christian mysteries - lecture 1: foundations · 2015. 3. 3. · ancient mysteries lecture 1:...

Tracking the

Ancient Mysteries

Lecture 1: Foundations

7/14/2014 1 Andrew Linnell

from Egypt to the

Founding of America

Outline

• Lectures 1 – 5: Conceptual foundations, Egypt, Greece,

The Temple Legend, Vanishing of the Mysteries

• Lectures 6 – 10: Early Christian Mysteries, Faith versus

Knowledge, Charlemagne, Knights Templars, Cathars,

Rosicrucians

• Lectures 11 – 15: Renaissance, Leonardo, Founding of

America, Freemasonry, Mysteries for the Future

7/14/2014 Andrew Linnell 2

www.thechristianmysteries.org

How to Prepare for a Journey

• What do we take with us?

• What might hinder our journey?

o Judging based modern ideas

• Gathering knowledge of where we are headed

o Learn from another’s prior experience

o What if where we are going is not of the physical world?

o Might our sense-bound thinking hinder us during this journey?

• Gloomy, difficult, maddening concepts

• Surprising, exciting, exhilarating discoveries

Different perspectives – mine will be Christian


3 Key Insights Tonight

1. What is the Mysteries’ perspective of the

Human Being?

2. How was Initiation conducted?

3. What was experienced by an Initiate?


Authenticity

• How do we know what to believe?

• Historical documents of an oral tradition?

• Clement of Alexandria (died 217 A.D.), a Christian writer whose education had been pagan, wrote “Thus the Lord did not hinder us from doing good while keeping the Sabbath, but allowed us to communicate of those divine mysteries, and of that holy light, to those who are able to receive them. He did not disclose to the many what did not belong to the many; but to the few to whom he knew that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being moulded according to them. But secret things are entrusted to speech, not to writing, as God confided the unutterable mystery to the Logos, not to the written word.”

• Scholar Ralph Cudworth (1617-1688) proved ancient texts must be viewed as a terminus of an oral tradition

• Akasha Chronicle – Rudolf Steiner

• Does the interpretation have a wholeness fitting the times?


Did the Mysteries Exist?

Yes – many wrote about them

• Indian Mysteries of Brahman

• Ancient Persian Mysteries

• Egyptian Mysteries

• Babylonian-Chaldaic Mysteries

• Greek: Eleusinian Mysteries, Delphi, Athens


What Did They Teach? The Mystery of the Human Being

• Delphi: Oh Man, Know Thou Thyself

• Ancestry/History – Evolution – Preparation for Future

o How many previous solar systems?

o From the Living comes the Lifeless

o The Path of the Human Being

o Awareness of earlier time when Gods intervened

• Meeting the Needs of Contemporaries

o Healing Arts, Royal Arts

o Structure of Society

• Reaching Higher Levels of Consciousness

o Coma → dreamless → dream → awake → more levels?


Levels of Consciousness

Three Hierarchies each with three sub-hierarchies = 9 levels

Ascension of the Virgin, Francesco Botticini (1446-1497)

Hierarchies and Man

• First:

o Seraphim Love

o Cherabim Harmony

o Thrones Will

• Second:

o Kyriotetes Wisdom/Dominions

o Dynamis Movement/Mights

o Exusiai / Elohim Form/Powers

• Third:

o Archai Personality/Age

o Archangel Folk/Groupings

o Angeloi Messenger/Twilight – Guardian Angel

Soul activities 1. Thinking

2. Feeling

3. Willing

Meaning/Goal: Mankind Becomes

the 10th Hierarchy

Greek Concept of the Human

Skeletal: (example)

• Head – Earth, sphere, (thinking)

• Rhythmical – Sun, lemniscate (feeling)

• Limbs – Stars, radial (willing)


Human Members:

