THE ÆOLIC DIGAMMA.

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All the

tative of the "Ark" of the Mosaical Covenant. Basilicas are of this figure. The symbol is a parallelogram, or an oblong, when the shape adopted is that of the temples. It then is the navis, "nave," or ship-which is the "Argo."

"Les Chinois l'adorent dans Fôt. La langue chinoise n'ayant ni le B ni le D, ce peuple a prononcé Fôt ce que les Indiens et les Perses prononcent Bôt, Bot, Bod, Bodd, ou Boùdd—par où bref Fôt, au Pegou, est devenu Fota et Fta." Query, Pthah (Vulcan) of the Egyptians, and the Teutonic F's in "Friga" (the Runic Venus), "Ffriga ""Friday"? B-F, P-F, are interchangeable letters (see Arabic and Sanscrit vocabularies).

The Æolic Digamma is the crux of philologists. The ancients pronounced every word which began with a vowel with an aspirate, which had the sound of our w, and was often expressed by 8 or u, and also y. For this, the figure of a double I', or F, was invented, whence the name Di

gamma; which was called Æolic, because the Æolians, of all the tribes, retained the greatest traces of the original language. Thus, the Æolians wrote or pronounced Foivos, Feλsa, velia. The Latin language was derived from the Æolic dialect, and naturally adopted the Digamma, which it generally expressed by V. These significant, mysterious sounds and characters-V, W, B, and F-are reputed to be the key of the Lunar, or Feminine, Apotheosis. The symbol (or that meant in the symbol) is the key-note, as it were, of all Grecian architecture and art; which is all beauty, refinement, and elegance, with power at the highest.

A

"Nails of the Passion." (Three in the Greek Rite.)

Single-cloven Templar Ensign.

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-NINTH.

CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TEMPLARS

AND GNOSTICISM.

HE branch sect of the Gnostics, called Basilideans, who were properly Ophites, arose in the second century, deriving their name from Basilides, the

chief of the Egyptian Gnostics. They taught that in the beginning there were Seven Beings, or Æons, of a most excellent nature; in whom we recognise the cabalistic Seven Spirits before the Throne. Two of these first Æons, called Dyamis and Sophia—that is, "Power" and "Wisdom" engendered the angels of the highest order. The name of Abraxas, the Deity of the Gnostics, is made up of the numerical letters representing the total 365—the aggregate of days of the solar year. The "manifestation " of Abraxas rests in his Sof, Nūs (knowledge), or Christ, the chief of the Æons, who descended to earth and assumed the form of "Man;" was baptized, and crucified in appearance (Mosheim's Eccles. Hist. vol. i. pp. 181-184). The Manichæans, who deny the reality of the Crucifixion of the Son of God, and whose tenets concerning the Saviour Jesus are peculiar, derive their name from Manes, or Mani; and their doctrine was first disseminated in Persia about the year 270. They speak mysteriously of the Anima Mundi, or "Hyle;" they call this principle a deity, and agree with

GNOSTIC "MATTER" OR "BODY."

267

the Rosicrucians in asserting that it is a power presenting itself at once in reverse to the world and to the heavens, in as far as that, while it is dark to the one, it is light to the other; and contrariwise. The Gnostic hierarchy consisted of an arch-priest or patriarch, twelve masters, and seventytwo leaders or bishops. The Gnostics called Matter, or Body, "evil," and "darkness," and seemed uncertain whether, in its operations, it were active or passive. It was believed by these sectaries that there were successive emanations of intelligent beings, these were the ons (aiveç), -producing the various phases in creation. In this way, there arose in time a mighty being-the Demiurge —who set to work on the inert matter then existing, and out of it formed the world. The reconcilement, or restoration, is to the Bhuddistic pleroma, or fulness of light. It is absorption into "annihilation," or into victory, oblivious of the vexations of "life." Here, in this fulness of light,—or independence of all worlds, or of life, according to Man's ideas, the Supreme God has His habitation: but it is not "nothingness," according to our ideas of nothing; it is so only because it has not anything in it comprehensible. The Alexandrian Gnostics inclined to the opinion that Matter was inert, or passive; the Syrian Gnostics, on the contrary, held that it was active. Valentinus came from Alexandria to Rome about A.D. 140. St. Augustine fell under the Gnostic influence, and retained their beliefs from his twentieth to his twenty-ninth year-viz., from 374 to 383 A.D. Their books have for titles: the Mysteries, the Chapters or Heads, the Gospel, and the Treasure. Refer to Beausobre, Walch, Fuësslin, and Hahn.

