Karaka, Dosabhai Framji: History of the Parsis: including their manners, customs, religion and present position ; in two volumes (Band 2) (London, 1884)

216 HISTORY OF THE PARSIS. [chap. v.

learned Orientalist Max Muller, this fire-reverence
has come down to its from time immemorial. In
his lectures on "The Origin and Growth of Religion,"
this learned author shows that fire, sun, moon, and
such other intangible objects were the first to direct
the attention of man, the primitive man, to his Maker.
Again, the learned divine Bishop Meurin, in his
pamphlet just referred to, proves by indisputable
facts that fire-reverence was prevalent among the
Aryans of very ancient times.

The first proof adduced is that of the identity of
the Persian, Indian, and Eoman names of the fire-
priests—the Athravans of the Avesta, the Atharvans
(Brahmans) of the Vedas, and the Flamines of the
Romans. The customs, usages, and practices of the
Flamines, the old Roman fire-priests, as described in
Becker's Roman Antiquities, are in many respects
similar to those of the Athravans (Parsi priests) of
the present day.

Again, the second proof to be adduced to show the
antiquity of this fire-reverence is that of the per-
petual fire among the ancient Aryans. On this point
Bishop Meurin says : " The traces of this primeval
Aryan worship of light or fire are so widespread,
various, and numerous among the descendants of the
Aryan family that their enumeration and description
would fill more than one book."

From all this it is quite clear that the reverence