Oahspe: A New Bible

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Oahspe: A New Bible  
Original title Oahspe: A New Bible
Country United States
Language English
Subject(s) Spiritual-Religious
Publisher Newbrough
Publication date 1882
Pages 890

Oahspe: A New Bible is a book published in 1882, purporting to contain "new revelations" from "...the Embassadors of the angel hosts of heaven prepared and revealed unto man in the name of Jehovih..." [1] It was written by an American dentist, John Ballou Newbrough (1828–1891), who reported it to have been produced by automatic writing, making it one of a number of 19th-century neo-revelationist works attributed to that practice.[2]

Oahspe comprises a series of related interior books chronicling earth and its heavenly administrations, as well as setting forth teachings for modern times. Included are over 100 drawings.[3] The title page of Oahspe describes its contents with these words:

A New Bible in the Words of Jehovih and His Angel Ambassadors. A Sacred History of the Dominions of the Higher and Lower Heavens on the Earth for the Past Twenty-Four Thousand Years together with a Synopsis of the Cosmogony of the Universe; the Creation of Planets; the Creation of Man; the Unseen Worlds; the Labor and Glory of Gods and Goddesses in the Etherean Heavens; with the New Commandments of Jehovih to Man of the Present Day.

"Jehovih" (Jehovih is the modern English form of Yehovih-SHD 3069[4]; just as Jehovah is the modern English form of Yahovah-SHD 3068.[5]) is used in Oahspe as the name of the Creator; in Oahspe 'God' is the title of the (at one-time mortal) spiritual ruler over Earth. Beyond the one-time mortal God of Earth is the Ever Present, called by various names such as Jehovih the Great Spirit. "But whoever from now on hears my word and the decree of my commandment and continues to make an idol of any name except the Great Spirit, blasphemes against his Creator." [6] Adherents of the revelation expounded in Oahspe are referred to as Faithists.

Contents

[edit] Nature of the revelation

 This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (December 2009)
The "Tablet of Fonece" an illustration from Oahspe

According to the glossary in the 1882 edition, the meaning of "Oahspe" is Sky, earth (corpor) and spirit. The all; the sum of corporeal and spiritual knowledge as at present.[7]

Oahspe presents a framework and discipline for understanding the Ever Present Creator and His creation. Integral to that are brief heavenly histories regarding the origin of the major ancient and modern religions of humanity. Oahspe summarizes these religions as being necessary for the growth of understanding within humanity, the religions being as steps to help nations and individuals become ethically better people and live happier lives through oneness. With regard to individual development, Oahspe says:

Not immaculate is this book, OAHSPE; but to teach mortals HOW TO ATTAIN TO HEAR THE CREATOR’S VOICE, and to SEE HIS HEAVENS, in full consciousness, while still living on the earth; and to know, in truth, the place and condition waiting for them after death.[8]

Oahspe describes the development of mortals on earth since humanity's inception, giving a broad historical outline of progression followed by retrogression in a series of cycles which repeat at ever advancing levels. The aim is to help humanity come to perfection in its order in creation. One of those perfections is to hear the Creator's Voice, for the Creator speaks to the soul within each person "Jehovih is the Soul of all things; He speaketh to Soul. His voice hath had many names; by the heathen and the idolator he is called Conscience." [9] "It is a talent to hear Me; I bestowed it upon all the living; it is seated in the soul."[10]

For modern times, Oahspe announces a new openness for humanity and that which was hidden shall become revealed. Oahspe gives many answers as to why such a revelation came in this age, one of which is: "That which was profitable to the soul of man, the Father revealed to the ancients; that which is profitable to the soul of man today, He reveals this day."[11] In another place, Oahspe says the openness of this new age, which it calls Kosmon, is because mortals have attained to comprehensive judgment in their souls.[12]

According to Oahspe, the Creator is not in the form and figure of a human,[13] but His Ever Presence can be felt[14] and the work of His hand perceived.[15] But not all humans could understand such an All Person, and so, were allowed to have Idols and Saviors which they could see and measure. This allowance extended to those who could see or sense spirits, which talent Oahspe calls su'is.

An aspect of the su'is talent is known in Spiritualism as Mediumship; people with such talent are called mediums. Oahspe addresses extensively those talents of mediums that spiritualists call clairvoyance and clairaudience, which are, respectively, the seeing and hearing of spiritual and heavenly things. Oahspe tells how to develop these talents, not for selfish purposes, but for spiritual and soul growth and for the uplifting of others.

