SRIA - Mystic-Cristianity [Ingles]

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THE

Mystical

Principlc

:-The

Mystical Principie

is not

an

expression

of the opinion

of

any one person

or

group of

per-sons,

nor is

it the exclusive

pos-session

of

any school, cult,

creed

or philosophy.

It is

the Great

Principle

ex-prest by

the

Christ in Parable,

and which underlies

the entire

plan

of Scriptural revelatian.

(3)

The Shephent's Field nea,. Betlilehenv

OU, among other intelligent people, want to know the truth contained in that greatest of all books-the HOL y BIBLE.

To learn the truth you must know how to diseern the "Spitit of the Word."

What is this "spirit of the Word"?

The Bible is held by millions to be the "W ord of God." In the Bible we are told that the "WORD" was made i lesh.

Do you know just what this means?

I t isa eryptie statement; full of m ystery and of cosmie pro-fundity.

The same Bible tells us that the letter of the word hilleth, while the SPIRIT of the W ord giueth lite.

From this it may be seen that there is something baek of the literal printed word that qniekens the spiritual and intel-leetual vision and GIVES LIFE.

That "somethinq" is the invisible, subtle, Divine poteney that we dimly recognize as the manifest wil1 and purpose of our Creative Souree.

It is the purpose of Holy Seripture to reveal this invisible "sornething" to man, but as it is essentially mystic or "hiddcn." we ean truly recognize and..understand it on lv thru the "MYS-TICAL PRINCIPLE" that underlies all Seriptural history, prophee f, teaehing and revelation.

This booklet explains a new eourse of instruetion in the Holy Scriptures, based upon the Mvstical Principle.

(4)

MODER

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RKSTKA

T is regrettable in the extreme that Christia nity

should be liable to the influence of the fads of the

day. In reality it is noto True

C

hristianit

y

can not be altered, can not be improved, can not be

"brot up to date." It is aluraijs up to date. The

principies of its Founder are ageless. It is only a perverted

sense of values rife in the modern mind, twisting the

perspec-tive from which life is viewed that creates the false practices and

false concepts which are calIed "Modern Chrisrianity ."

The principies of the Christ stand far stronger than a

shaft of granite, while the notions of a neo-scientific age, the

whims of a pseudo-analytical youth, the fancies of an

ultra-materialistic "civilizarion " eddy ineffectualIy about their base.

This is an age of materialism : an age of literal transl

r-tions. Thinking men and women profess Christianity with

reseruations; reservations of belief in certain words. Others

cast it entirely aside; again because of their inability to believe

the letter of the word. Sincere upholders of the true faith are

reduced to pitiful, modernistic measures to attract people to

church and to keep them in attendance. Basic belief is shaken

and individ ual faiths are declared; boundaries of credence are

set and what falIs outside those boundaries is calIed, by the

"rnodern Christian" falseo In almost every case these

bound-aries are establisht by the interpretation of phrases and even

single words; literal intcrpretations, always, with no regard for

the spirit of the word.

Debate, contention and strife tear the church from within,

while criticism, incredulity, distrust and unconcern assail it from

without. Divines are unfrockt and congregations melt away

before the heat of exegetic controversy. Al! this for the letter

of the word,-the letter of the word which killeth. while the

SPIRIT of the word which giueth Ide is misunderstood,

slighted and ignored.

The peaceful, enobling, elevating influence of Christianity

is defeated in its mission for good by the carping scholasts and

dogma tic fundamentalists who insist, not only upon a literal

interpretation of the Word itself but--more narrowly stilI,

upon their sectarian concept of that verbatim exegesis. PACE T1VO

(5)

REH/S

TTRO

D

T'pper :

Lower:

Ecce J[01ll0 Arch, Jel'l/8alelll. Irroin this arch Piiate shoucd Christ. to tlie pcopte.

Betlüeliem, birth nlace o/ Jesu». (Photo h."Crmad";n Pacíflc.)

Joeepli'« worksno», "Saz"roth. ,cllere Jesus iconcea es a boy.

