n
Ga u ta ma B ud dha did wha tever t he po pula r su perstitio n o f the Hin du
-
,

ra bble m a de o f it [ G a u ta m a s tea c hin g] a fter his dea th Whe ther Py tha

’
.

g o ra s bo rrow e d fr o m B u d dh a o r B u dd h a fr
, o m s o m e body e lse m a tte rs ,

no t ; t he esoteric doc trin e is the sa m e .

Th e Pla ton ic Sch ool is ev en m o re distin c t in en un cia tin g all this .

The real selfho od was a t the bas is o f a ll So c ra tes therefo re ta u gh t .

tha t he h ad a Sa rp émv (da imonio n ) a spiritua l something which put ,

himo n th e roa d to wisdo m H e himse lf knew nothin g b ut this pu t hi m

.
,

in the w ay to learn all .

Pla to followed hi mwith a full in vestiga tio n o f the principles o f bein g

”
.

There w as an A gatho n Supre me Go d wh o pro d uced mhis o wn mind a

, ,

p a r a d e i gm a o f a ll thi n gs .

H e ta ugh t tha t rn man was t he im mo rta l p rinciple o f the soul a ,

mortal body an d a sepa rate mo rta l kin d o f sou l which was placed in
,
“
,

a sepa ra te recepta c le o f t h e bo dy fro mt he other ; the im mortal part was

in the hea d ( Tim

”
aeus , i x ix ) the o ther in the trun k (xliv)
, .

N othin g is plainer tha n th a t Pla to regarded the in terio r m a n as

e form

”
co n stit u ted o f t wo parts o ne alway s the sa m ed o f the sa m e ,

essen ce as D eity , an d o ne m o rtal an d co rru ptible .

”
Pla to an d Pythago ras says Plu tarch dis tribu te the so ul in to tw o
, ,

”
pa rts the ra tional (n oetic) an d irratio nal (agnoia ) ; they say tha t part o f
,
'

the so ul o f m an whi c h is ra tio nal is e tern al ; fo r th o u gh it b e no t Go d

, ,

y e t it is t h e p ro d u c t o f a n e te rn a l d e i ty ; b u t t h a t p ar t o f th e so u l w hi ch
is divest ed o f rea son (agno i a ) dies 7
.

“
M an sa ys Plu ta rch is co mpo un d ; and they are m
,
“
, ista ken who
thin k hi mto b e co m po un ded o f t wo parts only Fo r they ima gine th a t .

the un dersta n din g is a part o f th e so ul b u t they err in this no less than ,

those w ho ma ke the so u l to be a pa rt o f the body fo r the understa ndin g ,

( n o u s ) as f ar e xcee d s th e so u l as t h e so u l
, is b e tt e r a n d di v in e r th an t h e

body N o w this compo sitio n o f the sou l (W ) wi th the un dersta n din g

.

( vo ile ) m a k es rea s o n ; a n d w i th th e body p ass io n ; o f w hi c h

, t h e o n e is th e

begin nin g o r princ iple o f pleasure and pain an d the o ther o f virtue an d ,

vice Of these three parts co nj o ined an d co mpac ted toge ther the ea rth
.
,

h as given the body the m , oo n the so ul an d the s un t he understa ndin g to

,

th e genera tio n o f m an .

72 9 . Plutarch : S enti ments Concern i ng N ature, I V, iv, vu .

2 84 ISI S UNVEILED

N ow dea ths we die the one m

of th e a kes m a n two of three an d the
, ,

o th er o ne o f [o u t o f] t w o
, The fo rmer 1 3 in the region a n d j uris diction
.

o f De m e ter whe nce t he n a m

, e given to the Mysteries " Am i resem bled , ,

tha t given to dea th w h i m} The Athenians also here to fore called the
, .

deceased sac re d to De mete r As fo r the other dea th it is in the moon or .

,

re gi o n o f Perse p ho ne An d as wi th the o ne the terres tria l so with the

.
,

o the r t he ce les tia l Herm es do th dwell This s udde nly an d with v io lence .

pluc ks the so u l fro mthe body ; b u t Proserpin a mildly an d in a lo ng tim e

disjo ins the un ders ta n di ng fro mthe so u l Fo r this reas o n she is called .

M onogenes o nly bego tten o r ra ther begetti ng on e alo ne; fo r the better
,
-
,

part o f ma n bec o mes alo ne whe n it is sepa ra ted by her N o w bo th the .

o ne a n d t he o the r ha ppen th u s acco rdin g to na ture I t is orda ined by .

Fa te tha t e v ery sou l whe the r with o r witho u t u n dersta n din g (w as)
, .

when go ne o u t o f the bo dy sho u ld wa nder fo r a time th ough no t all for, ,

t he sa m e in t he regio n lyin g be twee n t he earth an d m

, oo n Fo r tho se .

tha t ha ve been u nj ust a nd disso lu te suffer there the pu nish men t due to
their o ffences ; b u t the go o d an d virtuo us are there de tai n e d till they are
p urified a nd ha ve b y expia tio n purged o u t o f themall the in fectio ns they
,

might ha ve co n trac ted fromthe co ntagio n o f the bo dy as if fromfo ul ,

hea lth livi n g in the m

, i ldes t pa rt o f t he a ir ca lle d the M ea d o w s of Hades , ,

where they must re main fo r a ce rta in prefixed an d appo in ted time An d

”
.

then as if they were returnin g fro ma wan derin g pilgrimage o r lo n g exile

,

”
in to the ir co u n try they h a ve a tas te o f jo y such as they princ ipally re
,

ce iv e w ho are in itia ted in to Sac red M yste ries m ixed wi th tro u ble ad , ,

mira t io n a nd eac h o ne s proper a nd pec uliar ho pe

,
’
no
.

The da im o n io n o f So cra tes w as this w ire m in d sp irit o r divin e un der , , ,

w as p ure an d m
“
sta n din g The w k o f So cra tes says Plu ta rc h
.
, ixed ,

itse lf with the bo dy no m o re than necessity req uire d E v ery soul .

ha th so m e po rt io n o f voile rea so n ; a m a n ca nn ot b e a m
, a n witho u t it ;

b u t as much o f eac h so ul as is m ixed with flesh an d a ppe tite is c hanged

a n d th ro ugh pa in o r p leas u re bec o m es irra ti o nal E v ery so ul do th no t .

mix herself after o ne sort ; some plun ge themselves in to the bo dy and so ,

in this life th eir who le fra m e is co rru pted by a ppe tite an d pa ss io n ; o thers

are m ix ed as to so m e pa rt b u t the p urer pa rt [ no us ] st ill rem

, a ins with out

the bo dy I t is no t dra w n do w n in to the bo dy b ut it swi ms a bo ve and

.
,

to uches [o vershado ws] t he ext remes t pa rt o f the ma n s hea d ; it is like a ’

co rd to ho ld u p a n d direc t t he s u bsidin g part o f t he so ul as lon g as it ,

proves o be dien t a n d is no t o verco me by th e appe tites o f the flesh The .

t t h a t is p lun ge d in to t he bo dy is ca lled sou l B u t t h e in rr u ptib le

p a r co .

p a rt i s c a lle d t h e n o u s a n d th e vu lga r th i n k it i s w it h in th em as th ey ,

like w ise ima gine the im a ge re flec ted fro m a glass to b e in tha t glass .

730 . 0 n the 0 rb f
o the hl oo n, 5 28 .
 ”
ass ISIS UNVEUL
ED

”
Soul was generat ed prior to bo dy and bo dy is po sterior a n d seconda ry , ,
“
as be ing acco rdin g to na t ure ruled over by t he rulin g so ul
, , The .

so u l which a dm i nis ters all thin gs tha t are m oved in e very way, ad
minis ters likewise the hea vens .

“
Soul then leads everything in hea ven , and o n eart h, a n d in the sea,
by its movements the na m es o f which are to will, t o co nsi de r to take , ,

ca re o f, to co ns u lt to formo p in io ns true an d false , to b e in a s ta te o f joy

”
, ,

sorrow , confi dence fear, ha te lo ve to ge ther wi th all su ch pri

, , a ry m ove , m
ments as are allied to these being a goddess herself, she ev e r ta kes as
. .

an ally N o u s a go d a n d disc iplin es all thin gs co rrec tly an d h a ppily ; b ut

, ,

whe n with ano i a no t nou s

- it works o u t everythin g t he c on trary 7"
.

I n th is la n gua ge , as in the B u d dhis t texts , t he nega ti ve is trea ted as

esse n tia l exis tence A n nihilat io n co es un der a sim
. ilar exegesis The m .

positive sta te is essential being b ut no manifesta tion as su ch When the , .

spiri t , in B u ddhi st ic pa rlance en tered n irvan a it lost obj ec tive existence

, ,

b u t reta ined su bj ec tive To obj ec tive m m

”
in ds this is beco ing absolute
.

t
n o hin g; to s u bj ec t iv e , N o t g nothing to b e displaye d t o sense
- hin
, .

These ra ther len gthy q uota tions are necessary fo r o u r purpose .

Better than any thing else they show the agreemen t between the oldest
“
Paga n philo sophies no t as sis ted by the ligh t of divin e re vela tion

”
,

to use the cu rio us expressio n o f Laboulaye in rela tion to B u ddha

a n d the ea rly C hris tia nity o f so m e Fa thers Bo th Pagan philosophy and .

C hris tian ity ho wever o we their elevated ideas o n the so ul and spirit of
, ,

ma n a nd the un kn o wn Deity to B uddhismand the Hindu M a nu No .

wo n der tha t t he M a nichae ans main ta ined tha t Jesus was a permutation
o f G a uta m a ; tha t B u ddha C hris t an d Ma ni were o n e a n d t he sam
, e ,

perso n fo r t he teac hings o f the former two were identical I t was the

”
.
,

do ctrine o f o ld I nd ia that Jesus held to when preachin g the complete

re n u n c iat io n o f t he wo rld an d its va ni ties in o rder to reac h t he kin gdo m

of Hea ven N irvana where men neither marry no r are given in m

, , ar

ringe b ut li ve like the an ge ls

, .

It is t he philo sophy of Siddh artha B u ddha again t ha t Pythago ras -

,

expo un ded when asse rt ing th a t t he ego (vo ila) was eterna l wi th G o d and ,

tha t the so ul only passed thro u gh various sta ges (Hin du Rupa lo kas ) to -

arrive a t the di v in e exce lle nce ; m ean wh ile the th a mos ret urn e d to the

ea rth an d e ven the phren w as elim

,
in a ted Thus the m etemp ys ch os is w as .

only a successio n o f disc iplin es thro ugh refuge-hea vens ( ca lle d by the
B u ddh ists Zio n) 7"
to wo rk o ff th e exterior m
, in d to rid the no us o f the ,

73 4 Plato : The La ws, X,

. v u, v iii .

N ea nder : Gen His t Chr Rel a nd Church, 5 I V, appa , s e Ma nich aeans

‘ ’
735
I t 13 fro mthe highest Zio n that M ai treya-Buddha. tlie Sa vio r to co m
. . . . . . . . .

736 e will descend

m m m
.
,

on earth ; and it is also fro Zio n that co es t he Christ ian Deliverer ( Res u e, x i, 2 6) .
 T HILAIRE S DEFIN ITION O F D HYAN A
’
S - . 2 87

h e o l t h B dd h i t V i nh a k dh h i i l h li
’

p r n , o r s u e ,u s n e s a n a t a t pr nc p e t a t v
-
es ,

fro mK arm a a n d t he S kandhas ( gro u ps) I t is the la tter, the meta physic .

al perso na tio ns o f the dee ds o f m

‘
a n whe the r goo d o r b a d , wh ic h a fte r
,

the dea th o f his bo dy incarna te them se lv es so to say , and fo rm their ,

many in v b e b t never dying compo un ds in to a new body o r ra ther

is i l u -
,

in to an etherea l bein g, the do u ble o f wha t m a n was m o rall y I t is the .

astra l body of the ka ba lis t an d the incarn a ted dee ds, which formthe
’

ne w sen tien t self as its A ha n kara ( the ego se lf c o nsc io usness ) , given to it ,
-

”
by the sovereign M as ter ( the brea th o f Go d ) a n d which can ne ver perish , ,

fo r it is im m p o r ta l er se as a sp irit ; he ce
n , th e su fferin gs of w
th e n e yl - bo
rn

self till it rids itse lf o f e very earthly tho u gh t des ire an d passion
, , .

We th at the four myste ries o f the B uddhist do c trine ha ve

no w see
‘ ’

been as little un derstoo d and apprecia ted as t he wisdom hin ted at by ‘ ’

Paul and spoken a mo n g themtha t are perfect (in itiate d) the my s

“

”
‘
, ,

tery wisdo m wh ic h n one o f the A rchons o f this world

- kn ew The .

fourth degree of the B uddhist Dhyana the fruit of S am adh i which , ,

lea ds to the u tm ost perfec tion to Visodha na a termcorrec tly re n dered

, ,

by B urno uf as the verb perfected 7“

is wholly m isunderstoo d b y
,

others as well as by himself Defining th e con dition o f Dhyana St

, .
, .

Hilaire argues th us
“
Finally ha vin g a tta ined the fourth degree t he ascet ic possesses no

”
, ,

more this fee ling o f bea titude however o bscure it may be ; he has also ,

lost a ll m em he has reac hed im

m
ory .
pas s ib ih ty as nea r a n e ig h bo r o f ,

N 1rvana as ca n be However this abso lu te impassibility does no t

.

hin der t he asce tic fro acq uirin g a t this very mo m

.
,

e n t om
, n is cience a nd ,

the m agi cal power a flagrant co ntrad i ctio n

, abo u t whi ch th e B uddhis ts ,

no m ore disturb the mselves than a bou t so many others 7“

.

And why sho uld they when these co n tra dic tions are in fac t no co n
, , ,

trad ic tio ns at a ll ? I t ill behooves us to spea k o f co n tradi c tio ns in o ther

peoples religions when tho se of o u r o w n ha ve bred besides the three
’
, ,

g rea t co n fli c tin g b o d ies of R o m a ni s m P r o te s ta n t is m an d t h e, E as te rn ,

Ch urc h a tho usa n d and o ne most cu rio u s smaller sec ts Ho wever it

, .

may be we have here a termapplied to o ne a n d the sa me thing by the

”
,

B uddhist ho ly mendica nts a nd by Paul the apo stle When the la tter
‘ ’
.

say s
“
If so b e th at I migh t a ttain the resurrectio n from a mo n g the
dea d [the N irvana] no t as though I had s h eedy a ttained o r were alrea dy
,
'
,

p f
er ec t ( in i tia ted ) he u se s a n e xp ress io n c o m m o n a m o n g t h e in i tia te d
B u ddhists When a B u ddhi st ascetic has reac hed the fourth degree he
.
‘
,
’

is cons idere d a rahat H e p rod uces ev ery kin d o f phenom

. ena b y th e

737 .

739 . Le Bouddha et ea religion, p 1 3

. 7: Paris, 1 860 . 740 . Philippia ns iii 1 1 1 2 , , ,
2 88 ISIS UN VEILED

so le po wer o f his freed sp irit A rahat say the B uddhis ts is o ne who has
.
, ,

ac q u ired t he po we r o f fly in g in th e a ir bec o m ing in visible co mm a nding , ,

the ele m en ts an d wo r kin g all m ann er o f w o n ders co mmo nly and

e rro n eo u s ly ca lle d m ei p (
o mi rac le s ) H e is a p f
e r ect ma n a de m i—g od .
, .

A go d he will bec o m e when h e reac hes N irvana ; fo r like t h e ini tiates ,

o f both Tes ta m
“
en ts the wo rsh ipers o f B u ddha know th a t th ey
, are

Gen u ine B u ddh ism o v erlea pin g the ba rrier betwee n fin ite and
,

infin i te min d u rges its follo wers to asp ire by thei r o wn eflo rts to that
'

, , ,

di vine perfec tibility o f which it teac hes tha t ma n is ca pa ble a nd by

m
,

a tta ining wh ic h m a n bec o mes a g says B ria n Ho u gh to n H o d gso nf

Dreary were the way

a n d sad d blo od co vered the to rt u o us paths
s, an -

by whic h the wo rld o f the C hristian s was d riven to e mbrace t h e I renaean

a n d Eu se bia n C hristia n ity An d y e t u nless we accept t he v ie ws o f the
.
,

an cie n t Pa ga ns wh a t c la imh as o u r ge nera tio n to ha vin g so lved any o f

,

t he m yste ries o f the ki n gdo mo f hea v en Wha t mo re do es the most

‘

pio us a nd lea rn ed o f Christia ns kno w o f the fu ture des ti ny a n d progress

o f o u r im morta l spirits tha n the hea then philo sopher o f o ld o r the ,

mo dern Pa gan beyo nd the Himalaya ? C a n he ev en bo as t that he

kno ws as mu c h a ltho u gh he wo rks in t he full blaze o f div ine revela
‘ ’
,

tio n ? We ha ve see n a B uddh is t holdin g to the re ligion o f his fa thers ,

both in theo ry a nd prac tice ; an d ho wev er blin d may b e his faith , ,

h o wever a bsu rd h is no tio ns o n so m e pa rt icu la r do c trin al po in t s la ter ,

e n graft in gs o f a n a m bitio us c lergy yet in prac tica l wo rks his B u ddhism

”
,

is fa r m ore Christ li ke in deed a nd spirit than the a verage life o f o ur

-

C hristian pries ts a nd ministers The fac t alo ne tha t his re ligion co m .

ma nds him to ho no r his o wn fa ith b u t never slan der tha t o f o ther ,

peop le 7"
, is su fficien t I t places the B u ddhist la ma immea surably
.

h igher tha n a ny priest o r cle rgy m a n w ho dee m s it his sacre d d u ty to

hea then to h is face a n d sen tence hi m an d h is religion to

’
c urse the
‘
,

e tern a l da m n a tio n Chris tia nity bec o mes e v ery day mo re an d mo re a

‘ ’
.

re ligio n o f p ure e m o tio nalis m The do c trine o f B u ddh a is e n tire ly based

.

o n p ra c tica l wo rks A ge neral lo v e o f all beings hu m

. an an d a ni al is , m ,

its n uc le u s A ma n w ho kn o w s tha t unl ess he to ils fo r himself he has to

.

s ta rv e a n d u n de rsta n ds th a t he h as n o sca pego a t to ca rry t he b urden of

,

his iniq ui ties fo r h im is ten ti m es m o re li kely to bec o m e a be tter m

”
, an

tha n o ne w ho is ta ught tha t murder theft, a n d pro fligacy can be washed ,

in o ne in sta n t as wh ite as sno w if he b u t belie ves in a Go d w ho to borro w

, ,

o nce too k fo o d u po n earth , an d is n o w hi m

“
a n expressio n o f Vo lney , self

t he fo od o f his peop le .

741 . The M a hdee ns a, I In tro duc tio n

, . 742 . Fro mthe Five Articles of Faith .
2 90 IS IS UN VE ILED

p lifi es i t s fa ith in works of po we r Th e q ui c ksa n d s w hic h s w a ll ow

.e d up
e ve ry o ther o u tgro w th of t he reli gio us a gita tio n of t he ti m es o f Jesus ,

with its reco rds relics , and tradi tio ns, proved firm grou n d fo r this
, .

Driven fro mtheir na tive lan d its members fo u n d refuge in Persia and , ,

to day the anxio u s tra veler may co n verse with the direct desc en dants of
the Disc iples o f Jo hn who lis tened , o n t he Jo rda n s sh ore , to the m
‘ ’ ’ ‘
, an

se n t fro mGo d a n d were ba ptize d an d belie ved This cu rious people

’
, . ,

num or m o re a re m isca lled C hristians of St Jo hn, but

’
bering ,
‘
.

in fac t sho uld b e kno wn by their o ld na m e o f N aza rea ns , o r t h e ir new o ne

of M endaea ns .

To termthe mChristia ns is who lly u nwarran te d They neither be .

lie ve in Jesu s as C h rist no r acce pt his a tone m en t n o r a dhere to his

, ,

C h urc h no r revere its Ho ly Scriptures N either do they wo rship

‘ ’
, .

the Jeho vah G o d o f the Jews a n d C hristians a c ircu msta n ce which

-
,

of co u rse proves tha t their fo u nder Jo hn the Ba ptist did no t worship , ,

himeither An d if no t wha t righ t has he to a place in the B ible or in

.
, ,

t he po rt ra it gallery o f C h ris tia n sa in ts ? Still further if Ferh o was his

-
,

Go d a n d he w as a man se n t by Go d he m u s t ha ve been sent by

‘ ’
, ,

Lo rd Perho a n d in his na me baptize d a nd prea ched N o w if Jesus

, .
,

w as baptized by John the inference is tha t he was ba ptized ac co rding

,

to his o wn faith ; therefo re Jes us too was a believer in Perho o r Febo

, , , ,

as they call h im ; a co n c lu sio n th a t see ms t he m o re w arra n t e d by his

sil e nce as to th e n a me o f h is Fa the r An d why should the h ypothesis

‘ ’
.

tha t Faho is b u t o ne o f the ma ny corruptions o f Pho o r F0 as the ,

Ti be ta ns a nd C hinese ca ll B uddha appear ri diculo u s ? I n the N orth ,

o f N epa l B u d dha is m
, o re o ften ca lled Fe tha n B uddha Th e Bo ok of .

M ahdcani a sho ws ho w early the wo rk o f B u ddhistic pro sely tis mbegan

in N epa l ; a n d h is to ry tea ches th a t B u ddhist m o n ks c ro wded in to
7“
Syria a n d B a bylo n in t he ce n t ury p recedin g o ur era a n d that ,

743 N o t o nly d id the Buddh ist

. iss io naries m
a ke their way to the M eso po ta ian m m
Valley , b u t they even went so far w es t as reland The Rev D r Lundy , in his wo rkI . . .

M o nu mental Chri sti a nity, p 2 55, referring to an rish Ro und To wer, o b sa ves : Henry “
I
m
.

fi
O Brien ex pla ins t his Ro un d To wer cru c i x io n as tha t o f Bu ddha ; the a ni al s as the
'

elepha n t a n d the b ull sacred t o Bu ddha an d in to wh ich his so ul en tered after death;
m m
,

the t wo fi
gures sta nd ing b es ide the cro ss as Bud dha s virgin o ther, an d Ka a. his
’

”
fa v o rite d isc iple The w ho le pic ture bea rs a close likeness to the cruci x io n in the ce e
. fi m
t ery o f Po pe J ulius ex ce p t the a n im als w h ic h are co nc lusive pro o f tha t it ca nn o t be
m m m
, ,

C hris t ia n I t ca e ulti a tely fro the far East to rela nd with the Phoenic ian colo nists. I
m
.

w ho erected the Ro u nd To wers as sy b o ls o f the Life-giving and Power

of ma n an d na t ure, an d ho w th a t universa l life is pro d uced thro ugh sufi ering a n death
( The Ro und Towers of I rela nd, p 30 1 ; l st .

When Pro tes tan t clergym

a a n 1s th us fo rced to co nfess t he pre-Christ ia n e iste ce
x n
o f t he crucifix 1 n Irela nd its Bu ddhist ic cha rac ter, a nd th e penetrat io n of the issio naries m .

m
,

o f tha t faith even to tha t th en re o t e po rtio n o f the eart h. we need n o t wo nder that
in the m m
inds of the N azarean conte poraries o f Jesus and their descend ants he should
 SE CRET CHRI STI AN AN D OTHER SECTS 2 91

Boo dh asp (Bodh isattva ) , the allege d Chaldaea n , was th e fo un der of

Sabaeanismo r baptis m “ .

