Old Testament
H. P. Blavatsky tells us that the Old Testament is not a homogeneous
composition; that Genesis alone is of immense antiquity; that it is
prior to the time when the Libra of the Zodiac was invented by the
Greeks, for it has been noticed that the chapters containing the
genealogies have been touched up so as to adapt them to the new
zodiac, and this is the reason that the rabbis who compiled them twice
repeated the names
parts seem to be of a comparatively recent date and to have been
completed about 150 B.C.
The first part of the Book of God--as the Scriptures were then
called--was written by Hilkiah, jointly with the prophetess Huldah; this
disappeared at a later date, and Ezra had to begin a new one which was
finished by Judas Maccabaeus. This was recopied some time after, with the
object of changing the pointed letters into square ones, and in this way
was quite disfigured. The Masoretes ended by mutilating it completely.
The result is that the text we now possess is one not more than nine
hundred years old, bristling with premeditated omissions,
interpolations, and perverted interpretations.[145]
By the side of this initial difficulty we find another, quite as
important. Almost every page of the Old Testament contains veiled
meanings and allegories, as is frankly confessed by the rabbis
themselves.
"We ought not to take literally that which is written in the story of
the Creation, nor entertain the same ideas of it as are held by the
vulgar. If it were otherwise, our ancient sages would not have taken
so much pains to conceal the sense, and to keep before the eyes of the
uninstructed the veil of allegory which conceals the truth it
contains...."[146]
Does not Saint Paul, speaking of the hidden meaning of the Bible, say
that Agar is Mount Sinai?[147] Origen and Saint Augustine are of the
opinion that the Old Testament must be regarded as symbolical, as
otherwise it would be immoral; the Jewish law forbade anyone to read
it who had not attained the age of thirty years; Fenelon would have
liked it to be thrust away in the recesses of the most secret
libraries; the Cardinal de Noailles says that Origen, so full of zeal
on behalf of the Holy Scriptures, would not allow anyone to read the
Old Testament, unless he were firmly anchored in the practice of a
virtuous life; he affirms too that Saint Basilius, in a letter to
Chilon, the monk, stated that the reading of it often had a harmful
influence; for the same reasons, the Index expurgatorius forbids the
publication of the Bible in the vulgar tongue, and orders that no one
be allowed to read it without the written permission of his
confessor.[148]
A third difficulty arises from the fact that the Old Testament--its dead
"letter" and its commandments, at all events--is no longer suitable to
our own race. It was intended for a nation that was composed of young
souls, at a low stage of evolution, for whom nothing more than the
rudiments of instruction were necessary, and on whom stern rules of
morality, suitable for advanced souls, ought not to be imposed. This is
why divorce,[149] polygamy,[150] slavery,[151] retaliation, lex
talionis,[152] the blood of sacrifice[153] are instituted; it is the
reason God is represented as a being to be dreaded, punishing those who
do not obey him, wicked, jealous, bloodthirsty.[154] Bossuet understood
all this when he said that the primitive Hebrew race was not
sufficiently advanced to have the immortality of the soul taught to it.
This, too, is the only explanation we can find for the sensual
materialism of Ecclesiastes.[155]
Consequently one need not be astonished to find that the Old Testament
nowhere deals--directly, at all events--with the doctrine of Rebirth.
All the same, here and there we come across a few passages that point
in this direction. For instance, we read in Genesis, chapter 25,
regarding the birth of Jacob and Esau:
"And the children (of Rebecca) struggled together within her.
"And the Lord said unto her: Two nations are in thy womb, and two
manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one
people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall
serve the younger.
"And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold there were
twins in her womb."
This passage has been the occasion of lengthy commentaries on the part
of certain Fathers of the Church--more especially of Origen. Indeed,
either we must acknowledge divine injustice, creating, without any
cause, two hostile brothers, one of whom must submit to the rule of
the other, and who begin to strive together even before birth, or we
must hark back to the pre-existence of the human soul and to a past
Karma which had created inequality in condition.
David begins the ninetieth Psalm with a verse which only a belief in
reincarnation can explain:
"Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations...."
The dwelling-place of the soul, at death, is in heaven, whence it
returns to earth when the hour of rebirth has struck; thus, in all
generations, that is, from life to life, "the Lord is our
dwelling-place."
