Lectionary Readings for Thursday, May 16th, 2019

Book of Wars Against Jehovih Chapters XXIV and XXV

Chapter XXIV

OF THE JAFFETHAN ASSAULT.

1. Anuhasaj, alias the Lord God, had said to Te-in, the false, to whom he gave in
charge Jaffeth and her heavenly places: In the self same time that Osiris and his hosts
fall upon the divisions of the earth, even in that day and hour shalt thou and thy hosts
fall upon Jaffeth (China), possessing the temples and altars, and places of oracles,
where they serve the Great Spirit under the name Ormazd, and thou shalt subdue them
to me under the name Joss, who is and ever shall be Ho-Joss of heaven and earth.

2. So Te-in, the false, with his thousand million warriors sped forth, downward, to the
earth, wide spread his army, to cover the whole of Jaffeth, in hope to capture it suddenly.
And even as Osiris plunged into the temples and oracle-houses, and about the altars, in
the dead of night, to drive away Jehovih’s guardian angels, so, like him, and even worse,
Te-in was baffled and repulsed, and saw the morning sun arise upon his shame in total
failure. And then he, too, with his mighty legions, went stalking about, all day long on the
earth, waiting for the next night’s assault on sleeping mortals, and to receive new orders
from the Lord God, as to the next proceeding.

3. Then came the second night, and Te-in went in, with his army, furious because of the
last night’s cowardly failure. And to the sleeping mortals, men, women and children, hied
them with oaths and loud boastings, threatening Jehovih’s angels with the tortures of hell
if they did not instantly resign all unto Ho-Joss, the all highest ruler, dweller in Hored.

4. But faithful stood the Jehovians; laid their hands on the sleeping mortals, and became
all powerful against the terrible odds, and held them in abeyance again, till the sun arose
and scattered Te-in’s hosts, ashamed and sulky, in most pitiful defeat. Of which news Tein now, most painfully, sent to his commanding God.

5. To him, even as to Osiris, De’yus sent word to next attack the houses of the men of
learning, the unbelievers; and the ignorant, the superstitious; to abandon, for the present,
the arcs, and temples, and oracle-houses, and the Faithists, firmly sworn. De’yus said:
Send thou thy numerators and mathematicians; and measure and mark all mortals in
Jaffeth, as to the vulnerable points, and map their localities; and when thou hast
completed this work, set apart another night for an attack upon them. And thy hosts shall
fall not upon the Faithists who are firm in the Great Spirit, Ormazd, but upon the weak
and disbelieving, the skeptical and much learned philosophers, who are weak in spirit,
and thou shalt not fail.

6. So Te-in enumerated the Jaffethans, as commanded, marking them as to their
vulnerable points, whether in disbelief in spirit, or if given to lust, or to hasty passions, or
to telling lies, or to stealing, or to murder, or to hypocrisy, or to desire for leadership. And
before the time of battle, Te-in knew the grade of every mortal in Jaffeth. And he called
his generals and captains before him in his heavenly place, Che-su-gow, over the Chesain
Mountains, twenty miles high, showing them the lists and maps.

7. Take these, he said, and distribute them before my mighty armies, and ere tomorrow
night they shall learn every mortal’s place and quality; and in the night my legions
shall rush upon the places, laying hands on the sleeping mortals, thus gaining power;
and they shall hurl missiles, with terrible noises, through the houses of the sleepers,
and so arouse them to awake and behold the war of heaven carried to their homes.

8. The generals and captains took the lists and maps, and had millions of copies made of
them, and then sent them into all the regions of De’yus’militants; and besides sent
proclaimers, millions and millions, with terrible oaths against the Great Spirit, but
who extolled the magnificence of De’yus to the utmost; appealing to their love
of independence, and to their power to cast off all other rulers forever, save Ho-Joss.

9. And now, when the night of battle came, the infuriated angel warriors of Te-in
marched in lines, millions strong, toward the sleeping mortals. Spread abroad their great
armies, covering the land of Jaffeth from east to west and from north to south. Over
Glang’e’loe, the CITY OF THE SUN, were sent thirty millions of Te-in’s warring angels, sworn
to objurgate the people of great learning, alive or dead, and scatter the angels of Jehovih,
or bind them and cast them into hell. Over the city of Pen Goo were Te-in’s hosts, twenty
millions; and over the cities of Tsee, and Wung, and Ha-tzo, and Ne King, and Zoo Wun,
each twenty millions of Te-in’s angels of war.

