mystery religion christianitymystery religion christianity

40. The Greeks interpreted the national religions of the Greek Orient chiefly in terms of Platos philosophical and religious concepts. In the Avesta,\[Footnote:] This is the sacred book of the religion of Iran.\ Mithra is represented as the genius of celestial light. Grant Showerman, introduction to Franz Cumont, Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism (Chicago: Open House Publishing Company, 1911), pp. Data was gathered from books . The answer is "yes" - and also "no". 161 Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966 Such designations of our Lord as the Dayspring from on High, The Light, the Sun of Righteousness, and similar expressions seem to come directly from Mithraic influence.\[Footnote:] Weigall, op. In connection with the temple, she established certain ceremonies and rites for her worship. or 404 526-8968. Thus, under identical conditions, new forms of religious communities sprang from similar roots. Now when Christianity triumphed we find that these same paintings and figures became those of the Madonna and child with little or no difference.\[Footnote:] Ibid, p. 123\ In fact archaeologists are often left in confusion in attempting to distinguish the one from the other.22, It is also interesting to note that in the second century a story began to spread stating that Mary had been miraculously carried to Heaven by Jesus and His angels.\[Footnote:] The spreading of this story has been attributed to Melito, Bishop of Sardis.\ In the sixth century a festival came to be celebrated around this event known as the festival of Assumption, and it is now one of the greatest feasts of Roman Catholicism. 4243: It was also a reflection of poignant human experiences, mirroring the joys, sorrows, and hopes of mankind in face of inevitable death. However when we come to the idea of Jesus decent into hell it seems that we have a direct borrow from the Adonis religion, and in fact from other religions also. [also note from page3]: This Dover edition, first published in 1975, is an unabridged and unaltered republication of the second (1928) edition of the work originally published by John Murray, in London, in 1925 under the title The Mystery-Religions and Christianity. They were called mystery religions because individuals went through a secret ritualistic ceremony that was made known only to the initiates conducting the ceremony and to those being . Moreover, much from the Mysteries has persisted in various modern phases of thought and practice.\[Footnote:] Angus, The Mystery Religions and Christianity, p. viii.\, This is not to say that the early Christians sat down and copied these views verbatim. The preceding four sentences are similar to a passage in A Study of Mithraism, p. 224 in this volume. Mythicists confidently assert, "Christianity is nothing more than a patchwork quilt of ancient pagan and mystery religions.". In this myth, Persephone is depicted playing in the meadows of Mysia in Asia with the daughters of Oceanus and Tithys. 125126: Herodotus states that the festival of the death and resurrection of Osiris was held in Egypt each year, though he does not give the date; Plutarch also records the annual Osirian festival, and says that it lasted four days, giving the date as the seventeenth day of the Egyptian month Hathor, which, according to the Alexandrian calendar used by him, corresponded to November 13th. The eucharist, likewise through similar in some respects to the communion meal of Mithraism, was not a rite borrowed from it. So we might say that Eleusinianism was not blotted out by Christianity. Selected Answer: True. The earlier Greek mystery religions were state religions in the sense that they attained the status of a public or civil cult and served a national or public function. The New Testament gives evidence of at least four styles of Christian worship: temple worship (Acts 2:46), synagogue worship (Acts 16:13, 16), a fellowship meal concluded by the Lord's Supper (1 . It is well-nigh impossible to . It should also be noted that early Christianity was an exclusivistic religion while the mystery cults were not. These are stated with sufficient elaboration in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, According to the story, Persephone, was stolen by Pluto and carried off to the underworld to be his bride. The mother, frenzied with grief, rushed about the earth for nine days., 26. But, as a solar festival, Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra; and it is interesting to notice that since Mithra was addressed as Dominus, Lord, Sunday must have been the Lords Day long before Christian times. December 25th was the birthday of the sun-god, and particularly of Mithra, and was only taken over in the Fourth Century as the date, actually unknown, of the birth of Jesus.. cit., p. 257.\ Other Egyptian records speak of another feast in honour of all the dead, when such lamps were lit, which was held about November 8th.\[Footnote:] Ibid, p. 258.\20, It is interesting to note that the Christian feast of all Souls, in honor of the dead, likewise falls at the beginning of November; and in many countries lamps and candles are burned all night on that occassion. It is also significant to know that Roman tolerance had favoured this great syncretism of religious ideas. Mystery cults continue to vex scholars because the surviving evidence is problematic, comprising a few written sources, mostly late in date, and often with questionable aims and biases. Christianity triumphed over these mystery religions after long conflict. But it was this very date that the festival of Dianna or Artemis was celebrated, with whom Isis was identified. by Bart D. Ehrman. Underneath all expression, whether words, creeds, cults, ceremonies is the spiritual orderthe ever living search of men for higher lifea fuller life, more abundant, satisfying life. ISBN-10 : 0486231240. Whatever the religious doctrines of the Masonic sect it is plain that they do not embrace the central Christian . 