MythicCybele and Attis, mother-son mystery religion
UBSalem teaching corrupted into dying/rising god cult
Salem teaching corrupted into dying/rising god cult = Cybele and Attis, mother-son mystery religion
The Connection
The UB traces the Cybele/Attis mystery cult back to corrupted Salem teaching. The original message of salvation through faith was transformed into a dramatic death-and-resurrection ritual. Attis (the divine son) dies and is reborn annually, with initiates participating in his death and resurrection through ritual. This became one of the major mystery cults competing with early Christianity.
UB Citation
UB 98:4.1-2, 98:4.6
Academic Source
Vermaseren, Cybele and Attis (1977); Roller, In Search of God the Mother (1999)
Historical Evidence(Moderate evidence)
The UB identifies the Cybele/Attis cult as a corrupted Salem derivative. Maarten Vermaseren documents the cult's spread from Phrygia (modern Turkey) throughout the Roman Empire. Lynn Roller traces its origins to Neolithic Anatolian goddess worship, but notes the dying/rising god element was a later development. The transformation from simple faith-teaching to elaborate ritual drama follows the UB pattern for Salem corruption worldwide.