Mithra of Persia - CRUCIFIED
Mithra of Persia - CRUCIFIED
Mithra of Persia - CRUCIFIED
600 BCE
The claim that Mithra of Persia was born of a virgin on December 25, died on a cross, and rose from a tomb after three days is a product of 19th-century comparative mythicist literature—most notably Kersey Graves’ The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors (1875) and Godfrey Higgins’ Anacalypsis (1836).
In authentic Persian Zoroastrian scriptures (the Avesta, Mihr Yasht) and Roman archaeological records of the Mithraic Mysteries, Mithra was an unslain solar divinity of covenants, truth, and cosmic order, not a crucified or resurrected martyr.
Profile & Specific Attributes
- Timeline & Active Dates:
- Mythicist Claim: Active ~600 BCE.
- Historical Records: Mentioned as early as the 14th century BCE in the Mitanni-Hittite treaty. In Persia, worship flourished from the Achaemenid Empire (6th century BCE) through the Sasanian era (7th century CE). The Roman mystery cult (Mithraism) operated from the 1st to 4th centuries CE.
- Calendar Date of Birth:
- Claim: December 25.
- Persian & Roman Reality: In Persia, the winter solstice festival of Yalda celebrated the triumph of light over dark. In late imperial Rome (3rd–4th century CE), December 25 was marked as Natalis Invicti (the birthday of Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun), an imperial solar deity with whom Roman Mithras was closely associated.
- Manner of Death, Cause & Who Killed Him:
- Claim: Sacrificed himself, died on a cross, and was buried in a tomb.
- Scriptural & Iconographic Fact: Mithra never died. He has no death, murder, or crucifixion narrative in either Persian or Roman traditions. Instead of being the sacrificial victim, Mithra is the sacrificer who slays the primordial cosmic bull (Tauroctony) to generate life, vegetation, and fertility for the cosmos.
- Geographical Locations:
- Ancient Persia/Iran, expanding into Anatolia, the Levant, and across the entire Roman Empire (including Rome, Ostia, the Rhine-Danube frontier, and Hadrian's Wall in Britain).
- Appearance & Iconography:
- Depicted as a vigorous youth wearing a conical Phrygian cap, a flowing cloak, and Persian tunics. In Roman reliefs, he is shown emerging from a solid rock (Petrogenesis) bearing a dagger and torch, or plunging a dagger into the neck of a bull while flanked by torchbearers Cautes and Cautopates.
Theological Details: Mythicist Claims vs. Primary Sources
| Category | 19th-Century Mythicist Claim (Graves/Higgins) | Persian Zoroastrian (Avesta) & Roman Mystery Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin Birth | Born of a mortal virgin on December 25. | Born from solid rock (petrogenesis) as a youth holding a torch and knife; he had no biological mother or human birth. |
| Crucifixion | Crucified on a cross as a sin offering. | Never crucified or executed. Mithra rides a sun chariot and slays a bull; he is never victimized. |
| Salvation / Atonement | Died to atone for human sins and save the race. | Saves the world by defeating chaos, slaying the bull to create life, and guarding covenants (Mithra literally means "contract/covenant"). |
| Resurrection & Descent | Descended to hell and rose after 3 days. | Never died, so no resurrection took place. In Roman myth, he partakes in a sacred banquet with the sun god Sol and ascends to heaven in a solar chariot. |
| Title: "Son of God" | Titled "Messiah," "Redeemer," and "Only Begotten Son." | Titled Yazata (venerable divinity), Sol Invictus Mithras (Unconquered Sun Mithras), and Lord of Wide Pastures. |
| Part of a Trinity | Second person of a Persian Trinity. | In Zoroastrianism, he is a created divine agent (Yazata) serving Ahura Mazda, alongside figures like Rashnu and Sraosha, not a trinitarian godhead. |
| Judgment of Mankind | Judges human souls in heaven. | Acts as one of three divine judges (alongside Rashnu and Sraosha) at the Chinvat Bridge, weighing souls' deeds to determine entry into paradise (Garothman). |
Worship and the Roman Mithraic Mysteries
- Worshippers:
- In Persia: Royal monarchs, farmers, and Zoroastrian priests (Magi).
- In the Roman Empire: Exclusively male initiates, heavily concentrated among Roman legionaries, imperial bureaucrats, merchants, and freedmen.
- Cult Rites & The Mithraeum:
- Worshipped in underground, windowless caves or vaulted sanctuaries called Mithraea, designed to resemble the cosmos.
- Initiates passed through a rigorous hierarchy of seven initiation grades (Corax/Raven, Nymphus/Bridegroom, Miles/Soldier, Leo/Lion, Perses/Persian, Heliodromus/Sun-Runner, and Pater/Father), sharing ritual meals of bread and wine on stone benches flanking the central Tauroctony.