pagan and christian creeds-第41章

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futation　of　all　Heresies；　Book　V；　says　that　the　Samothracian　Mysteries；　just　mentioned；　celebrate　Adam　as　the　primal　or　archetypal　Man　eternal　in　the　heavens；　and　he　then　continues：　〃Habitually　there　stand　in　the　temple　of　the　Samothracians　two　images　of　naked　men　having　both　hands　stretched　aloft　towards　heaven；　and　their　pudenda　turned　upwards；　as　is　also　the　case　with　the　statue　of　Mercury　on　Mt。　Cyllene。　And　the　aforesaid　images　are　figures　of　the　primal　man；　and　of　that　spiritual　one　that　is　born　again；　in　every　respect　of　the　same　substance　with　that　＇first＇　man。〃


This　extract　from　Hippolytus　occurs　in　the　long　discourse　in　which　he　'exposes'　the　heresy　of　the　so…called　Naassene　doctrines　and　mysteries。　But　the　whole　discourse　should　be　read　by　those　who　wish　to　understand　the　Gnostic　philosophy　of　the　period　contemporary　with　and　anterior　to　the　birth　of　Christianity。　A　translation　of　the　discourse；　carefully　analyzed　and　annotated；　is　given　in　G。　R。　S。　Mead's　Thrice…greatest　Hermes＇1＇　（vol。　i）；　and　Mead　himself；　speaking　of　it；　says　（p。　141）：　〃The　claim　of　these　Gnostics　was　practically　that　the　good　news　of　the　Christ　＇the　Christos＇　was　the　consummation　of　the　inner　doctrine　of　the　Mystery…　institutions　of　all　the　nations；　the　end　of　them　all　being　the　revelation　of　the　Mystery　of　Man。〃　Further；　he　explains　that　the　Soul；　in　these　doctrines；　was　regarded　as　synonymous　with　the　Cause　of　All；　and　that　its　loves　were　twainof　Aphrodite　（or　Life）；　and　of　Persephone　（or　Death　and　the　other　world）。　Also　that　Attis；　abandoning　his　sex　in　the　worship　of　the　Mother…Goddess　（Dea　Syria）；　ascends　to　Heavena　new　man；　Male…female；　and　the　origin　of　all　things：　the　hidden　Mystery　being　the　Phallus　itself；　erected　as　Hermes　in　all　roads　and　boundaries　and　temples；　the　Conductor　and　Reconductor　of　Souls。

＇1＇　Reitzenstein；　op。　cit。；　quotes　the　discourse　largely。　The　Thrice…greatest　Hermes　may　also　be　consulted　for　a　translation　of　Plutarch's　Isis　and　Osiris。


All　this　may　sound　strange；　but　one　may　fairly　say　that　it　represented　in　its　degree；　and　in　that　first　'unfallen'　stage　of　human　thought　and　psychology；　a　true　conception　of　the　cosmic　Life；　and　indeed　a　conception　quite　sensible　and　admirable；　until；　of　course；　the　Second　Stage　brought　corruption。　No　sooner　was　this　great　force　of　the　cosmic　life　diverted　from　its　true　uses　of　Generation　and　Regeneration＇1＇　and　appropriated　by　the　individual　to　his　own　private　pleasureno　sooner　was　its　religious　character　as　a　tribal　service＇2＇；　（often　rendered　within　the　Temple　precincts）　lost　sight　of　or　degraded　into　a　commercial　transactionthan　every　kind　of　evil　fell　upon　mankind。　Corruptio　optimi　pessima。　It　must　be　remembered　too　that　simultaneous　with　this　sexual　disruption　occurred　the　disruption　of　other　human　relations；　and　we　cease　to　be　surprised　that　disease　and　selfish　passions；　greed；　jealousy；　slander；　cruelty；　and　wholesale　murder；　ragedand　have　raged　ever　since。

＇1＇　For　the　special　meaning　of　these　two　terms；　see　The　Drama　of　Love　and　Death；　by　E。　Carpenter；　pp。　59…61。

