pagan and christian creeds-第6部分

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een　the　North　and　South　celestial　poles。

The　Equator；　then；　may　be　pictured　as　cutting　across　the　sky　either　by　day　or　by　night；　and　always　at　the　same　elevationthat　is；　as　seen　from　any　one　place。　But　the　Ecliptic　（the　other　important　great　circle　of　the　heavens）　can　only　be　thought　of　as　a　line　traversing　the　constellations　as　they　are　seen　at　NIGHT。　It　is　in　fact　the　Sun's　path　among　the　fixed　stars。　For　（really　owing　to　the　Earth's　motion　in　its　orbit）　the　Sun　appears　to　move　round　the　heavens　once　a　yeartravelling；　always　to　the　left；　from　constellation　to　constellation。　The　exact　path　of　the　sun　is　called　the　Ecliptic；　and　the　band　of　sky　on　either　side　of　the　Ecliptic　which　may　be　supposed　to　include　the　said　constellations　is　called　the　Zodiac。　How　then　it　will　of　course　be　askedseeing　that　the　Sun　and　the　Stars　can　never　be　seen　togetherwere　the　Priests　ABLE　to　map　out　the　path　of　the　former　among　the　latter？　Into　that　question　we　need　not　go。　Sufficient　to　say　that　they　succeeded；　and　their　successeven　with　the　very　primitive　instruments　they　hadshows　that　their　astronomical　knowledge　and　acuteness　of　reasoning　were　of　no　mean　order。

To　return　to　our　Vernal　Equinox。　Let　us　suppose　that　the　Equator　and　Ecliptic　of　the　sky；　at　the　Spring　season；　are　represented　by　two　lines　Eq。　and　Ecl。　crossing　each　other　at　the　point　P。　The　Sun；　represented　by　the　small　circle；　is　moving　slowly　and　in　its　annual　course　along　the　Ecliptic　to　the　left。　When　it　reaches　the　point　P　（the　dotted　circle）　it　stands　on　the　Equator　of　the　sky；　and　then　for　a　day　or　two；　being　neither　North　nor　South；　it　shines　on　the　two　terrestrial　hemispheres　alike；　and　day　and　night　are　equal。　BEFORE　that　time；　when　the　sun　is　low　down　in　the　heavens；　night　has　the　advantage；　and　the　days　are　short；　AFTERWARDS；　when　the　Sun　has　travelled　more　to　the　left；　the　days　triumph　over　the　nights。　It　will　be　seen　then　that　this　point　P　where　the　Sun's　path　crosses　the　Equator　is　a　very　critical　point。　It　is　the　astronomical　location　of　the　triumph　of　the　Sungod　and　of　the　arrival　of　Spring。

How　was　this　location　defined？　Among　what　stars　was　the　Sun　moving　at　that　critical　moment？　（For　of　course　it　was　understood；　or　supposed；　that　the　Sun　was　deeply　influenced　by　the　constellation　through　which　it　was；　or　appeared　to　be；　moving。）　It　seems　then　that　at　the　period　when　these　questions　were　occupying　men's　minds　say　about　three　thousand　years　agothe　point　where　the　Ecliptic　crossed　the　Equator　was；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　in　the　region　of　the　constellation　Aries　or　the　he…　Lamb。　The　triumph　of　the　Sungod　was　therefore；　and　quite　naturally；　ascribed　to　the　influence　of　Aries。　THE　LAMB　BECAME　THE　SYMBOL　OF　THE　RISEN　SAVIOR；　AND　OF　HIS　PASSAGE　FROM　THE　UNDERWORLD　INTO　THE　HEIGHT　OF　HEAVEN。　At　first　such　an　explanation　sounds　hazardous；　but　a　thousand　texts　and　references　confirm　it；　and　it　is　only　by　the　accumulation　of　evidence　in　these　cases　that　the　student　becomes　convinced　of　a　theory's　correctness。　It　must　also　be　remembered　（what　I　have　mentioned　before）　that　these　myths　and　legends　were　commonly　adopted　not　only　for　one　strict　reason　but　because　they　represented　in　a　general　way　the　convergence　of　various　symbols　and　inferences。

