Thesameisthecaseintheworldofmaterialisticscience，whereweseeagreatpaucityofreallylearnedmenandahostofskin—deepscientists，whoyetdemandeachandalltoberegardedasArchimedesandNewtons。Asabovesobelow。Scholarswhopursueknowledgeforthesakeoftruthandfact，andgivetheseout，howeverunpalatable，andnotforthedubiousgloryofenforcingontheworldtheirrespectivepersonalhobbies——maybecountedonthefingersofonehand：whilelegionisthenameofthepretenders。Inourday，reputationsforlearningseemtobebuiltbysuggestiononthehypnoticprinciple，ratherthanbyrealmerit。Themassescowerbeforehimwhoimposeshimselfuponthem：hencesuchagalaxyofmenregardedaseminentinscience，artsandliterature；andiftheyaresoeasilyaccepted，itispreciselybecauseofthegiganticself—opinionatedandself—assertionof，atanyrate，themajorityofthem。Oncethoroughlyanalyzed，however，howmanyofsuchwouldremainwhotrulydeservetheappellationof"wise"eveninterrestrialwisdom？Howmany，weask，oftheso—called"authorities"and"leadersofmen"wouldprovemuchbetterthanthoseofwhomitwassaid——byone"wise"indeed——"theybeblindleadersoftheblind"？Thattheteachingsofneitherourmodernteachersnorpreachersare"wisdomfromabove"isfullydemonstrated。Itisprovednotbyanypersonalincorrectnessintheirstatementsormistakesinlife，for"toerrisbuthuman，"butbyincontrovertiblefacts。WisdomandTrutharesynonymousterms，andthatwhichisfalseorwell—knownrepresentativeoftheChurchofEngland，thattheSermonoftheMountwould，initspracticalapplication，meanutterruinforhiscountrylessthanthreeweeks；andifitisnolesstrue，asassertedbyaliterarycriticofscience，that"theknellofCharlesDarwinismisrunginMr。A。R。Wallace’spresentbook，"（1）
aneventalreadypredictedbyQuatrefages——thenwearelefttochoosebetweentwocourses。WehaveeithertotakebothTheologyandScienceonblindfaithandtrust；or，toproclaimbothuntrueanduntrustworthy。Thereishowever，athirdcourseopen：topretendthatwebelieveinbothatthesametime，andsaynothing，asmanydo；butthiswouldbesinningagainstTheosophyandpanderingtotheprejudicesofSociety——andthatwerefusetodo。Morethanthis：wedeclareopenly，quandmeme，thatnotoneofthetwo，neitherTheologistnorScientist，hastherightinthefaceofthistoclaim，theonethathepreachesthatwhichisdivineinspiration，andtheother——exactscience；sincetheformerenforcesthat，whichisonhisownrecognition，pernicioustomenandstates——
i。e。theethicsofChrist；andtheother（inthepersonoftheeminentnaturalist，Mr。A。R。Wallace，asshownbyMr。SamuelButler）teachesDarwinianevolution，inwhichhebelievesnolonger；ascheme，moreover，whichhasneverexistedinnature，iftheopponentsofDarwinismarecorrect。
Nevertheless，ifanyonewouldpresumetocall"unwise"or"false"theworld—chosenauthorities，ordeclaretheirrespectivepoliciesdishonest，hewouldfindhimselfpromptlyreducedtosilence。TodoubttheexaltedwisdomofthereligionofthelateCardinalNewman，oftheChurchofEngland，oragainofourgreatmodernscientists，istosinagainsttheHolyGhostandCulture。WoeuntohimwhorefusestorecognizetheWorld’s"Elect。"
Hehastobowbeforeoneortheother，though，ifoneistrue，theothermustbefalse；andifthe"wisdom"ofneitherBishopnorScientistis"fromabove"——whichisprettyfairlydemonstratedbythistime——
thentheir"wisdom"isatbest——"terrestrial，psychic，devilish。"
NowourreadershavetobearinmindthatnaughtoftheaboveismeantasasignofdisrespectforthetrueteachingsofChrist，ortruescience：nordowejudgepersonalitiesbutonlythesystemsofourcivilizedworld。ValuingfreedomofthoughtaboveallthingsastheonlywayofreachingatsomefuturetimethatWisdom，ofwhicheveryTheosophistoughttobeenamored，werecognizetherighttothesamefreedominourfoesasinourfriends。AllwecontendforistheirclaimtoWisdom——asweunderstandthisterm。Nordoweblame，butratherpity，inourinnermostheart，the"wisemen"ofouragefortryingtocarryouttheonlypolicythatwillkeepthemonthepinnacleoftheir"authority"；astheycouldnot，ifeventheywould，actotherwiseandpreservetheirprestigewiththemasses，orescapefrombeingspeedilyoutcastbytheircolleagues。
Thepartyspiritissostrongwithregardtotheoldtracksandruts，thattoturnonasidepathmeansdeliberatetreacherytoit。Thus，toberegardednow—a—daysasanauthorityinsomeparticularsubject，thescientisthastorejectnolensvolensthemetaphysical，andthetheologiantoshowcontemptforthematerialisticteachings。Allthisisworldlypolicyandpracticalcommonsense，butitisnottheWisdomofeitherJoborJames。
Shallitbethenregardedastoofarfetched，if，basingourwordsonalife—longobservationandexperience，weventuretoofferourideasastothequickestandmostefficientmeansofobtainingourpresentWorld’suniversalrespectandbecomingan"authority"？Showthetenderregardforthecornsofeveryparty’shobbies，andofferyourselfasthechiefexecutioner，thehangman，ofthereputationsofmenandthingsregardedasunpopular。
Learn，thatthegreatsecretofpowerconsistsintheartofpanderingtopopularprejudices，totheWorld’slikesanddislikes。Oncethisprincipalconditioncompliedwith，hewhopracticesitiscertainofattractingtohimselftheeducatedandtheirsatellites——thelesseducated——theywhoseruleitistoplacethemselvesinvariablyonthesafesideofpublicopinion。Thiswillleadtoaperfectharmonyorsimultaneousaction。For，whilethefavoriteattitudeoftheculturedistohidebehindtheintellectualbulwarksofthefavoriteleadersofscientificthought，andjurareinverbamagistri，thatofthelessculturedistotransformthemselvesintothefaithful，mechanicaltelephonesoftheirsuperiors，andtorepeatlikewell—trainedparrotsthedictaoftheirimmediateleaders。
ThenowaphoristicalpreceptofMr。ArtemusWard，theshowmanoffamousmemory——"Scratchmyback，Mr。Editor，andIwillscratchyours"——provesimmortallytrue。The"risingStar，"whetherhebeatheologian，apolitician，anauthor，ascientist，orajournalist——hastobeginscratchingthebackofpublictastesandprejudices——ahypnoticmethodasoldashumanvanity。Graduallythehypnotizedmassesbegintopurr，theyarereadyfor"suggestion。"Suggestwhateveryouwantthemtobelieve，andforthwiththeywillbegintoreturnyourcaresses，andpurrnowtoyourhobbies，andpanderintheirturntoanythingsuggestedbytheologian，politician，author，scientist，orjournalist。Suchisthesimplesecretofblossomingintoan"authority"ora"leaderofmen"；andsuchisthesecretofourmodern—daywisdom。
