These　Mysteries　were　probably　survivals　of　the　oldest　religious　rites　of　the　Greek　races；　and　in　their　earlier　forms　consisted　not　so　much　in　worship　of　the　gods　of　Heaven　as　of　the　divinities　of　Earth；　and　of　Nature　and　Death。　Crude；　no　doubt；　at　first；　they　gradually　became　（especially　in　their　Eleusinian　form）　more　refined　and　philosophical；　the　rites　were　gradually　thrown　open；　on　certain　conditions；　not　only　to　men　generally；　but　also　to　women；　and　even　to　slaves；　and　in　the　end　they　influenced　Christianity　deeply。＇1＇
  ＇1＇　See　Edwin　Hatch；　D。D。；　The　Influence　of　Greek　Ideas　and　Usages　on　the　Christian　Church　（London；　1890）；　pp。　283…5。
  There　were　apparently　three　forms　of　teaching　made　use　of　in　these　rites：　these　were　；　things　SAID；　；　things　SHOWN；　and　；　things　PERFORMED　or　ACTED。＇1＇　I　have　given　already　some　instances　of　things　said…texts　whispered　for　consolation　in　the　neophyte's　car；　and　so　forth；　of　the　THIRD　group；　things　enacted；　we　have　a　fair　amount　of　evidence。　There　were　ritual　dramas　or　passion…plays；　of　which　an　important　one　dealt　with　the　descent　of　Kore　or　Proserpine　into　the　underworld；　as　in　the　Eleusinian　representations；＇2＇　and　her　redemption　and　restoration　to　the　upper　world　in　Spring；　another　with　the　sufferings　of　Psyche　and　her　rescue　by　Eros；　as　described　by　Apuleius＇3＇himself　an　initiate　in　the　cult　of　Isis。　There　is　a　parody　by　Lucian；　which　tells　of　the　birth　of　Apollo；　the　marriage　of　Coronis；　and　the　coming　of　Aesculapius　as　Savior；　there　was　the　dying　and　rising　again　of　Dionysus　（chief　divinity　of　the　Orphic　cult）；　and　sometimes　the　mystery　of　the　birth　of　Dionysus　as　a　holy　child。＇4＇　There　was；　every　year　at　Eleusis；　a　solemn　and　lengthy　procession　or　pilgrimage　made；　symbolic　of　the　long　pilgrimage　of　the　human　soul；　its　sufferings　and　deliverance。
  ＇1＇　Cheetham；　op。　cit。；　pp。　49…61　sq。
  ＇2＇　See　Farnell；　op。　cit。；　iii。　158　sq。
  ＇3＇　See　The　Golden　Ass。
  ＇4＇　Farnell；　ii；　177。
  〃Almost　always；〃　says　Dr。　Cheetham；　〃the　suffering　of　a　godsuffering　followed　by　triumphseems　to　have　been　the　subject　of　the　sacred　drama。〃　Then　occasionally　to　the　Neophytes；　after　taking　part　in　the　pilgrimage；　and　when　their　minds　had　been　prepared　by　an　ordeal　of　darkness　and　fatigue　and　terrors；　was　accorded　a　revelation　of　Paradise；　and　even　a　vision　of　Transfigurationthe　form　of　the　Hierophant　himself；　or　teacher　of　the　Mysteries；　being　seen　half…lost　in　a　blaze　of　light。＇1＇　Finally；　there　was　the　eating　of　food　and　drinking　of　barley…drink　from　the　sacred　chest＇2＇a　kind　of　Communion　or　Eucharist。
  ＇1＇　Ibid。；　179　sq。
