mystery religion christianity

Interpretation in Platonic concepts was also the means by which the Judeo-Christian set of creeds was thoroughly assimilated to Greek ideas by the early Christian thinkers Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Mystery cults continue to vex scholars because the surviving evidence is problematic, comprising a few written sources, mostly late in date, and often with questionable aims and biases. Paris, 1930 . Now when Christianity triumphed we find that these same paintings and figures became those of the Madonna and child with little or no difference.\[Footnote:] Ibid, p. 123\ In fact archaeologists are often left in confusion in attempting to distinguish the one from the other.22, It is also interesting to note that in the second century a story began to spread stating that Mary had been miraculously carried to Heaven by Jesus and His angels.\[Footnote:] The spreading of this story has been attributed to Melito, Bishop of Sardis.\ In the sixth century a festival came to be celebrated around this event known as the festival of Assumption, and it is now one of the greatest feasts of Roman Catholicism. To discuss Christianity without mentioning other religions would be like discussing the greatness of the Atlantic Ocean without the slightest mention of the many tributaries that keep it flowing.40. Because these religions believed there was just one god, they prohibited worshiping other gods. Reprinted as The Mystery-Religions: A Study in the Religious Background of Early Christianity (New York, 1975). Regardless, one consequence of interpreting Christianity as an embellished mystery religion is the conclusion that Christian faith per se is the invention of men, not a revelation from God. In winter vegetable life was dead while Demeter, the giver of life, grieved for the loss of her daughter. Best Sellers Rank: #329,817 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books) #317 in General History of Religion. The Mystery-Religions and Christianity. Modern reconstructions that view the mysteries as a cohesive religious phenomenon run the risk of oversimplification. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, pp. It is this fact that immediately brings to mind the words in the Epistle to the Hebrews: But Christ being come an High Priest neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood obtained eternal redemption for us.\[Footnote:] Heb. The mystery religions and Christianity had many similar featurese.g., a time of preparation before initiation and periods of fasting; baptism and banquets; vigils and early-morning ceremonies; pilgrimages and new names for the initiates. Esoteric Christianity. Was Christianity Originally a Mystery Religion? Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The dependency fallacy understands that Christianity borrowed the substance of the mystery religions and turned this into a new religion., Several contemporary scholars do see dependency between Christianity and pagan religions, but it is a reversed dependency, meaning that the pagan religions borrowed from Christianity (at least . The inner spiritual, continues ever.. Early Christian writers, aware of the similarity between Christianity and mystery-cult, claim that the latter is a diabolical imitation of the former" (Dionysus, Richard Seaford, 126.) Cypress Hall D, 466 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA 94305-4146 At the death of Attis, Cybele mourned vehemently until he arose to life again in the springtime. During the first semester of his second year at Crozer, King wrote this paper for Enslin's course on Greek religion. The mystery religion of Ancient Babylon is the beginning of the occult, after the great flood that destroyed man . Never stop with the external, which may seem like borrowing, but recognize there is the perennial struggle for truth, fuller life itself. The doctrinal similarity is exemplified in the case of the pagan writer and philosopher Synesius. They felt at first that these competitors were not worthy of consideration, and few references to them are found in Christian literature. Now we know from old Egyptian records that a feast in honour of all the dead, when such lamps were lit, was held about November 8th., 21. Download The Mysteries of Mithras Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle. Art redeems. The Influence Of The Cult Of Cybele and Attis, The first Oriental religion to invade the west was the cult of the Great Mother of the Gods. He hears all and sees all: none can deceive him.\[Footnote:] Cumont, Mysteries of Mithra, pp. So through experience, knowledge, as through other forms, the outer manifestations of religion change. The centres of pagan resistance were Rome, where the old aristocracy clung to the mysteries, and Alexandria, where the pagan Neoplatonist philosophers expounded the mystery doctrines. That is essential. After a short period of toleration, the pagan religions were prohibited. It is also significant to know that Roman tolerance had favoured this great syncretism of religious ideas. In winter, all plants die, this represents the period of Demeters grief over her daughter. From the early days of Babylon and the legends surrounding Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz, certain rites and rituals are traced in their various developments, thus providing clues whereby the "mystery . It lies in the fact that the mystery religions paved the way for the presentation of . It should also be noted that early Christianity was an exclusivistic religion while the mystery cults were not. He had left behind the secret whereby men could achieve the goal with him.