CHAPTER XXIII.

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST JESUS. The story of the resurrection of Christ Jesus is related by the four Gospel narrators, and is to the effect that, after being crucified, his body was wrapped in a linen cloth, laid in a tomb, and a "great stone" rolled to the door. The sepulchre was then made sure by "sealing the stone" and "setting a watch." On the first day of the week some of Jesus' followers came to see the sepulchre, when they found that, in spite of the "sealing" and the "watch," the angel of the Lord had descended from heaven, had rolled back the stone from the door, and that "_Jesus had risen from the dead_."[215:1] The story of his _ascension_ is told by the _Mark_[215:2] narrator, who says "he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God;" by _Luke_,[215:3] who says "he was carried up into heaven;" and by the writer of the _Acts_,[215:4] who says "he was taken up (to heaven) and a cloud received him out of sight." We will find, in stripping Christianity of its robes of Paganism, that these miraculous events must be put on the same level with those we have already examined. _Crishna_, the crucified Hindoo Saviour, _rose from the dead_,[215:5] and _ascended bodily into heaven_.[215:6] At that time a great light enveloped the earth and illuminated the whole expanse of heaven. Attended by celestial spirits, and luminous as on that night when he was born in the house of Vasudeva, _Crishna_ pursued, by his own light, the journey between earth and heaven, to the bright paradise from whence he had descended. All men saw him, and exclaimed, "_Lo, Crishna's soul ascends its native skies!_"[215:7] Samuel Johnson, in his "Oriental Religions," tells us that _Râma_--an incarnation of Vishnu--after his manifestations on earth, "_at last ascended to heaven_," "resuming his divine essence." "By the blessings of Râma's name, and through previous faith in him, all sins are remitted, and every one who shall at death pronounce his name with sincere worship shall be forgiven."[216:1] The mythological account of _Buddha_, the son of the Virgin Maya, who, as the God of Love, is named _Cam-deo_, _Cam_, and _Cama_, is of the same character as that of other virgin-born gods. When he died there were tears and lamentations. Heaven and earth are said equally to have lamented the loss of "_Divine Love_," insomuch that _Maha-deo_ (the supreme god) was moved to pity, and exclaimed, "_Rise, holy love!_" on which _Cama_ was restored and the lamentations changed into the most enthusiastic joy. The heavens are said to have echoed back the exulting sound; then the deity, supposed to be lost (_dead_), was restored, "_hell's great dread and heaven's eternal admiration_."[216:2] The coverings of the body unrolled themselves, and the lid of his coffin was opened by supernatural powers.[216:3] _Buddha_ also ascended bodily to the celestial regions when his mission on earth was fulfilled, and marks on the rocks of a high mountain are shown, and believed to be the last impression of his footsteps on this earth. By prayers in his name his followers expect to receive the rewards of paradise, and finally to become one with him, as he became one with the Source of Life.[216:4] _Lao-Kiun_, the virgin-born, he who had existed from all eternity, when his mission of benevolence was completed on earth, _ascended bodily into the paradise above_. Since this time he has been worshiped as a _god_, and splendid temples erected to his memory.[216:5] _Zoroaster_, the founder of the religion of the ancient Persians, who was considered "a divine messenger sent to redeem men from their evil ways," _ascended to heaven_ at the end of his earthly career. To this day his followers mention him with the greatest reverence, calling him "The Immortal Zoroaster," "The Blessed Zoroaster," "The Living Star," &c.[216:6] _Æsculapius_, the Son of God, the Saviour, after being put to death, _rose from the dead_. His history is portrayed in the following lines of _Ovid's_, which are prophecies foretelling his life and actions: "Once, as the sacred infant she surveyed, The god was kindled in the raving maid; And thus she uttered her prophetic tale: Hail, great Physician of the world! all hail! Hail, mighty infant, who in years to come Shalt heal the nations, and defraud the tomb! Swift be thy growth, thy triumphs unconfined, Make kingdoms thicker, and increase mankind. Thy daring art shall animate the dead, And draw the thunder on thy guilty head; _Then shalt thou die, but from the dark abode Shalt rise victorious, and be twice a god_."[217:1] The Saviour _Adonis_ or _Tammuz_, after being put to death, _rose from the dead_. The following is an account given of the rites of Tammuz or of Adonis by Julius Firmicius (who lived during the reign of Constantine): "On a certain night (while the ceremony of the Adonia, or religious rites in honor of Adonis, lasted), an image was laid upon a bed (or bier) and bewailed in doleful ditties. After they had satiated themselves with fictitious lamentations, light was brought in: then the mouths of all the mourners were anointed by the priests (_with oil_), upon which he, with a gentle murmur, whispered: 'Trust, ye Saints, your God restored. Trust ye, _in your risen Lord_; For the pains which he endured Our salvation have procured.' "Literally, 'Trust, ye _communicants_: the God having been saved, there shall be to us out of pain, _Salvation_.'"[217:2] Upon which their sorrow was turned into joy. Godwyn renders it: "_Trust ye in God, for out of pains, Salvation is come unto us._"[217:3] Dr. Prichard, in his "_Egyptian Mythology_," tells us that the Syrians celebrated, _in the early spring_, this ceremony in honor of _the resurrection of Adonis_. After lamentations, his restoration was commemorated with joy and festivity.