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inofp#jjpitr      ,transcriber's note3  
,text enclosed by underscores is in     
italics 7italics74          ,greek      
characters have been transliterated to  
,english        characters4 ,the        
transliterations are denoted by ,greek3 
,,pagan ,,origin ,,of ,,partialist      
,,doctrines4    by    ,,rev4 ,,john     
,,claudius ,,pitrat1    ,a ,member of   
the ,university of ,france2 ,author of  
,jesuits  ,unveiled1 of ,paul and       
,julia1 etc41 and  ,formerly a ,romish  
,priest4                ,published by   
the ,author4    ,cincinnati3  ,longley  
,brothers1 ,printers1  #afh ,vine ,st41 
,above ,fourth4  #aheg4    ,entered     
according to act of ,congress1 in the   
year #aheg1 by  ,john ,claudius ,pitrat1
  ,in the ,clerk's ,office of the       
,district ,court for the ,southern      
,district  of ,ohio4          ,,to      

,,brother ,,john ,a4 ,,gurley4          
,dear ,friend ,gurley1--,to you1 who    
have fed me when ,i was starving1       
sheltered me when ,i was a homeless     
exile1 and befriended me when ,i was    
forlorn1 and my life was sought by my   
persecutors1 this volume ,i  inscribe1  
as a feeble token of my lasting         
gratitude and friendship4         ,j4   
,c4 ,,pitrat4          ,,preface4       
,two arguments can be brought forth to  
prove that the ,partialist  doctrines   
are not taught in the ,scriptures3 the  
one is drawn from the  ,scriptures      
themselves1 and the other is drawn from 
history4    ,the first argument1 drawn  
from the ,scriptures1 is this3    ,the  
,partialist doctrines are not taught in 
the ,scriptures1 if it can be  proved by
 the ,scriptures themselves that the    
,partialist doctrines are  not contained
 therein4 ,but it can be proved by the  
,scriptures themselves  that the        
,partialist doctrines are not contained 
therein4 ,then the  ,partialist         

doctrines are not taught in the         
,scriptures4    ,the second argument1   
drawn from history1 is this3    ,the    
,partialist doctrines are not taught in 
the ,scriptures1 if it can be  proved by
 history1 that the origin of the        
,partialist doctrines is ,pagan4  ,but  
it can be proved by history that the    
origin of the ,partialist  doctrines is 
,pagan4 ,then the ,partialist doctrines 
are not taught in the  ,scriptures4     
,these two arguments1 as he who reflects
 can easily perceive1 not only          
corroborate each other1 but their       
respective proving force is such1  that1
 if considered separately1 each one is  
sufficient to peremptorily  prove that  
the ,partialist doctrines are not taught
 in the ,scriptures4  ,the former1 till 
now1 we ,universalists have exclusively 
used1 and it  has been efficacious in   
causing the scales of early and strong  
prejudices to fall from the eyes of     
thousands4 ,however1 it is              
unfortunately a fact1 confirmed by daily

 experience1 that the  conclusions      
arrived at through scriptural           
controversies are striking  only to     
minds of a particular bent and culture4 
,on the contrary1 the  conclusions      
arrived at through historical facts     
present themselves to  the mind of all1 
clear1 vivid and irresistible4 ,it is   
for this reason  that the author1 in    
this book1 presents to the consideration
 of the  ,universalist denomination1 and
 of the public in general1 the second   
argument1 drawn from history4 ,the vast 
number of historical facts1 of          
quotations1 extracts1 etc41 contained in
 this volume1 have been  translated from
 many languages1 with as much accuracy  
as possible4    ,may ,god bless this    
work1 intended to confirm the           
,universalists in their  beloved faith2 
and also to break the chain of prejudice
 which keeps  millions of men in        
ignorance1 in superstition1 in perpetual
 fear1 and  thereby in spiritual        
bondage3 ,ye shall know the truth1 and  

the truth  shall make you free4         
,,the ,,author4          ,,contents4    
,,dedication4                           
iii      ,,preface4                     
v      ,,chapter ,i4      ,,true        
,,spirit ,,of ,,pagan ,,religions4      
#i      ,,chapter ,,ii4      ,,pagan    
,,origin ,,of ,,mysteries4              
#bh      ,,chapter ,,iii4      ,,pagan  
,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,a  
,,personal ,,devil4                 #eh 
,,chapter ,,iv4      ,,pagan ,,origin   
,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,original   
,,sin4                     #fh          
,,chapter ,v4      ,,pagan ,,origin ,,of
 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,trinity4       
#hj      ,,chapter ,,vi4      ,,pagan   
,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of     
,,the ,,supreme ,,divinity ,,of         
,,jesus ,,christ4                       
#hg      ,,chapter ,,vii4      ,,pagan  
,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of     
,,endless ,,hell4                       
#aaa      ,,article ,i4--,metempsychosis
 or ,transmigration of the ,souls4      

#aaa      ,,article ,,ii4--,tartarus4   
#abi      ,,article ,,iii4--,did the    
,christians of the ,first ,centuries    
believe in ,endless ,hell4              
#acf      ,,article ,,iv4--,how the     
,church of ,rome borrowed the doctrine  
of ,endless ,hell from the ,pagans2 and 
how1 afterwards1 the    self-called     
,orthodox ,protestant ,churches borrowed
 it from    the ,church of ,rome4       
#agj      ,,chapter ,,viii4      ,,pagan
 ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,a 
,,first ,,judgment1 ,,by ,,jesus        
,,christ1 ,,immediately ,,after ,,the   
,,separation ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,from   
,,the ,,body4                           
#ahb      ,,chapter ,,ix4      ,,pagan  
,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of     
,,the ,,resurrection ,,of ,,the         
,,body4                                 
#aij      ,,chapter ,x4      ,,pagan    
,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,a  
,,general ,,judgment ,,at    ,,the ,,end
 ,,of ,,the ,,world4                    
#bje      ,,chapter ,,xi4      ,,pagan  

,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of     
,,vicarious ,,atonement4                
#bbi      ,,valedictory4                
#bdf            ,,pagan ,,origin    ,,of
    ,,partialist ,,doctrines4           
,,chapter ,i4    ,,true ,,spirit ,,of   
,,pagan ,,religions4      ,,it seems to 
be an undeniable fact1 that1 before the 
coming of ,jesus  ,christ1 nations had  
immemorially and universally believed1  
that the  universe1 or nature1 was an   
uncreated but animated being1 whose vast
  body comprised the earth1 the sun1 the
 planets and the stars1 to which  one   
great soul impressed motion and life4   
,also they believed that all  those     
principal parts1 or1 in other words1    
principal members of the body  of the   
universe1 were animated by emanations or
 irradiations of the  great soul of the 
universe1 or nature4 ,this ,pantheistic 
doctrine we find  recorded by the       
,chaldean ,zoroaster1 in his            
,zend-,avesta2 by the  ,phoenician      
,sanchoniaton in his ,mythological      

,history2 by the author of  the ,indian 
,vedam2 and by the ,chinese ,confucius1 
in his ,theology4 ,weighty  is the      
testimony of those authors1 who lived1  
,confucius perhaps  excepted1 at about  
the time of ,moses4 ,also1 the above    
doctrine they  themselves believed and  
taught4 ,more1 we find the same         
testimony1 the  same doctrine1 and the  
same teaching1 in nearly all the works  
of the  celebrated poets1 orators and   
philosophers of posterior ages4         
,pliny1 the historian and naturalist1   
writes3 ,the world1 or what we call  the
 heaven1 which1 in its vast embrace1    
encircles all beings1 is a ,god         
eternal1 immense1 uncreated and         
immortal4 ,to seek any thing beyond it  
is  beyond man's reach1 and is vain     
labor4 ,behold1 the universe is the     
,being  truly sacred1 the ,being        
eternal1 immense1 comprising all in     
himself3 he  is all in all1 or rather he
 is himself all4 ,he is the work of     
nature1  and nature itself4    ,we read 

in the sixth book of ,eneida1 by        
,virgil3 ,know1 ,o my son6 that  the    
heavens and the earth1 the deep1 the    
bright globe of the moon1 and  all stars
 are moved by a principle of inly life1 
which perpetuates its  existence2 that  
it is a great intelligent soul1         
extending to all the  parts of the vast 
body of the universe2 and which1        
connected with all1  impresses to all an
 eternal movement4 ,this soul is the    
source of the  life of man1 of that of  
flocks1 birds1 and of all the monsters  
of the  deep4 ,the bright force that    
animates them emanates from that eternal
  fire that shines in the sky1 and      
which1 a captive in the gross matter of 
bodies1 develops itself only as         
permitted by the divers mortal          
organizations that blunt its force and  
activity4 ,at the death of each  animal 
those germs of particular life return to
 their source1 and to the  principle of 
life that circulates in the starry      
sphere4    ,this belief led men to the  

worship of the universe1 or nature1 and 
became the basis of their mythology4    
,they adored the vast body of  nature1  
and its great soul1 under the name of   
,supreme ,being1 of ,jupiter1  of       
,vichnou1 of ,pan1 etc4 ,they adored the
 earth1 the sun1 the planets and  the   
stars under other names4 ,they erected  
temples1 altars1 statues and  chapels to
 those deities1 and worshiped them--not 
the wood1 stone1 or  marble1 as they are
 unjustly accused of1 but the emanations
 of the great  soul of the universe1    
which animated all those principal      
members of the  vast body of nature1    
whose might and influence impressed them
 with  wonder1 terror or gratitude1 and 
thus attracted their adoration4    ,the 
,chinese adored the heavens under the   
name of great ,tien4 ,the ,supreme      
,being in the ,chou-,king is designated 
by the name of ,tien1 which means  from 
heaven1 and of ,chang-,tien1 supreme    
heaven4 ,they had reared temples  to the
 sun1 to the moon1 and to the stars2 and

 also one to the great  being formed of 
the sky1 of the earth and of the        
elements1--being which  is the universe 
named by them ,tay-ki4 ,they worshiped  
the heavens at the  time of the two     
solstices4 ,the ,japanese adored the    
stars and planets  which they supposed  
to be animated by geniuses or gods4     
,they had a  temple dedicated to the    
splendor of the sun4 ,they celebrated   
the feast  of the moon on the #gth of   
,september1 and spent the whole night in
  rejoicing by her light4 ,the ,chinese 
and the ,japanese practice the same     
worship even in our days4    ,the       
,egyptians adored the sun under the name
 of ,osiris1 and the moon  under the    
name of ,iris4 ,to them both they       
ascribed the government of the  world4  
,they built1 to honor ,osiris1 the ,city
 of the ,sun1 or ,heliopolis1  and also 
a splendid temple in which they placed  
his statue4 ,they  worshiped all the    
stars and planets which compose the     
,zodiac4 ,the  animals consecrated in   

the ,egyptian temples1 and religiously  
revered1  represented the various       
functions of the supreme cause2 and they
  referred to the sky1 to the sun1 to   
the moon1 and to the constellations4    
,the ,phoenicians worshiped the moon and
 the stars4 ,they adored the sun  under 
the name of ,hercules4 ,the ,ethiopians 
adored the sun and the moon2  and       
,diodorus informs us1 that those of     
their tribes who inhabited the  country 
above ,meroe adored the sun1 the moon1  
and the universe4 ,they  called         
themselves the sons of the sun3 ,persina
 was the priestess of the  moon1 and the
 king1 her husband1 was the priest of   
the sun4 ,all the  ,africans who were   
settled along the coast of ,angola1 and 
of ,congo1  worshiped the sun and the   
moon2 so the inhabitants of the island  
of  ,teneriffe did4 ,the oldest worship 
of the ,arabs was ,sabism1 the religion 
universally spread in the ,orient3 the  
heaven and the stars were objects  of   
veneration4 ,the moon was more          

especially adored4 ,the ,saracens called
  her ,cabar1 which means great3 even   
now-a-days her crescent adorns the      
religious monuments of the ,turks4      
,among the ,arabs each tribe was under  
the invocation or patronage of a star4  
,the ,sabism was also the religion of   
the ancient ,chaldeans4 ,even now  there
 is at ,helle1 on the ruins of ,babylon1
 a mosque named ,meshed  ,eschams1 or   
,mosque of the ,sun4 ,in this city was  
the temple of ,belus1 or  of the sun1   
the great deity of the ,babylonians4 ,to
 this same god the  ,persians reared    
temples and consecrated images1 under   
the name of  ,mithra4 ,they also honored
 the heaven under the name of ,jupiter1 
the moon  and ,venus1 the fire1 the     
earth1 the air or wind1 and water4 ,the 
fire  ether that circulates in the whole
 universe1 and of which the sun is the  
main force1 was represented in the      
,pyrees by the sacred fire kept         
incessantly burning by the wizards1 or  
priests4 ,at ,tymbree1 in ,troades1  the

 sun was adored under the name of       
,apollo4 ,the island of ,rhodes was     
consecrated to the sun1 to whom the     
colossal statue1 known under the  name  
of the ,colossus of ,rhodes1 was        
erected4 ,the ,massagetes1 the          
,abasges1 the ,derbises1 the ,tartars1  
the ,moscanians1 the ,tchouvaches1 the  
,toungouses1 the ,huns1 all the ,scytic 
nations1 the ,iberians1 the  ,albanians1
 the ,colchidians1 the ,phrygians1 and  
the ,laodiceans1 worshiped  the earth1  
the sun1 the moon1 and the stars1 under 
various emblems4    ,plato informs us   
that the ancient ,greeks had no other   
gods than the sun1  the moon1 the earth1
 the stars1 water1 and fire4 ,orpheus   
considered the  sun as the greatest of  
the gods1 and adored him upon mounts at 
his  rise4 ,epicharmis1 disciple of     
,pythagoras1 called gods the sun1 the   
moon1  the stars1 the earth1 water and  
fire4 ,agamemnon1 in ,homer1 sacrificed 
to  the sun and to the earth4 ,the      
choir1 in the ,oedipus of ,sophocles1   

invokes the sun as being the first among
 the gods1 and their chief4 ,the  earth 
was worshiped in the island of ,cos4    
,also the earth had a temple at  ,athens
 and at ,sparta2 and an altar and oracle
 at ,olympia4    ,when we read          
,pausanias1 who has described ,greece   
and her religious  monuments1 we find   
everywhere traces of the worship of     
nature4 ,we see  temples1 altars1 and   
statues1 consecrated to the sun1 to the 
moon1 to  the earth1 to the ,pleiades1  
to the celestial auriga1 to the goat1 to
 the  bear1 or ,calisto1 to the night1  
to rivers1 etc4 ,the inhabitants of     
,megalopolis sacrificed to the wind     
,boreas1 and had planted a grove in  his
 honor4 ,the ,macedonians adored ,estia1
 or fire1 and prayed to ,bedy1 or       
water4 ,alexander1 king of ,macedonia1  
sacrificed to the sun1 to the moon1  and
 to the earth4 ,the oracle of ,dodone1  
in all its answers1 ordered  sacrifices 
to the ,achelous river4 ,homer gave the 
epithet of sacred to  the waters of the 

,alpheus4 ,nestor and the ,pylians      
sacrificed a bull to  the same river4   
,achilles let his hair grow in honor of 
,sphercius2 he  also invoked the wind   
,boreas and the ,zephyrus4    ,rivers   
were reputed as being sacred and divine1
 because of their utility  to           
vegetation1 to animals1 and to commerce2
 and because nations  considered water  
as one of the first principles of       
nature1 and one of  the most efficacious
 agents of the universal life of the    
,great-,being in  which they believed4  
,in ,thessalia a sacred crow was fed in 
honor of the  sun4 ,this bird is seen   
yet on the monuments of ,mithra1 in     
,persia4 ,the  temples of old ,byzantium
 were consecrated to the sun1 to the    
moon1 and  to ,venus4 ,their idols      
represented them2 also the star         
,arcture1 and the  twelve signs of the  
,zodiac4 ,rome and ,italy had also a    
vast number of  monuments of worship    
addressed to nature1 and to its         
principal agents4  ,tatius1 coming to   

,rome to share the sceptre of ,romulus1 
erected altars  and temples to the sun1 
to the moon1 to ,saturn1 to light1 and  
to fire4  ,the undying fire1 or ,vesta1 
was the most ancient object of worship  
of  the ,romans2 virgins had the care to
 perpetuate it in the temple of this    
,goddess1 as the wizards did in their   
,pyrees4 ,it was1 ,jornandes said1  an  
image of the eternal lights which shine 
in the heavens4    ,in ,rome there was a
 famous temple called ,tellus1 or of the
 earth1 in  which the senate often met4 
,the earth was called mother1 because it
 was  considered as a deity as well as  
the manes4 ,there was in the ,latium a  
fountain of the sun1 and1 near it1 two  
altars upon which neas1 when  landing in
 ,italy1 sacrificed4 ,romulus           
established the games of the  circus to 
honor both the sun1 who in his course   
measures the year1 and  the four        
elements which he modifies by his mighty
 influence4 ,aurelian  built at ,rome   
the temple of the sun1 and decked it    

with gold and  precious stones4         
,augustus1 before ,aurelian1 had ordered
 the images of  the sun and of the moon 
to be brought from ,egypt1 in order to  
adorn his  triumph over ,anthony and    
,cleopatra4 ,the moon had a temple on   
the mount  ,aventine4    ,in ,sicily    
oxen were consecrated to the sun2 and   
the island itself was  called the       
,island of the ,sun4 ,the oxen which the
 companions of ,ulysse  ate when they   
landed1 were consecrated to this god4   
,the citizens of  ,assora adored the    
,chrysas river1 that bathed their walls4
 ,at ,enguyum the  people revered the   
mother-goddesses1 the same deities      
honored in ,crete2  namely1 the major   
and minor ,ursas4 ,in ,spain the people 
of ,betic had  built a temple to the    
morning star4 ,the ,accitans had erected
 to the god  ,sun1 under the name of    
,mars1 a statue whose head imitated the 
rays of  the sun4 ,at ,cadix the sun was
 also adored1 under the name of         
,hercules4  ,all the nations of northern

 ,europe1 called ,celtes1 worshiped     
fire1  water1 the air1 the sun1 the     
moon1 the stars1 the trees1 and the     
springs4 ,the conqueror of ,gaul1 ,csar1
 writes that the ,germans  immemorially 
adored the visible cause1 and its       
principal agents1 the  sun1 the moon1   
fire or ,vulcain1 and the earth1 under  
the name of ,herta4  ,near ,narbonne1 a 
city of ,gaul1 a temple was dedicated to
 the wind  ,circius which purified the  
atmosphere4 ,at ,toulouse there was a   
temple  of the sun4 ,the ,franks        
professed the same religion4    ,in     
,america the ,incas of ,peru called     
themselves the sons of the sun3 they    
dedicated temples and altars to this    
god1 and had instituted feasts in  his  
honor4 ,the moon was associated to his  
worship1 and was considered as  the     
mother of all the sublunar productions2 
and as the spouse and sister  of the    
sun4 ,in ,peru1 the star ,venus was     
adored1 and also the meteors1  the      
thunder1 and ,iris1 or rainbow4 ,virgins

 had the care of keeping alive  the     
perpetual fire4 ,in ,mexico the same    
religion existed4 ,the inhabitants  of  
the ,isthmus of ,panama1 of ,brazil1 of 
,florida2 the ,indians of the  coast of 
,cumana1 the ,floridians1 ,virginians1  
and the ,canadians believed  that there 
was a god in the heavens1 and that this 
god was the sun1 the  spouse of the     
moon4 ,they worshiped them as the two   
supreme causes which  ruled the world4  
,the above historical facts lead us to  
the conclusion that the adoration  of   
the vast body of nature1 together with  
the great soul which was  supposed to   
animate it2 and of its principal parts  
or members1 together  with the          
multifarious emanations of the great    
soul1 which was supposed  to animate    
them1 was the former and universal      
religion of mankind1  before the coming 
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,therefore the       
heathens did not  worship the idols     
themselves1 to which they had given such
 and such  forms to represent the       

objects of their adorations2 but they   
worshiped  what in their mind they      
represented1 the universe taken         
collectively1  as in the idol of ,pan2  
and the universe taken separately2      
namely1 the  important parts of the     
universe1 as in their innumerable idols 
of the  planets1 stars1 rivers1 etc4    
,as we wish to leave no doubt in the    
minds of the reader in regard to the    
certainty of these two great facts1     
which are a key to the origin of the    
dogma of endless misery1 and of others  
which we are to trace out1 we  will     
bring forth other proofs from the       
religious and political monuments  of   
ancient peoples2 from their             
celebrations1 and from the opinions of  
their philosophers4    ,the famous      
labyrinth of ,egypt was dedicated to the
 sun4 ,it formed twelve  palaces1       
representing the twelve signs of the    
,zodiac4 ,there were in  ,heliopolis1 or
 ,city of the ,sun1 twelve columns      
adorned with symbols  relating to the   

elements1 and to the twelve signs4      
,these gigantic piles  had a pyramidal  
shape to better represent the rays of   
the sun1 and the  form of his rising    
blaze4 ,the statue of ,apollo ,agyeus   
was pyramidal4 ,in  ,egypt1 artists were
 not entrusted with determining the form
 of the  images and statues of the gods4
 ,it was one of the prerogatives of the 
,hierophants1 or priests1 who were more 
familiar with astronomy4 ,this  fact    
explains why the number seven1 which    
represented the number of  planets1 and 
the number twelve1 which represented the
 number of the  signs1 were sacred      
numbers1 and were reproduced under all  
kinds of  forms4 ,so the twelve altars  
of ,janus2 the twelve works of ,hercules
 or  sun2 the twelve shields of ,mars2  
the twelve brothers ,arvaux2 the twelve 
gods ,consentes2 the twelve rays of     
light2 the twelve governors in the      
,manichean system2 the twelve adeetyas  
of the ,indians2 the twelve azes of  the
 ,scandinaves2 the twelve wards of the  

city planned by ,plato2 the four  tribes
 of ,athens subdivided into three       
frateries according to ,cecrops'        
division2 the twelve cushions on which  
the creator sits1 in the theogony  of   
the ,japanese2 the twelve cantons of the
 ,etruse league1 and their  twelve      
,lucumons1 or chiefs of cantons2 the    
confederation of the twelve  cities of  
,ionia1 and that of the twelve cities of
 ,eolia2 the twelve  ,tcheou into which 
,chun divided ,china2 the twelve        
countries into which  the ,coreans      
divided the world2 the twelve officers  
chosen to draw the  coffin at the       
funeral of the ,king of ,tunquin2 the   
twelve horses2 the  twelve elephants1   
etc41 used in that ceremony4    ,it was 
the same with the number seven          
representing the planets4 ,so the  seven
 divisions of the city of ,ecbatane2 the
 seven gates of the cavern  of ,mithra1 
or sun2 the seven floors of the tower of
 ,babylon1 with  another representing   
the heaven1 and also the temple of      

,jupiter2 the  seven gates of the city  
of ,thebes1 called each one by the name 
of a  planet2 the seven piped flute     
placed in the hands of the god ,pan who 
represented the universe2 the seven     
stringed lyre of ,apollo1 or sun2  the  
book of fate composed of seven          
memorandums2 the seven prophetic  rings 
of the ,brachmanes1 on which the name of
 a planet was engraved2 the  seven      
stones dedicated to planets in ,laconia2
 the immemorial division  into seven    
tribes adopted by the ,egyptians and the
 ,indians2 the seven  idols pompously   
carried every year by the ,bonzes into  
seven different  temples2 the seven     
mystical vowels which formed the sacred 
formula in  the temples of the planets2 
the seven ,pyrees or altars of the      
monument  of ,mithra2 the seven         
,amshaspands1 or great geniuses1 invoked
 by the  ,persians2 the seven           
,archangels of the ,chaldeans2 the seven
 sounding  towers of old ,byzantium2 the
 week in all nations1 or the period of  

seven  days consecrated each one to a   
planet1 as can be illustrated4 ,for     
instance1 in ,french1 ,monday is called 
,lundi1 which is derived from the  latin
 ,luna1 meaning moon4 ,tuesday is called
 ,mardi1 meaning ,mars4  ,wednesday is  
called ,mercredi1 meaning ,mercury4     
,thursday is called ,jeudi1  meaning    
,jupiter4 ,friday is called ,vendredi1  
meaning ,venus4 ,saturday is  called    
,samedi1 meaning ,saturn4 ,it could also
 be illustrated by other  languages     
derived from the ,latin4    ,the number 
three hundred and sixty1 which is that  
of the days of the  year1 not           
comprising1 however1 the epagomenes or  
complementary days1 was  also retraced  
by the three hundred and sixty days     
comprised in the  theology of ,orpheus2 
by the three hundred and sixty cups of  
the water of  the ,nile1 of which one   
was poured every day1 by the ,egyptian  
priests1  in a sacred cask1 in the city 
of ,achante2 by the three hundred and   
sixty  ,eons1 or geniuses of the        

,gnostics2 by the three hundred and     
sixty idols  placed in the palace of the
 ,dari in ,japan2 by the three hundred  
and  sixty saints1 or geniuses1 who1 the
 ,papists believe1 preside to each day  
of the year1 7as seen in their          
almanacs17 dogma borrowed from the      
heathens2 by the three hundred and sixty
 minor statues which surrounded  that of
 ,hebal1 or the god sun1 ,belus1 adored 
by the ancient ,arabs2 by  the three    
hundred and sixty chapels built around  
the mosque of ,balk1  erected by the    
care of the chief of the family of the  
,barmecides2 by the  three hundred and  
sixty temples built on the mountain     
,louham1 in ,china2  by the wall of     
three hundred and sixty stadiums with   
which ,semiramis  encompassed the city  
of ,belus1 or of the sun1 the famous    
,babylon4 ,in  fine1 the division of the
 ,zodiac into twenty-seven parts1 which 
express  the stations of the moon1 and  
into thirty-six which is that of the    
decans1 was also the object of the      

political and religious  distributions4 
,not only the divisions of the heaven1  
but the constellations themselves  were 
represented in the temples1 and their   
images consecrated among the  religious 
monuments1 and on the medals of the     
cities4 ,the bright star  ,capella1 in  
the constellation ,auriga1 had a statue 
of brass gilt in the  city of the       
,phliassians4 ,to the constellation     
,auriga statues and other  monuments had
 been erected in ,greece under the names
 of ,myrtile1 of  ,hippolyte1 of        
,spheroeus1 of ,cillas1 of ,erectee1    
etc4 ,there were seen1  also1 the       
statues and tombs of the ,atlantides4   
,near ,argos was seen a  mound1 which   
was said to cover the head of the famous
 ,medusa1 whose type  is in the heaven1 
under the feet of ,perseus4 ,the moon1  
or ,diana of  ,ephesus1 was adorned with
 the figure of the ,cancer1 which is one
 of the  twelve signs1 and the mansion  
of this planet4 ,the ,ursa1 adored under
 the  name of ,calisto1 and the ,bootes1

 under that of ,arcas1 had their tombs  
on  ,arcadia1 near the altars of the    
sun4 ,to the same ,bootes a statue was  
erected at ,byzantium1 and also to      
,orion1 the famous ,nembrod of the      
,assyrians4    ,the ,syrians had        
consecrated in their temples the images 
of ,pisces1  7fishes17 one of the signs4
 ,the constellations ,nesra1 or ,eagle1 
,aiyuk1  or ,goat1 ,yagutho1 or         
,pleiades1 and ,suwaha1 or ,alhouwoa1   
and the  ,serpentarius were objects of  
idolatry among the ancient ,sabians4    
,these  names are found even now in     
,hyde's commentary on ,ulug-,beigh4     
,lucian  writes that the whole religious
 system of the ,egyptians was taken from
  the heaven4 ,the most of the cities   
were founded and built under the        
inspection and protection of one of the 
signs of the ,zodiac4 ,their  horoscope 
was drawn2 hence the images of stars on 
their medals4 ,the  medals of ,antioch  
represent the ,ram1 7,aries7 with the   
crescent of the  moon2 those of the     

,mamertines the image of the ,bull1     
7,taurus72 those of  the kings of       
,comargene1 the image of the ,scorpion2 
and those of ,zeugma  and of ,anazarba1 
the image of the ,goat1 7,capricornus74 
,nearly all the  signs are found on the 
medals of the ,antonines4 ,the star     
,hesperus was on  the national seal of  
the ,locrians1 of the ,ozoles1 and of   
the ,opuntians4    ,likewise we shall   
remark that the ancient feasts1 or      
celebrations1 were  connected with the  
principal epochs of nature1 and with the
 heavenly  system4 ,everywhere the      
solsticial and equinoxial celebrations  
are found2  even in our days the        
,catholics celebrate the beginning of   
each season of  the year by fasting and 
abstaining from meat4 ,fohi1 one of the 
most  ancient emperors of ,china1       
ordered sacrifices to be offered to the 
gods  at the commencement of each       
season4 ,four pavilions were erected to 
the  moons of the four seasons4 ,the    
ancient ,chinese1 ,confucius says1      

established a sacrifice in honor of     
,chang-,ty1 at the winter solstice1  and
 one in the spring4 ,the emperor alone  
has the privilege to preside at  these  
two ceremonies1 as being the son of     
heaven4 ,the ,greeks and the  ,romans   
did the same for like reasons4    ,the  
,persians have their ,neurouz1 or feast 
of the sun1 when this king of  the day  
passes under the ,ram1 or under the sign
 of the equinox of the  spring4 ,it is  
even now one of the greatest festivities
 in ,persia4 ,at the  winter's solstice 
the ancient ,egyptians led the sacred   
cow seven times  around the temple2 and 
at the equinox of the spring they       
solemnly  celebrated the coming of the  
sun to once more vivify nature4 ,the    
celebration of the triumph of fire and  
light took place in the city of  the    
sun1 in ,assyria1 and was called the    
celebration of wood-piles4 ,the         
,catholic ,church has borrowed this     
celebration from the heathen1 and has   
fixed it on the ,saturday before        

,easter4    ,the feasts celebrated by   
the ,sabians to honor the planets1 were 
fixed  under the sign of their          
exaltation2 sometimes under that of     
their  mansion2 so the feast of ,saturn 
was celebrated by the ,romans in        
,december1 under the ,capricornus       
7,goat71 mansion of this planet4 ,all   
the  celebrations of the old calendar of
 the ,pontiffs were connected with the  
rise or setting of some constellation or
 star1 as can be ascertained by  reading
 the ,fastes of ,ovide4 ,the religious  
genius of the ,romans1 and  the         
relations of their celebrations with    
nature1 are more especially  seen in the
 games of the circus4 ,the sun1 the     
moon1 the planets1 the  elements1 the   
universe and its principal parts1 were  
represented with  emblems analagous to  
their nature4 ,in the ,hippodrome the   
sun was seen  with steeds which imitated
 its course in the heavens4    ,the     
fields of ,olympia were represented by a
 vast arena consecrated to  the sun4 ,in

 the middle there was a temple of this  
god1 crowned with his  image4 ,the      
limits of the course of the sun1 the    
,orient and the ,occident1  were traced1
 and marked by limits placed at the     
extremities of the  circus4 ,the races  
took place from the east to the west    
seven times1  because of the seven      
planets4 ,the sun1 the moon1 ,jupiter   
and ,venus1 had  each one a chariot4    
,the ,aurig or drivers1 wore garments   
representing  the colors of the         
elements4 ,the chariot of the sun was   
drawn by four  steeds1 and that of the  
moon by two4 ,the ,zodiac was           
represented in the  circus by twelve    
gates2 and also the revolution of the   
major and minor  ,ursas4 ,the sea1 or   
,neptune1 the earth1 or ,ceres1 and the 
other elements1  were personified in    
actors who contended for the prize4     
,the phases of the moon were also       
celebrated1 and particularly the        
neomeny or new-moon2 for temples images 
and mysteries had been dedicated  to the

 god ,month1 or ,mensis4 ,all the       
ceremonial of the procession of  ,isis1 
described in ,apuleo1 refers to nature  
and its parts4 ,the sacred  hymns of the
 ancients had the same object1 if we may
 judge of them by  those of ,orpheus4   
,chun1 one of the most ancient emperors 
of ,china1  ordered many hymns to be    
composed to honor the sun1 the moon1 the
 stars1  etc4 ,all the prayers contained
 in the books ,zends had the same       
objects4  ,the poetical chants of       
ancient authors1 who have transmitted to
 us the  theogonies of ,orpheus1 of     
,linus1 of ,hesiod1 etc41 relate to     
nature and  its agents4 ,hesiod thus    
addresses the ,muses3 ,sing the gods    
immortal1  sons of the earth and of the 
starry sky2 gods born from the bosom of 
night1 and nursed by the ,ocean2 the    
bright stars1 the immense vault of  the 
firmament1 and the gods sprung from     
them2 the sea1 the rivers1 etc4    ,the 
songs of ,iopas1 in the banquet offered 
by ,dido to the ,trojans1  contain the  

lessons of the learned ,atlas about the 
course of the sun and  of the moon2     
about the origin of men1 of animals1    
etc4 ,in the ,pastorals  of ,virgil1 the
 old ,silene sings the chaos and the    
organization of the  world4 ,orpheus    
does the same in the ,argonautics of    
,apollonius4 ,the  cosmogony of         
,sanchoniaton1 or of the ,phoenicians1  
conceals under the  veil of allegories  
the great secrets of nature which were  
taught to  those initiated4 ,the        
philosophers who succeeded to the poets 
called all  the parts of the universe   
divine4 ,in the opinion of ,pythagoras  
the  celestial bodies were immortal and 
divine4 ,the sun1 the moon1 and all  the
 stars superabundantly contained heat1  
or principle of life4 ,he  placed the   
substance of the deity in the ethereal  
fire1 of which the  sun1 he said1 was   
the main focus4    ,parmenides imagined 
a halo around the world1 and called it  
the substance  of the deity2 the stars  
partook of the nature thereof4 ,alimeon 

of  ,crotona taught that the sun1 the   
moon1 and the stars were the gods4      
,antisthenes acknowledged but one deity1
 nature4 ,plato attributed  divinity to 
the world1 to the sky1 to the stars1 and
 to the earth4  ,xenocrates and         
,heraclides admitted eight great gods1  
the seven planets  and the heaven of the
 fixed stars4 ,theophrastes called the  
stars and the  celestial signs first    
causes4 ,zenon said that the ether1 the 
stars1 time  and its parts were gods4   
,cleanthes admitted the dogma of the    
divinity of  the universe1 and more     
especially of the ethereal fire that    
envelops  the spheres1 and penetrates   
them4 ,diogene1 the ,babylonian1 related
 the  whole mythology to nature4        
,chrysippus held that the world was     
,god4 ,he  placed the divine substance  
in the ethereal fire1 in the sun1 in the
  moon1 in the stars1 in one word1 in   
nature and its principal parts4         
,anaximandre1 ,anaximenes and ,zenon had
 the same belief4    ,from this         

exposition of the religious and         
political monuments of ancient  peoples1
 of their celebrations1 and of the      
opinions of their  philosophers2 and    
also of the historical facts brought    
forth before1 we  draw these two logical
 and vital conclusions3--    #ast4      
,therefore the adoration of the vast    
body of nature1 together with  the great
 soul which was supposed to animate it2 
and of its principal  parts and members1
 together with the multifarious         
emanations of the  great soul which was 
supposed to animate them1 was the former
 and  universal religion of mankind     
7excepting the ,hebrews7 before the     
coming  of ,jesus ,christ4    #b;d4     
,therefore the heathens did not worship 
the idols themselves1 to  which they had
 given such and such forms to represent 
the objects of  their adorations1 but   
they worshiped what in their mind they  
represented1 the universe taken         
collectively1 as in the idol of ,pan2   
and  the universe taken separately1     

namely1 the important parts of the      
universe1 as in their innumerable idols 
of the planets1 stars1 rivers1  etc4    
,,chapter ,,ii4    ,,pagan ,,origin ,,of
 ,,mysteries4      ,,whether the word   
mystery is derived from the ,greek muo1 
,i close1 or  from mueo1 ,i teach1 is   
not an important question1 for the word 
mystery  has always implied the double  
idea of secrecy and of instruction4     
,kings1  emperors1 and even the most    
liberal of the legislators1 seem to have
  believed1 from the very cradle of     
nations1 that people ought to be        
governed with fables1 because they are  
too weak minded1 and too ignorant  to   
understand and bear the truth4 ,of all  
the errors which have  enshrouded the   
human race1 none has been more injurious
 to progress1  virtue1 and happiness    
among men4 ,even in our days1 of all the
 existing  governments1 there is but    
one1 if any at all1 which does not place
 its  strength upon the erroneous basis 
that the people1 being not able to      

understand and bear the truth1 are more 
easily ruled by being kept in  their    
ignorance and superstition4 ,this great 
error gave birth to  mysteries4    ,when
 men constituted themselves into        
national bodies1 they chose men1  and   
vested them with the power of           
administering their interests4 ,those   
men forfeited their mandate1 and became 
the tyrants of their  constituents4 ,in 
order to secure and perpetuate their    
sway1 they  associated to their personal
 interests hierophants1 priests of all  
kinds1 astronomers1 philosophers1 and   
poets1 who composed fables1  intended to
 have a moral bearing upon the people1  
and to make their  masses believe them  
as being the truth4 ,those fables they  
called  mysteries4    ,egypt had her    
initiations1 known under the name of    
mysteries of ,osiris  and ,isis2 from   
which those of ,bacchus and ,ceres were 
mostly copied4 ,when  we compare the    
courses and adventures of the ,ceres of 
the ,greek1 with  those of the ,egyptian

 ,isis1 we can not but see the filiation
 of these  two fables4 ,the poems whose 
,bacchus is the hero1 and the history of
 the  ,osiris1 the ceremonies practiced 
to honor these two deities1 and the     
identity of both acknowledged by the    
ancients1 evidently prove that the      
mysteries of the latter have given birth
 to the former4 ,cybele and ,atys  had  
their initiations1 and the ,cabires     
also4    ,the ,chinese had and still    
have mysteries on ,fo1 and ,pousa2 the  
,japanese  upon ,xaca and ,amida2 the   
,siamois on ,sommonacodom2 the ,indians 
on ,brama  and ,rudra2 the ,parsis upon 
,ormuzd and ,ahriman4 ,the ,selles      
studied the  mysterious words of the    
doves of ,dodone2 ,persia1 ,ethiopia1   
,scythia1  ,gaul1 and ,scandinavia1 had 
their caverns1 their holy mounts1 their 
sacred oaks1 where the brahmanes1 the   
astrologers1 the gymnosophists  and the 
druids1 pronounced the inexplicable     
oracle of the immortals4 ,the           
,mahomedans have mysteries on the       

miracles of ,mahomet4    ,we hope to    
interest and instruct the reader in     
translating the following  extract from 
the ,voyage of ,anacharsis1 a reliable  
work4 ,anacharsis is  supposed to have  
traveled in ,greece1 in the fourth      
century before the  ,christian era4 ,he 
thus relates the mysteries of ,eleusis3 
,i shall speak of the most important    
point of the religion of the            
,athenians1 of those mysteries whose    
origin is lost in the night of ages2    
whose ceremonies inspire no less terror 
than veneration2 and whose  secret has  
never been revealed1 except by a few    
persons who were  immediately devoted to
 death1 and to public execration2 for   
the law not  only pronounces against    
them the confiscation of their property 
and the  loss of their life1 but it     
orders that a column be erected1 to     
perpetuate the rememberance of their    
crime and of their punishment4    ,of   
all the mysteries established in honor  
of the gods1 none were more  celebrated 

than those of ,ceres4 ,this goddess     
herself1 it is said1  regulated them1   
while she was wandering on the earth for
 the purpose of  finding ,proserpine1   
ravished by ,pluto1 she arrived in the  
plain of  ,eleusis4 ,pleased with the   
welcome extended to her by the          
inhabitants1  she presented them with   
two signaled blessings1 agriculture1 and
  initiation to a sacred doctrine4 ,it  
is added1 that the minor mysteries      
which are preparatory to the major1 were
 instituted to the honor of  ,hercules4 
,people believe1 that1 wherever the     
,athenians established the mysteries  of
 ,eleusis1 the spirit of union and      
humanity became more general2  because  
they free the soul from ignorance and   
stains2 procure the  particular         
assistance of the gods2 the means of    
arriving at the  perfection of virtue2  
the sweets of a holy life2 the hope of a
 peaceable  death1 and of an endless    
bliss4 ,those initiated will occupy a   
distinguished place in the ,elysian     

fields2 they will enjoy a pure light1   
and they will dwell in the bosom of the 
,deity2 whereas1 those who are  profane 
will dwell hereafter in abodes of       
darkness and of horror4    ,in order to 
avoid such an alternative the ,greeks   
flocked from  everywhere to ,eleusis to 
find the promised bliss4 ,though young1 
the  ,athenians are admitted to the     
ceremonies of the initiation2 and those 
who never participated to them ask this 
favor before they die2 the  menaces and 
the pictures of the sufferings of       
another life1 before  considered as a   
subject of derision1 cause a more vivid 
impression on  the mind2 and then terror
 generates weakness4 ,however1 there are
  enlightened men who do not believe    
that there is any need for them to be   
initiated in order to be virtuous4      
,socrates constantly declined joining   
the mysteries2 and1 one day1 ,diogenes  
being solicited1 in my presence1  to ask
 for initiation1 answered3 ',patcion1 a 
famous thief1 was  initiated2           

,epaminondas and ,agesilas never asked  
for it4 ,can ,i believe  that the former
 will go to the ,elysian fields and the 
latter to the  ,tartarus4'    ,all the  
,greeks can aspire to participate to the
 mysteries3 an ancient  law excludes the
 foreigners4 ,the major mysteries are   
celebrated every  year on the fifteenth 
of the month of ,boedromion4 ,the       
celebration of the  minor mysteries is  
also annual1 and takes place six months 
before4  ,during the celebration of the 
major mysteries the tribunals are       
closed4  ,the day following1 the senate 
pronounces the penalty of death against 
those who have willfully disturbed the  
ceremonies4 ,this severity is  required 
to maintain order among the immense     
multitude of people4 ,in  time of war   
the ,athenians send to their foes safe  
conducts to induce  them to assist at   
the celebration4    ,on the fourteenth  
of ,boedromion1 in the second year of   
the one hundred  and ninth ,olympiad1 ,i
 left ,athens with several of my        

friends4 ,the gate  through which the   
,athenians pass to go to ,eleusis is    
called sacred4 ,the  space between these
 two cities is of about one hundred     
stadiums4 ,after  crossing a high hill  
decked with rosy laurels1 we entered the
 territory  of ,eleusis2 and we arrived 
on the banks of two small brooks        
consecrated1  the one to ,ceres1 and the
 other to ,proserpine4 ,i mention them  
because  the priests of the temple are  
the only ones who are permitted to fish 
in  them2 and because their waters are  
salted1 and are used in the  ceremonies 
of initiation4 ,farther1 on the bridge  
of a river named  ,cephize1 we had to   
bear the mockeries of a numerous        
populace1 who stand  there to criticize 
the comers1 and more especially the most
  distinguished men of the ,republic4   
,it is an old tradition that ,ceres had 
been welcomed on this very spot by an   
old woman1 called ,yambe4    ,at a short
 distance from the sea there is a high  
and long hill1 at the  eastern end of   

which the famous temple of ,ceres and   
,proserpine has been  reared4 ,further  
down is the small city of ,eleusis4 ,in 
the vicinity1 and  on the hill itself1  
there are chapels and altars1 and rich  
country-seats4 ,the temple1 built under 
the care of ,pericles1 on the bare      
rock1 is of pantelic marble2 and is     
turned towards the ,orient4 ,it is so   
vast as magnificent2 its enclosure at   
the south is of about three  hundred and
 eighty-four feet1 and at the east of   
three hundred and  twenty-five4 ,the    
most celebrated artists have adorned    
this temple with  master-pieces of art4 
,among the numerous priests who         
officiate in the temple1 there are four 
principal4 ,the first is the            
,hierophant2 his name designates the one
 who  reveals the sacred things1 and his
 main office is to initiate the         
postulants to the mysteries4 ,he appears
 with a distinguished tunic2 his        
forehead is decked with a diadem1 and   
his hair is floating on his  shoulders4 

