Kapitel 95		Paper 95
Melkisedeks Lærdomme I Levanten		The Melchizedek Teachings in the Levant
95:0.1 (1042.1) Som Indien gav anledning til mange af de religioner og filosofier i det østlige Asien, så var Levanten hjemland for den vestlige verdens religioner. Missionærerne fra Salem spredte sig ud over hele det sydvestlige Asien, gennem Palæstina, Mesopotamien, Egypten, Iran og Arabien, og overalt forkyndte de den gode nyhed om Machiventa Melkisedeks evangelium. I nogle af disse lande bar deres lære frugt; i andre lande mødtes de med varierende succes. Nogle gange var deres fejl på grund af manglende visdom, andre gange omstændigheder uden for deres kontrol.		95:0.1 (1042.1) AS INDIA gave rise to many of the religions and philosophies of eastern Asia, so the Levant was the homeland of the faiths of the Occidental world. The Salem missionaries spread out all over southwestern Asia, through Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and Arabia, everywhere proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Machiventa Melchizedek. In some of these lands their teachings bore fruit; in others they met with varying success. Sometimes their failures were due to lack of wisdom, sometimes to circumstances beyond their control.
1. Salemreligionen i mesopotamien ^top		1. The Salem Religion in Mesopotamia ^top
95:1.1 (1042.2) Omkring 2000 f.Kr. var Sethiternes lærdomme mere eller mindre forsvundet fra religionerne i Mesopotamien og var stort set under indflydelse af de primitive trosforestillinger hos to grupper af angribere, nemlig de semitiske beduiner, som havde trængt ind fra den vestlige ørken og de barbariske ryttere, der var kommet ned fra nord.		95:1.1 (1042.2) By 2000 b.c. the religions of Mesopotamia had just about lost the teachings of the Sethites and were largely under the influence of the primitive beliefs of two groups of invaders, the Bedouin Semites who had filtered in from the western desert and the barbarian horsemen who had come down from the north.
95:1.2 (1042.3) Skikken blandt de tidlige adamitiske folk til at helliggøre den syvende dag i ugen forsvandt aldrig helt fra Mesopotamien. Kun under den Melkisedekske æra, blev den syvende dag betragtet som den værste uheldsdag. Den blev belastet af mange tabuer. Det var ulovligt at begive sig ud på en rejse, lave mad, eller starte et bål på den onde syvende dag. Jøderne bragte mange af de mesopotamiske tabuer med sig tilbage til Palæstina, som de havde fundet i forbindelse med den babyloniske overholdelse af den syvende dag, Shabattum.		95:1.2 (1042.3) But the custom of the early Adamite peoples in honoring the seventh day of the week never completely disappeared in Mesopotamia. Only, during the Melchizedek era, the seventh day was regarded as the worst of bad luck. It was taboo-ridden; it was unlawful to go on a journey, cook food, or make a fire on the evil seventh day. The Jews carried back to Palestine many of the Mesopotamian taboos which they had found resting on the Babylonian observance of the seventh day, the Shabattum.
95:1.3 (1042.4) Selvom lærerne fra Salem gjorde meget for at forfine og opløfte religionerne i Mesopotamien, lykkes det ikke at bringe de forskellige folkeslag til den permanente anerkendelse af én Gud. En sådan doktrin var udbredt i mere end et hundrede og halvtreds år og blev derefter gradvist afløst af den ældre tro på en mangfoldighed af guder.		95:1.3 (1042.4) Although the Salem teachers did much to refine and uplift the religions of Mesopotamia, they did not succeed in bringing the various peoples to the permanent recognition of one God. Such teaching gained the ascendancy for more than one hundred and fifty years and then gradually gave way to the older belief in a multiplicity of deities.
95:1.4 (1042.5) Salem lærerne reducerede væsentligt antallet af guder i Mesopotamien, og fik for en tid de vigtigste guddomme ned til syv: Bel, Shamash, Nabu, Anu, Ea, Marduk, og Sin. På højden af den nye lære, fik de ophøjet tre af disse guder til overherredømme over alle andre, den babyloniske triade: Bel, Ea, og Anu, guder af jord, hav og himmel. Yderligere triader voksede op i forskellige lokaliteter, alle mindede om Anditernes og Sumerernes treenigheds lærdomme og de byggede alle på Salem lærernes tro på Melkisedeks emblemet med de tre cirkler.		95:1.4 (1042.5) The Salem teachers greatly reduced the number of the gods of Mesopotamia, at one time bringing the chief deities down to seven: Bel, Shamash, Nabu, Anu, Ea, Marduk, and Sin. At the height of the new teaching they exalted three of these gods to supremacy over all others, the Babylonian triad: Bel, Ea, and Anu, the gods of earth, sea, and sky. Still other triads grew up in different localities, all reminiscent of the trinity teachings of the Andites and the Sumerians and based on the belief of the Salemites in Melchizedek’s insignia of the three circles.
95:1.5 (1042.6) Salem lærerne overvandt aldrig fuldstændig den popularitet som Ishtar, mor til guder og seksuel frugtbarheds ånd, nød. De gjorde meget for at forfine tilbedelsen af denne gudinde, men babylonierne og deres naboer voksede aldrig helt bort fra deres skjulte former for seksuel gudsdyrkelse. Det var blevet en udbredt praksis i hele Mesopotamien for alle kvinder mindst én gang i deres unge år at give sig hen til omfavnelse af fremmede; dette blev anset for at være en hengivenhed krævet af Ishtar, og man mente, at fertiliteten i høj grad var afhængige af dette seksuelle offer.		95:1.5 (1042.6) Never did the Salem teachers fully overcome the popularity of Ishtar, the mother of gods and the spirit of sex fertility. They did much to refine the worship of this goddess, but the Babylonians and their neighbors had never completely outgrown their disguised forms of sex worship. It had become a universal practice throughout Mesopotamia for all women to submit, at least once in early life, to the embrace of strangers; this was thought to be a devotion required by Ishtar, and it was believed that fertility was largely dependent on this sex sacrifice.
95:1.6 (1043.1) Den tidlige udvikling af de Melkisedekske lærdomme var meget tilfredsstillende indtil Nabodad, lederen af skolen i Kish, besluttede at iværksætte en fælles angreb mod de udbredte skikke i tempel prostitution. Salem missionærerne mislykkedes, og i deres bestræbelser på at skabe denne sociale reform, og i kølvandet af denne fiasko forsvandt alle deres mere vigtige åndelige og filosofiske lærdomme.		95:1.6 (1043.1) The early progress of the Melchizedek teaching was highly gratifying until Nabodad, the leader of the school at Kish, decided to make a concerted attack upon the prevalent practices of temple harlotry. But the Salem missionaries failed in their effort to bring about this social reform, and in the wreck of this failure all their more important spiritual and philosophic teachings went down in defeat.
95:1.7 (1043.2) Dette nederlag af Salem evangeliet blev straks efterfulgt af en stor stigning for Ishtar kulten, et ritual, som allerede havde invaderet Palæstina som Ashtoreth, i Egypten som Isis, i Grækenland som Afrodite, og i de nordlige stammer som Astarte. Det var i forbindelse med denne genoplivning af Ishtar tilbedelsen, at de babyloniske præster igen begyndte at forske i stjernerne. Astrologi oplevede sin sidste store vækkelse i Mesopotamien, spådomme kom på mode, og i hundreder af år tiltog præsteskabets forfald.		95:1.7 (1043.2) This defeat of the Salem gospel was immediately followed by a great increase in the cult of Ishtar, a ritual which had already invaded Palestine as Ashtoreth, Egypt as Isis, Greece as Aphrodite, and the northern tribes as Astarte. And it was in connection with this revival of the worship of Ishtar that the Babylonian priests turned anew to stargazing; astrology experienced its last great Mesopotamian revival, fortunetelling became the vogue, and for centuries the priesthood increasingly deteriorated.
