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Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
tabernacle, as described in Exodus, is the best example we have of
this representation of the universe, being described in such minute
detail as to betray its meaning to the dullest mind. It was divided
into two portions—the lower or outer portion, and the upper or inner
portion, the holy of holies, where dwelt the Hebrew chief tribal god,
Yahouh, or Yah, sitting upon the ark of the covenant, representing
the winter part of the heavens between the two covenants or
equinoxes. On each side of Yah was a cherub, or monster with four
faces (or, according to some, with four bodies)—one like a bull,
another like a man, a third like an eagle, and the last like a lion, as
we find fully described by Ezekiel (chap. i.). In my “Popular Faith
Unveiled” (pp. 131, 174, and 247) I have attributed these heads (or
bodies) to the four zodiacal signs of ascension after the vernal
equinox, that like a bull to Taurus, that like a man to Gemini, that
like an eagle to Cancer, and that like a lion to Leo; but, according to
Sir W. Drummond, in his “Œdipus Judaicus,” they correspond with
the signs at the four quarters of the sphere—viz., the man to
Aquarius, the ox to Taurus, the lion to Leo, and the eagle to Scorpio,
this calculation being based on the supposition that the cherubim
were first introduced during the period prior to b.c. 2188, when
Taurus was the vernal equinoxial point, while mine supposes Aries to
have been the chief zodiacal sign. Which calculation is right the
reader must decide for himself, after carefully studying the reasons
given for both conclusions. Clement of Alexandria, in his “Stromata,”
says of these cherubim: “Each of them has six wings, whether they
typify the two bears, as some will have it, or, which is better, the two
hemispheres.... Both have twelve wings, and thus through the circle
of the zodiac, and of self-marrying time, they typify the world
perceived by the senses.” The table in the temple was symbolical of
the earth, as we learn from Clement of Alexandria again, when he
says: “The table, as I think, signifies the image of the earth; it is
sustained by four feet, answering to the summer, autumn, spring,
and winter.” The shew-bread was placed on the table in front of Yah,
and was divided into twelve pieces, typical of the twelve signs, as we
find stated in Ex. xxv. 22 and 30 (literally translated): “And I will
hang [or be deposited] there, set [or sitting] before thee; and I will
talk to thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubim, which are upon the ark of the testimony ... and thou shalt
set shew-bread always upon the table in front of me.” The
candlesticks, with three branches on each side and one in the
centre, having seven lamps burning on them, represented the seven
summer signs, including both the equinoxial ones. Josephus tells us
that the candlesticks were divided into seventy parts, answering to
the seventy decans of the seven signs. The veil of the temple was of
blue, purple, and scarlet, and represented the atmospheric vault of
heaven tinged, as it frequently is, by the sun’s rays. The
pomegranates represented the fixed stars. The dress of the high
priest was ornamented with 566 bells, corresponding with the days
of the sidereal year, with two bright emeralds and twelve precious
stones, which, according to Clement of Alexandria, represented the
sun and moon and the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Sufficient has been said to leave no doubt as to the real meaning
of the tabernacle and its appurtenances, and, I think, to establish
the truth of what I have previously stated—viz., that the ancient
religions were of astronomical origin and abounding in symbolical
rites and ceremonies. It only remains for me now to repeat what I
have maintained before in other essays—that the Christian religion
of to-day, although modified by time and circumstances, having
been considerably manipulated so as to be brought within touch of
modern requirements, is nothing more or less than a rehash of the
Egyptian, Persian, Hindu, and Phœnician mythologies—an old worn-
out faith, in fact, dressed in gaudy and attractive garments.
THE EARTH OF THE VEDIC PRIESTS.

HINDU EARTH.
 THE EARTH OF THE LATER GREEKS. B.C.

POMPONIUS MELA’S COSMOGRAPHY. 1st Century. Heathen.

CHRISTIAN MAPS OF THE WORLD IN THE 10th. CENTURY.

CHRISTIAN MAP OF THE WORLD IN THE 8th. CENTURY.

MAP OF MARCO POLO End of 14th. Century.

COSMOGRAPHY OF St DENIS Mid 14th. Century

EGYPTIAN PLANETARY SYSTEM

 PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM

TYCHO BRAHE’S PLANETARY SYSTEM

COPERNICAN SYSTEM
 THE IRON VIRGIN. Inside View.

The unbeliever or heretic was placed upright inside the virgin, and the doors were closed
so that the spikes penetrated the victim’s eyes & chest, after which the body was dropped
through the floor into the river Pegnitz.
 THE IRON VIRGIN. Outside View.

Fixed in a vault cut out of the rock beneath the Nuremberg Town Hall, in Bavaria, and
used as an instrument of torture by the Christian Church.
 INTELLECTUAL PROGRESS
IN EUROPE.
No scientific student or observer of nature will have failed to
notice that all phenomena around him are ever in a condition of
progressive change, ever advancing from the simple to the complex,
and ever conforming to specific laws. Just as the world in which we
live has gradually developed from a condition of nebulous vapour to
its present complex form, and just as man has evolved from a simple
molecule of protoplasm by wonderful and manifold stages to his
present commanding position, so have civilisation, trade, politics,
arts, literature, and science all been slowly and gradually evolved
from the primitive mind of prehistoric man. A continual change has
ever been going on from the simple to the complex, from the
homogeneous to the heterogeneous, from the imperfect to the more
perfect. This continual progress has been in operation during all
time, and will proceed in the future as of old, leaving the present
day far behind in its march, as the present day has left behind it the
past.
