Did the ancient Mystery Religions get picked up as 'tradition'?

[Reddogs]

Is the 'tradition' or 'mysteries' that Christians have been told that the church of Rome follows from another origin. If these 'traditions' or 'mysteries' are not a Christian belief, where does it come from, well lets focus on the origin of these 'Mysteries'. It seems that many corruptions from Greek mythology and Hellenistic philosophy and other non Christian sources such as Gnosticism came into the early church and this included the ancient 'Mysteries'. So lets see what these were..

...The cults of the mystery religions were influenced uniformly by the ideas of the Greek philosophers. A few of them existed before the turn of the Era, but several more appeared at about the turn of the Era. They reached their height of popularity during the times of early Christianity. Christianity was born during a period of proliferation. Christianity itself in the beginning consisted of many cults that existed independently and had very diverse doctrines. Because of such diversity, it is debatable whether Gnosticism was just another cult of Christianity or whether it was a separate religion.

The following features were common to all mystery religions. Admission to the community was by a rite of initiation, a solemn consecration. The initiation was held in secret, which explains why they were called "mysteries."...
Esoteric Christianity: The Greek Mystery Religions and Their Impact on Christianity

Now the problem was that many Christians leaders were influenced or had picked up the pagan 'Mysteries' and mixed it with Christianity. Clement of Alexandria stated that 'what was taught in the Mysteries concerned the universe, and was the completion and perfection of all instruction; wherein things were seen as they were, and nature and her works were made known.'

Clement of Alexandria writings show that he was completely immersed in the pagan 'Myesteries' and are full of terminology taken directly from the language of the Pagan Mysteries. He writes of the Christian revelation as 'the holy Mysteries.' the ';divine secrets',... Clement further states 'I am become holy while I am being initiated.' Clement tells us that in early Christianity there were likewise Lesser Mysteries for beginners on the spiritual path and Greater Mysteries which were a secret higher knowledge, which led to full 'initiation.' The 'secret traditions of true Gnosis,' he explains, had been transmitted 'to a small number, by a succession of masters, and not in writing.'

So then we find the following connection...

"Alexandria was, in addition, one of the chief seats of that peculiar mixed pagan and Christian speculation known as Gnosticism. Basilides and Valentinus taught there. It is no matter of surprise, therefore, to find some of the Christians affected in turn by the scientific spirit. At an uncertain date, in the latter half of the second century, "a school of oral instruction" was founded. "
clement of alexandria

Note, it mixed pagan and Christian speculation, so a combining of paganism into Christianity

So lets look closer at the 'pagan speculation' and see what we find.

'The idea of self-knowledge is central to the purpose of the ancient Mysteries. The Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi had inscribed 'Gnothi Seauton' or ';Know thy Self.' The Gnosis[8] or knowledge which initiates of the Mysteries sought and Masters taught was the knowledge of self. The Gnostic Book of Thomas stated:

'Whoever has not known himself has known nothing, but he who has known himself has at the same time already achieved Gnosis about the depth of all things.'

"This idea is extremely ancient and we may find interesting connections between our own ritual and that of the ancient Pagan[9] Mysteries of Greece, Egypt, and Persia.

The ancient Mysteries existed for the purpose of satisfying the desire of those who wished to know the nature of themselves and of their creator, their purpose in life, and what might come after life. Plato said that the object of the Mysteries was to re-establish the soul in its primitive purity, and to that state which it had lost..."

"The Mysteries demanded complete adherence to silence among its adherents."

'This demand was taken seriously in the Eleusinian Mysteries as failure to keep vows resulted in death. For this reason very little direct information exists concerning details of the Mysteries- the ritual, passwords, symbols and text."

"..More than five centuries before the arrival of Christianity, at Eleusis (a small town outside Athens) the people established the Eleusinian mysteries.There they reenacted the myth of Demeter's search and her reunion with her daughter Persephone. Every year two Eleusinian ceremonies were held: the Greater mysteries, in honor of Demeter and Kori, and the Lesser mysteries, in honor of Kori alone.

