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）