Andthisisalsothe"secret"andthetruereasonoftheunpopularityofLuciferandoftheostracismpracticedbythissamemodernworldontheTheosophicalSociety：forneitherLucifer，northeSocietyitbelongsto，haseverfollowedMr。ArtemusWard’sgoldenprecept。NotrueTheosophist，infact，wouldconsenttobecomethefetishofafashionabledoctrine，anymorethanhewouldmakehimselftheslaveofadecayingdead—lettersystem，thespiritfromwhichhasdisappearedforever。Neitherwouldhepandertoanyoneoranything，andthereforewouldalwaysdeclinetoshowbeliefinthatinwhichhedoesnot，norcanhebelieve，whichislyingtohisownsoul。Thereforethere，whereotherssee"thebeautyandgracesofmodernculture，"theTheosophistseesonlymoraluglinessandthesomersaultsoftheclownsoftheso—calledculturedcenters。ForhimnothingappliesbettertomodernfashionablesocietythanSydneySmith’sdescriptionofPopishritualism："Postureandimposture，flectionsandgenuflections，bowingtotheright，curtsyingtotheleft，andanimmenseamountofmale（andespeciallyfemale）millinery。"Theremaybe，nodoubt，forsomeworldlyminds，agreatcharminmoderncivilization；butfortheTheosophistallitsbountiescanhardlyrepayfortheevilsithasbroughtontheworld。Thesearesomany，thatitisnotwithinthelimitsofthisarticletoenumeratetheseoffspringofcultureandoftheprogressofphysicalscience，whoselatestachievementsbeginwithvivisectionandendinimprovedmurderbyelectricity。
Ouranswer，wehavenodoubt，isnotcalculatedtomakeusmorefriendsthanenemies，butthiscanbehardlyhelped。Ourmagazinemaybelookeduponas"pessimistic，"butnoonecanchargeitwithpublishingslandersorlies，or，infact，anythingbutthatwhichwehonestlybelievetobetrue。Beitasitmay，however，wehopenevertolackmoralcourageintheexpressionofouropinionsorindefenseofTheosophyanditsSociety。
Letthennine—tenthsofeverypopulationariseinarmsagainsttheTheosophicalSocietywhereveritappears——theywillneverbeabletosuppressthetruthsitutters。LetthemassesofgrowingMaterialism，thehostsofSpiritualism，alltheChurch—goingcongregations，bigotsandiconoclasts，Grundy—worshippers，aping—followersandblinddisciples，letthemslander，abuse，lie，denounce，andpublisheveryfalsehoodaboutusunderthesun——theywillnotuprootTheosophy，norevenupsetherSociety，ifonlyitsmembersholdtogether。
Letevensuchfriendsandadvisersashewhoisnowanswered，turnawayindisgustfromthosewhomheaddressesinvain——itmattersnot，forourtwopathsinliferundiametricallyopposite。Lethimkeeptohis"terrestrial"wisdom：wewillkeeptothatpureray"thatcomesfromabove，"fromthelightofthe"Ancient。"
Whatindeed，hasWISDOM，Theosophia——theWisdom"fullofmercyandgoodfruits，withoutwranglingorpartialityandwithouthypocrisy"（Jamesiii，17）——todowithourcruel，selfish，crafty，andhypocriticalworld？WhatisthereincommonbetweendivineSophiaandtheimprovementsofmoderncivilizationandscience；betweenspiritandtheletterthatkilleth？Themoresoasatthisstageofevolutionthewisestmanonearth，accordingtothewiseCarlyle，isbutacleverinfantspellinglettersfromahieroglyphical，propheticbook，thelexiconofwhichliesineternity。"
FOOTNOTE：
1。See"TheDeadlockofDarwinism，"bySamuelButler，intheUniversalReviewforApril，1890。（returntotext）
H。P。Blavatsky："TheEsotericCharacteroftheGospels"TheEsotericCharacteroftheGospelsPartI"……Tellus，whenshallthesethingsbe？Andwhatshallbethesignofthypresence，andoftheconsummationoftheage？"（1）askedtheDisciplesoftheMASTER，ontheMountofOlives。Thereplygivenbythe"ManofSorrow，"theChrestos，onhistrial，butalsoonhiswaytotriumph，asChristos，orChrist（2），isprophetic，andverysuggestive。Itisawarningindeed。Theanswermustbequotedinfull。Jesus……saiduntothem：——Takeheedthatnomanleadyouastray。Formanyshallcomeinmynamesaying，IamtheChrist；andshallleadmanyastray。Andyeshallhearofwars……buttheendisnotyet。Fornationshallriseagainstnation，andkingdomagainstkingdom；andthereshallbefaminesandearthquakesindiversplaces。Butallthesethingsarethebeginningoftravail……Manyfalseprophetsshallarise，andshallleadmanyastray……thenshalltheendcome……whenyeseetheabominationofdesolationwhichwasspokenthroughDaniel……Thenifanymanshallsayuntoyou，Lo，hereistheChrist，orthere；believehimnot……Iftheyshallsayuntoyou，Behold，heisinthewilderness，gonotforth；behold，heisintheinnerchambers，believethemnot。ForasthelightningcomethforthfromtheEast，andisseenevenintheWest，soshallbethepresenceoftheSonofMan，etc。，etc。Twothingsbecomeevidenttoallintheabovepassages，nowthattheirfalserenderingiscorrectedintherevisiontext：（a）"thecomingofChrist，"meansthepresenceofCHRISTOSinaregeneratedworld，andnotatalltheactualcominginbodyof"Christ"
Jesus；（b）thisChrististobesoughtneitherinthewildernessnor"intheinnerchambers，"norinthesanctuaryofanytempleorchurchbuiltbyman；forChrist——thetrueesotericSAVIOR——isnoman，buttheDIVINEPRINCIPLEineveryhumanbeing。HewhostrivestoresurrecttheSpiritcrucifiedinhimbyhisownterrestrialpassions，andburieddeepinthe"sepulcher"ofhissinfulflesh；
hewhohasthestrengthtorollbackthestoneofmatterfromthedoorofhisowninnersanctuary，hehastherisenChristinhim。（3）The"SonofMan"isnochildofthebond—woman——flesh，butverilyofthefree—woman——Spirit（4），thechildofman’sowndeeds，andthefruitofhisownspirituallabor。
Ontheotherhand，atnotimesincetheChristianera，havetheprecursorsignsdescribedinMatthewappliedsographicallyandforciblytoanyepochastheydotoourowntimes。Whenhasnationarisenagainstnationmorethanatthistime？Whenhave"famines"——anothernamefordestitutepauperism，andthefamishedmultitudesoftheproletariat——beenmorecruel，earthquakesmorefrequent，orcoveredsuchanareasimultaneously，asforthelastfewyears？MillenariansandAdventistsofrobustfaith，maygoonsayingthat"thecomingof（thecanalized）Christ"isnearathand，andpreparethemselvesfor"theendoftheworld。"Theosophists——