[edit] Basic Teachings

Through service to others, each individual, group and nation contributes to their own upliftment, and each person is graded according to service to others.[16] Nor, Oahspe states, can anyone stand still, but each individual, group and nation is either in ascension or declension; and that, sooner or later, all ascend, rising in grade. The higher one's grade, the better are the conditions within one's own soul, and the better the place awaiting one in heaven.

Thus, according to Oahspe, when mortals die their spirits continue to live---regardless of who they worshipped, or even whether they disbelieved in an afterlife.[17] The spirit realm becomes their new home, which is called heaven, and the individual spirit is called an angel. There are unorganized heavens close to or on the earth. Also starting there and linking to the highest heavens, are the organized heavens. And both types of heavens are accessible to mortals. If a portion of heaven lives in anarchy and delights in evil, that portion is called hell.

An angel must subsist for a season after death somewhere along the continuum from delightful, down to abysmally wretched conditions. The heavenly place where angels initially live for a season is determined by habits of what they did as mortals as well as by their aspirations and diet.[18] Selfish behavior, low thoughts, or eating animal derived food will place a newborn angel in the lowest level, being on the earth. Evil oriented persons enter heaven into hellish conditions. Nevertheless, all in declension eventually turn around and ascend upward to more delightful places within an organized heaven, whose chief is called God. God is an advanced angel ordained into office for a season.

The morphologically plural name Elohim, often translated as god-singular in the Old Testament, is not used to mean the Creator throughout the main body of Oahspe; the singular Hebrew terms Jehovih (SHD 3069) and Eloih are used instead. The name Elohim is mentioned in Oahspe as having been used in Arabania, to mean the Creator, in Oahspe's linguistic book of Saphah. In Oahspe's rites of Emethachavah, in Saphah, it is explained that the original name of the Creator was E-o-ih (one phonetic cognate of YHWH) which became Jehovih, Eloih, Elohim, & Wenohim [19]. In the glossary[20] under Jehovih, Oahspe directs the student to Godfrey Higgins notes concerning the name elohim, in John B. Newbrough's Commentary[21]. Newbrough quotes Godfrey Higgins notes on the word elohim, including Higgin's analysis that the Hebrew word elohim “is by no means singular.”

[edit] Arrangement of Oahspe

According to Oahspe, the history of humankind is marked by a series of progressions. These lessons come in cycles: advancement followed by recession, being in turn succeeded by other cycles of improvement and regression. Cycles exist within cycles, but one important cycle, used in improving the grade of humanity, is a 3000 year cycle (average), and it is this cycle around which the books in Oahspe are organized.

The first few books of Oahspe lay the groundwork for understanding the nature of the work. This merges into a concise history taking the reader up to the present time, the new era. Separate from the history books are a series of books intended to illume for the reader the requirements of humanity for this day and age.

An interesting graphological characterisitc of Oahspe is that a number of its sub-books are printed on pages divided in two, top to bottom. In these, the top half of the page contains a narrative of celestial events, while the bottom half describes the corresponding events on Earth.

[edit] Synopsis of Oahspe

[edit] Doctrines

Oahspe includes doctrinal books for humanity of today, but precepts can be found throughout its many interior books. Freedom and Responsibility are two themes reiterated throughout the text of Oahspe. Some core doctrines include an herbivorous diet (vegan, vegetable food only), peaceful living (no warring or violence; pacifism), living a life of virtue and service to others. Because the writings of Oahspe cover a wide swath of conditions, to list all the doctrines might require a small book. Suffice it that Oahspe shows that the major good doctrines of other religions were derived from the "religion of Gods"[22] that Oahspe describes.

Not that Oahspe is a religion, but it describes what a religion of today should consist of. This includes raising children in a way conducive to spiritual growth as well as corporeal growth. That religion which Oahspe thus describes, it calls Faithism.[23] Those who choose the Creator, make the covenants and follow the discipline, Oahspe calls Faithists.[24]

[edit] Subjects in Oahspe

Oahspe, being a Bible or book of books, addresses a multitude of topics, so many that a simple list is sure to omit some. Yet Oahspe does present several subjects in some detail. Accordingly, the following list is incomplete:

[edit] Ethics

Oahspe exhibits within it, a wide range of parameters from which to build a foundation for understanding and applying general ethical principles.

