Podcasts about Mithraism

In this episode, I welcome back author and scholar Peter Mark Adams for a rich and far-reaching conversation centred on his upcoming book from Theion Publishing "Ritual & Epiphany in the Mysteries of Mithras – The Secret Cult of Saturn in Imperial Rome" an extraordinary and deeply thoughtful study of the cult of Mithras. Peter takes us through the ancient layers beneath Mithraic practice — its origins, iconography, cosmology, and initiatory structure — tracing a lineage from early Mesopotamian myths such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, through the cultic worship of Saturn, and into the esoteric heart of Imperial Rome. What emerges from his research is a profound view of Mithraism not simply as a Roman mystery cult, but as the survival of a much older, animistic, star-oriented cosmology. It is a vision of reality structured around spirit, fate, celestial forces, and the metamorphosis of the human soul.Peter takes us through the complex ideas behind his thesis weaving in insights from recent advances in anthropology, ethnography, and comparative religion. He draws particularly from the Orphic mysteries to illuminate the metaphysical architecture underpinning the Mithraic rites. We unpack how the mysteries functioned as both a lived, embodied practice and a carefully guarded initiatic system, intended to bring about deep spiritual transformations in their adherents. The conversation explores the mythic grammar encoded in the Tauroctony — the slaying of the bull — not as a static religious image but as a dynamic, performative act tied to the movement of the heavens and the soul's journey through the stars.In the Plus show, Peter also shares fascinating insights into the seven grades of Mithraic initiation, each representing different spiritual and cosmic stations, and the curious fact that while the cult is famous for these grades, only two formal initiation rituals are known. We delve into the frescoes at St. Capua Vetere, rare depictions that provide intimate glimpses into the ritual life of Mithraic initiates, and discuss how sacred art served not merely as decoration but as an active, living technology for transformation.Along the way, we touch on the challenges faced by modern researchers and practitioners in articulating and re-contextualising these ancient experiences in a world that has largely lost the language for mystery. We talk about the difficulty of bridging the gap between ancient participatory worldviews and the post-Enlightenment skepticism that dominates contemporary thought — and how, paradoxically, the sciences of anthropology and archaeology often come closest to glimpsing the ancient mysteries, even as they struggle to fully comprehend them.Show notes:Peter's site https://petermarkadams.comPeter's instagram https://www.instagram.com/petermarkadams/Peter's Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/petermarkadams/postsTheion Publishing https://theionpublishing.com/shop/pma-ritualepiphany/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJt5h9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHrcrTB0SZCnZKoBiV8ekJtAVHGQawQVzitb5lGAscZwhU94lYmX-PLrQDWW9_aem_NJX2uq5lcQtsID72NJrHJASola-Busca Workshop, Turin https://www.houseofzophiel.com/sola-busca.htmlCosmic or Orphic egg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_eggPhanes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhanesTauroctony https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TauroctonySt. Capua Vetere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Capua_VetereEpic of Gilgamesh https://www.britannica.com/topic/Epic-of-GilgameshOrphism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OrphismMithras https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MithraismHenosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HenosisLeontocephaline https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9461/2/2/3Chora https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KhôraApogenesis https://www.iasdurham.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Hannah_From-Here-to-the-Hereafter-Genesis-and-Apogenesis-in-Ancient-Philosophy-and-Architecture.pdfKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmasonMusic by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka

The Legacy of Zoroastrianism for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, PART IPodcast Summary In this episode, we delve into the fascinating legacy of Zoroastrianism, exploring its influence on both ancient and modern religious thought. From its roots in the Persian Empire to its transformation through Roman Mithraism, weuncover how this ancient faith shaped key religious concepts like resurrection,duality of good vs. evil, and the afterlife. We also explore the impact of Constantine's conversion to Christianity and how the evolution of religious ideas, such as hell and the role of women in faiths, played a pivotal role in shaping our spiritual landscape today. Keywords:#Zoroastrianism; #Mithraism; #PersianEmpire; #Resurrection; #AncientReligions;#RomanEmpire; #Constantine; #Philosophy; #ReligiousEvolution; #WomenInReligion;#HellConcept; #ZoroastrianInfluence; #AncientFaiths; #ChristianityOrigins

St. George, dragons, dragon slayers, Precession of the Equinoxes, Age of Taurus, Age of Aries, Draco, Greek mythology, Perseus, Medusa, Andromeda, Perseus constellation, Perseus as dragon slayer, Jason, Argonauts, Colchis, Media, Jason as a dragon slayer, Jason as Perseus, Jason as stellar allegory, Mithras, Mithraism, why Roman Mithraism is not Persian, Cilicia, Tarsus, the Tarsus cult of Perseus, Mithraism as stellar cult, Mithras as Perseus, Perseus-Jason-Mithras as mushroom cult, theurgy, Gate of the Sun, soul flight, drawing down the moon, possession, why theurgy has military purposes, the origins of St. George and his legend, St. George as stellar allegory, St. George as Perseus/Mithras/Jason, military orders dedicated to St. George, Knights Templar, occult traditions in St. George orders, St. George's dragon as Saturn-Demiurge, why Perseus?https://www.decodingmythology.com/george/index.htmlMusic by: Keith Allen Dennishttps://keithallendennis.bandcamp.com/Additional Music: Albert Bouchardhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HST4KSD/ref=sr_1_3?crid=22ZFXGMRRVP1R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.x0P0auCPbT945qQ3bOIhOnkWQLnSmzkspbdVBfz1OeDjNGBi9jXxMvuUXsIMT0SgqecIv6zWPkIT0Jun9DO2zSP1cNP6pcZR_JlAneD79UP1qYiskVD7lSorzXoS7ggtazzYzanQCzVwQdTsSTcuQV-SeDoqoS_WH6-sGMrpLZbsNaebHVNIvMLZ1bgBsKckOc3Nk-xOLXeAf_iyXJW7r-eujmfPf-Y4Go9OYy_CTJs.n8Y_QZbimvc2UilE6kDw9UKQipisRasvPFnMKumNDoM&dib_tag=se&keywords=albert+bouchard&qid=1735363482&s=dmusic&sprefix=albert+bouch%2Cdigital-music%2C419&sr=1-3 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the guys journey into the ancient wisdom tradition of Mithraism, uncovering the mysteries that surrounded the followers of Mithras in the 1st century. They explore the origins and mythological significance of this enigmatic savior, believed to be born in a cave, and the profound symbolism behind this imagery. They also talk about ritualistic initiations of the Mithraic mystery school, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, the celestial dimension of Mithras, and how his teachings align with universal principles echoed in esoteric traditions across time. 

David Gosselin returns to the Courtenay Turner podcast to discuss the philosophies of Plato & Aristotle. How are they relevant today? These two philosophers addressed the fundamental question of the human soul, and therefore knowledge and ideas, from which everything else becomes downstream. ▶Follow & Connect with David Gosselin:
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Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer, and their husband Brian as they delve into the importance of celebrating our works in life. Misconceptions about humility and the significance of commemorating achievements are discussed, alongside insights on spirituality, interconnectedness, and resisting negative forces. This thoughtful discussion revolves around themes of co-creation, gratitude, and finding joy in small victories, ultimately advocating for a balanced approach to life's endeavors.Support us on: https://ko-fi.com/cedorsettBecome a patron of the arts patreon.com/cedorsettFor Educational Resource: Wisdoms Cry https://wisdomscry.comFor all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.comThreads https://www.threads.net/@creationspathsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/Transcript:Charlie: [00:00:00] The apostle James reminds us that faith without works is dead. But works without celebration are a dull monotony that will bring us to our knees and cause us to stop doing whatever it is we were doing. So let's have a little chat about celebrating our works and what that actually means. Charlie: Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I am a non-binary scifi fantasy writer, and I am joined by my wonderful husband Brian. And today we're going to be talking about celebrating our works. Because this is something we do not do. And it's I think rooted in a very understandable and common [00:01:00] misunderstanding of humility. Where we think humility is not talking, it's keeping your head down. We have confused the concept of humility. We have confused the concept of humility with obedience or subservience. That is not what this word means. That is something that the Imperial church and the patriarchal powers that be want humility to mean. That's not what it means. Humility means everything in its proper place. So something doesn't take up more space than it ought. Now that is also a fraught definition because we can add onto that all kinds of misogynistic homophobic and racist terms about how much space something ought to take up. What that really comes down to is not centering ourselves anywhere really, because we are not the main character of the [00:02:00] story. It's about taking up the space, deserved the space that is required for the thing to have. If you've done something and you want to celebrate it, celebrate. That is not an in humble act. If every time you have a conversation with somebody you were bragging about a thing. Then it is taking up an excess space. Brian: An easy exercise. Entertaining exercise to do. And everybody's daily life. Is when you're in a conversation with somebody or actually when there's a group of people. Having a conversation. And it's your time to. Not be involved with the conversation, just observe and watch. You will see. Someone inevitably. Start stepping over other people's moments to speak. Because humility is knowing, this is the moment where I'm supposed to occupy this space of the conversation. [00:03:00] And then knowing in other moments, I'm not supposed to occupy the conversation. And inevitably you'll have a conversation where say somebody is talking about something in their personal life. And it is on the focuses on them or on the subject of their conversation. And another person will step in and be like, and it's all about me. And me. And be, and completely forget. Like. That was not the topic at that point. It's very interesting. Way to see, oh, this is what is humble. And this is what is not humble. You know, How to occupy those spaces because it always fluctuates. It changes. Charlie: This is where I like to apply what I, in my own brain called the Muppets rule. Miss piggy is too boastful. And Kermit is too quiet. Brian: They're both not humble. Because Kermit at times needs to be more assertive [00:04:00] needs to fill the leadership role. That Kermit. Is cast in and at times, miss piggy. Needs to step back. And not be in the leadership role when she is not supposed to be in the leadership role. There are times when she is supposed to be . A facilitator or a leader. And. Times when she is supposed to be outspoken. Charlie: So learning to have this. Much more proper view. And embodiment of humility really is the heart of everything that we're talking about in all of our spiritual work. I was talking about this with a friend the other day who is just learning. Magic and just learning to walk the path. One of the things that I brought up is how people very often get up in their head and are like, oh, I am so special because I am interacting with the grand energies of the cosmos. I am interacting with the grand spirits of the cosmos that yeah, everyone does on a daily [00:05:00] basis. You're just more conscious of it and not special. That's called being a live. I think that's where. We get really lost and confused in a lot of this. The Imperial church especially has wanted to relegate mystical activity and any true connection with spirit. To something that only a chosen few have access to. That when we start having those experiences. We tend to puff ourselves up and go, I am one of the chosen, I am one of the blessing ones and that's no, you're like the rest of us. You're just allowing yourself to be conscious of the experience that most people ignore or allow to go unremarked upon. It's rabbi David Cooper points out in his wonderful book. God is a Verb. The point of all of this is to learn to be Goding. G O D I N G. Goding, [00:06:00] we are living God in every moment and in everything that we do and in so doing, we are interacting with angelic and demonic forces, angelic forces, being those that are bringing benefit and blessing and good into our lives. And demonic forces bringing in misfortune and illness and back bad things into our lives. Everyone is experiencing those every day. They may not be labeling them angelic and demonic but to many people when they start using those labels are suddenly like all I have the center of the great cosmic war for the universe. Because angels and demons are warring over me. And that is not the case. I think that when we start talking about inspiration, which is a big part of the work is learning to access that Imbas to access that Awen. Again, people feel special. Ah, the inspiration is upon me. Because again, the Imperial [00:07:00] church has locked this idea of the great men who wrote the Bible. Did so under the inspiration of God. The awen of God. The Shifa of God, the influx of power. Can you came upon them. And so again, only special people. No, no, it's not only special people. These are the people that have been remembered. Not everyone will be remembered but everyone has access to those energies to that inspiration to that influx of divine. Power that can come in and give us the strength that we need to accomplish great and amazing things. That is really what needs to be celebrated here. Look, I grew up in a Baptist church. I grew up in non-denominational churches and evangelical churches. And it's not uncommon. To hear people say, That you should just give God the glory for all the things that happened in your life. I'm not opposed to [00:08:00] that. But if you are doing that in such a way that you are. Not allowing yourself to have any apparent agency. This is a word we've used a lot here. This freewill, this agency. That as we're reminded by the apostles, the spirit of the prophet is subject to the will of the prophet. We are not blind puppets in any of this. So when we allow ourselves to remember that, And act from that place. We are participating. As Matthew Fox. And his book, original blessing reminds us. We are co-creators with God. We are cooperating with the divine to make this world what it is. That cooperation deserves celebration. Bye the way most people give glory to God. It is in a way that deprecates. Their own contribution. Brian: Once again, God wants your love. Not your sacrifice. Even if it's [00:09:00] sacrifice of your own. We'll or a sacrifice of your own. personhood, that's not humility. God wants you to occupy that space that they have given you. That they have put you here to occupy. And doing anything less than that is actually in a way sacrilegious. Yes. You're supposed to. That's your space. I enjoy it. and celebrate it. Charlie: And you need to take it as your own. We talk about Elijah in a lot of ways, I've often marveled at how he had a problem with this, right? He can stay in there on the mountain and called down the fire of God onto the literally has water poured upon it. Sacrifice on the hill, right? Demonstrating all this divine power and then slaughter. 500 people in the riot that ensues afterwards. Right? But. He then flees into the mountains and hides because he's unworthy. I think this shows the imposter syndrome that we get ourselves into and why [00:10:00] it is important to. Learn how to celebrate our works. We're in this season of Lunasa. So we're in the season of harvest the first fruits and we're taking time to. Either collect or recognize the labors that we have done so far this year and celebrating. Those harvests. Brian: It is also so important to celebrate one's works because, To get into the forces of evil or darkness or energies that work against us. Through bringing us down. There are the direct optimizational ones, the ones that use violence that try to take. Ours are piece from us. But there is also the more insidious where it tricks us. It works within our free will, but it tricks us to give it up. In understanding humility in particular as moments to celebrate our words. It makes it much harder to get tricked into giving up our own peace. If you're giving up [00:11:00] our personhood. In giving up that space. That we are supposed to occupy. It helps to protect us from giving ground. To evil, I guess you could say to be very old-school biblical about it. Charlie: Also many of the works that we are called to. Are very long-term projects that may never be finished in our lifetime. When we're talking about Tikkun Olam the restoration of the world, right? The. Mystical work that we're doing. The. Just building a good family . For those who have children, you may not know. The end result of what, of, what you've done with your children. Because their lives will. God willing. Extend beyond yours, right? So many of the works that we do have such a long-term. outcome, right? Brian: This is where I like to remember. The phrase that you taught me. I strive daily to make perfect to that, which God has already made. Perfect. [00:12:00] That's Paul Paul. Strive daily. Every day, it's a struggle. Every day. It's not done. It's never done. It's never completed. Every day, I work with humility. For sure. These I don't pay. Backslide every day I should be celebrating creep, you know? The worms and celebrating. And recognizing them. Charlie: And when we don't take time for those little celebrations. Because the great work we'll not be finished in our lifetime. the grand vision of a utopian world where all perfection rains, and there is no sorrow or grief, and we have cured all disease. Whether or not, you think we will ever get there or not. It is a worthy goal to strive for. Right. We want the world to be a better place and succeeding only better in every generation. We won't get there. It's not, there's not going to be. It's so far off in the future. The idea that we will [00:13:00] have anything remotely like a panacea and we probably won't have a actual panacea. We will have a whole bunch of medicines. That help cure and treat various ailments. But we need to celebrate every little thing. You get a little sketch done celebrate it. You get a little story done, a little poem done. Celebrate it. You finished cooking dinner, celebrate it. In celebrating those little victories. We are reminded that good things are happening. This is the greatest tool of the enemy. When Paul says we wrestle not against flesh and blood. But against powers and principalities in high places. This is one of the things that he's talking about. That. It's not talking about just, oh, there are demons. It's these pervasive attitudes of, oh, it's not, you're not really doing enough. You will never be able to do enough. This [00:14:00] is an incremental change. It's not going to actually amount to anything. There's so much negativity and cynicism. That is perpetrated in the world because it empowers those who are already entrenched in power to get us to believe that what little we can do. Isn't actually worth doing, because it isn't achieving the grand sweeping goals that we want to achieve. Look, I am very open about my opinions, about a lot of things that we should have as far as healthcare and various political. Stances right. But I am opposed to the revolution. The reason for that is not because I don't think that it would be glorious if we could snap our fingers and suddenly make everything right with the world. I know history. History teaches us that. Revolutions tend to fail. Revolutions. I become solipsistic. They turn into themselves. They start seeking [00:15:00] the enemies of the revolution. And become their own downfall. They sowed the seeds of their own downfall. I think this is very well typified by the French revolution. The French revolution had lofty and beautiful plans. Beautiful goals. Beautiful aspirations. That led to the terror and led to a whole bunch of people having their heads chopped off, which led to a revolution that led to another revolution that led to Napoleon. So all of this democratic fervor gave us the first emperor of France. Oh, that backfired. And we can see this also in the American revolution. The American revolution led to the civil war. All of the compromises, all of the grand statements, all of the very abrupt change that was tried to have in the creation of the United States. It makes a direct line. to. The civil war, the civil war was inevitable. Through the three-fifths compromise [00:16:00] through. Just, we can go through the whole list. Abrupt revolution, sows, the seeds of its own destruction. Because if people aren't ready for the revolution, this is the problem that Christianity had in the first three centuries. Here comes Jesus. Broke into history. With this radical idea. And it really shouldn't be a radical idea, but it is. Said in Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy 2000 years after somebody was nailed to a tree for saying, wouldn't it be awfully nice. If we were kind to each other. Which is, Hey. Great summation. Of what happened, love God with all your heart, mind, and spirit and love your neighbor as yourself. Ooh, crucify him. But that radical idea. And it is a radical idea. Because he. Talked about being nice to people outside your tribe. Outside your kin group, outside your language group. , he very much just talking about taking care of people outside your social economic class. . You should treat the [00:17:00] poor, well, the people that who are in prison. The people who are hungry, who are thirsty. He tells the story about the good Samaritan. He's this, these are radical thoughts. And radical ideas. That. I don't think strike us as radical as they were at the time. And this is why they had to be co-opted by empire. They had to be co-opted by empire. They're too radical to survive. What we see throughout history. How did this movement then continue. The Roman empire was great at crushing things that didn't like. We don't talk about Apollonius or Mithraism. Or, or, or, or right. But Christianity survived. Partially because it was successfully co-opted. But also because there were too many people. Who felt this change who felt this kinship? Who felt this connection? We're celebrating it even in quiet. In the secret places in [00:18:00] overt places. They celebrated the work. And it was able to survive. Down to us today. That even with all of the problems caused by the very overtly Imperial church that we see in Rome. To the evangelical. Christian nationalism that is threatening to take over the country. There are still those who hear the still small voice. The simple message. Love one another. This is how they will know you, that you love one another. As I have loved you. This is the message we get from Christ. And it is so simple that it sounds trite. But it is the hardest. Thing. To do. And if we're not celebrating all of the little victories. Yes, we want peace on earth. But ending squabble in your family is part of bringing peace on earth. Yes, we want to make sure everyone is fed. But, you know what? Sometimes finding enough money to make sure that your kids have lunches. These little moments [00:19:00] of celebration. And they could be tiny. when I was a kid. I didn't understand why we said grace before meals. it's a weird thing to do. I'm hungry. I've had to smell this food being prepared all this time. And now we're going to stop. Most of the time in our family, we said silent grace. We'd no one actually prayed over the food. We all just stopped. About our heads for a minute. And then someone would say, amen. And that's when we knew we could eat it wasn't something that we actively. Took part in, right. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't a group effort. For the most part, it was only on holidays and special occasions that somebody would say grace for everyone. And it's weird. Why are we doing this? I've smelled this food being prepared. I'm hungry. It's right here. Why can't I eat? And it's because taking that little moment of celebration. Either to say, thank you for the person who cooked the meal, which is. Frighteningly lacking in most people saying grace. Somebody made that food [00:20:00] for you. Your mom, your dad. Your spouse, somebody made it. A friend of yours, whose house here at a chef at a restaurant that you're sitting there, somebody made that food. You may have made that food. But somebody made that food and you should be. Thankful and grateful and celebrate. That process and of itself, but also taking that moment. Because I grew up. I'm in a family of farmers with. A lot of farmers around us. To be thankful to the people who grew the food. To the animals. They gave their lives for that food. To the plants. They grew those vegetables in that those fruits. Taking that time to be grateful. To be thankful to celebrate. All of the work, all of the work that you didn't see, you weren't there when that seed was planted and that. Plant was tended in heart and harvested. All the people that it took to get it from that farm. To the store, to the table. To celebrate that. Gives meaning to [00:21:00] what you're having. And you realize that you are part of a community. Every time you sit down and have a meal. You were part of a community, even if you. And this is what drives me. Wild about people who are like, oh, I did this all myself. No you didn't. If you grew that carrot. Planted the seed. From a seed that you had harvested before. With season before. I grew that carrot. Harvested that carrot. Cooked that carrot. You still didn't do it alone. Rain. All of the soil, bacteria, all of the worms, all of the insects that help to fertilize and make things possible. There's a whole myriad. Of creatures that were responsible for bringing that carrot onto your plate. Beyond you, we never do anything. You can't even digest your food alone. The gut bacteria that live within you, the flora and fauna inside of you. Make available to you, the [00:22:00] nutrients in there, you can't even digest your food alone. Taking that moment of celebration. For all of that work. That you don't see, you don't see all of the little bugs that are helping you to get the most out of that food inside you, that we're working in the soil. to make sure that plant had the nutrients that it needed. You weren't seeing any of that. Taking that moment. Reminds you that even if you are alone, Even if you're as isolated as you could possibly be. And you grew that plant from seed and harvested and did all that work. You didn't do it alone. We are never alone. That's what celebration. Can bring us. It's not just this gratitude or this moment of peace on, in the great work where we realized. I accomplished something. It's infant testimony, small little piece. Which is great and wonderful, and we need to be celebrating this thing. But also reminding ourselves. The vast hoard of [00:23:00] creatures. Big and small. Necessary. For even the smallest thing. To get on your table. We're not alone. We are never alone. And those are the lessons we've learned from celebration. That's what we get. From taking those times that time. And those moments to celebrate. And that's true for everything. You didn't make that painting by yourself. Somebody probably made those paints. And if you made your own paints, somebody probably harvested the materials that were made for those paints. And even if you harvested those materials for yourself, they came from plants and minerals and stuff that had an entire cosmos. Conspiring for those pigments to come into being. That's what it means to give God the glory. When you give God the glory for what happens. God is living in all things. God is the one in whom we live moving. RB and not just us, everything, the cats, the dogs. The ants, the butterflies. The little bacteria. And [00:24:00] the great storms. They all have their being in the OneLife. That interconnectedness, that. Profoundly. Deep interconnectedness. Needs celebration. Because as I've said, It's way too many times people are probably tired of hearing me say it. We are forgetful. We are easily distracted. The little pains that we have in our lives. Can I quickly make us forget of all the friends that we've ever had. All of the good things that have ever happened to us. That's where gratitude and celebration come in. They're taking those moments to remember. To celebrate and to be glad in it. I think that's a pretty good thing. I think that's something we should be doing more of. In every aspect of our lives. Every time we finish an episode of the show. We have a little bit of celebration. Y cause we got another one recorded. Every time. Every step along the way from doing the thumbnails, that show up. To getting it [00:25:00] posted a little bit of celebration. ' cause it's work. It's labor. And it can become monotony. It can become drudgery. Every time I write a word, a sentence. A story. A little bit of celebration. In fact, this is one of the reasons why in my own personal life, I've started writing short stories again. Because every idea I've been working on are these grand epic tomes that take forever to do. Charlie: And I know I need these moments of celebration where I can celebrate the work. So I'm going to write some short stories. Harvest a little bit of that joy. That little bit of those little moments of, I finished a story. Yay. And really have that joy in my life. Because while I agree with tick, not Han. That basic joy is there. Because no matter how depressed I've been in my life and I have. Suffered from depression off and on my entire life. You breathe. You enter that mindful state, basic joy is sitting there waiting. It [00:26:00] is. We're easily distracted from it. And so celebrating is how to remind ourselves. Hey. Pay attention. There are good things. Don't ignore the good things. I hope this has meant something for you. I hope that this has helped you out. Celebrate something. In fact, if you go to https://www.creationspaths.com/. Find this episode. And in the comments there. Let us know. What are you celebrate? If you're listening to us on Spotify right there. Right. Where you're listening to us, you can comment right there. let us know. what are you celebrating? If you're watching us on YouTube or YouTube. Just under the dupli. Do.You can leave a comment, let us know what you're celebrating. Celebrate. Just take a moment and say, I am happy take a moment to celebrate. And while you're there, if you haven't liked subscribed or any of the things that you can do on all of the platforms that this podcast is out on, that really helps us out a lot. Also remember sharing what we're doing really helps us out a lot. If you're subscribed to our email list for [00:27:00] the email to somebody you think would really like this episode. share us on your social media, that helps out a lot. And of course, if you have a few pennies that you can throw our way, if you head over to https://www.creationspaths.com/, you can join the sub stack over there, which helps us out a lot. Also, we're going to be putting out some classes over there that you will get first access to. If you're supporting us over there. You want us to support us on https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett and patreon.com/cedorsett on both. And. That goes to support everything that I'm doing, the art, the music, the stories. And this. thank you so very, very much for listening. Blessing and light be upon you in all of your endeavors. Amen. Brian: Amen.[00:28:00] Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Today we talk about the biggest mass ritual events of all time- the 2024 Olympics! We'll analyze the symbolism behind the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics mascots called the Phyrges! We'll talk about it's connections to the French Revolution and how it goes back to the occult art of Alchemy! We'll revisit Roman's Mithraism, solar worship, the Assassins and find out if the 2024 Olympics are illuminate confirm!LAST CHANCE: 80% off sale for VIP Section link: https://illuminatiwatcher.com/coupon-code-for-80-off-vip-section-limited-to-first-100-people-expires-july-1st-2024/Links:NEW SUPER SOFT SHIRTS ON https://gumroad.com/isaacw:"THESE NERDS ARE GONNA KILL US": https://isaacw.gumroad.com/l/vdfwtm"FREE FEED LOSER": https://isaacw.gumroad.com/l/mjdvfShow sponsors- Get discounts while you support the show and do a little self improvement!*CopyMyCrypto.com/Isaac is where you can copy James McMahon's crypto holdings- listeners get access for just $1WANT MORE?...Check out my UNCENSORED show with my wife, Breaking Social Norms: https://breakingsocialnorms.com/GRIFTER ALLEY- get bonus content AND go commercial free + other perks:*PATREON.com/IlluminatiWatcher : ad free, HUNDREDS of bonus shows, early access AND TWO OF MY BOOKS! (The Dark Path and Kubrick's Code); you can join the conversations with hundreds of other show supporters here: Patreon.com/IlluminatiWatcher (*Patreon is also NOW enabled to connect with Spotify! https://rb.gy/hcq13)*VIP SECTION: Due to the threat of censorship, I set up a Patreon-type system through MY OWN website! IIt's even setup the same: FREE ebooks, Kubrick's Code video! Sign up at: https://illuminatiwatcher.com/members-section/*APPLE PREMIUM: If you're on the Apple Podcasts app- just click the Premium button and you're in! NO more ads, Early Access, EVERY BONUS EPISODE More from Isaac- links and special offers:*BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS podcast, Index of EVERY episode (back to 2014), Signed paperbacks, shirts, & other merch, Substack, YouTube links & more: https://allmylinks.com/isaacw *STATEMENT: This show is full of Isaac's useless opinions and presented for entertainment purposes. Audio clips used in Fair Use and taken from YouTube videos. 

