Mystery Religions
JerryB has nailed this one I think. 'Mystery' Religions in the west seem to have gained currency in the late Roman Republic as deteriorating personal circumstances for many individuals, at all levels of society, called in to question the efficacy of existing 'Classical' beliefs. The latter were inherited Etruscan Deities which governed every facet of life through divination and appeasement of the gods, simply in an attempt to foretell their mood swings . . . and your impending fate. Essentially you abdicated your free will . . . not only that, your destiny was pre-determined anyway . . . you had no guarantee of salvation since it was in the lap of the gods. This was a religion with little 'feeling'.
When, as an opressed individual you become 'hopeless' there is a natural tendency to desire something better in another life, (since this one is presumably a living hell !) . . . enter the Mystery Cults. Imported from the East, these were regarded as 'Pathetic' religions incorporating; suffering, sorrow and salvation. All feature 'Saviour' Gods (e.g. Mithras, Bacchus, Isis etc.) promising eternal salvation after some form of resurection.
The Mystery 'bit' has been described by other contributors but as an example the 1st century BCE initiation to Mithraism was performed in seven lengthy stages after which the initiate would receive a sign of the cross on his forehead; the body and blood of the sun-god (in the form of bread and wine) and celebrate the birth of Mithras on 25th December.
The advantage to worshippers of these cults was that the temples were open daily instead of just on public holidays (100+ per year in the Empire).
Archaeologically, the temples of these cults (e.g. the 5 Mithraeums in Britain) would seem to have an enclosed ambulatory (internal aisle hidden from outside view) hence I suppose, the term 'Mystery', however . . . as a postscript, read this article from the University of trieste regarding a church mosaic recently discovered
. . . The presence of mosaic illustrations in the basilica of Aquileia representing mushrooms with psychotropic properties indicates that some religious rites of early Christianity, which were probably linked to mysterial cults meant to be kept secret, were related to the ingestion of hallucinogenic substances facilitating mystic ecstasy. It still remains to be seen, however, whether these ecstatic techniques were a common heritage of all early Christian churches or whether they were known and practiced only within some heretic groups of Christians. Roman authorities repeatedly accused early Christians of practicing sorcery by using hallucinogenic substances (Origen, Contra Celsum, I,68; VI,38) [16]. However, Irenaeus (130-200 A.D.) bishop of Lyon, maintained that only heretic churches, thus also the gnostic churches, made use of hallucinogens within magic rites (Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, I,13-15; I,24-25) [17].
The identification of pictures reproducing hallucinogenic mushrooms in the premises of an ancient Christian church may help us to understand some aspects of those mysterious rites or of the so-called "discipline of the arcanum" [18] characterizing the most ancient Christian liturgy that, by definition, had to be kept secret and handed down orally to initiated disciples only.
Copyright © Franco Fabbro --draft-- comments are welcomed at
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Amen . . . Sorleyboy