(Phoros copvrijrh t bv lT. C. \\'hite Co.) Center:

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BVIOUSL

y

some remedy for cxisting disscnsion is needed at once. Some new, clear light must be directed upon the Bible, that the earth-bound. lit -eral-minded men and women who are at heart real seekers after truth may see and understand thc beauty, rnajesty and power they have overlookt. Truly. they have been "unable to see the forest for the trees."

y

ou have felt this need. Every Christian, clergyman or layman, has recognized the importance of a common method of interpretation. The goal has ever been the same. Without a key, understandable to all, subject to no slightest variation of meaning, discussion is fruitless. It is to supply this key, to afford all men a common language for this discussion, to re-lieve a world curst by materialism that The Seminary of Bib-lical Research has been founded.

This is a day of concrete and steel, a day of turbines. dynamos, engines. T'he stock markct, the banks and the clear-ing house fill the waking thoughts of half of mankind.

Life demands a singleness of purpose-a concentration of all thought upon facts, hard and cold. The facts that earn his daily bread, the facts by which he lives, the facts he reads for recreation must be concrete, understandable, valuable to a busi-ness mano Al! else is a "fairy tale" fit only for the entertain -ment of children.

If this attitude, this utter subservience to material existencc does not occupy man's life to the exclusion of all higher. brighter, more noble thoughts, it does something nearly as bad It warps his point of view, twists his aesthetic and religious sense, colors his understanding of faith and blinds him to his need for God.

He thinks of the Bible in terms of Rotary and Kiwanis and asks that Holy W rit be made as comprehensible as a con-tract or a bill of sale. He is not to blame. His goal too is Truth. But the scriptures must be explained to him. He must be taught to see the forest-not the individual trees.

It is the sole purpose of The Seminary of Biblical Research to give all men a clear understanding of the Bible. to disclose the vast spiritual meaning behind the words of the Master.

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Unper: 'I'lie ')lrlle Calra1"1 01" 001(100,u. '/"n/.·.;(,I('III.

Center: C/!llI'ch 01the JIoly Sel,,,chre, Jer"salem.

Lower: Int erlo): 01Chrtst'e 'I'omb, Je/'I/salelll.

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S

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T EOLOG

E periodic excitement regarding Genesis in the

light of science has waxed and waned hundreds of

times in history. Seldom is the instigator of the

flurry either a scientist or a deep student of theology.

Most scientists are Christians, members of churches.

professing and practicing the principIes of Christ.

The generally accepted arrangement of the words Science

vs Theology is utterly misleading. To thus place these two

fields of endeavor in the position of combatants is to declare the

ministry backward, unprogressive, obstinate and imbecile.

Christianity and its professors are in no sense opposed to Sci

-ence. No one better appreciates the marvelous work of those

unselfish men who delve in the mysteries of Nature and History

than do the ministers of the Gospel. The work of each supplc

-ments the other and their respective spheres can be made to

clash only by malicious or ignorant misconstruction of thcir

separate motives, methods and aims.

Where these two "factions" have a common aim thev in

-variably agree. It is only in the branches of research where

they are entirely dissimilar that controversy arises and there only

between ill-informed enquirers. To compare all of Scicnce

with all of Religion is to attempt to judge the flavor of a n apple by gazing at an elephant.

These two profound studies rrunister to two entirely

sepárate needs of man and can not be confused when both thc

Bible and the microscope are understood in their entirety. In

its pursuit of a primal cause, science offends no Christian who

has learned to understand in his spirit the true meaning of

Genesis. The progress of the geologists, biologists, anthrop

-ologists and meteorologists has already led them into the unseen

and invisible in their quest for the Omnific principie of matter.

What is this plane of unseeable power save that of spirit ?

The Seminary of Biblical Research, in its instructive work.

makes plain the folly of antagonism between Science and

The-ology and draws into closer accord the efforts of these two armies destined to go through histor y, united-hand in hand.

(9)

J

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S

U

S

fhe MY

STK

C

EFERE CE to Jesus as a "Mystic" has always aroused a ccrtain rebellion in rhe breasts of many orthodox churchmen. Any reference to mysticism is decried by thcrn as a relic of an earlier and less enlightened age, an age of black-magic and super -stition to which the Christ brot light and liberation. He is, to

thern. the antithesis of a mystic, His works the opposite of magic. Hindu fakirs and the chicanery of Mediaeval charl a-tans are brot to their minds by the use of these terms. If they were true mystics. rhen, irideed, He is maligned by the termo But those imposters were in no sense mystics.

The true, the beautiful and the good are embodied in the

mysticism which Christ exemplitied and taught. Its soundness

is attested by bis every word and deed. The true Mystical

Principie is the exclusive property, attribute and characteristic of true Christianity. as the repository and fulfilment of ancient

prophccies and divine revelation.

