pagan and christian creeds-第51部分

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f…conscious　Intellect！


Every　careful　reader　has　noticed　the　confusedness　of　Paul's　mind　and　arguments。　Even　taking　only　those　Epistles　（Galatians；　Romans　and　Corinthians）　which　the　critics　assign　to　his　pen；　the　thing　is　observableand　some　learned　Germans　even　speak　of　TWO　Pauls。＇1＇　But　also　the　thing　is　quite　natural。　There　can　be　little　doubt　that　Paul　of　Tarsus；　a　Jew　brought　up　in　the　strictest　sect　of　the　Pharisees；　did　at　some　time　fall　deeply　under　the　influence　of　Greek　thought；　and　quite　possibly　became　an　initiate　in　the　Mysteries。　It　would　be　difficult　otherwise　to　account　for　his　constant　use　of　the　Mystery…language。　Reitzenstein　says　（p。　59）：　〃The　hellenistic　religious　literature　MUST　have　been　read　by　him；　he　uses　its　terms；　and　is　saturated　with　its　thoughts　（see　Rom。　vi。　1…14。〃　And　this　conjoined　with　his　Jewish　experience　gave　him　creative　power。　〃A　great　deal　in　his　sentiment　and　thought　may　have　REMAINED　Jewish；　but　to　his　Hellenism　he　was　indebted　for　his　love　of　freedom　and　his　firm　belief　in　his　apostleship。〃　He　adopts　　terms　（like　；　　and　）＇2＇　which　were　in　use　among　the　hellenistic　sects　of　the　time；　and　he　writes；　as　in　Romans　vi。　4；　5；　about　being　〃buried〃　with　Christ　or　〃planted〃　in　the　likeness　of　his　death；　in　words　which　might　well　have　been　used　（with　change　of　the　name）　by　a　follower　of　Attis　or　Osiris　after　witnessing　the　corresponding　'mysteries'；　certainly　the　allusion　to　these　ancient　deities　would　have　been　understood　by　every　religionist　of　that　day。　These　few　points　are　sufficient　to　acentuate｛sic｝　the　two　elements　in　Paul；　the　Jewish　and　the　Greek；　and　to　explain　（so　far）　the　seeming　confusion　in　his　utterances。　Further　it　is　interesting　to　noteas　showing　the　pagan　influences　in　the　N。　T。　writingsthe　degree　to　which　the　Epistle　to　Philemon　（ascribed　to　Paul）　is　FULLshort　as　it　isof　expressions　like　PRISONER　of　the　Lord；　FELLOW　SOLDIER；　CAPTIVE　or　BONDMAN；＇3＇　which　were　so　common　at　the　time　as　to　be　almost　a　cant　in　Mithraism　and　the　allied　cults。　In　I　Peter　ii。　2＇4＇；　we　have　the　verse　〃As　newborn　babes；　desire　ye　the　sincere　MILK　of　the　word；　that　ye　may　grow　thereby。〃　And　again　we　may　say　that　no　one　in　that　day　could　mistake　the　reference　herein　contained　to　old　initiation　ceremonies　and　the　new　birth　（as　described　in　Chapter　VIII　above）；　for　indeed　milk　was　the　well…known　diet　of　the　novice　in　the　Isis　mysteries；　as　well　as　On　some　savage　tribes）　of　the　Medicine…man　when　practising　his　calling。

＇1＇　〃Die　Mysterien…anschauungen；　die　bei　Paulus　im　Hintergrunde　stehen；　drangen　sich　in　dem　sogenarmten　Deuteropaulinismus　machtig　vor〃　（Reitzenstein）。

＇2＇　Remindful　of　our　Three　Stages：　the　Animal；　the　Self…conscious；　and　the　Cosmic。