Let　me　enumerate　a　few　points　with　regard　to　the　Vernal　Equinox。　In　the　Bible　the　festival　is　called　the　Passover；　and　its　supposed　institution　by　Moses　is　related　in　Exodus；　ch。　xii。　In　every　house　a　he…lamb　was　to　be　slain；　and　its　blood　to　be　sprinkled　on　the　doorposts　of　the　house。　Then　the　Lord　would　pass　over　and　not　smite　that　house。　The　Hebrew　word　is　pasach；　to　pass。＇1＇　The　lamb　slain　was　called　the　Paschal　Lamb。　But　what　was　that　lamb？　Evidently　not　an　earthly　lamb（though　certainly　the　earthly　lambs　on　the　hillsides　WERE　just　then　ready　to　be　killed　and　eaten）but　the　heavenly　Lamb；　which　was　slain　or　sacrificed　when　the　Lord　〃passed　over〃　the　equator　and　obliterated　the　constellation　Aries。　This　was　the　Lamb　of　God　which　was　slain　each　year；　and　〃Slain　since　the　foundation　of　the　world。〃　This　period　of　the　Passover　（about　the　25th　March）　was　to　be＇2＇　the　beginning　of　a　new　year。　The　sacrifice　of　the　Lamb；　and　its　blood；　were　to　be　the　promise　of　redemption。　The　door…frames　of　the　housessymbols　of　the　entrance　into　a　new　lifewere　to　be　sprinkled　with　blood。＇3＇　Later；　the　imagery　of　the　saving　power　of　the　blood　of　the　Lamb　became　more　popular；　more　highly　colored。　（See　St。　Paul's　epistles；　and　the　early　Fathers。）　And　we　have　the　expression　〃washed　in　the　blood　of　the　Lamb〃　adopted　into　the　Christian　Church。

＇1＇　It　is　said　that　pasach　sometimes　means　not　so　much　to　pass　over；　as　to　hover　over　and　so　protect。　Possibly　both　meanings　enter　in　here。　See　Isaiah　xxxi。　5。

＇2＇　See　Exodus　xii。　i。

＇3＇　It　is　even　said　（see　The　Golden　Bough；　vol。　iii；　185）　that　the　doorways　of　houses　and　temples　in　Peru　were　at　the　Spring　festival　daubed　with　blood　of　the　first…born　childrencommuted　afterwards　to　the　blood　of　the　sacred　animal；　the　Llama。　And　as　to　Mexico；　Sahagun；　the　great　Spanish　missionary；　tells　us　that　it　was　a　custom　of　the　people　there　to　〃smear　the　outside　of　their　houses　and　doors　with　blood　drawn　from　their　own　ears　and　ankles；　in　order　to　propitiate　the　god　of　Harvest〃　（Kingsborough's　Mexican　Antiquities；　vol。　vi；　p。　235）。


In　order　fully　to　understand　this　extraordinary　expression　and　its　origin　we　must　turn　for　a　moment　to　the　worship　both　of　Mithra；　the　Persian　Sungod；　and　of　Attis　the　Syrian　god；　as　throwing　great　light　on　the　Christian　cult　and　ceremonies。　It　must　be　remembered　that　in　the　early　centuries　of　our　era　the　Mithra…cult　was　spread　over　the　whole　Western　world。　It　has　left　many　monuments　of　itself　here　in　Britain。　At　Rome　the　worship　was　extremely　popular；　and　it　may　almost　be　said　to　have　been　a　matter　of　chance　whether　Mithraism　should　overwhelm　Christianity；　or　whether　the　younger　religion　by　adopting　many　of　the　rites　of　the　older　one　should　establish　itself　（as　it　did）　in　the　face　of　the　latter。

Now　we　have　already　mentioned　that　in　the　Mithra　cult　the　slaying　of　a　Bull　by　the　Sungod　occupies　the　same　sort　of　place　as　the　slaving　of　the　Lamb　in　the　Christian　cult。　It　took　place　at　the　Vernal　Equinox　and　the　blood　of　the　Bull　acquired　in　men's　minds　a　magic　virtue。　Mithraism　was　a　greatly　older　religion　than　Christianity；　but　its　genesis　was　similar。　In　fact；　owing　to　the　Precession　of　the　Equinoxes；　the　crossing…place　of　the　Ecliptic　and　Equator　was　different　at　the　time　of　the　establishment　of　Mithra…worship　from　what　it　was　in　the　Christian　period；　and　the　Sun　instead　of　standing　in　the　He…lamb；　or　Aries；　at　the　Vernal　Equinox　stood；　about　two　thousand　years　earlier　（as　indicated　by　the　dotted　line　in　the　diagram）；　in　this　very　constellation　of　the　Bull。＇1＇　The　bull　therefore　became　the　symbol　of　the　triumphant　God；　and　the　sacrifice　of　the　bull　a　holy　mystery。　（Nor　must　we　overlook　here　the　agricultural　appropriateness　of　the　bull　as　the　emblem　of　Spring…plowings　and　of　service　to　man。）