Wh at t l Baptists , el M ogtasila h o r N azaraea ns, do believe,

the ac ua -
,

is fully set fo rt h in other places, fo r they are t he very N azarenes o f

whomwe ha ve spo ken so much , and fro mwho se Codes: we ha ve qu o ted .

Persec uted a nd threa tened with ann ihila tio n , they took refuge in the
N es to ria n bo dy a n d so allowed the m
, se lves to b e arbitrarily clas sed

as C h ristians b u t as soon as oppo rtu nity o ffered , they sepa ra ted

, ,

and n o w fo r se veral cen turies h a ve n o t e ve n n o m inally deserved t he

appella tio n Tha t they are, nevertheless, so called by ecc lesias tical
.

writers, is perhaps no t very diffic ult to co m prehend They kno w to o .

much o f early Christia nity to be left o u tside the pale to bea r witness ,

again s t it wi th th eir tra ditio ns with o u t t he stigma of he resy an d b ac k

sliding bein g fas ten ed upon them to wea ken co nfiden ce in wha t they

m igh t say .

B ut where else ca n sc ience find so good a field for biblical research as

am on g this too neglec ted people ? N o doubt o f their inheritan ce o f the
-

Ba ptist s do c trine ; their tra ditions are w itho u t a brea k Wha t they
’
.

teac h no w their fo refa thers ta ugh t a t every epoch where they a ppear in
,

his to ry They are the disc iples o f tha t Jo hn wh o is said to ha ve fo re told

.

the a dven t of Jesus ba ptized him a n d dec lared tha t t he la tche t o f his
, ,

sh oe b e (John ) w as n o t wort hy to unl o o se A s th ey two the M esse n ger .

an d t he M essia h stoo d in the Jord an a n d t he elder was c o n sec ra tin g ,

the youn ger his o wn co usin too h u manly spea kin g th e heaven s , ,

opened an d G o d Himself in the shape of a do ve descended in a glo ry

, ,

upon his Be lo ved So n ! How the n if th is ta le b e true can we accou n t

‘ ’
, ,

fo r the s tra n ge infi deli ty which we find a mo ng these survivin g N aza

raeans ? So fa r fro mbelievin g Jesu s th e O nly Be go tte n So n o f Go d they -
,

ac t u a lly to ld th e Persia n m issio naries who in the seven teen th cen tu ry ,

first di scovered themto E uropeans th a t th e Ch ris t o f the N ew Testa m en t ,

and th a t t he Je wish sy s tem as well as th a t o f

“
was a false teac her , ,

Jesus ca m e fro m the rea lmo f d arkn ess ! Who kn ows be tter than
they ? Where ca n mo re competen t living wi tnesses be fou nd ? Chris tia n

no t have been asso c ia ted in the character o f a Redeem er, with tha t un iversally kno w n

”
an d arc ha ic em
,

blem
I n no ticing this adm issio n o f D r Lundy, Mr Charles So theran rem
.

arked in a lectu re
befo re the American Philo lo gical So ciety, tha t b o th legends a nd arch aeolo gical rema w a
. .
,

unite in pro ving beyo nd Ques tio n tha t Irelan d , like every o ther na t io n, o nce lis tened

”
to the p p g
ro a an dis ts o f S iddh a rt ha-B uddha .

744 m
The religion o f multiplied baptis s the sc io n o f th e still ex is ten t sect na m ,ed
the Chris tians o f S t Jo hn , o r M endaea ns who m th e Ara b s call cl-M ogta sil ah t he
.

‘ ’

Ba tists The Aram aean verb eeba, o rigin o f the na m

.
. ,

e S abi a n, is a syno ny mo f Ba s r tg
‘

. u

an : La Vie de J esus , ch vi Cf Chwo lso hn : Die S eabieru d S eabie ue, I p 79 8

. . . . . m , . .
2 92 IS I S UNVEI LED

”
ecclesias tics wo uld force upo n us a n ano in te d Sa vior heralde d by John .

a n d t he disc iples o f this very Ba ptis t fro mthe earlies t cen tu ries have
, ,

s tigm a tized thi s idea l perso na ge as an im postor an d his p u ta tive Father , ,

“
Jeho vah a spurio us Go d the Ilda Bao th o f the Ophi tes ! U nlucky for
, ,
-

Christia ni ty will b e the da y when so me fearless and ho nes t sch o la r shall

,

persua de their elders to let him transla te th e co n ten ts o f t hei r secret

bo o ks a nd co mpile their h oary tradi tio ns ! I t is a strange delusio n that
ma kes so me writers thin k tha t the N azaraean s ha ve no other sacred
li tera ture no o ther li terary re lics tha n fo u r do c trina l works and that
,

c urio us vo lu m e fu ll o f as tro lo gy an d m a gic whi ch th ey a re bo und to

peruse a t the sunse t ho ur o n e very So l s day ( Sun day) ’

.

This search after tru th lea ds us indeed in to devio us ways M a ny are

, , .

th e o bsta c les th a t ecclesiastica l c u nn ing has plac ed 11 1 t he w ay o f o ur find

in g the prim al so urce o f religio us ideas C hristia nity 13 o n tria l and has
.
,

been ever sin ce sc ience felt stro ng e no u gh to ac t as Public Pro secuto r

, .

A po rtio n o f the case we are dra fting in this b oo k Wha t o f tru th is there .

in this Theolo gy ? Thro ugh wha t sec ts has it been trans m i tted ? Whence
was it pri m aril y derived ? To answer we must trace the hist ory o f the
,

Wo rld Religion ali ke thro u gh the secret C hristian sec ts as thro ugh those
,

of o ther grea t religious su bdivisio ns o f the race ; for the S ecret Doctrine i s
the Truth a n d tha t re ligio n 13 nea res t divine tha t has co n tai n ed it with
,

leas t a d ultera tio n .

Our sea rch ta kes us hi ther and thither b ut ne ver aim lessly do we ,

brin g sec ts widely se para ted in chro no lo gical o rder in to critical j uxta
po sitio n There is o ne p urpose in o ur wo rk to b e kept cons ta ntly in
.

view the an aly sis of re ligious beliefs an d the defin itio n of their descent
,

fromthe past to the prese n t Wha t has most blocked the w ay is Rom
. an

C a tho licism; and n o t u n til the secre t prin ciples of this religio n are
u n covere d ca n w e co m prehen d the iro n sta fi upon which it leans to
s tea dy its n o w to tterin g s teps .

We shall begin with the Ophi tes N azaraean s an d the mo dern Druzes
, , .

The perso na l views o f the a u tho r as they will b e presen te d in the ,

sc he m es wi ll b e m
, ost decide dly a t varia nce wi th the prej u diced speen
la tio ns of Ire nae us Theo do re t a n d Epiphan ius ( the sa in t ed renegade
, , ,

w ho so ld hi s b re thren ) inas m u ch as they will reflec t t he idea s o f certain

,

K a balists 1 n clo se rela tio n wi th the m ysterio us Druzes of M o un t Leba

no n . The Syria n o khals o r Sp iritualis ts as they are so m
, e ti m es term ed
, ,

a re in po sse ssion o f a grea t m an y a n cie n t m an uscripts a n d ge m s bea ring

u po n o u r p resen t su bj ec t .

T he first schem e tha t of the Ophi tes fromthe very sta rt as we ,

ha ve sho wn varies fro mthe desc riptio n given by the Fa thers inas m
, uch ,

as it m a kes Byt h o s o r depth a fe m

, al e em ana tio n an d assigns her a place
, ,
2 94 I SIS UNVEI LED

top ofK uen l u n shan ,-

t he grea t m
- "
o u n ta in pro duces his grea test ,

religio us m irac les un der a tree called in C hinese S ung-M i ng- Sh a, o r the
Tre e o f K n o wledge and th e Tree of Life, fo r ignorance is dea th, and
kn o wled ge alo ne gives immo rta li ty This marvelous displa y ta kes place .

e very three years when a n i m , mense co ncourse of C hi nese Bu ddhists

asse m ble in pilgrima ge at the ho ly place .

Ilda Bao th the So n o f Darkness and the crea tor of the aterial
-
‘ ’
m

”
,

wo rld was mad e to inh abit the pla net Sa turn , which iden tifies hi msti ll
,

further with the Je wish Jeho vah who was Sa turn himself acc o rding to , ,

th O
e p hi te s , a n d is by th e m de n ie d hi s S i n a i tic na e fi o m l a Baoth
I d - m .

em a n a te six sp irits w ho re spec tively dwell wi th their fa th e r in t he seven

,

planets These are S aba o r M ars ; A do na i So l o r t he Sun ; "7

.
,

I eve th e M o o n ; Eloi Jupite r ; A sta pho i M ercury (sp irit of wa

ter) ; and Gre a ter Venus spirit of fire , .

I n their fun c tio ns and description as given these se ven plan ets are ,

iden tica l wi th th e H in d i! S apta Lo kas , t he seven plac es o r spheres o r the

-
,

s u perio r an d inferior wo rlds ; fo r they represe n t the ka ba lis tic seven

sp heres With th e Ophites they belong to t he lower spheres The
. , .

mo no grams of these Gnos tic planets are also Bu ddh is tic, t he la tter differ
ing a lbeit sligh tly fro m th o se o f the usual as trologic al h ouses In
‘ ’
.
, ,

the explana tory no tes which acco m pany th e scheme, the n ames o f Cer
in t h us (the di sc iple of Sim o n M agus ) , o f M e na n der, an d o f certa in other

G no s tics who se na m, es are n o t to b e m et wi th in t he Pa tris tic writings ,

a re o ften m e n t io ned ; such as Par ha (Ferh o ) , fo r ins ta nce ?

’
"

The a u thor o f the sc hem e c laim s, m ore over fo r his sec t the gre a test ,

a n tiqui ty , brin gin g forward as a p roof tha t their fo re fa thers were

‘

t he builders o f all the D raco n tia tem ples, e ven o f th ose beyond the
’

g rea t w a t e rs H
.
’
e asse r ts t h a t t he
‘
J u s t One , w ho w as t h e m o uth
’

piece o f the E terna l Aeon (C hristo s) , himself sent his di sciples in to the
wo rld , placing them under th e do uble p rotec tio n o f Sige (S ilence, the
Lo gos) , an d Oph is the Aga tho daimon The au thor allu des , no doubt
, . ,

to the fa vorite expression o f Jesu s be wise as serpents an d harmless

“
, ,

746 This. m
o un tain is situated of C hina , al ost be tween China and
so th west
u -
m
Tibe t
m m
.

747 So n. bein g s itua ted in t his sch e e ex actly in th e cen ter of the solar syste
. (of
which the hi tes appear to ha ve b een co gnisa nt ) hence, under t he direc t vertical

”
ra y o f the igher S piritual Su n sho wers h is brigh tness o n all o ther p la ne ts
m
.

“
748 Speaki ng o f Ven us, Placid us the ast ro lo ger a lwa ys
. aintaine d th a t her bluish
lus ter deno tes hea t As to Mercury, it was a s tra nge fancy of the O phites to repre
.

sen t h im as a sp irit o f water, when, astro lo gically co ns idered. he is as

“
a co ld, dry.

ea rt hy a n d m ela nch o ly s tar

m m
.

749 The na e which N o rberg transla tes, in his Ono asti con to the Codex N azaren e,
.

as Farb o , stands in the o riginal Par ha Rabba I n the Life of M anes, given by Ep i ha nins.
’

m m g
.

in his Pa nar ia , lib to II I

1 1 , Haer LX V , iii, is en tio ned a certa in priest o f fi thres.
'

m
. .
.
,

a frien d o f the gre a t Heresiarch Manes, na ed Parc hus .

 TWO COS M OGO N IES CO MPARED 2 95

as do ves I n the sc hem e Ophis is represen ted as t he E gy ptia n C n u

.

ph is o r K neph called D raco ntia H e appears as a se rpen t stan din g

, .

erec t o n its ta il, wi th a lio n s hea d , c ro w ned a nd radi a te , a n d bea ring

’

sy m

”
o n t he poin t of ea ch ray o ne o f t h e se ve n G ree k vo wels bo l o f t he
se v en ce les tial sp he res This figure is quite fa miliar to tho se w ho are .

acq u ain ted wi th the G no s tic ge m a n d is bo rrowe d fro mt he E gyptia n

"tio
s,

H ermetic boo ks The desc ription give n in th e Revelatio n , o f o ne li ke

“
.

u n to the So n of M a n , with his se ven stars, an d w ho is the Lo go s, is

anoth er fo r of Ophis m .

The N azarene scheme , except in a chan ge of n a mes, is iden tical with

tha t o f the G no stics , who e viden tly bo rrowed their ideas fro mit , a ddin g a
few appella tio ns fromt he Basilidean a nd Valen tinian sys te m s To a vo id .

repe titio n , w e will no w sim ply presen t the two in parallel .

Thu s, we find tha t in the N aza rene Cosmo gony the na mes of their
powers an d genii sta nd in the fo llowing rela tio ns to tho se of t he G nostics
Nsu m s: Gn o me Om -

Fi rst Unity i n a Tri nity

Lo rd FE an o the Li fe w hich is no Life I ao t he I neflab le N a

’

me o f the Unkno wn
the S upre me Go d . The Ca us e which D eity Ab rax as , and th e
‘
Eternal
d the Light, the Lo go s i n Spiritua l Su n Unity
’

pro u ces or . enclosed within

abeco nd ito . The water of Jo rdan us the D epth, Bytho s, feminine prin ciple
M ax imus the wa ter of Life, or Aj ar , th e b o u n dless c ircle, within wh ich lie
the feminine principle . Unity in 9. all ideal forms . Fro mthi s Unity eman
Trinity enclosed within
, the I sa An o n . ates the

S econd Trinity S eco nd Trinity

(The ma nifest atio n o f th e first)

1 . Lo rd M A N o the King o f Life a nd 1 . E un o ia
Ligh t Re s Lucie . First LI F E, or the

primitive man .

2 . Lo rd Jo rdan manifes ta tio n o r ema na 2 . Ophis, the Agatho dai m on .

tio n o f Jo rdan M ax imus th e wa ters o f

Seco nd Lnrsz
grace . .

3 The Superio r Father

. Aba tur . Third 3 So phia An dro gyne
. wisd o ; who , in m
her t urn fecun da te d with the D ivine
Ligh t pro d u ces

This Trinity prod uces also a d uad Lo rd Chris t o s an d So phia -Acha mo th (o n e per

Leh do io and Feta hil the genius ( the

, , feet , the o ther imperfec t) , as a n e mana
fo rmer , a per f
ec t e ma na t io n ; the la t ter, t io n .

750 I ts descript io n is fo un d in o ne o f the a gic b o o ks o f the Egyptia n K ing N echepso , m

m m
.

o r N eka u, a n d its u se prescribe d o n gre en ule t Galen en

a
s per s to nes as a o ten t a
m m g
.
,

ti o ns it ( Galeni op — ‘
D e si pl ed cf King : The
. ru . etc , p
. . . .
2 96 ISIS UN VEILED

Lord Jo rdan
‘
tb e Lord o f all Jo rdans,
’
So phn Acham o th e ana t es IIda -Beeth
n m
ma nifests N nrrmro ' '
(Faith witho ut the Dem iurge who pro d uces a ta isl m
m
.

Works ) . and so ulless creatio n Works with

”
.

”
ma na ted o ne from

”
M oreove r the Ophi te seven plan eta ry
, genu , w ho e

the o ther are fo un d again in the N azarene religio n

, un der t he nam e of

the se ven im po s tor daemo ns o r stellars w ho will deceive all the

-
, ,

so ns o f Ad a m These are S ol S piritus Venereus (Ho ly Spirit mher

.
, ,

ma terial aspec t) the mo ther of the se ven ba dly d i s po se d stella rs

75’
,
“
-
,

a n swerin g to th e G no s tic Acha m o th ; N ebu o r M erc ury a false Mes

“
,

siah w ho will depra v e t he a n c ien t wo rship of Go d

,
7 “ SI N (o r Lim a ,

o r Sh uril) ; K I UN ( K iv a n o r Sa turn ) ; Bel Ju piter ; an d the se venth

,
-
,

N erig M a rs ( Codes: N aza raewr I p

, , , .

The C hristo s o f the G no s tics rs the chief of the se ven Aeons St , .

Jo hn s se ven spirits o f Go d ; the N azare nes h a ve also their seven genii

’

o r good Aeo ns w ho se c hief 1s Rea: Lucie M A N O their C h ris tos

, The , , .

S e pta Rishis t he seven sa ges o f In dia inha bit the S e pta P u ras o r the
-
, ,
-
,

sev e n ce les tia l c ities .

Wha t less o r mo re do we find in the Universa l Ecclesia un til the days ,

of the Refo rma tion an d in the Ro man Popish Ch urch aft er t he separa
,

tio n ? We have co mpa red the relative values of the Hindu Cos mogo ny ,

t he C haldaea n Zo ro as trian Je wish Ka ba la an d tha t of t he ao term ed -

Heretics A co rrec t pla n o f the Ju da ico Cmu s rum religion

, , ,

. to en - '

fo rce which o u the hea then w ho ha ve furnished it are ex pended such

g re a t su m s e v er y y ear w o uld s till b e t te r p rov e t he id e n ti ty of t h e tw o ;
b u t w e lack space an d are a lso spared the necessity of pro vin g wha t is
,

a lrea dy th o ro u ghly de m o nstra ted .

I n t he Ophi te ge m s of K in g ( Gn osti cs ) w e fin d t he na m e of I ao re ,

p e a t ed a n d ,o fte n c o nf o un d ed wi t h th a t o f I e v o w h il e t he la tt er sim p ly ,

represe n ts o ne o f th e ge nii an ta go ni s tic to Ab rax as I n orde r tha t these .

na m es m ay no t b e ta ke n as ide n tica l wi th t he na m e of t he Jewi sh Jeho

v ah w e wil l a t o n ce e xpla in this wo rd I t seems to us surpassingly strange .

tha t so ma ny learn ed arc haeo lo gis ts should ha ve so little insisted that

there w as mo re than o ne Jeho v ah an d discla imed tha t the na me origin ,

751 Co ns ider th ose two dia metrically-o pposed doc trines the Ca tho lic a nd the
m m
.

Pro testa n t : the o ne preac hed by P au l t he se i-

Pla to nis t an d th e o t her b y Ja es the
o rtho d o x Talm
, , .

u dist .

752 The . a terial , bad m side o f So phia Acha

p mo th . who e manates fro m herself lids»
Boo th a nd his six so ns .

753 See N orb erg s transla tio n o f Codes: N asaraeue, Preface

’
his T ves o nce more
m m
. .

the iden tificatio n of Jesus with Gauta a-B uddha in the inds of the asarene G nostic .

as N eba or Meucury is the planet sacrsd to the B uddhas

- .
2 98 ISIS UN VE ILED

in Sa nskrit is pro no un ce d as , to brea the , to b e , a n d as u beca m e there , ,

fo re in time , sy no nymo u s with Spirit

,
‘
7“
Ra wli ns on stro ngly supports .
’

t he o pin io n of a n Ary a n o r Vedic influe nce o n the ea rly Ba bylo nian

mytho logy We ha ve given, a few pages bac k , the stro ngest possible
.

mm

”
proo fs of the iden tity of Vishn u with D ag o n The sa e ay b e adduced -
.

fo r the title of l a w, and its Sa nskrit roo t traced in every coun try JU or .

J ovis is t he oldes t La tin na m As mal e he is Ju pil er, o r J a

“
e fo r Go d .
-
,

the fa th er, pi tri bein g Sa ns krit fo r fa ther ; as fe i nin e , Ju no o r Ju, the m -

”
co m fo rte r nu being the Pho eni cian wo rd fo r res t and co mfo rt 7"
.

Pro fesso r M ax M uller sho ws tha t altho ugh Dyaus , sky , does n o t occur as
a m
“
asc ulin e in t he o rdin ary Sanskrit , y et it do es occur in t h e Veda and ,

thus bears witn ess to the early Aryan wo rsh ip of Dyaus, the Greek
Ze u s ( The Ved a , in Chi ps etc , I , p
‘ ’
. .
,

To gras p the real a nd primitive sense o f the termI AO an d the reaso n ,

fo r its beco m ing the design a tion of the mos t m y s terious o f all deities we ,

must sea rc h fo r its origin in t he figura tive phras eology o f all the primi
tive peo ple We mu st firs t o f all go to the mo st ancien t so urces fo r o ur

”
.

info rma tio n I n o ne of the B oo ks of H erm es fo r ins ta n ce we fin d him

”
.
, ,

sayin g tha t the n u m ber TE N is the moth er of t he soul a n d tha t the life ,

Fo r the n u mber 1 (o ne) is bo rn fro mthe

“
a n d light a re th e rein u n ite d .

sp irit a n d the n u m ber 1 0 (ten) fro mma tter the u nity has m
7“ “
, ade
7“
the TE N the TE N the uni ty
, .

The kabalistic gem atria o ne of the meth ods fo r extrac tin g the bid

de n m ea ni n g fro m le tters wo rds a n d sen tences is arith m e tica l

, It , .

co ns ists in a pply in g to t he le tters of a wo rd t he sense they bea r as n um

”
bers in outward sha pe as well as in their individual sense M oreo ver
, .
,

by the Tema ra (anoth er me th o d used by the ka ba lists ) any word co uld

b e ma de to yield its m ystery o u t o f its anagram Th us we find t he au thor .

of S epher Yetzirah sayi ng o ne o r two cen turies before o ur era

‘

,
as “
ON E ,

the spirit o f t he A la /ri mof Lives 7“

So again in the o ldes t ka balistic .
,

diagrams the te n Sephiro th are re presen ted as wheels o r circ les and
, ,

Ada mK adm o n th e prim i tive man as an u pright pill ar

“
, Wheels and , .

758 A ri . means mo reo ver , ,

‘
Tho u art.
’
in Sanskrit , and al so
‘
sw o rd,
’
Ari, without
the accen t o n the first vo wel .

759 . Pro fesso r A . Wilder .

760 These . sacre d anagra ms were called Zeruph .

f N u ber s76 1
, o r B oo k
. of the Keys
Boo k o m .

762 The S epher Ystairah, o r b o o k o f the creat io n. was written by Rab b i A ba h. who
- '

was the tea cher and instru cto r o f Shim

.

o n b en Yo ha i called the prince o f t he

’
ists
m
, ,

who wro te the Z ha r Fra nck asserts tha t the Yeatrah was writ ten the first cen tu ry a
o
ther and as co m ges m m
. .

( La K abbale I i ; 3rd ed ) b u t o petent ud8 ake it far o lder At all

events it is no w pro ved tha t Shim
, , .

m
o n be n Yo hai lived
’
ore the seco nd destruct io n of
t he te plem . 763 S ap/tar Y i. 5 9 . .
 I AO. THE TRILITERAL N AM E 2 99

sera phima nd the holy c rea tures say s Ra bbi A q In

’
ib a h f “

ano th er sy stem o f the sa m e b ranc h o f the sy m bo lica l K a bala ca lled ,

Alba th which arranges the letters of the alphabet by pairs in three

ro ws all th e co u ples in the firs t ro w bea r th e n u m erica l v alu e te n;

and in the sys temo f Shim o n b e n Sheta h

7“
th e upperm o st co u p le the ,

mo s t sacred o f all is preceded by the Pythago re an cipher o ne a nd a

, ,

no u gh t o r zero
, 10 .