95:1.8 (1043.3) Melkisedek havde advaret sine tilhængere til at undervise om den ene Gud, Faderen og Skaberen af alt, og kun til at prædike evangeliet om Guds gunst alene ved troen. De, der underviser i ny sandhed har ofte begået den fejl, at forsøge alt for meget, for at forsøge at erstatte den langsomme evolution med en pludselig revolution. De Melkisedekske missionærer i Mesopotamien satte en moralsk standard, der var for høj for folket; de forsøgte alt for meget, og deres ædle sag blev spildt. De havde fået tilladelse til at forkynde et bestemt evangelium, for at forkynde sandheden om den Universelle Faders virkelighed, men de blev viklet ind i tilsyneladende værdige formål om at reformere skikkene, og dermed kom deres store mission ind på et sidespor og gik næsten tabt i frustration og glemsel.		95:1.8 (1043.3) Melchizedek had warned his followers to teach about the one God, the Father and Maker of all, and to preach only the gospel of divine favor through faith alone. But it has often been the error of the teachers of new truth to attempt too much, to attempt to supplant slow evolution by sudden revolution. The Melchizedek missionaries in Mesopotamia raised a moral standard too high for the people; they attempted too much, and their noble cause went down in defeat. They had been commissioned to preach a definite gospel, to proclaim the truth of the reality of the Universal Father, but they became entangled in the apparently worthy cause of reforming the mores, and thus was their great mission sidetracked and virtually lost in frustration and oblivion.
95:1.9 (1043.4) Inden for en generation kom Salem hovedkvarteret i Kish til en afslutning, og troen på én Gud ophørte stort set i hele Mesopotamien. Men resterne af Salem skolerne levede imidlertid videre. Små grupper spredt her og der beholdt deres tro på den ene Skaber og kæmpede mod de mesopotamiske præsters afgudsdyrkelse og umoral.		95:1.9 (1043.4) In one generation the Salem headquarters at Kish came to an end, and the propaganda of the belief in one God virtually ceased throughout Mesopotamia. But remnants of the Salem schools persisted. Small bands scattered here and there continued their belief in the one Creator and fought against the idolatry and immorality of the Mesopotamian priests.
95:1.10 (1043.5) Det var Salem missionærerne, der i perioden efter at deres undervisning var afvist, skrev mange af det gamle Testamentes Salmer. De skrev dem på sten, hvor senere dages hebraiske præster fandt dem under fangenskab og efterfølgende indarbejdet dem med indsamlingen af salmer der er blevet tilskrevet jødiske forfattere. Disse smukke salmer fra Babylon blev ikke skrevet i Bel-Marduks templer. De var udarbejdet af efterkommere fra de tidligere Salem missionærer, og de er en slående kontrast til de babyloniske præsters magiske samlinger. Jobs Bog afspejler ganske godt undervisningen på Salem skolen i Kish og andre steder i Mesopotamien.		95:1.10 (1043.5) It was the Salem missionaries of the period following the rejection of their teaching who wrote many of the Old Testament Psalms, inscribing them on stone, where later-day Hebrew priests found them during the captivity and subsequently incorporated them among the collection of hymns ascribed to Jewish authorship. These beautiful psalms from Babylon were not written in the temples of Bel-Marduk; they were the work of the descendants of the earlier Salem missionaries, and they are a striking contrast to the magical conglomerations of the Babylonian priests. The Book of Job is a fairly good reflection of the teachings of the Salem school at Kish and throughout Mesopotamia.
95:1.11 (1043.6) Meget af den religiøse kultur fra Mesopotamien fandt vej til hebraisk litteratur og liturgi via Egypten gennem Amenemopes og Ikhnatons arbejde. Egypterne bevarede bemærkelsesværdigt godt læren om de social forpligtelse, der nedstammede fra de tidligere Anditiske Mesopotamianer og som de senere babyloniere, der besatte Eufrat dalen i vid udstrækning mistede.		95:1.11 (1043.6) Much of the Mesopotamian religious culture found its way into Hebrew literature and liturgy by way of Egypt through the work of Amenemope and Ikhnaton. The Egyptians remarkably preserved the teachings of social obligation derived from the earlier Andite Mesopotamians and so largely lost by the later Babylonians who occupied the Euphrates valley.
2. Den tidlige religion i egypten ^top		2. Early Egyptian Religion ^top
95:2.1 (1043.7) Melkisedeks oprindelige lære slog virkelig deres dybeste rod i Egypten, hvorfra de senere bredte sig til Europa. Den evolutionære religion i Nildalen blev periodisk forlænget ved ankomsten af højerestående stammer af Noditer, adamiter, og senere det Anditiske folk fra Eufrat-dalen. Fra tid til anden, var mange af de egyptiske civile administratorer Sumererne. Da Indien på dette tidspunkt nærede den mest omfattende blanding af verdens racer, så fandtes der i Egypten den mest grundige blanding af religiøs filosofi, der nogensinde har eksisteret på Urantia, og fra Nildalen spredte den sig til mange dele af verden. Jøderne fik meget af deres opfattelse om verdens skabelse fra babylonierne, men deres opfattelse om det guddommelige forsyn stammede fra egypterne.		95:2.1 (1043.7) The original Melchizedek teachings really took their deepest root in Egypt, from where they subsequently spread to Europe. The evolutionary religion of the Nile valley was periodically augmented by the arrival of superior strains of Nodite, Adamite, and later Andite peoples of the Euphrates valley. From time to time, many of the Egyptian civil administrators were Sumerians. As India in these days harbored the highest mixture of the world races, so Egypt fostered the most thoroughly blended type of religious philosophy to be found on Urantia, and from the Nile valley it spread to many parts of the world. The Jews received much of their idea of the creation of the world from the Babylonians, but they derived the concept of divine Providence from the Egyptians.
95:2.2 (1044.1) Det var politiske og moralske, snarere end filosofiske eller religiøse, tendenser, der gjorde Egypten gunstigere end Mesopotamien for Salem lærdommene. Hver stammehøvding i Egypten, efter at have kæmpet sig vej til tronen, forsøgte at konsolidere sit dynasti ved at proklamere sin stammegud som den oprindelige guddom og skaberen af alle andre guder. På denne måde blev egypterne efterhånden vænnet til tanken om en overgud, et skridt i retning af den senere doktrin om en universel Skaberguddom. Idéen om monoteisme svingede frem og tilbage i Egypten i mange århundreder, og troen på én Gud vandt konstant terræn, men kom aldrig helt til at få herredømme over de skiftende opfattelser af polyteisme.		95:2.2 (1044.1) It was political and moral, rather than philosophic or religious, tendencies that rendered Egypt more favorable to the Salem teaching than Mesopotamia. Each tribal leader in Egypt, after fighting his way to the throne, sought to perpetuate his dynasty by proclaiming his tribal god the original deity and creator of all other gods. In this way the Egyptians gradually got used to the idea of a supergod, a steppingstone to the later doctrine of a universal creator Deity. The idea of monotheism wavered back and forth in Egypt for many centuries, the belief in one God always gaining ground but never quite dominating the evolving concepts of polytheism.
95:2.3 (1044.2) For tidsaldre havde det egyptiske folk været dedikeret til tilbedelse af naturens guder; mere specifikt havde hver og en af de omkring fyrre stammer en særlig gruppe gud, én tilbad tyren, en anden løven, en tredje vædderen, og så videre. Endnu tidligere havde de været totemstammer, meget ligesom indianerne i Amerika.		95:2.3 (1044.2) For ages the Egyptian peoples had been given to the worship of nature gods; more particularly did each of the two-score separate tribes have a special group god, one worshiping the bull, another the lion, a third the ram, and so on. Still earlier they had been totem tribes, very much like the Amerinds.