In considering the evolution of reform, or progress of civilisation,
we are necessarily limited to a comparatively late period in man’s
history, for many thousands of years had passed away, during which
time man had gradually established himself as a social animal,
before any trustworthy records appeared to throw light in future
ages upon the primitive condition and habits of the human family.
From the patient and persevering studies of scientific men, we are
now in possession of a number of facts which lead us to the
conclusion that primitive man first lived the life of a wild beast,
inhabiting caves, and devoting all his energies to battling with the
ferocious monsters around him. From this condition he developed
into a more civilised being, becoming an agriculturalist, afterwards a
manufacturer of stuffs and hardware, and still later a member of an
organised state. These changes probably occupied hundreds of
thousands of years, compared to which enormous lapse of time the
period embraced between the Egypto-Greek or classic era and the
present moment is a mere speck on the face of time. We are now
tolerably well acquainted with the civilisation of the ancient
Egyptians and Greeks, which had existed for many centuries before
the time of Aristotle, and which some four or five centuries before
our era had commenced its entry upon the wide field of scientific
development which followed the conquest of Persia by Alexander the
Great. These civilisations, which for centuries had been bound up
with the vain superstitions connected with the legion of divinities of
Olympus, of Memphis, and of Thebes, were gradually casting off the
yoke of ignorance, and becoming more acquainted with the majesty
of the operations of nature. Philosophers began to publicly declaim
against the Olympian absurdities, and to ridicule the notion of
miracles or prodigies; traditions began to be doubted and were fast
being cast aside; Zeus and his court were ceasing to command
respect; and the priests were often publicly insulted. The Ionian
gods of Homer, as well as the Doric of Hesiod, appeared likely to be
quickly committed to the darkness of oblivion. Powerful and
influential resistance was, of course, opposed to the wave of
progress and reason; the philosophers were branded as Atheists and
their followers persecuted rigorously; Euripides was declared a
heretic, and Æschylus narrowly escaped being stoned to death for
blasphemy. So great was the opposition offered to the movement
that the philosophers would undoubtedly have been silenced for
some time to come had it not been for the sudden military
expedition against the Persians. Alexander, with his 38,000
Macedonian soldiers, having crossed the Hellespont, b.c. 334,
proceeded to subjugate the imperious monarch of Persia, and, after
successfully conquering Asia Minor and Syria, completely defeated
the Persian army led by King Darius, and took possession of the
great city of Babylon.
 This war engrossed the attention of all classes at home, so that
the philosophers were enabled to prosecute their studies
unmolested. It also in many other ways was a means of furthering
the scientific efforts of that and of future ages. For the first time the
Macedonians beheld the ebbing and flowing of the tides; they
discovered and examined the Chaldean astronomical instruments,
and learnt their calculations, extending over several thousand years;
and they observed the Chaldean division of the zodiac into twelve
portions, and of the day and night into twelve hours each. The
particulars of these they sent home to Aristotle. What a field was
here opened out for Greek speculation! The Chaldeans had detected
the precession of the equinoxes, and were well acquainted with the
causes of eclipses; they printed from a revolving roller, on which
they had engraved cuneiform letters; they possessed magnifying
instruments; and were, in fact, the tail-end of a mighty and
advanced Accadian civilisation which had been in existence for
thousands of years. Not satisfied with these achievements, the
conquering Alexander next subdued the ancient monarchy of Egypt,
learnt the great feat of the Pharaohs—viz., the circumnavigation of
Africa by the Cape of Good Hope and the pillars of Hercules, and
founded the celebrated city of Alexandria. He died at Babylon b.c.
323, after which his huge empire was divided among his generals;
his half brother, Ptolemy Soter, who had been governor of Egypt
during Alexander’s lifetime, taking possession of that country, and
establishing his seat of government at the new city of Alexandria.
This period marks the commencement of European civilisation.
Owing to the excellent government adopted by Ptolemy, large
numbers of Arabians, Jews, and Greeks were induced to take up
their residence at Alexandria, which quickly became the centre of
learning and first commercial city of the whole known world, and the
resort of people of all nationalities. The celebrated museum, which
was commenced by Ptolemy Soter and completed by his successor,
Ptolemy Philadelphus, contained a library, which grew so largely that
400,000 volumes were soon acquired by it, and a daughter library,
containing 300,000 volumes, built at the Serapion, or Temple of
Serapis. Books were freely bought, transcribers engaged,
apartments set aside, at the king’s expense, for the residence of
Greek philosophers and students, and four faculties established, for
literature, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine, including natural
history. There were also in connection with the university botanical
and zoological gardens, an astronomical observatory, with spheres,
globes, parallactic rules, etc., and an anatomical theatre for the
dissection of dead bodies. It was here that Euclid produced his
celebrated geometrical demonstrations, which are at this day used in
our schools. Here also Archimedes proclaimed his method for the
determination of specific gravities, and invented the theory of the
lever. Here Eratosthenes daily taught that the earth was a globe, and
determined the interval between the tropics. The earth was
described as possessing imaginary poles, axis, equator, arctic and
antarctic circles, equinoxial points, solstices, climate, etc. Hipparchus
taught the precession of the equinoxes, catalogued the stars, and
adopted lines of latitude and longitude in describing the situations of
places. Thus science progressed under the wise and beneficent rule
of the Ptolemies.