,his age must be mature enough to       
correspond with the gravity  of his     
ministry1 and his voice fine enough to  
be pleasing to the ears4  ,his          
priesthood is for life2 and he is       
obliged to keep celibacy4 ,the  second  
priest carries the sacred flambeau in   
the ceremonies1 and  purifies the       
candidates2 he has also the privilege of
 wearing a diadem4  ,the two others are 
the sacred herald1 and the assistant at 
the altar4    ,the holiness of their    
ministry is rendered even more          
respectable by  their noble birth4 ,the 
,hierophant is chosen in the family of  
the  ,eumolpides1 one of the most       
ancient of ,athens2 the sacred herald in
 that  of the ,ceryces1 which is a      
collateral branch of the other2 the two 
other  priests belong also to           
illustrious families4 ,these four       
priests have  under their command other 
ministers1 such as the interpreters1 the
  singers1 and other officers1 who have 
the direction of the processions  and   

other ceremonies4 ,also there are at    
,eleusis priestesses consecrated  to    
,ceres and to ,proserpine4 ,they have   
the privilege of initiating  certain    
persons on particular days1 and to offer
 sacrifices4    ,the celebrations are   
presided by the second of the           
,archontes1 whose  duty is to keep      
order1 and to prevent any change or     
alteration in the  worship4 ,they last  
several days4 ,sometimes those initiated
 interrupt  their sleep to continue     
their pious exercises3 we saw them      
during the  night crossing the          
enclosure1 walking in silence two by    
two1 and holding  each one a lighted    
torch4 ,when they reentered the sacred  
asylum they  hastened their march2 and  
,i learned that they were going to      
figure the  courses of ,ceres and of    
,proserpine2 and that1 in their rapid   
evolutions1  they shook their torches1  
and handed them to each other4 ,the     
light which  springs out1 it is said1   
has the virtue of purifying the souls1  

and  becomes the symbol of the light    
which ought to instruct them4    ,one   
day games were celebrated in the honor  
of the two goddesses4 ,famous  champions
 had come from various parts of ,greece1
 and the prize was a  measure of barley1
 raised in the neighboring plain1 whose 
inhabitants  hold from ,ceres the art of
 cultivating this sort of wheat4 ,on the
 sixth  day1 the most brilliant of all1 
the priests of the temple1 and those    
initiated1 carried from ,athens to      
,eleusis1 the statue of ,iacchus1 said  
to be the son of ,ceres or of           
,proserpine4 ,the god1 crowned with     
myrtle1  held a flambeau4 ,about thirty 
thousand people followed1 making the air
  resound with the name of ,iacchus4    
,the march1 led by the sound of         
instruments and the singing of hymns1   
was sometimes suspended to perform      
dances and sacrifices4 ,the statue was  
introduced in the temple of  ,eleusis1  
and then taken back in his own1 with the
 same splendors1 and  the same          

ceremonies4    ,many of those who       
composed the procession had been        
initiated only to  the minor mysteries1 
annually celebrated in a small temple1  
situated  near the ,illissus4 ,there a  
priest examines and prepares the        
candidates2  he excludes them if they   
are guilty of enormous crimes1 and      
particularly  if they have committed    
murder1 even without purpose4 ,he       
imposes upon  the others frequent       
expiations1 and teaches them the first  
rudiments of  the sacred doctrine4 ,this
 noviciate sometimes lasts several      
years1 but  generally one only4 ,during 
the time of probation1 the candidates   
assist  at the celebration of the major 
mysteries2 but they remain at the door  
of the temple4    ,the initiation to the
 great mysteries had been appointed for 
the night  following4 ,one of the       
preparatory ceremonies was the offering 
of  sacrifices1 for the prosperity of   
the state1 presided by the second of    
the ,archontes4 ,the novices were       

crowned with myrtle4 ,their robes seem  
to  contract such a holiness that many  
of them wear them until they are worn   
out2 others make of them                
swaddling-clothes for their children1 or
 hang  them in the temple4 ,we saw them 
enter in the sacred hall2 and1 on the   
next morning1 one of my friends1 who had
 been newly initiated1 related  to me   
many of the ceremonies which he had     
witnessed4    ,he told me1 ',we found   
the ministers of the temple dressed in  
their  pontifical robes4 ,the           
,hierophant1 who1 in that moment1       
represents the  author of the universe1 
had symbols which designated the power  
supreme4  ,the flambeau-bearer and the  
assistant to the altar appeared with the
  attributes of the sun and of the moon2
 and the sacred herald with those  of   
,mercury4 ,we had just taken our seats  
when the herald exclaimed3 ',away  from 
here ye profane and impious men1 and all
 those whose souls are  contaminated    
with crimes6' ,the penalty of death was 

decreed against  those who had the      
temerity of remaining in the temple     
without being  entitled to it1 after    
this admonition4 ,the second of the     
priests ordered  that the skins of the  
victims be spread beneath our feet2 and 
he  purified us anew4 ,the rituals of   
initiation were loudly read1 and hymns  
in the honor of ,ceres were sung4       
,soon after a roar was heard4 ,the earth
 seemed to shake4 ,amid lightning  and  
thunder phantoms and spectres were seen 
roaming in darkness4 ,they  filled the  
holy hall with soul-rending groans and  
howlings4 ,sufferings1  cares1 diseases1
 poverty1 and death1 under hideous      
forms1 struck our  gaze4 ,the           
,hierophant explained these various     
emblems1 and his vivid  pictures added  
to our terror4 ,however1 guided by a    
feeble light1 we were  advancing towards
 the regions of the ,tartarus1 where the
 souls get  purified before they reach  
the abode of bliss4 ,amidst sorrowful   
voices  we heard the bitter regrets of  

those who had committed suicide4 ,they  
are  punished1 the ,hierophant said1    
because they have deserted the posts    
assigned to them by the gods4    ,he had
 scarcely pronounced these words1 when  
brass gates were thrown  open before us 
with a frightful roar1 and then we saw  
the horrors of the  ,tartarus4 ,it      
resounded with the rattle of chains1 and
 the yells of its  unfortunate inmates4 
,learn from us1 did they say1 to respect
 the gods1  and to be just and grateful4
 ,we saw the furies1 armed with whips1  
unmercifully torturing the criminals4   
,these frightening pictures1 made  more 
so by the sonorous and imposing voice of
 the ,hierophant1 who seemed  to        
exercise the ministry of divine         
vengeance1 filled our soul with  terror4
 ,in fine1 we were introduced in        
delightful thickets2 in enameled        
meadows2 fortunate abodes1 image of the 
,elysean fields1 where a pure  light    
shone1 where charming voices were heard4
 ,we passed into the  sanctuary1 where  

we saw the statue of the goddess        
resplendent with  brightness1 and       
dressed in the richest attire4 ,in this 
sanctuary our  trials ended2 there our  
eyes saw1 and our ears heard1 what we   
are  forbidden to reveal4 ,i will simply
 confess that in the delirium of a  holy
 joy we sung hymns of joy4'    ,such was
 the recital of the newly-initiated4    
,another told me a  circumstance which  
the other omitted4 ,one day1 during the 
celebrations1  the ,hierophant uncovered
 the mysterious baskets1 which are      
carried in  the procession1 and which   
are the object of the public veneration4
 ,they  contained the sacred symbols1   
whose sight is prohibited to those      
uninitiated1 and which are but cakes of 
various forms1 grains of salt1  and     
other objects1 which relate to the      
history of ,ceres1 and to the  dogmas   
taught in the mysteries4 ,when those    
initiated have taken them  from a       
basket1 and put them in another1 they   
say that they have fasted  and drank the

 ,ciceon4    ,i often met with men who  
were not initiated1 and who freely      
expressed  their opinions about the     
secret doctrines taught in the          
mysteries4 ,one  of the disciples of    
,plato said3 ',it seems to be certain   
that the  ,hierophant teaches the       
necessity of pains and rewards beyond   
the grave2  and that he represents to   
the postulants the various destinies of 
men  here below and hereafter4 ,also it 
seems to be certain that he teaches     
them1 that1 among the great number of   
deities adored by the multitude1  the   
ones are pure spirits1 who1 ministers of
 the will of the god  supreme1 regulate 
under his command the motion of the     
universe2 and the  others have been     
simple mortals1 whose tombs are kept yet
 in several  parts of ,greece4 ,is it   
not natural to think1 that1 in order to 
give a  more accurate idea of the       
,deity1 the institutors of mysteries    
endeavored  to maintain1 and to thus    
perpetuate a dogma1 whose vestiges are  

more or  less visible in the opinions1  
and ceremonies1 of nearly all           
nations--that of a ,god1 who is the     
principal and end of all things8 ,such  
is1 in my opinion1 the august secret    
revealed to those initiated4'    ,no    
doubt political ends encouraged the     
institution of this religious           
association4 ,polytheism was generally  
spread1 and was pleasing the  people1   
but on account of the multiplicity of   
the gods it was dangerous  to society4  
,it was thought wiser not to destroy    
this belief1 but to  counterbalance it  
by a purer religion4 ,as the people are 
more restrained  by the laws than by    
abstract principles of morals1 the      
legislators  contrived to harmonize the 
superstition of the people with purer   
religious and moral principles1 which   
they should simultaneously teach4       
',thus1' the disciple of ,plato added1  
'you understand why the gods are        
represented on the theatre of ,athens3  
the magistrates who do not believe  the 

false doctrines of ,polytheism are very 
careful not to repress a  superstition  
and a license1 which amuse the people1  
and whose repression  would indispose   
them4    ',also you understand how two  
religions1 though opposed in their      
dogmas1  conjointly exist in peace and  
harmony in the same cities4 ,the reason 
of  it is1 that1 though their dogmas are
 different1 these religions use the     
same language1 and that the truth has   
for the error the same tolerance1  and  
courtesy1 which the truth should obtain 
from the error4 ,externally  the        
mysteries present but the worship       
adopted by the people4 ,the hymns  sung 
in public1 and the most of the          
ceremonies retrace to the masses  many  
circumstances of the rape of            
,proserpine1 of the courses of ,ceres1  
of her arrival and sojourn at ,eleusis4 
,the vicinity of this city is full  of  
monuments reared in the honor of the    
goddess1 and the priests show1  as yet1 
the stone upon which1 tradition relates1

 she rested when  exhausted with        
fatigue4 ,thus1 on one hand1 the        
ignorant people believe  appearances as 
if they were realities2 and on another  
hand1 those who  have been initiated1   
having a clear sight of the spirit of   
the  mysteries1 think they are right on 
account of the purity of their          
intentions4'    ,whatever it may be of  
the supposition ,i have related1 the    
initiation is  now but a vain ceremony4 
,those who have been initiated are not  
more  virtuous than the others2 every   
day they violate their pledge of        
abstaining from fowl1 from fish1 from   
pomegranates1 from beans1 and  several  
other kinds of fruits1 and of           
vegetables4 ,several have  contracted   
this sacred engagement through unworthy 
means2 for1 not long  ago1 we have seen 
the government permitting the sale of   
the privilege of  participating to the  
mysteries2 and1 for a long while1 women 
of ill fame  have been admitted to      
initiation4    ,as it would require     

volumes to describe the ceremonies of   
all these  ,pagan mysteries1 we shall   
only examine their general character2   
show  forth their end2 group together   
their common features1 and glance at the
  means used by political and religious 
leaders1 to give a full scope to  this  
powerful governmental engine4    ,the   
mysteries of ,eleusis1 and in general of
 all mysteries1 aimed at the            
amelioration of mankind1 at the         
reformation of morals1 and at taking    
hold of the souls of men with more power
 than through the means of the  laws4   
,if the means used was not lawful1 we   
must however confess that the  aim was  
laudable1 not in the minds of kings1    
emperors1 hierophants and  other        
priests1 but in itself4 ,cicero1 the    
illustrious ,roman orator1  said1 that  
the institution of mysteries was one of 
the most useful to  humanity2 at least  
the mysteries of ,eleusis1 whose        
effects1 he added1  have been to        
civilize nations2 to soften the         

barbarous and ferocious  habits and     
morals of the first societies of men2   
and to make known the  most important   
principles of morals1 which initiate man
 to a sort of  life that is worthy of   
his nature4    ,the same was said of    
,orpheus1 who introduced in ,greece the 
mysteries of  ,bacchus4 ,poets wrote of 
him1 that he had tamed tigers and lions2
 and  that he attracted even trees and  
rocks with the melodious strains of his 
lyre4 ,mysteries aimed at the           
establishment of the reign of justice   
and  of religion1 in the system of the  
rulers1 who1 from policy1 maintained    
the one by the other4 ,this double end  
is contained in this verse of           
,virgil3--,learn from me to respect     
justice and the gods2 this was the      
great lesson given by the ,hierophant   
when the postulants were initiated4     
,those initiated learned in those       
profound sanctuaries1 under the dark    
and deep veil of fables1 their duties   
towards their fellow men2  pretended    

duties which they were taught to the    
gods1 and1 more  unfortunately yet1     
pretended duties towards their political
 and  religious leaders1 or rather      
tyrants4    ,rulers used all imaginable 
means to give a supernatural character  
to  their laws1 and to make the people  
believe that they had this character4   
,the imposing picture of the universe1  
and the poetry of mythological          
conceptions1 gave to the legislators the
 subject of the varied and  wonderful   
scenes which were represented in the    
temples of ,egypt1 of  ,asia1 and of    
,greece4 ,all that can produce illusion1
 all the resources of  witchcraft and of
 theatrical exhibitions1 which were but 
the secret  knowledge of the effects of 
nature1 and the art of imitating them2  
the  brilliant pomp of festivities2 the 
variety and riches of decorations and   
costumes2 the majesty of the ceremonial2
 the captivating power of music2  the   
choirs2 the chants2 the dances2 the     
electrifying sounds of cymbals1         

calculated to produce enthusiasm and    
delirium1 and more favorable to         
religious exaltation than the calm of   
reason1 all was brought to action  to   
attract the people to the celebration of
 the mysteries2 and to create  in their 
souls a want1 a desire for them4        
,under the charms of pleasure1 of       
rejoicings and of celebrations1         
legislators and other rulers oftentimes 
concealed a salutary aim2 and  they     
treated the people like a child1 which  
can never be more  efficaciously        
instructed1 than when he thinks that his
 preceptor intends  only to amuse him4  
,they resorted to great institutions to 
shape society2  to form habits2 and to  
direct public opinion and morals4       
,how magnificent was the procession of  
those initiated advancing to the  temple
 of ,eleusis6 ,the banners1 the sacred  
chants1 the music1 the  costumes1 and   
the dances1 had a rapturous effect on   
the masses4 ,they  thronged an immense  
temple2 we say immense1 for if we judge 

the number  of those initiated by the   
number of those who assembled in the    
plains  of ,thriase1 when ,xerxes went  
to ,attic1 they were more than thirty   
thousand4 ,the costly and glowing       
ornaments which decked the vast hall1   
the symbolic statues1 which were        
master-pieces of sculpture1 and the     
mysterious pictures which were          
symmetrically arranged in the rotunda of
  the sanctuary1 filled the soul with   
amazement1 and with a religious         
respect4    ,all that was seen in the   
temple1 the decorations1 costumes1      
ceremonies1  splendor2 and all that was 
heard1 the sacred chants1 the melody of 
instruments1 the mythological teaching1 
the elevating poetry and the  eloquence 
of orators1 struck the spectators with  
wonder1 produced and  left in their     
souls the most profound impressions4    
,not only the universe  was presented to
 their gaze under the emblem of an egg  
divided into  twelve parts1 representing
 the months of the year1 but also the   

division  of the universe into cause    
active and cause passive1 and its       
division  into the ,principle of light1 
or good god1 and the ,principle of      
darkness1  or bad god4    ,varron       
informs us that the great gods adored at
 ,samothrace were the  heaven and the   
earth1 considered1 the first as the     
cause active1 and the  second as the    
cause passive of generation4 ,in other  
mysteries the same  idea was retraced by
 the exposition of the ,phallus and of  
the ,cteis4 ,it  is the ,lingham of the 
,indians4    ,the same was done in      
regard to the division of the world into
 two  ,principles1 the one of light1 or 
good god1 and the other of darkness1  or
 bad god4 ,plutarch writes1 that this   
religious dogma had been  consecrated in
 the initiations1 and in the mysteries  
of all nations2 and  the example which  
he puts forth1 extracted from both the  
theology of the  ,chaldeans1 and from   
the dogma of the symbolic egg produced  
by these two  ,principles1 is a proof of

 it4 ,in the temple of ,eleusis there   
were scenes  of darkness and of light1  
which were successively presented to the
 eyes  of the candidates to initiation3 
those scenes retraced the combats of    
the ,principle of light1 or good god1   
and of the ,principle of darkness1  or  
bad god4    ,in the cavern of the god   
,sun1 or ,mithra1 the priests had       
represented1  among the mysterious      
pictures of the initiation1 the descent 
of the  souls to the earth1 and their   
return to the heavens through the seven 
planetary spheres4 ,also were exhibited 
the phantoms of invisible powers1  which
 chained them to bodies1 or freed them  
from their bonds4 ,several  millions of 
men witnessed those various spectacles1 
of which they were  most severely       
forbidden to speak before the public4   
,however the poets1  the orators1 and   
the historians give us in their writings
 some idea of  what were those scenes1  
formulas1 ceremonies1 fables1 and       
morals1--as1  for instance1 in what they

 have written about the adventures of   
,ceres1  and of her daughter4 ,there was
 seen the chariot of this goddess drawn 
by  dragons2 it seemed to hover above   
the earth and the seas4 ,it was a true  
theatrical exhibition4 ,the variety of  
the scenes was pleasing1 and the  play  
of machines was attractive4 ,grave were 
the actors1 majestic the  ceremonial1   
and passion-stirring the fables and     
representations4    ,the hierophants1 or
 priests1 profoundly versed in the      
knowledge of the  genius of the people1 
and in the art of leading them1 availed 
of the  minutest circumstances to create
 in them the desire to be initiated to  
their mysteries4 ,night seems to be the 
mother of secrecy and the emblem  of    
mystery2 it is favorable to prestige and
 illusion2 in consequence  they         
celebrated their mysteries in the night4
 ,the fifth day of the  celebration of  
the mysteries of ,eleusis was renowned  
by the superb  torchlight procession1 in
 which those initiated1 holding each one

 a  bright torch1 walked two by two     
wearing enigmatic emblems4    ,it was   
during the night1 that the ,egyptians   
solemnly and processionally  went to the
 shore of a lake2 they embarked1 and    
landed in an island  beautifully        
situated in the middle of the lake2 and 
there they  celebrated the mysteries of 
the passion of ,osiris4 ,at other times 
those  celebrations took place in vast  
and dark grottos1 or in retired and     
shady thickets4 ,even now1 in ,france1  
are seen caverns where the ,druids      
celebrated their mysteries2 and forests 
where the ,gauls assembled at  midnight2
 hung the heads of their vanquished     
enemies2 immolated a young  virgin on   
the altar of ,teutates2 and celebrated  
their mysteries under  the leadership of
 the ,druids4    ,the ceremonial of the 
mysteries was ordained1 particularly    
among the  civilized and populous       
nations1 in such a manner that it could 
not fail  to excite the curiosity of the
 people1 who naturally eagerly desire   

and  seek to know what is held in       
secrecy4 ,legislators and hierophants   
rendered this curiosity more intense by 
the extremely stringent law of  secrecy 
imposed upon those initiated4 ,thus the 
profane1 namely1 those  uninitiated1    
were the more desirous to be acquainted 
with the mysteries1  and thus they      
joined them in large numbers4           
,legislators gave to this  spirit of    
secrecy the most specious pretext4 ,it  
was proper1 they said1  to imitate the  
gods who concealed themselves from man's
 gaze1 for the  purpose of creating in  
his soul the desire to find them2 and   
who have  made the phenomena of nature a
 profound secret to them1 in order to   
stimulate them to the study of the      
universe4 ,those initiated were not     
permitted to speak of the mysteries     
except among themselves4 ,the penalty   
of death had been decreed against the   
one who would have revealed them1  even 
without purpose2 and also against any   
one who would have entered  the sacred  

temple before having been previously    
initiated4    ,aristoteles was accused  
of impiety by the hierophant ,eurymedon1
 for  having sacrificed to the manes of 
his wife1 according to the rite         
practiced in the worship of ,ceres4 ,he 
had to flee1 and to retire at  ,chalcis 
to save his life2 and in order to clear 
his name from this stain  he ordered his
 heirs to erect a statue to ,ceres4     
,eschyles1 having been  charged with    
having written about mysterious         
subjects1 saved his life  only by       
proving that he had never been          
initiated4 ,the entry of the  temple of 
,ceres1 and the participation to her    
mysteries1 were prohibited  to the      
slaves1 and to those whose birth was not
 legal2 to women of ill  fame1 to the   
philosophers who denied a ,providence1  
such as the  ,epicureans1 etc4 ,this    
interdiction was considered as a great  
deprivation1 for it was generally       
believed among the people that          
initiation was the greatest blessing4   

,in fact1 those initiated were taught   
that they belonged to a class of        
privileged beings1 and were the         
favorites of the gods4 ,the priests of  
,samothrace credited their initiation by
 promising favorable winds1 a  speedy   
and safe navigation to travelers who    
were candidates to their  mysteries4    
,those initiated to the mysteries of    
,orpheus believed that  they were no    
longer under the rule of the evil       
principle2 that  initiation made them   
holy1 and secured to them future        
happiness4 ,after  the ceremonies of the
 initiation the candidate thus answered 
to the  priest3 ,i have rejected the    
evil and found the good4 ,after that he 
considered himself1 and was considered  
by his fellows1 wholly purified4        
,those who were initiated to the        
mysteries of ,eleusis believed that the 
sun shone brighter and purer to their   
eyes than to the sight of other  men2   
also that the goddesses inspired and    
gave them counsels from the  heaven1 as 

seen by the example of ,pericles4       
,initiation was considered as  freeing  
the soul from the darkness of error2 as 
preventing misfortunes2  and as securing
 happiness on earth4    ,one of the     
greatest blessings and privileges of the
 initiation1 the  hierophant and other  
priests taught1 was to secure here below
 a direct  communion with the gods1 and 
more especially beyond the grave4       
,according  to ,cicero1 ,isocrates1 and 
the rhetor ,aristides1 when he who had  
been  initiated departed from this      
earthly life he inhabited meadows       
enameled  with flowers of a celestial   
beauty1 and lighted with a sun brighter 
and  purer than the one we see4 ,in that
 charming abode he was to live          
centuries1 and long preserve his youth4 
,when arrived at an old age1 he  was to 
become young again4 ,there was no labor1
 no sorrow1 but all was  rapture and    
delight4    ,in the ,greek and ,roman   
mysteries the unity and also the trinity
 of ,god  were consecrated dogmas4      

,jupiter was adored as the father of the
 gods  and of men1 and as filling the   
whole universe with his power4 ,he was  
the  supreme monarch of nature3 the     
names of gods ascribed to the other     
deities were more of an association in  
the title than in the nature of  their  
power1 for each one of them had a       
particular work to perform under  the   
command of the supreme ,god4 ,in the    
mysteries of the religion of the        
,greeks1 a hymn expressing the unity of 
,god or ,jupiter was sung2 and the      
,high ,priest1 turning towards the      
worshipers1 said3 ,admire the master  of
 the universe2 he is one2 he is         
everywhere4 ,it was acknowledged by     
,eusebius1 ,st4 ,augustine1 ,lactance1  
,justin1 ,athenagoras1 and many other   
,fathers of the ,church1 that the dogma 
of the unity of ,god was admitted  by   
ancient philosophers1 and was the basis 
of the religion of ,orpheus1  and of all
 the mysteries of the ,greeks4    ,the  
,platonicians believed in the unity of  

the archetype1 or model on  which ,god  
formed the world2 also they believed in 
the unity of  demiourgos1 or            
god-forming1 by a consequence of the    
same philosophical  principles1 namely1 
from the unity itself of the universe1  
as can be  seen in ,proclus1 and in the 
writings of the ,platonician authors4   
,trinity also1 7see chapter fifth7 was  
taught in the mysteries4  ,pythagoras1  
and many other philosophers1 explained  
the unity and trinity  of ,god by the   
theory of numbers4 ,they called the     
monade cause1 or  principle4 ,they      
expressed by the number one1 or unit1   
the first cause1  and they concluded to 
the unity of ,god from mathematical     
abstractions4  ,next to this unity they 
placed triades1 which expressed         
faculties or  powers emanated from them1
 and also intelligences of a second     
order4 ,the  triple incarnation of the  
god ,wichnou into the body of a virgin  
was one  of the doctrines taught in the 
mysteries of ,mithra4    ,so much for   

the mysteries of ,paganism2 however1 we 
shall1 in the course  of this work1     
refer to them several times4 ,let us now
 examine the  origin of the mysteries1  
which1 the ,partialists say1 ,jesus     
,christ has  taught4 ,mysteries suppose 
secrecy2 but ,jesus ,christ preached his
 ,gospel  in the open air to his        
apostles1 to his disciples1 to crowds of
 people1  and to all who were willing to
 hear his doctrines4 ,he urged upon his 
disciples to preach above the roofs what
 he taught them4 ,when1 after his       
death1 his apostles spread his gospel1  
they spoke in open air1  everywhere1 to 
masses of people2 ,paul to the          
,areopagus1 to thousands in  ,jerusalem1
 etc4 ,how then can it be supposed that 
,jesus ,christ taught  mysteries8       
,indeed1 he did not1 but afterwards     
several ,christian churches  did4       
,the ,protestant historian1 ,mosheim1   
cites in his ,history of the ,church1   
several authors1 who state1 that1 in the
 second century1 several  ,christian    

churches imitated the mysteries of      
,paganism4 ,the profound  respect1 they 
say1 that the people entertained for    
those mysteries1 and  the extraordinary 
sacredness ascribed to them were for the
 ,christians a  motive sufficient to    
give a mysterious appearance to their   
religion1 so  as to command as much     
respect to the public as the religion of
 the  ,pagans4 ,to this effect they     
called mysteries the institutions of the
  ,gospel1 particularly the ,eucharist4 
,they used in this ceremony1 and in     
that of baptism1 several words and rites
 consecrated in the mysteries of  the   
,pagans4 ,this abuse commenced in       
,orient1 chiefly in ,egypt2 ,clement of 
,alexandria1 in the beginning of the    
third century1 was one of those who     
contributed the most to this innovation1
 which then spread in ,occident  when   
,adrian had introduced the mysteries in 
that portion of the ,empire4  ,hence1 a 
large portion of the service of the     
,church hardly differed from  that of   

,paganism4    ,that the ,church of ,rome
 copied many of the ceremonies1 rites1  
customs1  and fables of ,pagan mysteries
 is certain1 for they have been         
perpetuated  in that ,church down to our
 days4 ,from the ,pagan mysteries the   
,roman  ,church borrowed the following3 
,in the initiation to the ,pagan        
mysteries there were degrees2 so in the 
,roman ,church there are the degrees of 
porter or door-keeper1 of acolyte1  of  
reader and of exorcist2 the latter      
degree confers the power of  expelling  
the devil4 ,the ecclesiastical ornaments
 in the ,church of ,rome1  with the     
difference of the cross represented on  
them and of some  trimming1 are like    
those used in the mysteries of the      
,pagans1 at least  in ,rome1 and in     
,greece4 ,the long floating gown1 the   
girdle1 the casula1  the stola1 the     
dalmatica1 the round and pyramidal cap1 
the capa1 and  several other garments   
and ornaments1 are alike to those used  
in the  temples1 where the mysteries of 

the ,pagans were celebrated4    ,in     
those temples there was an altar richly 
decorated2 so it is in the  ,church of  
,rome4 ,in those temples there were     
twelve flambeaux1  representing the     
twelve months of the year3 so there are 
in ,catholic  churches1 upon the first  
degree above the altar1 six chandeliers 
with  six tapers burning during the     
celebration of the mysteries or mass2   
six  others are on the second degree4   
,the vestals kept a light constantly    
burning in the ,pagan temples3 so a lamp
 is kept burning1 day and night1  near  
the altar1 in the ,catholic churches4   
,in the ,pagan temples the disc  of the 
sun and his beams were represented3 so  
they are in the ,catholic  churches4    
,upon the altar1 in the ,pagan temples1 
there was an image of  the god ,osiris  
or ,bacchus1 and the emblems of an aries
 or lamb3 so upon  the altar1 in        
,catholic churches1 there is a          
tabernacle in which ,god is  said to    
dwell1 and the door of the tabernacle   

represents a bleeding  lamb4    ,the    
,pagans solemnly and processionally     
carried the image of ,osiris1 or        
,bacchus1 around the head of which there
 was a halo representing the rays  of   
the sun3 so in the ,romish church the   
priests processionally and with  great  
pomp1 carry1 both in the aisles of the  
churches and on the  streets1 a wafer   
which they call ,god4 ,it is encased in 
a silver or gold  ostenserium1 whose    
circular centre1 in which their         
pretended ,god is seen  between two     
crystals1 is shaped like the disc of the
 sun2 and the  outside1 of which called 
halo or glory1 is shaped like his rays4 
,in the  ,pagan temples there was a     
sanctuary exclusively reserved to the   
high-pontiff1 and to the priests3 so it 
is in the ,catholic churches4 ,in  the  
,pagan temples the sanctuary was turned 
towards the ,orient3 so it is  in the   
,catholic churches4    ,the ,pagans did 
not permit their candidates to          
initiation to assist at  the celebration

 of the mysteries1 which was always     
preceded by this  formula1 solemnly and 
loudly spoken by an officer1 ,away from 
here ye  profane and impious men1 and   
all those whose soul is contaminated    
with  crimes6 ,so in ,catholic churches1
 not now1 but from the first centuries  
down to the middle age1 the deacon arose
 after the homily1 turned toward  the   
assistant1 and ordered the catechumens  
to leave the church1 because  the       
celebration of the mysteries was to     
commence4 ,those mysteries are  the     
mass1 during which the priest who       
officiates commands ,jesus ,christ  to  
descend from heaven into a wafer1 which 
he1 7priest17 holds in his  hands1 and  
to change it into his own blood1 flesh1 
soul1 and divinity4  ,the ,pagans       
initiated the candidates near the front 
door of their  temples3 so in the       
,catholic churches1 the baptismal fonts 
where the  catechumens are initiated1   
namely1 baptized1 are placed near the   
portal4  ,here we shall remark1 that1   

for many centuries1 children are        
baptized1  7even now parents are obliged
 under the pain of mortal sin to have   
their  children taken to the church to  
be baptized7 three days after they are  
born4 ,the ,pagans initiated candidates 
chiefly on the eve of great             
celebrations3 so1 in the ,romish church1
 catechumens are baptized chiefly  on   
the eve of ,easter1 and of ,pentecost4  
,the ,pagans believed that initiation   
made them holy2 so the ,romish church   
holds that baptism remits the original  
and all other sins1 and makes  holy4    
,the ,pagans revered in their temples   
the statue of ,pan1 in whose  hands was 
a seven-pipe flute2 also1 they revered  
other emblems of the  seven planets3 so 
in the ,romish ,church holds the        
doctrine of the seven  gifts of the     
,holy ,spirit1 and of the doctrine of   
the seven sacraments4  ,in the month of 
,february the ,pagans celebrated the    
,lupercales1 and the  feast of          
,proserpine3 so the ,church of ,rome    

celebrates the ,candlemas-day4  ,we cite
 the very words of ,bergier1 a ,catholic
 priest1 and an ultra  ,papist1 who     
writes thus in his ,theological         
,dictionary2 article  ,candlemas3       
,several authors ascribe the institution
 of ,candlemas-day to the pope  ,gelase1
 for the purpose of opposing it to the  
,lupercales of the ,pagans1  who went   
processionally out in the fields making 
exorcisms4 ,it is the  opinion of the   
venerable ,bede4 ',the ,church1' he     
says1 'has happily  changed the         
lustrations of the ,pagans1 which took  
place in ,february  around the fields4  
,she has substituted to them            
processions1 in which the  people carry 
in their hands burning tapers4' ,others 
ascribe this  institution to the pope   
,vigil1 and say that it has been        
substituted to  the feast of            
,proserpine1 which the ,pagans          
celebrated in the first days  of        
,february with torches4'    ,the ,pagans
 worshiped ,juno as the wife of the god 

,jupiter3 so the ,church  of ,rome      
worships the virgin ,mary as the wife of
 ,god4 ,the ,pagans  celebrated the     
exaltation of the virgo or virgin1 the  
sixth sign and  seventh constellation in
 the ecliptic2 so the ,romish ,church   
has  established the feast of           
,assumption1 namely1 of the ascension of
 the  virgin ,mary to heaven4 ,the      
,pagans made solemn processions to honor
 the  goddess ,ceres2 so the ,romish    
,church has instituted pompous          
processions  in the honor of the virgin 
,mary4    ,,remark4--,all the above     
institutions and doctrines of the       
,romish ,church1  and also those which  
we shall examine in the following       
chapters1 date  from the first          
centuries4 ,all the ,catholic doctors1  
theologians1 and  historians1 confess   
it4    ,from the numerous and undeniable
 historical facts summed up in this     
chapter we legitimately draw the        
conclusions1 #ast4 ,that1 in the first  
centuries of the ,christian era1 the    

,church of ,rome established  mysteries2
 #b;d4 ,that the ,church of ,rome       
borrowed her mysteries from the         
mysteries of the ,pagans2 and1 #c;d4    
,that a law of secrecy was binding the  
catechumens after their initiation1     
though this law was not so stringent  as
 it was among the ,pagans4    ,when1 in 
the sixteenth century1 the ,protestants 
shook the yoke of the  ,pope1 they      
rejected many of the mysteries of the   
,church of ,rome2  however1 they kept   
several of them1 such as the mystery of 
,trinity1  namely1 of three ,gods       
composing but one ,god2 the mystery of  
incarnation1  namely of ,god himself    
descending from the heavens1 vesting our
 mortal  clay in the womb of a woman for
 the purpose of being persecuted and    
slain on a cross by men1 thus pay to    
himself the debt owed to him by  men who
 had disobeyed him1 7though they did not
 live yet17 in the person  of ,adam4    
,these1 we say1 and other mysteries of  
the ,romish ,church1 the  ,protestants  

or ,heterodox in the opinion of the     
,catholics1 preserved and  transmitted  
them to their sons1 or ,partialists1 who
 now call the ,roman  ,catholics        
heathens2 call the liberal ,christian   
,churches heterodox1 and  call          
themselves most emphatically            
,evangelical ,churches1 ,orthodox       
,churches4    ,the final and strictly   
logical conclusion of this chapter is   
this3    ,therefore the mysteries of the
 ,romish ,church1 and those of the      
self-called ,orthodox ,protestant       
,churches1 are of ,pagan origin4        
,corollary4 ,since mysteries are of     
,pagan origin1 and since ,jesus ,christ 
and his apostles did not establish      
mysteries1 there ought not to be        
mysteries in ,christianity4 ,since      
,jesus ,christ and his apostles preached
  the ,gospel in open air to all1       
everywhere1 there cannot be any         
mysteries  in their teaching1 and there 
cannot be any mysteries in their        
writings1  we mean in the ,new          

,testament4          ,,chapter ,,iii4   
,,pagan ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine  
,,of ,a ,,personal ,,devil4      ,,the  
celebrated ,plutarch1 historian1        
philosopher1 and priest of ,apollo1  in 
the first century of the ,christian era1
 thus writes3 ,we ought not to  believe 
that the ,principles of the universe are
 not animated1 as  ,democrite and       
,epicure thought2 nor that an inert     
matter be organized1  and ordained by a 
,providence that disposes of all1 as the
 ,stoicians  taught4 ,it is impossible  
that one sole being1 either good or bad1
 be the  author of all1 for ,god can    
cause no evil4 ,the harmony of the world
 is a  combination of contraries like   
the strings of a lyre1 or like the      
string  of a bow capable of being bent  
and unbent4 ,in no case1 the poet       
,euripedes says1 good is separated from 
evil3 there must be a mixture of  the   
one and of the other4 ,this opinion is  
of immemorial antiquity1 and  has been  
held by theologians1 legislators1 poets1

 and philosophers4 ,its  inventor is    
unknown1 but it is verified by the      
traditions of mankind2 it  is           
consecrated by mysteries and sacrifices 
among the ,barbarians1 as well  as among
 the ,greeks4 ,they all acknowledge the 
dogma of two opposite  ,principles in   
nature1 who1 by their opposition1       
produce the mixture of  good and evil4  
,therefore it may not be said1 that a   
single dispenser draws events like  a   
liquor from two casks to mix them       
together2 for this mixture is found  in 
all the phenomena of nature4 ,we must   
admit two opposite causes1 two  contrary
 powers1 bearing the one to the right1  
and the other to the  left2 and who thus
 govern our life and the whole sublunar 
world1 which  for this reason is subject
 to all the irregularities and          
vicissitudes we  witness1 for nothing is
 done without a cause4 ,as the good     
cannot produce  evil1 then there is a   
principle causing evil1 as one causing  
good4    ,we see by this passage of     

,plutarch1 that the true origin of two  
,principles proceeds from the difficulty
 which men1 in all times1 found  in     
explaining1 by one sole cause1 good and 
evil in nature1 and in making  flow from
 one sole spring1 virtue and crime1     
light and darkness4 ,this  dogma1       
,plutarch adds1 has been admitted by    
nearly all nations1 and  more especially
 by those renowned by their wisdom4     
,they believed in two  gods of different
 trade1 if ,i may say so1 who caused1   
the one good1 and  the other evil4 ,they
 called the first ,god by excellence1   
and the second  ,demon4    ,in fact the 
,persians1 disciples of ,zoroaster      
admitted1 and even in our  days1 the    
,parsis1 their successors1 admit two    
principles1 the one called  ,oromaze1   
and the other ,ahriman4 ,plutarch says3 
,the ,persians believed  that the first 
was of the nature of light1 and the     
second of that of  darkness4 ,among the 
,egyptians the first was called ,osiris1
 and the  second ,typhon1 eternal foe to

 the first4    ,all the sacred books of 
the ,persians1 and of the ,egyptians1   
contain the  marvellous and allegorical 
recital of the various combats given by 
,ahriman and his angels to ,oromaze1 and
 by ,typhon to ,osiris4 ,these fables   
have been rehearsed by the ,greeks in   
the war of the ,titans against the      
,giants1 against ,jupiter1 or ,principle
 of good and light2 for ,jupiter1       
,plutarch remarks1 was the ,oromaze of  
the ,persians1 and the ,osiris of the   
,egyptians4    ,to these examples quoted
 by ,plutarch1 and which he extracted   
from the  ,theogony of the ,persians1 of
 the ,egyptians1 of the ,greeks1 and of 
the  ,chaldeans1 we shall add others1   
which are living yet1 at least the most 
of them4 ,the inhabitants of the kingdom
 of ,pegu admit two ,principles2  the   
one author of good1 and the other of    
evil4 ,they particularly  endeavor to   
obtain the favor of the latter4 ,the    
,indians of ,java  acknowledge a chief  
supreme of the universe1 and address    

offerings and  prayers to the evil      
genius lest he harm them4 ,the ,indians 
of the ,moluc  and ,philippine islands  
do the same4 ,the natives of the island 
of ,formose  worshiped a good god1      
,ishy1 and demons1 ,chouy2 they         
sacrifice to the  latter1 but seldom to 
the former4    ,the negroes of the      
,cote-d'or admit two ,gods1 the one     
good1 and the  other bad2 the one white1
 and the other black and evil4 ,they do 
not  adore the former often1 whereas    
they try to appease the latter with     
prayers and sacrifices2 the ,portuguese 
have named him ,demon4 ,the  ,hottentots
 call the good ,principle the ,captain  
of above1 and the bad  principle the    
,captain of below4 ,the ancients        
believed that the source of  evil was in
 the underneath matter of the earth4    
,the ,giants and ,typhon  were sons of  
the ,earth4 ,the ,hottentots say1 that1 
whether the good  ,principle is prayed  
to or not he does good2 whereas it is   
necessary to  pray to the evil          

,principle1 lest he might do harm4 ,they
 call the bad god  ,touquoa1 and        
represent him small1 crooked1 irritable1
 a foe to them2 and  they say that from 
him all evils flow to this world4       
,the natives of ,madagascar believe in  
two ,principles4 ,they ascribe to the   
bad one the form and badness of a       
serpent1 they call him ,angat3 they     
name the good one ,jadhar1 which means  
great1 omnipotent ,god4 ,they rear  no  
temple to the latter because he is good4
 ,the ,mingrelians more  particularly   
honor the one of their idols1 which they
 think to be the  most cruel4 ,the      
,indians of the island of ,teneriffe    
believe in a supreme  ,god1 whom they   
call ,achguaya-,xerax1 which means the  
greatest1 the most  sublime1 the        
preserver of all things4 ,also they     
admit an evil genius  named ,guyotta4   
,the ,scandinaves have their god ,locke1
 who wars against the gods1 and         
particularly against ,thor4 ,he is the  
slanderer of the gods1 ,edda says1  the 

great forger of deceit4 ,his spirit is  
evil2 he engendered three  monsters2 the
 wolf ,feuris1 the serpent ,midgard1 and
 ,hela1 or death4 ,he  causes the       
earthquakes4 ,the ,tsouvaches and the   
,morduans recognize a  supreme being1   
who gave men all the blessings they     
enjoy4 ,they also  admit evil spirits   
whose occupation is to injure mankind4  
,the ,tartars of ,katzchinzi adore a    
benevolent god1 in kneeling towards  the
 ,orient2 but they fear another god1    
,tos1 to whom they pray to disarm  his  
wrath2 and to whom1 in the spring1 they 
sacrifice a stallion4 ,the  ,ostiaks and
 the ,vogouls name that evil god ,koul2 
the ,samoyedes name him  ,sjoudibe2 the 
,motores1 ,huala2 the ,kargasses1       
,sedkyr4 ,the ,thibetans admit  evil    
spirits which they place in the regions 
above4 ,the religion of the  ,bonzes    
supposes two ,principles4 ,the          
,siamoeses sacrifice to an evil  spirit1
 whom they consider as being the cause  
of all the misfortunes of  mankind4     

,the ,indians have their ,ganga and     
their ,gournatha1 spirits whom they try 
to appease with prayer1 sacrifices1 and 
processions4 ,the inhabitants of        
,tolgony1 ,india1 believe that two      
,principles govern the universe2 the one
  good1 he is light2 and the other bad1 
he is darkness4 ,the ancient            
,assyrians1 as well as the ,persians1   
admitted two ,principles2 and they      
honored1 ,augustine says1 two gods1 the 
one good1 and the other bad4 ,the       
,chaldeans also had their good and bad  
stars1 animated by geniuses or          
intelligences also good and bad4    ,in 
,america the dogma of two ,principles1  
and of good and bad spirits1 is  also   
found4 ,the ,peruvians revered          
,pacha-,camac as being a good god1 and  
,cupa as being a bad god4 ,the ,carabs  
admitted two sorts of spirits2 the  one 
benevolent1 who dwell in the heaven2 and
 the other evil1 who hover  over us to  
lead us to temptation4 ,the former1 on  
the contrary1 invite us  to do good1 and

 each of us is guarded by one of them4  
,those of  ,terra-,firma think that     
there is a god in the heaven1 namely1   
the sun4  ,besides they admit a bad     
,principle1 who is the author of all    
evils2 they  present him with flowers1  
fruits1 corn1 and perfumes4 ,the        
,tapayas1  situated in ,america by about
 the same latitude as the ,madegasses in
  ,africa1 believe also in two          
,principles4    ,the natives of ,brazil 
believe in a bad genius3 they call him  
,aguyan2 and  they have conjurors who   
can1 they say1 divert his wrath4 ,the   
,indians of  ,florida and of ,louisiana 
adored the sun1 the moon1 and the stars4
 ,they  also believed in an evil spirit 
named ,toa4 ,the ,canadians1 and the    
savage tribes of the ,bay of ,hudson1   
revered the sun1 the moon1 the  stars1  
and the thunder2 but they more          
particularly prayed to the evil         
spirits4 ,the ,esquimaux believe in a   
god supremely good1 whom they call      
,ukouma1 and in another1 ,ouikan1 who is

 the author of all evils2 who  causes   
the tempests1 and who capsizes the      
boats4 ,the savages of the  strait of   
,davis believe in beneficent and        
malignant spirits4    ,this distinction 
of two ,principles1 of a god1 and of    
geniuses or  spirits1 authors of good   
and light2 and of a god and geniuses1   
authors  of evil and darkness1 is       
immemorial4 ,this opinion has been so   
universally adopted for the only reason1
 that those who observed the  opposite  
phenomena of nature could not account   
for them1 and could not  reconcile them 
with the existence of a single cause4   
,as there are good  and bad men1 they   
believed that there were good and bad   
gods1 the ones  dispensers of good1 and 
the others authors of evil4    ,such was
 the universal belief when ,jesus       
,christ came to the world4 ,the  ,jews  
themselves1 since the captivity of      
,babylon1 generally believed in  those  
two ,principles4 ,they went so far as to
 immolate their own children  on the    

altars of evil deities1 in order to     
appease them4 ,jesus preached  his      
,gospel1 died1 and left on earth his    
apostles with the trust of  continuing1 
among men1 his saving mission4 ,as in   
the writings of the  ,evangelists the   
word demon1 or devil1 was used          
figuratively1 meaning  lust1 wrong      
desire1 etc41 some of the first         
,christians understood the  true sense  
of these figurative words1 and others   
did not4 ,in the third  century the     
,church of ,rome1 which had been tending
 to supremacy over  other churches1 and 
which1 from policy1 to gain more adepts1
 was  compromising with ,paganism1      
understood the word demon1 or devil1    
literally1 and preserved the heathen    
doctrine1 which1 as she grew1  became   
widely spread1 and afterwards an article
 of faith4    ,the ,fathers of the      
,church1 of that age1 believed that the 
demons1 or  devils1 were innumerable2   
that their chief1 ,lucifer1 had         
entrusted a  demon to accompany each man

 through life1 to tempt him to sin2 that
  ,lucifer had as many bad angels1 or   
demons1 under his command1 as ,god had  
good angels2 that all those demons were 
corporeal1 and that those male          
committed fornication and adultery with 
the daughters of men2 and those  female 
with the sons of men2 that they had     
generated the giants2 and  that they had
 incited the oppressors of the          
,christians to persecute  them4 ,thus   
thought ,justin1 ,tatian1               
,minutius-,felix1 ,athenagoras1         
,tertullian1 ,julius-,firmicus1 ,origen1
 ,synesius1 ,arnobe1 ,st4 ,gregory of   
,nazianze1 ,lactance1 ,st4 ,jerome1 ,st4
 ,augustine1 etc41 as seen in their     
works in either edition of the          
,benedictines1 or of the canon ,caillot1
 of  ,migne1 a priest1 now editor in    
,paris4 ,even in our days the most of   
the  superstitious practices of the     
,pagans1 in regard to evil spirits1 are 
preserved in the ,papal                 
,church1--conjurations1 exorcisms1      

