The Christ Myth

VI THE SELF-OFFERING OF THE MESSIAH. THE SUPPER

C. Delisle Burns translation

Like Baptism, the sacrament of the “Supper,” the partaking of the sacred host and wine (in place of which among certain sects water is also found), has its precedent in the most ancient fire-worship. When the sacred fire had been kindled upon the altar, the faithful were accustomed, as the Rigveda shows, to sit down in order to partake of the sacred cake prepared from meal and butter, the symbol of all solid food, and of the Soma cup, the symbol of all liquid nourishment. It was thought that Agni dwelt invisible within these substances: in the meal as though in the concentrated heat of the sun, in the Soma, since the drink in its fiery nature and invigorating power disclosed the nature of the God of Fire and Life. Participation therein opened to the faithful communion with Agni. Thereby they were incorporated with the God. They felt themselves transformed into him, raised above the actuality of every day, and as members of a common body, as though of one heart and one soul, inflamed by the same feeling of interdependence and brotherhood. Then some such hymn as follows would mount towards heaven from their breasts overflowing with thankfulness:—

“Oh great Agni, true-minded

Thou dost indeed unite all.

Enkindled on the place of worship

Bring us all that is good.

Unitedly come, unitedly speak,

And let your hearts be one,

Just as the old Gods

For their part are of one mind.

Like are their designs, like their assembly,

Like their disposition, united their thoughts.

So pray I also to you with like prayer,

And sacrifice unto you with like sacrifice.

The like design you have indeed,

And your hearts are united.

Let your thoughts be in unison,

It appears, then, that this meal, presided over by the High Priest as representative of Aaron, was partaken of by twelve other priests, and Robertson rightly sees herein the Jewish prototype of the Christian Supper and of the number of apostles—the Twelve—present at it. But the High Priest Aaron is a personification of the Jewish Ark of the Covenant, that is, of the visible expression of the Covenant between God and man, one of the chief prototypes of the Messiah. And if the self-offering of the Messiah, as we have seen above (p. 78), has its precedent in the self-offering of Aaron, so also the great solemnity of the Aaronic sacrificial meal would not be wanting in the story of the Christian Redeemer.

