by Lottie Richard
I studied history in college, and spent a lot of my time researching
ancient civilizations and comparative religions. As an agnostic, I am
fascinated by religion and the idea of faith and belief, across all
religions spanning the entirety of human existence. Some of the most
fascinating projects that I did in college involved comparing ancient
mythology to modern religious beliefs, finding similarities and multiple
parallels. For example, anyone who has ever read
The Epic of Gilgamesh will know that many biblical stories are plucked straight from the story, including the flood myth and the virgin birth myth.Historians and religious scholars know that religious texts are made
up of a series of myths (that’s not to say they are not true, but just
that they are mythical stories). These myths appear across different
religions and eras, and the same stories repeat themselves over and over
again throughout history. Today, I will present to you five
near-identical “jesus” myths that predate jesus christ.
1. Horus (3100 B.C.)
Horus
was one of the many Egyptian Gods. This is probably one of the
best-known and contested deities that is often compared to jesus christ.
Some translations and Egyptian myths say that he had 12 disciples, and
was born of a virgin in a cave. His
birth was announced by a star, and was attended by three wise men. He was baptized at age thirty by
Anup the Baptizer.
Horus performed miracles, including rising at least one person from the
dead and walking on water. He was crucified, buried in a tomb, and
resurrected, just like jesus christ.
2. Buddha (563 B.C.)
Buddha’s mother, Queen Maha Maya, had a
dream
that a white elephant with six tusks entered her right side,
impregnating her. As was tradition in this time, the mother left her
husband’s kingdom to give birth near her father. She did not make it the
entire way, though, and gave birth while traveling. Buddha was born in a
garden beneath a tree. In addition to this birth story,
Buddha,
like jesus, also performed miracles, healed the sick, walked on water,
fed 500 men from a single basket of cakes, was transfigured on a mount,
and taught chastity, temperance, tolerance, compassion, love, and the
equality of all. There are also some texts that say he was crucified,
spent three days in hell, and was resurrected. That is not what killed
him, though, as he died in his old age from what is believed to be food
poisoning.
3. Mithra (2000 B.C.)
Mithra was an ancient Zoroastrian deity, and along with Horus has some of the most striking
similarities to Jesus. Yet another example of
virginal birth, Mithra was born to the
virgin Anahita
on December 25th. He was swaddled and placed in a manger, where he was
tended to by shepherds. Like jesus and Horus, he had 12 companions
(which can be interpreted as disciples). He also performed miracles,
identified with both the lion and the lamb, sacrificed his life to save
the world, was dead for three days before being resurrected, and was
known as the messiah, the savior, and “the Way, the Truth and the
Light.” His religion also had a Eucharistic-style “Lord’s supper.”
4. Krishna (around 3000 B.C.)
Krishna,
a Hindu God, was born after his mother was impregnated by a God. His
birth was attended by angels, wise men, and shepherds, and he was
presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Like jesus, when Krishna
was born, a tyrant had
ordered the slaughter of all newborns. In addition, he was
baptized
in a river, performed miracles, raised the dead, healed the deaf and
blind, used parables to teach charity and love, rose from the dead and
ascended to heaven, and it is believe he will someday return to earth to
battle the “Prince of Evil.”
5. Osiris (around 2500 B.C.)
Osiris
was the son of one of the many Egyptian Gods. Like jesus, Osiris was
portrayed as a bearded man, and his myth says that he was killed and the
resurrected after three days in hell.
Also like jesus,
Osiris performed miracles, had 12 disciples, and taught that people
could be born again through baptism in water. In addition, Osiris had
many titles, including “Lord of Lords,” “King of Kings,” and “Good Shepherd.”
There are many more
religious figures
who have multiple similarities to Jesus, including Odysseus, Romulus,
Dionysus, Heracles, Glycon, and others. Mythical stories depicting the
virginal births of the sons of Gods go back millennia, most likely
predating the advent of writing. The ancient myths
disprove the existence of the christian 'deity' jesus, 'his' story is
just blatant plagiarism of far older stories as is the entirety of the
'bible'.
