Jesus the recycled Pagan God of a Roman Mystery Cult? What your Church doesn't want you to know???

Question

So, surely, if I was talking about a God in the middle east that was born of a virgin birth on December 25th, was visited by shepherds and magi, traveled the countryside, performed miracles including casting out devils, healing the lame and restoring sight to the blind, had a group of twelve disciples, was known as the "Light of the World," of whom it was said that if you drink of his blood you will have eternal salvation, who was persecuted, had a last supper, was killed, buried in a rock tomb, rose from the dead around the spring equinox, was worshipped by the Roman Empire and whose worship spread far around the world, whose followers worshipped on Sunday, I suspect you'd know who exactly who I was talking about. Yes, I'm talking about Mithra.

Mithra was the God of the Roman Empire for hundreds of years, and it was not until 358 CE that followers of Mithra began to be persecuted under the new state religion, Christianity.

WOW TIMOTHY B - AS AN ATHEIST, I'VE LEARNED THAT MORALS, AS YOU CALL THEM HAVING NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH RELIGION, MORALS HAVE TO WITH BEING HUMAN. BEING MORAL AND LIVING A LIFE WITH PURPOSE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A GOD WHATSOEVER. YOU SHOULD BE LIVING A GOOD MORAL LIFE REGARDLESS. AND ALTHOUGH I HAVE A SET OF BELIEFS THAT ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM MOST PEOPLE, I RESPECT THE BELIEFS OF ALL THOSE OTHER PEOPLE AND SINCE I HAVEN'T MET ALL CHRISTIANS, I CAN'T REALLY MAKE STATEMENTS LIKE THE ONE YOU MADE ABOUT ATHEISTS. AT LEAST AS ATHEIST, I AM OPEN MINDED AND REALIZE THAT I ALONE DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS, AS YOU SEEM TO HAVE. MY QUESTION IS JUST THAT, A QUESTION OF AN ALTERNATE THEORY, LIKE ANY GOOD OPEN MINDED TRUTH SEEKING PERSON WOULD PRESENT. YOU CAN TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, JUST AS I HAVE EXERCISED MY RIGHT TO TAKE OR LEAVE RELIGION AS A WHOLE.

vashsunglasses - ACTUALLY, I THINK YOUR MISTAKEN, COULD YOU PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION TO BACK THAT UP PLEASE? PAGAN VERSIONS OF THE JESUS STORY ARE KNOWN THROUGHOUT PERSIAN, GREEK, ROMAN, EGYPTIAN CULTURES, ALL OF WHICH ARE WELL DOCUMENTED. FUNNY HOW YOU CAN'T FIND ANY TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF AN ACTUAL MAN NAMED "JESUS" UNTIL AFTER HIS LATEST SUPPOSED DEATH AND RESSURECTION.

rich k - THANK YOU FOR THE MAINSTREAM ARTICLE LINKS YOU PROVIDED FOR YOUR INSULTING COUNTER. SCHOLARS DEBATE THE FINE POINTS REGARDING THE EVOLUTION AND TRANSFORMATION OF MANY OF THE MYSTERY CULTS, INCLUDING THE AFORMENTIONED, BUT THE OVERALL THEORY HAS ALOT OF BASIS IN TANGIBLE EVIDENCE. READ THE JESUS MYSTERY. VERY GOOD BOOK. BOTTOM LINE IS THIS, I WASN'T NECESSARILY TRYING TO SELL A THEORY HERE, I ASKED A QUESTION, HOPING TO GET INFORMED ANSWERS, NOT TO BE INSULTED ON THE FINE POINTS THAT EVEN SCHOLARS GO BACK AND FORTH ON. THE POINT STILL STANDS THAT THERE ARE STRIKING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE CHRISTIAN JESUS AND MANY (NOT JUST MITHRA) MYSTERY CULT DIETIES, SUCH AS APPOLLONIUS AND OTHERS. AGAIN THE FINE POINTS NO ONE TRULY KNOWS, OTHERWISE EVERYONE WOULD HERE ABOUT IT. HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THOSE WHO HAVE THE POWER, WILL AND ABILITY TO DO SO AND WILL GO FORTH INTO A MANNER WHICH BENEFITS THEM BEST. WHO HAS THE MOST TO LOSE FROM THE KNOWLEDE THEY WORSHIP A PLADGERIZED GOD?

