Jesus:
1) Born of a virgin
2) Born in a cave/stable. Was placed in a manger. Birth heralded by angels and a star in the east. Was visited by magi and a group of shepherds.
3) Worshiped by his followers on Sunday, "The Lords Day" instead of on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
4) Had twelve disciples.
5) Jesus listened to and asked questions of the religious leaders in the Temple when he was twelve years old. (Luke 2:41-52) He was never a "child teacher."
6) Had a three year ministry as a traveling teacher. Preached a "Sermon on the Mount," was Transfigured.
7) Preformed many miracles, cast out demons, raised the dead, and walked on water, etc.
8) Crucified between two criminals, buried for three days, rose from the dead.
9) Called by many Messianic titles. ie. "the Lamb of God," "Messiah", "The way, the truth, and the life," "Son of Man," "God's Son." etc.
10) Came to die sacrificially in order to fulfill the requirements of the Old Testament Law for the redemption of mankind.
Mithras:
1) Born out of a rock. Not only was he not "virgin born," he was not even born of a living thing.
2) As stated above, Mithras was not born. Therefore there was no manger, star, magi or any of the other nativity elements in any of the Mithra narratives. However, his followers did celebrate his "birth" on December 25th. That being said, Christ's birth most likely occurred some time between late spring and early autumn, based on scriptural evidence. (ie. shepherds staying with their flocks in open pasture overnight.) It was not until the mid 330s AD that "Christmas" began to be celebrated on December 25th.
3) Mithras was worshiped on Sunday only by members of the Roman Mithraic traditions in the cult's later years, (ca. 155-300 AD) well after New Testament times and the establishment of Christianity.
4) There is no mention of any disciples in Mithraic tradition. However there is one depiction of him surrounded by the twelve signs of the Zodiac Calendar. That being said, this iconography and indeed the Roman Cult of Mithra itself, originated in post-Christian times, and therefore did not inspire the depiction of Christ and his disciples. Rather, the founders of Mithraism plagiarized themes and existing iconography found in Christianity, and incorporated them into their "Mystery Cult."
5) Was never a child-teacher. In fact, there is no mention of him being a teacher at all.
6) Had no ministry to speak of.
7) Mithras undoubtedly preformed many miracles, like any ancient deity. However there is virtually no record of any such miracles ever being preformed. That said, the few miracles and "great deeds" of Mithras that we do know of do not coincide with any miracle preformed by Jesus Christ.
8) There is no evidence in any Mithraic tradition of Mithras ever dying, much less a crucifixion. The only evidence of an alleged "resurrection" is recorded by the ancient historian Tertullian, who records that members of the Mythras Cult reenacted resurrection scenes as part of their secretive rituals. But this took place long after Christianity had been established. (ca. 150-240 AD ) That being said, we know more about the post-Christian practices of the Cult of Mithras than we do their actual beliefs!
9) Was not called by any Messianic titles except for "mediator." However, unlike Jesus, Mithras did not mediate on behalf of sinners, but rather between the waring gods of good and evil in some Zoroastrian traditions. That being said, Mithras was a sun-god, and therefore was often associated with the sign Leo in astrology. So one could argue that he does have some connection with lion iconography, though he is never once referred to as "the lion and the lamb."
10) Mithras did not die sacrificially. Nor did he die for the redemption of mankind. In fact, Mithras did not die at all. The only time Mithras did anything to "save humanity" was when he killed a mythological bull (the Tauroctony), which later became the source of all life on earth. Furthermore, according to Mithraic tradition, when Mithras' time on earth had ended, he returned to paradise in a chariot, alive and well. He was not buried, and did not rise from the dead.
Is Jesus a myth?
What is Mithraism?
See Also:
Mythology and the Messiah
Debunked: Jesus vs. Dionysus
Debunked: Jesus vs. Horus
Debunked: Jesus vs. Asclepius
Conclusion:
Jesus is not based on Mithras.
* * * * * * *
Jesus is not based on Mithras.
* * * * * * *
Is Jesus a myth?
What is Mithraism?
See Also:
Mythology and the Messiah
Debunked: Jesus vs. Dionysus
Debunked: Jesus vs. Horus
Debunked: Jesus vs. Asclepius
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