The Lesser mysteries were a preparation for the Greater ones. They were performed at Agrae on the river Ilissus (outside Athens) in the month of Anthesterion (February-March). Because of the oaths for secrecy we have sparse testimony of what exactly took place in the initiation ceremony. Something was recited, something was revealed, and acts were performed. Also, the initiates took an oath of secrecy before preparing for the Greater mysteries. The penalty for revealing the mysteries to outsiders was death. The initiates of the Lesser mysteries waited at least one year until they could participate in the Greater mysteries, which were held at Eleusis in the month of Boedromion (September-October). The Greater mysteries included baptism in the sea, three days of fasting, and the completion of the mysterious central rite. These acts completed the initiation, and the initiate was promised rewards in the life after death..."

Mithraism is an example of a "mystery religion" that flourished in the near east at that time. Mithraism took on the form of a mystery religion, with elaborate rights and ceremonies. It came into the ancient Roman world about 75 B.C. David Ulansey explains it is called such because " ..like the other ancient 'mystery religions,' such as the Eleusinian mysteries and the mysteries of Isis, the Mithraic cult maintained strict secrecy about its teachings and practices, revealing them only to initiates.

Did Christianity Steal From Mithraism? - Come Reason Ministries

The Catholic Encyclopedia has:
Mithraism A pagan religion consisting mainly of the cult of the ancient Indo-Iranian Sun-god Mithra. It entered Europe from Asia Minor after Alexander's conquest, spread rapidly over the whole Roman Empire at the beginning of our era...The origin of the cult of Mithra dates from the time that the Hindus and Persians still formed one people, for the god Mithra occurs in the religion and the sacred books of both races , i.e. in the Vedas and in the Avesta. In Vedic hymns he is frequently mentioned and is nearly always coupled with Varuna, but beyond the bare occurrence of his name, little is known of him (Rigveda, III, 59). It is conjectured (Oldenberg, "Die "Religion des Veda," Berlin , 1894) that Mithra was the rising sun, Varuna the setting sun; or, Mithra, the sky at daytime, Varuna, the sky at night; or, the one the sun, the other the moon. In any case Mithra is a light or solar deity of some sort
Helios Mithras is one god...Sunday was kept holy in honour of Mithra...The 25 December was observed as his birthday, the natalis invicti, the rebirth of the winter-sun, unconquered by the rigours of the season...

If one looks at history of this its clear that Christians need to see where these 'traditions' and 'mysteries' come from...

[Reddogs]

So what connection does it have in Christianity today, well lets look...

"..There are four sets of "Mysteries of the Rosary" (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious). These four "Mysteries of the Rosary" therefore contain, a total of twenty mysteries. The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries are then said on specific days of the week (see each set of mysteries below). During private recitation of the Rosary, each decade requires devout meditation on a specific mystery. Public recitation of the Rosary (two or more people), requires a leader to announce each of the mysteries before the decade, and start each prayer (see "The Family Rosary" below)."

How to Pray the Rosary

"The rosary beads provide a physical method of keeping count of the number of Hail Marys said as the mysteries are contemplated.[43] The fingers are moved along the beads as the prayers are recited. By not having to keep track of the count mentally, the mind is more able to meditate on the mysteries. A five decade rosary contains five groups of ten beads (a decade), with additional large beads before each decade.[47] The Hail Mary is said on the ten beads within a decade, while the Our Father is said on the large bead before each decade. A new mystery is meditated upon at each of the large beads. Some rosaries, particularly those used by religious orders, contain 15 decades, corresponding to the traditional 15 mysteries of the rosary. Both five and 15 decade rosaries are attached to a shorter strand, which starts with a crucifix followed by one large, three small, and one large beads before connecting to the rest of the rosary"

"Five methods of praying the rosary are presented within the works of Saint Louis de Montfort, a French Roman Catholic priest and writer of the early 18th century. Montfort was an early proponent of Mariology, and much of his work is devoted to the subjects of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rosary. While the rosary contains a fixed set of prayers recited with the use of beads, Montfort proposed a number of methods to pray the rosary with more thorough devotion. Two of the methods are described in his book The Secret of the Rosary, in the fiftieth rose (chapter):

"In order to facilitate the exercise of the holy Rosary, here are several methods to recite it holily, with the meditation of the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of Jesus and Mary............."

The Mysteries of the Rosary - Prayers - Catholic Online https://www.catholic.org/prayers/mystery.php

And its not just beads that are being used, here is from the Vatican Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1378 Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated host with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession."

Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church, published by Ligouri Publications, English translation © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana, bearing the Imprimi Potest of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, page 347.

