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Article THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES ← Page 5 of 11 →
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The Ancient Mysteries
ark or argha of the Indian Siva . How , the argha is also the name in heathen mytholbgy of the ship in whiqh Siva floated on the deluge , and the infernal deity Kuddha is that Menu-Satyavrata who was said to have been saved in the ark at the same time , and afterwards made
god of obsequies . Hence ^ it is clear , says Eaber , that the mysteries described the deluge and voyage of Noah , that the sacred ship is the ark of the deluge , and that the death of the god and Ms restoration to life , describe the death , so to speak , out of one world , or phase of the world , and his birth into another , of the second father of the human race .
The same complicated , idea which runs through the mysteries of the ark or vessel , is found in other parts of the Egyptian ritual ; at other-times the dead Osiris is said to have taken the form of a bull or a cow ; the cow , therefore , like the ship or lunar vessel , was the coffin or receptacle of the god , for the cow and the ark are both called Theba and Argo . Thus again ^ the bull Apis was considered a representation of Osiris , and , animated by his spirit , was interred after
his death in a sacred ark or coffin , to shadow forth the entrance of his prototype into a like receptacle ; while the newly found Apis , after a solemn feeding of forty days , was set afloat on the Nile , in the mystic Baris , and taken by water for inauguration into office . Thus various animals which were symbols of hero-gods , and into which hero-gods were said to transform themselves when forced to fly from their great enemy Typhon , when they died , were buried in a sacred chest or coffin , and were mourned for with the same
lamentations and ceremonial as Osiris . There was also a superstitious idea that the ark of Osiris , which was yearly set afloat on the Nile , drifted to Phoenicia . This idea clearly originated in the fact of the intercommunion of worship between Egypt and Phoenicia , for the mysteries of Adonis or Baal-Peor of Holy Scripture , were said to be much of the same nature with thoso
of Osiris , and to bear reference to a similar event . The god was mourned for as dead , and then , after the proper time , the votaries forgot their grief , and gave way to joy at his revival . This is by some said to have been a portion of the abomination of the worship of Baal-Peor the Mbabitish idol , into which Israel was led bv the of Baal-Peor the Mbabitish idolinto which Israel was led by the
, advice of Balaam to Balak ( we do not mean to attempt to trace any analogy or connection between Freemasonry and Moabitish idolatry , nor indeed could it be done ) , mentioned in Numbers xxxi . 16 ; and as "B yblianus held that the mysteries of Adonis were similar to those
of Osiris , so we find that the Phoenician god was supposed to have been enclosed in a second ark , and to have descended into the infernal regions , as well as the 'E gyptian deity , Tho orgies of Adonis were eminently celebrated , and were held , not only on the sea-coast ,
or on the bank of the sacred river , but on tho top of Lebanon , or tho mountain of tho moon . Tho reason for this latter custom was , that the ark of Baris , or floating moon , was fabled to have rested , like that of Noah , on the primeval lunar mountain of Ararat . Like the mysteries of Osiris also , were those of Attis and Cybele ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Ancient Mysteries
ark or argha of the Indian Siva . How , the argha is also the name in heathen mytholbgy of the ship in whiqh Siva floated on the deluge , and the infernal deity Kuddha is that Menu-Satyavrata who was said to have been saved in the ark at the same time , and afterwards made
god of obsequies . Hence ^ it is clear , says Eaber , that the mysteries described the deluge and voyage of Noah , that the sacred ship is the ark of the deluge , and that the death of the god and Ms restoration to life , describe the death , so to speak , out of one world , or phase of the world , and his birth into another , of the second father of the human race .
The same complicated , idea which runs through the mysteries of the ark or vessel , is found in other parts of the Egyptian ritual ; at other-times the dead Osiris is said to have taken the form of a bull or a cow ; the cow , therefore , like the ship or lunar vessel , was the coffin or receptacle of the god , for the cow and the ark are both called Theba and Argo . Thus again ^ the bull Apis was considered a representation of Osiris , and , animated by his spirit , was interred after
his death in a sacred ark or coffin , to shadow forth the entrance of his prototype into a like receptacle ; while the newly found Apis , after a solemn feeding of forty days , was set afloat on the Nile , in the mystic Baris , and taken by water for inauguration into office . Thus various animals which were symbols of hero-gods , and into which hero-gods were said to transform themselves when forced to fly from their great enemy Typhon , when they died , were buried in a sacred chest or coffin , and were mourned for with the same
lamentations and ceremonial as Osiris . There was also a superstitious idea that the ark of Osiris , which was yearly set afloat on the Nile , drifted to Phoenicia . This idea clearly originated in the fact of the intercommunion of worship between Egypt and Phoenicia , for the mysteries of Adonis or Baal-Peor of Holy Scripture , were said to be much of the same nature with thoso
of Osiris , and to bear reference to a similar event . The god was mourned for as dead , and then , after the proper time , the votaries forgot their grief , and gave way to joy at his revival . This is by some said to have been a portion of the abomination of the worship of Baal-Peor the Mbabitish idol , into which Israel was led bv the of Baal-Peor the Mbabitish idolinto which Israel was led by the
, advice of Balaam to Balak ( we do not mean to attempt to trace any analogy or connection between Freemasonry and Moabitish idolatry , nor indeed could it be done ) , mentioned in Numbers xxxi . 16 ; and as "B yblianus held that the mysteries of Adonis were similar to those
of Osiris , so we find that the Phoenician god was supposed to have been enclosed in a second ark , and to have descended into the infernal regions , as well as the 'E gyptian deity , Tho orgies of Adonis were eminently celebrated , and were held , not only on the sea-coast ,
or on the bank of the sacred river , but on tho top of Lebanon , or tho mountain of tho moon . Tho reason for this latter custom was , that the ark of Baris , or floating moon , was fabled to have rested , like that of Noah , on the primeval lunar mountain of Ararat . Like the mysteries of Osiris also , were those of Attis and Cybele ,