pagan and christian creeds-第4部分

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esently。　The　worship　of　Attis　became　very　widespread　and　much　honored；　and　was　ultimately　incorporated　with　the　established　religion　at　Rome　somewhere　about　the　commencement　of　our　Era。

The　following　two　legends　（dealing　with　Hercules　and　with　Krishna）　have　rather　more　of　the　character　of　the　solar；　and　less　of　the　vegetational　myth　about　them。　Both　heroes　were　regarded　as　great　benefactors　of　humanity；　but　the　former　more　on　the　material　plane；　and　the　latter　on　the　spiritual。

Hercules　or　Heracles　was；　like　other　Sun…gods　and　benefactors　of　mankind；　a　great　Traveler。　He　was　known　in　many　lands；　and　everywhere　he　was　invoked　as　Saviour。　He　was　miraculously　conceived　from　a　divine　Father；　even　in　the　cradle　he　strangled　two　serpents　sent　to　destroy　him。　His　many　labors　for　the　good　of　the　world　were　ultimately　epitomized　into　twelve；　symbolized　by　the　signs　of　the　Zodiac。　He　slew　the　Nemxan　Lion　and　the　Hydra　（offspring　of　Typhon）　and　the　Boar。　He　overcame　the　Cretan　Bull；　and　cleaned　out　the　Stables　of　Augeas；　he　conquered　Death　and；　descending　into　Hades；　brought　Cerberus　thence　and　ascended　into　Heaven。　On　all　sides　he　was　followed　by　the　gratitude　and　the　prayers　of　mortals。

As　to　Krishna；　the　Indian　god；　the　points　of　agreement　with　the　general　divine　career　indicated　above　are　too　salient　to　be　overlooked；　and　too　numerous　to　be　fully　recorded。　He　also　was　born　of　a　Virgin　（Devaki）　and　in　a　Cave；＇1＇　and　his　birth　announced　by　a　Star。　It　was　sought　to　destroy　him；　and　for　that　purpose　a　massacre　of　infants　was　ordered。　Everywhere　he　performed　miracles；　raising　the　dead；　healing　lepers；　and　the　deaf　and　the　blind；　and　championing　the　poor　and　oppressed。　He　had　a　beloved　disciple；　Arjuna；　（cf。　John）　before　whom　he　was　transfigured。＇2＇　His　death　is　differently　relatedas　being　shot　by　an　arrow；　or　crucified　on　a　tree。　He　descended　into　hell；　and　rose　again　from　the　dead；　ascending　into　heaven　in　the　sight　of　many　people。　He　will　return　at　the　last　day　to　be　the　judge　of　the　quick　and　the　dead。

＇1＇　Cox's　Myths　of　the　Aryan　Nations；　p。　107。

＇2＇　Bhagavat　Gita；　ch。　xi。


Such　are　some　of　the　legends　concerning　the　pagan　and　pre…Christian　deitiesonly　briefly　sketched　now；　in　order　that　we　may　get　something　like　a　true　perspective　of　the　whole　subject；　but　to　most　of　them；　and　more　in　detail；　I　shall　return　as　the　argument　proceeds。

What　we　chiefly　notice　so　far　are　two　points；　on　the　one　hand　the　general　similarity　of　these　stories　with　that　of　Jesus　Christ；　on　the　other　their　analogy　with　the　yearly　phenomena　of　Nature　as　illustrated　by　the　course　of　the　Sun　in　heaven　and　the　changes　of　Vegetation　on　the　earth。

