ST. PAUL AND THE MYSTERY RELIG tihvaxy of t:he t:heolo0ical ^tminavy PRINCETON . NEW JERSEY PRESENTED BY The Author .T8fo ST. PAUL AND THE MYSTERY RELIGIONS BY JOHN FRANKLIN TROUPE, M. A. OCT 15 1964 BOSTON: THE GORHAM PRESS TORONTO: THE COPP CLARK CO., LIMITED Copyright, I9i7, by John Franklin Troupe All Rights Reserved Made in the United States of America The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. TO MY WIFE FOREWORD In the following pages I have endeavored to show- that Saint Paul is no more indebted to the Mystery Religions, for the support which he lent to Christianity, than any man is indebted to any other man because he uses the language which they both have in common. I have endeavored to approach the subject with an open and unbiased mind so that the conclusions arrived at may be regarded as the result which the facts them- selves warrant, and not the result of prejudice. John Franklin Troupe, M. A. New Park, Pa. CONTENTS Chapter Page I. Introduction 1 1 II. The Mystery Cults — Demeter, Diony- sus, AND Orphic Cults 20 III. Cybele-Attis Cult ^y IV. Isis, Osiris and Serapis Cults 31 V. MiTHRA Cult 36 VI. Hermetic Mystery Literature 38 VII. Stoicism 42 viii. A Legitimate Intrepretation of the Facts Presented 45 IX. The Possibility of Judaism Being In- fuenced by Hellenistic Culture 49 X. Detailed Relation of St. Paul to THE Terminology of the Mystery Religions 53 XL Apparent Evidence of Double Person- ality Passages 63 XII. The Leading Conceptions of St. Paul's Thought Are Rooted in the Old Testament 66 XIII. Baptismal Rites of Pagan Religions.. 76 XIV. Sacrificial Meals in Relation to the Mystery Religions 80 XV. Conclusions 85 ST. PAUL AND THE MYSTERY RELIGIONS ST. PAUL AND THE MYSTERY RELIGIONS I Introduction "^T^O sum up all things in Christ, the things in the X heavens and the things upon the earth ; in him." Eph. i : 10. This appears to be St. Paul's interpreta- tion of the Creator's allinclusive plan. Such a philoso- phy of history arouses a religious enthusiasm, which increases in intensity as the search for religious truth advances. It teaches us, that St. Paul regarded Christianity, not as an isolated, abstract entity, but as the absolute and final phase of God's dealing with his creatures and that we should not be surprised if we find in it, the noblest elements of Greecian philosophy, the highest surviving truths of other religions, the theological fervor of the Hebrews, together with a unique revelation. The origin of Pauline Christianity cannot be attributed to a mere summing up of these elements, but an understanding of it is dependent upon an understanding of these elements, just as an appreciation of the symphony is dependent upon an appreciation of the individual pieces in the orchestra. Because of the exceedingly scanty knowledge of the times in which Christianity took its rise, and because of the popular idea that it is an eternally fixed quantity of doctrine, devotion and discipline, it may at first appear difficult for us to determine whether the new II 12 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions religion was at the outset a closed revelation, or whether it is the product of a developing process, in- fluenced by environmental forces. In modem times we are beginning to think of religion in terms of ex- perience. The cloister has been abandoned forever as the place to cultivate true piety. We now carry our religion into the market places with us, believing that it is at its best when in practice. If there is any truth in Jeremy Taylor's often quoted phrase, the child is the father of the man, then certainly, the religious struc- ture of the men of tomorrow is dependent upon the environmental framework of the children of today. And any faith which is incapable of adjusting itself to the urgent needs of the times, is not to be considered a part of that Gospel, of which Jesus said, "my grace is sufficient for thee." Notwithstanding, many are disposed to foster the claim that early Christianity was entirely free from such environmental influence. Such an attitude, no doubt, arises out of the commendable desire to retain its authority. But by so doing, it may be that they are snatching Christianity away from its proper rela- tions and treating it as an intruder into the divinely de- creed course of human history. If there is no source of inspiration in existence today from which we hesi- tate to draw, in behalf of Christianity, may it not be reasonable to suppose that primitive Christianity would gain rather than lose, if it is discovered that St. Paul was wide awake to all phases of human activity? From this point of view, let us consider the possibil- ity of St. Paul being influenced by contact with other religions, with the understanding that Christianity shall Introduction 13 not bejess esteemed if jlis found that he was influenced by such contact, nor more esteemed if it is found that he was not influenced by such contact. In the hght of the high conception which