the golden bough-第138章

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tless　repugnant　to　the　good　taste　and　humanity　of　the　Greeks；　who　seem　to　have　preferred　the　kindred　but　gentler　rites　of　Adonis。　Yet　the　same　features　which　shocked　and　repelled　the　Greeks　may　have　positively　attracted　the　less　refined　Romans　and　barbarians　of　the　West。　The　ecstatic　frenzies；　which　were　mistaken　for　divine　inspiration；　the　mangling　of　the　body；　the　theory　of　a　new　birth　and　the　remission　of　sins　through　the　shedding　of　blood；　have　all　their　origin　in　savagery；　and　they　naturally　appealed　to　peoples　in　whom　the　savage　instincts　were　still　strong。　Their　true　character　was　indeed　often　disguised　under　a　decent　veil　of　allegorical　or　philosophical　interpretation；　which　probably　sufficed　to　impose　upon　the　rapt　and　enthusiastic　worshippers；　reconciling　even　the　more　cultivated　of　them　to　things　which　otherwise　must　have　filled　them　with　horror　and　disgust。

The　religion　of　the　Great　Mother；　with　its　curious　blending　of　crude　savagery　with　spiritual　aspirations；　was　only　one　of　a　multitude　of　similar　Oriental　faiths　which　in　the　later　days　of　paganism　spread　over　the　Roman　Empire；　and　by　saturating　the　European　peoples　with　alien　ideals　of　life　gradually　undermined　the　whole　fabric　of　ancient　civilisation。　Greek　and　Roman　society　was　built　on　the　conception　of　the　subordination　of　the　individual　to　the　community；　of　the　citizen　to　the　state；　it　set　the　safety　of　the　commonwealth；　as　the　supreme　aim　of　conduct；　above　the　safety　of　the　individual　whether　in　this　world　or　in　the　world　to　come。　Trained　from　infancy　in　this　unselfish　ideal；　the　citizens　devoted　their　lives　to　the　public　service　and　were　ready　to　lay　them　down　for　the　common　good；　or　if　they　shrank　from　the　supreme　sacrifice；　it　never　occurred　to　them　that　they　acted　otherwise　than　basely　in　preferring　their　personal　existence　to　the　interests　of　their　country。　All　this　was　changed　by　the　spread　of　Oriental　religions　which　inculcated　the　communion　of　the　soul　with　God　and　its　eternal　salvation　as　the　only　objects　worth　living　for；　objects　in　comparison　with　which　the　prosperity　and　even　the　existence　of　the　state　sank　into　insignificance。　The　inevitable　result　of　this　selfish　and　immoral　doctrine　was　to　withdraw　the　devotee　more　and　more　from　the　public　service；　to　concentrate　his　thoughts　on　his　own　spiritual　emotions；　and　to　breed　in　him　a　contempt　for　the　present　life　which　he　regarded　merely　as　a　probation　for　a　better　and　an　eternal。　The　saint　and　the　recluse；　disdainful　of　earth　and　rapt　in　ecstatic　contemplation　of　heaven；　became　in　popular　opinion　the　highest　ideal　of　humanity；　displacing　the　old　ideal　of　the　patriot　and　hero　who；　forgetful　of　self；　lives　and　is　ready　to　die　for　the　good　of　his　country。　The　earthly　city　seemed　poor　and　contemptible　to　men　whose　eyes　beheld　the　City　of　God　coming　in　the　clouds　of　heaven。　Thus　the　centre　of　gravity；　so　to　say；　was　shifted　from　the　present　to　a　future　life；　and　however　much　the　other　world　may　have　gained；　there　can　be　little　doubt　that　this　one　lost　heavily　by　the　change。　A　general　disintegration　of　the　body　politic　set　in。　The　ties　of　the　state　and　the　family　were　loosened：　the　structure　of　society　tended　to　resolve　itself　into　its　individual　elements　and　thereby　to　relapse　into　barbarism；　for　civilisation　is　only　possible　through　the　active　co…operation　of　the　citizens　and　their　willingness　to　subordinate　their　private　interests　to　the　common　good。　Men　refused　to　defend　their　country　and　even　to　continue　their　kind。　In　their　anxiety　to　save　their　own　souls　and　the　souls　of　others；　they　were　content　to　leave　the　material　world；　which　they　identified　with　the　principle　of　evil；　to　perish　around　them。　This　obsession　lasted　for　a　thousand　years。　The　revival　of　Roman　law；　of　the　Aristotelian　philosophy；　of　ancient　art　and　literature　at　the　close　of　the　Middle　Ages；　marked　the　return　of　Europe　to　native　ideals　of　life　and　conduct；　to　saner；　manlier　views　of　the　world。　The　long　halt　in　the　march　of　civilisation　was　over。　The　tide　of　Oriental　invasion　had　turned　at　last。　It　is　ebbing　still。

