Kapitel 98		Paper 98
Melkisedeks Lære I Vesten		The Melchizedek Teachings in the Occident
98:0.1 (1077.1) Melkisedeks lære nåede Vesten ad mange ruter, men først og fremmest kom den via Egypten og indarbejdet i vestlig filosofi efter at være blevet grundigt omformet af hellenismen og senere kristendommen. Den vestlige verdens idealer var dybest set dem som Sokrates underviste i, og dens senere religionsfilosofi blev det som Jesus lærte, modificeret og kompromitteret gennem kontakt med udviklende vestlige filosofi og religion, som alle kulminerede i den kristne kirke.		98:0.1 (1077.1) THE Melchizedek teachings entered Europe along many routes, but chiefly they came by way of Egypt and were embodied in Occidental philosophy after being thoroughly Hellenized and later Christianized. The ideals of the Western world were basically Socratic, and its later religious philosophy became that of Jesus as it was modified and compromised through contact with evolving Occidental philosophy and religion, all of which culminated in the Christian church.
98:0.2 (1077.2) Salemmissionærerne udøvede i lang tid deres aktiviteter i Europa, og blev gradvist absorberet ind i mange af de kulter og rituelle grupper, som fra tid til anden opstod. Blandt dem, der fastholdt Salemlæren i den reneste form, skal nævnes kynikerne. Disse lærere som prædikede tro og tillid til Gud var stadig aktive i det romerske Europa i det første århundrede efter Kristus, og blev senere indarbejdet i den nyligt dannet kristne religion.		98:0.2 (1077.2) For a long time in Europe the Salem missionaries carried on their activities, becoming gradually absorbed into many of the cults and ritual groups which periodically arose. Among those who maintained the Salem teachings in the purest form must be mentioned the Cynics. These preachers of faith and trust in God were still functioning in Roman Europe in the first century after Christ, being later incorporated into the newly forming Christian religion.
98:0.3 (1077.3) Meget af Salemlæren blev spredt i Europa af de jødiske lejesoldater, der kæmpede i så mange af de militære sammenstød i Vesten. I oldtiden var jøderne lige meget berømte for militær tapperhed som for deres teologiske ejendommeligheder.		98:0.3 (1077.3) Much of the Salem doctrine was spread in Europe by the Jewish mercenary soldiers who fought in so many of the Occidental military struggles. In ancient times the Jews were famed as much for military valor as for theologic peculiarities.
98:0.4 (1077.4) De grundlæggende doktriner i den græske filosofi, jødisk teologi, og kristne etik var fundamentale konsekvenser af Melkisedeks tidligere lære.		98:0.4 (1077.4) The basic doctrines of Greek philosophy, Jewish theology, and Christian ethics were fundamentally repercussions of the earlier Melchizedek teachings.
1. Salemreligionen blandt grækerne ^top		1. The Salem Religion Among the Greeks ^top
98:1.1 (1077.5) Salemmissionærerne kunne have opbygget en stor religiøs struktur blandt grækerne havde det ikke været for deres strenge fortolkning af deres ordinationsed, et løfte pålagt af Makiventa der forbød afholdelse af eksklusive menigheder til gudstjeneste, og som afkrævede et løfte af hver lærer om aldrig at fungere som præst og aldrig at modtage gebyrer for religiøs service, kun mad, tøj og husly. Når Melkisedeks lærere trængte ind i hellenistisk Grækenland, fandt de et folk, der stadig dyrkede traditionerne fra Adamson og Anditernes tider, men disse lærdomme var blevet stærkt forfalsket med begreberne og overbevisninger af horder af laverestående slaver, der i stigende antal var blevet bragt til de græske kyster. Denne forfalskning afstedkom en tilbagevenden til en rå animisme med blodige ritualer og de lavere klasser gjorde endda udførelsen af dømte kriminelle til en ceremoni.		98:1.1 (1077.5) The Salem missionaries might have built up a great religious structure among the Greeks had it not been for their strict interpretation of their oath of ordination, a pledge imposed by Machiventa which forbade the organization of exclusive congregations for worship, and which exacted the promise of each teacher never to function as a priest, never to receive fees for religious service, only food, clothing, and shelter. When the Melchizedek teachers penetrated to pre-Hellenic Greece, they found a people who still fostered the traditions of Adamson and the days of the Andites, but these teachings had become greatly adulterated with the notions and beliefs of the hordes of inferior slaves that had been brought to the Greek shores in increasing numbers. This adulteration produced a reversion to a crude animism with bloody rites, the lower classes even making ceremonial out of the execution of condemned criminals.
98:1.2 (1077.6) Salemlærernes tidlige indflydelse var næsten ødelagt af den såkaldte ariske invasion fra det sydlige Europa og Østen. Disse hellenistiske angribere medbragte deres opfattelse om menneskelignende guder som lignede dem som deres ariske slægtninge havde gennemført til Indien. Denne import udviklede sig til de græske familier af guder og gudinder. Denne nye religion blev delvist baseret på de indkommende hellenistiske barbarers kulter, men der er også indgået myter fra de ældre indbyggere i Grækenland.		98:1.2 (1077.6) The early influence of the Salem teachers was nearly destroyed by the so-called Aryan invasion from southern Europe and the East. These Hellenic invaders brought along with them anthropomorphic God concepts similar to those which their Aryan fellows had carried to India. This importation inaugurated the evolution of the Greek family of gods and goddesses. This new religion was partly based on the cults of the incoming Hellenic barbarians, but it also shared in the myths of the older inhabitants of Greece.
98:1.3 (1078.1) De hellenistiske grækere fandt Middelhavets verden i høj grad domineret af moderkulten, og de påtvang disse mennesker deres menneskeskabte gud, Dyaus-Zeus, der ligesom Jahve blandt de henoteistiske semitter, allerede var blevet leder af hele den græske gudeverden af underordnede guder. Grækerne ville med tiden have opnået en sand monoteisme i begrebet om Zeus, hvis de ikke havde fastholdt, at skæbnen havde den endelige afgørelse. En Gud som repræsenterer en endelige værdi må selv være dommer over skæbne og skaberen af skæbne.		98:1.3 (1078.1) The Hellenic Greeks found the Mediterranean world largely dominated by the mother cult, and they imposed upon these peoples their man-god, Dyaus-Zeus, who had already become, like Yahweh among the henotheistic Semites, head of the whole Greek pantheon of subordinate gods. And the Greeks would have eventually achieved a true monotheism in the concept of Zeus except for their retention of the overcontrol of Fate. A God of final value must, himself, be the arbiter of fate and the creator of destiny.