＇1＇　With　regard　to　this　point；　see　an　article　in　the　Nineteenth　Century　for　September　1900；　by　E。　W。　Maunder　of　the　Greenwich　Observatory　on　〃The　Oldest　Picture　Book〃　（the　Zodiac）。　Mr。　Maunder　calculates　that　the　Vernal　Equinox　was　in　the　centre　of　the　Sign　of　the　Bull　5；000　years　ago。　＇It　would　therefore　be　in　the　centre　of　Aries　2；845　years　agoallowing　2；155　years　for　the　time　occupied　in　passing　from　one　Sign　to　another。＇　At　the　earlier　period　the　Summer　solstice　was　in　the　centre　of　Leo；　the　Autumnal　equinox　in　the　centre　of　Scorpio；　and　the　Winter　solstice　in　the　centre　of　Aquariuscorresponding　roughly；　Mr。　Maunder　points　out；　to　the　positions　of　the　four　〃Royal　Stars；〃　Aldebaran；　Regulus；　Antares　and　Fomalhaut。


The　sacrifice　of　the　Bull　became　the　image　of　redemption。　In　a　certain　well…known　Mithra…sculpture　or　group；　the　Sungod　is　represented　as　plunging　his　dagger　into　a　bull；　while　a　scorpion；　a　serpent；　and　other　animals　are　sucking　the　latter's　blood。　From　one　point　of　view　this　may　be　taken　as　symbolic　of　the　Sun　fertilizing　the　gross　Earth　by　plunging　his　rays　into　it　and　so　drawing　forth　its　blood　for　the　sustenance　of　all　creatures；　while　from　another　more　astronomical　aspect　it　symbolizes　the　conquest　of　the　Sun　over　winter　in　the　moment　of　〃passing　over〃　the　sign　of　the　Bull；　and　the　depletion　of　the　generative　power　of　the　Bull　by　the　Scorpion　which　of　course　is　the　autumnal　sign　of　the　Zodiac　and　herald　of　winter。　One　such　Mithraic　group　was　found　at　Ostia；　where　there　was　a　large　subterranean　Temple　〃to　the　invincible　god　Mithras。〃

In　the　worship　of　Attis　there　were　（as　I　have　already　indicated）　many　points　of　resemblance　to　the　Christian　cult。　On　the　22nd　March　（the　Vernal　Equinox）　a　pinetree　was　cut　in　the　woods　and　brought　into　the　Temple　of　Cybele。　It　was　treated　almost　as　a　divinity；　was　decked　with　violets；　and　the　effigy　of　a　young　man　tied　to　the　stem　（cf。　the　Crucifixion）。　The　24th　was　called　the　〃Day　of　Blood〃；　the　High　Priest　first　drew　blood　from　his　own　arms；　and　then　the　others　gashed　and　slashed　themselves；　and　spattered　the　altar　and　the　sacred　tree　with　blood；　while　novices　made　themselves　eunuchs　〃for　the　kingdom　of　heaven's　sake。〃　The　effigy　was　afterwards　laid　in　a　tomb。　But　when　night　fell；　says　Dr。　Frazer；＇1＇　sorrow　was　turned　to　joy。　A　light　was　brought；　and　the　tomb　was　found　to　be　empty。　The　next　day；　the　25th；　was　the　festival　of　the　Resurrection；　and　ended　in　carnival　and　license　（the　Hilaria）。　Further；　says　Dr。　Frazer；　these　mysteries　〃seem　to　have　included　a　sacramental　meal　and　a　baptism　of　blood。〃

＇1＇　See　Adonis；　Attis　and　Osiris；　Part　IV　of　The　Golden　Bough；　by　J。　G。　Frazer；　p。　229。


〃In　the　baptism　the　devotee；　crowned　with　gold　and　wreathed　with　fillets；　descended　into　a　pit；　the　mouth　of　which　was　covered　with　a　wooden　grating。　A　bull；　adorned　with　garlands　of　flowers；　its　forehead　glittering　with　gold　leaf；　was　then　driven　on　to　the　grating　and　there　stabbed　to　death　with　a　consecrated　spear。　Its　hot　reeking　blood　poured　in　torrents　through　the　apertures；　and　was　received　with　devout　eagerness　by　the　worshiper　on　every　part　of　his　person　and　garments；　till　he　emerged　from　the　pit；　drenched；　dripping；　and　scarlet　from　head　to　foot；　to　receive　t