pagan and christian creeds-第48章

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to　the　end；　are　a　later　insertion。　Considering　the　nature　of　this　event；　astounding　indeed；　if　physically　true；　and　unique　in　the　history　of　the　world；　it　is　strange　that　this　Gospelthe　earliest　written　of　the　four　Gospels；　and　nearest　in　time　to　the　actual　evidence　makes　no　mention　of　it。　The　next　Gospel　in　point　of　time　that　of　Matthewmentions　the　matter　rather　briefly　and　timidly；　and　reports　the　story　that　the　body　had　been　STOLEN　from　the　sepulchre。　Luke　enlarges　considerably　and　gives　a　whole　long　chapter　to　the　resurrection　and　ascension；　while　the　Fourth　Gospel；　written　fully　twenty　years　later　stillsay　about　A。　D。　120gives　two　chapters　and　a　GREAT　VARIETY　OF　DETAILS！

This　increase　of　detail；　however；　as　one　gets　farther　and　farther　from　the　actual　event　is　just　what　one　always　finds；　as　I　have　said　before；　in　legendary　traditions。　A　very　interesting　example　of　this　has　lately　come　to　light　in　the　case　of　the　traditions　concerning　the　life　and　death　of　the　Persian　Bab。　The　Bab；　as　most　of　my　readers　will　know；　was　the　Founder　of　a　great　religious　movement　which　now　numbers　（or　numbered　before　the　Great　War）　some　millions　of　adherents；　chiefly　Mahommedans；　Christians；　Jews　and　Parsees。　The　period　of　his　missionary　activity　was　from　1845　to　1850。　His　Gospel　was　singularly　like　that　of　Jesusa　gospel　of　love　to　mankindonly　（as　might　be　expected　from　the　difference　of　date）　with　an　even　wider　and　more　deliberate　inclusion　of　all　classes；　creeds　and　races；　sinners　and　saints；　and　the　incidents　and　entourage　of　his　ministry　were　also　singularly　similar。　He　was　born　at　Shiraz　in　1820；　and　growing　up　a　promising　boy　and　youth；　fell　at　the　age　Of　21　under　the　influence　of　a　certain　Seyyid　Kazim；　leader　of　a　heterodox　sect；　and　a　kind　of　fore…runner　or　John　the　Baptist　to　the　Bab。　The　result　was　a　period　of　mental　trouble　（like　the　〃temptation　in　the　wilderness〃）；　after　which　the　youth　returned　to　Shiraz　and　at　the　age　of　twenty…five　began　his　own　mission。　His　real　name　was　Mirza　Ali　Muhammad；　but　he　called　himself　thenceforth　The　Bab；　i。e。　the　Gate　（〃I　am　the　Way〃）；　and　gradually　there　gathered　round　him　disciples；　drawn　by　the　fascination　of　his　personality　and　the　devotion　of　his　character。　But　with　the　rapid　increase　of　his　following　great　jealousy　and　hatred　were　excited　among　the　Mullahs；　the　upholders　of　a　fanatical　and　narrow…　minded　Mahommedanism　and　quite　corresponding　to　the　Scribes　and　Pharisees　of　the　New　Testament。　By　them　he　was　denounced　to　the　Turkish　Government。　He　was　arrested　on　a　charge　of　causing　political　disturbance；　and　was　condemned　to　death。　Among　his　disciples　was　one　favorite；＇1＇　who　was　absolutely　devoted　to　his　Master　and　refused　to　leave　him　at　the　last。　So　together　they　were　suspended　over　the　city　wall　（at　Tabriz）　and　simultaneously　shot。　This　was　on　the　8th　July；　1850。

＇1＇　Mirza　Muhammad　Ali；　and　one　should　note　the　similarity　of　the　two　names。


In　November　1850or　between　that　date　and　October　1851；　a　book　appeared；　written　by　one　of　the　Bb's　earliest　and　most　enthusiastic　disciplesa　merchant　of　Kashan　and　giving　in　quite　simple　and　unpretending　form　a　record　of　the　above　events。　There　is　in　it　no　account　of　miracles　or　of　great　pretensions　to　godhood　and　the　like。　It　is　just　a　plain　history　of　the　life　and　death　of　a　beloved　teacher。　It　was　cordially　received　and　circulated　far　and　wide；　and　we　have　no　reason　for　doubting　its　essential　veracity。　And　even　if　proved　now　to　be　inaccurate　in　one　or　two　details；　this　would　not　invalidate　the　moral　of　the　rest　of　the　storywhich　is　as　follows：

