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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