Chapter XXXVI: Paganism in Christianity (1)

Our assertion that that which is called Christianity is nothing more than the religion of Paganism, we consider to have been fully verified. We have found among the heathen, centuries before the time of Christ Jesus, the belief in an incarnate God born of a virgin; his previous existence in heaven; the celestial signs at the time of his birth; the rejoicing in heaven; the adoration by the magi and shepherds; the offerings of precious substances to the divine child; the slaughter of the innocents; the presentation at the temple; the temptation by the devil; the performing of miracles; the crucifixion by enemies; and the death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. We have also found the belief that this incarnate God was from all eternity; that he was the Creator of the world, and that he is to be Judge of the dead at the last day. We have also seen the practice of Baptism, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper or Eucharist, added to the belief in a Triune God, consisting of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Let us now compare the Christian creed with ancient Pagan belief.

_Christian Creed._

1. I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth:

_Ancient Pagan Belief._

1. I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and
earth:[384:1]

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, Our Lord.

2. And in his only Son, our Lord.[384:2]

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary.[384:3]

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.

4. Suffered under (whom it might be), was crucified, dead, and
buried.[384:4]

5. He descended into Hell;

5. He descended into Hell;[385:1]

6. The third day he rose again from the dead;

6. The third day he rose again from the dead;[385:2]

7. He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

7. He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of
God the Father Almighty;[385:3]

8. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

8. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the
dead.[385:4]

9. I believe in the Holy Ghost;

9. I believe in the Holy Ghost;[385:5]

10. The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints;

10. The Holy Catholic Church,[385:6] the Communion of Saints;

11. The forgiveness of sins;

11. The forgiveness of sins;[385:7]

12. The resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

12. The resurrection of the body; and the life
everlasting.[385:8]

The above is the so-called "_Apostles' Creed_," as it now stands in the book of common prayer of the United Church of England and Ireland, as by law established.

It is affirmed by Ambrose, that:

"The twelve apostles, as skilled artificers, assembled
together, and made a key by their common advice, that is, the
Creed, by which the darkness of the devil is disclosed, that
the light of Christ may appear."

Others fable that every Apostle inserted an article, by which the Creed is divided into twelve articles.

The earliest account of its origin we have from Ruffinus, an historical compiler and traditionist of the _fourth_ century, but not in the form in which it is known at present, it having been added to since that time. The most important addition is that which affirms that Jesus descended into hell, which has been added since A. D. 600.[385:9]

Beside what we have already seen, the ancient Pagans had many beliefs and ceremonies which are to be found among the Christians. One of these is the story of "_The War in Heaven_."

The New Testament version is as follows:

"There was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels, and
prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in
heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world,
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him."[386:1]

The cause of the revolt, it is said, was that Satan, who was then an angel, desired to be as great as God. The writer of Isaiah, xiv. 13, 14, is supposed to refer to it when he says:

"Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also
upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the North;
I will ascend before the heights of the clouds; I will be like
the Most High."

The Catholic theory of the fall of the angels is as follows:

"In the beginning, before the creation of heaven and earth,
God made the angels, free intelligences, and free wills, out
of his love He made them, that they might be eternally happy.
And that their happiness might be complete, he gave them the
perfection of a created nature, that is, he gave them freedom.
But happiness is only attained by the free will agreeing in
its freedom to accord with the will of God. Some of the angels
by an act of free will obeyed the will of God, and in such
obedience found perfect happiness. Other angels, by an act of
free will, rebelled against the will of God, and in such
disobedience found misery."[386:2]

They were driven out of heaven, after having a combat with the obedient angels, and cast into hell. The writer of second _Peter_ alludes to it in saying that God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell.[386:3]

The writer of _Jude_ also alludes to it in saying:

"The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their
own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day."[386:4]

According to the _Talmudists_, Satan, whose proper name is Sammael, was one of the Seraphim of heaven, with six wings.

"He was not driven out of heaven until after he had led Adam
and Eve into sin; then Sammael and his host were precipitated
out of the place of bliss, with God's curse to weigh them
down. In the struggle between Michael and Sammael, the falling
Seraph caught the wings of Michael, and tried to drag him down
with him, but God saved him, when Michael derived his
name,--the Rescued."[386:5]

Sammael was formerly chief among the angels of God, and now he is prince among devils. His name is derived from Simme, which means, to blind and deceive. He stands on the left side of men. He goes by various names; such as "The Old Serpent," "The Unclean Spirit," "Satan," "Leviathan," and sometimes also "Asael."[387:1]

According to _Hindoo_ mythology, there is a legion of evil spirits called _Rakshasas_, who are governed by a prince named _Ravana_. These Rakshasas are continually aiming to do injury to mankind, and are the same who fought desperate battles with _Indra_, and his Spirits of Light. They would have taken his paradise by storm, and subverted the whole order of the universe, if Brahma had not sent _Vishnou_ to circumvent their plans.

In the _Aitareya-brahmana_ (Hindoo) written, according to Prof. Monier Williams, seven or eight centuries B. C., we have the following legend:

"The gods and demons were engaged in warfare.
The evil demons, like to mighty kings,
Made these worlds castles; then they formed the earth
Into an iron citadel, the air
Into a silver fortress, and the sky
Into a fort of gold. Whereat the gods
Said to each other, 'Frame me other worlds
In opposition to these fortresses.'
Then they constructed sacrificial places,
Where they performed a triple burnt oblation.
By the first sacrifice they drove the demons
Out of their earthly fortress, by the second
Out of the air, and by the third oblation
Out of the sky. Thus were the evil spirits
Chased by the gods in triumph from the worlds."[387:2]

The ancient _Egyptians_ were familiar with the tale of the war in heaven; and the legend of the revolt against the god Ra, the Heavenly Father, and his destruction of the revolters, was discovered by M. Naville in one of the tombs at Biban-el-moluk.[387:3]

The same story is to be found among the ancient _Persian_ legends, and is related as follows:

"Ahriman, the devil, was not created evil by the eternal one,
but he became evil by revolting against his will. This revolt
resulted in a 'war in heaven.' In this war the _Iveds_ (good
angels) fought against the _Divs_ (rebellious ones) headed by
_Ahriman_, and flung the conquered into Douzahk or
hell."[387:4]

An extract from the Persian _Zend-avesta_ reads as follows:

"_Ahriman_ interrupted the order of the universe, raised an
army against _Ormuzd_, and having maintained a fight against
him during ninety days, was at length vanquished by Honover,
the divine Word."[388:1]

The _Assyrians_ had an account of a war in heaven, which was like that described in the book of Enoch and the Revelation.[388:2]

This legend was also to be found among the ancient Greeks, in the struggle of the _Titans_ against _Jupiter_. Titan and all his rebellious host were cast out of heaven, and imprisoned in the dark abyss.[388:3]

Among the legends of the ancient _Mexicans_ was found this same story of the war in heaven, and the downfall of the rebellious angels.[388:4]

"The natives of the _Caroline Islands_ (in the North Pacific Ocean), related that one of the inferior gods, named _Merogrog_, was driven by the other gods out of heaven."[388:5]

We see, therefore, that this also was an almost universal legend.

The belief in _a future life_ was almost universal among nations of antiquity. The _Hindoos_ have believed from time immemorial that man has an invisible body within the material body; that is, a soul.

Among the ancient _Egyptians_ the same belief was to be found. All the dead, both men and women, were spoken of as "_Osiriana_;" by which they intended to signify "gone to Osiris."

Their belief in One Supreme Being, and the immortality of the soul, must have been very ancient; for on a monument, which dates ages before Abraham is said to have lived, is found this epitaph: "May thy soul attain to the Creator of all mankind." Sculptures and paintings in these grand receptacles of the dead, as translated by Champollion, represent the deceased ushered into the world of spirits by funeral deities, who announce, "A soul arrived in Amenti."[388:6]

The Hindoo idea of a subtile invisible body within the material body, reappeared in the description of Greek poets. They represented the constitution of man as consisting of three principles: the soul, the invisible body, and the material body. The invisible body they called the ghost or shade, and considered it as the material portion of the soul. At death, the soul, clothed in this subtile body, went to enjoy paradise for a season, or suffer in hell till its sins were expiated. This paradise was called the "Elysian Fields," and the hell was called Tartarus.

The paradise, some supposed to be a part of the lower world, some placed them in a middle zone in the air, some in the moon, and others in far-off isles in the ocean. There shone more glorious sun and stars than illuminated this world. The day was always serene, the air forever pure, and a soft, celestial light clothed all things in transfigured beauty. Majestic groves, verdant meadows, and blooming gardens varied the landscape. The river Eridanus flowed through winding banks fringed with laurel. On its borders lived heroes who had died for their country, priests who had led a pure life, artists who had embodied genuine beauty in their work, and poets who had never degraded their muse with subjects unworthy of Apollo. There each one renewed the pleasures in which he formerly delighted. Orpheus, in long white robes, made enrapturing music on his lyre, while others danced and sang. The husband rejoined his beloved wife; old friendships were renewed, the poet repeated his verses, and the charioteer managed his horses.

Some souls wandered in vast forests between Tartarus and Elysium, not good enough for one, or bad enough for the other. Some were purified from their sins by exposure to searching winds, others by being submerged in deep waters, others by passing through intense fires. After a long period of probation and suffering, many of them gained the Elysian Fields. This belief is handed down to our day in the Roman Catholic idea of _Purgatory_.

A belief in the existence of the soul after death was indicated in all periods of history of the world, by the fact that man was always accustomed to address prayers to the spirits of their ancestors.[389:1]

These _heavens_ and _hells_ where men abode after death, vary, in different countries, according to the likes and dislikes of each nation.

All the Teutonic nations held to a fixed Elysium and a hell, where the valiant and the just were rewarded, and where the cowardly and the wicked suffered punishment. As all nations have made a god, and that god has resembled the persons who made it, so have all nations made a heaven, and that heaven corresponds to the fancies of the people who have created it.

In the prose Edda there is a description of the joys of _Valhalla_ (the Hall of the Chosen), which states that: "All men who have fallen in fight since the beginning of the world are gone to Odin (the Supreme God), in Valhalla." A mighty band of men are there, "and every day, as soon as they have dressed themselves, they ride out into the court (or field), and there fight until they cut each other into pieces. This is their pastime, but when the meal-tide approaches, they remount their steeds, and return to drink in _Valhalla_. As it is said (in Vafthrudnis-mal):

'The Einherjar all
On Odin's plain
Hew daily each other,
While chosen the slain are.
From the frey they then ride,
And drink ale with the Æsir.'"[390:1]

This description of the palace of Odin is a natural picture of the manners of the ancient Scandinavians and Germans. Prompted by the wants of their climate, and the impulse of their own temperament, they formed to themselves a delicious paradise in their own way; where they were to eat and drink, and fight. The women, to whom they assigned a place there, were introduced for no other purpose but to fill their cups.

