EPS Annual Meeting 2011
I will be presenting: “Jesus & Pagan Mythology” Thursday Night, November 17th at the Evangelical Philosophical Society’s Annual Meeting in Berkeley, California. On Friday Night, November 18th, I’ll be presenting “Super Market Savior: Why Christ in a World Embracing Many Beliefs?” at the 5 Words Apologetics Student Conference, Calvary Chapel in Petaluma, California. The student conference will be taught by some of the best student communicators anywhere! Brett Kunkle & Alan Shlemon of Stand to Reason will be there as well as Doug Powell of Selfless Defense and Nathan Hanson of Jesus University. The EPS Apologetics Conference routinely features the very best in Christian thought.
Phoenix
I will be in Phoenix June 10th-15th. I am looking for a church or churches on the north side of Phoenix to speak at Sunday morning and evening. Do you have a few recommendations you can send me? I really appreciate it!
Topics: Islam, Implementing Apologetics in Women’s Ministry, Is the Story of Christ a Copy of the Pagan Myths?, Why Christ Alone in a World Embracing Many Beliefs
A Question for Rob Bell: Whose God Rose from the Dead?
stLight.options({publisher:’1ae20356-8edc-408a-9b7c-049142d0eed3′});
EPS Apologetics Conference Instructor
Mary Jo will be presenting “Is the Story of Christ a Copy of the Pagan Mystery Stories?” Saturday, November 21st at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (Sellers Recital Hall) from 10:50 – 11:45am. Come to the earlier session (9:45-10:40) and catch Mike Licona of the North American Mission Board or Sean McDowell for the Youth Track. Come at 8:30 and catch Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason Ministries.
The EPS/ETS and EPS Apologetics Conference has been packed with great knowledge and concern for the lost. The connection between Apologetics & Evangelism is striking. Make plans to attend next year’s conference in Atlanta!
Roger
Flawed Theory in Zeitgeist, the Movie
According to the makers of “Zeitgeist, the Movie,” the worship of Jesus is explainable as another outcrop of apotheosis (human figure exalted to divine status and therefore worthy of worship), as just another divine figure in the “religious cafeteria”[1] of the first century pantheon of gods, or perhaps a product of astrology. But is this explanation reconcilable to the actual historical and demographical evidence of first century Palestine and of the earliest surviving Christian writings? No. The earliest demonstration of the “cultic” worship of Jesus is by Second-Temple Jewish believers.[2] Though, as will be shown, this is an extremely important piece of Christianity’s development, “Zeitgeist, the Movie” completely ignores this fact.
The Second-Temple Jewish believers were unquestionably influenced culturally by the Hellenism brought from the Roman occupation of their lands.[3] But what historians must do is look at exactly how these Jewish believers were influenced, and in what areas of life. One area in which they were influenced was language. There are Greek copies of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint; clearly demonstrating that some of the Jewish people spoke/read Greek. However, it does not follow that these people were therefore influenced in religious practice. This kind of conclusion requires more specific evidence.
What we do know about Second-Temple Jewish believers is that their devotion to the “One God” stuck out amongst the menagerie of pagan deities surrounding them. The Jewish adherence to God’s uniqueness can be seen in various non-rabbinic texts of the Jewish provenance: Sibylline Oracles (3.11-12, 545-61; cf. 4.27-32; 5.172-76; 493-500), Letter of Aristeas (132-38), Wisdom of Solomon, (13-15), and references in Philo and Josephus.[4] The First Book of Maccabees also describes Jewish devotion to the One God specifically with regard to the Hellenistic influences (1 Maccabees 2:15-26). From the Old Testament, worship of any other gods was established as detestable and vile. “If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed,” as found in Deuteronomy 8:19. Also, in Deuteronomy 13: 6-9, “If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people.” So what can be inferred from these evidences is the believers of Second-Temple Judaism not only disallowed influences of the pagan religions on their belief structure, but also vehemently opposed this activity.
The young Christian movement, located entirely within Second-Temple Judaism, associated Jesus with worship of and devotion to the One God; while at the same time showing disdain for worship of the multiple deities of the Roman environment. The earliest writings of Christianity (c. A.D. 50-60) by the apostle Paul demonstrate this very idea. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul describes his praise of the new believers for their conversion “to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, who he raised from the dead – Jesus who rescues us from the wrath that is coming” (1:9-10). Also, in 1 Corinthians 8 through 10, Paul addresses the Gentiles with regard to leaving behind their pagan religious practices. He advises them to completely shun any former pagan practices in light of their conversion to the one true God (through Jesus Christ).
The idea of abandoning all other deities was uncommon and dissimilar to the pagan mystery religions. The apotheosis stories and other pagan deities cannot show the same devotion to worship of one God. The earliest Christian writings disdain these very religions for their practices and establish a totally new kind of “theology”; namely, Jesus was to be identified and worshiped as the one, true God, not supplanting God, but as a part of God’s identity. The makers of “Zeitgeist, the Movie” need to satisfy the question of why the earliest Christians, who were Second-Temple Jewish believers, would create a theology influenced by the pagan deities in light of the historical evidence that these people abhorred pagan worship and deities. Speculation and surface similarities of worship practices will not suffice to explain the historical Jewish faith or the Christian sect that developed from Judaism in the first century.
MJ
[1] Hurtado, Larry. How Did Jesus Become a God? Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus. Cambridge, Eerdmans Publishing Company: 2005, Pg. 25
[2] The name “Second Temple Judaism” has become popular in more modern scholarship to describe the religion of the Jewish people who practiced their faith in the time frame of the rebuilding of Solomon’s temple to at least the time of the destruction of this second temple in AD 70.