3 Far from being dependent on mystery religions, Christianity can be correctly traced back to the life of a real flesh and bone person named Jesus 4 as well as to Old Testament Judaism. It is a library research and is descriptive in nature. In the large Gnostic library discovered at Najammd, in upper Egypt, in 1945, Hermetic writings were found sideby-side with Christian Gnostic texts. The preceding three paragraphs are similar to a passage in Kings earlier paper, A Study of Mithraism, p. 211 in this volume. Greek life was characterized by such things as democratic institutions, seafaring, gymnasium and athletic games, theatre, and philosophy. 118119: But there is one feature of the Gospel story which seems really to have been borrowed from the Adonis religion, and, in fact, from other pagan religions also, namely, the descent into Hell. All this goes to show how important Mithraism was in ancient times. The people were conditioned by the contact with the older religions and the background and general trend of the time.39 Dr. Shirley Jackson Case has written some words that are quite apt at this point. Answer (1 of 7): Over the years, Christianity has often been compared to the mystery religions of ancient Greece and Rome, both by Christians wishing to emphasize the esoteric nature of their religion and by opponents of Christianity who claim that the resemblance between Christianity and mystery. A mystery religion is any religion with an arcanum, or body of secret wisdom. Men began to die for the lack of food while the sacrifices to the gods decreased in number because the animals were dying out. Willoughby, Pagan Regeneration, p. 41: In order to understand the type of religious experience represented by this important cult, it is necessary clearly to keep in mind the main points of the Eleusinian myth which was developed to explain and justify the cult rites. 23: In the Avesta, Mithra is the genius of the celestial light. Mystery religions were seen as more vibrant than the more stale state religions. First published in the 1920s, this work is still the standard on the various mystery religions so popular in Greece and Rome before the establishment of Christianity. It, Christianity, is the expression of the longing of people for light, truth, salvation, security. The mystery religion of Ancient Babylon is the beginning of the occult, after the great flood that destroyed man . 9. During her short stay at the temple of Eleusis, the whole earth grew barren. In the end, virtually all the unique teachings of New Testament theology, including the distinctive doctrines on Jesus Christ, God, man, sin, salvation, etc . It is not at all surprising in view of the wide and growing influence of these religions that when the disciples in Antioch and elsewhere preached a crucified and risen Jesus they should be regarded as the heralds of another mystery religion, and that Jesus himself should be taken for the divine Lord of the cult through whose death and resurrection salvation was to be had.3 That there were striking similarities between the developing church and these religions cannot be denied. (Pagan Regeneration, p. 115). (2) December 25 came to be considered as the anniversary of the birth of Mithra and Christ also. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, pp. The origin of this cult is obscure and uncertain. This article discusses mystery religions and how they influenced the New Testament and early Christianity. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, p. 117: This coincidence has, of course, led many critics to suppose that the story of the burial and resurrection of Jesus is simply a myth borrowed from this pagan religion., 18. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Neoplatonism resonated with the mystery religions because of its idea of (p. 236), The Stoic idea of logos expresses that the world is governed by (p. 235), The Gospels, which presented Christianity as a distinct religion, were written (p. 232) and more. Christianity acknowledges only one way to God (John 14:6) and places utmost importance on right doctrine (1 . Esoteric Christianity (linked with the Hermetic Corpus since the Renaissance) is an ensemble of Christian theology which proposes that some spiritual doctrines of Christianity can only be understood by those who have undergone certain rites (such as baptism) within the religion.In mainstream Christianity, there is a similar idea that faith is the only means by which a . He hears all and sees all: none can deceive him.\[Footnote:] Cumont, Mysteries of Mithra, pp. But after being in contact with these surrounding religions and hearing certain doctrines expressed, it was only natural for some of these views to become a part of their subconscious minds. So through experience, knowledge, as through other forms, the outer manifestations of religion change. The people of Cyrene selected him as the most able man of the city to be their bishop, and he was able to accept the election without sacrificing his intellectual honesty. 