pagan and christian creeds-第21部分

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he　victimsjust　as　in　Greece；　Egypt　and　Assyria；　the　fawn…skin　or　bull…hide　or　goat…skin　or　fish…　skin　of　the　victims　is　worn　by　the　celebrants。　Finally；　an　image　of　the　god　was　made　out　of　paste；　and　this　was　divided　into　morsels　and　eaten　in　a　hideous　sacrament　by　those　who　communicated。〃＇2＇

＇1＇　Compare　the　festival　of　Thargelia　at　Athens；　originally　connected　with　the　ripening　of　the　crops。　A　procession　was　formed　and　the　first　fruits　of　the　year　offered　to　Apollo；　Artemis　and　the　Horae。　It　was　an　expiatory　feast；　to　purify　the　State　from　all　guilt　and　avert　the　wrath　of　the　god　＇the　Sun＇。　A　man　and　a　woman；　as　representing　the　male　and　female　population；　were　led　about　with　a　garland　of　figs　＇fertility＇　round　their　necks；　to　the　sound　of　flutes　and　singing。　They　were　then　scourged；　sacrificed；　and　their　bodies　burned　by　the　seashore。　（Nettleship　and　Sandys。）

＇2＇　A　Lang；　Myth；　Ritual　and　Religion；　vol。　ii；　p。　97。


Revolting　as　this　whole　picture　is；　it　represents　as　we　know　a　mere　thumbnail　sketch　of　the　awful　practices　of　human　sacrifice　all　over　the　world。　We　hold　up　our　hands　in　horror　at　the　thought　of　Huitzilopochtli　dropping　children　from　his　fingers　into　the　flames；　but　we　have　to　remember　that　our　own　most　Christian　Saint　Augustine　was　content　to　describe　unbaptized　infants　as　crawling　for　ever　about　the　floor　of　Hell！　What　sort　of　god；　we　may　ask；　did　Augustine　worship？　The　Being　who　could　condemn　children　to　such　a　fate　was　certainly　no　better　than　the　Mexican　Idol。

And　yet　Augustine　was　a　great　and　noble　man；　with　some　by　no　means　unworthy　conceptions　of　the　greatness　of　his　God。　In　the　same　way　the　Aztecs　were　in　many　respects　a　refined　and　artistic　people；　and　their　religion　was　not　all　superstition　and　bloodshed。　Prescott　says　of　them＇1＇　that　they　believed　in　a　supreme　Creator　and　Lord　〃omnipresent；　knowing　all　thoughts；　giving　all　gifts；　without　whom　Man　is　as　nothinginvisible；　incorporeal；　one　God；　of　perfect　perfection　and　purity；　under　whose　wings　we　find　repose　and　a　sure　defence。〃　How　can　we　reconcile　St。　Augustine　with　his　own　devilish　creed；　or　the　religious　belief　of　the　Aztecs　with　their　unspeakable　cruelties？　Perhaps　we　can　only　reconcile　them　by　remembering　out　of　what　deeps　of　barbarism　and　what　nightmares　of　haunting　Fear；　man　has　slowly　emergedand　is　even　now　only　slowly　emerging；　by　remembering　also　that　the　ancient　ceremonies　and　rituals　of　Magic　and　Fear　remained　on　and　were　cultivated　by　the　multitude　in　each　nation　long　after　the　bolder　and　nobler　spirits　had　attained　to　breathe　a　purer　air；　by　remembering　that　even　to　the　present　day　in　each　individual　the　Old　and　the　New　are　for　a　long　period　thus　intricately　intertangled。　It　is　hard　to　believe　that　the　practice　of　human　and　animal　sacrifice　（with　whatever　revolting　details）　should　have　been　cultivated　by　nine…tenths　of　the　human　race　over　the　globe　out　of　sheer　perversity　and　without　some　reason　which　at　any　rate　to　the　perpetrators　themselves　appeared　commanding　and　convincing。　To…day　＇1918＇　we　are　witnessing　in　the　Great　European　War　a　carnival　of　human　slaughter　which　in　magnitude　and　barbarity　eclipses　in　one　stroke　all　the　accumulated　ceremonial　sacrifices　of　historical　ages；　and　when　we　ask　the　why　and　wherefore　of　this　horrid　spectacle　we　are　told；　apparently　in　all　sincerity；　and　by　both　the　parties　engaged；　of　the　noble　objects　and　commanding　moralities　which　inspire　and　compel　it。　We　can　hardly；　in　this　last　case；　disbelieve　altogether　in　the　genuineness　of　the　plea；　so　why　should　we　do　so　in　the　former　case？　In　both　cases　we　perceive　that　underneath　the　surface　pretexts　and　moralities　Fear　is　and　was　the　great　urging　and　commanding　force。

