Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions by T. W. Doane

THE TEMPTATION, AND FAST OF FORTY DAYS. We are informed by the _Matthew_ narrator that, after being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness "_to be tempted of the devil_." "And when he had fasted _forty days and forty nights_, he was afterward an hungered. And when the _tempter_ came to him he said: 'If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.' . . . Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, _and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple_, and saith unto him: 'If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down.' . . . Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, _and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world_, and the glory of them, and saith unto him:' _All these things will I give thee_ if thou wilt fall down and worship me.' Then saith Jesus unto him, 'Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.' Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."[175:1] This is really a very peculiar story; it is therefore not to be wondered at that many of the early Christian Fathers rejected it as being fabulous,[175:2] but this, according to orthodox teaching, cannot be done; because, in all consistent reason, "_we must accept the whole of the inspired autographs or reject the whole_,"[175:3] and, because, "the very foundations of our faith, the very basis of our hopes, the very nearest and dearest of our consolations, are taken from us, when _one line_ of that sacred volume, on which we base everything, is declared to be untruthful and untrustworthy."[175:4] The reason why we have this story in the New Testament is because the writer wished to show that Christ Jesus was proof against all temptations, that _he_ too, as well as _Buddha_ and others, could resist the powers of the prince of evil. This Angel-Messiah was tempted by the devil, and he fasted for forty-seven days and nights, without taking an atom of food.[175:5] The story of Buddha's temptation, presented below, is taken from the "_Siamese Life of Buddha_," by Moncure D. Conway, and published in his "_Sacred Anthology_," from which we take it.[176:1] It is also to be found in the _Fo-pen-hing_,[176:2] and other works on Buddha and Buddhism. Buddha went through a more lengthy and severe trial than did Jesus, having been tempted in many different ways. The portion which most resembles that recorded by the Matthew narrator is the following: "The Grand Being (Buddha) applied himself to practice asceticism of the extremest nature. _He ceased to eat_ (that is, _he fasted_) and held his breath. . . . _Then it was that the royal Mara_ (the Prince of Evil) _sought occasion to tempt him._ Pretending compassion, he said: 'Beware, O Grand Being, your state is pitiable to look on; you are attenuated beyond measure, . . . you are practicing this mortification in vain; I can see that you will not live through it. . . . Lord, that art capable of such vast endurance, go not forth to adopt a religious life, but return to thy kingdom, and in _seven_ days thou shalt become _the Emperor of the World_, riding over the four great continents.'" To this the Grand Being, Buddha, replied: "'Take heed, O Mara; I also know that in seven days I might gain universal empire, but I desire not such possessions. I know that the pursuit of religion is better than the empire of the world. You, thinking only of evil lusts, would force me to leave all beings without guidance into your power. _Avaunt! Get thou away from me!_' "The Lord (then) rode onwards, intent on his purpose. The skies rained flowers, and delicious odors pervaded the air."[176:3] Now, mark the similarity between these two legends. Was Jesus about "beginning to preach" when he was tempted by the evil spirit? So was Buddha about to go forth "to adopt a religious life," when he was tempted by the evil spirit. Did Jesus fast, and was he "afterwards an hungered"? So did Buddha "cease to eat," and was "attenuated beyond measure." Did the evil spirit take Jesus and show him "all the kingdoms of the world," which he promised to give him, provided he did not lead the life he contemplated, but follow him? So did the evil spirit say to Buddha: "Go not forth to adopt a religious life, and in seven days thou shalt become an emperor of the world." Did not Jesus resist these temptations, and say unto the evil one, "Get thee behind me, Satan"? So did Buddha resist the temptations, and said unto the evil one, "Get thee away from me." After the evil spirit left Jesus did not "angels come and minister unto him"? So with Buddha. After the evil one had left him "the skies rained flowers, and delicious odors pervaded the air." These parallels are too striking to be accidental. _Zoroaster_, the founder of the religion of the Persians, was tempted by the devil, who made him magnificent promises, in order to induce him to become his servant and to be dependent on him, but the temptations were in vain.