pagan and christian creeds-第26节

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a　in　the　Bhagavad　Gita；＇1＇　〃I　am　the　sacrifice；　I　the　ancestral　offering。〃　〃In　the　truly　orthodox　conception　of　sacrifice；〃　says　Elie　Reclus；＇2＇　〃the　consecrated　offering；　be　it　man；　woman　or　virgin；　lamb　or　heifer；　cock　or　dove；　represents　tHE　DEITY　HIMSELF。　。　。　。　Brahma　is　the　'imperishable　sacrifice'；　Indra；　Soma；　Hari　and　the　other　gods；　became　incarnate　in　animals　to　the　sole　end　that　they　might　be　immolated。　Perusha；　the　Universal　Being；　caused　himself　to　be　slain　by　the　Immortals；　and　from　his　substance　were　born　the　birds　of　the　air；　wild　and　domestic　animals；　the　offerings　of　butter　and　curds。　The　world；　declared　the　Rishis；　is　a　series　of　sacrifices　disclosing　other　sacrifices。　To　stop　them　would　be　to　suspend　the　life　of　Nature。　The　god　Siva；　to　whom　the　Tipperahs　of　Bengal　are　supposed　to　have　sacrificed　as　many　as　a　thousand　human　victims　a　year；　said　to　the　Brahamins：　'It　is　I　that　am　the　actual　offering；　it　is　I　that　you　butcher　upon　my　altars。'　〃

＇1＇　Ch。　ix；　v。　16。

＇2＇　Primitive　Folk；　ch。　vi。


It　was　in　allusion　to　this　doctrine　that　R。　W。　Emerson；　paraphrasing　the　Katha…Upanishad；　wrote　that　immortal　verse　of　his：…

　　　　　If　the　red　slayer　thinks　he　slays；　　　　　　　　　　　Or　the　slain　thinks　he　is　slain；　　　　　　They　know　not　well　the　subtle　ways　　　　　　　　　　　I　take；　and　pass；　and　turn　again。


I　say　it　is　an　astonishing　thing　to　think　and　realize　that　this　profound　and　mystic　doctrine　of　the　eternal　sacrifice　of　Himself；　ordained　by　the　Great　Spirit　for　the　creation　and　salvation　of　the　worlda　doctrine　which　has　attracted　and　fascinated　many　of　the　great　thinkers　and　nobler　minds　of　Europe；　which　has　also　inspired　the　religious　teachings　of　the　Indian　sages　and　to　a　less　philosophical　degree　the　writings　of　the　Christian　Saintsshould　have　been　seized　in　its　general　outline　and　essence　by　rude　and　primitive　people　before　the　dawn　of　history；　and　embodied　in　their　rites　and　ceremonials。　What　is　the　explanation　of　this　fact？

