DOCSLIB.ORG

An Esoteric Reading of Biblical Symbolism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Esoteric Reading of Biblical Symbolism AN ESOTERI C READI NG OF BIBLI CAL SYMBOLISM AN ES OT ERI C READ ING O F BI BL I CAL SYM BO L IS M HARRI ET TUTTLE BARTLETT SA N FRA NCI SCO PHILO POLIS PRESS 1 9 1 6 3 5 5 34 COPY RI GHT 1 91 6 BY HARRI ET TUTTLE BARTLETT AUG23 "3MA4 37 7 30 T F NT NT ABLE O CO E S . FOREWORD INTRODUCTION P LATE EXP LAN ATION OF P LATE HAP K Y OF TH E B C TER I . E NOTE BI LE M CHAP TER II . YSTERIES P OF THE CHAP TER III . META HYSICAL IDEAS ANCIENT HEBREWS TH E F CHAP TER IV . STORY O CREATION H P S N OF TH E OF C A TER V . IGNIFICA CE GENEALOGY S HEM AND TH E WORK OF ABRAHAM AND LOT H VI AND TH E C AP TER . NOAH FLOOD H VI I TH E S F TH E TW O E C AP TER . IGNIFICANCE O COV N ANTS OF ABRAHAM M CHAP TER VIII . OSES H P I " IN TH E C A TER . REINCARNATION BIBLE P AN BE E I N H CHA TER " . C JESUS IDENTIFI D OT ER LIVES ? H " RE R OF C AP TER I . A THESE SOME INCA NATIONS OUR BLESSED CHRIST ? " I THE F E zEKIEL CHAP TER I . VISIONS O H P " EH OVAH N O C A TER III . J COMMANDED BLOODY SACRIFICES 1 51 H P " I V ON P 1 57 C A TER . LIGHT THROWN OBSCURE ASSAGES GLOSSARY OF SYMBOLS AND OBSOLETE WORDS 1 61 F REW RD O O . I send this little book out into the w orld as an humble tribute ru to the cause of t th , with heartfelt gratitude to the Master Jesus for the patient guidance and illuminations that have been given me during the years that I have been pondering over the pages r a h of the Scriptures of the A y n race , realizing fully that I ave sensed bu t a very small part of the wonders that lie hidden beneath the wonderful symbolic utterances of that marvelous Mystic Book , but full of joy that I have found enough to reveal ’ to me something of the wondrous beauty of God s plan for the evolution of man . m Mistakes , there are any, no doubt , that better scholarship , or s m greater piritual perceptions may reveal, as ti e goes on , but I m have tried to give it exactly as it was presented to y mind , and what mistakes there are , are the result of undeveloped faculties i a m m try ng to grasp ideas too gre t for the to co prehend . These t me fac s , however , came to with such illuminative force , that I cannot but hope that they may prove equally helpful to others who are struggling in the bonds of mistaken conceptions of what the Bible really teaches . ' We are standing upon but the threshold of the Temple of wi Truth , and can but glimpse the glories lying thin , but each step we take forward brings us nearer to the vision celestial ; and “ fior m no e t made with the right otive will be lost . Knowing this first , that no prophecy of Scripture is of special interpretation . For no prophecy eve r came by the will of man : but man spake m l ” H . 2 0 2 1 from God being oved by the o y Spirit II Peter , I, and . s m Here we are ju tified in searching out the hidden inner eaning, m “ as , indeed we are in any passages that refer to the Mysteries of Jesus . Occultists tell us that all Scripture has s even diff erent mean ings intended to assist man at each of the seven difierent planes m of his evolution , and this see s to be true . At each step that we AN ESOTERIC READING OF BIBLICAL SYMBOLISM is take , we find that the tale told just what we most need to direct r us along the path . To the w iter they have ever spoken in no uncertain tone . ns These illuminations have brought to me such u peakable joy , e and peac , such conviction and strength of inspiration , that to those at the same stage of progress I feel sure that they mus t of m . e necessity co e as a blessing To thos farther along upon the path , they will perhaps seem crude , while to those not so far advanced m they may in so e cases be unintelligible . They are sent out to those who need them , to those to whom they appeal . May the Master bless them as they start upon their long journey to hunt the m m hearts that need them ; may they in so e small way, help to ake as s straight the way of the Great M ter Chri t , when He again - ol ma comes to this sin sick d world ; and y they help , at least a few earnest souls to gain the token by which they may know Him when He appears . H ARRIET TUTTLE BARTLETT . INTRODUCTION It may be well to explain in a few words , something of the m t s ethod by which hese conclu ions have been arrived at . The Bible read in the literal way that is customary with the s c purely orthodox , fail to stand the test of histori and scientific m research , because of the erroneous assu ptions of the translators , who were misled by lack of the information that is now coming in such abundance to us . It is gratifying to see that the recent translators have discarded the foolish chronology which has caused m so uch trouble , and while it is somewhat disconcerting to think of the many reckonings that are thrown into confusion as to time s by this step , yet it was positively necessary to understand thing as they are . Scientific inves tigation has done much In giving us