98:1.4 (1078.2) Som en konsekvens af disse faktorer i den religiøse evolution, udviklede der sig snart den populære tro på de glade guder på Olympen, guder som var mere menneskelige end guddommelige, og guder, som de intelligente grækerne aldrig betragtede meget alvorligt. De hverken særligt elskede eller frygtede disse guddomme af deres egen skabelse. De havde en patriotisk og racemæssig følelse for Zeus og hans familie af halve mænd og halve guder, men de ærede eller tilbad dem knap nok.		98:1.4 (1078.2) As a consequence of these factors in religious evolution, there presently developed the popular belief in the happy-go-lucky gods of Mount Olympus, gods more human than divine, and gods which the intelligent Greeks never did regard very seriously. They neither greatly loved nor greatly feared these divinities of their own creation. They had a patriotic and racial feeling for Zeus and his family of half men and half gods, but they hardly reverenced or worshiped them.
98:1.5 (1078.3) Hellenerne blev så imprægneret med de tidligere Salemlærers doktriner, der fordømte alt præsteskab, at intet præstedømme af nogen betydning nogensinde opstod i Grækenland. Selv tilvirkningen af billeder til guderne blev mere et værk i kunst end et spørgsmål om tilbedelse.		98:1.5 (1078.3) The Hellenes became so impregnated with the antipriestcraft doctrines of the earlier Salem teachers that no priesthood of any importance ever arose in Greece. Even the making of images to the gods became more of a work in art than a matter of worship.
98:1.6 (1078.4) De olympiske guder illustrerer menneskets typiske antropomorfisme. Den græske mytologi var mere æstetisk end etik. Den græske religion var nyttig for så vidt som at den portrætterede et univers styret af en gruppe guder. Men den græske moral, etik og filosofi avancerede snart langt forbi gudsopfattelse, og denne ubalance mellem intellektuel og åndelig vækst var ligeså farligt for Grækenland, som den havde vist sig at være i Indien.		98:1.6 (1078.4) The Olympian gods illustrate man’s typical anthropomorphism. But the Greek mythology was more aesthetic than ethic. The Greek religion was helpful in that it portrayed a universe governed by a deity group. But Greek morals, ethics, and philosophy presently advanced far beyond the god concept, and this imbalance between intellectual and spiritual growth was as hazardous to Greece as it had proved to be in India.
2. Græsk filosofisk tænkning ^top		2. Greek Philosophic Thought ^top
98:2.1 (1078.5) En let betragtet og overfladisk religion kan ikke bestå, især når den ikke har noget præsteskab til at fremme dens former, og til at fylde tilhængernes hjerter med frygt og ærefrygt. Den olympiske religion lovede ikke frelse, og den slukkede heller ikke den åndelige tørst hos sine troende; derfor blev den dømt til at gå til grunde. Inden et årtusinde fra dens start var den næsten forsvundet, og grækerne var uden en national religion, da guderne på Olympus have mistet deres greb om de bedre sind.		98:2.1 (1078.5) A lightly regarded and superficial religion cannot endure, especially when it has no priesthood to foster its forms and to fill the hearts of the devotees with fear and awe. The Olympian religion did not promise salvation, nor did it quench the spiritual thirst of its believers; therefore was it doomed to perish. Within a millennium of its inception it had nearly vanished, and the Greeks were without a national religion, the gods of Olympus having lost their hold upon the better minds.
98:2.2 (1078.6) Sådan var situationen, da Orienten og Levanten i den sjette århundrede før Kristus, oplevede en genoplivning af åndelig bevidsthed og en ny opvågnen til anerkendelse af monoteisme. Men Vesten havde ikke del i denne nye udvikling; hverken Europa eller det nordlige Afrika deltog i nogen større betydning i denne religiøse renæssance. Grækerne engagerede sig dog i en storslået intellektuel fremgang. De var begyndt at mestre frygt og søgte ikke længere religionen som en modgift til frygt, men de opfattede ikke, at en sand religion er et helbredelsesmiddel for sjælens sult, åndelig uro, og moralsk fortvivlelse. De søgte sjælens trøst i dybsindig tænkning - filosofi og metafysik. De vendte sig fra betragtningen af selvopholdelsesdrift - frelse - til selvrealisering og selvforståelse.		98:2.2 (1078.6) This was the situation when, during the sixth century before Christ, the Orient and the Levant experienced a revival of spiritual consciousness and a new awakening to the recognition of monotheism. But the West did not share in this new development; neither Europe nor northern Africa extensively participated in this religious renaissance. The Greeks, however, did engage in a magnificent intellectual advancement. They had begun to master fear and no longer sought religion as an antidote therefor, but they did not perceive that true religion is the cure for soul hunger, spiritual disquiet, and moral despair. They sought for the solace of the soul in deep thinking—philosophy and metaphysics. They turned from the contemplation of self-preservation—salvation—to self-realization and self-understanding.
98:2.3 (1078.7) Ved disciplineret tænkning forsøgte grækerne at nå et sådan tryghedsbevidsthed, som ville fungerer som en erstatning for troen på overlevelse, men de mislykkedes aldeles. Kun den mere intelligente del blandt de højere klasser i det græske folk kunne fatte denne nye lære; de almindelige mennesker, efterkommerne af slaverne fra tidligere generationer havde ingen kapacitet for modtagelse af denne nye erstatning for religion.		98:2.3 (1078.7) By rigorous thought the Greeks attempted to attain that consciousness of security which would serve as a substitute for the belief in survival, but they utterly failed. Only the more intelligent among the higher classes of the Hellenic peoples could grasp this new teaching; the rank and file of the progeny of the slaves of former generations had no capacity for the reception of this new substitute for religion.
98:2.4 (1079.1) Filosofferne foragtede alle former for tilbedelse, uagtet at de stort set alle holdt sig løst til en baggrund af en tro på Salemdoktrinen om "universets intelligens", "idéen om Gud," og "den Store Kilde". For så vidt, at de græske filosoffer gav anerkendelse til det guddommelige og det superendelige, var de helt ærligt monoteistiske; de gav ringe anerkendelse til hele samlingen af guder og gudinder på Olympus.		98:2.4 (1079.1) The philosophers disdained all forms of worship, notwithstanding that they practically all held loosely to the background of a belief in the Salem doctrine of “the Intelligence of the universe,” “the idea of God,” and “the Great Source.” In so far as the Greek philosophers gave recognition to the divine and the superfinite, they were frankly monotheistic; they gave scant recognition to the whole galaxy of Olympian gods and goddesses.
