 In reality, we had two pairs of Pillars
of Hercules, precisely as shown in the outer pylon of the temple of Medinet
Habu (Fig.2). One pair corresponded to the illusory pillars of Gibraltar and
the other pair to the real ones that flank the Strait of Sunda, in Indonesia.15
So, in the outer court of the temple
the one allowed to the uninitiated profanes we had two pairs of Pillars
of Hercules: the one of Gibraltar (known to all, but "virtual") and the
one of Sunda (real, but known only to the initiates). In contrast, at the
inner pylon (see Fig.2) we have only one pair of flagstaffs.
This gate, accessible only to the initiates,
represents the actual reality that the two pairs are indeed only one. The
message is clear. One has first to cross the virtual gate of Gibraltar
in order to reach the second gate or pylon that accesses the real Paradise,
here figured by the multitude of pillars of the hypostile chamber that
represents Atlantis.16
The Saints and the Gods of Atlantis
These pillars represent the "saints and
gods of Atlantis". Far more than sheer metaphor, the idea refers to the
fact that the Atlanteans were literally turned into stony "pillars" by
the volcanic ash that settled upon their dead bodies. This is what happened in Herculaneum
and Pompey and this is indeed what is meant by the tale of Lot's wife turning
into "a pillar of salt" on the occasion of the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorra by a volcanic conflagration (Gen. 19:26; cf.
Luke
17:32).
In front of the jambs of the second pylon
of the Temple of Medinet Habu (Fig.2) stand the gigantic figures of two
deities guarding the entrance to the inner chambers. These two guardians,
either seated or standing, were an invariable feature of Egyptian temples.
They represent the two cherubs that guard the entrance to Paradise itself. That they do not indeed represent the pharaoh is attested by the fact that these gods are twin, whereas the pharaoh was the monarch, the single ruler of both Upper and Lower Egypt.
These two Guardians correspond to what
the Hindus call
Lokapalas or
Dvarapalas. They often change
into lions, karibus, sphinxes, standing serpents (nagas), dragons
or similar monsters. In reality they correspond to Atlas and Hercules,
the twins (or "pillars") that guard the straits that serves as the Gates
of Paradise. The inner court is elevated, and is accessed by means of stairs,
as can be seen in the reconstruction of Fig.2. The stairs represent the
ascent to Heaven (or Paradise) placed, as it is, upon the Holy Mountain
(Mt. Meru) that is everywhere represented by stepped pyramids.
The Stepped Pyramids and the Babylonian
Ziggurats
In Egypt and Babylon where mountains
essentially inexist the Holy Mountain was represented by stepped pyramids
or by stepped ziggurats. The shape eventually evolved into that of smoothed
out constructions. But the idea that they represented the stairway to Paradise
was preserved in myth and ritual and, as here, in the symbolic staircases
of the temples. However, the step pyramids everywhere represent the Mountains
of Paradise (Meru or Trikuta) which were indeed stepped due to the terraces
built on their slopes for agricultural purposes.17
Finally, the inner sanctum (or adytum)
of the Egyptian temples was, like the one of the Temple of Jerusalem, the
sacred precinct where the dead god of Paradise reposed inside his ark or
coffin, until the time came for him to resurrect back to life. As we said
above, Osiris inside his ark, dead and guarded by the winged figures of
Isis and Nephthys literally correspond to Jahveh inside his ark (tebah)
and, likewise, guarded by the two winged Cherubs.
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