Another reason to study ancient teachings. “The greatest story ever told.”
The worlds 16 crucified saviors
- Jesus of Nazareth
- Khrisna of India
- Thammuz of Syria
- Esus of the Celtic Druids
- Mithra of Persia
- Quetzalcoatl of Mexico
- Wittoba of Telingoness
- Iao of Nepaul
- Quirinus of Rome
- Aeschylus of Prometheus
- Thulis of Egypt
- Indra of Thibet
- Alcestos of Euripides
- Atys of Phrygia
- Crite of Chaldea
- Bali of Orissa
So, where does the story originate?
This is what Dr Gottfried de Purucker, commentator of Helena P. Blavatskys magnum opus The Secret Doctrine (1888), hints to the regularly appearence of a new religious savior through the ages, times and cultures:
Religion
An operation of the human spiritual mind in its endeavor to understand not only the how and the why of things, but comprising in addition a yearning and striving towards self-conscious union with the divine All and an endlessly growing self-conscious identification with the cosmic divine-spiritual realities. One phase of a triform method of understanding the nature of nature, of universal nature, and its multiform and multifold workings; and this phase cannot be separated from the other two phases (science and philosophy) if we wish to gain a true picture of things as they are in themselves.
Human religion is the expression of that aspect of man’s consciousness which is intuitional, aspirational, and mystical, and which is often deformed and distorted in its lower forms by the emotional in man.
It is usual among modern Europeans to derive the word religion from the Latin verb meaning “to bind back” — religare. But there is another derivation, which is the one that Cicero chooses, and of course he was a Roman himself and had great skill and deep knowledge in the use of his own native tongue. This other derivation comes from a Latin root meaning “to select,” “to choose,” from which, likewise, we have the word lex, “law,” i.e., the course of conduct or rule of action which is chosen as the best, and is therefore followed; in other words, that which is the best of its kind, as ascertained by selection, by trial, and by proof.
Thus then, the meaning of the word religion from the Latin religio, means a careful selection of fundamental beliefs and motives by the higher or spiritual intellect, a faculty of intuitional judgment and understanding, and a consequent abiding by that selection, resulting in a course of life and conduct in all respects following the convictions that have been arrived at. This is the religious spirit.
To this the theosophist would add the following very important idea: behind all the various religions and philosophies of ancient times there is a secret or esoteric wisdom given out by the greatest men who have ever lived, the founders and builders of the various world religions and world philosophies; and this sublime system in fundamentals has been the same everywhere over the face of the globe.
This system has passed under various names, e.g., the esoteric philosophy, the ancient wisdom, the secret doctrine, the traditional teaching, theosophy, etc. (See also Science, Philosophy)
- Gottfried de Purucker: Occult Glossary (1933, 2nd rev. ed. 1996)