pagan and christian creeds- 第36部分

It　was　probable　that　this　new　religion　would　combine　many　elements　from　the　preceding　rituals　in　one　cult。　In　connection　with　the　fine　temples　and　elaborate　services　of　Isis　and　Cybele　and　Mithra　there　was　growing　up　a　powerful　priesthood；　Franz　Cumont＇1＇　speaks　of　〃the　learned　priests　of　the　Asiatic　cults〃　as　building　up；　on　the　foundations　of　old　fetichism　and　superstition；　a　complete　religious　philosophyjust　as　the　Brahmins　had　built　the　monism　of　the　Vedanta　on　the　〃monstrous　idolatries　of　Hinduism。〃　And　it　was　likely　that　a　similar　process　would　evolve　the　new　religion　expected。　Toutain　again　calls　attention　to　the　patronage　accorded　to　all　these　cults　by　the　Roman　Emperors；　as　favoring　a　new　combination　and　synthesis：　〃Hadrien；　Commode；　Septime　Severe；　Julia　Domna；　Elagabal；　Alexandre　Severe；　en　particulier　ont　contribube　personnellement　a　la　popularite　et　au　succes　des　cultes　qui　se　celebraient　en　l'honneur　de　Serapis　et　d'Isis；　des　divinites　syriennes　et　de　Mithra。〃＇2＇

＇1＇　See　Cumont；　Religions　Orientales　dans　le　Paganisme　Romain　（Paris；　1906）；　p。　253。

＇2＇　Cultes　paiens　dans　l'Empire　Romain　（2　vols。；　1911）；　vol。　ii；　p。　263。


It　was　also　probable　that　this　new　Religion　would　show　（as　indicated　in　the　last　chapter）　a　reaction　against　mere　sex…indulgence；　and；　as　regards　its　standard　of　Morality　generally；　that；　among　so　many　conflicting　peoples　with　their　various　civic　and　local　customs；　it　could　not　well　identify　itself　with　any　ONE　of　these　but　would　evolve　an　inner　inspiration　of　its　own　which　in　its　best　form　would　be　love　of　the　neighbor；　regardless　of　the　race；　creed　or　customs　of　the　neighbor；　and　whose　sanction　would　not　reside　in　any　of　the　external　authorities　thus　conflicting　with　each　other；　but　in　the　sense　of　the　soul's　direct　responsibility　to　God。

So　much　for　what　we　might　expect　a　priori　as　to　the　influence　of　the　surroundings　on　the　general　form　of　the　new　Religion。　And　what　about　the　kind　of　creed　or　creeds　which　that　religion　would　favor？　Here　again　we　must　see　that　the　influence　of　the　surroundings　compelled　a　certain　result。　Those　doctrines　which　we　have　described　in　the　preceding　chaptersdoctrines　of　Sin　and　Sacrifice；　a　Savior；　the　Eucharist；　the　Trinity；　the　Virgin…birth；　and　so　forthwere　in　their　various　forms　seething；　so　to　speak；　all　around。　It　was　impossible　for　any　new　religious　synthesis　to　escape　them；　all　it　could　do　would　be　to　appropriate　them；　and　to　give　them　perhaps　a　color　of　its　own。　Thus　it　is　into　the　midst　of　this　germinating　mass　that　we　must　imagine　the　various　pagan　cults；　like　fertilizing　streams；　descending。　To　trace　all　these　streams　would　of　course　be　an　impossible　task；　but　it　may　be　of　use；　as　an　example　of　the　process；　to　take　the　case　of　some　particular　belief。　Let　us　take　the　belief　in　the　coming　of　a　Savior…god；　and　this　will　be　the　more　suitable　as　it　is　a　belief　which　has　in　the　past　been　commonly　held　to　be　distinctive　of　Christianity。　Of　course　we　know　now　that　it　is　not　in　any　sense　distinctive；　but　that　the　long　tradition　of　the　Savior　comes　down　from　the　remotest　times；　and　perhaps　from　every　country　of　the　world。＇1＇　The　Messianic　prophecies　of　the　Jews　and　the　fifty…third　chapter　of　Isaiah　emptied　themselves　into　the　Christian　teachings；　and　infected　them　to　some　degree　with　a　Judaic　tinge。　The　〃Messiah〃　means　of　course　the　Anointed　One。　The　Hebrew　word　occurs　some　40　times　in　the　Old　Testament；　and　each　time　in　the　Septuagint　or　Greek　translation　（made　mainly　in　the　third　century　BEFORE　our　era）　the　word　is　translated　；　or　Christos；　which　again　means　Anointed。　Thus　we　see　that　the　idea　or　the　word　〃The　Christ〃　was　in　vogue　in　Alexandria　as　far　back　certainly　as　280　B。C。；　or　nearly　three　centuries　before　Jesus。　And　what　the　word　〃The　Anointed〃　strictly　speaking　means；　and　from　what　the　expression　is　probably　derived；　will　appear　later。　In　The　Book　of　Enoch；　written　not　later　than　B。C。　170；＇2＇　the　Christ　is　spoken　of　as　already　existing　in　heaven；　and　about　to　come　as　judge　of　all　men；　and　is　definitely　called　〃the　Son　of　Man。〃　The　Book　of　Revelations　is　FULL　of　passages　from　Enoch；　so　are　the　Epistles　of　Paul；　so　too　the　Gospels。　The　Book　of　Enoch　believes　in　a　Golden　Age　that　is　to　come；　it　has　Dantesque　visions　of　Heaven　and　Hell；　and　of　Angels　good　and　evil；　and　it　speaks　of　a　〃garden　of　Righteousness〃　with　the　〃Tree　of　Wisdom〃　in　its　midst。　Everywhere；　says　Prof。　Drews；　in　the　first　century　B。C。；　there　was　the　longing　for　a　coming　Savior。

