Receiving The Ten Commandments
The receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses, from the Lord, is
recorded in the following manner:
"In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone
forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into
the wilderness of Sinai, . . . and there Israel camped before
the Mount. . . .
"And it came to pass on the third day that there were thunders
voice of the tempest exceedingly loud, so that all the people
that was in the camp trembled. . . .
"And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord
descended upon it in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended as
the smoke of a furnace, and the whole Mount quaked greatly.
And when the voice of the tempest sounded long, and waxed
louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a
voice.
"And the Lord came down upon the Mount, and called Moses up
to the top of the Mount, and Moses went up."[58:1]
The Lord there communed with him, and "he gave unto Moses . . . . two
tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of
God."[58:2]
When Moses came down from off the Mount, he found the children of Israel
dancing around a golden calf, which his brother Aaron had made, and, as
his "anger waxed hot," he cast the tables of stone on the ground, and
broke them.[58:3] Moses again saw the Lord on the Mount, however, and
received two more tables of stone.[58:4] When he came down this time
from off Mount Sinai, "the skin of his face did shine."[58:5]
These two tables of stone contained the Ten Commandments,[59:1] so it
is said, which the Jews and Christians of the present day are supposed
to take for their standard.
They are, in substance, as follows:
1--To have no other God but Jehovah.
2--To make no image for purpose of worship.
3--Not to take Jehovah's name in vain.
4--Not to work on the Sabbath-day.
5--To honor their parents.
6--Not to kill.
7--Not to commit adultery.
8--Not to steal.
9--Not to bear false witness against a neighbor.
10--Not to covet.[59:2]
We have already seen, in the last chapter, that Bacchus was called the
"Law-giver," and that his laws were written on two tables of
stone.[59:3] This feature in the Hebrew legend was evidently copied
from that related of Bacchus, but, the idea of his (Moses) receiving the
commandments from the Lord on a mountain was obviously taken from the
Persian legend related of Zoroaster.
Prof. Max Mueller says:
"What applies to the religion of Moses applies to that of
Zoroaster. It is placed before us as a complete system from
the first, revealed by Ahuramazda (Ormuzd), proclaimed by
Zoroaster."[59:4]
The disciples of Zoroaster, in their profusion of legends of the master,
relate that one day, as he prayed on a high mountain, in the midst of
thunders and lightnings ("fire from heaven"), the Lord himself appeared
before him, and delivered unto him the "Book of the Law." While the King
of Persia and the people were assembled together, Zoroaster came down
from the mountain unharmed, bringing with him the "Book of the Law,"
which had been revealed to him by Ormuzd. They call this book the
Zend-Avesta, which signifies the Living Word.[59:5]
According to the religion of the Cretans, Minos, their law-giver,
ascended a mountain (Mount Dicta) and there received from the Supreme
Lord (Zeus) the sacred laws which he brought down with him.[60:1]
Almost all nations of antiquity have legends of their holy men ascending
a mountain to ask counsel of the gods, such places being invested with
peculiar sanctity, and deemed nearer to the deities than other portions
of the earth.[60:2]
According to Egyptian belief, it is Thoth, the Deity itself, that speaks
and reveals to his elect among men the will of God and the arcana of
divine things. Portions of them are expressly stated to have been
written by the very finger of Thoth himself; to have been the work and
composition of the great god.[60:3]
Diodorus, the Grecian historian, says:
The idea promulgated by the ancient Egyptians that their laws were
received direct from the Most High God, has been adopted with success
by many other law-givers, who have thus insured respect for their
institutions.[60:4]
The Supreme God of the ancient Mexicans was Tezcatlipoca. He occupied
a position corresponding to the Jehovah of the Jews, the Brahma of
India, the Zeus of the Greeks, and the Odin of the Scandinavians. His
name is compounded of Tezcatepec, the name of a mountain (upon which
he is said to have manifested himself to man) tlil, dark, and poca,
smoke. The explanation of this designation is given in the Codex
Vaticanus, as follows:
Tezcatlipoca was one of their most potent deities; they say he once
appeared on the top of a mountain. They paid him great reverence and
adoration, and addressed him, in their prayers, as "Lord, whose servant
we are." No man ever saw his face, for he appeared only "as a shade."
Indeed, the Mexican idea of the godhead was similar to that of the Jews.
Like Jehovah, Tezcatlipoca dwelt in the "midst of thick darkness." When
he descended upon the mount of Tezcatepec, darkness overshadowed the
earth, while fire and water, in mingled streams, flowed from beneath his
feet, from its summit.[61:1]
Thus, we see that other nations, beside the Hebrews, believed that their
laws were actually received from God, that they had legends to that
effect, and that a mountain figures conspicuously in the stories.