data upon — which to calculate, in a general way, but to Oriental research , especially through philological lines , do we owe much of the information that is proving a golden key by which we may unl ock the storehouses of ancient wisdom that throw light upon the obscure portions of our Sacred Book . To state it briefly, these investigations have brought out the fact that the most ancient s m Sacred MSS . gave out the a e great fundamental truths upon which our own religion is based . Many great natural laws are explained and about the same ethical standard is upheld as w e have been accustomed to connect with the teachings of our own ff faith ; the di erence being , if any, rather in favor of the superi ori ty of the standard upheld by the ancients as being attainable . “ Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is per ” m m a fect was to the an attainable ideal, while to us it see s m monstrous assu ption . As we study, we see that the weakness in our own system lies in the fact that the Christian Mysteries have been temporarily lost , due to the political aspirations of the church from the fourth century, but abundant evidence exists that they were a part of 3 AN ESOTERIC READING OF BIBLICAL SYMBOLISM the Apostolic Church , and that the early Church Fathers owed their unusual spiritual strength to the influence of this special training . We find there are certain symbols that are universal , to which the hidden truths have been confided during the ages , and that s s m the m m the e y bols tell sa e tale , no atter where they may be ma h found, no matter what the language of the people y be . T en we look and find these same symbols telling the same story in our own Bible . The Hebrew language lent itself with unusual felicity to the veiled work of the Mysteries , as it was a purely consonantal language , each letter having a numerical value , and each number n ot s having an esoteric significance . It is surpri ing that the has m m message re ained hidden under the circu stances . It was m perfectly safe until the ti e was ripe for its disclosure . Evidently ’ ‘ ’ u ntil man s the Master s will controlled the situation . Not intui him tion develops will the secrets of the ages be revealed to . Th e translation of the personal nouns and geographical names , often gives the key to an allegory, but , in this line of work , one is often hindered by the fact that the meaning of the word has o . been l st in the course of the ages By taking the root , however , m tracing it back as nearly as possible to its other tongue , one may often get a meaning that clearly dovetails with the obvious m ean ing of the text in such a way as to justify the inference that the right one has been found, or at least something very near to it . In studying the allegorical meaning of the Bible the writer finds that it is wise to stick to the s piritual meaning consistently w a all the y through , not read one passage allegorically and the next literally which causes the garbled result so Often Obtained by Biblical scholars . m m This line of study , however , de onstrates that the lower ind TO m alone cannot give satisfactory results .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download Download
    Nisan / The Levantine Review Volume 4 Number 2 (Winter 2015) Identity and Peoples in History Speculating on Ancient Mediterranean Mysteries Mordechai Nisan* We are familiar with a philo-Semitic disposition characterizing a number of communities, including Phoenicians/Lebanese, Kabyles/Berbers, and Ismailis/Druze, raising the question of a historical foundation binding them all together. The ethnic threads began in the Galilee and Mount Lebanon and later conceivably wound themselves back there in the persona of Al-Muwahiddun [Unitarian] Druze. While DNA testing is a fascinating methodology to verify the similarity or identity of a shared gene pool among ostensibly disparate peoples, we will primarily pursue our inquiry using conventional historical materials, without however—at the end—avoiding the clues offered by modern science. Our thesis seeks to substantiate an intuition, a reading of the contours of tales emanating from the eastern Mediterranean basin, the Levantine area, to Africa and Egypt, and returning to Israel and Lebanon. The story unfolds with ancient biblical tribes of Israel in the north of their country mixing with, or becoming Lebanese Phoenicians, travelling to North Africa—Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya in particular— assimilating among Kabyle Berbers, later fusing with Shi’a Ismailis in the Maghreb, who would then migrate to Egypt, and during the Fatimid period evolve as the Druze. The latter would later flee Egypt and return to Lebanon—the place where their (biological) ancestors had once dwelt. The original core group was composed of Hebrews/Jews, toward whom various communities evince affinity and identity today with the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Were the Kenites? OTE 24/2 (2011): 414-430
