ORIENTAL ELEMENTS OF (H'LTl KE IN THE OCCIDENT." 



1)V Dk. Geoiu; Jacob. 



The intimate cultural connection between tlie ancient peoplet^ since 

 the beji'innino- of history is an undeniabh^ fact. It is almost a truism 

 that original ideas are l)ut exceptions to the overwhelming- num])er of 

 reproduced ones, and yet even learned men are strono-ly disinclinc^d to 

 acknowledge indebtedness for elements of culture, lest it interfere 

 with the pleasino- thought of development within one's own narrow 

 circle. It is ))ut natui'al to delight in a structure l>uilt in the course 

 of many years from the (luarries of oiu^'s own field, l)ut it is (Miually 

 true that this sentiment rests on suppositions l)ased on anything but 

 facts. A migrating idcni, in the purely ideal sphere at least, could 

 remain the same only under the assumption of perfect identity of 

 national characteristics and entire suspension of development. This 

 not being the case, the variation of the contents of an idea among dif- 

 ferent peoples is no proof against its modification from without. Nor 

 is it necessary to refute the strange yet conunon view thiit the })ossi- 

 ))ility of the construction of an internal development makes the 

 assumption of external intiuences unnecessary.''' 



In the religious field the victorious course of Christianity from East 

 to West is not an isolated phenomenon. Not onl}' did tiie Mithra 

 cult pursue a similar course, but we continually see religious ideas 

 from the Orient penetrating Occidental culture spheres. It is not 

 difficult to trace to the influence of the old Persian Dualism'' the 



« Translation, after revision by tlie author, of Ostliche Kultiirelemente ini Abend- 

 land. Vortrag, am 4. Februar 1902, zu Erlangen gehalten niid naclitriiglich erwei- 

 tert von Dr. Georg Jacob, ao. Professor der niorgenliiuilisclicii S])rach('n. Berlin: 

 Mayer and Miiller, 1902, pp. 24, gr. 800. 



''Stave, in tJber den Einfluss des Parsismus auf das .hidcntiiin, Haarlem, IS98, 

 has fallen into both these errors. 



•^'I was led to these views especially b}' the comparative study oi Persian and 

 Arabic poets. Notice, for instance, the frequency of the epithet 'pcik (clean) in con- 

 nection with the name of Allah in Persion poetry and search for Arabic parallels. 

 Many Persian conceptions liave survived in Mohanmiedan writings; thus the later 

 Turkish Kyrk sual point to contact with middle Persian sources. On the other 

 hand, old Persian concejitions were later forced into the Koran hy conneciling them 

 with such words as sidra (Sure 53, 14, 16), kauthar (108), sirut (37, 23), sfdiira 

 (79, 14). 



509 



