What is Mithraism?

Answer 1

Mithraism was a mystery religion present in the Roman world

Mithraism is most famous for suggestions in ancient and modern times that it was a rival of or resembled Christianity.

Answer 2

Mithraism was a mystery religion present in the Roman world. It is uncertain when it began; some say in the 1st century BC, some in the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD. It was centered around worship of the god Mithras, the name of which is the Greek masculine form of the name Mithra, a Persian god. The origins of the Roman religion itself, however, are unclear and there is yet no scholarly consensus concerning this issue.

Mithraism is most famous for suggestions in ancient and modern times that it was a rival of or resembled Christianity. Mithraism disappeared from overt practice after the Theodosian decree of AD 391 banned all pagan rites, and it apparently became extinct thereafter.

Religious practice was centered around the mithraeum, either an adapted natural cave or cavern or an artificial building imitating a cavern. Mithraea were dark and windowless, even if they were not actually in a subterranean space or in a natural cave. When possible, the mithraeum was constructed within or below an existing building. The site of a mithraeum may also be identified by its separate entrance or vestibule, its "cave", called the spelaeum or spelunca, with raised benches along the side walls for the ritual meal, and its sanctuary at the far end, often in a recess, before which the pedestal-like altar stood. Many mithraea that follow this basic plan are scattered over much of the Empire's former area, particularly where the legions were stationed along the frontiers. Others may be recognized by their characteristic layout, even though converted as crypts beneath Christian churches.

In every Mithraic temple, the place of honor was occupied by a representation of Mithras killing a sacred bull, called a tauroctony. It has been proposed by David Ulansey that the tauroctony is a symbolic representation of the constellations rather than an originally Iranian animal sacrifice scene with Iranian precedents. Mithras is associated with Perseus, whose constellation is above that of the bull. A serpent, a scorpion, a dog, and a raven are present, also thought to represent associated constellations.

From the structure of the mithraea it is possible to surmise that worshippers would have gathered for a common meal along the reclining couches lining the walls. It is worth noting that most temples could hold only thirty or forty individuals.

The mithraeum itself was arranged as an 'image of the universe'. It is noticed by some researchers that this movement, especially in the context of mithraic soterism, seems to stem from the neoplatonic concept that the 'running' of the sun from solstice to solstice is a parallel for the movement of the soul through the universe, from pre-existence, into the body, and then beyond the physical body into an afterlife.

Reliefs on a cup found in Mainz, appear to depict a Mithraic initiation. On the cup, the initiate is depicted as led into a location where a Pater (see Mithraic ranks below) would be seated in the guise of Mithras with a drawn bow. Accompanying the Initiate is a 'Mystagogue', who explains the symbolism and theology to the initiate. The Rite is thought to re-enact what has come to be called the 'Water Miracle', in which Mithras fires a bolt into a rock, and from the rock now spouts water.

Answer 3

Mithraism was a ancient religion.
It does not really resemble Christianity ,but is simply made to sound like it does way more than it does.There are much more things that it does not have in common that in common and even the things that it supposedly has in similarity are worlds apart when examined beyond the surface.
One must remember that most people enjoy scandal and shock, and thie story that Mithraism is so close to Chritianity is the same thing, it is made to make a sensation just to pique interest and controversy, because that sells and it also offends Which unbelievers love to do, put a knife in a Christians back any chance they can get.
Don't take my word for it, but don't take some internet definitio0n of it iether, for because like reporters they will most often higlight things that they think will be of interest and not go into detail which reveals the total lack of any real commonality.
I would recommend as an upmost respectable source, the Schaff and Herzog, Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, which can be found at www.ccel.org then type encyclopedia in the search box, scroll down until you begin seeing the title, then look
for the index volume, go there, then type M.Scroll down until you hit Mithras, then you must read the complete article to see the vast difference.Especially the parts about belief in planets and a bull God and all kind of stuff. Mithraism is also noted to be a syncrestic religion , which means it adopts the rituals of religions around it, which might be a explanation for any seeming similarities which do appear on the surface.
One must understand the conjectural interpretations that go into all of this, just like the modern liberal agenda driven theologians do not resoect the true Christianity but try to insinuate all kind sof nonsense like , Jesus had 14 kids and marride a prostitute and sex was a christian initiation, whatever, you know how they poperate. Thes are the same kind of people that say Bush is not reall ywhat he seems but he is a satan worshipper and the jews really in coneection with American blew things up and we can prove it because of this ancient egyptian symbol found on a pen in the oval office, that reall y is part of an order of Jesuit priests and blah blah blah, they are the Weirdos.
And remember too, the satan transforms himself into an angel of light, and all this barrage of attacks is really satan in these people fighting against goodness and the Lord, flooding you with propoganda , always insinuating perversion and conspiracy and corruption, because that is Satans own material, and since they are truly his servants,thought they know it not, that is what they feed off of , promisicuity of morals and of doctrine and of thought, they only drink in the evil and believe that which is corrupt or insinuates corruption. You can tell them pure things , wholesome things, good ,things and they find it hard to believe that, they have no taste for that , it is must be garbage and darkness for them to love it, because they are children of darkness. It must be scandal and shock, it must be dirty, or else they don't want to hear it.
Tell them that their is a conspiracy to overthrow reason and morality and they wont believe that , though that is right in front of them, but tell them some ancient cult from 3000 years ago is realy this and that , and they love it.
These are children,gossipers, backbiters,evilspeakers , who carry around evil messages all day long, who only bring bad news, never good news, you notice that?

