Kapitel 98		Paper 98
Melkisedeks Lære I Vesten		The Melchizedek Teachings in the Occident
98:0.1 (1077.1) Den Melkisedekske lære kom ind i Europa ad mange veje, men hovedsageligt kom den via Egypten og blev inkorporeret i den vestlige filosofi efter at være blevet grundigt helleniseret og senere kristnet. Idealerne i den vestlige verden var grundlæggende sokratiske, og dens senere religiøse filosofi blev Jesu filosofi, efterhånden som den blev modificeret og kompromitteret gennem kontakt med den vestlige verdens 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) I lang tid fortsatte Salem-missionærerne deres aktiviteter i Europa og blev gradvist absorberet i mange af de kulter og rituelle grupper, der med jævne mellemrum opstod. Blandt dem, der fastholdt Salem-læren i den reneste form, må nævnes kynikerne. Disse forkyndere af tro og tillid til Gud virkede stadig i det romerske Europa i det første århundrede efter Kristus og blev senere indlemmet i den nydannede 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 særegenheder.		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 græske filosofi, jødisk teologi, og kristen etik var i bund og grund eftervirkninger af den tidligere Melkisedek-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) Salem-missionærerne kunne have opbygget en stor religiøs struktur blandt grækerne, hvis det ikke havde været for deres strenge fortolkning af deres ordinationsed, et løfte pålagt af Makiventa, som forbød organiseringen af eksklusive menigheder til tilbedelse, og som krævede, at hver lærer lovede aldrig at fungere som præst, aldrig at modtage honorarer for religiøs tjeneste, kun mad, tøj og husly. Da Melkisedek-lærerne trængte ind i det præhellenske Grækenland, fandt de et folk, der stadig dyrkede traditionerne fra Adamson og anditernes tid, men denne lære var blevet stærkt forvansket af forestillingerne og troen hos de horder af underlegne slaver, der var blevet bragt til de græske kyster i stigende antal. Denne forvanskning førte til en tilbagevenden til en rå animisme med blodige ritualer, hvor de lavere klasser endda gjorde henrettelsen af dømte forbrydere til et ceremoniel.		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) Salem-lærernes tidlige indflydelse blev næsten ødelagt af den såkaldte ariske invasion fra Sydeuropa og Østen. Disse hellenistiske indtrængere bragte menneskelignende gudeforestillinger med sig, der lignede dem, som deres ariske fæller havde bragt med sig til Indien. Denne import indledte udviklingen af den græske familie af guder og gudinder. Denne nye religion var delvist baseret på de indkommende hellenske barbarers kulter, men den havde også del i myterne 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 Middelhavsverdenen stort set domineret af moderkulten, og de pålagde disse folk deres menneskegud, Dyaus-Zeus, som allerede var blevet, ligesom Jahve blandt de henoteistiske semitter, overhoved for hele den græske panteon af underordnede guder. Og grækerne ville i sidste ende have opnået en sand monoteisme i Zeus-begrebet, hvis de ikke havde fastholdt skæbnens overkontrol. En gud af endelig værdi må selv være skæbnens dommer og skæbnens skaber.		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 udvikling udviklede der sig på det seneste en folkelig tro på de lykkelige guder på Olympen, guder, der var mere menneskelige end guddommelige, og guder, som de intelligente grækere aldrig tog særlig alvorligt. De hverken elskede eller frygtede disse guddomme, som de selv havde skabt. De havde en patriotisk og racemæssig følelse for Zeus og hans familie af halvt mennesker og halvt guder, men de ærede eller tilbad dem næppe.		