CHAPTER XV.

THE CHRISTIAN ERA.

We come to the beginning of the second two thousand years of modified Jehovaism, called the Christian era.

The Christian era, like the Chaldean-Abrahamic era, and like the Mosaic-Jehovistic era, was introduced in a mysterious manner. Both the Mosaic and the Christian were accompanied with miracles, differing in degree and intensity, as also corresponding with the changes and transitions of the times, the progress of intelligence, and the development of brain power.

If Moses had made the attempt to perform his miracles in Christ's time, he would have been hooted. He could not have deceived these masses with his tricks as he did the ignorant horde he led out of Egypt. These people had no opinion, no idea, no intelligence. They were the obedient tools and slaves of anyone who exhibited superior skill to control them and keep them in subjection, as the Catholic and Greek church make the ignorant masses subservient to their will at this day.

The small end of the wedge of science had begun to make its way into the dense solid mass of ignorance and superstition, through the thick coating of Jehovistic supernaturalism. This thin end, however, opened a chink big enough to give us the first glimpse of the natural.

Men began to think, reason, calculate. Their past experience made them think and compare the various conditions of man and things in nature. Philosophy, arts, science, had taken root, in opposition to and in spite of any supernatural theory or any Jehovistic influence.

The natural is the proper antidote for this supernatural poison.

Greece was one of the first nations that helped to lift the heavy fog that obscured man's intellectual vision:

B.C. Aristæus writes a treatise on conic sections, 380 Dionysius invents catapultæ, 399 Aristotle, the founder of the Peripatetics, logician and philosopher, Plato, Diogenes, Demosthenes (Philippics), etc., 368 Gausias of Sycion invents caustic painting, the art of burning colors into wood and ivory, 335 Lysistratus invents molds from which to cast wax figures, 328 The gnomon is invented or constructed to measure altitudes, Euclid of Alexandria writes his celebrated Mathematics, that has never been contradicted or modified, and is used at the present day, 300 Dionysius the astronomer at Alexandria finds the solar year to consist of 365 days 5 hours and 49 minutes, Archimedes the mathematician demonstrates the property of a lever and other mechanical powers, also the art of measuring solids and surfaces and conic sections, and constructs a planetarium, The art of making paper and printing invented by the Chinese, 200 Attalus, king of Pergamos, introduces a book with leaves of vellum, instead of rolls, Pasidonius calculates the hight of the atmosphere to be 800 stadia, Scipio Nascia invents a water clock, Hipparchus lays the foundation of trigonometry, fixes the first degree of longitude, the meridian,

These few citations I hope will be convincing proof of the progress made, thus showing that men were observing, reasoning, calculating, governed by demonstration and proof. It would have been impossible for Moses, or any other man, to perform miracles of the nature theologians believe, at the time of Christ.

Two conditions are always necessary for every miracle--profound ignorance on the one hand, and a clever fraud on the other.

There are, however, another class of miracles, that are at all times in order; that are played and plied on human failing and human weakness, always coupled with ignorance on the one side, and dishonest scoundrelism, a fraud by a priest or church mountebank, on the other.

In disturbances of nature, no one believes unless he has ocular proof and demonstration, knowing that these things are subject to natural laws and no one man could produce an earthquake or a thunderstorm. No man could stop the current of the Mississippi river either by praying or by throwing a stick over it.

What we can do, that has the appearance of a miracle, is to play upon the susceptibilities, failings, weaknesses, and imaginations of ignorant human nature.

These cure-alls, these medical wonder-workers, these spiritual charlatans, these theological miracle-mongers, these fanatical frauds, were introduced more prominently in the Bible story by the celebrated political agitators Elijah and Elisha.

The Christian form of religion is a modification of the Hebrew, mixed with either Greek or some other of the numerous doctrines existing at that period. The hero of this reformation is brought to our notice in what is scripturally called a miraculous manner.

Matthew introduces the subject by saying (i, 18): "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

We have noticed how (Gen. vi, 2) the sons of God married the daughters of men--who the lady was, the mother of these sons, we do not know, or by what process they were brought into this world.

There are instances in the Bible when prayer had the effect of producing that interesting condition on woman.

We have also the example of Eli, that fat, lascivious priest (whose sons entertained themselves behind the altar with the ladies) who assisted Hannah when the Lord closed her womb. The Temple has served many outrageous purposes, and many amusing as well as instructive lessons might be gathered. Fortunately the Jewish Temple is no exception. The heathen temples were equally guilty.

During the reign of Tiberius, the Romans had a temple of Isis, and they had a god called Anubis. A man with the name of Mundus fell in love with a married lady called Paulina, who bribed the priests to permit him to appear to Paulina in the temple as the god Anubis. The priest representing the god Anubis invited Paulina to the temple in order to be entertained by that god. Her husband, pleased with the favor, consented. Paulina was entertained all night at the temple by what she supposed to be the god Anubis, Mundus representing him. Paulina was delighted, her husband also, but Mundus could not hold his tongue. Tiberius heard of it; he caused the temple, priests, and all to be burnt, and Mundus was exiled for three months. The priests were crucified. Anyone curious to know particulars about this matter may consult history.

In modern times, living as we do in an age of reason, fact, and science, we do not take the same view of these particular occurrences such as the Bible speaks of as our forefathers, the ancients who lived in an age of fancy and imagination. The Holy Ghost, unless he is in the substantial form of a man, can accomplish nothing, and either Mrs. Mary Joseph had committed an act of indiscretion before marriage, or Joseph himself was the father.

It would be far more decent for all parties concerned to legitimatize the child. The effect or result would be just the same, since the young gentleman is to be the great reformer of that age, clever, meek, mild, amiable as he is represented to be in the New Testament.

Mark begins his gospel: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

Luke begins historically and then tells his virgin story (i, 27).

John philosophizes, and tells us that (verse 18) "no man hath seen God; the only begotten son which is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him." In verse 45 he is called the son of Joseph.

The entrance of Christ into this world is the most stupid and ridiculous piece of nonsense that was ever written. If Christ is the son of God he can be no relation of David, and Joseph can certainly not be his father. Or if the Holy Ghost was the cause of Mary's condition before marriage, Joseph condoned the offense by living with her, and is the father by adoption and not by nature; and can by no means be a relation or descendant of David.

Then again, if Joseph is the father, Jesus is not the son of God. In that case, he might be a relation of David, but no relation to God.

Men of ordinary education no longer believe either in the Holy Ghost, the manner of Christ's coming, nor in his divinity. It is an absurd fabrication, an impossibility and contrary to nature.

I repeat once more, that neither God, his spirit, nor his holy ghost, can perform anything that is in direct opposition to the laws of nature.

The miracles that are attributed to Jesus Christ by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are invariably of a medical nature; embracing all kinds--lepers, palsy, fevers, dropsy, the blind, the dumb, the lame--hemorrhages of women, casting out devils, curing lunatics, healing every disease.

The manner of curing is very peculiar--by touch, by rebuke, by word, by spit and touch.

A sample or two will suffice:

Mark vii, 32: "And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand on him." 33: "And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue." 34: "And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said unto him, Ephphatha, that is, be opened." 35: "And straightway his ears were opened, and the strings of his tongue were loosed, and he spake plain."

Matt. xvii, 15, etc.: Christ rebukes the devil out of a lunatic.