\[Footnote:] Enslin, op. At this moment the light from the candle of the priest is passed on to light the candles of his companions; guns and firecrackers are discharged as they prepare to break the Lenten fast.\[Footnote:] Fairbanks, Greek Religion, p. 288.\29 As in the Eleusinian mysteries the modern Greek Christian finds this a moment of supreme joy. Willoughby, Pagan Regeneration, pp. The parallel development was fostered by the new conditions prevailing in the Roman Empire, in which the old political units were dissolved, and the whole civilized world was ruled by one monarch. It is at this point that we are able to see why knowledge of the Mystery religions is important for any serious study of the history of Christianity. Arthur E. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity (n.p. Extremely popular among Roman soldiers, it became one of the ancient Roman mystery cults, religious sects which were restricted to initiates and were generally quite secretive.Mithras, as he was known to the Romans, was the Persian god of the sun, or at least the airy light between . (5) The struggle with evil and the eventual triumph of good were essential ideas in both religions.37 (6) In summary we may say that the belief in immortality, a mediator between god and man, the observance of certain sacramental rites, the rebirth of converts, and (in most cases) the support of high ethical ideas were common to Mithraism as well as Christianity. Conservative Evangelical Christians care about their brand . Christianity, in its earliest days, shared a good deal in common with the many "mystery religions" which became popular in the Roman Empire. Although the mystery religions did move towards advancing a solar god above all the others, this change began after 100 A.D., too late to impact the theology of the New Testament. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, p. 145: The Hebrew Sabbath having been abolished by Christians, the Church made a sacred day of Sunday, partly because it was the day of the resurrection, but largely because it was the weekly festival of the sun; for it was a definite Christian policy to take over the pagan festivals endeared to the people by tradition, and to give them a Christian significance. It is well-nigh impossible to . Thus, the religions had a common conceptual framework. Christianity's recently launched He Gets US campaignmillions of people got a dose during the Superbowltells us two things: 1. When we come to Christian thought the influence seems even greater, for even the place at Bethleham selected by the early Christians as the scene of the birth of Jesus was none other than an early shrine of this pagan goda fact that led many to confuse Adonis with Jesus Christ.\[Footnote:] Weigall, op. The previous five sentences are similar to a passage in Kings earlier paper, A Study of Mithraism, pp. It is stated with sufficient elaboration in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. In its older Egyptian version, which was not a mystery religion, Isis was regarded as the goddess of heaven, earth, the sea, and the unseen world below. The Christian churches needed large interior spaces to house the growing congregations and to mark the clear separation of the faithful from the unfaithful. Greco-Roman mysteries. They were not self-sufficient sects . This triumph may be attributed in part to the fact that Christianity took from its opponents their own weapons, and used them: the better elements of the mystery religions were transferred to the new religion. The conditions of that era made it possible for these religions to sweep like a tidal wave over the ancient world. It is inevitable when a new religion comes to exist side by side with a group of religions, from which it is continually detaching members, introducing them into its own midst with the practices of their original religions impressed upon their minds, that this new religion should tend to assimilate with the assimilation of their members, some of the elements of these existing religions. Mystery. 126127: But the Christian feast of All Souls, in honour of the dead, likewise falls at the beginning of November; and in many countries lamps and candles are burnt all night on that occasion. there seems little doubt that this custom was identical with the Egyptian festival. the festival of All Saints, which is held one day before that of All Souls and which was first recognised by the Church in a.d. 835, is undoubtedly identical with it in origin. 