pagan and christian creeds-第1章

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Pagan　&　Christian　Creeds：　Their　Origin　and　Meaning

by　Edward　Carpenter
　


〃The　different　religions　being　lame　attempts　to　represent　under
various　guises　this　one　root…fact　of　the　central　universal　life；
men　have　at　all　times　clung　to　the　religious　creeds　and　rituals
and　ceremonials　as　symbolising　in　some　rude　way　the　redemption
and　fulfilment　of　their　own　most　intimate　naturesand　this
whether　consciously　understanding　the　interpretations；　or　whether
（as　most　often）　only　doing　so　in　an　unconscious　or　quite
subconscious　way。〃
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　Drama　of　Love　and　Death；　p。　96。



CONTENTS

I。　INTRODUCTORY
II。　SOLAR　MYTHS　AND　CHRISTIAN　FESTIVALS
III。　THE　SYMBOLISM　OF　THE　ZODIAC
IV。　TOTEM…SACRAMENTS　AND　EUCHARISTS
V。　FOOD　AND　VEGETATION　MAGIC
VI。　MAGICIANS；　KINGS　AND　GODS
VII。　RITES　OF　EXPIATION　AND　REDEMPTION
VIII。　PAGAN　INITIATIONS　AND　THE　SECOND　BIRTH
IX。　MYTH　OF　THE　GOLDEN　AGE
X。　THE　SAVIOUR…GOD　AND　THE　VIRGIN…MOTHER
XI。　RITUAL　DANCING
XII。　THE　SEX…TABOO
XIII。　THE　GENESIS　OF　CHRISTIANITY
XV。　THE　MEANING　OF　IT　ALL
XV。　THE　ANCIENT　MYSTERIES
XVI。　THE　EXODUS　OF　CHRISTIANITY
XVII。　CONCLUSION

APPENDIX　ON　THE　TEACHINGS　OF　THE　UPANISHADS：
I。　REST
II。　THE　NATURE　OF　THE　SELF




PAGAN　AND　CHRISTIAN　CREEDS：　THEIR　ORIGIN　AND　MEANING

I。　INTRODUCTORY

The　subject　of　Religious　Origins　is　a　fascinating　one；　as　the　great　multitude　of　books　upon　it；　published　in　late　years；　tends　to　show。　Indeed　the　great　difficulty　to…day　in　dealing　with　the　subject；　lies　in　the　very　mass　of　the　material　to　handand　that　not　only　on　account　of　the　labor　involved　in　sorting　the　material；　but　because　the　abundance　itself　of　facts　opens　up　temptation　to　a　student　in　this　department　of　Anthropology　（as　happens　also　in　other　branches　of　general　Science）　to　rush　in　too　hastily　with　what　seems　a　plausible　theory。　The　more　facts；　statistics；　and　so　forth；　there　are　available　in　any　investigation；　the　easier　it　is　to　pick　out　a　considerable　number　which　will　fit　a　given　theory。　The　other　facts　being　neglected　or　ignored；　the　views　put　forward　enjoy　for　a　time　a　great　vogue。　Then　inevitably；　and　at　a　later　time；　new　or　neglected　facts　alter　the　outlook；　and　a　new　perspective　is　established。

There　is　also　in　these　matters　of　Science　（though　many　scientific　men　would　doubtless　deny　this）　a　great　deal　of　〃Fashion〃。　Such　has　been　notoriously　the　case　in　Political　Economy；　Medicine；　Geology；　and　even　in　such　definite　studies　as　Physics　and　Chemistry。　In　a　comparatively　recent　science；　like　that　with　which　we　are　now　concerned；　one　would　naturally　expect　variations。　A　hundred　and　fifty　years　ago；　and　since　the　time　of　Rousseau；　the　〃Noble　Savage〃　was　extremely　popular；　and　he　lingers　still　in　the　story　books　of　our　children。　Then　the　reaction　from　this　extreme　view　set　in；　and　of　late　years　it　has　been　the　popular　cue　（largely；　it　must　be　said；　among　〃armchair〃　travelers　and　explorers）　to　represent　the　religious　rites　and　customs　of　primitive　folk　as　a　senseless　mass　of　superstitions；　and　the　early　man　as　quite　devoid　of　decent　feeling　and　intelligence。　Again；　when　the　study　of　religious　origins　first　began　in　modern　times　to　be　seriously　taken　upsay　in　the　earlier　part　of　last　century　there　was　a　great　boom　in　Sungods。　Every　divinity　in　the　Pantheon　was　an　impersonation　of　the　Sununless　indeed　（if　feminine）　of　the　Moon。　Apollo　was　a　sungod；　of　course；　Hercules　was　a　sungod；　Samson　was　a　sungod；　Indra　and　Krishna；　and　even　Christ；　the　same。　C。　F。　Dupuis　in　France　（Origine　de　tous　les　Cultes；　1795）；　F。　Nork　in　Germany　（Biblische　Mythologie；　1842）；　Richard　Taylor　in　England　（The　Devil's　Pulpit；＇1＇　1830）；　were　among　the　first　in　modern　times　to　put　forward　this　view。　A　little　later　the　PHALLIC　explanation　of　everything　came　into　fashion。　The　deities　were　all　polite　names　for　the　organs　and　powers　of　procreation。　R。　P。　Knight　（Ancient　Art　and　Mythology；　1818）　and　Dr。　Thomas　Inman　（Ancient　Faiths　and　Ancient　Names；　1868）　popularized　this　idea　in　England；　so　did　Nork　in　Germany。　Then　again　there　was　a　period　of　what　is　sometimes　called　Euhemerism　the　theory　that　the　gods　and　goddesses　had　actually　once　been　men　and　women；　historical　characters　round　whom　a　halo　of　romance　and　remoteness　had　gathered。　Later　still；　a　school　has　arisen　which　thinks　little　of　sungods；　and　pays　more　attention　to　Earth　and　Nature　spirits；　to　gnomes　and　demons　and　vegetation…sprites；　and　to　the　processes　of　Magic　by　which　these　（so　it　was　supposed）　could　be　enlisted　in　man's　service　if　friendly；　or　exorcised　if　hostile。

