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Mithraism and Christianity
Page 2.

*Mithras in the Roman Empire*

"Let us suppose that in modern Europe the faithful had deserted the
Christian churches to worship Allah or Brahma, to follow the precepts of
Confucius or Buddha, or to adopt the maxims of the Shinto;  let us imagine
a great confusion of all the races of the world in which Arabian mullahs,
Chinese scholars, Japanese bonzes, Tibetan lamas and Hindu pundits should
all be preaching fatalism and predestination, ancestor-worship and
devotion to a deified sovereign, pessimism and deliverance through
annihilation - a confusion in which all those priests should erect temples
of exotic architecture in our cities and celebrate their disparate rites
therein.  Such a dream, which the future may perhaps realize, would offer
a pretty accurate picture of the religious chaos in which the ancient
world was struggling before the reign of Constantine."  Among the Oriental
Religions in Roman Paganism, At a time when Christianity was only one of
several dozen foreign Eastern cults struggling for recognition in Rome,
the religious dualism and dogmatic moral teaching of Mithraism set it
apart from other sects, creating a stability previously unknown in Roman
paganism.  Early Roman worshippers imagined themselves to be keepers of
ancient wisdom from the far east, and invincible heroes of the faith,
ceaselessly fighting the powers of corruption.  Mithraism quickly gained
prominence and remained the most important pagan religion until the end of
the fourth century, spreading Zoroastrian dualism throughout every
province of the empire for three hundred years.

In those days, it was imperial policy to remove troops as far as possible
from their country of origin in order to prevent local uprisings.  A Roman
soldier who, after several years of service in his native country had been
promoted to the rank of centurion, was transferred to a foreign station
where he was later assigned to a new garrison. This way, the entire body
of centurions of any one legion constituted a microcosm of the empire. The
vast extent of the Roman colonies formed links between Persia and the
Mediterranean and caused the diffusion of the Mithraic religion into the
Roman world.  Mithraism became a military religion under the Romans. The
many dangers to which the Roman soldiers were exposed caused them to seek
the protection of the gods of their foreign comrades in order to obtain
success in battle or a happier life through death. The soldiers adopted
the Mithraic faith for its emphasis on victory, strength, and security in
the next world. Temples and shrines were dedicated to Mithras across the
empire. In 67 B.C., the first congregation of Mithras-worshipping soldiers
existed in Rome under the command of General Pompey.  From 67 to 70 C.E.,
the legio XV Apollinaris, or Fifteenth Apollonian Legion, took part in
suppressing the uprising of the Jews in Palestine.  After sacking and
burning the Second Temple in Jerusalem and capturing the infamous Ark of
the Covenant, this legion accompanied Emperor Titus to Alexandria, where
they were joined by new recruits from Cappadocia (Turkey) to replace
casualties suffered in their victorious campaigns.