    414 Mondriaan: Who were the Kenites? OTE 24/2 (2011): 414-430 Who were the Kenites? MARLENE E. MONDRIAAN (U NIVERSITY OF PRETORIA ) ABSTRACT This article examines the Kenite tribe, particularly considering their importance as suggested by the Kenite hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, the Kenites, and the Midianites, were the peoples who introduced Moses to the cult of Yahwism, before he was confronted by Yahweh from the burning bush. Scholars have identified the Cain narrative of Gen 4 as the possible aetiological legend of the Kenites, and Cain as the eponymous ancestor of these people. The purpose of this research is to ascertain whether there is any substantiation for this allegation connecting the Kenites to Cain, as well as con- templating the Kenites’ possible importance for the Yahwistic faith. Information in the Hebrew Bible concerning the Kenites is sparse. Traits associated with the Kenites, and their lifestyle, could be linked to descendants of Cain. The three sons of Lamech represent particular occupational groups, which are also connected to the Kenites. The nomadic Kenites seemingly roamed the regions south of Palestine. According to particular texts in the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh emanated from regions south of Palestine. It is, therefore, plausible that the Kenites were familiar with a form of Yahwism, a cult that could have been introduced by them to Moses, as suggested by the Kenite hypothesis. Their particular trade as metalworkers afforded them the opportunity to also introduce their faith in the northern regions of Palestine. This article analyses the etymology of the word “Kenite,” the ancestry of the Kenites, their lifestyle, and their religion.
    [Show full text]
  • A:Cts of the Apostles (Revised Version)
    THE SCHOOL AND COLLEGE EDITION. A:CTS OF THE APOSTLES (REVISED VERSION) (CHAPTERS I.-XVI.) WITH BY THK REV. F. MARSHALL, M.A., (Lau Ezhibition,r of St, John's College, Camb,idge)• Recto, of Mileham, formerly Principal of the Training College, Ca11narthffl. and la1ely Head- Master of Almondbury Grammar School, First Edition 1920. Ten Impressions to 1932. Jonb.on: GEORGE GILL & SONS, Ln., MINERVA HOUSE, PATERNOSTER SQUARE, E.C.4. MAP TO ILLUSTRATE THE ACTS OPTBE APOSTLES . <t. ~ -li .i- C-4 l y .A. lO 15 20 PREFACE. 'i ms ~amon of the first Sixteen Chapters of the Acts of the Apostles is intended for the use of Students preparing for the Local Examina­ tions of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and similar examinations. The Syndicates of the Oxford and Cambridge Universities often select these chapters as the subject for examination in a particular year. The Editor has accordingly drawn up the present Edition for the use of Candidates preparing for such Examinations. The Edition is an abridgement of the Editor's Acts of /ht Apostles, published by Messrs. Gill and Sons. The Introduction treats fully of the several subjects with which the Student should be acquainted. These are set forth in the Table of Contents. The Biographical and Geographical Notes, with the complete series of Maps, will be found to give the Student all necessary information, thns dispensing with the need for Atlas, Biblical Lictionary, and other aids. The text used in this volume is that of the Revised Version and is printed by permission of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but all editorial responsibility rests with the editor of the present volume.
    [Show full text]
  • Preliminary Program Book
    PRELIMINARY PROGRAM BOOK Friday - 8:00 AM-12:00 PM A20-100 Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer Persons in the Profession Committee Meeting Patrick S. Cheng, Chicago Theological Seminary, Presiding Friday - 8:00 AM-12:00 PM Friday - 8:00 AM-1:00 PM A20-101 Status of Women in the Profession Committee Meeting Su Yon Pak, Union Theological Seminary, Presiding Friday - 8:00 AM-1:00 PM Friday - 9:00 AM-12:00 PM A20-102 Public Understanding of Religion Committee Meeting Michael Kessler, Georgetown University, Presiding Friday - 9:00 AM-12:00 PM Friday - 9:00 AM-1:00 PM A20-103 Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession Committee Meeting Nargis Virani, New York, NY, Presiding Friday - 9:00 AM-1:00 PM Friday - 9:00 AM-2:00 PM A20-104 International Connections Committee Meeting Amy L. Allocco, Elon University, Presiding Friday - 9:00 AM-2:00 PM Friday - 9:00 AM-5:00 PM A20-105 Regional Coordinators Meeting Susan E. Hill, University of Northern Iowa, Presiding Friday - 9:00 AM-5:00 PM A20-106 THATCamp - The Humanities and Technology Camp Eric Smith, Iliff School of Theology, Presiding John Crow, Florida State University, Presiding Michael Hemenway, Iliff School of Theology/University of Denver, Presiding Theme: THATCampAARSBL2015 Friday - 9:00 AM-5:00 PM Friday - 10:00 AM-1:00 PM A20-107 American Lectures in the History of Religions Committee Meeting Louis A. Ruprecht, Georgia State University, Presiding Friday - 10:00 AM-1:00 PM Friday - 11:00 AM-6:00 PM A20-108 Religion and Media Workshop Ann M.
