Pagan Origin of Partialist DoctrinesPitrat, John Claudius
Religion
Pagan Origin of Partialist Doctrines
Pitrat, John Claudius
Catholic Church -- Controversial literature; Future punishment; Universalism
All the sacred books of the Persians, and of the Egyptians, contain the
marvellous and allegorical recital of the various combats given by
Ahriman and his angels to Oromaze, and by Typhon to Osiris. These fables
have been rehearsed by the Greeks in the war of the Titans against the
Giants, against Jupiter, or Principle of good and light; for Jupiter,
Plutarch remarks, was the Oromaze of the Persians, and the Osiris of the
Egyptians.
To these examples quoted by Plutarch, and which he extracted from the
Theogony of the Persians, of the Egyptians, of the Greeks, and of the
Chaldeans, we shall add others, which are living yet, at least the most
of them. The inhabitants of the kingdom of Pegu admit two Principles;
the one author of good, and the other of evil. They particularly
endeavor to obtain the favor of the latter. The Indians of Java
acknowledge a chief supreme of the universe, and address offerings and
prayers to the evil genius lest he harm them. The Indians of the Moluc
and Philippine islands do the same. The natives of the island of Formose
worshiped a good god, Ishy, and demons, Chouy; they sacrifice to the
latter, but seldom to the former.
The negroes of the Cote-d'or admit two Gods, the one good, and the
other bad; the one white, and the other black and evil. They do not
adore the former often, whereas they try to appease the latter with
prayers and sacrifices; the Portuguese have named him Demon. The
Hottentots call the good Principle the Captain of above, and the bad
principle the Captain of below. The ancients believed that the source of
evil was in the underneath matter of the earth. The Giants and Typhon
were sons of the Earth. The Hottentots say, that, whether the good
Principle is prayed to or not he does good; whereas it is necessary to
pray to the evil Principle, lest he might do harm. They call the bad god
Touquoa, and represent him small, crooked, irritable, a foe to them; and
they say that from him all evils flow to this world.
The natives of Madagascar believe in two Principles. They ascribe to the
bad one the form and badness of a serpent, they call him Angat: they
name the good one Jadhar, which means great, omnipotent God. They rear
no temple to the latter because he is good. The Mingrelians more
particularly honor the one of their idols, which they think to be the
most cruel. The Indians of the island of Teneriffe believe in a supreme
God, whom they call Achguaya-Xerax, which means the greatest, the most
sublime, the preserver of all things. Also they admit an evil genius
named Guyotta.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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