39. The preceding two sentences are similar to a passage in A Study of Mithraism, p. 224 in this volume. The Roman aristocrats multiplied their efforts to maintain the piety of the mysteries, and the pagan philosophers tried to refine their theology by oversubtle interpretations. The similarities must rather be explained by parallel developments from similar origins. Payam Nabarz reveals the history and tenets of Mithraism, its connections to Christianity, Islam, and Freemasonry, and the modern neo-pagan practice of . Some held that the sacrament was instituted by Jesus himself. The mystery religions and Christianity had many similar featurese.g., a time of preparation before initiation and periods of fasting; baptism and banquets; vigils and early-morning ceremonies; pilgrimages and new names for the initiates. The baptismal ceremony in both cases (Christian and Pagan) was supposed to have the effect of identifying the initiate with his savior. (4) All promised a happy future life for the faithful.\[Footnote:] Enslin, Christian Beginnings, pp. Willoughby, Pagan Regeneration, pp. Christianity emerged and grew at a time when mystery religions were popular throughout the Roman Empire. In the former capacity she was identified with the great mother-goddess, Demeter, whose mourning for Persephone was the main feature in the Eleusinian mysteries. The mystery religions exerted some influence on the thinkers of the Middle Ages and the philosophers of the Italian Renaissance. "Concerning the relationship between the mystery cults and Christianity, scholarly opinion has varied. The books that the mystery communities used in Roman times cannot possibly be compared to the New Testament. As for my characterization of Mormonism, it depends on the definition. 6. Christianity emerged and grew at a time when mystery religions were popular throughout the Roman Empire. Spring, the time when all plants come back to life, indicates the return of plenty when the goddess maintains all life until autumn when her daughter returns to Hades and the earth becomes once more desolated.\[Footnote:] Willoughby, op. However these specific differences need not concern us, for the most significant aspects are common in all the various versions.10 We are concerned at this point with showing how this religion influenced the thought of early Christians. Martin Luther King Jr. titled " The Influence of the Mystery Religions on Christianity. At this moment the light from the candle of the priest is passed on to light the candles of his companions; guns and firecrackers are discharged as they prepare to break the Lenten fast.\[Footnote:] Fairbanks, Greek Religion, p. 288.\29 As in the Eleusinian mysteries the modern Greek Christian finds this a moment of supreme joy. There is more to the story before the flood, but as things started new after the flood, we will start from this point. 4. Arthur E. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity (n.p. It can be shown that the very earliest practices of Christianity coincided with popular mystery cults on many levels. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, p. 123: There can be no doubt that these ceremonies and beliefs deeply coloured the interpretation placed by the first Christians upon the historic facts of the Crucifixion, burial, and coming again to life of Jesus., 15. They originated in tribal ceremonies that were performed by primitive peoples in many parts of the world. The main characterization of this religion is the secrecy associated . The later non-Greek mysteries were personal, private, and individualistic. In winter vegetable life was dead while Demeter, the giver of life, grieved for the loss of her daughter. Their members refused to make offerings to Roman gods or take part in Roman religious festivals, which Rome considered a matter of showing loyalty. (Interesting parallels between the mystery faiths and early Christianity are discussed, without either apology or venom, but with an avid interest.) This faith had always exerted its influence on Jewish thought, so much so that the prophet Ezekiel\[Footnote:] Ezekiel 8:14.\ found it necessary to scold the women of Jerusalem for weeping for the dead Tammuz (Adonis) at the very gate of the temple. Meanwhile the coffin was washed up on the Syrian coast, and became miraculously lodged in the trunk of a tree. 116, 117.\13, There can hardly be any doubt of the fact that these ceremonies and beliefs strongly coloured the interpretation placed by the first Christians upon the life and death of the historic Jesus.14 Moreover, the merging of the worship of Attis into that of Jesus was effected without interruption, for these pagan ceremonies were enacted in a sanctuary on the Vatican Hill, which was afterwards taken over by the Christians, and the mother church of St. Peter now stands upon the very spot.\[Footnote:] Ibid, p. 117.\, Another popular religion which influenced the thought of early Christians was the worship of Adonis. In the end, virtually all the unique teachings of New Testament theology, including the distinctive doctrines on Jesus Christ, God, man, sin, salvation, and so on, are . At the death of Attis, Cybele mourned vehemently until he arose to life again in the springtime. Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis.Sacred mysteries may be either: Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated. the hellenistic mystery religion decisively in Alexandria and contributed to its development. Franz Cumont, The Mysteries of Mithra (Chicago: Open Court, 1910), pp. 187, 188.\. This tree afterwards chanced to be cut down and made into a pillar in the palace at Byblos, and there Isis at length found it. They covered an enormous range, and manifested a great diversity in character and outlook, from Orphism to Gnosticism, from the orgies of the Cabira to the fervours of the Hermetic contemplative.\[Footnote:] Angus, The Mystery Religions and Christianity, p. vii.