Behold the simple ceremonial upon which was based so much goodness of heart and so much wisdom of thought!
"Who was Zoroaster?" asked Martha one day of her uncle.
"Zoroaster, my child, was the friend and companion of Abraham. They lived together in Haran until the Great Being, Ormuzd, the King of Light, called Jehovah by the Jews, summoned them both to leave their country and fill a sacred mission. Zoroaster went to the east and Abraham to the west. Zoroaster like Moses received the book of God on the top of a burning mountain, and gave laws to the people."
"The essential moral teachings are as much like those of Moses as twin sisters are like each other."
"You do not worship any of the gods of the pagan nations?"
"No, my child! There is but one God, Ormuzd, King of Light. All religions come from him. Some are purer and more perfect than others. All true prophets and priests are his servants. False priests and magicians are in league with evil spirits. They are children of Ahrimanes."
"If there is such fundamental identity, why then, uncle, do you prefer the religion of Zoroaster to that of Moses?"
"Because its ritual is more simple, beautiful and sublime; because its doctrines are more rational and philosophical; because the people who believe it and live it, are more liberal and loving and enlightened than the Jews; because it brings the soul nearer to the Power and Beauty of the sun."
"Uncle," said Mary, affectionately kissing his hand, "are all the worshipers of Ormuzd as good and pure and sweet-tempered as you are?"
The old man blushed: "The teachings of Zoroaster tend to make men far purer and better than I."
The sisters sank into a deep reverie. They had a glimpse of that great world of moral light and beauty, which lay entirely outside of the limits of the Jewish faith. They gazed on it with wonder.
"But, uncle," said Martha, "in the great day of judgment will not the unbelievers be sentenced to eternal punishment?"
"In the last day, my child, all the metals in the world will melt with heat, and all human souls, living and dead, will pass in judgment through the fiery element. To the good it will feel like a fragrant bath of warm milk; to the evil it will be a torrent of burning lava. It will consume, however, nothing but the wicked lusts of the heart. Evil will thus be destroyed; and all men, freely forgiven by Ormuzd, will unite in a universal chorus of love and praise."