The best antidote to this mental equivalent to the aids virus which they have contracted, through spiritual adulterating and fornicating is to read the the Early church fathers who dealt with this stuff and defeated all this nonsense long ago. So go to a web site that has online works of the early church fathers ,like www.ccel.org and read them , look for such works where the ancient warriors of the faith, defeated the worldlings of the past.

Answer 4

Mithraism was a mystery religion present in the Roman world. It is uncertain when it began; some say in the 1st century BC[1], some in the 1st century AD[2] to the 5th century AD. It was centered around worship of the god Mithras, the name of which is the Greek masculine form of the name Mithra, a Persian god. The origins of the Roman religion itself, however, are unclear and there is yet no scholarly consensus concerning this issue.

Mithraism is most famous for suggestions in ancient and modern times that it was a rival of or resembled Christianity.

Answer 5

This is comparing it to Jesus.

Mithra of Persia

--Mithra was born of a virgin on December 25 in a cave, and his birth was attended by shepherds bearing gifts.
--He was considered a great traveling teacher and master.
--He had 12 companions or disciples.
--Mithra’s followers were promised immortality.
--He performed miracles.
--As the “great bull of the Sun,” Mithra sacrificed himself for world peace.
--He was buried in atomb and after three days rose again.
--His resurrection was celebrated every year.
--He was called “the Good Shepherd” and identified with both the Lamb and the Lion.
--He was considered the “Way, the Truth and the Light,” and the “Logos,” [Word] “Redeemer,” “Savior” and “Messiah.”
--His sacred day was Sunday, the “Lord’s Day,” hundreds of years before the appearance of Christ.
--Mithra had his principal festival on what was later to become Easter.
--His religion had a eucharist or “Lord’s Supper,” at which Mithra said, “He who shall nto eat of my body nor drink of my blood so that he may be one with me and I with him, shall not be saved.”
--“His annual sacrifice is the Passover of the Magi, a symbolical atonement of pledge of moral and physical regeneration.”

Furthermore, the Vatican itself is built upon the papacy of Mithra, and the Christian hierarchy is nearly identical to the Mithraic version it replaced . . .
. . . Virtually all of the elements of the Catholic ritual, from miter to wafer to altar to doxology, are directly taken from earlier Pagan mystery religions.

It was at least a century prior to Christ.

Answer 6

An older version of Christianity

Answer 7

A pre-christian religion that had a mythos much like the Jesus story.

Answer 8

The followers of Mithras.

If you read the Bible, it's just a copy of Mithraism.

BTW, Jews were slaves in Iran...

They also stole Solomon's wisdom from Egyptians.
"The resemblances between the two hostile churches were so striking as to impress even the minds of antiquity" (Cumont, 193). Like Origen (an early Christian writer and in this respect a peculiarity among the other patristic writers), Mithraism held that all souls pre-existed in the ethereal regions with God, and inhabited a body upon birth. Similar to Pythagorean, Jewish, and Pauline theology, life then becomes the great struggle between good and evil, spirit and body, ending in judgment, with the elect being saved. "They both admitted to the existence of a heaven inhabited by beautiful ones. . .and a hell peopled by demons situate in the bowels of earth" (Cumont 191).

