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The Rise and Fall of the Mithraic Mysteries V The Rise and Fall of the Mithraic Mysteries V. L. Stephens, M.A. ho was Mithras and what are cave or cave-like Mithraeum and the generally the Mithraic Mysteries? Because present Tauroctony and other images, the Wof the Roman penchant for initiations, and the primary participants that incorporating “foreign” ideas, Mithras was we can make any conclusions. In addition, surely not a purely Roman creation. The name while, “the modern term ‘religion’ seems to be of Mithras most likely derives from the Indo- incorrect in a Roman setting,”2 to participate Iranian noun, mitra, that which binds, as in a mystery religion implies a binding in a covenant.1 The term, “mysteries,” does obligation, a duty, and honor. Duty and not necessarily imply that a new religion is honor were paramount in Roman civilization mysterious: It implies that its members are although adherence to any one religion was formally initiated. The term “mystery” derives not necessary. Mithraism itself, “…was neither from the Greek mysterion, or secret rites. There static nor homogeneous… just as Christianity was little written about the Mithraic Mysteries. varied from one region of the Roman Empire It is only through the inferences drawn from the to the other, so too did Mithraism.” 3 Rosicrucian Digest Mithras killing the bull. Dedicated by a public slave named Apronianus, treasurer of the municipality of Nersae. Marble, 172 No. 2 ce. From the Mithraeum of Nersae (modern Nesce, Italy). Collection of the National Museum of Rome. Photo © 2006 by 2010 Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons. Page 2 The Mithraeum and Tauroctony The celebrations of the Mithraic Mysteries were held in Mithraea (Mithraic temples) found throughout the Roman Empire at military outposts in Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. All Mithraea share certain common characteristics. They are all in or built and decorated to represent caves, they are all longer than they are wide with stone benches on either side, and they all depict the Tauroctony, or scene of Mithras slaying the bull, at a prominent altar. Included are the figure of Mithras wearing a Phrygian hat and a cloak, the bull (often with its tail in, or depicting, ears of wheat), the dog and snake appearing to ingest the blood of the slain bull, the scorpion biting at the bull’s genitals, and the Sun, Moon, and stars above or under Mithras’s cloak. Often there is a raven perched on the bull’s back, two Frontispiece of the Rudolphine Tables by Johannes Kepler torchbearers on either side representing light (1571–1630). Left to right are Hipparchus, Copernicus, and dark, one with the torch up (Cautes) Tycho Brahe, and Ptolemy. Photo by Steve Nicklas, NOAA Central Library. and one with torch down (Cautopates), and a goblet. objects represent a set of constellations, The actual origins, rites, and rituals of the e.g., Taurus (bull), Scorpio (scorpion), Mithraic Mysteries are relatively unknown. Corvus (raven), Crater (goblet), Hydra Plutarch, in his Life of Pompey, tells a story (snake), Canis Major or Minor (dog), and that implies Mithras was an import from the that Mithras himself is represented by the Cilician pirates, who were plundering cities constellation Perseus. The interpretations on the coast, around 67 bce. 4 The wealthy of what these symbols represent and why joined the pirates as professional thieves to these constellations are used, and not the obtain places of honor for the satisfaction zodiacal constellations, have been a subject of their ambitions.5 Porphyry, in his On of debate. The answer lies in the different the Cave of the Nymphs, talks of the cave view between the ecliptic (the zodiac) and (grotto) as a symbol of the cosmos with souls the celestial equator. Plato described these coming into being and then ascending into two celestial circles as forming a cross. He the immortal realm. 6 The cave also served also believed that the Creator endowed as a symbol of all unseen powers since they these two circles with uniform, permanent, are dark to our eyes and the essence of the and unchangeable motion,8 a philosophical powers is, including those of the Primary and scientific concept believed throughout Mover, invisible. the ancient world until the second century David Ulansey, in The Origins of the bce, when Hipparchus of Nicaea witnessed Mithraic Mysteries,7 hypothesizes that these a nova in the constellation Scorpio. Page 3 Discovery of the Axial Precession taking approximately 2,150 years for the precession through each of the twelve Hipparchus had already begun thirty-degree signs of the tropical (seasonal) to notice the longitudinal shift in the zodiac.10 Plato’s idea of the uniform, star Spica in the Virgo constellation by permanent, and unchangeable universal comparing his observations with those cross of the Creator had changed. of