The leit motiv is the same described by Robert Price in the following passage:
Who is the Lamb? Here it does not seem to mean the same thing as in John 1:29 which makes Jesus the Passover lamb, a sacrifice. In Revelation, the Lamb is the constellation Aries, understood by the ancient star-gazers to have occupied ”mid-heaven”, the very summit of the universe, and the first of the Zodiacal constellations. Hence the Angel-Messiah calls himself ”the beginning of God’s creation”. He possesses seven horns and seven eyes. We know by now that ”horns” means comets, while ”eyes” are planets. Hence he is cognizant of all that happens in the universe and knows where to aim his hurtling comets portending doom.
Is there a hint that the Lamb was somehow the victor in a contest to see who might be worthy or able to open the scroll, like Arthur drawing Excalibur from the stone when all competitors had failed? Or was the Lamb the only one who stepped forth? When he receives acclaim from all beings in the three-leveled universe, we can’t help thinking of the confession of fealty wrung from the lips even of the demons and ghosts under the earth (Phil. 2:9-11).
At this point I cannot resist providing a parallel text from a twelfth to thirteenth-century Catharist scripture, the name of which seems not to have survived.
The story looks to me like a variant of the heavenly throne room scene in Revelation chapter four; note the reshuffling of the same cards we saw on the table there. And some things implicit in Revelation are explicit in the Catharist version, perhaps implying they share some original in common. We find ourselves in the celestial court with a divine book. There is a context of sorts among the attendant angels, and only Jesus proves himself worthy of the challenge. As in Revelation, Jesus is an angel. In both accounts the books turns out to be a book of prophecy. In Revelation the prophecies depict the impending future unto the end of the age; in the Catharist gospel, the prophecies are predictions of the Passion of the Redeemer-whoever that turns out to be! In Revelation the book would seem to be that of the biblical prophets. It is they who set out the vicissitudes awaiting the Christ, and we are shown Isaiah prophesying as a cameo of the book’s contents. The angel Jesus, about to be inaugurated as the Son of God, proleptically undergoes his scheduled destiny, albeit in a different order; his fainting spell models his death, and his awakening after three days and three nights models his resurrection. Only then do we witness an anticipation of the agony of Gethsemane. And then the incarnation begins! All this, strange as it sounds, fits quite well with the ancient apocalyptic schema of ”as above, so below”, whereby what happens on earth reiterates accomplished events up in heaven.
Is there a hint that the Lamb was somehow the victor in a contest to see who might be worthy or able to open the scroll, like Arthur drawing Excalibur from the stone when all competitors had failed? Or was the Lamb the only one who stepped forth? When he receives acclaim from all beings in the three-leveled universe, we can’t help thinking of the confession of fealty wrung from the lips even of the demons and ghosts under the earth (Phil. 2:9-11).
At this point I cannot resist providing a parallel text from a twelfth to thirteenth-century Catharist scripture, the name of which seems not to have survived.
Thereupon the Father began to write a book, which He composed in the space of forty years. In this book were written in detail the sufferings, losses, sorrows, poverty, infirmity, shame, injuries, envy, hatred, malice and generally speaking all the penalties which can befall men in this life. And therein it was stated that he who was willing to endure all the aforesaid penalties and to teach them also should be a Son of the heavenly Father. And when the holy Father began the book, Isaiah the Prophet began to prophesy that a Branch or Bough was to come who should redeem human souls. And when the holy Father had composed the book, He placed it in the midst of heavenly spirits who had remained with Him in heaven and said: ”He who shall fulfil the things which are written in this book shall be My Son”.
And many of the heavenly spirits, wishing to be Sons of the holy Father and to be honoured above the rest, went up to that book and opened it; but when they read therein the penalties which he must needs suffer who should desire to come among men and uplift the human race, after reading a little in that book, they fell fainting in a swoon. None of them was willing to forfeit the glory he possessed and subject himself to the penalties of this life, in order to become the Son of God. THen, seeing this, the holy Father said: ”So then there is not one of you who desires to be My Son ?” Then one of the spirits standing by who was called Jesus, rose up and said: ”I myself am willing to be the Son of the Father and to complete all things which are written in that book”. Then he went up to that book and opened it, and read therein four or five pages; and he fell in a swoon beside the book, and so remained for three days and nights. Then having awakened from his swoon he grieved much and mourned; but because he had promised that he would fulfill these things which were contained in that book, and because it was right for him not to lie, he told the Father that he himself desired to be his Son and to fulfill all things which were written in that book, however grievous they might be. Then he descended from heaven and appeared as a newly-born Boy in Bethlehem.