After　the　death　of　the　Bab　a　great　persecution　took　place　（in　1852）；　there　were　many　Babi　martyrs；　and　for　some　years　the　general　followers　were　scattered。　But　in　time　they　gathered　themselves　together　again；　successors　to　the　original　prophet　were　appointedthough　not　without　dissensionsand　a　Babi　church；　chiefly　at　Acca　or　Acre　in　Syria；　began　to　be　formed。　It　was　during　this　period　that　a　great　number　of　legends　grew　uplegends　of　miraculous　babyhood　and　boyhood；　legends　of　miracles　performed　by　the　mature　Bab；　and　so　forth；　and　when　the　newly…　forming　Church　came　to　look　into　the　matter　it　concluded　（quite　naturally！）　that　such　a　simple　history　as　I　have　outlined　above　would　never　do　for　the　foundation　of　its　plans；　now　grown　somewhat　ambitious。　So　a　new　Gospel　was　framed；　called　the　Tarikh…i…Jadid　（〃The　new　History〃　or　〃The　new　Way〃）；　embodying　and　including　a　lot　of　legendary　matter；　and　issued　with　the　authority　of　〃the　Church。〃　This　was　in　1881…2；　and　comparing　this　with　the　original　record　（called　The　point　of　Kaf）　we　get　a　luminous　view　of　the　growth　of　fable　in　those　thirty　brief　years　which　had　elapsed　since　the　Bab's　death。　Meanwhile　it　became　very　necessary　of　course　to　withdraw　from　circulation　as　far　as　possible　all　copies　of　the　original　record；　lest　they　should　give　the　lie　to　the　later　'Gospel'；　and　this　apparently　was　done　very　effectivelyso　effectively　indeed　that　Professor　Edward　Browne　（to　whom　the　world　owes　so　much　on　account　of　his　labors　in　connection　with　Babism）；　after　arduous　search；　came　at　one　time　to　the　conclusion　that　the　original　was　no　longer　extant。　Most　fortunately；　however；　the　well…known　Comte　de　Gobineau　had　in　the　course　of　his　studies　on　Eastern　Religions　acquired　a　copy　of　The　point　of　Kaf；　and　this；　after　his　death；　was　found　among　his　literary　treasures　and　identified　（as　was　most　fitting）　by　Professor　Browne　himself。

Such　in　brief　is　the　history　of　the　early　Babi　Church＇1＇　a　Church　which　has　grown　up　and　expanded　greatly　within　the　memory　of　many　yet　living。　Much　might　be　written　about　it；　but　the　chief　point　at　present　is　for　us　to　note　the　well…verified　and　interesting　example　it　gives　of　the　rapid　growth　in　Syria　of　a　religious　legend　and　the　reasons　which　contributed　to　this　growthand　to　be　warned　how　much　more　rapidly　similar　legends　probably　grew　up　in　the　same　land　in　the　middle　of　the　First　Century；　A。D。　The　story　of　the　Bab　is　also　interesting　to　us　because；　while　this　mass　of　legend　was　formed　around　it；　there　is　no　possible　doubt　about　the　actual　existence　of　a　historical　nucleus　in　the　person　of　Mirza　Ali　Muhammad。

＇1＇　For　literature；　see　Edward　G。　Browne's　Traveller's　Narrative　on　the　Episode　of　the　Bab　（1891）；　and　his　New　History　of　the　Bab　translated　from　the　Persian　of　the　Tarikh…i…Jadid　（Cambridge；　1893）。　Also　Sermons　and　Essays　by　Herbert　Rix　（Williams　and　Norgate；　1907）；　pp。　295…325；　〃The　Persian　Bab。〃


On　the　whole；　one　is　sometimes　inclined　to　doubt　whether　any　great　movement　ever　makes　itself　felt　in　the　world；　without　dating　first　from　some　powerful　personality　or　group　of　personalities；　ROUND　which　the　idealizing　and　myth…　making　genius　of　mankind　tends　to　crystallize。　But　one　must　not　even　here　be　too　certain。　Something　of　the　Apostle　Paul　we　know；　and　something　of　'John'　the　Evangelist　and　writer　of　the　Epistle　I　John；　and　that　the　'Christian'　doctrines　dated　largely　from　the　preaching　and　teaching　of　these　two　we　cannot　doubt；　but　Paul　never　saw　Jesus　（except　〃in　the　Spirit〃）；　nor　does　he　ever　mention　the　man　personally；　or　any　incident　of　his　actual　life　（the　〃crucified　Christ〃　being　always　an　ideal　figure）；　and　'John'　who　wrote　the　Gospel　was　certainly　not　the　same　as　the　disciple　who　〃lay　in　Jesus'　bosom〃though　an　intercalated　verse；　the　last　but　one　in　the　Gospel；　asserts　the　identity。＇1＇

＇1＇　It　is　obvious；　in　fact；　that　the　WHOLE　of　the　last　chapter　of　St。　John　is　a　later　insertion；　and　again　that　the　two　last　verses　of　that　chapter　are　later　than　the　chapter　itself！


There　may　have　been　a　historic　Jesusand　if　so；　to　get　a　reliable　outline　of　his　life　would　indeed　be　a　treasure；　but　at　present　it　would　seem　there　is　no　sign　of　that。　If　the　historicity　of　Jesus；　in　any　degree；　could　be　proved；　it　would　give　us　reason　for　supposingwhat　I　have　personally　always　been　inclined　to　believethat　there　was　also　a　historical　nucleus　for　such　personages　as　Osiris；　Mithra；　Krishna；　Hercules；　Apollo　and　the　rest。　The　question；　in　fact；　narrows　itself　down　to　this；　Have　there　been　in　the　course　of　human　evolution　certain；　so　to　speak；　NODAL　points　or　periods　at　which　the　psychologic　currents　ran　together　and　condensed　themse