,agnus ,dei1 holy  water1 etc41 and     
others which they have added1 such as   
the sign of the  cross1 the expulsion of
 the devil from houses1 barns1 wells1   
wagons1  beasts1 fields1 etc4 ,these    
ceremonies are oftentimes performed1 as 
a  matter of course1 for money4    ,the 
same took place in the ,church of ,rome 
in reference to the heathen  dogma of   
good angels being under the command of  
the good spirit1 or ,god2  this dogma   
was generally believed even by the      
,jews1 at least since the  captivity of 
,babylon4 ,we say generally1 because the
 ,sadduceans did not  believe it2 and   
perhaps1 also1 the ,samaritans and the  
,carates1 for we  have but two          
testimonies that prove they partook of  
the opinion of the  ,samaritans on this 
point1 namely1 the testimony of ,abusad1
 author of an  ,arabic version of the   
,pentateuch1 and that of ,aaron1 in his 
commentaries  of the same4 ,the ,papal  
,church holds still that the angels form
 three  hierarchies1 or choirs4 ,the    

first is that of the ,seraphims1        
,cherubims1  and thrones2 the second    
comprises the dominations1 the virtues1 
and the  powers2 and the third is       
composed of the principalities1 of the  
archangels1 and of the angels4 ,one of  
these angels1 called guardian1 is       
obliged to stand by each one of us all  
the days of our life4 ,temples1  altars1
 prayers and sacrifices are offered to  
them4    ,tertullian1 ,origen1 ,clement 
of ,alexandria1 etc41 thought that the  
bodies  of the good angels were formed  
of a very thin1 subtle matter4 ,other   
,fathers1 ,basile1 ,athanase1 ,cyrille1 
,gregory of ,nysse1 ,john-,chrysostomus1
  etc41 considered them as spiritual    
beings2 however1 they believed that     
they may take a body when they please4  
,the ,church of ,rome holds1 as an      
article of faith1 that the good angels  
ought to be adored4    ,as seen above1  
the ,church of ,rome has preserved1 with
 a very slight  modification1 if any1   
the heathen dogma of two ,principles1   

the one good1  ,god2 and the other bad1 
,lucifer1 or the devil2 also the        
nomenclature of  geniuses1 or spirits1  
or angels1 which are1 the ones under the
 command  of ,god1 and the others under 
the command of ,lucifer4 ,when1 in the  
sixteenth century1 the ,protestants     
parted with the ,church of ,rome1 they  
cut off many branches of this dogma2 but
 they kept its body1 namely1  instead of
 understanding the words demon1 or      
devil1 as meaning lust1  abuse of free  
agency1 wrong desire1 etc41 they        
understood them of  personal beings1    
either material or immaterial1 but      
existing1 tempting  each man to sin2 and
 relentlessly seeking the ruin of       
mankind4    ,therefore the doctrine of a
 ,personal ,devil is of ,pagan origin4  
,,chapter ,,iv4    ,,pagan ,,origin ,,of
 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,original ,,sin4
      ,,the ,roman ,catholic writers are
 unanimous in the opinion that it was   
the  belief of a large number of ,pagans
 that man had fallen from a higher      

state of existence4 ,st4 ,augustine1    
more especially1 lengthily and          
emphatically insists upon the general   
belief of the ,pagans in original  sin1 
when he writes against ,pelage4         
,however1 we shall bring forth other    
testimonies1 which will not leave1 in   
the mind of the reader1 any doubt  that 
the ,pagans generally believed in       
original sin4    ,cicero1 in his work   
,de ,republica1 book third1 after       
painting the  grandeur of the human     
nature1 and then contrasting its        
subjection to  miseries1 to diseases1 to
 sorrow1 to fear1 and to the most       
degrading  passions1 was at a loss to   
define man4 ,he called him a soul in    
ruins4  ,it was for the same reason     
that1 in ,plato1 ,socrates reminds to   
his  disciples that those who had       
established mysteries1 and who1 he said1
  were not to be despised1 taught that  
according to their ancestors1 any  one  
who dies without having been purified is
 plunged into the mire of  the          

,tartarus2 whereas1 he who has been     
purified dwells with the gods4  ,clement
 of ,alexandria1 in his ,stromata1 book 
third1 writes1 that1  according to the  
testimony of ,philolas1 the             
,pythagorician1 all the  ancient        
theologians and poets said that the soul
 was buried in the body1  as in a grave1
 as a punishment for some sin4 ,it was  
also the doctrine of  the ,orphics1 as  
can be seen in ,plat41 ,cratyl41 ,opera1
 tome third4    ,in the pages #dh1 #ej1 
and #ea1 of the treatise of ,plutarch1  
on the ,delays  of ,divine ,justice1 we 
read3 ,a ,state1 for instance1 is one   
same thing  continued1 a whole1 alike to
 an animal which is ever the same1 and  
the  age thereof does not change the    
identity4 ,the ,state then being one1 as
  long as the association maintains the 
unity1 the merit and the demerit1  the  
reward and the punishment for all that  
is done in common are justly  ascribed  
to it1 as they are to a single          
individual4 ,but if a ,state is to  be  

considered in this point of view1 it    
ought to be the same with a  family     
proceeding from the same stock1 from    
which it holds ,i do not know  what sort
 of hidden strength2 ,i do not know what
 sort of communication  of essence and  
qualities1 which extend to all the      
individuals of the  race4 ,beings       
produced through the medium of          
generation are not similar  to the      
productions of arts4 ,in regard to the  
latter1 when the work is  completed it  
is immediately separated from the hand  
of the workman1 and  it no longer       
belongs to him3 true it is done by him1 
but not from him4  ,on the contrary1    
what is engendered proceeds from the    
substance itself  of the generating     
being2 so that it holds from him        
something which is  justly rewarded or  
punished in his stead1 for that         
something is  himself4    ,according to 
the doctrine of the ,persians1 ,meshia  
and ,meshiane1 or the  first man and    
first woman1 were first pure1 and       

submitted to ,ormuzd1  their maker4     
,ahriman saw them and envied their      
happiness4 ,he approached  them under   
the form of a serpent1 presented fruits 
to them1 and  persuaded them that he was
 the maker of man1 of animals1 of       
plants1 and  of the beautiful universe  
in which they dwelled4 ,they believed   
it2 and  since that ,ahriman was their  
master4 ,their nature became corrupt1   
and  this corruption infected their     
whole posterity4 ,this we find in       
,vendidat-,sade1 pages #cje1 and #dbh4  
,thus sin does not originate from       
,ormuzd2 but1 ,zoroaster says1 from the 
being hidden in crime4 ,this testimony  
is found in the ,exposition of the      
,theological ,system of the ,persians1  
extracted from the books ,zends1        
,pehlvis1 and ,parsis1 by ,anquetil du  
,perron4 ,the following passage1  ,there
 are stains brought by man when he comes
 to life1 is found in the  #fith tome of
 the ,memoirs of the ,academy of        
,inscriptions4    ,we read in the       

,ezour-,vedam1 book #a1 chapter #d1 tome
 #a1 pages #bja and  #bjb3 ,god never   
created vice4 ,he cannot be its author2 
and ,god1 who is  holiness and wisdom1  
can be the author but of virtue4 ,he    
gave us his law  in which he prescribes 
what we ought to do4 ,sin is a          
transgression of  this law by which it  
is prohibited4 ,if sin reigns on the    
earth1 we  ourselves are its authors4   
,our perverse inclinations have induced 
us to  transgress the law of ,god2      
hence1 the first sin which has induced  
us to  commit others4 ,the same author  
in book #e1 chapter #e1 tome #b1        
acknowledges that the first man was     
created in a state of innocence2 and    
that he was happy because he controlled 
his passions and desires4    ,maurice in
 his ,indi ,antiquitates1 vol4 #f1 page 
#ec1 proves that the  ,indians had a    
knowledge of the fall of the first man  
and of the first  woman2 he proves also 
that the dogma of original sin was      
taught by the  ,druids4 ,voltaire1 on   

the seventeenth page of his work1       
,additions to  ,general ,history1       
confesses that the ,bramas believed that
 man was fallen  and degenerated3 this  
idea1 he adds1 is found among all the   
ancient  peoples4    ,the ,father       
,jesuit ,bouchet1 in a letter to the    
,bishop of ,avranches1  writes3 ,the    
gods1 our ,indians say1 tried by all    
means to obtain  immortality4 ,after    
many inquiries and trials1 they         
conceived the idea  that they could find
 it in the tree of life1 which was in   
the ,chorcan4  ,in fact they succeeded2 
and in eating once in a while of the    
fruits of  that tree1 they kept the     
precious treasure they so much valued4  
,a famous  snake1 named ,cheiden1 saw   
that the tree of life had been found by 
the  gods of the second order4 ,as      
probably he had been entrusted with     
guarding that tree1 he became so angry  
because his vigilance had been          
deceived1 that he immediately poured out
 an enormous quantity of poison1  which 

spread over the whole earth4    ,in the 
,ta-,hio1 or ,moral of ,confucius1 page 
#ej1 ,confucius1 after saying  that     
reason is a gift from heaven1 adds1     
,concupiscence has corrupted  it1 and it
 is now mixed with many impurities4     
,therefore take off those  impurities so
 that it resume its first luster1 and   
all its former  perfection4 ,the        
philosopher ,tchouangse taught1 in      
conformity with the  doctrine of ,king  
or sacred books of the ,chinese1 that in
 the former  state of heaven1 man was   
inly united to the supreme reason2 and  
that he  practiced all the works of     
justice4 ,the heart relished the truth4 
,there  was in man no alloy of falsity4 
,then the four seasons of the year were 
regular4 ,nothing was injurious to man1 
and man was injurious to nothing4       
,universal harmony reigned in all       
nature4 ,but the columns of the         
firmament having been broken1 the earth 
was shaken in its very  foundations4    
,man having rebelled against the heavens

 the system of the  universe was        
deranged2 evils and crimes flooded the  
earth4 ,this  testimony is extracted    
from the ,discourse of ,ramsey on       
,mythology1 pages  #adf1 and #adh4      
,m4 de ,humboldt1 in the tome #a1 pages 
#bcg and #bgd1 and also in the tome  #b1
 page #aih of his ,views of the         
,cordilleras and of the monuments of    
,america1 says1 ,that the mother of our 
flesh2 the serpent ,cihuacohuati1  and  
her are famous in the ,mexican          
traditions4 ,those traditions  represent
 the mother of our flesh fallen from her
 first state of  innocence and          
happiness4 ,voltaire1 in ,questions on  
,encyclopedia1 says2  ,the fall of man  
degenerated is the basis of the theology
 of all the  ancient nations4    ,there 
were nearly among all nations expiatory 
rites1 to purify infants  when they were
 born4 ,usually this ceremony was done  
in the day when the  child was named4   
,macrob informs us1 in his ,saturn1 book
 #a1 that that  day1 among the ,romans1 

was the ninth for the boys and the      
eighth for the  girls4 ,that day was    
called lustricus1 because of the lustral
 water used  to purify the new born     
child4 ,in the ,analysis of the ,insc4  
of ,rosette1  page #ade1 we read that   
the ,egyptians1 the ,persians1 and the  
,greeks had a  similar practice4 ,in    
,yucatan the new born child was brought 
in the  temple1 where the priest poured 
on his head the waters destined to this 
use2 and then he gave him a name4 ,in   
the ,canary islands the women  performed
 this priestly function4 ,caril1 in his 
,american ,letters1 tome  #a1 pages     
#adf1 and #adg1 speaks of these         
ceremonies4 ,a law prescribed  these    
expiatory rites among the ,mexicans4    
,m4 de ,humboldt1 ,views of the         
,cordilleras1 and of the ,monuments of  
,america1 tome #a1 page #bbc1 writes3   
,the midwife1 in invoking the god       
,ometeuctly1 7the god of celestial      
paradise17 and the goddess ,omecihuatl1 
who live in the abode of the blessed1   

poured water on the forehead and  on the
 breast of the new-born child4 ,after   
pronouncing several prayers1  in which  
water was considered as the symbol of   
the purification of the  soul1 the      
midwife called near her the children who
 had been invited to  give a name to the
 new-born child4 ,in some provinces a   
fire was kindled  at the same time1 and 
they did as if really the child was     
passed through  the flame to purify him 
both with water and fire4 ,this ceremony
 reminds  the practices whose origin1 in
 ,asia1 seems to be immemorial4         
,likewise1 the ,thibetans have similar  
expiatory rites3 this we find in  the   
thirty-first page of the preface of the 
,thibetan ,alphabet4 ,we  extract the   
following from the ,works of the        
,society of ,calcutta3 ,in  ,india1 when
 a name is given to a child1 his name is
 written on his  forehead1 and he is    
plunged three times into the water of   
the river4  ,then the ,brama exclaims1  
',o ,god1 pure1 one1 invisible and      

perfect6 to  thee we offer this         
offspring of a holy tribe1 anointed with
 an  incorruptible oil1 and purified    
with water4'    ,in the mysteries1 the  
,hierophant taught the doctrine that our
 nature had  been corrupted by a first  
sin4 ,the sixth book of the poem ,eneida
 is  nothing but a brilliant exposition 
of this doctrine2 and perhaps  antiquity
 offers nothing that proves more the    
power of tradition on the  human mind1  
than the passage in which the poet1     
following ,eneas in the  abode of the   
dead1 describes in magnificent verses   
the dismal spectacle  which first       
strikes his gaze4 ,if there is any thing
 in the world that  wakes up in our mind
 the idea of innocence1 assuredly it is 
a child who  has been unable neither to 
know nor to commit sin2 and the         
supposition  that he is subject to      
punishment and to suffering1 is a       
thought which  our soul abhors4         
,however1 ,virgil1 in the #fth book1    
verses #dbf1 and #dbi1  places the      

children dead when yet nursing1 at the  
entry of the sad  kingdoms1 where he    
represents them in a state of pain1     
weeping and  moaning--vagitus ingens4   
,why those tears1 those cries of        
sufferings8  ,which faults do those     
children1 to whom their mothers had not 
smiled1  expiate8 7,virgil1 ,ecloga #d1 
verse #fb47 ,what has inspired the poet 
with  this surprising fiction8 ,on what 
does it rest8 ,whence does it originate1
  if not from the ancient belief that   
man was born in sin8    ,therefore1 the 
doctrine of original sin was generally  
believed by the  ,pagans4    ,we stated1
 at the commencement of this chapter1   
that the ,roman ,catholic  writers are  
unanimous in the opinion that it was the
 belief of a large  number of ,pagans1  
that man had fallen from a higher state 
of existence4  ,however1 a small number 
only of the same writers are of the     
opinion that  the ,jews believed in the 
doctrine of original sin2 and they find 
no  other proof of the assertion than   

the ceremony of circumcision1 which1  as
 is familiar to all1 was a mere legal   
and national observance1 and had  not   
the virtue of remitting sin4 ,in the    
first centuries of the  ,christian era1 
baptism was considered as a mere        
ceremony for initiating  catechumens to 
the ,christian profession4    ,it was   
only towards the end of the third       
century1 that the belief of the         
transmission of ,adam's sin to all his  
descendants was introduced in the       
,church of ,rome1 which already         
considered herself the mistress of the  
other churches4 ,soon afterwards the    
dogma that baptism had the virtue of    
remitting original sin was established4 
,as proof of these two facts1 we  have  
the testimony of more than twenty-three 
,christian sects of the  first          
centuries1 which did not admit the dogma
 of original sin2 and did  not believe  
that baptism had the virtue of remitting
 sin4 ,we quote a few  of those sects3  
the ,simonians1 the ,nicolates1 the     

,valentinians1 the  ,basilidians1 the   
,carpocratians1 the ,ophites1 the       
,sethians1 the  ,pelagians1 all the     
,gnostic sects1 etc4    ,therefore1 the 
,church of ,rome borrowed the dogma of  
original sin from  the ,pagans4 ,to this
 many ,roman ,catholic writers say3 true
 the ,pagans  held this doctrine1 but we
 did not borrow it from them2 we found  
it in  the first chapters of ,genesis4  
,we rejoin that even the fathers of the 
fourth century did not understand those 
chapters literally1 and thereby  as     
teaching the dogma of original sin4 ,st4
 ,augustine1 in his work1 ,city  of     
,god1 avers that it was a general       
opinion among ,christians1 that the     
first three chapters of ,genesis are    
allegorical1 and that he himself is     
inclined to think so4 ,he confesses that
 it is impossible to take them          
literally without hurting piety1 and    
ascribing to ,god unworthy actions4     
,origen says3 ,where is the man of good 
sense1 who can ever believe that  there 

have been a first1 a second1 and a third
 days1 and that those days  had each an 
evening and morning1 though there were  
not yet neither sun1  nor moon1 nor     
stars8 ,where is the man credulous      
enough to believe1 that  ,god was       
working like a gardener1 and that he    
planted a garden in ,orient2  that the  
tree of life was a real tree1 whose     
fruit would preserve life8    ,origen   
compared the temptation of ,adam to that
 of the birth of ,love1  whose father   
was ,porus1 or ,abundance1 and whose    
mother was ,poverty4 ,he  adds that     
there are in the ,old ,testament facts1 
which1 if understood  literally1 are    
absurd1 and which1 if understood        
allegorically1 contain  valuable truths4
 ,we refer the reader for the above to  
the following  works3 ,see ,st4         
,augustine1 ,de ,civitate ,dei1 liber   
xi1 cap4 #f1 et liber #b1  cap4 xi1 ,no4
 #bd4--;,de ,genesi ad ,litteram1 liber 
#d1 ,no4 #dd4--;,de ,catechis  ,rudibus1
 cap4 #ac4 ,the opinion of ,st4         

,athanase can be found in his ,oratio   
,contra ,arium1 ,no4 #fj4--,that of     
,origen1 in his work ,de ,principiis1   
liber  iv1 ,no4 #af1 contra ,celsum1    
liber #f1 ,no4 #ej1 #ea4 ,that of ,st4  
,ambrosius1  in his ,hexam1 liber one1  
cap4 #g1 et ,sequentia4 ,that of        
,theodoret1 in his  ,quest4 in ,genes4  
interpr4 cap4 v4 et ,sequentia1 and that
 of ,st4 ,gregory  in his ,moral1 in    
,job1 liber #cb1 cap4 #i4    ,the       
,fathers and the ,christian sects named 
above1 did not take the first  three    
chapters of ,genesis literally1 because 
it would imply absurdity  and blasphemy4
 ,the idea of ,god1 namely1 of the      
supreme and eternal  cause1 who clothes 
our clay for the pleasure of walking in 
a garden2 the  idea of a woman          
conversing with a serpent2 listening to 
its counsels and  heeding them2 that of 
a man and a woman organized for         
reproduction1 and  yet destined to be   
immortal on earth1 and to procreate a   
mathematical  infinity of beings1       

immortal like themselves1 who also will 
infinitely  multiply1 and will all find 
their food in the fruits of the trees of
 a  garden where they will all dwell2 a 
fruit culled that is to kill ,adam  and 
,eve1 and to be transmitted as a        
hereditary crime to all their           
descendants1 who did not participate to 
their disobedience1 crime which  will be
 forgiven only in as much as men will   
commit another crime1  infinitely       
greater1 a deicide--if such a crime     
might exist2 the woman  who since that  
time is condemned to bring forth with   
pain1 as if the  pains of childbirth    
were not natural to her organization1   
and were not  common to her1 as well as 
to the other animals which have not     
tasted the  forbidden fruit2 the serpent
 forced to crawl1 as if a footless      
reptile  could move any other way3 so   
many absurdities and follies1 heaped in 
those first three chapters1 they could  
not believe and ascribe them to  ,god4  
,maimonide1 one of the most learned     

,rabbins of the ,jews1 thus wrote in    
the twelfth century3 ,we ought not to   
understand literally what is  written in
 the books of the creation2 nor         
entertain about the creation  the       
opinions generally agreed4 ,it is for   
this reason that our wise men  urged    
upon us to keep their true teaching     
secret1 and not to lift up the  veil of 
allegory which conceals the truths they 
contain4 ,if taken  literally the       
relation of the creation gives us the   
most absurd and  extravagant ideas of   
the ,deity4 ,whoever will find out their
 true  teaching1 ought to keep it to    
himself2 this is the earnest            
recommendation of our wise men1 and more
 especially in regard to the  first six 
days4 ,those who know ought to speak    
about it but obscurely1 as  ,i do       
myself1 so as to let their hearers guess
 if they can4    ,the above facts and   
proofs lead us to the conclusion that   
the ,church of  ,rome borrowed the dogma
 of original sin from the ,pagans4      

,as the ,protestants1 who call          
themselves ,orthodox1 borrowed it in the
  sixteenth century from the ,church of 
,rome1 it follows that they also  hold  
it from the ,pagans4    ,therefore1 the 
doctrine of ,original ,sin is of ,pagan 
origin4          ,,chapter ,v4          
,,pagan ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine  
,,of ,,trinity4      ,,the ,roman       
,catholic writers themselves confess    
that the ,pagans believed  in ,trinity2 
also the most of the self-called        
,protestant ,orthodox  historians and   
authors4 ,the neutral authors are       
unanimous on this point4  ,the following
 facts and proofs we shall impartially  
extract from those  three classes of    
writers3    ,the ,egyptians believed in 
,trinity2 the ,greek inscription of the 
great  ,obelisk of the major circus1 at 
,rome1 reads thus3 ,megas ,theos1 the   
great  god1 ,theogentos1 the begotten of
 god2 and ,pamphegges1 the all-bright1  
7,apollo1 the ,spirit47 ,heraclide1 of  
,pont1 and ,porphyre relate a famous    

oracle of ,serapis3 ,prota ,theos1      
metepeita logos1 kai pneuma soun autois4
  ,sumphuta de tria panta1 kai eis en   
eonta4 ,translation3 ,all is ,god in    
the beginning2 then the word and the    
spirit2 three ,gods coengendered        
together and united in one4    ,the     
,chaldeans had a sort of ,trinity in    
their ,metris1 ,oromasis1 and           
,araminis1 or ,mithra1 ,oromase and     
,aramine4 ,the ,chinese had also1 and   
still have1 a mysterious ,trinity4 ,the 
first god generates the second  one1 and
 both generate the third one4 ,the      
,chinese say that the great  term1 or   
great unity1 contains three1 one is     
three1 and three are one4  ,in ,india   
,trinity was immemorially known4 ,the   
,father ,jesuit ,calmet  writes3 ,what  
,i have seen mostly surprising is a text
 extracted from  ,lamaastambam1 one of  
the books of the ,indians4444 ,it begins
 thus3 ,the  ,lord1 the good1 the great 
,god1 in his mouth is the word4 7,the   
term which  they use personifies the    

word47 ,then it speaks of the ,holy     
,spirit in  these words3 ,ventus seu    
spiritus perfectus2 translation breath  
or  perfect spirit1--and it ends by the 
creation1 ascribing it to ,god  alone4  
,the ,jesuit ,calmet says1 writing about
 the ,thibetans3 ,i learned the         
following about their religion4 ,they   
call ,god ,konciosa1 and they seem to   
have some idea of the adorable ,trinity2
 for they call ,god sometimes           
,konsikosick1 ,god-one1 and at other    
times ,kocioksum1 ,god-three4 ,they use 
a kind of bead on which they pronounce  
these words3 om1 ha1 hum4  ,when they   
are asked the explanation1 they answer  
that om signifies the  intelligence1 or 
arm1 namely power2 that ha is the word2 
that hum is  the heart or love1 and that
 these three words signify ,god4    ,the
 ,father ,bouchet1 a ,roman ,catholic   
missionary in ,india1 wrote the         
following to the bishop of ,avranches3  
,i commence by the confused idea  which 
the ,indians preserve about the adorable

 ,trinity4 ,my ,lord1 ,i have  spoken to
 you of the three principal deities of  
the ,indians1 ,bruma1  ,wishnou1 and    
,routren4 ,the greater portion of the   
people say1 it is true1  that they are  
three different gods1 and really        
separate4 ,but several  ,nianigneuls1 or
 spiritual men1 assure that these three 
gods1 apparently  distinct1 compose in  
reality but one god3 that this god is   
called ,bruma1  when he creates and     
exercises his all-power2 that he is     
called ,wishnou1  when he preserves the 
created beings1 and does them good2 and 
that1  finally1 he takes the name of    
,routren1 when he destroys the cities1  
chastises the wicked1 and makes men feel
 his just anger4    ,english            
missionaries have found at ,otati some  
traces of the ,trinity  among the       
religious dogmas of the natives4        
,plato refers to this doctrine in       
several passages of his works4 ,not     
only1 says ,dacier in his translation1  
it is believed that he knew  about the  

,word1 eternal ,son of ,god2 but also   
that he knew about the ,holy  ,spirit1  
for he thus writes to the young ,denis3 
',i must declare to ,archedemus what is 
much more precious and more  divine1 and
 which you so eagerly desire to know2   
for you sent him to me  for this express
 purpose4 ,according to what he told me1
 you think that ,i  have not            
sufficiently explained to you my opinion
 about the first  ,principle1 therefore 
,i shall write it to you1 enigmatically1
 however1 in  order that1 if my epistle 
is intercepted at sea or on land1 he who
 will  read it will be unable to        
understand it4 ,all things are around   
their  king2 they exist through him1 and
 he is the only cause of good things1   
second for the second things1 and third 
for the third things4'    ,in the       
,epinomis1 continues ,dacier1 ,plato    
establishes as ,principle1  the first   
good1 the ,word1 or intelligence and the
 soul4 ,the first good  is ,god2444 the 
,word1 or intelligence1 is the son of   

this first good1 who  begets him similar
 to himself2 and the soul1 which is the 
term between  the ,father and the ,son1 
is the ,holy ,spirit4    ,plato had     
borrowed this doctrine about ,trinity   
from ,timee of ,locre1 who  held it from
 the ,italian philosophical school4     
,marsile ,ficin1 in one of  his remarks 
on ,plato1 shows from the testimonies of
 ,jamblic1 ,porphyre1  ,plato and ,maxim
 of ,tyr1 that the ,pythagoricians knew 
also the excellence  of the ,ternary2   
,pythagoras himself indicated it in this
 symbol3 ,protima  to ,schema1 kai      
,bema1 kai ,triobolon4 ,the ,jesuit     
,kirker1 dissenting about  the unity and
 trinity of the first ,principle1 traces
 vestiges of the  doctrine of ,trinity  
up to ,pythagoras1 and to the           
,egyptians4    ,st4 ,augustine himself1 
though the staunchest defender of the   
dogma of  ,trinity1 confessed that1     
among all the nations of the world1 a   
,trinity1  nearly similar to the one he 
believed in1 had been held4 ,he added   

that  the ,pythagoricians1 the          
,platonicians1 and that a great number  
of  ,atlantes1 ,lybian1 ,egyptian1      
,persian1 ,chaldean1 ,scythian1         
,gallenses1 and  ,hibernian             
philosophers1 held several dogmas about 
the unity of the ,god1  ,light1 and     
,good1 in common with the ,church of    
,rome4    ,macrobe gives us a summary of
 ancient or ,platonician theology1 which
  contains a true ,trinity1 of which    
that of the ,papists and of the         
self-called ,protestant ,orthodox is but
 a copy4 ,according to this  summary1   
the world has been formed by the        
universal soul3 this soul is  the same  
as their spiritus1 or spirit4 ,they also
 call the ,holy ,spirit  ,creator3 ,veni
 ,creator spiritus1 etc41 translation1  
,come ,spirit  ,creator1 etc41          
7,catholic hymn47 ,macrobe adds1 that   
from this spirit or  soul the           
intelligence1 which he calls men's      
proceeds4 ,is this not the  ,father1 the
 ,son1 or wisdom1 and the ,spirit that  

creates and vivifies  all8 ,even is not 
the expression to proceed common to the 
ancient and  to the ,papist and         
,protestant ,orthodox ,churches in the  
filiation of the  first three beings8   
,macrobe goes farther4 ,he recalls the  
three ,principles to a primitive  unit1 
who is the sovereign ,god4 ,after       
resting his theory on this ,trinity  he 
adds3 ,you see how this unit1 or        
original monade of the first cause1  is 
preserved entire and indivisible up to  
the soul1 or spirit1 which  animates the
 world4 ,this testimony of ,macrobe has 
so much more bearing1  that he wrote in 
the beginning of the fifth century2 that
 he was the  first ,chamberlain of the  
emperor ,theodose1 and was the most     
learned  antiquarian of that age4       
,another most important fact we shall   
record4 ,it is beyond any doubt  that   
before the coming of ,jesus ,christ the 
,jews did not hold the dogma  of        
,trinity1 nor do they now4 ,their       
,rabbins1 and all the ,roman ,catholic  

theologians1 agree on this point4       
,during the first three centuries of the
 ,christian era the dogma of  ,trinity  
was not generally believed4 ,the        
,simonians1 the ,nicholates1 the        
,valentinians1 the ,basilidians1 the    
,carpocratians1 the ,ophites1 the       
,sethians1 all the ,gnostics1 and many  
other ,christian sects rejected it4  ,it
 was only in the fourth century1 that   
,arius and the above sects were         
condemned in the council of ,nice1      
because they denied the divinity of     
,jesus ,christ4 ,this council was       
assembled by the order of the emperor   
,constantine ,i41 who was urged to it by
 the ,bishop of ,rome1 7or ,pope17      
whose ,church held the dogma of         
,trinity4 ,as a matter of course the    
bishops of the council had to decide    
according to the will of those two      
leaders2 for ,constantine threatened    
them with deposition and exile3 in  fact
 he banished ,arius1 and deposed        
seventeen bishops1 who did not          

subscribe to the decision of the        
council4    ,the doctrine that ,jesus   
,christ was not ,god himself was so     
generally  spread1 and so deeply rooted 
in the minds1 that several successors of
  ,constantine ,i4 embraced ,arianism2  
and it was only after centuries that    
,arianism1 which was spread nearly all  
over the ,east1 was crushed by the      
papal and the imperial power4    ,now   
let us draw our conclusions4 ,since the 
,jews had no knowledge of the  dogma of 
,trinity1 the ,church of ,rome could not
 borrow it from them2  since the        
generality of the ,christian sects      
during the first three  centuries did   
not believe in the divinity of ,jesus   
,christ1 the ,church of  ,rome did not  
find the dogma of ,trinity in the       
,gospel2 7besides1 the  ,catholic       
theologians never pretended that the    
,scriptures teach it--they  simply      
pretended1 and still pretend1 that it   
was a tradition47 ,since the  dogma of  
,trinity was believed by many ,pagan    

sects1 then the ,roman ,church  borrowed
 it from them4    ,in turns1 the        
self-called ,orthodox ,protestant       
,churches borrowed this  doctrine from  
the ,church of ,rome1 in the sixteenth  
century4    ,therefore the doctrine of  
,trinity is of ,pagan origin4           
,,chapter ,,vi4    ,,pagan ,,origin ,,of
 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,the ,,supreme  
,,divinity ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4       
,,it will be demonstrated that the      
doctrine of the supreme divinity of     
,jesus ,christ is of ,pagan origin1 if  
it can be proved1 #ast1 ,that the       
,church of ,rome1 from which the        
self-called ,orthodox ,protestant       
,churches  borrowed this doctrine1 in   
the sixteenth century1 did not hold it  
from  the apostles of ,jesus ,christ2   
and1 #b;d1 ,that the ,church of ,rome   
uses1 in  her adoration to ,jesus       
,christ1 rites and ceremonies of a      
striking  similarity with those used by 
the ,pagans1 in their adoration to the  
sun1  under the names of ,bacchus1      

,hercules1 ,osiris1 ,mithra1 ,atys1 etc4
    ,but it can be proved1 #ast1 ,that  
the ,church of ,rome1 from which the    
self-called ,orthodox ,protestant       
,churches1 in the sixteenth century1    
borrowed the doctrine of the supreme    
divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 did not     
hold it from the apostles of ,jesus     
,christ2 and1 #b;d1 ,that the ,church of
  ,rome uses1 in her adoration to ,jesus
 ,christ1 rites and ceremonies of a     
striking similarity with those used by  
the ,pagans in their adoration to  the  
sun1 under the names of ,bacchus1       
,hercules1 ,osiris1 ,mithra1 ,atys1     
etc4    #ast4 ,we prove that the ,church
 of ,rome1 from which the self-called   
,orthodox ,protestant ,churches1 in the 
sixteenth century1 borrowed the         
doctrine of the supreme divinity of     
,jesus ,christ1 did not hold it from    
the apostles of ,jesus ,christ4    ,it  
will be evident that the ,church of     
,rome1 from which the self-called       
,orthodox ,protestant ,churches1 in the 

sixteenth century1 borrowed the         
doctrine of the supreme divinity of     
,jesus ,christ1 did not hold it from    
the apostles of ,jesus ,christ1 if1     
until nearly the end of the third       
century1 the various ,christian         
denominations1 or sects1 did not believe
  the doctrine of the supreme divinity  
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,but1 until nearly   
the end of the third century1 the       
various ,christian denominations1 or    
sects1 did not believe the doctrine of  
the supreme divinity of ,jesus  ,christ4
    ,this we prove3--    ,we request the
 readers to bear in mind1 in reading    
this chapter1 that  we have extracted   
all the proofs and statements brought   
forth therein1  from the works of the   
,roman ,catholic priest ,bergier1 which 
we have  studied in our ,catholic       
theological school2 from the works of   
the ,rev4 ,father ,jesuit ,feller2 from 
the ,history of the ,church1  by        
,berrault-,ber-,castel1 a ,roman        
,catholic priest2 and from the          

,ecclesiastical ,history1 by the ,roman 
,catholic clergyman ,fleury4 ,those     
proofs and statements can be verified1  
in the first two writers1 at the        
articles of the sects1 and of their     
authors1 arranged in alphabetical       
order2 and in the other authors at the  
dates of the centuries and years4       
,bergier says3 ,the ,cerinthians        
pretended that ,jesus ,christ was born  
from  ,joseph and ,mary like other men2 
but that he was endowed with a superior 
wisdom and holiness2 that when he was   
baptized1 ,christ1 or the ,son of  ,god1
 had descended on him under the form of 
a dove1 and had revealed to  him ,god   
the ,father1 till then unknown1 in order
 that he might make him  known to men4  
,the ,cerinthians sprung up1 according  
to ,st4 ,epiphane1 in  the middle of the
 first century1 but according to ,st4   
,ireneus1 at about  the year #hh4       
,therefore the ,cerinthians did not     
believe the doctrine of the supreme     
divinity of ,jesus ,christ4    ,bergier 

says3 ,the ,carpocratians supposed the  
pre-existence of the  souls2 pretended  
that they had sinned in an anterior     
life2 that as a  punishment of their    
crimes they had been condemned to be    
shut up in  bodies4444 ,in their belief1
 the soul of ,jesus ,christ1 before her 
incarnation1 had been more faithful to  
,god than the others4 ,it is for  this  
reason that ,god had endowed her with   
more knowledge than the souls  of other 
men2 also with more strength both to    
defeat the geniuses  opposed to         
humanity1 and to return to heaven       
against their will4 ,god1  they said1   
grants the same favor to those who love 
,jesus ,christ2 and  who1 like him1 know
 the dignity of their souls4 ,thus the  
,carpocratians  considered ,jesus       
,christ as being simply a man1 though   
more perfect than  the others2 they     
believed that he was the son of ,joseph 
and ,mary1 and  confessed his miracles  
and sufferings4 ,they are not accused of
 denying  the resurrection1 but of      

denying the general resurrection2 and of
  holding that the soul only 7not the   
body7 of ,jesus ,christ1 had ascended   
to the heavens4 ,the sect of the        
,carpocratians commenced towards the end
  of the first century4    ,therefore   
the ,carpocratians did not believe the  
doctrine of the supreme  divinity of    
,jesus ,christ4    ,bergier writes thus 
about the ,ebionites3 ,it is very       
probable that  7although some authors   
say that they date from the year #gb of 
the first  century7 they commenced to be
 known only in the year #ajc1 or even   
later1  under the reign of ,adrian1     
after the total ruin of ,jerusalem1 in  
the  year #aai2 that the ,ebionites and 
the ,nazarenes are two different sects2 
it is the opinion of ,mosheim1 ,hist4   
,christ41 soec4 #a1 par4 #eh1 soec4 #b1 
par4 #ci4444 ,the ,ebionites considered 
,jesus ,christ as being simply a man    
born from ,joseph and ,mary4            
,consequently the ,ebionites did not    
believe the doctrine of the supreme     

divinity of ,jesus ,christ4    ,the     
,christian sect of the ,basilidians was 
founded in the beginning of  the second 
century by ,basilide of ,alexandria1    
,feller says2 he had been  converted    
from the philosophy of ,pythagoras and  
,plato to ,christianism4  ,bergier      
writes about the ,basilidians3 ,they    
believed that ,god had sent  his ,son1  
or intelligence1 under the name of      
,jesus ,christ1 to liberate  those who  
would believe in him2 that ,jesus       
,christ had really performed  the       
miracles ascribed to him by the         
,christians2 but that he had only a     
fantastical body and the appearances of 
a man4    ,therefore the ,basilidians   
did not believe the doctrine of the     
supreme  divinity of ,jesus ,christ4    
,the sect of the ,marcionites was       
established1 in the middle of the second
  century1 by ,marcio1 the son of a     
bishop of ,pontus4 ,the ,marcionites    
held  that ,god1 principle of the       
spirits1 had given to one of them1      

,jesus  ,christ1 the appearances of     
humanity2 and had sent him to the earth 
to  abolish the law and the prophets2 to
 teach to men that their souls come     
from heaven1 and that they cannot be    
restored to happiness except in         
reuniting to ,god4    ,therefore the    
,marcionites did not believe the        
doctrine of the supreme  divinity of    
,jesus ,christ4    ,valentin founded the
 sect of ,valentinians in #adj4 ,he was 
an ,egyptian1  and had been converted   
from philosophy to ,christianism4       
,bergier1 after  lengthily exposing the 
doctrines of his sect1 says1            
,consequently the  ,valentinians neither
 admitted the eternal generation of the 
,word1 nor  his incarnation1 nor the    
divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 nor the     
redemption of  mankind1 in the proper   
sense4 ,in their opinion1 the redemption
 of  mankind by ,jesus ,christ did not  
extend farther than this--,jesus ,christ
  had come to the world to liberate men 
from the tyranny of the ,eons1 and  had 

given them examples and lessons of      
virtue1 and had taught them the  true   
means of obtaining eternal happiness4   
,therefore the ,valentinians did not    
believe the doctrine of the supreme     
divinity of ,jesus ,christ4    ,the     
,ptolemates did not believe the doctrine
 of ,jesus ,christ1 and held  that he   
was but the ,son of ,god4    ,st4       
,epiphane in his work ,hre4 #cf1 and    
,bergier1 inform us that the            
,heracleonites1 whose chief was         
,heracleon1 and who were widely spread1 
particularly in ,sicily1 believed that  
the ,word divine did not create the     
world1 but that it had been created by  
one of the ,eons1 or spirits4 ,in  their
 opinion1 there were two worlds1 the one
 corporeal and visible1 and  the other  
spiritual and invisible1 and they only  
ascribed the formation  of the latter to
 ,jesus ,christ1 who was one of the     
greatest ,eons1 or  spirits4 ,the       
,heracleonites were organized as a sect 
in the year #adj4    ,the ,colarbasians 

did not believe the doctrine of the     
supreme divinity of  ,jesus ,christ4    
,sanderus and ,bergier say1 that the    
,barules professed to believe that the  
,son of ,god had but a fantastical body2
 that there was no original sin2  that  
all our souls had been created before   
the world1 and all had sinned  in that  
former state of existence2 and that     
,jesus ,christ was not ,god4    ,the    
,bardesanists1 thus named from their    
founder1 ,bardesanes1 a ,syrian1  who   
lived in the second century1 became a   
large sect4 ,beausobre in his  ,history 
of ,manicheanism1 tome #b1 book #d1     
chap4 #i1 writes1 that they  believed in
 two ,principles1 originators of all    
things1 the one good and  the other bad4
 ,they denied that the eternal ,word1 or
 ,son of ,god1 had  taken a human flesh2
 they said that he had taken only a     
celestial and  aerial body4 ,they denied
 the future resurrection of the body4   
,bergier1  ,feller1 etc41 say the same4 
,then the ,bardesanists did not believe 

the doctrine of the supreme  divinity of
 ,jesus ,christ4    ,the ,marcosians    
rejected the doctrine of the supreme    
divinity of ,jesus  ,christ1 and held   
only that he was one of the principal   
,eons1 or spirits4  ,the ,marcosians    
were founded by ,marc in the second     
century4    ,the ,theodotians1 ,bergier 
says1 believed that ,jesus ,christ was  
not ,god  but a man2 that he was above  
the other men only by his miraculous    
birth1  and by his extraordinary        
virtues4 ,theodote1 a native of         
,bysance1 founded  them in the second   
century4    ,the ,artemonians also      
denied the doctrine of the supreme      
divinity of  ,jesus ,christ4    ,the    
,docetes held that ,jesus ,christ was   
only the ,son of ,god1 and that he  had 
but apparently suffered humiliations1   
torments1 and death4    ,the ,tatianists
 did not believe the doctrine of the    
supreme divinity of  ,jesus ,christ4    
,tatian gave them his name when he      
organized them as a  ,christian         

denomination1 in the second century4    
,bergier pretends that  some passages of
 the writings of this learned author can
 be understood  of the supreme divinity 
of ,jesus ,christ1 but ,fauste ,socin1  
and others1  in the ,bibliotheca        
,fratrum ,polonorum1 in ten volumes1 in 
folio1 proves  the contrary2 and at the 
same time they prove that ,clement of   
,alexandria  and other ,fathers of the  
second century disbelieved the doctrine 
of the  supreme divinity of ,jesus      
,christ4 ,bergier confesses1 however1   
that it is  doubtful that ,tatian had   
been ,orthodox about the generation of  
the ,word4    ,the ,apellites denied the
 doctrine of the supreme divinity of    
,jesus  ,christ4 ,in their belief there 
was but one ,god1 who sent to the world 
his  ,son1 who took a body not in the   
womb of the virgin ,mary1 but from the  
four elements4 ,their sect widely spread
 in the ,east during the second         
century4    ,bergier says1 writing about
 the doctrines of the ,ophites1 a       

,christian  sect of the second century3 
,in their belief1 matter was eternal2   
the  world was created against the will 
of ,god1 and was governed by a          
multitude of spirits who govern the     
world4 ,christ united to the man  ,jesus
 to destroy the empire of the           
,demiourge1 or creator of the world4    
,therefore the ,ophites did not believe 
the doctrine of the supreme  divinity of
 ,jesus ,christ4    ,one of the         
doctrines of the ,cainites was1 that    
,jesus ,christ was a spirit  sent by    
,god to save the world4    ,the         
,hermogenians1 or followers of          
,hermogene1 a ,stoician philosopher1    
converted to ,christianism at the end of
 the second century1 believed  that     
matter was eternal2 that there was but  
one ,god1 who had sent a  spirit1 ,jesus
 ,christ1 to correct the evil that was  
among men4    ,the ,hermians1 or        
disciples of ,hermias1 ,bergier says1   
taught that  matter is eternal2 that    
,god is the soul of the world2 that     

