The Lord of Spirits Podcast Episode: “No, Virginia, Christmas Isn’t About Mithras”
Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is a deep dive into the historical, religious, and myth-busting realities of Mithraism, especially the recurrent internet claim that Christian holidays (notably Christmas) and Christianity itself are derived from the Roman cult of Mithras. Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen wade through archaeological evidence, ancient texts, memes, and centuries of polemics to separate fact from fiction, especially as meme-history makes its annual return in the leadup to Christmas.

Main Theme:
To demystify wild claims about Mithraism’s influence on Christianity, especially as found in pop culture and online memes, and to clearly summarize what Roman Mithraism actually was and wasn’t.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Meme Season: Where Do These Claims Come From?

• [04:46] Fr. Andrew: “The season of meme history and theology is upon us. That’s right, kids. Soon you will be seeing non-stop memes explaining how the birth of Jesus is really just one or another ancient pagan god dressed up in new clothes…”

• Internet memes (especially around Christmas) repeatedly claim Christianity hijacked pagan cults, particularly Mithraism.

• Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew aim to address and debunk, with real scholarship, where these tropes come from.

2. What Actually Was Mithraism? The Ancient Roots

• [06:03 – 23:40]

• Mithraism, as practiced in the Roman Empire, is a mystery cult centering on the god Mithras, with antecedents in Indo-Iranian deities.

• The name ‘Mitra’ shows up (as a witness to treaties/covenants) in various sources: Hittite treaties (e.g., Shuppiluliuma, c. 16th c. BC), the Rig Veda, and Avesta.

[14:12] Fr. Stephen: “Mitra’s name, like his literal name, is the word for a covenant or a treaty or an agreement. So it kind of makes sense if you were making a covenant, you would call upon him to be a witness.”

• In early Vedic and Persian religion: Mitra is a “mediator” and enforcer of oaths, not a savior or dying-rising god.

3. Mithras in the Roman Empire: From Soldiers to Secret Societies

• [34:57 – 44:00]

• Roman Mithraism emerges after the rise of Christianity—probably under Nero (mid-late 1st century AD).

[36:59] Fr. Stephen: “We’re talking about a mid to late 1st century AD thing... Not that there weren’t people out in their closets, you know, and people out in the hinterlands worshiping Mitra... as a semi-organized phenomenon... we’re talking about Nero’s time and later.”

• Rituals mostly practiced by Roman military men; women explicitly excluded.

• Mithraea (shrines) are found on empire frontiers—especially military forts from Britain to Syria.

• Not a mass religion: Mithraeum capacity is small (~40-45 people).

[43:54] Fr. Stephen: “It’s not an option for anybody except Roman freemen, many of whom were in the military.”

4. What Happened in Mithraism? Archaeology & Rite Reconstructions

• [51:40 – 110:22]

• No primary (insider) Mithraist texts have survived; knowledge is indirect: archaeology, secondary descriptions, polemics.

• Mithraea are constructed as “fake caves” with two rooms (an outer changing/washing space, an inner dining/sanctuary hall).

• Central icon: the “tauroctony” (bull-slaying) relief—Mithras kills celestial bull, surrounded by astrological symbols.

[68:22] Fr. Stephen: “Mithras is slaying the bull of heaven... There are then ears of corn sprouting from the bull’s backside... and there’s a snake and a dog drinking the bull’s blood, and a scorpion grabbing the bull’s genitals.”

• The iconography reflects creation, cosmology, and the restart of cosmic cycles—not historical events.

• The primary cultic act was a daily meal, interpreted as a participation in Mithras’ banquet with the Sun—a kind of sacred (but not Eucharistic) feast.

Initiation & Structure

• Seven degrees/initiatory stages (Corax [Raven], Nymphus [Bride], Miles [Soldier], Leo [Lion], Perses [Persian], Heliodromus [Sun Runner], Pater [Father]). Each attendee aspired to ascend through these, possibly corresponding to planets or constellations.

5. Myth vs. Evidence: Debunking the Meme Claims (The “Hoo-ha” Section)

• [112:38 – 160:00]

Popular Falsehoods Addressed:

• Mithras born on December 25th?
  No. The only link is that Sol Invictus’ festival was placed close to the winter solstice, after Christian Christmas was already celebrated on December 25th.

  [144:06] Fr. Andrew: “...the earliest references to a celebration of Sol Invictus postdate the earliest references to Jesus being born, his birth being celebrated, on December 25th.”

• Virgin Birth?
  No. Mithras is conceived from a rock (petrogenesis)—not a woman, not a virgin.
• Died and rose again after three days?
  No such myth for Mithras in any preserved lore or iconography.
• 12 disciples?
  No record whatsoever. The number 12 comes from imaginative associations with astrological symbols, not actual doctrine or narrative.
• Baptism, bread, and wine?
  There is only evidence for ritual washing in the entry chamber and group feasts with animal meat; no explicit bread and wine ritual like the Eucharist.
• Shepherds at birth?
  Pure modern fabrication.
• Worship on Sunday?
  Mithras cultic meals were held daily, not weekly.

