pagan and christian creeds-第14章

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we　see　growing　up　around　us　to…day。　In　both　caseswhether　Science　or　Religionvanity；　personal　ambition；　lust　of　domination　and　a　hundred　other　vices；　unless　corrected　by　a　real　devotion　to　the　public　good；　may　easily　bring　as　many　evils　in　their　train　as　those　they　profess　to　cure。

The　Medicine…man；　or　Wizard；　or　Magician；　or　Priest；　slowly　but　necessarily　gathered　power　into　his　hands；　and　there　is　much　evidence　to　show　that　in　the　case　of　many　tribes　at　any　rate；　it　was　HE　who　became　ultimate　chief　and　leader　and　laid　the　foundations　of　Kingship。　The　Basileus　was　always　a　sacred　personality；　and　often　united　in　himself　as　head　of　the　clan　the　offices　of　chief　in　warfare　and　leader　in　priestly　riteslike　Agamemnon　in　Homer；　or　Saul　or　David　in　the　Bible。　As　a　magician　he　had　influence　over　the　fertility　of　the　earth　and；　like　the　blameless　king　in　the　Odyssey；　under　his　sway　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃the　dark　earth　beareth　in　season　Barley　and　wheat；　and　the　trees　are　laden　with　fruitage；　and　alway　　Yean　unfailing　the　flocks；　and　the　sea　gives　fish　in　abundance。〃＇1＇

＇1＇　Odyssey　xix；　109　sq。　Translation　by　H。　B。　Cotterill。


As　a　magician　too　he　was　trusted　for　success　in　warfare；　and　Schoolcraft；　in　a　passage　quoted　by　Andrew　Lang；＇1＇　says　of　the　Dacotah　Indians　〃the　war…chief　who　leads　the　party　to　war　is　always　one　of　these　medicine…men。〃　This　connection；　however；　by　which　the　magician　is　transformed　into　the　king　has　been　abundantly　studied；　and　need　not　be　further　dwelt　upon　here。

And　what　of　the　transformation　of　the　king　into　a　god　or　of　the　Magician　or　Priest　directly　into　the　same？　Perhaps　in　order　to　appreciate　this；　one　must　make　a　further　digression。

For　the　early　peoples　there　were；　as　it　would　appear；　two　main　objects　in　life：　（1）　to　promote　fertility　in　cattle　and　crops；　for　food；　and　（2）　to　placate　or　ward　off　Death；　and　it　seemed　very　obviouseven　before　any　distinct　figures　of　gods；　or　any　idea　of　prayer；　had　arisento　attain　these　objects　by　magic　ritual。　The　rites　of　Baptism；　of　Initiation　（or　Confirmation）　and　the　many　ceremonies　of　a　Second　Birth；　which　we　associate　with　fully…formed　religions；　did　belong　also　to　the　age　of　Magic；　and　they　all　implied　a　belief　in　some　kind　of　re…incarnationin　a　life　going　forward　continually　and　being　renewed　in　birth　again　and　again。　It　is　curious　that　we　find　such　a　belief　among　the　lowest　savages　even　to…day。　Dr。　Frazer；　speaking　of　the　Central　Australian　tribes；　says　the　belief　is　firmly　rooted　among　them　〃that　the　human　soul　undergoes　an　endless　series　of　re…incarnationsthe　living　men　and　women　of　one　generation　being　nothing　but　the　spirits　of　their　ancestors　come　to　life　again；　and　destined　themselves　to　be　reborn　in　the　persons　of　their　descendants。　During　the　interval　between　two　re…incarnations　the　souls　live　in　their　nanja　spots；　or　local　totem…centres；　which　are　always　natural　objects　such　as　trees　or　rocks。　Each　totem…　clan　has　a　number　of　such　totem…centres　scattered　over　the　country。　There　the　souls　of　the　dead　men　and　women　of　the　totem；　but　no　others；　congregate；　and　are　born　again　in　human　form　when　a　favorable　opportunity　presents　itself。〃＇2＇

＇1＇　Myth；　Ritual　and　Religion；　vol。　i；　p。　113。

＇2＇　The　Golden　Bough；　vol。　i；　p。　96。


And　what　the　early　people　believed　of　the　human　spirit；　they　believed　of　the　corn…spirits　and　the　tree　and　vegetation　spirits　also。　At　the　great　Spring…ritual　among　the　primitive　Greeks　〃the　tribe　and　the　growing　earth　were　renovated　together：　the　earth　arises　afresh　from　her　dead　seeds；　the　tribe　from　its　dead　ancestors。〃　And　the　whole　process　projects　itself　in　the　idea　of　a　spirit　of　the　year；　who　〃in　the　first　stage　is　living；　then　dies　with　each　year；　and　thirdly　rises　again　from　the　dead；　raising　the　whole　dead　world　with　him。　The　Greeks　called　him　in　this　stage　'The　Third　One'　＇Tritos　Soter＇　or　'the　Saviour'；　and　the　renovation　ceremonies　were　accompanied　by　a　casting…off　of　the　old　year；　the　old　garments；　and　everything　that　is　polluted　by　the　infection　of　death。〃＇1＇　Thus　the　multiplication　of　the　crops　and　the　renovation　of　the　tribe；　and　at　the　same　time　the　evasion　and　placation　of　death；　were　all　assured　by　similar　rites　and　befitting　ceremonial　magic。＇2＇

