[97] Several attributes of the heathen goddess Holda passed over to the worship of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. [98] Compare this with what is said by Pliny, and with the use of spittle by the Roman Catholics in baptism. Chapter V. of this book. [99] See _A Short Account of the Holy Brook_, etc., by John Gutslaff, Pastor at Urbs in Liefland, Dorpt, 1644, pp. 25, 258. [100] _Conquest of Mexico_, vol. iii., p. 369 f., Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott. [101] _Hist. de Nueva Espana_, lib. vi., cap. xxxvii. [102] _The Native Races, Myths, and Languages_, vol. iii., p. 369 _seq._, San Francisco, 1882. CHAPTER V. GREEK WATER-WORSHIP. Sprinkling and Immersion Both Used--Prominence of “Baptismal Regeneration”--Lustral Water at Temple Doors--Baptism of Animals--Influence of “The Greek Mysteries” on Christian Baptism--Initiatory Baptisms--Scenic Illustrations--Mithraic Baptism Engrafted on Grecian--“Creed,” “Symbol,” Drawn from Grecian Water-Worship Cult--Identity of Grecian and Roman Catholic Forms--The Use of Spittle in Pagan Baptism. In our survey of the wide field, we now come to a still more specific view of the pagan cult, along the line of Hellenic thought, where it impinged most strongly upon Christianity. POTTER writes learnedly of water-worship among the Greeks, in the following: “At least every person who came to the solemn sacrifices was purified by water. To which end at the entrance to the temples there was commonly placed a vessel full of holy water. This water was consecrated by putting into it a burning torch taken from the altar. The same torch was sometimes made use of to sprinkle those who entered into the temple. Thus we find in Euripides, and also in Aristophanes, where the scholiast observes that this torch was used because of the quality of fire, which is thought to purify all things. Instead of the torches, they sometimes used a branch of laurel, as we find in Pliny. Thus Sozomen, where he speaks of Valentinian following Julian into a pagan temple, relates that when they were about to enter, a priest holding certain green boughs dropping water besprinkled them after the Grecian manner. Instead of laurel, olive was sometimes used. Thus we find in Virgil: ‘Old Corianæus compassed thrice the crew, And dipped an olive branch in holy dew.’ “This custom of surrounding here expressed, was so constant in purifying that most of the terms which relate to any sort of purification are compounded with περι, around, thus: περιῤῥαίνειν, περιμάττεσθαι, περιθειοῦν, περιαγνίζειν, etc.