Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions Part 47

Fasting and self-denial were observances required of the Greeks who desired initiation into the _Mysteries_. Abstinence from food, chast.i.ty and hard couches prepared the neophyte, who broke his fast on the third and fourth day only, on consecrated food.[177:7]

The same practice was found among the ancient _Mexicans_ and _Peruvians_. Acosta, speaking of them, says:

"These priests and religious men used great fastings, of five and ten days together, before any of their great feasts, and they were unto them as our four ember weeks. . . .

"They drank no wine, and slept little, for the greatest part of their exercises (of penance) were at night, committing great cruelties and martyring themselves for the devil, and all to be reputed great fasters and penitents."[178:1]

In regard to the number of days which Jesus is said to have fasted being specified as _forty_, this is simply owing to the fact that the number _forty_ as well as _seven_ was a sacred one among most nations of antiquity, particularly among the Jews, and because _others_ had fasted that number of days. For instance; it is related[178:2] that _Moses_ went up into a mountain, "and he was there with the Lord _forty days and forty nights, and he did neither eat bread, nor drink water_," which is to say that he _fasted_.

In Deuteronomy[178:3] Moses _is made to say_--for he did not write it, "When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, . . .

then I abode in the mount _forty days and forty nights_, I neither did eat bread nor drink water."

_Elijah_ also had a long fast, which, _of course_, was continued for a period of _forty days and forty nights_.[178:4]

_St. Joachim_, father of the "ever-blessed Virgin Mary," had a long fast, which was also continued for a period of _forty days and forty nights_. The story is to be found in the apocryphal gospel _Protevangelion_.[178:5]

The ancient _Persians_ had a religious festival which they annually celebrated, and which they called the "Salutation of Mithras." During this festival, _forty days_ were set apart for thanksgiving and sacrifice.[178:6]

The _forty days' fast_ was found in the New World.

G.o.dfrey Higgins tells us that:

"The ancient _Mexicans_ had a _forty days' fast_, in memory of one of their sacred persons (Quetzalcoatle) who was tempted (and fasted) _forty days_ on a mountain."[178:7]

Lord Kingsborough says:

"The temptation of Quetzalcoatle, and _the fast of forty days, . . . are very curious and mysterious_."[178:8]

The ancient Mexicans were also in the habit of making their prisoners of war fast for a term of _forty days_ before they were put to death.[179:1]

Mr. Bonwick says:

"The Spaniards were surprised to see the _Mexicans_ keep the vernal _forty days' fast_. The Tammuz month of Syria was in the spring. The _forty days_ were kept for Proserpine. Thus does history repeat itself."[179:2]

The Spanish monks accounted for what Lord Kingsborough calls "very curious and mysterious" circ.u.mstances, by the agency of the devil, and burned all the books containing them, whenever it was in their power.

The forty days' fast was also found among some of the Indian tribes in the New World. Dr. Daniel Brinton tells us that "the females of the _Orinoco_ tribes _fasted forty days_ before marriage,"[179:3] and Prof.

Max Muller informs us that it was customary for some of the females of the South American tribes of Indians "to fast before and after the birth of a child," and that, among the _Carib-Coudave_ tribe, in the West Indies, "when a child is born the mother goes presently to work, but the father begins to complain, and takes to his hammock, and there he is visited as though he were sick. _He then fasts for forty days._"[179:4]

The females belonging to the tribes of the Upper Mississippi, were held unclean for _forty days_ after childbirth.[179:5] The prince of the Tezcuca tribes _fasted forty days_ when he wished an heir to his throne, and the Mandanas supposed it required _forty days and forty nights_ to wash clean the earth at the deluge.[179:6]

The number _forty_ is to be found in a great many instances in the Old Testament; for instance, at the end of _forty days_ Noah sent out a raven from the ark.[179:7] Isaac and Esau were each _forty years_ old when they married.[179:8] _Forty days_ were fulfilled for the embalming of Jacob.[179:9] The spies were _forty days_ in search of the land of Canaan.[179:10] The Israelites wandered _forty years_ in the wilderness.[179:11] The land "had rest" _forty years_ on three occasions.[179:12] The land was delivered into the hand of the Philistines _forty years_.[179:13] Eli judged Israel _forty years_.[179:14] King David reigned _forty years_.[179:15]

King Solomon reigned _forty years_.[180:1] Goliath presented himself _forty days_.[180:2] The rain was upon the earth _forty days_ at the time of the deluge.[180:3] And, as we saw above, Moses was on the mount _forty days_ and _forty nights_ on each occasion.[180:4] Can anything be more mythological than this?

The number forty was used by the ancients in constructing temples. There were _forty_ pillars around the temple of Chilminar, in Persia; the temple at Baalbec had _forty_ pillars; on the frontiers of China, in Tartary, there is to be seen the "Temple of the _forty_ pillars."

_Forty_ is one of the most common numbers in the Druidical temples, and in the plan of the temple of Ezekiel, the four oblong buildings in the middle of the courts have each _forty_ pillars.[180:5] Most temples of antiquity were imitative--were microcosms of the Celestial Templum--and on this account they were surrounded with pillars recording _astronomical_ subjects, and intended both to do honor to these subjects, and to keep them in perpetual remembrance. In the Abury temples were to be seen the cycles of 650-608-600-60-40-30-19-12, etc.[180:6]

FOOTNOTES:

[175:1] Matthew, iv. 1-11.

[175:2] See Lardner's Works, vol. viii. p. 491.

[175:3] Words of the Rev. E. Garbett, M. A., in a sermon preached before the University of Oxford, England.

[175:4] The Bishop of Manchester (England), in the "Manchester Examiner and Times."

[175:5] See Lillie's Buddhism, p. 100.

[176:1] Pp. 44 and 172, 173.

[176:2] Translated by Prof. Samuel Beal.

[176:3] See also Bunsen's Angel-Messiah, pp. 38, 39. Beal: Hist. Buddha, pp. xxviii., xxix., and 190, and Hardy: Buddhist Legends, p. xvii.

[177:1] Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 240.

[177:2] Chambers's Encyclo. art. "Zoroaster."

[177:3] See Kingsborough: Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 200.

[177:4] Life and Relig. of the Hindoos, p. 134.

[177:5] Baring-Gould: Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. p. 341.

[177:6] Ibid.

[177:7] Ibid. p. 340.

[178:1] Acosta: Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 339.

[178:2] Exodus, xxiv. 28.

[178:3] Deut. ix. 18.

[178:4] 1 Kings, xix. 8.

[178:5] Chapter i.

[178:6] See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 272.

[178:7] Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19.

[178:8] Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. pp. 197-200.

[179:1] See Kingsborough's Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 223.