But a dark cloud was already looming in the distance, which was
destined to develop into a fierce storm, the effect of whose fury was
felt for centuries afterwards. Julius Cæsar, in b.c. 30, defeated
Cleopatra, then Queen of Egypt, and added that country to the
Roman dominions, the museum and larger library being entirely
destroyed during the siege of Alexandria. From this time learning
and science began to decline. Numerous religious sects arose around
Alexandria, the old mythologies were revived, and the priests once
more gained influence. The temples of Jupiter Ammon and Apollo in
Egypt, of Adonis and Ies in Phœnicia, of Dionysos in Greece, and of
Bacchus in Rome, were again filled to overflowing, and miracles
were performed in abundance. In the short space of about fifty
years all the work of the Ptolemies appeared to have been undone,
and the world once more given up to darkness, superstition, and
ignorance, the popular frenzy being kept up by a number of ascetic
monks, called Therapeutæ, who inhabited the hills around
Alexandria, the desert and rocky plains of Arabia Petræa, and the
barren hills of Syria, and travelled about the country, preaching in
the open air to the ignorant and credulous multitudes. Matters
progressed favourably for the revivalists for a short time; but there
had shortly before occurred a circumstance which proved to be, for
us, the most important event in the world’s history, and which
considerably modified the Therapeut programme.
According to ancient records, it appears that a monk, of the
ascetic order of Essenes, called Yahoshuah (Joshua) ben Pandira,
was born in Syria, in the fourth year of the reign of Alexander
Jannæus, or about b.c. 120; and, being educated in Egypt, under the
supervision of Yahoshuah-ben Perachia, soon made himself specially
obnoxious to the priests by his heterodox teaching. From the
exceedingly scanty information to be obtained from the historical
writers of the time, it appears that this young man had, in addition
to his knowledge of Egyptian sorcery, a large acquaintance with the
sublime and moral teachings of Confucius, for whose memory he
appears to have had a profound respect. Observing the despicable
manner in which the priests manipulated their sacred offices for their
own advantage, robbing the poor and credulous people of their hard
earnings and indulging in all kinds of immoralities, this young man
boldly attacked these human parasites in the public places, calling
them liars and hypocrites, preaching Socialistic and Communistic
doctrines, and declaring that there was but one law necessary for
man—viz., the golden rule of Confucius, “Do unto another,” etc. The
wrath of the priests knew no bounds; a council was called to
consider the matter, and the bold reformer was, it is said, sentenced
to death for his noble efforts on behalf of suffering humanity.
Whether or not this young man ever lived, or whether he was
merely an ideal creation of the fanatical minds of these therapeut
monks, suggested by necessity, it is impossible to say positively; for
there are no really trustworthy records from which a safe conclusion
can be deduced. It is, however, probable that such a man did
actually exist, for it is not likely that, had he been but an idea, the
fact of his having declared one law to be sufficient for man’s moral
guidance would have been included among the fabulous
performances afterwards attributed to him, as such a declaration
was destructive of all priestcraft; besides which, we are told in the
Babylonian Gemara to the Mishna that Yahoshua, “son of Pandira
and Stada,” was stoned to death as a wizard in the city of Ludd, or
Lydia, after which he was crucified on a tree on the eve of the
Passover, about b.c. 70, which was the punishment generally inflicted
on preachers of heresy and sedition. Whether he had an actual
existence or was but an idea, it is an undisputed fact that his name
has been, during the past eighteen hundred years, a household
word, and that the whole face of European history has been
moulded by the various sayings and doings fabulously attributed to
him.
The reason of this is as follows. The therapeut monks of
Alexandria, who flourished in the first and second centuries of our
era, in attempting to revive the old mythological systems, and thus
to deprive scientists and philosophers of their late rapidly-increasing
power, were at a great disadvantage, owing to the length of time
that had elapsed since the wonderful feats of the gods had been
performed. They well understood the absolute necessity of keeping
alive in the memories of the people the older miraculous events by
the performance of fresh wonders in their own day; but the difficulty
they had to encounter was in finding suitable individuals for the
occasion. The Syrian Essene monk, who had infected a great
number of the lower classes of society by his heretical and
revolutionary teachings, which, at first sight, appeared likely to be
damaging to the cause of the priesthood, was quickly requisitioned
by these astute monks for the great purpose they had in view—viz.,
the reproduction on earth of the popular god Bacchus, the Greek
Dionysos, and Phœnician Ies. They boldly declared that this man
was, when on earth, an incarnate deity, and proceeded to attribute
to him all the wonderful performances that had previously been
imputed to the young sun-god Bacchus, such as miraculous birth
from a virgin, resurrection from the grave three days after death,
ascension to heaven, etc.; and, finally, gave him the Phœnician
name of Bacchus, Ies, in its Greek form Iesous—Greek being, at that
time, the prevailing language around Alexandria. The new religion
gradually spread from Egypt over the European provinces of the
Roman empire, and soon became such a great political power in the
State that the incarnate fiend and Emperor Constantine, in a.d. 312,
was induced to place himself at its head, and use its increasing
influence to further his own wicked projects. The new Church, by
this act, gained an enormous power; its priests became arrogant,
the philosophers were even more persecuted than before, and
learning was fast approaching its end. The only scientific work which
the Church retained was the “Syntaxis” of Ptolemy, the Alexandrian
astronomer, which taught that the earth was the fixed centre of the
universe, around which all other heavenly bodies rotated. It also
treated of the precession of the equinoxes, the milky way, and the
distances of the various bodies in the heavens from the earth; but,
as the geocentric theory was clearly taught in conformity with the
Bible records and the religious convictions of the people, this system
was gradually adopted by all classes of society, and became the
recognised authority on astronomy.
A furious and important controversy about this time broke out
between Arius, the leader of those who retained the original belief in
the manhood of Jesus, and Athanasius, the leader of the Christians,
who declared him to be divine, which culminated in the celebrated
Council of Nicea, a.d. 325, at which it was decided that he was
actually god. From this moment not only Arians, but all others who
refused to believe in the god Jesus, were savagely persecuted, until,
at last, science and learning received their death-blow by the
destruction of the Serapion, under the order of the Emperor
Theodosius, and the murder of Hypatia at Alexandria. This
philosopher was in the habit of lecturing on mathematics at the
university, and was so popular that the jealousy of Cyril, Bishop of
Alexandria, was aroused; she was seized by his fanatical followers as
she was going to her lecture-room, stripped naked, dragged into a
Christian church, and there brained by the club of Peter the Reader,
in a.d. 414.
 Justinian next ordered the teaching of philosophy to be
discontinued at Athens, and closed all the schools. The sciences
were made to conform to Genesis, which was declared to be the
only true account of the origin of nature; and the earth was declared
to be flat, the sky spreading over it like a dome—or, in the words of
St. Augustine, like a skin—in which all the bodies moved to give light
to man. Lactantius declared the globular theory to be heretical. “Is it
possible,” he said, “that man can be so absurd as to believe that the
crops and the trees on the other side of the earth hang downwards,
and that men have their feet higher than their heads? If you ask
them how they defend these monstrosities, how things do not fall
away from the earth on that side, they reply that the nature of
things is such that heavy bodies tend towards the centre, like the
spokes of a wheel, while light bodies, as clouds, smoke, fire, tend
from the centre to the heavens on all sides. Now, I am really at a
loss what to say of those who, when they have once gone wrong,
steadily persevere in their folly, and defend one absurd opinion by
another.” St. Augustine also said that “it is impossible there should
be inhabitants on the opposite side of the earth, since no such race
is recorded by Scripture among the descendants of Adam;” and
again: “In the day of judgment men on the other side of a globe
could not see the Lord descending through the air.” Thus perished all
the grand work effected by the Ptolemies. Science was annihilated,
progress arrested, and the dark ages had commenced, which lasted
until the time of Luther and Copernicus, in the commencement of
the sixteenth century. Throughout this long and dreary period the
most cruel enormities were practised upon unoffending people; the
Church became gorged with wealth; the clergy gave themselves up
to all kinds of lust and debauchery; relics were sold, dispensations
bartered; and no one’s property or person was safe. Progress was,
however, only arrested for a time.
About the year 570 Mohammed was born in Arabia, and in 610 he
declared to the world that he had been commissioned by the angel
Gabriel to preach the unity of god. He appears to have been a very
remarkable religious enthusiast, who believed himself in his divine
mission, and was eminently successful in his arduous undertaking.
Idolatry was quickly abolished among the Arabs, and replaced by the
religion of Mohammed. On the death of the prophet his successors
as vigorously pursued the course he had entered upon. Ali, the
general of Khalif Omar’s army, in a.d. 637, captured Jerusalem and
conquered Syria in the name of the one true god and his prophet
Mohammed. The Khalif rode from Medina to Jerusalem upon a red
camel, and, as he entered the conquered city, issued the following
proclamation: “In the name of the most merciful God. From Omar
Ebno’l Alchitâb to the inhabitants of Œlia. They shall be protected
and secured, both in their lives and their fortunes; and their
churches shall neither be pulled down nor made use of by any but
themselves.” Sophronius, the chief Christian priest, having invited
the conqueror to pray in a Christian church, received a polite refusal,
Omar contenting himself with kneeling on the steps outside, so that
his followers might not have any excuse for seizing the edifice or
otherwise annoying the conquered Christians. The Khalif and his
followers then pressed northwards, conquered the Roman Emperor
Heraclius, sent a fleet to the Hellespont, defeated the Roman fleet,
and laid siege to Constantinople, then called Byzantium. Egypt was
next conquered, the remnants of the Serapion destroyed, and the
whole of North Africa added to the dominions of the Khalif. Spain
was then seized upon, and the entire country, as far north as the
Loire, annexed to the growing empire. In 732 Charles Martel
succeeded in stopping the Saracen foe at Poictiers and driving him
back to Spain, thus relieving the anxiety of the Church, which was
now becoming intense. In 846 a Mussulman fleet sailed up the Tiber,
menaced Rome, and carried away St. Peter’s altar to Africa, the
Christian empire being saved from further trouble only by the
Mohammedan power being divided into three Khalifates.
According to the Koran, the earth was a square plane, on the
edges of which rested the heavenly vault, divided into seven stories,
in the topmost of which dwelt god in his omnipotence. This theory,
however, was quickly given up by the learned Saracens, Al-Mamun
declaring it to be unscientific, and asserting that the earth was
globular, with a circumference of about 24,000 miles, which was not
far wrong. In 661 the Khalif Moawyah encouraged this new teaching,
and ordered the writings of the Greek philosophers to be translated
into Arabic. In 753 the Khalif Almansar recommended the study of
astronomy, medicine, and law at Bagdad; and his grandson,
Haroum-al-Raschid, ordered that every mosque should have a school
attached to it, and established a large library at Bagdad for the use
of learned men. The sciences of chemistry and geometry were
revived, and algebra invented by the Saracens. At Cairo the Fatimist
Library became the wonder of the world; and the great library of the
Spanish Khalifs had 600,000 vols., its catalogue alone occupying 44
vols. Gibbon tells us that they “diffused the taste and the rewards of
science from Samarcand and Bokhara to Fez and Cordova, and that
the vizier of a sultan consecrated a sum of two hundred thousand
pieces of gold to the foundation of a college at Bagdad, which he
endowed with an annual revenue of fifteen thousand dinars.” The
first medical college in Europe was founded by the Saracens at
Salerno in Italy, and the first astronomical observatory was erected
by them at Seville in Spain. The streets in Spain were lighted, baths
were erected, and total abstinence universally practised. Thus we
see that, while the power of the Church was gradually steeping
central Europe in darkness, ignorance, and wretchedness, progress
was on the march again in Western Asia, Africa, and Spain. During
this period, however, there were not wanting in Europe bold men
who attempted a revival of philosophy; but these were quickly
suppressed by the Church. In a.d. 800 there appeared a man in
Britain called John Erigena, who, having read Aristotle’s works,
adopted his views and attempted to reconcile them with the
Christian religion. There were also many Christian divines who had
crossed the Mediterranean to study philosophy secretly from
Mohammedan doctors. Erigena declared that every living thing
evolved from something that had previously lived; that each
particular life-form was but a part of general existence or mundane
soul; and that all life must be eventually re-absorbed in deity. The
Church became infuriated and alarmed at this heretical barbarian,
who taught the pernicious doctrines of emanation and absorption,
and steps were immediately taken to suppress him.
