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Article CLASSICAL THEOLOGY. APOLLO AND MAY. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Classical Theology. Apollo And May.
tracing its form . The statue was a beautiful p iece of workmanship . Some foreign sea captain , only about two hundred years ago , it is said , visited this mythological birth place of Apollo , and displaced the statue from its pedestal with the intention of removing it ; but finding it impracticable to carry it to his ship , he wantonly despoiled it of its head ,
arms , and feet , and carried them away no one knows where . This island is described as barren , rocky , and without inhabitants , but rich in ruins . The Mount Cynthus of the ancients , with its various remains ancl classical dedications , is there . The whole circuit of the island is scarcely more than ei ght miles .
But Castri—how are the mi ghty fallen ! Yet still wc can hardly credit the conjecture of that small village having been the poetical and remarkable eity of Delphi ; that those two pointed , cliffs were the double headed Parnassus , and that stream among the rocks from its separating summit , was once known as the "Castalius fons , " the imaginary retreat ancl sacred haunt of the Muses . Tho remains of the fountain
exhibit a largo ancl shallow square formed basin , with steps leading to it , cut in a rock of marble . There is no doubt , with some , of this having been the balneum in which the Pythia was wont to bathe herself and wash her hair , before she was conveyed to the tripod in the Apollonian temple . There are four delubra , or shrines for heathen gods , in tho
rock ; one of those niches has been converted into a chapel , and dedicatcci to St . John- — -it is an object perhaps of as much surprise to the antiquarian traveller as it was of veneration to the pilgrim . The others are vacant ; some however , think they were places designed for vows ancl votive offerings . Be that as it may , here Apollo had his most
renowned temple ; here uttered his most famous oracles , said to bo received first from Jupiter , with whom ho was in direct communication , before they were delivered to thoso who consulted him . There was no other oracle thought to exist elsewhere equal to this . On the very spot , to cite tradition , whore the two eagles , summoned by Jupiter , the one from
the east , and the one from the west , alighting met , and therefrom called " umbilicus ter-rce , " the navel of the earth , his temple was founded . Wc cannot with any subtle acumen explore the regions of mystical priestcraft , and tolerate the suspicion of a deliberate oracular system of falsehood and fraud , when we take a review of our sacred records , with profane ancl general history , and discover such men as princes and kings travelling far to
hold a fow moments' counsel with a P ythoness . Saul went to Enclor ; wc do not mean to infer that he wont any great distance—many wont far , and he went far enough . We only want here to refer to a few particulars ; no moro than such as may be suitable to our subject ancl profitable to our readers . There is in I Samuel ix . this parenthesis— " Beforetime
in Israel , when a man went to inquire of God , thus he spake , Come and lot us go to the seer : for he that is now called a prophet was beforetiine called a seer . " We have just stated , Saul went to Eudor . He had , however , with legitimate supplication inquired of the Lord ; but " the Lord answered him notneither bdreamsnor bTJriinnor b
, y , y , y prophets . Then said Saul unto his servant , Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit , that I may go to her and inquire of her . " Now this woman possessed ( or the spirit ) the power to raise up the ghost of Samuel , it may be imagined b y what is called sciomancy . It was not so ; she and her spiritual familiar could have had no power over such a spirit
as was seen in Samuel , had not the spiritual Samuel , in his own uncircumscribed person , lent himself to Saul ' s reckless desire to look beyond the grave ' s withdrawn curtains upon its decreed events , so wisely hidden from tho uninitiated and unvisited . This descri ption of forbidden , although natural , anxiet y to inquire after the secret knowledge which is involved in the future was carried to as great au infatuation , among the Jews as it was idolatrousl y a mania with the
nations they conquered , who sought these revelations in tho mysteries of their imagery , in the offering through the fire , or by the sacrifice of blood to their idols . In fact , more or less , it was this kind of dealing with the powers of darkness that brought them to their shrines . And in like manner thej mighty of the Jewish nation sought promiscuously their
prophets , the priests ofthe high places , or of idol altars—for example , " And Jehoshaphat said unto the King of Israel , Inquire , I pray thee , at the word of the Lord to-day . Then the King of Israel gathered the prophets together , about four hundred men , and said unto them , Shall I go against Pvamoth Gilead to battle , or shall I forbear 1 Ancl they said , Go up ,
for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand ofthe king . " So , also , for the same reason , the rulers of the classic nations inquired of their oracles , as they considered them to be sacred . In the hopes of making what we have said plainer , we will now instance one of the holy prophets : — " And Jehoshaphat said , Is there not here a prophet ofthe Lord besides , that we
might inquire of him 1 " He alluded to Micaiah , the son of Imlah , who was not among the four hundred other prophets . 1 Kings , xxii . Again , 2 Kings iii ., "And the King of Israel said , Alas ! that tho Lord hath called these three kings together , to deliver them into the hand of Moab ! " But Jehoshaphat said , Is there not here a prophet of the Lord , that wo may inquire of the Lord by him ? He is told that
there is Elisha . " So the King of Israel , and Jehoshaphat , ancl the King of Edom went down to him . And Elisha said unto the King of Israel , What have I to do with thee 1 get thee to the prophets of thy father , and to tho prophets of thy mother . " Wc shall have again to treat of these prophets of Baal , as we go on .
