Mithraistic Roman Emperor?

Would it be possible? I'm thinking more in terms of later emperors who assumed the purple by force. Being generals to begin with and Mithraism being soldier's religion.

What would be effects? While Roamns were pretty tolerant when it came to foreign religions emperor with it might be pushing it.
 
smothered Western Christianity, if he (or similarly minded) ends up sitting for long enough, maybe pushing Mithraism as a state religion
 
That's really not possible. Mithraism is pretty much the Ancient equivalent of Freemasonry--a Brotherhood of Funny Hats following made-up "Eastern" rites that--so far as we can tell--managed to get a good chunk of actual Zoroastrianism backwards. It's not going to be a Christianity substitute because it's not meant to be--this isn't an evangelical religion, but a secret brotherhood where you are blessed to be part of those in the know.
 
Last edited:
That's really not possible. Mithraism is pretty much the Ancient equivalent of Freemasonism--a Brotherhood of Funny Hats following made-up "Eastern" rites that--so far as we can tell--managed to get a good chunk of actual Zoroastrianism backwards. It's not going to be a Christianity substitute because it's not meant to be--this isn't an evangelical religion, but a secret brotherhood where you are blessed to be part of those in the know.

I'm not asking for Mithraism to substitute Christianity, I'm asking if it would be possible for Mithraist to become the emperor. As I said, it was popular among the troops and some Mithraist general makes the bid for the purple.
 
I'm not asking for Mithraism to substitute Christianity, I'm asking if it would be possible for Mithraist to become the emperor. As I said, it was popular among the troops and some Mithraist general makes the bid for the purple.

Yes, I think a Mithraist Emperor is possible. Maybe even a Mithraist dynasty. But he's right when he says Mithraism isn't going to be able to fill a Christianity-ish role without some fairly serious alterations.
 
Yes, I think a Mithraist Emperor is possible. Maybe even a Mithraist dynasty. But he's right when he says Mithraism isn't going to be able to fill a Christianity-ish role without some fairly serious alterations.

So you don't think this being foreign religion would be a problem, either before or after becoming the emperor? Would it decrease his legitimacy, opening him for attacks and attempts to overthrow him?
 
given that archeologists nowadays believe that Mithraism was most likely created in Rome, probably with someone with a certain amount of knowledge about eastern mythology ... And the fact that while there were nearly 700 Mithraian temples in Rome there were only 3 in whole of Roman Syria
 
given that archeologists nowadays believe that Mithraism was most likely created in Rome, probably with someone with a certain amount of knowledge about eastern mythology ... And the fact that while there were nearly 700 Mithraian temples in Rome there were only 3 in whole of Roman Syria

Seven hundred in Rome?

I am going to state unabashedly now that I find that figure hard to believe. On a generous estimate, Rome had a population of about a million at its height. Half that to eliminate women, and have enough temples to suggest that Rome's urban population was comprised of a large majority of Mithraists; I've certainly heard nothing of the sort in my three years of study.

Seventy Mithraist temples in Rome is about believable: seven hundred seems far, far too high.
 
So you don't think this being foreign religion would be a problem, either before or after becoming the emperor? Would it decrease his legitimacy, opening him for attacks and attempts to overthrow him?

Its not a foreign religion. Mithraism was a pure Roman religion that only borrowed the name of an Indo-Persian god.
 
Yeah, just to make it clear, I was just talking about the 'he converts the Empire to Mithraism'--a Mithraist emperor is quite possible, and probably did happen. But the whole point of Mithraism is exclusiveness--no women, right off the bat, and only the right sort of man. It doesn't even want to become the national religion because that would destroy the point.
 
So you don't think this being foreign religion would be a problem, either before or after becoming the emperor? Would it decrease his legitimacy, opening him for attacks and attempts to overthrow him?

Any halfway practicing Zoroastrian would condemn them as followers of te kingdom of the lie. Mithraism might as well be a roman invented religion.
 
Seven hundred in Rome?

I am going to state unabashedly now that I find that figure hard to believe. On a generous estimate, Rome had a population of about a million at its height. Half that to eliminate women, and have enough temples to suggest that Rome's urban population was comprised of a large majority of Mithraists; I've certainly heard nothing of the sort in my three years of study.

Seventy Mithraist temples in Rome is about believable: seven hundred seems far, far too high.

I've been to a Mithraist temple in Rome. It wouldn't surprise me if the congregation there was about 30. Remember, this is a secret cult, not a public religion. They have secret meeting places. Many would likely only be a dozen meeting. Even if you averaged 60 people at each one, which seems unlikely to me, you'd only have 42,000 members in Rome. That's less than 10% of the Roman male population. And that's assuming all the temples were operational at the same time.
 
Seven hundred in Rome?

I am going to state unabashedly now that I find that figure hard to believe. On a generous estimate, Rome had a population of about a million at its height. Half that to eliminate women, and have enough temples to suggest that Rome's urban population was comprised of a large majority of Mithraists; I've certainly heard nothing of the sort in my three years of study.

Seventy Mithraist temples in Rome is about believable: seven hundred seems far, far too high.

http://books.google.dk/books?id=wFceDNFgVowC&pg=PA2026&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

A useful topographic survey, with map, by F. Coarelli (1979) lists 40 actual or possible mithraea (the latter inferred from find-spots, with the sensible proviso that a mithraeum will not necessarily correspond to every find). Principally from comparisons of size and population with Ostia, Coarelli calculates that there will have been in Rome "not less than 680–690" mithraea in all
 
Seven hundred in Rome?

I am going to state unabashedly now that I find that figure hard to believe. On a generous estimate, Rome had a population of about a million at its height. Half that to eliminate women, and have enough temples to suggest that Rome's urban population was comprised of a large majority of Mithraists; I've certainly heard nothing of the sort in my three years of study.

Seventy Mithraist temples in Rome is about believable: seven hundred seems far, far too high.

Temples can vary greatly in size so it is possible for 700 to exist. St. Peter's Basilica is a Church just as much as a tiny storefront church is. Sure, one is much larger and extravagant but they are both churches.

So the vast majority of these 700 temples might be little basements where maybe 10-20 people(perhaps even less) gather to worship.
 
Sol Invictus for the mass religion, Mithraism (which IIRC acknowledged some such deity as being over Mithras anyway) as an elite/military movement within it.
 
yeah ... could see some duality religion with 'semi-secret' (in the term of it being an acknowledged but unspoken part outside themselves) Mithras worship by the elite and Sol Invictus for everyone ...
 
Top