Dictionary of all Scriptures & Myths

Preface

THIS Dictionary of the Sacred Language claims to give the true solution of the age-long problem of the origin, nature and meaning of the Scriptures and Myths which are attached to the various religions of the world. It especially appeals to those thinkers who are dissatisfied with the many conflicting theories and expositions of both Christian and rationalist teachers and writers of modern times. To earnest souls who are distressed by doubts and difficulties concerning their scriptures and religion, this presentation of facts and their elucidation should bring peace, for it offers them all that is of eternal value in religion, and it entirely frees them from subservience to doubtful systems and conventional contradictory opinions.

The origin and nature of the various Scriptures have never been consistently explained either by religionists or rationalists, so as to account for their world-wide influence and the striking peculiarities of the writings. For more than a century clerical and lay thinkers have disputed about scriptures and doctrines, with no satisfactory result, for the theories of every disputant are open to fatal objections. It is usual to narrow the problem of Divine revelation to one particular religion, and to regard other religions as negligible, thereby making impossible a true understanding either of the accepted religion or of the general problem of religions. It will, I think, be found that the light thrown by this Dictionary upon the sacred writings, shows them to belong to a higher plane of thought than that hitherto conceded to them. On this high plane they are beyond the reach of all the controversies regarding them with which the world of thought is filled. There is indeed no room for skepticism on the general subject of religion and revelation when the full meaning of the Scriptures and their philosophy is apprehended. There is no conflict with science when the legends of old cease to be materialized in the notions of literalists. Doubt respecting Divine revelation only creeps in when history and verbalism are allowed to distort religious conceptions and obstruct the truth. When the fact is realized that the Scriptures belong to a category of writings which is unique in the world and can be recognized through the symbolism peculiar to it, the strength of the religious position is invincible in face of the attacks of materialists and other sceptics. The Scriptures can no longer be controverted because of any features in their appearance, while, in respect to their ascertained meanings, these are beyond the arguments of adverse rationalists.



This present exposition of Scripture exegesis, giving fuller knowledge of man's inner nature and the purpose of his life on earth, has taken the form of a dictionary because of the discovery, forecasted by the great orientalist Max Müller, of a metaphorical language underlying all sacred Scriptures of the world. The terms of this language will reveal themselves to students of the Scriptures who will follow the line of thought of this Dictionary. The Sacred Language will be seen to be the one and only instance where supernatural intrusion into mundane affairs is clearly cognizable; for a universal language, such as this is, could not be invented and applied by man. It is possible for the Scriptures literally to be the work of man, but it is impossible for their world-wide under-meanings to be other than superhuman and transcendental. It matters nothing however grotesque the wording of Scriptures may be; it is the symbolism alone which is precious, and worthy of our best efforts to elucidate.