A Blast From The Past – Of Mithras, Mythology, And Muddled Meanings
20 December 2009 by KA
Be gracious to me, 0 Providence and Psyche, as I write these mysteries handed down for gain but for instruction; and for an only child I request immortality, O initiates of this our power (furthermore, it is necessary for you, O daughter, to take the juices of herbs and spices, which will to you at the end of my holy treatise), which the great god Helios Mithras ordered to be revealed to me by his archangel, so that I alone may ascend into heaven as an inquirer and behold the universe. – The Mithras Liturgy
Anyone who has walked down the blogging path of atheism has, at least in the beginning (while rooting about in historic data), heard the name of Mithras. Or has had more than one spirited debate with the religious about the matter of mythological parallelism. So, in the alleged spirit of the season, I thought it fitting to pull down this old topic from the shelf, blow and bat the dust off it, and give it a going over.
The archeology is actually quite slim, as evidenced here. And from here:
The first surviving ancient author to mention Mithras is Statius ca. 80 AD, who makes an enigmatic reference, possibly to the tauroctony. And theories about how it originated are, sadly, all over the place: The Greek biographer Plutarch (46 – 127) was convinced that the pirates of Cilicia, the coastal province in the southeast of Anatolia, were the origin of the Mithraic rituals that were being practiced in the Rome in his day: "They likewise offered strange sacrifices; those of Olympus I mean; and they celebrated certain secret mysteries, among which those of Mithras continue to this day, being originally instituted by them." (Life of Pompey 24). The 4th century commentary on Vergil by Servius says that Pompey settled some of these pirates in Calabria. But whether any of this relates to the origins of the mysteries is unclear. According to 3-4th century AD philosopher Porphyry, Mithraists considered that their cult was founded by Zoroaster. But Porphyry is writing close to the demise of the cult, and modern scholar Robert Turcan has challenged the idea that Porphyry’s statements about Mithraism are accurate. His case is that far from representing what Mithraists believed, they are merely representations by the neo-platonists of what it suited them in the late 4th century to read into the mysteries. Merkelbach and Beck believe that Porphyry’s work "is in fact thoroughly coloured with the doctrines of the Mysteries." Scholarship on Mithras begins with Franz Cumont, who published a two volume collection of source texts and images of monuments in French in 1894–1900. Cumont’s hypothesis, as the author summarizes it in the first 32 pages of his book, was that the Roman religion was "the Roman form of Mazdaism", the Persian state religion, disseminated from the East. Cumont’s theories were examined and largely rejected at the First International Congress of Mithraic Studies held in 1971. John Hinnells was unwilling to reject entirely the idea of Iranian origin, but wrote: "we must now conclude that his reconstruction simply will not stand. It receives no support from the Iranian material and is in fact in conflict with the ideas of that tradition as they are represented in the extant texts. Above all, it is a theoretical reconstruction which does not accord with the actual Roman iconography." He discussed Cumont’s reconstruction of the bull-slaying scene and stated "that the portrayal of Mithras given by Cumont is not merely unsupported by Iranian texts but is actually in serious conflict with known Iranian theology." Another paper by R. L. Gordon showed that Cumont severely distorted the available evidence by forcing the material to conform to his predetermined model of Zoroastrian origins. Gordon suggested that the theory of Persian origins was completely invalid and that the Mithraic mysteries in the West was an entirely new creation. Boyce states that "no satisfactory evidence has yet been adduced to show that, before Zoroaster, the concept of a supreme god existed among the Iranians, or that among them Mithra – or any other divinity – ever enjoyed a separate cult of his or her own outside either their ancient or their Zoroastrian pantheons." Beck tells us that since the 1970s scholars have generally rejected Cumont, but adds that recent theories about how Zoroastrianism was during the period BC now makes some new form of Cumont’s east-west transfer possible. "Apart from the name of the god himself, in other words, Mithraism seems to have developed largely in and is, therefore, best understood from the