98:2.5 (1079.2) De græske digtere under det femte og sjette århundrede, i særdeleshed Pindar, forsøgte at reformere den græske religion. De forhøjede dens idealer, men de var mere kunstnere end religiøse. De undlod at udvikle en teknik til at fremme og bevare de øverste værdier.		98:2.5 (1079.2) The Greek poets of the fifth and sixth centuries, notably Pindar, attempted the reformation of Greek religion. They elevated its ideals, but they were more artists than religionists. They failed to develop a technique for fostering and conserving supreme values.
98:2.6 (1079.3) Xenophanes lærte, at der var én Gud, men hans guddomskoncept var for panteistisk til at være en personlig Fader for det dødelige menneske. Anaxagoras var en maskinist, bortset fra at han erkendte en første årsag, et Oprindelig Sind. Sokrates og hans efterfølgere, Platon og Aristoteles, lærte, at dyd er viden; godhed, sundhed for sjælen; at det er bedre at lide uret end at være skyldig i det, at det er forkert at returnere ondt med ondt, og at guderne er kloge og gode. Deres kardinal dyder var: visdom, mod, mådehold og retfærdighed.		98:2.6 (1079.3) Xenophanes taught one God, but his deity concept was too pantheistic to be a personal Father to mortal man. Anaxagoras was a mechanist except that he did recognize a First Cause, an Initial Mind. Socrates and his successors, Plato and Aristotle, taught that virtue is knowledge; goodness, health of the soul; that it is better to suffer injustice than to be guilty of it, that it is wrong to return evil for evil, and that the gods are wise and good. Their cardinal virtues were: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice.
98:2.7 (1079.4) Udviklingen af den religiøse filosofi blandt de hellenistiske og hebraiske folk giver en kontrastiv illustration af kirkens funktion som institution i udformningen af kulturelle fremskridt. I Palæstina, var menneskets tanker så kontrolleret af præster og styret af skriften, at filosofi og æstetik helt blev opslugt i religion og moral. I Grækenland medførte den næsten fuldstændige mangel på præster og "hellige skrifter" det menneskelige sind frit og uhindret, hvilket resulterede i en overraskende udvikling i tænkningens dybde. Religion som en personlig oplevelse undladt at holde trit med de intellektuelle sonderinger i kosmos natur og virkelighed.		98:2.7 (1079.4) The evolution of religious philosophy among the Hellenic and Hebrew peoples affords a contrastive illustration of the function of the church as an institution in the shaping of cultural progress. In Palestine, human thought was so priest-controlled and scripture-directed that philosophy and aesthetics were entirely submerged in religion and morality. In Greece, the almost complete absence of priests and “sacred scriptures” left the human mind free and unfettered, resulting in a startling development in depth of thought. But religion as a personal experience failed to keep pace with the intellectual probings into the nature and reality of the cosmos.
98:2.8 (1079.5) I Grækenland var troen underordnet tanken; i Palæstina, var tanken underlagt troen. En stor del af styrken i kristendommen er på grund af at den har lånt kraftigt fra både hebraisk moral og græsk tænkning.		98:2.8 (1079.5) In Greece, believing was subordinated to thinking; in Palestine, thinking was held subject to believing. Much of the strength of Christianity is due to its having borrowed heavily from both Hebrew morality and Greek thought.
98:2.9 (1079.6) I Palæstina, krystalliserede de religiøse dogmer sig så langt at de truede yderligere vækst; i Grækenland blev den menneskelige tænkning så abstrakte, at gudsbegrebet opløste sig selv i en tåget damp af panteistisk spekulation, der ikke er ulig til brahmin filosoffernes upersonlige Uendelighed.		98:2.9 (1079.6) In Palestine, religious dogma became so crystallized as to jeopardize further growth; in Greece, human thought became so abstract that the concept of God resolved itself into a misty vapor of pantheistic speculation not at all unlike the impersonal Infinity of the Brahman philosophers.
98:2.10 (1079.7) Gennemsnitsmenneskerne i disse tider kunne ikke forstå den græske filosofi om selvrealisering og en abstrakt Guddom og de var heller ikke særligt interesserede i den; de længtes mere efter løfter om frelse, kombineret med en personlig Gud, der kunne høre deres bønner. De sendte filosofferne i landflygtighed, forfulgte resterne af Salemkulten - begge doktriner var blevet meget blandet med hinanden og gjorte sig klar til det frygtelige orgiastiske spring ind i mysteriekulternes tåbeligheder som derefter spredte sig over Middelhavslandene. De eleusinske mysterier voksede frem i den olympiske gudeverden, en græsk version af tilbedelsen af frugtbarhed. Dionysos natur tilbedelse blomstrede. Den bedste blandt kulterne var det Orfiske broderskab, hvis moralske prædikener og løfter om frelse gjorte en stor appel til mange.		98:2.10 (1079.7) But the average men of these times could not grasp, nor were they much interested in, the Greek philosophy of self-realization and an abstract Deity; they rather craved promises of salvation, coupled with a personal God who could hear their prayers. They exiled the philosophers, persecuted the remnants of the Salem cult, both doctrines having become much blended, and made ready for that terrible orgiastic plunge into the follies of the mystery cults which were then overspreading the Mediterranean lands. The Eleusinian mysteries grew up within the Olympian pantheon, a Greek version of the worship of fertility; Dionysus nature worship flourished; the best of the cults was the Orphic brotherhood, whose moral preachments and promises of salvation made a great appeal to many.
98:2.11 (1080.1) Hele Grækenland blev involveret i disse nye metoder til at opnå frelse, disse følelsesmæssige og lidenskabelige ceremonier. Ingen nation nået nogensinde sådanne højder af kunstnerisk filosofi på så kort tid. Ingen har nogensinde skabt et så avanceret system af etik næsten uden Guddom og helt blottet for løftet om menneskets frelse. Ingen nation har nogensinde kastet sig så hurtigt, dybt og voldsomt ind i sådanne dybder af intellektuel stagnation, moralsk fordærv, og åndelig fattigdom som disse samme græske folk, når de kastede sig ind i mysteriekulternes vanvittige hvirvel.		98:2.11 (1080.1) All Greece became involved in these new methods of attaining salvation, these emotional and fiery ceremonials. No nation ever attained such heights of artistic philosophy in so short a time; none ever created such an advanced system of ethics practically without Deity and entirely devoid of the promise of human salvation; no nation ever plunged so quickly, deeply, and violently into such depths of intellectual stagnation, moral depravity, and spiritual poverty as these same Greek peoples when they flung themselves into the mad whirl of the mystery cults.
98:2.12 (1080.2) Religioner har længe været uden filosofisk støtte, men få filosofier, som sådan, har længe bestået uden en vis identifikation med religion. Filosofi er for religion som undfangelse er til handling. Men den ideelle menneskelige tilstand er, at filosofi, religion og videnskab, sammensvejses ind i en meningsfuld helhed gennem interaktion af visdom, tro og erfaring.		98:2.12 (1080.2) Religions have long endured without philosophical support, but few philosophies, as such, have long persisted without some identification with religion. Philosophy is to religion as conception is to action. But the ideal human estate is that in which philosophy, religion, and science are welded into a meaningful unity by the conjoined action of wisdom, faith, and experience.
3. Melkisedeks lære i rom ^top		3. The Melchizedek Teachings in Rome ^top
98:3.1 (1080.3) Efter at latinerne havde forladt de tidligere religiøse former for tilbedelse af familieguder og overgået til stamme ærbødighed for Mars, krigsguden, var det naturligt, at deres senere religion mere mindede om en politisk ceremoni end grækernes og brahminernes intellektuelle systemer eller flere andre folkeslags spirituelle religioner.		98:3.1 (1080.3) Having grown out of the earlier religious forms of worship of the family gods into the tribal reverence for Mars, the god of war, it was natural that the later religion of the Latins was more of a political observance than were the intellectual systems of the Greeks and Brahmans or the more spiritual religions of several other peoples.
98:3.2 (1080.4) I den store monoteistiske renæssance af Melkisedeks evangelium i det sjette århundrede før Kristus, trængte alt for få af Salemmissionærerne ind i Italien, og dem, der gjorde var ude af stand til at overvinde indflydelsen af det etruskiske præsteskab som meget hurtigt spredte sig med sin nye samling af guder og templer, som alle herefter blev organiseret i den romerske statsreligion. De latinske stammers religion var ikke ubetydelig og korrupt ligesom grækerne, ej heller var den streng og tyrannisk ligesom hebræerne. Den bestod for det meste blot i overholdelse af former, løfter og tabuer.		98:3.2 (1080.4) In the great monotheistic renaissance of Melchizedek’s gospel during the sixth century before Christ, too few of the Salem missionaries penetrated Italy, and those who did were unable to overcome the influence of the rapidly spreading Etruscan priesthood with its new galaxy of gods and temples, all of which became organized into the Roman state religion. This religion of the Latin tribes was not trivial and venal like that of the Greeks, neither was it austere and tyrannical like that of the Hebrews; it consisted for the most part in the observance of mere forms, vows, and taboos.
98:3.3 (1080.5) Den romerske religion var stærkt præget af omfattende kulturel import fra Grækenland. Til sidst blev de fleste af de olympiske guder transplanteret og indarbejdet i den latinske gudeverden. Grækerne tilbad længe ilden fra familiens arne - Hestia var den jomfruelige skorstens gudinde; Vesta var den romerske gudinde for hjemmet. Zeus blev Jupiter; Afrodite til Venus; og så videre ned gennem de mange olympiske guder.		98:3.3 (1080.5) Roman religion was greatly influenced by extensive cultural importations from Greece. Eventually most of the Olympian gods were transplanted and incorporated into the Latin pantheon. The Greeks long worshiped the fire of the family hearth—Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth; Vesta was the Roman goddess of the home. Zeus became Jupiter; Aphrodite, Venus; and so on down through the many Olympian deities.
98:3.4 (1080.6) Den religiøse initiering af romerske unge var i anledning af deres højtidelige indvielse til tjeneste for staten. Eder og optagelser til statsborgerskab var i virkeligheden religiøse ceremonier. De latinske folkeslag opretholdt templer, altre og helligdomme, og i en krise, ville de høre orakler. De bevarede heltes knogler og senere dem fra de kristne helgener.		98:3.4 (1080.6) The religious initiation of Roman youths was the occasion of their solemn consecration to the service of the state. Oaths and admissions to citizenship were in reality religious ceremonies. The Latin peoples maintained temples, altars, and shrines and, in a crisis, would consult the oracles. They preserved the bones of heroes and later on those of the Christian saints.
98:3.5 (1080.7) Denne formelle og uemotionelle form for pseudoreligiøs patriotisme var dømt til at bryde sammen, ligesom grækernes meget intellektuelle og kunstneriske tilbedelse var gået under for mysteriekulternes brændende og dybt følelsesmæssige tilbedelse. Den største af disse ødelæggende kulter var Guds Moder sekten, en af mysteriereligionerne, som havde sit hovedkvarter, i den tid, på det nøjagtige samme sted som den nuværende St. Peters kirke i Rom.		98:3.5 (1080.7) This formal and unemotional form of pseudoreligious patriotism was doomed to collapse, even as the highly intellectual and artistic worship of the Greeks had gone down before the fervid and deeply emotional worship of the mystery cults. The greatest of these devastating cults was the mystery religion of the Mother of God sect, which had its headquarters, in those days, on the exact site of the present church of St. Peter’s in Rome.
98:3.6 (1080.8) Den nye romerske stat gjorde politiske erobringer, men blev til gengæld erobret af kulter, ritualer, mysterier, og gudsbegreberne fra Egypten, Grækenland og Levanten. Disse importerede kulter fortsatte med at blomstre over hele det romerske rige frem til tidspunktet for Augustus, som af rent politiske og civile årsager, gjorde en heroisk og noget vellykket indsats for at ødelægge mysterierne og genoplive den ældre politiske religion.		98:3.6 (1080.8) The emerging Roman state conquered politically but was in turn conquered by the cults, rituals, mysteries, and god concepts of Egypt, Greece, and the Levant. These imported cults continued to flourish throughout the Roman state up to the time of Augustus, who, purely for political and civic reasons, made a heroic and somewhat successful effort to destroy the mysteries and revive the older political religion.
98:3.7 (1081.1) En af statsreligionens præster fortalte Augustus om Salemlærernes tidligere forsøg på at sprede læren om én Gud, en endelig Guddom som præsiderede over alle overnaturlige væsener; og denne idé tog sådan et fast greb om kejseren, at han byggede mange templer, fyldte dem godt op med smukke billeder, reorganiserede statens præsteskab, genindførte statsreligionen, udnævnte sig selv til tjenesteforrettende ypperstepræst over alle, og som kejser tøvede han ikke med at udråbe sig selv til øverste gud.		98:3.7 (1081.1) One of the priests of the state religion told Augustus of the earlier attempts of the Salem teachers to spread the doctrine of one God, a final Deity presiding over all supernatural beings; and this idea took such a firm hold on the emperor that he built many temples, stocked them well with beautiful images, reorganized the state priesthood, re-established the state religion, appointed himself acting high priest of all, and as emperor did not hesitate to proclaim himself the supreme god.
98:3.8 (1081.2) Denne nye religion som Augustus tilbad blomstrede og blev udøvet i hele imperiet i hans levetid, undtagen i Palæstina, hjemsted for jøderne. Denne fase med de menneskelige guder fortsatte indtil den officielle romerske kult havde en liste over mere end fyrre selvstændige forhøjet menneskelige guder, som alle hævdede mirakuløse fødsler og andre overmenneskelige egenskaber.		98:3.8 (1081.2) This new religion of Augustus worship flourished and was observed throughout the empire during his lifetime except in Palestine, the home of the Jews. And this era of the human gods continued until the official Roman cult had a roster of more than twoscore self-elevated human deities, all claiming miraculous births and other superhuman attributes.
98:3.9 (1081.3) Den sidste modstand af den skrumpende skare af Salem troende blev foretaget af en alvorlig gruppe prædikanter, kynikerne, der formanede romerne til at opgive deres vilde og meningsløse religiøse ritualer og vende tilbage til en form for tilbedelse som omfattede Melkisedeks evangelium, som det var blevet ændret, og forurenet gennem kontakt med græsk filosofi. Folk som helhed afviste kynikerne; de foretrak at fordybe sig i mysterieritualerne, som ikke kun tilbød håb om personlig frelse, men også tilfredsstillede ønsket om afveksling, spænding og underholdning.		98:3.9 (1081.3) The last stand of the dwindling band of Salem believers was made by an earnest group of preachers, the Cynics, who exhorted the Romans to abandon their wild and senseless religious rituals and return to a form of worship embodying Melchizedek’s gospel as it had been modified and contaminated through contact with the philosophy of the Greeks. But the people at large rejected the Cynics; they preferred to plunge into the rituals of the mysteries, which not only offered hopes of personal salvation but also gratified the desire for diversion, excitement, and entertainment.
4. Mysteriekulterne ^top		4. The Mystery Cults ^top
98:4.1 (1081.4) De fleste mennesker i den græsk-romerske verden, efter at have mistet deres primitive familie og statslige religioner og uden at være i stand til eller uvillige til at forstå betydningen af græsk filosofi, vendte deres opmærksomhed mod de spektakulære og følelsesmæssige mysteriekulter fra Egypten og Levanten. Almindelige mennesker længtes efter løftet om frelse - religiøs trøst for i dag og forsikringer om håb for udødelighed efter døden.		98:4.1 (1081.4) The majority of people in the Greco-Roman world, having lost their primitive family and state religions and being unable or unwilling to grasp the meaning of Greek philosophy, turned their attention to the spectacular and emotional mystery cults from Egypt and the Levant. The common people craved promises of salvation—religious consolation for today and assurances of hope for immortality after death.
98:4.2 (1081.5) De tre mysteriekulter som blev mest populære var:		98:4.2 (1081.5) The three mystery cults which became most popular were:
98:4.3 (1081.6) 1. Den frygiske kult om Kybele og hendes søn Attis.		98:4.3 (1081.6) 1. The Phrygian cult of Cybele and her son Attis.
98:4.4 (1081.7) 2. Den egyptiske kult om Osiris og hans mor Isis.		98:4.4 (1081.7) 2. The Egyptian cult of Osiris and his mother Isis.
98:4.5 (1081.8) 3. Den iranske kult som tilbad Mithra som den syndige menneskehedens frelser og forløser.		98:4.5 (1081.8) 3. The Iranian cult of the worship of Mithras as the savior and redeemer of sinful mankind.
98:4.6 (1081.9) De frygiske og egyptiske mysterier lærte, at den guddommelige søn (henholdsvis Attis og Osiris) havde oplevet døden og var blevet genoplivet af guddommelig kraft, og endvidere, at alle, der var korrekt indviet i mysteriet, og som ærbødigt fejrede årsdagen for gudens død og opstandelse, derved ville blive delagtige i hans guddommelige natur og hans udødelighed.		98:4.6 (1081.9) The Phrygian and Egyptian mysteries taught that the divine son (respectively Attis and Osiris) had experienced death and had been resurrected by divine power, and further that all who were properly initiated into the mystery, and who reverently celebrated the anniversary of the god’s death and resurrection, would thereby become partakers of his divine nature and his immortality.
98:4.7 (1081.10) De frygiske ceremonier var at påtvinge, men nedværdigende. Deres blodige festivaler viser, hvor nedbrudt og primitive disse Levantine mysterier blev. Den mest hellige dag var Sorte Fredag, "blodsdagen," til minde om Attis selvforskyldte død. Efter tre dage med fejringen af Attis’ offer og død blev festivalen vendt til glæde for at ære hans opstandelse.		98:4.7 (1081.10) The Phrygian ceremonies were imposing but degrading; their bloody festivals indicate how degraded and primitive these Levantine mysteries became. The most holy day was Black Friday, the “day of blood,” commemorating the self-inflicted death of Attis. After three days of the celebration of the sacrifice and death of Attis the festival was turned to joy in honor of his resurrection.
98:4.8 (1082.1) Ritualerne ved tilbedelsen af Isis og Osiris var mere raffineret og imponerende end den frygiske kults ritualer. Dette egyptiske ritual blev bygget omkring legenden om Nilens gamle gud, en gud, der døde og opstod; et begreb afledt af observation af den årligt tilbagevendende standsning af plantevæksten efterfulgt af forårets restaurering af alle levende planter. Den hektiske overholdelse af disse mysteriekulter og deres orgier af ceremonier, skulle føre op til en "begejstring", for realiseringen af guddommelighed, var undertiden mest oprørende.		98:4.8 (1082.1) The rituals of the worship of Isis and Osiris were more refined and impressive than were those of the Phrygian cult. This Egyptian ritual was built around the legend of the Nile god of old, a god who died and was resurrected, which concept was derived from the observation of the annually recurring stoppage of vegetation growth followed by the springtime restoration of all living plants. The frenzy of the observance of these mystery cults and the orgies of their ceremonials, which were supposed to lead up to the “enthusiasm” of the realization of divinity, were sometimes most revolting.
