Mithras and Mithraism

[Ursus]

History

 

Mithras, or Mitra, is a very ancient deity. In the Vedic religions that preceded Hinduism, Mitra is a solar deity of oaths and treaties who is closely connected with the sky god Varuna. In Persian religion, he is also a solar deity of friendship and honesty operating under the supreme god Ahura Mazda. The god has similar roles in these two cultures because they both share an older Indo-European heritage.

 

Apparently Mitra was a comparatively minor deity until the reformer Zoroaster revised Persian religion. In his view the cosmos was divided between a clash of light and darkness, good and evil. Zoroaster was essentially a monotheist, with Ahura Mazda as his one god. But unofficial cults sprung out of Zoroaster

[Lost_Warrior]

That's very interesting to me, especially since there was mention of the Cult of Mithras on another forum I frequent...

 

Great work, Ursus!

[longbow]

Did Mithras have some sort of election process to become a member?

[Zeke]

Thats a good question......I heard that the ranks were named after animals.....

 

Raven,

Fox,

Bull,

Snake.....

I think those are some.

I would assume that a member would be introduced to the religion by soliders who were friends.

 

Zeke

[Ursus]

The grades were:

 

Corax (raven)

Nymphus (bride)

Miles (soldier)

Leo (lion)

Perses (Persian)

Heliodromus (sun-courier)

Pater (father)

 

I'll have to look up the recruitment process later, if there is any information on it.

[Onasander]

uh oh, I would hate to be in the receiving end of the physical trial to become the rank of bride!

[Ursus]

Book suggestions:

 

The Roman Cult of Mithras by Manfred Clauss. Translated by Richard Gordon.

 

Claus refrains from wild theorizing and sticks simply to presenting the archaeological evidence, scant though it is. He offers an excellent overview of the known facts of the cult and its history. Some of the sections, like a survey on the utensils used by Mithraic initiates, might be overkill for the general reader. But all in all this serves an excellent introduction to the cult of the Bull Slayer.

 

 

The Origin of the Mithraic Mysteries by David Ulansey

 

Ulansey is infamous for offering one of the most radical reinterpretations of Mithraism ever. In the author's view, the Roman Mithras has nothing to do with the ancient Iranian deity Mitra. Instead, the Mithraism of Roman understanding is a glorified astral cult celebrating the procession of equinoxes through the Zodiac. The problem with Ulansey is that he offers too much evidence to simply be laughed away. However his theory does hinge on many, many contrivances. Whether or not Ulansey is completely correct in his assertions, he offers solid evidence that astronomy was critical to the Mithraic cult.

 

The Mysteries of Mithras by Franz Cumont.

 

Written over a century ago, Cumont's research is woefully out of date. But everything stands in his shadow, with modern day scholars either seeking to refine his views or to negate them completely. Cumont sees Mithras as the Roman evolution of the ancient Persian deity. Regardless of how much Cumont erred in his assumptions, his enthusiasm and beauty in bringing Mithraism back into the Western world is as relevant today as it has always been.

[Tobias]

G'day everyone

What was the religion of Mithraism? I read about it in a book that didn't elaborate into it apart from saying that some troops from Asia Minor posted in Britannia during the Roman Empire preserved it, and it was a strong rival to Christianity in the third century A.D. I don't recall having heard to much about it, so i'd appreciate some enlightenment

[Ursus]

If you read one of the pinned topics at the top of the Temple Forum, you'll see a brief essay of Mithraism followed by recommendations for reading.

 

In general, the cult meant different things at different times and places. But it seemed to be heavy on astrology, with Mithras acting as the soteriological element that elevated men's souls into the highest heaven.

 

And the old view of it being a competitor to Christianity is false. It didn't have the numbers or inclination because:

 

* it excluded women, half of the population

* it met in very small groups

* it was a religion for soldiers and people connected to the imperial establishment, a relatively small percentage of the population.

 

 

To be blunt, early Christianity was often at odds with Roman culture and government. Mithraism, by comparison, was a Roman cult par excellence, whose values were a deification of Romanatis, and whose members were fiercely loyal to the emperor and imperial society. Thus, while they had a few superficial things in common as far as rites and theology, they were completey different in tone as far as social values, and most likely did not try to "compete" with one another.

[Tobias]

Ah, thanks for that Ursus. The book i was reading it in was relatively old, being published sometimes in the 1940's

[DecimusCaesar]

This might be slightly off-topic but the celebration of the birth of Mithras was on 25th of December, and many of its ceremonies involved the drinking of wine and the eating of bread; which certainly annoyed the early Christians.

 

As for Temples to Mithras (mithrea) in Britain, their are archaeological remains in London, Housesteads, Carrawburgh and Caernarfon.

 

Although there are signs of Mithraic worship in places like Caerleon, York, Chester and Rudchester too.

[Primus Pilus]

This might be slightly off-topic but the celebration of the birth of Mithras was on 25th of December, and many of its ceremonies involved the drinking of wine and the eating of bread; which certainly annoyed the early Christians.

 

Christians were unlikely annoyed by most pagan festivals because there was so much going on it allowed them to participate their own faith unmolested. Sometimes we look at Christianity, and its similarities to other faiths as a maliscious intent to undermine, when in many circumstances adopting other practices and customs allowed the religion to survive.

[Pertinax]

CG Jung has some very interesting commentaries on the cult of Mithras (collected works vol 9 "Aion" if I recall),though these are more from a psychological/spiritual nature in relation to the popularity of Mithras with the Legions.

[Ursus]

The problem with the psychological school is that it tries to squeeze everything into some alleged universal archetype. The psychological school a la Jung, Campbell, Kerenyi,et al. seems to be the most popular approach to paganism in the modern era, but I humbly suggest it's better to look at religion from a cultural and historical perspective.

[Pertinax]

I have to agree totally, there are some nice chunks of historical info in Jung but I wouldnt (as usual) go with a "modern" approach to a once living religious cult.