The Origins of Christianity

134 Pages·2007·0.45 MB·English

The Origins of Christianity
by Revilo P. Oliver
Professor of the Classics, Retired; University of Illinois, Urbana
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1: RELIGION
Chapter 2: THE TRIPLE FUNCTION
Chapter 3: MONOTHEISM
Chapter 4: THEODICY
Chapter 5: RITUAL AND ARYAN WORSHIP
Chapter 6: SHAMANS
Chapter 7: LYING FOR THE LORD
Chapter 8: THEOKTONY
Chapter 9: ZOROASTER
Chapter 10:ZOROASTER’S CREATION
Chapter 11:THE GREAT ÜBERWERTUNG,PSYCHIC MAGIC, GOD’S
HOUSE, BUDDHISMAND TAPAS
Chapter 12:AHURA MAZDA
Chapter 13:LATER ZOROASTRIANISM
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The Origins of Christianity
by Revilo P. Oliver
Professor of the Classics, Retired; University of Illinois, Urbana
INTRODUCTION
OFTHEMANY PROBLEMS thatconfront us today,none is morevexing thanthatof
therelationofChristianityto WesternCivilization. None,certainly, causesmore
acrimoniouscontroversyandinternecinehostility betweenthemembers of theracewhich
createdthatcivilization. Nonemorethoroughly counteractstheir commoninterestin its
preservationandrenders themimpotent andhelpless.Andthatis not remarkable:whatis
in question is theessentialnatureofour civilization,andifthereis noagreement about
that,therecan benoeffective agreementonother questions.
Around1910,Georges Matisse,inLes Ruinesdel’Idéede Dieu,*predicted thatby1960,
attheverylatest,theonly churchesleft in thecivilized worldwouldbetheonesthatwere
preservedasmuseum pieces fortheir architectural beautyorhistoricalassociations. The
scientificandhistoricalknowledge accumulatedbyour racehadrendered belief in
supernaturalbeingsimpossible forcultivatedmen, anduniversaleducation would
speedilydestroythecredulityof themasses. "We haveclimbedout ofthedead endofthe
dungeoninto whichChristianity castus. Theman oftodaywalksin theopen airandthe
daylight.Hehas wonconfidencein himself."
*Paris,MercuredeFrance,s.a.Alltranslationsfromforeignlanguagesinthesepagesaremine,unless
otherwisenoted.
In1980, especiallyin the UnitedStates, therewas amassive"upsurge"ofChristianity. In
November,one ofAmerica’smanybawling evangelists, OralRoberts,had aninterview
withJesus andtook theopportunityto observethat Jesus is ninehundredfeet tall. That
datumso impressedhis followersthatwithin twoweeks,it is said,theysupplied him with
anextra $5,000,000to supplementthe$45,000,000theygivehim annually. Alittle
earlier,anotherholy man, DonStewart,reportedly madethebig time in evangelism(i.e.,
anannualtake ofmorethan $10,000,000)bydistributingto his votariessnippets ofhis
underwear,which True Believersput undertheir pillows, sincethebitsofcloththathad
beenin contact with his fleshhadabsorbedthemana ofhis holiness. Andin the
quadrennialpopularity contest to determinewhich actorwasto have thestar rolein the
White House,allthreeof thepresidentialcandidatesdeemedit expedientto announce
thattheyhad "gotJesus" andbeen "bornagain."
Moresignificantly,in both EnglandandtheUnited States, aconsiderablenumber ofmen
whohavereceived enough technicaltrainingto be calledscientists, havebeen hiredor
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inspiredto provetheauthenticityofthe HolyShroud ofTurinby"scientific"proofthat
thecoarseclothwasdiscolored bysupernatural means, themanaof divinity.Some of
thesescientists, it is true,claimthatthevaguepicture was formedonthe fabricbecause
thebodyof thedeceased godwas highlyradio-active andemittedradiation ofanintensity
comparableto thatproduced bytheexplosion ofan atomicbomb atHiroshima,but
obviouslyonly averysupernatural forcecouldhave chargedthecells ofan organicbody
with suchenormousand deadlyenergy. Inmany Americancolleges,professors of
reputableacademic subjects areteaching courses to demonstratethathuman beings
cannotbetheproduct of thebiologicalprocess of evolution, but must havebeenspecially
designedandmanufactured bya godin away that theymore orlessexplicitly identify
with thewell-knownaccount ofthedescentofmankind fromAdamandhis sparerib.
