MITHRAS AND THE ZODIAC

<p>The Roman cult of Mithras has been the object of many controversies, for instance the question of the origin, the mythology, and the role of astronomical-astrological concepts. In this article we focus on another controversial point, the existence and content of a doctrine of salvation. We...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Luca Amendola
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mega Publishing House 2018-05-01
Series:Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology
Online Access:https://jaha.org.ro/index.php/JAHA/article/view/283
Description
Summary:<p>The Roman cult of Mithras has been the object of many controversies, for instance the question of the origin, the mythology, and the role of astronomical-astrological concepts. In this article we focus on another controversial point, the existence and content of a doctrine of salvation. We review systematically the literary, epigraphic, architectural, and iconographic evidence of salvation in Mithraism. We find that the evidence supports the existence of a doctrine that included a soul journey towards the solstices, along the lines of a famous passage in Porphyry's <em>De antro nympharum</em>.</p>
ISSN:2360-266X