[217:4] Mons. Dupuis says: "The obsequies of _Adonis_ were celebrated at _Alexandria_ (in Egypt) with the utmost display. His image was carried with great solemnity to a tomb, which served the purpose of rendering him the last honors. Before singing his return to life, there were mournful rites celebrated in honor of his suffering and his death. The large wound he had received was shown, just as the wound was shown which was made to Christ by the thrust of the spear. _The feast of his resurrection was fixed at the 25th of March._"[218:1] In Calmet's "Fragments," the resurrection of _Adonis_ is referred to as follows: "In these _mysteries_, after the attendants had for a long time bewailed the death of this _just person_, he was at length understood to be _restored to life_, to have experienced a _resurrection_; signified by the re-admission of light. On this the priest addressed the company, saying, 'Comfort yourselves, all ye who have been partakers of the mysteries of the deity, thus preserved: for we shall now enjoy some respite from our labors:' to which were added these words: 'I have scaped a sad calamity, and my lot is greatly mended.' The people answered by the invocation: 'Hail to the Dove! the Restorer of Light!'"[218:2] Alexander Murray tells us that the ancient Greeks also celebrated this festival in honor of the resurrection of Adonis, in the course of which a figure of him was produced, and the ceremony of burial, with weeping and songs of wailing, gone through. After these a joyful shout was raised: "_Adonis lives and is risen again._"[218:3] Plutarch, in his life of Alcibiades and of Nicias, tells us that it was at the time of the celebration of the death of _Adonis_ that the Athenian fleet set sail for its unlucky expedition to Sicily; that nothing but images of dead Adonises were to be met with in the streets, and that they were carried to the sepulchre in the midst of an immense train of women, crying and beating their breasts, and imitating in every particular the lugubrious pomp of interments. Sinister omens were drawn from it, which were only too much realized by subsequent events.[218:4] It was in an oration or address delivered to the Emperors Constans and Constantius that Julius Firmicius wrote concerning the rites celebrated by the heathens in commemoration of the resurrection of Adonis. In his tide of eloquence he breaks away into indignant objurgation of the priest who officiated in those _heathen mysteries_, which, he admitted, resembled the _Christian sacrament_ in honor of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, so closely that there was really no difference between them, except that no sufficient proof had been given to the world of the resurrection of Adonis, _and no divine oracle had borne witness to his resurrection_, nor had he shown himself alive after his death to those who were concerned to have assurance of the fact that they might believe. The _divine oracle_, be it observed, which Julius Firmicius says had borne testimony to Christ Jesus' resurrection, _was none other than the answer of the god Apollo, whom the Pagans worshiped at Delphos_, which this writer derived from Porphyry's books "_On the Philosophy of Oracles_."[219:1] Eusebius, the celebrated ecclesiastical historian, has also condescended to quote this claimed testimony from _a Pagan oracle_, as furnishing one of the most convincing proofs that could be adduced in favor of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. "But thou at least (says he to the Pagans), _listen to thine own gods, to thy oracular deities themselves_, who have borne witness, and ascribed to our Saviour (Jesus Christ) not imposture, but piety and wisdom, and ascent into heaven." This was vastly obliging and liberal of the god Apollo, but, it happens awkwardly enough, that the whole work (consisting of several books) ascribed to Porphyry, in which this and other admissions equally honorable to the evidences of the Christian religion are made, was _not_ written by Porphyry, but is altogether the pious fraud of Christian hands, who have kindly fathered the great philosopher with admissions, which, as he would certainly never have made himself, they have very charitably made for him.[219:2] The festival in honor of the resurrection of Adonis was observed in Alexandria in Egypt--_the cradle of Christianity_--in the time of St. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria (A. D. 412), and at Antioch--the ancient capital of the Greek Kings of Syria--even as late as the time of the Emperor Julian (A. D. 361-363), whose arrival there, during the solemnity of the festival, was taken as an ill omen.[219:3] It is most curious that the arrival of the Emperor Julian at Antioch--where the followers of Christ Jesus, it is said, were first called Christians--at that time, should be considered an _ill omen_. Why should it have been so? He was not a Christian, but a known apostate from the Christian religion, and a zealous patron of _Paganism_. The evidence is very conclusive; _the celebration in honor of the resurrection of Adonis had become to be known as a Christian festival, which has not been abolished even unto this day_. The ceremonies held in Roman Catholic countries on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday, are nothing more than the festival of the death and resurrection of Adonis, as we shall presently see. Even as late as the year A. D. 386, the resurrection of Adonis was celebrated in _Judea_. St. Jerome says: "Over Bethlehem (in the year 386 after Christ) the grove of Tammuz, that is, of Adonis, was casting its shadow! And in the _grotto_ where formerly the infant Anointed (_i. e._, _Christ Jesus_) cried, the lover of Venus was being mourned."[220:1] In the idolatrous worship practiced by the _children of Israel_ was that of the worship of _Adonis_. Under the designation of _Tammuz_, this god was worshiped, and had his altar even in the Temple of the Lord which was at Jerusalem. Several of the Psalms of David were parts of the liturgical service employed in his worship; the 110th, in particular, is an account of a friendly alliance between the two gods, Jehovah and Adonis, in which Jehovah adorns Adonis for his priest, as sitting at his right hand, and promises to fight for him against his enemies. This god was worshiped at Byblis in Phoenicia with precisely the same ceremonies: the same articles of faith as to his mystical incarnation, his precious death and burial, and his glorious resurrection and ascension, and even in the very same words of religious adoration and homage which are now, with the slightest degree of variation that could well be conceived, addressed to the Christ of the Gospel. The prophet Ezekiel, when an exile, painted once more the scene he had so often witnessed of the Israelitish women in the Temple court bewailing the death of Tammuz.