pagan and christian creeds-第2章

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　is　sheer　superstitious　terror；　and　Thanatomania　is　the　recognized　word　for　a　state　of　mind　（〃obsession　of　death〃）　which　will　often　cause　a　savage　to　perish　from　a　mere　scratch　hardly　to　be　called　a　wound。　The　natural　defence　against　this　state　of　mind　was　the　creation　of　an　enormous　number　of　taboossuch　as　we　find　among　all　races　and　on　every　conceivable　subjectand　these　taboos　constituted　practically　a　great　body　of　warnings　which　regulated　the　lives　and　thoughts　of　the　community；　and　ultimately；　after　they　had　been　weeded　out　and　to　some　degree　simplified；　hardened　down　into　very　stringent　Customs　and　Laws。　Such　taboos　naturally　in　the　beginning　tended　to　include　the　avoidance　not　only　of　acts　which　might　reasonably　be　considered　dangerous；　like　touching　a　corpse；　but　also　things　much　more　remote　and　fanciful　in　their　relation　to　danger；　like　merely　looking　at　a　mother…　in…law；　or　passing　a　lightning…struck　tree；　and　（what　is　especially　to　be　noticed）　they　tended　to　include　acts　which　offered　any　special　PLEASURE　or　temptationlike　sex　or　marriage　or　the　enjoyment　of　a　meal。　Taboos　surrounded　these　things　too；　and　the　psychological　connection　is　easy　to　divine：　but　I　shall　deal　with　this　general　subject　later。

It　may　be　guessed　that　so　complex　a　system　of　regulations　made　life　anything　but　easy　to　early　peoples；　but；　preposterous　and　unreasonable　as　some　of　the　taboos　were；　they　undoubtedly　had　the　effect　of　compelling　the　growth　of　self…control。　Fear　does　not　seem　a　very　worthy　motive；　but　in　the　beginning　it　curbed　the　violence　of　the　purely　animal　passions；　and　introduced　order　and　restraint　among　them。　Simultaneously　it　became　itself；　through　the　gradual　increase　of　knowledge　and　observation；　transmuted　and　etherealized　into　something　more　like　wonder　and　awe　and　（when　the　gods　rose　above　the　horizon）　into　reverence。　Anyhow　we　seem　to　perceive　that　from　the　early　beginnings　（in　the　Stone　Age）　of　self…consciousness　in　Man　there　has　been　a　gradual　developmentfrom　crass　superstition；　senseless　and　accidental；　to　rudimentary　observation；　and　so　to　belief　in　Magic；　thence　to　Animism　and　personification　of　nature…powers　in　more　or　less　human　form；　as　earth…divinities　or　sky…gods　or　embodiments　of　the　tribe；　and　to　placation　of　these　powers　by　rites　like　Sacrifice　and　the　Eucharist；　which　in　their　turn　became　the　foundation　of　Morality。　Graphic　representations　made　for　the　encouragement　of　fertilityas　on　the　walls　of　Bushmen's　rock…dwellings　or　the　ceilings　of　the　caverns　of　Altamira　became　the　nurse　of　pictorial　Art；　observations　of　plants　or　of　the　weather　or　the　stars；　carried　on　by　tribal　medicine…men　for　purposes　of　witchcraft　or　prophecy；　supplied　some　of　the　material　of　Science；　and　humanity　emerged　by　faltering　and　hesitating　steps　on　the　borderland　of　those　finer　perceptions　and　reasonings　which　are　supposed　to　be　characteristic　of　Civilization。

The　process　of　the　evolution　of　religious　rites　and　ceremonies　has　in　its　main　outlines　been　the　same　all　over　the　world；　as　the　reader　will　presently　seeand　this　whether　in　connection　with　the　numerous　creeds　of　Paganism　or　the　supposedly　unique　case　of　Christianity；　and　now　the　continuity　and　close　intermixture　of　these　great　streams　can　no　longer　be　deniednor　IS　it　indeed　denied　by　those　who　have　really　studied　the　subject。　It　is　seen　that　religious　evolution　through　the　ages　has　been　practically　One　thingthat　there　has　been　in　fact　a　World…　religion；　though　with　various　phases　and　branches。

And　so　in　the　present　day　a　new　problem　arises；　namely　how　to　account　for　the　appearance　of　this　great　Phenomenon；　with　its　orderly　phases　of　evolution；　and　its　own　spontaneous＇1＇　growths　in　all　corners　of　the　globethis　phenomenon　which　has　had　such　a　strange　sway　over　the　hearts　of　men；　which　has　attracted　them　with　so　weird　a　charm；　which　has　drawn　out　their　devotion；　love　and　tenderness；　which　has　consoled　them　in　sorrow　and　affliction；　and　yet　which　has　stained　their　history　with　such　horrible　sacrifices　and　persecutions　and　cruelties。　What　has　been　the　instigating　cause　of　it？

