Julius Caesar and Mithraism

[Pierre]

First, as the saying goes, let's render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. The following article taps into some key ideas shared by Laura.

Julius Caesar and Mithraism​

Mithraism has been lionized by generations of historians. In particular, Belgian historian Franz Cumont[1] who dominated the academic spheres relating to Mithraic studies for decades. In the following article, we propose a different perspective.

From Persian Mazdeism to Roman Mithraism?​

First and foremost, notice the popular belief, spread by Cumont and his ilk, according to which Roman Mithraism is the direct descendant of Persian Mazdeism seems unfounded:

Wikander demonstrated that many conclusions regarding the beginnings of the cult and endorsed by Cumont and his followers were plainly arbitrary and rejected the view seeing the direct and uncomplicated descent of the Roman cult of Mithras from a Persian predecessor as completely unfounded. [2]

In particular, Persian Mazdeism exhibits no sign of Mithraic temple or tauroctony or the system of seven initiatory grades that are the three main features of Roman Mithraism:

It seems that certain features which characterize the Mithras cult in the West, e.g. the mithraeum, tauroctony, or the system of seven initiatory grades, have no clear parallels in the earlier Eastern evidence and probably represent a new form of Mithras worship, which is not identifiable in archaeological material until the last quarter of the 1st century CE. All efforts to identify these features or their rudimentary forms in statu nascendi in material of the Persian or Asia Minor provenance remain, after intensive scholarly discussion, futile.[3]

It bears to emphasize the repercussion of two above quotes. There is absolutely no clear genealogy between Mazdeism and Roman Mithraism. There is no evidence whatsoever of the latter before the first quarter of the first Century AD[4].

The tauroctony (Bull sacrifice)​

Mithra sacrificing the Bull. Sculpture CIMRM 593 dating back to the first quarter of the first century​

Roman Mithraism seems to be the result of a vague melting pot between various traditions including the Cult of Cybele, which exhibits a very loose connections or what seems an alibi with Mithraic tauroctony:

Whereas Franz Cumont, had assigned the origins of Prudentius' "repugnant rite" to the dark prehistory of the Phrygian cult of Cybele, independent but complementary studies of the epigraphic evidence by R. Duthoy (1969) and J. B. Rutter (1968) demonstrated that in its earliest attested form the taurobolium was some sort of bull chase, and that the vast majority of surviving inscriptions, from the second and third centuries A.D., refer to what had become essentially a conventional bull sacrifice. Prudentius' description, concluded both, applies only to a final transformation in the character of the rite, and is to be associated primarily with the collection of fourth-century inscriptions from Rome commemorating taurobolia conducted in the sanctuary of the Phrygianum on the Vatican[5].

So, the taurobolium as practiced in the Cult of Cybele was an innocuous bull chase. Predentius “repugnant rite”, i.e. the taurotoctony refers to a late (Roman) and radical transformation of the initial rite:

In its latest form, recorded by Prudentius, it involved standing in a pit under a metal grill, on which a bull was killed, thereby experiencing a shower of blood.[6]

Indeed, a chief and exclusive feature of Roman Mithraism was the sacrifice of bull. It was practiced in Mithra temples (Mithraeum) all over the Roman Empire. Archeological evidence proves it. For example in the Caracala temple[7] there is still a sacrifice dwell, on top of it was the sacrificed bull and down the well was the initiate who was covered by the blood:

The sacrificial well in the Mithraeum of Caracalla​

Human sacrifices​

Not only Roman Mithraism practiced bull sacrifices but there is also several frescoes evoking human sacrifices. For example this fresco found in the Mithraeum of Santa Maria Capua Vetere[8]:

© Stanley A. Jashemski
Fresco scene at S. Capua Vetere​

Modern scientists interpret these scenes as harmless depictions of initiation rites. But the suspicion raised by these frescos[9] was confirmed by the writings of ancient authors as well as evidence of human sacrifice at the back of the Sarrebourg mithraeum:

Some findings seem want to confirm that [the human sacrifice]. Thus, Lampridius, in his biography of the emperor Commodus (180-192) says that he would have defiled the mysteries of Mithras by an assassination.
Two centuries later the Church historian, Socrates (ca. 400 AD.), writes that in Alexandria, during the celebration of the mysteries of Mithras, the Greeks 'killed men'.
What was in Antiquity imputed to the emperor Commodus, was recently reproached to the Emperor Julian by the scholar Hungarian M. Massalsky […]
In Sarrebourg, in the depths of the Mithraeum, and on the broken relief of Mithra tauroctony lay the skeleton of a man from thirty to forty years old. He was lying face down on the ground with his wrists tied together with an iron chain.[10]

Created out of nothing after the assassination of Julius Caesar, Roman Mithraism elaborated a very detailed sacrificial scene of the bull that was its central symbol. Why?

Julius Caesar and the Bull​

Caesar’s emblem was the bull. For example the Tenth legion was the first legion levied personally by Caesar and was consistently his most trusted one[11]. Its emblem was the bull:

The Bull symbol of Roman legion X Gemina​

There were even coins (denarii) representing Caesar on one side and a bull on the other issued by the triumvarut (Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian) soon after Caesar’s assassination:

A small group [of coins] depicted the head Julius Caesar on the obverse instead, since the triumvirs claimed the avenging of his assassination as one of their main aims.[…] Finally, Regulus[12] issued a denarius pairing an obverse depicting the laureate head of Caesar between a laurel branch and a caduceus with a reverse depicting a bull galloping to the right[13]

Silver Denarius representing on the obverse Caesar and on reverse a bull​

The strong attachment of Julius Caesar to the bull comes from the fact that Bovillae (Bull in Latin) was his home-town:

with them the cults of the Iulii [Julius Caesar’s family], though not at Alba, which was not rebuilt, but at Bovillae […] It will be seen that Caesar was attached to both Alba and Bovillae, but that the family had stronger roots in Bovillae than in Alba. […] Bovillae was said to have been founded on the spot where the bull was caught […] This story served a twofold purpose: it explained the name of Bovillae as derived from bos [bull in latin] […] this was the bull of Bovillae again in a new role, and moreover, that this same bull appeared later on the standard of Caesar’s Legions it is important only in so far as it shows Caesar’s attachment to his home-town and its symbol. He may have intended to make the bull of Bovillae as popular as the she-wolf of Rome[14]

The Phrygian cap​

Head of Mithra wearing a Phrygian cap

​

The sacrifice of the Bull was created by Roman Mithraism after the assassination after Julius Caesar. The same applies to the Phrygian cap that, until the assassination of Julius Caesar, was worn by freed slaves:

Following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Brutus and his co-conspirators instrumentalized this symbolism of the pileus [Phrygian cap] to signify the end of Caesar's dictatorship and a return to the (Roman) republican system[15]

Roman statue of a prisoner with Phrygian cap​

Actually, the assassins of Julius Caesar displayed a Phrygian cap when they fled the Senate:

After assassinating Julius Caesar (44 B.C.), the conspirators paraded in the streets, raising a Phrygian cap at the top of a spade. [16]

Notice that Phrygia was a kingdom located at the center of Asia Minor on the Anatolian plateau[17], it was part of Persia where originated Mazdeism.