＇1＇　Gilbert　Murray；　Four　Stages；　p。　46。

＇2＇　It　is　interesting　to　find；　with　regard　to　the　renovation　of　the　tribe；　that　among　the　Central　Australians　the　foreskins　or　male　members　of　those　who　died　were　deposited　in　the　above…mentioned　nanja　spotsthe　idea　evidently　being　that　like　the　seeds　of　the　corn　the　seeds　of　the　human　crop　must　be　carefully　and　ceremonially　preserved　for　their　re…incarnation。


In　all　these　cases；　and　many　others　that　I　have　not　mentioned　of　the　magical　worship　of　Bulls　and　Bears　and　Rams　and　Cats　and　Emus　and　Kangaroos；　of　Trees　and　Snakes；　of　Sun　and　Moon　and　Stars；　and　the　spirit　of　the　Corn　in　its　yearly　and　miraculous　resurrection　out　of　the　groundthere　is　still　the　same　idea　or　moving　inspiration；　the　sense　mentioned　in　the　foregoing　chapter；　the　feeling　（hardly　yet　conscious　of　its　own　meaning）　of　intimate　relationship　and　unity　with　all　this　outer　world；　the　instinctive　conviction　that　the　world　can　be　swayed　by　the　spirit　of　Man；　if　the　man　can　only　find　the　right　ritual；　the　right　word；　the　right　spell；　wherewith　to　move　it。　An　aura　of　emotion　surrounded　everythingof　terror；　of　tabu；　of　fascination；　of　desire。　The　world；　to　these　people；　was　transparent　with　presences　related　to　themselves；　and　though　hunger　and　sex　may　have　been　the　dominant　and　overwhelmingly　practical　needs　of　their　life；　yet　their　outlook　on　the　world　was　essentially　poetic　and　imaginative。

Moreover　it　will　be　seen　that　in　this　age　of　magic　and　the　belief　in　spirits；　though　there　was　an　intense　sense　of　every　thing　being　alive；　the　gods；　in　the　more　modern　sense　of　the　world；　hardly　existed＇1＇that　is；　there　was　no　very　clear　vision；　to　these　people；　of　supra…mundane　beings；　sitting　apart　and　ordaining　the　affairs　of　earth；　as　it　were　from　a　distance。　Doubtless　this　conception　was　slowly　evolving；　but　it　was　only　incipient。　For　the　time　beingthough　there　might　be　orders　and　degrees　of　spirits　（and　of　gods）every　such　being　was　only　conceived　of；　and　could　only　be　conceived　of；　as　actually　a　part　of　Nature；　dwelling　in　and　interlaced　with　some　phenomenon　of　Earth　and　Sky；　and　having　no　separate　existence。

＇1＇　For　a　discussion　of　the　evolution　of　RELIGION　out　of　MAGIC；　see　Westermarck's　Origin　of　Moral　Ideas；　ch。　47。


