e category of
evil spirits and is as real as one of the jinn; he may be cursed and
stoned and driven away,[1796] but he does not affect the Moslem belief
in the oneness of God.

+978+. From the conquest of Persia by Alexander to the fall of the
Parthian dynasty (a period of over five hundred years) little is known
of the history of Mazdaism beyond the fact that it seems to have been
adopted by the Parthians in a debased form; but about the time of the
Persian revival under the Sassanians (226 A.D.) it passed the bounds of
its native land and made its way into the Roman Empire in the shape of
Manichaeism, a mixture of dualistic and Christian Gnostic conceptions.
That Manichaeism had a certain force is shown by the fact that it
attracted such a man as Augustine, and its survival for several
centuries in spite of persecutions attests its vitality. It may be
doubted whether its attractiveness lay so much in its dualism as in its
gnosticism, though the former element maintained itself in some minor
Christian sects. However this may be, it gradually faded away, leaving
no lasting impression; it was a form of faith not suited to the peoples
who professed Christianity.[1797]

+979+. The modern philosophic proposals to recognize two deities instead
of one are as yet too vague to call for discussion. Dualism, though it
accounts in some fashion for the twofold character of human experiences,
raises as many problems as it solves; in particular it finds itself
confronted apparently by a physical and psychological unity in the world
which it is hard to explain on the hypothesis of conflicting
supernatural Powers.[1798] On the moral side the record of dualistic
schemes is in general good. The ethical standard of Mazdaism is high,
and the ethical practice of Mazdean communities hardly differs from that
of other prominent modern religious bodies. Though the Manichaeans were
accused of immoral practices, it does not appear that Mani himself or
any prominent disciple of his announced or favored or permitted such
practices.

MONOTHEISM

+980+. The preceding survey has shown that the theory of dualism has not
proved in general acceptable to men. It was adopted by one people only,
and even by them not in complete form, and its character as a national
cult was destroyed by the Moslem conquest of Persia in the seventh
century. The Zoroastrian system was indeed carried by a body of
emigrants to India and has since been professed by the P