THE HIDDEN MEANING IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE

In an article on the page titled "The Occult," I have made a passing reference to the "Exoteric" and "Esoteric" teachings found in the Bible. Christian theologians and apologists have struggled for two millennia to develop a coherent doctrine using only the Bible as source material. Alas and alack, no such doctrine has been found, and so the Christian Church relies on contradiction-ridden dogma to convince people that they must be saved from their sins in order to receive the gift of eternal life. However it has been my experience that a much deeper and more logical doctrine can be drawn from the Bible if other sources are studied. In my opinion the Old Testament (commandeered from the Jewish people) is nothing more than a collection of whatever remained of ancient Jewish literature. Thus we find Law, Prophecy, Poetry and History ... these being the story and library of one small branch of humanity. Onto this is attached the New Testament which is of course unique to Christianity. Other early Jewish and Christian writings which the Church Fathers considered to be less authentic than the books selected to make up "God's Word," are lumped together as an appendix to the Bible and referred to as the Apochrypha.

ASTROLOGY IN THE BIBLE

ASTROLOGY IN THE BIBLE: A Brief Introduction. During the course of its slow journey through eternity, the planet earth passes through 2,000 year cycles, which refer to its position in relation to the twelve constellations on which the “science” of astrology is based. However these cycles move in reverse order to that in which they are listed in the common signs of the zodiac. For example, in traditional Western astrology, the Zodiacal signs begin with Aries, then proceed through Taurus, Gemini, Leo and so forth. However the 2,000 years astronomical cycles would move in reverse order, Leo, Gemini, Taurus and Aries. Now the history of the Jewish peoples, as described in the Bible, is clearly divided into these same 2,000 year cycles, so we find that in Exodus 32:1 – 4 “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (2) And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me. (3) And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron. (4) And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” However God said to Moses: “Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted [themselves]: (8)They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” And when Moses returned from the mountain, and saw what was happening, he declared: “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. Exodus 32:20 “And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it]. (21) And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?” And so we see clearly in these excerpts from the Bible that Moses chastised his people for reverting to worshiping the “Golden Calf” (representing the cycle of Taurus). However, in Leviticus 3:7 we clearly see that these people had moved on from cycle of Taurus to the cycle of Aries: (Leviticus 3:7) “If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD.” The three wise men from the East were instructed (Matthew 2: 1 – 10) “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Am I really expected to believe that an actual star maintained it’s position over Bethlehem throughout the long journey of the Three Wise Men? I think not. I would assume that this is a reference to some particular conjunction of stars which indicated to the wise men, (being well versed in astrology, which was already well established in the East,) the arrival of a very significant spiritual presence on the earth. Now Jesus heralded in the 2,000 year cycle of Pisces: the predominant characteristic of this astrological sign being self-sacrifice. I daresay no-one would argue that self-sacrifice is the foundation of Jesus the Christ’s role in Christian doctrine. And of course his disciples used the symbol of the fish to identify themselves to one another. While Christians have placed various unproven interpretations on the real meaning of this symbol, it is much easier to just accept it for what it was: the symbol for the beginning of the Piscean era. When Jesus instructed the twelve apostles where to meet him for the Last Supper, he instructed them to follow a man carrying a pitcher of water: (See Mark 14:13, and Luke 22.10). Well it doesn’t stretch the imaginiation to far to realise that this referred to the symbol of Acquarius . The cycle into which the earth has just entered, and Jesus presumably deliberately used this symbol to indicate his return in 2,000 years.

