Just as the Jewish Christians took with them the whole
framework of apocalyptic Messianism, and set the figure
of Jesus within it, so the Greeks took with them the
whole scheme of the mysteries, with their sacraments,
their purifications and fasts, their idea of a mystical
brotherhood, and their doctrine of ‘salvation’
(soterhia is essentially a mystery word) through membership
in a divine society, worshipping Christ as the patronal
deity of their mysteries.
Historically, this type of Christianity was the origin
of Catholicism, both Western and Eastern; though it
is only recently that this character of the Pauline
churches has been recognised. And students of
the New Testament have not yet realised the importance
of the fact that St. Paul, who was ready to fight
to the death against the Judaising of Christianity,
was willing to take the first step, and a long one,
towards the Paganising of it. It does not appear
that his personal religion was of this type.
He speaks with contempt of some doctrines and practices
of the Pagan mysteries, and will allow no rapprochement
with what he regards as devil-worship. In this
he remains a pure Hebrew. But he does not appear
to see any danger in allowing his Hellenistic churches
to assimilate the worship of Christ to the honours
paid to the gods of the mysteries, and to set their
whole religion in this framework, provided only that
they have no part nor lot with those who sit at ’the
table of demons’—the sacramental love-feasts
of the heathen mysteries. The dangers which he
does see, and against which he issues warnings, are,
besides Judaism, antinomianism and disorder on the
one hand, and dualistic asceticism on the other.
He dislikes or mistrusts ‘the speaking with
tongues’ (glossolalhia), which was the favourite
exhibition of religious enthusiasm at Corinth. (On
this subject Prof. Lake’s excursus is the
most instructive discussion that has yet appeared.
The ‘Testament of Job’ and the magical
papyri show that gibberish uttered in a state of spiritual
excitement was supposed to be the language of angels
and spirits, understood by them and acting upon them
as a charm.) He urges his converts to do all things
’decently and in order.’ He is alarmed
at signs of moral laxity on the part of self-styled
’spiritual persons’—a great
danger in all times of ecstatic enthusiasm. He
is also alive to the dangers connected with that kind
of asceticism which is based on theories of the impurity
of the body—the typical Oriental form of
world-renunciation. But he does not appear to
have foreseen the unethical and polytheistic developments
of sacramental institutionalism. In this particular
his Judaising opponents had a little more justification
than he is willing to allow them.
Print
Word
PDF
