The Fish, Jupiter and the Zodiac. The Fish of Pisces represented by the 12th sign of the Zodiac, encapsulated with two crescent moons, one waxing, one waning, is but one of the most oldest symbols used by early Christians to identify themselves with the new king of the gods, as distinguished by the "Fisher of men". In the 2nd century, one of the early Christian fathers Tertullian wrote accordingly of this saying: This Ichthys, fish of the water, also became known as the offspring Sun of the ancient sea and Moon goddess which had long been a central figure to much early mythologies revolving around the zodiac when Jupiter entered into Aries the Ram through Pisces.
This fish symbol virtually attached itself to an array of ancient Moon deities due to this lunary orb governing the sea and tides, as according to Pliny , along for which the enquiry of the Heavens too became a profession held down exclusively by women who promulgated the changes of seasons and the harvest, such as designing calendars, predicting eclipses and forecasting the future.
Plutarch , a famed priest at Delphi recounted that after the Sun god Apollo defeated Python and presided over Delphi for 9 months, that the Shrine was afterwards then appointed back to the Maenads of Dionysus for preparation of rebirth. In the Eleusinian Mysteries of the goddess Demeter, initiation further included a baptism in seawater signifying rebirth, with a greeting to the rising of the new Moon after three nights of dark skies taking place.
The Roman writer Apuleius even related that the goddess Aphrodite Salacia was the fish swarming womb that carried the reincarnated Sun god Palaemon, just as Empedocles conjured water as manifesting the tears of the goddess Persophone. In India, it was Vritas and Danu, or in Persia, it became the goddess Anahita who governed the waters. The seditious natural historian Charles Darwin's evolution also emphasized this belief implying that the gestating hydrous womb was likewise interdependent on the lunar tidal rhythms, linking our heritage and origins to the sea.
As accompanied by the fish story of Jesus miraculously helping his disciples land a catch of fish, this same feat is also strangely achieved by Pythagoras five hundred years earlier in an ancient legend recorded by the neoplatonist Porphyry. Pythagoras himself predicting the exact number of fish to be caught, with the being a sacred Pythagorean number associated with the "Vesica Piscis" or "Vessel of the Fish" image right. When the circumference of the one circle touches the centre of the other they both combine to produce the fish, or the ratio of height to length of this shape being Ecclesiastics howbeit later on had to formulate a narrative in order to explain why they were using such symbolism, and by the 9th century the fish ideogram had been partially all but abandoned due to its pagan connections with Icthys and Jupiter.
As Acharya S described Zeus, aka "Zeus Pateras," who we now automatically believe to be a myth and not a historical figure, takes his name from the Indian version, "Dyaus Pitar. The Canon of the New Testament, like that of the Old, is the result of a development, of a process at once stimulated by disputes with doubters, both within and without the Church, and retarded by certain obscurities and natural hesitations, and which did not reach its final term until the dogmatic definition of the Tridentine Council.
For the first three centuries, the collective body of all Christians, including clerical knew little of the birthday of Jesus up until the 4th century, as currently there is still no Biblical evidence which even declares the birthday of Jesus as the 25th of December.
There is simply no external historical confirmation for the story outside of the New Testament either with accounts being internally contradictive. The major winter festival that the ancient however did celebrate, particularly Aryans was that when the Sun reached the point farthest south of the equator beginning Dec 21st, and ending Dec 25th. This was seen as the renewing of the Sun every year and appeared at its most southerly position, directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn 23 degrees 27 minutes south latitude in the Northern hemisphere.
The winter solstice also became the birthday of multiple resurrecting fertility gods including Attis, Frey, Thor, Dionysus, Osiris, Adonis, Mithra, Tammuz, Cernunnos as mentioned above. Romans alike celebrated the festival of the Saturnalia from December 17th to the 24th to honor the Greek god Saturn, and originated as a thanksgiving celebration to commemorate the winter planting that consisted of a period of goodwill, devoted to visiting friends and swapping gifts.
From late winter, up until the spring equinox was the "40 days", which later became Christian Lent. In the years before the introduction of the Christian religion, Roman inhabitants of the empire worshipped the god Mithra for close to well over years. Mithraism was regarded as the primary closing religion of the Roman Empire, and later eventually becoming the principal ranked competing rival to Christianity after its uprising.
