Chapter 16 Phoenix Sect

Some say that the Phoenix sect originated in Heliopolis, Egypt, as a product of the religious restoration after the death of the reforming Amenophis IV. Those who cite the writings of Herodotus and Tacilon, as well as the Egyptian but do not know, or do not want to know, that the name "Sect of the Phoenix" originated no earlier than Hrabano Mauro, and the oldest records (say, by Flavio Joseph) only mention " Folklorist" and "Secretist".Gregorovius pointed out at a gathering in Ferrara, Italy, that the word "phoenix" is rarely used in colloquial language; when I met artisans in Geneva and asked them if they were Phoenix, they didn't understand me , but then admitted that he was a secret faction.There is a similar situation among Buddhists, if I remember correctly; the world calls them differently from what they call themselves.

In a famous article Miklošić compares the Phenix with the Gypsies.Chile and Hungary have Gypsies as well as Phoenixes; apart from this, the two have little in common.Gypsies were mostly horse dealers, tinkers, blacksmiths, and fortune-tellers; Phoenixites tended to be freelance.The gypsies formed a like-looking crowd and spoke, or had spoken, a secret language; the Phoenixites mingled with others, as evidenced by their lack of persecution.Gypsies have a rich and colorful life, which inspires bad poets; Phoenix believers have nothing to do with legends, paintings, and dances... Martin Buber claimed that Jews are basically sentimental; ; This well-known fact is sufficient to refute the common misconception (which Ullman absurdly maintains) that the Phoenix Church is a branch of Israel.This is usually inferred; Ullmann was sensitive; he was Jewish; he was in constant contact with the Phoenixites in Prague's ghetto; the affinity Ullmann felt was proof.To be honest, I cannot agree with that inference.The fact that the Phoenixites in the Jewish environment resembled the Jews proves nothing; what is undeniable is that, like Hazlitt's humane Shakespeare, they resembled all men in the world.Like the apostles, they assimilate easily with all kinds of people; a few days ago, Dr. Juan Francisco Amaro of Paysandu praised that they localized quickly.

As I said, there has been no historical persecution of the Phoenix Sect.This is true; however, since there are people who support the Phoenix sect in any group of people, it is also an indisputable fact that these people have suffered persecution or suffering, or have inflicted persecution or suffering on others.In the wars of the West and the earlier wars of Asia, they had long shed their blood in different camps; it was of little use for them to be united with all the peoples of the world. They have no holy book that holds Israel together like the Bible, no common memory but language, they are scattered all over the world, of every color and appearance, and unite them till the end of time , there is only one thing - the secret.Sometimes there was a legend (perhaps a cosmogony myth) besides the secret, but those superficial Phoenixites had forgotten it, and now only a vague tradition of punishment survived.Traditions of punishments, covenants, or privileges, as they are spoken differently, make it difficult to see whether a deity made a verdict to ensure the perpetuation of a bloodline, or whether those who belonged to that bloodline performed a ritual from generation to generation.I've checked travelers' reports, talked to patriarchs and theologians; and I'm sure the only religious practice of the Phoenix Cultists is to perform such ceremonies.Rituals form secrets.I said before that the secret is passed down from generation to generation, but custom does not require that it be taught by the mother, nor by the priest;Slaves, lepers, or beggars acted as mystics.Children can also teach other children.The ritual itself is trivial and quick to complete, requiring no elaboration.The materials used are cork, wax or gum arabic. (Mud is also mentioned in the ritual; also commonly used.) There are no temples dedicated to such rituals, but ruins, cellars, or porticoes may all be considered suitable places.The secret is sacred, yet a little ridiculous; the ritual is performed in secret, and the faithful never talk about it.The ceremonies have no elegant titles, but it is understood that anything can be represented, or inevitably involved; therefore, when I talk without paying attention to what I say, the faithful often smile awkwardly, because They thought I touched on that secret.In Germanic literature there are verses written by the Cultists of the Phoenix, whose subject, apparently, is the sea or the evening; in reality, I hear, it is a symbol of the secret.DuConger collected in his Dictionary of Terms an extra-biblical maxim: The earth is the mirror of the game.Certain believers dare not perform the simplest of ceremonies out of holy fear; they are despised by others, but they despise themselves even more.On the contrary, some people are famous who willfully reject the custom and have a direct communication with God; they use statues to represent this communication in the liturgy. Therefore, John writes:

Everyone in heaven should know God is as delightful as cork and slime. I have quite a few Phoenix friends on three continents; I find that they initially find the secret boring, vulgar, distressing, and (even more oddly) unbelievable.They don't want to admit that their parents could do such nonsense.The strange thing is that the secret has not been lost for a long time; despite the changes in the world, the frequent wars, and the displacement of people, the secret still miraculously spread to all believers.Some even claim without hesitation that the secret has become instinctive.