The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism [1911] - Get a Free Blog

148 THE ORIENTAL RELIGIONS.
"Jupiter Dolichenus" were erected beside those of
Mithra, and the two remained in the closest relations. 28
The same series of transformations took place else
where with a number of other gods. 2 ^ The Mithra
worship was thus formed, in the main, by a combination
of Persian beliefs with Semitic theology, inciden
tally including certain elements from the native cults of
Asia Minor. The Greeks later translated the names of
the Persian divinities into their language and imposed
certain forms of their mysteries on the Mazdean cult. 30
Hellenic art lent to the Yazatas that idealized form
in which it liked to represent the immortals, and phi
losophy, especially that of the Stoics, endeavored to
discover its own physical and metaphysical theories
in the traditions of the magi. But in spite of all these
accomodations, adaptations and interpretations, Mithraism
always remained in substance a Mazdaism blended
with Chaldeanism, that is to say, essentially a bar
barian religion. It certainly was far less Hellenized
than the Alexandrian cult of Isis and Serapis, or even
that of the Great Mother of Pessinus. For that reason
it always seemed unacceptable to the Greek world,
from which it continued to be almost completely ex
cluded. Even language furnishes a curious proof of
that fact. Greek contains a number of theophorous*
(god-bearing) names formed from those of Egyptian
or Phrygian gods, like Serapion, Metrodoros, Metro-
philos Isidore is in use at the present day but all
known derivations of Mithra are of barbarian forma
tion. The Greeks never admitted the god of their
hereditary enemies, and the great centers of Hellenic