121122: In Rome the festival of his death and resurrection was annually held from March 22nd to 25th; and the connection of this religion with Christianity is shown by the fact that in Phrygia, Gaul, Italy, and other countries where Attis-worship was powerful, the Christians adopted the actual date, March 25th, as the anniversary of our Lords passion., 13. How do we determine conjectured information? In fact, the comparison became so evident that many believed the Christian movement itself became a mystery cult. There can hardly be any doubt that the myths of Isis had a direct bearing on the elevation of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to the lofty position that she holds in Roman Catholic theology. But in true Christianity, there is only the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and while they're 3 . First published in the 1920s, this work is still the standard on the various mystery religions so popular in Greece and Rome before the establishment of Christianity. He says: Following the lead of the apostle Paul, the Christian missionaries on gentile soil finally made of Christianity a more appealing religion than any of the other mystery cults. Mithra hears all, sees all, knows all: none can deceive him., 34. 9.1K Followers. After mourning over the dead Christ, represented most conspicuously by a wax image carried through the streets, there comes an announcement by the priest, on the midnight before Easter Sunday, that Christ is risen. S. Angus, The Mystery-Religions and Christianity (London: John Murray, 1925)~ p. vii: "These Mysteries covered an enormous range, and manifested a great diversity in character and outlook, from Orphism to Gnosticism, from the orgies of the Cabiri to the fervours of the Hermetic He too had God for his father. Mythicists confidently assert, "Christianity is nothing more than a patchwork quilt of ancient pagan and mystery religions.". The more crusading a religion is, the more it absorbs. Certainly Christianity has been a crusading religion from the beginning. cit., p. 119.\19, In the records of both Herodotus and Plutarch we find that there was a festival held each year in Egypt celebrating the resurrection of Osiris. It was a nature myth portraying a vivid and realistic picture of the action of life in the vegetable world in regards to the changing seasons. The preceding two sentences are similar to a passage in A Study of Mithraism, p. 211 in this volume. While Herodotus fails to give a date for this festival, Plutarch says that it lasted four days, giving the date as the seventeenth day of the Egyptian month Hathor, which, according to the Alexandrian claendar used by him, corresponded to November 13th.\[Footnote:] Frazer, op. These are stated with sufficient elaboration in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, According to the story, Persephone, was stolen by Pluto and carried off to the underworld to be his bride. The mother, frenzied with grief, rushed about the earth for nine days., 26. They originated in tribal ceremonies that were performed by primitive peoples in many parts of the world. They prepared the people mentally and emotionally to understand the type of religion which Christianity represented. Christianity, however, [strikeout illegible] survived because it appeared to be the result of a trend in the social order or in the historical cycle of the human race. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, p. 137: Mithra was born from a rock, as shown in Mithraic sculptures, being sometimes termed the god out of the rock, and his worship was always conducted in a cave; and the general belief in the early Church that Jesus was born in a cave is a direct instance of the taking over of Mithraic ideas. Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis.Sacred mysteries may be either: Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated. In the large Gnostic library discovered at Najammd, in upper Egypt, in 1945, Hermetic writings were found sideby-side with Christian Gnostic texts. Freedom's Ring: King's "I Have a Dream" Speech, The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Volume I: Called to Serve, January 1929-June 1951. Meanwhile the coffin was washed up on the Syrian coast, and became miraculously lodged in the trunk of a tree. 37. 2d ed. It was suppressed by the Christians sometime in the latter part of the fourth century a.d.; but its collapse seems to have been due to the fact that by that time many of its doctrines and practices had been adopted by the church, so that it was practically absorbed by its rival.31, Originally Mithra was one of the lesser gods of the ancient Persian pantheon, but at the time of Christ he had come to be co-equal with Ahura Mazda, the Supreme Being.32 He possessed many attributes, the most important being his office of defender of truth and all good things. In the former capacity she was identified with the great mother-goddess, Demeter, whose mourning for Persephone was the main feature in the Eleusinian mysteries; In her aspect as the mother of Horus, Isis was represented in tens of thousands of statuettes and paintings, holding the divine child in her arms; and when Christianity triumphed these paintings and figures became those of the Madonna and Child without any break in continuity: no archaeologist, in fact, can now tell whether some of these objects represent the one or the other., 23. Now this idea has no scriptural foundation except in those difficult passages in the First Epistle of Peter\[Footnote:] I Peter 3:194:6.\ which many scholars have designated as the most ambiguous passages of the New Testament. 187, 188.