answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Absolutely not. Christianity is the worship of the God of the Israelites, and His promised Messiah, fulfilled in His Son, Jesus Christ. From the beginning to the end the Bible tells the story of who God is and His salvation plan. In the book of Genesis, where God said "Let us make man in our image," (Genesis 1:26) and then "In the image of God created he him" (vs 27), showed that there were multiple persons in one God-foreshadowing the revelation of the Holy Trinity. And the promise to send a savior was made: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 4:15) Isaiah 7:14 Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. This verse prophesies Jesus' miraculous birth, which corresponds to: Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Though Isaiah lived 8 centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, his prophecy of the Messiah is recognizable to anyone at all familiar with the life of Christ--he was "bruised," and whipped ("stripes"), and he was brought as a "lamb to the slaughter," not defending himself. The gospels and the New Testament indicate that it is his suffering and death that has "healed" those who trust in Him. His death paid the penalty for our sin. Isaiah 53 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. One of the amazing things about Christianity, which is based on the Bible, is that the great heroes of the faith all have very serious faults. * Abraham, who took matters into his own hands and lay with Hagar in an attempt to "help" God with the fulfillment of the promise God had given him of a son. * Moses, who killed an Egyptian before fleeing to Midian, and whose sin of striking the rock instead of touching it kept him from seeing the promised land. * The nation of Israel itself, God's chosen people, who created idols and engaged in blatant sin while Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God. * Peter, who denied Christ three times after His arrest, and went on to be a great evangelist for Jesus after witnessing the risen Christ. * The Apostle Paul, who persecuted Christians, consenting to their execution, before becoming the great evangelist to the Gentiles. There is no other religion that records the flaws of all its heroes. There is no other religion that does not depend on the follower's good works for attainment eternal life. Christianity makes it clear salvation is by trust in Christ alone, and that good works are evidence, not cause, of that salvation. Christianity is no copy. There is no religion like it anywhere. Mithraism is sometimes advanced as a prototype or at least a source from which Christianity is suspected to have taken certain practices and beliefs. This association is understandable considering that the advent of Christianity coincided with the peak popularity of Mithraism within the Roman empire, as well as the two religions having practices that seemed similar. Mithraism was a pagan religion whose followers worshipped Mithras, the Persian god of the sun. It became particularly popular among the lower class and the Roman army. It was a mystery religion of which its places of worship were underground in sealed rooms (no windows) hence the parallel drawn with the Christians who held services in the catacombs for a time and which was also considered a mystery religion as its sacraments, rituals and doctrines were barred from anyone who was not baptized that these sacred rites might not be profaned. As well, the Mithraic day of worship was Sunday and they held a banquet with the ritual foods of bread and water - a close parallel to the Christians who, however, used wine in their sacrament, although it could also be argued that the Christian agape was intended as the parallel. The assertion goes both ways for the Christians considered Mithraism to be copying them, as evinced by St. Justin Martyr who in the 2nd century accused it of being a diabolic fascimile of Christianity. This shows that the two groups at least recognized parallels between each other, however, it is unlikely they substantially influenced one another; more likely the two systems sought to discredit each other in order to draw converts. Besides this, it is extremely difficult not to find parallels between religions of that period and locale as the ideas of sacrifice, ritual, knowledge, communal feasts or meals, saviors, etc., were common themes and continue to be common themes in most world religions.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

7y ago

No, Christianity grew out of Judaism.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Is Christianity a copy of Mithraism?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Was Mithraism a major competitor with Christianity?

Yes. Mithraism was a strong competitor to Christianity in the first two centuries, but had a fatal weakness, whatever its theological truth. Mithraism only accepted men as full members, whereas Christianity actively sought out women as converts, knowing that if the wives converted to Christianity, men would often follow.


What new religion appear in the roman empire in the first century AD?

The two main ones were Mithraism and Christianity.


What religion challenged the authority of Christianity?

AnswerOver time, quite a few religions challenged the authority of Christianity. In pagan times, the new Roman religion called Mithraism became a real threat to the growth of Christianity. However, Mithraism began to go into decline, replaced by worship of Sol Invictus, and then Emperor Constantine gave Christianity state patronage, ensuring its eventual success.In later centuries, Islam also challenged Christianity, replacing it as the dominant religion in north Africa and the Middle East.


Was the spread of Christianity unique or a part of a wider trend?

A:The spread of Christianity was part of a wider trend. It occurred at a time when the people of the Roman Empire were beginning to look for new faiths, just as the mystery religions were arising and when Mithraism evolved in the Roman Empire. Some have even suggested that Christianity could have begun as a mystery cult, evolving into the worship of Jesus of Nazareth. The strongest competitor to Christianity to have developed at this time was Mithraism. However, the great weakness of Mithraism was that it effectively excluded women, whereas early Christianity made efforts to convert wives, daughters and mistresses, knowing that the menfolk would follow. In any case, the fourth-century Christian emperors eliminated all faiths other than Christianity, by force when necessary.


What is the importance of Jesus and Christianity?

If we did not have Christianity, we would have some other religion that dominated the Western world, whether Buddhism, Judaism, Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, or traditional Roman paganism. Christianity is important to the extent that history favoured its success. With Christianity as the dominant religion of the West and of many of the countries that were colonised by the European powers, Jesus assumes importance as the founder of the faith.


Where can you find a copy of Mere Christianity in Vietnamese?

At a library in Vietnam.


What were the four religions of Rome?

The following religions were present in Rome at various times, to a significant extent: * animism * paganism * Mithraism * Christianity * Judaism (probably to a lesser extent than the others) There were sub-division of the above. In early times, Christianity was represented by proto-Catholic-Orthodox and Gnostic (and other) wings, eventually resolving to the Roman Catholic Church only. Mithraism evolved for some, to the worship of Sol Invictus. Paganism also had varous forms, including the 'mystery' religions.


What has the author W J Phythian-Adams written?

W. J. Phythian-Adams has written: 'Mithraism' -- subject(s): Mithraism


Was the spread of Christianity unique or part of a wider trend?

A:Just as the Axial Age had seen the rise of several new religions and philosophies, some centuries earlier, so the period in which Christianity arose was a time of new religious thought, if not as momentous as the Axial Age. Mithraism arose during the first century BCE and for a time was a serious competitor to Christianity. Mithraism's great weakness was that it ignored women, whereas Christianity sought their support, knowing the influence they would have on their husbands and children. New pagan cults arose, as Greek worshippers became influenced by the ancient Egyptian gods.This was also a time when 'mystery religions' flourished. The important place that Gnosticism occupied in early Christianity has led some to speculate that Christianity actually began as a mystery religion, long before it adopted the gospel story of Jesus.


Did the Romans give friends holly at Christmas?

Before Christianity became dominant in the Roman Empire, most Romans were pagans, for whom Christmas had no meaning. Two small minority religions were Mithraism and Christianity. At this stage, there was no official birthday for Jesus (Christianity), but the birthday of Mithras was celebrated on December 25th. However, holly was associated with northern Europe and would not have been associated with the festivities.


Which of today's largest religions began during the Roman Empire?

Christianity. At first the Roman Empire thought it was dangerous and persecuted Christians, however later on more sympathetic Emperors tolerated it and finally, near the end of the Roman Empire, Emperor Constantine embraced it. The spread of the Empire actually allowed Christianity to move from the Middle-East right through to Northern Europe. It is now the biggest religion in the world.


Was Judaism influenced by Mithraism?

Judahism was developed by Abraham