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The Sect Of The Druses.
THE SECT OF THE DRUSES .
rg ^ HE origin of the Druses cannot bo traced back to a JL very remote antiquity , but as a secret religious order it may not be improper to group them with other orders of like character . The name is given to a religious sect of Syria , chiefly in the southern ranges of Lebanon , and Anti Libanus . The name is derived from Darazi , or Dursi , who ,
according to the Arabic historian JVIakrisi , appeared aa a missionary of the Batenian sect , an offshoot from the Moslem stock in Caino . Hamsa , the Messiah of the Drnse system persuaded Hakem the Fatamite caliph of Egypt to declare himself a manifestation of God . The caliph was
assassinated the next day , and Hamsa retiring into Syria continued to propagate the new faith among the mountain tribes . He and one of his followers , Maktara Bohaeddiu , committed the doctrines to writing aud commanded the ( strictest secrecy aa to their character . No member of
anothor sect , and no uninitiated Druse was to be permitted to see the sacred writing , and no revelation was to be made until the second advent of tbo lord Hakem , and Hamsa his minister . A few copies of the sacred writings have however found their way into the libraries of Europe . The
imperial library at Paris contains five volumes of them , the Vatican contains one , the library of the Leydeu University two , and the Bodleian library at Oxford four , and the Imperial library at Vienna one . There are also MSS . in the hands of private individuals , some owned by
American missionaries in Syria . The first three volumes in tho Paris library were brought from Syria by the Physician Nasr Allah , and presented to the French King . The fourth volume was procured from tho private library of M . Piques , who died in Paris . Theso volumes contain
the exposition of the doctrines of the sect , by Hamsa and Bohaeddin . They were translated into French by Fetis de la Croix . Their form is a small quarto . Tho first volume contains fourteen pieces , the second twenty-six , the third fifteen , the fourth thirteen , and the fifth , which is a
fragment , contains two pieces . The Vienna , Vatican , and Leyden manuscripts , with two of tho Bodleian , are duplicates of parts of the Paris manuscripts . Two of the Bodleian manuscripts are supplementary , and contain matter not found in the writings of Hamsa . From a care
ful study of these sources , Silvester do Sacy , in his " Expose de la religion des Druses , " in two volumes , has been enabled to systematize the Druse theology . It is principally drawn from the Batenian and Ismaelite heresies which arose within the white division of the Island in the
third century of the Hegira , and were brought to Europe by the invasion of the Fatinite Caliphs . Traces of Gnosticism and of the Magian system of Persia are also found in the Druse writings . The characteristic dogma
of the Sect is the unity of God ' s being . His attributes are created , and subordinate beings . He is incomprehensible , supreme , invisible , pure , the essence of true life . He can be known to his accepted children only through human manifestations . These have been numerous .
The ten Druse forms under which God has appeared are Ali , in India , Albar , in Persia , Alya , in Yemen , Moille , in eastern Africa , Moess and Hadi , in Asia , Albon , Zacharia , Mansour and finally Hakem , in Egypt . The names are sometimes varied , but all the authorities hold that Hakem
was the tenth and last earthly manifestation of God , and that no other is to be expected . He left the care of the faithful to five principal ministers , who are to direct them till their divine lord returns . Of course , the chief is Hamsa . His spiritual title is "Universal Intelligence . " This
intelligence , the first-born of Deity , was incarnated in the person of Hamsa , at the same time that Deity itself was incarnated in the person of Haken . To him was committed the task of creation . He is what Christ is in the Arian theory . From him comes all wisdom and truth . He is
the medium through which the Lord communicates with the lower ministers , and through them with the human family . He dispenses power , and adjusts duties in the world ; and he in the last day will bo the judge and avenger . Hamsa , in this system , combines | the functions of Jesus
and Mohammed . The epithet which Bohaeddin applies to him is that of Messiah . Next to Hamsa is Ismail , the " Universal Soul . " His origin was the rebellion of the
" Rival , which made it necessary that the Intelligence Bhonld have in the world a supporter . His office is to inspire and sanctify souls , and prepare them to receive the heavenly doctrines . Next to Ismail , is Mohammed , the
The Sect Of The Druses.
