Jesus was crucified and died because of The Wheel of Religion. Listen to Blake in ‘To the Christians’ from ‘Jerusalem.’
| I STOOD among my valleys of the south, | |
| And saw a flame of fire, even as a Wheel | |
| Of fire surrounding all the heavens: it went | |
| From west to east against the current of | |
| Creation, and devour’d all things in its loud | 5 |
| Fury and thundering course round Heaven and Earth | |
| By it the Sun was roll’d into an orb; | |
| By it the Moon faded into a globe, | |
| Travelling thro’ the night; for from its dire | |
| And restless fury Man himself shrunk up | 10 |
| Into a little root a fathom long. | |
| And I askèd a Watcher and a Holy One | |
| Its name. He answer’d: ‘It is the Wheel of Religion.’ | |
| I wept and said: ‘Is this the law of Jesus, | |
| This terrible devouring sword turning every way?’ | 15 |
| He answer’d: ‘Jesus died because He strove | |
| Against the current of this Wheel: its name | |
| Is Caiaphas, the dark Preacher of Death, | |
| Of sin, of sorrow, and of punishment, | |
| Opposing Nature. It is Natural Religion. | 20 |
| But Jesus is the bright Preacher of Life, | |
| Creating Nature from this fiery Law | |
| By self-denial and Forgiveness of Sin. | |
| Go, therefore, cast out devils in Christ’s name, | |
| Heal thou the sick of spiritual disease, | 25 |
| Pity the evil; for thou art not sent | |
| To smite with terror and with punishments | |
| Those that are sick, like to the Pharisees, | |
| Crucifying, and encompassing sea and land, | |
| For proselytes to tyranny and wrath. | 30 |
| But to the Publicans and Harlots go: | |
| Teach them true happiness, but let no curse | |
| Go forth out of thy mouth to blight their peace. | |
| For Hell is open’d to Heaven; thine eyes beheld | |
| The dungeons burst, and the prisoners set free.’ |
Moved me.
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