[3] For further study: Martin Hengel. Judaism and Hellenism: Studies in Their Encounter in Palestine During the Early Hellenistic Period. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2003.
[4] Hurtado. How Did Jesus Become a God? Pg.118
© Mary Jo Sharp 2007
“Resurrection” Myths vs. Resurrection of Jesus – Mithras
– This is the third in a series of posts on resurrection myths by Mary Jo
Why Mithras? There is so much hype on the internet, TV, and airwaves about the similarities between Christianity and Mithraism. I recently saw a YouTube video of a British television show claiming that Christianity was based on Mithraism. The host declared this as if it was evidenced, historical fact!
Some writings I have read on Mithras suggest that Christianity is a more highly evolved and refined version of the story of Mithras. Usually, several similarities are referenced with this claim; these can be read at the Tektonics website article on Mithraism: “Mighty Mithraic Madness: Did The Mithraic Mysteries Influence Christianity?” Upon reading the historical evolution of the god, Mithras, though, I have come to be very skeptical that Christianity borrowed worship rituals and sacred texts from this ancient Iranian god. The similarities stand upon little to no evidence from the ancient world. I am particularly concerned that the evidence for these similarities is only found in the Roman worship of Mithras; dating about the same time as the Christian faith was flourishing. Due to the Roman absorption of the deities of cultures they conquered, a much better explanation is a Roman incorporation of Christianity’s appealing aspects into the rituals and symbolism of Mithraism.
Hindu – Mitra
Roman – Mithras (later)
“Mitra” = contract
Mithra was born of a rock on the banks of a river under a sacred fig-tree. As he came forth from the rock he clenched a dagger in one hand and a torch in the other hand, which he used to illumine the depths from which he came. After Mithra had clothed himself in fig-leaves he took to subjugating the beings already created in the world. He did so by first measuring his strength with the sun; afterwards he concluded this endeavor with a treaty of friendship, being that he was a god of contracts. These two allies have supported each other ever since.
In Iranian creation mythology, there exists a primeval ox that contained the “germs”[ii] of the animal species and even a certain number of useful plants. Mithra is supposed to have attacked the primeval ox with help from his ally, the sun. He seized the beast by the nostrils with one hand and plunged his dagger into the ox’s flank with the other.[iii] As Mithra killed the beast, the “germs” of life spilled out and brought forth life to the earth.
Mithra was not the Supreme Being that created the universe in the Iranian mythology. Instead there are two beings representative of good and evil which are Ahura Mazda, the good being, and his arch rival, Angra Mainyu who came from the abyss of endless darkness. In this story, Ahura Mazda created life, and Angra Mainyu formed evil demons to assist him in his battle against Ahura Mazda. Mithra was a created “god,” the god of contracts and law.
Roman Worship of Mithras
Rome originally came into contact with Mithraism through Cilician pirates somewhere around 67 BC according to Plutarch, the Greek writer. The worship of Mithraism spread through Rome via the military camps and was attractive to young warriors. The Roman emperors known to have worshipped Mithras were Commodus (reigned 180-192 AD), Septimius Severus (reigned 193-211 A.D.), Caracalla (reigned 211-217 AD) and Geta (reigned 209-212 AD.) Mithraism flourished under these and subsequent emperors.[vii] “The most detailed descriptions of Mithras are found in the religious texts of ancient India and Persia, which preceded the Roman worship of Mithras by many centuries. The Roman evidence for Mithras, on the other hand, consists chiefly of sculptures.”[viii]
The earliest practices of Mithras worship in Rome are evidenced at mithraea (Mithras sanctuaries) dating from around the 2nd century. The latest evidence dates from the fourth century. Despite its great popularity, Mithraism was never a state cult, and no public spaces were built for Mithras, nor holidays connected with this god. This evidence supports Mithraism as a distinctly private religion.[ix]
Basically, from what I researched, this deity underwent numerous changes in Rome from its original Iranian-Persian conception. Rome was a vast empire that extended over numerous cultures and those cultures’ mythologies. As stated in World Mythology, “the Romans absorbed the myths of their conquered subjects. For the modern observer, the result is an array of apparently contradictory images – temples of native Italian deities side by side with those of Greek or Easter gods; high-ranking “Roman” priests standing shoulder to shoulder with the foreign, flamboyant, self-castrated priests of the Great Mother. No wonder some Romans debated what “real” Roman myth or religion might be.”[x] This proves to be a better description of why the worship of Mithras in the mystery religions bears similarities to Christianity, rather than the other way around.
MJ
Note: To investigate Mithraism and the rise of the cult (because there is so much more than I have presented), visit your local library’s reference section on mythology and world religions. Also, please check referenced documents for further documentation. Articles quoted have many more sources than provided here.
For Further Reading:
Reference Books
Willis, Roy. Ed. “Persian Myths.” World Mythology. Richmond Hill, Duncan Baird Publishers: 1993.
Parrinder, Geoffrey. Ed. The Illustrated Who’s Who in Mythology. New York, MacMillan Publishing Company: 1985.
Carnoy, Albert J. “Iranian Mythology,” Volume Six, Mythology of All Races. New York, Marshall Jones Company: 1917.
Puhvel, Jaan. Comparative Mythology. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press: 1987.
Online Articles
Metzger, Bruce. Historical and Literary Studies: Pagan, Jewish, and Christian. Available from: http://www.frontline-apologetics.com/mystery_religions_early_christianity.htm Accessed January 22, 2007.
McDowell, Josh. “Is The New Testament Filled With Myths”. Chapter 14 of A Reasoned Defense. Available from: http://www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ch14/default.htm. Accessed January 22, 2007.
© Mary Jo Sharp 2007