WHAT WAS THE STAR THE MAGI FOLLOWED? The prophecy of Balaam recorded in Numbers 23–24 is often seen as the source of the interpretation of wise men who, Matthew 2:1–12 reports, sought out the Christ child a millennium and a half later. Who were these wise men? What discipline led them to their interpretation of a phenomenon observed in the sky? What was the star of Christmas? The wise men were magi—members of a learned class that emerged in ancient Persia as advisors to powerful kings. The original magi were trained in agriculture, mathematics, history, the occult, and especially in astronomy and astrology. In the ancient world, the last two disciplines were joined together. It was not just about studying and charting the motions of stars and planets. More importantly, the stars were believed to influence the course of nations and especially the destiny of royal families. It was undoubtedly the magi’s careful and constant observation of the heavens that caused them to discover the unusual star that shone in their western sky. But how would they be able to discern the significance of the star? The Old Testament was among the works studied in the days of the Persian Empire. Remarkably, Babylon was a center of Jewish learning and especially the source of what is known as the Babylonian Talmud (which has equal standing in much of Judaism with the Jerusalem Talmud). The magi, whose thirst for knowledge undoubtedly was insatiable, might have been familiar with the Hebrew sacred writings and puzzled over its prophecies. But what was the nature of the “star” the magi saw and recognized? A number of theories have been suggested. 1. The star was a supernova, bursting in the nighttime sky with unparalleled brilliance. 2. The star was a rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which are the two brightest planets in the sky. 3. The star was a comet flashing through the sky. 4. The star was a supernatural appearance of God’s glory. 5. The star was an angel sent by God, for angels are sometimes referred to as stars in ancient writings. Astronomers have reconstructed the condition of the heavens around the time of Jesus’ birth. They think that several of the above phenomenon probably occurred in the ancient Near East. For instance, a supernova was observed in March/April of 5 B.C. A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurred in May, October, and December of 7 B.C. And a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus could have been seen on June 17, 2 B.C. Most likely we will never know for sure the exact nature of the Christmas star. Yet assuredly it was seen, and its significance was understood. Also, wise men from the East did journey to Judah to worship the King of Jews. Moreover, as bumper stickers remind us, wise people still seek the Messiah. THE MAGI FROM PERSIA

