224 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

224 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

224 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Mithras explores the history and practices of the ancient mystery religion Mithraism, looking at both literary and material evidence for the god Mithras and the reception and allure of his mysteries in the present. The genesis and spread of Mithraism remain highly controversial. This book examines our current state of knowledge on the pre-classical Indo-Iranian god, Mitra, and argues that... Read more

Why Mithras?, 1. A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, Key Themes, 2. Tempora Solis: The Life of a Religion, 3. Those who join hands: the Mithraists, 4. "That Mede there, Mithras": the Prehistory of a Religion, 5. Born of a Rock: The early life of Mithras, 6. You have saved us by pouring fourth the eternal blood: the Tauroctony and Beyond, 7. The Guardian at the Gate: the Enveloped God, 8. A Well-omened, holy place: the Persian Cave, 9. Persist through the clouds: Ritual, 10. Credo: descending immortal, immortal to rise again, Mithras Afterwards, 11. Through a glass darkly: Mithras after Rome

Biography

Dr Andrew Fear is a Lecturer in Classics at the University of Manchester. Educated at Lancaster RGS and New College, Oxford, he has a long-standing interest in ancient religion and the Western Esoteric Tradition. He has produced translations of the late classical Christian historian Orosius and also Visigothic hagiography.