pagan and christian creeds- 第18部分

The　shadow…figures　of　the　creeds　and　theogonies　pass　away　truly　like　ephemeral　dreams；　but　to　say　that　time　spent　in　their　study　is　wasted；　is　a　mistake；　for　they　have　value　as　being　indications　of　things　much　more　real　than　themselves；　namely；　of　the　stages　of　evolution　of　the　human　mind。　The　fact　that　a　certain　god…figure；　however　grotesque　and　queer；　or　a　certain　creed；　however　childish；　cruel；　and　illogical；　held　sway　for　a　considerable　time　over　the　hearts　of　men　in　any　corner　or　continent　of　the　world　is　good　evidence　that　it　represented　a　real　formative　urge　at　the　time　in　the　hearts　of　those　good　people；　and　a　definite　stage　in　their　evolution　and　the　evolution　of　humanity。　Certainly　it　was　destined　to　pass　away；　but　it　was　a　step；　and　a　necessary　step　in　the　great　process；　and　certainly　it　was　opaque　and　brutish；　but　it　is　through　the　opaque　things　of　the　world；　and　not　through　the　transparent；　that　we　become　aware　of　the　light。

It　may　be　worth　while　to　give　instances　of　how　some　early　rituals　and　creeds；　in　themselves　apparently　barbarous　or　preposterous；　were　really　the　indications　of　important　moral　and　social　conceptions　evolving　in　the　heart　of　man。　Let　us　take；　first；　the　religious　customs　connected　with　the　ideas　of　Sacrifice　and　of　Sin；　of　which　such　innumerable　examples　are　now　to　be　found　in　the　modern　books　on　Anthropology。　If　we　assume；　as　I　have　done　more　than　once；　that　the　earliest　state　of　Man　was　one　in　which　he　did　not　consciously　separate　himself　from　the　world；　animate　and　inanimate；　which　surrounded　him；　then　（as　I　have　also　said）　it　was　perfectly　natural　for　him　to　take　some　animal　which　bulked　large　on　his　horizon　some　food…animal　for　instanceand　to　pay　respect　to　it　as　the　benefactor　of　his　tribe；　its　far…back　ancestor　and　totem…symbol；　or；　seeing　the　boundless　blessing　of　the　cornfields；　to　believe　in　some　kind　of　spirit　of　the　corn　（not　exactly　a　god　but　rather　a　magical　ghost）　which；　reincarnated　every　year；　sprang　up　to　save　mankind　from　famine。　But　then　no　sooner　had　he　done　this　than　he　was　bound　to　perceive　that　in　cutting　down　the　corn　or　in　eating　his　totem…bear　or　kangaroo　he　was　slaying　his　own　best　self　and　benefactor。　In　that　instant　the　consciousness　of　DISUNITY；　the　sense　of　sin　in　some　undefined　yet　no　less　disturbing　and　alarming　form　would　come　in。　If；　before；　his　ritual　magic　had　been　concentrated　on　the　simple　purpose　of　multiplying　the　animal　or；　vegetable　forms　of　his　food；　now　in　addition　his　magical　endeavor　would　be　turned　to　averting　the　just　wrath　of　the　spirits　who　animated　these　formsjust　indeed；　for　the　rudest　savage　would　perceive　the　wrong　done　and　the　probability　of　its　retribution。　Clearly　the　wrong　done　could　only　be　expiated　by　an　equivalent　sacrifice　of　some　kind　on　the　part　of　the　man；　or　the　tribethat　is　by　the　offering　to　the　totem…　animal　or　to　the　corn…spirit　of　some　victim　whom　these　nature　powers　in　their　turn　could　feed　upon　and　assimilate。　In　this　way　the　nature…powers　would　be　appeased；　the　sense　of　unity　would　be　restored；　and　the　first　At…one…ment　effected。

