Elagabalus/Sol Invictus

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Elagabalus/Sol Invictus

Postby Lucius Tyrrhenus Garrulus on Mon May 24, 2004 6:05 am

SALVETE OMNES, S.V.B.E.V.

Excuse my ignorance here, I'm trying to investigate non-Judeo-Christian monotheisms in the Empire.

1) Which god did the Emperor Elagabalus worship? I have read "Heliogabalus" (Does that sound right?), as well as Sol Invictus. Or were they the same god?

2) Was there an initiation process into the cult? If so, what did it entail?

3) What was the initiation process into the cult of Sol Invictus?

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Postby Anonymous on Wed May 26, 2004 11:44 am

Salve Garrule!

Heliogabalus is a Hellenised form of the God's actual name which WAS Elagabalus, the same as the Emperor's. Elagabalus -the God- was a Syro-Phoenician sun god whose worship was centred at Emesa where the eponymous Emperor was brought up.

There had always been a tendency for the Romans and the Greeks to identify foreign Gods they came across with their own Deities. This process became very pronounced in the Empire and has lead some to argue that there was a steady evolution towards some type of Monotheism underway. The best example of this that I can think of is the worship of Isis as recounted in the latter books of Apuleius' 'Golden Ass' where it is made clear that adherents of this cult believed that all Goddesses are essentially manifestations of One fundamental Goddess, Isis, and all Gods of her consort Osiris. It's a short step from this to conclude that both Isis and Osiris themselves could be manifestations of one transcendant genderless Deity.

In the case of Elagabalus He was, as far as I can tell, seen as being the same as Apollo ( there is a link in the name elagABALUs, and that of another related Deity, Hobal). Apollo also by the time of the Emperor had widely Himself become identified with Sol, the Greek Helios, and so one can gradually see a process underway which draws various Sun-Gods together. Incidentally also identified to some degree with Sol Invictus was (in a heretical sense) Jesus and to a far greater extent Mithras. I am also conscious of the widespread Phoenician worship of Ba'al (means Lord) as a transcendant God throughout hte Middle East.

Im conscious that I'm drifting away from the original questions so here's my take:-

1.The God was called Elagabalus primarily but also known and worshipped widely by other names notably Heliogabalus and Ba'al.

2. I think the worship of Sol Invictus is a result of the coming together of numerous different traditions originating in various parts of the Empire and, in the case of Mithras, beyond. I suspect that Who exactly Sol Invictus was to the individual depended on his cultural and religious background. The Temple of Sol Invictus was dedicated by the Emperor Aurelian and Sol/Helios had always been the patron Deity of the Gens Aurelia so I imagine that in Rome at least it had a very Roman, rather than oriental feel.

3. I have no information about the rites of initiation into these cults although I get the impression that the worship of Sol and that of Mithras ultimately became so closely intertwined that the initiations may well have been the same. As Mithraism was very secretive it's hard to do much more than speculate.

Vale!
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Postby Lucius Tyrrhenus Garrulus on Thu May 27, 2004 6:08 am

Salve Brute, et multas gratias!
That's a good take on this, and helps a lot.
I've found only one reference so far to the initiation in the cult of Mithra, which stated the sacrifice of a bull was necessary. But that's all I've got on that (originally) Persian deity.
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Postby Horatius Piscinus on Thu May 27, 2004 12:40 pm

Salve Garrule

There were nine steps of initiation in Mithraism, corresponding to the planets, or nine spheres of heaven. The bull sacrifice, a taurobulium, was used only for the highest degree. There is no surviving literature from Mithraism, the so-called Liturgy of Mithra is a magical text. Only by collecting bits and pieces from various mystery religions could one begin to grasp what initiations may have been like, and it really would not be valid for any one of them. Angus' "The Mystery Religions" takes that approach, showing various sacrimental aspects that they may or may not have had in common. He goes on to try to deny any connection between the mystery religions and early Christianity but I think his objection is weak and his evidence on the mystery religions does more to demonstrate that there was a connection.

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Postby Lucius Tyrrhenus Garrulus on Fri May 28, 2004 8:40 am

Salve!
M Moravi Horati Piscine wrote:He goes on to try to deny any connection between the mystery religions and early Christianity but I think his objection is weak and his evidence on the mystery religions does more to demonstrate that there was a connection.
Well then, I'm gonna find that book... Sounds interesting.
I didn't know that there were actually degrees in the Mithraic cult. Perhaps that is why some Masonic groups have claimed decendency.
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Peter Kingsly

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Fri May 28, 2004 7:22 pm

Salvete
Did anyone in here read books by a man called Peter Kingsley?

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