Religion in the Antiquity

I am reading the book about secret sects of Syria. This is an old book that was published about a hundred years ago.

Direct quote from the book

There was something to be known in religion, secrets or mysteries into which it was possible to be initiated ; that there was a gradual process of unfolding in things religious ; in fine, that there was a science of the soul, a knowledge of things unseen.

Some of the important ideas from antiquity were
- Trinity of God
- Existence of the Holy Spirit
- Secret of Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection
- Worship of Mithra (Sun Deity)

On page 22, the religion of the Magi (Old Persia) had a deep influence on many of the Eastern culture and Europe when the Asia Minor was conquered by the Romans.

In the Mithraic ceremonies, a mystic (candidate) goes through seven degrees of initiation to acquire perfect wisdom and purity, answered to the seven planetary spheres which the soul was forced to traverse in order to reach the abode of the blessed
- Raven
- Occult
- Soldier
- Lion
- Persian
- Runner of the Sun
- Father (title borrowed from Greeks, they are mostly directors of the community)

Details of the ceremony, duration and the service rendered by the candidate is mentioned on Page 22-27.

It is worth mentioning that fire was taken as the symbol of God and water as the symbol of the Holy Spirit. And the ancient Mithraic Mysteries were celebrated on the 25th of December which was called the Day of the Nativity of the Invincible.