[220:2] Dr. Parkhurst says, in his "Hebrew Lexicon": "I find myself _obliged_ to refer Tammuz, as well as the Greek and Roman Hercules, to that class of idols _which were originally designed to represent the promised Saviour_ (Christ Jesus), the desire of all nations. His other name, Adonis, is almost the very Hebrew word 'Our Lord,' a well-known title of Christ."[220:3] So it seems that the ingenious and most learned orthodox Dr. Parkhurst was _obliged_ to consider Adonis a type of "the promised Saviour (Christ Jesus), the desire of all nations." This is a very favorite way for Christian divines to express themselves, when pushed thereto, by the striking resemblance between the Pagan, virgin-born, crucified, and resurrected gods and Christ Jesus. If the reader is satisfied that all these things are types or symbols of what the "_real Saviour_" was to do and suffer, he is welcome to such food. The doctrine of Dr. Parkhurst and others comes with but an ill grace, however, from Roman Catholic priests, _who have never ceased to suppress information when possible_, and when it was impossible for them to do so, they claimed these things to be the work of the devil, in imitation of their predecessors, the Christian Fathers. Julius Firmicius has said: "The devil has his Christs," and does not deny that _Adonis_ was one. Tertullian and St. Justin explain all the conformity which exists between _Christianity_ and _Paganism_, by asserting "that a long time before there were Christians in existence, the devil had taken pleasure to have their future mysteries and ceremonies copied by his worshipers."[221:1] _Osiris_, the Egyptian Saviour, after being put to death, _rose from the dead_,[221:2] and bore the title of "_The Resurrected One_."[221:3] Prof. Mahaffy, lecturer on ancient history in the University of Dublin, observes that: "The _Resurrection_ and reign over an eternal kingdom, by an _incarnate mediating deity_ born of a virgin, was a theological conception which pervaded the oldest religion of Egypt."[221:4] The ancient Egyptians celebrated annually, in early spring, about the time known in Christian countries as Easter, the resurrection and ascension of Osiris. During these mysteries the misfortunes and tragical death of the "_Saviour_" were celebrated in a species of drama, in which all the particulars were exhibited, accompanied with loud lamentations and every mark of sorrow. At this time his image was carried in a procession, covered--as were those in the temples--_with black veils_. On the 25th of March his _resurrection from the dead_ was celebrated with great festivity and rejoicings.[221:5] Alexander Murray says: "The worship of _Osiris_ was universal throughout Egypt, where he was gratefully regarded as the great exemplar of _self-sacrifice_--in giving his life for others--as the manifestor of good, as the opener of truth, and as being full of goodness and truth. _After being dead, he was restored to life._"[221:6] Mons. Dupuis says on this subject: "The Fathers of the Church, and the writers of the Christian sect, speak frequently of these feasts, celebrated in honor of Osiris, _who died and arose from the dead_, and they draw a parallel with the adventurers of _their_ Christ. Athanasius, Augustin, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Minucius Felix, Lactantius, Firmicius, as also the ancient authors who have spoken of _Osiris_ . . . all agree in the description of the universal mourning of the Egyptians at the festival, when the commemoration of that death took place. They describe the ceremonies which were practiced at his sepulchre, the tears, which were there shed during several days, and the festivities and rejoicings, which followed after that mourning, at the moment when his resurrection was announced."[222:1] Mr. Bonwick remarks, in his "Egyptian Belief," that: "It is astonishing to find that, at least, five thousand years ago, men trusted an _Osiris_ as the '_Risen Saviour_,' and confidently hoped to rise, as he arose, from the grave."[222:2] Again he says: "Osiris was, unquestionably, the popular god of Egypt. . . . Osiris was dear to the hearts of the people. He was pre-eminently '_good_.' He was in life and death their friend. His birth, death, burial, resurrection and ascension, embraced the leading points of Egyptian theology." "In his efforts to do good, he encounters evil. In struggling with that, he is overcome. He is killed. The story, entered into in the account of the Osiris myth, is a circumstantial one. Osiris is buried. His tomb was the object of pilgrimage for thousands of years. _But he did not rest in his grave. At the end of three days, or forty, he arose again_, and ascended to heaven. This is the story of his humanity." "As the _invictus Osiris_, his tomb was illuminated, as is the holy sepulchre of Jerusalem now. The mourning song, whose plaintive tones were noted by Herodotus, and has been compared to the '_miserere_' of Rome, was followed, _in three days_, by the language of triumph."[222:3] Herodotus, who had been initiated into the Egyptian and Grecian "_Mysteries_," speaks thus of them: "At Sais (in Egypt), in the sacred precinct of Minerva; behind the chapel and joining the wall, is the tomb of one whose name I consider it impious to divulge on such an occasion; and in the inclosure stand large stone obelisks, and there is a lake near, ornamented with a stone margin, formed in a circle, and in size, as appeared to me, much the same as that in Delos, which is called the circular. In this lake they perform by night the representation of that person's adventures, which they call _mysteries_. On these matters, however, though accurately acquainted with the particulars of them, _I must observe a discreet silence_; and respecting the sacred rites of Ceres, which the Greeks call Thesmyphoria, although I am acquainted with them, I must observe silence except so far as is lawful for me to speak of them."