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 imprægnerede af de tidligere Salem-læreres antipræstelige doktriner, at der aldrig opstod noget præsteskab af betydning i Grækenland. Selv det at lave billeder til guderne blev mere et kunstværk 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. Men den græske mytologi var mere æstetisk end etisk. Den græske religion var nyttig, fordi den skildrede et univers styret af en gudegruppe. Men græsk moral, etik og filosofi var på nuværende tidspunkt langt mere avanceret end gudebegrebet, og denne ubalance mellem intellektuel og åndelig vækst var lige så farlig 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 overfladisk religion kan ikke bestå, især når den ikke har noget præsteskab til at fremme dens former og til at fylde de hengivnes hjerter med frygt og ærefrygt. Den olympiske religion lovede ikke frelse, og den slukkede heller ikke de troendes åndelige tørst; derfor var den dømt til at gå til grunde. Inden for et årtusinde efter dens begyndelse var den næsten forsvundet, og grækerne var uden en national religion, da Olympens guder havde 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) Dette var situationen, da Orienten og Levanten i det sjette århundrede før Kristus oplevede en genoplivning af den åndelige bevidsthed og en ny opvågnen til erkendelsen af monoteisme. Men Vesten fik ikke del i denne nye udvikling; hverken Europa eller Nordafrika deltog i udstrakt grad i denne religiøse renæssance. Grækerne var dog involveret i et storslået intellektuelt fremskridt. De var begyndt at mestre frygten og søgte ikke længere religion som en modgift mod den, men de forstod ikke, at sand religion er kuren mod sjælens sult, åndelig uro og moralsk fortvivlelse. De søgte trøst for sjælen i dyb tænkning—filosofi og metafysik. De vendte sig fra kontemplation af selvopretholdelse—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 opnå den bevidsthed om sikkerhed, der kunne tjene som erstatning for troen på overlevelse, men det mislykkedes fuldstændigt. Kun de mere intelligente blandt de højere klasser i det hellenske folk kunne forstå denne nye lære; den brede befolkning af efterkommere af tidligere generationers slaver havde ingen kapacitet til at modtage 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, selv om de praktisk talt alle holdt sig løst til baggrunden for en tro på Salems doktrin om “universets intelligens,” “ideen om Gud” og “den store kilde.” For så vidt som de græske filosoffer anerkendte det guddommelige og det superfinitte, var de ærligt talt monoteistiske; de anerkendte kun i ringe grad hele galaksen af olympiske guder og gudinder.		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 i det 5. og 6. århundrede, især Pindar, forsøgte at reformere den græske religion. De ophøjede dens idealer, men de var mere kunstnere end religionister. Det lykkedes dem ikke at udvikle en teknik til at fremme og bevare de højeste 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 om én Gud, men hans guddomskoncept var for panteistisk til at være en personlig far for det dødelige menneske. Anaxagoras var mekanist, bortset fra at han anerkendte en første årsag, et oprindeligt sind. Sokrates og hans efterfølgere, Platon og Aristoteles, lærte, at dyd er viden; godhed, sjælens sundhed; at det er bedre at lide uretfærdighed end at være skyldig i den, at det er forkert at gengælde ondt med ondt, og at guderne er kloge og gode. Deres kardinaldyder 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 religiøs filosofi blandt de hellenske og hebraiske folk giver en kontrasterende illustration af kirkens funktion som institution i udformningen af kulturelle fremskridt. I Palæstina var den menneskelige tanke så præstekontrolleret og skriftstyret, at filosofi og æstetik var helt opslugt af religion og moral. I Grækenland efterlod det næsten fuldstændige fravær af præster og “hellige skrifter” det menneskelige sind frit og uhindret, hvilket resulterede i en forbløffende udvikling i tankens dybde. Men religion som en personlig oplevelse kunne ikke holde trit med de intellektuelle undersøgelser af 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 tænkningen; i Palæstina var tænkningen underlagt troen. Meget af kristendommens styrke skyldes, at den har lånt meget fra både hebraisk moral og græsk tankegang.		