Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-03-17

establishment among them of the religion
of Zoroaster.
Students of the Bible will call to mind
the often repeated statements in the Old
Testament of persons who consulted the
astrologers. soothsaycrs and wise men up.
on difficult and perpexing questions. They
seemed to he necessary part of the house
mold or political family of royalty. And
again in the New Testament, in the second
chapter of Matthew Now when Jesus
WAS born In Bethlehem of Judea, in the
days of Herod the king, behold there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem. say
ing, where is he that was born king of the
Jews" And, 10, the star " whlch
they saw in the east went before them till
1t came and stood over where the young
child was. When they saw the star they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And
when they were come into the house they
saw the child with Mary, his mother, and
they fell down and worshiped him. And
when they had opened their treasures they
presented unto him gifts, gold and frank
incense and myrrh.'
Marco Polo, the celebrated traveller,
states in the account of his travels through
Persia in the 18th century that he found a
tradition among the reworshipers there
commemorative of the event above quoted
as follows 1T was made known 10 the
| Magi, by the appearance of Il bright star
! hts nf h M. a
west, and deputation Of their number
WAS sent TO find him, and to give gifts to
him, by which means they would know
who he was. II he took from them gold
they would know he would be an earthly
| king; If myrrh, he would be physician.
| and If franklncense then he would be a.
vine, as that was The proper Offering to di-
'inity. When they found him and pre-
sentcd their offerings great was their sur
prise that he accepted all three whereby
they knew him to be the Great King. the
Good Physician, the Son OF the Most High
God
If it were true. which | doubt, this
would be a most singular and significant
fact. to elevate the science Of astroloev.
not only among the Mag, hut among all
people, The probable truth j. that Marco
Polo used the license of traveller of his
time, in writing the account of his tray
els, and it requires very wise disCrimina-
tion to draw the line Justly between his
facts and his aCtlons
been stated. is held in ahomnaton by TO-
roastrians, but a reverence for fire aud
the heavenly bodies. particularly the sun.
is inculcated, as they are held to be en-
blems Of the glory of Ahura Mazda. Every
evening, wherever he may be, upon the
street or upon the terrace, the devout Par
see stops and stretches forth his hands in
aposture of deep alteration to the retiring
god of day. When repeating their pray
ers their faces are turned toward the sun,
II 1t be day, or TO other heavenly bodies,
If by night. The Intelligent PAr,ec viii
tell you that he worship> not the sun nor
fire, but that he adorcs one Supreme Spir-
itual God. and that he rereres dre and the
sun as = manifestation of Deity. He does
not claim, however, that the more igno-
rant and unenlighteued members Of his
sect, make or arc capable 0: that Iislinc-
tion.
They have five sacrifices or sacred ac-
tions which they perform. The slaughter
ing OF animals for public and private 80
lennities; prayers; the Daruns sacrament,
which with its consecrated bread and wine
in honor of the primal founder of their
law, the personhed blessing, bears a strik
Ing outward resemblance to the sacrament
OF the Lords supper; the sacrifice Of ex
piation, consisting of fagellations, or gifts
to the priests, and lastly, sacrifices for the
souls of the dead.
The publication of physical and moral
impurities is effected in the first place with
holy water, earth and other things; sec
ond, by prayers of at least sixteen which
are TO be recited daily. and by recitng por-
tions of the divine word. Their holy book
teaches that Ahura- Mazda created man
holy and immortal, but that through Ahri-
! man-evil one-sin entered the world and
man became mortal Notwithstanding the
race became mortal and miserable through
the sin of the first parents, man holds
highly important position between the two
worlds OF light and darkness, left there to
act out bis own free Will. As a creature
| of Ahura Mazda, he can, and ought to,
honor him and assist him in his war
against evil, but Ahriman and his daevas
surround him day and night, and seek to
mislead hin, in order to increase the pow
ers of darkness. Man would not be able
to resist these temptations 10 which his first
| parents yielded did not Ahura Mazda take
/ pity on him and send him a revelation OF
! his will in the law of Z,roaster If he
/ obeys those laws and precepts he is safe
from the daeyas, under the protection of
Ahura- Mazda.
! The substance of that law is to think
purely, speak purely, act purely. All that
comes from Ahura- Mazda is pure; all
from Ahriman and his daevas is impure.
All bodily purity has like worth with
moral purity. Therefore the followers of
Z0roaster are enjoined to be careful and
particular in the practice of bodily cleanli-
ness.
Those who have chosen the good in this
| world are to be received after death BY
good spirits, and under the guidance and
protection of the dog Sura are conducted
to the bridge Chinevat; the wicked are
dragged thither by the daeyas. There
Ahura Mazda decides the fate of souls.
The holy pass over the bridge to mansions
of bliss beyond the wicked fall from the
bridge into the gulf below, where they are
tormented by the daevas. The duration
of their torment is fixed by Ahura Mazda !;
some are redeemed OF released earlier than
others on account OF prayers and interces-
sions of friends, but many must there re-
main until the final resurrection.
did the Catholic church borrow its idea
of Purgatory from the ancient faith of
Zoroaster?)
Ahriman, from his evil nature, though
in reality carrying out the plans of the In
finite. creates seven comets in opposition
to the seven planets, which he sends on
their destructive way through space, Ali
! inU tho npivarsa uit th dunnor nd man /,