＇1＇　Even　to…day；　the　Arabian　lands　are　always　vibrating　with　prophecies　of　a　coming　Mahdi。

＇2＇　See　Edition　by　R。　H。　Charles　（1893）。


But　the　Savior…god；　as　we　also　know；　was　a　familiar　figure　in　Egypt。　The　great　Osiris　was　the　Savior　of　the　world；　both　in　his　life　and　death：　in　his　life　through　the　noble　works　he　wrought　for　the　benefit　of　mankind；　and　in　his　death　through　his　betrayal　by　the　powers　of　darkness　and　his　resurrection　from　the　tomb　and　ascent　into　heaven。＇1＇　The　Egyptian　doctrines　descended　through　Alexandria　into　Christianityand　though　they　did　not　influence　the　latter　deeply　until　about　300　A。D。；　yet　they　then　succeeded　in　reaching　the　Christian　Churches；　giving　a　color　to　their　teachings　with　regard　to　the　Savior；　and　persuading　them　to　accept　and　honor　the　Egyptian　worship　of　Isis　in　the　Christian　form　of　the　Virgin　Mary。

＇1＇　See　ch。　ii。


Again；　another　great　stream　of　influence　descended　from　Persia　in　the　form　of　the　cult　of　Mithra。　Mithra；　as　we　have　seen；＇1＇　stood　as　a　great　Mediator　between　God　and　man。　With　his　baptisms　and　eucharists；　and　his　twelve　disciples；　and　his　birth　in　a　cave；　and　so　forth；　he　seemed　to　the　early　Fathers　an　invention　of　the　devil　and　a　most　dangerous　mockery　on　Christianityand　all　the　more　so　because　his　worship　was　becoming　so　exceedingly　popular。　The　cult　seems　to　have　reached　Rome　about　B。C。　70。　It　spread　far　and　wide　through　the　Empire。　It　extended　to　Great　Britain；　and　numerous　remains　of　Mithraic　monuments　and　sculptures　in　this　countryat　York；　Chester　and　other　placestestify　to　its　wide　acceptance　even　here。　At　Rome　the　vogue　of　Mithraism　became　so　great　that　in　the　third　century　A。　D。；　it　was　quite　doubtful＇2＇　whether　it　OR　Christianity　would　triumph；　the　Emperor　Aurelian　in　273　founded　a　cult　of　the　Invincible　Sun　in　connection　with　Mithraism；＇3＇　and　as　St。　Jerome　tells　us　in　his　letters；＇4＇　the　latter　cult　had　at　a　later　time　to　be　suppressed　in　Rome　and　Alexandria　by　PHYSICAL　FORCE；　so　powerful　was　it。

＇1＇　Ch。　ii。

＇2＇　See　Cumont；　op。　cit。；　who　says；　p。　171：〃Jamais；　pas　meme　a　1'epoque　des　invasions　mussulmanes；　l'Europe　ne　sembla　plus　pres　de　devenir　asiatique　qu'au　moment　ou　Diocletien　reconnaissait　officiellement　en　Mithra；　le　protecteur　de　l'empire　reconstitue。〃　See　also　Cumont's　Mysteres　de　Mithra；　preface。　The　Roman　Army；　in　fact；　stuck　to　Mithra　throughout；　as　against　Christianity；　and　so　did　the　Roman　nobility。　（See　S。　Augustine's　Confessions；　Book　VIII；　ch。　2。）