Paul had of the new faith, it may seem diflicult to see how he could derive anything from contemporary sources. He condemns both Pag- anism and Judaism and pronounces an anathema upon any one who teaches a Christianity other than his own. "'But though we or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any Gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema." Gal. i : 8. In I. Cor. i : 27,, he harshly criticises Judaism and in Gal. I : 24, he observes that it is only a temporary "tutor to bring us unto Christ." The philosophy of the Greeks he regards as Vain deceit' and the popular religions he declares to be 'senseless idolatry'. Such sweeping condemnations, however, are not more than should be expected under the circumstances. All criticism must necessarily be harsh. All contemp- orary religions are regarded as built upon a fallacious principle, consequently, the critic does not pause to dwell upon the virtues entangled in the mass of alleged error. But it is not more than fair to suppose that some valuable truths were occasionally found and sometimes even absorbed, perhaps, by the new faith. It seldom happens that the victorious debater fails to learn some- thing from his vanquished opponent, though in the heat of the conflict he may sternly condemn as worth- less, all his opponent's arguments. It may be that the same is true in the case of St. Paul. We know that his merciless criticism of Judaism did not deter him from incorporating into Christianity such of its materials as 14 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions were advantageous, nor did his opposition to the Gen- tiles hinder him from recognizing that it was possible for them to please God by following the dictates of their own conscience. Thus it appears, that opposition to other faiths as religious systems, did not hinder him from actually appropriating from them all that was useful and of good report. - Paul further emphasizes this idea in his assertion of the belief that Christianity was the legitimate heir to all previously existing good, maintaining that the en- tire course of past history was preliminary to the es- tablishment of Christianity. So that not only the Old Testament, which he praises very highly as an histori- cal revelation, but also anything in paganism, which was found worthy and could be made to harmonize with his thinking was used in establishing the new faith; for example, he frequently draws illustrations from the pagan games. About a century later, Justin Martyr, retained his high esteem for Greek philosophy after his conversion, by persuading himself that Soc- rates and other Stoics were Christians on the ground that they were enlightened by the eternal Logos, who was later more fully revealed in the person of Christ. Paul believed himself to be divinely guided in estab- lishing the new religion. He recognized that Judaism, as an historical revelation, contributed certain items to the new faith, but he did not regard it as furnishing a complete equipment for Christianity. Even Christ himself did not complete the equipment. Certain links had to be supplied by the believer's own experience, in order to complete the chain which binds us back to God. **I fill up that which is behind of the afflictions / Introduction 15 of Christ," Col. ii : 24. This he set out to do by virtue of his faith in Christ. The work was done, of course, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but its result was dependent upon immediate experience, deter- mined by environment. Since, then, Paul's convic- tions consisted in a revelation, supplemented by the experience of actual life, and since these experiences were, to some extent, at least, the product of environ- mental forces, we must guard against putting into the thoughts of the Apostle, the views of the later cen- ' / turies^_which have been crystalized into static quanti- ties. Sometimes we fail to recognize that Christianity arose in a very 'religious world.' The religious in- fluences of the Roman Empire were by no means de- cadent. This fact would not only have a tendency to make Paul tolerate influence from other religions, but such influence would be likely to manifest itself in his life. The strength of Judaism at this time is well known. But it is not to be supposed that the Gentiles were any less influential. Paganism was very popular among the masses, because help was offered them from so many deities. These deities, with their varieties of doctrines and ceremonies, were designed to meet all the exigencies of the worshipers. Religion was not con- fined to the few. It was a matter of common concern. Poets and philosophers made it the theme of their dis- cussions, and even the structure of the state claimed to be reared upon a religious foundation. The very cir- cumstances under which Paul labored, compelled him to be brought into contact with these contemporary faiths, and this contact was so close and so long con- "vi i6 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions tinued, that it is at once suggestive of the possibility of Christianity being vitally influenced by them. Paul's activities in Syrian Antioch, Rome, Ephesus and Cor- inth, remind us of the fact that in its plastic infancy, the new faith was fostered in a pagan home. It is not to be supposed that the contemporary reli- gions easily succumbed to the new movement. Facts seem to indicate that they offered strong resistance. Just as the Foreign Mission Fields offer strong resist- ance to the acceptance of Christianity to-day, so it m.ust be supposed that the other religions opposed it in tlie early days. The pagan deities had their devoted fol- lowers and self-sacrificing missionaries as well as Je- hovah had his chosen people. It certainly cannot be said that there wai any time when Christianity was the sole possessor of the field during the first century. On the contrary, we know that it cultivated, not virgin soil, but soil upon which had already been established powerful competitors. And since St. Paul did not en- joy the privilege of creating anew the religious data, he was compelled to graft his religion onto the already existing data. The religious vocabulary of the people labored among, had already been very well developed. Paul, doubtless would have been able to secure con- verts to the new faith by proclaiming its newness, and superiority, but his prospects for success would have \ been slight had he not employed the religious terml-- '^'V-Jiorogy which was already familiar to his hearers, in showing them that however novel Christianity might seem, it nevertheless conserved the values of the old faith. As new territory was entered upon, readjustments 7^ Introduction 17 had to be made to meet the new conditions. At first, the Christians observed the ceremonial law. But Paul's demands in behalf of the Gentiles, soon changed this attitude. In the light of what has been said, it seems justifi- able to infer that St. Paul was at least liable to be in- fiuenced by contact with other religions. This fact does not in any way deny the originality of Christian- ity, nor does it discount the creative activity of the Apostle who felt himself divinely guided in developing it. It is almost impossible to overestimate Paul's im- portance in establishing our faith, but it must he remembered that he was nolJiistorically. uaconditioned. We are already aware of Christianity's relation to Judaism, but its relation to the Mystery Religions is comparatively a new field of investigation. The term. Mystery Religions, in its technical sense, is applied to a type of faith which lays emphasis on a future state d^^ ^ \. .oi bliss, obtainable by worshiping a deity, or deities, who themselves have triumphed over death, and con- sequently, are able to give a similar victory to their votaries. These religions were individualistic rather than national. The individual attached himself directly to the diety and not to some civic group or order. The Palistinian Christians, in so far as they required cir- cumcision of the Gentiles, were manifesting the na- tional ideal, but Paul, in making personal faith in Christ, the only requirement for salvation, was taking the position of the Mystery Religions. To become enrolled in the mysteries, it was necessary to ex- perience certain rites of initiation. Plays, represent- ing the deities' triumph over death, and pictorial rep- i8 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions resentations of certain things, were presented. The proper authority would explain to the novice, the mys- tery of these, hence the term. Mystery Religions. Certain rites of purification had to be observed by the one to be initiated, after which he participated in certain other rites symbolizing his unity with the deity, such as partaking of the sacred meal, or sleeping in the bed-chamber of the temple. The votary was thus believed to experience new birth. He was now sup- posed to be a god-man. The deity dwelt in him and controlled his life. He was sure to share the triumph over death with the deity, and by certain ecstatic expe- riences, even in this world, he enjoyed anticipations of the future state of bliss. When Christianity, at the hands of Paul, became a religion of personal faith in the crucified and risen divine saviour, belief in whom, secured eternal life, it was meeting the same sort of need which the Mystery Religions were designed to meet. Consequently, it is at least only fair to ask, whether Pauline Christianity was not influenced by the Mystery Religions, owing to its contact with a world which was already endeavoring to work out a religious destination along these lines. Some modern scholars respond to this question with a decided negative. Schweitzer and Clemen for example, maintain that in the first century A. D., the Mystery Religions were not widely enough scattered through the Mediterranean world, and in so far as they did exist, they were not at this early period marked with the