atanyrate，someofthem——whounderstandthehiddenmeaningoftheuniversally—expectedAvatars，Messiahs，SosioshesandChrists——knowthatitisno"endoftheworld，"but"theconsummationoftheage，"i。e。，thecloseofacycle，whichisnowfastapproaching。
（5）Ifourreadershaveforgottentheconcludingpassagesofthearticle，"TheSignsoftheTimes，"（6）inLUCIFER
forOctoberlast，letthemreadthemover，andtheywillplainlyseethemeaningofthisparticularcycle。
Manyandmanyatimethewarningaboutthe"falseChrists"andprophetswhoshallleadpeopleastrayhasbeeninterpretedbycharitableChristians，theworshippersofthedead—letteroftheirscripture，asapplyingtomysticsgenerally，andTheosophistsmostespecially。TherecentworkbyMr。Pember，Earth’sEarliestAges，isaproofofit。Nevertheless，itseemsveryevidentthatthewordsinMatthew’sGospelandotherscanhardlyapplytoTheosophists。ForthesewereneverfoundsayingthatChristis"Here"
or"There，"inwildernessorcity，andleastofallinthe"innerchamber"
behindthealtarofanymodernchurch。WhetherHeathenorChristianbybirth，theyrefusetomaterializeandthusdegradethatwhichisthepurestandgrandestideal——thesymbolofsymbols——
namely，theimmortalDivineSpiritinman，whetheritbecalledHorus，Krishna，Buddha，orChrist。Noneofthemhaseveryetsaid："IamtheChrist"；
forthosebornintheWestfeelthemselves，sofar，onlyChrestians（7），howevermuchtheymaystrivetobecomeChristiansinSpirit。Itistothose，whointheirgreatconceitandpriderefusetowintherightofsuchappellationbyfirstleadingthelifeofChrestos（8）；tothosewhohaughtilyproclaimthemselvesChristians（theglorified，theanointed）bysolevirtueofbaptismwhenbutafewdaysold——thattheabove—quotedwordsofJesusapplymostforcibly。Canthepropheticinsightofhimwhoutteredthisremarkablewarningbedoubtedbyanyonewhoseesthenumerous"falseprophets"andpseudo—apostles（ofChrist），nowroamingovertheworld？ThesehavesplittheonedivineTruthintofragments，andbroken，inthecampoftheProtestantsalone，therockoftheEternalVerityintothreehundredandfiftyoddpieces，whichnowrepresentthebulkoftheirDissentingsects。Acceptingthenumberinroundfiguresas350，andadmitting，forargument’ssake，that，atleast，oneofthesemayhavetheapproximatetruth，still349mustbenecessarilyfalse。（9）EachoftheseclaimstohaveChristexclusivelyinits"innerchamber，"anddenieshimtoallothers，while，intruth，thegreatmajorityoftheirrespectivefollowersdailyputChristtodeathonthecruciformtreeofmatter——the"treeofinfamy"
oftheoldRomans——indeed！
Theworshipofthedead—letterintheBibleisbutonemoreformofidolatry，nothingbetter。Afundamentaldogmaoffaithcannotexistunderadouble—facedJanusform。"Justification"byChristcannotbeachievedatone’schoiceandfancy，eitherby"faith"orby"works"
andJames，therefore（ii。，25），contradictingPaul（Heb。xi。，31），andviceversa（10），oneofthemmustbewrong。
Hence，theBibleisnotthe"WordofGod，"butcontainsatbestthewordsoffalliblemenandimperfectteachers。Yetreadesoterically，itdoescontain，ifnotthewholetruth，still，"nothingbutthetruth，"underwhateverallegoricalgarb。Only：Quothominestotsententiae。
The"Christprinciple，"theawakenedandglorifiedSpiritofTruth，beinguniversalandeternal，thetrueChristoscannotbemonopolizedbyanyoneperson，eventhoughthatpersonhaschosentoarrogatetohimselfthetitleofthe"VicarofChrist，"orofthe"Head"ofthatoranotherState—religion。Thespiritsof"Chrest"and"Christ"cannotbeconfinedtoanycreedorsect，onlybecausethatsectchoosestoexaltitselfabovetheheadsofallotherreligionsorsects。Thenamehasbeenusedinamannersointolerantanddogmatic，especiallyinourday，thatChristianityisnowthereligionofarroganceparexcellence，astepping—stoneforambition，asinecureforwealth，shamandpower；
aconvenientscreenforhypocrisy。Thenobleepithetofold，theonethatmadeJustinMartyrsaythat"fromthemerename，whichisimputedtousasacrime，wearethemostexcellent，"（11）isnowdegraded。Themissionaryprideshimselfwiththeso—calledconversionofaheathen，whomakesofChristianityeveraprofession，butrarelyareligion，asourceofincomefromthemissionaryfund，andapretext，sincethebloodofJesushaswashedthemallbyanticipation，foreverypettycrime，fromdrunkennessandlyinguptotheft。Thatsamemissionary，however，wouldnothesitatetopubliclycondemnthegreatestsainttoeternalperditionandhellfiresifthatholymanhasonlyneglectedtopassthroughthefruitlessandmeaninglessformofbaptismbywaterwithaccompanimentoflipprayersandvainritualism。
Wesay"lipprayer"and"vainritualism"knowingly。FewChristiansamongthelaymenareawareevenofthetruemeaningofthewordChrist；
andthoseoftheclergywhohappentoknowit（fortheyarebroughtupintheideathattostudysuchsubjectsissinful）keeptheinformationsecretfromtheirparishioners。Theydemandblind，implicitfaith，andforbidinquiryastheoneunpardonablesin，thoughnothingofthatwhichleadstotheknowledgeofthetruthcanbeaughtelsethanholy。Forwhatis"DivineWisdom，"orGnosis，buttheessentialrealitybehindtheevanescentappearancesofobjectsinnature——theverysoulofthemanifestedLOGOS？WhyshouldmenwhostrivetoaccomplishunionwiththeoneeternalandabsoluteDeityshudderattheideaofpryingintoitsmysteries——howeverawful？Why，aboveall，shouldtheyusenamesandwordstheverymeaningofwhichisasealedmysterytothemameresound？Isitbecauseanunscrupulous，power—seekingEstablishmentcalledaChurchhascried"wolf"ateverysuchattempt，and，denouncing—itas"blasphemous，"hasevertriedtokillthespiritofinquiry？ButTheosophy，the"divineWisdom，"hasneverheededthatcry，andhasthecourageofitsopinions。Theworldofscepticsandfanaticsmaycallit，one——anempty"ism"——theother"Satanism"：theycannevercrushit。TheosophistshavebeencalledAtheists，hatersofChristianity，theenemiesofGodandthegods。Theyarenoneofthese。Therefore，theyhaveagreedthisdaytopublishaclearstatementoftheirideas，andaprofessionoftheirfaith——withregardtomonotheismandChristianity，atanyrate——andtoplaceitbeforetheimpartialreadertojudgethemandtheirdetractorsonthemeritsoftheirrespectivefaiths。Notruth—lovingmindwouldobjecttosuchhonestandsinceredealing，norwillitbedazzledbyanyamountofnewlightthrownuponthesubject，howsoevermuchstartledotherwise。