Too see the video presentation go to our YouTube Spotify isn't allowing me to upload the Video: https://youtu.be/6kJnyTHquzU?si=iLxMT032c7aSzfPj Josh Monday Christian and Conspiracy Podcast Ep. 190 If you want to donate to the Ministry or Buy the Mug Here is our CashAPP: https://cash.app/$Joshmondaymusic Flat Earth Books by Sakal Publishing Affiliate Link: https://booksonline.club/Joshmonday/booksonlineclubref1/40/ Tiktok: Joshmonday_podcast Instagram: Joshmonday_podcast You tube: ⁠ @joshmondaymusicandpodcast ⁠ Tips for the show to Support our Ministry: ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/joshmondayj⁠ Coffee Mug Is Available email me your mailing address Joshmonday⁠@rocketmail.com ⁠ Please subscribe to our Spotify and You Tube Channel Joshmondaymusic and Podcast and help us grow so we can keep on spreading the good news. To all of our current and future subscribers thank you for your time, we appreciate you. Please do us a favor subscribe to our You Tube Channel, hit that bell, share, like and comment below on our You tube. Please leave us a 5-Star review on Apple and Spotify. This week we have returning guest Brandon Kroll. Brandon is the host of The Manna Podcast and an awesome researcher. His shows always come packed full of an amazing presentation. This is the caption on his Rumble for this show. Does the ancient religion of Babel with the symbiotic hosts of Nephilim possession and the son of perdition play any part with a modern political movement's leader? This is the type of intuative subjects Brandon loves to tear into. Please tune in to find out and to see his presentation. Brandons Rumble Account: https://rumble.com/user/MannaDailyPodcast Brandons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonlkroll_krollology_101/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/josh-monday/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/josh-monday/support

Bob Plimer Ancient Greek, Latin and Egyptian and their Occult practice and Jazz Piano. Bob Plimer is an extraordinary guy. He is an expert in Classics and has written several excellent books on alchemy, Mithraism, and Hermetica, and he is a fantastic Jazz Pianist. We go down the rabbit hole of creativity, mysticism and music. This is a cracking episode. Bob runs the excellent Black Lodge Publishing Www.blacklodgepublishing.com. Check it out   To support the podcast and get access to features about guitar playing and song writing visit https://www.patreon.com/vichyland and also news for all the creative music that we do at Bluescamp UK and France visit www.bluescampuk.co.uk   For details of the Ikaro music charity visit www.ikaromusic.com   Big thanks to Josh Ferrara for the music  

Courtenay Turner & David B. Gosselin discuss themes from his substack series “Slaying Mithra”, exploring how ancient cults are being revived via new age cults and self help movements. ▶Follow & Connect with David. B. Gosselin: ✩Site: https://www.thechainedmuse.com/ ✩Substack: https://ageofmuses.substack.com ✩Twitter: https://twitter.com/gosselin_b ----------------------------------------------- ▶ Help Send Courtenay To Fight The WHO: https://www.givesendgo.com/medical_freedom ________________________________________________ ▶ Follow & Connect with Courtenay:
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Transcript Address: https://share.descript.com/view/8LPSJFjDE7xGarry and Steve continue their speculations on Early Christion by discussing the potential impact of organizational structure on Christianity's success, comparing the organizational structure of different religious groups, exploring the influence of Mithraism, and considering the implications of a strong Jewish wing within the Christian Church. They also touch on the complexities of Gnostic beliefs and their potential influence on the church. History in the Bible Podcast: historyinthebible.comYou can learn more about the History of Papacy and subscribe at all these great places: https://atozhistorypage.start.pageTo Subscribe: https://www.spreaker.com/show/history-of-the-papacy-podcast_1Email Us: steve@atozhistorypage.comSupport Us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthepapacyParthenon Podcast Network: parthenonpodcast.comThe History of the Papacy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@atozhistoryHelp out the show by ordering these books from Amazon! https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1MUPNYEU65NTFMusic Provided by:"Sonatina in C Minor" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Funeral March for Brass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Crusade Heavy Perfect Loop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Agnus Dei X - Bitter Suite Kevin MacLeaod (incomptech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Begin Transcript:

Walter Veith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is available at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazing Discoveries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Walter is⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Seventh Day Advententast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. I am not. Here is Walter Veith and his take on things as of October 2011. ~ The Video: Are the Teachings of the Catholic Church Biblical or Pagan? - The Wine of Babylon ~ Is Catholicism pagan? This episode traces the ancient religion of Babylon from its origins to the very time in which we live. See evidence that this ancient religion is alive and well in religious systems of our day, dressed in a garb to suitably camouflage it from the eyes of the casual observer. Could the most powerful church in the world be pagan at its heart? Learn about mother-child worship in ancient cultures, the use of sun worship symbols in Catholicism, and occult influences in cathedrals like St. John's Lateran. Discover the occult language of ancient sun worship in the heart of Catholicism. Click here to download the PDF Study Guide for this lecture ~ We must study prophecy [1:28] Wine of Babylon [1:52] Tower of Babel [3:26] Babylon is fallen [4:36] Spiritual Babylon [5:29] Unclean Spirit of Babylon - False Prophet [7:01] Components of Babylon [8:59] Christianity adopted Paganism [9:32] Ancient Paganism brought into Christianity [10:56] Ancient gods (Chaldeans) [12:12] Gods and their ancient origins [13:58] Ancient Israel Paganism [15:33] Origin of religion [16:43] How deities were worshiped [18:47] Pagan symbols compared to Catholicism [22:18] Paganism in Catholicism [26:33] Pan in Catholicism and Yannois [28:15] St. John lantern + St Petersburg, Vatican [29:28] Doors of Paganism and the rocks, frogs, papal door [32:10] The papal keys/pinecones [34:34] Carrying high priest in Paganism vs Catholicism [35:47] Triple crown Paganism vs Catholicism [36:50] Mother and child worship Paganism vs Catholicism [38:11] Pagan sun symbols in cathedrals [41:08] Queen Mary [41:48] Portrayal of Mary ; Queen of heaven [42:58] Old Israel and spiritual israel both duked [48:58] IHS [49:33] Pagan symbols in cathedrals [51:54] Mary in cave, goddess of the grove [54:26] Goddess coming out of cave in Chinese Pagan religion [56:47] Goddess standing on serpent head, Mary standing on serpent head [57:53] Mary becomes savior [59:07] Walter Veith tells story of Mary in Syria [1:00:06] Paganism in Catholicism [1:01:50] The holy stairs [1:04:01] Mass [1:05:24] Eating of bread: Pagan, half moon and circle placed inside of it [1:07:29] Mithraism, sun moon and stars [1:13:11] Sun worship [1:17:50] Halos [1:21:13] Cross/Anhk [1:22:08] Mary lightning [1:22:52] Pagan statues in Catholicism, hand symbols [1:23:13] Ying yang symbol in Roman Catholic cathedral [1:24:14] The trident [1:26:16] Fleur du lei [1:27:04] Beads/rosary [1:27:44] Eye of Osiris [1:28:54] Shell symbol [1:30:21] The globe [1:31:46] Heart worship [1:32:31] Astrology in the Roman Catholic Church [1:32:41] Pinecone in Catholicism [1:34:16] Pagan feasts in Christianity [1:36:26] Dragon worship [1:45:06] Solar wheels [1:47:15] ~ Subscribe to their ⁠YouTube Channel Visit their ⁠website⁠ Watch More ~~~~~~~ From ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Me I am not SDA. I just love Walter's humor and passion for the Word. I don't love that he thinks the only begotton Son is also the Father, and so much more. But here he is in all his zeal. ~ Eat the meat and spit out the bones. Beware of cults. And be good. ~~~ I just rebroadcast publicly available content. Propagate it. Share it. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Me Please Rate or Review ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or anywhare that's actually cool. ~~~ This work is licensed under a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/begoodbroadcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/begoodbroadcast/support

Some brief recollections of the Montana megafloods tour and RC 1st trip into Scablands region, then looking ahead to future events inspires RC to recall the books and sequences of study that turned on his scientific research gene in the late 70's, with some accurate clues that got him tracking toward Atlantis. Hapgood bibliography was another great inspiration into Catastrophism. Crustal shift ideas exchanged that morph into Great Year and Mithraism predicting windows for possible extreme events, such as the widespread Bronze Age collapse. And those credentialed scientists providing evidence on these events are being censored by the dictations of political agendas, landing us in a strange place where the curious act of asking a question is outlawed. Kosmographia Ep101 of The Randall Carlson Podcast, with Brothers of the Serpent – Kyle and Russ, Normal Guy Mike, and GeocosmicREX admin Bradley, from 10/02/23

Four more speculations.  I argue that an important element of Christianity's success was that it quickly transformed itself into what I call the imperial church incorporate. Would Christianity have succeeded had it not done so?  Second, could Mithraism have triumphed over the church?  Third, could the Gnostic variants of Christianity come to dominate?  Finally, the Jewish arm of the church vanished after the Bar Kosiva revolt of 132. What might have happened had that group survived and thrived?  

“The Randall Carlson” socials, VoD titles, tours, events, podcasts, merch shop, donate: https://randallcarlson.com/links Some brief recollections of the Montana megafloods tour and RC 1st trip into Scablands region, then looking ahead to future events inspires RC to recall the books and sequences of study that turned on his scientific research gene in the late 70's, with some accurate clues that got him tracking toward Atlantis. Hapgood bibliography was another great inspiration into Catastrophism. Crustal shift ideas exchanged that morph into Great Year and Mithraism predicting windows for possible extreme events, such as the widespread Bronze Age collapse. And those credentialed scientists providing evidence on these events are being censored by the dictations of political agendas, landing us in a strange place where the curious act of asking a question is outlawed. Kosmographia Ep101 of The Randall Carlson Podcast, with Brothers of the Serpent – Kyle and Russ, Normal Guy Mike, and GeocosmicREX admin Bradley, from 10/02/23 In the name of liberty and freedom, please watch this podcast on our new partner platform! Please join us here: https://www.howtube.com/channels/RandallCarlson LINKS: May Scablands & September Columbia Gorge: https://contactatthecabin.com Tim Hogan on KosmographiaLIVE ep029: https://youtube.com/live/6E2WJhwfnC0 Templar Knight Hogan in Nashville: https://WestNashvillePhoenix.org/shop Airbursts and Cratering Impacts journal: https://www.scienceopen.com/collection/9aae92f3-66ba-4b71-a74b-51b9995c56e5 Available Video on Demand titles: https://www.howtube.com/playlist/view?PLID=381 "Here Be Dragons" Part 1of3+ Cosmic Summit '23 (20+ hours) Mysterious Origins of Halloween and the Ancient Day of the Dead Festivals Sacred Geometry introductory workshop, plus lectures (14+ hours) “Plato's Atlantis” (7 hours of geologic deep-dive in two parts) http://www.RandallCarlson.com has the podcast, RC's blog, galleries, and products to purchase! T-shirts, variety of MERCH here: https://randallcarlson.com/shop/ Activities Board: https://randallcarlson.com/tours-and-events/ RC's monthly science news and activities: https://randallcarlson.com/newsletter Randall with Joe Rogan ep1772 https://open.spotify.com/episode/190slemJsUXH5pEYR6DUbf RC with Graham Hancock on JRE 1897 “Ancient Apocalypse” Netflix series and new technology announcement: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xvmTo09BFMd6tJfJPmmvT Malcolm Bendall presents on MSAART Plasmoid Revolution: https://www.howtube.com/channels/StrikeFoundationEarth Full listing of scientific papers about the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis: https://cosmictusk.com Support Randall Carlson's efforts to discover and share pivotal paradigm-shifting information! Improve the quality of the podcast and future videos. Allow him more time for his research into the many scientific journals, books, and his expeditions into the field, as he continues to decipher the clues that explain the mysteries of our past, and prepare us for the future... Contribute to RC thru howtube: https://www.howtube.com/channels/RandallCarlson#tab_donate Make a one-time donation thru PayPal, credit/debit card or other account here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8YVDREQ9SMKL6&source=url Contribute monthly to receive bonus content and perks: https://patreon.com/RandallCarlson Email us at Kosmographia1618@gmail.com OR Contact@RandallCarlson.com Small class lectures "Cosmography 101" from '06-'09 on Brad's original channel: https://youtube.com/geocosmicrex Kosmographia logo and design animation by Brothers of the Serpent Check out their podcast: http://www.BrothersoftheSerpent.com/ ep108 with RC and Bradley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZC4nsOUxqI Theme “Deos” and bumper music by Fifty Dollar Dynasty: http://www.FiftyDollarDynasty.net/ Video recording, editing and publishing by Bradley Young with YSI Productions LLC (copyrights) with audio mastered by Kyle Allen and Chris James.

With the Christmas season comes a lot of popular Christian myths. And they're hardly limited to the holiday's pagan origins. Also, answering some listener mail about fear of other people's beliefs, and Satanic ritual protocol.

Health for the body:Health for the soul:The pope recently came out against corruption at the Vatican and also took a strong stance against Freemasonry, saying the values of this secret society are “incompatible” with the Catholic faith. For those who know their history there is great irony in these words, and today we will learn just how ironic they are by looking at the Alumbrados, the Jesuits, the French Revolution and the history of occult organizations like the Freemasons. Spoiler alert: these all have something in common. Timeline* 00:00 - Introduction* 09:47 - Alumbrados* 15:18 - Spiritual Exercises* 23:34 - Adam Weishaupt, the Jesuits, Mithraism, the Occult & The French Revolution* 52:11 - Putting it All TogetherReferencesPope: ‘Extreme vigilance' needed in fight against Vatican corruptionhttps://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-vatican-office-auditor-general-corruption-independence.htmlHe Might Have Been Pope. Instead, He May Go to Prison.https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/cardinal-vatican-embezzlement-pope-francis-d66b1c83Vatican confirms Catholics still forbidden to join Masonic lodgeshttps://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-11/vatican-catholics-still-forbidden-masonic-lodge.htmlAlumbradoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlumbradosSpiritual Exerciseshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_ExercisesAdam Weishaupthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_WeishauptDeclaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_CitizenIs there actual evidence that the Jesuits really helped to instigate the French Revolution?https://www.quora.com/Is-there-actual-evidence-that-the-Jesuits-really-helped-to-instigate-the-French-RevolutionThe history of Marianne's caphttp://aramis.obspm.fr/~heydari/divers/marianne-eng.htmlMithraismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MithraismThe Art of Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_WarFreemasonryhttps://www.hamiltondistrictcmasons.org/upload/lecture_file87.pdfSuperior General of the Society of Jesushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_General_of_the_Society_of_Jesus Get full access to The Dance of Life Podcast with Tudor Alexander at www.danceoflife.com/subscribe

Get Rise.TV for 25% off and watch New Episodes a week early! [Part 2] Historical information shows a deliberate attempt to change the face of Christianity. Could spiritual faith have been hijacked, and even certain dates been changed? How about yule logs, wreaths, Babylonian symbolism, and other ancient symbols being incorporated into Christmas celebrations over time? Hear the shocking battle between Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas), Arius, Emperor Constantine, and Christendom at the Council of Nicaea that may have changed all of history. Discover strange information about Nimrod, Mithraism, and ancient cults. Between John Vivanco's viewing data about the Council of Nicaea, and Rob Counts' investigative research into history, this is another Metaphysical show that's out of this world.

Episode 242 – Jesus’ Attributes Were Not “Borrowed” Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 11, verse 25, New Living Translation “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 6, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books, and part-time event planning consultant. He rearranges the chairs in the conference room when we have meetings. Today on Anchored by Truth, as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, we want to continue our series where we focus on the life and ministry of Jesus. And we want to continue listening to Crystal Sea’s epic Christmas poem The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion. Frost Lion is the third part of the Golden Tree trilogy. The first installment of the Golden Tree saga was The Golden Tree: Komari’s Quest and copies of it are available from our website which is crystalseabooks.com. Even though we’re playing Frost Lion on our broadcasts and podcasts it has not yet been released for people to get their own copy but that will happen in the near future. Today we’re coming to part five out of seven of the poem. So, we’re getting close to bringing it home, right RD? RD: We are indeed. For any listeners who weren’t able to be with us for our last couple of episodes we should tell them that The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion is a poem that is written in the style of some classic Christmas stories. It was written in seven parts and each part ends in a sort of cliffhanger. So, now that we’re at part five we’re pretty deep into the story. But just as a quick refresher The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion is about a group of small koala bears who live in the Artic in valley that’s green and warm because in the middle of the valley is a Golden Tree that keeps the valley warm and fertile. They’ve been there for several generations but just as Christmas season is approaching two teenage bears, Koest and Kopaul, were on a high hill near their town when the spotted a dark shape crossing the snow and ice. The strange shape turned out to be a bear named Roleb. Roleb came from the village their ancestors had left many generations ago and had travelled with a friend who got lost. Roleb and his friend were travelling to the arctic to search for help for their village which had lost its faith. Thanks to the wisdom of the village elders, Kodan and Kojon, the bears have been able to summon an ice eagle. But what can this ice eagle do? What will this ice eagle do … if anything? VK: Sounds like we’re getting to the good part. So, let’s continue with the story. Here’s part five of Crystal Seas’ Christmas epic poem: The Golden Tree, The Frost Lion. ---- The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion – Part 5 VK: Ok. So, the bears from the village have now found Roleb’s lost friend. But it’s too late. Roleb’s friend has died from the cold. So, it seems as if Roleb’s whole journey to the north has been for nothing. That seems very sad – if that was how the story ended. But, of course, it hasn’t ended yet. So, maybe all hope isn’t lost. And, knowing you, the answer to finding out whether anything can be done for Roleb and his friend is …to tune in next time. RD: That sounds like a brilliant suggestion. And maybe listeners could gather some family members to join them ... VK: Sounds even better. Listening to Golden Tree as a family could be a great way for parents or grandparents to connect with their kids and help them develop their faith. It would also make a great centerpiece for a home school study group or church youth group discussion about the role that courage and commitment play in the Christian faith – something that’s particularly relevant as we get closer and closer to Christmas. RD: Right. Somebody once said that the Christian faith is so simple that even children can comprehend enough about it to understand the plan of salvation. But even though we can begin with the faith of a child we should pursue the goal of developing a truly mature faith. God will meet us and help us wherever we are in our faith journey but He isn’t satisfied with leaving us at the starting line. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus doesn’t just initiate our faith. He also wants to perfect it. And part of perfecting our faith is ensuring that we understand what the Bible tells us about Jesus. VK: Well, so far we’ve seen that there are extra-Biblical sources that confirm that Jesus was a real historical figure who lived and died in Judea during the time period described by the Bible. But we’ve also seen that as helpful as it is to know that there are secular sources that confirm Jesus’ life that those sources aren’t enough to tell us everything that we need to know about Jesus. We can only get a complete revelation about Jesus from God’s special revelation to people, the Bible. And as we saw in our last episode, and again in today’s scriptures, Jesus’ statements about himself tell us something pretty important: that Jesus is not only fully human but also fully divine. RD: Yes. And so that takes us to the next subject that we need to talk about as we are focusing on the life of Jesus in preparation for celebrating his birth at Christmas. VK: And that is... RD: And that is - that because Jesus is the central figure not just of Christianity, but also the entire Bible, one of the criticisms that’s sometimes directed toward Jesus is that the attributes that the Bible assigns to Jesus were borrowed from other cultures or religious sources. So, Christians need to be familiar with some of the assertions that Jesus’ deeds, especially his miracles, were simply drawn from other religious myths or pagan characters. VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about? RD: Sure. It is has been alleged that Jesus’ miraculous conception isn’t a unique belief. For instance, critics will say that the mythological figure, Hercules, was also supposed to be the son of a divine father – in this case Zeus - and a mortal mother. VK: But, of course, there are significant differences between Hercules purported conception and Jesus. In the Greek legend Hercules mother was named Alcmene (ALK-MEN-EE). Zeus was supposed to have taken on the human form of Alcmene’s husband and deceived Alcmene and slept with her. And that’s how Hercules was conceived. That’s not nearly the same thing as Jesus being born of Mary while Mary was literally still a virgin. RD: The differences are even more pronounced. Hercules was actually the Roman name of a hero the Romans adapted from the Greek Heracles. According to the Greek legend, Heracles’ mother Alcmene was simultaneously pregnant with Heracles by Zeus and his half-brother Iphicles by her husband. And that’s only the beginning of the legendary aspects in Alcmene’s pregnancy with Heracles. So, as soon as you get beyond the superficial similarity and look at the details, the notion that Jesus’ conception was somehow an adaptation of the Heracles/Hercules myth falls apart. But this is a good example of one kind of obviously fallacious attack that’s directed against the historicity of Jesus. VK: So, what you’re saying is that one form of attack that’s leveled at Jesus has to do with a particular attribute of Jesus and then trying to find a parallel somewhere else in a different religion that is obviously false. The critics then try to discredit the life of Jesus by saying that if story A is false, then story B must be false also. RD: Right. But that makes as much sense as saying that if there are two $5 bills on the table and one is counterfeit, the other one must be also which is just silly. So, sometimes the supposed pagan origin of the details of Jesus earthly life and ministry are concerned with specific attributes of Jesus, such as his virgin birth. But sometimes the copycat thesis is less concerned with the specifics of Jesus life and more concerned with generalities that might be associated just about any supernatural figure. VK: Again, do you have any specific examples in mind? RD: For instance, since sickness and disease are obviously a plague on human existence... VK: No pun intended… RD: No pun intended… anyway, the ability to bring miraculous healing would be expected to be a staple of myths or legends. And it is. For example, Asclepius or Asklepios was a Greek demi-god who was the god of medicine. He was supposed to have raised Hippolytus from the dead, though he was killed by Zeus for doing so. Asclepius was supposed to be the son of the god Apollo and a human mother. Buddha was also supposed to have been able to cure the sick. VK: But again, these kinds of general miracle workings of mythological characters vary considerably from the information we have about the miracles that Jesus performed. For instance, in the case of Jesus curing Peter’s mother we have precise details of the location where the miracle was done, the people involved, and even a pretty close approximation to the timing. And many of Jesus’ healings involved specific details that conform to the religious and cultural conventions known to exist. Such as when he healed the lepers and then told them to go show themselves to a priest which was required by Jewish law. And Jesus’ healing miracles weren’t always the cause for celebration the way you would expect of a miracle like when Jesus restored the eyesight of the man born blind. The blind man was rejected by the religious leaders and cast out by them. RD: Exactly. The descriptions of Jesus’ miracles read like historical accounts because they are. Again, the key to drawing distinctions between Jesus’ miracles and those general sorts of miraculous powers that are associated with the pagan sources is in the details. The Bible accounts provide the details and in the majority of cases there are multiple eyewitness accounts. But the case of Buddha provides another way of refuting the claims that the Bible’s descriptions of Jesus are drawn from other sources. The earliest known account of Buddha’s life was written in the 2nd century AD so it came after Jesus and not before it. That’s also true for another supposed religious figure who supposedly served as the source for many of the details of Christ’s life, Mithra. In Mithra’s manifestation during the Roman period he was supposed to have been born on December 25th, had 12 disciples, performed miracles, had a final meal before he died, and rose from the grave after 3 days. VK: And since Mithra was a religious figure that was known to come from the Persian culture, modern day Iran, supposedly he was the inspiration for much of what the disciples taught about Jesus. Right? RD: Right. The earliest mention of Mithra is around 1400 BC so as a religious figure Mithra would pre-date Christ by a considerable time period. But the problem is that the attributes of the Iranian version of Mithra do not correspond to the Roman version. The Roman version of Mithra is best known for slaying a bull whereas there is no known connection to bull slaying in the Iranian version. And a lot of the supposed correspondences between Christ and Mithra appear in the Roman version and the dating of the correspondences is after Christ. VK: So, many scholars believe there might have been some cross pollination between Christ and the Roman version of Mithra but given the timing of the appearance of the similarities it’s far more likely that the legends of Mithra borrowed from Christianity and not vice versa. RD: And that would have been fair because there was one way that Christianity did borrow from Mithraism, in art. In the early part of the 3rd century AD (313), the Roman emperor Constantine issued the edict of Milan which accepted Christianity. Before then the Roman emperors had generally been very hostile to Christians. Within 10 years Christianity had become the official religion of the empire. But by then Mithraism seems to have also gained a strong foothold within the empire as well. In the third and fourth centuries, the Roman church officials seemed to have embarked on an effort to prove that their faith was the superior one, embarked on an advertising campaign. One commentator said their efforts were “reminiscent of our soft drink wars. Mithra was depicted slaying the bull while riding its back; the church did a lookalike scene with Samson killing a lion. Mithra sent arrows into a rock to bring forth water; the church changed that into Moses getting water from the rock at Horeb.” VK: That sounds suspiciously like the law of unintended consequences. The church officials in the 3rd and 4th century went on a campaign to prove that Christianity was superior to Mithraism and 1,600 years later the church now has to defend itself against the claim that Jesus’ life and ministry were the copycat version. RD: I think that’s an excellent observation. And let’s close out with one more, quick example. In Hinduism Krishna was also supposed to have had a miraculous conception so some critics point to that legend as a possible inspiration for the Christian tenant. VK: But in that case, Krishna’s ‘miraculous conception’ is his mom being impregnated by ‘mental transmission’ from his completely human father. Again, not remotely similar to the Bible’s description of how Mary became pregnant. RD: And to add to that – how credible is it that the first Christians, who were largely Jews from Palestine, would have borrowed a legend from a thousand miles away. At a minimum the Jews were fiercely monotheistic whereas Hinduism is distinctly polytheistic. So, this again points to the need to not only examine the varying details of alleged instances of borrowing but also consider the cultural factors that would have been in play. Often either chronological or cultural factors alone will be enough to refute the alleged possibilities. To go back to our earlier example with the money, when new bank tellers are being taught to spot counterfeit dollars they aren’t given lots of counterfeits to study. They’re given lots of real bills to feel and handle. The idea is that if the tellers get so used to touching and handling the real thing, the fakes will become instantly recognizable. That same approach will work when it comes to being able to answer many of the criticisms that are addressed at Christianity and Jesus. VK: And that’s a good lesson for all of us. The more time we spend studying scripture – and developing familiarity with the details of the people, the nations, the geography, the culture – not only will we be able to be confident in our own faith. But we will also be able to point other people to the truth. RD: Precisely. Myths and legends read like myths and legends. They have fantastic details that have little or no correspondence to things in the real world. Good common sense enables us to quickly see elements that don’t make sense in our experience. By contrast, the history contained in the Bible reads like good histories that we see elsewhere. There are specifics about people, places, times, and events and quite often either archeological finds or extra-Biblical records will provide information that helps confirm the Biblical record. VK: Sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today since we’re so close to Christmas let’s listen to a prayer about that special day. ---- Prayer for Christmas VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” We hope you’ll be with us next time as we continue our discussion of the reality of Jesus’ life. We hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show. Also, we’d to remind listeners that copies of The Golden Tree: Komari’s Quest are available from our website. If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quotes from the New Living Translation) The Gospel of John, Chapter 11, verse 25, New Living Translation The Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 6, New Living Translation The Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verse 5, New Living Translation (Sources used for this episode or other in this series) https://creation.com/pagan-copycat-thesis-refuted http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/pagint.php http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/mithra.php

Three great religions have come out of Persia and all of them have influenced world history. First there was Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion, which had significant influence over Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Then there was Mithraism. It began in Persia but, through conquest, it filtered into the Roman pantheon. As a result, there are shrines to it as far away as Hadrian's Wall. Lastly, there is Manichaeism. The religion that is fundamentally rooted in the struggle between good and evil, which is itself a Zoroastrian idea. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Vesta Sarkosh Curtis to discuss Persian religion and all its influence. For bonus episodes, ad-free listening, reading lists, book discounts, a weekly newsletter, and a chat community. Sign up at https://empirepod.supportingcast.fm/ Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

[Part 1] Emperor Constantine was said to have had a vision of something in the sky, which convinced him to convert to Christianity. But was this the whole story? After the Battle of the Milvian Bridge between Constantine and Maxentius, the Arch of Constantine was erected to celebrate his victory. Why were pagan scenes depicted in the arch? Were the “old gods'” ways secretly incorporated into Constantine's rule? The ruling elite at the time were devout followers of the cult of Mithraism, so to whom was Constantine really loyal? When the Metaphysical Podcast started uncovering historical discrepancies, sun worship, Zoroastrianism, and evidence of bull sacrifice, it brought into question the mainstream stories of Constantine. Has the ruler been put on a pedestal and actually become a figure of worship today, adopted from even older objects of devotion? Hear John Vivanco's remote viewing data and Rob Counts' investigative research. Join Metaphysical for a show that's out of this world.