＇1＇　This　extraordinary　book；　though　carelessly　composed　and　containing　many　unproven　statements；　was　on　the　whole　on　the　right　lines。　But　it　raised　a　storm　of　oppositionthe　more　so　because　its　author　was　a　clergyman！　He　was　ejected　from　the　ministry；　of　course；　and　was　sent　to　prison　twice。


It　is　easy　to　see　of　course　that　there　is　some　truth　in　ALL　these　explanations；　but　naturally　each　school　for　the　time　being　makes　the　most　of　its　own　contention。　Mr。　J。　M。　Robertson　（Pagan　Christs　and　Christianity　and　Mythology）；　who　has　done　such　fine　work　in　this　field；＇1＇　relies　chiefly　on　the　solar　and　astronomical　origins；　though　he　does　not　altogether　deny　the　others；　Dr。　Frazer；　on　the　other　handwhose　great　work；　The　Golden　Bough；　is　a　monumental　collection　of　primitive　customs；　and　will　be　an　inexhaustible　quarry　for　all　future　studentsis　apparently　very　little　concerned　with　theories　about　the　Sun　and　the　stars；　but　concentrates　his　attention　on　the　collection　of　innumerable　details＇2＇　of　rites；　chiefly　magical；　connected　with　food　and　vegetation。　Still　later　writers；　like　S。　Reinach；　Jane　Harrison　and　E。　A。　Crowley；　being　mainly　occupied　with　customs　of　very　primitive　peoples；　like　the　Pelasgian　Greeks　or　the　Australian　aborigines；　have　confined　themselves　（necessarily）　even　more　to　Magic　and　Witchcraft。

＇1＇　If　only　he　did　not　waste　so　much　time；　and　so　needlessly；　in　slaughtering　opponents！

＇2＇　To　such　a　degree；　indeed；　that　sometimes　the　connecting　clue　of　the　argument　seems　to　be　lost。


Meanwhile　the　Christian　Church　from　these　speculations　has　kept　itself　severely　apartas　of　course　representing　a　unique　and　divine　revelation　little　concerned　or　interested　in　such　heathenisms；　and　moreover　（in　this　country　at　any　rate）　has　managed　to　persuade　the　general　public　of　its　own　divine　uniqueness　to　such　a　degree　that　few　people；　even　nowadays；　realize　that　it　has　sprung　from　just　the　same　root　as　Paganism；　and　that　it　shares　by　far　the　most　part　of　its　doctrines　and　rites　with　the　latter。　Till　quite　lately　it　was　thought　（in　Britain）　that　only　secularists　and　unfashionable　people　took　any　interest　in　sungods；　and　while　it　was　true　that　learned　professors　might　point　to　a　belief　in　Magic　as　one　of　the　first　sources　of　Religion；　it　was　easy　in　reply　to　say　that　this　obviously　had　nothing　to　do　with　Christianity！　The　Secularists；　too；　rather　spoilt　their　case　by　assuming；　in　their　wrath　against　the　Church；　that　all　priests　since　the　beginning　of　the　world　have　been　frauds　and　charlatans；　and　that　all　the　rites　of　religion　were　merely　devil's　devices　invented　by　them　for　the　purpose　of　preying　upon　the　superstitions　of　the　ignorant；　to　their　own　enrichment。　They　（the　Secularists）　overleaped　themselves　by　grossly　exaggerating　a　thing　that　no　doubt　is　partially　true。