characteristics which later caused them to bear such striking resemblance to Christianity. Other modern investigators, such as Reitzenstein and Diet- Introduction 19 rich, believe that these Mystery cults had a wide dis- semination in pre-Christian times and that in the first century A. D., they already possessed the features which marked their likeness to Christianity. In the light of these two opposing views, we will endeavor to ascertain : how widely the Mystery Religions were disseminated in the first century A. D., and what were their characteristics at this time. II The Mystery Cults — Demeter, Dionysus and Orphic Cults WE will consider successively: the Demeter, Dionysus and Orphic cults in Greece ; the Cy- bele-Attis cult in Phrygia ; the Isis, Osiris and Serapis cults in Egypt; the Mithra cult in Persia; the Her- metic Mystery literature and Stoicism. The Eleusi- nian Mysteries are associated with the goddess De- meter whose name was explained at a very early date as Ge-meter, 'mother earth.' She was the goddess of the fertile soil, and was associated with the under world and the abode of the unburied dead. She was the mother of Proserpine, the queen of Hades, whom Pluto carried away to the gloomy realms. The worship of this goddess is mentioned by Greek writers before the beginning of our era. In a myth which forms the sub- ject matter of a Homeric hymn to Demeter, we are told how the goddess taught the princess of Eleusis the rites of her cult before she ascended to Mount Olym- pus, forbidding the sacred mysteries to be divulged: "Blessed is that man of dwellers on the earth, who has seen these things ! but he who dies without initiation and participation in these rites, in the dark gloom below will not have so happy a lot" (Moore's Hist, of Rels. p. 450). Those who were initiated received 20 The Mystery Cults 21 blessed life beyond the tomb. The content of the hymn makes it certain that the round of the assurance was the deliverance of Kore from Hades, which is the subject of the myth. When Eleusis was annexed to Attica in the seventh century, the mysteries became a part of the established religion, and when Athens became the center of Greek life, the Eleusinian mys- teries became a panhellenic institution. Men, women and even slaves were eligible. In the fourth century B. C, Herodotus mentions the popularity of the powerful Demeter and the number of persons initiated into her mysteries, (viii 65). Cic- ero remarks that the most distant nations are initiated into the sacred and most august Eleusinia. He also says : "Much that is excellent and divine does Athens seem to me to have produced and added to our life, but nothing better than those mysteries by which we are formed and moulded from a rude and savage life into humanity; and indeed in the mysteries we per- ceive the real principles of life and learn not only to live happily but to die with a fairer hope." (The Bib- lical World, Jan. 1914). The first step for one to take who wished to become initiated into the mysteries, was to apply privately to one of the families in charge of the ceremonies. He was then admitted into the first stage of the rites, which was similar to purification from blood guilt. The next step consisted in initiation into the Lesser Mysteries which took place in February. The Great Mysteries came in the following September. The participants gathered in the city of Athens. On the sixteenth of September they went to the sea and took a bath, hence 22 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions the phrase, *To the Sea O Mystea.' The following days were spent in Athens. On the nineteenth of the month, the entire company robed in white, set out for Eleusia by the sacred street, carrying the image of, and invoking the god lakchos (Dionusus). The pro- gress of the procession was slow because of the numbers and because of the sacredness. When the company arrived at the bridge spanning the Kephissos, a signal was given for an outburst of slanderous lan- guage. Every one took occasion to relieve his mind of any grudge he might have against any citizen or official, by a free and unscrupulous loosening of the tongue. The ceremonies at Eleusia continued two or three days. The principle ceremonies took place with- in the great oblong hall, and none except those who had participated in the Lesser Mysteries were admit- ted. The secrets of what took place within these walls were so well kept, that we know little of what really happened. But we know it was meant for impression rather than instruction. Aristotle says : "The initiated do not learn what they must do, but feel certain emo- tions and are put in a certain suitable frame of mind." It is believed by Professor Moore that at these cer- emonies behind closed doors, scenes from the myth of Demeter were enacted, also the rape of Prosepine and her return to the earth, just as took place in the meet- ings of the public cults. Everything was of such a nature as to excite emotion and endeavor