THE INNER MEANING OF THE BIBLE BY FRANZ HARTMANN

It is an old saying that “a little learning is a dangerous thing,” and it is claimed that the exposition of truth has never done so much good as its misunderstanding has been productive of evil.  In proof of it we need only look back upon the history of religious persecutions, Christian as well as others, and we shall find all kinds of outrages performed in the name of truth, and millions of lives sacrificed to the defense of doctrines which were misunderstood.

Truth itself can never be given to any man, nor understood by one who does not realize it within his own heart; it can only be brought to his notice in some form; but the form itself is not the truth, it is only its vehicle. The truth is the kernel, the form is the shell. Those who do not see the truth often mistake the shell for the kernel.

Fables and nursery tales are not lies, however impossible the things they describe may be, but representations of truth, and one childish tale often is seen to contain a far greater amount of truth, speaking directly to the under standing of the soul, than a whole bookful of scientific arguments seeking to prove the truth to the soul by way of the brain.

Moreover, this material world, which we perceive with our external senses, is like a mirror of the spiritual or invisible world, and there fore its images are perverted.  The books of wisdom, including the Bible, are not merely historical accounts dealing with external events of the past, but they deal with spiritual things, and that which contains profound sense, if seen in its true inner light, becomes nonsense if taken in its outer meaning.  Very often the translators of the Bible do not seem to have understood the real meaning of the text, and to have tried to fortify their position by interpolations based upon their own misconceptions.

The Bible, if properly understood, contains a great many occult truths, as is shown by St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter ii, in which he says:

-          "We speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to naught; but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory."

(The "wisdom of God" in the Greek original is called "theosophia.")

All our modern theosophical doctrines find their support in the Bible. For instance, the belief in the doctrine of reincarnation is proved by the often quoted passage (John ix, v. 2), where the disciples asked:

-          "Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

The man evidently could not have sinned before he was born blind if he had not existed in some way before that time.  In John, chapter iv, v. 37, still more light is thrown upon this doctrine and that of the law of Karma, where it is taught that "one soweth and another reapeth;" for the personality which creates Karma is not the reincarnating soul, but the latter creates a new personality which reaps what has been sown.

Many of the sayings and teachings of the Bible are eminently absurd if taken in an external sense, and it often seems as if they had been purposely made so to prevent anyone from accepting them in that way and to cause people to think.  Thus, when the Psalmist cries to God to destroy his enemies every occultist knows that no external enemies are meant, and that God does not perform such miracles; but the real enemies of man are his own evil thoughts and inclinations, and the true prayer is a power directed to one's own higher self for the purpose of overcoming one's lower nature. Taken in an external sense it represents the acme of egotism.  Applied in its real meaning it lifts the soul to God where its enemies can touch it no more.

In spite of the absurdity of many Bible verses if taken literally they are still accepted in that way by the great majority of Christians, and there are not a few bigots who would become angry if they were told that the literal sense is not true. It may, therefore, be worth while to examine a few such passages and to offer an explanation:

-         "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew, ch. v, 5.)

The contrary is true; for the lords of the earth are those who know how to push themselves forward, while the modest ones remain behind. The earth in this case may be considered as our own personality, and those who can keep a calm and serene state of mind under all circum stances are masters of it.

-         "Ye are the light of the world." (Ch. v, 14.)

What a flattery to encourage personal clerical arrogance!  Looked at esoterically, the world spoken of is our own mind, illumined by the light of the spirit, and that light will be recognized as our own, but not until we have awakened to the consciousness and realization of our oneness with it.

-         "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out." (Ch. v, 29.)

It is not probable that anybody will follow this advice, nor that such an act of mutilation would be useful or agreeable to God. Perhaps the explanation is that we should not let our mental eye dwell upon seductive thoughts.

-         "If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off." (Ch. v, 30.)

The hand is the symbol of power. It is better that we should resign the possession of a power than use it for an evil purpose, which we are unable to resist.

-         "There are eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it let him receive it." (Ch. xix, 12.)

The misunderstanding of this doctrine has given rise to self-mutilation and a certain sect in Russia practices it to-day. In reality this method of attaining heaven, as well as that of circumcision, refers to the practice of self-restraint.  He who overcomes his desires while able to gratify them and cuts himself loose from the attraction of the senses is circumcised and free.

-         "Whatever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Ch. xix, 18.)

Nothing is more true than this; because that which binds a person to this earth during his life will also bind his soul to earth after leaving his body, and the material desires which he has abandoned on earth will not tie him down to it after his death.  This doctrine, however, has been misinterpreted and construed to mean that one person could for give the sins of another and furnish him with a passport to heaven or condemn him to eternal punishment. It has given rise to the sale of indulgences by the churches, and is still one of the principal sources of their income.

-         "And another of his disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father; but Jesus said unto him, follow me and let the dead bury their dead." (Ch. viii, 21, 22.)

