Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions Part 39

Sir John Francis Davis, speaking of Confucius, says:

"Various prodigies, _as in other instances_, were the forerunners of the birth of this extraordinary person. On the eve of his appearance upon earth, _celestial music_ sounded in the ears of his mother; and when he was born, this inscription appeared on his breast: 'The maker of a rule for setting the World.'"[148:3]

In the case of _Osiris_, the Egyptian Saviour, at his birth, a voice was heard proclaiming that: "The Ruler of all the Earth is born."[148:4]

In Plutarch's "_Isis_" occurs the following:

"At the birth of Osiris, there was heard a voice that the Lord of all the Earth was coming in being; and some say that a woman named Pamgle, as she was going to carry water to the temple of Ammon, in the city of Thebes, heard that voice, which commanded her to proclaim it with a loud voice, that the great beneficent G.o.d Osiris was born."[148:5]

Wonderful demonstrations of delight also attended the birth of the heavenly-born _Apollonius_. According to Flavius Philostratus, who wrote the life of this remarkable man, a flock of swans surrounded his mother, and clapping their wings, as is their custom, they sang in unison, while the air was fanned by gentle breezes.

When the G.o.d _Apollo_ was born of the virgin Latona in the Island of Delos, there was joy among the undying G.o.ds in Olympus, and the Earth laughed beneath the smile of Heaven.[148:6]

At the time of the birth of "_Hercules the Saviour_," his father Zeus, the G.o.d of G.o.ds, spake from heaven and said:

"This day shall a child be born of the race of Perseus, who shall be the mightiest of the sons of men."[149:1]

When _aesculapius_ was a helpless infant, and when he was about to be put to death, a voice from the G.o.d Apollo was heard, saying:

"Slay not the child with the mother; _he is born to do great things_; but bear him to the wise centaur Cheiron, and bid him train the boy in all his wisdom and teach him to do brave deeds, that men may praise his name in the generations that shall be hereafter."[149:2]

As we stated above, the story of the Song of the Heavenly Host belongs exclusively to the _Luke_ narrator; none of the other writers of the synoptic Gospels know anything about it, which, if it really happened, seems very strange.

If the reader will turn to the apocryphal Gospel called "_Protevangelion_" (chapter xiii.), he will there see one of the reasons why it was thought best to leave this Gospel out of the canon of the New Testament. It relates the "Miracles at Mary's labor," similar to the _Luke_ narrator, but in a still more wonderful form. It is probably from this apocryphal Gospel that the Luke narrator copied.

FOOTNOTES:

[147:1] Luke, ii. 8-15.

[147:2] Translated from the original Sanscrit by H. H. Wilson, M. D., F.

R. S.

[147:3] All the virgin-born Saviours are born at _midnight or early dawn_.

[147:4] Vishnu Purana, book v. ch. iii. p. 502.

[147:5] See Amberly's a.n.a.lysis, p. 226. Beal: Hist. Buddha, pp. 45, 46, 47, and Bunsen's Angel-Messiah, p. 35.

[148:1] See Beal: Hist. Buddha, pp. 43, 55, 56, and Bunsen's Angel-Messiah, p. 35.

[148:2] See Amberly: a.n.a.lysis of Religious Belief, p. 84.

[148:3] Davis: History of China, vol. ii. p. 48. See also Thornton: Hist. China, i. 152.

[148:4] See Prichard's Egyptian Mythology, p. 56, and Kenrick's Egypt, vol. i. p. 408.

[148:5] Bonwick: Egyptian Belief, p. 424, and Kenrick's Egypt, vol. i.

p. 408.

[148:6] See Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 4.

[149:1] See Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 55.

[149:2] Ibid. p. 45.

CHAPTER XV.

THE DIVINE CHILD RECOGNIZED AND PRESENTED WITH GIFTS.

The next in order of the wonderful events which are related to have happened at the birth of Christ Jesus, is the recognition of the divine child, and the presentation of gifts.

We are informed by the _Matthew_ narrator, that being guided by a star, the _Magi_[150:1] from the east came to where the young child was.

"And when they were come into the _house_ (not _stable_) they saw the young child, with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh."[150:2]

The _Luke_ narrator--who seems to know nothing about the Magi from the east--informs us that _shepherds_ came and worshiped the young child.

They were keeping their flocks by night when the angel of the Lord appeared before them, saying:

"Behold, I bring you good tidings--for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

After the angel had left them, they said one to another:

"Let us go unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pa.s.s, which the Lord hath made known to us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a _manger_."[150:3]

The Luke narrator evidently borrowed this story of the _shepherds_ from the "_Gospel of the Egyptians_" (of which we shall speak in another chapter), or from other sacred records of the biographies of Crishna or Buddha.

It is related in the legends of _Crishna_ that the divine child was cradled among shepherds, to whom were first made known the stupendous feats which stamped his character with marks of the divinity. He was recognized as the promised _Saviour_ by Nanda, a shepherd, or cowherd, and his companions, who prostrated themselves before the heaven-born child. After the birth of Crishna, the Indian prophet Nared, having heard of his fame, visited his father and mother at Gokool, examined the stars, &c., and declared him to be of celestial descent.[151:1]

Not only was Crishna adored by the shepherds and Magi, and received with _divine honors_, but he was _also presented with gifts_. These gifts were "sandal wood and perfumes."[151:2] (Why not "frankincense and myrrh?")

Similar stories are related of the infant _Buddha_. He was visited, at the time of his birth, by _wise men_, who at once recognized in the marvellous infant all the characters of the divinity, and he had scarcely seen the day before he was hailed G.o.d of G.o.ds.[151:3]

"'Mongst the strangers came A grey-haired saint, Asita, one whose ears, Long closed to earthly things, caught heavenly sounds, And heard at prayer beneath his peepul-tree, The Devas singing songs at Buddha's birth."

Viscount Amberly, speaking of him, says:[151:4]

"He was visited and adored by a very eminent _Rishi_, or hermit, known as _Asita_, who predicted his future greatness, but wept at the thought that he himself was too old to see the day when the law of salvation would be taught by the infant whom he had come to contemplate."

"I weep (said Asita), because I am old and stricken in years, and shall not see all that is about to come to pa.s.s. The Buddha Bhagavat (G.o.d Almighty Buddha) comes to the world only after many kalpas. This bright boy will be Buddha. _For the salvation of the world_ he will teach the law. He will succor the old, the sick, the afflicted, the dying. He will release those who are bound in the meshes of _natural corruption_. He will quicken the spiritual vision of those whose eyes are darkened by the thick darkness of ignorance. Hundreds of thousands of millions of beings will be carried by him to the 'other sh.o.r.e'--will put on immortality. And I shall not see this perfect Buddha--this is why I weep."[151:5]

He returns rejoicing, however, to his mountain-home, for his eyes had seen the promised and expected Saviour.[151:6]

Paintings in the _cave_ of Ajunta represent Asita with the infant Buddha in his arms.[152:1] The marvelous gifts of this child had become known to this eminent ascetic by _supernatural signs_.[152:2]