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Mithras and Christianity

MaybeSpartacus

MaybeSpartacus

Member
I've heard that Christianity has (seemingly) copied a lot of imagery and literary descriptors from Mithraism. I'm fairly oblivious to the mystery cult beyond it being popular among the Roman legions. (And I only know that from Rome Total War. Hooray for video games.) I've heard things from the depiction of Mithras (long beard, sun disc above his head), to him being a Sun god to be worshiped on Sunday, to having come to Earth as mortal flesh and dying akin to Christ, all a couple centuries earlier. I'm really just curious if this has any merits or what not? I also wonder if this was a dumb question or had been covered before but the search didn't uncover any specific topics.
 
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bowingtoGod

Member
MaybeSpartacus said:
I've heard that Christianity has (seemingly) copied a lot of imagery and literary descriptors from Mithraism. I'm fairly oblivious to the mystery cult beyond it being popular among the Roman legions. (And I only know that from Rome Total War. Hooray for video games.) I've heard things from the depiction of Mithras (long beard, sun disc above his head), to him being a Sun god to be worshiped on Sunday, to having come to Earth as mortal flesh and dying akin to Christ, all a couple centuries earlier. I'm really just curious if this has any merits or what not? I also wonder if this was a dumb question or had been covered before but the search didn't uncover any specific topics.
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Well from a non Christian response would be it (Christianity) was probably influenced by it. I remember reading once a Christian response was that it (Mithraism) was only to open the way for Christianity.
 
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angellous_evangellous

Guest
MaybeSpartacus said:
I've heard that Christianity has (seemingly) copied a lot of imagery and literary descriptors from Mithraism. I'm fairly oblivious to the mystery cult beyond it being popular among the Roman legions. (And I only know that from Rome Total War. Hooray for video games.) I've heard things from the depiction of Mithras (long beard, sun disc above his head), to him being a Sun god to be worshiped on Sunday, to having come to Earth as mortal flesh and dying akin to Christ, all a couple centuries earlier. I'm really just curious if this has any merits or what not? I also wonder if this was a dumb question or had been covered before but the search didn't uncover any specific topics.
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Nope. None.

[it wasn't early enough] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithras#History_and_development
 
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fallingblood

fallingblood

Agnostic Theist
I'm sure it has been covered in other threads, but you would have had to really dig through them. The Mithras idea sprouted after Jesus though. The problem is that there was a similar named cult (I believe it was Greek) that predated Jesus. The Romans took the idea, and added to it later on, after Jesus. The problem is that those who want have confused the two.
 
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