St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-03-29
THE ANCIENT EASTER.

.oroollv COMMUNICATED the god or saw
;or Of the people who held them.
IN Persia Mithras, the savior and
-.odiator between God and man, was
Selieyed to have risen from the dead,
Snd the mysteries connected with his
morsbip were celebrated in the latter
s Wv" Of March. The body Of young
p non apparently dead was exhibited to
10 restored to life. The priests watched
". tomb until midnight with loud cries
n md in darkness, when all at once the
,;obts burst forth from all parts and the
nriests cried "Rejoice o sacred mi
tt;otedl Your god has risen His death,
his pains, his sufferings, have worked
0rr salvation. These ceremonies were
accompanied by lighting the sacred
candle and amounting the image with
The principal religious festivals of
+ba wear not only in Egypt, but in
SYRIA, Phrygia and Greece, and, in
fact throughout the east, were solem-
ni1ed at the latter end of autumn and
again at the beginning of spring. Those
which occurred in spring were particu-
larly characterized by mirth and revel-
~ The resurrection of Adonis, or
Tbammuz, was celebrated throughout
A the east julius Firmicus, in an grafton
or address delivered to the Emperors
A Constants and Constantius, described
n these rites in detail. The worshipers
laid an image upon bed and bewailed
4 in mournful songs.
After continuing these lamentations
for a considerable time light was brought
ID into the room, and the mouths Of the
mourners were anointed by the priests,
upon which the young man impersonat-
ipg Adonis gently murmured: "Trust,
4 We communicates. The god having been
saved, there shall be to US out of pain
salvation. In Alexandria the feast of
h the resurrection of Adonis was observed
on the 95th of March in very much the
same way as described by julius Fir
micus. These festivals were observed in
Egypt as late as the year 412, and at
Antioch, the ancient capital Of the
Greek kings IN Syria, as late as the
year $685.
Adonis, or Thammuz, had his altar
even in the temple of Jerusalem. Sew
eral of the psalms of David were parts
Of the liturgical service employed in
his worship. With the same ceremonies
as in Egypt and elsewhere the Easter
rising of Adonis was commemorated at
Byblis in Phenicia. The ancient Greeks
also celebrated this festival in honor of
the resurrection of Adonis, in the course
Of which figure Of him was produced
and the ceremony of burying, with
weeping and songs of wailing, gone
through. After these joyful shout was
raised, "Adonis lives and is risen
again." Elsewhere in the east the
Easter festivities were Of similar
character, and the priests addressed the
worshipers with the formula, "Com-
fort yourselves, all ye who have been
partakers of the mysteries Of the deity
thus preserved. for we shall now enjoy
some respite from our labors, " to which
n were added these words: 81 have
escaped sad calamity, and my lot is
greatly mended." The people answered
n by chanting the invocation, "Hail to
the dove, the restorer of lightl''
1.-THE resurrection and reign over an
eternal kingdom by an incarnate, medi-
ating deity, born Of a virgin" says
Professor Mahaffy, twas the Oldest re-
ligion of Egypt" Osiris was the pop
NJ ular god of that country, pre-eminently
good and dear to the hearts of the PEG
H pie. His resurrection and ascension
4 were celebrated annually in early
spring, about the time known in Chris
tian countries as Easter. The anniver
( sary of his death or disappearance il
November of each year was observed
with rites of mourning. Similar in ma
ture were ceremonies in other countries
lat the same season, such as the Thesmo
#phoria of the Athenians and the Etach
tha of the B9otians. Later on came
other observances describing the search
for Osiris, when professions bearing thu
sacred chest and arks, with fresh water
spices and costly perfumes marched tt
the temples The sacred COW was LEI
around the temple seven times, which
lndicated that the god did not complies
his return until seven months after
These observances took place in tn
early SPRING March or April.
Phrygia was celebrated Throughout
the east for the mysteries of Atys, ant
IN these mysteries Atys was represented
10y young man tied to tree, a
Though suspended upon cross, ant
There were great ceremonies attending
nis release, which was typical of tn
resurrection. These mysteries, whicl
began with three days of mourning
were followed Immediately by feast o
hilaries Or day of rejoicing, festiva
mat occurred on the 25th Of March
Or the eighth day before the calends c
april In connection Herewith son
Which afterward became the "Hallelu
IAN of the Christian church was sung
and also the "H@c Dies"
The ancient Scandinavians also ha
'nelr Easter celebration. In fact, tn
word Easter-Anglo-Saxon Eastre an
Is hoStre, and German Ostera- sui
wal from the old Teutonic mythology
~ Is derived from Eostre or Ostara, tn
Anglo-saxon goddess Of spring, VIII
corresponds to the Sidonian Asteroth O
AStarte. To Eostra the fourth month