    [Show full text]
  • Esoteric Christianity and Mental Therapeutics
    ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY .A.:IID MENTAL THERAPEUTICS. BY W. F. EVANS, A'OTBoB o-r "DI~ LAw o-r CUBII" .uro "PBnliTIVB MIND.CUBJI," " We speak wisdom among the perfect : yet a wisdom not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, which are coming to nought." ·• -I Cor. ii : 6. BOSTON: H. H. CARTER & KARRICK, PUBLISHERS, s BE.A.CON STREET. 1886. Digit, zed by Goog le Entered, according to tbe Act of Congreea, In tbe year 1886, by W. F. EVANS, In tbe 011lce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. J . S. CusmNo &: Co., PRINTJCRB, BosTON. ~. .. Digit• zed by Goog le PREFACE. Tms volume is designed to complete a series of works on the subject of Mental Therapeutics, the publication of which was commenced several years ago, and which was intended to give a view of the subject in its various aspects. It is hoped the book may be found ac<'eptable and useful to those who are interested in the subject of which it treats. It contains a series of twelve lessons or lectures, which the author has given in a private way to a number of persons who were desirous of learning something of the philosophy and practice of the phrenopathic method of cure. In order that the information contained in the lectures might become more generally circulated, and meet the demands for instruc­ tion that are made upon the author, they are committed to the press. There is given in the brief compass of the volume a plain presentation of the principles that underlie the practice of the mental system of healing, so that any person of ordinary intelligence, who is moved by a desire to do good, may make a trial of those directions.
    [Show full text]
  • Leadership Characteristics of the Apostle Paul That Can Provide Model to Today's Bbfk Pastors
    Guillermin Library Liberty University Lynchbu!1l, VA 24502 LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL THAT CAN PROVIDE MODEL TO TODAY'S BBFK PASTORS A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY By Jae Kee Lee Lynchburg Virginia August, 2003 LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DOCTOR OF MINISTRY THESIS PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET GRADE ~lktJ~1 MENTOR . READER 11 ABSTRACT LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL THAT CAN PROVIDE MODEL TO TODAY'S BBFK PASTORS Jae Kee Lee Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Mentor: Dr. Frank Schmitt The purpose of this project is to understand Paul's leadership characteristics and to apply those characteristics to today's Korean Baptist Bible Fellowship pastors. The project carefully examines Paul's twelve characteristics pertaining to self, interpersonal aspect, spiritual aspect, and functional competency from his writings and his acts reported by Luke. It also analyzes and evaluates current situation ofthe BBFK pastors' leadership based on surveys and interviews. Five practical strategies for the development of the leadership quality of the BBFK pastors are offered. Those strategies will help the pastors demonstrate such leadership characteristics more fully which were found in the apostle Paul. Abstract length: 101 words. III To My Pastor and the Leader of the Korean Baptist Bible Fellowship Dr. Daniel Wooseang Kim IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Christianity and Theosophy
    Christianity and Theosophy “Theosophy is an Eastern religion, isn’t it—sort of like Hinduism or Buddhism?” That question is wrong in two important ways. First, Theosophy is not a religion at all, but a way of viewing human nature and the world that is compatible with the nondogmatic aspects of any religion. Second, Theosophy is no more Eastern than it is Western—it seeks for what is in common to all cultures and religions and attempts to complement East and West with each other. Theosophists belong to many different religions: among them, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity; and within Christianity to churches such as the Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and many others. Theosophy presents the wisdom of the West to the East and the wisdom of the East to the West. Theosophy within Christianity The word Theosophy, meaning “divine wisdom,” designates an ancient outlook that recognizes within the many outward forms of religion an inner core shared by all of them. Theosophy and Christianity agree in their essence. Christianity provides a unique way of expressing the Wisdom Tradition of Theosophy, and Theosophy can enrich an understanding of the inner side of the Christian Way. The New Testament itself frequently alludes to profound religious truths lying underneath the outer words of the biblical text. Frequently we come across such passages as “I speak God’s hidden wisdom.” We read that some things are beyond human comprehension, but “these it is that God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:7-10). The Apostle Paul goes on to tell recently converted Christians that he is unable to impart such wisdom because “indeed, you are still not ready for it, for you are still on the merely natural plane” (1 Corinthians 3:2).