可以搜索公号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】或者添加【luluxjg2】咨询课程or加入社群，查看文稿和其他精彩内容哦~ Keywords1.Types of cults that existed thousands of years ago2.Cults VS. Marketing scheme3.Why start a cult?Welcome back to Geek Time advanced. I'm Brad. Hi, Brad. How's it going Lulu? Yeah. I'm good. I'm ready to talk more about cult.All right. So we're gonna talk a little bit about some of the early cults before like thousands of years ago those types of cults. Oftentimes, cults were considered to be part of like minor religions .So just like pagan beliefs.Definitely, like smaller groups of people having different ideas when the movies we often see them as cannibalistic or something like that really sinister kind of like the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and ripping hearts out of your body, stealing your soul kind of thing.Honestly, I think in terms of Indiana Jones, if you don't mind me saying it, it is a little bit of racial prejudice and it's like mystifying or even vilifying cultures that you don't know perhaps.Yeah, they have those...now one of the actual cults that was kind of like it was almost a runner up to early Christianity was called mithraism.Mithraism.Mithraism yeah. Now that was in the Roman empire. You could see they had these underground places where they would worship and mithraism was kind of like... it was an astrological type of cult, they worshipped space and that type of... it wasn't a particular god or anything like that they worshipped, it was the closest thing to a god you could see was like the Taurus, the bullAlmost sounds like the earlier definition of cult is basically just outside of the mainstream. It doesn't have that destructive element.Yeah. Some of them did, some of them had like they might have had sacrifices, although some people think that those sacrifices may not have actually been people they killed, they may have been people that have just died. And so it's kind of hard to see where it actually happened. It could just be that the bigger religions were trying to vilify them as mentioned earlier, but that's something that was actually this mithraism was actually quite common. They found over 400 sites around Rome where they did worship.

What if the origins of our most beloved holidays aren't as wholesome as we think? In today's episode, we unravel the surprising connections between ancient pagan rituals and our modern celebrations. Listen closely, as we reveal the hidden past of Christmas and Halloween.From the Roman festival of Saturnalia to the Persian religion of Mithraism, we examine the ancient traditions that have shaped our Christmas customs. With Halloween, we delve into the Celtic festival of Samhain and the eerie superstitions that still persist today. As we uncover the Catholic Church's role in blending pagan and Christian celebrations, you may be left questioning some of your favorite holiday traditions!But fear not, for we also discuss the importance of honoring the Word of God above our customs and traditions. We explore the consequences of participating in pagan rituals and provide guidance on how to live a life that truly glorifies God. Let this episode be a starting point for you to reevaluate your own traditions and walk the path of righteousness.Support the showThank you so much for listening and sharing with others! We would very much appreciate you continuing to FOLLOW and LIKE us through any of the following platforms:Website: ourfathersheart.orgPodcast: https://ourfathersheart.buzzsprout.com/shareTwitter: https://twitter.com/@ofathersheart Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ofathersheartYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ourfathersheartRumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/c-877845May God bless you and make you prosperous in Him as you listen and obey His voice!

One of 16 forts along Hadrian's Wall, Carrawburgh Roman Fort is also home to the Temple of Mithras, which was built to worship a Persian god. But who was Mithras, what was Mithraism and why was the temple built here, in northern England? Joining us to reveal all are Senior Properties Historian Paul Pattison and Curator of Hadrian's Wall and the North East Dr Frances McIntosh. To learn more about Roman life along Hadrian's Wall or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/hadrianswall

Episode 93: We conduct a study of the relationship between Mithraism and Christianity. What are the similarities or differences between the two? Is Christianity a form of Mithraism? In this episode we define how Mithraism is a form of idolatry which is not acceptable to the Most-High.  (225) FTF Sound of the Shofar FTF Sound Of The Shofar - YouTube Information on First Tabernacle Fellowship can be at found at:  www.firsttab.org

Episode 190 – Jesus’ Attributes Were Not “Borrowed” Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 11, verse 25, New Living Translation “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 6, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books, and part-time event planning consultant. He rearranges the chairs in the conference room when we have meetings. Today on Anchored by Truth, as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, we want to continue our series where we focus on the life and ministry of Jesus. And we want to continue listening to Crystal Sea’s epic Christmas poem The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion. Frost Lion is the third part of the Golden Tree trilogy. The first installment of the Golden Tree saga was The Golden Tree: Komari’s Quest and copies of it are available from our website which is crystalseabooks.com. Even though we’re playing Frost Lion on our broadcasts and podcasts it has not yet been released for people to get their own copy but that will happen in the near future. Today we’re coming to part five out of seven of the poem. So, we’re getting close to bringing it home, right RD? RD: We are indeed. For any listeners who weren’t able to be with us for our last couple of episodes we should tell them that The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion is a poem that is written in the style of some classic Christmas stories. It was written in seven parts and each part ends in a sort of cliffhanger. So, now that we’re at part five we’re pretty deep into the story. But just as a quick refresher The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion is about a group of small koala bears who live in the Artic in valley that’s green and warm because in the middle of the valley is a Golden Tree that keeps the valley warm and fertile. They’ve been there for several generations but just as Christmas season is approaching two teenage bears, Koest and Kopaul, were on a high hill near their town when the spotted a dark shape crossing the snow and ice. The strange shape turned out to be a bear named Roleb. Roleb came from the village their ancestors had left many generations ago and had travelled with a friend who got lost. Roleb and his friend were travelling to the arctic to search for help for their village which had lost its faith. Thanks to the wisdom of the village elders, Kodan and Kojon, the bears have been able to summon an ice eagle. But what can this ice eagle do? What will this ice eagle do … if anything? VK: Sounds like we’re getting to the good part. So, let’s continue with the story. Here’s part five of Crystal Seas’ Christmas epic poem: The Golden Tree, The Frost Lion. ---- The Golden Tree: The Frost Lion – Part 5 VK: Ok. So, the bears from the village have now found Roleb’s lost friend. But it’s too late. Roleb’s friend has died from the cold. So, it seems as if Roleb’s whole journey to the north has been for nothing. That seems very sad – if that was how the story ended. But, of course, it hasn’t ended yet. So, maybe all hope isn’t lost. And, knowing you, the answer to finding out whether anything can be done for Roleb and his friend is …to tune in next time. RD: That sounds like a brilliant suggestion. And maybe listeners could gather some family members to join them ... VK: Sounds even better. Listening to Golden Tree as a family could be a great way for parents or grandparents to connect with their kids and help them develop their faith. It would also make a great centerpiece for a home school study group or church youth group discussion about the role that courage and commitment play in the Christian faith – something that’s particularly relevant as we get closer and closer to Christmas. RD: Right. Somebody once said that the Christian faith is so simple that even children can comprehend enough about it to understand the plan of salvation. But even though we can begin with the faith of a child we should pursue the goal of developing a truly mature faith. God will meet us and help us wherever we are in our faith journey but He isn’t satisfied with leaving us at the starting line. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus doesn’t just initiate our faith. He also wants to perfect it. And part of perfecting our faith is ensuring that we understand what the Bible tells us about Jesus. VK: Well, so far we’ve seen that there are extra-Biblical sources that confirm that Jesus was a real historical figure who lived and died in Judea during the time period described by the Bible. But we’ve also seen that as helpful as it is to know that there are secular sources that confirm Jesus’ life that those sources aren’t enough to tell us everything that we need to know about Jesus. We can only get a complete revelation about Jesus from God’s special revelation to people, the Bible. And as we saw in our last episode, and again in today’s scriptures, Jesus’ statements about himself tell us something pretty important: that Jesus is not only fully human but also fully divine. RD: Yes. And so that takes us to the next subject that we need to talk about as we are focusing on the life of Jesus in preparation for celebrating his birth at Christmas. VK: And that is... RD: And that is - that because Jesus is the central figure not just of Christianity, but also the entire Bible, one of the criticisms that’s sometimes directed toward Jesus is that the attributes that the Bible assigns to Jesus were borrowed from other cultures or religious sources. So, Christians need to be familiar with some of the assertions that Jesus’ deeds, especially his miracles, were simply drawn from other religious myths or pagan characters. VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about? RD: Sure. It is has been alleged that Jesus’ miraculous conception isn’t a unique belief. For instance, critics will say that the mythological figure, Hercules, was also supposed to be the son of a divine father – in this case Zeus - and a mortal mother. VK: But, of course, there are significant differences between Hercules purported conception and Jesus. In the Greek legend Hercules mother was named Alcmene (ALK-MEN-EE). Zeus was supposed to have taken on the human form of Alcmene’s husband and deceived Alcmene and slept with her. And that’s how Hercules was conceived. That’s not nearly the same thing as Jesus being born of Mary while Mary was literally still a virgin. RD: The differences are even more pronounced. Hercules was actually the Roman name of a hero the Romans adapted from the Greek Heracles. According to the Greek legend, Heracles’ mother Alcmene was simultaneously pregnant with Heracles by Zeus and his half-brother Iphicles by her husband. And that’s only the beginning of the legendary aspects in Alcmene’s pregnancy with Heracles. So, as soon as you get beyond the superficial similarity and look at the details, the notion that Jesus’ conception was somehow an adaptation of the Heracles/Hercules myth falls apart. But this is a good example of one kind of obviously fallacious attack that’s directed against the historicity of Jesus. VK: So, what you’re saying is that one form of attack that’s leveled at Jesus has to do with a particular attribute of Jesus and then trying to find a parallel somewhere else in a different religion that is obviously false. The critics then try to discredit the life of Jesus by saying that if story A is false, then story B must be false also. RD: Right. But that makes as much sense as saying that if there are two $5 bills on the table and one is counterfeit, the other one must be also which is just silly. So, sometimes the supposed pagan origin of the details of Jesus earthly life and ministry are concerned with specific attributes of Jesus, such as his virgin birth. But sometimes the copycat thesis is less concerned with the specifics of Jesus life and more concerned with generalities that might be associated just about any supernatural figure. VK: Again, do you have any specific examples in mind? RD: For instance, since sickness and disease are obviously a plague on human existence... VK: No pun intended… RD: No pun intended… anyway, the ability to bring miraculous healing would be expected to be a staple of myths or legends. And it is. For example, Asclepius or Asklepios was a Greek demi-god who was the god of medicine. He was supposed to have raised Hippolytus from the dead, though he was killed by Zeus for doing so. Asclepius was supposed to be the son of the god Apollo and a human mother. Buddha was also supposed to have been able to cure the sick. VK: But again, these kinds of general miracle workings of mythological characters vary considerably from the information we have about the miracles that Jesus performed. For instance, in the case of Jesus curing Peter’s mother we have precise details of the location where the miracle was done, the people involved, and even a pretty close approximation to the timing. And many of Jesus’ healings involved specific details that conform to the religious and cultural conventions known to exist. Such as when he healed the lepers and then told them to go show themselves to a priest which was required by Jewish law. And Jesus’ healing miracles weren’t always the cause for celebration the way you would expect of a miracle like when Jesus restored the eyesight of the man born blind. The blind man was rejected by the religious leaders and cast out by them. RD: Exactly. The descriptions of Jesus’ miracles read like historical accounts because they are. Again, the key to drawing distinctions between Jesus’ miracles and those general sorts of miraculous powers that are associated with the pagan sources is in the details. The Bible accounts provide the details and in the majority of cases there are multiple eyewitness accounts. But the case of Buddha provides another way of refuting the claims that the Bible’s descriptions of Jesus are drawn from other sources. The earliest known account of Buddha’s life was written in the 2nd century AD so it came after Jesus and not before it. That’s also true for another supposed religious figure who supposedly served as the source for many of the details of Christ’s life, Mithra. In Mithra’s manifestation during the Roman period he was supposed to have been born on December 25th, had 12 disciples, performed miracles, had a final meal before he died, and rose from the grave after 3 days. VK: And since Mithra was a religious figure that was known to come from the Persian culture, modern day Iran, supposedly he was the inspiration for much of what the disciples taught about Jesus. Right? RD: Right. The earliest mention of Mithra is around 1400 BC so as a religious figure Mithra would pre-date Christ by a considerable time period. But the problem is that the attributes of the Iranian version of Mithra do not correspond to the Roman version. The Roman version of Mithra is best known for slaying a bull whereas there is no known connection to bull slaying in the Iranian version. And a lot of the supposed correspondences between Christ and Mithra appear in the Roman version and the dating of the correspondences is after Christ. VK: So, many scholars believe there might have been some cross pollination between Christ and the Roman version of Mithra but given the timing of the appearance of the similarities it’s far more likely that the legends of Mithra borrowed from Christianity and not vice versa. RD: And that would have been fair because there was one way that Christianity did borrow from Mithraism, in art. In the early part of the 3rd century AD (313), the Roman emperor Constantine issued the edict of Milan which accepted Christianity. Before then the Roman emperors had generally been very hostile to Christians. Within 10 years Christianity had become the official religion of the empire. But by then Mithraism seems to have also gained a strong foothold within the empire as well. In the third and fourth centuries, the Roman church officials seemed to have embarked on an effort to prove that their faith was the superior one, embarked on an advertising campaign. One commentator said their efforts were “reminiscent of our soft drink wars. Mithra was depicted slaying the bull while riding its back; the church did a lookalike scene with Samson killing a lion. Mithra sent arrows into a rock to bring forth water; the church changed that into Moses getting water from the rock at Horeb.” VK: That sounds suspiciously like the law of unintended consequences. The church officials in the 3rd and 4th century went on a campaign to prove that Christianity was superior to Mithraism and 1,600 years later the church now has to defend itself against the claim that Jesus’ life and ministry were the copycat version. RD: I think that’s an excellent observation. And let’s close out with one more, quick example. In Hinduism Krishna was also supposed to have had a miraculous conception so some critics point to that legend as a possible inspiration for the Christian tenant. VK: But in that case, Krishna’s ‘miraculous conception’ is his mom being impregnated by ‘mental transmission’ from his completely human father. Again, not remotely similar to the Bible’s description of how Mary became pregnant. RD: And to add to that – how credible is it that the first Christians, who were largely Jews from Palestine, would have borrowed a legend from a thousand miles away. At a minimum the Jews were fiercely monotheistic whereas Hinduism is distinctly polytheistic. So, this again points to the need to not only examine the varying details of alleged instances of borrowing but also consider the cultural factors that would have been in play. Often either chronological or cultural factors alone will be enough to refute the alleged possibilities. To go back to our earlier example with the money, when new bank tellers are being taught to spot counterfeit dollars they aren’t given lots of counterfeits to study. They’re given lots of real bills to feel and handle. The idea is that if the tellers get so used to touching and handling the real thing, the fakes will become instantly recognizable. That same approach will work when it comes to being able to answer many of the criticisms that are addressed at Christianity and Jesus. VK: And that’s a good lesson for all of us. The more time we spend studying scripture – and developing familiarity with the details of the people, the nations, the geography, the culture – not only will we be able to be confident in our own faith. But we will also be able to point other people to the truth. RD: Precisely. Myths and legends read like myths and legends. They have fantastic details that have little or no correspondence to things in the real world. Good common sense enables us to quickly see elements that don’t make sense in our experience. By contrast, the history contained in the Bible reads like good histories that we see elsewhere. There are specifics about people, places, times, and events and quite often either archeological finds or extra-Biblical records will provide information that helps confirm the Biblical record. VK: Sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today since we’re so close to Christmas let’s listen to a prayer about that special day. ---- Prayer for Christmas VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” We hope you’ll be with us next time as we continue our discussion of the reality of Jesus’ life. We hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show. Also, we’d to remind listeners that copies of The Golden Tree: Komari’s Quest are available from our website. If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quotes from the New Living Translation) The Gospel of John, Chapter 11, verse 25, New Living Translation The Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 6, New Living Translation The Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verse 5, New Living Translation (Sources used for this episode or other in this series) https://creation.com/pagan-copycat-thesis-refuted http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/pagint.php http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/mithra.php

This week, in a paper by KCCH, Andy Albright of South Carolina, we explore Justice as a Masonic Tenet and what could happen if it were removed from society. Freemasonry holds Justice to be of the utmost importance, and Bro. Andy delivers in his message. Then, in an all-new Masonic Mythbusters, WB. Dey takes on Mithraism and the Advent. Is there a connection? We'll wrap it up with a contemplative exercise as it relates to creativity--using William Blake as our inspiration. All this and more! Thanks for listening, and have a wonderful week! Links: William Blake Tarot https://amzn.to/3OGrBEi Craftsman+ FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftsmanplus/ WCY NFT https://wcypodcast.com/nft Get a Tarot Reading by RJ http://www.wcypodcast.com/tarot Masonic Curators https://www.youtube.com/c/MasonicCurators WCY Podcast YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/WhenceCameYou Ancient Modern Initiation: Special Edition http://www.wcypodcast.com/the-Shop The Master's Word- A Short Treatise on the Word, the Light, and the Self - Autographed https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the new book! How to Charter a Lodge https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Truth Quantum https://truthquantum.com Our Patreon www.patreon.com/wcypodcast Support the show on Paypal https://wcypodcast.com/support-the-show Get some swag! https://wcypodcast.com/the-shop Get the book! http://a.co/5rtYr2r

I am joined by Red Judaism for a tour de force of the widely misunderstood Judaic understanding of Christianity and Islam. Topics include: Alternate views of Paul and Revelations, Zoroastrian parallels, Hagarism, Jesus and the Talmud, Angelology, Gnosticism, Anti-Gnosticism, Enochian Ethiopia, Messianic hopes and dreams from Mithraism to Buddhism. Follow Red Judaism (now Bei Abedan): https://www.youtube.com/c/Red-Judaism

I discuss the beautiful symbolism of Orion and Perseus in ancient Mithraism and how it helps explain Christian symbolism which shows how much Mormonism simply misses out of it all.

I am joined by Red Judaism for a tour de force of the widely misunderstood Judaic understanding of Christianity and Islam. Topics include: Alternate views of Paul and Revelations, Zoroastrian parallels, Hagarism, Jesus and the Talmud, Angelology, Gnosticism, Anti-Gnosticism, Enochian Ethiopia, Messianic hopes and dreams from Mithraism to Buddhism. Listen to the full episode here!

“19. The Bible, Christianity's basic text, is riddled with contradictions. There are a number of glaring contradictions in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, and including some within the same books. A few examples: ". . . God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." (James:1:13) "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." (Genesis 22:1) ". . . for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever." (Jeremiah 3:12) "Ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn forever. Thus saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 17:4) "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true." (John 5:31, J.C. speaking) "I am one that bear witness of myself . . ." (John 8:18, J.C. speaking) and last but not least: "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." (Genesis 32:30) "No man hath seen God at any time." (John 1:18) "And I [God] will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts . . ." (Exodus 33:23) Christian apologists typically attempt to explain away such contradictions by claiming that the fault lies in the translation, and that there were no contradictions in the original text. It's difficult to see how this could be so, given how direct many biblical contradictions are; but even if these Christian apologetics held water, it would follow that every part of the Bible should be as suspect as the contradictory sections, thus reinforcing the previous point: that the Bible is not a reliable guide to Christ's words. 20. Christianity borrowed its central myths and ceremonies from other ancient religions. The ancient world was rife with tales of virgin births, miracle-working saviors, tripartite gods, gods taking human form, gods arising from the dead, heavens and hells, and days of judgment. In addition to the myths, many of the ceremonies of ancient religions also match those of that syncretic latecomer, Christianity. To cite but one example (there are many others), consider Mithraism, a Persian religion predating Christianity by centuries. Mithra, the savior of the Mithraic religion and a god who took human form, was born of a virgin; he belonged to the holy trinity and was a link between heaven and Earth; and he ascended into heaven after his death. His followers believed in heaven and hell, looked forward to a day of judgment, and referred to Mithra as "the Light of the World." They also practiced baptism (for purification purposes) and ritual cannibalism—the eating of bread and the drinking of wine to symbolize the eating and drinking of the god's body and blood. Given all this, Mithra's birthday should come as no surprise: December 25th; this event was, of course, celebrated by Mithra's followers at midnight. Mithraism is but the most striking example of the appearance of these myths and ceremonies prior to the advent of Christianity. They appear—in more scattered form—in many other pre-Christian religions.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

What do you all know about Mithraism and the Celestial Tea Cult? For episode three, we learn about the ancient roman cult that may have been way ahead of its time and the tea company that was founded on very sketchy immoral beliefs that just might include... aliens? There are a few trigger warnings as we are talking about cults so please be warned ahead of time that there is talk of ancient bondage, nudity, racism, and eugenics between the two cults. As always, primary sources and photos will be posted to our instagram page at litstorypodcastsOur resources used for this episode include:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/along-hadrians-wall-ancient-romes-temples-towers-and-cults-come-to-lifehttps://www.cnn.com/2018/01/12/europe/london-temple-of-mithras/index.htmlhttps://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=mainhttps://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mithraic-mysterieshttps://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/study-mithraismhttps://www.timetravelrome.com/2021/07/03/the-mystery-cult-of-mithras/https://archaeology.co.uk/articles/london-mithraeum-reimagining-the-famous-roman-temple.htmThe Origins of Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvatio in the Ancient World by David Ulanseyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSSSQtkFgRs&t=483shttps://www.allamericanspeakers.com/celebritytalentbios/Mo+Siegel/3777https://www.inverse.com/article/10731-cults-conspiracies-and-the-twisted-history-of-sleepytime-teahttps://www.foodandwine.com/drinks/sleepytime-tea-and-little-known-religion-behind-ithttps://celestialseasonings.com/pages/learn-about-ushttps://celestialseasonings.com/pages/our-historyhttps://www.urantia.org/trustees/mo-siegelhttps://www.urantia.org/urantia-foundation/history Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a packed programme this week, Lord Paul treats us to a spectacular rant about the latest Dr Who special, Sir Michael takes us on an exploration of Christianity and Mithraism, marvel at the forgotten genius of Gerard Hoffnung and the festivities are rounded off with a chat about Jimmy Savile.

Freemasonry in 7 Minutes or Less

#Logos #LogosRising #Christianity In this stream I discuss evidence I have recently discovered concerning amanita muscaria mushroom use among the Armenians, my theory of Gnostic sects, and the ancient Vedic god Soma. Many scholars have speculated the intoxicating identity of Soma, however considerable evidence presented by R. Gordon Wasson leads one to suspect it being the iconic amanita muscaria mushroom. Make sure to check it out and let me know what you think. God bless Intro MusicFollow Keynan Here! https://linktr.ee/keynanrwilsSuperchat Here https://streamlabs.com/churchoftheeternallogosRokfin: https://rokfin.com/dpharryWebsite: http://www.davidpatrickharry.com GAB: https://gab.com/dpharrySupport COTEL with Crypto!Bitcoin: 3QNWpM2qLGfaZ2nUXNDRnwV21UUiaBKVsyEthereum: 0x0b87E0494117C0adbC45F9F2c099489079d6F7DaLitecoin: MKATh5kwTdiZnPE5Ehr88Yg4KW99Zf7k8d If you enjoy this production, feel compelled, or appreciate my other videos, please support me through my website memberships (www.davidpatrickharry.com) or donate directly by PayPal or crypto! Any contribution would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Logos Subscription Membership: http://davidpatrickharry.com/register/ Venmo: @cotel - https://account.venmo.com/u/cotel PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/eternallogos Donations: http://www.davidpatrickharry.com/donate/PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/eternallogos Website: http://www.davidpatrickharry.com Rokfin: https://rokfin.com/dpharryOdysee: https://odysee.com/@ChurchoftheEternalLogos:dGAB: https://gab.com/dpharryTelegram: https://t.me/eternallogosMinds: https://www.minds.com/DpharryBitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/W10R...DLive: https://dlive.tv/The_Eternal_LogosInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpharry/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/eternal_logos

Our guest this week is Darius Kamali, author of 2 books and the host of "The Persian Version" podcast. We discuss the historic and geographic origins of the Iranic peoples; some older customs, linguistics, and religious aspects; their enormous impact on the regions from Central Asia into Europe & Africa; but mostly how Iran emerged. Our journey visits upon Cyrus the Great; the massively influential, but mysterious, religions of Mithraism and Zoroastrianism. We engage in our usual talk of angels, afterlives, end of days, etc. We find surprising parallels including in the fictional world of Game of Thrones. Come on in and learn the difference between Arian and Aryan.

