Christianity: Its Evidences, Its Origin, Its Morality, Its History Part 8

Judah should be delivered from its foes. The same child is clearly spoken of as the child of Isaiah and his wife in Is. viii. 3, 4; and in verses 6-8 we find that the two kings of Samaria and Syria are to be conquered by the king of a.s.syria, who shall fill "thy land, O _Immanuel!_" thus referring distinctly to the promised child as living in that time. The Hebrew word translated "virgin" does not, as we have already shown, mean "a pure virgin," as translated in the Septuagint. It is used for a young woman, a marriageable woman, or even to describe a woman who is being embraced by a man. Micah's supposed prophecy in Matt.

ii. 5, 6, is as inapplicable to Christ as that of Isaiah. Turning back to Micah, we find that he "that is to be ruler in Israel" shall be born in Bethlehem, but Jesus was never ruler in Israel, and the description cannot therefore be applied to him; besides, finis.h.i.+ng the pa.s.sage in Micah (v. 5) we read that this same ruler "shall be the peace when the a.s.syrian shall come into our land," so that the prophecy has a local and immediate fulfilment in the circ.u.mstances of the time. Matthew ii. 15 is only made into a prophecy by taking the second half of a historical reference in Hosea to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt; it would be as reasonable to prove in this fas.h.i.+on that the Bible teaches a denial of G.o.d, "as is spoken by David the prophet, There is no G.o.d." The fulfilment of the saying of Jeremy the prophet is as true as all the preceding (verses 17, 18); Jeremy bids Rahel not to weep for the children who are carried into bondage, "for they shall come again from the land of the enemy ... thy children shall come again to their own border" (Jer. x.x.xi. 16, 17). Very applicable to the slaughtered babes, and so honest of "Matthew" to quote just so much of the "prophecy" as served his purpose, leaving out that which altered its whole meaning.

After these specimens, we are not surprised to find that--unable to find a prophecy fit to twist to suit his object--our evangelist quietly invents one, and (verse 23) uses a prophecy which has no existence in what was "spoken by the prophets." It is needless to go through all the other pa.s.sages known as Messianic prophecies, for they may all be dealt with as above; the guiding rule is to refer to the Old Testament in each case, and not to trust to the quotation as given in the New, and then to read the whole context of the "prophecy," instead of resting content with the few words which, violently wrested from their natural meaning, are forced into a superficial resemblance with the story recorded in the Gospels.

The second theory, which regards Jesus as a new hero of the ancient sun-wors.h.i.+p, is full of intensest interest. Dupuis, in his great work on sun-wors.h.i.+p ("Origines de Tous les Cultes") has drawn out in detail the various sun-myths, and has pointed to their common features. Briefly stated, these points are as follows: the hero is born about Dec. 25th, without s.e.xual intercourse, for the sun, entering the winter solstice, emerges in the sign of Virgo, the heavenly virgin. His mother remains ever-virgin, since the rays of the sun, pa.s.sing through the zodiacal sign, leave it intact. His infancy is begirt with dangers, because the new-born sun is feeble in the midst of the winter's fogs and mists, which threaten to devour him; his life is one of toil and peril, culminating at the spring equinox in a final struggle with the powers of darkness. At that period the day and the night are equal, and both fight for the mastery; though the night veil the sun, and he seems dead; though he has descended out of sight, below the earth, yet he rises again triumphant, and he rises in the sign of the Lamb, and is thus the Lamb of G.o.d, carrying away the darkness and death of the winter months.

Henceforth, he triumphs, growing ever stronger and more brilliant. He ascends into the zenith, and there he glows, "on the right hand of G.o.d,"

himself G.o.d, the very substance of the Father, the brightness of his glory, and the "express image of his person," "upholding all things" by his heat and his life-giving power; thence he pours down life and warmth on his wors.h.i.+ppers, giving them his very self to be their life; his substance pa.s.ses into the grape and the corn, the sustainers of health; around him are his twelve followers, the twelve signs of the zodiac, the twelve months of the year; his day, the Lord's Day, is Sunday, the day of the Sun, and his yearly course, ever renewed, is marked each year, by the renewed memorials of his career. The signs appear in the long array of sun-heroes, making the succession of deities, old in reality, although new-named.