And many of the heavenly spirits, wishing to be Sons of the holy Father and to be honoured above the rest, went up to that book and opened it; but when they read therein the penalties which he must needs suffer who should desire to come among men and uplift the human race, after reading a little in that book, they fell fainting in a swoon. None of them was willing to forfeit the glory he possessed and subject himself to the penalties of this life, in order to become the Son of God. THen, seeing this, the holy Father said: ”So then there is not one of you who desires to be My Son ?” Then one of the spirits standing by who was called Jesus, rose up and said: ”I myself am willing to be the Son of the Father and to complete all things which are written in that book”. Then he went up to that book and opened it, and read therein four or five pages; and he fell in a swoon beside the book, and so remained for three days and nights. Then having awakened from his swoon he grieved much and mourned; but because he had promised that he would fulfill these things which were contained in that book, and because it was right for him not to lie, he told the Father that he himself desired to be his Son and to fulfill all things which were written in that book, however grievous they might be. Then he descended from heaven and appeared as a newly-born Boy in Bethlehem.
The story looks to me like a variant of the heavenly throne room scene in Revelation chapter four; note the reshuffling of the same cards we saw on the table there. And some things implicit in Revelation are explicit in the Catharist version, perhaps implying they share some original in common. We find ourselves in the celestial court with a divine book. There is a context of sorts among the attendant angels, and only Jesus proves himself worthy of the challenge. As in Revelation, Jesus is an angel. In both accounts the books turns out to be a book of prophecy. In Revelation the prophecies depict the impending future unto the end of the age; in the Catharist gospel, the prophecies are predictions of the Passion of the Redeemer-whoever that turns out to be! In Revelation the book would seem to be that of the biblical prophets. It is they who set out the vicissitudes awaiting the Christ, and we are shown Isaiah prophesying as a cameo of the book’s contents. The angel Jesus, about to be inaugurated as the Son of God, proleptically undergoes his scheduled destiny, albeit in a different order; his fainting spell models his death, and his awakening after three days and three nights models his resurrection. Only then do we witness an anticipation of the agony of Gethsemane. And then the incarnation begins! All this, strange as it sounds, fits quite well with the ancient apocalyptic schema of ”as above, so below”, whereby what happens on earth reiterates accomplished events up in heaven.
(Robert M. Price, Holy Fable Vol. III, p. 237-239)
We have the same pattern:
| Catharist text | Mark 1 |
Thereupon the Father began to write a book, which He composed in the space of forty years. In this book were written in detail the sufferings, losses, sorrows, poverty, infirmity, shame, injuries, envy, hatred, malice and generally speaking all the penalties which can befall men in this life. And therein it was stated that he who was willing to endure all the aforesaid penalties and to teach them also should be a Son of the heavenly Father. And when the holy Father began the book, Isaiah the Prophet began to prophesy that a Branch or Bough was to come who should redeem human souls. And when the holy Father had composed the book, He placed it in the midst of heavenly spirits who had remained with Him in heaven and said: ”He who shall fulfil the things which are written in this book shall be My Son”. And many of the heavenly spirits, wishing to be Sons of the holy Father and to be honoured above the rest, went up to that book and opened it; but when they read therein the penalties which he must needs suffer who should desire to come among men and uplift the human race, after reading a little in that book, they fell fainting in a swoon. None of them was willing to forfeit the glory he possessed and subject himself to the penalties of this life, in order to become the Son of God. | The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.” |
Then, seeing this, the holy Father said: ”So then there is not one of you who desires to be My Son ?” Then one of the spirits standing by who was called Jesus, rose up and said: ”I myself am willing to be the Son of the Father and to complete all things which are written in that book”. Then he went up to that book and opened it, and read therein four or five pages; and he fell in a swoon beside the book, and so remained for three days and nights. | At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
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Then having awakened from his swoon he grieved much and mourned; but because he had promised that he would fulfill these things which were contained in that book, and because it was right for him not to lie, he told the Father that he himself desired to be his Son and to fulfill all things which were written in that book, however grievous they might be. Then he descended from heaven and appeared as a newly-born Boy in Bethlehem. | Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. |
