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Mithraism

A Dictionary of the Bible | 1997 | | Copyright

Mithraism The cult of the Persian God Mithras (a sun-god), which was established in Rome by NT times, and it had certain beliefs and rites which resembled those of the Christians: after Mithras had overcome and sacrificed a bull, he ascended into heaven; bread, water, and wine were used by initiates in the rituals; and there was a ministry of priests. Several German scholars in the early decades of the 20th cent. argued for an influence of Mithraism on the development of sacramental Christianity. The Mithraic festival of the Natalis Solis Invicti on 25 December was taken over as Christmas Day by the Church in the 4th cent.

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Mithraism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Mithraism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Mithraism.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Mithraism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Mithraism.html

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Mithraism

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Copyright

Mithraism. Mithras was a god associated with light and the sanctity of oaths in India and Iran; he became the object of a distinctive cult in the Roman Empire probably c.AD 100. The mysteries of Mithras were celebrated by small groups of male initiates in underground temples, lined on either side by benches used for ritual meals and dominated by a representation of the god slaying the primal bull. Mithraism seems to have died out in the 4th cent.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Mithraism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Mithraism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Mithraism.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Mithraism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Mithraism.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	The end of Mithraism. Magazine article from: Antiquity; 6/1/1995
	PARTY LIKE ITS 1999... Sun god: Were the rituals of Mithras appropriated by... Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 12/23/2008
	History into fiction: the metamorphoses of the Mithras myths. Magazine article from: Ancient Narrative; 1/1/2000