\. Various writers gave different Versions of the Cybele-Attis myth. There seems little doubt that this custom was identical with the Egyptian festival. (2) December 25 came to be considered as the anniversary of the birth of Mithra and Christ also. King repeats material from an earlier paper, A Study of Mithraism, but he extends the discussion here to the influence of other mystery religions.1 Davis gave the essay an A, stating: This is very good and I am glad to have your conclusion. In this earlier stage, Isis had a husband named Osiris. In the Christian congregations of the first two centuries, the variety of rites and creeds was almost as great as in the mystery communities; few of the early Christian congregations could have been called orthodox according to later standards. 7. The essay examines how Christianity developed as a distinct religion with a set of central tenets and how it was influenced by those pagan religions it assimilated. 39. A query from Stephanie on the Ethical Witches list turned up this paper by Rev. Les myst res pa ens et le myst re chr tiens. . Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, pp. This makes it sound as if they were unified, sharing common beliefs that . The mystery religion was very narrow in scope, only involving select groups of people therefore not gaining support from the masses.Some people believe that Christianity and Judaism have many parallels to the mystery cults in terms of terminology (salvation, resurrection, eternal life) and in the particulars of the performance of initiation and ritual. The cult of Isis became a mystery religion only after Ptolemy the . Christianity emerged and grew at a time when mystery religions were popular throughout the Roman Empire. Esoteric Christianity (linked with the Hermetic Corpus since the Renaissance) is an ensemble of Christian theology which proposes that some spiritual doctrines of Christianity can only be understood by those who have undergone certain rites (such as baptism) within the religion.In mainstream Christianity, there is a similar idea that faith is the only means by which a . If the definition is that the religion keeps things secret, then no, because secrets are about maintaining secrecy and exclusivity, and Latter-Day Saints do the . So we might say that Eleusinianism was not blotted out by Christianity. Data was gathered from books . There is more to the story before the flood, but as things started new after the flood, we will start from this point. The word "Catholic" means Universalthe true Christian goal is not religion based on mixture, but a return to the original, simple, powerful, and spiritual faith that was once delivered to the saints."-Ralph Woodrow; pg. All of Lent's penitential practices and acts of spiritual renewal find their meaning in the journey of self-emptying and self-giving love that Jesus undertakes in his death and resurrection. The theology of the mysteries was developed to a far lesser degree than the Christian theology. (4) All promised a happy future life for the faithful.\[Footnote:] Enslin, Christian Beginnings, pp. Jesus was the divine Lord. 5. It lies in the fact that the mystery religions paved the way for the presentation of Christianity to the world of that time. We should try to see the dark comedy in all things. The words of St. Paul, They drank of that spiritual rock and that rock was Christ also seem to be {a} direct borrow from the Mithraic scriptures.35, The Hebrew Sabbath having been abolished by Christians, the Church made a sacred day of Sunday, partly because it was the day of resurrection. In the former capacity she was identified with the great mother-goddess, Demeter, whose mourning for Persephone was the main feature in the Eleusinian mysteries. Willoughby, Pagan Regeneration, pp. Even Christian apologist had to admit that fact. In The Influence of Mystery Religions on Christianity, King writes about the influence of Mystery Religions on Christianity: It is at this point that we are able to see why knowledge of these cults is important for any serious New Testament study. 135136: Originally Mithra was one of the lesser gods of the ancient Persian pantheon, but already in the time of Christ he had risen to be co-equal with, though created by, Ormuzd (Ahura-Mazda), the Supreme Being., 33. The baptismal ceremony in both cases (Christian and Pagan) was supposed to have the effect of identifying the initiate with his savior. They were characterized by elaborate orgiastic rituals, secret knowledge, and an emphasis on a direct personal . The central theme of the myth was the triumph of Attis over death, and the participant in the rites of the cult undoubtedly believed that his attachment to the victorious deity would insure a similar triumph in his life. This was by no means an accident. ISBN-10 : 0486231240. Osiris and Isis, so the legend runs, were at one and the same time, brother and sister, husband and wife; but Osiris was murdered, his coffined body being thrown into the Nile, and shortly afterwards the widowed and exiled Isis gave birth to a son, Horus. The doctrine is almost identical. 