During the period of quiet which followed a certain priest of
Thuringia, Bernhardt by name, created a great sensation in central
Europe by declaring that the end of the world was fast approaching;
that the prophecy contained in the twentieth chapter of Revelation
would be fulfilled on December 31st, in the year 1000—or possibly
immediately before that time—when the devil would be unbound;
and that unutterable calamity or annihilation would come upon the
world. The clergy quickly followed suit, and as the fearful day
approached every church and cloister in Europe resounded with the
frantic appeals of the monks and priests for their flocks to prepare
for the awful doom. Europe was turned upside down; business was
suspended; kings, princes, senators, nobles, and peasants all alike
left their occupations to seek refuge in some holy sanctuary against
the coming event. As the dread moment approached there was not a
church or convent in Europe that was not crowded to suffocation,
the people imagining that, if they were found at the last moment in
some consecrated place, their chances of being saved would be
better. Hundreds and thousands of these poor wretches never had
opportunity of obtaining the coveted shelter, having been bereft of
their reason under the awful excitement of the hour. Amid prayer,
faintings, hysterical screaming, and chanting of choirs—priests,
monarchs, and beggars all huddled together anyhow—the clock
struck twelve, and dead silence prevailed. Gradually the people
roused themselves from their stupor to find themselves the victims
of a cruel hoax. Strange to say, not any attempt was made to punish
those who had produced such a melancholy state of things. Kings
and nobles had endowed monasteries and churches with lands and
wealth, which they believed would soon be of so little use to them,
and became suddenly penitent, assuming the monk’s shirt of hair,
and otherwise showing evidence of their piety and humility. William
of the Long Sword, Duke of Normandy, Hugh Duke of Burgundy,
Hugh Count of Arles, the Emperor Henry II., all renounced their
wealth and position to become monks. Nobles had left lands and
castles to the Church, the deeds being drawn up by monks and
witnessed by prelates and sovereigns, as though no day of reckoning
was at hand, the form being invariably as follows: “Seeing that the
end of the world is now approaching, and that every day
accumulates fresh miseries, I, Baron —— (or King ——), for the
good of my soul, give to the monastery of ——,” etc. The Church,
which before was poor, now became gorged with wealth, and the
ignorance and credulity of the people secured the treasures to the
now powerful prelates.
During this period of excitement and terror the number of
pilgrimages to the Holy Land had enormously increased, so much so
that the Saracen masters of Jerusalem, with the view of putting a
stop to the now troublesome and inconvenient influx of Christians to
the Holy City, commenced to persecute the pilgrims, thus creating a
very great ill-feeling against themselves throughout Europe. Peter
the Hermit, a monk of Amiens, took up the cause of his ill-treated
brethren, and forthwith commenced to preach a holy war against the
Saracens of Syria, Pope Urban II. and his priests promising
absolution from all sin to those who took up arms against the Infidel.
A vast multitude of rabble from all parts of Europe soon started on
their march to the Holy Land, being divided into three large armies,
one led by Walter the Penniless, another by Peter the Hermit, and
the third by Gottschalk, a monk. The armies gave themselves up to
unheard-of iniquities, spreading poverty and misery on all sides in
their march, braining all who refused to give up their provisions and
property to them, and, at last, arriving in Constantinople footsore
and diseased, having left two-thirds of their comrades to die of
starvation on the road. Crossing over into Syria, they met the
Saracen foe, who quickly put an end to their sufferings by
annihilating the whole lot. Seven other Crusades followed, one
composed altogether of children, who, the priests declared, were to
be the inheritors of the Holy Land, it being now apparent that full-
grown men were too sinful to conquer the Infidel. The army of
children was accordingly shipped off to destroy the Saracen foe, but
never reached Palestine, the boys having been sold as slaves, and
the girls drafted into Turkish harems. When, at last, Acre
surrendered to the Crusaders under Richard Cœur de Lion, the
leniency displayed by the Khalif Omar in his capture of Jerusalem in
637 was repaid by 2,700 Saracen hostages being brutally beheaded
outside the city walls for the sport of the Christian soldiers. All this
time Europe was in a constant state of agitation and alarm, which
was further intensified by the revival in 1180 of the doctrines of John
Erigena by the Saracen philosopher Averroes, who boldly preached
them in Spain, making converts in all directions, among whom was
the great Jewish writer, Maimonides, who had been held by the Jews
in the highest esteem, and considered second only in wisdom to
Moses.