context of Roman culture." I use the term ‘sadly’, because it does tend to be one of those overworked but inadequate talking points when debating with the average theist. There is no proof that any sort of pilfering went on from either side. It’s an engaging thought, but a dead end: The idea of a relationship between early Christianity and Mithraism is based on a passing remark in the 2nd century Christian writer Justin Martyr, who accused the Mithraists of diabolically imitating the Christian communion rite. Based upon this, Ernest Renan in 1882 set forth a vivid depiction of two rival religions: "if the growth of Christianity had been arrested by some mortal malady, the world would have been Mithraic," Edwin M. Yamauchi comments on Renan’s work which, "published nearly 150 years ago, has no value as a source. He [Renan] knew very little about Mithraism…" The philosopher Celsus in the second century provides some evidence that Ophite Gnostic ideas were influencing the mysteries of Mithras. Joseph Campbell, who was not a Mithras scholar, described the birth of Mithras as a virgin birth, like that of Jesus. He gives no ancient source for his claim. Mithras was not thought of as virgin born in any ancient source. Rather, he arose spontaneously from a rock in a cave. In Mithraic Studies it is stated that Mithras was born as an adult from solid rock, "wearing his Phrygian cap, issues forth from the rocky mass. As yet only his bare torso is visible. In each hand he raises aloft a lighted torch and, as an unusual detail, red flames shoot out all around him from the petra genetrix." David Ulansey speculates that this was a belief derived from the Perseus’ myths which held he was born from an underground cavern. And December 25th was not the alleged birthday of this man-myth: It is often stated that it was believed that Mithras was born on December 25. Beck calls this assertion "that hoariest of ‘facts’". He continues: "In truth, the only evidence for it is the celebration of the birthday of "Invictus" on that date in Calendar of Philocalus. ‘Invictus’ is of course Sol Invictus, Aurelian’s sun god. It does not follow that a different, earlier, and unofficial sun god, Sol Invictus Mithras, was necessarily or even probably, born on that day too." Clauss states that there were no public ceremonies of the mysteries of Mithras: "the Mithraic Mysteries had no public ceremonies of its own. The festival of natalis Invicti [Birth of the Unconquerable (Sun)], held on 25 December, was a general festival of the Sun, and by no means specific to the Mysteries of Mithras." Steven Hijmans has discussed in detail the question of whether the general "natalis Invicti" festival was related to Christmas but does not give Mithras as a possible source. And the shedding of blood is a reference to….? A painted text on the wall of the St. Prisca Mithraeum in Rome contains the words: et nos servasti . . . sanguine fuso (and you have saved us … in the shed blood). The meaning of this is unclear, although presumably refers to the bull killed by Mithras, as no other source refers to a Mithraic salvation. According to Robert Turcan,Mithraic salvation had little to do with the other-worldly destiny of individual souls, but was on the Zoroastrian pattern of man’s participation in the cosmic struggle of the good creation against the forces of evil. So, the short version is – there is no evidence that Christianity borrowed from Mithraism, nor is there any vice versa. I am convinced that Theodosius I’s implementation and enforcement of the Nicene religion led to the destruction of a great many documents and monuments that would have given us substantial proofs one way or another, but alas I cannot prove it. As a talking point, it’s a fair illustration of not only how parallels occur (or are borrowed, or pinched, or whatnot), but also how incredibly sketchy historical veracity becomes when the Christians took over. Outside of that, it’s not the sort of factoid that will slap the reader into some sort of admission. Then again, as we all know, facts are for the pragmatist and the realist, not the religionist. Till the next post, then.
Plutarch
Porphyry
Cumont’s hypothesis
Mithras and the Virgin Birth
Mithras and 25 December
Mithras and Salvation
21 December 2009, on 2:11 pm
As a fledgling scholar of Roman religion and early Christianity, I have to agree that there was no direct borrowing of the Mythras Cult and Christianity. It seems to have come out of Roman interactions with the east and brought back to the middle of the Empire by Roman soldiers returning from duty (and it was most prevalent among Roman military sites).
