History of Religious Evolution 713 



himself. He then combined all that was best, greatest, most 

 impressive, in these into proenvironal pictures. These be- 

 came the two greatest superhuman personalities or deities 

 of the Irano- Aryan, the Semitic, the Egyptian, and much 

 later of the Inca Indian peoples, namely the Sun god or god- 

 dess and the Moon god or goddess. 



Only within recent decades have we begun to realize how 

 intimately and continuously man's reverential regard for such 

 objects permeated his life, and how deeply they influenced 

 his thoughts, words, and actions, eight to ten thousand years 

 ago. In no field of human action is this better demonstrated 

 perhaps than in the origin of the Sabbath, as a day set aside 

 from the other six days of the week. We are greatly indebted 

 to Floody (S20) for a masterly presentation of his predecessor's 

 views, and his own extensive studies on this subject. 



From these we learn that the primitive origin of the Sabbath 

 was as a lunar feast day, each of which marked the period of 

 the new, the waxing, the full, and the waning phases of that 

 luminary. Hence also the primitive months were lunar in 

 duration and origin. But further "ancient peoples, supposing 

 the gods looked like themselves, identified the moon with the 

 Great Cause because of its similarity to a living being. Ordi- 

 nary work was avoided for fear of arousing the wrath of the 

 patron god. Though work was prohibited, yet feasting and 

 merry-making were felt to be perfectly legitimate, and con- 

 stituted the essential feature of the day. It was an unlucky 

 day among all primitive peoples. Bad luck occurred only 

 when the god was angered by the ordinary work of man on 

 that day." 



Gradually it became a sacred day, on which pious medi- 

 tation and sacrifice, as well as rest, were combined. Thus 

 originated amongst the Iranians, at least 4000 B. C, its desig- 

 nation Sa-bat or Heart-rest. But this consecration of the 

 day even was in all probability effected, when a conunon 

 bond of origin existed amongst the Irano-Aryan human stocks. 

 For, as with so many other customs and observances, as pointed 

 out by Geiger (S21: xxiv), it was founded ''upon the old Aryan 



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