From Ritual to RomanceWeston, Jessie L. (Jessie Laidlay)
Religion
From Ritual to Romance
Weston, Jessie L. (Jessie Laidlay)
Grail -- Legends -- History and criticism; Romances -- History and criticism
Thirdly, and most important, were the soldiers, the foreign legions,
who, drawn mostly from the Eastern parts of the Empire, brought their
native deities with them. Cumont signalizes as the most active agents
of the dispersion of the cult of Mithra, Soldiers, Slaves, and
Merchants.[12]
As far North as Hadrian’s Dyke there has been found an inscription in
verse in honour of the goddess of Hierapolis, the author a prefect,
probably, Cumont remarks, the officer of a cohort of Hamii, stationed
in this distant spot. Dedications to Melkart and Astarte have been
found at Corbridge near Newcastle. The Mithraic remains are practically
confined to garrison centres, London, York, Chester, Caerleon-on-Usk,
and along Hadrian’s Dyke.[13] From the highly interesting map attached
to the Study, giving the sites of ascertained Mithraic remains, there
seems to have been such a centre in Pembrokeshire.
Now in view of all this evidence is it not at least possible that the
higher form of the Attis cult, that in which it was known and practised
by early Gnostic Christians, may have been known in Great Britain?
Scholars have been struck by the curiously unorthodox tone of the Grail
romances, their apparent insistence on a succession quite other than
the accredited Apostolic tradition, and yet, according to the writers,
directly received from Christ Himself. The late M. Paulin Paris
believed that the source of this peculiar feature was to be found in
the struggle for independence of the early British Church; but, after
all, the differences of that Church with Rome affected only minor
points of discipline: the date of Easter, the fashion of tonsure of the
clergy, nothing which touched vital doctrines of the Faith. Certainly
the British Church never claimed the possession of a revelation _à
part_. But if the theory based upon the evidence of the Naassene
document be accepted such a presentation can be well accounted for.
According to Hippolytus the doctrines of the sect were derived from
James, the brother of Our Lord, and Clement of Alexandria asserts that
“The Lord imparted the Gnosis to James the Just, to John and to Peter,
after His Resurrection; these delivered it to the rest of the Apostles,
and they to the Seventy.”[14] Thus the theory proposed in these pages
will account not only for the undeniable parallels existing between the
Vegetation cults and the Grail romances, but also for the Heterodox
colouring of the latter, two elements which at first sight would appear
to be wholly unconnected, and quite incapable of relation to a common
source.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account