The Roman Mithras Cult - (Scientific Studies of Religion: Inquiry and Explanation) by Olympia Panagiotidou & Roger Beck (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This book is the first full cognitive history of an ancient religious practice. In this ground-breaking study on one of the most intriguing and mysterious cults, Olympia Panagiotidou, with contributions from Roger Beck, shows how cognitive historiography can supplement our historical knowledge and deepen our understanding of past cultural phenomena.

The cult of the sun god Mithras, which spread widely across the Graeco-Roman world at the same time as other 'mystery cults', offered its devotees certain images and assumptions about reality. Initiation into the mysteries of Mithras and participation in the life of the cult significantly affected and transformed the ways in which the initiated perceived themselves, the world, and their position within it. The cult's major ideas were conveyed mainly through its symbolic complexes. The ancient written testimonies and other records are not adequate to establish a definitive reconstruction of Mithraic theologies and the meaning of its complex symbolic structures.

The Roman Mithras Cult identifies the cognitive and psychological processes which would have taken place in the minds and bodies of the Mithraists during their initiation and participation in the mysteries, enabling the perception, apprehension, and integration of the essential images and assumptions of the cult in its worldview system.

Review Quotes

"This book is a highly recommendable intervention to the study of religious phenomena in the ancient world that will make the reader reflect critically on their theoretical and methodological stances." --Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"An important contribution to the study of ancient religion ... we can be grateful for the enrichment of our understanding of the cult of Mithras provided here." --Journal of Cognitive Historiography

"This book makes a provocative proposal: that cognitive science can help us understand not only our own minds, but also those of our ancestors. This avant-garde idea will seem radical to some and self-evident to others, but will surely be intriguing to all, and makes for a fascinating reading." --Dimitris Xygalatas, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, USA

"Promising young scholar Olympia Panagiotidou has joined forces with pioneer Roger Beck in applying a neurocognitive approach to the Mithraist worldview. The result is a highly competent and innovative analysis of the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings of Mithraist initiates. This book is a refreshing combination of religious studies, cognitive science, and classical scholarship that simultaneously challenges and improves these fields of inquiry." --Armin W. Geertz, Professor of the History of Religions, Aarhus University, Denmark

"Panagiotidou and Beck have produced an erudite and insightful work, combining the latest methods and theories of the cognitive study of religion and cognitive historiography in order to account for the 'lived' experience of the Mithras adherents. Considering the scarcity of our sources, Panagiotidou and Beck masterfully examine this obscure but fascinating ancient cult. A must-read for everyone interested in ancient religions and cults." --Nickolas P. Roubekas, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Vienna, Austria

About the Author

Olympia Panagiotidouis a researcher at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Roger Beckis Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Toronto, Mississauga,
Canada.