r　（about　the　25th　March）　was　to　be＇2＇　the　beginning　of　a　new　year。　The　sacrifice　of　the　Lamb；　and　its　blood；　were　to　be　the　promise　of　redemption。　The　door…frames　of　the　housessymbols　of　the　entrance　into　a　new　lifewere　to　be　sprinkled　with　blood。＇3＇　Later；　the　imagery　of　the　saving　power　of　the　blood　of　the　Lamb　became　more　popular；　more　highly　colored。　（See　St。　Paul's　epistles；　and　the　early　Fathers。）　And　we　have　the　expression　〃washed　in　the　blood　of　the　Lamb〃　adopted　into　the　Christian　Church。
  ＇1＇　It　is　said　that　pasach　sometimes　means　not　so　much　to　pass　over；　as　to　hover　over　and　so　protect。　Possibly　both　meanings　enter　in　here。　See　Isaiah　xxxi。　5。
  ＇2＇　See　Exodus　xii。　i。
  ＇3＇　It　is　even　said　（see　The　Golden　Bough；　vol。　iii；　185）　that　the　doorways　of　houses　and　temples　in　Peru　were　at　the　Spring　festival　daubed　with　blood　of　the　first…born　childrencommuted　afterwards　to　the　blood　of　the　sacred　animal；　the　Llama。　And　as　to　Mexico；　Sahagun；　the　great　Spanish　missionary；　tells　us　that　it　was　a　custom　of　the　people　there　to　〃smear　the　outside　of　their　houses　and　doors　with　blood　drawn　from　their　own　ears　and　ankles；　in　order　to　propitiate　the　god　of　Harvest〃　（Kingsborough's　Mexican　Antiquities；　vol。　vi；　p。　235）。
  In　order　fully　to　understand　this　extraordinary　expression　and　its　origin　we　must　turn　for　a　moment　to　the　worship　both　of　Mithra；　the　Persian　Sungod；　and　of　Attis　the　Syrian　god；　as　throwing　great　light　on　the　Christian　cult　and　ceremonies。　It　must　be　remembered　that　in　the　early　centuries　of　our　era　the　Mithra…cult　was　spread　over　the　whole　Western　world。　It　has　left　many　monuments　of　itself　here　in　Britain。　At　Rome　the　worship　was　extremely　popular；　and　it　may　almost　be　said　to　have　been　a　matter　of　chance　whether　Mithraism　should　overwhelm　Christianity；　or　whether　the　younger　religion　by　adopting　many　of　the　rites　of　the　older　one　should　establish　itself　（as　it　did）　in　the　face　of　the　latter。
  Now　we　have　already　mentioned　that　in　the　Mithra　cult　the　slaying　of　a　Bull　by　the　Sungod　occupies　the　same　sort　of　place　as　the　slaving　of　the　Lamb　in　the　Christian　cult。　It　took　place　at　the　Vernal　Equinox　and　the　blood　of　the　Bull　acquired　in　men's　minds　a　magic　virtue。　Mithraism　was　a　greatly　older　religion　than　Christianity；　but　its　genesis　was　similar。　In　fact；　owing　to　the　Precession　of　the　Equinoxes；　the　crossing…place　of　the　Ecliptic　and　Equator　was　different　at　the　time　of　the　establishment　of　Mithra…worship　from　what　it　was　in　the　Christian　period；　and　the　Sun　instead　of　standing　in　the　He…lamb；　or　Aries；　at　the　Vernal　Equinox　stood；　about　two　thousand　years　earlier　（as　indicated　by　the　dotted　line　in　the　diagram）；　in　this　very　constellation　of　the　Bull。＇1＇　The　bull　therefore　became　the　symbol　of　the　triumphant　God；　and　the　sacrifice　of　the　bull　a　holy　mystery。　（Nor　must　we　overlook　here　the　agricultural　appropriateness　of　the　bull　as　the　emblem　of　Spring…plowings　and　of　service　to　man。）