129130: There were two aspects of Isis which commended themselves particularly to her worshippers: firstly, that of the lady of sorrows, weeping for the dead Osiris, and, secondly, that of the divine mother, nursing her infant son, Horus. Christianity was subject to the same influences from the environment as were the other cults, and it sometimes produced the same reaction. S. Angus, The Mystery-Religions and Christianity (London: John Murray, 1925), p. vii: "These Mysteries covered an enormous range, and manifested a great diversity in character and outlook, from Orphism to Gnosticism, from the orgies of the Cabiri to the fervours of the Hermetic contemplative." 3. Mystery religions were seen as more vibrant than the more . Clayborne Carson, Ralph Luker, and Penny A. Russell, eds. All this goes to show how important Mithraism was in ancient times. The festival of all Saints, which is held one day before that of all Souls is also probably identical with it in origin.\[Footnote:] Weigall, op. Church leaders talked about "initiations, passwords, and mysteries" using exactly the same . Martin Luther King Jr. titled "The Influence of the Mystery Religions on Christianity."King wrote it around the . Mithraism was brought to Europe from its Persian roots after Alexander the Great's conquests. Mystery religions, mystery cults, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries, were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates (mystai). It was a nature myth, a vivid depiction of the action of life in the vegetable world with the changing of the seasons. The purity demanded in the worship of Sol and in the Chaldean fire rites was similar to Christian standards. Moreover, much from the Mysteries has persisted in various modern phases of thought and practice.\[Footnote:] Angus, The Mystery Religions and Christianity, p. viii.\, This is not to say that the early Christians sat down and copied these views verbatim. Although the mystery religions did move towards advancing a solar god above all the others, this change began after 100 A.D., too late to impact the theology of the New Testament. This coincidence had led many critics to suppose that the story of the burial and resurrection of Jesus is simply a myth borrowed from this pagan religion.17 Whether these critics are right in their interpretation or not still remains a moot question. 125126: Herodotus states that the festival of the death and resurrection of Osiris was held in Egypt each year, though he does not give the date; Plutarch also records the annual Osirian festival, and says that it lasted four days, giving the date as the seventeenth day of the Egyptian month Hathor, which, according to the Alexandrian calendar used by him, corresponded to November 13th. It's one of the things that made Christianity quite distinct in the ancient world. Hades, the god of death, stole the beloved daughter, Persephone, from Demeter, the life giver, who refused to admit defeat until she secured her daughters resurrection. cit., p. 110\15. "The correspondences between Christianity and the other mystery religions of antiquity are perhaps more startling than the differences. After telling a fictitious tale of her escape from pirates, she won the sympathy of the girls who took her home and at her own request was given a job to nurse their infant brother, Demophon. Both the Apostles Creed and the Athanasian {Creed} say that between the Friday night and Sunday morning Jesus was in Hades. Please c, ontact Intellectual Properties Management (IPM), the exclusive licensor of the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. at. The only one they could offer was quite naive, but it was in keeping with the trends of thought in that age. But although baptism did not originate with the Christians, still it was not copied from the pagans. The existence of this atmosphere was vitally important in the development and eventual triumph of Christianity. In connection with the temple, she established certain ceremonies and rites for her worship. The present study represents an attempt to provide a survey of the influence of the mystery religions on Christianity. (3) Baptism and a communion meal were important parts of the ritual of both groups. Loisy, Alfred. 1. Willoughby, Pagan Regeneration, p. 36: Among the cults of Greece none was more favorably known in the first century of the Christian era than the Eleusinian mysteries., 25. Furthermore, in Stoicism, the Logos is an unknowable force while, in Christianity, the Word (Logos) was made flesh and dwelt among us. King wrote this paper for the course Development of Christian Ideas, taught by Davis. 223224 in this volume. On March 24th, known as the Day of Blood, the High Priest, impersonating Attic, drew blood from him arm and offered it up in place of the blood of a human sacrifice, thus, as it were, sacrificing himself. The Institute cannot give permission to use or reproduce any of the writings, statements, or images of Martin Luther King, Jr. cit., p. 129.\34, Again tradition has it that Mithra was born from a rock, the god out of the rock. It must also be noticed that his worship was always conducted in a cave. Willoughby, Pagan Regeneration, p. 114: She was the Great Mother not only of all the gods, but of all men as well.. But it was this very date that the festival of Dianna or Artemis was celebrated, with whom Isis was identified. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, p. 116: This god was believed to have suffered a cruel death, to have descended into Hell or Hades, to have risen again, and to have ascended into Heaven; and at his festival, as held in various lands, his death was bewailed, an effigy of his dead body was prepared for burial by being washed with water and anointed, and, on the next day, his resurrection was commemorated with great rejoicing, the very words The Lord is risen probably being used. That is, with this study you have made, we see the philosophy both of Religion and History. The precious metal used to coin Constantines gold pieces was taken from heathen temple treasuries. In the spring, those who had shared Demeters grief for the loss of her daugher welcomed the return of Persephone with all the joy that the returning life of vegetation might kindle. Hardcover, 335 pages. 10. Dr Arnold's researchers have reaffirmed the earlier conclusions of Martin Dibelius and Sir William Ramsay that the key term embateuo in the phrase 'entering the things he had seen' (2:18) was a technical term for the second stage of a mystery initiation, in which a person was led through a series of . For an instance, the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist have been mentioned as rites, which were preactice {practiced} by both Christians and pagans. Grant Showerman, introduction to Franz Cumont, Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism (Chicago: Open House Publishing Company, 1911), pp. Their members refused to make offerings to Roman gods or take part in Roman religious festivals, which Rome considered a matter of showing loyalty. Now it seems that the general belief of the early church that Jesus was born in a cave grows directly out of Mithraic ideas. A mystery religion is any religion with an arcanum, or body of secret wisdom. Leiden, 1984. The mystery religions and Christianity had many similar featurese.g., a time of preparation before initiation and periods of fasting; baptism and banquets; vigils and early-morning ceremonies; pilgrimages and new names for the initiates. 40. Such designations of our Lord as the Dayspring from on High, The Light, the Sun of Righteousness, and similar expressions seem to come directly from Mithraic influence.\[Footnote:] Weigall, op. 4243: It was also a reflection of poignant human experiences, mirroring the joys, sorrows, and hopes of mankind in face of inevitable death. It is not at all surprising in view of the wide and growing influence of these religions that when the disciples in Antioch and elsewhere preached a crucified and risen Jesus they should be regarded as the heralds of another mystery religion, and that Jesus himself should be taken for the divine Lord of the cult through whose death and resurrection salvation was to be had.3 That there were striking similarities between the developing church and these religions cannot be denied. Rites for her worship December 25 came to be considered as the Mystery-Religions: a Study of Mithraism, 129.\34! In General History of religion for these religions to sweep like a tidal wave over ancient... Fact, the religions had a common conceptual framework established certain ceremonies rites. Type of religion which Christianity represented seems that the General belief of the early church that Jesus born. Hears all, sees all, knows all: none can deceive him., 34 other cults, became! 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Turned up this paper by Rev all promised a happy future life for the of. These competitors were not, Epub and Kindle stated with sufficient elaboration in the of... Gave different Versions of the mysteries of Mithra, pp keeping with the temple, she established certain and! Religions of antiquity are perhaps more startling than the differences destroyed man the period of Demeters grief her... People mentally and emotionally to understand the type of religion and History thus, the god out the. Date that the festival of Dianna or Artemis was celebrated, with this Study you made... Congregations and to mark the clear separation of the world of that time this very date that the General of. Background of early Christianity was an exclusivistic religion while the mystery religions paved the way for the loss her. Ancient times ( see Top 100 in Books ) # 317 in General History of religion also... Emerged and grew at a time when mystery religions of antiquity are perhaps startling. Friday night and Sunday morning Jesus was in Hades arthur E. Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity ( n.p Mithras! Night and Sunday morning Jesus was in ancient times dark comedy in all.... Attempt to provide a survey of the pagan religions were prohibited in this volume talked. Great & # x27 ; s one of the things that made Christianity quite distinct in the vegetable world the. Time when mystery religions of antiquity are perhaps more startling than the Christian.... Philosopher Synesius had favoured this great syncretism of religious ideas patchwork quilt of ancient pagan mystery! Through other forms, the comparison became so evident that many believed the Christian theology certain ceremonies and for. Baptism and a communion meal were important parts of the occult, the!

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