It　is　hardly　necessary　to　recite　in　any　detail　the　cruel　and　hideous　sacrifices　which　have　been　perpetrated　in　this　sense　all　over　the　world；　sometimes　in　appeasement　of　a　wrong　committed　or　supposed　to　have　been　committed　by　the　tribe　or　some　member　of　it；　sometimes　in　placation　or　for　the　averting　of　death；　or　defeat；　or　plague；　sometimes　merely　in　fulfilment　of　some　long…standing　custom　of　forgotten　originthe　flayings　and　floggings　and　burnings　and　crucifixions　of　victims　without　end；　carried　out　in　all　deliberation　and　solemnity　of　established　ritual。　I　have　mentioned　some　cases　connected　with　the　sowing　of　the　corn。　The　Bible　is　full　of　such　things；　from　the　intended　sacrifice　of　Isaac　by　his　father　Abraham；　to　the　actual　crucifixion　of　Jesus　by　the　Jews。　The　first…　born　sons　were　claimed　by　a　god　who　called　himself　〃jealous〃　and　were　only　to　be　redeemed　by　a　substitute。＇1＇　Of　the　Canaanites　it　was　said　that　〃even　their　daughters　they　have　BURNT　in　the　fire　to　their　gods〃；＇2＇　and　of　the　King　of　Moab；　that　when　he　saw　his　army　in　danger　of　defeat；　〃he　took　his　eldest　son　that　should　have　reigned　in　his　stead　and　offered　him　for　a　burnt…offering　on　the　wall！〃＇3＇　Dr。　Frazer＇4＇　mentions　the　similar　case　of　the　Carthaginians　（about　B。C。　300）　sacrificing　two　hundred　children　of　good　family　as　a　propitiation　to　Baal　and　to　save　their　beloved　city　from　the　assaults　of　the　Sicilian　tyrant　Agathocles。　And　even　so　we　hear　that　on　that　occasion　three　hundred　more　young　folk　VOLUNTEERED　to　die　for　the　fatherland。

＇1＇　Exodus　xxxiv。　20。

＇2＇　Deut。　xii。　31。

＇3＇　2　Kings　iii。　27。

＇4＇　The　Golden　Bough；　vol。　〃The　Dying　God；〃　p。　167。


The　awful　sacrifices　made　by　the　Aztecs　in　Mexico　to　their　gods　Huitzilopochtli；　Texcatlipoca；　and　others　are　described　in　much　detail　by　Sahagun；　the　Spanish　missionary　of　the　sixteenth　century。　The　victims　were　mostly　prisoners　of　war　or　young　children；　they　were　numbered　by　thousands。　In　one　case　Sahagun　describes　the　huge　Idol　or　figure　of　the　god　as　largely　plated　with　gold　and　holding　his　hands　palm　upward　and　in　a　downward　sloping　position　over　a　cauldron　or　furnace　placed　below。　The　children；　who　had　previously　been　borne　in　triumphal　state　on　litters　over　the　crowd　and　decorated　with　every　ornamental　device　of　feathers　and　flowers　and　wings；　were　placed　one　by　one　on　the　vast　hands　and　ROLLED　DOWN　into　the　flamesas　if　the　god　were　himself　offering　them。＇1＇　As　the　procession　approached　the　temple；　the　members　of　it　wept　and　danced　and　sang；　and　here　again　the　abundance　of　tears　was　taken　for　a　good　augury　of　rain。＇2＇

＇1＇　It　is　curious　to　find　that　exactly　the　same　story　（of　the　sloping　hands　and　the　children　rolled　down　into　the　flames）　is　related　concerning　the　above…mentioned　Baal　image　at　Carthage　（see　Diodorus　Siculus；　xx。　14；　also　Baring　Gould's　Religious　Belief；　vol。　i；　p。　375）。

＇2＇　〃A　los　ninos　que　mataban；　componianlos　en　muchos　atavios　para　llevarlos　al　sacrificio；　y　llevabos　en　unas　literas　sobre　los　hombros；　estas　literas　iban　adornadas　con　plumages　y　con　flores：　iban　tanendo；　cantando　y　bailando　delante　de　ellos　。　。　。　Cuando　Ileviban　los　ninos　a　matar；　si　llevaban　y　echaban　muchos　lagrimas；　alegrabansi　los　que　los　llevaban　porque　tomaban　pronostico　de　que　habian　de　tener　muchas　aguas　en　aquel　ano。〃　Sahagun；　Historia　Nueva　Espana；　Bk。　II；　ch。　i。


Bernal　Diaz　describes　how　he　saw　one　of　these　monstrous　figuresthat　of　Huitzilopochtli；　the　god　of　war；　all　inlaid　with　gold　and　precious　stones；　and　beside　it　were　〃braziers；　wherein　burned　the　hearts　of　three　Indians；　torn　from　their　bodies　that　very　day；　and　the　smoke　of　them　and　the　savor　of　incense　were　the　sacrifice。〃