Onthecontrary，suchmindswillthankLUCIFER，perhaps，whilethoseofwhomitwassaid"quivultdecipidecipiatur"——letthembedeceivedbyallmeans！
Theeditorsofthismagazineproposetogiveaseriesofessaysuponthehiddenmeaningoresotericismofthe"NewTestament。"Nomorethananyotherscriptureofthegreatworld—religionscantheBiblebeexcludedfromthatclassofallegoricalandsymbolicalwritingswhichhavebeen，fromthepre—historicages，thereceptacleofthesecretteachingsoftheMysteriesofInitiation，underamoreorlessveiledform。TheprimitivewritersoftheLogia（nowtheGospels）knewcertainlythetruth，andthewholetruth；buttheirsuccessorshad，ascertainly，onlydogmaandform，whichleadtohierarchicalpoweratheart，ratherthanthespiritoftheso—calledChrist’steachings。Hencethegradualperversion。
AsHigginstrulysaid，intheChristologiaofSt。PaulandJustinMartyr，wehavetheesotericreligionoftheVatican，arefinedGnosticismforthecardinals，amoregrossoneforthepeople。Itisthelatter，onlystillmorematerializedanddisfigured，whichhasreachedusinourage。
TheideaofwritingthisserieswassuggestedtousbyacertainletterpublishedinourOctoberissue，undertheheadingof"AretheTeachingsascribedtoJesuscontradictory？"Nevertheless，thisisnoattempttocontradictorweaken，inanyoneinstance，thatwhichissaidbyMr。GeraldMasseyinhiscriticism。Thecontradictionspointedoutbythelearnedlecturerandauthoraretoopatenttobeexplainedbyany"Preacher"orBiblechampion；
forwhathehassaid——onlyinmoreterseandvigorouslanguage——iswhatwassaidofthedescendantofJosephPandira（orPanthera）inIsisUnveiled（vol。II。，p。201），fromtheTalmudicSepherToldosJeshu。HisbeliefwithregardtothespuriouscharacteroftheBibleandNewTestament，asnowedited，istherefore，alsothebeliefofthepresentwriter。InviewoftherecentrevisionoftheBible，anditsmanythousandsofmistakes，mistranslations，andinterpolations（someconfessedto，andotherswithheld），itwouldillbecomeanopponenttotakeanyonetotaskforrefusingtobelieveintheauthorizedtexts。
Buttheeditorswouldobjecttooneshortsentenceinthecriticismundernotice。Mr。GeraldMasseywrites：——
"Whatistheuseoftakingyour’Bibleoath’thatthethingistrue，ifthebookyouareswornuponisamagazineoffalsehoodsalreadyexploded，orjustgoingoff？"
SurelyitisnotasymbologistofMr。Massey’spowersandlearningwhowouldcalltheBookoftheDead，ortheVedas，oranyotherancientScripture，"amagazineoffalsehoods。’’（12）Whynotregardinthesamelightasalltheothers，theOld，and，inastillgreatermeasure，theNewTestament？
Alloftheseare"magazinesoffalsehoods，"ifacceptedintheexotericdead—letterinterpretationsoftheirancient，andespeciallytheirmodern，theologicalglossarists。Eachoftheserecordshasservedinitsturnasameansforsecuringpowerandofsupportingtheambitiouspolicyofanunscrupulouspriesthood。Allhavepromotedsuperstition，allmadeoftheirgodsbloodthirstyandever—damningMolochsandfiends，asallhavemadenationstoservethelattermorethantheGodofTruth。Butwhilecunningly—deviseddogmasandintentionalmisinterpretationsbyscholiastsarebeyondanydoubt，"falsehoodsalreadyexploded，"thetextsthemselvesareminesofuniversaltruths。Butfortheworldoftheprofaneandsinners，atanyrate——theywereandstillarelikethemysteriouscharacterstracedby"thefingersofaman’shand"onthewallofthePalaceofBelshazzar：theyneedaDanieltoreadandunderstandthem。
Nevertheless，TRUTHhasnotallowedherselftoremainwithoutwitnesses。
Thereare，besidesgreatInitiatesintoscripturalsymbology，anumberofquietstudentsofthemysteriesorarchaicesotericism，ofscholarsproficientinHebrewandotherdeadtongues，whohavedevotedtheirlivestounriddlethespeechesoftheSphinxoftheworld—religions。Andthesestudents，thoughnoneofthemhasyetmasteredallthe"sevenkeys"thatopenthegreatproblem，havediscoveredenoughtobeabletosay：Therewasauniversalmystery—language，inwhichalltheWorldScriptureswerewritten，fromVedastoRevelation，fromtheBookoftheDeadtotheActs。Oneofthekeys，atanyrate——thenumericalandgeometricalkey（13）totheMysterySpeechisnowrescued；anancientlanguage，truly，whichuptothistimeremainedhidden，buttheevidencesofwhichabundantlyexist，asmaybeprovenbyundeniablemathematicaldemonstrations。If，indeed，theBibleisforcedontheacceptanceoftheworldinitsdead—lettermeaning，inthefaceofthemoderndiscoveriesbyOrientalistsandtheeffortsofindependentstudentsandkabalists，itiseasytoprophesythateventhepresentnewgenerationsofEuropeandAmericawillrepudiateit，asallthematerialistsandlogicianshavedone。For，themoreonestudiesancientreligioustexts，themoreonefindsthattheground—workoftheNewTestamentisthesameastheground—workoftheVedas，oftheEgyptiantheogony，andtheMazdeanallegories。Theatonementsbyblood——blood—covenantsandblood—transferencesfromgodstomen，andbymen，assacrificestothegods——arethefirstkeynotestruckineverycosmogonyandtheogony；soul，lifeandbloodweresynonymouswordsineverylanguage，pre—eminentlywiththeJews；andthatblood—givingwaslife—giving。"Manyalegendamong（geographically）aliennationsascribessoulandconsciousnessinnewly—createdmankindtothebloodofthegod—creators。"BerosusrecordsaChaldeanlegendascribingthecreationofanewraceofmankindtotheadmixtureofdustwiththebloodthatflowedfromtheseveredheadofthegodBelus。"Onthisaccountitisthatmenarerationalandpartakeofdivineknowledge，"explainsBerosus。（14）AndLenormanthasshown（BeginningsofHistory，p。52，note）that"theOrphics……saidthattheimmaterialpartofman，hissoul（hislife）sprangfromthebloodofDionysiusZagreus，whom……Titanstoretopieces。"Blood"revivifiesthedead"——i。e。，interpretedmetaphysically，itgivesconsciouslifeandasoultothemanofmatterorclay——suchasthemodernmaterialistisnow。Themysticmeaningoftheinjunction，"VerilyIsayuntoyou，exceptyeeatthefleshoftheSonofmananddrinkhisblood，yehavenotlifeinyourselves，"etc。，canneverbeunderstoodorappreciatedatitstrueoccultvalue，exceptbythosewhoholdsomeofthesevenkeys，andyetcarelittleforSt。Peter。（15）