[edit] Religion

Oahspe speaks of the need for all religions to help the various nations and peoples to rise upward. And yet it also speaks of what it calls "the religion of Gods themselves,"[25] in which its adherents have no need for intermediaries such as are Saviors and Idols, but who commune directly with the Creator of all.

[edit] History

Oahspe purports to describe events in the spirit realms and their corresponding influence on events in the physical world starting from approximately 72,000 years ago and its believes think that its revelations also provide missing details of ancient historical accounts regarding the origins of earth's major religions.

[edit] Geology and Archeology

Oahspe gives many details regarding an alleged large continent called Pan or Whaga that once filled much of the Pacific Ocean. It also puts forward views on the causes of rapid loss or gain of fertility upon the earth.

[edit] Language and Linguistics

Oahspe presents many illustrations of symbols said to be of ancient languages and of rites and ceremonies. It states the concept that there was an original language called Pan or the Panic Language, meaning "Earth Language," which originated from the ability of humans to mimic sounds. An interior book called the Book of Saphah, has details on the claimed meanings and roots of many of the ancient words, symbols and ceremonies.

[edit] Evolution or Progress

Oahspe contains chronologically-ordered accounts that are cosmological revelations concerning the evolution of humanity from approximately 78,000 years ago. This includes a narrative of the genesis of life on earth, from its start as a planet being formed from its beginnings as a comet, to its first life-forms and finally to the appearance of the human race and its progression from beast to spiritual maturity.

[edit] System and order

[edit] Cosmogony

Oahspe explains physical science as having its basis in subtler realms (which include spiritual forces), and then how to predict from them. Oahspe devotes an entire interior book to the subject, called the Book of Cosmogony and Prophecy, but a general overview can be read in the Book of Jehovih. Also, many examples and edifications are sprinkled throughout Oahspe. Other related subjects include physics and an integrating treatment of gravity, light, electricity, magnetism, and heat.

[edit] Cycles

The text describes cyclical events that occur within a range of greater and smaller cycles. For instance, according to Oahspe, the earth is traveling with the sun and its planets through regions of space in a large circuit of 4,700,000 years, which is divided into sections of 3,000 years average, which also occur within larger cycles of 24,000 years and 72,000 years, and so on. Each of these regions has variations in density and other qualities, and so, engender varying conditions that the Earth encounters. Also, explanation is given as to the rise and fall of civilizations.

[edit] Administration

The various regions mentioned in the previous Cycles section, are under the administration of spiritual or "etherean" beings with titles such as "God" and "Chief" and whose ranks and ages vary in ascending grade, from tens of thousands of years to hundreds of thousands of years old and older. Their dominions cover vast distances and include many spiritual and corporeal worlds of various grades and densities.

These chief officers are designated "Sons and Daughters of Jehovih," and in accordance, the text of Oahspe contains separate sections or "books" such as theBook of Cpenta-Armij, Daughter of Jehovih, and also includes familiar names from non-Abrahamic religions, as in the Book of Apollo and Book of Thor, named as Sons of Jehovih.

Each of these Chiefs, Chieftainesses, Gods and Goddesses are only advanced angels according to Oahspe. And every angel, regardless of rank or office, was once a mortal, either from this planet earth or from some other planet in the universe.

[edit] Influence

After its publication, a number of groups formed in response to Oahspe, including the Shalam Colony in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 1884, of which John Newbrough was a founding member.[26] One such group today is the Universal Faithists of Kosmon(Colorado and California), whose teachings include the virtue of unified group efforts to achieve good works. This group also publishes an 1891 Oahspe edition in paperback format. (Other publishers also have the book available. Previous printings are sometimes found in libraries, or for sale by various book sellers.)

In the United States of America some other existing Faithist organizations are:

  • the Restoration Faithists (of the New York area)
  • [1]The Eloists (headquartered in the New England region)

In other places, existing are:

  • The Kosmon Church [2] , in the United Kingdom
  • the Kosmon Sanctuary,[3] in the United Kingdom
  • the Oahspe Stichting, in Holland [4]

Past Faithist organizations include:

  • the Universal Brotherhood of Faithists, which published "The Land of Shalam"[27] in Tiger, Georgia.
  • the Essenes of Kosmon (who lived in communities in Colorado around the 1940s and 1950s)
  • The Confraternity of Faithists and Kosmon Church in the U.K.