The first written mention of Mitra dates back around 3, years in the Hindu Vedas, and then assumingly spread to Persia and reached west throughout the entire length of the Roman border to Scotland. It is still regarded as one of the most universal religions and greatest mystery cults in the Western World. Its mysteries that spread by the Romans likewise had a large significant importance on the development of early Christianity during its first four centuries.
Both Roman Mithraism , like Iranian Mithraism were cults of loyalty toward its king. Many prominent Roman figures were among its initiates, and were encouraged by various Roman emperors, such as Commodus, Aurelian, Diocletian, Galerius and Licinius. In , a temple was even dedicated to Mithra and he officially became the "Protector of the Empire".
This large celebration was known for signaling the birth of a young Sun god who sprang from a rock or a cave in the form of a newborn infant. His triumph and ascension was celebrated at Easter, and as being the god of light, he also preformed the usual assortment of miracles; such as raising the dead, healing the sick, and casting out devils. Before returning to heaven, he celebrated a last supper with his 12 disciples on the zodiac. In memory of this, his worshippers partook in a sacramental meal of bread marked with a cross.
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It was called mizd , Latin missa , Greek maza , English mass. This event became the very motivation as to why Jesus received his official birth anniversary on December 25th in accordance of the ancient pagan resurrecting solar godman in the Roman Empire, as before that, no one knew of his historical birth. Augustine even went as far as declaring that the priests of Mithra worshipped the same deity as he did. Paul equally attested to knowing nothing about Jesus' birth, ministry and healings , which was alarming, as the origins of Christianity itself derive from Paul , and not Jesus.
Paul doesn't even quote anything that Jesus is alleged to have said, nor did any of Jesus ' original twelve disciples write of his teaching. Augustine wrote that Christians ought not to celebrate Jesus ' birth, like the heathens do on account of the Sun, but rather on account of god who made the Sun. The early Jesus was regarded so much a Sun god himself to the ancients, that the term Jesus of Nazareth Nazaroth in Hebrew is actually the twelve signs of the zodiac. No city by this name existed during this time.
A church council further declared that it would be wrong to celebrate the birthday of Jesus as though he were a King Pharaoh. Eventually though, this festival of " Christmas " became a civic holiday by the emperor Justinian where the events became so customary that it begun marking the beginning of the ceremonial year for Christians. The use of giving gifts, holly, mistletoe, yule logs, fruitcake, ringing bells, candles, wassail bowls, and decorating a tree however all derived from early pagan customs.
Many European countries still call this celebration "Yuletide" or wheel of the Sun A harvesting festival celebrated at the end of the year. None of which derive from Christian origins. Above Mithra sacrificing the Bull of God under the sign of Taurus.
Sulla dieta giapponese e la dieta del cremlino di astronauti
In spite of Mithraism being regarded as a late ascetical all male cult, with a priesthood consisting of celibate man and militants only, a much earlier feminal Mithra had been identified with the Persian goddess Anahita. The correlation of the Bull and the Goddess, including the Bull's blood being delivered to the Moon for fructification can also be explained through the coexistence of its procreant objective.
When the Bull's head is viewed from a forefront perceptive its cranium and horns exhibit a striking match of the uterine organs of the human female. Afterwards in the 2nd century Church Fathers such as Justin Martyr and Tertullian made various effects on trying to enforce that Mithraism had copied itself from Christianity.
Tertullian wrote of the Devil's "diabolical mimicry" in creating the Mysteries of Mithras: He baptizes his believers and promises forgiveness of sins from the Sacred Fount, and thereby initiates them into the religion of Mithras. Thus he celebrates the oblation of bread, and brings in the symbol of the resurrection. Let us therefore acknowledge the craftiness of the devil, who copies certain things of those that be Divine. It was a known fact that Mithraism had included these rituals a long time before the time of Jesus Christ.
Many Scholars now agree that Paul, the founder of Christianity, likewise subsisted as the Pythagorean philosopher "Apollonius of Tyana" after the Sun god Apollo who was the former Solar Messiah to the figure of Jesus Christ. Many Roman writers reference Apollonius as "Pol" and various comparisons have been made between them, such as being located at Tarsus, Ephesus and Rome at exactly the same time of each other. Pol also had a companion called Demas, as Paul does with Damis.
What then is Apollos? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Ancient Temples and Catacombs. The Catacombs in Rome offer some of the most vital forms of evidence between paganism and Christianity. The Catacombs eventually ceased after Christians came into jurisdiction and were later only rediscovered in , where they were first thought to be ruins of ancient cities.
