Part 8 (1/2)

Mr J G Frazer, in his splendid work _The Golden Bough_ givesthe sun Thus ”the Melanesians make sunshi+ne by means of a mock sun A round stone is wound about with red braid and stuck with owl's feathers to represent rays; it is then hung on a high tree” ”In a pass of the Peruvian Andes stand two ruined towers on opposite hills Iron hooks are cla a net from one tower to another The net is intended to catch the sun” Numerous other ue, travelling a the Lithuanians, who early in the fifteenth century were still Pagans, found a tribe orshi+pped the sun and venerated a large iron hammer ”The priests told him at once the sun had been invisible for severaltower; but the signs of the zodiac had broken open the toith this very hammer and released the sun Therefore they adored the ha that the fire festivals solemnised at Midsummer in ancient times were really sun-charms

The phenomena of nature were supposed to be at the service of the pious

The thunderbolts of Zeus fell upon the heads of perjurers Some people still wonder the earth does not open when athe sun, pelted the enemies of Israel with hailstones (Joshua x 11) So Diodorus Siculus (xi 1) relates how the Persians when on their way to spoil the temple at Delphi, were deterred by ”a sudden and incredible te, by which great rocks were rent to pieces and cast upon the heads of the Persians, destroying theyptians asserted that the sun had four tiymen cite this as a corroboration of the fact that all ancient peoples have sinorance of nature and consequent superstition The power of arresting the stars in their courses, and lengthening the days and nights was imputed to witches

Thus Tibullus says of a sorceress (i eleg 2)--

I've seen her tear the planets fro fly

And Lucan in his Pharsalia (vi 462)--

Whene'er the proud enchantress gives command, Eternal motion stops her active hand; No more Heav'n's rapid circles joarney on, But universal nature stands foredone; The lazy God of day forgets to rise, And everlasting night pollutes the skies

The Golden Bough, vol i, pp 24, 25

Nolike Statius that the sun stood still at the unnatural murder of Atreus Such an idea found its way into poetry because it had previously been conceived as a fact

Hence we find numerous similar stories to that of Joshua Thus it is related of Bacchus in the Orphic hymns that he arrested the course of the sun and the ends and Theories of Buddhists_, shows that arresting the course of the sun was a co the disciples of Buddha We need not be surprised to find that men were once believed to be able to control the sun e reflect that to this day the nified non-naturalthe legend of Joshua in its true for the barbarity and ignorance of the past, we see also that the whole merit and instruction of the story is taken away by those modern Christians, who speak of it as poetry, or who endeavor to reconcile it with the conclusions of science These explanations were never sought for while enerally credible Josephus speaks of the miracle as a literal one, and the author of Ecclesiasticus xlvi

5 says the Lord ”stopped the sun in his anger and made one day as two”

”Rationalistic” explanations of miracles are often the most irrational, because they fail to take into account the vast difference between the state of ave rise to the stories, and that which seeks to rationalise them

THE HEBREW PROPHETS

Anyone who has read an account of the inal nature and functions of the inspired prophets of Jahveh These persons occupied a role sohland seer described by Sir Walter Scott in his ”Lady of the Lake” They were a sort of cross between the bard and the fortuneteller Divination, though forbidden by the law of Moses, was continually resorted to by the superstitious Jews

The mysterious Urim and Thus vi 16 and Psalms xxviii 2, the adytum of the temple is called the ”oracle” Numerous references are to be found in the Bible to the practice of casting lots, the disposing of which is said to be ”of the Lord” (see Num xxvi 55, Joshua xiii 6, 1 Sam xiv

41, Prov xiv 33, xviii 18, and Esther iii 7), and also to ”inquiring of God,” which was equivalent to divination Thus in Judges xviii 5 five Danites ask the Levite, who became Micah's priest, to ”ask counsel of God” whether they shall prosper on their way