Thesewords，whethersaidbyJesusofNazareth，orJeshuaBen—Panthera，arethewordsofanINITIATE。Theyhavetobeinterpretedwiththehelpofthreekeys——oneopeningthepsychicdoor，thesecondthatofphysiology，andthethirdthatwhichunlocksthemysteryofterrestrialbeing，byunveilingtheinseparableblendingoftheogonywithanthropology。
Itisforrevealingafewofthesetruths，withthesoleviewofsavingintellectualmankindfromtheinsanitiesofmaterialismandpessimism，thatmysticshaveoftenbeendenouncedastheservantsofAntichrist，evenbythoseChristianswhoaremostworthy，sincerelypiousandrespectablemen。
ThefirstkeythatonehastousetounravelthedarksecretsinvolvedinthemysticnameofChrist，isthekeywhichunlockedthedoortotheancientmysteriesoftheprimitiveAryans，SabeansandEgyptians。TheGnosissupplantedbytheChristianschemewasuniversal。Itwastheechooftheprimordialwisdom—religionwhichhadoncebeentheheirloomofthewholeofmankind；and，therefore，onemaytrulysaythat，initspurelymetaphysicalaspect，theSpiritofChrist（thedivinelogos）waspresentinhumanityfromthebeginningofit。TheauthoroftheClementineHomiliesisright；themysteryofChristos——
nowsupposedtohavebeentaughtbyJesusofNazareth——"wasidentical"
withthatwhichfromthefirsthadbeencommunicated"tothosewhowereworthy，"asquotedinanotherlecture。（16）
WemaylearnfromtheGospelaccordingtoLuke，thatthe"worthy"
werethosewhohadbeeninitiatedintothemysteriesoftheGnosis，andwhowere"accountedworthy"toattainthat"resurrectionfromthedead"inthislife……"thosewhoknewthattheycoulddienomore，beingequaltotheangelsassonsofGodandsonsoftheResurrection。"
Inotherwords，theywerethegreatadeptsofwhateverreligion；andthewordsapplytoallthosewho，withoutbeingInitiates，striveandsucceed，throughpersonaleffortstolivethelifeandtoattainthenaturallyensuingspiritualilluminationinblendingtheirpersonality——（the"Son"）
with（the"Father，"）theirindividualdivineSpirit，theGodwithinthem。This"resurrection"canneverbemonopolizedbytheChristians，butisthespiritualbirth—rightofeveryhumanbeingendowedwithsoulandspirit，whateverhisreligionmaybe。SuchindividualisaChrist—man。Ontheotherhand，thosewhochoosetoignoretheChrist（principle）
withinthemselves，mustdieunregenerateheathens——baptism，sacraments，lip—prayers，andbeliefindogmasnotwithstanding。
Inordertofollowthisexplanation，thereadermustbearinmindtherealarchaicmeaningoftheparonomasiainvolvedinthetwotermsChrestosandChristos。Theformermeanscertainlymorethanmerely"agood，"and"excellentman，"whilethelatterwasneverappliedtoanyonelivingman，buttoeveryInitiateatthemomentofhissecondbirthandresurrection。（17）HewhofindsChristoswithinhimselfandrecognizesthelatterashisonly"way，"becomesafollowerandanApostleofChrist，thoughhemayhaveneverbeenbaptized，norevenhavemeta"Christian，"stilllesscallhimselfone。
FOOTNOTES：
1。Matthewxxiv，3，etseq。ThesentencesitalicizedarethosewhichstandcorrectedintheNewTestamentaftertherecentrevisionin1881oftheversionof1611；whichversionisfulloferrors，voluntaryandinvoluntary。Theword"presence，"for"coming，"and"theconsummationoftheage，"nowstandingfor"theendoftheworld，"havealtered，oflate，thewholemeaning，evenforthemostsincereChristians，ifweexempttheAdventists。（returntotext）
2。HewhowillnotponderoverandmasterthegreatdifferencebetweenthemeaningofthetwoGreekwords——[chrestos]
and[christos]mustremainblindforevertothetrueesotericmeaningoftheGospels；thatistosay，tothelivingSpiritentombedinthesteriledead—letterofthetexts，theveryDeadSeafruitoflip—Christianity。
（returntotext）
3。Foryearethetemple（"sanctuary"intherevisedN。T。）ofthelivingGod。（2Cor。vi。，16。）（returntotext）
4。Spirit，ortheHolyGhost，wasfemininewiththeJews，aswithmostancientpeoples，anditwassowiththeearlyChristians。SophiaoftheGnosticsandthethirdSephirothBinah（thefemaleJehovahoftheKabalists），arefeminineprinciples——"DivineSpirit，"orRuach。"AchathRuachElohimChiim。""OneisShe，theSpiritoftheElohimofLife，"issaidinSepherYezirah。（returntotext）
5。Thereareseveralremarkablecyclesthatcometoacloseattheendofthiscentury。First，the5，000yearsoftheKaliyugcycle；againtheMessianiccycleoftheSamaritan（alsoKabalistic）JewsofthemanconnectedwithPisces（Ichthysor"Fish—man"Dag）。Itisacycle，historicandnotverylong，butveryoccult，lastingabout2，155solaryears，buthavingatruesignificanceonlywhencomputedbylunarmonths。Itoccurred2410and255B。C。，orwhentheequinoxenteredintothesignoftheRam，andagainintothatofPisces。Whenitenters，inafewyears，thesignofAquarius，psychologistswillhavesomeextraworktodo，andthepsychicidiosyncrasiesofhumanitywillenteronagreatchange。（returntotext）
6。SeeVolumeII。p。381。（returntotext）
7。TheearliestChristianauthor，JustinMartyr，calls，inhisfirstApology，hisco—religionistsChrestians，[Chrestianoi]——notChristians。（returntotext）
8。"ClemensAlexandrinus，inthesecondcentury，foundsaseriousargumentonthisparanomasia（lib。iii。，cap。xvii。，53
etcirca），thatallwhobelievedinChrest（i。e。，"agoodman"）bothare，andarecalledChrestians，thatis，goodmen，"（Strommata，lib。ii。"Higgins’Anacalypsis"）。AndLactantius（lib。iv。，cap。vii。）saysthatitisonlythroughignorancethatpeoplecallthemselvesChristians，insteadofChrestians："quiproperignorantiumerroremcumimmutataliteraChrestumsolentdicere。"（returntotext）
9。InEnglandalone，thereareover239varioussects。（SeeWhitaker’sAlmanac。）In1883，therewere186denominationsonly，andnowtheysteadilyincreasewitheveryyear，anadditional53sectshavingsprungupinonlyfouryears！（returntotext）
10。ItisbutfairtoSt。PaultoremarkthatthiscontradictionissurelyduetolatertamperingwithhisEpistles。PaulwasaGnostichimself，i。e。，a"SonofWisdom，"andanInitiateintothetruemysteriesofChristos，thoughhemayhavethundered（orwasmadetoappeartodoso）againstsomeGnosticsects，ofwhich，inhisday，thereweremany。ButhisChristoswasnotJesusofNazareth，noranylivingman，asshownsoablyinMr。GeraldMassey’slecture，"Paul，theGnosticOpponentofPeter。"HewasanInitiate，atrue"Master—Builder"
oradept，asdescribedinIsisUnveiled，Vol。II。，pp。90—91。（returntotext）
