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

The ancient Roman "mystery religion" of Mithraism--one of the major competitors to early Christianity--has intrigued generations of scholars, while frustrating all attempts to penetrate the veil of secrecy which cloaked the religion. In this book, David Ulansey challenges the prevailing theory that Mithraism is derived from ancient Iranian religion, arguing instead that the puzzling iconograpy which served as the focus of the cult was actually an astronomical code, and that the cult began as a religious reaction to a startling scientific discovery. As his investigation proceeds, Ulansey takes his readers on a fascinating journey into an ancient intellectual underground inhabited by a community of thinkers united by their belief that scientific knowledge could lead to salvation.