
"The Napoleon Myth, by Mr. Henry Ridgely Evans, contains a reprint of Pére's skit, together with an Introduction by Dr. Paul Carus. Every few years one witnesses a tremendous revival of the Napoleonic cult; for instance, the extraordinary enthusiasm produced by Rostand's play, L'Aiglon. There is a Napoleonic legend that persists in spite of the iconoclastic efforts of modern historians to destroy it. This profusely illustrated exposure of the mythopoeic element in Napoleon's career is the work of one who has specialised on the subject." -The Westminister Review, Volume 183 "The purpose of this book is clearly set forth in the Introduction by Dr. Carus. The reader is to learn '' how rapidly folklore tales attach themselves to a dramatic figure of history; and Napoleon's case is perhaps the better for a student, because his personality is still within clear remembrance of the last but one generation and the legends have developed under the very eyes of a civilized world, whose historians were in the habit of recording facts with accuracy and whose writings are still within reach." But this statement does not tell the whole truth. There is an ulterior motive revealed in the following characteristic utterances (p. 5): "The Christian Gospels are not simply narratives of the life of Jesus, but they are the story of Jesus as the Christ, embodying ancient traditions not only of the Jewish notion of a Messiah but many other kindred hopes.... The Jewish Messiah conception had been modified and deepened by the Persian doctrine of Mithra, the virgin-born viceroy of God's kingdom on earth; the Babylonian Marduk, the Conqueror of Death and mediator between God the Father and men, and also the world-resigning Buddha of India. The picture of Jesus in the New Testament is not strictly historical, but it contains historical facts. It is the story of Jesus, the Nazarene, as interpreted by those who believed that he was the Christ.'' <br
Page Count:
72
Publication Date:
2014-09-17
ISBN-10:
1502420163
ISBN-13:
9781502420169
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