Were the Senators displaying a Phrygian cap trying to make a diversion – spreading a fake motive: the senators killed the tyrant to give back freedom to the people - and, at the same time, suggesting their ancestry from Mazdeism?

In any case, after the assassination of Caesar, the Phrygian cap was ostensibly integrated to the Mithraic iconography as part of the tauroctony.

The dagger​

In the tauroctony, Mithra uses specifically a dagger as shown in CIMRM593, the oldest known representation of the tauroctony. According to Manfred Clauss[18] this item belongs to the first quarter of the first century, just a few decades after Julius Caesar’s death:

Zoom in the dagger in the CIRMR593 sculpture
​

[Caesar] was stabbed with three and twenty wounds, uttering not a word, but merely a groan at the first stroke[19]

Soon after the assassination, Marc Brutus was presented as the liberator of the people in the face of a tyrannical dictator. Coins were even minted representing him as a hero and prominently displaying a Phrygian cap and two daggers:

Known as the “Eid Mar” or the “Ides of March,” the coin bears a heroic portrait of Brutus with the inscription BRVT IMP, which casts him as a military victor […]On the reverse, the coin features two daggers—thought to represent Brutus and his co-conspirator, Gaius Cassius—and a Phrygian cap[20]

“Eid Mar” or the “Ides of March” gold denarius​

This coin shows that, at the time, the Phrygian cap and the daggers were two well-known symbols of Julius Caesar’s assassination.

The location of the stab​

Lots of tauroctony representations display Mithra not cutting the throat of the bull like in a usual sacrifice or a modern slaughter[21]. Instead Mithra is stabbing the Bull in the back ribs:

Sculpture of the Mithraic tauroctony ca. 2nd Century AD. Louvre Museum

​

Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times[22], but only one wound was lethal:

Suetonius relates that a physician who performed an autopsy on Caesar established that only one wound (the second one to his ribs) had been fatal.[23]

Location of the genesis of Mithraism​

According to research, Mithraism originated in Rome and is the result of carefully planned invention by an unknown individual or a narrow group of founders:

The Roman Cult of Mithras is not conceptualized as a product of long-lasting and spontaneous transformation, but as the consequence of a short and carefully planned invention by an unknown individual or a narrow group of founders […] The Roman cult of Mithras originated either in Rome or Ostia[24] and diffused at a later stage from Italy into other, more distant, Roman provinces

Coincidences?​

To summarize our findings this far, we have Roman Mithraism that was invented out of nothing - after the assassination of Julius Caesar - and that displays specific symbols very reminiscent of the circumstances of Caesar’s death:

- Sacrifice of the bull -> the Bull was Caesar’s symbol

- Mithra wears a Phrygian cap -> the conspirators exhibited a Phrygian cap after the murder

- Mithra uses a dagger to kill the Bull -> the conspirators used daggers to kill Caesar

- Mithra stabbed the back ribs of the Bull -> it was a stab in the ribs that killed Caesar

- Mithraism originated in Rome -> Caesar was assassinated in the Senate of Rome

The assassination of Julius Caesar​

Coincidentally or not, the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar began with a meeting between Cassius Longinus and his brother-in-law Marcus Brutus, Caesar’s adoptive son and the direct descendant of Brutus who chased the last king of Rome named Tarquin the superb (fifth century BC).[25]

The two agreed that they should assassinate Caesar to prevent him from becoming king of the Romans. Notice that on several occasion one tried to make Caesar a King, each time Caesar refused sternly. Did someone try to force Caesar to become King in order to manufacture a motive for the assassination?

The second incident occurred in 44 BC. One day in January, the tribunes Gaius Epidius Marullus and Lucius Caesetius Flavus discovered a diadem on the head of the statue of Caesar on the Rostra in the Roman Forum. According to Suetonius, the tribunes ordered that the wreath be removed as it was a symbol of Jupiter and royalty. Nobody knew who had placed the diadem, but Caesar suspected that the tribunes had arranged for it to appear so that they could have the honour of removing it. Matters escalated shortly after on the 26th, when Caesar was riding on horseback to Rome on the Appian Way. A few members of the crowd greeted him as rex ("king"), to which Caesar replied, "I am not king, but Caesar"[…]
The third incident took place at the festival of the Lupercalia, on 15 February 44 BC. Mark Antony, who had been elected co-consul with Caesar, climbed onto the Rostra and placed a diadem on Caesar's head, saying "The People give this to you through me", while a few members of the crowd applauded, most responded with silence. Caesar removed the diadem from his head; Antony again placed it on him, only to get the same response from the crowd. Finally, Caesar put it aside to use as a sacrifice to Jupiter Optimus Maximus. "Jupiter alone of the Romans is king," Caesar said, which received an enthusiastic response from the crowd […]
According to Suetonius, Caesar's assassination ultimately occurred primarily due to concerns that he wished to crown himself the king of Rome.[26]

The assassination of Julius Caesar lasted, at least, a few seconds:

Cimber grabbed Caesar's shoulders and pulled down Caesar's toga. Caesar then cried to Cimber, "Why, this is violence!" At the same time, Casca produced his dagger and made a glancing thrust at the dictator's neck. Caesar turned around quickly and caught Casca by the arm. According to Plutarch, he said in Latin, "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?" Casca, frightened, shouted simultaneously "Brother! Help me!". Though Caesar was able to violently throw Casca away, Gaius Servilius Casca stabbed him in the side. Within moments, Caesar was attacked from all directions, with Cassius, slashing Caesar's face, Bucilianus stabbing at the back and Decimus slicing his thigh. Caesar attempted to fight back, but tripped and fell; the men continued stabbing him as he lay defenseless on the lower steps of the portico.[27]

In addition, during his altercation with Casca, Caesar caught Casca's arm and ran it through with his stylus[28]

At the time of Julius Caesar there were 900 senatorial seats[29]. So, the Senate was a rather large building. Caesar fought back and moved. Of all places, he ended at the foot of the statue of Pompey. Allegedly, Pompey was the one who introduced Mithraism to Rome[30].

According to this paper[31] Caesar last move was deliberate and was supposed to show his devotion to Mithra. But then the obvious question is: why didn’t Caesar proclaim his devotion earlier? I think this hypothesis is unlikely to be true.

Probably the last location of Julius Caesar was a coincidence. Maybe, it’s the opposite of what is suggested in the hypotheses quoted above: Caesar’s last move near Pompey’s statue a way to point out the true identity of his murderers.

