Lectionary Readings for Thursday, April 11th, 2019

Book of Divinity Chapters IX and X

Chapter IX

1. Then God bewailed the state of the earth, because man ceased to love anything thereon.
His whole mind and heart were set upon heavenly things, and the earth was becoming like
a neglected farm grown up with weeds and briars. So Jehovih answered God’s prayers,
saying: Behold, I will bring darkness around about the earth on every side. See to it then,
My Son, for not only will man desire of the earth, but the angels in thy high heavenly
places will forsake them, and go down to the earth.

2. So it came to pass, Jehovih brought ji’ya upon the earth, and it was in a state of
darkness for four hundred years, and the sun shone not, but was like a red ball of fire, and
mortal beings were without lights and shadows.

3. And men’s minds and hearts took after the nature of the corporeal world, losing sight of
Ormazd and His heavenly promises, and they bethought them of the desires of earth, and
of the pleasures of flesh-life. Now during ji’ay there fell perpetual atmospherean
substance on the earth, and it was of the nature and kind of substance of which the earth
is made, but atmospheric, and this is that which is called ji’ya.

4. And the plateau of Haraiti and Zeredho were driven down to the earth and near the
earth; and the belt of meteoris was moved nearer by thousands of miles, and meteoric
stones fell in many places upon the earth, like a rain shower, but burning hot, and with
suffocating smell. And the affairs of mortals were changed; they built new cities, and
became great hunters, applying the wisdom of their forefathers to the matters of the earth.

5. And the heavenly places of delight were broken up and descended to the earth; and the
angels were cast upon the earth, turning away from faith in Ormazd, seeking joy in the
affairs of earth. And God and his Lords were powerless unto righteous works, either with
mortals or angels. But man and woman became prolific, and they grew large, and full of
resolution and power.

6. The Voice of Jehovih spake to God, saying: Maintain thou thy kingdom; and thy Gods
and thy Lords under thee shall also maintain their kingdoms. Nor suffer thou My people
to be discouraged with My works.

7. Because I have sent darkness upon the earth to benefit mortals in mortality, so have I
also given My heavenly hosts lessons in My es worlds. Nor shall they call this a judgment
upon them, nor say, I do these things in anger, nor as punishment, nor for benefit of one
to the injury of others.

8. Because thou wert guided by My voice and My commandments in bestowing the Divan
law, behold the strength and wisdom of thy pupils! For inasmuch as they learn to master
the elements I created in atmospherea, so will they become triumphant in My etherean
worlds.

9. God perceived, and he and his Lords and sub-Gods fortified their kingdoms on all
hands, and provided assistance to their colleges, factories, hospitals and places of
education, in order to maintain the angels who had sought resurrection.

10. Nevertheless, it came to pass, many angels believed a new order of light was coming
on the earth, wherein the earth would become the all highest abode for angels and Gods.
Others having lived two or three hundred years in atmospherea, and never having been in
etherea, began to disbelieve in the higher heavens, and finally to disbelieve in Jehovih,
also.

11. And in two hundred years later, God and his Lords lost influence and power with both
angels and mortals. And the latter took to war, and the angels who had ministered unto
them became wanderers and adventurers, without organization, and cared neither for truth
nor wisdom, but flattered mortals for their own glory.

12. And the kings and queens of the earth built temples for their familiar spirits, who
assumed the ancient names of Gods and Lords. Now, when the next arc of dan was near
at hand, God enumerated his upraised hosts, and there were prepared as Brides and
Bridegrooms for Jehovih’s higher heavens twelve thousand millions.

13. And because it was less than the number of his predecessor, he cried out unto
Jehovih, bewailing his weakness. And Jehovih answered him, saying: Bewail not, My
Son! Thou hast done a great work. Neither ask thou that thou mayst remain another dan,
for the next will not be so fair a harvest. So God grieved no more, but bestowed his
kingdom on his successor; and his Lords did likewise, and so did his sub-Gods and all
other persons having protégés. And God called together the Brides and Bridegrooms of
Jehovih; and the latter sent down from etherea five great ships of fire, and delivered God
and his hosts into the emancipated worlds

Chapter X

1. In the twelve hundredth year after Fragapatti, in the east colony of Haraiti, one Ctusk, a
former Lord of Jehovih’s host, renounced Jehovih, the Creator, and falsely proclaimed
himself Ahura, the All Master; and he took with him three Lords of grade eighty-eight,
and twelve sub-Gods of grade sixty-four, and one thousand six hundred students of eight
hundred years’resurrection, none of whom were less than grade sixty, and were sufficient
to pass as Brides and Bridegrooms. And these students took with them thirty-six thousand
teachers, factors, and physicians, and nurses, all of whom were upward of grade forty.

