Chinese Bible

First Book of God

Being cotemporaneous with the Book of Cpenta-Armij, Daughter of Jehovih. As the upper book relateth to the higher heavens, so in like manner dealeth the First Book of God with the lower heavens and with the earth, for the same period of time. For which reason this book is placed below the other. This book treateth fully of the four great persons chosen by God, namely: Po, of Chine'ya, inspired by the God Yima; Brahma, of Vind'yu, inspired by the God Div; Abram, of Parsi'e, and afterward of Egupt, inspired by the God Vishnu; and Ea-Wah-Tah, of North Guatama, inspired by the God Os. And these inspirations were for the same period of time, known in the kingdoms of heaven as the time of the Arc of Bon. These four Gods were the chief Divan Gods of that day, Ha'chue being Div in Chief.

Chapter I

1. The Creator of creations: Out of Whom are all voices: Of Whom are all things in semblance. From Him and in Him these utterances. By His Gods and Lords and high-raised angels and mortals.

2. Into Whose dominion gave He the earth for the glory of Jehovih, Whose God came and walked and talked with such as had been prepared for the deliverance of His chosen.

3. For the four preserved divisions of the earth gave he four Sons of holy light and power for the voice of God and his Lords:

4. Po, of Jaffeth; Abram, of Arabin'ya; Brahma, of Vindyu, and Eawahtah, of Guatama, whose records are everlasting on the earth, which are testimony that these men were raised up by the Father for His Own glory, and for the deliverance of men.

Chapter II

The first Chinese Bible.--Being of Po, an iesu, chosen by God for the children of Jaffeth.

1. These are the generations of the line of Light from the time of Zarathustra:

2. Shu sa, Gwan, Loo, Sam, Dhi Jo, Wee, Him, Gow, See, Wing, He Wen, Tse Kong, Lam Ne, Moo Yow Tine, Luts, Hime, Mai Se, Hong, Ghee, Wan Ghee, Tse Loo, succeeding one another.

3. All the foregoing were seers and prophets of God (Light), having the Voice from their youth up, and were each in turn a shield and guardian unto the chosen of God (Faithists).

4. God (Light) said: With Tse Loo, behold, the Voice was lost. But I called aloud on the face of the earth, and my Light spread abroad.

5. And there came a woman of Che Song, named Ha-se, an I'hin, through whom the Voice was regained.

6. Ha-se had seven sons and seven daughters, all of whom heard the Voice, and saw the Light.

7. And God divided the fourteen sons and daughters, one from another, and sent them in different ways.

8. These, then, are the tribes than sprung of them: King, Si, Gwe, Loo, Hi-Gah, Hi-se-Gua, Yo, Ha Fung, Ne, Hi Lam, Se'ing, Yuth, Lo, Jon, Ying'e and Ho Lun Gow.

9. From the line of Ha Fung sprang Enam-jo and Ze'zoo (half I'hin). From Ying'e sprang No'e and Yu Laim; also Yu'tse and He-ah. And God commanded the He-ahns to dwell toward the south, and they so dwelt.

10. From the line of King descended the We Yah-ho; and they lived toward the north and made fellowship with the Foe-Sim, who were I'huans by blood, and also followers of the Zarathustrian law under the name Sa Sin, having rab'bahs whom they called bah, the same as to this day.

11. From the tribes of Foe-Sim sprang Han; and from We Yah-Ho sprang Hi and Te-Wing'e; both of which tribes had the Light and the Voice.

12. And all the north regions of Jaffeth dwelt in peace and happiness.

13. And God looked upon them and blessed them in all things.

14. Nevertheless, it came to pass that the tribes of Han forgot the commandments of God; and Le Han, a mighty chieftain, rose up amongst them, and re-established the Osirian doctrines; that corporeal knowledge should stand higher than the Ormazdian law.

15. Han usurped the central throne of Jaffeth, calling himself Han, King of the Sun. And so Han gave himself up to getting knowledge, and to enforcing knowledge upon the people.

16. Han issued the following decree: Han, King of the Sun! Behold, there is one sun and his satellites. There shall be but one kingdom, with satellites.

17. Behold me, I am the sun king! I will put away all other doctrines and learning. Let all the world bow down to me!

18. Han was asked: Shall a man not worship the Unseen? He answered: Better is it to worship a stone, which thou canst see.

19. Han said: Worship not in words, but in works; worship not in prayer, but in doing righteously. What is prayer but crying to one's own weakness?