（1）　The　similarity　of　these　ancient　pagan　legends　and　beliefs　with　Christian　traditions　was　indeed　so　great　that　it　excited　the　attention　and　the　undisguised　wrath　of　the　early　Christian　fathers。　They　felt　no　doubt　about　the　similarity；　but　not　knowing　how　to　explain　it　fell　back　upon　the　innocent　theory　that　the　Devilin　order　to　confound　the　Christianshad；　CENTURIES　BEFORE；　caused　the　pagans　to　adopt　certain　beliefs　and　practices！　（Very　crafty；　we　may　say；　of　the　Devil；　but　also　very　innocent　of　the　Fathers　to　believe　it！）　Justin　Martyr　for　instance　describes＇1＇　the　institution　of　the　Lord's　Supper　as　narrated　in　the　Gospels；　and　then　goes　on　to　say：　〃Which　the　wicked　devils　have　IMITATED　in　the　mysteries　of　Mithra；　commanding　the　same　thing　to　be　done。　For；　that　bread　and　a　cup　of　water　are　placed　with　certain　incantations　in　the　mystic　rites　of　one　who　is　being　initiated　you　either　know　or　can　learn。〃　Tertullian　also　says＇2＇　that　〃the　devil　by　the　mysteries　of　his　idols　imitates　even　the　main　part　of　the　divine　mysteries。〃　。　。　。　〃He　baptizes　his　worshippers　in　water　and　makes　them　believe　that　this　purifies　them　from　their　crimes。〃　。　。　。　〃Mithra　sets　his　mark　on　the　forehead　of　his　soldiers；　he　celebrates　the　oblation　of　bread；　he　offers　an　image　of　the　resurrection；　and　presents　at　once　the　crown　and　the　sword；　he　limits　his　chief　priest　to　a　single　marriage；　he　even　has　his　virgins　and　ascetics。〃＇3＇　Cortez；　too；　it　will　be　remembered　complained　that　the　Devil　had　positively　taught　to　the　Mexicans　the　same　things　which　God　had　taught　to　Christendom。

＇1＇　I　Apol。　c。　66。

＇2＇　De　Praescriptione　Hereticorum；　c。　40；　De　Bapt。　c。　3；　De　Corona；　c。　15。

＇3＇　For　reference　to　both　these　examples　see　J。　M。　Robertson's　Pagan　Christs；　pp。　321；　322。


Justin　Martyr　again；　in　the　Dialogue　with　Trypho　says　that　the　Birth　in　the　Stable　was　the　prototype　（！）　of　the　birth　of　Mithra　in　the　Cave　of　Zoroastrianism；　and　boasts　that　Christ　was　born　when　the　Sun　takes　its　birth　in　the　Augean　Stable；＇1＇　coming　as　a　second　Hercules　to　cleanse　a　foul　world；　and　St。　Augustine　says　〃we　hold　this　（Christmas）　day　holy；　not　like　the　pagans　because　of　the　birth　of　the　Sun；　but　because　of　the　birth　of　him　who　made　it。〃　There　are　plenty　of　other　instances　in　the　Early　Fathers　of　their　indignant　ascription　of　these　similarities　to　the　work　of　devils；　but　we　need　not　dwell　over　them。　There　is　no　need　for　US　to　be　indignant。　On　the　contrary　we　can　now　see　that　these　animadversions　of　the　Christian　writers　are　the　evidence　of　how　and　to　what　extent　in　the　spread　of　Christianity　over　the　world　it　had　become　fused　with　the　Pagan　cults　previously　existing。

＇1＇　The　Zodiacal　sign　of　Capricornus；　iii。）。


It　was　not　till　the　year　A。D。　530　or　sofive　centuries　after　the　supposed　birth　of　Christthat　a　Scythian　Monk；　Dionysius　Exiguus；　an　abbot　and　astronomer　of　Rome；　was　commissioned　to　fix　the　day　and　the　year　of　that　birth。　A　nice　problem；　considering　the　historical　science　of　the　period！　For　year　he　assigned　the　date　which　we　now　adopt；＇2＇　and　for　day　and　month　he　adopted　the　25th　December　a　date　which　had　been　in　popular　use　since　about　350　B。C。；　and　the　very　date；　within　a　day　or　two；　of　the　supposed　birth　of　the　previous　Sungods。＇3＇　From　that　fact　alone　we　may　fairly　conclude　that　by　the　year　530　or　earlier　the　existing　Nature…worships　had　become　largely　fused　into　Christianity。　In　fact　the　dates　of　the　main　pagan　religious　festivals　had　by　that　time　become　so　popular　that　Christianity　was　OBLIGED　to　accommodate　itself　to　them。＇1＇

