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{{Mediawiki:kindleoasis}}__NOTOC__[[File:Mithras_banquet_Louvre_Ma3441.jpg|thumbnail|200px|left|Mithras and Sol at a table]]Today the god Mithra or Mithras is not recognized by many in the West. In fact, for people who have heard of this god, he Mithra is often seen as just another one of the many gods that was once worshiped in Europe, the Near East, and South Asia. However, in the early centuries of Christianity, one can argue the worship of Mithras rivaled the Christian religion influence and if importance of Christianity. If Christianity had failed to plant itselfin Europe, then it may have been possible for the worship of this god Mithraism to have become more a lasting and significant religion in later religious history for Asia and Europe. The importance of this god in perhaps bringing influences that Mithra faith may have also get adopted in influenced both Christianity and other later religions may also be evident.

Mithra Mithraic belief likely borrowed or Mithras was incorporated within Zoroastrianism, which believed in a god with an origin cosmic struggle of evil vs. good. Mithra could be involved in Iran and Indiathe final struggle against evil, where his imagery and display good ultimately wins, but this is often associated with the sunnot clear. The religion is mostly associated with its peak in worship that occurred around the 1st-4th century CE (god was seen as being born or AD)December 25th, where it was worshiped from Scotland to India. Key beliefs include the ritual slaughter he emerges out of the bull by Mithraa rock, although several other gods, particularly those associated as sun gods, which would likely lead to the presence held that date of new life birth. <ref>For more on Christian and Mithraism connections, see: Hensen, A. (Figure 12013). Worship centered around underground temples known Mithras: der Mysterienkult an Limes, Rhein und Donau. Stuttgart: Theiss.</ref> This date does likely influence later Christian adoptions as Mithraea that attempted to represent caves. Sometimes December 25th for the temples were in cavesbirth of Christ. These temples were representative The god Mithra may have also been born of the world a virgin birth and the ceremonies held were importance of communal meals, similar to reflect a type of global worshipearly Christianity, are some aspects the religions share. The worship ceremony often involved ritual feasting and was held in religious order also seems to have a type of secrecy that members take an oath hierarchy of power, with local priests and something akin to follow Bishops and worship chief leaders within the god. Members would be gradually initiated into cult developed as part of the sacred rights where a total of seven levels religious order that worshipers had one can climb. Worship and belief also seems to attain being part of their spiritual journey. The religion seemed be related to mostly incorporate menwater, although this might not be where believers may have been baptized into the case in every placeorder. Because no written sources have survived that directly speak to the theologyNevertheless, outside aspects of small inscriptions or secondary references by writers, there is still relatively known about Mithra worshiped within the religion. HoweverRoman Empire also borrowed from other Greco-Roman gods, indicating that is probably in part because some adaptation of the original ideas of Mithra had occurred after it was a type of mystery cultadopted from the original Indo-Persian god.<ref>For more on how Mithra is combined and integrated with Roman gods, see: Christensen, L. B., Hammer, O. From Persian sources, he is seen as a god & Warburton, D. (Eds.). (2013). The handbook of justicereligions in ancient Europe / edited by Lisbeth Bredholt Christensen, a good shepherd to his peopleOlav Hammer and David A. Warburton. Durham ; Bristol, CT: Acumen Pub Ltd, and infalliblepg. 258. </ref>

Mithraic belief likely borrowed from Zoroastrianism, which believed in a cosmic struggle ==Extent of evil vsMithra Worship==[[File:Mithrasgrotte Halberg Saarbruecken.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. goodA Mithraeum site in Germany. ]]Although Mithra could be involved was worshiped in regions as far as India and Scotland, the final struggle against evil, but this extent of how widely spread within populations and how much of a true rival the religion was to other emerging religions like Christianity is not clearagreed upon by scholars. The god was seen There are hundreds of Mithra temples, such as being born or December 25ththat shown in Figure 2, where he emerges out of a rockscattered throughout the Roman Empire, although several other with perhaps the chief Roman temple in Rome itself; sometimes existing temples to various godsalso had Mithraea underneath them.<ref> For more on where Mithra was worshiped, particularly those associated as sun godssee: Grant, held that date of birthJ. This date does likely influence later Christian adoptions as December 25th the birth of Christ, Gorin, S. The god Mithra may have also been born of a virgin birth and the importance of communal meals, similar to early Christianity& Fleming, are some aspects the religions shareN. (2008). The religious order also seems archaeology coursebook: an introduction to have a type of hierarchy of powerthemes, sites, with local priests methods and something akin to Bishops and chief leaders within the cult developed as part of the religious orderskills (3rd ed). London ; New York: Routledge, pg. 179. Worship and belief also </ref> It seems to be related to water, where believers may have been baptized into the order. Nevertheless, aspects of Mithra worshiped within a religion that was brought to the Roman Empire also borrowed from other Greco-by Roman godssoldiers stationed in the eastern part of the empire, indicating that some adaptation of who became influenced by the original ideas worship of Mithra had occurred after it was adopted from this god in the original Indo-Persian god. [[File:Mithra sacrifiant le Taureau-005.JPG|thumbnail|Figure 1. Mithra Parthian and later Sassanian empires and in the slaying of Near East in general as the soldiers encountered the Bulllocal population. HereThe god was also very popular in Indian and Iran, while Mithra is shown wearing was likely combined with earlier sun gods in the Phyrigian hatNear East, perhaps indicating some of his eastern influences on the Romansincluding Shamash and Ba'al.]]