We also find that transubstantiation was first practiced by ancient religions which had nothing to do with Christianity. The noted historian Durant said that belief in transubstantiation as practiced by the priests of the Roman Catholic system is "one of the oldest ceremonies of primitive religion." The Story Of Civilization, p. 741. The syncretism and mysticism of the Middle East were great factors in influencing the West, particularly Italy. Roman Society From Nero To Marcus Aurelius, Dill. In Egypt priests would consecrate mest cakes which were supposed to be come the flesh of Osiris. Encyclopedia Of Religions, Vol. 2, p. 76. The idea of transubstantiation was also characteristic of the religion of Mithra. The Mysteries are referenced or eluded to in respect to its various branches throughout ancient history and all of the Mysteries had a single root which appears to have been the Mysteries of Isis in Egypt. At a certain level ( or degree) the initiate was told that he would be part of a brotherhood spanning the entire world, which included the Greek Mysteries, Oriental Mysteries, the Jewish Mysteries (Kaballah) and presumably all other Mysteries so this spanned the known world, so its not picked up from any scripture or Biblical truth, it has its own origin.

It just seems to get worse and worse the more you uncover what and where it comes from...

[Reddogs]

So lets dig a little deeper and see what we have, lets look at the definition...

"Mystery religions, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries, were religious cults of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates (mystai).[1] The main characterization of this religion is the secrecy associated with the particulars of the initiation and the cult practice, which may not be revealed to outsiders. The most famous mysteries of Greco-Roman antiquity were the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were of considerable antiquity and predated the Greek Dark Ages. The popularity of mystery cults flourished on Late Antiquity; Julian the Apostate in the mid 4th century is known to have been initiated into three distinct mystery cults—most notably the Mithraic Mysteries."

So the Mithraic Mysterys, that was picked up in the Roman Empire and blossomed. As Alexander the Great made conquests, mystery religions came with the territory. The same is true for the Roman Empire. The sun gods and goddesses including Mithra, Phrygian Cybele and the Egyptian Isis, to mention a few, were brought into the empires as annexations were made. And, of course, along with mystery religion came astrology, whose central figure is the sun. Mithraism was popular in the Roman Empire with many Emperors following, not just the populace. It had seven sacraments, the same as the Catholic Church, baptism, and communion with bread and water. The Eucharist hosts were signed with a cross, an ancient phallic symbol which originated in Egypt, and the Egyptian cross (the ankh) still shows the original form which included the female symbol

Rome gained dominance over the Grecian Empire. At the death of Caesar Augustus,the time of Christ, the Roman empire stretched from Spain to the Caspian Sea, including Egypt, the Sinai peninsula, and Israel. Christianity was born and grew up in this setting.

The most significant aspect of the Greco-Roman civilization connection was that of religion. The Greeks and Romans worshipped numerous gods, the Romans picked up the mystery religions of the Greeks and renamed their gods. Religious ceremonies, rites and festivals were very important and many were celebrated. Notable festivals include the Greek festival of Zeus, the birthday of the Roman sun god, and the celebrations in honor of the fertility goddess at the spring equinox. The Romans also picked up and believed in the pagan god named Mithra (or Mithras). He was known, in various forms, in India, Persia, Greece, and throughout the Roman Empire. For the Greeks and Romans in the first century, Mithras was the chief figure in a mystery religion called Mithraism that held prominence in the Roman Empire. remnant of Mithraism is most evident in the Christian Eucharist, which involves the eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of a deity(Christ). Since the drinking of blood has always been an abomination in Judaism it was not the origin of this rite, it is much more logical to attribute this ritual to Mithraism, which had a much similar ritual. It is clear that Christianity adopted aspects of Mithraism, the setting of the birthday of Christ on December 25th, which was Mithra birthday, and the shifting of the day of worship to the day of the Sun. The celebration of December 25, a tradition that began in the 4th century so it was not from the Apostles, however December 25 was the birthday of the more popular Roman god known as the "Unconquered Sun" with whom Constantine identified himself, who was closely associated with Mithras. Mithras is always described as "sol invictus" (the unconquered sun) in inscriptions.

So we see how this mystery religion came in under Constantine who was the Roman Emperor, and a certainly a supporter of the mystery religion but presented himself as a Christian to gain their support. Here is a good explanation...