In Chapter 8 of the Book of Wisdom, Solomon says in more explicit
language:
"For I was a witty child, and had a good spirit, yea, rather, being
good, I came into a body undefiled."
This clearly points to the pre-existence of the soul and the close
relation that exists between the conditions of its rebirth and the
merits or demerits of its past.
Verse 5 of the first chapter of Jeremiah is similar to verse 23 of
the twenty-fifth chapter of Genesis:
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a
prophet unto the nations...."
It is the deeds done in the past lives of Jeremiah that accompany him
on his return to earth; God could not, in an arbitrary fashion, have
conferred on him the gift of prophecy had he not acquired it by his
efforts in a past life; unless, here too, we altogether abandon reason
and go back to a capricious or unjust--consequently altogether
impossible--God.
More
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A Few Deductions
The Germ. From the facts established in the course of this comprehensive view of the Universe, we are enabled to draw important deductions. For instance, as the basis of every "cycle of life" is found the egg or germ, that strange microcosm whi... Ancient Greece (magna Graecia)
In Greece, the doctrine of Rebirths is met with in the Orphic tradition, continued by Pythagoras and Plato. Up to the present time, this tradition has probably found its best interpreter in Mr. G. R. S. Mead, an eminent theosophist and a scholar o... Arguments Against Reincarnation
The honest consideration of any subject necessitates the examination of "the other side of the case," as well as the affirmative side. We have given much space to the presentation and consideration of the arguments advanced by those convinced of t... Between And Beyond Incarnations
One of the first questions usually asked by students of the subject of Reincarnation is: "Where does the soul dwell between incarnations; does it incarnate immediately after death; and what is its final abode or state?" This question, or questions... Chaldaea
It is said that the Magi taught the immortality of the soul and its reincarnations, but that they considerably limited the number of these latter, in the belief that purification was effected after a restricted number of existences on the soul retur... Egypt
If we pass from India to Egypt, the land of mystery, we again find the world-wide doctrine of palingenesis hidden beneath the same veil. According to Egyptian teaching, the theory of the "fall of the angels" was accepted; the fallen angels were hu... India
Northern India was the cradle of the present race--the fifth--the Eden of our humanity, our physical, moral, mental, and spiritual mother.[81] From her womb issued the emigrant hordes that peopled Europe after spreading over Egypt, Asia Minor, and S... Islamism
It has been said that the Arabs believed in Reincarnation before Mohammed forbade it. Some, however, think that the Koran was written only after the death of the Prophet, and that the latter committed nothing to writing, but taught by word of mouth.... Manifestation Of The Higher Consciousness In The Phenomena Of Possession And Materialisation
In these strange phenomena, not only manifestations of the higher consciousness, analogous with or similar to those just cited, have been noted, but also a number of facts which prove, to some extent, the casual presence in a normal human body or in... Manifestation Of The Higher Consciousness In Various Cases Of Mental Faculties Lost To Normal Consciousness
A rather large number of people born blind have images in dreams, and can see with the higher consciousness, when placed in a state of somnambulism. This proves that the higher consciousness possesses the power of vision on its own plane, and can im... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness During The Different Kinds Of Sleep
Normal dream. During normal sleep there exists a special consciousness which must not be confounded either with waking consciousness or with that of the astral body. It is due to the automatic, cerebral vibration which continues during sleep, and wh... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness In Apparitions
A final group of phenomena to which I wish to call attention is the one which goes under the name of apparitions. A considerable number of these are to be found; we will confine ourselves, however, to referring the reader to a volume entitled Phanta... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness In Phenomena Of Double Consciousness
The "strata of memory" met with in many cases also prove the existence of the second vehicle of consciousness which we are trying to demonstrate. Certain dreams continue night after night, beginning again just where they stopped the previous nigh... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness Indicating Not Only That It Extends Farther Than Normal Consciousness
The Soul functioning in the finer body sees the physical body in a state of coma. Dr. Abercrombie relates the case of a child aged four, who was trepanned as the result of fracture of the skull, and whilst in a stale of coma. He never knew what happ... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness Under The Form Of Memory
