Skilda frälsare i samma kläder
En studie om Mithras och Messias funktioner och likheter
It has since long been noticed that savior figures from different religions have reminded of each other, and there are different theories trying to explain why. This study examines religions operating in the same culture, and in this case, judaism and zoroastrianism, and their influence on each other. In particular, focus is on zoroastrianism's image of the savior figure Mithra, and how this representation may have influenced the description of the Messiah in the Talmud. How are the two figures represented in the scriptures and what similarities can be identified?By a thorough content analysis the studie examines the Avesta of zoroastrianism and the Talmud from judaism. When Avesta is written is uncertain, but it was compiled and edited by Shapur II in fourth century, same time as the Jewish oral traditions were written down in the persian empire in the form of the Babylonian Talmud.The theories used are Dimensional Accrual and Dissociation theory (DAD), this theory seeks to explain what happens when multiple religions are operating in the same area for a long time. The cultural phenomenon that before was exclusive to one culture may be dissolved and it becomes difficult to tell where this phenomenon came from. The farther two or more cultures co-exist, the harder it will be to say what culture is which. Together with DAD is the cultural Churning theory(CCT), CCT argues that when newly arrived immigrant ethnicities take residence in an already established culture, it requires an adaptation primarily from immigrants, i.e the minority culture. CCT also says that that both the society and the individual need to adapt to the new culture.What I have found is that the savior figures in Avesta and the Talmud are largely similar, in several respects. What I also found through historical studies is that these two faiths worked side by side in close to 800 years, and during this time a cultural exchange most likely took place.