13 For Babylonia, cf. Strab., XVI, 1, § 6, and _infra_, ch. V, n. 51; for
Egypt, _id._, XVII, 21, § 46. From the very interesting account Otto has
written of the science of the Egyptian priests during the Hellenistic
period (_Priester und Tempel_, II, pp. 211 ff.; 234), it appears that it
remained quite worthy of consideration although progress had ceased.
14 Strabo, _loc. cit._: [Greek: Anatitheasi de tôi Hermêi pasan tên
toiautên sophian]; Pliny, _Hist. nat._, VI, 26, § 121: "(Belus) _inventor
fuit sideralis scientiae_"; cf. Solinus, 56, § 3; Achilles, _Isag._, 1
(Maass, _Comm. in Arat._, p. 27): [Greek: Bêlôi tên heuresin anathentes].
Let us remember that Hammurabi's code was represented as the work of
Marduk.--In a general way, the gods are the authors of all inventions
useful to humanity; cf. Reitzenstein, _Poimandres_, 1904, p. 123;
Deissmann, _Licht von Osten_, 91 ff. Likewise in the Occident: _CIL_, VII,
759 = Bücheler, _Carm. epigr._, 24: "(Dea Syria) ex quis muneribus nosse
contigit deos," etc., cf. Plut., _Crass._, 17.--"Religion im Sinne des
Orients ist die Erklärung alles dessen was ist, also eine Weltauffassung"
(Winckler, _Himmelsbild der Babylonier_, 1903, p. 9).
15 _Mon. myst. Mithra_, I, p. 312.--Manicheism likewise brought a complete
cosmological system from Babylonia. Saint Augustine criticizes the book of
that sect for containing long dissertations and absurd stories about
matters that have nothing at all to do with salvation; see my _Recherches
sur le manichéisme_, 1908, p. 53.