It may be worth noting that Jesus is said to be born at Bethlehem, a word that Dr. Inman translates as the house "of the hot one" ("Ancient Faiths," vol. i., p. 358; ed. 1868); Bethlehem is generally translated "house of bread," and the doubt arises from the Hebrew letters being originally unpointed, and the points--equivalent to vowel sounds--being inserted in later times; this naturally gives rise to great lat.i.tude of interpretation, the vowels being inserted whenever the writer or translator thinks they ought to come in, or where the traditionary reading requires them (see Part 1., pp. 13, and 31, 32).

Each point in the story of Jesus may be paralleled in earlier tales; the birth of Krishna was prophesied of; he was born of Devaki, although she was shut up in a tower, and no man was permitted to approach her. His birth was hymned by the Devas--the Hindoo equivalent for angels--and a bright light shone round where he was. He was pursued by the wrath of the tyrant king, Kansa, who feared that Krishna would supplant him in the kingdom. The infants of the district were ma.s.sacred, but Krishna miraculously escaped. He was brought up among the poor until he reached maturity. He preached a pure morality, and went about doing good. He healed the leper, the sick, the injured, and he raised the dead. His head was anointed by a woman; he washed the feet of the Brahmins; he was persecuted, and finally slain, being crucified. He went down into h.e.l.l, rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven (see "Asiatic Researches," vol. i.; on "The G.o.ds of Greece, Italy, and India," by Sir William Jones, an essay which, though very imperfect, has much in it that is highly instructive). He is pictorially represented as standing on the serpent, the type of evil; his foot crushes its head, while the fang of the serpent pierces his heel; also, with a halo round his head, this halo being always the symbol of the Sun-G.o.d; also, with his hands and feet pierced--the sacred stigmata--and with a hole in his side. In fact, some of the representations of him could not be distinguished from the representations of the crucified Jesus.

The name of "Krishna" is by Sir William Jones, and by many others written "Crishna," and I have seen it spelt "Cristna." The resemblance it bears, when thus written, to "Christ" is apparent only, there is no etymological similarity. Krishna is derived from the Sanscrit "Krish,"

to sc.r.a.pe, to draw, to colour. Krishna means black, or violet-coloured; Christ comes from the Greek [Greek: christos] the anointed. Colonel Vallancy, Sir W. Jones tells us, informed him that "Crishna" in Irish means the Sun ("As. Res.," p. 262; ed. 1801); and there is no doubt that the Hindu Krishna is a Sun-G.o.d; the "violet-coloured" might well be a reference to the deep blue of the summer sky.

If Moses be a type of Christ, must not Bacchus be admitted to the same honour? In the ancient Orphic verses it was said that he was born in Arabia; picked up in a box that floated on the water; was known by the name of Mises, as "drawn from the water;" had a rod which he could change into a serpent, and by means of which he performed miracles; leading his army, he pa.s.sed the Red Sea dryshod; he divided the rivers Orontes and Hydaspes with his rod; he drew water from a rock; where he pa.s.sed the land flowed with wine, milk, and honey (see "Diegesis," pp.

178, 179).

The name Christ Jesus is simply the anointed Saviour, or else Chrestos Jesus, the good Saviour; a t.i.tle not peculiar to Jesus of Nazareth. We find Hesus, Jesous, Yes or Ies. This last name, [Greek: Iaes], was one of the t.i.tles of Bacchus, and the simple termination "us" makes it "Jesus;" from this comes the sacred monogram I.H.S., really the Greek [Greek: UAeS]--IES; the Greek letter [Greek: Ae], which is the capital E, has by ignorance been mistaken for the Latin H, and the ancient name of Bacchus has been thus transformed into the Latin monogram of Jesus.

