Superiority of the Orient, 1.-Its Influence on Political
Institutions, 3.-Its Influence on Civil Law, 5.-Its In-
fluence on Science, 6.-Its Influence on Literature and
Art, 7.-Its Influence on Industry, 9.-SOURCES: Destruction
of Pagan Rituals, 11.-Mythographers, 12.-Historians, 13.
-Satirists, 13.-Philosophers, 14.-Christian Polemicists,
15.-Archeological Documents, 16.
II. WHY THE ORIENTAL RELIGIONS SPREAD
Difference in the Religions of the Orient and the Occident,
20. Spread of Oriental Religions, 22.-Economic Influ-
ences, 23.-Theory of Degeneration, 25.-Conversions are
of Individuals, 27.-Appeal of the Oriental Religions to
the Senses, 28.-Appeal to the Intelligence, 31.-Appeal to
the Conscience, 35.-Inadequacy of the Roman Religion,
35. Skepticism, 37.-Imperial Power, 38.-The Purification
of Souls, 39.—Hope of Immortality 42.-Conclusion, 43.
III. ASIA MINOR.
Arrival of Cybele at Rome, 46.-Her Religion in Asia
Minor, 47.-Religion at Rome under the Republic, 51.-
Adoption of the Goddess Ma-Bellona, 53.-Politics of Clau-
dius, 55-Spring Festival, 56.-Spread of the Phrygian
Religion in the Provinces, 57.-Causes of Its Success, 58.-
Its Official Recognition, 60.-ARRIVAL OF OTHER CULTS:
Mèn, 61.-Judaism, 63.-Sabazius, 64.-Anahita, 65.-The
Taurobolium, 66.-Philosophy, 70.-Christianity, 70.-Con-
clusion, 71.
Foundation of Serapis Worship, 73.-The Egyptian Religion
Hellenized, 75.-Diffusion in Greece, 79.-Adoption at
Rome, 80.-Persecutions, 82.-Adoption Under Caligula, 84.
-Its History, 85.-Its Transformation, 86.-Uncertainty in
Egyptian Theology, 87.-Insufficiency of Its Ethics, 90.—
Power of Its Ritual, 93.-Daily Liturgy, 95.-Festivals, 97.
-Doctrine of Immortality, 99.-The Refrigerium, 101.
The Syrian Goddess, 103.-Importation of New Gods by
Syrian Slaves, 105.-Syrian Merchants, 107.-Syrian Sol-
diers, 112.-Heliogabalus and Aurelian, 114.-Value of Sem-
itic Paganism, 115.-Animal Worship, 116.-Baals, 118.-
Human Sacrifice, 119.-Transformation of the Sacerdotal
Religion, 120.-Purity, 121.-Influence of Babylon, 122.-
Eschatology, 125.-THEOLOGY: God is Supreme, 127.-God
is Omnipotent, 129.-God is Eternal and Universal, 130.-
Semitic Syncretism, 131.-Solar Henotheism, 133.
VI. PERSIA.
Persia and Europe, 135.-Influence of the Achemenides, 136.
-Influence of Mazdaism, 138.-Conquests of Rome, 139.-
Influence of the Sassanides, 140.-Origin of the Mysteries
of Mithra, 142.-Persians in Asia Minor, 144.-The Maz-
daism of Anatolia, 146.-Its Diffusion in the Occident, 149.
-Its Qualities, 150.-Dualism, 151.-The Ethics of Mithra-
ism, 155.-The Future Life, 158.-Conclusion, 159.
VII. ASTROLOGY AND MAGIC .
Prestige of Astrology, 162.-Its Introduction in the Occi-
dent, 163.-Astrology Under the Empire, 164.-Polemics
Powerless Against Astrology, 166.-Astrology a Scientific
Religion, 169.-The Primitive Idea of Sympathy, 171.-
Divinity of the Stars, 172.-Transformation of the Idea of
God, 174.-New Gods, 175.-Big Years, 176.-Astrological
Eschatology, 177.-Man's Relation to Heaven, 178.--Fatal-
ism, 179.-Efficacy of Prayer, 180.-Efficacy of Magic, 182.
Treatises on Magic, 182.-Idea of Sympathy, 183.-Magic
a Science, 184.-Magic is Religious, 185.-Ancient Italian
Sorcery, 186.-Egypt and Chaldea, 187.-Theurgy, 188.-
Persian Magic, 189.-Persecutions, 191.-Conclusion, 193.
VIII. THE TRANSFORMATION OF ROMAN PAGANISM
Paganism Before Constantine, 196.-Religion of Asia Minor,
197.-Religion of Egypt and Syria, 198.-Religion of Persia,
199. Many Pagan Religions, 200.-Popular Religion and
Philosophy, 201.-Christian Polemics, 202.-Roman Pagan-
ism Become Oriental, 204.-Mysteries, 205.-Nature Wor-
ship, 206.-Supreme God, 207.-Sidereal Worship, 208.-
The Ritual Given a Moral Significance, 309.-The End of
the World, 209.-Conclusion, 210.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FRANZ CUMONT'S WORK.
FRANZ CUMONT, born January 3, 1868, and
educated at Ghent, Bonn, Berlin, and Paris, resides in Brussels, and has been Professor in the University of Ghent since 1892. His monumental work, Textes et monuments figurés relatifs aux mystères de Mithra, published in 1896 and 1899 in two volumes, was followed in 1902 by the separate publication, under the title Les Mystères de Mithra, of the second half of Vol. I, the Conclusions in which he interpreted the great mass of evidence contained in the remainder of the work. The year following, this book appeared in the translation of Thomas J. McCormack as The Mysteries of Mithra, published by the Open Court Publishing Company. M. Cumont's other work of prime interest to students of the ancient faiths, Les religions orientales dans le paganisme romain, appeared in 1906, was revised and issued in a second edition in 1909, and is now presented in English in the following pages.
M. Cumont is an ideal contributor to knowledge in his chosen field. As an investigator, he combines in one person Teutonic thoroughness and Gallic intuition. As a writer, his virtues are no less pronounced. Recognition of his mastery of an enormous array of detailed learning followed immediately on the publication
of Textes et monuments, and the present series of essays, besides a numerous series of articles and monographs, makes manifest the same painstaking and thorough scholarship; but he is something more than the mere savant who has at command a vast and difficult body of knowledge. He is also the literary architect who builds up his material into well-ordered and graceful structure.
Above all, M. Cumont is an interpreter. In The Mysteries of Mithra he put into circulation, so to speak, the coin of the ideas he had minted in the patient and careful study of Textes et Monuments; and in the studies of The Oriental Religions he is giving to the wider public the interpretation of the larger and more comprehensive body of knowledge of which his acquaintance with the religion of Mithra is only a part, and against which as a background it stands. What his book The Mysteries of Mithra is to his special knowledge of Mithraism, The Oriental Religions is to his knowledge of the whole field. He is thus an example of the highest type of scholar-the exhaustive searcher after evidence, and the sympathetic interpreter who mediates between his subject and the lay intellectual life of his time.
And yet, admirable as is M. Cumont's presentation in The Mysteries of Mithra and The Oriental Religions, nothing is a greater mistake than to suppose that his popularizations are facile reading. The few specialists in ancient religions may indeed sail smoothly in the current of his thought; but the very nature of a subject which ramifies so extensively and so intricately into the whole of ancient life, concerning itself with practically all the manifestations of ancient civilization—
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