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Mystery
Religions and specific cults |
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Sacred Texts of the Mystery Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean World Marvin W. Meyer (Editor) 
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So who are you going to trust? That's up to you. I trust the ancients -- people alive back when Christianity began, and before. That's what this book is about. This is a sourcebook, is a collection of primary documents -- excerpts from ancient authors who wrote about Pagan religion and early Christianity. It's a great collection, with the original text of most of the standard ancient references to the pagan mystery religions. This is a powerful book. You'll discover firsthand, right from the pens of the ancients themselves, that Dionysus came to earth "incognito, disguised as a man"; that Pagan Gods died and were reborn with the meaning that "the God is saved, and we shall have salvation."; that pagans had initiation ceremonies seen as "a voluntary death", sacred meals shared with the God, ceremonial washing, Pagan miracles, a Godman who changed water into wine, and a Pagan version of the great flood. And much more. Wow. An important book that no serious student will be without. Highly recommended.
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| The
Mystery-Religions : A Study in the Religious
Background of Early Christianity by Samuel Angus 
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A
famous and much cited scholarly account of the Mystery Religions.
Written in the 1920s, the book is still in print because it is still a recognized
authority. Organized by feature- of -religion, so you get an overview of the mysteries rather than a detailed look at each of them.
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| Eleusis:
Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter by Karl Cerenyi
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The
Mysteries of Eleusis were the first and biggest in the ancient world.
Luckily this most-cited of scholarly books on the subject is clear and well
written.
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Roman Cult of Mithras: The
God and His Mysteries by Manfred Clauss
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Everything
you need to know about Mithras in a short, readable, scholarly book.
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| The
Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries by David Ulansey
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A
often cited book, from a professor in California, advancing a radical new
theory identifying MIthras with Perseus and basing his cult on ancient astrology.
Interesting, but not essential to the Pagan Origins question.
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