Among　the　gods　of　eastern　origin　who　in　the　decline　of　the　ancient　world　competed　against　each　other　for　the　allegiance　of　the　West　was　the　old　Persian　deity　Mithra。　The　immense　popularity　of　his　worship　is　attested　by　the　monuments　illustrative　of　it　which　have　been　found　scattered　in　profusion　all　over　the　Roman　Empire。　In　respect　both　of　doctrines　and　of　rites　the　cult　of　Mithra　appears　to　have　presented　many　points　of　resemblance　not　only　to　the　religion　of　the　Mother　of　the　Gods　but　also　to　Christianity。　The　similarity　struck　the　Christian　doctors　themselves　and　was　explained　by　them　as　a　work　of　the　devil；　who　sought　to　seduce　the　souls　of　men　from　the　true　faith　by　a　false　and　insidious　imitation　of　it。　So　to　the　Spanish　conquerors　of　Mexico　and　Peru　many　of　the　native　heathen　rites　appeared　to　be　diabolical　counterfeits　of　the　Christian　sacraments。　With　more　probability　the　modern　student　of　comparative　religion　traces　such　resemblances　to　the　similar　and　independent　workings　of　the　mind　of　man　in　his　sincere；　if　crude；　attempts　to　fathom　the　secret　of　the　universe；　and　to　adjust　his　little　life　to　its　awful　mysteries。　However　that　may　be；　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　the　Mithraic　religion　proved　a　formidable　rival　to　Christianity；　combining　as　it　did　a　solemn　ritual　with　aspirations　after　moral　purity　and　a　hope　of　immortality。　Indeed　the　issue　of　the　conflict　between　the　two　faiths　appears　for　a　time　to　have　hung　in　the　balance。　An　instructive　relic　of　the　long　struggle　is　preserved　in　our　festival　of　Christmas；　which　the　Church　seems　to　have　borrowed　directly　from　its　heathen　rival。　In　the　Julian　calendar　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　was　reckoned　the　winter　solstice；　and　it　was　regarded　as　the　Nativity　of　the　Sun；　because　the　day　begins　to　lengthen　and　the　power　of　the　sun　to　increase　from　that　turning…point　of　the　year。　The　ritual　of　the　nativity；　as　it　appears　to　have　been　celebrated　in　Syria　and　Egypt；　was　remarkable。　The　celebrants　retired　into　certain　inner　shrines；　from　which　at　midnight　they　issued　with　a　loud　cry；　The　Virgin　has　brought　forth！　The　light　is　waxing！　The　Egyptians　even　represented　the　new…born　sun　by　the　image　of　an　infant　which　on　his　birthday；　the　winter　solstice；　they　brought　forth　and　exhibited　to　his　worshippers。　No　doubt　the　Virgin　who　thus　conceived　and　bore　a　son　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　was　the　great　Oriental　goddess　whom　the　Semites　called　the　Heavenly　Virgin　or　simply　the　Heavenly　Goddess；　in　Semitic　lands　she　was　a　form　of　Astarte。　Now　Mithra　was　regularly　identified　by　his　worshippers　with　the　Sun；　the　Unconquered　Sun；　as　they　called　him；　hence　his　nativity　also　fell　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　December。　The　Gospels　say　nothing　as　to　the　day　of　Christ's　birth；　and　accordingly　the　early　Church　did　not　celebrate　it。　In　time；　however；　the　Christians　of　Egypt　came　to　regard　the　sixth　of　January　as　the　date　of　the　Nativity；　and　the　custom　of　commemorating　the　birth　of　the　Saviour　on　that　day　gradually　spread　until　by　the　fourth　century　it　was　universally　established　in　the　East。　But　at　the　end　of　the　third　or　the　beginning　of　the　fourth　century　the　Western　Church；　which　had　never　recognised　the　sixth　of　January　as　the　day　of　the　Nativity；　adopted　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　as　the　true　date；　and　in　time　its　decision　was　accepted　also　by　the　Eastern　Church。　At　Antioch　the　change　was　not　introduced　till　about　the　year　375　A。D。

What　considerations　led　the　ecclesiastical　authorities　to　institute　the　festival　of　Christmas？　The　motives　for　the　innovation　are　stated　with　great　frankness　by　a　Syrian　writer；　himself　a　Christian。　The　reason；　he　tells　us；　why　the　fathers　transferred　the　celebration　of　the　sixth　of　January　to　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　was　this。　It　was　a　custom　of　the　heathen　to　celebrate　on　the　same　twenty…fifth　of　December　the　birthday　of　the　Sun；　at　which　they　kindled　lights　in　token　of　festivity。　In　these　solemnities　and　festivities　the　Christians　also　took　part。　Accordingly　when　the　doctors　of　the　Church　perceived　that　the　Christians　had　a　leaning　to　this　festival；　they　took　counsel　and　resolved　that　the　true　Nativity　should　be　solemnised　on　that　day　and　the　festiv