Саломон Ренак: ОРФЕЈ

A GENERAL HISTORY OF RELIGIONS

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The origin of religions, definitions and general phenomena

Religion and mythology. -Etymology of the word religion. –Religion is a sum of scruples, i.e. of taboos. –Examples of taboos. –Animism. –The theory of primitive revelation. –The theory of imposture. –False ideas of the eighteenth century. –Fetichism. –Fontenelle’s true ideas. –Totemism, a hypertrophy of the social instincts. –Definition of animals. –The sacrifice of the totem. –Alimentary prohibitions. –The Sabbath. –Abstinence. –The codifications and restrictions of taboos by the priesthood. –The progressive secularization of humanity. –Magic and science. –Religions (in) the life of primitive societies. –Explanations of apparent retrogressions. –The future of religions: the necessity of studying their history.

 

CHAPTER I

Egyptians, Babylonians and Syrians

1. The complexity of religious phenomena in Egypt. –Essential traits of the religious evolution. –Expansion of the Egyptian cults. –Animism. –Belief of the future life. –Magic. –Totemism. The religious function of the Pharaohs, priests and ritual. –The myth of Oziris. –The Egyptian cosmogony.

 

2. Babylonia and Assyria. –The code of Hammurabi. –The Babylonian Gods. –Animism. –Cosmogony: The Deluge. –The god Thamuz. –The legends of Ishtar and Gilgamesh. –Ritual, psalms and incantations. –Divination. –The Calendar. –Belief in a future life. –Astrology and Astronomy. –The lasting influence of Babylonian ideas.

 

3. The antiquity of Phoenician civilization. –Gods and goddesses. –The worship of animals, trees and stones. –Baal, Melkart, Eshmun. –Adonis and the Boar. –Sacrifices. –Ideas of a future life and of the creation. –Syrian forms of worship. –Atergatis, the fish and the dove. –Syrian forms of worship at Rome. –The Stone of Mesa.

 

CHAPTER II

Aryans, Hindus and Persians

1. The Aryans and the Aryan tongues. –The diffusion of the European physical type. –Hindu and Persian gods. –The history of India. –Animism and totemism. –The migration of souls and asceticism. –The worship of the dead. –Cosmogonies. –The Deluge. –The Vedas. –Vedic Sacrifice. –The Vedic Gods. –Ritual. –Brahmans and Brahmanas. –Upanishads. –The laws of Manu. –Philosophical systems. –Jainism and Buddhism. –The life of Buddha. –The Buddhic books. –Nirvana. –Buddhism and Christianity. –King Asoka. –Buddhist conquest in Asia. –Lamaism. –Hinduism. –Siva and Vishnu. –Reformers in India. –The Sikhs. –The future of Indian religions.

 

2. Indo-Iranian unity. –Medes and Persians. –The Zendavesta: Zoroaster. –The Magi. –Animism. –The worship of animals and plants. -The conflict of good and evil. –Insistence of ritual purity. –Belief in a future life. –The weighing of souls. –Fire-worship. –The main features of Mazdaism. –Mithra and the spread of Mithraism in the Roman Empire. –Analogies with Christianity. –Manicheeism. –The Mandeans.

 

CHAPTER III

The Greeks and the Romans

1. Myths and rites. –Aegean and Mycenean religions. –Crete. –The invasion of the Dorians. –Greek anthropomorphism. –Animism. –Personifications. –The worship of the dead. –Belief in a future life. –Totemism. –Metamorphosis. –Orpheus. –Sacrifice of the god. –Acteon, Hippolytus, Phaeton, Prometheus. –Lamentations over the dead gods. –Harvest rites. –Magic. –Hierogamies. –Masquerades. –The influence of works of art on myth. –Sublimated epithets. –Alien gods in Greece. –Greek tolerance; the death of Socrates. –Priests and wizards; oracles. –Incubation. –Sacrifices. –Purifications. –Festivals. –Mysteries.

 

2. Romans and Etruscans. –Greek influences. –Animism. –Multiplicity of gods. –The Lares and Penates. –Personifications. –Fetiches. –Sacred trees and animals. –Taboos. –Secret names. –Magic. –Temples. –The Roman Pantheon; the twelve great gods. –Belief in a future life. –Funeral rites. –Colleges of priests. –Sacrifices. –The Sibbyline books. –Introduction of alien divinities. –The affair of the Bacchanalia. –Introduction of Oriental sacerdotalism. –The religious and nationalist reaction under Augustus; Emperor-Worship. –Babylonian astrology and Roman paganism. –Mysticism.

 

CHAPTER IV

Celts, Germans and Slavs

1. The conquest of the Celts. –The first inhabitants of Gaul. –The art of cave-dwellers; its magical origin. –Bones colored with red ochre. –Dolmens, menchirs and cromlechs. –The worship of the axe. –The rarity of idols. –The worship of mountains, rivers, and trees; the mistletoe. –The worship of animals and the survival of totemism. –The taboo on the spoils of war; the martial taboo. –Esus, Teutates and Taranis. –The Jupiter with the wheel. –Dis pater, the god with the mallet. –Ogmios. –Mothers, or matrons. –Celtic Triads. –Celtic and Roman divinities. –Names and epithets. –Emperor-worship. –Temples. –The Druids and sacrifices. –Belief in a future life. –The decay of Druidism; Druidism in Ireland. –Irish mythology. –Survivals from Celtic religions.

