TomThumb
Peacemaker
Registered: 02-2007
Posts: 868
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The Mithra Myth, pt. 5
http://www.frontline-apologetics.com/mithras.htm
quote: Where Is That Evidence?
This subject basically comes down to who is more informed in Mithriac origins, and my intentions are to equip you with adequate critical information. What some critics seem to be unaware of is that attempts to reconstruct the beliefs and practices of Mithraism face enormous challenges because of the lack of information that has survived. In fact, we posses no existing texts of their belief system that come from the Mithraic devotees themselves (one is left wondering what sources Chishti knows about that the rest of Mithraic scholars are unaware of). The only references that we have concerning the beliefs of Mithraism are found in early Church fathers (for the reason of defending Christ’s uniqueness) and Platonic philosophers who used Mithraic symbolism for their own philosophical idea
quote: Most critics are unaware that there are two distinct forms of this pagan mystery religion under the same name - Mithra. They are Roman Mithraism, and Iranian Mithraism. Critics more times than not confuse the two forms in an attempt to trace Roman Mithraism as far back as they can. However, these two versions of Mithraism have no direct connection with each other.
quote: The distinction between Roman and Iranain Mithraism was also recognized by the First International Congress of Mithraic Studies. They concluded that the Roman Mithraism was an altogether "new creation"26 and that Roman Mithraism was Mithraism in name only. Merely a new system that used the name of a known ancient Eastern deity to attract urbane Romans who found the east and all of its accouterments an enticing mystery.27
The evidence seems to be pointing in the direction that Roman Mithraism was not fully developed before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., therefor it seems improbable that Christianity was influenced by Mithraism.
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Mar/13/2007, 8:06 pm
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