to lend real- ity to the unseen. There was still a higher degree for those who had attained unto it. This degree could not be received in less time than a year from, the ini- tiation into the Lesser Mysteries. To those receiving The Mystery Cults 23 it, were shown the contents of the sacred ark, which, according to some interpretations of the myth, the god- dess employed in estabUshing the mysteries. These relics always excited the greatest awe and were ven- erated as were the relics of the Christian church in the Middle Ages. A mystery play was performed, at which time the hierophant explained the significance of the relics. There were also rites of a sacramental character. One of these was the partaking of the Kv/ceayv, a gruel, which, it was believed, Demeter took after mourning for her daughter nine days. It was made of barley-groats, water and pennyroyal leaves rubbed fine. Clement of Alexandria reports other sacramental rites as indicated in the pass word of the Eleusinian Myster- ies : *T fasted, I drank the gruel, I took from the ark, and having tasted, I put it away in the basket, and from the basket into the ark." (See Moore's Hist, of Rels. p. 457). The popularity of this cult is also evidenced by the facts that in 21 B. C, Augustus was initiated into its mysteries and about the middle of the first century A. D., Claudius, desired to transfer the Eleusinia to Rome; in 125 A. D., Hadrian was initiated into the first degree, and in 129 A. D., into the third degree. The first assurance of immortality which the Mys- tery Religions promised, made them popular among the noblest souls of Greece as well as the common people. Pindar says : "Blessed he who having seen them, passes beneath the hollow earth; he knows the end of life and knows its God-given origin." Also Sophocles : "O thrice-blessed these mortals, who having beheld these 24 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions mysteries, descended to Hades; to them alone it is given there to Hve; for the rest all evils are there." (See Lobeck's Aglaophamus, vol. i, p. 69.) From these quotations it appears clear that salvation depended upon initiation into the mysteries. At first there is little intimation that moral defects, so long as they did not imply religious defilement, excluded from the cult or its salvation. But the ridicule of thinkers like Hericli- tus against the superstition that physical purification can purify the soul of moral defilement, finally led to the conception that "Purity is holy mindedness." From a poem of the second century, which is as- cribed to Theocritus," we learn that even children were initiated into the mysteries of Dyonysus. The poem referred to, is written in honor of a nine year old boy, who was admitted to the cult by virtue of the piety of his father. "To the children of pious fathers belong the good things, rather than to those that come of im- pious fathers," (Lobeck's Aglaophamus, vol. i, p. 586). Compare this with Paul's belief regarding the sanctity of children as expressed in I Cor. vii : 14: "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: Else were your children unclean." Demeter and Dyonysus were not the only deities, whose names were associated with the more distinct- ively Greek mysteries. Proclus, remarks that the in- fluence of the Orphic mysteries was seen on every hand as early as the middle of the sixth century, B. C. As a means of individual salvation, Orphism had spread far and wide, and its converts gathered together in societies not unlike Christian churches. Rites of ini- The Mystery Cults 25 tiation were performed which took the form of puri- fication, and sacred writings existed, claiming divine inspiration. A rule of practice was laid down regu- lating diet, dress and conduct. The Orphic gospel aroused the consciousness of a super-natural good, an eternal life, and a foreshadowing of it here and now. It demanded personal faith and set forth a plan of sal- vation. By initiation into its mysteries, it was believed that the old corrupt man was put oflF and the resulting new creature was a partaker of divine life. "O blessed and happy one, thou hast put off thy mortality and hast become divine." Plato, in one of his speculations regarding the des- tiny of the soul (Phaedo, 69 C), speaks of "those who established our mysteries" as affirming in parables "that whosoever comes to Hades uninitiated and pro- fane will lie in the mire : while he that has been puri- fied and initiated shall dwell with the gods. For 'the thyrsus-bearers (vapdT]KO(^6poi) are many,' as they say in the mysteries, 'but the inspired (/3a/c%ot) few'." "This passage is interpreted by many as referring to Orphism. Kennedy thinks it is quite possible that Orphism had developed a form of ascetic life in- dependent of its associations with the religion of Di- onysus. But from this time forth, it at least received new em.phasis. Purity was insisted upon in order to set free from the cycle of generation (kvk\o<; tt}? yev^ ecr£&)?) The man who is fully initiated into the Orphic rites becomes oa-i(o6ei^. What this meant can be in- ferred from the mystic formula of the Compagno tab- let, (See Kennedy p. 15). In answer to the confession of the mystic: "Out of the pure I come. . .For I also 26 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions avow me that I am of your blessed race. . .1 have flown out of the sorrowful weary wheel... I have passed with eager feet from the circle desired." The assurance is given: "Happy and blessed one, thou shalt be god instead of mortal." This emphasis on purity made an ever-widening appeal, and soon had the effect of making Orphism one of the most impressive and in- fluential of the Hellenic religions. Ill Cybele-Attis Cult BUT these more distinctively Greek mysteries were from time to time supplemented by similar reli- gions coming in from the Orient. The national reli- gions of the old type gradually disappeared. The old gods were concerned with the protection of the state and the things of this world but when the souls of men were aroused to a yearning after a higher good, the new gods were worshiped, because they appealed to the individual. With the downfall of the Greek and Roman political powers, men ceased looking for a god who could save a nation and began to look for one who could save the individual. The result was a vigorous struggle for supremacy on the part of the various mys- tery cults, in which the Oriental Mystery cults played a large part. Such religions, of course, were by no means a new creation of the Greeko-Roman world. The redeemer- gods worshiped in this period had already existed in some part of the ancient world. They offered a type of religion not dissimilar in fundamental characteristics to the ancient mysteries of Greece, and consequently, by the beginning of our era, they had become popular, not only throughout Mediterranean lands, but also in Greece and Rome. Pindar mentions the Phrygian god- 27 28 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions dess Cybele, as known among the Greeks as early as the sixth century B. C. Attis, her consort, had a pri- vate cult in Greece as early as the fourth century B. C. Livy, who wrote in the time of Augustus, tells us that Cybele worship was formally introduced into Rome in 204 B. C., to prevent the Carthaginians from invading the city. The Romans were successful and consequently, Cybele worship was officially recognized. The worship of Attis soon followed, for by the middle of the first century we find devotees of Cybele and At- tis celebrating an annual festival, under official sanc- tion, at the time of the, vernal equinox. The worship- ers mourned for the dead god and rejoiced at his resurrection. Various rites were perfomed, symbol- izing union with the deity, whose career was portray- ed in a mystery play. The date of the festival, the vernal equinox, makes it plain that the story of Attis is a primitive myth of the death and rebirth of nature. The rites symbolized the recalling to life of nature, after the winter's death. But it is the opinion of Reit- zenstein and others, that the worshipers found more, especially in the resurrection of Attis, convincing dem- onstration of the life after death, to which the goddess could raise them as she raised Atfis. By entering, soul and body into the tragedy of the god, and inflicting the same wounds which he suffered, in a word, by becom- ing Attis in passion, they became sharers of his im- mortality. Maternus speaks of the night of mourning over the god ; then a light is brought in, and the hps of the company being anointed they are addressed as fol- Cybele-Attis Cult 29 lows : "Be of good courage because the god is saved, To you also shall be salvation from woes." (Biblical World, Jan., 1914). The Syrian Adonis was the rival of Attis, and fos- tered practically the same religious practices. This Adonis religion was still thriving when Paul was preaching in Syria and Cilicia, his message of the cru- cified and risen Reedemer of Christianity. The two chief centers of Adonis worship were Byblos in Syria, and Paphos in Cyprus, and it can certainly be assumed that many members of Paul's Gentile church were acquainted with the mystic drama describing the death and resurrection of Adonis, and the religious sancti- fication which that faith was supposed to give to its votaries. Another rite which was associated with the worship of the Magna Mater after the middle of the first cen- tury (See Cumont's Oriental Religions, p. 66), was that of the taurobolium. The oldest known inscription connected with the taurobolium was found at Lyons and is dated 160 A. D. During the course of con- structing the present church of St. Peter in Rome, many taurobolium altars of the fourth century were unearthed, dating from 295 to 390 A. D. But in Gaul, G. A. Moore claims, evidence has been iound which indicates that the rites existed at a very much earlier time. Prudentius, in describing the rite