" Word , " born of the union of Intelligence with soul . He has charge of missions and is enjoined to watch strictly the conduct and necessities of the brethren . He is the spiritual Cadi , tho bishop of tho sect . Tho functions of the fourth minister , Selama , tho " Preceding , " seems to
have been much tho same with those of the fifth minister , Moktana Bohaeddin , the " Following , " for Selama is called the " right-wing , " Bohaeddin , the "left-wing . " Both these ministers were called three years after Hakem ' s disappearance . They were probably entrusted with the
charge of all knowledge and teaching except that of tho Unitarian religion , which must come from the higher ministers . Bohaeddin had the special duty of organizing the Unitarian sect . He knew the retreat of Hamsa , consulted with him , and from time to time produced Hamsa ' s commands and directions .
Below these five superior ministers are three styled , tho "Application , " the "Opening , " and the "Phantom . " These ministers have each his earthly figure . They are tho three feet of tho candlestick which holds the candlo of
five elements . Beneath those are three classes still lower , called Darss , Madhooms , and Mocassers , who form tho connecting link between tho earthly society and tho
heavenly orders , and hold their dignity only by virtuo of their character and abilities . AU of thorn aro preachers , and have commission to destroy false doctrine and communicate the truth . The whole number of worldlier
nunistcvs , expressed by tho cabalistic word s it h , is one hundred and sixty four . The Druses hold that tho most precious of substances wero used for the composition of man ' s body , and that tho
world at tho beginning had its perfect form . Men woro made male and female , large and small , young and old , in myriads , in a fixed number , and no more souls have created . The race may change its figure and visible manifestations , but not its numbers .
On the fall of man and tho origin of evil , the Druse teaching is not very clear nor consistent . The minister of sin , the Rival , is as subtle and insinuating as tho Hobrovv Satan , but his work is not so well defined . This Rival stands between the Intelligence and the Soul , and his work
of temptation is hindered by the counter work of both these celebrated powers . The Druse reproduction of tho story of Paradise , makes Seth and Enoch to be the rebellious pair whoso sin entailed woe upon the race . The actual evils of sin are manifold , such as , separation from
God , confusion of kuowlege , religious divisions , wars , jealousies , falsehoods . Sin broke the unity of tho race , which the Druse religion aims to restore . The mediator is Hamsa . His mediation is , not , however , vicarious , and the change which he works is not in the mind of God , but
in the condition and spirit of man . He baffles Satan and remita sin , but does not strictly make an atonement . The Druse doctrine of free will and divine decrees is Pelagin . The length of every man ' s life , but not his individual acts , is foreordained . Transmigration of souls , which the Druses
maintain , offers a convenient method of reconciling the theory of a fixed cosmogony with a righteous retribution . In passing from body to body , good men become continually better , and bad men become continually worse , though it is possible for them to change and become better .
Ismail Temeami , the Soul , was formerly John the Baptist , and still earlier Elijah , while the soul of Hamsa was once the body of Jesus . The Drnse transmigration , however , is much more limited than the Indian or Pythagorean ; it denies that tbe souls of men are imprisoned in the bodies
of the lower animals even for the sake of punishment . The souls of men , until the resurrection , keep the embodied form , except a few whose superior excellence permits them to exist as pure spirits . This resurrection will consummate the great spiritual plan . On that day the bodies of
the faithful will be absorbed into God ' s own being , and transformed into spirits , all else will be destroyed . The saved will be few in comparison with the lost , but their condition will not be affected by any earthly memories , until this day of resurrection ; a register of the acts of the
good and the bad , is kept by the Lord in a " safe place , " where it will not " spoil or decay . " Punishment , in the meantime , consists in making the soul go downward to a lower society , reward consists in elevating the soul to a higher sphere .
The moral teachings of the Druses may be summed up in seven commandments . The first is " truth in words , " meaning in practice , only truth to the religion and the initiated ; it is lawful to act and speak falsehood to men of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Sect Of The Druses.