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · Rgv. x. 191; cf. i. 72, 5. ↑Note 2 · Id. iii. 28, vi. 11. ↑Note 3 · Max Müller, “Einleitung in die vergl. Religionswissenschaft,” note to p. 219. ↑Note 4 · Rigv. x. 90. ↑Note 5 · The Rigveda describes Purusha as a gigantic being (cf. the Eddic Ymir) who covers the earth upon all sides and stretches ten fingers beyond.Note 6 · In Hebrew Messiah means “the anointed.” But Agni too as God of Sacrifices bears the name of the anointed, akta (above, p. 99). Indeed, it ap Note 7 · The Bhagavadgîta shows that the idea of a self-sacrifice was associated with Krishna also, whom we have already learnt to recognise as a for Note 8 · Cumont, “Myst. de Mithra,” 101. ↑Note 9 · Rgv. x. 16. ↑Note 10 · Id. x. 16, 6. ↑Note 11 · Id. lx.; cf. also Burnouf, op. cit., 176 sqq. ↑Note 12 · Op. cit., vii. 3. He is Jahwe, the King of Jeru-Salem itself (Josephus, “Ant.,” x. 2), and corresponds to the Phœnician Moloch (Melech) Sidy Note 13 · Op. cit., xix. 13, xxxii. 29, xliv. 17, xvi. 25. ↑Note 14 · Op. cit., lxv. 11. ↑Note 15 · As is well known, the Germanic first man, Mannus, according to Tacitus, was a son of the hermaphrodite Thuisto. ↑Note 16 · Lev. xxiv. 5–9. ↑Note 17 · Jos. iv. 1 sqq.; ch. v. ↑Note 18 · Thus Helios also, the Greek Sun-God, the heavenly physician and saviour, annually prepared the “Sun’s Table” in nature, causing the fruit to Note 19 · Ghillany, op. cit., 510 sqq. ↑Note 20 · Preller, “Griech. Mythol.,” 398, 850, and his “Röm. Mythol.,” 275. ↑Note 21 · Strabo, xi. 2; Justin, xlii. 3. ↑Note 22 · Preller, “Griech. Mytholog.,” 110. ↑Note 23 · It is worth while to observe that the High Priest Joshua returned to Jerusalem at the head of twelve elders (Ezra ii. 2; Nehem. vii. 7. Cf. Note 24 · Cf. Movers, op. cit., 539 sqq.; Sepp., “Heidentum,” 271, 421. ↑Note 25 · That you may be happily joined together.”1 Note 26 · While the faithful by partaking of the sacred cake and the fiery Soma cup united themselves with the God and were filled with his “spirit,” Note 27 · In the Rigveda Agni, as God of Priests and Sacrifices, also bears the name of Viçvakarman, i.e., “Consummator of All.” Hymn x., 81 also desc Note 28 · The sacrifice of the God on the part of mankind is a sacrifice of the God himself—it is only by this means that the community between God an Note 29 · Even in the Old Testament we meet with the idea of a sacramental meal. This is pointed to in Genesis xiv. 18 sqq., when Melchisedek, the pri Note 30 · Obviously we have to do with a meal of this kind in the bringing in of the so-called shew-bread. Every Sabbath twelve cakes were laid by the Note 31 · As is well known, Joshua too, the Jesus of the Old Testament, whom we have learnt to recognise as an ancient Ephraimitic God of the Sun and Note 32 · The celebration of sacramental feasts was very widespread throughout the whole of antiquity. They were among the most important acts of wors Note 33 · Now, Iasios (Jason) is only a Greek form of the name Joshua (Jesus). Just as Joshua crossed the Jordan with twelve assistants and celebrated Note 34 · Cf. Jeremias, “Babyl. im N.T.,” 69–80. ↑Note 35 · Rgv. vi. 54. ↑Note 36 · Cf. “The Hymns to Dadhikra,” iv. 38–40. ↑Note 37 · Cf. Burnouf, op. cit., 196. The connection between the Fire-God and water is of extreme antiquity. As is well known, in the Edda Loki seeks Note 38 · Cf. Iamblichus, “De Symbol. Aegyptiorum,” ii. 7. ↑Note 39 · Gunkel, op. cit., 32. sq.; Robertson, “Pagan Christs,” 135 sq. ↑Note 40 · Op. cit., v. 6 sq. ↑Note 41 · Rev. xxi. 23. ↑Note 42 · Hatch, “The Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages upon the Christian Church,” Hibbert Lectures, 1888, 300. ↑Note 43 · John i. 7, 12; ix. 5; xii. 36, 46. ↑Note 44 · Sepp., i. 353. ↑Note 45 · Burnouf, op. cit., 186 sq. ↑Note 46 · Cf., for example, F. X. Kraus, “Geschichte d. christl. Kunst,” i. 105. ↑Note 47 · “Hist. Rom.,” i. 26. ↑Note 48 · Cf. Zöckler, “Das Kreuz Christi,” 1875, 62 sqq.; Hochart, “Études d’histoire religieuse,” 1890, chap, x., “La crucifix.” ↑Note 49 · Aringhi, “Roma subterranea,” vi. ch. 23, “De Cervo.” ↑Note 50 · Cf. on the other hand Justin, “Apol.,” i. 35. ↑Note 51 · Esther v. 14, vii. 10. ↑Note 52 · Cf. the picture of Marsyas hanging upon a tree-trunk in the collection of antiquities at Karlsruhe; also the illustrations in P. Schmidt, “D Note 53 · Movers, op. cit., 687; Nork, “Reallexikon,” ii. 122 