  ＇1＇　With　regard　to　this　point；　see　an　article　in　the　Nineteenth　Century　for　September　1900；　by　E。　W。　Maunder　of　the　Greenwich　Observatory　on　〃The　Oldest　Picture　Book〃　（the　Zodiac）。　Mr。　Maunder　calculates　that　the　Vernal　Equinox　was　in　the　centre　of　the　Sign　of　the　Bull　5；000　years　ago。　＇It　would　therefore　be　in　the　centre　of　Aries　2；845　years　agoallowing　2；155　years　for　the　time　occupied　in　passing　from　one　Sign　to　another。＇　At　the　earlier　period　the　Summer　solstice　was　in　the　centre　of　Leo；　the　Autumnal　equinox　in　the　centre　of　Scorpio；　and　the　Winter　solstice　in　the　centre　of　Aquariuscorresponding　roughly；　Mr。　Maunder　points　out；　to　the　positions　of　the　four　〃Royal　Stars；〃　Aldebaran；　Regulus；　Antares　and　Fomalhaut。
  The　sacrifice　of　the　Bull　became　the　image　of　redemption。　In　a　certain　well…known　Mithra…sculpture　or　group；　the　Sungod　is　represented　as　plunging　his　dagger　into　a　bull；　while　a　scorpion；　a　serpent；　and　other　animals　are　sucking　the　latter's　blood。　From　one　point　of　view　this　may　be　taken　as　symbolic　of　the　Sun　fertilizing　the　gross　Earth　by　plunging　his　rays　into　it　and　so　drawing　forth　its　blood　for　the　sustenance　of　all　creatures；　while　from　another　more　astronomical　aspect　it　symbolizes　the　conquest　of　the　Sun　over　winter　in　the　moment　of　〃passing　over〃　the　sign　of　the　Bull；　and　the　depletion　of　the　generative　power　of　the　Bull　by　the　Scorpion　which　of　course　is　the　autumnal　sign　of　the　Zodiac　and　herald　of　winter。　One　such　Mithraic　group　was　found　at　Ostia；　where　there　was　a　large　subterranean　Temple　〃to　the　invincible　god　Mithras。〃
  In　the　worship　of　Attis　there　were　（as　I　have　already　indicated）　many　points　of　resemblance　to　the　Christian　cult。　On　the　22nd　March　（the　Vernal　Equinox）　a　pinetree　was　cut　in　the　woods　and　brought　into　the　Temple　of　Cybele。　It　was　treated　almost　as　a　divinity；　was　decked　with　violets；　and　the　effigy　of　a　young　man　tied　to　the　stem　（cf。　the　Crucifixion）。　The　24th　was　called　the　〃Day　of　Blood〃；　the　High　Priest　first　drew　blood　from　his　own　arms；　and　then　the　others　gashed　and　slashed　themselves；　and　spattered　the　altar　and　the　sacred　tree　with　blood；　while　novices　made　themselves　eunuchs　〃for　the　kingdom　of　heaven's　sake。〃　The　effigy　was　afterwards　laid　in　a　tomb。　But　when　night　fell；　says　Dr。　Frazer；＇1＇　sorrow　was　turned　to　joy。　A　light　was　brought；　and　the　tomb　was　found　to　be　empty。　The　next　day；　the　25th；　was　the　festival　of　the　Resurrection；　and　ended　in　carnival　and　license　（the　Hilaria）。　Further；　says　Dr。　Frazer；　these　mysteries　〃seem　to　have　included　a　sacramental　meal　and　a　baptism　of　blood。〃
  ＇1＇　See　Adonis；　Attis　and　Osiris；　Part　IV　of　The　Golden　Bough；　by　J。　G。　Frazer；　p。　229。
  〃In　the　baptism　the　devotee；　crowned　with　gold　and　wreathed　with　fillets；　descended　into　a　pit；　the　mouth　of　which　was　covered　with　a　wooden　grating。　A　bull；　adorned　with　garlands　of　flowers；　its　forehead　glittering　with　gold　leaf；　was　then　driven　on　to　the　grating　and　there　stabbed　to　death　with　a　consecrated　spear。　Its　hot　reeking　blood　poured　in　torrents　through　the　apertures；　and　was　received　with　devout　eagerness　by　the　worshiper　on　every　part　of　his　person　and　garments；　till　he　emerged　from　the　pit；　drenched；　dripping；　and　scarlet　from　head　to　foot；　to　receive　the　homage；　nay　the　adoration；　of　his　fellowsas　one　who　had　been　born　again　to　eternal　life　and　had　washed　away　his　sins　in　the　blood　of　the　bull。