THE SECT OF THE DRUSES .
rg ^ HE origin of the Druses cannot bo traced back to a JL very remote antiquity , but as a secret religious order it may not be improper to group them with other orders of like character . The name is given to a religious sect of Syria , chiefly in the southern ranges of Lebanon , and Anti Libanus . The name is derived from Darazi , or Dursi , who ,
according to the Arabic historian JVIakrisi , appeared aa a missionary of the Batenian sect , an offshoot from the Moslem stock in Caino . Hamsa , the Messiah of the Drnse system persuaded Hakem the Fatamite caliph of Egypt to declare himself a manifestation of God . The caliph was
assassinated the next day , and Hamsa retiring into Syria continued to propagate the new faith among the mountain tribes . He and one of his followers , Maktara Bohaeddiu , committed the doctrines to writing aud commanded the ( strictest secrecy aa to their character . No member of
anothor sect , and no uninitiated Druse was to be permitted to see the sacred writing , and no revelation was to be made until the second advent of tbo lord Hakem , and Hamsa his minister . A few copies of the sacred writings have however found their way into the libraries of Europe . The
imperial library at Paris contains five volumes of them , the Vatican contains one , the library of the Leydeu University two , and the Bodleian library at Oxford four , and the Imperial library at Vienna one . There are also MSS . in the hands of private individuals , some owned by
American missionaries in Syria . The first three volumes in tho Paris library were brought from Syria by the Physician Nasr Allah , and presented to the French King . The fourth volume was procured from tho private library of M . Piques , who died in Paris . Theso volumes contain
the exposition of the doctrines of the sect , by Hamsa and Bohaeddin . They were translated into French by Fetis de la Croix . Their form is a small quarto . Tho first volume contains fourteen pieces , the second twenty-six , the third fifteen , the fourth thirteen , and the fifth , which is a
fragment , contains two pieces . The Vienna , Vatican , and Leyden manuscripts , with two of tho Bodleian , are duplicates of parts of the Paris manuscripts . Two of the Bodleian manuscripts are supplementary , and contain matter not found in the writings of Hamsa . From a care
ful study of these sources , Silvester do Sacy , in his " Expose de la religion des Druses , " in two volumes , has been enabled to systematize the Druse theology . It is principally drawn from the Batenian and Ismaelite heresies which arose within the white division of the Island in the
third century of the Hegira , and were brought to Europe by the invasion of the Fatinite Caliphs . Traces of Gnosticism and of the Magian system of Persia are also found in the Druse writings . The characteristic dogma
of the Sect is the unity of God ' s being . His attributes are created , and subordinate beings . He is incomprehensible , supreme , invisible , pure , the essence of true life . He can be known to his accepted children only through human manifestations . These have been numerous .
The ten Druse forms under which God has appeared are Ali , in India , Albar , in Persia , Alya , in Yemen , Moille , in eastern Africa , Moess and Hadi , in Asia , Albon , Zacharia , Mansour and finally Hakem , in Egypt . The names are sometimes varied , but all the authorities hold that Hakem
was the tenth and last earthly manifestation of God , and that no other is to be expected . He left the care of the faithful to five principal ministers , who are to direct them till their divine lord returns . Of course , the chief is Hamsa . His spiritual title is "Universal Intelligence . " This
intelligence , the first-born of Deity , was incarnated in the person of Hamsa , at the same time that Deity itself was incarnated in the person of Haken . To him was committed the task of creation . He is what Christ is in the Arian theory . From him comes all wisdom and truth . He is
the medium through which the Lord communicates with the lower ministers , and through them with the human family . He dispenses power , and adjusts duties in the world ; and he in the last day will bo the judge and avenger . Hamsa , in this system , combines | the functions of Jesus
and Mohammed . The epithet which Bohaeddin applies to him is that of Messiah . Next to Hamsa is Ismail , the " Universal Soul . " His origin was the rebellion of the
" Rival , which made it necessary that the Intelligence Bhonld have in the world a supporter . His office is to inspire and sanctify souls , and prepare them to receive the heavenly doctrines . Next to Ismail , is Mohammed , the
The Sect Of The Druses.
