From tyagi@bjt.net Fri Dec 27 04:38:18 1996 Return-Path: tyagi@bjt.net Received: from kudonet.com (kudonet.com [165.227.52.1]) by bitsy.hollyfeld.org (8.7.4/8.7.3) with SMTP id EAA15946 for ; Fri, 27 Dec 1996 04:38:11 -0500 Received: from kudo20.kudonet.com by kudonet.com (SMI-8.6/SMI-SVR4) id AAA24028; Fri, 27 Dec 1996 00:23:09 -0800 Received: by kudo20.kudonet.com (SMI-8.6/SMI-SVR4) id AAA16626; Fri, 27 Dec 1996 00:14:49 -0800 Date: Fri, 27 Dec 1996 00:14:49 -0800 Message-Id: <199612270814.AAA16626@kudo20.kudonet.com> To: tyagi@hollyfeld.org Subject: Christianity/9612.mithras.var From: nagasiva@yronwode.com (nagasiva) Reply-To: nagasiva@yronwode.com (nagasiva) X-Status: Status: O >From: "DaHeretic" >Newsgroups: alt.atheism,alt.religion.christian,talk.atheism,talk.origins,talk.religion.misc >Subject: Re: Journey of the Magi >Date: 23 Dec 1996 03:19:53 GMT >Organization: Netcom >Lines: 46 >Message-ID: <01bbf080$1b9ee960$6eb25ccf@default> >References: <59edek$mqk@post.gsfc.nasa.gov> <01bbef10$65a13700$4df55ecf@default> >NNTP-Posting-Host: den-co32-46.ix.netcom.com >X-NETCOM-Date: Sun Dec 22 9:19:53 PM CST 1996 >X-Newsreader: Microsoft Internet News 4.70.1155 >Xref: kudonet.com alt.atheism:318649 alt.religion.christian:145666 talk.atheism:41983 talk.origins:249413 talk.religion.misc:221542 Hi Gerry, to clarify the first line, there are works of "scripture" pertaining to YAHWEH and Jesus other than those in the "officially" recognized Bible. For instance, there is the Gospel of Mary, and, as recounted in my first sentence, the Protevangelion.. which is yet another telling of the birth of Jesus. That books specifically makes a connection between the predictions of Zoroaster and the "Star of Bethlehem." Indeed, the term "magi" is Persian, and refers to the priests of the Zoroastrian religion. Of Zoroaster is a symbolic name, the "aster" may have a root in Astrau, which, if memory serves, is a Sumerian deity.. and, I think, female in character. Concerning Jesus, there is an incredible resemblance between his story and that of Mithras, the son of the God of Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda. His "birthday" under the Julian calendar was December 25 (now, our Dec 21).. and he was equated with the "return" of the sun, and his birthdate, obviously, the same date as the Solstice, which is celebrated throughout various cultures through an anthropomorphism deity or demi-god. If one wished to tackle these scriptures and beliefs on the level of myth, there is certainly a strong resemblance between them.. and perhaps intentionally so. Did these beliefs and legends develop coincidentally, or were they diffused from one central source? If so, what was that source (Spiritual? Migration? Trade?) Gerry Palo wrote in article ... > In article <01bbef10$65a13700$4df55ecf@default>, > DaHeretic wrote: > > >Unless of course you are reading the Protevangelion (apocrypha), > >in which it is acknowledged this is the star prophecy of > >Zoroaster.. in which case you have a marriage of Mithras and > >Jesus in the same story. Strangely enough, if you have read > >the Koran, this seems to be the story they are far more > >familiar with than the one in the accepted Bible. I don't know what the antecedent to he first sentence is supposed to be, > but the connection to Zoroaster is interesting.