    [Show full text]
  • Gurdjieff Beyond the Personality Cult: Reading the Work and Its Re-Workings Notes on René Zuber’S ‘Who Are You Monsieur Gurdjieff?’
    Religion and the Arts 21 (2017) 176–188 RELIGION and the ARTS brill.com/rart Gurdjieff beyond the Personality Cult: Reading the Work and Its Re-Workings Notes on René Zuber’s ‘Who are You Monsieur Gurdjieff?’ Vrasidas Karalis The University of Sydney Abstract This article is a philosophical, aesthetic, and existential exploration of a small book written by one of Gurdjieff’s disciples, René Zuber (1902–1979), under the title Qui êtes-vous Monsieur Gurdjieff? (Le Courrier du Livre, 1977, éditions Éoliennes, 1997 and in English, translated by Jenny Koralek, Arkana, 1980). Formally the book belongs to a hybrid genre mixing autobiography, philosophy, religious reflection, memoir, and essay. It was composed by Zuber in order to interpret and contextualize Gurdjieff’s teaching and presence particularly during the last years of his life in Paris. At the core of the narrative rests the strange, tense, and somehow ambivalent relationship between Zuber and Gurdjieff, a relationship of equal admiration and reservation, in an attempt, after the death of the master, to establish the proper intellectual and phenomenological locus for Gurdjieff’s work. Keywords G. I. Gurdjieff – esoteric Christianity – René Zuber i Introduction According to all the information we possess from various memoirs and autobi- ographical accounts, it is obvious that encountering G. I. Gurdjieff must have been quite an arduous and frustrating experience. Even for the people who admired him, such as the architect Frank Lloyd Wright or indeed like P. D. Ous- pensky himself, the relationship with the “Master” must have been full of unin- tended consequences. It seems that Gurdjieff overwhelmed his students with © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2017 | doi: 10.1163/15685292-02101007 Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:59:58PM via free access gurdjieff beyond the personality cult 177 the force of his personality, the aura of his presence, and the immediacy of his teachings.
    [Show full text]
  • The Theosophical Seal by Arthur M. Coon the Theosophical Seal a Study for the Student and Non-Student
    The Theosophical Seal by Arthur M. Coon The Theosophical Seal A Study for the Student and Non-Student by Arthur M. Coon This book is dedicated to all searchers for wisdom Published in the 1800's Page 1 The Theosophical Seal by Arthur M. Coon INTRODUCTION PREFACE BOOK -1- A DIVINE LANGUAGE ALPHA AND OMEGA UNITY BECOMES DUALITY THREE: THE SACRED NUMBER THE SQUARE AND THE NUMBER FOUR THE CROSS BOOK 2-THE TAU THE PHILOSOPHIC CROSS THE MYSTIC CROSS VICTORY THE PATH BOOK -3- THE SWASTIKA ANTIQUITY THE WHIRLING CROSS CREATIVE FIRE BOOK -4- THE SERPENT MYTH AND SACRED SCRIPTURE SYMBOL OF EVIL SATAN, LUCIFER AND THE DEVIL SYMBOL OF THE DIVINE HEALER SYMBOL OF WISDOM THE SERPENT SWALLOWING ITS TAIL BOOK 5 - THE INTERLACED TRIANGLES THE PATTERN THE NUMBER THREE THE MYSTERY OF THE TRIANGLE THE HINDU TRIMURTI Page 2 The Theosophical Seal by Arthur M. Coon THE THREEFOLD UNIVERSE THE HOLY TRINITY THE WORK OF THE TRINITY THE DIVINE IMAGE " AS ABOVE, SO BELOW " KING SOLOMON'S SEAL SIXES AND SEVENS BOOK 6 - THE SACRED WORD THE SACRED WORD ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Page 3 The Theosophical Seal by Arthur M. Coon INTRODUCTION I am happy to introduce this present volume, the contents of which originally appeared as a series of articles in The American Theosophist magazine. Mr. Arthur Coon's careful analysis of the Theosophical Seal is highly recommend to the many readers who will find here a rich store of information concerning the meaning of the various components of the seal Symbology is one of the ancient keys unlocking the mysteries of man and Nature.