20. If there be an Unseen Light, He will do His own way. What is the use of praying to Him? Rites and ceremonies to Him are the expression of folly. Rites and ceremonies to our forefathers are excusable. If their souls continue to exist, the rites and ceremonies may give them good pleasure.

21. So, Han abolished the worship of Jehovih (Light) and His God and Lords.

22. God looked down from his holy hill in heaven, and he said: It is well; let Han have dominion. Behold, Han enraptureth the multitude with his new doctrines, remembering not that these doctrines were tried thousands of years before.

23. God prophesied through his prophet Ze-wing'e, saying: Hear me, O Han, and all ye people of the whole world. I prophesy by the Voice and Light (God and Jehovih); I know my words are true words; by words the soul is bent; by not praying to the Unseen, the Unseen will be forgotten. By the abolition of rites and ceremonies to the Gods, the Gods will be forgotten. Man will rise up in self-conceit against his Creator, saying: Behold me; I am the highest of all things; my judgment is the greatest of all wisdom. And the tribes of men will aspire to establish opinions as fundamental doctrines. War and destruction will come upon the nations!

24. Han would not heed the prophecy of God. Han established what was called The First Han Dynasty, and it overspread the land of Jaffeth from centre to circumference.

25. And there came of the laws of Han great persecution against the Faithists, the worshippers of Jehovih (Light).

26. Han said: Try them by the food they eat; and whoso refuseth to eat fish or flesh shall suffer death. Neither shall any man nor woman have favor in the courts, who holdeth sacred the life of a cow, or a horse, or a dog, or any other animal on the face of the earth, or in the waters, or in the air above the earth.

27. So, the Faithists, the followers of the Zarathustrian law, were outlawed, and were tortured and put to death on every hand. And it had come true as prophesied by Ze-wing'e.

28. God said: Behold, they have not only forgotten the Creator, and denied His Person in words, but in behavior also. For they no longer hold sacred anything He created alive, even man.

Chapter III

1. From Ze-wing'e, God raised up prophets for seven generations. Ze'wing'e begat Do Tse, who begat Yin, who begat Hi Ne, who begat Lan Se'ang, who begat Dhi Hsotch'e, who begat Ho Lon, who begat Po, who was an iesu in birth.

2. When Po was yet very young, the voice of God came to him, saying: Be steadfast in the doctrines of thy forefathers, eating neither fish nor flesh; thy God will not only preserve thee alive, but thou shalt gather together the scattered tribes of Zarathustrians, the Faithists, and re-establish them in this great land.

3. In those days many of the Zarathustrians were celibates; and the king saw his people being reduced by war, and he made a law against celibacy, commanding all men to marry, and all women to bring forth children, or be put to death.

4. When Po was grown up, God said to him: Behold, thou canst not fulfill the law, for thou art iesu-born. But I will fetch thee a wife like unto thee, who is also barren, but ye twain shall be blessed with three children, and thou shalt call them Wan-le, Toghan, and Tse Loo.

5. And it came to pass that a woman of Hong Ge, with three adopted children, escaped from the tyranny of Dhi'wan, fleeing for the southern tribes of HiSeeGua and Yo, and Gwan Goon; and with her, Po wed, and he named his wife Ah T'dowh Jee.

6. Po was twenty years old when he married, and he went with his wife and three children to the country of Heng'a Di, which name signified brother land, and he labored at scutching flax and hemp.

7. And God came to Po, saying: What is the extent of thy fidelity to the All Highest Light?

8. Po said: I will obey him in all things.

9. God said: Wouldst thou sacrifice thy three sons, if commanded by thy Creator?

10. Po said: They are the Creator's, not mine. How dare I sacrifice that which is another's?

11. God said: Thou art wise; thou knowest the Ormazdian law.

12. Then Po asked: Who art thou? Who is this that cometh upon me silently, asking questions?

13. God said: Go thou, visit Hi Seiang, the philosopher, and question him.

14. Hi Seiang was governor of the south province of Heng'a Di, and was, withal, a man of great learning.

15. Po came to him and questioned him, saying: What is this that asketh us questions? Why do we question and answer ourselves all day long?

16. Hi Seiang answered: Are we not two selfs? Do we not discourse within ourselves like two selfs?

17. Po said: Which, sayest thou, is the superior self, that which questioneth within us forever, or that which is forever answering?

18. The governor said: That which asketh questions must be the superior self.

19. Po said: Who is it?

20. Hi said: It is nothing, it is something. Po answered him, saying: It appeareth to me, these two selfs are two different persons; one belongeth to the flesh, the other to the Creator. Because this questioning self is the same one that seeth and heareth Gods and angels.