\2 However it is to be noticed that these Mysteries possessed many fundamental likenesses; (1) All held that the initiate shared in symbolic (sacramental) fashion the experiences of the god. But with the coming of spring the life of nature revived again, for the sorrowing mother had received her daughter back with rejoicing. The existence of this atmosphere was vitally important in the development and eventual triumph of Christianity. Hydria by the Varrese Painter (c. 340 BC) depicting Eleusinian scenes. They encouraged the movement away from the state religions and the philosophical systems and toward the desire for personal salvation and promise of immortality. In the first century of the Christian era the Eleusinian mystery cult was more favorable known than any of the cults of Greece.24 Its fame and popularity was largely due to the connexion of Eleusis with Athens. . Scholars wrongly infused Christian terms into the mystery religion. 136137: Tarsus, the home of St. Paul, was one of the great centres of his worship, being the chief city of the Cilicians; and, as will presently appear, there is a decided tinge of Mithraism in the Epistles and Gospels. cit., p. 42.\27, The myth is also an example of poignant human experience, reflecting the joys, sorrows, and hopes of mankind in the face of death. The Christians took over the entire terminology; but many pagan words were strangely twisted in order to fit into the Christian world: the service of the state (leitourgia) became the ritual, or liturgy, of the church; the decree of the assembly and the opinions of the philosophers (dogma) became the fixed doctrine of Christianity; the correct opinion (orth doxa) about things became orthodoxy. The theology of the mysteries was developed to a far lesser degree than the Christian theology. How do we determine conjectured information? In this earlier stage, Isis had a husband named Osiris. #1,225 in History of Christianity (Books) The Influence Of The Cult Of Cybele and Attis, The first Oriental religion to invade the west was the cult of the Great Mother of the Gods. (5) The struggle with evil and the eventual triumph of good were essential ideas in both religions.37 (6) In summary we may say that the belief in immortality, a mediator between god and man, the observance of certain sacramental rites, the rebirth of converts, and (in most cases) the support of high ethical ideas were common to Mithraism as well as Christianity. The doctrine is almost identical. The Masonic Religion. 124125: The popular and widespread religion of Osiris and Isis exercised considerable influence upon early Christianity, for these two great Egyptian deities, whose worship had passed into Europe, were revered in Rome and in several other centres where Christian communities were growing up. Benjamin Cain. The Apostles Creed and Athanasian Creed say that between the Friday night and the Sunday morning Jesus was in Hell or Hades; It has no scriptural foundation except in the ambiguous words of the First Epistle of Peter; it did not appear in the Church as a tenet of Christianity until late in the Fourth Century., 19. In order to understand the type of religious experience represented by this important cult, we must turn to the myth of the rape of Demeters daughter by Pluto. Thus, the religions had a common conceptual framework. Esotericism has more in common with Gnosticism, Theosophy, and Rosicrucianism than genuine biblical Christianity. Attis was the Good Shepard, the son of Cybele, the Great Mother, who gave birth to him without union with mortal man, as in the story of the virgin Mary.11 According to the myth, Attis died, either slain by another or by his own hand. Some writers traced its origin to Egypt while others upheld Eleusis in Greece as the place of its birth. During the first semester of his second year at Crozer, King wrote this paper for Enslin's course on Greek religion. P: (650) 723-2092 | F: (650) 723-2093 | kinginstitute@stanford.edu| Campus Map. Willoughby quoted from Apollonius Argonautica 1.1098 ff. The doctrinal similarity is exemplified in the case of the pagan writer and philosopher Synesius. Dimensions : 5.37 x 0.73 x 8.4 inches. Download The Mysteries of Mithras Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, pp. Borrowing was not only natural but inevitable.6. It was a nature myth, a vivid depiction of the action of life in the vegetable world with the changing of the seasons. As is commonly known Antioch was one of the earliest seats of Christianity. For an instance, the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist have been mentioned as rites, which were preactice {practiced} by both Christians and pagans. Question 10 1 out of 1 points It is likely that Christianity borrowed from the mystery religions, but when Christianity did this was hundreds of years after it began, and thus has nothing to do with the core of Christian proclamation. This universal law is expecially true of religion. It is evident that in Rome there was a festival celebrating the death and resurrection of Attis. When they sat down to write they were expressing consciously that which had dwelled in their subconscious minds. Christianity originated during the time of the Roman Empire, which was also the time at which the mysteries reached their height of popularity. But in true Christianity, there is only the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and while they're 3 . Babylon Mystery Religion is a detailed Biblical and historical account of how, when, why, and where ancient paganism was mixed with Christianity. I learned that as an artistic writer who did a doctorate in philosophy. 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