Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions Part 68

[249:2] Quoted in Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 267.

[249:3] See Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 404.

[249:4] See Dunlap's Mysteries of Adoni, p. 156.

[249:5] See Ibid. p. 156, and Bulfinch, Age of Fable.

[249:6] John, i. 1, 2.

[249:7] John, xvii. 5.

[250:1] Col. i. 17.

[250:2] Hebrews, xiii. 8.

[250:3] Rev. i. 8, 23, 13.

[250:4] Rev. i. 17; xii. 13.

[250:5] Geeta, p. 35.

[250:6] Geeta, p. 36.

[250:7] Lecture ix. p. 80.

[250:8] Lecture x. p. 83.

[250:9] Lecture x. p. 85.

[250:10] Lecture ix. p. 91.

[250:11] Lecture x. p. 84.

[250:12] Lecture xi. p. 95.

[250:13] See Vishnu Purana, p. 440.

[250:14] See chapter xii.

[250:15] See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 200.

[251:1] Thornton: Hist. China, vol. i. p. 137.

[251:2] Prog. Relig. Ideas, ii. p. 267.

[251:3] Muller's Chips, vol. ii. p. 15.

[251:4] "C'est moi qui vous conduis, vous et tout ce qui vous regarde.

C'est moi, qui vous conserve, on qui vous sauve. Je suis Alpha et Omega.

Il y a au dessous de l'inscription un serpent qui tient sa queue dans sa gueule et dans la cercle qu'il decrit, cest trois lettre Greques ???, qui sont le nombre 365. Le serpent, qui est'ordinaire un embleme de l'eternite est ici celui de soleil et de ses revolutions." Beausobre: Hist. de Manichee, Tom. ii. p. 56.

"I say that I am immortal, Dionysus (Bacchus), son of Deus."

_Aristophanes_, in Myst. Of Adoni, pp. 80, and 105.

CHAPTER XXVII.

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 prevalent disposition of the people to believe in everything, and it was among such a cla.s.s that Christianity was propagated. All leaders of religion had the reputation of having performed miracles; the biographers of Jesus, therefore, not wis.h.i.+ng _their_ Master to be outdone, have made him also a wonder-worker, and a performer of miracles; without them Christianity could not prosper. Miracles were needed in those days, on all special occasions. "There is not a single historian of antiquity, whether Greek or Latin, who has not recorded oracles, prodigies, prophecies, and _miracles_, on the occasion of some memorable events, or revolutions of states and kingdoms. Many of these are attested in the gravest manner by the gravest writers, _and were firmly believed at the time by the people_."[252:1]

Hindoo sacred books represent _Crishna_, their Saviour and Redeemer, as in constant strife against the evil spirit. He surmounts extraordinary dangers; strews his way with miracles; raising the dead, healing the sick, restoring the maimed, the deaf and the blind; everywhere supporting the weak against the strong, the oppressed against the powerful. The people crowded his way and adored him as a G.o.d, and these miracles were the evidences of his divinity for centuries before the time of Jesus.

The learned Thomas Maurice, speaking of Crishna, tells us that he pa.s.sed his innocent hours at the home of his foster-father, in rural diversions, his divine origin not being suspected, _until repeated miracles soon discovered his celestial origin_;[252:2] and Sir William Jones speaks of his _raising the dead_, and saving mult.i.tudes _by his miraculous powers_.[253:1] To enumerate the miracles of Crishna would be useless and tedious; we shall therefore mention but a few, of which the Hindoo sacred books are teeming.

When Crishna was born, his life was sought by the reigning monarch, Kansa, who had the infant Saviour and his father and mother locked in a dungeon, guarded, and barred by seven iron doors. While in this dungeon the father heard a secret voice distinctly utter these words: "Son of Yadu, take up this child and carry it to Gokool, to the house of Nanda."