  ＇2＇　Ibid。；　186。　Sacred　chests；　in　which　holy　things　were　kept；　figure　frequently　in　early　rites　and　legendsas　in　the　case　of　the　ark　of　the　Jewish　tabernacle；　the　ark　or　box　carried　in　celebrations　of　the　mysteries　of　Bacchus　（Theocritus；　Idyll　xxvi）；　the　legend　of　Pandora's　box　which　contained　the　seeds　of　all　good　and　evil；　the　ark　of　Noah　which　saved　all　living　creatures　from　the　flood；　the　Argo　of　the　argonauts；　the　moonshaped　boat　in　which　Isis　floating　over　the　waters　gathered　together　the　severed　limbs　of　Osiris；　and　so　brought　about　his　resurrection；　and　the　many　chests　or　coffins　out　of　which　the　various　gods　（Adonis；　Attis；　Osiris；　Jesus）；　having　been　laid　there　in　death；　rose　again　for　the　redemption　of　the　world。　They　all　evidently　refer　to　the　mystic　womb　of　Nature　and　of　Woman；　and　are　symbols　of　salvation　and　redemption　（For　a　full　discussion　of　this　subject；　see　The　Great　Law　of　religious　origins；　by　W。　Williamson；　ch。　iv。）
  Apuleius　in　The　Golden　Ass　gives　an　interesting　account　of　his　induction　into　the　mysteries　of　Isis：　how；　bidding　farewell　one　evening　to　the　general　congregation　outside；　and　clothed　in　a　new　linen　garment；　he　was　handed　by　the　priest　into　the　inner　recesses　of　the　temple　itself；　how　he　〃approached　the　confines　of　death；　and　having　trod　on　the　threshold　of　Proserpine　（the　Underworld）；　returned　therefrom；　being　borne　through　all　the　elements。　At　midnight　I　saw　the　sun　shining　with　its　brilliant　light：　and　I　approached　the　presence　of　the　Gods　beneath　and　the　Gods　above；　and　stood　near　and　worshipped　them。〃　During　the　night　things　happened　which　must　not　be　disclosed；　but　in　the　morning　he　came　forth　〃consecrated　by　being　dressed　in　twelve　stoles　painted　with　the　figures　of　animals。〃＇1＇　He　ascended　a　pulpit　in　the　midst　of　the　Temple；　carrying　in　his　right　hand　a　burning　torch；　while　a　chaplet　encircled　his　head；　from　which　palm…leaves　projected　like　rays　of　light。　〃Thus　arrayed　like　the　Sun；　and　placed　so　as　to　resemble　a　statue；　on　a　sudden　the　curtains　being　drawn　aside；　I　was　exposed　to　the　gaze　of　the　multitude。　After　this　I　celebrated　the　most　joyful　day　of　my　initiation；　as　my　natal　day　＇day　of　the　New　Birth＇　and　there　was　a　joyous　banquet　and　mirthful　conversation。〃
  ＇1＇　An　allusion　no　doubt　to　the　twelve　signs　of　the　Zodiac；　the　pathway　of　the　Sun；　as　well　as　to　the　practice　of　the　ancient　priests　of　wearing　the　skins　of　totem…animals　in　sign　of　their　divinity。
  One　can　hardly　refuse　to　recognize　in　this　account　the　description　of　some　kind　of　ceremony　which　was　supposed　to　seal　the　illumination　of　a　man　and　his　new　birth　into　divinitythe　animal　origin；　the　circling　of　all　experience；　the　terrors　of　death；　and　the　resurrection　in　the　form　of　the　Sun；　the　symbol　of　all　light　and　life。　The　very　word　〃illumination〃　carries　the　ideas　of　light　and　a　new　birth　with　it。　Reitzenstein　in　his　very　interesting　book　on　the　Greek　Mysteries＇1＇　speaks　over　and　over　again　of　the　illumination　（）　which　was　held　to　attend　Initiation　and　Salvation。　The　doctrine　of　Salvation　indeed　（）　was；　as　we　have　already　seen；　rife　and　widely　current　in　the　Second　Century　B。　C。　It　represented　a　real　experience；　and　the　man　who　shared　this　experience　became　a　　　or　divine　man。＇2＇　In　the　Orphic　Tablets　the　phrase　〃I　am　a　child　of　earth　and　the　starry　heaven；　but　my　race　is　of　heaven　（alone）〃　occurs　more　than　once。　