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

160 THE ORIENTAL RELIGIONS.
flnence possessed by Persian culture and religion.
These possessed an originality so independent that
after having resisted in the Orient the power of ab
sorption of Hellenism, and after having checked the
Christian propaganda, they even withstood the de
structive power of Islam. Firdusi (940-1020) glories
in the ancient national traditions and the mythical
heroes of Mazdaism, and while the idolatry of Egypt,
Syria and Asia Minor has long since died out or
degenerated,
there are votaries of Zoroaster at the
present day who piously perform the sacred cere
monies of the Avesta and practise genuine fire worship.
Another witness to the vitality of Mithraic Mazda-
ism is the fact that it escaped becoming a kind of state
religion of the Roman empire during
the third cen
tury. An oft-quoted sentence of Kenan s says;55 "If
Christianity had been checked in its growth by some
deadly disease, the world would have become Mith
raic." In hazarding that statement he undoubtedly
conjured up a condition
picture of what would have been the
of this poor world in that case. He must
have imagined, one of his followers would have us
believe, 56 that the morals of the human race would
have been but little changed, a little more virile per
haps, a little less charitable, but only a shade differ
ent. The erudite theology taught by the mysteries
would obviously have shown a laudable respect for
science, but as its dogmas were based upon a false
physics it would apparently have insured the per
sistence of an infinity of errors. Astronomy would
not be lacking, but astrology would have been unassail
able, while the heavens would still be revolving around
the earth to accord with its doctrines. The greatest