of God in the image of man as "The Father-god," and after they had given him a host of angels to counteract the swarms of malignant demons with which primeval man and the Chaldean Mother-Son cult had infested the earth, air and "the waters under the earth." The process by which the archangel was invented and his functions arranged and developed now seems to become evident. The Father-god or " Bel" was early given by the Aryans the title of " Zagg or " Sagg Sagg" (or "Zeus "), as it exists on the earliest known historical document, Udug's trophy Stone-Bowl from the oldest Sun-temple in Mesopotamia at Nippur. This Zagg" has the meaning, "The Shining Stone+Being, Maker or Creator," thus giving the sense of "Rock of Ages" to the God as the Creator.

This early Aryan name for God, about two millenniums before the birth of Abraham, with its sense of fixity, is soon afterwards found spelt by the Early Sumerians in their still-existing inscriptions as Zax or Zakh, in the form "The Enthroned Zax or Zakh" (En-Zax), with the meaning "The Enthroned Breath or Wind." This presumably was to denote God as The Breath of Life, and perhaps also his invisibility as a Spirit. This ancient Aryan idea of God as

2

The Breath of Life" is preserved in the reference in Genesis to the creation of man: "God breathed into his nostrils the Breath of Life and man became a living soul." And in the Old Testament, God "flies on the wings of the Wind," and in the New Testament the working of God's Spirit is compared to the Wind. Such slight alterations in the spelling of divine and other proper names in order to denote a different though correlated sense, were often made by the Sumerians, and are parallel to their spelling of "Induru" as "Indara," with a different shade of meaning. This idea of the "enthronement" and fixity of The Father-god in human form in heaven, with its sense of vast remoteness and aloofness from the earth, was presumably

1 Spelt alphabetically, Za-ga-ga, see before.

Br., 5928. Hitherto disguised by Assyriologists reading Zax by its semitic synonym of Lil. 5 Psalm xviii, ro, etc.

6

3 Br., 5932.

• John iii, 8.

4 Genesis, 2, 7.

ORIGIN OF MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

343

the reason why the Sumerians, in their human craving for the more immediate presence of God on the earth, delegated his powers on earth to a deputy in the person of "The firstborn Son of Ia," the Archangel " Ta's" or Taxi (Mero-Dach or Mar-Duk), who ultimately was made in Babylonia to overshadow his Father and was given most of the titles of the latter-not only "King of Heaven and Earth,” “Lord of the Lands," "Creator," and "Holder of the Tablets of Fate," but even "Slayer of the Dragon of Darkness," which achievement thus became credited to him as St. Michael. And the later Chaldean polytheists made him king of their motley pantheon, amongst whom the various departments of Nature were parcelled out, and they even also called him " Bel" or Father-god.

1

But amongst the purer Hitto-Sumerians and Phoenicians, adhering to monotheism and its "Sun-worship," Tas appears to have retained his original character of the archangel of The One God, although he is addressed as a "god," which also has the general sense of "divinity." Thus in many of the Sumerian psalms and litanies he is the mere agent on the earth of the Father-god who is enthroned in heaven. He is "The great Messenger, the pure one of Ia," "Companion of Heaven and Ia," "The Merciful One who loveth to give Life to the Dead," "Lord of Life and Protector of Habitations," and "Ever ready to hear the Prayers of mankind," he transmits these to his Father, The Enthroned Zax (Zeus) in heaven and carries out the orders of the latter. And we have such scenes pictured in Hittite seals, e.g., Fig. 63, which shows a sick man on his bed attacked by the Dragon of Death, and he appeals to Tas, who in turn intercedes with his Father-god Indara.

Thus we read in the old Sumerian psalms and litanies such invocations and incidents as the following:

"May thou, Son Tas, the Great Overseer of the Spirits of Heaven, exalt thy head!"

"(To) the Corn-god I have offered !

1 Indra alone killed the Dragon without aid of R.V., 1, 165, 6.

2 S.H.L., 517.

"Langdon, S.P., 277.

Ib., 501.

▲ Ib., 501. 6S.H.L., 517.

May the god of Herbs, the Assembler of God and man
Deliver such and such a man, the son of his God,
And may he be saved!"

FIG. 63. Archangel Tas interceding with God Indara for sick man attacked by Dragon of Death. From Hittite Seal of about 2,500 B.C. (After Delaporte.)"

Note bed of sick man, and sacred Goat of Indara; and cp. Psalm xxxiv, 6-7. The Circles (cups) above man-Muru or "Amorite"; and Sumer sign above dragon="Raven of Sin-Fire" (Br., 2227), Lax or Lakh "Fire "=" Luci-fer," or Loki.

Then the archangel Taś, hearing this prayer, repairs to his Father in Heaven, "The Good Shepherd who rests not, who causeth mankind to abide in safety;" and presents the prayer:

"The Son Tas has regarded him [the supplicant].

To his Father Ia, into the house he descends and says:

'O my Father, the Evil Curse like a demon has fallen on the man !'

Ia to his son made answer

'Go my son, Son Tas!

Take the man to the House of Pure Sprinkling,

And remove his ban, and expel his ban.' "

Or Ia or Indara replies:

"O Son Tas, substance of mine, Go, my Son!

