History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAP. IV.] AN ERROR. 207

to give greater efficiency to His prayers, unites them to those of all the Parsis, of all the souls acceptable to Hormazd, which have existed, or shall exist until the resurrection. He declares also that he takes part in the good deeds of all the righteous, and that he joins his action to theirs. This communion of prayers and actions appears in all the forms and all the offices which compose the liturgical works of the Parsis. It is well adapted to maintain the spirit of peace and union which ought to characterise a people who profess to adore the Author of all good.

“The Parsis commence prayers with a sincere confession of the sins they have committed.”?

This is a sufficiently accurate account of the theological system of Zoroaster reduced to practice, though Anquetil du Perron commits the grave error, alluded to before in the words of Dr. Haug, of not clearly understanding the speculative philosophy taught by Zoroaster himself, inasmuch as he places Ahreman, the bad principle, directly in opposition to Ahura Mazda, whereas it ought to be to Spenta Mainyush, the good principle.

Dr. Hyde also, in his celebrated work on the ancient Parsi religion, says that “the Persians, from the beginning of their existence as a nation, always believed in only one and the same true and omnipotent God. They believed in all the attributes of

* Translated from the French by the Rey. Dr. Murray Mitchell,