Mithraism

Also Mith·ra·i·cism

[mith-ruh-iz-uhm]

noun

1. an ancient Persian religion in which Mithras was worshiped, involving secret rituals to which only men were admitted: a major competitor of Christianity in the Roman empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries a.d.

Mithraism

/ ˈmɪθreɪˌɪzəm, mɪθˈreɪɪˌsɪzəm, mɪθˈreɪɪk /

noun

1. the ancient Persian religion of Mithras. It spread to the Roman Empire during the first three centuries _ad

Other Word Forms

• Mithraic adjective
• Mithraistic adjective
• Mithraist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mithraism¹

Mithra(s) + -ism

Example Sentences

“Yalda” means birth, and in the pre-Zoroastrian religion Mithraism, the god of the sun was believed to have been born on the longest night of the year.

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Unlike other Roman Gods, such as Jupiter, Mithraism was congregational in nature, Beard says.

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From the river Euphrates to the Wall of Antoninus in Britain, and into the forests of Germany, Mithraism everywhere prevailed.

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He was well versed in Judaism and in the Mithraism and Alexandrian religion of the day.

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In this effort, Mithraism was not so much impeded by a heritage of coarse legend as the worships of Pessinus and Alexandria.

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