[222:4] _Horus_, son of the virgin _Isis_, experienced similar misfortunes. The principal features of this sacred romance are to be found in the writings of the Christian Fathers. They give us a description of the grief which was manifested at his death, and of the rejoicings at his _resurrection_, which are similar to those spoken of above.[222:5] _Atys_, the Phrygian Saviour, was put to death, _and rose again from the dead_. Various histories were given of him in various places, but all accounts terminated in the usual manner. He was one of the "Slain Ones" who rose to life again on the 25th of March, or the "_Hilaria_" or primitive Easter.[223:1] _Mithras_, the Persian Saviour, and mediator between God and man, was believed by the inhabitants of Persia, Asia Minor and Armenia, to have been put to death, _and to have risen again from the dead_. In their mysteries, the body of a young man, apparently dead, was exhibited, which was feigned to be restored to life. By his sufferings he was believed to have worked their salvation, and on this account he was called their "_Saviour_." His priests watched his tomb to the midnight of the veil of the 25th of March, _with loud cries, and in darkness_; when all at once the lights burst forth from all parts, and the priest cried: "_Rejoice, Oh sacred Initiated, your god is risen. His death, his pains, his sufferings, have worked our salvation._"[223:2] Mons. Dupuis, speaking of the resurrection of this god, says: "It is chiefly in the religion of _Mithras_. . . . that we find mostly these features of analogy with the death and resurrection of Christ, and with the mysteries of the Christians. _Mithras_, who was also born on the 25th of December, like Christ, died as he did; and he had his sepulchre, over which his disciples came to shed tears. During the night, the priests carried his image to a tomb, expressly prepared for him; he was laid out on a litter, like the Phoenician _Adonis_. "These funeral ceremonies, like those on Good Friday (in Roman Catholic churches), were accompanied with funeral dirges and groans of the priests; after having spent some time with these expressions of feigned grief; after having lighted the sacred _flambeau_, or their paschal candle, and anointed the image with _chrism_ or perfumes, one of them came forward and pronounced with the gravest mien these words: '_Be of good cheer, sacred band of Initiates, your god has risen from the dead. His pains and his sufferings shall be your salvation._'"[223:3] In King's "_Gnostics and their Remains_" (Plate XI.), may be seen the representation of a bronze medal, or rather disk, engraved in the coarsest manner, on which is to be seen a female figure, standing in the attitude of adoration, the object of which is expressed by the inscription--ORTVS SALVAT, "_The Rising of the Saviour_"--_i. e._, of _Mithras_.[224:1] "This medal" (says Mr. King), "doubtless had accompanied the interment of some individual initiated into the Mithraic mysteries; and is certainly the most curious relic of that faith that has come under my notice."[224:2] _Bacchus_, the Saviour, son of the virgin Semele, after being put to death, also _arose from the dead_. During the commemoration of the ceremonies of this event the dead body of a young man was exhibited with great lamentations, in the same manner as the cases cited above, and at dawn on the 25th of March his resurrection from the dead was celebrated with great rejoicings.[224:3] After having brought solace to the misfortunes of mankind, he, after his resurrection, _ascended into heaven_.[224:4] _Hercules_, the Saviour, the son of Zeus by a mortal mother, was put to death, but arose from the funeral pile, _and ascended into heaven_ in a _cloud_, 'mid peals of thunder. His followers manifested gratitude to his memory by erecting an altar on the spot from whence be ascended.[224:5] _Memnon_ is put to death, but rises again to life and immortality. His mother Eos weeps tears at the death of her son--as Mary does for Christ Jesus--but her prayers avail to bring him back, like Adonis or Tammuz, and Jesus, from the shadowy region, to dwell always in Olympus.[224:6] The ancient Greeks also believed that _Amphiaraus_--one of their most celebrated prophets and demi-gods--_rose from the dead_. They even pointed to the place of his resurrection.[224:7] _Baldur_, the Scandinavian Lord and Saviour, is put to death, but does not rest in his grave. He too rises again to life and immortality.[224:8] When "Baldur the Good," the beneficent god, descended into hell, Hela (Death) said to Hermod (who mourned for Baldur): "If all things in the world, both living and lifeless, weep for him, then shall he return to the Æsir (the gods)." Upon hearing this, messengers were dispatched throughout the world to beg everything to weep in order that Baldur might be delivered from hell. All things everywhere willingly complied with this request, both men and every other living being, so that _wailing_ was heard in all quarters.[225:1] Thus we see the same myth among the northern nations. As Bunsen says: "The tragedy of the _murdered and risen god_ is familiar to us from the days of ancient Egypt: must it not be of equally primeval origin here?" [In Teutonic tradition.] The ancient Scandinavians also worshiped a god called _Frey_, who was put to death, _and rose again from the dead_.[225:2] The ancient _Druids_ celebrated, in the British Isles, in heathen times, the rites of the resurrected Bacchus, and other ceremonies, similar to the Greeks and Romans.[225:3] _Quetzalcoatle_, the Mexican crucified Saviour, after being put to death, _rose from the dead_. His resurrection was represented in Mexican _hieroglyphics_, and may be seen in the _Codex Borgianus_.[225:4] The Jews in Palestine celebrated their _Passover_ on the same day that the Pagans celebrated the resurrection of their gods. Besides the resurrected gods mentioned in this chapter, who were believed in for centuries before the time assigned for the birth of Christ Jesus, many others might be named, as we shall see in our chapter on "Explanation." In the words of Dunbar T. Heath: "We find men taught everywhere, from Southern Arabia to Greece, by hundreds of symbolisms, the birth, death, and resurrection of deities, and a resurrection too, apparently after the second day, _i. e._, _on the third_."