[148:55] Fr. Stephen: “This is, this is my favorite one because it’s hysterical: Mithras was all about social justice.”
[149:03] Fr. Andrew: “Social justice in a cult that was men only and then was highly stratified and was entirely between people whose whole profession was violence.”

Origin of the Memes

• Modern “Jesus Mythicists” promote these ideas using circular self-citations in non-scholarly, self-published books.
• Even secular classicists and biblical scholars (e.g., Bart Ehrman) laugh at the poor arguments behind these claims.

6. Why Does Any of This Matter?

• [160:58-end]

• The value is not just in debunking memes, but learning how to critically assess evidence and make meaningful connections.

[161:08] Fr. Andrew: “Critical thinking involves not just saying, ‘This is like this,’ or ‘this is the same as this,’ but which parallels are actually meaningful. And that’s why we spent this part of the episode taking apart a list that supposedly is meaningful, but actually turns out to be meaningless and in many cases is based on literally nothing.”

• Christianity is not a mythic rehash or social construction; it is rooted in historical, lived, and revealed faith in Christ, who is substantially different from Mithras or any other pagan figure.

• The ultimate Christian response is not panic or defensiveness, but faithfulness:

[164:21] Fr. Andrew: “Even if the world is about to end, what is it Jesus says he wants to find when he comes for his second and glorious appearing? Faithfulness. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

[14:12]
Fr. Stephen: “Mitra’s name... is the word for a covenant or a treaty or an agreement. So it kind of makes sense if you were making a covenant, you would call upon him to be a witness.”

[36:59]
Fr. Stephen: “Not that there weren’t people out in their closets, you know, and people out in the hinterlands worshiping Mitra... but as a sort of even semi-organized phenomenon that anybody noticed and had any kind of following, we’re talking about Nero’s time and later.”

[68:22]
Fr. Stephen: “Mithras is slaying the bull of heaven... There are then ears of corn sprouting from the bull’s backside. His hindquarters. And there’s a snake and a dog drinking the bull’s blood and a scorpion grabbing the bull’s genitals. I can only assume to add insult to injury, this bull is having a very bad day.”

[149:03]
Fr. Andrew: “Social justice in a cult that was men only and then was highly stratified and was entirely between people whose whole profession was violence.”

[161:08]
Fr. Andrew: “Critical thinking involves not just saying, this is like this, or this is the same as this, but which parallels are actually meaningful.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:46 – Introduction to Christmas-meme season and the “Mithras = Jesus” trope
• 06:03 – 23:40 – Ancient Mitra: Hittite, Vedic, Persian roots
• 34:57 – 44:00 – Roman-era Mithraism: timeline, military cult, archaeological record
• 51:40 – 67:08 – What’s in a Mithraeum? – Ritual layout and central icons
• 67:08 – 87:14 – The “Tauroctony” and mysterious iconographies
• 87:14 – 110:22 – Banquets, initiatory grades, the mystery cult structure
• 112:38 – 160:00 – “Meme claims” segment: Debunking every major internet assertion
• 160:58 – end – Critical thinking & why historical accuracy matters for faith

Final Thoughts

Don’t believe the memes:
The “Jesus = Mithras” trope is a product of pop-history, bad scholarship, and wishful internet thinking. No credible historian, classicist, or theologian takes these parallels seriously, and the evidence for them is overwhelmingly lacking.

How to recognize good evidence:
If claims about ancient religions are not rooted in archaeological finds, ancient texts, or methodical scholarly reconstruction, be skeptical. The mere existence of a parallel isn’t enough—meaningful connections must be carefully validated.

What’s at stake for Christians?
Pagan “mystery religions” like Mithraism are not the origin of Christian practice or teachings. Christianity emerges as the continuation and fulfillment of Israel, centered on the historical person of Jesus Christ, rather than any Roman-era secret cults.

Christian Response:
Remain faithful; fear and anger are not the fruit of discovering strange new supposed “truths” online. Stand fast in the faith, loving God and neighbor, regardless of viral mythbusting memes.

Further Resources Suggested in Episode:

• Treaty of the Great King by Meredith Kline (for suzerainty treaties)
• Anchor Bible Commentary series (for Genesis)
• Mystery of the Holy Trinity by Boris Bobrinskoy
• Dr. Bo Branson’s lectures on the Trinity
• St. Basil the Great’s Hexameron and St. Augustine’s Literal Interpretation of Genesis

For more: Visit https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordofspirits
Or join discussions at the Lord of Spirits Facebook group.