El Dios Mitra: Análisis De Los Procesos De Adaptación De Su Culto Desde El Marco Social, Político Y Religioso Del Irán Antiguo Al Del Imperio Romano

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El Dios Mitra: Análisis De Los Procesos De Adaptación De Su Culto Desde El Marco Social, Político Y Religioso Del Irán Antiguo Al Del Imperio Romano Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Departamento de Ciencias Históricas TESIS DOCTORAL EL DIOS MITRA: ANÁLISIS DE LOS PROCESOS DE ADAPTACIÓN DE SU CULTO DESDE EL MARCO SOCIAL, POLÍTICO Y RELIGIOSO DEL IRÁN ANTIGUO AL DEL IMPERIO ROMANO. ISRAEL CAMPOS MÉNDEZ LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, 2005 UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA Departamento de Ciencias Históricas Tesis Doctoral EL DIOS MITRA: ANÁLISIS DE LOS PROCESOS DE ADAPTACIÓN DE SU CULTO DESDE EL MARCO SOCIAL, POLÍTICO Y RELIGIOSO DEL IRÁN ANTIGUO AL DEL IMPERIO ROMANO. presentada por dirigida por Israel Campos Méndez Dra. Rosa M^ Sierra del Molino Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 2005 Anexo II UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA Departamento: CIENCIAS HISTÓRICAS Programa de Doctorado: PRF.HTSTORTA Y AROTTF.OTOGfA iQQS/7nnn Título de la Tesis EL DIOS MITRA: ANÁLISIS DE LOS PROCESOS DE ADAPTACIÓN DE SU CULTO AL MARCO SOCIAL, POLÍTICO Y RELIGIOSO DEL IRÁN ANTIGUO Y DEL IMPERIO ROMANO. Tesis Doctoral presentada por D. ISRAEL CAMPOS MÉNDEZ Dirigida por el Dra. D^ ROSA MARÍA SIERRA DEL MOLINO La Directora, El Dodtorando, (firma) (firma) Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a 7 de diciembre de 2004 Agradecimientos. Me resulta enormemente difícil dejar constancia de todas las personas e instituciones que han colaborado de forma directa o indirecta a la conclusión de este estudio. Intento expresar este sentimiento escribiendo un enorme y sincero GRACIAS, dirigido a todos aquellos que han permitido que esta tesis doctoral pudiera finalmente concluirse y presentarse. También vaya hacia ellos la protección, la bendición y todos los bienes que Mitra tenga a bien concederles, en respuesta a mis oraciones a él dirigidas. Resultaría, sin embargo, una gran desconsideración por mi parte si no mencionara, al menos, dos nombres propios en este momento: A mi directora, compañera y amiga Rosa Sierra, gracias sinceras por confiar en la viabilidad de este proyecto a pesar de las dificultades y obstáculos que se han presentado de forma patente en el camino. Y, por supuesto, muchas gracias a tí, querida Susi, por aguantarnos a Mitra y a mí. ÍNDICE. BLOQUE I. INTRODUCCIÓN I Historia de los estudios mitraicos IV Metodología XVII BLOQUE 11. LA PROTOHISTORIA DEL DIOS MITRA/MITHRA CAPÍTULO I. El primer testimonio 3 CAPÍTULO II. El origen del nombre de Mitra 23 CAPÍTULO III. Mitra en la India: el panteón védico 33 111.1. Arios en la India 33 111.2. El panteón védico 37 111.3. Mitra Védico 40 BLOQUE III. MITHRA Y LOS PUEBLOS IRANIOS CAPÍTULO IV. El pueblo iranio 62 IV.l.Periodización: los arios del Irán 62 IV.2. El reino medo 68 IV.3. Orígenes del reino persa 70 CAPÍTULO V. La religión de los antiguos iranios 80 V.I. Ahuras, Daéuuas y Bagas 81 V.2. El panteón iranio 88 CAPÍTULO VI. El culto pre-avéstico de Mithra 93 VI.l. El lugar de Mithra 94 VI.2. El culto de Mithra: creyentes, sacrificios, festivales 106 BLOQUE IV. MITHRA EN LA REFORMA ZOROASTRIANA CAPÍTULO VIL La labor de Zoroastro 121 VIL 1. El profeta. Localización y Datación 121 VII.2. El mensaje religioso 132 CAPÍTULO VIII. Mithra avéstico 137 Vm.l. ¿Mithra en las Gathas? 137 VIII.2. Mithra "zoroastrianizado" 149 VIII.2.1. El Décimo Canto del AvestaiMTirraií 157 VIII.2.2. Mithra en el Calendario Zoroastriano 190 VIII.2.3 El Festival del Mithrakan 200 VIII.2.4 El dios Mithra en los nombres personales 209 VIII.2.5. Mithra en el Puente del Cinuuat 226 BLOQUE V. EL CULTO OFICIAL DE MITHRA CAPÍTULO IX. La dinastía Aqueménida y la religión 231 IX.1. Política Religiosa de los Aqueménidas 236 IX.2. La Religión de los Reyes Aqueménidas 242 IX.3. Mithra y los reyes aqueménidas 252 IX.4. Mithra en la Monarquía Aqueménida 289 CAPÍTULO X. Mithra en el periodo helenístico 295 X.l. Mithra, Alejandro Magno y el Imperio Seléucida 295 X.2. Mithra y los Reinos Helenísticos de Asia Menor 305 CAPÍTULO XL La transformación del culto de Mithra 340 CONCLUSIONES 353 BIBLIOGRAFÍA 363 BIBLIOGRAFÍA de AUTORES CLÁSICOS 404 SITIOS WEBS CONSULTADOS 407 ÍNDICE DE FUENTES UTILIZADAS 410 TEXTOS VÉDICOS 410 TEXTOS AVÉSTICOS 412 INSCRIPCIONES REALES AQUEMÉNIDAS 414 AUTORES CLÁSICOS 414 BLOQUE I INTRODUCCIÓN. La intención que inspira el presente trabajo de investigación se encuentra motivada, principalmente, por la realización de un proceso de concreción del ámbito de estudio que nos propusimos al comienzo de esta tesis. Al partir de la premisa general del análisis de las características definitorias de las religiones orientales que se desarrollaron en el Imperio Romano, después del cambio de era, quisimos centrarnos de manera especial en los misterios del dios Mitra. En el deseo de poder obtener una imagen lo más completa posible de lo que representaba esta divinidad, tratamos de