It is to be supposed that every real Christian would first attend to his duties instead of running away from them for the purpose of gratifying his own selfish desires. Taken in a spiritual sense, the fable evidently merely illustrates the truth that those who wish to attain a higher state of consciousness must abandon the habit of letting their thoughts rest upon the things of the past. In the same chapter it is described how Jesus drove out devils from a man and they went into a herd of swine, and the whole herd ran into the sea and perished in the waters.

To say nothing about such an unjust destruction of property and the forbidden killing of the swine, it is quite certain that at that time there were no swine in that country, as the Jews did not use them for food.

-         "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Ch. xxv, 30.)

What would any honest person think of a man who would treat a servant in such an inhuman manner. The allegory merely illustrates the unchangeable action of the law of Karma, according to which each man is his own judge, and those who do nothing for attaining spiritual light will necessarily remain in darkness.

-         "If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke, ch. xiv, 26.)

The history of the inquisition and of religious bigotry is full of examples of the horrors which the misunderstanding of this doctrine has caused.  There are numerous cases on record where children have caused their parents to be roasted alive so that they themselves might attain a seat in heaven as a reward for their treachery.  The true meaning is that the soul which rises up in its aspirations to the state of divinity loses sight of its own personality and of everything connected therewith.

These considerations might be continued at length; but the above will be sufficient to show that it is no sign of irreligion or heresy if any Christian refuses to believe in the literal sense of such sayings.  Such a blind belief may lead to the most serious consequences, as is shown in the case of a bigoted negro in New Jersey, named Abraham, who cut the throat of his son Isaac in imitation of the sacrifice of the biblical Abraham.  If the teachings of the Bible were carried out in their literal sense, some curious changes would take place in the world.

If we were to follow the advice given in Matt, vi, 25:

-         "Take no thought for our life, nor for food, raiment or for our body."

If we do that, wewould all soon be beggars, to say nothing of being exposed to all sorts of accidents. Fortunately the teaching refers to our spiritual food and clothing, to our spiritual progress, which is not the product of our running and striving, but comes to the mind kept tranquil and pure as a manifestation of a superior power. The fact that this doctrine does not teach laziness and indifference is shown by a parable in Matt, xxii, 21, where Jesus is made to say:

-         "Render unto Caesar (the material world) the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's."

There is, however, a natural limit to the credulity of even the most fanatical Bible worshipers, and even they interpret the Bible to suit their own taste. It is written, "Thou shall not kill," and no exception is made in regard to the killing of animals; still, even the clergy encourage the slaughter of beasts and even advocate vivisection.

It is taught in I Timothy ii, 12, that we must not suffer a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence, and, incredible as it may appear, some years ago the legislature of a certain State came very near passing such a law; but fortunately common sense prevailed at last.

It is also claimed, Matthew v, 32, that "whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery," but fortunately in more enlightened countries St. Matthew is not obeyed.

If we look at the sacred books of the East in Indian and Mohammedan countries we find the same truths and the same misinterpretations.

-         "The letter killeth but the spirit giveth life." (II Corinth, iii, 6)

Literal interpretations have caused the burning alive of widows in India and are still causing the cruel treatment they have to suffer; they have caused the numerous deaths under the wheels of the car of the Juggernaut, the mutilation and immolation of thousands of human victims and countless suicides; to say nothing about the millions of human lives lost by the fire and sword in religious wars in defense of false theories.

All these books, including the Bible, may be regarded as works of poetry rather than scientific dissertations; they are made to speak to the heart more than to the brain, and the heart must understand them if they are to become clear to the brain.  To stuff the brain with theories and the memory with regulations and rules for conduct is of little benefit; they are rarely put into practical use unless the heart gives its consent, and the heart gives its consent to the truth when the truth is realized and understood.

All the great world religions contain the same spirit of truth; the spirit of God, for God is the one reality, the one eternal truth. Those who love the truth may find it by seeking it within their own hearts, in that temple where the spirit of God resides. St. Paul says:

-         "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto hint; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned; but he that is spiritual judgeth all things; yet he himself is judged of no man."

To the "natural man," the merely intellectual man of brains without spiritual understanding, the sacred writings, to whatever nations they may belong, will remain closed books, in spite of all commentaries and explanations; while in him who loves divine truth with his whole heart the light of divine understanding will arise, in which all divine mysteries will become clear. For example, the Christ of the Bible says:

"I am the truth."

But that "I" of which he speaks is not in any way differing from the "I" in ourselves; for the truth is only one and indivisible, and in each of us the Christ proclaims that he is the truth and the real life.

A blind belief in misunderstood doctrines does not constitute true religion; each one must solve for himself the enigma of life, and this is done not by intellectual gambling, hairsplitting philosophical speculations and drawing logical conclusions from fundamentally wrong premises, but by living the true life itself. Real religion begins where all systems of philosophy, theology, metaphysics, occultism and mysticism end. The true alchemist having arrived at a certain point of his evolution throws his books into the fire. The world is still in a state of hypnotic delusion; what it needs is not more theories, but the awakening of the soul.

(The Theosophical Quarterly, 1906, vo. 3, p.464-468)