To: Paul Dry 02-Jul-93 11:41am Subject: Mithraism: Reading list Thus

From: Simon Ewins To: Paul Dry 02-Jul-93 11:41am Subject: Mithraism: Reading list Thus spake Paul Dry to Simon Ewins: SE> Mithras was one of the biggest at the time and the early christians SE> borrowed very heavily from his myths. Mithraism believed in the SE> immortality of the soul, a future judgement, the resurrection of the SE> dead and the second coming of Mithras himself who would then battle SE> and defeat the principles of evil. He was born in a grotto, cave or SE> stable, shepherds attended his birth and brought him gifts. Baptism SE> and communion were important aspects of Mithraism. The Mithraic communion SE> ritual involved these words: "He who shall not eat of my body nor drink SE> of my blood so that he may be one with me and I with him shall not be SE> saved." PD> Please fill us in on a source to verify these statements. Here you go..... Main entry: Beck, Roger, 1937- Title: Planetary gods and planetary orders in the mysteries of Mithras / Roger Beck. -- Imprint: Leiden ; New York : E.J. Brill, 1988. LCCN: 87030906 //r91 ISBN: 9004084509 (pbk.) Main entry: Ulansey, David. Title: The origins of the Mithraic mysteries : cosmology and salvation in the ancient world / David Ulansey. -- Imprint: New York : Oxford University Press, 1989. LCCN: 88029426 ISBN: 0195054024 (alk. paper) : $24.95 Main entry: Harris, Eve. Title: The oriental cults in Roman Britain / Eve and John R. Harris. -- Imprint: Leiden : E.J. Brill, 1965. Main entry: Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef. Title: Mithras : the secret god / by M.J. Vermaseren. ; [translated by Therese and Vincent Megan]. -- Imprint: London : Chatto and Windus, 1963. Main entry: Cumont, Franz Valery Marie, 1868-1947. Title: The mysteries of Mithra / by Franz Cumont ; translated from the second French edition by Thomas J. McCormack. -- Imprint: Chicago : The Open court publishing company ; London : Kegan Paul, Trench and Tr|bner, 1903. LCCN: 03018293 Main entry: Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon. Title: Ancient Iran and Zoroastrianism in Festschriften : an index / Willard Gurdon Oxtoby. -- Imprint: Waterloo, Ont. : Council on the Study of Religion, Executive Office, Waterloo Lutheran University ; Shiraz, Iran : Asia Institute of Pahlavi University, 1973. LCCN: 73084888 //r833 ISBN: 0889160074 : $5.00. 0889160082 Main entry: Mead, G. R. S. (George Robert Stow), 1863-1933. Title: The complete Echoes from the gnosis / by G.R.S. Mead ; edited by Stephen Ronan. -- Imprint: Hastings, E. Sussex, England : Chthonios Books, 1987. LCCN: 88141330 ISBN: 0948366060 : #19.50 Main entry: Campbell, Leroy A. Title: Mithraic iconography and ideology. [By] Leroy A. Campbell. -- Imprint: Leiden : E. J. Brill, 1968 [1969] LCCN: 75386269 ISBN: 107.70 Title: The "Mithras liturgy" / edited and translated by Marvin W. Meyer. -- Imprint: Missoula, Mont. : Published by Scholars Press for the Society of Biblical Literature, c1976. Collation: x, 27 p. ; 24 cm. -- LCCN: 76018288 //r882 ISBN: 0891301135 : $2.80 Main entry: International Congress of Mithraic Studies, 1st, Manchester University, 1971. Title: Mithraic studies; proceedings. John R. Hinnells, editor. Imprint: [Manchester, Eng.] : Manchester University Press. ; [Totowa, N.J.] : Rowman and Littlefield, [1975] LCCN: 74007310 //r77 ISBN: 0874715571 Title: Rethinking religion : studies in the Hellenistic process / edited by Jxrgen Podemann Sxrensen. -- Imprint: Copenhagen : Museum Tusculanum Press, 1989. ISBN: 8772890797 LCCN: BL41 R48 1989 