95:2.4 (1044.3) Over tid observerede egypterne, at døde kroppe placeret i grave uden mursten blev bevaret - balsameret - ved virkningen af sodablandede sand, mens de, der blev begravet i murstens hvælvinger henfaldt. Disse observationer førte til de eksperimenter, som resulterede i den senere praksis, at balsamere de døde. Egypterne mente, at bevarelsen af kroppen lettede ens passage gennem fremtidige liv. For at den enkelte behørigt kunne identificeres i en fjern fremtid efter forfald af kroppen, placerede de en statue i graven sammen med liget og graverede den afdødes billede på kisten. Udarbejdelsen af disse nedgravede statuer førte til stor forbedring i ægyptisk kunst.		95:2.4 (1044.3) In time the Egyptians observed that dead bodies placed in brickless graves were preserved—embalmed—by the action of the soda-impregnated sand, while those buried in brick vaults decayed. These observations led to those experiments which resulted in the later practice of embalming the dead. The Egyptians believed that preservation of the body facilitated one’s passage through the future life. That the individual might properly be identified in the distant future after the decay of the body, they placed a burial statue in the tomb along with the corpse, carving a likeness on the coffin. The making of these burial statues led to great improvement in Egyptian art.
95:2.5 (1044.4) I århundreder satte egypterne deres tro på gravkamrene som sikkerhedsforanstaltning af kroppen og deraf følgende behagelig overlevelse efter døden. Den senere udvikling af magiske skikke, mens den belastende livet fra vugge til grav, befriede den dem meget effektivt fra gravkammerreligionen. Præsterne skrev på kisterne med besværgelses tekster, som man mente ville være beskyttelse mod at "mennesket fik sit hjerte taget væk fra sig i underverden." På nuværende tidspunkt er et mangfoldigt udvalg af disse magiske tekster blev indsamlet og bevaret som dødebogen. I Nildalen kom de magiske ritualer tidligt i berøring med samvittighedens og karakterens verden i et omfang, der ikke ofte er opnået af den tids ritualer. Senere var det disse etiske og moralske idealer, snarere end kunstfærdige grave af hvilket frelse afhang.		95:2.5 (1044.4) For centuries the Egyptians placed their faith in tombs as the safeguard of the body and of consequent pleasurable survival after death. The later evolution of magical practices, while burdensome to life from the cradle to the grave, most effectually delivered them from the religion of the tombs. The priests would inscribe the coffins with charm texts which were believed to be protection against a “man’s having his heart taken away from him in the nether world.” Presently a diverse assortment of these magical texts was collected and preserved as The Book of the Dead. But in the Nile valley magical ritual early became involved with the realms of conscience and character to a degree not often attained by the rituals of those days. And subsequently these ethical and moral ideals, rather than elaborate tombs, were depended upon for salvation.
95:2.6 (1044.5) Overtro i disse tider er godt illustreret ved den generelle tro på spyttet som et helbredende middel, en idé, som havde sin oprindelse i Egypten og derfra spredte sig til Arabien og Mesopotamien. I den legendariske kamp mellem Horus og Set, hvor den unge gud mistede sit øje, men efter at Set var blevet besejret, blev dette øje restaureret af den kloge gud Thoth, der spyttede på såret og helbredte det.		95:2.6 (1044.5) The superstitions of these times are well illustrated by the general belief in the efficacy of spittle as a healing agent, an idea which had its origin in Egypt and spread therefrom to Arabia and Mesopotamia. In the legendary battle of Horus with Set the young god lost his eye, but after Set was vanquished, this eye was restored by the wise god Thoth, who spat upon the wound and healed it.
95:2.7 (1044.6) Egypterne mente længe, at stjernerne som funklende på nattehimlen repræsenterede værdige sjæle, der havde overlevet. De troede, at de andre overlevende blev taget op i solen. I løbet af en vis periode, blev hyldest til solen en form for forfader tilbedelse. Den skrånende indgangspassage af den store pyramide pegede direkte mod Nordstjernen, så kongens sjæl, når den steg op fra graven, kunne gå direkte til de stationære og etablerede konstellationer af de faste stjerner, de formodede var kongernes boliger.		95:2.7 (1044.6) The Egyptians long believed that the stars twinkling in the night sky represented the survival of the souls of the worthy dead; other survivors they thought were absorbed into the sun. During a certain period, solar veneration became a species of ancestor worship. The sloping entrance passage of the great pyramid pointed directly toward the Pole Star so that the soul of the king, when emerging from the tomb, could go straight to the stationary and established constellations of the fixed stars, the supposed abode of the kings.
95:2.8 (1045.1) Når solen skrå stråler blev observeret trængende mod jorden gennem en åbning i skyerne, troede man, at de varslede nedsænkning af en himmelsk trappe hvorpå kongen og andre retfærdige sjæle kunne stige op til himlen. "Kongen Pepi har lagt ned sin stråleglans som en trappe under hans fødder, for at stige op til sin mor."		95:2.8 (1045.1) When the oblique rays of the sun were observed penetrating earthward through an aperture in the clouds, it was believed that they betokened the letting down of a celestial stairway whereon the king and other righteous souls might ascend. “King Pepi has put down his radiance as a stairway under his feet whereon to ascend to his mother.”
95:2.9 (1045.2) Da Melkisedek dukkede op i kødet, havde egypterne en religion langt højere end de omkringliggende folk. De troede, at hvis en sjæl havde forladt kroppen, var korrekt bevæbnet med magiske formler, kunne den undgå de mellemliggende onde ånder og bane sig vej til Osiris´ domssal, som, hvis den var uskyldig i "mord, røveri, løgn, ægteskabsbrud, tyveri, og egoisme," ville blive optaget til lyksalighedens riger. Hvis denne sjæl, når den blev vejet på vægten blev fundet for let, ville den blive afsendt til helvede, til den Altopslugende. Det var en relativ, avanceret opfattelse om et fremtidigt liv i sammenligning med overbevisningerne af mange omkringliggende folkeslag.		95:2.9 (1045.2) When Melchizedek appeared in the flesh, the Egyptians had a religion far above that of the surrounding peoples. They believed that a disembodied soul, if properly armed with magic formulas, could evade the intervening evil spirits and make its way to the judgment hall of Osiris, where, if innocent of “murder, robbery, falsehood, adultery, theft, and selfishness,” it would be admitted to the realms of bliss. If this soul were weighed in the balances and found wanting, it would be consigned to hell, to the Devouress. And this was, relatively, an advanced concept of a future life in comparison with the beliefs of many surrounding peoples.
95:2.10 (1045.3) Opfattelsen af dommen i det hinsides for de synder af ens liv i kødet på jorden blev fremført til den hebraiske teologi fra Egypten. Ordet dom forekommer kun én gang i hele den hebraiske Salmernes Bog, og denne særlige salme blev skrevet af en egypter.		95:2.10 (1045.3) The concept of judgment in the hereafter for the sins of one’s life in the flesh on earth was carried over into Hebrew theology from Egypt. The word judgment appears only once in the entire Book of Hebrew Psalms, and that particular psalm was written by an Egyptian.
3. Moralbegrebernes udvikling ^top		3. Evolution of Moral Concepts ^top
95:3.1 (1045.4) Selv om kulturen og religionen i Egypten hovedsagelig stammede fra Anditernes Mesopotamien og i vid udstrækning blev overført til efterfølgende civilisationer gennem hebræerne og grækerne, opstod meget, vældigt meget, af egypternes sociale og etiske idealisme i Nildalen som en rent evolutionær udvikling. Uanset at megen sandhed og kultur af anditisk oprindelse var importeret, udviklede der sig en mere moralsk kultur i Egypten som resultat af en rent menneskelig udvikling end ved lignende naturlige processer i ethvert andet afgrænset landområde forud for overdragelsen af Mikael.		95:3.1 (1045.4) Although the culture and religion of Egypt were chiefly derived from Andite Mesopotamia and largely transmitted to subsequent civilizations through the Hebrews and Greeks, much, very much, of the social and ethical idealism of the Egyptians arose in the valley of the Nile as a purely evolutionary development. Notwithstanding the importation of much truth and culture of Andite origin, there evolved in Egypt more of moral culture as a purely human development than appeared by similar natural techniques in any other circumscribed area prior to the bestowal of Michael.