11。[hosonteektoukategoreumenouhemononomatoschrestotatoihuparchomen]（FirstApology）。（returntotext）
12。TheextraordinaryamountofinformationcollatedbythatableEgyptologistshowsthathehasthoroughlymasteredthesecretoftheproductionoftheNewTestament。Mr。Masseyknowsthedifferencebetweenthespiritual，divineandpurelymetaphysicalChristos，andthemade—up"layfigure"ofthecanalizedJesus。HeknowsalsothattheChristiancanon，especiallytheGospels，ActsandEpistles，aremadeupoffragmentsofgnosticwisdom，theground—workofwhichispre—ChristianandbuiltontheMYSTERIES
ofInitiation。Itisthemodeoftheologicalpresentationandtheinterpolatedpassages——suchasinMarkxvi。fromverse9totheend——whichmakeoftheGospelsa"magazineof（wicked）falsehoods，"
andthrowasluronCHRISTOS。ButtheOccultistwhodiscernsbetweenthetwocurrents（thetruegnosticandthepseudoChristian）knowsthatthepassagesfreefromtheologicaltamperingbelongtoarchaicwisdom，andsodoesMr。GeraldMassey，thoughhisviewsdifferfromours。（returntotext）
13。"Thekeytotherecoveryofthelanguage，sofarasthewriter’seffortshavebeenconcerned，wasfoundintheuse，strangetosay，ofthediscoveredintegralratioinnumbersofdiametertocircumferenceofacircle，"byageometrician。"Thisratiois6，561
fordiameterand20，612forcircumference。"（CabalisticMSS。）Inoneofthefuturenumbersof"LUCIFER"moredetailswillbegiven，withthepermissionofthediscoverer。——ED。（SeeTheSecretDoctrine，I，313etseq。）
（returntotext）
14。Cory’sAnc。Frag。，p。59，f。
SodoSanchoniatonandHesiod，whobothascribethevivifyingofmankindtothespiltbloodofthegods。Butbloodandsoulareone（nephesh），andthebloodofthegodsmeansheretheinformingsoul。（returntotext）
15。Theexistenceofthesesevenkeysisvirtuallyadmitted，owingtodeepresearchintheEgyptologicallore，byMr。G。Masseyagain。Whileopposingtheteachingsof"EsotericBuddhism"
——unfortunatelymisunderstoodbyhiminalmosteveryrespect——inhisLectureon"TheSevenSoulsofMan，"hewrites（p。21）：——"Thissystemofthought，thismodeofrepresentation，thisseptenaryofpowers，invariousaspects，hadbeenestablishedinEgypt，atleast，seventhousandyearsago，aswelearnfromcertainallusionstoAtum（thegod’inwhomthefatherhoodwasindividualizedasthebegetterofaneternalsoul，’theseventhprincipleoftheTheosophists），foundintheinscriptionslatelydiscoveredatSaqqarah。Isayinvariousaspects，becausethegnosisoftheMysterieswas，atleast，sevenfoldinitsnature——itwasElemental，Biological，Elementary（human），Stellar，Lunar，SolarandSpiritual——andnothingshortofagraspofthewholesystemcanpossiblyenableustodiscriminatethevariousparts，distinguishonefromtheother，anddeterminatethewhichandthewhat，aswetrytofollowthesymbolicalSeventhroughtheirseveralphasesofcharacter。"（returntotext）16。"GnosticandHistoricChristianity。"（returntotext）
17。"Verily，verily，Isayuntothee，exceptamanbebornagainhecannotseetheKingdomofGod。"（Johniii。4。）Herethebirthfromabove，thespiritualbirth，ismeant，achievedatthesupremeandlastinitiation。（returntotext）
H。P。Blavatsky，"TheEsotericCharacteroftheGospels"pt2TheEsotericCharacteroftheGospelsPartII
ThewordChrestosexistedagesbeforeChristianitywasheardof。Itisfoundused，fromthefifthcenturyB。C。，byHerodotus，byAeschylusandotherclassicalGreekwriters，themeaningofitbeingappliedtoboththingsandpersons。
ThusinAeschylus（Cho。901）wereadofpythochrestathe"oraclesdeliveredbyaPythianGod"（Greek—EnglishLexicon）throughapythoness；andPythochrestosisthenominativesingularofanadjectivederivedfromchrao（Eurip。Ion，1218）。Thelatermeaningscoinedfreelyfromthisprimitiveapplication，arenumerousandvaried。Paganclassicsexpressedmorethanoneideabytheverb[chraomai]
"consultinganoracle"；foritalsomeans"fated，"doomedbyanoracle，inthesenseofasacrificialvictimtoitsdecree，or——"totheWORD"；
aschresterionisnotonly"theseatofanoracle"butalso"anofferingto，orfor，theoracle。’’（18）Chrestesisonewhoexpoundsorexplainsoracles，"aprophet，asoothsayer；"（19）
andchresteriosisonewhobelongsto，orisintheserviceof，anoracle，agod，ora"Master"（20）；thisCanonFarrar’seffortsnotwithstanding。（21）
AllthisisevidencethatthetermsChristandChristians，speltoriginallyChrestandChrestians[chrestianoi]（22）weredirectlyborrowedfromtheTempleterminologyofthePagans，andmeantthesamething。TheGodoftheJewswasnowsubstitutedfortheOracleandtheothergods；thegenericdesignation"Chrestos"becameanounappliedtoonespecialpersonage；andnewtermssuchasChrestianoiandChrestodoulos"afollowerorservantofChrestos"——werecoinedoutoftheoldmaterial。ThisisshownbyPhiloJudaeus，amonotheist，assuredly，usingalreadythesametermformonotheisticpurposes。Forhespeaksoftheochrestos"God—declared，"oronewhoisdeclaredbygod，andoflogiatheochresta"sayingsdeliveredbyGod"——whichprovesthathewroteatatime（betweenthefirstcenturyB。C。，andthefirstA。D。）whenneitherChristiansnorChrestianswereyetknownunderthesenames，butstillcalledthemselvestheNazarenes。Thenotabledifferencebetweenthetwowords[chrao]——"consultingorobtainingresponsefromagodororacle"（chreobeingtheIonicearlierformofit），andchrio"torub，toanoint"（fromwhichthenameChristos），hasnotpreventedtheecclesiasticaladoptionandcoinagefromPhilo’sexpression[Theochrestos]ofthatotherterm[Theochristos]"anointedbyGod。"Thusthequietsubstitutionoftheletter，[i]for[e]
fordogmaticpurposes，wasachievedintheeasiestway，aswenowsee。
ThesecularmeaningofChrestosrunsthroughouttheclassicalGreekliteratureparipassuwiththatgiventoitinthemysteries。Demosthenes’saying[oChreste]（330，27），meansbyitsimply"younicefellow"；Plato（inPhaed。264B）has[chrestoseihotihegei]——"youareanexcellentfellowtothink……"Butintheesotericphraseologyofthetemples"chrestos，"（23）
awordwhich，liketheparticiplechrestheis，isformedunderthesamerule，andconveysthesamesense——fromtheverb[chraomai]
（"toconsultagod"）——answerstowhatwewouldcallanadept，alsoahighchela，adisciple。ItisinthissensethatitisusedbyEuripides（Ion。1320）andbyAeschylus（l。c。）。Thisqualificationwasappliedtothosewhomthegod，oracle，oranysuperiorhadproclaimedthis，that，oranythingelse。Aninstancemaybegiveninthiscase。
