Travels in Asia Minor, and Greece; Or, an Account of a Tour Made at the Expense of the Society of Dilettanti Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1825 edition. Excerpt: ...Phaenius Faustus. The feast of Diana was resorted to yearly by the lonians, with their families. Inscript. Ant. 1-. 13. A people convinced that the self-manifestations of the deity before mentioned were real, could not easily be turned to a religion, which did not pretend to a similar or equal intercourse with its divinity. And this perhaps is the true reason, why, in the early ages of Christianity, besides the miraculous agency of the spi1it in prophetic fits of ecstasy, a belief of supernatural interposition by the Panagia, or Virgin Mary, and by saints appearing in daily or nightly visions, was encouraged and inculcated. It helped by its currency to procure and confirm the credulous votary, to prevent or refute the cavil of the heathen, to exalt the new religion, and to deprive the established of its ideal superiority. The superstitions derived on the Greek church from this source, in a remote period, and still continuing to flourish in it, would principally impede the progress of any who should endeavour to convert its members to the nakedness of reformed Christianity. Great is the Panagia would be the general cry; and her self-manifestations, like those of Diana anciently, would even now be attested by many a reputable witness. By what arguments shall a people, filled with affectionate regard for her, and feeling complacency from their conviction of her attention to them, and of her power, be prevailed on to accept our rational protestantism in exchange for their fancied, but satisfactory, revelations? b See an instance in the year 408. Sozomen, vii. 5. CHAP. XXXIX. THE SPOT CHOSEN FOR THE TEMPLE OF DIANA--SKILL OF THE ARCHITECTS THE NEW TEMPLE ITS MAGNIFICENCE THE ASYLUM THE TEMPLE NOT IN THE CITY PLUNDERED ITS DESTRUCTION UNNOTICED...