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Ursus

Mithras and Mithraism

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I did though like Jungs evocation of the initiation ceremony and how very real and uncomfortable such a thing was.

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I've read some things recently that gave the convincing argument that the Mithras cult had it's roots all the way back in the Neolithic Revolution when people from Persia to Asia Minor were moving away from hunter-gatherer-herding to agriculture.

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Some people think that, if Mithraism is the astrological religion it appears to be, it might date from when the Sun was in the constellation of Taurus ... beyond 2000 BC.

 

I'm far from convinced, though.

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Some people think that, if Mithraism is the astrological religion it appears to be, it might date from when the Sun was in the constellation of Taurus ... beyond 2000 BC.

 

I'm far from convinced, though.

 

Ursus,

 

What makes you suspect of the potential for the vast antiquity of the cult? Could it have not gone through many revisionary cycles leading to the Roman period?

 

Just curious. ^_^

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It could have ..... but we don't know for sure, though. There is no direct evidence to tie the Indo-Iranian Mitra to the Roman Mithras.

 

Separately, the theory that Roman Mithraism was an astrological cult with the Age of Taurus as its origin is just that ....a theory. It's a theory that has some weight, but not overwhelming weight.

 

We may never know for sure. We need the "missing links" in the evolution of the cult. All we have now are a few theories to fit the sparse evidence.

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What kind of evidence would you need from that remote period of time? Texts? Mosaics? I don't think that stuff ever exsisted. Mabey if we find a frozen Mithra priest and thaw him out, he can give us some anwsers!

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Your flair for theatrics aside, I'd be happy with the usual archaeological indications. There is no reason to imbue a religion or cult with any more antiquity than can be proven.

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

 

 

heres an easy way of putting it they went through trials just like a feternity in university works but everyone

in the ranks civil servants anybody could join if they made the trials

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Carl Jung wrote some useful observations about Mithras ( I think its in 'Aion" from his collected works), mainly about the seriousness of the initiation process and "death and re-birth" as an acted ceremony.

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Guest ksalinger

What you have said sounds very interesting.

Can you get me resources on where you got this information? I am doing a special study on Early Christian Censorship for Classical Studies which will be focusing on Mithra and the poetry of Sappho. If anyone could direct me to sources on this topic, I would very much appreciate it.

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The Faithful met among men (women being excluded from the cult), soldiers, employees, traders, slaves or freedmen from elsewhere, immigrants and the rootless, all closely bound by the

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It is a common misconception that Mithras worship was only confined to the military. Mithrea have also been found in urbanised areas such as Londinium.

 

I also remember reading about one found in Ratae (Leicester), does anyone have any more information on this?

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