The Cornerstone of Scripture an Egyptian Pyramidion?
By Kerry A. Shirts
A Note: this is some research I wrote on a message board, and thought it would work well here on my website also. I will add to it as I have time, as I note.
What was the cornerstone in scripture? A most
uniquely interesting article on just this subject is by Edwin E.
Le Bas, "Was the Cornerstone of Scripture a
Pyramidion?" in the "Palestine Exploration
Quarterly," 1946. He first notes how the Early Christians
disagreed among themselves as to what kind of stone represented
the Christ. Irenaeus said it was a foundation stone of a
building, while Tertullian, born just 30 years later at Carthage
declared it to be a capstone, a stone holding the topmost
position in a building. It is the crowning completing stone of
the edifice, "der Abschlussstein" according to J.
Jeremias. (p. 105). Through a very interesting analysis of
linguistic data available to him, the cornerstone using what
Greek terms were used for this image in ancient scriptures, as
well as Hebrew and Egyptian, he notes that the cornerstone is
none other than the pyramidion, which corresponds to the Egyptian
Ben ben stone! This is what caught my eye!
Hugh Nibley in his truly magnificent commentary on the Joseph
Smith Papyri, "The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri,"
has demonstrated that the Benben stone in conjunction with
Heliopolis and the Pharaohs rule of glory had everything to do
with shining, with glory, withcreation, etc. (pp. 156- 157)
Obelisks, pyramids and other solar and celestial stones were
usually found in burial places. We all know by now that the death
and resurrection of Osiris took place on the lion couch as Budge
and others have shown. In fact, Anthony Spalinger's article
"Some Remarks on the Epagomenal Days in Ancient Egypt,"
in the "Journal of Near Eastern Studies," 54:1(1995):
43, shows that at the temple of Opet, Osiris on the Lion Couch is
not a dead person, but is depicted as reviving, and resurrecting.
It is the process of rebirth and rejuvination which we see in the
Opet scene, a scene Nibley studied in conjunction with the Book
of Abraham Fac. 1 resurrection or sacrificial scene of our Fac.
1. (Improvement Era, May-July 1969).
Anyway, Peter Tompkins in his book "Secrets of the Great
Pyramid," p. 371 shows how the pyramidion used to be on the
obelisks as well as atop the Great Pyramid so that it shone in
the sun. Apparently at one time it was metal. This shining of the
sun gave an illusion of gold. Nibley noted in his book "The
Message," that it was just this shining which was apparently
manipulated to shine inside the temple anciently that set things
miraculously in motion.
And, of course, who is unaware of the divine phoenix, the bird of
resurrection, that alights on top of the ben ben stone?
Interestingly, the early Christians used just this phoenix symbol
to show forth their own proof of Christ's resurrection! The First
Epistle of Clement discusses this phoenix which he calls a
"wonderful sign," and uses it in conjunction with his
analysis of Jesus Christ's own resurrection! Phoenix as a
resurrection symbol, and benben stone, the pyramidion as symbol
of light, glory, the capstone of eternal achievment, etc. go very
well together, and the meeting point is Jesus Christ. (See
Clement's discussion in "The Ante-Nicene Fathers," Vol.
1, Rev. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Reprint,
Oct. 1979: 12.)
David Fideler in his astonishingly interesting book "Jesus
Christ:Sun of God," Quest Books, 1993 (pp. 148f) shows that
Benben stone is closely associated with the ancient Egyptian City
of the Sun, Heliopolis. The Benben was also the symbol of the
primordial hill of creation. Interestingly, Heliopolis in the
Bible is referred to as "On, the word in Greek philosophy
means "Being."
In an article in the "Palestine Exploration Quarterly"
(1962): 134-142, called "The Pharaoh: Joseph and His Family;
On 'City of the Columns," it indicates that the stone
columns were of importance as well, since Iwnw means column of
stone. We also learn here that Joseph married the High Priest's
daughter of On. The column with the pyramidion represented the
solar deity himself coming and shining his light of truth on the
people.