In both cases the letters are surrounded with a halo, the sun-rays, symbolical of the sun-deity to whom they refer. This halo surrounds the heads of G.o.ds who typify the sun, and is continually met with in Indian sculptures and paintings.

Hercules, with his twelve labours, is another source of Christian fable.

"It is well known that by Hercules, in the physical mythology of the heathens, was meant the _Sun_, or _solar light_, and his twelve famous labours have been referred to the sun's pa.s.sing through the twelve zodiacal signs; and this, perhaps, not without some foundation. But the labours of Hercules seem to have had a still higher view, and to have been originally designed as emblematic memorials of what the real _Son of G.o.d_ and _Saviour of the world_ was to do and suffer for our sakes--[Greek: Noson Theletaeria panta komixon]--'_Bringing a cure for all our ills_,' as the Orphic hymn speaks of Hercules" (Parkhurst's "Hebrew Lexicon," page 520; ed. 1813). As the story of Hercules came first in time, it must be either a prophecy of Christ, an inadmissible supposition, or else of the sources whence the story of Christ has been drawn.

Aesculapius, the heathen "Good Physician," and "the good Saviour,"

healed the sick and raised the dead. He was the son of G.o.d and of Coronis, and was guarded by a goatherd.

Prometheus is another forerunner of Christ, stretched in cruciform position on the rocks, tormented by Jove, the Father, because he brought help to man, and winning for man, by his agony, light and knowledge.

Osiris, the great Egyptian G.o.d, has much in common with the Christian Jesus. He was both G.o.d and man, and once lived on earth. He was slain by the evil Typhon, but rose again from the dead. After his resurrection he became the Judge of all men. Once a year the Egyptians used to celebrate his death, mourning his slaying by the evil one: "this grief for the death of Osiris did not escape some ridicule; for Xenophanes, the Ionian, wittily remarked to the priests of Memphis, that if they thought Osiris a man they should not wors.h.i.+p him, and if they thought him a G.o.d they need not talk of his death and suffering.... Of all the G.o.ds Osiris alone had a place of birth and a place of burial. His birthplace was Mount Sinai, called by the Egyptians Mount Nyssa. Hence was derived the G.o.d's Greek name Dionysus, which is the same as the Hebrew Jehovah-Nissi" ("Egyptian Mythology and Egyptian Christianity," by Samuel Sharpe, pp. 10, 11; ed. 1863). Various places claimed the honour of his burial. "Serapis" was a G.o.d's name, formed out of "Osiris" and "Apis," the sacred bull, and we find (see ante, p. 206) that the Emperor Adrian wrote that the "wors.h.i.+ppers of Serapis are Christians," and that bishops of Serapis were bishops of Christ; although the stories differ in detail, as is natural, since the Christian tale is modified by other myths--Osiris, for instance, is married--the general outline is the same. We shall see, in Section II., how thoroughly Pagan is the origin of Christianity.

We find the Early Fathers ready enough to claim these a.n.a.logies, in order to recommend their religion. Justin Martyr argues: "When we say that the word, who is the first birth of G.o.d, was produced without s.e.xual union, and that he, Jesus Christ, our teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter. For you know how many sons your esteemed writers ascribe to Jupiter; Mercury, the interpreting word and teacher of all; Aesculapius, who, though he was a great physician, was struck by a thunderbolt, and so ascended to heaven; and Bacchus too, after he had been torn limb from limb; and Hercules, when he had committed himself to the flames to escape his toils; and the sons of Leda, the Dioscuri; and Perseus, son of Danae; and Bellerophon, who, though sprung from mortals, rose to heaven on the horse Pegasus" ("First Apology," ch. xxi.). "If we a.s.sert that the Word of G.o.d was born of G.o.d in a peculiar manner, different from ordinary generation, let this, as said above, be no extraordinary thing to you, who say that Mercury is the angelic word of G.o.d. But if anyone objects that he was crucified, in this also he is on a par with those reputed sons of Jupiter of yours, who suffered as we have now enumerated.... And if we even affirm that he was born of a virgin, accept this in common with what you accept of Perseus. And in that we say that he made whole the lame, the paralytic, and those born blind, we seem to say what is very similar to the deeds said to have been done by AEsculapius" (Ibid, ch. xxi.). "Plato, in like manner, used to say that Rhadamanthus and Minos would punish the wicked who came before them; and we say that the same thing will be done, but at the hand of Christ"