,jesus ,christ1  ascending to the       
heavens left his body in the ,sun1 from 
whom he had  taken it2 that the soul of 
man is composed of fire and of subtle   
air2  that the birth of children is the 
resurrection1 and that the world is     
hell4 ,bergier adds1 in another article1
 that they believed that there  was but 
one ,god1 who had sent to the world a   
spirit1 ,jesus ,christ4    ,therefore   
the ,hermians did not believe the       
doctrine of the supreme  divinity of    
,jesus ,christ4    ,bergier1 writing    
about the ,sethians1 says3 ,they said   
that the soul of  ,seth had passed to   
the body of ,jesus ,christ1 and that    
,seth and ,jesus  ,christ were the same 
person4    ,st4 ,augustine informs us   
that the ,severians did not believe the 
doctrine  of the resurrection of the    
flesh1 and rejected the ,old ,testament4
 ,they  did not believe that ,jesus     
,christ was ,god himself4    ,the       
,encratites never held that ,jesus      
,christ was ,god4 ,bergier says1 ,they  

did not believe that the ,son of ,god   
was truly born from the virgin  ,mary4  
,the ,valesians rejected the doctrine   
that ,jesus ,christ was ,god himself4   
,bergier writes3 ,the ,hieracites1      
heretics of the third century1 were     
established by ,hierax1 or ,hieracas1 a 
physician by profession1 born at        
,leontium1 or ,leontople1 in ,egypt4    
,st4 ,epiphane1 who relates and refutes 
the errors of this ,sectarian1 confesses
 that the austerity of his morals  was  
exemplary2 that he was familiar with the
 ,greek and ,egyptian  sciences2 that he
 had thoroughly studied the ,scriptures1
 and that he was  gifted with a         
persuasive eloquence4 ,he denied the    
resurrection of the  body1 and admitted 
but a spiritual resurrection of the     
souls4 ,he  confessed that ,jesus       
,christ had been generated by the       
,father2 that the  ,holy ,ghost proceeds
 from the ,father as well as the ,son2  
but he had  dreamed that the ,holy      
,ghost had taken a human body under the 

form of  ,melchisedek4 ,he denied that  
,jesus ,christ had a true human body4   
,therefore the ,hieracites denied the   
supreme divinity of ,jesus ,christ4     
,bergier thus writes about the          
,samosatians3 ,they were disciples and  
followers of ,paul of ,samosate1 bishop 
of ,antioch1 at or about the year  #bfb4
 ,this heretic taught that there is in  
,god one sole person1 namely1  the      
,father2 that the ,son and the ,holy    
,spirit are only two attributes of      
,god1 under which he manifested himself 
to men3 that ,jesus ,christ is not      
,god1 but a man to whom ,god has        
communicated his wisdom in an           
extraordinary manner4    ,therefore the 
,samosatians did not believe the        
doctrine of the supreme  divinity of    
,jesus ,christ4    ,the ,manicheans     
denied the divinity of ,jesus ,christ1  
and believed that  ,jesus ,christ had   
not a real body while on earth4 ,his    
soul1 they said1  was of a nature       
similar to the nature of the souls of   

other men1 though  more perfect4 ,he was
 the ,son of ,god4    ,therefore the    
,manicheans denied the doctrine of the  
supreme divinity of  ,jesus ,christ4    
,all the above sects composed nearly the
 whole ,christian body1 during the      
first three centuries2 and1 as shown to 
the reader1 every one either  ignored or
 denied the doctrine of the supreme     
divinity of ,jesus ,christ4    ,then it 
remains evident that the ,church of     
,rome1 from which the  self-called      
,orthodox ,protestant ,churches1 in the 
sixteenth century1  borrowed the        
doctrine of the supreme divinity of     
,jesus ,christ1 did not  hold it from   
the apostles of ,jesus ,christ4         
,confirmatur4--,as a confirmation of    
this last and very important            
consequence1 we are to prove1    #ast4  
,that in the ,church of ,rome1 herself1 
the doctrine of the supreme  divinity of
 ,jesus ,christ was established only at 
about the year #ahj4    ,remark4--,by   
the ,church of ,rome1 we mean only the  

church whose bishop  7who after         
centuries assumed the title of ,pope17  
was at ,rome1 and which1  then1 did not 
extend farther than the province of     
,rome1 and a few other  occidental      
places4    #b;d4 ,that in the council of
 ,nice1 held in #cbe1 despite the       
efforts of  the ,bishop of ,rome2 and   
despite the tyranny of the emperor      
,constantine  ,i41 who invoked the      
council at his own expense1 attended1   
surrounded1  and enforced it with       
military force1 it was with the greatest
 difficulty  that the ,church of ,rome  
obtained1 from the bishops who composed 
it1 a  decision in favor of the doctrine
 she held1 that ,jesus ,christ was ,god 
himself4    #c;d4 ,that it was only long
 after the council of ,nice that its    
decision1  in favor of the doctrine of  
the supreme divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 
prevailed among the churches which      
depended on the ,emperor of             
,constantinople1 and on the ,bishop of  
,rome4    #dth4 ,we will also present a 

succinct view of the large number of    
,christians1 who1 without the pale of   
the communion of ,rome1 preserved  the  
former belief that ,jesus ,christ was   
not ,god4    #ast4 ,we prove that in the
 ,church of ,rome herself1 the doctrine 
of the  supreme divinity of ,jesus      
,christ was established only at about   
the year  #ahj4    ,bergier himself     
makes the following confession3 ,an     
ancient author1 who  is believed to be  
,caus1 bishop of ,rome1 who had written 
against  ,artemon1 and of whom ,eusebe  
has related the words1 ,ecclesiastical  
,history1 book #e1 chap4 #bb1 seems to  
confound together the ,theodotians  and 
the ,artemonians4444 ,they maintain1 he 
says1 that their doctrine is  not new2  
that it has been taught by the apostles1
 and that it has been  followed in the  
church until the pontificates of ,victor
 and of ,zephyrine  his successor1 but  
that since that time the truth has been 
altered4    ,bergier adds1 ,the         
,theodotians believed that ,jesus       

,christ was a man1 and  not ,god1 that  
,jesus ,christ was above the other men  
only by his  miraculous birth1 and by   
his extraordinary virtues4 ,also1       
,bergier says1  that1 although ,theodote
 was a native of ,bysance1 he resided in
 ,rome1  where he preached the same     
doctrine as ,theodote1 at least in      
regard to  ,jesus ,christ being a man   
and not ,god4    ,therefore in the      
,church of ,rome herself1 the doctrine  
of the supreme  divinity of ,jesus      
,christ was established only at about   
the year #ahj4    #b;d4 ,we prove that  
in the council of ,nice1 held in #cbe1  
despite the  efforts of the ,bishop of  
,rome2 and despite the tyranny of the   
emperor  ,constantine ,i41 who convoked 
the council at his own expense1         
attended1  surrounded1 and enforced it  
with military force1 it was with the    
greatest difficulty that the ,church of 
,rome obtained1 from the bishops  who   
composed it1 a decision in favor of the 
doctrine she held1 that  ,jesus ,christ 

was ,god4    ,arius1 a priest of        
,alexandria1 surprised at hearing       
,alexander1 his  bishop1 teaching in an 
assembly of priests1 that ,jesus ,christ
 was ,god1  protested against this new  
doctrine4 ,an animated controversy      
between him  and ,alexander1 and then   
between the friends of the ,church of   
,rome1  which held this doctrine1 and   
other churches which did not1 ensued4   
,the  council of ,nice assembled1 and   
there seventeen bishops boldly faced the
  legate of ,sylvestre1 the emperor     
,constantine and his military force2 and
  they sided with ,arius4 ,eusebe1      
bishop of ,cesarea1 the most learned of 
the bishops who composed the council1   
sided with ,arius4 ,he is the same      
,eusebe who wrote the ,evangelical      
,preparation and ,demonstration1 in two 
volumes in folio2 who wrote an          
,ecclesiastical ,history1 the ,life of  
,constantine1 a ,chronic and a          
,commentary on the ,psalms and on       
,isaiah4  ,constantine forced them      

either to yield and to acquiesce to the 
doctrine  of the supreme divinity of    
,jesus ,christ1 or to be expelled from  
their  episcopal sees2 and ,arius1      
exiled1 had to retire in ,palestine4    
,consequently1 in the council of ,nice1 
held in #cbe1 despite the efforts  of   
the ,bishop of ,rome2 and despite the   
tyranny of the emperor  ,constantine    
,i41 who convoked the council at his own
 expense1 attended1  surrounded1 and    
enforced it with military force1 it was 
with the  greatest difficulty that the  
,church of ,rome obtained1 from the     
bishops  who composed it1 a decision in 
favor of the doctrine she held1 that    
,jesus ,christ was ,god himself4        
#c;d4 ,we prove that it was only long   
after the council of ,nice1 that its    
decision in favor of the doctrine of the
 supreme divinity of ,jesus  ,christ1   
prevailed among the churches which      
depended on the ,emperor of             
,constantinople1 and on the ,bishop of  
,rome4    ,bergier1 despite his         

partiality in favor of the ,church of   
,rome1 is  obliged to make the following
 avowal3    ,the anathema pronounced    
against ,arianism did not destroy it2   
the  larger portion of those 7bishops7  
who had signed the decision of the      
council1 only for fear of being exiled1 
remained attached to the party  of      
,arius4 ,constantine himself1 influenced
 by an ,arian priest1  recommended to   
him by his sister ,constantia1 at her   
death bed1 and who  had gained his      
confidence1 consented to the repeal of  
,arius from his  exile1 in #cbh4 ,this  
heretic reunited to his partisans1 and  
commenced  spreading his errors with    
even more earnestness than before4 ,but 
,st4  ,athanase1 who had succeeded to   
,alexander in the episcopal see of      
,alexandria1 constantly refused to      
commune with him1 and by this firmness  
displeased ,constantine ,i4    ,since   
that time the ,arians became a          
redoubtable party4 ,they held  several  
councils where they obtained the        

majority4444 ,arius died in a  tragic   
manner1 in the year #ccg4 ,after the    
death of ,constantine ,i41 in  #ccg1 the
 party of the ,arians was alternatively 
the stronger1 in ratio of  the less or  
greater protection extended to them or  
to the ,orthodox by  the ,emperors4     
,under ,constance1 who favored them1    
they filled the ,orient  with seditions 
and troubles2 but ,constantine ,junior  
and ,constant1 who  reigned in          
,occident1 prevented ,arianism from     
spreading4 ,in #cea1  ,constance1 who   
had become the master of the whole      
empire by the death of  his two         
brothers1 protected ,arianism more      
openly than before4 ,several  councils  
were held in ,italy1 in which the       
,arians had the majority2 and  others1  
in which the ,catholics had the         
superiority4444 ,julian1 who was        
emperor in #cfb1 sided neither with one 
party nor with the other4 ,valens1      
emperor of the ,orient1 in #cfd1 favored
 and embraced ,arianism2 whereas        

,valentinian1 his brother1 did all in   
his power to extirpate it from the      
,occident4    ,gratian1 and afterwards  
,theodose1 proscribed ,arianism from the
 whole  empire4444 ,in the beginning of 
the fifth century1 the ,goths1 the      
,burgundians1 and the ,vandals1 spread  
it in ,gaul and in ,africa4 ,the        
,visigoths introduced it in ,spain1     
where it subsisted as long as the  kings
 of that country were ,arians           
themselves1 until the year #ffj4        
,arianism was to be revived in the      
sixteenth century4 ,it is probable  that
 ,arianism would have invaded the whole 
,orient if the ,arians had been  united4
    ,therefore1 it was only long after  
the ,council of ,nice1 that its         
decision1 in favor of the doctrine of   
the supreme divinity of ,jesus  ,christ1
 prevailed among the churches which     
depended on the ,emperor of             
,constantinople1 and on the ,bishop of  
,rome4    #dth4 ,we will also present a 
succinct view of the large number of    

,christians1 who1 without the pale of   
the communion of ,rome1 preserved  the  
former belief that ,jesus ,christ was   
not ,god4    ,we have proved1 in the    
course of this chapter1 that the        
following  ,christian sects1 or         
denominations1 did not believe the      
doctrine of the  divinity of ,jesus     
,christ3 the ,corinthians1 the          
,carpocratians1 the  ,ebionites1 the    
,basilidians1 the ,marcionites1 the     
,valentinians1 the  ,ptolemates1 the    
,heracleonites1 the ,colarbasians1 the  
,barules1 the  ,bardesanists1 the       
,marcosians1 the ,theodotians1 the      
,artemonians1 the  ,docetes1 the        
,tatianists1 the ,apellites1 the        
,ophites1 the ,cainites1 the            
,hermogenians1 the ,hermians1 the       
,sethians1 the ,severians1 the          
,encratites1  the ,valesians1 the       
,hieracites1 the ,samosatians1 and the  
,manicheans4 ,but  nearly all these     
,christian sects of the first three     
centuries outlived  the ,council of     

,nice1 and preserved through centuries  
the doctrine that  ,jesus ,christ was   
not ,god himself3 this is the unanimous 
testimony of  historians4    ,from the  
four heads of convincing historical     
proofs brought forth in  this           
confirmatur1 we draw once more the      
conclusion3    #ast4 ,then the ,church  
of ,rome1 from which the self-called    
,orthodox  ,protestant ,churches1 in the
 sixteenth century1 borrowed the        
doctrine of  the divinity of ,jesus     
,christ1 did not hold it from the       
apostles of ,jesus  ,christ4    #b;d4   
,we prove the second proposition of the 
argument of this chapter1  namely1 that 
the ,church of ,rome uses1 in her       
adoration to ,jesus ,christ1  rites and 
ceremonies of a striking similarity with
 those used by the  ,pagans in their    
adoration to the sun1 under the names of
 ,bacchus1  ,hercules1 ,osiris1 ,mithra1
 ,atys1 etc4    ,every year the ,pagans 
celebrated with pomp the death of       
,bacchus4 ,those  celebrations were     

called ,titanical1 and celebrations of  
the perfect  night4 ,they supposed that 
this god had been slain by the ,giants2 
but  that his mother1 or ,ceres1 had    
reunited his bones4 ,to retrace his     
death  they killed a bull1 whose raw    
flesh they ate1 because ,bacchus1       
represented with the horns of an ox1 had
 been thus torn by the ,titans4         
,julius-,firmicus1 an orthodox author of
 the fourth century1 who wrote  about   
the legend of ,bacchus1 says that the   
,pagans considered those  fictions as   
solar fables4 ,he adds that the sun was 
irritated at being  thus worshiped3     
here1 in being immersed into the ,nile  
river1 under the  names of ,osiris and  
of ,horus2 there1 in being mutilated    
under the names  of ,atys and of        
,adonis2 and in other places1 in being  
boiled or roasted1  like ,bacchus4 ,the 
,bacchanals1 or disorderly1 noisy1      
tumultuous1 and  frantic scenes took    
place4    ,st4 ,athanase1 ,st4          
,augustine1 ,theophile1 ,athenagoras1   

,minutius-,felix1  ,lactance1 ,firmicus1
 and other ,christian writers of the    
first centuries1  as well as more       
ancient authors1 describe the general   
mourning of the  ,egyptians in the      
anniversary day of the death of ,osiris4
 ,they describe  the ceremonies         
practiced on his tomb1 and the tears    
shed thereon during  several days4 ,the 
mysteries in which the representation of
 his death was  exhibited1 and which    
took place during the night1 were called
 mysteries  of night4    ,likewise the  
death of ,mithra was celebrated4 ,to the
 usual magnificence  of his temples     
succeeded a gloomy sight4 ,the priests1 
during the night1  carried his image in 
a tomb1 and laid it on a litter1 in the 
same manner  as the ,phoenicians laid   
the image of ,adonis4 ,this ceremony was
  accompanied with dismal songs1 and    
with groans4 ,the priests1 after this   
feigned expression of grief1 kindled a  
flambeau1 called sacred2 anointed  the  
image of ,mithra with chrisma1 or with  

perfumes2 and then one of  them1 in a   
solemn and loud voice1 pronounced these 
words3 ,cheer up1  holy mourners1 your  
god is come again to life2 his sorrows  
and his  sufferings will save you4      
,julius ,firmicus1 who relates this1    
exclaims3 ,why do you exhort those      
unfortunate to rejoice8 ,why do you     
deceive them with false promises8 ,the  
death of your god is known2 but his new 
life is not proved4 ,there is no  oracle
 that ascertains his resurrection2 he   
has not appeared to men  after his      
resurrection to prove his divinity4 ,an 
idol you bury2 upon an  idol you mourn2 
an idol you lift up from the tomb1 and  
having expressed  your grief you        
rejoice1 etc4    ,the ,church of ,rome  
practices alike ceremonies in           
celebrating the  anniversary day of the 
death of ,jesus ,christ4 ,all the       
ornaments of each  church1 the statues  
and images of saints1 etc41 are clothed 
in black4 ,in  one of the chapels of the
 church a tomb is prepared1 in which1 on

 the  ,holy ,thursday morning1 ,jesus   
,christ--namely1 a wafer which has been 
consecrated--is laid1 shut up1 not in   
the ostensorium1 but in a  ciborium1 as 
a sign of mourning4 ,the priests perform
 this ceremony4  ,during the whole day  
the church is thronged with people1 who 
come to  express to ,jesus ,christ their
 sympathy in his sufferings4 ,at about  
eight  o'clock in the evening1 a gloomy 
procession1 composed of the priests and 
the people1 march along the streets in  
the dark 7this procession takes  place  
only in ,catholic countries17 now and   
then reciting in a low and  dismal tone 
a verse of the psalm1 ,miserere mei     
,deus1 translation1  ,lord have mercy on
 me4 ,when this procession has taken    
place1 hymns of  suffering and of death 
are sung in the church1 around the tomb 
in which  ,jesus ,christ lays4 ,at      
eleven o'clock a priest goes to the     
pulpit1 and in  an affecting manner     
relates to the sobbing and weeping      
multitude the  sufferings and death of  

,jesus ,christ4 ,this address is called 
,passion's  sermon4    ,the people spend
 the whole night in the church to keep  
company to ,jesus  ,christ in his       
sufferings1 they say1 and to relieve him
 by their  sympathy4 ,in the morning of 
the ,holy ,friday the church is yet     
filled  with mourners4 ,the priests1    
processionally1 but in silence1 go to   
the  tomb where ,jesus ,christ lays1    
take him out1 and carry him into the    
tabernacle1 where they shut him up1 but 
without leaving any taper  burning in   
the whole church4 ,in the evening1 after
 the recitation of the  ,officium       
,tenebrarum1 translation1 ,office of    
,darkness1 boys1 men1  women and all1   
fill the church with their yells1 with  
the sharp sound of  rattles1 with the   
blows they strike on boards with small  
and large  sticks1 and with sounding1   
sonorous instruments1 such as horns1    
etc4 ,a  few days after they eat the    
wafer1 which they pretend to be the raw 
flesh and blood of ,jesus ,christ4      

,the ,pagans1 in celebrating the        
resurrection of ,bacchus1 ,osiris1 etc41
  who represented the sun1 lighted the  
lamps of their temples with a fire1     
which the priests obtained by striking a
 piece of steel with silex1 and  was    
called new fire4 ,that day the priests  
were clothed in white  ornaments2 the   
lustral waters were renewed1 and also   
the decorations of  the temples3 so in  
every church the ,romish priests strike 
a piece of  steel with silex1 and obtain
 a fire called new fire2 with it they   
light  the lamps1 and the taper called  
,paschal taper4 ,they renew the holy    
water1 which the people piously carry to
 their homes1 and keep for  protection  
during the storms1 etc4 ,the priests    
change their priestly  garments1 and    
clothe in white4    ,the ,pagans        
worshiped the sun under the name of     
,aries1 because the ,aries  was one of  
the celestial signs3 so the ,church of  
,rome worships ,jesus  ,christ under the
 form of a lamb4 ,formerly1 the ,roman  

,catholic parents  suspended on the     
necks of their children the symbolic    
image of a lamb2  and the women1 instead
 of wearing a cross1 as they do now1    
wore a lamb4  ,this practice had been   
introduced by the ,romish priests1 who  
sold1 as  they sell now1 ,agnus ,dei1   
which have been consecrated with prayers
 and  sprinkled with holy water1 as     
being the emblems of ,jesus ,christ4    
,a lamb was represented bleeding1 and   
under it was a vessel in which the      
blood dropped4 ,this practice was in use
 till the year #fhj1 under the          
pontificate of the pope ,agathon1 and   
under the reign of the emperor          
,constantine ,,iii41 surnamed ,pogonat4 
,then it was ordered by the sixth       
council of ,constantinople1 canon #hb1  
that a man nailed to a cross should  be 
substituted to the ancient symbol of a  
lamb4 ,however1 this symbol was  partly 
preserved in the church1 as seen above4 
,the symbol of a lamb is  yet seen on   
the tabernacle1 or small box of marble1 

or of wood1 richly  wrought upon1 placed
 on the altar2 also on the ostensorium1 
and on the  forepart of the altars4     
,the ,pagans placed a sunlike halo      
around the heads of the statues of      
,osiris1 ,bacchus1 and other gods1 who1 
in their opinion1 represented the  sun3 
likewise in the ,church of ,rome the    
priests place the wafer1 which1  they   
think1 is ,jesus ,christ himself1 in an 
ostensorium1 which is shaped  like the  
disc of the sun2 and which represents   
his beams2 the wafer  itself is         
circular4 ,this ostensorium is of       
silver1 or of gold1 and  adorned with   
diamonds1 or gems4 ,above the altar a   
large sun is  generally either painted1 
or carved1 or formed with draperies4    
,the  ,pagans kept in their temples a   
lamp burning1 in the honor of the sun3  
so1 in the ,roman ,catholic churches a  
lamp is kept burning1 day and  night1   
near the altar1 in the honor of ,jesus  
,christ4    ,the ,pagans built their    
temples so that the sanctuary was turned

 towards  the rising sun3 likewise1 the 
,roman ,catholic churches are built so  
that  the sanctuary be turned towards   
the rising sun4    ,the ,pagans carried 
in triumph1 processionally1 and with the
 most  brilliant pomp1 the statues of   
,bacchus1 ,osiris1 and other gods1      
representing the sun3 likewise1 on the  
feast day of the body of ,jesus         
,christ1 the consecrated wafer is       
carried in triumph1 processionally1 and 
with the most brilliant pomp4 ,the      
priestly and other ornaments are of a   
tissue of silver1 or of gold4 ,a        
multitude of people follow3 the various 
confraternities of ,penitents1 the ones 
grey1 the others blue1 the others       
white1 etc41 and the many               
confraternities of virgins1 of married  
women1  all in variegated costumes1     
march before the consecrated wafer4 ,the
  civil1 judiciary1 and military        
authorities1 regiments of soldiers with 
brass bands1 with drums beating1 with   
banners and flags unfurled1 escort  the 

consecrated wafer1 which is carried by  
the first priest of the  parish1 under a
 canopy of the most costly and          
magnificent tissue4    ,the ,pagans     
burnt flambeaux before the statues of   
,osiris1 ,bacchus1 etc41  to represent  
the planets2 and sometimes to represent 
the signs of the  ,zodiac3 so1 in the   
,roman ,catholic churches1 upon the     
altar1 there are  six chandeliers1 with 
candles burning around the consecrated  
wafer1  namely1 ,jesus ,christ1 who is  
in the middle4    ,from all the above   
facts we may legitimately draw the      
conclusion1 that  the ,church of ,rome  
uses1 in her adoration to ,jesus        
,christ1 rites and  ceremonies of a     
striking similarity with those used by  
the ,pagans in  their adoration to the  
sun1 under the names of ,bacchus1       
,hercules1  ,osiris1 ,mithra1 ,atys1    
etc4    ,we now come to the general     
conclusions of the present chapter4     
,it has been proved1 #ast1 ,that the    
,church of ,rome1 from which the        

self-called ,orthodox ,protestant       
,churches1 in the sixteenth century1    
borrowed the doctrine of the divinity of
 ,jesus ,christ1 did not hold it  from  
the apostles of ,jesus ,christ4    #b;d4
 ,it has been proved that the ,church of
 ,rome uses1 in her adoration to  ,jesus
 ,christ1 rites and ceremonies of a     
striking similarity with those  used by 
the ,pagans in their adoration to the   
sun1 under the names of  ,bacchus1      
,hercules1 ,osiris1 ,mithra1 ,atys1 etc4
    ,then the ,church of ,rome1 from    
which1 in the sixteenth century1 the    
self-called ,orthodox ,protestant       
,churches borrowed the doctrine of the  
supreme divinity of ,jesus ,christ had  
borrowed it from the ,pagans4           
,therefore the doctrine of the supreme  
divinity of ,jesus ,christ is of  ,pagan
 origin4          ,,chapter ,,vii4      
,,pagan ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine  
,,of ,,endless ,,hell4      ,,article   
,i4    ,metempsychosis1 or              
,transmigration of the ,souls4    ,,the 

rulers of nations1 and the authors of   
the initiations1 had a  profound        
knowledge of the human nature1 and of   
the genius of the people4  ,from the    
fact that an ox1 unaware of his         
strength1 yields to the leading  hand of
 a child1 so they knew that would they  
let the masses ignore  their power1 they
 could easily control them1 mould their 
opinions1  habits1 and morals4 ,also    
aware of the terror that death impressed
 upon  their minds1 and knowing that it 
is an infirmity of man's nature1 when   
uncultivated by philosophy1 to fear more
 a distant and indefinite1 but          
unavoidable misery beyond the grave1    
than the most excruciating tortures  on 
earth1 they found in those prejudices of
 the people a sure means to  lead and   
rule them4 ,therefore they endeavored to
 make them believe that  those who would
 transgress the laws1 or would commit   
some other crimes1  should be punished  
by the gods immortal in the future life4
    ,they had to invent the nature of   

that punishment1 and as there were many 
degrees of wickedness1 they had to      
admit1 also1 various degrees in the     
punishment4 ,to more easily and more    
surely make the people believe their    
invention1 they thought it was wise to  
make the punishment1 and its  degrees1  
coincide with the then universally      
established religion1 which  was but    
one1 though there were many systems of  
theology4 ,that religion  was the one we
 have examined in the first chapter of  
this work1 and  which consisted in the  
belief that nature was an uncreated but 
animated  being1 whose vast body        
comprised the earth1 the sun1 the       
planets1 and  the stars1 to which one   
great soul impressed motion and life2   
and that  those principal parts1 or     
members1 of the body of the universe    
were  animated by emanations or         
irradiations of the great soul of the   
universe1 or nature4    ,this           
pantheistic doctrine was materialist2   
for it supposed that the  great soul of 

the universe was the purest substance of
 the fire ether1  and thereby man's soul
 was of the same nature4 ,it was the    
belief even of  the famous philosopher  
,pythagoras1 and of his disciples4 ,all 
animals1  according to ,servius1 the    
commentator of ,virgil1 draw their flesh
 from  the earth1 their humors from     
water1 their breath from the air1 and   
their  soul from the breath of the      
,deity4 ,thus the bees have a small     
portion of  the ,deity4 ,our soul is    
like a drop of water which is not       
annihilated1  whether it evaporates in  
the air1 or condenses and falls again in
 rain1  or rolls into the sea to add its
 littleness to the massy waters4 ,when  
we  die our life melts1 reenters into   
the great soul of the universe1 and  the
 remains of our body mix again with the 
elements of the air4    ,virgil believed
 that our death is not annihilation1 but
 that it is a  separation of two sorts  
of matters1 the one thereof remains here
 below1  and the other reunites to the  

sacred fire of the stars1 as soon as the
  matter of which our soul is composed  
has reacquired all the purity of  the   
subtle matter1 from which it had        
emanated1 aur simplicis ignem4          
,nothing1 ,servius says1 is lost in the 
great whole1 and in the pure fire  which
 constitutes the substance of the soul4 
,virgil says of the souls3  igneus est  
ollis vigor1 et coelestis origo2 that   
they are formed of  the active fire that
 shines in the heaven1 and that they    
return thither  when they are separated 
from the body by death4    ,the same    
doctrine we find in the dream of        
,scipio3 ,it is from there1 he  says1   
speaking of the regions of the fixed    
stars1 that the souls  descended1       
thereto they shall return2 they were    
emanated from those  eternal fires we   
name stars4 ,what ye call death is but a
 return to true  life2 the body is but a
 prison1 in which the soul is           
momentarily  chained4 ,death breaks her 
ties1 and restores her to liberty1 and  

to her  true state of existence4        
,from this pantheistic doctrine1 it     
followed that man's soul is immortal    
though material4    ,upon this sort of  
immortality of our soul1 the rulers     
built a system of  punishment1 called   
,metempsychosis1 or transmigration of   
the souls4 ,this  system was so much the
 better adapted to the then received    
religion1  that all the souls being     
simply different emanations from the    
same fire  ether1 the consequence was   
that all the souls were homogeneous1 and
  differed only in appearance1 and by   
the nature of the bodies to which  the  
fire-principle1 which composed their    
substance1 united4 ,virgil said  that   
the souls of all animals are an         
emanation of the fire ether1 and  that  
the difference of their operations on   
earth is to be ascribed only  to the    
difference of vases1 or organized       
bodies1 which receive this  substance2  
or1 according to the words of ,servius1 
the lesser or greater  perfection of    

their operations is in ratio of the     
nature of the bodies4    ,the ,indians1 
among whom1 even in our days1 the system
 of ,metempsychosis  prevails1 think    
that man's soul is absolutely of the    
same nature as that  of other animals4  
,they say that man is superior to them1 
not in his soul  but in his body1 whose 
organization is more perfect and more   
apt to  receive the action of the great 
,being1 viz41 of the universe1 than     
theirs are4 ,they ground their opinion  
on the example of children and of  old  
men1 whose organs being too weak yet1 or
 having been weakened1 do  not permit   
their senses to have the same activity  
which is displayed in  a mature age4    
,the soul1 in the exercise of her       
operations1 being necessarily in        
submission to the body which she        
animates2 and all souls flowing from    
the immense reservoir called universal  
soul1 it follows that the portion  of   
the fire ether which animates a man1    
might as well animate an ox1 a  lion1 an

 eagle1 a whale1 or any other beast4    
,fate caused that she would  animate a  
man1 and such a man2 but when the soul  
will be disengaged from  this first     
body1 and will return to her source1 she
 will be able to pass  into the body of 
another animal2 and her activity will be
 lesser or  greater1 in ratio of the    
organization of the new body into which 
she  will pass4    ,all the great work  
of nature being reduced to successive   
organizations  and destructions1 in     
which the same matter is ten thousand   
times used  under ten thousand forms1   
the subtle matter of the soul1 carried  
in that  current1 brings life to all the
 moulds which open to receive her4 ,thus
  the same water flown from a same      
reservoir1 enters the various pipes     
which are opened1 rolls on and empties  
either as a fountain1 or as a  cascade1 
according to the forms of the orifices  
of the pipes2 then it  congregates1     
evaporates1 and forms clouds which      
brings it back down to  the earth1 to   

experience again an infinity of         
modifications4 ,it is the  same of the  
fluid of the soul spread in the various 
canals of the animal  organization1     
flowing from the bright mass of which   
the ethereal  substance is composed2    
thence being carried to the earth by the
  generating force distributed among the
 animals1 continually ascending  and    
descending in the universe1 and         
circulating within new bodies  diversely
 organized4    ,such was the basis of   
,metempsychosis1 which became one of the
 most  powerful political engines in the
 hands of the ancient rulers1           
legislators and mystagogues4 ,pythagoras
 brought this doctrine from the  ,orient
 to ,greece1 and to ,italy4 ,this       
philosopher1 and ,empedocles after  him1
 taught that the souls of the criminals1
 when death separated them  from the    
bodies they animated1 passed into the   
bodies of beasts in order  to suffer1   
under those divers forms the punishment 
of their wickedness1  until they might  

recover1 by expiation1 their native     
purity4 ,so this  transmigration of the 
souls was a punishment of the gods4 ,the
 ,stoicians  held this doctrine2 and the
 emperor ,marcus-,aurelius1 in the ninth
 book  of his ,works1 said3 ,the        
spiritus1 or breath1 which animates us1 
passes  from one body into another4     
,to give the reader a general idea of   
what was the belief of the  ancients1   
and of their philosophers1 in regard to 
,metempsychosis1 we  take from the tenth
 and last book of the ,republic of      
,plato the following  lengthy but       
instructive extract3--    ,it is not the
 narration of ,alcinos 7namely1 a false 
story1 such as the  one of ,ulysse to   
the ,pheacians17 that ,i will tell you2 
but that of a  noble man1 of ,her1 the  
,armenian1 a native of ,pamphily4 ,he   
had been  killed in a battle2 but when1 
ten days after1 the dead bodies were    
taken  away for inhumation1 his1 instead
 of being in putrefaction like the      
others1 was found natural and entire4   

,it was carried to his house1 and1  on  
the twelfth day1 when laid on the       
wood-pile1 he came again to life2  and  
he related to the assistants what he had
 seen in the other world4    ',as soon1'
 he says1 'as my soul left my body1 ,i  
arrived1 in company  with a great number
 of souls1 at a mysterious place1 where 
were seen two  openings near each other1
 and two others corresponding in the    
sky4  ,between these two regions were   
judges sitting3 when they had pronounced
  their sentence they ordered the       
righteous to take the right hand side   
route through one of the openings of the
 sky1 after having previously  placed on
 their breast a mark containing the     
judgment rendered in their  favor2 also 
they ordered the wicked to take the left
 hand side route  through one of the    
openings of the earth1 carrying on their
 back a mark  containing all their evil 
actions4 ,when ,i was presented to the  
judges1  they decided that ,i should    
return to the earth to inform men of    

what was  done in the other world2 and  
they bade me listen and observe all ,i  
was  to witness4    ',first ,i saw the  
souls of those who had been judged1 the 
ones ascending  to the heavens1 and the 
others descending below the earth       
through the  two corresponding openings4
 ,withal ,i saw1 through the other      
opening of  the earth1 many souls coming
 out1 covered with filthiness and dust2 
and  also1 through the other opening in 
the sky1 ,i saw souls pure and  spotless
 descending3 they seemed to return from 
a long voyage1 and to  stop with        
pleasure in the meadow1 as if in a place
 of reunion4 ,those who  knew each other
 mutually inquired what they had seen in
 the heaven1 and  in the earth4 ,the    
ones related their adventures with      
groans and tears1  caused by the        
recollection of the sufferings they had 
endured1 or seen  others endure1 during 
their voyage below the earth1 whose     
duration was  of a thousand years4 ,the 
others1 who returned from the heaven1   

related  the rapturous pleasures they   
had enjoyed1 and the marvellous things  
they  had seen4'    ,it would be too    
long1 my dear ,glaucon1 to relate the   
whole discourse of  ,her on this        
subject4 ,it might be summed up in      
saying that the souls were  punished ten
 times for each injustice they had      
committed while on earth2  that the     
duration of each punishment was of one  
hundred years1 natural  length of man's 
life1 in order that the punishment be   
ever tenfold for  each crime4 ,thus     
those who had contaminated themselves   
with murder2 who  had betrayed ,states  
and armies1 and reduced them to         
servitude2 or who  had committed similar
 crimes1 were punished tenfold for each 
one of  those crimes4 ,whereas those who
 had done good to their fellow men1 who 
had been holy and virtuous1 received in 
the same proportion the reward  of their
 good deeds4 ,in regard to children who 
die immediately1 or a  short time after 
they are born1 ,her gave details which  

it is useless to  relate4 ,according to 
his narration there were great          
recompenses for  those who had honored  
the gods1 and had respected their       
parents2 and  also there were           
extraordinary tortures for the          
parricides1 and for  impious men4    ',i
 was present1' said he1 'when a soul    
asked another where was the  great      
,ardiee4 ,this ,ardiee had tyrannized   
over a city of ,pamphily a  thousand    
years before2 he had killed his father1 
who was an old man1 and  he was guilty1 
it was said1 of many other atrocious    
crimes4 ,he does not  come1 the soul    
answered1 and he will never come here4  
,we all have  witnessed1 in relation to 
him1 the most dreadful spectacle4 ,when 
we were  about leaving the subterraneous
 abyss after our pains ended1 we saw    
,ardiee1 and a great number of others1  
the most of whom had been tyrants  like 
himself2 there were also others1 who1   
though in a private  condition1 had been
 great criminals4    ',when those souls 

were about going out1 the opening was   
closed2 and  whenever one of those      
wretched souls1 whose crimes were       
irremissible1  tried to get out of the  
abyss1 she howled4 ,thereupon hideous   
and  firelike beings came4 ,they        
violently wrested away several of those 
criminals2 then they seized ,ardiee and 
others1 tied their feet1 their  hands   
and their heads2 and after throwing them
 on the ground and  torturing them with 
lashes1 they dragged them through       
bleeding thorns1  telling the shadows   
which they met on their route the reason
 why they  treated so those souls1 and  
adding that they were going to throw    
them  into the ,tartarus4 ,those souls  
added1 that of the various fears they   
had on the route none was so horrible as
 that of hearing that howl2 and  that it
 had been an inexpressible pleasure for 
them not to have heard it  when they    
were released from the abyss4           
',behold what took place in regard to   
the judgments1 tortures1 and  rewards4  

,after each one of those souls had spent
 seven days in the  meadow they left on 
the eighth1 and arrived1 after a march  
of four days1  at a designated spot1    
wherefrom was seen a light crossing the 
heaven and  the earth1 as straight as a 
column1 and similar to the rainbow1 but 
brighter and purer4 ,they reached this  
light in one day's march4 ,there  they  
saw that the extremities of the heaven  
meet at the middle of this  light1 which
 united them fast1 and which embraced   
all the circumference  of the heaven1 in
 nearly the same manner as the beams    
which girdle the  sides of galleys1 and 
which bear their frame4 ,at the         
extremities the  spindle of ,necessity  
hung1 and determined the revolutions of 
the  celestial spheres4'    ,here ,her  
describes the spindle4 ,this description
 we omit1 for it does  not relate to our
 subject4    ,her continues3--    ',near
 the spindle1 and at equal distances1   
sat on thrones the three  ,parques1     
daughters of ,necessity1 ,lachesis1     

,clotho1 and ,atropos1 dressed  in      
white1 and their heads crowned with a   
bandelet4 ,they united their  chant to  
that of the ,sirenes2 ,lachesis sung the
 past1 ,clotho the  present1 and        
,atropos the future4 ,clotho1 now and   
then1 touched the  spindle with her     
right hand1 and made it revolve         
externally4 ,atropos1  with her left    
hand1 impressed motion to each one of   
the interior whirls1  and ,lachesis1    
with both hands1 touched now the        
spindle1 and then the  interior whirls4 
,when the souls arrived they appeared   
before ,lachesis4  ,first a ,hierophant 
assigned a rank to each one2 then taking
 from the lap  of ,lachesis the fates   
and the various conditions of human     
life1 he  mounted on a high stand1 and  
spake thus3--    ',this is what the     
virgin ,lachesis1 daughter of           
,necessity1 says3  ,voyaging souls you  
are to commence another career1 and     
return into a  mortal body4 ,the genius 
will not choose for you3 each one of you

 shall  choose hers4 ,the first one that
 fate will designate shall choose first1
  and her choice shall be irrevocable4  
,virtue has no master2 she clings to    
him who honors her1 and flies from him  
who despises her4 ,the error of  the    
choice shall fall on you4 ,god is       
innocent4    ',thereupon the ,hierophant
 casting the fates1 each soul picked up 
the  one that fell before her1 except   
myself who had been forbidden it4 ,each 
one knew then in which rank she had to  
choose4 ,then the same ,hierophant      
placed before them callings of all      
kinds1 whose number was greater than    
that of the souls who were to choose2   
for all the conditions of men and       
beasts were assembled therein4 ,there   
were tyrannies1 the ones were to  last  
till death2 and the others were to be   
suddenly interrupted1 and  were to end  
by exile1 poverty and indigence4 ,also  
there were seen  conditions of          
illustrious men1 the ones for beauty1   
for strength1 for  fame in the combats2 

and the others by their nobleness1 and  
the great  qualities of their ancestors2
 there were seen also obscure           
conditions4  ,there were destinies of   
women of the same variety4 ,but there   
was no  regulation for the rank of the  
souls1 because each one was necessarily 
to change of nature according to her    
choice4 ,besides1 wealth1 poverty1  and 
diseases1 were found in all conditions3 
here without any mixture1  there in a   
just proportion of advantages and       
disadvantages4'    ,but this is         
evidently1 my dear ,glaucon1 the        
redoubtable trial for  mankind4444 ,the 
,hierophant added3 he who chooses the   
last1 provided he  be judicious1 and    
then be consistent in his conduct1 may  
hope to be  blessed in life4 ,therefore 
let him who is to have the first choice1
 be  not presumptuous2 and let him who  
has the last choice1 despair not4 ,when 
the ,hierophant had thus spoken1 he to  
whom the first fate had been  devolved1 
hastily advanced1 and took1 without any 

deliberation1 the  greatest tyranny2 but
 when he had considered it1 and seen    
that his  destiny was to eat his own    
children1 and to commit other enormous  
crimes1 he lamented2 and1 forgetting the
 recommendation of the  ,hierophant1    
charged upon the fortune and the gods1  
with the wretchedness  of his fate4     
,this soul was one of those who came    
from heaven2 she had  previously lived  
in a well governed state1 and had been  
virtuous more  from temper and habit1   
than from philosophy4    ,on the        
contrary1 the souls who had sojourned in
 the subterranean  region1 and who had  
both the experience of their own        
sufferings1 and the  knowledge of the   
misfortunes of others1 were cautious in 
their choice4  ,this experience on one  
side1 and that inexperience on the      
other1  together with the fate which    
decided the rank for the choice1 were   
the  cause that the most of the souls   
exchanged a good condition for a bad    
one1 and a bad one for a good one4 ,he  

also said1 that it was a strange        
spectacle to see in what manner each    
soul made her choice1 nothing was  more 
extraordinary1 nor more pitiful2 the    
most of them were guided in  their      
choice by the habits they had contracted
 in their previous life4  ,he had seen  
the soul of ,orpheus choosing the       
condition of a swan1 from  hatred to    
women who had killed him1 and from whom 
he did not wish to  receive birth4 ,he  
saw the soul of ,thamyris choosing the  
condition of  nightingale2 likewise he  
saw a swan and several other birds      
choosing the  human condition4          
,another soul had chosen the condition  
of a lion2 it was that of ,ajax1  son of
 ,telamon1 who1 remembering the offense 
she had received in the  judgments      
rendered about the arms of ,achilles1   
refused to take again a  human body4    
,then came the soul of ,agamemnon1 who1 
from antipathy against  mankind on      
account of her past sufferings1 chose   
the condition of an  eagle4 ,the soul of

 ,atalante1 desirous of the athletic    
honors1 chose to  be a champion4 ,the   
soul of ,epee1 son of ,panope1 preferred
 the condition  of a woman skillful in  
handiworks4 ,the soul of the buffoon    
,thersite came  one of the last1 and    
entered the body of a monkey4 ,there    
were1 ,her  added1 souls of animals     
which exchanged their condition against 
ours1  and human souls which passed into
 bodies of beasts4 ,the souls           
indistinctly passed from the bodies of  
animals into human bodies1 and  from    
human bodies into bodies of animals2    
those of the righteous into  species of 
a higher order4    ,when all the souls  
had chosen their new condition of       
existence1  according to the rank       
determined by fate1 they came to        
,lachesis in the  same order4 ,she gave 
to each one the genius of her choice1   
and this  genius was to be her guardian 
during her mortal life1 and was to aid  
her  in the accomplishment of her       
destiny4 ,this genius first led her to  