Depiction of Caesar who died at the bottom of Pompey’s statue, in the background is Caesar’s seat​

Mithraism, Freemasonry and the French Revolution​

Centuries later, The Terror (1793-1794) is the only historical period when wearing Phrygian caps was compulsory[32] (for public servants). The Terror, despite lasting only 10 months, resulted in the decapitation of the King and the killing of up 40,000 citizens[33] among which numerous clergymen.

On June 20, 1792 the revolutionaries invaded the Tuileries and arrested Louis XVI. The angry mob reached the king and handed him a Phrygian cap[34], Louis XVI, a little taken aback, seized it and capped it. The King was decapitated 6 months later.

Arrest of Louis XVI by the “revolutionaries”​

Free masonry exhibits many similarities with Mithraism[35] [36] [37], too many to be coincidental, and there is also plenty of evidence of showing that free masonry played a major role in the French revolution[38] [39] [40] [41]

With this same regime, it was not impossible to organize lodges of brigands in France and to distribute the roles of soldiers and even executioners of the Revolution.
- Abbot Augustin de Barruel[42]

Coincidently or not, Franz Cumont - who was the originators of many unsubstantiated allegations romanticizing Mithraism and hiding its true nature - had very close links with freemasonry.

So many links, in fact, that a whole scientific paper[43] was dedicated to this topic. Cumont’s father and brother were freemason, Franz Cumont wrote no less than 28 letters to the great master of Belgium, and he sent three letters with the 3-points freemason signature to industrialist Raoult Warocqué, a freemason and Cumont’s dear friend.

Mithraism and Christianity​

Notice that Mithraism had a specific hierarchy composed by seven levels like the freemason French rite[44]. Oddly enough, the Sun was only the sixth level while the supreme level was occupied by Saturn:

The seven levels of Mithraism

​

Saturn is the god who devours his children[45] and also, in several traditions, Saturn is associated with Satan:

In the practice of cosmic and planetary magic, the Babylonians knew that Saturn represented Satan. Saturn/Satan was known as the god of the hidden counsels, the hidden one. […] In dedication to Satan the Saturday Sabbalh is the day set aside to honor Saturn. In Egypt there was a festival called the feast of Saturn, this pagan ritual was celebrated at the winter Solstice.[46]​

So much for Roman Mithraism and its alleged positive values as defended by Cumont.

The above quote mentions the winter solstice. Nowadays the 25th of December marks for Christians the birth of Jesus Christ, also known as Christmas. But it was not always the case:

The first Christians did not celebrate December 25 and were unaware of Christ's birthday. Saint Mark's Gospel, considered as the oldest, does not speak about the life of Christ, and the only two Gospels which evoke his birth, those of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew, never give a date for the Nativity. […]
The first mention of the Christmas celebration goes back to the second century A.D., to Clement of Alexandria who, evoking the followers of the theologian Basilides, informs us that they celebrated Christ's baptism on January 6 or 10.

Coincidentally or not, January 10th is the date when Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon[47], The beginning of January is still Christmas for the Orthodox. On the other hand, December 25th is Mithra’s birth date and it’s the Christmas date for Catholics.

Conclusion​

Is the assassination of Caesar, the distortion of Paul’s heritage[48], Charlemagne destroying the last pockets of Paleochristianity[49], the reformation and the French Revolution[50], ultimately serving the same goal?

Are we witnessing a long lasting attempt to eradicate moral values in general and the heritage of Julius Caesar embodied in Paleochristianity in particular?

Is it a 2000-year struggle between the people and the oligarchy, where the latter virtually wins all the time?

Left: assassination of Julius Caesar[51], right: masonic initiation to the Master degree​

---

[1] Wikipedia contributors (2022) "Franz Cumont" Wikipedia
[2] Chalupa, Aleš (2016) “The origins of the roman cult of Mithras in the light of new evidence and interpretations: The current state of affairs” in Religio: revue pro religionistiku vol.24. 65-96
[3] Chalupa, 2016
[4] Clauss, Manfred, and Richard Gordon (2000) “The Roman Cult of Mithras: The God and His Mysteries” Edinburgh University Press
[5] McLynn, Neil “The Fourth-Century ‘Taurobolium’” Phoenix 50, no. 3/4 (1996): 312–30
[6] Tertullian Editors (2000) “The Tauroctony” Tertullian
[7] CIREVE Researchers (2019) ‘’Le culte de Mithra’’ CIREVE
[8] Mithraeum editors (2009) “Mitreo di Santa Maria Capua Vetere” Mithraeum
[9] Editors of Pompei in Pictures (2014) “Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Mithraeum’’ Pompei in Pictures
[10] Martin Vermaseren (1960) ‘’ Mithra: Ce Dieu Mystérieux.’’ Sequoia
[11] Wikipedia contributors "Legio X Equestris" Wikipedia
[12] Member of the college of moneyers of the year 42 BC
[13] David Woods (2013) “Regulus, Caesar, and a Brutish Bull” Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau 92
[14] Stefan Weinstock (1971) “Divus Julius” Clarendon Press
[15] Stefano Carpani (2022) “Individuation and Liberty in a Globalized World” Taylor & Francis
[16] M. Heydari-Malayeri (2003) ‘’The History of Marianne's Cap’’ Historia, N 679, page 22
[17] Ibid
[18] Clauss, Manfred, and Richard Gordon (2000) “The Roman Cult of Mithras: The God and His Mysteries” Edinburgh University Press
[19] Suetonius “The Life of Julius Caesar” 82.2 translated by J. C. Rolfe
[20] Nora McGreevy (2022) “A Roman Coin Minted as a Salute to Julius Caesar’s Assassination Is Up for Auction smithsonianmag
[21] Maurice A. Alexander (2022) “Home Slaughtering and Processing of Beef” University of Missouri
[22] National Geographic editors (2022) “Mar 15, 44 BC: Julius Caesar Assassinated” National Geographic
[23] Andrew Glass (2016) “Julius Caesar is assassinated by Roman senators: March 15, 44 B.C.” Politico
[24] Ostia is only 24 km (15 mi) from Rome
[25] L’Histoire editors (1988) ‘’Rome : la chute de la royauté’’ L’Histoire n°108
[26] Wikipedia contributors, "Assassination of Julius Caesar," Wikipedia
[27] Ibid
[28] Suetonius “The Life of Julius Caesar”, 82.2 translated by J. C. Rolfe
[29] PBS editors (2006) ‘’The Roman Empire’’ PBS
[30] Plutarch. ‘’Plutarch's Lives’’ translation by Bernadotte Perrin. Harvard University Press. 1917. 5.
[31] Роман Аргашоков (2021) “Julius Caesar, Octavian Augustus and the God Mithras” Academia
[32] Marie-Alice Leroux (2022) ‘’Le bonnet phrygien, origine du couvre-chef rouge symbole de liberté’’ BMB
[33] PBS Editors (2006) “Reign of Terror: 1793-1794” PBS
[34] Mme de Sabran (2018) ‘’Le bonnet phrygien de la Révolution française’’ Marie-Antoinette, Sa vie, son siècle
[35] Gaby Simeoni (2021) From Mithraism to Freemasonry. A history of ideas
[36] H. L. Haywood et al. (2020) “Freemasonry, Mithraism and the Ancient Mysteries” Lamp of Trismegistus
[37] Sundruid (2020) “The Mithraism — Freemasonry Connection” Medium
[38] Augustin Barruel (1797) “Memoirs, Illustrating the History of Jacobinism: A Translation from the French of the Abbé Barruel” published by the author
[39] David Harrison (2015) “Freemasonry and the French Revolution” Dr. David Harrison
[40] Wondrium editors (2020) “Benjamin Franklin’s Masonic Connection and Jacobin Reign of Terror” Wondrium
[41] John Robison (1798) “Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All the Religions and Governments of Europe, Carried on in the Secret Meetings of Free Masons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies”
[42] Éric Saunier (2022) ‘’Les francs-maçons et la Révolution française’’ French National Library
[43] Corinne Bonnet (2008) "Un Cumont peut en cacher un autre… À propos de l’appartenance de Franz Cumont à la franc-maçonnerie’’ Varia
[44] David Harrison (2020) “The Rite of Seven Degrees” Lewis Masonic
[45] Donald L. Wasson (2015) “Saturn” Worldhistory
[46] Cisco Wheeler (2009) “Behold a White Horse” Xulon Press
[47] National Geographic Society (2022) “Jan 10, 49 BC: Caesar Crosses the Rubicon” National Geographic
[48] Laura Knight-Jadczyk (2021) “From Paul to Mark: PaleoChristianity” Red Pill Press
[49] Pierre Lescaudron (2022) “Comets, Viruses and Evolutionary Leaps” chapter 20
[50] Pierre Lescaudron (2010) ‘’Aux larmes Citoyens !’’ Sott.net
[51] When Caesar saw that he was beset on every side by drawn daggers, he muffled his head in his robe
Suetonius “The Life of Julius Caesar” 82.2 translated by J. C. Rolfe

