ories and opinions on the matter?" Certainly a
startling statement from the lips of a pagan. Undoubtedly Welcker was
right when he asserted, as the ultimate result of his researches: "This
(Greek) polytheism has settled before the eyes of men like a high and
continuous mountain range, beyond which it is the privilege only of
general historical study to recognize, as from a higher point of view,
the natural primitive monotheism." Concerning the monotheistic ideas of
later Greek thought, the same author says that they are to be regarded
not as a result of an ascending line of evolution ("aufsteigende Linie
der Entwickelung"), but as "a _return_ of the profound wisdom of old
age to the feeling of primitive simplicity."

Of the Phoenicians the greatest student of their history and religion,
F. K. Movers, says: "Nature worship gradually obscured the purer God-idea
of a more ancient stage of belief, but has never entirely obliterated
it." He refers to an evident "adulteration of a purer and more ancient
God-idea."

Regarding the Zoroastrians of ancient Persia, M. Haug, the famous Zend
scholar, asserts that "Monotheism was the leading idea of Zoroaster's
theology;" he called God Ahura-mazda, i. e., "the Living Creator."
Zoroaster did not teach a theological Dualism. He arrived "at the idea
of the unity and indivisibility of the Supreme Being," and only as "in
course of time this doctrine was changed and _corrupted_ ... the dualism
of God and the devil arose." "Monotheism was _superseded_ by Dualism."

Both Dr. F. Hommel and Friedrich Delitzsch agree on the question of an
early Arabian and Sumerian monotheism. Dr. Hommel demonstrates from the
personal surnames contained in the inscriptions the existence of a "very
exalted monotheism" in the most ancient times of the Arabian nation,
about 2500 B. C., and among the Semitic tribes of northern Babylonia.
This "monotheistic religion" degenerated under the influence of
Babylonian polytheism. The same opinion was held years ago by Julius
Oppert, the Assyriologist, who was led to a belief in "a universal
primitive monotheism as the basis of all religions."

Expressions similar to the above might be adduced from Rawlinson, Legge
(_"Religions of China"_), Doellinger, Victor v. Strauss-Torney (the
Egyptologist), Jacob Grimm, and others. In short, the majority of
independent and unprejudiced students of heathen beliefs, from the days
of A. W. v. Schlegel to our own, have reached the con