Marvin W. Meyer is Professor of Religious Studies at Chapman University. He has written and edited several books, including The Unknown Sayings of Jesus and Ancient Magic and Ritual Power. He is a research project director at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate School, and codirector of the Albert Schweitzer Institute.

"The ancient mysteries have remained all too mysterious because of the lack of ready access to them. . . . Now we have in one volume a fine collection of the sources that have survived. . . . This will be for many students the lifting of the veil for which they have been looking." (James Robinson, Institute of Antiquity and Christianity, The Claremont Graduate School) "The Ancient Mysteries contains a very balanced selection of sources for the study of the ancient so-called mystery religions, starting with Eleusis and ending with mysteries in Judaism and Christianity. . . . No other modern sourcebook exists in this field. Therefore this book fills a gap not only in the area of late antiquity and early Christianity, but also in the field of history of religions in general." (Kurt Rudolph, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Germany) "Unlike most books on 'ancient mysteries,' this one is based on careful reading of the original texts in their original languages. It is a competent, intelligent, and sympathetic study of which the original conclusions deserve careful consideration." (Morton Smith, author of Jesus the Magician and The Secret Gospel)

• Preface1. Introduction2. The Greek Mysteries of the Grain Mother and Daughter, and Related MysteriesHomeric Hymn to DemeterHerodotus, History, Book 8 (selection)Aristophanes, The Frogs (selection)Plutarch of Chaeronea, Progress in Virtue (selection)Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Book 5 (selection)Herodotus, History, Book 2 (selection)Lucian of Samosata, Alexander the False Prophet (selection)3. The Andanian Mysteries of MesseniaPausanias, Description of Greece, Book 4 (selection)Rule of the Andanian Mysteries4. The Greek Mysteries of DionysosEuripides, The Bacchae (selections)Livy, History of Rome, Book 39 (selection)Achilles Tatius, The Adventures of Leucippe and Clitophon, Book 2 (selection)Pausanias, Description of Greece, Book 6 (selection)Rule of the IobacchoiPlato, Republic, Book 2 (selection)Orphic Lamella from ThessalyOrphic Hymns5. The Anatolian Mysteries of the Great Mother and Her Lover, and the Syrian GoddessArnobius of Sicca, The Case Against the Pagans, Book 5 (selections)Livy, History of Rome, Book 29 (selection)Catullus, Poem 63Prudentius, On the Martyrs' Crowns (selection)Lucian of Samosata (?), The Syrian Goddess (selections)Apuleius of Madauros, The Golden Ass, Book 8 (selection)Hippolytus of Rome, Refutation of All Heresies (selections)6. The Egyptian Mysteries of Isis and OsirisPlutarch of Chaeronea, On Isis and Osiris (selections)Isis Aretalogy from CymeIsis Love Spell from the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris (selection)Apuleius of Madauros, The Golden Ass, BookFlavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, Book 18(selection)7. The Roman Mysteries of MithrasLucian of Samosata, Menippus (selection)Plutarch of Chaeronea, Life of Pompey (selection)Mithraic Inscriptions of Santa PriscaFirmicus Maternus, The Error of the Pagan Religions (selections)Origen, Against Celsus (selection)Porphyry, On the Cave of the Nymphs (selection)The Mithras Liturgy8. The Mysteries within Judaism and ChristianityPlutarch of Chaeronea, Table-Talk, Book 4 (selection)Philo of Alexandria, On the Contemplative Life (selection)Clement of Alexandria, "To Theodore"Gospel of Philip (selections)Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks (selections)GlossaryAcknowledgments

Marvin W. Meyer is Professor of Religious Studies at Chapman University. He has written and edited several books, including The Unknown Sayings of Jesus and Ancient Magic and Ritual Power. He is a research project director at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate School, and codirector of the Albert Schweitzer Institute.

"The ancient mysteries have remained all too mysterious because of the lack of ready access to them. . . . Now we have in one volume a fine collection of the sources that have survived. . . . This will be for many students the lifting of the veil for which they have been looking." (James Robinson, Institute of Antiquity and Christianity, The Claremont Graduate School) "The Ancient Mysteries contains a very balanced selection of sources for the study of the ancient so-called mystery religions, starting with Eleusis and ending with mysteries in Judaism and Christianity. . . . No other modern sourcebook exists in this field. Therefore this book fills a gap not only in the area of late antiquity and early Christianity, but also in the field of history of religions in general." (Kurt Rudolph, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Germany) "Unlike most books on 'ancient mysteries,' this one is based on careful reading of the original texts in their original languages. It is a competent, intelligent, and sympathetic study of which the original conclusions deserve careful consideration." (Morton Smith, author of Jesus the Magician and The Secret Gospel)

