What if fledgling Christianity had undergone syncretism with Mithraism, and out of it, Christ was seen as the son of Mithras?
What if fledgling Christianity had undergone syncretism with Mithraism, and out of it, Christ was seen as the son of Mithras?
Then I can't see *Christianity doing very well. Mithraism was the kind of religion where most people were ignorant of any scripture and just participated in various ceremonies (IIRC). Furthermore, I can't see the Jews being very receptive to a new strain of Mithraism, which means that his religion will probably not get off the ground.What if fledgling Christianity had undergone syncretism with Mithraism, and out of it, Christ was seen as the son of Mithras?
Well, that would odd and interesting.
Actually, I think the early skeptics of Jesus believed him to be a son of Dionysus or Bacchus. I mean, they (Dionysus and Jesus) do have alot in common.
Now to be the son of Mithras, hmmm thats complicated actually. Well, to get people to think that he was Mithra's son he would have to say that he was the Son of Mithras (Which would have indeed made him very popular with the Roman Legions). For later Christians to think of him as the Son of Mithras would be nigh implausable, as the other Christian sects would no doubt gang up on the sect that thought him as any other son then Yahwehs.
I think I read some article on the internet that shoots that assumption down fairly well. I think the whole Jesus-Bacchus argument is just some over-enthusiastic historians trying to draw parallels where none exist.
Yet you find massive amounts of material with parallels bewteen the two. Obviously Jesus or his story was influenced by the Great Wine Maker. Dionysus was here first anyway.
And a lot of non-parallels. I can't cite any, but I might try looking something up...
EDIT: For starters: http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/dionysus.html
http://www.kingdavid8.com/Copycat/JesusDionysus.html
Yeshua [Jesus], Son of JosephWho is Joshua-ben-Josef?
Who is Joshua-ben-Josef?
He'd probably end up associated with a Mystery Cult.