Evidence of his exalted position lies in the fact that the longest yasht, eight times longer than that in honour of ahura mazda, is dedi dhalla, history of zo cated to mithra. Mithraism is the worship of the god mithras, best known as an ancient roman mystery religion. The persian sun god mithra was widely accepted in the roman world prior to the period of christian evangelism. His conqueror placed upon his head the radiant crown that he has borne in his daily course ever since his downfall. Was jesus a copy of horus, mithras, krishna, dionysus and. Mithra, ancient persian god of wisdom and light mithra is a persian god who is a judicial figure, an allseeing protector of truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest and of the waters. Clauss suggest that because mithras was thought to be a god of the unfolding year, his worshippers may have identified him with aion the roman cult of mithras, p. In antiquity, texts refer to the mysteries of mithras, and to its adherents, as the mysteries of the persians. The persian mithra was a benevolent god and the bestower of health, wealth and food. At ancient origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. The parallels between christianity and ancient mithraism are strikingfor example, the god mithra was born of a virgin in a cave on december 25. As the great bull of the sun, mithra sacrificed himself for world peace. Mithra is a much more fully developed image than the rather ethereal mitra. The mithraic mysteries or mysteries of mithras also mithraism was a mystery cult centered on the god mithras, became popular among the military in the roman empire, from the 1st to 4th centuries ad.
He had a secret cult of warriors and was popular in the legions. This powerful strong god mithra, strongest in the world of creatures, i will worship with libations. The gospel of mithras first edition of the universal. In persian mythology he was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god ahura mazda. Apr 18, 2017 the cult of mithras was a thriving religion in the roman empire. Persian mythology, ancient beliefs of the ancient persian iranian people. The mithraic mysteries, also known as mithraism, were a mystery cult in the roman world. While there may be some connection with mithras and aion, a lionheaded man has nothing to do with the imagery of the lion used to describe jesus in scripture. It is also the belief of the christian world that mithra or the sun god was born of a virgin. Drawn from the legendary past of iran, they reflect the attitudes of the society to which they first belonged attitudes towards the confrontation of good and evil, the actions of the gods, yazats lesser gods, and the exploits of heroes and fabulous creatures. This concise introduction to the subject continues to form a guide to the collection of the british museum whilst also commenting extensively on the ancient persian communities from 6000bc to. This illustrated book traces the history of an unlikely force in the shaping of western civilization.
The religion was inspired by iranian worship of the zoroastrian angelic divinity mithra, though the greek mithras was linked to a new and distinctive imagery, and the level of continuity between persian and grecoroman practice is debated. The roman cult of mithras is known to us from a large collection of its cavetemples, known as mithraea, a certain number of inscriptions from a mithraeum, and some sculpture. Mithra wears the phrygian cap, persian trousers, and a cape. Reporter covering foreign affairs, geopolitics and history. Mithraism, the cult of mithra as it developed in the west, its origins, its features, and its probable connection with mithra worship in iran for most of the twentieth century the major problem addressed by scholarship on both roman mithraism and the iranian god mithra was the question of continuity. Mithra is a god of justice, truth, and light, and a helper in the battle against evil. Mithra commonly known as mehr is the zoroastrian angelic divinity yazata of covenant, light. He was one of the gods who replaced athena as a war deity he was born from the rock, where he emerged fully grown and holding his dagger and torch. Although this was the standard book for many years on the subject of the mysteries of mithra, it is useless to use for any serious modern academic study of the subject matter. Franz cumonts texts and illustrated monuments related to the mysteries of mithra. The identification of verethragna as a boar in yasht 14 led ilya gershevitch to identify damois upamana a boar in the avestan hymn to mithra to be an alterego of verethragna gershevitch 1959, p.
At the turn of the twentieth century, an influential book on the mithras cult was published. It failed to make the comparisons between the two religions that is commonly known and was known at the time. These later works are far more reliable than 19th century scholarship often cited by skeptics who claim jesus is a retelling of mithras. The roman god mithras has an ancestor in the persian god mithra.
