Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions Part 149

[554:2] This would give us the story of Christ Jesus, and other Angel-Messiahs; Saviours of men.

[554:3] This would give us the stories of spellbound maidens, who sleep for years.

[554:4] This is Hercules and his counterparts.

[554:5] This again is Hercules.

[554:6] This would depend upon whether his light was obscured by clouds, or not.

[554:7] This again is Hercules.

[554:8] This is Apollo, Siva and Ixion.

[554:9] Rev. G. W. c.o.x.

[555:1] Who has not heard it said that the howling or whining of a dog forebodes death?

[555:2] Bunce: Fairy Tales, Origin and Meaning.

[556:1] Quoted by Bunce: Fairy Tales.

[557:1] See Bunce: Fairy Tales, p. 34.

[558:1] "The _Sun_," said _Gaugler_, "speeds at such a rate as if _she_ feared that some one was pursuing her for her destruction." "And well she may," replied _Har_, "for he that seeks her is not far behind, and she has no way to escape but to run before him." "And who is he," asked _Gaugler_, "that causes her this anxiety?" "It is the _Wolf_ Skoll,"

answered _Har_, "who pursues the Sun, and it is he that she fears, for he shall one day overtake and devour her." (Scandinavian _Prose Edda_.

See Mallet's Northern Antiquities, p. 407). This Wolf is, as we have said, a personification of _Night_ and _Clouds_, we therefore have the almost universal practice among savage nations of making noises at the time of eclipses, to frighten away the monsters who would otherwise devour the Sun.

[558:2] Aryan Mythology, vol. i. p. 103.

[559:1] Tylor: Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 308.

[559:2] Muller: The Science of Religion, p. 65.

[559:3] c.o.x: Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 1.

[560:1] As the hand of Hector is clasped in the hand of the hero who slew him. There, as the story ran, the lovely Helen "pardoned and purified," became the bride of the short-lived, yet long-suffering Achilleus, even as Iole comforted the dying Hercules on earth, and Hebe became his solace in Olympus. But what is the meeting of Helen and Achilleus, of Iole and Hebe and Hercules, but the return of the violet tints to greet the Sun in the _West_, which had greeted him in the East in the morning? The idea was purely physical, yet it suggested the thoughts of trial, atonement, and purification; and it is unnecessary to say that the human mind, having advanced thus far, must make its way still farther. (c.o.x: Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 822.)

[560:2] The black storm-cloud, with the flames of lightning issuing from it, was the original of the dragon with tongues of fire. Even as late as A. D. 1600, a German writer would ill.u.s.trate a thunder-storm destroying a crop of corn by a picture of a dragon devouring the produce of the field with his flaming tongue and iron teeth. (Baring-Gould: Curious Myths, p. 342.)

[561:1] M. Breal, and G. W. c.o.x.

[562:1] Squire: Serpent Symbol, p. 59.

[562:2] Ibid.

[562:3] Ibid. p. 181.

[562:4] Book iv. ch. i. in Anac., vol. i. p. 137.

[562:5] P. 6.

[562:6] Squire: Serpent Symbol, p. 33.

[562:7] Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 33.

[562:8] Williams' Hinduism, p. 88.

[563:1] Muller's Chips, vol. ii. p. 260.

APPENDIX D.

We maintain that not so much as one single pa.s.sage purporting to be written, _as history_, within the first hundred years of the Christian era, can be produced to show the existence _at_ or before that time of such a person as Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ, or of such a set of men as could be accounted his disciples or followers. Those who would be likely to refer to Jesus or his disciples, but who have not done so, wrote about:

A. D. 40 Philo.[564:1]

40 Josephus.

79 C. Plinius Second, the Elder.[564:2] } 69 L. Ann. Seneca. } Philosophers.

79 Diogenes Laertius. } 79 Pausanias. } Geographers.

79 Pompon Mela. } 79 Q. Curtius Ruf. } 79 Luc. Flor. } 110 Cornel Tacitus. } Historians.

123 Appia.n.u.s. } 140 Justinus. } 141 aelia.n.u.s. }

Out of this number it has been claimed that one (Josephus) spoke of Jesus, and another (Tacitus) of the Christians. Of the former it is almost needless to speak, as that has been given up by Christian divines many years ago. However, for the sake of those who still cling to it we shall state the following:

Dr. Lardner, who wrote about A. D. 1760, says:

1. It was never quoted by any of our Christian ancestors before _Eusebius_.

2. Josephus has nowhere else mentioned the name or word _Christ_, in any of his works, except the testimony above mentioned,[564:3] and the pa.s.sage concerning James, the Lord's brother.[564:4]

3. It interrupts the narrative.

4. The language is quite Christian.

5. It is _not_ quoted by Chrysostom,[564:5] though he often refers to Josephus, and could not have omitted quoting it, had it been _then_, in the text.

6. It is _not_ quoted by Photius, though he has three articles concerning Josephus.

7. Under the article _Justus of Tiberius_, this author (Photius) expressly states that this historian (Josephus), being a Jew, _has not taken the least notice of Christ_.

8. Neither Justin, in his dialogue with Typho the Jew, nor Clemens Alexandrinus, who made so many extracts from ancient authors, nor Origen against Celsus, _have even mentioned this testimony_.

9. But, on the contrary, Origen openly affirms (ch. x.x.xv., bk.

i., against Celsus), that Josephus, who had mentioned John the Baptist, _did not acknowledge Christ_.[565:1]

In the "Bible for Learners," we read as follows: