i:)2 



V. A. Smith — Graxo- Roman itijhwmr; 



[No. 3, 



In the early centuries of the Christian ora the religion of Christ in one 

 or other of its forms extended over many parts of Asia where it is now 

 extinct, and it must have modified the ideas and beliefs of the peoples 

 among whom it flourished. The Gnostic variety or corruption of Chris- 

 tianity was especially popular iu the East, and strong reasons exist 

 for believing in Gnostic influence on the Vedantist philosophy of India. 

 The Bhagavad-Gita certainly seems to have much in common with the 

 Gospels.* 



The extraordinarily close resemblance between many of the sculp- 

 tures of the Gaudhara or Peshawar school, and the monuments of early 

 Christian art at Rome, which was first observed by Mr. Fcrgusson, has 

 been discussed at some length in an earlier section of this paper (mile, 

 p. 164). The resemblance is certainly real, and, however it may be 

 explained, proves with equal certainty that the Christian and the Bud- 

 dhist artists had many ideas in common. The Buddhism of Gaudhara 

 beyond doubt borrowed Christian forms of artistic expression; it would 

 be strange if tho Buddhist teachers did not assimilate, along with the 

 forms, some Christian doctrine. But any attempt to follow this specu- 

 lation further would carry me beyond my depth. 



Tho Gaudhara adaptation of Leochares' group representing the Rape 

 of Gauymedo (ante, p. 133) shows clearly how easy it was for the 

 ancient Indians to adopt a Greek myth, and convert it to the use ol 

 their own religions. 



Weber maintains that a substratum of Homeric legend underlies 

 the Ramayana, and gives good reasons for his opinion. The mere fact 

 that such a suggestion can bo supported by plausible arguments indi- 

 cates that the student of comparative mythology must be careful not 

 to assumo the Indian origin of every myth which may have on the sur- 

 faco a purely Indian appearance. 



I have shown above (ante, p. 133) that the Asuras of Puranic mytho- 

 logy are probably Hinduized adaptations of the Greek giants, who 

 warred with the gods. 



The remarkable fact that no images of Buddha are found among 

 sculptures at Bharhut (B. C. 150), and Sanchi (A. D. 80), while they 

 are numerous at Amaravati (A. D. 180),t suggested to Mr. Fcrgusson 



* See the translation of Dr. Lorimer's ' Appondix to the Bhagavad-Gita ' in 

 Indian Antiquary, Vol. II, p. 283. That author quotes St. Chrysostom, who died 

 A. D. 407, to prove that a translation of the New Testament into some Indian 

 language existed in his time. 



+ This is tho approximate date of the outer rail. Tho inner rail is later, and 

 some sculptures date from before the Christian era. Tho remains at AmaravaU illtts- 

 Male tim period from about IS. C. 100 to A. D. 250 (Burgess, Buddhist stupas of 

 AmaravaU and Jaygayaiietd, p. 112;. 