    [Show full text]
  • Jethro the Convert
    JETHRO THE CONVERT MOSHE REISS INTRODUCTION There is no evidence of any formal conversion process in the Torah. People who wanted to join the nation of Israel left home and lived with the Israelites, 1 thus demonstrating their new affiliation. In the post exilic era we begin to find possible evidence of some form of conversion (Esth. 8:17). Historically, "conversion became common in the centuries after the Babylonian 2 Conquest." Salo Baron estimated the Jewish population at the time of the destruction of the First Temple at 150,000, and by the time of the Second 3 Temple's destruction at eight million. That would require extensive conversions between these periods; when there was little growth in the world population. JETHRO THE OUTSIDER Jethro is introduced in Exodus 2, where he marries off his daughter Zipporah to Moses. His status as a proselyte is connected to a much later appearance, in Exodus 18, when he brings Moses' wife and sons to join the Israelites after their escape from slavery in Egypt. At this reunion, Moses tells Jethro how God took action against the Egyptians. Jethro gives thanks to God for delivering Moses and the Israelite people, and then proclaims: 'Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods' (Ex. 18:11). This statement was seen by rabbinic commentators as an indication of Jethro's conversion to Judaism (TB Zevahim 116a; Sanhedrin 103b-104a). The timing of Jethro's arrival is a matter for discussion by the commentators, since it is stated that he meets Moses at the mount of God (Ex.
    [Show full text]
  • LEGACY of CHRISTIANITY.Pdf
    LEGACY OF CHRISTIANITY The Origins of Christianity Certain esoteric teachings suggest that the Christian religion existed before the birth of Jesus Christ. G.I. Gurdjieff, for instance, claimed that the origin of Christianity was in ancient Egypt. In talks with his students he offered a very different history of Christianity than the traditional view of scholars and clerics: “Many people think that the outward form of worship, the rites, the singing of canticles, and so on, were invented by the fathers of the church. Others think that the outward form has been taken partly from pagan religions and partly from the Hebrews. But all of this is untrue. The question of the origin of the Christian church is much more interes- ting than we think.” The Christian church, the Christian form of worship, was not invented by the fathers of the church. It was all taken in a ready-made form from Egypt, only not from the Egypt that we know but from one which we do not know. This Egypt was in the same place as the other but it existed much earlier. Only small bits of it survived in historical times, and these bits have been preserved in secret and so well that we do not even know where they have been preserved. It will seem strange to many people when I say that this prehistoric Egypt was Christian many thousands of years before the birth of Christ, that is to say, that its religion was composed of the same principles and ideas that constitute true Christianity. Special schools existed in this prehistoric Egypt which were called ‘schools of repetition.’ These schools were taken as a model for Christian churches – the form of worship in Christian churches almost entirely represents the course of repetition of the science dealing with the universe and man.
    [Show full text]
  • Esoteric Christianity
    ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY OK. THE LESSER MYSTERIES. ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY OR THE LESSER MYSTERIES BY ANNIE -BESANT ESECCWD EDITION] The Theosophical Publishing Society LONDON AND BENARES 1905 In proceeding to the contemplation of the mysteries of knowledge, we shall adhere to the celebrated and venerable rule of tradition, commencing from the origin of the universe, setting forth those points of physical contemplation which are necessary to be premised, and removing whatever can be an obstacle that on the way ; so the ear may be prepared for the reception of the tradition of the Gnosis, the ground being cleared of weeds and fitted for the for there is a conflict planting of^the ^vineyard ]". before the conflict, and mysteries before the mysteries. *S. 'Clement of Alexandria. Let the specimen suffice to those who have ears. For it is not required to unfold the mystery, but only to indicate what is sufficient. Ibid. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. S. Matthew. FOREWORD. The object of this book is to suggest certain lines of thought as to the deep truths underlying Christianity, truths gene- often rally overlooked, and only too denied. The generous wish to share with all what is precious, to spread broadcast priceless truths, to shut out none from the illumina- tion of true knowledge, has resulted in a zeal without discretion that has vulgarised Christianity, and has presented its teachings in a form that often repels the heart and alienates the intellect. The command to " ni preach the Gospel to every creature though admittedly of doubtful authenticity has been interpreted as forbidding the teaching of the Gnosis to a few, and has apparently erased the less popular saying of the same Great Teacher: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither before 2 cast ye your pearls swine." Z f S.
    [Show full text]