 

[Alix]

An absolutely fascinating description and analysis, Pierre! Thank you!

 

[Laura]

Yes indeed, the case looks pretty convincing from where I sit.

 

[Martina]

Caesar said his family originates from Venus, the Bull being the symbol of Venus and the name of the town his gens comes from. Brilliant humor .

 

[Breo]

This makes so much sense. Thank you.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Wow Pierre, connecting the dots...... Just taking in the concept of the time span involved really takes your breath away. I know it shouldn't from what Laura has taught us but it still takes a little time to process.

Thank you...

 

[Puma]

Wow your article is fascinating, thank you Pierre, it exposes the possible relationship between Mithraism and Freemasonry.

The wall street bull came to my mind and all that symbology with the black stone (Saturn) used by the most powerful financial and espionage institutions in the world: Blackrock (asset management NYC), Blackcube (intelligence and litigation, Tel Aviv) Blackstone (investment bank NYC).

A deep symbolism reigns here

I have noticed that the Wall Street Bull has no wound or dagger wounding the bull's ribs and in fact the bull is in a charging position.

The sculpture is a bull, the symbol of strength and power; bending its front legs and with its head slightly bent as if about to charge, representing the American people standing up to the financial powers. Wikipedia

This part of the Wall Street bull story reminds me of the passage of Jesus against the merchants in the temple.

The sculpture was created by Italian artist Arturo Di Modica in the wake of the 1987 Black Monday stock market crash. Late in the evening of Thursday, December 14, 1989, Di Modica arrived on Wall Street with Charging Bull on the back of a truck and illegally dropped the sculpture outside of the New York Stock Exchange Building. After being removed by the New York City Police Department later that day, Charging Bull was installed at Bowling Green on December 20, 1989.
Wikipedia

If the bull represents or is a symbol of Julius Caesar aka Jesus Christ it is not surprising that the bull has no wounds and is positioned to charge Wall Street, the modern Roman Senate.

 

[thorbiorn]

Thank you, Pierre, for distilling the understanding about Caesar and those that killed him. Reading about the plotters of the murder, reminds one of a number of groupings that can be found today.

The strong attachment of Julius Caesar to the bull comes from the fact that Bovillae (Bull in Latin) was his home-town:

The Wikitionary about Bovillae

Etymology[edit]
From bovilla (“cattle stall”), from bōs (“ox”).
Bovillae f pl (genitive Bovillārum); first declension

1. An ancient city in Latium, founded as a colony of Alba Longa

And about Alba Longa

Etymology
From Latin Alba Longa (literally “long white [city]”).
[...]
Alba Longa

1. (historical) An ancient city in Latium, in central Italy, destroyed by Rome around the middle of the 7th century BC.

Continuing with the symbol of the bull, it is connected to Venus
In Astrology, Taurus represents a bull, and the sign is ruled by Venus:

The sign of Taurus is associated with several myths and bull worship from several ancient cultures. It was the first sign of the zodiac established among the Mesopotamians, who called it "The Great Bull of Heaven," as it was the constellation through which the Sun rose on the vernal equinox at that time,[3] that is the Early Bronze Age, from about 4000 BC to 1700 BC.

The above link under bull worship leads to a Wiki about the Sacred Bull.

While Venus can represent a planet, and also in mythology a goddess:

Venus (/ˈviːnəs/)[a] is a Roman goddess, whose functions encompass love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed her as his ancestor. Venus was central to many religious festivals, and was revered in Roman religion under numerous cult titles.

The Romans adapted the myths and iconography of her Greek counterpart Aphrodite for Roman art and Latin literature. In the later classical tradition of the West, Venus became one of the most widely referenced deities of Greco-Roman mythology as the embodiment of love and sexuality. She is usually depicted nude in paintings.

Tracing the Greek counterpart, the Wiki about Aphrodite mentions that her birds include sparrow, dove and swan, while symbols include for instance rose, seashell, pearl and mirror. In Christianity, we certainly find the rose and the dove.

 

[T.C.]

Brilliant article, Pierre!

I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of making some edits so that some of the sentences flowed a bit easier in English, along with fixing a couple of typos. Just in case you decided to publish the article elsewhere in the future.

First, as the saying goes, let's render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. The following article taps into some key ideas shared by Laura.

Julius Caesar and Mithraism​

Mithraism has been lionized by generations of historians. One in particular, Belgian historian Franz Cumont[1], dominated the academic spheres relating to Mithraic studies for decades. In the following article, we propose a different perspective to the one he put forth.