• Preface1. Introduction2. The Greek Mysteries of the Grain Mother and Daughter, and Related MysteriesHomeric Hymn to DemeterHerodotus, History, Book 8 (selection)Aristophanes, The Frogs (selection)Plutarch of Chaeronea, Progress in Virtue (selection)Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Book 5 (selection)Herodotus, History, Book 2 (selection)Lucian of Samosata, Alexander the False Prophet (selection)3. The Andanian Mysteries of MesseniaPausanias, Description of Greece, Book 4 (selection)Rule of the Andanian Mysteries4. The Greek Mysteries of DionysosEuripides, The Bacchae (selections)Livy, History of Rome, Book 39 (selection)Achilles Tatius, The Adventures of Leucippe and Clitophon, Book 2 (selection)Pausanias, Description of Greece, Book 6 (selection)Rule of the IobacchoiPlato, Republic, Book 2 (selection)Orphic Lamella from ThessalyOrphic Hymns5. The Anatolian Mysteries of the Great Mother and Her Lover, and the Syrian GoddessArnobius of Sicca, The Case Against the Pagans, Book 5 (selections)Livy, History of Rome, Book 29 (selection)Catullus, Poem 63Prudentius, On the Martyrs' Crowns (selection)Lucian of Samosata (?), The Syrian Goddess (selections)Apuleius of Madauros, The Golden Ass, Book 8 (selection)Hippolytus of Rome, Refutation of All Heresies (selections)6. The Egyptian Mysteries of Isis and OsirisPlutarch of Chaeronea, On Isis and Osiris (selections)Isis Aretalogy from CymeIsis Love Spell from the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris (selection)Apuleius of Madauros, The Golden Ass, BookFlavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, Book 18(selection)7. The Roman Mysteries of MithrasLucian of Samosata, Menippus (selection)Plutarch of Chaeronea, Life of Pompey (selection)Mithraic Inscriptions of Santa PriscaFirmicus Maternus, The Error of the Pagan Religions (selections)Origen, Against Celsus (selection)Porphyry, On the Cave of the Nymphs (selection)The Mithras Liturgy8. The Mysteries within Judaism and ChristianityPlutarch of Chaeronea, Table-Talk, Book 4 (selection)Philo of Alexandria, On the Contemplative Life (selection)Clement of Alexandria, "To Theodore"Gospel of Philip (selections)Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks (selections)GlossaryAcknowledgments

Marvin W. Meyer is Professor of Religious Studies at Chapman University. He has written and edited several books, including The Unknown Sayings of Jesus and Ancient Magic and Ritual Power. He is a research project director at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate School, and codirector of the Albert Schweitzer Institute.

"The ancient mysteries have remained all too mysterious because of the lack of ready access to them. . . . Now we have in one volume a fine collection of the sources that have survived. . . . This will be for many students the lifting of the veil for which they have been looking." (James Robinson, Institute of Antiquity and Christianity, The Claremont Graduate School) "The Ancient Mysteries contains a very balanced selection of sources for the study of the ancient so-called mystery religions, starting with Eleusis and ending with mysteries in Judaism and Christianity. . . . No other modern sourcebook exists in this field. Therefore this book fills a gap not only in the area of late antiquity and early Christianity, but also in the field of history of religions in general." (Kurt Rudolph, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Germany) "Unlike most books on 'ancient mysteries,' this one is based on careful reading of the original texts in their original languages. It is a competent, intelligent, and sympathetic study of which the original conclusions deserve careful consideration." (Morton Smith, author of Jesus the Magician and The Secret Gospel)

• Preface1. Introduction2. The Greek Mysteries of the Grain Mother and Daughter, and Related MysteriesHomeric Hymn to DemeterHerodotus, History, Book 8 (selection)Aristophanes, The Frogs (selection)Plutarch of Chaeronea, Progress in Virtue (selection)Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Book 5 (selection)Herodotus, History, Book 2 (selection)Lucian of Samosata, Alexander the False Prophet (selection)3. The Andanian Mysteries of MesseniaPausanias, Description of Greece, Book 4 (selection)Rule of the Andanian Mysteries4. The Greek Mysteries of DionysosEuripides, The Bacchae (selections)Livy, History of Rome, Book 39 (selection)Achilles Tatius, The Adventures of Leucippe and Clitophon, Book 2 (selection)Pausanias, Description of Greece, Book 6 (selection)Rule of the IobacchoiPlato, Republic, Book 2 (selection)Orphic Lamella from ThessalyOrphic Hymns5. The Anatolian Mysteries of the Great Mother and Her Lover, and the Syrian GoddessArnobius of Sicca, The Case Against the Pagans, Book 5 (selections)Livy, History of Rome, Book 29 (selection)Catullus, Poem 63Prudentius, On the Martyrs' Crowns (selection)Lucian of Samosata (?), The Syrian Goddess (selections)Apuleius of Madauros, The Golden Ass, Book 8 (selection)Hippolytus of Rome, Refutation of All Heresies (selections)6. The Egyptian Mysteries of Isis and OsirisPlutarch of Chaeronea, On Isis and Osiris (selections)Isis Aretalogy from CymeIsis Love Spell from the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris (selection)Apuleius of Madauros, The Golden Ass, BookFlavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, Book 18(selection)7. The Roman Mysteries of MithrasLucian of Samosata, Menippus (selection)Plutarch of Chaeronea, Life of Pompey (selection)Mithraic Inscriptions of Santa PriscaFirmicus Maternus, The Error of the Pagan Religions (selections)Origen, Against Celsus (selection)Porphyry, On the Cave of the Nymphs (selection)The Mithras Liturgy8. The Mysteries within Judaism and ChristianityPlutarch of Chaeronea, Table-Talk, Book 4 (selection)Philo of Alexandria, On the Contemplative Life (selection)Clement of Alexandria, "To Theodore"Gospel of Philip (selections)Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks (selections)GlossaryAcknowledgments