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Article ON SILENCE AND ITS ANCIENT SYMBOLS. ← Page 6 of 7 →
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On Silence And Its Ancient Symbols.
degrees , Avhich , though in no way incongruous Avith the previous ones , still arc specifically Christian in their character , ceremonies , and derivation . It is Avorth Avhile to mention the superstitious A eneration attached to certain names and words made use of in ancient ceremonies . The Chaldaean oracles had a maxim— " Never
, change barbarous names , " for " there are certain names ( saith Psellus ) among all nations , delivered to them by God , AA'hich haA r e an unspeakable power in divine rites ; change not these into the Greek dialect , as Seraphim and Cherubim , and Michael and Gabriel . These in the Hebrew dialect have an unspeakable efficacy in divine rites ; but changed into Greek names
are ineffectual . " * Upon this supposition Avas doubtless founded the JeAvish Cabala , or system of mystical interpretation , the origin of numberless perversions and absurdities in the early heresies , especially those of the Alexandrian school .
I "will now pass on to a matter closely connected with the present subject , viz ., the fountains of Lethe and Mnemosyne , i . e . of oblivion and remembrance . Among the ceremonies previous to consulting the Delphic oracle , the consultor was led to these fountains with the vieAV that " by drinking of the one he Anight forget the past ; and of the other , in order to render
the mind purer and more fitted to retain well the memory of the neAv truths to which he had been admitted . " f These Avaters were supposed to create , if not positive madness , so strong an excitement , that the mind of the patient easily became susceptible of the impressions attempted to be conveyed . They Avere situated in Bceotianear the river Orchomenus J and bore
, , a prominent part in the worship and mysteries of Trophonius . The same insanity , hoAvever , is mentioned as an effect of other waters ; § and , as Van . Dale observes , such delusions may have been produced by the use of opium , or other stimulating narcotics .
It is clear that the object of this forgetfulness was similar to that of the profound silence enjoined in other mysteries ; to isolate the mind from previous impressions , and to prepare it for some scene in Avhich the gloomy grandeur of mysticism should , for a time , give an almost supernatural tone to the mind , and make it fancy that one Avorld had passed aAvay , and that another , grander , holier , and purer , Avas now its domain : such were doubtless the ideas which led to such attempts .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Silence And Its Ancient Symbols.
degrees , Avhich , though in no way incongruous Avith the previous ones , still arc specifically Christian in their character , ceremonies , and derivation . It is Avorth Avhile to mention the superstitious A eneration attached to certain names and words made use of in ancient ceremonies . The Chaldaean oracles had a maxim— " Never
, change barbarous names , " for " there are certain names ( saith Psellus ) among all nations , delivered to them by God , AA'hich haA r e an unspeakable power in divine rites ; change not these into the Greek dialect , as Seraphim and Cherubim , and Michael and Gabriel . These in the Hebrew dialect have an unspeakable efficacy in divine rites ; but changed into Greek names
are ineffectual . " * Upon this supposition Avas doubtless founded the JeAvish Cabala , or system of mystical interpretation , the origin of numberless perversions and absurdities in the early heresies , especially those of the Alexandrian school .
I "will now pass on to a matter closely connected with the present subject , viz ., the fountains of Lethe and Mnemosyne , i . e . of oblivion and remembrance . Among the ceremonies previous to consulting the Delphic oracle , the consultor was led to these fountains with the vieAV that " by drinking of the one he Anight forget the past ; and of the other , in order to render
the mind purer and more fitted to retain well the memory of the neAv truths to which he had been admitted . " f These Avaters were supposed to create , if not positive madness , so strong an excitement , that the mind of the patient easily became susceptible of the impressions attempted to be conveyed . They Avere situated in Bceotianear the river Orchomenus J and bore
, , a prominent part in the worship and mysteries of Trophonius . The same insanity , hoAvever , is mentioned as an effect of other waters ; § and , as Van . Dale observes , such delusions may have been produced by the use of opium , or other stimulating narcotics .
It is clear that the object of this forgetfulness was similar to that of the profound silence enjoined in other mysteries ; to isolate the mind from previous impressions , and to prepare it for some scene in Avhich the gloomy grandeur of mysticism should , for a time , give an almost supernatural tone to the mind , and make it fancy that one Avorld had passed aAvay , and that another , grander , holier , and purer , Avas now its domain : such were doubtless the ideas which led to such attempts .