Thewords[chresenoikistera]usedbyPindar（pp。4—10）mean"theoracleproclaimedhimthecolonizer。"InthiscasethegeniusoftheGreeklanguagepermitsthatthemansoproclaimedshouldbecalledChrestos。HencethistermwasappliedtoeveryDisciplerecognizedbyaMaster，asalsotoeverygoodman。Now，theGreeklanguageaffordsstrangeetymologies。ChristiantheologyhaschosenanddecreedthatthenameChristosshouldbetakenasderivedfrom[chrio，chriso]，"anointedwithscentedunguentsoroil。"Butthiswordhasseveralsignificances。
ItisusedbyHomer，certainly，asappliedtotherubbingwithoilofthebodyafterbathing（Il。23，186；alsoinOd。，4，252）asotherancientwritersdo。YetthewordChristesmeansratherawhite—washer，whilethewordChrestesmeanspriestandprophet，atermfarmoreapplicabletoJesus，thanthatofthe"Anointed，"since，asNorkshowsontheauthorityoftheGospels，heneverwasanointed，eitheraskingorpriest。Inshort，thereisadeepmysteryunderlyingallthisscheme，which，asImaintain，onlyathoroughknowledgeofthePaganmysteriesiscapableofunveiling。
（24）ItisnotwhattheearlyFathers，whohadanobjecttoachieve，mayaffirmordeny，thatistheimportantpoint，butratherwhatisnowtheevidencefortherealsignificancegiventothetwotermsChrestosandChristosbytheancientsinthepre—Christianages。Forthelatterhadnoobjecttoachieve，thereforenothingtoconcealordisfigure，andtheirevidenceisnaturallythemorereliableofthetwo。Thisevidencecanbeobtainedbyfirststudyingthemeaninggiventothesewordsbytheclassics，andthentheircorrectsignificancesearchedforinmysticsymbology。
NowChrestos，asalreadysaid，isatermappliedinvarioussenses。ItqualifiesbothDeityandMan。ItisusedintheformersenseintheGospels，andinLuke（vi。，35），whereitmeans"kind，"and"merciful。"[chrestosestinepitous]……；inIPeter（ii。，3），whereitissaid，"KindistheLord，"[ChrestosoKurios]。Ontheotherhand，itisexplainedbyClemensAlexandrinusassimplymeaningagoodman；i。e。，"AllwhobelieveinChrest（agoodman）
bothare，andarecalledChrestians，thatisgoodmen。"（Strom。lib。ii。）ThereticenceofClemens，whoseChristianity，asKingtrulyremarksinhisGnostics，wasnomorethanagraftuponthecongenialstockofhisoriginalPlatonism，isquitenatural。
HewasanInitiate，anewPlatonist，beforehebecameaChristian，whichfact，howevermuchhemayhavefallenofffromhisearlierviews，couldnotexoneratehimfromhispledgeofsecrecy。AndasaTheosophistandaGnostic，onewhoknew，ClemensmusthaveknownthatChristoswas"theWAY，"whileChrestoswasthelonelytravelerjourneyingontoreachtheultimategoalthroughthat"Path，"
whichgoalwasChristos，theglorifiedSpiritof"TRUTH，"
thereunionwithwhichmakesthesoul（theSon）ONEwiththe（Father）Spirit。
ThatPaulknewit，iscertain，forhisownexpressionsproveit。Forwhatdothewords[palinodino，achrisoumorphotheiChristos]，orasgivenintheauthorizedtranslations，"I
amagainintravailuntilChristbeformedinyou"mean，butwhatwegiveinitsesotericrendering，i。e。，"untilyoufindtheChristoswithinyourselvesasyouronly’way’。"（VideGalatiansiv。，19and20。）
ThusJesus，whetherofNazarethorLud（25），wasaChrestos，asundeniablyasthatheneverwasentitledtotheappellationofChristos，duringhislife—timeandbeforehislasttrial。
ItmayhavebeenasHigginsthinks，whosurmisesthatthefirstnameofJesuswas，perhaps，[chreistos]，thesecond，[chrestos]，andthethird[christos]。"Theword[chreistos]wasinusebeforetheH（cap。eta）wasinthelanguage。"ButTaylor（inhisanswertoPyeSmith，p。113）isquotedsaying"ThecomplimentaryepithetChrest……signifiednothingmorethanagoodman。"
HereagainanumberofancientwritersmaybebroughtforwardtotestifythatChristos（orChreistos，rather）was，alongwith[chrestos]=Chrestos，anadjectiveappliedtoGentilesbeforetheChristianera。InPhilopatrisitissaid[eituchoichrestoskaienethnesin]，i。e。，"ifchrestoschancetobeevenamongtheGentiles，"etc。
Tertulliandenouncesinthe3rdchapterofhisApologiatheword"Christianus"asderivedby"craftyinterpretation"（26）；
Dr。Jones，ontheotherhand，lettingouttheinformation，corroboratedbygoodsources，that"Chrestos（[chrestos]）wasthenamegiventoChristbytheGnostics，andevenbyunbelievers，"assuresusthattherealnameoughttobe[christos]orChristos——thusrepeatingandsupportingtheoriginal"piousfraud"oftheearlyFathers，afraudwhichledtothecarnalizingofthewholeChristiansystem。（27）
ButIproposetoshowasmuchoftherealmeaningofallthesetermsaslieswithinmyhumblepowersandknowledge。Christos，orthe"Christcondition，"
waseverthesynonymofthe"Mahatmic—condition，"i。e。，theunionofthemanwiththedivineprincipleinhim。AsPaulsays（Ephes。iii。17）"[katoikesaitonChristondiatespisteosentaiskardiaishumon]。""ThatyoumayfindChristosinyourinnermanthroughknowledge"notfaith，astranslated；forPistisis"knowledge，"aswillbeshownfurtheron。
ThereisstillanotherandfarmoreweightyproofthatthenameChristosispre—Christian。TheevidenceforitisfoundintheprophecyoftheErythreanSybil。Wereaditin[IESOUSCHREISTOSTHEOUHUIOSSOTERSTAUROS]。
Readesoterically，thisstringofmeaninglessdetachednouns，whichhasnosensetotheprofane，containsarealprophecy——onlynotreferringtoJesus——andaversefromthemysticcatechismoftheInitiate。TheprophecyrelatestothecomingdownupontheEarthoftheSpiritofTruth（Christos），afterwhichadvent——thathasoncemorenoughttodowithJesus——willbegintheGoldenAge；theversereferstothenecessitybeforereachingthatblessedconditionofinner（orsubjective）theophanyandtheopneusty，topassthroughthecrucifixionoffleshormatter。Readexoterically，thewords"IesousChreistostheouyiossoterstauros，"meaningliterally"Iesus，Christos，God，Son，Savior，Cross，"aremostexcellenthandlestohangaChristianprophecyon，buttheyarepagan，notChristian。
IfcalledupontoexplainthenamesIESOUSCHREISTOS，theansweris：
studymythology，theso—called"fictions"oftheancients，andtheywillgiveyouthekey。PonderoverApollo，thesolargod，andthe"Healer，"
andtheallegoryabouthissonJanus（orIon），hispriestatDelphos，throughwhomalonecouldprayersreachtheimmortalgods，andhisothersonAsclepios，calledtheSoter，orSavior。
