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Chapter VIII

1. THE Diva met thrice every year in Mouru, and enacted many acts, after the manner herein before related; and the number was so great that all the spirits in heaven and mortals on earth, were fore-planned, from before birth until they became Brides and Bridegrooms in heaven.

2. And heaven and earth became as one country, with one king, who was God; and his word ruled over all. And the Lords' kingdoms prospered, and the kingdoms of the sub-Gods and Goddesses; the like of which glory had not been since the earth was created. And there were rites and ceremonies, and recreations, and games, and pageantry on earth and in heaven, so great that one might write a thousand books thereon, and yet not have told the tenth part.

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3. So, after God had reigned one hundred and ninety years, he descended from his heavenly place, and went about in all the Lords' dominions, and the sub-Gods' dominions in the lower heavens, that he might rejoice before Jehovih in the great good works he had done.

4. And in all the heavenly places there was great rejoicing before God; and the singers made and sang hymns of rejoicing; and trumpeters and harpists proclaimed the glory of Jehovih's Presence.

5. So God had the people numbered, that the Gods of the etherean worlds might send in dan for the great resurrection. And the number of Brides and Bridegrooms to Jehovih would be sixteen thousand millions!

6. After that, God directed his fire-ship to run close to the earth, that he might survey mortals and their kingdoms. And he visited all the great nations of earth, to the south, and north, and east, and west. And now his soul cried out with great sorrow! The great peoples of the earth were turning celibates!

7. And the Voice of Jehovih came to him, saying: God, My Son, Hoab, why sorrowest thou? And God answered, saying: Behold, the earth is not peopled over; the plains and mountains are not subdued; the wilderness is filled with beasts of prey; the Zarathustrians are running into the same line as the I'hins; they kill nothing; they live for the soul only. And since they have learned the bondage of the lower heavens, they will not marry and beget offspring.

8. Again Jehovih spake to God, saying: Call not down a'ji nor ji'ay, My Son! Fear not. In ten years, behold, I will bring the earth into dan, and thou shalt bring thy harvest into My emancipated worlds.

9. So God sorrowed no more; and on his return to Mouru, and in the next following meeting of the Diva, he propounded: If a husband and wife have a child born unto them, they both being Zarathustrians: What then? When the members had spoken,--

10. Div decreed: They shall have rites and ceremonies, that the ashars of the order of Zarathustra may be appointed unto it. What the ashars do in spirit shall the corporeans do in corpor. And this was the first supplemental Divan law.

11. Through the commandment of the different Lords, the ashars assembled in the house of a Zarathustrian at the time of the birth of a child, and these spirits baptized the child with a rod, sprinkling water on its head, after the manner of selecting victims who have been delivered out of hell. And by inspiration the angels induced the mortals to go through the same ceremony, having a priest to perform with the rod, which had been dipped in water.

12. Div decreed: A baptized child showeth it hath sprung from the Zarathustrians, and it hath inherent in it high possibilities. And if it die in infancy, it shall be received not with the children of druks in heaven, but in such place as will enable the parents, after death, to visit it with delight. This was the second supplemental Divan law.

13. So it became common on the earth for mortals to have their children baptized in infancy, that in case of death they should be taken to a place of delight, and not fall into the power of drujas, the evil spirits.

14. Div propounded: If a young man, who is a Zarathustrian, and a young woman, who is also a Zarathustrian, and both every way obedient to the Ormazdian law, and to the I'hua'Mazdian law, what shall be the rites and ceremonies of marriage for them? On the all the members spake, and after that,--

15. Div decreed: They shall be married by a rab'bah, with kin and friends present. The rab'bah shall say: Ormazd hath united you forever; live ye in peace and love on earth, and ye shall dwell together in a heavenly place of delight after death. What Ormazd hath joined, no man can separate forever. And whilst the mortal ceremony is being performed, the ashars and spirits akin shall have rites and ceremonies in the same house, and this shall be called the beginning of a new heavenly kingdom. This was the third supplemental Divan law.

16. Besides these, there were passed a hundred and eight supplemental Divan laws; and they comprehended all things in life and death of mortals, and all things pertaining to the resurrection after death. And so great was the power of the Zarathustrian religion on earth that war ceased, and the tribes and nations dwelt together in peace. The people ceased to build large cities, and ceased striving for the things of earth.

17. But they learned little, save rites and ceremonies, and prayers, and singing hymns of praise unto Ormazd, and to his Gods and Lords, and to Zarathustra, the All Pure. Thus ended the dominion of Hoab's reign p. 290 in heaven and earth, the like of whose greatness had never been surpassed.

18. So Jehovih brought the regions of dan, and sent seven ships, and delivered God and his harvest of sixteen thousand million angels into places of delight, the Nirvanian fields of Niscrossawotcha, in etherea.


Next: Chapter IX