How　was　it　then；　it　will　be　asked；　that　the　belief　in　separate　and　separable　gods　and　goddesseseach　with　his　or　her　well…marked　outline　and　character　and　function；　like　the　divinities　of　Greece；　or　of　India；　or　of　the　Egyptian　or　Christian　religions；　ultimately　arose？　To　this　question　Jane　Harrison　（in　her　Themis　and　other　books）　gives　an　ingenious　answer；　which　as　it　chimes　in　with　my　own　speculations　（in　the　Art　of　Creation　and　elsewhere）　I　am　inclined　to　adopt。　It　is　that　the　figures　of　the　supranatural　gods　arose　from　a　process　in　the　human　mind　similar　to　that　which　the　photographer　adopts　when　by　photographing　a　number　of　faces　on　the　same　plate；　and　so　superposing　their　images　on　one　another；　he　produces　a　so…called　〃composite〃　photograph　or　image。　Thus；　in　the　photographic　sphere；　the　portraits　of　a　lot　of　members　of　the　same　family　superposed　upon　one　another　may　produce　a　composite　image　or　ideal　of　that　family　type；　or　the　portraits　of　a　number　of　Aztecs　or　of　a　number　of　Apache　Indians　the　ideals　respectively　of　the　Aztec　or　of　the　Apache　types。　And　so　in　the　mental　sphere　of　each　member　of　a　tribe　the　many　images　of　the　well…known　Warriors　or　Priests　or　wise　and　gracious　Women　of　that　tribe　did　inevitably　combine　at　last　to　composite　figures　of　gods　and　goddesseson　whom　the　enthusiasm　and　adoration　of　the　tribe　was　concentrated。＇1＇　Miss　Harrison　has　ingeniously　suggested　how　the　leading　figures　in　the　magic　rituals　of　the　pastbeing　the　figures　on　which　all　eyes　would　be　concentrated；　and　whose　importance　would　be　imprinted　on　every　mindlent　themselves　to　this　process。　The　suffering　Victim；　bound　and　scourged　and　crucified；　recurring　year　after　year　as　the　centre…figure　of　a　thousand　ritual　processions；　would　at　last　be　dramatized　and　idealized　in　the　great　race…consciousness　into　the　form　of　a　Suffering　Goda　Jesus　Christ　or　a　Dionysus　or　Osirisdismembered　or　crucified　for　the　salvation　of　mankind。　The　Priest　or　Medicine…Manor　rather　the　succession　of　Priests　or　Medicine…Menwhose　figures　would　recur　again　and　again　as　leaders　and　ordainers　of　the　ceremonies；　would　be　glorified　at　last　into　the　composite…　image　of　a　God　in　whom　were　concentrated　all　magic　powers。　〃Recent　researches；〃　says　Gilbert　Murray；　〃have　shown　us　in　abundance　the　early　Greek　medicine…chiefs　making　thunder　and　lightning　and　rain。〃　Here　is　the　germ　of　a　Zeus　or　a　Jupiter。　The　particular　medicine…man　may　fail；　that　does　not　so　much　matter；　he　is　only　the　individual　representative　of　the　glorified　and　composite　being　who　exists　in　the　mind　of　the　tribe　（just　as　a　present…day　King　may　be　unworthy；　but　is　surrounded　all　the　same　by　the　agelong　glamour　of　Royalty）。　〃The　real　；　tremendous；　infallible；　is　somewhere　far　away；　hidden　in　clouds　perhaps；　on　the　summit　of　some　inaccessible　mountain。　If　the　mountain　is　once　climbed　the　god　will　move　to　the　upper　sky。　The　medicine…chief　meanwhile　stays　on　earth；　still　influential。　He　has　some　connection　with　the　great　god　more　intimate　than　that　of　other　men　。　。　。　he　knows　the　rules　for　approaching　him　and　making　prayers　to　him。〃＇2＇　Thus　did　the　Medicine…man；　or　Priest；　or　Magician　（for　these　are　but　three　names　for　one　figure）　represent　one　step　in　the　evolution　of　the　god。

＇1＇　See　The　Art　of　Creation；　ch。　viii；　〃The　Gods　as　Apparitions　of　the　Race…Life。〃

＇2＇　The　Four　Stages；　p。　140。


And　farther　back　still　in　the　evolutionary　process　we　may　trace　（as　in　chapter　iv　above）　the　divinization　or　deification　of　four…footed　animals　and　birds　and　snakes　and　trees　and　the　like；　from　the　personification　of　the　collective　emotion　of　the　tribe　towards　these　creatures。　For　people　whose　chief　food　was　bear…meat；　for　instance；　whose　totem　was　a　bear；　and　who　believed　themselves　descended　from　an　ursine　ancestor；　there　would　grow　up　in　the　tribal　mind　an　image　surrounded　by　a　halo　of　emotions　emotions　of　hungry　desire；　of　reverence；　fear；　gratitude　and　so　forthan　image　of　a　divine　Bear　in　whom　they　lived　and　moved　and　had　their　being。　For　another　tribe　or　group　in　whose　yearly　ritual　a　Bull　or　a　Lamb　or　a　Kangaroo　played　a　leading　part　there　would　in　the　same　way　spring　tip　the　image　of　a　holy　bull；　a　divine　lamb；　or　a　sacred　kangaroo。　Another　group　again　might　come　to　worship　a　Serpent　as　its　presiding　genius；　or　a　particular　kind　of　Tree；　simply　because　these　objects　were　and　had　been　for　centuries　prominent　factors　in　its　yearly　and　seasonal　Magic。　As　Reinach　and　others　suggest；　it　was　the　Taboo　（bred　by　Fear）　which　by　first　forbidding　contact　with　the　totem…animal　or　priest　or　magician…chief　gradually　invested　him　with　Awe　and　Divinity。

According　to　this　theory　the　godthe　full…grown　god　in　human　shape；　dwelling　apart　and　beyond　the　earthdid　not　come　first；　but　was　a　late　and　more　finished　product　of　evolution。