The memory that is lost by the brain is preserved in its entirety by the finer vehicle. A musician, a friend of Hervey's, once heard a remarkable piece of music; he remembered it on awaking, and wrote it down, regarding it as his own inspiration.... Metempsychosis
After the disintegration of the body, the kamic[92] elements continue for some time, us a "shade"[93] or a "phantom,"[94] in the finer and invisible atmosphere;[95] then they, in turn, become disintegrated by the various forces of this environment,[... Neoplatonism
The great philosophic body that formed a bridge, as it were, between the Old World and the New was the famous School of Alexandria, founded about the second century of our era by Ammonius Saccas and closed in the year 429 A.D. through the intoleranc... New Testament
The New Testament is far more explicit than the Old, even though we find the teachings of reincarnation indicated in only a vague, indirect fashion. All the same, it must not be forgotten that the canonical Gospels have suffered numerous suppression... Objection
An apparently serious objection to the doctrine of Rebirth is constantly being made. It is unjust and useless, people say, to be punished for misdeeds that are forgotten. As this objection has reference to moral proofs, we must deal with it here. ... Objection
Reincarnation is not necessary, it has been alleged; the soul's evolution is continued after death in the invisible worlds in finer bodies; consequently it is needless to return to the denser bodies of earth. In our opinion, the trials of life, s... Objection
Reincarnation and Forgetfulness of the Past. Sceptics are ever bringing forward against reincarnation the absence of all memory of past lives, convinced that there can be no answer to this argument. They do not reflect that human ignorance is a... Old Testament
H. P. Blavatsky tells us that the Old Testament is not a homogeneous composition; that Genesis alone is of immense antiquity; that it is prior to the time when the Libra of the Zodiac was invented by the Greeks, for it has been noticed that the chap... Progress
The observer of Nature makes a third discovery. Every fresh cycle of life is characterised by an advance on the preceding cycle; every stage brings the end nearer. This represents progress, and it is seen everywhere; when it does not appear, it is b... Proofs Of The Astral Body
Certain normal and abnormal or morbid phenomena in man have proved the existence of this vehicle, which we will call the higher consciousness, for it is far greater than normal, waking consciousness, that of the brain. In the somewhat rare cases in ... Reincarnation
The process of disintegration[97] which, after disincarnation, destroys the physical, astral, and mental bodies of the man leaves the Soul--or, to be more exact, the causal body, for the soul is not the causal body any more than it is any of the oth... Reincarnation And Science
The secret of the Universe lies in observation; it is for man to develop his senses and patiently to search into the hidden things of Nature. All science proceeds thus, and the reason that savants have not unearthed the precious object for which ... Reincarnation And The Moral Law
The Goodness, justice, and Omnipotence of God are the guarantees of Providence. It is absolutely impossible that the faintest breath of injustice should ever disturb the Universe. Every time the Law appears to be violated, every time Justice se... Reincarnation And The Religious And Philosophic Consensus Of The Ages
In the rapid review we are now about to make of the religion and philosophy of the past, we shall find that, under many and divers names and veils, the doctrine of Rebirths has been taught from the farthest antiquity right up to the present time. Th... Resurrection
The human body is a species of polyp colony, a kind of coral island like those that emerge above the waves of the Pacific, by reason of the collective efforts of lower organisms. The most numerous of the compounds of the human aggregate are known ... Rome
Although Rome, above all else, was a warlike republic, and religion principally a State cult, that allowed but slight opportunity for the outer expression of spirituality, none the less did it inherit the beliefs of Egypt, Greece, and Persia; the Ba... The Argument For Reincarnation
In addition to the consideration of Justice, there are many other advantages claimed by the advocates of Reincarnation which are worthy of the careful consideration of students of the problem of the soul. We shall give to each of these principal p... The Celts
Sacerdotal India--and perhaps also Atlantis--in early times sent pioneers into the West to spread religious teachings amongst their energetic inhabitants; those who settled in Gaul and the British Isles were the Druids. "I am a serpent, a druid," th... The Cyclic Process Of Evolution
Another fact strikes the observer: the cyclic march of evolution. After action comes reaction; after activity, rest; after winter, summer; after day, night; after inspiration--the breath of life during which universal Movement works in a molecular a... The Doctrine Of Rebirth In Modern Philosophy
