the　PRE…CHRISTIAN　sects　of　Gnostics。　The　Gnostics；　says　Professor　Murray；＇1＇　〃are　still　commonly　thought　of　as　a　body　of　CHRISTIAN　heretics。　In　reality　there　were　Gnostic　sects　scattered　over　the　Hellenistic　world　BEFORE　Christianity　as　well　as　after。　They　must　have　been　established　in　Antioch　and　probably　in　Tarsus　well　before　the　days　of　Paul　or　Apollos。　Their　Savior；　like　the　Jewish　Messiah；　was　established　in　men's　minds　before　the　Savior　of　the　Christians。　'If　we　look　close；'　says　Professor　Bousset；　'the　result　emerges　with　great　clearness　that　the　figure　of　the　Redeemer　as　such　did　not　wait　for　Christianity　to　force　its　way　into　the　religion　of　Gnosis；　but　was　already　present　there　under　various　forms。'　〃
  ＇1＇　Four　Stages；　p。　143。
  This　Gnostic　Redeemer；　continues　Professor　Murray；　〃is　descended　by　a　fairly　clear　genealogy　from　the　'Tritos　Soter'　（'third　Savior'）＇1＇　of　early　Greece；　contaminated　with　similar　figures；　like　Attis　and　Adonis　from　Asia　Minor；　Osiris　from　Egypt；　and　the　special　Jewish　conception　of　the　Messiah　of　the　Chosen　people。　He　has　various　names；　which　the　name　of　Jesus　or　'Christos；'　'the　Anointed；'　tends　gradually　to　supersede。　Above　all；　he　is　in　some　sense　Man；　or　'the　second　Man'　or　'the　Son　of　Man'　。　。　。　He　is　the　real；　the　ultimate；　the　perfect　and　eternal　Man；　of　whom　all　bodily　men　are　feeble　copies。〃＇2＇
  ＇1＇　There　seems　to　be　some　doubt　about　the　exact　meaning　of　this　expression。　Even　Zeus　himself　was　sometimes　called　'Soter；'　and　at　feasts；　it　is　said；　the　THIRD　goblet　was　always　drunk　in　his　honor。
  ＇2＇　See　also　The　Gnostic　Story　of　Jesus　Christ；　by　Gilbert　T。　Sadler　（C。　W。　Daniel；　1919）。
  This　passage　brings　vividly　before　the　mind　the　process　of　which　I　have　spoken；　namely；　the　fusion　and　mutual　interchange　of　ideas　on　the　subject　of　the　Savior　during　the　period　anterior　to　our　era。　Also　it　exemplifies　to　us　through　what　an　abstract　sphere　of　Gnostic　religious　speculation　the　doctrine　had　to　travel　before　reaching　its　expression　in　Christianity。＇1＇　This　exalted　and　high　philosophical　conception　passed　on　and　came　out　again　to　some　degree　in　the　Fourth　Gospel　and　the　Pauline　Epistles　（especially　I　Cor。　xv）；　but　I　need　hardly　say　it　was　not　maintained。　The　enthusiasm　of　the　little　scattered　Christian　bodies　with　their　communism　of　practice　with　regard　to　THIS　world　and　their　intensity　of　faith　with　regard　to　the　next　began　to　wane　in　the　second　and　third　centuries　A。D。　As　the　Church　（with　capital　initial）　grew；　so　was　it　less　and　less　occupied　with　real　religious　feeling；　and　more　and　more　with　its　battles　against　persecution　from　outside；　and　its　quarrels　and　dissensions　concerning　heresies　within　its　own　borders。　And　when　at　the　Council　of　Nicaea　（325　A。D）　it　endeavored　to　establish　an　official　creed；　the　strife　and　bitterness　only　increased。　〃There　is　no　wild　beast；〃　said　the　Emperor　Julian；　〃like　an　angry　theologian。