2. And Ahura appropriated to himself one colony of one hundred and ten million angels,
together with the colleges, schools, factories, and all things whatsoever belonging therein.
And the three Lords took their kingdoms, and by annexation made them part and parcel
with Ahura’s kingdom. Now these three Lords’kingdoms comprised the largest habitable
places of mortals in Vindyu and Jaffeth, and the greatest heavenly places of angels in the
first resurrection.

3. And Ahura divided up the regions he thus obtained, making confederate heavenly
kingdoms, sufficient in number to give place of dominion to his Lords and Gods, and to
make sub-Gods out of all the one thousand six hundred students. And after that, Ahura
numbered his people, and there were in his heavens more than three thousand million
souls!

4. God sent messengers to Ctusk, who had assumed the name Ahura’Mazda, inquiring,
admonishing and inquiring: My Lord, whom I have loved, whom by mine own hand was
crowned in the name of Jehovih, why hast thou deserted the Father’s kingdoms? Wherein
hast thou had cause to complain against Jehovih? Wherein, against me, thy God? O my
son, my Lord, say not thou hast gone so far thou canst not return! What canst thou ask of
me that I will not grant unto thee? Nay, even judge thou me, and if thou desirest all the
heavens and the earth in my place, I will abdicate unto thee, and become thy lowest
servant, or whatsoever thou wilt put upon me.

5. Ahura returned this answer, to wit: Because I have nothing against thee, I have
alienated myself and my kingdom from thee. I desire not thy kingdom, nor even mine
own. Behold, I looked upon thee, and thou wert pure and holy. I looked upon the
kingdoms of heaven, and the kingdoms of earth, and they were impure and unholy. Then
came certain brother Lords to me, most wise Lords, and they said: A less pure God, a less
holy God, would be more efficient. So, I was persuaded to my course.

6. God replied to this, saying: Behold, we have a Diva! Why spakest thou not thus before
me, face to face? And thy three great Lords were also Divans; and they were silent on the
matter likewise. The Div would have decreed whatever was all wise. Because I was in
darkness, I saw not thy thoughts, nor thy Lords, and ye have heaped shame upon me. How
shall I send my record to etherea? Shall I say, Behold, certain Lords consulted
clandestinely, and then concluded to overthrow the Creator? And, forsooth, they have
gone and set up a kingdom of their own, calling it the All Highest.

7. Hear me yet, and I will endeavor to speak wisely unto thee. Thy messengers notified
me some days since that thou hadst repudiated Jehovih, saying: There is no All Highest
Person; I can make myself high as the highest! And thereupon, thy messenger gave me a
map, saying: Behold thou, here are the boundaries of the kingdom of Ahura’Mazda, the
All Sufficient High God!

8. I looked over the map, and beheld its great extent; and I surmised to myself: He is a
great God that can rule over all that! For I knew thee and thy education, which is as great
as any Lord’s in atmospherea. And thou knowest thou canst not control even a plateau!
Canst thou raise thine hand and stay the a’ji, or the ji’ya, or the nebulae! Scarce canst thou
change a single current of wind; nor canst thou cast a drought on any land. And yet thou
knowest there are Gods who can do these things by a motion of one finger! How darest
thou, then, proclaim thyself an All Sufficient High God!

9. But I will not rebuke thee, for I desire thy love and thy help. I would win thee by any
sacrifice I can make. Behold, there is great darkness in heaven and on earth. Wherein I
may be short, I will rebuke myself in after ages. I pray thee, then, return thou to me, and
make exactions upon me and my kingdoms. With thy loss, behold, Diva is broken up.
With thy dismemberment of heavens, others will follow. Alas, I will not look upon even
that which my soul seeth. I plead for thy love and for thy assistance. Nevertheless, if the
All Highest Light, for the All Best Good, showeth thee that thou art right, come not to
me! I know the Great Spirit will sustain me, even though my soul is well nigh crushed to
pieces by the loss of so fair a love.

10. To this Ahura replied: How came the thought to me to do as I did, if it be not the
wisest, best course?

11. God replied: Because of the long reign of ji’ya, thou wert inoculated with darkness;
even as a mortal, on a rainy day, loseth his patience to be wise.

12. Then Ahura sent the following, to wit: I have been patient in mine answers; but now I
will speak plainly. First of all, thou art All Pure, and Most Wise, above all other Gods.
For more than two hundred years I have been a faithful Lord unto thee and thy kingdoms.
At first the Great Light came to thee, and a voice came out of the light! Then I feared, and
was awe-stricken. Because I believed thee so near the Creator, thine every word and act
were to me worshipful.

13. At last I rebuked myself, saying to myself: Fool! Givest thou worship to man born of
woman! Remember thy Creator only!