,clotho1 who1 with her hand1 and with a 
revolution of the spindle  confirmed the
 chosen destiny4 ,when the soul had     
touched the spindle1 the  genius took   
her to ,atropos1 who rolled the thread  
in her fingers1 to  render irrevocable  
what had been already spun by ,clotho4  
,after that1 the  soul proceeded to the 
throne of ,necessity1 under which the   
soul and her  genius1 or demon1 passed  
together4 ,when all had passed1 they    
went to the  plain of the ,lethe river1 
where they were oppressed by an intense 
heat2  for there was in this plain1     
neither tree nor shrub4 ,the evening    
came  and they spent the night near the 
river ,ameles1 whose water can be       
contained in no vessel4 ,every soul was 
obliged to drink some of its  water4    
,they fell asleep2 but at about midnight
 the thunder roared1 and  all the souls 
suddenly waking up were dispersed1 like 
shooting stars1  towards the various    
places where they were to commence their
 new life4    ,as to ,her1 he had been  

forbidden to drink of the water of the  
,lethe  river2 nevertheless1 he knew not
 in what manner his soul had returned   
into his body1 but having opened his    
eyes in the morning1 he had seen  that  
he was laying on a wood-pile4    ,this  
tradition1 my dear ,glaucon1 has been   
handed down to us2 and if we  believe   
it1 it is very apt to save us2 we will  
safely cross the ,lethe  river1 and we  
will preserve our soul free from stain4 
,the reader has undoubtedly remarked the
 last sentence of this extract1  which  
proves the antiquity of the doctrine of 
the transmigration of the  souls4       
,burnet wrote1 that it was so ancient   
and so universally spread in  ,egypt1   
,persia1 ,india1 and other countries of 
the ,orient1 that it seemed  it had     
descended from heaven1 and been believed
 by the first inhabitants  of the earth4
 ,herodote found it established in      
,egypt in the remotest  ages4 ,it was   
the basis of the theology of the        
,indians1 and the subject  of the       

celebrated ,metamorphosis and           
incarnations of their legends4          
,metempsychosis has been immemorially   
believed in ,japan1 where the  people1  
even in our days1 according to          
,koempsfer1 abstain from meat1 and  live
 exclusively upon fruits and vegetables4
 ,in ,siam1 where the  ,talapoins or    
monks hold it as a sacred dogma2 in     
,china by the ,tao-,see2  also among the
 ,kalbouls and the ,mongols1 and among  
the ,thibetans1 who  admit that the     
souls pass even into the plants1 into   
the trees1 and even  into the roots4    
,however1 the ,thibetans believe that it
 is only by  uniting to human bodies1   
that the souls can1 after successive    
changes1  be restored to their former   
purity4    ,the aim of the doctrine of  
,metempsychosis was to accustom man to  
detach  himself from the gross matter1  
to which he is tied here below1 and to  
excite in him the desire of promptly    
returning there1 wherefrom he had       
formerly descended4 ,the rulers of the  

people frightened them with the         
pictures of humiliating transformations 
of their souls1 as the ,catholic        
priests and the ,partialist preachers do
 among us1 with their teaching of  an   
endless hell4 ,the people1 amazed and   
terrified1 for the masses were          
ignorant1 believed all those            
politico-religious fables4 ,they firmly 
believed that the souls of the wicked   
passed into vile bodies2 that they  were
 punished with cruel and loathesome     
diseases2 that those who did not  reform
 after a certain number of              
transmigrations were delivered up to    
the ,furies and to the evil spirits 7or 
devils7 to be tortured2 and that1  after
 that1 they were sent again to the      
earth1 as in a new school1 and  were    
obliged to run a new race4 ,thus we see 
that the whole system of                
,metempsychosis rested on the false     
supposition1 that it was necessary1  in 
order to govern the people here below1  
to frighten them with absurd  and       

visionary tales of atrocious tortures   
beyond the grave1 which were  the more  
terrifying for the very reason of their 
absurdity and  atrociousness4    ,timee 
of ,locre1 one of the disciples of      
,socrates1 wrote1 that among the        
various means of governing those who are
 not able to reach the truth of  the    
principles1 on which nature has         
established justice and morals1         
,metempsychosis is an efficacious one4  
,he said3 ,let them be taught those     
dogmas which inform us that the souls of
 effeminate and pusillanimous  men      
transmigrate into female bodies2 those  
of murderers into bodies of  wild       
beasts2 those of licentious men into    
bodies of wild boars and hogs2  those of
 fickle and inconstant men into bodies  
of birds2 those of idle1  ignorant and  
silly men into bodies of fishes4 ,the   
just ,nemesis regulates  those pains in 
the future life conjointly with the gods
 of the earth1  avengers of the crimes  
they have witnessed4 ,the supreme ,god  

has  entrusted them with the government 
of this inferior world4 ,let them be    
frightened1 even1 by the religious      
terrors conveyed to the soul by those   
discourses which describe the vengeance 
of the celestial gods1 and the          
unavoidable torments reserved to the    
criminals in the ,tartarus2 and also  by
 the other fictions which ,homer has    
found in the ancient sacred  opinions4  
,sometimes the body is cured by         
poisonous substances2 so the  souls can 
be ruled by fables when they cannot be  
governed by truth4    ,this philosopher 
plainly gives us his secret1 which has  
been1 and still  is1 the secret of all  
legislators and priests4 ,true1 the     
belief of these  fables has restrained  
many from vice and crime2 nevertheless  
we firmly  believe that men ought to be 
led to justice by the bright light of   
the  truth1 and not by the dismal light 
of error1 and of superstition3 the  one 
elevates man1 but the other keeps him in
 an eternal infancy and  ignorance4 ,how

 sad it is to see1 even now-a-days1 in  
free and  enlightened ,america1 priests1
 and ,protestant ministers themselves1  
keeping down in intellectual1 moral and 
religious bondage1 millions of          
,christians1 who1 from fear of endless  
curse1 kiss the very chains which       
heavily they drag through life2 who     
believe that ,god will endlessly  roast 
men--his children--in an undying fire6  
,more surely1 and more  easily1 could   
those purely minded1 but unfortunate    
,christians1 be guided  to love ,god1 if
 they knew that he is not worse than a  
tiger2 that1 on  the contrary1 he is    
truly good and loving2 more virtuous    
they would be  if they were taught that 
virtue is the source1 and the only true 
source1  of happiness4 ,truer fraternity
 would reign in our communities1 if     
priests and pretended ,protestants1 who 
tyrannize over the souls of their       
misled victims1 and1 like the ,pharisees
 of old1 lay upon their shoulders  a    
burden they would not be willing to     

touch with their own  fingers--yea1 they
 lay upon their mind and heart the      
leaden weight of  the dogma of endless  
misery1 which they1 at least the leaders
 of the  leaders1 reject--truer         
fraternity would exist1 we say1 for     
there would  not be in our communities1 
a class of ,christians1 believing that  
they  are the elect of ,god for         
righteousness and eternal bliss1 while  
all the  others shall be endlessly      
damned4 ,hence their indifference1 or   
rather  aversion for them2 hence a      
spirit of ,pharisaism3 hence a spirit of
  religious aristocracy1 which          
unfortunately ramifies into a social    
aristocracy6      ,,article ,,ii4       
,tartarus4    ,when legislators1 priests
 and philosophers had invented the      
doctrine of  ,metempsychosis1 the       
mystagogues and the poets took hold of  
it1 and  endeavored to spread it among  
the people1 in consecrating it1 the ones
  in their chants1 and the others in the
 celebration of their mysteries4  ,they 

clothed it with the charms of poetry1   
and presented it with magical           
illusions4 ,all united to deceive the   
people1 under the specious pretext  of  
bettering and governing them with a     
surer hand4 ,the widest field was       
opened to fictions2 and the genius of   
the poets1 as well as the cunning  of   
the priests1 were inexhaustible in      
portraying the bliss of the  righteous  
hereafter1 and the horror of the        
horrible prisons wherein  crime was to  
be punished4    ,each one portrayed them
 according to his own fancy1 and added  
new scenes  and views to the            
descriptions of those unknown lands2 of 
that world of  new creation1 which the  
imagination of poets peopled with       
shadows1  chimeras and phantoms1 for the
 purpose of frightening the people3 for 
rulers wrongly thought that their minds 
could not rise up to the  abstract      
notions of metaphysics and morals4 ,the 
,elysium and the ,tartarus  were more   
pleasing and more vividly striking to   

the imagination of the  people3         
therefore darkness and light were       
successively presented to the  gaze of  
those initiated to the mysteries4 ,to   
the darkest night1 and to  frightful    
spectres1 succeeded a bright day1 whose 
light shone around the  statue of the   
,deity3 one could not help feeling a    
mysterious terror1  when entering that  
sanctuary1 where all was disposed to    
represent the  ,tartarus and the        
,elysium4 ,it was in this sanctuary that
 the one  initiated1 being finally      
introduced1 saw the picture of charming 
meadows1 lighted by a pure sky3 there he
 heard harmonious voices1 and  the      
majestic chants of sacred choirs4 ,it   
was then that1 entirely free1  and rid  
of all evils1 he joined the multitude of
 those initiated2 and  that1 a crown of 
flowers on his head1 he celebrated the  
holy orgies4    ,thus the ancients      
represented here below1 in their        
initiations1 what  was1 they said1 to   
happen hereafter to the souls1 when they

 would be  disengaged from their bodies2
 and would be liberated from the obscure
  prison1 wherein fate had chained them 
by uniting them to terrestrial  matter4 
,in the mysteries of ,isis1 of which we 
hold the details from  ,apuleo1 the     
candidate passed through the dark region
 of the empire of  the dead2 thence into
 a vast enclosure1 which represented the
 elements2  and then he was admitted    
into the bright region1 where the       
brightest sun  succeeded to the darkness
 of the night1 namely1 in the three     
worlds1 the  terrestrial1 the           
elementary1 and the celestial4 ,he who  
had been  initiated said3 ,i have       
approached the boundaries of death in   
treading  the thresh hold of            
,proserpine2 therefrom ,i have returned 
through the  elements4 ,then ,i saw a   
bright light1 and ,i found myself in the
 presence  of the gods4 ,this was the   
autopsy4    ,what mystagogy exhibited in
 the sanctuaries1 poets1 and even       
philosophers1 in their fictions1        

publicly taught to the people3 hence    
the descriptions of the ,elysium and of 
the ,tartarus found in ,homer1  ,virgil 
and ,plato1 and all those given us by   
many systems of theology4 ,we  never had
 a description of the earth and of its  
inhabitants1 a  description as complete 
as that transmitted to us1 by the       
ancients1  about those countries of new 
creation1 known under the names of      
,hell1  ,tartarus1 and ,elysium4 ,those 
men1 whose geographical knowledge was so
  limited1 have given us the minutest   
details of the abode of the souls       
beyond the grave2 of the government of  
each one of the two empires1  which form
 the domain of the shadows2 of their    
habits2 of their diet2 of  their pains  
and pleasures2 and even of the costume  
of the inhabitants  of these two        
regions4 ,the same poetical imagination 
which had invented  that new world1     
arbitrarily traced out its plan and     
distribution4    ,socrates1 in the ,phdo
 of ,plato1 a work intended to prove the

  immortality of our soul1 and the      
necessity of practicing virtue1 speaks  
of the place where the souls go after   
death4 ,he imagines a sort of  ethereal 
land1 superior to the one we inhabit1   
and situated in a sunnier  region4      
,there is nothing on our earth that can 
compare to the beauties  of this        
wonderful abode4 ,there colors are      
brighter1 the vegetation  richer2 the   
trees1 flowers and fruits are infinitely
 superior to those  of our earth4 ,there
 precious stones are so bright that     
those of our  earth are but their       
shadow4 ,this ethereal land is strewed  
with pearls of  the purest crystal2     
everywhere gold and silver are dazzling4
 ,there  beasts are more beautiful1 and 
more perfectly organized than ours4     
,there  the air is the sea1 and ether is
 the air4 ,there seasons are so         
harmoniously combined1 that the         
fortunate inhabitants are not subject to
  infirmities and to diseases4 ,there   
the temples are inhabited by the gods   

themselves1 who familiarly converse with
 men4 ,the inmates of this  delightful  
mansion are the only ones who see the   
sun1 the moon1 and the  stars1 as they  
truly are4    ,to this ,socrates adds1  
that men1 who1 here below1 distinguish  
themselves  for their piety and         
exactitude in discharging their social  
duties1 will  be admitted in this abode 
of happiness when death destroys their  
mortal  form4 ,there all those whom     
philosophy has led to wisdom will dwell4
  ,socrates concludes thus3    ,then it 
is for us a strong inducement to study  
wisdom1 and to practice  virtue1 while  
we are on earth4 ,these expectations are
 high enough for us  to risk the chances
 of this opinion1 and not to break its  
charms4    ,this is a plain avowal of   
the motive of the fiction3 such is the  
secret  of nearly all legislators1 and  
the deceitfulness of the most renowned  
philosophers4    ,the second part of the
 land of the dead1 called ,tartarus1 the
 leaders of  the people also minutely   

described4 ,according to their          
description1 this  abode of the wicked  
presents the horrid view of precipices1 
caverns1 and  abysses1 more frightful   
than those we see on earth4 ,those      
caverns  communicate to each other in   
the profundities of the earth1 through  
the  medium of sinuosities vast and     
dark1 and of subterraneous canals1 in   
which waters flow2 the ones cold1 and   
the others warm3 also in several  of    
those canals flow torrents of fire1 and 
in others the filthiest mire4  ,the     
vastest of those caverns is in the      
center2 and into it four main  rivers   
ebb1 to spring out again4 ,the first is 
the ,acheron1 which forms  beneath the  
earth a shoreless marsh1 wherein the    
souls assemble4 ,the  second is the     
,pyriphlegeton1 which rolls torrents of 
burning sulphur4  ,the third is the     
,cocyte2 and the fourth is the ,styx4   
,in this horrible abode divine justice  
tortures the criminals4 ,at the  gate of
 the ,tartarus the frightful ,tisiphon1 

whose gown is reeking with  blood1      
watches day and night4 ,the gate is also
 defended by a strong  tower1 backed by 
three walls1 which are surrounded by the
 burning waves  of the ,phlegeton river1
 that rolls huge stones on fire4 ,there 
are  incessantly heard the rattle of    
chains dragged by wretched victims2     
their groans2 and the strokes of lashes 
that tear their flesh4 ,there is  seen  
an hydra with a hundred heads1 whose    
mouths are ever gaping for new  victims 
to be devoured4 ,there a vulture is     
constantly feeding on the  ever         
re-growing entrails of a criminal4      
,other victims carry a heavy rock  to   
the summit of a mountain1 where they    
must set it2 but1 vain are their        
efforts1 it rolls down to the bottom of 
the valley4 ,other criminals1  tied to a
 wheel1 relentlessly revolving1 are not 
permitted the slightest  rest in their  
torture4 ,others1 placed near refreshing
 waters1 and near  trees loaded with    
fruit1 are ever devoured with           

unquenchable thirst and  hunger4 ,if    
they stoop to drink the water flies from
 their mouth1 and a  stinking mire      
sticks to their lips4 ,if they lower a  
limb to cull a  fruit1 the limb slips   
from their hand4    ,farther1 fifty     
female victims are forced to fill up    
with water a cask1  whose bottom is     
riddled4 ,indeed1 there is no sort of   
torment that was  not invented by       
legislators1 mystagogues1 poets1 and    
philosophers1 to  frighten the people1  
under the false assumption of making    
them better2  but the truth is that it  
was rather to keep them down in         
subjection4  ,those terrifying pictures 
were painted on the walls of the temple 
of  ,delphos4 ,those fables were        
repeated to infants by nurses and       
mothers4  ,thus their souls grew weak   
and pusillanimous1 for strong and       
durable are  the first impressions1 and 
more especially1 when the general       
opinion1  the example of the credulity  
of others1 the authority of             

philosophers1  of poets1 of learned     
,hierophants1 and the sight of pompous  
rites1 and  ceremonies in the           
overpowering sacredness of sanctuaries2 
when the  monuments of arts1 music1     
statues1 and pictures1 in short1 when   
all  tends to insinuate in the soul1    
through the senses stricken with hope   
and terror1 a great error presented as a
 sacred truth revealed by the  gods     
themselves for man's bliss4    ,such was
 the general teaching and belief of the 
,pagans in regard to  future punishment1
 before the coming of ,jesus ,christ1   
and the preaching  of his ,gospel4      
,as to the ,jewish nation1 not the      
slightest vestiges of any kind of       
belief regarding future punishment1 can 
be traced out1 neither in the  ,old     
,testament1 nor in ,josephus1 nor in the
 writings of other historians1  at least
 before the captivity of ,babylon1 which
 took place in the year  #eih before the
 ,christian era4 ,afterwards the ,jews  
divided into four  sects1 the ,essenes1 

the ,sadducees1 the ,samaritans1 who    
denied the  existence of any future     
punishment1 and the ,pharisees1 who1    
according to  the testimony of          
,josephus1 adopted the belief of        
,metempsychosis1 or  transmigration of  
the souls4      ,,article ,,iii4    ,did
 the ,christians of the ,first          
,centuries believe in ,endless ,hell8   
,we emphatically answer1 no4 ,if the    
,christian ,fathers of the first        
centuries1 have neither taught the dogma
 of endless hell1 nor mentioned1  in    
their writings1 that their              
fellow-,christians knew or believed it1 
and  if the same is proved by the       
testimony of the then existing          
,christian  sects or denominations1 it  
is evident that the first ,christians   
did not  believe in endless hell4 ,but  
the ,christian ,fathers of the first    
centuries have neither taught the dogma 
of endless hell1 nor mentioned1  in     
their writings1 that their              
fellow-,christians knew or believed it2 

and  the same is proved by the testimony
 of the then existing ,christian  sects4
 ,these two members of the proposition  
we are to successively  prove3 #ast     
member3 ,in the first century the four  
,gospels1 and other  books of the ,new  
,testament were written by the apostles1
 but history  does not inform us of any 
other ,christian writing1 or author1 in 
that  age1 except perhaps ,clement1     
bishop of ,rome1 who1 it is said1 has   
left a  letter to the ,corinthians3     
critics call it ,apocryphal4 ,we have   
not read  it4 ,therefore in order to    
know whether the first ,christians      
believed in  endless hell or not1 we    
must recur to the works of the          
,christian ,fathers  who lived and wrote
 in the following centuries1 and        
particularly to  those who lived and    
wrote during the second4    ,st4        
,ignatius1 bishop of ,antioch1 who      
suffered martyrdom at ,rome1 in the     
year #ajg1 was the first apostolic      
,father of the second century4 ,there   

are in the collection of the works of   
the holy ,fathers1 six letters  ascribed
 to him by some authors2 some others1   
,saumaise1 ,blondel1 ,daill1  etc41 say 
that they are apocryphal4 ,mosheim1 in  
his ,histor4 ,christ41  says1 that it is
 doubtful whether they are of ,ignatius 
or not4 ,we have  read those six        
letters1 of which five are addressed to 
different  ,churches1 and one to        
,polycarpus4 ,although they treat of the
 most  important points of the          
,christian faith and duties1 they are   
silent upon  the question of endless    
hell4 ,in the year #aca1 ,st4 ,quadratus
 presented  to the emperor ,adrian an   
apology of the ,christian religion1     
which  contained the principal          
,christian doctrines4 ,adrian was so    
pleased with  this apology1 that1 if we 
must believe what ,lampride says in his 
,life of  ,alexander ,severus1 he       
designed to rear a temple to ,jesus     
,christ1 and to  place him among the    
gods of the empire4 ,a fragment of this 

apology can  be found in the works of   
,eusebe2 but not a word is said about   
the dogma  of endless hell4    ,st4     
,justin1 a ,platonician philosopher1 was
 born at ,naplouse1 ,palestine1  in     
#ajc4 ,he was converted to ,christianity
 in #acc4 ,he wrote the following       
works3 ,exhortation to ,gentiles2 two   
,apologies of the ,christian religion1  
the one to the emperor ,antonine1 and   
the other to the emperor                
,marcus-,aurelius2 a ,dialogue with the 
,jew ,triphon2 a treatise on  ,monarchy1
 or ,unity of ,god2 and an ,epistle to  
,diognet1 in which he states  the       
reasons why ,christians left the worship
 of the gods1 and did not  adopt that of
 the ,jews4 ,he composed other works1   
but they exist no more4  ,the main      
editions of his works are those of      
,robert ,etienne in #aeea and  #agga1 in
 ,greek and ,latin2 that of ,commelin in
 #aeic1 in ,greek and ,latin2  that of  
,morel in #afef1 and that of ,don       
,marand in #agdb1 in folio4 ,all  these 

editions1 and afterwards that of ,migne1
 we have compared in the  voluminous    
library of the theological seminary of  
,brou1 ,france1 where we  have been     
ordained a priest4 ,although there were 
alterations of the  text1 we did not    
find any passage referring to the dogma 
of endless  hell4 ,true1 addressing the 
,romans1 he says3 ,come1 ,o ,romans1 to 
find  instruction6 ,formerly ,i was like
 you1 now be what ,i am4 ,the power of  
the  ,christian religion has enlightened
 me1 and freed me from servitude to my  
senses and passions3 it has afforded me 
peace and serenity4 ,the soul  thus free
 is sure to reunite to her ,creator1    
because it is right that  she return to 
him from whom she emanated4 ,but this   
passage neither  explicitly nor         
implicitly supposes that he believed1 or
 that the first  ,christians believed1  
in endless hell2 it is simply a         
,platonician and  ,christian doctrine1  
in regard to the purity of our soul     
which is worthy  of ,god only when      

unstained4 ,however ,bailly1 a ,catholic
 theologian1 says  that on page #gd of  
the first ,apology there is a passage   
proving his  belief in endless hell4 ,we
 did not find it4    ,meliton1 bishop of
 ,sardes1 ,lybia1 under the reign of    
,marcus-,aurelius1  presented to this   
emperor an ,apology of the ,christian   
religion1 in #aga4  ,eusebe and several 
other authors praise it4 ,only a few    
fragments of it  are found in the       
,bibliotheca ,patrum2 in none of them is
 a question of  the dogma of endless    
hell4    ,athenagoras1 a ,platonician   
philosopher1 was converted to the       
,christian  religion1 and presented1 in 
#agg1 an ,apology of the ,christian     
doctrines  to the emperors              
,marcus-,aurelius and                   
,lucius-,aurelius-,commode4 ,he         
justified the ,christians1 who were     
charged by the ,pagans with atheism3    
with sacrificing and eating a child in  
their assemblies2 and with  indulging to
 impudicity4 ,in this ,apology he       

ascribed to ,god but a  general         
providence2 and he expressed the        
,platonician opinion1 that  angels1 or  
spirits1 had the government of this     
world4 ,he admitted that  there were    
pains and rewards in the future life4   
,let us not infer from  this that he    
referred to the dogma of endless hell4  
,no2 he merely meant1  by those pains   
and rewards1 the ,platonician doctrine  
about  ,metempsychosis4    ,ireneus was 
born in ,greece1 in #adj4 ,he became    
bishop of ,lyons1 ,gaul4 ,he  wrote     
several theological works in the ,greek 
language4 ,he believed in a  general    
judgment1 and in the millenium1 namely1 
in a temporal kingdom of  ,jesus ,christ
 on earth1 which was to last one        
thousand years immediately  before the  
general judgment4 ,during this reign of 
,jesus ,christ1 the  ,christians were to
 enjoy a happiness which was to be a    
foretaste of the  happiness they should 
enjoy after the general judgment4 ,not  
only this  ,father did not teach the    

dogma of endless hell1 but according to 
the  ultramontane ,bergier1 he has been 
charged by the pretended ,orthodox      
divines with having expressed himself in
 an heterodox manner upon the  divinity 
of the ,word2 upon the spirituality of  
the angels and of the  human soul2 upon 
free agency and the necessity of grace2 
and upon the  state of the souls after  
death4 ,he seemed to be inclined to     
believe  ,metempsychosis--this1 however1
 is our private opinion1 resting on his 
general views on the state of the souls 
after death4 ,the ,catholics  invoke but
 one passage of his writings against    
this opinion4 ,grabe1 a  ,protestant1   
published at ,oxford1 in #agjb1 an      
edition of his works2 it is  quite      
different from the ,catholic editions4  
,theophile was promoted to the episcopal
 see of ,antioch1 in #afh4 ,we have     
from his pen but three ,books to        
,autolic2 they have been edited by ,don 
,prudent ,marand4 ,he is the first      
,father who used the word ,trinity4 ,his

  works are a refutation of ,paganism1  
and an apology of ,christianism4 ,we    
could not find in them the dogma of     
endless hell2 he only vaguely  speaks of
 rewards and pains hereafter4    ,we    
have seen that the above ,fathers1 who  
compose the complete list of  the       
,fathers of the second century1 neither 
taught the dogma of endless  hell1 nor  
have recorded that the first ,christians
 held such a dogma4  ,therefore we may  
draw the conclusion that the first      
,christians did not  believe the        
doctrine of endless hell4    ,we pass to
 the ,fathers of the third century4     
,titus ,flavius ,clement1 of            
,alexandria1 a ,platonician philosopher1
 became a ,christian1 and succeeded  to 
,pantenus1 a professor of the school of 
,alexandria1 in #aij2 and he  died in   
#bag4 ,alexander of ,jerusalem and the  
celebrated ,origen were his  disciples4 
,he wrote many works1 the principal     
thereof are3 ,exhortations  to ,pagans2 
his ,pedagogue2 his ,hypotyposes2 and   

his ,stromatas1 which are  divided into 
eight books4 ,it is said that the best  
edition of his works  is that of        
,potter1 published at ,oxford1 in #agae1
 in two vols4 folio4 ,i  read only the  
,paris edition1 published in #afif4 ,in 
his ,exhortations to  ,pagans1 he       
pointed out the absurdity of idolatry1  
and of the fables of  ,paganism4 ,in his
 ,stromatas he compared the doctrines of
 the philosophers  with those of ,jesus 
,christ4 ,in the treatise headed1 ,which
 rich man will  be saved8 he shows that 
he who will use his riches properly will
 obtain  salvation3 he does not say     
salvation from endless hell4 ,his       
,pedagogue is  a treatise of morals in  
which he relates how the first          
,christians  righteously lived and      
fervently served the ,lord4 ,in all     
these works it  is not a question of the
 dogma of endless hell1 either taught to
 the  ,christians or believed by them4  
,according to ,le ,clerc1 ,beausobre1   
d',argens1 ,barbeyrac1 ,scultet1 ,daill1

  ,mosheim1 ,brucker1 ,semler1 etc41    
this ,father did not believe the        
spirituality of ,god and of man's       
soul4444 ,it is a fact that1 in his     
,stromatas1 he says that ,god is        
composed of a body and of a soul1 and   
that so is our soul4 ,he believed in the
 ,pagan fable that the angels had       
sexual intercourse with human females1  
and had begotten giants2 he  refers     
probably to the ,giants who had fought  
against the ,titans4 ,all the  ,catholic
 theologians themselves admit the above1
 and say1 that1 though a  ,christian1 he
 was too much of a ,platonician         
philosopher4 ,this is the  reason why   
the ,pope1 ,benedict ,,xiv41 opposed his
 worship1 as a saint1 in  the ,romish   
,church4 ,these statements show how far 
this ,father was from  holding the dogma
 of endless hell4    ,tertullian was one
 of the ,fathers who wrote at the end of
 the second  century2 however1 as he    
died in #baf1 we class him among the    
,fathers of  the beginning of the third 

century4 ,his works are on ,prayer1 on  
,baptism2  also he wrote ,exhortation to
 ,patience2 two ,books to his ,wife2    
,testimony  of the ,soul2 treatises on  
,spectacles and ,idolatry2 treatise on  
,prescription2 two books against the    
,gentiles2 one against the ,jews2 one   
against ,hermogenes2 one against the    
,valentinians2 one against the          
,gnostics2 one on the ,crown2 one to    
,scapula2 books against ,praxeas2 books 
on ,pudicity1 on ,persecutions1 on      
,fast1 against the ,physics1 on         
,monogamy4  ,these works we had not the 
advantage to read2 but we have studied  
the  following in our theological       
school3 his treatise on ,penance2 his   
five  books against ,marcion2 his       
treatise on the ,flesh of ,jesus        
,christ2 his  book on the ,resurrection 
of the ,flesh2 and his ,apology of the  
,christian  ,religion4    ,in these     
works which1 let this be cursorily said1
 were written in ,latin1  for           
,tertullian was the first ,father who   

wrote in this language1 we read  several
 times the word infernus1 synonimous to 
,tartarus1 and the  words ignem eternum1
 used in speaking of pains1 which will  
be  inflicted upon the wicked after the 
general judgment2 but nothing  positive 
in regard to the duration of the        
punishment1 for he might have  used the 
adjective ternum hyperbolically2 nor    
anything in regard to  the belief of the
 first ,christians in regard to it1 nor 
even of his  contemporaneous            
,christians4 ,if the dogma of endless   
hell had been  generally believed by the
 ,christians1 he would have certainly   
mentioned  it in his ,apology of the    
,christian ,religion2 for one of the    
main charges  of the ,pagans against    
them was that they were ,atheists2 and  
thereby  denied the ,elysium and the    
,tartarus4 ,however1 in no one of the   
fifty  arguments which compose the      
,apology does he say a word about       
endless  hell1 even about any punishment
 beyond the grave4 ,he only1 in the     

forty-eighth argument1 says1 that there 
will be a resurrection of the  flesh4   
,sextus ,julius ,africanus1 a ,christian
 historian1 who wrote in the  beginning 
of the third century1 is altogether     
silent about the dogma of  endless hell1
 at least in the fragments of his works 
which have been  preserved by ,eusebe4  
,origen was born at ,alexandria1 in     
#ahe4 ,he has been one of the most      
talented and learned among the ,fathers4
 ,he wrote the following works3         
,exhortation to ,martyrdom2             
,commentaries on the ,holy ,scriptures4 
,he  undertook an edition of the ,bible 
in six columns1 and headed it           
,hexaples4 ,the first column contained  
the ,hebrew text in hebraic letters2    
the second1 the same text in ,greek     
letters2 the third contained the        
version of ,aquila2 the fourth column1  
the version of ,symmaque2 the  fifth1   
that of the ,septuagint2 and the sixth1 
that of ,theodotion4 ,he  considered the
 version of the ,septuagint as the most 

authentical4 ,the  ,octaples contained1 
also1 two ,greek versions1 which had    
been recently  found1 and whose authors 
were unknown4 ,he wrote more than one   
thousand  sermons2 he wrote his         
celebrated work about ,principles1 and a
 treatise  against ,celse4    ,all the  
above works have not been transmitted to
 us entire1 though the  most of them    
are1 as can be seen in the ,bibliotheca 
,sanctorum ,patrum1  published in       
,paris1 in #ahbf4 ,this ,catholic       
edition1 we positively know1  is not as 
impartial as it ought to be4 ,so much   
has been written1 for  centuries1       
against ,origen and for his             
justification1 that a mere  summary of  
those writings would fill volumes4      
,besides1 would we make  this summary we
 might perhaps be suspected of          
partiality1 because  ,origen's doctrines
 are favorable to the bearing of this   
work2 therefore  we shall extract from  
the works of ,feller1 a ,romish priest  
and a ,jesuit1  what we have to write   

about his accusation and justification1 
and about  the summary of his doctrines4
    ,feller says1 ,article ,origen3 ,in 
the fourth century1 the ,arians invoked 
his authority to prove that ,jesus      
,christ was not ,god4 ,st4 ,athanase1   
,st4  ,basile1 and ,st4 ,gregory of     
,nazianze1 defended him4 ,hilaire1 ,tite
 de  ,bostres1 ,didyme1 ,ambrosius1     
,eusebe of ,verceil1 and ,gregory of    
,nysse have  laudably spoken of his     
works2 whereas1 ,theodor of ,mopsueste1 
,apollinary1  and ,cesary1 have         
disparagingly written of them4 ,origen  
was condemned in  the fifth general     
council1 held at ,constantinople1 in    
#eec4 ,the pope  ,vigil condemned him   
anew4 ,st4 ,epiphane1 ,anastase the     
,sinate1 ,st4 ,john  ,climaque1 ,leonce 
of ,byzantium1 ,sophronius1 patriarch of
 ,jerusalem1 and  ,antipater1 bishop of 
,bostres1 violently denounced his       
writings2 the pope  ,pelage ,,ii4 said  
that heretical works were not worse than
 ,origen's  writings4 ,there are1 in the

 acts of the sixth council1 an edict of 
the  emperor ,constantine ,pogonat1 and 
a letter of the pope ,leon ,,ii41 in    
which  he is counted with ,didyme and   
,evagrius among the ,theomaques1 or     
enemies  of ,god4    ,the pope ,st4     
,martin ,i41 anathematized him in the   
first council of  ,latran1 in #fdi4 ,st4
 ,augustine1 ,st4 ,john of ,damas1 and  
,st4 ,jerome1 wrote  against the        
,origenists1 namely1 the sect of        
,christians who believed the  doctrines 
of ,origen4 ,in the same century1 when a
 dispute arose about the  orthodoxy of  
,origen1 ,john of ,jerusalem1 and ,rufin
 made his apology1 and  ,st4 ,john      
,chrysostomus did the same4 ,st4        
,pamphyle also took his part4  ,theotime
 of ,tomi refused to condemn him1 and   
,didyme tried to give an  orthodox      
meaning to his doctrine on ,trinity2    
others in condemning the  errors        
contained in his books pretended that   
they had been added by the  heretics4   
,theophile of ,alexandria accused the   

monks of ,nitria of  ,origenism1 and    
condemned them in a council held at     
,alexandria2 the pope  ,anastasius      
ratified the sentence4 ,in the seventh  
century1 the emperor  ,justinian        
declared himself hostile to the memory  
of ,origen2 wrote a  letter to ,memnas  
against his doctrine2 issued an edict   
against him1 in  #fdj2 and obtained his 
condemnation in a council held the same 
year at  ,constantinople1 whose acts    
were added to those of the fifth general
  council4    ,we read in the acts of   
the fifth general council of            
,constantinople1 held  in #eec1 that    
,origen was condemned by the council for
 having taught the  following doctrines3
 #ast1 ,that in the dogma of ,trinity   
the ,father is  greater than the ,son1  
and the ,son greater than the ,holy     
,spirit4 #b;d1 ,that  human souls have  
been created before the bodies1 to which
 they have  been chained as a punishment
 for sins1 which they had committed in  
an  anterior state of existence4 #c;d1  

,that the soul of ,jesus ,christ had    
been  united to the ,word before his    
incarnation4 #dth1 ,that the planets and
  stars are animated1 and contain a soul
 intelligent and endowed with  reason4  
#eth1 ,that1 after the resurrection1 all
 bodies will have a  spheroidal shape4  
#fth1 ,that the punishment of the wicked
 in a future  life will not be endless2 
and that ,jesus ,christ1 who has been   
crucified  to save the world1 will be   
crucified once more to save the devils4 
,according to this testimony of the     
,romish ,church--which carries          
fanaticism farther than any other sect1 
in regard to the dogma of  endless hell1
 for it holds as an article of faith    
even that the  reprobates are tortured  
in hell1 in their bodies and in their   
souls1  though their bodies are in the  
grave1 and though a material fire cannot
  burn an immortal soul--according to   
the above testimony of the ,romish      
,church1 we say1 it is an established1  
an undeniable fact1 that ,origen  taught

 the doctrine of ,metempsychosis1 or    
transmigration of the souls2  and also  
the doctrine that the punishment of the 
wicked in a future life  would not be   
endless4    ,from this testimony we draw
 the following argument1 which we invite
 the  reader to attentively examine1 and
 to carefully weigh1 for this  argument1
 alone1 would unanswerably prove that   
the ,christians of the  first1 of the   
second1 of the third1 and even of the   
fourth1 and of the  fifth centuries1 did
 not generally believe the dogma of     
endless hell4    ,argument3 ,in the     
beginning of the third century1 ,origen 
7he was born in  #ahe7 taught the       
doctrine of ,metempsychosis1 or         
transmigration of the  souls1 and the   
doctrine that the punishment of the     
wicked in a future  life would not be   
endless2 these two doctrines were       
condemned only in  the sixth century by 
the fifth general council held at       
,constantinople1  in #eec1 and composed 
of #aea bishops4 ,but if the ,christians

 of the first1  of the second1 of the   
third1 and even of the fourth1 and of   
the fifth  centuries1 had generally     
believed the dogma of endless hell1 the 
above  two doctrines would have         
certainly been condemned before the     
sixth  century4 ,this minor proposition 
we prove3    ,by the orders of the      
bishop of ,rome1 ,sylvester1 and of the 
emperor  ,constantine ,i41 an           
oecumenical council1 composed of #cha   
bishops1 was  held at ,nice1 in #cbe1 to
 frame a symbol of faith1 and to condemn
 ,arius4    ,in #cha1 a second general  
council1 composed of #aej bishops1 was  
held at  ,constantinople1 to condemn    
,macedonius1 who denied the divinity of 
the  ,holy ,spirit2 and to alter the    
symbol of ,nice1 7striking inconsistency
 of  the ,romish ,church which holds as 
an article of faith that a general      
council is infallible in its decisions47
    ,in #dca1 the bishop of ,rome1      
,celestine ,i41 assembled a general     
council at  ,ephesus1 to obtain the     

condemnation of ,nestorius1 who denied  
that ,mary  was1 strictly speaking1 the 
mother of ,god4    ,in #dea1 a general  
council was held at ,chalcedony1 ,asia  
,minor1 for the  condemnation of        
,eutyches1 and of ,dioscorus1 bishop of 
,alexandria1 who  held the doctrine that
 there was in ,jesus ,christ but one    
nature4    ,from the beginning of the   
second century1 the time when ,origen   
taught  the above two doctrines1 up to  
the year #eec1 several thousand synods  
and  principal councils were held4      
,thereupon we say3 ,the doctrine of     
,metempsychosis1 or transmigration of   
the souls2 and the doctrine that the    
punishment of the wicked in a  future   
life will not be endless1 were as       
important as the most of the  doctrines 
discussed in those councils2 and ,origen
 had a weightier  influence upon the    
,christian communities by his talents1  
learning1  virtue1 and fame1 and by the 
diffusion of his works1 than ,arius1    
,macedonius1 ,nestorius1 ,eutiches1     

,dioscorus and others put together4     
,therefore1 if the dogma of endless hell
 had been generally believed by  the    
,christians of the first1 of the second1
 of the third1 of the fourth1  and of   
the fifth centuries1 the doctrine of    
,metempsychosis1 and the  doctrine that 
the punishment of the wicked in a future
 life will not be  endless1 held and    
taught by ,origen1 would have been      
called up1  discussed1 and condemned in 
the above councils4 ,but they were      
called up1  discussed1 and condemned1   
only in the fifth general council1 held 
at  ,constantinople1 in #eec4           
,therefore1 it is an irrefutable fact   
that the  ,christians of the first1 of  
the second1 of the third1 of the fourth1
 and  of the fifth centuries1 did not   
generally believe the dogma of endless  
hell4    ,gregory of ,neocesaree1 was a 
disciple of ,origen1 and was promoted to
 the  episcopal see of ,neocesaree1 in  
#bdj4 ,he wrote the following works3    
,thanks to ,origen1 ,profession of      

,faith on the ,dogma of ,trinity1       
,canonical  ,epistle1 and ,paraphrase of
 the ,book of ,ecclesiastes4 ,in these  
works the  spirit of the doctrines of   
,origen is seen at every page2 and the  
dogma  of endless hell is neither       
taught1 nor declared to have been the   
belief  of the first ,christians1 nor of
 the ,christians of the third century4  
,st4  ,cyprian1 made bishop of ,carthage
 in #bdh1 is silent about the dogma of  
endless hell4    ,we pass to the        
,fathers of the fourth century4         
,pamphile ,eusebe obtained the bishopric
 of ,cesarea in #cac4 ,he wrote the     
,panegyric1 and the ,life of            
,constantine2 a ,chronicle1 viz3 a      
compilation  of ,pagan authors1 and     
several other works1 whose fragments    
have  remained4 ,his principal work is  
his ,ecclesiastical ,history1 which we  
have studied in our theological school4 
,if the dogma of endless hell had  been 
the belief of the first ,christians1 and
 had been generally believed  in his    

age1 he would have certainly mentioned  
it therein3 however1 he  has not4       
,therefore1 the first ,christians1 and  
those of his age1 did not  hold the     
dogma of endless hell4    ,athanase     
succeeded to ,alexander on the episcopal
 see of ,alexandria1 in  #cbf4 ,his     
works are3 ,defense of ,trinity and of  
,incarnation2 apologies2  letters2 and  
treatises against the ,arians1 the      
,melecians1 the  ,apollinarists1 and the
 ,macedonians4 ,in these works there is 
not a word  concerning the dogma of     
endless hell being believed by the first
  ,christians1 or by his contemporaries4
 ,the famous symbol which is headed     
symbol of ,athanase1 which the ,romish  
priests read every ,sunday in the       
,psalms-,breviary1 is not from his      
composition nor from his pen2 every one 
of the ,catholic theologians and authors
 confesses it4    ,basile1 bishop of    
,cesarea1 was born in #cbi4 ,he has left
 several letters1  homilies1 treatises  
of morals1 and sermons on the six days  

of the  creation4 ,we have examined the 
,latin edition of his works1 or rather  
of  the fragments of his works1 for they
 are not entire1 by ,don ,gamier and    
,don ,prudent2 but though in many       
passages he speaks of salvation1 of     
eternal bliss1 and of the punishment of 
the wicked hereafter1 he does  not      
positively declare that the punishment  
will be endless2 and he does  not say   
that the first ,christians believed it1 
nor that it was a dogma  of the ,church 
in his age4 ,theodor of ,mopsueste1 who 
wrote in the fifth  century1 is charged 
by the ,catholic writers to have taught 
that future  punishment will not be     
endless4    ,since that time1 down to   
the sixth century1 the question of the  
eternal  duration of the punishment of  
the wicked in a place called hell1 was  
discussed by the ecclesiastical writers1
 who1 nevertheless1 did not  assert that
 it was the belief of the first         
,christians4 ,ambrosius  supposed that  
it would be infinite in duration2 so    

,augustine1 his  disciple1 wrote in his 
work1 ,de ,civitate ,dei1 book #ba2 ,st4
 ,fulgence2 the  pope ,gregorius1 etc4  
,the opinion of those leading doctors   
was preached1  and1 little by little1 it
 became the belief of a large number of 
,christians4 ,they even designated the  
place where hell was3 some thought  it  
was in the profundities of the earth2   
,augustine opposed them2 then he        
recanted himself1 and agreed that it was
 there4 ,finally1 in #eec1 a  general   
council was held in ,constantinople1 and
 it was decided that the  dogma of      
endless hell shall be henceforth an     
article of faith4 ,it was  only many    
years after that this council was       
considered oecumenical4    ,we have     
proved by the testimony of the ,fathers 
themselves1 that the  ,christians of the
 first1 of the second1 of the third1 of 
the fourth1 and  of the fifth centuries1
 did not believe the dogma of endless   
hell2 we  shall now prove it by the     
various ,christian sects1 which existed1

 and  were organized religious          
denominations1 in those centuries4      
,lest we might be suspected of          
partiality in the exposition of the     
belief  of those ,christian sects in    
regard to future punishment1 we will    
exclusively make our extracts from the  
works of ,bergier1 ,feller1 and  other  
,catholic theologians and historians4   
,the ,cerinthians did not believe the   
doctrine of endless hell4 ,the          
,basilidians believed in                
,metempsychosis1 or transmigration of   
the souls4  ,in consequence they did not
 hold the dogma of endless hell4 ,eusebe
  informs us1 in his ,ecclesiastical    
,history1 that ,basilide had written on 
the four ,gospels twenty-four books2 and
 that his sect was numerous4 ,it        
flourished till the fourth century4     
,the ,millenaries1 who existed mainly in
 the second and third centuries1        
believed that ,jesus ,christ would soon 
come from heaven1 to reign one  thousand
 years over the righteous2 that this    

reign would be temporal2  and that it   
would be followed by a general judgment3
 but they did not  hold that future     
punishment would be endless1 for they   
were silent about  its nature4    ,the  
,marcionites believed in a good         
principle1 ,god1 and in a bad one1 the  
,devil2 the latter had created our body4
 ,jesus ,christ had but an apparent     
flesh4 ,our body should not come again  
to life2 they believed like             
,pythagoras1 of whom ,marcion was a     
follower1 in the doctrine of            
,metempsychosis3 such was their belief4 
,they made so many proselytes1  that1   
even in the fifth century1 their sect   
was numerous in ,italy1 in  ,egypt1 in  
,palestine1 in ,syria1 in ,arabia1 in   
,persia1 and in other  oriental         
countries4    ,the ,valentinians held   
that ,jesus ,christ was not ,god2 that  
he had  redeemed the world only from    
sin1 by freeing men of the empire of    
evil  ,eons1 or geniuses1 who had the   
government of the universe4 ,they       

believed  in the doctrine of            
,metempsychosis1 or transmigration of   
the souls4 ,in  consequence1 they       
neither knew nor believed the dogma of  
endless hell4  ,valentin had an immense 
number of disciples1 and his sect spread
 in  ,asia1 and in ,africa2 in ,europe  
it extended as far as ,gaul1 where1     
according to the testimony of ,ireneus1 
bishop of ,lyons1 the ,valentinians     
were very numerous4    ,the ,marcosians 
formed a numerous religious body towards
 the end of the  second century4 ,their 
sect spread as far as ,gaul4 ,they      
believed the  doctrine of               
,metempsychosis4    ,the ,theodotians   
and the ,artemonians1 in the second     
century1 professed  that ,jesus ,christ 
was not ,god1 and believed in           
,metempsychosis4    ,the ,carpocratians 
believed in the pre-existence of the    
souls1 and taught  that they had sinned 
in an anterior state of existence2 that1
 as a  punishment for those crimes1 they
 had been condemned to animate other    

bodies1 and would pass into other bodies
 as long as they would not have  been   
sufficiently purified by this expiation4
 ,they denied the divinity  of ,jesus   
,christ1 and the belief of the          
resurrection of the body4  ,carpocrate1 
of ,alexandria1 founded this sect in the
 second century4    ,the ,docetes       
professed the same belief as the        
,carpocratians1 with the  difference    
that they did not admit that ,jesus     
,christ had a natural body4  ,they had  
exactly the same belief in regard to    
,metempsychosis4 ,this sect  existed in 
the second century4 ,the ,patripassians1
 the ,noetians1 the  ,praxeans1 and the 
,sabellians have been silent on the     
dogma of endless  hell4    ,tatian1 one 
of the most prominent ecclesiastical    
writers of the second  century1         
established the sect of the ,tatianists1
 who believed that ,jesus  ,christ had  
not really suffered1 and that he had not
 redeemed the world  by his blood4 ,they
 also held the doctrine of              