In antiquity, science and philosophy were scarcely anything else than parts of religion[223]; the most eminent scientists and the greatest philosophers alike were all supporters of the established form of religion, whenever they did not happen to be... The Early Christian Church
The documents to which we have access, dealing with the philosophical and religious history of Christianity in the first few centuries of our era, are so questionable, that we can place but faint reliance upon them, if we would really become acquain... The Early Races
By "Reincarnation" we mean the repeated incarnation, or embodiment in flesh, of the soul or immaterial part of man's nature. The term "Metempsychosis" is frequently employed in the same sense, the definition of the latter term being: "The passage ... The Egyptians Chaldeans Druids Etc
After considering the existence of the doctrines of Reincarnation among the primitive peoples, and its traditional existence among the vanished peoples of the past, we find ourselves irresistibly borne toward that ancient land of mystery--the home... The Evolutionary Series
If we look attentively at the totality of beings we perceive a progressive series of forms expressing a parallel series of qualities and states of consciousness. The portion of this scale we are able to compass extends from the amorphous state[42]--... The Goal Of Evolution
The Formation of Centres of Consciousness that become "Egos." Through innumerable wanderings this general progress traces a clear, unwavering line. Those capable of following evolution on the planes of finer matter at once perceive, as it were, wi... The Hindus
While Reincarnation has been believed and taught in nearly every nation, and among all races, in former or present times, still we are justified in considering India as the natural Mother of the doctrine, inasmuch as it has found an especially fav... The Jews Essenes And Early Christians
The early Jewish people had an Inner Teaching which embraced certain ideas concerning Reincarnation, although the masses of the people knew nothing of the doctrine which was reserved for the inner circles of the few. There is much dispute concerni... The Justice Of Reincarnation
There are three views entertained by men who believe in the existence of the soul--there are many shades of belief and opinion on the subject, but they may be divided into three classes. These three views, respectively, are as follows: (1) That th... The Kabala
Contact with the Babylonians, during the Captivity, brought about a rapid development in the Hebrews, who were at that time far more advanced souls than those that animated the bodies of their fathers,[156] and taught them many important details of ... The Law Of Causality (karma)
Karma is the Law of the Universe, the expression of divine Will. Its seemingly essential attributes are Justice and Love; it neither punishes nor rewards, but adjusts things, restores disturbed balance and harmony, brings back evolving souls to the ... The Law Of Karma
"Karma" is a term in general use among the Hindus, and the Western believers in Reincarnation, the meaning of which is susceptible of various shades of definition and interpretation. It is most important to all students of the subject of Reincarna... The Modern West
In the modern thought of the Western world, we find Reincarnation attracting much attention. The Western philosophies for the past hundred years have been approaching the subject with a new degree of attention and consideration, and during the pas... The Problem Of Human Heredity
If materialism were the whole truth, it ought to explain the whole of heredity; instead of that it clashes with almost all the problems of life. Physical substance offers for analysis none but physical phenomena: attraction, repulsion, heat, electri... The Problem Of The Inequality Of Conditions
If suffering in general is the child of Necessity--since it is born of multiplicity and the limitation of the Infinite, without which the Universe could not exist--it would seem that we ought to find it falling upon all beings without distinction, i... The Proofs Of Reincarnation
To many minds the "proof" of a doctrine is its reasonableness and its adaptability as an answer to existing problems. And, accordingly, to such, the many arguments advanced in favor of the doctrine, of which we have given a few in the preceding ch... The Romans And Greeks
One unfamiliar with the subject would naturally expect to find the Ancient Romans well advanced along the lines of philosophy, religion, and spiritual speculation, judging from the all-powerful influence exerted by them over the affairs of the who... The Soul And The Bodies
In a book dealing with the resurrection of bodies and the reincarnations of the Soul, a chapter must be devoted to the fundamental elements of the question. We will give the name of Soul to abstract Being, to the Unknown, that unmanifested Prin... Why Does Pain Exist?
To admit, as do certain ignorant fatalists, that the Universe was created by the stroke of some magic wand, and that each planet, kingdom, and being is condemned, so to speak, to a definite crystallisation in the state in which it has pleased God to...