pagan and christian creeds-第43部分

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lf　thenceforth　The　Bab；　i。e。　the　Gate　（〃I　am　the　Way〃）；　and　gradually　there　gathered　round　him　disciples；　drawn　by　the　fascination　of　his　personality　and　the　devotion　of　his　character。　But　with　the　rapid　increase　of　his　following　great　jealousy　and　hatred　were　excited　among　the　Mullahs；　the　upholders　of　a　fanatical　and　narrow…　minded　Mahommedanism　and　quite　corresponding　to　the　Scribes　and　Pharisees　of　the　New　Testament。　By　them　he　was　denounced　to　the　Turkish　Government。　He　was　arrested　on　a　charge　of　causing　political　disturbance；　and　was　condemned　to　death。　Among　his　disciples　was　one　favorite；＇1＇　who　was　absolutely　devoted　to　his　Master　and　refused　to　leave　him　at　the　last。　So　together　they　were　suspended　over　the　city　wall　（at　Tabriz）　and　simultaneously　shot。　This　was　on　the　8th　July；　1850。

＇1＇　Mirza　Muhammad　Ali；　and　one　should　note　the　similarity　of　the　two　names。


In　November　1850or　between　that　date　and　October　1851；　a　book　appeared；　written　by　one　of　the　Bb's　earliest　and　most　enthusiastic　disciplesa　merchant　of　Kashan　and　giving　in　quite　simple　and　unpretending　form　a　record　of　the　above　events。　There　is　in　it　no　account　of　miracles　or　of　great　pretensions　to　godhood　and　the　like。　It　is　just　a　plain　history　of　the　life　and　death　of　a　beloved　teacher。　It　was　cordially　received　and　circulated　far　and　wide；　and　we　have　no　reason　for　doubting　its　essential　veracity。　And　even　if　proved　now　to　be　inaccurate　in　one　or　two　details；　this　would　not　invalidate　the　moral　of　the　rest　of　the　storywhich　is　as　follows：

After　the　death　of　the　Bab　a　great　persecution　took　place　（in　1852）；　there　were　many　Babi　martyrs；　and　for　some　years　the　general　followers　were　scattered。　But　in　time　they　gathered　themselves　together　again；　successors　to　the　original　prophet　were　appointedthough　not　without　dissensionsand　a　Babi　church；　chiefly　at　Acca　or　Acre　in　Syria；　began　to　be　formed。　It　was　during　this　period　that　a　great　number　of　legends　grew　uplegends　of　miraculous　babyhood　and　boyhood；　legends　of　miracles　performed　by　the　mature　Bab；　and　so　forth；　and　when　the　newly…　forming　Church　came　to　look　into　the　matter　it　concluded　（quite　naturally！）　that　such　a　simple　history　as　I　have　outlined　above　would　never　do　for　the　foundation　of　its　plans；　now　grown　somewhat　ambitious。　So　a　new　Gospel　was　framed；　called　the　Tarikh…i…Jadid　（〃The　new　History〃　or　〃The　new　Way〃）；　embodying　and　including　a　lot　of　legendary　matter；　and　issued　with　the　authority　of　〃the　Church。〃　This　was　in　1881…2；　and　comparing　this　with　the　original　record　（called　The　point　of　Kaf）　we　get　a　luminous　view　of　the　growth　of　fable　in　those　thirty　brief　years　which　had　elapsed　since　the　Bab's　death。　Meanwhile　it　became　very　necessary　of　course　to　withdraw　from　circulation　as　far　as　possible　all　copies　of　the　original　record；　lest　they　should　give　the　lie　to　the　later　'Gospel'；　and　this　apparently　was　done　very　effectivelyso　effectively　indeed　that　Professor　Edward　Browne　（to　whom　the　world　owes　so　much　on　account　of　his　labors　in　connection　with　Babism）；　after　arduous　search；　came　at　one　time　to　the　conclusion　that　the　original　was　no　longer　extant。　Most　fortunately；　however；　the　well…known　Comte　de　Gobineau　had　in　the　course　of　his　studies　on　Eastern　Religions　acquired　a　copy　of　The　point　of　Kaf；　and　this；　after　his　death；　was　found　among　his　literary　treasures　and　identified　（as　was　most　fitting）　by　Professor　Browne　himself。

Such　in　brief　is　the　history　of　the　early　Babi　Church＇1＇　a　Church　which　has　grown　up　and　expanded　greatly　within　the　memory　of　many　yet　living。　Much　might　be　written　about　it；　but　the　chief　point　at　present　is　for　us　to　note　the　well…verified　and　interesting　example　it　gives　of　the　rapid　growth　in　Syria　of　a　religious　legend　and　the　reasons　which　contributed　to　this　growthand　to　be　warned　how　much　more　rapidly　similar　legends　probably　grew　up　in　the　same　land　in　the　middle　of　the　First　Century；　A。D。　The　story　of　the　Bab　is　also　interesting　to　us　because；　while　this　mass　of　legend　was　formed　around　it；　there　is　no　possible　doubt　about　the　actual　existence　of　a　historical　nucleus　in　the　person　of　Mirza　Ali　Muhammad。

＇1＇　For　literature；　see　Edward　G。　Browne's　Traveller's　Narrative　on　the　Episode　of　the　Bab　（1891）；　and　his　New　History　of　the　Bab　translated　from　the　Persian　of　the　Tarikh…i…Jadid　（Cambridge；　1893）。　Also　Sermons　and　Essays　by　Herbert　Rix　（Williams　and　Norgate；　1907）；　pp。　295…325；　〃The　Persian　Bab。〃