During the 1st century CE, a cult of Mithra, made much progress in Rome, after enduring persecution, when some Emperors adopted the religion... Mithra became very popular among the Roman legionaries and later even among the Emperors. The worship of Mithra was first recognized by Emperor Aurelian and he instituted the cult of "Sol Invictus" or the Invincible Sun. Emperor Diocletian also a worshipper of Mithra, the Sun God, burned much of the Christian scriptures in 307 CE

This enabled Emperor Constantine to merge the cult of Mithra with that of Christianity that was developing much. He declared himself a Christian but at the same time maintained his ties to the Mithra cult. He retained the title "Pontifus Maximus" the high priest. On his coins were inscribed: "Sol Invicto comiti" which means, commited to the invincible sun. This new blend of the two faiths, he officially proclaimed as Christianity. Christianity spread all over the Roman Empire and Eastern Europe by massive persecution and brought an end to a variety of religions that flourished there. [...]

Mithraism and Early Christianity

...it is easy to understand that many of the emperors yielded to the delusion that they could unite all their subjects in the adoration of the one sun-god who combined in himself the Father-God of the Christians and the much-worshipped Mithras; thus the empire could be founded anew on unity of religion. Even Constantine, as will be shown farther on, for a time cherished this mistaken belief…it was especially in the western part of the empire that the veneration of Mithras predominated. Would it not be possible to gather all the different nationalities around his altars? Could not Sol Deus Invictus, to whom even Constantine dedicated his coins for a long time, or Sol Mithras Deus Invictus, venerated by Diocletian and Galerius, become the supreme god of the empire? Constantine may have pondered over this. Nor had he absolutely rejected the thought even after a miraculous event had strongly influenced him in favour of the God of the Christians…As pontifex maximus he watched over the heathen worship and protected its rights…It is true that the believers in Mithras also observed Sunday as well as Christmas. Consequently Constantine speaks not of the day of the Lord, but of the everlasting day of the sun.
(Herbermann, Charles, and Georg Grupp. Constantine the Great. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 1 Sept. 2008 <CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Constantine the Great>https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm)

Until the fourth century, Mithra and Christianity were distinct but after Constantine, they were blended so that the empire could unite them under a religion for both pagans and Christians.

In 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine declared December 25th to be the birthday of Jesus (December 25th was prescribed earlier as the birthday of Mithra, by emperor Aurelian). Sabbath day, which is literally Saturday (as the Jews still maintain), became Sunday as it was the day of the Sun, another element from the Mithra worship.

Then we have the first Sunday Law enacted by Emperor Constantine - March, 321 A.D.-
On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.(Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A.D. 321].)
Source: Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p. 380, note 1.

Transition from Pagan to Christian
[p. 122] This legislation by Constantine probably bore no relation to Christianity; it appears, on the contrary, that the emperor, in his capacity of Pontifex Maximus, was only adding the day of the Sun, the worship of which was then firmly [p. 123] established in the Roman Empire, to the other ferial days of the sacred calendar&#8230;
[p. 270] What began, however, as a pagan ordinance, ended as a Christian regulation; and a long series of imperial decrees, during the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries, enjoined with increasing stringency abstinence from labour on Sunday.
Source: Hutton Webster, Rest Days, pp. 122, 123, 270. Copyright 1916 by The Macmillan Company, New York.

'It may be mentioned here that the Greeks celebrated the birthday of their sun-god Apollo at the winter solstice. Another important point is the fact that the Christian Church abandoned the Jewish sabbath (contrary to the commandment of their God) in favour of the Mithraic day of the sun.'
"Jesus Versus Christianity" by Alfred Reynolds (1993)1

[RabbiKnife]

If a tree falls in the woods and no one smells the bear, did the bear really make the tree fall?

[Reddogs]

Well, it no one is affected, no harm no foul. But lets look closer at what history shows us. Ar the fourth century, Mithra and Christianity were distinct but after Constantine, they were blended so that the empire could unite them under a religion for both pagans and Christians.

In 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine declared December 25th to be the birthday of Jesus (December 25th was prescribed earlier as the birthday of Mithra, by emperor Aurelian). Sabbath day, which is literally Saturday (as the Jews still maintain), became Sunday as it was the day of the Sun, another element from the Mithra worship.

Then we have the first Sunday Law enacted by Emperor Constantine - March, 321 A.D.-
On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.(Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A.D. 321].)
Source: Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p. 380, note 1.

