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Daily Reflection 6.17.21
Jun. 17th, 2021 10:42 amThe Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 1-12
Got it? Let's dive right in.
The House of Bread
Remember what we said last time. Meaning is always present, and names are not arbitrary. Jesus wasn't just a great guy, and his name isn't just a popular name. His parents also aren't just a couple of people chosen at random-- and neither is his home town.
Jesus-- Yah-shuah, "God saves"-- is born in Bethlehem, a city whose name means "House of Bread." Later, of course, he will share a meal of bread with his disciples, telling them "This is my body."
Nothing is random. Jesus wasn't just born in Bethlehem because Pittsburgh hadn't been built yet, and they didn't have bread at the Last Supper because they were out of pizza. There is something about bread which is points to Jesus, and something about Jesus which is manifested in the world as bread.
How I Spent My Covid Vacation
During the course of the Covid lockdowns, I learned to bake bread. If you've never done it, I recommend it. First of all, it's the easiest thing you can possibly cook. Bread requires just four ingredients. Mix 1 cup of water, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of yeast, and 3 cups of wheat flour together in a bowl, and then leave it alone overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put your bread in the oven. 35 minutes later, you will have the best loaf of bread you have ever eaten.
Baking bread always feels like a religious act. From the moment you pour your flour in a bowl you are connected to your ancestors going back to the dawn of human civilization. Indeed, it's grain agriculture which allows civilization to exist at all.
The Power of Myth
Whether or not the Gospels are history, they are also myth, and it's worth taking a moment to discuss what a "myth" is. The clearest and simplest discussion of the nature of myth that I know of comes from the ancient Platonic philosopher Sallustius, in his treatise "On the Gods and the World." Let's quote it at length:
Later, after discussing several ancient myths and their meanings, he tells us:
Bear all these things in mind as we continue.
Jesus's nature and purpose are summarized first in his name, and second in all the details of his story-- that is, his myth. Much is hidden in these, so that we will be forced to use our minds to search out the meanings, and in that way rise above the mind and above the stories, to the Power behind them.
Whenever you discuss the Bible, you have to deal with the fact that we already have 2,000 years of commentary on it, and the established churches and their followers tend to be very jealous of their specific interpretations. If we take the perspective of Sallust, this is both wrong and destructive, as it keeps people from being able to exercise their own minds and souls in the exploration of the Gospels, and so prevents people from being able to use the Gospels to reach the One who is discussed in them.
To return to the discussion of bread-- For now, let's simply bear in mind the connection between Jesus and bread, and see where it leads us.
Three Wise Guys
The next thing that happens is that "three wise men" turn up.
Except, of course, that that isn't what happens.
The word used to describe the three guys who come from the East is "magoi." In English, we would say "magi" or simply "magicians." This word refers to the priestly cast of the Zoroastrian faith, who were known for the practice of, er, magic, and also astrology. "Wise men" is a misleading translation at best. The three guys who turned up because they learned from observing a star that a great king would be born and are from a tradition known for practicing astrology are astrologers.
What is the star they were following? We will never for sure, as much of the astrological lore of the ancient world is lost to us. It seems reasonable to suggest that it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces in 7 BC. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions are said to herald the birth of great religious figures, and Christianity is the most thoroughly Piscean of all religions. On the other hand, it may have been the conjunction of Jupiter (planet of the Father of the Gods) and the star Regulus (most important star in Leo, the sign of kingship) in 3 BC. Or something else. We'll never know.
The important thing here is that, just as we saw that in the first chapter, we are already in a world of spirits, symbolic numbers, and psychic powers, by the first few verses of the second chapter we're in a world of magicians and astrologers.
Notice that the three astrologers are never once condemned in the text. Instead, they accurately predict Christ's birth, and come to do him homage. The periodic, hysterical condemnations of astrology you find in later Christian thought are quite simply absent here.
We can interpret the passage as teaching us that magic and astrology must always be practiced in the service of the Most High God.
Birthday Presents
Notice that the gifts they bring to Christ are Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Now Gold is the primary metal of the Sun, and represents the Sun in the world of minerals. However, it also has a connection to Saturn, the planet of Death, and is described in certain medieval and Renaissance texts as being ruled by both the Sun and Saturn. Frankincense is a solar incense. In magical use, its primary purpose is to elevate the soul to the level of divinity. As Charles Leadbeater put it, frankincense "vibrates at the frequency of devotion." Myrrh is also a devotional incense, but its associations are different from frankincense. Myrrh is an incense of Saturn. It is used in rituals of purification and exorcism, especially in funerals and other contexts in which the spirits of the dead are helped to transition to the next life. In ancient times, it was used to anoint the bodies of the dead.
The Son of God and the God of Death
And so we have, in the gifts of the Magi, the symbols of Saturn and the Sun. So let's talk about these planets a little more.
Until modern times, Saturn was the most distant planet known. In ancient cosmology, every planet, including the Sun and Moon, governs one of the seven heavenly spheres which revolve around the Earth. Saturn is the highest of the planetary spheres. The planet Saturn signifies time, limitation, sorrow, and death. Despite these very difficult associations, Saturn's feast at Rome was a very joyful time. Not a time of mourning at all, Saturnalia was a weeklong holiday in which all the ordinary social customs were suspended, masters served their slaves at their table, lords dined with peasants and so on. These ideas seem contradictory, and contemplation of this apparent contradiction will yield much to the understanding.
It's worth bearing in mind that Saturnalia was a weeklong feast held in late December; that Christmas was traditionally a 12 day feast preceded by a rigorous fast, not a one month shopping season ending with a morning-long orgy of consumption; and that the early Christians held all their possessions in common and believed that there was neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, but all were one in Christ Jesus.
It's also worth noting that Sallust says that the sphere of Saturn is ruled not by Saturn, a fallen titan, but by Demeter, the goddess of grain agriculture.
The Sun is far more obvious as a symbol both of Christ and divinity generally, and not much needs to be said about it. For now, I want to point out that Plato tells us that all things in the visible world are reflections of things in the spiritual world. The Sun in the visible world is an analogous to the Eternal Sun of the Spiritual World. That Sun is called the Idea of the Good: The closest our minds can come to grasping the Good Itself, which is identical to the One that we discussed in the last two entries, which is a definition of God.
You could call the Eternal Spiritual Sun the son of the Good.
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Got it? Let's dive right in.
The House of Bread
Remember what we said last time. Meaning is always present, and names are not arbitrary. Jesus wasn't just a great guy, and his name isn't just a popular name. His parents also aren't just a couple of people chosen at random-- and neither is his home town.
Jesus-- Yah-shuah, "God saves"-- is born in Bethlehem, a city whose name means "House of Bread." Later, of course, he will share a meal of bread with his disciples, telling them "This is my body."
Nothing is random. Jesus wasn't just born in Bethlehem because Pittsburgh hadn't been built yet, and they didn't have bread at the Last Supper because they were out of pizza. There is something about bread which is points to Jesus, and something about Jesus which is manifested in the world as bread.
How I Spent My Covid Vacation
During the course of the Covid lockdowns, I learned to bake bread. If you've never done it, I recommend it. First of all, it's the easiest thing you can possibly cook. Bread requires just four ingredients. Mix 1 cup of water, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of yeast, and 3 cups of wheat flour together in a bowl, and then leave it alone overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put your bread in the oven. 35 minutes later, you will have the best loaf of bread you have ever eaten.
Baking bread always feels like a religious act. From the moment you pour your flour in a bowl you are connected to your ancestors going back to the dawn of human civilization. Indeed, it's grain agriculture which allows civilization to exist at all.
The Power of Myth
Whether or not the Gospels are history, they are also myth, and it's worth taking a moment to discuss what a "myth" is. The clearest and simplest discussion of the nature of myth that I know of comes from the ancient Platonic philosopher Sallustius, in his treatise "On the Gods and the World." Let's quote it at length:
There is this first benefit from myths, that we have to search and do not have our minds idle.
That the myths are divine can be seen from those who have used them. Myths have been used by inspired poets, by the best of philosophers, by those who established the mysteries, and by the Gods themselves in oracles. But why the myths are divine it is the duty of philosophy to inquire. Since all existing things rejoice in that which is like them and reject that which is unlike, the stories about the Gods ought to be like the Gods, so that they may both be worthy of the divine essence and make the Gods well disposed to those who speak of them: which could only be done by means of myths.
Now the myths represent the Gods themselves and the goodness of the Gods -- subject always to the distinction of the speakable and the unspeakable, the revealed and the unrevealed, that which is clear and that which is hidden: since, just as the Gods have made the goods of sense common to all, but those of intellect only to the wise, so the myths state the existence of Gods to all, but who and what they are only to those who can understand.
They also represent the activities of the Gods. For one may call the world a myth, in which bodies and things are visible, but souls and minds hidden. Besides, to wish to teach the whole truth about the Gods to all produces contempt in the foolish, because they cannot understand, and lack of zeal in the good, whereas to conceal the truth by myths prevents the contempt of the foolish, and compels the good to practice philosophy.
Later, after discussing several ancient myths and their meanings, he tells us:
Now, these things never happened, but always are.
Bear all these things in mind as we continue.
Jesus's nature and purpose are summarized first in his name, and second in all the details of his story-- that is, his myth. Much is hidden in these, so that we will be forced to use our minds to search out the meanings, and in that way rise above the mind and above the stories, to the Power behind them.
Whenever you discuss the Bible, you have to deal with the fact that we already have 2,000 years of commentary on it, and the established churches and their followers tend to be very jealous of their specific interpretations. If we take the perspective of Sallust, this is both wrong and destructive, as it keeps people from being able to exercise their own minds and souls in the exploration of the Gospels, and so prevents people from being able to use the Gospels to reach the One who is discussed in them.
To return to the discussion of bread-- For now, let's simply bear in mind the connection between Jesus and bread, and see where it leads us.
Three Wise Guys
The next thing that happens is that "three wise men" turn up.
Except, of course, that that isn't what happens.
The word used to describe the three guys who come from the East is "magoi." In English, we would say "magi" or simply "magicians." This word refers to the priestly cast of the Zoroastrian faith, who were known for the practice of, er, magic, and also astrology. "Wise men" is a misleading translation at best. The three guys who turned up because they learned from observing a star that a great king would be born and are from a tradition known for practicing astrology are astrologers.
What is the star they were following? We will never for sure, as much of the astrological lore of the ancient world is lost to us. It seems reasonable to suggest that it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces in 7 BC. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions are said to herald the birth of great religious figures, and Christianity is the most thoroughly Piscean of all religions. On the other hand, it may have been the conjunction of Jupiter (planet of the Father of the Gods) and the star Regulus (most important star in Leo, the sign of kingship) in 3 BC. Or something else. We'll never know.
The important thing here is that, just as we saw that in the first chapter, we are already in a world of spirits, symbolic numbers, and psychic powers, by the first few verses of the second chapter we're in a world of magicians and astrologers.
Notice that the three astrologers are never once condemned in the text. Instead, they accurately predict Christ's birth, and come to do him homage. The periodic, hysterical condemnations of astrology you find in later Christian thought are quite simply absent here.
We can interpret the passage as teaching us that magic and astrology must always be practiced in the service of the Most High God.
Birthday Presents
Notice that the gifts they bring to Christ are Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Now Gold is the primary metal of the Sun, and represents the Sun in the world of minerals. However, it also has a connection to Saturn, the planet of Death, and is described in certain medieval and Renaissance texts as being ruled by both the Sun and Saturn. Frankincense is a solar incense. In magical use, its primary purpose is to elevate the soul to the level of divinity. As Charles Leadbeater put it, frankincense "vibrates at the frequency of devotion." Myrrh is also a devotional incense, but its associations are different from frankincense. Myrrh is an incense of Saturn. It is used in rituals of purification and exorcism, especially in funerals and other contexts in which the spirits of the dead are helped to transition to the next life. In ancient times, it was used to anoint the bodies of the dead.
The Son of God and the God of Death
And so we have, in the gifts of the Magi, the symbols of Saturn and the Sun. So let's talk about these planets a little more.
Until modern times, Saturn was the most distant planet known. In ancient cosmology, every planet, including the Sun and Moon, governs one of the seven heavenly spheres which revolve around the Earth. Saturn is the highest of the planetary spheres. The planet Saturn signifies time, limitation, sorrow, and death. Despite these very difficult associations, Saturn's feast at Rome was a very joyful time. Not a time of mourning at all, Saturnalia was a weeklong holiday in which all the ordinary social customs were suspended, masters served their slaves at their table, lords dined with peasants and so on. These ideas seem contradictory, and contemplation of this apparent contradiction will yield much to the understanding.
It's worth bearing in mind that Saturnalia was a weeklong feast held in late December; that Christmas was traditionally a 12 day feast preceded by a rigorous fast, not a one month shopping season ending with a morning-long orgy of consumption; and that the early Christians held all their possessions in common and believed that there was neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, but all were one in Christ Jesus.
It's also worth noting that Sallust says that the sphere of Saturn is ruled not by Saturn, a fallen titan, but by Demeter, the goddess of grain agriculture.
The Sun is far more obvious as a symbol both of Christ and divinity generally, and not much needs to be said about it. For now, I want to point out that Plato tells us that all things in the visible world are reflections of things in the spiritual world. The Sun in the visible world is an analogous to the Eternal Sun of the Spiritual World. That Sun is called the Idea of the Good: The closest our minds can come to grasping the Good Itself, which is identical to the One that we discussed in the last two entries, which is a definition of God.
You could call the Eternal Spiritual Sun the son of the Good.