In　one　of　the　longest　of　them　the　dead　man　is　instructed　〃after　he　has　passed　the　waters　（of　Lethe）　where　the　white　Cypress　and　the　House　of　Hades　are〃　to　address　these　very　words　to　the　guardians　of　the　Lake　of　Memory　while　he　asks　for　a　drink　of　cold　water　from　that　Lake。　In　another　the　dead　person　himself　is　thus　addressed：　〃Hail；　thou　who　hast　endured　the　Suffering；　such　as　indeed　thou　hadst　never　suffered　before；　thou　hast　become　god　from　man！〃＇3＇　Ecstacy　was　the　acme　of　the　religious　life；　and；　what　is　especially　interesting　to　us；　Salvation　or　the　divine　nature　was　open　to　all　mento　all；　that　is；　who　should　go　through　the　necessary　stages　of　preparation　for　it。＇4＇
  ＇1＇　Die　hellenistischen　Mysterien…Religionen；　by　R。　Reitzenstein；　Leipzig；　1910。
  ＇2＇　Reitzenstein；　p。　12。
  ＇3＇　These　Tablets　（so…called）　are　instructions　to　the　dead　as　to　their　passage　into　the　other　world；　and　have　been　found　in　the　tombs；　in　Italy　and　elsewhere；　inscribed　on　very　thin　gold　plates　and　buried　with　the　departed。　See　Manual　of　Greek　Antiquities　by　Percy　Gardner　and　F。　B。　Jerome　（1896）；　also　Prolegomena　to　Greek　Religion　by　Jane　E。　Harrison　（1908）。
  ＇4＇　Reitzenstein；　pp。　15　and　18；　also　S。　J。　Case；　Evolution　of　Early　Christianity；　p。　301。
  Reitzenstein　contends　（p。　26）　that　in　the　Mysteries；　transfiguration　（）；　salvation　（）；　and　new　birth　（）　were　often　conjoined。　He　says　（p。　31）；　that　in　the　Egyptian　Osiris…cult；　the　Initiate　acquires　a　nature　〃equal　to　God〃　（）；　the　very　same　expression　as　that　used　of　Christ　Jesus　in　Philippians　ii。　6；　he　mentions　Apollonius　of　Tyana　and　Sergius　Paulus　as　instances　of　men　who　by　their　contemporaries　were　considered　to　have　attained　this　nature；　and　he　quotes　Akhnaton　（Pharaoh　of　Egypt　in　1375　B。C。）　as　having　said；　〃Thou　art　in　my　heart；　none　other　knows　Thee；　save　thy　son　Akhnaton；　Thou　hast　initiated　him　into　thy　wisdom　and　into　thy　power。〃　He　also　quotes　the　words　of　Hermes　（Trismegistus）〃Come　unto　Me；　even　as　children　to　their　mother's　bosom：　Thou　art　I；　and　I　am　Thou；　what　is　thine　is　mine；　and　what　is　mine　is　thine；　for　indeed　I　am　thine　image　（）；〃　and　refers　to　the　dialogue　between　Hermes　and　Tat；　in　which　they　speak　of　the　great　and　mystic　New　Birth　and　Union　with　the　Allwith　all　Elements；　Plants　and　Animals；　Time　and　Space。
  〃The　Mysteries；〃　says　Dr。　Cheetham　very　candidly；　〃influenced　Christianity　considerably　and　modified　it　in　some　important　respects〃；　and　Dr。　Hatch；　as　we　have　seen；　not　only　supports　this　general　view；　but　follows　it　out　in　detail。＇1＇　He　points　out　that　the　membership　of　the　Mystery…societies　was　very　numerous　in　the　earliest　times；　A。D。；　that　their　general　aims　were　good；　including　a　sense　of　true　religion；　decent　life；　and　brotherhood；　that　cleanness　from　crime　and　confession　were　demanded　from　the　neophyte；　that　confession　was　followed　by　baptism　（）　and　THAT　by　sacrifice；　that　the　term　　（illumination）　was　adopted　by　the　Christian　Church　as　the　name　for　the　new　birth　of　baptism；　that　the　Christian　usage　of　placing　a　seal　on　the　forehead　came　from　the　same　source；　that　baptism　itself　after　a　time　was　called　a　myst