The reason they were called "mystery cults" was precisely because they did not have written books but instead relied on secret knowledge which was passed on from higher ranking priests to initiates. Oddly, that sounds quite a bit like gnostic xtianity so it too may have started out that way.
The problem which developed is one branch, which Ehrman calls the proto-orthodox, began developing a whole bureaucratic structure of bishops and other such shit. They eventually won out much as the Bolsheviks won out over the more numerous Mensheviks in Russia because of superior organization and discipline.
The problem which developed is one branch, which Ehrman calls the proto-orthodox, began developing a whole bureaucratic structure of bishops and other such shit. They eventually won out much as the Bolsheviks won out over the more numerous Mensheviks in Russia because of superior organization and discipline.
