THE
Mystical Principlc :-
The Mystical Principie is not an expression of the opinion of any one person or group of persons, nor is it the exclusive possession of any school, cult, creed or philosophy. It is the Great Principle exprest by the Christ in Parable, and which underlies the entire plan of Scriptural revelatian.
Copyrighted 1926, by the
SEMINARY OF BlBLlCAL RESEARCH,
New York City
The Shephent's
Field
nea,. Betlilehenv
OU, among other intelligent people, want to know the truth contained in that greatest of all booksthe 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 is a eryptie statement; full of m ystery and of cosmie profundity. 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 intelleetual 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 "MYSTICAL 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. PAGE
ONE
MODERI
T
ClliRKSTKA
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 Christianity 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 perspective 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 ultramaterialistic "civilizarion " eddy ineffectualIy about their base. This is an age of materialism : an age of literal transl rtions. 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 boundaries are establisht by the interpretation of phrases and even single words; literal in tcrpretations, 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
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B VIOUSL y some remedy for cxisting disscnsion is needed at once. Some new, clear light must be directed upon the Bible, that the earth-bound. literal-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 met hod 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 relieve a world curst by materialism that The Seminary of Biblical 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 clearing 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 business mano Al! else is a "fairy tale" fit only for the entertainment 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 and asks tract or Truth. be taught
thinks of the Bible in terms of Rotary and Kiwanis that Holy W rit be made as comprehensible as a cona bill of sale. He is not to blame. His goal too is But the scriptures must be explained to him. He must 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. PAGE
FOUR
Unper: 'I'lie ')lrlle Calra1"1 01" 001(100,u. '/"n/.·.;(,I('III. Center: C/!llI'ch 01 the JIoly Sel,,,chre, Jer"salem. Lower: Int erlo): 01 Chrtst'e 'I'omb, Je/'I/salelll. (Pilotos copvrigh t by ir. C. \\'hite
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SCKE
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T EOLOG professing
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. 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 Science. 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 supplcments 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 invariably 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, anthropologists 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 Theology and draws into closer accord the efforts of these tw o armies destined to go through histor y, united-hand in hand. rsc» sts
JESUS fhe MYSTKC 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 superstition to which the Christ brot light and liberation. He is, to thern. the antithesis of a m ystic, His works the opposite of magic. Hindu fakirs and the chicanery of Mediaeval charlatans 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 w ith 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 definition 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 continually emphasized the unity between the Father a nd himself. and above al l, by his self-surrender. he had a mastery of m ysteries beyond human comprehension. In the above sense, Christ was a true Mysric Initiateand his recorded deeds show him to be the Last Great Iniriate, for non e have 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. T'.\GR
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EVER in the world's history, sincc Ga lileo, Bacon and Newton. has there been such close accord between the leading scientists and the foremost Christian divines as that existing teda y.
and clearer understandíng History.
of the Bible and its
As Science welds the links of history's chain. as fact after fact is added to our store of know ledge, the relationship of the "Book of books" to the "book of Narure" is more closely and accurately defined.
This is especially true in the fields of astronomy and archacology. \Vhere thc representatives 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
\Vould you like to make this understanding yours? Dori't you want to reconcile the seerningly 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 . .lIt.
Il"0ral
. .trlHcllia.
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. unchanging 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 powerfully 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 contains 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 knowledge 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. PAQE
TEN
THE PJLACE THAT JESUS JLOVED ~ ~
BE'J'ITAXY 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 wi th his friends, )la1"tha. )]ar,Y and Laza.rus, whenever he vtsíted Jerusalem. llere he raised Lazruus nom the dead, and procla írned Tlimself rho Resur-rect lon anr] lhe Lí íe ; words that have formad part of t1H> Burial Service t luuout the cennuries. ]TOre also, the Ascensíon is belíeved lo have occurred. (Photo copyright 1900' bv H. L. Sing ley.) Now
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T is not enough to approach the Bible with a mind open to the inner meaning of words. Esoteric interpretations 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 unmeaning 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 a11 of 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 meaning 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 invited 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 life.
o
66REVELAT
"In the UPOIl
... A
11
spi rit; ...
in the
scartot colored beast •...
wilderness;
...
I saw
a wonU11I si t
havíng seven heads and ten norns
A 11<1 upon her forehead was a name writ.ten, ~IYSTBHY" ... nd when r SRW her, 1 wondered. And the angel sald unto lile.
"I wil l telJ lhee rhe mystery
of the woman."
The liMPORTANCE of liNTERPRETA TliON E Seminary of Biblical Research has itself never presumed to "create" interpretation. The sincere workers who now place before the public of a nation 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 interpretation 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 absorbing 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!. PAGE F'OURTEEN
The Key
t((J)
tthe
Ancienlt My§lterie§ 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 limited. A few of the lesson titles which \ViII demonstrate exbaustive nature of tbe course are listed here: Introduction:
The Mystical
Principle.
T'he Mystical
Message of John Destruction of the Innocents The Cosmic Baptism Tbe Initiation of Jesus Thaumaturgy The Raising of Lazarus The Transfiguration The Passion Christ and Pilate The Crucifixion
untbe
The Birth of Jesus
The Resurrection The Incarnation Consummatum Est. The Twelve The Bodies Several Cosmology Prophecy The Logos Body, Soul and Spirit etc., etc., ad libi tum.
The Seminary of Biblical Research is entirely undenominational 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 see fit. Tbe arrangement is sucb that no written examination 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. PA.GE
FIF1'EJiJY
The §emrJllilll<8lJry«J)f Bi1bRicaR Re§eaJI"ch 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 Holy Bible-in order to meet the growing demand for an understanding of the deep mysteries it contains. This is made possible through the contributions of several bcnefactors. The Instructions embodv years of research and wel! tested scholarship, and the la test 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 Theologian. Scientist and Author, whose exhaustiva researches qualify him in the highest way to discuss the intricate and difficult questions that are involved-theological. filosofical, archaeoligical and scientific. Dr. Plumrner was born in Boston, Mass., educated in Boston and Providence institutions and is a distinguisht Alumnus of Brown University of the class of 1900. With both scholastic 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 intensive studies have included the examination of many old rnanuscripts 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 available 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 Advancement of Science and other recognized scientific and filosofical research institutions. He is therefore, amply prepared because 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. PAGE
SIXTEFlN
The lessons are issued monthly in attractive covers, beautifully 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 W ord 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 light l Enroll todaq and be free.
@eminary of 6iblical Qe!iearC~ NEW YORK CITY
RT. REV. GEORGE WINSLOW PLUMMER, Dean THE REV. ADRIAN C. GROVER, Chancellor THE REV. PROF. ARTHUR W. BROOKS, Oriental Research (Forrnerly Professor of English Bible Interpretation, Greek Seminary of St. Athanasius,
New York)
THE REV. FREDERICK MARSHALL, Filosofy G. E. S. MILLER, Registrar Address al! comrnunicaríons SEMINAR y
._--22
PRIK'l'ING RgADE
COMPAKY,
STREET,
N.
BIBLICAL
RESEA R r.H
Soeiety of Rosicrueians, Ine. Box 192-B Preston Hol!ow, NY 12469
Press 01 COM.lHER('lAL
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to
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-_ ..
'~HEN ~
God rnade rnan in his own irnage, how was that? Was it not by rnaking hirn a rational creature? Men, therefore, that lay aside reason in the reading of sacred mysteries, do but un-man thernselves and becorne involved in labyrinths of errors. Hence, their religion degenerates into irrational notions." -SENDIVOGIUS.
