Announcements:
Information on the curve will be given on Friday the 31st.
On Friday the 31st an extra credit assignment will be handed out.
On Monday the 3rd you will be able to look at the tests.

Notes:
Mystery Religions
1. Secret ceremonies, initiation rights, ritual washings, ceremonial meals-impart gnosis
2.Worship of male and female diety pairs
emphasis on female- Isis and Osirus- Egyptian
Cybele and Attis- Roman
3. Story of a diety dying and returning to life.
4.Fertility association-cycle of death and rebirth in nature, especially plants, has mystical symbolic significance
Argument (started by James Frazer The Golden Bough):
-Christian myth of Jesus' death and ressurection, and sacraments of baptism and communion came from pagan mystery religions.

Isis and Osirus- Osirus is killed by his brother, Isis finds his body, Osirus' brother then chopped his body in peices, Isis puts him back together.
-Osirus doesn't always come back to life-in some versions he becomes Lord of Underworld.
-Isis and Osirus in 1st century Roman Empire were the traditional pagan cult, the mystery religion is at least 100 AD. (to late to be influence Paul 505 AD)

Cybele and Attis-
-Greco-Roman myth
-Cybele is earth mother, Attis is human shepard
-Ritual castration ceremonies
Attis cheats on Cybele, so she drives him insane, he then castrates himself and dies. She gets sad and brings him back to life.
-comatose-hair grows, finger twitches
-evergreen tree
Argument against:
Christianity grew out of nomadic sky god worship
-anti fertility
e.g. genocide against Canaanites

Hysslop, The Two Babylons
-traces belief in Virgin Mary to pagan goddess worship

Caveman and Hunter-Gatherer Days:
Agriculture-cities, fertility worship, stratified culture, social class
Animism- worship of spirits in nature

Polytheism-worship of pantheon gods
(king of Gods-major Gods-minor Gods)