95:3.2 (1045.5) Den moralske evolution er ikke helt afhængig af åbenbaring. Høje moralske begreber kan opstå som følge af menneskets egen erfaring. Mennesket kan endda selv udvikle åndelige værdier og udlede kosmisk indsigt fra hans personlige erfaringsmæssige liv, fordi en guddommelig ånd er iboende i det. En sådan naturlig udvikling af samvittighed og karakter bliver også forstærket af, at sandhedslærere fra tid til anden ankommer, i oldtiden fra den anden Eden, senere fra Melkisedeks hovedkvarter i Salem.		95:3.2 (1045.5) Moral evolution is not wholly dependent on revelation. High moral concepts can be derived from man’s own experience. Man can even evolve spiritual values and derive cosmic insight from his personal experiential living because a divine spirit indwells him. Such natural evolutions of conscience and character were also augmented by the periodic arrival of teachers of truth, in ancient times from the second Eden, later on from Melchizedek’s headquarters at Salem.
95:3.3 (1045.6) Tusinder af år før Salem evangeliet trængte ind i Egypten, underviste dets moralske ledere om retfærdighed, ærlighed, og undgåelse af grådighed. Tre tusind år før de hebraiske skrifter blev skrevet, var egypternes motto: "På sikker grund står det menneske, hvis norm er retfærdighed; og som går ad dets vej." De underviste om mildhed, mådehold, og diskretion. Budskabet fra en af de store lærere i denne epoke var: "Gør hvad der er rigtigt og handle retfærdigt med alle." Den egyptiske triade i denne tidsalder var Sandhed, Retskaffenhed og Retfærdighed. Af alle de rent menneskelige religioner på Urantia har ingen nogensinde overgået de sociale idealer og den moralske storhed i denne humanisme som engang eksisterede i Nildalen.		95:3.3 (1045.6) Thousands of years before the Salem gospel penetrated to Egypt, its moral leaders taught justice, fairness, and the avoidance of avarice. Three thousand years before the Hebrew scriptures were written, the motto of the Egyptians was: “Established is the man whose standard is righteousness; who walks according to its way.” They taught gentleness, moderation, and discretion. The message of one of the great teachers of this epoch was: “Do right and deal justly with all.” The Egyptian triad of this age was Truth-Justice-Righteousness. Of all the purely human religions of Urantia none ever surpassed the social ideals and the moral grandeur of this onetime humanism of the Nile valley.
95:3.4 (1045.7) På grund af disse skiftende etiske idéer og moralske idealer blomstrede de overlevende lærdomme fra Salemreligionen. Begreberne godt og ondt fandt en klar respons i hjerterne på et folk, der mente, at "Livet er givet til de fredsommelige, og døden til de skyldige." Fredelig er den der gør hvad der er elsket; den skyldige er den, der gør, hvad der er hadet." I århundreder havde indbyggerne i Nildalen levet efter disse nye etiske og sociale standarder, før de nogensinde gav en tanke til de senere begreber rigtigt og forkert - godt og dårligt.		95:3.4 (1045.7) In the soil of these evolving ethical ideas and moral ideals the surviving doctrines of the Salem religion flourished. The concepts of good and evil found ready response in the hearts of a people who believed that “Life is given to the peaceful and death to the guilty.” “The peaceful is he who does what is loved; the guilty is he who does what is hated.” For centuries the inhabitants of the Nile valley had lived by these emerging ethical and social standards before they ever entertained the later concepts of right and wrong—good and bad.
95:3.5 (1046.1) Egypten var intellektuel og moralsk, men ikke særlig åndeligt. I seks tusinde år opstod kun fire store profeter blandt egypterne. Amenemope fulgte de for en tid; Okhban myrdede de; Ikhnaton accepterede de, men halvhjertet for en kort generation; Moses forkastede de. Igen var det politisk snarere end religiøse forhold, der gjorde det let for Abraham og senere, for Josef at øve stor indflydelse i hele Egypten på vegne af Salemlæren om én Gud. Da Salemmissionærerne først trængte ind i Egypten, mødte de denne høje etiske evolutionsbaserede kultur blandet med de modificerede moralnormer som nedstammede fra de mesopotamiske indvandrere. Disse tidligere lærere i Nildalen var de første til at proklamere at samvittighed er Guds mandat, Guddommens stemme.		95:3.5 (1046.1) Egypt was intellectual and moral but not overly spiritual. In six thousand years only four great prophets arose among the Egyptians. Amenemope they followed for a season; Okhban they murdered; Ikhnaton they accepted but halfheartedly for one short generation; Moses they rejected. Again was it political rather than religious circumstances that made it easy for Abraham and, later on, for Joseph to exert great influence throughout Egypt in behalf of the Salem teachings of one God. But when the Salem missionaries first entered Egypt, they encountered this highly ethical culture of evolution blended with the modified moral standards of Mesopotamian immigrants. These early Nile valley teachers were the first to proclaim conscience as the mandate of God, the voice of Deity.
4. Amenemopes lærdomme ^top		4. The Teachings of Amenemope ^top
95:4.1 (1046.2) I rette tid voksede der en lærer op i Egypten som mange kaldte "menneskesøn", og af andre Amenemope. Denne seer ophøjede samvittigheden til overdommeren mellem rigtigt og forkert, underviste i straf for synd, og proklamerede frelse gennem påkaldelse af solens gud.		95:4.1 (1046.2) In due time there grew up in Egypt a teacher called by many the “son of man” and by others Amenemope. This seer exalted conscience to its highest pinnacle of arbitrament between right and wrong, taught punishment for sin, and proclaimed salvation through calling upon the solar deity.
95:4.2 (1046.3) Amenemope underviste, at rigdom og lykke var en gave fra Gud, og denne opfattelse farvede kraftigt den senere fremkommende hebraiske filosofi. Denne ædle lærer mente, at gudsbevidsthed var den afgørende faktor i al adfærd; at hvert øjeblik skal leves i realiseringen om tilstedeværelsen af, og ansvaret over for Gud. Læren fra denne vismand blev efterfølgende oversat til hebraisk og blev til den hellige bog for dette folk, længe før det Gamle Testamente fik sin skriftlige udformning. Den vigtigste doktrin af denne gode mand havde at gøre med, at instruere sin søn i oprigtighed og ærlighed i statslige tillidshverv, og disse ædle følelser fra længst forsvundne tider ville være en ære for enhver moderne statsmand.		95:4.2 (1046.3) Amenemope taught that riches and fortune were the gift of God, and this concept thoroughly colored the later appearing Hebrew philosophy. This noble teacher believed that God-consciousness was the determining factor in all conduct; that every moment should be lived in the realization of the presence of, and responsibility to, God. The teachings of this sage were subsequently translated into Hebrew and became the sacred book of that people long before the Old Testament was reduced to writing. The chief preachment of this good man had to do with instructing his son in uprightness and honesty in governmental positions of trust, and these noble sentiments of long ago would do honor to any modern statesman.
95:4.3 (1046.4) Denne kloge mand fra Nildalen lærte, at "rigdom tage sig vinger og flyver væk" - at alle jordiske ting er forgængelige. Hans vigtigste bøn var at være "frelst fra frygt." Han formanede alle til at vende sig bort fra " menneskers ord " til "Guds handlinger". Essensens af hans lære var, at mennesket foreslår men Gud råder. Hans lærdomme, oversat til hebraisk, bestemte filosofien i Ordsprogenes bog i Det Gamle Testamente. I græsk oversættelse farvede den al efterfølgende Hellenistisk religiøs filosofi. Den senere alexandrinske filosof, Filon, havde et eksemplar af Visdommens bog.		95:4.3 (1046.4) This wise man of the Nile taught that “riches take themselves wings and fly away”—that all things earthly are evanescent. His great prayer was to be “saved from fear.” He exhorted all to turn away from “the words of men” to “the acts of God.” In substance he taught: Man proposes but God disposes. His teachings, translated into Hebrew, determined the philosophy of the Old Testament Book of Proverbs. Translated into Greek, they gave color to all subsequent Hellenic religious philosophy. The later Alexandrian philosopher, Philo, possessed a copy of the Book of Wisdom.