The Gnostics held that Christ's teaching was not fully understood even by His disciples; and therefore He promised to send, in due time, a still greater Apostle, the Paraclete, who should effectually separate truth from falsehood. This Paraclete appeared in Mani.

The West Front of Lichfield Cathedral displays accurately the mythic idea of the union of the Male and Female Principles in the parallel double towers, which are uniform.

The claims for the real reading of the Egyptian hieroglyphics are distinct and unhesitating, as put forward by the Egyptologists; who, if industry could have succeeded, certainly would have realised their desire. But it is extremely doubtful whether, after all, they are not very widely astray. The late Sir George Cornewall Lewis, in his History of Ancient Astronomy, has disposed conclusively of the assumed correctness of most of these interpretations. The Egyptologists, the principal of whom are Champollion, Rawlinson, Dean Milman, Sir George Lewis (perhaps the best critic), Professor Wilson, Sir Gardner Wilkinson, Dr. Cureton, Dr. Hincks, M. Oppert, Mr. Fox Talbot,—with a large amount of ingenious and very plausible research and conjecture, have not truly touched or appreciated these enigmas. They yet remain, baffling the curiosity of the moderns; and they are likely to preserve their real mysteries unread as long as the stones of the Pyramids, and the remembrance of the Sphinx, if not her visible figure,-themselves endure. We believe that there is no adequate mystical comprehension among modern decipherers to read the hopeless secrets— purposely evading discovery-which lie locked in the hieroglyphics the most successful readings are probably guesses only, founded on readily accepted likeness and likeliness.

:

The Temple Church, London, presents many mythic figures which have a Rosicrucian expression. In the spandrels of the arches of the long church, besides the "Beauséant," which is repeated in many places, there are the armorial figures following: "Argent, on a cross gules, the Agnus Dei, or Paschal Lamb, or;" "Gules, the Agnus Dei, displaying over the right shoulder the standard of the Temple; or, a banner, triple cloven, bearing a cross gules;" "Azure, a cross prolonged, potent, issuant out of the crescent moon argent, horns upwards; on either side of the cross, a star or." This latter figure signifies the Virgin Mary, and displays the cross as rising like the pole, or mast of a ship (argha), out of the midst of the crescent moon, or navis biprora, curved at both ends; "azure, semée of estoiles or." The staff of the Grand Master of the Templars

SYMBOLS IN THE TEMPLE CHURCH.

269

displayed a curved cross of four splays, or blades, red upon white. The eight-pointed red Bhuddist cross was also one of the Templar ensigns. The Temple arches abound with brandished estoiles, or stars, with wavy or crooked flames. The altar at the east end of the Temple Church has a cross flourie, with lower limb prolonged, or, on a field of estoiles, wavy; to the right is the Decalogue, surmounted by the initials, A. . (Alpha and Omega); on the left are the monograms of the Saviour, I CX C; beneath, is the Lord's Prayer. The whole altar displays feminine colours and emblems, the Temple Church being dedicated to the Virgin Maria. The winged horse, or Pegasus, argent, in a field gules, is a badge of the Templars. The tombs of the Templars, disposed around the circular church in London, are of that early Norman shape called dos d'âne: their tops are triangular; the ridge-moulding passes through the temples and out of the mouth of a mask at the upper end, and issues out of the horned skull, apparently, of some purposely trodden creature. The head at the top is shown in the "honour-point" of the cover of the tomb. There is an amount of unsuspected meaning in every curve of these Templar tombs; but it would at present too much occupy us to more fully explain.

The crook part of a Bishop's staff shows the undulating curve of the S.S. issuing out of the foliations: meaning the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is particularly observable in the statue of William of Wykeham, the founder, at St. Mary's College, Winchester; who, holding the spiritual crook in the left hand, gives the usual benediction of the two extended fingers with his right. The crook is the Shepherd Crook of the "Second Person," and of the "Holy Spirit."

We now give a series of Gnostic Talismans, from originals. The reader is requested to refer to our numerous figures and symbols from the Temple Church, London, and to the insignia of the Templars, as displayed in all countries, for hints as to their connection with the mysterious beliefs constituting that which is called Gnosticism.