[MR] new vs. old

[EoganOg at aol.com]

To the many who have emailed me, privately and on the list, regarding my 
statements about Mythra, the blood of the Lamb, and all that, let me clarify 
a couple of things.

First, I wasn't trying to be antagonistic.  Sorry if it came off that way.  I 
was just commenting on one of the many interesting points in Charles' post.

Second, everyone seems to be commenting on the "washing" aspect.  What seems 
to be more important, and is of the utmost importance in Christian 
scholarship, is the sacrificial blood of the Lamb being shed for the 
redemption of sins.  While the Christian notion "washing" may have more in 
common with Mythraism than Judiasm, it is of secondary importance to the 
sacrificial aspect.

The comparisons between Jesus as the Sacrificial lamb of God and the 
sacrificial lambs of the Jewish faith, especially the Passover lambs, are 
many and theologically deep.  No need to go into all of that here.  But my 
main point was that if you looking for information on the cultural 
signifigance and the historic origin of Jesus' blood being the "blood of the 
lamb" then the obvious place to look is in the Old Testament.  This is, after 
all, the very source that the Catholic Church itself gives for the symbolism, 
and who would know better? ;-)

While the reference to "washing" may resemble certain Mythra cult practices, 
we don't know how much this was actually an influence, and how much it was 
coincidence.  As a matter of fact, Christian apologists may have taken up the 
"washing" symbolism specifically to appeal to practicioners of the Mythra 
religion who would have been familiar with the idea.  Others may have thought 
it appropriate symbolism and so it continued being used even after Mythraism 
died out.  I doon't know this for a fact, of course.  I'm just saying this 
may be one reason why you find the idea of "washing" in blood in both 
religions.  

Or, like I said, it could be mere coincadence.  After all, in Mythraism they 
literaly washed in the blood of a slaughtered bull.  No Christian actually 
washed in blood, Christ's or otherwise.  It's symbolic language.

Or, alternately, perhaps Mythraism was influenced by the language of 
Chrsitianity?  I don't know.  In any case, Christianity was influenced much 
more heavily by Judaism, in fact was seen as the fufillment of Judaism (and 
still is) by the Church.  Any influence by or similarity to other faiths is 
incedental to that.

And lastly, I did not mean to suggest that the cult of Mythra was an obscure 
cult in first century Rome.  When I called it an obscue mystery cult what I 
meant was that it was, at the time, one of among many mystery cults (as was 
Christianity).  Yes, it had its heyday, but it (unlike Christianity and 
Judaism) died out.  You don't find cults of Mythra on the street corner 
today.  It's time in history was brief compared to Judaism, Christianity, 
Islam, etc.  I meant obscure in this context.  Sorry for any confusion.

Aye,
Eogan Og, EDF ;-)

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