It was one of many mystery religions that was cropping up around the time of Caesar (we start seeing the most evidence for it around 100CE) and offered an alternative religion that was not tied to regional prosperity (though I don’t think people would have known of a category called religion at that time) and instead included otherworldly salvation on the individual level. It was viewed as suspicious by everyone (it was a secretive cult after all and if there was one thing elite Romans hated, it was secrets) and all we really hear about it in the written record are people denouncing it (they left 0 writings).
Really, it was used as a dirty word by lots of people and in actuality, instead of Xianity borrowing from Mythras, it was a competitor (even if it was not a a direct one, give the extremely small size of both groups at the time and one being prevelent among peasant jews and the other among roman military)
Lastly, the last thing that anyone should do is take J. Campbell’s word on history. His work on comparative mythology is interesting and has given us some great movies, but he is devoid of real historical work – in fact, that almost seems to be JC’s point, that these myths are embedded in humanity itself and not a part of the historical process.
21 December 2009, on 4:54 pm
In re-reading this post, I wanted to offer another little tidbit. You talk about how its origins are all over the place. It is likely because, like most Cult, it was all over the place. There was no centralized, streamlined, and homogenous Mythras Cult. Instead, it manifested itself differently in its various locations, and blended with local practice. It would look quite different from place to place. Its why we call it Mythras Cult instead of the cult of Mythras (same reason why we talk of Imperial Cult instead of The Imperial Cult, though the Imperal Cult definitely had more centralized and legitimate base!).
22 December 2009, on 4:25 am
Thanks Henry. As I understand it, Mithras was rumored to have begun in India, & traveled across to Persia, & underwent a variety of translations.
22 December 2009, on 3:12 pm
KA?…
(I’d been contemplating, off and on for two days, dropping an imaginary pin, waiting for an echo from the bottom of the comment void? You too, perhaps?)
“With all due respect”…
As usual, your Post is quite interesting. However, I’d been a bit hesitant to even make a comment at all, as it’s, IMO, that ‘ultra-murky’ subject which, as Henry’s somewhat surprising (’trolling’?) comment demonstrates, propels one into the endless conflict between the Xtian apologists’, naturally ultra-biased, believer notions and the more objective(?)…non religiously entrenched…more secular oriented views. Of course, heavy duty lifetime religious oriented “Gigs” are involved; insuring the obvious improbability…i.e. a definite “no-no”…of a person like Henry, EVER even considering becoming an atheist..? If you get my drift?
I assume you’ve checked Henry’s Site and his “about” info…?
What is there to say? Again…”With all due respect” to Henry…He’s an admitted (totally brainwashed?) “dedicated Christian Canonist” who’s fixed his goal on achieving a heavy believer based Phd. in the field of Biblical Studies.
[Phd. as in, the old snarky: "Piled higher and deeper"?]
As I’ve said many times on GifS, it’s, IMO, a total waste of time to even broach entering into any possible argument with people like Henry.
Tangentially…
‘Old hat’, I know; but here’s one of those annually related YouTube vids (a 2 parter)…yeah; again mit D. M. Murdock’s shtick…which does have some relevance to that “ultra-murky” mythology (story telling) subject.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfzolk7FRXk
I was waiting to see what you might comment; and I was (Psychically?…ahem) sensing your somewhat tenuous, or cautious response. I’m joking a bit, as usual, of course.
What?…Have fun jerking off? As for me…
I’ve gotta dig my old ‘84 Buick out of last night’s friggin’ snow; and see if it’ll still start. (Of course, I’ll procrastinate for awhile…like, a few days?)
Anyway…ala a line from The Soprano series?:
“Toodle-fucking-ooh!”
Seriously: “Happy Holidays!” to ALL.
22 December 2009, on 5:02 pm
ChuckA – yes, I did check on Henry’s website, I’ve got an idea where he’s coming from.
He was the only person to comment on the post in 48 hours. & he was commenting, not arguing.