Professor Oort, speaking on this subject, says:
"No one who has any knowledge of antiquity will be surprised
at this, for similar beliefs were very common. All peoples who
had issued from a life of barbarism and acquired regular
political institutions, more or less elaborate laws, and
established worship, and maxims of morality, attributed all
this--their birth as a nation, so to speak--to one or more
great men, all of whom, without exception, were supposed to
have received their knowledge from some deity.
"Whence did Zoroaster, the prophet of the Persians, derive his
religion? According to the beliefs of his followers, and the
doctrines of their sacred writings, it was from Ahuramazda,
the God of light. Why did the Egyptians represent the god
Thoth with a writing tablet and a pencil in his hand, and
honor him especially as the god of the priests? Because he was
'the Lord of the divine Word,' the foundation of all wisdom,
from whose inspiration the priests, who were the scholars, the
lawyers, and the religious teachers of the people, derived all
their wisdom. Was not Minos, the law-giver of the Cretans, the
friend of Zeus, the highest of the gods? Nay, was he not even
his son, and did he not ascend to the sacred cave on Mount
Dicte to bring down the laws which his god had placed there
for him? From whom did the Spartan law-giver, Lycurgus,
himself say that he had obtained his laws? From no other than
the god Apollo. The Roman legend, too, in honoring Numa
Pompilius as the people's instructor, at the same time
ascribed all his wisdom to his intercourse with the nymph
Egeria. It was the same elsewhere; and to make one more
example,--this from later times--Mohammed not only believed
himself to have been called immediately by God to be the
prophet of the Arabs, but declared that he had received every
page of the Koran from the hand of the angel Gabriel."[61:2]
FOOTNOTES:
[58:1] Exodus xix.
[58:2] Exodus xxxi. 18.
[58:3] Exodus xxii. 19.
[58:4] Exodus xxxiv.
[58:5] Ibid.
It was a common belief among ancient Pagan nations that the gods
appeared and conversed with men. As an illustration we may cite the
following, related by Herodotus, the Grecian historian, who, in
speaking of Egypt and the Egyptians, says: "There is a large city called
Chemmis, situated in the Thebaic district, near Neapolis, in which is a
quadrangular temple dedicated to (the god) Perseus, son of (the Virgin)
Danae; palm-trees grow round it, and the portico is of stone, very
spacious, and over it are placed two large stone statues. In this
inclosure is a temple, and in it is placed a statue of Perseus. The
Chemmitae (or inhabitants of Chemmis), affirm that Perseus has
frequently appeared to them on earth, and frequently within the
temple." (Herodotus, bk. ii. ch. 91.)
[59:1] Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, had TEN commandments. 1. Not
to kill. 2. Not to steal. 3. To be chaste. 4 Not to bear false witness.
5. Not to lie. 6. Not to swear. 7. To avoid impure words. 8. To be
disinterested. 9. Not to avenge one's-self. 10. Not to be superstitious.
(See Huc's Travels, p. 328, vol. i.)
[59:2] Exodus xx. Dr. Oort says: "The original ten commandments probably
ran as follows: I Yahwah am your God. Worship no other gods beside me.
Make no image of a god. Commit no perjury. Remember to keep holy the
Sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother. Commit no murder. Break
not the marriage vow. Steal not. Bear no false witness. Covet not."
(Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 18.)
[59:3] Bell's Pantheon, vol. i. p. 122. Higgins, vol. ii. p. 19. Cox:
Aryan Mytho. vol. ii. p. 295.
[59:4] Mueller: Origin of Religion, p. 130.
[59:5] See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. pp. 257, 258. This book, the
Zend-Avesta, is similar, in many respects, to the Vedas of the
Hindoos. This has led many to believe that Zoroaster was a Brahman;
among these are Rawlinson (See Inman's Ancient Faiths, vol. ii. p. 831)
and Thomas Maurice. (See Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 219.)
The Persians themselves had a tradition that he came from some country
to the East of them. That he was a foreigner is indicated by a passage
in the Zend-Avesta which represents Ormuzd as saying to him: "Thou, O
Zoroaster, by the promulgation of my law, shalt restore to me my former
glory, which was pure light. Up! haste thee to the land of Iran, which
thirsteth after the law, and say, thus said Ormuzd, &c." (See Prog.
Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 263.)
[60:1] The Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 301.
[60:2] "The deities of the Hindoo Pantheon dwell on the sacred Mount
Meru; the gods of Persia ruled from Albordj; the Greek Jove thundered
from Olympus, and the Scandinavian gods made Asgard awful with their
presence. . . . Profane history is full of examples attesting the
attachment to high places for purpose of sacrifice." (Squire: Serpent
Symbols, p. 78.)
"The offerings of the Chinese to the deities were generally on the
summits of high mountains, as they seemed to them to be nearer heaven,
to the majesty of which they were to be offered." (Christmas's Mytho. p.