Under the tolerant and liberal rule of the Saracens Averroism
made great progress in Spain, where Mohammedans, Christians, and
Jews were permitted to live peaceably together, and where
philosophical theories were openly and fearlessly taught; but a day
of reckoning was at hand. On the death of the Caliph Hakem,
Almansor usurped the throne, and, in order to secure his position,
entered into a secret treaty with the orthodox section of the
Mohammedans, thus establishing a Church and State party of
enormous power, which culminated in the expulsion of Averroes from
Spain and the suppression of the study of philosophy. Thus were
crushed again philosophy and progress in 1198. The Christians of
Italy, Germany, and France followed suit, ordering all Averroists to be
seized and punished, and shortly afterwards extending the order
also to Jews and Mohammedans. From the accession of Almansor
dates the downfall of the Mohammedan power in Spain and the
commencement of the fearful persecutions of Infidels by the
Christian Church, which has left such a dark blot upon the pages of
European history.
The Saracen power in Europe was annihilated by Ferdinand and
Isabella, and the Inquisition established by Pope Innocent IV. in
1243. For two hundred years it seemed as though philosophy and
progress were indeed dead, so relentlessly did the Church persecute
all heretics and denounce all scientific studies. But an occurrence
took place in 1440 which completely turned the tide of events. In
that year the art of printing was introduced into Europe by the
Venetians, who had learnt it from the Chinese; and in 1469 it was
carried to France, and from thence to all the great cities of the
continent. At first the Church paid little heed to the innovation; but it
soon became apparent that a dangerous medium had been
introduced for intercommunication of the people and their
governments, which must lessen the need and importance of a
religious medium. Books were only allowed to be published under
the supervision of the ecclesiastical authority, and heavy penalties
inflicted upon all who attempted to circulate any heretical works.
The writings of Averroes, Maimonides, and other heretics, were
ordered to be burnt, the doctrines taught by them being declared
blasphemous and subversive of all good government. The leading
and most learned Jews and Mohammedans in Spain and Southern
France were avowed Averroists, and did not shrink from preaching
their doctrines in the public thoroughfares; and the infection was
extending so rapidly that the Church feared that a great calamity
would overtake the orthodox faith unless some steps were taken to
put a stop to the heresy. The Inquisition, which had been found so
effective in silencing heretics in France, was now utilised for dealing
with the Jews and Moors. A cry was made in Castile by the orthodox
Christians for the establishment of the Inquisition in Spain, which
was immediately taken up by all haters of progress; and so great
was the influence brought to bear by the Dominican monk and arch-
fiend, Torquemada, upon the Queen Isabella that the Pope was
petitioned for a bull, which was issued in 1478, for the detection and
suppression of heresy in Spain. The Christian monster, Torquemada,
proved himself a worthy agent of the Inquisition, burning at the
stake in eighteen years about 10,220 persons of both sexes.
Dispensations from the operation of the Inquisition were sold by the
Pope to such as could afford to purchase them; and in 1492 all
unbaptised Jews, old or young, were ordered by Torquemada to
leave Spain within four months, and to leave behind them all those
effects they could not sell in the meantime. These poor wretches
swarmed in the roads in their thousands, rending the air with their
piteous cries, the Christian Spaniards being forbidden to render
assistance under penalty of torture. The consequence was that
hundreds and thousands of men, women, and children died by the
wayside from hunger, thirst, and fatigue. In 1502 a further order was
issued at Seville for the Spaniards to drive out of their country every
Infidel they could hear of, no matter what the nationality might be.
The Moors were particularly indicated in the document, one clause
stating that it was justifiable to kill Mohammedans on account of
their shameless infidelity. The consequence was that, in a
marvellously short space of time, there was not a Mohammedan to
be found on the European side of the Straits of Gibraltar. In spite of
the precautions made use of by the Christians for the prevention of
the study of philosophy and the acquirement of knowledge, the
news of the discovery of America by Columbus, in 1492, very soon
found its way all over Europe, producing the most intense sensation,
for the discovery came as a terrific blow to the Church and its
inspired Bible. To make matters worse, in 1522 Magellan sailed
completely round the world, thus demonstrating conclusively that
the earth was a globe.
Matters appeared to be going wrong with the Church, in spite of
the recent bloody triumphs of the Inquisition; and the clergy and
laity were not slow to notice the turn events were taking. Martin
Luther, a young Augustinian monk, in particular, took advantage of
the unsettled state of the mind of Europe to make a furious
onslaught against the Pope and the Church. Having been told by
Cajetan that he must “believe that one single drop of Christ’s blood
is sufficient to redeem the whole human race, and the remaining
quantity that was shed in the garden and on the cross was left as a
legacy to the Pope, to be a treasure from which indulgences were to
be drawn,” this young priest declared he never would accept such a
doctrine, and commenced forthwith to preach openly against the
sale of indulgences, declaring that the Church must stand or fall on
the Bible, which taught no such doctrine. The orthodox clergy, on
the contrary, declared that the Bible derived its authority from the
Church, and not the Church from the Bible, and demanded that
Luther should be arrested for heresy. In 1520 the Pope
excommunicated the bold monk, who, in return, defiantly burnt the
Papal bull, for which he was ordered to appear before the Imperial
Diet at Worms, when he deliberately refused to retract. The views of
the reformer quickly spread through Switzerland and Germany, Pope
Leo thundering forth his anathemas upon all who joined the
dangerous movement, until, at length, after many bloody wars and
horrible massacres, such as the slaughter of the Huguenots, etc., the
Reformation was firmly established, and the Bible became, to the
Reformed Church, the only guide to morals and duty. At first, the
Pope sullenly submitted to what appeared to be the inevitable; but
soon it became apparent that, in order to keep any authority at all
over the people, some plan would have to be adopted to curtail the
growing influence of the Reformed Church. Accordingly, Pope Paul
III., in 1540, established the Society of Jesus, the members of which
order were sent abroad all over Europe for the purpose of secretly
undermining the influence of the Reformers. Three years afterwards,
as if to counteract the evil designs of the Jesuits, there appeared on
the scene the celebrated work of Copernicus, which was destined for
ever to demolish the geocentric theory of Ptolemy, and to establish
the heliocentric philosophy, which taught that the sun was the centre
of our system, and that all the planets, including our earth, revolved
in regular order round it, and which, of course, called forth a volley
of abuse from the Vatican, the theory being declared heretical and
its author anathematised. The effect of all this was to cause quite a
revolution in thought among the learned of Europe, which gave rise
to another schism in the Church, departure being this time from the
ranks of the Reformers.