rastrear la información disponible sobre ella antes de su entrada en la órbita romana y la conversión de su culto en práctica mistérica. De esta manera, descubrimos que teníamos ante nosotros una nueva vía de investigación que superaba con creces en duración, diversidad, complejidad, variedad de fuentes, etc. a lo que hemos podido conocer de la vertiente occidental de su culto. Como paso previo a esta tesis, tuvimos oportunidad de iniciar nuestra experiencia investigadora de acercamiento a la figura del dios Mitra, a través del estudio que supuso la obtención de la suficiencia investigadora titulado "El Culto del dios Mithra en el Antiguo Irán y en el Imperio Romano: análisis y revisión de los elementos de continuidad", defendido en la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria en junio de 2000. El capítulo principal de aquella investigación trataba de recuperar a través del análisis comparativo los elementos que pudieran considerarse continuadores o conectivos entre la práctica mistérica mitraica y las características que definieron el culto de Mitra en Irán y Asia Menor. Cuestión no exenta de polémica si no olvidamos que una buena parte del debate historiográfico sobre los misterios mitraicos ha versado en torno al origen de los mismos y las posibles conexiones que éstos pudieron tener con su zona de procedencia. La tesis sostenida y aceptada durante gran parte del siglo XX propuesta por F. Cumont^ en la que se entendía el mitraísmo como un "mazdeísmo romanizado", fue revisada en profundidad a partir de los años setenta del pasado siglo, principalmente por R. Gordon y J. Hinnells^, y de manera diferente por D. Ulansey y M. SpeideP. Sin embargo, matizadas las simplificaciones que defendía Cumont, en la actualidad quedan pocos investigadores que se resistan a reconocer algunos o todos los elementos de conexión entre el Mitra oriental y occidental expuestos en nuestro anterior trabajo de investigación. La hipótesis de trabajo que se plantea con este estudio tiene un enfoque diverso. En primer lugar, nuestra intención es realizar el análisis de conjunto que aborde de manera crítica y actualizada, toda la información disponible sobre el culto de Mitra desde los primeros testimonios que se tienen de su culto (mención de su nombre en el texto del tratado de Mitanni, 1380-50 a.C.) hasta el momento en que se tiene constancia de su aparición como culto mistérico en occidente. Eso ha supuesto la recopilación de datos de procedencia bastante heterogénea (fuentes literarias, epigráficas, arqueológicas, artísticas) que han sido 1 Cumont, F., Les mystéres de Mithra. Brussels. 1903. 2 Gordon, R.L., "Franz Cumont and the doctrines of Mithraism", en Hinnells, J (ed.), Mühraic Studies II, Manchester, 1975. pp. 215-248; Hinnells, J., "Reflections on the bull- slaying scene", ibidem. 1975. pp. 290-312. 3 Ulansey, D., The Origins of the Mühraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World. Oxford. 1989; Speidel, M., Mithras-Orion, Greek hero and román army god. Leiden. 1980. II analizados por los estudios anteriores de manera independiente y desde disciplinas que no necesariamente han estado relacionadas con la Historia de las Religiones. Por tanto, la novedad y pertinencia de nuestra propuesta resultan evidentes si tenemos en cuenta que poder acceder de forma conjunta, analizada y contextualizada a cada una de estas fuentes de información, proporciona al investigador una posición de partida importante para poder comprender de forma más completa a esta divinidad, desde unos parámetros actualizados y contrastados. Al mismo tiempo, sin perder de vista la intención que estaba presente en nuestro acercamiento a la figura de Mitra, hemos tratado de establecer una segunda hipótesis sobre la información recopilada. El punto de partida o llegada para muchos investigadores que han estudiado a Mitra y sus misterios, ha sido la cuestión aún abierta del origen de la nueva modalidad de culto; nosotros no hemos querido eludir tal cuestión en el presente trabajo. Sin embargo, hemos querido reformularla para tratar de acceder a los demás matices que intervienen en la ecuación y que arrojarían una nueva vía de entendimiento sobre los resultados. En este sentido, el segundo enfoque de la hipótesis de este trabajo ha sido indagar en las razones que intervinieron para que el culto del dios iranio Mitra tardara tanto tiempo en pasar a occidente y convertirse en práctica mistérica, cuando tanto por sus características internas como por el momento y lugar (periodo helenístico en Asia Menor) en el que se difunde su culto, asistimos a importantes transformaciones en las divinidades que darán lugar en Roma a los demás cultos mistéricos. III Historia de los estudios mitraicos. El interés que el dios Mitra ha tenido para la historiografía occidental se encuentra condicionado por la doble vertiente en la que se desarrolla su estudio, la relacionada con las manifestaciones occidentales de Mitra que han ocupado un protagonismo incuestionable, y las publicaciones sobre su figura en los contextos orientales en relación con las literaturas védicas y avésticas.
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