24 December 2009, on 11:31 am
I think the saying goes, “ The past is history and the future is a mystery, the present is a gift that’s why they call it the present.” History in my mind is just too inexact and speculative. I prefer to dwell on the present and from this perspective I see this delving into the chaotic past as a way to gain a general idea of the past, like a picture of the forest without attempt to distinguish all the trees in the forest. So overall we get a good idea of the general condition of man from history and from this I conclude that man above all else loves a good story. To make mention that people love a good story is cliche’, but the principal consideration with that observation is that love is too mild a term. Humankind need their stories with a depth of feeling that perverts rationality. Stories can provide comfort, structure, and even provide an individual with identity. A concept can be unbelievably preposterous, but if set forth in a fervent tale, it can gain acceptance in ways and by numbers that mock belief. The Mythras Cult is a good examples of this. Did some of the many religions in the past rub off on or purposely hijacked? Of course! The present day religious meme is an amalgam of all the religious memes of the past. We live in massive meme world and memes are constantly evolving and mutating and are extremely contagious.
24 December 2009, on 9:17 pm
In the ’spirit’ of the season, I hereby declare this an open thread. Any & all commentary is welcomed.
25 December 2009, on 1:39 am
KA, Happy Winter…or whatever.
Where the hell is everyone lately? Our writers are just you and me…and Bob off and on. But that’s it. And our readers are fading except for our diehard loyal followers. The Xians are probably saying their prayers are working when the fact is probably we all get tired of hashing and rehashing religious bullcrap after awhile.
I have had mucho writer’s block for the past several months.
27 December 2009, on 12:13 pm
Where the hell is everyone lately?
Maybe they all converted to Christianity! LOL!
27 December 2009, on 8:24 pm
Maybe they all converted to Christianity! LOL!
That’s what the theists are “praying for”.
27 December 2009, on 10:04 pm
Wish there was a vaccination for it.
4 January 2010, on 4:34 am
It is quite clear you are consumed with your athiest convictions. There is however a serious problem with your point of view compared to that of a Truly Born again forgiven Christian. If the Christian faith is a fraud, it won’t really matter in the realm of eternity. If your atheism is in error, you are in for a most miserable eternal ride.
And since only death can answer the question. This make you quite the gambling man.
Jeff Schlip
Nehalem, Ore
4 January 2010, on 3:02 pm
So Jeff, your religion is basically a crap shoot game? You are going to say you believe and are born again to be “better safe than sorry”? Don’t you think that if there were a god, that this god would see through that?
And why would we be in for a “miserable ride”? Why would a person deserve eternal torment for simply being unable to believe something that there is no evidence for? If your god exists, he is a sadistic bastard if he creates humans, plays hide and seek games with them while remaining invisible in another dimension, then punishes those who cannot believe, or who believe “incorrectly”. That is totally absurd. As absurd as all the other mythologies invented by human beings throughout the ages…and many were actual religions that people followed devoutly. Some lasted thousands of years, and some even still are followed today. Today’s religion is tomorrow’s mythology.
And when we are dead, we are dead. The reason humans have created religion for themselves, and bend that religion to however suits their own needs and desires is to attempt to cheat death and remain magically alive forever. Well, it ain’t gonna happen no matter how much you wish it.
So, what do we do? Fake believing so we can be maybe can remain alive after we are dead to only kiss the feet of a god 24/7 in some magical land in another realm? Just listen to how crazy that sounds. If believers would really allow themselves to examine the psychology of their beliefs, then they might just have to give them up. Thinking too much will make you realize it’s all just human fiction used as a coping device to deal with difficult things that happen in their lives, and to avoid thinking about the reality of death.
4 January 2010, on 3:05 pm
Geez, can you be more of a clone?
A. Learn to spell atheist,
B. That’s Pascal’s Wager, & it’s an oldie AND a moldy. We’ve heard it numerous times, & repeating it doesn’t reduce the BS. It’s a joke, not an approach.
C. If your loving sky daddy unconditionally loves everybody, an eternity of agony in hellfire is an odd way of showing any kind of love.