For Educational Purposes Only. The Author, Creators and Producers own their content and book

We look at various definitions, following the etymology of "temperance" - the 14th trump of the Tarot deck, and the card's symbols encoding the great cycles of cosmic destruction. RC dives into the "Tauroctony" and the many clues that are presented with Mithras slaying Taurus. He also previews upcoming episodes on “Ekpyrosis” that tell the stories of the simultaneous worst urban and worst forest fires in US history, back in October of 1871.  Kosmographia Ep077 The Randall Carlson Podcast with Brothers of the Serpent – Kyle and Russ, Normal Guy Mike, and GeocosmicREX admin Bradley, from 12/13/21.   LINKS:  Announcements about events, tours and more: http://randallcarlson.com/newsletter  (Monthly) Contact at the Clark Fork June '22 http://contactatthecabin.com/montana-with-Randall-Carlson  Full listing of scientific papers about the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis: https://cosmictusk.com CBD RECOMMENDED - Listen to Randall's experience with “CBD from the gods” after the mid-break at 43:46. They have some special deals going on right now, and in addition, for the Kosmographia audience - you can also get FREE shipping on your order!  Use code: “RCshipsFREE” (not case sensitive) when you check out at https://www.cbdfromthegods.com  Support Randall Carlson's efforts to discover and share pivotal paradigm-shifting information! Improve the quality of the podcast and future videos. Allow him more time for his research into the many scientific journals, books, and his expeditions into the field, as he continues to decipher the clues that explain the mysteries of our past, and prepare us for the future...   Make a one-time donation thru PayPal, credit/debit card or other account here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8YVDREQ9SMKL6&source=url   http://www.RandallCarlson.com has the podcast, RC's blog, galleries, and products to purchase! T-shirts and many new products and styles here: https://randallcarlson.com/shop/    Podcast crew email: Kosmographia1618@gmail.com Info on upcoming trips with Randall and the crew: TOURS@RandallCarlson.com Offer your time/services/accommodations here: VOLUNTEER@RandallCarlson.com Add to the expanding library of evidence here: RESEARCH@RandallCarlson.com   Small class lectures "Cosmography 101" from '06-'09 on Brad's original channel: https://youtube.com/geocosmicrex       Kosmographia logo and design animation by Brothers of the Serpent. Check out their podcast: http://www.BrothersoftheSerpent.com/ Theme “Deos” and bumper music by Fifty Dollar Dynasty: http://www.FiftyDollarDynasty.net/ Video recording, editing and publishing by Bradley Young with YSI Productions LLC (copyrights), with audio mastered by Kyle Allen.   CBD FROM THE GODS LINK:  http://www.cbdfromthegods.com          COUPON CODE: RCshipsFREE #Mithras #Taurus #Tarot #Symbology #Tauroctony #Mithraism #Pleiades #Mayans #Temperance #FallingGods #DivingGods #Catastrophe #GreatYear #Firestorms #Ekpyrosis #Ezekiel #GreatFlood

Episode 138 – Jesus’ Attributes Were Not “Borrowed” Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script Notes: “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 11, verse 25, New Living Translation “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 6, New Living Translation ******** VK: Hi! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books, and part-time event planning consultant. He rearranges the chairs in the conference room when we have meetings. Today on Anchored by Truth, as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, we want to continue our series where we focus on the life and ministry of Jesus. And we want to continue listening to Crystal Sea’s epic Christmas poem The Golden Tree: Eagle Enigma. Eagle Enigma is the second part of the Golden Tree trilogy. The first installment was The Golden Tree: Komari’s Quest and copies of it are available from our website which is crystalseabooks.com. Even though we’re playing Eagle Enigma on our broadcasts and podcasts it has not yet been released for people to get their own copy but that will happen in the near future. Today we’re coming to part five out of seven of the poem. So, we’re getting close to bringing it home, right RD? RD: We are indeed. For any listeners who weren’t able to be with us for our last couple of episodes we should tell them that The Golden Tree: Eagle Enigma is a poem that is written in the style of some classic Christmas stories. It was written in seven parts and each part ends in a sort of cliffhanger. So, now that we’re at part five we’re pretty deep into the story. But just as a quick refresher The Golden Tree: Eagle Enigma is about a group of small koala bears who live in the Artic in valley that’s green and warm because in the middle of the valley is a Golden Tree that keeps the valley warm and fertile. They’ve been there for several generations but just as the last Christmas season was approaching a Demon Lord and his horde came into the bears’ town telling them that they’d come to steal the tree. The bears confronted the Demon Lord and ultimately the Demon Lord and his horde were driven off. But the tree’s guardian, Komari, was lost in the struggle. Since Komari’s loss no new bear has been able to pass the guardian’s test so the bears are worried about the tree’s survival. Three of the bears, Kodan, Koru, and Kojan have set out a quest to find the home of the Great White Koala Bear to ask for his help. But they’ve come across an un-crossable canyon that is guarded by huge ice eagles and now they’re trying to solve this seemingly unsolvable enigma. VK: Sounds like we’re getting to the good part. So, let’s continue with the story. Here’s part five of Crystal Seas’ Christmas epic poem: The Golden Tree, Eagle Enigma. ---- The Golden Tree: Eagle Enigma – Part 5 VK: Ok. So this part doesn’t end with a cliff hanging. It ends with a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Which eagle is there to help the bears? And which of the eagles is there to destroy them? So, the question is what happens? And, knowing you, the answer is …to tune in next time. RD: That sounds like a brilliant suggestion. And maybe listeners could gather some family members to join them ... VK: Sounds even better. Listening to Golden Tree as a family could be a great way for parents or grandparents to connect with their kids and help them develop their faith. It would also make a great centerpiece for a home school study group or church youth group discussion about the role that courage and commitment play in the Christian faith – something that’s particularly relevant as we get closer and closer to Christmas. RD: Right. Somebody once said that the Christian faith is so simple that even children can comprehend enough about it to understand the plan of salvation. But even though we can begin with the faith of a child we should pursue the goal of developing a truly mature faith. God will meet us and help us wherever we are in our faith journey but He isn’t satisfied with leaving us at the starting line. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus doesn’t just initiate our faith. He also wants to perfect it. And part of perfecting our faith is ensuring that we understand what the Bible tells us about Jesus. VK: Well, so far we’ve seen that there are extra-Biblical sources that confirm that Jesus was a real historical figure who lived and died in Judea during the time period described by the Bible. But we’ve also seen that as helpful as it is to know that there are secular sources that confirm Jesus’ life that those sources aren’t enough to tell us everything that we need to know about Jesus. We can only get a complete revelation about Jesus from God’s special revelation to people, the Bible. And as we saw in our last episode, and again in today’s scriptures, Jesus’ statements about himself tell us something pretty important: that Jesus is not only fully human but also fully divine. RD: Yes. And so that takes us to the next subject that we need to talk about as we are focusing on the life of Jesus in preparation for celebrating his birth at Christmas. VK: And that is... RD: And that is - that because Jesus is the central figure not just of Christianity, but also the entire Bible, one of the criticisms that’s sometimes directed toward Jesus is that the attributes that the Bible assigns to Jesus were borrowed from other cultures or religious sources. So, Christians need to be familiar with some of the assertions that Jesus’ deeds, especially his miracles, were simply drawn from other religious myths or pagan characters. VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about? RD: Sure. It is has been alleged that Jesus’ miraculous conception isn’t a unique belief. For instance, critics will say that the mythological figure, Hercules, was also supposed to be the son of a divine father – in this case Zeus - and a mortal mother. VK: But, of course, there are significant differences between Hercules purported conception and Jesus. In the Greek legend Hercules mother was named Alcmene (ALK-MEN-EE). Zeus was supposed to have taken on the human form of Alcmene’s husband and deceived Alcmene and slept with her. And that’s how Hercules was conceived. That’s not nearly the same thing as Jesus being born of Mary while Mary was literally still a virgin. RD: The differences are even more pronounced. Hercules was actually the Roman name of a hero the Romans adapted from the Greek Heracles. According to the Greek legend, Heracles’ mother Alcmene was simultaneously pregnant with Heracles by Zeus and his half-brother Iphicles by her husband. And that’s only the beginning of the legendary aspects in Alcmene’s pregnancy with Heracles. So, as soon as you get beyond the superficial similarity and look at the details, the notion that Jesus’ conception was somehow an adaptation of the Heracles/Hercules myth falls apart. But this is a good example of one kind of obviously fallacious attack that’s directed against the historicity of Jesus. VK: So, what you’re saying is that one form of attack that’s leveled at Jesus has to do with a particular attribute of Jesus and then trying to find a parallel somewhere else in a different religion that is obviously false. The critics then try to discredit the life of Jesus by saying that if story A is false, then story B must be false also. RD: Right. But that makes as much sense as saying that if there are two $5 bills on the table and one is counterfeit, the other one must be also which is just silly. So, sometimes the supposed pagan origin of the details of Jesus earthly life and ministry are concerned with specific attributes of Jesus, such as his virgin birth. But sometimes the copycat thesis is less concerned with the specifics of Jesus life and more concerned with generalities that might be associated just about any supernatural figure. VK: Again, do you have any specific examples in mind? RD: For instance, since sickness and disease are obviously a plague on human existence... VK: No pun intended… RD: No pun intended… anyway, the ability to bring miraculous healing would be expected to be a staple of myths or legends. And it is. For example, Asclepius or Asklepios was a Greek demi-god who was the god of medicine. He was supposed to have raised Hippolytus from the dead, though he was killed by Zeus for doing so. Asclepius was supposed to be the son of the god Apollo and a human mother. Buddha was also supposed to have been able to cure the sick. VK: But again, these kinds of general miracle workings of mythological characters vary considerably from the information we have about the miracles that Jesus performed. For instance, in the case of Jesus curing Peter’s mother we have precise details of the location where the miracle was done, the people involved, and even a pretty close approximation to the timing. And many of Jesus’ healings involved specific details that conform to the religious and cultural conventions known to exist. Such as when he healed the lepers and then told them to go show themselves to a priest which was required by Jewish law. And Jesus’ healing miracles weren’t always the cause for celebration the way you would expect of a miracle like when Jesus restored the eyesight of the man born blind. The blind man was rejected by the religious leaders and cast out by them. RD: Exactly. The descriptions of Jesus’ miracles read like historical accounts because they are. Again, the key to drawing distinctions between Jesus’ miracles and those general sorts of miraculous powers that are associated with the pagan sources is in the details. The Bible accounts provide the details and in the majority of cases there are multiple eyewitness accounts. But the case of Buddha provides another way of refuting the claims that the Bible’s descriptions of Jesus are drawn from other sources. The earliest known account of Buddha’s life was written in the 2nd century AD so it came after Jesus and not before it. That’s also true for another supposed religious figure who supposedly served as the source for many of the details of Christ’s life, Mithra. In Mithra’s manifestation during the Roman period he was supposed to have been born on December 25th, had 12 disciples, performed miracles, had a final meal before he died, and rose from the grave after 3 days. VK: And since Mithra was a religious figure that was known to come from the Persian culture, modern day Iran, supposedly he was the inspiration for much of what the disciples taught about Jesus. Right? RD: Right. The earliest mention of Mithra is around 1400 BC so as a religious figure Mithra would pre-date Christ by a considerable time period. But the problem is that the attributes of the Iranian version of Mithra do not correspond to the Roman version. The Roman version of Mithra is best known for slaying a bull whereas there is no known connection to bull slaying in the Iranian version. And a lot of the supposed correspondences between Christ and Mithra appear in the Roman version and the dating of the correspondences is after Christ. VK: So, many scholars believe there might have been some cross pollination between Christ and the Roman version of Mithra but given the timing of the appearance of the similarities it’s far more likely that the legends of Mithra borrowed from Christianity and not vice versa. RD: And that would have been fair because there was one way that Christianity did borrow from Mithraism, in art. In the early part of the 3rd century AD (313), the Roman emperor Constantine issued the edict of Milan which accepted Christianity. Before then the Roman emperors had generally been very hostile to Christians. Within 10 years Christianity had become the official religion of the empire. But by then Mithraism seems to have also gained a strong foothold within the empire as well. In the third and fourth centuries, the Roman church officials seemed to have embarked on an effort to prove that their faith was the superior one, embarked on an advertising campaign. One commentator said their efforts were “reminiscent of our soft drink wars. Mithra was depicted slaying the bull while riding its back; the church did a lookalike scene with Samson killing a lion. Mithra sent arrows into a rock to bring forth water; the church changed that into Moses getting water from the rock at Horeb.” VK: That sounds suspiciously like the law of unintended consequences. The church officials in the 3rd and 4th century went on a campaign to prove that Christianity was superior to Mithraism and 1,600 years later the church now has to defend itself against the claim that Jesus’ life and ministry were the copycat version. RD: I think that’s an excellent observation. And let’s close out with one more, quick example. In Hinduism Krishna was also supposed to have had a miraculous conception so some critics point to that legend as a possible inspiration for the Christian tenant. VK: But in that case, Krishna’s ‘miraculous conception’ is his mom being impregnated by ‘mental transmission’ from his completely human father. Again, not remotely similar to the Bible’s description of how Mary became pregnant. RD: And to add to that – how credible is it that the first Christians, who were largely Jews from Palestine, would have borrowed a legend from a thousand miles away. At a minimum the Jews were fiercely monotheistic whereas Hinduism is distinctly polytheistic. So, this again points to the need to not only examine the varying details of alleged instances of borrowing but also consider the cultural factors that would have been in play. Often either chronological or cultural factors alone will be enough to refute the alleged possibilities. To go back to our earlier example with the money, when new bank tellers are being taught to spot counterfeit dollars they aren’t given lots of counterfeits to study. They’re given lots of real bills to feel and handle. The idea is that if the tellers get so used to touching and handling the real thing, the fakes will become instantly recognizable. That same approach will work when it comes to being able to answer many of the criticisms that are addressed at Christianity and Jesus. VK: And that’s a good lesson for all of us. The more time we spend studying scripture – and developing familiarity with the details of the people, the nations, the geography, the culture – not only will we be able to be confident in our own faith. But we will also be able to point other people to the truth. RD: Precisely. Myths and legends read like myths and legends. They have fantastic details that have little or no correspondence to things in the real world. Good common sense enables us to quickly see elements that don’t make sense in our experience. By contrast, the history contained in the Bible reads like good histories that we see elsewhere. There are specifics about people, places, times, and events and quite often either archeological finds or extra-Biblical records will provide information that helps confirm the Biblical record. VK: Sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today since we’re so close to Christmas let’s listen to a prayer about that special day. ---- Prayer for Christmas VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” We hope you’ll be with us next time as we continue our discussion of the reality of Jesus’ life. We hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show. Also, we’d to remind listeners that copies of The Golden Tree: Komari’s Quest are available from our website. If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quotes from the New Living Translation) The Gospel of John, Chapter 11, verse 25, New Living Translation The Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 6, New Living Translation The Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verse 5, New Living Translation (Sources used for this episode or other in this series) https://creation.com/pagan-copycat-thesis-refuted http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/pagint.php http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/mithra.php

Catholic Catechism; Mithraism; Constantine; Jeroboam Please enjoy Daniel Joseph's series about the importance of the sabbath. Visit our webpage for more resources: http://www.cornerfringe.com

Welcome back to part two of our double guest episode! This week Sam has a vision about the famous clairvoyant, The Oracle of Delphi. Then Malcolm reveals ancient mysteries of the long lost Mithraism religion. In this continuation of our episode we learned that dogs plus podcast recording don't really mix!    Get That Sh*t: Macrame Beautiful https://www.etsy.com/listing/842690212/macrame-cat-hammock-cat-tree-hanging-cat  Mountain Top Macrame https://www.etsy.com/listing/1064706129/cat-bed-macrame-hammock-diamonds    Special shout outs to: 3 Men and A Microphone Podcast- available on all streaming platforms Both Sam and Malcolm for being awesome guinea pigs! Thanks boys!

We have a super awesome show for you guys. We have returning guest Johnny Cirucci. He is an author of 4 books and Podcast host or Resistance Rising. We get into Mithraism and we go over Johnny's opinion on Constantine. We go over some wars in scripture. We get into the Biden Mandates. We basically continue where we left off on PT 1 its an awesome show guys. I will be on Vacation until October 3rd if you need to contact me for any reason hit me up on Instagram @joshmondaymusic. I will upload 2 shows for you guys when I get back to make up for next week. God bless you guys and please keep sharing the podcast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/josh-monday/support

We have a returning guest Matt Gonzalez. We get into the Mithraism going on behind the scenes with the Elite and Army officers. We get into the story of Constantine's vison and dream of the Battle of Milvian Bridge. We go into Constantine's Arch and some if the Pagan gods depicted on the artwork. We also go into the secret Mithras churches hidden beneath the Christian churches. We also get into the true origin of Christmas. We get into idols of other gods displayed throughout Constantinople Constantine's city. We also go into sun worship and idol worship going on in the Roman Catholic Church today. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/josh-monday/support

The Bible speaks of fire as baptizing in relation to the Holy Spirit, but also as destructive as a tool of God. It can be seen figuratively as a substance that burns away the old and unusable to allow for the rebirth of a Phoenix rising from the ashes. This occurs in nature, too, particularly natural wildfires that precede a forest's rebirth and growth. Fires can be caused by man for reasons that are both politically negligent and socially irresponsible, making Smokey very upset. Fire can also be seen as consciousness and will. Traditionally, the wand represents the will and air; the chalice or cup represents intuition and water; the sword represents mind and fire; and the pentacle represents the bodily temple or earth. Other traditions assign the wand to fire and sword to air. This wand of association with fire is the direction of will which is itself an expression of fiery consciousness. Fire can be as destructive as it is necessary to creation and life. From Daniel in the den of solar creatures - lions - to the concept of the magi, fire is a driving elemental force.Salamanders are elementals of fire. Commonly referred to as genies, and especially prevalent in Persian belief such as the cults of Zoroastrianism and Mithraism, they provided a framework for the formation of demons in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Material fire was made of their essence and could not exist otherwise. What is cold and dark - Earth - is warmed and illuminated through the Sun. Those seeking forgiveness for their sins, having been harassed by guilt, are burning with the same desire that may have been responsible for their actions.

The Bible speaks of fire as baptizing in relation to the Holy Spirit, but also as destructive as a tool of God. It can be seen figuratively as a substance that burns away the old and unusable to allow for the rebirth of a Phoenix rising from the ashes. This occurs in nature, too, particularly natural wildfires that precede a forest's rebirth and growth. Fires can be caused by man for reasons that are both politically negligent and socially irresponsible, making Smokey very upset. Fire can also be seen as consciousness and will. Traditionally, the wand represents the will and air; the chalice or cup represents intuition and water; the sword represents mind and fire; and the pentacle represents the bodily temple or earth. Other traditions assign the wand to fire and sword to air. This wand of association with fire is the direction of will which is itself an expression of fiery consciousness. Fire can be as destructive as it is necessary to creation and life. From Daniel in the den of solar creatures - lions - to the concept of the magi, fire is a driving elemental force. Salamanders are elementals of fire. Commonly referred to as genies, and especially prevalent in Persian belief such as the cults of Zoroastrianism and Mithraism, they provided a framework for the formation of demons in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Material fire was made of their essence and could not exist otherwise. What is cold and dark - Earth - is warmed and illuminated through the Sun. Those seeking forgiveness for their sins, having been harassed by guilt, are burning with the same desire that may have been responsible for their actions.  Support this podcast

Truth is stranger than fiction. We explore the real DaVinci Code and it turns out, no DaVinci is only the beginning. We traverse the lands of the Southern European coast and meet the Cathars, Visigoths, Templars, and others. Of course we discuss Masons, numerology, pentagrams, codes in art, and the Holy Grail. We also squeeze in a mini episode on Mithraism.

In this episode, we are joined by author, historian, and archaeologist, Dr. Matthew McCarty, for a discussion about one of the most enigmatic religions ever: Mithraism. A religion in stark contrast to the other contemporaries, Mithraism was often practiced in small, dark temples as opposed wide open spaces, and generally, each temple had a relatively small number of worshippers. From its origins in Zoroastrianism, to its spread across Europe and the Middle East, to its downfall and more, we investigate what makes Mithraism History's Most Mysterious Religion. Thanks so much to Matthew for coming on the show! Check out our new video series The Crisis, on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKgw4BF6xHrYMizb-l1vYkQ Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historysmost Our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/729271677922830 Thank you to our Executive Producers: Tom McCool, Justus Ebel, Jeremy Marcoux, and Tony Turrin, to all our Patrons, and to all our listeners.

Photo: Altar of Diana in Roman England CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow #Londinium 90 AD: The Mithras cult in the 21st Century; & What is to be done?  Michael Vlahos Johns Hopkins @JHUWorldCrisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism

#UFOTWITTER Excerpt from our latest video where I theorize about Covid and the Alien Retro-Virus theory I created See the FULL video here!! https://youtu.be/2ouE8tC9Oig Jean-Luc and I talk about a book by Ernst Muldashev that spun him into research on the Bonpo Lama, Thule expedition, Samadhi eyes, Lemurian, Atlantean, Monks, Alien-Retro Virus, Tibet, Blavatsky, Thule, Mithraism, UAPs, UFOs, Gene Huff, Grant Cameron, Bob Lazar and all kinds of fun!

#UFOTWITTER See the video here!! https://youtu.be/2ouE8tC9Oig Jean-Luc and I talk about a book by Ernst Muldashev that spun him into research on the Bonpo Lama, Thule expedition, Samadhi eyes, Lemurian, Atlantean, Monks, Alien-Retro Virus, Tibet, Blavatsky, Thule, Mithraism, UAPs, UFOs, Gene Huff, Grant Cameron, Bob Lazar and all kinds of fun! Links Buddha Boy Fire - https://youtu.be/1rpWWm8PDDc UNBELIEVABLE Sadhu's Living Under Snow In Mount Kailash Himalayas - https://youtu.be/FcUdEkPa-2c https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Muldashev https://www.history.com/news/ct-scan-reveals-mummified-monk-inside-ancient-buddha-statue “Alien Retro-Virus” That Caused Bleeding At #Roswell UFO Site? https://www.earthfiles.com/2014/10/17/part-3-majestic-twelve-1st-annual-report-1952-about-ufo-and-et-retrievals-including-human-deaths-from-retro-virus-any-relationship-to-filovirus-ebola/ https://twitter.com/GrantCameron/status/1371244926139301892?s=20 https://www.rdrnews.com/2020/04/27/looking-up-ufos-viruses-and-a-dna-mystery/ Jon Majerowski Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonmajerowski​ Podcast - https://anchor.fm/ufosonthelevel​ Contact me here - jonmajerowski@protonmail.com #UFOTWITTER Jean-Luc Twitter - Jean-Luc: https://twitter.com/InfiniLuc

This Podcast describes the thoughts between two spiritual beings: Dave Henderson and Tom Clark as we explore with our audience some recent discoveries we made about the realms of Heaven from the perspective of our spirits. From a foundational perspective, we realize we are all tripartite beings composed of Spirit, Soul and Body. However, we tend to live our lives two dimensionally: soul and body and leave our spirit man in the last position. When did this happen? Was it in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Did the glory God gave Adam and Eve leave them at that time? Was this sin the reason they covered their bodies with fig leaves (not just their private parts as we have been told!)? Was this the armor or covering they realized they needed when they looked at their bodies and realized the glory had left them? No longer walking with God the Father in the garden; talking Spirit to spirit; they were now living out of their souls and we are living that way ever since! We roll the clock forward to 300 AD, in the time of Constantine and discuss the influence of Mithraism (the cult of the god Mithras, the worship of a sun god popular among the Romans in the first three centuries). What most people do not know is Constantine was the High Priest of Mithras and called himself Pontifex Maximus (High Priest), incorporating into Christianity (the early days of Catholicism) many pagan practices. For example, did you know that December 25th was the god Mithras's birthday? Constantine swapped it to become the birthday of Jesus! All the accoutrements of the Pope were the same for Pontifex Maximus, the High Priest of Mithras! All these developments were focused on the soul of man; not our spirit and we continue to walk away from our spirit man today. We roll forward to today. We live in a culture focused on the soul: mind, will and emotions (feelings). The media bombards us with thoughts of being “Wok” “politically correct” and “cancel culture”: all thoughts that bring worry, anxiety and fear thoughts into our lives. What are we to do? Come listen to what Dave and Tom propose as the ways to overcome these worry, anxiety and fear thoughts by learning to walk in our spirits and engage with the Supernatural. “Living Spirit First” is a book by Dr. Ron Horner and the thoughts and concepts contained therein are a pathway to access the realms of heaven and obtain the resources of heaven in our day and age. If you are interested in learning about this paradigm shift in your life come listen to our podcast. Papa Tom's Tales and The Father's Heart Podcasts have decided to engage the services of Patreon to assist us in raising support. If you are encouraged by the media we are producing and would be interested in donating to support our future production of media, go to www.patreon.com/thefathersheart to offer support. In the same way, we would be ecstatic (meaning: involving an experience of mystic self-transcendence, or, feeling overwhelming happiness or joy) if you would be so kind as to pass on our new www.patreon.com/thefathersheartwebsite.

65: Carl A. P. Ruck – The Road to Eleusis; The Myth of Christ Dr. Carl Ruck and I begin our conversation discussing the book The Road to Eleusis, wherein “the classist” Dr. Ruck and coauthors R. Gordon Wasson, “the mycologist,” and Dr. Albert Hoffman, “the chemist,” released a controversial theory that psychoactive entheogenic sacramental ceremonies are often discovered at the root of many religious and spiritual traditions throughout history – and especially within the Greek Eleusinian Mystery tradition that lasted around 2000 years. Throughout the interview we explore subjects including classical sources, interpretation of ancient texts, religion and consciousness, entheogens and psychedelics, the political difficulty of the psychedelic sacrament, academia and censorship, drugs and cult ritual practices, the nature of myth, drugs and addiction, polyethnicity, myth and metaphor, consciousness, and our symbiotic relationship to the earth. BIO: Carl A.P. Ruck is an authority on the ecstatic rituals of the god Dionysus. With the ethno-mycologist R. Gordon Wasson and Albert Hofmann, he identified the secret psychoactive ingredient in the visionary potion that was drunk by the initiates at the Eleusinian Mystery. In Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion, he proclaimed the centrality of psychoactive sacraments at the very beginnings of religion, employing the neologism “entheogen” to free the topic from the pejorative connotations for words like drug or hallucinogen. Check out Prof. Ruck's latest project: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cgiwjbne3bj7c24/CarlRuck.mp4 Research Interests: Greek drama, Dionysian festivals and rituals, ancient Mystery religions, Orphism, Zoroaster, Mithraism, ancient Christian heretical sects, the role of entheogens in the evolution of human consciousness and religions, Mythology, secret sacraments in medieval and Renaissance art, ancient and medieval eschatology, fairy-tales and European folklore, secret societies and craft guilds, prehistoric rock art, Greek epigraphy, structural linguistics, Latin and Greek grammar, Mesoamerican shamanism. https://www.bu.edu/classics/faculty-profiles/carl-ruck/ http://wassonwest.com https://entheomedia.net CLASS: http://junghouston.org/program-offering-detail/?id=dfb2b6b6-4eb0-11eb-b993-02dbb43a0b10 Website for The Sacred Speaks: http://www.thesacredspeaks.com WATCH: YouTube for The Sacred Speaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAuksnpfht1udHWUVEO7Rg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesacredspeaks/ @thesacredspeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesacredspeaks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesacredspeaks/ Brought to you by: https://www.thecenterforhas.com WATCH Get Centered https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdbeVcDXWXezYMkHJg-2duw Theme music provided by: http://www.modernnationsmusic.com

In his third appearance on the show, author Micah Dank shows us the connections between the constellations of the zodiac and the Bible.