〃＇1＇　And　Frazer　continuing　says：　〃That　the　bath　of　blood　derived　from　slaughter　of　the　bull　（tauro…bolium）　was　believed　to　regenerate　the　devotee　for　eternity　is　proved　by　an　inscription　found　at　Rome；　which　records　that　a　certain　Sextilius　Agesilaus　Aedesius；　who　dedicated　an　altar　to　Attis　and　the　mother　of　the　gods　（Cybele）　was　taurobolio　criobolio　que　in　aeternum　renatus。〃＇2＇　〃In　the　procedure　of　the　Taurobolia　and　Criobolia；〃　says　Mr。　J。　M。　Robertson；＇3＇　〃which　grew　very　popular　in　the　Roman　world；　we　have　the　literal　and　original　meaning　of　the　phrase　'washed　in　the　blood　of　the　lamb'＇4＇；　the　doctrine　being　that　resurrection　and　eternal　life　were　secured　by　drenching　or　sprinkling　with　the　actual　blood　of　a　sacrificial　bull　or　ram。〃＇5＇　For　the　POPULARITY　of　the　rite　we　may　quote　Franz　Cumont；　who　says：〃Cette　douche　sacree　（taurobolium）　pareit　avoir　ete　administree　en　Cappadoce　dans　un　grand　nombre　de　sanctuaires；　et　en　particulier　dans　ceux　de　Ma　la　grande　divinite　indigene；　et　dans　ceux：　de　Anahita。〃
  ＇1＇　See　vol。　i；　pp。　334　ff。
  ＇2＇　Adonis；　Attis　and　Osiris；　p。　229。　References　to　Prudentius；　and　to　Firmicus　Maternus；　De　errore　28。　8。
  ＇3＇　That　is；　〃By　the　slaughter　of　the　bull　and　the　slaughter　of　the　ram　born　again　into　eternity。〃
  ＇4＇　Pagan　Christs；　p。　315。
  ＇5＇　Mysteres　de　Mithra；　Bruxelles；　1902；　p。　153。
  Whether　Mr。　Robertson　is　right　in　ascribing　to　the　priests　（as　he　appears　to　do）　so　materialistic　a　view　of　the　potency　of　the　actual　blood　is；　I　should　say；　doubtful。　I　do　not　myself　see　that　there　is　any　reason　for　supposing　that　the　priests　of　Mithra　or　Attis　regarded　baptism　by　blood　very　differently　from　the　way　in　which　the　Christian　Church　has　generally　regarded　baptism　by　waternamely；　as　a　SYMBOL　of　some　inner　regeneration。　There　may　certainly　have　been　a　little　more　of　the　MAGICAL　view　and　a　little　less　of　the　symbolic；　in　the　older　religions；　but　the　difference　was　probably　on　the　whole　more　one　of　degree　than　of　essential　disparity。　But　however　that　may　be；　we　cannot　but　be　struck　by　the　extraordinary　analogy　between　the　tombstone　inscriptions　of　that　period　〃born　again　into　eternity　by　the　blood　of　the　Bull　or　the　Ram；〃　and　the　corresponding　texts　in　our　graveyards　to…day。　F。　Cumont　in　his　elaborate　work；　Textes　et　Monuments　relatifs　aux　Mysteres　de　Mithra　（2　vols。；　Brussels；　1899）　gives　a　great　number　of　texts　and　epitaphs　of　the　same　character　as　that　above…quoted；　and　they　are　well　worth　studying　by　those　interested　in　the　subject。　Cumont；　it　may　be　noted　（vol。　i；　p。　305）；　thinks　that　the　story　of　Mithra　and　the　slaying　of　the　Bull　must　have　originated　among　some　pastoral　people　to　whom　the　bull　was　the　source　of　all　life。　The　Bull　in　heaventhe　symbol　of　the　triumphant　Sungod　and　the　earthly　bull；　sacrificed　for　the　good　of　humanity　were　one　and　the　same；　the　god；　in　fact；　SACRIFICED　HIMSELF　OR　HIS　REPRESENTATIVE。　And　Mithra　was　the