95:4.4 (1046.5) Amenemope arbejdede for bevarelse af evolutions etikken og åbenbarings moralen og i sine skrifter førte han dem videre både til hebræerne og grækerne. Han var ikke den største af de religiøse lærere under sin tidsalder, men han var den mest indflydelsesrige, da han farvede den efterfølgende tanke blandt de to vigtigste led i væksten af den vestlige civilisation - hebræerne, blandt hvilken den vestlige religiøse tro nåede sit højdepunkt, og grækerne, som udviklede den rent filosofiske tanke til sit højeste niveau i Europa.		95:4.4 (1046.5) Amenemope functioned to conserve the ethics of evolution and the morals of revelation and in his writings passed them on both to the Hebrews and to the Greeks. He was not the greatest of the religious teachers of this age, but he was the most influential in that he colored the subsequent thought of two vital links in the growth of Occidental civilization—the Hebrews, among whom evolved the acme of Occidental religious faith, and the Greeks, who developed pure philosophic thought to its greatest European heights.
95:4.5 (1046.6) I hebræernes Ordsprogene Bog, kapitel femten, sytten, tyve og kapitel toogtyve, vers sytten, til kapitel fireogtyve, vers toogtyve, er taget næsten ordret fra Amenemopes Visdommens Bog. Den første salme af den hebraiske Salmernes Bog blev skrevet af Amenemope og er kernen i Ikhnaton undervisning.		95:4.5 (1046.6) In the Book of Hebrew Proverbs, chapters fifteen, seventeen, twenty, and chapter twenty-two, verse seventeen, to chapter twenty-four, verse twenty-two, are taken almost verbatim from Amenemope’s Book of Wisdom. The first psalm of the Hebrew Book of Psalms was written by Amenemope and is the heart of the teachings of Ikhnaton.
5. Den bemærkelsesværdige ikhnaton ^top		5. The Remarkable Ikhnaton ^top
95:5.1 (1047.1) Amenemopes lærdomme mistede langsomt dets greb om egypternes sind, da, en kvinde af den kongelige familie under indflydelse af en egyptisk Salem læge, accepterede den Melkisedekske lære. Denne kvinde formåede sin søn, Ikhnaton, Farao af Ægypten, til at acceptere læren om den ene Gud.		95:5.1 (1047.1) The teachings of Amenemope were slowly losing their hold on the Egyptian mind when, through the influence of an Egyptian Salemite physician, a woman of the royal family espoused the Melchizedek teachings. This woman prevailed upon her son, Ikhnaton, Pharaoh of Egypt, to accept these doctrines of One God.
95:5.2 (1047.2) Efter at Melkisedek i kødelig form var forsvundet, havde intet menneske indtil da besiddet sådan en bemærkelsesværdig klar opfattelse som Ikhnaton om den åbenbarede religion fra Salem. I nogle henseender er denne unge egyptiske konge en af de mest bemærkelsesværdige personer i menneskets historie. I denne tid med stigende åndelig depression i Mesopotamien, holdt han læren om El Elyon, den Ene Gud, levende i Egypten, og opretholdt dermed den filosofiske monoteistiske kanal, som var afgørende for den religiøse baggrund af den daværende kommende overdragelse af Mikael. Det var i erkendelse af denne bedrift, blandt andre grunde, at barnet Jesus blev ført til Egypten, hvor nogle af Ikhnatons åndelige efterfølgere så ham og til en vis grad forstod visse faser af hans guddommelige mission på Urantia.		95:5.2 (1047.2) Since the disappearance of Melchizedek in the flesh, no human being up to that time had possessed such an amazingly clear concept of the revealed religion of Salem as Ikhnaton. In some respects this young Egyptian king is one of the most remarkable persons in human history. During this time of increasing spiritual depression in Mesopotamia, he kept alive the doctrine of El Elyon, the One God, in Egypt, thus maintaining the philosophic monotheistic channel which was vital to the religious background of the then future bestowal of Michael. And it was in recognition of this exploit, among other reasons, that the child Jesus was taken to Egypt, where some of the spiritual successors of Ikhnaton saw him and to some extent understood certain phases of his divine mission to Urantia.
95:5.3 (1047.3) Moses, den største karakter mellem Melkisedek og Jesus, var den hebraiske races og den egyptiske kongefamilies fælles gave til verden; og hvis Ikhnaton havde været lige så alsidig og vidende som Moses, og havde han manifesterede en politisk genialitet til at matche hans overraskende religiøse lederskab, så ville Egypten være blevet den store monoteistiske nation i denne tidsalder; og hvis dette var sket, er det meget muligt, at Jesus kunne have levet størstedelen af sit jordiske liv i Egypten.		95:5.3 (1047.3) Moses, the greatest character between Melchizedek and Jesus, was the joint gift to the world of the Hebrew race and the Egyptian royal family; and had Ikhnaton possessed the versatility and ability of Moses, had he manifested a political genius to match his surprising religious leadership, then would Egypt have become the great monotheistic nation of that age; and if this had happened, it is barely possible that Jesus might have lived the greater portion of his mortal life in Egypt.
95:5.4 (1047.4) Aldrig i historien har nogen konge så metodisk påtaget sig at svinge en hel nation fra polyteisme til monoteisme, som denne ekstraordinære Ikhnaton. Med den mest fantastiske beslutsomhed brød denne unge hersker med fortiden, ændrede sit navn, opgav sin hovedstad, bygget en helt ny by, og skabte en ny kunst og litteratur for et helt folk. Men han gik for hurtigt; han byggede for meget, mere end hvad der kunne stå, da han var borte. Igen, han undlod at sørge for den materielle stabilitet og velstand for sit folk, som alle reagerede negativt mod hans religiøse lære, da de efterfølgende oversvømmelser af modgang og undertrykkelse skyllede hen over egypterne.		95:5.4 (1047.4) Never in all history did any king so methodically proceed to swing a whole nation from polytheism to monotheism as did this extraordinary Ikhnaton. With the most amazing determination this young ruler broke with the past, changed his name, abandoned his capital, built an entirely new city, and created a new art and literature for a whole people. But he went too fast; he built too much, more than could stand when he had gone. Again, he failed to provide for the material stability and prosperity of his people, all of which reacted unfavorably against his religious teachings when the subsequent floods of adversity and oppression swept over the Egyptians.
95:5.5 (1047.5) Havde denne mand med en utroligt klar vision og ekstraordinære beslutsomhed haft Moses politiske skarpsindighed, ville han have ændret hele historien med hensyn til udviklingen af religion og åbenbaringen af sandheden i Vesten. I løbet af sin levetid var han i stand til at bremse præsternes aktiviteter, som han generelt miskrediterede, men de fastholdt deres kulter i hemmelighed, og gik i aktion, så snart den unge konge ikke længere var ved magten; og de spildte ingen tid til at knytte alle de efterfølgende problemer, der ramte Egypten med indførelsen af monoteisme i hans regeringstid.		95:5.5 (1047.5) Had this man of amazingly clear vision and extraordinary singleness of purpose had the political sagacity of Moses, he would have changed the whole history of the evolution of religion and the revelation of truth in the Occidental world. During his lifetime he was able to curb the activities of the priests, whom he generally discredited, but they maintained their cults in secret and sprang into action as soon as the young king passed from power; and they were not slow to connect all of Egypt’s subsequent troubles with the establishment of monotheism during his reign.
95:5.6 (1047.6) Meget klogt forsøgte Ikhnaton at etablere monoteisme under dække af solguden. Denne beslutning om at nærme sig tilbedelsen af den Universelle Fader ved at absorbere alle guder i tilbedelsen af solen var på råd fra den nævnte Salem læge. Ikhnaton tog de almindelige kendte læresætninger i den daværende eksisterende Aton tro om guddommens faderskab og moderskab og skabte en religion, som anerkendte en intim tilbedende relation mellem mennesket og Gud.		95:5.6 (1047.6) Very wisely Ikhnaton sought to establish monotheism under the guise of the sun-god. This decision to approach the worship of the Universal Father by absorbing all gods into the worship of the sun was due to the counsel of the Salemite physician. Ikhnaton took the generalized doctrines of the then existent Aton faith regarding the fatherhood and motherhood of Deity and created a religion which recognized an intimate worshipful relation between man and God.