After their transportation to the Danube with the veteran legionnaires,
they offered sacrifices to Mithras in a semicircular grotto that they
consecrated to him on the banks of the river.  Soon, this first temple was
no longer adequate and a second one was built adjoining a temple of
Jupiter.  As a municipality developed alongside the camp and the
conversions to Mithraism continued to multiply, a third and much larger
Mithraeum was erected towards the beginning of the second century.  This
temple was later enlarged by Diocletian, Emperor from 284-305 C.E.  
Diocletian rededicated this sanctuary to Mithras, giving him the title
"The Protector of the Empire".  Five Mithraeums were found in Great
Britain, where only three Roman legions were stationed.  Remains were
discovered in London near St.  Paul's Cathedral, in Segontium in Wales,
and three were found along Hadrian's Wall in Northern England.  Mithraism
also reached Northern Africa by Roman military recruits from abroad.  By
the second century, the worship of Mithras had spread throughout Germany
due to the powerful army that defended this territory.  The greatest
number of Mithraeums in the western world were discovered in Germany.  An
inscription has been found of a centurion's dedication to Mithras dating
back to the year 148 C.E. One of the most famous Mithraic bas-reliefs,
showing twelve scenes from the life of the god, was discovered in
Neuenheim, Germany in 1838.  When Commodus (Emperor from 180-192 C.E.) was
initiated into the Mithraic religion, there began an era of strong support
of Mithraism that included emperors such as Aurelian, Diocletian, and
Julian the Apostate, who called Mithras "the guide of the souls".  All of
these emperors took the Mithraic titles of 'Pius', 'Felix', and 'Invictus'
(devout, blessed, and invincible). From this point on, Roman authority
legitimized their rule by divine right, as opposed to heredity or vote of
the Senate.  The Babylonian astrological influence within Mithraism
established a solar henotheism as the leading religion at Rome.  In 218
C.E.  the Roman Emperor Heliogabalus (placed upon the throne at age 14)
attempted to elevate his god, the Baal of Emesa to the rank of supreme
divinity of the empire by subordinating the entire ancient pantheon.  
Heliogabalus was soon assassinated for his aspiration of a solar
henotheism, but half a century later his attempt inspired emperor Aurelian
to initiate the worship of the Sol invictus.  Worshipped in an elaborate
temple, magnificent plays were held in honour of this deity every fourth
year.  Sol invictus was also elevated to the supreme rank in the divine
hierarchy, and became the special protector of the emperors and the
empire.  Many Mithraic reliefs showed scenes of Mithras and Sol sharing a
banquet over a table draped with the skin of the bull.  Soon after, the
title of Sol invictus was transferred to Mithras.  The Roman emperors
formally announced their alliance with the sun and emphasized their
likeness to Mithras, god of its divine light.  Mithras was, also, unified
with the sun-god Helios, and became known as 'The Great God
Helios-Mithras'. Emperor Nero adopted the radiating crown as the symbol of
his sovereignty to exemplify the splendour of the rays of the sun, and to
show that he was an incarnation of Mithras. He was initiated into the
Mithraic religion by the Persian Magi brought to Rome by the King of
Armenia.  Emperors from that time onwards proclaimed themselves destined
to the throne by virtue of having been born with the divine ruling power
of the sun.

*The Rites of Mithraic Initiation*

Upon enlistment, the first act of a Roman soldier was to pledge obedience
and devotion to the emperor. Absolute loyalty to authority and to fellow
soldiers was the cardinal virtue, and the Mithraic religion became the
ultimate vehicle for this fraternal obedience. The Mithras worshippers
compared the practice of their religion to their military service.  All of
the initiates considered themselves sons of the same father owing to one
another a brother's affection.  Mithras was a chaste god, and his
worshippers were taught reverence for celibacy (a convenient trait for
soldiers to maintain). The spirit of camaraderie (and celibacy) was to be
continued in the Roman Empire by the Christian belief in neighborly love
and universal charity.  However, the worshippers of Mithras did not lose
themselves in a contemplative mysticism like the followers of other
near-eastern sects.  Their morality particularly encouraged action, and
during a period of war and confusion, they found stimulation, comfort and
support in its tenets.  In their eyes of the Roman soldiers, resistance to
evil deeds and immoral actions became just as valued as victory in
glorious military exploits.  They would fight the powers of evil in
accordance with the ideals of Zoroastrian dualism, in which life was
conceived as a struggle against evil spirits.  By supplying a new
conception of the world, Mithraism gave new meaning to life by determining
the worshipper's beliefs concerning life after death.  The struggle
between good and evil was extended into the afterworld, where Mithras
ensured the protection of his followers from the powers of darkness.  It
was believed that Mithras would judge the souls of the dead and lead the
righteous into the heavenly regions where Ahura-Mazda reigned in eternal
light.  Mithraism brought the assurance that reverence would be rewarded
with immortality.

