wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

288 The Triplajian Mithras. Book I.frem the earth. Wherefore Oromafdes was, accortiing to the Perjians, aDeity fuperiour to the fun God properly as the fountain of light and ori-•,ginal of good, and the fame with Plato's, rdyx^o-j or firft good. From whomthe Perfians, as Scaliger informs us, called the firll day of every monthOrmafda, probably becaufe he was the beginning of all things. And thusZorcafter and the ancient Magi acknowledged one and the fime fupremeDeity, under the diftercnt names of Mithras and Oromafdes.But it is here obfervable, that the Perfum Mithras was commonly calledTjnTrXa^i!!?, threefold or treble. Thus Diomftus ' the Pfeudo-Areopagite, kJs.V/ti M^yoi Tcc fAvriucT'j-jx TK 'Tci7rXx(^i)i Mi'fifn -fA?^iii' 'The Pcrfw.n Magi to this'very day celebrate a fcftival folemnity in honour of the Triplafian (that is,the threefold or triplicated) Mithras. And fomcthing very like to this isrecorded in Phitarcb * concerning Oromafdes alio, o' y.\\i ' ficoyj.^r,; t^I,- ixvTai,K-^^rffcc;, OronMifdes thrice augme?iled or triplicated himfclf ; from whence itfurther appears, that Mithras and Oromafdes were really one and the fiimeNumen. Now the Scholiafts upon Dionyfius pretend to give a rcafon of thisdenomination of the Pcrfian Mithras, Triplafios, or threefold-, from the miracledone in HezekiaJfs, time, when the day was increafed, and almoft triplicated; as if the Magi then obferving the fame had thereupon given thename of T^ivxdQto;, or threefold, to their god Mithras, that is, the fun,,and appointed an annlverfiry folemnity for a memorial thereof. But learnedmen have already fliewed the foolery of this conceit; and therefore it cannotwell be otherwife concluded, but that here is a manifctl indication of ahigher myflery, viz. a Trinity in the Perfian theology ; which GerardusI, Vojfius ' would willingly underftand, according to the Chriflian hypothefi?,,of a divine Triunity, or three hypoftafcs in one and the fame Deity, whofediftinftive characters are goodnefs, wifdom, and power. But the magical'or Zoroaftrian oracles fecm to rcprefent this Perfian trinity more agreeablyto that Pythagorick or Platonick hypothefis, of three diftinft fubftances fubordinateone to another, the two firlt whereof are thus exprcffcd in the followingverfes ^ ;YlxvTX yap t^eriXriiTe -jralrip, Xj vw na^ifuyieAeutecw, hv wcuTov xXri'l'^ilxt i^vix avi^uv.To this fenfe : The Father, or firji Deity, perfeSfed all things, and deliveredthem to the fecond Mind, who is that, whom the nations of men commonly takethe Trinity having prodicced this whole creation, delivered it to Mind or IntelleSf :ivhich Mind, the whole generation of mankind, being ignorant of the paternaltranfcendency^ commonly call the firjl God. After which, Pfeltus takes noticeof the difference here betwixt this Magical or Chaldaick Theology, and» Fpiftol. VII. ad Polycarpum, p. gt. Cap. IX. p. 131.Tom. II. Oper. * In Oraculis Zoroaftri adfcriptis, Seft. IIj* De Ifide & Ofiride, p. 370. Tom. II. vcrf. 27, 28. apud Stanley, ubi lupra.(Oper. * He and Pietho wrote CommcniaricJ on the^ De Orig. & Progreflu Idololat. Lib. II, Oracles of Zaroeiler.that