The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World David Ulansey, 1991 Paperback

In The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries (1991), David Ulansey presents an interpretation of one of antiquity’s most secretive religions: the cult of Mithras, popular among Roman soldiers from the 1st to 4th centuries CE.

Ulansey argues that Mithraism’s central imagery, the god Mithras slaying a bull, surrounded by astrological figures, reflects a sophisticated cosmology rooted in Greco-Roman astronomy.

According to his thesis, the cult arose in response to the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus in the 2nd century BCE. In this view, Mithras is a cosmic savior who controls the movement of the heavens, offering his initiates knowledge and salvation.

This Oxford Press paperback is in good condition. Signed by author on title page.