says, the one to be initiated goes into a pit previously provided with a covering of planks with many holes in them. A steer is then killed, whose warm blood streams through the holes in the planks upon the one beneath. "Through the thousand crevices in the wood, the bloody dew runs 30 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions down into the pit. The neophite receives the falling drops on his head, clothes and body. He leans back- ward to have his cheeks, his ears, his lips and his nos- trils wetted ; he pours the liquid over his eyes and does not even spare his palate, for he moistens his tongue with blood and drinks it eagerly." Peristeph., loii f. Upon coming forth from the pit, dripping with blood, the initiate was congratulated by his friends and called a new man, one who was "born again." Thus clearly showing that he was believed to possess divine life. Although this ceremony was observed in the mysteries of Cybele at Rome, the origin is as yet shrouded in obscurity. We must be content to rest in the result of Cumont's investigations, which show that it was observed in Rome soon after the middle of the first century. IV Isis, Osiris and Serapis Cults ONE of the best known facts in the history of reli- gion is the fact of the wide-spread popularity of the Isis-Osiris-Serapis cults in the Hellenistic world. Isis and Osiris were familiar figures in the religion of ancient Egypt. The name of Serapis, which absorbs that of Isis was introduced in the third century, B. C. by Ptolmy I, when this cult was virtually made the official religion of Hellenistic-Egypt. Herodotus, no doubt could have furnished us with much information regarding the Eg)'ptian mysteries, if he had not been so loyally devoted to the Mystery Religions and consequently hesitant about divulging their secrets. Notwithstanding, he occasionally tells us something interesting. Concerning the mysteries at Sais, he says : "In the sacred precinct of Minerva (who corresponds to Isis) behind the chapel and join- ing the whole of the wall is the tomb of one whose name I consider it impious to divulge on this occasion. And in the inclosure stand large stone obolisks, and there is a lake near, ornamented with stone margin, formed in a circle, and in size as appeared to me much the same as that at Delos, which is called the circular. In this lake they perform by night the representation of that persons adventures vrhich they call fiva-rrjoia, 31 32 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions "Mysteries." On these matters, however, though ac- curately acquainted with the particulars of them, I must observe a discrete silence." This deity, whose rites Herodotus regards as so sa- cred, is of course, the dying and rising Osiris. He also says of Isis, that the second most important of the Egyptian festivals was held in her honor in the city of Busiris. "All the men and women to the number of many miriads beat themselves after the sacrifice; but for whom they beat themselves it would be impious for me to divulge." The deity referred to is again Osiris. There is abundant evidence of the dissemination of this religion outside of Egypt in pre-Christian times. Diodorus in his History of Sicily cites an inscription from a tomb from Isis and Osiris at Nysa in Arabia, and similar inscriptions have been found at los. About the year 29 B. C, Tibullus, who had then abandoned his military pursuits on account of illness, writes from Corcyra, to Delia, his sweetheart, in Rome : "What does your Isis for you now, Delia? What avail me those brazen sistra of hers so often shaken by your hand? Or what am I the better for remembering that while you were pursuing her rites you bathed purely and lay alone in a pure bed (signifying marriage union with the deity) ? Now, now, goddess, help me, for that man may be healed by thee is proved by many a picture in thy temples." See The Biblical World, Jan., 1914. In a city ordinance of Pozzuoli in 105 B. C. the men- tion of a Serapaeum is evidence that the cult of Sera- pis had also found its way to Italy at an early date. Isis, Orisis and Serapis Cults 33 Thus, the Egyptian Mystery Religions spread to Italy in spite of opposition, which was largely due to Rome's jealousy to Alexandria. Persecutions were launched against this religion, as the records show, in 59, 58, 53, 48 B. C. and 19 A. D. But like Christianity, a century later, it seemed only to thrive the more under Roman persecution. Likewise in the East, 'Egyptian mysteries spread rapidly, from the beginning of the third century, B. C. The worship of Isis and Serapis was established at Athens in the time of Ptolmy Soter. The temple of Serapis stood at the foot of the Acropolis. In and about Levant, Isis and Serapis worship enjoyed an almost undisturbed prosperity for a period of three hundred years before Paul appeared on the scene. The character of the Egyptian mysteries is prac- tically the same as that of the Cybele-Attis cult. The story of the death and resurrection