The Mithras Hoax
My husband and I were recently watching one of those science shows that promise to reveal historical secrets (but never do). Experts, and I use that word with more than a hint of sarcasm, claim that somewhere in the underground chambers among the protected antiquities beneath Vatican City, lay the darkest and most damaging secret of all time. Supposedly, when the Catholic Church reached its zenith, it silenced all competing gospel records so that it could perpetuate its own myth. What is this myth? The gospel account we have today, patterned after the pagan god, Mithras.
Mithras was worshiped by the Persians (or possibly mentioned by the Persians), 400 yrs before Christ. A popular cult in Rome, the idol was a favorite of the military from the 1st to the 4th century AD, reaching the height of its popularity in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD. These are the “facts” passed on by secular academia, the “facts” concerning the pagan god Mithras. See if they remind you of anything.
1. born of a virgin, in a cave on Dec. 25th, attended by shepherds
2. considered a traveling teacher and master
3. had 12 companions or disciples
4. promised his followers immortality
5. performed miracles
6. sacrificed himself for peace
7. buried in a tomb, after three days rose again, celebrated each year at the time of his resurrection (later to be called Easter)
8. called the Good Shepherd, also the Lion and the Lamb
9. also called the Way, Truth, Light, Logos, Redeemer, Savior, and Messiah
10. sacred day of Mithras was Sunday, also called the Lord’s day
11. Mithraic followers celebrated a Eucharist or Lord’s Supper
Sound Familiar? A verse comes to mind: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15. Ask yourself, if you or one of your children were to hear the following, would these claims cast doubt on your faith? I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, taught nearly every age from pre-school to adult, and would still find these claims unsettling—if I didn’t know better.
If you were to do a quick study of the facts on Mithras, you would find that Mithras or Mitras-like pagan gods were worshiped before the coming of Christ. However; some, if not most, of these Mithraic “facts” were not realized or put to practice until after the rise of the Christian Church (note that I did not say Catholic as the “experts” insinuated). Most of the claims are simply false or misleading and are based on images and archaeological temple remnants.
Mithras is possibly worshiped in the 4th century BC based on a mention of Mithras-like word in a biography of the Persian king, Cyrus the great. That’s all we have to go on until the first century AD. Consider Isaiah 7:14, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” (God with us). Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophecy of the virgin birth is spoken and recorded by Isaiah. That prophecy would have been brought to Babylon when Judah was first conquered in 598 BC, before the Persian rule of Babylon, and before Cyrus becomes king. It seems reasonable that a conquering nation would take a known Hebrew prophecy about the virgin birth of a son known as God with us, and assimilate the details into their own culture.
Copies of Isaiah, that predate Christ’s birth 125 years, were found among the Dead Sea scrolls.
Here is a quick summary of the historical narrative on the pagan god Mithras:
1. born from a rock (not a virgin), already a youth holding a dagger and a torch or in other reliefs, a variety of weapons or thunderbolts. The cave claim might have evolved from the underground temples meant to represent the cave where Mithras was supposed to have killed a bull, the most copied Mithras image and idol.
Dec. 25th was the general pagan festival of the sun, and not specific to Mithras. It stands to reason that followers of a sun god would revere this day as well. The fact that A Christian holiday is on the 25th is not a coincidence, since the early church attempted to replace pagan holidays (holy days).
Shepherds attending the birth of Mithras surfaced around one hundred years after the New Testament, too late for the early Church to copy the birth story since the gospels had already been copied and sent throughout the Roman Empire.
2. Nothing is said of Mithras being a traveling teacher. A master? – all pagan gods are claimed to be masters. No big surprise there.
3. Twelve companions/disciples are based on an image of Mithras surrounded by the signs of the zodiac. Calling those “disciples” is a stretch. Worth mentioning – the image mentioned is after the birth of Christianity, so again, who is doing the borrowing here?
4. The promise of immortality is not uncommon in the worship practices of any pagan god, however, there is no evidence that these promises were made.
5. Miracles? What pagan god wasn’t claimed to have performed miracles?
6. The slaying of a bull is as close as this cult gets to a sacrifice for peace. If your professor wants to throw self-sacrifice at you, it’s a fabrication (lie).
7. Apparently, Mithras never died, so just scratch your head on this one. Cultic ceremonies had followers mimic resurrection, but again, these post-date the beginning of Christianity.
8. There is no mention of Mithras being called a good shepherd or lamb. The god was called the sun god, so an association with the lion or Leo is likely.
9. None of the terms were ever used to describe Mithras: Way, Truth, Light, Logos, Redeemer, Savior, and Messiah. The closest would be mediator, since he was reported to have mediated between the good and evil gods of Zoroaster.
10. Mithraic believers did worship on Sunday in Rome (not Persia); however this is a post New-testament Church observance.
11. They did have feasts and ate food sacrificed to their idols. We see this information supported in the New Testament – 1 Corinthians chapter 8.
Mithras is one of many pagan gods secularists will claim Christianity borrowed from. I would encourage you to do your own research whenever challenged to answer questions you’re not prepared for. “I just feel like what I believe is right” is not only a vulnerable faith, it suggests that truth is subjective. Opinions are subjective, not truth.
“But sanctify the Lord in your hearts, and be ready to give an answer to every man that asks you the reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” 1 Pet 3:15
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References:
1. https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-jesus-simply-a-retelling-of-the-mithras-mythology/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism