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 blev religiøse dogmer så krystalliserede, at de bragte yderligere vækst i fare; i Grækenland blev den menneskelige tanke så abstrakt, at begrebet Gud opløste sig selv i en tåget damp af panteistisk spekulation, der slet ikke var ulig Brahman-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) Men gennemsnitsmennesket på den tid kunne ikke forstå, og var heller ikke særlig interesseret i, den græske filosofi om selvrealisering og en abstrakt guddom; de længtes snarere efter løfter om frelse, kombineret med en personlig Gud, der kunne høre deres bønner. De sendte filosofferne i eksil, forfulgte resterne af Salem-kulten, hvor begge doktriner var blevet meget blandede, og gjorde klar til det frygtelige orgiastiske dyk ned i mysteriekulternes dårskab, som dengang bredte sig over Middelhavslandene. De eleusinske mysterier voksede op inden for det olympiske panteon, en græsk version af frugtbarhedsdyrkelsen; Dionysos’ naturdyrkelse blomstrede; den bedste af kulterne var det orfiske broderskab, hvis moralske forkyndelser og løfter om frelse appellerede 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 følelsesladede og brændende ceremonier. Ingen nation har nogensinde nået sådanne højder af kunstnerisk filosofi på så kort tid; ingen har nogensinde skabt et så avanceret etisk system praktisk talt uden guddom og helt blottet for løftet om menneskelig frelse; ingen nation er nogensinde styrtet så hurtigt, dybt og voldsomt ned i sådanne dybder af intellektuel stagnation, moralsk fordærv og åndelig fattigdom som de samme græske folk, da de kastede sig ud 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 overlevet uden filosofisk støtte, men kun få filosofier har som sådan overlevet længe uden en vis identifikation med religion. Filosofi er for religion, hvad forestilling er for handling. Men den ideelle menneskelige tilstand er den, hvor filosofi, religion og videnskab er svejset sammen til en meningsfuld enhed ved hjælp 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 være vokset ud af de tidligere religiøse former for tilbedelse af familieguderne og ind i stammernes ærbødighed for krigsguden Mars, var det naturligt, at latinerens senere religion i højere grad var en politisk observans end grækernes og brahmanernes intellektuelle systemer eller flere andre folks mere 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 med Melkisedeks evangelium i det sjette århundrede før Kristus trængte for få af Salems missionærer ind i Italien, og de, der gjorde, var ude af stand til at overvinde indflydelsen fra det hurtigt spredende etruskiske præsteskab med dets nye galakse af guder og templer, som alle blev organiseret i den romerske statsreligion. De latinske stammers religion var ikke ubetydelig og korrupt som grækernes, og den var heller ikke streng og tyrannisk som hebræernes; den bestod for det meste i overholdelsen af simple 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) Romersk religion var i høj grad påvirket af omfattende kulturimport fra Grækenland. Til sidst blev de fleste af de olympiske guder transplanteret og inkorporeret i det latinske gudebillede. Grækerne tilbad længe ilden i familiens ildsted—Hestia var den jomfruelige gudinde for ildstedet; Vesta var den romerske gudinde for hjemmet. Zeus blev til Jupiter; Afrodite til Venus; og så videre ned gennem de mange olympiske guddomme.		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 indvielse af romerske unge var anledningen til deres højtidelige indvielse til statens tjeneste. Eder og optagelser til borgerskab var i virkeligheden religiøse ceremonier. De latinske folk havde templer, altre og helligdomme, og i krisesituationer konsulterede de oraklerne. De bevarede heltenes knogler og senere også de kristne helgeners.		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 følelsesløse form for pseudoreligiøs patriotisme var dømt til at kollapse, ligesom grækernes højt intellektuelle og kunstneriske tilbedelse var gået under for mysteriekulternes inderlige og dybt følelsesladede tilbedelse. Den største af disse ødelæggende kulter var mysteriereligionen i sekten Guds Moder, som dengang havde sit hovedkvarter præcis på det sted, hvor den nuværende Peterskirke ligger 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 fremvoksende romerske stat erobrede politisk, men blev til gengæld erobret af kulter, ritualer, mysterier og gudeforestillinger fra Egypten, Grækenland og Levanten. Disse importerede kulter fortsatte med at blomstre i hele den romerske stat op til Augustus’ tid, som udelukkende af politiske og borgerlige årsager gjorde en heroisk og nogenlunde 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 præsterne i statsreligionen fortalte Augustus om Salem-lærernes tidligere forsøg på at udbrede læren om én Gud, en endelig Guddom, der præsiderede over alle overnaturlige væsener; og denne idé fik et så fast greb om kejseren, at han byggede mange templer, fyldte dem godt med smukke billeder, reorganiserede statspræsteskabet, genetablerede statsreligionen, udnævnte sig selv til fungerende ypperstepræst for alle, og som kejser tøvede han ikke med at udråbe sig selv til den højeste 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 dyrkede, blomstrede og blev dyrket i hele imperiet, mens han levede, undtagen i Palæstina, jødernes hjemland. Og denne æra med de menneskelige guder fortsatte, indtil den officielle romerske kult havde en liste med mere end to snese selvophøjede menneskelige guddomme, der alle påberåbte sig 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 two-score self-elevated human deities, all claiming miraculous births and other superhuman attributes.
98:3.9 (1081.3) Den sidste modstand fra den svindende skare af Salem-troende blev ydet af en alvorlig gruppe prædikanter, kynikerne, som formanede romerne til at opgive deres vilde og meningsløse religiøse ritualer og vende tilbage til en form for tilbedelse, der legemliggjorde Melkisedeks evangelium, som det var blevet modificeret og forurenet gennem kontakt med grækernes filosofi. Men folk i almindelighed afviste kynikerne; de foretrak at kaste sig ud i mysteriernes ritualer, som ikke kun gav håb om personlig frelse, men også tilfredsstillede ønsket om adspredelse, 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 havde mistet deres primitive familie- og statsreligioner og var ude af stand til eller uvillige til at forstå betydningen af græsk filosofi og vendte deres opmærksomhed mod de spektakulære og følelsesladede mysteriekulter fra Egypten og Levanten. Almindelige mennesker higede efter løfter om frelse—religiøs trøst for i dag og forsikringer om håb om 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 med tilbedelsen af Mithras som frelser og forløser af den syndige menneskehed.		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 genopstået ved guddommelig kraft, og videre, at alle, der var korrekt indviet i mysteriet, og som ærbødigt fejrede årsdagen for gudens død og genopstandelse, 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 imponerende, men nedværdigende; deres blodige festivaler viser, hvor nedværdigende og primitive disse levantinske mysterier blev. Den helligste dag var sort fredag, “blodets dag,” til minde om Attis’ selvforskyldte død. Efter tre dages fejring af Attis’ offer og død blev festivalen vendt til glæde til ære for hans genopstandelse.		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 i tilbedelsen af Isis og Osiris var mere raffinerede og imponerende end dem i den frygiske kult. Dette egyptiske ritual var bygget op omkring legenden om den gamle Nilgud, en gud, der døde og genopstod, hvilket koncept var afledt af observationen af den årligt tilbagevendende standsning af vegetationens vækst efterfulgt af forårets genoprettelse af alle levende planter. Den vanvittige overholdelse af disse mysteriekulter og orgierne i deres ceremonier, som skulle føre frem til “entusiasmen” i erkendelsen af guddommelighed, var nogle gange meget frastødende.		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 måtte til sidst vige for den største af alle mysteriekulterne, tilbedelsen af Mithras. Den mithraiske kult appellerede til en bred vifte af den menneskelige natur og fortrængte gradvist begge sine forgængere. Mithraismen spredte sig over Romerriget gennem propaganda fra romerske legioner rekrutteret i Levanten, hvor denne religion var på mode, for de bragte denne tro med sig, hvor end de gik hen. Og 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) Mithras-kulten opstod i Iran og fortsatte længe i sit hjemland på trods af den militante modstand fra Zoroasters tilhængere. Men da mithraismen nåede Rom, var den blevet stærkt forbedret ved at absorbere mange af Zarathustras læresætninger. Det var hovedsageligt gennem Mithra-kulten, at Zarathustras religion udøvede indflydelse på den senere 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) Den mithraiske kult portrætterede en militant gud, der tog sit udspring i en stor klippe, udførte tapre bedrifter og fik vand til at fosse ud af en klippe, der var ramt af hans pile. Der var en oversvømmelse, som en mand flygtede fra i en specialbygget båd, og en sidste nadver, som Mithras fejrede med solguden, før han steg op i himlen. Denne solgud, eller Sol Invictus, var en degeneration af zoroastrismens Ahura-Mazda-guddomskoncept. Mithras blev opfattet som solgudens overlevende forkæmper i hans kamp mod mørkets gud. Og som anerkendelse af, at han havde dræbt den mytiske hellige tyr, blev Mithras gjort udødelig og ophøjet til forbeder for menneskeslægten 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, hvor de sang hymner, mumlede magi, spiste kødet fra offerdyrene og drak blodet. Tre gange om dagen tilbad de, med særlige ugentlige ceremonier på solgudens dag og med den mest udførlige overholdelse af alle på den årlige Mithras-festival, den 25. december. Man troede, at indtagelsen af sakramentet sikrede evigt liv, og at man straks efter døden blev ført til Mithras’ skød, hvor man kunne opholde sig i lyksalighed indtil dommedag. På dommedag ville de mithraiske himmelnøgler låse Paradisets porte op for modtagelse af de troende; hvorefter alle udøbte af de levende og døde ville blive tilintetgjort ved Mithras’ tilbagevenden til jorden. Man lærte, at når en mand døde, gik han til Mithras for at blive dømt, og at Mithras ved verdens ende ville kalde alle de døde op fra deres grave for at stå over for den sidste dom. De onde ville blive tilintetgjort af ild, og de retfærdige ville regere sammen med Mithras 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) I begyndelsen var det kun en religion for mænd, og der var syv forskellige ordener, som de troende kunne blive indviet i efter hinanden. Senere fik de troendes koner og døtre adgang til Den Store Moders templer, som lå ved siden af de mithraiske templer. Kvindekulten var en blanding af mithraiske ritualer og ceremonierne i den frygiske kult af Kybele, Attis’ mor.		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 kristendom ^top		6. Mithraism and Christianity ^top
98:6.1 (1083.1) Før mysteriekulterne og kristendommen kom til, udviklede personlig religion sig næppe som en uafhængig institution i de civiliserede lande i Nordafrika og Europa; det var mere et familie-, bystats-, politisk og kejserligt anliggende. De hellenske grækere udviklede aldrig et centraliseret tilbedelsessystem; ritualet var lokalt; de havde intet præsteskab og ingen “hellig bog.” Ligesom romerne manglede deres religiøse institutioner en stærk drivkraft til bevarelse af højere moralske og åndelige værdier. Selvom det er sandt, at institutionaliseringen af religion normalt har forringet dens åndelige kvalitet, er det også en kendsgerning, at ingen religion hidtil har haft held til at overleve uden hjælp fra en institutionel organisation i større eller mindre grad.		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 sygnede således hen indtil skeptikernes, kynikernes, epikuræernes og stoikernes tid, men vigtigst af alt, indtil tiden for den store kamp mellem mithraismen og Paulus’ 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 mithraiske og kristne kirker meget ens både i udseende og i karakteren af deres ritualer. De fleste af disse tilbedelsessteder var underjordiske, og begge rummede altre, hvis baggrunde på forskellig vis skildrede lidelserne 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) Det havde altid været skik for de mithraiske tilbedere at dyppe deres fingre i vievand, når de gik ind i templet. Og da der i nogle distrikter var folk, som på et tidspunkt tilhørte begge religioner, indførte de denne skik i de fleste kristne kirker i nærheden af Rom. Begge religioner brugte dåb og deltog i nadveren med brød og vin. Den eneste store forskel mellem mithraisme og kristendom, bortset fra Mithras og Jesus, var, at den ene opfordrede til militarisme, mens den anden var ultrapacific. Mithraismens tolerance over for andre religioner (undtagen den senere kristendom) førte til dens endelige undergang. Men den afgørende faktor i kampen mellem de to var optagelsen af kvinder i den kristne tros fulde fællesskab.		