Личне тешкоће у обредима прелаза као ђавоља обмана. Тертулијан и митраизам
Personal Anguish in Rites of Passage as the Devil's Trickery. Tertullian and Mithraism

Summary/Abstract: Unlike many early-Christian authors writing on Mithraism, Justin the Philosopher and Tertullian interpret this mystery cult through the lens of imitatio diabolica. This theory postulates that paganism originated as a result of the devil’s attempt to replicate different aspects of Christianity, creating its more appealing replica and attracting those who could not detect the devil’s ploy. Justin the Philosopher perceives imitatio diabolica as a diabolic effort to fashion false realizations of Old-Testament prophecies, while Tertullian focuses on a more ritualistic aspect of the devil’s imitation. In a passage of the treatise De corona militis, Tertullian describes the initiation of a Mithraist into the grade of miles. This depiction is traditionally compared to the remnants of Mithraic iconography from Capua and Mainz. These depictions hint at the importance of hierarchy and the sense of an initiand’s vulnerability in these rituals. Unlike other early-Christian authors, eagerly highlighting the existence of formidable trials in Mithraism, Tertullian views and the feat of the Mithraic miles as a way to reprimand less adamant Christians and to warn them of the illusive virtues of the devil’s followers.

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