It　is　very　puzzling。　The　whole　subject　is　puzzling。　The　world…wide　adoption　of　similar　creeds　and　rituals　（and；　we　may　add；　legends　and　fairy　tales）　among　early　peoples；　and　in　far…sundered　places　and　times　is　so　remarkable　that　it　has　given　the　students　of　these　subjects　'furiously　to　think'＇1＇yet　for　the　most　part　without　great　success　in　the　way　of　finding　a　solution。　The　supposition　that　（1）　the　creed；　rite　or　legend　in　question　has　sprung　up；　so　to　speak；　accidentally；　in　one　place；　and　then　has　travelled　（owing　to　some　inherent　plausibility）　over　the　rest　of　the　world；　is　of　course　one　that　commends　itself　readily　at　first；　but　on　closer　examination　the　practical　difficulties　it　presents　are　certainly　very　great。　These　include　the　migrations　of　customs　and　myths　in　quite　early　ages　of　the　earth　across　trackless　oceans　and　continents；　and　between　races　and　peoples　absolutely　incapable　of　understanding　each　other。　And　if　to　avoid　these　difficulties　it　is　assumed　that　the　present　human　race　all　proceeds　from　one　original　stock　which　radiating　from　one　centresay　in　South…Eastern　Asia＇2＇overspread　the　world；　carrying　its　rites　and　customs　with　it；　why；　then　we　are　compelled　to　face　the　difficulty　of　supposing　this　radiation　to　have　taken　place　at　an　enormous　time　ago　（the　continents　being　then　all　more　or　less　conjoined）　and　at　a　period　when　it　is　doubtful　if　any　religious　rites　and　customs　at　all　existed；　not　to　mention　the　further　difficulty　of　supposing　all　the　four　or　five　hundred　languages　now　existing　to　be　descended　from　one　common　source。　The　far　tradition　of　the　Island　of　Atlantis　seems　to　afford　a　possible　explanation　of　the　community　of　rites　and　customs　between　the　Old　and　New　World；　and　this　without　assuming　in　any　way　that　Atlantis　（if　it　existed）　was　the　original　and　SOLE　cradle　of　the　human　race。＇3＇　Anyhow　it　is　clear　that　these　origins　of　human　culture　must　be　of　extreme　antiquity；　and　that　it　would　not　be　wise　to　be　put　off　the　track　of　the　investigation　of　a　possible　common　source　merely　by　that　fact　of　antiquity。

＇1＇　See　A。　Lang's　Myth；　Ritual　and　Religion；　vol。　ii。

＇2＇　See　Hastings；　Encycl。　Religion　and　Ethics；　art。　〃Ethnology。〃

＇3＇　E。　J。　Payne；　History　of　the　New　World　called　America　（vol。　i；　p。　93）　says：　〃It　is　certain　that　Europe　and　America　once　formed　a　single　continent；〃　but　inroads　of　the　sea　〃left　a　vast　island　or　peninsula　stretching　from　Iceland　to　the　Azoreswhich　gradually　disappeared。〃　Also　he　speaks　（i。　93）　of　the　〃Miocene　Bridge〃　between　Siberia　and　the　New　World。


A　second　supposition；　however；　is　（2）　that　the　natural　psychological　evolution　of　the　human　mind　has　in　the　various　times　and　climes　led　folk　of　the　most　diverse　surroundings　and　heredityand　perhaps　even　sprung　from　separate　anthropoid　stocksto　develop　their　social　and　religious　ideas　along　the　same　general　linesand　that　even　to　the　extent　of　exhibiting　at　times　a　remarkable　similarity　in　minute　details。　This　is　a　theory　which　commends　itself　greatly　to　a　deeper　and　more　philosophical　consideration；　but　it　brings　us　up　point…blank　against　another　most　difficult　question　（which　we　have　already　raised）；　namely；　how　to　account　for　extremely　rude　and　primitive　peoples　in　the　far　past；　and　on　the　very　borderland　of　the　animal　life；　having　been　SUSCEPTIBLE　to　the　germs　of　great　religious　ideas　（such　as　we　have　mentioned）　and　having　been　instinctivelythough　not　of　course　by　any　process　of　conscious　reasoningmoved　to　express　them　in　symbols　and　rites　and　ceremonials；　and　（later　no　doubt）　in　myths　and　legends；　which　satisfied　their　FEELINGS　and　sense　of　fitnessthough　they　may　not　have　known　WHY　and　afterwards　were　capable　of　being　taken　up　and　embodied　in　the　great　philosophical　religions。

This　difficulty　almost　compels　us　to　a　view　of　human　knowledge　which　has　found　supporters　among　some　able　thinkersthe　view；　namely；　that　a　vast　store　of　knowledge　is　already　contained　in　the　subconscious　mind　of　man　（and　the　animals）　and　only　needs　the　provocation　of　outer　experience　to　bring　it　to　the　surface；　and　that　in　the　second　stage　of　human　psychology　this　process　of　crude　and　piecemeal　externalization　is　taking　place；　in　preparation　for　the　final　or　third　stage　in　which　the　knowledge　will　be　re…absorbed　and　become　direct　and　intuitional　on　a　high　and　harmonious　planesomething　like　the　present　intuition　of　the　animals　as　we　perceive　it　on　the　animal　plane。　However　this　general　subject　is　one　on　which　I　shall　touch　again；　and　I　do　not　propose　to　dwell　on　it　at　any　length　now。