From Persian Mazdeism to Roman Mithraism?​

First and foremost, notice that the popular belief spread by Cumont and his ilk, according to which Roman Mithraism is the direct descendant of Persian Mazdeism, seems unfounded:

Wikander demonstrated that many conclusions regarding the beginnings of the cult and endorsed by Cumont and his followers were plainly arbitrary and rejected the view seeing the direct and uncomplicated descent of the Roman cult of Mithras from a Persian predecessor as completely unfounded. [2]

In particular, Persian Mazdeism exhibits no sign of Mithraic temple or tauroctony, or the system of seven initiatory grades that are the three main features of Roman Mithraism:

It seems that certain features which characterize the Mithras cult in the West, e.g. the mithraeum, tauroctony, or the system of seven initiatory grades, have no clear parallels in the earlier Eastern evidence and probably represent a new form of Mithras worship, which is not identifiable in archaeological material until the last quarter of the 1st century CE. All efforts to identify these features or their rudimentary forms in statu nascendi in material of the Persian or Asia Minor provenance remain, after intensive scholarly discussion, futile.[3]

It bears emphasizing the repercussion of two above quotes. There is absolutely no clear genealogy between Mazdeism and Roman Mithraism. There is no evidence whatsoever of the latter before the first quarter of the first Century AD[4].

The tauroctony (Bull sacrifice)​

View attachment 62548
Mithra sacrificing the Bull. Sculpture CIMRM 593 dating back to the first quarter of the first century​

Roman Mithraism seems to be the result of a vague melting pot of various traditions including the Cult of Cybele, which exhibits a very loose connection or what seems an alibi with Mithraic tauroctony:

Whereas Franz Cumont, had assigned the origins of Prudentius' "repugnant rite" to the dark prehistory of the Phrygian cult of Cybele, independent but complementary studies of the epigraphic evidence by R. Duthoy (1969) and J. B. Rutter (1968) demonstrated that in its earliest attested form the taurobolium was some sort of bull chase, and that the vast majority of surviving inscriptions, from the second and third centuries A.D., refer to what had become essentially a conventional bull sacrifice. Prudentius' description, concluded both, applies only to a final transformation in the character of the rite, and is to be associated primarily with the collection of fourth-century inscriptions from Rome commemorating taurobolia conducted in the sanctuary of the Phrygianum on the Vatican[5].

So, the taurobolium as practiced in the Cult of Cybele was an innocuous bull chase. Predentius “repugnant rite”, i.e. the tauroctony refers to a late (Roman) and radical transformation of the initial rite:

In its latest form, recorded by Prudentius, it involved standing in a pit under a metal grill, on which a bull was killed, thereby experiencing a shower of blood.[6]

Indeed, a chief and exclusive feature of Roman Mithraism was the sacrifice of a bull. It was practiced in Mithraic temples (Mithraeum) all over the Roman Empire. Archeological evidence proves it. We see an example in the Caracala temple[7] where there is still a sacrificial well. At the top would be the sacrificed bull, and below, the initiate who was covered by the blood:

View attachment 62549
The sacrificial well in the Mithraeum of Caracalla​

Human sacrifices​

Not only did Roman Mithraism practice bull sacrifices, but there are also several frescos depicting human sacrifices. For example, this fresco found in the Mithraeum of Santa Maria Capua Vetere[8]:

View attachment 62550
© Stanley A. Jashemski
Fresco scene at S. Capua Vetere​

Modern scientists interpret these scenes as harmless depictions of initiation rites. But the suspicion raised by these frescos[9] was confirmed by the writings of ancient authors, along with evidence of human sacrifice at the back of the Sarrebourg mithraeum:

Some findings seem want to confirm that [the human sacrifice]. Thus, Lampridius, in his biography of the emperor Commodus (180-192) says that he would have defiled the mysteries of Mithras by an assassination.
Two centuries later the Church historian, Socrates (ca. 400 AD.), writes that in Alexandria, during the celebration of the mysteries of Mithras, the Greeks 'killed men'.
What was in Antiquity imputed to the emperor Commodus, was recently reproached to the Emperor Julian by the scholar Hungarian M. Massalsky […]
In Sarrebourg, in the depths of the Mithraeum, and on the broken relief of Mithra tauroctony lay the skeleton of a man from thirty to forty years old. He was lying face down on the ground with his wrists tied together with an iron chain.[10]

Created out of nothing after the assassination of Julius Caesar, the central symbol of Roman Mithraism was a very detailed scene of the sacrifice of a bull. Why?

Julius Caesar and the Bull​

Caesar’s emblem was the bull. For example the Tenth legion was the first legion levied personally by Caesar and was consistently his most trusted one[11]. Its emblem was the bull:

View attachment 62551
The Bull symbol of Roman legion X Gemina​

There were even coins (denarii) representing Caesar on one side and a bull on the other issued by the triumvarut (Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian) soon after Caesar’s assassination:

A small group [of coins] depicted the head of Julius Caesar on the obverse instead, since the triumvirs claimed the avenging of his assassination as one of their main aims.[…] Finally, Regulus[12] issued a denarius pairing an obverse depicting the laureate head of Caesar between a laurel branch and a caduceus with a reverse depicting a bull galloping to the right[13]

View attachment 62552
Silver Denarius representing on the obverse Caesar and on reverse a bull​

The strong attachment of Julius Caesar to the bull comes from the fact that Bovillae (Bull in Latin) was his home-town:

...with them the cults of the Iulii [Julius Caesar’s family], though not at Alba, which was not rebuilt, but at Bovillae […] It will be seen that Caesar was attached to both Alba and Bovillae, but that the family had stronger roots in Bovillae than in Alba. […] Bovillae was said to have been founded on the spot where the bull was caught […] This story served a twofold purpose: it explained the name of Bovillae as derived from bos [bull in latin] […] this was the bull of Bovillae again in a new role, and moreover, that this same bull appeared later on the standard of Caesar’s Legions it is important only in so far as it shows Caesar’s attachment to his home-town and its symbol. He may have intended to make the bull of Bovillae as popular as the she-wolf of Rome[14]

The Phrygian cap​

View attachment 62553
Head of Mithra wearing a Phrygian cap

​

The sacrifice of the Bull was adopted by Roman Mithraism after the assassination after Julius Caesar. The same applies to the Phrygian cap that, until the assassination of Julius Caesar, was worn by freed slaves:

Following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Brutus and his co-conspirators instrumentalized this symbolism of the pileus [Phrygian cap] to signify the end of Caesar's dictatorship and a return to the (Roman) republican system[15]

View attachment 62554
Roman statue of a prisoner with Phrygian cap​

Actually, the assassins of Julius Caesar displayed a Phrygian when they fled the Senate:

After assassinating Julius Caesar (44 B.C.), the conspirators paraded in the streets, raising a Phrygian cap at the top of a spade. [16]

Notice that Phrygia was a kingdom located at the center of Asia Minor on the Anatolian plateau[17], it was part of Persia where Mazdeism originated.