• Pneuma – Spirit

• Psyche – Soul

• Soma – Body

Trinity of each member

1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul refers to human nature as

consisting of body, soul, and spirit

Greek Concept of the Human


• Atman

• Buddhi

• Manas

• Consciousness – Dianoetikon

• Intellectual – Kinetikon

• Sentient – Orektikon

• Ego love fire

• Astral – Aisthetikon wisdom air/light

• Etheric – Threptikon beauty water/chem

• Physical – Gaia strength earth/life

Human Being in Prayer

• Evil

• Temptation

• Debts

• Daily Bread


Our Father

• Name

• Kingdom

• Will

As it is in the heavens, so also on the Earth

Image of the Human in Nature

Human

oHead in the heavens, upright

oFeet on the surface of the Earth

oWork on the Earth

Animal: backbone horizontal

Plant

oHead in the earth

oLimbs lift up to the heavens, sex organs

chastely revealed

Philosophic Views of Reality

• The Elements (a world wide concept)

• Plato: Reality is in the Idea. Idea is a real living being

• Reality is full of beings both above and below the human

• Reality was created by a hierarchy of gods who had led humanity but had gradually been withdrawing – their work completed.

Tradition Earth Water Air Fire 5th Other

Greek Earth Water Air Fire Ether n/a

Latin Earth Water Air Fire Quintessence n/a

Hindu Earth Water Air Fire Ether Thought

Buddhist Earth Water Air Fire Ether Thought

Japanese Earth Water Wind Fire Void Consciousness

Who Could Be Initiated?

• Selection typically from bloodline

• High priests could “see” who were candidates

• Pyramid structure

• Elects must first study

• The Temple Sleep within the Holy of the Holies

o 3.5 days elect lay as if dead

o An initiate led the elect through the spiritual world

o Hierophant called the elect back – new name

• Afterwards: Certainty of Spiritual world


Degrees of Initiation (Persian)

1. Raven: the messenger from outer world to the temple - Ravens of Wotan, the Ravens of Elijah, and in the German Barbarossa saga, ravens are the intermediaries between the emperor under a spell in the mountain and the outer world.

2. Occult One/Bridegroom: A meditant in the Temple – overcoming self for community

3. Warrior: Proclaimed the Truth he had experienced

4. Lion: Consciousness has reached the Tribe, firmly grounded in himself; he not only had the Word, but he possessed also the magical forces; Judah

5. True (nation): e.g. “Persian” or “True Israelite” (John 1:46-49): “Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile!” he had seen him under the fig tree, refer to a special process in initiation, thus Nathanael was an initiate of the fifth degree; Tree of Life

6. Sun Hero: had to be so permeated by lawfulness of the good and the wise like the sun that it was impossible for him to stray from the path

7. Father: connected with the future development of mankind


Mithras: Overcoming the Bull • Grows out of Persia, Zoroastrianism, 1st century

• Known as the Mysteries of Mithras o Mystery religion sworn to secrecy. Nothing could be written down

• Mithra serves as mediator o Between Ahura Mazda and the Human

• Sun God Who Was Coming to Earth

• Strong astrological beliefs

• Overcoming the Bull (Taurus) o Bull fights in Spain

o Make way for the Lamb (Aries) 800 BC

7 Stages of Initiation

1. Corax: The Raven (Mercury)

2. Nymphus: The Bridegroom (Venus)

3. Miles: The Warrior (Mars)

4. Leo: The Lion (Jupiter)

5. Perses: The Persian (Moon)

6. Heliodromus: The Sun Hero (Sun)

7. Pater: The Father (Saturn)

What Happened to the

Mysteries?

• Conditions on earth changing – densification

• Gods withdrawing

• Ability for new elects to progress declining

• Living entity does not stay the same – makes way for new

• Rise of Personality/egoism that formerly was tribal identity


Why the Mysteries?

• Group received guidance by its god (arch-angel)

• Guide a Folk to Fulfill its Mission

• Guide the Descent of Spirit to Matter, into Matter

• Preparation for the coming of the Sun God

o Zarathustra: Ahura Mazdo

• Fulfill evolution of consciousness

• Development of Human Being as the 10th hierarchy

o Become Spirits of Love and Freedom


Tonight’s Summary

1. What is the Mysteries perspective of the Human

Being?

