Mithras Liturgy
Text from the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The "Mithras Liturgy" is a text from the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris, part of the Greek Magical Papyri,[1] numbered PGM IV.475–834.[2] The modern name by which the text is known originated in 1903 with Albrecht Dieterich, its first translator,[3][4] based on the invocation of Helios Mithras (Ἥλιοϲ Μίθραϲ) as the god who will provide the initiate with a revelation of immortality.[5] The text is generally considered a product of the religious syncretism characteristic of the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial era, as were the Mithraic mysteries themselves.[6] Some scholars have argued that it has no direct connection to particular Mithraic ritual.[7] Others consider it an authentic reflection of Mithraic liturgy,[8] or view it as Mithraic material reworked for the syncretic tradition of magic and esotericism.[9]
The codex containing the text was acquired by the Bibliothèque Nationale in 1857.[10] It is thought to date to the early 4th century AD, though Dieterich proposed a date of composition as early as 100–150 AD.[11] Its likely provenance in Egypt, where evidence of Mithraic cult is rare, presents a major obstacle to regarding it an authentic liturgy.[12]