pagan and christian creeds-第47部分

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fall　upon　the　man　who　sinned；　and　upon　the　whole　brotherhood。　Here；　and　in　a　hundred　similar　rites；　we　see　the　three　phases　of　tribal　psychology　the　first；　in　which　the　individual　member　simply　remains　within　the　compass　of　the　tribal　mind；　and　only　acts　in　harmony　with　it；　the　second；　in　which　the　individual　steps　outside　and　to　gratify　his　personal　SELF　performs　an　action　which　alienates　him　from　his　fellows；　and　the　third；　in　which；　to　make　amends　and　to　prove　his　sincerity；　he　submits　to　some　sacrifice；　and　by　a　common　feast　or　some　such　ceremony　is　received　back　again　into　the　unity　of　the　fellowship。　The　body　of　the　animal…divinity　is　consumed；　and　the　latter　becomes；　both　in　the　spirit　and　in　the　flesh；　the　Savior　of　the　tribe。

In　course　of　time；　when　the　Totem　or　Guardian…spirit　is　no　longer　merely　an　Animal；　or　animal…headed　Genius；　but　a　quite　human…formed　Divinity；　still　the　same　general　outline　of　ideas　is　preservedonly　with　gathered　intensity　owing　to　the　specially　human　interest　of　the　drama。　The　Divinity　who　gives　his　life　for　his　flock　is　no　longer　just　an　ordinary　Bull　or　Lamb；　but　Adonis　or　Osiris　or　Dionysus　or　Jesus。　He　is　betrayed　by　one　of　his　own　followers；　and　suffers　death；　but　rises　again　redeeming　all　with　himself　in　the　one　fellowship；　and　the　corn　and　the　wine　and　the　wild　flesh　which　were　his　body；　and　which　he　gave　for　the　sustenance　of　mankind；　are　consumed　in　a　holy　supper　of　reconciliation。　It　is　always　the　return　to　unity　which　is　the　ritual　of　Salvation；　and　of　which　the　symbol　is　the　Eucharistthe　second　birth；　the　formation　of　〃a　new　creature　when　old　things　are　passed　away。〃　For　〃Except　a　man　be　born　again；　he　cannot　see　the　Kingdom　of　God〃；　and　〃the　first　man　is　of　the　earth；　earthly；　but　the　second　man　is　the　Lord　from　heaven。〃　Like　a　strange　refrain；　and　from　centuries　before　our　era；　comes　down　this　belief　in　a　god　who　is　imprisoned　in　each　man；　and　whose　liberation　is　a　new　birth　and　the　beginning　of　a　new　creature：　〃Rejoice；　ye　initiates　in　the　mystery　of　the　liberated　god〃　rejoice　in　the　thought　of　the　hero　who　died　as　a　mortal　in　the　coffin；　but　rises　again　as　Lord　of　all！

Who　then　was　this　〃Christos〃　for　whom　the　world　was　waiting　three　centuries　before　our　era　（and　indeed　centuries　before　that）？　Who　was　this　〃thrice　Savior〃　whom　the　Greek　Gnostics　acclaimed？　What　was　the　meaning　of　that　〃coming　of　the　Son　of　Man〃　whom　Daniel　beheld　in　vision　among　the　clouds　of　heaven？　or　of　the　〃perfect　man〃　who；　Paul　declared；　should　deliver　us　from　the　bondage　of　corruption　into　the　glorious　liberty　of　the　children　of　God？　What　was　this　salvation　which　time　after　time　and　times　again　the　pagan　deities　promised　to　their　devotees；　and　which　the　Eleusinian　and　other　Mysteries　represented　in　their　religious　dramas　with　such　convincing　enthusiasm　that　even　Pindar　could　say　〃Happy　is　he　who　has　seen　them　（the　Mysteries）　before　he　goes　beneath　the　hollow　earth：　that　man　knows　the　true　end　of　life　and　its　source　divine〃；　and　concerning　which　Sophocles　and　Aeschylus　were　equally　enthusiastic？＇1＇