95:5.7 (1048.1) Ikhnaton var klog nok til at opretholde den ydre tilbedelse af Aton, solguden, samtidig som han førte sine medarbejdere i forklædt tilbedelse af den ene Gud, skaberen af Aton og højeste Fader af alle. Denne unge lærer og konge var en produktiv forfatter, der skrev en redegørelsen med titlen "Den Ene Gud", en bog på enogtredive kapitler, som præsterne, da de vendte tilbage til magten, fuldstændig ødelagde. Ikhnaton skrev også et hundrede og syvogtredive salmer, tolv af dem er nu bevaret i Det Gamle Testamentes Salmernes Bog, krediteret hebraisk forfatterskab.		95:5.7 (1048.1) Ikhnaton was wise enough to maintain the outward worship of Aton, the sun-god, while he led his associates in the disguised worship of the One God, creator of Aton and supreme Father of all. This young teacher-king was a prolific writer, being author of the exposition entitled “The One God,” a book of thirty-one chapters, which the priests, when returned to power, utterly destroyed. Ikhnaton also wrote one hundred and thirty-seven hymns, twelve of which are now preserved in the Old Testament Book of Psalms, credited to Hebrew authorship.
95:5.8 (1048.2) Den øverste ord i Ikhnatons religion i det daglige var "Retfærdighed", og han udvidede hurtigt begrebet om hvad der var rigtigt at gøre for at dække både international såvel som national etik. Dette var en generation præget af forbløffende personlige fromhed og et oprigtigt ønske blandt de mere intelligente mænd og kvinder til at finde Gud og lære ham at kende. På den tid gav social status eller rigdom ingen egypter nogen fordel for loven. Familielivet i Egypten gjorde meget for at bevare og forbedre den moralske kultur og var inspiration for jødernes senere fantastiske familieliv i Palæstina.		95:5.8 (1048.2) The supreme word of Ikhnaton’s religion in daily life was “righteousness,” and he rapidly expanded the concept of right doing to embrace international as well as national ethics. This was a generation of amazing personal piety and was characterized by a genuine aspiration among the more intelligent men and women to find God and to know him. In those days social position or wealth gave no Egyptian any advantage in the eyes of the law. The family life of Egypt did much to preserve and augment moral culture and was the inspiration of the later superb family life of the Jews in Palestine.
95:5.9 (1048.3) Den fatale svaghed i Ikhnatons evangelium var dens største sandhed, læren om at Aton ikke kun var Egyptens skaber, men også skaberen af "hele verden, mennesket og dyr, og udover Egypten alle de fremmede lande, selv Syrien og Kush. Han giver alle deres plads og sørger for alles behov." Disse begreber om Guddommen var høje og ophøjede, men de var ikke nationalistiske. Sådanne følelser af internationalitet i religionen hjalp ikke til at hæve moralen i den egyptiske hær på slagmarken, mens de forsynede præsterne med effektive våben til at bruge mod den unge konge og hans nye religion. Han havde en Guddomskoncept langt højere end de senere hebræere, men den var for avanceret til at tjene en nation bygherres formål.		95:5.9 (1048.3) The fatal weakness of Ikhnaton’s gospel was its greatest truth, the teaching that Aton was not only the creator of Egypt but also of the “whole world, man and beasts, and all the foreign lands, even Syria and Kush, besides this land of Egypt. He sets all in their place and provides all with their needs.” These concepts of Deity were high and exalted, but they were not nationalistic. Such sentiments of internationality in religion failed to augment the morale of the Egyptian army on the battlefield, while they provided effective weapons for the priests to use against the young king and his new religion. He had a Deity concept far above that of the later Hebrews, but it was too advanced to serve the purposes of a nation builder.
95:5.10 (1048.4) Selvom det monoteistiske ideal tog skade ved Ikhnatons død, blev tanken om én Gud bevaret i mange grupper. Ikhnatons svigersøn gik sammen med præsterne, tilbage til tilbedelsen af de gamle guder og ændrede sit navn til Tutankhamons. Hovedstaden blev igen til Theben, og præsterne voksede sig fede på deres jordbesiddelser, til sidst besat de en syvendedel af hele Egypten; og snart vovede en af denne præsteklasse hensynsløst at sætte sig selv på kronen.		95:5.10 (1048.4) Though the monotheistic ideal suffered with the passing of Ikhnaton, the idea of one God persisted in the minds of many groups. The son-in-law of Ikhnaton went along with the priests, back to the worship of the old gods, changing his name to Tutankhamen. The capital returned to Thebes, and the priests waxed fat upon the land, eventually gaining possession of one seventh of all Egypt; and presently one of this same order of priests made bold to seize the crown.
95:5.11 (1048.5) Præsterne kunne dog ikke fuldt ud overvinde den monoteistiske bølge. De blev i stigende grad tvunget til at kombinere navnene på deres guder; og forbinde dem med bindestreger. Gudefamilien blev mindre og mindre. Ikhnaton havde tilknyttet den flammende skive på himlen med Skaberguden, og denne idé fortsatte med at flamme op i menneskenes hjerter, selv i præsternes, længe efter at den unge reformator var gået bort. Monoteismens tanke størknede aldrig i menneskernes hjerter, hverken i Egypten eller i verden. Den forblev endda indtil ankomsten af Skabersønnen af denne samme guddommelige Fader, den ene Gud, som Ikhnaton så hengivent havde forkyndt for tilbedelsen i hele Egypten.		95:5.11 (1048.5) But the priests could not fully overcome the monotheistic wave. Increasingly they were compelled to combine and hyphenate their gods; more and more the family of gods contracted. Ikhnaton had associated the flaming disc of the heavens with the creator God, and this idea continued to flame up in the hearts of men, even of the priests, long after the young reformer had passed on. Never did the concept of monotheism die out of the hearts of men in Egypt and in the world. It persisted even to the arrival of the Creator Son of that same divine Father, the one God whom Ikhnaton had so zealously proclaimed for the worship of all Egypt.
95:5.12 (1048.6) Svagheden i Ikhnatons doktrin lå i det faktum, at han præsenterede en så avanceret religion, så kun de uddannede egyptere fuldt ud kunne forstå hans lære. De menige landarbejdere forstod aldrig rigtig hans evangelium og var derfor klar til at vende tilbage med præsterne til den gamle tids tilbedelse af Isis og hendes mand Osiris, som angiveligt opstod mirakuløst fra en grusom død i hænderne på Set, mørkets og ondskabens gud.		95:5.12 (1048.6) The weakness of Ikhnaton’s doctrine lay in the fact that he proposed such an advanced religion that only the educated Egyptians could fully comprehend his teachings. The rank and file of the agricultural laborers never really grasped his gospel and were, therefore, ready to return with the priests to the old-time worship of Isis and her consort Osiris, who was supposed to have been miraculously resurrected from a cruel death at the hands of Set, the god of darkness and evil.
95:5.13 (1049.1) Undervisningen i udødelighed for alle mennesker var for avanceret for egypterne. Kun konger og de rige blev lovet en opstandelse; derfor balsamerede og bevarede de så omhyggeligt deres kroppe i gravene mens de ventede på dommens dag. Demokrati når det gælder frelse og opstandelse som Ikhnaton havde undervist sejrede til sidst, selv i det omfang, at egypterne senere troede på overlevelse af mindre begavede dyr.		95:5.13 (1049.1) The teaching of immortality for all men was too advanced for the Egyptians. Only kings and the rich were promised a resurrection; therefore did they so carefully embalm and preserve their bodies in tombs against the day of judgment. But the democracy of salvation and resurrection as taught by Ikhnaton eventually prevailed, even to the extent that the Egyptians later believed in the survival of dumb animals.
95:5.14 (1049.2) Selvom denne egyptiske hersker bestræbte sig på at pålægge sit folk tilbedelsen af én Gud syntes at svigte, skal det registreres, at konsekvenserne af hans arbejde varede i århundreder i både Palæstina og Grækenland, og at Egypten således blev formidleren som overførte den evolutionsbaserede kultur fra Nildalen i kombination med den åbenbarende religion fra Eufratdalen til alle de senere folk i Vesten.		95:5.14 (1049.2) Although the effort of this Egyptian ruler to impose the worship of one God upon his people appeared to fail, it should be recorded that the repercussions of his work persisted for centuries both in Palestine and Greece, and that Egypt thus became the agent for transmitting the combined evolutionary culture of the Nile and the revelatory religion of the Euphrates to all of the subsequent peoples of the Occident.