[225:5] And now, to conclude all, _another god_ is said to have been born on the _same day_[225:6] as these Pagan deities; he is crucified and buried, and on the _same day_[225:7] rises again from the dead. Christians of Europe and America celebrate annually the resurrection of _their_ Saviour in almost the identical manner in which the Pagans celebrated the resurrection of _their_ Saviours, centuries before the God of the Christians is said to have been born. In Roman Catholic churches, in Catholic countries, the body of a young man is laid on a bier, and placed before the altar; the wound in his side is to be seen, and his death is bewailed in mournful dirges, and the verse, _Gloria Patri_, is discontinued in the mass. All the images in the churches and the altar _are covered with black_, and the priest and attendants are robed in black; nearly all lights are put out, and the windows are darkened. This is the "Agonie," the "Miserere," the "Good Friday" mass. On Easter Sunday[226:1] all the drapery has disappeared; the church is _illuminated_, and rejoicing, in place of sorrow, is manifest. The Easter hymns partake of the following expression: "_Rejoice, Oh sacred Initiated, your God is risen. His death, his pains, his sufferings, have worked our salvation._" Cedrenus (a celebrated Byzantine writer), speaking of the 25th of March, says: "The first day of the first month, is the first of the month _Nisan_; it corresponds to the 25th of March of the _Romans_, and the _Phamenot_ of the _Egyptians_. On that day Gabriel saluted Mary, in order to make her conceive the Saviour. I observe that it is the same month, _Phamenot_, that _Osiris_ gave fecundity to _Isis_, according to the Egyptian theology. _On the very same day, our God Saviour _(Christ Jesus)_, after the termination of his career, arose from the dead_; that is, what our forefathers called the _Pass-over_, or the passage of the Lord. It is also on the _same day_, that our ancient theologians have fixed his return, or his second advent."[226:2] We have seen, then, that a festival celebrating the resurrection of their several gods was annually held among the Pagans, before the time of Christ Jesus, and that it was almost universal. That it dates to a period of great antiquity is very certain. The adventures of these incarnate gods, exposed in their infancy, put to death, and rising again from the grave to life and immortality, were acted on the _Deisuls_ and in the sacred theatres of the ancient Pagans,[226:3] just as the "Passion Play" is acted to-day. Eusebius relates a _tale_ to the effect that, at one time, the Christians were about to celebrate "the solemn vigils of Easter," when, to their dismay, they found that _oil_ was wanted. Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem, who was among the number, "commanded that such as had charge of the _lights_, speedily to bring unto him water, drawn up out of the next well." This water Narcissus, "by the wonderful power of God," changed into _oil_, and the celebration was continued.[227:1] This tells the whole story. Here we see the _oil_--which the Pagans had in their ceremonies, and with which the priests anointed the lips of the Initiates--and the _lights_, which were suddenly lighted when the god was feigned to have risen from the dead. With her usual policy, the Christian Church endeavored to give a _Christian_ significance to the rites borrowed from Paganism, and in this case, as in many others, the conversion was particularly easy. In the earliest times, the Christians did not celebrate the resurrection of their Lord from the grave. They made the _Jewish Passover_ their chief festival, celebrating it on the same day as the Jews, the 14th of Nisan, no matter in what part of the week that day might fall. Believing, according to the tradition, that Jesus on the eve of his death had eaten the Passover with his disciples, they regarded such a solemnity as a commemoration of the Supper and not as a memorial of the Resurrection. But in proportion as Christianity more and more separated itself from Judaism and imbibed paganism, this way of looking at the matter became less easy. A new tradition gained currency among the Roman Christians to the effect that Jesus before his death had not eaten the Passover, but had died on the very day of the Passover, thus substituting himself for the Paschal Lamb. The great Christian festival was then made the Resurrection of Jesus, and was celebrated on the first pagan holiday--_Sun-day_--after the Passover. This _Easter_ celebration was observed in _China_, and called a "Festival of Gratitude to Tien." From there it extended over the then known world to the extreme West. The ancient Pagan inhabitants of Europe celebrated annually this same feast, which is yet continued over all the Christian world. This festival began with a week's indulgence in all kinds of sports, called the _carne-vale_, or the taking _a farewell to animal_ food, because it was followed by a fast of forty days. This was in honor of the Saxon goddess _Ostrt_ or _Eostre_ of the Germans, whence our _Easter_.[227:2] The most characteristic Easter rite, and the one most widely diffused, is the use of _Easter eggs_. They are usually stained of various colors with dye-woods or herbs, and people mutually make presents of them; sometimes they are kept as _amulets_, sometimes eaten. Now, "dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in _Egypt_;"[228:1] the ancient _Persians_, "when they kept the festival of the solar new year (in March), mutually presented each other with colored eggs;"[228:2] "the _Jews_ used eggs in the feast of the Passover;" and the custom prevailed in Western countries.[228:3] The stories of the resurrection written by the Gospel narrators are altogether different. This is owing to the fact that the story, as related by one, was written to correct the mistakes and to endeavor to reconcile with common sense the absurdities of the other. For instance, the "_Matthew_" narrator says: "And when they saw him (after he had risen from the dead) they worshiped him; _but some doubted_."