If we can o nce apprecia te the fac t tha t a mo n g all the peo ples o f the
highes t a n tiq ui ty the m o s t n a tu ral con ce ptio n o f th e Firs t C a use m an i

fes tin g itself in its crea ture s and tha t to this they could n o t b u t ascribe
,

the c rea tio n o f a ll w as tha t o f a n a n dro gy n e deity ; tha t t he m

, ale

prin c iple was co ns idered the vivifyi ng in visible spirit a nd the fe male , ,

mo th er n a ture ; w e shall b e enabled to un dersta nd ho w tha t mysterious

ca u se cam e a t firs t to b e rep resen ted (in th e pic ture wri tin gs perha p s) -
,

as t he co m bina tion o f the Alpha and Omega o f n umbers a decimal then , ,

as I A O a triliteral na m
, e co n ta i nin g in itse lf a deep a llegory
, .

IA 0 in such a case wo uld etymolo gica lly co nsidered mean

”
, ,

the B rea th o f Life genera ted o r springin g fo rth be twee n an uprigh t

’
,

male a nd a n egg sha ped female principle o f na ture ; fo r in Sanskrit as

”
-
, ,

mean s to be to live o r ex ist and origin ally it mea nt to brea the

‘
,
’ ‘ ‘
.
’

Fro m it says M ax M uller m its o riginal sense of brea thin g the

“
, , ,

Hin dus fo rmed as u breath and asu ra th e na me o f Go d whe ther it

‘
,
’
,
‘
,
’
,

mean t the brea thing o ne o r the giver o f brea th 7“

I t certa inly mean t .

I n Hebre w Ah a nd I a h m

”
ea n li fe Cornelius A grippa
‘ ’
the la tter
‘
. .
,

in h is trea tise o n the P re em i nence of sho ws th a t

-
the word
Ev e su ggests co m pariso n wi th the mystic sy mbo ls o f the ka balists t he ,

na m e of the wo m an ha v in g a ffin ity wi th t he in effa ble Te tragra m ma to n ,

the m o st sac red n a m Ancien t n a m

”
e of th e div i ni ty es were alw ay s co n .

so n a n t wi th t he thin gs t hey represe n ted I n rela tio n to the m ysterio u s .

na m e o f the De ity in q ues tio n t he hithe rto in explica ble hin t of th e ka ba l

,

ists as t o the e fficacy o f the le tter H

“
which Abra mtook away fro mhis ,

wife Sar and

“
p u t i nto th e middle of his own name beco mes clear , .

I t may perh a ps b e argued by w ay o f obj ec tio n th a t it is n o t ascer , ,

ta in ed as y et a t w ha t perio d o f a n tiq ui ty the no ught o cc urs fo r the first

time in In dian man uscripts o r inscriptio ns B e tha t as it may the case .
,

prese nts circ u msta n tial e vidence o f too s tro ng a charac ter no t to ca rry a
co n v ic tio n o f proba bility wi th it According to M ax M uller the tw o .

wo rds cipher a nd zero which are in reality b u t o ne wo uld almo s t in

‘ ’ ‘ ’

, ,

764 . S epher Yetzirah i 10 -

, , . See the co ns tancy with w hich Ezeki el in his vis io n st icks
to the wheel s o f t he liv ing crea t ures (ch i passi m
’

)
‘ ‘ ’
.
, .

765 . H e was an Alex a nd ria n N eo - Pla to n is t under the firs t of mies

the Pto le .

766 . Chi ps, etc .

, I . p 1 5
.6 . 766a . De nobil itate cl pr aecelle nti a femi nei se n s .
300

Ara bs .
”
themselves b e sufi cien t to prove tha t o ur figures are bo rro we d fro mthe
7
C ipher is the Arabic c ifro u which means empty a transla
tion of the Sans krit name of t he no ugh t
had their figure s fro mHin dustan an d n ever cla im
themselves 7“
’

nya
IS IS UN VEILED

he sa ys The Arabs
e d the di sc o very for

As to the Pythago rea ns w e need b ut turn to t he ancient

.
‘

,
,

,
’

‘
m ,
’
.
,

man uscripts o f Bo e thius Geo metry composed in the sixth cen tu ry to find

”
’

, ,

in th e Pytha go rea n nu m era ls

7“
the 1 a nd the no ught as t he firs t a n d final ,

cipher . An d Po rphyry w ho q uo tes fro mthe Py tha go re an M o dera tus

,
“
,

say s th a t the n u m era ls of Py tha go ras were hierogly phics ] sy mbols by ,

mea ns where of he expla ined ideas concernin g the na ture o f things .

N o w if the mos t a ncien t Indi an m an uscripts show as y et n o trac e of

decimal no ta tio n in them an d Max M uller sta tes very clearly that
un til n o w h e has foun d b u t nin e le tters ( the initials of t he Sa ns krit n um er

als ) rn them o n the o ther ha n d we ha ve record s as ancien t to supply

the needed proo f We spea k o f the sc ulptures an d the sacre d i m

. a gery in

th e m ost an cie n t temples o f the far East Pytha go ras derive d his kno w .

led ge fromIn dia ; an d we fin d Pro fesso r Max M uller co rro b ora ting this

”
sta tem en t a t leas t so far as allowing the N eo Py thago rea ns to ha ve been
,
-

the first teac hers of cipherin g a m o n g th e G reeks an d Ro m

‘
a n s ; that
“
they at Alexan dria o r in Sy ria beca me acq uain te d with t he Indian
, , ,

figures an d ada p te d them to the Pytha go rean ab acu s

, ( o ur fi g ures ) .

This cau tio us admissio n implies tha t Pytha go ras himself was acq uainted
with o nly n i ne figure s B u t we might reasona bly answer tha t although
.

w e po ssess no certa in proo f th a t the decim al n ota tion w as kno wn to

Pytha go ras who li ved a t the very close of the arc ha ic agesJ we yet “
,

ha ve sufi c ien t e vidence to sho w tha t the fu ll n u m

”
bers as given by ,

Bo e thius were kn o wn to the Pythagorea ns even before Alexa ndria was

, ,

bu ilt ! "
This evidence we fin d in Aris totle who says tha t so me philo “
,

sop hers hold th a t ideas a n d n u m bers are of the sa me na ture an d amo unt
m
,

to TEN in all This we believe will b e su fi cient to sh ow tha t the

.
, ,

decimal no ta tio n was kno wn a mo ng them a t leas t as early as four

ce n turies B c fo r Aris to tle does n o t seemto trea t the q ues t ion as an
. .
,

inno va tio n of the N eo Pytha gorea ns

’
-
.

Bes ides as we have re marked a bove the represen ta tio ns o f the

, ,

a rc haic deit ies o n th e wa lls o f the tem

, ples are of themselves qu ite sug ,

g e s tiv e e n o u gh S o f o r in s ta.n ce Vis hn u i

,s re p resen te d in t h e K ri,rm dea

tdrs (his seco n d a va tar) as a torto ise sus taining a circula r p illa r o n which ,

the se m blance o f hi mself (M aya o r the ill usion ) sits with all his attri ,

bu tes ? While o ne ha nd ho lds a flo wer ano ther a club the t hird a shell
"
, , ,

767 Chi ps
.
, etc II , p 2 8
. 4 . 768 I bid
. . 769 . K ing : The Gnostics, p 370 ; 2 nd ed
. .

771 772 This city was b uilt 332 8 c

m
. . . .

773 H e p/rye . XI I . viii ; XIII. viii

. . 774 See pl I X in
. . Ma urice :Hi st d H i ndod a
.
. I .
302 IS IS UN VEILED

of the wilderness wi th the sins and iniqu ities of the Jewish n a tion it now
, ,

a ppears h ard fo r the C hris tian s to h a ve to co nfess tha t th ose wh o mthey

tho u gh t fit to co nsider the chose n peo ple o f Go d an d the ir so le p rede

cesso rs in m onotheism were till a very la te perio d as idola tro us and , ,

polytheis tic as their neighbo rs T he shre wd Tal mu dists ha ve escaped .

the acc u sa tio n fo r lo ng cen turies by screenin g them sel ves be hi n d the

”
M aso re tic in ven tio n B u t as in e verythin g else tru th w as at las t
m
. , ,

brou ght to ligh t We kno w no w th at Ib o h . n m

‘
ust b e rea d Ia b oh and , ,

I ah no t Jehovah I ah o f th e Hebrews is plainl y th e Iac c hos ( Bac chus)

, .

of th e My steries ; the Go d fro mwho mthe libera tion o f souls w as ex

”
“

t d D i ny u I h I a b o h I 73°
A i t tl th n w i ht
m
p ec e o s s acc o s a o r s
, o e e as r g , , .

rx w as Oro m asdes an d Ahrim

“
when he said : Jo h an Plu t o fo r the
"
,

Go d o f hea ven Ah ura maz da rides o n a chariot which the H orse of the

”
-
, ,

S u n fo llo ws 7“
An d D unlap q uo tes P salm
. s lxviii 4 whi ch rea d s , , ,

”
Praise him b y his name Iac h
Who rides upo n the hea vens, as on a horse,

and then sho ws tha t ( I a h ) by a hthe Ara bs

o rse re pre sen ted I a uk
’

“
the Ho rse o f the Sun 7
l a b is a softening o f Ia c h , he
“
e xpla ins t l ch a n d n h in terc han ge ; so s so ftens to h The Hebre ws
'
. .

exp ress the ide a o f LI FE bo th by a oh an d a n h : as chiah , to b e , hiah,

to b e ; Iac h G o d o f Life I ah , I a
‘
, Well then may w e re pea t , m
.
’

”
these lines o f Auso ni u s (Epig xxv) .

O gia calls m e Bacchus ; Egypt thinks m e Osiris ;

T hi
M usia ns name me Phanax ; the I ndi co nsider m e D io ny sus ;
The Ro ma n M yste ries ca ll me Liber ; the Arab ia n race Ado nis !

An d th e peo ple Ado ni an d Jehovah

ch o se n we m ay a d d .

”
H o w little the philo so phy o f the o ld secret do c trine was u n ders tood is
illustra te d in the a troc io u s persec u tio ns o f the Templars by the C h u rc h ,

a n d in th e a cc usa tio n a ga in st t he mo f wo rshipin g the De vil un der t h e

sh a pe o f the go a t Bapho met ! With o u t goin g in to t he o ld M aso ni c

mysteries there is no t a M ason o f th ose we mea n who do kno w some
,

thi ng b u t h as an idea of the true rela tion th a t B apho m e t b o re to

Azazel t he sca pego a t o f the wilderness? who se charac ter an d m

, ea ni n g

a re en tire ly perverted in the C hris tia n trans la tio ns This te rrible a n d ‘

.

780 . K O M uller : A H is t of the Lit

. . . .
f A nct Greece p
o .
, . 2 38 ; Mo vers : Die P hb n i si er
,

I , pp . 547-53 ; D unlap : 8 od , the M yst . of A don i p 2 1 , . .

781 . A Uni versal H isto ry, V, p 30 1 : Lo ndo n 1 747-66 ( 64 .

,

782 . D unla p : The S pi ri t-H isto ry of M a tt, PP 64, 67, 78 .

783 See Leviticus

. , x vi, 8, 1 0 , a nd o ther v erses rela tin g to the b ib lica l go a t in the
 VI S HN U THE LI FE-G I VER 303

me

”
venerable Go d say s Lanc i, libra ria n to the Va tica n , thro u gh
’ ‘
na of ,

the pen o f bib lica l glossers has bee n a devil a m , o u n ta i n a wilderness a n d

, , ,

”
a he goat
-
q u o tes Mackenzie in the Ro yal M asonic Cyclopaed ia ; a nd
he very co rrec tly remarks tha t this word sho u ld b e div ided in to Azaz
“

“
an d El fo r it signifies Go d of Vic tory b u t is here used in the se nse of
, ,

a utho r of D eath, in co n tras t to Jehova h , th e a utho r of Life; th e la tter re

ceived a dea d goa t as a n o fferin g

7“
The H in du Trinity is co mposed of
.

three person a ges which are co n vert ible in to o ne The Trimurti is o ne

, .
,

a n d in its a b strac tio n in div is ible a n d y et w e see a m , eta physica l div ision

ta king place fro mthe first , a nd while Brah ma tho u gh co llec tively repre

”
,

t
se n in g th e hree t r e m a i n,s b e hi n d t h e sce n es V is h n u r s t h e L ife G iver th e
-
, ,

Crea tor and the Preserver a n d Siva rs the Destroyer an d the Death
, ,

g i vi n g d e ity D ea
. t h to t h e L if g
e - i ver li fe to t h e D e a th
, d e a l e r T he -
.

sy m bo lica l an tithesis is gra nd a nd bea u tiful, says G liddo n D eus est

"85 ‘
.

D aem on i nversus o f the ka balists n o w beco m es clea r I t is b u t the .

in tense and cru el desire to cru sh o u t the las t vestige o f the o ld philo
so ph ies by pervertin g their m ea ni ng fo r fea r tha t her o w n do gm , as should

n o t b e righ tly fa thered o n her, wh ich im pels the C a tho lic Ch urch to
ca rry o n su ch a sy stem a tic persec u tio n in regard to G n os tics K a b alists , ,

a n d e ve n t he co m para tively innocen t M aso ns .

Alas , a las ! How little has t he divine seed , sca ttered bro a dcast by
t he han d o f the m ee k Ju daea n philo sophe r thrived o r bro u gh t fort h fruit ! ,

H e w ho hi m self ha d sh u nned hypocrisy warn ed a gains t p u b lic prayer, ,

s ho wi n g con tem pt fo r useless exhibitio n o f the sa me co uld he b u t ,

cas t his so rrowf u l gla n ce o n t he earth fro mthe regions o f e terna l bliss ,

” ”
wo uld see tha t this seed fell neither o n sterile roc k no r by th e wayside .

N ay it took deep ro o t in the m

, o st p rolific so il ; o ne e nriched e ven

to p le th ora wi th lies an d h um a n go re !

Fo r if the tru th o f Go d h a th m o re a bo un ded through m y li e u n to hi s

”
g l o ry ; w h y y et a I a l so j u d g e d as a sinn e r ? n ai v e ly in q ui r e s P a u l , t h e

bes t an d sin cerest o f all the apo stles , after saying I spea k as a man , .

An d he th en adds a n d n o t ra ther [ then say ] (as w e b e sla ndero us ly

,

repo rted a n d as so m e a ffirmth a t we say ) , Let u s do evil th a t go od m

‘
, ay

co m who se da m n atio n is jus t ( R m i ii i t of t hi

’
e o , 5 7 . I n s
.
p e , , s ,

”
dis tinct repu dia tion o f the hypothe tical tra ves ty o n right ethics , the
tra vesty itse lf w as misrea d as a direc t inspira tio n fro mGo d ! This ex
plain s if it does no t exc u se the maximadopted la ter by the Church
, ,

th a t it is a n ac t o f virt ue to deceive a nd lie when by such mea ns

“
,

t he in teres ts o f the Church m igh t b e prom o ted A maxim a pplied .

784 Art icle Go a t, p 2 57 785 N o t t and Gliddo n : Types of M a nki nd p 600

‘ ’

m
. . . . , .

RO I M aso nic Cyclo paed ia, loc cit 786 M oshei : A n Ecclesi astical H isto ry
T
. . .
,

V. part
IIV . iii, II
5 1 6 Read the who le sectio n to appreciate the doctrine rn full
. .
30 4 I SI S UN VEILED

in its fu lles t se nse by tha t acco m plished pro fessor in fo rgery t he Ameni ,

e u E u se bius ; o r a gai , by t
n h a t in n o cen -l i n i l
t ook g b b kalei d o sco pist
e-

”
Ire nae us An d these men were fo llo wed by a who le ar y o f pious
. m
assas s in s who in the m ea n while had im proved upon th e system of
m
,

deceit by proclaimi ng tha t it w as la wful even to kill, when by urder

they co u ld enforce the new religion Theophilus, tha t perpe tu al enem
“
.
y
o f pea ce an d virtue, as the fa m ous bishop was ca lled ; Cyril o f Alex
an dria , A thanasius t he m urd erer o f Arius , a n d a ho s t o f o ther can onized
,

Sa in ts were all only to o wo rt hy successors o f S a i nt Co ns ta n tine who

’
,

dro w ned h is wife in boilin g wa ter bu tchered his little ne phe w murdered
,

, ,

with his o wn pious han d t o o f w his brot eh rs- in -

la w killed his o wn so n ,

C rispus , bled to dea th se veral men and women an d smo thered in a well ,

an o ld m o nk Howe ver we are to ld by E usebius tha t this C hristian

. ,

Em peror w as re warded by a vis ion o f Christ himself bearing his cross , ,

who ins truc ted hi to m a rc h to o th er triu m

m phs, inasmuch as he wo uld
alway s pro te c t h im !
I t is un der the de o f the Imperial sta ndard with its fa mous sign
sha , ,

I n hoe si gno vinces tha t eisi o na ry C hristia nity whic h had c rept o n
‘ ’ ‘ ’
, ,

sin ce the da y s o f Ire nae us arro gan tly pro claim , e d its righ ts in th e full

blaze o f the sun The La ba rumhad most proba bly furnished the model
.

fo r the true c ross which w as m irac ulo usly a n d agreea bly to the
’
, ,

Imperia l will fo u nd a few years la ter N othing sho rt o f suc h a remark

,
.

a ble visio n im piously do u bted by so me se vere critics

,
D r Lardn er fo r .

o ne a n d a fre sh m irac le to m a tch co u ld ha ve res ulted in the fi n ding o f

,

a cross where there ha d n e ver bee n o ne before S till we ha ve e ither to .

,

believe the phenomeno n o r dispu te it a t the ris k o f being trea ted as

infidels ; an d thi s notwith sta n din g th a t upon a ca re ful co mpu ta tion we
sh ou ld fin d tha t the fragm en ts o f the true C ro ss ha d m ultiplie d the m
‘ ’

selves e ven m ore miraculo usly tha n the five loa ves in the in visible
bakery an d the two fishes I n all cases like this where miracles can be
.
,

d in there is no roo mfo r d ull fac t His to ry must

,

so co n v en ien tly ca lle , .

step o u t tha t fic tio n m

,
ay s tep in .

If the alleged foun der o f the C hristian re ligion is no w after the lapse ,

o f nin etee n cen tu ries preached mo re o r less unsuccessfully ho wever

,

in every co rner o f the glo be w e are a t li bert y to thin k tha t the doc
,

trines a ttribu ted to him wo uld astonish an d dismay hi m mo re than

any o ne else A systemo f deli bera te falsifica tion w as adopted fro mthe
.

first H o w de term ined Ire nae u s w as to crush tru th a nd bu ild up a

Churc h o f h is o wn o n the ma ngled re main s o f the se ven primitive
.

ch urches m e n tioned in th e Revelation m ay b e in ferre d fro mhis q uarrel ,

with Pt olemae us And this is again a case o f evidence agains t which no

.

blind fai th ca n pre vail Ecclesiastical his tory assu res us tha t Christ s
.
’
306 I S I S UNVEI LED

pries ts [ g
E of
ypt o r] J u daca ; an d by w hi c h th ese t w o gre a t re for mer s

”
,

pa rti cula rly the latter , w ro u gh t m a n y o f t h e irac les me n ti o n e d in t he m

Pla to [acco rding to Ammian u s] sta tes tha t the my stic M agian re
ligio n kn o wn u n der th e na m
, e o f M achagis tia is t he leas t c orru pted fo rm ,

o f wo rship o f thin gs di vin e La ter the Mysteries o f t he Chal daean

.
,

sa n c tu aries were added t o it by o n e o f the Zo ro aste rs an d D arius Hys

ta spes ? The la tter co mple ted a nd perfec ted it still m o re wi t h the help

o f th e kn o wled ge o bta in ed by himfro m t he lea rned asce tics o f India ,

whose rites were iden tical wi th tho se o f the in itia ted Ma gi ! "
Am mianus ,

in his h is to ry o f Julia n s Persian expedi tio n gives the st o ry by sta ting

’

th a t o ne day H y stas pes as he w as bo ldly penetra ting in to t he u n kno wn

,

regio n s o f Upper In di a ca m e u po n a certa in woo de d so li tu de

, the ,

tran qu il rece sses o f which were occ upied by those ex alted sages the ,

B rach m an es [o r Sh a m a ns ] Ins truc ted by their te achings in the science

.

o f the m

”
o tio ns of the wo rld a nd of the hea v enly bo dies an d in pure ,

religio us rites he infuse d a po rtio n in to the m

. . in ds o f the Magi .

The la tter co u pling these doc trin es with their own peculia r science of
,

”
for ete ll i ng th e fu tu re h a v e h a n d e
, d d o w n th e who le thro u gh t h eir descen d
I t is fro mthese descen dan ts tha t the Suhs

”
an ts to su ccee din g a ges .
,

chiefly co m po sed o f Persians and Syrians ac q uire d their profo un d kno w ,

led ge of as tro lo gy m
“

”
edic ine a n d the esoteric doc trine o f th e ages
, , The .

“
Suf! doc trine say s C W Kin g
, . in vo lved the gran d idea o f o n e uni
.
,

v e rsa l c reed wh ic h co uld b e sec re tly hel d un der a ny pro fessio n o f an o ut

ward faith ; a n d in fac t to o k v irtu ally the sa me vie w o f religio us systems

as th a t in wh ich t h e a nc ien t ph ilosophers ha d re ga rded su ch m a tters
7
.

The m y sterious Druzes o f M o u nt Leban o n a re the descen da n ts o f all

these So lita ry Co pts earnest studen ts sca ttered hith er an d thither
.
,

thro ugho u t the sa ndy so litudes of Egypt Arabia Petraea Palestin e and , , ,

the im penetrable fo re sts o f Abyss inia tho u gh rarely met with may some , ,

times be see n M any a nd vario u s are the na tio nalities to which b elo ng
.

789 E Re b o ld : A General H i sto ry of Free-Maso nry. pp 30 -1

m
.

Am
. . .

790 Marcell : Ro m H is t XX III, vi, 32 , 33

m m
. . . . .
,

79 1 We ho ld to the idea
. w hich b eco es self-ev ident w hen the Zo ro astrian i bro glio
is co ns idere d tha t th ere were, e ve n in th e days of D arius, two dist inct sac erd o tal
cas tes o f M agi : the ini tia ted a nd th o se w ho w ere allo wed to o fi cia te o nly in t he o pular
We see th e sa me in the Eleus inia n M ysteri es Belo nging t o every te m r
,

rites .
p e there
were a t tac hed th e hier phan ts o f the i nner sa nct uary, and the secu lar clergy who
‘ ’

o
were no t even instructed mthe M teries I t was t t he absurdities and p ers t i tions m
m m
.

fo r t he inscriptio n o n his to b
“
o f the la tter tha t D ari us re vo l an d
h
crus ed e .
sh o w s th a t he was a hiero pha n t an d a M agi a n h i self
‘
I t rs also
’

m
ere ly the ex o teric
rites o f this class o f M a gi which descended to pos terit y ; fo r the great secre cy in which
m . m
were preserved the M ysteries o f the true C haldae an Ma gi was never v io late d. ho w
‘ ’

ever m uch guess-w ork m a y ha ve been ex pen ded o n t he m .

79 2 The Gnostics and their Re m

. ai ns , p 41 5 ; 2 nd ed . .
 THE HERMETI C BROTHERS OF EGYPT 307

the disciples o f tha t my sterious scho o l and many the side sho o ts o f th a t ,
-

o ne p rim itive s toc k The secrecy preserv ed by these sub lodges as well
.
-
,

as by t he o n e an d suprem e grea t lo d ge h as ever been proportion a te to ,

the ac tivi ty o f religio u s persec u tions ; a nd no w in the face o f the growi ng ,

ma terialis m th eir very existence is bec oming a mystery ?