5. Mithraskulten ^top		5. The Cult of Mithras ^top
98:5.1 (1082.2) De frygiske og egyptiske mysterier gav til sidst plads før den største af alle mysteriekulterne, tilbedelsen af Mithra. Mithraskulten appellerede til en bred vifte af den menneskelige natur og fortrængte efterhånden begge sine forgængere. Mithraismen spredte sig over det romerske imperium gennem propagandering af romerske legioner rekrutteret i Levanten, hvor denne religion var på mode, for de bar denne tro, uanset hvor de gik. Dette nye religiøse ritual var en stor forbedring i forhold til de tidligere mysteriekulter.		98:5.1 (1082.2) The Phrygian and Egyptian mysteries eventually gave way before the greatest of all the mystery cults, the worship of Mithras. The Mithraic cult made its appeal to a wide range of human nature and gradually supplanted both of its predecessors. Mithraism spread over the Roman Empire through the propagandizing of Roman legions recruited in the Levant, where this religion was the vogue, for they carried this belief wherever they went. And this new religious ritual was a great improvement over the earlier mystery cults.
98:5.2 (1082.3) Dyrkelsen af Mithra opstod i Iran og eksisterede længe i sit hjemland trods den militante modstand fra tilhængerne af Zoroaster. På det tidspunkt da Mithraismen nåede Rom, var den blevet stærkt forbedret af absorption af mange af Zoroasters lærdomme. Det var først og fremmest gennem Mithraskulten at Zoroasters religion udøvede en indflydelse på den senere fremkommende kristendom.		98:5.2 (1082.3) The cult of Mithras arose in Iran and long persisted in its homeland despite the militant opposition of the followers of Zoroaster. But by the time Mithraism reached Rome, it had become greatly improved by the absorption of many of Zoroaster’s teachings. It was chiefly through the Mithraic cult that Zoroaster’s religion exerted an influence upon later appearing Christianity.
98:5.3 (1082.4) Mithraskulten portrætterede en militant gud som havde fået sin oprindelse i en stor klippe. Han udførte tapre bedrifter, og forårsager vand til at strømme frem fra en klippe når han ramte dem med sine pile. Der var en oversvømmelse, hvorfra én mand undslap i en specialbygget båd og en sidste nadver, som Mithra fejrede med solguden, før han steg op til himlen. Denne solgud, eller Sol Invictus, var en degenerering af guddomsbegrebet Ahura-Mazda i Zarathustras lære. Mithra var tænkt som den efterlevende forkæmper for solguden i sin kamp med mørkets gud. I erkendelse af, at Mithra dræbte den mytiske hellige tyr, blev Mithra gjort udødelige, og blev ophøjet til en position som fortaler for den menneskelige race blandt guderne i det høje.		98:5.3 (1082.4) The Mithraic cult portrayed a militant god taking origin in a great rock, engaging in valiant exploits, and causing water to gush forth from a rock struck with his arrows. There was a flood from which one man escaped in a specially built boat and a last supper which Mithras celebrated with the sun-god before he ascended into the heavens. This sun-god, or Sol Invictus, was a degeneration of the Ahura-Mazda deity concept of Zoroastrianism. Mithras was conceived as the surviving champion of the sun-god in his struggle with the god of darkness. And in recognition of his slaying the mythical sacred bull, Mithras was made immortal, being exalted to the station of intercessor for the human race among the gods on high.
98:5.4 (1082.5) Tilhængerne af denne kult tilbad i huler og andre hemmelige steder. De sang salmer, mumlede magi, spiste offerdyrets kød, og drak dets blod. Tre gange om dagen, tilbad de, med særlige ugentlige ceremonier på solgudens dag og med den mest omfattende overholdelse af alle ceremonier ved den årlige festival for Mithra, den femogtyvende december. Man troede, at indtagelse af nadveren sikrede et evigt liv, en umiddelbar overgang, efter døden til Mithra favn, med ophold der i lyksalighed indtil dommens dag. På dommens dag ville Mithras nøgler åbne himlens porte til Paradiset for at modtage de trofaste; hvorefter alle de udøbte blandt de levende og døde ville blive tilintetgjort på Mithras tilbagekomst til jorden. Man lærte, at når et menneske døde, gik det først til en dom foran Mithra, og ved verden ende ville Mithra indkalde alle de døde fra deres grave til den sidste dom. De onde ville blive ødelagt af ild, og de retfærdige skulle herske med Mithra for evigt.		98:5.4 (1082.5) The adherents of this cult worshiped in caves and other secret places, chanting hymns, mumbling magic, eating the flesh of the sacrificial animals, and drinking the blood. Three times a day they worshiped, with special weekly ceremonials on the day of the sun-god and with the most elaborate observance of all on the annual festival of Mithras, December twenty-fifth. It was believed that the partaking of the sacrament ensured eternal life, the immediate passing, after death, to the bosom of Mithras, there to tarry in bliss until the judgment day. On the judgment day the Mithraic keys of heaven would unlock the gates of Paradise for the reception of the faithful; whereupon all the unbaptized of the living and the dead would be annihilated upon the return of Mithras to earth. It was taught that, when a man died, he went before Mithras for judgment, and that at the end of the world Mithras would summon all the dead from their graves to face the last judgment. The wicked would be destroyed by fire, and the righteous would reign with Mithras forever.
98:5.5 (1082.6) Først var det en religion kun for mænd, og der var syv forskellige klasser i hvilke troende kunne successivt indvies. Senere blev koner og døtre af troende givet adgang til den Store Moders tempel, der stødte op til Mithras templer. Kvindernes kult var en blanding af Mithraisk ritual og ceremonier fra den frygiske kult omkring Kybele, mor til Attis.		98:5.5 (1082.6) At first it was a religion only for men, and there were seven different orders into which believers could be successively initiated. Later on, the wives and daughters of believers were admitted to the temples of the Great Mother, which adjoined the Mithraic temples. The women’s cult was a mixture of Mithraic ritual and the ceremonies of the Phrygian cult of Cybele, the mother of Attis.
6. Mithraismen og kristendommen ^top		6. Mithraism and Christianity ^top
98:6.1 (1083.1) Før mysteriekulternes og kristendommens tilsynekomst, havde den personlig religion knap nok udviklet sig som en selvejende institution i de civiliserede lande i Nordafrika og Europa. Religionen var mere en familie, bystat, politiske og kejserlige affære. De hellenistiske grækere udviklede aldrig et centraliseret tilbedelses system, deres ritualer var lokale; de havde ingen præsteskab og ingen "hellig bog". De religiøse institutioner manglede, ligesom romerne, meget en stærk drivende agentur for bevarelsen af højere moralske og åndelige værdier. Selv om det er rigtigt, at institutionaliseringen af religionen som regel har forringet dens åndelige kvalitet, er det også en kendsgerning, at ingen religion hidtil har formået at overleve uden hjælp af nogen større eller mindre grad af institutionel organisering.		98:6.1 (1083.1) Prior to the coming of the mystery cults and Christianity, personal religion hardly developed as an independent institution in the civilized lands of North Africa and Europe; it was more of a family, city-state, political, and imperial affair. The Hellenic Greeks never evolved a centralized worship system; the ritual was local; they had no priesthood and no “sacred book.” Much as the Romans, their religious institutions lacked a powerful driving agency for the preservation of higher moral and spiritual values. While it is true that the institutionalization of religion has usually detracted from its spiritual quality, it is also a fact that no religion has thus far succeeded in surviving without the aid of institutional organization of some degree, greater or lesser.