The Mohammedan paradise differs from this. Women _there_, are for man's pleasure. The day is always serene, the air forever pure, and a soft celestial light clothes all things in transfigured beauty. Majestic groves, verdant meadows, and blooming gardens vary the landscape. There, in radiant halls, dwell the departed, ever blooming and beautiful, ever laughing and gay.

The American Indian calculates upon finding successful chases after wild animals, verdant plains, and no winter, as the characteristics of his "future life."

The red Indian, when told by a missionary that in the "promised land" they would neither eat, drink, hunt, nor marry a wife, contemptuously replied, that instead of wishing to go there, he should deem his residence in such a place as the greatest possible calamity. Many not only rejected such a destiny for themselves, but were indignant at the attempt to decoy their children into such a comfortless region.

All nations of the earth have had their heavens. As Moore observes:

"A heaven, too, ye must have, ye lords of dust--
A splendid paradise, poor souls, ye must:
That prophet ill sustains his holy call
Who finds not heavens to suit the tastes of all.
Vain things! as lust or _vanity_ inspires,
The heaven of each is but what each desires."

_Heaven_ was born of the sky,[391:1] and nurtured by cunning priests, who made man a coward and a slave.

_Hell_ was built by priests, and nurtured by the fears and servile fancies of man during the ages when dungeons of torture were a recognized part of every government, and when God was supposed to be an infinite tyrant, with infinite resources of vengeance.

_The devil_ is an imaginary being, invented by primitive man to account for the existence of evil, and relieve God of his responsibility. The famous Hindoo _Rakshasas_ of our Aryan ancestors--the dark and evil _clouds_ personified--are the originals of all devils. The cloudy shape has assumed a thousand different forms, horrible or grotesque and ludicrous, to suit the changing fancies of the ages.

But strange as it may appear, the god of one nation became the devil of another.

The rock of Behistun, the sculptured chronicle of the glories of Darius, king of Persia, situated on the western frontier of Media, on the high-road from Babylon to the eastward, was used as a "holy of holies." It was named _Bagistane_--"the place of the _Baga_"--referring to Ormuzd, chief of the Bagas. When examined with the lenses of linguistic science, the "_Bogie_" or "_Bug-a-boo_" or "_Bugbear_" of nursery lore, turns out to be identical with the Slavonic "_Bog_" and the "_Baga_" of the cuneiform inscriptions, both of which are names of the _Supreme Being_. It is found also in the old Aryan "_Bhaga_," who is described in a commentary of the _Rig-Veda_ as the lord of life, the giver of bread, and the bringer of happiness. Thus, the same name which, to the _Vedic_ poet, to the Persian of the time of Xerxes, and to the modern Russian, suggests the supreme majesty of deity, is in English associated with an ugly and ludicrous fiend. Another striking illustration is to be found in the word _devil_ itself. When traced back to its primitive source, it is found to be a name of the Supreme Being.[391:2]

The ancients had a great number of festival days, many of which are handed down to the present time, and are to be found in Christianity.

We have already seen that the 25th of December was almost a universal festival among the ancients; so it is the same with the _spring_ festivals, when days of fasting are observed.

The _Hindoos_ hold a festival, called _Siva-ratri_, in honor of _Siva_, about the middle or end of February. _A strict fast is observed during the day._ They have also a festival in April, when a strict fast is kept by some.[392:1]

At the _spring equinox_ most nations of antiquity set apart a day to implore the blessings of their god, or gods, on the fruits of the earth. At the autumnal equinox, they offered the fruits of the harvest, and returned thanks. In China, these religious solemnities are called "Festivals of gratitude to Tien."[392:2] The last named corresponds to _our_ "Thanksgiving" celebration.

One of the most considerable festivals held by the ancient _Scandinavians_ was the _spring_ celebration. This was held in honor of Odin, at the beginning of spring, in order to welcome in that pleasant season, and to obtain of their god happy success in their projected expeditions.

Another festival was held toward the autumn equinox, when they were accustomed to kill all their cattle in good condition, and lay in a store of provision for the winter. This festival was also attended with religious ceremonies, when Odin, the supreme god, was thanked for what he had given them, by having his altar loaded with the fruits of their crops, and the choicest products of the earth.[392:3]

There was a grand celebration in Egypt, called the "Feast of Lamps," held at Sais, in honor of the goddess Neith. Those who did not attend the ceremony, as well as those who did, burned lamps before their houses all night, filled with oil and salt: thus all Egypt was illuminated. It was deemed a great irreverence to the goddess for any one to omit this ceremony.[392:4]

The _Hindoos_ also held a festival in honor of the goddesses Lakshmi and Bhavanti, called "_The feast of Lamps_."[392:5] This festival has been handed down to the present time in what is called "Candlemas day," or the purification of the Virgin Mary.

The most celebrated Pagan festival held by modern Christians is that known as "_Sunday_," or the "Lord's day."