250, in Ibid.) "In the infancy of civilization, high places were chosen
by the people to offer sacrifices to the gods. The first altars, the
first temples, were erected on mountains." (Humboldt: American
Researches.) The Himalayas are the "Heavenly mountains." In Sanscrit
Himala, corresponding to the M. Gothic, Himins; Alem., Himil;
Ger., Swed., and Dan., Himmel; Old Norse, Himin; Dutch, Hemel;
Ang.-Sax., Heofon; Eng., Heaven. (See Mallet's Northern Antiquities,
p. 42.)
[60:3] Bunsen's Egypt, quoted in Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 367. Mrs.
Child says: "The laws of Egypt were handed down from the earliest
times, and regarded with the utmost veneration as a portion of religion.
Their first legislator represented them as dictated by the gods
themselves and framed expressly for the benefit of mankind by their
secretary Thoth." (Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 173.)
[60:4] Quoted in Ibid.
[61:1] See Squire's Serpent Symbol, p. 175.
[61:2] Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 301.
More
-
Baptism
Baptism, or purification from sin by water, is supposed by many to be an exclusive Christian ceremony. The idea is that circumcision was given up, but baptism took its place as a compulsory form indispensable to salvation, and was declared to have... Christ Buddha And Christ Jesus Compared
"The more I learn to know Buddha the more I admire him, and the sooner all mankind shall have been made acquainted with his doctrines the better it will be, for he is certainly one of the heroes of humanity." ... Christ Crishna And Christ Jesus Compared
Believing and affirming, that the mythological portion of the history of Jesus of Nazareth, contained in the books forming the Canon of the New Testament, is nothing more or less than a copy of the mythological histories of the Hindoo Saviour Cris... Christ Jesus As Creator And Alpha And Omega
Christian dogma also teaches that it was not "God the Father," but "God the Son" who created the heavens, the earth, and all that therein is. The writer of the fourth Gospel says: "All things were made by him, and without him was not ... Christ Jesus As Judge Of The Dead
According to Christian dogma, "God the Father" is not to be the judge at the last day, but this very important office is to be held by "God the Son." This is taught by the writer of "The Gospel according to St. John"--whoever he may have been--whe... Christian Symbols
A thorough investigation of this subject would require a volume, therefore, as we can devote but a chapter to it, it must necessarily be treated somewhat slightingly. The first of the Christian Symbols which we shall notice is the CROSS. Over... Circumcision
In the words of the Rev. Dr. Giles: "The rite of circumcision must not be passed over in any work that concerns the religion and literature of that (the Jewish) people."[85:1] The first mention of Circumcision, in the Bible, oc... Conclusion
We now come to the last, but certainly not least, question to be answered; which is, what do we really know of the man Jesus of Nazareth? How much of the Gospel narratives can we rely upon as fact? Jesus of Nazareth is so enveloped in the mists ... Conclusion Of Part First
There are many other legends recorded in the Old Testament which might be treated at length, but, as we have considered the principal and most important, and as we have so much to examine in Part Second, which treats of the New Testament, we shall... Explanation
After what we have seen concerning the numerous virgin-born, crucified and resurrected Saviours, believed on in the Pagan world for so many centuries before the time assigned for the birth of the Christian Saviour, the questions naturally arise: w... He Descended Into Hell
The doctrine of Christ Jesus' descent into hell is emphatically part of the Christian belief, although not alluded to by Christian divines excepting when unavoidable. In the first place, it is taught in the Creed of the Christians, wherein it s... Jacob's Vision Of The Ladder
In the 28th chapter of Genesis, we are told that Isaac, after blessing his son Jacob, sent him to Padan-aram, to take a daughter of Laban's (his mother's brother) to wife. Jacob, obeying his father, "went out from Beer-sheba (where he dwelt), and ... Jonah Swallowed By A Big Fish
In the book of Jonah, containing four chapters, we are told the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, saying: "Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come up against me." Instead of obeying this command Jo... Paganism In Christianity
Our assertion that that which is called Christianity is nothing more than the religion of Paganism, we consider to have been fully verified. We have found among the heathen, centuries before the time of Christ Jesus, the belief in an incarnate God... Receiving The Ten Commandments
The receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses, from the Lord, is recorded in the following manner: "In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilder... Samson And His Exploits
This Israelite hero is said to have been born at a time when the children of Israel were in the hands of the Philistines. His mother, who had been barren for a number of years, is entertained by an angel, who informs her that she shall conceive, a... The Antiquity Of Pagan Religions
We shall now compare the great antiquity of the sacred books and religions of Paganism with those of the Christian, so that there may be no doubt as to which is the original, and which the copy. Allusions to this subject have already been made thr... The Birth-day Of Christ Jesus
Christmas--December the 25th--is a day which has been set apart by the Christian church on which to celebrate the birth of their Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, and is considered by the majority of persons to be really the day on which he was born... The Birth-place Of Christ Jesus