Arianism was once more revived by a number of people, who
maintained that the doctrine of the Trinity was un-Scriptural, and
that Jesus was but a man like themselves, though endowed with
great authority from god. The orthodox and reformed Churches both
alike were alarmed at this turn of events, and co-operated to
suppress the new heresy, denouncing all philosophical studies, and
branding the Unitarians as Infidels. The upshot was that Servetus
was burnt to death at the stake by the order of the Trinitarian Calvin,
and a check was thereby given to the propagation of the Arian
doctrines. It is satisfactory to note that a Unitarian College now
stands upon the very spot where Servetus was murdered.
Again progress was arrested, and this time it seemed as though a
mortal blow had been dealt at all acquirement of knowledge, for
shortly afterwards, in 1559, Pope Paul IV. established the
Congregation of the Index Expurgatorius for the purpose of
examining all books and manuscripts intended for publication, and of
deciding whether the people should read them. The usual
counterpoise, however, quickly made its appearance, proving once
more that progress cannot be arrested for long.
In 1563 the first newspaper was produced in Venice, which again
set the ball of intellect rolling along, never more to be stopped by
priest or prince. The new Copernican philosophy was now accepted
by many learned men, among whom even were some of the
priesthood. Giordano Bruno, an Italian Dominican monk, among
others, embraced these truths, and was not afraid to openly teach
them, for which daring act he was soon obliged to seek refuge in
Switzerland, where he prosecuted his studies for some time in
peace. The fiends of the Inquisition, however, soon discovered his
whereabouts and drove him into France, then into England, and then
back to Germany; in the end arresting him at Venice. He was taken
thence to Rome, publicly accused of teaching the plurality of worlds,
and burnt at the stake by the Inquisition in 1600. Eighteen years
after the murder of this noble Italian, Kepler, of Würtemberg,
published his “Epitome of the Copernican System,” in which he
demonstrated for the first time that all the heavenly bodies are
bound in their courses by various laws. This work, like those of
Copernicus and Bruno, was prohibited by the Congregation of the
Index Purgatorius, and Kepler himself declared a dangerous infidel.
Still, in spite of the fury of the priesthood, Catholic and Reformer
alike, the study of the sciences made rapid strides, and in 1632 the
venerable Galileo published his “System of the World,” in which he
maintained the accuracy of the Copernican theory. For this daring
disregard of the Church’s warnings he was summoned to Rome and
brought before the Inquisition, accused of having taught that the
earth moves round the sun. The poor old man was compelled to
kneel on the floor of the court, place his hand on the Bible, and
recant, after which he was incarcerated in the prison of the
Inquisition, where, ten years afterwards, he died. Still science
progressed, and was considerably aided by the rapid increase in the
number of newspapers throughout Europe. In 1631 the French
Gazette was established, and, soon after, newspapers appeared in all
important cities, much to the discomfiture of the Church, whose
power was now more seriously imperilled than ever. Confidence was
gradually becoming established, and Descartes dared, in 1680, to
make an attempt to analyse the mind, declaring that the necessity of
universal doubt was the only starting-point of all true philosophy. He
was followed, six years later, by Newton, who published his
“Principia,” in which he demonstrated the grand truth which has
immortalised his name—viz., that all bodies attract each other with
forces jointly proportionate to their masses, varying universally as
the squares of their distances. Thus was established the great law of
universal gravitation, which marks an epoch in the intellectual
development of man. Owing to the constantly-recurring feuds
between the Lutherans, Calvinists, and Catholics, this great
discovery passed for a while almost unnoticed; but it soon became
apparent that the final blow had been given to the old theory of
divine intervention in the movements of the universe, and that
learned men of all countries were rapidly embracing the Newtonian
theory of irreversible laws.
It was, however, now too late for the Church to interfere, for all
classes were quickly becoming impressed with the grand theory of
gravitation, which was destined for ever to remain the most
wonderful discovery of man; and, although the clergy still continued
to anathematise all scholars and scientists, the study of nature was
pursued with rapidly-increasing enthusiasm, as though to make up
for lost time. In 1690 Locke, the physician and philosopher,
published his “Essay on the Human Understanding,” in which he
declared all human knowledge to be the result of experience, thus
entirely upsetting the old theory of intuition. Twenty years later
Leibnitz published his work entitled “Theodicée,” in which he
endeavoured to solve the difficult problem of existence of evil in the
world under the moral government of Deity. These two rival
philosophers soon became the leaders of philosophic thought in their
respective countries; but barely thirty years had passed away before
an iconoclast appeared, in the person of David Hume, who cut away
the ground ruthlessly from beneath their feet. His “Treatise on
Human Nature,” published in 1739, upset all the philosophical
systems of the past, replacing them by the great theory of
causation, which was soon accepted by every philosopher and
scientist. Kant followed in 1781 with his “Critique of Pure Reason,” in
which he submitted matter to analysis, and declared it to be
possessed of inherent force.
