As respects the former, he writes feebly, is vacillating in
his views, and, when watched in his treatment of a difficult point, is
seen to be wavering and unsteady. As respects the latter, among other
extraordinary things he teaches that the world is the chief angel or
first son of God; he combines all the powers of God into one force, the
Logos or holy Word, the highest powers being creative wisdom and
governing mercy. From this are emitted all the mundane forces; and,
since God cannot do evil, the existence of evil in the world must be
imputed to these emanating forces. It is very clear, therefore, that
though Philo declined Oriental pantheism, he laid his foundation on the
Oriental theory of Emanation.

[Sidenote: Apollonius of Tyana.]

[Sidenote: Is a miracle-worker and prophet.]

As aiding very greatly in the popular introduction of Orientalism,
Apollonius of Tyana must be mentioned. Under the auspices of the Empress
Julia Domna, in a biographical composition, Philostratus had the
audacity to institute a parallel between this man and our Saviour. He
was a miracle-worker, given to soothsaying and prophesying, led the life
of an ascetic, his raiment and food being of the poorest. He attempted a
reformation of religious rites and morals; denied the efficacy of
sacrifice, substituting for it a simple worship and a pure prayer,
scarce even needing words. He condemned the poets for propagating
immoral fables of the gods, since they had thereby brought impurity into
religion. He maintained the doctrine of transmigration.

[Sidenote: Plutarch leans to patronizing Orientalism.]

[Sidenote: Numenius inclines to a trinitarian philosophy.]

Plutarch, whose time reaches to the Emperor Hadrian, has exercised an
influence, through certain peculiarities of his style, which has
extended even to us. As a philosopher he is to be classed among the
Platonists, yet with a predominance of the prevailing Orientalism. His
mental peculiarities seem to have unfitted him for an acceptance of the
national faith, and his works commend themselves rather by the pleasant
manner in which he deals with the topic on which he treats than by a
deep philosophy. In some respects an analogy may be discerned between
his views and those of Philo, the Isis of the one corresponding to the
Word of the other. This disposition to Orientalism occurs still more
strongly in succeeding writers; for example, Lucius Apuleius the
Numidian, and Numenius: the latt