pagan and christian creeds-第5章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


festival　of　the　Birth　of　the　Virgin　is　dated　the　8th　September。　I　have　already　pointed　out　that　the　stars；　；　　and　　of　Virgo　are　almost　exactly　on　the　Ecliptic；　or　Sun's　path　through　the　sky；　and　a　brief　reference　to　the　Zodiacal　signs　and　the　star…maps　will　show　that　the　Sun　each　year　enters　the　sign　of　Virgo　about　the　first…mentioned　date；　and　leaves　it　about　the　second　date。　At　the　present　day　the　Zodiacal　signs　（owing　to　precession）　have　shifted　some　distance　from　the　constellations　of　the　same　name。　But　at　the　time　when　the　Zodiac　was　constituted　and　these　names　were　given；　the　first　date　obviously　would　signalize　the　actual　disappearance　of　the　cluster　Virgo　in　the　Sun's　raysi。　e。　the　Assumption　of　the　Virgin　into　the　glory　of　the　Godwhile　the　second　date　would　signalize　the　reappearance　of　the　constellation　or　the　Birth　of　the　Virgin。　The　Church　of　Notre　Dame　at　Paris　is　supposed　to　be　on　the　original　site　of　a　Temple　of　Isis；　and　it　is　said　（but　I　have　not　been　able　to　verify　this　myself）　that　one　of　the　side　entrancesthat；　namely；　on　the　left　in　entering　from　the　North　（cloister）　sideis　figured　with　the　signs　of　the　Zodiac　EXCEPT　that　the　sign　Virgo　is　replaced　by　the　figure　of　the　Madonna　and　Child。

So　strange　is　the　scripture　of　the　sky！　Innumerable　legends　and　customs　connect　the　rebirth　of　the　Sun　with　a　Virgin　parturition。　Dr。　J。　G。　Frazer　in　his　Part　IV　of　The　Golden　Bough＇1＇　says：　〃If　we　may　trust　the　evidence　of　an　obscure　scholiast　the　Greeks　＇in　the　worship　of　Mithras　at　Rome＇　used　to　celebrate　the　birth　of　the　luminary　by　a　midnight　service；　coming　out　of　the　inner　shrines　and　crying；　'The　Virgin　has　brought　forth！　The　light　is　waxing！'　（