〃　Where　the　fourth　Evangelist　had　preached　the　gospel　of　Love；　and　Paul　had　announced　redemption　by　an　inner　and　spiritual　identification　with　Christ；　〃As　in　Adam　all　die；　so　in　Christ　shall　all　be　made　alive〃；　and　whereas　some　at　any　rate　of　the　Pagan　cults　had　taught　a　glorious　salvation　by　the　new　birth　of　a　divine　being　within　each　man：　〃Be　of　good　cheer；　O　initiates　in　the　mystery　of　the　liberated　god；　For　to　you　too　out　of　all　your　labors　and　sorrows　shall　come　Liberation〃the　Nicene　creed　had　nothing　to　propound　except　some　extremely　futile　speculations　about　the　relation　to　each　other　of　the　Father　and　the　Son；　and　the　relation　of　BOTH　to　the　Holy　Ghost；　and　of　all　THREE　to　the　Virgin　Maryspeculations　which　only　served　for　the　renewal　of　shameful　strife　and　animositiesriots　and　bloodshed　and　murderwithin　the　Church；　and　the　mockery　of　the　heathen　without。　And　as　far　as　it　dealt　with　the　crucifixion；　death　and　resurrection　of　the　Lord　it　did　not　differ　from　the　score　of　preceding　pagan　creeds；　except　in　the　thorough　materialism　and　lack　of　poetry　in　statement　which　it　exhibits。　After　the　Council　of　Nicaea；　in　fact；　the　Judaic　tinge　in　the　doctrines　of　the　Church　becomes　more　apparent；　and　more　and　more　its　Scheme　of　Salvation　through　Christ　takes　the　character　of　a　rather　sordid　and　huckstering　bargain　by　which　Man　gets　the　better　of　God　by　persuading　the　latter　to　sacrifice　his　own　Son　for　the　redemption　of　the　world！　With　the　exception　of　a　few　episodes　like　the　formation　during　the　Middle　Ages　of　the　noble　brotherhoods　and　sisterhoods　of　Frairs　and　Nuns；　dedicated　to　the　help　and　healing　of　suffering　humanity；　and　the　appearance　of　a　few　real　lovers　of　mankind　（and　the　animals）　like　St。　Francis（and　these　manifestations　can　hardly　be　claimed　by　the　Church；　which　pretty　consistently　opposed　them）it　may　be　said　that　after　about　the　fourth　century　the　real　spirit　and　light　of　early　Christian　enthusiasm　died　away。　The　incursions　of　barbarian　tribes　from　the　North　and　East；　and　later　of　Moors　and　Arabs　from　the　South；　familiarized　the　European　peoples　with　the　ideas　of　bloodshed　and　violence；　gross　and　material　conceptions　of　life　were　in　the　ascendant；　and　a　romantic　and　aspiring　Christianity　gave　place　to　a　worldly　and　vulgar　Churchianity。
  ＇1＇　When　travelling　in　India　I　found　that　the　Gnanis　or　Wise　Men　there　quite　commonly　maintained　that　Jesus　（judging　from　his　teaching）　must　have　been　initiated　at　some　time　in　the　esoteric　doctrines　of　the　Vedanta。
  I　have　in　these　two　or　three　pages　dealt　onlyand　that　very　brieflywith　the　entry　of　the　pagan　doctrine　of　the　Savior　into　the　Christian　field；　showing　its　transformation　there　and　how　Christianity　could　not　well　escape　having　a　doctrine　of　a　Savior；　or　avoid　giving　a　color　of　its　own　to　that　doctrine。　To　follow　out　the　same　course　with　other　doctrines；　like　those　which　I　have　mentioned　above；　would　obviously　be　an　endless　taskwhich　must　be　left　to　each　student　or　reader　to　pursue　according　to　his　opportunity　and　capacity。　It　is　clear　anyhow；　that　all　these　elements　of　the　pagan　religionspouring　down　into　the　vast　reservoir；　or　rather　whirlpool；　of　the　Roman　Empire；　and　mixing　among　all　these　numerous　brotherhoods；　societies；　collegia；　mystery…clubs；　and　groups　which　were　at　that　time　looking　out　intently　for　some　new　revelation　or　inspiration　did　more　or　less　automatically　act　and　react　upon　each　other；　and　by　the　general　conditions　prevailing　were　modified；　till　they　ultimately　combined　and　took　united　shape　in　the　movement　which　we　call　Christianity；　but　which　onlyas　I　have　saidnarrowly　escaped　being　called　Mithraismso　nearly　related　and　closely　allied　were　these　cults　with　each　other。
