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5 Planes of Existence
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BIBLE VERSES
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GOSPELS
Writings symbolic of the evolution of the soul.
"In assigning to the Gospels their proper meaning, it is necessary
to remember that as mystical Scriptures they deal primarily, not
with material things or persons, but with spiritual significations.
Like the books of Moses, therefore, and others, which, in being
mystical, are, in the strictest sense, prophetical, the Gospels are
addressed, not to the outer sense and reason, but to the soul. And
being thus, their object is not to give an historical account of the
physical life of any man whatever, but to exhibit the spiritual
possibilities of humanity at large, as illustrated in a particular
and typical example. The design is, thus, that which is dictated by
the nature itself of Religion. For Religion is not in its nature
historical and dependent upon actual, sensible events, but consists
in processes, such as Faith and Redemption which being interior to
all men, subsist irrespectively of what any particular man has at
any time suffered or done. That alone which is of importance is what
God has revealed. And therefore it is that the narratives concerning
Jesus are rather parables founded on a collection of histories than
any one actual history, and have a spiritual import capable of
universal application. And it is with this spiritual import, and not
with physical facts, that the Gospels are concerned." - KINGSFORD
AND MAITLAND, The Perfect Way, p. 225.
"The Gospel narrative, while related, in Scripture fashion, as of an
actual particular person, and in terms derived from the physical
plane, is a mystical history only, of any person, and implies the
spiritual possibilities of all persons. And hence, while using terms
implying or derived from actual times, places, persons and events,
it does not really refer to these or make pretence to historical
precision." - Ibid., p. 230.
"Horst presented the symbolical view of the history of Jesus with
singular clearness. The history of the Gospel is in fact the history
of human nature conceived ideally, and exhibits to us in the life of
an individual what man ought to be, and, united with him by
following his doctrine and example, can actually become." - D. F.
STRAUSS, Life of Jesus, Vol. III. p. 430.
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See Also
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