Both religions used the rite of baptism, and each participated in an outwardly similar type of sacrament, bread and wine. Both Mithra and Christ were supposedly visited by shepherds and Magi. It has been claimed that both Mithraism and Christianity considered Sunday their holy day, though for different reasons, although the evidence that Mithradists practiced weekly worship, any more than any other pagan religion of the time, is lacking. Many have noted that the title of Pope (father) is found in Mithraic doctrine and seemingly prohibited in Christian doctrine. The words Peter (rock) and mass (sacrament) have significance in Mithraism.

Mithraism and early Christianity considered abstinence, celibacy, and self-control to be among their highest virtues. Both had similar beliefs about the world, destiny, heaven and hell, and the immortality of the soul. Their conceptions of the battles between good and evil were similar (though Mithraism was more dualistic[1]), including a great and final battle at the end of times. Mithraism's flood at the beginning of history was deemed necessary because what began in water would end in fire, according to Mithraic eschatology. Both religions believed in revelation as key to their doctrine. Both awaited the last judgment and resurrection of the dead.

When inducted into the degree of Leo, he was purified with honey, and baptised, not with water, but with fire, as John the Baptist declared that his successor would baptise. After this second baptism, initiates were considered "participants," and they received the sacrament of bread and wine commemorating Mithra's banquet at the conclusion of his labors (Larson 190).

Although Christianity eventually rivaled the four-century-old cult of Mithra in Rome, the two religions were practiced by adherent of different social classes. Mithra was popular among soldiers, fostered elitism, barred women, and (as a mystery religion) promised knowledge that was hidden from outsiders. Christianity's message was more public - although the record shows that it, too, gained a huge following in military ranks. It gave a prominent role to a holy mother, Mary. Slaves, women, and the poor were welcome. Christianity enjoyed a degree of populism. While the words of the Gospels did not exactly 'foster elitism' as much as stand against it, Christian followers began to refer to themselves as milites ("soldiers"), in reference to the disciplined life they felt called to, while those less disciplined outside the faith were called pagani, borrowing the Roman military slang for "civilians".

Under emperors like Julian and Commodus, Mithra became the patron of Roman armies (Cumont 87).

Mithra had no mother, but was miraculously born of a rock, or the petra genetix (de Riencourt 135). His worshipers partook of a sacramental meal of bread marked with a cross (Cumont 160). This was one of seven Mithraic ritual meals.

Mithra's cave-temple on the Vatican Hill was seized by Christians in 376 A.D. (J. Smith 146). The Mithraic festival of Epiphany, marking the arrival of sun-priests ("Magi") at the Savior's birthplace, was adopted by the Christian church only as late as 813 A.D. (Brewster 55).

Christianity may have emphasized common features that attracted Mithra followers, perhaps the crucifix appealed to those Mithra followers who had crosses already branded on their foreheads. In art Mithra, a sun god, was normally depicted with a halo representing the sun. In Christianity, the halo remains, but has lost its meaning because of the doctrinal prohibition against star gazing, as recorded in Halakaic sanctions.

Justin Martyr (100-165), in a discussion with the Jewish apologist Trypho, wrote: "'And when those who record the mysteries of Mithras say that he was begotten of a rock, and call the place where those who believe in him are initiated a cave, do I not perceive here that the utterance of Daniel, that a stone without hands was cut out of a great mountain, has been imitated by them, and that they have attempted likewise to imitate the whole of Isaiah's words? For they contrived that the words of righteousness be quoted also by them. . . . And when I hear, Trypho,' said I, 'that Perseus was begotten of a virgin, I understand that the deceiving serpent counterfeited also this.'" (Dialogue with Trypho, LXXVIII). Tertullian gives a similar account.

According to Martin A. Larson, in The Story of Christian Origins (1977), the first example of mythological concept of the savior god which is present in many faiths including Christianity and Mithraism is Osiris. Larson concluded that the general concept of savior must have originated from the savior cult of Osiris. He also believed that the Essenes were Jewish Pythagoreans, whose members not only gave birth to Christianity as Essenes, but were directly influenced by Zoroastrian doctrine as Pythagoreans — a view probably shared by Cumont.[2] Mithraism, in Larson's view, was an established but exclusive sect devoted to social justice, and was assimilated by state-sponsored Christianity before being disposed of in name.¸

Further similarities includes how Mithras was born from a virgin on December 25, how his followers identified with him by eating a sacred meal of bread and wine, and how his devotees were baptized in water.[7]

J. R. R. Tolkien explained the similarities between the Christ story and pagan myths, such as Mithraism, by portraying the myths as imperfect reflections of divine truth.[8]



Don't believe me, search, and you'll be amazed.

Answer 9

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