All the principal nations of antiquity kept the _seventh_ day of the week as a "holy day," just as the ancient Israelites did. This was owing to the fact that they consecrated the days of the week to the Sun, the Moon, and the five planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. _The seventh day was sacred to Saturn from time immemorial._ Homer and Hesiod call it the "Holy Day."[393:1] The people generally visited the temples of the gods, on that day, and offered up their prayers and supplications.[393:2] The Acadians, thousands of years ago, kept holy the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of each month as _Salum_ (rest), on which certain works were forbidden.[393:3] The _Arabs_ anciently worshiped Saturn under the name of Hobal. In his hands he held _seven_ arrows, symbols of the planets that preside over the seven days of the week.[393:4] The _Egyptians_ assigned a day of the week to the sun, moon, and five planets, and the number _seven_ was held there in great reverence.[393:5]

The planet _Saturn_ very early became the chief deity of Semitic religion. Moses consecrated the number seven to him.[393:6]

In the _old_ conception, which finds expression in the Decalogue in Deuteronomy (v. 15), the Sabbath has a purely theocratic significance, and is intended to remind the Hebrews of their miraculous deliverance from the land of Egypt and bondage. When the story of _Creation_ was borrowed from the _Babylonians_, the celebration of the Sabbath was established on entirely new grounds (Ex. xx. 11), for we find it is because the "Creator," after his six days of work, rested on the seventh, that the day should be kept holy.

The Assyrians kept this day holy. Mr. George Smith says:

"In the year 1869, I discovered among other things a curious
religious calendar of the Assyrians, in which every month is
divided into four weeks, and the _seventh_ days or
'_Sabbaths_,' are marked out as days on which no work should
be undertaken."[393:7]

The ancient _Scandinavians_ consecrated one day in the week to their Supreme God, _Odin_ or _Wodin_.[393:8] Even at the present time we call this day _Odin's-day_.[393:9]

The question now arises, how was the great festival day changed from the _seventh_--Saturn's day--to the _first_--_Sun_-day--among the Christians?

"If we go back to the founding of the church, we find that the most marked feature of that age, so far as the church itself is concerned, is the grand division between the 'Jewish faction,' as it was called, and the followers of Paul. This division was so deep, so marked, so characteristic, that it has left its traces all through the New Testament itself. It was one of the grand aspects of the time, and the point on which they were divided was simply this: the followers of Peter, those who adhered to the teachings of the central church in Jerusalem, held that all Christians, both converted Jews and Gentiles, were under obligation to keep the Mosaic law, ordinances, and traditions. That is, a Christian, according to their definition, was first a Jew; Christianity was something _added to_ that, not something taking the place of it.

"We find this controversy raging violently all through the early churches, and splitting them into factions, so that they were the occasion of prayer and counsel. Paul took the ground distinctly that Christianity, while it might be spiritually the lineal successor of Judaism, was not Judaism; and that he who became a Christian, whether a converted Jew or Gentile, was under no obligation whatever to keep the Jewish law, so far as it was separate from practical matters of life and character. We find this intimated in the writings of Paul; for we have to go to the New Testament for the origin of that which, we find, existed immediately after the New Testament was written. Paul says: 'One man esteemeth one day above another: another man esteemeth every day alike' (Rom. xiv. 5-9). He leaves it an open question; they can do as they please. Then: 'Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain' (Gal. iv. 10, 11). And if you will note this Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, you will find that the whole purpose of his writing it was to protest against what he believed to be the viciousness of the Judaizing influences. That is, he says: 'I have come to preach to you the perfect truth, that Christ hath made us free; and you are going back and taking upon yourselves this yoke of bondage. My labor is being thrown away; my efforts have been in vain.' Then he says, in his celebrated Epistle to the Colossians, that has never yet been explained away or met: 'Let no man therefore judge you any more in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days' (Col. ii. 16, 17), distinctly abrogating the binding authority of the Sabbath on the Christian church. So that, if Paul's word anywhere means anything--if his authority is to be taken as of binding force on any point whatever--then Paul is to be regarded as authoritatively and distinctly abrogating the Sabbath, and declaring that it is no longer binding on the Christian church."[395:1]

This breach in the early church, this controversy, resulted at last in Paul's going up to Jerusalem "to meet James and the representatives of the Jerusalem church, to see if they could find any common platform of agreement--if they could come together so that they could work with mutual respect and without any further bickering. What is the platform that they met upon? It was distinctly understood that those who wished to keep up the observance of Judaism should do so; and the church at Jerusalem gave Paul this grand freedom, substantially saying to him: 'Go back to your missionary work, found churches, and teach them that they are perfectly free in regard to all Mosaic and Jewish observances, save only these four: Abstain from pollutions of idols, from fornication, from things strangled, and from blood."[395:2]

The point to which our attention is forcibly drawn is, that the question of Sabbath-keeping is one of those that is left out. The point that Paul had been fighting for was conceded by the central church at Jerusalem, and he was to go out thenceforth free, so far as that was concerned, in his teaching of the churches that he should found.

There is no mention of the Sabbath, or the Lord's day, as binding in the New Testament. What, then, was the actual condition of affairs? What did the churches do in the first three hundred years of their existence? Why, they did just what Paul and the Jerusalem church had agreed upon. Those who wished to keep the Jewish Sabbath did so; and those who did not wish to, did not do so. This is seen from the fact that Justin Martyr, a Christian Father who flourished about A. D. 140, did not observe the day. In his "Dialogue" with Typho, the Jew reproaches the Christians for not keeping the "Sabbath." Justin admits the charge by saying:

"Do you not see that the Elements keep no Sabbaths and are
never idle? Continue as you were created. If there was no need
of circumcision before Abraham's time, and no need of the
Sabbath, of festivals and oblations, before the time of Moses,
_neither of them are necessary after the coming of Christ_. If
any among you is guilty of perjury, fraud, or other crimes,
let him cease from them and repent, and he will have kept
_the_ kind of Sabbath pleasing to God."

