Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/603

 The Origin of Monotheism. 293

that empire spread the new creed. In the break up of the Middle Ages the Church still kept alive the ideal of a Universal Empire. It is significant that the teaching of Mohammed resulted in the foundation of a great empire. The idea of a Universal King and that of a Universal God go hand in hand. This is a survival of very early days. Kings at first were gods ; the two terms were interchange- able ; they are no longer so now, but the ancient bond still persists.

Religion and politics are inseparable ; it is vain to try and divorce them ; originally one, they have parted, but not completely ; their common origin still operates on men's minds. Monarchists must necessarily uphold the Church, and ardent believers in one God will help to build up large nations. The belief in a Supreme God or in a Single God is no mere philosophical speculation ; it is a great practical idea. But like many other conceptions, it took some discovering. Men did not search for it at first, any more than they searched for the art of writing, they were led to it by accident almost ; it was a long time before they realised where they w-ere being led to ; some have never yet realised. The doctrine of gods and their incarnations produced a group of gods who were each but aspects of the same god ; thence they came to the belief that all gods were in reality but manifestations of one. vSome never got any further, but the bolder nations took the step of simplifying the Universe by sweeping away the multitude of gods that had become useless by their very numbers. Monotheism then became a definite article of faith to be fought for, and to establish in all the world.

A. M. HOCART.