[228:4] To leave the question where this writer leaves it would be fatal. In such a case there must be no doubt. Therefore, the "_Mark_" narrator makes Jesus appear _three times_, under such circumstances as to render a mistake next to impossible, and to silence the most obstinate skepticism. He is first made to appear to Mary Magdalene, who was convinced that it was Jesus, because she went and told the disciples that he had risen, and that she had seen him. They--_notwithstanding that Jesus had foretold them of his resurrection_[228:5]--disbelieved, nor could they be convinced until he appeared to _them_. They in turn told it to the other disciples, who were also skeptical; and, that they might be convinced, Jesus also appeared to _them_ as they sat at meat, when he upbraided them for their unbelief. This story is much improved in the hands of the "_Mark_" narrator, but, in the anxiety to make a clear case, it is overdone, as often happens when the object is to remedy or correct an oversight or mistake previously made. In relating that the disciples _doubted_ the words of Mary Magdalene, he had probably forgotten Jesus had promised them that he should rise, for, if he had told them this, _why did they doubt_? Neither the "_Matthew_" nor the "_Mark_" narrator says in what _way_ Jesus made his appearance--whether it was in the _body_ or only in the _spirit_. If in the latter, it would be fatal to the whole theory of the resurrection, as it is a _material_ resurrection that Christianity taught--just like their neighbors the Persians--and not a spiritual.[229:1] To put this disputed question in its true light, and to silence the objections which must naturally have arisen against it, was the object which the "_Luke_" narrator had in view. He says that when Jesus appeared and spoke to the disciples they were afraid: "But they were terrified and affrighted, and _supposed_ they had seen a _spirit_."[229:2] Jesus then--to show that he was _not_ a spirit--showed the wounds in his hands and feet. "And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb. And he took it, _and did eat before them_."[229:3] After this, who is there that can doubt? but, if the _fish_ and _honeycomb_ story was true, why did the "_Matthew_" and "_Mark_" narrators fail to mention it? The "_Luke_" narrator, like his predecessors, had also overdone the matter, and instead of convincing the skeptical, he only excited their ridicule. The "_John_" narrator now comes, and endeavors to set matters right. He does not omit entirely the story of Jesus eating fish, _for that would not do, after there had been so much said about it_. He might leave it to be inferred that the "_Luke_" narrator made a mistake, so he modifies the story and omits the ridiculous part. The scene is laid on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias. Under the direction of Jesus, Peter drew his net to land, full of fish. "Jesus said unto them: Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh _bread_, and _giveth them_, and _fish_ likewise."[229:4] It does not appear from _this_ account that Jesus ate the fish at all. He took the fish and _gave to the disciples_; the inference is that _they_ were the ones that ate. In the "_Luke_" narrator's account _the statement is reversed_; the disciples gave the fish to Jesus, _and he ate_. The "_John_" narrator has taken out of the story that which was absurd, but he leaves us to infer that the "_Luke_" narrator was _careless_ in stating the account of what took place. If we leave out of the "_Luke_" narrator's account the part that relates to the fish and honeycomb, he fails to prove what it really was which appeared to the disciples, as it seems from this that the disciples could not be convinced that Jesus was not a spirit until he had actually eaten something. Now, if the _eating_ part is struck out--which the "_John_" narrator does, and which, no doubt, the ridicule cast upon it drove him to do--the "_Luke_" narrator leaves the question _just where he found it_. It was the business of the "_John_" narrator to attempt to leave it clean, and put an end to all cavil. Jesus appeared to the disciples when they assembled at Jerusalem. "And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side."[230:1] They were satisfied, and no doubts were expressed. But Thomas was not present, and when he was told by the brethren that Jesus had appeared to them, he refused to believe; nor would he, "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe."[230:2] Now, if Thomas could be convinced, with all _his_ doubts, it would be foolish after _that_ to deny that Jesus was not in the _body_ when he appeared to his disciples. After eight days Jesus again appears, for no other purpose--as it would seem--but to convince the doubting disciple Thomas. Then said he to Thomas: "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing."[230:3] This convinced Thomas, and he exclaimed: "My Lord and my God." After _this evidence_, if there were still unbelievers, they were even more skeptical than Thomas himself. We should be at a loss to understand _why the writers of the first three Gospels entirely omitted the story of Thomas_, if we were not aware that when the "_John_" narrator wrote the state of the public mind was such that proof of the most unquestionable character was demanded that Christ Jesus had risen in the body. The "_John_" narrator selected a person who claimed he was hard to convince, and if the evidence was such as to satisfy _him_, it ought to satisfy the balance of the world.[230:4] The first that we knew of the fourth Gospel--attributed to _John_--is from the writings of _Irenæus_ (A. D. 177-202), and the evidence is that _he is the author of it_.