There was no binding authority then, among the Christians, as to whether they should keep the first or the seventh day of the week holy, or not, until the time of the first Christian Roman Emperor. "_Constantine, a Sun worshiper, who had, as other Heathen, kept the Sun-day, publicly ordered this to supplant the Jewish Sabbath._"[396:1] He commanded that this day should be kept holy, throughout the whole Roman empire, and sent an edict to all governors of provinces to this effect.[396:2] _Thus we see how the great Pagan festival, in honor of Sol the invincible, was transformed into a Christian holy-day._

Not only were Pagan festival days changed into Christian holy-days, but Pagan idols were converted into Christian saints, and Pagan temples into Christian churches.

A Pagan temple at Rome, formerly sacred to the "_Bona Dea_" (the "Good Goddess"), was Christianized and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In a place formerly sacred to Apollo, there now stands the church of Saint Apollinaris. Where there anciently stood the temple of Mars, may now be seen the church of Saint Martine.[396:3] A Pagan temple, originally dedicated to "_Cælestis Dea_" (the "Heavenly Goddess"), by one Aurelius, a Pagan high-priest, was converted into a Christian church by another Aurelius, created Bishop of Carthage in the year 390 of Christ. He placed his episcopal chair in the very place where the statue of the Heavenly Goddess had stood.[396:4]

The noblest heathen temple now remaining in the world, is the _Pantheon_ or _Rotunda_, which, as the inscription over the portico informs us, having been _impiously_ dedicated of old by Agrippa to "Jove and all the gods," was _piously_ reconsecrated by Pope Boniface the Fourth, to "The Mother of God and all the Saints."[396:5]

The church of Saint Reparatae, at Florence, was formerly a Pagan temple. An inscription was found in the foundation of this church, of these words: "To the Great Goddess Nutria."[396:6] The church of St. Stephen, at Bologna, was formed from heathen temples, one of which was a temple of Isis.[396:7]

At the southern extremity of the present Forum at Rome, and just under the Palatine hill--where the noble babes, who, miraculously preserved, became the founders of a state that was to command the world, were exposed--stands the church of St. Theodore.

This temple was built in honor of Romulus, and the brazen wolf--commemorating the curious manner in which the founders of Rome were nurtured--occupied a place here till the sixteenth century. And, as the Roman matrons of old used to carry their children, when ill, to the temple of Romulus, so too, the women still carry their children to St. Theodore on the same occasions.

In _Christianizing_ these Pagan temples, free use was made of the sculptured and painted stones of heathen monuments. In some cases they evidently painted over one name, and inserted another. This may be seen from the following

INSCRIPTIONS FORMERLY IN PAGAN TEMPLES.

1. To Mercury and Minerva, Tutelary Gods.

_and_

INSCRIPTIONS NOW IN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES.

1. To St. Mary and St. Francis, My Tutelaries.

2. To the Gods who preside over this Temple.

2. To the Divine Eustrogius, who presides over this Temple.

3. To the Divinity of Mercury the Availing, the Powerful, the Unconquered.

3. To the Divinity of St. George the Availing, the Powerful,
the Unconquered.

4. Sacred to the Gods and Goddesses, with Jove the best and greatest.

4. Sacred to the presiding helpers, St. George and St.
Stephen, with God the best and greatest.

5. Venus' Pigeon.

5. The Holy Ghost represented as a Pigeon.

6. The Mystical Letters I. H. S.[397:1]

6. The Mystical Letters I. H. S.[397:2]

In many cases the _Images_ of the Pagan gods were allowed to remain in these temples, and, after being _Christianized_, continued to receive divine honors.[397:3]

"In St. Peter's, Rome, is a statue of _Jupiter_, deprived of his thunderbolt, which is replaced by the emblematic keys. In like manner, much of the religion of the lower orders, which we regard as essentially _Christian_, is ancient _heathenism_, refitted with Christian symbols."[397:4] We find that as early as the time of St. Gregory, Bishop of Neo-Cesarea (A. D. 243), the "simple" and "unskilled" multitudes of Christians were allowed to pay divine honors to these images, hoping that in the process of time they would learn better.[398:1] In fact, as Prof. Draper says:

"Olympus was restored, but the divinities passed under other
names. The more powerful provinces insisted upon the adoption
of their time-honored conceptions. . . . Not only was the
adoration of _ISIS_ under a new name restored, but even her
image, standing on the crescent moon, reappeared. The
well-known effigy of that goddess with the infant Horus in her
arms, has descended to our days in the beautiful, artistic
creations of the Madonna and child. Such restorations of old
conceptions under novel forms were everywhere received with
delight. When it was announced to the Ephesians, that the
Council of that place, headed by Cyril, had declared that the
Virgin (Mary) should be called the '_Mother of God_,' with
tears of joy they embraced the knees of their bishop; it was
the old instinct cropping out; their ancestors would have done
the same for Diana."[398:2]

"O bright goddess; once again
Fix on earth thy heav'nly reign;
Be thy sacred name ador'd,
Altars rais'd, and rites restor'd."

Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople from 428 A. D., refused to call Mary "_the mother of God_," on the ground that she could be the mother of the human nature only, which the divine Logos used as its organ. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, did all in his power to stir up the minds of the people against Nestorius; the consequence was that, both at Rome and at Alexandria, Nestorius was accused of heresy. The dispute grew more bitter, and Theodosius II. thought it necessary to convoke an OEcumenical Council at Ephesus in 431. On this, as on former occasions, the affirmative party overruled the negative. The person of Mary began to rise in the new empyrean. The paradoxical name of "_Mother of God_" pleased the popular piety. Nestorius was condemned, and died in exile.

