gle was postulated between good
and evil; and the issue was doubtful, neither side possessing any clear
and manifest advantage.

The two principles were Persons. Ormazd was "the creator of life, the
earthly and the spiritual," he who "made the celestial bodies, earth,
water, and trees." He was "good," "holy," "pure," "true," "the Holy
God," "the Holiest," "the Essence of Truth," "the father of all truth,"
"the being best of all," "the master of purity." He was supremely
"happy," being possessed of every blessing, "health, wealth, virtue,
wisdom, immortality." From him came every good gift enjoyed by man; on
the pious and the righteous he bestowed, not only earthly advantages,
but precious spiritual gifts, truth, devotion, "the good mind," and
everlasting happiness; and, as he rewarded the good, so he also
punished the bad, though this was an aspect in which he was but seldom
represented.

While Ormazd, thus far, would seem to be a presentation of the Supreme
Being in a form not greatly different from that wherein it has pleased
him to reveal Himself to mankind through the Jewish and Christian
scriptures, there are certain points of deficiency in the
representation, which are rightly viewed as placing the Persian very
considerably below the Jewish and Christian idea. Besides the limitation
on the power and freedom of Ormazd implied in the eternal co-existence
with him of another and a hostile principle, he is also limited by the
independent existence of space, time, and light, which appear in
the Zenda vesta as "self-created," or "without beginning," and must
therefore be regarded as "conditioning" the Supreme Being, who has to
work, as best he may, under circumstances not caused by himself. Again,
Ormazd is not a purely spiritual being. He is conceived of as possessing
a sort of physical nature. The "light," which is one of his properties,
seems to be a material radiance. He can be spoken of as possessing
health. The whole conception of him, though not grossly material, is far
from being wholly immaterial. His nature is complex, not simple. He may
not have a body, in the ordinary sense of the word; but he is entangled
with material accidents, and is far from answering to the pure spirit,
"without body, parts, or passions," which forms the Christian conception
of the Deity.

Ahriman, the Evil Principle, is of course far more powerful and terrible
than the Christian and Jewish Satan. He is uncaused, co-eternal with
Or