21. Hi said: What sayest thou? God and angels?

22. Po replied: God and angels.

23. To which the governor took exception, saying: Dost thou too defy the law?

24. Po said: What I see I see, what I hear I hear. Something external to ourselves made us, and ruleth over us.

25. The governor asked: Have we not rid the world of superstition? Why dealest thou with doctrines that were in the dark ages? I tell thee there are two things only in all the universe; the unseen firmament, and the corporeal worlds that float therein. Their action and reaction on each other produce what we call life, which is but an effervescence that cometh and goeth, and there is the end. The laws are right. Han hath done a good thing in abolishing the doctrines of the ancients.

26. Whilst they were yet talking, God sent a blaze of fire into a bush standing nearby, and a voice spake out of the flame, saying: Who, then, sayest thou I am? For verily I am!

27. The governor saw the light, and beheld that the bush was not burnt; and he also heard the voice. But God suffered him to be hard of heart, and Hi said: Behold, thou comest to me, knowing I am a philosopher, and thou castest thy spell in the bush, like a magician. I am master of a thousand books, and am registered as a man of great learning. Thou hast offended me.

28. Po said: Why accusest thou me? For is it not just for me to accuse thee of casting the spell? I cast it not.

29. Again did God appear and speak, saying: Accuse thou not this, my son, Po. Thou shalt labor with him. Behold, I give into thy keeping the country of Feh; for even this hour hath died Moo Gwon. The tribes of Ghan shall be gathered together in Feh and Heng'a Di.

30. Hi Seiang, the governor, was astonished at the words of the Light; and he sent a servant, to ascertain if Moo Gwon was dead; and it turned out to be true, though the distance was a day's journey each way.

Chapter IV

1. Hi Seiang, the governor, sent for Ah Sin to come and investigate the nature of Po. So, when the three were together, God wrote in the sand the word Te-in, and it was as if a flame of fire pierced the ground.

2. Po said: From this time forth Te-in shall be the name of the tribes who have faith in the Creator only. Because he alone hath written it.

3. Ah Sin said: How canst thou distinguish betwixt that which is written by the spirits of the dead, and that which is written by the Creator?

4. Po said: Light cometh in light; darkness cometh in darkness.

5. Hi Seiang asked: Sayest thou, thou canst see the angels and the Gods?

6. Po said: I see the angels, but the Gods I cannot see. Angels are like ourselves; but the Gods are as a flame of fire.

7. Now, whilst they were thus discoursing, a light in the form of a triangle came and rested on Po's head, and the word Te-in was inscribed on the sides of the triangle.

8. The governor said: What signifieth this? And Po, being under the influence of the light of God, said:

9. Call me Te-in; I am the Father (rab'bah, or bah) over all the living. I write in the sand, and speak in the mouths of my seers and prophets. He that ye call Po is My Son, begotten for the deliverance of My chosen out of the bondage of Han and his satellites (sub-kingdoms).

10. Behold, My people are imprisoned and tortured; persecuted and abused. And ye twain have kingdoms taxed for the glory of Han in his unrighteous work.

11. Provide ye also triangles, and espouse Me, and I will deliver your kingdoms also.

12. Hi Seiang and Ah Sin both desired some pretext to throw off the yoke of the Han dynasty, and now lent willing ears to the instruction of Po and the Voice (Te-in).

13. Accordingly, the learned men of these provinces were called together, to learn of God, through Po, the mysteries of earth and heaven, and especially as to the great monarchy.

14. When these Councils were assembled, God cast his light upon Po, and they all saw it. And the words Po spake were called God's Words (Vede'or). Word by word learned they the wisdom of God, repeating them over and over, which was called learning by the mouth, being in contradistinction from learning by books and tablets.

15. God said: Great trials will come upon My people. The kings will seek to destroy the doctrines of the Lord thy God (Te-in).

16. For which reason ye shall not write nor engrave My words until I come in judgment of the world.

17. These, then, that follow, are the sacred laws given through Po, by God (Te-in):

18. Seek to bring forth heirs that will be a glory to thy Creator.

19. Marry not because of the impulse of the beast (the natural man), but consider thine own spirit and the spirit of thy spouse.

20. Shut not up thyself in celibacy, but multiply and adorn the earth.

21. Thy Creator provided milk for the infant; but with the coming of the teeth, thou shalt provide for their service also.