＇1＇　Conquest　of　Mexico；　Bk。　I；　ch。　3。


The　truth　is　that　Sin　and　Sacrifice　representif　you　once　allow　for　the　overwhelming　sway　of　fearperfectly　reasonable　views　of　human　conduct；　adopted　instinctively　by　mankind　since　the　earliest　times。　If　in　a　moment　of　danger　or　an　access　of　selfish　greed　you　deserted　your　brother　tribesman　or　took　a　mean　advantage　of　him；　you　'sinned'　against　him；　and　naturally　you　expiated　the　sin　by　an　equivalent　sacrifice　of　some　kind　made　to　the　one　you　had　wronged。　Such　an　idea　and　such　a　practice　were　the　very　foundation　of　social　life　and　human　morality；　and　must　have　sprung　up　as　soon　as　ever；　in　the　course　of　evolution；　man　became　CAPABLE　of　differentiating　himself　from　his　fellows　and　regarding　his　own　conduct　as　that　of　a　'separate　self。'　It　was　in　the　very　conception　of　a　separate　self　that　'sin'　and　disunity　first　began；　and　it　was　by　'sacrifice'　that　unity　and　harmony　were　restored；　appeasement　and　atonement　effected。

But　in　those　earliest　times；　as　I　have　already　indicated　more　than　once；　man　felt　himself　intimately　related　not　only　to　his　brother　tribesman；　but　to　the　animals　and　to　general　Nature。　It　was　not　so　much　that　he　THOUGHT　thus　as　that　he　never　thought　OTHERWISE！　He　FELT　subconsciously　that　he　was　a　part　of　all　this　outer　world。　And　so　he　adopted　for　his　totems　or　presiding　spirits　every　possible　animal；　as　we　have　seen；　and　all　sorts　of　nature…phenomena；　such　as　rain　and　fire　and　water　and　clouds；　and　sun；　moon　and　starswhich　WE　consider　quite　senseless　and　inanimate。　Towards　these　apparently　senseless　things　therefore　he　felt　the　same　compunction　as　I　have　described　him　feeling　towards　his　brother　tribesmen。　He　could　sin　against　them　too。　He　could　sin　against　his　totem…animal　by　eating　it；　he　could　sin　against　his　'brother　the　ox'　by　consuming　its　strength　in　the　labor　of　the　plough；　he　could　sin　against　the　corn　by　cutting　it　down　and　grinding　it　into　flour；　or　against　the　precious　and　beautiful　pine…　tree　by　laying　his　axe　to　its　roots　and　converting　it　into　mere　timber　for　his　house。　Further　still；　no　doubt　he　could　sin　against　elemental　nature。　This　might　be　more　difficult　to　be　certain　of；　but　when　the　signs　of　elemental　displeasure　were　not　to　be　mistakenwhen　the　rain　withheld　itself　for　months；　or　the　storms　and　lightning　dealt　death　and　destruction；　when　the　crops　failed　or　evil　plagues　afflicted　mankindthen　there　could　be　little　uncertainty　that　he　had　sinned；　and　Fear；　which　had　haunted　him　like　a　demon　from　the　first　day　when　he　became　conscious　of　his　separation　from　his　fellows　and　from　Nature；　stood　over　him　and　urged　to　dreadful　propitiations。

