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festival of the spring equinox。 This is the view of the learned ecclesiastical historian Mgr。 Duchesne； who points out that the death of the Saviour was thus made to fall upon the very day on which； according to a widespread belief； the world had been created。 But the resurrection of Attis； who combined in himself the characters of the divine Father and the divine Son； was officially celebrated at Rome on the same day。 When we remember that the festival of St。 George in April has replaced the ancient pagan festival of the Parilia； that the festival of St。 John the Baptist in June has succeeded to a heathen midsummer festival of water： that the festival of the Assumption of the Virgin in August has ousted the festival of Diana； that the feast of All Souls in November is a continuation of an old heathen feast of the dead； and that the Nativity of Christ himself was assigned to the winter solstice in December because that day was deemed the Nativity of the Sun； we can hardly be thought rash or unreasonable in conjecturing that the other cardinal festival of the Christian churchthe solemnisation of Eastermay have been in like manner； and from like motives of edification； adapted to a similar celebration of the Phrygian god Attis at the vernal equinox。
At least it is a remarkable coincidence； if it is nothing more； that the Christian and the heathen festivals of the divine death and resurrection should have been solemnised at the same season and in the same places。 For the places which celebrated the death of Christ at the spring equinox were Phrygia； Gaul； and apparently Rome； that is； the very regions in which the worship of Attis either originated or struck deepest root。 It is difficult to regard the coincidence as purely accidental。 If the vernal equinox； the season at which in the temperate regions the whole face of nature testifies to a fresh outburst of vital energy； had been viewed from of old as the time when the world was annually created afresh in the resurrection of a god； nothing could be more natural than to place the resurrection of the new deity at the same cardinal point of the year。 Only it is to be observed that if the death of Christ was dated on the twenty…fifth of March； his resurrection； according to Christian tradition； must have happened on the twenty…seventh of March； which is just two days later than the vernal equinox of the Julian calendar and the resurrection of Attis。 A similar displacement of two days in the adjustment of Christian to heathen celebrations occurs in the festivals of St。 George and the Assumption of the Virgin。 However； another Christian tradition； followed by Lactantius and perhaps by the practice of the Church in Gaul； placed the death of Christ on the twenty…third and his resurrection on the twenty…fifth of March。 If that was so； his resurrection coincided exactly with the resurrection of Attis。
In point of fact it appears from the testimony of an anonymous Christian； who wrote in the fourth century of our era； that Christians and pagans alike were struck by the remarkable coincidence between the death and resurrection of their respective deities； and that the coincidence formed a theme of bitter controversy between the adherents of the rival religions； the pagans contending that the resurrection of Christ was a spurious imitation of the resurrection of Attis； and the Christians asserting with equal warmth that the resurrection of Attis was a diabolical counterfeit of the resurrection of Christ。 In these unseemly bickerings the heathen took what to a superficial observer might seem strong ground by arguing that their god was the older and therefore presumably the original； not the counterfeit； since as a general rule an original is older than its copy。 This feeble argument the Christians easily rebutted。 They admitted； indeed； that in point of time Christ was the junior deity； but they triumphantly demonstrated his real seniority by falling back on the subtlety of Satan； who on so important an occasion had surpassed himself by inverting the usual order of nature。
Taken altogether； the coincidences of the Christian with the heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental。 They mark the compromise which the Church in the hour of its triumph was compelled to make with its vanquished yet still dangerous rivals。 The inflexible Protestantism of the primitive missionaries； with their fiery denunciations of heathendom； had been exchanged for the supple policy； the easy tolerance； the comprehensive charity of shrewd ecclesiastics； who clearly perceived that if Christianity was to conquer the world it could do so only by relaxing the too rigid principles of its Founder； by widening a little the narrow gate which leads to salvation。 In this respect an instructive parallel might be drawn between the history of Christianity and the history of Buddhism。 Both systems were in their origin essentially ethical reforms born of the generous ardour； the lofty aspirations； the tender compassion of their noble Founders； two of those beautiful spirits who appear at rare intervals on earth like beings come from a better world to support and guide our weak and erring nature。 Both preached moral virtue as the means of accomplishing what they regarded as the supreme object of life； the eternal salvation of the individual soul； though by a curious antithesis the one sought that salvation in a blissful eternity； the other in a final release from suffering； in annihilation。 But the austere ideals of sanctity which they inculcated were too deeply opposed not only to the frailties but to the natural instincts of humanity ever to be carried out in practice by more than a small number of disciples； who consistently renounced the ties of the family and the state in order to work out their own salvation in the still seclusion of the cloister。 If such faiths were to be nominally accepted by whole nations or even by the world； it was essential that they should first be modified or transformed so as to accord in some measure with the prejudices； the passions； the superstitions of the vulgar。 This process of accommodation was carried out in after ages by followers who； made of less ethereal stuff than their masters； were for that reason the better fitted to mediate between them and the common herd。 Thus as time went on； the two religions； in exact proportion to their growing popularity； absorbed more and more of those baser elements which they had been instituted for the very purpose of suppressing。 Such spiritual decadences are inevitable。 The world cannot live at the level of its great men。 Yet it would be unfair to the generality of our kind to ascribe wholly to their intellectual and moral weakness the gradual divergence of Buddhism and Christianity from their primitive patterns。 For it should never be forgotten that by their glorification of poverty and celibacy both these religions struck straight at the root not merely of civil society but of human existence。 The blow was parried by the wisdom or the folly of the vast majority of mankind； who refused to purchase a chance of saving their souls with the certainty of extinguishing the species。
Chapter 38。 The Myth of Osiris。
IN ANCIENT EGYPT the god whose death and resurrection were annually celebrated with alternate sorrow and joy was Osiris； the most popular of all Egyptian deities； and there are good grounds for classing him in one of his aspects with Adonis and Attis as a personification of the great yearly vicissitudes of nature； especially of the corn。 But the immense vogue which he enjoyed for many ages induced his devoted worshippers to heap upon him the attributes and powers of many other gods； so that it is not always easy to strip him； so to say； of his borrowed plumes and to restore them to their proper owners。
The story of Osiris is told in a connected form only by Plutarch； whose narrative has been confirmed and to some extent amplified in modern times by the evidence of the monuments。
Osiris was the offspring of an intrigue between the earth…god Seb （Keb or Geb； as the name is sometimes transliterated） and the sky…goddess Nut。 The Greeks identified his parents with their own deities Cronus and Rhea。 When the sun…god Ra perceived that his wife Nut had been unfaithful to him； he declared with a curse that she should be delivered of the child in no month and no year。 But the goddess had another lover； the god Thoth or Hermes； as the Greeks called him； and he playing at draughts with the moon won from her a seventy…second part of every day； and having compounded five whole days out of these parts he added them to the Egyptian year of three hundred and sixty days。 This was the mythical origin of the five supplementary days which the Egyptians annually inserted at the end of every year in order to establish a harmony between lunar and solar time。 On these five days； regarded as outside the year of twelve months； the curse of the sun…god did not rest； and accordingly Osiris was born on the first of them。 At his nativity a voice rang out proclaiming that the Lord of All had come into the world。 Some say that a certain Pamyles heard a voice from the temple at Thebes bidding him announce with a shout that a great king； the beneficent Osi