＇1＇　See　Farnell's　Cults　of　the　Greek　States；　vol。　iii；　p。　194；　also　The　Mysteries；　Pagan　and　Christian；　by　S。　Cheetham；　D。D。　（London；　1897）。


Can　we　doubt；　in　the　light　of　all　that　we　have　already　said；　what　the　answer　to　these　questions　is？　As　with　the　first　blossoming　of　self…consciousness　in　the　human　mind　came　the　dawn　of　an　immense　cycle　of　experience　a　cycle　indeed　of　exile　from　Eden；　of　suffering　and　toil　and　blind　wanderings　in　the　wilderness；　yet　a　cycle　absolutely　necessary　and　unavoidableso　now　the　redemption；　the　return；　the　restoration　has　to　come　through　another　forward　step；　in　the　same　domain。　Abandoning　the　quest　and　the　glorification　of　the　separate　isolated　self　we　have　to　return　to　the　cosmic　universal　life。　It　is　the　blossoming　indeed　of　this　'new'　life　in　the　deeps　of　our　minds　which　is　salvation；　and　which　all　the　expressions　which　I　have　just　cited　have　indicated。　It　is　this　presence　which　all　down　the　ages　has　been　hailed　as　Savior　and　Liberator：　the　daybreak　of　a　consciousness　so　much　vaster；　so　much　more　glorious；　than　all　that　has　gone　before　that　the　little　candle　of　the　local　self　is　swallowed　up　in　its　rays。　It　is　the　return　home；　the　return　into　direct　touch　with　Nature　and　Manthe　liberation　from　the　long　exile　of　separation；　from　the　painful　sense　of　isolation　and　the　odious　nightmare　of　guilt　and　'sin。'　Can　we　doubt　that　this　new　birththis　third　stage　of　consciousness；　if　we　like　to　call　it　sohas　to　come；　that　it　is　indeed　not　merely　a　pious　hope　or　a　tentative　theory；　but　a　FACT　testified　to　already　by　a　cloud　of　witnesses　in　the　past　witnesses　shining　in　their　own　easily　recognizable　and　authentic　light；　yet　for　the　most　part　isolated　from　each　other　among　the　arid　and　unfruitful　wastes　of　Civilization；　like　glow…worms　in　the　dry　grass　of　a　summer　night？

Since　the　first　dim　evolution　of　human　self…consciousness　an　immense　period；　as　we　have　saidperhaps　30；000　years；　perhaps　even　morehas　elapsed。　Now；　in　the　present　day　this　period　is　reaching　its　culmination；　and　though　it　will　not　terminate　immediately；　its　end　is；　so　to　speak；　in　sight。　Meanwhile；　during　all　the　historical　age　behind　ussay　for　the　last　4；000　or　5；000　yearsevidence　has　been　coming　in　（partly　in　the　religious　rites　recorded；　partly　in　oracles；　poems　and　prophetic　literature）　of　the　onset　of　this　further　illumination〃the　light　which　never　was　on　sea　or　land〃and　the　cloud　of　witnesses；　scattered　at　first；　has　in　these　later　centuries　become　so　evident　and　so　notable　that　we　are　tempted　to　believe　in　or　to　anticipate　a　great　and　general　new　birth；　as　now　not　so　very　far　off。＇1＇　＇We　should；　however；　do　well　to　remember；　in　this　connection；　that　many　a　time　already　in　the　history　the　Millennium　has　been　prophesied；　and　yet　not　arrived　punctual　to　date；　and　to　take　to　ourselves　the　words　of　'Peter；'　who　somewhat　grievously　disappointed　at　the　long…delayed　second　coming　of　the　Lord　Jesus　in　the　clouds　of　heaven；　wrote　in　his　second　Epistle：　〃There　shall　come　in　the　last　days　scoffers；　walking　after　their　own　lusts；　and　saying；　Where　is　the　promise　of　his　coming？　for　since　the　fathers　fell　asleep；　all　things　continue　as　they　were　from　the　beginning　of　the　creation。〃＇2＇＇