(Ibid, ch. viii.) In ch. liv. Justin argues that the devils invented all these G.o.ds in order that when Christ came his story should be thought to be another marvellous tale like its predecessors! On the whole, we can scarcely wonder that Caecilius (about A.D. 211) taunted the early Christians with those facts: "All these figments of cracked-brained opiniatry and silly solaces played off in the sweetness of song by deceitful poets, by you, too credulous creatures, have been shamefully reformed, and made over to your own G.o.d" (as quoted in R. Taylor's "Diegesis," p. 241). That the doctrines of Christianity had the same origin as the story of Christ, and the miracles ascribed to him, we shall prove under section ii., while section iii. will prove the same as to his morality. Judge Strange fairly says: "The Jewish Scriptures and the traditionary teaching of their doctors, the Essenes and Therapeuts, the Greek philosophers, the neo-platonism of Alexandria, and the Buddhism of the East, gave ample supplies for the composition of the doctrinal portion of the new faith; the divinely procreated personages of the Grecian and Roman pantheons, the tales of the Egyptian Osiris, and of the Indian Rama, Krishna, and Buddha, furnished the materials for the image of the new saviour of mankind; and every surrounding mythology poured forth samples of the 'mighty works' that were to be attributed to him to attract and enslave his followers: and thus, first from Judaism, and finally from the bosom of heathendom, we have our matured expression of Christianity" ("The Portraiture and Mission of Jesus," p. 27). From the ma.s.s of facts brought together above, we contend that the Gospels _are in themselves utterly unworthy of credit, from (1) the miracles with which they abound, (2) the numerous contradictions of each by the others, (3) the fact that the story of the hero, the doctrines, the miracles, were current long before the supposed dates of the Gospels; so that these Gospels are simply a patchwork composed of older materials_.

We have thus examined, step by step, the alleged evidences of Christianity, both external and internal; we have found it impossible to rely on its external witnesses, while the internal testimony is fatal to its claims; it is, at once, unauthenticated without, and incredible within. After earnest study, and a careful balancing of proofs, we find ourselves forced to a.s.sert that THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY ARE UNRELIABLE.

APPROXIMATE DATES CLAIMED FOR THE CHIEF CHRISTIAN AND HERETICAL AUTHORITIES.

A.D.

Between 92 and 125 Clement of Rome Very doubtful Between 90 and 138 Barnabas " "

Said to be martyred 107 Ignatius " "

Between 117 and 138 Quadratus " "

Possibly 138 Hermas " "

About 150-170 Papias " "

About 135-145 Basilides and " "

Valentinus About 140-160 Marcion Said to be martyred 166 Polycarp Very doubtful Said to be martyred 166 Justin Martyr After 166 Hegesippus About 177 Epistle of Lyons and Vienne Between 150 and 290 Clementines Real date quite unknown Between 166 and 176 Dionysius of Corinth About 176 Athenagoras Between 170 and 175 Tatian 177 to about 200 Irenaeus About 193 Tertullian About 200 Celsus Very doubtful 205 Clement of Alexandria succeeded as head of School.

About 205 Porphyry 205-249 Origen

THE SO-CALLED TEN PERSECUTIONS.

A.D.