[230:5] That controversies were rife in his day concerning the resurrection of Jesus, is very evident from other sources. We find that at this time the resurrection of the dead (according to the accounts of the Christian forgers) was very far from being esteemed an uncommon event; that the miracle was frequently performed on necessary occasions by great fasting and the joint supplication of the church of the place, and that the persons thus restored by their prayers had lived afterwards among them many years. At such a period, when faith could boast of so many wonderful victories over death, it seems difficult to account for the skepticism of those philosophers, who still rejected and derided the doctrine of the resurrection. A noble Grecian had rested on this important ground the whole controversy, and promised Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, _that if he could be gratified by the sight of a single person who had been actually raised from the dead, he would immediately embrace the Christian religion_. "It is somewhat remarkable," says Gibbon, the historian, from whom we take the above, "that the prelate of the first Eastern Church, however anxious for the conversion of his friend, thought proper to _decline_ this fair and reasonable challenge."[231:1] This Christian _saint_, Irenæus, had invented many stories of others being raised from the dead, for the purpose of attempting to strengthen the belief in the resurrection of Jesus. In the words of the Rev. Jeremiah Jones: "Such _pious frauds_ were very common among Christians even in the first three centuries; and a forgery of this nature, with the view above-mentioned, _seems natural and probable_." One of these "_pious frauds_" is the "_Gospel of Nicodemus the Disciple, concerning the Sufferings and Resurrection of our Master and Saviour Jesus Christ_." Although attributed to Nicodemus, a disciple of Jesus, it has been shown to be a forgery, written towards the close of the second century--during the time of _Irenæus_, the well-known pious forger. In this book we find the following: "And now hear me a little. We all know the blessed Simeon, the high-priest, who took Jesus when an infant into his arms in the temple. This same Simeon had two sons of his own, _and we were all present at their death and funeral_. Go therefore and see their _tombs_, for these are open, _and they are risen_; and behold, they are in the city of Arimathæa, spending their time together in offices of devotion."[231:2] The purpose of this story is very evident. Some "zealous believer," observing the appeals for proof of the resurrection, wishing to make it appear that resurrections from the dead were common occurrences, invented this story _towards the close of the second century_, and fathered it upon Nicodemus. We shall speak, anon, more fully on the subject of the frauds of the early Christians, the "lying and deceiving _for the cause of Christ_," which is carried on even to the present day. As President Cheney of Bates College has lately remarked, "_The resurrection is the doctrine of Christianity and the foundation of the entire system_,"[232:1] but outside of the four spurious gospels this greatest of all recorded miracles is hardly mentioned. "We have epistles from Peter, James, John, and Jude--all of whom are said by the evangelists to have _seen_ Jesus after he rose from the dead, in none of which epistles is the fact of the resurrection even stated, much less that Jesus was seen by the writer after his resurrection."[232:2] Many of the early Christian sects denied the resurrection of Christ Jesus, but taught that he will rise, when there shall be a general resurrection. No actual representation of the resurrection of the Christian's Saviour has yet been found among the monuments of _early_ Christianity. The earliest representation of this event that has been found is an ivory carving, and belongs to the _fifth or sixth_ century.[232:3] FOOTNOTES: [215:1] See Matthew, xxviii. Mark, xvi. Luke, xxiv. and John, xx. [215:2] Mark, xvi. 19. [215:3] Luke, xxiv. 51. [215:4] Acts, i. 9. [215:5] See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 240. Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. pp. 142 and 145. [215:6] See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 131. Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 168. Asiatic Researches, vol. i. pp. 259 and 261. [215:7] See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 72. Hist. Hindostan, ii. pp. 466 and 473. "In Hindu pictures, Vishnu, who is identified with Crishna, is often seen mounted on the Eagle Garuda." (Moore: Hindu Panth. p. 214.) And M. Sonnerat noticed "two basso-relievos placed at the entrance of the choir of Bordeaux Cathedral, one of which represents the ascension of our Saviour to heaven on an Eagle." (Higgins: Anac., vol. i. p. 273.) [216:1] Oriental Religions, pp. 494, 495. [216:2] Asiatic Res., vol. x. p. 129. Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 103. [216:3] Bunsen: The Angel-Messiah, p. 49. [216:4] Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 86. See also, Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 159. [216:5] Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 214. [216:6] Ibid. p. 258. [217:1] Ovid's Metamorphoses, as rendered by Addison. Quoted in Taylor's Diegesis, p. 148. [217:2] Quoted by Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 114. See also, Taylor's Diegesis, pp. 163, 164. [217:3] Taylor's Diegesis, p. 164. [217:4] Prichard's Egyptian Mythology, pp. 66, 67. [218:1] Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 161. See also, Dunlap's Mysteries of Adoni, p. 23, and Spirit Hist. of Man, p. 216. [218:2] Calmet's Fragments, vol. ii. p. 21. [218:3] Murray: Manual of Mythology, p. 86. [218:4] See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Beliefs, p. 261. [219:1] See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Beliefs, p. 247, and Taylor's Diegesis, p. 164. [219:2] See Taylor's Diegesis, p. 164. We shall speak of _Christian_ forgeries anon. [219:3] See Bell's Pantheon, vol. i. p. 2. [220:1] Quoted in Dunlap's Son of the Man, p. vii. See also, Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, p. xxvii. "From the days of the prophet Daniel, down to the time when the red cross knights gave no quarter (fighting for _the Christ_) in the streets of Jerusalem, the Anointed was worshiped in Babylon, Basan, Galilee and Palestine." (Son of the Man, p. 38.) [220:2] Ezekiel, viii. 14. [220:3] Quoted in Taylor's Diegesis, p. 162, and Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 114. [221:1] See Justin: Cum. Typho, and Tertullian: De Bap. [221:2] See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 16, and vol. i. p. 519. Also, Prichard's Egyptian Mythology, p. 66, and Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 163. [221:3] See Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 166, and Dunlap's Mysteries of Adoni, pp. 124, 125. [221:4] Prolegomena to Ancient History. [221:5] See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102. [221:6] Murray: Manual of Mythology, pp. 347, 348. [222:1] Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 256. [222:2] Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. vi. [222:3] Ibid. pp. 150-155, 178. [222:4] Herodotus, bk. ii. chs. 170, 171. [222:5] See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 263, and Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. 