14. But the times changed; ji’ya fell upon heaven and earth. Our glorious kingdoms were
cast down by the great darkness. Then I reasoned, saying to myself: Behold, when we
were in light, Jehovih’s Voice spake unto us. When the darkness came, the Voice came
not. We sat in the Diva, in the altar circle, praying for light from the Father, but it came
not. And I said: More we need the Voice in darkness than in light. For a hundred years we
saw not the light of the Voice, nor heard the Voice speak. Thou hast said thou heardst in
thy soul! Who is there in heaven or earth that cannot say as much?

15. In my soul I no longer believe there is an All Person. There are great Gods, a thousand
times greater than I; but there is the end! Yea, some of those great Gods may have cast the
ji’ya upon us. But that is not my matter. There is room for thee and thy people. Here is
room for me and my people.

16. Jehovih spake to God, saying: Answer thou not Ahura more. Behold, I will interpret
him to thee: He will even yet persuade angels and mortals that it was he who inspired
Zarathustra. But he seeth it not himself. Suffer him, therefore, to go his way; neither
take sorrow to thy soul. Have I not, from the lowest to the highest, given unto all
men even that which they desired? Behold, I can use even bad men in the far future!

17. Jehovih said: For a long season Ahura will strive to walk upright, but because he hath
cut Me off, he will also cut himself off in time to come. Behold, a mortal man striveth for
riches honorably, and when he is rich, his riches cut him off from Me by the ruin he
casteth upon his competitors. Nor can he extricate himself. Even so will it be with Ahura:
His kingdom and his sub-kingdoms, and his multitude of officers will cause him to
enslave hundreds of millions of drujas, and they will draw him into a vortex from which
he cannot escape.

18. So God answered Ahura no more; but nevertheless, his heart was full of sorrow. Now,
when the time of the meeting of Diva came, God foresaw that not more than one-half of
them would be present, and he feared the questions that might come up.

19. But Jehovih said unto him: Fear not, My Son; for even though many more leave thee,
yet shalt thou preserve the Diva to the end of this cycle. So it came to pass that Jehovih
stilled the tongues of all the Gods and Lords of the Diva in reference to Ahura, even as if
they had never known him. And Ahura sent quizzers to different Gods and Lords
afterward, to learn what action the Diva had taken in his case. But when he was told that
he had not been mentioned, he became angered, and he swore an oath that he would build
the largest of all heavenly kingdoms.

20. Because of the great darkness on heaven and earth, God sent hope and promise into
all the kingdoms, urging his Lords and his sub-Gods to maintain faith, not only in
themselves, but within the hearts of their respective inhabitants. Now, from the time of
the secession of Ahura to the next dan would be three hundred years, and God knew this,
though the multitudes in heaven and earth knew it not. And God commanded great
recreation and extensive labors in order to prevent further dismemberment. But in the
course of a hundred years many were carried away by the extravagant stories told about
Ahura’s kingdoms being places of great delight, and of ease and idleness.

21. Ahura’s Lords said unto him: Thou shalt adorn thy kingdom; thy throne and thy
capital, Ctusk, shall be the largest and most ornamental of all places in the universe; and
our sub-kingdoms shall be places of great delight. And Ahura was persuaded, and so
began self-glorification, and his Lords with him.

22. And in another hundred years Ahura had withdrawn and annexed unto him in heaven
the following provinces, with their sub-Gods: Etyisiv, with seventy million souls;
Howwak, with one hundred million souls; Hyn, with twenty million souls; D’nayotto,
with eighty million souls; Erefrovish, with one hundred and ninety million souls; the
whole of the kingdom of Gir-ak-shi, six hundred million souls; the whole of the kingdom
of Soo’fwa, with eight hundred million souls. And all of these confederated in the lower
heavens, making the kingdom of Ctusk, with Ahura as MAZDA IN CHIEF, the central
kingdom.

23. The Diva was by this reduced to seven members, but these remained faithful.
And God kept up the standard of resurrection for yet one hundred more years. And
then Jehovih sent a region of dan to heaven and earth, and the Most High heavenly
hosts descended in fire-ships and took God and his harvest up to Jehovih. And with
all the misfortune that befell God and his Lords, there were, nevertheless, six
thousand million Brides and Bridegrooms to Jehovih raised up to the higher heavens.

24. Now, when the etherean hosts came for the resurrection, knowing the darkness
upon the lower heaven and the earth, they sent otevans, with heralds and trumpeters
around the earth, proclaiming the resurrection at hand, and asking all who chose, to repair
to Mouru, in Haraiti. And the word was whispered throughout Ahura’s kingdom: What!
Then, of a truth, there must be higher heavens than this! Alas, had we been faithful till
now, we had been Brides and Bridegrooms! So potent was this disaffection for Ahura,
that five of his Lords broke membership, and re-affiliated with God and his kingdoms.

25. And thus matters stood when God’s successor came to the throne.