" Word , " born of the union of Intelligence with soul . He has charge of missions and is enjoined to watch strictly the conduct and necessities of the brethren . He is the spiritual Cadi , tho bishop of tho sect . Tho functions of the fourth minister , Selama , tho " Preceding , " seems to
have been much tho same with those of the fifth minister , Moktana Bohaeddin , the " Following , " for Selama is called the " right-wing , " Bohaeddin , the "left-wing . " Both these ministers were called three years after Hakem ' s disappearance . They were probably entrusted with the
charge of all knowledge and teaching except that of tho Unitarian religion , which must come from the higher ministers . Bohaeddin had the special duty of organizing the Unitarian sect . He knew the retreat of Hamsa , consulted with him , and from time to time produced Hamsa ' s commands and directions .
Below these five superior ministers are three styled , tho "Application , " the "Opening , " and the "Phantom . " These ministers have each his earthly figure . They are tho three feet of tho candlestick which holds the candlo of
five elements . Beneath those are three classes still lower , called Darss , Madhooms , and Mocassers , who form tho connecting link between tho earthly society and tho
heavenly orders , and hold their dignity only by virtuo of their character and abilities . AU of thorn aro preachers , and have commission to destroy false doctrine and communicate the truth . The whole number of worldlier
nunistcvs , expressed by tho cabalistic word s it h , is one hundred and sixty four . The Druses hold that tho most precious of substances wero used for the composition of man ' s body , and that tho
world at tho beginning had its perfect form . Men woro made male and female , large and small , young and old , in myriads , in a fixed number , and no more souls have created . The race may change its figure and visible manifestations , but not its numbers .
On the fall of man and tho origin of evil , the Druse teaching is not very clear nor consistent . The minister of sin , the Rival , is as subtle and insinuating as tho Hobrovv Satan , but his work is not so well defined . This Rival stands between the Intelligence and the Soul , and his work
of temptation is hindered by the counter work of both these celebrated powers . The Druse reproduction of tho story of Paradise , makes Seth and Enoch to be the rebellious pair whoso sin entailed woe upon the race . The actual evils of sin are manifold , such as , separation from
God , confusion of kuowlege , religious divisions , wars , jealousies , falsehoods . Sin broke the unity of tho race , which the Druse religion aims to restore . The mediator is Hamsa . His mediation is , not , however , vicarious , and the change which he works is not in the mind of God , but
in the condition and spirit of man . He baffles Satan and remita sin , but does not strictly make an atonement . The Druse doctrine of free will and divine decrees is Pelagin . The length of every man ' s life , but not his individual acts , is foreordained . Transmigration of souls , which the Druses
maintain , offers a convenient method of reconciling the theory of a fixed cosmogony with a righteous retribution . In passing from body to body , good men become continually better , and bad men become continually worse , though it is possible for them to change and become better .
Ismail Temeami , the Soul , was formerly John the Baptist , and still earlier Elijah , while the soul of Hamsa was once the body of Jesus . The Drnse transmigration , however , is much more limited than the Indian or Pythagorean ; it denies that tbe souls of men are imprisoned in the bodies
of the lower animals even for the sake of punishment . The souls of men , until the resurrection , keep the embodied form , except a few whose superior excellence permits them to exist as pure spirits . This resurrection will consummate the great spiritual plan . On that day the bodies of
the faithful will be absorbed into God ' s own being , and transformed into spirits , all else will be destroyed . The saved will be few in comparison with the lost , but their condition will not be affected by any earthly memories , until this day of resurrection ; a register of the acts of the
good and the bad , is kept by the Lord in a " safe place , " where it will not " spoil or decay . " Punishment , in the meantime , consists in making the soul go downward to a lower society , reward consists in elevating the soul to a higher sphere .
The moral teachings of the Druses may be summed up in seven commandments . The first is " truth in words , " meaning in practice , only truth to the religion and the initiated ; it is lawful to act and speak falsehood to men of