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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE. cared to think for himself, without bias or bigotry. Again, the unexpected spear thrust in his side, on the cross, might have been responsible, in some way, unknown to us, for his avoiding publicity. In the region of occultism, no single thought goes unpunished, so that the spear thrust was, in all probability, the result of the doubt and weakness displayed by Jesus at the place of Gethsemane. Peter's sinking in consequence of doubt (Matthews, XIV. 31) is an illustration of the point so well put by Jesus in the famous text* Whosoever shall say to this mountain be thou removed, ...and shall not doubt in his heart,...shall have whatsoever he saith' (Mark, XI. 23). There is yet the possibility of the accuracy, in some particulars at least, of the accounts of Matthew and Luke, although the way in which they narrate the events, renders it well nigh impossible to put faith in their historical veracity. Probably Jesus paid a visit to his followers immediately after his rising from the dead,' and spent a few hours in their company, but finding that his resurrection was doubted even by his chosen disciples, in spite of the proofs afforded by direct perception and touch, withdrew himself altogether from that country. The crucifixion of the 'man-element' in him had so far lessened the sense of the reality of the world that he did not care to force himself into contact with it again.
In the absence of any record left by Jesus himself, as well as in that of any reasonable explanation from his disciples, or any of his followers, it must be confessed that all the explanations suggested above are pure speculations, and must be taken for what they are
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