＇1＇　For　an　amplification　of　all　this　theme；　see　Dr。　Bucke's　remarkable　and　epoch…making　book；　Cosmic　Consciousness　（first　published　at　Philadelphia；　1901）。

＇2＇　2　Peter　iii。　4；　written　probably　about　A。D。　150。


I　say　that　all　through　the　historical　age　behind　us　there　has　been　evidenceeven　though　scattered　of　salvation　and　the　return　of　the　Cosmic　life。　Man　has　never　been　so　completely　submerged　in　the　bitter　sea　of　self…centredness　but　what　he　has　occasionally　been　able　to　dash　the　spray　from　his　eyes　and　glimpse　the　sun　and　the　glorious　light　of　heaven。　From　how　far　back　we　cannot　say；　but　from　an　immense　antiquity　come　the　beautiful　myths　which　indicate　this。

　Cinderella；　the　cinder…maiden；　sits　unbeknown　in　her　earthly。　　　　　　hutch；　　Gibed　and　jeered　at　she　bewails　her　lonely　fate；　　Nevertheless　youngest…born　she　surpasses　her　sisters　and　endues　　　　　　a　garment　of　the　sun　and　stars；　　From　a　tiny　spark　she　ascends　and　irradiates　the　universe；　　　　　　and　is　wedded　to　the　prince　of　heaven。


How　lovely　this　vision　of　the　little　maiden　sitting　unbeknown　close　to　the　Hearth…fire　of　the　universeherself　indeed　just　a　little　spark　from　it；　despised　and　rejected；　rejected　by　the　world；　despised　by　her　two　elder　sisters　（the　body　and　the　intellect）；　yet　she；　the　soul；　though　latest…born；　by　far　the　most　beautiful　of　the　three。　And　of　the　Prince　of　Love　who　redeems　and　sets　her　free；　and　of　her　wedding　garment　the　glory　and　beauty　of　all　nature　and　of　the　heavens！　The　parables　of　Jesus　are　charming　in　their　way；　but　they　hardly　reach　this　height　of　inspiration。

Or　the　world…old　myth　of　Eros　and　Psyche。　How　strange　that　here　again　there　are　three　sisters　（the　three　stages　of　human　evolution）；　and　the　latest…born　the　most　beautiful　of　the　three；　and　the　jealousies　and　persecutions　heaped　on　the　youngest　by　the　others；　and　especially　by　Aphrodite　the　goddess　of　mere　sensual　charm。　And　again　the　coming　of　the　unknown；　the　unseen　Lover；　on　whom　it　is　not　permitted　for　mortals　to　look；　and　the　long；　long　tests　and　sufferings　and　trials　which　Psyche　has　to　undergo　before　Eros　may　really　take　her　to　his　arms　and　translate　her　to　the　heights　of　heaven。　Can　we　not　imagine　how　when　these　things　were　represented　in　the　Mysteries　the　world　flocked　to　see　them；　and　the　poets　indeed　said；　〃Happy　are　they　that　see　and　seeing　can　understand？〃　Can　we　not　understand　how　it　was　that　the　Amphictyonic　decree　of　the　second　century　B。C。　spoke　of　these　same　Mysteries　as　enforcing　the　lesson　that　〃the　greatest　of　human　blessings　is　fellowship　and　mutual　trust〃？



XV。　THE　ANCIENT　MYSTERIES

Thus　we　come　to　a　thing　which　we　must　not　pass　over；　because　it　throws　great　light　on　the　meaning　and　interpretation　of　all　these　rites　and　ceremonies　of　the　great　World…religion。　I　mean　the　subject　of　the　Ancient　Mysteries。　And　to　this　I　will　give　a　few　pages。

These　Mysteries　were　probably　survivals　of　the　oldest　religious　rites　of　the　Greek　races；　and　in　their　earlier