ThedivinityschoolofEmoryUniversity (foundedin 1836)offers,forthe edificationof
Methodist ministers, agraduateseminar in thetheologyofAmerica’s most distinguished
automobilethiefandrapist, aBlackpreacher named King,and,presumablyfor such
exemplaryChristianity, wasrewardedwith a gift of$100,000,000,thelargest private
benefactiononrecord.
TheUnitedStates hasalways beennoted forthe multiplicityandfanaticism ofits
Christian sects,but onamuchsmallerscale aChristian "outreach"(tousethe evangelical
term)forsouls and fundsmaybe observedin severalcountriesofEurope, even including,
it is said,somein Sovietterritory.Andone wonders whetherasurveyin Englandtoday
wouldmaintainthestatistics thatpermittedProfessor A.N.Whiteheadto conclude,in
1942,that"farlessthan one-fifthofthepopulation areinany sense Christians today." I
hearthatthe fractionwouldhaveto besignificantlyincreased, andthatRoman
Catholicism, morethanothersects,is constantlyattracting asignificantnumber of
"converts."Butthenumber ofpersons whoattend churchesor profess to believe some
oneofthenumerousChristian doctrinesis relativelyunimportant. Thedomestic and
foreignpoliciesof allthenations oftheWestern worldarebased onideas thattheir
populations asawholetake for grantedandaccept without reflectionorconsideration –
ideaswhichareobviously,though sometimes not explicitly,derived from Christian
theologyand are,so to speak, aresidue ofthe ages whenourrace was,not inaccurately,
calledChristendom.
Matissewasegregiouslywrong.His spectacular error,however,was aprojection
logicallymade fromthe evidenceavailableto him in 1910,whenheconcludedthat"the
White racehas conquered thewholeworldandslain theDragon[of superstition]. And
theracehadto doit. Ifthe humanmind hadbeenincapableof thatachievement, themost
difficultofallit’s achievements,it wouldhavebeen doomed. Intellectwould haveended
in failureonthis planet. Itwasaquestion ofthelife ordeathof intelligence... The
indisputableproofofthe innatelysuperior power oftheEuropeanmind todayis atheism."
Matisse,ofcourse,did not foreseethe catastrophe of1914orsensethesubterranean and
occultforcesthatweresecretlyin operation evenin 1910to precipitate,not just another
Europeanwar to alter the balanceof power onthe Continent, but awarthat thoseforces
convertedinto auniversal disaster,evenmore destructive ofrationalitythan ofproperty
andlife,whichmayprove to havebeen thebeginningofthe endforour civilization and
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race.Thequestion that Matisseso clearlyposed thereforeremains, not alteredbythe
calamitieshecouldnot foresee,but insteadnow madeevenmore vital and urgent.
Thequestion is obviously,perhaps fatally,divisive, but it cannot beevaded orignored.
Thequestion is oneto whichevenreticence is an answer;andhypocrisy is demoralizing.
Ihave therefore undertaken theexacting andalmost impossible taskofpresentingin
thesepages anobjective anddispassionatesummaryof theproblem,condensing into a
fewpages whatwouldmore properlybe thesubstance ofseveral volumes, themselves
compendious. Ihavenecessarily refrained fromdebatingsideissues andfrom straying
into scholarlycontroversies. Ihavetried to limit myselfto skeletal essentials ofwhatmay
with confidencebe regarded asestablishedfact and logicalinferencetherefrom, and I
assumethat Ineednot tell intelligentreadersthatthe subjectis oneonwhich it is flatly
impossible to makeanystatementwhatsoeverthat is not contradictedsomewherein the
horrendoustonnage ofprinted paperontheshelves ofevenamediocrelibrary.*
*Ihaverestrictedthedocumentarynotestoabareminimum,limitedtopointsthatmaynotgenerallybe
mattersofcommonknowledge.Sofaraspossible,IhavecitedonlyworksavailableinEnglish,selecting
fromthesetheoneortwothatgive,sofarasIknow,themostsuccinctandperspicuoustreatmentofthe
giventopic.