Before the [Cross of the ?] Sun-god take his [the afflicted's]

hand,

Repeat the spell of the pure hymn!

Pour the (cleansing) Waters upon his head!"

Or:-" Go, my Son Tas!

Let the Fire [-Cross ?] of the Cedar tree,

The tree that destroys the wickedness of the incubus,

2D.C.O. (L) pl. 82. 406.

"Here" descends" is used, when Ia or Indara is supposed to reside in

S.H.L., 468.

the Waters.

5 S.H.L., 472.

• Ib., 516.

TAS-MIKAL THE ARYAN CORN-SPIRIT 345

On whose core the name of Ia is recorded,

With the spell supreme. . . to foundation and roof let ascend And to the sick man never may those seven demons approach! "1

The Archangel's association with Corn and Agriculture as "The Corn Spirit," was in series with his Father's titles of "Lord of the Lands" and of Agriculture, in the Sumerian psalms.

Thus in these psalms "The Enthroned Zax" is hailed:"Lord of the Harvest Lands, Lord of the Grain Lands! Husbandman who tends the fields art thou, O Zax the Enthroned !

"Tender of the plants of the Garden art thou!

Tender of the Grain Fields art thou! "s

"Father Zax, the presents of the Ground are offered to thee in sacrifice!

O Lord of Sumer, figs to thy dwelling-place we bring!
To give Life to the Ground thou dost exist!
Father Zax, accept the sacred offerings ! "

It is easy to see now, in the light of our discoveries, why the Early Aryans or Hitto-Sumerians, Khatti or Catti Goths were naturally led to institute a patron saint or Archangel of Agriculture and The Plough. They were, I find, the founders of the Agricultural Stage of the World's Civilization, and made Agriculture the basis of their Higher Civilization and the Settled Life-and it still remains the basis of the Higher Civilization to the present day. They also took from it their title of "Arri"-or "Arya" (Englished into "Arya-n ")-which, I find, is derived from the Sumerian Ar, "a Plough" (which thus discloses the Sumerian origin of the Old English "to Ear (i.e., plough) the ground," Gothic, Arian, Greek Aroein, Latin Ar-are). And they made ploughing and sowing sacred rites under the Sun Cross, as we have seen in the Cassi seal of about 1350 B.C. (see Fig. 12, p. 49) and the same scene is figured on seals of the fourth millennium B.C. In establishing Agriculture, the Aryans, as a small band of civilized pioneers, 1S.H.L., 470.

2 L.S.P., 199, 201.

3 Ib., 277.

4 Ib., 279.

FIG. 64-Archangel Tas-Mikal defending Goats (and Deer) as "Goths" with Cross and Sun emblems on Greco-Phoenician coins.

(From Cilician coins of 5th century B.C. onwards in British Museum.) Note Goat springing to Cross (a-b) and Crosses (a-e), legends TKS, TKZ, and DZC, Goat and Cross under throne of Bel Tarz, who bears Cross standard; and compare with opposite figures on Briton Coins.

a One of the oldest Cilician coins of "Early Fifth Century, B.C.," supposed to be from Celenderis, sea-port (founded by Phoenicians), W. of Tarsus, see Hill H.C.C., Pl. 814. Goat is springing to the Cross, with Sun circle and Cross above it, formed by circles as in Briton coins, and bearing in front Phoenician legend reading, apparently, "TKS." b Reverse with stamped Cross. c Celenderis coin of about 450-400 B.C. (H.C.C., 9, 2) shows HerculesTascio descending from his Sun-horse to defend Goat (on reverse, d). Note Cross on his back, formed by circles, as in Briton coins and Hitto-Sumerian seals, and his club in right hand.

d Reverse of c, with Goat kneeling before Cross, behind rock, and adoring or invoking Cross in sky; representing Hercules-Tascio as messenger of Sun-god. Other analogous coins, H.C.C., 9, 1 and 3-9; 13-16; and 10, 1-5, etc.

e Hercules as "Lord of Tarsus" on coins of Tarsus of period of Mazæus, 361-333 B.C. (H.C.C., 30, 6), bearing Phoenician legend, "Bal 1 KZ" or Lord Takz (see text). Hercules-Takz seated on throne above a Goat's head and handled Cross, and bearing in left hand the Cross; as standard with fruited stalk; and in right bestows grapes, reaping sickle and ear of Corn (=Dionysos).

f Reverse of e. Stag (kin of Goat) attacked by Lion--which was killed by Hercules. Other variant coins of this type, H.C.C., 30, 1-5, 7, 8, and numerous Hitto-Sumerian and Cypro-Phoenician cylinders, etc. (see later).

g Coin supposed to be from Aigea (modern Ayas), port to E. of Tarsus, of period of Macrinus, 217-218 A.D. (H.C.C., 4, 9). Showing bust of young Dionysos with bunch of grapes, and behind, his name. DZC, i.e., equivalent of" Tasc " or " Dias" of Briton coins. Very numerous coins of this type with legend DZC (see text).

h Another Aigea coin of same period (H.C.C., 4, 11), showing long-maned mountain Goat, standing before branch or stalk of corn, and bearing on top of his horns two Fire-torches (or sacred Fire of the Sun cult) and legend DZC (i.e., "Tasc") as before.