＇1＇　As；　for　instance；　the　festival　of　John　the　Baptist　in　June　took　the　place　of　the　pagan　midsummer　festival　of　water　and　bathing；　the　Assumption　of　the　Virgin　in　August　the　place　of　that　of　Diana　in　the　same　month；　and　the　festival　of　All　Souls　early　in　November；　that　of　the　world…wide　pagan　feasts　of　the　dead　and　their　ghosts　at　the　same　season。

＇2＇　See　Encycl。　Brit。　art。　〃Chronology。〃

＇3＇　〃There　is　however　a　difficulty　in　accepting　the　25th　December　as　the　real　date　of　the　Nativity；　December　being　the　height　of　the　rainy　season　in　Judaea；　when　neither　flocks　nor　shepherds　could　have　been　at　night　in　the　fields　of　Bethlehem〃　（！）。　Encycl。　Brit。　art。　〃Christmas　Day。〃　According　to　Hastings's　Encyclopaedia；　art。　〃Christmas；〃　〃Usener　says　that　the　Feast　of　the　Nativity　was　held　originally　on　the　6th　January　（the　Epiphany）；　but　in　353…4　the　Pope　Liberius　displaced　it　to　the　25th　December　。　。　。　but　there　is　no　evidence　of　a　Feast　of　the　Nativity　taking　place　at　all；　before　the　fourth　century　A。D。〃　It　was　not　till　534　A。D。　that　Christmas　Day　and　Epiphany　were　reckoned　by　the　law…courts　as　dies　non。


This　brings　us　to　the　second　point　mentioned　a　few　pages　backthe　analogy　between　the　Christian　festivals　and　the　yearly　phenomena　of　Nature　in　the　Sun　and　the　Vegetation。

Let　us　take　Christmas　Day　first。　Mithra；　as　we　have　seen；　was　reported　to　have　been　born　on　the　25th　December　（which　in　the　Julian　Calendar　was　reckoned　as　the　day　of　the　Winter　Solstice　AND　of　the　Nativity　of　the　Sun）；　Plutarch　says　（Isis　and　Osiris；　c。　12）　that　Osiris　was　born　on　the　361st　day　of　the　year；　when　a　Voice　rang　out　proclaiming　the　Lord　of　All。　Horus；　he　says；　was　born　on　the　362nd　day。　Apollo　on　the　same。

Why　was　all　this？　Why　did　the　Druids　at　Yule　Tide　light　roaring　fires？　Why　was　the　cock　supposed　to　crow　all　Christmas　Eve　（〃The　bird　of　dawning　singeth　all　night　long〃）？　Why　was　Apollo　born　with　only　one　hair　（the　young　Sun　with　only　one　feeble　ray）？　Why　did　Samson　（name　derived　from　Shemesh；　the　sun）　lose　all　his　strength　when　he　lost　his　hair？　Why　were　so　many　of　these　gods　Mithra；　Apollo；　Krishna；　Jesus；　and　others；　born　in　caves　or　underground　chambers？＇1＇　Why；　at　the　Easter　Eve　festival　of　the　Holy　Sepulchre　at　Jerusalem　is　a　light　brought　from　the　grave　and　communicated　to　the　candles　of　thousands　who　wait　outside；　and　who　rush　forth　rejoicing　to　carry　the　new　glory　over　the　world？＇2＇　Why　indeed？　except　that　older　than　all　history　and　all　written　records　has　been　the　fear　and　wonderment　of　the　children　of　men　over　the　failure　of　the　Sun's　strength　in　Autumnthe　decay　of　their　God；　and　the　anxiety　lest　by　any　means　he　should　not　revive　or　reappear？


＇1＇　This　same　legend　of　gods　（or　idols）　being　born　in　caves　has；　curiously　enough；　been　reported　from　Mexico；　Guatemala；　the　Antilles；　and　other　places　in　Central　America。　See　C。　F。　P。　von　Martius；　Etknographie　Amerika；　etc。　（Leipzig；　1867）；　vol。　i；　p。　758。

＇2＇　Compare　the　Aztec　ceremonial　of　lighting　a　holy　fire　and　communicating　it　to　the　multitude　from　the　w