BOOK OF GOD’S WORD.
BEING COTEMPORANEOUS WITH THE CYCLE OF FRAGAPATTI, SON OF JEHOVIH. AS THE UPPER BOOK IS OF HEAVENLY THINGS, SO IS THIS LOWER BOOK OF THE EARTHLY ADMINISTRATION OF GOD FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME, AND IT IS CALLED THE BOOK OF GOD’S WORD, BECAUSE IT IS OF THE FIRST DESCENT OF GOD TO THE EARTH TO ESTABLISH HIS WORD WITH MAN. THROUGH ZARATHUSTRA, A MAN OF PAR’SI’E, CAME GOD TO THIS END, EIGHT THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE THE KOSMON ERA.1
CHAPTER I.
1. Hear My word, O man, saith I'hua'Mazda.2 Perceive My utterances in things that havebeen and that will be. Remember the lapse of time; open thy understanding to thesubstance of the affairs of the ancients.
2. Quibble not on names, saith I'hua'Mazda. Nor on places, nor words. All places are Myplaces; all words, My words; all names, My names. All truth is My speech. All fact is Myvoice. By My commandments shall all the nations of the earth be made to know Me andMy works.
3. The Master of the I'huans, Samati, High God of heaven, whose home was in MountVibhraj, a heaven created in heaven, a thousand miles high.
4. I'hua'Mazda said: How shall they know me, I, Holy Mazda? They are sealed up; theirsouls blind as death. Behold, the king, high ruler of Oas, king So-qi? Valorous with astrong sword. So-qi! So-qi! I call, but he heareth not. I go to the temple; it is closedagainst God, I'hua'Mazda!
5. Where are the altars of thy God? The place of the holy dance. So-qi heareth not. Nonecan hear the Voice of I'hua'Mazda. Angels and Gods are scouted.
6. O man, canst thou measure swords with thy Creator? O that thou couldst open thecurtains of heaven, and see! What is thy little learning? Shall a chick that is not hatcheddiscourse on the philosophy of life?
7. Behold, O man, I have told thee that the natural senses cannot understand spiritualthings. But I will reach thee; thou vain city, Oas. Thou, king So-qi! Thy sword shall fallfrom the hilt; thy mandates be as a breath blown away.
8. Hear me, O man, saith I'hua'Mazda: I opened the door a little, that thou mightst learn alittle about the stars. And now thou art puffed up; vain boaster of thy knowledge, thouslammest the door in the face of thy Master!
9. Thou hast gone in darkness; a driveler to familiar spirits; lazy and longing to die. ThenI said to thee: Behold, it is a good world; go, then, and be wise. Quickly thou wertchanged; bewailing the stupidity of the ancients. What better art thou? Because Idelivered thee from darkness, thou killest my prophets.
10. I'hua'Mazda said: I make thee free, O man, but thou deniest My person. When I sufferthee to fall in bondage, thou criest: O God, my God! When I deliver thee into freedom,thou goest with a sword and spear to lay thy fellows in death.
11. Hear, me, O man, what I have done for thee, saith I'hua'Mazda. Of A'su I cleft a riband stood it up, saying: Be thou a man, upright in likeness of thy God. And My Voicemade thee; what thou art, but was not, proveth I am. I said: Save thy seed, O man. I'hinstood aloof from the Asu'ans, and was holy; but thy brother, dwelt with them and broughtforth unto destruction.
12. Be admonished, saith I'hua'Mazda. I smote the earth and broke it as an egg is broken;for I would cut loose the bound in heaven. Then all the tribes of men cried out: There is aMazda! An All Power Unseen!
1 GOD'S WORD is an important book, because it is the father and mother of all other religions in the world. The best historical accounts place Zoroaster about six thousand years before Moses' time. That the Persians and Indians were far advanced in learning in those days, we have the proof that the stars and planets were then named and mapped. As much of the astronomy of that period is blended with our astronomy of to-day, so is the Zoroasterian religion the frame-work and foundation of modern Budhism and Christianity. The Brahmans justly say: "When you are tired of the lies of your Christian missionaries, come to us and learn what has been old with us for thousands of years." The student will find that a thorough knowledge of the sacred books of the Chinese, Hindoos, Persians, etc., will facilitate the classification of names here used. I'hua'Mazda, is synonymous with God; Mazda, synonymous with Jehovih.
2 I'hua'Mazda, The MASTER VOICE, or, as we would say, Saith God or, God said, etc.CHAPTER II.
1. In those days when an army captured a large city, slaying the people, they carried backthe spoil to So-qi, king of Oas, capital of Par'si'e, and received rewards according to theamount of plunder. The wars were between the different nations of I'huans. The sacredpeople, the I'hins, had nothing; they were unmolested.