In which Dixie, Matthew, and Eddy discuss cults, Cults of the Blood Gods, blood, and gods. * Is King Bowser a cat?* Do we deserve a break?* The lasting greatness of Alan Wake* IP law, licensed RPGs and video games, and Beckett's Jyhad Diary* Memories of our Scion actual play* The Cults of the Blood Gods theme tune* Cults of the Blood Gods is on sale via PDF and print on demand!* Problems with the Bahari* The One True Way (to Golconda)* Why religions are appealing to vampires* The Leftovers is a magnificent TV show and you should watch it* Fringe beliefs emerging in the 21st century* The Lancea et Sanctum (from Vampire: The Requiem) are also magnificent and perform miracles!* The reasonable nature of Mithraism (when compared to the Sabbat)* Why cults are a mundane horror as well as a supernatural one* One of our Trails of Ash and Bone stories* Children of the Blood teasers* Alternate names for the Hecata* The emerging popularity of the Hecata* Necrotic Plague and why it's an excellent power (so there)* Jason Newberry doesn't deserve to have eyes* The Giovanni Brand Name* The Promise of 1528* Why you should buy Cults of the Blood Gods Links: Onyx Path YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOnyxPathOnyx Path Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theonyxpathOnyx Path Discord: https://discord.gg/5uckcBkAlan Wake: https://store.steampowered.com/app/108710/Alan_Wake/Beckett's Jyhad Diary: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/225322/V20-Becketts-Jyhad-Diary?affiliate_id=13Onyx Pathcast Scion Actual Play: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/e/episode-102-scion-actual-play-extravaganza-eddy-was-wrong/Cults of the Blood Gods: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/336233/Cults-of-the-Blood-Gods-Vampire-the-Masquerade-5th-Edition?affiliate_id=13The Leftovers: https://www.hbo.com/the-leftoversVampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/123898/Vampire-The-Requiem-2nd-Edition?affiliate_id=13Chicago by Night: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/283858/Chicago-By-Night-Vampire-the-Masquerade-5th-Edition?affiliate_id=13Heaven's Gate: https://www.heavensgate.com/

References: Axworthy, Michael (2008). A History of Iran. Basic Books. pp. 31–43. Hone, William (1890 (4th edit); 1820 (1st edition)). "The Apocryphal Books of the New Testament". Archive.org. Gebbie & Co., Publishers, Philadelphia. See: Retrieved 26 January 2017. Nersessian, Vrej (2001). The Bible in the Armenian Tradition. Getty. ISBN 978-0-89236-640-8. Historia Trium Regum(History of the Three Kings) by John of Hildesheim (1364–1375) Brock, Sebastian (1982). "Christians in the Sasanian Empire: A Case of Divided Loyalties". In Mews, Stuart (ed.). Religion and National Identity. Studies in Church History, 18. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 1–19. ISBN 978-0-631-18060-9. Ugo Monneret de Villard, Le Leggende orientali sui Magi evangelici, Citta del Vaticano, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, 1952. Hultgård, Anders (1998). "The Magi and the Star—the Persian Background in Texts and Iconography". In Schalk, Peter; Stausberg, Michael (eds.). 'Being Religious and Living through the Eyes': Studies in Religious Iconography and Iconology: A Celebratory Publication in Honour of Professor Jan Bergman. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis: Historia Religionum, 14. Uppsala, Almqvist & Wiksell International. pp. 215–25. ISBN 978-91-554-4199-9. Dietrich, "Die Weisen aus dem Morgenlande", Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft, Bd. III, 1902, p. 1 14; cited in J. Duchesne-Guillemin, "Die Drei Weisen aus dem Morgenlande und die Anbetung der Zeit", Antaios, Vol. VII, 1965, pp. 234–252, 245; cited in Mary Boyce and Frantz Genet, A History of Zoroastrianism, Leiden, Brill, 1991, p. 453, n. 449. Herzfeld, Ernst (1935). Archaeological History of Iran. Schweich Lectures of the British Academy. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 65–6. OCLC 651983281. Dr. M. Moghadam ( ), second International Congress of Mithraic Studies, 1975. Professor Parviz Varjavand ( ), Iranian archaeologist, studies on Mithraism and Iranian Archaeology. Dr. Hashem Farhang, studies on Mithraism. Professor Gary Leupp, studies on Mithraism; D. Jason Cooper; Mithraic studies, 1996. Richard Noll, Mithraic studies, 1997. DI Behruz Vazvan ( ), studies on Christmas in the light of Mithraism and Zoroastrianism. One of the writers of the world s first Persian-Finnish-Persian Large Dictionary 1990. Cumont, the mysteries of Mithra Nabarz, the mysteries of Mithra Foltz, Reliogions of Iran Jason Reza Jorjani, Iranian Leviathan Ruck, Muahrooms, Myth and Mithras --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arash-darius-kamali/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arash-darius-kamali/support

Full Text of ReadingsThe Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Christmas Lectionary: 13,14,15,16All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is The Nativity of The Lord - ChristmasThe word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038, and Cristes-messe, in 1131; in Latin Dies Natalis. Early CelebrationChristmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Sts. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts, andOrigen, glancing perhaps at the discreditable imperial Natalitia, asserts that in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday. Arnobius can still ridicule the "birthdays" of the gods. The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. About A.D. 200, Clement of Alexandria says that certain Egyptian theologians "over curiously" assign, not the year alone, but the day of Christ's birth, placing it on 25 Pachon (May 20) in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus. The December feast therefore reached Egypt between 427 and 433. InRome the earliest evidence is in the Philocalian Calendar, compiled in 354, which contains three important entries. In the civil calendar December 25is marked "Natalis Invicti." In the "Depositio Martyrum" a list of Roman or early and universally venerated martyrs, under December 25 is found "VIII kal. ian. natus Christus in Betleem Iud."De Santi (L'Orig. delle Fest. Nat., in Civilt Cattolica, 1907), following Erbes, argues that Rome took over the Eastern Epiphany, now with a definite Nativity colouring, and, with as increasing number of Eastern Churches, placed it on December 25. Later, both the East and West divided their feast, leaving Ephiphany on January 6, and Nativity on December 25, respectively, and placing Christmas on December 25and Epiphany on January 6. The earlier hypothesis still seems preferable. Origin of DateConcerning the date of Christ's birth the Gospels give no help; upon their data contradictory arguments are based. The census would have been impossible in winter: a whole population could not then be put in motion. Again, in winter it must have been; then only field labour was suspended, but Rome was not thus considerate. Authorities moreover differ as to whether shepherds could or would keep flocks exposed during the nights of the rainy season. Natalis Invicti The well-known solar feast, however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on December 25, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date. For the history of the solar cult, its position in the Roman Empire, and syncretism with Mithraism, see Cumont's epoch-making "Textes et Monuments" etc., I, ii, 4, 6, p. 355. Mommsen (Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, 12, p. 338) has collected the evidence for the feast, which reached its climax of popularity under Aurelian in 274. Filippo del Torre in 1700 first saw its importance. It is marked, as has been said, without addition in Philocalus' Calendar. It would be impossible here even to outline the history of solar symbolism and language as applied to God, the Messiah, and Christ in Jewish or Chrisian canonical, patristic, or devotional works. Hymns and Christmas offices abound in instances; the texts are well arranged by Cumont. Liturgy and CustomThe fixing of this date fixed those too of Circumcision and Presentation, of Expectation and, perhaps, Annunciation B.V.M., and of Nativity and Conception of the Baptist (cf. Thurston in Amer. Eccl. Rev., December, 1898). Till the tenth century Christmas counted, in papal reckoning, as the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, as it still does in Bulls. Boniface VIII (1294-1303) restored temporarily this usage, to which Germany held longest. The Crib (creche) or Nativity Scene Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223 originated the crib of today by laicizing a hitherto ecclesiastical custom, henceforward extra-liturgical and popular. The presence of ox and ass is due to a misinterpretation of Isaias 1:3, and Habakkuk 3:2 ("Itala" version), though they appear in the unique fourth-century "Nativity" discovered in the Saint Sebastian catacombs in 1877. The ass on which Balaam rode in the Reims mystery won for the feast the title Festum Asinorum (Ducange, op. cit., s.v. Festum). Hymns and Carols Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Merry Mithrasmas! This is our episode for the 25th December, investigating the origins of Christianity in Mithraism and the pivotal role played by Constantine the Great.

Praise Sol! This week, Josh is joined by Tom from NerdOn! to discuss the HBOMax original series "Raised by Wolves". They chat about the plot, characters, Mithraism, what they want to see in season 2, and more.  Who are our favorite characters? Can androids feel? Is Paul the chosen one? Tune in to find out! Head over to HBOMax and check out Raised by Wolves available now.    Follow Tom: Instagram @talldarknotugly Twitter @TallDarkNotUgly   Follow Nerd On!: Instagram @nerdontv Twitter @nerdontv     Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email HERE. Be sure to head over to our website AnimationStationPodcast.com to check out both What's Up, Fandom & Animation Station Podcast episodes.  If you enjoy the show, please rate and review!   Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast   Follow Josh @JoshLCain   Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, popculture, fandom, hbo, hbomax, raisedbywolves, ridleyscott, mother, father, android, androids, scifi

Raised By Wolves takes place on real-life planet Kepler-22b, after Earth has been engulfed in a holy war between atheists and the devoutly religious Mithraic. But what was the Cult of Mithras, the ancient Roman sect on which the series’ faith is based? And what can we learn from this mysterious cult that can be applied to our understanding of modern day religion, and the ways in which it might continue to impact society? On the latest episode of Raised By Wolves: The Podcast, host Holly Frey and archaeologist / ancient historian David Walsh (@d_j_walsh) talk old-school religion as they examine the rise, fall, and legacy of ancient Mithraism. Plus, show creator Aaron Guzikowski talks about the aspects of contemporary religions and his own Catholic upbringing which informed the religious elements of the show. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

This week, Jada's taking us back to pre-Christian Rome, to talk about the ancient cult of “Mithraism”, the Mithraic Mysteries. The Mithraic Mysteries and the cult that kept them has been mostly forgotten by the modern world. Mithra, or Mithras, was an Indo-Iranian sun god, also associated with kings, warriors, war, justice, and contracts.Disclaimer: Anything in this podcast is based on our research and our own opinions. Content is not acceptable for children. Listener discretion is advised.To view all sources and notes, visit www.twosisterscult.com/episodesFor a full list of show sponsors, visit www.twosisterscult.com/savingsSupport the show (http://www.patreon.com/twosisterscult)

Chase makes a wild discovery about the great Martin Luther King Jr. who, as it turns out, was no stranger to Mithraism and the history of ancient mystery religion. Chase and Eric discuss similarities between MLK and Gandhi and their connection to esotericism and are actually helpful for once.  Read Dr. King’s paper here: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/study-mithraism

One of the most "formidable objections" that pop atheists use to come after Christianity is that the story of Jesus' birth and resurrection are spinoff stories of pagan mythologies like Mithras, Horus, Dionysius or some other pagan deity. The main claim is that all of these stories of the pagan deities claim a virgin birth on December 25th. Welcome to The Real Issue Podcast. On our show today Rob examines the claim from the pagan story of Mithra. With us coming upon Christmas time, many advocates coming from the atheist camp claim that Jesus is a copycat of the pagan deities and thus He really did not exist. Rob crushes this objection painting the picture of mythicists, provide a few examples on WHY Jesus is the real original and not the pagan gods. He also examines the claims of Mithraism and why Jesus stands atop of all claims coming from the pagan religions. Commercials from this ministry and from The One Minute Apologist with Bobby Conway interviewing Mary Jo Sharp from Confident Christianity. Opening / closing music from Kerry Livgren's "Ancient Wing" from the album, "One of Several Possible Musicks" If you have any questions about what you hear on this episode, please send those questions to realissueapologetics@yahoo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rob-lundberg/message

Dr Flowers Returns to discuss his latest book from Inner Tradition - Magian Tarok, which traces the origins of the Tarot back to Persia, with Mithraism providing a bridge between the later Italian Renaissance and earlier Zoroastrian influences. Also discuss Post Modernism, Marxism, Zurvanism, Mazdaism, declining quality of education.

Stephen Edred Flowers is a former American Professor, scholar, runologist, runosophist, and proponent of occultism, Odianism, esoteric runosophy, and Germanic mysticism.  He has over three dozen published books and hundreds of published papers and translations on a disparate range of subjects. In this episode, we discuss his newly published work:  The Magian Tarok, which explores the historical roots and mythology of the Tarot, revealing the genesis of the Tarot's symbolism in the great Hermetic tradition and in the initiatory rituals of Mithraism.  Dr. Flowers explains the original meanings of the Major Arcana using Mithraic symbolism and how the Tarot relates to the magical alphabet of the Stoeicheia.   For further information about Professor Flowers, please consult his website:  https://seekthemystery.com/

Mithras is a misunderstood and overlooked god. This deity and his cult have been a leading force in the rise and fall of empires, as well as the architects of world religions that exist even today. Just as astounding, the Gnostic stream of Mithraism has been equally influential in the engineering of cultures. From original Buddhism to the Carpocratians, from the Mazdakites to the Assassins, we encounter a Gnosticism more radical and Promethean than ever imagined, fueled by a supreme God above all gods. Astral Guest – Jason Reza Jorjani, author of Iranian Leviathan: A Monumental History of Mithra’s Abode. This is a partial show for nonmembers. For the second half of the interview, please become a member: http://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/   or patron at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyte More information on Jason: https://arktos.com/people/jason-reza-jorjani/ Get Jason’s book: https://amzn.to/2MW2gH0 Download these and all other shows: http://thegodabovegod.com/ Become a patron and keep this Red Pill Cafeteria open: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyte

Sorry for this episode being late, we had a lot of stuff going on. Conpiracytheory2018@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/conspiracies---what-do-you-believe/support

Jason Reza Jorjani, PhD, is a philosopher and author of Prometheus and Atlas, World State of Emergency, Lovers of Sophia, Novel Folklore: The Blind Owl of Sadegh Hedayat, and Iranian Leviathan: A Monumental History of Mithra’s Abode. Here he describes the complex relationship between Mithraism and Zoroastrianism. Over time, each of these traditions have incorporated … Continue reading "Mithraism with Jason Reza Jorjani"

In episode 9 we study the chapter, Part II "Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies" from Manly P. Hall's Secret Teachings of All Ages. We delve into Ancient symbolism and ritual, Mystery Schools, Freemasons, Mithraism, Druids and much more! This is number 1 in a 3 part series exploring the "Ancient Mysteries" section of The Secret Teachings which we will cover over our next three episodes. Hosted by Jason Napolitano, author of If You Can Worry, You Can Meditate (available on Amazon and at CosmicEye.org) and Co-Hosted by Chris Sheridan author of Spirit in the Sky (available now on ChrisSheridan.com.) The Cosmic Eye show is a weekly metaphysical podcast where each week we talk about important spiritual books and ideas to help listeners positively transform their lives. We investigate spiritual, esoteric, and occult wisdom on a wide variety of figures such as Manly Hall, C.G. Jung, Israel Regardie, Crowley, Jordan Peterson, Alan Watts, Marie Louise Von Franz, Pythagoras, Paul Foster Case, Vivekananda, Yogananda, and others. As well as subjects such as Meditation, Yoga, Psychology, Mythology, Magick, New Thought, Men's Studies, Poetry, Art, Initiation, Ritual, Shamanism, and Folk traditions. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cosmiceye/support

We continue our brief foray into Mithraism by looking at the role of the Roman emperors, the stars and the tauroctony in the spiritual life of mithraic practitioners. We also address the "Seven Levels" of Mithraism in relation to Shamanism. The episode is introduced with a comparison of passages from the Gospel of Luke with the Infancy Gospel of Thomas.

We take a short break from China to explore Mithraism, a secret society within the Roman Empire, and its close relationship with Christianity.

This week we talk about why it's hard to trace Christianity's origin, have updates on a number of stories we've talked about in years past, Washington's measles outbreak, Trump's trans military ban going into effect, and more. We also announce some changes coming to our Patreon rewards. Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or leave us a voice message at (541) 203-0666 or atheistnomads.com/speakpipeSupport the show at atheistnomads.com/donateSubscribe at atheistnomads.com/subscribe ANNOUNCEMENTS InstagramUpdated patreon rewards coming February 1Deborah McTaggart, better known as Heretic Woman, of Beyond the Trailer Park died in her sleep unexpectedly at the age of 46 on January 20 Dustin' off the Degree - The Origins of Christianity Part 1- Why it's a difficult question We know Christianity existed in some form by the mid-first century CE, but the best information on what the early church was like is not found in the New Testament, it's the writings of the Early Church Fathers and the apologists, the bishops of the 2nd and their century. The bishops wrote a lot about the need to fight the heretics and trying to convince the Imperial Roman governors that their followers we're not a threat, the heretics were. When they could win over the authorities, they would lead them right to the heretics and their texts. The authorities would then round them up and burn their texts. Once Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the empire it became very important to destroy the rest of the texts that didn't fit with the developing orthodoxy, a policy that was continued for more than 1000 years. This went beyond just destroying the direct Christian heresy texts, but included Plato and other classical Greek texts, the writings of Mithraism, and anything else that wasn't part of Christian orthodoxy. It's not necessarily the case that there wasn't good documentation of the founding of Christianity, but if there was it's been destroyed. This means that what we know with reasonable certainty is that something that would become the Christian Church was in existence by about 55 CE. That's just a few lines from a song. We then have letters that Paul wrote to churches he had founded starting around 60 CE. The rest of the New Testament was written after 70 CE and parts of it potentially as late as 120 CE. The details, if they were ever written down were either lost to history or intentionally destroyed. What was left is the official party line which was more concerned with preserving an orthodox narrative, than they were with the historical record. UPDATES Justin Murray's application to become a Humanist Chaplain (Episode 270) with the Australian Defence Forces has again been rejected Trump agrees to end shutdown without border wall funding Christian Indonesian governor convicted of blasphemy has been released from prison Bremerton football coach Joe Kennedy's appeal rejected by SCOTUS State funded foster care agency in South Carolina granted exemption to allow them to discriminate NEWS Washington Measles outbreak The State of Washington has declared a state of emergency over a measles outbreak that as of the date of recording has resulted in 30 confirmed measles. This currently centered in Clark County, home of Vancouver, WA just across the river from Portland. The anti-vax movement has made the top 10 list of threats to world health this year Worth noting is that the World Health Organization, looking at the rebound measles is making around the world, has ranked the anti-vax movement has a greater risk to global health than dengue fever and HIV. It's beat out by a global influenza pandemic, which could also be prevented by vaccination. SCOTUS is allowing Trump's trans military ban to take effect The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to lift a lower court's preliminary injunction against Trump's trans military ban. This isn't the ban the total ban on trans people from ser...

On Thursday, September 26, 2013 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on The Legacy of Mithraism on Magick and Masonry. We will trace the origins of the Mithra sect from the ancient Persian Magi -- an offshoot of Zoroastrianism -- through the Greco-Roman Middle East, into the mileau of classical Alexandria, where its western branch acquired a cosmology that was largely Hermetic. In fact one might say that the Greco-Roman Mithra sect was ritualized Hermeticism. For several centuries it rivaled Christianity but was eventually overcome when emperor Constantine, himself a Mithraite, made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire for practical political reasons. The Mithra sect was an elite, initiatory, all male religious fraternity that extolled honor, bravery and loyalty. Great for the Roman army but not for the downtrodden masses. Its influence on the later Masonic fraternity is obvious. Mithraism had seven initiatory degrees so similar to Crata Repoa that John Yarker called his Crata Repoa degree in Rite of Memphis "The Sage of Mithras." We will unravel the complex astrological symbolism of the "Tauroctony", the ritual slaying of the bull, the mystery of the strange lion-headed god, and the theory that the secret communion meal was the old Persian-version of Soma. Our main text reference will be D. Jason Cooper's "Mithras" (1996) with references to Franz Cumont's (1912) "Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans" and "Mushrooms, Myth & Mithras" by Carl A. P. Ruck, et allia (2011). So, if you want to follow us down into the underground temple of the Mithraeum for a look into the origin of many of our rites and degrees, then tune in and we'll lift the veil.

Jane will be talking about the Mystery Religion Mithraism which was huge in the Roman Empire. There are many interesting links between Mithraism and early Christianity (which probably borrowed the 25th of December from Mithraism for their own deo-genisis). However, this was, like the Elusinian Mysteries, a religion in which the followers were enjoined not to speak about it to those not also in the cult. Thus we know far too little about the beliefs and try to get clues from surviving Mithraea (their places of worship), which at very least indicate that it was quite widespread. Jane Sibley is an expert in many areas of folklore, and history in the areas of magick and religion, She's co-founder and a speaker at the Changing Times Changing Worlds conference, and author of several books both fictional and non-fiction. She has a Ph. D in history/ comparative religion, and her dissertation was on thunder/lightning lore in religion and folklore, as well as iconography in the Indo-European world. If you have any questions or insights, feel free to give us a call between 8 and 9 Wednesday 619-639-4606 (live only).  

Can you recommend some good books on the historical John the Baptist or on early understandings of or religions based on him? Is there an approach you'd recommend for someone trying to get a more robust self-education on the origins of Christianity? When Jesus tells Peter, â??Get behind me, Adversary!â?? might he have been asking Satan to â??back him up,â?? reinforcing his resolve in the face of his coming Passion? In Mark 15:7 Barabbas is described as having committed murder during "the insurrection." Is there any historical evidence, Josephus perhaps, that can describe this insurrection? Please comment on the work of Stephan Huller and that of Roger Pearse on Mithraism in the Roman world. One listenerâ??s childhood vision of God fighting Godzilla!

Join me in an exploration of the Philosophers and the keepers of Secrets, along with their societies that served to hold and pass on their esoteric understandings. I will endeavour to delve into the mysteries that have been well lost to the masses, hidden or deliberately altered, and bring them to light. Follow me on this journey sure to be filled with wondrous things and sectarian delights.

POA e13 Thursday June 23, 2016 Anno Domini Jason Gourtney JEGuitars Black Cat Supercharged Distortion Guitar Tone Music Enthusiasts  Gain Volume Filter Sweep and 3 stages of clipping Gregorian Calendar defined Day of the Sun Moon's Day Tuesday associated with Mars as the god of war Day of Odin Thor's Day Friday associated with goddess associated with Venus Day of Saturn Why would a Pope give us names of the days of the week ALL about celestial bodies? Catholicism is Mithraism (look it up) Saturnalia celebrated Dec 25 Pope Gregory XIII was a Jesuit Whats a Jesuit? Look it up Wake up. Take a look around. Question everything. Commentary Prayer Love Scripture Focus Romans 4 & 5  

