ional faith of the Romans, while at the same time the Caesars had
gradually destroyed the political particularism. After their advent it was
no longer necessary for religion to be connected with a state in order to
become universal. Religion was no longer regarded as a public duty, but as
a personal obligation; no longer did it subordinate the individual to the
city-state, but pretended above all to assure his welfare in this world and
especially in the world to come. The Oriental mysteries offered their
votaries radiant perspectives of eternal happiness. Thus the focus of
morality was changed. The aim became to realize the sovereign good in the
life hereafter instead of in this world, as the Greek philosophy had done.
No longer did man act in view of tangible {xxiii} realities, but to attain
ideal hopes. Existence in this life was regarded as a preparation for a
sanctified life, as a trial whose outcome was to be either everlasting
happiness or everlasting pain.

As we see, the entire system of ethical values was overturned.

The salvation of the soul, which had become the one great human care, was
especially promised in these mysteries upon the accurate performance of the
sacred ceremonies. The rites possessed a power of purification and
redemption. They made man better and freed him from the dominion of hostile
spirits. Consequently, religion was a singularly important and absorbing
matter, and the liturgy could be performed only by a clergy devoting itself
entirely to the task. The Asiatic gods exacted undivided service; their
priests were no longer magistrates, scarcely citizens. They devoted
themselves unreservedly to their ministry, and demanded of their adherents
submission to their sacred authority.

All these features that we are but sketching here, gave the Oriental
religions a resemblance to Christianity, and the reader of these studies
will find many more points in common among them. These analogies are even
more striking to us than they were in those times because we have become
acquainted in India and China with religions very different from the Roman
paganism and from Christianity as well, and because the relationships of
the two latter strike us more strongly on account of the contrast. These
theological similarities did not attract the attention of the ancients,
because they scarcely conceived of the existence of other possibilities,
while differences were what they {xxiv} remarked especially. I am not