2. How was Initiation conducted?

3. What was experienced by an Initiate?


Questions?


Bibliography

• Loeb Classical Library Edition

• Budge, Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection

• Maspero and Rappaport, History of Egypt

• Plutarch, On Isis and Osiris

• Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East, Vol 9

• Tacitus, Germania

• Plato, Timaeus

• Poppelbaum, Herman, Man and Animal

• Spence, Lewis, Mysteries of Egypt

• Colum, Padraic, Orpheus Myths of the World

• Bloomfield, Maurice, Religion of India

• William Scott-Elliot, The Story of Atlantis and Lost Lemuria


Bibliography

• Ehrman, Bart, Lost Christianities: Christian scriptures and the

Battles over Authentication, UNC, The Great Courses

• Welburn, Andrew, Beginnings of Christianity, Floris Books

• Steiner, Rudolf, Christianity as Mystical Fact, Anthroposophic

Press

• Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled and Secret Doctrine

•


References

• A. Heidenreich, The

Unknown in the Gospels

• E. Bock, The Apocalypse

of St. John

• R. Steiner, Wonders of the

World and Mysteries of

the East and Christianity

• K. Rudolph, Gnosticism

• V. Sease and M. Schmidt-

Brabant, The New

Mysteries


• M.L. West, Early Greek Philosophy and the Orient

• M.W. Meyer, The Ancient Mysteries

• M. Eliade, History of Religious Ideas and Rites and Symbols of Initiation

• K. Clinton, The Sacred Officials of the Eleusinian Mysteries

• W. Burkert, Ancient Mystery Cults

References Websites • www.thechristianmysteries.org

• http://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/

• http://www.sacred-texts.com/

• http://eleusinianmysteries.org/

• www.rsarchive.org

• http://www.bibleandanthroposophy.com

• www.biblegateway.com

• http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/

• http://www.britishmuseum.org/learning/schools_and_teachers/resources.aspx

• http://www.esotericquest.org/greece/conferencetheme.html

• http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/Classes/US310/Manichaeanism.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Christianity

• http://www.earlychristianhistory.info/index.html

• http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/index.html


Books and Authors

• Andrew Welburn o The Beginnings of Christianity

o The Mysteries

• Rudolf Steiner o Christianity as Mystical Fact

o The Temple Legend

o Freemasonry and Ritual Work

o Man as Symphony of the Creative Word

• James M. Robinson o The Nag Hammadi Library in

English

• Edward R. Smith o The Burning Bush

o David’s Question: What is Man?

http://www.thechristianmysteries.org/

http://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/

http://www.sacred-texts.com/



http://eleusinianmysteries.org/

http://eleusinianmysteries.org/

http://www.rsarchive.org/

http://www.bibleandanthroposophy.com/



http://www.biblegateway.com/

http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/



http://www.britishmuseum.org/learning/schools_and_teachers/resources.aspx



http://www.esotericquest.org/greece/conferencetheme.html



http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/Classes/US310/Manichaeanism.html

http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/Classes/US310/Manichaeanism.html

http://www.earlychristianhistory.info/index.html





http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/index.html

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/index.html

Reference Timeline

• 100-160 Marcion

• 100-160 Valentinus

• 100-165 Justin Martyr

• 130-200 Irenaeus

• 150-220 Clement of Alexandria

• 160-225 Tertullian

• 170-230 Hippolytus of Rome

• 185-251 Origen of Alexandria

• 260-340 Eusebius

• 285-337 Constantine

• 300-375 Athansius

• 325 Council of Nicea


• BC 356 Herastratus burns Ephesus Temple of Diana

• 333-323 Alexander’s empire

• 140 Rise of Jewish sects: Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes

• 63 Romans conquer Palestine

• 40-4 Herod King of Jews

• 27-AD14 Augustus Emperor

• 4-0 Birth of Jesus

• AD 33? Conversion of Paul

• 54-68 Nero

• 66-70 Jewish revolt, temple destroyed

christian mysteries - lecture 1: foundations · 2015. 3. 3. · ancient mysteries lecture 1:...

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