The Sojourn at Rome (1455.1) 132:0.1 SINCE Gonod carried greetings from the princes of India to Tiberius, the Roman ruler, on the third day after their arrival in Rome the two Indians and Jesus appeared before him. The morose emperor was unusually cheerful on this day and chatted long with the trio. And when they had gone from his presence, the emperor, referring to Jesus, remarked to the aide standing on his right, “If I had that fellow’s kingly bearing and gracious manner, I would be a real emperor, eh?” (1455.2) 132:0.2 While at Rome, Ganid had regular hours for study and for visiting places of interest about the city. His father had much business to transact, and desiring that his son grow up to become a worthy successor in the management of his vast commercial interests, he thought the time had come to introduce the boy to the business world. There were many citizens of India in Rome, and often one of Gonod’s own employees would accompany him as interpreter so that Jesus would have whole days to himself; this gave him time in which to become thoroughly acquainted with this city of two million inhabitants. He was frequently to be found in the forum, the center of political, legal, and business life. He often went up to the Capitolium and pondered the bondage of ignorance in which these Romans were held as he beheld this magnificent temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. He also spent much time on Palatine hill, where were located the emperor’s residence, the temple of Apollo, and the Greek and Latin libraries. (1455.3) 132:0.3 At this time the Roman Empire included all of southern Europe, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and northwest Africa; and its inhabitants embraced the citizens of every country of the Eastern Hemisphere. His desire to study and mingle with this cosmopolitan aggregation of Urantia mortals was the chief reason why Jesus consented to make this journey. (1455.4) 132:0.4 Jesus learned much about men while in Rome, but the most valuable of all the manifold experiences of his six months’ sojourn in that city was his contact with, and influence upon, the religious leaders of the empire’s capital. Before the end of the first week in Rome Jesus had sought out, and had made the acquaintance of, the worth-while leaders of the Cynics, the Stoics, and the mystery cults, in particular the Mithraic group. Whether or not it was apparent to Jesus that the Jews were going to reject his mission, he most certainly foresaw that his messengers were presently coming to Rome to proclaim the kingdom of heaven; and he therefore set about, in the most amazing manner, to prepare the way for the better and more certain reception of their message. He selected five of the leading Stoics, eleven of the Cynics, and sixteen of the mystery-cult leaders and spent much of his spare time for almost six months in intimate association with these religious teachers. And this was his method of instruction: Never once did he attack their errors or even mention the flaws in their teachings. In each case he would select the truth in what they taught and then proceed so to embellish and illuminate this truth in their minds that in a very short time this enhancement of the truth effectively crowded out the associated error; and thus were these Jesus-taught men and women prepared for the subsequent recognition of additional and similar truths in the teachings of the early Christian missionaries. It was this early acceptance of the teachings of the gospel preachers which gave that powerful impetus to the rapid spread of Christianity in Rome and from there throughout the empire. (1456.1) 132:0.5 The significance of this remarkable doing can the better be understood when we record the fact that, out of this group of thirty-two Jesus-taught religious leaders in Rome, only two were unfruitful; the thirty became pivotal individuals in the establishment of Christianity in Rome, and certain of them also aided in turning the chief Mithraic temple into the first Christian church of that city. We who view human activities from behind the scenes and in the light of nineteen centuries of time recognize just three factors of paramount value in the early setting of the stage for the rapid spread of Christianity throughout Europe, and they are: (1456.2) 132:0.6 1. The choosing and holding of Simon Peter as an apostle. (1456.3) 132:0.7 2. The talk in Jerusalem with Stephen, whose death led to the winning of Saul of Tarsus. (1456.4) 132:0.8 3. The preliminary preparation of these thirty Romans for the subsequent leadership of the new religion in Rome and throughout the empire. (1456.5) 132:0.9 Through all their experiences, neither Stephen nor the thirty chosen ones ever realized that they had once talked with the man whose name became the subject of their religious teaching. Jesus’ work in behalf of the original thirty-two was entirely personal. In his labors for these individuals the scribe of Damascus never met more than three of them at one time, seldom more than two, while most often he taught them singly. And he could do this great work of religious training because these men and women were not tradition bound; they were not victims of a settled preconception as to all future religious developments. (1456.6) 132:0.10 Many were the times in the years so soon to follow that Peter, Paul, and the other Christian teachers in Rome heard about this scribe of Damascus who had preceded them, and who had so obviously (and as they supposed unwittingly) prepared the way for their coming with the new gospel. Though Paul never really surmised the identity of this scribe of Damascus, he did, a short time before his death, because of the similarity of personal descriptions, reach the conclusion that the “tentmaker of Antioch” was also the “scribe of Damascus.” On one occasion, while preaching in Rome, Simon Peter, on listening to a description of the Damascus scribe, surmised that this individual might have been Jesus but quickly dismissed the idea, knowing full well (so he thought) that the Master had never been in Rome. 1. True Values (1456.7) 132:1.1 It was with Angamon, the leader of the Stoics, that Jesus had an all-night talk early during his sojourn in Rome. This man subsequently became a great friend of Paul and proved to be one of the strong supporters of the Christian church at Rome. In substance, and restated in modern phraseology, Jesus taught Angamon: (1457.1) 132:1.2 The standard of true values must be looked for in the spiritual world and on divine levels of eternal reality. To an ascending mortal all lower and material standards must be recognized as transient, partial, and inferior. The scientist, as such, is limited to the discovery of the relatedness of material facts. Technically, he has no right to assert that he is either materialist or idealist, for in so doing he has assumed to forsake the attitude of a true scientist since any and all such assertions of attitude are the very essence of philosophy. (1457.2) 132:1.3 Unless the moral insight and the spiritual attainment of mankind are proportionately augmented, the unlimited advancement of a purely materialistic culture may eventually become a menace to civilization. A purely materialistic science harbors within itself the potential seed of the destruction of all scientific striving, for this very attitude presages the ultimate collapse of a civilization which has abandoned its sense of moral values and has repudiated its spiritual goal of attainment. (1457.3) 132:1.4 The materialistic scientist and the extreme idealist are destined always to be at loggerheads. This is not true of those scientists and idealists who are in possession of a common standard of high moral values and spiritual test levels. In every age scientists and religionists must recognize that they are on trial before the bar of human need. They must eschew all warfare between themselves while they strive valiantly to justify their continued survival by enhanced devotion to the service of human progress. If the so-called science or religion of any age is false, then must it either purify its activities or pass away before the emergence of a material science or spiritual religion of a truer and more worthy order. 2. Good and Evil (1457.4) 132:2.1 Mardus was the acknowledged leader of the Cynics of Rome, and he became a great friend of the scribe of Damascus. Day after day he conversed with Jesus, and night upon night he listened to his supernal teaching. Among the more important discussions with Mardus was the one designed to answer this sincere Cynic’s question about good and evil. In substance, and in twentieth-century phraseology, Jesus said: (1457.5) 132:2.2 My brother, good and evil are merely words symbolizing relative levels of human comprehension of the observable universe. If you are ethically lazy and socially indifferent, you can take as your standard of good the current social usages. If you are spiritually indolent and morally unprogressive, you may take as your standards of good the religious practices and traditions of your contemporaries. But the soul that survives time and emerges into eternity must make a living and personal choice between good and evil as they are determined by the true values of the spiritual standards established by the divine spirit which the Father in heaven has sent to dwell within the heart of man. This indwelling spirit is the standard of personality survival. (1457.6) 132:2.3 Goodness, like truth, is always relative and unfailingly evil-contrasted. It is the perception of these qualities of goodness and truth that enables the evolving souls of men to make those personal decisions of choice which are essential to eternal survival. (1458.1) 132:2.4 The spiritually blind individual who logically follows scientific dictation, social usage, and religious dogma stands in grave danger of sacrificing his moral freedom and losing his spiritual liberty. Such a soul is destined to become an intellectual parrot, a social automaton, and a slave to religious authority. (1458.2) 132:2.5 Goodness is always growing toward new levels of the increasing liberty of moral self-realization and spiritual personality attainment — the discovery of, and identification with, the indwelling Adjuster. An experience is good when it heightens the appreciation of beauty, augments the moral will, enhances the discernment of truth, enlarges the capacity to love and serve one’s fellows, exalts the spiritual ideals, and unifies the supreme human motives of time with the eternal plans of the indwelling Adjuster, all of which lead directly to an increased desire to do the Father’s will, thereby fostering the divine passion to find God and to be more like him. (1458.3) 132:2.6 As you ascend the universe scale of creature development, you will find increasing goodness and diminishing evil in perfect accordance with your capacity for goodness-experience and truth-discernment. The ability to entertain error or experience evil will not be fully lost until the ascending human soul achieves final spirit levels. (1458.4) 132:2.7 Goodness is living, relative, always progressing, invariably a personal experience, and everlastingly correlated with the discernment of truth and beauty. Goodness is found in the recognition of the positive truth-values of the spiritual level, which must, in human experience, be contrasted with the negative counterpart — the shadows of potential evil. (1458.5) 132:2.8 Until you attain Paradise levels, goodness will always be more of a quest than a possession, more of a goal than an experience of attainment. But even as you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you experience increasing satisfaction in the partial attainment of goodness. The presence of goodness and evil in the world is in itself positive proof of the existence and reality of man’s moral will, the personality, which thus identifies these values and is also able to choose between them. (1458.6) 132:2.9 By the time of the attainment of Paradise the ascending mortal’s capacity for identifying the self with true spirit values has become so enlarged as to result in the attainment of the perfection of the possession of the light of life. Such a perfected spirit personality becomes so wholly, divinely, and spiritually unified with the positive and supreme qualities of goodness, beauty, and truth that there remains no possibility that such a righteous spirit would cast any negative shadow of potential evil when exposed to the searching luminosity of the divine light of the infinite Rulers of Paradise. In all such spirit personalities, goodness is no longer partial, contrastive, and comparative; it has become divinely complete and spiritually replete; it approaches the purity and perfection of the Supreme. (1458.7) 132:2.10 The possibility of evil is necessary to moral choosing, but not the actuality thereof. A shadow is only relatively real. Actual evil is not necessary as a personal experience. Potential evil acts equally well as a decision stimulus in the realms of moral progress on the lower levels of spiritual development. Evil becomes a reality of personal experience only when a moral mind makes evil its choice. 3. Truth and Faith (1459.1) 132:3.1 Nabon was a Greek Jew and foremost among the leaders of the chief mystery cult in Rome, the Mithraic. While this high priest of Mithraism held many conferences with the Damascus scribe, he was most permanently influenced by their discussion of truth and faith one evening. Nabon had thought to make a convert of Jesus and had even suggested that he return to Palestine as a Mithraic teacher. He little realized that Jesus was preparing him to become one of the early converts to the gospel of the kingdom. Restated in modern phraseology, the substance of Jesus’ teaching was: (1459.2) 132:3.2 Truth cannot be defined with words, only by living. Truth is always more than knowledge. Knowledge pertains to things observed, but truth transcends such purely material levels in that it consorts with wisdom and embraces such imponderables as human experience, even spiritual and living realities. Knowledge originates in science; wisdom, in true philosophy; truth, in the religious experience of spiritual living. Knowledge deals with facts; wisdom, with relationships; truth, with reality values. (1459.3) 132:3.3 Man tends to crystallize science, formulate philosophy, and dogmatize truth because he is mentally lazy in adjusting to the progressive struggles of living, while he is also terribly afraid of the unknown. Natural man is slow to initiate changes in his habits of thinking and in his techniques of living. (1459.4) 132:3.4 Revealed truth, personally discovered truth, is the supreme delight of the human soul; it is the joint creation of the material mind and the indwelling spirit. The eternal salvation of this truth-discerning and beauty-loving soul is assured by that hunger and thirst for goodness which leads this mortal to develop a singleness of purpose to do the Father’s will, to find God and to become like him. There is never conflict between true knowledge and truth. There may be conflict between knowledge and human beliefs, beliefs colored with prejudice, distorted by fear, and dominated by the dread of facing new facts of material discovery or spiritual progress. (1459.5) 132:3.5 But truth can never become man’s possession without the exercise of faith. This is true because man’s thoughts, wisdom, ethics, and ideals will never rise higher than his faith, his sublime hope. And all such true faith is predicated on profound reflection, sincere self-criticism, and uncompromising moral consciousness. Faith is the inspiration of the spiritized creative imagination. (1459.6) 132:3.6 Faith acts to release the superhuman activities of the divine spark, the immortal germ, that lives within the mind of man, and which is the potential of eternal survival. Plants and animals survive in time by the technique of passing on from one generation to another identical particles of themselves. The human soul (personality) of man survives mortal death by identity association with this indwelling spark of divinity, which is immortal, and which functions to perpetuate the human personality upon a continuing and higher level of progressive universe existence. The concealed seed of the human soul is an immortal spirit. The second generation of the soul is the first of a succession of personality manifestations of spiritual and progressing existences, terminating only when this divine entity attains the source of its existence, the personal source of all existence, God, the Universal Father. (1459.7) 132:3.7 Human life continues — survives — because it has a universe function, the task of finding God. The faith-activated soul of man cannot stop short of the attainment of this goal of destiny; and when it does once achieve this divine goal, it can never end because it has become like God — eternal. (1460.1) 132:3.8 Spiritual evolution is an experience of the increasing and voluntary choice of goodness attended by an equal and progressive diminution of the possibility of evil. With the attainment of finality of choice for goodness and of completed capacity for truth appreciation, there comes into existence a perfection of beauty and holiness whose righteousness eternally inhibits the possibility of the emergence of even the concept of potential evil. Such a God-knowing soul casts no shadow of doubting evil when functioning on such a high spirit level of divine goodness. (1460.2) 132:3.9 The presence of the Paradise spirit in the mind of man constitutes the revelation promise and the faith pledge of an eternal existence of divine progression for every soul seeking to achieve identity with this immortal and indwelling spirit fragment of the Universal Father. (1460.3) 132:3.10 Universe progress is characterized by increasing personality freedom because it is associated with the progressive attainment of higher and higher levels of self-understanding and consequent voluntary self-restraint. The attainment of perfection of spiritual self-restraint equals completeness of universe freedom and personal liberty. Faith fosters and maintains man’s soul in the midst of the confusion of his early orientation in such a vast universe, whereas prayer becomes the great unifier of the various inspirations of the creative imagination and the faith urges of a soul trying to identify itself with the spirit ideals of the indwelling and associated divine presence. (1460.4) 132:3.11 Nabon was greatly impressed by these words, as he was by each of his talks with Jesus. These truths continued to burn within his heart, and he was of great assistance to the later arriving preachers of Jesus’ gospel. 4. Personal Ministry (1460.5) 132:4.1 Jesus did not devote all his leisure while in Rome to this work of preparing men and women to become future disciples in the oncoming kingdom. He spent much time gaining an intimate knowledge of all races and classes of men who lived in this, the largest and most cosmopolitan city of the world. In each of these numerous human contacts Jesus had a double purpose: He desired to learn their reactions to the life they were living in the flesh, and he was also minded to say or do something to make that life richer and more worth while. His religious teachings during these weeks were no different than those which characterized his later life as teacher of the twelve and preacher to the multitudes. (1460.6) 132:4.2 Always the burden of his message was: the fact of the heavenly Father’s love and the truth of his mercy, coupled with the good news that man is a faith-son of this same God of love. Jesus’ usual technique of social contact was to draw people out and into talking with him by asking them questions. The interview would usually begin by his asking them questions and end by their asking him questions. He was equally adept in teaching by either asking or answering questions. As a rule, to those he taught the most, he said the least. Those who derived most benefit from his personal ministry were overburdened, anxious, and dejected mortals who gained much relief because of the opportunity to unburden their souls to a sympathetic and understanding listener, and he was all that and more. And when these maladjusted human beings had told Jesus about their troubles, always was he able to offer practical and immediately helpful suggestions looking toward the correction of their real difficulties, albeit he did not neglect to speak words of present comfort and immediate consolation. And invariably would he tell these distressed mortals about the love of God and impart the information, by various and sundry methods, that they were the children of this loving Father in heaven. (1461.1) 132:4.3 In this manner, during the sojourn in Rome, Jesus personally came into affectionate and uplifting contact with upward of five hundred mortals of the realm. He thus gained a knowledge of the different races of mankind which he could never have acquired in Jerusalem and hardly even in Alexandria. He always regarded this six months as one of the richest and most informative of any like period of his earth life. (1461.2) 132:4.4 As might have been expected, such a versatile and aggressive man could not thus function for six months in the world’s metropolis without being approached by numerous persons who desired to secure his services in connection with some business or, more often, for some project of teaching, social reform, or religious movement. More than a dozen such proffers were made, and he utilized each one as an opportunity for imparting some thought of spiritual ennoblement by well-chosen words or by some obliging service. Jesus was very fond of doing things — even little things — for all sorts of people. (1461.3) 132:4.5 He talked with a Roman senator on politics and statesmanship, and this one contact with Jesus made such an impression on this legislator that he spent the rest of his life vainly trying to induce his colleagues to change the course of the ruling policy from the idea of the government supporting and feeding the people to that of the people supporting the government. Jesus spent one evening with a wealthy slaveholder, talked about man as a son of God, and the next day this man, Claudius, gave freedom to one hundred and seventeen slaves. He visited at dinner with a Greek physician, telling him that his patients had minds and souls as well as bodies, and thus led this able doctor to attempt a more far-reaching ministry to his fellow men. He talked with all sorts of people in every walk of life. The only place in Rome he did not visit was the public baths. He refused to accompany his friends to the baths because of the sex promiscuity which there prevailed. (1461.4) 132:4.6 To a Roman soldier, as they walked along the Tiber, he said: “Be brave of heart as well as of hand. Dare to do justice and be big enough to show mercy. Compel your lower nature to obey your higher nature as you obey your superiors. Revere goodness and exalt truth. Choose the beautiful in place of the ugly. Love your fellows and reach out for God with a whole heart, for God is your Father in heaven.” (1461.5) 132:4.7 To the speaker at the forum he said: “Your eloquence is pleasing, your logic is admirable, your voice is pleasant, but your teaching is hardly true. If you could only enjoy the inspiring satisfaction of knowing God as your spiritual Father, then you might employ your powers of speech to liberate your fellows from the bondage of darkness and from the slavery of ignorance.” This was the Marcus who heard Peter preach in Rome and became his successor. When they crucified Simon Peter, it was this man who defied the Roman persecutors and boldly continued to preach the new gospel. (1462.1) 132:4.8 Meeting a poor man who had been falsely accused, Jesus went with him before the magistrate and, having been granted special permission to appear in his behalf, made that superb address in the course of which he said: “Justice makes a nation great, and the greater a nation the more solicitous will it be to see that injustice shall not befall even its most humble citizen. Woe upon any nation when only those who possess money and influence can secure ready justice before its courts! It is the sacred duty of a magistrate to acquit the innocent as well as to punish the guilty. Upon the impartiality, fairness, and integrity of its courts the endurance of a nation depends. Civil government is founded on justice, even as true religion is founded on mercy.” The judge reopened the case, and when the evidence had been sifted, he discharged the prisoner. Of all Jesus’ activities during these days of personal ministry, this came the nearest to being a public appearance. 5. Counseling the Rich Man (1462.2) 132:5.1 A certain rich man, a Roman citizen and a Stoic, became greatly interested in Jesus’ teaching, having been introduced by Angamon. After many intimate conferences this wealthy citizen asked Jesus what he would do with wealth if he had it, and Jesus answered him: “I would bestow material wealth for the enhancement of material life, even as I would minister knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual service for the enrichment of the intellectual life, the ennoblement of the social life, and the advancement of the spiritual life. I would administer material wealth as a wise and effective trustee of the resources of one generation for the benefit and ennoblement of the next and succeeding generations.” (1462.3) 132:5.2 But the rich man was not fully satisfied with Jesus’ answer. He made bold to ask again: “But what do you think a man in my position should do with his wealth? Should I keep it, or should I give it away?” And when Jesus perceived that he really desired to know more of the truth about his loyalty to God and his duty to men, he further answered: “My good friend, I discern that you are a sincere seeker after wisdom and an honest lover of truth; therefore am I minded to lay before you my view of the solution of your problems having to do with the responsibilities of wealth. I do this because you have asked for my counsel, and in giving you this advice, I am not concerned with the wealth of any other rich man; I am offering advice only to you and for your personal guidance. If you honestly desire to regard your wealth as a trust, if you really wish to become a wise and efficient steward of your accumulated wealth, then would I counsel you to make the following analysis of the sources of your riches: Ask yourself, and do your best to find the honest answer, whence came this wealth? And as a help in the study of the sources of your great fortune, I would suggest that you bear in mind the following ten different methods of amassing material wealth: (1462.4) 132:5.3 “1. Inherited wealth — riches derived from parents and other ancestors. (1462.5) 132:5.4 “2. Discovered wealth — riches derived from the uncultivated resources of mother earth. (1462.6) 132:5.5 “3. Trade wealth — riches obtained as a fair profit in the exchange and barter of material goods. (1462.7) 132:5.6 “4. Unfair wealth — riches derived from the unfair exploitation or the enslavement of one’s fellows. (1463.1) 132:5.7 “5. Interest wealth — income derived from the fair and just earning possibilities of invested capital. (1463.2) 132:5.8 “6. Genius wealth — riches accruing from the rewards of the creative and inventive endowments of the human mind. (1463.3) 132:5.9 “7. Accidental wealth — riches derived from the generosity of one’s fellows or taking origin in the circumstances of life. (1463.4) 132:5.10 “8. Stolen wealth — riches secured by unfairness, dishonesty, theft, or fraud. (1463.5) 132:5.11 “9. Trust funds — wealth lodged in your hands by your fellows for some specific use, now or in the future. (1463.6) 132:5.12 “10. Earned wealth — riches derived directly from your own personal labor, the fair and just reward of your own daily efforts of mind and body. (1463.7) 132:5.13 “And so, my friend, if you would be a faithful and just steward of your large fortune, before God and in service to men, you must approximately divide your wealth into these ten grand divisions, and then proceed to administer each portion in accordance with the wise and honest interpretation of the laws of justice, equity, fairness, and true efficiency; albeit, the God of heaven would not condemn you if sometimes you erred, in doubtful situations, on the side of merciful and unselfish regard for the distress of the suffering victims of the unfortunate circumstances of mortal life. When in honest doubt about the equity and justice of material situations, let your decisions favor those who are in need, favor those who suffer the misfortune of undeserved hardships.” (1463.8) 132:5.14 After discussing these matters for several hours and in response to the rich man’s request for further and more detailed instruction, Jesus went on to amplify his advice, in substance saying: “While I offer further suggestions concerning your attitude toward wealth, I would admonish you to receive my counsel as given only to you and for your personal guidance. I speak only for myself and to you as an inquiring friend. I adjure you not to become a dictator as to how other rich men shall regard their wealth. I would advise you: (1463.9) 132:5.15 “1. As steward of inherited wealth you should consider its sources. You are under moral obligation to represent the past generation in the honest transmittal of legitimate wealth to succeeding generations after subtracting a fair toll for the benefit of the present generation. But you are not obligated to perpetuate any dishonesty or injustice involved in the unfair accumulation of wealth by your ancestors. Any portion of your inherited wealth which turns out to have been derived through fraud or unfairness, you may disburse in accordance with your convictions of justice, generosity, and restitution. The remainder of your legitimate inherited wealth you may use in equity and transmit in security as the trustee of one generation for another. Wise discrimination and sound judgment should dictate your decisions regarding the bequest of riches to your successors. (1463.10) 132:5.16 “2. Everyone who enjoys wealth as a result of discovery should remember that one individual can live on earth but a short season and should, therefore, make adequate provision for the sharing of these discoveries in helpful ways by the largest possible number of his fellow men. While the discoverer should not be denied all reward for efforts of discovery, neither should he selfishly presume to lay claim to all of the advantages and blessings to be derived from the uncovering of nature’s hoarded resources. (1464.1) 132:5.17 “3. As long as men choose to conduct the world’s business by trade and barter, they are entitled to a fair and legitimate profit. Every tradesman deserves wages for his services; the merchant is entitled to his hire. The fairness of trade and the honest treatment accorded one’s fellows in the organized business of the world create many different sorts of profit wealth, and all these sources of wealth must be judged by the highest principles of justice, honesty, and fairness. The honest trader should not hesitate to take the same profit which he would gladly accord his fellow trader in a similar transaction. While this sort of wealth is not identical with individually earned income when business dealings are conducted on a large scale, at the same time, such honestly accumulated wealth endows its possessor with a considerable equity as regards a voice in its subsequent distribution. (1464.2) 132:5.18 “4. No mortal who knows God and seeks to do the divine will can stoop to engage in the oppressions of wealth. No noble man will strive to accumulate riches and amass wealth-power by the enslavement or unfair exploitation of his brothers in the flesh. Riches are a moral curse and a spiritual stigma when they are derived from the sweat of oppressed mortal man. All such wealth should be restored to those who have thus been robbed or to their children and their children’s children. An enduring civilization cannot be built upon the practice of defrauding the laborer of his hire. (1464.3) 132:5.19 “5. Honest wealth is entitled to interest. As long as men borrow and lend, that which is fair interest may be collected provided the capital lent was legitimate wea