A truc mystic is defined as "one who professes direct divine

illumination. One who endeavors to obra in un ion with Deity

by contemplation and self-surrender: one w ho believes that by such methods he can obtain a spiritual knowledge of mysteries

beyond humano comprehension." This accepted academic defin -ition demonstrates thar .Iesus, beyond all parallels was the greatest mystic of all time. for he surely did possess direct divine illumination: he did enjoy union with Deity for he con -tinually emphasized the unity between the Father and himself.

and above al l, by his self-surrender. he had a mastery of m ys-teries beyond human comprehension.

In the above sense, Christ was a true Mysric Initiate

-and his recorded deeds show him to be the Last Great Iniriate, for nonehave arisen since to equal him. Clergy and laity alike

have accepted the evidence in support of his novitiate among the mystic Essenes. in prepararion and training for his wonderful

ministry.

Every creed. sect and denomination has always asserted the existence of the mystical element in the fundamentals of Christian faith and practice, especially in regard to regeneration.

the impartation of grace in Baptism and in t11.2Communion.

Some religious bodies emphasize this mysrical element in a more extended series of sacraments, and all agree in the presence of

the mystical element in the life, work. crucifixion and later manifestations of Jesus the Christ.

(10)

"TllP ourrh wn-, wírhout form. a nd vnid;"

~nenf'~i:,:. i-;'.

EVER in the world's history, sincc

Galileo, Bacon and Newton. has there been such close accord between the leading scientists and the

fore-most Christian divines as that

ex-isting teda y.

This is especially true in the fields of astron -omy and archacology. \Vhere thc representa

-tives of museums, public and prívate. and other institutions. are digging in the dust of forgotten ages--there are the representatives of Biblical research, studying and helping in the work. In Egypt and the Holy Larid, in Assyria and Crete.

cities more ancient than the very Sphinx-yet new to us-contribute their bit toward a better

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Sto t.ia«, i-1-0. Coüe», Itenius, ¡:ncial Greet:

and clearer understandíng of the Bible and its

History.

As Science welds the links of history's chain. as fact after fact isadded to our store of know l -edge, the relationship of the "Book of books"

to the "book of Narure" is more closely and

accurately defined.

\Vould you like to make this understanding yours? Dori't you want to reconcile the seern -ingly opposite sides of this vital question ? The

Seminary of Bíblical Researcb will lead you to

spiritua l enlightenment and will answer for all time the questions which disturb so many minds today .

(11)

MYSTKC

SYMBOLS

OF THE SCRKPTURES

o

you realize that Christ neoer wrote a uiord ? Do

you realize the profound im portance of that fact :'

His teachings were the instillation of precept by thc

transference of ideas-thoughts by mental pictures. WITHOUT A PARABLE SPAKE HE NOT~

AlI of His teachings were stories,-stories with a definite. un -changing meaning; a spiritual meaning underlying the words.

He spoke in a language of symbols and the weight of His

message is lost unless the spirit of the symbols is divined. His purpose in thus clothing the Truth in parable is manifold. The

language of symbols was most easily understood by His people : the Old Testament was itself a parable; the unenlightened child

minds about Him were attracted first by the story He told. its inner meaning hidden until the tale was done; He was a M ystic.

as were most of bis disciples. and the Mystical Symbols carne

most readily to His tengue. expressing more amply and power -fully than mere rhetoric ever could, the precepts and tenets we

know and respect to this day.

Every page of the Bible from Genesis to Reoelations con

-tains symbols and hidden meanings that become comprehensible

only when analyzed by the light of the Mystical Principie. Eden is the symbol of Hcaven on Earth; the serpent in

the garden, the spirit of evi l: the Tree of Knowledge is self

explanatory and the apple of which Eve partook is the fruit of that tree. The futility and puerility of attempting to base

intelligent belief upon the letter of the word is here exemplified.

Surely no one will defend acceptance of this story word for word. That a wornan, conceived in Purity, the handiwork of God, should,

by

eating an apple, become privy to a full knowl -edge of Life is truly a tale for children.

But when the Mystical Principle is applied, when the symbols employed are analyzed, when the spirit of the word is

revealed the storv stands forth-beautiful, in its majesty, ful! of the Power and the Glory of God.

