http://www.websitesonadime.com/ffwic/mithra.htmThese many volumes contained much interesting information that was damaging to Christianity, such as the important correspondences between the "lives" of Mithra and Jesus, as well as identical symbols such as the cross, and rites such as baptism and the eucharist. In fact, Mithraism was so similar to Christianity that it gave fits to the early Church fathers, as it does to this day to apologists, who attempt both to deny the similarities and yet to claim that these (non-existent) correspondences were plagiarized by Mithraism from Christianity. There are several problems with this argument, the first of which is that the god Mithra was revered for centuries prior to the Christian era.
Furthermore, by the time the Christian hierarchy prevailed in Rome, Mithra had already been the official cult, with pope, bishops, etc., and its doctrines were well established and widespread, reflecting antiquity. Mithraic remains on Vatican Hill are found underneath the later Christian edifices, which proves the Mithra cult was there first. In fact, while Mithraic ruins from the first and second centuries are abundant throughout the Roman Empire, "The earliest church remains, four in Dura-Europos, date only from around 230 CE."
From The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia, vol. XII:
"The birth of Mithra and of Christ were celebrated on the same day; tradition placed the birth of both in a cave; both regarded Sunday as sacred; in both the central figure was a mediator (mesim) who was one of a triad or trinity; in both there was a sacrifice for the benefit of the race, and the purifying power of blood from the sacrifice was, though in different ways, a prime motive; regeneration or the second birth was a fundamental tenet in both; the conception of the relationship of the worshipers to each other was the same -- they were all brothers; both had sacraments, which baptism and a common meal of bread and the cup were included; both had mysteries from which the lower orders of initiates were excluded; ascetic ideals were common to both; the ideas of man, the soul and its immortality, heaven and hell, the resurrection of the dead, judgment after death, the final conflagration by which the world is to be consumed, the final conquest of evil, were quite similar"
Christian apologist Sir Weigall outlines some of the correspondences with Christianity:
"Mithra appears to have lived an incarnate life on earth, and suffered death for the good of mankind, an image symbolizing his resurrection being employed in his ceremonies. Tarsus, home of St. Paul, was one of the great centers of his worship, being the chief city of the Cilicians; and…there is a decided tinge of Mithraism in the Epistles and Gospels. Thus the designations of our Lord as the Dayspring from on High, the Light, the Sun of Righteousness, and similar expressions, are borrowed from or related to Mithraic phraseology…. The words of St. Paul, "They drank of that spiritual rock…and that rock was Christ" are borrowed from the Mithraic sculptures…"
Mithraic art also was utilized within Christianity: One example is Mithra "shooting at the rock," from which flowed water, a scene that became "Moses smiting the rock" in Christian iconography. Mithra as Helios rising with the sun became Elijah in his chariot of fire, and Mithra slaying the bull was figured as Samson killing the lion. The images of "heaven, earth, ocean, sun, moon, planets, the zodiacal signs, the winds, the seasons, and the like, found on Christian sarcophagi and in mosaics and miniatures are…adaptations of Mithraic models. The Moses-Mithra parallel has been commented upon by a number of scholars who suggests a common origin of the motif. As another example of this mythical motif, the Greek sea god Poseidon, in a contest with Athena to win over the inhabitants of Athens, is depicted as striking a rock, from which a spring appears.
Further correspondences between Mithraism and Christianity can be found in the Christian catacombs -- another similarity to Mithra worship, which was practiced in caves -- where there are numerous images of Christ as the Good Shepherd:
…although it is generally agreed that the figure of Jesus carrying a lamb is taken from the statues of Hermes Kriophorus, the kid-carrying god, Mithra is sometimes shown carrying a bull across his shoulders, and Apollo, who in his solar aspect and as the patron of the rocks is to be identified with Mithra, is often called "the Good Shepherd." At the birth of Mithra the child was adored by shepherds, who brought gifts to him.
Indeed, like Christ, Mithra was considered the remover of sin and disease, the creator of the world, God of gods, the mediator, mighty ruler, king of gods, lord of heaven and earth, Good Shepherd, Sun of Righteousness, etc.
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Robert M. Price - Christ a Myth? (1997)
In broad outline and in detail, the life of Jesus as portrayed in the gospels corresponds to the worldwide Mythic Hero Archetype in which a divine hero's birth is supernaturally predicted and conceived, the infant hero escapes attempts to kill him, demonstrates his precocious wisdom already as a child, receives a divine commission, defeats demons, wins acclaim, is hailed as king, then betrayed, losing popular favor, executed, often on a hilltop, and is vindicated and taken up to heaven.
These features are found world wide in heroic myths and epics. The more closely a supposed biography, say that of Hercules, Apollonius of Tyana, Padma Sambhava, of Gautama Buddha, corresponds to this plot formula, the more likely the historian is to conclude that a historical figure has been transfigured by myth.
And in the case of Jesus Christ, where virtually every detail of the story fits the mythic hero archetype, with nothing left over, no "secular," biographical data, so to speak, it becomes arbitrary to assert that there must have been a historical figure lying back of the myth. There may have been, but it can no longer be considered particularly probable, and that's all the historian can deal with: probabilities.
There may have been an original King Arthur, but there is no particular reason to think so. There may have been a historical Jesus of Nazareth, too, but, unlike most of my colleagues in the Jesus Seminar, I don't think we can simply assume there was.