Were the Senators displaying a Phrygian cap trying to make a diversion – spreading a fake motive: the senators killed the tyrant to give back freedom to the people - and, at the same time, suggesting their ancestry from Mazdeism?

In any case, after the assassination of Caesar, the Phrygian cap was integrated into the Mithraic iconography as part of the tauroctony.

The dagger​

In the tauroctony, Mithra uses a specific type of dagger as shown in CIMRM593, the oldest known representation of the tauroctony. According to Manfred Clauss[18] this item belongs to the first quarter of the first century, just a few decades after Julius Caesar’s death:

View attachment 62555
Zoom in the dagger in the CIRMR593 sculpture
​

[Caesar] was stabbed with three and twenty wounds, uttering not a word, but merely a groan at the first stroke[19]

Soon after the assassination, Marc Brutus was presented as the liberator of the people from a tyrannical dictator. Coins were even minted representing him as a hero and prominently displaying a Phrygian cap and two daggers:

Known as the “Eid Mar” or the “Ides of March,” the coin bears a heroic portrait of Brutus with the inscription BRVT IMP, which casts him as a military victor […]On the reverse, the coin features two daggers—thought to represent Brutus and his co-conspirator, Gaius Cassius—and a Phrygian cap[20]

View attachment 62556

“Eid Mar” or the “Ides of March” gold denarius​

This coin shows that, at the time, the Phrygian cap and the daggers were two well-known symbols of Julius Caesar’s assassination.

The location of the stab​

Many representations of tauroctony depict Mithra not cutting the throat of the bull like in a usual sacrifice or a modern slaughter[21], but instead stabbing the Bull in the back ribs:

View attachment 62559
Sculpture of the Mithraic tauroctony ca. 2nd Century AD. Louvre Musuem

​

Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times[22], but only one wound was lethal:

Suetonius relates that a physician who performed an autopsy on Caesar established that only one wound (the second one to his ribs) had been fatal.[23]

Location of the genesis of Mithraism​

According to research, Mithraism originated in Rome and is the result of carefully planned invention by an unknown individual or a narrow group of founders:

The Roman Cult of Mithras is not conceptualized as a product of long-lasting and spontaneous transformation, but as the consequence of a short and carefully planned invention by an unknown individual or a narrow group of founders […] The Roman cult of Mithras originated either in Rome or Ostia[24] and diffused at a later stage from Italy into other, more distant, Roman provinces.

Coincidences?​

To summarize our findings so far, we have Roman Mithraism that was invented out of nothing - after the assassination of Julius Caesar - which displays specific symbols very reminiscent of the circumstances of Caesar’s death:

- Sacrifice of the bull -> the bull was Caesar’s symbol

- Mithra wearing a Phrygian cap -> the conspirators exhibited a Phrygian cap after the murder

- Mithra's use of the dagger to kill the Bull -> the conspirators used daggers to kill Caesar

- Mithra stabbing the back ribs of the Bull -> it was a stab in the ribs that killed Caesar

- Mithraism originated in Rome -> Caesar was assassinated in the Senate of Rome

The assassination of Julius Caesar​

Coincidently or not, the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar began with a meeting between Cassius Longinus and his brother-in-law Marcus Brutus, Caesar’s adoptive son and the direct descendant of Brutus who chased the last king of Rome named Tarquin the superb (fifth century BC).[25]

The two agreed that they should assassinate Caesar to prevent him from becoming king of the Romans. Notice that on several occasion one tried to make Caesar a King, each time Caesar refused sternly. Did someone try to force Caesar to become King in order to manufacture a motive for the assassination?

The second incident occurred in 44 BC. One day in January, the tribunes Gaius Epidius Marullus and Lucius Caesetius Flavus discovered a diadem on the head of the statue of Caesar on the Rostra in the Roman Forum. According to Suetonius, the tribunes ordered that the wreath be removed as it was a symbol of Jupiter and royalty. Nobody knew who had placed the diadem, but Caesar suspected that the tribunes had arranged for it to appear so that they could have the honour of removing it. Matters escalated shortly after on the 26th, when Caesar was riding on horseback to Rome on the Appian Way. A few members of the crowd greeted him as rex ("king"), to which Caesar replied, "I am not king, but Caesar"[…]
The third incident took place at the festival of the Lupercalia, on 15 February 44 BC. Mark Antony, who had been elected co-consul with Caesar, climbed onto the Rostra and placed a diadem on Caesar's head, saying "The People give this to you through me", while a few members of the crowd applauded, most responded with silence. Caesar removed the diadem from his head; Antony again placed it on him, only to get the same response from the crowd. Finally, Caesar put it aside to use as a sacrifice to Jupiter Optimus Maximus. "Jupiter alone of the Romans is king," Caesar said, which received an enthusiastic response from the crowd […]
According to Suetonius, Caesar's assassination ultimately occurred primarily due to concerns that he wished to crown himself the king of Rome.[26]

The assassination of Julius Caesar took quite some time:

Cimber grabbed Caesar's shoulders and pulled down Caesar's toga. Caesar then cried to Cimber, "Why, this is violence!" At the same time, Casca produced his dagger and made a glancing thrust at the dictator's neck. Caesar turned around quickly and caught Casca by the arm. According to Plutarch, he said in Latin, "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?" Casca, frightened, shouted simultaneously "Brother! Help me!". Though Caesar was able to violently throw Casca away, Gaius Servilius Casca stabbed him in the side. Within moments, Caesar was attacked from all directions, with Cassius, slashing Caesar's face, Bucilianus stabbing at the back and Decimus slicing his thigh. Caesar attempted to fight back, but tripped and fell; the men continued stabbing him as he lay defenseless on the lower steps of the portico.[27]

In addition, during his altercation with Casca, Caesar caught Casca's arm and ran it through with his stylus.[28]

At the time of Julius Caesar there were 900 senatorial seats[29]. So, the Senate was a rather large building. Caesar fought back and moved. Of all places, he ended at the foot of the statue of Pompey. Allegedly, Pompey was the one who introduced Mithraism to Rome.[30]

According to this paper[31] Caesar's last move was deliberate and was supposed to show his devotion to Mithra. But then the obvious question is: why didn’t Caesar proclaim his devotion earlier? I think this hypothesis is unlikely to be true.

Probably the last location of Julius Caesar was a coincidence. Maybe, it’s the opposite of what is suggested in the hypotheses quoted above: Caesar’s last move near Pompey’s statue a way to point out the true identity of his murderers.

View attachment 62562
Depiction of Caesar who died at the bottom of Pompey’s statue, in the background is Caesar’s seat​

Mithraism, Freemasonry and the French Revolution​

Centuries later, The Terror (1793-1794) is the only historical period when wearing Phrygian caps was compulsory[32] (for public servants). The Terror, despite lasting only 10 months, resulted in the decapitation of the King and the killing of up 40,000 citizens[33] among which numerous clergymen.