Title: A silver casket and strainer from the Walbrook Mithraeum in the City of London [by] J. M. C. Toynbee. Imprint: Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1963. LCCN: 68003273 //r885 Main entry: Speidel, Michael. Title: Mithras-Orion : Greek hero and Roman army god / Michael P. Speidel. -- Imprint: Leiden : Brill, 1980. LCCN: 81458430 ISBN: 9004060553 (pbk.) : fl 28.00 Main entry: Hinnells, John Russell, 1941- Title: Persian mythology. -- Imprint: [London] Hamlyn [c1973] Main entry: Laeuchli, Samuel, ed. Title: Mithraism in Ostia : mystery religion and Christianity in the ancient port of Rome [by] Dennis Groh [and others] With a pref. by Giovanni Becatti. -- Imprint: [Evanston, Ill.] Northwestern University Press [1967] Main entry: Legge, Francis. Title: Forerunners and rivals of Christianity : from 330 B.C. to 330 A.D. -- Imprint: New York : University Books, c1964. LCCN: 64024125 Main entry: Phythian-Adams, William John Telia Phythian, 1888- Title: Mithraism. -- Imprint: London : Constable, 1915. Main entry: Beck, Roger Title: Mithraism since Franz Cumont / by Roger Beck. -- Imprint: Berlin : W. de Gruyter, 1984. Main entry: Vermaseren, M.J. (Maarten Jozef) Title: The excavations in the Mithraeum of the Church of Santa Prisca in Rome / by M.J. Vermaseren and C.C. Van Essen. --. Imprint: Leiden : E.J. Brill, 1965. Main entry: Wynne-Tyson, Esmi, 1898- Title: Mithras; the fellow in the cap. - Imprint: [Fontwell, Sussex] : Centaur Press, [1972] LCCN: 72190298 ISBN: 0389044385 Main entry: Patterson, Leonard. Title: Mithraism and Christianity; a study in comparative religion, Imprint: Cambridge [Eng.] : The University press, 1921. LCCN: 22013900 Main entry: Ferm, Vergilius Ture Anselm, 1896- ed. Title: Forgotten religions, including some living primitive religions. -- Imprint: Freeport, N.Y. : Books for Libraries Press, [1970, c1950] LCCN: 70128240 ISBN: 083691922X Main entry: International Seminar on the "Religio-Historical Character of Roman Mithraism, with Particular Reference to Roman and Ostian Sources", Rome and Ostia, Italy, 1978. Title: Mysteria Mithrae : atti del Seminario internazionale su "La specificit` storico-religiosa dei Misteri di Mithra, con particolare riferimento alle fonti documentarie di Roma e Ostia", Roma e Ostia, 28-31 marzo 1978 = Mysteria Mithrae : proceedings of the International Seminar on the "Religio-Historical Character of Roman Mithraism, with Particular Reference to Roman and Ostian Sources", Rome and Ostia, 28-31 March 1978 / pubblicati a cura di Ugo Bianchi. Imprint: Leiden : E. J. Brill, 1979. ISBN: 9004060014 Title: Journal of Mithraic studies. -- Imprint: London : Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976- Main entry: Merkelbach, Reinhold, 1918- Title: Mithras / Reinhold Merkelbach. -- Imprint: Kvnigstein/Ts. : Hain, 1984. LCCN: 85131387 ISBN: 3445023298 Main entry: Moeller, Walter O. Title: The Mithraic origin and meanings of the rotas-sator square. [By] Walter O. Moeller. -- Imprint: Leiden : Brill, 1973. LCCN: 74165456 ISBN: 9004037519 Main entry: Walters, Vivienne J. Title: The cult of Mithras in the Roman provinces of Gaul / by Vivienne J. Walters. -- Imprint: Leiden : Brill, 1974. LCCN: 75312425 ISBN: 9004040145 : fl80.00 >..... end .....< There, that should keep you going for a day or two. I have more technical references that I can point you to, if you are interested. Let me know and I will be only to glad to help. I will warn you, though, that an in depth and detailed study of Mithraism will cast some rather grave doubts upon the veracity of Pauline Christianity.