Transition from Pagan to Christian
[p. 122] This legislation by Constantine probably bore no relation to Christianity; it appears, on the contrary, that the emperor, in his capacity of Pontifex Maximus, was only adding the day of the Sun, the worship of which was then firmly [p. 123] established in the Roman Empire, to the other ferial days of the sacred calendar&#8230;
[p. 270] What began, however, as a pagan ordinance, ended as a Christian regulation; and a long series of imperial decrees, during the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries, enjoined with increasing stringency abstinence from labour on Sunday.
Source: Hutton Webster, Rest Days, pp. 122, 123, 270. Copyright 1916 by The Macmillan Company, New York.

'It may be mentioned here that the Greeks celebrated the birthday of their sun-god Apollo at the winter solstice. Another important point is the fact that the Christian Church abandoned the Jewish sabbath (contrary to the commandment of their God) in favour of the Mithraic day of the sun.'
"Jesus Versus Christianity" by Alfred Reynolds (1993)1

So we see at that time the cult of Mithraism or sun-worship was the official religion of the Roman Empire. It had its own organization, temples, priesthood, robes, everything. It also had an official worship day on which special homage was given to the sun. That day was called 'The Venerable Day of the Sun.' It was the first day of the week, and when Constantine combined the pagans into the church they were observing the day of the sun for their adoration of the sun god. It was their special holy day. In order to make it more convenient for them to make the change to the new religion, Constantine accepted their day of worship, Sunday, instead of the Christian Sabbath which had been observed by Jesus and His disciples.

[RabbiKnife]

And Paul says it doesnt matter a rip snot what day you worship on or what day you call holy…

[Reddogs]

Christ is clear on this...

Matthew 19:17
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

[RabbiKnife]

So which ones do you keep?

[Reddogs]

We have to be clear on what sin is so there is no mistake on this point.

1 John 3:4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

This offers a precise definition of sin, if you look the underlying Greek word is translated as "lawlessness" (anomia), which signifies living as though God's rules do not apply. Then we have this..

James 2:10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Lets just look at one, 'adultery'.
Matthew 5:28
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

If you as a Christian continue in it, do you think God will say well this Christian has so many constant falling into this fornication, its ok if he doesn't repent of it and turn from it and allow Christ to cleanse him of this sin. Guess what Christ will say to that person when He comes. He tells us...


Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Luke 13:26-28
26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

[Athanasius]

So which ones do you keep?

Personally, the ones I find convenient, and then I ignore the ones I don't, but I might use them to hold other people to an impossible standard. Oh, it turns out I'm really bad at following even the ones I find convenient. It turns out, well, you know, as Paul was saying.

By the way, is this thread just one big anti-Sunday-worship & anti-Catholic diatribe in service of some kind of Sabbath-restorationist view, because Mithras? Hey want to learn a fun word? "Parallelomania" -- it's what the OP is doing here. Hrmph.

[RabbiKnife]

So which ones do you keep?

Personally, the ones I find convenient, and then I ignore the ones I don't, but I might use them to hold other people to an impossible standard. Oh, it turns out I'm really bad at following even the ones I find convenient. It turns out, well, you know, as Paul was saying.

By the way, is this thread just one big anti-Sunday-worship & anti-Catholic diatribe in service of some kind of Sabbath-restorationist view, because Mithras? Hey want to learn a fun word? "Parallelomania" -- it's what the OP is doing here. Hrmph.

Neato.  Good way to get rid of all your low value tiles in Scrabble to boot!

[Athanasius]

So which ones do you keep?

Personally, the ones I find convenient, and then I ignore the ones I don't, but I might use them to hold other people to an impossible standard. Oh, it turns out I'm really bad at following even the ones I find convenient. It turns out, well, you know, as Paul was saying.

By the way, is this thread just one big anti-Sunday-worship & anti-Catholic diatribe in service of some kind of Sabbath-restorationist view, because Mithras? Hey want to learn a fun word? "Parallelomania" -- it's what the OP is doing here. Hrmph.

Neato.  Good way to get rid of all your low value tiles in Scrabble to boot!

Also nifty to know in case you find yourself on an episode of Countdown.

[Reddogs]

So which ones do you keep?

James 2:10
King James Version
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

[RabbiKnife]

So which ones do you keep?

James 2:10
King James Version
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

So the answer is “none.”

[Reddogs]

I would read Matthew 7 more carefully my brother....