Steven Carr

Pagans and Christians by Robin Lane Fox is a good book about what religious life was like, and how Christianity differed from pagan religions.

It is a while since I read the book, but I can recommend it.

Sojourner553

R-e-a-l-l-y, Bede do you honestly think this is a good piece????

For this reason:
Where is the discussion on Mithra? Seems to me the author "hints" at Mithra with the following:

Notice these little "minor" exceptions all apply to Mithra.

Also, Mithra was a RESURRECTED god!!! (Something the author seems to imply was original to Jesus.)

And these are not MINOR coincidences: Besides the Dec 25th birthday celebration, etc, here are a few other 'similarities' the author seems to be unaware of:

* Mithra was rejected for his message of salvation and executed by authorities.

* Mithra was resurrected back to life after 3 days, and his followers were hopeful that they in turn could be resurrected to eternal life.

* Mithra had a "last supper" among his followers.
During the Mithraists' rite of the Last Supper , a sacred meal was comprised of secret bread and a
cup of water or wine.

*Like the Christians, Mithraists used to call each other "Brother" and address their priests as "Father."

*Some fifth century Christian texts imply that there may have been a Mithraic myth that spoke of the appearance of a star which would guide the sun-priests, or Magi towards the birthplace of their savior Mithra.

*Some scholars believe they see similarities between the rock of generation that gave birth to Mithra, and the rock on which Jesus built his church.

*Mithraism apparently imposed a strict ascetic eating and sexual lifestyle (at least in some locales). Tertullian wrote that the head
priest of the city ("summus pontifex") could only marry once. Tertullian also wrote that, as with the Christians, the Mithraic cult had their "virgins and their continents."

* Baptisms and purification rituals from ones sins seem to have played an important role.

Come, come Bede -- I think you can do FAR better than this author!

Please let us know if you think this author was REALLY HONEST when he excluded Mithra from the list of Greco-Roman gods? I don't see it! I will await to see if your response can show me where I am wrong!

for a discussion on Mithra, I refer you to:
<a href="http://mac-2001.com/philo/crit/GREEK3.TXT" target="_blank">http://mac-2001.com/philo/crit/GREEK3.TXT</a>

taken from:
<a href="http://mac-2001.com/philo/crit/index.html" target="_blank">http://mac-2001.com/philo/crit/index.html</a>

Sojourner

[ August 24, 2002: Message edited by: Sojourner553 ]</p>