Similarities between Jesus and the Egyptian God Horus

[Gromit]

I have never heard of this before, but apparently their are some skeptics who believe that the Biblical account of the life of Jesus, borrowed from earlier accounts of the mythical Egyptian God Horus. Indeed, there are many common themes with other Mediterranean ancient deities.

There is no contemporaneous record of Jesus while he was alive. Everything we know about him was written many decades afterwards. If he was performing miracles, you would have thought they would be written about at the time wouldn't you?

Here are 46 documented similarities.

http://www.framingbusiness.net/archives/232

(Hope this has not been done before) Your comments please.

[MarkRae]

Do a Google search for Jesus and Mithras and count the similarities there too...

[jno]

Mary also acquired some of the characteristics of the original earth mother, which had already been adapted for goddesses like Ishtar and Astarte (same name, slightly different people) and Inanna. What people see a god as tends to change over time anyway. I suspect people were proving reluctant to join a religion with no women at the top and preachers started to offer Mary as an alternative to Ishtar or Diana. .

I imagine the process of converting people partly involves persuading them that the new god does the same as the old god, only better. Constantine legalised Christianity because he thought God would help him win battles (and apparently He did).

But as for people recording his miracles - no, not necessarily. People didn't record much at the time, so absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.

[beso]

This is a very common claim but I have yet to see anything that backs it up.

The link is to a worse than utterly worthless page.
"Documented similarities" is profoundly over stated with all the references to Horus credited "source unknown".

[boxtops]

I've just finished reading this book about the history and beliefs of that time - http://www.amazon.com...229252/ref=pd_sim_b_6
Believe it or believe it not, it's an interesting read, drawing all sorts of conclusions, and yes, one of them is that Horus and Jesus have clear parallels and coincidences.

[beso]

Yes boxtops. People make all sorts of claims without reference to any source.

As you will know I am no fan of religious rubbish but those who promote and publish unsubstantiated claims are not helping.

[chakka35]

On another site I have listed the similarities between the pagan god-man stories that existed in most Mediterranean countries centuries before Paul gave us the Jesus story. Those similarities leave me in no doubt that the Jesus version was merely a retelling of those god-man stories in a Jewish context. I can list the similarities if you like, but this will do as an appetiser:

"He that will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he wil be made one with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation."

This is the ancient god MITHRAS, commenting on the pagan ritual called The Lord's Supper in which the bread represented his body and the wine his blood. Compare this with:

"Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have not life in yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live in me and I in him."

This, according to John, is the much later JESUS.

Quite a thought for those stepping up for the Eucharist tomorrow.

[sandyRoe]

Jesus was the son of God. Horus was some pagan nonsense.

[MarkRae]

> I can list the similarities if you like, but this will do as an appetiser:

Many years before Christianity, according to the Mithraic religion, three wise men from Persia came to visit the baby Mithra and brought him gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense, believing him to be the saviour of mankind.

Mithra was born on December 25, the winter solstice.

Before Mithra died of crucifixion, he celebrated a last supper with his twelve disciples who represented the twelve signs of the zodiac.

After his death his body was laid to rest in a rock tomb.

Mithra ascended into heaven during the spring equinox.

[beso]

More unsubstantiated claims. Not even a link. Worthless supposition.

Listing claims without references is as worthless as the Jesus story itself.

[chakka35]

More than that, MarkRae, the ingredients of the god-man story, when assembled, show that the god-man:

was born of a human virgin in lowly circumstances; was visited as a babe by shepherds; as an adult performed miracles including turning water into wine at a wedding, walked on water, miraculously cured the sick and raised men from the dead. He rode into the city on a donkey while people greeted him with palms.

After his execution he descnded into hell and then rose to heaven on the third day. Most of the rest you and I have already listed.

Have you not been listening, sandyRoe, or are you quite happy just quoting dogma?

[boxtops]

If you look at the book I've been reading, there are plenty of references in there, going back to the Greeks and Romans - Plny to name but one.

[MarkRae]

> Have you not been listening, sandyRoe, or are you quite happy just quoting dogma?

That's the thing with organised religion - the "faithful" believe what they are told to believe and are scared stiff of looking into it too deeply just in case they discover the truth.

It's impossible to have any sort of rational discussion with these people. The standard Christian get-out clause when confronted with something that proves their beliefs to be little more than a fairy story is to smile sweetly, shrug and say "Well, all I know is that I love the lord"...

[beso]

I suspect some of these stories go back a very long way and would even be evident in cave paintings if we knew how to interpret them.

The same adoption of old stories by new religions has always gone on. Mohammed used them too. Joseph Smith incorporated the Isrealites in his bizarre interpretation that even had the Promised Land moved to Utah.

At least L Ron Hubbard came up with his own myths.

What I find most incredible is that so many accept the obvious bunkum embodied in these stories.

[Theland1]

Rather like the Liberal and Conservative manifestos?

[naomi24]

The Jesus myth was very clearly lifted from earlier accounts, just as the biblical story of the flood was lifted from earlier accounts. Mithras was (among others) worshipped by the Romans, so was a very convenient tool for Paul to employ in his efforts to pull the wool over the eyes of the Gentiles. Give them what they already had - and more. What a bargain!

jno says //People didn't record much at the time, so absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.//

Whilst I agree that absence of evidence isn't necessarily evidence of absence, let's be realistic here. This is almighty God we're talking about. Surely someone would have had the wherewithal to hang on to his every word and meticulously record every instant of the most momentous event the world has ever witnessed. Call me sceptical if you like, but the lack of documentation indicates to me that if God really did pay the world a visit, no one was aware of it.

Sandyroe's claim that 'Horus was some pagan nonsense' would be amusing if it wasn't so sad. Tell a Muslim Jesus was the son of God and see what he says. Where other religions are concerned, every believer is an atheist.

[sandyRoe]

Naomi24,
where religion is concerned my postings are firmly tongue in cheek.

[naomi24]

Sandy, Oh, I see. I did wonder. :o)

[Ankou]

i firmly believe that these are just retellings from old stories spread around the campfire. the myths, legends and fables were (eventually) written down by someone who could write - much like the daft medieval songs we have today - and a large dose of embellishment added to make it more (un)believable to the fawning masses.

what better way to appease them by saying, as jno has said ' the new god does the same as the old god, only better ' and whats more, he aint foreign or a funny animal headed weirdo, he is just like you, in fact, you are just like him. its the way he wanted it. and if you behave and bend to his feet every day and make (force) everyone else to do the same, then he will be pleased and you will join him in the heavens when you's dead - as opposed to not doing this and burning in eternal flames with a demon holding a pitchfork and asking you to pick up the soap (oh, sorry, thats catholic school isnit).

its all very simple really. the hardest part to fathom is the belief factor.