Toviewourproblemclearly, wemust beginwith its beginningsandindicate, as
summarilyaspossible, its prehistoricorigins, limiting ourselvesto matters directly
relevantto ourown race, with whichaloneweneed havearational concern. Andsince
Indo-Europeanis bestreservedfor useas alinguistic term,andsuchwords asNordicand
Celtic aretoo restrictive asdesignationsofvariations within ourspecies,we shall usethe
onlyavailablewordin generalusethatdesignates ourraceasa whole,althoughtheJews
haveforbidden us to use it. Aryan,furthermore,has theadvantagethatit is not a
geographicterm, andwhile somemaythink it immodest to describeourselves asarya,
‘noble,’thatworddoes indicatearangeof moral conceptsfor whichour raceseemsto
haveinstinctively apeculiarandcharacteristicrespect,whichdifferentiates it fromother
racesassharplyasdoits physicaltraits, and,like them,moreorlessconspicuously,
dependingontheparticularcontrast thatis made. Itis unfortunatethatin thepresentstate
ofknowledgewe cannot traceour species,the Aryans, to thespeciesofHomo erectusor
Homohabilis fromwhich it is descended.
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The Origins of Christianity
by Revilo P. Oliver
Professor of the Classics, Retired; University of Illinois, Urbana
CHAPTER ONE:
RELIGION
RELIGION,which wemaydefine asabelief in theexistenceofpraeter-human and
supernaturalbeings,is a phenomenonlimited to severalhumanspecies, since it depends
onrudimentarypowers of reasonandrelativelydeveloped powers ofimagination. We
mayagreewith Xenophanesthatifoxen orhorses orlions conceivedof gods, each
specieswould,likemen, createits godsin its own image,but there is noslightestreason
forsupposingthatmammals otherthanmanhave anyconception ofsuperiorbeingsother
thananinstinctive recognition ofpredatoryspecies thatcanprey onthem andan
instinctive suspicion ofwhateveris unfamiliar and maytherefore bedangerous.
AnatoleFrance,to besure, identifieddogs asreligious animals,andhehadabasisfor
doingso. Adogdoesvenerate his master asabeingwith powers vastly superiorto his
own.Heworshipshis godin his ownway,seeking to conciliate his favorwith
propitiatorymotions and caresses,learningto obeyhis wishesand whims, andeven
havingasenseof sin whenheknowsthathehas yieldedto atemptation to dosomething
thatwill displeasehis deity.Adogtriesto appease his god’sanger,asmen do,by
humilityand fawningand hewill fightforhis god,evenattheriskofhis ownlife.But
wemust not carryFrance’sanalogytoo far.Thedog’s godis aliving being, who
normallyfeedshis canineworshipper,punisheshim physicallyonoccasion, and,if
worthyof devotion,pets him affectionately.Nodogeverworshipped abeingthathe
couldnot see,hear,smell, andtouch.
EugèneMarais, whosescientific investigationshave atlast been accordedthe honorthey
longdeserved,made observations ofthehighest importance for anthropological studies.
Hediscoveredthatbaboons collectivelyevince adegreeof intelligencethat, in certain
respects,surpasses thatof theapesthat areusually classifiedasanthropoid, and,despite
theirlackof anarticulated language,theymay favorablybe comparedto the more
primitive speciesthatareclassifiedashuman.The chacmaswhomMarais so patiently
observedundoubtedlyhave rudimentarypowers of reason,to which, indeed, theyowe
theirsurvivalin anenvironment thatbecameoverwhelmingly hostile when farmersand
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governmentundertookto exterminatethem. Inhis articlesforthe generalpublic, which
werecollectedandtranslated underthetitle,My Friends, theBaboons(London, 1939),
Maraisdescribesahighly significantincident thatoccurredduringhis prolonged
observationofaband of baboons thathad,afterlong observation, cometo accepthim
andhis colleagueasnot hostile membersofaspecies theyjustlyfeared. When manyof
theinfantbaboonsweresmitten byanepidemic malady,theelders oftheband, its
oligarchs,solicited human help andfounda wayto showthattheybelieved orhopedthat
kindlymembersofour species, which,theyknew byexperience,hadthe power to inflict
deathmiraculouslywith arifle,alsohadthe miraculous powerto preservefrom death
beingsthey choseto protect. Andatleast oneofthe femalebaboons, motherofadead
infant,unmistakablybelieved orhoped thatmenhad thepowerto resurrect thedeadand
restorethemto life.
