(continued from last post)

B.) The Gospel of Mithras

In Mithraism, which descended from the Persian religion of Zoroaster,
Mithra stands as a mediator between light and dark, a position adopted
by his followers. In these mysteries you find the roots of the myths
grafted upon the life of Yehoshua ben David, known to us as Jesus, who
was perhaps the best claimant among several to emerge in the First
Century CE to the throne of Roman Palestine.

Mithraism was the Freemasonry of the Roman world. Like the other
cults of Oriental origin, it moved with the slave trade that was such
an infamous feature of the ancient world. The cult of Mithra is one
that traveled well, from Syria to Scotland. The Mithraic cult was
limited to men: women were allowed only in the lesser, parallel cult
of Cybele or the exclusively female one of Bona Dea.

The congregations were small; no surviving Mithraeum could house
more than a hundred, but of course bigger lodges may have formed, and
dissolved, at army camps, because Mithraism was extremely popular among
the Roman Legions. There were no social barriers, so that slaves and
privates could become high initiates. The ceremonies were solemnly
enacted and the initiations were quite awe-inspiring.

Mithra was born on the 25th of December, called the "Birthday
of the Unconquered Sun."  This Mithran holiday was appropriated by
Christianity for the celebration of the birth of their God-man,
Jesus in the 4th century CE.

Some said that Mithra sprang from the union of sun god and his own
mother, ala Isis giving birth to Ra by Horus. Some claimed his mother
to be a mortal virgin.

Others said Mithra had no mother, but was miraculously born of a
female Rock, the petra genetrix, fertilized by the Heavenly Father's
phallic lightning. The virgin birth myth, including the visitation of
three Magi (Persian priests of Zoroastrianism) was adapted whole-cloth
into Christianity.

If one is to further understand Mithraism, one must understand its
origins in Zoroastrianism.The Persian Magus Zoroaster, may actually have
lived around 1000 BCE., or even earlier, but he clearly did not
predate the foundation of the Egyptian mysteries from which he drew
heavily for his own system. It is from the Persian mysteries that we
derive the battle of good versus evil which has haunted esoteric and
exoteric philosophy and teaching ever since.
(more next post)