"In the first century of the Common Era, there appeared at the end of the Mediterranean a remarkable religious leader who taught the worship of one true God and declared that religion meant not the sacrifice of beasts but the practice of charity and piety and the shunning of hatred and enmity. He was said to have worked miracles of goodness, casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead. His exemplary life led some of his followers to claim he was a son of God, though he called himself the son of a man. Accused of sedition against Rome, he was arrested. After his death, his disciples claimed he had risen from the dead, appeared to them alive, and then ascended to heaven."
Again, I suspect you know who I'm talking about - that's right, Apollonius, who died around 98 CE. The quote is from Gospel Fictions by Randel Helms.
There are similarities with many other previous and concurrent Gods as well.

A couple of other names that might be familiar include Dionysus, Osiris, and Krishna, but there are many more. Jesus and these other Gods often fall under a broad category author Robert Price calls a "mythic hero archetype," where "a divine hero's birth is supernaturally predicted and conceived, the infant hero escapes attempts to kill him, demonstrates his precocious wisdom already as a child, receives a divine commission, defeats demons, wins acclaim, is hailed as king, then betrayed, losing popular favor, executed, often on a hilltop, and is vindicated and taken up to heaven."

The notion of virgin birth, god incarnated into human form, heaven, hell, baptism, eucharist, eternal life, the soul, salvation, one god, worship of sun-gods on Sun-day, you name it, it's all been done before. Sorry to say, there is not much that is new or unique about Jesus. Like other successful religions, Christianity gained the authorization of a powerful state and was institutionalized.

Answer 1

There were types of Jesus in the Old Testament. This is called Biblical Typology. So if types of Jesus also existed in other religions as well then it only proves that God's influence is not limited. Different other religions may contain a bit of a reflection of the truth of God. But the fullness of Truth of the Revelation of Jesus can only be found in the Catholic Church.

Answer 2

This is one of the most poorly researched positions I've ever heard. Mithra was not born on December 25th but on the winter Solstice, and his sect was not Roman but Persian, dating from around the 7th century bce, and is believed by some to have been an offshoot of Zoroastrianism, although this is still subject to debate. It was not imported to Rome until the 1st century bce and had it's peak in the 3rd-4th century ce, when it became the most popular faith among the Roman army, and had, as it's chief rival, Christianity, the main faith of the slaves and civil service, which had been imported from Greece.(1) The concept of a savior begotten on a virgin by God (Zeus in this case) and who you celebrate by the eating of his flesh (bread) and the drinking of his blood (wine) comes from the Greek sect of the God Dionysos (2). The entombed God who rose again was Osiris, from Egypt, and his resurrection had nothing to do with the equinox , there is no parallel in Mithra ism, and Jesus death and resurection were associated not with the equinox but with Passover. (3) Mithraism died out not because of Christian persecution but because the Roman dependance on foreign mercenaries for their Army depleted their followers to the point that they became too scarce to maintain a voice politically (1). I have no idea from what whole cloth you made all that up, but the facts are readily available if anyone wants to look.

Answer 3

that's why faith is a severe portion of the equation. You both trust it or you do not, notwithstanding the question of Christ calls us to stroll slightly contained in the darkness and discover our way through the practise of the spirit. to attempt to comprehend it with reasoning and good judgment gained't get you the answer. i'm sorry, it gained't. It comes from an infusion of spirit and resign to the magical. that's an exceedingly authentic aspect of the mind form of journey. Am I deluded, quicker or later to confirm it develop into all a huge comic tale? possibly. that's the prospect I take. faith. a number of the messianic memories are very similar global. regularly they percentage many aspects of the god's delivery, lack of existence and resurrection. The early Roman church incoporated many aspects of eu pagan custom with the intention to cajole the pricey eu the Aristocracy (pre-Constantine Christianity develop into considered very retro). that's no secret. I strongly propose you examine the artwork of Joseph Campbell. that's exactly about those themes. I have a tendency to look at it that a number of people were 'tapping into' a similar sources and that it basically furthers global homogeny in words of non secular custom and practice. We would come from diverse places yet basically, all of us journey existence a similar way, and easily, the adventure to achieve enlightenment is pretty similar in the technique the board.

Answer 4

While the 'cult' of Mithra was real it is in no way the fore runner of the story of Jesus Christ, and no I am no longer a practicing Christian I am a Pagan now. There are differences between the two however namely in there myths, and here is a link to the Wikipedia page on Mithra.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithra

I hope this helps people out.

Peace Out, and Blessed Be
Pagan College Student

Answer 5

Satan has always tried to use similar mythical figures (Antichrists) to counter the truth. Mithra is only one of many. The last will be the "Man of Sin" or "The Antichrist".

Answer 6

Jesus in the original, the one true God, and the "Lamb slain before the foundations of the world."