The shrine of many an old hero was filled by the statue of some imaginary saint.

"They have not always" (says Dr. Conyers Middleton), "as I am
well informed, given themselves the trouble of making even
this change, but have been contented sometimes to take up with
the _old image_, just as they found it; after baptizing it
only, as it were, or consecrating it anew, by the imposition
of a Christian name. This their antiquaries do not scruple to
put strangers in mind of, in showing their churches, as it
was, I think, in that of St. Agnes, where they showed me an
antique statue of a young _BACCHUS_, which, with a new name,
and some little change of drapery, stands now worshiped under
the title of a female saint."[398:3]

In many parts of Italy are to be seen pictures of the "Holy Family," of extreme antiquity, the grounds of them often of gold.

These pictures represent the mother with a child on her knee, and a little boy standing close by her side; the _Lamb_ is generally seen in the picture. They are inscribed "_Deo Soli_," and are simply ancient representations of Isis and Horus. The _Lamb_ is "The Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world," which, as we have already seen, was believed on in the Pagan world centuries before the time of Christ Jesus.[399:1] Some half-pagan Christian went so far as to forge a book, which he attributed to Christ Jesus himself, which was for the purpose of showing that he--Christ Jesus--was in no way against these heathen gods.[399:2]

The _Icelanders_ were induced to embrace Christianity, with its legends and miracles, and sainted divinities, as the Christian monks were ready to substitute for Thor, their warrior-god, Michael, the warrior-angel; for Freyja, their goddess, the Virgin Mary; and for the god Vila, a St. Valentine--probably manufactured for the occasion.

"The statues of Jupiter, Apollo, Mercury, Orpheus, did duty for _The Christ_.[399:3] The Thames River god officiates at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Peter holds the keys of Janus.[399:4] Moses wears the horns of Jove. Ceres, Cybele, Demeter assume new names, as '_Queen of Heaven_,' '_Star of the Sea_,' '_Maria Illuminatrix_;' Dionysius is St. Denis; Cosmos is St. Cosmo; Pluto and Proserpine resign their seats in the hall of final judgment to the Christ and his mother. The Parcæ depute one of their number, Lachesis, the disposer of lots, to set the stamp of destiny upon the deaths of Christian believers. The _aura placida_ of the poets, the gentle breeze, is personified as Aura and Placida. The _perpetua felicitas_ of the devotee becomes a lovely presence in the forms of St. Perpetua and St. Felicitas, guardian angels of the pious soul. No relic of Paganism was permitted to remain in its casket. The depositories were all ransacked. The shadowy hands of Egyptian priests placed the urn of holy water at the porch of the basilica, which stood ready to be converted into a temple. Priests of the most ancient faiths of Palestine, Assyria, Babylon, Thebes, Persia were permitted to erect the altar at the point where the transverse beam of the cross meets the main stem. The hands that constructed the temple in cruciform shape had long become too attenuated to cast the faintest shadow. There Devaki with the infant Crishna, Maya with the babe Buddha, Juno with the child Mars, represent Mary with Jesus in her arms. Coarse emblems are not rejected; the Assyrian dove is a tender symbol of the Holy Ghost. The rag-bags and toy boxes were explored. A bauble which the Roman schoolboy had thrown away was picked up, and called an '_agnus dei_.' The musty wardrobes of forgotten hierarchies furnished costumes for the officers of the new prince. Alb and chasuble recalled the fashions of Numa's day. The cast-off purple habits and shoes of Pagan emperors beautified the august persons of Christian popes. The cardinals must be contented with the robes once worn by senators. Zoroaster bound about the monks the girdle he invented as a protection against evil spirits, and clothed them in the frocks he had found convenient for his ritual. The pope thrust out his foot to be kissed, as Caligula, Heliogabalus, and Julius Cesar had thrust out theirs. Nothing came amiss to the faith that was to discharge henceforth the offices of spiritual impression."[400:1]

The ascetic and monastic life practiced by some Christians of the present day, is of great antiquity. Among the Buddhists there are priests who are ordained, tonsured, live in monasteries, and make vows of celibacy. There are also nuns among them, whose vows and discipline are the same as the priests.[400:2]

The close resemblance between the ancient religion of _Thibet_ and _Nepaul_--where the worship of a crucified God was found--and the Roman Catholic religion of the present day, is very striking. In Thibet was found the pope, or head of the religion, whom they called the "Dalai Lama;"[400:3] they use holy water, they celebrate a sacrifice with bread and wine; they give extreme unction, pray for the sick; they have monasteries, and convents for women; they chant in their services, have fasts; they worship one God in a trinity, believe in a hell, heaven, and a half-way place or purgatory; they make prayers and sacrifices for the dead, have confession, adore the cross; have chaplets, or strings of beads to count their prayers, and many other practices common to the Roman Catholic Church.[400:4]

The resemblance between Buddhism and Christianity has been remarked by many travelers in the eastern countries. Sir John Francis Davis, in his "History of China," speaking of Buddhism in that country, says:

"Certain it is--and the observance may be daily made even at
Canton--that they (the Buddhist priests) practice the
ordinances of celibacy, fasting, and prayers for the dead;
they have holy water, rosaries of beads, which they count with
their prayers, the worship of relics, and a monastic habit
resembling that of the Franciscans" (an order of Roman
Catholic monks).