Ifthepathetic episodeis reportedcorrectly,thechacmashave somethingof thepowerof
imaginationthatis requisite forreligiosity. Butwe should not callthemreligious.They
attributedto amammalian species,whichtheyknew to havepowers incomprehensibleto
them,apowerthespecies did not have.Baboonsdofearnight anddarkness, but ifthey
giveashapeto what they fear,they probablythink ofit asaleopard. There is noevidence
to suggestthattheyhave eventhemost rudimentarynotion of gods.Nomore canbe said
ofsomespeciesof anthropoids thatareclassified as humanbecausetheyhave an
articulate,though rudimentary,language. Anthropologists whohadopportunities to
observethosespecies before theirnative consciousness hadbeenmuch corruptedby
"missionaries"orbycontact with higherraces (which usuallyexcites an almost simian
imitativeness),reportthat thedim consciousnessofthosespecies, althoughpossessing
certainanimalinstincts and facultiesthatareweak orwantingin ourrace,is strictly
animistic, attributing,so faras wecan tell, theefficacyof aspear to somepower inherent
in thespearitself,andbeing unableto distinguish betweenanimateandinanimate
objects.Thecreatures livein aworldofperpetual mystery,incapableof perceivinga
relationbetweencauseand effect.Scrupulousobservationhasshownthatthe Aruntaand
othertribesofAustraloids, admittedlythelowestspecies thatis classified as human,
propagatedthemselves for atleastfiftythousand yearswithout even guessingthatthere
mightbesomecausal relationship betweensexual intercourseandpregnancy. For aught
weknowto thecontrary, baboonsmayhavemore nativeintelligence.Obviously, where
nothingis eithernatural orsupernatural,there can benoconceptthatcould becalled
religious.
Suchfactsshould makeuscharyoftrying to reconstruct theunknownpre-history ofour
racefromobservation of theprimitive racesthathave survivedto ourown time. They,
liketheprimitive coelacanth, whichhassurvived muchlonger,mayrepresent thedead
endsofanevolutionaryprocess thatcan gonofarther.Thework of Frobenius,best
knownin theEnglishtranslation entitledTheChildhoodof Man(London, 1909),
encouraged,morebyits title thanits content,anassumption oncegenerallyheldasa
residueofChristian doctrine.When thedogmathat allhumanbeingswerethe progenyof
Adamandhis spareribcould nolongerbe maintained, it was,ashappens with allcultural
residues,modifiedaslittle aspossible, andit wasreplaced with thenotion ofhuman
descentfrom asinglehypothetical ancestralfamily.Now,that Dr.Carleton Coon, in his
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Origin of Races(NewYork, 1962),hasshown,as conclusivelyastheexiguous data
permit,thatthefiveprimary racesowe theirdiversityto thedifferences betweenthe
severalpithecanthropoid speciesfromwhich they respectivelyevolved,we cannolonger
assumethat,forexample, theHottentots oftodayrepresentastageof evolution through
whichourancestorsonce passed.Thereis simply noevidencethat ourrace wasever
animistic;its religiositymayhave appeared in minds ofbasicallydifferent quality.
We havenocertaintrace ofourracebefore comparativelyrecenttimes. Ifweoverrule
somedissentingopinions andidentifythe Cro-Magnonpeople asAryan, we have goneas
faraswecan into ourpast, andthat,formost ofour evidence,is lessthantwenty
thousand years.We may think it likelythattheCro-Magnonshada religion,but wehave
nomeansofknowingwhat it was.Theconfident statementsthatoneso commonlysees
areconjectures, formedlargely oninadmissible analogies with modernprimitives, and
basedentirelyontwokinds ofevidence:burialsand thecave-paintingsthat evincean
artistictalentthatmakes theCro-Magnonsunique amongthepeoples ofthe worldin their
time.
We arefrequentlytold thatcareforthedead andpainstakingburials areevidenceofsome
beliefin anafterlife and, hence,in ghosts,but thatis aguess.Burialmaybe nomorethan
amanifestationofaninstinctive respectoraffection forthedead andanunwillingness to
seehis corpsedevoured bybeasts orbecomingputrescentnearthe camp. When aman’s
possessions areburied with him, theremayindeed havebeen somenotion (as is attested
in Egypt,for example)thattheequipmentwouldbe usefulto him in apostmortem
existence,but it is equallypossible thatsomeor manyinstances ofthis custom may
indicatetheemergenceof astrongsenseof private property:thespearorthe beadsorthe
goldendrinking horn werethedeadman’s, andno oneshould stealfromhim whenhe
diesandcannolonger defendhis own.