The catacombs extended six miles deep underground, and are also considered the single most precious collection of early Pagan and Christian art in the entire world. Believe it or not, Rome has some miles of catacombs altogether, and today can even be found pictures of the baby Horus being held by the Virgin Isis-Meri Mary in what scholars have claimed is the original "Madonna and Child".
Hundreds of temples, sculptures, fragments and inscriptions dedicated to Mithras have likewise been found.
The Virgin Mary and The Conversion of Saint Paul
The Mithraic cave temple on Vatican Hill that was seized and destroyed by literalist Christians in CE, also lies directly underneath the Vatican. Christian bishops of Rome additionally preempted the Mithraic high priest's title off Pater Patrum "father" Egyptian for " Ptah " who was known as the "Papa.
The Mithraeum in Rome,. In Britain, Mithra shrines have been uncovered under St. Also at Segentium on the Welsh border, and others on Hadrian wall on the Scottish border, and anywhere near old Roman garrison towns.
In fact, every Roman garrison town had its Mithra temple and shrine. Jesus ' trial did not make headlines in Rome, and the archives there had no record of it. If archives were kept in Jerusalem, they were destroyed when revolt broke out in 66 CE or during the subsequent war.
That war also devastated Galilee. Whatever records there may have been did not survive. When he was executed, Jesus was no more important to the outside world than the two brigands or insurgents executed along with him, whose name we also do not know. In Latin, Ishtar or Astarte. In the Old Testament, Astarte the Phoenician goddess of fertility was called " Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians" and Ashtaroth, for which a great Spring festival was held in her honor.
According to the English theologian and historian Bede in the 8th century, early Germanic Christians acquired her name and ceremonies based on the resurrection of the Sun's ascendance in the "East" at the Vernal Equinox, when day and night were in equal length. The Anglo-Saxons additionally called "April" Oster Monat Moon , or the conceptive phase of advancing into a new generative season.
After much debate about Easter , the later official liturgical Christian Easter also fell precisely on the same Sunday Sun's Day after the first full Moon of the equinox "equal night" following March 21st, the same period as various ancient resurrecting fertility gods. It is known as Hamal , an Arabic name meaning "Sheep". Even still as an expression of faith today, Christians say " Amen ", which is symbolized by the Ram Lamb and is a very important Easter symbol relating not only that to the Sun's death and rebirth, but also to the Lamb sacrificed during the Sun's Passover on the Zodiac.
This custom of exchanging eggs began when the ancients dyed them in Spring colors and gave them to their friends as gifts. They believed that the world egg was actually laid by the Moon goddess and was split open by the heat of a Sun god, hatching the world. Never though will people find anything about the " Easter bunny ", or " Easter eggs ", or the actual festival of Easter itself mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
Afterwards it went through many metamorphic stages of change as Christians adopted it, and began exclusively calling the festival their own. Pagan Destruction Chronology C. The Council of Ancyra denounces the worship of Goddess Artemis. In Dydima, Minor Asia, he sacks the Oracle of the god Apollo and tortures the pagan priests to death.
He also evicts all non-Christian peoples from Mount Athos and destroys all the local Hellenic temples. Banishment of the famous orator Libanius accused as a "magician". Some of them are profaned and turned into brothels or gambling rooms. Executions of pagan priests. First burning of libraries in various cities of the empire. The first lime factories are being organised next to the closed pagan temples. A major part of the holy architecture of the pagans turns to lime. Three different edicts 4th February, 9th September, 23rd December order the confiscation of all properties of the pagan temples and the death penalty for participation in pagan rituals, even private ones.
In Antioch, among many other non-Christians, the ex-governor Fidustius and the priests Hilarius and Patricius are executed. Tons of books are burnt in the squares of the cities of the Eastern Empire. All the friends of Julianus are persecuted Orebasius, Sallustius, Pegasius etc. The term "pagan" pagani , villagers , equivalent to the modern insult, " peasants " is introduced by the Christians to demean non-believers. All the various nations which are subject to our clemency and moderation should continue in the profession of that religion which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter.
The non-Christians are called "loathsome, heretics, stupid and blind". In another edict, Theodosius calls "insane" those that do not believe to the Christian God and outlaws all disagreements with the Church dogmas. Ambrosius, bishop of Milan, starts destroying all the pagan temples of his area.