Any similarity to other persons, either living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Answer 7

Jesus as the christian religion teaches him, is reincarnated from Mithra.
however, if you read the Scriptures as they were written & not as christianity teaches them, you would find a totally different Man.
His name wasn't Jesus.
his birthday isn't December 25.
His religion is Christianity.
He's not blond haired & blue eyed, nor anorexic.
He didn't worship on Sunday.
Very good question!

Answer 8

I don't know where you got your "information" about Mithra, but most of it was wrong. Mithras was born from a rock, not a virgin.

Answer 9

The "Trinity":
Now let us study the "Trinity" and its roots in ancient pagan worship. The "Trinity" of Christendom, as defined in the creed of Nicea, is a merging of three distinct entities into one single entity, while remaining three distinct entities. We are told to speak of the three gods as one god, and never as three gods which would be considered heresy (Isaiah 43:10). They are considered to be co-eternal, co-substantial, and co-equal. However, only the first was self existent. The others preceded from the first. This Neo-Platonic philosophical doctrine has its roots not in the inspiration of God, but in ancient paganism. Most ancient religions were built upon some sort of threefold distinction. Deities were always trinities of some kind or consisted of successive emanation in threes.
In India we find the doctrine of the divine trinity called "Tri-murti" (Three-forms) consisting of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. It is an inseparable unity though three in form. Worshipers are told to worship them as one deity. Such concepts posed no problem to the logic of a Hindu worshipper since they were already used to worshipping gods with the body of a man and the head of an elephant(Ganesh), or monkey-faced gods (Hanuman), or gods with six arms, and so forth. Remember, classical Hinduism dates back to at least 500BC, with roots extending as far back as 2000BC.
The Brahmas also have their trinity. In their trinity, Vajrapani, Manjusri, and Avalokitesvara form a divine union of three gods into one god called "Buddha." The citizens of China and Japan also worship Buddha, but they know him as "Fo." When they worship him they say "Fo, is one god but has three forms."
Sir William Jones says:
"Very respectable natives have assured me, that one or two missionaries have been absurd enough to in their zeal for the conversion of the Gentiles, to urge that the Hindoos were even now almost Christians; because their Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa (Siva), were no other than the Christian Trinity."
Bible myths and their parallels in other religions, p. 370.
The ancient Egyptians also worshipped a trinity. Their symbol of a wing, a globe, and a serpent is supposed to have stood for the different attributes of their god.
The Greeks also had their trinities. When making their sacrifices to their gods, they would sprinkle holy water on the altar three times, they would then sprinkle the people three times also. Frankincense was then taken with three fingers and strewed upon the alter three times. All of this was done because the oracle had proclaimed that all sacred things ought to be in threes. Remember that the philosophy of these people (The Greeks) is what was primarily responsible for defining the Christian "Trinitarian" nature of God. This was done through the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato regarding his "Logos" ("word"). Further, remember that the Gospels of the Bible were named the "Greek Gospels" for a reason: they were written in their language and based upon their philosophy.
As mentioned previously, T. W. Doane says:
"The works of Plato were extensively studied by the Church Fathers, one of whom joyfully recognizes in the great teacher, the schoolmaster who, in the fullness of time, was destined to educate the heathen for Christ, as Moses did the Jews. The celebrated passage : "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word Was God" is a fragment of some Pagan treatise on the Platonic philosophy, evidently written by Irenaeus. It is quoted by Amelius, a Pagan philosopher as strictly applicable to the Logos, or Mercury, the Word, apparently as an honorable testimony borne to the Pagan deity by a barbarian........We see then that the title "Word" or "Logos," being applied to Jesus, is another piece of Pagan amalgamation with Christianity. It did not receive its authorized Christian form until the middle of the second century after Christ. The ancient pagan Romans worshipped a Trinity. An oracle is said to have declared that there was 'First God, then the Word, and with them the Spirit'. Here we see the distinctly enumerated, God, the Logos, and the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, in ancient Rome, where the most celebrated temple of this capital - that of Jupiter Capitolinus - was dedicated to three deities, which three deities were honored with joint worship."
Bible Myths and their parallels in other religions, pp. 375-376.
Trinities were not confined to these groups alone, but the Persians, the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, the Scandinavians, the Druids, the inhabitants of Siberia, the ancient Mexicans, the Peruvians, and many others, all worshipped "Trinitarian" pagan deities (among a great multitude of other gods) long before the council of Nicea of 325 C.E officially recognized this to be God's "true" nature

Answer 10

So why didn't you just ask if anyone knows of Mithra?...I knew about Mothra.