Part 92 (2/2)

Dr. Inman, describing a painting of the Virgin Mary, which is to be seen in the South Kensington Museum, and which is enclosed in a framework of flowers, says:

”It represents the Virgin and Child precisely as she used to be represented in Egypt, in India, in a.s.syria, Babylonia, Phnicia, and Etruria.”[329:1]

The lotus and poppy were sacred among all Eastern nations, and were consecrated to the various virgins wors.h.i.+ped by them. These virgins are represented holding this plant in their hands, just as the Virgin, adored by the Christians, is represented at the present day.[329:2] Mr.

Squire, speaking of this plant, says:

”It is well known that the '_Nymphe_'--lotus or water-lily--is held sacred throughout the East, and the various sects of that quarter of the globe represented their deities either decorated with its flowers, holding it as a sceptre, or seated on a lotus throne or pedestal. _Lacshmi_, the beautiful Hindoo G.o.ddess, is a.s.sociated with the lotus. The Egyptian _Isis_ is often called the 'Lotus-_crowned_,' in the ancient invocations. The Mexican G.o.ddess _Corieotl_, is often represented with a water-plant resembling the lotus in her hand.”[329:3]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. No. 17]

In Egyptian and Hindoo mythology, the offspring of the virgin is made to bruise the head of the serpent, but the Romanists have given this office to the mother. Mary is often seen represented standing on the serpent.

Fig. 17 alludes to this, and to her _immaculate conception_, which, as we have seen, was declared by the Pope and council in 1851. The notion of the divinity of Mary was broached by some at the Council of Nice, and they were thence named Marianites.

The Christian Father Epiphanius accounts for the fact of the Egyptians wors.h.i.+ping a virgin and child, by declaring that the prophecy--”Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son”--must have been revealed to them.[329:4]

In an ancient Christian work, called the ”Chronicle of Alexandria,”

occurs the following:

”Watch how Egypt has constructed the childbirth of a virgin, and the birth of her son, _who was exposed in a crib to the adoration of the people_.”[330:1]

We have another Egyptian Virgin Mother in Neith or Nout, mother of ”Osiris the Saviour.” She was known as the ”Great Mother,” and yet ”Immaculate Virgin.”[330:2] M. Beauregard speaks of

”The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin (Mary), who can henceforth, as well as the Egyptian Minerva, the mysterious Neith, boast of having come from herself, and of having given birth to G.o.d.”[330:3]

What is known in Christian countries as ”Candlemas day,” or the Purification of the Virgin Mary, is of Egyptian origin. The feast of Candlemas was kept by the ancient Egyptians in honor of the G.o.ddess Neith, and on the very day that is marked on our Christian almanacs as ”Candlemas day.”[330:4]

The ancient _Chaldees_ believed in a celestial virgin, who had purity of body, loveliness of person, and tenderness of affection; and who was one to whom the erring sinner could appeal with more chance of success than to a stern father. She was portrayed as a mother, although a virgin, with a child in her arms.[330:5]

The ancient Babylonians and a.s.syrians wors.h.i.+ped a G.o.ddess mother, and son, who was represented in pictures and in images as an infant in his mother's arms (see Fig. No. 18). Her name was _Mylitta_, the divine son was _Tammuz_, the Saviour, whom we have seen rose from the dead. He was invested with all his father's attributes and glory, and identified with him. He was wors.h.i.+ped as _mediator_.[330:6]

There was a temple at Paphos, in Cyprus, dedicated to the Virgin Mylitta, and was the most celebrated one in Grecian times.[330:7]

The ancient _Etruscans_ wors.h.i.+ped a Virgin Mother and Son, who was represented in pictures and images in the arms of his mother. This was the G.o.ddess _Nutria_, to be seen in Fig. No. 19. On the arm of the mother is an inscription in Etruscan letters. This G.o.ddess was also wors.h.i.+ped in Italy. Long before the Christian era temples and statues were erected in memory of her. ”To the Great G.o.ddess Nutria,” is an inscription which has been found among the ruins of a temple dedicated to her. No doubt the Roman Church would have claimed her for a Madonna, but most unluckily for them, she has the name ”_Nutria_,” in Etruscan letters on her arm, after the Etruscan practice.

The Egyptian _Isis_ was also wors.h.i.+ped in Italy, many centuries before the Christian era, and all images of her, with the infant Horus in her arms, have been adopted, as we shall presently see, by the Christians, even though they represent her and her child as _black_ as an Ethiopian, in the same manner as we have seen that Devaki and Crishna were represented.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. No. 18]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. No. 19]

The children of Israel, who, as we have seen in a previous chapter, were idolaters of the worst kind--wors.h.i.+ping the sun, moon and stars, and offering human sacrifices to their G.o.d, Moloch--were also wors.h.i.+pers of a Virgin Mother, whom they styled the ”Queen of Heaven.”

Jeremiah, who appeared in Jerusalem about the year 625 B. C., and who was one of the prophets and reformers, rebukes the Israelites for their idolatry and wors.h.i.+p of the ”Queen of Heaven,” whereupon they answer him as follows:

”As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us, in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the _Queen of Heaven_, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, _as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the city of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem_: for then we had plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

”But since we left off to burn incense to the _Queen of Heaven_, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. And when we burned incense to the _Queen of Heaven_, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her _cakes_ to wors.h.i.+p her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?”[332:1]

The ”_cakes_” which were offered to the ”Queen of Heaven” by the Israelites were marked with a _cross_, or other symbol of sun wors.h.i.+p.[332:2] The ancient Egyptians also put a cross on their ”sacred cakes.”[332:3] Some of the early Christians offered ”sacred cakes” to the Virgin Mary centuries after.[332:4]

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