The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World [Paperback]

David Ulansey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 1991

In the centuries following the conquests of Alexander the Great the dramatic unification of the Mediterranean world created exceptionally fertile soil for the growth of new religions. Christianity, for example, was one of the innovative religious movements that arose during this time. However, Christianity had many competitors, and one of the most remarkable of these was the ancient Roman "mystery religion" of Mithraism.
Like the other "mystery cults" of antiquity, Mithraism kept its beliefs strictly secret, revealing them only to initiates. As a result, the cult's teachings were never written down. However, the Mithraists filled their temples with an enigmatic iconography, an abundance of which has been unearthed by archaeologists. Until now, all attempts to decipher this iconography have proven fruitless. Most experts have been content with a vague hypothesis that the iconography somehow derived from ancient Iranian religion.
In this groundbreaking work, David Ulansey offers a radically different theory. He argues that Mithraic iconography was actually an astronomical code, and that the cult began as a religious response to a startling scientific discovery. As his investigation proceeds, Ulansey penetrates step by step the mysteries concealed in Mithraic iconography, until finally he is able to reveal the central secret of the cult: a secret consisting of an ancient vision of the ultimate nature of the universe.
Brimming with the excitement of discovery--and reading like an intellectual detective story--Ulansey's compelling book will intrigue scholars and general readers alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ulansey's style is highly readable and I would unhestatingly recommend it as reading for students who want to learn about this fascinating religion. Ulansey has demystified the mysteries marvelously and with admirable lucidity."--Nicholas D. Humez, Montclair State University

"An excellent, well-researched, comprehensive analysis of the origins of a tradition popular throughout Europe and the Near East for hundreds of years."--Antonia Tripolitis, Rutgers Univ.

"The illustrations and diagrams play a useful part in this clear and lively exposition concerning the origin of a major reigion which for a time rivalled Christianity."--Shadow

"...sets a new standard for both scholarly and popular works on Mithras."--Timothy O'Neill, Gnosis Magazine

"A very interesting interpretation of the symbolism of the Mithras-religion."--Journal for the History of Astronomy

"Lucid....A surprisingly convincing and readable book, and I heartily recommend it to the educated general reader."--Biblical Archaeologist

"[A] thrilling book....Bravo for Ulansey."--Religious Studies Review

"Why are the Mysteries of Mithra such a mystery to us?...The astronomical explanation...has been revived in our time under different forms, but never as convincingly, with such an impressive array of arguments--iconographic, geographic, mythological, numismatic, and literary--as those offered by Dr. David Ulansey."--Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin, Institut de France

"Ulansey's extremely interesting book throws a completely new light on the origin of the Mithras religion."--B.L. van der Waerden, University of Zurich

"Ulansey has put the development of western Mithraism in an utterly new perspective."--Martin Schwartz, University of California, Berkeley

About the Author

About the Author: David Ulansey is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 28, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195067886
• ISBN-13: 978-0195067880
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #195,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An archeological, mystical thriller, January 27, 2001

By 

daisy e miller (Pacific Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World (Paperback)

I devoured this book in a cheap, high-windowed hotel room in Rome on the eve of my first visit to the Mithraeum below the cathedral of San Clemente. It was the week before Easter and I was traveling with a group to whom I needed to explain something about Mithras. Being a religious studies major in college, I thought I knew all there was to know about this mysterious, seemingly dull cult of the Romans. How could I have guessed that this rainy April night, buried in a book, would so change my life? Ulansey brings to life a world, an era, a relationship to the stars which, in our time, is difficult to fathom. Ever since reading Origins Of The Mithraic Mysteries I am captivated by anything about Perseus; I am drawn to stare longingly at the name Tarsus on ancient maps. This sounds over-the-top effusive, but truly any other reaction from me would not do justice to his work. This is a rare scholarly investigation which extends out to the heavens themselves. Recommended to neophytes and mystics, the casually interested and committed scholars. My deepest thanks to the author (and to our mutual teacher, Paul Matthews who lent me the book).

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars its all in the stars, December 29, 2002

By 

R. M. Williams "just an avid reader" (tucson, arizona USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World (Paperback)

I bought the book hoping/expecting to read something about the relationship of the mithric mysteries to early christianity. this is certainly NOT what the book is about. if you desire this type of information try _background of early christianity_ by ferguson. but the book was not a disappointment at all, for it reads more like a detective story then anything else, certainly a quick and interesting read.
It is about the author's theory that the mithraic mysteries have nothing to do with the mithras of persian origin but rather has everything to do with the precession of the equinoxes. he builds a convincing case for me, not a professional astronomer by any means. the book is well done and at a layman's level requiring little to no background in astronomy to understand the arguments. what makes the book rather interesting in itself is that it is a good example of how to do scientific research. particularly how to interact with past theories so as to integrate new ideas without being to dependent on past heroes.
i am still looking for references on mithraic relationship to early christianity but i am glad i found this book. i've bought several books on this learning curve and they're often so partisan or reflect some off the wall religious beliefs so as to be useless for scholarship/understanding. this book is straightforward and a good example of legitimate scholarship directed at a field fraught with problems due to its religious nature.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, March 3, 2003

By 

Bill Robertson (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World (Paperback)

What an amazing book! Ulansey's explanation of the Mithraic Mysteries is one of those ideas that seems so obvious after you encounter it that you can't understand how no one thought of it before. Every piece of this ancient jigsaw puzzle ends up fitting together perfectly, and as other reviewers have said it is written so well that it is as much fun to read as a great detective novel. The last reviewer claimed that the book didn't reveal the "mystery" of Mithraism, but he must not have read the same book that I did, since the book certainly DOES reveal-- and in a mind-boggling and utterly convincing way-- the central secret of the Mithraic cult . The fact that this secret was an idea and not a ritual means only that the Mithraic cult was more like Gnosticism than it was like earlier mystery cults, but given its time period that makes perfect sense to me. I have rarely encountered an academic book (the book is from Oxford Press) that provides as much pure intellectual excitement as this one. If you have any interest in ancient religion you owe it to yourself to read this book-- especially since it's only 125 pages (without the footnotes), which means you can easily read it in a few hours. Once again-- amazing!