＇3＇　。

＇4＇　See　also　I　Cor。　iii。　2。


And　here　too　Democracy　comes　instrangely　foreboded　from　the　first　in　all　this　matter。＇1＇　Not　only　does　the　Third　Stage　bring　illumination；　intuitive　understanding　of　processes　in　Nature　and　Humanity；　sympathy　with　the　animals；　artistic　capacity；　and　so　forth；　but　it　necessarily　brings　a　new　Order　of　Society。　A　preposterousone　may　almost　say　a　hideoussocial　Age　is　surely　drawing　to　its　end；　The　debacle　we　are　witnessing　to…day　all　over　Europe　（including　the；　British　Islands）；　the　break…up　of　old　institutions；　the　generally　materialistic　outlook　on　life；　the　coming　to　the　surface　of　huge　masses　of　diseased　and　fatuous　populations；　the　scum　and　dregs　created　by　the　past　order；　all　point　to　the　End　of　a　Dispensation。　Protestantism　and　Commercialism；　in　the　two　fields　of　religion　and　daily　life　have；　as　I　have　indicated　before；　been　occupied　in　concentrating　the　mind　of　each　man　solely　on　his　OWN　welfare；　the　salvation　of　his　OWN　soul　or　body。　These　two　forces　have　therefore　been　disruptive　to　the　last　degree；　they　mark　the　culmination　of　the　Self…conscious　Agea　culmination　in　War；　Greed；　Materialism；　and　the　general　principle　of　Devil…　take…the…hindmostand　the　clearing　of　the　ground　for　the　new　order　which　is　to　come。　So　there　is　hope　for　the　human　race。　Its　evolution　is　not　all　a　mere　formless　craze　and　jumble。　There　is　an　inner　necessity　by　which　Humanity　unfolds　from　one　degree　or　plane　of　consciousness　to　another。　And　if　there　has　been　a　great　'Fall'　or　Lapse　into　conflict　and　disease　and　'sin'　and　misery；　occupying　the　major　part　of　the　Historical　period　hitherto；　we　see　that　this　period　is　only　brief；　so　to　speak；　in　comparison　with　the　whole　curve　of　growth　and　expansion。　We　see　also　that；　as　I　have　said　before；　the　belief　in　a　state　of　salvation　or　deliverance　has　in　the　past　ages　never　left　itself　quite　without　a　witness　in　the　creeds　and　rituals　and　poems　and　prophecies　of　mankind。　Art；　in　some　form　or　other；　as　an　activity　or　inspiration　dating　not　from　the　conscious　Intellect；　but　from　deeper　regions　of　sub…conscious　feeling　and　intuition；　has　continually　come　to　us　as　a　message　from　and　an　evidence　of　the　Third　stage　or　state；　and　as　a　promise　of　its　more　complete　realization　under　other　conditions。

　Through　the　long　night…time　where　the　Nations　wander　　　　　　From　Eden　past　to　Paradise　to　be；　　Art's　sacred　flowers；　like　fair　stars　shining　yonder；　　　　　　Alone　illumine　Life's　obscurity。

　O　gracious　Artists；　out　of　your　deep　hearts　　　　　　'Tis　some　great　Sun；　I　doubt；　by　men　unguessed；　　Whose　rays　come　struggling　thus；　in　slender　darts；　　　　　　To　shadow　what　Is；　till　Time　shall　manifest。


＇1＇　See　the　germs　of　Democracy　in　the　yoga　teaching　of　the　Hindus；　and　in　the　Upanishads；　the　Bhagavat　Gita；　and　other　books。