,
“

B u t it m us t no t b e inferre d o n tha t acco u n t th a t such a m

, ysterio us ,

bro therho o d is b u t a fictio n no t even a n am e tho u gh it rem

, ains un kn own ,

to this day Whe ther its a fi li ates are ca lled by an Egy ptian Hin du o r
.
, ,

Persian na me it ma tters no t Perso ns belo ngin g to o ne o f these sub

, .

bro therhoo ds ha ve been met by trustwo rthy a nd no t unknown person s ,

besides the prese n t writer who sta tes a few fac ts co ncerning them by the
, ,

specia l permissio n o f o ne who has a right to give it I n a recen t an d .

very valua ble wo rk o n secret socie ties K R H M ackenzie s Royal , . . .

’

M asonic Cyclo paed ia we fin d the learned au thor himself an ho norary

, ,

member o f th e C ano nga te K ilwinning Lodge N o 2 (Scotlan d) an d a , .

,

Mason no t likely t o b e imposed upon sta tin g the following u n der the , ,

hea d , Hermetic Brothers o f Egypt

An occ ult fra ternity which has en dured fro mv ery an c ien t tim
, es ,

havin g a hierarchy o f officers secret signs an d pas swo rds and a pec uliar
, , ,

method o f ins truction in sc ience mo ral philo sophy and religion , If

we m ay be lie ve tho se w ho a t the prese n t tim e p ro fess to be lo n g t o it ,

the philo sopher s sto ne the elix ir of life the art of i nvisi bil ity a n d the
’
, , ,

power o f co mmunica tion direc tly with the ultra mun dane life are parts ,

o f the in herita n ce th ey po ssess The writer has met wi th only three per
.

so ns w ho m a in ta in ed the ac tu al exis ten ce o f this body o f religio u s p hilo

sophers a n d w h o hin te d th a t they them

, sel ves were ac tually m em b ers .

There was no reaso n to doubt the good faith o f these in divid uals
apparen tly u nkn own to eac h other a n d m en o f m odera te co mpe tence , ,

bla meless lives a ustere manners an d almost ascetic in t heir ha bits

, , .

793 These are truths which canno t fa il t o im p res s t he sel v es upo n th e minds o f m
While the Eb io nites, N azarites Haemero baptists, La pseans Sab ae m
.

earnes t thinkers
m any o ther sec ts o f t he earlies t days, wa vere d la ter b etween the varyin g do gm
.
, ,

ans, and as

gg es ted to t he mb y th e esoteric an d m is u n d e rs to o d p ar a b les o f th e N azarene teacher,

who mt hey j ustl y regarded as a pro phet there were m en fo r whose na m s we m
e igh t ,

vainly search his to ry w ho preserved th e secre t doc trines o f Jesus as pure a nd unad ulter
And still eve n all t hese ab o ve m
,

ated as t hey had b een received entio ned a n d co n

flicting sects were far mo re o rtho do x rn their C hrist ianity, o r rather Christism than
.
,
.

the C hurches of Co nsta nt ine and Ro m

,
“
e I t was a strange fate tha t b efell th ese nu
fo rtuna te peo ple (t he Eb io nites) , sa ys Lo rd Am berley, when, o verwhelm
.

ed b y t he

”
flo od o f heat henis m
th a t had swept int o t he C h urch, t hey were co nde ned as heretics m
Yet t here rs no evidence th a t they had ever swerved fro mthe doc trines o f Jesus o r o f
.

m
rn his lifetim Jes us him m
,

the disciples who knew hi e self had been c ircu cised .

reverenced the tem m
. ‘

ple at Jerusale a ho use o f prayer fo r all na tio ns

‘ ’
as B ut
m
gm J
. .

the torrent o f pro a swept a

r net th e Eb io nite s, an d left th e stranded o n t he sho re

( A n A n aly sis of b y Visco un t A b er le y . I , p m .

3tB IS I S UN VEILED

”
They all appeared to b e men o f fo rt y t o fo rt y five yea rs o f age an d evi -
,

den tly o f v ast e ru ditio n their kn o wled ge o f la n gua ges n o t to be

do ubted They ne ver re main ed lo ng in an y o ne co un try b u t passed
.
,

a way wi tho u t cre a tin g n o tice

7"
.

Ano ther o f such su b -

brotherhood s is the sect o f th e Pitris in India .

K no wn by na m e no w tha t Jaco lli o t has bro u gh t it in t o p u blic n o tice it

, ,

is still m o re arcan e pe rha p s th a n the brotherhoo d tha t M r M ac kenzie

, , .

na m es t h e Herm e tic B rothers Wh a t Jac o lli o t learned o f it w as fro m

‘ ’
.
,

fragmenta ry man usc ripts delivered to himby Brahmanas w h o h ad their ,

reaso ns fo r do in g so w e m us t b e lie ve The Agrus hada P ariksha i gives

, .

certa in de ta ils a bo u t the ass oc ia tio n as it w as in da y s o f o ld a n d when , ,

e xp la inin g m ystic rites an d magica l inca n ta tio ns ex pla ins no thin g at all ,

so th a t th e m ystic L om L Rhu m S h hrum a n d S ho rhi m Rama ya ’ ’ ’ ’

, , ,

N am a ha re m ain fo r t he m ystified writer as mu c h a p uzzle as e ver To

, , .

do himj us tice tho ugh b e fully adm , i ts the fac t a n d does no t en ter upo n
, ,

use less spec ula tions ( Le S pi ritis m e etc .p , .

, .

Whoever des ires t o assure hi mself tha t the re no w exis ts a reli io n

g
which has b a ffled fo r cen turies the impu den t in q u isitiveness o f missio n
, ,

aries an d t he pe rse verin g in q uiry o f sc ie n ce le t himvio la te if he can

, , , ,

the secl us io n o f the Syrian Druze s H e will fin d themn u mberin g o ver .

warrio rs sca ttered fro mthe plain eas t o f Da masc us to the western
,

co as t They co ve t no pro se lytes shun no toriety kee p frien dly

. as far , ,

as poss ible wi th bo th Ch ristia ns an d M o ha mmedans res pec t the te ,

ligio n o f every o ther sec t o r peo ple b u t will ne ver disclo se their o wn ,

Vainly do the m issio n aries s tigm a tize th e mas in fidels ido la ters

”
secre ts .
, ,

brigan ds a nd thieves N either threa t bribe no r any o ther consi dera tio n
, .
, ,

w ill in duce a Druze t o bec o m e a co n vert t o do gm a tic Ch ris tiani ty We .

ha ve hea rd o f t wo in fifty years an d bo th ha ve finis hed the ir careers in ,

“
priso n fo r drunkenn ess an d theft They proved t o be real D ruzes
, .
,

79 4 Wha t will perha ps st ill m o re asto nis h Am eri can read ers rs t he fac t t ha t mthe
m m
.

ystical fra ternity no w ex ists which cla ims a n in ti a te rela t io nship

,

United S ta tes a
wi th o ne o f t he o ldes t an d m
,

ost o werful o f Eastern Bro t herho o ds I t is kno wn as

thful m p m m
.

t he Bro th erhoo d of Lux o r, an d its e b ers ha ve t he custo d y o f very i po rta nt

secrets o f sc ience I ts ra m ifica tio ns ex t end widely th ro ugho ut the grea t Repu blic of
.

t he West Tho ugh th is b ro therhoo d has been 10 y and hard a t work. the secre t o f its
.

ex istence has been j ea lo us ly gu a rded Mackenzie ascrib es it as ha ving a Ros ierucian

“

m
a ny m em m
.

asis . a nd nu b erin g bers Ro yal Mason ic Cyclopacdia, p

b m
B ut
m m
.

in this t he a uth o r rs ista ken ; it has no Ro s icrucian ba sis The na e Lux o lr rs n arily
deri ved fro mth e ancien t Beluchis ta n city o f Luks ur, which lies between Bela hml
.

edgee,
‘

and also ga ve its na m

e t o th e Egy p tian ci ty .

79 5 These peo lc do no t acce t t he na me o f Druzes b ut rega rd t he appella tio n as an

mselves m m
.
.

t he disciples o f Ha x a. their M essiah w ho ca e to

’
insul t They
‘ ’
e
them rn the eleven t h century fro mt he Land o f t he Wo rd o f G , and. to get her wit h
.
,

od
’ ‘

his disciple, M o kh tana Bo ha e ddin, co m m

, ,

itted this Word t o writing. and a rts nated it

p
-
3 10 1818 UN VEILED

of Go d H e rs the essence o f life, a nd alth o ugh inco mpre he nsi ble and
.
,

in visible, is t o b e kn o wn th ro u gh occas io nal m an ifesta tio ns i n hu m an

f or m 7“
. L ik e t h e H i n d u s , th e y h o ld t h a t h e h as in carn a te d m o re t h an

once o n ea rth Hamza was the prec urso r no t the in herito r o f Ha kem
’
.
, , ,

t he las t m an ifes ta tio n ( the ten th a va tar) who is ye t to c o m Hamza

’
7"
, e .

w as the personifica tio n o f the Universa l Wisdo m Bo hae d din in his

’
.

writin gs calls him M es siah The who le n umber o f his disc iples or
.
,

tho se who a t differe n t ages o f the wo rld ha ve imparted wisd o mto man

”
kin d, which th e la tter as in varia bly ha ve fo rgo tten an d rejec ted in
co u rse o f tim e is o ne h un dred a n d sixty fo u r ( 1 64 , th e ka b alis tic s d k)
,
- .

Therefo re their s ta ge s o r degre es o f pro mo tio n after ini tia tio n are five ;
“
the first three degre es are ty pifi ed by the three fee t o f the can dlestick
of th e in ner Sanc tuary , which ho lds the ligh t o f the fit s eleme n ts ; the

”
las t tw o degrees , the m o st im porta n t a nd terrifyin g in their solemn
g r a n d e u r, b elo n g t o th e hi g hes t o r d e rs ; a n d to g e th er t h e fi v e d eg re e s

em blema tically represent th e said five mystic Ele ments The three .
“

feet are the ho ly A pplicatio n , the Openi ng, an d the P ha nto m says o ne

”
,

o f the ir bo o ks ; o n m a n s inn er an d o u ter so ul, an d his body , a pha n t o m

’
,

The body , o r m a tter is also ca lled the Rival fo r

‘ ’
a passin g shadow .
, ,

he is the m inister o f sin , the De vil e ver crea tin g disse nsio ns be tween the
Hea venly Intelligence [spirit] a nd the sou l which he tempts in cessan tly
, .

Their ideas o n tran smigra tio n are Py thagorea n an d ka balist ic The .

sp irit , o r Tem ea m i (the di vine so ul) , w as in Elij ah an d Jo hn t he Ba ptist

an d the so ul o f Jesus was th a t o f Ha m za ; tha t is to sa y , o f t h e sa m e de
’
~

g ree o f p u ri ty an d sa n c t ity
. U n til t h e ir res u rre c tio n ,by w hi c h th e y n u

dersta n d the day when the spiritual bo dies o f m e n will b e a bso rbed in to

G od s o w n essence a n d bein g (the Nir vana o f the Hin d us) , the souls
’

of m e n will keep their as tral fo rm ,s except the few ch ose n o nes who

fromthe mo men t of their separa tio n fro mtheir bodies begin to exist as
pure spirits The life o f ma n they di vide int o so ul, bo dy, a n d in telli
.

g e n ce , o r m i n d I t. i s th e la tt er w hi c h im p a rts a n d c o mm u n ica t es to th e

so u l t he divine spa rk fro m its H a m za ( C hris to s)

’
.

They ha ve se ve n grea t co m man dmen ts which are impa rted equa lly
to a ll t he u nini tia te d ; a n d y e t e ve n th ese w ell -
kn o w n articles o f fai th
ha ve bee n 80 m ixed u p in the acc o un ts o f o u ts ide writers tha t, in o ne
o f t he bes t Cyc lo pae dias o f Am e rica they are garbled after
the fash io n th a t m ay b e seen in th e co m para tive ta bula tio n belo w ; the
sp u rio u s an d t he tru e o rde r pa rallel :

798 This is the do ctrine o f the G nostics, who held C hristos to be the individual i mma t al
m
.

Spirit in an .

799 The ten M essiahs o r avatars remind us again of the five Buddhisti c and ten
manic avatars o f Buddha and Krishna
.

Brah .
 THE D RUZES OF M O UN T LEB AN ON 31 1

Co m e r Vaa ro n o r m Co n su m
s G m mn Vermo nt Rm arnn at mm
m ma In s ure r) Onamrr s r
s Ca m -
s ru n M rssro ru nm m s

m Tu m “
s Grvnx m Pne u m o nia
"n
Ex '
r'o srrro r
ss

l . The u nity f
o God. or the in finite o ne l .
(2 ) Truth in wo rds,
’
meaning in
Practice. o nly truth to the religion and

to the i nitiated: it is lawful to ad and

”
to e m ]: f alsehood to men f
o another

”
2 .
(7) M utual help , watchfulness, and

pro tect io n .

3 . Toleratio n ; right given to all men and 3 .

( P)
“
To reno unce all o t her reli
as
gio ns .

religio us matte rs and make the la tter

”
,

b
su servient to reaso n .

4 Respect to all en and wo m

. en accord m 4 .
( P) To be separate fro m infidels o f
ing to their character and co nduct y k d, no t ex ternally b ut o nly in
ever
in

”
.

heart .

5 Entire
. sub mission to Go d
’
s decrees . 5 .
(1)
“
Recognise Go d
’
s eternal unity .

(5) Satisfied with Go d

’
6 . s acts .

Mu tual help will

’
7 . under all co nd itio ns . 7 .
(5) Res igned to Go d s .

will be seen the only ex posé in the abo ve is tha t o f the grea t
As ,

igno ran ce perhaps malice o f the writers who like Silvestre de Sacy
, , , ,

un derta ke to enligh te n the world u po n m

”
a tters co ncern in g which they

know n o thing .

Chas tity honesty mee kn ess an d mercy are th u s the four theo
, , , ,

logica l virtues o f all Druzes besides se vera l o thers dem a n de d fro mthe ,

initia tes ;
“
murder theft cruelty co veto usness slander the five sin s
, , , , , ,

to which se veral other sins are a dded in the sacred ta blets b u t which we ,

mus t abstain from giving The mo rality o f the Druzes is stric t an d .

800 See,
. farther o n. a lett er fro m an Initiate ‘
.
’

80 1 I n t his co lu n t he first n u m m
b ers are those given in the article o n t he Druses
‘ ’

m m
.

in the N ew A erican Cyclo paedia VI , p 63 1 The nu bers in parentheses

mm m
. .

sho w t he seq uence in which t he co and en ts w o uld sta nd were they given correctl y .

802 This pernicio us doctrine belo ngs to the o ld po licy o f th e C at ho lic C hurch. b ut is
They m
.

certa inly false as regards the D ruzes a intain th at it is right a nd lawful to

.

withhold the truth ab o ut their o wn tenets no o ne o u ts ide th eir o wn sec t ha a right

,

to pry in to their re ligio n The o khals never co un tenance deliberate falsch in any
m m
.

for , altho ugh the lay en ha ve man y a time go t rid o f the spies sent b y the
t ia ns to disco ver t heir secrets , b y decei ving th emwit h sha ini tiatio ns (See the m .

of Pro f Ra wso n to t he a utho r, p

. .

803 This
. co mmandment in t he Leb ano n teac hing
does no t ex ist .

804 There is no such co m man dment, b ut the pract ice there of ex ists by mutual agree
m
.

en t, as in t he days o f t he G nost ic persecu tio n .

31 2 18 18 UN VEILED

un co mpro mising N o thing ca n tempt o ne o f these Leba no n Uni tarians

.

to go as tra y fro mwh a t he is ta u gh t to co n sider his d u ty The ir ritual .

bei ng u n known to outsi ders their wo uld b e historians ha ve hi therto denied

,
-

them o ne Their Th u rsday mee tings are open t o all, b u t no inter

.
‘ ’

lo per has ever partic ipa ted in the rites o f initia tio n which ta ke place
occas io nally o n Fridays in the grea tes t secrecy Wo men are ad itted . m
to the m as well as m e n a nd play a part of grea t im
, porta n ce at the
initia tion o f m en The proba tio n , un less so e extraordina ry exception
. m
is m ade is lo n g a n d seve re
, O nce in a ce rta in perio d o f ti e a sole n
. m m
cere m ony ta kes pla ce durin g wh ich all t he elders an d the ini tiates of
,

t he highe st tw o degrees sta rt o u t fo r a pilgri age o f se veral da y s to a m

certa in place in the m o u n ta in s They ee t wi thi n the sa fe pre cincts of
. m
a m o n astery sa id t o ha ve been erec ted d uring t he ea rlie s t tim es o f the

Chr istia n era Ou twardly o ne sees b u t o ld ruins o f a o nce gra n d edifice,

.

used , say s the legend , by so m e G nos tic sec ts as a p lace o f wo rship d uring

th e religious persec u tio ns The ru in s a bove gro un d , h owe v e r, are b ut

.

a co n ve n ien t m

”
as k , the su bte rra nea n ch apel, halls , a nd cells c overing

a n area o f gro u n d fa r gre a ter tha n t he u pper b u ildin g; while the rich

ness o f o rna m e nta tio n , the bea u ty o f t he a ncie n t sc ulptures, a nd the

g o ld a n d s ilv er ve sse ls in thi s sacr e d res o rt , a pp ea r lik e

“
a d rea of m
g lo ry ,a cco rd in g to t he exp res s io n o f a n in i ti a te A s t h e la aseries . m
o f M o ngolia an d Tibe t are visited u po n gran d o ccas io ns by t he holy

sh a do w o f Lo rd B u ddh a , so here, durin g t he cere m o nial , a ppears the

‘ ’

res ple n den t etherea l fo rmo f H a m

za , the B lessed , whic h in s tr uc ts the
’

faithful The most extrao rdin ary fea ts o f wha t wo uld be ter ed agic
. m m
ta ke pla ce during the severa l n ights th a t the con voca tio n la sts ; an d o ne
o f t he gre a test m ysteries fa ithful co py o f the pas t is acco m plished
with in the discree t boso m o f o ur mo ther earth ; n o t a n echo , no r the
fa in tes t sound , no t a glimmer of ligh t be trays witho u t the gran d secret
of the initia tes .

Ha mza like Jesu s w as a morta l man an d y et Hamza and

’
, , ,
‘
Christo s are synonymou s terms as t o their inn er an d hidden mea ning
’
.

Both are symbols of the N o us the di vine an d higher sou l o f man , his
sp irit The doc trine ta ugh t by th e D ruzes o n th a t partic ula r q ues tion
.

o f the d u ality of sp iritu a l m an co n sisting o f o n e so ul m orta l and , ,

a n o ther im morta l is ide ntical with tha t o f the Gno stics the older Greek
, ,

philosophers an d other in i tia tes

, .

Ou tside t he East we ha ve m et o ne ini tia te ( a n d only o n e ) w h o for

self do s n o t m
,

so m e reaso ns bes t kn o wn to hi m a ke a secre t of his ini tia

e ,

tio n in to the B rotherhood o f Leban on I t is the learne d tra veler and .

artis t Professo r A L Ra wso n o f N ew York City

, . . This gen tleman has
, .

passed many years in the Eas t fo u r times visited Palesti ne an d has , ,

31 4 IS IS UN VEI LED

o f coo ked meat , sa vor y sou p , pila u , and o ther appetising dishes, with aha bet -
, co fiee, wine,
and water. are set, as if acciden ta lly in his way, and he is left alo ne fo r a tim
, e with the

te mpting things . To a hungry and fainting so ul the trial is severe Bu t a m o re difi cult .

o rdeal is when the seven priest s

s ses e
r t ire . all bu t the you ngest and pret t iest , and the
o ne.

do o r is closed and b arred o n the o u tside after , warn ing the candidat e tha t he will b e left
to his refiections. for half an ho ur
‘
Wearied by the lo ng-co ntinued ceremo nial weak
’
. .

wit h hunger parche d with thirst an d a swcet reactio n co m

, ing after the tremendo us strain
,

to keep his anim al na ture in sub j ectio n this mo en t of privac y and o f t emp t a tio n is , m
b rim ful of peril The b eautiful yo ung vesta l timidly approaching and with glanc es which
.
, ,

len d do ub le agnetic allure m

a m
ent to her word s b egs himin lo w to nes to b lm her ,
‘
.
’

Woe to himif he does ! A h undred eyes see himfro msecre t peep -ho les, and o nly to the
igno ran t neo phy te is t here the appearance o f co ncealmen t and o ppo rtunit y .

There is no infidelity. id o latry or o ther really bad fea t ure in the system They

”
“
.
,

ha ve the relics o f wha t was o nce a gran d formof na ture wo rship which has been con -
,

trac ted under a despo tisminto a secre t o rder hidden fro mt he ligh t o f day and ex posed
, ,

o nly in t he moky
gla re of a few b urning la ps, in so e da p ca ve
s m m m or c ha pel under

gro un d The ch ief te nets of t heir rel igio us teachings are co

.
prised m mseven ta blets,
which are these, to sta te t he in general ter s : m m
“
1 . The unit y of Go d , or the in finite oneness of deity .

2 . The essential ex cellence of truth .

3 The law
. of to lera tio n as to all men and wo men in o pin io n .

t Respect fo r afl men a nd wo men as to charac ter and cond uct .

5 En tire
. sub miss io n to Go d
’
s decre es as to fate .

6 . Chastity of b o dy and mind and so ul .

7 M ut ual help under all co nditio ns .

These tenets are no t prin ted or writ

t Ano ther set is printed
en . or writ ten to mislead
the unwary, b ut with these we are no t co ncerned .

“
The chief rcsu lts of the ini tia tio n see med to be a kind mental illusio n
of or s eepl
wak ing, mwhich th e neo phyte saw , or tho ught he sa w, the i mages of peo ple wh o were
kno wn to b e ab sent, and in me cases tho usands o f miles away I
so . t ho u gh t (or pa haps
-

it was my mind at wo rk) I saw friends and relatives that I knew at the ti me were in
N ew Yo rk Sta te, while 1 was then inLebano n . H o w these results were prod u ced I cannot
say . They appeared in a dark ro o m, when the guide was talking, the co pa ny singing
‘ ’ ‘
m ’

in
‘
m
t he nex t ch a b erf and near the close of t he day, w hea as tire d o u t wit h fas t ing.

walking,
tio ns as to dre ss and un dress, an d wit h gre at enta l strain in m resisti ng certa in h
p ys icsl
manifesta tio ns that result fro mthe appet ites when they o verco me the will , a nd rn a i
p y g
n

close a tten tio n to the pass ing scenes , ho ping to re e mmb er them that I m ay h v so a e

been unfit to j udge o f any new an d surprising pheno mena nd m re especially o f th

, a o ose

appa ren tl y magical appearances which ha ve always ex cited my suspic io n and dist u st r .

I kno w t he vario us uses o f t he magic la ntern-

. and o ther appa rat us, a nd to o k care to
ex amine th e ro o mwhere the visio ns appeared to me the same evening and the nex t day
‘ ’

an d se veral t imes afterwards and knew tha t in m y case t here was no use m
, ade of any

machinery o r o ther means besides th e vo ice o f the guide and instructor O n several .
’

occas io ns afterward w hen a t a grea t dista nce fro mthe cha m ber t he sa me or sim
‘ ’
, ilar ,

visio ns were pro duced, as. for insta nce, in H ornst ein
’
s Ho tel at Jerusale m . A daughter-ia
 THE
‘
M OTHE R LOD GE ’
AN D I TS BRAN CHES 31 5

law o f a well-kn o wn Jewish merchant in Jerusalemis an initiated ‘

sister,
’
an d can pro d u ce

th e vis io ns al mo st at will o n a ny o ne who will liv e st ric t ly accord ing to the rule of the
Order fo r a few weeks more o r le s acco rding to their na ture as gro ss o r refined etc
, , , , .