In　all　these　cases　some　sacrifice　in　reparation　was　the　obvious　thing。　We　have　seen　that　to　atone　for　the　cutting…down　of　the　corn　a　human　victim　would　often　be　slaughtered。　The　corn…spirit　clearly　approved　of　this；　for　wherever　the　blood　and　remains　of　the　victim　were　strewn　the　corn　always　sprang　up　more　plentifully。　The　tribe　or　human　group　made　reparation　thus　to　the　corn；　the　corn…spirit　signified　approval。　The　'sin'　was　expiated　and　harmony　restored。　Sometimes　the　sacrifice　was　voluntarily　offered　by　a　tribesman；　sometimes　it　was　enforced；　by　lot　or　otherwise；　sometimes　the　victim　was　a　slave；　or　a　captive　enemy；　sometimes　even　an　animal。　All　that　did　not　so　much　matter。　The　main　thing　was　that　the　formal　expiation　had　been　carried　out；　and　the　wrath　of　the　spirits　averted。

It　is　known　that　tribes　whose　chief　food…animal　was　the　bear　felt　it　necessary　to　kill　and　cat　a　bear　occasionally；　but　they　could　not　do　this　without　a　sense　of　guilt；　and　some　fear　of　vengeance　from　the　great　Bear…spirit。　So　they　ate　the　slain　bear　at　a　communal　feast　in　which　the　tribesmen　shared　the　guilt　and　celebrated　their　community　with　their　totem　and　with　each　other。　And　since　they　could　not　make　any　reparation　directly　to　the　slain　animal　itself　AFTER　its　death；　they　made　their　reparation　BEFORE；　bringing　all　sorts　of　presents　and　food　to　it　for　a　long　anterior　period；　and　paying　every　kind　of　worship　and　respect　to　it。　The　same　with　the　bull　and　the　ox。　At　the　festival　of　the　Bouphonia；　in　some　of　the　cities　of　Greece　as　I　have　already　mentioned；　the　actual　bull　sacrificed　was　the　handsomest　and　most　carefully　nurtured　that　could　be　obtained；　it　was　crowned　with　flowers　and　led　in　procession　with　every　mark　of　reverence　and　worship。　And　whenas　I　have　already　pointed　outat　the　great　Spring　festival；　instead　of　a　bull　or　a　goat　or　a　ram；　a　HUMAN　victim　was　immolated；　it　was　a　custom　（which　can　be　traced　very　widely　over　the　world）　to　feed　and　indulge　and　honor　the　victim　to　the　last　degree　for　a　WHOLE　YEAR　before　the　final　ceremony；　arraying　him　often　as　a　king　and　placing　a　crown　upon　his　head；　by　way　of　acknowledgment　of　the　noble　and　necessary　work　he　was　doing　for　the　general　good。

What　a　touching　and　beautiful　ceremony　was　thatbelonging　especially　to　the　North　of　Syria；　and　lands　where　the　pine　is　so　beneficent　and　beloved　a　treethe　mourning　ceremony　of　the　death　and　burial　of　Attis！　when　a　pine…tree；　felled　by　the　axe；　was　hollowed　out；　and　in　the　hollow　an　image　（often　itself　carved　out　of　pinewood）　of　the　young　Attis　was　placed。　Could　any　symbolism　express　more　tenderly　the　idea　that　the　glorious　youthwho　represented　Spring；　too　soon　slain　by　the　rude　tusk　of　Winter　was　himself　the　very　human　soul　of　the　pine…tree？＇1＇　At　some　earlier　period；　no　doubt；　a　real　youth　had　been　sacrificed　and　his　body　bound　within　the　pine；　but　now　it　was　deemed　sufficient　for　the　maidens　to　sing　th