2. I said: Whosoever lieth up treasures in this world, shall find no peace! But ye havebuilt so great a city, ye hope nothing can break it down. Now I will show thee, O king: thycity shall prove the weakest of cities. I will raise up one man out of the seed of the I'hins;and, Oas, the mighty city, shall fall before his hand.
3. I'hua'Mazda, God of heaven, sent certain loo'is, highly learned angels, to look around,and afterward he called them and asked what they saw? They said: Work! Work! I'hua'Mazda said: Work it shall be! Go ye, holy masters of generations, down to mortalsclose around the city of Oas. And search ye out seed of the I'hin race, and by inspirationlead them to the fairest daughters of I'hua, in the city of Oas; and they shall be tempted,and anon a quickened fruit shall ripen in the city, sons and daughters. Again go ye to theI'hins, and by inspiration bring others and have them tempted by the improved fruit. Andyet again repeat this method, and in the sixth generation ye shall raise up a son having thegifts of su'is and sar'gis, and ye shall call him Zarathustra.
4. The loo'is, the angels who were guardians over mortals for such purpose, went andaccomplished what had been commanded by God. And the child's mother's name wasToo'che, and the father's name Lo'ab. Too'che was su'is born herself, and was by Sa'moan,an angel, obsessed before she conceived, and during the time of maternity not suffered towake from her unconscious trance. And by the loo'is, her soul was oft taken to highheaven to behold its glories, and then to return and inhabit her own body. Thus, the childwas born of All Light, and in that same day the obsession fled, and Too'che proclaimedwithin the city that no man was father to the child, but that she conceived from All Light,believing, because unconscious in gestation.
5. The learned men cast the horoscope, but found nothing in the stars to alarm the kings,or worthy of credence to the maiden's story. The loo'is went before God, saying: Behold, achild is born, capable of All Light. Then spake God, saying: I will come; go ye and leadthe way.
6. When yet the child nursed, I'hua'Mazda spake through the child, whilst its own spiritslept. Then again came the learned men, chief of whom was Asha, son of Zista, learned ina thousand stars and all living creatures, and in the bones of animals no longer living. SoAsha spake to Too'che, saying: Canst thy suckling talk? Whereupon God answered him,saying:
7. Not the child, but I, even I'hua'Mazda. Think not, O man, these small lips utter wordsprompted by this child's soul. I am come to stay the cruel hand of war; to make man knowthere is an Unseen Master. Behold, this child hath no sex! He is an Yeshuah (Iesu), apassionless birth.
8. To which Asha said: Can it be this woman hath a man hidden under her cloak, andhopes to evade the just punishment of the king! O, thou harlot! That toldest a shamefultale of conception without a man! Thy lies are now added to others to make good thefirst. Out of the city, wretch! or thou shalt be stoned to death, and thy child with thee!
9. Too'che made no answer, save with a flood of tears. Then spake I'hua'Mazda, saying: Hold thy hand on these lips, and perceive thou how I gesticulate with these little hands. Yea, take thou the little form in thine own arms.
10. Then Asha feared, but fain would hide his fear, and so took the child, whilstI'hua'Mazda spake, saying: O man, that thou couldst behold the spirit, and would temperthy judgment down to patience and wisdom!
11. Asha said: If it be in truth thou art the Mazda of the I'huan race, why hast thou comein so questionable weakness? What can a child do? Wieldest thou a sword with theselittle hands? I had hoped to see a God come in stronger shape, and in majesty of athousand angels, winged, and in flames of fire!
12. I'hua'Mazda said: My wisdom is not man's wisdom; my weapons, not arrows andsharp swords. What is great in man's judgment is as nothing to me; what is as nothing toman, I will make great, for I shall overturn this mighty city. Because I am come in peaceand love, the city shall be divided, man against man, and bloody war run riot in thiswalled kingdom.
13. Asha said: To what end art thou come? For if it be true thou art a God born in thisquestionable shape, thou hast some motive more than to overthrow the town. I chargethee, then, most precocious youth, tell me what thy purpose is, that justice may be done?
14. I'hua'Mazda said: The cities of man are as nothing in my sight; I come to teach man ofother worlds, and that the souls of the righteous shall live forever; I come to deliver manfrom darkness into everlasting light.
15. Asha said: Thy words are wisdom, or else my sudden surprise hath unfitted myjudgment. I will go now, that I may reflect on this wonder. To-morrow I will come again. Keep this matter quietly. For if it be known that I, of so high estate, have talked intemperance on spiritual things, I will be doomed to death.
CHAPTER III.