Eclipsed as it was in later centuries by the faith of christ, mithraism or rather, its romanised form sol invictus was the first universal religion of the grecoroman world mithraism waged and lost a threehundred year battle with the upstart religion of christ, into which much of its ritual, and many of its practitioners, were subsumed. In some cases it appears the mithraists believed that mithras and sol were manifestations of the same god. He was considered a great traveling teacher and master. In addition there are scanty references to the cult in the christian fathers, and a handful of other references.
The mysteries of mithras were not practiced until the 1st century ad. Nero was the first emperor to be initiated by the groups magical dinners, and most of his successors embraced the ritual as a source of spiritual transcendence. Iransaga persian myths, the gods of ancient persia. He also oversaw the orderly change of the seasons, maintained cosmic order, and was responsible for bestowing divine grace on kings, legitimizing their rule and, as a protector of the faithful, was also invoked by warriors before battle and so became known as a god of war. Books about the history of the past had previously appeared in the sasanian period and during the rule of the abbasid caliphs in the eighth century ad many of these books were translated from pahlavi middle persian into arabic, although in most cases both the original pahlavi texts and the arabic translations have been lost. Mithra, also spelled mithras, sanskrit mitra, in ancient indoiranian mythology, the god of light, whose. Mithras was the god of roman warriors, the legion, and empire. The romans had a mystery cult based on this persian savior god, who was supposedly born on december 25, of a virgin mother, and depicted with a halo. But there it is the undisputed truth of old god spoke from the heavens, no one in history has disputed it, recorded world history. Others confine the name of god to the good power, the other they term demon. Warnings of the last days from god christian short film the days of noah have come duration. According to inscriptions on candle votives and other works of art found in mithraeum, there is a link between mithras and the roman sun god sol invictus unconquered sun. Older references to the religion call it either the mysteries of mithras or even the mysteries of the persians, making the connection between the god and his persian origins clear.
In the early prechrist era, mithraism was the sole savior and guide to the way of life and was considered a serious contender to christianity. Also given as hvarekhshaeta, the god of the sun whose name translates as radiant sun. The god with whom mithra first measured his strength was the sun. The ancient roman cult that continues to vex scholars. Because the rituals were so secret, few written records of them have been discovered. It is said that mithra or the sun took birth in the cave on december 25th. Mithras was a persian god who became popular in the roman empire in the 1st century ce, especially with roman soldiers. The mysteries of mithras presents a revival of the magical practices and initiatory system of mithraism, the ancient roman mystery religion that was immensely popular in the roman legions from the late second century b. Apr 24, 2016 the ancient persian god that may be at the heart of game of thrones. This page contains a list of all the passages in greek or latin literature that refer to mithra s, in english translation. Is god solely one in nature, or is there a threeness, or a manyness, or an infinitude to god.
Mithra is the persian god of the rising sun, contracts, covenants, and friendship. Mithra, in ancient indoiranian mythology, the god of light, whose cult spread from india in the east to as far west as spain, great britain, and germany. Thank you for this very interesting post and useful photographs. He was said to have eyes, expressing the conviction that no man could conceal his wrongdoing from the god. Down columns of boulevards walked roman soldiers loyal to the persian god mithras. John, the lord chamberlain, a 19992014 series of historical mystery novels, depicts a secret mithraist community still active in justinians. Full text of on the diffusion of mithra images in sassanian. Today, we think of the worship of mithras as mithraism, but thats a fairly recent title.
