THE GODS OF THE ANCIENTS. 107 is born from his mother's side, and forthwith walks in a blaze of 'glory,' declaring he is the 'saviour' of the world, while the Devas sing his praise in celestial harmonies. In these incidents, as also in the narrative of the old sage who prophesies the sublime career of the infant, and in the accounts of the miracles performed by the great teacher, we may trace distinct parallels with the life of the mythic Jesus."* The father of the man Gautama was the Sakya King, and his mother was the Queen Maya (said to be his "virgin" mother). His real history is that, reflecting deeply on the vanity of human life, he left his home, went about preaching, establishing orders of monks and nuns, and had "living disciples." His last exhortation was, "Work out your salvation with diligence"-which expression is imitated in the Christian. Bible. The title " Buddha" which he assumed was the same as Christ," meaning an anointed one." 66 Buddhism was adopted by King Asoka, about B.C. 244, who ruled over Northern India and beyond, and thus spread to China, where it now has a very large following; it is also the religion of Tibet (Lamaism), Ceylon, Corea, Japan, Siam, and Burmah; but it has vanished from India as the recognised religion of the country since the twelfth century. In CHINA, however, besides Buddhism, Confucianism has a large following. Confucius lived about B.C. 550, his real name being "Kung Futse." Lao-Tse was another messiah, as also was Shang-Ti, so far back as B.C. 2200. In PERSIA, Mazda, or Ormuzd, was the " creator," and "god of light, purity, and truth"; Ahriman was the outcast and bad spirit; Zoroaster was the mediator between Ormuzd and Ahriman. Besides these were worshipped Haoma, Tistrya the Dog Star, Anahita the goddess of fruitfulness, and Sraosha the god of prayer and sacrifice. Zoroaster, the prophet of Mazda, founded Zoroastrianism, an offshoot of Mazdeism, as was also Mithraism. Mithra was a sungod, and "Incarnate Word," "Lord of Light." Mithra, Zoroaster, Krishna, Zeus of the Greeks, and Jesus were all said to be born in caves. A figure of the sun-god Mithra is, says Mr. Gould, to be seen in the British Museum. "The god is plunging a knife into a bull, and, while the bull is attacked from below by a scorpion, a dog laps the * F. J. Gould, A Concise History of Religion. blood which flows from the wound." The allusion is to the sun entering into the zodiacal sign "Taurus" at the vernal equinox, and to the fate which compels its return to wintry depths through the autumnal sign "Scorpio." The first day of the week was dedicated to Mithra, whose devotees were baptized and marked on the forehead with a holy sign, and solemnly partook of a round cake and water. The religion of Persia is now called "Parseeism." In EGYPT, Osiris, the dark-skinned sun-god, was the chief god, representing the sun after his disappearance in the west (like Krishna), where he was slain by the envious night, and yet destined to rise again next morning. In the "Book of the Dead"—the oldest book in the world, written about B.C. 3400—we find the following: I adore the sun in the happy west......glory, glory, to Osiris "; and "Hail, O sun! lord of sunbeams...... thou followest thy mother Nu, directing thy face to the west." Osiris was represented as a mummy, wearing a mitre, and holding a sceptre and a crozier, and in his hand a Crux Ansata (or cross with a handle). He was the "father" in the Egyptian Trinity, Isis being the virgin mother, and Horus the infant; the two latter being represented later by the mythical Mary and Jesus of the N. T. The seven planetary deities represented the seven portions of the human body, and there were twelve gods representing the zodiacal signs, called "Mazzaroth" in the Bible (Job xxxviii. 32). There were also gods patrons of the different parts of the body—the hair, the face, the eyes, the lips, the teeth, the neck, elbows, belly, thighs, feet, etc., and the phallus. The full moon was the "eye of Horus," and was carried in the hand of Thoth. Amen-Ra-"the maker of all that is"—was the sun-god in his splendour or glory, incarnated in the Bull Mnevis, as Osiris was in Apis. He was Ammon, the ram-headed god-" chief in Ap-Ta." ApTa was Thebes, identical with "No" of the Bible. He had between his ram's horns the disc of the sun. He is identical with Yahuh, Adonai, and Baal. At Abydos, Nut and Chonsu were worshipped. The god of evil was Typhon. The moon was Thoth, and Saturn Lib. The phallic god was Khem. Athor was the goddess of love, the Egyptian Venus, and wife to several gods. Ptah was the god of Memphis, and was said to have produced the eggs of the sun and moon. The Ptah of Upper Egypt was represented THE GODS OF THE ANCIENTS. swathed, with cross and staff. ход Phtah, or Ptah, and Ra gave origin to the name Pha-ra-oh, the mythical Egyptian terrorist of the O. T. legends. Anubis was the jackal, or dog-headed genius of death. وو Serapis-worship was introduced from Asia. Set was the ass-headed god, identical with Kep of Syria; the sons of Seth, or Set, of the Bible were people who worshipped this god. He was the warrior god, the Roman Mars; and, as Typhon, attended by seventytwo bad spirits, he attacked Osiris. The same story is met with in the Babylonian "Bel and the Dragon' (found in the Apocrypha). The divinities of Egypt, as we have seen, were numerous, varying according to dynasty; but Isis was the most important of the goddesses. She represented the earth originally-I Shi DE in Hebrew, and the female or generative fire-ASE or AChE, from which the name can