Beacon Lights of History, Volume 01 | Page 3

Superiority of Greek sculpture Ornamentation of temples
with statues of gods, heroes, and distinguished men The great sculptors
of antiquity Their ideal excellence Antiquity of painting in Babylon and

Egypt Its gradual development in Greece Famous Grecian painters
Decline of art among the Romans Art as seen in literature Literature not
permanent without art Artists as a class Art a refining influence rather
than a moral power Authorities
LITERARY GENIUS.
THE GREEK AND ROMAN CLASSICS.
Richness of Greek classic poetry Homer Greek lyrical poetry Pindar
Dramatic poetry Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides Greek comedy:
Aristophanes Roman poetry Naevius, Plautus, Terence Roman epic
poetry: Virgil Lyrical poetry: Horace, Catullus Didactic poetry:
Lucretius Elegiac poetry: Ovid, Tibullus Satire: Horace, Martial,
Juvenal Perfection of Greek prose writers History: Herodotus
Thucydides, Xenophon Roman historians Julius Caesar Livy Tacitus
Orators Pericles Demosthenes Aeschines Cicero Learned men: Varro
Seneca Quintilian Lucian Authorities

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
VOLUME I.
Agapè, or Love Feast among the Early Christians Frontispiece _After
the painting by J.A. Mazerolle_.
Procession of the Sacred Bull Apis-Osiris _After the painting by E.F.
Bridgman_.
Driving Sacrificial Victims into the Fiery Mouth of Baal After the
painting by Henri Motte.
Apollo Belvedere _From a photograph of the statue in the Vatican,
Rome._
Confucian Temple, Forbidden City, Pekin From a photograph.

The School of Plato _After the painting by O. Knille_.
Socrates Instructing Alcibiades _After the painting by H.F. Schopin_.
Socrates _From the bust in the National Museum, Naples_.
Pericles and Aspasia in the Studio of Phidias After the painting by
Hector Le Roux.
Zeuxis Choosing Models from among the Beauties of Kroton for his
Picture of Helen _After the painting by E. Pagliano_.
Homer _From the bust in the National Museum, Naples_.
Demosthenes _From the statue in the Vatican, Rome_.

ANCIENT RELIGIONS:
EGYPTIAN, ASSYRIAN, BABYLONIAN, AND PERSIAN.

BEACON LIGHTS OF HISTORY.
ANCIENT RELIGIONS:
EGYPTIAN, ASSYRIAN, BABYLONIAN, AND PERSIAN.
It is my object in this book on the old Pagan civilizations to present the
salient points only, since an exhaustive work is impossible within the
limits of these volumes. The practical end which I have in view is to
collate a sufficient number of acknowledged facts from which to draw
sound inferences in reference to the progress of the human race, and the
comparative welfare of nations in ancient and modern times.
The first inquiry we naturally make is in regard to the various religious
systems which were accepted by the ancient nations, since religion, in
some form or other, is the most universal of institutions, and has had

the earliest and the greatest influence on the condition and life of
peoples--that is to say, on their civilizations--in every period of the
world. And, necessarily, considering what is the object in religion,
when we undertake to examine any particular form of it which has
obtained among any people or at any period of time, we must ask, How
far did its priests and sages teach exalted ideas of Deity, of the soul,
and of immortality? How far did they arrive at lofty and immutable
principles of morality? How far did religion, such as was taught,
practically affect the lives of those who professed it, and lead them to
just and reasonable treatment of one another, or to holy contemplation,
or noble deeds, or sublime repose in anticipation of a higher and
endless life? And how did the various religions compare with what we
believe to be the true religion--Christianity--in its pure and ennobling
truths, its inspiring promises, and its quiet influence in changing and
developing character?
I assume that there is no such thing as a progressive Christianity,
except in so far as mankind grow in the realization of its lofty
principles; that there has not been and will not be any improvement on
the ethics and spiritual truths revealed by Jesus the Christ, but that they
will remain forever the standard of faith and practice. I assume also that
Christianity has elements which are not to be found in any other
religion,--such as original teachings, divine revelations, and sublime
truths. I know it is the fashion with many thinkers to maintain that
improvements on the Christian system are both possible and probable,
and that there is scarcely a truth which Christ and his apostles declared
which cannot be found in some other ancient religion, when divested of
the errors there incorporated with it. This notion I repudiate. I believe
that systems of religion are perfect or imperfect, true or false, just so far
as they agree or disagree with Christianity; and that to the end of time
all systems are to be measured by the Christian standard, and not
Christianity by any other system.
The oldest religion of which we have clear and authentic account is
probably the pure monotheism held by the Jews. Some nations have
claimed