Τα μυστήρια του Μίθρα

During the first centuries of Christianity, Mithras’ mysteries were the main religious rival, in a way, of the then newly established Christian church. By the 3rd century they had gained considerable ground in the western world and tended to become the dominant mystical religion of the Roman Empire. As a purely militaristic and male-dominated religion, in fact, it was favored by the Roman state. As Marcus Aurelius said, "if some deadly sin stopped the development of Christianity, the world would become Mithraic."