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T

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JESUS

J

LOVED ~ ~

BE'J'ITAXY

Now calJed El Aznriveh, a small stone v illage on tbe slope of Ol iver.

less than two miles easr of Jerusalem. JIere JesuS was at home with his friends, )la1"tha. )]ar,Yand Laza.rus, whenever he vtsíted Jerusalem.

llere he raised Lazruus nom the dead, and proclaírned Tlimself rho

Resur-rectlon anr] lhe Lííe ; words that have formad part of t1H>

Burial Service tluuout the cennuries. ]TOrealso, the Ascensíon is

belíeved lo have occurred.

(13)

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f ' T is not enough to approach the Bible with a mind

open to the inner meaning of words. Esoteric in

-terpretations may be as varied as the literal exegesis

of rhc materialists. The symbols employed may be

as confusing as the words unless their true and un

-changing meaning is accepted by a11 students.

Beyond the writings of the early Christian fathers few

atternpts at Mystical explanations have been given in a way that

could be understood by a11 men until today. Now there is

a renaissance of the teaching of the Bible and its mysteries as

they appear when the Mystical Principie is understood.

The ancient key to interpretation has been found. T'he

Truth is at last available to a11 seekers of a11 creeds. Tbc

Seminary of Biblical Research has unearthed the secret and is

anxious to share it with a11of mankind. From ancient lore

and rhe libraries of the world, this knowledge has been gathered

laboriously, a grain at a time. The shades of symbolic mean

-ing have been gathered, compared, analyzed and incorporated

at last into the Principie in their true and original sense.

The Bible is again thc property of the world, delivered from

a n age of materialistic darkness. Y ou can accept it. The word

is clear. The greatest infidel would believe if he could rid his

mind of the contradictions and enormities of the letter of the

word. Those contradictions are explained away ~ There are

no gross exaggerations to "swallow." The Spiritual Light of

liberar ion shines from the pages of Holy Writ so crystal clear

thar all men wi11 ernbrace its teaching and accept its healing

Trutb.

The Seminary of Biblical Research offers its instruction to yOU. Tbe Doctor of Divinity and the unbeliever alike are in

-vited to share in the fruits of its toil.

Whatever your position in or out of the Churcb, whatever your attitude toward the various faiths of man. you need only

apply the Mystical Principie to open the door to a better, fu11er

(14)

66 R

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"In the spirit; ... in the wilderness; ... I saw a wonU11I sit

UPOIl 11scartot colored beast•... havíng seven heads and ten norns

... A11<1upon her forehead was a name writ.ten, ~IYSTBHY" ...

And when r SRW her, 1 wondered. And the angel sald unto lile.

(15)

The

l

iMPORTANCE

of

l

iNTERPRETA TliON

E Seminary of Biblical Research has itself never presumed to "create" interpretation. The sincere workers who now place before the public of a na-tion the revived key to the Word have spared no effort in intensive study and research. Their aim has been to provide every enquirer, every student and clergyman with the same explanation of the same words.

The relation of science, especially astronomy, archaeology and geology to the writing of the Bible as welI as to íts inter-pretation is clearly defined. The dullest chapters, the most difficult passages, the portions of the Scriptures usualIy avoided as texts by mínisters take a new life and power when their inner secrets are revealed. The old stories, well l.nown and loved, vibrate and glow with a new interest. The Bible and its mystery, as it unfolds under the ministration of the Mystical Principie, becomes more entertaíning than fictíon, more absorb-ing than the news of the day.

That ever confusing book, Reoelations, in which so litrle has been revealed by the lettet , is now made as símple and clear as a lesson in addition.

You can not fail to thrill in accord with this vitalIy necessary, reve1atory work. The progress of nations and the future of the world-of' man who is thc "world"-lies in a sound acceptance of the doctrine of Christ. The motor car, the radio, the steamship and the sky aspiring skeletons of steel are useless dust without the influence of Christíanity. "What profiteth

it

aman though he gain the whole world,

if

he loseth his own soulr"

The need for a unificd, rational exegesis of the Scríptures,

an exegesis compatible with the intcntion of the Founder is more important to man than any other single need of his life,

more vital than all of his myriad needs combined.

Food, water and a roof are needs of the flesh only. An understanding of the mysteries of creatíon and the life of the Savior of Man are needs of the immortal sou!.