of Osiris and the significance for the believer's life are essentially the same as in the case of the other mystery gods. Here vv^e also find a mother goddess personifying the source of life, and her consort impersonates the hope of tri- umph in the ever-present human struggle of life over death. Plutarch, the Greek interpreter of the Isis-Os- iris religion, and who wrote about the same time as John wrote his gospel interpreting Christianity to the Greeks, says: "She is the female principle of nature and that which is capable of receiving all generation in virtue of which she is styled by Plato 'nurse' and 'all- receiving,' but by people in general she is called "one of numberless names," because she is converted by the 34 St. Paul and the Mystery Religions logos (that is, Osiris, who is identified with the Logos, the Word) into and receives all appearances and forms." According to Plutarch, Osiris, in his Logos-f tinction, created the world and all it contains. He interprets the mourning for Osiris and his resurrection as symbolic of the death and revival of nature but he also sees in his triumph something which is spiritual, may we say, and cosmic. To use his own words : "But the avenger of Osiris (that is, Isis) . . .did not forget the contests and struggles she had gone through, nor yet her own wanderings, nor did she suffer oblivion and silence to envelope her many deeds of wisdom, many fetes of courage, but by intermingling in the most sacred ceremonies, images, hints, and representations of her sufferings of yore, she concentrated at one and the same time both lessons of piety and consolation for men and women when overtaken by misfortune. And she, together with Osiris, having been translated from the rank of good spirits (de mons) up to that of gods and of spirits everywhere, both in regions above the earth and in those under ground, possessing the supreme power," (Is. and Os. xxviii). Plutarch may have been the first to explain the significance of Isis-Osiris worship in these particular terms, but for many generations the devotees of these deities had observed these sacred rites and derived consolation from the memory of their sufferings, and worshiped them with hearts full of appreciation. This appears to be the state of affairs in many communities before Paul appeared proclaiming his message of the suffering Redeemer who "was openly set forth cru- Isis, Orisis and Serapis Cults 35 cified," Gal. iii : i ; but who, on account of his humility and self-sacrifice for the well-being of humanity was exalted to his heavenly reward and honored with an authority before whom, ''every knee should bow of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth," Phil, ii : 10. V. Mithra Cult LET us draw another illustration from the Persian god, Mithras. The worship of Mithras first came to the attention of the Romans through Cicilian pirates whom Pompey suppressed in 67 B. C. In the follov/- ing year, the conquest of the kingdom of Mithradates carried Roman arms into regions where Mithras was worshiped. In the ensuing reorganization some of these provinces were constituted Roman provinces. But it was not at this particular time that Mithras wor- ship was brought to Rome. It was not until the first century after Christ that his mysteries apepar in the West. The oldest Mithrsea in Rome date from the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. When it first emerges into our observation, this religion is fully developed, but it had had a long history before appearing in Eu- rope. The Zoroastrian religion was planted in Asia Minor at the time of the Persian conquest, 600 B. C. Here it took firm root, particularly in Armenia, Pon- tus and Cappadocia. It was in these regions according to G. F. Moore, that the Mythras cult became the most fully developed. The cohorts and alse raised in Cappadocia and Pontis brought it with them to the South and West. There were several degrees in the Mithraic mys- teries, the rites of initiation of which are not known in 36 MiTHRA Cult 37 detail, but it is certain that these degrees and their attendent rites were connected with the legend of the god, and part of the object of the initiation was to v. unite the devotee to the god, who would prepare for him a place in bliss. Mihras also had his baptism and his 'oblation of bread' which Moore and others regard as a sacred banquet, the representations of which have come down to us on monumental remains. In these rites the Christian Fathers saw a diabolical trans- formation of the Christian sacraments. The baptism in water had not only purification of body for its object, but removal of sins as well. According' to a relief published a few years ago, bread and presumably wine are used in the course of this mystic meal. A tripod, supporting two loaves of bread, each marked with a cross, stands before the participants. One of the participants holds aloft a horn, presumbly of wine, while a persa offers a second to another communicant, (see The Ope