They have had it as their state religion for some twenty-three hundred years, and it rules the opinions of the rulers of opinion among three hundred millions of men.
But out of China Confucius is only a name.
So, too, of the system of Zoroaster.

It was for a long period the religion of an Aryan tribe who became the ruling people among mankind.

The Persians extended themselves through Western Asia, and conquered many nations, but they never communicated their religion.

It was strictly a national or ethnic religion, belonging only to the Iranians and their descendants, the Parsees.
In like manner it may be said that the religion of Egypt, of Greece, of Scandinavia, of the Jews, of Islam, and of Buddhism are ethnic religions.
Those of Egypt and Scandinavia are strictly so.

It is said, to be sure, that the Greeks borrowed the names of their gods from Egypt, but the gods themselves were entirely different ones.