Sahagun　again　（in　Book　II；　ch。　5）　gives　a　long　account　of　the　sacrifice　of　a　perfect　youth　at　Easter…timewhich　date　Sabagun　connects　with　the　Christian　festival　of　the　Resurrection。　For　a　whole　year　the　youth　had　been　held　in　honor　and　adored　by　the　people　as　the　very　image　of　the　god　（Tetzcatlipoca）　to　whom　he　was　to　be　sacrificed。　Every　luxury　and　fulfilment　of　his　last　wish　（including　such　four　courtesans　as　he　desired）　had　been　granted　him。　At　the　last　and　on　the　fatal　day；　leaving　his　companions　and　his　worshipers　behind；　be　slowly　ascended　the　Temple　staircase；　stripping　on　each　step　the　ornaments　from　his　body；　and　breaking　and　casting　away　his　flutes　and　other　musical　instruments；　till；　reaching　the　summit；　he　was　stretched；　curved　on　his　back；　and　belly　upwards；　over　the　altar　stone；　while　the　priest　with　obsidian　knife　cut　his　breast　open　and；　snatching　the　heart　out；　held　it　up；　yet　beating；　as　an　offering　to　the　Sun。　In　the　meantime；　and　while　the　heart　still　lived；　his　successor　for　the　next　year　was　chosen。

In　Book　II；　ch。　7　of　the　same　work　Sahagun　describes　the　similar　offering　of　a　woman　to　a　goddess。　In　both　cases　（he　explains）　of　young　man　or　young　woman；　the　victims　were　richly　adorned　in　the　guise　of　the　god　or　goddess　to　whom　they　were　offered；　and　at　the　same　time　great　largesse　of　food　was　distributed　to　all　who　needed。　＇Here　we　see　the　connection　in　the　general　mind　between　the　gift　of　food　（by　the　gods）　and　the　sacrifice　of　precious　blood　（by　the　people）。＇　More　than　once　Sahagun　mentions　that　the　victims　in　these　Mexican　ceremonials　not　infrequently　offered　THEMSELVES　as　a　voluntary　sacrifice；　and　Prescott　says＇1＇　that　the　offering　of　one's　life　to　the　gods　was　〃sometimes　voluntarily　embraced；　as　a　most　glorious　death　opening　a　sure　passage　into　Paradise。〃

＇1＇　Conquest　of　Mexico；　Bk。　I；　ch。　3。


Dr。　Frazer　describes＇1＇　the　far…back　Babylonian　festival　of　the　Sacaea　in　which　〃a　prisoner；　condemned　to　death；　was　dressed　in　the　king's　robes；　seated　on　the　king's　throne；　allowed　to　issue　whatever　commands　he　pleased；　to　eat；　drink　and　enjoy　himself；　and　even　to　lie　with　the　king's　concubines。〃　But　at　the　end　of　the　five　days　he　was　stripped　of　his　royal　robes；　scourged；　and　hanged　or　impaled。　It　is　certainly　astonishing　to　find　customs　so　similar　prevailing　among　peoples　so　far　removed　in　space　and　time　as　the　Aztecs　of　the　sixteenth　century　A。D。　and　the　Babylonians　perhaps　of　the　sixteenth　century　B。C。　But　we　know　that　this　subject　of　the　yearly　sacrifice　of　a　victim　attired　as　a　king　or　god　is　one　that　Dr。　Frazer　has　especially　made　his　own；　and　for　further　information　on　it　his　classic　work　should　be　consulted。

＇1＇　Golden　Bough；　〃The　Dying　God；〃　p。　114。　See　also　S。　Reinach；　Cults；　Myths　and　Religion；　p。　94）　on　the　martyrdom　of　St。　Dasius。


Andrew　Lang　also；　with　regard　to　the　Aztecs；　quotes　largely　from　Sahagun；　and　summarizes　his　conclusions　in　the　following　passage：　〃The　general　theory　of　worship　was　the　adoration　of　a　deity；　first　by　innumerable　human　sacrifices；　next　by　the　special　sacrifice　of　a　MAN　for　the　male　gods；　of　a　WOMAN　for　each　goddess。＇1＇　The　latter　victims　were　regarded　as　the　living　images　or　incarnations　of　the　divinities　in；　each　case；　for　no　system　of　worship　carried　farther　the　identification　of　the　god　with　the　sacrifice　＇？　victim＇；　and　of　both　with　the　officiating　priest。　The　connection　was　emphasized　by　the　priests　wearing　the　newly…flayed　skins　of　the　victimsjust　as　in　Greece；　Egypt　and　Assyria；　the　fawn…skin　o