On June 20, 1792 the revolutionaries invaded the Tuileries and arrested Louis XVI. The angry mob reached the king and handed him a Phrygian cap[34], Louis XVI, a little taken aback, seized it and capped it. The King was decapitated 6 months later.

View attachment 62563
Arrest of Louis XVI by the “revolutionaries”​

Freemasonry exhibits many similarities with Mithraism[35] [36] [37], too many to be coincidental, and there is also plenty of evidence of showing that freemasonry played a major role in the French revolution.[38] [39] [40] [41]

With this same regime, it was not impossible to organize lodges of brigands in France and to distribute the roles of soldiers and even executioners of the Revolution.
- Abbot Augustin de Barruel[42]

Coincidently or not, Franz Cumont - who was the originator of many unsubstantiated allegations romanticizing Mithraism and hiding its true nature - had very close links with freemasonry. So many links, in fact, that a whole scientific paper[43] was dedicated to this topic. Cumont’s father and brother were freemasons. Franz Cumont wrote no less than 28 letters to the great master of Belgium, and he sent three letters with the 3-pointed signature of reemasonry to the industrialist, Raoult Warocqué, a freemason and Cumont’s dear friend.

Mithraism and Christianity​

Notice that Mithraism had a specific hierarchy composed by seven levels like the French Masonic rite[44]. Oddly enough, the Sun was only the sixth level while the supreme level was occupied by Saturn:

View attachment 62564
The seven levels of Mithraism

​

Saturn is the god who devours his children[45] and also, in several traditions, Saturn is associated with Satan:

In the practice of cosmic and planetary magic, the Babylonians knew that Saturn represented Satan. Saturn/Satan was known as the god of the hidden counsels, the hidden one. […] In dedication to Satan the Saturday Sabbath is the day set aside to honor Saturn. In Egypt there was a festival called the feast of Saturn, this pagan ritual was celebrated at the winter Solstice.[46]

So much for Roman Mithraism and its alleged positive values as defended by Cumont.

The above quote mentions the winter solstice. Nowadays the 25th of December marks for Christians the birth of Jesus Christ, also known as Christmas. But it was not always the case:

The first Christians did not celebrate December 25 and were unaware of Christ's birthday. Saint Mark's Gospel, considered as the oldest, does not speak about the life of Christ, and the only two Gospels which evoke his birth, those of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew, never give a date for the Nativity. […]
The first mention of the Christmas celebration goes back to the second century A.D., to Clement of Alexandria who, evoking the followers of the theologian Basilides, informs us that they celebrated Christ's baptism on January 6 or 10.

Coincidentally or not, January 10th is the date when Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon[47], The beginning of January is still Christmas for the Orthodox. On the other hand, December 25th is Mithra’s birth date and it’s the Christmas date for Catholics.

Conclusion​

Is the assassination of Caesar, the distortion of Paul’s heritage[48], Charlemagne destroying the last pockets of Paleochristianity[49], the reformation and the French Revolution[50], ultimately serving the same goal?

Are we witnessing a long lasting attempt to eradicate moral values in general and the heritage of Julius Caesar embodied in Paleochristianity in particular?

Is it a 2000-year struggle between the people and the oligarchy, where the latter virtually always wins?

View attachment 62566
Left: assassination of Julius Caesar[51], right: masonic initiation to the Master degree​

---

[1] Wikipedia contributors (2022) "Franz Cumont" Wikipedia
[2] Chalupa, Aleš (2016) “The origins of the roman cult of Mithras in the light of new evidence and interpretations: The current state of affairs” in Religio: revue pro religionistiku vol.24. 65-96
[3] Chalupa, 2016
[4] Clauss, Manfred, and Richard Gordon (2000) “The Roman Cult of Mithras: The God and His Mysteries” Edinburgh University Press
[5] McLynn, Neil “The Fourth-Century ‘Taurobolium’” Phoenix 50, no. 3/4 (1996): 312–30
[6] Tertullian Editors (2000) “The Tauroctony” Tertullian
[7] CIREVE Researchers (2019) ‘’Le culte de Mithra’’ CIREVE
[8] Mithraeum editors (2009) “Mitreo di Santa Maria Capua Vetere” Mithraeum
[9] Editors of Pompei in Pictures (2014) “Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Mithraeum’’ Pompei in Pictures
[10] Martin Vermaseren (1960) ‘’ Mithra: Ce Dieu Mystérieux.’’ Sequoia
[11] Wikipedia contributors "Legio X Equestris" Wikipedia
[12] Member of the college of moneyers of the year 42 BC
[13] David Woods (2013) “Regulus, Caesar, and a Brutish Bull” Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau 92
[14] Stefan Weinstock (1971) “Divus Julius” Clarendon Press
[15] Stefano Carpani (2022) “Individuation and Liberty in a Globalized World” Taylor & Francis
[16] M. Heydari-Malayeri (2003) ‘’The History of Marianne's Cap’’ Historia, N 679, page 22
[17] Ibid
[18] Clauss, Manfred, and Richard Gordon (2000) “The Roman Cult of Mithras: The God and His Mysteries” Edinburgh University Press
[19] Suetonius “The Life of Julius Caesar” 82.2 translated by J. C. Rolfe
[20] Nora McGreevy (2022) “A Roman Coin Minted as a Salute to Julius Caesar’s Assassination Is Up for Auction smithsonianmag
[21] Maurice A. Alexander (2022) “Home Slaughtering and Processing of Beef” University of Missouri
[22] National Geographic editors (2022) “Mar 15, 44 BC: Julius Caesar Assassinated” National Geographic
[23] Andrew Glass (2016) “Julius Caesar is assassinated by Roman senators: March 15, 44 B.C.” Politico
[24] Ostia is only 24 km (15 mi) from Rome
[25] L’Histoire editors (1988) ‘’Rome : la chute de la royauté’’ L’Histoire n°108
[26] Wikipedia contributors, "Assassination of Julius Caesar," Wikipedia
[27] Ibid
[28] Suetonius “The Life of Julius Caesar”, 82.2 translated by J. C. Rolfe
[29] PBS editors (2006) ‘’The Roman Empire’’ PBS
[30] Plutarch. ‘’Plutarch's Lives’’ translation by Bernadotte Perrin. Harvard University Press. 1917. 5.
[31] Роман Аргашоков (2021) “Julius Caesar, Octavian Augustus and the God Mithras” Academia
[32] Marie-Alice Leroux (2022) ‘’Le bonnet phrygien, origine du couvre-chef rouge symbole de liberté’’ BMB
[33] PBS Editors (2006) “Reign of Terror: 1793-1794” PBS
[34] Mme de Sabran (2018) ‘’Le bonnet phrygien de la Révolution française’’ Marie-Antoinette, Sa vie, son siècle
[35] Gaby Simeoni (2021) From Mithraism to Freemasonry. A history of ideas
[36] H. L. Haywood et al. (2020) “Freemasonry, Mithraism and the Ancient Mysteries” Lamp of Trismegistus
[37] Sundruid (2020) “The Mithraism — Freemasonry Connection” Medium
[38] Augustin Barruel (1797) “Memoirs, Illustrating the History of Jacobinism: A Translation from the French of the Abbé Barruel” published by the author
[39] David Harrison (2015) “Freemasonry and the French Revolution” Dr. David Harrison
[40] Wondrium editors (2020) “Benjamin Franklin’s Masonic Connection and Jacobin Reign of Terror” Wondrium
[41] John Robison (1798) “Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All the Religions and Governments of Europe, Carried on in the Secret Meetings of Free Masons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies”
[42] Éric Saunier (2022) ‘’Les francs-maçons et la Révolution française’’ French National Library
[43] Corinne Bonnet (2008) "Un Cumont peut en cacher un autre… À propos de l’appartenance de Franz Cumont à la franc-maçonnerie’’ Varia
[44] David Harrison (2020) “The Rite of Seven Degrees” Lewis Masonic
[45] Donald L. Wasson (2015) “Saturn” Worldhistory
[46] Cisco Wheeler (2009) “Behold a White Horse” Xulon Press
[47] National Geographic Society (2022) “Jan 10, 49 BC: Caesar Crosses the Rubicon” National Geographic
[48] Laura Knight-Jadczyk (2021) “From Paul to Mark: PaleoChristianity” Red Pill Press
[49] Pierre Lescaudron (2022) “Comets, Viruses and Evolutionary Leaps” chapter 20
[50] Pierre Lescaudron (2010) ‘’Aux larmes Citoyens !’’ Sott.net
[51] When Caesar saw that he was beset on every side by drawn daggers, he muffled his head in his robe
Suetonius “The Life of Julius Caesar” 82.2 translated by J. C. Rolfe