Timocharis of Alexandria (third century bce) and ancient Babylonian Today we refer to this axial precession astronomical observations.9 He concluded in reference to the Ages of Humanity, that the heavens were moving westward from the Golden Age of Leo and the along the ecliptic at the rate of birth of the Orphic Phanes, through the approximately one degree (or less) each silver age of Cancer and the Great Mother century. He decided to prepare a new star goddess, to the present Age of Pisces (see chart measuring the position of each star Table 1: The Ages of Humanity from 10, according to latitude, i.e. the distance 500 bce11).The speed of axial precession north or south of the celestial equator, changes over time, however, depending and longitude, the angular distance on Earth’s rotation, and it is currently east or west of a particular point. This speeding up (the precessional speed is action created the first star chart with increasing which decreases the cycle gridlines still in use today. As Hipparchus period).12 The Vernal Equinox during prepared his star chart, he began to notice, the four-century advent of Mithraism utilizing the older observations with his was in the constellation of Aries, the own, a pivoting east/west change in the Ram, moving to the Age of Pisces, the position of the north celestial pole star, an Fish. During the period of the Mithraic observation that takes decades to ascertain. Mysteries, the constellation Perseus stood This precession of the vernal equinox is just above Pisces, Aries, and Taurus. In now known as the axial precession. He astrological thought, Perseus represents calculated that a complete cycle occurred the third decanate of Aries (ruled by Mars) approximately every 26,700 years. Today indicating a sub-ruler Jupiter, the primary this complete cycle is referred to as the ritual god of the Romans. Perseus, or for Great Year of approximately 25,800 years, our purposes, Mithras, is seen to be at The Pleiades (M45, The Seven Sisters) open cluster - infrared image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. Approximately 5,200 years ago, the Spring Equinox was near the bright star Aldebaran, while the Fall Equinox was near the star Antares. At that time, the Pleiades were almost on the equator. Also, the most visible stars in every constellation in the tauroctony were near the Equator. Recalling Rosicrucian such an arrangement would have had great interest Digest for Mithraists. Photo by John Stauffer. NASA / No. 2 JPL-Caltech. 2010 Page 4 TABLE 1: THE AGES OF HUMANITY FROM 10,500 BCE13 Constellation Approximate Approximate of Equinox Year Began Year End(s) Name of Age Events 10,500 bce The Golden Stabilization of planetary Leo, the Lion (Beginning of Age, Ruled by (Sun) Holocene 8350 bce climate. Global warming, Cronus or the sea levels rise period) Orphic Phanes The Age of the The Mother Goddess, Cancer, the Great Mother, Neolithic revolution, 8350 bce 6200 bce Crab (Moon) the Silver Age, domestication of animals Zeus and agriculture Gemini, the The Age of Writing developed, trade Communication began, wheeled Twins 6200 bce 4050 bce (Mercury) and Trade, transportation, the Heroic Age pantheon of deities The Age of The Pyramids, copper and Taurus, the Structure and tin smelted (bronze), 4050 bce 1900 bce Bull (Venus) Eternity, The papyrus scrolls, the Ankh, Bronze Age bull deity in Egypt and Crete Akhnaton’s monotheism, Aries, the Persian Mithraism, 1900 bce 250 ce The Age of War, Ram (Mars) Iron Age Courage, initiative, war, and adventure. Romans as “Sons of Mars,” iron swords The Middle Pisces, the 250 ce 2400 ce New religions, the rise of Fish (Jupiter) Ages, The Christianity, and Islam Modern World Aquarius, the Water-Bearer 2400 ce 4550 ce The New Age Unknown (Saturn) the center of the precession and, hence, to approximate to the tropical year. Before became the Primary Celestial Mover. this adjustment, an official date that was recorded as happening in January was When the Mithraic Mysteries were actually falling in mid-autumn.14 born, astronomy and astrological beliefs permeated Mediterranean religious Sometime near the end of the first thought, and astrology was becoming an century Claudius Ptolemy was born. art of synthesis, just as the mystery religions Ptolemy was born a Roman citizen of of Rome were becoming syncretistic. Egypt and was a member of Alexandria’s Probably because of the discovery by Greek society. He became a leading Hipparchus, Julius Caesar reformed scientist publishing a variety of treatises. the Roman calendar in 46 bce, with The most well-known down to the present consultation from Sosignes of Alexandria, day are the extensive amalgamation of Page 5 Andreas Cellarius and Johannes van Loon, Harmonia macrocosmica, 1660–61. Chart showing signs of the zodiac and the solar system with world at the center, following the Ptolemaic System.
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