With　the　Cosmic　stage　comes　also　necessarily　the　rehabilitation　of　the　WHOLE　of　Society　in　one　fellowship　（the　true　Democracy）。　Not　the　rule　or　domination　of　one　class　or　casteas　of　the　Intellectual；　the　Pious；　the　Commercial　or　the　Militarybut　the　fusion　or　at　least　consentaneous　organization　of　ALL　（as　in　the　corresponding　functions　of　the　human　Body）。　Class　rule　has　been　the　mark　of　that　second　period　of　human　evolution；　and　has　inevitably　given　birth　during　that　period　to　wars　and　self…agrandizements　of　classes　and　sections；　and　their　consequent　greeds　and　tyrannies　over　other　classes　and　sections。　It　is　not　found　in　the　primitive　human　tribes　and　societies；　and　will　not　be　found　in　the　final　forms　of　human　association。　The　liberated　and　emancipated　Man　passes　unconstrained　and　unconstraining　through　all　grades　and　planes　of　human　fellowship；　equal　and　undisturbed；　and　never　leaving　his　true　home　and　abiding　place　in　the　heart　of　all。　Equally　necessarily　with　the　rehabilitation　of　Society　as　an　entirety　will　follow　the　rehabilitation　of　the　entire　physical　body　IN　each　member　of　Society。　We　have　spoken　already　of　Nakedness：　its　meaning　and　likely　extent　of　adoption　（Ch。　XII）。　The　idea　that　the　head　and　the　hands　are　the　only　seemly　and　presentable　members　of　the　organism；　and　that　the　other　members　are　unworthy　and　indecent；　is　obviously　as　onesided　and　lopsided　as　that　which　honors　certain　classes　in　the　commonwealth　and　despises　others。　Why　should　the　head　brag　of　its　ascendancy　and　domination；　and　the　heart　be　smothered　up　and　hidden？　It　will　only　be　a　life　far　more　in　the　open　air　than　that　which　we　lead　at　present；　which　will　restore　the　balance　and　ultimately　bring　us　back　to　sanity　and　health。



XVI。　THE　EXODUS　OF　CHRISTIANITY

We　have　dealt　with　the　Genesis　of　Christianity；　we　now　come　to　the　Exodus。　For　that　Christianity　can　CONTINUE　to　hold　the　field　of　Religion　in　the　Western　World　is　neither　probable　nor　desirable。　It　is　true；　as　I　have　remarked　already；　that　there　is　a　certain　trouble　about　defining　what　we　mean　by　〃Christianity〃　similar　to　that　about　the　word　〃Civilization。〃　If　we　select　out　of　the　great　mass　of　doctrines　and　rites　favored　by　the　various　Christian　Churches　just　those　which　commend　themselves　to　the　most　modern　and　humane　and　rational　human　mind　and　choose　to　call　that　resulting　（but　rather　small）　body　of　belief　and　practice　'Christianity'　we　are；　of　course；　entitled　to　do　so；　and　to　hope　（as　we　do　hope）　that　this　residuum　will　survive　and　go　forward　into　the　future。　But　this　sort　of　proceeding　is　hardly　fair　and　certainly　not　logical。　It　enables　Christianity　to　pose　as　an　angel　of　light　while　at　the　same　time　keeping　discreetly　out　of　sight　all　its　own　abominations　and　deeds　of　darkness。

The　Churchwhich　began　its　career　by　destroying；　distorting　and　denying　the　pagan　sources　from　which　it　sprang；　whose　bishops　and　other　ecclesiastics　assassinated　each　other　in　their　theological　rancour　〃of　wild　beasts；〃　which　encouraged　the　wicked　folly　of　the　Crusadesespecially　the　Children's　Crusadesand　the　shameful　murders　of　the　Manicheans；　the　Albigenses；　and　the　Huguenots；　which　burned　at　the　stake　thousands　and　thousands　of　poor　'witches'　and　'heretics'；　which　has　hardly　ever　spoken　a　generous　word　in　favor　or　defence　of　the　animals；　which　in　modern　times　has　supported　vivisection　as　against　the　latter；　Capitalism　and　Commercialism　as　against　the　poorer　classes　of　mankind；　and　whose　priests　in　the　forms　of　its　various　sects；　Greek　or　Catholic；　Lutheran　or　Protestant；　have　in　these　last　days　rushed　forth　to　urge　the　nations　to　slaughter　each　other　with　every　diabolical　device　of　Science；　and　to