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

236 THE ORIENTAL RELIGIONS.
idees, Nov. 15, 1908). When compared with the Egyptian
ceremonial, the brief data scattered through the Greek and
Latin authors become wonderfully clear and coherent.
62. Apul., XI, 22 : "Rituque sollemni apertionis celebrato
ministerio." Cf. XI, 20: "Matutinas apertiones templi."
63. Jusephus, Ant. Jud., XVIII, 3, 5, 174.
64. Servius ad Verg., A en., IV, 512: "In templo Isidis aqua
sparsa de Nilo esse dicebatur" ; cf. II, 116. When, by pour
ing water taken from the river, reality took the place of this
fiction, the act was much more effective; see Juv. VII, 527.
65. This passage, together with a chapter from Apuleius
(XI, 20), is the principal text we mave in connection with the
ritual of those Isis matins. (De Abstin., IV, 9) :
"i2f
TTOV e~i K(il vvv iv T avoi^L TUV >j dyiov Za/ooTuJof rj BepaTreia did,
Ttvpbg Kal >Jarof yivsrai, AeiftovTog TOV v/uvudov TO vfiup nai TO irvp <j)ai-
VOVTOC, , oTrrjviKa EGTU<; kirl TOV ovdov T-y TraTpiu TUV AiyvirTiuv favri eyei-
psi TOV 6e6v.
Arnobius (VII, 32) alludes to the same belief of the votaries
of Isis : "Quid sibi volunt excitationes illae quas canitis ma-
tutini conlatis ad tibiam vocibus? Obdormiscunt enim superi
remeare ut ad vigilias debeant? Quid dormitiones illae quibus
ut bene valeant auspicabili salutatione mandatis?"
66. On the power of "barbarian names" see my Mon. myst.
Mithra, I, p. 313, n. 4; Dieterich, Mithrasliturgie, pp. in ff.
Cf. Charles Michel, Note sur un passage de Jamblique (Me
langes, Louis Havet), 1909, p. 279. On the persistence of the
same idea among the Christians, cf. Harnack, Ausbreitung des
Christ., I, pp. 124 ff. ; Heitmiiller, Im Namen Jcsu, Gottingen,
!93 (rich material).
67. Apul., Met., XI, 9.
68. CIL, II, 3386 = Dessau, Inscr. sel, 442; cf. 4423.
69. Apul., XI, 24; cf. Lafaye, pp. n8ff. Porphyry (Dc
Abstin., IV, 6) dwells at length on this contemplative char
acter of the Egyptian devotion: The priests diredoffav o\oi> rbv
fiiov rr\ TUV 0euv Qewpia Kal dedaei.
70. In the Pharaonic ritual the closing ceremony seems to
have taken place during the morning, but in the Occident the
sacred images were exposed for contemplation, and the an-