2) Specifically, the passion stories of the gospels strike me as altogether too close to contemporary myths of dying and rising savior gods including Osiris, Tammuz, Baal, Attis, Adonis, Hercules, and Asclepius. Like Jesus, these figures were believed to have once lived a life upon the earth, been killed, and risen shortly thereafter. Their deaths and resurrections were in most cases ritually celebrated each spring to herald the return of the life to vegetation. In many myths, the savior's body is anointed for burial, searched out by holy women and then reappear alive a few days later.
READ your Joseph Campbell about hero archetypes.
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The Upanishads were written in 100 - 500 BCE. The Hindus were writing in the Bronze Age (3000 BCE and beyond)
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In 1921, archaeologists uncovered evidence of an ancient civilization along the Indus River, which today runs through northwest India into Pakistan. The so-called Indus Valley civilization (also known as the "Harappan civilization" for one of its chief cities) is thought to have originated as early as 7000 BC and to have reached is height between 2300 to 2000 BC, at which point it encompassed over 750,000 square miles and traded with Mesopotamia.
Some writings of this period has been discovered, but unfortunately in such small amounts that they have yet to be deciphered. Knowledge of this great civilization's religion must therefore be based on physical evidence alone. Baths have been found that may indicate ritual bathing, a component of modern Hinduism. Some altar-like structures may be evidence of animal sacrifice, and terracotta figures may represent deities. An important seal features a horned figure surrounded by animals, which some conjecture is a prototype of Shiva, but it could be a bull parallel to that found on Mesopotamian seals.
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"The rest of the ancient world had a shaky grasp of physical phenomena."
What about these guys?
So the guys walking around in the desert didn't know anything about science? The people in India knew all sorts of mathematical and scientific things. Here are a few of them:
Aryabhatta (476 CE) - Master astronomer and mathematician
Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur ( Bihar ), Aryabhatta’s intellectual brilliance remapped the boundaries of mathematics and astronomy. In 499 CE, at the age of 23, he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called “Aryabhatiyam.” He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatta was the first to proclaim that the earth is round, it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space - 1000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory. He is also acknowledged for calculating p (Pi) to four decimal places: 3.1416 and the sine table in trigonometry. Centuries later, in 825 CE, the Arab mathematician, Mohammed Ibna Musa credited the value of Pi to the Indians, “This value has been given by the Hindus.” And above all, his most spectacular contribution was the concept of zero without which modern computer technology would have been non-existent. Aryabhatt was a colossus in the field of mathematics.
Bhaskaracharya II (1114-1183 CE) - Genius in algebra
Born in the obscure village of Vijjadit (Jalgaon) in Maharastra, Bhaskaracharya’s work in Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry catapulted him to fame and immortality. His renowned mathematical works called “Lilavati” and “Bijaganita” are considered to be unparalled and a memorial to his profound intelligence. Its translation in several languages of the world bear testimony to its eminence. In his treatise “Siddhant Shiromani” he writes on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment. In the “Surya Siddhant” he makes a note on the force of gravity: “Objects fall on earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon, and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction.” Bhaskaracharya was the first to discover gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton . He was the champion among mathematicians of ancient and medieval India . His works fired the imagination of Persian and European scholars, who through research on his works earned fame and popularity.
Acharya Kanad (600 BCE) - Founder Of Atomic Theory
As the founder of “Vaisheshik Darshan” - one of six principal philosophies of India - Acharya Kanad was a genius in philosophy. He is believed to have been born in Prabhas Kshetra near Dwarika in Gujarat . He was the pioneer expounder of realism, law of causation and the atomic theory. He has classified all the objects of creation into nine elements, namely: earth, water, light, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul. He says, “Every object of creation is made of atoms which in turn connect with each other to form molecules.” His statement ushered in the Atomic Theory for the first time ever in the world, nearly 2500 years before John Dalton . Kanad has also described the dimension and motion of atoms and their chemical reactions with each other. The eminent historian, T.N. Colebrook , has said, “Compared to the scientists of Europe , Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global masters of this field.”
Nagarjuna (100 CE) - Wizard Of Chemical Science
He was an extraordinary wizard of science born in the nondescript village of Baluka in Madhya Pradesh . His dedicated research for twelve years produced maiden discoveries and inventions in the faculties of chemistry and metallurgy. Textual masterpieces like ” Ras Ratnakar ,” “Rashrudaya” and “Rasendramangal” are his renowned contributions to the science of chemistry. Where the medieval alchemists of England failed, Nagarjuna had discovered the alchemy of transmuting base metals into gold. As the author of medical books like “Arogyamanjari” and “Yogasar,” he also made significant contributions to the field of curative medicine. Because of his profound scholarliness and versatile knowledge, he was appointed as Chancellor of the famous University of Nalanda . Nagarjuna’s milestone discoveries impress and astonish the scientists of today.
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These are only a few examples of what the Hindus discovered thousands of years ago.
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You do know that there is no contemporary account of the existence of jesus when he supposedly lived?
You do know that Bethlehem as a city did not exist during the alleged life of jesus?
You do know that the story about Joseph and Mary having to travel for a census is complete bull?
Rudolf Bultmann said that we could explain everything Jesus did nowadays with modern medicine and scientific explanations. They probably built up Jesus as a miracle worker to make him the Messiah because the believers in him as the Messiah were a small group that ended up taking over the system because of Constantine.
Bultmann was convinced the narratives of the life of Jesus were offering theology in story form, rather than historical events and largely accurate quotations from Jesus. Spiritual messages were taught in the familiar language of ancient myth, which has little meaning today. For example, he said:
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