The Christian priests lead the hungry mob against the temple of goddess Demeter in Eleusis and try to lynch the hierophants Nestorius and Priskus. The 95 years old hierophant Nestorius ends the Eleusinian Mysteries and announces the predominance of mental darkness over the human race. In all the Eastern Empire the pagan temples and Libraries are looted or burned down. On 21st December, Theodosius outlaws even simple visits to the temples of the Hellenes.
In Constantinople, the temple of goddess Aphrodite is turned to a brothel and the temples of Sun and Artemis to stables. Among others they destroy the temple of Edessa, the Cabeireion of Imbros, the temple of Zeus in Apamea, the temple of Apollo in Dydima and all the temples of Palmyra. Thousands of innocent pagans from all sides of the empire suffer martyrdom in the notorious death camps of Skythopolis. The old orator Libanius sends his famous epistle "Pro Templis" to Theodosius with the hope that the few remaining Hellenic temples will be respected and spared. Hordes of fanatic hermits from the desert flood the cities of the Middle East and Egypt and destroy statues, altars, libraries and pagan temples, and lynch the pagans.
Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, starts heavy persecutions against non-Christian peoples, turns the temple of Dionysos into a Christian church, burns down the Mithraeum of the city, destroys the temple of Zeus and burlesques the pagan priests before they are killed by stoning. The Christian mob profanes the cult images. New heavy persecutions all around the empire. In Alexandria, Egypt, pagans, led by the philosopher Olympius, revolt and after some street fights they lock themselves inside the fortified temple of god Serapis the Serapeion.
After a violent siege, the Christians take over the building, demolish it, burn its famous library and profane the cult images. New full scale persecutions against pagans. The Mysteries of Samothrace are ended and the priests slaughtered. In Cyprus the local bishop "Saint" Epiphanius and "Saint" Tychon destroy almost all the temples of the island and exterminate thousands of non-Christians.
The local Mysteries of goddess Aphrodite are ended. The Christians sack the temples of Olympia. Rufinus, the eunuch Prime Minister of emperor Flavius Arcadius directs the hordes of the baptized Goths led by Alaric to the country of the Hellenes. Among others, they burn down the Eleusinian Sanctuary and burn alive all its priests including the hierophant of Mithras Hilarius. Imprisonment of the few remaining pagan priests and hierophants.
Flavius Arcadius orders all the still standing pagan temples to be demolished. Porphyrius, bishop of Gaza, demolishes almost all the pagan temples of his city except 9 of them that remain active. In Gaza too, the local bishop "Saint" Porphyrius sends his followers to lynch pagans and to demolish the remaining 9 still active temples of the city. The 15th Council of Chalkedon orders all the Christians that still keep good relations with their gentile relatives to be excommunicated even after their death. In Ephessus he orders the destruction of the famous temple of goddess Artemis. In Salamis, Cyprus, "Saints" Epiphanius and Eutychius continue the persecutions of the pagans and the total destruction of their temples and sanctuaries.
Private ownership of pagan sculpture is also outlawed. The local bishops lead new heavy persecutions against the pagans and new book burning. The judges that have pity for the pagans are also persecuted. The pieces of her body, carried around by the Christian mob through the streets of Alexandria, are finally burned together with her books in a place called Cynaron. On 30th August, new persecutions start against all the pagan priests of North Africa who end their lives either crucified or burned alive.
The Shock of the New: A bounded world is seeing the world through stories. An unbounded world is seeing the stories through the world. That is the huge jump that these books offer. What would you or I do in such a strange place, where nothing is as it appears, and when we must live in that larger world, a branch on the Tree of Life, a creature among many creatures?
Having sleepwalked through life and fallen into habit and custom, we would be forced to reinterpret, question, reshape, and rebuild 4, years of myth and belief toward rebirth and redemption-if we manage to survive. Hunt claims it's like nothing you have ever read before.
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Each book keeps the readers fullest attention and makes them wonder what wild adventure the next chapter will take them on. Very interesting points of view. John's book "Guardians" was interesting and thought provoking. It's a dark fantasy about drug dealers and special people who have a birth mark that identifies them as protected.
There are 3 in this series. Interesting read, never quite sure where it is going which kept my interest. Enjoyed how the author meshed normal life, the shady side of life and the "heavenly" side with an attitude toward all.