Freethought & Rationalism Archive

lycanthrope · 02-13-2009, 08:13 AM

I found this book titled "Mystery Religions and Christianity" by Samuel Angus while walking around Borders bookshop and I would like to hear from those who have read this book about what you think

Mystery Religions and Christianity (or via: amazon.co.uk)

Toto · 02-13-2009, 08:48 AM

An earlier edition of this 1920 work is here (or via: amazon.co.uk) and also on Google books

Quote:

Classic study offers understanding of ancient religious cults, their appeal and eventual failure in the face of Christianity. Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece; Attis and Magna Mater; Dionysian groups; Egyptian Cults of Isis and Osiris; and others.

The Dover edition on Google books.

The Amazon reviews at the first link are positive.

lycanthrope · 02-13-2009, 11:08 AM

Yeah I been to Amazon page but the thing is I am hoping that someone here or other atheist board might have read the book and let me know if this book provides good evidence linking christianity to Mystery religions and how much linkage...

spamandham · 02-13-2009, 10:35 PM

I haven't read the book, but I would be cautious of putting too much stock in anything in this category written before ~1970. There was just too nonscientific crap written prior to that.

lycanthrope · 02-13-2009, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spamandham

I haven't read the book, but I would be cautious of putting too much stock in anything in this category written before ~1970. There was just too nonscientific crap written prior to that.

What do you mean by that?

andrewcriddle · 02-14-2009, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lycanthrope

Yeah I been to Amazon page but the thing is I am hoping that someone here or other atheist board might have read the book and let me know if this book provides good evidence linking christianity to Mystery religions and how much linkage...

I've briefly glanced through the book today, and given its rather old date it seems reasonably OK. My main reservation in my quick skim, was that it probably tends to read back the ideas of the later Neoplatonists about the Mysteries, (c 300 CE onwards), into earlier times.

However the book doesn't really link Christianity to Mystery religions in the way that IIUC you are interested in. There are suggestions that Paul's view of the sacraments may have Orphic roots, but the book's emphasis is not there. The book takes a more or less conventional approach to Early Christian origins. Its main claim about the relation of Christianity to Mystery religions seems to be that both were seeking to meet the same spiritual needs (if you like both were competing for the same religious customers) and that Christianity triumphed and the Mystery religions failed because Christianity was better than the opposition in meeting the spiritual needs of Late Antiquity.

Andrew Criddle

Clivedurdle · 02-14-2009, 10:09 AM

But looking at the extremely minimal evidence pre 300s of xianity compared with the myriad versions of worshiping the true gods, might not the alleged winner have had a helping hand from the political establishment?

Has anyone suggested that xianity staged a psychological coup by capturing the mind of an emperor?

Camio · 02-14-2009, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lycanthrope

Quote:

Originally Posted by spamandham

I haven't read the book, but I would be cautious of putting too much stock in anything in this category written before ~1970. There was just too nonscientific crap written prior to that.

What do you mean by that?

Check this out, it may interest you regarding your question.

Clivedurdle · 02-14-2009, 12:36 PM

If nothing before 1950 must be trusted in history, surely that is true of other subjects - Darwin, Newton, Einstein, invisible hand...

Toto · 02-14-2009, 01:41 PM

History in 1950 developed to to point that science reached several centuries earlier.

But it is true you should not trust ancient truisms. Always reinvestigage.

The book in question seems to be dated mostly by its references to "orientalism."

02-13-2009, 08:13 AM	#1
lycanthrope Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 335	Mystery Religions and Christianity I found this book titled "Mystery Religions and Christianity" by Samuel Angus while walking around Borders bookshop and I would like to hear from those who have read this book about what you think Mystery Religions and Christianity (or via: amazon.co.uk)

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02-13-2009, 11:08 AM	#3
lycanthrope Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 335	Yeah I been to Amazon page but the thing is I am hoping that someone here or other atheist board might have read the book and let me know if this book provides good evidence linking christianity to Mystery religions and how much linkage...

02-13-2009, 10:35 PM	#4
spamandham Contributor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 11,525	I haven't read the book, but I would be cautious of putting too much stock in anything in this category written before ~1970. There was just too nonscientific crap written prior to that.

02-14-2009, 10:09 AM	#7
Clivedurdle Contributor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: London UK Posts: 16,024	But looking at the extremely minimal evidence pre 300s of xianity compared with the myriad versions of worshiping the true gods, might not the alleged winner have had a helping hand from the political establishment? Has anyone suggested that xianity staged a psychological coup by capturing the mind of an emperor?

02-14-2009, 12:36 PM	#9
Clivedurdle Contributor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: London UK Posts: 16,024	If nothing before 1950 must be trusted in history, surely that is true of other subjects - Darwin, Newton, Einstein, invisible hand...

02-14-2009, 01:41 PM	#10
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	History in 1950 developed to to point that science reached several centuries earlier. But it is true you should not trust ancient truisms. Always reinvestigage. The book in question seems to be dated mostly by its references to "orientalism."

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