“
I amquite safe in saying tha t the initiat io n is sd peculiar that it co uld no t be printed
'

so as t o ins tru c t o ne who had no t been w o rked thro ugh the ch am

‘ ’
b er So it wo uld be
’
.

ev en m o re imp o ss ib le to make a n ex po-1 6 o f th emthan o f th e Freemaso ns Th e rea l sec re ts .

are ac ted and no t spo ken , and req u ire several in itiated perso ns to assist in th e wo rk .

“
I t is no t necessar y fo r me to say ho w so m e o f the no t io ns o f t ha t peo ple seem t o

er
p p e t ua te ce rt a in b elie f s o f t he a n c ie n t G ree k s as fo r ins t a nce t h e idea t hat a m ,an ,

has two so uls and m , a ny o th ers fo r yo u pro b a b ly were m ade fam iliar wit h th em in
yo ur passage thro ugh the upper a nd lo wer chamber If I ammista ken in suppo sing
‘ ’ ‘
.
’

y o u a n i
‘
n it ia te pl
,
’
ease ex c u se m e I a m a w a re t h
.a t th e cl o se t fr ie n d s o ften co nceal
tha t sacred secre t fro meach o t her ; and even husban d and wife my live — as I was
‘ ’

in fo rm ed in D ayr cl Kam - ar was th e fac t in o ne fa m

-
ily th ere fo r twenty years to get her
a nd ye t neith er kn o w a n yth ing o f the init ia tio n o f th e o ther Yo u undo ub tedly have .
. ,

go o d rea s o n s fo r k ee p in g y o u r o w n co u n se l .

Yo urs truly,

A . L . Ra w so n

Befo re o t he subj ect we may add tha t if a stra nger ask fo r

we cl se

a dm issio n to a Thursday m ee tin g he will n ever b e refus ed Only if

‘
.
,

he be a C hris tia n the o khal will o pen a B ible a n d rea d fromit ; a n d if a

,

M oh a mmed an he will hear a few cha pters o f the K oran a n d th e ce re

”
, ,

mony will en d with this They will wait un til he is go ne a n d then shut
.
, ,

tin g well the doors o f their co n ven t ta ke to their o wn ri tes and bo o ks , ,

passin g fo r this p urpo se int o the ir subterra nea n sanc tua ries “ “
The .

D ruzes rema in ev e n more than the Jews a pec ulia r peo ple says Co lo nel
, , ,

Ch urchill o ne of the few fa ir an d stric tly impa rtial writers

,
“
They .

marry within their o wn race ; they are rarely if ever co nverted ; they ad
here ten acio usly to their traditio ns a n d they baffle a ll effo rts to discover ,

their cherished sec rets T he b a d n a m e o f th a t ca liph wh o m they

.

c la imas their fou n de r is fa irly co m pensa ted by the p ure lives o f many
who mthey honor as sain ts an d by the hero ismof th eir feu da l lead ers , .

An d y e t the Druze s m ay b e said to be lo n g t o o ne of t he leas t esoteric

o f sec re t so c ietie s There are others far mo re po werfu l an d learn ed the

.
,

e xis ten ce of which is n o t eve n s uspec te d in E urope There a re many .

bra nches belongin g t o the grea t M other Lo dge which mixed u p with ,

ce rta in co m munities may be termed secret sec ts within o ther sects One
, .

o f th e mis th e sec t co mmo nly kno wn as tha t of the La ngha na —fdstra I t .

rec kons se veral tho usan d a depts w ho a re sca tte red a bo u t in sm all gro ups

in the sou th of the Dekha n Indi a I n the po p ula r supers titio n this sec t
, .
,

is dreaded o n acco un t of its grea t re p u ta tio n fo r magic a n d so rcery The .

805 Cf Co l
. . . Churchill : Mou nt Leba no n , II , pp . 2 55-6 : Lo ndo n, 1 853 .
316 ISIS UNVEILED

Brah man as acc u se its members o f a theisma nd sacrilege fo r n o ne o f them ,

will co nse n t to recognise the a u tho rity o f either the Vedas o r M ann ex ,

cept so far as they co nfo rmt t h e vers io ns in their po ssessio n a n d which

o ,

they main ta in are pro fessedly the o nly o rigin al texts ; the Langhana
sas tra ha ve neither te m ple no r priests b u t twice a mon th e very me mber ,

o f the co m munity has to a bsen t himself from home fo r three days .

Po pular ru mor o rigina ted a mo ng their wo men asc ribe su ch absence to

, ,

pilgrimage perfo rmed t o their places o f fortni gh tly re o rt I n some .

sec lu ded m o un ta in o us spo ts un kn o wn an d inac cess ible to o ther sec ts , ,

hi dden far fro msight a mo n g the luxu rio us vegeta tio n o f In dia t hey keep ,

their bungalo ws which lo o k like small fo rt resse encircle d as they are by

, ,

lo fty an d thic k wa lls The e in their turn are surrounded by the sacre d
. , ,

trees ca lled asson ata a nd in Ta mil arassa maram These are th e sacre d
, .
‘

ov h i i l f th f E ypt d G w h i i t t l
’

g r e t e, o r g n a s o o se o g an r eece o se n i a e a so ,

bu ilt their temples within such groves inaccessible to the pro fane “ ‘ ’
.

I t will no t b e fo un d wi tho u t in tere st t o see wlia t Mr Jo hn Yarker Jr .

, .
,

has t o say o n so m e m o dern secret so c ie tie a m

“
o ng th e O rie n tal s The .

n ea re t resem blance to the Brahmanica l My sterie is proba bly foun d in

the very an cien t P aths o f the D ervis he whi ch are us ually go verned ,

by twelve o ffice rs the o lde t Co urt superin ten ding the others by right
,

o f se nio rity Here the M as ter o f the Co urt is ca lled S hei k and
.
‘ ’ ‘
,
’

has his dep u ties C aliph s o r succe so rs o f whi ch there m ay be m

’
, , any ,

( as f
, o r in s ta n ce in t h e b re v e t d e,gree o f a M as ter M as o n ) Th e o rd er is .

divided in to a t leas t fo ur co lumns pilla rs o r degrees The first s tep is , , .

tha t o f Hu ma ni ty which s upposes a tten tio n to the written la w and

‘
,
’
,

an n ihila tio n in th e S hei k The second is tha t of the Pa th in which

‘ ’ ‘ ’
.
,

o r disc iple a tta in s spiritu al powers an d self ann ihila tio n

‘
the
’
-
,

in t o the Pee r o r fo un der of the Pa th The third sta ge is called

‘ ’ ‘ ’
.

K no wledge a n d the M u n d is su pposed to bec o m e in s pire d ca lled

’
‘ ’ ‘
, ,

a nn ihila tio n in t o the Pr The fourth s ta ge lea ds him e ven to

’
e phe t
‘
.

Go d when he bec o m
, es a pa rt o f the Deity an d see hi min a ll t hi ngs .

The firs t an d seco n d sta ge ha ve received mo dern su bdivisio ns as ,

In tegrity Virtue Temperance Bene vo len ce After this the Sheik

‘ ’ ‘ ’ ‘ ’ ‘ ’
, , , .

co nfers u po n him th e gra de o f Caliph o r Ho no rary M as ter fo r in ‘ ’

, ,

their mystica l langua ge the ma n must die befo re the sain t can be ,

bo rn I t will be seen th a t this kin d o f my sticis mis applica ble to Christ

.
’

as fo un der o f a Pa th ‘
.
’

To th is s ta teme n t the a u th o r adds the fo llowin g o n the Be kta sh Der

,

v ishe wh o , o ften in i tia ted t he J an izarie They wea r a small marble .

806 Every tem

.
ple in India is surro unded b y such b elts o f sac re d tree . And like the
Ko unb o umo f Kansu ( M o ngo lia ) no o ne b ut an init iate has a righ t to ap pro ach them
 ”
31 8 ISIS UN VE ILED

as t he
‘
I a m
Ego S u m, th e Ahm
,
’
t he z, sh o wed his fu ll po wer to hi
‘ ’ ‘
m
who co uld recognise the
“
still s m all voi ce Iho
‘ t h e da y s o f the .
'
m
m
primitive an described by the first Vedic poet, do wn to o ur modern
age, t here has n o t bee n a philo sop her wo rthy Of tha t n a m

”m
e w ho did

n o t ca rry in the silen t sa n c tu a ry o f his hea rt the gran d a n d m yste rious

tru th If initia ted , he learn t it as a sacre d science ; if otherwise then
.
, ,

like Socra tes repea tin g to him se lf as well as t o h is fellow m

”
. en , the ,
-

0 ma n , kn o w thyself, he su cceeded 1 n reco gnising

“
n o ble inj unc tio n ,

”
his G o d within him
“
se lf Ye are go ds, the kin g psal ist tells us
.
-
,

an d w e fin d Je ns rem
“
i ndi n g the scribe tha t the expressio n , Ye are
g o d s , w as a dd ress e d t o o th e r m o rta l m en , c la i i ng f o r hi se lf th e m m
sa m e privilege with o u t any blas phe m y An d, as a fa ithful echo , .

Pau l, while assertin g th a t we are all the temple o f the livi ng Go d,

“ no

ca u tio u sly a dds , tha t , a fter all these things are o nly fo r the wise, ‘ ’

a n d it is
‘
u nla wful
’
to spea k o f the m .

Therefo re we must accept the a n d sim ply re mark that re min der ,

e ven in the to rt ured an d barbaro us phraseo lo gy o f the Code : N aza raeus

we de tec t thro u gho u t the sa m e idea Like an un derc urren t ra pid and .
,

c lea r it runs with o u t m

, ixin g its c rys ta lline purity wi th the mu ddy and
hea vy wa ves o f dogm a tism We fin d i t in t he Code as well as in the .
,

Vedas in th e A vesta as in the A bhidha rm an d in Ka p ila s S an khya

’
, a , ,

”
S dtras no t less tha n in the Fou rth Gospel We cann o t a tta in th e King .

do m o f Hea ven un less we unite o urselve indissolubly with o ur Rec

’

Lucia the Lo rd o f Splen do r a nd o f Ligh t o ur Im

, mo rtal Go d We , .

must first co nquer immo rta lity and ta ke the Kin gdo mof Hea ven by
violence offered to o ur ma te rial se lves The firs t m
“
, an is o f the ear th . ,

e art hy ; th e seco nd m an is fro mhea ven Beh o ld I sho w y o u a mys . .

,

lery says Pa ul ( 1 Cori nthia ns xv 47

, I n the religio n o f Saky a , , ,

M uni wh ich learned co mmen ta to rs ha ve deligh ted so much o f la te to set

,

do wn as p urely nihil istic the doc trine o f immo rta li ty is very clea rly ,

defin ed no twi thsta n ding the E uropea n o r ra ther Chris tia n ideas a bo u t
, , ,

N irv an a I n the sacred Jaina bo o ks o f Pat u na the dyin g Ga u ta m

. a ,

a nd Self alo ne ; S elf, whet her D ivine o r hu an ; Self, whether crea ting o r su fieri ngO m 0

Self, whe th er o ne o r all ; b ut always Self, in dependen t and free

‘
Who has seen the
m m
.

firs t-born. says t he poet, when he who has no b o nes (i or fo r ) b o re h i

’ ‘
that had . .

bo nes ?
Where was t he life, t he b lo o d, th e Self o f the wo rld ? Who went to ask
h k i ? ( g da, I, 1 64.
R i - Ve This idea o f a divine Self o nce ex
’
any o n e t a t n e w t
pre s s d e
. e ver t h in g el se mu
ys t ac kn o w ledge i ts supre acy ;
‘
S elf 1 s t he Lord o f a ll th ings, m
a nd t he circ u mference in this Self; all Selves are
all h
t ings are co n ta in ed
m
,

in t his Self Brah an itself is b u t Self ( Briha ddra nyaka -Upauishad I V, 5. 1 5,

’
487.
m gm
.
,

ed Ro er ; I bi
. d , p 4 78; Chhd nd ogya -
.Upa n is
.had, VII I . 3, 3, Chi p: fro a -
et an
W ksh p, . pp 6 69
I 7
m9 J h
o -
or . .

. o n, I . 34. 35 . 8 1 0 8 Cori nthi ans ,

. vi, 1 6.
 ”
THE ESOTERI C DOCT RIN E OF B UD DH I S M 319

Bu ddha is th us addressed : A rise in to N irvi (N irvana ) fro m this de

crepit body in to whi c h th ou has t bee n sen t Ascend in to thy form er .

abode O b le sed Ava ta r !

, Thi s seems to us the very opposite of N ibil
ism If Gau ta m former abode an d
“
. a is in vi ted to reasce n d in to his ,

this abode is N irvana then it is incon tes ta ble tha t B uddhistic philosophy
,

does no t teach final annihila tion As Je ns is alleged to ha ve appea red .

to his disciples afte r dea th so to the present day is Ga uta ma believed

,

to descend fro mN irvana And if he has a n existence there then this

.
,

sta te ca nn ot b e eq ui va len t to an nihilatio n .

G au ta ma no less than all other grea t reformers had a doc trin e fo r

, ,

his elec t a nd a nother fo r the o utside masse though the m

’
ain obj ec t
‘
,

of his reformco nsis ted in ini tia tin g all so far as it w as permi ssible and ,

pru den t to do withou t distinc tion of cas tes o r wealth to the grea t tru ths
, ,

hitherto kept so secret by the selfis h B rahm a n ical class Gau ta ma .

Bu ddha it w as whomw e see the first in the world s history moved by ’

tha t genero us feelin g which loc ks the whole of hu mani ty wi th in o ne

em brace in vitin g the poo r the la me a nd the blind to the King s
,
‘
,
’ ‘
,
’ ‘ ’ ’

festival ta ble fro mwhi ch b e excluded those w ho had hi therto sat alone
, ,

in hau gh ty seclusion I t was he w ho with a bo ld hand first opened

.

the do o r o f the sa nc t uary to the paris h t he fallen o ne an d all th ose , ,

affli cte d by m
“
en c lothed in gold a nd p u rple often far le s worth y ,

than the ou tcas t to whomtheir finger w as sco rnq y poin ting All this .

did Siddha r th a six cen t uries before a n oth er reform er as noble an d as ,

.

lov ing th ough less fa vore d by opportu nity in an other la n d

, If both , .
,

a wa re o f t he grea t d a n ger of furn ishing a n un c ultiva ted pop ulac e with the

double ed ged wea po n of kno wledge which gi ves power left the innermost
-
,

co rner of t he sa n c tu ary in the pro fo un de t sh a de w ho th a t is ac qu ain te d ,

with h um an na t ure ca n bla m e themfo r it ? B ut while o ne w as ac tu a ted

by pru dence the other w as forced in to su ch a course Ga u ta ma left
, .

th e esoteric and m o st da n gero u s po rtion of the secret kn owled ge un

touched a nd lived to the ripe o ld a ge o f eighty with the certa in ty o f ha v

, ,

in g ta u gh t the e sen tial tru ths an d ha ving con verted to themo ne third ,
-

o f the world ; Je n s p ro m ised his disc iples the kn owled ge which co nfers
u po n m an th e power of prod uci ng fo r greater m iracles tha n he ever did
hi m s elf and he died lea v i n g b u t a fe w fa ithful m
, , en o nly h alf w ay to ,

kn owledge to s tru ggle with the world to which they could impart b ut
,

wha t they half knew the mselves La ter their followers disfigured tru th
-
.
,

s till m ore tha n they themselves ha d done .

It is no t true tha t Gau ta ma never ta u ght a nythin g concernin g a

fu ture life o r tha t he denied the immo rta lity of the so ul Ask a ny in
,
- .

te lli ge n t B uddh ist his ideas o n N irvana a nd he will un qu estio n ably ex ,

pre s himself as the well known Wong Chin Fu the Chi nese ora tor no w
,
- - -
,
 ”
32 0 IS IS UN VE ILED

”
tra velin g in this co un try did in a rece n t co nversa tion wit h u s abo ut
,

N iepa ng (N irvana )
“
This co n dition, he remarked
.
“
w e a ll u nder ,

sta n d to m ea n a fin al reun ion with Go d , co in ciden t with th e perfec tio n of

th e h u m a n sp irit by its ul ti a te dise m m

barrass ent o f a tte r It is the m m .

very opposi te o f personal annihila tion .

N irvana m ean s th e certitu de of perso na l im morta lity in S pirit, no t in

S oul , which as a fin ite em , a n a tio n m u st certa inly di sin te gra te its par
,

t ic les a co m poun d o f hu ma n se nsa tions passions , an d yea rni ng for ,

so m e obj ec tive ki n d of exis te nce before the immorta l sp irit o f the Ego
is q u ite freed an d hen cefo rth sec ure agains t f urther trans m
, i gra tio n in any
form And ho w ca n man ever reac h th is sta te so lon g as th e Updddna
.
,

that sta te of lo ngin g fo r life more life does no t disappea r fro mthe sen
, ,

tien t bein g fro mthe A ha n kara clothed ho wever in a su blima ted bo dy ?

, , ,

I t is the Upadana o r the in tense de ire which pro d uces WILL, a n d it is

will which develo ps force a n d the la tte r ge nera tes m
, atter o r a n obj ect ,

ha v in g form Th us the dise mbo di ed Ego th ro u gh thi s so le un dying de

.
,

sire in h im un co nsc io usly furn ish es the co n ditio ns o f his s uccess ive self
,

procrea tio ns in various forms, which depend o n hi s men ta l s ta te and

K arm a the go o d o r b ad deeds o f his p recedin g e xis ten ce co m
, mo nly ,

cal led m eri t a n d de m

‘
eri t
’
This is w hy the M aste r reco mmen ded to
.
‘ ’

his mendica n ts the c ul tiva tion o f the four degrees o f Dhydna the no ble ,
‘
Path o f the Four M ths i e , tha t grad ual ac q uiremen t o f stoica l
’
, . .

in difference fo r either life o r dea th ; tha t sta te o f sp iritual self-c o n te m pla

tion d uring which man u tterly lo ses sight o f hi s physica l an d d ual indi
vid ua li ty co m posed of so ul a nd body ; an d un iting himself with his third
,

a n d hi gher im morta l self the real and heavenly ma n , merge , so to say,

,

in to the div ine Essen ce whence his o wn spirit pro ceed ed like a spark from
t h e co m mo n hearth Th us the Arha t the holy mendican t can reach
.
, ,

N irvan a whi le y e t o n earth ; and his sp irit tota lly freed fro mthe tram ,

mels of the psychical, terrestrial devil is h wisdom as Ja me ca lls it, and, ,

being in its o wn na ture omnisc ien t and omn ipoten t ca n o n earth , through ,

t he so le power of his thou ght, produ ce the grea test o f phen o m ena .

I t is the missionaries in C hina an d In dia

“
false , w h o first s tarted this
ho o d a bou t N iepa n g o r N iepa na (N irvana ), says Won g C hi n Fu Who ,
- -
.

”
ca n den y th e tru th of this acc u sa tio n a fte r rea din g the works of t he Abbé

D u bo is fo r in sta n ce ? A mission ary w ho pas ses fo rty years of hi s life in

,

In dia a nd then writes tha t t he B u ddhists a dmit o f no oth er Go d b u t

“
,

th e body of m an an d ha ve n o other obj ec t b u t the sa tisfac tio n of their

,

sense s ut te rs a n u n tru th which ca n b e p roved o n the tes tim

, ony o f the
laws of the Talapo ins of Siaman d B urm ah ; la ws whic h p re va il u nto

this very day a nd which se n tence a sahdn o r pu ngki (a lea rned man : ,

from the Sanskrit pund it) as well as a simple Tala poin to dea th by
, ,
 2 IS IS UN VEILED

be tter kn own as Ga uta ma Bu ddha The Hindu Brah ma na s who by

-
.
,

the E uropea n O rien ta lists are denied t h e righ t o f kn o win g a n y thing

,

a bo u t their o wn co u n try o r o f un ders ta n di n g their o w n la n gua ge and

,

reco rd s be tter than those w ho ha ve ne ver been in I ndi a o n t he sam e ,

principle as t he Jews are fo rbidden by the Chris tian theo lo gia ns to , ,

in te rpre t the ir o wn Scripture the Brahm a nas w e sa y ha ve a u t hentic , ,

reco rds . An d the e sho w t he in carna tio n fro mthe Virgin A v an y of the
first Bu ddha divine light as ha vin g ta ken plac e m ore tha n so me
tho usan ds o f yea rs B c o n the isla n d o f Ce ylon The Brah manas
. .
, .

re j ec t t he c la imtha t it w as an a va tar o f Vi shn u b u t adm i t the a ppear ,

an ce o f a re fo rm er o f Brah m an is ma t t ha t tim e The sto ry o f the Virgin .

Av a ny an d her divin e so n Sdkya m ,u n i is recorded in o ne of th e sacre d

-
,

bo oks o f the Singhalese Bu ddhists the N i rdhas a; a n d the B rahm anic

c hro no logy fix e t he grea t B u ddhis tic re vo lu tio n an d religious w ar and ,

t he su bse quen t pre a d o Saky a m — uni s doc trine in Ti be t C hin a Japan

’
s f , , ,

an d other place a t 46 2 0 yea rs B .

I t is c lea r tha t Ga u ta ma B uddha the so n o f the Kin g o f Ka pila v astu

-
, ,

a n d the de cen dan t o f t he first Sdkya th ro u gh his fa t her w h o w as o f the , ,

K sha triya o r warrio r c as te did no t in ven t his philosophy Phila n thro

,
-
, .

pis t by na ture his ideas were de velo ped and ma ture d while un der the
,

tuitio n o f Ti rtha n kara the fa mo us guru o f the Jaina sec t The la t ter [the
, .

Jainas ] c la imt he pre ent B uddhismas a divergin g branch o f the ir o wn

ph ilosophy an d t hemse lve as the only fo llo wers o f the first B u ddha who
,

were allo wed to rema in in In dia after the expulsion o f all o ther B u ddhists ,

proba bly beca use they ha d ma de a co mpro mise an d a dmitted so me o f ,

t he Brah m anic n o t io ns I t is to say th e leas t c urio us that three dissent

.
, ,

in g an d in imica l re ligio ns like Brah m , anis m B u ddhis m a n d Jainis m , , ,

sho uld a gree so pe rfec tly in the ir tra di tio ns a n d chro n o lo gy as t o B ud

dhism a n d tha t o ur sc ien tists sho uld give a b e ring b u t to the ir o wn nu

,

warra nte d spec ula tio ns an d hypotheses If the birth o f G a u ta ma may . ,

with some sho w o f reas o n b e place d at abo ut 600 B c the n the pre
, . .
,

cedin g B u ddh as o u gh t to h a ve so m e plac e allo wed themin c hro n o lo gy .

The B uddh as a re n o t gods b u t simply indi vi du a ls o versha do wed by the

,

spiri t of B uddha t he d iv ine ray Or is it beca use u na ble to extricate

.
,

them se lv e fro mthe di ffic ul ty by the he lp o f their o wn re earch e o nly ,

o ur Orie n ta lis ts pre fe r to o b li tera te a n d de ny t he who le ra th e r th a n ac ,

co rd to the Hin dus the righ t o f knowi n g so m e thin g o f the ir o w n religio n

a nd history ? S tra nge w ay o f disco verin g tru ths !

The comm o n argu m e n t add uce d aga ins t t he Jaina cla im of ha vin g

been the so urce o f t he res tora tio n o f a ncien t B u ddhism tha t the prin cipa l ,

8 1 4 Jacollio t : Les Frl s de Die pp 3 49 35 m " mw hich he declare tha t he c o pie d t he e

m
. .
,

da te fro the Book of the H is to rical Zodiacs , preserved in the pago da of Vilenur .
 M ISSION ARY VAN D ALIS M I N IN D IA 32 3

te net of t he la tter o is opposed to the belief o f the Jainas is no t a

religi n ,

so q o ne B u ddhists say o ur O rien ta lists deny the existe nce o f a

.
, ,

Suprem e Bein g ; t he Jain as a d m i t o n e b u t protest agai ns t the ass u m

, p
tion tha t the H e can e ver in terfere in the regula tio n o f the un iverse
‘
.