＇2＇　Ernest　Crawley　in　The　Mystic　Rose　challenges　this　identification　of　Religion　with　tribal　interests；　yet　his　arguments　are　not　very　convincing。　On　p。　5　he　admits　that　〃there　is　a　religious　meaning　inherent　in　the　primitive　conception　and　practice　of　ALL　human　relations〃；　and　a　large　part　of　his　ch。　xii　is　taken　up　in　showing　that　even　such　institutions　as　the　Saturnalia　were　religious　in　confirming　the　sense　of　social　union　and　leading　to　'extended　identity。'


But　for　the　human　soulwhatever　its　fate；　and　whatever　the　dangers　and　disasters　that　threaten　itthere　is　always　redemption　waiting。　As　we　saw　in　the　last　chapter；　this　corruption　of　Sex　led　（quite　naturally）　to　its　denial　and　rejection；　and　its　denial　led　to　the　differentiation　from　it　of　Love。　Humanity　gained　by　the　enthronement　And　deification　of　Love；　pure　and　undefiled；　and　（for　the　time　being）　exalted　beyond　this　mortal　world；　and　free　from　all　earthly　contracts。　But　again　in　the　end；　the　divorce　thus　introduced　between　the　physical　and　the　spiritual　led　to　the　crippling　of　both。　Love　relegated；　so　to　speak；　to　heaven　as　a　purely　philanthropical；　pious　and　'spiritual'　affair；　became　exceedingly　DULL；　and　sex；　remaining　on　earth；　but　deserted　by　the　redeeming　presence；　fell　into　mere　〃carnal　curiosity　and　wretchedness　of　unclean　living。〃　Obviously　for　the　human　race　there　remains　nothing；　in　the　final　event；　but　the　reconciliation　of　the　physical　and　the　spiritual；　and　after　many　sufferings；　the　reunion　of　Eros　and　Psyche。


There　is　still；　however；　much　to　be　said　about　the　Third　State　of　Consciousness。　Let　us　examine　into　it　a　little　more　closely。　Clearly；　since　it　is　a　new　state；　and　not　merely　an　extension　of　a　former　one；　one　cannot　arrive　at　it　by　argument　derived　from　the　Second　state；　for　all　conscious　Thought　such　as　we　habitually　use　simply　keeps　us　IN　the　Second　state。　No　animal　or　quite　primitive　man　could　possibly　understand　what　we　mean　by　Self…consciousness　till　he　had　experienced　it。　Mere　argument　would　not　enlighten　him。　And　so　no　one　in　the　Second　state　can　quite　realize　the　Third　state　till　he　has　experienced　it。　Still；　explanations　may　help　us　to　perceive　in　what　direction　to　look；　and　to　recognize　in　some　of　our　experiences　an　approach　to　the　condition　sought。

Evidently　it　is　a　mental　condition　in　some　respects　more　similar　to　the　first　than　to　the　second　stage。　The　second　stage　of　human　psychologic　evolution　is　an　aberration；　a　divorce；　a　parenthesis。　With　its　culmination　and　dismissal　the　mind　passes　back　into　the　simple　state　of　union　with　the　Whole。　（The　state　of　Ekagrata　in　the　Hindu　philosophy：　one…pointedness；　singleness　of　mind。）　And　the　consciousness　of　the　Whole；　and　of　things　past　and　things　to　come　and　things　far　aroundwhich　consciousness　had　been　shut　out　by　the　concentration　on　the　local　selfbegins　to　return　again。　This　is　not　to　say；　of　course；　that　the　excursus　in　the　second　stage　has　been　a　loss　and　a　defect。　On　the　contrary；　it　means　that　the　Return　is　a　bringing　of　all　that　has　been　gained　during　the　period　of　exile　（all　sorts　of　mental　and　technical　knowledge　and　skill；　emotional　developments；　finesse　and　adaptability　of　mind）　BACK　into　harmony　with　the　Whole。　It　means　ultimately　a　great　gain。　The　Man；　perfected；　comes　back　to　a　vastly　extended　harmony。　He　enters　again　into　a　real　understanding　and　confidential　relationship　with　his　physical　body　and　with　the　body　of　the　society　in　which　he　dwellsfrom　both　of　which　he　has　been　sadly　divorced；　and　he　takes　up　again　the　broken　thread　of　the　Cosmic　Life。