Inthe celebrated cave-paintings, wesee menwho weartheheads andhides ofanimals,so
wearetold, onthebasisofconjecturalanalogies, thatthefiguresareshamans making
magicforasuccessful hunt. Butthevery cave("Trois-Frères"in Haute-Garonne) that
containsthebest-known depictionofsucha "sorcerer" alsocontainsapainting that
showsamanwhowears theheadandhide ofa reindeerwhilestalking aherd ofthose
animals,andhis disguise hasanobviouslypractical purpose.Theisolated figuresin
animalcostumethatseem to bedancingmaybe merelycavorting forthe amusementof
theirfellowsor,conceivably,exhibiting extravagant joyoverluckin hunting.
Inone cave(Willendorf) is foundasmall figurine, carvedwith noteworthy skill fromthe
tusk ofamammoth, whichdepictsaveryplump woman with anelaboratecoiffurein an
advancedstageofpregnancy, clearlynot her first. Some wit satiricallycalls it a"Venus,"
andwesoon have ourchoicebetweenseveraldissertations aboutfertilitycults andthe
religionof whichtheywereapart. The fact is thatwedonot knowwhocarved the
figurineorwhy. Itdoes evincesomeinterestin pregnancy–perhapsthatof ahusband
whohopesfor anotheroffspring,perhapsthat ofa manwhohadawhim to carve
somethingfromatusk.
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We may,of course,form conjecturesabouttheorigin ofreligion.Statius was doubtless
right:primus in orbedeos fecittimor.Earlymen did live in a worldfilledwith terrorsand
dangersthatthey,nomatter hownativelyintelligent, couldnot understand. Earthquakes
areawesome, evenwhen theyarenot destructive. Storms arisewithout perceptible
causes;hurricanes andviolent lightningsawaken atavistic fearsin us, even ifwe,who
knowthattheyaremerely natural phenomena,are in placesofsafety. The veryseasons
(especiallyin atime of climatic changesfollowing theretreatof glaciers)seem
mysteriousatbest, andeven fearfulwhen accompaniedbyprolongedrainfall, excessive
snow,ordesiccatingdrought. Evenluck,that is, unexplained coincidences,makessome
ofourowncontemporaries superstitious and,ifadverse,maysuggest theactivityof
mysteriouslyinimical forces.And,like thebaboons, weinstinctivelydread darkness,
whichmayconcealallthe fearsomedangersthatthe imagination canconceive. Ignorance
is terrible.So muchis obvious.
We arereducedto precarious speculation,however,whenwe tryto understand whyour
remoteancestorsimagined thattheincomprehensible phenomenaamidwhichtheyhadto
livecouldbeinfluenced bytheirown acts–thatthey could,for example, appease
whatevercausedstorms orpersuadewhatever causedrainto endadrought. Andwasit
becausephenomenaof which thecauseis unknown seemcapriciousandthus like
impulses andwhims ofmenthattheyimaginedthat invisible beings,praeterhuman men,
consciouslyproducedthe phenomena? Didmanybandsortribesspontaneouslyand
independentlyimaginesupernatural beingsasthe causesofinexplicable phenomena,or
did thenotion firstoccurto somevisionaryindividual, whoseexplanation wasaccepted
andadoptedevermore widelybecausenoone could think ofabetterone? Ordid adults
transferto the externalworld thesentiments excitedwhentheywere children andsubject
to whateverrewardsor chastisements aparent chose to bestoworinflict? Onemay
speculateendlesslywhy menbeganto attributenatural phenomenato supernatural
persons.Theonly certaintyis thattheydid, andwheneverthey did so, religion wasborn.
Itwas anattemptto understand theworldbyidentifying causesand classifyingthem,and
crudeasit seems to us, it evincesamore thananimal intelligence.
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The Origins of Christianity
by Revilo P. Oliver
Professor of the Classics, Retired; University of Illinois, Urbana
CHAPTER TWO:
THE TRIPLE FUNCTION
WE LIVEINATIMEin whichthereis muchtalk about"religiousfreedom." Itis
assumedthatbeliefsabout thesupernaturalarea "privatematter" which everyindividual
hasaright to determine for himself.Thuswehave thedogmaaboutthe "separationof
churchandstate" which wasoneofthebasic principles oftheAmericanConstitution and
survivestodayasoneofthefewbases ofthatConstitution thathavenot beenofficially
repudiatedor covertlyabrogated.
This conceptionofreligion is arecentone. Itwas anoveltywhentheConstitution was
written,andit wasthena compromisethatmanyof ourpeople acceptedonly reluctantly.