Mithraism was an archetypal mystery cult and secret society. Like the
rites of Demeter, Orpheus, and Dionysus, the Mithraic rituals admitted
candidates by secret ceremonies, the meaning of which was known only to
the initiated. Like all other institutionalized initiation rites of the
past and present, this mystery cult allowed the initiates to be controlled
and put under the command of their leaders. Preceding initiation into the
Mithraic fold, the neophyte had to prove his courage and devotion by
swimming across a rough river, descending a sharp cliff, or jumping
through flames with his hands bound and eyes blindfolded.  The initiate
was also taught the secret Mithraic password, which he was to use to
identify himself to other members, and which he was to repeat to himself
frequently as a personal mantra.  Mithraic worshippers believed that the
human soul descended into the world at birth. The goal of their religious
quest was to achieve the soul's ascent out of the world again by gaining
passage through seven heavenly gates, corresponding to seven grades of
initiation. Therefore, being promoted to a higher rank in the religion was
believed to correspond to a heavenly journey of the soul. Promotion was
obtained through submission to religious authority (kneeling), casting off
the old life (nakedness), and liberation from bondage through the
mysteries.

The process of Mithraic initiation required the symbolic climbing of a
ceremonial ladder with seven rungs, each made of a different metal to
symbolize the seven known celestial bodies. By symbolically ascending this
ceremonial ladder through successive initiations, the neophyte could
proceed through the seven levels of heaven.  The seven grades of
Mithraism, were: Corax (Raven), Nymphus (Male Bride), Miles (Soldier), Leo
(Lion), Peres (Persian), Heliodromus (Sun-Runner), and Pater (Father);  
each respective grade protected by Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, the
Moon, the Sun, and Saturn.  The lowest degree of initiation into the grade
of Corax symbolized the death of a new member, from which he would arise
reborn as a new man.  This represented the end of his life as an
unbeliever, and cancelled previous allegiances to the other unacceptable
beliefs. The title Corax (Raven) originated with the Zoroastrian custom of
exposing the dead on funeral towers to be eaten by carrion birds, a custom
continued today by the Parsis of India, the descendants of the Persian
followers of Zarathustra.  Further initiation involved the clashing of
cymbals, beating of drums, and the unveiling of a statue of Mithras. The
initiate drank wine from the cymbal to recognize it as the source of
ritual ecstasy.  Next, he ate a small morsel of bread placed on a drum, to
signify his acceptance of Mithras as the source of his food. This bread
had been exposed to the rays of the sun, so by eating the bread the
worshipper was partaking of the divine essence of the sun itself.  The
initiate would also offer a loaf of bread and cup of water to the statue
of Mithras.  When a neophyte reached the degree of Miles (soldier), he was
offered a crown, which he had to reject with the saying "Only Mithras is
my crown".  The indelible mark of a cross, symbol of the sun, was then
branded on his forehead with a hot iron to symbolize his ownership by the
deity, and he would renounce the social custom of wearing a wreath. From
then on, the neophyte belonged to the sacred militia of 'The Invincible
God Mithras'.  All family ties were severed and only fellow initiates were
to be considered brothers.  Worshippers used caves and grottos as temples
wherever possible, or at least gave temples the internal appearance of
caves or of being subterranean by building steps leading down to the
entrance. They took part in masquerading as animals, such as ravens and
lions, and inserted passages into their ritual chants that were devoid of
any literal meaning.

All of these rites that characterized Roman Mithraism originated in
ancient prehistoric ceremonies. During the rituals, the evolution of the
universe and the destiny of mankind was explained. The service consisted
chiefly of contemplating the Mithraic symbolism, praying while knelt
before benches, and chanting hymns to the accompaniment of flutes. Hymns
were sung describing the voyage of Mithras' horse-drawn chariot across the
sky. Invokers and worshippers of Mithras prayed, "Abide with me in my
soul. Leave me not [so] that I may be initiated and that the Holy Spirit
may breathe within me." Animal sacrifices, mostly of birds, were also
conducted in the Mithraeums.  The Mithraic clergy's duty was to maintain
the perpetual holy fire on the altar, invoke the planet of the day, offer
the sacrifices for the disciples, and preside at initiations. The Mithraic
priests were known as Patres Sacrorum, or Fathers of the Sacred Mysteries.
They were mystically designated with the titles Leo and Hierocorax, and
presided over the priestly festivals of Leontica (the festival of lions),
Coracica (the festival of ravens), and Hierocoracica (the festival of
sacred ravens).  The great festival of the Mithraic calendar was held on
December the 25th, and the 16th of every month was kept holy to Mithras.  
The first day of the week was dedicated to the sun, to whom prayers were
recited in the morning, noon, and evening. Services were held on Sundays,
in which bells were sounded and praises were offered to Mithras.  On great
occasions, the 'soldiers of Mithras' took part in the sacrament of bread
and wine as sacred bulls were sacrificed.