Père Premere, a Jesuit missionary to China, was driven to conclude that the devil had practiced a trick to perplex his friends, the Jesuits. To others, however, it is not so difficult to account for these things as it seemed for the good Father. Sir John continues his account as follows:

"These priests are associated in monasteries attached to the
temples of Fo. They are in China precisely a society of
mendicants, and go about, like monks of that description in
the Romish Church, asking alms for the support of their
establishment. Their tonsure extends to the hair of the whole
head. There is a regular gradation among the priesthood; and
according to his reputation for sanctity, his length of
service and other claims, each priest may rise from the lowest
rank of servitor--whose duty it is to perform the menial
offices of the temple--to that of officiating priest--and
ultimately of 'Tae Hoepang,' Abbot or head of the
establishment."

The five principal precepts, or rather interdicts, addressed to the Buddhist priests are:

1. Do not kill.
2. Do not steal.
3. Do not marry.
4. Speak not falsely.
5. Drink no wine.

Poo-ta-la is the name of a monastery, described in Lord Macartney's mission, and is an extensive establishment, which was found in Manchow-Tartary, beyond the great wall. This building offered shelter to no less than eight hundred Chinese Buddhist priests.[401:1]

The Rev. Mr. Gutzlaff, in his "Journal of Voyages along the coast of China," tells us that he found the Buddhist "Monasteries, nuns, and friars very numerous;" and adds that: "their priests are generally very ignorant."[401:2]

This reminds us of the fact that, for centuries during the "dark ages" of Christianity, Christian bishops and prelates, the teachers, spiritual pastors and masters, were mostly _marksmen_, that is, they supplied, by the sign of the cross, their inability to write their own name.[402:1] Many of the bishops in the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon, it is said, could not write their names. Ignorance was not considered a disqualification for ordination. A cloud of ignorance overspread the whole face of the Church, hardly broken by a few glimmering lights, who owe almost the whole of their distinction to the surrounding darkness.[402:2]

One of the principal objects of curiosity to the Europeans who first went to China, was a large monastery at Canton. This monastery, which was dedicated to Fo, or Buddha, and which is on a very large scale, is situated upon the southern side of the river. There are extensive grounds surrounding the building, planted with trees, in the center of which is a broad pavement of granite, which is kept very clean. An English gentleman, Mr. Bennett, entered this establishment, which he fully describes. He says that after walking along this granite pavement, they entered a temple, where the priesthood happened to be assembled, worshiping. They were arranged in rows, chanting, striking gongs, &c. These priests, with their shaven crowns, and arrayed in the yellow robes of the religion, appeared to go through the mummery with devotion. As soon as the mummery had ceased, the priests all flocked out of the temple, adjourned to their respective rooms, divested themselves of their official robes, and the images--among which were evidently representations of Shin-moo, the "Holy Mother," and "Queen of Heaven," and "The Three Pure Ones,"--were left to themselves, with lamps burning before them.

To expiate sin, offerings made to these priests are--according to the Buddhist idea--sufficient. To facilitate the release of some unfortunate from purgatory, they said masses. Their prayers are counted by means of a rosary, and they live in a state of celibacy.

Mr. Gutzlaff, in describing a temple dedicated to Buddha, situated on the island of Poo-ta-la, says:

"We were present at the vespers of the priests, which they
chanted in the Pali language, not unlike the Latin service of
the Romish church. They held their rosaries in their hands,
which rested folded upon their breasts. One of them had a
small bell, by the tingling of which the service was
regulated."

The Buddhists in _India_ have similar institutions. The French missionary, M. L'Abbé Huc, says of them:

"The Buddhist ascetic not aspiring to elevate himself only, he
practiced virtue and applied himself to perfection to make
other men share in its belief; and by the institution of an
order of religious mendicants, which increased to an immense
extent, he attached towards him, and restored to society, the
poor and unfortunate. It was, indeed, precisely because Buddha
received among his disciples miserable creatures who were
outcasts from the respectable class of India, that he became
an object of mockery to the Brahmins. But he merely replied to
their taunts, 'My law is a law of mercy for all.'"[403:1]

In the words of Viscount Amberly, we can say that, "Monasticism, in countries where Buddhism reigns supreme, is a vast and powerful institution."

The _Essenes_, of whom we shall speak more fully anon, were an order of ascetics, dwelling in monasteries. Among the order of Pythagoras, which was very similar to the Essenes, there was an order of nuns.[403:2] The ancient Druids admitted females into their sacred order, and initiated them into the mysteries of their religion.[403:3] The priestesses of the Saxon Frigga devoted themselves to perpetual virginity.[403:4] The vestal virgins[403:5] were bound by a solemn vow to preserve their chastity for a space of thirty years.[403:6]

The Egyptian priests of Isis were obliged to observe perpetual chastity.[403:7] They were also tonsured like the Buddhist priests.[403:8] The Assyrian, Arabian, Persian and Egyptian priests wore _white_ surplices,[403:9] and so did the ancient Druids. The Corinthian Aphrodite had her Hierodoulio, the pure Gerairai ministered to the goddess of the Parthenon, the altar of the Latin Vesta was tended by her chosen virgins, and the Romish "Queen of Heaven" has her nuns.

When the Spaniards had established themselves in Mexico and Peru, they were astonished to find, among other things which closely resembled their religion, _monastic institutions_ on a large scale.