61 under Nero 81 " Domitian 107 " Trajan 166 " Marcus Aurelius 193 " Severus 235 under Maximin 249 " Decius 254 " Valerian 272 " Aurelian 303 " Diocletian

DATES OF ROMAN EMPERORS.

AT ALLEGED BIRTH OF CHRIST.

Augustus Caesar

A.D.

14 Tiberius 33 Caligula 41 Claudius 54 Nero 68 Galba Otho 69 Vitellius 69 Vespasian 79 t.i.tus 81 Domitian 96 Nerva 98 Trajan a.s.sociated 117 Hadrian 138 Antoninus Pius 161 Marcus Aurelius 180 Commodus 192 Pertinax 193 Julian Severus 211 Caracalla and Geta 217 Macrinus 218 Heliogabalus 222 Alexander Severus 235 Maximin 237 The Gordians Maximus and Galbinus 238 Maximus, Galbinus, and Gordian 238 Gordian alone 244 Philip 249 Decius 251 Gallus 253 Valerian 260 Gallienus 268 Claudius 270 Aurelian 275 Tacitus 276 Floria.n.u.s 276 Probus 282 Carus 283 Carinus and Numerian 285 Diocletian 286 Maximian a.s.sociated 305 Galerius and Constantius 305 Severus and Maximin 306 Constantine Licinius Maxentius 324 Constantine alone

INDEX TO SECTION I. OF PART II.

INDEX OF BOOKS USED.

Adrian...206 " quoted by Meredith...225 Agbarus, letter of, in Eusebius...243 Akiba, quoted in Keim...315 Alford, Greek Testament...288 Apostolic Fathers...215, 216, 217, 218, 220, 221, 230 Athenagoras, Apology...226 Augustine, Syntagma, quoted in Diegesis...234

Barnabas, Epistle of...233, 302 Besant, According to St. John...337 Butler, Lives of the Fathers, etc...324

Caecilius, quoted in Diegesis...348 Celsus, quoted by Norton...233 Clement, First Epistle...233, 299, 300, 301 Clementine, Homilies...310 " quoted in Supernatural Religion...301 Corpus Ignatianum, quoted in Apostolic Fathers...218

Davidson, Introduction to New Testament...286, 294, 295, 296, 298

Ellicott, quoted in Cowper's Apocryphal Gospels...250

Epictetus...206 Epiphanius, quoted by Norton...297 Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History...216, 230, 231, 234, 243, 246, 248 250, 257, 260, 277, 279, 284, 290 291, 292, 294, 321, 323 " quoted in Apostolic Fathers...217

Faustus, quoted in Diegesis...284

Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire...195, 206, 209, 112 213, 227, 322 Giles, Christian Records...197, 207, 230, 259, 261, 263, 265 267, 276, 288, 293, 297, 313, 328 335, 336

Hegesippus, quoted in Supernatural Religion...302 Home, Introduction to New Testament...197, 203

Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans...220 " " Ephesians...233 " " Philippians...302 Inman, Ancient Faiths...344 Irenaeus, Against Heresies...258, 291, 323, 336 " quoted in Keim...234 " quoted in Eusebius...258

Jones, The Canon of the New Testament...240, 245, 257 Jones, Sir W., Asiatic Researches...345 Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews...195, 198, 315 " Wars of the Jews...317 " Discourse on Hades...198 Justin Martyr, First Apology...231, 253, 302, 347 " Second Apology...226, 323 " Dialogue with Trypho...231, 275, 302, 310 Juvenal...203

Keim, Jesus of Nazara...197, 202, 315

Lardner, Answer to Dr. Chandler, quoted from Diegesis...196 " Credibility of the Gospels...209, 210, 211, 216, 218 230, 263, 269 Livy...222

Marcus Aurelius...206 Marsh, quoted in Norton...267 " quoted in Giles...287 Meredith, Prophet of Nazareth...223 Mosheim, Ecclesiastical History...214, 216, 217, 235, 237, 238, 239 Muratori, Canon of...282