bourhood: his work professes to be the result of his prayers and
meditations in a cave near that place.
His reforma- It should not, however, be forgotten, that this Zoroaster did
Magian not teach anything new, but merely restored what had been
re lgion. inculcated some centuries before by an individual of the same
name.1
Sabaism and other corruptions, such as sacrifices on the
highest mountains to Jupiter, the sun, moon, earth, &c.2 being
prohibited, the doctrines of the reformed Magian religion
became nearly those of the ancient Persians. The goo'd and evil
principles are considered as being permitted by the will of God;
The doctrines a general resurrection and day of retribution were likewise
him.!cate by inculcated by Zoroaster, who added, that those who had done
well, and lived in obedience to the law of God, were to pass into
the realm of light, and those who had done evil, were to suffer
everlasting punishment in a land of obscurity. “ Endeavour,
therefore, O man ” (so runs the precept), “ to do all the good
thou canst, without fear or apprehension, for God is benign and
merciful, and will reward even the smallest good thou dost.”3
Account given A passage of Celsus, preserved by Origen,4 appears to throw
by Ceisus. gome light on the account given by Herodotus of the Sabaism
of the Persians. Celsus compares the path of the soul through
the firmament and planets, to a ladder which leads through seven
The seven gates to the sun. The first gate is said to be of lead, which,
spbera. according to the Persians, expresses the slow revolution of
Saturn; the second is tin, which typifies the brightness of
Yenus; the third gate being of brass, represents the supposed
firmness of Jupiter; the fourth is iron, and on account of the
general usefulness of that metal, it is represented by Mercury;
the fifth, a mixed metal, is applied to Mars; the sixth, quicksilver,
is identified with the Moon; the seventh gate is of gold,
the emblem of the Sun, according to the Persians.6
Clitarchus, in his 12th book, mentions as a summary of the
1 See vol. I., p. 85. 2 Herod., lib. I., cap. cxxxi.
3 Sad-der, part V . ; Hyde’s Hist. Relig. Vet. Persar, &c.
4 Orig. Contra Cels., lib. IV.., edit. Spencer.
5 See the French translation, vol. I., p. 426, and vol. I I ., pp. 389, 390, of
the Zend-avesta, for a similar account.
religion of the Magi, that they offer to the gods sacrifices,
prayers, and vows. Nature and the origin of the gods are
objects of their researches, believing that fire, air, water, and
earth, are divinities. They object to the worship of statues, and
consider it most perverse to believe that the gods are male and
female.1
The worship of Yenus was condemned by the Magi, who The Magi
r , • i r. • o • mi i i .a. i believed in remained firm to the great article of their faith, which they God.
carefully transmitted to their posterity,2 that “ there is one
God:” the belief in magic was probably introduced a little
anterior to the time of Zerd-husht or Zoroaster.
The explanation of the sage himself regarding the use of fire,3
and the above-mentioned assertion in the firman of Cyrus,4
serve to show that the sun and fire were considered but as
symbols of the Deity,5 and were venerated as such. In order The sun and
to protect the latter, as an emblem of the Divine presence, as symbols of
temples were built for worship instead of continuing the ancient the Deity,
custom of burning fires on the tops of the mountains.6 A
liturgy was composed by Zoroaster, and tithes were set apart
for the maintenance of the priesthood;7 but fasting and celibacy
were condemned, as tending to a neglect of the best gifts of
God ; whilst diligence in cultivation was considered better than
repeating ten thousand prayers.8
Here we are almost reminded of the thousands of rams, and The spiritual
/ » • i n i l i q i * "worship was ten. thousand rivers of oil of the prophet} and many passages m long preserved,
the Zend-avesta still more clearly recognize the Almighty
government of the world, as well as that spiritual morality so
conspicuous in the book of Job,10 and which bears at the same
time such close affinity to the precepts of Noah.
Other traces of a primæval religion appear to have been m r«m.
long preserved in the territory of Iran, which by its geogra-
1 Apud Diog. Laert. 2 Hyde, Hist. Relig. Vet. Persar., p. 90.
3 See above, p. 171. 4 See p. 170.
» Ibid. 6 Herod., lib. I ., cap. cxxxi.
? Sad-der, art. viii.
8 Zend-avestâ, tome I., p. 224, and Précis des Systèmes de Zoroaster.
9 Micab, chap. V I., v. 5, 8.
18 Job, chap. X X ., v. 4, 9, 11, and 27 ; chap, X X I I I ., v. 12„ 14 ; chap.
X X IV ., v. 1 ; chap. X X IX ,, v. 11-17 ; chap. X X X I., v. 4, 5, 6, 26, 39.