[177:1] "His temptation by the devil, forms the subject of many traditional reports and legends."[177:2] _Quetzalcoatle_, the virgin-born Mexican Saviour, was also tempted by the devil, and the forty days' fast was found among them.[177:3] Fasting and self-denial were observances practiced by all nations of antiquity. The _Hindoos_ have days set apart for fasting on many different occasions throughout the year, one of which is when the birth-day of their Lord and Saviour Crishna is celebrated. On this occasion, the day is spent in fasting and worship. They abstain entirely from food and drink for more than thirty hours, at the end of which Crishna's image is worshiped, and the story of his miraculous birth is read to his hungry worshipers.[177:4] Among the ancient _Egyptians_, there were times when the priests submitted to abstinence of the most severe description, being forbidden to eat even bread, and at other times they only ate it mingled with hyssop. "The priests in Heliopolis," says Plutarch, "have many fasts, during which they meditate on divine things."[177:5] Among the _Sabians_, fasting was insisted on as an essential act of religion. During the month _Tammuz_, they were in the habit of fasting from sunrise to sunset, without allowing a morsel of food or drop of liquid to pass their lips.[177:6] The Jews also had their fasts, and on special occasions they gave themselves up to prolonged fasts and mortifications. Fasting and self-denial were observances required of the Greeks who desired initiation into the _Mysteries_. Abstinence from food, chastity and hard couches prepared the neophyte, who broke his fast on the third and fourth day only, on consecrated food.[177:7] The same practice was found among the ancient _Mexicans_ and _Peruvians_. Acosta, speaking of them, says: "These priests and religious men used great fastings, of five and ten days together, before any of their great feasts, and they were unto them as our four ember weeks. . . . "They drank no wine, and slept little, for the greatest part of their exercises (of penance) were at night, committing great cruelties and martyring themselves for the devil, and all to be reputed great fasters and penitents."[178:1] In regard to the number of days which Jesus is said to have fasted being specified as _forty_, this is simply owing to the fact that the number _forty_ as well as _seven_ was a sacred one among most nations of antiquity, particularly among the Jews, and because _others_ had fasted that number of days. For instance; it is related[178:2] that _Moses_ went up into a mountain, "and he was there with the Lord _forty days and forty nights, and he did neither eat bread, nor drink water_," which is to say that he _fasted_. In Deuteronomy[178:3] Moses _is made to say_--for he did not write it, "When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, . . . then I abode in the mount _forty days and forty nights_, I neither did eat bread nor drink water." _Elijah_ also had a long fast, which, _of course_, was continued for a period of _forty days and forty nights_.[178:4] _St. Joachim_, father of the "ever-blessed Virgin Mary," had a long fast, which was also continued for a period of _forty days and forty nights_. The story is to be found in the apocryphal gospel _Protevangelion_.[178:5] The ancient _Persians_ had a religious festival which they annually celebrated, and which they called the "Salutation of Mithras." During this festival, _forty days_ were set apart for thanksgiving and sacrifice.[178:6] The _forty days' fast_ was found in the New World. Godfrey Higgins tells us that: "The ancient _Mexicans_ had a _forty days' fast_, in memory of one of their sacred persons (Quetzalcoatle) who was tempted (and fasted) _forty days_ on a mountain."[178:7] Lord Kingsborough says: "The temptation of Quetzalcoatle, and _the fast of forty days, . . . are very curious and mysterious_."[178:8] The ancient Mexicans were also in the habit of making their prisoners of war fast for a term of _forty days_ before they were put to death.[179:1] Mr. Bonwick says: "The Spaniards were surprised to see the _Mexicans_ keep the vernal _forty days' fast_. The Tammuz month of Syria was in the spring. The _forty days_ were kept for Proserpine. Thus does history repeat itself."