  At　this　point　it　will　naturally　be　asked：　〃And　where　in　this　scheme　of　the　Genesis　of　Christianity　is　the　chief　figure　and　accredited　leader　of　the　movementnamely　Jesus　Christ　himselffor　to　all　appearance　in　the　account　here　given　of　the　matter　he　is　practically　non…existent　or　a　negligible　quantity？〃　And　the　question　is　a　very　pertinent　one；　and　very　difficult　to　answer。　〃Where　is　the　founder　of　the　Religion？〃or　to　put　it　in　another　form：　〃Is　it　necessary　to　suppose　a　human　and　visible　Founder　at　all？〃　A　few　years　ago　such　a　mere　question　would　have　been　accounted　rank　blasphemy；　and　would　only　if　passed　overhave　been　ignored　on　account　of　its　supposed　absurdity。　To…day；　however；　owing　to　the　enormous　amount　of　work　which　has　been　done　of　late　on　the　subject　of　Christian　origins；　the　question　takes　on　quite　a　different　complexion。　And　from　Strauss　onwards　a　growingly　influential　and　learned　body　of　critics　is　inclined　to　regard　the　whole　story　of　the　Gospels　as　LEGENDARY。　Arthur　Drews；　for　instance；　a　professor　at　Karlsruhe；　in　his　celebrated　book　The　Christ…Myth；＇1＇　places　David　F。　Strauss　as　first　in　the　myth　fieldthough　he　allows　that　Dupuis　in　L'origine　de　tous　les　cultes　（1795）　had　given　the　clue　to　the　whole　idea。　He　then　mentions　Bruno　Bauer　（1877）　as　contending　that　Jesus　was　a　pure　invention　of　Mark's；　and　John　M。　Robertson　as　having　in　his　Christianity　and　Mythology　（1900）　given　the　first　thoroughly　reasoned　exposition　of　the　legendary　theory；　also　Emilio　Bossi　in　Italy；　who　wrote　Jesu　Christo　non　e　mai　esistito；　and　similar　authors　in　Holland；　Poland；　and　other　countries；　including　W。　Benjamin　Smith；　the　American　author　of　The　Pre…christian　Jesus　（1906）；　and　P。　Jensen　in　Das　Gilgamesch　Epos　in　den　Welt…literatur　（1906）；　who　makes　the　Jesus…story　a　variant　of　the　Babylonian　epic；　2000　B。C。　A　pretty　strong　list！＇2＇　〃But；〃　continues　Drews；　〃ordinary　historians　still　ignore　all　this。〃　Finally；　he　dismisses　Jesus　as　〃a　figure　swimming　obscurely　in　the　mists　of　tradition。〃　Nevertheless　I　need　hardly　remark　that；　large　and　learned　as　the　body　of　opinion　here　represented　is；　a　still　larger　（but　less　learned）　body　fights　desperately　for　the　actual　HISTORICITY　of　Jesus；　and　some　even　still　for　the　old　view　of　him　as　a　quite　unique　and　miraculous　revelation　of　Godhood　on　earth。
  ＇1＇　Die　Christus…mythe：　verbesserte　und　erweitezte　Ausgabe；　Jena；　1910。
  ＇2＇　To　which　we　may　also　add　Schweitzer's　Quest　of　the　historical　Jesus　（1910）。
  At　first；　no　doubt；　the　LEGENDARY　theory　seems　a　little　TOO　far…fetched。　There　is　a　fashion　in　all　these　things；　and　it　MAY　be　that　there　is　a　fashion　even　here。　But　when　you　reflect　how　ra