ORPHEUS THE CHRISTIAN CONNECTION

Christ was depicted in much early Christian art as Orpheus, founder of the orgiastic mysteries Greek: (transliterated Orpheus): also (Orphic, Orphica, Orphism, Orphean, etc.) Overview:
http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/orpheus.htm, Orpheus:

During early Christianity Orpheus surrounded by the wild animals was a symbol for Christ, and this motif was often used in the catacombs.
Larousse Greek and Roman Mythology, English translation 1980, pp. 202-203, Orphism:

http://www.jhom.com/topics/david/orpeus.html, King David: The Legacy of the Harp: What David, Orpheus and Jesus have in common:
The many depictions in fourth century Rome's early Christian catacombs (and later) of Orpheus charming the animals, do not portray the Christians' belief in their salvation through Orpheus but rather refer to Christ, who is disguised as the popular Orpheus.

http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/sbf/Books/LA41/LA41469Ovadiah_Aspects.pdf, ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE HOLY LAND:

Various texts show how the Church, in its attempt to overpower Orphism, tried to merge Orpheus with Jesus and to turn them into one being. This is further reinforced in De Laudibus Constantini by Eusebius, who compares the Logos which tames mankind, with Orpheus who tames wild animals. This passage of Eusebius is, no doubt, evidence of the blurring of the functional differences between Orpheus and Jesus; it helps to understand the attempt of Christians to adopt Orpheus for their religious needs and to identify him with Jesus, with the Logos or with the Good Shepherd.18 18. Cf. A. Ovadiah and S. Mucznik, Orpheus
from Jerusalem Pagan or Christian Image?, The Jerusalem Cathedra, 1(1981), pp. 152-166.

http://www.arsmar.com/ci_art.htm, Arte delle Catacombe, Affreschi, Sculture, Iscrizioni e Graffiti:

The statues found in the catacombs predominantly are of Jesus, represented as the Good Shepherd. The artistic model was the pagan figure of Orpheus, with the flute to his side and a lamb over his shoulder. Although the Christians did not adorn the

catacombs with the miriad of statues the pagans had, they did adapt Orpheus to represent Jesus as the Good Sheperd: "I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep knows me." [Gospel of John, Ch.10 ver.14 ]
http://christianwritings.net/chapt-9.htm, The Life of Christ: Chapter 9, The Temptation:

We may well believe that the mere human spell of a living and sinless personality would go far to keep the Saviour from danger. In the catacombs and on other ancient monuments of early Christians, He is sometimes represented as Orpheus charming the animals with his song. All that was true and beautiful in the old legends found its fulfilment in Him, and was but a symbol of His life and work.
http://www.nationarchive.com/Summaries/v060i1563_08.htm (The Nation [magazine]), Paters Greek Studies:

we know that the Christians of the catacombs fused the legend of Orpheus with their own symbolism,
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02341a.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia), Bas-relief:

Heathen myths are also used, invested with a new significance: Orpheus is Christ, drawing the creatures of the wild by the sweet strains of his music
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907, Vol. 2, pp. 342-343, Bas-relief:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14373b.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia), Symbolism:

Even the fable of Orpheus was borrowed pictorially and referred to Christ. Similarly the story of Eros and Psyche was revived and Christianized, serving to remind the believer of the resurrection of the body and the eternal beatitude of heaven.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1912, Vol. 14, p. 374 (right column, 18 lines down), Symbolism:

http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/subject/hd/fak7/hist/o1/logs/byzans-l/log.started940501/mail112.html, Orpheus: Working on my senior honor's project on the Paris Psalter, I ran into the problem of the iconographical similarity of David and Orpheus. Both are depicted in a similar way playing the harp and charming the beasts. This classical-Christian syncretism seems to go back to late Roman art where there are representations of Christ-Orpheus (in the Domitilla and Calixtus catacombs) and David-Orpheus (in the synagogues in Gaza and Dura-Europos). I would appreciate any suggestion as to why exactly the myth of Orpheus became so dear to the early Christians and the romanized Jews. After all, in Greek mythology there were other travellers in the underworld (Hercules) and charismatic players of musical instruments (Apollo).

