The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-01

taincd that tie T. .ftior religious i.ens Of the
lowest Slvagcs are borrowed from CHRIS
tianl'v or Islam. Suh~e ucutly In IN"
volume l-fprr ts tine author enters upon
q critiristn 80 Mr. J. q Frayer's theory
OF tho origin - religion and H., method 81
accounting Tor The ls.l1fin TIC divine char
sctcr OF ,hfi,i. Dulcr relevant topios dis
cu.srt ara -ts!oos." South African re-
laiot.' tl,e curious cup AMI ring marks
found on r-rls. ki-t. and o'',~r objects oil
over tho world auG finally tho singular III,
OF the Fire Nslk with the alleged Immunity
OF ihc performers. Every c-say in the
book deserves rarcrA J~@-'sNl. hut II IL only
some Of tho+e mnu'.o1~i Va which We can
here dire V''"uticu
WIS, l. Mr.. J q Frazrr's hypothesis
o. 10 the origin o. the iclief In the divinity
Of Christ? Mr. Lang recognizes that.
uuliko som. other modern speculations.
Sir frasrr~ theory Il based on an on
traordinary mas OF crud!tion Ills knowl-
edge has teen collected ~ first hand. and
l. set forth with exact rcfercncsS 10 the
sources. ~ much. ~ lenst. Il conceded
even nv thos' who decline io Accept the
position t1krn ~ Tho Golden Bough- Mr
Frazer old that the Babyloninns and their
Persian Coruu"ror- wore wont yearly al
q vernal feast to dfcs- n condemned GRIM
inal In the rtyal robes. to enthrone him. to
obev him. &C. grant him access 20 the aides
at the royal hRrem. and then. at tho end Of
five days, 60 strip. whip and hang him.
Mr.. Fruycr couiecturcs tina the reason why
they acted this Wa that "A condemned
man served a. proxy for the divine King
Of Babylon. who IA an age le-s civilized
had lcan annually sacrificed. The King
had been sacrificed - q being OF divine
or magical nature. q man-god. and the
object, according to Mr.. Frazer. was 90
keep providing The god or the magical innu-
ence resident in him with a series Of fresh
human vehicles. Mr.. Frazer secms 90
think that the King himself was believed 10
tncarnate a known or recognized god Of
veg-tstion, a personal principle OF vege-
table life. In later times the Kings proxy.
the condemned criminal. was sacrificed In
a character q, IN royal (ss representing
the King and divine tsincr the King in
carnated a god. All this occurred. 10 We
accept Mr.. Frayer's theory. at about the
time Of year in which our Faster falls. ai a
feast called. Iaknuh in Babylonia, and
Sacea la Persia. the festal period va.
ono ~ ha-i drinking and singular license.
Mr.. Frazer takes for granted tina, the
jews had NJ such feast or custom before
they were carried into Grille In Babvlonia.
He thinks hat from the pahyl,nian and
Persians they probably derived the festival
which they styled Pur'm. and sl.o borrowed
the custom p~rcviousl, unhesrd of among
them. Vf c"pNning. stripping. foggins
and hanging a nnck King NJ condemned
criminal In the month - March. The
jews are also coniectured TO have Dor
rowed a'practi~e. presumed hy Nr. Frazer
o. have prevailed at Rabvlon, o. keeping
. pair ~ condcnn~i criminals. One OF
them was hanged. the other was set fire..
for the year. The FIRST died rs an in-ar-
nation 81 the god ~ vegetable life. Tho
scccud. st free. represented In a pseudo
resurrection. the first criminal and also
represented. apparently. tho revival 81
tho god Of vegetable life. The Ar.t
man MAS called Hsman. probably In or
igiu Human. n deity ~ the vnnuuisi ID
foes Of Babylon. the Elamites. The s~-
ond man, III hebreN Moriecai. probably
represented Merodach. or Narduh. tho
srpr~n- gid NJ the victorious B~sbylonisn-.
Each man had q frri-ie consort, Who IN
Bahyicn was probably n sacrcd iarlot.
Haman had vashti. apparently al rlamite
goddess Morl-cai had ssu.er. doubt
lc~ ishtsr, the Venus OF the Rstylonian
priests. o then. sioc- Je-us, BY what
looks In the New Testament record like a
chapter Of accidents, was put to death as
one Of thee mock kings. he inherited
sl-a. LII -
~hich previously had heen mainly that Of
moral lecturer, vas ~ orc- surrounded by
a halo 81 divinity, Such. in substance,
h. MIR. Frazers theory.
The germ Of this hypothesis seerns TO have
b.~n suggested ~ 'he author In ispo by a
statement which Tic Chryso<tom. the
vrll-knov Grssk rlset rricisu ~ the first
century. puts into tie mouth Of niogena-,
the Cyn,c, IN ar imaginary dialogue WITH
Alexander tho Great. Diogen-s IL made
O. tell Alexander about the Persian snnIal
custom % dressing M /. condemned crirni-
nal In ROYAL rot-s NJ thc fer.t called Sscs~.
Glowing him to live like q king for Eve
day-. giving him tho eutrec 81 the royal
harcm, ans then stripping. -coureins and
hanging OF crucifying hime n. re-cm-
hlanco Of lno'- words 20 the scrptural
account q the mockery % CHRIS, Il. obvious.
Mr.. Faa-f SAYS that 10 rctgniz~d tho
rcs-Tnhianc~ In 500. hut could not 'heu st-
plain " SeNet y~ar later he b<-an,e
scuuaint-f With the leg~tId whites. in
Crr~t 80 the marty tom % y, Dssius. q
Roman Ca'holic Christian soldier Ia Mo-xia
tsn 4. ~ ~sccondiix Ia this legend.
pa-ius ~as drawn Nv it a. the yearly
ueum Who. according 90 ~. legend. vas
made 70 r-pr~-T kltg Ssturnus fpr .
north G. military r~yelrr. and uben vas
sscriDrcd. 90 oilig~i o. slsy himself. t~~ids
sst1ra'. altar. ., th- clo.~ % tho saturns-
ha. Dasius d~rlin~u Tho par. and VS. Put
b. doath pere. t,-n. w. Ma-A.. ~ 80
t~li-ye tho lees>d. Nss . n'ok his pr
sonatins . I'D. ssorfo~i 20 cd. and.
th~refore rAyts. hiH--li. regarded ..
civtBe TNr~s c>nian-- -ari~r IN Js-O~-
I'm 90 hnd J-~.n. ~ho. sf-r mcrA rvvl
hoaor.. go sccurssd and crUcEhsd and
vAo acgair~t = halo % dstAity
u. m,adl. term h~t~-rn us~-s es,r~m-s
v.s n M vss-s mind The ernninal
va b. ths ciaFsct~f - . ND tins go
srrrp-a. -~surs-a and h.ns~d 81 the