The Virgin Birth (4)

"Most modern liberal theologians have generally rejected the virgin birth, and classify it as a religious myth that was added to Christian belief in the late first century CE and was triggered by a mistranslation of the book of Isaiah. Its purpose was to make the religion more competitive with contemporary Pagan religions in the Mediterranean region, most of whom featured a virgin birth of their founder." (Ontario Consultancy on Religious Tolerance)

Mithras

You can find temples to Mithras all over the ancient world, I have even visited one with my wife in Northumbria, UK. They are called "Mithraeums". Mithras was commonly worshipped by Roman soldiers who travelled to the very frontiers of their Empire.

Mithras was said to have had a virgin-birth on the 25th December (the Winter solstice). Roman and Greek deities were commonly said to be born of virgins. Remember, the notion of their god conceiving a child with a human woman was a very non-Jewish concept - the whole idea was repellant to the Jewish mind.
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With the dawn of light on Mithras' birth "the priest emerged from the temple to announce triumphantly: The God is born!" The Winter Solstice was celebrated as the birth of Mithras the Saviour.
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Mithras was sent by a "father-god" to bring new light, new life to men, vanquishing darkness and evil in the world.
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Mithras' birth was witnessed only by shepherds. He was born out of the "womb of the Earth", in a cave. The only people present when he emerged were shepherds.
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Mithras was described variously as The Way, The Truth, The Light, The Word, The Son of God, the Good Shepherd; he was often shown carrying a lamb on his shoulders.
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Followers of Mithras celebrated by lighting candles, ringing bells, singing hymns, giving gifts and joining in a sacrament of bread and water.
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Between December 25th and Easter ("Eostre" is the Latin for earth goddess) came the 40 days search for Osiris, a god of justice and love.
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The cult also observed Black Friday, commemorating the act of bull-slaying which had blessed the earth.
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Worn out by the battle, Mithras is symbolically represented as a corpse and is placed in a sacred rock-tomb from which he is removed after three days in a festival of rejoicing.
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Do you see all the similarities? You have to face up to these facts. These are things that were actually believed and practised, and Christianity absorbed the Mithras stories into its own myths.

Mithraism was declared heretical by Christians in the 5th Century and ruthlessly wiped out.



Geoff Mather 2007
(including paraphrased extracts from the essay: "The Virgin Birth and Childhood Mysteries of Jesus" by James Still)

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