Thus　the　subject　of　religious　origins　is　somewhat　complex；　and　yields　many　aspects　for　consideration。　It　is　only；　I　think；　by　keeping　a　broad　course　and　admitting　contributions　to　the　truth　from　various　sides；　that　valuable　results　can　be　obtained。　It　is　absurd　to　suppose　that　in　this　or　any　other　science　neat　systems　can　be　found　which　will　cover　all　the　facts。　Nature　and　History　do　not　deal　in　such　things；　or　supply　them　for　a　sop　to　Man's　vanity。

It　is　clear　that　there　have　been　three　main　lines；　so　far；　along　which　human　speculation　and　study　have　run。　One　connecting　religious　rites　and　observations　with　the　movements　of　the　Sun　and　the　planets　in　the　sky；　and　leading　to　the　invention　of　and　belief　in　Olympian　and　remote　gods　dwelling　in　heaven　and　ruling　the　Earth　from　a　distance；　the　second　connecting　religion　with　the　changes　of　the　season；　on　the　Earth　and　with　such　practical　things　as　the　growth　of　vegetation　and　food；　and　leading　to　or　mingled　with　a　vague　belief　in　earth…spirits　and　magical　methods　of　influencing　such　spirits；　and　the　third　connecting　religion　with　man's　own　body　and　the　tremendous　force　of　sex　residing　in　itemblem　of　undying　life　and　all　fertility　and　power。　It　is　clear　alsoand　all　investigation　confirms　itthat　the　second…mentioned　phase　of　religion　arose　on　the　whole　BEFORE　the　first…mentionedthat　is；　that　men　naturally　thought　about　the　very　practical　questions　of　food　and　vegetation；　and　the　magical　or　other　methods　of　encouraging　the　same；　before　they　worried　themselves　about　the　heavenly　bodies　and　the　laws　of　THEIR　movements；　or　about　the　sinister　or　favorable　influences　the　stars　might　exert。　And　again　it　is　extremely　probable　that　the　third…mentioned　aspectthat　which　connected　religion　with　the　procreative　desires　and　phenomena　of　human　physiologyreally　came　FIRST。　These　desires　and　physiological　phenomena　must　have　loomed　large　on　the　primitive　mind　long　before　the　changes　of　the　seasons　or　of　the　sky　had　been　at　all　definitely　observed　or　considered。　Thus　we　find　it　probable　that；　in　order　to　understand　the　sequence　of　the　actual　and　historical　phases　of　religious　worship；　we　must　approximately　reverse　the　order　above…given　in　which　they　have　been　STUDIED；　and　conclude　that　in　general　the　Phallic　cults　came　first；　the　cult　of　Magic　and　the　propitiation　of　earth…divinities　and　spirits　came　second；　and　only　last　came　the　belief　in　definite　God…figures　residing　in　heaven。

At　the　base　of　the　whole　process　by　which　divinities　and　demons　were　created；　and　rites　for　their　propitiation　and　placation　established；　lay　Fearfear　stimulating　the　imagination　to　fantastic　activity。　Primus　in　orbe　deos　fecit　Timor。　And　fear；　as　we　shall　see；　only　became　a　mental　stimulus　at　the　time　of；　or　after；　the　evolution　of　self…consciousness。　Before　that　time；　in　the　period　of　SIMPLE　consciousness；　when　the　human　mind　resembled　that　of　the　animals；　fear　indeed　existed；　but　its　nature　was　more　that　of　a　mechanical　protective　instinct。　There　being　no　figure　or　image　of　SELF　in　the　animal　mind；　there　were　correspondingly　no　figures　or　images　of　beings　who　might　threaten　or　destroy　that　self。　So　it　was　that　the　imaginative　power　of　fear　began　with　Self…consciousness；　and　from　that　imaginative　power　was　unrolled　the　whole　panorama　of　the　gods　and　rites　and　creeds　of　Religion　down　the　centuries。

The　immense　force　and　domination　of　Fear　in　the　first　self…conscious　stages　of　the　human　mind　is　a　thing　which　can　hardly　be　exaggerated；　and　which　is　even　difficult　for　some　of　us　moderns　to　realize。　But　naturally　as　soon　as　Man　began　to　think　about　himselfa　frail　phantom　and　waif　in　the　midst　of　tremendous　forces　of　whose　nature　and　mode　of　operation　he　was　entirely　ignoranthe　was　BESET　with　terrors；　dangers　loomed　upon　him　on　all　sides。　Even　to…day　it　is　noticed　by　doctors　that　one　of　the　chief　obstacles　to　the　cure　of　illness　among　some　black　or　native　races　i