＇3＇　Cumont　indeed　says　that　the　identification　of　Mithra　with　the　Sun　（the　emblem　of　imperial　power）　formed　one　reason　why　Mithraism　was　NOT　persecuted　at　that　time。

＇4＇　Epist。　cvii；　ad　Laetam。　See　Robertson's　Pagan　Christs；　p。　350。


Nor　was　force　the　only　method　employed。　IMITATION　is　not　only　the　sincerest　flattery；　but　it　is　often　the　most　subtle　and　effective　way　of　defeating　a　rival。　The　priests　of　the　rising　Christian　Church　were；　like　the　priests　of　ALL　religions；　not　wanting　in　craft；　and　at　this　moment　when　the　question　of　a　World…religion　was　in　the　balance；　it　was　an　obvious　policy　for　them　to　throw　into　their　own　scale　as　many　elements　as　possible　of　the　popular　Pagan　cults。　Mithraism　had　been　flourishing　for　600　years；　and　it　is；　to　say　the　least；　CURIOUS　that　the　Mithraic　doctrines　and　legends　which　I　have　just　mentioned　should　all　have　been　adopted　（quite　unintentionally　of　course！）　into　Christianity；　and　still　more　so　that　some　others　from　the　same　source；　like　the　legend　of　the　Shepherds　at　the　Nativity　and　the　doctrine　of　the　Resurrection　and　Ascension；　which　are　NOT　mentioned　at　all　in　the　original　draft　of　the　earliest　Gospel　（St。　Mark）；　should　have　made　their　appearance；　in　the　Christian　writings　at　a　later　time；　when　Mithraism　was　making　great　forward　strides。　History　shows　that　as　a　Church　progresses　and　expands　it　generally　feels　compelled　to　enlarge　and　fortify　its　own　foundations　by　inserting　material　which　was　not　there　at　first。　I　shall　shortly　give　another　illustration　of　this；　at　present　I　will　merely　point　out　that　the　Christian　writers；　as　time　went　on；　not　only　introduced　new　doctrines；　legends；　miracles　and　so　forthmost　of　which　we　can　trace　to　antecedent　pagan　sourcesbut　that　they　took　especial　pains　to　destroy　the　pagan　records　and　so　obliterate　the　evidence　of　their　own　dishonesty。　We　learn　from　Porphyry＇1＇　that　there　were　several　elaborate　treatises　setting　forth　the　religion　of　Mithra；　and　J。　M。　Robertson　adds　（Pagan　Christs；　p。　325）：　〃everyone　of　these　has　been　destroyed　by　the　care　of　the　Church；　and　it　is　remarkable　that　even　the　treatise　of　Firmicus　is　mutilated　at　a　passage　（v。）　where　he　seems　to　be　accusing　Christians　of　following　Mithraic　usages。〃　While　again　Professor　Murray　says；　〃The　polemic　literature　of　Christianity　is　loud　and　triumphant；　the　books　of　the　Pagans　have　been　DESTROYED。〃＇2＇

＇1＇　De　Abstinentia；　ii。　56；　iv。　16。

＇2＇　Four　Stages；　p。　180。　We　have　probably　an　instance　of　this　destruction　in　the　total　disappearance　of　Celsus'　lively　attack　on　Christianity　（180　A。D。）；　of　which；　however；　portions　have　been　fortunately　preserved　in　Origen's　rather　prolix　refutation　of　the　same。


Returning　to　the　doctrine　of　the　Savior；　I　have　already　in　preceding　chapters　given　so　many　instances　of　belief　in　such　a　deity　among　the　paganswhether　he　be　called　Krishna　or　Mithra　or　Osiris　or　Horus　or　Apollo　or　Hercules　that　it　is　not　necessary　to　dwell　on　the　subject　any　further　in　order　to　persuade　the　reader　that　the　doctrine　was　'in　the　air'　at　the　time　of　the　advent　of　Christianity。　Even　Dionysus；　then　a　prominent　figure　in　the　'Mysteries；'　was　called　Eleutherios；　The　Deliverer。　But　it　may　be　of　interest　to　trace　the　same　doctrine　among　the　PRE…CHRISTIAN　sects　of　Gnostics。　The　Gnostics；　says　Professor