(16)

The Key

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HE great cynic M. de Voltaire himself might well

have paused before the Mystical explanation of the

"Bcdies Several." Yet this is only one feature of

the illuminating course in Mystical Christianity

which has been instituted as a part of the great work of the Seminary of Biblical Research.

The importance of the questions it answers must be plain to you. The scope of its instruction has been outlined here.

The works of those two great Mystics, Paul and John, are

amplified and their hitherto hidden meanings disclosed in a11

thcir uplifting purity.

The lessons are copious, the range of topics almost un-limited. A few of the lesson titles which

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demonstrate tbe exbaustive nature of tbe course are listed here:

Introduction: The Mystical Principle. The Birth of Jesus

T

'

he

Mystical Message of John The Resurrection

Destruction of the Innocents The Incarnation

The Cosmic Baptism Consummatum Est.

Tbe Initiation of Jesus The Twelve

Thaumaturgy The Bodies Several

The Raising of Lazarus Cosmology

The Transfiguration Prophecy

The Passion The Logos

Christ and Pilate Body, Soul and Spirit

The Crucifixion etc., etc., ad libi tum.

The Seminary of Biblical Research is entirely undenomin

-ational and non-sectarian. It has no theo-political "axe to grind"; it has no propaganda to disseminate.

Its lessons are issued monthly but tbere is no limit to

tbeir period of usefulness. The student may read them at his

leisure, devoting as little or as mucb time to tbeir study as he

may seefit. Tbe arrangement is sucb that no written examin

a-tion work is required altbough correspondence is invited. For tbose who desire to qualify for tbe Extension Diploma of thc

Seminary of Biblical Research a written examination wi11 be given at the end of each twelve lessons.

(17)

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HE Seminary of Biblical Research has prepared this

Extension Course of instruction on the world's

most interesting. widely circulated and universal!y

read book-the

H

oly

Bib

l

e

-

in

order to meet the

growing demand for an understanding of the deep

mysteries it contains. This is made possible through the con

-tributions of several bcnefactors. The Instructions embodv years of research and wel! tested scholarship, and the latest

findings of eminent scientists, theologians and filosofers are

correlated.

The immediate course, as we!! as the foundation of the

Seminary of Biblical Research is the outgrowth of the life-Iong

work of Bishop George Winslow Plummer, eminent Theolog

-ian. Scientist and Author, whose exhaustiva researches qualify

him in the highest way to discuss the intricate and difficult

questions that are involved-theological. filosofical, archa

e-oligical and scientific.

Dr. Plumrner was born in Boston, Mass., educated in Bos

-ton and Providence institutions and is a distinguisht Alumnus

of Brown University of the class of 1900. With both schol

-astic and theological training he entered the ministry and served

in such capacity for a number of years. For the last ten or

twelve years he has been devoting himself to research work and

this has carried hirn into fields of scientific and re1igious investi ..

gation which have developt much original material. His inten

-sive studies have included the examination of many old rnanu

-scripts of the ancient mystics and classicists; the wel! known

filosofers and sages and heretofore secret writings of antiquity

and the Christian Era.

Dr. Plummer has had a wide experierice of men and has

the power of the written and spoken word. His vital and

il!uminating message is tirnely and is much needed by the world

at large. For the first time this course of study is made avail

-able to students of the Sacred Scriptures and is largcly due to the

efforts of Dr. Plumrner, who in addition to his academic degrees

holds al! Masonic degrees; is a mem ber of the Sons of the

American Revolution: a Fellow of the American Geographical

Society: a member of the American Association for the Ad

-vancement of Science and other recognized scientific and filosofi

-cal research institutions. He is therefore, amply prepared be

-cause of his study and wide experience to offer this much valued

course to Bible Students. The faculty of the Serninary of

Biblical Research is proud to announce this offer at this time.

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The lessons are issued monthly in attractive covers, beau -tifully printed and durably bound. Many students among the clergy use the lessons for serrnons, adapting the precepts and texts to their individual needs. Beside the actual course, your subscription entitles you to a consulting membership in the Seminary. Advice on particular problems involving specialized replies and many difficult personalproblems are ably answered by the Serninary's staff of experienced workers.

Here is the answer to YOUR questions; the end of mental and spiritual travail. The anguish of doubt

is

here banisht for all time. To read

is

to believe! To at last understand the true Word of God brings peace and salvation to your torn spirit, Do not delay; the living. throbbing. vital needs of your soul may now be in the balance. Enroll and receive the