be traced. Her images and pictures are, like those of Devaki and Krishna, black. She was the representative of Ishtar of Nineveh, Astarte of Babylon, Friga of the Saxon nations, Isa or Disa of the Teutons, Mylitta of Sidon, Maia of Greece, Semele of Boeotia, Idoea of Crete, and Daveina of Chaldæa. She is identical with Isha and Ashtaroth of the Hebrews. Isis and Horus cult became Mary and Jesus cult during the transformation of Egyptian and Roman Paganism into Christianism; and the same black Madonnas that once represented Isis then represented Mary. The Virgins made from old copies have a very decided Isis cast of features. Isis and Osiris were originally the moon and sun divinities, and their love for each other drew them together at their conjunction. There is still a star called "Isis" in the dog constellation, the reason being that about the time when the Nile rose the dog-star also rose heliacally, and thus became associated with a natural Occurrence. In AFRICA Serapis appears to have held the position that Osiris did in Egypt; but later he became fashionable in Egypt, and was worshipped by the Essenes, or Therapeutæ ; and from them the Jessæans, or followers of Jesus, obtained this god. The other divinities of Africa were Isis, Horus, Moloch (in Carthage; identical with Baal), Amon, Hercules, and Astarte. In GREECE the phallic god was Priapos. Zeus, Zeus-Amen, and Zeu-pater (Jupiter and Jove of Rome, identical with Amen); Apollo, the sun-god; Pallas (Athene), the "immaculate virgin"; Minerva, to whom the Parthenon at Athens was dedicated; Juno, the moon goddess; and Diana, "the Virgin Queen of Heaven." These two last are represented, like Isis and the Christian Mary, with the crescent moon beneath her feet, and twelve stars over her head (the twelve signs of the zodiac). Aphrodite, identical with Venus; Demeter, the corn goddess; Hermes; Prometheus; Perseus, Herakles; Dionysos Bacchos, the god of wine; and, later, Isis and Serapis. The Stoics, Platonists, and Epicureans were philosophers who occupied a position similar to that of Agnostics at the present day. In ancient ITALY, Isis was a favourite goddess; she was generally represented black, with a black child, as Devaki and Krishna of India were; but Cybele was also worshipped, both being "Virgin Queens of Heaven." The festival of the latter is still commemorated at "Lady Day," though it has been transferred to Mary. In Rome nearly every Greek deity was identified with some member of the Pantheon. There were “twelve great gods," six male and six female, whose gilded statues were ranged along the forum-Juno, Queen of Heaven and patroness of married women; Vesta, patroness of the domestic hearth; Minerva (Athene), patroness of science and art; Ceres (mother earth), goddess of corn; Diana, the moon; Venus, patroness of love and beauty; Mars, patron of war; Mercurius (Hermes), patron of traffic and gain; Jovis, Jupiter, Ammon (Zeus of the Greeks), "Lord Supreme," patron of the ides of the month; Neptunus, "Lord of the Sea"; Vulcanus, patron of fire, the smith who forged the armour of the gods and thunderbolts of Zeus; Apollo, a later god representing the sun. Varro gives the twelve gods as follows :-Jovis and Tellus ; Sol and Luna; Ceres and Liber; Robigus and Flora; Minerva and Venus; Lympha and Bonus Eventus. There were besides the above-Janus, Saturnus, Orcus, and Genius. The "domestic gods " were Lares and Penates. The "nine gods" were believed by the Etruscans to possess the power of wielding thunderbolts. Seven of them only are known— Tinia or Jovis; Cupra or Juno; Minerva, Summanus, Mars, Lethlaus, or Vulcanus; Vedius or Veiovis. The "gods native of the soil" were mortals, who, by their bravery and virtues, had won for themselves a place among the celestials -Hercules, Æneas, Romulus (Quirinus). There were also gods, divine by one parent only, such as Semo-Saucus ; also rural deities-Faunus and Fauna, Lupercus, Inuus (Pan), Picus and Sylvanus, patrons of woods; Pales, patron of shepherds; Pomona, fruits; Vertumnus, changing seasons; Anna Perenna, circling year; Terminus, boundaries. Then there were personifications of moral qualities, and imported or foreign gods such as Æsculapius, Priapus, the phallic god of production and patron of gardens, and Simon Magus, the magician. Jovis (the Greek Zeus) was reputed to be the father of the following heroes :-Hercules (Greek Herakles), Mercury, Apollo, Perseus, Prometheus, Amphion, Æthlius, Arcas, Dyonysos or Bacchus, and Aroclus. Bacchus is of interest on account of his monogram, slightly improved upon, being adopted by the Christians as the emblem of their Messiah. He was the son, as we have seen, of Jupiter, by the virgin Semele, and taught the culture of the vine, and thus by a sort of miracle converted water (the grape juice) into wine. When his image was removed from Pontus on the Black Sea, about B.C. 300, to Alexandria in Egypt, a huge temple was erected to him, and he was identified as the resurgated Osiris, anointed and christened—i.e., made a christ-after the manner of ancient kings, and called Ser-apis. In 140 C.E. the worship of Serapis was introduced into Rome by Antoninus Pius, and his "mysteries" celebrated on May 6th, the Christian "Ascension Day." TRINITIES: Phallic (Assyria)-Assur or Asher, Anu and Hea. Hindu-Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva-the Producer, the Persian-Oromazdes or Ormuzd, Mithras, and Ahri manes. Egyptian (Abydos)—Osiris, Isis, and Horus ; (Thebes) Amen-Ra, Nut, and Chonsu. Syrian-Monimus, Aziz, and Ares. Canaan-The self-triplicated Baal. |