We have sho wn in the prec edi ng cha pter tha t the B uddhis ts d o n o t deny
any s uch thin g B ut if any disin terested sc holar co uld s tu dy ca refully the
.

Jaina litera ture in their thousan ds o f bo o ks preserved

, o r sh all w e sa y

hidden in Ra jpu tana a t Jasalm i r Pa ttan a nd other plac es ;

, , ,
8“
an d e

p ec ia ll y if h e co u l d b u t g ain acce s s to t h e o ld e s t o f th eir sac re d v o l u m es ,

he wo uld find a perfec t iden tity o f ph ilo so phica l though t if n o t o f popu lar ,

rite , betwee n the Jainas an d t he B uddhists The Adi B uddha a nd .

-

Adindtha (o r Adisvara) are ide n tical in essence and purpose And .

no w if w e trace t he Jain as ba c k with th eir claim , s t o the o wn e rship o f

the o ldest ca ve temple ( th ose su perb spec im

-
ens o f I ndian a rchite c ture

and sc ulpture) a n d their rec o rds o f an alm

, o st in credi ble an tiqui ty we ,

ca n h ardly re fuse to vie w the min the ligh t which they claimfo r th e m

selve . We mus t a dmi t tha t in all pro ba bility they are the only true de
scen da n ts o f the prim itive o wners o f o ld In dia dis possessed by those ,

con q uerin g an d m ysterious horde of white skinned Brahman as who min -

,

the twiligh t o f histo ry we see a ppearing a t t he first as wan dere rs in t he

valleys o f Ju mn a and Ganges The bo o ks o f the Srdvakas . the only
de cendan ts o f t he A rhata s o r ea rlie t Jainas the na ked fo res t hermits o f ,
-

the days o f o ld might perhaps thro w some ligh t o n many a puzzlin g

q u e t io n . B u t w ill o ur E u ro pea n sc h o lars so l o n g as
, t h ey p u rs ue th e ir

o wn po licy ever ha ve access to t he right vo lum

, e ? We ha ve o ur do u bts

a bo u t th is .Ask any trus two rthy Hi nd uho w the m issio narie ha ve dea lt
with those man u sc ripts which u nlu c kily fell in to their ha n ds an d then ,

see if w e ca n blam e the na tive fo r tryin g to sa ve fro mdesecra tion the

d th i f th
’
f
‘

g o s o e r a e rs .

To ma in ta in their groun d Irenaeu s an d his sc hool had to fight hard

w ith t he G n os tics Such also w as t he lo t o f E use b ius w ho fo un d him
. self
,

ho pelessly perplexed to know ho w the E ssenes sho u ld b e disposed o f The

ways a nd cus to ms o f Jesus and his a postle ex hi bite d too clo se a re se m
bla nce to this sec t to allo w the fac t to pass unexplained E use bius tried .

to m a ke peo ple believe tha t t he E sse nes were the firs t C hrist ians H is .

e ffo rts were th wa rted by Philo J udae u s w ho wrote hi s his toric , a l acco un t

o f t he E sse n e a n d desc ribed the mwith t he m in u te t ca re as they were

long befo re there had a ppeare d a sin gle C hristia n in Palestine B u t if .

there were no Chris tia ns there were C hrestians long befo re the era o f
,

Chris tia nity ; a nd the Essenes belo nged to t he la tter as well as to all o ther

8 15 . We were to ld tha t there were nearl y 20 ,(l )0 o f such bo o ks .

 ”
32 4 IS IS UNVEILED

”
mentioning the K rishna ite of

”
ini tia ted b t ro he rh oo
ds , withou t ev en -

In dia Lepsius sho ws tha t the wo rd N ofer mea ns Chrés tos good, and
’
.
,

tha t o ne o f the title o f Osiris, Onn o fer ( Un nefer) mu s t b e translated

“
-

t he goodness o f Go d m ade m
“
“ “
a nife t
8
The worship o f C hris t was .

n o t un iversa l a t this early da te, ex plain s M ac kenzie by which I m ean ,

that Christola try had no t been in tro d uce d ; b u t the worship of Chri stos
t he Go od Prin ciple had preceded it by m any cen tu rie a n d e ven sur ,

vived t he genera l a doptio n o f C h ris tiani ty , as shown o n m o num en ts still

in existence . Again , we ha ve an insc ription which is pre -Christian o n

an epita phia l ta ble t ( S po n : M isc c ru d a n t X xv iii Y ar d :

m
, , , . . .

A a pw a w v A m
'
a n H we
p q a r e Kn i e a n d D e M
p i ( L
'
a R o m a S o ttera n
, ea

Cristi a no , I ta v x x i) give us a no ther exa mple fromthe ca ta com

, . bs
Aelia C hre s te in Pac e And K ris , as Jaco llio t sho ws, m
‘ ’
3"
, . ea ns in
3“
Sa nskrit sa c re d
‘ ’
.

The m eri to rio us s tra ta gem s o f t he trustworthy E usebius 3 “ thus

pro ved lost la bo r H e was triumphan tly detecte d by Basnage, who,
.
“
exa m in ed with the mos t critica l acc urac y the curious

”
“
sa y s Gibbo n
tim
,

trea tise of Ph ilo which describes t he Therapeu tae By pro vin g it was
, .

co m posed as early as the time o f Au gustus, he has demonstra ted, in

sp ite o f E u sebius an d a crowd o f m o dern C a tho lics tha t the Thera
am
,

u tae w ere n e it h e r C h ris tia n s n o r m o n k s

p e .

As a las t word t he Christia n G n o s tics sp ran g in to exis te nce toward

the beginn in g o f the sec o nd cen tury a nd j ust a t the tim e when t he E8 ,

se nes m os t mys terio usly faded a way wh ich in dica te d tha t they were the ,

identical E ssenes a n d m oreover pure Christists, viz , they belie ved , and
, .

were those w ho bes t un derstoo d wha t o ne o f their o wn bre thre n had ,

preached I n insisting tha t t he lette r Io ta , men tioned by Je ns in

.

M atth ew (v , in dica te d a secre t doc trine in rela tion to t he te n ac ons,

it is sufi cien t to dem o ns tra te to a K a ba lis t tha t Je ns belo n ge d t o the

Freem aso nry of th ose days ; fo r I , whic h is I ota in Gree k , has o ther

n am es in o ther lan gua ge ; a n d is as it w as a m ong the G no stics of those

,

days, a pass wo rd mea ning t he SC E PT E R of the FA TH E R in Eastern

-
, ,

brotherhoods whic h exist to this very day .

B u t in t he early cen turies these fac ts, if kno wn were purposely ,

ign ored , an d no t o nly withh eld fro mpu blic no tice as mu c h as possible ,

b u t vehemen tly den ied whenever t he q ue tio n w as fo rce d u pon disc us

s io n. The den u ncia tions o f the Fa thers were rendere d bitter mpropo r
tion to t he tru th of t he claim which they endea vo red to refu te .

“
I t co mes to this, writes Irenae us co mplaining of the G nostics, ,

8 1 6 Leps ius : K 6nigsbuch, b 1 1 , ta ] 1 dyn 5, h p I n I Peter, u , 3, Jesus is called

. . . . . . .

the Lo rd C re tos f 8 1 7 Royal M aso nic C

‘
1a, PP 2 06 -7 .

“ des J uifsJ I , ch 20 -23

.

8 1 8 Chris tna , etc p 357 8 1 9 Ecol H ist II , x vii 82 0

m
. .
, . . . .
, . . . .

82 1 De vita conte pl
. 82 2 Decli ne a nd Fall , etc , ch x v, no te 162
. . . . .
32 6 I SIS UNVEILED

K ni gh t, C W K in g an d Olsha u sen , which trea t o f o ur su bje ct ; w e ha v e

. .
,

re vie wed the b ul ky vo lu m es o f Iren ae us Tert ullia n , So zo m en Th eo d o re t ; , ,

an d in non e b u t th ose o f Epiphan ius ha ve we fo un d an y ac cu sa tio n bas ed

u po n dire c t ev idence o f an ey e w itn e s They say ; So me say ;

‘
-
.
‘ ’ ’

We have hea rd such are the general an d in defini te te rm s u se d by

the pa tris tic accu sers Al one Epipha ni us, whose works are in variably
.

re ferre d to in all su ch case see m s to ch u c kle with deligh t wh e n e ver he

,

co u c he a la n ce We do no t mean to ta ke u pon o urselve to de fen d the

.

sec ts which in un da ted E urope in th e ele ven th cen tury a n d whi c h in tro ,

duced the m o st wo n derful cree ds ; we lim it o ur defense m erely to th ose

Christia n sects who se theo rie were us ually gro uped un der t he generic
na m e o f Gn osti cim The e are those which appeare d immedia te ly afte r
.

t he alleged c ru c ifixio n, a n d las te d till t hey were nea rly e xte rm in a te d

un der the rigoro us execu tion o f t he Co ns ta n tin ian la w The grea tes t .

g u ilt o f t he e w ere t h e ir sy ncre tis tic vi e ws, fo r a t n o o the r p erio d o f t he

wo rld s histo ry had tru th a po orer prospec t o f triu mph tha n in th ose days
’

o f forgery , lyin g, an d de libera te falsifi ca tion of fac ts .

B u t before we are forc ed to belie ve the acc usa tions, ay w e n o t be m

m
per i tte d to in quire in to the histo rical charac te rs of their acc use rs ? Le t
us begin by as kin g, u po n wha t gro un d do es the C hurc h o f Ro m e b u ild

m m
her clai fo r the su pre ac y o f her doc trine over tho se o f the G nos tie ?
Apostolic su ccess io n un do ubte dly , The su ccession trad itio n all y ins ti
.

t ute d by the a po s tle Pe ter B u t wha t if this pro ve a fic tio n ? Clea rly
.
,

the whole su perstruc ture supported u pon this o ne im agin ary s til t wo uld

fall in a tre men dous cra sh An d when we do in quire carefully w e find

.
,

tha t we must ta ke the word o f Irenae us alo ne fo r it o f Ire nae us , w ho

di d no t furnish o ne sin gle va lid proof o f the clai mwhic h he so a u dacio usly
a dvan ced , a n d w ho resorted fo r th a t to e n dless fo rgerie H e give .

a u tho rity ne ithe r fo r his da tes n o r his assertio ns This S yrni o te wo rthy . m
has n o t even the bru ta l b u t sincere faith o f Tertullia n , fo r he co n tradic ts
him self a t e very s te p , a n d su pports his cla i s so lely o n ac u te so p h is try m .

Though he w as undo ubte dly a man o f the shrew de t in tellec t an d grea t

lea rn in g he fea rs n o t in so me o f his assertio ns an d argu men ts e ven to
,

”
a ppea r an idio t in th e ey e of po sterity so lo ng as he ca n ca rry th e situ a
‘

tio n . Tw itte d a nd co rnered a t every step by his no t less acu te a nd

lea rned a dversa rie , the G n o st ie he boldly shields himself behin d bli nd

”
,

fa ith and 1 11 a nswer to their merc iless lo gic falls bac k u pon ima ginary
,

traditio n in vente d by himself 3"

Reber wittily re m a rks . As w e rea d his .

misa pplica tio ns o f wo rds a nd se n tence , we sho uld co nclude th a t he was

a l una tic if w e d id n o t kno w th a t he w as so m ethin g e lse 3
.

82 6 . Irenaeus : Agar H en III

.
, , iii, 3 . 82 7 The Chri st of Paul, p 1 88 : N Y
. . . ., 1 876 .
 ”
E USEBI US CON VI CTED OF FALS IFI C ATIO N 32 7

So bo ldly mendac io us does this holy Fa ther pro ve himse lf in man y

in sta nces tha t he is even co n tradicte d by E usebiu s m
, ore ca u tio us if no t ,

mo re tru thful than hi mself E usebius is driven to that co urse in the face
.

o f uni m pea c hable e vidence So fo r instan ce Irenae us asserts that Pa pias

.
,
“
B ishop o f H ierapolis w as a direc t b earer o f St Jo hn
,
3
an d E use bius .

is co mpelled to show tha t Pa pias never m a de any suc h cla im b ut ,

sim ply sta ted that he had received his do ctrine from tho se who had
kno wn J ohn .
“

I n o ne poin t the G no stie had the bes t o f Irenaeu s They drove hi , . m

thro u gh mere fear o f in co ns is tency , to the reco gnitio n o f their ka balistic
doc trine of a tonement ; unable to gras p it in its allegorical mea nin g,
Iren aeus presen ted , with C hris tian theology as w e fin d it in its prese n t
s ta te of
‘
origin al sin versus Ada m, a doc trine which would ha ve filled
’

Pe ter with pio us ho rror if he ha d been still alive .

The next cha m pion fo r the propagatio n o f Aposto lic Succession is

E u se bius himself I s the word o f this Arm
. enian Father a ny be tte r th a n

tha t o f Irenaeu s ? Le t us see wha t the mo st co mpe ten t cri tics say o f
him And befo re we turn to m
. o dern critie a t a ll w e m i gh t remin d the ,

read er o f t he sc ur rilo us term s in whic h E usebius is a ttac ked by George

Syn ce llu s t he Vice Pa tria rch o f Co nsta n tin o ple (eigh th cen tury ) , fo r his
,
-

a u dac io us falsifica tio n o f the E gy ptian C hro n olo gy

“ The opin ion o f .

So crate , a historian of the fifth ce n tury , is n o m o re fla tterin g H e fear .

le sly ch arge Eu sebius wi th pervertin g his torica l da tes in o rder to please

8m
t he E m pero r Co nsta ntine I n his chronogra phic wo rk, before proceed
.

in g to fal sify the synchro ni stic ta ble hi m s elf in o rder to im part to Scrip ,

tu ral chrono logy a mo re trustwo rthy appearance , Syn cellus covers Eu se

b ius with the cho icest of mon ki sh Billingsga te B aron B u ns en has verified
m
.

” ”
””
the jus tn ess, if no t jus tified the po liteness, of this abus ive ind ict ent His .

e la bo ra te re earche in t he rec tifica tion o f the Egypti an Lis t of Chro n o

lo gy by M ane th o led him to perceive tha t throu ghou t his wo rk the

”
Bisho p o f C ae area had un derta ken , in a very u nscru pulous an d arbi
tra ry spirit , t o m
“
u tila te his to ry Euse biu s, he sa ys, is the origin a tor
.

of that syste ma tic theory of syn chro ni sms which h as so often su bse q uen t

”
ly m a im ed a n d m u tila te d h isto ry in its Pro crus tea n b ed To this the
a
.

a u th o r o f t he I ntellectu al D evelo p ent of E urope adds : Amo n g tho se

m
w h o ha ve bee n gu ilty of this li tera ry offense , t he n a m e o f the c elebra te d

E u se biu s t he B isho p o f C ae sa rea sho uld b e de signa te d !

8
,

It will no t b e amiss to re min d t he rea der tha t it is the sa me Eusebius

w ho is charged w ith the in te rpo la tio n o f t he fa m ou s paragraph co ncerni n g

82 8 Agai nst H eresies V x x x iii,

.
, , 54 . 82 9 Eccles H ist , H I , x x x ix
. . .

830 B unsen : Egypt s Place, etc

.
’
.
, I , pp . 83 , 2 06 ; II 438 sq ; l st ed
, , . .

83 1 Socrates : Ecol H is t I i
. .
, , . 83 2 Draper: 0 p cit , ch vi
. . . . .
32 8 ISIS UN VEILED

”
Je us which w as so mirac ulo usly fo und in his time in the writings o f , ,

Jo se phus the sen tence in q ue tio n ha ving till tha t time re ma ind per
“
,

fec tly un kn own Re na n in his Life of J esus ex pre se a c on tr a ry opinio n

. .

“ “

”
I believe says he the pa ssage re pec ting Je ns to b e a u then tic I t
, , .

is perfectl y i n the style of J o sephus ; an d if this histo ria n ha d m , ade

men tio n o f Je ns it is thus tha t he must ha ve spoken o f him

”
.
,

Begging thi s emin en t sc ho lar s pardo n w e mus t con tra dic t hi m

” ”
’

, .

Lay in g aside hi s ca u tio us if we shall merely show tha t th o ugh the

“
,

short pa ragrap h m
“
ay po ssibly b e gen uin e an d perfec tly in the style of
,

Jo se phu s its se veral paren the e are mo st pa lpa bly la ter fo rge rie ; and
,

if Jo se phu s ha d ma de a ny m
“
en tio n o f C hris t a t all it is no t th u s t ha t he ,

wou ld ha ve spoken o f him The who le paragra ph consists of b u t a few

m
.

lines an d re a ds : A t this tim

“
e w as I eso us a w ren MA N if a t least it
‘ ’
, , ,

is right to call hi ma m a n! [M p0 ] fo r he w as a doer of surprisin g works ,

an d a tea che r o f su ch m en as receive th e tru ths wi th plea s ure

‘ ’
.

This was the ANOI NT E D An d o n an acc usa tion by the first m

”
en

am o n g u s h a v in g bee n co n de m
, n ed by Pila te to the cro ss the y did no t ,

stop lovin g h imw h o loved the m Fo r he appea red to themo n the thi rd
.

day al ive as t he div ine pro phe ts had said the e and m

”””
, an y other wonder

ful thin gs co n cernin g him .

This pa ragraph (o f sixte en lin e in the original) has tw o uneq ui vocal

asse rtions an d o ne q ualifica tio n The la tte r is expresse d in the fo llow
.

in g se n tence : I f a t leas t it is righ t to call hi ma man

“
Th e un eq ui vocal .

“
assertio ns are co n ta in ed in t he wo rds This w as the AN o rN rE n and in '
, ,

t he sta tem a ppea re d to them on the thi rd da y al ive

“
en t th at Jesu s .

H istory sho ws u s Josephu s as a tho ro ughly unco mpro misin g s tiff nec ked ,
-
,

”
o rth o do x Jew tho u gh he w ro te fo r the Pagan s It is well to observe the
‘ ’
.
,

false position in which these sen tence wo uld ha ve place d a true born -

Jew if they ha d re a lly ema na ted fro mhim Their M e siah was then
‘ ’
, .

an d is still expec ted The M essiah is the A no i nted an d vice versa An d

.
, .

Joseph us is made to a dmit tha t the first men a mong them have
“

acc used a n d cru cified th eir M essia h an d An oin ted " N o need to co m
ment any further u pon such a preposte ro us incongruity e ven tho ugh “
,

su ppo rted by so ripe a sc ho lar as Re nan .

As to tha t pa tristic fire bran d Tertul lian whom De M ousseaux

-
,

a potheo sizes in co m pa n y w i th hi s ot h e r d e m i god s h e is re g ar d ed by -

,

Re ne Baur and Schwegler in quite a di fferen t ligh t

, , The un trust .

833 A ntiquities, K VI H , iii. 3 ; Renan : La vie de J h us, intro d

. .

834 Wise m
‘
an a lwa ys m ean t wi th the a ncien ts a ka ba lis t
’
I t eans astro lo ger and m
m H aki m[Arabic ] is a ph ysician
. .

agician (Jost : The I srael ite I ndeed, III. p

’
. .
330 I S IS UN VEI LED

” ”
Jo hn w as a veral o f the Fa thers assert the fac t o n the a u tho ri
virgin se

E ven Pa ul the m ost liberal a nd high min de d o f them

”
ty o f tra ditio n .
,
-

a ll fin ds it difficu lt to rec on cile the positi o n o f a m

, a rried m a n with tha t
“
o f a fa ithful servan t o f Go d There is di fferen ce also be tw ee n a wife
.

5“ “
an d a virgin The lat ter ca re
. fo r the thin gs o f the Lo rd a n d the ,

former o nly fo r ho w she may please her h usba n d If any man think

”
“
.

”
tha t he behaveth himself unco mely toward his virgin le t them

” ”
ma rry N evertheless he tha t sta ndeth stedfas t in his heart a n d hath
. ,
“
,

power over his o wn will and b a th so decreed , tha t he will keep his
virgi n doe th well
, So tha t he w ho m . arrie do e th well b u t he
tha t giveth her no t in m

”
a rriage do eth better Art thou loo se d fro ma .

And remarkin g th a t a ccord

“
wife ? he as ks seek no t a wife ,

””
ing to his j udgm e n t bo th w ill b e h appier if they do no t m
, arry he adds , ,

as a weigh ty co n clusio n An d I think a lso tha t I ha ve the spirit

o f Go d Far fro m this spirit o f to lerance are the word s o f Jo hn .

Accordi ng to h is vis io n there are b u t the h un dred an d fo rty and

four thousa nd which were redeemed fro m the earth an d the e are
,
“
,

they which were no t defiled with wo men ; fo r they are virgins “ 1

This .

seem s conc lu sive ; fo r except Paul there is no t o ne o f the e prim itive

N aza ri there set a part and vo wed to Go d w ho seem ed t o m
‘ ’
, a ke a ,

g r ea t diff e re n ce b e tw ee n sin w i thi n th e re la tio ns hi p‘

o f le ga l
, m ’
a rri a ge ,

an d the a bo m ina tio n o f adultery

‘ ’
.

With such views a nd such na rrow mindedne s it w as b u t na tural that -

,

these fan a tics sho uld have begun by cas ting this i niquity as a slu r in the
face of brethre n a nd then bearin g o n pro gressively wi th their acc usa
,
‘

tio ns As w e ha ve a lready shown it is only Epipha nius who mwe find

. ,

g iv in g s u ch m in u te d e ta ils as t o t h e M as o ni c gr ip s an d ot h e r s ig n s o f
reco gnit io n am ong the Gnostie H e had once belo nge d to their num .

”
ber a nd there fo re it w as easy fo r h imto fu rnish part ic ula rs Only ho w
, .

far th e worthy B isho p is to b e relied u pon is a very grave q ue t io n One .

need fa th o mhu m an n a ture b u t very su perficially to fin d tha t th ere sel

do mye t has bee n a tra itor o r a renega de who in a mom en t o f dan ger

t nmed S ta te 8 e vidence who would n o t lie as re m o rsele sly as h e had

’

be trayed M en never fo rgive o r relent to ward those who mthey mj re ,

u ,
. .

We ha te o ur victims in pro portio n to t he harmwe do them This rs a

”
.

tru th as o ld as the wo rld On t he oth er han d it is prepostero us to believe

.

tha t s uch persons as t he G no stics who accordin g to G ibbon were the “

,

wea lth ie t p ro u de st m , o st polite as well as t h e m

, o st lea rned o f t he
,

C hristian n a me were gu ilty o f the disgus ting libidin o us ac tions o f which

, ,

Epipha n iu s delights to a cc use them Were they e ven like tha t se t of .

840 . I Cori nth ia ns , v u, 34 . 841 . Revd a tio n. x iv , 3, 4

.

842 . Decli ne a nd Fall, d c , I , x v.

as Pa u l s follo wers

story .
’
ST
. AUG UST N E S

” I ’

ta tterdemalio ns almo st na ked with fierce lo o ks th a t Lu cian de c rib e

we sh o ul d hesita te to belie ve su c h a n infam
,

H o w much less pro bable then tha t men w ho were Pla tonists as well
as C hris tian s sho uld ha ve e ver bee n guilty o f suc h prepos tero us rites

Pa yne K ni gh t seems never to suspect the te s timony o f Epiphanius

O
H LY KI SSES

o us
UN ORTH ODOX

,
33 1

”
.