The ninth chapter of the first book of Salimpse into the nature of the prophets Saul, sent to recover his father's asses, and, unable to find them, is told by his servant that there is in the city a man of God, and all what he saith co propensities of men of God, complains that he has no present to offer The servant, however, had the fourth part of a shekel of silver (about 8d) ith to cross the seer's pal over Israel by the prophet Sa a present to the prophet is also alluded to in 1 Kings xiv 3 Jereboam, when his son falls sick, sends his wife to Ahijah the prophet with ten loaves and cracknels and a cruse of honey, to inquire his fate Later on, Micah (iii 11) complains that ”the prophets divine for money” See also Nehe-miah vi 12 As with the oracles of ancient Greece and Rome (the inspiration of which was believed by the early Christian fathers, with the proviso that they were inspired not by deities, but by devils), the prophets were especially consulted in tis xxii, Ahab consults 400 prophets about going to battle against Rao and prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand Micaiah the prophet, however, explains that he had seen the Lord in counsel with all the host of heaven, and the Lord sent a lying spirit to the prophets in order to persuade Ahab to go to his destruction This is quite in accordance with the declaration in Ezekiel xiv 9, that ”if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord hath deceived that prophet” David on one occasion (1 Sam xxiii 9) ”took counsel of God,”

as this divination was called, by means of the ephod, probably connected with the Uriht to know if he would be safe fro an unfavorable response David decaot more particular instructions than were usually iainst the Philistines, but to fetch a coainst the mulberry trees (2 Sam v 23)

We read, 1 Sam xxviii 6, that ”when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets”

This, presumably, was because (verse 3) ”Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards out of the land” He therefore had to seek out the witch of Endor to raise the spirit of Sah Moses, ”If there be a prophet a you I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream” (Num xii 6) This method of divine revelation is alluded to in Job xxxiii 14-16, ”For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet ht, when deep sleep falleth upon s upon the bed; then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth his instruction” God caht and threatened hi Abrahaels to his favorite Jacob (Gen xxviii 12) ”God caht” (Gen xxxi 24) to warn hi Jacob

Joseph dreaypt, and interprets the dreaht, and encouraged by soes vii) Jahveh appeared also to his servant, Sultan Solos iii 5) Daniel, too, was a dreamer and dreah Joel that he will pour his spirit upon all flesh, ”and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, your oldinalof the Hebreord _cohen_ or priest is said to be ”diviner” It is, I believe, still so in Arabic Prophets and dreaether in the Bible, as in Deut xiii 1: ”If there arise a you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams” Jer xxvii 9: ”Therefore hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers” Zech x 2: ”The diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreaanised the dreamers and interpreters of drearound before the priests

No one can read the account of Balaa prostrate with his eyes open while prophesying (Numbers xxiv); and of Saul when, after an evil spirit from God had come upon him (1 Sam xviii 10), ”he stripped off his clothes also and prophesied in like ht; wherefore they say, Is Saul also a to es The Shamans of Siberia, for instance, work the that in this condition they are inspired by the spirit in whose nah whose inspiration they are enabled to answer questions as well as to foretell the future The root of the Hebreord for prophet--_Nabi_, said to estures and gushi+ng current of speech which acco up

Insanity and inspiration are closely allied Variousthe ancients to attain the state of ecstacy, when the excited nerves found significance in all around The Brah Soma At Delphi the Pythia inhaled an incense until she fell into a state of delirious intoxication; and the sounds she uttered in this state were believed to contain the revelations of Apollo In David dancing with all his ht and scantily clad before the ark of Jahveh, we are forcibly reious dancers Fro (1 Sas iii 5), it has been conjectured the Jewish prophets anticipated the Salvationists in thisexcitement In the Mysteries of Isis, in Orphic Cory-bantian revels, music was eiastic frenzy

The passage about Saul suggests the nudity or scanty costume of the prophets Isaiah the elder--for the poet rote frouished froes a commandment from Jahveh to walk naked and barefoot for three years (Isaiah xx 3)

Apollos, or whoever wrote the epistle to the Hebrews (xi 37), speaks of theirdle of leather sees i 8) Micah (i