[179:2] The Spanish monks accounted for what Lord Kingsborough calls "very curious and mysterious" circumstances, by the agency of the devil, and burned all the books containing them, whenever it was in their power. The forty days' fast was also found among some of the Indian tribes in the New World. Dr. Daniel Brinton tells us that "the females of the _Orinoco_ tribes _fasted forty days_ before marriage,"[179:3] and Prof. Max Müller informs us that it was customary for some of the females of the South American tribes of Indians "to fast before and after the birth of a child," and that, among the _Carib-Coudave_ tribe, in the West Indies, "when a child is born the mother goes presently to work, but the father begins to complain, and takes to his hammock, and there he is visited as though he were sick. _He then fasts for forty days._"[179:4] The females belonging to the tribes of the Upper Mississippi, were held unclean for _forty days_ after childbirth.[179:5] The prince of the Tezcuca tribes _fasted forty days_ when he wished an heir to his throne, and the Mandanas supposed it required _forty days and forty nights_ to wash clean the earth at the deluge.[179:6] The number _forty_ is to be found in a great many instances in the Old Testament; for instance, at the end of _forty days_ Noah sent out a raven from the ark.[179:7] Isaac and Esau were each _forty years_ old when they married.[179:8] _Forty days_ were fulfilled for the embalming of Jacob.[179:9] The spies were _forty days_ in search of the land of Canaan.[179:10] The Israelites wandered _forty years_ in the wilderness.[179:11] The land "had rest" _forty years_ on three occasions.[179:12] The land was delivered into the hand of the Philistines _forty years_.[179:13] Eli judged Israel _forty years_.[179:14] King David reigned _forty years_.[179:15] King Solomon reigned _forty years_.[180:1] Goliath presented himself _forty days_.[180:2] The rain was upon the earth _forty days_ at the time of the deluge.[180:3] And, as we saw above, Moses was on the mount _forty days_ and _forty nights_ on each occasion.[180:4] Can anything be more mythological than this? The number forty was used by the ancients in constructing temples. There were _forty_ pillars around the temple of Chilminar, in Persia; the temple at Baalbec had _forty_ pillars; on the frontiers of China, in Tartary, there is to be seen the "Temple of the _forty_ pillars." _Forty_ is one of the most common numbers in the Druidical temples, and in the plan of the temple of Ezekiel, the four oblong buildings in the middle of the courts have each _forty_ pillars.[180:5] Most temples of antiquity were imitative--were microcosms of the Celestial Templum--and on this account they were surrounded with pillars recording _astronomical_ subjects, and intended both to do honor to these subjects, and to keep them in perpetual remembrance. In the Abury temples were to be seen the cycles of 650-608-600-60-40-30-19-12, etc.[180:6] FOOTNOTES: [175:1] Matthew, iv. 1-11. [175:2] See Lardner's Works, vol. viii. p. 491. [175:3] Words of the Rev. E. Garbett, M. A., in a sermon preached before the University of Oxford, England. [175:4] The Bishop of Manchester (England), in the "Manchester Examiner and Times." [175:5] See Lillie's Buddhism, p. 100. [176:1] Pp. 44 and 172, 173. [176:2] Translated by Prof. Samuel Beal. [176:3] See also Bunsen's Angel-Messiah, pp. 38, 39. Beal: Hist. Buddha, pp. xxviii., xxix., and 190, and Hardy: Buddhist Legends, p. xvii. [177:1] Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 240. [177:2] Chambers's Encyclo. art. "Zoroaster." [177:3] See Kingsborough: Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 200. [177:4] Life and Relig. of the Hindoos, p. 134. [177:5] Baring-Gould: Orig. Relig. Belief, vol. i. p. 341. [177:6] Ibid. [177:7] Ibid. p. 340. [178:1] Acosta: Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 339. [178:2] Exodus, xxiv. 28. [178:3] Deut. ix. 18. [178:4] 1 Kings, xix. 8. [178:5] Chapter i. [178:6] See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 272. [178:7] Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19. [178:8] Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. pp. 197-200. [179:1] See Kingsborough's Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 223. [179:2] Bonwick's Egyptian Belief, p. 370. [179:3] Brinton: Myths of the New World, p. 94. [179:4] Max Müller's Chips, vol. ii. p. 279. [179:5] Brinton: Myths of the New World, p. 94. [179:6] Ibid. According to Genesis, vii. 12, "the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights" at the time of the flood. [179:7] Genesis, viii. 6. [179:8] Gen. xxv. 20-xxvi. 34. [179:9] Gen. i. 3. [179:10] Numbers, xiii. 25. [179:11] Numbers, xiii. 13. [179:12] Jud. iii. 11; v. 31; viii. 28. [179:13] Jud. xiii. 1. [179:14] I. Samuel, iv. 18. [179:15] I. Kings, ii. 11. [180:1] I. Kings, xi. 42. [180:2] I. Samuel, xvii. 16. [180:3] Gen. vii. 12. [180:4] Exodus, xxiv. 18-xxxiv. 28. [180:5] See Higgins' Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 798; vol. ii. p. 402. [180:6] See Ibid. vol. ii. p. 708.