Mystery cult
Mystery cults (or mystery religions) were a group of religions that existed in the Greco-Roman world and reserved their theology, practices and rituals to initiates. Many were formed by the merging of Greek ideas with a host culture to form a hybrid of both belief systems.
Characteristics[edit]
Mystery cults often merged concepts from neighboring cultures to arrive at their specific theology (i.e. syncretism). They also tended towards monotheism, an emphasis on individual (personal) salvation and allowed followers from all backgrounds rather then a single ethic group or gender.[1] Rituals often including baptism to join the religion, and ritual meals. Mystery cults generally interpreted their scriptures allegorically to reveal hidden spiritual truths that were usually known only to the higher ranking initiates of the religion.
Specific cults[edit]
Mystery cults included:
- Mithraic mysteries
- Orphic mysteries
- Dionysian mysteries
Christianity[edit]
Early Christianity has often been categorized a mystery religion, involving secret knowledge and ceremonies known only to initiates of the religion. With other mystery religions, Christianity shares the concept of a savior god that experiences sufferings often including death and resurrection, salvation through rituals, baptism to wash away sins to be reborn, and ritual meals.
Richard Carrier agrees that Christianity is a mystery religion but points out it is not exactly like the other mystery religions.
- "Often when scholars deny that Christianity was a mystery religion, they really mean it wasn't just one of the already-existing mystery religions superficially overhauled with Jewish concepts. Christianity wasn't 'Osiris Cult 2.0'. Which is certainly true. But that's all that anyone's evidence can prove. [...] Even the earliest discernible form of Christianity emulates numerous cultic features and concepts that were so unique to the Hellenistic mystery cults [...] And any theory of historicity that fails to account for it cannot be credible.[1]"
Doctrines of Christianity were originally kept private to senior initiates. They were taught to junior followers only using parables and metaphor.
" We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began."
"The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them."
Other writers argue that Christianity originated as an amalgamation of earlier pagan religions, often including the mystery cults. In contrast, other historians argue that while Christianity was influenced by the mystery cults, its origin was either a historical or mythical person.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richard Carrier, On the Historicity of Jesus, 2014