Jun 09, 2005 the parallels between christianity and ancient mithraism are strikingfor example, the god mithra was born of a virgin in a cave on december 25. Was jesus a copy of horus, mithras, krishna, dionysis and other pagan gods. The blood of flowers by anita amirrezvani, the persian expedition by xenophon, persian fire. As the last pagan state religion in europe, it was the. Mithras myth encyclopedia mythology, greek, god, ancient. Whatever valuable and accurate history books that we had, have been collected and burned, also they do not allow the publishers to republish these books, so the history of iran is out of print. The ancient persian god that may be at the heart of game of. In this article ill try to look at mithras as objectively as possibly and determine what, if any, is the extant of his relationship to jesus christ. Is jesus simply a retelling of the mithras mythology. The worship of this persian deity can be traced to at least 2000 bce, and continues today. Read interesting facts about leonardo da vinci as depicted in da vincis demons, lorenzo and giuliano medici, lucrezia donati, sons of mithras, book of leaves, vault of heaven, girolamo riario and all other characters about the famous tv show. The history and legacy of ancient romes most mysterious religious cult. Mithraism, also known as the mithraic mysteries, was a roman mystery religion centered on the god mithras.
Information on the cult is based mainly on interpretations of the many surviving monuments. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained. The cult of mithras was a thriving religion in the roman empire. What is exciting about this newly discovered scene is that the father, who is dressed like mithras himself, initiates by reenacting one of the god s feats, the water miracle, in which. An introduction to the simorghian culture and mithraism in. The name of the indoiranian god mitra vedic mitra, avestan mi. Satan established the mysteries of mithras after his expulsion from heaven mitra was originally the sun god of the persians.
Persian mythology are traditional tales and stories of ancient origin, all involving extraordinary or supernatural beings. The students do not have a shred of knowledge about their history or identity. Though god of truth and righteousness mithra is not associated with moral purity chastity. Which is the most popular book on mithra and mithraism. This book explores the formation of the first persian empire under the achaemenid persians. He was considered the deity of the full sun whereas mithra was god of the rising sun. Reconstruction shows mithra shaking hands with king antiochus.
The latter was compelled to render homage to the superiority of his rival and to receive from him his investiture. Zoroastrianism was a mere branch of the ancient aryan religion in the central asia. The first written mention of the vedic mitra dates to 1400 bc. The indian mitra represented the suns friendly aspects. These objects represented his two roles as sun god and war god. Mithra was originally a persian sun god or not exactly. You may wish to know that the standard textbook on mithras is manfred clauss, the roman cult of mithras. Mithras roman god facts about roman gods dk find out.
The present month of mihr october is named after the god mithra. Mithra was born of a virgin on december 25th in a cave, and his birth was attended by shepherds. This question seems to be asking about the position of mithra within the ancient persian nonzoroastrian cult worshipping mithra as a god. Persian mythology, as an extension of indoeuropean mythology, consists of traditional stories in which the origins and functions of those traditions are rooted, and portrays divinities, heroes, kings, priests, demons, and magical and fabulous creatures. The simorghian culture and mithraism retained their power all the time even in early islamic iran. Mithras was known as the god of truth, and lord of heavenly light, and said to have stated i am a star which goes with thee and shines out of the depths. Mithras is the roman name for the indoiranian deity mitra or mithra, and. The origins of the mithraic mysteries cosmology and salvation in the ancient world by david ulansey oxford university press, 1989, mithras, the secret god by m. Nov 14, 2009 iranianpersian mythology, part i, ahriman, zoroaster, ahura mazda, mithras, vayu, tishtar, apousha ferey kian. This includes all the material for both the ancient persian cult of mitra, and the roman cult. The national geographic societys book great religions of the world, page 309 writes. In the greek and roman form of the cult, mithrass most important mythic act was the slaying of a great bull, whose body and blood became the source of all life on earth. The religion was inspired by iranian worship of the zoroastrian god mithra, though the greek mithras was linked to a new and distinctive imagery, and the level of continuity between persian and grecoroman practice is debated.