The Times of Michael’s Bestowal (1332.1) 121:0.1 ACTING under the supervision of a commission of twelve members of the United Brotherhood of Urantia Midwayers, conjointly sponsored by the presiding head of our order and the Melchizedek of record, I am the secondary midwayer of onetime attachment to the Apostle Andrew, and I am authorized to place on record the narrative of the life transactions of Jesus of Nazareth as they were observed by my order of earth creatures, and as they were subsequently partially recorded by the human subject of my temporal guardianship. Knowing how his Master so scrupulously avoided leaving written records behind him, Andrew steadfastly refused to multiply copies of his written narrative. A similar attitude on the part of the other apostles of Jesus greatly delayed the writing of the Gospels. 1. The Occident of the First Century After Christ (1332.2) 121:1.1 Jesus did not come to this world during an age of spiritual decadence; at the time of his birth Urantia was experiencing such a revival of spiritual thinking and religious living as it had not known in all its previous post-Adamic history nor has experienced in any era since. When Michael incarnated on Urantia, the world presented the most favorable condition for the Creator Son’s bestowal that had ever previously prevailed or has since obtained. In the centuries just prior to these times Greek culture and the Greek language had spread over Occident and near Orient, and the Jews, being a Levantine race, in nature part Occidental and part Oriental, were eminently fitted to utilize such cultural and linguistic settings for the effective spread of a new religion to both East and West. These most favorable circumstances were further enhanced by the tolerant political rule of the Mediterranean world by the Romans. (1332.3) 121:1.2 This entire combination of world influences is well illustrated by the activities of Paul, who, being in religious culture a Hebrew of the Hebrews, proclaimed the gospel of a Jewish Messiah in the Greek tongue, while he himself was a Roman citizen. (1332.4) 121:1.3 Nothing like the civilization of the times of Jesus has been seen in the Occident before or since those days. European civilization was unified and co-ordinated under an extraordinary threefold influence: (1332.5) 121:1.4 1. The Roman political and social systems. (1332.6) 121:1.5 2. The Grecian language and culture — and philosophy to a certain extent. (1332.7) 121:1.6 3. The rapidly spreading influence of Jewish religious and moral teachings. (1332.8) 121:1.7 When Jesus was born, the entire Mediterranean world was a unified empire. Good roads, for the first time in the world’s history, interconnected many major centers. The seas were cleared of pirates, and a great era of trade and travel was rapidly advancing. Europe did not again enjoy another such period of travel and trade until the nineteenth century after Christ. (1333.1) 121:1.8 Notwithstanding the internal peace and superficial prosperity of the Greco-Roman world, a majority of the inhabitants of the empire languished in squalor and poverty. The small upper class was rich; a miserable and impoverished lower class embraced the rank and file of humanity. There was no happy and prosperous middle class in those days; it had just begun to make its appearance in Roman society. (1333.2) 121:1.9 The first struggles between the expanding Roman and Parthian states had been concluded in the then recent past, leaving Syria in the hands of the Romans. In the times of Jesus, Palestine and Syria were enjoying a period of prosperity, relative peace, and extensive commercial intercourse with the lands to both the East and the West. 2. The Jewish People (1333.3) 121:2.1 The Jews were a part of the older Semitic race, which also included the Babylonians, the Phoenicians, and the more recent enemies of Rome, the Carthaginians. During the fore part of the first century after Christ, the Jews were the most influential group of the Semitic peoples, and they happened to occupy a peculiarly strategic geographic position in the world as it was at that time ruled and organized for trade. (1333.4) 121:2.2 Many of the great highways joining the nations of antiquity passed through Palestine, which thus became the meeting place, or crossroads, of three continents. The travel, trade, and armies of Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Syria, Greece, Parthia, and Rome successively swept over Palestine. From time immemorial, many caravan routes from the Orient passed through some part of this region to the few good seaports of the eastern end of the Mediterranean, whence ships carried their cargoes to all the maritime Occident. And more than half of this caravan traffic passed through or near the little town of Nazareth in Galilee. (1333.5) 121:2.3 Although Palestine was the home of Jewish religious culture and the birthplace of Christianity, the Jews were abroad in the world, dwelling in many nations and trading in every province of the Roman and Parthian states. (1333.6) 121:2.4 Greece provided a language and a culture, Rome built the roads and unified an empire, but the dispersion of the Jews, with their more than two hundred synagogues and well-organized religious communities scattered hither and yon throughout the Roman world, provided the cultural centers in which the new gospel of the kingdom of heaven found initial reception, and from which it subsequently spread to the uttermost parts of the world. (1333.7) 121:2.5 Each Jewish synagogue tolerated a fringe of gentile believers, “devout” or “God-fearing” men, and it was among this fringe of proselytes that Paul made the bulk of his early converts to Christianity. Even the temple at Jerusalem possessed its ornate court of the gentiles. There was very close connection between the culture, commerce, and worship of Jerusalem and Antioch. In Antioch Paul’s disciples were first called “Christians.” (1333.8) 121:2.6 The centralization of the Jewish temple worship at Jerusalem constituted alike the secret of the survival of their monotheism and the promise of the nurture and sending forth to the world of a new and enlarged concept of that one God of all nations and Father of all mortals. The temple service at Jerusalem represented the survival of a religious cultural concept in the face of the downfall of a succession of gentile national overlords and racial persecutors. (1334.1) 121:2.7 The Jewish people of this time, although under Roman suzerainty, enjoyed a considerable degree of self-government and, remembering the then only recent heroic exploits of deliverance executed by Judas Maccabee and his immediate successors, were vibrant with the expectation of the immediate appearance of a still greater deliverer, the long-expected Messiah. (1334.2) 121:2.8 The secret of the survival of Palestine, the kingdom of the Jews, as a semi-independent state was wrapped up in the foreign policy of the Roman government, which desired to maintain control of the Palestinian highway of travel between Syria and Egypt as well as the western terminals of the caravan routes between the Orient and the Occident. Rome did not wish any power to arise in the Levant which might curb her future expansion in these regions. The policy of intrigue which had for its object the pitting of Seleucid Syria and Ptolemaic Egypt against each other necessitated fostering Palestine as a separate and independent state. Roman policy, the degeneration of Egypt, and the progressive weakening of the Seleucids before the rising power of Parthia, explain why it was that for several generations a small and unpowerful group of Jews was able to maintain its independence against both Seleucidae to the north and Ptolemies to the south. This fortuitous liberty and independence of the political rule of surrounding and more powerful peoples the Jews attributed to the fact that they were the “chosen people,” to the direct interposition of Yahweh. Such an attitude of racial superiority made it all the harder for them to endure Roman suzerainty when it finally fell upon their land. But even in that sad hour the Jews refused to learn that their world mission was spiritual, not political. (1334.3) 121:2.9 The Jews were unusually apprehensive and suspicious during the times of Jesus because they were then ruled by an outsider, Herod the Idumean, who had seized the overlordship of Judea by cleverly ingratiating himself with the Roman rulers. And though Herod professed loyalty to the Hebrew ceremonial observances, he proceeded to build temples for many strange gods. (1334.4) 121:2.10 The friendly relations of Herod with the Roman rulers made the world safe for Jewish travel and thus opened the way for increased Jewish penetration even of distant portions of the Roman Empire and of foreign treaty nations with the new gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Herod’s reign also contributed much toward the further blending of Hebrew and Hellenistic philosophies. (1334.5) 121:2.11 Herod built the harbor of Caesarea, which further aided in making Palestine the crossroads of the civilized world. He died in 4 B.C., and his son Herod Antipas governed Galilee and Perea during Jesus’ youth and ministry to A.D. 39. Antipas, like his father, was a great builder. He rebuilt many of the cities of Galilee, including the important trade center of Sepphoris. (1334.6) 121:2.12 The Galileans were not regarded with full favor by the Jerusalem religious leaders and rabbinical teachers. Galilee was more gentile than Jewish when Jesus was born. 3. Among the Gentiles (1334.7) 121:3.1 Although the social and economic condition of the Roman state was not of the highest order, the widespread domestic peace and prosperity was propitious for the bestowal of Michael. In the first century after Christ the society of the Mediterranean world consisted of five well-defined strata: (1335.1) 121:3.2 1. The aristocracy. The upper classes with money and official power, the privileged and ruling groups. (1335.2) 121:3.3 2. The business groups. The merchant princes and the bankers, the traders — the big importers and exporters — the international merchants. (1335.3) 121:3.4 3. The small middle class. Although this group was indeed small, it was very influential and provided the moral backbone of the early Christian church, which encouraged these groups to continue in their various crafts and trades. Among the Jews many of the Pharisees belonged to this class of tradesmen. (1335.4) 121:3.5 4. The free proletariat. This group had little or no social standing. Though proud of their freedom, they were placed at great disadvantage because they were forced to compete with slave labor. The upper classes regarded them disdainfully, allowing that they were useless except for “breeding purposes.” (1335.5) 121:3.6 5. The slaves. Half the population of the Roman state were slaves; many were superior individuals and quickly made their way up among the free proletariat and even among the tradesmen. The majority were either mediocre or very inferior. (1335.6) 121:3.7 Slavery, even of superior peoples, was a feature of Roman military conquest. The power of the master over his slave was unqualified. The early Christian church was largely composed of the lower classes and these slaves. (1335.7) 121:3.8 Superior slaves often received wages and by saving their earnings were able to purchase their freedom. Many such emancipated slaves rose to high positions in state, church, and the business world. And it was just such possibilities that made the early Christian church so tolerant of this modified form of slavery. (1335.8) 121:3.9 There was no widespread social problem in the Roman Empire in the first century after Christ. The major portion of the populace regarded themselves as belonging in that group into which they chanced to be born. There was always the open door through which talented and able individuals could ascend from the lower to the higher strata of Roman society, but the people were generally content with their social rank. They were not class conscious, neither did they look upon these class distinctions as being unjust or wrong. Christianity was in no sense an economic movement having for its purpose the amelioration of the miseries of the depressed classes. (1335.9) 121:3.10 Although woman enjoyed more freedom throughout the Roman Empire than in her restricted position in Palestine, the family devotion and natural affection of the Jews far transcended that of the gentile world. 4. Gentile Philosophy (1335.10) 121:4.1 The gentiles were, from a moral standpoint, somewhat inferior to the Jews, but there was present in the hearts of the nobler gentiles abundant soil of natural goodness and potential human affection in which it was possible for the seed of Christianity to sprout and bring forth an abundant harvest of moral character and spiritual achievement. The gentile world was then dominated by four great philosophies, all more or less derived from the earlier Platonism of the Greeks. These schools of philosophy were: (1335.11) 121:4.2 1. The Epicurean. This school of thought was dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. The better Epicureans were not given to sensual excesses. At least this doctrine helped to deliver the Romans from a more deadly form of fatalism; it taught that men could do something to improve their terrestrial status. It did effectually combat ignorant superstition. (1336.1) 121:4.3 2. The Stoic. Stoicism was the superior philosophy of the better classes. The Stoics believed that a controlling Reason-Fate dominated all nature. They taught that the soul of man was divine; that it was imprisoned in the evil body of physical nature. Man’s soul achieved liberty by living in harmony with nature, with God; thus virtue came to be its own reward. Stoicism ascended to a sublime morality, ideals never since transcended by any purely human system of philosophy. While the Stoics professed to be the “offspring of God,” they failed to know him and therefore failed to find him. Stoicism remained a philosophy; it never became a religion. Its followers sought to attune their minds to the harmony of the Universal Mind, but they failed to envisage themselves as the children of a loving Father. Paul leaned heavily toward Stoicism when he wrote, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (1336.2) 121:4.4 3. The Cynic. Although the Cynics traced their philosophy to Diogenes of Athens, they derived much of their doctrine from the remnants of the teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek. Cynicism had formerly been more of a religion than a philosophy. At least the Cynics made their religio-philosophy democratic. In the fields and in the market places they continually preached their doctrine that “man could save himself if he would.” They preached simplicity and virtue and urged men to meet death fearlessly. These wandering Cynic preachers did much to prepare the spiritually hungry populace for the later Christian missionaries. Their plan of popular preaching was much after the pattern, and in accordance with the style, of Paul’s Epistles. (1336.3) 121:4.5 4. The Skeptic. Skepticism asserted that knowledge was fallacious, and that conviction and assurance were impossible. It was a purely negative attitude and never became widespread. (1336.4) 121:4.6 These philosophies were semireligious; they were often invigorating, ethical, and ennobling but were usually above the common people. With the possible exception of Cynicism, they were philosophies for the strong and the wise, not religions of salvation for even the poor and the weak. 5. The Gentile Religions (1336.5) 121:5.1 Throughout preceding ages religion had chiefly been an affair of the tribe or nation; it had not often been a matter of concern to the individual. Gods were tribal or national, not personal. Such religious systems afforded little satisfaction for the individual spiritual longings of the average person. (1336.6) 121:5.2 In the times of Jesus the religions of the Occident included: (1336.7) 121:5.3 1. The pagan cults. These were a combination of Hellenic and Latin mythology, patriotism, and tradition. (1336.8) 121:5.4 2. Emperor worship. This deification of man as the symbol of the state was very seriously resented by the Jews and the early Christians and led directly to the bitter persecutions of both churches by the Roman government. (1337.1) 121:5.5 3. Astrology. This pseudo science of Babylon developed into a religion throughout the Greco-Roman Empire. Even in the twentieth century man has not been fully delivered from this superstitious belief. (1337.2) 121:5.6 4. The mystery religions. Upon such a spiritually hungry world a flood of mystery cults had broken, new and strange religions from the Levant, which had enamored the common people and had promised them individual salvation. These religions rapidly became the accepted belief of the lower classes of the Greco-Roman world. And they did much to prepare the way for the rapid spread of the vastly superior Christian teachings, which presented a majestic concept of Deity, associated with an intriguing theology for the intelligent and a profound proffer of salvation for all, including the ignorant but spiritually hungry average man of those days. (1337.3) 121:5.7 The mystery religions spelled the end of national beliefs and resulted in the birth of the numerous personal cults. The mysteries were many but were all characterized by: (1337.4) 121:5.8 1. Some mythical legend, a mystery — whence their name. As a rule this mystery pertained to the story of some god’s life and death and return to life, as illustrated by the teachings of Mithraism, which, for a time, were contemporary with, and a competitor of, Paul’s rising cult of Christianity. (1337.5) 121:5.9 2. The mysteries were nonnational and interracial. They were personal and fraternal, giving rise to religious brotherhoods and numerous sectarian societies. (1337.6) 121:5.10 3. They were, in their services, characterized by elaborate ceremonies of initiation and impressive sacraments of worship. Their secret rites and rituals were sometimes gruesome and revolting. (1337.7) 121:5.11 4. But no matter what the nature of their ceremonies or the degree of their excesses, these mysteries invariably promised their devotees salvation, “deliverance from evil, survival after death, and enduring life in blissful realms beyond this world of sorrow and slavery.” (1337.8) 121:5.12 But do not make the mistake of confusing the teachings of Jesus with the mysteries. The popularity of the mysteries reveals man’s quest for survival, thus portraying a real hunger and thirst for personal religion and individual righteousness. Although the mysteries failed adequately to satisfy this longing, they did prepare the way for the subsequent appearance of Jesus, who truly brought to this world the bread of life and the water thereof. (1337.9) 121:5.13 Paul, in an effort to utilize the widespread adherence to the better types of the mystery religions, made certain adaptations of the teachings of Jesus so as to render them more acceptable to a larger number of prospective converts. But even Paul’s compromise of Jesus’ teachings (Christianity) was superior to the best in the mysteries in that: (1337.10) 121:5.14 1. Paul taught a moral redemption, an ethical salvation. Christianity pointed to a new life and proclaimed a new ideal. Paul forsook magic rites and ceremonial enchantments. (1337.11) 121:5.15 2. Christianity presented a religion which grappled with final solutions of the human problem, for it not only offered salvation from sorrow and even from death, but it also promised deliverance from sin followed by the endowment of a righteous character of eternal survival qualities. (1338.1) 121:5.16 3. The mysteries were built upon myths. Christianity, as Paul preached it, was founded upon a historic fact: the bestowal of Michael, the Son of God, upon mankind. (1338.2) 121:5.17 Morality among the gentiles was not necessarily related to either philosophy or religion. Outside of Palestine it not always occurred to people that a priest of religion was supposed to lead a moral life. Jewish religion and subsequently the teachings of Jesus and later the evolving Christianity of Paul were the first European religions to lay one hand upon morals and the other upon ethics, insisting that religionists pay some attention to both. (1338.3) 121:5.18 Into such a generation of men, dominated by such incomplete systems of philosophy and perplexed by such complex cults of religion, Jesus was born in Palestine. And to this same generation he subsequently gave his gospel of personal religion — sonship with God. 6. The Hebrew Religion (1338.4) 121:6.1 By the close of the first century before Christ the religious thought of Jerusalem had been tremendously influenced and somewhat modified by Greek cultural teachings and even by Greek philosophy. In the long contest between the views of the Eastern and Western schools of Hebrew thought, Jerusalem and the rest of the Occident and the Levant in general adopted the Western Jewish or modified Hellenistic viewpoint. (1338.5) 121:6.2 In the days of Jesus three languages prevailed in Palestine: The common people spoke some dialect of Aramaic; the priests and rabbis spoke Hebrew; the educated classes and the better strata of Jews in general spoke Greek. The early translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek at Alexandria was responsible in no small measure for the subsequent predominance of the Greek wing of Jewish culture and theology. And the writings of the Christian teachers were soon to appear in the same language. The renaissance of Judaism dates from the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures. This was a vital influence which later determined the drift of Paul’s Christian cult toward the West instead of toward the East. (1338.6) 121:6.3 Though the Hellenized Jewish beliefs were very little influenced by the teachings of the Epicureans, they were very materially affected by the philosophy of Plato and the self-abnegation doctrines of the Stoics. The great inroad of Stoicism is exemplified by the Fourth Book of the Maccabees; the penetration of both Platonic philosophy and Stoic doctrines is exhibited in the Wisdom of Solomon. The Hellenized Jews brought to the Hebrew scriptures such an allegorical interpretation that they found no difficulty in conforming Hebrew theology with their revered Aristotelian philosophy. But this all led to disastrous confusion until these problems were taken in hand by Philo of Alexandria, who proceeded to harmonize and systemize Greek philosophy and Hebrew theology into a compact and fairly consistent system of religious belief and practice. And it was this later teaching of combined Greek philosophy and Hebrew theology that prevailed in Palestine when Jesus lived and taught, and which Paul utilized as the foundation on which to build his more advanced and enlightening cult of Christianity. (1338.7) 121:6.4 Philo was a great teacher; not since Moses had there lived a man who exerted such a profound influence on the ethical and religious thought of the Occidental world. In the matter of the combination of the better elements in contemporaneous systems of ethical and religious teachings, there have been seven outstanding human teachers: Sethard, Moses, Zoroaster, Lao-tse, Buddha, Philo, and Paul. (1339.1) 121:6.5 Many, but not all, of Philo’s inconsistencies resulting from an effort to combine Greek mystical philosophy and Roman Stoic doctrines with the legalistic theology of the Hebrews, Paul recognized and wisely eliminated from his pre-Christian basic theology. Philo led the way for Paul more fully to restore the concept of the Paradise Trinity, which had long been dormant in Jewish theology. In only one matter did Paul fail to keep pace with Philo or to transcend the teachings of this wealthy and educated Jew of Alexandria, and that was the doctrine of the atonement; Philo taught deliverance from the doctrine of forgiveness only by the shedding of blood. He also possibly glimpsed the reality and presence of the Thought Adjusters more clearly than did Paul. But Paul’s theory of original sin, the doctrines of hereditary guilt and innate evil and redemption therefrom, was partially Mithraic in origin, having little in common with Hebrew theology, Philo’s philosophy, or Jesus’ teachings. Some phases of Paul’s teachings regarding original sin and the atonement were original with himself. (1339.2) 121:6.6 The Gospel of John, the last of the narratives of Jesus’ earth life, was addressed to the Western peoples and presents its story much in the light of the viewpoint of the later Alexandrian Christians, who were also disciples of the teachings of Philo. (1339.3) 121:6.7 At about the time of Christ a strange reversion of feeling toward the Jews occurred in Alexandria, and from this former Jewish stronghold there went forth a virulent wave of persecution, extending even to Rome, from which many thousands were banished. But such a campaign of misrepresentation was short-lived; very soon the imperial government fully restored the curtailed liberties of the Jews throughout the empire. (1339.4) 121:6.8 Throughout the whole wide world, no matter where the Jews found themselves dispersed by commerce or oppression, all with one accord kept their hearts centered on the holy temple at Jerusalem. Jewish theology did survive as it was interpreted and practiced at Jerusalem, notwithstanding that it was several times saved from oblivion by the timely intervention of certain Babylonian teachers. (1339.5) 121:6.9 As many as two and one-half million of these dispersed Jews used to come to Jerusalem for the celebration of their national religious festivals. And no matter what the theologic or philosophic differences of the Eastern (Babylonian) and the Western (Hellenic) Jews, they were all agreed on Jerusalem as the center of their worship and in ever looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. 7. Jews and Gentiles (1339.6) 121:7.1 By the times of Jesus the Jews had arrived at a settled concept of their origin, history, and destiny. They had built up a rigid wall of separation between themselves and the gentile world; they looked upon all gentile ways with utter contempt. They worshiped the letter of the law and indulged a form of self-righteousness based upon the false pride of descent. They had formed preconceived notions regarding the promised Messiah, and most of these expectations envisaged a Messiah who would come as a part of their national and racial history. To the Hebrews of those days Jewish theology was irrevocably settled, forever fixed. (1339.7) 121:7.2 The teachings and practices of Jesus regarding tolerance and kindness ran counter to the long-standing attitude of the Jews toward other peoples whom they considered heathen. For generations the Jews had nourished an attitude toward the outside world which made it impossible for them to accept the Master’s teachings about the spiritual brotherhood of man. They were unwilling to share Yahweh on equal terms with the gentiles and were likewise unwilling to accept as the Son of God one who taught such new and strange doctrines. (1340.1) 121:7.3 The scribes, the Pharisees, and the priesthood held the Jews in a terrible bondage of ritualism and legalism, a bondage far more real than that of the Roman political rule. The Jews of Jesus’ time were not only held in subjugation to the law but were equally bound by the slavish demands of the traditions, which involved and invaded every domain of personal and social life. These minute regulations of conduct pursued and dominated every loyal Jew, and it is not strange that they promptly rejected one of their number who presumed to ignore their sacred traditions, and who dared to flout their long-honored regulations of social conduct. They could hardly regard with favor the teachings of one who did not hesitate to clash with dogmas which they regarded as having been ordained by Father Abraham himself. Moses had given them their law and they would not compromise.* (1340.2) 121:7.4 By the time of the first century after Christ the spoken interpretation of the law by the recognized teachers, the scribes, had become a higher authority than the written law itself. And all this made it easier for certain religious leaders of the Jews to array the people against the acceptance of a new gospel. (1340.3) 121:7.5 These circumstances rendered it impossible for the Jews to fulfill their divine destiny as messengers of the new gospel of religious freedom and spiritual liberty. They could not break the fetters of tradition. Jeremiah had told of the “law to be written in men’s hearts,” Ezekiel had spoken of a “new spirit to live in man’s soul,” and the Psalmist had prayed that God would “create a clean heart within and renew a right spirit.” But when the Jewish religion of good works and slavery to law fell victim to the stagnation of traditionalistic inertia, the motion of religious evolution passed westward to the European peoples. (1340.4) 121:7.6 And so a different people were called upon to carry an advancing theology to the world, a system of teaching embodying the philosophy of the Greeks, the law of the Romans, the morality of the Hebrews, and the gospel of personality sanctity and spiritual liberty formulated by Paul and based on the teachings of Jesus. (1340.5) 121:7.7 Paul’s cult of Christianity exhibited its morality as a Jewish birthmark. The Jews viewed history as the providence of God — Yahweh at work. The Greeks brought to the new teaching clearer concepts of the eternal life. Paul’s doctrines were influenced in theology and philosophy not only by Jesus’ teachings but also by Plato and Philo. In ethics he was inspired not only by Christ but also by the Stoics. (1340.6) 121:7.8 The gospel of Jesus, as it was embodied in Paul’s cult of Antioch Christianity, became blended with the following teachings: (1340.7) 121:7.9 1. The philosophic reasoning of the Greek proselytes to Judaism, including some of their concepts of the eternal life. (1340.8) 121:7.10 2. The appealing teachings of the prevailing mystery cults, especially the Mithraic doctrines of redemption, atonement, and salvation by the sacrifice made by some god. (1340.9) 121:7.11 3. The sturdy morality of the established Jewish religion. (1341.1) 121:7.12 The Mediterranean Roman Empire, the Parthian kingdom, and the adjacent peoples of Jesus’ time all held crude and primitive ideas regarding the geography of the world, astronomy, health, and disease; and naturally they were amazed by the new and startling pronouncements of the carpenter of Nazareth. The ideas of spirit possession, good and bad, applied not merely to human beings, but every rock and tree was viewed by many as being spirit possessed. This was an enchanted age, and everybody believed in miracles as commonplace occurrences. 8. Previous Written Records (1341.2) 121:8.1 As far as possible, consistent with our mandate, we have endeavored to utilize and to some extent co-ordinate the existing records having to do with the life of Jesus on Urantia. Although we have enjoyed access to the lost record of the Apostle Andrew and have benefited from the collaboration of a vast host of celestial beings who were on earth during the times of Michael’s bestowal (notably his now Personalized Adjuster), it has been our purpose also to make use of the so-called Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. (1341.3) 121:8.2 These New Testament records had their origin in the following circumstances: (1341.4) 121:8.3 1. The Gospel by Mark. John Mark wrote the earliest (excepting the notes of Andrew), briefest, and most simple record of Jesus’ life. He presented the Master as a minister, as man among men. Although Mark was a lad lingering about many of the scenes which he depicts, his record is in reality the Gospel according to Simon Peter. He was early associated with Peter; later with Paul. Mark wrote this record at the instigation of Peter and on the earnest petition of the church at Rome. Knowing how consistently the Master refused to write out his teachings when on earth and in the flesh, Mark, like the apostles and other leading disciples, was hesitant to put them in writing. But Peter felt the church at Rome required the assistance of such a written narrative, and Mark consented to undertake its preparation. He made many notes before Peter died in A.D. 67, and in accordance with the outline approved by Peter and for the church at Rome, he began his writing soon after Peter’s death. The Gospel was completed near the end of A.D. 68. Mark wrote entirely from his own memory and Peter’s memory. The record has since been considerably changed, numerous passages having been taken out and some later matter added at the end to replace the latter one fifth of the original Gospel, which was lost from the first manuscript before it was ever copied. This record by Mark, in conjunction with Andrew’s and Matthew’s notes, was the written basis of all subsequent Gospel narratives which sought to portray the life and teachings of Jesus. (1341.5) 121:8.4 2. The Gospel of Matthew. The so-called Gospel according to Matthew is the record of the Master’s life which was written for the edification of Jewish Christians. The author of this record constantly seeks to show in Jesus’ life that much which he did was that “it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.” Matthew’s Gospel portrays Jesus as a son of David, picturing him as showing great respect for the law and the prophets. (1341.6) 121:8.5 The Apostle Matthew did not write this Gospel. It was written by Isador, one of his disciples, who had as a help in his work not only Matthew’s personal remembrance of these events but also a certain record which the latter had made of the sayings of Jesus directly after the crucifixion. This record by Matthew was written in Aramaic; Isador wrote in Greek. There was no intent to deceive in accrediting the production to Matthew. It was the custom in those days for pupils thus to honor their teachers. (1342.1) 121:8.6 Matthew’s original record was edited and added to in A.D. 40 just before he left Jerusalem to engage in evangelistic preaching. It was a private record, the last copy having been destroyed in the burning of a Syrian monastery in A.D. 416. (1342.2) 121:8.7 Isador escaped from Jerusalem in A.D. 70 after the investment of the city by the armies of Titus, taking with him to Pella a copy of Matthew’s notes. In the year 71, while living at Pella, Isador wrote the Gospel according to Matthew. He also had with him the first four fifths of Mark’s narrative. (1342.3) 121:8.8 3. The Gospel by Luke. Luke, the physician of Antioch in Pisidia, was a gentile convert of Paul, and he wrote quite a different story of the Master’s life. He began to follow Paul and learn of the life and teachings of Jesus in A.D. 47. Luke preserves much of the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” in his record as he gathered up these facts from Paul and others. Luke presents the Master as “the friend of publicans and sinners.” He did not formulate his many notes into the Gospel until after Paul’s death. Luke wrote in the year 82 in Achaia. He planned three books dealing with the history of Christ and Christianity but died in A.D. 90 just before he finished the second of these works, the “Acts of the Apostles.” (1342.4) 121:8.9 As material for the compilation of his Gospel, Luke first depended upon the story of Jesus’ life as Paul had related it to him. Luke’s Gospel is, therefore, in some ways the Gospel according to Paul. But Luke had other sources of information. He not only interviewed scores of eyewitnesses to the numerous episodes of Jesus’ life which he records, but he also had with him a copy of Mark’s Gospel, that is, the first four fifths, Isador’s narrative, and a brief record made in the year A.D. 78 at Antioch by a believer named Cedes. Luke also had a mutilated and much-edited copy of some notes purported to have been made by the Apostle Andrew. (1342.5) 121:8.10 4. The Gospel of John. The Gospel according to John relates much of Jesus’ work in Judea and around Jerusalem which is not contained in the other records. This is the so-called Gospel according to John the son of Zebedee, and though John did not write it, he did inspire it. Since its first writing it has several times been edited to make it appear to have been written by John himself. When this record was made, John had the other Gospels, and he saw that much had been omitted; accordingly, in the year A.D. 101 he encouraged his associate, Nathan, a Greek Jew from Caesarea, to begin the writing. John supplied his material from memory and by reference to the three records already in existence. He had no written records of his own. The Epistle known as “First John” was written by John himself as a covering letter for the work which Nathan executed under his direction. (1342.6) 121:8.11 All these writers presented honest pictures of Jesus as they saw, remembered, or had learned of him, and as their concepts of these distant events were affected by their subsequent espousal of Paul’s theology of Christianity. And these records, imperfect as they are, have been sufficient to change the course of the history of Urantia for almost two thousand years. (1343.1) 121:8.12 [Acknowledgment: In carrying out my commission to restate the teachings and retell the doings of Jesus of Nazareth, I have drawn freely upon all sources of record and planetary information. My ruling motive has been to prepare a record which will not only be enlightening to the generation of men now living, but which may also be helpful to all future generations. From the vast store of information made available to me, I have chosen that which is best suited to the accomplishment of this purpose. As far as possible I have derived my information from purely human sources. Only when such sources failed, have I resorted to those records which are superhuman. When ideas and concepts of Jesus’ life and teachings have been acceptably expressed by a human mind, I invariably gave preference to such apparently human thought patterns. Although I have sought to adjust the verbal expression the better to conform to our concept of the real meaning and the true import of the Master’s life and teachings, as far as possible, I have adhered to the actual human concept and thought pattern in all my narratives. I well know that those concepts which have had origin in the human mind will prove more acceptable and helpful to all other human minds. When unable to find the necessary concepts in the human records or in human expressions, I have next resorted to the memory resources of my own order of earth creatures, the midwayers. And when that secondary source of information proved inadequate, I have unhesitatingly resorted to the superplanetary sources of information. (1343.2) 121:8.13 The memoranda which I have collected, and from which I have prepared this narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus — aside from the memory of the record of the Apostle Andrew — embrace thought gems and superior concepts of Jesus’ teachings assembled from more than two thousand human beings who have lived on earth from the days of Jesus down to the time of the inditing of these revelations, more correctly restatements. The revelatory permission has been utilized only when the human record and human concepts failed to supply an adequate thought pattern. My revelatory commission forbade me to resort to extrahuman sources of either information or expression until such a time as I could testify that I had failed in my efforts to find the required conceptual expression in purely human sources. (1343.3) 121:8.14 While I, with the collaboration of my eleven associate fellow midwayers and under the supervision of the Melchizedek of record, have portrayed this narrative in accordance with my concept of its effective arrangement and in response to my choice of immediate expression, nevertheless, the majority of the ideas and even some of the effective expressions which I have thus utilized had their origin in the minds of the men of many races who have lived on earth during the intervening generations, right on down to those who are still alive at the time of this undertaking. In many ways I have served more as a collector and editor than as an original narrator. I have unhesitatingly appropriated those ideas and concepts, preferably human, which would enable me to create the most effective portraiture of Jesus’ life, and which would qualify me to restate his matchless teachings in the most strikingly helpful and universally uplifting phraseology. In behalf of the Brotherhood of the United Midwayers of Urantia, I most gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to all sources of record and concept which have been hereinafter utilized in the further elaboration of our restatement of Jesus’ life on earth.]