REINCARNATION IN THE BIBLE

By WILLIAM BREHON, Path, December, 1892 AN exhaustive paper on this subject is not contemplated in this article, but even a sketch will show that the Christian Bible has in it the doctrine of Reincarnation. Of course those who adhere only to what the church now teaches on the subject of man, his nature and destiny, will not quickly accept any construction outside of the theological one, but there are many who, while not in the church, still cling to the old book from which they were taught. In the first place, it must be remembered that the writers of the biblical books were Jews with few exceptions, and that the founder of Christianity--Jesus--was himself a Jew. An examination of his own sayings shows that he thought his mission was to the Jews only and not to the Gentiles. He said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." This clearly referred to the Jews and as clearly excluded the Gentiles. And on one occasion he refused for some time to do anything for a Gentile woman until her importunity at last compelled him to act; and then too he referred to his mission to the Jews. So in looking into these things we must also look at what were the beliefs of the day. The Jews then most undoubtedly believed in reincarnation. It was a commonly accepted doctrine as it is now in Hindustan, and Jesus must have been acquainted with it. This we must believe on two grounds: first, that he is claimed by the Christian to be the Son of God and full of all knowledge; and second, that he had received an education which permitted him to dispute with the doctors of divinity. The theory of reincarnation was very old at the time, and the Old Testament books show this to be so. "Proverbs" gives the doctrine where Solomon says he was with the Creator from the beginning and that then his (Solomon's) delights were with the sons of men and in the habitable parts of the earth. This disposes of the explanation that he meant he existed in the foreknowledge of the Creator, by the use of the sentences detailing his life on the earth and with men. Then again Elias and many other famous men were to actually return, and all the people were from time to time expecting them. Adam was held to have reincarnated to carry on the work he began so badly, and Seth, Moses, and others were reincarnated as different great persons of subsequent epochs. The land is an oriental one, and the orientals always held the doctrine of the rebirth of mortals. It was not always referred to in respect to the common man who died and was reborn, but came up prominently when the names of great prophets, seers, and legislators were mentioned. If readers will consult any well educated Jew who is not "reformed," they will gain much information on this national doctrine. Coming now to the time of Jesus, all the foregoing has a bearing on what he said. And, of course, if what he said does not agree with the view of the church, then the church view must be given up or we will be guilty of doubting the wisdom of Jesus and his ability to conduct a great movement. This, indeed, is the real position of the Church, for it has promulgated dogmas and condemned doctrines wholly without any authority, and some that Jesus held himself it has put its anathema upon. When there was brought into the presence of Jesus a man who was born blind, the disciples naturally wondered why he had thus been punished by the Almighty, and asked Jesus whether the man was thus born blind for some sin he had committed, or one done by his parents. The question was put by them with the doctrine of reincarnation fully accepted, for it is obvious the man must have lived before, in their estimation, in order to have done sin for which he was then punished. Now if the doctrine was wrong and pernicious, as the church has declared it to be by anathematizing it, Jesus must have known it to be wrong, and then was the time for him to deny the whole theory and explode it, as well as definitely putting his seal of condemnation upon it for all time. Yet he did not do so; he waived it then and said the blindness was for other reasons in that case. It was not a denial of it. But again when John the Baptist, who had, so to say, ordained Jesus to his ministry, was killed by the ruler of the country, the news was brought to Jesus, and he then distinctly affirmed the doctrine of reincarnation. Hence his waiving the matter in the case of the blind man is shown to have been no refusal to credit the theory. Jesus affirmed the doctrine, and also affirmed the old ideas in relation to the return to earth of the prophets by saying that the ruler had killed John not knowing that he, John, was Elias "who was for to come." On another occasion the same subject arose between Jesus and the disciples when they were talking about the coming of a messenger before Jesus himself. The disciples did not understand, and said that Elias was to come first as the messenger, and Jesus distinctly replied that Elias had come already in the person called John the Baptist. This time, if any, was the time for Jesus to condemn the doctrine, but, on the contrary, he boldly asserts it and teaches it, or rather shows its application to certain individuals, as was most interesting and instructive for the disciples who had not enough insight to be able to tell who any man was in his real immortal nature. But Jesus, being a seer, could look into the past and tell them just what historical character any one had been. And so he gave them details about John, and we must suppose more particulars were gone into than have come down to us in the writings naturally incomplete and confessed to be but a partial narrative of the doings and sayings of Jesus. It must now be evident that there is a diametrical disagreement between the church and Jesus. The church has cursed the doctrine he taught. Which is right? The true believer in Jesus must reply that Jesus is; the church will say it is right by acting on that line. For if the doctrine be taught, then all men are put on an equal basis, and hence the power of the human rulers of heaven and earth is at once weakened. Such an important doctrine as this is one that Jesus could not afford to pass over. And if it is wrong, then it was his duty to condemn it: indeed, we must suppose that he would have done so were it not entirely right. And as he went further, even to the extent of affirming it, then it stands with his seal of approval for all time. John the Revealer believed it of course, and so in his book we find the verse saying that the voice of the Almighty declared that the man who overcame should "go out no more" from heaven. This is mere rhetoric if reincarnation be denied; it is quite plain as a doctrine if we construe it to mean that the man who by constant struggle and many lives at last overcomes the delusions of matter will have no need to go out into life any more, but from that time will be a pillar, what the Theosophist knows as "Dhyan Chohan" forevermore. And this is exactly the old and oriental doctrine on the point. St. Paul also gives the theory of reincarnation in his epistles where he refers to the cases of Jacob and Esau, saying that the Lord loved the one and hated the other before they were born. It is obvious that the Lord cannot love or hate a non-existing thing, and that this means that Jacob and Esau had been in their former lives respectively good and bad and therefore the Lord--or Karma loved the one and hated the other before their birth as the men known as Jacob and Esau. And Paul was here speaking of the same event that the older prophet Malachi spoke of in strict adherence to the prevalent idea. Following Paul and the disciples came the early fathers of the church, and many of them taught the same. Origen was the greatest of them. He gave the doctrine specifically, and it was because of the influence of his ideas that the Council of Constantinople 500 years after Jesus saw fit to condemn the whole thing as pernicious. This condemnation worked because the fathers were ignorant men, most of them Gentiles who did not care for old doctrines and, indeed, hated them. So it fell out of the public teaching and was at last lost to the Western world. But it must revive, for it is one of the founder's own beliefs, and as it gives a permanent and forceful basis for ethics it is really the most important of all the Theosophical doctrines.