Although Mithra was worshiped in regions as far as India and Scotland, the extent of how widely spread within populations and how much of a true rival the religion was to other emerging religions like Christianity is not agreed upon by scholars. There are hundreds of Mithra temples scattered throughout the Roman Empire; sometimes existing temples to various gods also had Mithraea underneath them. It seems to have been a religion that was brought to the Empire by Roman soldiers stationed in the eastern part of the empire, who then became influenced by the worship of this god in the Parthian and later Sassanian empires. The god was also very popular in Indian and Iran, while Mithra was likely combined with earlier sun gods in the Near East, including Shamash and Ba'al. However, it is likely that the Mithra in the Roman Empire was understood differently that that of Persia and Iran, although many similarities remained. <ref>For more on how Mithra was adopted across the Roman Empire, see: Beck, R. (2007). The religion of the Mithras cult in the Roman Empire: mysteries of the unconquered sun (1. publ. in paperback). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.</ref> Thus, scholars do debate how unified the belief was of Mithra and the adoption of the god could have been as such that local customs in different places adapted the religion to their own concepts, mainly incorporating the god with other gods or syncretizing religious ideaideas. Although in any one place the number of worshipers may have been low, the vast extent of the worship of the god does make Mithra perhaps the most widespread god until the rise of Christianity and its subsequent proselytizing faith. The wide extent of the worship of this god may explain why some ideas were adopted by Christianity. However, more likely the animosity toward this cult reflects that it may have been seen as a threat to the early Christian faith in the first few centuries after Christ. This could explain why some ideas of Mithra could have been adopted by Christians, so that some keeping some aspects of the faith may have been more attractive to some worshipers in joining Christianity; however, the subsequent suppression of the Mithra cults likely reflects it was mostly seen as a threat.

In some ways, the initial fact the religion came from Iran may have been part of its own undoing. Rome and the Parthian and later Sassanian Empires were great rivals. As the conflict between these empires increased, Roman authorities may have begun to frown upon this religion. In particular, after the rise of Christianity , once it was accepted by Constantine in 312 CE, the Roman Empire began to have both religious but also secular reasons to persecute the cults of Mithra. Temples to Mithra were torn down and in some cases churches built directly on top of them. Practices of Mithra were claimed to be satanic and that forced the believers to go underground. <ref>For more on the decline of Mithra worship, see: Brown, P. R. L., & Lizzi Testa, R. (Eds.). (2011). Pagans and Christians in the Roman Empire: the breaking of a dialogue, (4th - 6th century A. D.) ; proceedings of the international conference at the Monastery of Bose (October 2008). Wien: LIT.</ref> A few believers held out in the Alps region, but the faith continued to survive in Iran until recently, although it declined as Islam spread in the 7th century CE. In India, the belief in Mithra has continued and cult of worhip worship has continues in some areas, although it has likely evolved significantly over the centuries. Many beliefs related to Mithra are now incorporated with Zoroastrianism.<ref>For areas where the modern worship of Mithra exists, see: Nabarz, P. (2005). The mysteries of Mithras: the pagan belief that shaped the Christian world. Rochester, Vt: Inner Traditions, pg. 16. </ref>

Scholars still debate the impact of Mithraism on Christianity. While many agree some parallel existexists, such as the Christmas birthday of Christ, use of meals or communal meals as part of the worship, religious hierarchy, others see that etc., the connection is somewhat tenuous. Some of the similarities could be attributed to the impact of other religions and practices also could have adopted these practices . Mithraism and there are Christianity also had major theological differences in theology. Nevertheless, the spread of the religion of Mithra showed something had, in fact, happened and demonstrated that is the world just before the rise of Christianity was beginning prepared to worship a common godadopt monotheistic religions. In other words, with the rise of By the major empires and states100 BC, we see by the 1st century CE very few there were empires spanning the globethat spanned Eurasia. This helps to explain, in part, why the religion became so popular. In fact, one Someone could go from Britain to India and then China, by only traversing only about 4 through four countries in the 1st century CE; so the facilitation of movement across vast distances now meant that religious . Religious ideas can also could move fastfrom east to west across Eurasia very quickly. This made the world a smaller place and religious ideas, such as Mithraism, began were able to spread rapidlyalong routes of trade and travel.  In summary, the rapid spread of Mithra from the 1st century CE shows that religious ideas could now move very fast across regions. This likely paved the way for Christianity in that many people began to get use to adopt the idea of shared religions or ideasfor many different people. In other wordsWhile the Mithraism impact on Christianity is debatable, the rise of Mithra foreshadows the eventual rise of Christianity, whether it influences it substantially or not. This might The quick success of Mithra would have been one of the more important factors that showed the shown early Christians that it was possible to quickly spread their faith as the world became smaller.

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