Augustus Cmsar was a constant attendant at the altar of Apollo , and a groat votary of the oracle ; it is said that it foretold to him the birth of Christ , and that , in consequence of that event it would cease to be an oracle , and that Apollo would have to "depart and give no more answers . " On the whole , tho . Delphic oracle , or valicinator and vaticinalrix ,
uttered oracles , that is to say , prophetically responded , propihesied , and foretold of things to happen , and happening afar off " , with , at times , a most wonderful prescience . The tripod ( a vessel with three feet , circular , with holes , ) was thought to have come , or to have been sent , from heaven . How it ever came to bo lost in the sea we will not attempt
to say ; but the story goes that it was lost , and that some fishermen afterwards took it up in their nets , upon which it became the cause among themselves oF much contention who should have it . They at last determined to steer for Delphos to consult tho Pythonissa . She gave answer that " it should be sent to the wisest man of all in Greece . " Thereupon it was sent to Thales of Miletus , who forthwith had it carried to Bias who was no less famous for his learninjr than his
nobility of mind—he referred it to another of the seven wise men of Greece ; this other sent it to a fourth , until so on , forwards ancl backwards , it passed through the hands of them all , who returned it again to Thales , who dedicated it to the Del p hian Apollo . Some have supposed it to have been covered with the skin of the Pythian serpent , for which
reason it was also called Cortina . The generally received opinion is that it was a golden vessel with ears , having three feet , on which the selected of the Phcobadcs or of the Pytliia ? sat or stood when she prophesied , or pronounced her divinations . Phemonoc was the name of the first priestess Apollo had at Delphos , ancl she is said to have
invented the heroic verse . The four chief properties , as arts , attributed to the sun god were—of prophesying , of shooting , of healing , and of music ; all of which the ancient natural philosophers ascribe to the sun , ancl find therein their real representation . None among the gods met with more lasting homage , was more invoked , was more consulted , gave wiser advice , delivered more responses , or declared moro oracles than this god in his temple of Del phi . Indeed all
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Classical Theology. Apollo And May.
tracing its form . The statue was a beautiful p iece of workmanship . Some foreign sea captain , only about two hundred years ago , it is said , visited this mythological birth place of Apollo , and displaced the statue from its pedestal with the intention of removing it ; but finding it impracticable to carry it to his ship , he wantonly despoiled it of its head ,
arms , and feet , and carried them away no one knows where . This island is described as barren , rocky , and without inhabitants , but rich in ruins . The Mount Cynthus of the ancients , with its various remains ancl classical dedications , is there . The whole circuit of the island is scarcely more than ei ght miles .
But Castri—how are the mi ghty fallen ! Yet still wc can hardly credit the conjecture of that small village having been the poetical and remarkable eity of Delphi ; that those two pointed , cliffs were the double headed Parnassus , and that stream among the rocks from its separating summit , was once known as the "Castalius fons , " the imaginary retreat ancl sacred haunt of the Muses . Tho remains of the fountain
exhibit a largo ancl shallow square formed basin , with steps leading to it , cut in a rock of marble . There is no doubt , with some , of this having been the balneum in which the Pythia was wont to bathe herself and wash her hair , before she was conveyed to the tripod in the Apollonian temple . There are four delubra , or shrines for heathen gods , in tho
rock ; one of those niches has been converted into a chapel , and dedicatcci to St . John- — -it is an object perhaps of as much surprise to the antiquarian traveller as it was of veneration to the pilgrim . The others are vacant ; some however , think they were places designed for vows ancl votive offerings . Be that as it may , here Apollo had his most
renowned temple ; here uttered his most famous oracles , said to bo received first from Jupiter , with whom ho was in direct communication , before they were delivered to thoso who consulted him . There was no other oracle thought to exist elsewhere equal to this . On the very spot , to cite tradition , whore the two eagles , summoned by Jupiter , the one from
the east , and the one from the west , alighting met , and therefrom called " umbilicus ter-rce , " the navel of the earth , his temple was founded . Wc cannot with any subtle acumen explore the regions of mystical priestcraft , and tolerate the suspicion of a deliberate oracular system of falsehood and fraud , when we take a review of our sacred records , with profane ancl general history , and discover such men as princes and kings travelling far to
hold a fow moments' counsel with a P ythoness . Saul went to Enclor ; wc do not mean to infer that he wont any great distance—many wont far , and he went far enough . We only want here to refer to a few particulars ; no moro than such as may be suitable to our subject ancl profitable to our readers . There is in I Samuel ix . this parenthesis— " Beforetime
