THE REV. W. ST. CLAIR TiSDALL^ D.D., ON MITHRAISM. 249 



adoration being due only to Ahura Mazda (Ormazd) and his 

 good creatures. Hence a fierce contest was carried on against 

 the worship of idols and evil deities. Thus, in the so-called 

 Bahman Yasht, Mithra orders the destruction of idol-temples.* 

 But in Western Mithraism no such opposition to the powers of 

 evil is found. Plutarch tells us that in itf Mithra was styled 

 the Middleman (/xecr/r?;?) between Ahriman and Ormazd. He 

 adds that worship and sacrifice were offered to both the Good 

 and the Evil Principle, and that the Mithraists, mixing wolf's 

 blood with the juice of the moly (/xcoXv = haoma perhaps), used 

 to pour it out as a libation in a sunless place. Hence we find 

 in a Mithraic inscription a dedication to Ahriman \l 



In passing tlirough Armenia and Phrygia into Europe, 

 Mithraism seems to liave adopted some of the worst abomina- 

 tions of ]N^ature- worship, and not least those distinctive of the 

 religion of Attis and the Mother of the Gods. The reason of 

 this is not far to seek. Although the Avesta sternly condemns 

 unchastity,§ yet Mithra was never the guardian of 'purity. He 

 was the god of fertility in every sense, and blessed men by raising 

 up for them virtuous offspring."|| Persian Zoroastrianism 

 seems to have had little idea of holiness or purity, exceptIF in a 

 ceremonial sense. The great distinction between Ahura Mazda 

 and Anro Mainyus was that the former created and the latter 



^ Bahman Yasht, Ch. Ill, 35. 



t Plutarch, De hide et Osiride^ cap. 46, says : 'SojLit^ovai '^/ap ol ix€v 

 6eov<i eiuai tvo KaOcnrep di'riTe)(^uov^^ roi/ tieu a^jaOivu, rou ce (f)av\wv 

 briixiovp'^iou, ol he tov fiev afxelvova Oeou, tov ^' erepoi' dai/iioua KciXouatv ' 

 wairep Zivpoaffrprjv 6 /u.ayo9 . . . oino<i ovv eKctXct rou fiev 'Qpo/iia^qv^ 

 Tov d ^ ApeLfxavLov ' ml 7rpo(Ta7re(J)ai'ueTO rou fxeu eoiKeuai (^uorl /xaXiara 

 rwu at(x6)jru}u^ rou S' k/uL7ra\iu aicoric Kal d^uoi'a, jnecrou ^' ajLL(po7u rou 

 Mc6p7]u eiuai ' Sio Kal MiOprju Hipaat rou Meffi'nju 6uo/u.d^ov(nu, edida^e 

 he riv jLieu eVKraia Oveiu Kai ')(^api(rrripia, riv ^' ciTrorpoTrata Kal aKvOpOJird ' 

 TToav r^idp riua KOTrroure's MwXf KaXovfieuyu eu oXjuie^ rou '^'Aihrju 

 duaKaXovurai Kal rou OKorou ' eira /ui'^aure^ at/uart Xukov (T(/)a^^euro'i eh 

 roTTou duyXiou eK(pepovai Kal piTrrovai. 



X " D(eo) Arimanio Agrestius v(ir) c(larissimus) defensor magister et 

 pater patriim voti c(ompos) d(at) : " Cumont, Textes et Monuments, vol, ii, 

 p. 98 : cf. op. cit.j pp. 96, 110, 119, etc., for inscriptions to various othe 

 deities. The title pater patrum shows the dedication to have been not 

 only a Mithraist but one of the very highest grade. 



§ On the ground that prostitution hindered the grow-th of the popu- 

 lation. 



II Yasht X, 108. 



IT See the Vendidad passim. 



K 2 