*The Taurobolium*

While Mithras was worshipped almost exclusively by men, most of the wives
and daughters of the Mithraists took part in the worship of Magna Mater,
Ma-Bellona, Anahita, Cybele, and Artemis.  These goddess religions
practiced a regeneration ritual known as the Taurobolium, or bull
sacrifice, in which the blood of the slaughtered animal was allowed to
fall down upon the initiate, who would be lying, completely drenched in a
pit below. As a result of their association with practitioners of this
rite, Mithraists soon adopted the Taurobolium ritual as their own.  This
baptism of blood became a renewal of the human soul, as opposed to mere
physical strength. Mithraic baptism wiped out moral faults; the purity
aimed at had become spiritual. The descent into the pit was regarded as
symbolic burial, from which the initiate would emerge reborn, purified of
all his crimes and regarded as the equal of a god.  Those who made it
through the Taurobolium were revered by their brethren, and accepted in
the fold of Mithraism.  "The taurobolium had become a means of obtaining a
new and eternal life; the ritualistic ablutions were no longer external
and material acts, but were supposed to cleanse the soul of its impurities
and to restore its original innocence; the sacred repasts imparted an
intimate virtue to the soul and furnished sustenance to the spiritual
life." (Franz Cumont Les Mystères de Mithra)

The bull has been exalted throughout the ancient world for its strength
and vigour.  Greek myths told of the Minotaur, a half-man half-bull
monster who lived in the Labyrinth beneath Crete, and took an annual
sacrifice of six young men and six maidens before being slain by the hero
Theseus.  Minoan artwork depicted nimble acrobats leaping bravely over the
backs of bulls.  The altar in front of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem was
adorned with bull horns believed to be endowed with magical powers. The
bull was also one of the four tetramorphs, the symbols later associated
with the four gospels.  The mystique of this powerful animal still
survives today in the ritualistic bull-fighting of Spain and Mexico, and
in the rodeo bull-riding of the U.S.  The bull was an obvious
representation of masculinity by nature of its size, strength, and sexual
power.  At the same time, the bull symbolized lunar forces by virtue of
its horns and earthly forces by virtue of its powerful root to the ground.
The ritual sacrifice of the bull symbolized the penetration of the
feminine principle by the masculine. The slaying of the bull represented
the victory of man's spiritual nature over his animality; parallel to the
symbolic images of Marduk slaying Tiamut, Gilgamesh killing Humbaba,
Michael subduing Satan, St. George slaying the dragon, the Centurion
piercing Christ's side, Lewis Carroll's "beamish boy" slaying the
Jabberwocky, and Sigourney Weaver slaying the Alien.

According to the archetypal hero myth recited in Roman Mithraic rituals,
the infant Mithras formed an alliance with the sun and set off to kill the
bull, the first living creature ever created. While the bull was grazing
in a pasture, Mithras seized it by the horns and dragged it into a cave.
The bull soon escaped, but was recaptured when Mithras was given the
command by the raven, messenger of the sun, to slay the bull. With the
help of his dog, Mithras succeeded in overtaking the bull and dragging it
again in the cave.  Then, seizing it by the nostrils, he plunged deep into
its flank with his knife.  As the bull died, the world came into being and
time was born. From the body of the slain beast sprang forth all the herbs
and plants that cover the earth.  From the spinal cord of the animal
sprang wheat to produce bread, and from the blood came the vine to produce
wine. The shedding of the sacrificial blood brought great blessings to the
world, which Ahriman tried to prevent.  The struggle between good and
evil, which at that moment it first began, was to continue until the end
of time.  "This ingenious fable carries us back to the very beginnings of
civilization.  It could never have risen save among a people of shepherds
and hunters with whom cattle, the source of all wealth, had become an
object of religious veneration"

( Franz Cumont Les Mystères de Mithra)