There　is　a　third　alternative　theory　（3）a　combination　of　（1）　and　（2）namely；　that　if　one　accepts　（2）　and　the　idea　that　at　any　given　stage　of　human　development　there　is　a　PREDISPOSITION　to　certain　symbols　and　rites　belonging　to　that　stage；　then　it　is　much　more　easy　to　accept　theory　（1）　as　an　important　factor　in　the　spread　of　such　symbols　and　rites；　for　clearly；　then；　the　smallest　germ　of　a　custom　or　practice；　transported　from　one　country　or　people　to　another　at　the　right　time；　would　be　sufficient　to　wake　the　development　or　growth　in　question　and　stimulate　it　into　activity。　It　will　be　seen；　therefore；　that　the　important　point　towards　the　solution　of　this　whole　puzzling　question　is　the　discussion；　of　theory　（2）and　to　this　theory；　as　illustrated　by　the　world…wide　myth　of　the　Golden　Age；　I　will　now　turn。



IX。　MYTH　OF　THE　GOLDEN　AGE

The　tradition　of　a　〃Golden　Age〃　is　widespread　over　the　world；　and　it　is　not　necessary　to　go　at　any　length　into　the　story　of　the　Garden　of　Eden　and　the　other　legends　which　in　almost　every　country　illustrate　this　tradition。　Without　indulging　in　sentiment　on　the　subject　we　may　hold　it　not　unlikely　that　the　tradition　is　justified　by　the　remembrance；　among　the　people　of　every　race；　of　a　pre…civilization　period　of　comparative　harmony　and　happiness　when　two　things；　which　to…day　we　perceive　to　be　the　prolific　causes　of　discord　and　misery；　were　absent　or　only　weakly　developednamely；　PROPERTY　and　SELF…CONSCIOUSNESS。＇1＇

＇1＇　For　a　fuller　working　out　of　this；　see　Civilisation：　its　Cause　and　Cure；　by　E。　Carpenter；　ch。　i。


During　the　first　century　B。C。　there　was　a　great　spread　of　Messianic　Ideas　over　the　Roman　world；　and　Virgil's　4th　Eclogue；　commonly　called　the　Messianic　Eclogue；　reflects　very　clearly　this　state　of　the　public　mind。　The　expected　babe　in　the　poem　was　to　be　the　son　of　Octavian　（Augustus）　the　first　Roman　emperor；　and　a　messianic　halo　surrounded　it　in　Virgil's　verse。　Unfortunately　it　turned　out　to　be　a　GIRL！　However　there　is　little　doubt　that　Virgil　did　in　that　very　sad　age　of　the　world；　an　age　of　〃misery　and　massacre；〃　and　in　common　with　thousands　of　others　look　for　the　coming　of　a　great　'redeemer。'　It　was　only　a　few　years　earlierabout　B。C。　70that　the　great　revolt　of　the　shamefully　maltreated　Roman　slaves　occurred；　and　that　in　revenge　six　thousand　prisoners　from　Spartacus'　army　were　nailed　on　crosses　all　the　way　from　Rome　to　Capua　（150　miles）。　But　long　before　this　Hesiod　had　recorded　a　past　Golden　Age　when　life　had　been　gracious　in　communal　fraternity　and　joyful　in　peace；　when　human　beings　and　animals　spoke　the　same　language；　when　death　had　followed　on　sleep；　without　old　age　or　disease；　and　after　death　men　had　moved　as　good　daimones　or　genii　over　the　lands。　Pindar；　three　hundred　years　after　He