MYTHICAL GOD ATTIS
― DIED AND RESURRECTED
The worship of Attis
dated back centuries in Phrygia (aka Anatolia= modern Turkey) before it was
imported to Rome in 204 BCE. Roman writers mentioning the
religion include: Lucretius (lived 98 - 54 BCE), Catullus (86 -40 BCE), Varro
(116 - 28 BCE), and Dionysus Halicarnasensis (first
century BCE).
Attis predated Christ. Before and
during the years the Christian Gospels were written (from the reign of
Claudius, 41 – 54 CE) the Festival of
Joy, celebrated Attis' death and rebirth was
celebrated yearly in Rome. A Christian writer of the fourth century CE,
recounted ongoing disputes between pagans and Christians over the remarkable
similarities of the death and resurrection of their two gods. The pagans argued
that their god was older and therefore original. The Christians admitted Christ
came later, but claimed Attis was a work of the devil
whose similarity to Christ, and the fact he predated Christ, were intended to
confuse and mislead men. This was apparently the stock answer -- the Christian
apologist Tertullian makes the same argument.
1) Attis was born
of the Virgin Nana on December 25th.
2) He was both the Father and the Divine Son.
3) The Festival of Joy―the celebration
of Attis' death and rebirth
On March 22 a pine tree was brought to
the sanctuary of Cybele, on it hung the effigy of Attis.
The God was dead. Two days of mourning followed, but when night fell on the eve
of the third day,
the worshippers turned to joy. "For
suddenly a light shone in the darkness; the tomb was opened; the god had risen from the
dead ...[and the priest] softly
whispered in their ears the glad tidings of salvation. The resurrection of the
God was hailed by his disciples as a promise that they too would issue
triumphant from the corruption of the grave." [for more see Frazer, Attis, chapter 1]
4)
Attis' worshipers ate a sacramental meal
of bread and wine. The wine represented the pagan god's blood;
the bread became
the body of the savoir.
They
were baptized
in this way: a bull was placed over a grating, the devotee stood under the
grating. The bull was stabbed with a consecrated spear. "It's hot reeking
blood poured in torrents through the apertures and was received with devout
eagerness by the worshiper...who had been born again to eternal life and had washed away his
sins in the blood of the bull." [for more see Frazer, Attis, chapter 1]
5)
Called "the Good Sheppard," the "Most High God," the "Only Begotten Son"
and "Savior."
[In
NOTE:
Frazer's classic Adonis, Attis and Osiris is a good place to go for details.