His connections to sex orgies, maybe.

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/pdfs/catalogues/bn63/uk_classical.pdf, Greek and Roman Mythology: La figure dOrphe dans lantiquit tardive by Laurence Veillefon
In Late Antiquity Orpheus lay at the junction of pagan mythical hero-worship and Christian eulogism and is featured in a wealth of textual and iconographic material. This study explores the complex paradigm between the pagan and Christian vision of this Greco-Roman figure, musician and animal charmer, poetic and spiritual being. Evidence from mosaics in Roman villas, sarcophagi, wall paintings in catacombs, funerary reliefs, gems, ceramics, ivories, imagery in Jewish synagogues, and philosophical works of the Neoplatonists and Church Fathers, are used to reconstruct the mutations of the Orpheus myth in Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. French text. 268p, 16 b/w pls (De larchologie lhistoire, de Boccard 2003) Hb 47.50

The New International Encyclopaedia, 1922, Vol. XVII, p. 593, Orpheus:

The New International Encyclopaedia, 1912, Vol. 15, p. 120, Orpheus

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/ukraine/231/dionysian/orphism.html, From Orphism to Gnosticism:

The Orphic school represents the influence of such Greek Mysticism on the Dionysian Mysteries. Orpheus, whether real or mythic, was said to have been the founder of the alphabet, greatest poet - musician - artist, and father of all the Mysteries, in general combining features of Hermes and Dionysos. Early Orphism tended to have few physical schools (perhaps only one) and to be represented by individual travelling initiators, Orpheotelestai, with no fixed ties to any place or community. They rejected animal sacrifices and were vegetarian, shunning any contact with flesh or blood. To 'lower people' they acted as healers, but tended to be aloof from them. Later Orphic religious communities began to emerge, with their ranks of Musaei, or teaching initiates. It's Mysteries were not overtly different from the orthodox Dionysian Mysteries. It retained it's method of initiation and tradition of orgiasm, but their practical purpose became one of transcendence, as in Buddhist Tantra. This is

obviously a reworking of a pagan fertility myth, but Orphics interpreted the underworld as the material one and the world above it as heaven. Some have seen references to an, at best, homoerotic or, at worst, a puritanical misogynistic aspect of Orphism in this myth. By the end of the 5th century Orphism itself would be dead, but not before giving birth to various offspring. One of these was Christianity, which contains hundreds Orphic and Dionysian archetypes. Most obviously the divine son of a Jovian sky god, named Iesus (a local rendition of Iasios, a Dionysos name often given to initiates), born in a 'grotto' among animals. Who preaches a new form of Orphic ethics, often using viticultural metaphors, prophesises, 'raises the dead' and heals the sick (all Orphic/Dionysian traits), works with fishermen (Orpheus was a Hunter/Fisher) and plagiarises the well knownDionysos magick of turning water into wine, during a sacred marriage rite. Before finally being 'hung on a tree', slaughtered as sacrificial scapegoat, and resurrected. However Christianity did provide the ground for a more interesting offspring of Orphism in Gnosticism. While nominally Christian (and so surviving even today) Gnosticism appears to have essentially been a close reworking of Orphism. Intermediate sects are found in Asia Minor that combine Orphic and Christian imagery, notably a Pagan seal of Orpheos Bakkikos, the crucified fisherman, dating to around 300AD. Similar Gnostics, such as the Egyptian Stratiotics, who share traits with both Archontics and Ophites, allegedly specialized in a form of ritual Orgiasm, said to combine both Eastern Tantric and Dionysian magico-sexual arts. This occurred at the Agape, or Love-Feast, a drinking party, decadent banquet and passionate sex orgy. A belief in deliberate taboo breaking was also ascribed to sects like this.
http://web.archive.org/web/20101227055817/http://goldenrule.name/OrpheusCHRISTIAN_CONNECTION/