Elysium

MARCH ON, MY SOUL, WITH COURAGE!

Judges, Chapter V, line xx.

'Then learn that mortal man must always look to his ending,
And none can be called happy until that day when he carries
His happiness down to the grave in peace.'

Sophocles, King Oedipus.

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'You must live according to the best you know -- you can't do more. There can be no running away.  You must face what is coming to you and take what comes.'

So spoke stoically, the young man who would become George VI, King of Great Britain, Ireland, and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India--following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII.

This author believes with all his heart that God sometimes, not often, but He does sometimes give us glimpses of life hereafter.  It is perhaps, as a guide to help us to right our course, here in this life, that we might better prepare our souls for that next life that will follow.  For he who desires may behold, and beholding, may set his own house in order.  Yes, I do truly believe this, with all my heart and soul.

The souls of men were being redeemed long before appearance of the Christ. God grants no patent to those who peddle redemption. One must learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across one’s mind from within. For so nigh is grandeur to each of us and so near is God to all. The truth contained in religious doctrines is so distorted and disguised, that one cannot recognize what really is true. Is truth so vulnerable that she must always be attended by a bodyguard of lies?

Wisdom, which becomes the equivalent of righteousness, emanates from God and may be identified with His law. In The Book of Ecclesiastes, and in accordance with the Greek viewpoint, the human body is comprised of two parts, the physical and the soul:  “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit (soul) shall return unto God, who gave it.”

The date of the work is considered to be about 190 B.C.E.  It primarily gives us a purpose and guidance for living.

Fragments of the Book have been found, incomplete and mutilated, all of them originally part of a collection from the synagogue at Cairo.  Although Ecclesiasticus was not admitted to the Jewish canon it is highly regarded by the Jews and is quoted in the Talmud. The Christians adopted it and canonized it at the Council of Trent.  The Christians, however, believe body and soul as one unit will rise together with their Christ leading the way. 

Wisdom is superior to folly
As light is superior to darkness;

Ever since Pindar (c.522-c.440 B.C.E.), assured us, entrance to Elysium is gained by having led a righteous life.  Was and always will be.

In the heart of Provence in ancient southeastern France, once a Roman provincial capital lies Arles, perched between the Alpilles hills.  After Constantinople was founded in 329 of the common era, Arles remained the second capital of the Roman Empire.  A touching poem by Paul-Jean Toulet, taken from Contrerimes describes for us a small corner of Elysium:

"In Arles, where lie Les Alyscamps, *
When the shade is red beneath the roses,
And the weather clear,
Beware of the sweetness of things,
When, without reason, you perceive
a too-heavy beating of the heart;
And the doves fall silent:
Speak in whispers if you talk of love,
Close by the tombs."