Get the large version of the image of Mithras. (40 Kbytes)
Mithras (7 inch #MIT; $35 / 9x12 inch #MP; $49 plaque)
- A Persian, Zoroastrian and Vedic deity, he was the most widely venerated
god in the Roman Empire at the time of Christ. The Christian Church borrowed
numerous of his mysteries, such as birth on Dec. 25, ascension into heaven
at Spring equinox, Last Supper of bread & wine with 12 disciples, celibate
priesthood, etc. Mithras was venerated by the legions, who saw in him a cult
of power and hierarchy. His rites featured this image, possibly a depiction
of the precession the equinoxes and equatorial zodiac, which equates Mithras
with the constellation and hero Perseus. He is shown superseding (slaying)
the constellation Taurus, thus achieving the regenerative powers of
Spring.
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