On　the　whole；　one　is　sometimes　inclined　to　doubt　whether　any　great　movement　ever　makes　itself　felt　in　the　world；　without　dating　first　from　some　powerful　personality　or　group　of　personalities；　ROUND　which　the　idealizing　and　myth…　making　genius　of　mankind　tends　to　crystallize。　But　one　must　not　even　here　be　too　certain。　Something　of　the　Apostle　Paul　we　know；　and　something　of　'John'　the　Evangelist　and　writer　of　the　Epistle　I　John；　and　that　the　'Christian'　doctrines　dated　largely　from　the　preaching　and　teaching　of　these　two　we　cannot　doubt；　but　Paul　never　saw　Jesus　（except　〃in　the　Spirit〃）；　nor　does　he　ever　mention　the　man　personally；　or　any　incident　of　his　actual　life　（the　〃crucified　Christ〃　being　always　an　ideal　figure）；　and　'John'　who　wrote　the　Gospel　was　certainly　not　the　same　as　the　disciple　who　〃lay　in　Jesus'　bosom〃though　an　intercalated　verse；　the　last　but　one　in　the　Gospel；　asserts　the　identity。＇1＇

＇1＇　It　is　obvious；　in　fact；　that　the　WHOLE　of　the　last　chapter　of　St。　John　is　a　later　insertion；　and　again　that　the　two　last　verses　of　that　chapter　are　later　than　the　chapter　itself！


There　may　have　been　a　historic　Jesusand　if　so；　to　get　a　reliable　outline　of　his　life　would　indeed　be　a　treasure；　but　at　present　it　would　seem　there　is　no　sign　of　that。　If　the　historicity　of　Jesus；　in　any　degree；　could　be　proved；　it　would　give　us　reason　for　supposingwhat　I　have　personally　always　been　inclined　to　believethat　there　was　also　a　historical　nucleus　for　such　personages　as　Osiris；　Mithra；　Krishna；　Hercules；　Apollo　and　the　rest。　The　question；　in　fact；　narrows　itself　down　to　this；　Have　there　been　in　the　course　of　human　evolution　certain；　so　to　speak；　NODAL　points　or　periods　at　which　the　psychologic　currents　ran　together　and　condensed　themselves　for　a　new　start；　and　has　each　such　node　or　point　of　condensation　been　marked　by　the　appearance　of　an　actual　and　heroic　man　（or　woman）　who　supplied　a　necessary　impetus　for　the　new　departure；　and　gave　his　name　to　the　resulting　movement？　OR　is　it　sufficient　to　suppose　the　automatic　formation　of　such　nodes　or　starting…points　without　the　intervention　of　any　special　hero　or　genius；　and　to　imagine　that　in　each　case　the　myth…　making　tendency　of　mankind　CREATED　a　legendary　and　inspiring　figure　and　worshiped　the　same　for　a　long　period　afterwards　as　a　god？

As　I　have　said　before；　this　is　a　question　which；　interesting　as　it　is；　is　not　really　very　important。　The　main　thing　being　that　the　prophetic　and　creative　spirit　of　mankind　HAS　from　time　to　time　evolved　those　figures　as　idealizations　of　its　〃heart's　desire〃　and　placed　a　halo　round　their　heads。　The　long　procession　of　them　becomes　a　REAL　piece　of　History　the　history　of　the　evolution　of　the　human　heart；　and　of　human　consciousness。　But　with　the　psychology　of　the　whole　subject　I　shall　deal　in　the　next　chapter。


I　may　here；　however；　dwell　for　a　moment　on　two　other　points　which　belong　properly　to　this　chapter。　I　have　already　mentioned　the　great　reliance　placed　by　the　advocates　of　a　unique　'revelation'　on　the　high　morality　taught　in　the　Gospels　and　the　New　Testament　generally。　There　is　no　need　of　course　to　challenge　that　morality　or　to　depreciate　it　unduly；　but　the　argument　assumes　that　it　is　so　greatly　superior　to　anything　of　the　kind　that　had　been　taught　before　that　we　are　compelled　to　suppose　something　like　a　revelation　to　explain　its　appearancewhereas　of　course　anyone　familiar　with　the　writings　of　antiquity；　among　the　Greeks　or　Romans　or　Egyptians　or　Hindus　or　later　Jews；　knows　perfectly　well　that　the　reported　sayings　of　Jesus　and　the　Apostles　may　be　paralleled　abundantly　from　these　sources。　I　have　illustrated　this　already　from　the　Sermon　on　the　Mount。　If　anyone　will　glance　at　the　Testament　of　the　Twelve　Patriarchsa　Jewish　book　composed　about　120　B。　C。he　will　see　that　it　is　full　of　moral　precepts；　and　especially　precepts　of　love　and　forgiveness；　so　ardent　and　so　noble　that　it　hardly　suffers　in　any　way　when　compared　with　the　New　Testament　teaching；　and　that　consequently　no　special　miracle　is　required　to　explain　the　appearance　of　the　latter。

The　twelve　Patriarchs　in　question　are　the　twelve　sons　of　Jacob；　and　the　book　consists　of　their　supposed　deathbed　scenes；　in　which　each　patriarch　in　turn　recites　his　own　（more　or　less　imaginary）　life　and　deeds　and　gives　pious　counsel　to　his　children　and　successors。　It　is　composed　in　a　fine　and　poetic　style；　and　is　full　of　lofty　thought；　remindful　in　scores　of　passages　of　the　Gospelswords　and　all　the　coincidences　being　too　striking　to　be　accidental。　It　evidently　had　a　deep　influence　on　the　authors　of　the　Gospels；　as　well　as　on　St。　Paul。　It　affirms　a　belief　in　the　coming　of　a　Messiah；　and　in　salvation　for　the　Gentiles。　The　following　are　some　quotations　from　it：＇1＇　Testament　of　Zebulun　（p。　116）：　〃My　children；　I　bid　you　keep　the　comman