H e argu e tha t if we m a ke allowa nce fo r the willi n g exa ggera tio ns o f

reli gio u s h a tre d an d co n seq ue n t pop ular prej u dice t he ge nera l co n vie
, ,

”
tion tha t these sec ta rian s had ri te an d prac tices o f a licen tio us charac ter
3“
appea rs too stro n g to b e e n t irely disre garded If he dra ws an ho ne t .

line o f de marca tion be twee n th e G no stie o f the first three ce n turie an d

tho se med ieval sec ts who se doc trines ra ther clo sely rese mbled mo dern
co m mun ism we ha ve no thin g to say Only we wo uld beg every critic
, .
,

em ber that if the Templars were acc used o f tha t mo st abominable

”
t o re m
‘

crim o f a pplyin g the h oly ki ss to the root o f B apho m et s ta il

“ St
‘ ’
e , .

Au gus tine is also sus pecte d an d o n very go o d gro u n ds too o f ha vi ng, ,

a llo we d his co m muni ty to go so mewha t as tray fro mthe primitive way o f

a dm i n iste rin g t he holy ki ss a t the feas t o f the E u charis t The holy
‘
.

Bisho p see ms qu ite too an xious as to certa in de tails o f the ladie to ilet ’

fo r t he kiss to b e o f a s tric tly o rth o do x na t ure

‘ ’
Where ver there .

lurks a true a nd sin cere religio u s feeling the re is no roomfo r wo rldly ,

de ta ils .

Co nsidering the extrao rdina ry dislike ex hi bited fro m the firs t by

Chris tians to all ma nner o f clea nliness we ca nnot en ou gh wo n der at ,

su c h a stran ge so licitu de o n t he part o f the h o ly B isho p fo r hi s fem ale

parishioners unless in deed we have to excuse it o n the groun d o f a

, , ,

lin gerin g reminisce n ce of M a ni c haea n rite !

I t wo uld b e hard indee d to bla me any writer fo r en tertaini n g such
, ,

su sp ic io ns o f im mo rality as tho se a bo ve n o ticed when the reco rds o f ,

ma ny historia ns a re at han d to help us to ma ke an impartial inv e tiga

”
tio n. Here tics are accu sed o f crime in which the Ch urch has more o r
‘ ’

less o pe nly in du lged e ven down t o the beginn in g o f o ur cen t ury I n 1 2 32 .

“
a n d 1 2 33 Pope G re go ry I X iss ue d two b u lls a gainst the S te din gers fo r
vario us heathen a nd magica l prac tices “ 7
a n d the la tter as a m a t ter o f
, ,

co u rse we re sla u gh tered in th e n a m

, e o f C h rist a n d his Holy M ot her .

I n 1 2 82 a parish priest o f I n verke ith in g na med Jo hn performed rites o n , ,

Eas ter day by fa r w o rse tha n m a gica l Co llec ting a cro wd o f yo un g

‘ ’
.

g irls, h e fo rce d th e m to e n te r in to
“
d i vi n e ecs tas ie s a n d B a cc h a n a li an

Philo pa trix , in R Taylo r s The Dieges is etc p 3 76 : Bos to n 1 832

’
843 . .
, .
, .
, .

844 Worshi p of Pria pus the M ystic Theol of the A nc ie nts pp 1 75-6 ; ed
.
, .
, . . 1 865 .

84 5 K ing : The Gnos tic s a nd their Re ai ns , p 42 0, no te ; 2 nd ed

. m . .

846 S erm
. o nes clii See Pa y ne Kn igh t o p cit
, .
p 107 , . .
, . .

847 Baro nius : A n nalee Eccles iastic i, XXI p 89 : An t werp, 1 6 1 0

. . . .
 ”
332 ISIS UN VEILED

fury d , the o dl
an c ing A m a zo n ian c irc le d an ce aro un d t he fi gu re of the
-

hea then go d o f t he gardens N o twi ths ta n ding that u po n the co m

’
. plaint
o f so me of hi s p arish io ners he w as c ite d befo re his bish op he re tai n ed his ,

b enefice beca use he proved tha t s uch was the com mo n usage of the coun
The Waldenses th ose ea rlie t Pro te ta n ts , were acc us ed o f the
’
try .
,

mo st un na t ural ho rrors b urned bu tchered, an d exter ina ted fo r calum

, , m
n ie hea ped u pon them by their acc users M ean while the la t ter in .
,

open triu mph fo rmed their hea then pro cessions o f Corpu s Christi
, ,
’

with emble ms mo deled o n tho se o f B aa l Peo r a nd Osiris, in e very city

‘
-
’

in Sou thern Fra nce carry in g in yearly pro ce sio ns o n Eas ter da ys loa ves
,

a n d ca ke fas h io ed ke
n li th e ao -
m u c h -
dec ried emblems o f the Hindu
3“
Siv ite an d Vishn ites as late as 1 82 5 ! ,

Deprived of their o ld mea ns fo r sla nderin g other C hris tia n sects

who se religious views differ fro m their o wn it is n o w the tu rn o f the ,

hea then H in d us C hin ese a nd Ja pane e to sh are wi th th e ancient

‘ ’

, , , ,

religio n s the h o n o r of ha v in g cas t in their tee th den un cia tio ns of their

libidino us re ligio ns
‘ ’
.

Witho u t go ing far fo r proofs o f eq ual if no t greater immorality we ,

would remind Ro man Ca tholic writers o f certain baa reliefs o n the doors -

o f St Pe ter s C a the dral They are as brazen face d as th e do o r its elf ;

’
-
. .

b u t less so than any a u th o r w ho kn owin g all this feigns to igno re his ,

to rica l fac ts A lon g succe ssion o f Popes ha ve res ted their pas to ral eye
.

u po n these braze n pic tures of the v ile t obsceni ty throu gh th ose m any

cen turies wi tho u t ever fin din g the sligh te t necessity fo r rem

, oving them .

Qui te the co n trary ; fo r we migh t name certa in Po pes and Cardinal s who
ma de it a life long study to co py the e hea then su ggestions of nature
-
‘

d i p ti w ll i th o y
’

g o s ,n rac ce as e a s n e r .

I n Polish Po dolia there was so me years a go in a Ro m an Ca tholic

Church a sta tue o f C hrist 111 blac k marble It was repu ted to perfo rm .

miracle o n certa in days such as having its hair and beard gro w in the ,

sigh t of the p u blic a n d ex hi b itin g o th er less inn oce n t wo n de rs

, This .

sho w w as fin a lly p ro h ib ite d by th e Ru ss ian G overn m

”
en t When m .

1 585 the Pro te ta n ts to o k E m brun (Departmen t o f the Upper Al ps) ,

they fo un d in the c hurc he of th is town relie o f such a charac ter tha t as ,

the Chron icle expresse s it o ld H u gue not so ldiers were seen to blush
, ,

se ve ra l wee ks a fte r a t the ba re m ,e n tion o f the discovery I n a corner .

of the Church of St Fiac re near M onceaux in fi ance there was

.
, and ,

it is still there if we m i s ta ke n o t a sea t ca lle d t he ch air o f S t Fiacre

‘ ’
, .
,

848 Citron . . de La nercost; Stevenson ed .

849 . Dulanre : Histo i re abrégée des dil érents cul tes , II , p.2 85
M arteu i : Pagani e Chris tiani, p 78 . .
 ”
33 4 IS IS UN VEIL ED

an d Go spel H e tha t co nfesseth no t th a t Je ns Christ 1s co me in the

.

flesh is a deceiv er a n d a n a ntichris t (2 J ohn I n h is pre vio s

u
. .
,

E pis tle he tea c he his floc k tha t there are two trinitie ( v 7 8 ) — ia
, , ,

short , the N azarene syste m .

The in fere nce to be dra w n fro ma ll this is tha t the m a d e u p a n d do g

-

ma tic C hris tia nity of the Cons ta n tin ia n perio d is simply an o ffs pring o f
the n u m ero us co nflic ting sec ts ha lf-cas tes the selv e , bo rn o f Pagan
, m
p a re n ts E a c h .of th ese co u l d c lai m re p r
e se n ta ti ve c o n v e r te d to the so
ca lled ortho doa: body of C hris tian s An d as e very newly bo rn do gm
. a had -

to be ca rried o u t by t he m a jo rity o f vo te , ev e ry sec t c o lo re d t he m ain

s u bs ta n ce with its o w n h u e till the m om e n t whe n t he e m pero r enfo rced

this revealed olla podrida o f which he e vide n tly did no t hi mself un der
-
,

s ta n d a wo rd u po n a n un wi llin g wo rld as th e religio n of Chris t

, Wea ried .

in the v ai n a tte mpt to so un d this fa tho m le s b o g of in terna tio na l specu la

tions u na ble to appre c ia te a religion base d o n t he pure spiritu a li ty of an
,

idea l co nce ptio n Chris te ndomga v e itself u p to the ado ra tio n o f bru tal
,

fo rce as represen ted by a C hurc h bac ked u p by Cons ta n tine Since then .
,

am o n g th e tho usan d rites do gm as a n d cere m co p ie d fro mPagan

”
, o nie ,

ism t he C hurc h can clai mb u t o ne in ve n tio n as tho ro u gh ly o rigina l with

,

her na m
, ely th e doc trine o f eterna l da m
, na tio n ; an d o ne cu s tom that ,

of t he a na thema The Pagans rejec ted bo th with ho rro r “

”
. An ex ecra .

tio n is a fea rful a nd griev ous thing says Plu ta rch “

Wh erefo re the
, .
,

p ri e s te s a t A th e n s w as co m m e n d e d f o r re fusin g to c urse Al c i bia de [ fo r

desecra tion o f the M y sterie ] when the people req uired her to do it ; for ,

she sa id th at she was a pries tess of prayers a nd not of cu rses

“ 3
.
,
“
Deep re ea rc he wo uld sho w says Re na n “ tha t nearly e very
, ,

thing in C hristia nity is m ere ba ggage bro ugh t fro mt he Pa ga n Mys

te rie . The p rim itiv e C hristian worshi p w as no thin g b u t a mystery .

The who le in terio r po lice o f the C h urc h th e degre es o fini tia tio n t h e co m , ,

man d o f silence and a c rowd o f phrases in the eccle ias tica l la nguage
, ,

ha v e no o ther o rigin T he re v o lu tion wh ich o v erthre w Paga ni smseem

. s

a t firs t glance a n a bso lu te ru pt u re with t he pas t b u t the po pular

m m m m

”
fa ith s a ved its o s t f a ilia r s y bo ls f ro s hi p w rec k C h r is t ia ni ty in t ro .

duced a t firs t so little c ha nge in to the ha bits of p riva te a n d so cial life that ,

with grea t n u mbe rs 1 11 t he fo urth a nd fifth cen turie it re ma ins un certa in

whether they were Paga ns o r C hris tians ; man y seemev en to ha ve pur
su ed a n irre so lu te co urse be twee n t he t w o wo rships Spea kin g further .

o f A rt w hic h fo rm
, ed a n esse n tia l pa rt of the a nc ien t religio n h e sa ys tha t ,

it had to brea k w ith sca rce o ne of its trad itio ns Prim itiv e C hris tia n art is.

rea lly n o thing b u t Pa ga n a rt in its dec ay o r in its lowe r de pa r tm , en ts .

852 . Plu ta rch : A lc i bia des , m

5 2 2 ; Ro a n Questio ns, 5 44 .

rel igio ns d a ntiq u ité

’

852 11 I n Les
. .
 JES US TOTALLY UN KN OWN TO HI S C ENT URY .
3 35

The Go o d Shephe rd o f t he ca taco mbs in Ro m e is a co py fro mthe Aris

te us o r fro mt he Apo llo N o miu s whic h figure in the sa me po s tu re o n the

, ,

Paga n sarco pha gi a n d still ca rries t he flu te of Pa n , in the mids t o f t he

,

fo ur ha lf na ked Seas o ns On the C hristia n to mbs o f the Ce metery o f St

-
. .

Calixtu s Orpheu s cha rms the a nima ls Else where , the Christ as J upiter
, .

Plu to and M ary as Pro se rpina receiv e t he so uls tha t M erc ury
, , wea r
ing t he bro a d brim med hat , a nd carrying in his ha nd t he ro d of the so ul

”
-

g u i d e (p sych o po mp o s ) br in g s t o the m i n p rese n ce o f t he th ree F a te s .

Pegasu s, the sy mbo l o f the a po theo sis ; Psyche the symbo l o f t he immo r ,

ta l so u l ; Hea ven pe rso nified by a n o ld m a n , t he ri v er Jo rda n ; an d

Vic to ry figu re o n a ho st o f C h ris tia n m on u men ts .

As we ha v e else whe re sho wn , the p rim itive C h ristia n co mmu nity w as

co m po se d o f small gro u ps sca tte red a bo u t a n d o rga nize d in sec re t soc ie
t ie wi th pa ss wo rds , grips a n d signs To a vo id t he rele n tless persec u tion s
, .

of their ene mies , they were o bliged to see k sa fety a nd ho ld mee tings in
dese rt ed ca ta co mbs , the fas tnesse s o f mo unta in s a n d o ther safe re trea ts , .

Like disa bilities were na turally enco u n te re d by eac h religiou s reforma t

its in ce ptio n Fro m t he ve ry first a ppea ra n ce o f Jesu s a n d his twelve
.

disc iple , we see the mco ngrega ting apart , ha v in g sec ure refuge in t he
wildern ess , a n d a mo n g frie n ds in Be tha ny a nd elsewhe re Were C hris , .

t ia n ity no t co m po sed o f secret commu n ities fro m the sta rt, histo ry
‘ ’

wo u ld ha ve mo re facts to reco rd o f its fo un der a n d disc iple tha n it has .

H o w little Je su s ha d impre ssed his perso nality u po n his o wn cen tury ,

is ca lc ula ted to as tou nd the in qu ire r Re na n sho ws tha t Ph ilo , w ho died

.

to ward t he year 50 , a nd w ho w a s bo rn ma ny yea rs earlier than Jesus liv ,

in g a ll t he wh ile in a Je wish co m munity while the gla d tidings were

”
3535 ‘ ’

being prea ched all o ver Palestine , acco rding to the Go spels , ha d never
hea rd o f him! Jo se ph u s t he histo ria n w ho w as bo rn th ree o r fou r years
,

a fte r t he dea th o f Jes u s m e n tio ns his e xec u t io n in a sho rt se n te nce , a n d

,

e ve n tho se few wo rds were a lte re d by a Christia n hand , says the a u th o r

o f t he Life of J csus
m Writin g a t the clo se o f the first ce n tu ry when Pa ul ,
.

t he lea rn e d pro pa ga n d ist , is sa id to ha v e fo un ded so m a ny c hu rche , a n d

Peter is a lleged to ha ve e ta b lished the a po sto lic successio n , whic h the

—
I re ae o E u se bia n c h rono lo gy sho ws to h a ve alrea dy inclu ded three
n

bisho ps o f Ro me 8154
Joseph us , t he pain sta ki ng en umerator a nd ca refu l
,

histo ria n o f eve n the mo st u nimpo rta n t sec ts , en tirelv igno re the exist
e n ce o f a C hristia n sec t S ueto niu s , sec re ta ry o f Hadria n , writin g in the
.

firs t qu arte r o f t he sec o nd cen tu ry , kno ws so little o f Jes u s o r h is histo ry

”
as to say tha t t he E m
“
pero r Cla u dius ba nished a ll the Jews who were ,

852 b O n a t least o ne occas io n Philo vis ited Jeru sa le

. m
altho u gh his ch ief res ide nce was
,

in Alex a ndria lo ng a fa vo rite a b o de o f th e learned Jews (Y o nge : The Wo rks of P hil o

“

m
,

J udaeus preface) 853 In tro d ; also ch x x viii

. . . 854 Lin us, Anac letus , and Cle ent
. . . .
336 ISIS UNVEILED

tin ually ma kin g dist urba nce s a t the instigation o f o n e Chrestus

”
co n , ,

mea ning C hrist we mus t suppose The Empero r H a drian himself

,
3“ .
,

writin g s till la te r w as so little impre sed with the tene ts o r impo rta nce of
,

the ne w sec t tha t in a letter to Servia n us he shows tha t he believe the

,

C hris tians to be worshi pers of Serapis “ “

I n the sec on d cen tury says .
,
“
C W King the sy ncre tis tic sec ts tha t had sprung u p in Al exandria
. .
, ,

the very ho t b ed of G no stic ism fo un d o u t in Sera pis a pro phe tic type of
-
,

Christ as the Lo rd an d C rea to r o f all a n d J u dge of the li vin g and the ,

”
dea d .Th u s while the Pa gan philo sophers had ne ver vie wed Serapis
, ,

o r ra ther t he a bstrac t idea w hich w as e m bo died in hi m as o therwise than ,

a rep re se n ta tio n o f the Ani m a M un di the C h ris tians an th ro po m o rphized ,

t he So n of Go d and his Fa th er fin din g no be tter m o de l fo r himthan

”
‘ ‘ ’

t he ido l of a Pa gan m be no dou bt remarks t he sa m

“
y t h ! T h e re ca n e ,

a u t ho r tha t t he hea d of Sera pis marked as the face is by a gra ve and

, , , ,

pen sive maje ty supplied th e firs t idea fo r the co n ven tio nal po rtraits
,

of t he Sa vior “7
.

I n the no t es ta ken by a tra veler who se e pisode wi th the mo nks

o n M o un t A th o s w e ha ve m en tio n ed else where w e fin d th a t d uring ,

his early life Je ns had freq uen t in terco urse with the E ssen e belo n ging
,

to the Pytha go rean sc hool an d kn own as th e K o in o b io i , We believe it .

ra the r ha zardo us o n the part of Re na n to assert so dogm

”
a tica lly as he ,

doe tha t Je ns 1 gno red th e very na m

, e of B u ddh a of Zo ro as ter o f , ,
“
Pla to tha t he had nev er rea d a Greek o r a B u ddhistic boo k al ,

tho u gh he had more than o ne elemen t in him which una wa re to him ,

se lf p ro ceed ed fro mB u d dhis m Parsis m a n d th e G reek wisdo m

“ 3
This
, , .

is co nceding half a m iracle a nd a llo wing as much to c han ce an d co inci

,

dence It is a n a bu se o f privile ge when an a u thor w ho cla ims to write

. , ,

his to rica l fac ts dra ws co n ve nien t ded uc tio ns fro m hypo th e tica l pre
,

misses a nd then ca lls it a biography a Life of Je ns N 0 mo re than

, .

a ny other co m piler of legen ds co ncerning the pro blema tical his to ry of the
N aza re ne prophet has Re nan o ne in c h o f sec ure foo thold u po n which to
main ta in himself ; no r ca n any o ne else assert a claimto the co n trary ,

exce pt o n in fere n tia l e vi dence An d y et while Re n an has n o t o ne

.
,

so lita ry fac t to show th a t Je ns had n e ver st u die d the m

”
eta phy si ca l tenets

of Bu ddhis ma nd Parsism o r heard of th e philosophy of Pla to his o ppo

, ,

855 Lives of the Caesars

. Cla udins. 5 2 5
‘ ’
856 lli, q ui Serapin colunt ,
. . I
C hristia ni sunt, et devo ti su nt Sarapi. qui se Christi episcopos dic unt Vo piscus .

Vi ta S atu rni ni, in S cri pt hist A ugusti n , p 2 45 .

m
. . .

857 The Gn o s ti cs and the ir R e ai ns , pp 1 6 1 -2

; 2 ud ed (p 68, l st. I n Payne . .

m
.

Knight s Sy bol La ng of A ncient A rt and M ytholon pis 1s represente d as wearing

’

gy era
m
. .

h is ha ir lo ng, fo r a lly turned b ac k and in ringlets falling do wn u po n h is b reast

“

and sho ulders like t ha t o f wo en m

His who e person, too , is always en velo ped 1 n drapery
.

reaching to his feet (5 Thi h i nal ict ure o f Christ

"
s t n v e n t
1s e co o
p .
338 ISIS UN VEI LED

mmon mo s Sm us m

”
Su s , Fra n co

1 . Possess no t tre mb
su ut those things 1 .
“
Lay for yo urselves treasures
no t up

which no o ne can ta ke fro m yo u upo n eart h where m

. o th and rust doth

(Sex t us : Ads .

thro ugh a nd steal ( M atthew , vi.

2 I t is b etter for part of the bo dy

”
. a

which co nta ins purulent a t ter, and m 08 ; it is b etter for thee to enter into
th rea tens to infect the who le, to be life maimedA han .

bumt than to

”
co ntinue in another

”
so

sta te nifal ( I amblichus :

Yo u ha ve in yo urself so me th ing si m K no w ye no t ye are the tem
“
3 . i 3 . l
p e of
lar to Gad, and there fo rc use y o urself God. and that the Spirit o f Go d dwell

”
as the te mple f
o God (Sex t us) . eth in yo u ? ( I Co ri nthia ns , iii,
4 .
“
The grea tes t ho nor which can b e paid 4 .
“
That ye may b e the children of your
to Go d is to kno w and im
, ita te his per
fectio n

”
which is in b eaven is perfect (Mat
thew, v, 45
5 . Wh at I do no t wish men to do to 5 .
“
Whatsocver ye wo uld that men aho uld

me l d so wish no t to do to men do to yo rn do ye even so to thern

"

”
(A na lects of Confuci us ch v ( Matthew vii

”
, .
, x v; see , ,

M ax M uller s Chips etc x iii)

’
. .
, ,

6 .
“
The moo n shines even in the ho use 6 . He maketh his sun to rise on the evil
of the wick ed ( M an n) . and o n the go od, and sen det h rain on tba
j ust and o n the unjust ( Matthew, v,

””
Whosoever him shall be
“
7 . They who give ha ve things given to , 7 . ba th, to
them; those who withho ld have things , given b ut whoso ever ha th no t.

fro m him shall b e taken awa y even

t ha t he ha th ( Matthew , x iii,
8 . Purity of mind alo ne sees Go d 8 .
“
Blw ed are the pure in heart : for
( I bid ) . still a po pular saying in I ndia . t hey shall see Go d ( Matthew , v.

Pla to did no t co nceal the fac t tha t b e deriv ed his b e t philoso phical
doc trine fromPythagoras a n d tha t he himself was merely the first to re ,

duce them to systema tic order occas ionally in terwea vin g w ith them ,

meta physical spec ula tions of his o wn B u t Py thagoras hi mself go t his .

reco n dite doc trine first fro m the de cenda nts of M o ch us an d la ter
, ,

fro mthe B rfih ma n as o f I nd ia H e w as also initia ted in to the M y sterie .

am ong the hiero pha nts o f Thebe and th e Persian an d Chaldaean Magi , .

Th us step by step do we trace the origin of most of o ur Chris tian do c trine

to M iddle Asia Dro p o u t fro m Christianity the personality of Je ns
.
,

859 See M ishnah Pirke Aboth; a CoIlectio n o f Pro verbs and Sentences o f the old Je wish
.
-

Teachera in which N ew Testarnent sa are fo und (ed Strack. Karlsr .

