Did you know that Paul was raised in the Mithra faith?

Question

Mithra was a very common religion in Rome during Saul/Paul's life. It is very similar to the story of Jesus that we see in the Bible.

How do you think this influenced Paul?

Do you think that it played a role in the way Paul shaped Christianity?

Jesus said that many would come in his name, but how does one separate fact from fiction when the stories are almost the same?

OK, Paul was a Jew, but Mithraism was all around him. How did this have an influence?

Answer 1

Paul was jewish......a Pharisee, and a follower of the jewish law...

he was not a roman.....the romans just occupied the territory at that time.....

he would have considered mithra a false god..and a myth

PS. Paul preached against false gods...

Answer 2

Wow....a COIN in the dirt and a pirate story....yeah, that REALLY was the source of the gospels.....

"There are only two pieces of actual evidence that link Mithraism to Tarsus at all. Physically there is a single coin of Tarsus with the Mithras bull-slaying scene from the reign of Gordion III (AD 238-244). Second, Plutarch writing
at the beginning of the second century has a story about pirates from Tarsus during the time of Pompey's "pirate sweep" having practiced strange rites on Mt. Olympus "among which those of Mithras continue to this day
(Plutarch, Pompey 24.5)." What exactly the Mithras worship of those pirates actually was we do not know. It must be said that there is scattered evidence of pre-Roman Mithras worship in other parts of Anatolia. Mithraism
as it occurs in the Roman Empire does not actually begin to show up with any frequency until the late first century AD. Mithraic worship sites show up early at Nida-Hedderhiem in Germany (c. 85) and at Caesarea Maritima in
Israel (latter half of first century). The vast majority of Mithraic
evidence however is from the second to fourth centuries, the bulk of which comes from Rome and Italy, the Danube, Germany, and Britain (with some in France, Spain and elsewhere). In my estimation, to imply that Paul was
influenced by Mithraism is speculation standing only on a shred of anachronistic evidence."

Answer 3

Most of Paul's writings are heavily influenced by Greek thought.

If you compare Jewish vs. Greek thought you see a BIG difference.

Jewish people think in concrete terms and their language shows it. The Hebrews weren't so much into the abstract until later.

Greeks on the other hand love the abstract and you see a lot of it in John and other books. Not so much in Mark which leaves me to believe that Mark is truer to the source than most.

That could explain why Jesus parallels a lot of Mithras. I always believed a lot of what we know was skewed since we don't have a direct witness.

Answer 4

Yes, is is regretted that Paul was influenced by some of the errors of the Mithraic religion.

The following is from the current Epochal Revelation of Truth, is fully in the public domain, and may be shared.

Page-1084 6. "The personal viewpoint of Paul of Tarsus. And it should be recorded that Mithraism was the dominant religion of Tarsus during his adolescence. Paul little dreamed that his well-intentioned letters to his converts would someday be regarded by still later Christians as the "word of God." Such well-meaning teachers must not be held accountable for the use made of their writings by later-day successors.

Page-1339 But Paul's theory of original sin, the doctrines of hereditary guilt and innate evil and redemption therefrom, was partially Mithraic in origin, having little in common with Hebrew theology, Philo's philosophy, or Jesus' teachings. Some phases of Paul's teachings regarding original sin and the atonement were original with himself.

Page-2070 The triumph of Christianity over the philosophic religions and the mystery cults was due to:

1. Organization. Paul was a great organizer and his successors kept up the pace he set.

2. Christianity was thoroughly Hellenized. It embraced the best in Greek philosophy as well as the cream of Hebrew theology.

3. But best of all, it contained a new and great ideal, the echo of the life bestowal of Jesus and the reflection of his message of salvation for all mankind. [see John 12:32]

4. The Christian leaders were willing to make such compromises with Mithraism that the better half of its adherents were won over to the Antioch cult.

5. Likewise did the next and later generations of Christian leaders make such further compromises with paganism that even the Roman emperor Constantine was won to the new religion."

Yes, it is a shame that more of the New Testament is about Paul's views than the true Life and Teachings of our Sovereign God-Man Jesus Christ. But the Revelation of Truth ever continues to unfold to all who love truth, beauty and goodness.
(see John 16:7-16)

Peace and progress,
Brother Dave, a Jesusonian Christian Truthist
http://www.PureChristians.org/ Gospel enlarging website,
proclaiming worldwide the True Religion
OF JESUS and ABOUT JESUS and IN JESUS
Come and share !

Answer 5

Sorry but Paul was raised in the Jewish faith as a Pharisee. (Saul of Tarsus)

edit: Mithraism's influence in Christianity came later during the reign of Constantine when the church of Rome incorporated pagan doctrine into the church to attract the pagan believers. Modern Christianity has twisted some of Paul's writings to support these pagan beliefs.

Answer 6

Paul, Job, King David, and Jesus 'SIGHED deliberately"; humans don't just "sigh deliberately...
i'm not allowed to expand on this, but let me just say there's a lot going on in those days UNTIL NOW...

Answer 7

Genesis 1
1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. That means God was first.

Answer 8

paul is a big lier



"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1Cor.125) Paul said that GOD Almighty is a fool and weak