THE REV. W. ST. CLAIR TJSDALL^ D.V., ON MITHRAISM. 247 



correspond with the Adityas of the Eig-Veda. Yet the Avesta 

 shows that attempts were made to restore him to bis lofty })lace 

 by making him equal to Ahura Mazda. In fact in one passage 

 it is said that "Ahura Mazda adored " Mithra " near (or wiih) 

 brilliant Garo-nmana."* Elsewhere we are told that Ahura 

 Mazda had made Mithra as great as himself " to keep guard 

 over all tliis movingf world/' and that he had rendered him as 

 great in dignity and honuur asij: himself. This shows that it 

 was felt necessary to prevent rivalry between Ahura Mazda 

 and Mithra by recognising their equality. In other words, the 

 later parts§ of the Avesta show that Zoroastrianism was 

 decaying and Mithra was again coming to the fore. This 

 prepared the way for his Western conquests. 



As early as the time of Artaxerxes Ochus, we find Mithra hon- 

 oured and worshipped in connexion with Ahura Mazda. Thus 

 in an inscription of this King we read: "King!| Artaxerxes 



V, 16 of the same yasna we read of her : " Thy father is Ahura Mazda . . 

 thy mother is Armaiti Speiita." This name means Bountiful or 

 Productive) Pleasure" (Sanscrite vetbo d-ram, "requiescere," " gaudere," 

 nonnumquam de re venerea utujitur), and she is the tutelary s^oddess 

 of the earth. Originally, in many cases nt least, the other Ame^^ha Speiitas 

 were personirted attributes of Ahura Mazda. One proof tlint Mithra is in 

 no sense a "manifestation" of Aliui;i MaziJa, but a separ.vte deity, is the 

 fact that Mithra is not an Amesha-8pe^l^a, though, like all the latter and 

 also Rashnu, Sraosha, etc., he is in the Avesta one of Ahura Mazda's 

 children (Yasht, xvii, 2, 16.) Yet Mr. J. M. Robertson {Pagan CliristSy 

 2nd Ed., p. 320), assures us that Mithra was the chief of the Amesha- 

 Spentas. 



* Mithrem . . . yim yazita AJmro Mazdw raolclishnat paiti OarOn- 

 mdndt (Yasht x, 31, 12.3.) 



t Yasht X, 103 ; Yim haretaremca aiwyakhstaremca. 



Fiadathat Ahuro Mazdw. 

 Yispayo) fiavois gaethayto. 



" Whom Ahura Mazda set forth as both guardian and overseer of all 

 this moving world" {i.e., cattle, etc.) 



X Yasht X, 1 ; Mraot Ahuro Mazdw Spitamai Zarathustrai ; Aat yat 

 Mithrem, yim vouru-gaoya'.'itim, fradadham azem, Spitam?., aat dim 

 dadham avcoiitem yesnyata, avcoutem vahmyata,yatha mamcit,yim Ahurem 

 Mazdam. — "Ahura Mazda said to beneficent {]) Zoroaster, 'Tlien, when 

 I set forth Mithra, lord of broad pastures, O beneficejit one, then I 

 rendered him as great in worshipfuiness, as great in venerableness, as 

 even myself Ahura Mazda,' " 



It is as yet impo.ssible to fix the date of the composition of the 

 various parts of the Avesta. The Gathas were probably composed by 

 Zoroaster (Zarathustra) himself, about 600 B.C. or a little later, while the 

 Khorda Avesta consists of prayers, etc., which received their present 

 form under the editorship of Ahdarpadh Mahraspand in the reign of 

 Shaptir (Sapor) ii (a.d. 310-379.) 



II Thatiy Artakhshatra khshayathiya : Mam AuramazdS, uta Mithra 



R 