in Israel , when a man went to inquire of God , thus he spake , Come and lot us go to the seer : for he that is now called a prophet was beforetiine called a seer . " We have just stated , Saul went to Eudor . He had , however , with legitimate supplication inquired of the Lord ; but " the Lord answered him notneither bdreamsnor bTJriinnor b
, y , y , y prophets . Then said Saul unto his servant , Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit , that I may go to her and inquire of her . " Now this woman possessed ( or the spirit ) the power to raise up the ghost of Samuel , it may be imagined b y what is called sciomancy . It was not so ; she and her spiritual familiar could have had no power over such a spirit
as was seen in Samuel , had not the spiritual Samuel , in his own uncircumscribed person , lent himself to Saul ' s reckless desire to look beyond the grave ' s withdrawn curtains upon its decreed events , so wisely hidden from tho uninitiated and unvisited . This descri ption of forbidden , although natural , anxiet y to inquire after the secret knowledge which is involved in the future was carried to as great au infatuation , among the Jews as it was idolatrousl y a mania with the
nations they conquered , who sought these revelations in tho mysteries of their imagery , in the offering through the fire , or by the sacrifice of blood to their idols . In fact , more or less , it was this kind of dealing with the powers of darkness that brought them to their shrines . And in like manner thej mighty of the Jewish nation sought promiscuously their
prophets , the priests ofthe high places , or of idol altars—for example , " And Jehoshaphat said unto the King of Israel , Inquire , I pray thee , at the word of the Lord to-day . Then the King of Israel gathered the prophets together , about four hundred men , and said unto them , Shall I go against Pvamoth Gilead to battle , or shall I forbear 1 Ancl they said , Go up ,
for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand ofthe king . " So , also , for the same reason , the rulers of the classic nations inquired of their oracles , as they considered them to be sacred . In the hopes of making what we have said plainer , we will now instance one of the holy prophets : — " And Jehoshaphat said , Is there not here a prophet ofthe Lord besides , that we
might inquire of him 1 " He alluded to Micaiah , the son of Imlah , who was not among the four hundred other prophets . 1 Kings , xxii . Again , 2 Kings iii ., "And the King of Israel said , Alas ! that tho Lord hath called these three kings together , to deliver them into the hand of Moab ! " But Jehoshaphat said , Is there not here a prophet of the Lord , that wo may inquire of the Lord by him ? He is told that
there is Elisha . " So the King of Israel , and Jehoshaphat , ancl the King of Edom went down to him . And Elisha said unto the King of Israel , What have I to do with thee 1 get thee to the prophets of thy father , and to tho prophets of thy mother . " Wc shall have again to treat of these prophets of Baal , as we go on .
Augustus Cmsar was a constant attendant at the altar of Apollo , and a groat votary of the oracle ; it is said that it foretold to him the birth of Christ , and that , in consequence of that event it would cease to be an oracle , and that Apollo would have to "depart and give no more answers . " On the whole , tho . Delphic oracle , or valicinator and vaticinalrix ,
uttered oracles , that is to say , prophetically responded , propihesied , and foretold of things to happen , and happening afar off " , with , at times , a most wonderful prescience . The tripod ( a vessel with three feet , circular , with holes , ) was thought to have come , or to have been sent , from heaven . How it ever came to bo lost in the sea we will not attempt
to say ; but the story goes that it was lost , and that some fishermen afterwards took it up in their nets , upon which it became the cause among themselves oF much contention who should have it . They at last determined to steer for Delphos to consult tho Pythonissa . She gave answer that " it should be sent to the wisest man of all in Greece . " Thereupon it was sent to Thales of Miletus , who forthwith had it carried to Bias who was no less famous for his learninjr than his
nobility of mind—he referred it to another of the seven wise men of Greece ; this other sent it to a fourth , until so on , forwards ancl backwards , it passed through the hands of them all , who returned it again to Thales , who dedicated it to the Del p hian Apollo . Some have supposed it to have been covered with the skin of the Pythian serpent , for which
reason it was also called Cortina . The generally received opinion is that it was a golden vessel with ears , having three feet , on which the selected of the Phcobadcs or of the Pytliia ? sat or stood when she prophesied , or pronounced her divinations . Phemonoc was the name of the first priestess Apollo had at Delphos , ancl she is said to have
invented the heroic verse . The four chief properties , as arts , attributed to the sun god were—of prophesying , of shooting , of healing , and of music ; all of which the ancient natural philosophers ascribe to the sun , ancl find therein their real representation . None among the gods met with more lasting homage , was more invoked , was more consulted , gave wiser advice , delivered more responses , or declared moro oracles than this god in his temple of Del phi . Indeed all