＇1＇　For　the　question　of　spontaneity　see　chap。　x　and　elsewhere。


The　answer　which　I　propose　to　this　question；　and　which　is　developed　to　some　extent　in　the　following　chapters；　is　a　psychological　one。　It　is　that　the　phenomenon　proceeds　from；　and　is　a　necessary　accompaniment　of；　the　growth　of　human　Consciousness　itselfits　growth；　namely；　through　the　three　great　stages　of　its　unfoldment。　These　stages　are　（1）　that　of　the　simple　or　animal　consciousness；　（2）　that　of　SELF…consciousness；　and　（3）　that　of　a　third　stage　of　consciousness　which　has　not　as　yet　been　effectively　named；　but　whose　indications　and　precursive　signs　we　here　and　there　perceive　in　the　rites　and　prophecies　and　mysteries　of　the　early　religions；　and　in　the　poetry　and　art　and　literature　generally　of　the　later　civilizations。　Though　I　do　not　expect　or　wish　to　catch　Nature　and　History　in　the　careful　net　of　a　phrase；　yet　I　think　that　in　the　sequence　from　the　above…mentioned　first　stage　to　the　second；　and　then　again　in　the　sequence　from　the　second　to　the　third；　there　will　be　found　a　helpful　explanation　of　the　rites　and　aspirations　of　human　religion。　It　is　this　idea；　illustrated　by　details　of　ceremonial　and　so　forth；　which　forms　the　main　thesis　of　the　present　book。　In　this　sequence　of　growth；　Christianity　enters　as　an　episode；　but　no　more　than　an　episode。　It　does　not　amount　to　a　disruption　or　dislocation　of　evolution。　If　it　did；　or　if　it　stood　as　an　unique　or　unclassifiable　phenomenon　（as　some　of　its　votaries　contend）；　this　would　seem　to　be　a　misfortuneas　it　would　obviously　rob　us　of　at　any　rate　one　promise　of　progress　in　the　future。　And　the　promise　of　something　better　than　Paganism　and　better　than　Christianity　is　very　precious。　It　is　surely　time　that　it　should　be　fulfilled。

The　tracing；　therefore；　of　the　part　that　human　self…　consciousness　has　played；　psychologically；　in　the　evolution　of　religion；　runs　like　a　thread　through　the　following　chapters；　and　seeks　illustration　in　a　variety　of　details。　The　idea　has　been　repeated　under　different　aspects；　sometimes；　possibly；　it　has　been　repeated　too　often；　but　different　aspects　in　such　a　case　do　help；　as　in　a　stereoscope；　to　give　solidity　to　the　thing　seen。　Though　the　worship　of　Sun…gods　and　divine　figures　in　the　sky　came　comparatively　late　in　religious　evolution；　1　have　put　this　subject　early　in　the　book　（chapters　ii　and　iii）；　partly　because　（as　I　have　already　explained）　it　was　the　phase　first　studied　in　modern　times；　and　therefore　is　the　one　most　familiar　to　present…　day　readers；　and　partly　because　its　astronomical　data　give　great　definiteness　and　〃proveability〃　to　it；　in　rebuttal　to　the　common　accusation　that　the　whole　study　of　religious　origins　is　too　vague　and　uncertain　to　have　much　value。　Going　backwards　in　Time；　the　two　next　chapters　（iv　and　v）　deal　with　Totem…sacraments　and　Magic；　perhaps　the　earliest　forms　of　religion。　And　these　four　lead　on　（in　chapters　vi　to　xi）　to　the　consideration　of　rites　and　creeds　common　to　Paganism　and　Christianity。　XII　and　xiii　deal　especially　with　the　evolution　of　Christianity　itself；　xiv　and　xv　explain　the　inner　Meaning　of　the　whole　process　from　the　beginning；　and　xvi　and　xvii　look　to　the　Future。

The　appendix　on　the　doctrines　of　the　Upanishads　may；　I　hope；　serve　to　give　an　idea；　intimate　even　though　inadequate；　of　the　third　Stagethat　which　follows　on　the　stage　of　self…consciousness；　and　to　portray　the　mental　attitudes　which　are　characteristic　of　that　stage。　Here　in　this　third　stage；　it　would　seem；　one　comes　upon　the　real　FACTS　of　the　inner　lifein　contradistinction　to　the　fancies　and　figments　of　the　second　stage；　and　so　one　reaches　the　final　point　of　conjunction　between　Science　and　Religion。