108. [223:1] See Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 169. Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 104. Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 255. Dunlap's Mysteries of Adoni, p. 110, and Knight: Anct. Art and Mythology, p. 86. [223:2] Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. _Mithras_ remained in the grave a period of _three days_, as did Christ _Jesus_, and the other Christs. "The Persians believed that the soul of man remained yet _three days_ in the world after its separation from the body." (Dunlap: Mysteries of Adoni, p. 63.) "In the Zoroastrian religion, after soul and body have separated, the souls, _in the third night_ after death--as soon as the shining sun ascends--come over the Mount Berezaiti upon the bridge Tshinavat which leads to Garonmana, the dwelling of the good gods." (Dunlap's Spirit Hist., p. 216, and Mysteries of Adoni, 60.) The Ghost of Polydore says: "Being raised up this _third day_--light, Having deserted my body!" (Euripides, Hecuba, 31, 32.) [223:3] Dupuis: Origin of Religious Beliefs, pp. 246, 247. [224:1] King's Gnostics and their Remains, p. 225. [224:2] Ibid. p. 226. [224:3] See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 102. Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, pp. 256, 257, and Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 169. [224:4] See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 135, and Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. 322. [224:5] Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 294. See also, Goldzhier's Hebrew Mythology, p. 127. Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 322, and Chambers's Encyclo., art. "Hercules." [224:6] Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 90. [224:7] See Bell's Pantheon, vol. i. p. 56. [224:8] Aryan Mytho., vol. ii p. 94. [225:1] Mallet's Northern Antiquities, p. 449. [225:2] See Knight: Ancient Art and Mythology, p. 85. [225:3] See Davies: Myths and Rites of the British Druids, pp. 89 and 208. [225:4] See Kingsborough's Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 166. [225:5] Quoted in Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 174. [225:6] As we shall see in the chapter on "The Birth-day of Christ Jesus." [225:7] _Easter_, the triumph of Christ, was originally solemnized on the 25th of March, the very day upon which the Pagan gods were believed to have risen from the dead. (See Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, pp. 244, 255.) A very long and terrible schism took place in the Christian Church upon the question whether _Easter_, the day of the resurrection, was to be celebrated on the 14th day of the first month, after the Jewish custom, or on the Lord's day afterward; and it was at last decided in favor of the Lord's day. (See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 90, and Chambers's Encyclopædia, art. "Easter.") The day upon which Easter should be celebrated was not settled until the Council of Nice. (See Euseb. Life of Constantine, lib. 3, ch. xvii. Also, Socrates' Eccl. Hist. lib. 1, ch. vi.) [226:1] Even the name of "EASTER" is derived from the heathen goddess, _Ostrt_, of the Saxons, and the _Eostre_ of the Germans. "Many of the popular observances connected with Easter are clearly of _Pagan origin_. The goddess Ostara or Eastre seems to have been the personification of the morning or East, and also of the opening year or Spring. . . . With her usual policy, the church endeavored to give a Christian significance to such of the rites as could not be rooted out; and in this case the conversion was practically easy." (Chambers's Encyclo., art. "Easter.") [226:2] Quoted in Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 244. [226:3] See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 340. [227:1] Eccl. Hist., lib. 6, c. viii. [227:2] Anacalypsis, ii. 59. [228:1] See Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 24. [228:2] See Chambers's Encyclo., art. "Easter." [228:3] Ibid. [228:4] Matthew, xxviii. 17. [228:5] See xii. 40; xvi. 21; Mark, ix. 31; xiv. 23; John, ii. 10. [229:1] "And let not any one among you say, that _this very flesh_ is not judged, neither raised up. Consider, in what were ye saved? in what did ye look up, if not whilst ye were in this flesh? We must, therefore, keep our flesh as the temple of God. For in like manner as ye were called in the flesh, _ye shall also come to judgment_ in the flesh. Our one Lord Jesus Christ, who has saved us, being first a spirit, was made flesh, and so called us: _even so we also in this flesh, shall receive the reward_ (_of heaven_)." (II. Corinthians, ch. iv. _Apoc._ See also the Christian Creed: "I believe in the resurrection of the _body_.") [229:2] Luke, xxiv. 37. [229:3] Luke, xxiv. 42, 43. [229:4] John, xxi. 12, 13. [230:1] John, xx. 20. [230:2] John, xx. 25. [230:3] John, xx. 27. [230:4] See, for a further account of the resurrection, Reber's Christ of Paul; Scott's English Life of Jesus; and Greg's Creed of Christendom. [230:5] See the Chapter xxxviii. [231:1] Gibbon's Rome, vol. i. p. 541. [231:2] Nicodemus, Apoc. ch. xii. [232:1] Baccalaureate Sermon, June 26th, 1881. [232:2] Greg: The Creed of Christendom, p. 284. [232:3] See Jameson's Hist. of Our Lord in Art, vol. ii., and Lundy's Monumental Christianity.