Part 106 (1/2)

”Some persons are prepared to admit that the most astonis.h.i.+ng development of the old religion of Egypt was in relation to the _Logos_ or Divine _Word_, by whom all things were made, and who, though from G.o.d, was G.o.d. It had long been known that Plato, Aristotle, and others before the Christian era, cherished the idea of this Demiurgus; but it was not known till of late that Chaldeans and Egyptians recognized this mysterious principle.”[373:6]

”The _Logos_ or _Word_ was a great mystery (among the Egyptians), in whose sacred books the following pa.s.sages may be seen: 'I know the mystery of the divine Word;' 'The Word of the Lord of All, which was the maker of it;' 'The Word--this is the first person after himself, uncreated, infinite ruling over all things that were made by him.'”[374:1]

The a.s.syrians had Marduk for their Logos;[374:2] one of their sacred addresses to him reads thus:

”Thou art the powerful one--Thou art the life-giver--Thou also the prosperer--Merciful one among the G.o.ds--Eldest son of Hea, who made heaven and earth--Lord of heaven and earth, who an equal has not--Merciful one, who dead to life raises.”[374:3]

The Chaldeans had their _Memra_ or ”Word of G.o.d,” corresponding to the Greek _Logos_, which designated that being who organized and who still governs the world, and is inferior to G.o.d only.[374:4]

The Logos was with Philoa most interesting subject of discourse, tempting him to wonderful feats of imagination. There is scarcely a personifying or exalting epithet that he did not bestow on the Divine Reason. He described it as a distinct being; called it ”a Rock,” ”The Summit of the Universe,” ”Before all things,” ”First-begotten Son of G.o.d,” ”Eternal Bread from Heaven,” ”Fountain of Wisdom,” ”Guide to G.o.d,”

”Subst.i.tute for G.o.d,” ”Image of G.o.d,” ”Priest,” ”Creator of the Worlds,”

”Second G.o.d,” ”Interpreter of G.o.d,” ”Amba.s.sador of G.o.d,” ”Power of G.o.d,”

”King,” ”Angel,” ”Man,” ”Mediator,” ”Light,” ”The Beginning,” ”The East,” ”The Name of G.o.d,” ”The Intercessor.”[374:5]

This is exactly the Logos of John. It becomes a man, ”is made flesh;”

appears as an _incarnation_; in order that the G.o.d whom ”no man has seen at any time,” may be manifested.

The wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d in the form of a Trinity was to be found among the ancient _Greeks_. When the priests were about to offer up a sacrifice to the G.o.ds, the altar was _three times_ sprinkled by dipping a laurel branch in holy water, and the people a.s.sembled around it were _three times_ sprinkled also. Frankincense was taken from the censer with _three fingers_, and strewed upon the altar _three times_. This was done because an oracle had declared that _all sacred things ought to be in threes_, therefore, that number was scrupulously observed in most religious ceremonies.[374:6]

Orpheus[374:7] wrote that:

”All things were made by _One_ G.o.dhead in _three_ names, and that this G.o.d is all things.”[375:1]

This Trinitarian view of the Deity he is said to have brought from Egypt, and the Christian Fathers of the third and fourth centuries claimed that Pythagoras, Herac.l.i.tus, and Plato--who taught the doctrine of the Trinity--had drawn their theological philosophy from the writings of Orpheus.[375:2]

The works of Plato were extensively studied by the Church Fathers, one of whom joyfully recognizes in the great teacher, the schoolmaster who, in the fullness of time, was destined to educate the heathen for Christ, as Moses did the Jews.[375:3]

The celebrated pa.s.sage: ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G.o.d, and the Word was G.o.d,”[375:4] is a fragment of some Pagan treatise on the Platonic philosophy, evidently written by Irenaeus.[375:5] It is quoted by _Amelius_, a Pagan philosopher, as strictly applicable to the Logos, or Mercury, the Word, apparently as an honorable testimony borne to the Pagan deity by a barbarian--for such is what he calls the writer of John i. 1. His words are:

”This plainly was the Word, by whom all things were made, he being himself eternal, as Herac.l.i.tus also would say; and by Jove, the same whom the _barbarian_ affirms to have been in the place and dignity of a princ.i.p.al, and to be with G.o.d, and to be G.o.d, by whom all things were made, and in whom everything that was made has its life and being.”[375:6]

The Christian Father, Justin Martyr, _apologizing_ for the Christian religion, tells the Emperor Antoninus Pius, that the Pagans need not taunt the Christians for wors.h.i.+ping the Logos, which ”was with G.o.d, and was G.o.d,” as _they were also guilty of the same act_.

”If we (Christians) hold,” says he, ”some opinions near of kin to the poets and philosophers, in great repute among you, why are we thus unjustly hated?” ”There's _Mercury_, Jove's interpreter, in imitation of the Logos, in wors.h.i.+p among you,”

and ”as to the Son of G.o.d, called Jesus, should we allow him to be nothing more than man, yet the t.i.tle of the 'Son of G.o.d'

is very justifiable, upon the account of his wisdom, considering _you_ have your _Mercury_, (also called the 'Son of G.o.d') in wors.h.i.+p under the t.i.tle of the _Word_ and Messenger of G.o.d.”[375:7]

We see, then, that the t.i.tle ”Word” or ”Logos,” being applied to Jesus, is another piece of Pagan amalgamation with Christianity. _It did not receive its authorized Christian form until the middle of the second century after Christ._[376:1]

The ancient Pagan _Romans_ wors.h.i.+ped a Trinity. An oracle is said to have declared that there was, ”first G.o.d, then the Word, and with them the Spirit.”[376:2]

Here we see distinctly enumerated, G.o.d, the Logos, and the Spirit or Holy Ghost, in ancient Rome, where the most celebrated temple of this capital--that of Jupiter Capitolinus--was dedicated to _three_ deities, which three deities were honored with joint wors.h.i.+p.[376:3]

The ancient _Persians_ wors.h.i.+ped a Trinity.[376:4] This trinity consisted of Oromasdes, Mithras, and Ahriman.[376:5] It was virtually the same as that of the Hindoos: Oromasdes was the Creator, Mithras was the ”Son of G.o.d,” the ”Saviour,” the ”Mediator” or ”Intercessor,” and Ahriman was the Destroyer. In the oracles of Zoroaster the Persian lawgiver, is to be found the following sentence:

”A _Triad_ of Deity s.h.i.+nes forth through the whole world, of which a _Monad_ (an invisible thing) is the head.”[376:6]