98:6.2 (1083.2) Vestlig religion vansmægtede således på denne måde, frem til tiden for skeptikerne, kynikerne, epikuræerne, og stoikerne, men vigtigst af alt, indtil tiden for den store konkurrence mellem Mithraismen og Pauls nye religion, kristendommen.		98:6.2 (1083.2) Occidental religion thus languished until the days of the Skeptics, Cynics, Epicureans, and Stoics, but most important of all, until the times of the great contest between Mithraism and Paul’s new religion of Christianity.
98:6.3 (1083.3) I det tredje århundrede efter Kristus, var de mithraiske og kristne kirker meget ens både i udseende og i karakteren af deres ritual. Et flertal af sådanne steder for tilbedelse var under jorden, og begge indeholdt altre, hvis baggrunde på forskellig vis afbildede lidelser hos den frelser, som havde bragt frelse til den menneskelige race som levede under syndens forbandelse.		98:6.3 (1083.3) During the third century after Christ, Mithraic and Christian churches were very similar both in appearance and in the character of their ritual. A majority of such places of worship were underground, and both contained altars whose backgrounds variously depicted the sufferings of the savior who had brought salvation to a sin-cursed human race.
98:6.4 (1083.4) Mithras tilbedere havde altid haft for vane at dyppe fingrene i vievand, ved indgangen til templet. Da der var dem, der på én gang tilhørte begge religioner i nogle distrikter, indførte de denne skik i størstedelen af de kristne kirker i nærheden af Rom. Til begge religioner hørte dåb og deltagelse i nadveren af brød og vin. Den ene store forskel mellem Mithraismen og kristendom, bortset fra Mithras og Jesus natur, var, at man tilskyndede militarisme, mens den anden var ultrapacifistisk. Mithraismens tolerance for andre religioner (undtagen senere kristendom) førte til dens endelige undergang. Den afgørende faktor i kampen mellem de to var optagelse af kvinder til fuldt fællesskab af den kristne tro.		98:6.4 (1083.4) Always had it been the practice of Mithraic worshipers, on entering the temple, to dip their fingers in holy water. And since in some districts there were those who at one time belonged to both religions, they introduced this custom into the majority of the Christian churches in the vicinity of Rome. Both religions employed baptism and partook of the sacrament of bread and wine. The one great difference between Mithraism and Christianity, aside from the characters of Mithras and Jesus, was that the one encouraged militarism while the other was ultrapacific. Mithraism’s tolerance for other religions (except later Christianity) led to its final undoing. But the deciding factor in the struggle between the two was the admission of women into the full fellowship of the Christian faith.
98:6.5 (1083.5) Til slut dominerede den nominelle kristne tro i Vesten. Den græske filosofi leverede begreberne om etisk værdi; Mithras lære, den rituelle tilbedelse; og kristendommen som sådan, teknikken for bevarelse af moralske og sociale værdier.		98:6.5 (1083.5) In the end the nominal Christian faith dominated the Occident. Greek philosophy supplied the concepts of ethical value; Mithraism, the ritual of worship observance; and Christianity, as such, the technique for the conservation of moral and social values.
7. Kristendommen ^top		7. The Christian Religion ^top
98:7.1 (1083.6) En Skabersøn inkarnerede ikke i lighed med dødelig kød og overgav sig ikke til menneskeheden på Urantia for at formilde en vred Gud, men snarere at vinde hele menneskeheden til anerkendelse af Faderens kærlighed og til virkeliggørelsen af deres sønskab med Gud. I alle tilfælde indså selv den store fortaler for forsoningsdoktrinen noget af denne sandhed, for han erklærede, at "det var Gud som i Kristus forsonede verden med sig selv."		98:7.1 (1083.6) A Creator Son did not incarnate in the likeness of mortal flesh and bestow himself upon the humanity of Urantia to reconcile an angry God but rather to win all mankind to the recognition of the Father’s love and to the realization of their sonship with God. After all, even the great advocate of the atonement doctrine realized something of this truth, for he declared that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.”
98:7.2 (1084.1) Det hører ikke til dette kapitels emneområde, at beskæftige sig med oprindelsen og udbredelsen af den kristne religion. Det er nok at sige, at den er opbygget omkring personen Jesus af Nazaret, Nebadons Mikael Søn inkarneret som menneske, kendt på Urantia som Kristus, den salvede. Kristendommen blev spredt over hele Levanten og Vesten af tilhængere til denne Galilæer, og deres missionsiver svarede stort set til deres berømte forgængere, Sethiterne og Salemlærerne såvel som deres oprigtige asiatiske samtidige, de buddhistiske lærere.		98:7.2 (1084.1) It is not the province of this paper to deal with the origin and dissemination of the Christian religion. Suffice it to say that it is built around the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the humanly incarnate Michael Son of Nebadon, known to Urantia as the Christ, the anointed one. Christianity was spread throughout the Levant and Occident by the followers of this Galilean, and their missionary zeal equaled that of their illustrious predecessors, the Sethites and Salemites, as well as that of their earnest Asiatic contemporaries, the Buddhist teachers.
98:7.3 (1084.2) Den kristne religion, som et trossystem på Urantia, er opstået gennem sammensætningen af følgende lære, påvirkninger, overbevisninger, kulter og personlige individuelle holdninger:		98:7.3 (1084.2) The Christian religion, as a Urantian system of belief, arose through the compounding of the following teachings, influences, beliefs, cults, and personal individual attitudes:
98:7.4 (1084.3) 1. Den Melkisedekske lære, som er en grundlæggende faktor i alle vestlige og østlige religioner, der er opstået i de sidste fire tusinde år.		98:7.4 (1084.3) 1. The Melchizedek teachings, which are a basic factor in all the religions of Occident and Orient that have arisen in the last four thousand years.
98:7.5 (1084.4) 2. Det hebraiske moral-, etik- og teologisystem, og tro på både Forsynet og den højeste Jahve.		98:7.5 (1084.4) 2. The Hebraic system of morality, ethics, theology, and belief in both Providence and the supreme Yahweh.
