Sam, I must say that it is somewhat confusing that Paul was a Gnostic. His sayings seem quite anti-woman, and if I understand correctly, the Gnostics were much less chauvinistic than the other Christians.
Could you possibly clarify that?
Yes, I know about Mithras, a Persian god who was born on December 25th and had many other similarities to Jesus. The rich mythology of the period prior to Christ seems to have been simply adopted in creating a legend around whoever Jesus really was, doesn't it? It is very difficult to sort out who may have been real, or not, particularly because this is very threatening to many Christians, who want to believe that Christ was unique and that the mythology was not influenced greatly by the pagan religions.
"The story of Mithras begins with the Demiurge oppressing mankind. Mithras is incarnated from a rock on 25 December, the
old date of the midwinter solstice. He enters the world, observed by lowly shepherds, on the darkest day of the year—he is
the Light of the World. During his incarnation he helps mankind like Orpheus and carries out miracles like Jesus. In an abstract
way, he dies for the good of mankind. He kills the sacred bull, the equinoctial sun which revivifies the earth, but the bull is an
aspect of himself, for he is the sun. So he kills himself, just as God, the Father, kills himself by offering himself as a victim in his
aspect as God, the Son. As an annual sun god he is resurrected. His mission done he holds a last supper with his disciples and
returns to Heaven, the level beyond the cosmos, in the solar chariot. He will be victorious over evil at the last battle and will sit
in judgement on mankind, when he will lead the Chosen Ones over a river of fire to immortality."
web.ukonline.co.uk |