,metempsychosis4 ,of the many  works of 
,tatian we have only his ,discourse     
against the ,pagans1 and his            
,diatessaron4    ,apelles established a 
sect of his name1 in #ade4 ,the         
,apellites denied the  resurrection of  
the body2 believed in ,metempsychosis2  
and also that ,god  had entrusted a     
spirit of fire to create the world4     
,in the second century1 ,montan1 a      
native of ,ardaban1 in ,mysia1          
established the sect of the ,montanists1
 which split and ramified into  the     
,artotyrites1 the ,ascites1 ,ascodrutes1
 etc4 ,they all believed the  doctrine  
of ,metempsychosis4    ,the ,ophites1 a 
sect of the second century1 professed   
that the world had  been created1 and   
was governed by evil ,eons or geniuses1 
and that ,god  had sent ,jesus ,christ1 
his ,son1 to oppose the evil geniuses4  
,they held  the doctrine of             
,metempsychosis4    ,in the second      
century the sect of the ,cainites denied
 the resurrection  of the body1 and     

believed in ,metempsychosis4    ,the    
above sects compose the large body of   
,christians in the second  century2 and 
yet we do not find in their doctrines   
anything like the  dogma of endless     
hell4 ,they all1 except perhaps the     
,millenaries1  believed in the doctrine 
of ,metempsychosis4 ,and as those       
extracts are  from ,roman ,catholic     
authors1 who had the greatest interest  
in disguising  the true doctrines of    
those sects1 it follows that it is an   
undeniable  fact1 that the ,christians  
of the second century neither did       
believe nor  knew any thing about such a
 dogma as endless hell4    ,corollary4  
,since the ,christians of the second    
century neither believed  the dogma of  
endless hell1 nor knew anything about   
it1 therefore the  ,christians of the   
first century neither believed this     
dogma1 nor knew  anything about it2 for 
had they believed it1 or known any thing
 about  it1 the ,christians of the      
second century would have preserved that

  belief1 or at least would have        
mentioned it4 ,consequently1 it is an   
undeniable fact that the ,christians of 
the first century were not taught  by   
the apostles the dogma of endless hell4 
,let us examine1 now1 the doctrines of  
the various ,christian sects1 which     
sprung up in the third century4         
,tertullian1 one of the ,fathers of whom
 we have spoken above1 had joined  the  
,montanist sect2 but afterwards he      
disagreed with them1 and he  founded1 at
 about the fifth year of the third      
century1 another sect1  called          
,tertullianists4 ,this sect lived       
several centuries1 for in the  time of  
,st4 ,augustine1 towards the end of the 
fourth century1 they had a              
denominational organization at          
,carthage1 ,africa4 ,probably they held 
the  same belief as ,tertullian1 in     
regard to the dogma of endless hell4    
,the ,hermogenians believed that the    
earth and the whole universe have  been 
uncreated1 and are eternal4 ,hermogene  

said3 ,god has either taken  evil from  
himself1 or from nothing1 or from a     
pre-existing matter4 ,he  could not take
 evil from himself1 for he is           
indivisible2 and1 besides1  evil could  
not abide in a being infinitely perfect4
 ,he could not take  evil from nothing1 
for in this case it would have been in  
his power not  to produce it2 therefore1
 evil is derived from a matter          
pre-existing1  co-eternal to ,god1 and  
the defects of which ,god could not     
amend4 ,the  ,hermogenians believed in  
,metempsychosis4 ,their sect spread more
  particularly in ,galatia4    ,berylle1
 bishop of ,ostres1 in ,arabia1         
established1 in #bjg1 the sect of  the  
,arabics4 ,they believed that the soul  
was born and died with the  body1 and   
that both would come again to life4     
,origen wrote against this  belief1 and 
converted the most of them to his       
opinions4 ,as ,origen  thought and      
taught that the punishment of the wicked
 would not be  endless1 and that the    

souls transmigrated1 we may safely      
conclude that  the ,arabics embraced his
 opinions4    ,the ,novatians were      
organized into a sect by ,novat and     
,novatian1 priests  of the ,church of   
,carthage4 ,we have perused the         
treatises on ,trinity and  on the       
,viands1 written by ,novatian1 whose    
fragments are found in the  works of    
,tertullian2 but we have found no       
opinion expressed in regard to  the     
dogma of endless hell4 ,we heard since  
that there is a complete  edition of his
 works1 published in #agbh1 by ,jackson1
 at ,london3 we have  not been able to  
obtain it4    ,according to the         
testimony of ,epiphane1 the ,valesians  
held many of the  doctrines of the      
,gnostics4 ,from this we may safely     
infer that they  believed in            
,metempsychosis4 ,tillemont1 in his     
,memoirs for the  ,ecclesiastical       
,history1 tome #c;d1 says that the      
,valesians sprung up in  #bdj4 ,st4     
,epiphane and ,tillemont are the only   

authors who have referred  to them in   
their writings4    ,the ,samosatians1   
whose chief was ,paul of ,samosate1     
,patriarch of ,antioch1  professed that 
the three persons of the ,trinity were  
not three ,gods1 but  three attributes1 
under which ,god has manifested himself 
to men2 that  ,jesus ,christ was not a  
,god1 but a man to whom wisdom had been 
extraordinarily given4 ,we did not find 
any thing in the ,ecclesiastical        
,history in regard to their doctrines   
about future punishment4 ,however1  as  
they considered ,jesus ,christ only as  
an extraordinary man1 it is most        
probable that they kept the             
immemorially1 and1 even then1 generally 
believed doctrine of ,metempsychosis4   
,this sect was established in #bfj4     
,the famous ,zenobia1 who then reigned  
in ,syria1 and believed the ,jewish     
religion1 was converted to this sect4   
,manes was born in ,persia1 in #bdj4 ,he
 was the father of the sect of the      
,manicheans4 ,we shall give a summary of

 their doctrines1 and as their  sect has
 been one of the most numerous1 one of  
the most widely spread1  and one whose  
denominational organization seems to    
have outlived nearly  all those of the  
first centuries1 we will add a summary  
of their  history4 ,we will find in     
their doctrines1 and in their history1 a
  weighty proof that the dogma of       
endless hell was not generally believed 
by the ,christians of the first five    
centuries1 to say the least4    ,to     
remove the least shadow of doubt about  
our impartiality1 we continue1  as done 
before1 to take our extracts from ,roman
 ,catholic authors1 who  had an interest
 to make it appear that the dogma of    
endless hell was  co-eval to the        
apostles4    ,we extract from ,cotelier1
 a ,roman ,catholic author1 tome #a1 of 
the  ,apostolic ,fathers1 page #edc1 and
 following1 these doctrines of the      
,manicheans3    ,in their opinion1 the  
souls1 or spirits1 are an emanation from
 the good  spirit1 whom they considered 

as an uncreated light2 and all bodies   
have  been formed by the bad principle1 
whom they called ,satan1 and the power  
of darkness4 ,they held that there are  
portions of light enclosed within  all  
the bodies of the universe1 and that    
they give them motion and life1         
wherefore those souls cannot reunite to 
the good principle1 except when  they   
have been purified by the means of      
various transmigrations from one  body  
into another4 ,they denied the future   
resurrection of the body4    ,it is     
therefore evident that the ,manicheans  
either knew nothing about  the dogma of 
endless hell1 or did not believe it4    
,from the year #bhe to the year #dia1   
the ,manicheans were persecuted4 ,the   
emperors of ,orient confiscated their   
property1 and decreed the penalty  of   
death against them4 ,thousands of them  
died in the most cruel  tortures1 rather
 than to give up their faith2 we read   
even in our days1  in the ,theodosian   
code1 the laws enacted against them4    

,despite those  persecutions they       
rapidly and widely spread4 ,in the      
fourth century ,st4  ,augustine was     
converted to their sect1 but he         
afterwards left them1 and  became their 
most powerful opponent4 ,they formed a  
large body in ,africa4  ,in #dia1 the   
mother of the emperor ,anastase1 who was
 a ,manichean1  obtained the suspension 
of the laws enacted against them4 ,they 
were  allowed1 during twenty-seven      
years1 to have churches1 and to freely  
worship2 but during the reign of        
,justin1 and under his successors1 they 
were again forbidden it4 ,towards the   
end of the seventh century1 the  famous 
,gallinice1 who was a ,manichean1       
brought up her two sons1 ,paul and      
,john1 in her belief1 and sent them to  
,armenia as missionaries4 ,paul made  so
 many proselytes that the new converts  
took the name of ,paulicians4    ,in the
 beginning of the ninth century the     
,paulicians split2 but soon  after they 
reunited1 at the persuasion of one of   

their most influential  members1 named  
,theodote4 ,the aversion of the         
,manicheans for the worship  of the     
virgin ,mary1 of the cross1 of the      
saints1 and of images1 pleased  the     
,saracens1 who made frequent irruptions 
in the empire3 through their  influence 
they obtained more credit among their   
opponents4    ,in the year #hda1 the    
empress ,theodora1 who had declared     
herself in favor  of the worship of the 
virgin ,mary1 of the cross1 of the      
saints1 and of  images1 went so far in  
her fanatical zeal for this doctrine1   
that she  resolved to exterminate the   
,manicheans1 and their religion4 ,by her
  orders more than one hundred thousand 
of them were arrested and put to  death2
 nearly all expired in the most cruel   
tortures4 ,then the  ,manicheans sought 
a refuge among the ,saracens2 they      
retired in fortified  towns1 repelled   
the repeated assaults of the imperial   
armies1 and  maintained themselves      
during about forty years2 but having    

been defeated  in a great battle they   
were forced to disperse4    ,some went  
to ,bulgaria1 and since took the name of
 ,bulgarians2 others  went to ,italy1   
and mainly settled in ,lombardy1        
wherefrom they sent  missionaries to    
,france1 to ,germany1 and to other      
countries4 ,in the year  #ajbb1 under   
the king ,robert1 several canons of     
,orleans1 who had joined  the           
,manicheans1 were burnt alive4 ,although
 the penalty of death had been  decreed 
against the ,manicheans1 they           
established a large number of  convents 
all over ,france1 and particularly in   
the provinces of ,provence1  of         
,languedoc1 and1 more especially1 in the
 diocese of ,albi1 where they  took the 
name of ,albigenses4    ,alanus1 monk of
 ,cteaux1 and ,peter1 monk of           
,vaux-,cernay1 who wrote  against them1 
accused them1 #ast1 of admitting two    
principles or  creators1 the one good   
and the other bad2 the first1 creator of
  invisible and spiritual things1 and   

the second1 creator of bodies4 #b;d1    
,of denying the resurrection of the     
body4 #c;d1 ,of denying the ,purgatory4 
#dth1 ,of denying the utility of prayers
 for the dead4 #eth1 ,of denying the    
pains of hell4 #fth1 ,of believing the  
transmigration of the souls into  other 
bodies of men1 or of animals1 according 
to the degree of their  guilt in an     
anterior state of existence1 until by   
successive expiatory  transmigrations   
they become purified4 #gth1 ,of         
disbelieving the seven  sacraments4     
#hth1 ,of rejecting the worship of the  
virgin ,mary1 of the  cross1 of the     
saints1 and of images1 etc4    ,in      
#aagf1 the council of ,albi1 which some 
authors call council of ,lombez1  was   
held against the ,manicheans1 who1 as   
said above1 were called  ,albigenses4   
,in this council they were condemned    
under the calling of  ,good ,men4       
,fleury1 who1 in the seventy-second book
 of his ,ecclesiastical  ,history1      
quotes the acts of the council1 ascribes

 to them the above  doctrines2 so does  
the historian ,rainerius2 and ,bossuet1 
in the ninth  book of his ,history of   
,variations1 cites other authors who    
confirm all  these accusations4 ,the    
condemnation of the ,manicheans1 or     
,albigenses1  was confirmed by the      
general council of ,latran1 in #aagi4 ,a
 crusade was  ordered against them by   
the ,pope1 ,innocent ,,iii41 and a      
strict  inquisition was organized4      
,simon1 count of ,montford1 was         
appointed1 by  the ,pope1               
general-in-chief of the crusaders2 then 
the slaughter  commenced4 ,it lasted    
eighteen years3 the ,albigenses1 or     
,manicheans1 were  exterminated1 a few  
only secretly found their way to the    
,alps1 where  they concealed themselves1
 and afterwards united to the           
,valdenses4  ,several hundred thousands 
were either burnt alive1 or tortured on 
racks1  or put to the sword2 all were   
slain3 men1 old men1 young men1 women1  
children1 and infants2 and during those 

horrible ceremonies of death1  the      
soldiers of the ,pope sung the ,veni    
,creator ,spiritus1 etc41 a hymn of     
invocation to the ,holy ,spirit4        
,from the doctrines and history of the  
,manicheans we draw the following       
argument3    ,according to the unanimous
 testimony of the ,roman ,catholic      
authors  themselves1 from about the     
middle of the third century to the      
thirteenth1 the ,manicheans composed a  
numerous body of ,christians1 and  did  
not believe the dogma of endless hell4  
,so constant were they in this          
disbelief1 that they persisted in it    
till nearly every one of them was       
exterminated2 therefore it is an        
undeniable historical fact that this    
large denomination of ,christians did   
not hold the dogma of hell1 in the      
third1 fourth1 fifth1 etc41 centuries4  
,let us examine the doctrine of the     
,christian sects1 which sprung up in    
the fourth century1 in regard to endless
 hell4 ,we continue to take our         

extracts from ,roman ,catholic authors4 
,priscillian1 a ,spaniard1 was the      
founder of the ,christian sect of       
,priscillianists1 in the year #chj4     
,this denomination of ,christians       
believed in the doctrine of             
,metempsychosis4 ,they held that the    
souls  passed into the bodies of other  
men1 until they were purified1 by their 
transmigrations1 of the sins they had   
committed in an anterior life4  ,they   
denied the resurrection of human bodies4
 ,priscillian was condemned  to death1  
and the penalty of death was decreed    
against the  ,priscillianists4 ,the     
emperor ,maxime1 and the pope ,leon1    
used fire1  racks1 and swords against   
them2 they slew thousands of them1      
nevertheless they increased so that they
 were numerous yet in the sixth  century
 in ,spain and in ,italy4 ,tillemont1 in
 his ,ecclesiastical ,memoir1  tome #h1 
refers to ,sulpice-,sevre1 to           
,ambrosius1 and to ,st4 ,augustine1  for
 the confirmation of the above1 said    

concerning the doctrines of the         
,priscillianists4    ,the other         
principal sects of the fourth century   
were the ,donatists1 the  ,photinians1  
the ,macedonians1 the ,apollinarists1   
the ,jovinians1 the  ,collyridians1 and 
the ,pelagians4 ,the ,nestorians1 the   
,eutichians1 and the  ,monothelites1    
sprang up in the fifth century4 ,we have
 not found in their  writings any       
passages referring to the dogma of      
endless hell4 ,however we  must state   
that we had the opportunity of perusing 
only about two-thirds  of the numerous  
and voluminous1 we would add tedious1   
works composed pro  and con concerning  
their respective tenets4                
,remark4--,let the reader bear in mind  
that the most of the ,christian  sects1 
whose disbelief of the dogma of endless 
hell we have traced out  above1 composed
 the majority of the ,christian body2   
and also that they  have existed1 at    
least1 till the middle of the sixth     
century1 the epoch  when the fifth      

council of ,constantinople condemned the
 doctrine held by  ,origen--that of the 
transmigration of the souls1 and of     
their temporary  punishment4            
,conclusion4 ,therefore the dogma of    
endless hell was not generally  believed
 by the ,christians of the third1 of the
 fourth1 and of the fifth  centuries4   
,general conclusion of this third       
article3    #a4 ,we have proved1 by the 
testimony of the ,fathers of the second 
century1 and by the doctrines of the    
numerous ,christian sects of the  same  
century1 that the dogma of endless hell 
was even unknown to the  ,christians of 
the first and of the second centuries4  
,then we must  conclude that not only   
the first ,christians1 namely1 the      
,christians of  the first and of the    
second centuries did not believe in     
endless hell1  but even that they knew  
nothing about such a dogma4    #b4 ,we  
have proved1 by the testimony of the    
,fathers of the third1 of the  fourth1  
and of the fifth centuries1 and also by 

the many ,christian sects  which existed
 in the third1 in the fourth1 and in the
 fifth centuries1  that the ,christians 
did not generally believe1 in the said  
centuries1  the dogma of endless hell4  
,therefore the ,christians of the third1
 of the  fourth1 and of the fifth       
centuries1 did not generally believe in 
endless hell4    ,therefore the         
proposition we were to prove in the     
present article1 that  the first        
,christians did not believe in the      
doctrine of endless hell1  remains      
peremptorily established4               
,objection4--,since the fourth century  
the ,church of ,rome obtained the       
condemnation of the above ,christian    
sects in five general councils4 ,but  if
 the above sects had composed the       
majority of the body of ,christians1    
the ,church of ,rome would not have     
obtained their condemnation4            
,consequently the above sects did not   
compose the majority of the body of     
,christians during the third1 the       

fourth1 and the fifth centuries4        
,answer4--,we deny the minor proposition
 of this syllogism1 which is3  ,but if  
the above sects had composed the        
majority of the body of  ,christians1   
the ,church of ,rome would not have     
obtained their  condemnation--and we    
prove our denegation as follows3--      
,supposing that the ,united ,states be  
constituted into an empire--,god        
forbid6--that the emperor would have the
 control of ,church property1  would    
side1 say with the ,presbyterian        
,church1 or any other1 claiming         
supremacy over the other ,christian     
denominations2 and that the emperor     
would assemble councils conjointly with 
that ,church1 would attend and  even be 
vice-president of those councils1 would 
enforce them with civil  and military   
force1 and also the execution of their  
acts condemning  another sect arrayed   
before those councils1 without          
permitting the other  sects to vote in  
those councils1 would it follow from    

this that all the  other ,christian     
sects do not compose the body of        
,christians in the  ,united ,states8    
,certainly not4    ,but the case was the
 same with the ,church of ,rome4 ,since 
the end of the  second century the      
bishop of ,rome 7we do not say the      
,pope1 for it was  only centuries after 
that he had the boldness1 or rather     
impudence1 to  call himself exclusively 
,pope17 commenced to claim a personal   
supremacy  over the other bishops1 and  
also a supremacy of his church over the 
other ,christian churches4 ,vain were   
his efforts until the beginning of  the 
fourth century1 when ,sylvestre1 bishop 
of ,rome1 obtained for himself  and for 
his church the favors and protection of 
the emperor ,constantine  ,i41 who      
afterwards joined it1 7we will state in 
the last chapter of this  work the      
reasons why this tyrant took these      
steps47 ,in behalf of the  ,church of   
,rome1 he convoked the council of       
,arles1 and the general  council of     

,nice1 and defrayed the expenses of the 
bishops out of his own  treasure4 ,his  
protection to the ,church of ,rome the  
most of his  successors on the imperial 
throne continued2 and thus the power and
  supremacy of this church grew in ratio
 of the persecutions directed  against  
the other ,christian denominations1     
which were debarred from  voting in the 
councils2 whose church property was     
oftentimes  confiscated2 and which many 
of them were prohibited to publicly     
worship4  ,in consequence1 it is not    
true to say that1 if the various        
,christian  sects spoken of before had  
composed the majority of the body of    
,christians1 the ,church of ,rome would 
not have obtained their  condemnation4  
,therefore the various sects spoken of  
before composed the  majority of the    
body of ,christians during the third1   
the fourth and the  fifth centuries4    
,,appendix    ,to the proofs that the   
first ,christians did not believe in    
endless  hell4    ,from the second to   

the fourth centuries many ,apocryphal   
,gospels had been  written4 ,some of    
them have been transmitted down to us1  
at least their  fragments2 and others   
have not been preserved except their    
titles4    ,among those gospels are3    
#ast1 the ,gospel according to the      
,hebrews2 #b;d1  according to the       
,nazareans2 #c;d1 according to the      
,twelve ,apostles2 #dth1  according to  
,st4 ,peter4 ,it is supposed that these 
four ,gospels were that  of ,matthew1   
altered by the ,hebrews4 ,this          
circumstance has led the  critics to    
believe1 that the ,hebrew or ,syriac    
text of ,matthew had been  abandoned1   
lest it might be altered2 and that the  
,greek version had been  preserved4     
#eth1 ,the ,gospel according to the     
,egyptians2 #fth1 that of the birth of  
the virgin ,mary3 we have read it in    
,latin2 #gth1 the ,protogospel of       
,james1 written in ,greek and in ,latin2
 #hth1 the ,gospel of the ,infancy1 in  
,greek and in ,arabic2 #ith1 that of    

,st4 ,thomas2 #ajth1 the ,gospel of     
,nicodemus1 in ,latin2 #aath1 the       
,gospel ,eternal2 #abth1 that of        
,andrew2  #acth1 that of ,bartholomew2  
#adth1 that of ,apelles2 #aeth1 that of 
,basilides2 #afth1 that of ,cerinthus2  
#agth1 that of the ,ebionites--perhaps  
it was the same as that of the ,hebrews2
 #ahth1 that of ,tatian2 #aith1 that  of
 ,eve2 #bjth1 that of the ,gnostics2    
#bast1 that of ,marcion2 #bb;d1 that of 
,st4 ,paul2 #bc;d1 the ,gospel of the   
small and great interrogations of ,mary2
  #bdth1 that of the birth of ,jesus3   
probably the same as the ,protogospel   
of ,james2 #beth1 that of ,john1 or of  
the death of the virgin ,mary2 #bfth1   
that of ,matthias2 #bgth1 that of       
,perfection2 #bhth1 that of the         
,simonians2  #bith1 that of the         
,syrians2 #cjth1 that of the            
,encratites3 probably the  same as that 
of ,tatian2 #cast1 the ,gospel of       
,thadeus1 or of ,jude2 #cb;d1  that of  
,valentine2 #cc;d1 that of ,life1 or of 

the ,living ,god2 #cdth1 that  of       
,philip2 #ceth1 that of ,barnabeus2     
#cfth1 that of ,james1 the major2       
#cgth1 that of ,judas2 #chth1 of the    
,truth3 probably the same as that of    
,valentine2 #cith1 the ,gospels of      
,leucius1 of ,seleucus1 of ,lucianus1   
and  of ,hesychius4    ,for a more      
extensive information concerning the    
,apocryphal ,gospels1 we  refer the     
reader to the ,codex ,apocryphus ,novi  
,testamenti ,collectus1  ,castigatus1   
published at ,hamburg1 in #c vols4      
octavo1 in #agai4 ,the author  was ,john
 ,albert ,fabricius1 one of the most    
learned antiquarians of the  #agth      
century4    ,we had the opportunity of  
reading1 in the rich library of the     
theological school of ,brou1 ,france1   
several of these ,apocryphal  ,gospels1 
that of the birth of the virgin ,mary1  
the ,protogospel of ,james2  that of the
 death of the virgin ,mary1 and that of 
the ,twelve ,apostles2  but we do not   
recollect to have seen in these gospels 

anything1 in  regard to endless hell1   
more positive than what is found in the 
,gospel  concerning the ruin of         
,jerusalem4    ,of course this proof1   
drawn from the ,apocryphal ,gospels1 has
 not the  same weight as if it was drawn
 from authentical authors1 7it is for   
this  reason that we have not inserted  
it in the body of proofs17 however as   
it is certain that they have been       
written from the second to the fourth   
centuries1 they at least show that their
 authors1 and the many  ,christians who 
used them1 did not believe in endless   
hell4      ,,article ,,iv4    ,how the  
,church of ,rome borrowed the doctrine  
of ,endless ,hell from the  ,pagans2 and
 how1 afterwards1 the self-called       
,orthodox ,protestant  ,churches        
borrowed it from the ,church of ,rome4  
,it has been proved in the foregoing    
article1 and1 we think1 to              
demonstration1 that the ,christians of  
the first and of the second  centuries1 
neither knew nor believed the dogma of  

endless hell2  wherefore we may         
logically make this argument3    ,the   
,christians of the first and of the     
second centuries neither knew nor       
believed the dogma of endless hell3 ,but
 if the dogma of endless hell  had been 
taught in the ,new ,testament1 the      
,christians of the first and  of the    
second centuries would have known and   
believed it4 ,this we prove3    ,those  
of the apostles who wrote the ,new      
,testament certainly knew  whether1 in  
the ,new ,testament they wrote1 they had
 taught the dogma of  endless hell4 ,if 
they had known that1 in the ,new        
,testament they wrote1  they had taught 
the dogma of endless hell1 they would   
have certainly  informed the ,christians
 of the first century1 in their oral    
predications1 that1 in the ,new         
,testament they wrote1 they had taught  
the  dogma of endless hell1 for it was  
one of the most important points of     
doctrine4 ,if they had informed the     
,christians of the first century1 in    

their oral predications1 that they had  
taught1 in the ,new ,testament they     
wrote1 the dogma of endless hell1 the   
,christians of the first century  would 
have certainly believed that they had   
taught1 in the ,new ,testament  they    
wrote1 the dogma of endless hell4 ,if   
the ,christians of the first  century   
had believed that they had taught1 in   
the ,new ,testament they  wrote1 the    
dogma of endless hell1 they would have  
certainly believed in  endless hell4 ,if
 the ,christians of the first century   
had believed in  endless hell1 those of 
the beginning of the second century     
would have  also believed it2 for the   
apostle and evangelist ,john was still  
living  at the end of the year #ajj2    
7even many authors say that he died only
 in  #ajd17 and therefore if any        
discussion had arisen in regard to the  
dogma  of endless hell1 he would have   
declared whether it was taught in the   
,new ,testament or not4 ,if the         
,christians of the beginning of the     

second  century had also believed the   
dogma of endless hell1 those who would  
have lived in the middle and at the end 
of the second century would have        
believed it also2 because learning1 from
 the lips1 or from the writings1  of    
those who were co-eval to some of the   
apostles1 the dogma of endless  hell1 no
 traditional alteration might have taken
 place towards this  dogma2 so much so  
that it would have been generally spread
 and believed  among ,christians1 owing 
to its importance4    ,therefore the    
minor proposition of our argument is    
true3 ,but if the  dogma of endless hell
 had been taught in the ,new ,testament1
 the  ,christians of the first and of   
the second centuries would have known   
and  believed it4 ,wherefore we draw    
this logical conclusion3 ,then the dogma
  of endless hell is not taught in the  
,new ,testament4    ,moreover1 if the   
,christians of the third1 of the fourth1
 and of the  fifth centuries1 had       
thought that the dogma of endless hell  

was taught  in the ,new ,testament they 
would have at least generally believed  
it4  ,but they did not generally believe
 it1 as it has been proved1 to          
demonstration1 in the foregoing         
,article3 consequently the dogma of     
endless hell is not taught in the ,new  
,testament4    ,from the fact that1     
according to the ,christians of the     
first and of the  second centuries      
themselves1 the dogma of endless hell is
 not taught in  the ,new ,testament1 we 
draw the conclusion that the ,church of 
,rome1  which first1 and successively1  
introduced in the body of ,christians   
the  dogma of hell and of endless hell1 
did not originate it from the ,new      
,testament2 because there would have    
been a general protestation against  it 
from all the other churches4    ,it has 
been proved1 in the second ,article of  
this chapter1 that the ,jews  did not   
believe the dogma of endless hell4      
,therefore the ,church of ,rome  did not
 originate the dogma of endless hell    

from the ,jews1 or from their  ,holy    
,writs4    ,wherefrom1 then1 did the    
,church of ,rome originate the dogma of 
endless  hell8    ,from ,paganism3--    
,the ,church of ,rome established       
mysteries towards the beginning of the  
third century4 ,they were an imitation  
of the ,pagan mysteries4    ,we refer   
the reader for the proofs of this       
proposition to the last pages  of the   
second chapter of this work4            
,thereupon we continue4 ,it was only    
successively1 and to make more          
proselytes1 that the ,church of ,rome   
had established those ceremonies1  rites
 and doctrines1 to the reading thereof  
we have invited the reader1  and which  
were not only unspoken of in the        
,scriptures1 but which were a  pure     
imitation of those of the mysteries of  
the ,pagans4 ,we say1 to make  more     
proselytes2 for the aim of the ,church  
of ,rome was evidently to  diminish the 
abruptness of the transition between    
,paganism and  ,christianity2 to throw a

 bridge1 if we may thus illustrate our  
idea1  over the steep1 wide1 and deep   
abyss that lies between ,paganism and   
,christianity4    ,now let us compare   
the hell of the ,church of ,rome with   
the ,tartarus of  the ,pagans4 ,the     
,pagans called the place where the      
wicked were punished1  ,tartarus1 or    
,infernus2 the ,church of ,rome called1 
and still calls1 the  same place1       
,tartarus1 or ,infernus4 ,the ,pagans   
believed that the ,tartarus  was in the 
profundities of the earth2 the ,church  
of ,rome held1 and still  holds1 that   
the ,tartarus1 called in ,english1      
,hell1 is in the  profundities of the   
earth4    ,remark4--,before proceeding  
further1 let us give the native         
signification of the words ,tartarus1   
,infernus and ,hell4 ,greek3  ,tartaros1
 ou1 dark and deep place3 ,greek3       
,tartara gains1 in  ,hesiode1 abysses of
 the earth4 ,the word ,greek3 ,tartaros 
has been  adopted and kept in the       
,latin1 though with the change of the   

final  ,greek3 os into us1 ,tartarus1   
and its native meaning preserved4 ,the  
,latin word ,infernus derives from the  
word inferior1 which signifies a  place 
under1 below an other1 a cavity1 a      
profundity4 ,the words ,tartarus1       
,infernus1 have been kept in ,french1   
,tartare1 ,enfer2 in ,spanish1 ,tartaro1
  ,infierno2 and also in the other      
languages derived from the ,latin4 ,the 
,english word hell is the genitive case 
of the ,anglo-,saxon word hole1  ,see   
,webster's ,dictionary1 which means a   
cavity1 a profundity4 ,the word         
,tartarus has been kept from the ,latin1
 with its native signification4 ,in     
,greek ,greek3 ,tartaros has a plural1  
as seen before4 ,in ,latin  ,tartarus   
has a plural1 ,tartari2 so ,infernus1   
,inferi4 ,in ,french  ,tartare has a    
plural1 ,tartares2 so1 ,enfer1 ,enfers4 
,in ,spanish  ,tartaro has a plural1    
,tartaros2 so1 ,infierno1 ,infiernos4   
,now we continue the comparison that we 
have commenced between the  ,infernus of

 the ,pagans and the ,infernus1 or      
,hell1 of the ,church of ,rome4  ,we    
will use the word ,hell1 to express the 
,tartarus1 or ,infernus1 of both  the   
,pagans and the ,church of ,rome4       
,the ,pagans believed that there was a  
gate to their hell2 so the ,church  of  
,rome believes that there is a gate to  
the hell of the ,christians4 ,the       
,pagans believed that the frightful     
,tisiphon watched day and night at the  
gate of their hell2 so the ,church of   
,rome believes that ,lucifer holds  the 
keys of the gate of hell1 as ,st4 ,peter
 holds the keys of ,paradise4    ,the   
,pagans believed that the deepest       
darkness reigned in their hell2 so  the 
,church of ,rome believes that the      
deepest darkness reigns in the hell  of 
the ,christians4    ,the ,pagans        
believed that1 in their hell1 the       
,phlegeton river rolled huge  stones on 
fire1 burning the wicked without        
consuming them2 so the ,church  of ,rome
 believed1 and still believes1 even now 

it is an article of  faith which must be
 believed under the penalty of          
excommunication1 of  being a heretic1   
and thereby of infallibly going to hell1
 that1 in the  hell of the ,christians1 
the wicked are plunged into a corporeal1
 or  material1 fire of sulphur1 and of  
brimstone4 ,st4 ,augustine1 in his work 
,de ,civitate ,dei1 ,liber #ba1         
,capitulum #aj1 writes3 ,gehenna illa1  
quod  etiam stagnum ignis et sulphuris  
dictum est1 corporeus ignis erit4       
,translation4--,that ,gehenna1 which is 
said to be a marsh of fire and of       
sulphur1 will be a corporeal fire4      
,the ,pagans believed that1 in their    
hell1 the wicked were tortured in  their
 bodies and in their souls1 although    
their bodies were in the  grave2 so the 
,church of ,rome believed1 and still    
believes that1 in the  hell of the      
,christians1 the wicked are tortured in 
their bodies and in  their souls1       
although their bodies are in the grave4 
,the ,pagans believed that1 in their    

hell1 hideous furies were armed with    
whips and other instruments of torture2 
so the ,church of ,rome believed1  and  
still believes1 that1 in the hell of the
 ,christians1 the devils are  hideous   
and armed with whips1 tridents1         
harpoons1 and other instruments  of     
torture4 ,we invite the reader to go to 
,catholic stores of images1 and  to see 
the representation of devils with tails1
 horns1 and armed with  instruments of  
torture4    ,the ,pagans believed that1 
in their hell1 the wicked were whipped  
and  tortured in various cruel manners  
by the furies1 though their bodies  were
 in the grave2 so the ,church of ,rome  
believed1 and still believes1  that1 in 
the hell of the ,christians1 the wicked 
are whipped and  tortured in various    
cruel manners by the devils1 though     
their bodies  are in the grave4 ,the    
,pagans believed that1 in their hell1   
the wicked  dragged heavy chains2 so the
 ,church of ,rome believed1 and still   
believes1 that1 in the hell of the      

,christians1 the wicked drag heavy      
chains4 ,the ,pagans believed that1 in  
their hell1 there were two  principal   
abodes1 the one expiatory1 in which the 
common wicked were  detained and        
tortured1 until they had expiated their 
faults1 and been  purified enough to be 
admitted in the ,elysium2 and the other1
 the  vastest1 the darkest1 and the     
deepest cavern1 where great criminals   
were  burnt and excruciated endlessly1  
and without any hope of cessation or    
relief in their torments2 so the ,church
 of ,rome believed1 and still  believes1
 that in the hell of the ,christians1   
there are two principal  abodes1 the    
one1 ,purgatory1 where the common       
wicked1 namely1 those  guilty of venial 
sins1 are tortured and burnt in a       
material fire1 until  they have expiated
 their faults1 and been purified enough 
to be  permitted to crave ,st4 ,peter to
 open to them the gate of ,paradise1 and
  the other the vastest1 the darkest1   
and the deepest profundity1 where  the  

heretics1 the schismatics1 those who eat
 meat on ,friday1 do not pay  the tithe 
to the priests1 or who disobey kindred  
laws of the ,church1 are  plunged1      
bodies and souls1 7though their bodies  
are in the grave17 into  a devouring    
fire1 and where they are excruciated    
endlessly1 without any  hope of         
cessation or relief in their torments4  
,the ,pagans believed that1 in the      
expiatory abode of their hell1 there    
were many different degrees of tortures2
 so the ,church of ,rome believed1  and 
still believes1 that1 in the ,purgatory 
of the hell of the  ,christians1 there  
are many different degrees of tortures4 
,the ,pagans  believed that             
supplications could relieve and free    
from their tortures1  the common wicked 
detained in the expiatory abode of their
 hell2 so the  ,church of ,rome         
believed1 and still believes1 that1 in  
the ,purgatory of  the hell of the      
,christians1 the common wicked1 namely1 
those guilty of  venial sins1 can be    

relieved in their torments1 and be freed
 from them  by supplications2 hence the 
incalculable sums of money paid to the  
priests1 to say masses for the          
deliverance of those wicked2 hence the  
countless splendid churches1 the vast   
number of monasteries1 convents1        
nunneries1 abbeys1 and other costly     
edifices1 founded in behalf of those    
wicked4    ,the ,pagans believed that   
there were an innumerable quantity of   
different  degrees of tortures in the   
second principal abode of their hell2 so
 the  ,church of ,rome believed1 and    
still believes1 that1 in the second     
principal abode of the hell of the      
,christians1 there is an innumerable    
quantity of different degrees of        
tortures4 ,the ,pagans believed that1 in
  their hell1 the wicked condemned to   
endless misery1 would1 mingle with      
their yells of anguish1 torment1 and    
despair1 vociferations1  maledictions1  
and curses1 against the gods1 and       
against themselves2 so  the ,church of  

,rome believed1 and still believes1     
that1 in the hell of  the ,christians1  
the wicked1 condemned to endless misery1
 will mingle  with their yells of       
anguish1 torment1 and despair1          
vociferations1  maledictions1 and curses
 against ,god1 and against themselves2  
that they  will exclaim1 ,montes cadite 
super nos6--,mountains fall upon us6    
,the  ,pagans believed that1 in their   
hell1 the wicked condemned to endless   
misery will vainly endeavor to kill and 
annihilate themselves2 so the  ,church  
of ,rome believed1 and still believes1  
that the wicked condemned  to endless   
misery1 will vainly attempt to put an   
end to their miserable  existence4      
,therefore there is a most striking     
similarity1 or rather identity1  between
 the hell of the ,pagans1 and the hell  
of the ,church of ,rome4    ,therefore1 
since as proved above1    #ast1 ,the    
,church of ,rome was the first ,church  
which introduced the dogma  of endless  
hell in the body of ,christians2        

#b;d1 ,since1 as proved above1 the      
,church of ,rome did not originate the  
dogma of endless hell from the ,new     
,testament2    #c;d1 ,since1 as proved  
above1 the ,church of ,rome did not     
borrow from the  ,jews1 or from their   
,holy ,writs1 the dogma of endless hell2
    #dth1 ,since1 as proved above1 the  
,church of ,rome1 at the imitation of   
the  ,pagans1 established1 towards the  
beginning of the third century1         
mysteries1 many of the ceremonies1 rites
 and doctrines thereof were  alike to   
those ceremonies1 rites and doctrines1  
of the mysteries of the  ,pagans2       
#eth1 ,since1 as proved above1 there is 
a most striking similarity1 or  rather  
identity1 between the hell of the       
,pagans1 and the hell of the  ,church of
 ,rome1    ,we legitimately draw this   
important conclusion3    ,therefore the 
,church of ,rome borrowed from the      
,pagans the dogma of  endless hell4     
,when the ,protestants1 now self-called 
,orthodox ,churches1 left the ,church   

of ,rome1 in the sixteenth century1 they
 cut off many of the appendices  and    
concomitant particularities of the dogma
 of endless hell2 but they  preserved1  
and even in our days profess to believe1
 the main features of  this dogma1      
namely1 that in hell there is sulphur1  
brimstone1 and fire2  that in hell there
 are devils2 that in hell there are many
 degrees of  torments2 that in hell the 
wicked are constantly burning in fire   
without  consuming1 and are constantly  
tortured by the devils without any      
relief2  that hell shall exist forever  
and evermore1 as long as endless        
eternity  shall endure2 and that the    
torments of the wicked in hell shall no 
more  end than hell itself4    ,that the
 ,protestants1 now self-called ,orthodox
 ,christian ,churches1  borrowed from   
the ,church of ,rome1 in the sixteenth  
century1 the dogma of  endless hell2 and
 that they preserved the above belief in
 regard to  endless hell1 is proved by  
the unanimous testimony of modern       

historians  and of chroniclers4 ,that   
they1 now-a-days1 profess the above     
belief in  regard to endless hell1 is a 
fact which we can daily1 and            
particularly  every ,sunday1 in all     
cities1 towns1 and villages of this     
country1 and of  all ,protestant        
countries1 verify with our own eyes in  
their writings1  and with our own ears  
in their temples4    ,now we draw our   
general conclusions3    #ast1 ,therefore
 the ,church of ,rome borrowed from the 
,pagans the dogma of  endless hell4     
#b;d1 ,therefore the now self-called    
,orthodox ,protestant1 or ,christian    
,churches1 borrowed from the ,church of 
,rome the dogma of endless hell4        
,conclusion of the chapter3             
,therefore the ,partialist doctrine of  
endless hell is of ,pagan origin4       
,,chapter ,,viii4    ,,pagan ,,origin   
,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,a ,,first   
,,judgment1 ,,by ,,jesus ,,christ1      
,,immediately ,,after ,,the ,,separation
 ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,from ,,the ,,body4 

,,it will be evident that the origin of 
the doctrine of a first judgment1  by   
,jesus ,christ1 immediately after the   
separation of the soul from the  body1  
is ,pagan1 if it can be proved1 #ast1   
,that the ,pagans believed in a  first  
judgment1 by a god1 immediately after   
the separation of the soul  from the    
body2 #b;d1 ,that the particulars of    
this first judgment1 believed  in by the
 ,partialist ,christian ,churches1      
present a striking similarity  with the 
particulars of the first judgment1      
believed in by the ,pagans2  and #c;d1  
,that the ,church of ,rome1 which1 in   
the sixteenth century1  transmitted to  
the now self-called ,orthodox ,christian
 ,churches this  doctrine of a first    
judgment1 which they accepted full and  
entire1 did  not hold it from the       
apostles of ,jesus ,christ nor from the 
,jews4    ,but it can be proved1 #ast1  
,that the ,pagans believed in a first   
judgment1  by a god1 immediately after  
the separation of the soul from the     

body2  #b;d1 ,that the particulars of   
this first judgment1 believed in by the 
,partialist ,christian ,churches1       
present a striking similarity with the  
particulars of the first judgment1      
believed in by the ,pagans2 and #c;d1   
that the ,church of ,rome1 which1 in the
 sixteenth century transmitted to  the  
now self-called ,orthodox ,christian    
,churches this doctrine of a first      
judgment1 which they accepted full and  
entire1 did not hold it from the        
,apostles of ,jesus ,christ nor from the
 ,jews4    #ast1 ,it can be proved that 
the ,pagans believed in a first         
judgment1 by a  god1 immediately after  
the separation of the soul from the     
body4    ,we extract the following from 
the ,history of the ,egyptians1 by      
,rollin4  ,article--,funerals3 ,before  
the dead were admitted in the sacred    
asylum  of the tomb1 they underwent a   
solemn judgment4 ,and this circumstance 
of  the funerals among the ,egyptians1  
is one of the most remarkable things  in

 the ancient history4 ,it is a          
consolation to us to leave behind us1   
when we die1 a name honored among men2  
and of all blessings it is the  only one
 of which we cannot be deprived by      
death4 ,but in ,egypt1 it was  not      
permitted to indistinctly praise the    
dead2 this honor was conferred  only    
after a favorable public judgment4 ,the 
assembly of the judges was  held on the 
other side of a lake1 which they crossed
 on a bark4 ,he who  conducted the bark 
was called1 in the ,egyptian tongue1    
,charon2 and it  is from this name that 
the ,greeks1 instructed by ,orpheus1 who
 had been  in ,egypt1 had invented the  
fable of the bark of ,charon4    ,when a
 man died he was brought to judgment4   
,the public accuser was  heard4 ,if he  
proved that the conduct of the dead had 
been wicked1 his  memory was            
stigmatized1 and he was deprived of the 
honor of funerals4  ,the people admired 
the power of the laws1 which extended   
even beyond  death2 and everybody1      

influenced by the example of others1 was
 afraid to  dishonor his family1 and his
 own memory4 ,if the dead was not       
convicted  of any crime1 he was         
honorably buried4 ,what was the most    
astonishing in  this judgment of the    
dead was that royalty itself was not    
spared4 ,the  kings were not judged     
during their life1 the public good      
demanded it2  but they were not exempted
 from the after death's judgment1 and   
several  of them were deprived of       
honorable funerals4 ,this custom passed 
among  the ,israelites4 ,we read in the 
,old ,testament that wicked kings were  
not  buried in the tombs of their       
fathers4 ,thus kings learned1 that1 if  
their  majesty places them above the    
judgments of men1 it is so no longer    
when  death has placed them on the same 
level with their fellow-men4    ,when   
the judgment1 which had been pronounced1
 was favorable to the  dead1 they       
proceeded to the ceremony of the burial4
 ,a panegyric was  delivered in which   

nothing was said of his birth1 because  
every ,egyptian  was considered to be a 
noble man4 ,his personal virtues only   
were  praised4 ,then the whole assembly 
supplicated the gods to welcome him in  
the assembly of the virtuous dead1 and  
to associate him to their  eternal      
bliss4    ,this judgment gave birth to  
the fable of a judgment rendered by the 
gods1 immediately after the separation  
of the soul from the body4 ,charon  was 
represented carrying the souls of the   
dead on board his bark1 across  the     
,styx river1 to be judged by the great  
judge1 ,minos4 ,this became a  general  
belief among the ,pagans1 not only in   
,egypt1 but in ,greece1 in  ,italy1 and 
in nearly all the ,oriental countries2  
as proved by the  unanimous consent of  
the mythological authors4 ,this belief  
has been  perpetuated among the ,pagans 
of those countries4 ,even in our days1  
the  ,indians believe in this judgment1 
and call the great judge1 ,zomo1 or     
according to others1 ,jamen4 ,the       

