The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1869-04-02
HIGHER DEvELOPMENT. F.
Tho Future Seen by the Lights of
the Past.
(From the New York Herald. J

VIC Il aSts ....H
1. (From the New York Hcrald.) |
The great activity presented every
where in the operations of the human
intellect during the present age points
ing higher development of religious
suit of this movement will be to bring
us Immediately to the millennium, or
whether 1t will be merely one of the
stages of progress which marks the sue
cessive cumulative development of the
human mind, 1t is not our province to
inquire. Our present object is merely
to present a concise review of the histo-
rical testimony which points out the
great fact that in every age higher re-
ligiOus development has been the result 7
of periods of great mental activity.
A contemplation of the dawn of our
religious belief carries us back to pre-
historic times, when Egypt enclosed
the light and science of the world. The
remnants of Egyptian culture and civil
lization which have come down to us all |
indicate a high degree of mental and
material development, accompanied by
wide political conquests. The remains
Of their architecture are still a subject
of admiration to the world, and the
testimony alike of Holy Writ and pa
gan philosophy bears witness to The
great expansion which Egyptian wis
dom had attained. The scanty remains
of their literature which have been pre-
served include only a number of t'u-
neral prayers and portions of the So
called Book of the Dead; but these
contain many of the highest precepts of
our present religious belief. The inn
mortality of the soul, a state of future
rewards and punishments and the mo-
raj teachings of the Decalogue are there,
but mixed up with the worship of beasts
and rcpctiles and cntwined with a N.Y.
thology as varied as that of the Greeks
and Romans. But the testimony of the
monuments points undeniably to the fact
that the period of greatest activity in the
Egyptian mind was that of the Mosaic
religious development. The reign of
Tothmcs Ill, which, according to some
of the Psychologists, was coincident
with. and, according to others, shortly
preceded the time of Moses, was the
Augustan era of Egyptian history.
From this period of wonderful men,
tai activity in the olden time sprang the
Mosaic development. Leading forth
: his people from captivity Moses cast
aside the impure in the teachings Of the
Egyptian religious scheme, as no doubt
it was rejected in his day by all culti-
vated minds (and as were also the de-
basing portions of Greek and Roman
mythology rejected at later day,) and,
adopting the highest Developments of
the accumulated wisdom of his age, he
announced to the wondering Hebrews
; the mighty scope of his design. "Now,
therefore, if We will obey my voice in
deed and keep my covenant, then We
shall be peculiar treasure unto me
above all people; for all the earth is
mine and ye shall be unto me king
t dom of priests and holy nation" (Ex-
Olus xix, 5-6.) But the Jews, who had
been slaves to the Egyptians for genera.
tons, had not participated in the higher
degrees of the mental development OF
their age, and Moses was compelled to
give them, in addition to the Decalogue
: an organized priesthood in the tribe ol
Levi.
The Mosaic scheme presents its times
of development during the periods OF
4 great mental activity which attended
the Hebrew nation. The era of the pro.
+ phets was an era of war and trade, and
+ David andSolomon were mighty princes
and merchants. The mental activity OF
! that time has given us our sweetest
l songs and some of our most imperisha.
4 BILE teachings. But before we proceed
:, to cite the age of highest mental activi
e ty among the Hebrews we must refer tC
another Outspringing from the Egyptian
t mind. The entire scheme of Greek my
= thology and philosophy owes its origir
! to Egypt. Taking the sensual and tht
: esthetical in the Egyptian teachings, til,
S active and supple-mindcd Greeks wen
\ on trading, fighting and philosophizins
through a period of seven centuries, de
a veloping the mythology of their fore
n runners. The result of this activity wa
0 the religion of art, which eliminated il
u temples and statues that have neve
d been surpassed in any period of th'
: worlds history. .a. ,-,,. ,.,-....
: The next period of great mental ac
tivity in history is that presented by th,
elimination of Roman conquest anC
empire, which has given form to though
@ in the scheme of Western civilization
until the present day. Religion, litera
= ture and law all acknowledge the head
ing of their streams in this era, aud Ci
cero, Tacitus and Paul represent its pro
+ gressive schools. Looking only to til,
S religious development OF that period
we find the purest and highest anon.
the Hebrews. 1t was a time when uni
versal conquest had brought universe
I trade and intercourse. and the school
of religion and philosophy were stimu
: lated to their highest effort by mutua
: contact and irritation. Among the He
X brews the highest culture was durin'
= the time Immediately preceding and co
eval with the Christian era. II Itbrough
: forth the entire scheme ofangelogy an,
demonology which characterize the New
Testament and the Talmud, and CANA
liel, at whose feet Paul claims to hav
t sat, was but one of long, list of emf
/, nent Hebrew teachers The Talmu'
Il informs us that Jesus was a. pupil o
: Joshua, son of Perachia, and the sam
. record claims Paul, or Acher, as he j
Q there called, as an eminent scholar an,
:, disputant of the school of the Pharisees
- At no period of the worlds history, un
I less we accept that of our. day, do W
' find q time of greater mental activity
!, and its reliDiOus fleyelOpnn ent IA .titl