Description
Hard as it may be to understand, the inability of “Western” man to translate the hieroglyphs of the Aztecs, and the failure to comprehend Shakespeare’s work stems from the derision in which Christ has been held in the West since the 1500’s. William H. Prescott, who wrote the definitive English language work in 1843, stated that the language remained a mystery to modern man. Prescott, an American, who could not read Spanish, used works from a Spanish minister living in Mexico, as well as consulting with other English and French historians, but none Spanish, or from the Church. The Church is exactly where the weaknesses in his method overtook him. If you wanted to understand the native language, or the people, it wouldn’t help to consult military chronicles or that of the state bureaucracy, only men of scholarship who were interacting with the people, could explain the Aztec civilization. This is exactly where Prescott, and others up until the nineteen nineties, refused to look. In fact, the priests attached to the military missions, who were to instill the love of Christ among the natives, had translated the Aztec language into Latin and then Spanish. Prescott, as far as is known, never consulted the records kept by the orders, who traveled with the explorers. Almost two centuries of confusion could have been avoided by a trip to Madrid, and then to the proper libraries, but no one roused themselves from their disdain for Christ, in order to learn.
Shakespeare has suffered as completely from the closing of the Protestant mind. With a Missal of the Mass, a martyrology, and access to the writings of the saints, Shakespeare’s plays are revealed to be works of deep philosophy, stretching from the Greeks and Romans, following St. Paul who wrote, to the Greeks and the barbarians, to the wise and the unwise, I am a debtor, to the Old and New Testament, then to numerous books written after Christ’s Ascension until the middle ages, and finally tomes from Shakespeare’s own time. When the new men excised history from Golgotha till 1500 a. d. from their consideration, they blinded themselves to the Master’s works.
When Shylock and then Gratiano called out Daniel, and then a second Daniel, how would the censor know Shakespeare was referring to Books thirteen and fourteen of Daniel, which had been excised from the Protestant Bibles? Lacking a knowledge of Susanna and the priests of Bel, meant the lines from the Old Testament, included in the Merchant, went by the censors, the same way Christ walked through the Nazarenes when they wanted to throw him from the cliff, after He explained He was the Messiah.
Who was the snake? Satan. Also an anagram, minus two letters. Satan has influence over the material, but mostly in man’s perception of his situation, and his alternatives. The Word is hard to hear, and more difficult to obey. The prophets came to the Jews and were ignored or abused. Immediately upon escaping Egypt, the Jews were worshipping a golden calf, because Moses had left them for a few days. The end of hundreds of years of captivity and the people couldn’t obey God, for more than a twinkling.
The final act, the culmination of the play, has been constantly derided by those, who cannot understand the play. When Lancelot hails Lorenzo in Belmont with the call, sola, Lorenzo tells him to leave the hailing, then Lancelot tells Lorenzo, his master is come with the good news, the gospel. The gospel is not words on paper, it has to be brought by Christ, who was kicked out of England. Portia returning, saw a lone candle in the darkness, the same as the Church on Holy Saturday, when Christ is brought back to the people, from His crucifixion on Good Friday. The fifth act, is Christ’s Resurrection on Easter, gifting to man, salvation. But the candle he carried before the priest, though one, has three branches, recognizing the oneness of God, within the Trinity.
Though Venice allowed Shylock to make his home there, although the good men of Venice, found his fief, to be hidden from them. Shylock using the lie, seduced Antonio into bonding himself for Bassanio, to Shylock. When Antonio’s ships did not arrive, Shylock fee’d an officer and sent Antonio to jail, for trial. Though the Duke did not wish to try Antonio, the laws of the state, which held commercial contracts valid, could not be broached. Antonio admitted the validity of the contract, and was willing to give up his pound of flesh. The duke sent for a just judge, one like Pontius Pilate, who would realize the innocence of Antonio. Shylock wanted to kill Antonio. Antonio’s death would mean, Shylock could make what merchandise he would, without interference in Venice. The devil, or his acolyte’s, Shylock, always seek to kill, Christ or the prophet of His message. Their rage to kill, surpassing their love of the material, shows the fear of the evil at the existence of Truth. In Jerusalem, in Venice, in London, Truth has always been the enemy of evil. Evil, unlike the weak, has always recognized its enemy, just as alone in the crowds, the blind knew Christ, for they listened, without the distraction of the material.
The denial of Christ’s existence, as denoted by Arch bishop Cranmer was proclaimed in the 39 articles, of his English church. As Shylock said a pound of a man’s flesh, taken from a man, is not so estimable, profitable neither, as the flesh of muttons. In his articles, Arch-bishop Cranmer, denied the flesh of Christ, in the Eucharist, was His flesh, except in a spiritual manner, and then only to those worthy to receive. Which declared in effect, Christ’s flesh, after His sojourn on earth, was not real. This is why the articles twice condemned the carrying of the Eucharist through the streets of Christian towns, to proclaim His Kingship, over the Catholic world, and thus drive out the devils which occupy, much of the world. Shylock twice called on his daughter Jessica, to shut the doors of their house, against the approach of Christ. If you deny the reality of Christ’s flesh, why would you believe in exorcism? If you don’t accept the reality of Christ’s flesh, what exactly is the sacrament worth? Not so valuable as mutton, as Shylock observed? If the flesh of Christ isn’t bread and wine transformed, what is the purpose of a priest, he who makes sacrifice? A sacrament, then, is no longer needed to make a priest, if a priest does not perform the miracle of transubstantiating bread and wine, into Christ’s flesh and blood. Such a ‘priest’ has no more power than an ordinary believer. The reality of Christ’s flesh being living, was the central event in the play. Shylock sought a pound of Antonio’s flesh, but the contract had no mention of blood. The flesh of Christ, received by parishioners at the end of the Mass, is not the flesh of Jewish sacrifice, drained of blood, but living flesh pulsating with blood. Portia eviscerated the entire argument of Shylock, Cramer, with her observation. Portia also brought forth, the purpose of the heresy was to take the life of Christ. Shylock and Cranmer, stood not only accused but guilty. Without the power of the Eucharist, a priest cannot forgive sin. Therefore, confession is no longer a sacrament, and men’s sins go unforgiven, unless a man believes every man is a priest, with the power to forgive his own sins, exactly the position of Luther. Then every man has the same power as Christ, who was the first on earth to forgive sin. Can these all too, heal the sick and raise the dead? The only one in Venice to whom those bound by Shylock made cry, was to Antonio. Antonio came and paid their debt, as Christ did man’s.
