The God-Idea of the Ancients; Or, Sex in ReligionGamble, Eliza Burt
Religion
The God-Idea of the Ancients; Or, Sex in Religion
Gamble, Eliza Burt
Religion; Sex -- Religious aspects; Women and religion
So long as human beings worshipped the abstract principle of creation,
the manifestations of which proceed from the earth and sun, they
doubtless reasoned little on the nature of its hitherto inseparable
parts. They had not at that early period begun to look outside of Nature
for their god-idea, but when through the peculiar course of development
which had been entered upon, the simple conception of a creative agency
originally entertained became obscured, mankind began to speculate on
the nature and attributes of the two principles by which everything is
produced, and to dispute over their relative importance in the office of
reproduction. Much light has been thrown upon these speculations by
the Kosmogonies which have come down to us from the Phoenicians,
Babylonians, and other peoples of past ages. In the Phoenician
Kosmogony, according to the Mokh doctrine as recorded by Philo, out
of the kosmic egg Toleeleth (female) "sprang all the impregnation of
creation and the beginning of the universe." In this exposition of the
beginnings of things, it is distinctly stated that the spirit which in
after ages came to be regarded as something outside or above Nature,
"had no consciousness of its own creation." Commenting on the above,
Bunsen is constrained to admit that it is usually understood as being
"decidedly pantheistic." He suggests, however, that the writer may
HAVE INTENDED TO SAY (the italics are mine) that "the spirit who was
heretofore the Creator was the unconscious spirit."
Berosus, the scholar of Babylon, who, until a comparatively recent
time has furnished all the information extant concerning Babylonian
antiquities, in his account of the creation of man and of the universe,
says that in the beginning all was water and darkness; that in the water
were the beginnings of life; but as yet there was no order. Men were
there with the wings of birds and even with the feet of beasts. There
were also quadrupeds and men with fishes' tails, all of which had been
produced by a twofold principle. Over this incongruous mass a woman
presided. This woman is called Omoroka by the Babylonians and by the
Chaldeans Thalatth. The latter name, signifies, "bearing" or "egg
producing."
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