The Mysterious Origins of Mithraism

When Julius Caesar’s imperial system stabilized Rome, a powerful secret society emerged—one whose influence would echo for two millennia. Today, Christmas is celebrated worldwide, its religious significance often overshadowed by festivity. Yet few realize that December 25th was once sacred not to Christ, but to an Eastern deity whose worship nearly erased Christianity from history: Mithras.

Mithraism originated among the Indo-Iranians around 2000 BCE, spreading through Persia, India, and eventually the Hellenistic world. Romans first encountered it in 67 BCE when Pompey suppressed Cilician pirates, who worshipped Mithras on Mount Olympus. By the 1st century CE, Mithraic temples appeared in Roman military outposts, just as Christianity—then a fringe Jewish sect—began its covert spread.

Rome’s Religious Melting Pot

Early imperial Rome was remarkably pluralistic. The state religion, derived from Numa’s traditions, blended animistic numen worship with Greek mythology (Jupiter/Zeus, Juno/Hera). Meanwhile, Eastern cults flourished among soldiers and slaves:

– Cybele: The Phrygian mother goddess symbolized fertility, with rituals involving ecstatic dances and self-castration.
– Dionysus/Bacchus: His orgiastic rites provoked a Senate crackdown in 186 BCE, yet the cult infiltrated the elite.
– Isis: The Egyptian goddess’s resurrection myths (Osiris’ dismemberment, Horus’ birth) prefigured Christian themes.

Mithraism entered this milieu as a soldiers’ faith, emphasizing discipline and cosmic struggle.

The Secret Rites of the Sun God

Mithraic temples (mithraea), often subterranean, centered on three key symbols:

1. The Tauroctony
The iconic bull-slaying scene showed Mithras, dagger plunged into the beast, while a dog, snake, and scorpion drank its life-giving blood—wheat and vines sprouting from its corpse. This symbolized triumph over chaos and agricultural renewal.

2. Petra Genetrix
Mithras’ birth from a rock (the cosmos itself) mirrored Persian kings’ ritual seclusion in caves, reinforcing his role as a mediator between heaven and earth.

3. The Seven Grades
Initiates progressed through ranks like Raven and Lion, enduring trials:
– Blindfolded, bound with animal entrails
– Mock battles with “demons”
– Branding or honey anointings

Emperor Commodus allegedly killed a man during one initiation, mistaking ritual for reality.

Mithraism vs. Christianity: A Battle for Rome

At its zenith (308 CE), four emperors—including Diocletian—venerated Mithras as Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun”). The cult’s success stemmed from:
– Military appeal: Garrisons from Scotland to Mesopotamia embraced its masculine brotherhood.
– Syncretism: It absorbed solar worship and astrology, even sharing temples with Jupiter.
– Elite patronage: Senators and emperors joined, seeing Mithras as a divine ally.

Yet this adaptability proved fatal. Unlike Christianity’s organized hierarchy, Mithraism lacked doctrinal unity. When Constantine converted, Christian mobs razed mithraea. By 400 CE, the cult vanished—but not without leaving marks on its rival:

– December 25th: Mithras’ birthday, decreed by Aurelian in 274 CE, was adopted by Christians.
– Baptismal water: Mithraic reliefs show miraculous springs, paralleling Moses’ rock.
– Eucharist: Bread and wine rituals promised rebirth in both faiths.

Legacy of the Forgotten God

Though erased by orthodoxy, Mithraism shaped Western spirituality. Its cosmic dualism influenced Gnosticism, while its solar imagery persists in Christmas symbolism. Modern scholars, decoding buried mithraea, now recognize it as Rome’s “almost” state religion—a faith that, but for history’s twists, might have defined the West. As historian Ernst Renan noted: “Had Christianity been halted… the world would be Mithraist today.”