22. Feed thou him according to the Ormazdian law. To make him a warrior, give thou him fish and flesh. To make him patient and strong, with docility, remember the camel and the ox, feeding on the herbs that grow on the earth.

23. Ne-gwon asked: Was not celibacy the highest of all laws? Is it not so now?

24. God said: There are times for all things. In the days of Zarathustra celibacy was the first of laws. In those days man was not ready for God's laws. Yet thou shalt not call the one law higher than the other.

25. The fullness of earth knowledge requireth marriage, yet the bondage after death holdeth the spirit of man for six generations to his own heirs. By celibacy, a man's soul is not bound after death (by the love he beareth his children) to linger about the earth, and he may ascend quickly into paradise.

26. The man or woman that is weak, or deformed, or blind, or deaf, or with running sores, or with hidden sickness, shall not marry, nor bring forth heirs. Nor shall man take sorrow to his soul for this; for it is the testimony of the Father that his race is emancipated from the earth.

27. Thou shalt keep sacred the Panic language; nor shall these, my holy words, be given in any language till my time is fulfilled on the earth.

28. Thy sons at the age of eleven years, and daughters at the age of nine years, shall begin to learn maxims. And at that same time they shall be consecrated to the Creator and committed to His service. And of the sixth law this is made a part, to wit: Teachers in public shall be celibates; children who decide that they will become teachers, or priests, or priestesses, shall take the vows of celibacy. For such persons are married to the Great Spirit; and they shall be as Gods and Goddesses, knowing no more love to one person than another.

29. Remember that they who marry, are chosen by Ormazd to raise up offspring for the glory of heaven and earth; and they shall dwell together in peace, love and harmony.

Chapter V

1. The wise shall rule over the foolish, but to raise them up.

2. The rich shall apportion their riches for the benefit of the city.

3. The poor shall reverence the rich and take counsel from them.

4. Behold, I have given many gifts unto my people: the woman to give suck; the very strong man to carry burdens; the wise man to oversee the city; the learned man to explain the ancients; the prophet to hear my voice; the magician to hear the voice of angels; the physician to heal the sick; every several one gave I good gifts.

5. Thou shalt not covet another man's gifts, but be wise in discovering thine own, and using them for the benefit of the city.

6. Neither shalt thou covet another man's riches, nor anything that is his. What more is a rich man than a watch-dog? Behold, it is his matter, whether he fulfilleth my commandments.

7. According to every man's gifts do I require of him, as to what he can do for the people of his city.

8. To the poor man, my exactions are lighter than a straw on a camel's back.

9. For the ignorant man, and for the very young child, I provided the wise and rich as Gods to raise them up. As they minister unto them, so do I bless them for their labor.

10. What they do corporeally for the resurrection of those beneath them, so do I answer them in spirit in my resurrections in the heavens.

11. Thou shalt not marry but once; neither shalt thou look after any other partner all the days of thy life.

12. The husband shall be the master of the house; but when he is not present, the wife shall be master.

13. Seven castes have I made for my chosen: The first are the prophets; the second, such as have the highest geneology; the third, the rab'bahs and priests; the fourth, the nuns (spe-e-su); the fifth, physicians; the sixth, the rich; and seventh, the very poor.

14. Each and every caste shall remain by itself; all of them are worthy before me, and are equally my children.

15. Thou shalt not kill, for food to eat, anything that breathes the breath of life.

16. Thou shalt love to search for thy Creator in all things on the earth, in the earth, in the waters, and in the air above the earth.

17. Thou shalt love to search for all that is good in thy neighbor; but to excuse all the evil that is in him.

18. Thou shalt keep the sacred days of thy God, and cause all thy people to rejoice in the delightful creations of thy Creator.

19. Thou shalt obey the prophet of thy God; and be obedient to the father (rab'bah) of the city. Next to these, thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother, and pay reverence to thy grandfather and grandmother.

20. In the house (temple) of thy God, remember that all men are alike; for even as death layeth the high and the low alike, so stand my people in the house I have built.

21. Thou shalt respect the opinions of all men; for even thyself may be in error.

22. Thou shalt speak but little of thyself or anything that is thine; for all others have a history also.

23. Thou shalt make thyself compatible unto others in all righteousness.

Chapter VI

Of cities and government.

1. To re-instate the Zarathustrian law, the largest city shall not exceed two thousand souls; and the smallest shall be ten families. Save they are celibates, in which case a city may be as small as eight souls, having one rab'bah or priest.