98:7.6 (1084.5) 3. Zarathustras opfattelse af kampen mellem det gode og onde i kosmos, som allerede havde sat sit aftryk på både jødedommen og mithraismen. Gennem den længerevarende kontakt mellem mithraismen og kristendommen i tilslutning til kampen mellem dem, blev den iranske profets doktriner en indflydelsesrig faktor for den teologiske og filosofiske form og struktur af dogmerne, læresætningerne, og kosmologi af de helleniserede og latiniserede versioner af Jesu lære.		98:7.6 (1084.5) 3. The Zoroastrian conception of the struggle between cosmic good and evil, which had already left its imprint on both Judaism and Mithraism. Through prolonged contact attendant upon the struggles between Mithraism and Christianity, the doctrines of the Iranian prophet became a potent factor in determining the theologic and philosophic cast and structure of the dogmas, tenets, and cosmology of the Hellenized and Latinized versions of the teachings of Jesus.
98:7.7 (1084.6) 4. Mysteriekulterne, især Mithraismen men også tilbedelsen af den Store Moder i den frygiske kult. Selve beretningerne om Jesu fødsel på Urantia blev plettet med den romerske version af legenderne om den mirakuløse fødsel af den iranske frelser og helt, Mithra, hvis fremkomst på jorden formodedes kun at være vidnet af en håndfuld hyrder som medbragte gaver, og der var blevet underrettet om denne forestående begivenhed af engle.		98:7.7 (1084.6) 4. The mystery cults, especially Mithraism but also the worship of the Great Mother in the Phrygian cult. Even the legends of the birth of Jesus on Urantia became tainted with the Roman version of the miraculous birth of the Iranian savior-hero, Mithras, whose advent on earth was supposed to have been witnessed by only a handful of gift-bearing shepherds who had been informed of this impending event by angels.
98:7.8 (1084.7) 5. Den historiske kendsgerning af Joshua ben Josephs liv som menneske, virkeligheden af Jesus af Nazaret som den herliggjorte Kristus, Guds Søn.		98:7.8 (1084.7) 5. The historic fact of the human life of Joshua ben Joseph, the reality of Jesus of Nazareth as the glorified Christ, the Son of God.
98:7.9 (1084.8) 6. Det personlige synspunkt hos Paulus fra Tarsus. Det bør noteres, at Mithraismen var den dominerende religion i Tarsus i løbet af hans ungdom. Paulus kunne ikke drømme om, at hans velmente breve til sine konvertitter en dag ville blive betragtet af endnu senere kristne som "Guds ord". Sådanne velmenende lærere må ikke holdes ansvarlige for anvendelsen af deres skrifter af senere tiders efterfølgere.		98:7.9 (1084.8) 6. The personal viewpoint of Paul of Tarsus. And it should be recorded that Mithraism was the dominant religion of Tarsus during his adolescence. Paul little dreamed that his well-intentioned letters to his converts would someday be regarded by still later Christians as the “word of God.” Such well-meaning teachers must not be held accountable for the use made of their writings by later-day successors.
98:7.10 (1084.9) 7. Den filosofiske tænkning af de hellenistiske folk, fra Alexandria og Antiokia gennem Grækenland til Syracuse og Rom. Grækernes filosofi var mere i harmoni med Paulus' version af kristendommen end med noget anden nuværende religionssystem, og blev en vigtig faktor for kristendommens fremgang i Vesten. Græsk filosofi, kombineret med Pauls teologi, danner stadig grundlag for den europæiske etik.		98:7.10 (1084.9) 7. The philosophic thought of the Hellenistic peoples, from Alexandria and Antioch through Greece to Syracuse and Rome. The philosophy of the Greeks was more in harmony with Paul’s version of Christianity than with any other current religious system and became an important factor in the success of Christianity in the Occident. Greek philosophy, coupled with Paul’s theology, still forms the basis of European ethics.
98:7.11 (1084.10) Da Jesu oprindelige lære trængte ind i Vesten, blev den mere og mere vestlig, og da den blev vestlig begyndte den at miste sin potentielle universelle appel til alle racer og typer af mennesker. Kristendommen, i dag, er blevet en religion godt tilpasset til de sociale, økonomiske og politiske skikke i de hvide racer. Den har for længst ophørt med at være Jesu religion, selv om den stadig tappert skildrer en smuk religion om Jesus til sådanne personer, som oprigtigt søger at følge vejen for hans undervisning. Den har herliggjort Jesus som Kristus, den messianske salvede fra Gud, men har stort set glemt Mesterens personlige evangelium: Guds faderskab og det universelle broderskab af alle mennesker.		98:7.11 (1084.10) As the original teachings of Jesus penetrated the Occident, they became Occidentalized, and as they became Occidentalized, they began to lose their potentially universal appeal to all races and kinds of men. Christianity, today, has become a religion well adapted to the social, economic, and political mores of the white races. It has long since ceased to be the religion of Jesus, although it still valiantly portrays a beautiful religion about Jesus to such individuals as sincerely seek to follow in the way of its teaching. It has glorified Jesus as the Christ, the Messianic anointed one from God, but has largely forgotten the Master’s personal gospel: the Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of all men.
98:7.12 (1085.1) Dette er den lange historie om læren af Makiventa Melkisedek på Urantia. Det er næsten 4000 år siden denne nødsituation Søn i Nebadon overdrog sig til Urantia, og i denne tidsperiode har de lærdomme som udgik fra "El Elyon, Gud den højestes præst," trængt frem til alle racer og folkeslag. Makiventa lykkedes, at opnå formålet med sin usædvanlige overdragelse; da Mikael beredte sig til at fremtræde på Urantia, var opfattelsen om Gud eksisterende i mænds og kvinders hjerter, den samme gudsopfattelse, der vedvarende flammer på ny i den levende åndelige oplevelse af de mangfoldige børn til den Universelle Fader, mens de lever deres spændende tidsmæssige liv på de hvirvlende planeter i rummet.		98:7.12 (1085.1) And this is the long story of the teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek on Urantia. It is nearly four thousand years since this emergency Son of Nebadon bestowed himself on Urantia, and in that time the teachings of the “priest of El Elyon, the Most High God,” have penetrated to all races and peoples. And Machiventa was successful in achieving the purpose of his unusual bestowal; when Michael made ready to appear on Urantia, the God concept was existent in the hearts of men and women, the same God concept that still flames anew in the living spiritual experience of the manifold children of the Universal Father as they live their intriguing temporal lives on the whirling planets of space.
98:7.13 (1085.2) [Præsenteret af en Melkisedek i Nebadon.]		98:7.13 (1085.2) [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]