HereisaleafletfromesoterichistorywritteninsymbolicalphraseologybytheoldGrecianpoets。
ThecityofChrisa（28）（nowspeltCrisa），wasbuiltinmemoryofKreusa（orCreusa），daughterofKingErechtheusandmotherofJanus（orIon）byApollo，inmemoryofthedangerwhichJanusescaped。（29）WelearnthatJanus，abandonedbyhismotherinagrotto"tohidetheshameofthevirginwhoboreason，"wasfoundbyHermes，whobroughttheinfanttoDelphi，nurturedhimbyhisfather’ssanctuaryandoracle，where，underthenameofChresisJanusbecamefirstaChrestis（apriest，soothsayer，orInitiate），andthenverynearlyaChresterion，"asacrificialvictim，"（30）
readytobepoisonedbyhisownmotherwhoknewhimnot，andwho，inherjealousy，mistookhim，onthehazyintimationoftheoracle，forasonofherhusband。Hepursuedhertotheveryaltarwiththeintentionofkillingher——whenshewassavedthroughthepythoness，whodivulgedtoboththesecretoftheirrelationship。Inmemoryofthisnarrowescape，Creusa，themother，builtthecityofChrisa，orKrisa。Suchistheallegory，anditsymbolizessimplythetrialsofInitiation。
（31）
FindingthenthatJanus，thesolarGod，andsonofApollo，theSun，meansthe"Initiator"andthe"OpeneroftheGateofLight，"orsecretwisdomofthemysteries；thatheisbornfromKrisa（esotericallyChris），andthathewasaChrestosthroughwhomspoketheGod；thathewasfinallyIon，thefatheroftheIonians，and，somesay，anaspectofAsclepios，anothersonofApollo，itiseasytogetholdofthethreadofAriadneinthislabyrinthofallegories。Itisnottheplaceheretoprovesideissuesinmythology，however。Itsufficestoshowtheconnectionbetweenthemythicalcharactersofhoaryantiquityandthelaterfablesthatmarkedthebeginningofoureraofcivilization。Asclepios（Esculapius）wasthedivinephysician，the"Healer，"the"Savior，"[Soter]
ashewascalled，atitlealsogiventoJanusofDelphi；andIASO，thedaughterofAsclepios，wasthegoddessofhealing，underwhosepatronagewereallthecandidatesforinitiationinherfather’stemple，thenovicesorchrestoi，called"thesonsofIaso。"（Videforname，Plutus，byAristoph。701）。
Now，ifweremember，firstly，thatthenamesofIESUSintheirdifferentforms，suchasIasius，Iasion，JasonandIasus，wereverycommoninancientGreece，especiallyamongthedescendantsofJasius（theJasides），asalsothenumberofthe"sonsofIaso，"theMystoiandfutureEpoptai（Initiates），whyshouldnottheenigmaticalwordsintheSibyllineBookbereadintheirlegitimatelight，onethathadnoughttodowithaChristianprophecy？Thesecretdoctrineteachesthatthefirsttwowords[IESOUS
CHREISTOS]meansimply"sonofIaso，aChrestos，"orservantoftheoracularGod。IndeedIASOisintheIonicdialectIESOandtheexpressionIesous——initsarchaicform，[IESOUS]——simplymeans"thesonofIasoorIeso，the"healer，"i。e。，[hoIesous]
（[uios]）。Noobjection，assuredly，canbetakentosuchrendering，ortothenamebeingwrittenIesoinsteadofIaso，sincethefirstformisattic，thereforeincorrect，forthenameisIonic。"Ieso"fromwhich"HoIesous"（sonofIeso）——
i。e。，agenitive，notanominative——isIonicandcannotbeanythingelse，iftheageoftheSibyllinebookistakenintoconsideration。
NorcouldtheSibylofErythreahavespeltitoriginallyotherwise，asErythrea，herveryresidence，wasatowninIonia（fromIonorJanus）oppositeChios；andthattheIonicprecededtheatticform。
LeavingasideinthiscasethemysticalsignificationofthenowfamousSibyllinesentence，andgivingitsliteralinterpretationonly，ontheauthorityofallthathasbeensaid，thehithertomysteriouswordswouldstand；"SonofIASO，CHRESTOS（thepriestorservant）
（ofthe）SONof（the）GOD（Apollo）theSAVIORfromtheCROSS"——（offleshormatter）。（32）Truly，Christianitycanneverhopetobeunderstooduntileverytraceofdogmatismissweptawayfromit，andthedeadlettersacrificedtotheeternalSpiritofTruth，whichisHorus，whichisCrishna，whichisBuddha，asmuchasitistheGnosticChristosandthetrueChristofPaul。
IntheTravelsofDr。Clarke，theauthordescribesaheathenmonumentfoundbyhim。Withinthesanctuary，behindthealtar，wesawthefragmentsofamarblecathedra，uponthebackofwhichwefoundthefollowinginscription，exactlyasitisherewritten，nopartofithavingbeeninjuredorobliterated，affordingperhapstheonlyinstanceknownofasepulchralinscriptionuponamonumentofthisremarkableform。Theinscriptionranthus：[CHRESTOSPROTOSTHESSALOSLARISSAIOSPELASGIOTES
ETONIH]；or，"Chrestos，thefirst，aThessalonianfromLarissa，Pelasgiot18yearsoldHero。"Chrestosthefirst（protos），why？
Readliterallytheinscriptionhaslittlesense；interpretedesoterically，itispregnantwithmeaning。AsDr。Clarkeshows，thewordChrestosisfoundontheepitaphsofalmostalltheancientLarissians；butitisprecededalwaysbyapropername。HadtheadjectiveChrestosstoodafteraname，itwouldonlymean"agoodman，"aposthumouscomplimentpaidtothedefunct，thesamebeingoftenfoundonourmoderntumularepitaphs。ButthewordChrestos，standingaloneandtheotherword，"protos，"followingit，givesitquiteanothermeaning，especiallywhenthedeceasedisspecifiedasa"hero。"TothemindofanOccultist，thedefunctwasaneophyte，whohaddiedinhis18thyearofneophytism（33），andstoodinthefirstorhighestclassofdiscipleship，havingpassedhispreliminarytrialsasa"hero"；buthaddiedbeforethelastmystery，whichwouldhavemadeofhima"Christos，"ananointed，onewiththespiritofChristosorTruthinhim。Hehadnotreachedtheendofthe"Way，"thoughhehadheroicallyconqueredthehorrorsofthepreliminarytheurgictrials。
Wearequitewarrantedinreadingitinthismanner，afterlearningtheplacewhereDr。Clarkediscoveredthetablet，whichwas，asGodfreyHigginsremarks，there，where"Ishouldexpecttofindit，atDelphi，inthetempleoftheGodIE，"who，withtheChristiansbecameJah，orJehovah，onewithChristJesus。ItwasatthefootofParnassus，inagymnasium，"adjoiningtheCastalianfountain，whichflowedbytheruinsofCrisa，probablythetowncalledCrestona，"etc。Andagain："Inthefirstpartofitscoursefromthe（Castalian）fountain，it（theriver）separatestheremainsofthegymnasium……fromthevalleyofCastro，"asitprobablydidfromtheoldcityofDelphi——theseatofthegreatoracleofApollo，ofthetownofKrisa（orKreusa）thegreatcenterofinitiationsandoftheChrestoiofthedecreesoftheoracles，wherethecandidatesforthelastlaborwereanointedwithsacredoils（34）