95:5.15 (1049.3) Glansen fra denne storslået æra af moralsk udvikling og spirituel vækst i Nildalen aftog hurtigt omkring det tidspunkt da hebræernes nationale liv tog sin begyndelse, og som en konsekvens af deres ophold i Egypten førte disse beduiner meget af disse lærdomme med sig og bevarede mange af Ikhnatons doktriner i deres racemæssige religion.		95:5.15 (1049.3) The glory of this great era of moral development and spiritual growth in the Nile valley was rapidly passing at about the time the national life of the Hebrews was beginning, and consequent upon their sojourn in Egypt these Bedouins carried away much of these teachings and perpetuated many of Ikhnaton’s doctrines in their racial religion.
6. Salemlæren i iran ^top		6. The Salem Doctrines in Iran ^top
95:6.1 (1049.4) Fra Palæstina rejser en del af Melkisedekske missionærer videre gennem Mesopotamien til det vidtstrakte iranske højland. I mere end fem hundrede år gjort lærerne fra Salem fremskridt i Iran, og hele nationen var ved at svinge over til Melkisedeks religion, da en ændring af herskere pludselig udløste en bitter forfølgelse som praktisk talt endte Salemkultens monoteistiske lærdomme. Læren om Abrahams pagt var stort set forsvundet fra Persien, da Zarathustra dukkede op under den moralske renæssances store århundrede, det sjette før Kristus, for at genoplive de ulmende gløder fra Salem evangeliet.		95:6.1 (1049.4) From Palestine some of the Melchizedek missionaries passed on through Mesopotamia and to the great Iranian plateau. For more than five hundred years the Salem teachers made headway in Iran, and the whole nation was swinging to the Melchizedek religion when a change of rulers precipitated a bitter persecution which practically ended the monotheistic teachings of the Salem cult. The doctrine of the Abrahamic covenant was virtually extinct in Persia when, in that great century of moral renaissance, the sixth before Christ, Zoroaster appeared to revive the smouldering embers of the Salem gospel.
95:6.2 (1049.5) Denne grundlægger af en ny religion var en viril og eventyrlysten ung mand, som på sin første pilgrimsfærd til Ur i Mesopotamien, havde hørt traditioner om Caligastias og Lucifer oprør - sammen med mange andre traditioner - og de havde alle gjort et stærkt indtryk på hans religiøse natur. Som følge af en drøm mens han var i Ur besluttede han derfor et program om at vende tilbage til sit nordlige hjem og påbegynde en revision af religionen blandt sit folk. Han havde erhvervet den hebraiske idé om Guds retfærdighed, Moses idé om guddommelighed. Tanken om den højeste Gud var klar i hans sind, og fastholdt alle andre guder som djævle og tilskrev dem til rækken af dæmoner, som han havde hørt om i Mesopotamien. Han havde hørt historien om de Syv Herskerånder som den var bevaret i Ur, og i overensstemmelse hermed skabte han en galakse af syv øverste guder med Ahura-Mazda som den første. De underordnede guder tilknyttet han idealisering af den Rigtige Lov, God Tanke, Ædelt styre, Hellig Karakter, Sundhed og Udødelighed.		95:6.2 (1049.5) This founder of a new religion was a virile and adventurous youth, who, on his first pilgrimage to Ur in Mesopotamia, had learned of the traditions of the Caligastia and the Lucifer rebellion—along with many other traditions—all of which had made a strong appeal to his religious nature. Accordingly, as the result of a dream while in Ur, he settled upon a program of returning to his northern home to undertake the remodeling of the religion of his people. He had imbibed the Hebraic idea of a God of justice, the Mosaic concept of divinity. The idea of a supreme God was clear in his mind, and he set down all other gods as devils, consigned them to the ranks of the demons of which he had heard in Mesopotamia. He had learned of the story of the Seven Master Spirits as the tradition lingered in Ur, and, accordingly, he created a galaxy of seven supreme gods with Ahura-Mazda at its head. These subordinate gods he associated with the idealization of Right Law, Good Thought, Noble Government, Holy Character, Health, and Immortality.
95:6.3 (1049.6) Denne nye religion var en handlingens - arbejdets religion - ikke bønner og ritualer. Dens Gud var et væsen af højeste visdom og beskytter af civilisationen; det var en militant religiøs filosofi, som vovede at kæmpe med det onde, passivitet, og tilbageståenhed.		95:6.3 (1049.6) And this new religion was one of action—work—not prayers and rituals. Its God was a being of supreme wisdom and the patron of civilization; it was a militant religious philosophy which dared to battle with evil, inaction, and backwardness.
95:6.4 (1049.7) Zarathustra underviste ikke i tilbedelsen af ild, men søgte at udnytte flammen som et symbol på den rene og kloge Ånds universelle og højeste dominans. (Det er kun alt for sandt, at hans senere tilhængere både ærede og tilbad denne symbolske ild.) Da en iransk prins havde omvendt sig blev denne nye religion spredt ved sværdet. Zarathustra døde heroisk i kamp for det, som han troede var "sandheden fra Lysets Herre."		95:6.4 (1049.7) Zoroaster did not teach the worship of fire but sought to utilize the flame as a symbol of the pure and wise Spirit of universal and supreme dominance. (All too true, his later followers did both reverence and worship this symbolic fire.) Finally, upon the conversion of an Iranian prince, this new religion was spread by the sword. And Zoroaster heroically died in battle for that which he believed was the “truth of the Lord of light.”
95:6.5 (1050.1) Zarathustras lære er den eneste trosbekendelse på Urantia, i hvilken noget af lærdommene fra Dalamatia og Eden om de Syv Mesterånder findes bevaret. Selvom det ikke lykkedes at udvikle treenighedsbegrebet, nærmede den sig på en bestemt måde til, Gud den Syvfoldige. Zarathustras oprindelige undervisning var ikke en ren dualisme; selvom de tidligste lærdomme faktisk fremstillede ondskab som lige med godhed i tiden, så ville det onde i evigheden afgjort drukne i den godes ultimative virkelighed. Kun i nyere tid opstod troen på, at godt og ondt kæmpede på lige vilkår.		95:6.5 (1050.1) Zoroastrianism is the only Urantian creed that perpetuates the Dalamatian and Edenic teachings about the Seven Master Spirits. While failing to evolve the Trinity concept, it did in a certain way approach that of God the Sevenfold. Original Zoroastrianism was not a pure dualism; though the early teachings did picture evil as a time co-ordinate of goodness, it was definitely eternity-submerged in the ultimate reality of the good. Only in later times did the belief gain credence that good and evil contended on equal terms.
95:6.6 (1050.2) Selvom de jødiske traditioner om himmel og helvede samt læren om djævle, som de er registreret i de hebraiske skrifter, byggede på overleverede traditioner om Lucifer og Caligastia nedstammede de hovedsagelig fra Zarathustras tilhængere på den tid, hvor jøderne var under Persernes politiske og kulturelle dominans. Zarathustras lære indeholdt, ligesom egypterne, "dommens dag", men han forbandt denne begivenhed med verdens undergang.		95:6.6 (1050.2) The Jewish traditions of heaven and hell and the doctrine of devils as recorded in the Hebrew scriptures, while founded on the lingering traditions of Lucifer and Caligastia, were principally derived from the Zoroastrians during the times when the Jews were under the political and cultural dominance of the Persians. Zoroaster, like the Egyptians, taught the “day of judgment,” but he connected this event with the end of the world.