Everyone　has　noticed　the　extraordinary　consent　sometimes　observable　among　the　members　of　an　animal　community　how　a　flock　of　500　birds　（e。　g。　starlings）　will　suddenly　change　its　direction　of　flightthe　light　on　the　wings　shifting　INSTANTANEOUSLY；　as　if　the　impulse　to　veer　came　to　all　at　the　same　identical　moment；　or　how　bees　will　swarm　or　otherwise　act　with　one　accord；　or　migrating　creatures　（lemmings；　deer；　gossamer　spiders；　winged　ants）　the　same。　Whatever　explanation　of　these　facts　we　favorwhether　the　possession　of　swifter　and　finer　means　of　external　communication　than　we　can　perceive；　or　whether　a　common　and　inner　sensitivity　to　the　genius　of　the　Tribe　（the　〃Spirit　of　the　Hive〃）　or　to　the　promptings　of　great　Nature　aroundin　any　case　these　facts　of　animal　life　appear　to　throw　light　on　the　possibilities　of　an　accord　and　consent　among　the　members　of　emaciated　humanity；　such　as　we　dream　of　now；　and　seem　to　bid　us　have　good　hope　for　the　future。

It　is　here；　perhaps；　that　the　ancient　worship　of　the　Lingam　comes　in。　The　word　itself　is　apparently　connected　with　our　word　'link；'　and　has　originally　the　same　meaning。＇1＇　It　is　the　link　between　the　generations。　Beginning　with　the　worship　of　the　physical　Race…life；　the　course　of　psychologic　evolution　has　been　first　to　the　worship　of　the　Tribe　（or　of　the　Totem　which　represents　the　tribe）；　then　to　the　worship　of　the　human…formed　God　of　the　tribethe　God　who　dies　and　rises　again　eternally；　as　the　tribe　passes　on　eternalthough　its　members　perpetually　perish；　then　to　the　conception　of　an　undying　Savior；　and　the　realization　and　distinct　experience　of　some　kind　of　Super…consciousness　which　does　certainly　reside；　more　or　less　hidden；　in　the　deeps　of　the　mind；　and　has　been　waiting　through　the　ages　for　its　disclosure　and　recognition。　Then　again　to　the　recognition　that　in　the　sacrifices；　the　Slayer　and　the　Slain　are　onethe　strange　and　profoundly　mystic　perception　that　the　God　and　the　Victim　are　in　essence　the　samethe　dedication　of　'Himself　to　Himself'＇2＇　and　simultaneously　with　this　the　interpretation　of　the　Eucharist　as　meaning；　even　for　the　individual；　the　participation　in　Eternal　Life　the　continuing　life　of　the　Tribe；　or　ultimately　of　Humanity。＇3＇　The　Tribal　order　rises　to　Humanity；　love　ascends　from　the　lingam　to　yogam；　from　physical　union　alone　to　the　union　with　the　Wholewhich　of　course　includes　physical　and　all　other　kinds　of　union。　No　wonder　that　the　good　St。　Paul；　witnessing　that　extraordinary　whirlpool　of　beliefs　and　practices；　new　and　old；　there　in　the　first　century　A。D。the　unabashed　adoration　of　sex　side　by　side　with　the　transcendental　devotions　of　the　Vedic　sages　and　the　Gnosticsbecame　somewhat　confused　himself　and　even　a　little　violent；　scolding　his　disciples　（I　Cor。　x。　21）　for　their　undiscriminating　acceptance；　as　it　seemed　to　him；　of　things　utterly　alien　and　antagonistic。　〃Ye　cannot　drink　the　cup　of　the　Lord　and　the　cup　of　devils：　ye　cannot　be　partakers　of　the　Lord's　table　and　the　table　of　devils。〃


＇1＇　See　Sanskrit　Dictionary。

＇2＇　See　Ch。　VIII。

＇3＇　There　are　many　indications　in　literaturein　prophetic　or　poetic　formof　this　awareness　and　distinct　conviction　of　an　eternal　life；　reached　through　love　and　an　inner　sense　of　union　with　others　and　with　humanity　at　large；　indications　which　bear　the　mark　of　absolute　genuineness　and　sincerity　of　feeling。　See；　for　instance；　Whitman's　poem；　〃To　the　Garden　the　World〃　（Leaves　of　Grass；　complete　edition；　p。　79）。　But　an　eternal　life　of　the　third　order；　not；　thank　heaven！　an　eternity　of　the　meddling　and　muddling　self…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　）