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) I sidste ende dominerede den nominelle kristne tro i Vesten. Den græske filosofi leverede begreberne om etiske værdier, mithraismen ritualet for overholdelse af tilbedelse og kristendommen som sådan teknikken til 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 skikkelse af dødeligt kød og skænkede sig selv til menneskeheden på Urantia for at forsone en vred Gud, men snarere for at vinde hele menneskeheden til erkendelse af Faderens kærlighed og til realisering af deres slægtskab med Gud. Når alt kommer til alt, indså selv den store fortaler for forsoningslæren noget af denne sandhed, for han erklærede, at “Gud var i Kristus og 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 er ikke denne afhandlings opgave at beskæftige sig med den kristne religions oprindelse og udbredelse. Det er tilstrækkeligt at sige, at den er bygget op omkring personen Jesus af Nazaret, den menneskeligt inkarnerede Mikael søn af Nebadon, kendt på Urantia som Kristus, den salvede. Kristendommen blev spredt over hele Levanten og Occidenten af denne galilæers tilhængere, og deres missionsiver svarede til deres berømte forgængeres, sethiternes og salemlærernes, såvel som til deres oprigtige asiatiske samtidige, de buddhistiske læreres.		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, opstod gennem sammensætningen af følgende læresætninger, 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. Melkisedek-læren, som er en grundlæggende faktor i alle religioner i Vesten og Østen, der er opstået i de sidste fire tusind 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 system af moral, etik, teologi 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. Den zoroastriske opfattelse af kampen mellem det kosmisk gode og det onde, som allerede havde sat sit præg på både jødedommen og mithraismen. Gennem langvarig kontakt i forbindelse med kampene mellem mithraisme og kristendom blev den iranske profets doktriner en stærk faktor i bestemmelsen af den teologiske og filosofiske udformning og struktur af dogmerne, læresætningerne og kosmologien i 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. M Mysteriekulterne, især mithraismen, men også tilbedelsen af Den Store Moder i den frygiske kult. Selv legenderne om Jesu fødsel på Urantia blev forplumret af den romerske version af den iranske frelserhelt Mithras’ mirakuløse fødsel, hvis ankomst til jorden kun skulle være blevet bevidnet af en håndfuld gavebærende hyrder, der var blevet informeret 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 om Joshua ben Josephs menneskelige liv, Jesus af Nazarets virkelighed 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 af Tarsus. Og det bør nævnes, at mithraismen var den dominerende religion i Tarsus under hans opvækst. Paulus drømte næppe om, at hans velmenende breve til sine konvertitter en dag ville blive betragtet som “Guds ord” af endnu senere kristne. Sådanne velmenende lærere skal ikke holdes ansvarlige for den brug, som senere tiders efterfølgere gør af deres skrifter.		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. De hellenistiske folks filosofiske tanker, fra Alexandria og Antiokia gennem Grækenland til Syrakus og Rom. Grækernes filosofi var mere i harmoni med Paulus’ version af kristendommen end med noget andet religiøst system, og den blev en vigtig faktor for kristendommens succes i Vesten. Græsk filosofi, kombineret med Paulus’ teologi, danner stadig grundlaget for europæisk 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 vestliggjort, og da den blev vestliggjort, begyndte den at miste sin potentielt universelle appel til alle racer og typer af mennesker. Kristendommen er i dag blevet en religion, der er veltilpasset de hvide racers sociale, økonomiske og politiske moral. Den er for længst ophørt med at være Jesu religion, selvom den stadig tappert fremstiller en smuk religion om Jesus for de mennesker, der oprigtigt søger at følge dens lære. Den har forherliget Jesus som Kristus, den messianske salvede fra Gud, men har stort set glemt Mesterens personlige evangelium: Guds faderskab og det universelle broderskab mellem 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 fra Nebadon.]		98:7.13 (1085.2) [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]