Mystery Cults
“…The whole idea of a god–man who sacrifices himself in order to atone for the sins of mankind is alien to the Jewish tradition. It is part of the sadomasochistic romanticism of the Hellenistic mystery–cults, with their irresistible appeal to those who found the burden of guilt unbearably heavy and who longed for it to be taken away from them by some charismatic divine figure….”
“…As the civilization of Greece took over other cultures, its own mystery–cults began to imbibe and become infected by the mystery–cults of other nations…. These cults had a long history behind them and were derived ultimately from pre–historic vegetation–religions designed to promote the fertility of the earth. In their original form they were cults of human sacrifice in which a chosen victim was killed in order to replenish the vigor of nature. The victim came back to life as a god and was worshipped….”