II。　SOLAR　MYTHS　AND　CHRISTIAN　FESTIVALS

To　the　ordinary　publicnotwithstanding　the　immense　amount　of　work　which　has　of　late　been　done　on　this　subject　the　connection　between　Paganism　and　Christianity　still　seems　rather　remote。　Indeed　the　common　notion　is　that　Christianity　was　really　a　miraculous　interposition　into　and　dislocation　of　the　old　order　of　the　world；　and　that　the　pagan　gods　（as　in　Milton's　Hymn　on　the　Nativity）　fled　away　in　dismay　before　the　sign　of　the　Cross；　and　at　the　sound　of　the　name　of　Jesus。　Doubtless　this　was　a　view　much　encouraged　by　the　early　Church　itselfif　only　to　enhance　its　own　authority　and　importance；　yet；　as　is　well　known　to　every　student；　it　is　quite　misleading　and　contrary　to　fact。　The　main　Christian　doctrines　and　festivals；　besides　a　great　mass　of　affiliated　legend　and　ceremonial；　are　really　quite　directly　derived　from；　and　related　to；　preceding　Nature　worships；　and　it　has　only　been　by　a　good　deal　of　deliberate　mystification　and　falsification　that　this　derivation　has　been　kept　out　of　sight。

In　these　Nature…worships　there　may　be　discerned　three　fairly　independent　streams　of　religious　or　quasi…religious　enthusiasm：　（1）　that　connected　with　the　phenomena　of　the　heavens；　the　movements　of　the　Sun；　planets　and　stars；　and　the　awe　and　wonderment　they　excited；　（2）　that　connected　with　the　seasons　and　the　very　important　matter　of　the　growth　of　vegetation　and　food　on　the　Earth；　and　（3）　that　connected　with　the　mysteries　of　Sex　and　reproduction。　It　is　obvious　that　these　three　streams　would　mingle　and　interfuse　with　each　other　a　good　deal；　but　as　far　as　they　were　separable　the　first　would　tend　to　create　Solar　heroes　and　Sun…myths；　the　second　Vegetation…gods　and　personifications　of　Nature　and　the　earth…life；　while　the　third　would　throw　its　glamour　over　the　other　two　and　contribute　to　the　projection　of　deities　or　demons　worshipped　with　all　sorts　of　sexual　and　phallic　rites。　All　three　systems　of　course　have　their　special　rites　and　times　and　ceremonies；　but；　as；　I　say；　the　rites　and　ceremonies　of　one　system　would　rarely　be　found　pure　and　unmixed　with　those。　belonging　to　the　two　others。　The　whole　subject　is　a　very　large　one；　but　for　reasons　given　in　the　Introduction　I　shall　in　this　and　the　following　chapterwhile　not　ignoring　phases　（2）　and　（3）lay　most　stress　on　phase　（1）　of　the　question　before　us。

At　the　time　of　the　life　or　recorded　appearance　of　Jesus　of　Nazareth；　and　for　some　centuries　before；　the　Mediterranean　and　neighboring　world　had　been　the　scene　of　a　vast　number　of　pagan　creeds　and　rituals。　There　were　Temples　without　end　dedicated　to　gods　like　Apollo　or　Dionysus　among　the　Greeks；　Hercules　among　the　Romans；　Mithra　among　the　Persians；　Adonis　and　Attis　in　Syria　and　Phrygia；　Osiris　and　Isis　and　Horus　in　Egypt；　Baal　and　Astarte　among　the　Babylonians　and　Carthaginians；　and　so　forth。　Societies；　large　or　small；　united　believers　and　the　devout　in　the　service　or　ceremonials　connected　with　their　respective　deities；　and　in　the　creeds　which　they　confessed　concerning　these　deities。　And　an　extraordinarily　interesting　fact；　for　us；　is　that　notwithstanding　great　geographical　distances　and　racial　differences　between　the　adherents　of　these　various　cults；　as　well　as　differences　in　the　details　of　their　services；　the　general　outlines　of　their　creeds　and　ceremonials　wereif　not　identicalso　markedly　similar　as　we　find　them。

I　cannot　of　course　go　at　length　into　these　different　cults；　but　I　may　say　roughly　that　of　all　or　nearly　all　the　deities　above…mentioned　it　was　said　and　believed　tha