The Phœnician origin of Britons, Scots & Anglo-Saxons : discovered by Phœnician & Sumerian inscriptions in Britain, by preroman Briton coins & a mass of new history : with over one hundred illustrations and maps

BEL FIRE & JOHN-THE BAPTIST’S DAY 273

In the Christian period, this pagan Bel-Fire festival of the Summer solstice was early adjusted to Christianity by the Roman Church, for proselytizing purposes, making St. John the Baptist—who, we shall see, is represented in art as carrying the Fire Cross, whose priestly father offered simple Fire-incense offerings in the temple,t and who “ came to bear witness of The Light’’*—the patron saint of the old pagan Bel-Fire festival and transferred the Bel-Fire festivities to the eve of St. John’s Day, the 24th of June, when they are still, or were until lately, celebrated in many parts of England,* as well as in Brittany and Spain,‘ also former colonies of the Phcenicians.

This fact of the association of the Bel-Fire rites with Johnthe-Baptist suggests that the latter, who bears an Aryan Gentile and non-Hebrew name, was himself an Aryan Gentile and of the Fire-Cross cult ; and this seems supported by many other facts, presuming Gothic affinity, which require mention here. His initiatory rite of Baptism is wholly unknown in Judaism, whereas it is a part of the ancient ritual of the Sumerian and Aryan Vedic and Eddic Gothic Sun-cult, wherein Baptism is called by the Goths Skiri (or “ The Scouring’) which is radically identical with the name “* Sakhar’”’ applied to it by the Sumerians.’ And John-theBaptist is called ‘‘ Skivi-Jon’’ by the Christian Goths of Iceland and Scandinavia ;* and “‘ Purification (by Water) Day ” was officially called in Scotland, down to the reign of James VI., ‘‘ Skivi-Thurisday.”’* Moreover, the father of John-the-Baptist was a Fire-priest,* and presumably a Gentile,

1Luke,1,9. #John, 1,7. * Details in H.F.F., 346, etc. 47b., 348-9.

* Sakhar (Br. 5082,and Sakar (Br. 4339). The founder of the 1st Sumer dynasty about 3100 B.c., who uses the Swastika and figures himself as a Fire-priest, often records his presentation of a ‘‘ Font-pan ’’ or “ Font of the Abyss ’ (4b2t-banda) to different temples which he erected (ThureauDangin Les Inscript. Sumér, 17, etc.) Sargon I. about 2800 B.c., as highpriest who uses the Swastika, describes himself as “ water-libator ” and devotee Nu-iz-Sir (=‘' Nazir?’ ) of God— the Sakhar (or Baptist) Lord ” (C.L.W.A., 3, Vol. 4, No. 7. And John-the-Baptist was also a “ Nazir ”’ or -consecrated devotee (Luke 1. 15, and cp. Numbers vi, 2 f.).

6V.D., 550- 7 J.S.D., 486:

® He offered simple Fire-incense in the temple “ in the course of Abia” (Luke i, 5.) Ab, the 5th month of the Syrio-Chaldean calendar, was devoted to the worship of Bel the Fire-god, and was called by the Sumerians ‘Month of Gil or Gi-Bil” (?Gabriel). Br. 4579, 4587; Meissner 3101, or “ Month of making Bil-Fire”’ (Br. 4621).