The golden verses of PythagorasFabre d'Olivet, Antoine
Religion
The golden verses of Pythagoras
Fabre d'Olivet, Antoine
Poetry -- History and criticism; Pythagoras and Pythagorean school
Open the sacred books of the Chinese, the Burmans, Indians, and
Persians, you will find there the unequivocal traces of this dogma.
Here, it is Providence represented under the traits of a celestial
virgin, who, sent by the Supreme Being, furnished arms to combat and
to subjugate the genius of evil, and to bring to perfection everything
that it had corrupted.[563] There, it is the Universe itself and the
Worlds which compose it, which are signalized as the instrument
employed by this same Providence to attain this end.[564] Such was the
secret doctrine of the mysteries.[565] Good and Evil were represented
in the sanctuaries under the emblems of light and darkness: the
formidable spectacle of the combat between these two opposed
principles was given there to the initiate; and after many scenes of
terror, the most obscure night was insensibly succeeded by the purest
and most brilliant day.[566] It was exactly this that Zoroaster had
publicly taught.
Ormuzd [said this theosophist] knew by his sovereign science
that at first he could in no way influence Ahriman; but that
afterwards he united with him and that at last he finished
by subjugating him and changing him to such a degree that
the Universe existed without evil for a duration of
centuries.[567] When the end of the world comes [he said in
another place] the wickedest of the infernal spirits will be
pure, excellent, celestial: yes [he adds], he will become
celestial, this liar, this evil doer; he will become holy,
celestial, excellent, this cruel one: vice itself, breathing
only virtue, will make long offerings of praise to Ormuzd
before all the world.[568]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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