2. The best, highest learned man, who shall be a celibate, shall be the priest and ruler of the city; and the sins of the people of the city shall be upon his head. But if it be a large city he may choose one, or as many as six priests, to rule with him; and in that case the sins of the city shall be upon them.

3. When a matter cometh up, the priest shall call whom he will to speak thereon; and when they have spoken, he shall decree by his highest light, and that shall be the law without repeal, save by himself.

4. It shall be lawful for the governor, who is the chief priest, prior to death, to repeal all his laws; so that his successor shall make new laws. For no man shall be bound after death by his own laws, in which case he could not come back and repeal them.

5. But as regardeth the laws a governor or chief priest maketh whilst he ruleth over a city, and over all persons whom he hath ruled during his life-time, he shall be responsible for them, both in this world and the next. For if a priest or governor maketh a law of darkness, and his people live by that law, their souls will be in darkness in the next world through his fault, and he shall answer to them in the soul world for what he hath done in this.

6. Wherein the manufacture of copper or iron, or other things, require more than two thousand people, there shall be another city, with five breadths of the first city between them. And the government of the second city shall be like unto the government of the first. But in no case shall there be more than four cities near about in the same country.

7. Ye shall neither hire nor be hired; neither amongst yourselves nor with the king's peoples. Nor shall ye have servants nor masters, for all shall be alike servants to Ormazd only.

8. Sin-wah inquired: Was it not taught in the Zarathustrian age to respect the caste of men according to the number of their servants? And whether, according to the descent of men, they were born of parents who had risen above servitude for many generations?

9. God said: The old law was for the olden time. It was a good law to improve the breed of men for special trades and learning. And that law hath fulfilled its purpose. The physician hath found great cures; and he knoweth all the parts of the flesh and the blood. The miner knoweth the different kinds of stone, and the metals in them, and how to extract them. The farmer knoweth grounds and the yield thereof, and what they will best bring forth. The spinner and weaver have found the best of fibres for paper and for cloth. And so hath it come to pass in all departments; by the Zarathustrian law of caste have they perfected these things sufficient unto the requirement of man.

10. For which reason ye shall teach all things unto all; and they shall work with their own hands at all industries; remembering that the highest, best, most perfect man is he that can do all things.

11. Jon-Le inquired: Since a man dieth in a few years at most, why shall he strive to learn things that pertain to the earth?

12. God said: All learning is as a gymnasium to the spirit. Knowledge is the strength of the soul.

13. Ye shall teach all things unto your sons and daughters, perfecting them in the talents created withal. First, to useful labors; second, to learning; third, to music and art, in sculpture and painting; fourth, to mining; and fifth, to perfectness.

14. And ye shall intersperse labor and learning with recreation, not only in rites and ceremonies, but in harmless games, as in dancing, racing and playing, old and young.

15. Cultivating joyous hearts, for these are outspoken words of glory to the Great Spirit.

16. Every governor, and priest, and rab'bah, shall provide for a successor; after the light of the Counsel of the All Highest shall they be chosen.

Chapter VII

1. Hi Seiang became converted to the doctrines of Po as taught by God, who was called Te-in in those days in that country.

2. Ah Sin and Hi Seiang and Tse Gow entered into compact to throw off the dominion of Han, and so notified him. Han therepon declared war against them. And he pursued them cruelly, laying waste a great country.

3. Po and his followers were thus driven toward the south; and on their way they gathered up the Faithists of the tribes of He-ah.

4. Now it came to pass that Han's success in war was so great that he concentrated not his armies, but caused them to scatter in different ways. And behold, he went so far that the barbarians fell upon his armies and destroyed them. And Han himself perished by the blow of a barbarian woman.

5. In the fourth year of the inspiration of Po, he returned and possessed the countries of Feh, Heng'a Di and Se Lov, and he reinstated Ah Sin and Hi Seiang as governors.

6. Hi Seiang called a council of thirteen kingdoms of Jaffeth, and after seventy days' deliberation Hi Seiang was made ruler over Jaffeth, receiving the title, King of the Sun.

7. And he established the doctrines of Po by law, changing the name of All Light, to Te-in, signifying God. And he stopped all persecution against the Faithists; and he prohibited idol worship.

8. And Po traveled east and west, north and south; teaching and displaying miraculous things. And God was with him at all times and places.

9. Gathering together the chosen; explaining and practicing the commaments of God (Te-in).

10. And man ceased to worship all idols and Gods and saviors; worshipping the Creator only.

End of the first Chinese Bible.