Vasudeva, struck with astonishment, answered: "How shall I obey this injunction, thus vigilantly guarded and barred by seven iron doors that prohibit all egress?" The unknown voice replied: "The doors shall open of themselves to let thee pa.s.s, and behold, I have caused a deep slumber to fall upon thy guards, which shall continue till thy journey be accomplished." Vasudeva immediately felt his chains miraculously loosened, and, taking up the child in his arms, hurried with it through all the doors, the guards being buried in profound sleep. When he came to the river Yumna, which he was obliged to cross to get to Gokool, the waters immediately rose up to kiss the child's feet, and then respectfully retired on each side to make way for its transportation, so that Vasudeva pa.s.sed dry-shod to the opposite sh.o.r.e.[253:2]

When Crishna came to man's estate, one of his first miracles was the cure of a leper.

A pa.s.sionate Brahman, having received a slight insult from a certain Rajah, on going out of his doors, uttered this curse: "That he should, from head to foot, be covered with boils and leprosy;" which being fulfilled in an instant upon the unfortunate king, he prayed to Crishna to deliver him from his evil. At first, Crishna did not heed his request, but finally he appeared to him, asking what his request was? He replied, "To be freed from my distemper." The Saviour then cured him of his distemper.[253:3]

Crishna was one day walking with his disciples, when "they met a poor cripple or lame woman, having a vessel filled with spices, sweet-scented oils, sandal-wood, saffron, civet and other perfumes. Crishna making a halt, she made a certain sign with her finger on his forehead, _casting the rest upon his head_. Crishna asking her what it was she would request of him, the woman replied, nothing but the use of my limbs.

Crishna, then, setting his foot upon hers, and taking her by the hand, raised her from the ground, and not only restored her limbs, but renewed her age, so that, instead of a wrinkled, tawny skin, she received a fresh and fair one in an instant. At her request, Crishna and his company lodged in her house."[254:1]

On another occasion, Crishna having requested a learned Brahman to ask of him whatever boon he most desired, the Brahman said, "Above all things, I desire to have my two dead sons restored to life." Crishna a.s.sured him that this should be done, and immediately the two young men were restored to life and brought to their father.[254:2]

The learned Orientalist, Thomas Maurice, after speaking of the miracles performed by Crishna, says:

"In regard to the numerous miracles wrought by Crishna, it should be remembered that miracles are never wanting to the decoration of an Indian romance; they are, in fact, the life and soul of the vast machine; nor is it at all a subject of wonder that the dead should be raised to life in a history expressly intended, like all other sacred fables of Indian fabrication, for the propagation and support of the whimsical doctrine of the Metempsychosis."[254:3]

To speak thus of the miracles of Christ Jesus, would, of course, be heresy--although what applies to the miracles of Crishna apply to those of Jesus--we, therefore, find this gentleman branding as "_infidel_" a learned French orientalist who was guilty of doing this thing.

_Buddha_ performed great miracles for the good of mankind, and the legends concerning him are full of the most extravagant prodigies and wonders.[254:4] "By miracles and preaching," says Burnouf, "was the religion of Buddha established."

R. Spence Hardy says of Buddha:

"All the princ.i.p.al events of his life are represented as being attended by incredible prodigies. He could pa.s.s through the air at will, and know the thoughts of all beings."[254:5]

Prof. Max Muller says:

"The Buddhist legends teem with miracles attributed to Buddha and his disciples--miracles which in wonderfulness certainly surpa.s.s the miracles of any other religion."[254:6]

Buddha was at one time going from the city of Rohita-vastu to the city of Benares, when, coming to the banks of the river Ganges, and wis.h.i.+ng to go across, he addressed himself to the owner of a ferry-boat, thus; "Hail! respectable sir! I pray you take me across the river in your boat!" To this the boatman replied, "If you can pay me the fare, I will willingly take you across the river." Buddha said, "Whence shall I procure money to pay you your fare, I, who have given up all worldly wealth and riches, &c." The boatman still refusing to take him across, Buddha, pointing to a flock of geese flying from the south to the north banks of the Ganges, said:

"See yonder geese in fellows.h.i.+p pa.s.sing o'er the Ganges, They ask not as to fare of any boatman, But each by his inherent strength of body Flies through the air as pleases him.