Just a fun little ditty for you all to think about a little bit.
It is interesting to see how the ancient symbolism work across
cultural boundaries into foreign countries as well as in ancient
Palestine isn't it......
Isn't it also quite interesting that Carl Jung
in his magisterial, and I mean magisterial MAGNUM OPUS,
"Mysterium Coniunctionis," shows that Maier, who
researched in Alchemical studies, felt that the crossing of the
Red Sea signified the death and resurrection, and in his
wanderings in Africa, he heard of an animal that was named Ortus,
in the region of the Red Sea. It had a red head with streaks of
gold reaching to its neck, black eyes, a white face, white
forepaws and black hindpaws, and was convinced this was the
legendary Phoenix. He heard a rumor that the prophetess known as
the "Erythraean Sibyl dwelt in a cave. And this was the
sibyl who had foretold the coming of Christ. Maier concluded that
the Ortus of the Red Sea region was the Phoenix, which, rising in
the ashes after a hot flame (the heat in Arabia Felix is
legendary for its intensity), was reborn like the sun in
Heliopolis. (pp. 211, 213)
In other words, no matter what we search into, whether Early
Christian, Early Egyptian, and later Medieval alchemy, the
Phoenix is associated with virtues which Christ had. I think that
is so interesting.....I have a lot of junk on this I may have to
throw together someday if enough folks ask about it. The
symbolism of Jesus Christ have occupied me for quite some time,
and it is truly astonishing to see what has come of it all.
Well, in another truly mind boggling text by Alexander Roob,
"The Hermetic Museum: Alchemy & Mysticism,"
Taschen, 1997, p. 359 he shows the alchemy associated with not
only the Phoenix, but the dove, and significance of the birds.
This out of D. Stolcius von Stoicenberg, Viridarium chymicum,
Frankfurt, 1624. Isn't it truly interesting that even in the
Tarot Card Decks, the symbol of fire is associated with either
the Salamander, or the Phoenix, because as a symbol of Mercuris,
this is the ancient Hermes with the two serpent staff, the
caduceus mind you, is symbolic of spirit interpenetrating and
refining matter! This spirit is also the philosopher's stone, the
lapis, which transforms base matter into gold, or the soul into
purification! And is this not exactly what Christ did through the
resurrection? No, I say there are connections absolutely all over
the place with these symbols..... (see Richard Roberts,
"Tarot Revelations," Vernal Equuinox Press, 1987:
117-118.
In fact, I just read a most remarkable article in the
"Harvard Theological Review" 89:3(1996) "The
Phoenix in Rabbinic Literature," by M.R. Niehoff, which
describes the different approaches to this remarkable phoenix and
how the different religions used this symbol and how their
interpretations differed, and how they added on meaning to suit
their own purposes and views. It was truly fascinating to see how
the Christians used the Phoenix as a support for the
resurrection, as well as the virgin birth of Christ.
I am now just translating A. Wiedemann's article "Die Phonix
Sage im alten Aegypten," from the ZAS, an Egyptological
journal which has been in existence since 1865. So far it is most
interesting because Wiedemann says based on the monuments that
had been found in his day, and what they said, the Phoenix was
associated with Osiris! And even with Ra, the Sun God of ancient
Egypt. Well, Osiris, is of course the Egyptian counterpart of
Jesus Christ, and as I have noted earlier in David Fideler's new
book "Jesus Christ: Sun of God, Early Christian
Cosmology," Jesus was obviously a solar associated deity as
well. And as Niehoff shows, the phoenix was definitely associated
with the bird of heaven. Well and then Nibley in his lectures
"One Eternal Round" also discusses the phoenix in
relation to the Indian Garuda Bird in fact. Sooooo, this
symbolism is quite fun. I have one of the medieval beastiaries of
Christ, but I can't find it right off. It has a wholloping amount
of stuff on the Phoenix and Christ. When I find it I will share
it with you all here also.
Kerry