Ithas consequencesthat verylarge segmentsofour population areunwilling to accept
today.Andit is nowasourceofinfinite sophistry, hypocrisy,chicanery,and
befuddlement.
We must thereforeremind ourselvesthatreligionis historicallyasocial phenomenon and
aconcernofthe collectivitymuchmorethanof the individual. Fromtheearliest history
ofourraceto thepresent, religionhas,in varying degrees,servedthree distinct purposes:
asapolitical bond,asasanction forsocialmorality, and asaconsolation forindividuals.
Thesethree functionsbecameso intertwinedthat atany giventime in our history,
includingthepresent, theyseem inextricablyinterwoven, but to distinguishthemclearly,
wemayconsider themseparately.
COHESION
AsallreadersofRobert Ardrey’sbrilliant expositions ofbiologicalfacts,TheTerritorial
Imperativeand TheSocial Contract,wellknow,allanimalsthathunt in packsmust have
aninstinctive senseofa commonpurposeanda rudimentarysocial organization that
regulatestherelations betweenindividuals andproduces,atleasttemporarily, a cohesion
betweenthembysubordinatingtheindividual to thegroupandits common purpose.
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Obedienceto thelawofthe packmust beautomatic amongwolves,lycaones, andall
speciesthatdepend forsurvival oncooperationbetweenindividuals.
We maybe certainthatthatinstinctive sensewas presentin ourremote biological
antecedentsoftwoormore million yearsago,the Australopitheci,whohuntedin small
packsandeven learnedto useassimple weapons stonesandthebonesof animals they
hadkilled anddevoured. We mayassume,however, thatthey,like wolves, assembledas
packsonly to hunt largeranimals,andthatthebond betweenindividuals,otherthan
mates,enduredonly duringthehunt. This instinct forlimited confederation must have
beenpresent, amillion ormore yearslater,in thevarious prehumanspecies, commonly
calledHominesErecti, some ofwhich,asCarleton Coon hasshownin hisOrigin of
Races,survived asdistinct speciesof anthropoidsthateventuallydevelopedinto the
extant racesofmankind. Itis areasonable andperhaps necessarydeduction fromthe
availableevidencethatthe specieswhich survived to becomehumanwerethosein which
theinstinct becamestrongenoughto producemore permanentassociations, apackthat
remainedtogether even afterthesuccessfultermination ofthehunt andthe eatingof its
quarry,whilethespecies thatcouldformnolarger permanentgroups thando gorillas
todaywereheaded for extinction.
We must assumethattheseveralspecies of HominesErectithatbecamethe ancestorsof
thevariousracesnow alivewereasintelligent as baboons,huntedin packs offromtento
twelveadultmales,remainedtogetheras abandor miniaturetribe,asdobaboons, and
communicatedwith one anotherbyutteringavariety of cries andothersounds,
supplementedbygestures, againasbaboonsdo.And it is probablethatnoassociation of
individuals largerthansuch abandwas possible for manythousands of years.
TheNeanderthals,whom theCro-Magnonswisely, thoughnodoubt instinctively,
exterminatedin Europeand perhapselsewhere, are now generallyregarded asanextinct
raceof humanbeings,probably evenlower thanthe AustraloidsandCongoids ofour
owntime, andmost biologistsnowincludethemin thetaxonomic categorythatembraces
theseveralracesthathave beenironically calledhomines sapientes.Althoughit is
frequentlyassumedthat theNeanderthals formed groupslargerthan aband ofbaboons,
thereis novalidevidence thattheydid, andsuch social cohesionastheyhad must have
beenentirelyinstinctive andsubconscious.Although some anthropologists havefound
new groundsfordissent, themajoritynowbelieves thattheNeanderthalswereable to
communicatewith oneanother bymeans of averycrudeand rudimentary language,that
is, articulatedsounds of definitemeaning,asdistinct fromthevarietyof inarticulate cries
andgrunts,supplemented bygestures,bywhichbaboons nowcommunicate, andhomines
erectimust havecommunicated, with oneanother. Itis most unlikely,however,thatthe
Neanderthals’language wassufficientlydeveloped to permiteither generalizations or
statementsaboutthepast andfutureratherthan thepresent.
Thesuccess oftheCro-Magnonpeople in huntingsuch formidable game asmammoths is
sufficientproofthatthey must havelivedtogether in groupslarge enoughto becalled a
tribe,andthattheyhad a languagethatwas in somewayinflected to formtenses andthus
indicatetemporalrelationships, therebymakingpossible consciousplanningandspecific
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