Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/238

 1 68 General History of Europe with the appearance of Copernicus ( 593 ), men began to suspect that Ptolemy was wholly mistaken about the universe. 266. Oriental Religions in Europe. Many thoughtful Romans read the Greek philosophy of the Stoics and Epicureans ( 172) in the charming treatises of Cicero (247). But such teaching was only for the highly educated and the intellectual class. Multitudes, including even the educated, yielded to the fas- cination of the mysterious religions coming in from the East. Many took refuge in the faith of the Egyptian Isis, and temples of Isis were to be found in all the larger cities. Today tiny stat- uettes and other symbols of the Egyptian goddess are found even along the Seine, the Rhine, and the Danube. In the army the Persian Mithras, the sun-god of light ( 53), was a great favorite, and many a Roman legion had its under- ground chapel where its members celebrated his triumph over darkness and evil. The old Roman religion, like the early Greek religious beliefs (87, 88), had little to do with right conduct and held out no hopes of happiness in the next world, as did these new oriental faiths. So it is no wonder that many people were attracted by these Eastern forms of worship. The Jews also, since their temple in Jerusalem had been de- stroyed by the Romans, were to be found in increasing numbers in the cities. The Roman world was becoming accustomed to their synagogues ; but the Jews refused to acknowledge any god besides their own, and this brought them disfavor and trouble with the government. 267. Rise of Christianity. Among all these faiths of the Orient the common people were more and more inclining toward the Christian missionaries who told how their Master, Jesus, a Hebrew, was born in Palestine, the land of the Jews, in the days of Augustus. Everywhere they spread his vision of human brother- hood and of divine fatherhood. This faith he had preached for a few years, till he incurred the hatred of his countrymen, and in the reign of Tiberius they had put him to death. A Jewish tentmaker, Paul of Tarsus, became the leading Christian missionary ; he preached the new gospel in Asia Minor,