,japanese1 followers of ,buda1 also     
believe in this judgment2 and they call 
the great judge1 ,zomo4 ,likewise  the  
,lamas believe in this judgment1 and    
call the great judge ,erlik-kan4        
,therefore the ,pagans believed in a    
first judgment1 by a god1 immediately   
after the separation of the soul from   
the body4    #b;d4 ,it can be proved    
that the particulars of this first      
judgment1  believed in by the           
,partialist ,christian ,churches1       
present a striking  similarity with the 
particulars of the first judgment1      
believed in by  the ,pagans3    ,the    
,pagans believed that their great judge1
 ,minos1 sat on a throne1 to  judge the 
souls immediately after their separation
 from the bodies that  they animated2 so
 the ,partialist ,christian ,churches   
believe that ,jesus  ,christ sits on a  
throne1 to judge the souls1 immediately 
after their  separation from the bodies 
that they animated4 ,the ,pagans        
believed that1  near to ,minos' throne1 

and at his right hand1 good geniuses1 or
 spirits1  stood2 so the ,partialist    
,christian ,churches believe that1 near 
to ,jesus  ,christ's throne1 and at his 
right hand1 good angels stand4 ,the     
,pagans  believed that1 near to ,minos' 
throne1 and at his left hand1 furies    
stood2 so the ,partialist ,christian    
,churches believe that1 near to ,jesus  
,christ's throne1 and at his left hand1 
devils stand4    ,the ,pagans believed  
that the souls were driven to the       
redoubtable  tribunal of ,minos by their
 respective guardian angel1 who had     
accompanied them during their whole life
 on earth2 had watched day and  night   
over their conduct2 and had kept a      
record of all they had done1  right or  
wrong2 so the ,church of ,rome1 and some
 other ,partialist  ,christian          
,churches1 believe that the souls are   
driven to the redoubtable  tribunal of  
,jesus ,christ by their respective      
guardian angel1 who has  accompanied    
them during their whole life on earth2  

has watched day and  night over their   
conduct1 and has kept a record of all   
they have done1  right or wrong4 ,the   
,pagans believed that ,minos based his  
judgments on  the contents of two books1
 the one called book of life1 and the   
other  book of death2 so the ,partialist
 ,christian ,churches believe that      
,jesus  ,christ bases his judgments on  
the contents of two books2 the one      
called  book of life1 and the other book
 of death4 ,the ,pagans believed that   
the  souls who had obtained from ,minos 
a favorable sentence1 were led to the   
,elysium by their respective guardian   
angel2 and that those who had been      
condemned to the ,tartarus1 were        
apprehended by the furies1 and hurled   
into it2 so the ,partialist ,christian  
,churches believe that the souls who    
obtain from ,jesus ,christ a favorable  
sentence1 are led to ,paradise by  their
 respective guardian angel2 or1 in the  
opinion of those of the  ,partialist    
,christian ,churches1 which do not      

believe in a guardian angel  by other   
angels4    ,consequently the particulars
 of the first judgment1 believed in by  
the  ,partialist ,christian ,churches1  
present a striking similarity with the  
particulars of the first judgment1      
believed in by the ,pagans4    #c;d4 ,it
 can be proved that the ,church of      
,rome1 which1 in the sixteenth  century1
 transmitted to the now self-called     
,orthodox ,christian ,churches  the     
doctrine of a first judgment1 which they
 accepted full and entire1  did not hold
 it from the apostles of ,jesus ,christ1
 nor from the ,jews3--    ,the ,church  
of ,rome does not hold the doctrine of a
 first judgment from  the apostles of   
,jesus ,christ1 for this doctrine       
implies a  blasphemy--whether ,jesus    
,christ be considered as being ,god     
himself--and  all the ,partialist       
,christian ,churches hold that he is    
,god himself--and  whether ,jesus       
,christ be considered as being only the 
,son of ,god4 ,but  the doctrine of a   

first judgment implies a blasphemy1     
whether ,jesus  ,christ be considered as
 being ,god himself1 and whether he be  
considered  as being only the ,son of   
,god4    ,first1 it implies a blasphemy1
 if ,jesus ,christ is considered as     
being  ,god himself4 ,jesus ,christ1    
being ,god himself1 would necessarily   
know all  the good and bad actions done 
by the souls1 while they animate their  
respective bodies on earth1 in          
consequence it is an insult to his      
attribute of wisdom1 and thereby a      
blasphemy1 to say that the guardian     
angels of the souls1 as they bring them 
to his tribunal1 inform him of  their   
good and bad actions1 which they have   
recorded4 ,even in the case  of those of
 the ,partialist ,christian ,churches1  
which reject the  circumstance of the   
guardian angels1 the doctrine of a first
 judgment  implies an insult to the     
wisdom of ,jesus ,christ1 7in their     
opinion ,god  himself71 and thereby a   
blasphemy2 for a judgment supposes a    

trial2 a  trial supposes an             
investigation2 an investigation supposes
 the ignorance  of the deeds to be      
pronounced upon1 and the supposition    
that ,god has not  a perfect knowledge  
of those deeds1 is an insult to his     
wisdom1 and  thereby is a blasphemy4    
,second1 ,the doctrine of a first       
judgment implies a blasphemy1 if ,jesus 
,christ is considered as being only the 
,son of ,god4 ,if ,god had vested       
,jesus ,christ with the power of        
discerning rewards and punishments to   
the  souls after death1 he would have   
given him a knowledge of the good and   
bad actions of the souls4 ,but the      
doctrine of a first judgment supposes   
that ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1  
would come to this knowledge only       
through the means of a trial1 which     
supposition is an insult to the  wisdom 
of ,god1 and thereby a blasphemy4       
,then the doctrine of a first judgment  
implies a blasphemy1 whether ,jesus     
,christ be considered as being ,god     

himself1 and whether ,jesus ,christ be  
considered as being only the ,son of    
,god4    ,therefore the ,church of ,rome
 does not hold the doctrine of a first  
judgment from the apostles of ,jesus    
,christ4    ,general conclusions3--     
,it has been proved in this chapter1    
#ast1 ,that the ,pagans believed in a   
first judgment1 by a god1 immediately   
after the separation of the soul  from  
the body2 #b;d1 ,that the particulars of
 this first judgment1 believed  in by   
the ,partialist ,christian ,churches1   
present a striking similarity  with the 
particulars of the first judgment1      
believed in by the ,pagans2  and1 #c;d1 
,that the ,church of ,rome1 which1 in   
the sixteenth century1  transmitted to  
the now self-called ,orthodox ,christian
 ,churches this  doctrine of a first    
judgment1 which they accepted full and  
entire1 did  not hold it from the       
apostles of ,jesus ,christ2 neither did 
she hold it  from the ,jews2 for not a  
single passage can be traced out in the 

,old  ,testament1 or in ,josephus1      
referring to a first judgment4          
,therefore the origin of the doctrine of
 a first judgment1 by ,jesus  ,christ1  
immediately after the separation of the 
soul from the body1 is  ,pagan4         
,,chapter ,,ix4    ,,pagan ,,origin ,,of
 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,the            
,,resurrection ,,of ,,the ,,body4       
,,if it is proved1 #ast1 ,that in the   
first centuries of the ,christian era1  
and before the coming of ,jesus ,christ1
 the doctrine of the resurrection  of   
the body was held by a large number of  
,pagans2 #b;d1 ,that the ,church of     
,rome which1 in the sixteenth century1  
transmitted it to the now  self-called  
,orthodox ,christian ,churches1 did not 
hold it either from the  apostles of    
,jesus ,christ1 or from the ,jews1 it   
will remain evident that  the ,church of
 ,rome borrowed it from the ,pagans1 and
 consequently that  its origin is       
,pagan4    ,but it can be proved1 #ast1 
,that in the first centuries of the     

,christian  era1 and before the coming  
of ,jesus ,christ1 the doctrine of the  
resurrection of the body was held by a  
large number of ,pagans2 #b;d1 ,that    
the ,church of ,rome1 which1 in the     
sixteenth century1 transmitted it to    
the now self-called ,orthodox ,christian
 ,churches1 did not hold it from  the   
apostles of ,jesus ,christ2 and1 #c;d1  
,that she did not hold it from the      
,jews4    #ast4 ,it can be proved that  
in the first centuries of the ,christian
 era1  and before the coming of ,jesus  
,christ1 the doctrine of the            
resurrection  of the body was held by a 
large number of ,pagans3    ,the        
doctrine of the resurrection of the body
 had been taught by  ,zoroaster4 ,all   
the ,persians believed it2 and even now 
the ,parsis1 or  followers of the       
religion of ,zoroaster1 who live in     
,turkey and in  ,persia1 hold it4 ,it   
was also one of the dogmas of the       
,chaldeans1 and of  many other oriental 
countries4 ,in ,india the ,pagans1      

now-a-days1 believe  that their bodies  
will come again to life1 and it is owing
 to this  belief1 the ,roman ,catholic  
priest ,bergier says1 that the wives    
throw  themselves on the same wood piles
 on which lay the dead bodies of their  
husbands1 to be burnt alive1 and to come
 again to life with them4 ,this  belief 
and practice are immemorial in ,india4  
,interesting particulars in  regard to  
the doctrine of the resurrection        
believed by ancient nations1  can be    
read in the ,french work1 ,mmoires de   
l',acadmie des ,inscriptions1  tome #fi1
 pages #bgj1 and following2 in the work 
of ,hyde1 on the ,religion  of the      
,persians2 and also in the writings of  
,plutarch1 article ,isis and  ,osiris4  
,according to the testimony of ,diodore1
 and of ,herodote1 the ,egyptians       
believed in ,metempsychosis2 and it was 
an immemorial doctrine among  them4     
,also1 many of them believed that their 
bodies would come again to  life1 after 
a sojourn of one thousand years in the  

grave4 ,the ,sybilline  verses treat of 
the resurrection of the body4 ,much has 
been written  about it by ,bocchus1 in  
,solin1 chap4 #h2 and by ,lactance1 book
 #g1 chap4  #bi1 book #d1 chap4 #ae1    
#ah1 and #ai4 ,the ,stoicians1 who were 
the most  learned philosophers of       
antiquity1 and in the three centuries   
which  preceded the coming of ,jesus    
,christ1 and also in the three that     
followed1 believed in ,metempsychosis2  
however1 a portion of their school      
believed in the resurrection of the     
body4 ,of this we are informed by       
,seneca1 ,epist4 #dj2 by ,laerta1 book  
#g2 and by ,plutarch1 writing on the    
,resignation of the ,stoicians4         
,pliny1 deriding ,democrite1 informs us 
that this philosopher believed in  the  
resurrection of the body2 see book #g1  
chap4 #de1 where he says3 ,vain  is the 
promise made by ,democrite that we will 
live again4 ,the doctrine  of the       
resurrection of the body is taught in   
these verses of ,phocylides  about the  

remains of the dead3      ,greek3 ,ou   
kalon harmonin analyemen anthrpoio2     
,kai tacha d' ek gais elpizomen es phaos
 elthein             ,leipsan'          
apoichomenn opiso te theoi telethontai4 
,translation3--,it is impious to        
disperse the remains of man2 for the    
ashes and the bones of the dead will    
come again to light1 and will  become   
similar to the gods4    ,virgil speaks  
of the resurrection of the body1 though 
in an obscure  manner1 in the sixth book
 of his poem ,eneida4    ,therefore in  
the first centuries of the ,christian   
era1 and before the  coming of ,jesus   
,christ1 the doctrine of the            
resurrection of the body was  held by a 
large number of ,pagans4    #b;d4 ,it   
can be proved that the ,church of ,rome1
 which1 in the sixteenth  century1      
transmitted the doctrine of the         
resurrection of the body to the  now    
self-called ,orthodox ,christian        
,churches1 did not hold it from the     
apostles of ,jesus ,christ3--    ,it    

will be evident that the ,church of     
,rome did not hold the doctrine of  the 
resurrection of the body from the       
apostles of ,jesus ,christ1 if it  can  
be proved1 #ast1 ,that the ,fathers of  
the first centuries did not  agree on   
this doctrine2 #b;d1 ,that nearly all   
the ,christian denominations  of the    
first two centuries1 and the majority1  
to say the least1 of those  of the      
century following1 disbelieved it2 and1 
#c;d1 ,that this doctrine is            
irrational4    ,but it can be proved1   
#ast1 ,that the ,fathers of the first   
centuries did  not agree about the      
doctrine of the resurrection of the     
body2 #b;d1 ,that  nearly all the       
,christian denominations of the first   
two centuries1 and  the majority1 to say
 the least1 of the century following1   
disbelieved  it2 and1 #c;d1 ,that this  
doctrine is irrational4    #ast4 ,it can
 be proved that the ,fathers of the     
first centuries did not  agree about the
 doctrine of the resurrection of the    

body4    ,tatian believed in            
,metempsychosis1 but not in the         
resurrection of the  body4 ,st4 ,gregory
 of ,nysse denied that there was        
anything corporeal in  the person of    
,jesus ,christ1 since the time he       
ascended to the heavens4  ,origen       
admitted the resurrection of the bodies1
 but not that of the  flesh4 ,synesius1 
bishop of ,ptolemada1 in his ,series of 
,epistles1  declares that the doctrine  
of the resurrection of the body is a    
mystery1  whose solution ought to be    
kept secret1 and considered as sacred3  
that  it is well to teach it to the     
people2 and that he1 the bishop1 would  
publicly profess and preach this        
doctrine1 though it is not his personal 
belief4 ,if the reader desires to find  
lengthier particulars1 about the        
divergency of the opinions of the       
,fathers concerning the doctrine of the 
resurrection of the body1 we refer him  
to the work of ,beausobre1 headed1      
,history of ,manicheanism1 tome #b1 book

 #h1 chap4 #e1 ,no4 #c1 and following4  
,therefore the ,fathers of the first    
centuries did not agree about the       
doctrine of the resurrection of the     
body4    #b;d4 ,it can be proved that   
nearly all the ,christian sects1 or     
denominations1 of the first two         
centuries1 and the majority1 to say the 
least1 of those of the century          
following1 disbelieved the doctrine of  
the resurrection of the body3----       
,according to the unanimous testimony of
 the ,roman ,catholic authors           
themselves1 ,bergier1 ,feller1 ,fleury1 
etc41 etc41 the following ,christian    
sects of the first three centuries held 
the dogma of ,metempsychosis3 ,the      
,basilidians1 the ,bardesanists1 the    
,barules1 the ,barborians1 the          
,valentinians1 the ,marcionites1 the    
,marcosians1 the ,theodotians1 the      
,artemonians1 the ,carpocratians1 the   
,docetes1 the ,tatianists1 the          
,apellites1 the ,montanists1 the        
,artotyrites1 the ,severians1 the       

,ascites1  the ,ascodrutes1 the         
,ophites1 the ,cainites1 the ,sethians1 
the  ,hermogenians1 the ,hermians1 the  
,valesians1 the ,hieracites1 the        
,samosatians1 and the ,manicheans3 this 
latter sect1 ,catholic authors say1     
were subdivided into more than sixty    
sects1 which professed1 each one of     
them1 to believe in ,metempsychosis4    
,the same authors add1 that many of  the
 other sects named above denied the     
resurrection of the body4 ,though  they 
do not say so of all1 we may safely     
affirm that every one of the  above     
named ,christian sects disbelieved the  
doctrine of the resurrection  of the    
body4 ,this we demonstrate thus3--      
,according to the doctrine of           
,metempsychosis1 when1 at death1 a soul 
separates from the body1 she passes into
 another body to animate it2 and  to    
thus expiate1 by many and successive    
transmigrations1 the faults she  has    
committed in an anterior existence1 and 
so continually4 ,but the  doctrine of   

the resurrection of the body teaches    
that the same soul  which animated it in
 its prior existence1 shall animate it  
anew when it  will come again to life4  
,how can then this same soul animate    
this same  body1 and at the same time   
the thousands of other human bodies1    
which  she had also animated in her     
various transmigrations8 ,therefore the 
belief of the doctrine of               
,metempsychosis necessarily implies a   
disbelief  of the doctrine of the       
resurrection of the body4 ,consequently1
 although  the ,roman ,catholic authors 
do not positively state that all the    
above  named ,christian sects           
disbelieved the doctrine of the         
resurrection of  the body1 we may safely
 affirm1 from the fact that they held   
the  doctrine of ,metempsychosis1 that  
they disbelieved the doctrine of the    
resurrection of the body4    ,therefore 
nearly all the ,christian sects1 or     
denominations1 of the first  two        
centuries1 and the majority1 to say the 

least1 of those of the  century         
following1 disbelieved the doctrine of  
the resurrection of the  body4    #c;d4 
,it can be proved that the doctrine of  
the resurrection of the body  is        
irrational4    ,all the reasons which   
have been brought forth by ,st4         
,cyrille1 bishop of  ,jerusalem1 in his 
,catechism1 page #ah2 by ,st4 ,gregory  
of ,nysse1 in his  oratio on the        
,resurrection of the ,flesh2 by ,st4    
,augustine1 in his ,city  of ,god1 book 
#bj2 by ,st4 ,chrysostome1 in his homily
 on the ,resurrection  of the ,flesh2 by
 ,tertullian1 in his treatise on the    
,resurrection of the  ,flesh2 by ,st4   
,gregory1 the ,pope1 in his ,fourth     
,dialogue2 by ,st4  ,ambrosius1 in his  
sermon on the ,faith of the             
,resurrection of the ,flesh2  and by    
,st4 ,epiphane1 ,ancyrot1 page #ch1 can 
be summed up as follows3--    ,god      
himself has formed with his own hands   
man's body2 he has animated it  with the
 breath of his own mouth1 and has placed

 within it a soul made  to his likeness4
 ,the flesh of the ,christian is1 in    
some manner1  associated to all the     
functions of its soul1 and is the       
instrument of  all the graces of ,god4  
,it is the body that is washed by       
baptism to  purify the soul1 it is the  
body that in order to feed the soul     
receives  the ,eucharist2 it is the body
 that is immolated to ,god by           
mortifications1 by fasts1 by vigils1 by 
virginity1 and by martyrdom4  ,thus ,st4
 ,paul reminds that our bodies are the  
members of ,jesus ,christ1  and the     
temples of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,would    
,god leave in the grave forever  the    
work of his own hands1 the master-piece 
of his might1 the depository  of his    
breath1 the king of the other bodies1   
the canal of his graces1  and the victim
 of his worship8    ,if ,god has        
condemned the body to death as a        
punishment for sin1 ,jesus  ,christ came
 to save all that was lost4 ,without    
this complete reparation1  we would not 

know how far the goodness1 the mercy1   
and the parental  tenderness of our     
,god1 extend4 ,the flesh of man1        
restored by incarnation  to its former  
dignity1 ought to come again to life1 as
 well as that of  ,jesus ,christ4 ,is   
not he who created the flesh mighty     
enough to bring it  again to life8      
,nothing entirely perishes in nature3   
forms change1 but  all renews itself1   
and seems to grow young again2 ,god has 
stamped  immortality upon all his works4
 ,night follows the day1 eclipsed stars 
appear anew2 the spring makes us forget 
the winter2 plants grow again1  and     
resume their hues and perfumes2 and     
several animals which seem to  die      
receive a new life4 ,thus1 by the       
lessons of nature1 ,god has prepared    
the lessons of the revelation2 and he   
has shown us the image of the           
resurrection1 before showing us its     
reality4    ,god's justice demands the  
resurrection of our body4 ,god ought to 
judge1  to reward1 or to punish the     

whole man4 ,the body is the instrument  
of  the soul for good or for evil2 even 
the thoughts of the soul are  reflected 
on man's face4 ,the soul cannot         
experience pleasure or pain  without the
 co-participation of the body1 and the  
principal exercise of  virtue consists  
in the repression of the desires of the 
flesh4 ,then it  is just that the soul  
of the wicked be tormented1 by being    
reunited to  the same body which has    
been the instrument of her crimes2 and  
that the  soul of the saints be         
rewarded1 by her eternal reunion to a   
body which  has been the instrument of  
her merits4    ,all these reasons can be
 generalized thus3    ,man's body has   
been the instrument of our soul to do   
good or evil4 ,then  the justice of ,god
 requires that man's body come again to 
life1 to  share1 with its soul1 eternal 
reward1 or eternal punishment4    ,we   
answer3 ,since man's body is but the    
instrument of our soul to do good  or   
evil1 his body is capable neither of    

merit nor of demerit4 ,but1 since  man's
 body is capable neither of merit nor of
 demerit1 it is capable  neither of     
reward nor of punishment4 ,therefore the
 justice of ,god does  not require that 
man's body come again to life1 to share1
 with its soul1  eternal reward or      
eternal punishment4    ,more1 it is     
irrational that the same particles of   
matter be1 at the same  time1 in many   
places4 ,but the doctrine of the        
resurrection of the body  supposes that 
the same particles of matter will be1 at
 the same time1  in many places4 ,this  
we prove3    ,the cannibals live upon   
man's flesh2 and they assimilate to     
their own  bodies the particles of flesh
 which compose the bodies of the men    
they  devour4 ,consequently1 at the     
resurrection of the bodies1 these       
particles  of flesh will compose the    
bodies of the cannibals1 and1 at the    
same  time1 the bodies of the men they  
have devoured4 ,therefore1 the doctrine 
of the resurrection of the body         

supposes1 that the same particles of    
matter will be1 at the same time1 in    
many places4    ,besides1 when1 after   
death1 man's body putrefies1 the        
particles of  flesh1 of which it is     
composed1 dissolve into gases1 which the
 plants  convert to their own nature4   
,those vegetables and fruits1 thousands 
of  men eat2 and thus they assimilate to
 themselves those same particles1  which
 formerly composed the bodies of other  
men4 ,consequently1 at the  resurrection
 of the bodies1 those particles will    
compose a multitude of  bodies4         
,therefore1 the doctrine of the         
resurrection of the body  supposes1 that
 the same particles of matter will be1  
at the same time1  in many places4      
,then the doctrine of the resurrection  
of the body is irrational4              
,objection4--,jesus ,christ came again  
to life with a spiritual body4  ,then   
these proofs do not demonstrate that the
 doctrine of the  resurrection of the   
body is irrational4    ,answer4--,jesus 

,christ came again to life with a       
spiritual body2 this  we concede4 ,then 
these proofs do not demonstrate that the
 doctrine of  the resurrection of the   
body is irrational4 ,this we deny2 for  
it is an  article of faith in the       
,church of ,rome2 and it is nearly      
unanimously  believed by all the other  
,partialist ,churches1 that the bodies  
of the  righteous alone will be         
spiritual bodies2 and that the bodies of
 the  wicked will be after the          
resurrection1 as they were while on     
earth4  ,consequently1 it does not      
follow1 from the fact that ,jesus       
,christ came  again to life with a      
spiritual body1 that the above proofs do
 not  demonstrate that the doctrine of  
the resurrection of the body is         
irrational4    ,remark4--,the           
,partialists quote passages of the      
,scriptures to prove the  doctrine of   
the resurrection of the body4 ,we shall 
not discuss the true  meaning of those  
passages2 for such a discussion does not

 enter in the  plan of this work1 which 
is exclusively intended to prove        
historically  the true origin of the    
,partialist doctrines4 ,however1 in     
regard to those  texts we say3    ,it   
would be a blasphemy against ,god to    
suppose that the ,scriptures teach  us  
an irrational doctrine4 ,but1 as        
demonstrated above1 the doctrine of  the
 resurrection of the body is irrational4
 ,then the ,scriptures do not  teach it4
 ,then those texts ought not to be      
understood of the  resurrection of the  
body4    #c;d4 ,it can be proved that   
the ,church of ,rome did not hold the   
doctrine  of the resurrection of the    
body from the ,jews4    ,the ,church of 
,rome did not hold from the ,jews the   
doctrine of the  resurrection of the    
body1 if1 #ast1 the ,roman ,catholic    
theologians do not  hold that this      
doctrine is taught in the ,old          
,testament2 #b;d1 ,if this  doctrine was
 traditional only among the illiterate  
portion of the ,jewish  nation2 and1    

#c;d1 ,if this tradition was not of an  
ancient and national  origin4    ,but1  
#ast1 ,the ,roman ,catholic theologians 
do not hold that the doctrine  of the   
resurrection of the body is taught in   
the ,old ,testament2 #b;d1 ,this        
doctrine was traditional only among the 
illiterate portion of the ,jewish       
nation2 and1 #c;d1 ,this tradition was  
not of an ancient and national  origin4 
#ast1 ,the ,roman ,catholic theologians 
do not hold that the doctrine of the    
resurrection of the body is taught in   
the ,old ,testament4    ,the ,roman     
,catholic theologians do not pretend    
that the doctrine of the  resurrection  
of the body is taught in the ,old       
,testament2 they only  assert that it   
may be that it is taught therein4       
,bergier1 who is their  organ1 and whose
 works1 written in the last century1    
were1 and still now  are1 classical     
among the priests1 writes--,article1    
,resurrection of the  ,body1 page       
#aei3--,we presume that ,job1 ,daniel1  

and the seven ,maccabean  brothers1 had 
some knowledge of this essential dogma4 
,consequently the  ,roman ,catholic     
theologians do not hold that the        
doctrine of the  resurrection of the    
body is taught in the ,old ,testament4  
#b;d1 ,the doctrine of the resurrection 
of the body was traditional only  among 
the illiterate portion of the ,jewish   
nation4    ,josephus states1 in his     
,antiq4 ,jud41 book #ah1 ch4 #b2 and in 
his ,de ,bello  ,judaico1 book #b1 ch4  
#g1 al4 ch4 #ab1 that the ,sadducees    
were the literate  portion of the       
,jewish people2 that they held nearly   
all the public  offices2 that they were 
well educated1 courteous1 and that they 
avoided  public discussions and         
controversies on the subject of         
religion4 ,he  states also that they    
disbelieved the doctrine of the         
resurrection of  the body4 ,therefore   
the doctrine of the resurrection of the 
body was  traditional only among the    
illiterate portion of the ,jewish       

nation4    #c;d1 ,the tradition of the  
doctrine of the resurrection of the body
 was  not of an ancient and national    
origin4    ,in the year #ehg before the 
,christian era1 in the second year of   
the  reign of ,sedecias1 ,jerusalem was 
besieged1 taken1 destroyed2 ,sedecias   
and the whole nation were led captives  
to ,babylon4 ,there they were  detained 
seventy years1 until ,cyrus permitted   
them to return to their  own country4   
,during those seventy years of          
captivity1 the ,jewish people  borrowed 
from the ,pagans many religious         
practices1 ceremonies1 rites1  and      
doctrines--this is the testimony of     
,josephus--and among them the  doctrine 
of the resurrection of the body1 which1 
as has been proved  before1 was believed
 by a large number of ,pagans4 ,when the
 people  returned from ,babylon to      
,jerusalem a portion of them preserved  
some of  those religious practices1     
ceremonies1 rites1 and doctrines1 and   
rejected the others4 ,those which they  

preserved they transmitted to  their    
posterity1 and among them was the       
doctrine of the resurrection of  the    
body4 ,therefore the tradition of the   
doctrine of the resurrection of  the    
body was not of an ancient and national 
origin4    ,we have proved1 #ast1 ,that 
the ,roman ,catholic theologians do not 
hold  that the doctrine of the          
resurrection of the body is taught in   
the ,old  ,testament2 #b;d1 ,that this  
doctrine was traditional only among the 
illiterate portion of the ,jewish       
nation2 and1 #c;d1 ,that this tradition 
was not of an ancient and national      
origin4    ,therefore1 #c;d1 ,the       
,church of ,rome did not hold from the  
,jews the  doctrine of the resurrection 
of the body4    ,we come now to the     
general conclusions of this chapter4    
,it has been proved1 #ast1 that in the  
first centuries of the ,christian  era1 
and before the coming of ,jesus ,christ1
 the doctrine of the  resurrection of   
the body was held by a large number of  

,pagans2 #b;d1 ,that  the ,church of    
,rome1 which1 in the sixteenth century1 
transmitted it to  the now self-called  
,orthodox ,christian ,churches1 did not 
hold it either  from the ,apostles of   
,jesus ,christ or from the ,jews4       
,therefore the ,church of ,rome borrowed
 from the ,pagans the doctrine of  the  
resurrection of the body4    ,therefore 
the origin of the doctrine of the       
resurrection of the body is  ,pagan4    
,,chapter ,x4    ,,pagan ,,origin ,,of  
,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,a ,,general      
,,judgment ,,at ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the  
,,world4      ,,the ,church of ,rome and
 the other ,partialist ,christian       
,churches profess  to believe that1 at  
the end of the world1 a general judgment
 of all the  then living1 and of all the
 dead1 shall take place4 ,when1 in the  
sixteenth century1 the great ,protestant
 scission took place1 the new  ,churches
 formed preserved this doctrine of the  
,church of ,rome1 with only  accessory  
modifications2 and since that time they 

have professed it2  even now-a-days they
 cling to it4 ,we shall prove in this   
chapter that  the origin of this        
doctrine is ,pagan4    ,the origin of   
the doctrine of a general judgment of   
all the then living  and of all the     
dead1 which shall take place at the end 
of the world1 is  ,pagan1 #ast1 ,if the 
,pagans held the doctrine of a general  
judgment of all  the then living and of 
all the dead1 which shall take place at 
the end  of the world2 #b;d1 ,if there  
is a striking similarity between the    
particulars of the doctrine of a general
 judgment1 as held by the  ,pagans1 and 
the doctrine of a general judgment1 as  
held by the ,church  of ,rome1 and by   
the other ,partialist ,christian        
,churches2 #c;d1 ,if the  ,church of    
,rome did not hold the doctrine of a    
general judgment from the  apostles of  
,jesus ,christ2 and1 #dth1 ,if the      
,church of ,rome did not hold  this     
doctrine from the ,jews4    ,but1 #ast1 
,the ,pagans held the doctrine of a     

general judgment of all the  then living
 and of all the dead1 which shall take  
place at the end of  the world2 #b;d1   
,there is a striking similarity between 
the  particularities of the doctrine of 
a general judgment1 as held by the      
,pagans1 and the doctrine of a general  
judgment1 as held by the ,church of     
,rome2 #c;d1 ,the ,church of ,rome did  
not hold the doctrine of a general      
judgment from the apostles of ,jesus    
,christ2 and1 #dth1 ,the ,church of     
,rome  did not hold this doctrine from  
the ,jews4    ,these four heads of      
questions we are to successively prove4 
#ast1 ,we prove that the ,pagans held   
the doctrine of a general judgment of   
all the then living and of all the dead1
 which shall take place at the  end of  
the world4    ,plato1 and other         
philosophers and writers of the ,pagans1
 taught that a  solemn general judgment 
of the dead was to decide their fate4   
,minos sat  on a throne1 and shook the  
fatal urn4 ,by his side were the        

avenging  furies1 and a host of evil    
spirits1 executioners of the sentences  
of  ,minos4 ,eacus1 ,rhadamante1 and    
,triptolem1 were his assistant judges4  
,even now the ,indians believe that     
,zomo will judge the world2 so the      
,japanese4 ,the ,lamas ascribe this     
power to ,erlik-kan4    ,at the sound of
 a trumpet the earth was to deliver up  
her dead to be  judged4 ,it was to be   
destroyed by fire after a great         
commotion of the  celestial spheres1 and
 fears of the then living mortals4      
,the souls1 at the sound of a trumpet1  
assembled in a vast meadow1  adorned    
with asphodels1 where ,minos sat on his 
throne4 ,the dead were led  to his      
redoubtable tribunal by their respective
 guardian angels1 who had  accompanied  
them during their whole life2 watched   
over their conduct2  and had kept a     
record of all they had done1 right or   
wrong4 ,this meadow1  where the dead    
were to be judged1 was called the field 
of truth1 because  there the whole truth

 about the past doings of the dead was  
made known1  and no crime could escape  
the knowledge and justice of the great  
judge4  ,the dead1 once assembled1 were 
divided into three classes4 ,the first  
class was composed of those who had been
 virtuous on earth3 they were  the      
smallest number4 ,the second class was  
composed of those who were  guilty of   
great crimes2 and the third class1 of   
those who had been  neither virtuous nor
 great criminals4    ,this triple       
division1 which we naturally find in    
society1 was taught by  ,plato in his   
,phdo1 a work in which1 writing about   
the judgment of the  dead1 he divides   
them as said before4 ,this same division
 we also find  in ,plutarch1 treating   
the same subject1 and disserting1 in his
 answer to  the ,epicureans1 about the  
state of the dead to be judged4 ,minos  
used  three books in judging the dead2  
the first was called book of life1 it   
was used for the righteous3 the second  
was called book of death2 it was  used  

for the great criminals3 the third book 
was used for those who had  been neither
 righteous nor great criminals4 ,the    
judge pronounced the  sentence only     
after the severest examination of the   
virtues and crimes  of every one of the 
dead2 and he affixed a seal on their    
forehead as he  judged them4    ,social 
laws and duties were the particular     
subjects of his judgments4 ,he  amply   
rewarded social virtues1 and severely   
punished social vices4 ,among  the      
,greeks and the ,romans1 this great     
priestly fiction was intended for  the  
maintenance of laws2 for stimulating    
patriotism1 national and social  virtues
 by the hope of the rewards of the      
,elysium2 and also to check  crime and  
vice in society1 by the fear of terrible
 sufferings in the  ,tartarus4 ,were    
sentenced to the ,tartarus all those who
 had conspired  against the ,state1 or  
fostered a conspiration2 those who had  
been  bribed2 those who had delivered up
 a city to the enemy2 those who had     

provided the foes of the country with   
weapons1 vessels1 provisions1  etc42    
those who had contrived to enslave their
 fellow-citizens1 or had  tyrannized    
over them1 etc4 ,this last dogma had    
been added to the others  by the free   
,states4    ,afterwards1 philosophy     
turned these fictions against despotism 
itself1  which had invented them4 ,plato
 placed in the ,tartarus ferocious      
tyrants1  such as ,ardiee of ,pamphylia1
 who had murdered his brother1 his      
father1  and had committed many other   
crimes4 ,the soul preserved after death 
all  her stains1 and was sentenced      
accordingly4 ,plato represented the     
souls  of the kings1 and of other       
rulers1 as being the most stained4      
,tantalus1  ,tityus1 and ,sisiphus1 who 
had been kings1 were the greatest       
criminals1  and endured in the ,tartarus
 the most excruciating pains4 ,however1 
kings  did not believe those fictions1  
and were not restrained from oppressing 
the people4    ,virgil enumerates the   

principal crimes which divine justice   
punished in  the ,tartarus4 ,he         
represents1 here1 a brother who from    
hatred has slain  his brother2 a son who
 has ill-treated his father2 a man who  
has  deceived his patrons2 an avaricious
 man1 an egotist1 and a selfish man2    
there1 are seen an adulterer1 an        
unfaithful servant1 and a citizen who   
either waged war against his fellow     
citizens1 or sold his country for  gold1
 or was bribed for the enactment of     
unjust laws4 ,farther are seen  an      
incestuous father1 and wives who have   
murdered their husbands4    ,it is to be
 remarked that the authors1 or          
originators of these fictions1          
pronounced pains only against crimes    
which might have injured society1  whose
 progress and happiness was one of the  
great ends of the initiation  to the    
mysteries of ,eleusis and others4    ,in
 the ,tartarus ,minos punished the same 
crimes which he would have  punished on 
earth according to the wise laws of the 

,cretenses1 supposing  that he had in   
reality reigned over them4 ,if crimes   
against religion  were to be punished in
 the ,tartarus1 it was because religion1
 being  considered as a duty1 and as the
 principal bond of society1 it          
necessarily followed that irreligion was
 to be one of the greatest  crimes1     
which was to be avenged by the gods4    
,hence the people were  taught that the 
great crime of many of the famous       
criminals1 tortured in  the ,tartarus1  
was their disrespect for the mysteries  
of ,eleusis2 that  the great crime of   
,salmone was to have tried to imitate   
,jove's thunder2  and that the great    
crime of ,ixion1 of ,orion1 and of      
,tityus1 was to have  violated          
goddesses4    ,the fiction of the       
,elysium was directed to the same moral 
and political  aim4 ,virgil places in   
the ,elysium the heroes who laid down   
their lives  for the defense of their   
country2 also the inventors of arts1 and
 all  those who have been useful to     

their fellow men1 and have a title to   
their gratitude4 ,it was to strengthen  
this idea that apotheosis was           
instituted2 hence it was taught in the  
mysteries that ,hercules1 ,bacchus1  and
 the ,dioscores were but men1 who1 by   
their virtues and their services  had   
obtained immortality4 ,afterwards the   
,romans placed ,scipio in the  ,elysium4
 ,cicero ascribed a high station in the 
,elysium to the true  patriots2 to the  
friends of justice2 to good sons2 to    
good parents2 and  to good citizens4    
,in the ,elysium1 as ,plato described   
it1 kindness and justice were  rewarded3
 there the true patriot1 the modest and 
just ,aristides1 had  been admitted4 ,to
 this divine recompense piety1 eagerness
 in seeking for  truth1 and love to it1 
were the surest titles4 ,when the dead  
had been  judged those who had been     
pronounced worthy of the ,elysium passed
 to the  right hand side1 and were led  
to the ,elysium1 every one by his       
guardian  angel4 ,those who had been    

sentenced to the ,tartarus passed to the
 left  hand side1 and were dragged      
thereto1 each one by the evil genius    
that  beguiled him while on earth4      
,onward they were driven1 carrying on   
their  back their sentence of           
condemnation1 and the enumeration of all
 their  crimes4 ,those whose vices were 
curable were to be released after due   
expiation and reform4    ,according to  
,plato1 the dead who have been guilty of
 murder1 sacrilege1  and other enormous 
crimes1 shall be endlessly miserable in 
the ,tartarus4  ,those whose crimes have
 not been so great shall be detained    
therein for  a year2 and1 at the        
expiration of this time they will be    
brought out1  near the marsh of         
,acheron1 by the waters of the ,cocyte1 
and of the  ,pyriphlegeton rivers4 ,then
 they shall humbly beg pardon from those
 they  have wronged2 and1 if they obtain
 it1 they shall be released2 if not     
they shall be taken back to the         
,tartarus on the rivers4 ,virgil also   

speaks of that state of expiation and   
purification of the souls of the  dead4 
,therefore the ,pagans held the doctrine
 of a general judgment of all the  then 
living1 and of all the dead1 which shall
 take place at the end of  the world4   
#b;d4 ,we prove that there is a striking
 similarity between the  particularities
 of the doctrine of a general judgment1 
as held by the  ,pagans1 and the        
doctrine of a general judgment1 as held 
by the ,church of  ,rome4    ,the       
,pagans believed that1 immediately      
before the end of the world1 there      
would be mighty and frightful signs in  
the heavens2 and that the then  living  
mortals would be struck with terror3    
likewise the ,church of ,rome  believes 
that1 at the end of the world1 the      
columns of the heavens will  be shaken2 
that the signs on high will be so       
frightful that the then  living men will
 be appalled3 also there will be famine1
 pestilence1 war  and murders over the  
whole earth4 ,the ,pagans believed that1

 at the sound  of a trumpet1 the earth  
would deliver up her dead to be judged3 
likewise  the ,church of ,rome believes 
that four angels will sound a trumpet2  
and  that1 when the four trumpets will  
resound over the earth1 all the dead1   
who had been buried either in the sea or
 in the earth1 will come again  to life 
to be judged4    ,the ,pagans believed  
that geniuses would force men to the    
place of  judgment3 likewise the ,church
 of ,rome believes that angels will     
gather1  from the four cardinal points  
of the earth1 the multitude of men to   
the  place of judgment4 ,the ,pagans    
believed that men would be judged in a  
meadow covered with astophels3 likewise 
the ,church of ,rome believes that  the 
general judgment will take place in the 
valley of ,josaphat4 ,the  ,pagans      
believed that1 in the meadow1 a throne  
would be erected1 on which  ,minos1 the 
great judge1 would sit3 likewise the    
,church of ,rome believes  that ,jesus  
,christ1 the great judge1 will descend  

from heaven on clouds1  and will sit on 
a throne erected in the valley of       
,josaphat4 ,the ,pagans  believed that1 
near to the throne of ,minos1 ,eacus1   
,rhadamante and  ,triptolem1 his        
assistant judges1 and good geniuses1 or 
spirits1 would  stand3 likewise the     
,church of ,rome believes1 that1 near to
 the throne of  ,jesus ,christ1 good    
angels will stand4    ,the ,pagans      
believed that1 near to the throne of    
,minos1 would stand  avenging furies1   
and a host of evil spirits1 executioners
 of the  sentences of ,minos against the
 wicked3 likewise the ,church of ,rome  
believes that there will be1 at some    
distance from the throne of ,jesus      
,christ1 a host of devils1 executioners 
of the sentences of ,jesus ,christ      
against the wicked4 ,the ,pagans        
believed that each man was led to the   
redoubtable tribunal of ,minos by the   
guardian spirit1 who had  accompanied   
him during his whole life on earth3     
likewise the ,church of  ,rome believes 

that each man will be led to the        
redoubtable tribunal of  ,jesus ,christ 
by the guardian angel who has           
accompanied him during his  whole life  
on earth4    ,the ,pagans believed that 
,minos used three books in his          
judgments3 the  first called book of    
life1 for the righteous2 the second     
called book of  death1 for the great    
criminals2 and the third for those who  
had been  neither righteous nor great   
criminals3 likewise the ,church of ,rome
  believes that ,jesus ,christ will use 
two books3 the one called book of  life1
 for the righteous2 and the other called
 book of death1 for the  wicked4        
,remark4--,the ,church of ,rome does not
 hold that1 at the general  judgment1   
,jesus ,christ will use the third book2 
but holds that1 in the  first judgment1 
he uses it for those of the dead who    
have been neither  righteous nor great  
criminals1 and who thereby shall be     
sentenced to  ,purgatory1 which shall   
finish at the end of the world4 ,apropos

 of this  limitation of the duration of 
,purgatory1 we might cursorily say that 
this restriction has been wisely made by
 the far-sighted ministers of  the      
,church2 for as1 after the general      
judgment1 they would be no longer  on   
earth1 they could not say masses and    
other prayers1 for the  deliverance of  
the souls detained in ,purgatory2 and   
thus it would be  quite useless to make 
the torments of ,purgatory last any     
longer4    ,the ,pagans believed that   
the guardian spirit of each man1 who had
  accompanied him through life1 and had 
kept a record of all his good and  bad  
actions1 would testify to ,minos in his 
favor1 or against him3  likewise the    
,church of ,rome believes that the      
guardian angel of each  man1 who has    
accompanied him through life1 and has   
kept a record of all  his good and bad  
actions1 will testify to ,jesus ,christ 
in his favor1 or  against him4 ,the     
,pagans called the meadow of the general
 judgment1 the  field of the truth3     

likewise the ,church of ,rome calls the 
valley of  ,josaphat1 the valley of the 
truth4 ,the ,pagans believed that the   
crimes  for which ,minos was to inflict 
the severest punishment were those      
against religion1 against its           
hierophants1 and against other          
ministers3  likewise the ,church of     
,rome believes that the crimes for which
 ,jesus  ,christ is to inflict the      
severest punishment1 are those against  
the  ,church1 against its ,pope1 against
 its bishops and its priests4 ,the      
,pagans believed that the neglect or    
omission of lustrations1 and other      
practices and teachings of the priests1 
would be severely punished by  ,minos3  
likewise the ,church of ,rome believes  
that the neglect or omission  of the    
practices1 ceremonies1 and other        
prescriptions of the priests1  will be  
severely punished by ,jesus ,christ4    
,the ,pagans believed that those found  
righteous would be placed at the  right 
hand side of ,minos1 but the wicked at  

his left hand side3 likewise  the       
,church of ,rome believes that the      
righteous will be placed at the  right  
hand side of ,jesus ,christ1 but the    
wicked at his left hand side4  ,the     
,pagans believed that the righteous     
would be destined1 by ,minos1 to        
eternal bliss in the ,elysium2 but that 
the wicked would be sentenced1 by       
,minos1 to endless misery in the        
,tartarus3 likewise the ,church of ,rome
  believes that the righteous will be   
destined1 by ,jesus ,christ1 to  eternal
 bliss in ,paradise2 but that the wicked
 will be sentenced1 by  ,jesus ,christ1 
to endless misery4 ,the ,pagans believed
 that the wicked  would carry on their  
back their sentence of condemnation1 and
 the  enumeration of all their crimes3  
likewise the ,church of ,rome believes  
that the wicked will carry on their back
 their sentence of condemnation1  and   
the enumeration of all their crimes4    
,the ,pagans believed that the guardian 
spirits of the righteous would  lead    

them to the ,elysium3 likewise the      
,church of ,rome believes that the      
angels of the ,lord will lead them to   
heaven1 in a procession preceded by     
,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,pagans believed   
that ,furies1 and other evil spirits1   
would drag the wicked to the ,tartarus3 
likewise the ,church of ,rome  believes 
that the devils will drive1 with whips1 
the wicked to hell4 ,the  ,pagans       
believed that1 after the general        
judgment1 the earth would be  destroyed 
by fire3 likewise the ,church of ,rome  
believes that the earth  will be        
destroyed by fire1 and that then will   
the world end4    ,therefore there is a 
striking similarity between the         
particularities of  the doctrine of a   
general judgment1 as held by the        
,pagans1 and the  doctrine of a general 
judgment as held by the ,church of      
,rome4    #c;d4 ,we prove that the      
,church of ,rome did not hold the       
doctrine of a  general judgment from the
 apostles of ,jesus ,christ4    ,the    

