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pagan and christian creeds-第16章

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ts we may mention the following cases; remembering always that as the blood is regarded as the Life; the drinking or partaking of; or sprinkling with; blood is always an acknowledgment of the common life; and that the juice of the grape being regarded as the blood of the Vine; wine in the later ceremonials quite easily and naturally takes the place of the blood in the early sacrifices。

'1' Religion of the Semites; p。 302。


Thus P。 Andrada La Crozius; a French missionary; and one of the first Christians who went to Nepaul and Thibet; says in his History of India: 〃Their Grand Lama celebrates a species of sacrifice with BREAD and WINE; in which; after taking a small quantity himself; he distributes the rest among the Lamas present at this ceremony。〃'1' 〃The old Egyptians celebrated the resurrection of Osiris by a sacrament; eating the sacred cake or wafer after it had been consecrated by the priest; and thereby becoming veritable flesh of his flesh。〃'2' As is well known; the eating of bread or dough sacramentally (sometimes mixed with blood or seed) as an emblem of community of life with the divinity; is an extremely ancient practice or ritual。 Dr。 Frazer'3' says of the Aztecs; that 〃twice a year; in May and December; an image of the great god Huitzilopochtli was made of dough; then broken in pieces and solemnly eaten by his worshipers。〃 And Lord Kingsborough in his Mexican Antiquities (vol。 vi; p。 220) gives a record of a 〃most Holy Supper〃 in which these people ate the flesh of their god。 It was a cake made of certain seeds; 〃and having made it; they blessed it in their manner; and broke it into pieces; which the high priest put into certain very clean vessels; and took a thorn of maguey which resembles a very thick needle; with which he took up with the utmost reverence single morsels; which he put into the mouth of each individual in the manner of a communion。〃 Acostas'4' confirms this and similar accounts。 The Peruvians partook of a sacrament consisting of a pudding of coarsely ground maize; of which a portion had been smeared on the idol。 The priest sprinkled it with the blood of the victim before distributing it to the people。〃 Priest and people then all took their shares in turn; 〃with great care that no particle should be allowed to fall to the groundthis being looked upon as a great sin。〃'5'


'1' See Doane's Bible Myths; p。 306。

'2' From The Great Law; of religious origins: by W。 Williamson (1899); p。 177。

'3' The Golden Bough; vol。 ii; p。 79。

'4' Natural and Moral History of the Indies。 London (1604)。

'5' See Markham's Rites and laws of the Incas; p。 27。


Moving from Peru to China (instead of 'from China to Peru') we find that 〃the Chinese pour wine (a very general substitute for blood) on a straw image of Confucius; and then all present drink of it; and taste the sacrificial victim; in order to participate in the grace of Confucius。〃 'Here again the Corn and Wine are blended in one rite。' And of Tartary Father Grueber thus testifies: 〃This only I do affirm; that the devil so mimics the Catholic Church there; that although no European or Christian has ever been there; still in all essential things they agree so completely with the Roman Church; as even to celebrate the Host with bread and wine: with my own eyes I have seen it。〃'1' These few instances are sufficient to show the extraordinarily wide diffusion of Totem…sacraments and Eucharistic rites all over the world。

'1' For these two quotations see Jevons' Introduction to the History of Religion; pp。 148 and 219。



V。 FOOD AND VEGETATION MAGIC

I have wandered; in pursuit of Totems and the Eucharist; some way from the astronomical thread of Chapters II and III; and now it would appear that in order to understand religious origins we must wander still farther。 The chapters mentioned were largely occupied with Sungods and astronomical phenomena; but now we have to consider an earlier period when there were no definite forms of gods; and when none but the vaguest astronomical knowledge existed。 Sometimes in historical matters it is best and safest to move thus backwards in Time; from the things recent and fairly well known to things more ancient and less known。 In this way we approach more securely to some understanding of the dim and remote past。

It is clear that before any definite speculations on heaven…dwelling gods or divine beings had arisen in the human mindor any clear theories of how the sun and moon and stars might be connected with the changes of the seasons on the earththere were still certain obvious things which appealed to everybody; learned or unlearned alike。 One of these was the return of Vegetation; bringing with it the fruits or the promise of the fruits of the earth; for human food; and also bringing with it increase of animal life; for food in another form; and the other was the return of Light and Warmth; making life easier in all ways。 Food delivering from the fear of starvation; Light and Warmth delivering from the fear of danger and of cold。 These were three glorious things which returned together and brought salvation and renewed life to man。 The period of their return was 'Spring;' and though Spring and its benefits might fade away in time; still there was always the HOPE of its returnthough even so it may have been a long time in human evolution before man discovered that it really did always return; and (with certain allowances) at equal intervals of time。

Long then before any Sun or Star gods could be called in; the return of the Vegetation must have enthralled man's attention; and filled him with hope and joy。 Yet since its return was somewhat variable and uncertain the question; What could man do to assist that return? naturally became a pressing one。 It is now generally held that the use of Magicsympathetic magicarose in this way。 Sympathetic magic seems to have been generated by a belief that your own actions cause a similar response in things and persons around you。 Yet this belief did not rest on any philosophy or argument; but was purely instinctive and sometimes of the nature of a mere corporeal reaction。 Every schoolboy knows how in watching a comrade's high jump at the Sports he often finds himself lifting a knee at the moment 'to help him over'; at football matches quarrels sometimes arise among the spectators by reason of an ill…placed kick coming from a too enthusiastic on…looker; behind one; undergraduates running on the tow…path beside their College boat in the races will hurry even faster than the boat in order to increase its speed; there is in each case an automatic bodily response increased by one's own desire。 A person ACTS the part which he desires to be successful。 He thinks to transfer his energy in that way。 Again; if by chance one witnesses a painful accident; a crushed foot or what…not; it commonly happens that one feels a pain in the same part oneselfa sympathetic pain。 What more natural than to suppose that the pain really is transferred from the one person to the other? and how easy the inference that by tormenting a wretched scape…goat or crucifying a human victim in some cases the sufferings of people may be relieved or their sins atoned for?

Simaetha; it will be rem
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