[edit] Related Publications

Numerous publications[28] have been inspired by Oahspe, incorporating text and ideas from it, as well as reinterpretations, condensed and abridged versions. Many of these publications were from: The Essenes of Kosmon,[29] Montrose, Colorado; Kosmon Press, London; Palmer Publications, Amherst, Wisconsin; Universal Faithists of Kosmon, Salt Lake City, Utah; Kosmon Publishing Inc., Kingman, Arizona; The Eloists, Massachusetts; Four Winds Village, Tiger, Georgia.

[edit] Editions

Oahspe has been published in three editions in the U.S.A.; all other complete publications are either reprints or minor modifications of these. The first edition was edited and in 1882 published by John Newbrough. The second was also edited by Newbrough but not published until after his death in the spring of 1891. The third edition, edited and translated into modern American language, was published anonymously into the public domain in 2007.

[edit] Publishing Chronology

The 1882 Oahspe edition was available until the 1891 edition appeared, except for an apparently 1912 London edition, which combined 1882 body text with 1891 front matter and image captions.[30] In the USA, the 1882 edition had not been republished until 1960, after Ray Palmer of Palmer Publications found an 1888 Oahspe edition, by that time rare. He photocopied it and inserted from the 1891 edition, the Book of Discipline, which was not in the 1882 edition; also the 1891 index was adjusted for page numbers and inserted into the 1882 photocopy edition.

The 1891 Oahspe Edition was published in various printings from 1891 to the present. The 1891 edition has been published by Kosmon Press, United Kingdom, since 1910, but with some British spellings such as colour instead of color. In America, E. Wing Anderson and his group, the Essenes of Kosmon, published the 1891 Oahspe edition in several printings from the 1935 printing up to the 1955 printing.

In 2007, the third and most recent edition, the OAHSPE Standard Edition, was published in the public domain and is available free, formatted as an online reading publication, a downloadable e-book, and for hardcopy printing. Having been translated into modern American language, the 2007 edition incorporates both the 1882 and 1891 editions as well as pre-1882 edition material,[31] and contains additional footnotes plus a more extensive index than either the 1882 or 1891 editions.

[edit] References and Footnotes

  1. ^ Oahspe Introduction, verse 23
  2. ^ The Origin Of Oahspe
  3. ^ The number of drawings in Oahspe depends upon what constitutes a separate drawing; for example, apart from the 100 or so drawings in the main text, there are 92 entries in the 1882 Glossary that each have drawings that depict its associated entry term.
  4. ^ http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H3069&t=KJV
  5. ^ http://home.logon.org/english/z/p116z.html
  6. ^ Gods Book of Judgement 32/3.9
  7. ^ 1882 Oahspe Glossary
  8. ^ Oahspe Prologue 02/1.24.
  9. ^ Book of the Arc of Bon 9:19
  10. ^ Book of Jehovih's Kingdom On Earth 39/21.16.
  11. ^ Book of Apollo 14/2.3.
  12. ^ God's Book of Judgment 32/21.1-3.
  13. ^ Book of the Arc of Bon 27/4.23.
  14. ^ Book of Fragapatti 20/24.6.
  15. ^ Oahspe Prologue 02/1.1.
  16. ^ God's Book of Judgment 32/6.1-19.
  17. ^ Book of God's Word 21/7.6-11.
  18. ^ Book of Jehovih 04/4.11.
  19. ^ Emethachavah M'Hak verse 21 http://www.angelfire.com/in2/oahspe3/emeth.html
  20. ^ Glossary http://www.angelfire.com/in2/oahspe3/glossary.html
  21. ^ Commentary on Oahspe http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/cG9sSszNITP3IsCXtYVZNVciJsrWboXExMlupogUBUQ3N0GjDBAP7pHrHDUwv-97pZb2lnRoYjvJ76yLkl3_gImhTo1MzkLzLGh8fA/Commentary%20on%20Oahspe%20by%20John%20Newbrough.doc
  22. ^ Book of Discipline 33/7.15.
  23. ^ Book of Wars Against Jehovih 25/7.1-3.
  24. ^ Oahspe Prologue 02/1.16-20.
  25. ^ Book of Discipline 7:15
  26. ^ Shalam Colony
  27. ^ see bibliography
  28. ^ NMSU Library archives has an extensive but incomplete list of Oahspe related publications.
  29. ^ http://archives.nmsu.edu/exhibits/shalam2/shalam5.html
  30. ^ http://www.sacred-texts.com/oah/oah/index.htm
  31. ^ OAHSPE Standard Edition Title Page

[edit] External links

[edit] Online Oahspe

[edit] Related links

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