The other sciences were also joining in the march of progress.
Chemistry was fast becoming a settled science; Priestley’s discovery
of oxygen, in 1774, had created a great sensation; Cavendish shortly
afterwards, in 1783, discovered the constitution of water; and
Lavoisier, in 1789, summarised the combined researches of these
two chemists and himself in his “Elements of Chemistry,” which at
once was recognised as the standard work on the subject.
Astronomy had, since Newton’s discovery of gravitation, assumed a
more settled condition, but was destined to further modification by
the enunciation of the nebular hypothesis by Laplace, who
commenced to publish his bulky work, “ Mecanique Celeste,” in
1799.
The nineteenth century opened with progress, as it were, on the
gallop. In 1804 the first locomotive engine was started in England,
at the same time that the first screw steamer was run at New York.
It is needless to enumerate all the inventions of scientific men during
the century, which are so well known to every one. Suffice it to say
that, in a marvellously short space of time, the whole face of Europe
has been changed. Railways cross each other at all points, like a
huge network; telegraph wires link together as one place all
important centres of population; public buildings are protected from
nature’s freaks by lightning conductors; lighthouses dot the whole
length of our coasts; the penny postage conveys our thoughts to
and fro throughout the length and breadth of the land; a free press
ventilates our grievances and enlightens our minds; hospitals and
dispensaries minister to the sick and maimed wherever we go; and
the Habeas Corpus Act endows each well-disposed individual with
freedom and liberty. What a metamorphosis to be effected in so
short a time!
The lesson we learn from such a cursory glance as this necessarily
is at the intellectual progress of Europe during the last two thousand
years is full of the deepest meaning. We cannot help being struck by
the dogged manner in which the Christian religion has opposed all
progress, ruthlessly murdering in cold blood any who dared to
suggest that the now-established and universally-accepted theories
might possibly possess some little of the truth. Every new scientific
truth or discovery has been denounced by the Church, every great
benefactor to the human race persecuted and hunted to death by
the sleuth-hounds of bigotry and intolerance, and every European
war or massacre hatched out of religious differences. To this very
day the Church, though robbed of all its old power to inflict evil and
misery, persists in its denunciation of all scientific discoveries; and
not one of the numerous sects which at present divide the Christian
Church is exempt from this charge. Hegel, Bunsen, John Stuart Mill,
Rénan, Huxley, Darwin, Tyndall, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Carpenter,
Herbert Spencer, Emerson, Haeckel, Schopenhauer, Victor Hugo,
and, in short, all the leaders of thought of our century, have incurred
the bitter hostility of the various Christian sects; and yet what a
heirloom the works of these men form for the coming generation!
The discovery of the power of chloroform and ether to relieve pain
was denounced by the Church because it was proposed to apply it to
the relief of the agony of childbirth, the natural inheritance of
woman under the divine curse of Eden; the abolition of slavery was
also opposed by these human parasites because the practice was
ordered in the Bible; and it is well known how the priests of the
Church utilised for their own purposes those abominable texts of the
Old Testament, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” and “Neither
shalt thou countenance a poor man in his own cause.”
The Middle Ages bear attestation to the fidelity of the priesthood
to their sacred oracles. Have not two honest citizens of London quite
lately undergone one whole year’s imprisonment for the grave sin of
ridiculing the notion of the Hebrew and Christian gods being other
than creations of man’s imagination? This very lecture will probably
be the means of bringing down the wrath of the priesthood—State
Church and Nonconformist alike—upon its author. And why? Are the
facts untrue? Just the reverse. The writer, historian, or pseudo-
scientist who writes volumes of falsehoods for the purpose of
propping up for a short time longer priestcraft and tyranny will
assuredly fare well at the hands of these insinuating gentlemen of
the cloth; but let the man who dares to write the honest,
unvarnished truth beware! His fair name, his business, and his social
and family ties will be undermined and destroyed in an incredibly
short space of time. All honor, therefore, be given to those brave
ones who have dared to stand before the world and speak out the
truth in the cause of humanity! They have done their share in
helping forward the march of intellect, in stifling superstition, and in
uprooting ignorance. The state of Europe to-day, as compared with
its condition two thousand years since, is overwhelming evidence of
the continual progress of civilization, which, in spite of the opposition
from its old enemy, the Church, in the past and, to a limited extent,
in the present, has proved to the world that it must, of necessity,
continue for all time as one of the great and immutable laws of
Nature.
 GENESIS I. 1, according to authorised Hebrew version, with final letters,
but without vowel points and breathings.
‫בראשיתבראאלהיםאתהשמיםואתהארץ‬
“In the beginning the ram (or lamb)-sun-gods (or the good gods)
renovated (reorganized or re-started) the heavens and the earth.”
This refers to the commencement of the Persian new-year, at the vernal
equinox, Aries, the ram or lamb.
GENESIS I. 1, according to the Samaritan Pentateuch, transcribed into
ante-Masoretic, or original Hebrew, as written before the invention of the five
final letters.
‫בראשיתבראהעזאתהשמימואתהארצ‬
“In the beginning the goat renovated the heavens and the earth.”
This refers to the commencement of the Egyptian new-year, at the winter
solstice, Capricornus, the goat.
Fac Simile of fragmentary MS. of sixth century (Luke XX.9.10.), written in
Greek and partially
covered with Syrian writing of 10th century.
Copied from “Secular Review,” of March 27 1886.
Small fragment from John’s Gospel, taken from the Cotton Manuscript.
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