The writer of that portion of the Gospel according to Matthew which treats of the place in which Jesus was born, implies, as we stated in our last chapter, that he was born in a house. His words are these: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethle... The Creation And Fall Of Man
The Old Testament commences with one of its most interesting myths, that of the Creation and Fall of Man. The story is to be found in the first three chapters of Genesis, the substance of which is as follows: After God created the "Heavens" and ... The Crucifixion Of Christ Jesus
The punishment of an individual by crucifixion, for claiming to be "King of the Jews," "Son of God," or "The Christ;" which are the causes assigned by the Evangelists for the Crucifixion of Jesus, would need but a passing glance in our inquiry, we... The Darkness At The Crucifixion
The Luke narrator informs us that at the time of the death of Christ Jesus, the sun was darkened, and there was darkness over the earth from the sixth until the ninth hour; also the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.[206:1] The Matthew n... The Deluge
After "man's shameful fall," the earth began to be populated at a very rapid rate. "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. . . . . There were giants in the earth in ... The Divine Child Recognized And Presented With Gifts
The next in order of the wonderful events which are related to have happened at the birth of Christ Jesus, is the recognition of the divine child, and the presentation of gifts. We are informed by the Matthew narrator, that being guided by a sta... The Eucharist Or Lord's Supper
We are informed by the Matthew narrator that when Jesus was eating his last supper with the disciples, "He took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took t... The Exodus From Egypt And Passage Through The Red Sea
The children of Israel, who were in bondage in Egypt, making bricks, and working in the field,[48:1] were looked upon with compassion by the Lord.[48:2] He heard their groaning, and remembered his covenant with Abraham,[48:3] with Isaac, and with ... The Genealogy Of Christ Jesus
The biographers of Jesus, although they have placed him in a position the most humiliating in his infancy, and although they have given him poor and humble parents, have notwithstanding made him to be of royal descent. The reasons for doing this w... The Miracles Of Christ Jesus And The Primitive Christians
The legendary history of Jesus of Nazareth, contained in the books of the New Testament, is full of prodigies and wonders. These alleged prodigies, and the faith which the people seem to have put in such a tissue of falsehoods, indicate the preval... The Miraculous Birth Of Christ Jesus
According to the dogma of the deity of Jesus, he who is said to have lived on earth some eighteen centuries ago, as Jesus of Nazareth, is second of the three persons in the Trinity, the SON, God as absolutely as the Father and the Holy Spirit, exc... 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 w... The Second Coming Of Christ Jesus And The Millennium
The second coming of Christ Jesus is clearly taught in the canonical, as well as in the apocryphal, books of the New Testament. Paul teaches, or is made to teach it,[233:1] in the following words: "If we believe that Jesus died and rose aga... The Slaughter Of The Innocents
Interwoven with the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus, the star, the visit of the Magi, &c., we have a myth which belongs to a common form, and which, in this instance, is merely adapted to the special circumstances of the age and place. Th... The Song Of The Heavenly Host
The story of the Song of the Heavenly Host belongs exclusively to the Luke narrator, and, in substance, is as follows: At the time of the birth of Christ Jesus, there were shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.... The Star Of Bethlehem
Being born in a miraculous manner, as other great personages had been, it was necessary that the miracles attending the births of these virgin-born gods should be added to the history of Christ Jesus, otherwise the legend would not be complete. ... The Temptation And Fast Of Forty Days
We are informed by the Matthew narrator that, after being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness "to be tempted of the devil." "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was ... The Tower Of Babel
We are informed that, at one time, "the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they (the inhabitants of the earth) journeyed from the East, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. ... The Trial Of Abraham's Faith
The story of the trial of Abraham's faith--when he is ordered by the Lord to sacrifice his only son Isaac--is to be found in Genesis xxii. 1-19, and is as follows: "And it came to pass . . . that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto h... The Trinity
"Say not there are three Gods, God is but One God."--(Koran.) The doctrine of the Trinity is the highest and most mysterious doctrine of the Christian church. It declares that there are three persons in the Godhead or divine nature--the Fat... The Worship Of The Virgin Mother
The worship of the "Virgin," the "Queen of Heaven," the "Great Goddess," the "Mother of God," &c., which has become one of the grand features of the Christian religion--the Council of Ephesus (A. D. 431) having declared Mary "Mother of God," her a... Why Christianity Prospered
We now come to the question, Why did Christianity prosper, and why was Jesus of Nazareth believed to be a divine incarnation and Saviour? There were many causes for this, but as we can devote but one chapter to the subject, we must necessarily t...