Forlong - Rivers of Life

Sun Worship.
such sculptures; yet every rock and cave of Irān and Aria (for Ar or Ir was his name)
was once sacred to him, indeed “Mithras e Petra” came to be a proverb from their
always carving temples out of the rocks for him, as being the “Cave-born One,” and
requiring worship in caverns. Porphyry de Antro Nympharum 263. His once most
revered abodes were “in the caverns of the Mountains of Chuistan” (Kooth-istan),
and in such a shrine there as that holy temple of Istacher. 1 It was round a similar
cave-temple on Mount Meriah that Iudians loved to chant his peans—no doubt those
Solar hymns and psalms attributed to that good Arkite and Solar worshipper, David.
Mithras was anciently called El-ees or Ees-el, 2 an old name of Kronus; so he was
Eli-on, El-orus, and Al-orus; 3 and as Cham or Kam, Heat or Love, he was K-am,
Kam-el, and Camillus, Kad-millus or Kas-millus, which were phallic names for Mercury
as Agent or “Server” of the Gods, from Kadam, the Arabic to serve; so in
Phenician we have Kadmel, “the Servant of God.” 4 As Sol Deus Ignis, the Sun was
El-aphas or El-Apha-ba-al, and the Sacred Liba offered to him were Elaphoi made in
phallic forms. Christianity long continued these in the services of that Lord who, like
Mithras, was “born in a cave sacred to Adonis,” 5 and sprung from “a chosen people”
who called “a Rock,” their father, and who worshipped Rocks and Stocks, 6 as did some
Mithraites. Justin Martyr writes: “Mithras was begotten of a rock, and those who
believed in him were initiated in a cave;” that he was the Stone of Daniel (ii. 34) which,
like ancient Lingams, was cut out without hands,” whose followers had rites and worship
exactly like that described “in Isaiah (relating to the bread Christ gave to eat and the cup
to drink—his flesh and blood), and in many of the Psalms of praise and thanksgiving.”
“It was,” said the Christian Fathers, Mithras himself who initiated his followers,”
and counselled them “to walk in righteousness, and they would see the King od
Glory.” 7 As Mithras purified by Fire, so, said Christians, shall Christ also do this.
“Bread and water,” says Isaiah, “shall be sure to him” (for Mithras as the Persian
God, used not the Bacchic wine), and Christians though initiated by water, yet used
wine, 8 as was natural in vine-yielding countries and for a crucified God. Justin speaks
of the bread and wine as savouring of the real presence of him by whom comes all
bread and wine, and quotes the details of the Christian rite, such as are given in Luke
xxii. 19, speaking “as if the followers of Mithras had, the same observances, used
the same language, and had the same meaning as those he (Jesus) had delivered in the
rites of Christians.” 9 (sic.)
So in Tertullian 10 we are assured that Mithras “baptises his own believers and
1
Bryant, I. 31, Hol. 277.
3
Holwell, p. 233 to 237.
2
298.
4
Tooke’s Panth., p. 52. Jove was Elaster.
5 Just. Martyr, Ap. LXVI., Dialogue with
Trypho, LXX.
6
Jer. iii. 9. For “Lord Adonis,” see ii.
17, &c.
471
7
Dialogue LXX, Clark’s Ante. Ni. Library.
8
Some Christians, as the Encratites, only used
water. Justin compromised, and used wine and
water.
9
See Mr. W. J. Birch’s Art. in Notes and Queries
81-49, of 17th July 1875.
10
Tertullian, De Praes. Heret., x. 2.