10. Besides these there were millions and millions stationed over the great valley of Wan,
and in the mountains of So-Jon. In the plains of Wow Gan were stationed seventy
millions. Five millions were allotted to each of the following cities, to wit: Sum Conc,
Ah-gee, Ah-sin, Chang-ha, Gee Oooh-young, Gwan Gouk, Na’tji, Yuk Hoh, Ah Tosh, Ah
Koan, Chaung, Shon, Nufow, Zow, Lin, Gee Bak, Ow-wa, Tdong, King-do, Ghi Sam,
Seung, Chog, Doth, Jawh, Bing-Tah, Gha, Haih, Hung, Wing-tze, Ni Am, Ah Sam and
Zow-lin.

11. In the mountains of Witch How Loo were stationed eighty millions, laying for the
Listian breed of men. On the borders of the sea, for sea-faring men, and for their wives
and children, were one hundred and ninety millions of Te-in’s angel soldiers, ready for the
assault. Besides these there were tens of thousands of smaller armies, stationed in the
small cities and country places, waiting for the signal.

12. Now, in this age, Jaffeth had attained to great wisdom in many things, especially save
in war, in which her people were as babes. More than half her people were Faithists,
followers of Po, worshippers of the Great Spirit. And they practiced peace and dwelt in
communities. Even many of the cities were in families of tens, and hundreds, and
thousands, but nowhere more than two thousand. And the city families were after this
manner, that is to say: The manufacturers of cloth of wool, one family; of cloth of linen,
another family; of cloth of silk, another family; of leather, another family; of paper,
another family; of transportation, another family; and so on, till all departments were full;
and of these combinations there were cities of fifty thousand, and a hundred thousand,
and two hundred thousand inhabitants. And in the country places there were small cities,
whose people tilled the soil and gathered the fruits of the earth, and they exchanged goods
with the manufacturers who dwelt in large cities.

13. The government was by priests, one for each communion family, and the priests, who
were called Wa-shon, were the receivers and distributors of goods, and they
ministered in the temples and at the altars of worship in the name of the Great Spirit,
Ormazd, sometimes called Po-e-tein, and sometimes E’O’lin, and by other names also.

14. Besides the schools and colleges there were HOUSES OF PHILOSOPHY, and HOUSES OF
PROPHESY, and HOUSES OF ASTRONOMY, thousands and thousands.

15. The Jaffethans were large, being I’huans, with one degree more of the brown people’s
blood in them than the Parsi’e’ans. Nor in all the world was there, at that time, so strong a
people, and clean and jovial, high aspiring, with great gentleness. And because the land
was tilled and made to bloom on every side, the angels named it the FLOWERY KINGDOM;
and because the people reveled in song, and poetry, and oratory, they were called, LAMBS
OF THE GREAT SPIRIT IN THE FLUSH OF SPRING TIME.

16. And these things were well known to De’yus, and to Te-in, the false, and to hundreds
of millions of the assaulting angels, sworn to subdue them to Ho-Joss or to everlasting
destruction.

17. But because of the power of Jehovih with the most faithful of the Faithists, the
arcs and temples of worship had stood unharmed by the satanic raid. Equally so the Teins failed to overpower the Great Spirit’s guardian angels. So now, after due preparation,
the time came for another contest, this time upon the least Jehovih-like of mortals.

18. On the other hand, the true God, Son of Jehovih, sent word from his throne in
Craoshivi to the guardian angels dwelling with these mortals, so unmindful of the Father’s
care. He said: Come defeat, or disaster, or terrible darkness, overpowering your utmost
strength, still struggle ye, in the name of Jehovih. The true Faithist knoweth nothing
impracticable, but doeth his utmost for his highest light, though failure stare him in the
face.

19. For once distrust of weakness entereth the human soul, the man slideth backward
down the hill of faith; whilst he who will not consider results, save to serve Jehovih right
on, fail or not, riseth, even though his project fail.

20. With this and no other word from Jehovih, the Faithists stood about their weak and
helpless wards on the low earth, waiting for the thousand million Te-ins. But not in
any lengthened suspense, for when the sun stood with the widest part of the earth
between, the midnight hour, the militants came rushing on, with oaths most hideous,
and by their dense flood of numbers reached the sleeping mortals and laid hands on them.

21. Then, with joy run to madness because of triumph, sent hurling round about
appurtenances in the dwellings. And, in many places, with audible speech thus held forth
in the dark to the affrighted mortals:

22. From Sanc-tu I come, to lie in the dust every mortal born that will not bow down in
reverence to Ho-Joss, ruler of worlds. Give ear, O man; the anger of heaven’s Creator is
let loose upon a disobedient race!