1. When Asha had gone, I'hua'Mazda spake to Too'che, the virgin mother, saying: Takethou thy child away and hide thyself, lest the king have thee and thy child put to death. SoToo'che departed with her child, and hid away in another part of the city.
2. Now Asha went direct to So-qi, the king, and related what had transpired. When he hadfinished, the king said: According to the histories of the ancients, when a God appearedamongst mortals, there were signs and miracles. Thou hast told me only words. Go,therefore, again to the child and say: The king desireth a miracle.
3. Asha returned the next day, but lo and behold, woman and child were gone, and notone of the neighbors knew whither. Asha said: If I go before the king with this story, hewill have me slain as an inventor of lies. So he returned not to the king.
4. But where Too'che and her child dwelt, there came a maker of songs, by nameChoe'jon, and he spake to the virgin, saying: Where is the child? She answered: Hesleepeth in the rack of hay; I will fetch him. So she brought the child from its bed of newhay, fetching straws with its mantle, neither had the straws roots.
5. I'hua'Mazda spake through the child whilst its own spirit slept, saying: I came to thee,O Choe'jon; I brought thee hither, for thou shalt frame songs about the virgin's babe. Choe'jon was frightened, but nevertheless, he said: Can it be true, in this enlightened age! A miracle! Shall I talk to thee, O child? Then I'hua'Mazda said:
6. Behold, thou speakest not to the child, but to I'hua'Mazda. Take these straws to thywriting-box and plant them in new earth, and in one day they shall grow and bear ripewheat. So Choe'jon departed and planted the straws, and in one day, they grew and boreripe wheat.
7. Choe'jon had sung his songs before the king, and so had permission of the court; andhe went and told the king of the miracle. The king said: The philosopher, Asha, told meabout this child, and I sent him for a miracle, but he returneth not. Thou hast come andsaid: Behold, a miracle! What value is a miracle, save to those who witness it? Shall thyking take a thing in belief only? Is not belief the fruit of darkness? Go, therefore, again tothe child and bring it before me, that I may see with mine own eyes.
8. Choe'jon returned to the place, but, lo and behold, virgin and child were gone; neitherknew the neighbors whither. But she was concealed in another part of the city. And nowthere came before her one Os'shan, who was weeping because of the apparent death of hisson. To him I'hua'Mazda spake, saying: Weep not, O man; I have healed thy son and alsogiven sight to thy daughter.
9. Os'shan trembled at such words coming from the lips of a child, and he ran away,finding of a truth his son was healed, and his daughter restored to sight. In his joyhe returned to the place, but the virgin and child were gone. Os'shan was hostler tothe king, and capable of audience, and so he went and told the king of his good fortune.
10. The king said: Asha, the philosopher, told me a fine story of this child, but when Isent him for information, he returned not. Then came Choe'jon, the maker of songs,telling me what he had witnessed. I sent him to have the mother and child brought beforeme, but he returneth not. Now thou comest with a miracle, such as were told in the darkages. Go thou, therefore, and search the city over till thou findest this wonder, and bring itbefore me.
11. On the next day another man, even the king's brother's son, came before the king,saying: This day I have seen such a wonder as would have been marvelous in the days ofangels and Gods. Behold, a little child hath spoken to me such words of philosophy asmade me tremble. And yet, O king, thou knowest I am no coward. My house is hung witha hundred scalps. Ay, and this child already proclaimeth itself Zarathustra in communionwith the God, I'hua'Mazda! To me it said: Why killest thou the sons and daughters of thyGod? Think not that thy multitude of scalps are a glory before heaven. Behold, I amstronger with my little finger than So-qi, thy king.
12. So-qi, the king, said: It is enough. Save this mother and child be brought at oncebefore me, that I may behold the truth of these wonders, every male child in Oas shall becast into fire. The king's brother's wife had a child, and the son's wife had a child, andthey foresaw that the decree of the king touched them closely; so there went forth many,searching for Too'che and Zarathustra.
13. But the spirit, I'hua'Mazda, directed the mother to go beyond the gates, and led her faroff into the Forest of Goats, where the tribes of Listians lived by fishing and hunting, andon goat's milk. I'hua'Mazda talked to the virgin, saying: Twenty years shalt thou tarry inthe forest, fearing naught, for thy God will provide for thee. And when thy son shall belarger and stronger than other men, behold, thy God will manifest for the redemption ofthe races of men who are hunted and slain for the glory of the kings.
14. So it came about that the virgin and her son dwelt in the Forest of Goats untilZarathustra was a large man and of mature years, and his stature was equal to threeordinary men; nor could any number of men lay him on his back. But because of hisgentleness like a young goat, the tribes of the forest called him the Lamb of God,signifying, strength and good-will.