The Melchizedek Teachings in the Occident (1077.1) 98:0.1 THE Melchizedek teachings entered Europe along many routes, but chiefly they came by way of Egypt and were embodied in Occidental philosophy after being thoroughly Hellenized and later Christianized. The ideals of the Western world were basically Socratic, and its later religious philosophy became that of Jesus as it was modified and compromised through contact with evolving Occidental philosophy and religion, all of which culminated in the Christian church. (1077.2) 98:0.2 For a long time in Europe the Salem missionaries carried on their activities, becoming gradually absorbed into many of the cults and ritual groups which periodically arose. Among those who maintained the Salem teachings in the purest form must be mentioned the Cynics. These preachers of faith and trust in God were still functioning in Roman Europe in the first century after Christ, being later incorporated into the newly forming Christian religion. (1077.3) 98:0.3 Much of the Salem doctrine was spread in Europe by the Jewish mercenary soldiers who fought in so many of the Occidental military struggles. In ancient times the Jews were famed as much for military valor as for theologic peculiarities. (1077.4) 98:0.4 The basic doctrines of Greek philosophy, Jewish theology, and Christian ethics were fundamentally repercussions of the earlier Melchizedek teachings. 1. The Salem Religion Among the Greeks (1077.5) 98:1.1 The Salem missionaries might have built up a great religious structure among the Greeks had it not been for their strict interpretation of their oath of ordination, a pledge imposed by Machiventa which forbade the organization of exclusive congregations for worship, and which exacted the promise of each teacher never to function as a priest, never to receive fees for religious service, only food, clothing, and shelter. When the Melchizedek teachers penetrated to pre-Hellenic Greece, they found a people who still fostered the traditions of Adamson and the days of the Andites, but these teachings had become greatly adulterated with the notions and beliefs of the hordes of inferior slaves that had been brought to the Greek shores in increasing numbers. This adulteration produced a reversion to a crude animism with bloody rites, the lower classes even making ceremonial out of the execution of condemned criminals. (1077.6) 98:1.2 The early influence of the Salem teachers was nearly destroyed by the so-called Aryan invasion from southern Europe and the East. These Hellenic invaders brought along with them anthropomorphic God concepts similar to those which their Aryan fellows had carried to India. This importation inaugurated the evolution of the Greek family of gods and goddesses. This new religion was partly based on the cults of the incoming Hellenic barbarians, but it also shared in the myths of the older inhabitants of Greece. (1078.1) 98:1.3 The Hellenic Greeks found the Mediterranean world largely dominated by the mother cult, and they imposed upon these peoples their man-god, Dyaus-Zeus, who had already become, like Yahweh among the henotheistic Semites, head of the whole Greek pantheon of subordinate gods. And the Greeks would have eventually achieved a true monotheism in the concept of Zeus except for their retention of the overcontrol of Fate. A God of final value must, himself, be the arbiter of fate and the creator of destiny. (1078.2) 98:1.4 As a consequence of these factors in religious evolution, there presently developed the popular belief in the happy-go-lucky gods of Mount Olympus, gods more human than divine, and gods which the intelligent Greeks never did regard very seriously. They neither greatly loved nor greatly feared these divinities of their own creation. They had a patriotic and racial feeling for Zeus and his family of half men and half gods, but they hardly reverenced or worshiped them. (1078.3) 98:1.5 The Hellenes became so impregnated with the antipriestcraft doctrines of the earlier Salem teachers that no priesthood of any importance ever arose in Greece. Even the making of images to the gods became more of a work in art than a matter of worship. (1078.4) 98:1.6 The Olympian gods illustrate man’s typical anthropomorphism. But the Greek mythology was more aesthetic than ethic. The Greek religion was helpful in that it portrayed a universe governed by a deity group. But Greek morals, ethics, and philosophy presently advanced far beyond the god concept, and this imbalance between intellectual and spiritual growth was as hazardous to Greece as it had proved to be in India. 2. Greek Philosophic Thought (1078.5) 98:2.1 A lightly regarded and superficial religion cannot endure, especially when it has no priesthood to foster its forms and to fill the hearts of the devotees with fear and awe. The Olympian religion did not promise salvation, nor did it quench the spiritual thirst of its believers; therefore was it doomed to perish. Within a millennium of its inception it had nearly vanished, and the Greeks were without a national religion, the gods of Olympus having lost their hold upon the better minds. (1078.6) 98:2.2 This was the situation when, during the sixth century before Christ, the Orient and the Levant experienced a revival of spiritual consciousness and a new awakening to the recognition of monotheism. But the West did not share in this new development; neither Europe nor northern Africa extensively participated in this religious renaissance. The Greeks, however, did engage in a magnificent intellectual advancement. They had begun to master fear and no longer sought religion as an antidote therefor, but they did not perceive that true religion is the cure for soul hunger, spiritual disquiet, and moral despair. They sought for the solace of the soul in deep thinking — philosophy and metaphysics. They turned from the contemplation of self-preservation — salvation — to self-realization and self-understanding. (1078.7) 98:2.3 By rigorous thought the Greeks attempted to attain that consciousness of security which would serve as a substitute for the belief in survival, but they utterly failed. Only the more intelligent among the higher classes of the Hellenic peoples could grasp this new teaching; the rank and file of the progeny of the slaves of former generations had no capacity for the reception of this new substitute for religion. (1079.1) 98:2.4 The philosophers disdained all forms of worship, notwithstanding that they practically all held loosely to the background of a belief in the Salem doctrine of “the Intelligence of the universe,” “the idea of God,” and “the Great Source.” In so far as the Greek philosophers gave recognition to the divine and the superfinite, they were frankly monotheistic; they gave scant recognition to the whole galaxy of Olympian gods and goddesses. (1079.2) 98:2.5 The Greek poets of the fifth and sixth centuries, notably Pindar, attempted the reformation of Greek religion. They elevated its ideals, but they were more artists than religionists. They failed to develop a technique for fostering and conserving supreme values. (1079.3) 98:2.6 Xenophanes taught one God, but his deity concept was too pantheistic to be a personal Father to mortal man. Anaxagoras was a mechanist except that he did recognize a First Cause, an Initial Mind. Socrates and his successors, Plato and Aristotle, taught that virtue is knowledge; goodness, health of the soul; that it is better to suffer injustice than to be guilty of it, that it is wrong to return evil for evil, and that the gods are wise and good. Their cardinal virtues were: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. (1079.4) 98:2.7 The evolution of religious philosophy among the Hellenic and Hebrew peoples affords a contrastive illustration of the function of the church as an institution in the shaping of cultural progress. In Palestine, human thought was so priest-controlled and scripture-directed that philosophy and aesthetics were entirely submerged in religion and morality. In Greece, the almost complete absence of priests and “sacred scriptures” left the human mind free and unfettered, resulting in a startling development in depth of thought. But religion as a personal experience failed to keep pace with the intellectual probings into the nature and reality of the cosmos. (1079.5) 98:2.8 In Greece, believing was subordinated to thinking; in Palestine, thinking was held subject to believing. Much of the strength of Christianity is due to its having borrowed heavily from both Hebrew morality and Greek thought. (1079.6) 98:2.9 In Palestine, religious dogma became so crystallized as to jeopardize further growth; in Greece, human thought became so abstract that the concept of God resolved itself into a misty vapor of pantheistic speculation not at all unlike the impersonal Infinity of the Brahman philosophers. (1079.7) 98:2.10 But the average men of these times could not grasp, nor were they much interested in, the Greek philosophy of self-realization and an abstract Deity; they rather craved promises of salvation, coupled with a personal God who could hear their prayers. They exiled the philosophers, persecuted the remnants of the Salem cult, both doctrines having become much blended, and made ready for that terrible orgiastic plunge into the follies of the mystery cults which were then overspreading the Mediterranean lands. The Eleusinian mysteries grew up within the Olympian pantheon, a Greek version of the worship of fertility; Dionysus nature worship flourished; the best of the cults was the Orphic brotherhood, whose moral preachments and promises of salvation made a great appeal to many. (1080.1) 98:2.11 All Greece became involved in these new methods of attaining salvation, these emotional and fiery ceremonials. No nation ever attained such heights of artistic philosophy in so short a time; none ever created such an advanced system of ethics practically without Deity and entirely devoid of the promise of human salvation; no nation ever plunged so quickly, deeply, and violently into such depths of intellectual stagnation, moral depravity, and spiritual poverty as these same Greek peoples when they flung themselves into the mad whirl of the mystery cults. (1080.2) 98:2.12 Religions have long endured without philosophical support, but few philosophies, as such, have long persisted without some identification with religion. Philosophy is to religion as conception is to action. But the ideal human estate is that in which philosophy, religion, and science are welded into a meaningful unity by the conjoined action of wisdom, faith, and experience. 3. The Melchizedek Teachings in Rome (1080.3) 98:3.1 Having grown out of the earlier religious forms of worship of the family gods into the tribal reverence for Mars, the god of war, it was natural that the later religion of the Latins was more of a political observance than were the intellectual systems of the Greeks and Brahmans or the more spiritual religions of several other peoples. (1080.4) 98:3.2 In the great monotheistic renaissance of Melchizedek’s gospel during the sixth century before Christ, too few of the Salem missionaries penetrated Italy, and those who did were unable to overcome the influence of the rapidly spreading Etruscan priesthood with its new galaxy of gods and temples, all of which became organized into the Roman state religion. This religion of the Latin tribes was not trivial and venal like that of the Greeks, neither was it austere and tyrannical like that of the Hebrews; it consisted for the most part in the observance of mere forms, vows, and taboos. (1080.5) 98:3.3 Roman religion was greatly influenced by extensive cultural importations from Greece. Eventually most of the Olympian gods were transplanted and incorporated into the Latin pantheon. The Greeks long worshiped the fire of the family hearth — Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth; Vesta was the Roman goddess of the home. Zeus became Jupiter; Aphrodite, Venus; and so on down through the many Olympian deities. (1080.6) 98:3.4 The religious initiation of Roman youths was the occasion of their solemn consecration to the service of the state. Oaths and admissions to citizenship were in reality religious ceremonies. The Latin peoples maintained temples, altars, and shrines and, in a crisis, would consult the oracles. They preserved the bones of heroes and later on those of the Christian saints. (1080.7) 98:3.5 This formal and unemotional form of pseudoreligious patriotism was doomed to collapse, even as the highly intellectual and artistic worship of the Greeks had gone down before the fervid and deeply emotional worship of the mystery cults. The greatest of these devastating cults was the mystery religion of the Mother of God sect, which had its headquarters, in those days, on the exact site of the present church of St. Peter’s in Rome. (1080.8) 98:3.6 The emerging Roman state conquered politically but was in turn conquered by the cults, rituals, mysteries, and god concepts of Egypt, Greece, and the Levant. These imported cults continued to flourish throughout the Roman state up to the time of Augustus, who, purely for political and civic reasons, made a heroic and somewhat successful effort to destroy the mysteries and revive the older political religion. (1081.1) 98:3.7 One of the priests of the state religion told Augustus of the earlier attempts of the Salem teachers to spread the doctrine of one God, a final Deity presiding over all supernatural beings; and this idea took such a firm hold on the emperor that he built many temples, stocked them well with beautiful images, reorganized the state priesthood, re-established the state religion, appointed himself acting high priest of all, and as emperor did not hesitate to proclaim himself the supreme god. (1081.2) 98:3.8 This new religion of Augustus worship flourished and was observed throughout the empire during his lifetime except in Palestine, the home of the Jews. And this era of the human gods continued until the official Roman cult had a roster of more than twoscore self-elevated human deities, all claiming miraculous births and other superhuman attributes. (1081.3) 98:3.9 The last stand of the dwindling band of Salem believers was made by an earnest group of preachers, the Cynics, who exhorted the Romans to abandon their wild and senseless religious rituals and return to a form of worship embodying Melchizedek’s gospel as it had been modified and contaminated through contact with the philosophy of the Greeks. But the people at large rejected the Cynics; they preferred to plunge into the rituals of the mysteries, which not only offered hopes of personal salvation but also gratified the desire for diversion, excitement, and entertainment. 4. The Mystery Cults (1081.4) 98:4.1 The majority of people in the Greco-Roman world, having lost their primitive family and state religions and being unable or unwilling to grasp the meaning of Greek philosophy, turned their attention to the spectacular and emotional mystery cults from Egypt and the Levant. The common people craved promises of salvation — religious consolation for today and assurances of hope for immortality after death.* (1081.5) 98:4.2 The three mystery cults which became most popular were: (1081.6) 98:4.3 1. The Phrygian cult of Cybele and her son Attis. (1081.7) 98:4.4 2. The Egyptian cult of Osiris and his mother Isis. (1081.8) 98:4.5 3. The Iranian cult of the worship of Mithras as the savior and redeemer of sinful mankind. (1081.9) 98:4.6 The Phrygian and Egyptian mysteries taught that the divine son (respectively Attis and Osiris) had experienced death and had been resurrected by divine power, and further that all who were properly initiated into the mystery, and who reverently celebrated the anniversary of the god’s death and resurrection, would thereby become partakers of his divine nature and his immortality. (1081.10) 98:4.7 The Phrygian ceremonies were imposing but degrading; their bloody festivals indicate how degraded and primitive these Levantine mysteries became. The most holy day was Black Friday, the “day of blood,” commemorating the self-inflicted death of Attis. After three days of the celebration of the sacrifice and death of Attis the festival was turned to joy in honor of his resurrection. (1082.1) 98:4.8 The rituals of the worship of Isis and Osiris were more refined and impressive than were those of the Phrygian cult. This Egyptian ritual was built around the legend of the Nile god of old, a god who died and was resurrected, which concept was derived from the observation of the annually recurring stoppage of vegetation growth followed by the springtime restoration of all living plants. The frenzy of the observance of these mystery cults and the orgies of their ceremonials, which were supposed to lead up to the “enthusiasm” of the realization of divinity, were sometimes most revolting. 5. The Cult of Mithras (1082.2) 98:5.1 The Phrygian and Egyptian mysteries eventually gave way before the greatest of all the mystery cults, the worship of Mithras. The Mithraic cult made its appeal to a wide range of human nature and gradually supplanted both of its predecessors. Mithraism spread over the Roman Empire through the propagandizing of Roman legions recruited in the Levant, where this religion was the vogue, for they carried this belief wherever they went. And this new religious ritual was a great improvement over the earlier mystery cults. (1082.3) 98:5.2 The cult of Mithras arose in Iran and long persisted in its homeland despite the militant opposition of the followers of Zoroaster. But by the time Mithraism reached Rome, it had become greatly improved by the absorption of many of Zoroaster’s teachings. It was chiefly through the Mithraic cult that Zoroaster’s religion exerted an influence upon later appearing Christianity. (1082.4) 98:5.3 The Mithraic cult portrayed a militant god taking origin in a great rock, engaging in valiant exploits, and causing water to gush forth from a rock struck with his arrows. There was a flood from which one man escaped in a specially built boat and a last supper which Mithras celebrated with the sun-god before he ascended into the heavens. This sun-god, or Sol Invictus, was a degeneration of the Ahura-Mazda deity concept of Zoroastrianism. Mithras was conceived as the surviving champion of the sun-god in his struggle with the god of darkness. And in recognition of his slaying the mythical sacred bull, Mithras was made immortal, being exalted to the station of intercessor for the human race among the gods on high. (1082.5) 98:5.4 The adherents of this cult worshiped in caves and other secret places, chanting hymns, mumbling magic, eating the flesh of the sacrificial animals, and drinking the blood. Three times a day they worshiped, with special weekly ceremonials on the day of the sun-god and with the most elaborate observance of all on the annual festival of Mithras, December twenty-fifth. It was believed that the partaking of the sacrament ensured eternal life, the immediate passing, after death, to the bosom of Mithras, there to tarry in bliss until the judgment day. On the judgment day the Mithraic keys of heaven would unlock the gates of Paradise for the reception of the faithful; whereupon all the unbaptized of the living and the dead would be annihilated upon the return of Mithras to earth. It was taught that, when a man died, he went before Mithras for judgment, and that at the end of the world Mithras would summon all the dead from their graves to face the last judgment. The wicked would be destroyed by fire, and the righteous would reign with Mithras forever. (1082.6) 98:5.5 At first it was a religion only for men, and there were seven different orders into which believers could be successively initiated. Later on, the wives and daughters of believers were admitted to the temples of the Great Mother, which adjoined the Mithraic temples. The women’s cult was a mixture of Mithraic ritual and the ceremonies of the Phrygian cult of Cybele, the mother of Attis. 6. Mithraism and Christianity (1083.1) 98:6.1 Prior to the coming of the mystery cults and Christianity, personal religion hardly developed as an independent institution in the civilized lands of North Africa and Europe; it was more of a family, city-state, political, and imperial affair. The Hellenic Greeks never evolved a centralized worship system; the ritual was local; they had no priesthood and no “sacred book.” Much as the Romans, their religious institutions lacked a powerful driving agency for the preservation of higher moral and spiritual values. While it is true that the institutionalization of religion has usually detracted from its spiritual quality, it is also a fact that no religion has thus far succeeded in surviving without the aid of institutional organization of some degree, greater or lesser. (1083.2) 98:6.2 Occidental religion thus languished until the days of the Skeptics, Cynics, Epicureans, and Stoics, but most important of all, until the times of the great contest between Mithraism and Paul’s new religion of Christianity. (1083.3) 98:6.3 During the third century after Christ, Mithraic and Christian churches were very similar both in appearance and in the character of their ritual. A majority of such places of worship were underground, and both contained altars whose backgrounds variously depicted the sufferings of the savior who had brought salvation to a sin-cursed human race. (1083.4) 98:6.4 Always had it been the practice of Mithraic worshipers, on entering the temple, to dip their fingers in holy water. And since in some districts there were those who at one time belonged to both religions, they introduced this custom into the majority of the Christian churches in the vicinity of Rome. Both religions employed baptism and partook of the sacrament of bread and wine. The one great difference between Mithraism and Christianity, aside from the characters of Mithras and Jesus, was that the one encouraged militarism while the other was ultrapacific. Mithraism’s tolerance for other religions (except later Christianity) led to its final undoing. But the deciding factor in the struggle between the two was the admission of women into the full fellowship of the Christian faith. (1083.5) 98:6.5 In the end the nominal Christian faith dominated the Occident. Greek philosophy supplied the concepts of ethical value; Mithraism, the ritual of worship observance; and Christianity, as such, the technique for the conservation of moral and social values. 7. The Christian Religion (1083.6) 98:7.1 A Creator Son did not incarnate in the likeness of mortal flesh and bestow himself upon the humanity of Urantia to reconcile an angry God but rather to win all mankind to the recognition of the Father’s love and to the realization of their sonship with God. After all, even the great advocate of the atonement doctrine realized something of this truth, for he declared that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.” (1084.1) 98:7.2 It is not the province of this paper to deal with the origin and dissemination of the Christian religion. Suffice it to say that it is built around the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the humanly incarnate Michael Son of Nebadon, known to Urantia as the Christ, the anointed one. Christianity was spread throughout the Levant and Occident by the followers of this Galilean, and their missionary zeal equaled that of their illustrious predecessors, the Sethites and Salemites, as well as that of their earnest Asiatic contemporaries, the Buddhist teachers. (1084.2) 98:7.3 The Christian religion, as a Urantian system of belief, arose through the compounding of the following teachings, influences, beliefs, cults, and personal individual attitudes: (1084.3) 98:7.4 1. The Melchizedek teachings, which are a basic factor in all the religions of Occident and Orient that have arisen in the last four thousand years. (1084.4) 98:7.5 2. The Hebraic system of morality, ethics, theology, and belief in both Providence and the supreme Yahweh. (1084.5) 98:7.6 3. The Zoroastrian conception of the struggle between cosmic good and evil, which had already left its imprint on both Judaism and Mithraism. Through prolonged contact attendant upon the struggles between Mithraism and Christianity, the doctrines of the Iranian prophet became a potent factor in determining the theologic and philosophic cast and structure of the dogmas, tenets, and cosmology of the Hellenized and Latinized versions of the teachings of Jesus. (1084.6) 98:7.7 4. The mystery cults, especially Mithraism but also the worship of the Great Mother in the Phrygian cult. Even the legends of the birth of Jesus on Urantia became tainted with the Roman version of the miraculous birth of the Iranian savior-hero, Mithras, whose advent on earth was supposed to have been witnessed by only a handful of gift-bearing shepherds who had been informed of this impending event by angels. (1084.7) 98:7.8 5. The historic fact of the human life of Joshua ben Joseph, the reality of Jesus of Nazareth as the glorified Christ, the Son of God. (1084.8) 98:7.9 6. The personal viewpoint of Paul of Tarsus. And it should be recorded that Mithraism was the dominant religion of Tarsus during his adolescence. Paul little dreamed that his well-intentioned letters to his converts would someday be regarded by still later Christians as the “word of God.” Such well-meaning teachers must not be held accountable for the use made of their writings by later-day successors. (1084.9) 98:7.10 7. The philosophic thought of the Hellenistic peoples, from Alexandria and Antioch through Greece to Syracuse and Rome. The philosophy of the Greeks was more in harmony with Paul’s version of Christianity than with any other current religious system and became an important factor in the success of Christianity in the Occident. Greek philosophy, coupled with Paul’s theology, still forms the basis of European ethics. (1084.10) 98:7.11 As the original teachings of Jesus penetrated the Occident, they became Occidentalized, and as they became Occidentalized, they began to lose their potentially universal appeal to all races and kinds of men. Christianity, today, has become a religion well adapted to the social, economic, and political mores of the white races. It has long since ceased to be the religion of Jesus, although it still valiantly portrays a beautiful religion about Jesus to such individuals as sincerely seek to follow in the way of its teaching. It has glorified Jesus as the Christ, the Messianic anointed one from God, but has largely forgotten the Master’s personal gospel: the Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of all men. (1085.1) 98:7.12 And this is the long story of the teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek on Urantia. It is nearly four thousand years since this emergency Son of Nebadon bestowed himself on Urantia, and in that time the teachings of the “priest of El Elyon, the Most High God,” have penetrated to all races and peoples. And Machiventa was successful in achieving the purpose of his unusual bestowal; when Michael made ready to appear on Urantia, the God concept was existent in the hearts of men and women, the same God concept that still flames anew in the living spiritual experience of the manifold children of the Universal Father as they live their intriguing temporal lives on the whirling planets of space. (1085.2) 98:7.13 [Presented by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]

On Thursday, September 26, 2013 the Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will present a discussion on The Legacy of Mithraism on Magick and Masonry. We will trace the origins of the Mithra sect from the ancient Persian Magi -- an offshoot of Zoroastrianism -- through the Greco-Roman Middle East, into the mileau of classical Alexandria, where its western branch acquired a cosmology that was largely Hermetic. In fact one might say that the Greco-Roman Mithra sect was ritualized Hermeticism. For several centuries it rivaled Christianity but was eventually overcome when emperor Constantine, himself a Mithraite, made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire for practical political reasons. The Mithra sect was an elite, initiatory, all male religious fraternity that extolled honor, bravery and loyalty. Great for the Roman army but not for the downtrodden masses. Its influence on the later Masonic fraternity is obvious. Mithraism had seven initiatory degrees so similar to Crata Repoa that John Yarker called his Crata Repoa degree in Rite of Memphis "The Sage of Mithras." We will unravel the complex astrological symbolism of the "Tauroctony", the ritual slaying of the bull, the mystery of the strange lion-headed god, and the theory that the secret communion meal was the old Persian-version of Soma. Our main text reference will be D. Jason Cooper's "Mithras" (1996) with references to Franz Cumont's (1912) "Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans" and "Mushrooms, Myth & Mithras" by Carl A. P. Ruck, et allia (2011). So, if you want to follow us down into the underground temple of the Mithraeum for a look into the origin of many of our rites and degrees, then tune in and we'll lift the veil.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the cult of Mithras, a mystery religion that existed in the Roman Empire from the 1st to the 4th centuries AD. Also known as the Mysteries of Mithras, its origins are uncertain. Academics have suggested a link with the ancient Vedic god Mitra and the Iranian Zoroastrian deity Mithra, but the extent and nature of the connection is a matter of controversy. Followers of Mithras are thought to have taken part in various rituals, most notably communal meals and a complex seven-stage initiation system. Typical depictions of Mithras show him being born from a rock, enjoying food with the sun god Sol and stabbing a bull. Mithraic places of worship have been found throughout the Roman world, including an impressive example in London. However, Mithraism went into decline in the 4th century AD with the rise of Christianity and eventually completely disappeared. In recent decades, many aspects of the cult have provoked debate, especially as there are no written accounts by its members. As a result, archaeology has been of great importance in the study of Mithraism and has provided new insights into the religion and its adherents. With:Greg Woolf Professor of Ancient History at the University of St AndrewsAlmut Hintze Zartoshty Professor of Zoroastrianism at SOAS, University of LondonJohn North Acting Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London.Producer: Victoria Brignell.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the cult of Mithras, a mystery religion that existed in the Roman Empire from the 1st to the 4th centuries AD. Also known as the Mysteries of Mithras, its origins are uncertain. Academics have suggested a link with the ancient Vedic god Mitra and the Iranian Zoroastrian deity Mithra, but the extent and nature of the connection is a matter of controversy. Followers of Mithras are thought to have taken part in various rituals, most notably communal meals and a complex seven-stage initiation system. Typical depictions of Mithras show him being born from a rock, enjoying food with the sun god Sol and stabbing a bull. Mithraic places of worship have been found throughout the Roman world, including an impressive example in London. However, Mithraism went into decline in the 4th century AD with the rise of Christianity and eventually completely disappeared. In recent decades, many aspects of the cult have provoked debate, especially as there are no written accounts by its members. As a result, archaeology has been of great importance in the study of Mithraism and has provided new insights into the religion and its adherents. With: Greg Woolf Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews Almut Hintze Zartoshty Professor of Zoroastrianism at SOAS, University of London John North Acting Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London. Producer: Victoria Brignell.

Since becoming a Pagan in the 1970s, Ceisiwr Serith has published five books and many articles on Paganism, as well as presenting papers at academic conferences at Harvard, UCLA, and Berkeley. In all of this, he has always attempted to blend the spiritual and the academic. It is his contention, in fact, that an authentic spiritual life begins with an authentic understanding of the world, and that an authentic modern Paganism requires an accurate understanding of ancient Paganism. He has therefore spent much time learning and studying the academic way of approaching Paganism, and the academic sources of our knowledge of ancient times, without losing sight of the fact that this knowledge has to resonate with modern sensibilities and the spiritual life if it is going to be relevant. His constant goal has been to bridge the two worlds, and to serve as a conduit between an academic understanding and a spiritual one. Serith is a member of Ár nDraíocht Féin, a modern druidic organization whose motto, “Why not Excellence?” continues to be a guiding principle for him. Among his interests have been Wicca, Mithraism, and Proto-Indo-European language and culture. His books include Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, A Pagan Ritual Prayer Books, and Back to the Beginnings: Reinventing Wicca. He has an article coming out in the fall/winter 2012 issue of the Journal of Indo-European Studies. More information on him and his work can be found at www.ceisiwrserith.com. http://www.ceisiwrserith.com./publications.htm

This podcast features an article from the December 2010 Mithraic Mysteries issue of the Rosicrucian Digest. Between the end of the first century CE and the last part of the fourth century, a mystery religion called Mithraism was extremely popular among soldiers, merchants, and civil administrators in the Roman Empire. Today more than four hundred locations of Mithraic worship have been identified in every area of the Roman Empire. Between the second and fourth centuries CE, Mithraism may have vied with Christianity for domination of the Roman world. Running Time: 27:26 | 37.7 MB Podcast Copyright © 2011 Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. All Rights Reserved. Posted by Rosicrucian Park @ 02/01/2011

This podcast features an article from the December 2010 Mithraic Mysteries issue of the Rosicrucian Digest. Between the end of the first century CE and the last part of the fourth century, a mystery religion called Mithraism was extremely popular among soldiers, merchants, and civil administrators in the Roman Empire. Today more than four hundred […]

September 11, 2007 - 100 Years War - Brave New World - Breeding for Specific Tasks - Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars. H. G. Wells' "Open Conspiracy" book - Front-Men Politicians - CIA, MI6, Black-Operations - Internationalists - Aerial Spraying, Chronic Fatigue, Bronchitis, Asthma. Organized Religions, Rome, Persia, Mithraism, Old Gods - Voodoo, Catholicism - Deities of Zoroastrianism - Jehovah, Jesus - Zoroaster, Ahriman, Ahura-Mazda. Declassified Information - Conditioned Matrix - Serfdom, Slavery - Race Card - Psychopath Behaviour - Stock Market, Investments, Old Families. Mass Exodus of American and Canadian Industry - Corporate Trucking Lines - NAFTA, Pollution Standards. Bible, Old Testament, Rules of System, Dialectic, New Testament - Plato's Cave. Arthur C. Clarke's "2001", "2010", "3001" - ISS International Space Station: "Mansion in the Sky". Wells, Fabian Society, Population Reduction, Abolition of Marriage, Sir Thomas Huxley. Patriot Radio, CIA, Christian Front Groups. Blessings of Jacob, Craftiness - Sacrifices, Burnt Offerings - "God of the World". *Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - Feb. 1, 2008 (Exempting Music, Literary Quotes, and Callers' Comments)