,church of ,rome did not hold the       
doctrine of a general judgment from  the
 apostles of ,jesus ,christ1 #ast1 ,if  
the ,roman ,catholic theologians did    
not understand the #bdth chapter of     
,matthew1 and the last sixteen verses   
of the #beth2 the #bdth1 #beth1 #bfth1  
and #bgth verses of the #acth chapter   
in ,mark1 and also the #beth1 #bfth1    
#bgth1 and #bhth verses of the #bast    
chapter in ,luke1 as meaning a general  
judgment2 #b;d1 ,if nearly all the      
,christian sects1 or denominations1 of  
the first and of the second  centuries1 
did not believe the doctrine of a       
general judgment2 and1 #c;d1  ,if the   
doctrine of a general judgment is       
irrational4    ,but1 #ast1 ,the ,roman  
,catholic theologians did not understand
 the #bdth  chapter of ,matthew1 and the
 last sixteen verses of the #beth2 the  
#bdth1  #beth1 #bfth1 and #bgth verses  
of the #acth chapter in ,mark2 and also 
the  #beth1 #bfth1 #bgth1 and #bhth     
verses of the #bast chapter in ,luke1 as

  meaning a general judgment2 #b;d1     
,nearly all the ,christian sects1 or    
denominations1 of the first and of the  
second centuries1 did not believe  the  
doctrine of a general judgment2 and1    
#c;d1 ,the doctrine of a general        
judgment is irrational4    #ast4 ,we    
prove that the ,roman ,catholic         
theologians did not understand the      
#bdth chapter of ,matthew1 and the last 
sixteen verses of the #beth2 the  #bdth1
 #beth1 #bfth1 and #bgth verses of the  
#acth chapter in ,mark2 and also  the   
#beth1 #bfth1 #bgth1 and #bhth verses of
 the #bast chapter in ,luke1 as  meaning
 a general judgment4    ,remark4--,to   
save the reader the trouble of referring
 to his ,bible1 we  insert here the     
above passages of the ,gospel1 which the
 ,partialists  suppose to teach the     
doctrine of a general judgment4         
,matthew1 chap4 #bd4-a4 ,and ,jesus went
 out1 and departed from the temple3  and
 his disciples came to him for to show  
him the buildings of the  temple4 #b4   

,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,see ye not 
all these things8 verily  ,i say unto   
you1 ,there shall not be left here one  
stone upon another1  that shall not be  
thrown down4    #c4 ,and as he sat upon 
the ,mount of ,olives1 the disciples    
came unto him  privately1 saying1 ,tell 
us1 when shall these things be8 and what
 shall  be the sign of thy coming1 and  
of the end of the world8 #d4 ,and ,jesus
  answered and said unto them1 ,take    
heed that no man deceive you4 #e4 ,for  
many shall come in my name1 saying1 ,i  
am ,christ2 and shall deceive many4  #f4
 ,and ye shall hear of wars and rumors  
of wars3 see that ye be not  troubled2  
for all these things must come to pass1 
but the end is not  yet4 #g4 ,for nation
 shall rise against nation1 and kingdom 
against  kingdom3 and there shall be    
famines1 and pestilences1 and           
earthquakes1  in divers places4 #h4 ,all
 these are the beginning of sorrows4 #i4
 ,then  shall they deliver you up to be 
afflicted1 and shall kill you3 and ye   

shall be hated of all nations for my    
name's sake4 #aj4 ,and then shall  many 
be offended1 and shall betray one       
another1 and shall hate one  another4   
#aa4 ,and many false prophets shall     
rise1 and shall deceive many4  #ab4 ,and
 because iniquity shall abound1 the love
 of many shall wax cold4  #ac4 ,but he  
that shall endure unto the end1 the same
 shall be saved4 #ad4  ,and this ,gospel
 of the kingdom shall be preached in all
 the world for a  witness unto all      
nations2 and then shall the end come4   
#ae4 ,when ye1  therefore1 shall see the
 abomination of desolation1 spoken of by
 ,daniel  the prophet1 stand in the holy
 place2 7whoso readeth1 let him         
understand27 #af4 ,then let them which  
be in ,judea flee into the  mountains3  
#ag4 ,let him which is on the housetop  
not come down to take  any thing out of 
his house3 #ah4 ,neither let him which  
is in the field  return back to take his
 clothes4 #ai4 ,and wo unto them that   
are with  child1 and to them that give  

suck in those days6 #bj4 ,but pray ye   
that  your flight be not in the winter1 
neither on the ,sabbath day3 #ba4 ,for  
then shall be great tribulation1 such as
 was not since the beginning of  the    
world to this time1 no1 nor ever shall  
be4 #bb4 ,and except those days  should 
be shortened1 there should no flesh be  
saved3 but for the elect's  sake those  
days shall be shortened4 #bc4 ,then if  
any man shall say unto  you1 ,lo1 here  
is ,christ1 or there2 believe it not4   
#bd4 ,for there  shall arise false      
,christs1 and false prophets1 and shall 
show great  signs and wonders2 insomuch 
that1 if it were possible1 they shall   
deceive the very elect4 #be4 ,behold1 ,i
 have told you before4 #bf4  ,wherefore 
if they shall say unto you1 ,behold1 he 
is in the desert2 go  not forth3 behold1
 he is in the secret chambers2 believe  
it not4 #bg4  ,for as the lightning     
cometh out of the east1 and shineth even
 unto the  west2 so shall also the      
coming of the ,son of man be4 #bh4 ,for 

wheresoever  the carcass is1 there will 
the eagles be gathered together4 #bi4   
,immediately after the tribulation of   
those days1 shall the sun be  darkened1 
and the moon shall not give her light1  
and the stars shall  fall from heaven1  
and the powers of the heavens shall be  
shaken3 #hj4 ,and  then shall appear the
 sign of the ,son of man in heaven3 and 
then shall  all the tribes of the earth 
mourn1 and they shall see the ,son of   
man  coming in the clouds of heaven with
 power and great glory4 #ca4 ,and he    
shall send his angels with a great sound
 of a trumpet1 and they shall  gather   
together his elect from the four winds1 
from one end of heaven to  the other4   
#cb4 ,now learn a parable of the        
fig-tree2 ,when his branch is yet       
tender1  and putteth forth leaves1 ye   
know that summer is nigh3 #cc4 ,so      
likewise  ye1 when ye shall see all     
these things1 know that it is near1 even
 at  the doors4 #cd4 ,verily ,i say unto
 you1 ,this generation shall not pass1  

till all these things be fulfilled4 #ce4
 ,heaven and earth shall pass  away1 but
 my words shall not pass away4 #cf4 ,but
 of that day and hour  knoweth no man1  
no1 not the angels of heaven1 but my    
,father only4 #cg4  ,but as the days of 
,noah were1 so shall also the coming of 
the ,son of  man be4 #ch4 ,for as in the
 days that were before the flood1 they  
were  eating and drinking1 marrying and 
giving in marriage1 until the day that  
,noah entered into the ark1 #ci4 ,and   
knew not until the flood came1 and  took
 them all away2 so shall also the coming
 of the ,son of man be4 #dj4  ,then     
shall two be in the field2 the one shall
 be taken and the other  left4 #da4 ,two
 women shall be grinding at the mill2   
the one shall be  taken1 and the other  
left4    #db4 ,watch therefore2 for ye  
know not what hour your ,lord doth come4
 #dc4  ,but know this1 that if the good 
man of the house had known in what watch
  the thief would come1 he would have   
watched1 and would not have suffered    

his house to be broken up4 #dd4         
,therefore be ye also ready2 for in such
  an hour as ye think not the ,son of   
man cometh4 #de4 ,who then is a         
faithful and wise servant1 whom his lord
 hath made ruler over his  household1 to
 give them meat in due season8 #df4     
,blessed is that  servant1 whom his     
lord1 when he cometh1 shall find so     
doing4 #dg4 ,verily  ,i say unto you1   
,that he shall make him ruler over all  
his goods4 #dh4 ,but  and if that evil  
servant shall say in his heart1 ,my lord
 delayeth his  coming2 #di4 ,and shall  
begin to smite his fellow-servants1 and 
to eat  and drink with the drunken2 #ej4
 ,the lord of that servant shall come in
 a  day when he looketh not for him1 and
 in an hour that he is not aware  of1   
#ea4 ,and shall cut him asunder1 and    
appoint him his portion with  the       
hypocrites3 there shall be weeping and  
gnashing of teeth4    ,matthew1 chapter 
#be4-ca4 ,when the ,son of man shall    
come in his glory1  and all the holy    

angels with him1 then shall he sit upon 
the throne of  his glory3 #cb4 ,and     
before him shall be gathered all        
nations3 and he  shall separate them one
 from another1 as a shepherd divideth   
his sheep  from the goats3 #cc4 ,and he 
shall set the sheep on his right hand1  
but  the goats on the left4 #cd4 ,then  
shall the ,king say unto them on his    
right hand1 ,come1 ye blessed of my     
,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared   
for you from the foundation of the      
world3 #ce4 ,for ,i was a hungered1 and 
ye gave me meat3 ,i was thirsty1 and ye 
gave me drink3 ,i was a stranger1  and  
ye took me in3 #cf4 ,naked1 and ye      
clothed me3 ,i was sick1 and ye  visited
 me3 ,i was in prison1 and ye came unto 
me4 #cg4 ,then shall the  righteous     
answer him1 saying1 ,lord1 when saw we  
thee a hungered1 and fed  thee8 or      
thirsty1 and gave thee drink8 #ch4 ,when
 saw we thee a  stranger1 and took thee 
in8 or naked1 and clothed thee8 #ci4 ,or
 when  saw we thee sick1 or in prison1  

and come unto thee8 #dj4 ,and the ,king 
shall answer and say unto them4 ,verily 
,i say unto you4 ,inasmuch as ye  have  
done it unto one of the least of these  
my brethren1 ye have done  it unto me4  
#da4 ,then shall he say also unto them  
on the left hand4  ,depart from me1 ye  
cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared 
for the devil  and his angels3 #db4 ,for
 ,i was a hungered1 and ye gave me no   
meat3 ,i was  thirsty1 and ye gave me no
 drink3 #dc4 ,i was a stranger1 and ye  
took me  not in3 naked1 and ye clothed  
me not3 sick1 and in prison1 and ye     
visited me not4 #dd4 ,then shall they   
also answer him1 saying1 ,lord1 when    
saw we thee a hungered1 or athirst1 or a
 stranger1 or naked1 or sick1  or in    
prison1 and did not minister unto thee8 
#de4 ,then shall he answer  them1       
saying1 ,verily ,i say unto you1        
,inasmuch as ye did it not to one  of   
the least of these1 ye did it not to me4
 #df4 ,and these shall go  away into    
everlasting punishment2 but the         

righteous into life eternal4    ,luke1  
chapter #ba4-be4 ,and there shall be    
signs in the sun1 and in the  moon1 and 
in the stars2 and upon the earth        
distress of nations1 with  perplexity2  
the sea and the waves roaring2 #bf4     
,men's hearts failing them  for fear1   
and for looking after those things which
 are coming on the  earth3 for the      
powers of heaven shall be shaken4 #bg4  
,and then shall they  see the ,son of   
man coming in a cloud1 with power and   
great glory4 #bh4  ,and when these      
things begin to come to pass1 then look 
up1 and lift up  your heads2 for your   
redemption draweth nigh4    ,mark1      
chapter #ac4-bd4 ,but in those days1    
after that tribulation1 the  sun shall  
be darkened1 and the moon shall not give
 her light4 #be4 ,and  the stars of     
heaven shall fall1 and the powers that  
are in heaven shall  be shaken4 #bf4    
,and then shall they see the ,son of man
 coming in the  clouds with great power 
and glory4 #bg4 ,and then shall he send 

his  angels1 and shall gather together  
his elect from the four winds1 from  the
 uttermost part of the earth to the     
uttermost parts of heaven4    ,bergier1 
one of the most classical of the ,roman 
,catholic theologians1  says1 in the    
first volume of his works1 article      
,agnoetes1 that1 in the  sixth century1 
the theologians answered the ,agnoetes  
as follows3 ,in  these texts1 it is not 
a question of the day of the general    
judgment1  but of the day when ,jesus   
,christ was to come to punish the       
,jewish nation  by the sword of the     
,romans4 ,then the ,roman ,catholic     
theologians did not  understand these   
texts as meaning a general judgment4    
,moreover1 ,bergier1 writing against the
 ,millenaries1 says1 article            
,world3--,the disciples of ,christ1     
sometime before his resurrection1  spake
 to him of the structure of the temple  
of ,jerusalem1 ,matthew1 ch4  #bd1      
,mark1 ch4 #ac1 ,luke1 ch4 #ba4 ,jesus  
,christ told them that it shall be      

destroyed2 and that not one of the      
stones will be left upon the other4     
,the disciples1 surprised1 asked him    
when this shall take place2 what  will  
be the signs of his coming1 and of the  
end of the century4 ,then  there will   
be1 he said1 wars and seditions1        
earthquakes1 pests1 and  famines2 ye    
yourselves will be persecuted and put to
 death2 ,jerusalem  will be surrounded  
with an army2 the temple will be        
polluted2 false  prophets will appear2  
there will be signs in the heaven2 the  
sun and the  moon will be darkened1 and 
the stars will fall from the firmament4 
,then  the ,son of man will be seen     
coming in the clouds with great power   
and  majesty2 his angels will gather the
 elect from one end of the world to  the
 other1 etc4 ,he announces all this as  
events to be witnessed by his  apostles2
 and he adds3 ',verily ,i say unto you1 
this generation shall  not pass1 till   
all these things be fulfilled4'    ,is  
it a question of the end of the world in

 all this8 ,opinions are  divided on    
this point4 ,some commentators think    
that1 in these texts1  ,jesus ,christ   
simply prophesied the ruin of the       
religion1 republic1 and  nation of the  
,jews2 and that all the circumstances   
were verified when  the ,romans took and
 destroyed the nation2 that1 however1 a 
few  expressions ought not to be taken  
literally1 such as the fall of the      
stars1 etc42 that ,jesus ,christ has    
used the same style1 and the same       
images used by prophets1 when they      
prophesied other events4 ,consequently  
these commentators say that these words 
of ,jesus ,christ1 ',this  generation   
shall not pass1' etc41 signify1 the     
,jews who now live will  not all be dead
 when these events will take place4 ,in 
fact1 ,jerusalem  was taken and ruined  
less than forty years after4 ,in this   
opinion it is  not a question in these  
texts of the end of the world4    ,other
 commentators believe that ,jesus       
,christ has joined the signs1  which    

were to precede the devastation of      
,judea1 to those which will  appear at  
the end of the world1 and before the    
general judgment2 that  when he says3   
',this generation shall not pass1' etc41
 he means that the  ,jewish nation will 
not be entirely destroyed1 but will     
subsist till the  end of the world4 ,it 
cannot be denied that the word          
generation is used  several times in    
this sense in the ,gospel4    ,from this
 passage of ,bergier we draw the        
following argument3    ,since the ,roman
 ,catholic theologians were1 and are1   
divided in regard to  the meaning of the
 above texts1 it follows that the       
,church of ,rome did  not rest her      
doctrine of a general judgment on the   
above text4 ,therefore  the ,church of  
,rome did not understand the above      
texts1 namely1 the #bdth  chapter of    
,matthew1 and the last sixteen verses of
 the #beth3--the #bdth1  #beth1 #bfth1  
and #bgth verses of the #acth chapter in
 ,mark2 and also the  #beth1 #bfth1     

#bgth1 and #bhth verses of the #bast    
chapter in ,luke1 as  meaning a general 
judgment4    #b;d4 ,we prove that nearly
 all the ,christian sects1 or           
denominations1 of  the first and of the 
second centuries1 did not believe the   
doctrine of a  general judgment4    ,the
 ,basilidians1 the ,valentinians1 the   
,marcionites1 the ,marcosians1 the      
,theodotians1 the ,carpocratians1 the   
,docetes1 the ,tatianists1 the          
,apellites1 the ,montanists1 the        
,artotyrites1 the ,ascites1 the         
,ascodrutes1  the ,ophites1 the         
,cainites1 and the ,hermogenians        
believed in  ,metempsychosis1 and denied
 the resurrection of the body4 ,from the
 fact  that these sects believed in     
,metempsychosis1 and denied the         
resurrection  of the body1 we argue3    
,the doctrine of a general judgment     
supposes the resurrection of all the    
dead2 but the above sects denied the    
resurrection of the dead4 ,therefore    
they denied also the doctrine of a      

general judgment4 ,therefore nearly  all
 the ,christian sects1 or denominations1
 of the first and of the  second        
centuries1 did not believe the doctrine 
of a general judgment4    ,more1 we     
might say all the ,christian sects of   
the first two centuries2  for1 it was   
only at the end of the second century1  
that the sect of the  ,millenaries1 who 
believed in a general judgment1 sprung  
up2 and1  besides1 history is silent    
about the belief of the ,church of ,rome
 7which  then was confined within the   
boundaries of the ,province of ,rome17  
in  regard to the doctrine of a general 
judgment4    #c;d4 ,the doctrine of a   
general judgment is irrational1 because 
a first  judgment1 by ,jesus ,christ1   
having taken place1 a second one would  
be  useless4    #dth4 ,we prove that the
 ,church of ,rome did not hold the      
doctrine of a  general judgment from the
 ,jews4    ,the ,roman ,catholic authors
 never pretended1 and still now do not  
pretend1 that the ,jews believed the    

doctrine of a general judgment4    ,then
 the ,church of ,rome did not hold the  
doctrine of a general judgment  from the
 ,jews4    ,we draw the general         
conclusions of this chapter3    ,it has 
been proved1 #ast1 ,that the ,pagans    
held the doctrine of a general  judgment
 of all the then living1 and of all the 
dead1 which shall take  place at the end
 of the world2 #b;d1 ,that there is a   
striking similarity  between the        
particularities of the doctrine of a    
general judgment1 as  held by the       
,pagans1 and the doctrine of a general  
judgment1 as held by  the ,church of    
,rome2 #c;d1 ,that the ,church of ,rome 
did not hold the  doctrine of a general 
judgment from the apostles of ,jesus    
,christ2 and1  #dth1 ,that the ,church  
of ,rome did not hold this doctrine from
 the ,jews4    ,therefore the ,church of
 ,rome borrowed the doctrine of a       
general judgment  from the ,pagans4     
,therefore the doctrine of a general    
judgment of all the then living1  and of

 all the dead1 which shall take place at
 the end of the world1 is  of ,pagan    
origin4          ,,chapter ,,xi4        
,,pagan ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine  
,,of ,,vicarious ,,atonement4      ,,the
 doctrine of ,vicarious ,atonement      
supposes the dogma of a ,personal       
,devil1 the dogma of ,original ,sin1 the
 dogma of ,trinity1 and the dogma of    
the ,supreme ,divinity of ,jesus        
,christ4 ,as in four chapters of this   
work  we have proved that these four    
dogmas are of ,pagan origin1 we shall   
examine1 in this chapter1 the true      
origin of the body itself of the        
doctrine of ,vicarious ,atonement1 which
 consists in the belief that a  small   
number of privileged ,christians obtain 
the forgiveness of their  sins1 and are 
exempted from the punishment of those   
sins through the  medium of a           
substitute4 ,our historical researches  
will also lead us to  the conclusion    
that it is of ,pagan origin4    ,in the 
sixteenth century the ,church of ,rome  

held1 and still now holds1  the doctrine
 that ,jesus ,christ had washed away    
with his blood all the  past1 present   
and future sins of the men who would be 
within the pale of  his only true       
,church1 which was herself1 and also    
that he had exempted  them from the     
punishment of their sins4 ,however1 they
 were to enjoy  these two privileges    
only on the condition that they would   
obey her  prescriptions4 ,the           
,partialist ,protestant ,churches       
rejected nearly all  the prescriptions  
of the ,church of ,rome2 rejected the   
doctrine that she  was the only true    
,church of ,jesus ,christ2 but they     
preserved the  substance of the         
doctrine1 namely1 that ,jesus ,christ   
had washed away all  the sins of those  
who would feel the descent of the ,holy 
,spirit in their  souls2 who would      
experience a supernatural change of     
heart1 or1 as they  commonly term it1   
would get religion2 and also that       
through his  atonement they are exempted

 from the punishment of their sins4     
,consequently1 the ,partialist          
,protestant ,churches1 as well as the   
,church  of ,rome1 hold the doctrine    
that a small number of privileged       
,christians  obtain the forgiveness of  
their sins1 and are exempted from the   
punishment of those sins through the    
medium of a substitute4 ,then if it  is 
proved that the origin of the doctrine  
that a small number of  privileged      
,christians obtain the forgiveness of   
their sins1 and are  exempted from the  
punishment of those sins1 through the   
medium of a  substitute--as held by the 
,church of ,rome--is ,pagan1 it will    
thereby be  proved that the doctrine    
that a small number of privileged       
,christians  obtain the forgiveness of  
their sins1 and are exempted from the   
punishment of those sins1 through the   
medium of a substitute--as held by  the 
,partialist ,protestant ,churches--is   
also of ,pagan origin4    ,in this      
chapter we shall prove that the origin  

of the doctrine that a  small number of 
privileged ,christians obtain the       
forgiveness of their  sins1 and are     
exempted from the punishment of those   
sins through the  medium of a           
substitute--as held by the ,church of   
,rome--is ,pagan4    ,it will be evident
 that the origin of the doctrine that a 
small number  of privileged ,christians 
obtain the forgiveness of their sins1   
and are  exempted from the punishment of
 their sins1 through the medium of a    
substitute--as held by the ,church of   
,rome--is ,pagan1 if it is proved1      
#ast1 ,that there is a striking         
similarity between the practices        
required  by the ,church of ,rome to    
obtain the forgiveness of sins1 and to  
be  exempted from the punishment of     
those sins1 and those which were1 and   
still now are1 required in the ,pagan   
religion for the same purpose2 and1     
#b;d1 ,that those practices were not    
instituted among ,christians in the     
first two centuries4 ,but it can be     

proved1 #ast1 ,that there is a striking 
similarity between the practices        
required by the ,church of ,rome to     
obtain the forgiveness of sins1 and to  
be exempted from the punishment  of     
those sins1 through the medium of a     
substitute1 and those which were1  and  
still now are1 required in the ,pagan   
religion for the same purpose2  and1    
#b;d1 ,that those practices were not    
instituted among ,christians in  the    
first two centuries4    #ast4 ,we prove 
that there is a striking similarity     
between the practices  required by the  
,church of ,rome to obtain the          
forgiveness of sins1 and  to be exempted
 from the punishment of those sins1     
through the medium of  a substitute1 and
 those which were1 and still now are1   
required in the  ,pagan religion for the
 same purpose4    ,the ,pagans1 publicly
 and privately1 used lustral water1     
which1 they  thought1 had the virtue of 
purifying the soul1 and of remitting the
  punishment of certain impurities and  

sins4 ,the ,priests1 in solemn          
religious ceremonies1 aspersed the      
assistants with it2 and the people  kept
 and used it in their families4 ,in the 
same manner1 the ,church of  ,rome      
believes that holy water has the virtue 
of purifying the soul1 and  of remitting
 the punishment of certain impurities   
and sins4 ,the ,roman  ,catholics use it
 publicly and privately4 ,every ,sunday1
 before the  celebration of the high    
mass1 the priests asperse the people    
with holy  water for the aforesaid end2 
and also pour it on the coffins of the  
dead  at the funerals4 ,the laymen keep 
and use it in their families for the    
same end4    ,these lustrations are     
practiced1 even in our days1 by many of 
the  ,pagans4 ,the ,madegasses believe  
that they can obtain the forgiveness of 
the punishment of their sins in dipping 
a piece of gold in a vessel full  of    
water1 and in drinking that water4 ,the 
,father ,jesuit ,bouchet1 a  missionary 
in ,india1 writes3 ,the ,indians say    

that in bathing in certain  rivers sins 
are entirely remitted2 and that their   
mysterious waters  wash not only the    
bodies1 but also purify the souls in an 
admirable  manner4    ,this testimony1  
,chateaubriand adds1 is confirmed by the
 ,memoirs of the  ,english ,society of  
,calcutta4 ,the waters of the ,ganges   
are reputed as  having the greatest     
expiatory virtue3 so the ,church of     
,rome holds that  the baptismal waters  
remit the original and all other sins1  
and exempt  those baptized from         
punishment4    ,the ,pagans believed    
that certain ceremonies1 and their      
medals  representing the gods1 had an   
expiatory virtue3 so the ,church of     
,rome  holds that genuflexions1 the     
,agnus ,dei1 the beads1 the medals of   
the  saints1 and of the virgin ,mary1   
have an expiatory virtue4 ,the ,pagans  
believed that certain prayers remitted  
certain sins and their  punishment2 so  
the ,church of ,rome believes that      
,novenas1 indulgences1  the recitation  

of the first chapter of the ,gospel of  
,john1 etc41 remit  venial sins1 and    
their punishment4 ,the ,pagans went in  
pilgrimage to  chapels1 where the       
prayers of the priests1 they thought1   
had an  expiatory virtue greater than in
 other temples2 this practice and this  
belief have been preserved even by the  
,mahomedans4 ,now there are at the  door
 of the ,mosque of ,ali1 at             
,mesched-,aly1 dervishes1 who1 for      
money1  expiate with their prayers the  
sins of the pilgrims3 so the ,church of 
,rome believes that the expiatory virtue
 of the prayers made by priests1  in    
certain chapels of saints and of ,mary1 
where multitudes of pilgrims  resort1 is
 greater than that of the prayers made  
in other temples4    ,in ,china1 the    
invocation of ,omyto is sufficient to   
remit the punishment  of the greatest   
crimes4 ,it is on account of it that the
 followers of the  sect of ,fo repeat   
oftentimes1 every day1 the words1       
,o-myto-,fo6 ,the  ,indians believed1   

and still believe1 that when a man      
expires in  pronouncing the name of     
,god1 and in holding1 at the same time1 
the tail  of a cow1 he immediately      
ascends to ,paradise4 ,the ,bramas never
 failed1  and even do not now1 to read  
every morning the mysterious legend of  
,gosgendre-,mootsjam2 because it is a   
dogma of the ,indian religion that  any 
one who reads this legend every morning1
 obtains the forgiveness of  the        
punishment of all his sins2 so the      
,church of ,rome holds that any one  who
 recites the ,angelus when the bell     
rings1 in the morning1 at noon1  and at 
sun down1 or recites the acts of faith1 
of hope1 and of charity1  obtains the   
remittance of the punishment of several 
of his venial sins2  and1 also1 that any
 one who regularly recites the prayers  
of ,saint  ,brigitte1 or who1 when he   
dies1 recites with great devotion the   
prayer  ,memorare o piissima1 etc41 will
 go to ,paradise4    ,greece was flooded
 with rituals1 ascribed to ,orpheus and 

to ,museus1  prescribing ceremonies1    
rites1 and practices1 which had the     
virtue of  purifying the soul1 and of   
exempting the sinners from the          
punishment of  their sins4 ,the priests 
of the ,pagans persuaded entire towns1  
cities1  and nations1 that they could be
 purified of their crimes1 and be       
exempted from the punishment1 which the 
,deity would inflict upon them1  through
 the means of expiatory rites1 of       
feasts1 and of initiations4  ,they made 
the people believe that this            
purification1 and this exemption1  could
 extend to the living and to the dead1  
in what they called ,teletes1  or       
mysteries2 and it was as a consequence  
of this belief that the  priests of     
,cybel1 those of ,isis1 the             
,orpheotelestes and others1 went  among 
the people to initiate them2 but on the 
condition that they would  pay to them  
large sums of money4 ,this traffic was  
practiced even by  priestesses1 and bad 
women4 ,demosthenes informs us that the 

mother of  ,eschine made a living by it1
 and also in prostituting her body4     
,likewise1 the ,church of ,rome is      
flooded with rituals prescribing        
ceremonies1 rites1 and practices1 which 
have the virtue of purifying the  soul1 
and of exempting the sinners from the   
punishment of their sins4  ,the priests 
make towns1 cities1 and nations believe 
that they can be  purified of their     
crimes1 and be exempted of the          
punishment they  deserve1 by fasting1 by
 going processionally to churches1 or to
 chapels  of saints and of the virgin   
,mary4 ,the priests1 the monks1 the     
begging-friars1 and even the nuns1 go   
among the people2 they pledge           
themselves to obtain the forgiveness of 
their sins1 and the exemption  from     
divine punishment1 if they give them    
sums of money4    ,the priests of the   
,pagans offered expiatory sacrifices for
 the living  and for the dead for money2
 so1 in the ,church of ,rome1 the       
priests offer  the sacrifice of ,mass   

for the expiation of the sins of the    
living and  of the dead1 if they are    
well paid4 ,the ,pagans believed that   
the  foundation of temples1 their       
endowment1 and other gifts presented to 
the  gods and to their priests1 had an  
expiatory virtue4 ,socrates portrayed   
the unjust man in saying1 that          
initiation to mysteries caused them to  
despise the ,tartarus with all its      
torments4 ,he made the following        
remark3 ,the apologist of injustice     
says1 they frighten us with the  threat 
of the pains of the ,tartarus2 but who  
ignores that we find in the  initiations
 a remedy to that fear8 ,they are a     
great resource to us2 and  they inform  
us that there are gods who exempt us    
from the punishment  deserved by crime4 
,true1 we have committed injustice1 but 
injustice has  been pecuniarily         
profitable to us4 ,we are told that the 
gods are  appeased by prayers1          
sacrifices1 and offerings4 ,biache1 one 
of the  interlocutors in the            

,ezourvedam1 said1 that there is in the 
country  called ,magouodechan1 a sacred 
spot1 where1 through some offerings1    
ancestors can be freed from the tortures
 of hell4    ,likewise1 the ,church of  
,rome holds that the foundation of      
churches1 of  priest's houses1 of       
monasteries1 of convents1 and of        
nunneries1 and  their endowment2 or any 
other gift1 presented to the saints1    
bishops1  priests1 monks1 and nuns have 
a virtue so much the more expiatory for 
sins1 as they are greater and more      
valuable4 ,it is owing to this  horrible
 doctrine1 that the ,church of ,rome has
 acquired so much church  property that 
its valuation is beyond any approximate 
calculation4 ,the  ,french poet1        
,boileau1 spoke the truth when1 in his  
ninth satire1 he  said3           ,si   
l'on vient  chercher pour quel secret   
mystre1         ,alidor1  ses frais1    
btit un monastre4444         ,c'est un  
homme d'honneur1 de pit profonde1       
,et qui veut rendre  ,dieu ce qu'il a   

pris au monde4    ,translation3 ,if we  
wish to inquire for what secret mystery 
,alidor1 at  his own expense1 built a   
monastery4444 ,he is a man of honor1 of 
profound  piety1 and who wishes to      
restore to ,god what he stole from the  
world4    ,the ,pagans believed that in 
piously gazing upon certain statues of  
the  gods their souls were purified2 and
 that the punishment of their sins  was 
remitted2 so1 even now1 the ,indians    
believe that in simply gazing  upon the 
shrub ,toulouschi they obtain the       
forgiveness of their sins1 and  obtain  
the exemption from their punishment4    
,likewise the ,church of ,rome  holds1  
that1 in gazing piously upon the cross1 
the ,catholics obtain the  forgiveness  
of their venial sins1 and the exemption 
from their  punishment4 ,the ancient    
initiations of the ,pagans had tribunals
 of  penance1 where a priest1 under the 
name of ,kos1 heard from the mouth of   
the sinners themselves the avowal of    
their sins1 of which their souls  were  

to be purified1 and from the punishment 
of which they wished to be  exempted4   
,one day the famous ,lysandre1          
confessing his sins to one of  those    
,kos1 was asked by him impudent         
questions4 ,lysandre answered him  with 
this question1 ,do you address me those 
questions in your own name1  or in the  
name of the ,deity8 ,the ,kos answered3 
,in the name of the  ,deity4 ,well1     
,lysandre rejoined1 let me be2 if ,god  
questions me1 ,i  will answer him4      
,likewise the ,church of ,rome has      
tribunals of penance1  where priests    
hear from the mouth of the sinners      
themselves the avowal  of their sins1 of
 which their souls are to be purified1  
and from the  punishment of which they  
wish to be exempted4 ,through the       
absolution of  the priests the greatest 
sins1 without any exemption1 are        
remitted  entirely1 so that they not    
only are forgiven1 but even their       
punishment4    ,even the ,church of     
,rome goes farther in regard to the     

pretended virtue  of her expiatory      
practices1 than the ,pagans ever went4  
,indeed1 it was a  common thing among   
the ,pagans to stigmatize certain       
crimes1 and to call  them               
irremissible--unexpiable4 ,they excluded
 from the sanctuaries of  ,eleusis1 the 
murderers1 the traitors to their        
country1 in a word1 all  those who were 
guilty of atrocious crimes2 they were to
 be excluded from  the ,elysium forever1
 and to be endlessly tortured in the    
,tartarus4 ,there  were purifications   
for murder1 it is true1 but only for    
involuntary or  necessary murder4 ,when 
the ancient heroes had committed a      
murder1 they  resorted to expiation2    
after the sacrifices which were         
required1  lustral water was poured on  
the murderous hand2 from that moment    
they  were readmitted in society2 and   
they prepared themselves to new deeds of
  bravery4 ,hercules resorted to        
expiation when he had slain the         
,centaurs4  ,but those sorts of         

expiations did not purify the soul from 
all  impurities and crimes4    ,the     
great criminals had to dread all their  
lifetime the horrors of the  ,tartarus1 
or could not expiate their crimes1      
except by constantly  practicing virtue1
 and constantly doing good to their     
fellow men4 ,the  legal purifications   
were not considered as having the virtue
 of securing  to all criminals the hope 
of bliss1 to which the righteous were   
entitled4 ,nero did not dare present    
himself to the temple of ,eleusis2      
because he was debarred from entering   
its sanctuary on account of his         
atrocious crimes4    ,the famous        
,constantine ,i41 to whom the ,church of
 ,rome is indebted for  all her past and
 present aggrandizement1 wealth1 and    
power2 and whose  name has been1 is1 and
 shall always be1 accursed by nations1  
because of  the rivers of blood1 of the 
deluge of ignorance1 of superstition1 in
 one  word1 of the ocean of crimes      
against ,god1 against ,christ1 and      

against  mankind1 which the ,church of  
,rome1 enabled by his protection1 poured
  over the world3 ,constantine1 we say1 
guilty of all sorts of crimes2 his      
hands reeking with the blood of his own 
mother1 whom he had slain2 and  with the
 blood of the many1 whom he had         
murdered2 and guilty of many  perjuries1
 presented himself to the ,pagan priests
 to obtain the  absolution of those     
atrocious crimes1 and the exemption from
 their  punishment4    ,constantine was 
answered1 that1 among the various sorts 
of expiations1  there was not one which 
had the virtue of purifying his soul    
from so  many and so atrocious crimes1  
and of exempting him from the punishment
  they deserved2 and that no religion   
had resources enough to appease the     
justice of the irritated gods2 and1 let 
us mark3 ,constantine was a  mighty     
emperor4 ,one of his courtiers1 seeing  
the trouble and agitation  of his soul1 
devoured by the restless and undying    
remorse1 told him that  his sufferings  

were not hopeless2 that there were in   
the ,church of ,rome1  purifications    
which had the virtue of expiating all   
crimes1 without any  exception1 that    
this ,church held1 that whoever joined  
it1 whatever may  be his crimes1 might  
hope that all his crimes will be        
forgiven by the  ,deity1 and that the   
exemption from their punishment will be 
obtained4    ,from that time            
,constantine took the ,church of ,rome  
under his protection4  ,he was a wicked 
man who tried to deceive himself1 and to
 appease the  remorse of his conscience4
 ,he gave then full scope to his        
flagitiousness2 and he postponed being  
baptized until the hour of his  death1  
because it was1 as it is now1 a dogma of
 the ,church of ,rome1 that  baptism    
purifies the soul from the original and 
all other sins and  crimes1 and that it 
has also the virtue of exempting those  
baptized  from the punishment of all    
their sins4 ,thus the entry of the      
temple of  ,eleusis was interdicted to  

,nero2 and yet the ,church of ,rome     
would have  admitted him within her     
pale2 would have purified his soul2 and 
would  have exempted him from the       
punishment of all his monstrous crimes1 
if he  had taken her under his          
protection4 ,how abominable a ,church   
must be1  when she deals so with tyrants
 and monsters with a human face6 ,what6 
if  ,nero had been a ,roman ,catholic   
and had protected the ,church of ,rome1 
she  would have canonized him6 ,why not8
 ,constantine1 as great a criminal as   
he was1 has been canonized4 ,in the     
ninth century his name was invoked at   
,rome in the ceremonies of the ,church1 
and even now he is considered as a      
saint4    ,in ,england several churches 
have been built under the invocation of 
this  pretended ,saint ,constantine1 who
 founded at ,constantinople a vast and  
costly establishment of ill fame4 ,such 
are the saints worshiped by the  ,church
 of ,rome when she obtains their        
protection4 ,christ1 reason1 and        

nature1 would never have absolved ,nero 
from his crimes1 and from the           
punishment they deserved2 and yet the   
,church of ,rome would have done it4    
,sophocles1 in his dipe1 says1 that all 
the waters of the ,danube1 and of  the  
,phase1 would have been insufficient to 
purify1 from their crimes1  the souls of
 the family of ,laus2 and yet the       
,church of ,rome would have  done it4   
,how truly the ,arab poet ,abu-,naovas  
exclaimed3 ,lord1 we have  indulged to  
sin and to crime1 because we saw that   
forgiveness soon  followed them4        
,therefore there is a striking          
similarity between the practices        
required  by the ,church of ,rome1 to   
obtain the forgiveness of sins1 and to  
be  exempted from the punishment of     
those sins1 through the medium of a     
substitute1 and those which were        
required in the ,pagan religion for the 
same purpose4    #b4 ,we prove that the 
practices required by the ,church of    
,rome to obtain  the forgiveness of     

sins1 and to be exempted from the       
punishment of those  sins1 through the  
medium of a substitute1 were not        
instituted among  ,christians in the    
first two centuries4    ,the ,roman     
,catholic theologians do not pretend    
that the ,christians of the  first two  
centuries held those practices1 nor that
 the ,church of ,rome  herself held     
them2 but they say that the ,church of  
,rome established them  successively1 as
 the good of ,christians required it1   
according to the  power of government   
and infallibility granted to her1 and to
 her alone1  by ,jesus ,christ4         
,consequently1 the practices required by
 the ,church of ,rome1 to obtain  the   
forgiveness of sins1 and to be exempted 
from the punishment of those  sins1 were
 not instituted among ,christians in the
 first two centuries4    ,we draw the   
general conclusions of this chapter3    
,it has been proved that there is a     
striking similarity between the         
practices required by the ,church of    

,rome to obtain the forgiveness of      
sins1 and to be exempted from the       
punishment of those sins1 and those     
which were1 and still now are1 required 
in the ,pagan religion for the  same    
purpose2 and that those practices were  
not instituted among  ,christians in the
 first two centuries4    ,therefore the 
,church of ,rome borrowed from the      
,pagans the doctrine of  ,vicarious     
,atonement1 namely1 that a small number 
of privileged  ,christians obtain the   
forgiveness of their sins1 and are      
exempted from  the punishment of their  
sins1 through the medium of a           
substitute4    ,since1 though the other 
,partialist ,christian ,churches        
rejected the most  of the practices used
 by the ,church of ,rome to obtain the  
forgiveness of  sins1 and the exemption 
from the punishment of those sins1 they 
preserved the substance of the doctrine1
 namely1 that ,jesus ,christ had  washed
 away1 or1 in other words1 atoned for   
all the sins of those who  would feel   

the descent of the ,holy ,spirit in     
their souls2 who would  experience a    
supernatural change of heart1 or1 as    
they commonly term it1  would get       
religion2 and also that through his     
atonement they were  exempted from the  
punishment of their sins--the doctrine  
which they hold  is nothing but the very
 doctrine1 though modified in its       
circumstances1  of the ,church of ,rome4
 ,therefore its origin is the same4 ,but
 it has been  proved that the ,church of
 ,rome borrowed from the ,pagans1 the   
doctrine  that a small number of        
privileged ,christians obtain the       
forgiveness of  their sins1 and are     
exempted from the punishment of those   
sins1 through  the medium of a          
substitute--as she holds it4 ,therefore 
it is thereby  proved1 that the other   
,partialist ,christian ,churches truly  
borrowed1  from the ,pagans1 though     
through the medium of the ,church of    
,rome1 the  doctrine that a small number
 of privileged ,christians obtain the   

forgiveness of their sins1 and are      
exempted from the punishment of those   
sins1 through the medium of a           
substitute--as she holds it4            
,therefore the doctrine that a small    
number of privileged ,christians  obtain
 the forgiveness of their sins1 and are 
exempted from the  punishment of those  
sins1 through the medium of a           
substitute1 is of  ,pagan origin4 ,and  
as1 on another hand1 it has been proved1
 in four other  chapters of this work1  
that the doctrine of a ,personal ,devil1
 the  doctrine of ,original ,sin1 the   
doctrine of ,trinity1 and the doctrine  
of  the ,supreme ,divinity of ,jesus    
,christ1 are of ,pagan origin--then we  
logically draw the conclusion that all  
the characteristics of the  doctrine of 
,vicarious ,atonement are of ,pagan     
origin4 ,since all the  characteristics 
of the doctrine of ,vicarious ,atonement
 are of ,pagan  origin1 then the body   
itself of the doctrine of ,vicarious    
,atonement is  of ,pagan origin4        

,therefore the doctrine of ,vicarious   
,atonement is of ,pagan origin4         
,,conclusion ,,of ,,all ,,the           
,,chapters4    ,,therefore ,,partialist 
,,doctrines ,,are ,,of ,,pagan ,,origin4
      ,corollary4--,since the           
,partialist doctrines are of ,pagan     
origin they  are not taught in the      
,scriptures1 for the ,scriptures do not 
reveal  ,paganism4 ,consequently they   
ought to be rejected from ,christian    
,churches1 as being ,heathen doctrines4 
,,valedictory4      ,dear               
,reader1--,before ,i drop the pen permit
 me to address to you a few  valedictory
 words4 ,if you believe the             
,impartialist1 namely1  ,universalist   
doctrines1 you are now in possession of 
an irrefutable  historical proof        
corroborating your beloved faith1 which 
is satisfactory  to your mind1 and sweet
 to your heart4 ,if from your infancy up
 to this  day you have been taught1 and 
have believed1 the ,partialist          
doctrines1  perhaps you say to yourself3

 ,my religious creed is now shaken to   
its  very foundation2 what then will my 
religious belief be1 for the want of    
religious principles is the most earnest
 longing of my soul8 ,friend1  study the
 ,impartialist1 namely1 ,universalist   
doctrines2 compare them  with the       
teaching of the ,scriptures1 and you    
will find them recorded  therein4 ,they 
truly are the embodiment of the teaching
 of the  ,scriptures1 which are         
themselves embodied in these two vital  
maxims of  ,jesus ,christ1 written in   
golden letters on the ,universalist     
banner3  ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy 
,god with all thy heart1 and with all   
thy  soul1 and with all thy mind4--,this
 is the first and great commandment4    
,and the second is like unto it1 ,thou  
shalt love thy neighbor as              
thyself4--,on these two commandments    
hang all the law and the prophets4      
99      99      99      99      99      
99          ,transcriber's note3        
,blank pages have been eliminated4      

,variations in spelling and hyphenation 
have been left as in the    original4   
,a few typographical errors have been   
corrected4