sq.; Frazer, “Adonis, Attis, Osiris,” 185 sq. ↑Note 54 · Rev. ii. 7, xxii. 2. ↑Note 55 · lxvi. 19. ↑Note 56 · ix. 3, 4. ↑Note 57 · Exod. xvii. 10 sqq. ↑Note 58 · For particulars see Zöckler, op. cit., 7 sqq.; also Hochart, op. cit., chap, viii., “Le symbole de la croix”; G. de Mortillet, “Le signe de Note 59 · Henry Petersen, “Über den Gottesdienst u. den Götterglauben des Nordens während der Heidenzeit,” 1882, 39 sqq. 95 sqq. ↑Note 60 · Zöckler, op. cit., 21 sqq. ↑Note 61 · Winckler, “Die babyl. Geisteskultur,” 82. ↑Note 62 · Tertullian, “Contra Haereses,” 40. ↑Note 63 · Burnouf, op. cit., 240. ↑Note 64 · Goblet d’Alviella, op. cit., 61. sqq. Cf. also Ludw. Müller, “Det saakaldte Hagekors Anvendelse og Betydning i Oldtiden,” 1877. ↑Note 65 · Op. cit., 296. ↑Note 66 · One feels the words of Revelation quoted above brought to his mind: “And madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reig Note 67 · “De errore profanae religionis,” i. 5. ↑Note 68 · Op. cit., § 48. ↑Note 69 · “Apolog.,” i. ch. 60. ↑Note 70 · III. 12, vii. 3 sqq., ix. 4, xiv. 1, xx. 4, xxii. 4. ↑Note 71 · Gal. vi. 17; Ephes. i. 13 sq. ↑Note 72 · Mourant Brock, op. cit., 177 sqq., 178 sqq. ↑Note 73 · So also in Tertullian when, with reference to the passage of Ezekiel above quoted (ix. 5), he describes the Greek letter Tau as “our [the Ch Note 74 · Zöckler, op. cit., 14 sq. ↑Note 75 · Frazer, “Adonis, Attis, Osiris,” 174 sq., 276 sqq. ↑Note 76 · Cf. on the whole subject Hochart, op. cit., 359 sqq.; P. Schmidt, “Gesch. Jesu,” 386–394. In spite of all his efforts Zöckler has not succee Note 77 · “Geschichte der christlichen Kunst,” 174. ↑Note 78 · Cf. Detzel, “Christl. Ikonographie,” 1894, 392 sqq.; Hochart, op. cit., 378 sqq. ↑Note 79 · Moreover, the so-called Flabellum, the fan, which in the early Christian pictures of the birth of Christ a servant holds before the child, s Note 80 · Of a great number of modes of expression and images in the New Testament we know that they originated from the common treasury of the langua Note 81 · About the year 800 B.C. the sun, the heavenly Agni, which had hitherto been at the commencement of spring in the constellation of the Bull, Note 82 · The fifth chapter of Revelation describes the lamb in its quality of heavenly victim of expiation. No one can open the book with the seven s Note 83 · The scene recalls to mind the self-offering of Agni in the midst of the Gods, Priests, and victims, and the ascension of the God which then Note 84 · Again, in the Church of the first century, at Easter, a lamb was solemnly slaughtered upon an altar and its blood collected in a chalice.9 A Note 85 · During the first century after Christ the lamb in association with light and fire was among the most popular images in ecclesiastical langua Note 86 · In the whole of Christendom it passes as a settled matter that Jesus “died upon the cross”; but this has the shape, as it is usually represe Note 87 · There is not then the least occasion for assuming that according to original Christian views an exception to this mode of proceeding was mad Note 88 · How, then, did the idea come into existence that Jesus did not die upon a simple gallows, but rather upon wood having the well-known form of Note 89 · In all private religious associations and secret cults of later antiquity the members made use of a secret sign of recognition or union. Thi Note 90 · That here we have to do with a sun symbol is easily recognised wherever the simple, equally-armed cross appears duplicated with an oblique c Note 91 · After the careful investigations on this subject which have been undertaken by French savants especially, there can be no doubt that we have Note 92 · Naturally, indeed, different views can be held as to what the various forms of the cross betoken. Thus, for example, according to Burnouf, S Note 93 · In the Old Testament also, as was shown above, we meet the cross. Here it served as a mark of recognition and distinction of the God-fearing Note 94 · One and the same word, then (xúlon, crux), betokens both the gibbet and the pledge of life. Christ himself appears as the true “Tree of Life Note 95 · In agreement with this view is the fact that the earliest representations of Christ in connection with the cross had for their subject not t Note 96 · The conception of Christ being put to death upon the cross is, comparatively speaking, a late one. The connection of Christ with the cross w