We speak with Israel Campos Méndez about questions that continue to divide scholars: what links the Indo-Iranian Mithra to the deity worshipped in the Roman Empire, and what do we really know about the origins of Roman Mithraism?
Dear Professor Campos,
Remarkable work, indeed! I have two modest reflexions to suggest:
The Greeks of the 4th century BC celebrated the liberation of slaves by wearing a Phrygian cap. This came from the peoples of the Black Sea who did not practice slavery. So, the Phrygian cap predates the cult of Mithras.
Does the god Arimanius have a connection with Armenia, which came under Roman control in 74-63 BC? This is the region of the cult of Mithras, as shown by the bas-relief of Antiochus of Nemrut Dagi. However, Jesus Christ spoke "Aramaic," one of the languages spoken in this region. If we accept that the Gospels are texts of Mystery, would this allude to the cult of Arimanius from which Jesus would have originated?
A study examining the continuity and transformation of Mithra from his Indo-Iranian origins to the development of the Roman mystery cult, with particular attention to the evidence and the historiographical debate.
The arrival of the sun in the spring equinox to any constellation means the beginning of a new historical era. The previous age was the age of Pisces, which ended in 2019. Then the sun entered the constellation of Aquar
En esta vídeo entrevista, Israel Campos Méndez aborda las principales cuestiones que siguen dividiendo a los especialistas: los orígenes del culto de Mitra, su evolución desde las tradiciones indoiranias hasta el Imperio romano y el legado de Franz Cumont.
Jean-Christophe Piot a participé à la réalisation de l’exposition ’Le mystère Mithra’ en réalisant des pastilles sonores sur certaines œuvres de l’exposition.
Proceedings of the First International Congress of Mithraic Studies, bringing together many of the foundational contributions to the modern academic study of Mithraism.
Preliminary archaeological report on the seventh and eighth excavation seasons at Dura-Europos, including the first detailed publication of the Roman Mithraeum.
Exploring the historical roots and mythology of the Tarot, the author reveals the genesis of the Tarot’s symbolism in the great Hermetic tradition and in the initiatory rituals of Mithraism.
This marble tauroctony relief, probably originating from Naples, depicts Mithras slaying the bull within a cave-like setting, accompanied by the usual animals and celestial busts.
I believe that the top left corner does not come from this relief: there is no Sun facing the Moon, the frieze is not the same, the stone does not have the same texture... The thought related with the meeting of two opposing principles ( Chiasma) requires two opposing substances above (and possibly two additional substances below).
You can see, by the scoring in the "stone", that the corner was simply added to make it more appealing to museum viewers at the time. Happily, times have changed and it is currently displayed without the restoration.
Thank you for your testimony, great! And then, a Mithras stele without the Sun is like Jesus without the cross, it doesn’t work. Thought by chiasm requires two symbols and two principles above Mithra, otherwise there is no X. Because of René Descartes and Sigmund Freud, we live in a monolithic thought called Monism. But fortunately, dualism still exists, which is how we can interpret the philosophy of Mithra ...
On this, the sun and the moon are a common motif in Roman iconography, appearing of course on the tauroctony to imperial apotheosis scenes, always framing the central figure to providing a cosmic dimension. The tradition has been also inherited by Christians, where it became standard in Crucifixion imagery from the Carolingian period onwards. Here, a beautiful example from the Hours of the abbey Sant Pere de Rodes in Spain, impressive place to visit, btw!
Ave, dear Andreu, Christianity is contemporary with Mithras and indeed borrows the Platonic chiasma. We have a beautiful example of this chiasma in Barberini’s fresco. The faithful drew the axis of the Sun passing through Capricorn, which signifies the ascent of souls in that sign. We see in the drawing that the descent of souls is via the Moon. Mithraism is therefore a form of gnosis that believes in the immortality of souls. The Moon sends souls back to Earth; thus, it plays a rather malevolent role.
There are more than a few examples of tauroctonies without Sol and Luna. Space is always a consideration when carving stone. You shouldn’t read into it too much.
Remarkable work, indeed! I have two modest reflexions to suggest:
The Greeks of the 4th century BC celebrated the liberation of slaves by wearing a Phrygian cap. This came from the peoples of the Black Sea who did not practice slavery. So, the Phrygian cap predates the cult of Mithras.
Does the god Arimanius have a connection with Armenia, which came under Roman control in 74-63 BC? This is the region of the cult of Mithras, as shown by the bas-relief of Antiochus of Nemrut Dagi. However, Jesus Christ spoke "Aramaic," one of the languages spoken in this region. If we accept that the Gospels are texts of Mystery, would this allude to the cult of Arimanius from which Jesus would have originated?
I did a modest research on the migration of the soul in the cult of Mithras:
The catacomb of St. Marcellinus and Peter in Rome: Orpheus, Mithras or Jesus
Best regards
Dr D.Persoons