From the conventional to the controversial, the broad scope of this book and its. Mithraism, the worship of mithra, the iranian god of the sun, justice, contract, and war in prezoroastrian iran. Mithras himself came to represent strength, bravery, and manliness, which made him an appealing god for soldiers. Payam nabarz reveals the history, origins, and spiritual and philosophical tenets of mithraism and its connections to christianity, islam, and freemasonry. This outlines how the archaeology has demonstrated that mithras is distinct from iranian mithra, and probably was a pseudopersian cult originating in rome. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, mithra is also a judicial figure, an allseeing protector of truth, and. His worship spread to persia and, after the defeat of the p. Is the universe wholly apart from god, or is creation in some sense, a part of god. It brings together a multidisciplinary view of ancient iran in the first millennium bc and concentrates on the. The khorda avesta book of common prayer also refer to mithra in the litany to the sun. Achaemenid ahriman ahura mazda ameretat amesha spentas anahita ancient persian angra mainyu animals appears asha atar avesta bahram birth body bottom bull cave centre ceremony cosmic ocean creation creator cult dahaka daxma death defeated demons destroy divine earth empire evil spirit faithful faridun figure fire temple forces fravashis.
Those who write history books are doomed to criticism by those who dont. Only men were allowed to worship mithras, participating in secret rituals that no outsider was allowed to see. Was christ jesus a myth derived from mithra, the persian sun god. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, mithra is also a judicial figure, an allseeing protector of truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest, and of the waters. Unlike the indian god, we actually have a relief of the iranian deity. Mithra was not the role model for jesus, rather, yhwh was the model for both jesus the real historical man who was also god and for the mithra myth. The sun god mithra was worshiped extensively in prezoroastrian persia. The ancient roman cult that continues to vex scholars the mithraic mysteries worshipped a pagan god from subterranean temples buried throughout the empire.
Mitra is a persian word and another name for nimrod, dagon, and thus satan himself. Was christ jesus a myth derived from mithra, the persian. One of mithra s most important duties is to protect the kingly fortune or divine glory khvarnab orfarr. The oldest persian deity was mithra, who was identified with the sun. Mithra is the persian god of the rising sun, contracts, covenants, and. Known as mithras in the roman empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries ce, this deity was honored as the patron of loyalty to the emperor. History and development of the mysteries of mithras, and. Iranianpersian mythology, part i, ahriman, zoroaster, ahura. Dec 31, 1989 this second edition to the art, archaeology and history of ancient persia, includes new discoveries and ideas and corrects errors from the first edition. Because the rituals were so secret, few written records of. On the subject of kallistos ware book, on when it was writtenis history, layman or cleric, moving the goal post after. I will cultivate him with praise and reverence, worship him with audible prayer, with libations, mithra of wide cattle pastures. Zartosht ataollahi in name of the creator of life and wisdom.
Mithra also seems to have been regarded as a sort of prometheus, for the gift of fire. In short, yhwh god was recorded in the hebrew scriptures as the reality of everything that the mithra myth would later aspire to imitate. Of the great ancient civilizations, that of persia is the least known and the most enigmatic. On the contrary, he was said to fertilize the earth with his rays, as sun god, and anahita as goddess of fruitfulness represented the female principle in conjunction with him. Essentials in practical alchemy class 3 human pre history the wadjet eye. The mithras of the roman cult is considered an astrological deity developed by roman sensibilities and of a wholly different character than the persian mithra. Mica commonly known as mehr is the zoroastrian angelic divinity of covenant, light, and oath.
An academic and religious journal of greek, roman and persian studies payam nabarz, ezio albrile, israel campos, ranajit pal, jane raeburn, david rankine, harita meenee, masato tojo, katherine sutherland on. Sunday was dedicated to mithra lord, receiving the title of the lords day previous document back to index next document approaching the end support this web site. This mithra or mitra sun god is believed to be a mediator between god and man, between the sky and the earth. It is mithra s attire, however, that is important to the current study. By jesus time, east and west had mingled here for three centuries. He was a god of courage and enlightenment, and led the chariot of the sun across the sky on its daily journey. Mithras is the roman name for the indoiranian deity mitra or mithra, and it is by that name that he was known the persians. Being a persian god, mithras wears what romans believed to be typical persian. We sacrifice to mithra, the lord of all countries, whom ahura mazda created the most glorious, of the. The festival of mithra, the mithrakana modern mihrigan was the celebration of the autumn equinox.
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