“John’s Apocalypsis, and the explanations of sincere Christian bishops, like Synesius, who, to the last, adhered to the Platonic doctrines, make us think that the wisest and safest way is to hold to that sincere primitive faith which seems to have actuated the above-named bishop. This best, sincerest, and most unfortunate of Christians, addressing the “Unknown”, exclaims: “Oh Father of the Worlds…Father of the Aeons…Artificer of the Gods, it is holy to praise!” But Synesius had Hypatia for an instructor, and this is why we find him confessing in all sincerity his opinions and profession of faith. “The rabble desires nothing better than to be deceived. …As regards myself, therefore, I will always be a philosopher with myself, but I must be priest with the people.”
“Holy is God the Father of all being, holy is God, whose wisdom is carried out into execution by his own Powers! …Holy art Thou, who through the Word had created all! Therefore, I believe in Thee, and bear testimony, and go into the LIFE and LIGHT.” Thus speaks Hermes Trismegistus, the heathen divine. What Christian bishop could have said better than that?
The apparent discrepancy of the four gospels as a whole, does not prevent every narrative given in the New Testament – however much disfigured – having a ground-work of truth. To this, are cunningly adapted details made to fit the later exigencies of the Church. So, propped up partially by indirect evidence, still more by blind faith, they have become, with time, articles of faith. Even the fictitious massacre of the “Innocents” by King Herod has a certain foundation to it, in its allegorical sense.
Apart from the now-discovered fact that the whole story of such a massacre of the Innocents is bodily taken from the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita, and Brahmanical traditions, the legend refers, moreover, allegorically, to a historical fact. King Herod is the type of Kansa, the tyrant of Madura, the maternal uncle of Christna, to whom astrologers predicted that a son of his niece Devaki would deprive him of his throne. Therefore, he gives orders to kill the male child that is born to her; but Christna escapes his fury through the protection of Mahadeva, (the great God), who causes the child to be carried away to another city, out of Kansa’s reach. After that, in order to be sure and kill the right boy, on whom he failed to lay his murderous hands, Kansa has all the male newborn infants within his kingdom killed. Christna is also worshipped by the gopas, (the shepherds), of the land.
Though this ancient Indian legend bears a very suspicious resemblance to the more modern biblical romance, Gaffarel and others attribute the origin of the latter to the persecutions during the Herodian reign of the kabalists and the Wise men, who had not remained strictly orthodox. The latter, as well as the prophets, were nicknamed the “Innocents”, and the “Babes”, on account of their holiness. As in the case of certain degrees of modern Masonry, the adepts reckoned their grade of initiation by a symbolic age. Thus, Saul who, when chosen king, was “a choice and godly man”, and “from his shoulders upward was higher than any of the people”, is described in Catholic versions, as “child of one year when he began to reign”, which, in its literal sense, is a palpable absurdity. But in 1 Samuel 10, his anointing by Samuel and initiation are described, and at verse 6, Samuel uses this significant language: “…the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.”
The phrase above quoted is thus made plain – he had received one degree of initiation and was symbolically described as “a child one year old”. The Catholic Bible, from which the text is quoted, with charming candor says in a foot note: “It is extremely difficult to explain”, (meaning that Saul was a child of one year). But undaunted by any difficulty the Editor, nevertheless, does take upon himself to explain it, and adds, “A child of one year. That is, he was good and like an innocent child.” An interpretation as ingenious as it is pious; and which if it does no good, can certainly do no harm.”
H. P. Blavatsky
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 