 

2. The religions of the Germans as described by Cesar. –Sun-worship. –The Moon identified with Diana. –The religion of the Germans as described by Tacitus. –The days of the week. –The gods of the Germans. –The worship of Mars, Mercury and Hercules. –Goddesses. –Witches. –Animism. –Sacred animals. –The worship of the horse. –Kings and priests. –Idols. –Irminsul. –Funeral rites. –Iceland and Norway. –The poems of the Scalds and the Runes. –The Edda, poetry and mythology of the Vikings. –The Voluspa; the Twilight of the gods. –Anglo-Saxon and Germanic poems of the Middle Ages.

 

3. The religion of the Slavs as described by Procopius. –The Slav Jupiter. The horse-god. –Many-headed idols. –The god of flocks. –The god Trajan. –The Black God. Nymphs. –The domestic gods. –Sacred trees. –The worship of the dead. –Voracious demons and epidemics.

 

CHAPTER V

Chinese, Japanese, Mongolians, Fins, Africans, Oceanians, and Americans

1. The tolerant spirit of Chinese. –The King, Confucius and Laotse. –Taoism. –Feng-shui. –Optimism and Pessimism.

2. Lack of deep religious feeling in Japan. –Shinto. –Sacred animals. –Temples and ritual. –Belief in a future life. –Buddhism and the Shinto reaction. –Tolerance in Japan.

3. Mongolian Chamanism. –Dualist doctrine. –The ritual use of blood. –Popular Finnish songs.

4. Kaftirs and Negroes. –The religion of the South African natives. –Negro fetichism. –Ancestor-worship and human sacrifices. –Totemism in Africa.

5. Taboos and totemism in Oceania. –Rites of initiation. –Polynesian cosmogony. –Secret rites and societies. –Mana.

6. American totemism. –The Great Manitou. –Mexico. –Toltecs and Aztecs. –Human sacrifices. -–Sun-worship in Peru. –Totemism and magic among Mexicans of today.

 

CHAPTER VI

The Muslims

Arabia before Islam. –Djinns. –Allah and Al-Lat. –Fetiches and totemic sacrifices. –Christians and Jews in Arabia. –The life of Mahomet. –Religious institutions of Islam. –Fatalism. –“Young Turkey”. –Musulman tolerance. –The Schiite schism. –Shiite sects; Sufis. –Secret societies; the Mahdi. –Liberal tendencies. –Freemasonry in Turkey. –Babism in Persia.

 

CHAPTER VII

Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews

Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews. -The mythical character of their primitive history. –The Scriptural Canon; translation  of the Bible. –Inspiration and Concordism. –The moral value of the Old Testament. –Names of the divinity. –The creation and original sin. –Polytheism and Jahvism. –Baal, Sabaoth, Teraphim. –Taboos. –Totems. –Magic. –Eschatology. –Festivals. –The Pentateuch. –The Prophets. –Messianism. –The Psalms, Proverbs, Job. –The Restoration and the end of Jewish independence. –Judaism since the destruction of the Temple.

 

CHAPTER VIII

Christian origins

The Canon of the New Testament. –The orthodox tradition as to the Evangelists. –The conclusions of criticism on this point. –The date of our Gospels. –The synoptical Gospels. –Testimony of Papias. –The composition of synoptical Gospels. –The Fourth Gospel. –The lack of historical authority for the Gospels. –The idea of the Messiah. –The silence of secular writers. –The testimony of Tacitus. –Uncertain chronology of the life of Jesus. –Uncertainty as to his death. –The Docetes. –The Christ of St. Paul. –The supposed fulfillment of prophecies. –The apocryphal Gospels. –The Epistles of St. Paul. –Chronology of St. Paul’s apostolate. –The Catholic Epistles. –The Epistle of St. John and the verse of the “three witnesses”. -The Apocalypse of St. John. –The Apocalypse of St. Peter. –Various Epistles. –The Pastor of Hermas. –The Symbols and the Doctrines of the Apostles. –The Pseudo-Clementine writings. –Simon Magus. –Antichrist.

 

CHAPTER IX

Christianity: From St. Paul to Justinian

First Christian communities. –The preaching of St. Paul. –Particularism and universalism. –The Gnostics. –Organization of the communities. –The gift of tongues or glossary. –The functions of Jewish synagogues. –Persecution of Christians in Rome. –Pliny’s letter to Trajan. –Motives for the persecutions. –The martyrs. –Christian virtues. –Heresies; the influence of the heretics on the Church. –The concentration of the spiritual power. –Montanism. –Persecutions under Decius and Diocletian. –Constantine and the Edict of toleration. –Persecution of pagans by Christians. –The Donatist schism. –Christian Monachism. –Gradual changes in the Church. –Arius and Athanasius; the dogma of the Trinity. –The first murder for error of opinion. –Priscillian. –Monophysite heresy. –The Coptic Church. –St. Augustine and the doctrine of Purgatory. –St. Jerome. –St. Gregory Nazianzen. –St. Basil. –St. John Chrysostom. –St. Ambrose. –The growth of luxury in the Church.

…

(“ORPHEUS – A General History of Religions”, Salomon Reinach, author of “Apollo” etc. изд. New York: G. P. Putnams Sons; London: William Heinemann, 1909)