95:6.7 (1050.3) Selv den religion, som fulgte efter Zarathustras lære i Persien var markant påvirket af den. Da de iranske præster forsøgte at omstyrte Zarathustras lærdomme, genopstod den gamle tilbedelse af Mithra. Mithraismen spredte sig over hele Levanten og Middelhavsområdet. I nogen tid var den moderne samme med både jødedom og kristendom. Zarathustras lære kom dermed gradvist til at sætte sit præg på de tre store religioner: jødedom og kristendom, og via dem, muhamedanismen.		95:6.7 (1050.3) Even the religion which succeeded Zoroastrianism in Persia was markedly influenced by it. When the Iranian priests sought to overthrow the teachings of Zoroaster, they resurrected the ancient worship of Mithra. And Mithraism spread throughout the Levant and Mediterranean regions, being for some time a contemporary of both Judaism and Christianity. The teachings of Zoroaster thus came successively to impress three great religions: Judaism and Christianity and, through them, Mohammedanism.
95:6.8 (1050.4) Der er en lang vej fra Zarathustras ophøjede lære og ædle salmer til de moderne perversioner i hans evangelium blandt parserne med deres store frygt for de døde, kombineret med en tro på spidsfindigheder, som Zarathustras aldrig nedlod sig til at tolerere.		95:6.8 (1050.4) But it is a far cry from the exalted teachings and noble psalms of Zoroaster to the modern perversions of his gospel by the Parsees with their great fear of the dead, coupled with the entertainment of beliefs in sophistries which Zoroaster never stooped to countenance.
95:6.9 (1050.5) Denne store mand tilhørte en unikke gruppe, der fremtrådte i det sjette århundrede før Kristus for at forhindre at lyset fra Salem helt og endeligt blev slukket, da det brændte så svagt for at vise mennesket i sin formørkede verden lysets vej, der fører til evigt liv.		95:6.9 (1050.5) This great man was one of that unique group that sprang up in the sixth century before Christ to keep the light of Salem from being fully and finally extinguished as it so dimly burned to show man in his darkened world the path of light leading to everlasting life.
7. Salemlæren i arabien ^top		7. The Salem Teachings in Arabia ^top
95:7.1 (1050.6) Melkisedeks lære om den ene Gud blev etableret i den arabiske ørken på et forholdsvis sent tidspunkt. Som i Grækenland, mislykkedes det også for Salem missionærerne i Arabien, fordi de misforstod Machiventas advarsler vedrørende overorganisation. Derimod var de ikke hæmmet af deres fortolkning af hans formaning mod alle bestræbelser på at udvide evangeliet gennem militær magt eller borgerlige tvang.		95:7.1 (1050.6) The Melchizedek teachings of the one God became established in the Arabian Desert at a comparatively recent date. As in Greece, so in Arabia the Salem missionaries failed because of their misunderstanding of Machiventa’s instructions regarding overorganization. But they were not thus hindered by their interpretation of his admonition against all efforts to extend the gospel through military force or civil compulsion.
95:7.2 (1050.7) Ikke engang i Kina eller Rom mislykkes Melkisedeks lære mere fuldstændigt med at få fodfæste end i denne ørken region så nær på selve Salem. Længe efter, at de fleste folk i Østen og Vesten var blevet henholdsvis buddhistiske og kristne, fortsatte livet i den Arabien ørken, som det havde gjort i tusinder af år. Hver stamme tilbedte sin tidligere fetich, og mange individuelle familier havde deres egne husguder. Længe fortsatte kampen mellem babyloniernes Ishtar, hebræernes Jahve, iranernes Ahura, og de kristnes Fader til Herren Jesus Kristus. Aldrig formåede en koncept fuldt ud at fortrænge de andre.		95:7.2 (1050.7) Not even in China or Rome did the Melchizedek teachings fail more completely than in this desert region so very near Salem itself. Long after the majority of the peoples of the Orient and Occident had become respectively Buddhist and Christian, the desert of Arabia continued as it had for thousands of years. Each tribe worshiped its olden fetish, and many individual families had their own household gods. Long the struggle continued between Babylonian Ishtar, Hebrew Yahweh, Iranian Ahura, and Christian Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Never was one concept able fully to displace the others.
95:7.3 (1051.1) Her og der i hele Arabien var der familier og klaner, der holdt på den tågede ide om en Gud. Sådanne grupper værdsatte traditionerne om Melkisedek, Abraham, Moses, og Zarathustra. Der fandtes mange centre, der kunne have været modtagelige for evangeliet om Jesus, men de kristne missionærer i ørkenlandene var en streng og ubøjelig gruppe i modsætning til de kompromissøgende og innovatørerne, der fungerede som missionærer i Middelhavslandene. Havde tilhængerne af Jesu taget hans påbud mere alvorligt om at "gå ud i verden og forkynde evangeliet", og havde de været mere barmhjertig i deres forkyndelse, og mindre krævende med hensyn til de ledsagende sociale krav de selv har udtænkt, så ville mange lande herunder Arabien, med glæde have modtaget tømrersønnens enkle evangelium.		95:7.3 (1051.1) Here and there throughout Arabia were families and clans that held on to the hazy idea of the one God. Such groups treasured the traditions of Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, and Zoroaster. There were numerous centers that might have responded to the Jesusonian gospel, but the Christian missionaries of the desert lands were an austere and unyielding group in contrast with the compromisers and innovators who functioned as missionaries in the Mediterranean countries. Had the followers of Jesus taken more seriously his injunction to “go into all the world and preach the gospel,” and had they been more gracious in that preaching, less stringent in collateral social requirements of their own devising, then many lands would gladly have received the simple gospel of the carpenter’s son, Arabia among them.
95:7.4 (1051.2) På trods af de store monoteistiske religioner i Levanten undlod at slå rod i Arabien, formåede dette ørkenland at producere en tro, som, selv om den var mindre krævende i sine sociale krav, var den ikke desto mindre monoteistisk.		95:7.4 (1051.2) Despite the fact that the great Levantine monotheisms failed to take root in Arabia, this desert land was capable of producing a faith which, though less demanding in its social requirements, was nonetheless monotheistic.
95:7.5 (1051.3) Der var kun én faktor af betydning for hele stammen, folket eller nationen i forbindelse med de primitive og uorganiserede overbevisninger i ørkenen, nemlig den ejendommelige og generelle respekt, som næsten alle arabiske stammer var villige til at vise til en bestemt sort fetichsten i et bestemt tempel i Mekka. Dette fælles punkt og genstand for tilbedelse førte senere til oprettelsen af den islamiske religion. Hvad vulkanånden Jahve, var for de jødiske semitter, det blev Kaba-stenen for deres arabiske fætre.		95:7.5 (1051.3) There was only one factor of a tribal, racial, or national nature about the primitive and unorganized beliefs of the desert, and that was the peculiar and general respect which almost all Arabian tribes were willing to pay to a certain black stone fetish in a certain temple at Mecca. This point of common contact and reverence subsequently led to the establishment of the Islamic religion. What Yahweh, the volcano spirit, was to the Jewish Semites, the Kaaba stone became to their Arabic cousins.
95:7.6 (1051.4) Styrken af islam har været dens klare og veldefineret præsentation af Allah som den eneste Guddom; dens svaghed, har været dens udbredelse i forbindelse med militær magt og dens devaluering af kvinden. Den har standhaftigt holdt fast ved sin opfattelse af den Ene Guddom af alle, "den, der kender det usynlige og det synlige. Han er den barmhjertige og medfølende." ”Sandelig er Gud rig på godhed til alle mennesker." "Og når jeg er syg, er det ham, der helbreder mig." "For hver gang så mange som tre taler sammen, er Gud til stede som en fjerde, " for er han ikke " den første og den sidste, også den synlige og den skjulte "?		95:7.6 (1051.4) The strength of Islam has been its clear-cut and well-defined presentation of Allah as the one and only Deity; its weakness, the association of military force with its promulgation, together with its degradation of woman. But it has steadfastly held to its presentation of the One Universal Deity of all, “who knows the invisible and the visible. He is the merciful and the compassionate.” “Truly God is plenteous in goodness to all men.” “And when I am sick, it is he who heals me.” “For whenever as many as three speak together, God is present as a fourth,” for is he not “the first and the last, also the seen and the hidden”?
95:7.7 (1051.5) [Præsenteret af en Melkisedek i Nebadon.]		95:7.7 (1051.5) [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]