23. And then, to give semblance of truth to the words, the angel intruders let fly such
knocks and poundings that they moved many a house on its foundation, and roused the
mortals, panic-stricken, to find the cause, or to hasten them quickly to repentance and
prayers.

24. But not all was their victory; for the Jehovians firmly held the power in hundreds of
thousands of places. And yet the Te-ins had a wonderful victory.

25. Te-in quickly sent word to De’yus, exulting, and exaggerating the victories won.
And in turn, De’yus congratulated him and his army, his thousand millions,
who, now anchored on the earth, and with mortals, frolicked about in all regions.

26. And in Jaffeth, in course of time, the same questions arose as in Arabin’ya; questions
from mortals to the spirits; as to the destination of the soul of man; as to the origin of
things; as to the heavenly places? And Te-in in turn sent word on up to De’yus, in Hored,
as to what answer should be given. It was thus, that he, too, was summoned to Sanc-tu,
in Hored, to meet with Osiris, and Baal, and Ashtaroth, and Sudga, subduer of Vind

Chapter XXV

OF THE VIND’YUAN ASSAULT.

1. Sudga, the false, sent by De’yus to overturn the Great Spirit’s dominion in Vind’yu, and
to establish the highest heavenly place, Urvatooz, was wiser than Osiris or Te-in in his
wicked work. For he permitted not his army, his thousand millions, to rush on for the
places of worship and for the oracle-houses. But most deliberately halted his forces in
Haroyu, the lowest heavenly place over the mountains of Vivrat, in Vind’yu, three miles
high and broad as the earth, and a commanding situation.

2. Whence, in a sure way, he sent his measurers on ahead down to the earth, to measure
mortals, as to their weakness and strength in faith in Jehovih (Ormazd), and other rulers,
heavenly; to map them and mark them, and to number them.

3. Great was the peace and beauty and glory of Vind’yu in that day. Her rivers and canals
coursed the country over, and her industrious sons and daughters, two hundred millions,
were, in the eyes of the angels, the pride and glory of the earth. Hundreds of thousands of
her people were prophets and seers. And so abundant was spiritual light amongst the
people, that even those who had learned but one language could understand and speak
other languages with people from remote parts; words and sentences they had never
heard; even when first meeting strangers. Like the inhabitants of Jaffeth, as to
government and industry, mostly by the exchange of goods, and not by buying and
selling, lived the Vind’yuans. This was their weakest point, as to an assault.

4. Sudga said to his generals and captains: Only by confounding the languages of these
people can they be broken up and subdued. Behold, they are becoming as Gods; knowing
and understanding in advance of the words spoken. What, then, is their greatest liable
shortness, save we confound them suddenly in the meaning of words? Fall ye upon them,
and possess them, and obsess them, all who are easily captured. Get ye a foothold here
and there in the first place; and in their commerce cripple them.

5. Sudga said: It is a strong city that maketh all kinds of goods; it is a weak place indeed
that dependeth on another, which is far off. Such people are easily tripped up. Behold, I
will teach these people that I am the militant before whom every knee shall bow; or, in
failing to win them thus, I will set city against city, and country place against country
place; all against one another, for which their superabundant languages will furnish
excellent material.

6. Sudga opened the door at night for his hosts to fall on the weakest of mortals, as to
faith in Ormazd, Who had become as a stale story to hundreds of thousands of men and
women. In Vind’yu had woman risen in knowledge, higher than the highest of women in
other parts of the world. In the HOUSES OF PHILOSOPHY and HOUSES OF SCIENCE women were
foremost, as to men, and skeptical as to the Ormazdian power.

7. On rushed Sudga’s legions; and even as Osiris and Te-in won in the third assault,
so now Sudga in the first. And, he too, sent word to De’yus, and exaggerated beyond
all bounds of truth, as to his victories. Nevertheless, his hosts were sufficiently
anchored on the earth to claim an everlasting victory for De’yus and to establish his name.

8. And here, also, after a few years, the questions came from mortals, asking thus:
Behold, ye cut off the heavens of the ancients, the Nirvanian regions beyond Chinvat. Ye
teach us that De’yus is the ALL HIGH RULER. What, then, is the all highest for man? How
came the worlds? Whence came man? How was the creation created?

9. To answer which Sudga sent to De’yus for instructions. And De’yus sent to Sudga, even
as to the other Gods, an invitation to meet in Hored, to hear the words of the Lord God, to
learn his commands.

10. Thus invited, thus went the five great warrior Gods before De’yus, taking with them
each his ten thousand attendants, besides thousands of trumpeters. De’yus had a good
feast prepared for them; he had sent receivers forth to meet them and conduct them to
Sanc-tu in great splendor.