[/QUOTE]

 

[scotseeker]

Thank you Pierre for your descriptions, the history behind Mithraism, Julius Caesar and events. Brilliant and a great read!

 

[mkrnhr]

The bull is a very widespread symbol and may have meant different things to different peoples at different times.
While searching for any references linking the bull symbol to the likes of Cicero or Cato the weirdo for instance, I found the following reference (to be verified):

Likewise, Cicero portrays the Stoic Cato employing the same trope in his account of Stoic Ethics:
Nature has given bulls the instinct to defend their calves against lions with immense passion and force. In the same way, those with great talent and the capacity for achievement, as is said of Hercules and Liber, have a natural inclination to help the human race. (De Finibus, Book III)

One can conjecture that if they adopted the symbol of stabbing the bull, they knew very well what they meant.
More here: Animal Metaphors in Stoicism (Part 1): The Bull and the Lion
And Cicero's recounting of a conversation with Cato to Brutus here: LacusCurtius • Cicero — De Finibus, Book III

 

[Alejo]

That was absolutely brilliant Pierre,

Thank you very much for sharing it. So if I understood it correctly, the cult of Mithraism is the cult of reenacting the assassination of Julius Caesar, which if he was the inspiration for Paul's Christ... it's the constant killing of the principles which Paul was attempting to convey to humanity, correct?

Fascinating!

 

[irjO]

That reminds me those horrible bullfighting fairs celebrated in Spain and brought to Latin American by conquerors centuries ago.



I always thought of how barbaric is the fact of people cheering for the killing of a bull live, it’s like a horrible ritual. No wonders if the origin of such fairs has something to do with that symbolism.
Thank god the majority of countries where these fairs were held, cancelled them. Just a few places are still doing it, including Spain.

 

[Pierre]

Thank you very much for sharing it. So if I understood it correctly, the cult of Mithraism is the cult of reenacting the assassination of Julius Caesar, which if he was the inspiration for Paul's Christ... it's the constant killing of the principles which Paul was attempting to convey to humanity, correct?

Exactly! This reenactment / celebration is still going on today under other covers. Literally satanic. At a human level, a manifestation of the destructive nature of 4D STS.

Writing this article took a toll. When you gaze into that abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

 

[Michael B-C]

Writing this article took a toll. When you gaze into that abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

I truly hope that cost has not been too great for you Pierre. Thank you for the brilliant insight.

So we are talking a manifestation at that time of the immensely long tailed 'Brotherhood of the Snake'? I have long suspected the terms used for Mithraism are just plain wrong and perhaps deliberately misleading i.e. cult, mystery school, religion, etc; it was a secret society pure and simple and as you say the similarities with Masonic rights are very telling (there's a thin and not terribly illuminating book called 'Freemasonry, Mithraism and the Ancient Mysteries' - but the most revealing thing about it is that it is written by Masons for Masons!)

Am I right to assume that this sudden emergence after the murder of Caesar/the Bull, was in the form of a kind of deeply malignant COINTELPRO against the emerging reverence and worship of the divine Julius (as a redemptive Cosmic Jesus figure) that was taking place in the army across the empire and showing worrying signs (for the Oligarchs) of turning their victory over his life into a potential long term defeat due to his risen memory? So they reverse engineered Mithraism into this incipient religion of truth as the C's suggested when they said Mithraiosm started out as STO but then went fully STS? The grades of Mithraism clearly had two levels - the first say 3-4 degrees with one apparent doctrine (aimed at controlling and shaping with only limited knowledge those they targeted, especially 'freed' slaves and lower ranked military personnel) disguising the utterly STS 'knowledge' of those in the know at levels 5-7 above them.

You've probably read Flavio Barbiero's 'The Secret Society of Moses' which whilst being all over the place and at times way off beam, still may have an essential core of truth in that he proposes the Jewish leaders lifted out of the debacle of Jerusalem were party to a take over of Mithraism and hence placed their hatred of what Rome stood for at the very heart of the empire. Perhaps our friend Josephus was up to his neck in this mix?

As a final aside (I will post more on this anon), I suspect this figure may be wearing the earliest known example of what was much, much later termed the Phrygian Cap; it dates from all of 9,000 BC and comes from Göbekli Tepe, a place with an immensely dark and bloody shadow role in all of this.



Then there is this from a sister site (Karahan Tepe) which is thus far unknown other than via recent drone footage from which I made this composite - it wraps all around a bench as part of the inner sanctum of what I would call a lodge! I think it sums up what we are looking at here - a snake with an immensely long tail ridden by a Fox - cosmic STS on multiple levels with a intended reach down the millennia to come that intended to shape civilization in its image. But as I said, more on this possibility anon.



Again thank you for your insight and courage. So much food for thought.