860 I arnblichus :
.
 ”
THE MY TH I CAL C H RIST COPI ED FRO M B UD D HA 339

so su blime b eca use of its unparalleled simplicity and what re main s ? ,

History and co mpara tive theo log ech o bac k the melancholy ans wer
blin g skele to n formed of the o lde t Paga n m
,

A crum
“
yths !
While th e my thical birth a nd life of Jesus are a faithful copy of
those o f the Brahmanical K rishna his historica l charac ter of a religious ,

reform er in Pale tin e is the true type of B u ddh a in In dia In m ore .

th an o ne respec t their grea t resemblan ce in philan thropic an d spiritual

as pira tions as well as ex tern al c ircu m
, s ta n ce is truly s triki ng Th ough , .

the so n of a king ( wh ile Je ns w as b u t a ca rpe n ter) Bu ddha w as no t o f ,

t he h igh Brahm an ical cas te by birth Like Jesus he felt dissa tisfied with
.
,

the dogm a tic sp irit of the religio n o f his co un try t he in to lerance an d ,

hy pocrisy of th e p ries thood th eir ou tward show of de votion and the ir

, ,

usele s cere m onia ls and prayers As B uddha bro ke violen tly thro u gh the
.

trad i tional laws and rul es of the Brahmanas so did Je ns decla re w ar ,

”
agains t the Pharisees an d th e pro u d Sa ddu cee Wha t t he N azare ne .

did as a co nseq uence o f his h um ble birth an d posi tion B u ddha did as a ,

volun ta ry pena nce H e tra veled abou t as a beggar ; an d

. again like

la te r in life he so ugh t by pre feren ce the co m

”
Je ns panionship of
Each aimed a t a social as well as at a religious
“
pu blicans and sinn ers .

re form ; an d givin g a dea th blow t o th e o ld religions of th eir respecti ve

-

co un trie ea ch beca m
, e the fo un der o f a new o n e .

The reformo f B u ddha say s M ax M uller had originally m

“ “
, uch ,

more of a social than of a religious charac ter The most im po rta n t .

elem en t o f the B u ddhist re fo rmh as always been its social an d m oral co de ,

o ral code is one of the m

”
n o t its m eta physical theo rie That m . ost W es t

whi ch the world has ever kno wn an d he wh o se m edita tions ha d bee n

ho w to deli ver th e so ul o f m an fro mm ise ry an d the fear of dea th had ,

delivered the people o f In dia fro m a degrading thraldom a nd fro m

”
p rie tly ty ra n n y F u rth
.e r th e lec tu re r add
,s tha t w ere it oth er wise ,

Bu ddha migh t ha ve ta ught wha tever philosophy he pleased a nd we ,

should hardly h a ve hea rd his n am e The people wo ul d n o t ha ve m

. in ded
him an d his systemwo uld onl y ha ve been a drop in the ocea n of philo
,

sophic spec ula tio n b y which In dia w as delu ged a t all tim
, e
“ 1
.

The sa m e with Je ns While Philo whomRenan ca lls Je us s elder ’

.
,

bro ther Hillel Sha mmai and Ga maliel are hardly men tioned
, , , Je ns
has bec om e a Go d ! An d s till p ure an d divin e as w as the m
, oral code
ta ught by Chris t it n ever co ul d ha ve borne comparison with tha t o f
,

Bu ddha b u t fo r the tragedy o f Calvary Tha t which helped forward the

, .

deifica tio n of Je ns was his drama tic dea th the volun ta ry sacrifice of his ,

life alleged to ha ve been m

, ade fo r t he sa ke o f m ankin d an d th e la ter ,

Chi ps froma Germ Workshop Bud dhism

‘ ’
861 . an , , pp 2 1 6-7 . .
w I S IS UNVEI LED

o venien t do gma of the atonement in ven ted by t he Ch ris t ia ns I n

c n , .

In dia where life is valued as o f n o accoun t the crucifix ion wo u ld have

, ,

produced littl e effec t if any I n a coun try where ,

—
. as all th e In dian

ists are well a ware reli gio us fan a tics set t he m selv e to dying by
inche i n penan ce las ting fo r years ; where the most fea rful m
, acera

tions are self inflicted by fa kirs ; where youn g and delica te wido ws
-
,

in a spirit o f bra v ado agains t the go vern m en t as m u ch as o u t o f re ,

ligio us fana ticis m moun t the funeral pile wi th a sm

, ile o n th eir face;
where to q uote the words o f the grea t lec ture r men in the prime of
, ,

life thro w t hem selve un der t he car o f Jagge rnfith to b e crus hed to ,

dea th by the ido l they believe in ; where the pla in tiff who ca nnot get
re dress starve him self to dea th a t t he doo r o f his j u dge where the ,

philosopher w ho thinks he has learned all which this wo rld can te ach
him an d w ho lon gs fo r a bso rption in to the De ity q uie tly ste ps into
, ,

the Gange i n order to arrive a t th e o the r shore o f in such

a co un try e ve n a volun ta ry c rucifi xion wo ul d h a ve pas sed unn oticed .

I n Ju daea and e ve n a mo ng bra ver na tions than t he Jews

, the Ro m ans

an d the G reeks where every o ne clun g more o r le s to life and most ,

peo ple woul d ha ve fough t fo r it wi th de pe ra tio n t he tragical end ,

of the grea t Re former w as calcula ted to produce a pro foun d impre s ion .

The na me of even su ch min or hem e as M u tius Sc ae vo la Ho ra tius ,

Co cles the mother o f the Gracchi and others ha ve descen ded to

, , ,

posterity ; and durin g o ur sc hoo l d ays as well as la ter in life their

,
-
, ,

histo rie ha ve awa ke ned o ur sympa th y and com manded a reverential

a dm ira tion B u t ca n w e ever forge t t he sc ornful sm
.
, ile o f cert ain
Hin dus a t Benares when an English lad y t he wife of a c lergy man

”
, , , ,

tried to impress them wi th th e grea tne s of th e sacrifice o f Je ns in

m
,

g i vin g hi s life fo r us ? T h e n fo r th e fi rs t ti e th e id
,ea s tru c k u s h o w
much the pa tho s of the grea t drama of Calvary had to do with subse
quen t even ts in the fo unda tion of Christiani ty E ven the un imagina tive .

Re nan w as mo v ed by this feeling to write in the las t cha pter o f his Vic dc
J esus a few page of sin gular an d sympa th etic bea u ty .

Max M uller : Christ and o ther Masters, in Chi ps etc I p 57

‘ ’
862 , .
, , .

m
. .

863 The Lis OJ J ms b y Suam which lie nan calls

.
-
u n li m u odq md ,

( ha ndy ex act witty and conscien tio us bo ok) rude and

m
spi ritual a conscicncicnx
’
a , , , ,

ic o noclastic as it is is nevertheless i n a
ny wa
, prefera ble to the Vic dc J es us o f the
French a utho r Laying aside the in trinsic historical va lue o f the t wo works
m
.

with which we ha ve no thing to do , we no w si ply po in t to Renan s disto rted on tline

’

sketch o f Jesus We ca nno t think wha t led Renan in to such an erro neo us delineatio n
.

o f cha rac te r Few o f those who, while re jecting t he divinity of the N azarene pro phet
m
.
.

st ill b elie ve t ha t he is no yt h. can read t he wo r k witho u t ex periencing an un easy and

ev en angry feel ing a t snch a sycho lo gica u tila tio n He
l
ake m
o f Jesus a sort of m
sentim mp m m
.

ental ninny . a the tri l t d f his o wn po et ical divaga tions

‘

si p e o n ena o re o
m
,

an d speeches, wanting every o ne to ad ore h i , and finally ca ught in the snaru of his
342 IS IS UNVEILED

bloo d migh t ha ve proved as efi cacio us fo r the su bseq uen t di ssemina tion

o f spiritual doc trine as tha t o f th e Christia n M e sia h .

The calum nie set afloa t aga ins t A po llonius were as n u m ero us as

they were fal se So la te as eigh teen centurie after his dea t h he was
.

defa med by B ishop Douglas in his work aga ins t m irac le I n this the .

Righ t Re vere n d bishop crushed him self aga ins t histo rical fac ts If we .

stu dy the q u e tio n with a dis pas sio na te m in d w e sha ll so on perc eive that ,

t he ethics of Ga u ta m a B u ddha Pla to Apollonius Je ns Am

-
, mo n ius Sac , , ,

cas an d his disc iple were all bas ed o n the same mystic philosophy ;
,

tha t all worshi ped o ne Go d whether th ey co nsidere d Hi mas the Fa ther

,
’

o f h um ani ty w ho li ve in m
, a n as m a n li ve in H im o r as t h e I n c o m p re ,

hensible C rea tive Principle ; and tha t all led Go d e li ve Amm o ni us -

.
,

spea king o f his philosop hy ta u gh t tha t th e Pla tonic sch oo l da te d fro m

,

the days of Herm e w ho bro u gh t his wisdom fro m In dia

, I t w as the .

sam e m y stical co n te mp la tio n thro ug ho u t as tha t of t he Y o gin s : the ,

co m munion of the Brfihmana with his o wn luminous Self the Atman

”
‘ ’
.

And this Hin d n termis again ka balis tic pa r czcell cncc Wh o is Self? is

”
, .

“
asked in the Rig- Vcda; Self is the Lo rd o f all things all t hings are . .

Brahman

”
con ta ined in this Self ; all selve are c on ta ine d in this Self .

itself is b u t Self, is t he ans wer Says the I drah Ra bbah : All things .

are Hi m self and Him

, self is concealed o n e very si de “7
The Adam
“
.

m
Kad o n o f the ka balists con tains in hi self all the so uls o f the Israelite m ,

and he is him self in e very soul says t he Zohar “ The gro un dwork of
, .

the Eclec tic Schoo l was thus iden tical with th e doc trine o f t h e Yogins,
m
t he Hin du ystics, an d t he earlier Bu ddhis o f t he disciple o f G au t a a m m .

”
N mo unta ins l o7) ; while the Buddhist b ooh , hist ory, and scien tific research
(see p
m
.

na. thro f
the lips o Max M tlller and a ho st of Orienta lista tha t Gau ta a-B uddha.
m m
m
He had neae i e ac hed the d ty of Kafi i -
“
(SA y
k a- uni died near the Ganges . d
when his vita l strength began to fail H e hd ted in a fa est and while sit ti ng under
m
.

a sdl tree he gave up the gliost

The refei e nces oe
( Max
Graves to
fl lei z Chi
- r a a G Worh Ml
Jo nes, in so e o f s g o m h
hi

”
m
.

o us specula tio ns pro ve no thing

. Max M (p 2 1 9 ) sho ws so e an tiq uate d aut hori
. .

ela b orate bo o ks in order to pro ve t ha t Buddha had been in i e al ity the

‘‘
ties wri
Tho th of Egyptia ns. tha t he was M o r Wo da or Zo ro s ster or Pyt ha goras
. m , .

identified Bud first with Odin and afterwards with

Shishak We are in tb e d ueteenth c‘ enl no t in the eigh teenth ; m and
Ori enta lists m
. ,

to write bo o ks o n the autba ity of the ay in o ne sense

'

”
'

viewed as a nark of respect for old ag e, it is no t alwa ys safe to t ry t he ex peri

i
m ent in o nr ti esm Hence this highly instrncti ve volu e lacks o ne
u

t feati ne m
which wo u ld ha ve m ade it still m
.

ore in The au thor sh d ha ve added

to the li st after Pro m Ro m
“
, etheus the a n. ci des the
a eventeen th
“
crucified Sa vior
— “
Venus, go d of the war, i n tro duced to an .d
’

s
.

m
miring world by Mr Arte us Ward the sho w an l ‘ ’
m
m
.

Max Mtlller : Chi d ca L P- GO .

86 7 [ M W 5 1 72
. .
 ””
LABO ULAYE AND ST -H ILAIRE ON THE TWO C HRISTS
. 343

And when Je ns assure d his disciple tha t the spirit o f tru th , who m
the wo rld ca nn ot recei ve beca use i t sed h H i no t, neither kn owe th H i ,
m m
dwells with and i n them, who are in Hi and H e in them,
“
be but m
ex poun ded th e sa m e ten e t tha t we fin d ru nni n g thro u gh every philo

so phy worthy o f tha t na m e .

St Hilaire the learned an d skeptical French sa van t doe no t believe

.
-
, ,

a word of the m irac ulous portion of B u ddha s life ; ne vertheless he has

’

the ca n dor to spea k of Ga u ta m a as being only seco nd to Chris t in t he

g rea t p uri ty of hi s e thics a n d pers o na l mora li ty F o r b o t h o f th ese .

opin ions he is respec tfully re buked by D e M oussea ux Vex ed at this .

sc ien tific co n tra dic tion of his accusa tions of dem onola try agains t Ga uta
ma Bnddha he assures his rea ders tha t cc sa van t distin gué n av ait
-
,
’

poin t é t ndié cette q ue tio n “7°

I do no t hesita te to sa re m arks Ba rthelem y St Hila ire tha t

y
-
, .
, ,

except Chris t alon e there is no t a mon g the foun ders of religions a

,

figure either m ore pure o r more to uching than tha t of B u ddha His life .

is S po tle s H is consta n t heroismeq uals his co n viction

. H e i s the .

perfec t mo del of all the virtue he pres che ; his a bnega tion his charity

””””
, ,

”
his un alterable swee tne s of dispo sition do no t fail himfo r o ne insta n t ; ,

b e a ba n doned a t the age of twen ty nine his fa ther s court to becom

’
,
-
e a ,

monk and a beggar ; an d when he die in t he arm s o f his disciple ,

it is with the serenity o f a sa ge w ho prac tised virtue all his life and who ,

die co nvin ced o f ha vin g foun d the tru th in

This des erved panegyric .
,

which occa sio ned D e M o ussea ux s wrath is no stronger than the o ne ’

,

which Labo ulaye hi mself pro n ounced I t is more than difi cult .
,

wrote the la tter to un dersta n d ho w men no t assis ted by re vela tion could
,

ha ve soared so high an d approac h ed so near the tru th as

Curious tha t .

th ere should be so many lofty souls no t assisted by re vela tion !

“

”
An d why sho uld any o ne feel surprised th a t Gau ta m a co uld die wi th
“
philosophical serenity ? As the ka balists j ustl y say Dea th doe no t ,

ex is t an d m
, a n nev er s teps ou tsi de of u ni versal life Those whomwe .

thin k dea d live s till in us as we live in them! ,

“ The more o ne live
fo r his kind the less need b e fea r to die
, And w e m igh t add tha t he .

w ho lives fo r h um an ity does even m ore than he who die fo r it .

The I neflable nam e in t he searclfl o r which so m

, any ka balists un

ac q ua in ted wi th a ny Orie n ta l o r e ve n E uropea n adept vainly consume

their knowledge a nd li ve dwells la te n t in th e heart of every man This
, .

869 J ohn.
. x iv, 17 . 870 t .
ph6 mm3m ds la magia p 74 . .

871 . J . Barthele my St -Hila ire : Ls Bouddha

. at so religion. p . v; Paris. 1 860 .

872 . C f Max M uller : Chips, stc

. I , p.2 1 7 . 873 J W. JOO M AV TIL1 853 .
 344 IS IS UN VEILED

mirific na ding to the mos t ancien t o rac le

me which ac cor rus h es in to
m m
, ,

”
the in finite worlds dx oqn jf mo v podi dhi ca n be obta in e d in a tw o fo ld
’
,

w ay : by re gular initia tion an d thro ugh t he sm all voic e w hi c h Elij ah

‘
,

hea rd in the ca ve of Horeb the m

“
oun t o f Go d An d w hen Elijah , .

heard it b e wrapped his face i n his m a ntl e an d stood in t h e e n tering o f ,

th e ca v e And behold there ca m

. e the voice .

Whe n Apo llo nius o f Tya na de ired to hea r t he small voice he used ‘
,
’

to wrap himse lf up en tire ly in a ma n tle o f fine woo l o n which h e placed ,

bo th his fee t after ha ving performed certa in magn e tic pas s e an d pro
, ,

no unced no t the na m e b u t an in voca tio n well kn own t o e very a dept .

Then he dre w the man tle over his hea d and face and his tra nslucen t o r ,

as tral spirit w as free On o rdinary occa sions he wore woo l n o mo re than

.

t he prie ta o f the te m ple The po ssession o f th e secre t co mbin a tio n o f

”
.

the nam e ga v e the hie ropha n t s upre m e power over ev ery bei ng h u m an ,

o r oth erwise in ferio r to hi m

”
self in so ul s tren gth
, Hence when Max -
.
,

M uller tells us of the Quic he Hidden maje ty which w as ne ver to be

3“

opene d by hu man han ds the ka balist perfec tly un dersta n ds wha t was ,

mea n t by the expression and is no t a t all surprised to hear e ven this most

”
,

eru dite philologis t excla im : What it w as we do no t kn ow !

We cann ot too often repea t tha t it is only through th e doct rin e o f
the m ore an cien t philosophie tha t the religion preached by Je ns can b e
un ders to od I t is thro ugh Pythagoras Confucius and Pla to tha t w e can
.
, , ,

co m prehen d the idea which u nderlie the term Fa ther in th e N ew Tes

ta m ent Pla to s idea l of the Deity whomhe te rms the o ne e verlas ting
.
’

, ,

” ”
in visible Go d the Fas hion er a nd Fa th er of all things
, is ra ther th e ,

Fa ther of Jesus This D ivine Being of who mth e Grecia n sage say s
‘ ’
.
,

”
that H e ca n neither be en v io us no r the origina tor of evil fo r H e ca n pro ,

“
du ce nothing b u t wha t is go o d and j u st is certa inly no t the M o saic ,
“ “
Jehovah t he jealo us Go d b u t the Go d of Jesus w ho alone is go od
, , , .

H e extols H is all e mbracing divine po wer a n d His o m

”
.
-3"
nipo ten c e b u t , ,

a t t he sa m e tim e in tim a tes tha t as H e is un c han gea ble H e ca n never , ,

de ire to cha nge his la ws i e to extirpa te e vil fro mthe world thro ugh a , . .
,

miracle H e is o mnisc ie n t a n d nothin g esca pes H is wa tch ful ey e

.
“
, .

H is j ustice which we fin d em , bo died in the la w of compensa tio n and

re tribu tio n will lea v e no crim
, e witho u t p un ish m en t no virtu e wi th o u t its ,

re wa rd ; a n d there fo re h e dec la re s tha t the o nl y w ay to h o no r Go d is to

a

cul tiv a te m o ra l p urity H e u tterly rej ec ts no t o nl y the an thropo mo rphic

.

875 Proclus : On the Cratylus

. o f Pla to . 876 Chips , etc , I . P 336
. . . .

877 Pla to : Ti m 55 9 Polit 5 Bo hn s Libr ed

’
. aeus , , 1 6, etc ; . . 13: . .

878 . Ti maeus , 5 1 0 ; Phacdrus 556 ; Repub I I , , x viii . 879 . La ws, I V, v ii ;X. x .

880 Re pub ,
. . II x x ; Thenet 55 84 85
, . . . 881 . La ws , X. x i .

882 . La ws, I V, vii ; Repub .

, II
, viii ; X. x ii.
346 ISIS UN VEILED

book of tra vels w as published This illus tra tes h o w li ttle we may .

ec t to learn t he tru th a bo u t th e re ligi ons o f o ther people thro u gh

ex
p

”
missio narie when their accoun ts are first re vise d by the su perio r
,

ecc lesias tical a u th o ritie an d th e form er severely p u nishe d fo r te lling

,

t he tru th .

Wh en these men who ha ve been and still are often te rme d t he o h

”
scene ascetics the de votee s o f diflere n t sec ts of In dia in sh o rt ge n erally
, ,

termed Yogins were as ked by M a rco Polo ho w it come th a t they

,
“
,

are n o t asha m e d to go sta rk naked as they do ? they an sw ere d the

inq uire r of the thirteen th cen tury as a m issio nary o f t he nin e te e n th w as
answered . We go na ked they say because naked we ca me in to
“
, ,

”
the wo rld a n d w e de ire to ha v e n othin g a bo u t us tha t is o f this wo rld
, .

M oreo ver we ha ve no sin o f t he flesh to be conscious of an d th e re fo re

, , ,

w e are n o t asha m ed o f o ur na ked ne s a ny m ore than y o u are to sho w ,

o u r h a n d o r yo ur face Y o u w h o are c o nsc io u s o f the sins o f t h e fle h

y . ,

do well to ha ve sha me an d to cover your nakedness ,

“ 3
.

One co uld m ake a c urio us lis t of th e excu ses a n d expla na tio n s o f th e

clergy to acco un t fo r sim ila rities daily discovere d be tween Ro ma nism

an d hea then religio ns Y et the sum mary would in varia bly lea d to o ne
.

sweepin g claim: The doc trin e of Chris tianity were plagia rized by t he
Paga ns the world over ! Pla to and his older Aca dem y sto le the ideas
from the Chris tian revela tion said t he Alex an drian Fa thers The
Brahma nas a nd M an n borrowed fro mthe Jesui t missionarie a n d the ,

B ha gavad Gitd was the prod uc tion o f Father Ca lm

-
et wh o t ra n s fo rm ed ,

C hrist a nd John in to K rishna an d Arj una to fit t he Hin du min d ! ! The

trifling fac t tha t Bu ddhis mand Pla to nismboth a n ted ated C hris tia ni ty ,

an d tha t the Vedas h ad alrea dy degenera ted in to Brahm an is mbe fo re the

days o f M ose ma ke no differe nce The sa me with regard t o Apo llo nius
, .

o f Tya na . Al though his tha um a turgical po wers co uld no t b e deni ed in

th e face of the tes tim ony o f emperors th eir courts an d the po pul a tions o f , ,

se veral c it ie ; an d al th ou gh few of these ha d e ver hea rd of t he N aza re ne

pro phet whose mira cle had been wi tnessed by a few a pos tle o nl y
‘ ’
,

who se very in dividu alitie re main to this day a pro blemin his tory y et ,

Apo llo nius has to be accepted as the m onk ey o f C hrist .

b eing struck, he writes with their grea t resem b lance to Ca tholicism The b is ho p s
’ ‘ ’

m
it re the dalm atic the ro und hat t ha t the grea t la m
, .

cros ier the as wear in tra vel

the m the ex o rcism
, , , ,

ass the do u b le cho ir, the o dy s, the censer w ith fi v e

the blessings of t he lam
, ,

chai ns to it, o pen ing and sh u tting a t as , who ex ten d their

righ t ha nds o ver the head o f th e fa it hful o nes the rosary t he celibacy o f the clergy , , ,

pe na n ces a n d re tr e a t s t he c ul t us of th e Sa in ts t he fas t ing, t he pro cess io ns th e

lita nies the ho ly water ; such are the sim
, , ,

ilarit ies o f the Buddhists with o ursel ves

’

m
m
, .

i gh t ha ve yadded the to nsure, relics, and the co nfessio nal

"
He
m
.

888 Travels q aroo P olo MH p 30 1 J Crawfurd : J ournal of an E bass y to the

m m
.

C srts of Sia et p J 1 82 1 830 .

 GARI BALD I S OPIN I ON OF PRIESTS
’
34 7

If many real ly pio us go o d and b one t men are y et foun d a mong

, ,

th e C a th olic Greek a nd Pro tes ta n t clery

, , whose sin cere faith has the
,

best of their reas oning powers and who ha ving never bee n a mon g
, ,

hea then popula tions are un j us t onl y thro u gh ignora nce it is n o t so wi th

, ,

t he m issionaries The in varia ble su bterfu ge of the la tter is to a ttribu te

.

to de m o n o la try the rea lly C hrist like life of t he Hin du a n d B u ddhi st

-

asce tics a n d m a ny of th e la m Yea rs of soj o urn a mo ng hea then

‘ ’
as .

n a tio ns in C hina Ta ta ry Tibe t a n d Hin dustan h a ve furnished th e m

, , , ,

with a mple evidence ho w unj us tly the so called idola tors ha ve been sla n
-

dered The miss ionaries ha ve no t even the excuse of sincere faith to

”
.

g iv e t h e w o r l d th a t th ey mi slea d ; a n d w i th v ery few exceptio ns o ne

may boldly paraphrase the remark ma de by Garibaldi an d say tha t : ,

A priest knows hi m self to be an i m

“
po s to r u n
,les s he be a foo l,or ha ve

been ta ught to lie fromboyhood .