The Rev. Father Acosta, in his "Natural and Moral History of the Indies," says:

"There is one thing worthy of special regard, the which is,
how the Devil, by his pride, hath opposed himself to God; and
that which God, by his wisdom, hath decreed for his honor and
service, and for the good and health of man, the devil strives
to imitate and pervert, to be honored, and to cause men to be
damned: for as we see the great God hath Sacrifices, Priests,
Sacraments, Religious Prophets, and Ministers, dedicated to
his divine service and holy ceremonies, so likewise the devil
hath his Sacrifices, Priests, his kinds of Sacraments, his
Ministers appointed, his secluded and feigned holiness, with a
thousand sorts of false prophets."[403:10]

"We find among all the nations of the world, men especially
dedicated to the service of the true God, or to the false,
which serve in sacrifices, and declare unto the people what
their gods command them. There was in Mexico a strange
curiosity upon this point. And the devil, counterfeiting the
use of the church of God, hath placed in the order of his
Priests, some greater or superiors, and some less, the one as
Acolites, the other as Levites, and that which hath made most
to wonder, was, that the devil would usurp to himself the
service of God; yea, and use the same name: for the Mexicans
in their ancient tongue call their high priests _Papes_, as
they should say sovereign bishops, as it appears now by their
histories."[404:1]

In Mexico, within the circuit of the great temple, there were two monasteries, one for virgins, the other for men, which they called religious. These men lived poorly and chastely, and did the office of Levites.[404:2]

"These priests and religious men used great fastings, of five
or ten days together, before any of their great feasts, and
they were unto them as our four ember week; they were so
strict in continence that some of them (not to fall into any
sensuality) slit their members in the midst, and did a
thousand things to make themselves unable, lest they should
offend their gods."[404:3]

"There were in Peru many monasteries of virgins (for there are
no other admitted), at the least one in every province. In
these monasteries there were two sorts of women, one ancient,
which they called Mamacomas (mothers), for the instruction of
the young, and the other was of young maidens placed there for
a certain time, and after they were drawn forth, either for
their gods or for the Inca." "If any of the Mamacomas or
Acllas were found to have trespassed against their honor, it
was an inevitable chastisement to bury them alive or to put
them to death by some other kind of cruel torment."[404:4]

The Rev. Father concludes by saying:

"In truth it is very strange to see that this false opinion of
religion hath so great force among these young men and maidens
of Mexico, that they will serve the devil with so great rigor
and austerity, which many of us do not in the service of the
most high God, the which is a great shame and
confusion."[404:5]

The religious orders of the ancient Mexicans and Peruvians are described at length in Lord Kingsborough's "Mexican Antiquities," and by most every writer on ancient Mexico. Differing in minor details, the grand features of self-consecration are everywhere the same, whether we look to the saintly Rishis of ancient India, to the wearers of the yellow robe in China or Ceylon, to the Essenes among the Jews, to the devotees of Vitziliputzli in pagan Mexico, or to the monks and nuns of Christian times in Africa, in Asia, and in Europe. Throughout the various creeds of these distant lands there runs the same unconquerable impulse, producing the same remarkable effects.

The "_Sacred Heart_," was a great mystery with the ancients.

_Horus_, the Egyptian virgin-born Saviour, was represented carrying the sacred heart outside on his breast. _Vishnu_, the Mediator and Preserver of the Hindoos, was also represented in that manner. So was it with _Bel_ of Babylon.[405:1] In like manner, Christ Jesus, the Christian Saviour, is represented at the present day.

The amulets or charms which the Roman Christians wear, to drive away diseases, and to protect them from harm, are other relics of paganism. The ancient pagans wore these charms for the same purpose. The name of their favorite god was generally inscribed upon them, and we learn by a quotation from Chrysostom that the Christians at Antioch used to bind brass coins of Alexander the Great about their heads, to keep off or drive away diseases.[405:2] The Christians also used amulets with the name or monogram of the god _Serapis_ engraved thereon, which show that it made no difference whether the god was their own or that of another. Even the charm which is worn by the Christians at the present day, has none other than the monogram of _Bacchus_ engraved thereon, _i. e._, I. H. S.[405:3]

The ancient Roman children carried around their necks a small ornament in the form of a heart, called _Bulla_. This was imitated by the early Christians. Upon their ancient monuments in the Vatican, the heart is very common, and it may be seen in numbers of old pictures. After some time it was succeeded by the _Agnus Dei_, which, like the ancient _Bulla_, was supposed to avert dangers from the children and the wearers of them. Cardinal Baronius (an eminent Roman Catholic ecclesiastical historian, born at Sora, in Naples, A. D. 1538) says, that those who have been baptized carry pendent from their neck an _Agnus Dei_, in imitation of a devotion of the Pagans, who hung to the neck of their children little bottles in the form of a heart, which served as preservatives against charms and enchantments. Says Mr. Cox:

"That ornaments in the shape of a _vesica_ have been popular
in all countries as preservatives against dangers, and
especially from evil spirits, can as little be questioned as
the fact that they still retain some measure of their ancient
popularity in England, where horse-shoes are nailed to walls
as a safeguard against unknown perils, where a shoe is thrown
by way of good-luck after newly-married couples, and where the
villagers have not yet ceased to dance round the May-pole on
the green."[405:4]

All of these are emblems of either the Linga or Yoni.

The use of amulets was carried to the most extravagant excess in ancient Egypt, and their Sacred Book of the Dead, even in its earliest form, shows the importance attached to such things.[406:1]

We can say with M. Renan that:

"Almost all our superstitions are the remains of a religion
anterior to Christianity, and which Christianity has not been
able entirely to root out."[406:2]

Baptismal fonts were used by the pagans, as well as the little cisterns which are to be seen at the entrance of Catholic churches. In the temple of Apollo, at Delphi, there were two of these; one of silver, and the other of gold.[406:3]