File:Religions of the ancient world, including Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia, Persia, India, Phoenicia, Etruria, Greece, Rome (1880) (14780026874).jpg

Identifier: religionsofanc00rawl (find matches)
Title: Religions of the ancient world, including Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia, Persia, India, Phoenicia, Etruria, Greece, Rome
Year: 1880 (1880s)
Authors: Rawlinson, George, 1812-1902
Subjects: Religion
Publisher: London, Relig. Tract Society
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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equally conspicuous positions onthe sculptured tablet above his tomb; and hisexample was followed by all the later monarchsof his race whose sepulchres are still in existence.^Artaxerxes Mnemon placed an image of Mithra I in the temple attached to the royal palace atSusa* He also in his inscriptions unites Mithra I ^dth Ahm-a-Mazda, and prays for their conjointprotection.^ Artaxerxes Ochus does the same aHttle later ; *^ and the practice is also observed inportions of the Zendavesta composed about thisperiod. Ahura-Mazda and Mithra are called the two great ones, the two great, imperish-able, and pure.* ^ Zendavesta, iii. 72 (Spiegels edition).2 Haug, Essays, p. 231. * See the Authors Ancient Monarcliies, vol. iv. p. 334, andFlandin, Voyage en Perse, pis. 164 bis, 166, 173-176. * Loftus, Chaldsea and Susiana, p. 372. Ihid. •^ Sir H. Rawlinson, Cuneiform Inscriptions, vol. i. p. 342. 7 Yasna, i. 34 ; ii. 44 ; iii. 48 ; Mihr Yasht, 113. 8 See Puseys Lectures on Daniel, p. 542, note 3.
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THE RELIGION OF THE ANCIENT IRANIANS. 107 The position of man in the cosmic scheme wasdetermined by the fact that he was among theI creations of Ahura-Mazda. Formed and placedon earth by the Good Being, he was bound to( render him imphcit obedience, and to oppose tothe utmost Angro-Mainjais and his creatures. Hisduties might be summed up under the four heads(of piety^ purity, industr^^ and veracity;. Pietywas to be shown by an acknowlecTgment of Ahura-Mazda as the One Time God, by a reverential re-gard for the Amesha-Spentas and the Izeds, orlower angels, by the frequent offering of j)rayers,praises, and thanksgivings, the recitation of hymns,the occasional sacrifice of animals, and the per-formance from time to time of a curious ceremonyknnwm as that of the Haoma or Homa. Thisconsisted in the extraction of the juice of theHoma plant by the priests during the recitationof prayers, the formal presentation of the liquidextracted to the sacrificial fire, the consumptionof a small portion

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